Mauve Cabinets and a Bottle of Red

New Blog

2010-01-28T18:48:00.000-08:00

I have decided to do the whole merging of the blog thing. Along with that, I have made the decision to move to WordPress. I've been playing around with it today, and I think it's going to let me do a whole lot more, and I'm already a lot less frustrated with it than I have been with Blogger. I've moved all of my posts over there already, so you won't lose my recipes.

Go ahead and click over to the new spot! http://mauvecabinets.wordpress.com/

My first passion

2010-01-28T15:14:00.000-08:00

I've been a reader for as long as I can remember. My Nana taught me the alphabet on a MagnaDoodle when I was a toddler, and the rest is history. When I was five, my mom would come upstairs, where we had a huge set of bookshelves that not only housed my collection of kid books, but also all of hers. On the floor around me would be scattered all of her "adult" novels. I would ramble on about how bad they were because the people in the book were kissing and doing other things and they were not married! I wasn't even in kindergarten yet!

That passion for reading has never ceased. I read just about everything I can get my hand on--mostly fiction, but I also love memoirs and biographies. I go through a new book every few days, and I'm constantly updating an Access database that houses my To Read and Have Read lists. Trust me, an Excel spreadsheet wouldn't cut it.

I've been toying with the idea to blog about the books I read. Why not share my passion with other people, the way I have been with my recipes? My question to you, dear readers, is should I merge the two, and write about both food and books here on Mauve Cabinets? Or do I start a whole new blog just for books? What do you think?

I am leaning towards writing about both here. A) It would seriously increase my posting on here. I know I've been slacking, I have NOT been cooking as often as I'd like to. My migraines have come back, and I have not had the energy to cook in the evenings. B) It would also (hopefully) increase my readership on here, bringing in a new audience, who might then also try my recipes as well.

However, I don't want to alienate either group of people. I realize that not all readers cook, and not all cooks read. But, I think there's enough of an overlap that it could work. I want your input, let me know what you think!

Bathtime for the babies!

2010-01-24T14:37:00.000-08:00

I know this is technically a food blog, and you all come here for the recipes. But, as with all blogs, there is a real live person behind this operation, and I thought I'd introduce you to my life. How better a way to do that than to lead you through my day? I have a special treat for you--a photoblog that will take you through the adventure that was this Sunday. Oh the hilarity! Join me, will you?

After lunch, I returned to my basement to discover a muddy mess on my couch. Who could be the culprit? I set out to find her. It wasn't difficult, as she had left tracks everywhere!

My basement carpet is caked with the brown stuff.

Someone has been in my office...

And the bathroom...

Heading into the dining room...We must be getting close, I see a hint of the culprit now!

Ah ha! Caught redhanded! Getting ready to head back out to get even MORE muddy! Look at this mess!

"You have no proof! It wasn't me! I am innocent I promise!"--Jenny

"Mom, look what I can do!!! No need to worry about a little mud. What mud? I can catch my tail! Isn't this cool?"

What a brown noser.

She got what she deserved though. And her sisters got punished for it too. All three got a much needed bath today. Jenny didn't do too badly. She was pretty meek.

Smokey acted EXACTLY how we expected. She HOWLED. And squirmed. My old girl was NOT happy. Poor baby. She forgave me once she dried off though. She was purring when I gave her a treat later.

Keira surprised us both. While Smokey is declawed in front, Keira has claws on all four paws still. She's our wild child, so we were expecting a show. She freaked out a bit when J. turned on the water, and hooked her claw into my neck (check it out in the pictures below). She calmed down after we got going.

She looked like a drowned rat though. My pretty princess was not so pretty soaking wet.

It may not look like much, but that tiny dot is a puncture wound where her claw was stuck in me. Unfortunately, these are really unflattering pictures of yours truly.

The felines also got collars. With the recent installation of the doggie door, we've been a little nervous about them getting out, so we decided to make sure no one mistook them for strays. We didn't get name tags for them yet, but we will once they are used to the collars.

I had planned to cook tonight, and was going to have a recipe for you. Unfortunately, all of the water from the girls' baths and my laundry is standing in my garage right now. My main drain is clogged and blew the cap off my cleanout. Which means I have no use of my drains until one of my guys can get here to help me out (good thing I work for a plumbing company!). Just not the best environment for cooking in, when I can't run water in my kitchen or anything. Luckily, I have lots of material for you today :). Hope you enjoyed it!

Bonus Post!

2010-01-16T16:06:00.000-08:00

I don't usually do 2 posts in one day. Heck, I hardly ever post it seems lately! You guys must be pretty dang lucky today!

But, I had an 8 hour work from home Saturday shift today, and J's working late tonight, which means it's cocktail time baby!

I've posted a similar drink here before, as you can probably tell, I am a BIG fan of Dr. McGillicuddy's!

I had a hankering for a White Russian. However, J and I aren't big vodka drinkers so we don't usually have it around the house. What I did have was Kahlua, cream, and Dr. M. From those ingredients, the Frosty Russian was birthed!

Frosty Russian

By Me!

1 shot Dr. M (best if kept in freezer)

1 shot Kahlua

1.5 shots cream

Shake ingredients with ice and pour into a martini glass (or in my case, a margarita glass cuz that's all I've got).

I might be addicted to poultry.

2010-01-16T12:27:00.000-08:00

I know I know, I told you that the next recipe was going to be for carrots. Buuuuuut...I've been holding onto this one to post for awhile, and a friend of mine mentioned to me today that she had a few chickens in her freezer that she needed to use. So I'm posting this for my Twitter mom!

This chicken came out super moist and PERFECT! Most of Ina's recipes do though. They are a little more complicated than most, but are worth the extra effort always.

Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken

From Ina Garten

1 roasting chicken

Kosher salt

Black pepper

1 large bunch fresh thyme

4 lemons

3 heads garlic, cut in 1/2 crosswise

2 Tbsp butter, melted

1/2 pound sliced bacon

1 cup white wine

1/2 cup chicken stock

Preheat oven to 425.

Remove giblets. Rinse chicken in and out, pat dry. Place in large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper inside of chicken. Stuff cavity with thyme, 1 lemon, halved, and 2 halves of garlic. Brush outside with butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. tie legs together with string and tuck wing tips under body of chicken. Cut 2 of lemons in quarters and scatter them and remaining garlic around chicken. Lay bacon slices over the chicken to cover.

Roast for 1 hour. Remove bacon slices and set aside. Continue roasting for an additional 1/2 hour, or until juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove to cutting board and cover with foil while you prepare the gravy.

Remove all but 2 Tbsp of fat from pan. add wine and chicken stock and bring ot boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Slice chicken on platter. Garnish with bacon, roasted garlic, thyme and lemon. Serve with gravy.

The Best Kinds of Days

2010-01-14T16:22:00.000-08:00

Every once in awhile I'm asked to cover a Saturday at work, and in return, I'm given a day off during the week. this was one of those weeks, and today I got to lay around in bed all day. Sure, I could have been doing something productive, but I started reading Angels & Demons yesterday and that's one of those books that you just can't put down once you start. This morning, I put a pork roast in the crockpot, and this evening, I finished my book just in time to start the rest of dinner fixins'. Now I'm nursing one glass of wine (just one...sigh...damn migraines), and typing this up before I go up and start my next book. What, you thought I'd take a break or something?

Crockpot Cranberry Pork Roast

Adapted from Beantown Baker

2.5 lb pork roast

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 Tbsp cornstarch

6 oz fresh cranberries (I took mine straight from the freezer, did not seem to cause a problem)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup dried cranberries

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 lemon, thinly sliced

Mix ginger, mustard, salt, pepper, and cornstarch. Coat pork. Place in crockpot.

Put rest of ingredients in crockpot.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4. It will be more tender if you cook it lower and slower.

I served it with Balsamic Glazed Carrots (you'll see recipe soon) and an adapted form of this gravy. I used cranberry juice instead of apple cider, and rosemary and thyme in the roux.

Turkey-lurkey

2009-12-22T18:00:00.001-08:00

So I'm sitting here in my dining room, waiting on the browned butter and simple syrup to cool and I realized, I have been a terrible blogger lately. I set out to do the NaBloWriMo, and failed in the last week. Ugh. I hate that. And ever since then I've kind of fallen off the face of the earth. I have been cooking, I have a stack of recipes to share with ya'll. But, it's that time of year when I get terribly burnt out and all I feel like doing after work is reading in bed, which usually puts me to sleep by 9:30!

If you follow me on Twitter, you saw that two weekends ago, I threw my very first dinner party! You probably even saw this picture that I took just before my bird went into the oven:

That whole day I taunted all of you with how beautiful my turkey was looking, how delicious it was smelling, and I promised you a recipe. And oooooooooooooooh how amazing that turkey was. It was by far the best turkey I've ever had, hands down. Everyone who was here told me how much they loved it, demanded to know the secret, and begged me to host the party next year so I could make the turkey again. It was a very proud moment in my culinary journey.

And then I got the flu. The very next day. It was awful. It knocked me on my feet for 3 days solid. I've been trying to catch up every since then. So here is your turkey recipe. I'm sorry it's just now getting posted. But look, I took pictures!

All the credit for this recipe goes to Prudence Pennywise (go check out her blog, I love her recipes). Wow girlie, this recipe is a knockout. Because it was my first time making turkey and gravy, I did not change anything in either recipe. If you can't find sage, I bet rosemary and/or thyme would go great with this bird. Seriously, try this. I will never roast a turkey without brining it first. It makes a little bit of a mess and takes a few days of preparation, but it is so, so worth it.

