The Baker's Lamb

SHARK ATTACK!

2009-09-13T20:10:00.000-07:00

Okay-so the Lambert clan decided to head to Florida on a whim to unwind after the big wedding. Now, we new we were in the midst of hurricane season, but we took the gamble and it ended up being our best trip there yet.

We rented a huge 3 bedroom, 3.5 bath house directly on the beach and it was my first time there with the beach being perfectly deserted with sunny, hot days and the calmest ocean I have ever seen. It was my first time ever seeing schools of dolphin swimming by people on rafts, schools of stingrays right at the shore, and hundreds of sand dollars at our feet.
Our house came with a beautiful kitchen decked out with granite and stainless, so I gladly took over making most of our meals. My highlight of the week came after shark fishing. The top picture is a lemon shark that someone on our boat caught. Out of the twenty folks aboard we were lucky enough to be the only ones interested in taking home an ocean treat.

My hubby ended up catching a six foot hammerhead shark--but it was tossed back because supposedly they aren't good eatin' fish. He did though produce the most excitement aboard the S.S. Minnow. Eric was bruised up and down his side from pulling this sucker in:) He was my big great white shark hunter! The second photo above shows me and my not so fabulous catch--only a baby lemon shark. He was tossed back in because honestly, who can feel good about themselves for eating a baby shark. The third is my father-in-law and his catch--a mackerel. Another tossed back to the ocean, for as our guide informed us they are the gutter of the ocean and wouldn't even be kept for chum.

So, the lemon shark was gutted on the boat and rid of both ends and chopped into twelve or so steaks. As, I opened up the white paper holding our ocean treasure the next day I had to think a while at what might be the best plan of attack. It isn't like the shark I normally pick up at the grocery. The skin is a bit furry and there are pieces of body parts that I am sure would not be pleasing to eat. The smell, very--um excuse my lack of creativity--fishy. I had to breath out of my mouth only.

So, I ended up taking my 50 cent steak knife and went at it. I decided to make kabobs and only use the firm white meat and get rid of the remains before the other family members would see and make them change their mind about eating shark.

After an hour of carving with the CRAPPIEST knife ever, I soaked my pieces in a bit of buttermilk for about an hour. Then I rinsed and marinated in a terriayki marinade. Let me just say--they turned out fabulous. Everyone loved them:))))) Thank goodness.

So, if our guide ever reads this---HA! I told you we wouldn't be like those other folks that show up for shark fishing and say they will eat the meat and don't. It was sharkalicous, baby!

Maid Service

2009-09-02T19:23:00.001-07:00

What can I say.....I have had weddings on the BRAIN lately. Eric's sister Karen got married August 22nd and it has been months and months of build up--and now it is over. I am sad:( I was the Maid of Honor and I sure hope I lived up to Karen's expectations! I was actually more stressed about her wedding than I was my own. That is so me--I am such a people pleaser. I cannot help it.

(yeah-that's me at my wedding. I had to reminisce....)

I luva, luva, love weddings.....and Karen's was so beautiful. Every thing went perfectly and she was radiant. Great food, booze and friends! We partied until 4 in the morning and woke up and celebrated all over again!

She used the same photographer that I did for my wedding and I have to give accolades to Tri-Village Studio in Grandview for their finesse with the camera. Karen sent me the link to her wedding photos and I don't even know how she will narrow it down. Whenever I get someone to email me some pictures they took that night I will post them here.

In the meantime, I had to take a stroll back down memory lane.......It will be four years next weekend:)
It wouldn't be an Eric wedding without cigars. He has said for four years now that he is going to submit one of our wedding photos to Cigar Afficionado.....he will probably have to lie about the date now to get them to use it.

And me, being a foodie--can't leave out the cake. Our cake was wonderful. My mom's friend Cheryl made it for $300. We ended up setting it up on a gazebo overlooking the lake with netting draped around it during the meal which we pulled for the cutting. They told me no one had ever done that there before (I felt like a genius---it didn't last!). I always wonder if anyone has done it since then.....

This pic pretty much sums up how I felt about the evening. It was perfect--and ended up being just the way every bride dreams of.........

I know Karen felt that way too and I am so relieved:) I can't wait for Karen and Kasey's first anniversary--hopefully we can celebrate like that night again! His family is crazy fun, they know how to whoop it up for sure.

And there's my man and his crew looking so tough. Bad asses going to the chapel.

Watch out downtown Lancaster.

XOXOXO

De-Stress Me Please!

2009-08-19T20:27:00.000-07:00

So, it has been a very stressful week. My sister-in-law is getting married this Saturday and......

I am the Maid of Honor. I am honestly more stressed about her wedding than I was my own.....

And work has been full of crazy dramatic events......crying clients, angry co-worker husband,

So, I thought I would post about my favorite place to destress....my lovely back patio. It is calming and soothing. A place to relax and unwind with a glass of Chianti. It also holds one of my favorite purchases of this summer--the firepot, which I bought on clearance at Meijer. It uses fuel gel (which my recommendation is to purchase a ton of it at the end of summer when it is half off because it costs $13.00 a bottle regularly!). It crackles like the sound of real fire and emits a great glowing flame. I love-a-love-love it!

Two days until the big shindig....XOXOXOXO

You Say Tomato....I Say How Many Ya Want

2009-08-17T09:35:00.000-07:00

Did you know as I child I hated tomatoes. I don't ever think I even had tasted one when I made my mind up about this-but my Grandpa Snuffy didn't like them, so neither did I. Ketchup, yes. Big, ripe, juicy tomato--no.

I also hated bleu cheese, olives, Dijon mustard, sour cream and pork chops. But my how my tastes have changed. Stuff the bleu cheese in the olive--Magic, I tell you. Coat the Dijon on the pork chops, slather sour cream on my nachos--oh yes! Why didn't I learn to love rice cakes and sea weed? Life is so cruel.

These tomatoes are fresh from my back yard. The plant is brimming over with ripe tomatoes so this whole week will be filled with tomato dishes (sorry, honey). My tomato plant came from Stump's in Logan (a roadside stand where once something is sold out they are gone---so you have to go the first week they open or you miss out!). It is the Rutger's variety and they are so sweet. I almost had to fist fight an old lady over this plant, but she backed off.

I ended up making last night this delicious salad of spinach, tomatoes, onion, cucumber, black olives and basil. I made a simple oil and balsamic seasoned dressing. Right before serving I added some sun-dried tomato feta cheese.....delicious!

Then I cut up a head of cabbage into wedges and grilled them the healthy way--with several heavy squirts of butter spray, some splenda, salt and pepper. I know it doesn't look pretty or impressive, but it is so good. P.S. I forgot I also hated cabbage as a child. I think I only thought you could make sauerkraut out of it--and that is something I still can't stomach.

I finished up our meal with some simple chicken kabobs. I marinated everything in a oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh rosemary and oregano blend. It was the perfect meal for a hot summer day! Ta-Ta for now:)

My Sweet Baby Isabella

2009-08-04T21:15:00.000-07:00

Today we had to put down my sweet baby Bell Bell. She was my Easter present when I was ten years old. My grandmother made a tiny Easter bonnet for her with holes cut out for her ears. She probably weighed a pound. I remember giggling with delight when we drove her home and stopped at a park where a man asked if she was a kitten because she was so tiny.

She arrived at our house with a severe case of kennel cough and I was devasted when Dr. Bill called and said she probably wouldn't make it. Well, she proved us all wrong as 17 years later she was still hobbling around.......but a stroke and seizures got the best of her and we knew it was time.

So may you rest in peace my wonderful, sweet, brown-nosed chi-hua-hua. I know you are probably basking in the sun of doggy heaven chewing on one of grandma's biscuits.

The Long Lost Blog

2009-08-03T10:32:00.000-07:00

I could absolutely kick myself for neglecting my blog. I have made so many delicious recipes and cocktails over the past few months--it makes me sick that I didn't document them. I just end up making so many things that I end up forgetting some of the things I really liked.

It has been the summer of wedding planning for my sister-in-law, starting at a new company for work, lots of playing golf and lots of RAIN! I swear this has been the coldest, ickiest summer ever! But it is now August, so hopefully the tides have changed.

I also have moved into a new hobby this summer---practicing on my green thumb. I have never had good luck with keeping anything alive before, but this year I have REALLY tried. Daily watering and deadheading. Pruning carefully. Weekly feedings. It takes about an hour every day...but you know what, they look pretty darn good AND I planted everything in late April and we now into August and they are still ALIVE!! I know I shouldn't sound so excited, but it is a first for me!

I am going to make an effort to keep this updated, if only for myself.....

And then they were done.......

2008-10-24T18:28:00.001-07:00

The Wheeling Project

The Gary Project

Ah, back from the dead. I have spent the last three months of my life fixing up these bitches! I could kick myself for not taking any "before" pictures! I've painted, cleaned (then cleaned again....oh and then again), ripped up flooring, shoveled gravel, wired lights, laid trim, and oh so much more.

It was a learning experience, but I must admit I am a pretty fast painter now. The Wheeling Project was Eric's baby and the Gary Project was mine. Now, I love a-love a-love my Gary. He turned out beautifully. Now just to find the right people to rent it........I don't want any dirtballs up in here!

So far I've showed it to a dozen people, but only one has actually sent back an application......I think credit checks scare the bejesus out of them. But I guess if they already know that we won't like what we see---then they won't waste their time completing it. Ah, dirtballs.......my favorite.

I'll post some more interior photos this week. I guess I'll have to change the name of my blog from Baker's Lamb to the Laborer's Lamb? Ugghh, you should see my hands they are disgusting from all the manual labor! It's definitely time for a break!

The Biggest Loser Is Over.......

2008-06-18T11:41:00.000-07:00

So, I have taken a two month hiatus. I last blogged right before we went to Florida for a vacation with Eric's family. I had planned to pick right up blogging when I returned, but something happened the last day we were sitting on the Florida beach. Eric and his family decided to get into a match of who could lose the most weight by June 1st.

Therefore, when I returned to Ohio there could be no baking of pies, cakes or tarts. No cream sauces, chicken wings, or pizza. Just lots of salads, yogurt, and subway. Eric was on a mission to win and my cooking obviously hasn't helped over the last few years:) So, for the last month in a half I cut out all baking and tweaked the cooking to make everything healthy and low fat.

But, now I am back and hopefully can share some lightened recipes with yall. Eric ended up losing 22 pounds at weigh in and is currently down 27. I am so proud of him! He says ten more to go, so hopefully I can help him achieve his goal! So welcome back to the new-healthier baker's lamb!

LOVE ME SOME LEMONS

2008-04-08T05:46:00.000-07:00

Well, there she is. My Most Extraordinary French Lemon Cream Tart, the selection from Tuesday with Dorie this week. Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, Mary for picking this one. I absolutely needed something spring-like! And I swear as soon as I baked this the neverending rain ceased here in Ohio and the sun finally made a showing!

I must confess though that nice weather equals bad blogger (shame on me). The Harley has been waiting patiently for months now and there is no way we couldn't ride this past weekend. So, we ended up cruising around all day and even ended up witnessing a wedding in a biker bar (yep, ceremony and all). The groom had on his best Harley shirt and Levi's. We didn't even know them, but my karaoke rendition of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" will surely be one of their fondest wedding memories.........ah, I love weddings!

So, I finally got around to making my tart Sunday evening. I really didn't have many expectations, since I have never really liked or disliked lemon. But as soon as my grater hit that first lemon, I was hooked. Ahhh, that smell (ooh, great Skynard song!).

The crust was a snap to make in the processor. I chose to replace some of the flour with hazelnuts and that proved to be my first good choice. It baked up beautifully and had a wonderful shortbread-like texture. The only annoying part of this recipe is whisking the lemon cream to exactly 180 degrees. But I stayed true to the recipe and my filling turned out perfectly. I ended up topping it off with some cream and blackberries.

Extraordinary is a great was to describe this recipe. The cream was so lush and citric. The crust outstanding. Put it all together---amen! I'll make this again. Maybe next time with key limes:)

RECIPE TO BE POSTED

OH!!!! By the way, I'm leaving for Florida tomorrow and the hubby and I said no laptops, no cell phones. So you will have to miss me for a week. I will have to bow out of the next Tuesdays with Dorie. See you next Wednesday! And mom don't forget to water the herbs in the windowsill!

PICK YOUR POISON

2008-04-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have found two new favorite drinks that I must share with you. They are going to be perfect for summer!

One is dubbed the Tokyo Tea and comes courtesy of Pat G. It is a wonderful concoction that he had somewhere and we made our bartender, Merlin, recreate it for us last evening at Molly Woo's.

It is basically half sake and half plum wine. Stick it in a cocktail shaker and then strain into a wine glass. Serve with a wedge of lime squeezed over the top. It is DANGEROUS!

Next, is the Jalapeno Peach Martini. Oh my goodness. It is on the menu at Molly Woo's and I seriously love it. It is peach vodka, white cranberry, and something else..........mixed with a dash of jalapeno juice and garnished with a slice of jalapeno. It is to die for, seriously!

