Love to Cook

It's a KEEPER!

2009-06-27T00:08:00.001-05:00

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England. This was a super yummy tart ummmmm thing. I also noticed it looked curdled but the taste is divine.

I love my self scrapping paddle from KAF.

I think I undercooked it at first but I popped it back in the oven and left the heat off and it cooled as the oven cooled and it came out great! I DID NOT get a pic of it sliced as once it was cut it was gone!! My sil loved it and said it was a keeper. Even the pickyish hubbster liked it.

As I scanned thru the completed projects I noticed that some put the filling up the sides and some did a thinnnnnn layer BUT I am a jam girl so I decided on a thick layer just on the bottom. I used Strawberry Jam that is awesomely delish. I confess I did not make the jam. I know a lot of you did but I didn't get any fresh strawberries that looked good untill after I needed to bake this. I used Griffen's Strawberry Jam and it is thick and delish. I also love the retro glass jar that it comes in. I used a 9 in pie tin as my tart pans are all gone. I think that got lost in my last cross country move. :( It was so pretty too so I was annoyed. But things always get lost in a move so...

I thought the crust was amazing! It is so easy and came together so lovely. The layers looked great and it was wayyyyyy easier then I expected as I had heard of this dessert before and it always seems so complicated. Thanks to the lovely ladies at http://thedaringkitchen.com for another awesome recipe.

oops I forgot something!!!

2009-05-14T14:52:00.004-05:00

Today is the reveal day for the first daring COOKS challenge- that's right daring cooks a ummmmm subdivision of Daring Baker's. I am feeling bad that I am unable to do it as I have several good reasons. Ready for them? okay then here we go, My mom had her OTHER hip surgery and I was caring for her and you know how she hates cooking in her house as she feels it is to messy!!!!! Then i came home from caring for her and got horrible sick myself and THEN my kid wakes up with a fever of 103 so needless to say (but I already said it so is it really needless?) I was unable to participate this month. :( Go check out http://www.thedaringkitchen.com/ and be sure to check the bloggroll for great people that got their work done!

WOW WOW WOW

2009-05-07T22:44:00.003-05:00

I am so excited right now! I was just published over at http://keyingredient.com'>http://blog.keyingredient.com/images/KIFeaturedBloggerBadge.jpg'/>
To see my recipe for yummy fried pickles you can go straight to here;

http://blog.keyingredient.com/2009/05/06/fried-pickles/

I am always so excited when someone likes something that I have made. I currently am testing lots of wonderful recipes as I have a rather large family all in town for an ENTIRE MONTH! I am always fearful when I am cooking for people that they will not like my cooking but so far no one has been poisoned so all is good.

April's daring baker Challenge

2009-04-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

Yummy. That is the perfect description of cheesecake so I got lucky because The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge. I loved that we could do whatever we want while following the perimeters of a recipe. I despise crust on a cheesecake so I did some with and some without. For the crust I choose to use Oatmeal Cookies that I crushed by hand so they were chunkyish. I also decided to make cupcake size to make sharing easier. I have a lot of family in laws here in town so… I made the basic vanilla cheesecake and I also made some that were solid chocolate some are marble and some are half and half so you THINK it is chocolate till you dig in. They baked up gorgeous in about 23 minutes. I did a faux water bath by putting a pan of water under my pan of cupcakes. I put a pan of water in and then preheated so the water was boiling on its own by the time I needed to add the tray of cheesecake.
I love to cook cupcakes in soufflé cups. It means I don’t need a cupcake pan. I still have a large amount of cupcake pans but I don’t always know how many cupcakes a recipe will make so it enables me to have some variety if I wind up with more batter then ready pans. I started with 12 ready but made 26! And because the soufflé cups are so easy I just plopped some more down and off I went.

I think they look really lovely and shiny. I cracked one on purpose to make sure it was done and one I overfilled so it cracked on its own. But really that is pretty good odds. They are now chilling in the fridge and I am somewhat hostile as I wait for them to cool completely as I want one NOW. This is a lovely creamy recipe that I am hoping is well received as it was MUCH easier then my usual recipe involving whipping egg whites and many more steps. If this is well likes it will be a dessert I make next month while all are here for the family reunion. I will do a large one with blueberry filling.

Thanks for another awesome challenge all my daring baker homies. Make sure you check out the wowish and amazing new website and to check out everybody’s hard work @ http://thedaringkitchen.com/

O M G they are cold and ready to share but I felt I should try them – JUST as a courtesy mind you J THIS is the BEST cheesecake I have ever made! It is creamy and rich and mild and a platform for any flavor. Blueberry was great, marble was great, plain was perfect and layered ummm ohh I still need to try layered. My 6 yr old taste tested the pure chocolate and he seemed really pleased and kept asking when I will make this again! I think for presenting to others I will double cup to prevent run thru as I stabbed thru on the blueberry. WOW I am really surprised how much I love this, it is better than any restaurant cheesecake I have ever had!

I noticed some have mentioned it seemed ”thin” I didn’t have this problem but I left out the lemon juice and the liqueur so that may have made a difference.

Daring Bakers in March

2009-03-29T18:50:00.003-05:00

Well, for the first time I am unable to do a challange. Please check out all the other amazing bloggers at http://thedaringkitchen.com/blogroll/bakers it is temparary before the new site is being completed. Here is my new logo that I picked from all the great new options.

I LOVE IT!!!!

A Chocolaty Daring Bakers Challenge!

2009-02-28T00:00:00.005-06:00

I was worried as I ordered a new paddle for my Kitchaid mixer and it was back ordered. I thought it would mix this recipe really well so I wanted to have it. I got it from King Arthur Flour and it is a paddle with silicone so it scrapes the bowl as you mix!!! Well, it came today so that means; The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef.We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.
This is by far the easiest Challenge since I started. It has 3! Ingredients total
Chocolate
Butter
Eggs
And you can make it look however you like. I have never made a flourless cake before but I have wanted to try it as I have 1 member of the family coming that has flour issues so this may be great.

As you are also supposed to make the ice cream I choose a simple vanilla and decided to make heart shaped ice cream sandwiches. I always feel after I view everyone else ideas and techniques that I should have been more creative but I tend to be fearful but be sure to check out everybody’s website for some trying yummy ideas – I bet there will be some wild ice cream flavors this month! http://daringbakersblogroll.blogspot.com/

My ice cream recipe is super easy as it requires no preplanning.
3 eggs
1 c sugar
Beat until it is thick and creamy

Then Add
1.5 c cream
1.5 c milk
1 vanilla bean or 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix well and pour into your machine and follow directions for your machine

I love my machine as it is a compressor machine so I don’t have to worry about remembering the put the bowl in the freezer the night before. I never remember to do it so …
I first made the ice cream and put it in the freezer to harden a bit more

Then I made the cake using milk chocolate as I wanted something sweet. I was surprised as it tasted like an airy brownie. It was better a few hours later as it seemed to deepen the flavors so this is a perfect make ahead for a party cake. It was a little to rich to make into ice cream sandwiches but as I already had that in my mind I went with it anyway. I cut them using a small heart cookie cutter. I felt it didn’t really need any ice cream as it was so yummy but ohhhhhhh was it scrumptious!

The little heart was just some tempered chocolate I had left over and I piped into the heart shape and let set up.

So I give this 2 chubby thumbs up!! My new rating system needs work. But my daughter seems eager! :)

On a side note I have no clue why it looks steamy??? It isn't hot in any way shape or form but it looks steamy I don't have a better word to describe the look on the pic.

Sparks

2009-02-12T10:25:00.003-06:00

I know what you are thinking - another fire- This is a different spark, The kind that makes you excited to get things done or try a new recipe. I don't have that zest right now. I am reading tons of blogs and still cooking but I have zero ability to blog anything that would interest anyone. I will be just blogging on Daring Baker's days only now. Here are some AMAZING blogs;

Hello it is the King of ice cream http://www.davidlebovitz.com/

World's yummiest and informative pictures http://userealbutter.com/ <3>

Wanna know about candy? http://www.typetive.com/candyblog/

Thanks everybody for reading me and I will be back once a month for Daring Bakers unless I am inspired but ummmmm therein lies my problems. :)

Jan yummy Daring Baker's

2009-01-29T00:58:00.004-06:00

The month is fast slipping by so today is the day for the Daring Baker’s Challenge. This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Baking Soda and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf.They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux. I thought this would make a nice elegant dessert for the upcoming family reunion in April so I was excited to give it a try. I chose to do the simple vanilla tuile with a lemon curd as the filling. Lemon curd is something I have wanted to make for a long time so this was the perfect time. Check out all the amazing bakers at http://www.daringbakers.com/ .

I think perhaps I wasn’t thin enough (story of my life) when I spread them out. I did make a template but decided to pipe it and then smooth them out. I think I should have let them get a wee bit darker but I took them out at the first hint of browning. Next time I will let them get darker as I think they will set up harder and hold the shape better. I rolled a few and then used a cup to mold them in a cup shape. I thought both made for a nice presentation but again I wished I had let them go darker.

The lemon curd I did an amazingly easy recipe. I now feel I can make lemon curd anytime it was that easy!

3 large egg yolks
3 3/8 ounces granulated sugar
2 1/4 ounces fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 ounces unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
3/4 pinch salt
1 1/2 teaspoons lemons, zest of, finely grated (optional)

Directions
In a non-reactive saucepan, whisk yolk and sugar until well combined.
Add remaining ingredients except lemon zest.
Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly (Do not whisk), until thickened and you see the first bubble.
DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL.
Pour through strainer, stir in zest.
Chill in refrigerator with plastic wrap pressed on top of curd to prevent skin forming
This makes about ¾ a cup

I think that it is a little to loose to use in the cookie roll – stuffed in a doughnut is fine or put in the cup shaped cookie for a one bite of yummmm but otherwise I think rolled would be better with whipped cream or dipping the ends in chocolate and allowing it to harden. I hope you like mine and I can’t wait to see what everybody else has done!

Is it just me or does this look like an egg to you too?

WOW, a year of blogging!

2009-01-27T09:49:00.004-06:00

I am so surprised that I have had a blog for a year. It seems like just yesterday I walked into a Whole Foods for the first time and my eyes opened wide with the potential I saw there. I was not a person who cooked when I first got married, I was a orderer. We lived in St Louis back then (greatest place on earth beside FL) and you could get anything delivered. I mean anything - steak, organic vegetarian pizza with whole wheat crust, greatest Chinese place EVER and even a burger place beside the usual dominoes type place. Then we had kid's and I stopped working and wanted the best for the kid's diet so I began to explore cooking. I love to find new foods that the kids like.

