Monkey See, Monkey Do...

Easiest "Fancy" Salad Ever....

2012-01-20T05:30:00.001-08:00

Recognize this?

I'm a rebel! And I'm here to tell you....a lil' rebelliousness can go a long way (ask my mom.) So please....read below....break the rules....

A small change can make a huge difference especially in salad dressings. In this case, it takes it from boring to fabulous (and you must say that in a high pitched-singing kind of way or the word doesn't have the same affect, you know what I'm talking about, just do it, it's fun.)

Everyone is going to be impressed.

It's definitely not necessary to give away your secret....It is definitely not necessary to tell....definitely, definitely not......(rainman reference)

the reason this is so fabulous....the dressing.....it's, it's.......

bottled! *GASP* *Silence* *crickets*

a foodie "NO-NO"....but like I said, "I'm a rebel!"

Yes, it is the Good Season's Italian dressing carafe....I love it, even though I don't usually follow "the lines," I like them there for reference.

I'm still going to rebel in this recipe and not "follow the directions" but only with the ingredient list...measurements will remain as directed.

This recipe came from my mom, Deanna. She made this salad and we all flipped for it. It was gone so fast! Now, the pictures I have included are actually missing some ingredients because I threw this together very last minute and just happened to have my camera sitting on the counter (it's usual place.) So, I snapped a couple photo's thinking I would eventually make the "true" or at least my "jazzed up" version of the salad. I'm going to post this with the boring photo's, because I'm pretty sure most of you know how to add additional ingredients to a salad without having to see it in a photo---- maybe i'll snap another at a later date with all the ingredients but for now---You'll get the gist.

Dressing:

- 1 packet of Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
- White Balsamic Vinegar - it will be at your grocery store-- you have just never looked for it.
- Light Olive Oil or Light extra virgin olive oil - it's a very neutral, lighter tasting olive oil (I have used regular in a pinch but the "Light" tastes much better)

Mix just like the packet says except use the white balsamic in place of the red wine vinegar and the Light Olive oil in place of whatever the oil the packet states (I think it may be veg oil - yuck~)

Salad:

- Romaine or a mix of greens, being careful if you use delicate greens, use a light hand w/ dressing
- Red Onion
- Pear (red is prettiest), sliced thin
- Pomegranate seeds
- Candied Pecans, you can buy them candied, or you can just use regular and toast them in over (375, 10m when you can smell them they are done) or you can candy them yourself but it's a pain and I don't do it.
- Goat Cheese, crumbled (you can use a variety of cheeses here but creamier, crumbly work best...ex. feta, gorgonzola/blue, etc...)
- whatever else you want to add...I like cucumbers so I add those but the "sky is the limit"

MIX AND EAT!!!!!!!!!!


Missing cheese and pecans...but still scrumptious!

Homemade Whole Wheat Pop Tarts

2012-01-19T19:35:00.000-08:00

H, my son, has become addicted to pancakes.....He used to be addicted to eggs.....Over easy eggs to be exact, but now, pancakes! I am SICK OF MAKING PANCAKES! I'm sick of making a lot of them and freezing them, I'm sick of running out of them and making another batch. I am happy to be out of the egg stage though......making an egg, to have him not touch it, then it solidifies into this amazing adherent mess on the plate....Ugh, EGGS!

So, I had a thought, what did I like to eat when I was a kid....Toaster Strudels! Not really pop tarts, but the flakier ones, with the frosting that you put on yourself....the one that my dad would make for me every morning, and the one, where he taught me the best way to warm up the plastic packet of frosting (gross) was to hold it between the palm of your hands rather than microwaving so it had the perfect "spreading consistency" (really gross) Ohhhhhh, those were GOOD!!! Love the days before we knew about all the weird crap in our food.

I made a homemade poptart....I made the whole wheat pie crust a day in advance and kept it in the fridge (freezing the rest.) I made the filling all healthy yet yummy of different berries (frozen but fab.) I was thinking, this kid is going to LOVE ME! He is going to think, holy moly, dessert for breakfast...YES!

He wouldn't touch it! I was in the giving mood, I offered it to my husband. Again, wouldn't eat it, stating "I'm not eating all that sugar!" (don't know who he was trying to kid...) I replied, "it's healthy," reply, "maybe later"...

WHAT, no takers on a warm, just out of the oven, berry poptart with a sprinkling of sugar on top??????

i ate it.

it was wonderful.

i want another one right now.

i'm fat.

not really, it's healthy.

Whole Wheat PopTarts
pie crust adapted from "Cheeky Kitchen", filling made up by me...

CRUST:
1 C whole wheat
1/2 C white flour
2 t sugar
1/2 t salt
½ c. cold butter, sliced (keep butter in fridge until adding- you want it COLD)
5-7 Tbsp. cold milk

Put flour, sugar and salt in food processor. Pulse to mix. Add butter, pulse until it looks crumbly, like peas but smaller--- then add milk, maybe 3 Tablespoons at first and then pulse, and then run for a couple seconds, if you can tell that it isn't going to come together into a ball, add another tablespoon or 2 (use your best judgment) pulse, and then leave on for a couple second (it took 6 tablespoons for me). It will eventually all firm up in one side of your processor. Dump out onto a flour surface and just maneuver it enough to get it into a ball and place in fridge until ready.

FILLING:

You could fill these with anything---you could cut up apple...put it on the stove with a lil' water, cinnamon, vanilla, allspice, nutmeg, tad bit a sugar...cook until it's just falling apart. You could use all jelly/jam, chocolate, Nutella, peanut butter, anything... I used frozen berries and a bit of "just fruit" jelly because it is what I had.

1 c. frozen mixed berries, still frozen
3-4 T jelly- I used blackberry "all fruit" but whatever you have will work
water

Put fruit in small sauce pan and warm up until thawed and starting to become liquid. Smoosh the fruit with a fork or spoon to help it thicken a bit. If it's too thick add water (tablespoon at a time.) Add your jelly and stir. If your mixture is "too loose," let it cool a bit before deciding your next step. It will not be to a boiling point when inside the poptart, just "appropriately hot" so it will firm up a bit....if you still think it is all too liquid you can add a touch of cornstarch to your mixture.

Cool filling and add a couple tablespoons to your poptarts!!!

WHAT TO DO:

I pulled my ball out (hahaha-dirty) and split it into 4 hunks, 1 hunk makes one poptart. roll it into long oval and fold over or cut into rectangles if your a perfectionist (or wanting to take a photo) add filling, leaving an edge. Using a fork, seal edges....poke a couple holes to let steam out. I used, whole milk because it was all I had but if you had cream it would work better....brush some milk over the top, sprinkle with a lil' sugar....(you can skip the sugar but my filling had very little sugar so I wanted some sweetness to hit the tongue first)

Bake at 400 degrees, for 10-12 minutes....all depends on your oven, watch for your edges to brown. Remember this is whole wheat dough, it's not going to be as pretty as regular...it's not going to be as golden or as flaky but I tell ya, it's pretty damn good for being better for you!

Chow down!!

Garlic Chicken with Israeli CousCous "Casserole"

2012-01-14T08:13:00.000-08:00

Hello All....I've been tardy in posting this because I'm trying to figure out how to add a tab at the end of my posts with the "printer friendly" version of my recipes but it is not as easy as I anticipated. There are a few different ways of doing it so I'm in "research" mode....So, again, apologies!!

My mom made this recipe and I had some warmed up as leftovers and fell in love. It is very tasty and it's a CASSEROLE! I never like casseroles, so when I do stumble upon a good one, it tends to be a keeper. This is going to seem like a lengthy meal and does have a few steps. My suggestion is start it a day or two in advance or early in the day. The chicken benefits from longer marinating time and you won't feel so bogged down by multiple steps.

