Saffron & Cheerios

Hawaiian Bread Is Here!

2011-04-25T18:47:00.001-05:00

For those of you out there who love Kings Hawaiian Rolls but hate how much they cost this post is for you! (For those of you who have never tried Kings Hawaiian Rolls I pity you and your sad sad lives). I tried these out on the family this past Easter Sunday and they went over pretty well. Jon thinks the pineapple is too strong, but he's wrong. I found the recipe somewhere online and-as is my wont-messed around with it a bit. I'll probably change it up a little next time because I'd like it a little more airy, but they're still D-lish!

For the recipe

Hawaiian Bread Recipe (makes 3 loaves or about 36 large rolls)
Ingredients:
6 cups all-purpose flour, plus ½-1 cup flour
4 large eggs (+ 1 for an egg wash if using)
2 cups pineapple juice
1cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tsp salt
5 tsp yeast
1/2 cup butter, softened
Directions:
Add the eggs, pineapple juice, sugar, ginger, vanilla, yeast and butter to a stand mixer and beat 3 min on high. Add salt and mix in then slowly add 6 cups of flour while kneading with dough hook until well-combined. Cover the bowl with a cloth and set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour or until doubled. Knead in the extra ½-1 cup flour. You want a dough that is sticky, but not gooey and NOT dry to the touch. Place in greased and floured loaf pans or shape into rolls and just bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Cover and place in a warm place to rise for 1 hour. Brush with an egg wash if desired and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or golden brown.

Chocolate Easter Eggs

2011-04-18T21:12:00.001-05:00

Okay, these are super easy. The funnest part is that they're hollow! You could fill them with candy (skittles would be fun), a charm/bracelet, money, or-do what I did-and just put a nice quote or scripture printed in a pretty font and tied with a ribbon.

For directions
Okay. It did take me about an hour to make these, but what you don't see are the four others I made that my kids ate so....

Anyway.

First get a few plastic Easter Eggs. I like to use the extra large ones because it gives more room to put stuff in the middle. You'll also need chocolate or-what I used this time-multicolored candy melts. You can melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. If you do it in the microwave, make sure you only zap it for 30 seconds at a time and stir VIGOROUSLY in between. Really, for all but large batches one zap a an equal amount of time stirring should get it melted. (Make sure the bowl and spoon you're using are dry, because any water will make your chocolate seize up and become useless for this project.)

If you're going to do a design on the outside paint that on first. (Don't forget to write backwards if you're writing a message!)

Fill it with chocolate making sure to spread it all the way to the top. Put it in the fridge for at least 10 min.

Hold it up to a window and if you can see the color through the chocolate then add a little more and let it harden again.

Getting them out is a little tricky. It works best to let them sit on the counter for about 5 min and then just.....wiggle it, pop it on the counter, try pushing one side down to have it come up the other. Good luck. On the bright side, once you get the hang of it, it's loads easier the next time.

Put your message or whatever you're going to put into the egg into the larger half. If I'm putting in a message I roll it over a paintbrush then tie it with a ribbon.

Heat up a pan on low and hold the other half of the egg while just touching the bottom to the pan to melt it just a little. Put the two together and put in the fridge to let harden. If you have any rough edges to clean up you can do that with a paring knife once it's set. If you don't want to use a heated pan, you could just pipe a little melted chocolate onto one half and push them together; you'll have more clean up work to do.

Do your cleanup and voila! Hollow chocolate Eggs! If you want you can hold the egg in you hands for just a minute (less if you have hot hands like me) and then roll it in edible glitter. That's what I did to the egg in the top left corner of the picture below, but you can't really tell in the picture.

Our House-Finally

2011-04-12T10:45:00.000-05:00

The first fruits of our little garden this year. Christopher wanted to plant radishes. He thinks he likes them, but he never really eats them. It was a fun thing to plant because they come up so quickly, but now we have loads of radishes to get rid of. Oh well.

I decided I'd post the pictures of our house today for those of you who asked about it when we moved in. I know what you're thinking..."But Mindy, it's only been 6 months. Aren't you a couple of years early?" All I can say is that I'm working on not putting things off any more. Crazy huh. Yesterday I even got out the paints and brushes and did some touch-up work around the house. I dunno. Maybe I'm coming down with something. In the meantime, maybe a few projects will get finished.

So, to see the pics

Our little garden. Not much, but we're quite proud of it. We planted: tomatoes, peppers, red onions, sugar snap peas, regular peas, green beans, zucchini, summer squash, carrots, radishes, and I have a whole host of herbs in another little spot near the house.

Here's our back yard

And here's the house from the front. One of our friends calls the tree in front the "Fern Gully Tree". From the first time we saw the house it was one of my favorite things about the house

A close-up of the front

The dining room. Jon calls the color I picked 'Easter egg blue' but I love it. You can just see the edge of the bay window in this picture too. I think that's my favorite spot in the house.

That's all the pictures I have I think. It's all I'm posting at any rate

Eat, or do not eat, there is no try!

2011-04-03T18:22:00.001-05:00

A cake for my nephew's birthday. The green stuff around the bottom was me playing around with sugar. It's just 1 1/4 c sugar, 2/3 c water and a few drops of food coloring heated to hard crack stage and poured over a tray full of ice cubes. It hits the ice and freezes in funny shapes. Really easy and works great for swamp weeds, lava, coral etc depending on which colors you use. Yoda's head, hands, and legs are rice crispy treat, the rest is cake. He's covered in marshmallow fondant that I shaped with toothpicks and a few other tools. Didn't take as long as I thought it would and I must say, I'm pretty proud of the little guy.

Bacon Ice Cream and Other Important Things

2011-03-16T11:54:00.000-05:00

I know what you're thinking. Bacon ice cream?Mindy's really lost it. That's exactly what Jon thought. He made that scrunched up 'you are crazy woman' face right up to the moment he actually tried it. Then he ate two bowls. I'm telling you, it's delectable.

The recipe I used is from David Lebovitz blog living the sweet life in Paris. So many fun recipes on there I'm going to try. I really enjoyed the candied bacon all on it's own. I suggest making double what he calls for because I PROMISE you will be snacking on the stuff. If you don't want to go to the trouble of making your own ice cream you could always just mix it into a tub of maple ice cream or even just a good vanilla. David uses all half and half which I find is a bit too much for me. I think the next time I make it I'll use whole milk instead. I've really always preferred it that way anyway.

As for the 'other important things' part of the post.....

I read an article by Geneen Roth recently in Good Housekeeping that I HAD to share. It's about food and body image. While that's important, I also think a lot of what she had to say translates really well into how we interact with others and how that can be improved so I'm posting it here. If you get a chance you should really check out some of her books. The woman makes a lot of sense. Anything I added is red and in parenthesis.

Fat or Fiction By Geneen Roth

Last month as I was walking along a beach in Monterey, CA, I came upon a lone seagull making a huge amount of noise. ThenI noticed that he was standing beside another gull-a dead one- and I thought, Oh, he’s crying seaghull tears because he ldost his mate. His cherished partner. The love of his life. Maybe gulls are like swans; maybe they mate for life and when they lose their one and only, they are bereft, desolate, inconsolable.
So I stood there saying soothing birdy things to his as tears rolled down my cheeks. Love is so challenging, I thought. It turns you inside out, breaks your heart, leaves you alone on a deserted beach at 6 AM, crying. As I stoode there weeping loudly for love, for the gull, for me, I couldn’t help but notice then when other gulls approached, the grieving gull cried even louder. How protective he is of his love, I thought. How kind he must have been to her when she was alive. But then I noticed one tiny bit of behavior that, in the unfolding drama, I had been ignoring: The desolate gull was eating the supposed love of his life. Eating her! I realized then that his shrieking was not about his sadness, but aobut his beliigerence: He refused to share his food with his friends.

What a bum, I thought, as I stalked away.

From cherished spouse to cannibal louse in one spilit second-and nothing had changed about the gull’s behavior. Nothing objective, nothing external, nothing real was any different from one moment to the next. All that had changed was my interpretation of wha the was doing.

What does that have to do with emotional eating? Everything.

Years ago, my friend Kai was walking down a street feeling rather cheeky about herself, her svelt curves, her flat stomach. Gazing at her reflection in the store windows, she felt proud of her body, happy to be herself. So happy that for lunch that day, she treated herself to French fries with her turkey sandwich. She even ate dessert. The she went back to the doctor’s office where she worked and decided to weight herself. To her horror, she’d gained six pounds in a month, and suddenly, all those kind, loving feelings she was having about her stomach, her thighs, her life turned into disaster scenarios. Oh no, she thought ¸I am out of control and I don’t even know it. I can’t even trust myself to know when I am feeling good and when I’m not. When my body is at its natural weight and when it’s busting apart at the seams. Ihave to diet immediately!

The next day, when she walked into work, the doctor told her he’d discovered that the office scale was off by seven pounds. Which meant, of course, that not only had Kai not gained six pounds, she’d actually lost a pound. And suddenly, she felt fabulous again. From fabulous to horrible to fabulous, and nothing external had changed except her interpretation of a number on a scale.

There are two take home messages from these stories: On e of them, the easiest one, is to throw out your scales. “Gulp”, you say. “I can’t. How will I know what I weigh?” The same way that Kai knew. Because it’s your body. Because you live in it. Because you know how you feel in it. Because your clothes feel different when you are at different weights. You don’t need a lifeless piece of machinery to tell you whether you are allowed to have a good day or a bad day, whether you are allowed to feel proud or ashamed of yourself. You get to decide. It seems to be built into the weight-loss drama that a high number on the scale translates to misery and a low number on the scale translates to euphoria, so a first step to realizing your self-worth is to stop engaging g in what makes you feel bad.

But throwing out your scale doesn’t address the root of the problem-the mistaken way we interpret events. And that brings us to the second take-home lesson [this, I think, applies really well to our relationships with others as well]: We must recognize when our behavior, thoughts, and feelings are utterly determined by our interpretation of what we see.

Most of the time we are telling ourselves fantasies and then acting as if those fantasies were true. Most of the time, we are so caught up in believing that our interpretation of reality is fact that we don’t even realize it’s an interpretation.

Consider how different your life would be if you altered your interpretations. Consider how you feel when you look at your thighs [or your spouse/brother/children/co-worker]. Made of flesh and bone and muscle and-sigh-fat. In the split second between when you look at them [or hear what they have to say] and what you end up feeling about them, you’ve interpreted what you’ve seen [or heard], judged it, and created a negative self-image [or image of them] that you then swear is THE TRUTH.

The real truth is that all self loathing [or negative feelings toward others] is an interpretation. All reactions to your body size [or to the words/actions of others] are interpretations. All worrying is an interpretation. Every time you lapse into feeling worthless or fat or wrong, [or superior, or offended] every time you imagine disaster scenarios and then get yourself worked up about the horrible outcomes, you are interpreting a set of circumstances, twisting them in a particular way, and reacting to the way you twisted them, not to the way things actually are. It’s not that bad things don’t happen. It’s not that carrying excess weight doesn’t burden your joints or keep you from fitting into the skinny clothes in the back you your closet [or that sometimes people aren’t just thoughtless or rude]. It’s just that when you interpret reality according to you fantasy, you get so worked up and so frantic that you are less capable of seeing clearly and dealing with objective facts. The next time you find yourself sloshing around in the melodrama of your life, reel yourself back to reality by asking yourself these three questions:

• What are the FACTS of this particular situation?

• What is my interpretation of those facts?

• What am I feeling that is based on my interpretation-rather than on what actually happened?

If necessary, ask a trusted friend or family member to help your determine what’s true and what’s a figment of your imagination.

You will soon discover that most of your feelings are based not on the facts, but on how you’ve interpreted the facts. And what a blessing it is to discover that your anguish is self-created! Because when you begin discerning fact from fantasy, your life becomes lighter, freer. You’re less likely to allow emotions to lure you to the kitchen where ice cream, cookies, or a bag of cheesy chips is calling your name [or into another fight with someone in your life], because that crazy tsunami of dark feelings just won’t be there. You’ll no longer live at the mercy of the numbers on a scale [or the words/actions of others] or the drama they inspire you to stage in your head. Instead, you’ll be able to stop overeating [or feeling hurt/angry/unloved/offended] and take more pleasure in food [and life], because there will be no bad feelings to stuff [and because you will begin the process of learning see things for what they really are instead of what you've imagined them to be].

And that is a fact, not a fantasy.

Student Cakes February 2011 and Baby Shower Cupcakes

2011-02-27T11:14:00.001-06:00

Yep, it's been forever since I posted anything. I'll try to do better Gram, what can I say. =P

The cake above is by me. It's a one-person mini cake for Chelsea's birthday. The shoe and flower are made of chocolate. Fun huh? It was about 5 inches tall counting the shoe and 4 inches wide at the base. The flash makes the black look a little funny, but it turned out cute. Especially when you consider it was the second one I made since Ethan ate the first one for breakfast that morning before I woke up. He wasn't alone in his sneaking though. His little protege grabbed a measuring cup of sugar off the counter when I went to answer my phone.

His only response to getting caught was: More? More sugar? He's such a cute little monster.

The rest of the cakes are by my latest group of cake class students. They did such a great job!

At the end is a picture of some cupcakes I made for a baby shower. Click on the "read more" link for instructions on how to assemble them.

To make the little diaper cupcakes just cut out a circle and then use the circle cutter to cut a piece out of the top.

Then use a ridged tool-I used a thingy (technical term) from our pumpkin carving kit-to texture the top edge.

Then stretch it out...

and use your fingertips to pinch it back together

Then add some more 'stitching' under where you pinched. Voila! Diaper

To make a face, cut out a circle of whatever skin color you want and cover the top of the cupcake

Place a little ball in the center for a nose

Use a toothpick to press ovals onto the side for ears. It's okay if you leave marks when pressing because then it just looks more like ears.

Cut out another circle as shown below to make hats. Each circle makes two hats with a band on the top.

Diaper logos, mouths and eyes can be drawn on with edible markers (I think a multi-colored pack cost me $5) and you can get little plastic binkies to pop in the mouths or make your own out of fondant. I poked a hole in the mouths with a chopstick before inserting the binkies to be sure they didn't stretch or tear the fondant. I think my favorite one is the mad baby face in the bottom left corner. =) Happy decorating.

Cake Class

2010-10-26T13:52:00.000-05:00

SOOOO much has been happening around here lately what with hospital visits and trying to move in, but I thought I'd do a quick post and put up the pictures from the cake class I taught at the college a couple of weeks ago. One of the pictures got deleted off my camera thanks to my 1 year old, sorry 'bout that. They all did so great especially considering most of them had never worked with fondant or made roses before. One of my students even won 2nd place in a contest with his 'mermaid project' cake. So, here are the pics and I hope you all are doing well.

Ethan's Birthday.....FINALLY

2010-09-14T16:03:00.001-05:00

So, Ethan's birthday was August 28th but I went up to Idaho and things were busy and he didn't get his party until yesterday. That's right 17 days after his actual birthday. Poor kid. He's been really patient about the whole thing though. Before I left I did take a batch of cupcakes to his preschool class though.

I just arranged the mini-cupcakes how I wanted and then iced them like they were one whole cake. No knife needed for cutting and it's easy for little hands to get just the piece they want.

This year Ethan asked for Captain Hooks' pirate ship for his cake. I took a few pics during the process, but as you'll see, it was really pretty simple. I used a half-sheet cake pan, but you could easily use a 9x13 to do this cake. The only specialty thing I used was a little imprint that presses into the fondant to make it look like wooded boards nailed together. I got mine at Cake Craft Shoppe in Sugarland for 10 bucks in a pack that had that one, cobblestone, brick, siding, and basketweave imprints. Since we're trying to close on the house and pack and what not I decided to just buy a couple of pirates to put on top and then I printed Peter Pan saying "Happy Birthday Ethan" on a piece of cardstock that I used for the sail. I'll include the pictures etc at the end.

He decided for his birthday dinner that he wanted to make his own pizza. I'll include my focaccia bread recipe at the end since we used that for our pizza dough.

So, I said before how Jon and I had taken away all their toys and....well, everything and that the end result was that they basically didn't care. We realized from that little experiment that all these toys and things they had were, for the most part, for us. We wanted our kids to have this stuff. They didn't really care. I read this article in some waiting room where this organization expert said (and I paraphrase):

"Look at all your stuff and realize that every thing you own represents some of your time; time to clean it, time to put it away, time to maintain it in some way or other. Think of how much more time you would have in your life for things and people you love if you took back some of that time that's being eaten up by things that are just in the way."

Profound right? Since we're moving I thought this was pretty much perfect timing and we're getting rid of loads of our crap we've been holding on to for years for Heaven only knows what reasons. We'll donate it and maybe someone who actually needs it can have it. Simple, streamlined, peaceful lives is the plan. So, as part of that we asked the grandparents and cousins (we only did a family party) not to get toys for birthday presents. Yep, you read it right. No toys. Before you think I finally crossed the line just read on.What we asked instead is a gift that means something: time. We want our kids to have strong, happy, meaningful memories of time spent with those they love. A tradition of having a lunch date with just them and Grandma or going fishing with Grandpa will mean so much more to them than another plastic thing that will be broken or have half the pieces lost in a month tops. (Who am I kidding? We all know it's a week tops in this house.) And I don't mean that it will eventually, in the long run, sometime when he's older and wiser be more meaningful to them. I mean now as well. For his birthday present from us Jon and I took Ethan to the Houston Children's Museum for the day (we have an annual pass) and we ate PB & J's in the car on the way home. You never saw a happier kid. Traditions, memories, family. That's what we want our celebrations with them to be about.

For the pics and recipes....

Sorry some of the pictures aren't great, but it's a miracle they got taken at all.

Like I said, the cake was pretty easy. After it was baked and cooled I cut it like this
The two large pieces in the center are the boat. You'll need two of the larger triangles, but the rest are scraps. Stack the two large pieces on top of each other with whatever filling you want in between. Then, cut out a small rectangle or sideways 'C' shape in the middle of the flat side making sure not to go deeper than halfway through the top layer. Then take that piece you cut out and lay it on the back of the ship, trimming the edges as needed. Like this:

Take one of the large triangles and cut off the top and then, using some icing as glue, put it on the back of the ship. Like so:

Poke a couple of BBQ skewers through the back end (the tall part) and pound them a bit until you feel them go into the cardboard (if you're just doing it on a plate just skip that last bit =P). Then use some kitchen shears to cut them level with the cake.

Dirty ice that baby!

Get your fondant ready. Then, if you want to imprint it by placing your design on there and rolling over it with the rolling pin a few times. Peel off the template in the direction of the 'boards' so you don't distort the shape. Then cut it with a pizza cutter to the approximate size erring on the side of too big of course.

Drape it over one side letting the fondant come over the top about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch. Trim at the base with a pizza cutter.Then do the other side and the back and then do the top. I changed the direction so the 'boards' were going in the right direction, but whatever.

Now you just add whatever details you want. You could make a long thin 'snake' of fondant then twist it together for a 'rope' effect. I'll post below the pictures of how I did Rollos 'cannons'. I used chocolate for a 'plank', 'wheel', and 'rails', but you could also use pretzels, wafers or whatever really. Tootsie rolls and starbursts make really good edible 'clay' for making various shapes. Ethan decided to name his ship after himself, so I used a #2 tip to pipe that on back. I used a cake dowel shoved through a cut piece of cardstock for the sails and I painted the skull and bones with whiteout on a small piece of black paper and stuck it on top. I used the #2 tip and a small star tip to make the gold buttercream accents and picked up some star-shaped candles from Kroger for the back. Voila! Pirate Ship.

Focaccia Bread This makes about 2-3 personal size pizzas
2 tsp yeast
1 1/4 c water
3 1/2 c flour
3 T olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
a handful of cornmeal
*We used whole white wheat and added 3 T of gluten and 1 1/2 ish T water so that I could have some because I'm all whole grains all the time now.

Let the yeast and water get happy together for five minutes in your stand mixer or bowl. MAKE SURE your water is luke warm. Too hot = dead yeast and too cold = non-activated yeast. Either way, you get flat, dense bread. Not yummy. After about five minutes it should smell like yeast and you know you're there. Add the remaining ingredients (except the cornmeal )to your stand mixer or bowl and let it knead with the dough hook until it's smooth and elastic or get yourself a good arm workout and do it the old-fashioned way. Let it rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours (until it's doubled in size). (A friend of mine always covers her bowl and sets it outside in the front seat of her car while it rises). Punch it down and shape it then sprinkle the pan you're going to use with a little cornmeal and put the pies on the cornmeal. Use a fork and poke a few holes through the whole thing just so you don't get too many bubbles in your pizza. Let it rise for about 1/2 and hour then preheat your oven to 500 while you top with the sauce and toppings of your choosing. Bake 8-12 minutes depending on the thickness of your dough. Try not to burn your mouth as you eat it piping hot!

*If you want to make focaccia follow the same directions except that after the 30 min rising bake it at 400 for 30-45 min.

Starting School and Visiting Grandma Stellmon

2010-09-07T20:05:00.002-05:00

Aren't they cute? Christopher walks Ethan to his class everyday and then he goes to his. I'd like to be able to say that I had a hard time watching them go, but the truth is I spent the morning of their first day at school reveling in my new-found freedom and marveling at all that one can accomplish with only two kids in tow. Still, I thought they were adorable and took this picture just after they crossed the crosswalk together. See, not heartless after all.

Some of you friends and family know what's going on with me lately, and some don't so I'm going to do a little 'nutshell' version for you. I went to a neurologist because I've had this annoying twitch thing going on since the last few months of pregnancy with Timothy. They ran a whole battery of tests and didn't find out what's causing the twitch, but it turns out that I've had a (VERY MINOR) stroke at some point in the past, I have a small hole in my heart (a congenital defect, but they're checking it out just the same), high cholesterol, a high anion gap (whatever that is), sleep apnea, and possibly arsenic poisening. You know, if you take a car to a mechanic and he pokes around enough he's bound to find something wrong with it. I'm just sayin'. Anyway, I had a thing this last Sunday and I'm going for another CT scan because my neurologist thinks it was a TIA (like a mini warning stroke without the long term effects) but he wants to make sure it's nothing more serious. I guess I'm in the same boat as Bill "We're toast." Really, I'm fine, no worries.

Now, for some fun stuff.

Timothy, Ryan and I went up to Lewiston to visit Gram & Gramp Stellmon for a week. It was so great. Timothy still smiles when he hears Gram's voice over the phone and Ryan is such a little monster but he and Gram had so much fun having raspberry wars all week. I took a LOT of pictures and video so I just loaded them onto my picasa album. Here's the link to all the pictures from our trip up there. I'm going to load the video sometime, but you know me.

