Cookin' Up Trouble

What we did over our holiday break...

2012-01-02T21:28:00.001-06:00

So besides that pre-Christmas baking spree, I did almost NO other cooking. I couldn't. We were so busy trying to get the house ready for Little C that there just wasn't time. Despite the fact that I feel more and more like a beached whale every day, these seriously might have been the most productive 6 days we have ever had.

My view of the world these days.

We've been in our house for a little over 5 years and never really defined a purpose for each of the other three bedrooms. Basically they became collect-all rooms full of a random assortment of junk and none of them were really functional. With Little C's arrival only 6 weeks away, it was time to spring into action. Closets needed to be cleaned out, rooms needed to be painted, furniture needed to be moved, purchased or thrown out and new carpet needed to be installed. That's a lot of work.

Once furniture was loaded up there wasn't anywhere else for the Hubs to sit.

The front areas of our house became an obstacle course filled with displaced furniture.

While I didn't get any totally "before" pictures, here are a few from very early on in the process. You will still get a clear picture of the chaos.

What becomes the Guest bedroom... before.

What becomes Little C's room... before.

What becomes the Hub's office... before.

There were several late nights of furniture assembly and furniture moving. Our fingers are still sore from all of those little IKEA parts, but it was worth it. A few shots of the work in progress:

Hubs assembling the first of 3 pieces of furniture that night.

The crib was so much easier to put together than this dresser. So. Many. Pieces.

Finally, we reached a point where the rooms were pretty much done... or at least are functional. These are not the final "after" pictures (a few things left to be done), but they still make me smile.

Guest bedroom

Little C's room. Yes, it's PINK!

The Hub's new office. He can find everything now.

Since we have finished these rooms I cannot begin to express how much better I sleep at night. At least if the little one decides to make an early appearance we'll be ready. Next up: learning how to set up the Pack-and-Play.

Holiday Re-Cap (...so far)

2011-12-26T09:39:00.000-06:00

First off, a little humor to get things rolling this morning. This comic strip was in the paper the other day and for whatever reason I could not stop laughing. I love Rhymes with Orange.

It was so nice to have the entire week off of work to spend a little time getting ready for the holidays. I was able to clean out a few drawers, cabinets and just try to get the house ready for Little C's arrival, in addition to making numerous trips to HEB and spending a lot of time in the kitchen tackling new projects.

On one of my trips to HEB last week I heard a familiar voice as I was double-checking my list to see that I had gotten everything. When I looked up, much to my surprise, I saw Scott McClelland standing right in front of me!

I think Little C was excited also!

In case you don't know who he is, here is an excerpt from his bio on Forbes.com:

"Mr. McClelland is President of H.E. Butt (H-E-B) Grocery Company's Houston and Central Market Division. H-E-B is the 13th largest grocery chain in the United States with over 55,000 employees and 300 stores in Texas and Northern Mexico."

He stars in all of the HEB commercials they run on TV here in the area and since I love me some HEB (and spend way too much time and money there) he is a celebrity of sorts! Turns out he is one of the nicest people. When I shyly asked if I could have my picture taken with him he immediately stopped what he was doing, wrapped his arm tightly around me and gave a genuine smile. After posting the photo on Facebook I was amazed at the comments people made about how involved he and his wife are in their church and other charitable organizations. He's the real deal.

I also tackled 2 items from my Baby Bucket List: Salted Caramel Sauce and Caramel Frappacino Cupcakes. I slightly overcooked the first batch of caramel sauce (however, I loved the deep color and slightly burned/rich taste, so I kept it for myself), but was able to get the second batch just right. It is delicious! In fact, I was so pleased with the result and how easy it was to make that I ended up cooking another double batch. Yum.

This was my breakfast on Christmas Eve

I used some of the Salted Caramel Sauce in the Caramel Frappacino Cupcakes. Overall, I would give these little guys a 6 out of 10. However, I think they can be a 10 out of 10 with just a few tweaks, so I will be trying them again sometime soon. If you choose to make them here are a few tips:

The cupcakes cook quickly. The recipe says 20 minutes. I took them out at 16 minutes and they were still slightly overcooked and a little dry. Next time I'm yanking them at 13 minutes.
My mousse never set up as well as it should have. Maybe I didn't beat my whipping cream long enough before I folded it in to the egg and sugar mixture or maybe the ratio is just a little off. Just know that it's not a thick mousse.
Although they need to be stored in the fridge, let them completely come to room temp before serving them (30 minutes out on the counter should do it). If you don't, the Swiss Meringue Buttercream will remain too firm and the flavors of all of the components won't fully develop.

I also found time to bake up a batch of super-simple Almond Biscotti and some Blood Orange & Clementine Marmalade. Sadly, I didn't take pictures of either of these before giving them all away, but both were beautiful and incredibly tasty.

The various Santas in my life gifted me with some amazingly fabulous items over the past few days that will only enhance my cooking and blogging experiences. They are so 'me' and I can't wait to share them with you. I hope your holiday has been full of love, laughter and close friends and family thus far and that those things continue into the new year.

A "Bucket List" of Sorts

2011-11-28T21:30:00.000-06:00

I hit the beginning of my third trimester last week. How can that be?!?! It seems like only yesterday that we received the shock of our lives when we found out I was pregnant and then a month later had it confirmed by the doctor and got to see an image of the little one for the first time.

The last 28 weeks have been filled with so many exciting moments. All tests have come back with good results for both the baby and me so far and I have managed to stay very healthy (no swelling, high blood pressure, morning sickness or even a cold). About 2 months ago we learned our baby is a girl! I was so happy that I started crying right there on the ultrasound table. Little C is growing like a weed and makes her presence known on a very regular basis. I've been feeling kicks for almost 3 months and finally about 3 weeks ago The Hubs was able to feel her move too. I'm amazed by how strong my love for her is already and I haven't even met her yet.

Little C grabbing and playing with her toes

I know that our lives are about to change forever. Our time will no longer be completely ours, but will instead be largely spent taking care of and enjoying Little C. If I'm completely honest, in some ways that makes me a little sad. For the past 6 years it's been just the two of us (wedding anniversary was this month) and we've really enjoyed that season of our lives. Although we feel incredibly blessed and cannot wait to bring Little C home, change can be tough. I know there will be an adjustment period for all of us and yes, things will never be the same, but I'm also expecting these to be really good changes. I cannot wait to see what our little family of 3 is like.

The Hubs and I

However, I am determined to make the most of these last 10 pre-baby weeks so I've come up with a Pre-Baby Bucket List. These are things I've always wanted to try/do and if I'm realistic about it, probably won't have the time or energy to try them for awhile once Little C arrives.

1. Attempt a souffle
2. Make a salted caramel sauce that will make my sister drool
3. Cook a meal that includes duck breast for the Hubs (he's been asking for years). Ideas anyone?
4. Make a batch of these Frappacino Cupcakes
5. Make homemade pasta

My goal is to do a post about each of these as I attempt them, whether I succeed or fail! Wish me luck.

Thankful

2011-11-24T10:08:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving is my sister's favorite holiday. She loves the Thanksgiving meal - the sweet potatoes, cornbread dressing, green beans, cranberry sauce, gravy and turkey. It's a meal she looks forward to all year long. Seriously. She's hard-core. Me, I like Thanksgiving, but surprisingly it's not the food part as much as the whole spending time with family and friends thing. I think the big reason why is because I'm not really a turkey fan. It's okay, but I've never had one that blows me away. And I don't like that jellied cranberry stuff either. Do those two statements make me un-American?!?!

GROSS!

We did Thanksgiving with my extended family this past Sunday and it was wonderful. Despite the 80+ degree temps, everyone had a wonderful time stuffing their faces and catching up on life. Mom and Sis are both nurses so we've become quite creative over the past 5 years as to when we actually celebrate the holidays. We're going to my in-laws' a little later today for a small family meal. It's quite nice - two Thanksgiving celebrations, but they aren't squeezed into the same day!

How we entertained ourselves at our early Thanksgiving dinner

I'm struck this year by how many things I have to be thankful for. I'm thankful that even though last year was one of the toughest of my life (personally and professionally), I was able to learn so many valuable lessons from it. I'm thankful for my family, I no longer take their health for granted. I'm thankful for my job, I no longer just assume that because I'm a teacher I will always have one. I'm thankful for the friendships we have, they truly have become our extended family. I'm thankful for the Hubs who keeps me sane and supported me through last year. I'm also thankful for his incredible talents and how he is able to use them to bless so many other people. Finally, I am thankful for Little C. This unexpected blessing has already changed our lives so much and she's still just cooking! God definitely knew what our little family was missing.

Little C @ 20 weeks (she's a LOT bigger now)

One last thing I'm thankful for: non-traditional Thanksgiving desserts. We don't have these often (Dad loves and insists on the traditional pumpkin and pecan pies), but occasionally I try to sneak one in. One of my favorites is Pumpkin Creme' Brulee. Super simple and super delicious! A great make ahead dessert that pairs perfectly with those Thanksgiving leftovers everyone nibbles on all weekend.

PB & C

2011-11-14T20:27:00.000-06:00

I think I've blogged about making these before.

I cheated this time though. I used a box mix for the cupcakes and only made the frosting myself. That's my Lazy Girl short cut for when I'm in a time crunch. My theory: If you use delicious frosting nobody will notice that the cupcakes are just "okay".

Chocolatey Stacks of Goodness

2011-11-06T18:40:00.001-06:00

Our PTO held a luncheon for us the other day. The dessert table is always my favorite part of the event. Good stuff. Always. Yesterday however, there was something new. Reese's stuffed Oreos. No, that is not a typo. It's a Double Stuff Oreo with a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup stuck in the middle and then dipped in chocolate. I didn't have one (I'm a slow eater and they were all gone by the time I got to dessert), but all of my friends around me did get one and said they were amazing.

They looked pretty simple to make so this morning I purchased some supplies at HEB and get to work. Turns out they are even easier to make than I thought! The dipping was incredibly easy because the Oreo filling acts like a glue that holds everything together. Hardest/most time consuming part was untwisting the Oreos.

For each 10.5 oz bag of snack size PB cups you will need one 15.35 oz package of Double Stuff Oreos and a 1/2 pound of melting chocolate. Simply sandwich a PB cup between 2 Oreo halves and then dip the stack in melted chocolate, put it on parchment paper-covered cookie sheet and allow it to chill for about 15 minutes. That's it.

I'm thinking these are going to be my "Go-To-Dessert" this holiday season. So easy. So rich. So yummy.

Cookin' Up Somethin' New

2011-07-30T21:54:00.000-05:00

So, I obviously haven't posted much this summer. At all. Ugh. This is the one time of year when I actually have time to do lots of cooking and write ups and I have not taken advantage of it. That makes me sad.

The truth of the matter is that I just haven't felt much like cooking. What have I done a lot of? Napping. And snacking. And then napping some more. And avoiding strong smells. Basically, I haven't been very productive when it comes to things around the house this summer.

So what have I been doing? Surviving my first trimester.

Turns out this Cookin' Up a baby thing is hard work! So glad these first 3 months have passed and so looking forward to that 2nd trimester burst of energy that should show up any day now...

Foil Dinners... Italian Style

2011-07-01T17:29:00.001-05:00

Any former Girl Scouts out there who fondly remember the requisite foil dinners you would make on every troop camp out? I loved those things. Such a nice combo of chicken, potatoes, green beans, carrots and spicy seasoning (Lantana was my favorite!)... Mmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about them. In fact, both my sister and I loved them so much my mom used to let us make them at home and cook them in the oven or on the grill. I guess she gave in because they were not fussy, quite healthy, cleanup was a breeze and everyone could make their meal to suit their own taste.

Turns out you can make lasagna foil dinners! I had no clue you could make lasagna on the grill until I read the most recent issue of Food Network magazine. The method works so well with my summertime aversion to oven usage. The process is really simple and easily customizable since you're making individual serving packets and not an entire pan, which is great for a families where everyone wants something different!

Lasagna Foil Dinners
(adapted from Food Network Magazine July/August 2011; serves 4)

12 no-boil (oven-ready) lasagna noodles
10 oz fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
pinch red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 T olive oil, plus more for drizzling
3 large tomatoes (2 sliced and 1 chopped) or 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1/4 c pesto
5 oz baby spinach
1 c Italian sausage, browned
1/3 c ricotta cheese
1/3 c fresh herbs, chopped (parsley, basil and/or mint)

1) Preheat grill to medium. Combine mozzarella, grated parmesan, red pepper flakes, 1/2 t salt and all but 1/4 t of the garlic in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to combine. Season the sliced tomatoes with salt.

Lasagna Foil Dinners assembly line

2) Lay out 4 double-layer sheets of non-stick foil (or just PAM you're regular foil). Drizzle each with a little bit of olive oil, top it with a noodle and sprinkle a generous T of water on the noodle.

First layers

3) Divide half of the pesto, tomatoes, spinach and Italian sausage among the 4 noodles.

My packet - all veggies, no sausage

4) Repeat steps 3 and 4 to make another layer of noodle, water, pesto, tomato, spinach and sausage. Then finish each stack with a noodle, another T of water and a drizzle of olive oil.

The Hubs' - diced tomatoes and Italian Sausage

5) Bring the foil together and tightly crimp to create 4 flat packets.

6) Grill the packets with the lid closed, until they are tender. It takes about 10 - 12 minutes per side. Let them rest 5 minutes.

7) Meanwhile, combine the chopped tomatoes with the T of olive oil, 1/4 t garlic and chopped herbs in a small bowl.