A couple of notes before you start....be sure to have a LARGE saute pan to brown chicken or do it in batches. My couscous is a lil' darker in color then it should be and this is because my chicken started to burn before it was sufficiently brown, therefore making my pan sauce darker. This will also allow your chicken to cook a bit longer in your pan and the cook time will not have to vary.

I did not take a million photo's with this dish...more because I was rushing through some of it and then I lost light....so maybe at a later date when I make again, i will update post with more photos....

Garlic Chicken with Israeli CousCous Casserole
Adapted from Anne Burrell on Food Network.

Chicken:

2 whole garlic bulbs
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 large bunch thyme, leaves only
1 tablespoon cumin
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 (4 to 5-pound) chicken, cut into 8 to 10 parts

CousCous:

Kosher salt
2 cups medium-size Israeli couscous
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
3 ribs celery, sliced thin
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
3 tablespoons tomato paste
Large pinch saffron
2 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 to 3 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
3 scallions, white and green, sliced thinly on the bias

Directions

Chicken:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Wrap Garlic in tin foil and roast them until they are soft when squeezed, about 30 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let cool.

When the garlic bulbs are cool, slice the tops off and squeeze out the roasted garlic. Add the garlic to a food processor or a bowl, along with the lemon zest, lemon juice, thyme, cumin, crushed red pepper and salt, to taste. Add a little olive oil and puree or mash into a loose paste. Massage the mixture all over the chicken pieces and let sit for at least 1 hour.

Couscous:
Bring a pot of well salted water to a boil, over medium heat. Add the couscous and cook it until it's about 2/3 of the way cooked, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and reserve.

Trader Joe's "mixed couscous"

Coat a large saute pan with olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and brown it on all sides. Remove it to a plate, drain the fat and add the onions and celery. Season with salt, to taste, and the crushed red pepper. Deglaze with white wine, scraping up all the crud on the bottom of the pan and cook the onions and celery for 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes. Add in the saffron, zucchini, cooked couscous, and chicken stock. Stir to combine, then taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. Transfer the mix to an ovenproof dish. Nestle the chicken, skin side up, in the couscous and cover with foil. Add some more chicken stock to keep everything nice and moist. Sprinkle with pine nuts and cover with foil. Place the baking dish on a sheet pan.
Roast the chicken for 20 minutes, covered, then remove the foil and roast for another 10 to 15 minutes.(My chicken required longer cooking because of my "browning situation")
Remove the chicken from the oven CHECK TEMP OF CHICKEN and top with scallions before serving.

Enjoy!

Monday Morning Nonsense....

2011-11-21T05:34:00.001-08:00

I didn't have a food post today but I had a couple funny pics of H. These may help those of us in the D remember what summertime looked like...(considering it is, once again, cold and rainy today.....)

Banana Muffins - For those left over brown bananas on your counter or freezer.

2011-11-17T07:27:00.000-08:00

H goes through stages where he will eat 2 banana's a day and then for the next week or two, will not touch them. So, we tend to have a few left over bananas, almost going to waste, that get thrown in the freezer. Yesterday, I opened the freezer door and an avalanche of frozen banana's almost broke my foot. Therefore, banana muffin's were required......

I have adapted this recipe from a few different ones that I have seen/used via All Recipes website. I use a combination of whole wheat and AP flour and applesauce instead of butter/oil to make them a tad more healthy. I also cut the sugar down which I am going to continue to try to do so until I get a batch that tastes bad and then I'll repost to let you know the least amt needed (for those of you with little ones...) This recipe can be made with entirely AP (all purpose) flour as well as 1/3 c butter/oil (butter melted) instead of the applesauce.

Enjoy!

Banana Muffins

3/4 c AP flour
3/4 c Whole Wheat Flour
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1-1.5 t cinnamon
3 banana's, mashed
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1/2 c applesauce
1 t vanilla
Cooking Spray for muffin pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In medium bowl, mix flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Use a whisk to be sure to get the dry ingredients well blended (or you can use a sifter but I don't own one.) In a larger bowl, mash bananas. Add sugar, egg, applesauce and vanilla to bananas and mix well. Stir in your dry ingredients being sure NOT TO OVER MIX....just stir until you don't see any more flour streaks and then STOP. Over mixing muffin mix makes dense rock hard muffins, which are yucky!

Spray muffin pan, I use mini muffin pan's because H likes them that size for his lil' hands...and so he can shove the whole thing in there and proceed to run around and give me a heart attack (see photo below.)

such a sloppy baker...

Fill to top and bake for 10-13 minutes...poke with toothpick and your ready to go...Careful these babies are HOT HOT HOT.....

Bar Stool Redo

2011-11-13T08:29:00.001-08:00

Latest Project....Bar Stool Redo

So I actually forgot to take original photos of these bar stools. They were originally this really horrible greenish blue (the legs.) I got them for $5.00 a piece at the Salvation Army so I figured for that price they were easily fixable. The white vinyl seats were in pretty good shape, all they needed was a quick spray of black spray paint and we were good to go....They have sat like this in our kitchen for over a year. Then the other day while going through my stash of fabric, I ran into this IKEA pattern that I purchased in like 07' for a different project that never came to fruition. I was hunting through the house for something to do with it since I didn't have much. This is the end result....They are a little loud but I figure I will like them for a bit and then Hudson will spill something on them that I can't possible get out and then I'll start all over again....

2011-11-12T14:05:00.000-08:00

Addicted to Pot Roast Taco's.....

Apologies for the "yellowish" pictures. We were cooking at night with zero natural light.

My friend Deanna and I love to cook together. She is addicted to yummy foodilicious recipes like me. We are especially fond of the recipes most people shy away from due to a million steps or ingredients. This recipe is NOT one of those. This is closer to a "throw it in a pot and ignore it for a couple hours" sort of recipe and let me tell you....You will not be cooking again for a couple days because the left overs are better and better the longer they sit in the fridge (if you don't eat it all in one sitting!)

The recipe is an adaptation of Tyler Florence's Mexican Pot Roast Taco's or his Rock-n-Roll Taco's...pending on where you are looking. The one thing we did notice is all of the recipes (based on where you are looking) are slightly different. They all have one thing "wrong." He never mentions reducing the sauciness after simmering...If you did not do this, you would be serving soup. So, our adaptation begins....

Pot Roast Taco's
Adapted from Tyler Florence's Mexican Pot Roast Taco's because everywhere you look there is different ingredient measurements.

2 pounds beef shoulder or chuck roast (we used Chuck roast because it was all they had)
Salt/Pepper
Evoo
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 large onion, sliced (not too thin)
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes- we used diced tomatoes (recommended: San Marzano)
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 T cayenne (we used 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes but it definitely needed more)
1 T ground cumin
1 bunch of cilantro, divided in half.
water
2 T red wine vinegar

Salt and Pepper both sides of your roast/shoulder. Heat 2-3 T of EVOO in the bottom of a heavy pot or dutch oven until shimmering. Add roast/shoulder browning all sides well. Add onion and scoot meat around so that it picks up some of the color (aka caramelizes.) Add garlic and do the same (be careful not to burn garlic- it will get very bitter in flavor.)

Add can of tomatoes (with all juice), cayenne, cumin and cilantro. Do your best to stir it up a bit. Add water to the pot, just enough to cover the roast. Bring to a boil. Cover with lid and turn heat down to low (or whatever your stove needs to be on to maintain a simmer) and simmer for 2 - 2.5 hours until meat falls apart when poked with a fork.

