What we did over our holiday break...

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. 

Holiday Re-Cap (...so far)

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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. 

Thankful

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.

Cookin' Up Somethin' New

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...

My Mom's To-Die-For Potato Soup

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. 

Happy (Belated) Birthday

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! 

English Gadroon

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.

Frank Lloyd Wrong

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. 

The Perfect Summer Dessert

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?!?!

A Day with Dad

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!

Baking Biscotti

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.

Naps

My sweet cat, Smudge, has the right idea about how to pass the time on these hot summer afternoons. 

She is just like me and loves to eat, so she's a little more umm, shall we say round, than your average cat, but super fluffy and cuddly.  I affectionately call her Pudge. 

 

And aren't these the best kind of naps, the ones where you just let it all hang out?

Mother's Day Re-Cap

Yes, I know Mother's Day was 7 days ago and I am extremely slow in getting these photos up, but here we go.  Unfortunately I only have pictures of the food and absolutely zero pictures of people!  Maybe Mom or my sister will send me a few and I can add them.

My sister came in to town from Austin to celebrate Mother's Day weekend.  We had a simple Sunday enjoying each other's company and cooking a delicious meal.  

We started things off with some delicious and sparkly Sangria...

It was a huge hit with everyone. 

The perfect springtime drink!

The main course consisted of Roast Beef Tenderloin, Oven Roasted Rosemary & Parmesan Potatoes, and Almond Garlic Green Beans.

The beef tenderloin was seasoned with salt, pepper, sugar and bacon grease... how delicious! 

Thank you, PW.

We ate and laughed and ate and laughed and ate some more.

 

We can put away some serious food.

Finally it was time for dessert.  Creme Brulee - one of my all-time favoites. 

 

We obviously had not perfected our "torching technique". 

We prepared and ate some wonderful food, but the best part was all of the laughs we shared.   

Great day and I look forward to celebrating many more!

Fabulous, Fun Weekend #1

This is the time of year when things start to get crazy around our house.  Both my husband and I teach and I'm not sure who is more anxious for the end of the school year, us or the students!  Don't get me wrong, we both absolutely love what we do for a living, but it's at this point in the school year when I can start to feel emotionally drained.  It's very bittersweet. 

This year has been especially demanding (and emotionally stressful) with my teaching partner being out on maternity leave for 12 weeks and then being the Cooperating Teacher for an incompetent student teacher for 14 weeks.  Thank goodness the long-term sub was fabulous and that I have many good friends at work who helped me hide from my student teacher during my conference period! (Did I really just say that out loud???)

All of that to say that it was time for me to have a little fun last weekend.

I kicked things off on Friday by throwing a party during the last period of the day to celebrate my student teacher's final day with us.  I was so happy to have survived the experience see him graduate that I made red velvet mini-cupcakes since red and white are our school colors. 

I think I ate at least 4 of these.

I'm a sucker for homemade cream cheese icing.

On Saturday I headed to Austin to visit my sister and ended up having an incredibly interesting evening.  She volunteers with Refugee Services of Texas and takes refugees to their medical appointments, grocery shopping, and helps them with paperwork... you know, all of the things we take for granted.  One of the family groups she works with are Nepalese refugees. 

Their life stories are incredible. 
Absolutely mind-blowing.

These people have been persecuted, imprisoned and tortured, yet still have this light that shines inside of them.  While they may lack material possessions, they are some of the richest people I have ever met.

Sorry for the poor quality. 

I only had my phone with me, but felt the need to capture the moment.

Over time my sister has developed very close relationships with them and we were invited into two different apartments, treated like royalty and fed a wonderful Nepalese meal.  I didn't quite catch everyone's name and how they were related, but I do remember that Aruna is on the far left and Tia is in the far right.  The girls in the middle brought us drinks and cooked us something to eat.  They are either Aruna's children or children of Aruna's husband's other wife.  Did that make sense?

The noodles were coated with a spicy paste and the garnish/relish was a combination of cilantro and onion, along with fresh lime.  Delicious, but I had heartburn afterwards! 

After a good night's sleep and a leisurely morning we were off to Tacodeli for brunch.

I wish we had one here. 

I would visit every weekend...and weigh 500+ pounds

Their queso was out of this world creamy, almost like it was a mix of traditional queso and a white sauce.  I stupidly ordered a large. 

My sister and her roomies are still probably eating on it. 

My sister ordered one veggie and cheese taco. 

This picture sums up my sister pretty well:

smallish portions, mainly non-meat and an international piece of clothing

And it shows how gorgeous she is...

Her food looked good, but not as good as my 2 fat-loaded El Otto tacos.  Refried black beans, thick cut bacon, sliced avocado and shredded cheese on corn tortillas.  Did your arteries just harden a little bit? Mine did.

Yes, the refried 'black' beans were purple.

And this picture sums me up pretty well: I LOVE to eat.

I had a wonderful weekend spending great quality time with my sister.  It was just what I needed.  

This Friday I'm off to my old stomping grounds, College Station, to reunite with some former roommates from college.  Three day weekend, here I come.