So-obviously-I'm trying to be even more careful of what I eat lately. Jon's sure that a low-fat, low to no sugar, only whole grains, low sodium diet can NOT include edible food, but I'm going to at least try. I got a leg up from my parents and Jay who gave us a huge amount of fresh caught Alaskan Salmon to add to the menu. Yay Dad. At Jon's parents the other day everyone else had burgers and I had a MorningStar Farms® Chipotle Black Bean Burger. I know what you're thinking:" Bean burger?!?" or "Mindy ate something with chipotle?!?!" Actually, it was pretty good. It had some spice, but with the bun, some lettuce and a tomato it wasn't too spicy. I also have a recipe of sorts that I tried the other night and loved. It's a black bean salsa thing. I'm not going to give exact amounts for the salt and spices, just add them to your liking. Really, all the ingredient amounts are negotiable. I just gave amounts to get you started. I know that the banana sounds like a weird ingredient, but trust me on this one okay. I had it once served over tilapia that I had just broiled with a little olive oil and kosher salt and I had it the next day in a whole wheat tortilla with some leftover grilled chicken. Delish both times. I'm also posting a lovely pork loin roast recipe that Jon made for me all by himself the other day because he's so wonderful. I just copied the recipe from the word file he'd saved it in, so I don't know where he originally got it from. For the recipes....

Black bean and banana salsa
1 c black beans
a half a firm banana (still has a little green showing), diced
a handful of diced cilantro
1/4 c or so of diced red onion
1/2 granny smith apple, cored and diced

some kosher salt
some chili powder
some cumin
1 lime
Mix everything but the lime together. Zest the lime then squeeze the juice into the mixture. Let it sit while you prep your meat or whatever you're going to eat it with.

Stuffed Pork Loin
Makes: 12 servings
Ingredients
• 3 ounces fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped dried tart cherries
• 3/4 cup cooked wild rice
• 3/4 teaspoon dried sage, crushed
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1 1/2-pound boneless pork center loin roast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried sage, ground
• 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme, ground
• 1/2 cup apricot jam
• 3 tablespoons water
Directions
In a large skillet, cook spinach in hot oil until wilted. In a medium bowl combine cooked spinach, dried cherries, wild rice, 3/4 teaspoon sage, pecans, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; set aside.
Preheat oven to 325¿¿F. Trim excess fat from pork. To pinwheel the pork loin, start cutting lengthwise 1/2 inch under the fat cap on the roast. As you cut the roast, gently rotate the roast at the same time. This will allow the roast to "unroll" as you cut it. When the roast is completely cut, it should be a rectangular piece of meat between 1/2 and 1 inch thick.

Sprinkle cut surface of meat with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon sage, and the thyme. Spread spinach mixture over cut side. Roll up the loin tightly to resemble the initial roast. Tie securely with twine.

Place the roast on a rack in a roasting pan; insert a meat thermometer into thickest part. Roast in preheated oven for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours, or until oven thermometer registers 140°F.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt apricot jam and water together.

Remove roast from oven and brush on about half of the apricot jam. Return to oven and continue cooking 10 to 15 minutes or until thermometer registers 150°F. Remove from oven; brush with remaining apricot mixture. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes in a warm place before carving. The temperature of the meat after standing should be 160F

Playing with Fondant

2010-08-17T19:45:00.001-05:00

Life with 4 boys, I love it!

YAY! WE HAVE A HOUSE!!! Well, almost. We've signed papers. I'll post pictures when the current owners move out and I can take pictures without potentially crossing that peeping Tom line. Still, YAY!

So a while ago we all went up to the house formerly known as Lauras' which is now an empty shell because they've abandoned us and moved to Utah. While we were there we played with fondant and made some new friends. I thought I'd do a quickie post on a few of the things we covered for those of you who were there. So, here is a link to the post with the fondant recipe as well as some icing, cake and filling recipes. Also, here is the website for the store in Sugarland that I go to to get anything I can't find at the local Hobby Lobby. Be warned though, their shipping charges are really high, so if you can go there to get what you want you'll be better off. (Besides, if you can go without kids it's fun to browse a bit too). I'm doing a couple of cakes next week. One is a cake for the quinciañera of a girl I teach in Sunday school and one is a pirate ship cake for Ethan's birthday. They'll both be covered in fondant and I'll try to take pictures as I go so I can explain some techniques for you. Hope you're having fun with your fondant and feel free to e-mail me anytime with questions at mindywhipple@gmail.com.

Fun with Friends

2010-08-04T15:06:00.002-05:00

I'm posting a recipe for a great Spanish chicken salad and an easy Moroccan chicken. I 'm also posting the pictures from playgroup this last week and a few other cute pics and a video of or the long-distance relatives and friends out there. I don't have any pictures from our little weekend without the kiddos, but it was great. We saw Wicked (FANTASTIC!!) went to the Houston Museum of Fine Art (only because Jon was forced to via his art appreciation prof.) and generally enjoyed ourselves. Thanks to Gramma Whipple and Pam for babysitting for us. Anyway, click the link for the photos....

Okay so for both of these recipes you can do one of three things for the chicken 1) buy a whole chicken and boil/roast it until done and then cool and de-bone 2)buy a rotisserie chicken and take the meat off of it which is what I do because a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken costs the same as a whole raw chicken and is less work 3) grill/boil/roast boneless skinless chicken breasts-but you should note that it won't have as much flavor. Whatever way you choose to get your allotted amount of cooked chicken is fine. It usually ends up being 3-4 cups worth of cooked chicken depending on the size of the bird

Quick Moroccan Chicken

Moroccan Chicken is usually time consuming and can include some ingredients that may be hard to come by. This recipe which I adapted from Cooks Illustrated May/June 2006 gives you the same flavors with less work and less cost. It's best served over whole wheat couscous.

Meat from 1 chicken or 4 large cooked chicken breasts

1 T olive oil
½ tsp each sweet paprika, ground cumin, cayenne, ground ginger, ground coriander, ground cinnamon,
1 tsp minced garlic
1 large onion, diced
Zest of ½ lemon
4 large carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
2 c chicken broth
1 T honey
1 c cracked green olives pitted and halved (optional)
1 handful chopped fresh cilantro
3 T lemon juice
Heat oil in large pot and add spices, garlic, onion, and lemon zest and sauté until fragrant (about 1 min). Add carrots, celery, chicken broth, chicken, honey and cook until carrots are fork tender. Add olives, cilantro and lemon juice and cook 1 min. Serve over whole wheat couscous

Spanish Chicken Salad-adapted from Cooks Illustrated May/June 2006
½ c extra virgin olive oil
3 T balsamic vinegar
10 oz roasted red peppers (about 1 1/3 c)
½ tsp minced garlic
¼ c diced onion
3 T fresh parsley
2 celery ribs
Meat from 1 chicken or 4 large cooked chicken breasts
Kosher salt and pepper
½ c sliced almonds
½ c roughly chopped petite pitted green olives
Put olive oil, vinegar, peppers, garlic, onion, parsley and celery in a food processor and blend until smooth. Mix pepper mixture with chicken and pop in the fridge for 1 hour. Salt and pepper to taste and serve over romaine lettuce and top with almonds and olives.

A Coup in the Whipple house....Almost

2010-07-04T16:51:00.000-05:00

This is one of the pictures of the cake I made for my nephew Brian's birthday party yesterday. In case you're wondering it's supposed to look wonky like that. It's called a topsy turvey cake. They're really very stable despite their look although not quite stable enough to handle Ethan's curiosity. He knocked the top two tiers off, but it's not too bad off considering; just a few lumps and wrinkles.

We’ve gotten tired of the boys breaking everything they look at, so we’re trying something new now. We emptied their rooms of everything-we even took apart their beds-and put it all in a storage unit. They’re sleeping on the floor with a blanket, pillow and stuffed animal each for the next month. They have no toys or books so they’re going to have to entertain themselves some other way. I did keep a few books out for them to use during ‘quiet time’ each day though. I keep those in my room and get them for them when it’s time. They’re learning to appreciate what they have and that’s good. They play a lot of games using their hands as puppets now and I'm glad it's helping them use their imaginations more. We’ll leave it that way for a month (we paid for the storage unit right?) and slowly phase most of their stuff back in after that, but I think we’ll donate quite a bit too.

Due to this new arrangement, Christopher and Ethan are in one room and Ryan and Timothy are sharing a room. Timothy’s sleeping through the night now, so Ryan is getting way more sleep as his roommate than he did as Ethan's. Timothy doesn’t wake up until about 6:30 usually and that’s so nice because Ethan is up by then normally anyway. This morning Timothy woke up first though and it was hilarious. I went in the nursery to feed Timothy and closed the door so we didn’t wake up Christopher or Ethan. Ethan woke up a little bit after I started nursing Timothy and went into my room as usual to ask for a snack. When he saw that I wasn’t there he freaked out and started screaming and crying and ran in their room to wake up Christopher. The funniest thing is how Christopher reacted. He checked my room and when I wasn’t there he decided that he was in charge now and they were going to watch movies. He wasn’t even concerned. I was in the nursery cracking up but trying to be quiet about it. They only found me because"Grand Czar" Christopher decided Ryan could watch movies with them and he was coming to get him out of his crib. You should have seen their faces when they found me in there. Ethan’s face was pure relief and Christopher looked like he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Poor guy; I ruined his little coup.

The recipes this week were: Healthy Country Fried Steak with Mushroom Gravy, Asparagus Primavera with Couscous (47), Spicy Shrimp over Rice, and Crème Brûlée (both vanilla and dark chocolate). The first two are from the Clean Eating magazine I wrote about before and the other two are my own recipes. The dark chocolate Crème Brûlée doesn't have exactly the same mouth feel as the vanilla. Judging by what I've read online at various sites that seems to be the case across the board when chocolate is added to it. Still it was very good if you like dark chocolate (which I do). Even my 3 year old niece liked and and I'm including it in this weeks blog at the behest of my nephew Brian who also loved it. Even if you don't like dark chocolate, the vanilla recipe is really the best one I've used and it's a good base for whatever flavor you want to go with. Don't be afraid to give it a try because-even though it seems intimidating to a lot of people-great Crème Brûlée is almost as easy to make as instant pudding it just tastes SO much better. My evil plan to sabotage Jon is working because he can't resist Crème Brûlée and I made him several for Father's Day. Waahh Haaah Hahhh (<--evil genius laugh). Hey, he REQUESTED for me to make it. So I'm not THAT evil.

For the recipes and a few more pictures...

Here are some more pictures of the cake form the back and the side and a close-up of the little surfing Brian. The surfboard says B-MONEY; it's a nickname Nathan gave Brian when he was little.

Here's a picture of Christopher at his Kindergarten graduation. I'm going to try to load some video from it next week.

Here are a couple of pictures of Christopher and Ethan helping make kebabs for dinner one night.

And here's a sweet picture of our skinny little Timothy.

Healthy Chicken Fried Steak with Mushroom Gravy serves 4
I know it sounds like a misnomer using 'healthy' and 'fried' in the same title but it really is. The average Chicken Fried Steak recipe has 893 calories, 67 grams of fat (31 g saturated) and 238 miligrams of cholesterol per serving. This recipe has 313 calories, 9 grams of fat (3 g saturated) and 52 miligrams of cholesterol per serving. On top of that Jonathan-who is really a meat and potatoes kind of guy if ever there was one-REALLY liked it. On top of that, it only takes about 30 min to make!

1/2 oz dried porcini or shitake mushrooms
1/2 c boiling water
1 lb extra lean round steak divided into 4 equal pieces (or 4 4-oz chicken breasts)
salt and pepper to taste
3 T whole wheat flour
2 large egg whites
4 slices whole wheat toast
1T dried minced onion
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3 tsp olive oil, divided
6 oz cremini mushrooms (also called baby bella mushrooms), thinly sliced or rough chopped as desired
1 c low sodium beef broth (or chicken broth if you're using chicken)
1 c 1% milk (I actually used water and it was still good)

Pour boiling water over dried mushrooms and let sit 10-15 min. Pound your meat thin and season with salt and pepper. In a food processor, blend toast, onions, herbs and garlic powder until you have bread crumbs. Place 2 T flour in a shallow dish, egg whites in a separate shallow dish and bread crumb mixture in a third shallow dish. Heat 2 tsps oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Dredge meat in flour, then egg whites, then bread crumbs. Cook meat 2-3 min per side and set aside to rest while you make the gravy. For the gravy: drain the mushrooms reserving the soaking liquid. Heat remaining 1 tsp of oil in a saucepan and add all the mushrooms. Cook 3-5 min until the mushrooms soften and release liquid. Add remaining 1 tsp of flour and cook 30 seconds. Slowly add reserved soaking liquid while whisking. Add broth and milk continuing to whisk until it thickens (about 3-5 min). Serve over steaks with mashed potatoes and green beans. YUM!

Asparagus Primavera with Couscous, White Beans and Apple Cider vinegar

1 ½ c dry whole-grain couscous
1 lb asparagus, rinsed and bottoms snapped off and remainder cut to 2 inch pieces
8 oz peeled carrots cut into matchsticks
4 oz baby corn (we left this out because I don’t like it)
1 15 oz can northern beans, drained and rinsed
2 c fresh baby spinach cut into strips
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T apple cider vinegar
2 T fresh orange juice
1 tsp dry dill or 1 T fresh dill
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ c fresh grated parmesan cheese
Cook couscous according to package directions. Fill a pot with about 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Throw in asparagus and carrots, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 min. Remove from heat and drain immediately. In a large salad bowl toss corn with remaining ingredients (except parmesan). Add the asparagus and carrots and toss some more. Serve over couscous and garnish with parmesan and additional dill if desired.

Spicy Shrimp over Rice
*disclaimer* Okay, I actually made this about 3 weeks ago and Jon said I should blog it but I didn't actually write down what I did that day so this is from memory and probably needs tweeking

1 Poblano pepper, seeded and diced (keep the seeds if you like it spicier)
1 onion
1 stalk celery
2 T butter
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning

1/2 lb shrimp
2 T flour
1 c milk

Saute pepper, onion, celery, butter and seasoning until veggies are translucent. Add the shrimp and saute just until it starts to turn pink (1-2 minutes). Add the flour and cook 30-45 seconds or so and then whisk in the milk. Add more or less milk to get the consistency you want and serve over rice.

Crème Brûlée
8-9 large egg yolks
2/3 c whole milk
1 1/3 c cream
1/3 c sugar plus more for caramel topping
1 1/2 tsp vanilla or 1 whole vanilla bean

Preheat oven to 300. Mix everything together thoroughly. (If using a whole vanilla bean slit the bean down the center and scrape all the center out and mix into the cream. Reserve the pod for another use.) Divide evenly among 6 ramekins. Put the ramekins in a 9x13x3 pan. Put the pan in the oven and fill it with water equal to the height of the crème brûlée in the ramekins. Close the oven and cook for 50-60 min. When done, the crème brûlée will move a little bit in the center (like set jello) but will not be liquid looking when you tap the side of the ramekin. Cover with seran wrap and cool in the fridge. You can keep it for several days at this point. No more than 1 hour before serving, take them out of the fridge and pour 1 T or so of sugar on the top of each crème brûlée. Using a kitchen torch, heat the sugar until it's a nice caramel color. Pop it back in the fridge to cool and serve when ready. You can (if you MUST) use a broiler if you don't have a torch, but-quite frankly-it just doesn't work nearly as well. In the broiler the whole thing (as opposed to just the top) is heated all over again and it can really ruin the texture. If you don't have a kitchen torch, I suggest putting 2 T water and 1/4 c of sugar in a saucepan and boiling it to hard crack stage on a candy thermometer and then pouring a bit over each crème brûlée and tipping the ramekins around while you do it to distribute the caramel evenly. Pop it in the fridge to harden up and voila! Deliciousness delivered.

For Dark Chocolate Crème Brûlée: Proceed as with recipe above, except set aside 1/2 c of the milk and heat it in the microwave or on the stovetop until almost boiling. Add 6 oz chocolate and stir until chocolate has completely melted. Cool until lukewarm and whisk into bowl with the rest of the crème brûlée mixture the cook as described above.

2010-06-11T17:04:00.000-05:00

We tried a blackberry salmon recipe out of the Clean Eating magazine a few nights ago and it was a big hit. The only alteration I made was to cook the fish in the sauce and serve it hot. The magazine has you cook the fish separate with just salt and pepper and then serve it cold over arugala with the sauce poured over it. Since Jon's not a fan of fish or cold foods I thought it might be asking a bit much to do both at once. He really liked it done this way though and even went back for seconds. It was good and super simple.

I'm also posting a delish little dish I discovered on the side of a cookie box yesterday. It's a lemon-ginger dessert and it's loaded with all kinds of unhealthyness, but it's fast, delicious, and cheap which was exactly what I was looking for to feed the 40+ people at The Gathering Place meeting today. It is good and I say it doesn't hurt to have junk food once in a while.

Speaking of The Gathering Place....we had an Elvis impersonator there today and he was great! Everyone LOVED him. We have a load of pictures, but I'll only post a couple of them. I'm also posting some pictures from last weekend when we went to the Moody Gardens Aquarium Pyramid and a sandcastle competition out in Galveston. The aquarium is cool. There's a tunnel you can walk through with the fish & sharks and turtles swimming all around you. We had a lot of fun that day. There were so many cool sandcastles! I think I posted all the pictures on facebook, but here are a few of my favorites. (The one with the golden bucket in front of it won the competition.)

For the recipes and pictures.....

Salmon with Blackberry Glaze serves 6
12 oz salmon
2 c blackberries
2 T honey
1/4 c soy sauce
2 T sesame oil (I know it's a lot but go with me here)
3/4 c fresh orange juice

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a foil-lined pan with olive oil and put your salmon in it. In a bowl mash the blackberries with a potato masher or fork. Mix in everything else and pour 2/3 of the mixture over the fish reserving the rest to use at the table when serving. Bake about 18 min (salmon will flake but stay together when done) and then remove. Lightly sprinkle with kosher salt and serve with remaining sauce and a nice salad.

Lemon-Ginger Log serves 6
1 4 serving size lemon instant pudding
1 c milk
1 8 oz tub cool whip
30 or so gingersnaps

Mix pudding mix and 1 cup milk until well blended. Fold in 1/2 of the cool whip tub. Put a spoonful of the mixture on a cookie and sandwich another cookie on top. Set those two standing on end on a serving plate. Take another cookie and put a spoonful of the mixture onto it and press it into one side of your 'log'. Keep going until you've used up your 30 gingersnaps then use the remaining mixture to cover the top and sides of the log. Let sit 8-12 hours (it could probably go longer and be just fine, I haven't tested that theory yet though) and serve. You can top with the remaining whipped cream and garnish with pistachios if you're looking for something pretty. It really tastes and looks like you went to a lot of trouble but it's so easy. The perfect dessert in my book.

Now for the pictures

Turkey Burgers with Mango Salsa

2010-06-03T17:06:00.000-05:00

So I'm sitting on the couch nursing Timothy today and listening to and watching the other 3 boys play with each other. They're pretending to be superheros with bow and arrows (this may stem from watching Veggie Tales: Lord of the Beans the other day-it's on netflix if you have that) and saving the animals and princesses. They told me they had 100 million each of cows, goats, horses, pigs and chickens to save. When I said that that was a lot of animals and how were they going to save them Ethan said "With daddy milk." ('Mommy milk' is what Timothy drinks when I nurse him.) Curious as to what that was I asked where daddy milk came from. "From the store" he said as though the answer was obvious. Silly me.

It's amazing what kids can make into a game. Take Ryans' recent diaper rash for instance. Ryan's had this terrible rash so-with not a little apprehension-I let him wander about the apartment yesterday without any diaper as per the pediatricians' recommendation. Christopher and Ethan (who may be the only two boys alive under the age of 7 who don't like running around naked) soon started running away from Ryan any time he got close to them screaming "Gross! He's naked! Run away!" Ryan, of course, thought this was hilarious and started chasing them around the apartment laughing. After about ten minutes my desire not to clean up a pee soaked carpet-or worse-outweighed my desire to help his little tushie so I grabbed him before he headed down the hall to get his brothers and put a diaper on him. Moments later Christopher and Ethan came back out into the livingroom and Christopher says in his most mournful voice "But Mommy, we were playing Gross Boy! Now we can't play." Once again mommy ruins a perfectly good game.=)

Okay now for the recipe. Jon and I have made a bet. We took measurements and weighed in and whoever meets their weightloss/measurement goal first gets $50. We only have 16 weeks to get there so we're both trying to make changes in diet and exercise more. I think Jon has an advantage because he has to take not one but 2 PE classes at the college this summer so he will have 5 hours a week of exercise whether he feels motivated or not. My friend Becca said that maybe it's me that has the advantage because I'm breastfeeding and according to the Institute of Medicine that means I'm burning 650 just sitting on the couch feeding Timothy every day. I guess we'll see.

Anyway, I've been trying some new recipes from a magazine I swiped from my OB's office. It's called Clean Eating and it's all about eating things as close to their natural state as possible. It has loads of information, tips and recipes. If the recipes we test are good I'm subscribing. Anyway, yesterday we tried Turkey burgers with fresh mango salsa. It was REALLY good. Yes, I altered the recipe, but not much. I added an egg and some breadcrumbs to the burger mix to make it hold together better and make it moist and I made my own mango salsa instead of buying some of the brand they recommended in the produce section. Even so, it took less than 30 min start to finish. So for the recipe...

Turkey Burgers with Mango Salsa serves 4
*The great thing about these burgers is that you really don't need or even want ketchup or mayo or mustard added to them. The salsa gives it plenty of moisture and flavor and you skip all those added calories and fat*

Burgers
1 lb lean ground turkey
1 tsp chili powder (or more if you like a little kick)
1 egg
1/4 c whole wheat bread crumbs *see note at bottom
1/4 tsp kosher salt
4 slices reduced fat pepper jack or mozzarella cheese

Mix first 5 ingredients in a bowl and grill/pan fry/broil. They're soft so don't fuss them around too much and be careful on the first flip. Put the cheese on top and cook to desired doneness. Serve on buns with some romaine lettuce and mango salsa. They suggested serving them on Ezekiel sprouted grain hamburger buns, but those were a little pricey for me so we used Natures Own Multi-grain Sandwich Rounds.

Quick Mango Salsa serves 4
1 mango, diced small (click here for mango cutting instructions)
1-2 roma tomatoes, diced small (Jon liked more mango so I used 1)
2 T fresh cilantro, chopped (or more to taste)
1 tsp fresh garlic, minced (I use a microplane)
1 green onion, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix it all together and enjoy.

