no measurements

spinach salad with poppy seed dressing

2010-07-12T16:36:00.000-06:00

there is this local restaurant here in the valley O' cache that has a few salads to die for. one of them is a broccoli salad with golden raisins (would be better with the addition of bacon IMHO) and the other is a spinach salad.

both have an amazing poppy seed salad dressing on them. i think it's the same dressing. anyway. i spent an hour at my mother's house trying to recreate the dressing...and by jove, i think i figured it out. at least i came close.

you should make this salad tonight, because it's july and it's hot. and you don't need to cook anything.

poppy seed dressing

*2/3 cup sugar (experiment with the amount. 1/2 cup might be plenty.)
*1/3 cup warm water
*1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
*1 cup vegetable oil
*1/2 tsp. salt
*1-2 tsp. poppy seeds

whisk together water, sugar and vinegar until sugar is dissolved. add the salt and poppy seeds. slowly whisk in vegetable oil and mix well. makes about 2 1/2 cups.

spinach salad

i don't really have measurements for this salad, because i just toss it all into a bowl. it's a salad for heck's sake. so.. these are guesstimates, like all my cooking. sorry if this makes you crazy.

*2 lbs spinach (2 16 oz bags. i like to buy the prewashed organic baby spinach.)
*1/2-3/4 cup feta cheese
*1 cup sliced strawberries
*1/2 cup roasted almonds (roasted sweetened almonds are amazing!)
*poppy seed dressing to taste (about 1 cup)

don't mix this together until right before serving. i like to toss the salad together first, and then put the strawberries on top. otherwise, the feta cheese turns pink.

rice oriental

2010-06-27T22:06:00.000-06:00

ahhh....rice oriental. you were my favorite hamburger helper flavor, and then betty lame-o crocker discontinued you. as the only asian-inspired hamburger helper flavor, i think you should launch a complaint and request an investigation. or, maybe the asian community is happy to no longer have hamburger helper associated with them in any way, shape or form.

i am getting way off track. if you know me, you know i'd almost rather die than make any food that comes from a box. processed food is the devil, and you are supporting satan by buying, "preparing," and serving processed food to your family. disclaimer: we do eat kraft macaroni and cheese (rarely), suddenly salad, and ramen noodles. i'm not perfect, ok?? when i was growing up, my mom used to make us the rice oriental hamburger helper, and it was faaaaantastic. i loved it. for years, i have always kept a box or two of it in the pantry when i didn't have much time to cook dinner or just felt like having one of my favorite childhood meals. then they quit making it...and i had to figure out how to duplicate this on my own.

another thing you should know (if you don't already): i substitute ground turkey in almost EVERY single recipe that calls for hamburger. the first reason is that it's healthier. the second reason is that it is cheaper. also? you almost never have to drain ground turkey, which saves you an extra step. so. in this recipe, i'm going to tell you that i used ground turkey, but if you are a hamburger person, that is fine. use hamburger. i'll still love you.

rice oriental

*1 lb lean ground turkey (you can use 1.5 lbs, but it comes in 1 lb packages)
*1 pkg lipton onion soup mix
*1 pkg brown gravy mix (or onion gravy)
*1 cup raw rice (any kind is fine. but not minute rice. ick!)
*3 cups water
*2-3 T soy sauce

in a large skillet, brown the turkey. season with a bit of salt and pepper, but go super easy on the salt. the lipton soup mix has quite a bit of sodium in it already. if using hamburger, drain it first and return to pan. otherwise, add all the other ingredients, mix well and bring to a boil. cover and simmer until rice is cooked, about 20-25 mins.

my kids and my husband love this - and it's pretty darn close to the hamburger helper i loved so much.

yummy swiss chard

2010-04-25T13:19:00.000-06:00

swiss chard? what the heck is that? and moreover, who the heck buys this stuff?

apparently, i do. i belong to a produce co-op and i've gotten this in my basket a few times. at first, i was totally overwhelmed with it, but this saturday i had to restrain myself from asking someone if they wanted to trade their swiss chard for my romaine lettuce. or the bunch of spinach that i got.

swiss chard is kind of like spinach - earthy, yet delicious. however, it has a stalk that is much like rhubarb. the best way to cook it is to remember that it's really TWO vegetables in one: the stalk and the leaves.

so i found this recipe on the internet...and i gave it a go. it turned out spectacular, and i'm sharing it with you today. it also uses one of my absolute favorite cooking techniques: roasting. i love roasting so much that i'll even do it in july, when having a hot oven going in the kitchen is one of the worst things ever.

best ever swiss chard

*1 bunch swiss chard, cleaned - remove the leaves from the stalks and chop the stalks into 1/2 inch pieces. you can leave the leaves whole, or rip them into smaller pieces
*2 T extra virgin olive oil
*kosher salt
*pepper
*1 T heavy cream (secret tip: milk works fine if you don't have cream or want to buy it.)
*1/4 to 1/2 C grated parmesan (please don't use that powdered crap)

preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. prepare the chard. it will look like a ton of chard, but it will shrink a bunch during cooking. put just the stems in a 9x13 baking dish (or whatever you have) and drizzle with half of the olive oil. sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. roast for about 20 minutes. remove the pan from the oven and place the leaves on top of the stems. drizzle with the remaining olive oil, and season again with kosher salt and pepper. roast until the leaves wilt - about 5 minutes.

remove the pan from the oven and toss the leaves with the stems with a pair of tongs. stir in the cream and test the seasonings. adjust as necessary. sprinkle with the parmesan and return to the oven until the cheese melts, about another 5 minutes.

this will serve 2-3 as a side dish. your kids will likely turn their nose up at it, but they make like it, especially if you make a contest out of it or something.

let me know if you make this...and if you like it.

asparagus with balsamic butter sauce

2010-03-30T20:26:00.003-06:00

i can't believe i'm going to say this out loud, but i've got to get something off of my chest:

i am sick of asparagus.

whew. i feel better now.

that's really hard for me to say because it's such a weird thing to say... it's almost as bad as me saying i'm sick of diet mountain dew or reese's peanut butter cups, right?

i contribute to a produce co-op, and every week for the last 2 months or so, i've gotten 1-2 bunches of asparagus. this is my favorite recipe. preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

*1 bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed
*1-2 T olive oil

place asparagus on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. roast for 10-12 minutes or until desired tenderness.

melt together:

*4 T butter
*2 T soy sauce
*2 t. balsamic vinegar

drizzle butter sauce over roasted asparagus and serve.

yum.

my favorite chex mix

2009-12-20T14:12:00.002-07:00

i don't know who to attribute this recipe to... but i think it's so widely known and redistributed that it won't matter if i publish it here. this is my favorite sweet chex mix, as it has some of my very favorite things in it.

when i say favorite, you all know that means "favorite at the moment," right? because i have SO many favorite things. pasta. butter. garlic. brown sugar. almonds. steel cut oats. ice cream. raspberries. diet ginger ale. cheese. horseradish. grilled steak. red peppers. onion salt. balsamic vinegar. alfredo sauce. david beckham. coconut. chex cereal. pistachios. ruby red grapefruit. granny smith apples. avocados. blah. blah. blah.

i could go on and on.

this year, i made this for my neighbors. this recipe makes 8 of the 5.2 cup rubbermaid take alongs.

*1 box rice chex (the big box)
*1 box golden grahams
*12 oz sliced almonds (you can use cashews, too)
*1 pkg coconut (sweetened or unsweetened, whatever you want.)

*2 sticks butter (do i really have to give you my "don't substitute margarine" speech?)
*1 1/2 c. light corn syrup (karo)
*1 1/2 c. sugar
*1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

mix the first four ingredients in a ginormous bowl. or 2 smaller bowls. i don't own a bowl that is large enough. in a medium saucepan, melt the butter, then stir in the sugar and the corn syrup. bring to a boil and and boil for 3 minutes, constantly stirring. remove from heat, stir in vanilla and pour over cereal. spread out to cool and place in containers. or horde it all for yourself, which is what i really wanted to do.

apron giveaway

2009-11-15T18:28:00.001-07:00

a friend of a friend is giving away aprons - you have 1.5 hours left to enter (contest closes at 8 p.m. MST)...

here's the link: http://suissescenarios.blogspot.com/2009/11/giveaway.html

good luck!

pork loin recipe later this week...potato pancake recipe below...

potato pancakes

2009-11-15T18:14:00.003-07:00

last week when i was at sam's club, pork loin was on sale for $1.48 a pound. i don't know if you're a savvy shopper, but believe me when i tell you that's a screaming deal. i selected a nice 5.5 pound loin and brought it home.

as i was preparing the loin for roasting, i was trying to decide what would go well with it. i remembered my mom used to make potato pancakes when i was a kid...and i knew they'd go really well with the pork loin. they're kind of like hashbrowns, but have a little bit more substance due to the addition of egg and flour.

the most important part of this recipe? draining the potatoes well. they will darken a little bit if you just let them drain, so the best way to avoid this is to put them into a clean dishtowel and wring them out.

potato pancakes

*4-5 medium size russet potatoes (2 lbs-ish...), peeled and grated
*1/2 onion, chopped fine or grated
*1 T dried parsley
*1/4 cup flour
*2 eggs, beaten
*1-2 T milk
*salt and pepper to taste
*vegetable oil for frying

peel the potatoes and shred in the food processor. you can also grate them by hand. i like to use the food processor and toss in the onion, too. it's easy.

drain the potatoes well, either by placing in a colander in the sink or by wringing them out in a clean dishtowel. put the potatoes in a bowl and mix in all the other ingredients. mix until just combined.

if the mixture becomes too runny, just drain off the excess water.

heat about 1/4 inch of oil in a skillet over medium to medium high heat. drop spoonfuls of potato pancake batter into hot oil, and spread out with the back of the spoon so the pancake isn't too thick. let cook until golden brown, flip over and cook on the other side. serve hot with pork loin (i'll post a recipe for that later this week or next! i have a kick A bbq sauce recipe!).

makes 4-5 pancakes. serves 4 (assuming there are no hollow legs in your family!)

mexican chicken lasagna

2009-09-03T18:37:00.000-06:00

i'm posting this recipe now, because you might really enjoy it and i don't really want to wait. however...it needed a little something. more flavor, more spice, more something. i personally think it would be excellent with cilantro, but i live with ~~haters~~ people who don't like cilantro.

oh the humanity. how can you NOT like cilantro?? it could be worse. they could hate onions, peppers and tomatoes. then my life would REALLY suck.

my kids liked this and it was easy. there is only a small piece left in the pan...so either everyone was really hungry or it really was good.

here's what's so dang cool about this recipe: it can be prepared the night before... AND it can be cooked in the microwave (if the pan you prepare it in will fit in the microwave - and is not metal. that's a DUH, right? don't put metal in the microwave!!)

mexican chicken lasagna

3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
12-18 corn tortillas (depends on the size you use)
1 6 oz can tomato sauce
2 cups water
1 pkg enchilada seasoning
1 cup salsa, divided
1 cup corn, divided (or whatever is in the can you use)
2 cups shredded cheese, your choice (i used fiesta blend. it's a party cheese!!)
1 8 oz. package cream cheese
oregano (yeah, i have no idea how much. just some, ok?)

i also wanted to use 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed, divided, but i wasn't in the mood to listen to my kids bitch, so i didn't use them. however, next time, i just might use them anyway.

prepare the enchilada sauce by mixing the water, tomato sauce and enchilada seasoning packaet according to package directions (or you can use 1 28 oz can enchilada sauce).

soften cream cheese in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds. it goes without saying that you should remove it from the package and put it into a bowl, right?? mix 1 cup shredded cheese into the cream cheese, toss in some oregano. maybe like 1 tsp? ish? mix well.

we'll assemble this in a 9X13 pan (or a pan that will fit in your microwave). i sprayed the bottom with cooking spray first. dip 1/3 of the tortillas in enchilada sauce and layer them in the bottom of the pan. you may have to tear the tortillas to cover the bottom of the pan.

on top of the first layer, sprinkle half of the corn, half of the chicken, half the black beans (yanno, the ones i didn't get to use??), and half of the cream cheese mixture. i dropped the cream cheese on top using my pampered chef cookie scoop. i love finding new ways to use that overpriced little gadget. oh yeah, i almost forgot. distribute about 1/2 cup salsa on this layer, too.

dip another 1/3 of the tortillas in the enchilada sauce and arrange on top of the chicken, cheese, salsa, corn and black beans. repeat with another layer of chicken, cheese mixture, black beans, corn and salsa. top with the last layer of tortillas, pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the lasagna. cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until bubbling. remove foil, sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese and return to oven for about 3 minutes, or until cheese melts.

