Oh C'est Si Bon

And then things got busy....

2011-11-27T22:20:00.001-08:00

I love this time of the year....so warm and right....I don't know what it is but it just feels really good..the lights, the food etc. I think every year I write about how much I love it. I spent Thanksgiving working and now am prepping for quite the catering job this coming Friday. After the party there will be plenty of pictures and recipes to share. A warm welcome to the Holiday Season for sure. Just to give you warm thoughts and good recipes to come here's a hint as to what we are making: Date and Goat Cheese Bruschetta, Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp, Lemon Ginger Meringues....mmmmh. Until then you can all laugh at my beer making adventures. Some people well and my baby brother gave me home brew supplies for my birthday, as if I needed more excitement in the kitchen, here we are! It's been an adventure alright, my first batch was good but really really carbonated! So I'm learning...more to come!

Birthday Celebrations....

2011-10-13T16:26:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago I had a birthday and following an old Spanish tradition and much to everyone's "party foul" mindset I threw myself a dinner party. It was perfect, it was a great cooking/baking day, I was relaxed, I set a table and people gathered and enjoyed themselves. I thought it was perfect! We had fantastic cocktails and the dinner wasn't too shabby but the dessert may be the deal sealer for my own restaurant someday. I saw this salted caramel cheesecake recipe on Pinterest, which if you aren't sure what that is, google it and become addicted. I have a thing for salty/sweet because sweet is often too sweet for me; hence why I don't like chocolate very much. The salty thus balances out the sweetness which is fine by me. I tweaked this recipe a tad to make it more creamy and not as grainy. Otherwise it was fantastic!

salted caramel and vanilla baked cheesecake

adapted from http://www.donnahay.com.au/index.htm

1 bag/package of gingersnaps
2/3 cup melted butter

4 8 oz packages of cream cheese

1 cup brown sugar

4 eggs

2 tablespoons dark corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon table salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

seal salt for sprinkling

caramel sauce

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 stick butter cut into 1 inch pieces

To make the caramel sauce, place the cream, butter and sugar in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high, bring to the boil and cook for 5–7 minutes or until thickened. Set aside and allow to cool. Preheat oven to 325°F. Place the gingersnaps in the bowl of a food processor and process until coarsely chopped. Add the butter and process to combine. Press the gingersnap mixture into the base and sides of a lightly greased 22cm springform cake tin lined with non-stick baking paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Place the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer/kitchen aid and beat for 5–6 minutes or until smooth. Add the sugar and beat for 3–4 minutes or until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the corn syrup, table salt and 1 teaspoon of vanilla and beat until well combined. Spoon the mixture into the gingersnap shell. Place the tin in a baking dish and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the tin. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove cheesecake from the baking dish and allow to cool in the tin. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until set. Place the cream, sour cream, powdered sugar and remaining vanilla in a bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Top the cheesecake with the cream, drizzle with the caramel

Cinnamonness

2011-09-06T14:48:00.000-07:00

I've had a serious lack of cooking just to cook this summer, whether it was catering a wedding, or cooking for intense stress relief there was little time to be had. So one afternoon I had all the time in the world and I was anxiously waiting for my sister to go into labor and have her baby, so I baked and baked and baked. I was spurred on by finding Wheat Montana flour at our local Walmart, it's fantastic flour and when I was in college I would drive through the Montana to get to Washington and my mom would buy wheat berries there and grind her own flour. Well now they sell it here in Colorado woohoo! So I made some bread to celebrate! This cinnamon swirl bread recipe never fails, never. I made four loaves but these were so ginormous I could have made more like six loaves probably. It's easy and really really tasty whether it's alone, or as toast, or as french toast so so so good!

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

from The New Best Recipe Cookbook

Bread Dough

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup warm water (roughly 110 degrees)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (1 envelope)

1/3 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

3 1/4 to 3 3/4 cups flour

Filling

1/4 cup sugar

5 teaspoons ground cinnamon

milk for brushing

Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the Dough: Heat the milk and butter in the microwave or a small saucepan, once butter is melted remove from heat and let cool until roughly 110 degrees.
Sprinkle yeast over warm water in the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment. Once yeast has proofed, add eggs and sugar and mix at a low speed to blend. Add the salt, lukewarm milk mixture and 2 cups of the flour. Mix at medium speed until dough is thoroughly blended. Switch to dough hook.
Add the 1 1/4 cups more flour and let the dough knead at medium speed, add more flour the if the dough appears too sticky or is sticking to sides of bowl. Continue to knead until dough is well mixed and soft and pliable. About 10 minutes.
Turn the dough out of the bowl onto floured surface or into a floured bowl. Squeeze the dough, if it's still to sticky add another 1/4 to 1/2 cup of flour and knead in by hand. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in warm place in your house and let rise until doubled, approximately 2 hours.
Once dough has risen punch it down and turn onto floured surface. (at this point the dough could be refrigerated for up to 18 hours if needed.)
Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 inch loaf pan. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
Take dough and roll out to a evenly shaped rectangle, well really do as best you can, I never can get dough into a "perfectly shaped" anything! Brush the dough liberally with milk and spread the cinnamon sugar mixture over top.
Starting at the side closest to you, roll the dough up tightly, pinch the ends together to make sure it's tightly sealed so the sugary goodness doesn't drip out. Pinch the seam and place in loaf pan, seam side down.
Cover the top and let rise again until about 1 inch or so over the pan, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the bread until it is golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the middle of the loaf reads 185 to 190, approximately 35 minutes.
Meanwhile mix the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk together. Take the loaf out and let cool for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and place on wax paper, coat with glaze while the loaf is still warm.
Eat up!

And there she goes....

2011-09-03T05:36:00.000-07:00

Summer is flying out the window as quick as it came in. Well I take that back, it seems it terms of weather that it's been here forever, my garden, my lawn, my pores are screaming for relief. I will bre more than happy to say goodbye to 90+ degree heat for sure. I will miss outdoor eating, long days and endless nights. But fall is my favorite season and here's to hoping it's far less eventful than this crazy summer of mine. Save catering a wedding it's involved very little cooking which is disappointing but I'm back now and pricing out bushels of tomatoes, pickling cucumbers, onions and jalapenos....canning season is beginning. Until then here's a fantastic end of summer delight. I always think that pork should be brined, it really improves the texture and the flavor of the meat, pair that with a quick wine reduction sauce and cool crips salad and you've got that last summer meal ready to roll! Enjoy!

Mixed Greens with Tangerines and Fennel

from www.epicurious.com

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped shallot
1 teaspoon finely grated tangerine peel
1 5-ounce package mixed baby greens
2 medium fennel bulbs, very thinly sliced crosswise, fronds chopped
4 tangerines, peeled, segmented

Prep:
Whisk first 4 ingredients in small bowl. Season dressing with salt and pepper.
Divide greens among 4 plates. Scatter sliced fennel and tangerines over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle dressing over, sprinkle with chopped fronds, and serve.

Pork Tenderloin with a Blackberry Wine and Balsamic Reduction
adapted from http://whatscookingamerica.net/Pork/BlackberryWinePork.htm

Blackberry-Wine Sauce (see recipe below)

2 to 4 petite pork tenderloin roasts

3/4 cup coarse salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup boiling water

1 gallon cold water

1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

Parsley, minced (for garnish)

A large plastic tube, stainless steel bowl, or large ziploc bags can be used to brine the pork. To determine how much brine you'll need, place the meat to be brined in your chosen container. Add water to cover. Remove the meat and measure the water. It is essential that all the meet is covered completely with the brine.
Dissolve salt and sugar in the boiling water. Add it to the cold water; add pepper and stir to combine. Place pork roasts in the water; cover and refrigerate 6 to 12 hours.
Remove the pork from the brine. Rinse pork twice after removing it from the brine solution; discard brine. If you are not ready to cook at the end of the brining time, refrigerate until ready to use. Rub olive oil over the entire roast before grilling.
Preheat barbecue grill. Bring roasts to room temperature before cooking. Place pork roasts onto hot grill; close the lid and grill for 7 minutes. Turn the pork over, close the lid, and grill for another 6 minutes. Turn off the heat (keep the lid closed) and continue to cook the pork for another 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, insert an instant-read meat thermometer into thickest part of the roast, temperature should read 145° to 150°F (if not, close the lid and let the pork continue to roast). Once brined, the pork cooks faster so be careful and use a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat. The meat will remain pink from the brine.

Blackberry-Wine Sauce

1 1/2 cups Manishewitz Blackberry Wine

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced

2 to 3 tablespoons butter

1.5 cups fresh blackberries

1/2 medium white onion chopped and sauteed
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, add red wine and balsamic vinegar. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently until sauce is reduced to the consistency of heavy cream. (If it is reduced too much, use more wine to make sauce the desired consistency.) Add the onions and fresh blackberries. Remove from heat and add the minced hot pepper. Serve warm over pork.

Love

2011-06-07T15:34:00.000-07:00

I'm in love with a very small bottle of miraculousness. Don't judge. It's that good. I mean come on a mixture of vanilla and citrus what could be better. You open the the bottle and your sinuses get punched smack in the face with citrus backed by vanilla or maybe it's vanilla backed by citrus. Oh hello that is what love smells like.

I happened to pick this little bottle up when I was perusing the King Arthur Bakers Store in Norwich, VT, oh hello love again. What a great place that was. I didn't really know what this bottle was nor how you use but heck the description was enough to win me over. It reads something along these lines..."An all-natural combination of citrus and vanilla with a pleasingly floral aroma...".

I mean fantastic right? I scooted right on home and made some cookies. What I have for you here is a Lemon Citrus Sugar Cookie, wow my mouth is in love, no joke!

Lemon Citrus Sugar Cookie

adapted from Laura Flowers www.thecookingphotographer.com

Heads up, the dough will need to chill for about an hour in the refrigerator.

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

Zest of two lemons

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tsp fiori di sicilia (if you can't find this, just increase the lemon juice by 2 teaspoons and add the zest of another lemon).

2 tablespoons whipping cream

1 egg
2 teaspoons baking powder

1 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose

Directions:

1. Cream the butter, sugar, salt, lemon zest and lemon juice together. Beat in the whipping cream and egg. Beat in the baking powder and then mix in the flour until just combined. Refrigerate about 1 hour, or until cool, but not hard.

2. Preheat the oven to 375. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

3. Scoop the dough with a mini or standard size cookie scoop and roll together with your hands into balls. Place two inches apart on cookie sheets. Sprinkle with sugar

4. Bake cookies for 10 to 11 minutes for standard size cookies, and 7 to 8 minutes for minis. Cool for 3 minutes on cookie sheets and then move to a cooling rack.

Late Promises........

2011-05-22T23:30:00.000-07:00

I don't always to mean to be bad at fulfilling promises but sometimes it just happens. I work with a fellow nurse that had a birthday last May, well every May he has a birthday but it was last years birthday I promised him a cake and it was this years birthday that I fulfilled the promise.....epic fail. In order to make it up to him i found the darkest richest chocolate creation I could. He's a chocolate man and I didn't want to fail in that many ways! So out comes my trusty cookbook Baked...yes yes make all the jokes you want but there's no quasi illegal substances in any of the recipes.

My eyes wandered and latched on to this Root beer Chocolate Bundt. I happened to have root beer and I had a package of black cocoa. I for one couldn't taste the root beer but another fellow coworker hates root beer and could taste it instantaneously! I will say though that this cake was super moist without being horrendously rich in the chocolate department. However be forewarned if you truly use said black cocoa there may be the individual that has to comment on what this bundt may or may not look like, and I'll just leave it at that, let you minds wander!
Anyhow it was a crowd pleaser for sure. I didn't let down in the flavor promise just in timeliness! Oh well beggars cannot be choosers right?!

Root Beer Chocolate Bundt Cake
Adapted from Baked: New Frontiers In Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

Ingredients

Cake
2 cups root beer
1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs

Frosting
2 ounces dark chocolate melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup root beer
2/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

For the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour the bundt pan.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the root beer, cocoa powder, and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.
4. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined. Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture. The batter will be slightly lumpy–do not overbeat, as it could cause the cake to be tough.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a small sharp knife inserted into the cake comes out clean.

For the frosting:
1. Melt the chocolate over low heat on the stove. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir.
2. Take the mixture off the heat and allow to cool. (We put it in the fridge for about 2 minutes).
3. Whisk the cooled mixture to make sure it's mixed well and stiff enough to frost.

A change....

2011-04-17T06:33:00.000-07:00

My little brother got engaged back in February, I couldn't be more excited for him! A little freaked out that my LITTLE brother is getting married but love Nicole and they are moving close to me so I'm happy. In talking about the wedding plans with my mom as we were sauntering around a grocery store she says, "oh and we'll have to redo your dining room for the rehearsal dinner." Um, excuse me? Apparently they forgot to mention to me that my house was hosting a good old southern rehearsal dinner with fried turkeys, dirty rice and all the other good stuff! No big deal thought, I love parties! As the story goes, they wanted a family oriented, relaxed non formal rehearsal party of sorts. My dining room was in a sad state of affairs and had definitely been lacking in attention. So the month of March was my dining rooms moment. I left town and my parents descended on the room and started gutting it. I was pretty specific in what I wanted and my lovely father obliged me every step of the way. I love this room, I love how it turned out and I love that i can now fit more people, more comfortably! I got a lot of inspiration for Laya at www.theletteredcottage.net so mucho thanks to her and her great ideas! I showed pictures to my realtor and well he graciously wrote back that I added significant value to my house, BONUS!!

Here's some photos to feast your eyes on!

I wish you could all come to dinner!

Morale Booster

2011-04-07T00:08:00.000-07:00

In college my favorite restaurant was Luna in Spokane, WA. It was far too expensive for a college student but oh my goodness was it good. They served their coffee on a platter with all sorts of cream and cinnamon sticks and sugars it made me feel adult, grown up and well it tasted real good. They had this carrot cake on their menu that was to die for. I politely asked for the recipe and I was denied. I asked again, and again they would not oblige me. I mean seriously did they think I was going to take it and sell it, good gracious I was just a college student who wanted to create that carrot, sugared carmelly goodness at home. Most restaurants give you recipes, I mean often it's a fake recipe of what you really want but at least they pretend. Nope not Luna they were hanging on to that carrot cake recipe for life. No big deal I decided to eat that carrot cake until I could figure out exactly what was in it. I can't tell you how many orders of carrot cake i ate at Luna but eventually I came up with a recipe that was pretty darn close to that original Luna carrot cake. Well at least in my mind it's close. However it doesn't matter because I've made this cake for parties, for showers, for a wedding and it continues to be the favorite. What in my mind sets it apart is the caramel sauce that is drizzled between the layers.

The original Luna carrot cake has praline pecans, whereas I sugar my walnuts. There's no fruit in this cake just straight up carrots. I cannot handle pineapple and raisins in my carrot cake, this is not the Caribbean we will leave the pineapple to the mixed drinks thank you very much. This cake is not hard to make and overall wins massive approval every time I make it! Sidenote: don't skimp on the ginger it's worth every teaspoon!

I recently took this cake to work with me. We've been experiencing extremely high volumes of sick kiddos in the intensive care unit and everyone is tired and well who doesn't wish for carrot cake when they are tired? yea that's what I thought so I made one, brought it in and then had to fight off everyone and their brother to make sure the nurses got some. In the end everyone was at least on a sugar high, but happy!

Be nice to this photo, we took it at work right before everyone devoured it like their very life depended on it!

Carrot Cake with Sugared Walnuts and Caramel Sauce

loosely adapted from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Carrot-Cake-with-Maple-Cream-Cheese-Icing-102155

Cake
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups canola oil
4 large eggs
3 cups grated peeled carrots
1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons minced peeled ginger

Icing
10 ounces cream cheese (such as Philadelphia), room temperature
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

For cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch-diameter cake pans. Line bottom of pans with waxed paper. Butter and flour paper; tap out excess flour. Whisk flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in medium bowl to blend. Whisk sugar and oil in large bowl until well blended. Whisk in eggs 1 at a time. Add flour mixture and stir until blended. Stir in carrots, walnuts and ginger. Divide batter between prepared pans.
Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool cakes in pans 15 minutes. Turn out onto racks. Peel off waxed paper; cool cakes completely.
For icing:

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and beat at low speed until well blended. . Chill until just firm enough to spread, 30 minutes.
Place 1 cake layer on platter. Poke holes into cake and spread a layer of caramel sauce on cake. Spread with 3/4 cup icing. Top with second layer. Repeat application of caramel sauce and then spread remaining icing over cake. Arrange walnuts around top edge. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome; chill. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.)