Sage Roasted Turkey with Apple Cider Gravy

From Prudence Pennywise

Notes: Thaw turkey in fridge from Fri-Mon before Thanksgiving, brine from Mon-Wed night.

Brining

8 quarts cold water

1 cup salt

8 dried bay leaves

2 tablespoons black peppercorns

1 tablespoon allspice

1 16- to 17-pound turkey; giblets removed,

Herb butter and gravy

3 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley

3 tablespoons minced fresh sage

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

4 cups low-salt chicken broth

2 cups apple cider

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/2 cup whipping cream

Roasting

2 large Granny Smith apples, quartered, cored

2 large onions, quartered

1 cup apple cider

To brine the turkey:
Line extra-large pot or bowl with two 13-gallon (or larger) plastic bags, 1 inside the other. Combine 1 quart water, salt, bay leaves, peppercorns, and allspice in large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until salt dissolves. Remove from heat. Add 1 quart cold water and cool to lukewarm. Pour into plastic bags; mix in remaining 6 quarts water. Submerge turkey in brine to cover completely, gathering bags tightly to eliminate any air; tie bags closed. Refrigerate turkey in brine in pot at least 18 hours and up to 20 hours.
Line large roasting pan with 4 layers of paper towels. Remove turkey from brine and drain well; discard brine. Place turkey in prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

For herb butter and gravy:
Mix parsley, sage, and nutmeg in small bowl. Transfer half of chopped herb mixture to small bowl; mix in 1/2 cup butter.
Combine broth and apple cider in heavy large saucepan. Boil until reduced to 3 cups, about 20 minutes. Pour broth reduction into bowl. Melt remaining 1/4 cup butter in same saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour; stir 1 minute. Whisk in broth reduction, then cream, and remaining chopped herb mixture. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until gravy base is thickened and reduced to 2 3/4 cups, whisking often, about 20 minutes. Cool gravy base slightly. (Gravy base and herb butter can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.)

To roast the turkey:
Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Remove turkey from roasting pan; drain any accumulated juices from main cavity. Discard paper towels from roasting pan. Melt herb butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Brush bottom of roasting pan with some of herb butter. Return turkey to prepared pan. Tuck wing tips under; tie legs together loosely to hold shape. Place some apple quarters and onion quarters in main cavity. Brush remaining herb butter over turkey; sprinkle with pepper. Scatter remaining apples and onions around turkey in pan.
Roast turkey 1 hour. Baste with 1/2 cup apple cider. Roast turkey 30 minutes. Baste with remaining 1/2 cup cider. Roast turkey until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 175°F, basting turkey every 30 minutes with pan juices and covering breast loosely with foil if browning too quickly, about 2 hours longer (3 1/2 hours total). Transfer turkey to platter; let stand at least 30 minutes before carving (internal temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees).
Discard apples and onions from pan. Pour pan juices into large glass measuring cup; spoon off fat from surface. Pour degreased juices into gravy base and bring to boil over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally. Boil until gravy thickens enough to coat spoon and is reduced to 3 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Season gravy to taste with pepper.
Serve turkey with gravy.

2009-12-08T17:21:00.000-08:00

This has been a rough week. 3 employees have left, 3 have been out sick. We hit a gas line on a job, we have a gas leak in the office. It's snowed, it's rained, it's freezing cold and our heat is turned off.

On top of that, I've had test after test ran last week. I told J. "I've been poked more times than Paris Hilton!" Apparently there's nothing major going on, I do have a cyst on my right ovary, but we aren't doing much about it at this point. Just "wait and see." It's better news than it could have been, but it's still a bit scary.

When it all gets to much to bear, what else is there to do but bake? I pulled out an old recipe of mine. These are my best friend's absolute favorite cookies. He was sooooooo mad when he found out I made them (he does not live in the same town). They are the perfect milk cookies, not really soft, not really crisp. Just the kind of chewy texture that demands a big icy glass.

Mint Chocolate Cookies

Recipe by me!

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup Andes mint chips

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream butter and sugars in mixing bowl. Add egg and vanilla and mix at medium speed.

In separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients.

On low speed, add dry ingredients to the wet. Mix well. Stir in chips.

Drop dough onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes. Cool and enjoy!

Oh and don't take these anywhere near plumbing technicians or they will be gone before you know it!

Bad Blogger Lady

2009-12-01T20:06:00.001-08:00

Well, I failed the NaBloWriMo challenge. I was doing SOOO good! But I have been bringing hours worth of paperwork home at night, and have not been feeling well on top of that. I have not really cooked anything in a long time, just quick easy things, if I cook anything at all. I had a doctor's appointment today, and some tests over the next two days to see what is going on. Hopefully we can get it all figured out, I really miss cooking.

I did cook tonight, just some quick steamed fish. It was delicious, but I was almost too tired to even do that! I cheated a bit here and used a bottled sauce, so this is more of a "how-to" than a real recipe.

Asian Steamed Fish

2 fillets white fish (I used catfish, use what you have on hand)

1 cup of your favorite stir fry sauce (I used General Tso's)

Red pepper flakes

Sesame Seeds

Soy Sauce

Heat 2 Tbsp oil over Medium high heat. In a separate dish, coat fish in sauce. Sprinkle red pepper flakes and sesame seeds on both sides. When oil is hot, place fish in pan and cover. Cook for approx. 5 minutes, or until flesh flakes with a fork. Serve over rice.

Easy Chicken Casserole

2009-11-23T18:59:00.000-08:00

This is definitely not the healthiest dinner ever, but it was so so satisfying. I was craving some serious comfort food and this definitely fit the bill. There's nothing complicated about this one, this is the kind of casseroley type of dinner that my friends and I grew up on, a kind of half home cooked. (I hesitate to use the term "semi homemade" because that just brings up the horrible image of that god awful drugged blonde host.)

Chicken and Rice Bake

Adapted from Campbells.com

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup (or cream of mushroom, or cream of broccoli or cheddar cheese, play around!)

3/4 cup rice

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp seasoning blend

2 chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Stir the soup with rice, soup, paprika and pepper in 2 quart baking dish. Place chicken on top. Sprinkle your favorite seasoning blend on top of chicken.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Serve with some kind of green veggie (peas are delicious!).

Hangover Remedy

2009-11-22T07:37:00.000-08:00

Ok guys, seriously, ya'll should take away the computer when I'm drinking. Sorry about that. But hey, I got a post up!

This morning, yeah, not feeling so great, as expected. Luckily, I don't have a headache but my stomach is pretty queasy. I always find I need some protein the day after a bender, I don't know the science but it seems to quiet my nausea.

Lately I've been craving eggs like nothing else, which is really odd because I've never been much of an egg person. It's a texture thing. I love the runny yolk but the whites freak me out. My animal friends LOVE it when I make eggs because they usually get the left over whites. I always feel so wasteful when I do that though.

So this morning, I tried something new and oh my goodness, you need to make this now. It took a little bit longer than your normal eggs over easy, but the result just melted in my mouth. The recipe takes your standard breakfast ingredients and fancies them up a little bit. You can easily serve this for a wedding shower brunch, just make them in muffin tins instead of ramekins. I didn't do it this morning, but you could saute some veggies--mushrooms, tomatoes, asparagus --in butter and garlic and put them in the bottom, under the egg. It's a recipe you can play around with quite a bit.

Baked Eggs in Ham Cups

Adapted from YumSugar!

2 slices shaved ham (see note at bottom)

Asiago cheese, grated

1 Egg

Splash of milk (or cream if you have it)

Preheat oven to 375.

Grease a ramekin (or muffin tin). Line the cup with ham. Sprinkle cheese in bottom. Crack egg into cup. Pour just a touch of milk/cream on top of egg, this will keep egg from setting too hard.

Bake for 20 minutes, no more, or the yolk will not be runny.

Note: You need to use shaved ham for this, not the really thick sliced ham. However, you need shaved ham with a little bit of body to it. If you can see through the ham, it will work for eating, but won't be pretty if you're serving for a party. I used prepacked "deli-style" shaved ham, and because it's done by a machine, the ham comes out of the package torn. My recommendation is to go to your store's deli and have them shave it for you. You might tell them what you're using it for and see if they can adjust the settings on their machine so it is a little thicker. See the two pictures below and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Photo by me: See how my ham didn't really hold up? You can't see the sides, but the egg white soaked through the torn holes in the ham. It was yummy, but not pretty enough to serve at a party.

Photo by Yumsugar: Done by a Food Photographer of course, but, gorgeous nonetheless. You see the difference? If you're going to serve this for a party, use a higher quality ham, something that has some thickness to it so it holds the egg in.

quick drink recipe

2009-11-21T15:54:00.000-08:00

Ok. here's the deal. when I post a drink recipe, you can probably guess I've been drinking it. therefore, this post will be short, to the point. and I can't guarantee there won't be typos.

Guilicoffee

Me!

2 Shots Dr. McGillicuddy's Peppermint Schnapps, kept in the freezer at least overnight (mine is stored in there)

1 shot Starbucks Coffee Liquer

Stir ingredients together in a martini glass (or in my case, a margarita glass because it's that or a wine glass).

Sorry about the short post but I've been working the busiest Saturday we've had in, well, I really don't know because I don't work during the day on Saturdays anymore. But basically this introvert has been on the phone all day. And this drink is REALLY good. Yum! Go enjoy!