8) To serve: Open the packets and cut each "lasagna" in half and top with one fourth of the ricotta cheese and the tomato and herb mixture.

Add a simple green salad or some grilled green veggies to these little lasagna packets and you've got yourself one heck of a tasty meal.

Lazy Girl Mini Key Lime Pies

2011-06-24T11:52:00.000-05:00

The Hubs loves key lime pies and I make a really mean one (if I do say so myself), but my "go-to" recipe involves baking. And right now it's way too hot outside to even think about turning on the oven. Solution: the Lazy Girl mini key lime pies. While they don't pack quite the intense key lime punch that a regular pie does, they're a pretty darned good summer substitute.

There's something just perfect about citrus flavors in the summertime. I found the recipe via foodgawker the other day and couldn't get it out of my mind. The only cooking is on the stove top to make the lime curd (8 minutes tops), but if you were really feeling lazy you could just substitute a jarred version. Also, it looked as if she made her own tart shells, but since my whole goal was to avoid using the oven I made a Lazy Girl substitution and just used Keebler mini graham cracker crusts (6/pkg).

Basically all you do is fold lime curd into the some sweetened whipped cream, fill the crusts, garnish and let them chill a few hours. Could it be any easier?!?! I was really pleased with how the little pies turned out. I had exactly the amount of filling for my 6 shells, making this recipe perfect for a dinner party. They are super cute and make for a nice, refreshing dessert.

The only change I'll make next time is to increase the ratio of lime curd to whipping cream. She has it at 1:1 and I'm thinking 1.5:1 would provide a more key lime-y punch. I also think this would be great if you swapped lemon curd for the lime curd and garnished it with fresh berries.

Gluten Free Biscotti

2011-06-23T20:10:00.001-05:00

This is the chronicle of my first foray into gluten free baking.

The finished product. Anyone have a cup of coffee I can have?

My cooking gal pal from last summer is back! We got a later start this summer (she's quite the jet-setter with a busy schedule), but at least we got started. She has discovered that she is gluten intolerant and wanted to experiment with some gluten free flour. We wanted to start out with something simple so she chose biscotti. We had lots of success with biscotti last summer and since it doesn't have the typical bread/chewy texture we figured it would be more forgiving.

Doing some gluten-free baking research.

Basically, we followed this recipe for Lemon Poppyseed Biscotti and just swapped gluten free flour for regular AP flour. We had both tried (unsuccessfully) to find xanthan gum at HEB and ended up just deciding to leave it out and hope for the best. Halfway through the batter making process (prior to adding the lemon extract and lemon zest) we split the batter in half and made half of them orange, cranberry and almond flavor instead.

Oops! After the 1st round of baking the two ran into each other.

Although the batter was a little more wet than normal and we had to increase the 2nd baking time by 5 minutes, the final product ended up very similar to biscotti made with AP flour. The verdict: A great substitute for those who are gluten intolerant. Texturally, you can't tell the difference. The Hubs thinks they're great. But I'm not going to lie, in my opinion they have a slightly "off" aftertaste. I think I'll be attempting the recipe again later week, but with AP flour.

Spare Pears

2011-05-22T16:12:00.000-05:00

I love a good pear. You know, the ones that are amazingly ripe and juicy, but not at all grainy or mealy. The problem is that the entire bunch tends to arrive at that point at exactly the same time (or at least that's what happens to me) and then I have a plethora of ripe pears and not enough ways to eat them all.

Sometimes I slice them and serve them with a good cheese. I put them in salads. I make pear tarts. I even add them to pizzas with goat cheese, carmelized onions and arugula.

Recently I've found a new way to use them up...in muffins!

These are moist, dense little guys that are pretty easy to make. A wonderful muffin that at room temperature 'pears' perfectly with a hot cup of coffee.

Next time I make these (yes, there will most definitely be a next time) I think I will swap almond extract for 1/2 of the vanilla and sprinkling some blanched sliced almonds on top.

Playing Hooky

2011-05-16T20:17:00.001-05:00

I took the day off today. It was one of the best decisions I have made in a long time. Both of the courses I teach finished their content for the year last week and my AP kids had their exam. I barely survived. Many days over the last 8 months I have looked a lot like this:

Frazzled and more than a little stressed, but trying to pull it all together and keep smiling. There have been countless breakdowns, tears and sleepless nights (not to mention the 5+ pounds and numerous gray hairs I've gained from stress) this school year. However, I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel since we only have 12 more school days. Hallelujah!!!!!

I celebrated my day off by staying up incredibly late last night reading and then sleeping in until almost 8... just because I could. Heavenly. And when I finally did get up and out of bed this morning I found this on our bathroom mirror:

Made my day!!!! The Hubs earned some major brownie points for that one.

I spent the day tying up loose ends around the house, running errands and renewing my license at the DPS. Not especially exciting, but incredibly relaxing. All of that time spent waiting for them to call my number to get my new picture taken gave me even more time to read. And the best part of the day - no one asked me any questions! The teachers (and moms) out there know what I mean.

To wrap up such a great spring day I needed a delicious, light dinner. A spinach and arugula salad topped with roasted pecans, red onion, fresh goat cheese, roasted salmon, sliced strawberries and a balsamic vinaigrette fit the bill quite nicely.

YUM! Perfect way to round out a perfect day.

Pilsner + Pork = Perfection

2011-04-30T19:39:00.002-05:00

I had something today that I rarely have anymore- time. Time to clean the house. Time to do laundry. Time to grocery shop. And most importantly, time to cook. I even squeezed in a yoga workout and a trip to one of my favorite local ice cream shops. It was a fabulous day.

The Hubs was busy tutoring students all day for their upcoming AP Exam so I had the house to myself...for almost 7 hours. These days are very rare and I treasure them. I'm an incredibly independent person and so "alone time" has always been very important to me. It also meant that I had time to attempt an all-day recipe.

Avalanche Ale Braised Carnitas was the perfect recipe for a day like today. I had a pork roast just hanging out in the fridge, waiting to be cooked with only a day or two of shelf life left, so this was the perfect solution. Also, who wants to pass up an opportunity to braise meat in beer?!?! Not me.

Incredibly easy recipe and the only thing you really need is a bit of time. I swapped out several of the ingredients (including the type of beer) based on what I had on hand and they still came out beautifully. The fact that the house smelled like smoky, spicy, slightly sweet pork or according to the Hubs, "the best aromatic candle that could ever be invented", was a bonus.

Our next casual dinner party will have these on the menu for sure. And so should yours! Just be sure to snag a few of those crispy, edge pieces from the platter before serving your guests... they're the best.

Yum.

2011-04-06T20:32:00.002-05:00

I have one word to describe this "sandwich": Yummy

photo: The Hubs

They are amazingly easy to make and almost too pretty to eat. Almost. Slices of panko-crusted eggplant serve as the 'bread' for these tomato, basil and chevre sandwiches. Genius! They are perfect for a lunch with the girls or as a light dinner when paired with a green salad and a glass of wine.

I'm forever in my cooking gal pal's debt for choosing this recipe for us to try last summer. We used standard eggplants then, but tonight I used baby eggplants and loved how much more manageable it made the sandwiches. One more tip: season every step of the way and don't forget to sprinkle the hot slices with salt as soon as they come out of the pan.

Enjoy!

Spring Salad

2011-04-04T20:40:00.002-05:00

I was so ready for spring to arrive this year. I have enjoyed the clear, warm afternoons spent on the back porch after work recently. I have adored the way springtime foods seem to awaken my palate after a winter of creamy and heavy foods. There's nothing like the perfect salad this time of year to remind you what fresh tastes like.

photo: The Hubs

Although the grilled pork chops weren't bad, the real star of tonight's show was the Asian Citrus Salad. Very simple: some arugula, spinach, dill, cilantro, & parsley, some thinly sliced red onion, a few blanched sugar snap peas, an orange and a handful of roasted cashews. It was tossed with a simple vinaigrette made with the juice from the orange, a grated clove of garlic, a spoonful of orange marmalade, a splash of soy sauce, a couple of splashes of rice vinegar, some olive oil, salt and white pepper.

Crisp, clean and perfect.

Hotel Aranjuez

2011-03-21T21:35:00.000-05:00

What would your life be like if you could start every day with a breakfast like this?

...In a setting like this?

...With people like this?

Life would be very nice.

The only way it could be any nicer is if my kitchen had tile like this:

Yes, I seriously love this tile. I know most people probably hate it and think it's hideous but I adore it and would give my eye teeth to get it put in my kitchen.

Need a chocolate fix?

2011-02-27T21:08:00.001-06:00

If so, have I got the cupcake for you. Seriously, these are gooood. Really good.

I've always been a huge fan of cream cheese frostings, but this one reaches a whole new level of deliciousness. I've used the frosting on this particular chocolate cupcake recipe twice, as well as on a batch of white cupcakes. Both combos were amazing.

Next time I'm thinking about swapping some Kahlua or Bailey's for the heavy cream and vanilla in the frosting.

PS: These make the best breakfast and pair really well with a cup of hot coffee.

PPS: Does anyone have a birthday or special occasion coming up soon? I would love to have an excuse to make yet another batch of these yummies.

65 years and counting...

2011-02-14T17:09:00.000-06:00

Two weekends ago we braved the frozen overpasses to head down to Galveston to celebrate my grandparents' 65th wedding anniversary. No, that's not a typo, they really have been married for 65 years.

They have definitely set a great example for their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. It hasn't been a cakewalk by any means. They have had their fair share of issues to deal with, but they have chosen to deal with them together. Sadly, that becomes more and more rare these days.

Makes me appreciate the Hubs that much more. I know he's in it for the long haul. Our relationship isn't perfect (we're both human), but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he's always willing to work on us and to work things out. There's a lot of security that comes from that.

We don't get many photos of the two of us (he's the one always taking the pictures of everyone else), so I was incredibly happy that I found this one while going through the pictures from the celebration weekend.

We'll be having a low-key evening here at home (we don't like fighting the Valentine's Day crowds) grilling burgers and enjoying the 70 degree weather. I think we have a nice dinner out planned for this weekend... I'm hoping for something ethnic.

Breakfast of Champions

2011-02-13T14:28:00.000-06:00

Some days just ooze happiness. Today is one of them.

Beautiful weather, a clean house and a great family...all things that deserve to be celebrated by having cupcakes for breakfast.

Not exactly a 'Snow Day'...

2011-02-04T10:00:00.001-06:00

Although we did not get any snow last night / early this morning, we did get a little freezing rain. Just enough to make things dangerous out there on the roads, especially bridges and overpasses... not that I have been out driving this morning, but I have been watching the news.

We bundled up to take the furry children out this morning and they weren't quite sure what to think.

Despite her thick layer of winter fat to keep her warm, Pudge did not like it and promptly headed back inside. Jaxy was a little more adventurous and sniffed around a bit.

Thanks, Hubs, for the great pic of your little buddy!

Then his little nose (and my hands) got cold and our adventure outside was over. Thankfully it was about this time that the coffee and cinnamon rolls were ready.

Pillsbury cinnamon rolls from a can are quite a departure from my normal weekday breakfast of organic yogurt and granola, but hey, desperate times call for desperate measures...

Later today, check out the Hubs' take on today's events at the Roblog.

In Honor of a 'Snow' Day

2011-02-03T20:22:00.003-06:00

Our district gave us the day off tomorrow. Not even sure when or how much it's going to sleet or snow here (hoping it's not going to be much), but I feel as if I have received a last minute pardon on a death sentence.

Okay, maybe that's a tad dramatic, but I do feel as if tomorrow is a precious gift.

Here is the email we recieved from the district telling us in no uncertain terms that no, we may not set foot on campus tomorrow. I want to know who the heck emailed the Ad Building asking for permission to work tomorrow?!?!

I have been tired this week and have felt like I just couldn't catch up on lessons and grading for one of my classes. On top of that we are heading out of town this weekend for a family reuinion where we will celebrate my grandparents' 65th wedding anniversary and I haven't even begun to think about packing.

Feeling overwhelmed/tired + severe arthritis flare-up in my hand + temps that have been pretty much below freezing for the past 2 and a half days = need for some seriously unhealthy and junky comfort food.

My bowl - perfect ratio of fritos : chili : cheddar

Before I left for the grocery store this afternoon I asked the Hubs what he wanted for dinner. His response, "Something hearty and warm". To me that screams Frito Pie. Not made with canned chili of course, but still warm, hearty and deliciously unhealthy. Sweet Hubs even chopped the onions and grated the white cheddar.

The Hubs' bowl - incredibly full & heavily garnished

After dinner - a nice fire roaring in the fireplace and some white chocolate macadamia nut cookies in the oven. Yep, it's gonna be a great evening.

Split Pea Soup

2011-02-01T19:46:00.001-06:00

Although I did grow up with my mom making Split Pea Soup at least twice a winter, this recipe isn't hers because there is no recipe for her split pea soup.

Just like there is no recipe for her chicken and rice soup.

She just sort of makes them and they end up being heavenly... which is really nice if you're the consumer, but a little frustrating if you're trying to replicate them!

Not a pretty picture, but it sure was tasty...

I've had good luck with a wide variety of recipes on Simply Recipes over the past few years, so I searched checked it out and found one that looked good.

The ingredients, minus the chicken stock

Turns out it was really good. The Hubs even ate it cheerfully. (I think the fact that I almost doubled the amount of pork in the recipe is responsible for that...).

Simple ingredients and not a lot to do except chop, simmer, puree and eat = a great meal for a cold evening.