Add enough water to just cover roast

Reduced for approx. 30-40 min

Once meat is at the falling apart stage. Remove cover, add 2 T of vinegar and turn heat up to a slight boil to reduce the sauce. This will also allow time for the meat to flake apart so you do not need to remove it and pull apart separately. This will take approx. 30 min- 45 min (time depends on a lot of factors, heaviness of pan, how much water originally put in, how close to 2 lbs your roast actually is, whether your cover fit properly or if some water was able to cook off during roasting, etc....) Once it looks thick and yummy enough to put into a taco shell...DO SO IMMEDIATELY!! hahaha this is SO good! Add your favorite taco toppings and Enjoy.

2011-11-12T06:02:00.001-08:00

Guinness Braised Sausage with Apples, Pears and Cranberries....

So, I do not have any pictures of this recipe because it was a last minute throw it in a pot recipe that I wasn't expecting to like...I had purchased a bag of fresh cranberries and I wanted to use them before they went bad. I did my tried and true way of finding a good recipe. I went to foodgawker.com and typed in the search engine, "Cranberries." Then I look for the picture that makes my taste buds tickle...*dork*

This was VERY GOOD! I had my brother E over, he and Jason gobbled it up and asked for more before I could even take a bite. J even stated this morning, "I don't know what that stuff was last night, but it was awesome!" I rarely get this sort of reaction from him so if you have a man in your life whom you want to make a "healthy man meal" for, I suggest this recipe.

I used Medium spicy chicken sausage and Guinness for the beer. I only used one apple and one pear but everything else the same...Link below....(Don't you just love the name of her blog!! Bitchin' Camero!)

http://www.bitchincamero.com/2008/11/stout-braised-sausages-with-apples-pears-cranberries/

Enjoy!

Savory Chicken Crescents...

2011-08-30T20:10:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, the Volcano Cake's were supposed to be the first "blog back" however I'm feeling a lil' PLUMP from the honeymoon...SO, instead I'm skipping the deeeessertttt for now and going with something scrumptious. This is a recipe my mother has made for a million years and it is from our family cookbook printed when I was young. So, enjoy...FYI---KIDS LOVE THIS SHIT!!! (Sorry for swearing, but it's true!!)

Chicken Crescents
Original recipe from Kathy Conaway from the "Family Cookbook"
Makes 4 crescents or sammiches....

3 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
3 T. butter or margarine, softened
2 cups cooked chicken, cubed or "pulled"
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
2 T. Milk
1-2 T. Chives or Green Onion, chopped*
1 T. Pimento, chopped (Optional, I did not have so I did not use)
8 oz. can of Pillsbury crescent rolls
3/4 cup seasoned croutons, crushed (or potato chips, which were awesome by the way...)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl blend cream cheese, chives and 2 T. of melted butter (pour the butter over the cream cheese, it will warm it up a bit and help it incorporate) until smooth.

Add the s/p, milk and chicken, mix well.

Separate crescents into 4 rectangles, firmly press perforations to seal.

Spoon approx. 1/5 cup of meat mixture onto the center of each rectangle.

Pull the four corners of the dough to top center; twist slightly and smoodge the seams together (aka, press to seal.) Brush the tops with remaining melted butter and sprinkle with croutons or if you live in my family, potato chips because my husband and son are crouton snackers...I go to make a salad, and poof, gone....

Thief!!

the chips were bomb though! Fabulous substitution.

Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Makes 4 sammiches...

A Tasty Finger Food - Goat Cheese and Olive Muffins

2011-01-07T12:38:00.000-08:00

I am always looking for good "finger-friendly" appetizers for parties and gatherings. I found this recipe on another food blog (which you can find here.) This blogger served them full sized and over mixed greens. The idea of a savory muffin intrigued me and I thought it would be a fantastic idea in a miniature size. So out came my mini muffin tins and away I went. I did make a couple changes to the recipe and did not originally serve over greens. I do think they needed a lil' something....a lil' something in the form of drizzled olive oil/truffle oil perhaps or possibly the original bloggers idea and over a small amount of dressed mixed/micro greens.

The recipe found here is by weight. I used an online conversion chart to make the changes but really they are estimates so feel free to adjust how you see fit. I was considering using a little more milk next time.

Goat Cheese and Olive Muffins
Recipe adapted from Angie's Recipes

1 cup AP Flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 cup milk (i used whole because that is what i had on hand)
1/3 cup EVOO
2 eggs, yolks and whites seperated
2 oz. Green Olives (I used the small ones and left these whole)
2 oz. Black Olives (I used canned and sliced)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 T fresh parsley, chopped
2 T fresh rosemary, chopped (I used less because I'm not a huge fan)
Small log of goat cheese

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together (to eliminate chunks) flour and baking powder. Add milk, EVOO and egg yolks and beat until smooth. I used my stand mixer for all of this but it isn't overly thick so it could easily be done by hand.

Add in Parmesan, olives, chopped herbs and some salt/pepper. Go easy on the salt...Olives are VERY salty by themselves. This mixture is going to seem overly thick and not at all muffin like, but we aren't finished!! :)

In a seperate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Keep in mind this needs to be fluffy so don't beat them to death, just until they don't fall off whisk when you turn upside down.

Fold the egg whites into the olive batter. Again, we want these to remain fluffy so be sure to fold and not stir. We need the air to stay in the batter.

Fill the mini tins 3/4 or just until the top, simply being sure to not over fill. Top each one with a small piece of goat cheese and drizzle with olive oil. I drizzled mine with truffle oil and it was fantastic so if you have it or love it, use it!!

Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. My where cooked through but not as golden on the top as I wanted so I flipped oven to broil and moved up the rack. I left the oven door half open to release some heat so they wouldn't be cooking at full temp and browned the top slightly.

They were yummy, but as I said before, I served just like this and next time I will drizzle with oil again right before serving and/or serve on a platter of greens being sure to let guests know it is meant to eat with a small amt of greenery.

Kid-Friendly Yogurt Zucchini Carrot Muffins

2010-11-11T19:28:00.000-08:00

These muffins are H's FAVORITE!! He tends to wake up every morning starving and these muffins are just the ticket. Warning for those of you who lean toward the sugar laden "cupcake" style, these are not them. I have cut the sugar down to very minimal sweetness. Pretty much just sweet enough for H to eat. I will say though, they are still pretty good. You can add nuts, wheat germ, flax seed, dried fruit...whatever you want and they will still be yummy!

Steff- These are the muffins that E ate when you guys were in town.

Recipe adapted from AllRecipes.com

1 cup All Purpose Flour
1 1/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 cup Oat Flour* (I have used regular oatmeal as well as oatmeal ground up in food processor)
1 t salt
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
2 1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t ground nutmeg
3 eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup honey
2 t vanilla extract
1-1 1/2 cup zucchini shredded- if I have more I put more in...doesn't need to be specific
1-1 1/2 cup carrot shredded- if I have more I put more in...again doesn't need to be specific

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray or lightly grease mini muffin pan(s)

Shred your carrot and zucchini using a box grader's smallest option. I also run a knife through it again to make sure there isn't a funny texture.

Place zucchini in a strainer over a bowl because there is a lot of liquid that will drain off...if you do not do this your muffin batter will be very runny.


Liquid from zucchini

In a bowl, mix/whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oat flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, canola oil, applesauce, yogurt, honey, and vanilla.

Mix the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Fold in the zucchini and carrots. Scoop into the prepared muffin cups.

Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

HOLY CRAP....Is she back???