A Non-Eggy Egg Casserole

2009-11-20T06:08:00.000-08:00

There's something about me you should know. I am a little bit of a freak of nature. (You might have figured that out already.) I rarely do anything the way everyone else does it. Or if a food is really super popular, I probably don't like it. Take mayonnaise for example. Who doesn't like mayo? Me. That's who. Blech. Or Deviled Eggs. Or Egg Casserole.

So when my "other moms" (aka my mother's long time best friends) threw my wedding shower brunch, they had a dilemma. What in the world were they going to serve? Egg Casserole is the norm at these sorts of functions. And of course, Haley doesn't eat them (seriously, who doesn't like egg casserole, that's just weird)! Have no fear! TO brought this lovely concoction. I had tried it once before at some other get together right before the shower, and loved it. It was the perfect solution. She was kind enough to include the recipe in my shower book too :).

Sweet Girl's Shower Casserole

(Well, I had to give it a proper name didn't I, T??? :-P)

From T.O.

16 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup Evaporated milk

1/4 cup butter

6 slices of bacon, browned

4.5 oz jar of dried beef

2 cans cream of chicken soup

3 cups milk

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp onion powder

2 cups shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Scramble first 4 ingredients and set aside.

Mix flour and onion powder with soup. Add milk and cook in skillet for about 5-10 minutes, or until bubbling. Cut up meat and crumble into mixture.

Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Pour in scrambled eggs. Sprinkle with 1 cup shredded cheese. Pour gravy mixture over eggs and cheese. Top with 1 more cup cheese. Bake for 45-50 minutes.

Uh oh!

2009-11-20T05:56:00.000-08:00

Well, it finally happened. I forgot to do a post. I was not in the best of moods last night and I just gave up and went to bed. I didn't remember until about 3 am that I hadn't written a blog!

So to make up for it, you get two posts today.

The first recipe is going to be a pretty standard pumpkin pie recipe, but I know everyone is looking for the best one right now, so I thought I'd help you out with your search. I made this one last year and it went over pretty well.

Pate Brisee (Short Crust Pastry)

From Joyofbaking.com

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp white sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1" pieces

1/4 cup ice water

In food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter and process until it resembles coarse meal. Slowly add water and process until dough balls. Flatten to disk, wrap in plastic. Store in fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Roll out dough for pate brisee. Place in pie pans. Wrap in plastic and chill again for 30 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie

From Joyofbaking.com

3 large eggs

2 cups fresh pumpkin puree

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/8 ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375.

Lightly whisk eggs. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Pour into prepared pie shell. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until filling is set and crust has browned.

Cheesy Sausage Ragu

2009-11-18T18:38:00.000-08:00

I gotta tell you, I've missed my kitchen this week. As tired as I've been, I've been uber frustrated with the lack of cooking I have been doing. But, I've brought so much paperwork home with me every night that I just have not been able to spend time in the kitchen. I did work an extra hour off the clock tonight, but I didn't bring work home with me. Instead, I came home and went straight upstairs. I didn't use a recipe for this. It was born out of the ingredients of my fridge, things I needed to get rid of.

Cheesy Sausage Ragu

From me!

1/2 lb of your favorite pasta (I used Rigatoni but I think something smaller would work better)

1/2 roll sausage (I used hot Italian)

1 cup Marinara sauce

Garlic powder

Dried Basil

Dried Oregano

Dried Thyme

Dried Rosemary (Dear spice company, can you for consistency's sake, use the same shaker cap on your rosemary as you do on all other herbs/spices? That way when I open the cap I don't pour half the bottle into my sauce. Kthx)

Salt and Pepper

Worcestershire sauce (what, did you actually expect me to make a recipe without it??)

2 oz fresh mozzerella, chopped

1/4 cup mascarpone

Parmesan

Boil water. Cook pasta per package directions.

While pasta is cooking, brown sausage in medium skillet. Drain grease. Add marinara sauce to meat. Add spices and herbs to your taste. Be careful with the rosemary. It's tricky! Let this simmer until pasta is almost done. Just before you drain pasta, add cheese to sauce. Drain pasta. Mix pasta into sauce. Serve with grated Parmesan on top.

Note--You can change the cheeses in this. I happen to have fresh Mozzerella and mascarpone from another recipe. You could easily use shredded packaged mozzerella and cream cheese. You just want something melty/stringy and something smooth and creamy. I'm all about using what you have on hand. Same with the herbs--use what you've got.

Missing Recipes...

2009-11-17T18:45:00.000-08:00

For the most part, we are moved in and unpacked. We are down to the boxes of crap that we just don't know what to do with. The stuff that I just need to take a weekend and get out of the boxes and put away, but a lot of it is decorative stuff, or stuff for our living room. The problem? We don't have furniture for our living room. I also don't have the bookshelves for my office, so a lot of that stuff hasn't been unpacked yet. So I have a bunch of random junk boxes in my garage. It is driving me CRAZY!!! I am constantly running into nights like tonight, when I need something, that I know I have somewhere, but can't find it anywhere. I looked through every single one of those boxes. I had a very specific recipe I wanted to share with you guys, but it is in my recipe box that has not appeared yet. Urgh I am so frustrated!

Instead, I pulled out the recipe book that my sister made for my wedding shower. I found this simple recipe from my mom that made my mouth water with nostalgia. I remember munching on these at Thanksgiving every year, but I never realized she was the one who made them. Although as I'm writing that, I have the vague memory of eating them warm out of the oven...mmmm.... Anyway, I haven't made this recipe myself but these are fantastic, trust me. And the recipe looks fairly simple to make (and knowing Mom, it has to be simple to make. LOVE YOU MOM, but I know how much you to hate to cook!)

Oyster Crackers

From My Mom

1 pkg oyster crackers

1 cup Wesson oil

1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing

1/2 tsp lemon pepper

Mix last 3 ingredients, add crackers. Spread onto cookie sheet. Bake at 200 degrees for 1 1/2-2 hours. Stir every 30 minutes. Store in an airtight container. Wash entire kitchen 3 times until there is no trace that you did any cooking in the last 6 months. (Hehe *kiss*)

Note--As you can probably tell...this post is all in good fun. My mom and I are two very different people. She loves to clean, I love to cook. We tease each other quite a bit about each others strong points (like when I knew that the mystery sauce served with the asparagus at dinner the other night was beurre blanc. I never heard the end of it.) My mom and I fought like cats and dogs when I was in high school, but now that I have moved out, we spend as much time as we can together. Love you Mom!!!!

Pure Fall Heaven

2009-11-16T18:51:00.000-08:00

Back when I made this, I had bought 2 squash, thinking that J. would love acorn squash, and I'd make it again. He didn't. Thus, I've had an extra squash sitting in my basket just waiting on me to do something with it. So, for lunch on Sunday, I decided to crack that baby open. Now, that is no easy task. Make sure you have a high quality knife and anchor your cutting board. You might even pierce the squash and stick it in the microwave for a few minutes to start the cooking process before slicing it open. I haven't tried that, I don't know how that would work. It should soften the skin a bit, to make it easier to cut open. However you slice it, be VERY CAREFUL. But, if you are hankering for something sweet and sugary, try this. Squash has sooooooo many vitamins. I made mine with sugar and butter, but you could easily do this with honey and your favorite low cal spread to lighten it up. 1 half was enough to feed me, I put the other half in a baggie in the fridge for another day.

Microwave Squash

Slice squash in half, scoop out guts. Place cut side down in microwave safe dish (I used my CorningWare) and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Cook on high for 8 minutes, until flesh is soft. Very carefully remove plastic wrap. Just as carefully, remove flesh from skin. Mix in butter, brown sugar, dried rosemary, salt. Mmmmmm...Pure fall heaven!

Thanksgiving Yummies

2009-11-15T13:07:00.000-08:00

My sister asked me for this recipe today, so I figured I'd post it on here. I'm not really cooking today, sort of taking the weekend off since it's my birthday weekend.

My aunt brought these to Thanksgiving a few years ago. My sisters and I DEVOURED them. Seriously, we could not keep our hands out of the container. Mom kept telling us to stop eating cookies or we couldn't complain about our weight (it was during those awkward high school years when we all had self esteem issues). We didn't care. We kept going back for more and more and more.

For my wedding shower, my sister put together a book of recipes from everyone in attendance. Aunt Ellen submitted this one, because she knew how much I loved these cookies. These are dangerous. Proceed with caution.

Pumpkin Cookies

From Aunt Ellen

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups white sugar

2 cups pumpkin

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

4 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream butter, sugar, and pumpkin.

Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well.

Drop cookies onto greased pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Cool Completely.

Ice with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

From Aunt Ellen

8 oz cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla

1 stick softened butter

16 oz powdered sugar

Mix together cream cheese, vanilla, and butter. Slowly mix in powdered sugar until you come to your preferred consistency and sweetness. (I like to taste the cream cheese, some people prefer it a lot sweeter. I never use all 16 oz of sugar.)

Restaurant Review--Oceanaire

2009-11-14T18:11:00.000-08:00

Today has been the PERFECT day! I told J. I wanted to go to Indy for my birthday, to shop and explore. I love living so close to the city, but we don't get down there near often enough. I had been hearing a lot about Broad Ripple Village, and wanted to check it out. It was cute, definitely a neat area, although I hope we just missed a lot of it because it did not seem like there was much there. After that we went to Circle Centre, and did a little actual shopping, to kill some time before our dinner reservations at 6:30.