Bread Salad

2010-05-26T19:22:00.002-05:00

Like that shiner. Ethan gave it to Jon while we were all wrestling with each other. This picture was taken about five minutes after the fact. You should see it now; it's all yellow and green and purple. Very ugly. Jon's mom asked Ethan on Sunday what happened to his daddy and he said "I smoked him while we were at home." Crazy little runt. But there's no denying that the kid is funny.

So, for FHE this week we did an activity where one of the kids had to come up with a funny "What if...." scenario and then we all worked together writing a poem about it. Christopher said "What if Ryan could fly?" Then I'd ask questions like: where would he go, what would he do, what would happen then...etc and we'd put a sentence down and then the kids would have to think of a word that would rhyme with the last word in the sentence for the next line and Jon and I would have to try to use the word they picked in the poem. It was a lot of fun and helped the kids with their rhyming skills too.

Today I'm posting the recipe for bread salad. I know it sounds a little weird to those of you who've never tried it, but it's cheap, healthy, quick, easy and tastes really good so don't be such a chicken. Give it a try.

For the poems and recipe...

So here are the two poems we wrote:

What If Ryan Could Fly?
If Ryan could fly
He'd go really high
He'd fly to the zoo
Then fly to Peru
His hair would fall off
And he'd get a cough
His clothes would fall too
'Cause they're scared of the poo
He'd crash when he landed
And then turn left-handed
I'm glad he can't fly
So now let's eat pie

What If Daddy Could Fly?
If Daddy could fly
He'd fly to the sky
He'd fly to Oklahoma
Then something about a coma
Then off to Arizona
With a woman named Mona
He'd visit Aunt Jenny
Then wish with a penny
In a big wishing well
Then eat some Blue Bell
He'd fish in the sky
For sharks to eat high

Nice huh? For those of you who don't know (you poor creatures) Blue Bell is a reference to a wonderful brand of ice cream.

Okay. Here's the bread salad recipe:

Bread Salad
Ingredients
• One loaf French bread cut in to 1 inch slices
• 3 cups cooked, cubed chicken breast
• 4 medium tomatoes, cut into chunks
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can great northern beans, rinsed and drained (about 1 1/4 c)
• 1 large cucumber, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions
1. Place bread on a baking sheet. Broil 3-4 in. from the heat for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Cool on a wire rack. Cut bread into 1-in. pieces.
2. In a large bowl, combine the bread, chicken, tomatoes, beans, cucumber, basil, salt and pepper. Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and toss.

Voila! It really is good. I like to add craisens and almonds to it too sometimes.

Firsts

2010-05-21T08:10:00.001-05:00

Christopher lost his first tooth (the other front one is loose too) and Ryan took his first steps(I'd post the video later in this post except my video posting thing isn't working). Our little family just keeps growing and progressing, it seems so crazy most of the time but mostly it's a good kind of crazy. The photo up top is a picture of the wedding cake I did a couple of weeks ago. I'm posting the recipe for desperation cookies today because I thought it was appropo for me at the moment. It's a great recipe and it never turns out the same way twice. The great thing about it is that you just use whatever you have on hand which is why it never turns out the same but it's always delicious. I first came across it in a book by Joanne Fluke. She writes murder mystery books that have recipes all through them. I think this one was in Peach Cobbler Murder, but I'm really not sure. Anyway...For the recipes

Desperation Cookies makes about 10 dozen
2 c melted butter
3 c sugar
1 1/2 c brown sugar
4 tsp vanilla or almond extract (or a combo)
4 eggs, beaten
4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt

5 c unsifted flour
3 c chocolate (chocolate chips, m&m's, hershey kisses, or some combo..you get the idea)
4 c of a mix of any or all of the following: nuts, crushed cornflakes, rice crispies, coconut flakes, dried fruit, dry oatmeal, etc.

Grease your cookie sheet (or use parchment paper) and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix the butter, sugar and vanilla/almond extract. Make sure the mixture is cooled and add the eggs. Mix in the flour, soda and salt. Mix in your combo of random ingredients and drop by spoonfuls onto the cookie sheet and bake 10-12 minutes. Cool 2 min on the cookie sheet then cool completely on a cooling rack. Enjoy!

Tinkerbell and Strawberry cake

2010-05-03T15:31:00.001-05:00

I did a couple of birthday cakes for a friend so I thought I'd post the pictures. The pictures are from her cell phone, so they're not the best, but I didn't take any pictures because frankly my brain is not fully functional yet. On the up side, despite the constant crying as of late, it appears that Timothy may not have colic after all. We went in to the pediatrician for a follow up appointment for Christopher (more below) and I had him check Timothy's ears while we were there and the poor baby has raging ear infections.

So Christopher come to me crying Thursday afternoon. It took a minute to calm him down, but when he did he finally got out what the problem was. "Mom, Ryan made me swallow a battery!" Fan-freakin-tastic. It turns out the he got the button battery out of his book light and was just messing around with the stupid thing in his mouth and accidentally swallowed it. Poor Ryan just happened to be witness to the incident which means he-of course-had to be at fault as it couldn't be Christophers'.

Apparently my child isn't the only one out there with a penchant for appetizers of the alkaline variety though. There is a special hot-line just for button battery swallowers. We had to drive up to Texas Childrens Hospital and do x-rays and sit around for 5 hours because-shocker-no one at our hospital is qualified to fish the thing out if that's what needed to happen. Luckily we had Timothy with us and the nurses felt he was too young to sit out in the waiting room with the sick people so we got to go to an exam room that had a tv and watch the Discovery Channel while we waited. It seemed to be moving along and, after much debate, it was decided that we would be allowed to go home. On the way up to Houston Thursday Christopher asked me if they would have to cut him open to get it out and I told him that they wouldn't because they have a special tool that could go down his throat and into his tummy to get it. Jon said he'd get to eat lots of ice cream if that happened and then Christopher was hoping that it wouldn't come out after all. Crazy kid.

We're going in today for another x-ray and as long as the thing is still moving we're good to go. If it's stuck somewhere they'll have to go in and get it out so it doesn't start leaking acid. So everyone keep your fingers crossed for us okay. I swear, if you know my kids you'd think it would be Ethan going to the emergency room all the time, but it's always Christopher.

Oh, I'm also posting the recipe for homemade strawberry cake because I told Brandi I would. So, here you go dear....

Homemade Strawberry Cake-makes about 8 cups of batter
Adapted from A Dash of Sass's strawberry cake which was adapted from Paula Deen’s Hummingbird Cake
(See Brandi, I'm not the only one who can't stick to a recipe as written.)

3 cups flour, tapped down and leveled off and then sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups pureed strawberries
1/3 cup sour cream
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest

Preheat oven to 325. Spray and flour three 8-by-2-inch round cake pans, tapping out excess flour; set aside. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. Puree the strawberries in a food processor adding in sour cream, extracts and lemon zest at the end to incorporate. Pour into the bowl with the flour and mix together. It will be thick. Without rinsing out the bowl, add the eggs and sugar to the food processor and process 30 seconds. Then, with the food processor running, pour the vegetable oil in a slow stream. (Like you would to make mayo.) Let that process another 30 seconds or so. Fold into the batter. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until the tops spring back when gently pressed with your fingertips, 26 to 28 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes before taking them out of the pan to cool completely. They will shrink away from the edges of the pan a bit. I liked it with fresh whipped cream, but any icing works.

More of Timothy John

2010-04-27T20:04:00.004-05:00

If you think he looks bad you should see me. It is not pretty my friends, not pretty at all. The house is a wreck, the laundry is building up and Jon and I are both sleep deprived. So pretty much average for a newbie in the house. Really, we're doing okay here. Still not getting out anywhere but church though.

Christopher and Ethan are loving being big brothers. I tried to potty train Ethan for 8 months to no avail and Jon was home for one week and like magic the little runt is potty trained. He's doing great and hasn't had any accidents in days. Apparently Daddy just has it and Mommy doesn't. Maybe we should try doing the 'Mr. Mom' thing. Jon could stay home and change diapers and I could start a bakery. Just kiddin hon.=)

Timothy's not even two weeks old and I've already had a raging case of mastitis. I think it's a personal best for me as far as quickest infection time. Let's see how long it takes before Timothy and I get thrush together. Yay! I'm told it's because I produce more milk than any 6 babies could drink so I'm never 'empty' and it leaves me more prone to infection. Laura says these gel things from Target really help to stave off infection and to fight it if you have one so I'm going to try them.

For those of you who don't know, I had some nerve damage that left me unable to use my right leg in some ways the last month of the pregnancy and it didn't get any better after the delivery. Nicole has been helping me with some exercises and I'm trying to be good about it and it's getting much better. I can now get into bed by myself and even put on my own pants without any help. Pathetic, I know, but that's not sarcasm. I really am excited about it. Anyway here are some more pics of the new kid on the block plus some of our little cutie pie Ry-Ry. Also, if you click on read more and give it a sec there's a cute video of Christopher rocking Timothy to sleep at the very top of the post. Too cute!

A shot from in the hospital I forgot to post.

Sweet Tooth

2010-04-26T16:34:00.001-05:00

Until recently I didn't know that fresh strawberry pie was my favorite pie. I'd never actually tried it because the ones at the store or in restaurants looked......less than what I would call 'fresh' shall we say. Then I took the boys to pick strawberries at Frobergs. Here's a link if you want to know how to get there http://local.yahoo.com/info-19153006-froberg-vegetable-fruit-farm-alvin . Also, here's a link to a site that lists pick your own fruit and veggie farms all across the country http://www.pickyourown.org/

At $1.80 per pound of strawberries it's loads of fun and you get some fantastic strawberries. It took a little guidance at first, but once they got the idea of how to find the perfect strawberry they were off. Two buckets and 7 1/2 lbs of strawberries later we went home. I froze a few but decided to try strawberry pie since I never had before. After I got the crust rolled, Christopher booted me out of the way and took over the pie making but graciously told us that Ethan could make the whipped cream and I could cook the crusts after he decorated the edges. The pies turned out great and I've been craving more ever since. I doubt it would be as good with store bought strawberries, but I'm still tempted to give it a go. Anyway, here's the recipe for fresh strawberry pie and a few other random desserts that are equally delicious as well as a few pictures of my strawberry picking crew....

Fresh Strawberry Pie –Betty Crocker

8 c fresh strawberries, washed & stemmed
2/3 c water
2/3 c sugar
2 T cornstarch
1 pie crust baked & cooled
Take 1 cup of strawberries, the water, sugar & cornstarch & zap it in the blender or food processor until there are no lumps left. Cook it in a saucepan on med stirring constantly until it boils. Let it boil 2 min or so until it becomes thick. Remove it from the heat & let it cool a bit (10 or so min). Arrange the strawberries pointed side up all along the pie crust. It’s prettier to do it this way, but you can slice up the strawberries if you want. I say if it looks better and is less work to boot why do it any other way? Pour the strawberry sauce you made over the whole strawberries making sure that all of the strawberries are completely covered. Pop it in the fridge for about an hour then top w/ whipped cream and serve. The Betty Crocker book says you should eat it within 2 or so hours or it may start to get runny. They lie like politicians. We had one in the fridge for 2 days and it was still fine. (Don’t start thinking we have self control or anything; we did make 5 pies.)

Aunt Steph’s Never Fail Pie Crust makes one double crust pie or two single
This one is great for those who have trouble getting a crust to turn out right. I usually make this one but with 1/2 butter and 1/2 shortening

1 c shortening
3/4 tsp salt
2 c flour
1/4 c ice water

Measure shortening into bowl then add salt and 1/2 of flour and stir until it's creamed together & is smooth. Add water and remaining flour and stir until mixture clings together in a bowl.

Eclair Dessert-Aunt Cheryl

1 recipe choux pastry dough (cream puff dough)
1 lg package instant chocolate pudding
1 pkg softened cream cheese
2 c whipped cream
chocolate sauce

Choux Pastry (Cream Puff/Eclair dough)
I don't know where I put my recipe, but this one from Joy of Baking is good too I'm told

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup water

2 large eggs lightly beaten

In a bowl sift together the flour, sugar and salt. Set aside.Place the butter and water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and, with a wooden spoon or spatula, quickly add the flour mixture. Return to heat and stir constantly until the dough comes away from the sides of the pan and forms a thick smooth ball (about a minute or two). Transfer the dough to your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, and beat on low speed a minute or two to release the steam from the dough. Once the dough is lukewarm start adding the lightly beaten eggs and continue to mix until you have a smooth thick paste.

*******************************

*NOTE*

You can now use this dough to make cream puffs by piping 1 inch mounds onto parchment and baking the same way as directed below or make individual eclairs by piping little logs of dough. If you make larger 'puffs' and bake them a bit longer they work great as little sandwiches filled with tuna/chicken salad instead of pastry cream.

********************

Spread the choux pastry dough on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 15 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350 and bake for a further 30 to 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Set aside to cool. While it's cooling, mix up the pudding w/ 1/2 the amount of milk called for then beat in the cream cheese. Spread on cooled crust. Top with whipped cream and drizzle with chocolate sauce. Delish!

The Raspberry Pretzel Thing-Sharon Nelson makes a 9x13 pan

1 1/2 c crushed pretzels
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c melted butter
8 oz softened cream cheese
8 oz cool whip
1/2 c sugar
1 Lg raspberry jello
2 c hot water
28 oz sweetened frozen raspberries

Mix the crushed pretzels, 1/2c sugar and melted butter and press them into a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes and then cool. Mix the cream cheese, cool whip and 1/2 c sugar and spread over cooled crust. Mix the jello and hot water. When the jello is dissolved mix in the frozen raspberries. When it's almost set spread it over the cream cheese and pop in the fridge for an hour or so. This stuff is SO good.

Bread pudding

1 1/2 c cream (or1 c warm water and 1 c powdered coffee creamer mixed together)
3 medium eggs
1/4 c soft butter
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
4 slices of old bread, cubed (french bread works really well.

Preheat oven to 350. Mix everything but the bread together and dump 1/2 of it into an ungreased 9x13 pan. Spread the bread cubes in the pan and then pour the rest of the mixture over the top. Bake 20-30 minutes or until it's set in the middle. Top with nutmeg sauce (recipe to follow).

Nutmeg Sauce

1/2 c sugar
1 T cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 c milk
1/4 c butter
1 tsp vanilla

Melt the butter in a saucepan then add everything else and cook on medium until it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon but don't boil it. Pour over bread pudding. Or if you're me or Gram just eat it with a spoon.

Butternut Brownie Pie- Lubys This pie is Ma Whipple's favorite. The name is misleading though because there's no butter or brownies or chocolate of any kind in it. Go figure.

5 egg whites at room temp
1 c sugar
14 graham crackers broken into bite-size pieces
1 c chopped pecans
Whipped cream to top

Preheat oven to 350. Beat the egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form then fold in the graham crackers and pecans and spoon into a pie pan. Don't just dump it in, you don't want to ruin all the fluffiness of the meringue. Bake for 30 min and cool completely. You're going for a crunchy, crisp texture. The manager at the restaurant said they turn off the oven and open the door and let it cool in the oven with the door open. When it's cooled top with whipped cream and serve.

Mr. Sneeze

2010-04-18T15:54:00.000-05:00

For those of you who don't know, Mr. Sneeze is a pirate who wears shorts on his head and helps Captain Hook chase Peter Pan. That's what my boys think anyway. So periodically they put their shorts on their head or just leave the shirt they've been taking off hanging inside out on the top of their head and pretend to be pirates.

Yesterday Jon took Christopher, Ethan and Ryan to the ward BBQ social and Timothy and I stayed home. I had a lovely apple and brie quesadilla for dinner which I will include the recipe for and had a nice relaxing evening. Jon told me what happened when he and the boys got home and got out of the van to come upstairs and I thought I'd share the story.

One of our neighbors was standing outside the building smoking. She was wearing a do-rag on her head (like a bandanna Gram) and Ethan says "Hey Daddy look she's pretending to be a pirate!" and points at her. (For those of you who don't know Ethan, 'quite' and 'subtle' are not terms he's familiar with. She definitely heard him.) Christopher looks over and says "Yeah Daddy look, she's a pirate!" Jon hates a scene of any kind and just pretended like he didn't hear either of them. Nice try dad. They just assumed he really didn't hear them so they said it again-only louder. My sweet embarrassed husband said as quietly as he could "Yep, now let's go upstairs" and rushed them up. I personally think the woman probably got quite a kick out of it, but that's me. Jon thought it was funny-if a wee bit embarrassing-and the boys thought it was great that grownups pretended to be Mr. Sneeze sometimes too.

On another note, Timothy and I are both doing great. He's sleeping 4 hours at a time at night now so that's nice. He's a pretty sweet little guy and he gets cuter every day. Jon and I feel so blessed. For those of you I haven't e-mailed or called or anything in the last little while I'm sorry. You know how I am. For a while the mass communication of one blog entry will have to do, but I'll get back to e-mailing and calling like a normal human eventually.

For the quesadilla recipe......

Apple and Brie Quesadilla
This is so easy but it's delicious. I don't really give quantities because that would be like giving measurements for making a PB&J.

small flour tortillas
granny smith apples
cream cheese
brie (I use a double cream baby brie but any any brie works)
jam

Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on a tortilla. Top with 1/8 inch thick slices of the apples and then with copious amounts of brie (or less if you're that kind of person). Toss it in a skillet and toast until light brown and the cheese is melted. Cut into quarters and put a very thin layer of jam on top. Enjoy!

I haven't yet tried this, but I think a slice of good ham in there might be good too. Maybe tomorrow.

He's Finally Here!!

2010-04-14T17:02:00.000-05:00

Obviously this isn't going to be a long post, but I thought I'd put up pictures of the newest addition to our little clan for all you friends and family out there. He was born at 5:55 am on Tuesday the 13th. He weighed 7lbs and 13 oz and was 20.5 in long. He took longer than any of the others to get here and was a LOT more painful, but he's pretty cute so we'll let it slide. Jon and I couldn't come up with a name and it finally came down to picking a name or setting up camp at the hospital. We finally got it down to Timothy and Luke and asked the boys what they liked better. They both agreed on Timothy which is almost a sign in and of itself. We picked the middle name John since it's a family name on both sides. That's all for now. For the pictures...

He's got a little patch that looks like a bald spot at first but it's not. The hair right there is just bleach blond. Love you all!

Easter Eggs and Hollandaise

2010-04-05T12:16:00.002-05:00

Here's a picture of the three hoodlums at Christopher's preschool after the egg hunt. (I was holding Ryan during the egg hunt and didn't get any pictures, sorry.) Sometimes they're just too cute. Still no baby here yet. Maybe he's waiting until we actually come up with a name for him. In which case I'm hosed because we still have nothing. I don't think I was ever this tired during the other three pregnancies. I feel like someone has literally sucked all the life out of me. It's all I can do just to get up and feed the kiddos most days. I sat down to fold laundry a few weeks ago and just woke up 1/2 an hour later. Nothing was on fire and no one was bleeding so that was good but still...

I do think the kid has finally dropped though. With the other three, when they dropped I started having some trouble with my round ligament. Yeah.....lately I'll be walking along and then suddenly it feels like I'm having a charlie horse in my groin area. Not so much fun really but if it means he's finally coming then bring it on.

I'm not posting much today but as I sat here still in my jammies at noon on my couch I was thinking I'd post my hollandaise recipe. I know I just did a breakfast post, but I was much amiss at not including hollandaise because it is liquid deliciousness. It's also great on fish and well loads of stuff. I realize there's this aura surrounding hollandaise sauce because it's supposed to be hard or something. I was in college before I was brave enough to try. Yeah, it's not hard. I've never had one that didn't turn out and I fudge on the 'rules' all the time. I'll leave it over the heat for a few seconds without stirring while I grab something or answer the phone, everything isn't always the right temperature...whatever. I'm not much of a rules person when it comes to food as you know. Anyway, this is super easy. I'm told there are easy versions involving a blender, but I like to have control of the consistency which you can't really if you're blending things so...

Anyway, for more Easter pics and the recipe...

Firstly, for the pictures..

Yes, for all the grandparents out there, Ryan did get to eat his ONE piece of Easter candy. (Oh, poor Ryan. Only one piece he's so abused...blah blah blah. He's fine.)

Hollandaise (this might technically be a Chantilly I think bc of the cream but who cares really?)

4 egg yolks at room temp
2 tsp lemon juice
8 T butter, chilled and cut into TB sized pieces
2-4 tsp heavy cream
salt & cayenne pepper to taste

Bring about 2-3 inches of water to a boil in a small saucepan. In a bowl (NOT aluminum) whisk the yolks and lemon juice and cream together then place it over the heat and start whisking. At this point you're not supposed to ever stop whisking or let the bowl touch the water or any number of like 12 different 'rules' of hollandaise. Whatever. Just whisk the yolk mixture and add the butter a few pieces at a time letting it melt before you add more until it's all gone. The mixture will start to thicken and you're done. It's not going to be like pudding or anything for you first timers. It will be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon; kind of like a thin gravy. At this point, I take it off the heat and add a pinch of kosher salt and a pinch of cayenne then adjust to taste. I usually make a double batch because it keeps well in the fridge (it will thicken up but you can nuke it for 10-15 seconds to rewarm with no trouble) and eggs benedict is Christopher's favorite breakfast so it's easier just to have it already made. There are loads of other things you can add to this basic recipe to compliment a different flavor or meal or theme you're going for so experiment.

Happy eating and Happy Easter to those of you I missed.

Breakfast EGG-stravaganza (cheesy much huh)

2010-03-28T21:33:00.001-05:00

No, I was not eaten by wild animals nor did I fall off the edge of the planet. Yes, it has taken a little while longer than I expected (okay a LOT longer than I expected) to recoup from the holidays and post again. I’m doing fine as things go. I’m due in 13 days and that’s about 20 days too many for me but I suppose I’ll survive. About two months ago I came home from an OB appointment and Ethan ran up to me and gave me a hug and said “I love you Mommy. Did the doctor give you something to make you nice again?” From the mouths of babes huh. Poor Jon just sat there trying to be invisible because he wasn’t sure if I would laugh, cry, or what in response to that comment. Oh, the joys of the hormonal rollercoaster ride called pregnancy. Luckily for the males of this household, Jon has noted that I’ve been doing much better since then and he’s just crazy enough not to lie to a pregnant woman about such matters.
Okay, down to business. Are these not the cutest deviled eggs you’ve ever seen? Come on, you know they are. I know they have nothing to do with breakfast, but they were too cute to not do before Easter. Besides, they’re eggs, that goes….kind of. I saw a picture in a magazine a while back and finally got around to trying it. They’re not much more difficult than regular deviled eggs and look how cute! It took about 2 min to make the chick and 1 for the basket so I wouldn’t recommend making fifty of them, but a few of them stratigecally placed on a tray of regular deviled eggs would be perfect for a party.
So, Jay mentioned that it might be nice to have a little variety in the foods they ate but that sometimes it’s hard to think of things to make on a budget. I told him I’d do a few posts on foods we eat to give some ideas of budget friendly foods. Some of them we eat more often, some are more budget friendly, some take less time and some are healthier than others, but variety is good and sometimes just having a list of ideas helps get us out of a rut. Obviously this first post is breakfast oriented-feel free to post any other ideas-and the next few will be….something else. (Why buck tradition and plan ahead right?) So for directions to these deviled eggs and some breakfast ideas and recipes….