i probably would have served this with a bit of source cream if i would have had any, but i didn't... if you make this, let me know what you think.

pasta with blank & blank

2009-08-30T04:51:00.001-06:00

are you intrigued by the title? i called it that because really you can use whatever you want in this recipe. recently, i made this using leftover grilled chicken, onions, garlic, green peppers and crookneck squash. it's all about using what you have in the fridge and what is in season. i did NOT have to buy anything special for this recipe.

i used the following items from my pantry:

garlic
dried minced onion
chicken broth
cornstarch
butter
parmesan cheese
salt & pepper
spaghetti

i used the following items in the pasta that i just had on hand:

fresh basil ( loooove growing it in the summer)
leftover grilled chicken
crookneck squash, halved, seeds removed and cut into slices
green bell pepper, sliced

heat water for the pasta you are using. cook according to package directions.

in a large skillet, heat some olive oil and stir fry the veggies you are going to use. i sliced up the leftover chicken and added it to the pan for heating. push all the veggies to the sides of the skillet and melt 2 T butter in the skillet. with a whisk, blend in 1 T cornstarch. add chicken stock to make a nice sauce. make it as thin or as thick as you'd like. when the pasta is done, drain and add it to the skillet with the chicken and vegetables. stir gently to combine. garnish with fresh chopped basil and parmesan cheese.

green beans with browned butter and almonds

2009-08-23T08:38:00.001-06:00

i have to give real credit for this recipe to erin, as she pointed me in this direction last thanksgiving when i was looking for recipes.

disclaimer: of COURSE i prefer fresh green beans to canned. however, my fabulous mother-in-law has a giant garden and i have quarts and quarts of canned green beans to use. i really enjoy cooking meals from my pantry and my freezer, because it makes life simple. i need simple, but as a foodie, i need delicious.

i'm not gonna lie...my kids don't really dig the almonds in this recipe, but i do, so they're stuck with them. and they do eat them. they would just prefer that i leave them out.

as usual, i'm a cook, not a baker, and measurements here aren't precise. i throw stuff in a pan and we eat it. sometimes i have an epic fail, but most of the time we love what i made. (i'll post a pasta recipe later that is a great example of using what i had on hand to make dinner.)

this recipe makes a large batch - but i have four hungry kids to feed. :)

green beans with browned butter and almonds

*2 quarts green beans, drained
*1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
*1/4-1/2 cup sliced almonds
*salt and pepper to taste

in a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. when the butter is melted, add the almonds. continue to watch the butter closely, as you want it to brown. it will start to foam. stir the almonds well at this point and reduce the heat. you could burn the butter if you don't pay attention... and then you'd have to start over. after the butter foams, add the green beans and stir to coat. reduce the heat to low, cover and heat through.

ready in 10 minutes or less and super tasty. :)

my new best friend

2009-08-20T15:23:00.001-06:00

ladies and gentlemen, meet my new pal:

i bought the larger of the two knives - it's got a 7 inch blade. i am straight pimpin' with this knife. if you love to cook, you NEED a really great knife... i thought i had really good knives until i tried this one.

instant love.

i did buy the pearl handled knife, as i thought it looked elegant and classy. plus all my other knives have a boring old black handle.

you should have seen me cut pineapple with this baby - i sliced through three of them in no time at all. and if you've ever cut up a pineapple, you know it's not easy.

cake mix cinnamon rolls

2009-08-17T14:53:00.000-06:00

wha??? who makes cinnamon rolls with a cake mix? i thought it sounded ridiculous, but dude.. they were really good! my kids really liked them and so did my husband.

cinnamon rolls

*1 pkg cake mix (yellow, white or spice. i used spice, cuz that's what i had)
*4-6 cups white flour (i snuck in 1 cup whole wheat)
*2 pkgs (or 4 1/2 tsp.) yeast
*2 1/2 cups warm water

put the dough hook on your kitchen aid and mix this all together. start with 4 cups of flour and gradually add UP to 2 cups more until the dough is smooth. it should stick to the dough hook and not to the bowl. continue to let the hook knead the dough for about 5 minutes.

remove the bowl from the mixer and oil the sides and bottom of the bowl and the top of the dough. i spray it with pam. cover and let rise until double. this could take up to 60-90 minutes depending on how warm your kitchen is.

filling:
*1/4 cup melted butter
*1/3 cup white sugar
*1/3 cup brown sugar
*1 tsp. cinnamon

mix sugars and cinnamon together in a bowl. divide the dough in half and roll each piece into a 14' by 10" rectangle. (yes, i really measured. you might want to, too. i had no idea how big (or small) that really is.)

brush the dough with butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture. roll the dough, starting from the long side, like a jelly roll. cut into 12 pieces and place into a buttered 9x13 pan. to get even pieces, cut the dough roll in half, in half again, and then cut each piece into thirds. :) handy little tip there...

repeat this process for the other piece of dough. let both pans of dough rise until double (about 20-30 mins). i usually speed the process by placing the pans into a 170 degree oven for 20 minutes.

preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake for 10-15 minutes. remove from oven and make frosting. let cool for 20 minutes before frosting.

frosting:
*6 T butter, softened
*3 cups powdered sugar
*1 1/2 t. vanilla
*2-3 T milk

beat butter, sugar and vanilla together. add milk gradually until you get the desired consistency.

spread frosting on the cinnamon rolls and serve. these didn't last long at my house.

twix salad

2009-08-16T15:00:00.006-06:00

i knew it had been a while since i last blogged, but wow...i had NO idea it had been more than a month! now that's out of the way... i'm happy to share a recent recipe success with you. warning: this has UTAH and MORMON written all over it, but that certainly doesn't diminish the tastiness of it.

i like to make yummy things to take to our company potlucks, because they are actually appreciated there. my husband appreciates and enjoys my cooking, and i think my kids do, too, but they really take me for granted. we recently had a potluck for a coworker who was quitting. he has been commuting to logan from farmington for the last year while his house was on the market, and was never able to sell it, so he decided he needed to quit and take a job closer to home. can't say as i blame him; commuting that far would not be ideal for me, either. his favorite candy is twix and i knew i wanted to make a dessert, so i started looking on teh internetz for a recipe, but wasn't finding anything appealing. i didn't want to recreate the twix bar (it's already fairly perfect) as much as i wanted to incorporate it into a dessert. i asked a friend who used to be a pastry chef and he pointed me towards a great recipe for a snickers salad and i tweaked it a bit to make it the TWIX salad. i think you could use any candy bar, honestly... i made a double batch, since this was for potluck, and it fit nicely into a very large bowl. there was NONE left over and some people didn't even get any. did i mention i work with men with hollow legs? maybe i left that part out...

twix salad

*1 12-oz container of cool whip (i used western family brand, cuz i'm ~~cheap~~ frugal)
*1 large box instant vanilla pudding (i used jell-o brand, cuz the WF brand was sold out)
*3-4 granny smith apples, cored and diced, but NOT peeled
*3-4 pkgs of twix bars (or 2 king size bars)
*1 1/2 cups milk

the whipped topping needs to be thawed before you assemble this recipe, so factor that in when you decide to make it. i think if you wanted to whip up something quick and didn't have time for cool whip to thaw, you could whip cream (2 pints, probably) and sweeten it with sugar.

first, mix the pudding with the 1 1/2 cups of cold milk. it will be fairly thick. let the pudding sit for about 2 minutes, and then fold in the whipped topping.

now it's time to cut your apples. i have one of these:

at my house, we call it the ka-chonker. a friend told me this is what he called it, and my kids love that name, so it has stuck. that is the sound it makes when you use it on apples: KA-CHONK.

i used the ka-chonker to speed up the process. it really doesn't matter how big or small you cut up the apples - small enough to fit on a spoon. you'll want them to be about the same size as the twix bars when you cut the them.

stir the apple chunks into the pudding/whipped topping mixture.

cut up the twix bars and add them to the salad, mix well. refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

you'll be popular, i promise. :) enjoy.

sweet tea - jess style

2009-07-06T21:31:00.003-06:00

i'm not new to tea. my grandma (grandma great as we called her the last 10 years or so...) loved her herbal tea and i liked to drink it as well. my favorite flavor of hot tea is mint, but i also love lemon ginger (so good when i'm feeling ill) and chai.

two years ago, when i was out in oklahoma for work, i fell in love with sweet tea. sweet tea is different than stirring in some sugar to your iced tea. have you ever noticed you can't get sugar to dissolve in cold iced tea?

a few weeks ago i asked facebook for a good sweet tea recipe. i found out how to make it from some of my friends and i have tweaked the recipe for me...

i make this in an 8 cup tupperware jug. it's delish.

minty sweet tea - jess style

*2 cups water
*2/3 cup sugar (you could use more, i just don't like to.)
*3 green tea bags, mint flavored
*2 lipton tea bags (regular size)
*water to fill the jug (about 6 cups)

mix the first two ingredients together. microwave for 4-5 minutes or until water boils. while you watch the water boil, (don't stand in front of the microwave. i hear that's dangerous) unwrap the tea bags. when the water is boiling, remove it from the microwave and toss the tea bags in. let the tea steep for at least 20 minutes...maybe longer to suit your taste. remove the bags and stir well. add 6 cups cold water and stir. store in fridge, serve over ice. it's good for about 2-3 days, but mine never lasts that long. it's a refreshing summer drink.

p.s. for my mormon pals, i think you could do this with all herbal tea (which ya'll can drink, right?). i would use mint herbal tea. it would be super yummy.

potato salad sans mayo

2009-06-30T19:06:00.000-06:00

i find mayonnaise utterly disgusting. ditto for the miracle whip. you'll be surprised to know that despite being a true-blooded utahn, i don't care much for fry sauce. the reason for that is because 50 percent of the ingredients in fry sauce are comprised of mayo.

mayo is against my religion. let's think about what it is for a second... eggs and oil. whipped together. sick o rama! i have a very hard time with eggs, too. i will eat them if i cook them, but you won't see me eating a runny yolk egg or eating eggs with crispy brown skin on them. NASTO.

because of my hate for mayo, i've never really liked potato salad. add hard boiled eggs to potato salad and it's even worse. the double deadly combo: mayo AND hard cooked eggs?? mixed together??? i guess i don't have to tell you that i don't like egg salad sandwiches. besides the fact that egg salad takes two nasty ingredients and slams them together on bread with another oft-added nasty ingredient (pickles), it smells horrible.

saturday at the farmer's market, i bought some lovely new red potatoes and some fresh chives. i also bought a big bag of mixed greens. i had a package of hormel center cut bacon in my fridge waiting to be cooked... and i knew i wanted to make a potato salad to go with our steak and greens for dinner. i searched high and low for a recipe that i wanted, but couldn't find one that seemed to fit my needs. one had raw onions (meh...), one had flour stirred into bacon grease (icky) and many of them had mayonnaise.

i decided that i was going to be on my own... but i'd seen enough ingredients that i figured i could toss something together and it would be yummy.

i don't like to boil food - except for pasta. nothing kills flavor like boiling water (unless you're making coffee or tea...). so i knew i'd opt for roasting the potatoes. i realize that's not best on an 80 degree summer day, so i guess you could boil the potatoes, i just chose not to.

jenna LOVED this potato salad. paul had seconds. jake wasn't home, so he didn't get to weigh in.

roasted red potato salad (read entire recipe - ingredients are listed throughout)

*2 pounds new red potatoes
kosher salt
pepper
2 T olive oil

heat oven to 450 degrees F. wash potatoes, cut into quarters. spread cut potatoes on a cookie sheet (i use my pampered chef stoneware pan), drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. roast for 20-25 minutes. you want the potatoes to be tender, but not mushy. i rearrange all the potatoes so they are cut side down because i like the way it makes the sides crispy, but that's just me. it's not required.