The best part about the day was that by coincidence, my parents were flying into Indy this afternoon, on the way home from a cruise! When we found out we were going to be in the city together, we changed our reservations from 2 to 4 people and spent the afternoon together. Mom and I shopped, Dad and J. grabbed a beer before dinner.

Dinner was at the Oceanaire, just a block away from the mall. From the moment we walked in the door, Wow. Now, I don't have much to compare it to--I'm a rural girl who has grown up on chain faire like Applebees and Red Lobster. But I wanted an upscale, semi-gourmet meal, and that is what I got.

The service, first of all, was excellent. The waitstaff was everywhere, constantly filling water glasses if they were an inch below the top, removing plates if they were empty, bringing relish, bread, etc. They were extraordinarily attentive. I was very pleased. Our waiter was pleasantly friendly, very helpful. He didn't smirk at me when I asked what the fish was in our relish tray (Pickled herring by the way might be my new favorite thing. OMG.), or when Dad jumped when he asked "would you like us to shell your crab for you, sir?" (at no charge even! Trust me, we asked first). There were a dozen places he could have upsold or overcharged us and instead, he told us how the sides and desserts would each feed most of the table, so we only needed one, not four.

Now on to the food. It was so good. I mean really, I just don't know what to say other than it was excellent seafood for an inland restaurant. You don't find very many of those around here. All of us were happy with what we ordered.

I had the swordfish with caramelized onions and blue cheese.

Sorry about the fuzzy cellphone picture, it's all I had. It was a bit like eating a big steak! The edges were a bit dry, but once you got to the middle, the fish was much softer and more moist. The spices were fantastic. The blue cheese was a bit much for the fish and I wiped most of it off. While I like blue cheese, it overpowered the fish, I thought. The fish itself though was pretty good.

J.'s dish was the best on the table. He ordered Mahi Mahi oscar style. I didn't get a picture unfortunately, he dug in almost immediately. With good reason too. It was covered in a rich Bearnaise sauce that we just couldn't stop eating! Oh man it was so good.

For an appetizer we had asparagus with beurre blanc. There was nothing special about the asparagus but the sauce I have to mention. If anything makes me want to learn French cooking, it is that sauce alone. Oh my goodness. If it kills me, I will learn to make beurre blanc. I could have drank that sauce. But I refrained.

Dessert was Grand Marnier Creme Brulee. That was the first time I've ever had any kind of Creme Brulee and I must say, I can't wait to have it again. As J. said--"Can you make this in gallon-sized?"

Overall, the day was fantastic. It was gorgeous out, a perfect day for walking outside, and it was great to be able to see my parents on my birthday. As for my gourmet restaurant experience, all I can say is...when is my next birthday???

Green Pasta

2009-11-13T11:48:00.001-08:00

Sorry about last night, guys. I know it was a skeeze of a post, but I was sooooooooo sick. CO2 poisoning is no fun! I am feeling MUCH better today though, the gas fumes have dissipated and the furnace parts are on order.

J. and I are going up to Huntington tonight for some festivities so I wanted to be sure to get this post up early.

Last night's recipe came from Artisan Sweets. It was fairly simple to put together, and full of Vitamin A, from the broccoli. However, I fattened it up quite a bit with butter and cream. This is one of those recipes that you don't measure, just throw it all in and taste. I would suggest using more milk than cream, otherwise it gets too thick for the blender (not that I found that out the hard way or anything). It's one of those recipes that you think...I am not really sure about this one. And even when we sat down to eat it, the green color was kind of off putting. But with pepper and Parmesan on top, this one is a keeper.

Broccoli Pasta

Adapted from Artisan Sweets

Steam broccoli over pot of boiling water. Remove from pot, throw in salt and your favorite pasta (I used bow tie). Saute broccoli in butter or oil and garlic, just until garlic is soft. Throw broccoli and garlic in a blender with butter, milk, and cream. Season with salt and pepper, maybe some other herbs, if you have any on hand (I had a little rosemary). Pulse until smooth. You may have to stir with a spoon, or add a little more milk to get it all to puree. Drain pasta, put back in pot, then pour sauce over. Add big handful or two of shredded mozzarella. Serve with lots of freshly ground pepper and Parmesan cheese on top!

Apologies

2009-11-12T18:20:00.000-08:00

My post tonight is short. Figured out why I've been not feeling well lately. Gas leak at work that has been getting progressively worse. They found a hole in one of the pipes, and there is also a leak in the furnace! It got really really bad today, and I am completely exhausted from breathing in the fumes. I managed to make dinner but now, at 9:30 I can hardly keep my eyes open. I'm sorry, I will post tomorrow when I am feeling better.

Happy Veteran's Day!

2009-11-11T18:25:00.000-08:00

Applebee's for dinner tonight...yum! They were offering free entrees for soldiers, so J. and I met another couple there after work. Unfortunately, our waitress was very ignorant. She asked the guys if they were in the Army, but once the answer was yes from both, she said "but you guys aren't vets." A. told her that "Well, yes, actually we both have been to Iraq, so that would make us veterans." She actually had the gall to tell him again, that NO he was not a vet!

At this point, I was ready to walk out. J. and A's girlfriend were just kind of sitting there but A. and I are both pretty fiery. We were clearly offended. The longer the conversation went on, the more she put her foot in her mouth. It was just bad all around. Finally, she went to get our drink orders and stopped talking to us. She came back later and apologized if "we took her the wrong way."

While I understand what she was getting at, this kind of attitude is exactly what I was talking about in my last military post. These guys worked their butts off over there, and if we just shake them off like they don't matter, they are going to continue to suffer. We have to treat them like they really are veterans who are serving our country. They deserve that respect. It's a different kind of war, but they still deserve that respect.

Ok, enough ranting. I promise this isn't going to become a normal thing, it's just something about this week I think. This is something that I'm passionate about, but I know you guys don't come to my food blog for a bunch of one way rants about military stuff.

However, I am going to share a great recipe for all you military supporters out there! These are so easy to make and will make a soldier's week. I bet if you ask your pastor, he can tell you soldiers to send them to, or there are all kinds of organizations online who have units to mail care packages to. Try these soon!

Soldier Jar Cakes

1 Cake recipe (can be box mix or homemade)

1 pint ball jars and lids

Make cake batter as recipe calls for it. Pour batter into jars. Only fill to about 1/2 full, otherwise the jars will overflow and you won't be able to get the lids on. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cake is completely cooked. Remove from oven and immediately screw lids on. BE VERY CAREFUL AS JARS WILL BE SUPER LAVA HOT!!! Leave on counter to cool, jars will seal on their own. Once completely cool, pack carefully in a shipping box with jarred frosting and plastic silverware.

An idea--if your soldier is having a birthday, pack candles and, party hats and noisemakers with the cake. It seems really silly and juvenile to a 20 year old male here at home, but trust me, the bored soldier in Iraq will LOVE it. J. turned 21 in Iraq, so I packed a 6 pack of root beer with his cakes, since he couldn't have real beer (alcohol is forbidden in Muslim countries).

Also, if you do have a soldier overseas, go to USPS.com, they have special care package kits for free for military families. They will send you packing materials for free. I STILL have rolls of packing tape from those kits. They will also send you flat rate boxes and customs papers. You will have to pay postage, but it cuts way back on shipping materials!

2009-11-10T17:40:00.000-08:00

We had breakfast for dinner tonight. It was delicious, but no recipes came out of it. Just a couple of eggs and some hashbrowns, nothing special. Just an easy, comforting meal after what was a very nervous day. I was not in the mood for cooking a big fancy meal. However, we can now breathe a big sigh of relief.

The problem--what to blog about tonight? Crap! So I went to the reserves for this one. It makes a great snack dip, something I like to keep in the fridge to dip celery and carrots in. It would also be good to take to a party as well, although you might want to make a double recipe if you are going to be entertaining.

Dill Dip

From A Recipe a Day

1/2 cup mayo

1/2 cup sour cream

1 handful dill

1 tsp seasoning salt

1/4 tsp onion salt

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp dried minced onion

1 Tbsp dried parsley

1/4 tsp hot sauce

Mix ingredients together and chill. Serve with cut veggies. Also makes a good sandwich or cracker spread.

Shrimp Flip!

2009-11-09T20:13:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from a Twitter friend--this was a favorite family recipe of his. His recipe originally called to flour the shrimp and fry it in 1/2 cup olive oil, which I'm sure would be marvelously delicious as well! As for me, I prefer my fried shrimp with cocktail sauce. If I'm going to have a wine sauce, I want my shrimp naked. That is the wonderful thing about cooking. You can ALWAYS change a recipe to how you like it.

I was so excited when I was cooking this recipe, because as I was cooking the shrimp I flipped it! You know what I mean, that fancy chef flip! I did it right on my first try, and I was so excited that I called J. up to the kitchen to watch. Of course as soon as he got to the kitchen, I threw shrimp across the room. Luckily we only lost 1 or 2. Sigh.

Note--next time you order a shrimp dinner and are complaining because it's taking so long--Don't. Instead remember that somewhere in the back of that Red Lobster someone is taking the poop pipe out of each teeny tiny little sea insect so that you can eat it. Mmm Delicious.

Note Squared--If you do make this at home, I recommend buying your shrimp already deveined. It is usually a few cents more expensive, but much less gross.

Herb's Shrimp in Wine Sauce

Adapted from KayDub

1/2 cup white wine

2 tsp tomato paste

4 Tbsp warm water

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Dash cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Tbsp Butter

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 lb shrimp

1 green onion, chopped

2 tsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp chopped parsley

In a small sauce pan, whisk together tomato paste, water, salt, pepper, cayenne, and wine, in saucepan. Simmer for about 5 minutes to reduce.