Caramel Sauce

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 stick butter

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Melt butter in medium sauce pan. Add brown sugar and mix well. Slowly mix in heavy whipping cream and whisk until smooth and well combined. Bring mixture to boil. Once boiling for 20 seconds remove from heat and let cool before drizzling on cake.

Sugared Walnuts

taken from Luna Signature Salad, Luna Spokane, WA

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 Tbsp. water

1/4 Tbsp. vanilla

1/4 lb. walnut halves

In medium saute pan, mix water, sugar and vanilla; stir to disolve sugar. Cook over medium heat without stirring until mixture turns light golden brown. Swirl pan slowly to mix ingredients and add water if too sticky. Add walnuts, coat evenly and stir until the sugar crystallizes. Remove to cookie sheet or cooling rack.

Finally a savory.....

2011-03-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

I've recently been accused of posting more desserts than real food. It may or may not come from the person that organized my recipes for me in that nice little quick link up there in the right hand corner of the blog and it may or may not be true. Regardless I am working diligently to remedy my apparent addiction to the sweeter side. It's weird I don't have the worlds biggest sweet tooth alas here's some spring like savories that are sure to please.

Risotto with Artichoke Hearts

from Colorado Clasique by the junior league of Denver

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

2 cups dry Arborio rice

6 cups chicken broth

2 14 ounce cans artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

2 cups frozen peas, thawed

2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill

zest of 1 lemon

1 cup Parmesan cheese

Saute garlic and onions in olive oil and butter until softened. Add rice an saute until translucent. Add enough broth to cover the rice. Simmer over medium heat until the broth is almost completely absorbed. Continue to add broth one cup at a time, and simmer until broth is absorbed and rice is tender. Add artichokes, peas, dill, and lemon zest. Cook until heated through. Mix in Parmesan cheese and serve.

Mustard Chicken

taken from me!

1 lb chicken tenders

salt

pepper

3/4 cup dijon mustard

Salt and pepper the chicken and then cover with mustard. Let sit for 15 minutes. Either grill or heat large saute pan on stove with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add chicken when pan is hot, saute chicken until crisp brown edges appear on chicken. Remove from pan and serve with risotto.

Sticky....gooey....sticky.....yum....

2011-03-17T04:17:00.000-07:00

I just spent ten days in Boston with my best friend and her kids. Every spring it seems her husband goes galavanting across the world and I fly in for kid time, Amy time and FOOD. We eat and bake and eat and bake and work our way through cookbooks and try new things oh and drink some wine. This year being so health conscious we worked out every day just to ward off the we're 30 and the food doesn't just digest, it digest and sits in places so noticeable and so unattractive. For Christmas Amy gave me a cookbook by the owner of a very well known and well awarded bakery in Boston called Flour. The owner/author Joanne Chang was a Harvard grad with a degree in applied mathematics and one day she up and wanted to be a baker and thus she headed into well known restaurants across Boston and learned. She's incredibly inspiring and her cookbook explains everything you ever wanted to know about why to whip and how to cream and well what to make to please all those around you. These sticky buns beat Bobby Flay on his very own show; Throwdown with Bobby Flay. I must say they are so worth the work to make the brioche. You can totally double the brioche and freeze half which is awesome because then it's just in your freezer waiting for you, calling your name. These sticky buns stick in all the right places and I think the honey in the goo makes a world of difference. So get on it!

Sticky Sticky Buns

taken from Flour by Joanne Chang

Goo

3/4 cup unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup water

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Basic Brioche dough (recipe below)

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup toasted pecan halves, chopped

Basic Brioche Dough

2 1/4 cups bread dough

1 1/2 packages active dry yeast

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 cup room temp water

5 eggs

1 cup plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 10 to 12 pieces.

For the dough:

1. In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine all -purpose flour, bread flour, yeast, sugar, salt ,water and the eggs. Beat on low speed for 3 to 4 minutes, or until all the ingredients have come together. Stop the mixer as needed to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure all of the flour is incorporated into the wet ingredients. Once the dough has come together, beat on low speed for another 3 to 4 minutes. The dough will seem very stiff and dry.

2. On low speed, add the butter one piece at a time, mixing after each addition until it disappears into the dough. Then, continue mixing on low speed for about 10 minutes, stopping the mixer every once in a while to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. It is important for all of the butter to be mixed thoroughly into the dough. If necessary, stop the mixer and break up the dough with your hands to help mix in the butter.

3 . Once the butter is completely incorporated, turn up the speed to medium and beat for another 15 minutes, or until the dough becomes sticky, soft and somewhat shiny. It will take some time to come together. It will be disorganized and shaggy but will eventually become smooth and silky. Then turn the speed to medium-high and beat for another 1 minute. Test the dough by pulling at it, it should stretch a bit and have a little give. If it seems wet and loose, add a few tablespoons of flour. If it breaks off into pieces when you pull at it, continue to mix on medium speed for another 2- 3 minutes.

4. Place the dough in a large bowl and cover it with plastic warp. Let the dough proof in the fridge for at least 6 hours if not overnight. At this point, you can freeze the dough in an airtight continue for up to 1 week.

5. Once the dough has proofed take out of fridge and proceed on with sticky buns.

6. To make the goo:

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and whisk in the honey, cream, water, and salt. Let cool for about 30 minutes, or until cooled to room temperature. you should have about 2 cups. (The mixture can be made up to 2 weeks in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.)

7. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough into rectangle about 16 by 12 inches and 1/4 inch thick. It will have the consistency of cold damp play-doh and should be fairly easy to roll. Position the rectangle so a short side faces you.

8. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and half of the pecans. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the entire surface of the dough. Starting from he short side farthest from you and working your way down, roll up the rectangle like a jelly roll. Try to roll tightly, so you have a nice round spiral. Even off the ends by trimming about 1/4 inch from either side.

9. Use a bench scraper or a chef's knife to cut the roll into 8 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches wide. ( At this point, the unbaked buns can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 1 week. when ready to bake, thaw them, still wrapped, in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours, then proceed as directed.)

10. Pour the goo into a 9 by 13 inch baking dish, covering the bottom evenly. Sprinkle the remaining pecans evenly over the surface. Place the buns, a cut side down and evenly spaced, in the baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to proof for about 2 hours, or until the dough is puffy, pillowy, and soft and the buns are touching.

11. Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool in dish for 20 or so minutes. Invert the buns onto a serving platter, spooning the additional goo over the buns. Serve warm or within 4 hours of baking.

Shockingly good....

2011-03-11T16:28:00.000-08:00

I don't know if you know this but this little face does not lie. This little face, all hot and sweaty fresh from an afternoon nap greeted by a hot chocolate chip cookie does not lie. And this little face is telling you how good his life is and how good that cookie is. He's excited which means I'm excited because good lord chocolate chips and whole wheat I mean really? Too good to be true maybe.

Let me just say right now that I NEVER think it's appropriate to take a perfectly good something and change it to a horrible but healthier something else. If you are going to make a cinnamon roll just make it and eat one not ten, don't substitute all sorts of grains and what not and hope to make it healthier, eat some oatmeal, eat a cinnamon roll go on a run and call it a day right?

So it was surprising to me as well that when I came upon this recipe it was something I could maybe wrap my mind around. Well only if it was not as a replacement but as something to try. A sort of why not, it's worth a try sort of deal. I had no high expectations for this cookie. I thought for sure it would disappoint and then I could say at least I had tried it. And well then I tried it and hello whole wheat flour have you met butter? Oh my my what a combination. There is a simplicity to the whole wheat flour that doesn't quite hit you until afterwards and then it's like oh hello wheat and butter and my don't you two make a nice couple. The nuttiness and the heartiness of the wheat flour tones down any overpowering oiliness. Which I guess just might make you want to eat more than one. mmmh, maybe.

I'm in Boston right now and my best friend Amy was very reluctant to try these cookies. I gave her this cookbook Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce and there it sat on her counter top almost in a standoff until now. I cracked it open pulled out the wheat bread and immediately ate three right out of the oven. I am telling you that it can't be helped. It just can't. For heavens sake believe me, make them and eat up!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

taken from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce

3 cups whole-wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

8 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate roughly chopped into pieces or chocolate chips.

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two cookies sheets.

2. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl.

3 Add the butter and sugars into your mixing bowl and beat with the paddle attachment. Or mix together with a hand held mixture in a bowl. Mix until blended or about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one. Mix in vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and blend until barely combined, roughly 30 or so seconds. Scrape down bowl and mix well.

4. Add the chocolate all at once to the batter. Mix on low speed until chocolate is well combined.

5. Scoop mounds of dough onto the baking sheet, roughly 6 to a sheet.

6. Bake the cookies for about 16 minutes, or until they are evenly browned.

7. Transfer cookies to cooling rack and continue with remaining dough.

Not so Favorite Things.....

2011-02-06T16:58:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else have their favored household chores and not so favorite? I know I am not the only one. For instance right now I should be doing this:

But instead I am doing this:

Which includes making chocolate cream pie, spaghetti, mashed potatoes and beer braised beef. Oh and these muffins. I just hate hate hate laundry and hate putting it away. I've been known at times to keep clean clothes on bed for up to a week. I share my bed with them! I have the room and you know they take up empty space. They are clean at least right? Even right now I have two laundry baskets of clean clothes sitting in my room and really if I were a mature adult I would deal with them but ugh it makes me want to throw up wow I hate laundry. So we'll take our focus of that and turn to these muffins that are just so day brightening and wonderful. I have a thing for muffins they are good and quick and easy and so many options.

I made these one morning before meetings at the hospital. It also happened to be the morning I burned off my hair with my defective but cute pink hair dryer, I now have bangs. I can't talk about it there's emotional scarring for sure. The only thing that saved me was these muffins. They are buttery and moist with subtle at first ginger notes until you swallow enjoy and then the ginger arises, soft gentle and firm at the same time, making quite a statement I must say. I took these to my meeting cuz I'm nice like that and served them with raspberry jam and it was oh so good. As always if you live at altitude you should add 1/8 of a cup extra flour. Enjoy!

Marion Cunningham’s Fresh Ginger Muffins
Adapted from The Breakfast Book (taken from orangette.blogspot.com)

Make extra sure you wash/scrub the ginger root very well so that no sneaky dirt comes out of the crevices and cracks a tooth.

One (~3-ounce) piece of unpeeled ginger root
¾ cup plus 3 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. grated lemon zest
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
¾ tsp. baking soda

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a muffin tin.

Cut the unpeeled ginger root into large chunks. If you have a food processor, process the ginger until it is in tiny pieces; alternatively, mince by hand. Measure out ¼ cup – or a little more, if you like. It’s better to have too much than too little. Put the ginger and ¼ cup sugar in a small skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar has melted and the mixture is hot. Don’t walk away from the pan: this takes only a couple of minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon zest and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Add to the ginger mixture.

Put the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or, a mixing bowl, if you plan to use handheld beaters or mix by hand). Beat the butter for a second or two, then add the remaining ½ cup sugar, and beat until smooth. Add the eggs, and beat well. Add the buttermilk, and beat until blended. Add the flour, salt, and baking soda, and beat just until smooth. Add the ginger-lemon mixture, and beat to mix well. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Serve warm.

Yield: 12 muffins

Just one of those days.....

2011-01-24T16:29:00.000-08:00

It's 60 degrees in denver today, it's gorgeous. It's January 29th and my front door is open the sun is shining and my new dining room table looks really great in the sun. I can't help but admire it. I'm on my second cup of coffee at 3 in the afternoon. I woke up after working last night and launched in. I am knee deep in artichoke dip, beer braised beef with onions, chocolate chip cookies, biscuits oh and vanilla cake with whipped chocolate ganache frosting. Yea I know where are the recipes! They'll be here soon enough....promise. I'm listening to this and really really enoying it. I'm thinking what a great day! Beautiful sunshine, no work tonight, dinner with friends, does it get any better? Not sure, really not sure. I figured it's a good time to talk about the best of the best #2. This is one of those old time recipes that everyone knows about but no one really knows about. Butter cake is popular apparently in Philadelphia and St. Louis. I'm not familiar with the Pennsylvania version, I'm sure it's good but St. Louis it stole my heart. I came up on the recipe at a different blog and then saw it on Food Network. It really is such an odd recipe, a yeasted bread like cake and then whipped butter and corn syrup on top and when you bake it....WOW. There is this chewy crisp bottom with a gooey, literally gooey top. The corn syrup and butter bubbles and creates this mouth melting lip smacking wonderfulness on top. It's good. Very good. That's why it's on the best of the best! Enjoy. Hoping you are having such a good day like me!

St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake
Adapted from www.smittenkitchen.com which was adapted, just barely, from Melissa Clark at the New York Times, who adapted it from Molly Killeen at the Park Slope Farmers’ Market

This cake is ridiculous. I’m already looking for an excuse to make it again. I’m thinking “It’s Tuesday!” may have to suffice.

Use a 9x13 baking dish, preferably ceramic or glass.

About the baking time: My cake, in a thinner, metal baking pan, was also finished 15 minutes sooner than estimated, and was already a little past the “goo” stage. I chalk this up to the pan. However, I put baking times in a wide range; if you’re using a metal baking pan (though, again, I’d recommend a glass or ceramic dish), err on the cautious side. Eh, err on the cautious side either way. Always. Better safe than sorry.

Yields 16 to 20 servings, but I cut mine into 24 and may or may not know 10 people who polished off every one of them after dinner

For the cake
3 tablespoons milk at room temperature
1 3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (at high altitude like denver add an additional 1/8 cup of flour)

For the topping
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling.

Make the cake dough: In a small bowl, mix milk with 2 tablespoons warm water. Add yeast and whisk gently until it dissolves. Mixture should foam slightly. (Very slightly in my case.)

Using an electric mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar and salt. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat in the egg. Alternately add flour and the milk mixture, scraping down sides of bowl between each addition. Clark doesn’t say to do this, but I switched to a dough hook at this point to beat dough on medium speed until it formed a smooth mass and pulled away (just a little, my dough was still very soft) from sides of bowl, 7 to 10 minutes.

Press, stretch and nudge dough into an ungreased (original recipe suggests this; I found that my topping stuck a lot and I really had to cut around it with a sharp knife; I will grease mine next time) 9-by 13-inch baking dish (see Note above about baking dishes) at least 2 inches deep. Cover dish with plastic wrap or clean tea towel, put in a warm place, and allow to rise until doubled, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Make the gooey topping: Heat oven to 350 degrees. To prepare topping, in a small bowl, whisk corn syrup with 2 tablespoons water and the vanilla. Using an electric mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat in the egg. Alternately add flour and corn syrup mixture, scraping down sides of bowl between each addition.

Spoon topping in large dollops over risen cake and use an offset spatula to gently spread it in an even layer. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes (see Note above about wide range); cake will rise and fall in waves and have a golden brown top, but will still be liquid in center when done. Allow to cool in pan before sprinkling with confectioners’ sugar for serving.

Best of the Best #1

2011-01-07T20:39:00.000-08:00

You know you've hit gold in dessert land when you get a compliment that sounds like "these are the best trio of desserts I've had in this household ever, hands down." or "that was award winning", or " I am now off to bed fat and happy." I mean seriously you can't deny those words. I first made this pie for a friend who had just had a baby and what do you need immediately post baby purging? Well a chocolate cream pie of course. She loved it so much and it was so easy I made it again this time with the chocolate cookie crust for a big church dinner and woah man did people freak out. I don't even like chocolate but this pie oh it's good. Maybe it's the whipped cream or the rich chocolate puddingish filling but it's the real deal. There's no boxed pudding in this recipe and there is surely no faked whipped cream. The mixture of chocolates and the punch of whiskey give it just the right taste to make your mouth oh so happy. It's really easy too and I know you all roll your eyes when I say that but seriously it's simple. I'm posting all three of the desserts we made for dinner last night this being the first and we'll go from there. Enjoy! I'm off to shovel snow. Oh the joys.