Boil your eggs. People have varies methods for this, but I REALLY hate having that layer of grey nastiness on boiled eggs that you sometimes get so I have a method that ensures that never happens. I put all of my eggs in a pot and cover them with water then bring it to a boil. Once it boils I turn off the heat and then leave it alone until the water has cooled to room temp. Voila! Perfect boiled eggs with no grey nastiness. I didn’t give a recipe for the deviled egg filling because-surprise-I don’t use one. I just add mayo, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, vinegar and paprika until it tastes the way I want it to. Use whatever recipe/ method you like to make it then put it in a ziplock and snip the end so you can easily squeeze it into the eggs.
For the chick:
Per chick you will need: 1 boiled egg, deviled egg filling, 1 raisin (the magazine actually used capers but I think they’re nasty so…), 1 carrot round, a sprig of flat leaf parsley.
Cut ¼ in off each end of your boiled egg and save the nicer looking end.

Whichever end the yolk is closest to will end up being your top but both need to be cut as level as you can get because it’s going to sit on the other end. Mix up your filling and fill the egg about ½ inch over the rim. Peel a carrot and cut a round off the thick end. Cut the feet as shown in the picture and set the egg on top of it.

Use one of the triangles from cutting out the feet as a beak and cut the raisin in half for the eyes. Cut a little slit in the top of the end that you saved a stick the piece of parsley in it. Pop it on top and you have a cute little chick.

For the basket
Per basket you will need: 1 boiled egg, deviled egg filling, 1 carrot round, curly parsley
Cut ¼ off the end that will be the bottom and cut about ½ in or so off the top part to make the body of the basket.

Fill to just over the top with the egg filling. Cut a handle from the carrot round and put it on the top. (You could also cut a thin strip of carrot, soak it in water and bend it for the handle. Or you could use pretty much any vegetable cut thin and bent.) Edge the whole thing in the parsley and you’re done.

Some breakfast ideas that don’t really require recipes (Jon says I say that about everything, so if you need a recipe of sorts for something let me know): breakfast burritos, bagels and cream cheese, yogurt with granola and fruit, oatmeal, Bob Red Mills 10 grain hot cereal (the boys and I LOVE this stuff), cream of wheat, poor man’s rice pudding (hot rice with a little butter, milk and sugar. You may scoff, but it’s good stuff), and my personal favorite, leftover lasagna. Okay the last one isn’t technically a breakfast thing but it’s still my favorite breakfast and anyone who hasn’t had lasagna for breakfast before is just really missing out.

Here are a few ideas with recipes (As a side note I’m feeling particularly lazy tonight, but I’ll update this sometime this week to include recipes for biscuits and rice pudding.):

Hungarian/German Pancakes
¼ c butter
4 eggs
1 c flour
1 c milk
Turn oven on 400 & put the butter in a 9x13 pan and pop it in the oven. Mix the remaining ingredients together & pour over the butter once it’s melted. Cook for 20 minutes. Slice and serve with powdered sugar.

Crepes
Keep in mind that crepe making takes practice and if you make ugly crepes the first several times or your crepes are a little thick when you first start don’t worry about it because they still taste great.
3 eggs
1 c milk (you can use ½ milk and ½ water if you’re trying to cut costs or you just don’t have enough milk)
3 T melted butter
½ c flour
½ tsp salt
Throw it all in a blender and zap till smooth. Now I have the patience of a 3 year old, so I just make them right away and mine are always fine. However, the experts say it’s best to pop it in the fridge for at least an hour or even overnight. Heck, I know people who insist you MUST wait 24 hours. I don’t plan breakfast that far in advance, but if you do more power to you. In a crepe pan (or non-stick frying pan if you don’t have a crepe pan which, incidentally, I don’t) add just enough batter to thinly coat the pan and tip the pan around to coat it like you would if you were swirling oil around the pan. The crepe starts to look dry when it’s cooked and will be light brown on bottom. You can flip it over and cook it 20 seconds or so on the other side or not, it’s a personal preference thing. Put the finished crepes on a plate and pop the plate in the microwave to keep them warm and continue until all your batter is gone. Fill as desired and enjoy!
Easy sweet crepe filling ideas: Jon likes his with just butter and powdered sugar, fresh fruit and whipped cream, jam
You can also have savory crepes for lunch or dinner by using fillings such as the following: Ham/Turkey, tomato slices, swiss/mozzarella cheese & herbs de Provance or Chicken & onions sautéed in butter
Loads of things go great in crepes get creative and have fun!

Popovers
4 eggs
2 c milk
2 c flour
1 t salt
Preheat oven to 450. Whisk eggs until light and uniform in color but not fluffy. Add the milk. Sift together salt and flour and dump in all at once stirring until just combined. There will be lumps. Fill 12 greased muffin tins almost to the top. Bake for 30 min and NO PEAKING! Put pan on a wire rack and poke a small hole with a toothpick or knife in each popover to let the steam release. Let stand undisturbed 1 minute then serve with flavored butters, jam or flavored cream cheeses.

Pancakes
1 1/3 c flour
3 T sugar
2 ½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt
1 ¼ c buttermilk (or 1 c milk and ¼ c sour cream)
2 lg eggs
2 T melted butter

Mix it all together and cook on griddle.
You could also substitute ½ c of the flour with ½ c cornmeal or oat flour to add nutritional value. My boys really like them made with cornmeal.
It also makes good waffles.
If you want to add fruit you don’t need to change the recipe. Just fold in 2 c of whatever fruit you want to add in with the batter once everything is mixed together.

Easy Quiche-Chris Van Horn
Okay, okay quiche may be more of a brunch/dinner thing to some of you but I like it for breakfast. Since I didn’t include the recipe for lasanga I didn’t feel too bad about adding this one.
¼ c melted butter
1 ½ c milk
½ t salt
Dash pepper
3 lg eggs, beaten
½ c baking mix
1 c grated baby swiss cheese (yes, any cheese is fine baby swiss is just luscious)
6 slices bacon cooked crispy and crumbled up
Preheat oven to 350. Mix first five ingredients together. Add any additional fillings you want at this point (spinach, onions, etc). Stir in baking mix and pour into a 9 inch pie pan. Sprinkle the cheese and bacon on top of the egg mixture and DO NOT STIR. Bake for 45 min. Don’t overcook. It’s even better made the day before and heats up in the microwave beautifully.

Scones-Tiffany Whipple
4 c flour
6 T sugar
4 ½ t baking powder
½ t salt
10 T butter
2 eggs
¾ c plus 2 T milk
1 ½ c blueberries (optional)
Heat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients and cut in the butter until it’s nice and crumbly. Add the eggs and milk and mix till combined. Fold in the blueberries. Form into two circles about 1 -2 inches thick and cut as you would a pie (It just makes it easier to get them apart after they’re baked). Brush with milk and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Snowglobe cupcakes

2009-12-19T15:52:00.000-06:00

So our sweet little Caiti-did had her 5th B-day party & I got to make her some cupcakes. She requested chocolate & something with bears and the color purple. I saw a picture of a cool idea at bakearella.com & HAD to try it for her birthday. I ended up doing purple ballarina bear snowglobe cupcakes. The 'globe' part is one of those round coke bottles you see at Wal-mart this time of year with the top cut off and the 'stand' is the cupcake turned upside down with the wrapper cut off the bottom & frosted like the top. Too cute huh? I'll give the specific directions for 'how-to' below. Also, since I ment to do it a few days ago and forgot, I'm going to post a great 'holiday' guacamole recipe I got from Kim and my creamy miso dressing recipe. You should know, getting Ethan to eat salad is a rather painfull experience......until now. I made this dressing a few days ago and the kid ate 3 plates of salad then ate his dinner and then ate another plate of salad. Why I didn't try it on him earlier now escapes me. I'm just glad we ran out of ranch dressing so I had to whip up something else that night. Okay, for the directions and recipes....

So you take the label off the coke bottle (get Coke not Sprite even if you don't drink it because the Sprite ones are tinted green....unless that's what you're going for....frogs maybe? Cute thought). There is a faint line around the top of the bottle. Take a pin or box cutter or something & just scratch that a little bit to make it more visible. (It makes it easier when you're trying to cut it.) You can see the outline I scratched below.

Then take a box cutter and poke it into that line somewhere and carefully cut off the top following the line you made. I did 8 bottles and only cut myself once which is really pretty good for me because I'm not really known for my knife safety skills. (I know you're laughin' Gram.) Below is the bottle after it's been cut, then you can test it on an empty upturned cupcake liner in the size you're using (I used standard size papers) to make sure it's going to sit how you want.

Once you're sure it's the right size, take some simple syrup (or in my case a mix of 2 T corn syrup & 4 T water) and rub it where you want the 'snow' to stick. I found that I like the look best if I just put it at the top and around the bottom so the image inside could be clearly seen. Don't worry about making the edges straight (I tried not to in fact) just use your finger and smear it around a little. Then dump a tsp or so of your 'snow' into the top and shake it around. I used Wilton glitter flakes, but you could just use plain sugar too. Here's a picture of one that I did early on before I decided I only liked it on the top and bottom, but you get the idea.

Once they're cool, level the tops of your cupcakes with a serrated knife and flip them over. Use a pair of clean scissors to cut off the bottom of the cupcake liner being careful not to detach the rest of the paper from the cupcake.

Decorate the bottom-now top-of the cupcake as desired. To make the bear, I found a picture I liked and made 8 copies and then flipped it and made 8 more copies then printed it on plain computer paper and glued them together. Then I got the 'no heat' laminating sheets and laminated them all on one sheet and cut them out leaving a long strip of the laminate at the bottom of the image to stick into the cupcake. It's important to use the 'no heat' kind of laminate sheets because they have a hard back which makes them stiff enough to stand up and stick into the cupcake without falling over.

Then pop that into the cupcake and do any additional decorating that you want to before adding the 'globe' part. Once I got mine situated on there I piped some icing around the base of the 'globe' to keep it stable and then did a little piping on the outside of the globe as well because that 's just the way I am.Voila! Snow globe cupcake. Thank you bakerella.

Kim's Holiday Guacamole (very slightly altered by me because I have a disease and can't help but tinker)

1 to 1 1/2 c pomegranite seeds (directions for seeding to follow if you need them)

1 to 1 1/2 c avocado, mashed

1/2-3/4 c cucumber

handfull of cilantro, chopped

1 clove minced garlic (or 1/4 tsp powdered garlic)

1/8-1/4 tsp cumin

2-3 green onions diced (use the whole thing)

2 T lime juice

salt & pepper to taste

Mix it all together and enjoy. I know it sounds weird with the pomegranite, but it is SO GOOD.

How to seed a pomegranite:

Martha Stewart cuts around the pomegranite with a paring knife-being careful not to cut into the flesh but only the peel- and then rips the thing open. That way you don't have a red mess on your counter from cutting the seeds. Then she holds it over a bowl and whacks the heck out of it with a wooden spoon until all of the seeds fall out. No joke I promise. I tried it, but haven't got the patience for that-surprise surprise. Instead, I open it the same way she does, but the carefully pull it apart and pick the seeds out. If you get bits of the white membrane in with your seeds just fill your bowl with water. The seeds will sink and the membrane will float and you can pick it off the top and then drain off the water.

Creamy Miso Dressing

I like miso, but if it's a new flavor to you, or if you just like it a little less pronounced then just use less miso.

2/3 cup white miso (about 1/2 of a 12-ounce package)
1 1/4 cup mayo
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3-4 tablespoon honey
¼ tsp ground ginger
A few drops of sesame oil
2 chopped green onions

Instructions:
In a food processor or blender, combine everything but the green onion and blend until smooth. Stir in the green onion. Enjoy. (Enjoy a lot if you're Ethan.)

Happy Eating! Have a great Christmas everyone!

Pepparkakor-The Diabetics holiday cookie

2009-12-16T17:31:00.000-06:00

So I was looking all over for a great cookie recipe for diabetics that didn't involve Splenda. The answer came when I remembered a conversation I'd had with Linda Barney 2 years ago about a spice cookie that only has 1 gram of sugar per cookie. (For those of you who don't know that's pretty good. The average cookie has anywhere from 10-20 grams of sugar per cookie & even animal crackers usually have about 4 per tiny little cookie.) It took a bit of looking, some research and-alas-a lot of fiddling in the kitchen but I've devised a recipe I really like. It really has a kick-no 1 or 2 tsps of spices here there are a full 2 Tablespoons of 3 different spices. I also added some orange oil which I really liked but Jon said he liked them better without. Also, they have a nice 'snap' to them. I like a spice cookie that is thin and crunchie not soft. I tried the recipe from the official website of Sweden but they didn't keep their pretty shape at all because they shrank every time I baked them even if I rolled them thin enough nearly to see through. Also, they always ended up being soft and chewy. I even checked the relative humidity of Stockholm vs Lake Jackson to see if that was the problem, but no dice. It's practically the same in both places. I've decided that it has to be that I cut the sugar in half. I know, I know you can't dink around in baking the way you do in cooking because it's all scientific and whatnot but I'm me and that won't change. As is on their website each cookie would have over 2 grams of sugar per 1 1/2 inch cookie so cut the sugar on it. I included the link so any of you who want to could give it a try but I don't suggest messing with the sugar ratio. Their recipe is more like a regular dough-it has WAY more flour than mine-and thus is easier to roll out and get onto the cookie sheet without any problems. My recipe took a little practice before I could work well with the dough, but the result was a beautiful cookie with great snap, a lot of flavor and only 1 gram of sugar per cookie. And if I'm going to take the time to make cookies for someone for the holidays then-for me-it's worth the little bit of extra effort. So, for the recipe and a few tips I discovered to make it easier....

The official Pepparkakor of Sweden
(http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Lifestyle/Food-drink/Swedish-culinary-classics/Saffransbullar-and-pepparkakor/)

When it says let it rest just let it rest on the counter. There are no eggs, so there's no danger that way. I...um....stuck mine in the fridge because that's what we do with cookie dough here in the States when we're letting it rest and it was rock hard in no time at all. I rolled it between two sheets of parchment and used 1/8th inch thickness guides on my rolling pin and it didn't stick at all and was really easy to work with. (If you don't have thickness guides and don't want to buy any put two really thick rubberbands one on top of the other on each end of your rolling pin. Not exact, but it will be close to 1/8th inch and it's better than having cookies that are all different thicknesses.)

Here are before and after baking pictures of my recipe vs the other one. My recipe is the one on top in both pictures (no subliminal message there). The picture's a little blurry, but you can see the other one shrunk quite a bit.

Mindy's Pepparkakor

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 c unsulfered molasses
4 T water
1 1/2 c soft butter
2 T cinnamon
2 T ginger
2 T cloves
2 tsp cardamom
2 tsp baking soda
4 c sifted flour
12 drops orange oil (optional; also you could use 1-2 T orange zest)

Beat the sugar, molassess, water, spices and orange oil if using until the batter turns a light color and everything is incorporated. Don't be shy now, whip it good. Sift the flour and baking soda together and add slowly. It will be a very soft dough. I refridgerated mine in a covered tupperware a couple of days because I had the time, but I reccomend at least 24 or overnight if you must. The reason is that the spices tend to get stronger and blend better together if you let it rest a little. Get two sheets of parchment & dust one liberally with flour. Put your dough on the flour and flatten it with your hand. Dust the top liberally with flour and put the other sheet of parchment over top. Roll it out as thin as you can get it trying to keep the dough even. (See the tip about rolling pin guides for the Swedish recipe.) Now is the tricky part. After some practice, I could just roll it out, cut the shapes and get them onto the cookie sheet without making a huge mess. It has to be really thin though.

If you're worried about how delicate they are here are a couple of methods that make the dough much easier to work with. However, both methods add time to the process, so you have to weigh your options here.

Easy Method 1:
Roll the dough out thin and just leave it alone for an hour or more between the parchment sheets. It dries out a little and doesn't rip nearly as easily this way. I found this out by accident because I rolled some out and forgot it when I went to do my visiting teaching. When you're ready just cut out the shaped & keep going. This method works really well if you don't mind leaving a mess on the counter while you do other things

Easy Method 2:
Roll the dough out thin and cut the shapes making sure you wiggle it a little bit so there's a little space between the shape and the negative pieces (the bits you aren't going to bake). It doesn't have to be a huge space, just so long as it's not connected still. Slide the sheet of parchment onto a cookie sheet and pop it into the freezer. In about 15 min the dough is frozen stiff and the cookies are really pretty easy to get off and transfer to the cookie sheet. I couldn't tell that freezing the dough made any difference in the finished cookie either for those that might wonder. I've been thinking you could do it this way but then put the shapes in a couple of freezer bags before you bake and have ready-made pepparkakor dough anytime you want. Hmmm...

Anyway, whatever method you end up using, they bake at 325 degrees for about 8 1/2 minutes. As with everything else down here the humidity will get to them and steal the snap if you don't take precautions to keep them de-humidified. I checked around to see how to do this and this is what I came up with. The better crocker answer lady said-much to my surprise I might add-that if you like your cookies crisp then don't put them in an airtight container, just cover them loosely. I thought it was the other way around which would explain why the cookies I made last night all got soft. If your cookies do go soft don't despair. Just put them on a cookie sheet and pop them in the oven at 325 for a couple of minutes and they crisp right up. (This works for store bought cookies too.)

I ran out of cute little baggies to give out cookies in and just tied up a stack of them with ribbon and have decided that this will be my preffered method of cookie gifting in the future. Less fuss and less expense and way cuter than a bag. Perfect. Enjoy! Love you Gramp!!

Sugar Cookie Bandit

2009-12-13T20:50:00.003-06:00

Last week the boys (currently known as Batman-aka Ethan-and Superman-Christopher) and I made nearly 200 sugar cookies to give out to friends and family for Christmas. We had a lot a fun and decorated about half of them that day. Jon was out at a meeting and then church ball that night and, being pregnant, I was worn out and went to bed around 9 PM. I woke up at 10:30 and Jon still wasn't home from basketball yet but since I was up I thought I'd check on the kids. I went into their room and there was my little angel Ethan laying on his stuffed dog on the floor with his head akwardly propped up on their shoe bucket. I went over to put him in his bed and noticed that there was something on his bed. Turns out it was the 3 brand new jars of cookie sprinkles I'd bought the day before all dumped into a pile in the middle of his bed. Joy. Then, as I turn back to the somewhat less angelic looking Ethan I realized why he had gone to sleep with his head propped up on the shoe bucket. He had emptied the shoe bucket of it's rightful contents and dumped the 120 or so cookies we had decorated that day into the bucket and had gone off to dreamland happily munching sugar cookies. (Needless to say, those cookies had to be set aside for little boy consumption and a whole new batch made to give away.) Let's just say the little runt is lucky he was asleep when I discovered his dastardly deeds.

We were all decorating some more of the cookies together Saturday (or maybe we were doing the gingerbread houses??) and someone said something about how Santa gets so fat because he eats so many cookies at Christmas and Ethan says "Yeah, Santa's fat. And you're fat too Dad." "Thanks" says Jon sarcastically. "You're welcome" replies Ethan rather cheerily. Apparently, to a 3-year old, any likness one might have to Santa has got to be a good thing. For the cookie recipe & more pics...

Here are my two superhero cookie helpers. Little did I know that Batman had an evil alter ego who would later steal half the cookies.

Ethan with a frosting goatee and Ryan pouting that his Dad could possibly think it was okay to set him down.

Two boys very proud of the gingerbread (okay really graham cracker) houses they made.

Aunt Tiff’s Sugar Cookie Recipe
I LOVE this sugar cookie recipe. The boy’s aunt Tiffany makes them and they’re great. Usually, I ice them with buttercream or cream cheese icing, but if I’m giving them away I do royal icing because that doesn’t make as big a mess if you’re stacking them on a plate or something. Also, sometimes I brush the cookie dough shapes with an egg wash & sprinkle them with a good heavy coat of sugar sprinkles. I usually do that with the small ones because it save a lot of time in the decorating process.

1 cup soft butter
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sour cream
5 cups of flour

Cream the butter and sugar until nice and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated. Add the salt & extracts. Mix together the sour cream and baking soda and then add it in. Slowly add in the flour 1 c at a time so you don't end up with a white kitchen. Fridge it, covered with seran wrap, at LEAST two hours or overnight. Roll out, cut & bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. (but that really depends on your cookie size.) I try to take them out before I start to see brown on the edges because it makes for a softer cookie-which I like. Jon likes a crunchier cookie, so I leave a few batches in longer for him if I remember to. I bake them on parchment sheets and they never stick even if the dough is super sticky when it goes in the oven. This recipe makes about 50 average size cookies.

Royal Icing

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons Meringue Powder
4 cups (about 1 lb.) confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons warm water

Makes: About 3 cups of icing.

Beat all ingredients until icing forms peaks (7-10 minutes at low speed with a heavy-duty mixer, 10-12 minutes at high speed with a hand-held mixer).
NOTE: Keep all utensils completely grease-free for proper icing consistency.
* For stiffer icing, use 1 tablespoon less water.
**When using a stand mixer or for stiffer icing, use 1 tablespoon less water.
Thinned Royal Icing: To thin for pouring, add 1 teaspoon water per cup of royal icing. Use grease-free spoon or spatula to stir slowly. Add 1/2 teaspoon water at a time until you reach proper consistency.

Happy Eating and Merry Christmas!

IT SNOWED!!

2009-12-07T12:37:00.000-06:00

It really is December! Friday afternoon it snowed here. Nevermind that it was really just a few flakes and nothing actually stuck to the ground. Beggars can't be choosers after all. In celebration of that fact we made tortilla snowflakes & snowball cookies.

The picture at the top is our little paper tube caroling family. It’s one of the activities we’ve done for our advent calendar this year. You can find the directions at http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/christmas-choir-661390/ if you want to do them too.

We’re still van-less here at the Whipple house. Some days we do okay & some days Jonathan getting home is the only thing standing between the boys and certain death (or at least being grounded to their room until they’re 20). A couple of days ago the boys were arguing about some toy or something & I said “Hey, I want two happy, obedient boys” to which Christopher replied with a very puzzled look on his face “But it’s not your birthday.” Jon thought that was hilarious. I guess that will teach me to ask for nice obedient boys for my birthday.