Heat olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until it starts to turn translucent. Add shrimp and saute until almost completely cooked thru. Add onion. Add sauce to shrimp. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute longer to finish cooking shrimp. Garnish with parsley and lemon juice. Serve warm with New Potatoes and Roasted Garlic (seriously this was goooooood).

This would also be really good served over linguine or with some thick, crusty bread to sop up the sauce.

This one's for my cousin...

2009-11-08T16:28:00.000-08:00

I found out today that my cousin was in a pretty bad accident and has ended up with his jaw wired shut. Poor guy! His mom tells me he's been pretty miserable--he's a really active guy, and being cooped up I'm sure has not been kind to him. All he can eat right now is pureed soups, which, unless you are the culinary arteeeest that I am (*rolls eyes*) can be pretty boring. I told Aunt G that I had the perfect recipe for her to fix!

Of course, this recipe is fantastic even for those of us who have full use of our jaws, so definitely try this the next time you feel like a warm bowl of comfort. And try it with grilled cheese--only, instead of the usual Kraft singles, try a grown up grilled cheese with this! There are so many other cheeses out there...explore the gourmet cheese section by your store's deli section up front. Even Wal-mart has a small one.

Roasted Tomato Soup

From FoodNetwork.com

2 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes (use any mix you like, but always use fresh)

6 cloves garlic, peeled

2 small yellow onions, sliced

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt & pepper

1 quart chicken stock

2 bay leaves

4 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

3/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Wash, core, and halve the tomatoes. Spread the tomatoes, garlic cloves, and onions onto a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-30 minutes, until caramelized.

Remove roasted veggies from oven and transfer to a large stock pot. Add 3/4 of stock, bay leaves, and butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid has reduced by a 3rd.

Wash and dry basil leaves. Add to the pot. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth (Or pour soup into regular blender or food processor. Just be careful with hot soup.). Lower heat, add cream and adjust consistency with remaining chicken stock, if necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Is This Seat Taken?

2009-11-07T14:02:00.001-08:00

One of my coworkers, JB, is famous for her cheesecakes. She has brought some to work, and my technicians just go crazy for them. She mentioned on Thursday that there was a contest that she was thinking of entering, but it was in Modoc and she just wasn't sure if she should go.

"Modoc," I said, "It's not at the winery is it?"

"Yeah, Wilson Wines, or something like that?"

"Ohhhhhhh we are SOOOOOOO GOING!!!!"

That was the end of that. I've been wanting to visit Wilson Wines for awhile now, but hadn't made the 40 minute drive yet. Then she told me the kicker...you get a free bottle of wine for every cheesecake you enter! Well, I had never made a cheesecake before but I had several recipes in my binder just waiting to be tried. Here's the perfect reason! So, in typical Haley style, I entered a food contest without ever tasting my entry :).

I definitely learned a few things about cheesecake making--the main thing being that you should ALWAYS butter a round of parchment paper and put that on the bottom, between the crust and the pan. Otherwise, you will be taking the pan with you to the contest. Also, let your ganache cool a little bit before pouring it onto the cake, otherwise you will have a mess in your fridge.

The day was so much fun. The winery itself was a small farm, with a little cookout patio area. They have a stage, where they host live music in the summer. Apparently, they have Bring Your Own Meat Fridays where they put grills out and you come and BBQ with a bunch of people. I think J and I will definitely try that sometime next year! JB and I were sitting alone at a table and we kept having people come up to our table and ask if they could sit with us in the extra two chairs. We met so many people this way! Suddenly I was Miss Social Butterfly, chatting about wine and food. I was completely in my element. It just makes me even more confident that I am finding my purpose in this world--food. I can't wait to see where this path leads!

Hey look, I actually remembered to take a picture!

Nutella Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache

Adapted from The Picky Apple

Crust:

3 cups Oreo crumbs, divided

2 Tbsp white sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

Filling:

24 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 egg yolks

1 whole egg

1/2 cup milk

1 jar Nutella

Ganache:

1 cup heavy cream

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 Tbsp butter

1 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts

Heat oven to 350.

Combine 2 cups crumbs with butter and sugar. Wrap springform pan in foil. Pat into the bottom of pan and bake for 15 minutes.

In bowl of mixer, beat cream cheese. Add sugar, flour, salt and vanilla until just combined. Add eggs, beat on low until just combined. Add milk and Nutella, beat until Nutella is completely mixed in.

Pour filling into springform pan.

Reduce heat to 300 Degrees. Place pan on cookie sheet and then place in oven. Bake for 1 hour, turn off oven and let bake for another 45 minutes, until center appears set when shaken lightly. Remove and cool on wire rack.

Bring cream to a boil. Pour over chocolate chips. Stir until smooth and shiny. Spread evenly over top of cheesecake.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight is better, to set.

Before serving, remove sides and bottom of pan. Carefully remove round of parchment paper from bottom of cake and place on serving dish.

Press remaining crumbs all around the cake to form the outside crust. Sprinkle toasted hazelnuts on top of cake (This is the perfect step if you, hm, have any cracks or have accidentally smudged the ganache. That's why I saved it for AFTER the refrigeration step. This ganache is soft enough to push the nuts into it.)

Note: Don't be surprised if you see me use some of the wines I bought today in my recipes. I only bought 4 bottles (and was given a bottle of Cranberry for entering a cake), but I will be going back to get more. I have no agreement with WW to use their wines, but they have several fantastic reds on their list. And the blackberry is to DIE for...Seriously, go check them out here.

Finally Friday!

2009-11-06T19:26:00.000-08:00

Oh Friday nights. They are like a huge sigh of relief. Except usually, I come home and relax. Tonight...not so much. Why not? Well, I am entering a cheesecake contest tomorrow. A nearby winery is having their annual holiday festival, and a coworker and I are entering the contest. She is pretty famous for her cheesecakes, and has even shipped hers to California to be tested by a restaurateur! Me, it's just an experiment. I've never made a real cheesecake before and I thought it would be fun to try! I'll post that recipe tomorrow, once I can see how it turns out.

Because I was busy making the cheesecake, I didn't cook dinner. We ordered a pizza instead. Oh No! I have to post SOMETHING for NaBloWriMo! So I have for you tonight is one of my old standby recipes. It's one of those that I don't really have a set recipe for, or even know where it originally came for. I often will buy catfish or other whitefish on sale, and freeze each fillet individually in small baggies, then leave one out to thaw if I know I'm going to be alone for dinner. Just throw together a salad, or some SteamFresh veggies and you have a pretty good meal.

Pan-Fried Catfish

Butter

1 Fillet Catfish

Your favorite spice rub

Melt a pad of butter in a skillet over medium high heat. While butter is heating, rub spices into both sides of fish. Place fish in pan. Fry on both sides until meat is flaky, just a few minutes each. Put on plate and pour any extra butter over the top.

See, easy!!

God With Us...

2009-11-05T16:59:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: I am not going to claim to be an expert on the situation at Fort Hood, all of the following are my own thoughts and feelings. Still, I feel that on a day like today, I need to speak up, so tonight's post is going to be a little different than the norm.

I am heartbroken for those involved and affected in today's shooting. My prayers go out to the victims' families, as well as the rest of the soldiers on base.

We can't know the reasons true for the shooting. There seem to be two teams of thought right now: one being Islamic descent and the other being PTSD.

PTSD has been affecting me personally quite a bit lately. Because of that, it has made me step up and take a look at how little awareness there is. All the time we hear "Support Our Troops!" But what they mean is "Support Our Troops Who Are Overseas Who Only You Know!" Now, I am a military wife, so when J. was deployed, yes, I was all over sending him care packages and wore red, white and blue and put out a yellow ribbon and all that jazz.

But it CANNOT stop there. Not for us at home, and NOT for the Army. For our unit, PTSD awareness meant a short lecture during the post deployment briefing telling us what the signs were. Maybe a few pamphlets. They tried to give us the resources we needed. However, at that time, we all just shook it off. We were too excited for our soldiers to be home. PTSD was not going to happen to us, we hardly saw any "real" action. However, it never should have been left at that, in my opinion.

Now, I don't know how things work in active Army units. But in my opinion, I think the military should require periodical mental health checks for at least a year, if not two, post deployment. For reservists, it would be easy--build the checks into the monthly drills, or even every 2-3 months. But do SOMETHING. The Army HAS to ensure that their soldiers are being taken care of. They cannot leave it up to the soldiers--there is too much of a stigma that if you ask for help you are weak. Not only that, but sometimes you don't always break down all at once. It can be a slow spiral that is full of denial. The soldier doesn't want to get help, and often the family doesn't push the subject, if they even see it happening. As I said earlier, you always think it won't happen to you.

Ok, enough of all that. Where can you go to get help?

1. Call your local VA. They will gladly do a mental screening, set you up with a doctor, and get you the help you need.

2. Here's a great group who is putting out information for PTSD. They were very active on Twitter tonight during the Fort Hood discussions.

3. If you are in a crisis situation, call 911 or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Like I said, these are my own thoughts and opinions. Really, I just want to see more soldiers get help. I've seen it with my own eyes how much pain PTSD causes. We saw today a huge mass media tragedy and it's absolutely devestating. My heart goes out to those people. But we can't let it stop here. When the media coverage dies down, it can't stop here. Because PTSD won't stop here.