I need to figure out exactly what is in it, so I can recreate them at home! I'll post if I find out.

A SICK ADDICTION.....CHOCOLATE

2008-03-31T19:53:00.000-07:00

A picture before digging into this week's recipe....Gooey Chocolate Cakes!

Here's the brand of chocolate I chose to use. It ended up making very rich chocolate cakes. Dorie advises not to skimp on the quality of chocolate, since it is the star of this recipe!
As usual, my shoddy photography skills give no justice to this chocolate goodness!

It's Tuesday again:) This week's recipe was right up my alley. Chocolate. Gooey, Melty, Chocolate. Why is it you either have general cravings---salty, sweet, or perhaps spicy. But what is it with that fourth craving, which is oh so specific--something chocolately. It normally hits me at 2:30 in the afternoon. When I have to sneak to the candy dish and dig for what I must have. Not the Wuther's Orignals or for god's sake not the sugar coated gummy things.

No, it must absolutely be chocolate! This month I keep digging out the leftover dark chocolate dove eggs. When those are all gone I will start on the Hersey kisses....I really should just leave those alone and go eat my chocolate pudding in the fridge, but who am I kidding? The pudding ain't gonna do it. Whoever writes those books and says eat the sugar-free chocolate pudding instead of the chocolate bar is a complete poindexter in my opinion. All I am going to do is eat the pudding, feel disappointed, then end up eating the chocolate bar. So really why waste the extra calories on the pudding?

So, when I found out we were making the Gooey Chocolate Cakes this week I was ecstatic. I have never made these little lava cakes before but my god they were simple. This is the kind of recipe that you could easily whip up before an impromptu dinner party and no one even guess it took such little effort. I ended up making mine in small ramekins that came with a fondue pot I received as a wedding gift. They were the perfect size. I also used some white chocolate chips in the middle of half the batch. They turned out to be my favorites. Eric enjoyed his warm with ice cream. But honestly no matter how you eat them they tasted wonderful.

As with most other Dorie recipes, this is definitely a thumbs up in taste and ease of preparation. I promise to post the recipe whenever I get a chance! Enjoy!

SEND ME ON MY WAY

2008-03-28T13:23:00.000-07:00

Sorry, up front for the fugly photo. It was just not my night for photography.

TGIF. Our head underwriter quit today. We had to push several closing to next month. My pants feel really tight. Ugh. And it just keeps raining.......we head to Florida in two weeks, and I don't know if I can survive until then!

I really have nothing novel to write about, so I will spare you all. Plus, I hate my camera and all the pictures stink. I had an hour long conversation with a photographer that does the food stills for Cameron Mitchell's places. He recommended a few thousand dollars worth of equipment I should try. Sure, buddy. Maybe next Christmas. He told me he spent two hours photographing some drink with different umbrellas in them for an article on the best cocktails in Columbus. I told him I understood his pain. Fifty shots of the above coleslaw and they all stink. At least it tastes good.........

WALDOLF-ISH COLESLAW

1/2 head cabbage chopped
1 cup fat free mayo
4 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons slpenda (more of less to suit your tastes)
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
some celery seed
some poppy seeds
1 apple, chopped
1/3 cup, raisins
salt to taste

Mix it up and chill a few hours. Add more raisins if you want....I never measure anything in the recipe and interchange ingredients as I like. All I know is that I like my coleslaw sweet:)

HELLO MY LITTLE TURNOVER

2008-03-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

Ever since I got my Dorie Greenspan "Baking: From My Home to Yours" cookbook, all I want to do is make all the recipes in it. There are like at least one hundred that I want to try. I really tried hard to convince myself not to make any recipes other than the one that is picked for every Tuesday. I did really try, I swear.

But.....it didn't work out. I kept staring at all these apples stacked in the bowl in my kitchen. And they kept staring back at me. Saying "use me before I wither up and rot".......so I had no choice I had to make something with apples. Now, I should have looked in other places--but that big shiny new book was sitting there staring at me too.

So, I just peeked in the apple section and found several versions of apple pies on the first few pages. Good, I thought, apple pie is just too boring. But as I turned to the next page, there it was staring right back at me......Flaky Apple Turnovers. Oh yes, that was it.

It turned out to be a good call. I loved them. I ended up topping them with large sugar crystals and baking them until golden. Eric and I both agreed they are best when warmed with a side of ice cream--so yummy!

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup sugar

4 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 sticks butter, cold, cut into small pieces

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

4 Fuji apples, peeled, cored and cut into small chunks

3 tablespoons butter cut into small bits

1 large egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for egg wash

Sugar, for dusting

To make Dough: Stir the sour cream and sugar together, set aside. Whisk the flour and salt together in a large bowl, then toss the butter bits over the flour. Working with a pastry blender, or your fingers, cut the butter into the ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Don't worry about being thorough--it's better to have an uneven mix than an overworked dough. Switch to a fork and, using a lifting and tossing motion, gently stir in the sour cream. The dough will be very soft.

Divide the dough in half. Put each half on a piece of plastic warp and use the plastic to shape each piece into a rectangle. Wrap the dough and chill for at least an hour. Remove one piece of cough from the fridge and roll it into a rectangle about 9x18 inches. The dough is easiest to work with if you roll it between two sheets of wax paper. Fold the dough in thirds, like a business letter, wrap it and chill it. Repeat with second piece of dough, and chill the dough at least 2 hours.

To Make The Filling: Whisk the flour, sugar, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Add the apples and toss to coat.

Getting Ready To Bake: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. Roll out one piece of dough to a thickness of about 1/8th of an inch, and cut out 4 1/2 inch rounds with a large cutter (I used a jar lid) Repeat with the second piece of dough. If you like, you can gather the scraps together, chill them and make additional turnovers (I did this). You should get 7-8 rounds per piece of dough.

Place 1 to 2 tablespoons apples in the center of each round and dot with the butter. Moisten edges of each round with a little water and fold the turnovers in half, sealing the edges by pressing them together with the tines of a fork. Use the fork to poke steam holes in each turnover, and transfer the turnovers to the baking sheets.

Brush the tops of hte turnovers with a little of the egg wash and sprinkle each one with a pinch of sugar (I used large sugar crystals). Bake for about 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back after 10 minutes. When done, the turnovers will be puffed, firm to the touch and golden. Gently transfer them to racks and cool to room temperature.

Dorie says these are very easy to change up---fill with whatever fruit or jam you may have a hankering for! I think I am going with my mom's idea next time--Cherry Turnovers:)

THE FLAN SHOWDOWN

2008-03-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

Okay, flan is (yawn) boring. I just couldn't get excited about it. Stir water and sugar together, pour in pan. Boil water in tea kettle. Mix some eggs together. Yawn. It also doesn't help that I think flan is just okay. Custardy-type stuff has just never really appealed to me. I like crust, I like crunch---not this smooth, sexy (as Dorie refers to it) stuff. I don't want my dessert to be sexy. I want fattening, messy, gooey. This is way too lady-like for a gal like me....and if I don't like it-- you know Eric won't even touch it.

Anywhoo-Making this was pretty easy. The caramel turned a lovely amber and it easily covered the bottom of my pan. The flan portion came together quickly and I shoved it in the oven in my trusty blue roasting pan. It baked, it cooled, and it went into the fridge for a chilling. I let Eric flip onto the serving plate while I attempted to get ready to go to Easter dinner. When I came down stairs he informed me that the caramel portion was almost dripping over the sides of the plate---so he drained it off, that way it would be much easier to tote to grandmas. Ah, god love him. I couldn't be mad on Easter and since we were already running half an hour late, I didn't have time to worry.

Good thing I didn't get upset. No one touched it. My feelings would have normally been hurt, but heck--I didn't even want it. Especially when it is sitting right next to my grandmother's homemade cherry pie. I felt really bad for my flan, so I ate a little piece to make it feel better. Then I ate a ginormous piece of cherry pie. Shame, shame on me.

Well, now I have a lot of leftover flan and I am going to eat it this week with berries and some biscotti. If you love flan, go ahead and try this recipe. I will not be making it again though. I would rather save my eggs for an omelet or more brioche:)

Caramel Topped Flan

(Baking: From My Home to Yours, Dorie Greenspan)

For the Caramel

1/3 cup sugar

3 tbsp water

squirt of fresh lemon juice

For the Flan

1-1/2 cups heavy cream

1-1/4 cups whole milk

3 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a roasting pan or a 9-x-13-inch baking pan with a double thickness of paper towels. Fill a teakettle with water and put it on to boil; when the water boils, turn off the heat. Put a metal 8-x-2-inch round cake pan-not a nonstick one-in the oven to heat while you prepare the caramel. To Make the Caramel: Stir the sugar, water and lemon juice together in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Put the pan over medium-high heat and cook until the sugar becomes an amber-colored caramel, about 5 minutes-remove the pan from the heat at the first whiff of smoke.Remove the cake pan from the oven and, working with oven mitts, pour the caramel into the pan and immediately tilt the pan to spread the caramel evenly over the bottom; set the pan aside.To Make the Flan: Bring the cream and milk just to a boil.Meanwhile, in a 2-quart glass measuring cup or in a bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks and sugar. Whisk vigorously for a minute or two, and then stir in the vanilla. Still whisking, drizzle in about one quarter of the hot liquid-this will temper, or warm, the eggs so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the hot cream and milk. Using a large spoon, skim off the bubbles and foam that you worked up.Put the caramel-lined cake pan in the roasting pan. Pour the custard into the cake pan and slide the setup into the oven. Very carefully pour enough hot water from the kettle into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the cake pan. (Don't worry if this sets the cake pan afloat.) Bake the flan for about 35 minutes, or until the top puffs a bit and is golden here and there. A knife inserted into the center of the flan should come out clean.Remove the roasting pan from the oven, transfer the cake pan to a cooking rack and run a knife between the flan and the sides of the pan to loosen it. Let the flan cool to room temperature on the rack, then loosely cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.When ready to serve, once more, run a knife between the flan and the pan. Choose a rimmed serving platter, place the platter over the cake pan, quickly flip the platter and pan over and remove the cake pan-the flan will shimmy out and the caramel sauce will coat the custard.Yield: 6 to 8 Servings

SPRING CLEANING

2008-03-24T09:58:00.000-07:00

ABOVE: Sorry, Stinky Lighting=Bad Pictures

Ah, the first day of Spring has come and gone here in Ohio...too bad it is still stinking cold and gloomy out! Since the sun refuses to shine, I am staying indoors and cleaning. Yes, how exciting. If someone were to make a movie of my life, it would be so absolutely boring since I swear I spend most of my time picking up the house, doing laundry and cleaning. I don't now how two people can go through some many clothes and dishes....it is insane!

I decided to clean out the refrigerator and freezer today. I am always amazed at the things you find when doing this task. Forgotten about frozen unmarked containers, the salad dressing you opened and decided you didn't like, the half bottle of beer that got pushed all the back with the baking soda--I ended up filling up an entire garbage bag with these kinds of things. It made me disgusted with myself for this type of food waste. So I've promised myself to make an effort to be more conscious of using up things before I buy more (regardless of how pretty the package is or if I am getting the deal of a lifetime!).

The one thing also I have to use up is all this DEER MEAT! Ugh, I am just not a big deer meat fan. I've tried to make it in chili, casseroles, etc--but it just never tastes right to me. The only thing I can do is trail bologna. My grandma has made this for years for all guys who hunt on their land. She gave me her original recipe, which I have tweaked for our tastes. Eric eats about 4 pounds of this in two or three days---always with crackers and spicy brown mustard. At least it is high protein with virtually no fat. Oh so very Adkins-Friendly--if you follow that crap:)

TRAIL BOLOGNA

3 pounds ground venison

1 pound ground sirloin or lean ground beef

2 teaspoons coarse ground pepper

2 tablespoons liquid smoke

2 cups water

4 tablespoons quick curing salt (morton's)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon marjoram

1 teaspoon fennel seed

2 teaspoon dry mustard powder

1/2 teaspoon Lawry's seasoned salt

1 heaping tablespoon McCormick's Hamburger Seasoning

Mix all ingredients together in large mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to meld.

Place a wire rack over a baking sheet and preheat oven to 350 degrees. While oven is heating, shape meat mixture into several 1 1/2" diameter logs. Place on wire rack and bake for approximately one hour. Flip logs halfway through baking time.
Allow logs to cool. Wrap each log in foil and refrigerate until ready to use.

I highly recommend this recipe if you have deer meat to use up. I have played around with different mixes, ratios, and seasonings and this by far is my "keeper" recipe.

HIP-HOP HAPPY EASTER!

2008-03-23T17:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter all! I made all kinds of things this weekend, but I will only share an easy one today. Macaroni and Cheese:) We celebrated at my mom's house this year and I was instructed to bring a side dish. I told Eric to pick out somthing and Mac & Cheese was his first choice. He's all about the comfort food!