My Mom's To-Die-For Potato Soup

2011-01-30T14:07:00.000-06:00

My mom makes two things especially well - brownies and soups.

Her brownies aren't those fancy-schmancy brownies with cheesecake or peanut butter, just unbelievably good, down-home brownies. The kind you just can't stop eating. I think it's their simplicity that makes them so outstanding.

And then there are her soups. Wow. Where do I even begin?

There is nothing on this earth like her homemade chicken and rice soup. I've tried time and time again to replicate it and I just can't. I think it might have something to do with that special "Mom love" she puts in it. When I'm sick with a head cold or sore throat it's the only thing that I want to eat. And yes, it does have special healing powers.

I can, however, (semi-successfully) reproduce her To-Die-For Potato Soup. This is one of those special soups she makes for people when they've just had a baby or when someone is sick or sad and just needs some love and comfort food. She has been making this soup as long as I can remember and it never disappoints.

Typically potato soups are really heavy and not figure friendly. I have even eaten some that have reminded me more of mashed potatoes than a bowl of soup. This is not one of those. This truly is a soup. One that can be left chunky or pureed until velvety smooth, depending on your preference. It's also not laden with cream, butter and cheese. Not that those things are bad, but sometimes we all need to cut back a little. Another huge bonus - it can be made in the slow cooker.

Not sure where or who the recipe originally came from, but my mom has been making it for so long that I consider it hers. Enjoy!

My Mom's To-Die-For Potato Soup
(my tweaks are in parentheses)

6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 onions, chopped
3 – 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 stalks celery, chopped
Salt & Pepper to taste
5 - 6 cups water (6 c chicken stock)
~½ cup butter (1/4 cup butter)
4 chicken bouillon cubes (only 2 cubes)
1 can evaporated milk (lowfat 2% evap milk)

Combine all ingredients, except evaporated milk, in a large stock pot or dutch oven. Bring ingredients to a boil on the stove stop, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour.

For a velvety smooth texture use an immersion blender to puree the soup (...my favorite way to serve it).

Add milk and heat through just before serving.

Or simply dump everything (except for the milk) in the slow cooker for 4-5 hours and let it do its thing. Simply stir in the milk 10 - 15 minutes before serving.

Garnish ideas: thinly sliced scallions, a little grated cheese (gruyere or a really mature, sharp cheddar work really well), a couple of crispy bacon crumbles. My mom occasionally stirs in shredded chicken if she has some leftover from another meal. Basically she uses this soup to clean out her fridge.

A few parting thoughts about this soup:

1) If you aren't going to puree the soup only use 1, maybe 1 and a half, onions and chop the veggies much smaller and much more uniformly.

2) If the soup is to be served right after it's made only use 5 cups of liquid, but if it will sit overnight (or even just a few hours) in the fridge use closer to 6 cups

3) All said and done, there really is no way to mess this soup up. It turns out beautifully every time!

A Week of Soups...

2011-01-29T23:07:00.002-06:00

As the Hubs and I were sipping our coffee on the back porch this morning watching the fluffy little ~~monsters~~ darlings ran around the back yard, we lamented the fact that January and February can be incredibly dreary. They just seem so overwhelmingly gray to me. Not that every day is cold and/or rainy, but it sure can feel that way.

Ajax (the Hubs' little buddy)

Smudge (my little diva)

And this region is famous for its weather sucker-punches. Just when you think it's safe to start wearing those capri or crop pants again and work on making your skin a little less pasty-white because the skies are a clear blue and the temperature is a lovely 70 degrees, temperatures once again plummet to near freezing and those dreary clouds return. Such a cruel joke. Not to mention the fact that the kitties don't speak very good English, so it's a little tough to explain to them why we can't go outside when it's 35 degrees!

Since realistically it's not going to reach the 60s & 70s on a regular basis for another 8 weeks or so, I've decided to embrace this weather and use it as an opportunity to explore a wide variety of soups. I guess it's one of those "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" things. Because really, is there anything better than a bowl of piping hot soup on a wintery day?

On the menu for this week:
My Mom's To-Die-For Potato Soup (yes, it's that good and surprisingly low fat), Split Pea Soup and a Vegetable Beef Barley Soup

Two small details I still need to work out... Getting my mom to agree to let me share her fabulous recipe and figuring out how to get the Hubs excited about eating so much soup in one week.

Lazy Girl Ravioli

2011-01-23T12:51:00.001-06:00

Every time I read about making homemade ravioli the 'Lazy Girl' in me comes out and all I can think about is how much rolling it would take to get the pasta dough thin enough. Now don't get me wrong, I love my rolling pin and cringe anytime I have to use anyone else's, but I'm not sure I want to spend an entire afternoon with it. 'Lazy Girl' pasta substitution - wonton wrappers.

I had some really nice, creamy homemade ricotta cheese and good quality parmesan cheese that I mixed together with an egg and some Italian seasoning. And for a salty punch I crisped and chopped up some prosciutto.

And because a little of this filling goes a long way, I ended up making a million of these little guys.

Luckily they freeze really well!

Happy (Belated) Birthday

2011-01-22T14:58:00.000-06:00

Yesterday my little sis turned 29! Where does the time go?!?!

She's the tall one

Happy Birthday to the best sister and friend a girl could ask for. Can't wait to celebrate!

A picture is worth a thousand words...

2011-01-19T21:26:00.001-06:00

...or even more if there are words on the picture. By my calculations this one is worth 1,004 words.

The Hubs has gotten a ton of new "toys" recently and as the cats have a hard time sitting still and following directions, I am the default test subject. Usually these test sessions occur some time after 10 pm... and it shows. Just sitting there smiling (or trying to keep a straight face) gets tough after awhile, so sometimes I just start making weird faces. Poor guy.

I like to dance...

2011-01-09T22:05:00.002-06:00

My First Poached Egg from Ella Milton on Vimeo.

Fail-Proof Meatballs and Tomato Sauce

2011-01-08T20:04:00.002-06:00

There's something really comforting about a plate (or bowl) of spaghetti and meatballs.

photo by: the Hubs

Growing up we never ate spaghetti and meatballs. My mom ~~can't stand~~ doesn't care for meatballs so she always just browned some ground beef and stirred it into the sauce to serve over spaghetti. I didn't know any different so it was fine with me...until I tasted my first really good beef meatball. There was no going back.

Over the years I have tried many different meatball recipes with varying degrees of success. Some were dry and bland, some were gritty from dried bread crumbs and others just fell apart. I refused to give up until I found that perfect recipe. I eventually did ... kind of. I actually found two recipes that were both pretty good and then combined the two into one that worked for me.

This recipe is so versatile! With the added liquid it makes a really great sauce to serve over pasta. Without the added liquid the sauce is a bit thicker and is perfect for meatball subs.

Fail-Proof Meatballs and Tomato Sauce
(adapted from Cook's Illustrated Nov/Dec 2010 and All Recipes.com)

INGREDIENTS:

MEATBALLS
1 pound lean ground beef (could do 1/2 lb gr beef and 1/2 lb gr veal)
1 cup fresh white bread crumbs (about 3 ½ slices of white bread, no crusts)
¼ cup milk
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves pressed garlic
1 egg, beaten

SAUCE
4 T olive oil (to cover the bottom of the dutch oven)
3/4 cup chopped onion or shallot
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
2 (28 oz) cannned tomatoes – 1 can diced, 1 can crushed
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 bay leaves
3/4 teaspoon dried basil (or Italian seasoning)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 c liquid (broth or stock) to thin, if necessary

PROCESS:

1. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, milk, parsley, Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic and beaten egg. Mix well and form into 12 balls.

2. Bake at 450F for 20 minutes. After removing the meatballs from the oven, reduce the temperature to 300F.

2. In dutch oven over medium heat, saute onion and red pepper in oil, until onion is translucent. Add in garlic and cook 1 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook about 30 more seconds.

3. Stir in crushed and diced tomatoes, liquid (if using as a sauce), salt, sugar and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 minutes.

3. Add the partially cooked meatballs to sauce, cover and cook in oven for about 60 minutes, or until meatballs are firm and sauce has thickened.

4. If a smoother sauce is desired, at the end of the hour of simmering, pull out the meatballs and use an immersion blender to puree the sauce.

* A splash of half and half or cream stirred in at the end makes the sauce even richer!

Enjoy!

Meat and Potatoes

2011-01-04T18:39:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite hearty cold-weather dishes is Shepherd's Pie. I think last winter was the first time I even tried it and all summer I longed for the cooler weather just so we could have it for dinner again. I love the rich gravy and the luscious layer of potatoes on top, especially when they get a quick blast from the broiler.

Perfect for a rainy evening.

Maybe another reason I absolutely love it is because the flavors and the richness remind me of the pasties a friend and I enjoyed in a cozy little joint called The West Cornwall Pasty Company. We (the girls) took the day to shop at Harrod's and the boutiques around Covent Garden while our husbands toured Stonehenge. A wise decision considering it ended up sleeting and snowing that day.

It was so cold and windy on the Thames!
The Hubs doing his job as trip photographer.

That was such a fun trip! And so was our trip to Mexico the following March, in fact, none of us wanted to come home.

We were going for the 'sun-kissed' look that week.
One of the most relaxing trips ever!

After taking a year off in 2010 we are on the move again with a trip planned to Costa Rica this spring break. Booked the tickets last night and the countdown has begun!

Where does the time go?

2011-01-02T15:02:00.002-06:00

I love New Year's Eve. It represents the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another. It's the promise of a fresh start, a new beginning. 2010 was a year of high highs and low lows, both personally and professionally. While I so enjoyed the bright spots in the year and will treasure those moments, I am ready to move on. My last post made me really think about taking time to enjoy the little things in life that bring me pleasure, so I decided to make that my New Year's Resolution for 2011.

A gift from our guests, a champagne-like beer. Delicious!

Two of the things that bring me pleasure are good food and time spent with dear friends, so that's how we began 2011. I also really like pretty things, so using our china and crystal was a must! (I think I have only used it two other times since we got married back in 2005.) This dinner was going to serve as a "Last Supper" of sorts before we began our attempt to shed some of our winter weight, so it needed to be decadent. The Hubs was kind enough to chronicle the evening through the eye of his lens for me.

Beautiful dishes, glasses and cutlery always make food taste better

The evening began with cocktails and finger foods (garlic and jalapeno stuffed olives, gouda and extra mature white cheddar cheese and bagel chips). Our friends brought their one year old daughter and it was so much fun watching the faces she made as she tried all of these new foods! At first she wasn't sure what to think about the strong cheese, but she ended up loving it. A girl after my own heart.

Ahhh! So many calories!

After a salad of baby greens and toasted pine nuts (the one 'healthy' course of the evening), it was on to the main course: beef tenderloin with a horseradish sauce of sorts, gratin dauphinois and some roasted green beans.

The beef tenderloin was seasoned and cooked perfectly, thanks to a rub based on the Pioneer Woman's and my new (and fancier) probe thermometer. It practically melted in your mouth.

Please excuse my poor butchering skills

To continue the theme of decadent, calorie-laden dishes some type of creamy potatoes were a no-brainer. And who does over-the-top rich food better than the French? Thanks to Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook and my brand new mandoline we enjoyed some of the richest, creamiest potatoes I have ever had. I'm not sure which part I loved more - the subtle garlic, rosemary and thyme flavor that infused the heavy cream or the cheesey crust that formed when the gruyere and mature white cheddar were melted on top.

Anything with this much cream and cheese automatically becomes a favorite of mine.

And so that our arteries wouldn't harden as we were sitting right there at the table I threw in some roasted green beans. The Hubs had gotten me a couple of restaurant half-sheet pans for Christmas and I have used them several times with fabulous results. Super simple - green bean tossed in some olive oil and seasoned with freshly ground black pepper and a sprinkle of truffle salt (thanks, HEB Andy!).

A nice change of pace

The little one played Santa after the meal and kept us all entertained as we talked about the past year and then our hopes and plans for 2011.

She truly is a gift to her parents!

After she crashed we played a few silly games, had some frozen berry souffle for dessert and rang in the new year with a ~~champagne~~ prosecco toast. A great evening, certainly one full of fun memories to treasure.

English Gadroon

2010-12-30T21:02:00.001-06:00

I love getting my silver out, even if it's just to polish it.

Why? Because I always get to re-read this sweet note from my Granny every time I open my silver chest.

I love you too, Granny. I think about you every time I use my silver and how you used yours every single day and for every single meal. It didn't matter if it was a fancy-schmancy dinner or just cereal for breakfast. You truly believed in using the things that brought you pleasure each and every day.

Fry Guy

2010-12-29T21:53:00.002-06:00

The Hubs did a fabulous job Christmas shopping this year. There were several key pieces of kitchen equipment I lacked and he made sure I received each one. One of the items I had been wanting for a while was a mandoline. And not a cheap, wimpy one. I wanted a good high-quality, yet affordable, mandoline. I did my research, got the opportunity to test one during a cooking class this past summer and eventually settled on the Benriner Mandoline.

The Hubs using my new toy.

I. LOVE. IT.
About 5 months ago the Hubs and I first attempted to make homemade potato chips. It was a great learning experience, but the end result was less than stellar. This was due mainly to the fact that the potato slices were way too inconsistent in their thickness, not to mention way too thick overall.

See what I mean? Pretty pathetic and uneven.

As soon as I opened the new mandoline on Christmas Eve, when the two of us have our private gift exchange without our families around, one of the first things out of my mouth was, "We have to try making potato chips again!".

So try again we did. This time we were much more successful.