1/2 cup sweet onion (or whatever kind of onion you have)
1/2 cup sliced celery
6-8 slices bacon

in a skillet, fry the bacon until crisp. remove bacon from the pan and pour off all but 1 T of the fat. reserve the poured off fat for use in the dressing. cook the onion in the bacon fat for about 10 minutes, or until the onions are soft and begin to darken. toss the celery in with the onions for the last 3-4 minutes of cook time. remove the pan from the heat. chop bacon into small pieces and set aside.

in a small bowl or mixing cup, prepare the dressing for the potatoes:

2 T balsamic vinegar
1 T bacon fat, from the reserved drippings
1 T Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard
1 T brown sugar
2 T olive oil

whisk together the first 4 ingredients and then drizzle the olive oil in slowly while whisking briskly. taste the vinaigrette and correct seasons if needed. i don't add salt - the potatoes are salted and we'll be let's get ready to assemble this salad, shall we? you'll need one final ingredient:

small bunch of fresh chives, chopped (2-3 T ish)

when the potatoes are cooked, remove them from the oven and let them sit on the pan. when you are ready to make the salad, put the potatoes in a serving bowl and add the onions, celery, bacon and chives. give the vinaigrette a final whisk and pour over the salad. fold the dressing and the potatoes together until the potatoes are nicely coated. this should be served warm or at room temperature. if you don't have chives, i think using green onions would be lovely.

do you like potato salad? are you a lover of mayo? do you consider yourself a picky eater?

pita bread

2009-06-28T19:41:00.000-06:00

yeah so who the hell makes pita bread from scratch???

THIS GIRL. (oh...and i have two thumbs...) ((get it??))

anyway. i made pesto last weekend and i needed a vehicle to get it into my mouth. i love to toast pita bread and cut it into triangles and dip it in pesto. so when i went grocery shopping i bought the stuff i needed...

and i forgot the darn pita bread!! i got home and i was CRUSHED. and then i thought...HEY! i bet i can make it! so i started cruising the interwebs and i found two recipes that i combined.

pita bread

1 envelope of yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp)
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
2 to 2 1/2 cups white flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1 cup warm water

combine yeast, 1/2 cup water and 1 1/2 tsp. sugar in a mixing cup. let sit until very frothy; about 10-15 mins.

combine 2 cups white flour, 1/2 cup wheat flour, salt and water in kitchenaid with the dough hook attached. add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture. if the dough is too sticky, add the remaining 1/2 cup white flour. the dough should be smooth and stick to the dough hook but not to the bowl.

p.s. warm the bowl with very warm water before mixing the dough. :)

remove the hook from the dough and spray the bowl with pam. cover the bowl with a clean towel and set in a warm place for 2-3 hours.

preheat oven to 500 degrees F. on a floured surface, roll the dough into a log shape and cut into 10-12 even pieces. roll each piece into a circle, about 1/4" thick. if you roll it too thin, it will get too crispy. if you actually want it to split like pocket bread, err on the side of thicker.

place dough circles on stoneware pans or pizza stones to bake and bake in batches, one pan at a time for 6-9 minutes, or to desired doneness.

my family ate these as fast as they came out of the oven...and there were no leftovers. my husband even ate pesto. be still my heart!

pesto

2009-06-23T13:34:00.000-06:00

i have a giant crush on pesto. i would marry it if were legal to marry food. i love basil...the smell, the flavor...it's probably the perfect herb. i also love garlic and parmesan cheese, so it's only natural that i have great love for pesto.

this year, i finally got to plant some basil. i've always wanted to grow it in pots, but i never have. i vowed this year would be different. my plants are doing well...and they smell amazing. AMAZING.

many people like pesto but seem to think they can't make it at home. i assure you, it's super easy. you do need a food processor, but most of you have one of those, right? RIGHT? pesto is also one of those recipes where you can alter the ingredients to suit your taste. the measurements are only guidelines...not carved in stone. i prefer pesto on toasted pita bread (i'll post a recipe for this soon! SOOO tasty, SOOO easy) but it's also great on pasta, veggies or crackers. i could eat it just plain on a spoon.

pesto makes me happy... and i think it might make you happy, too.

pesto

*1 cup packed basil leaves
*1/2 cup pine nuts* (i buy these at a kitchen specialty store. you can substitute walnuts)
3-4 medium cloves of garlic (more is not better in this case), peeled
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/3-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
pinch kosher salt

i don't wash the basil unless it's really dirty. pat it dry if you need to rinse it. place the basil, garlic, pine nuts and parmesan in a food processor. toss in the pinch o salt. pulse until well blended. turn food processor onto lowest setting and drizzle the olive oil in until the pesto is the consistency you want.

i like to serve this immediately, as it will turn brown over time. it's great tossed with hot pasta. if you want to save it for a few days, pour a thin layer of olive oil on the top to keep it from darkening.

pita bread recipe soon, i promise!!

brown sugar pancakes

2009-06-07T09:08:00.000-06:00

dudes. you have GOT to make these pancakes. get this: i made them for BREAKFAST on a SCHOOL DAY.

two things: i never cook breakfast. breakfast is poured at my house. topped with milk, which is also poured.

second, cooking on a hectic morning? crazeh!! O.o

you should make these pancakes b/c they will make you happy.

brown sugar pancakes

*1/2 cup white flour
*1/2 cup wheat flour
*2/3 cup oatmeal (regular or quick cooking)
*1/3 cup brown sugar
*1/2 tsp baking soda
*1/2 tsp salt

mix together in a small bowl.

then in a separate bowl (i like my pampered chef batter bowl) mix:

*1 egg
*2 T oil
*1 c. buttermilk (i use reg milk plus 1 tsp vinegar to make sour milk)

add the dry ingredients to the wet, mix until just combined. pour onto a hot griddle (i like to spray lightly with cooking spray).

serve with butter and syrup. makes about 10 pancakes. awesome with glazed baked thick cut bacon.

raspberry jello dessert

2009-06-04T21:49:00.003-06:00

i'm posting this for cristi... but it turns out that even though she has a temple recommend, she doesn't have any jello. so put this on file and make it.

trust me, it's delish.

raspberry jello dessert

*1/2 cup melted butter
*2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
*2 T sugar

mix together and press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan, reserving 1/3 cup of mixture for garnish.

*1 qt raspberries (or two 10 oz. frozen packages of raspberries)
*1 6 oz package raspberry Jello
*2 cups boiling water

mix together in a bowl, let sit until set - may need to refrigerate. spread over top of graham cracker crust.

*8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
*3/4 cup powdered sugar
*2 tsp. vanilla
*1 pt heavy whipping cream, whipped OR 1 tub (8 or 12 oz, whatever) cool whip, thawed

mix cream cheese with sugar and vanilla. fold in whipped cream or cool whip. spread on top of raspberry mixture. place in refrigerator for a few hours to set up. garnish with reserved graham cracker crumb just before serving.

this is awesome for 4th of july. you can decorate the top like a flag with blueberries, strawberries and raspberries to look like a flag.

strawberry shortcake

2009-06-01T21:57:00.000-06:00

may is awesome. it's summer outside. soccer season is winding down. strawberries are amazing.

shortcake makes me happy.

i don't like angel food cake and those store-bought twinkie-like cakes are sicko. so i make my own little shortcakes.

i'm not sure where i got this recipe... but i do know it's fabulous.

shortcakes with berries and cream

*1 quart strawberries, hulled and sliced or quartered
*1 box raspberries
*1 cup whipping cream
*1 T sugar

wash berries, prepare strawberries. toss with raspberries and sugar. let rest at room temperature.

shortcakes:

*2 1/2 cups bisquick
*2/3 cup milk
*sugar in the raw

mix the milk and bisquick just until the mix is all combined. you can prepare this two ways: pat out and roll into a square. sprinkle with sugar and roll up into a log. slice into 8 pieces. brush the tops with milk, sprinkle with a bit more sugar. OR you can form the dough into a log, roll in sugar and cut into slices. brush the tops with milk and sprinkle with more sugar.

bake at 450 degrees F for 9-10 minutes. remove from oven and let cool slightly.

while the shortcakes bake, whip the cream. add sugar and vanilla to taste.

dessert time!!

split the shortcakes in half with a knife. place the bottom on a plate, spoon berries onto the shortcake. top with whipped cream. place the shortcake top on the top, add more whipped cream and garnish with additional berries.

menu plan june 1

2009-05-31T22:09:00.004-06:00

life has been a wreck during soccer season. but that's all behind me now. jake has his final game on thursday and we'll be done until the cache cup in july.

wait... i lied. he has tryouts on tuesday and wednesday. so..this week might be a little hairy.

menu planning really does make the week easier. i've sorely missed it over the past few weeks.

monday:
frozen battered fish filets
rice
fresh pineapple

tuesday:
leftover meat chili

wednesday:
pork tacos with fresh pico de gallo

thursday:
cereal

friday:
kids' choice (SCHOOL IS DONE!!)

saturday:
whatever meat is on sale to grill
creamed corn (i'll post a recipe)
twice baked potatoes

sunday:
pork roast
green beans

jam on

2009-05-26T21:54:00.002-06:00

in the past three weeks, i've made 20 pints of freezer jam. ten pints of strawberry and ten pints of raspberry. that raspberry jam is precious and i shall guard it with my life. the strawberry is just ok and i will make my kids use that first. :)

i made scones with frozen roll dough on sunday so i'd have a vehicle to get the jam into my mouth. i think it's ungainly to stand in front of the fridge and eat it with a spoon.

do you make jam? has anyone ever made peach freezer jam?

microwave cake

2009-05-10T17:59:00.004-06:00

so i've been doing weight watchers for two weeks now. the first week i lost 4.5 pounds. the second week was really hard and i lost 1 pound.

it only makes sense, then, that today i'd post a recipe for a cake you make in the microwave, right??

one problem: you need some special equipment to make this cake: the pampered chef rice cooker.

you can also make this cake in the microwave if you have a fluted stoneware pan - also pampered chef. (see notes later...). i've never tried with any other pans. either i'm not that brave or i'm not that stupid. you will need to cook the cake for 13-15 mins in the stoneware.

here's what you need:

1 pkg any flavor cake mix
1 can any kind of frosting (not whipped)

right in the rice cooker, mix the cake mix according to package directions. this means you'll need eggs, water and oil. the amount depends on the cake mix you are using. when the cake is mixed, glop (word of the day) 1/2 of the can of frosting right on top of the cake batter. put the lid on the rice cooker and cook for 9 minutes in your microwave.

let the cake rest for about 2 minutes. remove the lid carefully and invert a plate on the top of the rice cooker. take a deep breath and flip the rice cooker over, dumping the finished cake out on top of the plate. the frosting will bubble out over the top of the cake. you can add more frosting if you want.

if you use the fluted stoneware pan, you can use the entire can of frosting... :) bonus!

the best part about this cake is it's easy - and you can go crazy with the flavor combinations. lemon cake is really good with lemon frosting. chocolate cake is good with cherry frosting. if you have a favorite flavor combo, let me know! i'd love to try it out!!

p.s. i love the pampered chef rice cooker. i've made chicken noodle soup in it, oatmeal, cornbread and mashed potatoes, too. and rice. but isn't that obvious??

pasole

2009-03-26T19:41:00.002-06:00

many of you know i've traveled a rather bumpy road...all because of choices that i made. those are decisions that i own. despite traveling uphill both ways in 8 inches of snow to many destinations, i'm in a pretty good spot now. much of that i owe to some dear pals...

for almost 7 years, another woman has taken care of my kids while i finished school and worked, because i refuse to be a freeloader. (no offense to any of you freeloaders out there. it's just not for me.) anyway...this wonderful lady has given my kids a second home and she's a good cook. she's also married to a hispanic dude and so she cooks up some awesome mexican food. she introduced me to pasole, which is a mexican soup made with pork and hominy.

i've had a couple of different versions of pasole, but this recipe i developed on my own... my kids love this and will chow down on it, even though it IS a little spicy. i've made it with canned chicken, too, but it's much better with pork, so if you make it, use pork. :) at least the first time. think of this like a mexican version of chicken noodle soup, without chicken or noodles. LOL.

pasole (PAH-soul-ay)

*1 1/2 - 3 lbs pork (you can use tenderloin, chops, whatever)
*2 28-oz cans of white hominy (found in the mexican section of your grocery store)
*1 large onion, diced
*2 or 3 cloves of garlic, minced
*12-14 cups of broth, any kind (more on this later)
*1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
*1 or 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
*2 tsp. dried oregano
*finely shredded cabbage
*salt and pepper to taste
*1 T bacon fat or vegetable oil

ok, ok, so i know i use cabbage alot. i apologize, especially if you don't like cabbage. i also use a buttload of chicken broth. believe me when i say i love to buy it when it's on sale. also, don't forget the better than bouillion. you could then use water and a couple of spoonfuls of that stuff and be good to go.

first, a quick note. this recipe takes TIME to cook, but the prep time is next to nothing. i like to roast a pork loin in the oven the night before. place the pork loin in deep baking dish, and season well with salt and pepper. i like to cook the pork loin with 1 can of beef broth and i roast it on 275 degrees F for about 2-3 hours. i let it cool off and put the whole thing in the fridge before i go to bed.

