Flavor Friday

I’m not a horrible cook, but my talents are more in tune with ordering at a restaurants then being in a kitchen.  It’s not so much the cooking aspect as the cleaning up  that I despise.  Maybe all those years of having to do the dishes after family dinners scarred me (thanks mom).  But I would like to become a better cook, and I do find myself reading food blogs religiously wishing I could cook some of the delicious things posted.  So in honor of my love of food, and my hope to cook more in the future I’m going to post a recipe every Friday.  Hopefully at some point I’ll post one that I actually made (and with images!)

Today I’m craving chocolate like crazy so this recipe for chocolate truffles with sea salt  is courtesy of  The Pioneer Woman, who’s amazing website is chockfull of great recipes, pictures of her gorgeous family and their ranch, and hilarious insights in to her life.  She offers creat step-by-step instructions and pictures here.

Chocolate Truffles with Sea Salt

 

Prep Time: 2 Hours   Cook Time: 15 Minutes   Difficulty: Easy   Servings: 36 Ingredients

• 8 ounces, weight (up To 9 Oz.) Good Semisweet Chocolate
• 8 ounces, weight (up To 9 Oz.) Good Bittersweet Chocolate
• 1 can (14 Oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 8 ounces, weight Meltable Milk Chocolate
• Sea Salt

Preparation Instructions

Heat dark chocolates and condensed milk in a double boiler over medium low heat until chocolate is melted. Stir—mixture will have a slight marshmallow texture. Stir in vanilla.

Remove from heat, cover and refrigerate for two hours.

Once chilled, roll in balls, then roll in melted milk chocolate coating. Sprinkle with sea salt or other fine, coarse sprinkles.

[Via http://seemelgo.wordpress.com]

Alton Brown: Kitchen Hero

I love to watch food network.  It may seem a little cliche that a fat girl likes food.  Not every fat girl, however, likes watching things made that she will never eat, let alone make. 

One exception to this is Alton Brown.  Last night I attempted to make a cheesecake.  Alton showed us a semi-easy recipe on his show recently (or maybe it wasn’t recent and I just DVRed a repeat).  I’m sure it would actually be easy if I had a stand mixer and a springform pan.  I made due with a hand mixer and a store bought graham crust.  I also threw leftover batter into muffin cups.  The muffin cups were a disaster.  They rose, then fell, and I also tried to eat one before I chilled it.  It totally sucked.  I thought my actual cheesecake was going to be a huge waste of effort and ingredients.  I dutifully let it sit, then chilled it.  This evening I pulled it out after dinner and cut a sample sliver.  It was great!  I of course then ate a real sized peice.  I think next time I’ll have to invest in a springform pan to not only use all of my filling, but to make the cheesecake a little thicker and more cheesecake-y. 

Other things Alton has taught me are incredibly useful.  By simply altering the sugar, butter,  and/or baking soda/powder ratios in a cookie recipe I can have cookies to fit my mood.  Crunchy cookies, chewy cookies, soft cookies, etc. are all within my grasp. 

Less useful episodes are ones that involved crustaceans.  I’m not big on eating giant sea bugs. Ew.  Also, I don’t see myself brewing my own beer, brining anything, or preparing wassail for any reason.  It is nice to know that if I change my mind, Alton has my back though. 

Too bad neither of us is single.

[Via http://fatgirlintheskinnyworld.wordpress.com]

6

Recipe #3:

100gr pasta (from hard grain?)

1 pepper

1 piece of garlic

a tiny bit of ginger

3 radishes

a dash of curry

olive oil

You boil the pasta (al dente). In a pan pour some olive oil, let it heat, add the garlic and ginger, let them fry for a little, add the pepper and the radishes, again let them fry a little, then add the pasta, I think I left it for like 10 minutes max, turn the fire off and add curry and mix it in real well. Serves hot!

[Via http://chatulique.wordpress.com]

Cold Carrot Soup with Orange Juice

Cold carrot soup is a summer classic; sweet and refreshing, as well as brightly colorful. Orange juice and white wine give this one a nice acidic lift, while cloves, ginger, and cardamom round out the flavor. This is a very easy, quick soup to make. Just start by sauteing the aromatics, then add the carrots and liquids and simmer, puree, finish with yogurt and carrot juice, and chill.

Carrots simmering with aromatics in stock, wine, and orange juice

Cold carrot soup garnished with whipped cream and chives

Here’s the recipe, from Garde Manger: The Art and Craft of the Cold Kitchen, by the CIA (quantities modified for home kitchen):

Yield: 1 quart or 5 servings

1 tbsp minced shallots

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tbsp minced ginger

4 tbsp minced onion

2 tbsp butter

3/4 pound carrots, thinly sliced

20 ounces vegetable stock

1 ounce white wine

pinch of ground cinnamon

1 cup (8 oz) orange juice

2 ounces yogurt

4 ounces carrot juice

salt to taste

Saute shallots, garlic, ginger, and onion in the butter

Add carrots, stock, wine, cardamom, and orange juice; simmer for 30 minutes or until carrots are tender.

Place the mixture in a food processor and puree to a smooth texture; chill.