I have gone thru many phases in my cooking. I went gluten free to see if that helped my son's autism. He hated it and it didn't help so I stopped that. I went vegetarian because I watched WAYY to many peta videos and they made me cry. Now I but from a local butcher using local farmers meat and I know that the animals had a good life and my guilt is slightly less. I also use meat less as the main and more as a side dish. I went the prepackaged route as I was learning and learned OH DEAR GOD that is a lot of salt and preservatives so I started making all our own food from scratch as much as possible. I went organic for a while but it was very expensive so now I still buy organic as much as I can but not everything we eat is organic. Thanks for putting up with the changes and a special thanks to my sister, the one I call lawyer sis, for putting up with my whining about the guilt I feel for eating meat - I know I am annoying- thanks for loving me anyway!

I have grown and changed a lot since I first started cooking. This month is my one year blogiversary and my 13th year wedding anniversary! Thanks for being there random strangers and fellow daring baker's. I feel like I have a voice and that someone hears it. I love to see comments or get emails about something that you like.!!!!

hmmmmm

2009-01-21T15:36:00.003-06:00

Did you know today is squirrel appreciation day? I was thinking perhaps of posting a recipe using squirrels but then I thought that might not be the nicest thing so I will just say Go Nuts! Hope you are having a wonderful month and II will be back soon.

Challah - An eggy bread braid

2009-01-07T10:27:00.004-06:00

I have always wanted to try to make the lovely braided eggy bread Challah but as my best friend of 33 yrs will tell you I am a dreadful braider. I have no idea how many hours were spent with her attempting and failing trying to teach me to braid hair. Thankfully this is much, much easier.
I am exhausted and lazy so instead of typing out all the instructions as I followed them precisely I will lead you here it is the glorious King Arthur Flour website and it shows you perfectly how to braid the bread besides the careful instruction.
My favorite part is they use a bread machine to mix and rise it!!Just dump all but the glaze in and set to dough. On my machine it is an hr and half till you can take it out and start rolling out, resting, braiding and baking.

The picture above is my completed bread that I must confess I am proud of. I think next time I will cut the baking time down. It bakes for a total of 45 min and I did cut 10 min off so this loaf baked a total of 35 min but next time I might try just baking for 25 min as it looks dark to me and is a little more crispy then I care for.

Arthur Flour Basic Challah
Dough
1/2 cup lukewarm water
6 tablespoons vegetable oil or if you don’t need to follow Jewish guidelines I would go half butter
1/4 cup honey next time I will use 1/3 cup
2 large eggs
4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon instant yeast

Glaze for later
1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water -Here it is glazed ready for baking

English Muffins

2009-01-05T12:52:00.002-06:00

I LOVE I mean truly LOVE my bread machine. I am always looking for new ways to use it and this week it is english muffins. I went to my beloved http://www.recipezaar.com/ looking around and found a recipe that really needed nothing as it sounded perfect as it was written. The most surprising thing was that you don't bake them you cook them in a pan and it only takes 5 minutes after the dough is ready! I compared about 15 different recipes and most seem similar to this one I used;

1 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour (or more)
1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
cornmeal

Directions
Put ingredients in the machine in the order listed. EXCEPT cornmeal

Start the dough cycle.

When the cycle is finished.

Sprinkle corn meal over your work area. I used a large cookie sheet with sides and it made a super easy clean up
Use your hands to pat the dough into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle.
Turn the dough so that each side gets lightly coated with cornmeal.
Cut into 8 to 14 rounds, depending on how big you like them. I used a cup I had that looked the a nice size to hold an egg at breakfast later
An empty large tuna can works well When you run out of dough gather up the trimmings and cut more rounds.
Place the rounds on a baking sheet, cover and let rise for 20- 30 minutes--until not quite double.
Heat a dry cast iron skillet or griddle over a low flame.
LIGHTLY oil I used a rag as pam gets to hot in cast iron
Cook the muffins about 2 to 4 minutes on each side.
They should be golden brown when you turn them.
Split the muffins with a fork or serrated knife and serve warm.
These freeze well and can be reheated in the microwave or toasted.

They are super tasty and yummy just plain with butter or great with an egg on top.

Marshmallows!!

2009-01-04T19:14:00.007-06:00

I have been dying to try marshmallows as it is all over the blogesphere but I was a little worried as it seemed like it would be fiddly. I WAS WRONG! It was super easy and came together with no problems. I heavily powdered sugar and then just kinda brushed it off after I cut it as it made it cut really nice. I was going to do pretty shapes but felt lazy as I had a huge day of cooking and *ugh*cleaning already under my belt.

As this was my first batch I decided not to use fancy pretty sugar or colors/flavors and just used
Martha Stewart as I love her. I am not so much in love with her new everywoman persona as I think that she works best playing up her better then me-ness, maybe that is just me. so here is what I used;

2 envelopes (each 1 scant tablespoon) unflavored gelatin

1 1/2 cups sugar

2/3 cup light corn syrup

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Vegetable-oil cooking spray ( I didn't use)

Coat a 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray; line with parchment paper. Spray parchment; set aside. Pour 1/3 cup cold water into the bowl of an electric mixer. Sprinkle with gelatin; let mixture soften, about 5 minutes.
Place sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/3 cup water in a medium saucepan. Cover; bring to a boil. Remove lid; cook, swirling pan occasionally, until syrup reaches 238 degrees (soft-ball stage) on a candy thermometer, about 5 minutes.
With mixer on low speed, whisk gelatin mixture, and slowly pour the syrup in a steady stream down the side of the bowl (to avoid splattering). Gradually raise speed to high; beat until mixture is thick, white, and has almost tripled in volume, about 12 minutes. Add vanilla, and beat 30 seconds to combine.
Pour mixture onto prepared baking sheet;My sheet used non stick foil heavily covered in confectioner's sugar. smooth with an offset spatula. I used a lightly wet hand and it did great Let stand at room temperature, uncovered, until firm, at least 3 hours or overnight.
Coat a 1- or 2-inch snowflake-shaped cookie cutter with cooking spray to prevent it from sticking.I used a pizza cutter - fast and easy! Cut out as many individual marshmallows as possible; coat cutter with more spray as needed. Use marshmallows immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

I am so pleased I did this and don't think I can ever buy marshmallows again! It is amazing how simple and flavorful these were! In the winter I am thinking of making tiny snowflakes as Martha recommends for in hot cocoa.

ohh Spam?

2009-01-03T16:47:00.003-06:00

Wow I am so excited! I got my first spam ie click her for... instead of telling me they like me:). So I set up to moderate comments but I can't get rid of that one pc of spam. I am pleased because it means someone is reading this and annoyed because really in today's world of viruses do they REALLY think we are gonna click it? Please ignore any odd comments like that as I have NO clue what it will do. On the other hand please note that most people who's names are links are awesome people with amazing sites. I have really broadened who I read by being a clicker of real names.

No recipe today

2009-01-02T18:47:00.002-06:00

Myspace Glitter Graphics

Well it has been 70 degrees this week?????? What in gravy? I have a hard time being creative as I have the flu :( so I made you a pretty picture instead. I hope you like it. The rose pic is from yahoo but I made it snow.

This is fun

2008-12-29T23:44:00.005-06:00

If you found me through Daring Bakers please go down one post to see my attempt.

I got an email from someone regarding my fried pickles saying she loved them and wanted them to go on her website. UMMMMM really? Ok now that my ego has been boosted I went to check it out it is a new(to me) sharing site. I have posted on recipeezaar before but this was a new website to me that I will have to explore further it is http://keyingredient.com and to find the world's greatest fried pickle :) (according to my gut) http://keyingredient.com/recipes/97866/comment/

December's Daring Baker

2008-12-28T00:00:00.001-06:00

OH MY GOOD GRACIOUS that is my first response at seeing this recipe for the Dec daring bakers. This month's challenge is brought to us by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux. They have chosen a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege Gourmand. This is truly a show stopper of a dessert that I was eager to start. Here is why I panicked a wee bit -

THE CHALLENGE RULE is that you MUST MAKE ALL 6 of these elements for the log:

1) Dacquoise Biscuit

2) Mousse

3) Ganache Insert

4) Praline (Crisp) Insert

5) Crème Brule Insert

6) Icing

I told hubby I was scared and he said “That is why it is daring bakers and not the wussy bakers that whine”. I love my supportive family. He did get me worked up to do it and I love that he thinks I can do or make anything<3.>

Ok so let’s do this thing!
Wait put the brakes on!!! Momma Dearest had her hip replaced last month and was doing so great but now it appears she has an infection in the joint!!!! NOT GOOD is an understatement. So I was thinking that I would be unable to do the challenge as I spent most of this month at her house which is about an hour and a half away. I know you are thinking why didn’t I make this at her house and then everyone could enjoy?
1. Momma won’t eat “real” butter
2. Momma watches New Daddies diet like a hawk and if you sneak him treats you risk her stink eye (not fun)
3. Momma doesn’t like any food not from a can. Why are you spending money on that?
4. Momma doesn’t like messes even during cooking and if you leave 7 crumbs on the counter she will haul her hiney out of bed and crawl to wipe the counter down. This recipe is elaborate and I know the kitchen gets dirty between steps.
5. Momma would not enjoy the process and ask often 1. Am I done and 2.did I wipe the counter yet?
6. I enjoy my sanity.
So that is a very sad story and I was sad not to try it as I truly wanted the challenge but momma is getting better and the due date is only a coupla days away so I decided to do it at the last minute and just try.

Layer 1-thank goodness for my industrial kitchen aid mixer hubby got me it whipped the whites to perfection in less than a min! I was WAY too cheap to pay 13 bucks for a tiny bag of almond meal so I bought whole almonds and ground them to powder. I added the confectioners’ sugar and made a very fine powder that looked like the store’s almond meal. I set that aside for later.
Layer 4- I did them out of order as I was doing it over two days cramming it in. This was a bigger job then I thought this simple layer would be as I needed to make the praline to be used as one of the ingredients. I have never made praline before so I hope I did it right.
Layer 5- easy peasy thank goodness an easy one!! I did slightly over boil the milk but it didn’t affect the taste so I used it as is, had it burned I would have started again.
So I am more than halfway done and I will be ready to assemble tonight!!!!!!! I am so excited that I got this far with no calamities I haven’t even had a fire or burned myself (a daily occurrence)
Layer 2-I bought the gelatin for the harder version but I decided to do the simpler Chantilly version just because I am running out of time! I think I made a massive mistake as it seems…..chunkieish. I think it broke? I have heard of this but in my making a million buttercreams I haven’t had this happen.
So all the layers are done except the final icing layer and I must say I am glad it is done!!!! It is in the freezer to await tomorrow or if I can’t sleep I can demold it about 1 am and it should be frozen and ready to finish. I feel like a drum roll is in order as this is one of the most complicated things I have ever tried and I am curious if I was a success or failure.

YAHOOOOOOOOOO it looks good!!!! I am so relived and ok it actually tastes good! I am glad I did it but I doubt that this will be something I make often as it was quite labor intensive but it was very good and the hubby and kids loved it.

