Don't bring a knife to a gunfight

So, here I am feeling all Christmassy (which doesn't happen) and I thougth - hey, those spritz cookies turned out so well (and easy) the other night I should bake some and give them as gifts!

So I am. Well, I am as of today ...we will see how long this takes me as I can't stand babysitting baked goods.

I digress.

A change from the last time is I discovered that I work close to a Sur La Table cooking gadetry store. Ooooooh, ahhhhh. And I figured I may as well have 2 very good cookie sheets used only for cookies just in case the mood strikes right? Right. I am a firm believer in the notion that if you have the proper tools/gadgets for your task it is more enjoyable and easier to accomplish. Go me! So I have these cookie sheets and I figured I would break them in with this spritz "cookie gift" idea. And since none of my friends really know about it..I can abort at any time and nobody is the wiser.

Let me tell you, if you don't have quality cookie sheets...you are missing out. I hate to bake, but I can appreciate a good piece of baking equipment when I see it and these are. http://www.surlatable.com/nav/i/category/nonstick+baking+sheets/*/price+range/%2410+%E2%80%93+%2424.99/n/217.do?keyword=chicago+metallic&sortby=ourPicks

The ones I have are the cookie sheets. The above link is a picture of both the jelly roll pan with the cookie sheet on the top. The cookie sheet was the 2nd higest rated by CooksIllustrated. They don't steer you wrong. They are $20.00 each and worth every penny.

The brown evenly and there is a large surface for the cookies. I am not even going to show a picture of the cookie sheet I used for the last batch..too scary. Let's just say that I had no business using it and have retired it to other purposes. It's a Christmas miracle that they even turned out.

I had a much longer, wittier blog but then I lost it all (boo hiss) and the moment is gone. Just get decent cookie sheets already!

Christmas Memories

I was feeling extra nostalgic today thinking about how my mom would bake about 12 different kinds of Christmas cookies every year as gifts for her friends. The house would smell like a bakery for a week or so. She was a very good baker (my dad taught her). I would look forward to her baking the Christmas cookies every year.

Before my story turns down the "Lifetime movie" road (because oh yes, it will) I will get on with it.

My favorite cookie was the Spritz. It is like those butter cookies you can buy in the tin from Costco every year. Just a yummy butter cookie. My mom used a pastry bag to make them but since I don't claim to be something I am not...I bought a cookie press. I did a bit of research on cookie presses and found that the highest rated one according to http://www.cooksillustrated.com/ is the Wilton Comfort Grip Cookie Press which you can purchase at your local Michaels.


This baby is under $10.00 and super easy to use.

Making actual "cookies" in the cookie press, well..it takes some practice.

I would like to say that since I am not a baker, I don't have the proper baking pans and cookie sheets. Oh, I have some..but, they are not in the best condition in the world and after tonight it became clear that I need to have a couple of cookie sheets that I only use for the rare occasion when I actually make cookies. I ended up using my only cookie sheet which is warped and therefore doesn't bake the straightest cookies. I went to take them off and many broke apart. That was ok I guess, at least they tasted good. Nice and crispy.

Back to the press. The easy part was putting the patterned tip thing, putting the dough in and using it. What was trickier was getting the cookie to stick to the cookie sheet. I finally figured it out without throwing a tantrum (which was a Christmas miracle) but it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. It WAS way easier than rolling out cookies and using the cookie cutter blah, blah, blah. That takes just waaaay too long. This method was easier than that.

I had planned on using the recipe from the "Cooky Book". Raise your hand if your mom had this book! I used to sit and stare at the pictures for the longest time. She didn't make many kinds out of it, but it was my favorite of her cookbooks. I ended up using a different recipe but it was fun just to have the book out.


I was pretty pleased with how they came out, despite my jacked up cookie sheet and recommend this recipe to all of you! Go make some cookie memories :)


Spritz Cookies

Ingredients:

1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Directions:
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. In small bowl, beat yolk, cream, and vanilla with fork until
combined; set aside.

2. In standing mixer, cream butter, sugar, and salt at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula. With mixer running at medium speed, add yolk/cream mixture and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl. With mixer running at low speed, gradually beat in flour until combined. Scrape down bowl and give final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain.