Finish with yogurt. Thin with carrot juice. Cover and refrigerate until needed. Adjust seasoning with salt before service.

Soup can be garnished with dollop of whipped cream, chives, and carrot chips. Fried ginger chips also make a spicy garnish.

[Via http://heatandknives.wordpress.com]

Brioche (1/25/10)

I cook a lot so I’m going to start making dumb little blog posts about it because why not?

I made some brioche today, its an enriched french bread with eggs and butter.

Well I didn’t make it today I mean, I made it tomorrow, or I will make it tomorrow. I started on it today, whatever!

Dry ingredients in the mixing bowl, thats 6 and a half ounces of flour, half a tablespoon of yeast, one and a half tablespoons of sugar, some salt and 1/8th of a cup of dry non fat milk.

So then I throw in 5 tbls of butter, 2 eggs (minus some) and an 1/8th of a cup of water

After 5 minutes in the mixer it looks like this. This is cookie dough, not bread!

Persistence makes it into a real bread dough! Then it sits on the counter for an hour to rise

Hour later rising on the counter it goes in the fridge until tomorrow morning!

I have never been good at being patient…

[Via http://jerfad.wordpress.com]

Oh, India!

Good evening everyone.  Imagine my delight late last night when I was just about ready to enter this post and BAM!  Yes, BAM!  I found out that an old episode of Desperate Housewives was on featuring guess who?   Who?  Say it!  Yes.  BAM!  Dougray Scott.  Needless to say all thoughts of my favorite Indian spices went out of my head and I became glued to the television.  Dear God, how could she choose a plumber over Dougray Scott.  Sigh.  Now that I have those feelings out the way, its down to business!

Indian cooking is one of my favorites.  The flavors are so varied by region and even by cooks within regions that I believe Indian cooking is some of the most interesting in the world and the spices used, some of the most complex.  Here’s a list of the most common Indian spices.  Most of these can be found in grocery stores in larger cities.  If you, like me, are unlucky enough to live away from such an urban area, there are plenty of Indian groceries on the net to satisfy your spice searching.

1.  Green Hot Chillies.  Don’t touch your fingers to your eyes when handling green hot chillies.  Indian green chillies are about 2-4 inches long and filled with white seeds.  It is the white seeds that cause all that burn.  So, if you don’t want the burn, use latex gloves and remove as many seeds as you can. Indians call these chillies Hari Mirch.

2.  Red Hot Chillies.  Again, a warning about the heat.  These are really  interesting chillies.  When you place them in boiling oil they will puff up and the skin will darken.  It is believed that even the darkened skin lends a special flavor to Indian cooking.  The Indian name for these red chillies is Sabut lal mirch.

3.  Fresh grated Coconut and Coconut Milk.  Coconut milk is made by grating coconut, placing it in water and then squeezing out the juice.  Ummmmm.  Fresh grated coconut meat freezes and unfreezes easily so it is an easy item to keep for future use.  Fresh grated coconut is referred to in India as Nariyal.

4.  Coriander Seeds.  Coriander seeds are used often in Indian cooking.  They are usually freshly ground before used in any recipe.  The Coriander plant itself is also used in Indian cooking as a herb as opposed to a spice.  Coriander leaf is used much like we use parsley in Italy.  In order to flavor wet dishes the leaves are often tossed in and cooked for the addition of their aroma.  Indians call Coriander greens Kothmir.  Coriander seeds are often called Dhania or Sabut.

5.  Cinnamon.  Cinnamon sticks are most often used in rice and meat dishes.  The Cinnamon sticks are used for flavor and are not eaten. Their Indian name is Dar Cheeni.

6.  Whole Cloves.  Again, whole cloves are often used in meat and rice dishes for its aroma.  Indians refer to cloves as Long (as opposed to short–just kidding).

7.  Cayenne Pepper.  Hey this is one we all know about, huh!  It’s Indian name is Pisi hui lal mirch.

8.  Cardamom.  Cardamon seeds come from the Cardamom pod and are black and highly aromatic.  If you are using the pod with seeds included you should not eat it only use it for its aroma.  The seeds can be eaten and ground.  Cardamom seeds are referred to as Elaichi.

9.  Green Mango Powder.  Green Mango Powder is just as it says–a green mango that has not ripened.  The unripened mango is sliced and dried in the sun.  Both whole slices and powdered slices are sold in Indian groceries. I’ve only used the powder and can not speak to the use of the sliced Amchoor.  Amchoor is extremely sour and tastes somewhat like lime.  It is referred to as Amchoor Powder.

10.  Asafetida.  This is a resin with a strong odor that is usually found in Kashmir.  Someone in a cooking class once told me it smelled like truffles.  Ummmmm.  I’d say earthy is right, but to me it smelled closer to really old manure that no longer smelled like excrement but was once excrement.  Again, my palate can’t be trusted.  Since that class I have never used it even when a recipe has called for it. 

11.  Fennel Seeds.  Ah, another one I use often.  Fennel seeds have a liquorice-like flavor–not as heavy as anise but the taste is definitely there.  Fennel seeds are often roasted and placed on the last course in a meal as a breath freshener.  At an Indian grocery ask for Sonf.