On a side note I have no clue what a Yule log is. I assume it has something to do with fireplaces from the cold? But that is just a guess. I may not know the point of a log but I know that it is very delicious.

Oh did you notice my creme brulee layer is 2 textured? The top is creamy and the bottom is ....darkerish. I have no idea why that happened as it looked PERFECT before I put it in freezer. I wonder if I put it in the freezer before it was cool enough? I am eager to see everybody's blogs to see if I am the only one with this problem.

Chocolate thumbprint cookies

2008-12-27T14:30:00.006-06:00

Ohh yeah baby new flavors of Hershey's Kisses. I went to the crazy after Christmas sales and picked up mainly chocolate as there were no other great deal :(. I did however find a new flavor of kiss I had never heard of, Hot Cocoa. I am leery of new flavors because they only sell them in jumbo bags and if they are gross then I am stuck with them and out more money then I care to spend. They were all 1/2 off and I could go for that so I got Candy Cane, Hot Cocoa, Plain and Cherry Cordial creme.

I liked all of them but the cherry was my personal fav even though there was not a chunk of cherry in the middle like when you buy choco covered cherries the flavor was similar. Plain has been put away unopened till I decide how to use them. Candy Cane is a white chocolate and I was prepared not to like them but I did. I am not a huge fan of white chocolate but I liked that they had a crunch like a real candy cane. I am thinking of smashing them for ice cream or maybe some type of cookie.

Speaking of cookie........ I made Chocolate thumbprint cookies dipped in ground almonds with a kiss in the center. I also made a simple vanilla frosting but I didn't think they needed them after I did it on half, I also felt it made it less pretty.

1/2 c unsalted butter

2/3 c sugar

1 egg separated

2 Tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 c flour

1/3 c cocoa powder (Hershey's says use Hershey's)

1/4 teaspoon salt

20 unwrapped kisses whatever flavor you like I used both cherry cordial and hot cocoa

1 cup nuts crushed

powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

mix butter,sugar,egg YOLK, milk and vanilla. Beat until fluffy

add flour,cocoa powder and salt. Mix well

Put cookie dough in fridge for one hour to make it easier to work with.

roll into 20 ball or use a small scoop and dip in egg WHITE that was left from the separated egg. Mix the egg white well before you dip the cookie ball in. After you dip in the egg white then dip in crushed nuts. I used almonds. stick your thumb lightly in the center and bake for 12 min until set. After you take them out of the oven they will have puffed up a little just put your thumb in again and gently press down - don't burn yourself as they are hot. After you transfer them to a cooling rack dust with powdered sugar and put a kiss in the center. Push the kiss in slightly and it will after a few minutes slightly melt. I knock the tip down just because it is prettier. Let them cool and then devour.

ham and beans with a side of self annoyance

2008-12-26T09:51:00.007-06:00

It is the day after christmas. You know what that means? SALESSSSSSSS!!!!!! I hate living in the middle of nowhere as there is no shopping to be had, on the other hand I have no extra money to throw away so yayyyyy for living in the middle of nowhere. I seem top be of two minds on this. :) I was planning to hit the sales today so I preplanned. I made a huge pot of beans with a lovely ham bone in it. I crockpotted it and let it simmer away now here is where my story gets sad. I put it in a bowl to pop in the fridge I set it on the stove to cool for 30 minutes and then ... I forgot about it. I got up this morning after a night filled with NyQuil and there it was sitting on the stove. :( ARGGGGGGGGG I wasted a ham bone!!!!! Oh I was so mad a myself. This flu seems to really have me down. Hubby is a good guy and a great dad but he wouldn't notice something like that so alas to the trash it goes.

FIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-12-05T09:55:00.003-06:00

I made caramels today. I spilled a little over the side and then BOOM!

I finally made the second part of the daring baker's challenge as it was optional so no need to rush! Beside the fire, the taste is divine here is the recipe with my changes notes

GOLDEN VANILLA BEAN CARAMELS- makes eighty-one 1-inch caramels -

Ingredients

1 cup golden syrup I used corn syrup and a splash of water because golden syrup is impossible to find except maybe at whole foods but that is an hr drive and I am NOT gonna do that :)

2 cups sugar

3/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 teaspoons pure ground vanilla beans, purchased or ground in a coffee or spice grinders, or 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract didn't use

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks, softened

use a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and grease the foil. Combine the golden syrup, sugar, and salt in a heavy 3-quart saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to simmer around the edges. Wash the sugar and syrup from the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes. (Meanwhile, rinse the spatula or spoon before using it again later.) Uncover the pan and wash down the sides once more.

Attach the candy thermometer to the pan, without letting it touch the bottom of the pan, and cook, uncovered (without stirring) until the mixture reaches 305°F.

Meanwhile, combine the cream and ground vanilla beans (not the extract) in a small saucepan and heat until tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan.

Turn off the heat and cover the pan to keep the cream hot.

When the sugar mixture reaches 305°F, turn off the heat and stir in the butter chunks. Gradually stir in the hot cream; it will bubble up and steam dramatically, so be careful. or possibly boil over and catch on fire so really do be careful!!Turn the burner back on and adjust it so that the mixture boils energetically but not violently. Stir until any thickened syrup at the bottom of the pan is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.

Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, to about 245°F. Then cook, stirring constantly, to 260°f for soft, chewy caramels or 265°F; for firmer chewy caramels.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract, if using it. I didn't use any.Pour the caramel into the lined pan. Let set for 4 to 5 hours, or overnight until firm, or just until cool enough that your tongue doesn't burn off and stick a spoon in it.

I also sprinkled some thick chunky sea salt over the top before it cooled.

cakespy did a hundred list that is sweet!

2008-12-04T10:51:00.001-06:00

I adore http://www.cakespy.com/ and I saw this and decided HELLOOOO perfect fit - fat girl who loves sweets right here!

I have tried or made 72 of the hundred. In fact most of them I have made personally and I think that as the daring Bakers group takes over the universe I will try them all eventually.

The ones I have tried are in bold.

Give it a try and if you do feel free to link back to the original site here's the link http://www.cakespy.com/2008/09/sweet-100.html
1) Copy this list into your site, including the instructions!

2) Bold all of the sweets you've eaten--or make them a different type color.

3) Cross out any of them that you'd never ever eat.
4) Consider anything that is not bold or crossed out your "To Do" List.5) Optional: Post a comment here linking to your results--or just post a comment letting us know how many you've tried, or what you're going to try next!

Red Velvet Cake

Princess Torte

Whoopie Pie

Apple Pie either topped or baked with sharp cheddar

Beignet

Baklava

Black and white cookie

Seven Layer Bar (also known as the Magic Bar or Hello Dolly bars)

Fried Fruit pie (sometimes called hand pies)

Kringle

Just-fried (still hot) doughnut

Scone with clotted cream

Betty, Grunt, Slump, Buckle or Pandowdy

Halvah

Macarons

Banana pudding with nilla wafers

Bubble tea (with tapioca "pearls")

Dixie Cup

Rice Krispie treats

Alfajores

Blondies

Croquembouche

Girl Scout cookies

Moon cake

Candy Apple

Baked Alaska

Brooklyn Egg Cream

Nanaimo bar

Baba au rhum

King Cake

Sachertorte

Pavlova

Tres Leches Cake

Trifle

Shoofly Pie

Key Lime Pie (made with real key lime)

Panna Cotta

New York Cheesecake

Napoleon / mille-fueille

Russian Tea Cake / Mexican Wedding Cake

Anzac biscuits

Pizzelle

Kolache

Buckeyes

Malasadas

Moon Pie

Dutch baby

Boston Cream Pie

Homemade chocolate chip cookies

Pralines

Gooey butter cake

Rusks

Daifuku

Green tea cake or cookies

Cupcakes from a cupcake shop

Crème brûlée

Some sort of deep fried fair food (twinkie, candy bar, cupcake)

Yellow cake with chocolate frosting

Jelly Roll

Pop Tarts

Charlotte Russe

An "upside down" dessert (Pineapple upside down cake or Tarte Tatin)

Hummingbird Cake

Jell-O from a mold

Black forest cake

Mock Apple Pie (Ritz Cracker Pie)

Kulfi

Linzer torte

Churro

Stollen

Angel Food Cake

Mincemeat pie

Concha

Opera Cake

Sfogliatelle / Lobster tail

Pain au chocolat

A piece of Gingerbread House

Cassata

Cannoli

Rainbow cookies

Religieuse

Petits fours

Chocolate Souffle

Bienenstich (Bee Sting Cake)

Rugelach

Hamenstashen

Homemade marshmallows

Rigo Janci

Pie or cake made with candy bar flavors (Snickers pie, Reeses pie, etc)

Divinity

Coke or Cola cake

Gateau Basque

S'mores

Figgy Pudding

Bananas foster or other flaming dessert

Joe Froggers

Sables

Millionaire's Shortbread

Animal crackers

Basbousa

Raisin Bran Muffins

2008-12-02T19:19:00.003-06:00

I have lost my camera but these really are quite cute and taste great. I made 24 mini and 12 mini loaf and 12 mini cake out of this recipe! If you just do regular muffin size I think you would get at least 16. These can be mixed and then the batter but in the fridge for later so if you only want to bake a few just pop the batter in the fridge and it will be fine for about a week. You can also bake them all and freeze them post baking so you have options.

I did make these for breakfast one morning along with cinnamon rolls when I had tons of family here and they were very popular

2 cups boiling water divided
3 cups bran flour or may be called wheat bran
2 1/2 c ap flour
1 1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c butter
2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 c buttermilk
2 c raisins

Mix 1 cup boiling water and 1 cup bran and set aside
Mix 1 cup boiling water and the raisins and set aside

cream the butter and sugar add eggs mixing after each addition.
add flour,salt and baking soda and the 2 cups of bran that are left
add milk and DRAIN the raisins after they have been sitting in the water and mix them.
put in the pan(s) of your choice and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes mini muffins are only 20 minutes so keep on eye on things for different pan sizes!

My first Daring Baker's Challenge!

2008-11-28T22:15:00.006-06:00

I am as extremely excited as this is my first Daring Baker Challenge. I had been watching the bakers for quite some time but just didn’t have the nerve but I was feeling brave a few months ago and joined up. I had to wait until it was my month to start and I am excited as this is a yummy item. Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting, how good does that sound? I love caramel it is one of my top ten favorite flavors and it is in my top 3 in dessert flavors. I jumped to the challenge right away as I was hoping it would work as a delish dessert for later in the month when we have a lot of family coming so I thought I better start early in case it took a few tries to get right.
I thought this cake was wonderful so moist and rich and yet light. I love the caramel sauce in it, I would have like a temp guide to know when to take it off the heat but it came out perfect. I do a lot of hard candy making so I am very familiar with sugars changes as it cooks and I really think that helped make the caramel sauce. I wish I could eat it with a spoon it is sop delish. I had some sauce leftover so I am thinking of making a caramel ice cream to use it as I think it would really add a delish flavor.