ok, now you are ready to cook. and dinner will be ready in no time at all. in a large pot, melt the bacon fat. dice the onion nicely and cook it in the hot fat, seasoning with salt and pepper. mince the garlic and toss it in with the onion. i like to let this cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until everyone in the house is really complaining that i'm stinking up the house or that their eyes are watering from the onion.

i'm awesome.

open the cans of hominy and drain them in a colander. rinse the hominy off several times and let it drain. have you ever eaten corn nuts? if yes, then you've eaten hominy. you'll LOVE it in soup. it tastes nothing like corn..it's much more like barley.

let's talk about that broth. 12-14 cups is about 8 14-oz cans of chicken broth. you can use vegetable or beef broth if that is what you have. you can also substitute some of that broth for water. that's the beauty of cooking...you can really do what you want. this soup will still have lots of flavor if you replace some of the broth with water. this might be important to you as some broths can be very salty.

this is where you add the broth. put it all in there, baby. toss in the drained hominy and the oregano. stir and taste the broth for seasoning. add salt if you need to...but not too much. make sure the soup is simmering....mmmkay? add the tomato sauce, too.

chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. are you scared? you'll find these little guys in the mexican food aisle at your grocery store, too. probably close to the hominy. it seems kind of lame to buy a can of them to only use one or two peppers. however, i put mine in a gladware container and find they keep in the fridge for at least three weeks. they are good in chili and i have another soup recipe somewhere that i use them in. and somewhere, someone will cringe, but sometimes i have to throw the unused ones away.

start with ONE pepper. trust me on this. these are hot little ~~bastards~~ babies. slice it up into very small pieces and put it into the soup. i use the seeds and everything...but if you want, you could try to remove the seeds, as that is where most of the heat is. stir the soup well and continue to simmer.

take that pork out of the fridge and skim all the fat off the top of the broth. the broth that the pork was cooked in will probably be gelled; this is ok. remove the pork loin to a cutting board and put the broth the pork loin was roasted in into the soup. you can slice, dice or shred the pork, it's completely up to you. add the pork to the soup, bring back up to a simmer temperature.

taste the broth. chances are it is spicy enough, but if you want more heat, add another chipotle pepper. i once made this so freaking spicy that we could barely eat it! i had to serve it with TONS of sour cream...and it was good, but it was SO. HOT. make sure it has the flavor you want...you can add a little bit of salt and pepper if you want.

the longer you simmer this, the better it is, but if you want, you can serve it as soon as it's heated through.

i know you're dying to know what to do with that cabbage. slice it up real thin, right? you can also use that shredded coleslaw mix that you find in the premade salad section at your grocery store. put a handful of cabbage in the bottom of a bowl, and ladle the pasole over the top. you can garnish with fresh squeezed lime juice if you like.

my kids love this. if you get it too spicy, calm the heat down with some sour cream.

this makes enough to serve a small army, so we always have it for two meals. it's usually weekend food, so sometimes we eat it for lunch AND dinner. cook once, eat twice.

oatmeal wheat bread

2009-03-24T14:31:00.000-06:00

several months ago, i asked my dear pals for bread recipes. i got several and i have tried most of them. i need to go back and see which ones i have not tried and give them a go.

this one is my absolute favorite - because it's easy. it uses honey instead of white sugar. it has oatmeal, which i love and wheat flour, which makes it semi healthy, right?

did i mention it's really hard to screw this up? this recipe came to me from my friend bob, who got it from HIS friend's wife.

oatmeal wheat bread

* 2 C. whole wheat flour
*4-6 C. white flour (i use 4, tops)
*1 C. oatmeal (regular or quick cooking)
*2 pkg. yeast (4 1/2 tsp.)
*1 tsp. salt
*1 C. water
*1 C. sour milk (1 T vinegar in 1 cup milk)
*1/2 C. honey
*1/3 C. melted butter
*2 eggs, beaten

of course, i use my kitchenaid for this. combine wheat flour, 1 c. flour, oats, yeast and salt. in a separate bowl, mix together water, milk, honey, and butter. warm the liquids until the temperature is between 110-120 degrees. (i warm the milk in the microwave and get warm water from the tap.) stir into flour mixture and beat until smooth. add eggs. add enough flour to form a soft dough. Add the flour 1 cup at a time. you want the dough to just pull away from the bowl and stick to the dough hook (i got this tip from my friend brenda). knead for 10 minutes. let rise until doubled (if using rapid rise yeast, just let dough sit for 10 minutes). punch down and shape into 2 loaves. cover and let rise until doubled. bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

on kneading: who actually kneads bread now? let the dough hook do the work for you. five to seven minutes is sufficient.

another tip: warm the bowl with hot water before you start. i hope this is obvious, but dump the water out of the bowl before you use it. :)

i've also found that for my oven, if i bake this at 375 for 30 mins, it's much too dark. i like to bake it at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. it depends on the weather that day and the flour.

meal plan

2009-03-22T14:41:00.003-06:00

i've just spent most of the morning doing a bunch of spring cleaning. oh, baseboards! how i love thee! how i enjoy washing thee! and windows, i love you too. as i've been mopping, scrubbing, sweeping, dusting, etc., i've been thinking about dinner this week.

last week i did pretty darn good with the meal plan. i got my feelings hurt on tuesday because i went out of my way to make corned beef and cabbage for st. patrick's day, but then no one wanted to eat what i had made. and even if you don't like corned beef and cabbage, my family does. they just chose not to eat that day. i felt bad, but hey, whatever. the philly pockets were a HUGE hit (i will post the recipe, because i did change it a little bit...and it was super yummy.) the baked ziti was also a crushing home run. i will never make lasagna again. the ziti was easier AND i used whole wheat pasta, so it was kinda healthy. HA HA.

this week, i'm really struggling with what i should make. i know i have to come up with SOMETHING, because it really does make the week easier. however, i just don't know what to try. so this week's plan is probably going to be lame.

monday: reuben sandwiches (my kids won't eat these, i am sure. so they'll have to have cereal or something...)

tuesday: grilled cheese and campbell's tomato soup

wednesday: sweet and sour meatballs with rice

thursday: frozen pizza (paul is cooking. he doesn't know yet.)

friday: mixed green salad with citrus balsamic dressing, feta, almonds and craisins (i'll post my recipe on friday)

next week i hope i have some better ideas. i need to go grocery shopping, so a good meal plan will help me with that, too. do you have a meal plan? i'd love to see yours so i can steal your ideas.

lime rickey for a crowd

2009-03-18T19:27:00.001-06:00

i don't know how universal the lime rickey is. i think it's called different things in different states and in some places it's made with grape syrup and in others it's made with cherry. basically, it's a carbonated drink with grape or cherry syrup, fresh limes and lemon-lime soda.

i wish i could take the credit for this recipe, but i can't. i got it from a co-worker - a dude, a STRAIGHT dude no less - and it was a giant hit at the luncheon i served after jenna got baptized two weeks ago.

i guarantee if you make this you'll be wildly popular and there will probably be none left over.

lime rickey

*1 2-liter bottle of grape soda (if you can find diet, i'd recommmend it)
*1 12-oz can frozen limeade, thawed

seriously, that is ALL of the ingredients. in a large punchbowl, combine the limeade and the grape soda. don't stir too much or the soda may go flat. this is why it's important that the limeade be thawed first. i like to add ice to the punchbowl and it's even better if you can get crushed ice. did you know you can buy a bag of crushed ice from sonic drive ins? they will sell it to you and it's fairly inexpensive.

this recipe makes about 1/2 gallon and serves 8-12 people. i haven't tried this, but i think it would be good with black cherry soda, too.

meal plan

2009-03-16T00:00:00.000-06:00

if you are wondering whether creating a meal plan is worth it, let me save you some time: it's worth it. i haven't posted one for several weeks, but i have had a basic idea of what i was going to make for dinner most weeknights.

the thing i like about posting it is that i feel i need to adhere to it a bit....and i like to share what i'm cooking with teh interwebz.

a couple of disclaimers:

1. just because i write a menu plan doesn't mean i have to stick to it. it's a living document.

2. stuff happens, stuff like pack meeting. extra dance practice. one of the dogs vomiting all over the carpet and completely ruining my appetite.

so...without further adieu, here's my menu plan for this week:

monday: turkey barley soup (i'll post the recipe for this later. it's good.)

tuesday: corned beef and cabbage (traditional st. patrick's day food.)

wednesday: leftovers and/or cereal

thursday: philly dinner in a pocket from tales from the fridge (no fungus, tyvm)

friday: baked ziti (also from tales from the fridge!) (minor recipe correction, use 4% fat cottage cheese, not 1%)

if there is anything i love, it's cheese and it's pasta, so i'm really looking forward to friday night. i mean seriously. and the baked ziti is meatless, so i'm kinda excited to see how mine turns out. connie, from tales from the fridge (see link above) described it as orgasmic, so i'm really feeling the pressure here to perform.

here's to a good week. don't forget to wear green on tuesday!

potstickers

2009-03-14T19:43:00.003-06:00

so last week i was ~~wasting time~~ watching food network, as i often do on weekends while waiting for my laundry to fold itself. bobby flay did a throwdown on chinese dumplings, or potstickers as we white folk like to call them.

i've been craving them ever since. like, dying for them. since i love to cook, i thought to myself, "self, you can probably make those. yeah, it looks like it will be a pain in the ass, but i still think you can do it."

so i went out to teh interwebz in search of a recipe and i found quite a few, but none that i loved and was dying to make. here was some of my criteria:

1. i didn't want to make the wrappers from scratch. that seemed like a giant PITA (pain in the you-know-what)and i didn't want to deal with it.

2. i wanted the recipe to include cabbage, because i love cabbage.

3. i only wanted to use pork as the filling inside. i knew my kids wouldn't be hip on shrimp or other weird crap. when introducing new stuff to them, i know the limits.

4. i didn't want to have to buy tons of expensive ingredients that i might only use one time. what if the recipe didn't turn out? or if my family didn't like it? i don't want to be stuck with a bottle of expensive seasoning i'll never use.

i took a few recipes i found and came up with the version below. i created the dipping sauce all on my own...and you'll just have to trust me when i tell you that it's good, because it does kinda sound weird.

potstickers

*1 package round dumpling wrappers, approx. 60 count
*1 pound lean ground pork
*1 head napa cabbage (use napa, not regular)
*1-2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced finely (ginger is not for everyone...)
*5 green onions, thinly sliced, including the green tops
*1 T cornstarch
*1 T soy sauce
*black pepper
*kosher salt
*vegetable oil for frying

slurry:
*1 T cornstarch
*1/4 cup cold water

dipping sauce:

*1/2 cup soy sauce
*1 tsp. sugar
*1-2 t. brown sugar

begin by preparing the napa cabbage. wash, remove the core and the outside leaves. slice very thin and place into a large bowl. salt with 2-3 tsp kosher salt, mix well. let the cabbage sit for about 10-15 mins. this will draw out the water and the cabbage will become limp. this is an important step and cannot be skipped - or you will have soggy dumplings. after 10-15 mins, place the cabbage into some cheesecloth or into a clean dishtowel and wring all the water out. again, this sounds like a pain in the butt (and it is, this whole recipe is. just do it.)

place the ground pork in a large bowl. add the minced ginger, and sliced green onions, including the green tops. add about 1/4 tsp pepper. by now, you should know that i really don't measure...i just eyeball it. add the sliced, drained cabbage. i wish i had sliced mine thinner and chopped it a bit more. mix well. you'll probably just want to use your hands, like you would mix meatloaf, but a spatula works nicely, too. i didn't add salt to the meat mixture, because i thought the cabbage was salty enough, and the dipping sauce's main ingredient is soy sauce, which is salty on its own.

now, let the fun begin. in a small dish, prepare the slurry. this is what you'll use to make the wrappers stick together. take 1 wrapper and moisten the edges with the slurry. place about 1/2 T of filling in the wrapper and fold the wrapper around the filling, rolling the filling out slightly inside. pinch the wrapper in the middle to seal. then, seal the sides, pleating only ONE side of the wrapper, and do either the right OR the left side first. make sure the bottom is flat. the finished potsticker should look like a purse. kinda. here's a link to show you with pictures how to fold them: http://steamykitchen.com/blog/2008/07/27/potstickers. if you scroll down a bit you can see photos of how they fold them.

trust me, it's not easy. in fact, it really is a PITA (see above). thankfully, i had jake to help me. i entertained him by talking to him with my asian voice:

me: sirry boy. you suck at making potsticker. it take you four hour to make 2 potsticker. you so razy and slow!

jake: (laughing) four hour! hahahah! razy! mom, you're funny.

me: risten, get working. you have lots of potsticker to make.

jake: mom, you are funny. you sound just like a chinese lady.