12.  Fenugreek Seeds.  Many of you have used Fenugreek seeds in Mediterranean cooking.  They are a squarish, brownish-yellow seed that have a definitely mushroomy or earthy flavor (without the excrement included ; ) ).  Indians refer to these seeds as Methi.

13.  Cumin Seeds.  Indians usually roast their seeds in a pan and use them whole or grind them. 

There we have it.  These are the very basic spices used in Indian cooking.  Tomorrow we will look at another basic spice mixture used as a “base” (or a beginning) in Indian cooking–Gram Masala.  It is easy to make at home and is delicious by itself or after more spices/herbs are added to further enhance the flavor of a recipe. 

Alas, I must leave you for this evening.  Like Dougray Scott I am here, but not really here–I’m in the ether.  Goodnight and good eating!

[Via http://adultindulgences.wordpress.com]

menu planning frustration

You know, planning a weekly menu is really a challenge. I’ve been trying to do this for a while and sometimes it works, other times it doesn’t. Today isn’t a busy work day so I’m surfing recipe sites to figure out some new things. My big twist is this new impulse to cut back on meat. There are obviously tons of recipes out there for vegetarians, but finding ones that I think all three of us will like is a huge challenge. Anyone have great suggestions?

Right now, I’m looking at making a butternut squash soup in the beloved crockpot and doing Indian one night. Oy, Indian from scratch, I must be nuts.

I guess my problem is two fold.

1) It is really important to me that people like what I cook. Since most of the time that means my husband and daughter, I’m working on a tough sell. I actually think I don’t give my husband enough credit for his willingness to try new things, but it comes back to this fear of him not liking it. I just want people to like me! : )

2) I am dealing with 2 finicky eaters. As I said, I think my husband is willing to try more than I give him credit for, but there are certain things he isn’t a huge fan that makes it tough for me. As I go searching for recipes, one  big thing that stands out to me is that he’s not a big fan of one dish meals.  For example, I have this great looking recipe for vegetable biryani that I think he’d eat, but only with more food. Then again, that does fall into the Indian category so I can make it along with either the vegetable and chick pea curry that calls to me or the Gobi Matar Sabzi that looks pretty good too.

I realize that some of the idea of “cutting back” is not to have completely vegetarian meals, but to make smaller portions of meat. I’m not completely forgetting that part. Some of my stir fry type dishes work well for this. Perhaps even making batches, freezing portions and doing lots of little items on the plate will work. Ha! My husband had no idea what he was getting himself into marrying someone who likes to play with her food.

[Via http://mbsings.wordpress.com]

Beat. Heat. Eat.

The DIY manual for easy home meals for blokes is here. Dean Lahn has written the ultimate guide for simple meals to ensure you don’t starve- if you’ve just moved out on your own for the first time, or suddenly find that you need to learn how to cook when you’ve never needed to before, this book is for you. Simple tasks like making a grilled cheese sandwich by turning the toaster on its side, and freezing coffee into ice cubes so you can heat them up later is just the beginning, this instruction manual is full of diagrams to assist any bloke find his way around the kitchen. If simmering chicken in Coke is not your thing, then try home-made hamburgers using the meat squished out of a sausage. As the intro says “this is manual that shows you how to heat food so you don’t starve.” Sounds good to me. Check out his website for feedback from other successful almost-cookers.

[Via http://ttglibrary.wordpress.com]

Let's Pick Up Where We Left Off...

Now that the weather is more like its supposed to be  – I mean, we are in Florida the last time I checked! – things are starting to balance out again.

Since I have abandoned my weight loss blog for the time being, I have had several requests to maintain a daily blog about life in general, and I remembered this lil abandoned project of mine, and thought, why not?

So, welcome to our life again!

I am amazed that so many people find our boring lil existence interesting enough to read about, but I am happy to oblidge.

Let’s see…

This past weekend, the cold that had its grips on us finally dissipated, leaving a wet and rainy Saturday in its wake. Sunday cleared out and it actually hit 70, which I felt like welcoming with tears. Instead, we felt like a trip to St. Augustine was in order!

Daniel admiring a fountain near The Visitor's Center

Me, next to the zero mile marker for the Spanish Trail to San Diego

We saw this in one of the walk through malls on St. George St. - I didn't even know they made "video" games that long ago!

The wind was rediculous - blowing steady at at least 30mph

Such pretty weather, in spite of the wind!

Some of the beautiful archeticture of St. Augustine

Daniel and Daddy, enjoying an after-luch tootsie pop

All smiles

We walked for about 2 1/2 hours and it felt great to get out. I still am amazed at families who complain about the lack of money to do things.

The cost of this trip for us was:

• $3.00 for gas- it took (round trip) 1/10 of a tank, and my car will fill up for $30.00
• $1.60 for a cookie for Daniel
• $4.90 for two coffees
• $21.00 for lunch

for a grand total of $30.50

– or $10.17 per person…which without the lunch was less than $10.00 in total!

Monday meant getting back to the day to day, so that meant being buried under plies of laundry and getting the itch to be in the kitchen!