Now the browned butter frosting…… well I raved about the cake and the caramel sauce but ummmmmm ok here we go. I really hated the buttercream frosting. I normally love buttercream and use it often but ALL I taste is the butter. It is like a mouthful of butter if you are Paula deen you will love this but for me it was too much! That is shocking as I am a butter user to an extreme. I use butter for everything and so for the taste to be to strong for me shocked me. I would make this cake again and maybe use it in a trifle with whipped cream flavored with the caramel sauce or even with a regular butttercream but I ate one bite and that was it. My daughter loved it and wanted more but I had no desire to eat anymore.
Here is the caramel sauce in a glass jar to cool. You can see the spoon thru the caramely glaze.

To see the complete recipe go to http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2006/12/24/caramel-cake-the-recipe/ from Shuna Fish Lydon of Eggbeater http://eggbeater.typepad.com/Also Hosting is (http://culinarycuriosity.blogspot.com/),Brownie of the Blondie and Brownie duo: http://blondieandbrownie.blogspot.com/), Jenny of Foray into Food (http://forayintofood.blogspot.com/).For the alternative bakers go to http://glutenagogo.blogspot.com/ for more help.

BTW am I the only person who thinks this would be a awesome tattoo?

Company's coming!!!!!

2008-11-24T13:11:00.002-06:00

Oh the fear I feel as my in laws are about to descend. My MIL and FIL lives across the street so I see them all the time but all my hubby's brothers with wives and kids are coming next week. They will be here for about 3 days and so that is 20 people for 3 days cooking! I am a bit nervous as several of them REALLY hate me but the rest like me and are fine so I hope all goes well. We don't celebrate holidays so we don't plan thanksgiving but everybody is off work so here they come. I technically invited one person with wife to come and then it sorta snowballed. I am making a turkey on Fri so that we can eat turkey sandwiches for the next couple of days.

My MIL picked the turkey out it is a 25 lb monster that just barely fits in the fridge to thaw! So here is the menu-

Fri

Breakfast overnight french toast with awesome bacon from my sweet butcher

lunch will probably be light with snacks set out as

dinner is Butter basted Turkey with cranberry sauce, stuffing, brussel sprouts if I can find some, salad and creme brulee for dessert. Oh I forgot rolls and I think that is it but I may add to it as I tend to over think things

Sat
Breakfast Homemade cinnamon rolls and a cheese ham quiche in case they need a non sugar option - sometimes I forget I am diabetic, but man are these good

lunch Left over turkey in sandwiches and also some potato salad just to add a new taste

dinner is my all day pasta sauce with garlic bread made with crusty french bread that if I have time I will bake if I don't have time to make bread then hello supermarket bakery. I am debating the dessert with this so if you have an idea drop me a line and let me know.

I think I have everything I need as the stores are scary right now. I went to the big box store and parked so far I almost should walk from home, ok not quite but nearly!

Sun

Breakfast people can do as they wish

lunch will most likely be at either rib crib, several peoples fav place, or Goldie's the makers of AWSOME burgers.

dinner BYE BYE drive safe see you soon

So it shouldn't be to bad as long as I prep well as several things need to be ready to go in advance ie creme brule and cinnamon rolls and so as long as I don't go insane all will be well.

this is a true story

2008-11-22T19:04:00.002-06:00

Son: "Where do chickens come from?"
Mom: "they hatch from eggs"
Son: "so eggs are BABY CHICKENS!!!!" said with great horror
Mom: "umm kind of yes they are" said very nervously
Son: "Well that is grossss
Mom: " Yes but the chicks never grow into babies so they never are hurt
Son: Well they sure are DEEELIcous" he said his eyes wide

This happened a few days ago and I was nervous wondering if this was the day he says "no more meat". I also didn't want him to feel that it is bad to eat meat as I want him open to idea as he is young and don't want him to feel it is mean if he likes to eat meat. He now seems obsessed knowing which animals come from eggs and which are live born. He was wondering what tiger eggs would look like. :) There is no recipe today just the thought that kids are by far the funniest animal there is.

This is fun

2008-11-21T16:56:00.002-06:00

I got this website from erincooks.com and thought it was funny I was suprised I scored as well as I did but then again it is like the 50's in my house so.... Give it a try and see how you do!

As a 1930s wife, I am
Superior

Take the test!

New Item of the Week - Pomegranate

2008-11-21T14:12:00.004-06:00

Yes, pomegranate, I know everyone else on the planet has eaten this for a long time but I have never had the"real" fruit. I have had the juice and love it but never had I actually had a seed. I decided this week I deserved a treat so I went for it. It very messy to cut as the juice drips out onto the counter but ohh so pretty. It was like rubies twinkling at me as I went to try a berry. I did like it but ummm it is ALL seed. I read some people spit the seed out and some people swallow them so I tried both. Spitting out each seed makes it a long process however it is tastier. Eating the seed is faster but crunchy and that is an odd texture. I am unsure how I would cook with them as I didn't care for the crunchiness. I think it would be a perfect tv time snack as it is mindless but takes time so perfect instead of a bag of chips (don't judge me - potatoes are good for you). So no recipe as I saw a recipe using them in soup and that sounds disgusting and the taste doesn't seem to me to match anything else. I am glad I tried it but at 2.50 each I doubt I will buy it on a regular basis.

I'm backkkkkkk

2008-11-20T10:37:00.002-06:00

Well this has been a crazy week. My momma's new hip is doing great and she is getting more adapt at day to day stuff. The surgery was exactly one week ago and so now I am home!!!!! I missed the kids so much and they seem happy to have me home.

I have a very large family gathering happening next week so I am trying to get the renovations on the house done and the house clean and the prep work for cooking for 20 people all done before next wednesday! Wanna help? No really you can come(please)! Anyway, yesterday I plastered the walls in the hallway- we are going for a textured look- and today I need to do the final coat and then I can mark another item off the list of to do's. The hardest part about plastering the walls is my 3 yr old reallly reallllllly wants to help. That can be problematic. But you are wondering ummmmm, isn't this a FOOD blog. Yes, yes it is.

I needed something that would take care of itself on the stove yesterday and so I made 15 bean cajun soup with hammocks. I used a bag of 15 bean soup and just followed what the bag said to do, can of tomatoes, juice of a lemon and the seasoning that came with the beans. It was good and better then I expected but the star was the corn bread. It was perfect sweet cornbread. I am not a fan of cornbread but this I could NOT stop munching on. I got it from recipezarr and really only changed the fat to decrease it as there was a lot of oil and butter in it. My hubby always slathers it with butter no matter how much I use. I didn't use any extra butter but found it had plenty in it.

Sweet Cornbread

Ingredients
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups milk
Directions
Preheat oven to 350º.
In a bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add the oil, honey, eggs, and milk.
Pour into a greased 8-inch square pan.
Bake for 35 minutes.

Instead of an 8 in pan I used a cast iron skillet- after the pan is hot add 3 Tablespoons butter and let melt. then pour the ready mix on top of the butter and it is delish. You can do the same thing with any dish you are using preheat it and drop the butter in, this gives it a wonderful crunch and also makes any pan nonstick.

I will have the menu for next week up tomorrow if anyone is curious.

Posting

2008-11-10T08:58:00.003-06:00

Well I will be gone for about two weeks with no posting. Mommie Dearest is getting her hips replaced and I am going to help her out. I will be leaving the hubby alone with the children for 4 whole days!!!! I have never ever ever done this before so I am unsure who is more nervous, hubby or I. I am getting ready to go ie laundry, groceries etc so I have no time for cooking blog worthy posts. I hope she will like my cooking, I am a little worried but we shall see how things go. I anticipate making soups and warm comfort food that is low fat. I put a pound of butter in everything so hopefully I will do ok.

I did see this yummy soup on http://jenyu.net/blog/2008/11/08/test-drive/ and it looks so yummy I figured I would just link to it as her pictures are always amazing.

have a great week - see you soon :)

Restaurant Of The Week

2008-11-08T19:08:00.004-06:00

Well for a long time (see previous posts) I have been a non meat eater. I had someone ask me "what type of vegetarian are you?" I replied "the kind that like bacon". So I decided that it is to complicated to prepare multi meals or find restaurants that have tasty veggie sides here in the mid west so I decided to bite the bullet or the meat as it is. :) (Man, I kill me) Anyway, Mike if you are reading this I hope you thought my answer was funny because that was what I was shooting for. I am now an eater of anything. It is nice as it opens my options when eating out but at home I am mainly still a non meat girl. So as I voyage into the world of meat I had BBQ today. I mainly ate potato wedges,onion rings and some coleslaw but I also had some ribs. I took no pictures but we ate at a place called J&l's BBQ in Pryor,OK. Hubby also had some pork that is all it is called "pork" so I have no clue what part of the pig it came from but he seemed to like it. Please notice there were no options like salad and even the baked beans were full of meat! So for a vegan ummm there is soda. For the vegetarian I think the potato and onion rings are ok but for a meat eater this place was heaven. My hubby and in laws kept sniffing the air and saying ahhhhh! I found this very funny. I also should mention that it is CHEAP! So for my restaurant review of places I go I say 1 star for niceness of place 3 stars for yummyness and 5 star (my highest rating) for price.

So I just invented the rating system it goes from 0 for dirty or gross for whatever reason I explain to 5 Stars for super awesome. I may change this as I go mainly because I doubt anyone is going to care how I rate restaurants but I hope you like this new feature as I am sure it will be back and next time I will take pictures. It was the end of a VERY long day and I just had a brain fart and forgot my camera till it was to late.

chocolate cupcakes

2008-11-07T11:34:00.009-06:00

I needed a chocolate cupcake that was light and fluffy yet would hold its shape nicely, and this is it. I really like it and the frosting is stiff enough to hold its shape for piping. I also decided to fill the cupcakes as a surprise filling so I used simple marshmallow fluff which I had never used before but I saw a few blogs that used it as a kind of ho-ho type filling and it really tastes great with this chocolate. I also liked that it used no bowls or prep as there a number of dirty dishes now filling my sink.To get such a perfect little hole I used a apple corer and it gives me nice clean edges.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter
1 3/4 cups white sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup boiling water
1 cup milk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Add the cocoa to the half cup boiling water and let cool for a few minutes and add milk.
In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

For cupcakes still keep the oven at 350 but bake for 25 minutes and then check for doneness, depending on your oven they may require more time.

Cooked Chocolate icing

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder measure then sift
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk
DIRECTIONS
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in cocoa and vanilla. Place confectioners' sugar in a large bowl. Pour in cocoa mixture. Beat well (mixture will be extremely thick). Beat in milk, a teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.

On a side note I love using large souffle cups instead of cupcake liners as they need no pan and they create a perfect work surface for decorating. As you can see in the first picture I have a perfect flat surface for fondant decorations or pretty piping or even just to lay flat for easier transporting. I will leave them flat as I need them for a picnic lunch tomorrow and don't want to worry about messing up any decorations.