(dear internet, if you know me at all, you know i am not racist. i'm not making fun of asians. i worked with asians for many years and i love them with all my heart. i'd give my left leg to cook like they can.)

a few things here. first of all, it IS worth your time to make these, even though they are way time consuming and a giant PITA. it looks like you have too much filling for 60 wrappers, but you should turn out ok. we did, and i know my kids ate at least a few plain wrappers along the way.

after you've finished about half of the potstickers, it's time to think about cooking them. i have a large 12-inch skillet with a lid. you need a pan that has a lid. if you don't have a 12-inch skillet, you'll have to fry them in smaller batches. pour enough vegetable oil into the pan to just coat the bottom. i used about 1/3 of a cup. heat the oil over medium heat for several minutes. you don't want to put the potstickers in cold oil or they will get greasy. place about 1/2 of the folded and sealed potstickers into the hot oil. carefully. i burned myself and swore no fewer than 12 times and jake laughed every time. fry the potstickers for about 2-3 minutes, until you can see the edges of the dumplings getting very dark brown. you can lift one up to see if they are the right color.

this is where it gets scary, unless you have an apron made of steel and a face mask. measure about 1/2 cup water into a measuring cup. VERY CAREFULLY pout it into the skillet and immediately cover with a lid. steam the potstickers for about 5-7 minutes. even our fattest potstickers were cooked all the way through after about 6 minutes. you can remove one from the pan and cut it in half to be sure.

while ~~your slave~~ helper continues to fold the potstickers and the first batch cooks, make the dipping sauce. in a microwave-safe bowl, combine the soy sauce and the sugar. cook on high for approximately 2 minutes. you want it to boil and for all the sugar to dissolve. stir well.

keep folding the second batch of potstickers. at this point you'll be so sick of it you want to die. but your family is salivating over the first batch and you'll really want to be able to eat at least a couple, so keep making them. it won't seem like it, but you will finish.

remove the first batch from the pan with tongs, let cool slightly, and serve with dipping sauce.for the second batch, you may need to add a bit of oil and reheat it. i did not need to do this, but you may. steam them and cook them like you did with the first batch.

total PITA and totally worth it. i'd make them again.

sweet and sour meatballs. casa de elana style

2009-03-12T16:15:00.007-06:00

so i've never made this, but i'm going to tonight. the biggest reason i'm posting it is b/c i got the recipe in an IM and i need to get it written down before i do something stupid like close the IM window and then POOF! it's gone forever.

i'm going to serve this with rice, but elana (and really, you've got to head over there and see her "daft hands" post anyway...) says it's good with funeral potatoes (if you seriously need this recipe, let me know and i'll post it, but really??? you don't already have it???)

mmm...sweet n sour meatballs. from my sister's IM to your kitchen.

1 lb (or so, she claims to eyeball it. i find this weird, b/c it makes it sound like she has a giant pot of ground meat and she just scoops out whatever and uses it for these meatballs.)

let me start over.

*1 lb. ground meat. i'm using turkey, b/c it's what i have. you can use beef or pork, too.
*2 eggs
*3/4 cup oats
*1/2 cup milk
*minced onions (dried or fresh, eyeball it. she leaves them out, but that should be illegal.)
*1 T worchest-whatever (her words, not mine...)
* salt n pepper

mix together and shape into balls using this thing:

what? you don't have one of these? LAME. making the meat mixture into balls will not be as easy for you, then.

place the meatballs ~~on a cookie sheet~~ in a 9x13 baking dish in a nice little pattern of your choosing.

for the sauce:

*1 c. brown sugar
*1/2 c. vinegar
*1/2 c. bbq sauce
*2 tsp. mustard
*1 T. worchest-whatever

mix ingredients together in a saucepan, heat until boiling. pour sauce over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 mins.

here's a little variation i'm going to try out - i'm going to brown the meatballs in a skillet first...and THEN put them in the oven. i have a skillet that is oven proof, so i think they'll be good this way.

roasted red potatoes

2009-03-07T20:07:00.000-07:00

this is the very first thing i made for paul when we started dating. when it was just me, jake and jenna, i didn't really make complete meals. the kids wanted mac n cheese, ramen or waffles. they really like potatoes with ranch and i'd make some hotdogs on the george foreman or grill a chicken breast and call it good.

so, i remember i had made a batch of these potatoes and paul had come over before he went to work (he works nights) and he asked me what smelled so good. i told him i had made roasted potatoes and asked if he wanted some. he did, of course, and he said they were the best potatoes ever.

i share them with you because a monkey could make these potatoes. that is how easy they are. they are totally delicious and you'll love them.

roasted red potatoes

*2-3 pounds red potatoes
*1-2 T olive oil
*mrs. dash

preheat oven to 450 degrees F. i use my pampered chef large bar pans for these potatoes - they have a non-stick surface and the potatoes get really crispy.

wash the potatoes and cut into bite size chunks. do not peel. if you are using baby reds, you can just halve or quarter them... i don't know how many potatoes i actually use, i just fill the pan up.

place the potatoes on the cookie sheet in a single layer. drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle liberally with mrs. dash. you can also slice up an onion and mix in with the potatoes. i've discovered that if you are watching calories, you can spray the potatoes with pam and then sprinkle with them with the mrs. dash.

bake at 450 degrees F for about 30-40 minutes, until potatoes are tender and nicely browned. my kids like to dip them in ranch.

ham and potato casserole

2009-03-03T19:22:00.002-07:00

tonight i wasn't really sure what to make for dinner. i've been too busy to meal plan (really, it's WAY easier if you meal plan, but i've not made it a priority) and life has pretty much been hell on earth since the middle of january.

i stared at the fridge to see what i had on hand. i had a bunch of leftover ham. i knew i had some frozen hash browns on hand. i looked to see if i had some cheese...and all i had were some american singles, white and yellow. one brand claimed to be "swiss," but i really think it's just white american cheese.

so, i whipped up a little ham and potato casserole...and it was a huge hit with tha family, if i do say so myself. don't laugh at the ingredients...it is what i had.

also, take caution with the salt. i thought it turned out a bit salty, probably from the ham. you'll have to adjust based on the cure of the ham and your preference for salt.

ham and potato casserole

*1 32-oz. bag southern style (square cut) frozen hash browns
*2-3 cups diced ham
*1/2 stick of butter (4 T)
*1/4 cup flour
*2 T dried chopped onions (i was way too lazy to just cut up a real onion)
*1 T dried parsley
*1 1/2 cups milk (i wish i could have used 2, but 1 1/2 was all we had!)
*4 slices white american cheese
*2 slices yellow american cheese
*1/2 cup sour cream
*1 can cream of chicken soup
*pepper
*garlic powder
*salt to taste (be careful!)

preheat oven to 350 degrees F. spray a 9x13 pan with pam. melt butter in a medium saucepan with onions. stir in flour, pepper and garlic powder, whisk until it's thick and bubbly. gradually add the milk, stirring to prevent lumpage. (ha ha! lumpage!) cook until nice and thick. turn heat down to low, add cheese. let the cheese melt, stir occassionally. when the cheese is melted, remove pan from heat, stir in sour cream and cream of chicken soup.

in a large bowl, combine hash browns, ham and parsley. pour sauce over top, stir to combine. spread into the baking pan, cover with foil and bake for 60 mins or until hot and bubbly.

jake LOVED this - he ate three plates.

autumn pork chops

2009-02-15T21:14:00.003-07:00

first of all, has it really been like 3 weeks since i last posted? what the H is up wit dat??

second of all, i know it's not autumn, but these pork chops kick butt. you should like, make them. tonight.

your kids will like them. and so will you.

autumn pork chops

*1 T vegetable oil
* 4 pork chops, about 1 1/2 pounds (any thickness, bone in or boneless)
*1 can cream of celery soup
*1/2 cup apple juice or water (you can totally use water...i have...)
*2 T spicy brown mustard (it's all about the gulden's, baby!)
*1 T honey
*4 cups hot cooked rice
*mrs. dash

cook pork chops about 5 minutes on each side or until browned. remove chops from pan, pour off fat. put soup, apple juice, mustard and honey in pan, whisk together. heat to boil.return chops to pan. reduce heat to low. cover and cook until chops are no longer pink (about 10 minutes) sprinkle with mrs. dash. serve over rice.

if your pan is large enough, i have done this with six chops and the same amount of sauce.

amaretto slush

2009-01-27T21:46:00.004-07:00

i got this recipe from a lovely blogger, holli. i LOVE amaretto and i've always wanted to make this, so when i hosted bunco at my house a few weeks ago, i made this. i had also borrowed a recipe for rum glogg from my dear friend kristi, but i thought this might appeal to this group of girls more. next year, we will do the glogg. i just like the name glogg. i want to say glogg over and over.

ok, back to this slush. thanks to holli for the recipe...

amaretto slush

*1 C boiling water
3 lipton tea bags **
3 1/2 C water
1 1/2 C amaretto
1 C sugar
1 (6 oz.) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed and undiluted
1 (6 oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed and undiluted
2 (2 liter) bottles ginger ale, chilled

Pour boiling water over tea bags; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and toss them out. (**I think you could make this without the tea bags, but they are definitely what gives the slush a nice brown almond color. If you live in Cache Valley, I have a giant box of these tea bags and will give you 3 if you want to make this. Just let me know...I would probably even mail them.)

Transfer tea to a 2 quart freezer container. (i have a large tupperware measuring cup I use) Stir in 3 1/2 cups water and the remaining ingredients EXCEPT for the ginger ale. Cover and freeze until firm. To serve, partially thaw until slushy (mine didn't freeze solid. but i may have put, uh, more amaretto in than 1 1/2 cups. maybe.) Pour equal parts of slush mixture and ginger ale into serving glasses.

Makes 1 gallon.

For those of you who choose not to drink, I think you COULD make this with almond extract instead of amaretto. I'd just use water in place of the amaretto, and try a T of almond extract. I have NEVER done this, so experiment. One tablespoon might be too much. Might not be enough. I have no idea.

breadsticks

2009-01-14T11:19:00.002-07:00

this recipe is easy and yum-o-licious. you can also use the dough for pizza crust.

i made these for bunco last night - two batches. and none were left over at the end of the night.

breadsticks

*1/8 cup olive oil
*1 T. yeast (can use 1 pkg. yeast)
*2 T. sugar
*1 1/2 C. warm water (not too hot, not too cold)
*1/2 tsp. salt
*3 cups flour

i make this in my kitchenaid...and i got a tip from a friend to warm the mixing bowl with hot water before making any recipes with yeast in them. so warm up that bowl... and attach the dough hook. put the oil, yeast, sugar and water in the bowl. stir to combine and let sit for about 5 minutes. attach the bowl to the mixer and add the salt and flour. knead for about 3 minutes. the dough should NOT be too sticky or stick to the sides of the bowl, but it will be soft. let the dough rest for about 10-15 minutes.

preheat your oven to 415-425 degrees F. you'll have to experiment and see what works best for you.

sprinkle flour on your countertop and roll the dough out. try to get it the same size as the pans you are going to be baking on. you can roll it out right on the pan if you prefer. brush the top of the dough generously with melted butter and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. i also like to put a bit of kosher salt on the top. cut into sticks with a pizza cutter.

bake for 10-15 minutes or until the breadsticks start to brown.

if using for pizza crust, roll out into the shape you want, top with sauce, toppings and cheese and bake.

menu plan week 2

2009-01-11T20:12:00.001-07:00

i'm not sure what to call these menu plan posts. do any of you have any good ideas? menu plan seems so freaking boring!

this is what i'm gonna make this week:

monday: corn dogs, tater tots and canned beets

tuesday: tonight is my bunco night at my house. i'm going to make roasted tomato soup and breadsticks. i got the breadsticks recipe from my friend jess and i'll post it later this week for you. it's super easy, and you might already even have it in your recipe file. i'll probably also make a spinach salad.

wednesday: breakfast: eggs, pancakes or waffles and bacon

thursday: grilled peanut butter and jelly, sliced apples

friday: oven roasted potatoes and beef tips

saturday: homemade chicken noodle soup

sunday: roasted pork lion with braised cabbage (and yes, i know it's loin, not lion. CLICK THE LINK!!)