Quick run-down of the process:

1. Use the mandoline to thinly, and evenly, slice 4 medium sized Russet potatoes.

Look at how thin this slice is!

2. Completely submerge the potato slices in water and let them soak for an hour. This helps them to release some of the unnecessary starches that can make the chips gummy.

3. After an hour, rinse and drain the slices then lay them out in a single layer to dry. You just don't want them really wet or it makes a mess in the oil.

4. While the potatoes are drying off, heat ~2 qts of vegetable (or peanut) oil in a dutch oven until it reaches 300F. A candy thermometer is really helpful here.

5. Working in small batches, fry the dry potato slices until they are a light golden brown. You will know the potato chips are ready when they stop "screaming"... that's how the Hubs describes it. And you know what? He's right.

6. Remove the chips with a spider or slotted spoon to a paper towel lined bowl. Sprinkle them with desired seasoning(s) and toss them until they are evenly coated. Allow them to then cool on a brown paper bag.

Serve right away.

I'm not a big fried foods person, but these chips are out of this world. Seriously, you can't eat just one.

My only suggestion would be to try to get someone to help you with these. It is much easier if you have two people working. The Hubs and I have a pretty good system going now... he mans the fry station and I season, toss and drain. Basically he does all of the critical decision making and I just sprinkle some salt. I like this set-up.

As we sat and ate the finished product we also did a little deconstruction. We decided the thickness and crispiness were perfect, but our seasonings were a little off. Next step: develop a special House Seasoning blend.

Spicy Sausage Cups

2010-12-26T16:40:00.002-06:00

I'm always on the look-out for quick and tasty party worthy snacks. It seems that during the holiday season time is one thing I'm constantly short on. Well, that and money. The fact that these don't require much of either makes it the perfect last minute snack/appetizer/hors d'oeuvres to take to a holiday party.

A dear friend introduced me to a more basic verion of the recipe a couple of years ago and they immediately earned a spot on the Hubs' "Top 5 Favorite Snacks" list. The best thing about them: they are so simple that even he can make them with ease.

Spicy Sausage Cups

Each batch makes 24 mini-sausage cups.
I would encourage you to make a double or triple batch. One is never enough.

Ingredients:

1 lb pork sausage (I always use HEB brand light pork sausage)
8 oz container of your favorite fresh mushrooms, chopped
8 oz brick of cream cheese (low-fat works fine)
1 t cayenne pepper (or to taste)
salt
8 oz tube of crescent roll dough

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large, hot skillet begin browning the sausage.

When it's carmelized on one side add in the chopped mushrooms and finish cooking the sausage.

After the sausage has been cooked through, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cream cheese and cayenne pepper until everything is combined.

Transfer to a bowl to cool a bit. Depending on the sausage's seasoning blend you may need to add a little salt at this point.

On a floured work surface combine 2 of the triangles to make 1 rectangle.

Roll out the dough until it's about a quarter inch thick... or until you can get six 3-inch squares from each rectangle.

Repeat the process three more times. Line each of the 24 mini-muffin cups with a square of crescent dough.

Fill each cup to the top with the sausage/mushroom/cream cheese mixture.
Bake the sausage cups for 15-17 minutes. The edges should be a light, golden brown.

They can be served warm or at room temp. They also can be made ahead of time and reheated.

If you have some leftover filling (and you probably will) just bake it in a shallow dish when you bake the cups. It develops this lovely 'crust' on top and makes a great hearty dip or spread. I've also used it to stuff mushroom caps... delicious!

Are you serious?!?!?

2010-12-25T23:18:00.000-06:00

We were sitting at a stoplight about a mile from my in-law's house today when I burst out laughing. It was because I saw this restaurant:

Why we do what we do...

2010-12-21T11:34:00.002-06:00

Yesterday the Hubs let me tag along on an "Old School" reunion he had with 2 of his former students. He had these students their freshmen year (his first year of teaching) and then again their senior year (his last year at that school). This group has always had a special place in his heart and he has kept in contact with quite a few of them over the years. (In fact, one of them is now a teacher at our school!) This is an incredibly talented bunch. Many of them have successfully pursued professions in the art world. More about them in a minute...

Since we were heading in to town to meet them later in the afternoon for coffee we decided to make a day of it and visist Niko Niko's for lunch. Yum. We ate out on the patio and had a really nice time. Tried to visit the CAMH after lunch, but since it was Monday it (along with the MFAH) was closed. Good thing the Cullen Sculpture Garden is (almost) always open! The weather was perfect for just walking around, being silly and getting a stern warning from the 80+ yr old 'security' guard while killing an hour.

The Running Man

I even got the Hubs to play along...

The plan was to meet at Inversion Coffee House around 3. Umm, yeah, these guys function more like my husband and so 3 was really more of a suggestion. Eventually they both arrived and they all spent the next 2 1/2 hours catching up. I just sat back and listened! One now works for Barneys New York as a graphic designer and the other paints, teaches and runs his own art gallery, The Joanna. As I heard story after story of what their lives were like now I couldn't help feeling so proud of my husband. He played such a key role in their artistic development early on and encouraged them to pursue their interests and dreams. I really admire him and it was so great to be able to see him 'in his element', talking with those who have similar interests and passions.

My hero

After our time at Inversion Coffee House and then hitting a little bar for a drink, I started to get "hangry" and mercifully the others agreed to grab a bite to eat at Little Big's, Bryan Caswell's burger joint. There is a reason this joint is listed on Bon Appetit's Top 10 New Burger Spots in the US. Wow. If you haven't been there already, it needs to move to the top of your 'must visit' list ASAP. You will not be disappointed.

I ordered a trio of their beef sliders, while the Hubs wisely ordered an assorted trio: 1 beef slider, 1 black bean with harissa slider, and 1 pulled-pork (topped with cole slaw) slider. I don't know which one was the best because they were all amazing and very different.

photo by the Hubs

Their fries were also delicious. A basket is definitely meant to be split by 2 or 3 people. And the frozen Sangrias... pretty darn good.

photo by the Hubs

I ate all 3 of my sliders, about half of the basket of fries and a bite of 2 of the Hubs' sliders.

Today I am paying for it. I don't think I will need to eat for another 2 days... when I plan to venture back to try the chicken sliders.

The Odd Couple

2010-11-30T06:00:00.004-06:00

I resisted this heavenly combination for way too long. It just sounded too weird. Or maybe I thought it just sounded gross. I don't know what I was thinking.

I have come to my senses and embraced the perfect pairing that is beer and ice cream.

The Hubs and I have been on a Breckenridge Vanilla Porter kick recently, so that's what went in to this batch of ice cream.

Well, that and the fact that HEB had it on sale. (I know, I'm so dadgum ~~cheap~~ frugal)

Well, those two things and the fact that this batch of ice cream would be the a la mode for Thursday's pecan pie and I had a hunch that the porter would pair really nicely with the toasted nuts.

Two important things to keep in mind when making this ice cream:

Choose a beer you really like. The flavor will become incredibly concentrated as you reduce the brew. If you don't love your beer, you certainly won't like your ice cream.
You have to use brown sugar. It lends a deeper, more caramel flavor to the ice cream. You can taste the difference.

Vanilla Porter Ice Cream

(adapted from Satisfied's Pumpkin Ale Ice Cream, 10/11/10)

Ingredients:
8 oz Breckenridge Brewery's Vanilla Porter
16 oz 2% milk
16 oz half and half
6 egg yolks
3/4 c brown sugar
2 t vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Process:
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, reduce the Vanilla Porter by half. It should be thick and syrupy. (~ 10 minutes)

In a medium saucepan scald the milk and half and half. (This would be a great time to throw in a split vanilla bean if you have one on hand)

In a medium bowl whisk to thoroughly combine the egg yolks, brown sugar, vanilla and salt. Slowly pour in about half of the warm dairy mixture while stirring constantly. You do not want scrambled eggs!

Once it's well combined, pour the mixture back in to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon. You'll know it's ready when it evenly coats the back of a wooden spoon and a line you draw on the spoon stays. Or you could just use a thermometer (180F).

Take it off the heat and pour the mixture though a fine mesh strainer.

Completely chill the reduced vanilla porter and custard base (separately). Combine the two right before pouring the mixture into your ice cream machine. Follow manufacturer instructions.

This ice cream turned out to be perfect on pie, made a great coffee creamer and was heavenly all by itself.

However, I think my next bowl will be topped with a little cajeta I have stashed in my cupboard for situations just like this. Mmmmm....

Frank Lloyd Wrong

2010-11-28T15:10:00.001-06:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving with my family a day early this year. Over the past couple of years we have learned to be very flexible about when we actually celebrate holidays since both Mom and my sis are nurses. It has taught me that it's not so much about celebrating the holiday on the day itself, but more about about spending time with the ones you love, whenever that might be.

(PW's to-die-for Green Bean Casserole)

We had a great meal, watched a movie/took a nap, played our favorite board game and then created the most craptacular gingerbread house I have ever laid my eyes on. We all contributed our own unique touches to the structure and there is no unifying theme... except maybe 'tacky'. There really are no words to accurately describe this ~~monstrosity~~ work of art. You just have to see it for yourself.

Everyone got in on the act with the Hubs periodically taking a break to document construction:

Adding gumdrops along the roofline in an attempt to camouflage the lumpy/uneven icing:

Notice the box in the background.
Two key things about this photo:
1) Our house doesn't even look close to the picture on the box
2) That box is from last year. In our defense we were working with materials that were over a year old.

See, the gumdrops don't really hide the bad icing job. Maybe the confetti front walk will distract the eye.

And then we added even more stuff to the landscaping to help improve the overall aesthetic. Dad got a little crazy with the sprinkles. I got a little crazy trying to make the big green gumdrops in to shrubs...

and adding 'icicles' to the roofline. Yeah, that didn't turn out exactly the way I saw it in my mind.

See the green front door and how it looks like play-doh? That was old, thickened green icing Laura molded into a door, complete with matching green gumdrop door knob.

The finished product, front view. I love how the snowman has a huge zit on his face.

Side view. Don't you just love the Picasso inspired stained glass windows?

Back view. Digging the huge Christmas tree lights...

I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. Great family activity that I think we may need to make into an annual event. Maybe we could make an entire village next year...

Eating for a Great Cause

2010-11-15T16:59:00.000-06:00

Yesterday afternoon I headed out to the First Annual Westside Chef's Throwdown. It was a fundraiser held at La Centerra to benefit MDA. Think 'Throwdown with Bobby Flay' meets 'Next Iron Chef'. The secret (and seasonal) ingredient was pumpkin.

For $25 (or $20 if you planned ahead) you got a bracelet with 10 detachable numbers that could be redeemed for 10 plates of food. Yes, I said plates of food. Not just a taste. What a deal! You also received a green voting ticket to put in the jar of your favorite restaurant. I am incredibly opinionated, so this was right up my alley!

Here are my thoughts on the 10 booths I visited:

First up, Babaloo International Cafe & Bar and 3 Olives Italian Restaurant. Both have the same owner, so it was like a two for one deal. Score. From Babaloo I sampled the Arancini Di Zucca with a creamy, sweet sauce. It was delicious fried pumpkin risotto goodness with a healthy dose of coconut. Tasty, but maybe a little too sweet. From 3 I tasted the Penne with mild Italian sausage and a creamy pumpkin/tomato sauce, as well as a Toasted Pumpkin Ravioli. These pasta was pretty good, but the toasted ravioli wasn't my favorite. The filling was good, but the 'pasta' was actually a pastry crust that was a little soggy.

Next up, an old favorite of mine, The Original Marini's Empanada House. As I have mentioned in other posts, we used to live a block from this joint. Not anymore. I miss it. Their entry was a Pumpkin Empanada with a filling of pumpkin puree, dulce de leche and a tad bit of cream cheese. Yep, it was as good as it sounds. I told Mr. Marini that it tasted like Thanksgiving. He smiled.

Then I hit Thai Spice, just for a change of pace. And because I was really curious as to how they were going to incorporate pumpkin. Yeah, ummm, I don't think they did incorporate pumpkin. Or, if they did, I couldn't taste it. But I do love me some Pad Thai, so all wasn't lost. In addition to the noodle dish they served a pork dumpling. Both were okay, but nothing to write home about. (Personally, I prefer Khun Noi's Pad Thai.) What was delicious was the red chili pepper sauce/condiment they served on the side. Mmmm.

Vida Loca is a local tex-mex joint with a fabulous patio and really fresh food. This place has it all - a great bar, private party rooms, a sand vb court, an outside stage for live music, a huge (and gorgeous) patio and a playground for kiddos. I haven't had a bad meal there yet. However, the food they were serving the visitors on Saturday was not up to their usual standards. The Jalisco Chicken Wrap had a stale tortilla and dry chicken. The Spicy Red Pumpkin Salsa was a miss also. Very runny and even though I really like heat, the spice was so strong that you couldn't taste the pumpkin at all.

Ahhh, Carmelo's. I love you. This West Houston restaurant is a 'must visit'. They serve consistently good Italian food. I have only been a couple of times, but each was incredibly memorable. Their offerings: Pumpkin Risotto garnished with a fried sage leaf and a Pumpkin and Parmigiano Reggiano Souffle. The risotto was really good. The texture was nice and the flavor was pumpkin-y without being too overwhelming. The souffle was divine! Seriously, I could eat a whole bowl of that stuff. It wasn't sweet at all, instead it was incredibly earthy. Wow. I was sure to tell the chef just how amazing I thought it was. I sure hope they add it to their seasonal menu at the restaurant!