I have a cold and am crabby,enjoy!

2008-11-06T20:11:00.005-06:00

I have been sitting here for quite some time wishing I had something clever or witty to report, some new divine recipe or anything that would interest the 7 people that read my blog. :) I signed up for nablopobo and the rules state I must post every day for november. I had hoped that it would make me want to cook or expand in the rut I have been in but ........... I am sitting here eating popcorn and not cooking a thing as I had a whatever you can find dinner. That means I ask what you can see and then you eat it so I made beer battered onion rings for hubby and daughter. She also wanted crackers with cheese so I also made that for my son. Pudding for dessert and popcorn for mom. Well it was easy but I fill like the kids should have had something more substantial but no one really seemed hungry. We all have been sick with a doozy of a cold and it is lay off season where my hubby works and as that is part of his job to let people go needless to say he wasn't in a hungry mood either. This is a long story to say popcorn is a great dinner while cruising ebay for cookie cutters and candy molds.

Please don't give up on me as tomorrow I am making chocolate cupcakes and I think they will be delish.

Btw the picture is from one of my addict websites http://icanhascheezburger.com/

trying something new

2008-11-05T09:21:00.004-06:00

I often make suckers or candy, both hard and chocolate, but I never found the right coloring to decorate before. It is a different type of food coloring then regular gel like for baking needs. This is my first attempt at making it multicolor and no it's not the greatest but practice candy is still delish. I also learned I need to whack it on the counter harder and more when it is colored, that surprised me as I didn't think it would change the consistency. It had holes in it after it set and I demolded them and I normally don't have that problem. I did whack them several times but I guess that needs more work too. :) Oh well I enjoy a challenge so onward I go.....

to make chocolate candy

melt 1/2 you chocolate after it is smooth add the rest of your chocolate. That will temper your chocolate so the color will not"bloom" or go grey which doesn't change the taste but looks unappealing.

put it in your molds - if you want some color add the details and then pour chocolate over the top carefully so you don't smudge your design. Notice on mine that I was to aggressive on a few of them and they smudged. :( After you fill your molds tap them firmly on the counter as you don't want any bubbles because after it sets they will still be there if you don't get them out.

after tapping the bubbles out stick them in the freezer for a few minutes to set them rapidly it should only take about 5 minutes.

there you go you have yummy candy to enjoy and you can customize them to your needs;

thank you

baby shower

bake sales

company coming

fall celebrations

and the list of times they can come in handy keeps going on..................

well it is finally here

2008-11-04T09:28:00.002-06:00

Tuesday has arrived. that means no more commercials about how the other guy is a liar, no more weird ads out of nowhere for someone i have never heard of. So I celebrate the end of the battle.

I also am celebrating getting my name changed, after 13 yrs of marriage I finally am legally name change married. I must confess I do feel different now. My name was the only part of "me" that was left and now it is gone, but that is ok because the married me is a adequate person with very sweet kids and a warm cozy house. Life is good so I guess that makes me a very fortunate person. I can't complain so on to why my house is cozy and warm ....... (nice segway no?)

The bread is rising and the oven has a Dutch Baby bubbling away to high sides and sweet tastes.

I love dutch baby because it is all the yummy of crepes or pancakes without the hassle of standing their flipping when their is laundry to do. The flat base is a great place for strawberries, peaches and cream or even a slightly roasted till soft apple with cinnamon sugar. I am a strawberry preserves kinda person that is my favorite topping.

Dutch Baby

2 Tablespoon butter
1 1/2 c milk
2 eggs
dash of salt or 1/4 teaspoon
1 cup flour
vanilla optional
nutmeg optional
1 teaspoon sugar optional
If I am using a sweet topping I tend not to add sugar to it so it isn't to sweet.

preheat oven and pan to 375 degrees

I use a heavy cast iron pan but you can use something else if you prefer. once the pan is hot put butter in pan in the oven it will melt and while it is getting hot

mix all other ingredients in a bowl. Once the pan is hot and the butter is melter pour the thin batter in the pot and put in the oven and turn the oven down to 350 degrees cook 10 minutes and then turn the oven down to 325 degrees for 20 minutes till done. add topping of your choice and dig in. yummmmmmmmmmmmm I love this meal it is one of my top 10 favorite cold weather lunches yes, not breakfast I am usually running the kids to school and they prefer cereal in the morning. So this is a yummy treat for me and my 3 yr old at lunchtime.

Oh, there goes the timer. Have a great day to all :)

Ask me about my day.... please?

2008-10-31T20:02:00.004-05:00

I am a very law abiding person I never speed and am so careful my sister calls me granny. Today I got pulled over. The policeman said i missed a stop sign. Well it turns out due to a clerical error on my license it was revoked so I was driving without a license! This is a huge problem as I am in the car every single day, taking kids to school and running errands. I am now really screwed for a full month as I can't have my license back until my court date which is nov 25th. I am so mad at myself that this happened. The policeman was really nice and said he wouldn't take me to jail as long as he was sure I wouldn't drive. My FIL drove my car so he let me go. The policeman was very nice so that was a huge relief as it could have been really bad. I am sure my sis the lawyer is gonna call me and see what i did to screw up (sorry sis) but it truly was simply a mistake. I feel better now so you can go. I am wayy to nauseous to make a yummy dinner so check tomorrow I may be better then.

just for fun

2008-10-30T13:51:00.002-05:00

sourdough bread for bread machine

2008-10-30T08:15:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the delay on this recipe I have been busy tending to family needs. Now on to the good stuff! I have not had a lot of success when I hand knead my bread but when I let the bread machine do it - ahhhhhh. I often finish my bread in the regular oven but when I am in a hurry it is nice to just let it run and bake it as well.

When using sourdough starter you always want to use "fed"sourdough. To feed it, approximately 12 hrs before you want to use it add 1 cup flour and 3/4 c warm water and stir. You will notice as the starter is eating the fresh flour lovely big bubbles appear and you know everything is good to go. I usually feed mine before bed as I use it the next morning for pancakes or a loaf of bread.

Simple Sourdough

3/4 cup water
1 cup sourdough starter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 2/3 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Directions

1Add ingredients in order giving.
2Bake on "basic" bread setting.

I prefer to use medium dark setting as it gives it a crisper crust like San Francisco Sourdough has. This is one of my favorite breads as it has a much deeper flavor then plain white. I love to toast it and put peanut butter on it, it gets all warm and drippy.

I hope you like it.

BTW my sourdough that is hand mixed is very different and still isn't coming out the way I want but once I get it perfected I shall post it then.

funeral food

2008-10-28T12:41:00.004-05:00

Well that was a cherry beginning, sorry. Hubby's uncle passed away over the weekend at the hospital and today is the funeral. I thought the reception after the funeral was going to be at my house but now it's not so I thought I should make some kind of food that everybody would like. I was told the desserts were handled already( oh man!) and they didn't need bread (oh man! again) and I had no time to run to the market to make a veggie tray so i asked if deviled eggs were covered. This is mid america and I think deviled eggs are required by law to be at any event. So guess what I made? Ok, I will end the suspense - it's deviled eggs. The one thing that is good about deviled egg's is usually everybody likes them so it pleases many. I do a SIMPLE taste palate as that is what the mil likes.

12 hard boiled and deshelled eggs

3/4 c mayo made with olive oil

1 heaping Tablespoon of relish

1 teaspoon paprika plus more for garnish

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 twists of the pepper grinder

cut eggs in half and set the yolks aside add all ingredients to the yolks throw in 1 white part of an egg as well - it makes it a little lighter.

I like to use a food processor to mix so it gets nice and fine for pipping but you can also just mash the tar out of it with a fork. :)

then either put in a bag with a tip or drop by spoonful into the open halves of egg. Then sprinkle lightly with a little paprika just to add a little color. That is what my momma always told me. :)

Put in fridge and the earlier you make it the better, much like potato salad, it is better the next day.

Homemade gummies

2008-10-27T17:25:00.006-05:00

The picture is very ugly but they were cute in real life. So don't stop reading - keep going. :)

Ok, I admit was nervous about this one as it is sooo easy I was sure there was a mistake! The only mistake I made was somehow I got a greenish glare as I was trying to highlight the details when I took the picture. This recipe made about 100 gummies. I did not expect to get nearly that many. I made worms,fall leaves,fish,frogs,teddy bears,octopuses and several other shapes. If you don't happen to collect molds like they will be a new age form of money they you can use mini muffin tins or ice cube trays.

1 package flavored gelatin, such as Jell-O brand I used cherry. Sugar free jello is fine too!
6 packages unflavored gelatin
3/4 cup water
5-6 candy molds, depending on the size of the cavities in the mold
Preparation:
1. Prepare candy molds by spraying with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine unflavored gelatin, flavored gelatin, and cold water in a small saucepan. Stir until well mixed.
3. Place saucepan on stove over medium heat. Continue stirring while mixture heats up and becomes liquid.
4. Once mixture is fully liquid, remove from heat and pour into prepared molds.
5. Allow to cool slightly, then place in freezer for 10 minutes to solidify.
6. Once solid, remove carefully from molds, and enjoy!

sourdough bread

2008-10-26T20:22:00.002-05:00

To make a good sourdough bread you will need some sourdough starter.

1 c four
3/4 c water

stir and let sit for a few days. after 3 days add another cup flour and more water and stir. The next day remove half and add fresh flour and water stir well. It may separate and that is fine. as it is colder it may take a few more days to achieve that "smell" that is so distinctive.It took me a full 2 weeks for it to ferment. Every few days stir and remove one cup - throw it away and add 1 c flour and 3/4 c water for great help on starters you can go to http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/ and they have great pictures too.

Come back tomorrow and I will have sourdough for your bread machine. I know a lot of people are interested in bread machine bread especially around this time of year as the weather cools.

Trying something new

2008-10-26T20:13:00.003-05:00

http://nablopomo.ning.com/ is an daily blog. What it means as I have to blog once a day through November. This should be no problem as I rarely shut up. I am hoping that it helps me get out of my lazy slump. I haven't been creative in awhile so let's see how this turns out.

a bread bowl full of history

2008-10-25T16:52:00.003-05:00

I am out of town at my mother's house helping her get ready for winter. Bringing in plants and the like so all is ready for a cold snap. While here I have been lusting after my grandmother's bread bowl, the huge one. Now that mother uses a walker and is getting her hips replaced she has no need for a 30 lb bowl -I am serious it is huge! So I ever so kindly stole it as I want it sooooo bad I assumed that she wouldn't mind, and in fact she seemed relived so hip hip hurray I now have a huge bowl for baking. I will post a picture come Monday as it is very old and I will simply add it to this post. Now I will have to share my yummy sourdough recipe but it is not quite ready as it seems to need some work.