2010-11-10T07:36:00.000-08:00

Why yes, yes I am....hopefully! :)

I'm going to try my hand at this blogging thing one more time. Wild Indian is a lil' older now and although it will probably be harder, (he never stops) I miss it. My goal will initially be a couple posts a week. One which will feature food and one about life and my creative adventures.

See you all soon!

Baked Eggs with Thyme and Dill

2010-01-09T07:57:00.000-08:00

I'm going to start out by saying, "I love ramekins!" I own a million of them. When I see them at the store in different colors, sizes and shapes, I want to buy all of them. So, when I saw this recipe, it gave me the perfect excuse to use my beloved collection of porcelain white babies! I used 1 cup ramekins in this recipe but any size would work.

Now, I must tell you that I had to make this recipe 5 times before I could get my cooking time correct. I think it was in part due to my "cheapy" oven and maybe the size of the egg (there may have been a lil' user error as well but we won't mention that.)

There is something about taking strips of toasty bread, dipping it into the runny yolk, that is homey and comforting. A perfect morning treat! The addition of herbs adds wonderful flavor and depth...Feel free to use other flavor combinations. You will not be disappointed.

Baked Eggs

Cooking Spray
4 eggs - I used large eggs
4 T of heavy cream (I used half and half)
spinkle of salt
sprinkle of pepper
sprinkle of fresh thyme
sprinkle of dill
sprinkle of paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Take your ramekins and spray them with cooking spray.

Break an egg into each and top with 1 T of heavy cream.

Sprinkle on your salt/pepper and herbs.

Place ramekins in a cooking dish and fill dish with hot water approx 1/2 up the side of the ramekins.

Place in oven and cook for 15 minutes.

Serve with toasted bread cut into small strips for dipping.

I would experiment with this before trying to serve to guests. The cooking time and temp in which to cook will definitely differ from oven to oven.

Merry Xmas and Happy New Year....

2010-01-08T17:08:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts folks...The holiday season had officially taken over and my time in front of the computer was limited.

I am supposed to be in Naples, FL but the lovely cold front that has moved in cut our vacation short. Have you ever been stuck in a 2 bedroom condo with a 10 month old?

Just a quick shot of our Christmas morning. Gosh, Is there anything better than a mimosa? Yum~

Hope your holiday season was as good as mine!!

Look for an array of food posts shortly....Any requests, let me know!

Tutorial: Best way to seed a Pomegranate

2009-12-14T06:16:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I love pomegranate seeds. Their burst of juicy tartness cannot be matched. They are especially wonderful as an addition to salads. In the past, however, I would tend to grab the "cranraisins" or dried cherries instead, only due to ease. Nothing beats the seeds of a pomegranate and what it does to enhance the flavor of a sweet vinegary dressing....but nothing also beats the stains they leave all over your hands, kitchen and clothing. These lil' suckers have some juicy reach. Explode one and you need to wipe in a 5 foot radius and check your shirt, pants, shoes, skin!

The following is what I have found to be the easiest most stainfree way in which to seed a pomegranate. FYI, this will come in handy for the salad I will be posting next!!

Take you pom and cut her in half, still being careful at this point. It will still spray.

Get a large bowl and fill with enough water to dunk the pom and be able to put your hands in without overflowing.

Plunge one half of the pom and break it in half or fourths. Using your fingers coerce the seeds while keeping the pom under the water. You will be quite surprised as they come out with ease and little exploding.

After seeding the entire pom, floaties/rind will be on the top of the water. I scoop out the left over rind and discard.

Strain out seeds and place on paper towel to drain.

Store in ziplock or plastic container in fridge.

Oven Roasted Carrots

2009-12-11T04:26:00.000-08:00

I strongly dislike carrots....except when they come out of a pot roast. They are wonderfully mushy with the beef stock soaked flavor...*salivating* Then I met this carrot. Now, I have tried other carrot recipes. Some adding white wine, some adding cumin, some adding different herbs. I had not fallen in love, not even a mediocre like. Then I met this carrot. Love is in the air, I tell you!

How can something so simple be so darn good....I have no idea but try it, momma will like it!!

Thymey Oven Roasted Carrots
Recipe, or lack there of, from pioneerwoman.com website but written by pastor Ryan of thisisreverb.

Carrots (I used 4-5 huge carrots cut in quarters)
Bunch of thyme, stems removed
EVOO

Take the carrots, cut into approx. the same size sticks. I did not peel the carrots only because I wanted them to have the rustic look of real carrots. You can do what ever you like at this point.

De-stem and/or chop thyme.

Place on cookie sheet and add a light coating of oil...do not follow my pic, I got a carried away with my EVOO. Add some salt and pepper---CARROTS NEED SALT! Do not skimp! It assists with the sweetness.

Add your chopped Thyme.

Throw these babies in a 400 degree oven and roast until soft. I roasted mine with some potatoes as well so they took a lot longer than they normally would (1 hr) I would assume to get the lovely softness with a little bite still in the middle 40-45 minutes would work...Just keep tasting them!! I'm sure you won't have a problem doing that!!!

Cheater Lasagna

2009-12-04T08:45:00.000-08:00

My mother has been making her own meat sauce from scratch since I was a child. It was perfectly sweet, acidic, meaty and garlicky. Every time I would sit down and eat elbow macaroni, I would wonder, "How much sauce does this woman have frozen? How does she always have sauce that takes more than 2 hours to make on hand?" Eventually, I actually paid attention and realized, "Cheater Sauce." She would dress up store bought sauce with additional ingredients but she also had a secret.

I'm about to spill the beans.......

MIX PREGO AND RAGU TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What? What? It's that simple?

These 2 sauces on there own are not so yummy. One is too tomatoey, acidic and the other is too sweet. Once mixed together though....."OH, SWEET HARMONY"

Ok, I'm am being a little dramatic here. They do need a lil' more dressing up than that but damn, you will be a happy camper knowing that there is no need for chopping, simmering, mixing, chopping, simmering...etc...

Lasagna is definitely one of those times, in which homemade sauce is NEVER needed (no matter how fancy.) This is my version of Cheater Lasagna. Feel free to mess with your own ingredients and measurements. Until today, I had never paid much attention to how much I used of anything so these are "guesstimates" at best. Taste, taste, and taste some more...if it needs sugar, add sugar. If it needs garlic, add garlic....You get my drift??!!

Cheater Lasagna

Meat:
1.5-2 lbs. ground beef
Evoo

Sauce:
1 Large (67oz) Prego
1 Large (67oz) Ragu
2 Carrots, left whole or cut into 2 large chunks

1 Celery stalk, left whole or cut into 2 large chunks

2 cloves garlic, minced
Evoo

Ricotta Mixture:
1 Ricotta cheese (15oz)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t dried parsley
1.5 t dried oregano
1 Egg

Lasagna Noodles
6 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:
In a large skillet, heat 1 T evoo over Medium high heat until shimmering. Add beef and brown. Drain off the excess moisture. Set aside.

In a large stockpot, heat 1 T evoo over medium heat and add minced garlic until fragrant, approx. 30 seconds. Add both containers of sauce, prego and ragu. Drop the carrot and celery in and allow to come to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer for as long as you want. I usually go at least an hour. Prior to mixing with meat be sure to remove carrots and celery stalk. You can skip the carrot and celery step all together and simply add sugar. Add a Tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired sweetness.

Empty container of Ricotta in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add minced garlic, parsley and oregano. Break Egg and mix thoroughly. Place in refrigerator until ready to assemble lasagna.

**forgot the egg--sorry**

Pour half the sauce mixture into the meat. (I do this because the amount of beef I have usually varies and I like the correct sauce to beef ratio- You can always add additional sauce to the lasagna but it is more difficult to brown more meat because you made it too saucy- does that make sense??)