*steps down off soapbox*

Crockpot Comfort

2009-11-04T17:11:00.000-08:00

What a long, horrible day. I am a chronic migraine sufferer and have been since middle school. After they put me in the emergency room this year, I finally made an appointment with a great neurologist who specializes in migraines and he put me on some preventative medication that has helped tremendously. And I had to give up caffeine, which was devastating to this coffee addict! I've also been seeing a chiropractor once a week to help with the stress on my neck and shoulders--a lot of my migraines start with the tension in that area.

Still, a few times a month I still get migraines, I don't think you can ever truly be rid of them. Things like stress or weather are my main triggers. Today one hit me sooo hard. It was a miserable day. I couldn't concentrate, all I wanted to do was go home and sleep. Unfortunately, I had to keep working, I'm not one to call in sick.

Not only that, I knew I would have to do a blog post tonight, and I needed a recipe. Which meant I had to make something for dinner. So on my lunch break, I ran home, and threw this in the crockpot. Whoever invented that wonderful appliance deserves a throne. Seriously. Some days there is just nothing better than a crockpot.

I followed the directions on this one. It's nothing fancy, just comfy, warm soup. It's not spicy as is, but you could turn up the heat by adding jalepenos instead of red peppers, or using a spicier enchilada sauce than I did. I've also seen versions of this with nacho cheese condensed soup instead of cream of chicken, and it's wonderful like that.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

From realmomkitchen on Tasty Kitchen

1 can Black Beans, rinsed and drained

1 can diced tomatoes (I used fire roasted but I don't think it made a difference here)

1 10 oz package frozen corn

1/2 onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 can enchilada sauce

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 cup milk (Ours was spoiled, ugh, but I had 3/4 pint of heavy cream so I used that instead)

2 whole chicken breasts

1 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded

In Crockpot, combine all ingredients. Cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 on low.

Remove chicken and shred. Put back in soup.

Serve with cheese on top.

Also good with sour cream, cilantro, and tortilla chips.

Note: This makes a ton--I kept some in the fridge for the next few lunches, and then packed the rest in individual freezer containers. Who needs Stouffer's when you can make your own microwaveable meal?

Spoiled Rotten

2009-11-03T17:19:00.000-08:00

The good thing about having 15 male coworkers is that there are always hungry guys around looking for a treat. They come to the shop between jobs and even if they've just had lunch, they are always ready for another break. Basically I have 15 guinea pigs around when I get the hankering to bake. I tried to convince my boss to promote me to company chef and send me to culinary school but he would have none of it. Ah well. For now I'll just have to be satisfied bringing these babies in to feed my guys. I don't hear them complaining much.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

From YumSugar

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp clove

pinch of ground ginger

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup brown sugar (I ran out, so I used 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar and about 1/4 molasses to make up the rest)

1/2 cup sugar (in addition to what I used with molasses)

1 egg

15 oz can of pure pumpkin (ok, who seriously has ever seen a 15 oz can of pumpkin? not me. My store carries one size. GIGANTIC. So I used 1/2 a 29 oz can.)

1 tsp vanilla

1 bag chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.

In a small bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and ginger together and set aside.

In mixer, cream together butter and sugars. Add pumpkin and vanilla. Beat in egg.

Gradually beat in flour mixture.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop in rounded spoonfuls onto baking sheets sprayed with PAM spray.

Bake for 13-15 minutes.

These may be the only cookie ever that is better the next day. I was not impressed the other night when I made them, they seemed really dry. But the next day, the pumpkin will have worked its magic and the cookies will be moist and fluffy, almost the texture of muffins.

Another new food

2009-11-02T16:31:00.000-08:00

Along with the roast chicken, I also tried another new dish--acorn squash. I've tasted it before, in my high school and college cooking labs. It was always one of the microwavable foods. I was never in the groups that made those dishes, but I had liked the sweet, fall flavor of the squash. When I came across this post from Pioneer Woman, I just started drooling. Oh man.

I LOVED this dish. Unfortunately, Meijer was out of fresh rosemary, so I had to use dry, but it was still amazingly delicious.

However, J. and JC were not nearly as impressed. They both kind of wrinkled up their nose. I think maybe if I had mashed it up and put it in something, they would have loved it just as much as I did. But tell Indiana guys they are eating roast squash...yeah they aren't so into it. See what I'm up against? It's so, so sad.

Go check out Pioneer Woman's post. I didn't change the recipe other than to use 1 Tbsp dried instead of fresh rosemary, and her pictures will just make you drool all over your keyboard. And just a head's up...I just got her cookbook in the mail, so you may see even more of the gorgeous PW around. But that's a good thing, I promise.

(Damn you government...No, PW is in no way paying me or connected to me in any way. She probably has no idea who I am or the fact that I'm even writing this post. I just really love her food and her pictures and really look up to her as a blogger.)

That chicken is SO dead!

2009-11-01T16:12:00.000-08:00

Probably one of the most elemental dishes for a true cook is roast chicken. It takes awhile to cook, and it can be challenging to learn the techniques, but a perfect roast chicken is the most tender, juicy bird you will ever taste! It can be a simple, comforting family meal, or a fancy, impressive gourmet dish.

I have been wanting to try my hand at this for awhile, but I've been too chicken! *slaps knee* That, and it seemed like too much food for just the two of us. But JC was coming to dinner, so it seemed like a good time to try it out!

The chicken itself was not terribly difficult. I used a digital thermometer to make sure the bird was 180 degrees before I removed it from the oven, let it rest for 15 minutes before attempting to carve it (note: the word attempt), even covered it with foil while resting.

Then came time to carve the beast. I had gone online and read a few articles and looked at pictures of how to carve it. The breast was not really a problem. However, I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get those pretty, crispy drumsticks. The sucker's legs did NOT want to break. I mutilated that poor bird. It wasn't pretty.

Somehow the dark meat was still undercooked a bit. I'm not sure why. The breast was perfectly cooked. Could not have been more juicy and white and delicious. Man it was good. But the dark meat was that texture of chicken that is JUST not done yet. It was weird. Anybody have any ideas? I would have thought it would be the other way around.

Caribbean Spice Roast chicken

From A Recipe a Day (Since it was my first time out, I did not change this recipe, except to double the spice mix. I ran out when coating the bird.)

1 1/2 Lime Juice

2 oz rum

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp ground clove

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground giner

2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried thyme leaves

1 (3 lb) whole chicken

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Preheat oven 325 degrees.

In small bowl, combine the lime juice, rum, and brown sugar, set aside.

Mix together the spices.

Brush the chicken with oil, then coat with the spice mixture. Place in a roasting pan, and bake about 90 minutes, until juices run clear and a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of the thigh reaches 180 degrees.

Baste the chicken with the sauce every 20 minutes while it's cooking.

Allow chicken to rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.

Tip: Save the carcass for stock! Put in an airtight bag and freeze until ready to use. I'll post about my stock recipe soon, I promise.

NaBloWriMo

2009-11-01T06:12:00.001-08:00

I don't know about ya'll, but I'm really enjoying this food blog thing. I love doing the research, which for me, basically means subscribing to every other food blog I come across and printing off every recipe that looks good. Those recipes go into 3 binders that are tabbed into sections. Then, when it's time to go grocery shopping, I go through and do a meal plan for the next two weeks. I follow the recipes when I cook, making my own changes and annotations as I go, then do a post that night (or sometimes the day after). Recipes I don't like get thrown away, Good ones get starred and put back in the binder for the next time we get a craving.

The blog has given me an outlet for my creativity in the kitchen, and it's challenged me to cook a lot more often. Those of you familiar with the blogging world will know what NaBloWriMo is, but for those who aren't, here you go:

November is National Blog Writing Month. Basically, the goal is to write 30 posts in 30 days! Holy crapola. Now that is a challenge!

I can't guarantee that I will cook every night, but I am going to post a recipe every night. I have lots of starred recipes that I've made before I started blogging that I know you guys will love. Hold on to your hats kids. This may be a crazy ride!

Go here if you want to read more about NaBloWriMo!

Trying New Things

2009-10-28T17:53:00.000-07:00

I've been looking forward to making this recipe since I found it. I don't know why. Maybe it's because I found this French-seeming recipe when I was reading "My Life in Paris." Maybe it's because I've never cooked with leeks before. What ever the reason, I knew I had to try it.

It wasn't difficult to make, though be very careful when prepping the leeks. It's hard to julienne those suckers! Also, they are very sandy, so be sure to rinse them in a big bowl of cold water before you cook with them.

Surprisingly, J. really liked this. I wasn't sure if he would, it's a little out of his comfort zone. We both felt that the angel hair was a little too delicate and mushy. Is there such a thing as al dente with such a teeny pasta? Next time I try this I will go with something sturdier, like vermicelli or even fettuccine.

Drunken Angel Hair with Leeks and Cream

From Serious Eats

3 leeks, whites and light greens sliced into julienne

1 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup water

1 bottle of white wine, 3/4 cup reserved (I used Oliver Gewurztraminer)

1 pound angel hair pasta

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1 Tbsp chervil, chopped (I used parsley, my store didn't have chervil)

Salt and fresh ground pepper

In a saute pan, melt the butter in 1/4 cup water on medium-high heat. Add the leeks and cover with a lid, turn heat down to low. Cook about 20 minutes, until soft. You might need to add more water if the pan gets dry.

Boil a large pot of water. Add a full bottle of wine, minus 3/4 cup, and a handful of salt. Add pasta to water and cook until al dente.