In addition to the cookie recipes, I’ve also posted the recipe for the meatloaf we had the other night. It was pretty good according to Jon & he’s not really a fan of meatloaf. Ethan, as usual, had several servings & proclaimed how much he liked it as well.

For those grandparents and great-grandparents not around I also put up the pictures of the kids ‘sledding’ Texas style on a mound of hay & the boys pictures with Santa. For the pictures and recipes

We wrote letters to Santa the other night as part of our advent calendar activities & both the boys have pretty short lists. Christopher wants a dog, a cat, a horse & his very own penguin & Ethan wants his own magic Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang like in the movie. Simple requests really. Good luck with that Santa.

Snowflake tortillas

Not much of a recipe really. Nuke however many flour tortillas you want for 10 seconds or so just to soften them up. Fold into quarters or eighths & cut out shapes just like you would if you were making a paper snowflake. Put them on an ungreased cookie sheet & bake @ 325 10 min each side or-if you’re more attentive than me-broil them until they’re light brown on each side. Brush with butter & dust with powdered sugar.

Snowball Cookies
I really don’t like flaked coconut-it’s a texture thing for me-but I really like these cookies made with coconut. Also, if you want, you can form the dough balls around a Hershey kiss.
1 c shredded coconut/blanched almonds
2 T granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp salt
3 ½ c flour
¾ c powdered sugar
1 ½ c melted butter

In a food processor, blend the coconut/almonds with the 2 T sugar until it’s very finely minced. Add vanilla, nutmeg, salt, flour & powdered sugar & pulse until well blended. Pour melted butter in as it’s running & blend until it forms a ball in the bowl. Form into 1 inch balls and roll in powdered sugar. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wait 5 min & roll in powdered sugar again. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 12 minutes. Cool completely. Roll in powdered sugar one last time. Enjoy!

Meatloaf
If you want to drain the fat off the meatloaf as it cooks but don’t have a ‘meatloaf’ pan that does this for you try this: Put mason jar rings in the bottom of your bread pan and then top them with a layer of bamboo skewers. Line the altered pan with aluminum and poke a few holes in the bottom of the aluminum. Voila! Grease drainage.
½ a package of saltines (as in ½ of one of the 4 pkgs that come in a box)
2 carrots, peeled & rough chopped
1 onion, rough chopped
1 t kosher salt
1/8 tsp pepper
dash or two of red pepper flakes (optional)
2 eggs
2 t dried basil
½ t dried rosemary, crushed
½ tsp dried oregano
1 clove minced garlic
¼ c parmesan cheese
1 lb ground beef (I use 80/20 because it gives more flavor without too much fat)
Several slices of mozzarella cheese
2 c of your favorite marinara sauce
Line a bread pan with aluminum & preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Put everything but the beef & mozzarella in the food processor & let it go until everything’s well blended and minced quite small. You can then add the meat & zap it in the food processor too or mix it in by hand in a bowl. Spread the meat mixture on a piece of parchment paper until it’s the width of your bread pan and ½ inch thick. Lay slices of mozzarella over the top and use the parchment to roll it up the same way you would a pumpkin roll. Put it in your pan and cook for 50-55 min. Slice & serve topped with heated marinara sauce.

Roasted Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

2009-12-04T09:50:00.001-06:00

So, our van is still in the shop & I'm stranded inside with my sweet little heathens. I'm not sure if I'm going to make it through the next week. Ethan has WAY too much energy to be cooped up inside all day. We haven't gone out though because A) my knee still gives me trouble if I walk too far on it so we can't walk to a park, B) Christopher is just getting over a bug of some sort & I don't want to risk taking him out & going through more nights of vomiting & C) I didn't want to ask anyone for a ride to anywhere because of said bug. Yesterday Ethan got a little toy 'light saber' and handed it to Ryan & very sweetly said "There you go Ry Ry." I was just thinking how nice it was for him to be so sweet to his baby brother when he grabbed a dowel I had left on the counter from doing the cakes & yelled "hiyah!" while smacking Ryan square on top of the head. Poor little Ryan was so startled it took a good 5 seconds before he started wailing. Poor little munchkin.
On to food...
Jon & I stopped at Olive Garden while we were in San Antonio & had this fantastic soup for lunch. The following is my version of it (at least my first version of it). It's a little creamier than the Olive Garden recipe but I can't decide if I liked it better creamy or not. Either way, you could substitute some of the cream/milk for some chicken broth and it would still be good. It has spinach in it which Jon hates, but he and the boys really liked the soup anyway & didn't even pick out the spinach. I got the gnocchi (No-key) recipe off Epicurious.com because it had rave reviews. I think it turned out a bit too dense for me, but I'm going to post it anyway because it's what I have. Part of my problem is that I don't have a ricer which I always thought was for fussy eaters because I like some lumps in my mashed potatoes, but it doesn't really work in gnocchi. You can buy pre-made gnocchi or you could just substitute regular dumplings for the gnocchi. For those of you who don't know, gnocchi are little potato dumplings. For the recipe....
Roasted Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

1/4 c butter
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 an onion, dice/grated
1 celery stalk, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 carrots, diced small
3 sprigs fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dried crushed rosemary)
4 chicken breasts
3-4 T olive oil
1 t kosher salt
2 T flour or 1 T cornstarch
1/2 c fresh/frozen spinach (NOT canned)
4-6 cups chicken stock or 3 cubes chicken bouillon and 4-6 c water
2 c milk
2 c cream
salt & pepper to taste
gnocchi

Melt the butter & add the 1/4 c olive oil. Add the vegetables (except spinach), garlic & rosemary & saute. While that's going on put some aluminum on a cookie sheet & pop your chicken breasts on it. Drizzle with olive oil & sprinkle with kosher salt. Broil on high till brown then flip & brown the other side. (You could also just pick up a roasted chicken from the store & pick off about 4 cups worth of meat.) Chop the meat up. If you used fresh rosemary, fish it out. There will be plenty of flavor in the oil by now. Add the meat and any oil left on your cookie sheet. Add the flour & let it cook for a min or so. Add your spinach, stock ( or bouillon & water &) and let it simmer until about 15 min before you want to eat adding more water if you need to. When you're ready, add the cream, milk & then salt & pepper to taste. (I used celery salt because I was out of real celery last night.) If you want, add another bouillon cube (Jon thought it needed one but I didn't). Add the gnocchi/dumplings & let them cook about 4 min & serve.

Here's the gnocchi recipe from epicurious.com. I just copied & pasted it and any notes by me will be in blue. If you have one you know you like, use it instead.

Gnocchi
1 3/4 lbs peeled russet potatoes
1 lg egg
1 t salt
1/4 t white pepper (I used black, white is mostly for aesthetics anyway)
pinch fresh nutmeg
1/4 c grated parmesan
1 1/2 c flour plus 1/2 c for rolling out & shaping

Place the potatoes in a large pot with enough cold water to cover. Bring the water to a boil and cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are easily pierced with a skewer but the skins are not split, about 35 minutes. (Alternatively, the potatoes can be baked in a preheated 400°F oven until tender, about 40 minutes.) I peeled & chopped mine then popped them in the microwave for 5 min covered with seran wrap then sent them through the grater on my food processor because I'm lazy.
Drain the potatoes and let them stand just until cool enough to handle. (The hotter the potatoes are when they are peeled and riced, the lighter the gnocchi will be.) Working quickly and protecting the hand that holds the potatoes with a folded kitchen towel or oven mitt, scrape the skin from the potato with a paring knife. Press the peeled potatoes through a potato ricer. Alternatively, the potatoes can be passed through a food mill fitted with the fine disc, but a ricer makes fluffier potatoes and therefore lighter gnocchi. Spread the riced potatoes into a thin, even layer on the work surface, without pressing them or compacting them. Let them cool completely.
In a small bowl, beat the egg, salt, pepper, and nutmeg together. Gather the cold potatoes into a mound and form a well in the center. Pour the egg mixture into the well. Knead the potato and egg mixtures together with both hands, gradually adding the grated cheese and enough of the flour, about 1 1/2 cups, to form a smooth but slightly sticky dough.They're not kidding about the sticky part. It should take no longer than 3 minutes to work the flour into the potato mixture; remember, the longer the dough is kneaded, the more flour it will require and the heavier it will become. As you knead the dough, it will stick to your hands and to the work surface: Repeatedly rub this rough dough from your hands and scrape it with a knife or dough scraper from the work surface back into the dough as you knead.
Wash and dry your hands. I just skipped the next bit. I didn't roll out & shape. I just grabbed little 1/2 tsp balls out of the bowl I'd mixed in & made little balls & dropped them into the soup. DO NOT make them too big. Trust me. Dust the dough, your hands, and the work surface lightly with some of the remaining flour. Cut the dough into six equal pieces and set off to one side of the work surface. Place one piece of dough in front of you and pat it into a rough oblong. Using both hands, in a smooth back-and-forth motion and exerting light downward pressure, roll the dough into a rope 1/2 inch thick, flouring the dough if necessary as you roll to keep it from sticking. (When you first begin making gnocchi, until your hands get the feel of the dough, you may find it easier to cut each piece of dough in half to roll it.)
Slice the ropes into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Sprinkle the rounds lightly with flour and roll each piece quickly between your palms into a rough ball, flouring the dough and your hands as needed to prevent sticking. Hold the tines of a fork at a 45-degree angle to the table with the concave part facing up. Dip the tip of your thumb in flour. Take one ball of dough and with the tip of your thumb, press the dough lightly against the tines of the fork as you roll it downward toward the tips of the tines. As the dough wraps around the tip of your thumb, it will form into a dumpling with a deep indentation on one side and a ridged surface on the other. Set on a baking sheet lined with a floured kitchen towel and continue forming gnocchi from the remaining dough balls. Repeat the whole process with the remaining pieces of dough. At this point the gnocchi must be cooked immediately or frozen.
To cook gnocchi:

Bring six quarts of salted water to a vigorous boil in a large pot over high heat. Drop about half the gnocchi into the boiling water a few at a time, stirring gently and continuously with a wooden spoon. Cook the gnocchi, stirring gently, until tender, about 1 minute after they rise to the surface. (You can cook the gnocchi all at once in two separate pots of boiling water. If you make a double batch of gnocchi, I strongly recommend cooking them in batches in two pots of water.)
Remove the gnocchi from the water with a slotted spoon of skimmer, draining them well, and transfer to a wide saucepan with some of the sauce to be used. Cook the remaining gnocchi, if necessary. When all the gnocchi are cooked, proceed according to the directions for saucing and serving in each recipe. I just cooked them straight in the soup.
When saucing gnocchi, remember this tip: If the sauce is too dense or the gnocchi seem too dry, use some of the gnocchi cooking water to thin the sauce and moisten the gnocchi, as you would with pasta dishes.
To precook gnocchi:
Cook the gnocchi as described above, remove them with a skimmer, and spread them out in a baking pan lightly coated with melted butter. When ready to serve, return the gnocchi to a large pot of boiling salted water until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain thoroughly and sauce and serve according to the particular recipe.
To freeze gnocchi:
It is best to freeze gnocchi uncooked as soon as they are shaped. Arrange the gnocchi in a single layer on a baking pan and place the pan in a level position in the freezer. Freeze until solid, about 3 hours. Gather the frozen gnocchi into resealable freezer bags. Frozen gnocchi can be stored in the freezer for 4 to 6 weeks.
To cook frozen gnocchi:
Frozen gnocchi must be cooked directly from the freezer in plenty of boiling water, or they will stick together. Bring 6 quarts salted water to a boil in each of two large pots. Shake any excess flour from the frozen gnocchi and split them between the two pots, stirring gently as you add them to the boiling water. It is important that the water return to a boil as soon as possible; cover the pots if necessary. Drain the gnocchi as described above and sauce and serve according to the specific recipe.

The wedding cake is finished!!

2009-11-29T20:55:00.000-06:00

Firstly let me say there is NO WAY I could have finished these cakes without Jon's help. Kneading the fondant alone was a huge task (we had to remake 3 batches of it too). Sometime during covering the final layer of the Brides cake my knee made a popping sound & then the pain came. I had no choice but to keep walking on it & today I had to borrow Mom Whipples crutches to get around. Then we were rescued by Mom & Dad Whipple when our van engine spontaneously combusted just after the cakes had been loaded. Luckily, the cakes were fine. However several important things in our engine melted before things got under control so I am without a car for an undetermined amount of time. Yay. All that aside, the cakes turned out well & the bride & groom loved them so all's well that ends well. For more pictures...

Here's a picture of the Grooms cake. We hit a pretty good bump on the way there and you can see a ripple on the bottom of the cake, but the Groom was really excited & he & his parents didn't even notice it. The bottom says "Title Match" .The idea is that he's the red Rockem Sockem (who has lost-notice the popped up head) & she's the blue. The side is covered with advertisements of "sponsors" of the match. The next picture is a 1/2 sheet cake that was sugar-free because both the dad's were diabetic. It's supposed to be an advertisement for the "boxing match". The "no cats" sign was a special request of the groom. (Sorry, I still haven't figured out how to rotate pictures on this thing.)

Here's a couple more pictures of the brides cake (Thanks to Mom Whipple for taking pictures as I was occupied with cakes & pain). The gumpaste flowers on the cake are peonies, orchids, roses, & small blossoms. I'll give the directions for making the other flowers in another post. The layers were 16", 12" & 8" abd about 6-7 inches high. A LOT of cake. Jon can attest that they were pretty heavy too.

That's all I'm doing tonight. Catch you later!

Cakes & Icing

2009-11-25T18:01:00.005-06:00

We're back from San Antonio & the cakes are made. Christopher and Ethan were there as my quality control agents to check things out in between batches. There were 12 cakes in all and a total of 30 recipes used .(Not counting the one I had to make twice because the first time I forgot to put the sugar in. Yeah, it had been a long day. Ethan, in his role as quality control agent actually caught it while licking the bowl, not me.) So today you get the recipes for Red velvet cake (my own recipe), Devils food cake (Susan G. Purdy), Chocolate Italian buttercream icing, Vanilla Italian buttercream icing, Cream cheese icing, Raspberry filling, Marshmallow fondant and a few tips to bake perfectly even cakes and a great tip for spot cleaning carpets (don’t ask). Here you go…

Firstly, the carpet cleaning bit. Red food coloring and beets are not your friends if you have beige carpets and two boys with the combined destructive force of hurricane Katrina. However, some things can be remedied. If you happen to have spots on your carpet for one reason or another-there are usually several reasons around here-here’s a quick fix that works as well as any other method I’ve tried short of renting a professional machine without all the elbow grease. Spray a little Fantastic on the spot. It’s an all-purpose cleaner usually by the Windex. You can spot test your carpet if you’re nervous, but we live in an apartment and it’s not like they use the most expensive brand and it fared well. Once you’ve sprayed it, vacuum over it slowly letting the spin bristles on your vacuum hover over the stain. That’s it, you’re done. You can just go around spraying spots before you do your regular vacuuming and then hover a little over the bad spots and your carpet will never have spots and you won’t have to get down on your knees to scrub. Yay for Ethan and his drive to make me a better house keeper.
On to cakes…
After seeing bits and pieces of the process and all the ingredients I went through…

Jon said “Next time I won’t question why the price of wedding cakes is so high.” They all turned out great. I didn’t even have to level any of them. Yay me!
The secret to level cakes is pretty simple. First, reduce your cooking temperature and cook it a little longer at the lower temp. I baked all of mine at 325 instead of the usual 350.
Second, use baking strips.

You soak them in water and pin them around the cake pan (no plastic heads on the pins!!) and they make it bake more evenly. I roll mine up and stuff them in a mug & fill it with water to soak while I get the cake ready. You want them soaked through but not dripping so when you go to use them just run your fingers down the sides to get the drippage off.

Third, if you’re baking a cake that is larger than 12” you really should use a heating core or by the time the middle is done the sides will be crusty and hard. It’s just a little metal cylinder that you grease & put in the middle of the cake and fill with batter. It heats up just like the sides so it’s cooking from the middle and the edges at the same time.

When it’s done cooking you just pop the little piece out of the cylinder and it will fit perfectly in the little hole in the cake. Once it’s iced, no one will know the difference.

Okay, Here’s the recipes. I used ounce/grams when I was doing it because that’s how I bake, but I converted it to cups for you so let’s hope I got it right shall we. Just in case you’re wondering-because Jon already mentioned it-the buttermilk measurement is right. One cup of it weighs 9oz not 8oz because it’s super thick & heavy & just trust me okay.

*A note-or 12-about red velvet cake:*
The recipe calls for 1 oz red food coloring but it is totally optional. I wouldn’t even put it in if this weren’t for a wedding. It’s purely aesthetic and some people are highly allergic to red food coloring. The beets give it a reddish color but not the oh-my-that’s-red look that food coloring does. No, the beets don’t make the cake taste like beets. Even my pickiest eater-Jon-agrees on this point. It does give the cake a distinct and rather delicious flavor and acts kind of like applesauce to make the cake really moist. You can use fresh by peeling & cooking them yourself and the red will be deeper, but let’s face it, I wasn’t about to add peeling and boiling 20 some odd pounds of beets to my to-do list. I will warn you, the smell of the beet juice being reduced is unpleasant to say the least. All that having been said, if you decide to use the food coloring use a gel food coloring that says ‘no taste red’ or you’ll get a funky aftertaste using that much. Also, make sure you’re using whole milk buttermilk not that nasty skim stuff. (Okay, okay. Maybe that’s just my preference.)
Red Velvet Cake
1 1/4 c 10 oz vegetable oil
1 c 9 oz whole buttermilk
2 Lg Eggs
1 Oz red food coloring
2 14.5oz 1 lb 1 3/4 oz beets (canned)
1 T white vinegar
1 t vanilla
4 1/8 c 525 g All purpose flour
1 3/4 c 420 g sugar
1 t baking soda
1 T Salt
2 Heaping T cocoa powder
1/2 C Beet juice,(that's been reduced by ½)

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line your pan with parchment paper & give it a spray with cake spray. (Like Pam only with flour added). Drain beets & put juice in a saucepan to boil down to 1/2 c and set aside to cool. In food processor, puree beets until completely smooth. Then add oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, vanilla, sugar, salt, reduced beet juice & cocoa powder to your food processer & let ‘er rip. Sift dry ingredients into a stand mixer bowl. Slowly fold in liquid ingredients until everything is combined. If you have a tiny food processor, you can just mix the wet ingredients plus the sugar in your stand mixer & sift the dry ingredients in. When you add the buttermilk it will look curdled

That’s fine, it goes away. See how pretty.

Pour into prepared pans & bake until toothpick comes out clean (I baked really big cakes, so I couldn’t say how long a regular one would take. The 16” cake takes 2 hours). Cool 10-15 min in pan then transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely before leveling, splitting and icing (with cream cheese icing unless you’re crazy).

Cream cheese Icing
16 Oz soft cream cheese
1/2 C soft butter
1 t Flavoring (I use almond)
2 C
powdered sugar (measured & then sifted)

Beat the cream cheese & butter until completely smooth. Add the remaining ingredients & beat again until completely smooth. Ices one red velvet cake recipe.

Raspberry Filling
12 Oz raspberries (fresh/frozen)
1 T lemon juice
1 T Cornstarch
1/4 C Sugar

Puree the raspberries & push through a fine mesh strainer into a saucepan. To the puree, add the remaining ingredients & whisk till smooth. Cook till thick & bubbly. Cool in plastic completely before using. You don’t have to strain it, but no one really likes raspberry seeds in their teeth do they?

Dump & Blend Devils Food Cake makes 5 cups of batter
9.5 oz/270g/2.25 c Flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 c sifted natural cocoa (not Dutch)
1/2 c Butter
10.5 oz/300g/1.5 c Sugar
2 large eggs, room temp
1 tsp Vanilla
1.5 c/13.5oz Buttermilk

All ingredients at room temperature. Beat butter till soft, then add ingredients as listed, one at a time until blended: sugar, eggs, vanilla, dry ingredients, milk. Beat on low (#2 if you have a KitchenAid) for 60 seconds then scrape down the sides & beat on high (#8 if you have a KitchenAid) until batter is light & fluffy. Scrape down bowl & pour into pan & bake at 350 degrees. (30-35 min bakes one recipe.)

Italian Buttercream
Ingredients

Makes 4 1/2 cups.

2/3 c water
1 1/4 C sugar
5 Large egg whites
Pinch cream of tartar
1 1/2 c unsalted butter, chilled (you can add an additional 1/2c if you want, whatever your preference)
1 T pure vanilla extract
1 pinch salt

Directions
In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring sugar and 2/3 cup water to a boil. Continue boiling until syrup reaches 238 degrees on a candy thermometer (soft-ball stage). Beat egg whites with a whisk attachment on low speed until foamy then add the cream of tartar and beat on medium-high speed until stiff but not dry; do not overbeat. With mixer running, add syrup to whites in a stream, beating on high speed until no longer steaming. I let it mix on high until I can touch the outside of the bowl without discomfort. Add butter bit by bit, beating until spreadable, 3 to 5 minutes. Don't go overboard and add too much at once or it will flip out of the bowl & your dog (or 3-year-old) will have a wonderful time with all your wasted work. Beat in vanilla and salt once all the butter is added. If icing curdles, keep beating until it smooths out (it will). If it’s too soft/runny, stick it in the fridge for 30 min or so & beat it again. There is no buttercream problem I’ve ever come across that cannot be fixed with one or both of these two methods.

To make it chocolate: Melt 12 oz of semi-sweet chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler. Let it cool off until it’s not hot to touch with your fingers & slowly beat into the vanilla recipe.

Marshmallow fondant makes 3 lbs
16 ounces white mini-marshmallows (use a good quality brand)
2 to 5 tablespoons water
2 pounds icing sugar (please use C&H Cane Powdered Sugar for the best results)
1/2 cup Crisco shortening (you will be digging into it so place in a very easily accessed bowl)

Melt marshmallows and 2 tablespoons of water in a microwave or double boiler: Put the bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds, open microwave and stir, back in microwave for 30 seconds more, open microwave and stir again, and continue doing this until melted. It usually takes about 2 1/2 minutes total. Grease your stand mixer with Crisco & dump in the marshmallows. Pour the powdered sugar on top and, using the dough hook, knead it till smooth. Let it sit, double-wrapped overnight. Prepare the fondant for storing by coating it with a good layer of Crisco shortening, wrap in a plastic-type wrap product and then put it in a re-sealable or Ziploc bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible. It can sit on the counter for ages, but if you’re worried you can google it and check.