3. If using cookie press to form cookies, follow manufacturer's instructions to fill press; Press cookies onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing them about 1-1/2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are light golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking time. Cool cookies on baking sheet until just warm, 10 to 15 minutes; using metal spatula, transfer to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Turkey Stock

I have had at least 1 request for a recipe for turkey stock (hi Sasch) so here it is! Super easy..the only hard part is getting the turkey carcass. I used to recruit them from peeps I worked with - "hey, after Thanksgiving bring me your turkey bones" it was awkward but I got to make extra stock!

Turkey Stock

• Turkey carcass, bones skin and all
• 1 onion - peel on and quartered
• 3 carrots (unpeeled) or 2-3 hand fulls of the small bite sized ones
• 1 head garlic cut in half - also unpeeled
• 3 stalks of celery - leaves and all
• 2 bay leaves
• Fresh thyme (1/2 package) if you have it (leftover from Thanksgiving). If not, never mind. Don't lose any sleep over it.

Directions:
Put the turkey in the largest stockpot (or Nesco oven) you have. You want to make sure that you can fill it with water at least 1-2 inches over everything and when it simmers the water doesn't splash out all over the place.

Add everything else and add plain old tap water to cover by at least 1 inch.

Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cook like that partially covered for at least 3 hours. Then uncover and simmer (Simmer! not boil) for at least another hour.

Strain all the stuff out and yum.

What can you do with this yummy stock? You can freeze it, of course. But the best thing to do is make Turkey Noodle Soup!

Ziti, the correct way

I was so bored with our weeknight dinner rotation that I dug deep tonight. I dared to make the dinner from the infamous "dinner and a tantrum" blog post.

I give you....baked ziti the correct way! (Insert Christmas Vacation drumroll) Joy to the Worrrrrrrrrld!


There is really no real point to this blog. I just wanted to share.

Click here for the original recipe and subsequent painful blog about it.

Day after Thanksgiving - Turkey Noodle Soup

Sasch, this one's for you!

A couple of days after Thanksgiving, the tradition in my house is we (or rather, I) make turkey noodle soup. Chris had been doing it before he met me and I have cheerily taken over this time honored Schedler family tradition. Our friend, Sascha, is usually the one to remind me that since it's almost Thanksgiving....we will be making the soup and since she lives in Arizona now, she is always sad that she won't have some. Don't worry readers, I gave her the recipe :)

I just finished making it and am currently eating a bowl so the recipe is fresh in my mind. Compared to the actual Thanksgiving dinner, this soup is a home run over the green monster and out of the park! Sad, isn't it? When the soup made from the Thanksgiving turkey is better than the actual Thanksgiving dinner.

First things first - you make turkey stock. Chicken stock simply won't do. What I do is take the turkey carcass and put it into this Nesco oven thing I have along with an onion, carrots, celery, garlic and thyme and let it simmer for hours. This year, I did it at night and let it go until the morning. The house smelled wonderful.

The stock is really the most time consuming part. Once that is done you are ready to go. Ok, this is not a low calorie soup. And you can't skimp. This soup calls for cream and you really need to just suck it up and add it. But be careful and don't add too much or you will end up with cream soup with a hint of turkey flavor. Kind of like my gravy from Thanksgiving. No bueno.

Here is the recipe. It is one of those that really doesn't have measurements. I know, I know...but once you make it you will see why not. You truly just make as much as you want with as much stuff in it as you want. Oh, a secret of mine for thickening cream based soups is to thicken them with instant mashed potatoes. Try it!


Turkey Noodle Soup

Turkey Breast diced – a handful or so
Carrots diced – about 3
Onion diced – ½
Egg Noodles – a few handfuls
Turkey or Chicken Stock – add enough to give you the desired amount of soup
Mushrooms (1 package sliced)
Heavy Whipping Cream - maybe ½ cup?

Directions:
In a stockpot saute veggies in butter together until desired doneness. Add the stock. Cook noodles separately until almost done in another pot. Add turkey and noodles to soup. Add heavy cream until it looks creamy enough (you don’t want to drown out the stock flavor though…). Season to taste. Simmer for a few minutes until heated through. If you need to thicken it, add instant mashed potatoes a bit at a time until you reach the desired thickness.