Have a great weekend

*I added the pic and my nail bitten thumb is in it just to show how huge it is(the bowl not my thumb) I should have used a measuring stick as it is nearly a foot high and over a foot wide but oddly now that I look at the picture it looks smaller then it is.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

2008-10-23T16:11:00.007-05:00

Cheesecake, is there a yummier word? I love cheescake more then chocolate or many sweet options. I decided that this would be a great way to start using up my fresh pumpkin mash. This is one of the easiest cheescakes I have mad as it doesn't require you to whip the egg whites to soft peaks. This is a simple and easy cheesecake. I do not use a graham cracker crust as I don't see the need for it and never have liked it. I read (somewhere?) that "real" cheesecake doesn't have a crust so I like to pretend I do it the proper way. If you do like a graham cracker or gingersnap crust by all means use one but it lifted cleanly out without a crust of any kind. I adapted this from recipzarr.com.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla or half a pod
3 eggs
1 cup fresh pumpkin but canned is fine
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon I freshly grated this
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg I freshly grated this as well

cream 1/2 c sugar with16 oz cream cheese and vanilla.

add eggs one at a time.

after it is smooth remove one cup of batter and set aside

add the pumpkin, remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the spices and whip to thoroughly mix.

put the pumpkin batter in your pan of choice and then pour in a spiral the still white cheesecake you withheld earlier. Swirl the colors using a knife or a chopstick to make a pretty swirl.

Bake 350 degrees for 55 minutes. remove let cool for a few minutes and then pop into the fridge for at least 3 hours but it is even better the next day. WHAT, it has eggs and cream cheese it's like an omelet on a bagel- that counts as healthy. Right? RIGHT????

I have pumpkin mash - now what?

2008-10-23T09:01:00.003-05:00

I normally roast my pumpkin and it takes several hours but yesterday I wanted to hurry and use the pumpkin while I was doing a few other things so I tried something new, boiling! The color was very bright and pretty but sadly the pics I took really don't show off the vibrant of the orange. Now I have a big bowl of pumpkin mash and all my friends have different opinions on what to do with it.

pumpkin pie

pumpkin brownies

pumpkin ice cream (?really?)

pumpkin cheesecake - I do have a TON of cream cheese

Do you have any ideas?

Cream cheese is about $3 for a pkg but the other day the market was having a sale and they were $.50 each! I got 5 of them. Why do I need 5 packages of creme cheese? I don't and I never even buy bagels but it was such a good deal I couldn't pass it up! I think I will use it up today and make a pumpkin cheesecake to start. I don't have a removable ring pan but I can make it in a deep pan. I lost that pan when we moved to Oklahoma last year. I need to get another one but due to the fact I have at least 100 pans I can find a suitable substitute.

Come back tomorrow and see if my cheesecake was a success!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2008-10-21T18:43:00.006-05:00

Today (Tuesday) was Pumpkin Patch Day for my son's kindergarten field trip. This was a BIG DEAL and he has been excited for weeks. I went along as well and got 3 smallish sugar pumpkins so I can make some pies in a few weeks. I will crack one of them open tonight and scrape the seeds to roast tomorrow I am planning to make them pretty as a treat for my new dad* as he is diabetic and I always make him something way to naughty and I am "trying" to be a good daughter. My mother is also always trying to find healthy snacks so I hope they like this!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Remove seeds from your pumpkin with a sturdy spoon. Rinse off any pulp from the inside of the pumpkin. It may be easier to use a colander to rinse the pulp from the seeds so that the water can drain into the sink.

Soak the seeds in lightly salted water for 2 hours

Pat the seeds dry with a paper towel. Heat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Saute the 2 cups of pumpkin seeds in a skillet or a large pan. Stir them with 2 tbs. of butter, or 1 1/2 tbs. of olive or peanut oil. Add 1 tsp. of salt into the mixture. Continue to stir the seeds, butter or oil and salt for 3 minutes.

Place your pumpkin seeds on a cookie sheet. Spread the seeds out in one layer so that they can roast evenly.

Roast the pumpkin seeds in the oven for 30 minutes. Bake them for another 15 minutes if necessary, or until they are golden brown. Cool the pumpkin seeds on a paper towel or on a rack before eating them.

While still warm you can season with paprika or added salt or whatever sounds good to you. You can wait until the seeds are cool if you prefer.

Put them in a pretty jar and you have a pretty, cheap and delioucious gift!

*New Dad has been married to my mom for 12 yrs I like him more then the word stepfather as it sounds kinda cinderellie but I can't call him Dad as I had a dad and I liked him a lot but sometimes when we talk I call him just dad cause I like the new dad too.<3

A Perfect Sunday or another title could be Meandering Story

2008-10-20T16:18:00.004-05:00

I am a lucky person. I had a wonderful childhood filled with a lot of love and happy times. My daddy was a very sick man and in fact I spent a lot of my youth in hospitals across America as whenever we traveled daddy would usually get ill. My dad LOVED to travel and would go whenever he wanted. He had renal failure and toward the end of his life I have several funny stories where we were doing his dialysis while driving down the road (they may only be funny to me, some may find them....saddish).
We had some wonderful friends and in fact we often went to visit them on our travels. I was best friends withone special family that had 2 girls (in fact one of them married my brother!) but the other one I fell out of touch with about 8 years ago. We never had a fight we just got busy - she got married had 5 ! kids and got divorced, I married and had 2 kids and life just made it hard to connect. BUT yesterday saw her for the first time in 8 years. We had been talking online for a couple of weeks and finally we saw each other face to face. It had been so long and yet it seemed like yesterday. I think that is the mark of a deep friendship time didn't even matter, it was like we were 17 again and it was amazing!
I wanted to bring a treat for her but was unsure what she loved now so I went with something any kid likes my classic suckers that i have blogged about before.I made grape as I wanted a neutral flavor as all her kids are under the age of ten (!). Next time am making her brownies but really this post is less about tasty treats and more about the wonders of friendship. I hope you don't mind this as I didn't have a recipe attached but I was so happy to have rediscovered a good friend that I figured you wouldn't mind a trip down memory lane.

Tomorrow a recipe shall appear so have a healthy and happy night

Anybody want some granola?

2008-10-20T09:28:00.004-05:00

Well this is no plain jane granola. First i made soft granola bars and then broke them up and added coconut,chocolate chips, raisins and walnuts. Oh man, this is not a healthy snack but it is good. I think it would be great in a lunch box or an afternoon treat or in my case, at 3 am when i can't sleep because the toddler wet the bed and so I had to change her sheets and her nighty and then i was wide awake because i was thinking of all the laundry to do!( She rarely does have an accident but she is only 3 so ...)

first the granola bars - once they are cool you can wrap them and eat them by themselves, they are delish.

Ingredients
4 cups oats (old-fashioned)
1/2 cup sunflower seed
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup walnuts

1/4 cup butter

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

In a large mixing bowl combine oats, coconut,dates/fruit and nuts.

In a small sauce pan, melt butter over medium-low heat.

Add corn syrup, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon & honey; stir to combine.

Increase heat to medium& stir occasionally.

Meanwhile spray a 13x9 baking pan with non-stick spray.

Measure out a sheet of foil large enough to cover pan.

spray foil with non-stick spray& set aside.

Cook corn syrup mixture until it comes to a full boil; let boil for one minute.

Remove from heat& pour over oat mixture.

Stir to combine (mixture will be very stiff).

Transfer mixture into prepared pan.

Cover with prepared foil & PRESS FIRMLY.

You want the mixture to be as compact as possible.

I've used a small cutting board to help press the mixture firmly& evenly (don't be afraid to stand on it!). If you don't press firmly enough it won't hold together well.

When mixture is as firm & even as you would like, remove foil & let mixture cool.

Cut into bars. take about half the pan and break it up into a bowl.

to the bowl add

6 oz chocolate chips- bittersweet is nice

2 cups raisins

6 oz coconut

1 cup chopped walnuts

mix well and enjoy!

Hope you like it!

really? microwave popcorn?

2008-10-16T22:26:00.002-05:00

If you know me you know that microwave popcorn is nasty to me. You eat it out of the bag and your hand comes away with a layer of orange grease, that is not a great snack. I gave up microwave popcorn for ages and always air popped it. I wanted to have some microwave handy for those times when i am trying to work while the 3 yr old naps and the popper is loud so I bit

the bullet and looked around yesterday while I ws at the market. I found the natural line without a ton of extras it is called Natural Simply Salted from Orville Redenbacher. I must say I liked it! It didn't get my hand gross - it was butterish on my hands but still I thought it tasted similar to air popped. My microwave is happy as I normally use it as an expensive timer. I was surprised at how different the popcorn is from the last time i got popcorn!

Ice Cream Cone shaped cupcakes!

2008-10-15T15:36:00.004-05:00

I was sooooooo excited to get my silicone ice cream cone shaped cupcakes. I wanted to use a sturdy cake as if i was cut designing a cake so i used a pound cake recipe but......

umm it doesn't have nearly the definition I expected from looking at the pan. I didn't even bother to frost them but imagine that it has a swirl of creamy frosting looking like soft serve ice cream. In theory it is delish but i am going to have to tinker around as the cake recipe was HORRID! I adore recipezarr.com and use it a lot and this is my first recipe that I hated. The recipe calls for 6 oz yogurt and I used homemade yogurt so maybe that was what made it off but I generally have no issues so...... But to tell you had bad it was the next day it tasted like i used dish soap as a main component! I took one bite and spit it out :( Oh that is bad as I eat anything.

I will show them again when they are edible but I keep the hope that this will be perfect for next summer entertaining the (huge amount of) family coming for the summer.

OK so it turned out fine

2008-10-14T14:23:00.004-05:00

Well after my whining yesterday I was think of throwing in the towel but I went ahead a cooked the chicken, which smelled like fajitas so i threw in some onion sliced thin and some yellow and red sliced peppers and boom fajita Nachos! They were delish- I love it when a good thing come out of blah kinda day. I put them on top of corn tortilla chips with a mexi mix of cheese and easy peasy done. For Hubby's I made a bed of Spanish rice and threw the rest on top instead of making nachos. Both were really good.

2 Chicken breasts marinated in fajita seasoning cut into bite size pieces

1 sm onion sliced thin

1/4 yellow pepper

1/4 red pepper

2 Tablespoon oil

Heat oil and cook chicken breast almost through

remove chicken and put on plate

add your onion and peppers stir quickly to get the oil and leftover seasoning from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the onion is soft and sweet, add chicken back in and toss to reheat and mix all ingredients.

put on a bed of rice or on put some chips on a plate add a layer of cheese and then a layer of chicken with the veggies- they should melt your cheese. Serve with salsa and some sour cream.

ahhhh, easy and quick start to finish about 25 min.

What to cook tonight?