now, with that said, i need to get my shopping list in order. wish me luck on another week of menu planning!

menu plan review

2009-01-11T13:04:00.002-07:00

so last week, i did pretty darn good with the menu plan. thursday was going to be leftovers or oatmeal, but the kids had pizza coupons from school they wanted to use, so we did that instead. thursday also was a really, uber crappy day at work (i'll post details later, when it's all official - but i still have a job and that's all that matters.), so eating out was kind of nice, honestly.

friday was supposed to be frozen pizza, but we ended up have five million things happen on friday night, with both jake and jenna having sleepovers and me having to drive back to logan after work. so we didn't have dinner on friday night. i had some leftover biscuits and a diet mountain dew.

saturday, we decided to take the kids to a movie and to dinner, so i'll make homemade chicken noodle soup THIS coming weekend instead.

overall, i'd say the menu plan was a total success. i didn't have to stress about what to make. and paul will stop at the grocery store on the way home from work almost any morning i ask him to, so if i need an ingredient, he can stop and pick it up. he's also really good at ONLY picking up what i ask for, so it doesn't cost a bunch of extra money.

i'll post this week's plan tomorrow.

menu plan

2009-01-05T10:19:00.001-07:00

one thing i'm going to try out this year is menu planning. i've tried this before, and i'm not very good at it, so bear with me.

i'm actually going to try to PLAN out dinner every night for a week. when i can and i have time, i'll link you the recipe i'm going to use.

here's this week's plan:

monday: swift spaghetti i already cooked the hamburger and mixed it with the sauce, so all i have to do is boil the noodles.

tuesday: philly cheesesteak sandwiches

wednesday: spinach salad ( i will post a recipe for this )

thursday: leftovers. or oatmeal. i'm not joking.

friday: frozen pizza

saturday: homemade chicken noodle soup

sunday: texican hash (i got this link from connie...and it looks sooo yummy. she does the whole menu plan thing because she's super organized.)

angel hair pasta with chicken

2009-01-04T16:05:00.003-07:00

even though my children can be holy terrors, i am really lucky they DO like to eat. ask anyone who knows them - they'll eat things other kids won't touch with a ten foot pole. that doesn't mean they aren't picky. jake doesn't like tomatoes - not chunks of them anyway. he does like spaghetti sauce and tomato soup. he's also not super fond of onions, but he will eat them. neither one of my kids likes squash. but they will eat beets, either pickled or just sliced and cooked. jenna just LOVES to eat her grandma's pickled beets. they love asparagus. one of our favorite snacks to eat after paul goes to work is a bag of edamame. i'm not having much luck finding a picture of the brand we like the best, but edamame is soybeans. they come in the pod and i boil them in the microwave. i rinse them with cold water so they are cool enough to handle and sprinkle with kosher salt. then we sit down, pop them out of the pods and eat them. totally yummy and very good for you. they are high in protein and fiber.

another veggie my kids both love is broccoli. this recipe uses broccoli nicely, and while it also calls for carrots, i have left them out before, because my kids would rather just eat the broccoli. the truth is, i don't like cooked carrots all that much and that's the REAL reason i have left them out in the past. the carrots do provide some nice color, however. for the most part, i think this recipe is fairly light, and it will serve 6-8 people. or 4-6 if you have giant eaters in your house. i believe you COULD replace the butter with margarine if you prefer. but i wouldn't recommend it. :)

angel hair pasta with chicken

*4 chicken breast halves, trimmed and cut into small chunks (approx. 1 inch)
*2-3 cups broccoli florets
*2-3 carrots, sliced diagonally
*3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (i use the food chopper!)
* 1 12-oz. pkg angel hair pasta
*2 c. chicken broth (1 15-oz can will work, if that's easiest)
*1 1/2 tsp. dried basil
*1/2 cup shredded parmesan, divided
*2 T. butter
*2 T. flour
*1/4 tsp. salt (or to taste)
*2-3 T. olive oil, divided

Put water on for pasta to cook - don't forget to salt the water! Heat 1-2 T. oil in skillet over medium heat; add chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring until chicken is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes (mine took more like 9 minutes, but i'm super anal about cooking chicken). I like to get the chicken nice and browned as it looks better when mixed with the noodles. Remove the chicken from skillet and set aside. Heat remaining oil in same skillet. Add carrots to skillet; cook, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add broccoli and garlic to skillet; cook stirring for 2 minutes longer. Cook pasta according to package directions (do not overcook angel hair pasta - it's super nasty!). While pasta is cooking, push the vegetables to the sides of the skillet and make a thin white sauce of 2 T. butter, 2 T. flour, 1/4 t. salt and 2 c. chicken broth in the skillet, then add basil and 1/2 of the parmesan cheese. Return chicken to skillet and simmer for 4 minutes. Drain pasta. Place in a large serving bowl. Top with chicken and vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan. Serve immediately.

if your skillet is large enough (mine is a 12-inch), i recommend adding the pasta right to the skillet. toss the ingredients with tongs and you're good to go. i also added onions to mine, because i think onions go well with chicken and pasta. onions actually go well with most things. but if your kids won't eat them, don't add them! the best thing about this recipe is that you could use less chicken or omit it altogether if you want - and use vegetarian broth to make it totally vegetarian. you could add whatever veggies you have in your fridge already. from start to finish, it took me less than 30 minutes to make.

oven rice

2008-12-08T05:50:00.000-07:00

we eat so much rice here at casa de jess. last year, i bought the pampered chef rice cooker and i really like it. you can also cook potatoes in it for mashing and supposedly you can make a frosted cake in it IN your microwave, too. i haven't tried that yet, but maybe i will. of course i'll post that recipe here if i do it.

but today let's talk about rice. i love the stuff. i grew up eating just plain old long grain rice. in my early twenties, i liked uncle ben's parboiled rice. the only kind of rice i buy now is jasmine rice. it's just the best and it's easily found at your grocery store. it smells wonderful, kind of like buttered popcorn, when it's cooking and it has a fabulous texture.

i have an authentic rice cooker from japan, too. my uncle used to live there and he sent it to me a long time ago. i love using it, but i hate cleaning it. today, i tried a recipe for oven rice - and it turned out phenomenal. it might be my new fave way to cook rice!

oven rice

*1/2 c. butter
*1/2 c. dried chopped onion
* 2 c. jasmine rice (you can really use any kind...)
*6 c. water
*6 tsp. bouillion (chicken or beef)

first of all...i used chicken broth for most of the water and no bouillion because i didn't have any. my rice turned out fine. just make it work.

preheat the oven to 325. in a large skillet, melt the butter. brown the rice and the onion in the butter. put the rice into a 9x13 pan, add water and bouillion. cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.

how hard is that? and mine turned out perfectly, 60 mins on the dot. totally tasty.

man burgers

2008-12-03T21:37:00.004-07:00

jake loves these. he really likes the name. he'll kill me for saying this, but he believes he has chest hair. he is NINE YEARS OLD.

i made these one night when i didn't know what to make for dinner. as i stood staring at the fridge, door open, i had an epiphany. and i threw this together. i called them man burgers, because hello, it's total man food. and i knew jake would like them just because of the name.

man burgers

*1 lb. lean ground beef
*2 pkgs. onion gravy mix
*4 slices Texas toast
*4 slices cheese, your favorite kind
*2 T butter, softened and divided
*garlic powder or salt

shape the ground beef into 4 patties. you can add breadcrumbs and egg, dry onion soup mix, or chopped onions if you'd like. season and cook the patties over medium heat in a large skillet. while the patties are cooking, prepare the gravy according to package directions. keep the gravy warm while the burgers are cooking. prepare the texas toast by spreading each slice with 1/2 T. butter and sprinkling with garlic salt or powder. broil the texas toast in your oven until it's toasty and brown, about 1-3 mins depending on your broiler settings.

(PLEASE USE YOUR TIMER or some other mechanism to remind you have BREAD UNDER THE BROILER!! otherwise, you will need 8 slices of texas toast. 4 to burn to a crisp and 4 to actually serve with your man burgers.)

when the burgers are cooked, top with a slice of cheese and let melt slightly. assemble the man burgers as an open faced sandwich: texas toast on the bottom, topped with a burger, smothered in gravy. serve with tater tots or mashed potatoes for the perfect man meal.

my husband and son like cheese tots with this. super healthy, right?? hey, i use LEAN ground beef.

kool-aid play dough

2008-11-25T20:21:00.005-07:00

so here we are, staring down the barrel of a 5-day weekend. five days of no school for my kids. five days of hearing, "iiiiiii'm booooooooorrrred." five days of a messy house because they eat every 20 minutes. because jenna changes clothes three times a day when she is at home.

five days of mom being absolutely nuts. LOL. you know i'm joking (mostly), right?

so tonight, because i'm a cool mom and even though i'd like to hog tie my kids and put them in the freezer for a couple of hours, i chose the high road. the road that, ironically enough, DCFS would also support.

i made play dough. with kool-aid. and i was blessed with hours of quiet play. thank you, god, for giving us kool-aid. however, i haven't forgiven you yet for kool-aid man (oh YEAH!).

so...go make this for your kids. it smells great, and it won't kill them if they eat it. but don't let them eat it, ok?

kool-aid playdough

*1 pkg unsweetened kool-aid, any color, any flavor (we made ice blue raspberry lemonade)
*1/2 c. salt
*3 T oil
*1 C. flour
*1 C. boiling water (microwave it, dude)

mix together the first four ingredients. add the boiling water and stir well. knead the mixture until it becomes a soft dough. i had to add a bit more flour...

oh and a slight disclaimer? this COULD color skin. ours didn't, but we didn't do red, either. my kids are busy using my cookie cutters, the pizza cutter and an assortment of other kitchen utensils for their play dough. jeez. lucky me.

i love your blog, too

2008-11-18T16:00:00.002-07:00

so my awesome sister gave me this award. my best friend (and blogging ~~criminal~~ pal) brigitte also gave me this award a few weeks back, but i was too lazy to actually do anything with it.

well, today i'm nominating some peeps of my own. i hate doing this kind of thing, because there are SO MANY BLOGS i love. obviously.

i'm sharing the love with my p-farm homies. i have to. i spent ten years of my life there and i met some of the best (and OH EM GEE some of the ABSOLUTE WORST...) people there. i'm still friends with the ones who matter most. and so here i go, with five blogs i love:

1. irresistible irwins: my good pal stacey. i'm so grateful for her friendship. her kids are absolutely beautiful (her two oldest are very close to the same age as my kids) and she makes me laugh. i luff her.

2. fri-yet: kmp is eccentrically funny and she has the FATTEST cat i have EVER seen in my life. pictures do NOTHING for him...you have to see him to believe it.

3. jefe von hefenstein: jeff forgets to blog. often. but he's hilarious. and i bought a happenings book from him so he would keep blogging.

4. lady annika: she is a camper and a fellow dog lover. i think she has more dogs than i do! she also loves to cook and posts awesome recipes from time to time.

5. brenda: psyche! brenda doesn't have a blog, but maybe this will inspire her to WRITE ONE. HELLO, BRENDAAAAAAAAAAA! i had lunch with brenda recently and i love her. she'll kill me for saying this, but she's like an older, wiser, gorgeous big sister. she's been inspirational to me on a million levels.

so there you go. i'm giving you FIVE (well, four) peeps the I LOVE YOUR BLOG award! mwah!!

cookbook winner

2008-11-17T21:23:00.003-07:00

hi y'all! i almost forgot i was GIVING STUFF AWAY!!!!

here's your winner, courtesy of random.org:

SHANNAN!!!!

send a big shout out to her - she's an awesome PTA mom of all boys... that deserves an award all by itself!

for those of you who said you wanted a cookbook, i'll send you an email. if you didn't say you wanted one and you would like to buy one, let me know. i'm getting ready to put my order in. they are $10 (you might have to hook me up with a small shipping charge...but let me see how much that really is before i worry about it. maybe it will just be my gift to you for reading my blog and pretending to really, really like me!!)

congrats , shannan!!

chicken ginger soup with homemade noodles

2008-11-15T11:34:00.002-07:00

my good friend annika posted about making soup a few weeks ago - and so i'm sharing my favorite chicken noodle soup recipe with you. my kids will eat this, but they whine and complain about the celery. whatever. celery goes in chicken noodle soup. my OTHER friend had told me like a million times she'll give me her noodle recipe, but she's been hording it. however - i've finally found one that i like.

also - don't let the ginger throw you off. it's VERY subtle and it can be left out altogether. it adds a tiny bit of asian flair to a very american dish - and it's very yummy when you have a cold or if it's a cold day outside.

this would be wonderful to take to a friend who is under the weather - but if they aren't going to eat it right away, i'd consider leaving the noodles on the side for them to add when they reheat it. the noodles can get really soggy if it's not eaten all at once.

one other note: i can my own chicken at a local cannery, and so i use that to make this soup. i go with my good friend denise and her mom. it's super convenient for me to have one hand and this is just one of the recipes i make with it.

chicken ginger soup with homemade noodles

first, you need to make the noodles:

*1 cup flour (more or less)
*1 egg
*2 T milk
*1/2 tsp. salt

mix together in a small bowl. the dough will be very stiff. flour a surface lightly; roll out the dough to your desired thickness. i like to roll it up to cut the noodles, then i just unroll and break them up into the length i want. you can also just use a pizza cutter and cut the dough into strips. lay the noodles out in a single layer on a clean, dry towel. cover and let rest while you make the soup. (p.s. i would double this recipe for the soup below...)

now, on to the soup!