Use whatever cheese you want but I ended up using extra sharp cheddar and white cheddar. I also used 1/2 pound small shell pasta and 1/2 pound big shell pasta....I just love when some of the little shells get stuck inside the big shells! It it the best:)

EASY MAC & CHEESE

1 stick butter

1/2 flour

4 cups milk

1 pound shredded cheddar cheese (I used sharp cheddar)

1 pound pasta

1 brick extra sharp white cheddar cheese, cubed

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta for 8 minutes or until al dente. Melt butter in a medium saucepan. When melted, add flour and stir to make a roux. Ad a little bit of the milk and whisk to get rid of any lumps. When smooth, add the remaining milk. Cook over medium high until comes to a boil, stirring continuously. Remove from the heat and add 3/4 of the cheese (Set remaining shredded aside to sprinkle on top). Stir mixture until cheese melts. Add salt and pepper to taste. When the paste is done, drain and combine with the cheese mixture. Stir well and pour into a greased baking dish (I used two 8x8). Drop in cubed cheese and lightly combined. Then sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden and bubbly!

Dig in...it won't last long!

SUSHI, NO....ZUCCHINI, YES?

2008-03-21T16:37:00.000-07:00

It's almost 8pm and I am still at the office. I have been sorting through business taxes and trying to come up with a profit and loss, but there are pages missing and it is all out of order. I've had people in and out of here all day and really have gotten nothing accomplished...except that I have developed an eye twitch. Get me the hell out of here~it's Friday for pete's sake!

I am actually going to head to the grocery store this evening to pick up items for my Caramel-Topped Flan (My TWD recipe of the week). Actually, I might not. I might need some bar food and a cocktail. I'm really hankering for some tuna tartare or sushi. Too bad the only sushi in this town is sold at Kroger's and I am not going into Columbus this evening (but oh Haiku would be so good!). Therefore, my hankering will have to wait, and I will settle for deep fried zucchini. Boy, am I not easy to please? Until tomorrow........

SORRY, YOU'RE GETTING LEFTOVERS TODAY

2008-03-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, I didn't make any thing "fresh" today. No time, No way. It is Eric's sister's birthday dinner tonight (HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOOG!) and I know it will be a mad dash after work to get downtown. We are going to Hyde Park for dinner and I love, love, love Hyde Park. The dark lush interior, the fabulous martinis, and the city slickers trying to be oh-so trendy. There's nothing like some good people watching and this is prime viewing grounds!

I did get my wallet stolen once there though...but I will not hold it against Hyde Park. I just know it was the two bimbos loitering next to us at the bar and I blame myself for leaving my purse strung around the bar stool (lesson learned). Nothing makes you feel so absolutely violated as having someone steal something so personal. It's not just cancelling credit cards and replacing your driver's license....but having to apply for new insurance cards, library card, and going back to Sam's Club to have your photo retaken. It's rebuilding EVERYTHING. It's having someone know your home address and that you are an organ donor. Agghh, thieves are the worst!

Anyways, today I am sharing the golden brioche loaf I made from my raisin snails. No need to post the recipe because it is listed in yesterdays post. Just after you divide the dough in half, take that portion and separate it into four equal parts. Then shape each into 3 1/2" logs and place crossways into the bottom of a loaf pan. Bake at 400 for 35 minutes.

Eric couldn't believe how good this stuff was.......(as if I would make him something crappy!) and he has been making sandwiches with it all week. It is still soft and moist four days later. I told him not to get used to it though, unless he wants to learn to make it himself. I won't hold my breath.

MY FIRST TUESDAY

2008-03-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

Look at my snail below! haha----totally unintentional, but I think he looks more like a hermit crab or a little old man with a beard!

Today I get to share my first Tuesdays with Dorie recipe, Brioche Raisin Snails! I have no idea whether this is what they are supposed to look like or not, but they sure do taste delicious! I started the process early Saturday morning. Mr. Eric decided to sleep in, so he did not get to witness the lighting of my rum raisins! I used a long tapered candle and I barely got it above the lip of the pan when POOF the flame shot up near my bangs! Talk about jump back jack!

I was doggysitting my mom's dog, Isabella (the one near death) and she definitely gave me a funny little head tilt while this was all happening! Probably the most excitement she has seen in a long time! So, she watched curiously as I whipped the dough together and whisked the be-doodles out of my pastry cream.

Everything seems to have turned out alright, except I think I might have baked them a minute too long. Maybe just a little less golden next time. Also, I used about half the raisins the recipe called for because that was all I had at the house.....my bad! I did use plenty of Sailor Jerry rum though, which I swear hands down is the best rum EVER. Next time I will use lots and lots of raisins with lots and lots of Sailor Jerry. They tasted heavenly!

The recipe is very long, but here it goes:

Brioche Raisin Snails

1 cup moist, plump raisins
3 tablespoons dark rum
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Scant 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 recipe for Golden Brioche Loaves(page 48), chilled and ready to shape (make the full recipe and cut the dough in half after refrigerating overnight)
1/2 recipe Pastry Cream (page 448)

For The Optional Glaze
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
About 1 teaspoon water
Drop of pure vanilla extract

Getting Ready: Line one large or two smaller baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Put the raisins in a small saucepan, cover them with hot water and let them steep for about 4 minutes, until they are plumped. Drain the raisins, return them to the saucepan and, stirring constantly, warm them over low heat. When the raisins are very hot, pull the pan from the heat and pour over the rum. Standing back, ignite the rum. Stair until the flames go out, then cover and set aside. (The raisins and rum an be kept in a covered jar for up to 1 day.)

Mix the sugar and cinnamon together.

On a flour dusted surface, roll the dough into a rectangle about 12 inches wide and 16 inches long, with a short end toward you. Spread the pastry cream across the dough, leaving 1-inch strip bare on the side farthest from you. Scatter the raisins over the pastry cream and sprinkle the raisins and cream with the cinnamon sugar. Starting wit the side nearest you, roll the dough into a cylinder, keeping the roll as tight as you can. (At this point, you can wrap the dough airtight and freeze it up to 2 months; see Storing for further instructions. Or, if you do not want to make the full recipe, use as much of the dough as you'd like and freeze the remainder.)

With a chef's knife, using a gentle sawing motion, trim just a tiny bit from the ends if they're ragged or not well filled, then cut the log into rounds a scant 1 inch thick. Put the snails on the lined baking sheet(s), leaving some puff space between them.

Lightly cover the snails with wax paper and set the baking sheet(s) in a warm place until the snails have doubles in volume--they'll be puffy and soft--about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Getting Ready To Bake: When the snails have almost fully risen, preheat the oven: depending on the number of baking sheets you have, either center a rack in the oven or position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove the wax paper, and bake the snails for about 25 minutes (rotate the sheets if you're using two, from top to bottom and front to back after 15 minutes), or until they are puffed and richly browned. Using a metal spatula, transfer the snails onto a cooling rack.

If You Want To Glaze The Snails: Put a piece of wax paper under the rack of warm rolls to act as a drip catcher. Put the confectioners' sugar into a small bowl, and stir in a teaspoon of water. Keep adding water drop by drop until you have an icing that falls from the tip of a spoon. Add the vanilla extract, then drizzle the icing over the hot snails.

Golden Brioche Loaves

2 packets active dry yeast
1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch water
1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch whole milk
3 3/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature but still slightly firm

For The Glaze
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water

To Make The Brioche: Put the yeast, water and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and, using a wooden spoon, stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add the flour and salt, and fit into the mixer with the dough hook, if you have one. Toss a kitchen towel over the mixer, covering the bowl as completely as you can-- this will help keep you, the counter and your kitchen floor from being showered in flour. Turn the mixer on and off a few short pulses, just to dampen the flour (yes, you can peek to see how you're doing), then remove the towel, increase the mixer speed to medium-low and mix for a minute or two, just until the flour is moistened. At this point, you'll have a fairly dry, shaggy mess.

Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula, set the mixer to low and add the eggs, followed by the sugar. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes, until the dough forms a ball. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter in 2-tablespoon-size chunks, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding the next. You'll have a dough that is very soft, almost like batter. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a clean bowl (or wash out the mixer bowl and use it), cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 40 to 60 minutes, depending upon the warmth of your room.

Deflate the dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it fall with a slap to the bowl. Cover the bowl with the plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. Slap the dough down in the bowl every 30 minutes until it stops rising, about 2 hours, then leave the uncovered dough in the refrigerator to chill overnight.

The next day, butter and flour two 8 1/2-x-4 1/2-inch pans.

Pull the dough from the fridge and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cut each piece of the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece into a log about 3 1/2 inches long. Arrange 4 logs crosswise in the bottom of each pan. Put the pans on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat, cover the pans lightly with wax paper and leave the loaves at room temperature until the dough almost fills the pans, 1 to 2 hours. (Again, rising time with depend on how warm the room is.)

Getting Ready To Bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

To Make the Glaze: Beat the egg with the water. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the tops of the loaves with the glaze.

Bake the loaves until they are well risen and deeply golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the pans to racks to cool for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the pans and turn the loaves out onto the racks. Invert again and cool for at least 1 hour.

Pastry Cream

2 cups whole milk
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits at room temperature

Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan.

Meanwhile, in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the egg yolks together with the sugar and cornstarch until thick and well blended. Still whisking, drizzle in about 1/4 cup of the hot milk-- this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the milk. Put the pan over medium heat and, whisking vigorously, constantly and thoroughly (making sure to get the edges of the pot), bring the mixture to a boil. Keep at a boil, still whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.

Whisk in the vanilla extract. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in the bits of butter, stirring until they are full incorporated and the pastry cream is smooth and silky. Scrape the cream into a bowl. You can press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the cream to create an airtight seal and refrigerate the pastry cream until cold or, if you want to cool it quickly--as I always do--put the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water, and stir the pastry cream occasionally until it is thoroughly chilled, about 20 minutes.

THE ABSOLUTELY, NO FUN ST. PATRICK'S DAY

2008-03-17T12:20:00.000-07:00

I really should have made something with Guinness (but I think we drank it all) or something with corned beef (but that's another trip to the grocery and I ain't going back!) to celebrate St. Patrick's day. Oh, it just stinks that on my way to work this morning they were interviewing all these people on the radio whooping it up already.

Must be nice. Instead I will go to work and wish I wasn't at work. It is a Murphy's Law kind of a day around here. The one day I think everything will go smoothly and we can get out of here early-- EVERYTHING GOES WRONG. Oh well, I have never been a four-leaf clover kind of gal.

But I did end of baking the one thing that always ends up okay---chocolate chip cookies. Eric's request, of course. It is the one sweet he truly loves. I used a recipe from Marcy Goldman. I had never used it before, but it turned out wonderfully. In my opinion, one of the best chocolate chip cookie recipes I have ever made. Buttery, crunchy on the edges and soft in the middle.

I ran out of chocolate chips, so used to white chocolate ones too. I also took her advice and crossed-hatched the tops when they came out of the oven to expose the melted chocolate chips.....oh it is yummy:)

I'll post the recipe in a bit. Now I must get back to the pain and suffering of work. Say a prayer for me, I need it!

THE CHEESECAKE EXPERIMENT

2008-03-14T11:49:00.000-07:00

Ah, the weekend is almost over and it feels like it just started. It is just not fair. It also stinks that St. Patrick's day is on a Monday. How do you drink green beer and wake up feeling good on a Tuesday? Ah yeah--yah don't.

So, we ended up celebrating last night at Doolins Pub. So nothing about the place is Irish, except for the name---but it's close to home, it has a good mix of people, cheap drinks, and excellent service. The DJ always plays good music, and not a bunch of trendy techno crap that all sounds the same. And you can dance your little heart out--which is exactly what we did!

Over the last few days, I also did some baking. My newest invention is what I have dubbed "Cadbury Creme Cheesecake". It is exactly what it sounds like-cheesecake with chopped cadbury creme eggs mixed in. It tastes very good, mostly creamy and chocolately--but not quite what I had in mind. I thought if I froze the cadburys first that they would stand up to the baking in the oven....but the nougat pretty much got lost in the cheesecake. Next time I don't think I will use the chopped big eggs, but instead just drop in the mini eggs whole. It just needs some tweaking.

I'll post what I did below, but feel free to play with it.....I know it could be better!

CADBURY CREME CHEESECAKE

1 1/2 cups shortbread cookies, crushed
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
14 cadbury creme eggs, FROZEN
2 pounds cream cheese, softened
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup chocolate chips
12 mini cadburys to garnish
1 recipe for Creme Egg Drizzle (listed below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss cookie crumbs through tablespoon sugar in the bottom of a greased 9 inch springform pan and press into bottom of pan to form crust.

In mixer bowl, blend cream cheese with condensed milk, sugar, salt, eggs, vanilla, flour and whipping cream, blending until smooth, about four to six minutes.

Turn out half of batter into prepared pan. Chop up the cadburys to your liking, and scatter half of them on top of batter in pan. Scatter half of the chocolate chips. Top with remaining batter, more cadburys, and remaining chocolate chips.