At this point I started to feel full. Not good, considering I only ate half of everything I had been served (except that divine souffle) and I was only 4 booths in. Time to walk around. It was a gorgeous day and the Moe Hansum Band was excellent! After taking 30 minutes to regroup I was back in business.

Another great Italian restaurant, Antonia's, also had a booth. Right next to Carmelo's, in fact. Head to head competition... I love it! They were serving Pumpkin & Butternut Squash Ravioli and Veal Saltimbocca. They were out of the Veal Saltimbocca when I visited, so instead I got a shot and a half of a limoncello-type drink. Fine by me. The ravioli was served with an amaretto cream sauce. Sounds syrupy sweet and heavy, but it wasn't. It was perfection. Absolute perfection. I wanted to lick my plate so badly, but I had to remind myself that I wasn't at home. And the limoncello was amazing also. Nice and lemon-y, with a kick, but not so strong that you couldn't enjoy it. Dangerous. Very dangerous.

Time for another break to listen to the band. Also, about this time my mom joined me after being released from her shift at the hospital a little early. We walked around to check out all of the booths and enjoy the gorgeous weather. I was so glad for some help getting through the last 4 tickets.

She hadn't eaten much at all, so we visited Lasagna House III's booth for some of their Lasagna and Pumpkin Tiramisu. I've been a fan of Lasagna House for years. It's always a great choice for dine-in, carry-out, and catering. Seriously, next time you are hosting a dinner and don't feel like cooking, call them! The pans are reasonably priced and delicious! The Lasagna we were served was very tasty (as always), but the Pumpkin Tiramisu was off texturally (chunks in the creamy part) and had a 'soapy' aftertaste.

My jeans were stretched to the max at this point and I really thought the button was about to pop off, so I gave my mom my next two numbers to use as she pleased. She hit up Antonia's in hopes of snagging one of those raviolli I had been raving about, but alas, it was not to be. They were out of the ravioli, but miraculously had more Veal Saltimboca. It was okay. Next booth: Catfish Mike's for some of their gumbo. Big disappointment for me. I like my gumbo to have a bit more body, be a little chunkier and not quite so dark. Maybe I just got a bad batch. And it was near the end of the event...

Down to one last number to spend. I felt as though I had no room left, that I could not eat another thing. Then I saw Mooyah's booth. Who cares if there wasn't a lick of pumpkin in their food?!?! I can't ever say no to french fries. Yes, they were every bit as good as they look.

Great way to wrap up a great afternoon. Good food, good music and fabulous family.

Oh, and to whom did I give my vote?

Yep, I think the limoncello tipped the scales in their favor...

You made us proud, Chef Caswell

2010-11-10T06:00:00.002-06:00

In case you didn't see the show on Sunday or read the Houston Chronicle yesterday, my boy Bryan didn't 'survive to cook another day' on last week's episode of The Next Iron Chef.

My heart is broken.

Chef Caswell came across as incredibly likeable and so gosh darn down to earth. He always had a smile on his face and was an incredibly quotable contestant. For example, after being (slightly) chastised at judging one week his response was, "Well, they said they want something between a ballerina and a linebacker, so I'm thinking NBA star".

Check out this great video clip of Bryan explaining why it's always a good idea to hire someone with Waffle House experience on their resume.

How can you not love this guy? As Houstonians we are lucky to be able to call him one of our own

And I Don't Even Really Like Sausage...

2010-11-03T20:52:00.001-05:00

It's cold (for the Houston area) and wet outside. We're experiencing the kind of weather that makes you want to curl up with your Kindle and a cup of coffee under a warm blanket and just shut the rest of the world out. Unfortunately that is not my reality. There are still errands to run, clothes to fold, meals to prepare and papers to grade. In short, life goes on, even when I would rather it not.

Anyone else out there wish you could just raise the white 'surrender' flag every once and awhile and take a break? That was what tonight's dinner was all about. A simple, comforting, delicious stew that took about 20 minutes to make, but tasted like it had been simmering on the stovetop all day.

The Hubs actually picked out this recipe...and took the photos.

God has blessed me with a husband who is not picky and really is okay with just about anything I make. The downside is that the answer to the question, "Sweetie, what would you like for dinner?" is almost always "I'm good with anything". While freedom to create 'at will' is really nice, a little direction every once in awhile is appreciated. So today I forwarded a link from Real Simple with 10 chicken recipes and told him to pick one for us to have tonight for dinner. He chose Bean and Chicken Sausage Stew.

Wow. It was amazing. Hearty, healthy, delicious and filling without being too heavy. The ultimate weeknight dinner.

Something else to think about...

2010-11-02T20:43:00.000-05:00

Recently I ran out of time in the morning (or just hadn't been to the grocery store in awhile... I really can't remember) and found myself purchasing a 'tray lunch' from school.

Amazingly this was the best choice offered that day.

Pretty terrible, huh? And I didn't even take a chocolate milk! I can't believe we feed our students food like this. No wonder ADD and ADHD are on the rise, along with childhood obesity.

I will refrain from commenting on the 'beige-ness' of the meal (an indication of just how processed everything is) and the fact that they are trying to pass corn off as a vegetable, instead of the starch that it really is. I won't however neglect to mention the fact that it tastes like plastic. All of it.

In response, here is an article I found referenced on All Points Blog. The title - Lunch Line Re-Design.

Basically, a simple re-design of the standard school cafeteria layout can strongly influence the food choices students make. Interesting...

Something to think about...

2010-10-27T21:03:00.001-05:00

As I have mentioned before, I love Wednesdays because that's when the Food section runs in the local newspaper.

Here is a quote from an article by Chris Dunn about the lessons he learned while attending the CIA. There were 15 quotes in total, and only one of them wasn't a technical tip. Maybe that's what caught my attention.

"You can't make happy food with an unhappy heart."

So true.

May your heart and food both be happy!

Relief at Last

2010-10-25T20:14:00.000-05:00

Made my first batch of homemade laundry detergent this weekend...

I love it and so does my sensitive skin. Such a frugal and fabulous alternative to all of the commercial brands out there on the market.

U.W.W.H - Days 4 & 5

2010-10-18T21:40:00.002-05:00

I did actually cook for Days 4 & 5.

Day 4 ended up being one of those weird (in a good way) mish-mash meals. I'm going to call this one 'pretzel-coated artichoke dip-stuffed chicken breasts'. See, sounds really weird, huh?

I cut a pocket in each chicken breast,

stuffed them with some of the leftover artichoke dip,

and securely closed each breast with a couple of toothpicks.

I coated each breast in those last few crushed pretzels you find at the bottom of the bag

then pan fried them (to develop a nice crust) and finally finished cooking them in the oven.

Delicious!

Odd and ends this dish used up:
2 chicken breasts
last little bit of artichoke dip a friend brought for a party
the very last crumbly remains of some mini pretzels

Day 5 was the best by far!

Last week I made PW's Perfect Pot Roast and had some of the roasted carrots and potatoes left over along with most of the pan juices. Oh, and I also still had a ton of PW's Mashed Potatoes.

The November/December 2010 of Cook's Illustrated arrived the day before and one of the featured recipes was for pot roast. The information on the gravy was incredibly informative and I credit it with Day 5's success.

I used my immersion blender to puree my roasted carrots and a half a roasted onion in with my pan juices. I poured my mixture through my fine mesh strainer (reserving the 'mush') into a pan. I heated the liquid slowly and used a constarch slurry and some of the reserved 'mush' to thicken the gravy. Wow. I had no idea what a difference those veggies would make. I'm never making gravy without them again.
The pork tenderloins are simply seasoned, seared and roastedto serve as a vehicle for this amazing gravy!

I also stirred in some of the pureed carrots in with the leftover mashed potatoes to perk them up a little bit... and added in a little bit of heavy cream. I also finish them off under the broiler to get that yummy, slightly crispy top layer.

The gravy, even though it was made with pan juices from a beef pot roast, went beautifully with the pork tenderloins and the mashed potatoes.

The reason there are so few photos of this meal was that I couldn't stop stuffing my face long enough to get some good shots. Hunger won out.

Odds and ends this dish used up:
two pork tenderloins
leftover PW mashed potatoes
leftover roasted carrots and onions
leftover beef pan juices

After being 'good' all week long and not grocery shopping (really, really hard for me to stick to) I was chomping at the bit to hit HEB again to stock up on a few Fall ingredients in order to try out a couple of new recipes last weekend.

Up next: Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins and Pumpkin Ale IceCream with a Cinnamon Caramel Sauce

You Are What You Can't Eat

2010-10-14T19:10:00.002-05:00

Yes, I am still doing posts about this week's challenge, but when I saw a friend post this on Facebook I just had to share it.

Enjoy!

see more Funny Graphs

U.W.W.H - Days 2 & 3

2010-10-13T17:08:00.000-05:00

Day 1 of this week's challenge was a smashing success and so I thought the rest of the week would be easy too. WRONG.

On Days 2 & 3 I cheated.

Okay, I only kind of cheated on Day 2, but I did thoroughly cheat on Day 3. I admit it.

Day 2 involved me begging Mexican lunch leftovers from a friend (to combine with my own leftovers) to feed the Hubs for dinner.

I did cook dinner for myself though - Chicken and Black Bean Quesadillas with a Spicy Ranch Dipping Sauce

Odds and ends this dish used up:
frozen (but pre-cooked) chicken fajita meat
a bag of shredded jalepeno jack cheese
half a can of refried black beans
some leftover corn tortillas
a little Ranch dip
some red salsa

Pretty self explanatory, very simple, very fast, but completely delicious! I even let the Hubs have a few.

Day 3 was an epic failure:

Odds and ends this dish used up:

some Pepto to deal with the upset tummy from dinner

I have to do better than this on Day 4...

Using What We Have - Day 1

2010-10-10T20:56:00.001-05:00

We have a lot of food 'odds and ends' in our fridge, freezer, and cabinets. Not a lot of any one item, just a little bit of a lot of different things. It makes putting away groceries really tough. Space is limited in our little house and we do not have a pantry.

I'm swallowing my pride and showing you the inside of my fridge and freezer.

Please don't judge.

Soooo embarrassing. I'm fed up with it.
So this week I will NOT be grocery shopping. I am challenging myself to use only the ingredients and items we already have in the house (and have already paid for) to pack our lunches and cook our meals this week.

I don't think the beginning of the week will be difficult, but I think things could get a little, umm, interesting as we get further along in the week.

Tonight's dinner wasn't too weird. In fact, it was actually really good. I took some uber-ripe campari tomatoes, sliced them, tossed them with 4 cloves of garlic, drizzled them with olive oil, sprinkled them with salt and roasted them at 400 F until the tomato skins split and the garlic began to soften.

(Meanwhile, I boiled the spaghetti)

I heated a little olive oil in a skillet with some crushed red pepper and tossed in the semi-roasted garlic that I had chopped up. As soon as I could smell it I tossed in the roasted tomatoes (and all of the delicious juices they oozed) and broke them up with a wooden spoon.

After a little adjusting of the seasonings, I tossed it with the cooked spaghetti, sprinkled in some parmesan cheese and garnished it with some chopped parsley.

Turned out to be a surprisingly tasty, light, and fresh dinner. Even the Hubs, who hates tomatoes, absolutely loved it.

It will be interesting to see what tomorrow holds.

One Last Goodbye to Summer Flavors

2010-10-03T11:34:00.002-05:00

I know it's Autumn now. I know that I should be cooking all kinds of spice cakes and hearty stews by now. You know, the foods gracing the cover of this month's Food Network magazine:

But it's hard to move on to a new season without first saying goodbye to the old one.

So that's what last night's dinner was all about. Saying goodbye to Summer.
On the menu:

Salt Crusted Baked Snapper (a combo of an Epicurious recipe and one from Tyler Florence)
Fried Smashed Potatoes with Lemon-Thyme Dressing (from Giada De Laurentiis)

I've never cooked a whole fish before. I always just buy filets. Fewer bones to deal with, no guts and no eyeballs staring me down. Not that the staring makes me feel bad for stuffing, cooking and eating the little guy (I'm a high school teacher, I'm immune to sad eyes), it's just that they can be messy if your husband decides they need to be "popped".

Meet Bob. He's a simple guy, he needed a simple name.

The fishmonger kindly gutted and scaled him for me. I just needed to cut off his fins. (By the way, they are surprisingly sharp, so be careful.)

I stuffed him with some thyme, parsley, minced shallots, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, olive oil, salt, pepper and toasted fennel seeds. Smelled sooooo good.

The key to this cooking method is to create a salt dome around the fish so that it doesn't lose moisture as it cooks. I laid down a bed of salt, put a few extra slices of lemon and sprigs of thyme and set Bob on top.

To make the dome set as it baked I folded 3 beaten egg whites in to about 2 pounds of kosher salt. I packed it down on top of Bob and tucked him in tight, making sure there were no holes or cracks.

He went in to the oven for about 30 minutes at 450 F.

Meanwhile I made Giada's Fried Smashed Potatoes. So easy and so good. I think Deb, over on Smitten Kitchen, has a more fall friendly version of Fried Smashed Potatoes. (Making a mental note to try those next week)

Before I knew it the timer rang and it was time to see how Bob did.

The salt dome was so fun to remove, even the Hubs got in on the act!

And I know his little face looks dried out, but the meat that was cooked in the salt dome was so moist and flavorful. Delicious. The only down side... all of those little fish bones.

I feel as though I have some closure now. I have said my goodbyes to Summer flavors and can move on to Autumn without any baggage.