2008-10-13T16:49:00.005-05:00

Uh Uh, we have a problem. It is 5 pm the hubby will be home in 10 min and dinner is no where near ready. That is because I have no idea what to cook. I am so busy this week, I am designing a website for ordering cookies and treats for home delivery and it is sucking all my creative juices. I notice as I wander the Internet daily it seems to be in the air this month as I am not the only one in this quandry. I can't even order pizza as that is the plan for tomorrow so....... I love my butcher shop as they cut and marinate chicken breasts in yummy flavors. I have a tequila lime marinated chicken breast in my fridge so thanks to my butcher man at least i have a starting point. Today this is a blog about nothing but the fact it is about nothing :) man, that is a sad sentence but thanks for your listening at least I have a place to start! I will be back tomorrow with something great - I hope. :)

Have a great night and I hope that you have a yummy dinner at your house.

Hubby's dental emergency but still hungry dinner

2008-10-11T12:09:00.006-05:00

Hubby has to have dental surgery a few days ago and got 6 stitches in his mouth! He could eat nothing but super soft food and he thought broth sounded good so .... soup it is. I made a oh my look at all the stuff about to go bad soup.

1 large chicken breast cut into smallish pieces

6 carrots sliced in thin circles

1 onion chopped

3 cloves garlic

1 "clump" of celery sliced thin

1 yellow pepper cut up small

64 oz chicken broth

32 oz veggie broth

water if needed to thin out more

1 chicken bouillon cube low salt version

2 Tablespoon parsley

2 Tablespoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon rosemary

lots of pepper to your taste

8 oz spaghetti

Cook the chicken till almost done and add all the veggies to sweat them, after they soften and are a little transparent, add the liquids and the bouillon cube. Crush the spices and throw them in - you can adjust the spices to your liking. I am not a rosemary lover so I just put a tiny bit in. I let it simmer slowly on the stove for about a hour. about 30 minutes before you want to serve it make sure their is plenty of liquid- you may want to add some water and break up about 8 oz spaghetti and throw it in. you have a perfect one pot meal that is warm and filling. this makes a big pot so there should be plenty for another meal. This would be good with a grilled cheese sandwich.

You can easily make this vegetarian remove the chicken and use all veggie stock.

If using fresh spices then add them right before serving to help keep their flavor bright.

This is a great meal because it can be adjusted to whatever you happen to have in your fridge, or whatever shape pasta you have lying around.

Fried Pickles

2008-10-10T09:29:00.003-05:00

I LOVE fried pickles- no, I am not preggers- yes, I was raised in middle America. This is also a favorite of my sister I will call her lawyer sis. Every time she comes to Oklahoma she is looking for a good fried pickle. I decided as she never has luck I would make them for her next time she comes she likes them as slices, I prefer spears so in the pic it is spears.
Ingredients
dill pickles
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup beer
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
vegetable oil
Directions
You can use spears or slices whatever you prefer. Dry your pickles on paper towels

Mix dry ingredients.
Add wet and mix well If it seems thick add a little more beer
Dip pickle slices in batter and quick fry at 375 degrees in oil (2 inches deep) until the pickle slices float to the top, or about 4 minutes.

Dip in a thick ranch and ahhh enjoy the weirdness.

Lawyer sis is in surgery today, it is her first surgery EVER! Hope all is well sis I love ya!

BTW this is awesome on catfish or onion rings to fry too.

UPDATE: She came through the big day great!!!

mexi chili stew with cornbread topper

2008-10-09T09:42:00.002-05:00

The bottom half is a yummy thick chili type stew and the top is a cornbread with cheese and green chilies. On a scale of 1-10 Hubby gave it an 8 and I gave it a 9 so I say I will make this again.
Preheat oven at 350 degrees
1 lb ground buffalo or ground beef if you prefer
½ yellow pepper
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1 can corn with peppers in it “fiesta corn” drained
1 can tomatoes with the juice
½ pkg of chili seasoning you can make your own if you prefer use about 1/8 cup

That is it for the bottom.
Cook your meat and add the onion chopped small and the garlic grated. Cook until tender add the chili seasoning and stir well. Add the corn and tomatoes, if you buy whole tomatoes just crush them and throw them in. turn off the stove and pat the mixture flat to get ready to add the topping.

Cornbread
1 c up cornmeal
1 cup AP flour
¼ teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 handful (about a cup) of Mexican mix cheese or just use cheddar or whatever melty light flavor cheese you have
1 can green chilies (little can)

Mix the dry and add the wet then add the cheese and chilies and you are done, just pour the cornbread mix over the bottom stew and pop into oven for 30 minutes.
It is a nice warm and easy dinner that is very filling. As long as you use an oven safe pan to make the chili stew you won’t need to dirty another pan.
I hope you like it as much as we did.

carmel apples with no apples or carmel

2008-10-07T15:26:00.011-05:00

Ok, so maybe I need to think of a better name.... rice krispie treat on a stick dipped in chocolate. It is exactly what it sounds like I had a box of cereal laying around and so I decided to use it up.

Regular Rice Crispe treat recipe

6 c of rice krisp

4 c marshmallow

3 T butter

Melt butter and add the marshmallow and stir to melt, add the krispe cereal and let sit for a minute. Use a piece of wax paper and lay out on a cookie sheet. Spray your hands with cooking spray( to prevent sticking) and shape the rice krispie treats into a smallish ball shape. After you shape it put the stick in and make sure the ball is tight around the stick. just sit it on the wax paper till the next step.

Make a chocolate to glaze the bottom half of the treat;

6 oz semi sweet chocolate

3 oz dark chocolate (I use 60%)

melt the semi sweet first and after it has almost completely melted stir to completely smooth it out then add the dark chocolate and stir to melt it in, this will temper your chocolate so it will stay a nice color and glossiness

After you have the chocolate warm and melted dip the rice krispie treat into the chocolate using a spoon to help you smooth it up the sides halfway and then set it back on the wax paper. after you dip all the rice krispies just stick it in the freezer for about 3 minutes. it will set the chocolate faster. If you want to put sprinkles on do it before you pop them in the freezer.

BTW the light color is butterscotch using butterscotch chips instead of chocolate

This is a super sweet treat and really fun for kids to do as well.

sourdough pancakes

2008-10-06T16:16:00.002-05:00

http://www.recipezaar.com/329255 ">Here is the link to my pancakes that I submitted to recipezarr today! I have been unable to find a quick and simple sourdough recipe that didn’t require an overnight rest. When I want a pancake I want it NOW!! So I tried a few different recipes that I didn’t like and mixed a bit and boom perfection. It’s light and fluffy with a sourdough breadish taste. I really like this as it uses the cup of starter you throw away when you do your feeding and I hate to waste it. I will be trying a few different things with the sourdough starter. These were so good they were eaten before I could get a picture! I hope you like it.

Picture by; Built By Robots

Wanna make a yummy dessert?

2008-10-05T21:33:00.004-05:00

To make a perfect creme brule go here; http://www.mevrouwcupcake.com/mevrouw-cupcakes-food-journal/2008/9/30/twd-creme-brulee.html . I think that is my favorite thing about the blogging world we are all so close even if she lives in the Netherlands and i live in Tiny Town Oklahoma. The only thing I did different i is took me 2 hours to bake it.

Pancakes for dinner!

2008-10-03T11:04:00.004-05:00

You know you have good pancakes when they are happy to be eaten! I LOVE pancakes. I make them when I am tired or want some comfort food, there is just something about a yeasty sweet treat. I made them for dinner the other night and as you can see below my daughter loves them.

Nice and Fluffy Pancakes

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tablespoon sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

3 tablespoons butter (melted) or oil if you prefer

1 1/4 cups milk

Directions

Put all dry ingredients together and make a well in the center, add the wet ingredients.

Don’t over mix a few lumps are fine.

Heat a heavy griddle, I use a cast iron that doesn’t need any extra oil but you can lightly oil the pan if needed.
The pan is hot enough when a drop of water breaks into several smaller balls which 'dance' around the pan.
Pour a small amount of batter (approx 1/8 cup) into pan and tip to spread out or spread with spoon.
When bubbles appear on surface and begin to break, turn over and cook the other side.
You can use whatever you like as a sauce. We are a aunt Jemima house. The melted butter has added such a nice flavor that you really won’t need more butter!

I DID IT!!!

2008-10-02T10:29:00.002-05:00

I have asked to join the daring bakers!!! I am soo nervous but I think I am ready for the challenge. I have wanted to do it for about 5 months and just haven't had the nerve but today I am restless and brave. I will let you know if I get accepted and also what I will make.

same recipe different look!

2008-10-01T09:15:00.005-05:00

This is the same bread recipe from my last post! Just form into buns (don't fry it) and let rise again. Bake at 350 for about 20 min and you have the softest and fluffiest hamburger buns ever. Then you can make real sloppy joes with plenty of slop:)

To make sloppy joes you need;

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs ground round
1 1/2 cup catsup
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons vinegar
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 small onion

Directions

Mix everything except meat and onion in a bowl and set aside

Cook meat and drain any fat off then add onion and cook till onion is soft

Add the sauce ingredients that you pre mixed together in a small bowl

Let simmer for at least an hour, stirring from time to time, to let meat absorb the sauce.

Serve on soft and delish hamburger buns.

If you prefer it a little drier you can cut the sauce in half but this makes enough sauce it isn't neat but but you can pick it up with your hands.

By the way to make the cute potato just slice almost all the way and drizzle with a little bit of oil and salt and bake for about an hour. I bake the bread at the same time as the potatoes. with a little timing everything can happen while your sauce simmers so it all ends about the same time. It is the perfect thing on a cold day as the house smells sooo good and warm. :)

Grannie's fry bread

2008-09-29T10:16:00.001-05:00

When I was a little girl I loved winter because sometimes if I was SUPER lucky I would come home from school and my grandma would be there. Whenever grandma rosemary was at my house it smelled like bread. She made such yummy bread you could smell it before you opened the front door. She baked a lot at her house but she also smoked like a chimney so whatever she cooked at her house tasted liked ashes. That is a surprise if you don’t expect it! But when she cooked in my house it was perfection. We had a huge bowl I mean HUGE bowl that she used when raising the dough as she always made a lot but you ask what my point is? For dinner sometimes she would rip hunks of dough and fry them up with fresh jam.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh ya.

So last night I had a hankering for some fry bread and as I always bake a loaf of bread each day I just used my bread dough I already had rising. I use my bread maker to knead my dough as my arthritis makes bread making hard (yes I know I am only 33 moving on) so this is a fail proof bread machine recipe for white bread.

You can bake as is or to make fry bread;

Tear off a small piece and make a circle with the dough or make a ball and stick your finger thru the middle, it makes a rustic doughnut. The oil need to be hot about 375 degrees and deep enough the dough doesn’t touch the bottom, at least 2 inches. Drop in the oil carefully and after just a minute it will be brown on ready to turn over turn it over and in about a minute take out and put on a paper towel to drain. It isn’t super sweet as it isn’t a sweet dough but if you want sweet just sprinkle with powdered sugar or server with jam, I like strawberry preserves personally.