I made some Minestrone Soup and some Thyme Twists and that was dinner. I always make an absolutely huge pot of the soup, because its my favorite and I could eat it forever, and this way, it feels like I am!

The twists were amazing and making want to try making some other crackers similar to these today. I had a pumpkin left from Halloween – yes, seriously, that I just cut up this morning and roasted the meat, and I am thinking that the seeds would be awesome in some crackers, so I believe I hear them calling me from the kitchen right now! Look for these in the near future!

So, while I am getting the other sections in this blog back up to current, please bear with me. In the meantime, you’ll at least have my ramblings to keep you amused!

[Via http://livingmore.wordpress.com]

SOCIAL NETWORKING – NAMBOODIRI STYLE

 With the break of the joint family, members of the clan meet but rarely.

Now  social networking through the electronic media is becoming popular.

 Long ago I remember a marriage in our ancestral home. Relatives started coming in, even weeks before the event. There will be any number of children to play with.

 The day before marriage is ayini oonu That day all the relatives, even very distant ones, assemble to watch the bride or the groom eating! She sits on the floor, in front of a large plantain leaf and lighted bronze lamp, with her best friend seated on her right, in a similar style. All the dishes are served, even if the time is six in the morning and a hot cup of tea may be more welcome!

The time is determined by the panditji (we call him odikan or oikan). Even now this drama is performed with the video camera man doing his work.

All people will be busy talking, as some of them may be meeting after ten or twenty years. On one side, an improvised kitchen will come up, two days before for frying banana chips etc. In our home there are plenty of rooms for cooking, eating and other purposes.

After the oonu, the bride will not leave the house. The next day, all the boy’s relatives will come to attend the formal marriage, the ritual lasting four days after the marriage, during which period the couple are not allowed to meet.

 During the four days, the girl is offered to different Gods! On the fourth day, the odikan instructs the couple how to do the act (in those days the age of the boy and girl may be fifteen and twelve). He actually shows the way, the dhoti is removed to one side and the member exposed, they say. I have not seen it. After the act, they have to take the ritual bath.

As there will be a number of marriages in a year, all clan members have ample opportunity to meet. That is real networking!

[Via http://waterfriend.wordpress.com]

Freezer Food Fest #10

It’s official! We’re moving!! So, I have been given a “request” by the Cavewoman to empty the freezer before we hit the road. The pressure is on!

No, I haven’t forgotten about my quest for a food-free freezer. I’ve just been a bit under the weather the last couple of days. But, that hasn’t stopped this ongoing crusade that now has slightly under 30 days left.

The Cavewoman decided to make some of her delicious Cheese Enchiladas for the family, which I often add some chicken to for the carnivore crowd. But, I didn’t think I had enough time to defrost and then prepare the chicken properly for this dish. Though, I did spot a couple of NY Strip Steaks in the freezer that would make an excellent Carne Asada to go along side the Enchiladas.

We had also just received a box full of fresh picked Avocados from the Cave-in-laws who have a couple of very prolific trees in their backyard. So, while the steaks defrosted, I whipped up some fresh Guac (recipe to come this week, along with the Enchilada recipe). Of course, we had to nibble on some of it while we cooked, and even had to force ourselves to stop before none was left for the meal. I’d like to think that it’s my recipe that made it so good, but those Avocados were so creamy, buttery, and full of flavor that I probably could have added absolutely nothing and still found it as delicious!

As for the Carne Asada, many recipes call for different kinds of marinades and spices. However, being the Caveman that I am, I try to keep it very simple. I just squeezed a little fresh lime juice onto the steaks and then dusted them with some World Spice Merchants Yucatan Rojo BBQ Rub – both sides. Covered them up and refrigerated for a couple of hours, and then grilled as usual. When done I just sliced them across the grain and served it up with the Enchiladas and Guacamole. We also chopped up some of the Serrano Chili Peppers we grow in our backyard and sprinkled them on top of the cheese-filled tortilla yumminess.

Needless to say, this was a big hit with the family. Everything melded so well together. Even my veggie wife was intrigued by the allure of the Asada and, again, the Cavekids devoured their meal meal like a T-rex on a sheep farm. Yet, another successful stop on the Freezer Food Fest sojourn!

©2010 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.net authored by Caveman. This may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

[Via http://cavemancooking.wordpress.com]

National Hot and Spicy Food Day

A day late, sorry!  Schedule was a little hectic yesterday and this takes 4 hours to marinate which I did not realize until 3:45 pm today…

Spicy Jerk Chicken

Adapted from MyRecipes.com

1  teaspoons  dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon ground thyme

1  teaspoon  ground allspice

1  onion, peeled and quartered (about 1/2 pound)

8  garlic cloves, peeled

2  serrano chiles, seeded

2  tablespoons  fresh lime juice

3  chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Cooking spray

2  teaspoons  olive oil

1  cup  uncooked brown rice

2 cups chicken broth

2 1/2  cups  (1/2-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato

1  (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4  cup  Pickapeppa sauce OR 3 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce and 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce

1. Combine first 5 ingredients (thyme through chiles) in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Remove 1/4 cup of the chile mixture and set aside. Add lime juice to food processor; process until smooth.
2. Arrange chicken in a large shallow dish. Spread lime juice mixture over chicken. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 4 hours.
3. Preheat broiler.
4. Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 15 minutes on each side or until done.
5. While chicken broils, prepare rice mixture. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add reserved 1/4 cup chile mixture; saute 2 minutes. Stir in rice. Add broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes. Stir in sweet potato; cook 10 minutes. Stir in beans; cook 3 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 5 minutes.
6. Serve rice alongside one chicken breast.  Drizzle with Pickapeppa sauce or the Worchestershire/hot sauce mixture.