Next Up: Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream

A Funny for the Weekend

2010-09-18T10:27:00.000-05:00

I love the cartoon strip "Rhymes with Orange". It's one of the strips my eyes scan the pages for first every time I open the Star section of the paper.

One of my dear co-workers said yesterday's strip reminded him of me. I think it sums up my personal view and love of food perfectly.

(The Houston Chronicle, 9/17/10)

Barely Surviving

2010-09-14T21:13:00.000-05:00

To say that the beginning of school has been rough this year would be a huge understatement.

Morale is low across the ~~campus~~ district. It's not just me. Class size is out of control and I am teaching a brand new (to the entire district) course on top of the full class load I have had the past 9 years.
And paperwork... don't even get me started. I'm drowning.

An administrator on our campus addressed the issue over email this past Friday. (And just to clarify, I hold this adminstrator in very high esteem and respect him immensely. Our school is a better place because of this administrator.)

The email went something like this (yes, I'm paraphrasing):

Dear Faculty and Staff,
It has come to my attention that morale is low and that we have had a rough start to this school year. Here is an inspirational video clip I received from a friend and would like to share with you. Enjoy!

You know what my first thought was???... If we had time to view inspirational video clips at work, morale wouldn't be so low!!!
Needless to say I did not watch the clip. I'm sure it was great, but at 3:15 on Friday afternoon I had over 325 emails in my inbox and was trying to clear out as many as possible.

It hasn't been all bad though. I absolutely LOVE my new course and the students in the class. It's small this semester (only 18 on the roster) which is a complete blessing. I also work with the most amazing team of teachers across the district. Those 5 other teachers have been my lifeline. If it were not for them I would have turned in my resignation letter the second week of school.

Here is an interesting and (I feel) insightful quote from our new textbook.

"To gain an 'authentic' sense of place, people need to experience the complexity of a place directly rather than a stereotype of a place. An 'authentic' local culture does not fit into a single experience or image; rather, an 'authentic' local culture is one that is complex and not sterotyped."

Just one of thousands of reasons to keep on travelin'...

What does Will.i.am have to do with Geography?!?!

2010-08-22T13:22:00.002-05:00

School begins again tomorrow.

A fresh start.

Yet another opportunity to share my passion for Geography with others.

To steal a phrase from a woman I greatly admire (and try daily to emulate): I'm in the business of creating Culturally Literate Global Citizens.

Geography is the 'glue' that holds all of the other Social Studies strands together.

It's "The Why of Where".

One of my greatest hopes each year is that all of my students finish the course realizing that Geography is more than just maps, landmarks and physical features.

Here are two fun ways I try to counter those stereotypes and get them to think about it a little differently...

Photo: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage.com

1) I Gotta Feeling you're gonna love this article by Will.i.am, member of the Black Eyed Peas, on what being "American" means to him.

2) Although the show isn't on the air anymore, this clip from The West Wing is timeless, hilarious and eye-opening.

Grilled Pizza

2010-08-16T16:40:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't love pizza?!?! And being able to toast it to perfection without heating up the kitchen is a bonus.

I try to always have a few balls of PW's Pizza Dough on hand in my freezer. They thaw in 15 - 20 minutes and are delicious.

My take on PW's Pizza Dough (makes 2 large or 4 individual pizzas):

• 1 teaspoon Active Dry Or Instant Yeast

• 2 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour

• 1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour

• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

• ⅓ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

TO MAKE THE CRUST:

Sprinkle yeast over 1 1/2 cups warm (not lukewarm) water.

In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined.

Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge (or freezer) until you need it.

It’s best to make the dough at least 24 hours in advance, and 3 or 4 days is even better.

The Hubs rolled out the dough for us. We decided that since our tastes differ wildly, two personal pizzas would be better than sharing one large pizza. (Oh, and this would be a good time to pre-heat the grill; medium to med-high is best)

Here is where you get clean out your fridge and use those leftovers hiding way in the back. Dig around a little bit... the deli and veggie drawers will be key!

And who says you have to use red sauce for a pizza? Although it's the Hubs' favorite, I never use it.

Pesto is my favorite.

Be creative. Each pizza should be a reflection of its maker...

R's Unbaked Pizza

My Unbaked Pizza

You can either cook them on the cookie sheets or directly on the grill, both methods work really well. After the first 7 or so minutes, rotate the pizzas 180 degrees and cook about 5 more minutes. Your nose will know when the pizzas are ready, and also when you put the spatula under the pizza it will feel crispy, even in the middle.

R's Grilled Pizza

My Grilled Pizza

After taking them off the grill, let them sit 3 - 5 minutes before enjoying!

Summer Challenge

2010-08-14T22:48:00.002-05:00

Well, it finally got hot here. It's as if as soon as August hit, so did the heat. Summer has been bearable up to this point, but I feel I have sweated more in the last two weeks than I have in the last 2 months!

We live in a house that is a little older and doesn't have the most energy efficient A/C unit, windows, doors or insulation. To keep from adding unnecessary heat to the already warm kitchen/great room area of the house I issued myself a personal challenge this week:

Cook a week's worth of dinners using only my outdoor grill; no microwave, stove top or oven.

Oh, and just to be clear I don't have a 'tricked out' outdoor kitchen with a mega-grill, fridge and sink. I have a basic gas grill with one side burner.

I knew this would take some forethought and that I couldn't just wing it every night if I was going to be successful.

Here are a few pictures and highlights from the week:

Monday:
*Grilled Shrimp with Mango Sauce - too much vinegar in recipe, even using just ¼ cup; also ended up tripling sugar. Forgot the red pepper flakes. It lacked the intense balance it needed. An okay first try, but not sure there will be a second...

Tuesday:

*Cilantro Citrus Chicken and Mango Black Bean Salsa

*Mixed Berry and Red Wine Sorbet
Divine. Paired beautifully with the peach gelato we still had. I didn't have raspberries, so I just used some frozen mixed berries. Once again, David Lebovitz came through.

Wednesday: (Dinner Divas)
G hosted and made us the most fabulous lo-cal bellinis that I cannot wait to share with everyone.

Thursday: (my favorite grilled meal of the week, even though I have NO PICTURES! I guess that's what happens when you wait until 8 pm to prepare dinner outside on one burner)

Grilled steelhead trout – not dried out at all; S&P, lemon juice from ½ lemon, a teaspoon olive oil; grilled over med-low heat, flipping twice.

Quinoa Pilaf – used garlic and walnuts, no parsley, raisins or cilantro. LOVED it!!! First quinoa experience and I'm hooked!

Grilled Artichokes with lemon garlic sauce – LOTS of work both in the prep and in eating them. Liked the dipping sauce a lot, very similar to zucchini salad dressing from cooking class. Used immersion blender and it made all of the difference. Ended up breaking down leftover grilled artichokes and using the hearts on a Mediterranean style pizza.

Friday:

Cowboy Burgers (from HEB) - I had a coupon and we always love 'em! Chock full of bacon, cheese and herbs. 1/2 pound each!!!

Garlic Dill Pickles (homemade) - I will add extra mustard seed next time and maybe even make my own pickling spice so I can omit the cloves.

After the week was over I decided I had had so much fun and loved not heating my entire house that I just kept on going...

My Italian take on Shrimp and Grits...
Marinate the shrimp in cayenne, smoked paprika and salt for about 5 minutes then skewer them.
Slice a tube of prepared polenta (any flavor) in to 12 discs, brush both sided with some olive oil then sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
Toss the broccoli florets with garlic slices, olive oil and S&P.

Grill all 3 at the same time over low to medium heat.

I love this one because it's ready in 20 minutes and tastes delicious.

Next time... a favorite and fun grilled meal of ours: Grilled Pizza.

Goodbye, Summer

2010-08-13T15:55:00.000-05:00

Today is our last day of summer. *sigh*

Although the students do not come back until the 23rd, teachers officially go back the 16th. While I am excited for the new school year and ready to attack all of the challenges I know I will face this year, I am really going to miss my peaceful mornings.

That's my Smudge in the background.

A typical morning at our house includes a few cups of coffee, leisurely reading the newspaper, and taking our little kitties outside for a little exercise... many times these occur simultaneously!

The Hubs' Ajax loves the grill for some reason.

He also loves to watch little bugs, but not ever catch them.

He's our pacifist, while Smudge is the aggressive one.

I've been a little sad all day long about saying goodbye to my quiet mornings, so when I saw this random item on my home this afternoon, it provided me with a much needed chuckle.

Yes, that is a life-sized replica of an elephant... hanging out in a junk yard. You can't look at him and not at least crack a smile.

Hope he brightens your day, too!

My Kitchen

2010-08-05T15:40:00.001-05:00

The kitchen is my favorite room of our house. I probably spend more of my awake hours here than any other room. Now don't get me wrong, my kitchen is not fancy or expansive by any means, but I love it!

It's where I physically work out my frustrations, think through major life decisions and satisfy my need to create.

I use my kitchen to show love to those around me in a very tangible way.

It is full of things that represent who I am. Not lots of fancy tools or machines, but practical things that make me smile every time I use them.

The Perfect Summer Dessert

2010-08-02T11:36:00.001-05:00

My Aunt Dorothy is one of the most interesting women I know. Really, she is. She had (and continues to have) a fabulous career in advertising, travels the world and is a phenomenal cook. Actually, both she and Ed are fabulous cooks. I love hearing about their latest culinary adventures - both domestic and abroad. So the other day when she emailed me a recipe for Apricot Gelato (or Gelato di Albicocche) that she had tweaked a bit, I knew I just had to try it.

Dorothy's Texas-twist on an Italian treat ... using Fredericksburg peaches in place of the apricots. Brilliant! And incredibly convenient for me considering Mom just brought me half a bushel of those juicy gems. It's as if the planets aligned and the heavens are willing me to make this gelato. Who am I to resist Fate?

In the process of making this gelato I learned the coolest trick for removing the skins of peaches. I've always just blanched and shocked the peaches and then peeled the skins off in frustratingly little pieces. Turns out there is a much simpler way to do it. Cut the peaches in half, remove the pits, place them cut-side down on a pan and broil them for about 12 minutes. After they cool a few minutes the skins come right off in huge sheets! (Thanks, Aunt Dorothy, for that tip)

Although there were several steps involved, none of them were particularly difficult and there is a lot of hands-off time in this recipe while you wait for things to cool or freeze. The only special piece of equipment I needed for this recipe was an ice cream maker. Everytime the Hubs and I want to make ice cream at home we have to borrow my parents' 25 year old machine, purchase lots of ice and rock salt and babysit the machine outside for the 30+ minutes it takes to freeze the mixtures. While it makes delicious ice cream it is inconvenient, loud and tough to clean. This gelato recipe provided me with the perfect excuse to purchase my own quiet, easy to use and easy to clean Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker! I see many more frozen treats on our future menus.

A quick run-down of Dorothy's procedure:
After broiling and peeling the peaches, chop them in to tiny pieces and let them hang out with some sugar for half an hour.

When time's up add in some peach preserves, some milk, some cream and a pinch of salt (I forgot that part!) and bring the mixture to a boil.

Strain it. Dorothy put her mixture through a food mill, but I just ran mine through a fine mesh sieve.

Be patient, this process takes a little while! Cool completely. Overnight is best. That gives the ice cream maker's bowl a chance to freeze completely, too.

It made so much gelato mix that I had to freeze it in two batches, but then again, my ice cream maker is only 1 1/2 quarts. It only took 20 minutes to freeze each batch in the machine and then I let it firm up a little more in my freezer before serving it.

To say this gelato was delicious is a major understatement. I'm already making plans to try the recipe again, but with other fruits. One lady tried it with mulberries and said it was phenomenal.

You have to check out Silvestro's site, and not just for this recipe, but for others too. He seems like such a cool guy - cook, sommelier, teacher and photographer! He also runs the Awaiting Table cooking school in Lecce, Italy... anyone up for a ~~road~~ airplane trip next summer?!?!

Shopping, Cooking and Eating Local

2010-07-25T17:45:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago my friend K and I took a cooking class at Sur La Table. The title of the class was "Eating Local: Casual Summertime Dinner", based on the book Eating Local by Janet Fletcher.

It ended up being a tiny class with only 4 four students, so we got a lot of hands-on opportunities. Carlos was our instructor for the day and did a great job.

He is very passionate and knowledgable about eating local foods grown in sustainable ways. We had tons of questions and he patiently answered each and every one.

The menu for the day included a Yellow Tomato Gazpacho,

Grilled Country Pork Chops with Bourbon Basted Grilled Peaches,

and a Summer Squash Carpaccio with Arugula, Pecorino and Almonds.

I ended up eating all of this, plus a little more of the salad.

To say the meal was delicious would be an understatement.

For dessert it was a Cornmeal Shortcake with Farm Stand Berries - which I did not get pictures of because I was too busy stuffing my face. Ooops.

Because of this class (and Carlos' passion) we ~~dragged~~ brought our husbands along with us to the Urban Harvest Farmer's Market at Eastside yesterday. Although it was a little warm outside, the trip was well worth it!

R just a new camera this week (Canon 5D Mark II) and was itching to play with it. This market provided the perfect opportunity. Check out his handywork below...

M and S: Rockin' the Baby Bjorn

She loved that Mint Limeade!

So many to choose from and they all look good.

The passion each of the farmers/vendors had for the food they were bringing to market was amazing. All of the food was beautiful and quite tasty.

We ended up purchasing some tomatoes, cucumbers (to pickle this week), a watermelon, aged goat cheese, cured pork belly, andouille sausage, free-range chicken tenders and a dozen free-range brown eggs.