Classic Diner-Style Chocolate Pie

adapted from Baked:New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

For the Crust

Classic Pie Dough

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter cut into squares

3/4 cup ice cold water

For the Chocolate Filling

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons chocolate malt powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup cornstarch

5 large egg yolks

2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

5 ounces dark chocolate coarsely chopped

2 ounces milk chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons whiskey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To Serve

2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Pour cream into bowl of standing mixer. Turn on high and let whip as cream starts to thicken stream in the vanilla and add the powdered sugar. Whip until cream holds it's own peaks. Cover pie with whipped cream after chocolate filling is added to the pie crust.

For the Classic Pie Dough

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt.

Toss the cubes into the flour mixture to coat. Put the mixture in the bowl of a food processor and pulse in short bursts until the pieces of butter are the size of hazelnuts.

While pulsing in quick, 4 second bursts, drizzle the ice water into the food processor through the feed tube.

As soon as the dough comes together in a ball, remove it from the food processor and divide it in to two equal balls. Flatten to a disk and wrap each disk in parchment paper and then in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the disks until firm, about 1 hour.

You only need one disk for this chocolate pie so either freeze the other disc or make another pie;)

Take out one disk and roll out and place in pie plate. Poke the holes in the dough so that it doesn't puff during baking and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a golden brown. Take out and let cool prior to putting in chocolate filling.

Chocolate Pie

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, malt powder, salt and cornstarch. Add the egg yolks and whisk until combined. The mixture will look like a thick paste. Slowly pour in the milk and cream, whisking constantly.

Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly to prevent the mixture from burning on the bottom of the pan. Boil for 30 seconds, then remove.

Add the chocolates, whiskey and vanilla and whisk until combined. Continue to whisk for a few minutes to cool the mixture slightly. Let the mixture stand for 15 minutes at room temperature. A thin skin may for during this cooling period. Simply whisk the mixture again until the skin is gone. Pour the filling into the cooled pie shell.

Refrigerate the pie for 4 hours before serving, topped with the whipped cream.

It's a New Year

2011-01-07T20:27:00.000-08:00

My new year started with crushing message from the laptop of the ice age. When you walk in to find a message such as, "Please back up all files, hard drive impending failure", you just know that there is nothing but large dollar signs in your future. Nothing can be done because at the end of the day technology is nothing but a heart breaker. It's shiny and new and pretty and oh so cool until after two years it's already acting like an old haggard women. I mean seriously I guess I had my laptop for six or so years and it did travel to Africa with me and survived the heat and humidity better than I did. And it did survive the many drops that it took including the one that cracked the mother board aaaand it still lasted six years. Until one day it was done, it was tired and it was over it. And it let me know that dang computer. Technology it will leave you heartbroken if you let it. And so here we are typing on a shiny new one that will soon leave me heartbroken. This one I decided to make non mobile so it will sit and be happy and never go to Africa and hopefully never be dropped on it's head and for now it's shiny and BIG so we call her BIG MOMMA. So here's to the momma and hopefully it will inspire me to type many more blog posts than I do now.

Since I'm poor now and started the new year a little weighed down from all the holiday eating frenzy I retreated to soup. Soup that has few ingredients is cheap

to make and well just darn well fills you up. We are heading into a frigid cold snap here in Denver, one of only two this year so far. I'm making soup for sure. So should you!

Turkey Sausage, Kale, and Bean Soup

taken from Cooking Light

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 cups)

Ingredients

4 ounces Turkey smoked sausage or kielbasa, chopped

3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained

6 cups coarsely chopped kale (about 8 ounces)

1 (16-ounce) can navy beans, drained and rinsed

Preparation

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add smoked sausage to pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken broth and diced tomatoes; bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the kale. Reduce heat, and simmer 4 minutes or until the kale is tender. Stir in beans, and cook 1 minute or until soup is thoroughly heated.

Put it in your back pocket and go with it....

2010-12-03T22:17:00.000-08:00

I grew up with good food on a consistent basis which for all intense puposes only made finding a special meal for a special occasion a little hard because well my mom raised a bunch of food snots. I don't know when or how but somehow The Peppertree in Colorado Springs entered into to the repertiore of celebration restaurants. We only went there for special occasions and really we only went there for one thing, the pepper steak. I'm not usually a go to steak girl, yet I don't mind a good steak every now and again and this one oh this steak, it has heat mixed with sweet, it melts in all the right places and yes I'm still talking about the steak.

My mom could replicate this steak with perfection and yet when you asked her much like most recipes she gives you it goes something like this. "oh you know some pepper, some mango chutney and some good steak preferably filet or tenderloin." Thanks Mom! The first time I ever made pepper steak I really could only remember that it was crusted in steak and so I crusted, oh baby I crusted that steak in pepper. In fact I think I used an entire box of pepper, needless to say that particular steak didn't melt it burned like hell. It was probaby then that I learned that if you aren't going to measure with teaspoons and such that you should at least shake gingerly rather than in an aggressive tossing manner. Right, enough said. Unfortunately I don't have pictures, we ate too fast, but this steak is good and at the Peppertree costs you at least an arm if not an arm and a leg. But you don't have to do that, you can take this recipe put it in your back pocket for future special occaions and everyone will think you are brilliant!

I did use one long beef tenderloin and then cut it in to 6oz peices which worked well and was way cheaper. I also cut the mango chutney down, you do not need two jars and just don't skimp on the butter, just don't.

Pepper Steak with Mango Chutney
adapted from www.epicurious.com

4 - 6-8 ounce cuts of beef tenderloin well unless you want filet mignon
Fresh ground black peper
1 - stick of butter
1 - 2 tablespoons of spicy mustard
1 - Jars of Mango Chutney
Handful of whole peppercorns

Preparation
Coat all sides of filets in ground black pepper. Set aside. In a high walled skillet heated at medium high melt the whole stick of butter. Once the butter has melted add whole peppercorns.Sear the filets in the butter and peppercorn mixture. ONLY SEAR. Remove filets. Add jar of Mango Chutnet to remaining mixture in skillet and heat. Add mustard to taste. Return filets to skillets and spoon mixture over filets. The mixture will carmelize. Keep turning filets until done (based upon the way you like to eat beef). When done (no more than 5-7 minutes) place on plates and pour remaining mixture from skillet on filets and serve.

The Mixologist

2010-10-02T22:14:00.000-07:00

Don't be fooled by the look on this face. Don't be fooled by the fact that it's questionable if that face could grow a full beard which leads to questions of if it's even legitimate that his baby face will make you a drink that will absolutely rip you up and leave you face down albeit the superb flavors in your mouth. There's something about this face that makes you want to trust him to believe that he would ever lead you astray. I'm just sending out a warning right now, it's not like that. Don't be fooled, his ability to make drinks....well practiced. His tendency to always add more alcohol than asked for.....frequent. His child-like glee when it all comes out perfect and quite tasty......kinda endearing.

With all that said it can't be understated that this sangria is mind blowingly good, don't worry (blowingly) it's a word. It's right up there with the lemon basil martinis that have not been show- cased here yet but will be soon, but this sangria is good. Like I said the kind that at first taste seems sweet, at last swallow punches you in the gut in a good feeling sort of way. The fruit perfectly soaked and drunken and it's possible that the ginger just tops it all off. So cheers to the mixologist, cheers to the unwavering desire to always make a better drink!

Be forewarned this recipe makes an enormous amount of sangria however I refuse to reduce the recipe. I think there should be more dinner parties out there, there should be more super sized recipes to accommodate the large dinner parties, just do it, make some, make more than some and invite over the friends, you won't regret it. I know by the way what a long run on sentence that was.

White Sangria

by Lukas Seelye

3 Liters White Wine preferably Pinot Grigio

2 cups Peach Schnapps

2 cups Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur

2 cups Gin

2 cups Clementine or Citrus Vodka

3 12 ounce cans of Peach Nectar

2 12 ounce cans of Pear Nectar

2 cups white cranberry juice

Juice of 3 Lemons

Juice of 2 Oranges

1/2 cups finely chopped fresh ginger

6 red pears diced

6 yellow peaches diced

1 lg orange sliced

1 lg lemon sliced

bunch of green grapes removed from vine

Use a large container and by large I mean large. I used a large pickle jar but if the largest thing you have is a large soup stockpot then go for it. You can refrigerate it in the pot and then ladle into a nice serving pitcher. Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate preferably for at least 24 hours before serving, however if that's too long try to make ahead by a couple of hours to let the flavors meld and combine.

Enjoy!

Lady Tracy

2010-09-27T00:40:00.000-07:00

Colorado has more fantastic things than one could possibly name. I mean I could go on and on and as we don't want to waste time talking of mountains and skiing of course so let's just skip ahead to food. Colorado surely can't boast of gardens as in some climates HOWEVER we have enough amazing food to hold our own. Rocky Ford Cantaloupe, Palisade Peaches and finally Sweet Olathe corn! Every summer there is waiting with anticipation for the crop to come in. The corn oh the corn pops perfectly in your mouth and is sweet and tart and drips down your chin all hat the same time. I gotta be honest though I love corn but HATE picking it form my teeth so all the more excited was I when I find recipes that don't require the cob. I mean this kind of does but not really. Anyway I made this risotto and rapidly won the favor of Tracy. Oh Tracy let me tell you about Tracy she's the greatest. Tracy is calming and soothing and well just all around one of the best ever. So when Tracy asks for a recipe I cannot refuse, no matter what. So here's to happy risotto making that when made with Tracy will automatically soothe you into a food coma. So good right?:)

Sweet Corn Risotto

taken from Gluten Free Girl

5 ears corn

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 medium yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped

3 to 4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

6 large sprigs fresh thyme

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oi

l1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 cups corn kernels (or whatever you have left after slicing them from the cob)

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and finely diced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme

1 cup Arborio rice

1/2 cup white wine1 quart corn stock

Kosher salt and cracked black pepper

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Shucking the corn. Remove the husks and hair from the corncobs, but do not discard the husks. Slice the kernels from the corncobs, but do not discard the cobs.

Making the stock. Set a large saucepan over medium-high heat and pour in the oil. Add the onion and garlic to the oil and cook, stirring, until the onion is softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the corn husks, the cobs, and the thyme. Cover with 2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the stock.

Starting the risotto. Set a large saucepan over medium heat and pour in 1 tablespoon of the oil and the butter. Add the corn kernels to the hot oil and butter and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften and release their fragrance, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the thyme and cook for 1 minute more

.Coating the rice. Toss in the Arborio rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the grains are entirely coated, about 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and cook, pushing the rice slowly in the pan, until the liquid is reduced by half its volume, about 5 minutes.Adding the stock. At this point, pour the corn stock into the rice, 1 cup at a time, stirring gently. Stir and stir until the stock is absorbed into the rice. When the liquid is absorbed, but not dry, add more stock. Continue this process until all the stock is absorbed.(You can use any leftover corn stock for other soups or foods where you need stock.)Making the risotto creamy. Taste the rice. It should have no crunch to it. Instead, it should be chewy and soft, without being mushy. Taste the risotto and season with salt and pepper. Taste again. Toss in the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil and the Parmesan cheese. Stir gently until everything is fully incorporated. Place the lid on the saucepan and allow the risotto to sit, covered, for 2 minutes, which will make the risotto beautifully creamy.

Feeds 4.

Urgent.....

2010-09-18T10:36:00.000-07:00

I interrupt all the great pictures from Steph to bring you this recipe that was such a hit this week at an event that I catered it had to be posted with utmost urgency!

I went to college in Spokane, WA which for all intense purposes is generally thought of as the red-headed step child of Washington and well Seattle really. I understand that Seattle is the coolest, the trendiest and well just pretty beautiful however I have a special place in my heart for Spokane. I love that city and it was good to me in college. It had the most incredible coffee which ironically I didn't appreciate until two years post college, sad. There was Green Bluff full of apple trees, strawberry patches, and Christmas trees, seriously does life get any better than that?

And alas Spokane has Luna, one of my most favorite restaurants. I don't remember who first took me there and other than the fact that it was known for it's questionable sales of certain leafy products in the back alley it was still my most favorite. Of mention was the creme brulee, brutally painfully good. The carrot cake could take your life and never return it with it's caramelized walnuts and caramel sauce. The post dinner coffee came on a platter with cinnamon sticks, whip cream and who knows what else I just know it rocked my world.

Out of all of this was really the most famous item: The Luna Salad. I ate enough of it during my formidable college years to become a Luna salad and ever since I left Spokane I have served it regularly with rave reviews. The dressing is tart but mixed with the sugared walnuts and the cranberries it just works and boy I mean works well. So here you are. No picture just recipe, so make it and look at it, then eat it. Yep that's right.

I didn't even adapt, just took. Here you are;)

Luna's Signature Salad

Luna Restaurant, Spokane, Washington.

- Salad:
- 12 oz mixed baby greens
- 3/4 cup house vinaigrette
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 4 oz. Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
- 4 oz. dried cranberries
- 4 oz. caramelized walnuts
- Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
- Caramelized walnuts:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 lb. walnuts, quartered
  - Salad:
  - 1. Toss baby greens with vinaigrette and place on salad plates
  - 2. Layer red onions, cheese, dried cranberries and walnuts
  - Vinaigrette:
  - 1. In large bowl whisk together garlic, mustard, salt and pepper
  - 2. Slowly add oil, whisking constantly
  - 3. Add lemon juice and vinegar; mix well
  - Caramelized Walnuts:
  - 1. In large saute pan mix sugar, water and vanilla, stirring to dissolve sugar
  - 2. Cook over medium heat, without stirring, until mixture turns light golden brown (swirl pan slowly to mix ingredients and add water if too sticky)
  - 3. Add walnuts, coat evenly
  - 4. Remove walnuts to cookie sheet

The Agent

2010-09-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

Corrie, Nichole and the agent;)

When The Agent requests sunday night dinner, the agent gets herself a sunday night dinner, well saturday night but who's counting right? The agent, being a good friend that just so happens to work for a distinguished bad ass government agency can ask for whatever she wants if she asks with her badge right?

The only major request was NO NUTS! As much as l love any and all nuts I decided to accomodate because well she has a badge. Enough said!

I started out on this meal thinking of all the arugula in my garden and the fact that peach season was upon us here Colorado. Also some of the dinner attendees were gluten free, sugar free and well nut free. So I embarked on a menu that was free of many things but still tasted good. I am sorry all you gluten free people I don't care what you are telling yourself to make it better but rice flour does not taste the same as good old wheat, there's no lying, no covering it just isn't. Anyhow many of the recipes of this fateful night, which also included the legendery photography will be coming but just to give you an idea a certain attendee at the dinner dug into his plate none to aggressively and after a few bites excitedly proclaimed that this was his favorite meal ever eaten in my home. That's high praise for someone who eats my food almost weekly. Alas this recipe should not disappoint!

You could substitute the arugula for spinach but there's something about the arugula and the peppery spice that just meshes well with the sweet peaches and the sweetness of the grilled onions. The marinade/dipping sauce is made best with plan greek yogurt it gives it the perfect amount of tang. Drink it down with sangria or some other great white wine and finish it off with the last of summers great produce.

Grilled Chicken and Peaches

adapted from Cooking Light

Yield: Serves 8

Dressing:

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 cup plain low-fat yogurt

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/4 cup chopped chives

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon pepper

For the meat and peaches:

2 pounds boned, skinned chicken breast halves (4 to 6), cut into 1-in. chunks

3 large peeled peaches (about 2 lbs.), each cut into 8 wedges

10 ounce baby arugula (about 3 qts. very loosely packed)

2 red onions, sliced

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves

Directions:
1. Make dressing: Whisk ingredients together in a small bowl.
2. Marinate chicken: Put meat and 1/2 cup dressing in a medium bowl; let sit 30 minutes at room temperature. Add enough water (2 to 4 tbsp.) to the rest of the dressing to thin slightly (I have not ever thinned it with water and it's been great), then chill. Prepare a grill for medium heat (350° to 450°).
3. Cook meat: Oil cooking grate, using tongs and a wad of oiled paper towels. Grill chicken, peaches and red onion, until browned and chicken is cooked through, about 12 minutes, turning once with a spatula.
4. Arrange arugula on plates and top with grilled chicken, peaches and red onion, serve with dressing.