Place pan on prepared baking sheet and place in oven. Bake until just set, reducing oven temperature to 325 degrees around the midpoint and baking a total of 45 minutes. Turn off oven, open oven door, and let cool in oven one hour. Refrigerate cheesecake several hours or overnight.

Before serving garnish with mini cadburys and drizzle creme over top.

CREME EGG DRIZZLE
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/8 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 drops yellow food coloring

Combine corn syrup, butter, salt and vanilla in a bowl. Beat well with electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and mix well to form desired consistency. Add yellow food coloring and mix well.

P.S. I only recommend messing around with this recipe when the cadbury eggs are on sale--otherwise you would have a fortune in those little devils!

HANGING WITH HANDKE

2008-03-13T18:58:00.000-07:00

A horrible picture of the Peach Cobbler (please remember Eric was in charge of photography!)
Turkey Scallopine with Black Bean Relish and Herbed Polenta

Fun Fact: Three Restaurants Chef Handke dines at in Columbus---The Refectory, House of
Japan and Rigsby's

Another horrible picture courtesy of Eric as Chef Handke does his thing
Caesar Salad with Sauteed Filet of Salmon with Tomato Vinaigrette

Sorry, that I missed posting yesterday. I have a good reason though. I have a mysterious food allergy. All I know is that I had a meal consisting of grilled Cajun Marlin with polenta yesterday and by last evening I was swollen up like a helium balloon. Not cute---not cute at all. I couldn't breath and it felt like something was rotting in my stomach (sorry, that is probably too graphic, but lord it is true). I didn't sleep a wink. I've never been allergic to anything before, so now I am on a hunt to figure out what it could be........

Anyways, as I guzzled Benedryl today, all I could worry about was not looking like a chipmunk at my private cooking lesson tonight with Chef Handke. Thank god, the swelling went down and Eric and I headed to the underground realm of Hartmut Handke. He demonstrated how to prepare each dish, while everyone in the audience sloshed down wine. I sat in the front row, and made Eric sit in the back. It was much safer that way.

Everything was wonderful, except for the fact that I didn't know the bonus question "what is the alternative name of jicama". I know I have used it to make slaw and salsa. That it is kind of appley. Oh, so sorry, that I don't know it is also referred to as a Mexican Potato. At least no one else knew right off the bat...........

I also couldn't stand the guys in the crowd who wanted to show off their culinary geniuses by asking Chef Handke if the salt he just used was kosher.......or if you could use a processor instead of a blender for the salad dressing. Duh. He's a world class chef--like he is going to use table salt. You can wear your catchy martini glass shirt in here, but I'm not impressed. So shut up and let Chef Handke do the talking.

Alright, enough of my food snobbery--and on with the recipes. Everything we tasted was simple and delicious. Everything is either fresh or handmade there. No beans or chicken stock from a can here folks. If I had kitchen minions and six ovens, I would also have me some fresh stock everyday! Haha, I guess that is why we pay guys like Handke the big bucks!

Course One: CREAM OF RED BELL PEPPER SOUP

6 medium red bell peppers

1/2 onions, diced

1/2 carrots, diced

2 tablespoons butter

2 each cloves garlic, mined

1 cup dry white wine

6 cups chicken stock or water

2 bay leaves

Salt and Cayenne pepper to taste

2 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon mixed herbs (chives, parsley, and basil)

1. Preheat the broiler or grill. Place the peppers close to the heat, turning the peppers as necessary until charred and blistered on all surfaces. Transfer them to a plastic bag and seal shut. The steam created will enable the skin to slip off easily. Peel off the skin, remove and discard the core and all seeds; cut the peppers into a rough dice.

2. In a large pot, cook the onions and carrots in the butter until soft, but not brown (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes then add the peppers and the white wine. Bring to a boil and cook until the wine is reduced by half. Add the chicken stock and bay leaves. Leave to simmer until all the vegetables are very soft.

3. Remove the bay leaves and puree the soup in a blender or food processor. Put the soup into a clean pot, add the cream and bring back to a boil for 2-3 minutes. Adjust the seasoning, garnish with mixed herbs and serve immediately.

This was probably my favorite dish. So simple, yet so good. Chef Handke made the comment that the cayenne is necessary, though not to make it spicy--but instead bring out the flavors of the dish. He is absolutely right, it was perfect.

Course 2: CAESAR SALAD W/ SAUTEED FILET OF SALMON AND TOMATO VINAIGRETTE

2 head romaine, cut into 1" long pieces

1. Wash romaine, lift of of water and spin dry. But in a bowl and keep chilled until ready to use.

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoon white wine

1 teaspoon Worcestershire

6 each Anchovy filets (DON'T BE AFRAID, USE THEM!)

2 each cloves of garlic roughly chopped

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 cup ev olive oil

3 tablespoon Parmesan

1 teaspoon parsley

1. Put the first 7 ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. With the motor running, add the oil in a thin stream and process until the dressing is creamy and emulsified. Add the cheese and the parsley and process a few more seconds. Remove the dressing and store in a container until ready to use.

2 1/2 pounds salmon filet

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire

4 tablespoons olive oil

1. Remove the skin from the salmon and cut into eight 4 ounce portions. Season with salt, pepper, lemon juice and Worcestershire. 2. When ready to serve, place olive oil in a hot skillet that is large enough to hold 8 pieces of salmon. When oil is hot, add the salmon and cook for two minutes on each side. Serve immediately with Caesar salad.

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons shallots, finely diced

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 cup roma tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1. Put 4 tablespoons olive oil in skillet and heat. Add shallots and saute until translucent. Add vinegar and tomatoes, remove from heat (you don't want the mushy!). Add 1/2 cup olive oil and parsley. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

TO SERVE: Toss romaine with dressing and place on left side of plate. Put sauteed salmon filet on the right side of the plate and spoon two generous tablespoons of tomato vinaigrette over salmon and serve immediately.

DELICIOUS! The tomato vinaigrette was the best. I will definitely be using this recipe in the future.

Course 3: TURKEY SCALLOPINE W/BLACK BEAN RELISH

2 1/2 pounds turkey breast cut into 16 thin slice scallopine

1/4 cup olive oil

3 each cloves garlic grated on micro-file

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated on micro-file

salt and pepper to taste

1. Arrange scallopine on a tray next to each other. Mix olive oil with garlic and ginger. Brush mixture on scallopine; season with salt and pepper, cover with film and let marinate for one hour.

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 each garlic cloves, grated on micro-file

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated on micro-file

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 cup black beans, rinsed

1 cup red bell pepper, chopped

1 cup corn, cooked

1/2 cup jicama, diced

3 tablespoons cilantro

1 teaspoon jalapeno

1. Place oil, vinegar, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well with a piano wire whip. Fold in rest of ingredients and let marinate for a couple of hours at room temperature.

To serve: Heat a non-stick skillet and cook the turkey quickly for just about one minute on each side. Spoon a little of the black bean salsa on a warmed place and arrange the turkey around it. Serve immediately.

*Note: He also boiled up some water and cornmeal to make a side of polenta seasoning with fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese*

This was good, just not as good as the others!

Course 4: PEACH COBBLER WITH VANILLA ICE CREAM

6 cups fresh peaches, cut into wedges with skin left on

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup sugar

pinch each of salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375. In heavy saucepan, combine peaches, sugar and water. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce to a simmer and allow fruit to cook until softened.

2. In a small bowl, blend flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Pour into peach mixture, stirring constantly until mixture thickens.

3. Remove from heat and divide the mixture into 8 fireproof dishes and allow to slightly cool. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and milk. Using a piano wire whip, whip until well blended. Season with salt.

4. Pour some of the batter in an irregular shape over each of the cobblers and bake for about 5 to 8 minutes or until golden brown.

5. Remove from the oven, powder with confectionery sugar. Serve with vanilla ice cream on the side.

Old fashioned, but wonderful Even though I was stuffed by this course, I managed to shove down all the cobbler and leave a clean plate:) Along with the food, we also had wine with each course--A pinot grigio, chardonnay, pinot noir, and a late harvest riesling. I manged to try all of those too! All in all, a wonderful evening (even Eric loved it!).

POTATO DREAMIN'

2008-03-11T19:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, just a quick blog before I head off to bed. By the time I got off work, went to the grocery, stopped to fake and bake (I know so bad, but it feels so good!), and worked out it left little time to make a great creation. So, I settled for some potato soup. I always make the same kind and it is a variation of the California Dreamin' version I pulled from the CLBB. My version is healthier:)

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN' POTATO SOUP (THE SKINNIER VERSION)

8 slices turkey bacon
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1/3 cup flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
2 large potatoes, cubed
1 tablespoon fresh basil
1/2 tablespoon salt (or more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup fat free half and half
1 cup fat free sour cream
fresh parsley, chopped
green onion and cheese to garnish

Crisp bacon in dutch oven. Remove and set aside, keep drippings in pan. Add onion and celery, saute until tender about five minutes. Add flour and mix well. Stir in broth and water until flour is completely dissolved. Continue to stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add potatoes. Let soup simmer until potatoes are tender about thirty minutes. Add half and half, sour cream, basil, salt, pepper, and some parsley. Crumble bacon and stir in. Simmer ten more minutes before serving. Garnish with green onion and cheddar cheese.

It's creamy, rich and delicous. I swear just as good as the original version, even minus the heavy whipping cream! Pretty sure that's not any diet plan.

TWO NEW CULINARY ADVENTURES

2008-03-11T08:34:00.000-07:00

This is a very exciting week thus far! Not only did I get a new kitchen toy, I also have signed up for two new culinary excursions. First I joined Tuesdays with Dorie, where a group of seventy plus bakers get to pick a recipe each week from Dorie Greenspan's book "Baking: From My Home to Yours". Then each Tuesday we post our pics and thoughts on the chosen recipe.

So, by next Tuesday I have to make Brioche Raisin Snails chosen by Peabody of Culinary Concoctions. Not my first choice (they sure do look like a pain in the ass to make), but I signed up knowing the rules, so no complaining! Since I am one of the last to enroll, I don't get to choose a recipe until oh, I don't know......2009 or 2010. Ah, the anticipation! Dorie's recipes are always kick butt, so I am sure these will turn out great.

My second outing is much more exciting though! Eric's boss invited us to a private cooking class lead by Chef Hartmut Handke. He is one of seventy-five Certified Master Chef's in America, has won a boatload of awards and owns one of the top-rated restaurants in Columbus-Handke's Cuisine.

Eric and I have only dined there once. I adored it. He left wanting to go to McDonalds. I think his words were "this tiny food is too artsy fartsy for me". I am pretty sure he didn't know whether to eat it or look at it. So, I am not sure how the cooking class will go. Hopefully, he will just behave and drink the complimentary wine. The theme is American Cuisine, so at least he will probably try the food. I'll make him be my photographer, so I can keep him occupied! Brent, if you are reading this, thanks for the invite!

JUST LIKE CHRISTMAS

2008-03-10T18:47:00.000-07:00

COTTAGE CHEESE DILL BREAD WITH CHILI

Not only is there snow on the ground, but I got a new toy yesterday. A shiny, new, silver Cuisinart convection bread machine. Now, don't get me wrong I love to make bread by hand and will continue to do so. But gosh darn--it is so nifty to throw everything in the bin, go suck at three games of bowling in my Monday night league--and come home and have that fresh baked smell hit you in the face when you open the door.

Trust me, there was no shortage of suckage tonight at Tiki Lanes. I had a game high of 130 and a low of 92 :( I think we got whooped by 200 pins. Thank god my baking is better than my bowling.

For those of you that don't bake, you will think I am the biggest dweeb in the world---but this machine is wicked. It has settings for artisan, gluten-free and low-carb bread along with about 14 other options. It has crust and size options. It even makes jams and chutneys. Swoon. I really want to make some applesauce in this thing. Maybe next week..........

But for today, I was in a hurry so I decided on Cottage Cheese Dill Bread from The Bread Machine Book by Marie Lambert. It was dump and go..........I feel like such a cheater!

COTTAGE CHEESE DILL BREAD

2/3 cup cottage cheese

1 egg

2 1/2 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups bread flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons dried dill

1 1/2 teaspoon yeast (I used rapid rise)

* recipe does not call for sugar, but next time I will add a tablespoon or two, the honey just wasn't enough to suit my tastes*

Put ingredients in bread pan in order suggested by your bread machine instructions. Set for whole wheat bread and medium crust. Press start. Whhoooo, now wipe the sweat from your brow, that was such hard work:)

SHOVELING FOR SMORES

2008-03-07T17:36:00.000-08:00

S'more Cookie Bars

Before the Shovel Party

I promised myself that I would never use this blog as a place for my bitchin'. But just this once, I will ask "what in the world is wrong with my husband?" Why does he think our kitchen sink is the trash can? Soda cans, paper napkins, food containers all sitting on the left side of my sink. (I know it's "our" sink, but come on, I do all the dishes, so it is MINE!).