Completely Perfect Failsafe bread machine white bread

Ingredients
1 cup water (about 90 degrees)
3 cups white bread flour I use ap flour
1 tablespoon dry milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons fast rise yeast
Directions

Place ingredients in your bread machine according to manufacturer's instruction and bake as directed.
This recipe is from recipezarr.com and the woman who wrote it used it in the 1993 Oregon State Fair and won 1st place. I know you were thinking it would be grammas’’ recipe but this is it almost perfect replica and only makes a 1 lb loaf instead of 4 loaves and enough fry bread for 10 people!

Welcome to the crazy house!

2008-09-27T17:47:00.002-05:00

Well we have a new family member that I am very excited about. This tiny kitten was outside hubby’s office window hollering for food and looking dirty. The field cat had her babies and this little lovely was lost. We had no why to find the mommy as she was nowhere to be seen and little bit was starving he called me and I rushed to get the little bugger. I have never had a kitty this small she appears to get lost her first time out alone as she is weaned and healthy. My son named her snickelfritz. That is what my daddy called me when I was a little girl and also the name of the cat on the big comfy couch. She is super sweet and was easy to litter box train. She even gets along with the choco lab and the kids so she is here to stay! If she was mean to the kids or bothered my son’s asthma she would have to go to the pound and I didn’t want that to happen and so it has been 3 days and not even a sniffle so she is in the clear to stay!

By the way, I love how she is almost the same color as the chair- you better look before you sit! :)

Strawberry vanilla bean ice cream!

2008-09-27T16:35:00.003-05:00

This is so amazing and can be altered in so many ways. If you don’t have any vanilla beans then just use 2 teaspoons vanilla and it will be fine, you just won’t have the pretty black spots throughout. It is a nice option over custard ice creams as there is zero cook time and no need to chill first. I got the basic outline from recipezarr and then modified it to match my needs.

Ingredients

2 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups heavy whipping cream (I get it from my local dairy)

1 cup milk

1 scraped vanilla bean OR 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ c premade strawberry sauce seedless (you can use the syrup kids put in milk and that is fine)

½ chopped strawberries set aside for later they can be fresh that you froze or frozen in a bag

Directions

Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.

Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, and then continue whisking until completely blended, about 3 minutes more. Pour in the cream, milk, vanilla and strawberry sauce and whisk to blend.

Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions. In my compressor ice cream maker it takes about 40 minutes as I let it get super thick. When it is thick and near the end just add the chopped strawberries and mix it up.
It is ready to eat now or you can stick it in the freezer for an hour or 2 to get harder. If you put it in the freezer to eat the next day pull it out of the freezer about 10 minutes before you are ready to eat it and then dish it up it gets back that creaminess and it sooooooo good.
Makes 1 Quart
Hubby thinks it is better than any ice cream he has ever had! I was quite surprised as he is a BIG ice cream lover.

better late then never - Bacon Salt!

2008-09-26T19:20:00.002-05:00

Well it has been everywhere in the blogosphere but here in the middle of nowhere bacon salt is hard to find. Today I achieved greatness and found it!!!! I despise the faux taste of hickory so I went with peppered and original flavors and decided to do a taste test. My favorite way to use bacon is also the most pedestrian as I love it on a baked potato with cheese. Yummmm. To make sure I could taste the difference I did half with peppered and half with original. Considering that this is vegan and kosher I was surprised that it was so close. I am not a meat lover but I am a bacon lover so this is a nice way to get the flavor without the fat. I vote 2 thumbs up! Well, maybe a thumb and a half but still very good.

Baked potato
1 potato baked till soft with a crispy outside
Way more cheese then my cardiologist recommends
Salt
Bacon salt
Devore and enjoy lustfully.

Tomorrow I am thinking strawberry ice cream come and see the yumminess in action!

Last of summer tomatoes

2008-09-24T11:52:00.001-05:00

I went to my local dairy the other day and the little old man that grows tomatoes was selling the less then pretty ones for 50 cents a lb. Score baby! Tomatoes are about 3.00 a lb so this was a great deal I told him I would take all he had. It wasn’t till I got home I saw He threw in some perfect ones too. I thought that was very nice and a great example of the niceness of knowing your local farmer(s). So then I had over 10 lbs of tomatoes to use up and fast. I took the perfect ones and made blt’s for dinner and the kids love tomatoes cut up with ranch so I made them that and they ate it so fast and hubby said that is just how he was as a kid. But even after all that I still had about 10 lbs of tomatoes so decided to roast them for this winter for stews and chili. I chopped them up and put them on a huge industrial size cookie sheet. I kept it simple so that I could use them for any number of recipes, just salt and a smidge of oil. I baked them in a 350 oven for about an hour and half. They were so pretty I almost forgot I hate tomatoes! I was going to can them but I was feeling lazy and decided to freeze them instead. I was reading http://www.kitchn.com/ and saw they had an article on how easy it was so the decision was easy. They look so bright I kind of wanted to make stew now but decided to wait until winter when tomatoes have gotten that plastic mealy look to them.

Roasting Tomatoes
Whatever tomatoes you have cleaned and chopped
Spices – you can use fresh basil or Italian spices or just salt
A little oil to drizzle over non flavor like a corn or a nice olive oil
Oven at 350 degrees for about 1 to 2 hrs depending on how many tomatoes you have
Let cool and pack in freezer safe containers. That is it!

An easy peasy highly versatile method you can adapt however you want.

Come on fall I am ready!

What a night!

2008-09-23T19:42:00.004-05:00

Well I took some lovely pictures of my pasta as i made it but it felt.....wrong so I should have gone with my gut and used a different recipe. I have made fresh pasta before and it is yummy but I thought I would try something new. I was wrong! I will go back to Mario and never stray, I am sorry please forgive me. At least my Alfredo sauce came out ok. Rich and saucy just like I like my friends. I would have said hubby but …. I don’t want him saucy it gives me a mental shiver!

¼ lb or 1 stick or ½ cup melted butter
1 c heavy cream
1c grated parmesan cheese

Get the butter and cream hot – not boiling, take of heat and whip in the cheese and it is ready to rumble. Add a little more cheese on top and plenty of pepper.

Oh well dinner came out ½ ok and I now know one pasta recipe that is dreadful so it all worked out.

Tomorrow we will have vanilla bean strawberry ice cream yummmmmmmm.

You want a hot tortilla?

2008-09-23T08:51:00.005-05:00

This is a nice a simple recipe. The hardest part is rolling them out. I was so excited I found a tortilla press, but it turns out I hate it. It doesn’t get them thin enough and they are a little thick so halfway thru hubby decided to roll them out with my rolling pin. I had no idea he knew what a rolling pin is so I was happy to let him do the rolling. :)

The recipe is simple

6 c AP flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
½ c vegetable shortening- cut into small pieces
2 ½ c warm water

Put everything in the mix but the water stir for a minute to mix and add water slowly while mixer is running. And that is it, it will all come together really nice and look like dough. Then pull it out onto a floured counter and divide in half, let rest 15 minutes. After it has rested divide each half into 8 balls so you will have a total of 16 balls. You can make more if you want some smaller tortillas. you can use a rolling pin or a tortilla press and make them the size and thickness you want.Let rest another 10 minutes and they are ready to put in the hot skillet. Just 1 minute on each side is enough they will have brown spots on them when they are ready.

They are best eaten right away but if you need them to wait get a large peice tin foil and put a paper towel or reusable cotton cloth and make an tin foil envelope so that they don’t dry out but the paper towel also keeps them from getting a condensation feel to them.

These are truly yummy and delish. My MIL can’t buy tortilla at the store anymore as she says they don’t taste as good anymore! Hey, if the MIL is happy SOMETHING must be right! :)

Let’s make Fajita’s

2008-09-22T09:26:00.003-05:00

Well I had planned to make my hubby's favorite fajitas but I didn’t realize that I needed pineapple juice for the marinade. Well, I am not nice enough to go to the store for one item as we don’t live near enough to walk to a market and I hate to waste gas so I turned to my best friend recipezarr.com and found a recipe using ingredients I had on hand.

Ingredients

1 clove garlic (minced or grated)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

2 tablespoons oil (any type works,I used regular corn oil)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/3 cup A-1 Steak Sauce (this was a odd thing to add i thought but yummm so good)

Directions

Combine all ingredients, mixing well.

Marinade 1 1/2lbs Beef skirt steak for at least 2 hours.

Cook as desired on outside grill, stovetop sauté pan, or you can even cook them on the George Foreman grill.

I cooked them on the grill for 7 min on one side and 3 min after turning over once. I found the coolest website to help a novice grill it is http://www.charcoalbob.com/ you tell it what you are making and it will tell you how to do it! I am excited about this as I am sadly, not a great griller.

OHHHH baby and a good time was had by all!!!

By the way to make a really yummy soft grilled onion I put 1 red pepper cut in strips and one onion sliced and then threw in ½ Hatch pepper put in a tin foil envelope with 2 ice cubes and stick it on the grill the same time as the meat and they should be soft and smoky done the same time as the meat.

I love how the picture looks a little fuzzy on the top as it is the steam. I have sour cream and cheese also on the plate. I also made some guacamole but this is my hubby’s plate and he hates quac so it isn’t on there.

I will be sharing my homemade tortillas tomorrow so come back as they are amazing compared to store bought.

Thanks for coming by.

Bunny Egg Molds

2008-09-21T09:28:00.003-05:00

I ordered a set of egg molds about 2 months ago from Japan and after impatiently waiting they finally arrived! They are so cute! My kids fight over which shape they will get. The favorite appears to be the bunny as it looks like Miffy. I got them for my sons’ lunch when he takes it to school but sadly he likes the school hot lunch better! He loves my lunches so I don’t know why he changed to wanting a hot lunch but…. I guess it is ok. I was making shaped sandwiches and making a bento style so it was easier for him to eat but I guess he likes it hot and sometimes they get ice cream so therefore my lunch full of love can’t compete. They still love the eggs and it is always a treat when they are shaped. The box snaps shut to form the shape tightly. If you are thinking if getting these somewhere please note that the star and heart are the hardest shape to make and molds somewhat egg shaped like car or bunny are easier and look great!

To make a molded egg;
Hard boil the eggs
I start with cool water and the eggs in the pot then when it starts boiling right away turn off stove, tightly cover and let sit for 15 min.
Then while still hot shell the eggs and put in mold.
Put the molds in cold water for 10 minutes and then they are done and ready to demold. They will hold the shape once out of mold.
Thanks for coming to the new site and have a great weekend!

Thanks for coming!

2008-09-04T08:39:00.001-05:00

I will begin to post recipes in about a week thanks for coming as I transition and if you want to look at my old blog it is www.organicandnaturalmom.blogspot.com .