The Photographer

2010-09-02T00:08:00.001-07:00

My friend Steph is an up and coming photographer that I work with at the hospital. Awhile ago she asked if she could take some photos of me while cooking. Um sure I guess. Let's be honest the photos on this blog leave A LOT to be desired and I am no photographer....clearly. So the deal was she could shoot, have whatever she wants and then she nicely gave me a cd with all the photos for my blog. You can thank her because seriously the pictures of the food are killing me right now because they are sooooo flossy saucy.

Steph is a great photographer because she is soft spoken, not like she never says anything soft spoken but like oh so soothing soft spoken. So she followed me everywhere, kitchen, garden, grill, back to kitchen, back to grill and THEN she even stirred the risotto. Bless her heart!

She will have to come around more often, no ifs ands or butts about it. I've always dreamt of having a personal food photographer! Yeah......right........

Go check Steph out at http://www.seriouslyletyourhairdown.wordpress.com/ love her and enjoy these photos with more to come for sure.

The Perfect Scoop indeed!

2010-07-26T13:13:00.000-07:00

Last year my sweet sister and her husband bought me a quite incredible ice cream maker that I had not fully appreciated until recently. I've been perusing good homemade ice cream recipes lately trying a few out here and there. I love homemade ice cream I just have a few reservations. I wish it didn't freeze with so many crystals, most likely a user problem. I wish it kept better in the freezer and sometimes it's so stinking rich that i cannot finish it. So there's my list of complaints, what do you ask is my solution. Well Gosh Darn it there is a man in this world named David Lebovitz and I could maybe marry him for his marvelous book on ice cream. I mean seriously I just love it....this weekend I embarked on my first trial of his ice cream recipes and the reviews were instantaneously marvelous. The first one was Milk Chocolate Guinness. I do not usually like chocolate but sacrifice my own personal taste for the masses. Yes I know I am so kind. I think that the Guinness in the recipe gives it a richness and cuts through the sweet so it is very nice and gives it a bit of a body. Whoa I know big expressive words.

on the other end of the spectrum we had Butterscotch Pecan (but I used Walnuts) Ice Cream. This one is like butter pecan however you salt the nuts before you throw them in and so they are like roasty salty goodness that again counters the sweet richness of the custardy ice cream. I had a big group over for dinner and the ice cream mixed with a variety of brownies was the most divine dessert. So look forward to lots of recipes from hot to trot Mr. Lebovitz!

Guinness-Milk Chocolate Ice Cream

taken from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

Makes about 1 quart

7 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped (I used high quality chocolate chips)

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

4 large egg yolks

1 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup Guinness Stout

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put the chocolate in a large bowl and set a mesh strainer over the top.

Warm the milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottoms as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer over the milk chocolate, then stir until the chocolate is melted. Once the mixture is smooth, whisk in the cream, then the Guinness and vanilla. Stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. And then enjoy it.

Butterscotch Pecan Ice Cream

taken from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

Makes about 1 quart

5 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp coarse salt
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup whole milk
6 large egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla extract1 tbsp Scotch whiskey

Melt butter in medium saucepan, then stir in the brown sugar and salt.

Whisk in 1 cup of the cream and milk.

Warm this mixture on the stove but do not allow it to get too hot.

Meanwhile, pour the remaining 1 cup cream in a separate bowl and set a mesh strainer on top.

In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks until combined. Slowly pour warm brown sugar mixture into egg yolks, whisking constantly (careful not to scramble them). Scrape warmed yolk back into saucepan.

Stir constantly over medium heat until mixture coats the back of a spoon (about 160-175F).

Pour mixture through strainer into reserved cream and stir to combine. Add vanilla and scotch , then stir over ice bath to stop cooking.

Cover the custard with plastic wrap to prevent a 'skin' from forming on the top. Cool mixture thoroughly in fridge, then freeze in your ice cream machine according to the instructions. Add pecans in the last minute of churning.

Buttered Pecans
1 1/2 tbsp. butter
1 1/2 cups pecan halves
1/4 tsp coarse salt

Preheat over to 350F(175C). Melt butter in skillet. Toss pecans until well coated, then sprinkle with salt. Spread evenly on baking sheet and toast in oven for about 10 minutes, stirring once during baking.

So get to it, seriously these are awesome ice creams. I think that people get easily intimidated by homemade ice cream but seriously it's just some eggs, cream, little salt here and little vanilla there and wha-la-de-dah there you go you have ice cream to boot. So don't be afraid, just freeze it.

The zone......

2010-07-22T21:43:00.000-07:00

When I cook I go into the "zone". I never realized this until recently or should I say I never really acknowledged it until now. But maybe with a roommate in the house that is not related to me it's been pointed out that I suddenly lose all peripheral vision and ability to be social or even cordial at times. For me there is something very structured in cooking, I can lose myself in a recipe, just following it, just thinking and watching the food coming together. I get very focused, it can be either a great time to talk to me, or a horrendous time, depending on what you want!

There are times when my mind just has to process it has to review the day, the weeks events,

what is going on and so for me I go to the kitchen, most likely I make bread because it makes sense in my mind. You add the ingredients, you watch the yeast rise, then you knead and knead and it works it all out, all the worry, all the thoughts, they get ordered in my head.

So tonight it was potato bread. My mom called me yesterday to say the wild raspberries were in and I haven't stopped thinking of potato bread since then. As kids we used to pick raspberries and then my mom would make jam and loaf after loaf of potato bread would come steaming out of the oven ready for drippy butter and thick fresh jam. It truly was one of my favorite things about summer. I am not a huge jam fan but there is nothing better than a thick slice of potato bread laden with butter and jam. And before you all freak out the butter was NOT homemade! Nevertheless the whole event is lodged firmly in my mind as a must have in life. And the bread isn't even that hard. I use potato flakes if I don't have the real deal on hand. Real is better for sure, but I didn't have it tonight and I needed potato bread. So you make do right? Right. Otherwise it's a very straightforward recipe and one that you will keep around really you will.

Potato Bread

taken from www.kingarthurflour.com

1 tablespoon dry yeast

9 tablespoons (1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon) granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups lukewarm (110°F) potato water (water in which potatoes have been cooked)

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened

1 1/2 tablespoons salt

2 eggs

1 cup mashed potatoes (5 small potatoes, 2 medium or 1 large)

6 cups (approximately) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Boil unskinned potatoes until easily pierced with the tip of a knife. Remove potatoes from water (reserving water), and let sit till they're cool enough to handle. Peel potatoes and mash them. Set aside.

Dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar in lukewarm potato water. Beat in butter, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, salt, eggs and potato. Stir in enough flour to make a dough suitable for kneading.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Or, knead in a mixer equipped with a dough hook for 5 minutes, or in a food processor for 90 seconds to 2 minutes.

Place kneaded dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Set bowl in the refrigerator overnight; for maximum flavor, we like to refrigerate it for about 16 hours.

Remove dough from refrigerator and shape to fit 3 medium-sized (8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch) loaf pans, or 1 medium-sized and 1 large (10 x 5-inch) loaf pan, or 8 mini (6 x 3 1/2-inch) loaf pans. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 4 hours (remember, dough is cold from refrigerator, and will take longer to rise).

Bakes loaves in a preheated 375°F oven for 45 minutes, or until bread tests done. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Woman Crush, no big deal.....

2010-07-16T16:31:00.000-07:00

I have a problem , more of a crush, a woman crush if you will. I have this thing for the Pioneer Woman for those of you who don't know her blog than get there as fast as you can, http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/. It all started one day when I was reading her blog, more specifically her story called the Harlequin Romance if you will. It's the romantic, rugged details of her meeting her husband and giving up her high flying urban career to go live on a ranch and become the Pioneer Woman. She cooks, she bakes, she homeschools for heavens sake. I love her, I love her blog and I think that over the past month I have made more of her recipes than anyone elses. And without a doubt they have all been fantastic. I mean so good. Who can blame her really? She has this rugged handsome cowboy husband who goes by Marlboro Man. I mean seriously? Seriously. So here are a select few of my favorites. The ice cream is killer, the salad brings you to your knees and the beef stew has a good chance of finding me a husband. Seriously I cannot stress enough, make it now! I am posting her blog posts and recipes because heck she is hilarious and has way better photos than I do. So read on!

Blackberry Ice Cream
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/07/blackberry-ice-cream-part-1/
Beef Stew with Mushrooms
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/11/beef-stew-with-mushrooms/
My Most Favorite Salad Ever
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/03/my_most_favorite_salad_ever_ever_ever_ever/

Shout outs and whatnot...

2010-06-07T21:33:00.000-07:00

It's been so long, I know, I feel like I am always posting reasons why I've disappeared. It's life, its' busy and well there was barn building and there was a wedding and there was garden planting and catering and who cares really...I'm back. And I am back with vengeance because last night I met a fan. That's right, YOURS TRULY has a fan that reads this blog that is not related or close friends of mine. And while you are all so important to my heart you know me and you love me anyway. This lady I mean she doesn't know me, I have to impress, I have to put on my best heels and go for it you know. It's odd really I never post yet she reads and she reads diligently. When there is a post of course.

It goes something like this, I catered a thank you dinner for the volunteers at my church. Tami was going through the line musing about how familiar my face looked and we ran down where she would have seen a picture of me, surely not at church, I am not that friendly! So she made her way through the line and started to eat. My theory it was the food, it just was so darn good it shocked her into her right mind and she came running into the kitchen to tell me that she reads my blog. She has no idea where she found out about the blog but that is really non essentials right? who cares she reads. So if she reads and she's not a family member, nor a friend I actually have to post, I have someone who reads. So here we go, onward to a summer of baking, cooking, gardening and posting. I won't let you down. Not you Tami and of course not everyone else;) So Tami here's to you:)

What better way to start this post marathon than with the delish food we ate last night, I mean I thought it was pretty good. A long time ago I had this pork, pineapple/basil relish dish at the country club where my grandmother lives, it stuck with me. It was so good, so refreshing and something worked so good. I have never found a recipe but made one up and it turned out pretty good. You can either use this with pork tenderloin and I included the recipe for that or just grilled pork chops are a nice pairing. The other recipe is for grilled/marinated chicken. It was awesome and who could resist grill/marinade recipes, it's summer for gosh sakes.

Please forgive the photos, I forgot to take them until we essentially destroyed the dishes! And now that I look at the photos it really doesn't look good but it is I promise, it really is.

Pineapple Basil Salsa

1 pineapple diced into small chunks

3-6 Tablespoons Fresh Basil (or really to taste, I love Basil so I go for it)

2 Tablespoons finely diced red onion

Mix all together in bowl and let rest for at least a couple of hours if not overnight to let the flavors get comfortable with each other.

Use on pork, chicken or just eat with a spoon.

Pork Tenderloin Marinade

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette
salt
fresh ground pepper 1-2 Pork Tenderloins

Mix the first four ingredients together and pour over meat. Let marinade for at least 4 hours but it's better the longer it sits so I recommend overnight. This marinade works great if you then grill the tenderloins. Very Good!

Pineapple Marinade

great for pork or chicken

adapted from Derrick Riches at About.com
1 cup crushed pineapple
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1/4 teaspoon powdered cloves

Mix all ingredients together and use immediately, I poured it over the chicken and marinated it for 24 hours, it was awesome, or store in airtight container for up to 7 days.

2010-04-15T15:21:00.000-07:00

If I could have had you all for dinner last night oh how I wish I could. Birthday dinners are the best in my humble opinion, they call for something; a little special a little more effort is required. My menu for last night went something along the lines of Herbed crusted Beef Tenderloin with Tomato Chutney, Braised Onions over Oreccheite Pasta, Kosher Salted French Rolls, Luna Salad and to finish it all off Butter Cake, Homemade marshmallows and strawberries to dip in Chocolate Fondue. Oh my it was good if I do say so myself. But how I wish you all could have been there.

Alas, recipes to follow........

2010-03-17T02:20:00.000-07:00

The truth is I've never really appreciated oreos, I'm not like those people that just have to have them, my brother in law for instance has to have them. I mean he thinks kudos and oreos are the stuff dreams are made of. I dont' think I've ever walked into the grocery store hungry for an oreo. Nope. not. ever. The commercials always made we want to like the, how tender the grandfather with his little granddaughter twisting, and dunking to their hearts content, but they just never did it for me.

However and that's a big however I was unaware that the homemade version well they could rock your pants off. It may be the large amounts of butter oh i don't know the practically TWO pounds of butter that just don't allow you to turn away. It may be the salt, oh the salt, is there really anything better than butter and salt. Enough said. I am not sure what it is, but when this recipe was pointed out to me and when I set about to finagle it to my standards I just know that magic happened. Yup that's right. In fact I have made these a couple of times now and when I brought them to work the healthiest of all nurses in the unit ate two, maybe three right there in a sitting. Another nurse well she took a bite and encouraged me to open a restaurant and if that's not big time stuff well I don't know what is.

The original recipe had the cookies coming out soft and somewhat chewy, mine did not, combine all the butter with the high altitude but they were crunchier which was just fine, that's oreo-like right? Also I had to add some powdered sugar to my filling to get the right consistency. Actually the previously stated bro-in-law ate an original version of the cookie and I believe he told me with his mouth full and filling dripping down his chin, "you'd better fix the frosting or these are going to have problems." Great. Encouraging, so glad he's in the family. Actually he was right so I fixed it and wah lah go make these cookies and you will be the apple of everyone's eye. The rose of the parade, the belle of the ball, the most well liked cookie girl on your block. Whatever if I haven't convinced you yet, than probably nothing well. So git on git going!

Homemade Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

(or Oreos, whateve.!)
adapted from The Essence of Chocolate
makes about 3 dozen cookies (mine batch came closer to two dozen for some reason)
For the Filling:
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 to 1 cup powdered sugar

For the cookie:

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup plus 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
15 Tablespoons (7 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, but into 3/4-inch cubes, at room temperature (this is important)

For the Filling:
1.In a small saucepan, bring the cream to boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat and add the finely chopped white chocolate. Make sure all the chocolate is covered by the cream. Let stand for 1 minute (this is important), then whisk the white chocolate until completely melted.
Transfer the filling to a small bowl and let stand until room temperature. You’
ll need the filling thicker to assemble the cookies, so cover the filling and place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or an hour, until a thick consistency is reached. If the filling hardens too much, it can be rewarmed in the microwave for a few seconds. It’s best if left at room temperature until the proper consistency is achieved. This meant leaving it out overnight for me.
For the Cookies:
Position the racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and mix on low speed. With the mixer running, add the butter a few pieces at a time. The mixture will have a sandy texture at first and then will begin to form peddle-size pieces. As soon as the dough starts to come together, stop the mixer. Make sure all the butter is well incorporated. If there are large butter pockets, mix for a few seconds more.
Form and roll the dough straight from the mixer. The dough becomes hard to work with if chilled.
Transfer the dough to a board and use the heel of your hand or a pastry scraper to shape the dough into a block about 5 by 7 inches. Cut the block into two pieces.
One at a time, roll each block of dough between two pieces of lightly floured parchment paper until about 1/8-inch thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut into 2 inch rounds. Place 1/2 to 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. You can form and roll the dough scraps once after the first roll.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through the baking. Remove from the oven and cool on the sheets for 2 to 5 minutes. They’ll be too soft to move straight from the oven. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
To Assemble the Cookies:
Place half of the cookies upside down on a work surface. Whip the filling lightly with a whisk to loosen it. It will lighten in color and fluff up. Don’
t overwhip or the filling may begin to separate.
Transfer the filling to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip. You can just scooped the filling out by the half teaspoonful. Pipe or dollop one teaspoon of filling in the center of each upside down cookie. Gently, using your fingers, press the cookies together until the filling comes just to the edges.
The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

High D

2010-02-16T19:32:00.000-08:00

I've been told recently that I cook to de-stress that when all is wrong with the world cooking makes it all right. Which after a little thought I do agree. I love that you can start with water and yeast and end up with this perfect dough for bread, soft and warm and comforting. I love that you start with a mess of ingredients and when you are done it just works. It makes all that is wrong with the hospital or whatever is working me over have order. I like results, this same person made me take a behavioral analysis, no surprise I am a high D, D standing for Dominant, now everyone don't gasp at once please. Part of being a high D is that I love love results and am very driven to get those danged results, with that said cooking gives you results and all in mostly less than a couple of hours. So if I cook to calm myself and others it's only natural that I cook comfort food, warm, soothing comfort food. Love.....it.