Is he broken? Is there some sort of button I forgot to push to reset? Does the garbage disposal confuse him? I'm at a loss. Maybe there is some kind of way to re-train him? I remember my dance teacher (who was a mean old cow) once told us girls that she trained her cat to use the toilet by placing the litter box on the toilet seat. Then gradually she removed the box, and put down saran wrap with litter, and eventually removed everything and the cat would do it's business right in the bowl. God, can you imagine saran wrapping the toilet bowl everyday? For pete's sake.............

So maybe if I paint the garbage can silver and put a fake faucet on it, I can trick him into throwing his garbage in the right place....or lining the sink with a hefty bag, perhaps. I bet the darn thing would be empty all the time.

Alright--enough, enough. I am stranded here in the midst of the white death with my honey, and I won't pick on him anymore. We are watching movies and playing monopoly. Exciting, huh? It's actually fun to be kind of "snowed in". The fire is roaring and it just the two of us. To warm us up after a day of shoveling snow I decided to make chili and some S'more Cookie Bars. I've pictured the bars above. They turned out delicious. A soft graham crust and crunchy graham top........with ooey, gooey S'more in the middle! They are from the Hersey's website.

S'More Cookie Bars

1 stick butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/3 cup flour

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

6.2 Ounces milk chocolate bars (I actually used dark chocolate and milk chocolate mixed)

1 cup marshmallow creme

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an eight inch square pan. Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, graham crackers, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Press half of dough into prepared pan.

Arrange chocolate bars over dough, breaking as needed to completely cover dough. Spread with marshmallow creme. Scatter bits of remaining dough over marshmallow, carefully press to form a layer.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan before cutting.

Enjoy!

BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE

2008-03-07T15:02:00.000-08:00

Okay, you might be thinking......Okay, what ever is that mush in the bowl? I know, I know, that why it is not beautiful, it is damn delicious (and super easy).

So what is it? It is actually what I would describe as a topping. Just some apples tossed with raisins, dried cranberries, walnuts, and some sugar. Then the best of all---it is thrown in the microwave and faked baked.

My sole reason for picking this recipe was based on my oatmeal---which I eat nearly every morning with a banana--and guess what I am getting sick and tired of bananas. Too tropical for this weather. So I just had to have a cold weather topper (ps. it's still snowing!). This did the trick, dolloped warm on top of my quaker oats. I also put in on top of some plain yogurt (pictured above). Eric didn't even get to try this---it didn't last that long!

FAKE BAKED APPLES

1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup raisins
1 cup walnuts, pecans, almonds or any nut
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup splenda
1 cup water
2 teaspoons cinnamon
6 gala apples, cored and chopped

Combine all ingredients in a large microwave safe dish. Microwave on high for 20 minutes or until apples are soft, stirring occasionally.

Adapted from Cooking Light

FIT TO BE THAI'ED

2008-03-06T09:43:00.000-08:00

The last few days have been hectic. Tuesday, the majority of the day was spent at the funeral home. Ugh, the funeral home. The stuffy smell, the wallpaper, the horrible background music--what's not to love? It is the only time I have seen this many of my family members since my wedding. It's a shame the only time we get together is to mourn or celebrate.

I will probably go straight to hell for saying this, but I couldn't get wait to get out of there. No disrespect to my aunt, but the preacher just kept going on and on and on. I think he read a verse from every chapter of the bible. After every AMEN, I said thank you jesus! But it was just a cruel trick and he started praying all over again. As the poor lady in front of me nodded off, I wondered why we were here. Was it to celebrate my aunt's life or to listen to Reverend Windbag give his Sunday sermon? Ah, organized religion. Now I remember why I haven't been to church in forever.

Okay, now that I have my one way ticket, I can proceed to describe my culinary adventures this week. Okay, not much to describe--they have been lacking. I did make the above dish Wednesday evening for my dinner. I watched a late next episode of Good Eats which featured Pad Thai the day before and it got me a hankering for that combination of salty, sweet, sour, spicy, and savory. Thai food is supposed to awake all of those senses in one meal. His recipe involved an intense list from an Asian grocery. I barely have time to cook, let alone track down exotic items on the Southside of Columbus.

So, I ended up choosing this recipe from Cooking Light only because I had hamburger meat on hand. I made it exactly as instructed. Next time though I will only put in 1/2 Tablespoon of fish sauce (note to all: DO NOT DIRECTLY INHALE THE FISH SAUCE!). It will make you nauseous and that smell stays inside your nostrils for a LLLOOONNNGG period of time. It would be a rather cruel trick to play on a loved one, by telling them it is just like soy sauce...........

Anyhoo--This is some good stuff. I made mine with some terriyaki noodles and used iceburg lettuce to make wraps. I slathered lime juice all over them they gooooodddd. Eric ate the leftovers in tortillas. Definitely a repeater.

Thai-Style Ground Beef

1 cup leeks

1 teaspoon garlic

1 pound ground sirloin

1 teaspoon red curry paste (Thai Kitchen brand at Krogers)

1 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup light coconut milk

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon grated lime juice

1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice

1/2 tablespoon fish sauce (found at Krogers)

3 cups cooked rice or noodles

lettuce wedges

Chopped cilantro and green onions

Heat a skillet over medium high heat. When hot one tablespoon oil. Add leeks and saute five minutes. Add garlic, saute one minute. Add beef, cook seven minutes. Stir in curry and tomato sauce. Cook until half the liquid evaporates (about two minutes). Add milk and next four ingredients, cook two minutes until thickened. Sprinkle with cilantro, green onions and a lime wedge. Serve with lettuce wraps and noodles.

LAZY BUM BARS

2008-03-02T19:50:00.000-08:00

Chocolaty, sticky, ooey, gooey, goodness. This bars are so easy.......normally I like a challenging recipe but sometimes (especially on a Monday) you just need a convenience recipe. And boy are these it. The great thing about this recipe is that you can easily tailor it to your own tastes. For the version above I used chocolate graham cracker crumbs, chocolate chips, caramel and cashews (decadent, I know!). I will post the original recipe below just keep in mind that you can play around with it and substitute the flavors of chips as well as adding in additional items like nuts, dried fruits, candies, etc.

These originally came from the Eagle condensed milk website and they are made for lazy bakers like me, who don't feel like dirting up the mixer somedays. You can even melt the butter in the 9x13 pan and mix in the crumbs while you pat them down. Only one pan to clean---and that's only after you've finished them all off! Perfect!

LAZY BUM BARS

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (regular or chocolate flavored)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
1 (14-ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 cup (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup (6 ounces) peanut butter-flavored chips

3/4 cup peanuts

Preheat oven to 350ºF (325ºF for glass dish). In small bowl melt butter in microwave. Add graham cracker crumbs and press crumb mixture firmly on bottom of 13X9-inch baking pan.
Pour milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with remaining ingredients; press down firmly with fork.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars. Store leftovers covered at room temperature.

Notes: You may substitute butterscotch flavored chips or white chocolate chips for the semi-sweet chocolate chips and/or peanut butter chips. Go crazy, the combinations are limitless!

SUNDAY OLE!

2008-03-02T19:13:00.000-08:00

Carnita's Eric's Way..........

................Carnita's My Way

Sunday is really the one day I get all to myself. Eric is usually goofing out in the garage or scooting about town. Now no, I don't whoop it up all day--just catching up on laundry, housework, and some time in the kitchen of course.

I caught him before he left today and asked what he would want for dinner this evening. He gave me his usual answer "I don't know, whatever you want." Ahh, just once I would like a specific answer so I don't always have to choose!

I bought a package of angus round roast yesterday, so I finally decided on Beef Carnitas from Cooking Light. It is the perfect recipe for tougher cuts of meats. Since it simmers on low heat for a long period in time, the end result is tender beef that shreds beautifully. I ended up eating mine as more of a deconstructed salad with a crushed taco shell. Eric used soft tortillas for a more classic version.

All in all, this is an excellent recipe that I will definitely make again. It was so easy, just throw it on the stove or crock pot and forget about it for two hours. My kind of lazy Sunday recipe.

BEEF CARNITAS

Cooking spray

1 cup chopped onion

3 garlic cloves

2 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup less-sodium beef broth

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 large unpeeled orange wedge

1 Tablespoon packaged taco seasoning

Shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, black olives, red onion, green onion, shredded cheese, salsa, and sour cream for serving. Mix it up and add whatever you want. Eric even threw some jalapenos on his!

Tortillas or taco shells for serving

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add beef; sauté 5 minutes or until beef is browned on all sides. Stir in broth, sugar, salt, and pepper; nestle orange section into beef mixture. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Remove and discard orange. Stir in taco seasoning. Continue simmering, uncovered, 8 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.

SATURDAY MORNING BLUES

2008-03-01T07:26:00.000-08:00

Good mornin' everyone! Sorry there was no time for blogging or cooking yesterday! Instead lots of closings to pay the bills and after a long day of worrying-- the perfect ending was deep fried food and beer. Since I don't own a deep fryer, I just had to let someone else do it for me.

So as much as I try to be healthy, everyone needs to indulge in a platter of cheese sticks, chicken tenders, and onion rings:) Hey, I see all four food group listed in that sentence!

All that deep fried goodness was followed with an evening of booging and a little ditty called Purple Rain. I won't go into details.......

So this morning, before Glenn and I trek down to work on our investment property, I decided a filling breakfast was in order to charge me up to scrub dirt for the next 5 hours. I really need to take some before and after photos of this place. It's a dandy right now!

BLUEBERRY WAFFLES (the healthier version)

1 Cup Flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup fat free milk

1/2 cup fat free buttermilk

1/8 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup egg substitute

1 large egg white

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Dash of sugar

Cooking spray

Mix flours, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Stir with a whisk. Combine the milks, oil, and egg substitute and add to flour mixture, stir until smooth.

Place egg white in separate bowl and whisk until foamy. Add continue to beat until soft peaks form (you can use a hand mixer for this). Fold egg whites into the batter along with the blueberries.

Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray; preheat. Spoon enough batter to cover your waffle iron that is coated with spray. Cook until golden and crispy. Serve with syrup or as I did with sweetened yogurt.

Dinner for Two and the Loss of One

2008-02-28T18:23:00.000-08:00

This morning my husband asked me “what do you want to do tonight?” Which in his language means “which of my buddies will we be meeting out tonight?”. My answer: “You are hanging out with me this evening and I am cooking us a lovely dinner.” No going to Cricket’s, no meeting Doug at Kingy’s, no beer at BW3s. I know, what a meanie, making someone stay home for a made from scratch meal!!! How could any man bear to hang out with a wife like that?

Cooking, which allows me to relax and unwind, will be done in solitude this evening. My mother called today in tears to let me know my Great Aunt Lou had passed away today. She went in this morning for bypass surgery and her heart was too weak to withstand the trauma. She was the only sibling left of my grandmother’s and I am not sure how she is going to cope. They talked to each other on the phone at least ten times a day for the past forty some years and live less than half a mile from each other. Lou was the oldest sister and you would have never known. Lively and vital—nothing seemed to hold her back.

She was my original source of knowledge that Preparation H can be put on the face to reduce wrinkles—and she’s the true testament that it works. I’m not sure if the cooking genes made it in her though—‘cause she once made an apple pie, and accidentally pulled peeled potatoes from the freezer, and wa la---a potato pie. My grandpa took one bite of it, and grandma said he made a face like you have never seen before! Just this summer, she failed her driver’s test because she refused to wear her glasses because they made her look old. She finally gave in, because not driving is almost as bad as looking old! I said, almost. God love her, and take care of her.

So this evening, I will reflect on her life and all the good times I remember having at her house as a child. I always ended up dragging home the ugliest cats from her litters. She would chuckle at my choices. Fortunately, they always ended up being the most memorable. Hopewell Church Road is going to be missing a fine lady.

So here’s my lovely meal:

BAKED SHRIMP WITH FETA AND FETTUCINE

1 teaspoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 garlic cloves, minced
Cooking spray
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 cups diced plum tomato (about 3/4 pound)
3/4 cup (3 ounces) finely crumbled feta cheese
4 cups hot cooked linguine (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oregano and the next 4 ingredients (oregano through garlic); sauté for 3 minutes. Spoon the shrimp mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Add wine to skillet; cook over low heat until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 3 minutes). Stir in tomato, and pour over the shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with cheese, and bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Serve mixture over pasta, and sprinkle with parsley.

I ended up serving this with a salad simply dressed and crusty roasted garlic bread. It was perfect with a glass of Pinot Grigio. Salute, Aunt Lou.

Kickin It With Quinoa

2008-02-27T11:29:00.000-08:00

Today is my unusual ingredient day. I have picked quinoa (pronounced quin-wah) and for those of you that have never had it I highly recommend you try it out sometime. Quinoa is more interesting then rice, cooks just as easy and is way more fun to say.

Supposedly this is the ancient staple of the Incans and is the grain with the highest protein content. It is crunchy and nutty, but absolutely must be washed before used, or it will have a bitter flavor. I like to toast my quinoa in the oven before cooking it because it really brings out the flavor, but this step is always optional.