In large lasagna pan or a deep 13x9 pan or what ever pan you feel like using, add JUST sauce (no meat) to the bottum of the pan. I feel when you add the meat as well it tends to stick. Layer the noodles, then the Ricotta, then shredded mozzerella, then meat sauce, then noodle. Repeat 2 or 3 more times pending on your pan. (I usually only get 2 more times)

**Repeat above steps 2 or 3 more times**

You will end with noodle on top. Add just the sauce at this point and then top with mozzerella and I added basil.

Place pan on cookie sheet so you do not have any overflow (which I have everytime.) Cover with foil initially to help the baking process along. Bake at 350 for approx. 45 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted, removing foil approx. half way through cooking. Be sure to stick knife through center to make sure all noodles are cooked through prior to turning off oven... Let sit for at least 15 minutes to allow it to set or you will have a sloppy watery mess on your hands....

**half way through, remove foil**

IMPORTANT NOTES: This will make more sauce than you will actually use in most cases so just freeze or serve with some sauce on the side for those whom like it extra saucy! Be sure to use enough sauce. I always use more than I think I should when assembling and it turns out great. The amount of cheese depends on you. I suggest to go over board rather than under board.

Huge Oopsy.......Caramel Chicken

2009-12-02T18:26:00.000-08:00

Just the other day I was asked if I post any recipes I don't like...this would be the first if I did choose to post it (which I am not.) There are just too many discrepancies in the recipe to post...SO, I will give you a picture of the result and some details and if your interested I will email it to you and allow you to fool with it...but for me it was a "No Go."

This is a Vietnamese dish with a large amount of ginger and hot chili flakes. Against my own judgment, I followed the recipe when it asked for a full teaspoon of hot chili pepper flakes. HOLY HOTNESS is all I can say to start...Even J whom will inhale Blazin' wings at BW3's without a thought said it was really hot. Then there was the ginger, it called for 3 Tablespoons of ginger...Now those of you whom cook with ginger know, that is A LOT...I cut it down to 2 Tablespoons and it was still intense. I will admit though, I have a love-hate relationship with ginger. One more problem, "Has anyone smelled fish sauce when heated quickly at a high temperature?" PeeeUuuuuWww Magooo...So, try if you would like. If you are a fan of Vietnamese food then this may be right up your alley. I, however, will be taking this out of my recipe repitoire. I will post if I get requests but I would hate to do all the work posting when I wouldn't suggest fixing this dish....

It sure looked yummy though....

The view from my back door....

2009-11-25T06:46:00.000-08:00

I took this picture from my backdoor on one of the extremely early mornings my son woke me up. It was very foggy and the sun was casting a strange glow. Now obviously I messed with this photo after the fact with adobe but I think it has a creepy "Halloweeny" feel. I probably should have posted it back in October but of course nothing happens in a timely fashion around here these days....I think I may frame it just because it's interesting...

Homemade Take-Out...Beef & Broccoli

2009-11-23T13:34:00.000-08:00

This was my very first time ever attempting an Asian recipe. There are a few reasons:

I'm not a huge fan of Asian food (besides the horribly bad for you fried a hundred times kind.)
The ingredients are never "cut and dry."
I never really know what the heck the ingredients are or what they are supposed to do/taste like.

I found this recipe on thepioneerwoman.com website, which I love and you should check out. She in turn, got the recipe from "The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook" by Jaden Hair. I have yet to purchase the cookbook because I wanted to try the recipe first but I did flip through it at Borders and I LOVE LOVE LOVE that she lists substitutes for the strange ingredients that typically you would have to go to 3 grocery stores to hunt for, just to find out you can only get it at a specialty Asian store. I don't know about you, but those stores scare the sh*% out of me! They have some straaaannnnggge stuff in there, like dried shrimp in a bag that is hanging next to the licorice, intended to be popped in your mouth like a potato chip....cacca!

Jaden’s Chinese Beef Broccoli
(from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook)

SERVES 4 AS PART OF MULTICOURSE MEAL

1 lb top sirloin or flank steak, thinly sliced into 1/8-in strips (I used sirloin)
11/2 lbs broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
1 T high-heat cooking oil (I used canola)
1 T minced garlic

Marinade:

1 1/2 t soy sauce
1 t cornstarch
1/2 t cooking oil (I used canola)
Freshly ground black pepper to season the beef

Stir-fry Sauce:

3 T oyster sauce
2 t Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry) (I used dry sherry)
2 t Chinese black vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)(I used Balsamic)

In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the marinade. Place meat in ziploc pour in marinade, massage, let sit 10 minutes.

Prep your meat,broccoli and garlic.

In another small bowl, mix together the stir fry sauce.

In a wok or large sauté pan, add 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cover to steam for 3 minutes. The broccoli should be bright green, crisp tender and you should be able to pierce the stem with a fork. Drain. Dry the pan.

*sorry steam was causing issues with my auto focus*

Set the pan over high heat and when hot, add the high-heat cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic and fry for 15 to 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the steak strips, keeping them in one layer and fry 30 seconds. Flip the strips and fry the other side. I, as did the pioneerwoman, had to do this in 2 batches because of the size of my pan.

Pour in the Stir-fry Sauce and stir to combine. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 30 seconds.

Add cooked broccoli back to pan and your ready to eat....

Per "Buttdorf's" request....

2009-11-16T18:13:00.000-08:00

Here ya go Drinker....a pic of "J & the Boy"

**Sorry for the crappy pic...I had to mess with the white balance (in jpg) and it made the pic grainy**

How does one resist?

2009-11-12T05:29:00.000-08:00

White Chicken Chili

2009-11-10T06:59:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the world of healthy chili. This chili is wonderful for every season. The cilantro makes it taste light and refreshing and the addition of Northern beans gives a lovely creaminess without adding to the love handles! I would strongly suggest doubling or even tripling this recipe because it freezes fabulously. Enjoy!

I got a lil' picture happy with this one, so I made some of the pic's smaller so it doesn't take your whole day to scroll through!!!

White Chicken Chili

2 T Canola Oil
1 Rotisserie Chicken, meat picked off bones*
1 c chopped onion
3 c chicken stock
2 cans chopped green chiles
3 cans Northern beans*
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T ground cumin
1 T dried cilantro
1 T dried oregano
1 t crushed red pepper
1/4 c fresh cilantro chopped

*You can buy a ~3lb raw chicken and cook in water to make your own chicken stock and pulled chicken, which I have done, but does not taste much different. You can use almost any white bean but be aware some break down more than others so if your going for the "stew-look" you may want to stick with Northern.

Chop onion and garlic. Drain and rinse beans.

In a large dutch oven or heavy stockpot, warm 2 T oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened/translucent but not browned.

Add garlic and stir until garlic is warmed and fragrant. Be careful not to brown garlic. Stir in cumin, dried cilantro, oregano, crushed red pepper and green chiles. Warm spices through.

Add rinsed beans to pot. Add chicken broth and allow to come to a simmer. Add chicken. Again, allow mixture to come to a simmer and bubble. Once simmering, reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for at least 30 minutes but I usually let it go for an hour to make sure the flavors blend and get yummilicious!

At this point, you can either leave the chili "stew-like" or you can do as I do and take 1/4-1/3 of the mixture and whiz it in the blender.

Add fresh cilantro and your done.

I serve with additional cilantro on the top and, if I have it, a dollop of sour cream or shredded Monterey Jack cheese!!!!