Cashew Chicken

After the "meh" Thanksgiving of 2009, I was feeling like I needed to create a sucessful meal. Just to prove to myself that I still could.

Enter Cashew Chicken! As adapted from Everyday Food by me :)

Holy cow, this was yummy. It has the perfect balance of tangy and savory. I even used my new rice cooker from Tupperware which worked quite nicely. Now, this meal wasn't without drama. There was the matter of the small grease fire that occured under the large burner I was using to brown the chicken. I had a small panic because of course I forgot how to put such a fire out. I did remember not to put water on it however - yea for me! Note: tossing flour on a grease fire just gives you burned flour all over the place. I did get the fire out and on today's agenda is buying a new burner for our stove at Home Depot.

Back to the meal. You marinate cut up chicken in sherry and ginger, then saute it till golden. Put that aside and in the same pan saute green onions, garlic and toasted cashews. Add the sauce mixture, put the chicken back in and voila (or is it voici?) you have it. Serve over rice and yum. I think I liked it better than Chris did but I will definately make it again.



Cashew Chicken
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons dry sherry (or cooking wine, or leave out)
2 tsp. minced, peeled, fresh ginger
3 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
coarse salt
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2/3 cup unsalted cashews, toasted
2 green onions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced

Directions
In a medium bowl, toss chicken with sherry, ginger, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch; season with salt. Refrigerate 30 minutes. In another bowl, combine broth, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch. Set sauce aside.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken and cook until golden and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to a covered plate. Add 1 teaspoon oil to skillet and cook remaining chicken (reduce heat if chicken is over-browning). Transfer to plate.
To same skillet, add 1 teaspoon oil, garlic, cashews, and green onion whites. Cook, stirring constantly, until garlic begins to soften, about 30 seconds. Whisk sauce and add to skillet along with chicken. Cook until sauce thickens, about 30 seconds. Top with green onion greens and serve over rice.

Thanksgiving - The "Superbowl" for us, food nutjobs.

Thanksgiving. Everyone has their own idea of what that word means, don't you agree? For a food nutjob, Thanksgiving is the Superbowl of all dinners for the year. You either win or lose. How did my food Superbowl turn out? Let's just say that it didn't live up to the hype. Oh, and to make things extra fun my in laws were over so I had an audience to my dinner theatre.

Readers, I have had an epiphany! Don't mess with a Thanksgiving menu that is successful. That is going to be my New Year's Resolution.

Before I continue I would like to say that I did not have any meltdowns, tantrums or crying fits on Thanksgiving day due to the meal being all kinds of jacked up. I worked on that this year. Hopefully, I won't have a meltdown typing this blog...

Schedler Thanksgiving Menu (all but the pie and potatoes are new recipes):

Spachcocked Turkey
Cream Gravy
Roasted Asparagus
Green Beans with Lemon Vinaigrette and Walnuts
Mashed Potatoes
Sausage and Apple Stuffing
Mixed Berry Pie
Rolls

I will now break down the dinner...I even tried to take pictures but I have to be honest, I kept forgetting so the pictures are sketchy at best which actually..mirrored the meal.

Spachcocked Turkey (I remembered to take the picture after Chris had started carving)


This is a method originally from Martha Stewart as adapted by me, in which, you remove the backbone of the turkey..flip it over and break the breast bone. The turkey is flat and it roasts in a shorter amount of time. This was a good and bad way to cook the turkey. The best thing about it is that you still have room in the oven to cook other things and it yielded the most pan juices that I have ever gotten from a turkey. Ok...the bad. Since this list is rather long, I will get right to the point - when you roast any poultry for a short time at a high temperature it doesn't come out juicy and tender (at least mine don't) it comes out chewy...CHEWY! How many of you look forward to a chewy turkey on Thanksgiving? (insert cricket noise).

That's what I thought, me neither!!!!!!

Next year, I will still spachcock the turkey BUT I will season it like I normally have and put butter under the skin. I will also roast it at a much lower temperature (325) instead of 400 for longer as this produces a juicier bird. Even if it doesn't..I am convinced that it does and so that is what I am doing next time. Seriously, the main part of this meal is the bloody turkey and when that gets messed up, it's all downhill.