[Via http://2010foodproject.wordpress.com]

Soup Kitchen

For a while, I  worked at the Office. The Office is a place where many creative, clever and friendly people make the gears of capitalist society turn smoothly. At the Office, people eat carefully, but enjoying their food as much as anybody. Often they ask: Is it organic? Is it low fat? Is it low carb? They are concerned about their weight and the health aspects of their diet.

I always made a nice big pot of soup every Friday for the people at the Office. The soups were generally well liked, though several men promptly refused to even touch them, since well – the soups were vegetarian. To no avail was the praise the other people lavished on my soups, and also I must admit it: after tasting the food restaurants in Helsinki have to offer I’m quite proud of my soup – making skills.  But the guys had their principles: no vegetarian food shall ever cross their lips. I have my principles too:  I did not give in, and neither did they. Though I told one of them that if he brings me a living chicken, and slaughters it in front of my eyes,  at counter of  the Office kitchen, I shall indeed cook it for him. But he never did, and I continued to make a vegetarian soup every Friday.

I do happen to know many males that are indeed vegetarian, even vegan, so the fierce resistance my soups met with the guys at the Office left me puzzled: what is going on, I asked my girlfriends. We did some really hard thinking, but who could understand, what goes on in a mans’ handsome head? The mystery remains unsolved to this day.

Here are four soups that I made for them. All of these soups are prepared in the same way:

First peel and chop all the veggies, then heat some oil in a cooking pot, then add the chopped onion, and garlic and ginger, if there’s any on the recipe. Then add the rest of the vegetables, turn a couple of times and add water or vegetable stock, enough to cover everything. Cook until done, purée using a hand-held blender, add salt, and other mentioned spices, as well as cream/wine . Soups should always be left to stand  for some minutes before serving, to make the flavours “open”.

Pink Soup – with Beetroot and Orange

This is a nice winter season soup, originally by Saara Törmä. The orange zest lifts the flavour of beetroot to a totally new dimension.

1 onion

5 beetroot

4 carrots

2 cloves of garlic

1 tbsp grated ginger

2 l vegetable stock

2 tbsp lemon juice

grated zest of one organic orange

black pepper

salt

soy yogurt for serving

White Soup – with Almond and Cauliflower

This is a late summer – autumn seasonal soup. Almond meal can also be used in curries etc. to thicken and bring a creamy flavour.

300 g cauliflower (one head)

150 g almond meal

1 onion

1 clove of garlic

2 tsp sherry vinegar

1/2 dl oat cream etc.

salt to taste

water

Orange Soup – with Sweet Potato,  Lime and Chili

Well, this is a no – season soup in Finland, but very nice and warming in the winter. I quite enjoy the very subtle heat cooking the chillies whole brings to the soup, but you might as well chop them if you like a bit more intense spiciness.

1 red onion

oil for frying

2 carrots

2 sweet potatoes

1 tbsp grated ginger

1 can coconut milk

4 red chillies

juice of two limes

water

fresh coriander for serving

Green Soup – with Green Peas and Mint

Fresh mint and fresh peas – this is certainly a summer seasonal soup, but can easily be made with frozen peas and dried mint as well. Remember to use spearmint, not peppermint! Also, if you don’t like the taste of mint, it can be substituted with estragon.

4 potatoes

150 g green peas

2 cloves garlic

1 onion

a handful of mint

1/2 dl white wine

vegetable stock

salt

1 dl oat cream

home made croutons for serving

Oh.. and there is also a Red Soup – with Bell Pepper and Smoke Flavour. The recipe is here.

[Via http://goddessofcake.wordpress.com]

Day 15

Make, Give, Contribute, Challenge. 1 year, 100 creative challenges. 3/100 complete.

Today I made ‘Aromatic Rice’ p29 when I tasted it in the pot I thought it was ok but not raveable however my taste buds are obviously a little off. Husband (and I) both had seconds and Master 1 absolutely hoed into it. Which surprised me because it does have a little kick. So I will be freezing the leftovers in Master 1 sized portions. incidentally those silicon muffin trays are brilliant for such events. When weaning, now master 3, husband came up with this idea after I had cracked several ice-cube trays trying to get the vege purees out. (Obviously I made my baby food being a too-cheap to buy the stuff in the jar and tree-hugging hippy that I am!)

My creative thoughts today have revolved around the use what you have concept. So I picked a large bunch of rhubarb from our 3 prolific plants and used the ‘mueslie bars’ I made the other day to top them. Rhubarb cooking is so much more enjoyable since I started to use scissors to cut it instead of a knife. Included some pictures of the rhubarb looking lovely. Homegrown produce.