WARNING: This chili, as with most, get's really thick as it sits. I simply add some chicken stock to the individual bowl I am warming up to get to the consistancy I want. Water would work too.

Tilapia with Lemon and Caper Sauce

2009-11-06T12:56:00.000-08:00

This recipe is basically a "piccata" for fish. My dad and I would order a dish similar to this one at a restaurant we loved in Scottsdale, AZ. He called me the other day wanting detailed...I mean, DETAILED information on how to prepare so here we go daddy-o....Now, warning...because this is a truly "shoot from the hip" recipe, the measurements are approximate. This is another taste the sauce as you go scenario, but again, very difficult to screw up!

Tilapia with Lemon and Caper Sauce

4 tilapia fillets* (amount of sauce can be increased to account for amount of fish)
1-2 cups flour
Salt and Pepper
1 juicy lemon, if it doesnt feel juicy use 2, and 1 T of grated lemon rind.
2 garlic cloves, smashed but not chopped, so you can take it out of the sauce before serving
2-4 T capers-drained, just eyeball it...you will be able to tell if you need more
1/2-3/4 c chicken stock, to taste
2-4 T of butter
EVOO
1 T chopped fresh parsley for color*

I missed a bunch of ingredients in this pic...sorry--baby was fussing! haha

Grate lemon rind, smoosh garlic and drain capers....

In a large nonstick saute pan, over medium-high heat, warm up approx. 2 T EVOO (couple twirls of the pan.)*

While the pan and oil warm, pour flour into a shallow dish. Salt and pepper the flour and stir to distribute. Dredge fish in flour and shake off excess. --Missed this step in my photos, sorry--

Place 2 fish fillets into pan and cook until golden brown on both sides and cooked through (fish will flake easily when done.) Continue until all fish is done. Set aside.

At this point, you should add a bit more evoo to the pan, maybe one more swirl of the pan. Add smooshed (hahaha) garlic and spin around in the oil a bit. DO NOT LET THE GARLIC BROWN, it will make your oil taste funky! You only want to flavor the oil with the garlic so basically warm the garlic for maybe 30 seconds or until you smell the garlic, it should be very fragrant, then discard garlic.

That is garlic, sorry, damn light in the kitchen made it white as can be.

Add lemon juice to the pan, it will bubble aggressively, which is what you want. All that bubbling will release the brown bits the fish left over and that, my friends, is FLAVOR!!!! Let the lemon juice reduce a bit, maybe a minute or two, then add chicken stock. Let the sauce warm up again, your chicken stock will cool it a bit. Once warm again, drop in your capers.

Let the sauce reduce again for 1-2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Put pats of butter in and swirl pan until butter melts and adds a silky texture to the sauce. Add a lil chopped parsley for some color and your done. Pour sauce over fish and tell me you love me! hahahaha

*NOTES: This can be made with any fish, I have made it will grilled halibut and it is amazing. The parsley doesn't really add much to flavor so if you do not have it, do not run out and get it, you will be fine. The initial amount of EVOO will really depend on the size of your pan...Also, for those of you who love butter, you can add butter to the "sauteing oil" in the beginning, but your fish will get a darker "tinge" to it and in the past I didn't care for the presentation as much. It does add a bit more richness though, so if you want to butter her up---feel free, it tastes just as yummy

What is a mother to do???

2009-11-05T07:19:00.000-08:00

Someone needs a play room....

The best of fall.....

2009-10-30T06:55:00.000-07:00

Honey Crisps! The best apple on earth. The apple that I had never experienced until last year...Where did these apples come from? Have I just missed them all these years or are they new? Momma Love Honey Crisps.

BULLSEYE

2009-10-26T06:05:00.000-07:00

Early this morning I received a text from my brother...."Hey Sis, How do you make a bullseye again?" Which, obviously, spurred this post. I immediately went to work...slaving in front of the stove. hahaha Just kidding. These are the easiest to make and they taste wonderful. Some of you may know these under a different name. My old roommate, BG, his family called them "One eyed Egyptians."

BullsEye

Eggs
Bread
Butter

Take your bread and butter both sides.

Then find a small glass (or just use a knife) and create a hole in the middle of the piece of bread. Be sure to use a small glass because if the hole is too big it will rip while cooking.

Over medium-high heat, melt a pat of butter or use cooking spray and place bread with hole in it and the left over hole itself (which will also have butter on it) in the pan and let "lightly" brown on one side. I say "lightly" because you will be turning it back onto this side to finish cooking off the egg so you dont want to overdo it this time around.

Flip bread (and hole,) and dollop a small amount of butter or spray more cooking spray into the middle of the hole in the bread. This will allow the egg to not stick to the bottom of the pan.

Break egg into hole in bread. I leave the yolk intact so that it will ooze yumminess when I eat it but if you would like to break while cooking instead-- feel free. Cook until your liking on that side, then flip back over to original side to finish the cooking of the egg.

Serve with toasted hole on top.

When I read this over it seems a little confusing but you really can't screw this up. Even if the bread breaks and the egg breaks, it will still taste wonderful!

(Call me if you need me brotherman....miss you.)

Pistachio Pesto

2009-10-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

I have never been a big pesto fan. I know, strange considering the Italian family I grew up in but it just never tasted right to me. Even the addition of cream, which is fantastic in this dish by the way, did not do it for me. UNTIL, I met this lil' beauty of a recipe. I think the addition of spinach balances out the sometimes overbearing basil flavor and pistachio's, come on ya'll, you can never go wrong with pistachios!!

pistachio pesto
Recipe adapted from Closet Cooking Food Blog.

1 c basil, packed (which means pack it down into a cup to make sure you have a good amount)
1/4 c spinach (i used spinach/arugula mix)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T pistachio's, toasted
1/4 c Parmesan, grated (I only use reggiano-it does taste different in my opinion)
3 T evoo
lemon juice, to taste and loosen
salt/pepper

Peel pistachio's and place in a dry skillet over medium heat and toast. You can tell when they are done when they change color a lil but more if you stick your nose near the pan and you can smell them. (FYI- the first time I made this recipe I forgot to toast the pistachio's and it didn't wreck the sauce so if you feel like skipping this step---go for it!)

After toasting, throw all the ingredients into food processor and process away.

This picture below is what it looked like without the lemon juice and with only the 3 T of evoo. Seemed to need more processing and more liquid. Added the juice from 2 slices of lemon and processed further....Still a lil lumpy, added one more T of evoo and.....

Viola...Perfection.

The moral of the story is cook with your nose and your eyes people. This isn't rocket science. It's cooking and if you add to much just throw in some more basil/spinach.) It will always be recoverable.

IMPORTANT: When making pesto on pasta--- 9 times out of 10 the pesto is not "saucy" enough and the noodles will suck it up and be dry. It is important to save some of your pasta water that you cooked the noodles in. This water has left over starch so not only will it loosen your sauce..it will stick to the noodles, meld with the pesto and not just puddle up at the bottom of the bowl.

Now, you can use this pesto for almost anything. Potato salad, just on some plain pulled chicken and placed on a salad/sandwich, over pasta with chicken (displayed), and then of course the "CREAM OPTION" which is what my mother would always suggest. Cream Option: cook some noodles, place 1/3 c of pesto in pan to warm (medium low to medium heat). Once it warms a little and starts to loosen, just add some heavy cream. I would guess a couple T would do it, mix, put on noodles and try to ignore the thought of your rear end growing! (just kidding- what can a couple silly tablespoons of cream do? Nothing I say, NOTHING!)

Happy Eating.

From Antique to Chic.....

2009-10-13T13:58:00.000-07:00

These chairs were used in my grandfather's restaurant in the 60's. They were pretty beat up from being stored in an outside "cabana" by the pool for a million years but I just couldn't resist asking for them when he was moving.