I think I got it from my grandfather but I love smothered things, smothered steak, smothered pork chops, smothered desserts, smothered well gosh I don't know. But there's nothing worse than a dry piece of meat and well there's no greater solution to the problem than just smothering the heck out of it. I found this recipe at none other than Mama Kay (grandma's) house back in October and vowed to try it out first the sauce looked fantastic second it had rice on the side, good stuff check and it is relatively good for you and low in calories which for a smothered dish is just dang good news. The recipe calls for chicken drumsticks but I think a couple of times I have used chicken breasts, the drumsticks get more tender naturally but most people seem to prefer the boneless, skinless, breast variety!

Chicken Smothered in Gravy

from Food and Wine November 2009

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
Eight 3-ounce skinless chicken drumsticks
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 ounce bacon (1 thick slice) cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 large tomato—peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 cup 2-percent milk
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 parsley sprigs plus 2 teaspoons chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375°. In an ovenproof nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Cook over moderately high heat until browned all over, 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Add the bacon to the skillet and cook, stirring, until the fat is rendered, 2 minutes. Drain off the fat. Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet and stir in the flour until incorporated. Add the onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until slightly softened, 3 minutes. Add the tomato and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the tomato softens slightly, 5 minutes. Add the milk and broth and bring to a boil, stirring until slightly thickened, 3 minutes. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet; add the parsley sprigs.
Cover the chicken and braise in the oven for 20 minutes, until the meat is cooked through. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a platter and discard the parsley sprigs.
Return the skillet to moderate heat and cook the gravy, whisking constantly, until smooth, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the chopped parsley, pour the gravy over the chicken legs and serve.

2010-01-19T19:45:00.000-08:00

Recipe gathering and testing is quite the process in my house. There are times when I read cookbooks, there are times when I read magazines, blogs, you name it. Then there are times that I make up recipes and hope they turn out! And then there is group gathering of recipes and experimenting. This margarita recipe went something like this. I had the Sunset Magazine at my parents house, my friends Andy, Nichole and Lukas came for Thanksgiving dinner and Andy took Sunset into the bathroom with him. Later I found this recipe ripped out of the magazine and laying on the counter in the bathroom. I took it downstairs where Lukas took it home only to pull it out months later for the enjoyment of all. (On a sidenote if you are ever with Lukas watch out how much tequila he puts into his margaritas, they are not for the faint of heart!) Actually they are not for the "hate to clean the kitchen type " either, look at the mess!

With that said they are dang tasty, and I am not always a margarita gal, but there is something about the cranberry, the lime, the orange liquour, oh man it's a hot good mess all in your mouth. The original recipe calls for a) less liquor and b) to blend the mix. We went for the rocks and more liquor and it was tasty but really it's whatever gets you thrilled!

Pair these with my made up queso and heck you've got it made....the recipe for the queso is below and while there are no pictures just imagine creamy goodness with chunks of tomato and stringy cheese with a backbite of white wine. Weird wine and Mexican but it works. It just does.

Levitating Cranberry Margaritas

adapted from Sunset Magazine

1 1/4 cup cranberry juice cocktail

3/4 cup tequila blanca (1 cup if you're feeling brave!)

1/2 cup Cointreau (orange liquour)

1/3 cup sugar

3/4 cup fresh lime juice

lime wedges for garnish

1. In a blender combine cranberry cocktail, tequila, cointreau, sugar and fresh lime juice. Blend- if you don't blend, the sugar won't dissolve!

2. Rim glass with lime wedge and dip glass into shallow dish of sugar. Fill glass with ice.

3. Pour cranberry mixture over ice and garnish with lime wedge and levitate!

Queso

adapted from Corrie

2 cups of shredded cheese of choice ( I used pepperjack, cheddar and monteray jack)

1/2 cup of milk

1/4 cup of white wine

1 tablespoon of flour

salt

pepper

dash of cumin

1 16 oz can of diced tomatoes with chilies ie. Rotel

1. Bring the milk and white wine to a simmer or soft rolling boil.

2. Add flour and whisk until smooth

3. Add seasonings and then quickly whisk in cheese until smooth and melted.

4. Add can of tomatoes and stir thoroughly until warmed.

4. Pout into dish and serve with chips, veggies or margaritas!

2010-01-08T09:19:00.000-08:00

I've had a cooking first that I do question the appropriateness of sharing in public, but really it's so great that you'll appreciate it I promise. It goes something like this......we are experiencing winter here in Colorado and it's cold and everyone has a cold or the flu or what have you. My friend Nichole has been snuffleupagus lately so I made a huge pot of hearty vegetable soup, homemade bread and the piece de resistance French Style Yogurt Cake with Lemon. Nichole came and picked up her goods and had some cake fresh out of the oven, so good oh man so good. Then she went home ate some soup had a coughing fit got a little nauseous (not from my food mind you) and then well lets just say she told me later that no matter which way the lemon cake is going it tastes good!!!! I don't want to totally gross anyone out but seriously I don't think I have ever in my life had a compliment like that. Food that is good going in and coming out......check. I have arrived!

This recipe came from the cookbook, A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenburg its a great cookbook that reads like a book but is chock full of great recipes like this one. If you don't have time for the syrup and the icing the cake is awesome straight from the over covered with just the icing. There is no need to experience this cake the way Nichole did, I promise for optimal tasting pleasure eat it while healthy so that it only goes down and not up! Cheers!!

French Style Yogurt Cake with Lemon

from A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenburg

Cake

1.5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1/2 cup well-stirred plain whole-milk yogurt (don't use low fat or nonfat)

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil, such as canola

Syrup

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with butter or cooking spray. If you have it line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper, and grease it too.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the lemon zest and whisk to mix it thoroughly.

In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, and eggs, stirring to mix well. Add the flour mixture and stir to just combine. Add the oil and stir well. At first it will look oily and gross but keep stirring it into a pale yellow smooth batter. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Don't over bake. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes and then run a knife around the edges and invert the cake onto a plate removing the parchment paper if you used it.

In a small bowl, whisk together the syrup ingredients. Spoon the syrup over the warm cake. Cool completely.

In a small bowl, combine the icing ingredients and whisk until all the sugar is dissolved, spoon over the cooled cake. Serve immediately.

*** For people making this in Colorado or other high altitude locations cut the baking powder down by 1/4 teaspoon, add 1/4 cup of flour and decrease the oil by two tablespoons for better results********

It's coming.....

2009-11-30T10:43:00.000-08:00

I've decided my house has arches specifically meant for Christmas decorations!!

This is by far a great time of year for sure, the food, the decorations, the music, the church services. I love Christmas Eve service, love it. I loved it more when they actually passed out the candles with the little paper skirts to protect your skin, the carpet and the church as a whole from the dripping wax. It's very unsettling to me that most churches are discarding the candles all together and replacing them with little pen lights, the nerve seriously. I am not mature enough to not stick the pen light straight up my nose and blink it a couple of times or I do think it was my very own mother who during the entire service kept blinking her light into my face like some sort of annoying motherly morse code. Seriously maturity is a passed down trait, those of us the Casey family we lack some of it thanks to my mother;)

Alas that was all very tangential. I skipped over Thanksgiving on the blog which is a bit of a pet peeve, in my opinion we go straight from 4th of July to Christmas and what the heck the pilgrims get the shaft in a serious way. With that said I am guilty this year of not posting any good Thanksgiving recipes. I will do better next year. I promise.

Yesterday we officially bid Thanksgiving and fall goodbye and went Christmas Tree Hunting. I don't know how long we've done this but it's been since I was seriously little. My mom was telling me that when all of us kids plus all of their friends kids would go we would run around and throw snow at each other and pick out the ugliest trees in the forest and then beg them to cut that one down. How ironic that we might never let my mom live down how awful their tree was last year. (we got her a good one this year). Yesterday it was beautiful out but on some occasions it's freezing, snowing and miserable. But worth it to get back to the house in front of the fire with warm hot chocolate and soup! It reminded me that I have not made homemade hot chocolate yet this year, much to Cole's irritation as he wanted some last night;) So this morning I snapped to it and here we are, creamy, chocolatey, sure to warm you to the core. And honestly it makes great gifts especially paired with the homemade marshmallows that I posted a year ago:)

I love this garland I put up in my kitchen, someone years ago gave me a box of miniature cooking utensil ornaments. I finally have somewhere to use them!!!

By the way I cannot get enough of how wonderful my house smells with all this fresh pine everywhere. I love it love it love it, love it.

Alton Browns Hot Cocoa Mix

from Foodnetwork.com

2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa (Dutch-process preferred)
2 1/2 cups powdered milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste
Hot water

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and incorporate evenly. In a small pot, heat 4 to 6 cups of water. Fill your mug with 4 tablespoons (or to taste) of the mixture and pour in hot water. Stir to combine. Seal the rest in an airtight container, keeps indefinitely in the pantry. This also works great with warm milk. Makes 5 1/2 cups of dry cocoa mix.

Salt please............

2009-11-12T15:35:00.000-08:00

I've always been more of a salt girl than a sweet girl. Take from that what you will but give me potato chips over cookies any day, give me french fries over cake. So imagine how wonderful it is that salty and sweet are really making an appearance in food trends these days. I mean the chocolate chip cookie recipe is laden with crunchy kosher salt that lingers in your mouthlong after the sweet is gone.When I saw this recipe I was just so excited and intrigued that it had to be made, immediately. And no better place to take them to than to a Chick-fil-A sleepover! If you havn't heard of the first 100 at the grand opening of a new store well then get on over to the website and look it up. I spent 24 precious hours in a parking lot with good friends and at 6 am the morning of the opening, with a belly happy from eating these lovely treats I marched through the front doors and recieved my grand prize of Chick-fil-A food for 1 year. I mean really it's like worth 300 bucks, well worth the good times and the salty treats!

Salted Brown Butter Crispy Treats

(copied from Smitten Kitchen Blog)

What’s different about these? Oh, just a bit more (coughdouble) butter which you toast until it’s brown and nutty and help along with some coarse salt, just minor things. But it changes everything.

Makes 16 2-inch squares or 32 1- x 2-inch small bars

4 ounces (1/4 pound or 1 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for the pan
1 10-ounce bag marshmallows
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
5 1/2 cups Rice Krispies cereal (about half a 12-ounce box)

Butter (or coat with non-stick spray) an 8-inch square cake pan with 2-inch sides.

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don’t take your eyes off the pot as while you may be impatient for it to start browning, the period between the time the butter begins to take on color and the point where it burns is often less than a minute.

As soon as the butter takes on a nutty color, turn the heat off and stir in the marshmallows. The residual heat from the melted butter should be enough to melt them, but if it is not, turn it back on low until the marshmallows are smooth.

Remove the pot from the stove and stir in the salt and cereal together. Quickly spread into prepared pan. I liked to use a piece of waxed or parchment paper that I’ve sprayed with oil to press it firmly and evenly into the edges and corners, though a silicon spatula works almost as well.

Let cool, cut into squares and get ready to make new friends.

The truth is...

2009-10-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

The truth is that I have been lazy with this blog as of recent. I have many excuses, largely that I have been working like crazy since swine flu is wreaking it's havoc at the hospital. But honestly even that one falls flat since I have done a bit of cooking recently but haven't taken the greatest pics of the food.But I am slowly making a comeback and we start with this story involving good friends, huckleberry margaritas and the infamous Green Chile Macaroni and Cheese that I am starting to get a sneaking suspicion the restaurant hands out impostor recipes. And while that is troubling I will forge on and try to duplicate this recipe largely because I no longer live in Phoenix meaning that I no longer can frequent happy hour and Roaring Fork. Which if you are in Phoenix or live in the area you should really get on over there for happy hour man is it delish....seriously delish, change your life kinda stuff or just make your mouth and tongue very very very happy!

Cat and the margarita of greatness!

So back when I lived in Phoenix I kept hearing of the infamous Huckleberry Margarita at Roaring Fork oh and the Big Ass Burger. They are of such fame that all in the desert land know of them and when I finally indulged in them I knew that right there in that glass was life changing liquid goodness. For starters it's dang hot in Phoenix and that margarita is a blended, frosty glass wonder! I thought my life was complete I needed nothing else or so I thought. Until the waiter brought out the crock of green chile macaroni. To say that there was explosive goodness in my mouth was an understatement, I mean seriously there is something going on in that crock of creamy, cheesy green chile goodness that is not to be replicated and I know that

now it really is not to be replicated. Which brings me to my disgruntlement with the Roaring Fork and it pains me to be at odds with a kitchen that puts forth such masterpieces but seriously when I curl my hair, put on more makeup than usual, wear nice clothes, and then go forth order drinks and ask every so sweetly for the recipe and they give you an impostor. Well anyone has the right to be a little miffed, right?

Kelly, Cat and I at the infamous Fork

Here's the deal, my friends Catherine and Kelly who share my intense cravings for this stuff, they came to town last month and with them came a recipe that was toted as the real recipe for the green chile mac. Well we tried it, it wasn't bad but it was not, I repeat was not what we eat so devouringly at the Roaring Fork. So last week when I was in Phoenix I asked for the recipe and they gave me the same one, the very same one that we already had. Well friends let me tell you that I'm just ticked now and feeling the need to doctor these recipes until I can come up with something close to the real thing. I am just not rich enough to bribe may way into their hearts or to fly down to Phoenix for weekly happy hours. Sorry girls;) Anyhow after some work we are close and I will post the recipe here.

Here is what I have learned, you must absolutely must use poblano chile's no substitutions. That won't work. Also the original recipe calls for 1/4 cup of corn kernels. Well I cannot figure how the original version has corn, so I leave it out and it tastes better. But if you have to be a naturalist than throw some corn in there, you saute it with the other veggies. Lastly I have almost tripled the cheese in the recipe from the original one, they call for a mere 1/4 cup pepper jack cheese and frankly it's not enough. So here we are, we are stepping closer to creating heaven in my mouth at home. Try it out, you'll just die of goodness really it's that good!

Green Chile Mac and Cheese

1 Tablespoon Corn or Vegetable Oil

1/4 cup diced Poblano Chile

1/4 cup diced Red Bell Pepper

1/4 cup diced Red Onion

1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic

2 cups Cooked Elbow Macaroni

1/2 cup Roasted, Peeled and Pureed Poblano Chile***

2/4 cup Heavy Cream

1 1/2 cup grated Hot Pepper Jack Cheese

Salt and Black Pepper to taste.

Heat the oil in a heavy pan over high heat and saute the diced poblano chile, the bell pepper and red onion and garlic until just tender. Add the macaroni, poblano puree, cream and cheese. Stir until all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Season to taste and serve immediately.

*** To roast the chile, split the chile's in half it takes about 3 poblano chiles to have enough puree and freshly chopped poblano. Place on baking sheet and put under the broil in the oven and broil until the skins are blackened. Take out of oven and let cool for 5 minutes and then place the chiles in a ziploc back and rub the bag between your hands until the skins come off. Cut up roasted pieces and place in blender and puree your heart out.

Not so sure...

2009-09-27T19:30:00.000-07:00

What to do with myself right now. I mean the kitchen is done, it looks fantastic, the open house is over the kitchen has been warmed and loved and blessed and cooked in. But really there's this haunting feeling that we aren't done yet so I haven't really settled in. I keep thinking that someone is going to bust through the door and make me pack up everything and tell me that we need to redo the counter tops or something ridiculous. I mean really it's done Corrie...it's done!

So what this really means is that soon we will be back to cooking recipes on this blog but until then here's pictures of the "open house party cuz the kitchens done" party followed by finished kitchen photos! Before you know it I will be back to cooking it up. On a side note my neighbor just brought over an entire bag of beet greens, I mean I will be eating beet greens until Jesus comes back so I need to find a recipe for those lovely greens!