Rhubarb

 

Rhubarb1

 

On the same line I thought I’d share pictures of a  large quilt I made last year using the ‘whatever you have’ idea. The front is made from a duvet cover I no longer liked, a genuine retro family linen cupboard single sheet and some off-cuts from a skirt I made. The quilt is backed in some unbleached calico I was given when my mother in law went through her sewing room. The quilt is bound in some packets of old binding that a friend was getting rid of. I did buy the wadding and some of the thread. All in all though a pretty cheap event.

The Quilt

Quilt Reverse Detail

Quilt Detail

 

Just goes to show that the leftovers, mistakes, unloved pieces and garden offerings can indeed be creative inspiration.

Off to do a bit more work on the chair. (Motivation low – effort and thought needed!) Once that is finished I can keep working on my denim and scrap quilty thing. (Motivation High – faster project!!)

[Via http://makeitgiveit.wordpress.com]

Bake it and Bank it!

My daughter and I were shopping at Costco the other day, price comparing, deciding what was a good deal and what was just a waste of money. I’ve always been one to just say, well, just buy it and save the time. This day, we were discussing the merits of rice crispy treats by the box. A large box of 30 treats was on sale for $10.40 and it got me thinking.

• A box of generic rice crispy treats – $2.00
• A bag of marshmallows – already in the cupboard from Christmas.
• A few tablespoons of butter – again, already in the fridge.
• A 4 year old in need of a cooking lesson and a few hours to kill? Priceless.

So, here’s what we did:

* She helped with the cooking, measuring, and let me stir the hot stuff…

if I promised to let her lick the spoon.

She did the dishes…

And we all enjoyed the rewards! Tea party with the kiddos this afternoon should be well worth the mess and the bit of sugar rush she got from “sneaking” a few too many marshmallows.

Remember, every day is a gift… that’s why they call it the present.

~Ashley

[Via http://recessionhome.wordpress.com]

Fishing trip a disaster

….I caught not one fish…..not a one…not even a  bite.  T caught a small flat head so he was happy…but it was my idea – and I booked the trip.  What a waste of moula!!

The only things  I hooked: someone else’s line and my shoelace (which was still in the boat….strangley)

One good thing – I sent one years worth of tax to the accountant…phew, that was stressful.

Meanwhile, T is so caught up in getting his boat ready for Audi Victoria Week – starting in a few days – I’m thinking of wrapping myself up in a spinnaker so we can converse.  Ahhhh…life as  a yachting widow…

Anyway….Gardening  20 minutes ago I picked zucchini plus flowers, HUGE beans and more rocket. Zucchini are appearing every other day now.

Tonight I’ll look for a good zucchini flower recipe – anyone tried this before?

Cooking

 T’s mum has picked the most beautiful mini plums – various colours – again I need to find a recipe for these.

Leanne Kitchen’s Grower’s Market has Plum Sauce – but with 1.25kg of plums – whoa..

S

[Via http://simsutton.wordpress.com]

Cold Outside - Warm Tummies!

Like everywhere else in the Northern states at this time of year, our weather is cold and snowy. You’ve heard me complain enough about that already, so I won’t go into details. The one thing I AM thinking of, however, is how to keep us nice & toasty on cold days & nights.  I offer you several very pleasantly filling and warming recipes:

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Crockpot Taco Soup

1lb. ground beef or turkey, browned and drained

1 can kidney beans

1 can pinto beans

1 envelope Hidden Valley ranch salad dressing mix

1 packet taco mix

1/3 C.  chopped dried onion

1 can Rotel tomatoes

1 tbsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. cumin

2 quarts tomato juice

Combine all ingredients in crockpot.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Serve with your favorites: fritos corn chips or tortilla chips, shredded cheese,sour cream, sliced black olives,

chopped green onions

(recipe: Sandy on one of my recipe lists)

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Amish Chicken Casserole

8 oz. noodles, cooked

2 C. cooked chicken, cubed

2 C. chicken broth (can used canned)

1 C. milk

1 can mushrooms

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 C. margarine

1/3 C. flour

1/3 C. grated Parmesan cheese

—

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt margarine, then add flour and stir until smooth. Gradually add milk and broth, then seasonings and mushrooms. Combine chicken, cooked noodles, and prepared sauce. Put in ungreased 9 inch x 13 inch x 2 inch baking pan and top with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350ºF for 35-45 minutes, or until heated thoroughly and top is browned slightly.

(recipe: CK Penner/Amish Recipes site)

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Crockpot Cherry Cobbler

1 can cherry pie filling — (16 oz)

1 package cake mix — for one layer cake

1 egg

3 T. evaporated milk

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Put pie filling in lightly buttered 3 1/2-quart crockpot and cook on high for 30 minutes.

Mix together the remaining ingredients and spoon onto the hot pie filling.

Cover and cook for 2- 3 hours on low.  Serves 4 – 6.