The egg, bacon and cheese sandwiches we had for dinner last night were phenomenal. It's going to be a great week!

Poetry for Friday

2010-07-23T09:12:00.004-05:00

I just finished a week at Rice University. I attended a seminar designed to help prepare me to teach AP Human Geography this coming school year.

It was an exhausting, yet exhilarating week full of meaty content and great discussions. One of the fabulous new resources I was introduced to is The Writer's Almanac...which I now have delivered to my inbox daily.

Imagine my delight when upon opening the email this morning I found the following poem!
To those it offends, I am sorry.
Well, not really.

Why I am Not a Vegetarian

by David Oliveira

It's not that I love animals less,
a case could be made I love them more—
and it's not that I love vegetables less,
I love them rare,
nothing more savory than raw celery
clawing and kicking its way down the gullet.

What I find hard to stomach is vegetarians.
If there is a vegetarian at the table, we all
get called in to be witnesses at a police lineup.
Cheese, eggs, fish,
each suspect paraded for identification—
pronounced innocent, guilty,
please take two steps forward.

And it's not like there is just one canon
for the good host to worry about.
Each vegetarian comes with a different menu.
Most won't eat anything that had legs,
though many eat fish, a fin nothing like a leg,
And eat shrimp, that have legs
which count as fins since they come from the sea
and taste so good in a Newburg sauce.
Oysters are problematic, without legs and from the sea,
but mostly eaten alive, like carrots.
A few pass on eggs because of the latent leg potential,
though pasta is usually okay,
the potential hard to realize under the marinara.
One friend doesn't drink milk
but asks for extra au jus
for his mashed potatoes. I haven't the heart
to explain what kind of vegetable the "au" is
or how many get squeezed to make a cup of "jus."

Don't misunderstand,
I admire those who stand on principle,
however vague, who doesn't admire
the resolve of, say, a Jerry Falwell,
to bear the weight of so much conviction
he can hardly walk to church.
Praise the Lord for limousines.
As my mother would say,
"Live and let live—
Just keep the details to yourself,
And pass the ketchup, please."

"Why I am Not a Vegetarian" by David Oliveira, from A Little Travel Story. © Harbor Mountain Press, 2008. Reprinted with permission

White Trash Divas

2010-07-17T17:51:00.001-05:00

We had July's Dinner Divas meeting last night and it was themed ... White Trash!

Everyone had to dress the part and bring a 'white trash' dish to share. I struggled with that part. I don't like many processed foods, particularly processed meats and don't do much packaged food.

I put a plea for ideas/help out on Facebook and was overwhelmed (in a good way) at the responses. The suggestions ranged from 'Easy Cheeze' (the stuff in a can), to Spam, to fried chicken, to potato chip casseroles, to jello molds/salad and even things like chitlins and tripe. I ended up taking my cousin's idea and bringing the components for Frito Pie. (Homemade chili though, not the canned stuff. I just couldn't bring myself to go that far).

I also was perusing Foodgawker and came across this fabulous blog post featuring 'Gourmet Potato Chips' - potato chips painted with caramel, then dipped and chocolate and finally sprinkled with bits of Heath Bar.

The only tedious part.

They need about 30 minutes to set.

Then they get dipped in the chocolate and sprinkled with Heath Bar bits.

These are super easy, they use processed foods and are chock-full of calories and fat. Yep, they meet the 'white trash' food criteria! They ended up being a huge hit. I didn't I even got to eat one.

Here is our spread for the evening:

Cheetos and DingDongs were very popular...

as were the fried chicken strips you can kind of see in the top right corner.

Grilled wieners with ketchup, but no buns.

Dipped Chips, served in a cheap Tupperware container.

And for dessert:

Dirt Cake complete with trashy fake flowers.

Drinks included wine coolers, Jungle Juice (purple Kool-Aid w/ vodka) and of course it wouldn't be a white trash party without the boxed wine...

We played several ridiculous, but incredibly fun games. I even won one of them!

Here is my fabulous prize:

You know, sadly, these brought back memories.

Thanks, Mom.

Eating my way through vacation ... Snacks & Shops

2010-07-08T14:47:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite things to do while on vacation is to go to grocery stores. Historical sites, grand works of art, picturesque landscapes - those are all fine and good, but I'll take a market over a masterpiece any day.
(Don't tell the Hubs though, it's heresy to say things like that in our house)

I also love little snacks. Traveling is hard work and I am in constant need of sustenance while exploring a new location.

Here are a few of the snacks we consumed and little stores we checked out while in Italia and Espana.

In Montecatini Terme we went out for a stroll around the town and stopped for a drink. We had the usual - gin and tonic for me and Campari with orange for the Hubs. While the drinks were refreshing, my favorite part was the tray of bar snacks we received.

(From left - homemade corn nuts, spicy mini rice cakes and some dried/baked bean.)

Of the three my favorite was the beans. Partly because of the flavor, but partly because if you look at them closely they are really cute. There is a thin piece of the 'skin' left on the middle of the bean, but the rest has been stripped away.

You can never go wrong with gelato in Italy. I think one of my favorite things visually about gelato is that it always appears as if it is on the verge of turning to liquid.
These are two of the students' cones - mint and lemon, respectively. (I always order mine in a cup) . It was hot this day in Cinque Terra and the girls were very kind to let me take a photo of their treats!

While walking around Firenze I happened upon this little bakery with the most fabulous window displays. I wanted so badly to head inside and check out the rest of the goodies, but knew if I did I would be powerless to resist their sugary siren songs. I had to settle for photos through the windows.

Before we boarded the ship that would take us across the Mediterranean from Livorno to Barcelona we were taken to the local supermarket, Supermercati PAM, to stock up on food for the journey. We only had about 30 minutes, but I could have spent 3 hours. Luckily, the Hubs and I are very practiced at grocery shopping in Italy and knew exactly what we needed/wanted, which freed me up to wander for a little while.

Part of the meat counter -

And in addition to the meat counter there were stacks of pork everywhere. This must be what heaven is going to be like... mealtime will be a buffet of lovely cured pork products.

And to carry our food purchases on to the ship I bought the most adorable reusable grocery bag. How can a mozzarella ball dressed up like a little person not bring a smile to your face?!?!

Because of a series of unforeseen incidents, our arrival was delayed by about 5 hours, meaning we needed to eat one extra meal on the ship. Here is the drink I chose to have with my dinner - wine in a juice box. Not sure if it's sheer genius or the epitome of white trash...

Unfortunately, since it was Sunday when we were in Barcelona all of the food markets were closed. Oh well, we still made time for ~~snacks~~ drinks while strolling Las Ramblas. The joint was called Cerveceria Catalana and these really might have been the best Sangria we have ever had... or maybe I just thought they were really good because they were so cold.

Eating my way through vacation ... Rome & Florence

2010-07-07T11:57:00.002-05:00

We had a fabulous trip, but I am glad to be back home. Keeping track of 14 teenagers is exhausting, even when they are all 'good kids'.

Traveling with a large group and doing the 'tour' thing is much different than the way I have always traveled and took some getting used to. On one hand it was nice to not be the one in charge of reservations and scheduling, but on the other hand it required me to give up control.

And that is something I am NOT okay with.

Especially if you're asking me to give up control over what I am going to eat.

Because the meals had to accomodate large numbers of people, several of whom were very picky, our meals were pretty blah. I don't want to sound ungrateful or snobby, please don't misunderstand me, I wouldn't trade this trip for the world. I'm just used to eating cheap, local, non-processed food when I travel and for the most part that's not what we got.

Thankfully there were a few bright spots sprinkled in those meals and for a couple of the lunches we were able to choose our own restaurants!

Roma:

My basic pizza in Vatican City, complete with the requisite Peroni.

R's prosciutto covered pizza in Vatican City. This pizza embodies everything that is good about salty foods.

Here is our favorite pizza counter in Roma. It's located on the side of the Pantheon and is to die for.

And this is our favorite Italian birra to drink with their pizza. Yes, this is me being white trash and drinking it from a can.

Finally, and on a healthier note, we saw gorgeous, fruit-bearing olive trees everywhere.

Firenze:

The Mercato Centrale (right next to the Medici Chapel) is the place to be at lunchtime. Why? Because that is where Nerbone is located. It's a fast-paced lunch counter with some of the most delicious food.

Everything is good there, but I'm a sucker for their roast beef. Specifically the roast beef sandwich.
There are no words to describe the tender, flavorful meat and then those heavenly juices that soak in to the crispy bread, softening it just enough to make it edible. I always enjoy mine with a small carafe of house red wine.

To avoid going in to a food-coma after lunch, a leisurely stroll around the market is a must. So many beautiful counters to check out and so many foods to sample.

There are meat counters,

fresh produce stands,

dried fruit stands,

and when it's time to let that wine or beer out, there are restrooms too. Available for a small fee, of course.

After a 460+ step climb to the top of Il Duomo (to burn off all of those lunch calories)

we were certainly ready for this decadent primi piatti - penne with cheese and peas. This wasn't a white sauce, simply several delicious types of cheese and a dash of cream tossed with the pasta and peas. Divine.

Oh, and remember all of those olives growing everywhere?

This is how they end up - delicious, salty gems just begging to be consumed.

Paris and Comfort Food

2010-07-01T16:54:00.001-05:00

As an experienced traveler, I typically laugh at those who make "rookie" mistakes while on the road. I, sadly, made one of those rookie mistakes the other day. I left my purse on the plane we took from Houston to Paris.

As soon as I realized it was missing I began trying to recover it, all to no avail. The Air France agents were very helpful, but the purse never surfaced. In it was my drivers license, insurance card, 2 credit cards and a tiny bit of cash. Fortunately, I never travel without wearing my money belt, so my passport and 400 Euros were on my body.

This was both disheartening and humiliating at the same time.

So to cheer myself up during our 5 and a half hour layover at CDG I visited a delightful little pastry shop.

The window displays were absolutely gorgeous, but I was not allowed to take photos of them. My only other option was to purchase a few treats for myself and photograph them...

Macarons were all the rage and there were countless options. Enough in fact to truly paralyze my decision making abilities. So I did what I always do in that situation, ask for recommendations from the person working the counter.

Her choices for me were a Currant and Violet flavored macaron and a Salted Caramel flavored one.

Aren't they gorgeous?!?!?

I liked the Currant and Violet flavor, very interesting. I'm not a big jam or preserves person, so I didn't like the filling of that one as much.

But the Salted Caramel one... Oh. My.Word.

I felt much better after these.

Peachy Keen

2010-06-23T23:41:00.001-05:00

(The Hubs so kindly agreed to professionally document our session this morning. All photos in this post are his work. I want to make sure to give credit where credit is due.)

Meet my friend Shannon. She's the girl on the right. That's me on the left. No, we weren't mad at each other, we were simply "divinding and conquering".

No, we weren't mad at each other, we were simply "dividing and conquering".

Shannon really likes to cook too. That makes it really easy to be friends with her. Well, that and the fact that she is one of the kindest (and funniest) people I know. This girl has a heart of gold.

The last 2 Wednesdays we have gotten together to cook and it's been a blast! Last week was biscotti, homemade nutella and nutella panna cotta. So basically, chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate.

This week Shannon wisely suggested we be a little healthier and chose this fabulous menu:

Peach and Brie Quesadillas

Served with Grilled Peaches over Arugula with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto.

(For dessert I picked another recipe from Real Simple - Irene's Peach Surprise...but more about that tomorrow.)

Anyone picking up on a theme here?

Since we really didn't vary from the way each of the recipes were written, I won't worry with typing in detail about steps and procedures. Instead, I will let the Hubs' pictures explain it all. Enjoy!

The Prep Work:

Of course there were peaches to deal with. Lots of peaches.

There were also ingredients other than peaches to prep -

Chives

Brie

Limes and Eggs

And sauces / dressings to make -

Honey Balsamic Syrup

Honey Lime Dipping Sauce

Cooking and Assembling:

Quesadillas first -

Now for the salad -

(a sprinkle of crispy prosciutto)

(a drizzle of honey balsamic syrup)

I'm not sure if there was more laughing or cooking going on -

Lunch is Served:

My favorite Taste-Testing Neighbor joined us for lunch. (She is a professional taster, you know.)

Both dishes paired nicely with the Riesling I had chilling in the fridge. The recipe also said a Chenin Blanc would work well.

All 3 of us agreed there was not a thing we would change about the salad. To say it was delicious would be an understatement. A definite keeper.

We also all agreed that while the quesadillas were good, they fell a bit flat in the flavor department. Even with the dipping sauce (which was very good) they still lacked pizazz. Georgia suggested adding cinnamon to the peaches mix and Shannon suggested cilantro. Either (but not both at the same time!) would make a delightful addition.

Coming tomorrw: Dessert re-cap and why we re-named it Baked Georgia.

Summer Soup

2010-06-22T21:20:00.000-05:00

If you love sweet corn, or any corn for that matter, or just need a way to use up all of those ears of corn you purchased on impulse just because they were 5/$1, I have the recipe for you.

Corn Soup with Poblano Puree
(adapted from Real Simple, July 2010)

2 poblano peppers
3 1/2 c chicken broth
2 T butter
1 small onion, chopped
5 c fresh corn kernels (about 8 ears; can cheat and use frozen corn in a pinch)
S & P
1/4 c heavy cream
Cilantro (for garnish)

Get the corn off of the cobs. This is a chore, yes, but it is so worth it to use fresh corn.

Use a bundt pan - keeps things much neater.