If you want/need to mix it by hand, you Place 3/4 of the powdered sugar on the top of the melted marshmallow mix in the bowl you melted it in. Now grease your hands GENEROUSLY (palms, backs, and in between fingers), then heavily grease the counter you will be using and dump the bowl of marshmallow/sugar mixture in the middle. Knead the fondant. Add the rest of the powdered sugar and knead some more. Re-grease your hands and counter when the fondant starts sticking. Knead it until you have a firm, smooth elastic ball so that it will stretch without tearing when you apply it to the cake.

Broccoli Cheese Chowder

2009-11-13T08:28:00.000-06:00

I thought while I was waiting for my oatmeal this morning I'd post one of Jon's favorite soups (it's true, he actually LOVES some soups). It's really easy to make & only takes 15 min or so, but it can get a little pricey as it has 1/2lb of swiss in it, but if you get it on sale it's not too bad. It's an easy meal that's good enough for company-especially if you serve it with rolls & a nice salad. I, personally, love the smooth buttery texture & flavor of baby swiss, but I don't recommend using it in this recipe unless you want the cheese to melt all into the broth & become invisible. A good alpine swiss or something similar does great. For the recipe....
Broccoli Cheese Chowder-Mom Whipple

To cut costs, you can substitute the 1 c cream for another cup of milk & cut the cheese in 1/2. It won't be as good, but it's still pretty delish.

2 lbs broccoli
25 oz (about 3 c) chicken broth/stock
3 c milk (I use whole milk)
1 c chopped cooked ham
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 c cream (light/heavy it's up to you)
1/2 lb grated swiss cheese
1/4 c butter

I just boil the broccoli in the chicken broth until its fork tender but not overdone but I think mom steams it first & then adds it to the broth so whichever way you like works fine. After you've got your broccoli cooked & added to the chicken broth add everything else & stir until the butter & cheese are melted. Salt & pepper to taste & serve. YUM!

Gumpaste blossoms

2009-11-11T17:28:00.001-06:00

Kay, so here’s my first blog about the gumpaste flowers. (See, I told you it was coming.) You can thank my friends Carolyn & Jewelle for this getting done. They came over today & made peony centers & helped with rose buds saving me huge amounts of time I'm using to catch up on things I've been putting off like this post. The pictures aren't all great and some of them wouldn't rotate even though they were rotated in Picasa so I don't know, but at least I found my camera. I’ll give directions for a generic fruit blossom this time & follow up with a rose and then an orchid. I’m also giving a link to a really good video on doing orchids because sometimes it’s just easier to “get it” if you can see someone else doing it & this is a pretty good video. There are various things you’ll need for each one, but some of the tools/equipment you’ll need for all of them. I’ll list the shared tools at the beginning with how much they cost me and then list any additional tools needed under each specific flowers’ instructions. So….are you ready?

General supply list:
Gumpaste $8.99
Binder (I use 1 tsp tylos powder mixed w/ 2 T water in a cleaned out McCormick spice jar. You can also make a binder by putting a chunk of gumpaste into the water & shaking or letting it sit until it’s dissolved, but I don’t really know amounts for this method.)$2.79 for 6 grams & still haven’t used up
Floral wire (the gauge depends on the flower) $1.27 per pack
Cornstarch (I put ½ cup in a new knee-high nylon stocking doubled around itself. It’s perfect for dusting just the right amount & you can just keep it in a snack-sized ziplock w/ your other stuff.) $.78 per box
A small rolling pin (you can use a regular one, but it makes it harder. You could also use a pasta roller if you have one.) $ um I can’t remember……$3.5 ish maybe
Ball tool $4.49
Paintbrushes (nothing fancy needed here, just not plastic bristles) $1.99
Small cell board (optional for a lot of things but really necessary for any leaves/lilies/orchids or anything with a vein running up it.) $24.49
Petal dusting powder in whatever color you want about $3.5 per color
Floral tape in either green or brown depending on what you want the stem to look like $1.27
A block of Styrofoam $1.69
Cel pad with Mexican hat holes in it (It’s a foam pad with little holes you use for shaping & thinning the petals/leaves) $14.99
Grand Total Damage: $61.41 + tax ouch I know. Sometimes you can find deals & sometimes there are people who are getting out of cake decorating who will sell you their stuff really cheap if they don’t just give it to you. Keep in mind though that everything but the gumpaste is something that you’re not going to have to buy again. Even the gumpaste you’re not likely to need to buy again for quite some time so long as you keep it stored airtight because you don’t use much at once. Here’s a picture of most of the general supplies & some of the flower specific supplies.

Okay, we’ll start with a blossom. You’ll need the things listed above plus: white button thread $1.27, 1 T cornmeal ? I dunno $.05, gauge 24/26 wire (already listed), brown floral tape (already listed) & a 5 petal blossom cutter $5 for a set of three sizes
First, cut your wire into 5” sections (no need to be exact here) & tape them with the wire. Cut one for each blossom you wish to make. To tape them, twirl the wire while stretching and pulling the tape in a downward angle. The tape should be tightly wrapped around the wire without buckles or gaps along the stem. Tear it off at the bottom.
Wrap the button thread several times around three fingers creating a loop. Slip the loop off your fingers & cut it in ½ creating several 2-3 inch pieces. Pick 8-10 of these pieces & fold them in half over the end of one of your taped wires then fold the end of the wire over them and twist it back onto itself.

Choose the desired length of your stamens (I usually go about ½ inch for blossoms but it depends on the variety of flower. I think the one in the picture is longer.) & cut the threads. Dip just the tips of the thread into your tylos mixture & then dip the tips into the cornmeal. (If you want a pollen color other than yellow, just mix a little gel food coloring into the cornmeal. I also added a small amount of cocoa powder to the “pollen” for the peony centers to get the right color. Rub it between your fingers to mix the color in using gloves unless you like colored fingers. The color won’t be ‘uniform’ but it’s not in nature either so don’t worry.) Put your little stamen stick into the styrofoam block until it dries. (Usually an hour.)

Knead a marble sized piece of gumpaste until it is soft & pliable in your hands (dusting with a little cornstarch if it sticks to you). Roll it into a ball & then shape a little ’mexican hat’.

Put the top of the ‘sombrero’ down one of the holes on your cell pad & roll out the rest until it’s as thin as you can get it. Use your petal cutter to cut out the blossom shape making sure that the top of the ‘sombrero’ is in the center. (Sometimes this is easier to do by taking the piece of gumpaste out & flipping it over & centering the cutter over the little part that sticks up.)

Once it’s cut out, use the large end of your ball tool to thin it a little more if needed. (You can shape it into a dogwood blossom by snipping a little cut at the tip of each petal. It will separate a little as you thin & shape it.) Roll the tool towards the center of the blossom over the gumpaste to create a natural curl towards the middle. Use the small side of the ball tool to lightly frill the edges if you want frilled edges (I did.)

If needed, separate the different strands on one of the ‘stamens’ with a toothpick. Dab a little tylos mixture on the ‘stamen’ piece you made right where the thread & wire meet. Thread the ‘stamen’ through the top center of the blossom making sure that the wire goes through the little point at the bottom of your blossom. Pull it down just until the wire is hidden & gently squish the gumpaste around the wire at the base. Gently shape the petals to close in or out depending on the look you’re going for. Stick the end of the wire in the Styrofoam & let it dry 24 hours. (If you want it to dry ‘closed’ it’s best to hang it upside-down to dry.)
Once it’s dry you can dust it. This is the kind of thing you just get as you go along. Several things affect the way the petal dust will look on your flowers: how much dust you put on the brush (remember to tap it on the side of the container before you dust), the size/shape of your brush, how fast/slow you brush, the direction you brush in. It’s usually-but not always-best to brush in one direction on the petal. I go towards the outside edge of the petal so I don’t get excess dust where I don’t want it. If I’m trying to highlight some texturing I might do a light brush from side-to-side across the petal. You can dust just the tips of the blossoms, just at the creases where the petals meet, just the centers. You can work from a picture you’ve seen or just get creative. To make it more realistic looking I usually dust the bottoms of petals/blossoms with a small amount of color that matches the color of floral tape I’ve used. (If it’s green I dust the very bottom with green & then add a teeny tiny bit of yellow above that.) Voila! You have a blossom. It seems like it takes forever (& it kind of does) but it takes less time the more you practice.

Bake Therapy

2009-11-10T14:42:00.003-06:00

Okay, so you know those people who-when they're really having a cruddy day and nothing is going right-turn straight to chocolate or ice cream or both. I'm not one of those people. Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely an emotional eater. Happy, sad, angry. I have an emotion & I find a food. But if I want to relieve stress, I bake. Cooking is for everyday, but baking is therapy to me. Not bread or biscuits kind of baking either. I'm talking cakes, pastries, holiday foods, not-the-kind-of-food-you-eat-every-day-unless-you-want-to-weigh-400lbs kind of baking. Today I made cake. I needed to test a yellow cake recipe for the wedding coming up, so I decided to whip up a 1/2 batch of smitten kitchen's recipe. (Which, by the by, isn't bad. It's not fantasmically stupendous, but it is-after all-just yellow cake & that's not really my thing.) I filled my mini muffin tin & popped it in the oven to bake & looked at the remaining batter about .2 seconds before I decided to play around with it a little. I divided it up & made a batch of pumpkin pie cupcakes w/ fluffy cream cheese icing & pineapple right-side-up cakes with whipped caramel pecan icing. The variations are both pretty good. I like the pineapple upside-down bites better I think, but maybe that's because I'm in the mood for coconut. I think the pumpkin one might be a little bland, but I did eat it right after the pineapple variation which is really sweet, so I'll try it again later. The chocolate icing recipe of smitten kitchen's is pretty good & super easy too. It works with milk/white chocolate too if you want to try that. The boys are down for a nap so I thought, what the heck, why not blog it. So if you want the recipes here they are...
Here's a link to smitten kitchen's yellow cake recipe which I used as a base. Like I said. It's good-for a yellow cake.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/07/best-birthday-cake/

You can use it or just use a boxed yellow cake mix. I find that when I'm doing mini cupcakes/muffins the easiest way to do it without making a mess is to put the batter in a ziplock & cut off the corner & use it like a pastry bag to fill the cupcake liners. Less drippage.

pumkin pie cupcakes (makes 24ish mini cupcakes)
1 1/2 c yellow cake batter
1/2 c pumpkin puree
3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or a rounded 1/8 tsp each of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice & cloves)

Mix it all together & fill muffin tins nearly to the top (this doesn't rise much).They bake at 350 for 18 minutes and (presumably as I have not tested it) 30-35 min for a regular cake

Fluffy cream cheese icing-Makes plenty to ice 24 mini cupcakes & give to your in-house quality control agent(s)
I just made my plain cream cheese icing & added 1/4 tsp of pumpkin pie spice then folded in 1 cup of whipped cream. That was the plan anyway, but I was out of whipped cream. Oh well, I'll try it another time. It would be quite good I think. I think this is pretty close to mine off the top of my head, but if you have one you like just use it.

Cream cheese Icing
8	oz	soft cream cheese
1/4	c	soft butter
1	t	flavoring
	1 c	powdered sugar (measured & then sifted)

	Beat the cream cheese & butter until completely smooth. Add the remaining ingredients & beat again until completely smooth.

pineapple right-side-up cakes (makes 24 mini cupcakes)
1 1/2 c yellow cake batter
1/2 tsp coconut extract
rounded 1/3 c crushed pineapple
12 marachino cherries, cut in half

Mix batter, extract & pineapple together & fill tins about 3/4. Put 1/2 a cherry on top of each one. & bake at 350 for 18 min.

Whipped Caramel Pecan Icing- makes enough to ice 24 mini cupcakes
5 T butter
5 T brown sugar (okay, I lie. I was out of brown sugar so I used 5T granulated sugar & added 1/4 tsp molasses, but it's practically the same thing.)
2 T water
2-3 T chopped pecans
1 T cream cheese

Melt butter in a small saucepan, add sugar. Bring it to a boil & give it a quick stir (not too much or you'll ruin it) & then add the water. Stand back because the water creates a lot of steam & you don't want to get burned. Cook it almost to soft ball stage. About 225 degrees. Take it off the heat & let it cool completely. Whip it with a whisk attachment on you hand/stand mixer until it turns a light color. Then fold in the pecans....at least that was my plan. Then I got distracted & let it cook to 250 degrees & promptly took it off the heat & stuck my hand mixer with the whisk attachment right into the boiling caramel & let 'er rip. (Be careful if you choose to be crazy like me please.) I whipped it about 2 min & noticed there was a little separation going on so I drained off the excess butter. (At this point I tasted it & it was a little grainy which had me worried, but no fear, it gets smooth.) I added 1 T of cream cheese straight from the fridge & beat it another 2 min then folded in the pecans. I actually like it. It's super sweet, so you just need a little dab on each cupcake. Little pineapple upside-down bites. I'm not sure how it would have turned out had I followed my original plan (which did not include cream cheese) but I really like how this turned out. It's perfect with the cupcakes! The cupcakes really are good all on their own, but this really channels the old-fashioned variety.

Happy eating!

Beef Stew

2009-11-09T17:44:00.001-06:00

So, this Friday at the Gathering Place we're having beef stew & rolls for lunch & Emily asked me how to make beef stew & I'm 100% sure I left out important ingredients when telling her because that's how I am since I rarely ever measure & always just kind of cook on the fly. To fix that little mistake I made beef stew tonight & actually paid attention to what I did. Yay me! So here's my beef stew recipe, hearty, simple & delicious (I'm so humble).
Beef stew- makes a 5 qt pot (which is the "large pot" I'm always talking about in case you wonder)

Buy the absolute cheapest beef you can find because by the time it's done it WILL be tender, I promise. Also, if you do use canned veggies-and I do if that's all I have on hand-then don't bother draining anything. However, I do recommend buying no salt added canned veggies. The difference in sodium PER SERVING is usually around 300 grams. It's always best to add whatever salt you want yourself.

1 lb stew meat
1 bay leaf
water
salt
4 russet potatoes, big cubes (like 2x2 inches) peel if you want to
1 medium onion, rough chopped
1.5 cups each fresh/frozen: corn, green beans, peas
1 can of stewed tomatoes
4 carrots, peeled & rough chopped
2 celery ribs, rough chopped
5 c beef broth
salt & pepper

Put your beef in a large pot & cover it with water. Add a little salt (I dunno, 1/2 tsp?) and the bay leaf. Turn it on high & bring to a boil uncovered. A gross looking film usually develops. Just get a skimmer or slotted spoon & scoop that stuff off the top and into the disposal. Turn the temp down to medium, put a lid on it and cook for about 1 1/2 hours. Yes, that's forever & yes it's important. It's what makes the meat tender & juicy. Yours might take more or less time depending on the quality/cut. Just make sure it's fork tender.Then throw in all the veggies & the broth & cook on medium until the veggies are done. You can turn it on low & leave it on the stove until dinner or you can serve & right then. Before you serve, add salt & pepper to taste.. If it's too salty just add some water. It keeps great in the fridge &, like many wonderful foods, is even better the second day. Make sure you don't serve the bay leaf to anyone. If you're nervous about it just fish around in there till you find it & scoop it out. Enjoy!

Easy, Creamy Chicken Bake

2009-11-07T18:38:00.000-06:00

In an effort to use up the last of the rough pastry I made up a chicken thing tonight. It was creamy, cheesy & quite good. We all really liked it & at the end of the meal Jon pronounced that I should blog it so here I am. If you don't have rough pastry on hand you could use store bought croissant rolls and I'm sure that'd be good too but you might need to adjust the cooking time & temp. Short blog tonight because I have a headache again. Love this pregnant thing I gotta tell ya. Real quick though: Ryan got his first two teeth a couple of days ago. Yep, they came it at the same time and it's about time since he's 10 months old. Although he proved to us that one doesn't really need teeth if one is determined enough since he was eating pork ribs (or porkcicles as someone called them) at a chili cook-off we went to at Jon's work a couple of weeks ago. (I'll see if I can get the picture his friend took.) Also, Christopher scored a goal in his soccer game today. He's really gotten so much better since the first game. He's more focused & is starting to get the idea behind soccer. Anyway, for the recipe...
Creamy Chicken Bake
We ate it all (2 adults, 4-year old, 3-year old & a baby) but the two boys eat as much or more than I do most nights so.....It made a 9x11 casserole dish if that helps you decide how much to make.

1 1/2 c cooked chicken/turkey, cubed
1 can cream of chicken soup
4 oz cream cheese, softened (I nuked mine 30 sec straight from the fridge)
1/2 tsp rubbed sage
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 onion, diced (I used a cheese grater, but Ethan won't eat onions if he sees them)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 c sharp cheddar cheese
8 pieces of rough pastry measuring 6x4 in approx. (If you're using croissant rolls I think you'll need 16 so you can put them together to form a square 'pocket' for the filling.)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix the first 8 ingredients together & put a good spoonful into the center of each pocket & fold it over & crimp the sides together. Make sure they're pretty full & don't worry if you think it might leak out a little. No biggie for this dish. Put them in a foil-lined casserole dish & use whatever sauce you have left to go over the top. I just had enough to put one spoonful on top of each one. Pop it in the oven & let it cook 30 min or until it starts to brown on top.

*Notes*
Jon said the only thing that would make it better for him is to put asparagus inside the pockets too. I thought that was a great idea.

I was thinking as I filled them that you could also do this with a Mexican flavor twist to it. Instead of the sage add 1/4-1/2 tsp cumin (depends on how much you like cumin =P) & top it with salsa when you serve it. Might be good. I'll have to try it sometime.

Happy eating!

Mille Feuilles

2009-11-06T09:09:00.000-06:00

Mille Feuilles (mil foi) is a lovely creation of the French also sometimes called a Napoleon. They may be screwy on a lot of things, but those Frenchies know how to make some delicious food. Since I mentioned it in last nights post, and since you really only need pastry cream, berries & some powdered sugar to make a lovely mille feuilles I thought I'd oblige you this morning. You can make a savory mille feuilles with cheese & spinach or pesto, but I've got pastry cream on the brain, so that's what you're getting. For the recipe....
Vanilla Pastry Cream makes 3 ish cups (I never really measured, it gets eaten too fast)

2 c milk
1 vanilla bean (or 1T pure vanilla extract)
6 egg yolks, whipped
2/3 c sugar
2/3 c flour (or 1/3 c cornstarch if you prefer)

In medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup milk, egg yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, and flour/cornstarch & set aside. In a saucepan add remaining milk. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the milk & then add the vanilla pod to the milk as well. Sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup sugar over the milk & let it sink undisturbed to bottom. Set pan over medium heat and bring to simmer without stirring.

Whisk hot milk mixture, & gradually whisk 1/2 cup of the hot milk into egg yolk mixture.(You're tempering your egg yolks here so you don't get scrambled egg cream. Not quite as tempting.) Add the tempered egg mixture to the rest of the milk in the pan & return it to the stove, whisking constantly, until pastry cream simmers and thickens, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, discard vanilla pod, and whisk cream until smooth. Pour into a bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto surface so you don't get a 'skin' on the top of it. Chill until cold, about 4 hours if you have huge amounts of self control or just until it's cool enough not to burn your mouth if you're me because I have to make sure that the quality control tests are done. Pastry cream can be made ahead and refrigerated, wrapped well with plastic wrap on surface, up to 3 days before you plan to use it. Some other ideas:

Instant "Pastry Cream": For desperate moments or when time is short, make a small package of instant vanilla pudding using 1 cup of milk. Whip 1/2 cup heavy cream (36% butterfat) until stiff and fold it into the pudding along with 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract. Or, for even better (although still packaged) flavor, use cooked-style vanilla pudding prepared as directed on the box and chilled; mix with the whipped cream, then add the vanilla or almond extract

Praline Pastry Cream: Fold 1/4 to 1/2 cup powdered nut brittle into the warm, finished pastry cream. (Grind the broken pieces of brittle to a powder in a food processor or blender or put in a plastic bag and pound with a hammer.)

Chocolate Pastry Cream: Melt 3 to 4 ounces finest-quality semisweet, bittersweet, or unsweetened chocolate in a double boiler, then stir it into the warm, finished cream. The amount of chocolate depends on how much chocolate flavor you desire; I prefer the maximum & I like it dark.

Almond Pastry Cream: Stir 1 teaspoon almond extract into the pastry cream. You can also add 1/2 cup (2 ounces) ground blanched almonds to make this into Frangipane, great filling for fruit tarts.

Orange/Lemon Pastry Cream: Add 1 tablespoon grated orange/lemon zest to the custard mixture before cooking. Stir 4-5 drops of food-grade orange/lemon oil into the warm, finished cream.

Whipped Cream Pastry Cream: Set the pastry cream aside to cool, then chill while you whip 1/2 cup heavy (36% butterfat) cream until stiff. Fold the cold creams together.

Anyway, for mille feuilles you just layer the cooked puff pastry, pastry cream & the berries of your choice (sliced strawberries or fresh raspberries are great) into little sandwiches & dust with powdered sugar. SO GOOD. It's a little hard to cut & keep it pretty, so if I'm serving it to guests, I bake the puff pastry in triangles & make several finger-sized mille feuilles. Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie w/ Saffron, Fennel & Rough Pastry-mmmmmm

2009-11-05T21:56:00.000-06:00

We had the missionaries over tonight so I needed something that could just cook while I cleaned my house so that I could pretend that it always looks neat & tidy. (You're laughing, but if you have kids you do it too my friend.) So I made a rough pastry this morning to use as a crust (I've also just put biscuit topping on it before & that's good too) & did the rest in the afternoon.

Our new Elders nice. I don't really know them yet, but they seem like they'll be hard workers. (They'd better be, because I'm none too inhibited to say something to them if they're slackers.) One of them-Elder Scow (?sp?)-is from Hurricane, near Panguitch. It made me think of the drives I took with Gram & Gramp Stellmon while they were staying with us down there because Gramp like to make up little songs about Hurikin & Laverkin (that's how they pronounce it out there-Hurikin). One drive we took I nearly killed us all not 500 feet from Papa & Grandma's house. It winter there, so we're all bundled up-even Molly (my Grandpas fat little dachshund). I'm driving along & I see that Mollys' front legs have come out of her little sweater so I-brilliantly-let go of the wheel & turn to my right to fix it for her. Just as I get it done Gram shouts "Stop!" from the back seat. I hit the brakes without even looking up which is good because the car stopped about 1 inch from a telephone pole. On one side was a stop-sign and on the other was a guy-wire from the pole. There was about 2-3 inches of clearance on either side of the car. Yep, I'm just that good. I like to blame it on the fact that I was 7 or 8 months pregnant with my first kiddo & not a lot of blood was going to my brain at the time. Who knows. =P But I backed up & off we went to Zion's National Park as though nothing had happened. Gram was either very brave or very desperate to get out that day, I'm not sure which. Anyway, here are the recipes...
Rough Pastry
This is like puff pastry only it takes about 1 hour to make instead of all day. It turns out just as good for anything but the fanciest desserts & tastes exactly the same. This is what professional chefs use a lot of the time to save time.