(recipe: exported from MasterCook)

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Not much new around here EXCEPT I finally got all the Christmas ’stuff’ down and packed away . . . well, there ARE a few boxes awaiting youngest son’s arrival home from high school to carry the big boxes upstairs for me (nice ‘perk’!).  Tomorrow night is my Knit group’s “Movie/Knit-Crochet Night” and they’ve decided we’re having baked potatoes with all the ‘works’ for toppings, plus some sort of a dessert. The movie? What else!? “Julie & Julia”! A great movie – I laughed out loud quite a few times; several ‘in/culinary-type’ jokes.  I rarely go to the movies anymore, but this one I took myself to last summer and am looking forward to seeing it again tomorrow night.  It’s a fun night ‘out’ for the ladies and you can’t beat that: dinner, a good movie and great friendship! (Hope our weather ‘holds’ and there’s no additional snow…we’ll see.)  My husband just informed me that the weather report states we were to get snow today (already got a little) then a little warmer throughout the week – I can handle that!

Hope you’re enjoying your day; remember to rest a little, smile a little and sometimes just give yourself a little treat . . . just for fun!

Hugs;

Pammie

[Via http://grammiepammie.wordpress.com]

Winter Break

I’ve had almost 6 weeks off for break about 10 more days to go and I haven’t written on here once. But I would like to share what I have done over the past month, so here it is.

• went snowboarding for the 1st time ever!! SOOOO MUCH FUN
• been working and saving my money
• hanging out with old friends
• movies seen in the theatre:

1. It’s Complicated
2. Avatar 3D
3. Sherlock Holmes
4. Leap Year
5. Up in the Air

• I’ve also watched about 1,000 movies too.
• Had a wonderful Christmas and New Years
• Met Betsey Johnson
• played too much Wii and Xbox
• bought some new music
• baked raisin bars, chocolate crinkles, Raspberry linzer cookies, brownies, chocolate cake, etc.
• have hardly cleaned at all
• went to Fig Cafe with my girls
• went to Tahoe twice

So this break has been pretty eventful and I am sure that these last 10 days will be twice as crazy as the rest of my break! I getting ready to be ready to head back down to SB but, I love nor cal and Sonoma I don’t want to leave quite yet!

[Via http://kateliveslaughsloves.wordpress.com]

The Easy How-To Instruction Guide for All Things Important

Eating French Fries

1. Always eat fries in pairs of two, who are very close to identical length. Do not eat one, four, seven, or eleven fries at one time. Only two. Think French fry twins.

2. If you get to the end of your fries, and you discover a single fry left, you should tear said fry in have and eat it as two fries. This is not the ideal situation since they are not true pairs, but in a bind, this works.

Losing a Man

1. Tell him you want to spend loads more time with him.

2. Tell him you want to be exclusive.

3. Give him an old-school casual greeting.

4. Mention your favorite color is red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, white or black.

Hemming Your Pants—N/A. Leave well enough alone and contact your mother.

Adopting a Pet

1. Take him/her to the vet immediately.

2. Have vet remove all cancerous cells promptly.

3. Constantly worry that he/she has cancer.

Dating

1. Do not do anything I have done.

2. Do not do anything I have done.

3. Do not do anything I have done.

Taking Pain Relievers

1. Keep well stocked at all times in every situation. Work, home, car, purse.

2. Do not buy two bottles of Ibuprofen and accidentally take both bottles home when you meant to have a bottle at work because then you’ll be in pain without relief.

Cooking

1. Invite someone over, preferably a hottie.

2. Tell him/her you have lots of kitchen items to cook things in.

3. Tell him/her to have at it because you ain’t cook.

[Via http://medicatedlady.wordpress.com]

Dinner Time

Chicken Breast Alfredo W/ Paprika & Tarragon

Preheat oven to 350º for ten minutes

4 – 6  fresh chicken breasts rinsed & shaken

1 Jar  Bertolli’s Garlic Alfredo Sauce

1 Tbsp dry tarragon

1 tsp paprika

1/4 cup water

1) Prepare shallow baking or roasting pan. Spray bottom w/ Pam (Butter or Olive Oil.)

2) Rinse chicken in col water and shake off excess water.

3) Pour contents of sauce in mixing bowl and add 1/4 cup water to the jar and shake vigorously to incorporate the liquids. Pour rest into the bowl and add chicken.

4) With just washed hands, coat the chicken completely with the sauce, even in the natural side slit on the larger side of the breast.

5) Place each piece into the baking pan, breast side up.

Sprinkle with tarragon leaves and then with the paprika.

Bake for a full 38 minutes for small pieces and for medium to large pieces. Check on the progress of the chicken and set timer for five minute intervals. Be sure to remove chicken from the oven when it is just done. Allow the chicken to sit and rest for a full ten minuted before slicing.

Chef’s TIp:

To insure juicy meat, slice into one of your breasts and make certain no blood in running out. There should be lots of liquid and the juices should be clear. Remember, chicken is still cooking even after it is removed from the oven. You can always put the meat back into the oven or the microwave for a tiny bit, to make certain it is done, but youcan never repair overcooked meat. You don’t want to eat or serve dry, overcooked meat, do you?

[Via http://skdd.wordpress.com]

What's Cooking?

Taquitos and cupcakes, that’s what! In my little bout of unemployment, I’ve turned to the oven and the hob.