All Done...

2009-09-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

So I can't show the full kitchen because well it hasn't been thoroughly cleaned yet for a full reveal but it will be soon, here are some pics to hold everyone over!

A sticky mess....

2009-08-30T08:26:00.001-07:00

When one is choosing to gut their entire kitchen and make an entire mess why in the world would that person also choose to add to the mess by making raspberry jam in the middle of electrical wiring, trim work and yard work? You might ask if that particular person is crazy and insane and that particular person being me would probably say yes!!!! Oh yes sister over here is losing it. I think that the lack of kitchen cooking this summer has made my decision making a little off. Which would explain the following pictures. We spent Friday night and Saturday hanging lighting, finishing off the electrical outlets, hanging shelving, finishing trim work and working in the yard. For some odd reason I agreed to make jam with my friend Nichole and thought ( I don't know why I thought this) but I thought that we would be done by Saturday afternoon so I told her to get on over here and we would make a sticky mess! Oh my we did not disappoint! We've got my dad on one side of the kitchen wiring some outlets, then Nichole and I are on the other side pureeing raspberries and cooking up the jam. Now I must share that we made raspberry jam because King Soopers had them on sale. When I purchased 24, 6oz containers of raspberries the original bill was 95 dollars and then with a little swipe of my Soopers card the bill went down the 30 buckaroos for all those little berries, that's like 65 dollars off!!! Gosh it felt good, now none of you go spoil my delight by telling me that the store probably marked up the berries before they put them on sale. I just want to live in my bliss for the moment!

Anyhow making jam is sooooo easy, I'll include the recipe of any of you want to get in on the fun!

Raspberry Jam

Yield is 6 (8oz) 1/2 pints

4 1/2 cups of crushed raspberries (roughly 6 6oz containers)

61/2 cups granulated sugar

1 pouch Liquid fruit pectin

1. Wash the jars and screw top bands in the dishwasher and then keep the jars warm until the jam is ready to be put in the jars. If the jars are too cold when you put in the jam it will cause the jars to break.

2. Take the lids and place in hot but not boiling water and keep warm.

3. Combine the raspberries and the sugar in a sauce pan and mix well.

4. Bring to a rolling boil all the while scraping the foam off the of the top and discard.

5. Once the mixture is boiling add the pouch of pectin and stir well. Keep the mixture boiling for another minute or so.

6. Remove from the heat and scrape off the remaining foam.

7. Ladle the jam into the jars leaving at least an inch of space at the top. Put on the flat lid from the hot water then screw on the band tightly. Flip the jar over on it's head and continue filling each jar.

8. Once all the jars are full flip back over to right side up and wait to hear the "pop". Which indicates that the suction has been acheived!

You only have to refrigerate it after the jar has been opened. Also frozen berries work just as well! And at the ost only double but do not triple the recipe as the pectin will lost its consistency and your jam will be runny! Have fun

Progress.....slowly but surely............

2009-08-07T15:25:00.001-07:00

So the renovation continues and continues. We've hit a few speedbumps but nothing too horrible, I just measured some of the cabinetry wrong which meant ripping it up and moving it, remeasuring the countertops, buying more countertops, getting the countertops installed, getting the plumbing installed and finally oh sweet finally there is now water coming out of the sink and at this very moment I am huffing, literally huffing the smell of dishwashing detergent as it races through my new dishwasher that is recently installed and working thanks to the genious of my neighbor Jarad! Seriously on tuesday he came over to hook all the plumbing up and I think a few tears of sheer joy were shed as he turned on my faucet. I think he was a little weirded out but really this is a girl that loves to cook, loves to be in the kitchen and quite frankly was sick of doing dishes in the bathtub;) Don't worry all you germaphobes I bleached before and after each wash! Anyhow I am now finding that there are few more pleasant smells right now than the smell of lemon fresh dishwashing detergent. Oh gosh I am obsessed!

Anyhow we are nearing the end of this summer long project. This weekend we will finish out the trim, then the tile goes in next week, then the drawers and doors and open shelving. It's been quite a process but I've learned a lot and I must say that I love everything so far! I will leave you with some pictures, no great recipes yet;) soon though! I couldn't leave this post without a photo of the water running, just so that you can believe it's there I mean I live here and hardly believe that it works oh and that baby faucet on the left of the picture is my Instahot! Boiling water just by pushing down on the handle, AMAZING!!!

Before we check out more kitchen photos I wanted to show all the progress of the living room with the new trim, pain and finally furniture back in the room, it's awesome. I love it.

And now the kitchen:) We are already making full use of the countertops and sink even if it's half done!

I love Easter but seriously this is too far.....

2009-06-27T22:50:00.000-07:00

I love color, don't get me wrong I really do but ya'll my house looks like Easter threw up in it. My fantastic vision of a happy, yellow living room and a aqua relaxing soothing kitchen resulted in a hodgepodge of pastels that easily resembles the Easter basket when all the candy is eaten and the only thing left is the wrappers and while the colored wrappers don't look bad together, it certainly isn't something you would choose to look at every morning with your coffee now is it? Besides the scales are off, I mean small candy wrapper to large kitchen walls;) Anyhow I am repainting, I went for antique linen! Much better.

Here's some photo updates.........

New yellow walls and dark floors in the living room.

The new bar facing into the living room.

Looking from the living room into the bigger, newer, great kitchen.

And now for some tips on how to survive a summer without a kitchen, 1st item of necessity is a grill. On this particulary evening the dinner fare was Grilled Veggie Pitas, mmmh mmh.

And now for some tips on how to survive a summer without a kitchen, 1st item of necessity is a grill. On this particulary evening the dinner fare was Grilled Veggie Pitas, mmmh mmh.
So there's not even a recipe for these bad boys. Just go to the store and buy this:

Premade refrigerated pizza dough (available at Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Sunflower Market)
Veggies for grilling ( I bought onions, zucchini, squash, carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms,garlic)
Some sort of spread ( I had artichoke lemon and basil garlic)

Then......
1. Take dough and divide into 6 pieces, then roll out to about the size of a plate, drizzle olive oil and salt on one side and place down on the warm grill. Cook for 3-5 minutes poking holes in dough with fork. Flip to other side and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
2. Take veggies and slice to quarters or halfs, not bite sized pieces. Put in dish and cover with olive oil, salt, pepper, dill, red wine vinegar, just enough of each to cover all the veggies. Place on grill and grill until soft and dark around edges. Take off gril and slice into bite size pieces.
3. Take pice of grilled bread, slather with spread of choice, top with veggies.....EAT. YUM.

Assortment of veggies for grilled pitas.

Grilled Pita dough..........

Lindsay fully enjoying the bounty of Grilled Veggie Pitas!

All things new......

2009-06-12T15:48:00.000-07:00

Mark my words there is no greater mess than renovating a house. It's just possible to make a mess and sustain a mess the way a home renovation can do. As I type this I am sitting in one of the few chairs left in my living room and as I look around I see every single, I mean every single thing and every surface covered with a thick layer of white dust that doesn't seem to go away. The floors have been mopped the surfaces cleaned, multiple times but it's still there, pesky white dust. I can't really complain as I have temporarily evacuated my home for a friends house, because working nights while the entirety of your house is being torn up is not conducive to sleep. Yet my brother is bearing the brunt of the mess as he continues to live here. Progress is being made, as of today everything is gutted, the cabinets are out, the old flooring is out, the new dry wall and new beams are in, new doorways and electrical have been added and low and behold my cabinets arrived today 1 whole week ahead of time. Whew....this may not take so long after all. The people who I had come gut the kitchen and hang the beams had only one request: Chocolate Chip Cookies, when they came up to do the initial assessment back in April I made them these cookies and now they like everyone else that eats them are addicted. I don't even like chocolate chippers but these even these have this wonderful buttery bite to them. Mmh! First though: here's some photos for visual interest you know. There are a few before photos:

Love the multi color pinks, purples, really very attractive.

Temporary Kitchen, functional.

Walls removed and beams put in.

And this is where we are today, much more open and Monday the new floors go in and today my cabinets showed up a week early! Nice, well except that I had to unload them piece by piece because I had inadvertently ordered the wrong unloading mechanism from the shipping company. oooops. Anyhow I offered the man me:) instead of a forklift, I mean seriously can you turn that down! And when we were done I did offer the man one of the THE chocolate chip cookies. He was a little taken aback and said no;) I don't think people often offer him food! Anyhow here you are make a batch in my honor since I don't have a kitchen and it looks to be at least two weeks before I do;)

It is totally important to refrigerate these cookies for the 24-72 hour time mark. It makes the cookie, I have made a batch without refrigerating it and it didn't taste near as good. The salt is also a must do, it's so yummy. And lastly I know the refrigeration time freaks some people out but really it's nice in a way. You make the dough then go on your merry way and come back in a couple of days and you make the cookies, basically you don't have to be stuck in the kitchen all day long making cookies it breaks it up you know? Sorry for no photos, I am working on the fly here!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Orangette, Molly Wizenberg which was adapted from

The New York Times, David Leite, and Jacques Torres

3 2/3 cup all purpose flour
1 ¼ tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. coarse salt, such as kosher
2 ½ sticks (1 ¼ cups; 10 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cups (10 oz.) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. (8 oz.) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ¼ pounds bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks, preferably about 60% cacao content, such as Ghirardelli or any chocolate chip you have on hand.
Sea salt, such as Maldon

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk well; then set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until very light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Reduce the mixer speed to low; then add dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. (Unless you have a plastic guard that sits around the rim of the bowl, this will make a big mess at first, with flour flying everywhere. I found that carefully holding a dish towel around the top of the bowl helped a lot.) Add the chocolate chips, and mix briefly to incorporate. Press plastic wrap against the dough, and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. The dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

When you’re ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the bowl of dough from the refrigerator, and allow it to soften slightly. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.

Using a standard-size ice cream scoop – mine holds about 3 fluid ounces, or about 1/3 cup – scoop six mounds of dough onto the baking sheet, making sure to space them evenly. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt, and bake until golden brown but still soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies onto the rack to cool a bit more.

Repeat with remaining dough.

Yield: About 24 (5-inch) cookies.

To Mom.....

2009-05-10T20:17:00.000-07:00

Today a man at Target let me cut in line because it was "mother's day" and while I appreciate the sentiment, I as we all know am not a mother. Yet I was glad to oblige him and took one for the team and cut right up there to the front. I was thankful know and will surely remember him when I am packing my triplets that I pray for in the cart through the line someday, whenever that happens!

So Happy Mother's Day to all of you out there, since most of reading this are mom's I hope you had a great day and want to let you in on my families menu for the day! It was fantastic but it was full of Casey quirks. This is how things go in my family full of cooks. My sister Callie had her in laws in town and was going to meet us all at my parents house where we would have dinner. However she is the hospitality queen of the family she loves cooking for people and is good at it but seriously she gets a little crazy and by that I mean she reviews the menu like six times and then she makes enough food to feed an army. So Thursday she reviewed the menu with me but since she was headed out of town for Saturday night with her in laws it was my responsibility to get the groceries and get everything going, which was no problem, (Callie really it was no big deal if you are reading this), however as I was preparing I knew that she would look at my pan of potatoes and broccoli salad and think that wasn't enough food:) And lo and behold she walked into the house today and immediately thought there wasn't enough food!! It was pretty funny.

So I don't have any pictures but the best items of the day were definitely the shrimp scampi and the crusty french bread. Oh my gosh the bread was perfect, I got lucky today when I made the bread because it was crusty on the outside and warm and soft in the inside, perfect to soak up the garlicky, white wine infused broth that the shrimp were surrounded by. And then oh my the shrimp, my family is officially addicted to Costco fresh shrimp first of all they are about as big as my face. Seriously they are huge and four pounds of these amazing face-size shrimp are only 30 bucks, that's incredible. There are a lot of scampi's that have pasta but we like ours with shrimp, buttery broth and fresh french bread that you tear off and dip in the goodness. It's incredibly taste and light and yet somehow you feel like you ate too much probably because if you are like my mom you probably had at least 2 lbs of that shrimp by yourself, but it 's okay it was mother's day!

Shrimp Scampi
serves 4-6

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds extra-large shrimp (21-25 per pound) peeled and deveined if you want
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon
3 tablespoons dry vermouth or dry white wine
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Pinch cayenne pepper
salt and ground pepper

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12 inch skillet over high heat until shimmering. Swirl to coat the pan bottom. Add half the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until opaque and just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a medium bowl. Repeat with the remaining oil and shrimp.

2. Return the now-empty skillet to medium-low heat. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in the pan. When the foaming subsides, add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Off the heat, add the lemon juice and vermouth/wine. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, add the parsley and cayenne, and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Return the shrimp and accumulated juices to the skillet. Toss to combine and serve immediately.

Everyone needs one....

2009-04-19T17:10:00.000-07:00

Before I get totally crucified I know it's been almost a month since my last post. I realize that I am not that great at being prompt with this blog thing but I worked nights the last month and I am like a living zombie barely living really. There's this general fog that just hangs around when you work night shift, one that even on your days off hangs low and makes you forget things, all sorts of things, blogs, birthdays, how to clean, how to grocery shop etc. I just lose all function. Specifically I am working on a quilt for my friend Matt and his wife and their precious little boy Lincoln and he was born two weeks ago and I am two weeks late apparently, I just keep telling myself that he doesn't know the difference by the time he gets the quilt he will be into his groove of eating and sleeping and so excited to have this soft fluffy piece of Corrie love to hang out on... I just know it.

The only thing I have been able to successfully accomplish is making my daily bread. My thick sliced hearty whole wheat with toasted oat bran and flaxmeal love of a bread. I don't know how to make this bread more healthy which might scare some of you away. But it's so good and when cooked just to the right time it comes out soft and nutty and a whole mouthful of delightful flavors. Everyone needs a daily bread, my sisters I think is a baguette, that girl has more baguettes in her house than one person could ever consume, somehow she manages. My grandma always has this sourdough white bread, it makes me think of her all the time, especially piled high with melting butter mmmmh. And I have wheat bread, that if you ask my brother makes you feel clean inside and out if you catch my drift without me having to be too off color!

Try it out, you don't have to toast the oat bran but it does make the bread have a bit of a different flavor. Also you can leave any of the grains out, the flax meal, oat bran or the wheat germ and the bread will still turn out. Since it is a wheat bread it will be more dense than white bread and works better when you don't over flour it. I put 2 and a half cups of wheat flour to start and then slowly add more as the bread kneads mostly because if the dough is a little more wet it rises better and bakes better. So there you are, what's your daily bread?

Classic Whole Wheat Bread

adapted from King Arthur Flour Company

2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast,

1 1/3 cups (10 1/2 ounces) water
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) vegetable oil

1/4 cup (3 ounces) honey, molasses, or maple syrup

3 1/2 cups (14 ounces) Whole Wheat Flour ( I prefer King Arthur or Hogsdon Mills)

1/4 cup (1 ounce) nonfat dried milk

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup each of toasted oat bran, wheat germ, flaxseed meal

Mixing: In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except for 1 cup of the wheat flour and stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple. (You may also knead this dough in an electric mixer or food processor, or in a bread machine programmed for "dough" or "manual.") Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 60 minutes, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

Shaping: Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and shape it into an 8-inch log. Place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for about 1 hour, or until it's crowned about 1 inch above the edge of the pan. A finger pressed into the dough should leave a

mark that rebounds slowly.

Baking: Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for about 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after 20 minutes. Test it for doneness by removing it from the pan and thumping it on the bottom (it should sound hollow), or measuring its interior temperature with an instant-read thermometer (it should register 190°F at the center of the loaf). Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a wire rack before slicing. Store the bread in a plastic bag at room temperature. Yield: 1 loaf, 16 slices.

Old Man Winter....