I have used quinoa only in salad type forms, but it is also in pilafs, muffins and soups. For my lunch today I decided on the following recipe which I adapted from the Rebar Modern Food Cookbook:

Quinoa Cilantro Corn Salad with Grilled Chicken and Lemon-Lime Dressing
(aka The Really Long Name Recipe)

1 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 tsp salt
2 grilled chicken breasts, cubed

2 1/2 cups corn, fresh or frozen

1 small red onion, minced

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

1/2 red pepper, finely diced

3 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp lime juice

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

3 green onions, chopped

4 cup sliced black olives

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp Tobasco sauce, or to taste

Place quinoa in a fine mesh sieve and rinse thoroughly with cold, running water. Spread onto a baking sheet lined with foil. And bake for 10 minutes in oven set at 450 degrees. Halfway through baking the baking time, bring the water to boil in a small pot, adding the quinoa once it is finished baking. Add the salt and bring to a boil again. Cover and reduce heat to low for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and keep the pot covered for an additional 5 minutes. Strain off any excess liquid and spread the quinoa out to cool on a tray while preparing the remaining ingredients.Steam or lightly saute corn until just tender and cool to room temperature. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and gently toss. Season with additional salt, pepper or hot sauce to taste. Serve with fresh lime wedges.

This is very “healthy” tasting to put it simply. It is filling, yet not heavy and with a bit of heat from the jalapenos. I am going to pack it up for lunch this week. It’s nice to have a change from the usual turkey sandwiches, aka our attempt at the Subway Diet. So go ahead---be dangerous on your next trip to the grocery--and pick up a box of quinoa:)

Whole Wheat Hell

2008-02-27T11:14:00.000-08:00

I should really call this the “never goes as planned” blog. When I got home from work last night I started in on my cinnamon buns. The yeast was bubbling, and I warmed the milk—everything going perfectly as planned. Then it came time to add the main ingredient, plain old all-purpose flour. Something I always have. Something anyone who bakes ALWAYS has.

As I tossed things about the pantry, I found two boxes of cake flour, a sack each of self-rising flour, bread flour, white corn flour, and wheat flour. Then, whooaa---a sigh of relief, a bag of all-purpose in the back. As I dug it out, it is not a full bag, nor a half bag. Just a measly quarter of the bag totaling two cups—Aghhhh. So my recipe had to be amended to include 4 cups of white whole wheat flour. Oh my, I guess I can consider these the healthier version (whole grains are the rage, right?). So go ahead and eat two:)

I did not make the original frosting I posted yesterday. It just seems too boring, like a runny glaze. Not exactly what I had in mind. So instead I made a white frosting consisting of 3 cup powdered sugar, 1/3 cup butter, 1 ½ tablespoon vanilla and enough milk to make a good frosting consistency. For the second batch I made a maple frosting consisting of 12 ounces powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of maple extract, ¼ cup butter, ¼ cup brewed coffee and enough milk to make the right consistency.

So honestly, nothing went exactly as planned. I must admit that I do not like the whole wheat flour. Needless to say, I ended up eating two rolls this morning (of course, I had to try both flavors). They are good, just not as good as they could be with old-fashioned white flour. The wheat flour seemed to make them denser and I do not recommend this substitution! Oh well, next time I will try to be a more prepared baker. Promise.

On A Hot Roll

2008-02-26T07:49:00.000-08:00

Easy Cinnamon Buns

Dough:
1/2 cup water, warmed
2 teaspoons sugar
2 packets active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups milk, warmed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
4 tablespoon butter, softened
5 1/2-6 cups flour

Combine first three ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook(yeah, I get to use my dough hook!). Let stand for 10 minutes, until yeast is foamy. Add milk, eggs, salt, sugar, butter and 3 cups of flour. Mix until well incorporated and smooth. Add 2 more cups of flour. Mix until smooth. Add any remaining flour in smaller increments until dough comes together and away from the sides of the bowl. Dough will be slightly sticky, but very smooth.Form dough into a ball and place in greased, covered bowl to rise until doubled, about 1 - 1 1/2 hours.

Filling
3-4 tablespoons milk
Cinnamon
Brown sugar
1 cup raisins (optional, I say no thanks!)
Preheat oven to 400F. Coat two 9×13 glass baking dishes with cooking spray or butter. Remove dough from bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in two and roll each piece out into (roughly) a 10×14 inch rectangle. Brush each rectangle with milk, dust thoroughly with cinnamon and top with brown sugar. Sprinkle with raisins, if desired. Roll in a jelly-roll fashion beginning at a short end. Pinch seam shut. Repeat for second rectangle. Slice logs at 1 inch intervals and place rounds in the baking dish so they are just touching. Bake 15-20 minutes at 400F, until tops are golden brown.Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Cut apart and drizzle with glaze. Makes about 20 buns.
Quick and Easy Glaze
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
Enough milk to form a pourable consistency
Stir ingredients until smooth with a fork. Drizzle over cinnamon buns.

Okay, so these are about two hours. My plan is to make the dough this evening after work and let rise. I will get them all sliced up and ready to bake in the morning. Nothing like some fresh baked buns on a Wednesday morning! I think I will do one pan with the glaze and the other with a frosting…something a’la Cindy’s Cinnamon Rolls. Those are soooooo good. Actually when I was a child my grandfather and I would always get the leftover scraps they sold with a cup’o frosting. How on earth I didn’t have a mouthful of cavities as a child, I haven’t a clue!
Grandpa’s sweet tooth is as bad as mine. I am assuming that is where mine stemmed from originally. I have never seen a man eat a piece of chocolate cake, some ice cream, cherry pie, and a fistful of Bloomer’s chocolates after a full meal-other than papaw and not weight 400 pounds. And I am not talking about slivers of cake either, buddy----quarter of the cake size! Hey, as long as I have his metabolism I’m not going to complain…

Case of the Mondays

2008-02-25T12:55:00.000-08:00

Oh, a line from one of my favorite movies--and boy does it sure ring true around here. It is a MADHOUSE. I need a break to take my mind off work because if I sit here thinking about it any longer I will devour the entire easter basket filled with Hersey kisses sitting next to me! AGH! Why, oh why did Walgreen's have to have them on sale for $1.50 a bag?

So, instead I will ponder on the wonder of blogs. I have been checking out other folk's blogs out there and they are amazing. Wonderful pictures, thoughtful insights, great recipes, and all on a daily basis. How in the world do they do it? Do they not have jobs? Are they strategically doing food placement with different backgrounds and plates? I feel like a bum since I use the same dinnerware every time and on the same countertop!

It also seems like every time I even have time to bake something I can't find the camera or am too rushed to even try and take half-way decent pictures. So the ones I end up with usually turn out pathetic. Keep in mind I usually take 10 pictures of each item and it is usually a struggle to find one decent one to post. Sad, I know. I'm sure it's the camera.

Oh, well I am not going to get too busted up about it. I'll just keep on cooking and hopefully the camera skills will improve. Or maybe my honey will buy me a new digital camera that I can keep solely in my kitchen drawer. Wouldn't that be lovely?

My next endeavor will be cinnamon rolls of some sort. For some reason that is on my "I must have this now" list. I am going to look for a short cut kind of recipe. I have seen several that take all day to make--and guess what mama don't have time for that! 2 hours or less, please.
For any of my friends or family reading this---when I do get around to making them, you can probably expect that I will bring you some (since my weirdo husband doesn't like cinnamon rolls, yikes how are we even compatible?!!!). Oh well, more for me!

Frito Crack

2008-02-24T18:09:00.000-08:00

I love snack mixes. Savory ones, sweet ones, salty ones---the combinations are endless. It is so fun to see what you can throw together and come up with. This little ditty I made is an adaptation from the Cookie Madness website. Glenn loves Fritos. I, on the other hand---could really care less about them. But put them in the ring with some salty pretzels and peanut butter cups---well then, count me in.

I actually took this last night to our friend's surprise 40th birthday party, and surprise---they were gone in a flash. The original recipe posted on the website calls for spreading a bag of chocolate chips on top, but I found myself trying to pick out the pieces that didn't have any chocolate on them last night---so I adapted this to my tastes. If you desire, instead of sprinkling the white chocolate on the end, as I do here, you may instead spread an entire bag of chocolate chips on top then spread evenly over after they melt. Don't get me wrong, the semi-sweet chocolate version is really good, and I recommend that you try it both ways! Next time though, I will make it as I did below but add in Reeses Pieces.......oh my god. I will become a cow!

FRITO CRACK

1 Cup Waffle Pretzels
1 Cup Rye and Pumpernickel Pretzels
1 1/2 Cup Fritos
1/2 to 1 Cup Peanuts
8-9 mini reese's peanut butter cups, chopped up
1 stick butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 Cup White Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Break up the pretzels and fritos to they are broken into smaller pieces. Line a 13x9 pan with foil, so that it overhangs on the ends. Spread the pretzels, fritos, peanut butter cups and peanuts on the the foil. In a microwave-safe bowl melt the butter for a little over a minute. Once fully melted, stir in brown sugar. Microwave one minutes. Stir and put back in microwave for another 30-40 seconds until nice a bubbly:) Now go ahead and pour it all over the pretzel mix. Mix it all up so it is nice and coated. Bake for 9 minutes.

Pull it out of the oven and sprinkle the white chocolate all over it. Stick it back in the oven and bake another minute or two. Then mix the chocolate into the mix to coat a bit. Let cool. Store in an air-tight container.

Yummy, Yummy!

Souperlicious

2008-02-24T17:38:00.000-08:00

Not sure where this recipe came from I have made it a few times in the past. I must have done something different in the past because this time it just came out okay. So after my first taste test I did some tweaking and added some tomato sauce, a teeny bit of sugar, oregano and some cumin. Then it tasted mucho bettero.......I think I might add some spinach next time-hey, always tweaking.

Gosh, even the picture makes it look ugly.....but I swear it's good. Lentils are so fun!

ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND LENTIL SOUP

1 pound italian sausage

1 cup onion

1 cup celery

1 cup carrots

1 mushrooms

1 cup zucchini

6 cup chicken broth

2 can diced tomato

3 tablespoon garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cup lentils

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon parsley

And for the daring---1 small can tomato sauce, 1-2 teaspoons sugar, 1 teaspoon cumin

Brown sausage, then add onion through zucchini. Brown for 5 minutes. Throw in the rest of the ingredients and let simmer one hour. Enjoy!

Ghetto-Rigged Black Bean & Chicken Chili

2008-02-24T17:13:00.000-08:00

February is now the coldest month in Ohio! There always used to be a snow storm on my birthday in early January--but not any more baby! I'm pretty sure the kids have had a few snow days this week and to warm you up nothing is better than soup:) I usually make a big batch thinking that it will last us an entire week, but some how it always disappears in two days. I guess I'm doing something right, or we wouldn't gobble it up!

My first batch this weekend was supposed to be a White Chicken Chili from Bon Appetit or Gourmet--or some fancy magazine like that--and I SWEAR I had all the appropriate ingredients in my pantry. As I started my assembly though, I didn't have half the stuff I needed! SO--this is my ghetto-rigged version of the original--and it definitely wasn't white!

GHETTO-RIGGED BLACK BEAN CHICKEN CHILI

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 large Onion

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

4 Teaspoons garlic

1 Tablespoon Cumin

1 Teaspoon Oregano

2 Teaspoons Fennel Seeds

1 Teaspoon Crushed red pepper

1 Pound Boneless Chicken Breast

1 Can Great Northern Beans, with 1/2 Cup liquid reserved

1 Can Black Beans, drained

1 Can Chicken Broth

7 ounces canned Green Chilis

1/2 Cup whipping cream

1 Can Progresso Light Southwestern Style Soup (no meat)

1-2 Tablespoons Cilantro

Sour Cream and Shredded Cheddar for serving

Heat oil in Dutch Oven over medium Heat. Add onion, bell peppers, garlic, cumin, oregano, fennel and red pepper. Saute 5 minutes. Remove vegetable mixture and set aside. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to pan. Saute chicken 5 minutes. Drain beans, but reserve 1/2 cup liquid from Great Northern can. Add the beans, broth, chilies,cilantro, cream, bean liquid and can of soup to the chicken. Stir the veggies back in. Simmer until chicken is tender and cooked through, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with sour cream and cheese.

A beautiful white color? No--more grayish brown--but it did turn out darn good. I only decided to add the can of Progresso at the end because I really wanted corn in this soup, but of course couldn't find an ear, can, or frozen bag of it here. Next time, I might not add the Progresso but instead add a can of corn and extra chicken broth. I think the results would be similar. Enjoy!

The Ski Bug

2008-02-03T20:52:00.000-08:00

So here's what I've been up to lately....skiing, skiing, and more skiing. Today we just got back from Seven Springs, PA and my body is telling me to take a break from the slopes! Last weekend we were in Snowshoe, WV and earlier this month Heavenly, NV. I have progressed so much in my skiing ability that I don't want to stop!