*2 15-oz cans of chicken (this is going to equal about 4 breast halves, cooked)
1/4 cup butter
*1 onion, diced fine
*2 carrots, peeled and sliced
*3 ribs celery, sliced
*2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
*1-2 T chopped fresh ginger (more on this later)
*2 T better than bouillon chicken base
*10 cups water

**(if you want to use canned chicken broth instead of the bouillon and water, use about 5-6 14.5-oz. cans)

let's chat about that ginger really fast. i have a blogging pal, mackenzie, and she did a good post on ginger way back in march of 2008. ginger is really cheap and you only need to purchase a tiny little chunk of it for this recipe - and even then you'll have extra for something else. you can use dried ginger if you have that - i'd guess 1/4-1/2 tsp. would be perfect.

second...do you have one of these?

if not, you should get one. it doesn't need to be the pampered chef brand, but you need a food chopper!

ok, finally i think we can cook.

melt the butter in a large soup kettle. chop the onions, add to the butter. season with kosher salt and pepper. chop the garlic and the ginger finely and add it to the onion. add the sliced celery and carrots to the pot, stir well. stir in the water, the bouillon, and the cooked chicken. you can cut or shred the chicken, whichever you like best. bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. when you are ready to serve, bring the soup to a boil again. drop noodles into the water, but don't drop them in a big clump or they could stick together. the noodles will cook in 3 mins or less. i like a chewy homemade noodle...

this recipe serves 8-10. it can be halved if you like...

bread: FAIL

2008-11-09T11:24:00.005-07:00

it's a dark day my friends. today is the third day IN A ROW that i have tried to make bread. the first day, the dough i made wasn't even bakeable. is that even a word?? it is now! yesterday, the dough didn't really rise much - but i baked it anyway. my mistake yesterday was that i should have made just one loaf and not divided the dough into two pans. i really think it would have been fine.

today, i'm trying again. i also tried a different recipe. i'm determined to get this to work, but i'm getting pretty mad in the process, too.

when i was growing up, a woman in my hometown kept an eye on me and my sister in the summertime when school was out. her name was susan and she had 12 kids - and she made the most amazing bread i've ever had in my life. to this day - i wish i could make bread like that. i'm sure today won't be that day, but i'm trying anyway.

in the meantime - do YOU have a recipe for bread? and i don't have a bread machine - i need to be able to mix it in my kitchenaid. email me (triplej2676 AT yahoo DOT com) or post a link. i'm also really interested in bread recipes that use whole wheat flour.

p.s. enter my cookbook contest if you haven't already!

cookbook giveaway OR shameless self promotion: you decide!

2008-11-06T20:58:00.001-07:00

ladies and gentlemen, pay your attention to the center ring! i'm giving away a cookbook!

here's why you want it: it's got more than 400 recipes. i was an editor of this cookbook. thirty six hours of my LIFE were spent typing, editing and proofreading this cookbook. and i'm sure i missed something, somewhere.

i can't take all the credit. it's a fundraiser for my kids' school PTA. several members on the board put tons of work into this cookbook. kids submitted the recipes and each class had a contest to see who could bring the most recipes. my kids fought over which recipes would have THEIR name on them. so they made deals with each other. (you can have THIS one if i can have THAT one...)

here's the deal: i'd really like you to PURCHASE one (or more) of these. however, i realize that's just lame and you probably won't do that. but if you want to, leave a comment and i'll totally get you an order form. tee hee. they are $10 and all proceeds benefit our PTA. none of us are getting paid. like i said, there are more than 400 recipes, and it's professionally printed and bound. it also has the typical cookbook pages that outline measurements and ingredient substitutions, etc. they will make a fabulous gift to the person in your life who loves to cook.

HERE'S THE PART YOU ARE WAITING FOR!! i am giving away ONE of these lovely cookbooks to YOU, my readers. all you have to do is leave a comment and tell me one or two of the best things your mom made for you as a kid. it can be ANYTHING you want. it can also be a favorite food memory or whatever. invite your friends. if i get enough entries, i might give away TWO books.

so now. you. reader. enter. and may the best woman (or man) win. i'll pick the winner using a random number generator and post the results soon.

deadline: friday, november 14 at MIDNIGHT, UTAH STANDARD TIME. (which means about 12:15 a.m. or so, give or take a few minutes...)

swift spaghetti

2008-11-05T20:16:00.004-07:00

i have adapted this recipe from taste of home magazine. yes, i subscribe to a cooking magazine. i've even checked out past copies of taste of home from the library.

yeah, something might be wrong with me.

i love spaghetti. i love pasta. even better - my kids love it, so it makes me happy to know that i'm slaving over something they'll love. i recently tried this recipe out and took half of it to my fabulous sister-in-law to feed her family, as she had just had surgery. while my first go-round with this recipe wasn't fabulous, the second one was much better.

this is awesome and can be made on a weeknight AFTER work - serve with bagged salad and store bought garlic bread and it's DINNER.

swift spaghetti

*8 oz. dry spaghetti noodles
*5 1/2 cups water
*1 pkg. onion soup mix

*1 - 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
*1 6-oz. can tomato paste
*1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
*1 tsp. basil
*1/2 tsp. oregano
*1 T parsley
*salt and pepper

in a large pot, bring the water to a boil. make sure you measure it; you won't be draining the spaghetti. when the water boils, add the onion soup mix and the spaghetti. i never buy a pkg. of spaghetti that small, so (don't cringe) i usually just eyeball what 8 oz. is. ha ha ha. cook the spaghetti according to package directions, about 12 mins. stir occasionally to keep the spaghetti from sticking the bottom of the pot. or do what dumb asses like i am do and use non-stick cookware. stir it anyway, ok?

when you put the water on to boil, in a separate skillet, brown the ground beef. i usually use very lean ground beef, so i don't drain it, but if you use 80-20, you'll want to drain the hamburger. sesaon with salt and pepper while the beef cooks. after you drain it, add the spices and the tomato paste and sauce. stir well to combine, keep warm.

when the spaghetti is cooked (almost all of the water should be absorbed...) stir the meat mixture into the noodles. heat through and serve. you'll seriously have this on your table in less than 30 minutes.

fettuccine alfredo

2008-11-02T10:46:00.003-07:00

warning: this recipe is not low fat. if you are on a diet, just quit reading now. close your laptop and walk away.

paul loves alfredo sauce, but he also was blessed with this freaky metabolism...i can't eat this very often, so it's a special treat at our house. it's pretty easy to make and totally yummy. add grilled chicken or shrimp if you want to serve with meat.

fettuccine alfredo

*1 12-oz. package fettuccine noodles, cooked and drained (do not rinse!!)

now for the sauce:

1 stick butter (um, do i need to point out NO MARGARINE!?)
1 pint heavy whipping cream (can use half and half)
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 3-oz. package cream cheese, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup parmesan cheese (i prefer the shredded over the kind in the can)
salt and pepper to taste

in a medium saucepan, melt butter and cream cheese together. add the garlic and combine well. stir in cream and simmer for 15-20 mins. do not boil. add the parmesan cheese, mix well and simmer for another 10-15 mins. keep the heat fairly low; otherwise the cheese may burn on the bottom of the pan. stir occasionally. sesaon with salt and pepper. the longer this cooks, the better it is, but you can adjust the cook time based on your schedule. this is also totally awesome (did i really just say totally awesome??) with breadsticks.

toss with cooked fettuccine noodles. remember me saying not to rinse them? rinsing noodles is a common mistake many people make. NOT rinsing them allows the sauce to stick to the pasta. usually you rinse pasta for cold pasta salads. however, you shouldn't rinse spaghetti that is going to be coated in sauce - or it will make the sauce watery.

serve. your family will love you.

p.s. you are supposed to use white pepper, but who has that in their cupboard? black pepper is fine.

my new fave ingredient

2008-10-26T22:55:00.005-06:00

i use lots of chicken broth at my house - and it gets expensive. plus, i don't always have it on hand, so i end up trying to substitute a bouillon cube, which is usually too salty and fake tasting.

my friends (LOL - total mccain reference), i have found a product i love and i want to share it with you. if you've already heard of it, you are in BIG TROUBLE because you didn't tell me about it!!

it's called better than bouillon. here's what is totally awesome about it, in no particular order: it's organic; it's relatively inexpensive; it's lower in salt than the bouillon cubes and it's very easy to use. i'll probably never go back to chicken broth, because of how easy this is to use.

i found this at walmart for about $3.89, i believe, but i found it online in several locations, including amazon.com. here's why it's cheaper: it's equal to almost 21 cans of regular chicken broth. now i always buy that on sale, but normal swanson broth is almost $1 a can regular price. i have purchased the cartons of chicken broth, too, as they are much cheaper than the cans, but this is STILL cheaper than those.

it needs to be stored in the fridge after opening, but i am always going to have this on hand. it's one of my must-have pantry items. for you vegetarians, they have a vegetable broth, as well as several other flavors.

keep in mind, this is still a bouillon, so you may need to lower the amount of salt you would normally use. homemade chicken broth is always going to be better than this, but who has time for that? NOT ME. you can also adjust the amount you use to get the flavor "just right," but this stuff is seriously convenient and amazing.

park city oven stew

2008-10-24T08:14:00.000-06:00

i have two stepdaughters and they come to stay with us every other weekend. it's my philosophy that families should eat dinner together as often as possible and i know their mom works at night, so they rarely eat with her, especially at home. i try to make dinner a big deal anyway, but even more so when they stay with us. i usually try to get paul to find out what they want to eat when they are at our house so i can have the ingredients on hand.

this past week, i got this same recipe from two different people: debbie- a co-worker of mine, and from one of the other moms on my pta board. debbie calls hers 8-hour stew and the other lady calls hers park city oven stew. i like the park city name as i think it sounds all rich n' fancy, so i'm calling it that here, even though in all reality, it's an 8-hour stew.

not only was this easy to make, but it started to smell fantastic after just one hour in the oven - which made the rest of the day mouthwatering, to say the least. everyone was starving by the time it was ready to eat.

another note: while i love my crock pot, it's my opinion that crock pots should only be used for certain recipes and mostly in the summer. you could certainly make this in a crock pot, but the oven is superior in creating flavor. that's just my opinion.

so..from my kitchen to yours,

park city oven stew

2-3 lbs. stew meat
6-8 potatoes, cubed (i leave the peels on)
4-5 carrots, peeled and sliced into thick chunks, on the diagonal
3 stalks celery, cut
1 whole onion, peeled and quartered
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
2-3 bay leaves
1 pkg. lipton onion soup mix
1 8-0z. can tomato sauce
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of mushroom OR cream of chicken soup
flour
salt and pepper
oil

optional: 1 box of mushrooms, cleaned

heat oil in a large kettle. put stew meat into a ziplock bag, add 1/4 - 1/2 cup flour. add seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic salt, onion salt, whatever). shake to coat. brown the stew meat in the oil. (you can skip this step to save time if you want.)

preheat your oven to 225 degrees. put all the vegetables and the meat in the bottom of a large oven-proof dish. i just used my pampered chef 9 x 13 baker, but you can use a deeper casserole dish with a lid if you have one. add the bay leaves (these are quickly becoming one of my favorite spices). combine the soups, the tomato sauce and the onion soup mix. pour over the top of the meat and vegetables. since i used a baking dish, i covered the top tightly with foil before i put it in the oven.

if i use the mushrooms (and i do, paul loves them...),i add them after the stew has cooked for about 5-6 hours or when i remember. i leave them whole, but you can do what you want. let the stew cook for at least 6 hours, but it will be even better after 8 hours. serve with wheat bread for dipping - totally yummy.