In pan with leaks, add 1/2 cup of wine, allow to reduce slightly. Add cream and heat through. Add the pasta and some pasta water, toss to combine. Add the final 1/4 cup of wine, chervil and Parmesan. Grind lots of black pepper on the top.

Quick Well-Rounded Meal

2009-10-26T16:37:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that I LOVE Cooking Light? I first discovered it while standing in line in the grocery store. I was just spreading my foodie wings, while at the same time struggling with the 20+ post engagement pounds. The photos in the magazine are gorgeous, and the recipes are perfect for a growing culinary mind. They focus on fresh ingredients, some that are familiar, but they also encourage you to branch out. This month's issue had a new section with full meal plans laid out in a certain time limit--great for a weeknight when I don't necessarily feel like spending hours cooking. (Ironically, I made this on a Sunday.)

I didn't do much to these recipes, I did add a marinade to the pork, as I think chops tend to run on the dry side. I also added the same spice mix to the potatoes.

Spice-Rubbed Pork Chops

Adapted from Cooking Light October 2009

Marinade:

New Day Meadery Semi-Dry Plum Mead

Worcestershire Sauce

Garlic Salt

Ground Coriander

Ground Cumin

Brown Sugar

Nutmeg

Lemon Juice

2 Boneless Pork chops

1/8 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp brown sguar

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

Heat skillet over medium high heat. Rub spice mixture into pork. Add oil to pan, swirl to coat. Add pork to pan, spice side down. Cook 2 minutes or until browned. Turn pork over, and cook 4 minutes or until done.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Adapted from Cooking Light October 2009

Cut 2 large sweet potatoes into 1 inch cube. Combine potatoes with olive oil and more of the same spices used for the pork chops. Arrange in single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 500 degrees for 20 minutes until done, turning after 10 minutes.

Lemon Green Beans

Adapted from Cooking Light October 2009

Steam 8 oz green beans until crisp-tender. Toss with 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp grated lemon rind, adn 1/4 tsp salt.

Note--There's this new law about disclaimers that I have to start following--Cooking Light is not paying me for this post, this is my own opinion. I just really like their magazine and I'm a loyal subscriber. You'll see their recipes a lot on my blog but I'm in no way affiliated with them.

I got the picky kid to eat mustard!

2009-10-19T18:18:00.000-07:00

Meet B.

He's basically at fault...er...responsible for bringing J. into my life. B. is my second cousin (or third, or something like that. Who knows really?) and J.'s best friend. Brother by a different Mother, if you will. And yes, I mean that in the cheesiest way possible. He was the best man at our wedding, and he continues to be the ultimate third wheel in our marriage (he even invited himself to our 1 year anniversary, but I nixed that pretty quickly). I would not have it any other way! We don't see him as much as we used to when we lived up north, but he comes down for a night or two about once a month. Tonight was one such night. I had a recipe up my sleeve that I wanted to try, and I had been planning on making it for J. and P. (see the Buffalo Chicken Mini Night.) I invited them over too and set to meal planning. I was a little bit nervous though, because B. is the second pickiest eater I have ever met (ironically, the 1st pickiest is my ex's best friend. Must be a side kick thing). J & P didn't come over, but B. was pretty thrilled with dinner. "What is the spice that is on this? It has a kick!" It took me a minute to realize he was talking about the Dijon glaze. He was so proud of himself when I told him he was eating mustard, and liking it!

Mustard Glazed Chicken

Adapted from Dinner for a year and Beyond

5 chicken breasts

Poultry seasoning (I used Pampered Chef Sun Dried Tomato Mix)

Marinade:

Juice of 1 lime

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

3 clove garlic chopped

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup red wine

Glaze:

3 tsp Dijon Mustard

Juice of 1 lime

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

3 clove garlic chopped

Mix marinade ingredients together in plastic bag. Place chicken in bag and put in fridge for at least 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place chicken in 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with poultry seasoning.

In a small bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients. Pour over chicken. Bake chicken for about 20-25 minutes, basting 2-3 times during cooking time. Serve in baking dish with a large spoon so guests can help themselves to the extra glaze!

Cilantro Rice

Adapted from Aggie's Kitchen

1 cup minute rice

2 cups cold water

3 cloves garlic, chopped

Large handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

2-3 green onions, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Worcestershire sauce

Splash white wine

Make rice according to package direction, with the addition of garlic. Fluff with a fork. Toss in cilantro, onions, salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and white wine.

Cinnamon Apples

Recipe by Me!

5 Small to Medium apples (I used Honeycrisp because that's what I had, Golden Delicious would be better for this though)

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp Nutmeg

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 cup real maple syrup

2 Tbsp butter

Peel and slice apples.

In large mixing bowl, mix sugar and spices. Toss with apples. Add Maple syrup, toss to coat.

In skillet, melt butter. Add apples. Cook until tender and sauce is thick and bubbly.

Spicy Sausage Skillet

2009-10-17T16:55:00.000-07:00

It has been a long, terrible week for me. Work has been super stressful, and by the time I got home, I have been ready to collapse. I was desperately out of groceries, but there was nooooooo patience leftover for shopping. None.

J. had drill today, so I finally had a day to myself. I got more done on the house today than I have since we moved in. I found the rest of my clothes (over 3/4ths of them!), washed them all (well...it's a work in progress), reorganized my dresser and closets to make room, unpacked more of my kitchen, did the dishes, AND went grocery shopping. After all that productivity, I needed a hot, comforting meal. This definitely did the trick!

Spicy Sausage Skillet

Adapted from Cooking This and That (Good work CTT!)

1 box Penne (I used rice penne but it was a bit too gummy for this dish)

1 roll hot sausage

1 can Cream of chicken soup

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1 cup milk

1/2 cup cabernet sauvignon

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp dried basil

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan

Boil pot of water. Salt water, then add pasta. Cook until just al dente. Drain and keep warm.

Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble sausage into pan. Cook until browned.

Reduce heat to medium. Add soup, tomatoes, milk, wine, and seasonings. Cook for about 8 minutes. (At this point, you should be putting Brussels sprouts in your other skillet for the salad below.)

Stir in cooked pasta and mozzarella. Let stand for about 5 minutes. Top with Parmesan.

Nutty Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad

Adapted Cooking Light October 2009

1 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 garlic clove, minced

1/3 cup fresh breadcrumbs (for me this meant panicking over quickly burning garlic while I grabbed the nearest bread end and tore it apart as small as I possibly could because I thought I had a canister of breadcrumbs in my pantry. Apparently I was wrong.)

3/4 pound Brussels sprouts, halved (my store didn't have fresh this time of year, frozen were good, just thaw them out enough to cut)

salt and pepper

1 1/2 Tbsp chopped walnuts, toasted (I did this immediately after I toasted the garlic and crumbs, before I cooked the sprouts)

1/2 oz shaved Asiago cheese

Heat 1 tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, cook 1 minute. Add breadcrumbs, cook until lightly browned, stirring constantly. Transfer to small bowl. Toast walnuts.

Heat remaining 1/2 tsp oil over medium heat. Add sprouts, cook 8 minutes (again, add these just after you add the spices to your sausage skillet, the timing is perfect), stirring frequently. Remove from heat, toss with breadcrumb mixture, salt and pepper. Top with walnuts and cheese.

I drank: Alice White Cabernet Sauvignon

He drank: Oliver Camelot Mead

Side note...maybe eventually I will remember to take pictures of the food before we eat it.

No cheese???

2009-10-17T07:28:00.001-07:00

I'm sorry for my absence. If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you know I have had a horrible week. There has just been no energy leftover for cooking, and the state of my kitchen is a wreck. Today is full of chores, laundry, last week's dishes (yes I know, gross, but it's been THAT bad of a week), and grocery shopping. Because this has been the summary of my cooking excursions this week:

Picture from icanhazcheezburger.com

I'm hoping to have a post up tonight, if not tonight, definitely tomorrow.

New Friends, New recipes

2009-10-07T18:42:00.001-07:00

J. told me the other day that he hadn't seen a close friend of his in awhile. His friend goes to school here in town, but we rarely see him. However, J. of course never called JC, so I took it upon myself to invite him over for dinner. I figured he could use a home cooked meal, and I could use a guinea pig for my recipes. He brought a friend, and we all had a great time! It was such a great night, and I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we did. There is nothing better than getting compliments on a meal, and so I invited over two hungry college boys :). Good idea? I think so!

Buffalo Chicken Minis

Adapted from Macaroni and a Cheesecake

1 Rotisserie Chicken, Shredded

1 cup Buffalo sauce

1/2 cup water

2 Tbsp butter

1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

16 mini buns

Shred up chicken in medium sauce pan with sauce, water, butter and Worcestershire. Cook on Medium high heat for 10-15 minutes, until sauce has boiled down a little bit. Serve on mini buns with blue cheese dressing.

Blue Cheese Dressing

From Noble Pig

2/3 cup sour cream

1/2 mayo

1/4 cup butter milk

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 clove garlic, crushed

3 oz blue cheese, crumbled

kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Put the sour cream, mayo, buttermilk, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and blue cheese. Pulse until combined, but still chunky.

Southwestern Coleslaw

Adapted Simply Recipes

1 bag of colesaw mix

4 medium carrots, chopped fine

3 radishes, sliced thin

1 green onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 Tbsp EVOO (Yeah, I used that label, but only for easiness sake)

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp sugar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine veggies in serving bowl. Add salt, pepper and sugar. Add olive oil and vinegar and toss to coat.

Chocolate Emergency!