Snowshoe was a great time, but SO cold. We ended up driving down at 9pm last Friday and getting a room at the mountain lodge. It was the only room left on the mountain, so we didn't mind that it looked like 1982 in our condo. It really didn't matter to us, because by the time we skiied all day we were too tired to care. We actually ended up knowing a bunch of people down there, so we ended up being invited to their mexican potluck. Hey, what could be better---good skiing and good food:)

The only downside was that the cable in the electric window in the car ended up breaking, so Eric and I had to duct tape it up for the ride home! Ahh, duct tape the master fixer upper!

Here's the lovely balcony from our Snowshoe Condo---it snowed the whole time we were there!

Ah, snow everywhere! Here's what 10 feet of snow will do in Heavenly!

The snow in Heavenly, was Heavenly compared to what we have here in the midwest---but I won't knock it too much because we had a great time. Seven Springs is quite large with 14 lifts and fifty plus trails. We ended up getting a ski in-ski out condo at the top for $200 a night. What a deal! Our balcony was 50 feet from the avalance lift and all you had to do was strap on your skis and head to the goosebumps trail. It was perfect.

Our condo had a small kitchenette, and I decided to load up food for the trip so we didn't have to spend a fortune eating out. The easiest thing I could think of that was filling, comforting, and easy to tote along was lasagna and some garlic bread. The recipe I used is a variation from several I have tried over the years and it is actually easy, but really good. We scarfed down all but a few pieces and I don't think they will survive long around here......

Homemade Lasagna

1 ½ lb lean ground beef
1 lb hot Italian sausage
2 cloves garlic
28 ounce can whole tomatoes
12 ouces tomato paste
8 ounces tomato sauce
2 T dried parsley
2 T dried oregano
2 T dried basil
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 T sugar
10 ounces lasagna noodles
3 cups lowfat ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
2 egs
1/2 cup Kraft parmesan powder cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 T dried parsley
1 T dried basil
1 tsp salt
1 pound sliced provolone or mozzerella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

In skillet brown ground beef, sausage and garlic. Drain off any excess fat and add tomatoes through sugar to meat mixture. Let simmer for 45-60 minutes.

While this is simmering, boil the noodles with a little salt. Cook for 8 minutes until al dente.

In a small bowl beat with an electric mixer, the ricotta through salt.

Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray and lay four cooked noodles in the bottom of the pan allowing them to overlap. Spread half of the ricotta mixture evenly over the noodles. Then lay 1/2 pound of the provolone cheese slices on top of the ricotta mixture.

Spread a little less than half of the meat mixture over the provolone slices. Top with four more noodles and the remaining half of the ricotta mixture. Then top with remaing 1/2 of provolone.
Spread all but 1/2 cup meat mixture on top, then add four more noodles. Spread rest of 1/2 cup meat mixture on very top and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and then shake canned Parmesan generously all over the top. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees until heated.

Yummy, yummy.......enjoy!

The Devil and the Angel

2008-01-17T16:21:00.000-08:00

Two conflicting doggie personalities

Only one bowl of food...
All under the same roof! Who will win? Good
or Bad? Black or White? AHH CHIHUAHUA!

To the Dogs

2008-01-17T15:56:00.000-08:00

Oh, isn't this a lovely family shot! These were my pups growing up, Joby squirm-butt on the left, and Miss Isabella on the right. Isabella is close to 17 now, and is literally on her last leg. It is so sad to see her hobble around on her half broken foot--wandering aimless, deaf and blind. But alas, she keeps ticking and barking---for more food. All she wants is food, food, food. Joby, on the other hand, is her much younger, spunky counterpart. All he wants is you to throw the ball, ball, ball.

As you can probably see, Eric is very loving towards animals--as he holds her out like she's a fat turd. I think he just doesn't like that they can sense evil, and Isabella did bite a nice hole in his sock the first time she met him.

This photo was taken at my birthday party Saturday, January the 5th. By the 10th, we were off to Tahoe for a skiing vacation with Eric's family. That is my excuse for not writing in so long...we had a lovely condo way up in the mountains, and guess what? No cell or internet service! Kind of nice actually!

We had a wonderful time and I finally learned to ski properly. Thanks to Doc, my instructor, whom I made very proud. He actually called me a "miracle" at the end of day one. I really don't think he had any hope for me at first---but a miracle? Come on, it's not like curing the lame or healing the blind! But, by day three I was taking the lift to the top of the bunny hill from hell (which by the way is bigger than any of the hills in Ohio) and getting all the way to the bottom without too many falls. I really don't think Eric ever expected me to do so well, but I guess I can be surprising time to time.

I actually can't wait to go skiing again.....for I am in fear that if I wait too long I won't remember a thing I have learned! So, hopefully, some free time will clear up in the next months to make it to the slopes! Haha, free time, what is that:) I just need to get my Christmas tree down!

The Day After

2008-01-04T13:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my birthday....and I survived another year. Eric and I went out with some friends for a nice meal and I celebrated with a dirty martini:) We then stopped by our local hangout and the girls there whipped me up a shot of Pineapple Upside Down Cake. I normally refuse to drink something so sweet, but they told me I had to have a cake-like shot (so, twist my arm--and I gave in).

I really participate in the theory of the "birthday week". I will spare everyone and only go through Sunday this year! Ah, a few days to get my way. I also absolutely love to say, "you can't make me, it's my birthday!"

One thing I love about birthdays is picking a special cake to bake for someone. Usually I am told the flavor and I whip something up. Too bad it is really unaccepted to show up with your own cake. I think my mother would kill me, so I will settle for whatever someone brings. I'm not picky.

One of my favorite sweets is white chocolate.......oh, white chocolate cranberry bark, white chocolate oatmeal cookies, strawberries dipped in white chocolate all my! So to celebrate I will share my white-chocolate macadamia nut cookies I made for the New Years. They are long gone now, but boy is there nothing like the smell of them baking in the oven.

This recipe produces a wonderful crunchy on the outside soft in the middle, buttery cookie. I never use white chocolate chips, instead I coarsely chop white chocolate bars to give big bites of white chocolate. I left the macadamia nuts whole too. Once again, this is a Marcy Goldman recipe. God love her!

A Crowning Achievement

2008-01-03T13:02:00.000-08:00

Well, this is the reason that I have neglected writing so long. Every god forsaken hour that I could get away from Eric during the holiday season, I was working on this blanket. He thought I was out blowing on our money--he even made me break down in tears one evening after I had placed a thousand pins around the edge to keep the binding on! So when he finally opened this baby up on Christmas day I just had to give him a hard time!

We started by cutting all the crown bags in half and cut out 30 squares of the gold fabric (quilter's flannel), which the bags were then stitched to (via mom on the sewing machine). All the squares were then stiched together and the batting/fleece basted to the squares. My mom and I then used embroidery thread to hold the two together. Then the tough part came---getting that darn gold cord pinned around the edges. It took my mom and I roughly three and a half hours to pin and bast it!

We ended up breaking a needle or two on the sewing machine trying to get through that heavy cord and fleece, but god willing and the creek don't rise, we finished the Sunday before Christmas. All that was left was to put my signature patch on the back and press the thing! It was an effort of love! And guess what he uses it all the time! It is warm and wonderful.

Here's the full thing---not bad for a two week rush job! Since Christmas I've also done some baking for New Year's Eve. Eric and I decided to have a big shindig at our place this year, and it was a lot of work! We rented a walled tent to expand our garage and this mobile touch DJ thing called a quebbie! I made Eric run cable to the garage, put up the dart board table, and get the ping pong table from my parents. It was a true party place! We had roughly 40 people show up and most of them spent the night!

I ended up making lots of deli, veggie, and fruit trays--pure convenience foods. Then I baked white chocolate macadamia cookies, oreo crunch brownies, buckeyes and a cajun shrimp dip. The best thing I swear was the grape I punctured with a fork and soaked in grape vodka for two days. They were dangerous!!! The below picture is banana nut bread I made on New Years Day. I ended up having a bunch of rotting bananas left over, so just had to make something!

The bread is a definite repeater! Moist, flavorful and the pecan glaze on top is delicious! I'll post this recipe below and share my other New Years treats within the next few days! Enjoy~

Here's a close up of the sliced bread---can you see the crunchy pecan glaze on top--oh my god, so YUMMY!

2008-01-03T13:00:00.001-08:00

One Month Later

2007-12-27T18:25:00.000-08:00

It has been a month since my last post, and I finally figured out that starting a blog during the holidays wasn't the brightest idea. Between working, shopping, baking, decorating, attending parties, and creating--it left little time to blog the recipes I've tried!

I started in late November making homemade liquors---I brewed up a holiday cranberry liquor and homemade kahlua. I finally bottled them on December 24th, and they turned out beautifully. I really wish I would have taken a picture of the final product, but alas, I did not. I ended up buying all my bottles at the Andersons. They originally contained mineral water, but it was much cheaper to buy the bottles full, than empty-go figure. I then decorated each bottle with ribbon, faux berries, and a homemade tag. Each family member got one for Christmas...hope they are enjoyed.

I also made sea-salted turtles, pralines, frost-bite cookies, buckeyes, haystacks, smores cheesecake, toffee banana cream pie, and smoked macaroni and cheese. The candies were all boxed and given as gifts. The cheesecake, pie, and macaroni taken to Christmas parties. I also made my old standby---bacon/spinach/smoked gouda stuffed mushrooms for two parties. You absolutely cannot go wrong with those.

My main reason for not blogging is not a cooking endeavor (believe it or not) but a sewing one! I spend many countless hours with my mother and grandmother quilting a crown royal bag blanket for my husband for Christmas. I actually decided to do this the second weekend of December, so that didn't leave much time to complete such a large project. Most of the time when my mother quilts it takes six months. She about died when I told her the task at hand!

But for many evenings, while my husband thought I was out "shopping" I was actually buying fabrics, cutting, pinning, basting, and sewing. Actually I did most of pinning and cutting, while my mother operated the sewing machine. Now, I must admit the finished product is not perfect by any means, but I don't think anyone would even realize it. On my next post I will definitely have a picture to put up.

The next few days though will be spent preparing for our Cheers for the New Years Blowout we are having on the 31st. We will just have to wait and see how that goes!

Mississippi Mud Madness

2007-11-28T19:29:00.001-08:00

WRAPPING UP NOVEMBER

It is the end of the month, and in the mortgage world that means stress and chaos abound......I'm also trying to get our second office up and running and that is a work in itself. Eric and I are on the front line of the home buying process, but are only a piece of the puzzle. On the backburner, are our processors and underwriters who get the packages out the door.

To butter them up for the end of November, I decided to make some Mississippi Mud Bars to take up to them.....I mean come on, what is better than gooey chocolate goodness in a time of stress? So, thank you to the ladies behind the scenes! You do a wonderful job, and we appreciate you putting up with us!

Mississippi Mud Bars

Recipe to follow when I get time to post!

This the Season, Deer that is!

2007-11-27T16:31:00.000-08:00

GREAT WHITE HUNTER

Alright, for the faint at heart---please don't be upset, but my husband is so excited! He managed to tag is first deer ever! Even better, he got it on my grandparent's property and they were tickled pink! Look closely, it is a nine pointer. Pretty good for his first one!

Now, I could never go out myself and take down bambi, but I am glad he could. They are all over the place around here and most end up meeting their end with the front of some one's car. So, I am all for hunters that can kill them humanely and can use the meat. I instructed Eric to have most of the meat processed for trail bologna and jerky--since everything else is just too gamy for my tastes. My grandmother is finally going to pass her secret trail bologna recipe to me, so hopefully I can reproduce what she has for years.

I spent my entire childhood watching the guys go up in the woods in the freezing cold for days even weeks at a time, hoping to bring back the biggest buck during the holidays. My uncle Randy always seemed to be the most stealth, while my grandfather usually fell asleep on his stool. My grandmother would warm everyone up with navy beans and coffee. It swells my heart with pride to know that Eric is carrying on some of my family's traditions.

Fall Baking

2007-11-26T07:11:00.000-08:00

Rougemont Apple Pastry

Monday, November 26, 2007

Happy late Thanksgiving. I finally have enough time to write! I have made several things since I last wrote on the 18th, so I will need to do a little backtracking. Let me backtrack through Tuesday, the 20th!

Friday, November 23, 2007

Well, we made it through Thanksgiving---probably a few pounds heavier, but stress-free! Today, I am getting ready to make some appetizers for wine tasting we are going to this evening. Eric will only drink Chianti Classico, so I picked up a bottle of that for him to take. I am going to take a Chardonnay we picked up from Homewood Winery in Sonoma, California last year. I am going to make some stuffed mushrooms, and cheese/sun-dried tomato tarts for my savory dishes. For dessert, I am going to make the Rougemont Apple Pastry Cake, once again from "A Passion for Baking".