12 oz flour
3/4 tsp salt
12 oz COLD UNSALTED butter, cut into small cubes
6 oz ICE COLD water

I do it in ounces because that's the way I measure when I'm baking. If you don't have a kitchen scale, get one. Just kidding. 12 oz flour is around 2 1/2 cups give or take depending on your method.

As for the butter, take it out of the fridge right before you mix it into the flour & it will be perfect. You might think, "Ha! I'll just use regular butter and omit the salt. Silly, silly girl. Salted butter can contain as much as 3% salt PER STICK (about 3/4 tsp) but that varies from brand to brand and even within a brand in different parts of the country. Basically, if you use salted butter in anything, then you have no idea how much salt you're putting in. Now, to continue...

Sift the flour and salt onto the cold cubes of butter. Using a pastry scraper or a large chef's knife, cut the butter into the flour. You don't want to actually touch anything with your hands because heat will transfer & it will melt the butter sooner. Puff pastry works because the thin layers of cold butter trapped between the thin layers of dough create little steam pockets of sorts & puff it up when it cooks. If you melt the butter it won't work. Mix it until you have a crumbly mixture. Flatten any large chunks of butter if needed. Add the ice-cold water a little at a time to loosely bind the dough. Mix the dough with the pastry scraper until it just hangs together. It looks messy & useless at this point. Shape the messy, shaggy dough into a rough rectangle and roll it out until it's 1/2 inch thick. (Resist the temptation to overwater or overwork the dough; it will eventually hold together.)

Use the pastry scraper to fold the dough in thirds-the same way you would fold a piece of 8x11 paper to go into an envelope-so that you have 3 layers where you had one. (For even more layers, once the dough gets smooth, fold it up like a book. To do this, fold the two shorter sides into the center and then fold the dough like a book so there are 4 layers.) At this point don't worry if it folds in pieces-it probably will. Turn the package of dough 90 degrees so the folds run vertically. Square off the edges of the dough as you work, but don't be too picky about it. Roll the dough into a rectangle that's 1/2 inch thick, always rolling from open end to open end. Continue rolling, folding, and turning until the dough looks smooth. By five(ish) "turns," the dough should hang together well. Don't do it too much or you'll melt the butter. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge for 30 min before giving it two final turns. At this point, you can then use the dough, but another short rest will make rolling and shaping easier. Voila! It makes great desserts (mille foi anyone?) and fantastic entrees and a huge number of tantalizing appetizers. I used a double recipe to put a crust on top & bottom of the pot pie tonight & still had a small amount left over that I'm going to roll bacon, cheese & scrambled eggs in & bake in the morning for 'hot pockets' that the kids love for breakfast. If you're going to make it you may as well make a double recipe because it freezes beautifully. Just fold it, wrap it in parchment/freezer paper & stick it in a freezer bag. When you want to use it put it in the fridge to defrost over night & you're good to go.

Chicken Pot Pie with Saffron & Fennel
Okay, okay. Yes, saffron is a WEE bit expensive. However, you use VERY little at a time (a single pinch in this recipe & it makes a 9x13 pan. Which-BTW-just fed our family & two missionaries.) You can use fresh fennel in place of the seeds if you want. I just always have fennel seeds in my spice cupboard & its less to wash & chop. Fennel smells like black licorice-which I don't like AT ALL-but it complements the other flavors really well.

3 c cooked chicken
2 T butter
2 T oil (olive, veg, whatever)
6 med potatoes, peeled if you want, then cubed
6 med carrots, peeled & cubed
1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/4 tsp fennel seeds, chopped small (or use a spice grinder)
1 pinch of saffron threads, (grind them between your fingers as you put them in to release flavor)
1 T sugar (doesn't make it sweet, just highlights the savory flavors)
2 t salt (plus more or less at the end when you adjust)
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t ground sage
2 c fresh/frozen green beans
2 c fresh/frozen corn
1/3 c chopped frozen spinach or 1/2 c chopped fresh (DO NOT use canned-trust me)
3T flour
1 c chicken broth
1/4 c cream (optional)
1 c milk (you can use more broth if you want)

Just a note about the chicken & veggies. I usually boil a whole chicken, de-bone it & use it for several meals in a week. You could also just boil chicken breasts or thighs if you want. I boil them because it makes for tender, juicy meat. However, you could also just use some store-bought rotisserie chicken, leftover turkey, or cube some chicken & throw it in your butter & oil to cook before you add your veggies (you might need to up the butter/oil to do this though), or you could just leave out the chicken & make a veggie pot pie. I make this often when I have 1/2 cup of 12 different veggies in the freezer that I need to use up. Just throw in whatever you have in the freezer & fridge & it will be fine.

If you're doing a bottom crust, preheat your oven to 425 & bake it about 20 minutes. Poke holes in it to release stem because you don't want the bottom to poof up too big. If you have pie weights use them.

Heat the butter & oil in a big pot. Throw in all the veggies, sugar, salt, pepper, saffron, fennel seed, & sage & give it a stir. Add your chicken & just enough broth to make 1/2 inch of liquid on the bottom of the pan. Pop the lid on & let the veggies soften, stirring every so often. I have no patience & I like a little brown on my veggies, so I do this on medium. The veggies will produce more liquid, so you usually don't need to worry about that, but add more broth if you need to. (You want the veggies to still have a little crunch to them, because they're goin in the oven too, so don't overcook them.) Once the veggies are ready, add the flour & give it a stir. Cook a minute or so & then add about 1/2 cup of broth, the cream if you're using it, 1/2 cup milk & stir it. Add more milk/broth as needed to make a gravy-like sauce on the veggies. Salt & pepper to taste & pour into your pan. Top with your crust (or dollops of drop-biscuit dough if you like) & pop back into the oven (425 for 20-25 min if you're using the rough pastry & 350 for 15 min if you're using a biscuit top). It's ready when it's golden brown on top. Delish!

Peach Chicken & 15 min Polish dinner Plus...artichokes

2009-11-04T18:48:00.000-06:00

We had the Markhams over for dinner the other night & Jon requested that I make peach chicken because I hadn't made it in a while. This is one of those rare made-up dishes that I actually remembered to write the ingredients down at the time I made it. Yay me!

The 15 min Polish dinner came about because I've been busy all day making gum paste flowers (10 roses & 6 blossoms go me) & didn't want to put much effort into dinner.Which is also why there are no pictures tonight. Sorry. Don't worry though, I am taking pictures of the process and sometime when I have a few spare minutes (ha ha ha) & Jon's not home (because he hates when I'm on the computer for more than 15 minutes without him) then I'll put up the pictures & instructions for the flowers.Anyway, it turns out that this cheap (less than 75 cents per person) & super easy dinner rates MUCH higher on the deliciousness scale than the rather fussy butternut squash ravioli of last week so say the men in my house. That tends to be the way of it doesn't it.

Hey, if anyone has the 'perfect' pumpkin roll recipe post it. I'm searching for my favorite version and have yet to find the right one. I like to taste the spices in the cake part, & I like the cream cheese type fillings, but not too sweet. Thanks for the help.

On another note, my dear sweet little heathens, reminded me that my belly is getting bigger. E-"Mommy, I'm going to eat all my lunch so my tummy can grow big like yours" C-"No Ethan, your tummy can never get THAT big, Silly." Thanks boys for keeping me grounded I need that. =P

Anyway, for the recipes
Peach Chicken
This recipe is pretty easy, but it does require 3 pans (counting the pan you cook your rice in) so it makes cleanup a less-than-easy task.

First off, start some rice. I make about 1 cup (1/2 c dry) per person & I use calrose (medium grain) because I like the flavor & texture better, but you go with what you like.

Sauce
1/2 c peach jam/preserves
1 T soy sauce
dash sesame oil
1 clove garlic
couple of hits of red pepper flakes
2 T diced peach
2 T diced onion
1 T vegetable oil
1/2 tsp coriander (which I totally forgot to add when the Markhams were here, oops)

Throw it all in a saucepan on the back burner & cook on med to med low while you do everything else.

Peach & onion topper
1 peach, peeled, pitted & thinly sliced
1/4 c onion thinly sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 T vegetable oil

In a frying pan heat the oil. Add the peaches, onions, salt & sugar & saute until soft & set aside. Then wipe out this pan & use for the chicken. (If you're using canned peaches, don't put them in until the onions are soft & only let them warm up before removing. Don't stir them too much or they'll be mush).

Chicken
3 boneless skinless breasts
salt
pepper
vegetable oil for frying (peanut oil if you can afford it)

Heat some vegetable oil in your frying pan. Pound the chicken thin, salt & pepper each side & fry until golden brown on both sides. Once you put it in the hot oil don't mess with it until you can see the sides getting golden & the meat looks 'almost' done or you'll ruin the 'crust' of golden brown that will develop. It should be thin enough that this takes less than a minute per side. You'll have to do this in batches replenishing the oil in your pan as needed.

When it's all done, plate your rice then top with sauted peaches & onions, chicken then the peach sauce. It's a little sweet, a little savory & one of Jon's favorites.

15 min 'Polish' dinner
SO EASY
2 T veg oil
2 T butter
6 russet potatoes, peeled & diced
3/4 of a medium green cabbage head roughly chopped
1 small onion, rough chopped
1 small bell pepper, rough chopped
12 oz kielbasa sausage, cut bite-sized (I used a smoked variety, but whatever you like works)
1 tsp salt plus a little more if you like
pepper as much as you like
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder

In a large pot heat the oil & butter, add the potatoes, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, onions & bell pepper & cook 5 min. Throw the cabbage & sausage in & give it a good stir. Put the lid back on & let it cook until the cabbage is cooked to your liking. We like it mostly done, but with a bit of crunch left in it. Give it a stir ever few minutes if you think about it. I don't like sausage (I pick it out actually) but I really like this dish & I like the flavor it gives the veggies.

Brandi called tonight & asked how to cook a fresh artichoke because she's making spinach artichoke dip. While explaining it to her I decided it would be easiest for her to have pictures to look at and since I'm not going to cook an artichoke & take pictures just for her at this moment-sorry Brandi I love you but come on-I gave her this link which I will shamelessly pass on to you. Great instructions & pics on fresh artichoke preparation. Enjoy! http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_cook_and_eat_an_artichoke/

Off to family prayer & scriptures. Hope you have a great week!

Popcorn Balls & Butternut Flop

2009-10-27T21:00:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I've resigned myself to the fact that I suck at getting in a post everyday & will have to be satisfied that I'm doing this at all. Oh well, moving on.

For Family Home Evening last week we made popcorn balls. It's a recipe I found of Paula Deans on foodnetwork. The woman knows how to make a popcorn ball. Jon says he would prefer them a little crunchier so if that's the case with you just cook the syrup to soft crack I think. (I've never actually tried this though.) We made them orange in honor of Halloween & gave them out to some friends. We're making another batch this week to give out at the trunk-or-treat on Saturday.

I had a brilliant idea to use up some won-ton wrappers in my fridge. Butternut-sage ravioli in a brown butter sauce. I liked it, but Jon & Christopher said it was okay as long as they picked off the craisens & walnuts & Ethan-who also picked off the craisens & walnuts-didn't like it at all. I said I was going to blog it anyway because I wanted to blog flops too & Jon said "It's not a flop. Not like mom's clam linguini." (Sorry Mom Whipple, I don't think you'll ever live that down.) Anyway, I baked the squash before I realized the won-ton wrappers in question were already bad so I ended up making fresh pasta & in corporating a little sage into that as well. It made a load of filling (3 or 4 times too much for the amount of pasta we made) but I'm just going to add some chicken broth to it & make it into a soup for lunch tomorrow because the boys both liked the filling alone. We had a salad beforehand which I ate with Poppyseed & Caramelized Onion dressing & the males all drowned in Ranch.(Long sigh.) It's a bit labor intensive if you're making the pasta fresh, but not so much if you just use won-ton wrappers. Even though it wasn't a hit with the men in my house, I'm going to give the recipe for it anyway because I liked it alright & because maybe one of you could make some improvements on it. For the recipes.....

Popcorn balls-Paula Dean (with a few tidbits by me)
Ingredients
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 18 cups popped corn (This was 1 cup unpopped in my air-popper)
(food coloring if desired)
*NOTE*
You cannot use microwave popcorn for this recipe. The popcorn will melt & you will have a soupy mess that tastes good but nevertheless cannot be given to anyone. If you don't have an airpopper you can put plain popcorn kernels in a brown paper bag & fold it over & pop it in the microwave. I have no idea how this is different than the store bought popcorn bags, but it must be because this way it doesn't melt. Search me.

Directions
Pop your popcorn. In a medium saucepan, combine water, sugar, syrup, vinegar, and salt in that order. Don't stir anything. Just turn on the heat to medium or so & let it go. When it starts to bubble add your coloring if you're going to. (1 red to 5 yellow makes a nice orange). Still don't stir. The bubbling action will mix the color in. Once the color is mixed in pop your candy thermometer in there making sure it doesn't touch the bottom & cook over high heat until mixture reaches 255 degrees F (hard-ball stage). Take it off the heat & stir in the vanilla (or peppermint would be nice at Christmas). It will create some steam, so don't burn yourself. You can stir it at this point. Grease a huge bowl (big enough to toss your popcorn around) with softened butter & pour your popcorn into it. Pour the syrup over the popped corn, tossing gently to coat with a buttered spoon. When mixture is cool enough to handle, press popcorn into 3-inch balls with lightly greased hands or a pair of decorators gloves (really worth it if the munchkins are helping). Cool completely on waxed paper or aluminum that you've sprayed with PAM. Her directions said it made 14-3 inch balls. Her ruler must be bigger than mine, because it made 23-3 1/2 inch balls when we did it. We sprayed some seran wrap with PAM and wrapped them all up. (Welll, all the ones that made it that long anyway. They're pretty good.)

Butternut-Sage Ravioli -severely adapted from a recipe by Giada on food network
1 medium butternut squash, halved & seeded
2 T olive oil
1/4 tsp plus a pinch or two kosher salt
pepper
1/4 tsp plus a pinch or two sage
1 large onion, diced
1 T butter
2 cloves garlic, diced (or one large clove)
1/2 -1 c chicken broth
1 c whole milk ricotta cheese
1 c mozzarella, shredded

Brown Butter Sauce-99% Giada here(she uses a LOT more sage & no nutmeg)

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
pinch of sage
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries, or chopped dried cherries, or mixture of both
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
pinch of fresh nutmeg
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Drizzle some olive oil over the squash then sprinkle with a pinch each of kosher salt, pepper & sage. Turn face down on a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil & pop into the oven for about 30 minutes. Test it with a fork & when its tender on the top (skinnier) part then take it out & scoop the insides into a food processor. While its cooking, caramelize your onion with a Tablespoon each of butter & olive oil & a pinch of salt & sugar. Throw that in the blender & zap it with the squash. While it's going, add the ricotta, garlic, mozzarella, 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp sage, a dash of pepper & as much of the broth as is needed to get a smooth-but not runny-consistency. Salt & pepper to taste. You're done with the filling. This can be done a day or two in advance & popped in the fridge.

To make the ravioli, lay out 6 wonton skins, keeping the remaining skins inside the package or under a very lightly dampened paper towel. Place 1 tablespoon of squash mixture in the middle of each skin. Dip a pastry brush in a little water and wet the edges of the skin. Gently fold the square wrapper into a triangle, making sure the edges are securely closed and there are no air pockets inside. Dampen the two bottom corners of the longest side of the triangle and gently bring them together, pressing lightly to secure. Place the formed ravioli on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Before laying out another 6 wonton sheets, be careful to dry the work surface. This will help keep tortellini from sticking to the baking sheet. Continue until you have about 36 ravioli. (The ravioli can be formed, frozen on the baking sheet, transferred to a tightly sealed plastic bag or container and stored for up to six months. To cook, just toss into salted, boiling water and cook for 4 minutes.)

To make the sauce and serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat.

Add the sage, walnuts and cranberries and let cook until the butter starts to brown, about 3 minutes. Turn the heat off and season with salt, and pepper.

Stir to combine. Then, gently place the raviloli in the boiling water and gently stir. When they begin to float they are done (about 3 minutes). Using a slotted spoon, gently spoon the ravioli onto a serving platter, Top with the brown butter sauce, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese & nutmeg and serve. Voila! Okay, not voila. I said it was a little labor intensive though didn't I. If you want to make your own pasta (& I don't recommend doing this unless you have a pasta roller or you'll struggle getting it thin enough) then I'll give you the recipe for that as well.

2-Egg Pasta
2/3 c semolia flour (just use regular if you don't no worries)
1 1/3 c flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
(for this recipe I also added 1/2 tsp rubbed sage)
2 eggs, room temperature
2 ish T of water

Combine dry ingredients. Add wet ingredientws and mix just until dough forms a soft ball. Let rest, covered 1 hour. (I only let it rest 20 minutes tonight because I was in a hurry, but it's best to give it the full hour) Divide into 3 portions & roll out as thin as possible (I go to an 8 on my roller). Dry 10 minutes. Cut & shape (& fill if you're doing that) & dry 30 min. (I totally skipped this part tonight. *blush*) Then cook 4 min in gently boiling water. That's it.

Feelin' Frenchy

2009-10-19T18:53:00.001-05:00

So, Sunday we had crepes for breakfast because I'd been craving them. My husband may be hard to impress culinarily speaking, but my kids always come through for me. I made 40 or so crepes & every single time both boys said "Wow mom, you're so cool!" They're fans of anything you can flip. I get the same reaction from pancakes.=) For lunch we had Croque Madame which is Frenchie for a grilled ham & cheese w/ an egg on top. They loved that. Christopher ate two sandwiches-and they're filling. I saved 8 crepes (minus the two I ate late last night with vanilla ice cream & raspberry sauce) and we're having dinner crepes tonight. I'll admit, it was a fight to save that many, but I was successful. Last night we had a picnic in a local park together. It was great until it started to get a little dark. Ethan, bless his little chicken-butt heart, started crying & Christopher-ever the obliging older brother-started talking about wolves coming out to eat us. Once we were in the van & he had calmed down a little bit I told him that when he's scared he can say a prayer & Heavenly Father will help him to be brave. He asked where Heavenly Father was & when can we go see Him. I told him that Heavenly Father is in Heaven & I don't know when we get to see Him, but the only way we can is if we make good choices & repent when we make bad ones. Christopher then pipes in with "Well, then you don't get to go see him yet, because you yelled at me." From the mouths of babes. I swear, that kid... Anyway, here are the recipes...

Crepes (It’s prounounced Krep not crayp)
They take a little practice, but don't give up. It's worth it. Besides, the 'ruined' ones make good snacks while you practice.

3 eggs

1 c milk (or ½ milk & ½ cream if you like. I’ve even used ½ milk & ½ water in desperation & they came out fine)

3 T melted butter

1 c flour

½ tsp salt

More butter for greasing pan between crepes

Throw it in a blender & zap it till it’s smooth. Let it sit ½ an hour in the fridge for best results or even overnight. (We skip this sometimes but the thing is, crepe batter needs to be runny while pancake batter needs to be thick. Crepe batter is better if you've let each tiny piece of flour absorb all the water it can, and this happens very slowly. If you just add more water to a thick crepe batter, you really won't get the thin crepes you want, just watery mush.)

Once you’re ready, heat a skillet up on medium and set a plate & your batter where they’re easy to get to. I pour about 1/4 cup in the middle of a 10" pan, and immediately swirl to get full pan-bottom coverage. It takes only about 40-60 seconds to get to a dry enough state to turn, then only on 2nd side for about 15 seconds. You can tell that the first side is done because it turns to a matte finish instead of a glossy sheen. Turn pan at a 90 degree angle over a plate and the crepes fall right out. Stack them as they finish. I’m told, but can’t confirm, that you can freeze them if you layer them between parchment sheets & double ziplock it. They never last that long around here. I made 40 this morning & it was just enough for breakfast with 8 leftover for dinner crepes. You can add a T of sugar to the recipe if you want, but I find the fillings are usually sweet enough and this way I can use them for dinner crepes too. For dinner, we caramelized onions, summer squash & zucchini w/ butter, olive oil, a pinch of sugar & two pinches of salt. Once it started to caramelize we added some thinly sliced chicken & browned it too. A dab of cream finished it off & we folded that inside the crepes. Lovely.

Sweet Filling Ideas

Jam, Apple butter, Nutella (the sweet nectar of Heaven), Butter and powdered sugar, Sliced bananas with chocolate sauce and whipped cream or ice cream, crepes Suzette (it’s an orange flavored sauce, google a recipe), Fresh berries (with a little sugar & whipped cream if you like)

Savory Filling Ideas

Grated cheese such as Gruyere or Comte, Sliced ham, Egg (broken and cooked in the crepe), Sauteed spinach, Sauteed mushrooms in cream sauce, Mushroom and chicken in cream sauce, Shrimp and shelled mussels in cream sauce, (I like cream sauce okay), Ratatouille (a vegetable melange made with eggplant, red peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, and onions) , caramelized onions plain or with chicken, sliced cooked sausage, Salad with vinaigrette

Croque Madame for 2

4 slices of bread plus butter for each

4 slices of Gruyer (or swiss, or cheddar or whatever you like)

4 slices ham

2 eggs

1 T butter

In a frying pan melt 1 T butter on medium heat. Crack in (without breaking the yolks) two eggs. Sprinkle w/ salt & pepper. Sprinkle in a little water to steam & put a lid on it. Cook until they’re how you like them, I like the yolk a little runny but ALL of the white cooked and that takes 1 min or so.

While that’s going butter four slices of bread. Put two on a hot griddle or frying pan & top w/ cheese & ham (we actually used cracked pepper turkey breast today.) Top with your other two slices & toast on medium until your bread is golden and your cheese is melted. Put on your plate & top with your eggs. You can top it off with a béchamel or mornay sauce if you like (We skipped it today). Voila! Croque Madam.

Other stuff you could also add or substitute: tomato slices, blue cheese, gouda, smoked salmon, cream cheese, cooked potato slices, tomato salsa…pretty much anything goes. Just don’t overcook your eggs.

Béchamel Sauce

* 5 t butter
* 1T + 1 tsp all-purpose flour
* 1 1/3 cups milkhttp://a19.g.akamai.net/7/19/7125/1450/Ocellus.coupons.com/_images/showlist_icon.gif
* 2/3 t salt
* pinch freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a light, golden sandy color, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until just about to boil. Add the hot milk to the butter mixture 1/3 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Season with salt and set aside until ready to use. You can add 1/4 to 1/3 c grated cheese to this to make it a Mornay sauce.