I used them for years in my old house even in their beat up condition they still looked beautiful. Recently, I have been feeling in a "project" mood and the refinishing began. We have only gotten one done so far but 3 others are half way there and the other 2 are awaiting a good sanding and a drink of ebony stain.

They were gorgeous before but WOW! What a little TLC can do....here are the before and afters.

For the love of......CORN DOGS!

2009-10-12T06:33:00.000-07:00

Shhhhh....don't tell anyone....but....I....love....corn dogs!!

Typically, I would devour a corn dog on only one occasion (Tiger's games) until now. These little darlings taste just like the local dirty carny dogs. They are puffy, sweet, savory and most of all FRIED. The fact they also deliver a lovely dose of yellow mustard doesn't hurt either (one of my favorite condiments.) I decided to give these a try for one of my mother's friends, Sharon. She also has a secret crush. This recipe was originally for full size hot dogs, however I cut them into "sample" size pieces prior to frying. I believe this resolves the embarrassment of trying to consume the "wiener on a stick" in a public forum.

Make these! P.S. These are wonderful frozen and reheated in the micro and popped under broiler to re crisp...for the kids of course.

Start with a couple of these...and continue with recipe below~ :)

Corn Dogs

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 t. salt
1/4 c sugar
4 t. baking powder
1 egg
1 c milk
water*
Corn starch, to roll dogs in*

Veggie Oil*
2 (16oz) packages hot dogs*
wooden skewers*

* I used canola oil. I used one package all beef hot dogs and one package white meat turkey dogs. I used tooth picks. I need a little bit of water, ~ 3 T, to loosen the batter just prior to frying. Corn starch is to roll the dogs in prior to dipping in batter to help it to stick.

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, salt, sugar, baking powder. Mix to incorporate.

Stir in egg and milk to form a batter.

Place batter in freezer for at least 15 minutes prior to frying. It sticks much better if very cold but because of the temperature the batter thickens up. This is where you will need just a couple splashes of water added until you feel like it will coat the hot dogs nicely. Remember though, this is a THICK batter so don't thin it out to much because it will them just drain into your oil and not create a coating on the dogs.

Preheat oil in large deep saucepan (the deeper, the less splatter for those like me whom hate cleaning the stove!) over medium heat. If using a thermometer, approx. 365 degrees is good.

Dry hot dogs with paper towels. Insert wooden skewers/toothpicks.

(These are "devilish-ly" good!)

Roll dogs in corn starch, dip into batter. Be sure to get the whole dog, including the area where the skewer is inserted, coated in batter. The dog will tend to burn in places the batter is missing. Drop into oil and be amazed as the transformation occurs. (I was not able to get a picture of the dogs coated in batter prior to hitting the oil...I did not have an assistant and my hands were covered in batter- my apologies)

Corn dogs to enjoy in the comfort of your own home...carny-free and delish!

Teething Cookies--- HOLY COW!

2009-10-08T10:14:00.000-07:00

Teething cookies aka "Biter Biscuits" aka Holy Mess!

There should be a notice on this box: "Warning: bathing is required." This was his very first cookie and he enjoyed it immensely.

Sword fight anyone?

I'm gonna save this for later...right over here on my ear.

How can you deny such a cutie!! I will be thinking twice about when I give him these cookies though...wasn't prepared for this one!

My Momma's Meatloaf

2009-10-03T09:44:00.000-07:00

I know, your thinking, "FINALLY a recipe we have actually been asking for." Here it is folks, the infamous momma's meatloaf recipe. The recipe, when younger, my friends would come over and inhale. The meatloaf we all have dreams about. Start salivating....start licking those lips....start starving yourself now so you can eat as much as you like....

Momma's Meatloaf
2 lbs. ground beef
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1 cup Cheddar cheese, cut into cubes
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 medium onion, diced
Milk, just enough to moisten, approx. 1/3-1/2 cup

Salt and Pepper, to taste
TOPPING
1/4 cup ketchup
1 t yellow mustard
3 T brown sugar

Mix first 8 ingredients together (using your hands is the best way to mix) in large bowl. Be careful not to "overwork."

Form into a loaf and place in a greased baking dish.

Mix together the topping ingredients and pour over meatloaf. I typically double the topping because I love it!

]Pour Sauce over the top of formed loaf and spread with a spatula or spoon.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until thermometer reads done to your liking.

Slice and LOVE!

Newest purchase...

2009-10-01T08:17:00.000-07:00

WOW~ 2 posts in one day?!?

I have been on a serious garage saleing kick lately. I have acquired a couple strange trinkets, typical of a garage sale including a 60's ash tray, strange food trays that look as if they had come from a prison (I love them but probably won't ever use them), a couple antique salt/pepper shakers, tea cups that i have the intention of turning into candles and a few cooking gadgets (the best spatula on earth that my mother has officially confiscated.) None, however have been as fantastic as this find, nor even close to as cute to model for the camera. I definitely think he adds something to the chair don't you think???

Ok, so aside from my absolutely adorable model...Is this the greatest chair ever?

Gardening: The Results

2009-10-01T08:07:00.000-07:00

So, the gardening season seems to be officially over due to the lovely frost that I awoke to this morning. Although beautiful it was, I believe it is the death of all things left growing in our lovely little rockwall garden we have going here. Of course, my being the slacker that I am, did not take any pictures of the herbs, tomatoes, strawberries (that never did really grow), cukes, yellow squash and zucchini. I only photographed my mother's mutant "Honey I shrunk the kids plants" and our large crop of hot peppers.

Here are the results:

Isn't the last pic sorta creepy! Inside of this strange looking pod is a large seed/bean that once dried you plant to grow the next season.

HELLO

2009-09-15T06:54:00.000-07:00

Hellllloooooo there.......

Apology

2009-09-13T06:41:00.000-07:00

I would like to start by apologizing for the stupid "green" text in the last food posting. For some reason, blogspot will not allow me to change the color. I have tried in my "edit posting." It changes in the preview but once converted to a real post, back to green it goes...So apologies!

Second, I think I may start turning this into more of a "all purpose" blog rather than just food. As you few followers know, my postings are few and far between. This cooking and picture taking shit is difficult and I get into the groove and OOPS forgot to snap the picture. So, expect some different and hopefully interesting posts to follow.

Chicken Marsala with Mustard and Mascarpone

2009-08-12T09:19:00.000-07:00

To those whom have had my chicken marsala before this is "more or less" the recipe. I have been making this for some time so measurements and true recipe ingredients have flown out the window and I go by taste. It is really difficult to mess this recipe up so be creative, add your own twist and ingredients. Feel free to substitute as needed, however DO NOT use yellow mustard in place of the Dijon. If you happen to not have any you can use any "alternative spicy mustard or whole grain mustard or even honey mustard but not yellow. Just leave the mustard out if all you have is yellow. Alternatively if you happen to "date someone who doesn't like mustard" (I have trouble comprehending this every time I hear it since mustard is the greatest condiment on earth-Shana/Brian) again, just leave it out-- it will change the flavor but still be AMAZING!

Chicken Marsala w/ Mustard and Mascarpone

1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets
S/P
2 T EVOO (or olive oil)
5 T butter
3/4 c chopped onion
1 lb cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced*
2 T minced garlic
1 c marsala wine
1 c (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese**
2 T Dijon mustard
2 T chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, plus some for garnish
12 ounces dried fettuccine

*Any mushrooms will do or you can leave them out, maybe add spinach?!?
** Cream cheese will work as well but do try to find the mascarpone it is sorta sweet and buttery and everyone should try it!