Rougemont Apple Pastry Cake

Pastry Crust: 2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, cut into chunks
6 tablespoons ice water

Apple Filling: 10 large apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4" slices
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins, plumped and dried
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Vanilla Sauce: 1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1) Brush bottom and sides of 10" springform pan with melted butter and place on a baking sheet. For crust, place flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse to make a grainy mixture. Add water and pulse to make a shaggy dough. On a lightly floured work surface, gather dough together, kneading a few times to make a smooth dough. Wrap and chill dough at least one hour before rolling out.
2) Meanwhile, for filling, toss apples with sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, raisins, and lemon juice.
3) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough and fit on bottom and sides of prepared pan (dough should be 1/8" to 1/4" thick). Fill with filling, pressing gently. For final layer or apples, arrange apples in concentric circles. Apples should come to top of pan. If they don't, prepare more to fill out the pan, tossing with cinnamon and sugar. Cover pan lightly with foil.
4) Bake cake 60-75 minutes or until apples are soft, removing foil after 20 minutes. The top apples might seem dry and browned, but interior apples should begin to feel soft--use skewer to test apples.
5) For sauce, in a small bowl, blend melted butter, sugar, vanilla, eggs, flour, and cinnamon. Pour this over hot cake, trying to get sauce to drip into crevices. Bake another 20 minutes. Cool on rack.
6) Refrigerate cake at least 6 hours or preferable overnight. Brush with warmed apricot jam before serving.

Alright, Marcy Goldman says that "This is one of my favorite pastries of all time--one you will want to make again and again". I must disagree--although it was a nice cake---it wasn't memorable to me or even that delicious. Just glorified apple pie, but less crust. Don't get me wrong, it was good--but I don't think I will make it again. I have another recipe for a sour cream apple pie that I really love, so I will stick with it. Until next time!

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Ah, the pre-Thanksgiving day rush! Fortunately, we go my grandmother's house in the morning and Eric's mom in the afternoon. So, I don't have to worry about waking up at six in the morning to fix a bird! My grandmother always fixes enough food to feed a small army, so I knew that I didn't need to bring a thing there. I did want to make a yummy dessert to take to Eric's mom's (Valerie) house. I once again went to my new cookbook, A Passion for Baking, by Marcy Goldman. I decided on a Cinn-a-Bun Cheesecake. No rhyme or reason, it just looked really yummy and different.

It turned out beautifully! I was a bit worried, because I have never had much luck with cheesecake and I was skeptical if I had overcooked it. We ended up getting to Valerie's late in evening, so I was worried that no one would touch it because of all the other food. Boy, was I wrong---I ended up coming home with two pieces and Eric ate one of the before he went to bed! The recipe calls for an 8" pan, but I only had a 10" springform--so I ended up doubling the crust recipe, so it would be nice and thick. I LOVE CRUST. It is the best part:)

Cinn-A-Bun Cheesecake

Crust: 1 1/2 cups finely crushed crispy cinnamon-raisin cookies ( I used Voortman's)
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Filling: 1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup flour
1 cup coarsely chopped cinnamon-raisin cookies
1 cup raisins (soak them in extra hot water, for 5 minutes and drain--to plump them up!)
1/3 cup cinnamon chips
1/2 cup butterscotch topping
1 teaspoon cinnamon mixed with 1/4 cup sugar

1) Preheat oven to 350. Toss cookie crumbs, butter, and brown sugar together in bottom of an 8" springform pan. Press crust into bottom of pan and spray sides with nonstick cooking spray.
2) For filling, in a mixer bowl, blend cream cheese, sugar and sour cream until smooth, scraping bottom and sides of bowl to incorporate everything, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in eggs, vanilla, and flour and blend well 2 to 3 minutes.
3) Spoon one-third of filling into prepared pan and top with half each of chopped cookies, raisins, and cinnamon chips. Drizzle on some butterscotch topping. Dust on some of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Cover with another third of the cream cheese filling and dust on some more cookies, remaining raisins, more cinnamon chips, and more cinnamon sugar (you do not want raisins on top because they will scorch.
4) Add last bit of filling and finish top of cake with cookie crumbs, cinnamon chips, and a nice dusting of cinnamon sugar. You want to end up with a steusel-looking topping.
5) Bake 45 to 55 minutes. Turn off oven, open oven door, and let cool in oven 1 hour before removing to fridge. Chill cheesecake at least 6 hours or overnight before serving. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Since I used a 10" pan, I ended up using twice as much cookies and cinnamon chips for my filling and steusel top. As I said before, I also doubled the ingredients to make the crust. I think this would be so good for breakfast warmed up with a cup of tea.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Monday night was bowling night and we had our Thanksgiving potluck. I had signed up to take baked ziti and Mississippi mud bars, but Eric talked me into making the chili I had made for the game again. I have to admit my second batch was better than the first and this is going to be the only chili I ever make from now on! I just ran out of time to make the mud bars, so I made a batch of cornbread to go along with the chili.
I ended up getting five or six compliments on the chili--so I will chalk that up as a success. My god, that is the best compliment in the world to me. Making and creating things that make others happy---is what I love the most! It is true, I am that cheesy. I really wish mountain biking or marathon running could be my passion.....but no it is food and crafts. Good grief.

But for dinner tonight I decided to make a simple stuffed chicken with spinach, ham and cheese on the inside. I served mashed potatoes and steamed snap peas on the side. I thought it was about time we had something healthy to eat. The chicken recipe I made up as I went.....I made a simple roux, then added ham and spinach. I put that in the middle of the chicken and topped with shaved Parmesan cheese. Then I made a sauce of sherry, chicken stock, bay leaf and a touch of half and half. It actually turned out quite nicely, but my pictures are not so hot! Eric was starving, so he rushed me through my snapshots! Ugh, the white plate is awful! It just takes time to get things like that right, but how could I let him sit there and starve to death! Ha!

Sunday, November 18, 2007

It's the day after the big game and GO BUCKS, we won! The game started at 12:00pm and I got a late start by getting up at 8:30am. I decided to make the chili the night before, and leave the bread and dessert portion for the morning. But at 10:20am, when our first guests told us they were getting ready to head over---panic mode hit. My bread dough was still on it's second rise, and the cookie batter was only half assembled. Eric was still out buying soda, chips, and other football viewing necessities! Eeekkk!Fortunately, I convinced them to not come over until 11:30am to buy myself a little time. I really wanted everything to be ready for the oven and my kitchen mess cleaned up by the time guests arrived. Somehow--I pulled it off!

I decided to make Pain Pesto Bread and Kitchen Sink Cookies, both from Marcy Goldman's "A Passion for Baking". I just purchased this book, and I swear every picture in this thing makes my mouth water. I am pretty sure I will try every recipe in here at least once.

Pain Pesto

1 1/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon yeast, rapid rising
4 cups flour, approximate
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
5 teaspoons sugar
2 3/4 teaspoons salt
10 ounces prepared pesto (I used Buittoni)
Dustings of salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, and parsley
1. Stack two baking sheets together.
2. In mixing bowl, hand whisk water and yeast together and let stand 3 minutes to dissolve yeast. Add one cup of flour and stir briefly. Then stir in oil, sugar, salt, and most of remaining flour. Mix ingredients and then attach dough hook and knead on lowest speed 8 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding more flour as required.
3. Remove dough hook from machine and spray dough with nonstick cooking spray. Cover entire mixer with clear plastic bag. Let rise 45 to 90 minutes or until almost doubled.
4. Gently deflate dough on lightly floured surface. Let rest 10 minutes and then roll out into 20x20 inch shape. If dough resists, let it rest a few more minutes and roll out gently. Drizzle some additional olive oil on dough and then smear pesto all over surface. Roll up jelly roll style. Shape into "S" shape on prepared baking sheet.
5. Drizzle olive oil on top and dust with salt, pepper, Parmesan, and parsley. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until puffy, about 45 to 60 minutes. 6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Press bread down slightly before it goes into the oven. Bake until it is well browned, about 35 to 45 minutes. Cool to warm on baking sheets before cutting.

The bread was good, but not great. I think I was in such a hurry that I rushed the rise times and it made the bread a little dense. The flavor was still good, I just know it could be better. It was great dunked in the chili, though!

Kitchen Sink Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
2 cups rice krispies
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped milk chocolate bars

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In mixing bowl, cream softened butter and melted butter with both sugars and vanilla. Add eggs, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and blend well. Stir in oats, cereal, marshmallows, butterscotch chips, semisweet chips, and milk chocolate to make a well-blended cookie dough.
3. For each cookie, scoop out 2 to 3 tablespoons of dough and place on prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.
4. Bake 12 to 14 minutes until set all over (I baked mine 14). You should see crisp edges and some marshmallow leaking out. Let cool on baking sheets before removing.

Oh my goodness, are these good! I recipe posted above is tweaked a bit, since I added more marshmallows and butterscotch chips than actually called for....but I swear that extra marshmallow made them a bit more gooey and and butterscotch made the edges so crispy! If you are looking for something a bit different, these are the cookies to make. Very, very easy to throw together. I'm sure you could change the out the flavors of chocolate and butterscotch chips for whatever you prefer.

Friday, November 16, 2007

I have decided that since the big game is tomorrow and I will partake in the making and baking of some tailgate foods! Unfortunately, since the game is being played up north, we will be watching it from the comforts of our living room.
Eric supposedly is inviting a few people over to watch the game, so I figured I would make a batch of chili to feed a crowd. I'm going to modify recipe from Better Homes & Gardens (The Best Holiday Meal issue 2007). We'll see how it turns out!

HALFTIME CHILI

12 ounces Italian sausage
2 1/2 pounds beef check roast
2 large onions, chopped
2 large green bell peppers, chopped
4 cups water
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 6-ounce cans tomato paste
29 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
12 slices bacon
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup canned jalapenos, chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon minced bottled garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1. In electric skillet, cook sausage until brown. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to 6 quart dutch oven. Reserve drippings.
2. Trim fat from beef and cut into 3/4" pieces. Add half of beef and onions to electric skillet. Cook ands stir until beef is browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meat mixture to the dutch oven. Cook remaining beef with green bell peppers in electric skillet, until browned. Transfer this mixture to the dutch oven.
3. Stir the water, beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, jalapeno peppers, cayenne, sugar, chili powder, garlic, salt and oregano into the mixture in the dutch oven.
4. Bring this mixture to a boil and then lower heat to simmer.
5. Meanwhile, fry bacon in electric skillet with chopped mushrooms until crisp. Stir this mixture into simmering chili.
6. Simmer for 4-5 hours.
7. Serve with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and green onions, if desired.

Here's the finished product! This recipe was very easy and the flavor was excellent. It had the perfect amount of kick for me, but wasn't overly hot. The beef chunks simmered long enough to melt in your mouth and the caramelized onions were so yummy. I decided to add mushrooms to the original recipe, and I think they made an excellent addition. Eric gave it the thumbs up, so I'm sure this will be a repeater.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Please bear with me....I 'm not sure if this site even allows me to save achieves or if I will eventually lose all the items I've posted. I guess only time will tell. Below is a picture of my honey, Eric:)

Yes, he always looks that alluring! Work beckoned today, so not much to report on.......we have been summoned though to watch after my grandfather (who just had open heart surgery) this Friday. I am planning on doing some baking then, while we watch the History Channel with him at the highest volume the television will allow!

Oh, but how I still love going to grandma and grandpa's house even though I am 26 years old! Memories of baking, gardening, and exploring the great outdoors. Their forty some acres made for a glorious playground.

I'll talk more on that later though (since it is the basis for all things domestic that I love to do!)........but on to the hockey game this evening. Go BlueJackets!!!

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Still trying to figure this whole blogging thing out. It is making not want to do my "real" job, which is a mortgage lender. I work for a big company, but my husband and I run two satellite offices in Southeastern, Ohio. Fortunately, we are blessed with being busy in this horrible market and have hired on an excellent assistant who makes our job a piece of cake (thank you, Heidi, if you ever read this!).
I spent this morning out running around taking photos for appraisal comps--and with all the leaves changing, the sun, and the sixty degree weather--it has made it very hard to focus on anything work related!
So, I will mess around with this blog and try to figure out what in the world I am doing. I guarantee you it is going to be very elementary until I can find an instruction manual on this kind of thing. It will be trial and error for now, so please bear with me!
First, I guess I should give you the abstract statement for what I want to get out of this whole thing. Foremost, I want this to be the place to share my trials and tribulations in the kitchen. I will try a new recipe at least once a week, which I will share with you, as well as my thoughts on the outcome of the finished product. Sometimes it's great, sometimes it's really bad. I'll also fill you in with what events are inspiring my cooking. That's the great thing about the business I'm in-- that you get to do lots of entertaining, which is my forte!
Also thrown in there will be the quarks and daily doings of my husband and I---and of course our friends and family. Eric, my husband, is the constant guinea pig--and I will probably reference him all the time. He's usually the final say on what dishes get repeated in our house, and is my toughest critic! I'll introduce the rest of the family as I go along, because we truly are a tight-knit group.
This week I will be getting ready for the Ohio State-Michigan game party at our house, as well as a bowling potluck for Thanksgiving (yes, I bowl--and horribly). So, hopefully I can make some good things to share with you and inspire you to do some cooking of you own. It should be interesting.

Monday, November 12, 2007

I have decided after months of looking at other people's blog to create my own. Yep, that's me:)