2009-03-26T14:10:00.001-07:00

.......is laughing at me for thinking that winter was a leaving! I am snowed in, cancelled dinner plans, 13 inches of snow on my back pation and wind that could blow you over in a millisecond! So I've got tea in hand and banana bread just out of the oven. I don't like bananas they remind me of things entirely un food like and should not be mentioned on a blog that is written for the sole purpose of getting people to cook, so I will shut my mouth! However my brother loves bananas yet has been out of town and I've been watching the bananas turn from green to yellow to finally today a brown mushy consistency perfect for baking! I found this recipe on my other favorite food blog Orangette and it's a great recipe. I did alter it a bit adding flax seed and walnuts as well as cutting down on the sugar a bit. The cinnamon sugar topping on top is the perfect finale, as the bread cooks the sugar on top carmelizes and creates this chewy, crumby top that is so so good. However the addition of the sugar on top makes it a little too sugary so I cut down on the sugar in the bread batter. So you could definitely leave off the top and just increase in the sugar in the recipe by 1/4 cup. In the end you will have your house smelling divine as it did mine as I was sewing and trying to warm up.

Banana Bread with Cinnamon Crumble Topping

Adapted from Bakesale Betty and Bon Appétit, September 2008

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup flax meal

1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 3 medium bananas)

2 large eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Topping:

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 tbsp brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour a 9x5 inch metal loaf pan, or spray with cooking spray and line pan with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, flax meal and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the banana, eggs, oil, honey, and water. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir well. Add walnuts and mix. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.In a small bowl, mix together the topping ingredients. Sprinkle them evenly over the batter.Bake the bread until a tester inserted into its center comes out clean, about 1 hour, give or take a little. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Then carefully remove the bread from the pan, taking care not to dislodge the topping. Cool completely before slicing.

Yield: 1 loaf

Winter is a leaving.....

2009-03-25T00:18:00.000-07:00

I think I've already mentioned this but I largely associate my food cravings with the weather. I think most people do that. But we are having serious weather issues in Denver. I mean seriously one week it's in the 70's and now this week we are in the 40's and did I mention that we got no snow, no precipitation the ENTIRE month of February now that's just not normal. It's a drought for sure. In fact I just got my heating bill for the month of February it was the same amount as my heating bill last August, August people is in the summer, it's hot, no heat needed, not so for February. I don't know what is going on. I don't believe in global warming so it can't possibly be that. anyhow even though this winter has been unseasonably warm, and I should be craving salads and fresh tomato and basil mixtures, I still have my comfort food cravings. I'm not ready to let go of winter, I haven't had enough soup and bread, hot drinks you know winter food. However have no fear because Williams - Sonoma Skillet Lasagna is my answer it's comfort foodish in that it's a pasta, yet it's not so heavy that it makes you hurt just to look at it. Oh my it's good. Every month I get the Williams -Sonoma catalogue delivered to my little black mailbox next to my front door. And every month I spend almost more time drooling over the recipes listed inside than I do drooling over the items to purchase. Maybe it's because I can't afford half of what they are selling but I sure can go to the grocery store and buy myself some butternut squash! I came across this recipe and it caught my eye immediately and then took me 5 months to actually try it out and oh my is it tasty. I know it sounds kind of weird and off but the layers of lasagna noodles with the squash and then the sausage, mmmmh it just kind of all melts in your mouth. The squash gives kind of a sweetness to the sauce and the herbs give it an earthy kick. If you recall i mentioned this recipe in an earlier post in which I was making entirely too much stuff for my little kitchen to handle, so I do advise that you not try to cook three different things at a time, just stick to the lasagna. I substituted turkey Italian sausage instead of regular Italian sausage for no other reason than it was what I had on hand and it tasted great. I like that this only uses one skillet aside from the pan you use to boil the noodles.

Skillet Lasagna

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 lb. mild Italian sausage, casings removed
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 Tbs. minced fresh sage
9 dried lasagna noodles, cooked al dente
3 lb. butternut squash, neck portion only, peeled and sliced into wide, thin sheets

Directions:
Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400°F. In a large nonstick fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and cook for 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl. In the fry pan over medium-high heat, cook the sausage, breaking it into small pieces, until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Drain the sausage on paper towels, then add to the onion mixture. In the fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly stir in the milk, increase the heat to medium-high and cook until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a separate bowl. Stir in 3/4 cup of the cheese, the 1/4 cup parsley, the sage, salt and pepper. To assemble the lasagna, spread 1/3 cup sauce on the bottom of the fry pan and top with a single layer of 3 noodles. Top with 1/3 cup sauce, 1/3 cup sausage and a layer of squash slices. Repeat the layering of sauce, sausage and squash 5 more times, replacing the squash layer with a layer of noodles after every 2 layers of squash. Top with the remaining sauce and the 1/4 cup cheese.Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the lasagna is browned and bubbly, about 45 minutes. Sprinkle with the 1 Tbs. parsley. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before slicing. Serves 8 to 10.

It's always better in multiples....

2009-03-17T20:40:00.000-07:00

Now I am sure that every mother who may read this might think I am nuts but I think cooking with friends is always better....kids especially! Valentine's Day this year was no exception. I had the privilege of spending Cupid's day with two of my favorite little girls, well they aren't really little anymore. But Jess and Katie are the best! We gave their parents a night out, they came up to my house and we had quite the time. We made marshmallows and tacos and valentines cut out cookies. And then had a flour fight, threw unused dough up in to the tree in my back yard and just all around laughing a ton. In the middle of the craziness my super cute neighbor boy from next door came over to deliver some valentine's treats of his own and meanwhile proceeded to take off his coat and make himself right at home declaring that he liked it here and he was going to stay. The more the merrier as far as I was concerned! The next morning we promptly delivered him some of our creations which by the way the girls informed me that mine were too plain. I failed to use the sprinkles, my mistake. Kids can be bossy you know that? I used my mom's fail proof cut out cookie recipe. They have cream cheese in them so they are super velvety and soft. They can be used for any holiday, Christmas, Thanksgiving turkeys, St. Patty's clovers, the next time we have a financial bailout give away heck make some checks and write one out to yourself, courtesy of our spend happy government. I mean why not. And then eat some cookies it will make you feel better, really I promise! Oh and to make all things better I got a new camera, no more cloudy dark food pics. Hopefully it makes everything look even more appetizing;)

White Velvet Cutouts
adapted from Taste of Home by Kim Hinkle

2 cups butter, softened
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 cups white sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

BUTTER CREAM FROSTING:
3-1/2 cups powder sugar
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 4 tablespoons milk, divided

In a bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add sugar, egg yolks and vanilla; mix well. Gradually add flour. Cover and chill 2 hours or until firm. Roll out on a floured surface to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut into 3-in. shapes; place 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until set (not browned). Cool 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool. For frosting, combine 1-1/2 cups sugar, butter, shortening, vanilla and 3 tablespoons milk in a bowl; beat until smooth. Gradually add remaining sugar; beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add enough remaining milk and food coloring until frosting reaches desired consistency. Frost cookies. Yield: about 7 dozen.

Hello again....

2009-03-16T17:57:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been absent as of late. I was celebrating my sister's spring break in a whirlwind tour of sorts with entirely too much eating of fabulous southern cooking in Georgia/South Carolina. Alas I am home now at least five pounds heavier but with the taste of fried green tomotoes, crab cakes, pecan pie, pecan pralines, shrimp boils, grits and biscuits still resonating in my mouth. Oh did I forget to mention everything was fried? I mean serioulsy who knew that you could seriously fry that much food. Midway throught the week Rene mentioned that we had not had vegetables in five days, FIVE days, that does not count the collard greens sauteed in bacon grease;) Needless to say tonight for dinner is broccoli, spinach with couscous and salmon!

Oh and in Charleston there is a bakery called Baked, it was fantastic, however I think they read my blog. They had Monster cookies, marshmallows and whoopie pies (i haven't posted that recipe yet, how curious!) This is a photo of the pecan scone my was it tasty.

Here's some photos, I will post some new recipes tomorrow;) Hope everyone has been well.

Oh by the way I keep catching flack for my lack of punctuation but seriously ya'll I cannot do it all, food or punctuation? what would you rather. mmh that's what I thought!

Ice cream every night was a must, ice cream and seafood soooo good;)

Seafood boil number 1, The Crab Shack, Tybee Island. mmmh good!

Crab/Shring boil number 2, at our house! We rented an old sea captains house from 1858, and then boiled our seafood and ate until we burst in his honor!

And Bob, eating chili cheese friends and rocky road, goes together like peas and carrots if you ask me!

Bringing back the butter.....

2009-02-26T16:06:00.000-08:00

Peanut butter that is. Before I made this recipe I checked, went straight to Kroger.com and checked for the recall. There wasn't one for this tub of the deliciousness so I forged on ahead. It was an epic cooking day yesterday; well really it wasn't but it felt like it in the midst of all the other things I did. I cleaned, like seriously cleaned, scrubbed, organized shelves and cooked. By nightfall I had a two loaves of whole wheat bread, Skillet lasagna with turkey sausage and butternut squash and a massive batch of monster cookies. My little brother, the "tenant" I like to call him came home from work to find me in a quandry. I was trying to email my mom pics of the kitchen tiles I wanted, make the sauce for the lasagna, boil the noodles, encourage the bread to rise, and get the cookies on the cookie sheet, he basically stood there and laughed at me. Until I had to kick him out of the kitchen because there is simply not enough room to stand and laugh, it's too small and let's face it he's too broad, he's huge, nope no room. So he poured milk for the sauce and skedaddled! I got down to work and in the end I brought a big bowl of peanut butter- oat- mixed M&M -melt- in- your -mouth goodness to work. Maybe they'll keep liking me if I bring them with cookies!

This recipe is super simple and while the original has raisins and chocolate chips, often I forgoe the chips for just a double amount of M & M's. And no raisins yuck only in oatmeal raisin cookeis.
These cookies have no flour so it's the oats that hold them together and when cooked just perfectly they are chewy and hearty and almost make you feel like maybe they could be good for you. It's okay they can lie, they're worth it. And now that I think about it, my roommate in college Karen introduced me to these cookies. I found the recipe on foodnetwork.com but she was the inspiration. Now that I think about Karen is closely aligned with most cookies I eat. mmmh i'll have to tell her. Anyhow enjoy!

Monster Cookies
adapted from Paula Deen

3 eggs
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 12-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
1 stick butter, softened
1 cups plan M&Ms
1/2 cup chocolate chips(optional, use 1.5 cups M&M's if you don't use the chips)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats (not instant and don't use steel cut either)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or grease well.

In a very large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate candies, chocolate chips, raisins, if using, baking soda, and oatmeal.

Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake.
Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool.
When cool, store in large resealable plastic bags.

here goes......

2009-02-25T15:50:00.000-08:00

It's time to party... I am gutting my entire kitchen and starting over. When I bought my house I always knew that the kitchen had to go and hopefully would go sooner rather than later, thanks to my first time home buyer tax return and the craftiness of my lovely family it is a go!!!

I am so excited, today I went looking around at tile stores and home depot to see what is out there. I have already seen a kitchen that I really really like but now I just have to make it happen. I am realizing that I am really really bad at making decisions like this that have to last. I have yet to paint the rest of my living room, dining room kitchen area because it all depends on the kitchen colors and flow and oh my it's going to be quite the ordeal!! So with that said we must celebrate with cookies and chicken pot pie of course. Odd I know but I recently made a meal for a coworker who had had a baby and I was craving a good chicken pot pie and so I decided so was her family! One of my all around favorite cookbooks is The New Best Recipe, its' fantastic it's written by the people of The American Test Kitchen which means they have tested everything in every recipe right down to the best pans to use to the finest cheeses or the best way to create all these wonderful recipes. It's fantastic. So this is the book I turned to for the pot pie. I made a couple of changes but all together it was a great recipe, easy and full of veggies so good for you too. I made the pie crust and then inadvertently when I was melting the butter for the sauce I forgot that I was melting it and I started doing something else and only remembered that i was melting butter when I smelled which for any of you that know me, know that happens. Anyhow fortunately the butter didn't burn it just browned nicely which add a warm slightly sweet taste to the sauce and the filling. Yum, yum.

Savory Pie Dough Topping

1.5 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

12 tablespoons chilled butter cut into pieces

3-7 tablespoons ice cold water

1. Mix the flour and salt either in a food processor or with a hand held pastry blender. Scatter the cold butter pieces over the flour mixture, tossing to coat the butter with a little of the flour. Cut the butter into the mixture either by pulsing the food processor or with the pastry blender until the flour is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal, with butter bits no larger than small peas. Turn the mixture into a medium bowl.

2. Sprinkle the initial 3 tablespoons of the ice water over the mixture. With the rubber spatula, use a folding motion to mix the water in. Press down on the dough mixture with the broad side of the spatula until the dough sticks together, adding up to 1-3 tablespoons more ice water if the dough will not come together. Shape the dough into a ball, then flatten it into a wide disk and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes or up to 2 days before rolling out.

3. When the pie filling is ready, roll the dough on a floured surface to approximate a 15 by 11 inch rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Place the dough over the pot pie filling, trimming the dough that overhangs to within 1/2 inch of the pan lip. Tuck the overhanging dough buck under itself so the folded edge is flush with the pan lip. Flute the edges all around.

Chicken Pot Pie

adapted from The New Best Recipe.

serves 6-8

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs

2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1.5 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium -large onion chopped fine

3 medium carrots, peeled and cut crosswise 1/4 inch thick

2 small celery ribs, cut crosswise 1/3 inch thick

salt and ground black pepper

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1.5 cups milk

1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

3 tablespoons sherry or dry white wine

3/4 cup frozen peas thawed

3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (optional)

1. Make the pie dough and refrigerate until ready to use.

2. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the chicken and broth into a small dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Cover, bring to a simmer and simmer until the chicken is just done, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a large bowl, reserving the broth in a measuring cup.

3. Increase the heat to medium-high and heat the oil in the now empty pan. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until just tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. white the vegetables are sauteing, shred the meat into bite size pieces. Transfer the cooked veggie to a bowl with the chicken; set aside.

4. Heat the butter in the now empty pan. When the foaming subsides add the flour, cook about 1 minute. Whisk in the reserved chicken broth, the milk, any accumulated chicken juices, and the thyme. Bring to a simmer, then continue to simmer until the sauce fully thickens, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in the sherry/wine.

5. Pour the sauce over the chicken mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the peas and parsley. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Pour the mixture into a 13 by 9 inch baking pan. Top with the rolled out pastry dough. Bake until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Mass Confusion

2009-02-14T12:08:00.000-08:00

I can't find a blog background I like, sorry for the changes. Nothing seems to fit, so we'll try this out.

Look what Starbucks has done.....

2009-02-08T17:59:00.000-08:00

One of my college roommates Karen, introduced me to the infamous molasses cookies only ever to be found at Starbucks in the state of Washington. At that introduction my life was changed, and yes I can hear you all saying how dramatic I am being but seriously Karen understands, she gets it, she knooowwwws. They are the perfect combination of soft and chewy with a crumbly, crusty sugary edge, with the most perfect crystally cracks on top. And while I was never a coffee drinker in college I could easily be found in Starbucks for a molasses cookie. It is the perfect pairing for whatever you fancy at Starbucks. For Karen it was a caramel macchiato and for me well a chai tea latte!
However I graduated college, moved to Arizona and while I really felt like my life might be devoid and slightly less than thrilling without the weekly dose of molasses cookies my faithful friend Karen, my bosom buddy (for those Anne of Green Gables devotees:)) never let me down and faithfully sent me two, yes count them two molasses cookies sent fresh from Seattle every gosh darn year for my birthday. Oh life could not get any better!

And then the news came just about a month ago. Starbucks was doing away with the infamous cookie. This is serious, serious news. I mean so serious Karen and I both wrote Starbucks to let our discontent be known and while their reply was swift and professional it left us devoid of the cookie.

So what to do......For years now I have tried every molasses cookie I can get my hands on in an attempt to recreate the magic if you will! Ever recipe leaves me short, leaves me unfulfilled. So it came as a surprise when I found this recipe in my box of cut-out-from-cooking-magazine collection, deep down at the bottom was this gem. Alaska Molasses Cookies from 2002 I mean seriously I have spent almost 7 years with this recipe never to try it. Oh if I only knew. yet before I give this recipe too much credit it is not I repeat it is not the Starbucks cookie yet it is good and for now it will suffice. And one other disclaimer this cookie is from a light cooking magazine and while I don't mind healthy food and think that there is definitely need for eating healthy I am not a fan of altering recipes just so that I get my health food fix. As far as I am concerned make the offending food, baked item and then eat one cookie, one slice, one serving and move on:) Oh and enjoy all the fat and sugar in it's glory, just don't eat 10 or the whole thing. It's that simple.