gorilla bread

2008-10-22T08:05:00.001-06:00

man, i wish i could take credit for this recipe. unfortunately, i cannot. it's from paula deen. she kind of bugs me a little bit, because she's always so damn cheery and not a hair is ever out of place, but dammit she loves butter. and i love butter. so i love her. and some of her recipes are just darn good.

have you ever made monkey bread? this is JUST like monkey bread, only better. i always make monkey bread for christmas breakfast, but this is going to take its place this year. another note: i've made the monkey bread with both rhodes rolls and with canned buttermilk biscuits. use the biscuits. they are so much easier and i think they turn out better. with the rhodes, you have to let them defrost and then you have to let them rise. plus, the biscuits are cheaper.

now go. make this bread. you won't be sorry and your family will love you forever.

gorilla bread

*1/2 cup white sugar
*3 tsp cinnamon
*1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
*1 cup packed brown sugar
*1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese
*2 12-oz. cans refrigerated biscuits (10 count)
*1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans

preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. mix the white sugar and cinnamon. in a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over low heat, stirring well; set aside. cut the cream cheese into 20 equal cubes. cut it into 4 strips lengthwise, then cut each strip into 5 pieces. press the biscuits out with your fingers and sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon sugar. place a cube of cream cheese in the center of each biscuit, wrapping and sealing the dough around the cream cheese. sprinkle 1/2 cup of the nuts into the bottom of the bundt pan. place half of the prepared biscuits in the pan. sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, pour half of the melted butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle on 1/2 cup of nuts. layer the remaining biscuits on top, sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar, pour the remaining butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of nuts. bake for 30 minutes. remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. place a plate on top and invert.

does that sound yummy or what? in my opinion, i think the cream cheese is a bit much, so i use 3 cans of biscuits and i cut the cream cheese into 30 pieces (5 strips lengthwise, and then into 6 pieces). i increase the butter to 1 1/2 sticks and the brown sugar to 1 1/2 cups to accommodate for this. you also might need a little bit more cinnamon/sugar mix, but it all fits into the bundt pan nicely. i also don't worry about the nuts if i don't have any. i've also wanted to try that pre-made cheesecake filling in the center, but i've never gotten around to that.

if you want to just make plain old monkey bread, omit the cream cheese and cut the biscuits into halves before rolling in cinnamon and sugar. it almost as good as this gorilla bread and it's easier. your kids will still think you're the best mom ever.

dill cottage cheese bread

2008-10-19T14:41:00.003-06:00

i told you i'd post about a failure...and this was a failure as far as i'm concerned. i got this recipe from a friend on facebook, and i was uber excited to try it out. bread is kind of scary to make, as yeast can be very tempermental. overmixing the dough can also break down the gluten in the flour so much that your bread turns tough and chewy.

that being said, i'm still going to attempt this recipe again. there are just a couple of things i am going to tweak and see if it doesn't turn out better.

here's the recipe. if you make this, i'd love to know what you think. in fact, i'd like to know if you make any of my recipes and what you think.

dill cottage cheese bread

* 2/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
* 2/3 cup cottage cheese
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 3 cups flour
* 1 tablespoon white sugar
* 1 tablespoon dry milk powder
* 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
* 1 tablespoon dried dill weed
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast

pour yeast into warmed mixing bowl. dissolve sugar into water and pour over yeast. det sit 5 min. mix cottage cheese with softened butter,and dill. mix flour with all remaining dry ingredients. turn mixer to speed 2 and add flour and cottage cheese mixtures. mix for about 3 min. add more flour if needed, but not too much.

let rise in bowl until doubled put in a greased loaf pan and let rise.

bake at 400 for 12-14 min. tent with aluminum foil and bake for 12-14 more minutes at 350.

if you double the recipe, split the dough with a knife, don't pull it apart.

this recipe appealed to me for several reasons: first of all, i love dill. it's one of my favorite herbs. it's a wonderful accompaniment to potatoes and fish, especially. i also love cottage cheese - but not plain. i like it in dips and i thought it would be good in bread. it actually kind of melts in and you don't even realize it's an ingredient in the finished product.

here's why it failed for me: first of all, the finished product wasn't salty enough. i doubled the recipe, but i don't remember if i doubled the salt or not. next time, i'm adding more salt. it was fairly bland, in spite of having the dill and the onion flavor. there just wasn't enough salt.

second: i should have added more flour. the dough wasn't smooth and elastic like bread dough should be. i should have trusted my gut instinct and added more flour, but i had never made this before and i wanted to stick to the recipe as much as possible. the dough was more like a quick bread batter (think banana bread) and less like a yeast dough.

the bread was still pretty good with soup and was decent with butter on it. when i make it again, i'll post an update. again, if this appeals to you, make it and let me know what you think.

roasted tomato soup

2008-10-14T00:01:00.002-06:00

on a whim, i tried this recipe over the weekend. it was a FABULOUS hit, and here's the proof: my kids ate it. they had seconds and thirds...and the real kicker? they asked me to MAKE IT AGAIN the NEXT DAY.

success!

because cooking is such a labor of love for me, i get really bummed out if someone doesn't like the food i've spent time and energy and LOVE preparing. this is particularly true for my kids. i try to avoid setting myself up for failure by avoiding things i know they won't touch with a ten foot pole, but they are also not really picky. they eat very well and they always have. i rarely have to fight with them to eat...and to eat healthy.

i had about 18 tomatoes from our garden and i didn't know what i was going to do with them. and then suddenly i remember that my good pal natalie had mentioned that she cans tomato soup. so i thought HEY! i could make homemade tomato soup. i started searching on the internet and this is what i came up with. i combined the ingredients from 2 or 3 recipes, so i'm claiming this one as my own work.

warning: it sounds complicated, but TRUST ME...it is not. it really is not. and it's SO WORTH it. did i mention there were zero leftovers? ZERO.

here we go. roasted tomato soup. from my kitchen to yours.

*8 cups fresh tomatoes, peeled, cored and cut into slices or large chunks
*5 large cloves of garlic, peeled
* 3/4 cup olive oil, divided
*1 onion, diced
*3 stalks of celery, sliced
*1-2 carrots, peeled and sliced
*1 32-oz. carton of chicken broth
*1/2 stick of butter (just say no to margarine, remember?)
*1 tsp. dried basil
*2 or 3 bay leaves
*kosher salt and pepper

preheat oven to 450 degrees. remove the skin from the tomatoes by placing the tomatoes in boiling water. the skins will split almost immediately - remove from boiling water, place in cool water to remove the skins. remove the cores and chop into smaller pieces. spread the tomatoes and whole, peeled garlic cloves on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. drizzle with about 1/4 cup olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. roast for about 30 minutes. try not to eat too many of the fresh tomatoes while you are cutting them up.

while the tomatoes roast, heat the remaining olive oil in a large kettle. add the diced onion, the carrot and the celery ( a little secret - if the leaves on the celery are nice and green, i throw them in the pot. they have tons of flavor and you're going to be grinding this all up anyway.), season with kosher salt and pepper. cook for about 8-10 minutes. add the chicken broth, the butter, the bay leaves and the basil (if using dried). cover and simmer while the tomatoes roast. when the tomatoes and garlic are done, remove from the oven. add the tomatoes and the garlic to the kettle, stir well. taste and adjust seasoning. cover and simmer for 30 minutes. remove bay leaves and puree with an immersion blender*. also, if you are using fresh basil, add it after pureeing, not before.

serve with french bread, grilled cheese sandwiches or even store-bought ravioli. this recipe can also be prepared by using canned tomatoes (3 15-oz cans), just drain the juice and reserve before roasting. add the reserved juices to the broth for cooking.

*you don't have to have an immersion blender to make this soup, but it is very handy. mine has different attachments to whip cream or blend drinks - and it was about $20 at wal*mart. you can use a blender or your food processor, OR you could even not puree the soup at all...but it's better all pureed. if you use your blender, remove the center plug in the lid, and cover with a cloth while you puree. that will keep it from exploding all over your kitchen.

spicy shrimp

2008-10-13T15:40:00.002-06:00

this is one of paul's favorite recipes. he loves shrimp. i'm putting this under the appetizer category, but it can totally be a main dish, too. it just depends on where you want to serve it. as a main dish, it will serve 2-4 people but as an appetizer, it will serve 10-12.

here's what you need:

*2 lbs of raw, unpeeled shrimp, 21-26 count. (this refers to how many shrimp are in a pound.) you can use larger shrimp, but if you use smaller ones, they get tricky to peel...
*2 lemons (or 3 or 4...)
*1 stick butter (for future note, margarine is a swear word at my house. i almost NEVER use it. if you use margarine in one of my recipes, i might never speak to you again.)
*1/2 cup olive oil (or so...)
*lots of black pepper
*tabasco sauce
*kosher salt (more on this later)
*1/4 to 1/2 cup worchestershire sauce

rinse off the shrimp in a colander. spread on a cookie sheet in a single layer. drizzle the shrimp with the olive oil and then sprinkle generously with black pepper. and then go ahead and shake on some more. it will look like TONS of pepper, but you are going to peel the shrimp before you eat them, so trust me, it will be ok. seriously use a ton.

now let's talk about kosher salt. you really should buy some for cooking. it's very inexpensive and i thought i'd never say this, but there *is* a major difference between kosher salt and regular salt. i use kosher salt ALL OF THE TIME now. real cooks use kosher salt. it rules. sprinkle the shrimp with kosher salt. again, you will be peeling the shrimp, so they will not be overly salty.

roll the lemons on the counter...this releases the juice. cut them in half and squish out the juice all over the shrimp. yummy.

now grab your worchestershire sauce and shake it all over the shrimp. again, the measurement doesn't need to be exact. go for about 1/2 cup. shake tabasco sauce all over the shrimp - as much or as little as you want. i use about 10-20 shakes o' the bottle. depends on how i'm feeling and how my stomach is doing that day.

now take that glorious stick of butter and cut into little pats. if one stick doesn't seem like enough, use more. i've been known to use two. put the butter all over the shrimp. now is a good time to add more salt and pepper if you'd like.

take this pan of shellfish goodness and put it under your broiler for about 10 minutes. you'll know the shrimp are done when they turn pink. IF you overcook them, they will be rubbery, so don't overcook. :)

now here's the fun part. the sauce is AMAZING to dip bread in, so don't throw it away. grab a loaf of crusty french bread and dip away! or...at my house, i make sticky rice and we put the sauce over rice. put down a bunch of newspaper and peel n' eat the shrimp right off the pan. they won't last for long, i promise.

this recipe is not my own - i got it from the pioneer woman. her recipe website is sooo much better than mine, so don't compare me to her, mmmkay? thanks.

no measurements

2008-10-12T11:26:00.004-06:00

one of the most important things i do as a mom is feed my family. i think my family is lucky because i LOVE to cook. my house might be messy and the laundry is never folded, but dammit, something smells good in the kitchen.

i love to read cookbooks. i subscribe to taste of home magazine. i DVR shows on the food network. the day we got HD tv, i said to my husband, "HONEY! we have FOOD NETWORK IN HD!!!" i don't think he fully understood HOW EXCITING that was to me!!

cookbooks make fabulous wedding gifts. a few of my favorites include the better homes and gardens cookbook, the taste of home cookbook, and the fannie farmer cookbook. i often use all three of these books for guidance in the kitchen.

there are a couple of things i want to accomplish with this blog:
1. i want to share my love of cooking and my favorite recipes with you.
2. i want to preserve the recipes i make for my family so that my kids might enjoy them when they are older.
3. i want you to share your recipes with me. i'm always looking for something new to try.

i'm not afraid to try a new recipe - and while i'm disappointed when a recipe fails, (oh and they DO sometimes. miserably...) i'm excited for the challenge to tweak the recipe and see if i can fix it. one thing you should know about cooking is that for the most part, no one will die if you mess something up. **disclaimer** this does not apply to undercooking meat, feeding someone a food they are allergic to, or adding arsenic (or any other poison, for that matter) to your food.** what i'm trying to say is that even if a recipe seems hard, you should try it if you really want to make it. i'm often surprised at the number of people who say they don't know how to cook. how is that possible? if you can read, you can cook. kind of. :)

so. that's why i'm here. comment or not. i'll be posting a recipe success - and a failure - in the next few days.

p.s. while you are here, take my poll.

p.p.s i'm still working out some kinks. i know there are some issues. i'm working on them...