Season chicken with s/p. Heat the oil in large, heavy skillet over high heat.

Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 4 minutes per side. Set aside.

Melt 2 T of the butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onion and saute until tender ~2 min.

Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate ~ 12 min. (Do NOT salt the mushrooms at this point, it will release their moisture to quickly and they will boil rather than "brown" and won't taste as good).

Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half ~4 min. Stir in the mascarpone and mustard. Cut the chicken breasts crosswise into 1/3 in slices. Return the chicken and any juices released back into the skillet. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat until the chicken is cook through and the sauce thickens slightly ~2 min. (Do not over do the simmering. The sauce will thicken too much and you will not have enough to coat the pasta)

Stir in 1 T of the parsley and season the sauce w S/P to taste. Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Drain. Toss pasta w/ remaining 3 T butter and 1 T parsley. Season w S/P. Mound Fettuccine on plates. Spoon chicken mixture w sauce over, garnish w parsley and serve.

WARNING: If you mix the sauce with the pasta in advance and then serve it, the pasta WILL suck up the sauce and will be dry. SO, based on experience (and a few wrecked dishes) follow the directions and put butter on pasta first (saturates a lil so doesn't sop up sauce as much) and then put chicken and sauce over the top.

You can also just simply serve this with just the chicken, leaving out the pasta.

Eggplant Mezzaluna Ravioli

2009-08-12T08:44:00.000-07:00

First and foremost, do not disregard this pasta if you do not like eggplant! I am not the largest fan of this strange purple veggie BUT it takes on its own crazy flavor in these ravioli's. You will be missing out if you do not at least attempt. This is, as the previous post, a Giada recipe. I seem to be grabbing her cookbooks over everyone else as of late so bare with me as I get the addiction out of my system.

Also, one more side note, I know many of you are looking for my "staple" recipes. The recipes in which I claim to have started this blog. I promise I will get to them shortly. I have just been in the experimentation mode and excited to cook new things.

1/3 c Olive oil (if you only have Extra Virgin just use that)
1/2 large onion, diced
1 large eggplant (1.5-2.0 lbs.), diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t chopped fresh oregano, plus 1 t fresh oregano for garnish*
1/2 c fontina cheese, grated (~2 oz.)
1/2 c whole-milk ricotta cheese**
1/2 t salt, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 t black pepper, plus more for sprinkling
1 package square wonton wrappers (~50-60 wrappers)
1/4-1/2 c Extra Virgin Olive oil, for garnish

* You must buy FRESH oregano, it will not taste right with dried and you MUST garnish once cooked because that is basically the flavor of the "sauce"
**Do not try to use skim milk ricotta, it is too watery and the ravioli's will have zero flavor-- these are pretty good for you already you will be fine with the whole milk stuff!

Heat the OO in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the eggplant, garlic and chopped oregano, and continue to cook until the eggplant is soft and falling apart, about 12 minutes (this often takes me longer than 12 minutes- make your salad or prep you sides during this time because you can leave it and only stir every so often). Transfer the eggplant mixture to a medium bowl and let cool.

Once cool, add the cheeses, salt and pepper. Place 6 wonton squares on a dry work surface (or how ever many you are comfortable making at once.) Place 1 teaspoon of the eggplant mixture on each square. Fold one corner over to the opposite corner (hard to explain via text- look at the pictures. Giada makes a rectangle with hers and then cuts them w a ravioli cutter- I have done this but it seems like an extra step to me- this is easier.)
Place the finished ravioli on dry baking sheet lightly sprinkled with flour. Continue to finish the remaining. (I freeze mine at this point and take out as needed)

To Cook: Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add ravioli. Do not add all ravioli at one time because they are pretty delicate and will stick to each other and break open. Cook until ravioli's float to the top. (If cooking from frozen let them float a bit on top to make sure the inside warms) I use a slotted spoon and place directly on serving platter/plate. Salt and pepper them (important step!) Drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle with fresh oregano (also important step!) Enjoy!!!!!
Alternative options:
Fry them in some canola and serve with marinara. These are a GREAT appetizer.

Ribeye with Balsamic Steak Sauce

2009-06-04T06:59:00.000-07:00

I am always on the lookout for a good runny sauce to drench my steaks in and this is a keeper! I will say, I do agree with most "red meat enthusiasts" that a good steak needs nothing but a little salt and pepper however what could possibly go wrong with an additional douse of goodness??? NOTHING!

I used a rib eye but the recipe that I finagled this from used a huge 3 lb porterhouse, which is probably why this makes a RIDICULOUS amount of sauce. I froze the unused portion of mine for a future steak that happens to get accidentally solidified into a fossilized charred lil' mound-of-meat (especially if my dad, Rick happens to be grilling) or simply for some yummy added flavor.

Balsamic Steak Sauce
3/4 c balsamic vinegar
2/3 c ketchup
1/4 cup honey
2 sliced shallots
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T Dijon
1/4 t allspice*
salt
pepper
sugar**
2-3 T butter

1 large steak (I used a large ribeye), grilled to your liking

*if you do not have allspice you can substitute equal parts of cinnamon, clove and nutmeg.
**I added a small amount (less than a t.) at the end when tasting the sauce if you feel it should be sweeter.

Simmer all ingredients in medium saucepan until thickened, approx. 15 minutes.

Strain, then whisk in some cold butter (i used 2 T but thought I could have used more.) The butter will give the sauce a "velvety" texture.

Drizzle over sliced steak. WARNING: This sauce is pretty potent, start with a drizzle and then serve additional sauce on the side.

Puffy clouds of heaven.....Marshmallows!!!!!

2009-05-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

I know, everyone is asking...what would possess someone to make homemade marshmallows??? I would probably ask the same thing due to my dislike of the dessert. However, I do LOVE them mixed with the appropriate amounts of rice cereal and made into little rock-like squares of delight. Basically, I came across pictures of these fluffy, white, "honey, I shrunk the kids" pillows of sugary fabulousness and I just couldn't resist.

So here, the adventure of homemade marshmallows begins....

Homemade Marshmallows
Recipe, found on the internet, altered from my own experience.

1 cup water, divided
2 packets unflavored gelatin
2 cups white sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1/3 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar*, divided
wax paper or aluminum foil
Butter or cooking spray**

*I started with 2 cups and didn't use most of it. You can always add more if needed.
**I used cooking spray.

Line a 13x9 baking dish with aluminum foil (or wax paper), spray liberally with cooking spray and lightly coat with 1/4-1/3 powdered sugar (no need to be perfect.)

Put 1/2 c cold water and both gelatin packets in standing mixer and leave it alone while you warm the sugars.

In a heavy bottom pot, combine 1/2 c water, white sugar, salt, and corn syrup. Bring to a rolling boil (bubbles) and boil for approx. 1 minute (needs to reach 238 degrees but I didnt have an appropriate candy thermometer so just use 1 minute as a gauge.)

Pour sugar mixture, while hot (BE CAREFUL!) into standing mixer with gelatin/water. Add Vanilla. Whip on high setting for 10-15 minutes (took me 15 minutes) until stiff peaks form.

Pour mixture into baking sheet. Coat the top with another 1/4-1/3 c powdered sugar. Place in freezer for 8-10 hours (I did not wait 8 hours, I only waited 6 hrs and I think it was fine so just let it have some time to rest.)

Flip onto cutting board, cut into squares, dredge in left over powdered sugar so covered on all sides. ENJOY! I believe they will last longer if kept in closed lid in fridge....

I forgot to take pics at every step....bare with me as I get used to this "blogging" thing...