While I was in LA, I ate these looovely rolled tacos called Taquitos. I was craving them so decided to give it a go myself  – they turned out pretty well and went down great with the fam at home! The Guacamole and the Salsa is also home made! Got recipe for the guac in an American cook book and the Salsa I made up after emptying a carton of chopped tomatoes into a bowl.

Taquitos are basically shredded and seasoned chicken rolled inside a corn tortilla which is then fried for 1 min in a pan of oil. Serve them with a layer of cheese & lettuce on top. TASTY!

For Christmas, my mum got a lovely cookbook by the Hummingbird Bakery all on how to make cupcakes, cakes and other baked goods. I decided to give the ‘Peaches & Cream’ cupcakes a whirl, et voilà!

They have peaches in the bottom of them and vanilla frosting on top.

[Via http://phreshmentality.wordpress.com]

Introducing Gluten Free Cuisine Video Series Vol. 1!

At last, we are excited to introduce the thrilling first installment of our highly anticipated Gluten Free Cuisine video series. Sit back, relax and enjoy.

Below is a full list of ingredients needed to make this wonderful, and easy recipe.

Gluten Free Parsley Pesto with Rainbow Chard, served over Rice Pasta.

1 bunch rainbow chard

1/2 bunch of Italian parsley

1 oz. grated Parmesan cheese

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup sliced almonds

1/8 tsp. dried mint flakes

1/8 tsp. dried basil leaves

10 fresh basil leaves

1 tsp. Himalaya salt

1/4 cup olive oil

1 packet of Trader Joe’s “Rice Sticks” pasta

ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:  Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tsp. salt, and bring to a boil. Wash, destem, and chop the chard. Add the chard to the boiling water and blanche for 2 minutes. Remove chard from the water with a slotted strainer, and set aside. Reserve the boiling water, as you will need this to cook the pasta. Peel and chop the garlic. Add the pasta to the boiling water, and cook for 6-8 minutes. Strain, and set aside in large bowl, covered. 

Heat 1 tsp. coconut oil in a saute pan, add 2 cloves of garlic, and cook until lightly browned. Turn down the heat to low, and add the chard, along with 2 Tbsp. of the reserved cooking water. Add the mint flakes, dried basil, black pepper and 1/2 cup sliced almonds. Cover and turn heat to lowest setting. Prepare food processor with an S-blade, and add 1/2 bunch of Italian parsley, parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup sliced almonds, 2 cloves of garlic, 10 fresh basil leaves, and 1/4 cup olive oil. Process until smooth. 

Add the chard and pesto to the cooked pasta, mixing throughly until the pasta is well coated by the pesto sauce. Serve immedietely, garnished with fresh basil.

BON APPETIT!!!

[Via http://gfcelebration.com]

The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

Another cheque arrived today for my birthday (oh I do love unimaginative relatives!), so I got to go to the bookshop again and I bought The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook, which I have wanted for absolutely ages! Probably not the best book to buy when I really should be dieting but there is method in my madness, as with my resolution to cook a little less simply (i.e. relying on stuff from the freezer and the corner shop half the time), I want to start baking more often, as I’m never going to conquer my sweet tooth, so instead I want to limit the shop bought stuff that is too instant and too eatable straight away and go for home made stuff that is cheaper and often more filling. I also need to bake more for Girl Lacer’s lunch box (who lives on Organix cereal bars at lunch time at the moment) and that will encourage me and steer me away from the overly chocolatey recipes, as that is frowned upon by the school.

Anyway The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook is full of delicious cupcakes, cakes, tray bakes, biscuits and pies,  it’s like a concentrated version of Nigella’s Domestic Goddess and almost as comprehensive. Although How to be a Domestic Goddess is considerably thicker, that can sometimes be off putting, as I have no idea what to cook first, whereas I dare anyone to think of a type of sweet baked good that isn’t in the Hummingbird Bakery book (oh heck I just thought of one, the book doesn’t have any baking with jam type recipes, like jammy dodgers or sponge cakes, but that’s all I can think of). Even if you fancy a recipe that isn’t quite in the book, say Apple and Raspberry pie, you could easily convert the apple pie recipe that is in there by bunging some raspberries in (although to be honest if you’re looking for the apple and raspberry pie recipe, go to Jamie Oliver). Anyway I will forgo my normal ‘recipes I particularly like the look of list’ as that would pretty much be the entire book bar the recipes which are overly nut heavy (I’m not a big fan of nuts in cooking). There are quite a lot of recipes with nuts in but most are just additions to the main ingredients, so can easily be left out. So, I will be using this book a lot. I particularly like that there are quite a few Bundt tin recipes, whilst still working my way through my delicious birthday cake which was in a Bundt tin, I’ve been pleased with how easy it is to cut and control portions, far easier than a normal cake, so I’m very pleased that I’ve now got a recipe book with even more Bundt tin recipes (lemon and poppy seed, blueberry, coffee and spiced pound). The blueberry recipe looks particularly tempting, as I love blueberry muffins but can easily demolish a whole tray, whereas with a bundt cake, I could eek it out once small slice at a time. Oh and they have blueberry pie to, yum!

[Via http://lacer.wordpress.com]