Under the broiler, char the peppers on all sides.

After they are charred, put them in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let them cool for about 10 minutes. Once cooled, pull the skins off the peppers and remove the stems and seeds.

In a blender puree them with 3 T of the chicken broth.

In a large pan (I used my dutch oven) over medium heat melt the butter and then cook the onions until they are translucent and tender.

Add in the corn, the rest of the chicken stock and some S&P. Bring it to a boil, then simmer for 10 - 15 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until it's at a consistency you're good with.

To serve:
After filling a bowl with the corn puree, carefully add a spoonful of the poblano puree and then drizzle a little of the heavy cream on top.

You really should garnish it with cilantro, but I forgot.

Oh, and I may or may not have thrown in a little creme fraiche as I was pureeing it. So bad, I know, but oh so very tasty.

Variations:

If the soup is too thick for your taste, it can easily be thinned with a little more chicken stock.
Stirring in a little milk or half and half would definitely make it a little richer.
Some leftover roast or rotisserie chicken would be delightful in this soup.

Monday Morning Muffins

2010-06-21T11:37:00.003-05:00

Two dear friends are heading to China for a 2 week visit and needed a ride to the airport. Their flight left at 6 am.

Which meant they needed to be at the airport no later than 4 am.

Which meant they needed to leave their house no later than 3 am.

Which meant I needed to be up and out of the house by 2:35 am. I was so nervous about not hearing my alarm that I didn't really sleep much. I think I got a 45 minute nap in some time between 11 pm and 2:15 am.

When I finally made it back home I was absolutely exhausted, hence the slightly blurry picture.

Pretty cool how I got the camera to mimic my vision, huh?

Needless to say it was time to actually get some sleep. I crashed sometime around 5am and slept until 9am when ~~the monsters~~ my sweet babies decided that the best bird watching could be done from where I was sleeping. And bird watching, mind you, involves talking and chattering to the birds on the other side of the window pane.

If I was going to have to be awake I might as well make it enjoyable. So after a quick read of the paper I began working on breakfast.

I have no idea on what blog I found this recipe. For whatever reason I did not bookmark the site. Instead I wrote it down on paper. How 'old-school' of me, right???

Homemade Blueberry Muffins
This is not my recipe, I just cannot remember who should get the credit.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Toss 1 cup of blueberries with 1/4 c flour and set aside.

In a separate bowl whisk together 1 3/4 c flour, 4 t baking powder and 1/2 t salt. Set aside.

Measure 3/4 c milk. Set aside.

Cream 4 T butter with 1/2 c sugar 'til fluffy. Add in 1 egg. Combine thoroughly.

Add in the flour mix and milk, alternately, until the batter is smooth.

Gently fold in the blueberries.

Divide the batter amongst 12 greased or lined muffin cups and bake for 15 - 20 minutes. Use the 'toothpick test' to check for doneness.

These were every bit as good as I hoped they would be. They were different (and much better) than the box mixes. Very similar in flavor to a strawberry shortcake, but with blueberries.

All these needed to achieve perfection was a little pat of butter.

The only changes I would (maybe) make would be to fold in the zest of 1 lemon, along with the blueberries, to the batter and/or brushing the muffins with melted butter and then sprinkling them with a little sugar right when they come out of the oven.

A Day with Dad

2010-06-20T19:54:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Father's Day a little early this year. My dad wanted to go visit his (almost 92 year-old) dad on the Father's Day, so he and I celebrated on Saturday.

He is one of the most difficult people to shop for and really there is nothing I could get him that he couldn't buy himself. What he seems to enjoy most is when we just spend time together. He promised me that we wouldn't go for a 12 mile bike ride in the middle of the day this year. Although that was fun last year, it took my body a good 4 or 5 days to recover.

He has an upcoming fishing trip to Russia (his 6th trip, and yes, he's fluent in Russian) and needed some new shoes and clothes. He hates to shop more than anyone I know...even more than R hates to shop. However, if my sister or I go with him it seems to help the process a little and he focuses on the fun times with us and not the frustrating parts of shopping like having to dig through racks and racks of clothes to find his size. He's tallish and fit (very low body-fat) and has long arms - it's tough to find clothes that fit him properly.

We hit up REI first.

On the list: walking shoes, a hat, socks and travel pants.

After digging through many racks, trying on many hats and making laps around the shoe area in three different pairs of shoes we were able to check everything off of our list. We even found 3 pairs of travel pants in his size, a true miracle! (I also managed to find a pair of Chacos that I love)

Shopping worked up our appetite, so we were off to Pronto for lunch.

We both ordered their house special - lemon garlic roasted chicken with green beans, garlic mashed potatoes and a roll.

Even though I had roast chicken the night before, this stuff is so good that I couldn't resist.

Back to my parents' house after lunch for movie time. Dad is a movie nut. The man watches the same movies over and over and over and over again. It's one of his weird, yet endearing habits.

I had not seen Crazy Heart yet, so Dad suggested we watch it.

(http://kylepetersen.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/crazy_heart_1.jpg)

Wow. Great movie! Great cinematography, great casting, great acting. I'm so glad Dad chose that one.

We had a great day together and I consider myself so lucky to have him as my dad. He really is one of a kind in so many ways.

Love you, Dad!

Hooray for Helga

2010-06-18T23:28:00.000-05:00

A while back I blogged about my ~~failure~~ learning experience with Matilda, the huge, free-range, organic chicken I bought from one of my students. While I gained a couple of valuable nuggets of wisdom from the ~~fiasco~~ event, this was the ultimate outcome:

I had poured my heart and soul into the girl so I was more than a little upset. The silver lining was that I had a standby in the freezer - Helga. Otherwise known as bird 12978.

If you can believe it, Helga was even bigger than Matilda. I didn't weigh the girl (1 - I don't have a food scale and 2 - I did not want to have to weigh myself in the process), but I got quite an upper body workout wrangling her today.

Since I had a bit of a tough time with the butterflying process last time I found a video tutorial to help me out. The guy is a little goofy, but it was a really helpful video.

After watching it several times I felt confident and was ready to take out the backbone...with these pathetic excuses for scissors.

They didn't work and I got frustrated. This was as far as I could get.

Enter my 'Knight in Shining Armor', R. He immediately sensed my frustration and calmly told me to give him a couple of minutes to shower and shave and that we would head out in search of a real pair of kitchen shears for me.
I (heart) R.

Our search for good kitchen shears was a success and I was back in business.

Although the process did not go as smoothly for me as it did for the guy in the video, I did complete the task and did not dislocate the "hip" this time.

See what I mean about her being a big girl?

One thing Helga and I do have in common - our meaty thighs! Check these out. Hers, not mine. I do not take pictures of my meaty thighs, thankyouverymuch.

Now the question became "How am I going to cook her?"

Grilling was out for two reasons: 1) Both propane tanks are empty and need to be swapped out and 2) Do I really need to bring up what happened last time again?

After doing a little research I found a post on Chowhound about a recipe for roasting butterflied chickens that had been featured on America's Test Kitchen. It received rave reviews (and that forum is a tough crowd) so I knew it must be a good recipe/method.

Here's a quick rundown of the process with a few changes by me:

In the bottom of the broiler pan went 2 potatoes, sliced about 1/4" thick. I also threw in an onion and some sad carrots that were hanging out in my veggie drawer. Those were all seasoned and tossed in a little oil.

The butterflied and seasoned chicken is placed on the grill rack that goes over the pan.

You cook the chicken in the lower 1/3 of the oven @ 500 F for a total of about 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the cooking time. You want the internal temperature of the breast to reach about 160 F.

As the chicken fat, butter and olive oil drip off of the chicken, they drip on to the veggies below, bathing them in all sorts of yumminess.

After pulling it out of the oven loosely cover the pan with foil and let it rest for about 10 minutes.

She looks a little more well-done in parts, but I promise the bird wasn't burned or overcooked. The skin was delightfully crispy and the meat was tender, well-flavored and incredibly juicy. I hardly ever eat the skin on my chicken, but I devoured every bit of the skin on the breast I ate.

And the vegetables were everything I hoped they would be. The best part is that since she was such a big bird, we'll be feasting on Helga for the next few days... maybe some empanadas, bbq pizza, chicken salad, quesadillas. I could go on and on.

I've already scheduled those leftover potatoes to be part of breakfast tomorrow. Yum.

Little Purses of Love

2010-06-18T00:02:00.002-05:00

I have been on a 'Sweets Streak' recently, baking lots of sugary, chocolately, sweet treats. And while that is fun and friends have enjoyed receiving the goods, I am ready to move on.

Last night I climbed up on my counter to get to my recipe cabinet to retrieve the Food Section from October 14, 2009, so I could once again make these:

Japanese Pork and Shrimp Pot Stickers (or Gyoza)

I had made them last fall (still have the almost full bottle of sake in my fridge) and remember absolutely loving them. I also remembered that they were a little labor intensive, so summer is the perfect time to make them again. But don't let that scare you... it's just the wrapper folding that takes a little practice, every other part is ridiculously easy.

The recipe I followed was from Asian Dumplings by Andrea Nguyen and published in the Houston Chronicle on 10/14/2009. (See link for full recipe)

The filling is incredibly easy to assemble and includes some Napa cabbage, garlic, ginger, scallions, ground pork, chopped shrimp...

Along with a little sugar, some soy sauce, a healthy glug of sake and some good ol' S&P.

I used some already made Gyoza Wrappers. I'm pretty adventurous, but doughs and I don't always get along and I did not want to stress about it. Plus, theses commercial wrappers are pretty darn good, although only one of my local stores carries them. (I stockpile them in my freezer)

Here is my setup, complete with a "how-to" cheat sheet.

About 1 tablespoon of the filling goes in the middle of each wrapper.

After moistening the edge of the wrapper you do this pleating and pressing routine again and again and again until you you have this crescent-shaped little purse of flavor.

And then repeat that process.

Again and again and again... until you have about 32 of these little guys.

Cooking them is super simple. Arrange them (artfully) in your pan and cook in a mix of canola and sesame oil for about 2 minutes.

Add a little water, cover and cook another 8 minutes. Uncover and then let them sizzle a few more minutes, until you get that lovely, flavorful brown (and slightly crunchy) bottom.

(They puff up a little bit when they steam, but they deflate as they cool)

They are fabulous when served with a simple dipping sauce made of soy sauce and seasoned rice vingar.

Once you start eating these, you just can't stop. They are completely worth every bit of work!

But if you don't have time for all of that fancy folding business (say, on a hectic weeknight), check out this idea for Gyoza Quesadillas. Brilliant!

Baking Biscotti

2010-06-16T21:20:00.001-05:00

While making peanut butter cheesecake brownies last week I stumbled upon a recipe (on the same blog) for Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Biscotti.

I love a good biscotti in the morning with my coffee. It incorporates easily in to my morning newspaper-reading routine. What I hate however, is paying through the nose for pre-packaged biscotti that has an 'industrial' flavor. In the past I have been hesitant to try to make my own biscotti at home because surely, anything that tastes that good with that kind of delicate texture has to be difficult to make. WRONG.

This recipe could not be more simple (or delicious). Over the past 4 days I have made it 3 times.

Yes, THREE.

The first attempt was at home, by myself and I followed the recipe exactly. The 'bang for the buck' factor was off the charts! I took some to my neighbors down the street and another friend as well. I got good reviews from all of them and from R.

Well, that's not entirely true. Initially the review from R was less than stellar. I think his comments were something along the line of "the flavor is good, but these are really dry". I kindly informed him that biscotti is meant to be dunked. So after trying them with a tall glass of cold milk, he was singing a different tune.

Attempt #2 was at my mom's house yesterday. I helped her make some granola bars and then we attacked the biscotti. She likes to try making new things, but I think she can be overwhelmed by them sometimes, so I like to step in and help. And I just love spending time with my momma!

Here is a quick run-down of the process:

After pre-heating the oven to 350 F and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper, cream 6 T of softened butter with 1 cup of sugar for about 2 minutes, then add in 2 eggs. Combine thoroughly. It should look something like this:

Next add in 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 2/3 cup cocoa powder, 1 t of salt and 1 t of baking soda. Mix on low until just combined. The dough is incredibly thick. **This is where my mom and I switched things up and added in 2 Starbucks VIA packets to achieve a mocha flavor**

Finally, gently add in 1 cup of peanut butter chips and 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips by pulsing the mixer a couple of times.

Divide the dough in half and make two 12"x 2" logs on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar (this is optional) and then bake the logs for 35 minutes.

After 35 minutes, pull the pan out of the oven and let the logs cool 3 minutes. Transfer them to a cutting board and cut each log in to 1/2 inch slices.

Places the slices back on the baking sheet, sliced side down. Bake for another 8 - 10 minutes. Cool thoroughly on a wire cooling rack.

We called our version Mocha Peanut Butter Biscotti.

Attempt 3 was at my house this morning with a sweet friend, Shannon. I had given her some of the biscotti from attempt #1 and she wanted to learn to make them for herself. We had an absolute blast and even got a little creative.

In addition to making the Mocha Peanut Butter version, we also made a Mocha White Chocolate version by swapping white chocolate chips out for the peanut butter chips. So good.

Finally, we made our own Homemade Nutella by following this recipe, which we promptly used to make more Nutella Panna Cotta.

One of our Best. Neighbors. Ever came down to taste test a little later on. She approved... and took a few more home for later.

While I have certainly enjoyed eating the biscotti, I think my favorite thing about it is how it has provided me with so many opportunities to spend time with people that are special to me over the last few days.