Bacon Tomato Cappalini and a Wedding

2009-10-17T19:00:00.000-05:00

To start, I mistyped a measurement in the Mac & Cheese. There wasn't enough cheese, but if you made it I'm sure you realized that and fixed it. So....some good news. I'm doing a wedding cake at the end of November. The weekend after Thanksgiving to be precise. I'm actually doing the wedding cake, the grooms cake and an additional 1/2 sheet cake for the family the night before. The bride, a girl named Katie, had a picture of the exact cake she wanted-with a few color changes-so that makes that part really easy. It's really pretty; 3 tiers of red velvet cake with raspberry filling with almond flavored cream cheese icing covered in marshmallow fondant (which isn't as gross as the other kinds) with silver swirled fondant accents and violet and off-white flowers of various sorts. It's going to be loads of fun and I promise to take pictures of the process so you can 'watch' it being made. The grooms' cake is a devils food cake with chocolate icing and a nutella filling. It's to be decorated as a boxing ring for two 'rock-em sock-em's; one dressed as the groom (the loser) and one dressed as the bride (the winner). A little weird, but it will be fun too. Anyway,we had Bacon-Tomato Cappalini for dinner so I'll share that recipe too. I'll post the cake & icing recipes when I do the cakes in November.Recipes.........
Bacon-Tomato Cappalini
1 lb cappalini noodles (spaghetti works fine)
3 T good olive oil
4 slices thick bacon or 10 of the thin stuff, diced
2 garlic cloves
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1 bunch green onions (about 6), diced
4 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 tsp dried basil or 1 tsp fresh basil
1/2 tsp dried rosemary or 1 tsp fresh rosemary
1/2 c parmesan, grated (the stuff in the green can is NOT parmesan)
salt & pepper to taste

*NOTES*
Bacon is easier to 'dice' with a good pair of kitchen sheers if you have them.

If you have trouble peeling garlic try one of these methods. #1: Turn a butcher knife on it's side and smash the garlic clove. The peel just comes right off & then you can dice it. If you want it undamaged try method #2: Cut the top and bottom off and roll it between your palms or in a towel. The peel comes off pretty easy. I use this method when I want to get the garlic extra fine because I need it whole to grate it on my microplane.

Cook your noodles in a large pot & drain in a colander but don't rinse. Pop your noodle pot back onto the heat & turn the heat to medium. Add the olive oil and bacon. Saute that for a minute or two or until the bacon reaches the crispiness level you like. This really differs with the thickness of your bacon too. Add the salt and garlic and saute 30 sec or so. Add your noodles & toss to coat in the oil. Throw in the rest of the ingredients and salt & pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh basil & parmesan. (I didn't have enough parmesan left in the fridge tonight so I used a combo of parm and romano & asiago. Anyway, that's it. Bon apetite!

White Chili, Cornbread, & Stove-top Mac & Cheese

2009-10-12T14:14:00.000-05:00

We had a semi-cool day yesterday, so I jumped at the chance to make White chili since I've been craving it. If you've never had white chili, it's made with chicken instead of beef and uses cannellini beans instead of kidney beans. It's delicious, and approaches perfection when served with warm cornbread. So we're eating dinner last night and Christopher asked us what beans grow. (When he was little he wouldn't eat carrots until I told him they made his eyes grow strong. Now he loves carrots and he asks what nearly everything he eats will grow. If I know, I tell him-ie milk grows bones, meat grows muscle, etc-and if I don't I make it up. Did you know peas grow your nose and broccoli grows your hair?) Anyway, before I could think of anything, Jon pipes in with "They grow your bum. Beans are a magical fruit." It was all I could do to get him to not finish that little ditty. Just what I need. My 4-year old singing about magical farting fruit. Lovely. I'm also including the corn bread recipe for those who don't use Jiffy and my Easy stove-top mac & cheese which we're about to sit down and eat for lunch. It's not any harder than making the Kraft boxed variety, but it's cheaper and healthier. Anyway, here're the recipes....

White Chili
8 chicken breasts diced (when money's tight (when isn't it?) I only use 2 and it still tastes great it just ends up being more of a bean chili with chicken rather than the other way around.
2 med onions, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T oil (veg or olive is fine, or use butter if you want)
28 oz chicken broth

EITHER
1 lb dry white beans (cannellini, great northern, navy) cooked, rinsed and drained
OR
5 15 oz cans cannellini beans rinsed and drained

9 oz canned chopped green chilis undrained
1 t each salt, cumin, oregano & chili powder (more or less chili powder based on spiciness wanted)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (this amount makes a mild chili, add more if you like a kick)
1/8 tsp ground cloves (I think I use a little more than this. It's what gives this chili it's unique flavor.)

Saute the chicken, onions, garlic and oil till the onions are translucent and the chicken is cooked. Pour in the broth and add whichever beans you're using as well as the chilis. Add the spices and simmer until it reaches the consistency you want. (I like mine nice and thick, but some prefer theirs a little soupy.) Serve with cornbread, saltines or tortilla chips. Some nice garnishes are: cilantro, cheese, sour cream

Gram Stellmons' Basic Cornbread
1/2 c melted butter
2/3 c sugar
2 eggs
1/2 t salt
1 c buttermilk (or 1 T white vinegar plus enough milk to make 1 cup)
1/2 t baking soda
1 c cornmeal (I prefer medium or coarse grind)
1 c flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees & grease a 9x9 pan. Beat the butter, sugar, eggs, and salt till well blended. Add everything else and mix till everything is incorporated. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30 min. Check with a toothpick in the middle. If it comes out clean it's done. Cool 10 min then cut & serve. (Mine never makes it to the 10 minute mark if Jon's home, but do what you can.)

*Note*
These are some add-in ideas I've had, but I haven't tried them all yet: 1/2 c of roasted whole corn kernels, some pepper-jack cheese, a diced jalapeno, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 c pork kracklins, 1 T wheat germ, 1 c crispy bacon crumbles, golden raisens, craisens, crushed fennel seed...

Cheap & Easy Stove-top Mac & Cheese

*Note*
This recipe calls for sharp cheddar. Even if you're one of the loonies out there-like my honey-who doesn't like sharp cheddar use it anyway in this recipe. It's got a stronger flavor so you can get away with using less. More bang for your buck and all. Any strongly flavored cheese that melts well will do the trick though. If you want, try gruyere, gouda, pepper-jack, swiss, etc. If you want to use a milder cheese, you'll just have to add more. But come, be a little daring. I suggest trying a new one each time you make it. I bet you'll be surprised at what you like.

2 c dried noodles
2 T butter
2 T flour
1/3 c milk (you can add a touch of cream or coffee creamer (reg/powdered) if you like super creamy mac & cheese)
1/2 c grated sharp cheddar (or a big handful)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
dash of pepper
dash garlic powder
dash onion powder
more salt & pepper to taste

Cook your noodles, making sure to salt the water. (It gives the noodles flavor from the get-go). Drain the noodles and put them right back into your pot. Add everything else and stir till the sauce forms. (1 min or so) Add more salt/pepper as needed. All done! This recipe is really basic & easy, but it can be a good starting point for getting really creative, so have at it. (I usually add a little mustard powder to this dish, but only if Jon's not having any or isn't in the kitchen to see me add it.)

*Note*
When the boys first had this Christopher almost had an aneurysm because it wasn't yellow. I then added a stage 1 jar of baby food pureed carrots. It solved the problem and boosted the nutritive value all at once. (After he ate it the color wasn't a problem anymore. He's just a wee bit anal about things being the way they 'should' be.)

Apple Harvest Hoedown...

2009-10-07T20:57:00.000-05:00

I do some volunteer work with an organization called The Gathering Place. We meet once a month and provide free respite care for those with Alzheimer's, dementia or other conditions needing 24-hour care. Each month we do games, exercises, crafts, music, entertainment, memory exercises and we have a home-cooked meal. I'm supposed to be taking a break from doing things as per my doc. but I convinced my mother-in-law (who I enlisted as a regular volunteer but who turned out to be the BEST resource I have & she now basically does everything=P) that making lunch probably wouldn't kill me so I get to help again this month. (I know you're only taking care of me ma.) I only get to do the main dish, someone else is doing the dessert. However, I really DO love cooking so I played with apples a lot this month. I couldn't find a recipe I liked for a main dish that used apples but would be economical to make. After all, we have to feed 30ish people with a total of $50 for all the food. So I thought a bit and came up with this Chicken, apple & stuffing casserole thing and tested it on my family tonight.(The meeting's on Friday, I'm not cutting it close at all.) It was a hit with them so I'm trying it out on The Gathering Place gang this Friday. It doesn't seem to make a whole lot, but it's really filling. I'm going to serve it with some home-made rolls & I'll give that recipe too. I'm not sure if the casserole recipe is exactly right yet, so if you have any suggestions chime in. I'll also share the recipe for my kids favorite new breakfast concoction; an apple saute that is easy & fantastic on pancakes, waffles, cake, ice cream, whatever. So, here are the recipes....
Chicken Apple & Stuffing Casserole serves 4 (unless they're bottomless like my honey then maybe only 2)

2 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 t sage (Gram said she didn't use nearly this much-she had sage in her stuffing though. Try 1/2 tsp if you like)
a dash of allspice
1 onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 chicken breasts, diced
1 apple, peeled, cored & diced (any kind would be fine I think. I used Gala)
2 T flour
1/2 c apple cider/juice
1 c milk
1/4 c cream
1/2 t chicken boullion
Salt & pepper to taste
2 c prepared stuffing (store-bought or home-made are both fine)
Craisens to garnish

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On med hi saute the butter, olive oil, sage, onion, salt & celery till onions start to brown a little. Add the chicken & cook until it starts to brown a little. Add the apples and cook about 1 min. De-glaze the pan with the apple cider then add the flour & cook 1 min. Add the milk, cream & boullion & cook until it has a gravy-like consistancy (about 1-2 min.) Add just a dash of allspice and salt and pepper to taste. Pour it into a bread pan (no need to grease) & top with the stuffing. Try to make sure the whole top is covered. Bake 10 at 450 degrees then broil on low for 2 min to crisp up the stuffing. Let it cool a minute so it can set up. Garnish with craisens.

I'm going to serve it with green beans & rolls. (If you've never made fresh green beans just lightly steam them then toss with butter, kosher salt & little garlic powder.YUM.)

Basic Bread/Rolls-from my sister Brandi

*Note*
If you're making whole-wheat bread substitute honey for the sugar-SO much better-& add 1 T of gluten per cup of whole wheat flour (it's in the baking section even at wal-mart if you've never used it). So, if you use 1 c white & 2 c whole wheat you only need 2 T gluten. It can seen a little pricey, but you don't use much at a time. It's what makes the whole wheat bread not so dense and you'll be glad you bought it.

1 c lukewarm water
2 t yeast
3 c flour
3 1/2 T sugar (Let's be honest I'm not measuring 1/2 T so I use either 3T or 4 T depending on the day.)
2 T powdered milk (or 1 T regular milk if you must)
1 t salt
3 T butter (I use shortening when we're really poor. Not quite as good, but it gets the job done.)

Mix the water & yeast in a small bowl & set aside. Mix the dry ingredients together & cut in the butter. Once the yeast is all dissolved (about 5 min) add it in & mix. Turn out onto a floured counter & knead until it's smooth, shiny & elastic (about 10 min or 3 if you have a stand mixer and a dough hook =P). Coat a clean bowl with oil & put dough in & cover with seran wrap or a kitchen towel to rise. It needs to double & that takes from 1 to 1 1/2 hours depending on the temp of where you put it. In an oven that is NOT on but has the light turned on inside is a good place. On a hot day, in the front seat of your car in the driveway is a good place, but really anywhere relatively warm and draft-free works. Once it's doubled punch it down & let it rest 10 min & then shape it however you want: loaf, braid, rolls, etc. Let it double again (this one only takes about 30 minutes because your yeast is already going strong). Preheat your oven (seriously you MUST have it at the right temperature before you put the bread in-trust me) & bake it for 15-20 minutes. For a soft crust, butter the top every 5 min during baking.

Apple Saute
Peel, core & slice up some apples (usually one per person gets it, but if they're hearty eaters do two)
Pick a skillet/pot appropriate to the amount of apples you have &, in it, melt about 1/2 T butter per apple when the apples start to get soft add about1/2 T brown sugar per apple (more or less depending on you), a pinch of salt & whatever spices you want. We've tried several different spices and as many combos. Here are a few ideas that work well to get you started, use them separately or combined in any way: Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves (sparingly), pumpkin pie spice, allspice. Happy Eating!

Got a little lazy this weekend.....

2009-10-07T20:08:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to post at least one recipe per day so that-eventually-I'll have all the recipes I love online. This weekend was General Conference weekend and I failed miserably. This is just a catch-up post to get back in the swing of things. I figure it's a good day to do it since I'm stuck on the couch trying not to throw up. Love being pregnant. Yay. The catch-up recipes will be a collection of cream soups since that's what I ate all weekend. I'll do potato soup, cream of poblano soup, broccoli chowder & cauliflower soup. The kids were GREAT during conference on Saturday. They listened to the whole first session quietly and 1/2 of the second before they got restless. Not so much on Sunday, but still not bad for a couple of little heathens. Since Conference though, my 4-year old has been saying "you shall...." whenever he wants us to do something. As in "Daddy, you shall come and look at my bedroom." He's such a little weirdo. I love him. If you want the recipes...
As always my measurements are approximate. Use your taste buds to adjust.

Potato Soup
1 c chopped bacon (it's like 1/2 a package if you buy the thin kind and about 4 slices of the thick kind)
1/2 c butter (that's right, throw in the whole stick)

1 med/lg onion diced
2 carrots, diced
1 T sugar
1-2 t salt (I like Kosher)
1 can evaporated milk
1/4 c flour

6-8 c milk
2 T cornstarch
1 c cream *optional*
6 c diced cooked potatos (or enough to fill your pot 3/4 full)

*NOTE* I like my potato soup to have nice chunks of flavorful potatoes and a creamy, rich sauce so I boil the diced potatoes in chicken stock or I salt them and steam them in the microwave if I'm feeling lazy. However, if you like the potatoes to be a little 'mashed' so that you can taste the potato all through the 'soup' part as well, then make the soup as directed, but add the potatoes in at the end raw and let them cook in the soup. Both ways are good, pick your poison.

Additional salt and pepper to taste

Saute the bacon in the butter till it starts to brown. Add the carrots, onions, salt and sugar and cook till the onions are translucent (sometimes I cook them till they're caramelized because I love caramelized onions). Add the flour and stir it around for a minute. Add 2 ish cups of the milk stirring so you don't get lumps. Add another 2ish cups and stir a little more. (Think of it as making a kind of runny gravy.) Mix the cornstarch with the cream (or a 1/2 cup milk)

Cream of Poblano Soup- A little more work than some soups, but delish anyway.
(I’m a wimp when it comes to spicy food, if you’re not you’ll want to up the pepper count)
2 T olive oil
1 poblano pepper
3 c diced chicken
1 c corn
3 T butter
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves
3 T flour
3 ½ c chicken broth
¼ c chopped cilantro
¼ c chopped parsley
2 c whole milk
1 c whipping cream
Salt & pepper to taste
Garnishes: tortilla chips, avocado, Mexican blend cheese, lime wedges, sour cream & extra cilantro
Toss with a little olive oil & grill the pepper(s), corn & chicken till they have a nice brown look. If you don’t have a grill, pop the pepper(s), corn & chicken in the oven & broil. The peppers will be done first, then the corn then-a bit later-the chicken. When the pepper’s done, take it out & put it in a paper bag or wrap it in seran wrap. Set the corn to the side, & dice the chicken. (You could also pick up a rotisserie chicken from the store & just shred it if you want.) While that’s going, in a large pot sauté the butter, onion & garlic till onions are translucent. Add the flour & sauté 1 min. Add the chicken broth. Get your pepper out now & peel it, seed it and chop it up. (USE GLOVES. If you don’t have gloves, wash your hands with vinger, then soap & water & repeat once to get all the capsaicin-pepper oil-off your hands.)Add the cilantro & parsley then puree with an immersion blender. (Or, you could do it in a regular blender in batches). At this point, you can strain it if you want, but I don’t. Add the milk, cream, chicken & corn & simmer 10 min or so. Salt & pepper to taste. When I serve it, I have a bowl of each of the garnishes on the table that people can garnish their own soup with as they choose.

Broccoli Chowder-from Mom Whipple
2 lbs broccoli
25 oz chicken broth
3 c milk
1 c chopped, cooked ham
2 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 c cream
½ lb grated Swiss cheese
¼ c butter
Cook & drain the broccoli. Add everything else in and heat through. Easy Peasy.

Cauliflower Soup-Created in a desperate attempt to use up a whole head of cauliflower one day. I think I remembered the measurements about right, but you know me so taste as you go.
1 head of cauliflower, chopped up
2 potatoes, chopped
4 T butter
½ onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled & chopped
4 t sugar
4 t salt
2 t pepper
½ lb turkey burger
1-2 c chicken broth
6 c milk
¼ c asiago cheese, grated
Boil the cauliflower & potatoes together in a big pot then, strain & reserve. Rinse out the pot, and add the butter, onion, carrots, sugar, salt, pepper & turkey burger. Blend ½ the cauliflower & potato mixture with the chicken broth in the blender. Just add enough broth to get it going. (This helps thicken the soup, but you can omit this step if you feel like it.) Add the blended veggies, the unblended veggies, the milk & the cheese to the pot & heat through.

Saved by soup.

2009-10-02T17:32:00.000-05:00

TMJ is not fun my friends, not fun. I'm not sure about all the technical stuff, but for me it means that eating a mini muffin nearly causes tears. We will be having soup the next few days. My husband really loves some soups, but he thinks soup should be relegated to the cold weather season and suffers in silence the rest of the year when I make soup. Those of you who don't live in the south are thinking, "Well, October IS cold weather season, so that's good." Let me explain, when you live on the gulf coast "winter", as it is loosely dubbed, consists of 1 1/2 months of weather that makes you think, "Hmm, maybe I'll wear pants instead of shorts today." I MISS SNOW. (griping over now). So tonight I'm making minestrone. It's hearty enough for my hubby and anything I can't eat without actually chewing I can just leave out of my bowl. Cooked carrots are soft right?=) Want the recipe?

This soup lends itself really well to using up whatever random things are in your pantry or leftovers from the fridge. I like mine a little soupy, but if you don't just use less stock or more stuff. Tonight, mine looks something like this......

8 cups chicken stock/broth
one bay leaf
some sage
some rosemary
a little thyme

The last of the Italian meatball from the freezer (but sweet Italian sausage is SO good in this-& I hate sausage
But if you use a raw meat, cook it in your soup pan first with the herbs & a little EVOO)
an onion, diced bc my 3-year old hates onions but this way he won't know they're there
a couple of carrots, peeled & chopped
a couple of celery ribs, chopped
a can of stewed tomatoes
a couple of cups of cooked beans (tonight I'm using up leftovers; a mix of light red kidney, cannelloni, great
northern and garbanzo)
a can of green beans
a cup of frozen corn
a little pepper
a cup-ish of pasta (pretty much any smaller pasta will work here; macaroni, rigatoni, farfalle, fiori, fusili...etc.)

Throw it all in a pot-except the pasta-& bring to a boil. Lower the temp and simmer till you're ready to eat. Add the pasta about 7 minutes before you're ready to eat ( it will still cook even in your bowl as long as the soup is hot, so you don't want to overdo it and have soggy pasta).

Muffins & Measuring cups

2009-10-01T09:39:00.000-05:00

With my other pregnancies I never really had cravings (unless you count the fact that I threw up EVERYTHING but vanilla ice cream and skittles for about 8 months with my first child). Not so this time. Cravings ALL the time. Yesterday it was muffins. I'm not really a muffin person, but sometimes you just need a muffin. So I e-mailed my friend Leah and she sent me her Anyfruit Muffins. I'm not really a baker, I'm a cook. This is primarily because I'm too efficient (read lazy) to measure things properly. I'm more of a dump & taste kind of girl which doesn't work quite as well with baking as it does with cooking. In fact when I did wedding cakes for some friends I ended up buying an electronic kitchen scale so I could still dump things in but also have it turn out right every time. I reccomend this to all you lazy bakers out there. Measuring cups are so passe-get a scale!=P Want the muffin recipe?

Anyfruit Muffins-Leah Thompson makes 24 muffins in a regular muffin tin
Preheat oven to 375
mix in a bowl:
1 1/2 c sugar-brown, white, whatever (I've used less & it works out fine)
2 c flour-any kind or combination
2 c oatmeal
1 t EACH baking powder, baking soda, salt & cinnamon
Then add in:
2 c applesauce or any blended fruit (I haven't tried it yet, but I bet carrots/sweet potatos would be good)
2 eggs
2/3 c oil (or 1/3 c oil & 1/3 c more fruit)
mix & pour into pans bake 15 min if in regular tins 25 if in jumbo tins & 10ish if in mini tins

Pee soup?!

2009-09-30T19:14:00.000-05:00

I love my kids. I have 3 fantastic boys and dull is not a word that describes our home. I love that they love food too. My 3-year old loves goat cheese en croute (Frenchie for goat cheese and toast) & both he & my 4-year old love eggs benedict. (But who doesn't, really, since it involves hollandaise sauce?) So it was no surprise when they both shouted "YAY!" when I told them we were having pea soup for dinner. However...a few minutes into dinner my 4-year old looks at me and says-picture a very serious face here-"Mommy, pea soup doesn't come from our penis right?" Reassured that it did not, (after a short lauging fit by me & dad) he went on to eat 3 bowls. Kids. Want the pea soup 'recipe'

one bag of split peas (I think they're 16 oz)
one onion rough chopped
a couple of carrots peeled & rough chopped
some garlic
1 knorr chicken boullion cube
1 or 2 celery ribs rough chopped
Some cubed ham or cooked bacon if you like it.

Stick it all in a big pot & cover with water. Boil it till the split peas are soft. This depends on your altitude. It can take as little as 30 min but I usually leave it going for a while. Just remember to add more water if it gets low. Use an immersion blender & zap the whole thing till it's nice & smooth. (If, you poor abused soul, you don't have the wonderous toy called immersion blender, you can just blend it in batches in a regular blender. But seriously, get one. I have a KitchenAide-yay for Christmas!-and I use it all the time.) Sometimes I add a handfull of spinach or whatever random veggies I have in the fridge because once it's all blended you usually can't tell. Be bold, be adventurous, I always say. When it's all blended salt & pepper to taste then add the ham/bacon. This makes a big pot of it, but me, my husband & our 3 boys polish it off in one setting every time. (The 9-month old even gets it in a bottle & loves it!)