So with that said this recipe substitutes applesauce for the total amount of butter needed which is a common substitution that works sometimes and other times the end result is overly appley which isn't always what you are going for right. However in this case it's not too bad, it fits the spicy molasssesly taste.

A few thoughts on the recipe, the applesauce must be drained otherwise it's too wet and messes up the balance of wet/dry in the final result. You can either do the paper towel method as the recipe states or use a fine mesh sieve/colander either way get the liquid off that applesauce.
Second no worries if you don't have whole wheat pastry flour, just do as the recipe says and split it between whole wheat flour and all purpose flour. And lastly I made the dough and then didn't have time to bake them so I put them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours and it worked well, it made the dough easier to work with and not as sticky. So whether you go for the freezer for 30 minutes as indicated or refrigerator for longer it's all the same!

Alaska Molasses Cookie

adapted from Martina Webb via Cooking Light

If you can't find whole wheat pastry flour, increase the all-purpose flour to 1 3/4 cups and use 1/4 cup whole wheat flour.
Makes 32 cookies

1/2 cup applesauce
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup dark molasses
1 large egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Cooking spray

-Spoon applesauce onto several layers of heavy-duty paper towels; spread to 1/2-inch thickness. Cover with additional paper towels; let stand 5 minutes. Scrape into a bowl using a rubber spatula.
-Combine applesauce, 1 cup sugar, and butter; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 3 minutes). Add molasses and egg; beat well.
-Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours and next 5 ingredients (flours through cloves), stirring well with a whisk. Gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating until blended. Cover and freeze dough 30 minutes or until firm or refrigerate for a couple of hours.
-Preheat oven to 375°.
-With moist hands, shape dough into 32 (1-inch) balls. Roll balls in 1/4 cup sugar. Place 3 inches apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Cooking like mad.....

2009-02-07T07:44:00.000-08:00

Hey there sorry it's been awhile. However soon you will have recipe enough to feast on! Until then make this, I don't have anymore to say because she says it so well; other than I have made this cake probably 6 times in the last month, it's that easy and that good.

P.S. I make it in a regular cake pan if you don't have a springform pan. That's it. oh it's so good.

It doesn't get any better than this......

2009-01-14T22:02:00.000-08:00

It occurs to me that one of the things I love about living back in Colorado is the seasons particularly the winter season largely because of comfort warm savory foods. I mean I love the snow and the wintersports and the hot drinks and all of that, but the food, oh the food.

Most important food items on the docket, easily, homemade soup and bread, life doesn't get any better than that...... seriously. Stews, chowders, bisque's you name it, I think of it, right now I am at work it's nearing midnight the patients are tucked in and all i can think of is homemade soup and bread. I don't use the homemade word just to irritate I use it because canned soup ugh makes me want to heave. Any of my past roommates can attest to that aversion and usually with some laughter because all who know me, know that I make my aversions known, not once or twice....often! Canned soup, I am sorry you were ruined from the get go. You had no chance, the minute you pop the top of the can and there's that filmy congealed "flavoring" layer, I'm a gonner no thanks, no way, no how. So that brings me to homemade soup, it's so easy why would you by canned seriously. Corn and potato chowder....easy, filling, easy, tasty, easy....soooo good!

I made this soup before Christmas, my sister Rene and her boyfriend Bob were coming into town and while the bread was a sort of failure the soup; oh the soup. It was good if I do say so myself and Bob agreed; he ate two bowls and then asked for the recipe. I mean really, he cooks things like cold green bean soup, I think I won him over to my side, Hot soup tasty soup!

Corn Chowder

adapted from Cooking Light

4 slices bacon
3.5 cups diced onion

1 cup diced celery
7 cups fresh corn kernels (frozen or canned work fine as well.)
2 teaspoon thyme
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 5ounce cans of evaporated milk

16 ounces (roughly 2 cups) diced potatoes, red,russet or fingerling work best
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Add onion to drippings in pan; cook 8 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add corn, thyme, and garlic to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in broth, milk, and potatoes; bring to a simmer. Cover and cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
Transfer 2 cups potato mixture to a blender or food processor. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth; return pureed mixture to pan. Stir in salt and black pepper; sprinkle with crumbled bacon. Eat!

Buttermilk Biscuits

adapted from Nita Casey

2 cups flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter cut into cubs
1 &1/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425. In large bowl mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in the butter with fork or pastry blender and mix until it resembles coarse meal or the butter pieces are the size of peas. Mix in buttermilk with a fork, be careful not to over mix the batter it should be loosely mixed in.

On a floured surface place batter and pat into a square about 1/2 an inch think. Cut out biscuits and place on greased cookie sheet. Place in oven and bake 12-15 minutes or until biscuits are browned on the edges. Slather with butter and jam and eat!!!

Cinnamon, spice and all that's nice.......

2009-01-03T21:32:00.000-08:00

Okay you guys, so feedback please did anyone try the marshmallows? come on I need to hear if anyone tried. Don't leave me out in the cold here. Speaking of cold it's chilly here in Denver and I am sitting in my living room surveying the nice, clean area, all the Christmas decorations are down, it's snowing outside and my sister Rene who has been in town for a month heads back to school soon. So I am reflecting on all the crazy family fun we've had and thinking as it's snowing and chilly how good cinnamon rolls are in this type of weather. There's something about the smell wafting out from the oven, the fresh baked bready smell mingling with the spicy cinnamon just says home to me. It makes me think of my mom and our house we grew up in and Christmas morning or birthdays. Cinnamon rolls were always a treat always for something special. We used to take them to friends houses on Christmas Eve, my mom would bake batches and batches and shape them into trees and ice them and then we would take them to friends around the city. I never understood really to be honest why people thought they were so great until I went to college and went without cinnamon rolls, it's devastating to be purely honest. I get it now. there's just something about that smell that says home to me.

This recipe is so simple from my mom's Colorado cookbook. I mean for all of you yeastaphobic people it's really simple. It only rises once and you don't have to let it rest after you shape the rolls. That's great news. Whenever you work with yeast the water should be warm to touch, not smoking hot not cold but warm roughly 110 degrees, Now had you all gone out and bought the candy thermometer you were supposed to you would be able to measure the temperature of the water. However soon enough I promise you will be able to just touch it with your finger and know. Seriously you will. I do not use the rapid rise yeast, I don't think it works near as well and is often easier to mess up or have it not rise, I stick with good old normal yeast, I buy mine at the health food store often it's cheaper as they have it in bulk. So go for it and for heavens sake please try the recipe and let me know if you like it.

P.S-if you want to try the variations for orange or caramel rolls see the bottom of the post!

Cinnamon Rolls

adapted from The Colorado Cook Book

by Mikki Matheson

2 cups warm water

1/3 cup sugar

6.5-7 cups flour

1 tablespoon salt

dash of cardamom

1 tsp vanilla
2 packages yeast

2 eggs

1/3 cup butter melted butter

cinnamon sugar

Icing
1/2 cup softened butter

8 oz softened cream cheese

powdered sugar and milk for icing.

Mix water sugar, 2 cups flour salt and yeast in kitchen aid mixer or by hand.

Beat for 2 minutes at high speed, add eggs, butter and beat for another minute, add 4.5 cups flour and stir well, knead for five minutes, set aside to double in size.

Divide dough in half and roll each piece into a rectangle spread with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Cut each roll into 12 slices, arrange rolls in well greased 9x13 pan.

Don't forget these rolls do not need to rise before baking!
Bake immediately for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

Meanwhile beat 1/2 cup butter, 8 oz cream cheese, until smooth. Alternate adding powdered sugar and milk until the icing is thick and creamy or until your preferred level of thickness!

Ice rolls immediately out of oven.

Caramel Topping
2 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup heavy cream

-Place the sugar,butter and cream in a sauce pan and bring to boil. Pour into greased 9x13 pan and arrange rolls on top of the caramel sauce before baking. When rolls are baked flip onto large foiled sheet and let the caramel drip down onto the rolls.

Orange Roll Variation
Filling
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons orange zest
Icing
powdered sugar
fresh squeezed orange juice
orange zest
-Use the orange/sugar filling in place of the cinnamon sugar proceed with the rest of the recipe. When preparing to ice rolls use the orange zest icing. And eat up!

Billows of Fluff......

2008-12-27T10:58:00.000-08:00

First I must start off by introducing my sisters and mom to the blog who will be contributors. As they so kindly let me know I didn't do it right off the bat! Hello, Corrie what was I thinking. Of course as we sit on the couch they are brainstorming the recipes and food tips they can bring to the world of cooking, Rene the youngest who is in Law School in Florida wants to bring "low altitude cooking" whatever that means which then of course led us into an argument about who has the best chocolate chip recipe...of course we all thing we are right, Callie the biotech junkie in Northern Colorado well she's always got something she's brainstorming she might start with her famous flat bread that her husband lived off all summer, and I'm not joking if there was cooking in her house it was grilled fry bread and well my mom she's downstairs cooking Christmas dinner, we are a little late with our celebrating but we don't include her in the conversation because her recipes are the best always, hands down. So be on the look out for input from them. Hopefully it won't get too crazy.

So I would be just downright rude if I didn't start with the marshmallow recipe. I am a bit disgruntled though I mean shouldn't everyone have a secret weapon recipe? Oh well I can't handle the requests for the recipe. I would love to take credit for this recipe however thank goodness for Bon Appetit and Molly Wizenburg (her blog http://www.orangette.blogspot.com/ is by far one of my favorite). In the July issue of Bon Appetit she wrote about these homemade marshmallows and I read the article and enjoyed it but then quickly forgot about it as marshmallows have never been my thing. Now my sister Callie she used to eat them by the bag full, forget roasting them she was shovelling them in her mouth!
Then last month I was rereading Bon appetit, I do that a lot to get a new idea to try new stuff and there was the recipe, drawing me in. TRY ME it was saying, Seriously go to the website you'll understand! And then I made a batch and another batch and another batch, my kitchen is covered with dried bits of billowy marshmallowy fluff. It's addictive. I keep finding new bits every time I clean the kitchen. And then I put a marshmallow in my mouth the first batch was done and I popped one in and there we go I was hooked. It was almost like magic, the vanilla, the melting it was good. So good and they are so pretty! it's almost like magic you make the mixture put them in the kitchen aid and then walk away and when you get to the 15 min. mark back in the kitchen you go and there's billows of cloud-like, shiny marshmallow cream, it's like when you open a can of marshmallow cream or fluff as my brother in law calls it and the pressure pops the top off and keeps coming as if it can't contain itself. That's what it does in the bowl of the mixer it's got energy it's excited to get out of the bowl:)

This is an easy recipe, don't be fooled by the candy thermometer, however you need a candy thermometer, it makes it easier, promise. They aren't that expensive just go get one!

I use my kitchen shears to cut them onto squares or have tried mini cookie cutters to make shapes, I've added food coloring and peppermint flavoring instead of the vanilla I mean the options are endless.

Homemade Marshmallows
courtesy of Molly Wizenburg and Bon Appetit July 2008

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 cup cold water, divided
3 1/4-ounce envelopes unflavored gelatin
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup potato starch*
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Line 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with foil.

Coat foil lightly with nonstick spray. Pour 1/2 cup cold water into bowl of heavy-duty mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Sprinkle gelatin over water. Let stand until gelatin softens and absorbs water, at least 15 minutes.

Combine 2 cups sugar, corn syrup, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup cold water in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium low heat until sugar dissolves, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush. Attach candy thermometer to side of pan. Increase heat and bring syrup to boil. Boil, without stirring, until syrup reaches 240°F, about 8 minutes.

With mixer running at low speed, slowly pour hot syrup into gelatin mixture in thin stream down side of bowl (avoid pouring syrup onto whisk, as it may splash).

Gradually increase speed to high and beat until mixture is very thick and stiff, about 15 minutes. Keep an eye on the 15 minutes if you go over that time the marshmallows get tougher. I know that they are nearing the end when I hear the kitchen aid pulling and the motor slowing against the force of the marshmallow cream. Add vanilla and beat to blend, about 30 seconds longer.
Wet the spatula down with cold water so that they don't stick to the spatula or the pan when you are transferring them.

Scrape marshmallow mixture into prepared pan. Smooth top with wet spatula.

Let stand uncovered at room temperature until firm, about 2-4 hours.

Stir potato starch and powdered sugar in small bowl to blend. Sift generous dusting of starch-sugar mixture onto work surface, forming rectangle slightly larger than 13x9 inches. Turn marshmallow slab out onto starch-sugar mixture; peel off foil. Sift more starch-sugar mixture over marshmallow slab. Coat large sharp knife (or cookie cutters) with nonstick spray. Rinsing in cold water works well too, just don't get the marshmallows too wet. Cut marshmallows into squares or other shapes. Toss each in remaining starch-sugar mixture to coat.

Transfer marshmallows to rack, shaking off excess mixture.

Package the mallows up in pretty bags with ribbon or layer them between parchment paper in tupperware they keep for about two weeks.

Enjoy!

Brace Yourselves.......

2008-12-27T10:24:00.000-08:00

So here it is, after months of pressing and outright force here’s the cooking/food blog. I honestly am starting to wonder if all the phone calls and text messages straight from Phoenix regarding recipes and how to questions were more of a joined effort to force my hand. With all that said I am excited to blog on food, recipes and entertaining in general. I do not claim to be the worlds best cook in face most of the tv shows on food, or the major chefs of today make food that in my opinion the majority of America would never touch. Sure it looks pretty but really? I think what excites most people about food is not only the taste but all that surrounds a warm, aromatic kitchen the excitement of what is going to come out of the oven, who’s coming over for dinner and what a really good meal around a great dining room table or really anywhere for that matter will bring out. Good company good conversation I mean there’s just nothing bad about it. You cannot convince me that a 7-11 hot dog and coke can bring about the same emotions and feelings that a great picnic with homeade bread, fresh lemonade, homeade fried chicken and juicy watermelon can. I mean there’s no connection. Seriously.

I owe my love of food and cooking to a long line of family cooks. From my mom’s parents down to all my aunts and uncles to my own mother and where would I be without my dad’s famous grilled PB &J’s? I have very few memories of my families trips down to Arizona where my mom’s family lives now or on the whilrwind trips of the distant relatives in Louisiana. Gumbo, dirty rice, the richness of crawfish etouffee and always finished with pecan pralines. My grandparents Mama Kay and Papa Rosie owned a cajun restaurant and our visits always included the obligatory visit to the restaurant where it wasn’t just the food that got to you don’t get me wrong the starters of rene wings, the only “wings” worth putting in your mouth, to the cool shrimp remoulade with the spicy backbite of horseradish. I never could decide what to eat, I mean the homeade potato chips made me want the po boys, the gumbo was always a must but the crawfish ettouffee and the dirty rice could not be turned down either and that was just the restaurant oh man going home to their house was another whole experience just knowing that all that food that people wolfed down at their restaurant was their recipes their hearts their heritage it was pretty special.

The one thing that they never did was bake that was my mom and man does she own that one. she majored in nutrition in colelge and somehow absorbed the true chcemistry of food. The right amounts of fats and sugars and yeast, she’s so nonchalant about yeasted breads that it’s only because of her that I even tried yeast and baking with yeast. We learned as kids what it meant to appreciate good food, it was only in college that I came to realize how special itw as that we were raised with homeade breads and made from scratch EVERYTHING. My mom has a way of making it seem so easy and it’s probably because she never makes a big deal out of it, in her way of doing things you try it all and don’t look back, it’s not about what messes up it’s all about how you tried. So many people I know don’t even try because they think it’s hard well how do you know if you don’t try it. Like everything else in life it’s got to be tried. Mandy can account for my spilled over lemon cake that made the whole kitchen black with smoke and the fire alarm going off, or Catherine knows of my disasters with pizza dough during one of the Lewis and Lasagna’s! Vicki of course always reminds me of the mess made in the kitchen the disasters I create, but if I wasn’t even doing it I wouldn’t be making anything good. So no more excuses! Messes can be made and cleaned up, anything can be made messed up and remade again. You just have to go for it. So bon appetit and happy cooking.