2009-10-06T18:53:00.000-07:00

Ladies, I know you have had THOSE days. You know the kind I'm talking about. When you feel like crap and you've had it up to HERE and dinner is just going to have to be chocolate or you will kill somebody.

The problem with THOSE days is that you rarely feel like cooking. Or at least I don't. I usually have a migraine and want to collapse in bed after my chocolate gorging. I have a secret that I thought I'd share with you all. Go make this on your next one of THOSE days. Seriously, pudding is like 50 cents a box. Yeah, it's not healthy for you but thats ok. Really. Who cares. I never said this blog was for healthy cooking! :)

Haley's Secret Emergency Chocolate Mousse

Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix

Heavy Whipping Cream

Pour a little of the mix in a bowl, and then with a fork, beat the cream into the mix. Then slowly add more mix, while continuing to whip the cream, until the mousse is thick and full.

You can make as much or as little as you like. I just put the rest of the package in a ziplock bag and keep it in my pantry for the next time I have a chocolate emergency. I always have heavy cream around. This is soooooooo much better than regular instant pudding. The mouth feel on this is fantastic. You could serve it at parties too, no one would know it wasn't something you spent HOURS making.

I won't torture you any more...

2009-10-03T14:07:00.000-07:00

If you've been following me on Twitter today, you are probably going crazy! I've been torturing you with this one all day, even posting a different recipe midday, while Tweeting about how good this bread was smelling! How mean am I?

Well, no fear, my friends, here is the long awaited recipe (if one afternoon can count as long awaited).

This bread is pretty good, although it needs a bit more salt, maybe a little vanilla. I had frozen my bananas, maybe that had something to do with the blandness? And I think I would like to use the whole jar of nutella, instead of just 1/2 cup. I figure if you're going to add nutella to banana bread, why not use the whole jar??? Unfortunately I only had half a jar left.

Also, I'm not sure how the whole jar would mess with the chemistry of baking. Anyone have thoughts on that? I'm no scientist.

Banana Nutella Bread

From Barbara Bakes (I didn't change this one at all, this one is allllllll Barbara. Fantastic job!)

1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 3 small)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup low fat sour cream

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup Nutella (I melted it a bit in the microwave to make it easier to work with)

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; whisk together until well mixed.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients in separate bowl.

Add flour mixture to banana mixture, stirring just until moistened.

Spoon 1/2 batter into a loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Add 1/2 Nutella in dollops. Swirl a bit, then top again with remaining batter. Add rest of Nutella in dollops on top. Swirl again.

Bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pan on wire rack. Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

Lazy Saturday

2009-10-03T11:46:00.000-07:00

Until graduation, I had worked every single Saturday for the past 2.5 years. It was great money, and great experience, but no one likes working their weekend away. Now that I'm working full time during the week, I finally get to have some time to myself on the weekend. Still, my Saturdays are usually packed full. I'm always running around--I often go home on the weekends, especially if J. has drill. And lately, if I don't go north, then my weekends have been swamped with moving.

Today I've just been lazy. We had several Scrubs reruns on our DVR, and even though it's almost 3, I'm still in my PJs! Gotta love it :)! Jordan was craving soup, so I decided to throw together his favorite. The last time I made this soup, he ate 3 bowls in one sitting! That time though, I was anxious to try out my new "boat motor." This time, I left the potatoes chunky, so the soup was MUCH heartier. Perfect for a cuddly fall day!

I got the base for this recipe from one of my favorite B-town moms. I added cheese and fresh herbs, and took out potato flakes, but the main recipe was all D. This is also another one of those recipes where I throw in whatever I have around. Use whatever spices or herbs sound good to you. I used dill today, but I would keep that to a minimum. It was good but a bit strong for this soup.

Cheesy Potato Soup

Adapted from D.S.'s Recipe

3 Idaho Potatoes, diced (I leave peels on, it's up to you really)

4 Tbsp butter

1/2 yellow onion, diced

3 medium carrots, diced

1/4 cup flour

1 pint boiling water

1/8 cup chicken bouillon (You could use 1 pint chicken stock instead of water and bouillon)

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup milk

1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce

1/4 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Salt, pepper, garlic powder, to taste

Fresh herbs of your choice (I recommend parsley, basil, rosemary, and thyme)

1 1/2 cup cheese (Cheddar usually, but smoked gouda would be good, or anything sharp and meltable)

In large pot, cover potatoes in water. Bring to boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.

Melt butter in stockpot over medium heat. Add onions and carrots, saute for 10 minutes.

Add flour to onions and butter and cook for four to five minutes, stirring until flour is absorbed.

In a small bowl, combine water and chicken bouillon. Stir until no lumps remain.

Add to onion mixture.

Add milk and cream, stirring until smooth and lightly thickened.

Add Tabasco, Worcestershire, spices, and herbs.

Reduce heat to med. low, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep milk from scalding.

Drain potatoes, then put back in pot to let them steam out a little bit before adding to soup.

Turn the heat under the soup off, but leave pan on warm burner. Add cheese a handful at a time to the soup, stirring each handful all the way in before adding the next.

Mash the potatoes a little bit to break them down, then carefully add them to the soup.

Serve!

Stay tuned and you might get a treat later this evening...

Leftovers for Lunch!

2009-10-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

I recently fell in love with French cooking. Or rather, the idea of French cooking. More specifically, Julia Child's French cooking. I read Julie & Julia, then My Life in France. I just fell in love with Julia's world, most of all, the food. I've been dying to move into our house and get my kitchen situated so I could learn to cook like her. I'm going to ask for her book for my birthday, and a Le Creuset French Oven for Christmas.

I don't think I'm going to try her aspics though. *shudder* Sorry Julia.

I came across this crockpot recipe and I was so excited! I knew it wasn't EXACTLY coq au vin, but I thought it would be pretty close, and something that I could let simmer all day while I was at work.

However, I was impatient and didn't take the skins off the chicken, so the broth was suuuuuper greasy, and full of slimy skin. Ooooops! Not exactly appetizing. The dish was kind of bland, it needed more veggies, maybe some carrots and carrots. Something to give it texture.

Because it wasn't exactly a hit, we had a ton of chicken leftover. I hated to throw it away, so I pulled the larger chunks of chicken out and put it in the fridge for the night. The next afternoon I made a rockin' chicken salad with the ingredients of my fridge.

Fruity Chicken Salad

2-3 Cups shredded chicken breast

1 cup halved red grapes

1 diced apple (I like Honeycrisp)

1/2 -1cup Mayo (I don't like much, just enough to hold everything together)

Sundried Tomato Spice Blend

Salt & Pepper

Garlic Salt

Handful Fresh Dill and Parsley, torn

Cheesy Baked Tortellini and Garlic Cheese Bread

2009-10-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

J. told me today when I was home for lunch that he was craving alfredo. I wasn't feeling that, instead I decided to make a tomato cream sauce. He never knows what is going to taste good anyway hehe! This was great Italian-style comfort food. Simple, but delicious! Great for a quiet night at home. The only thing that irritated me about this meal was that the two recipes called for two different oven temperatures. However, we only left the bread in for about 5 minutes, so I think it would be ok at 350.

Cheesy Baked Tortellini

Adapted From Lovestoeat Weblog

Olive Oil

1 cup marinara sauce

1 cup cream

1/3 cup mascarpone cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup chopped basil

1 tsp dried thyme

1 lb cheese tortellini

2 oz thinly sliced fresh mozzarella

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil an 8 by 8 by 2 inch baking dish (I used a 1 qt Corelle dish).

Whisk the sauce, cream, mascarpone cheese, and herbs in a large bowl.

Cook the tortellini in boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Add to the sauce and toss to coat.

Add the tortellini mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan.

Bake until sauce bubbles and cheeses on top melt and just brown, about 30-40 minutes.

Garlic Cheese Bread

Adapted from Pioneer Woman

8 slices white bread (PW called for French Bread but I didn't have any)

1/4 stick butter

1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1/4 cup Monterey jack cheese, grated

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup Mayo

1 green onion, minced

Dash of salt

1 clove garlic, minced

Mix cheeses with mayo and onion. Add salt to taste and set aside.

Melt 1/4 of the butter in skillet and add 1/4 of the garlic.

Place 2 slices bread in the skillet, swirling to soak up the butter and garlic. Allow bread to toast in the skillet, removing garlic if it starts to get too brown. (I didn't do this, and it did taste a little burnt.)

Repeat with remaining butter, garlic and bread.

Spread cheese mixture on bread and bake in 425 degree oven for 10 minutes (again, I think you could use a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes), until cheese is hot and bubbly.

Served this with Yellow Tail Merlot (Jordan drank some kind of weird beer *shakes head*)

The Journey Begins...

2009-10-01T17:58:00.000-07:00

Here it starts...

I've been wanting to do this for a long time, but just never did for some reason. Over the past few years my love of food and cooking has grown tenfold and I have fallen in love with the world of food blogging. Pioneer Woman, SGCC, The Kitchn--and so so many more--they all have my love and affection. You'll see a lot of them here, as many of my recipes will come from them. I will always link to them, as I have no intention of stealing their glory. I usually adapt their recipes to fit my tastes (or whatever my pantry holds at that moment in time). I'll list the original recipe, as well as my changes. I haven't come so far in cooking to write my own recipes, although that my come.

I'll try to post pictures, although I am nowhere close to being a professional food photographer. Maybe through this process I'll get better? Eh, probably not but we'll see!

I hope you'll follow me along this journey. Give me suggestions, recipes, etc.