Cream gravy

This SEEMED like a good idea. Adding heavy cream to gravy, what's not to like? I just don't know what the heck happened here. I think that the cream diluted the gravy just enough to make it taste like thickened infused cream. The turkey flavor was soooooooo faint that it's like, why even bother? At least the year I accidentally dumped the turkey stock down the drain I had an excuse for the gravy being ruined. People, just make the turkey gravy with stock and roux. Don't go messin with something that works because the result will be your husband saying something to the effect of "can we make another batch of gravy for the leftovers?" Um, yah.

Roasted Sad Asparagus

When roasting asparagus, this is one of the only times that you want the thicker kind of veg. Even if you have to peel down the stems a tad, it will be much better than what I served. In my own defense, I usually flash-saute asparagus so I get the skinny kind. You see where this is going, right? I roasted the skinny kind of asparagus and the result was, as Chris said, and I quote "It had the texture of canned spinach". We were all dished up and eating and he casually says "honey, have you tried the asparagus?". That is NEVER good. I say, no. He says "you should". So I take one and start to chew and promptly get up to spit it out in the garbage. Yes, it was that bad. I then banned anyone from taking some. My father in law had already been eating some and insisted on finishing it. I said I was sorry because, really, there wasn't much else to say.

Green Beans with Lemon Vinaigrette


Here is the crown jewel of our dinner. These were so good that it made the rest of the meal just downright laugh-out-loud funny. This recipe could not be easier! You boil green beans and then toss them in this lemon vinaigrette and sprinkle walnuts on top. Super good.


Mashed Potatoes

Chris makes these every year and they are always good. Potatoes, butter and cream. Yum. Too bad the gravy sucked.

Sausage and Apple Stuffing


Meh. I made it up. Day old french bread is toasted and mixed with sauteed onions, sausage, celery and apple. Add stock and 1 egg and bake. It was ok. At least it didn't completely suck like the rest of the dinner.

Mixed Berry Pie

This is a tried and true recipe of mine. Homemade crust is filled with a combination of mixed frozen berries (blueberry, marionberry and raspberry - I think), lemon juice, sugar, tapioca and butter and baked. The "new" part of this was the top crust. I didn't do a normal one (as the theme of this Thanksgiving is turning out to be) but instead, I saw these super cute fall cookie cutter thingies at Williams Sonoma that you use to decorate the edges and top of pies with. I did a leaf pattern on the top which, didn't cook at the same rate as the rest of the crust. After broiling it (yes, you read that right) oh...and then forgetting it was under the broiler the top was a bunch of burnt leaves. And by burnt, I mean black. The kind of filth you scrape off your toast. Remember how I said I didn't have any meltdowns on Thanksgiving? Well, I made the pie the night before and the process of cutting the burnt parts off the leaves brought me to tears. But NOT on Thanksgiving! Ha! The pie looked like crap, but tasted good (I cut all the burned parts off). I should have taken a picture of it before I baked it because the leaves looked really cool. After I was done surgically removing all the gross of the top, it just looked like a big mess.

Rolls

How do you screw these up? You over bake them, that's how. We actually had hockey pucks for rolls. The insides were soft, but the outsides were knock, knock, knock hard! They were perfect for sopping up the tasteless gravy.

The moral of the story: If it ain't broke, don't try to "fix" it.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Ahhhh Fall.

I am not a Halloween fan, never have been. I do, however, really get into Fall. I love the colors, the smells and cooking (and eating) Thanksgiving dinner. The tradition which rings in the Fall cooking season for me is roasting pumpkin seeds.

You either like them, or you don't. I am the latter, obviously. I have a friend who says that pumpkin seeds "taste like a farm smells" but I don't agree.

I think the key to perfectly roasted pumpkin seeds is slow roasting until they are golden brown but not burnt and just a bit of seasoning. Sometimes, a recipe will have a ridiculously short roasting time and it makes the seeds chewy and nasty. To get them just to crispy without burning them, I roast them on 275 for about 2 hours (give or take). Sometimes, the seeds will start making a popping sound in the oven and when that happens I will take them out.



Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Seeds from a pumpkin with as much of the guts removed as possible
2 Tablespoons olive oil - just enough to coat all of them...depending on how many
1-2 Teaspoons seasoning - I use the one we make at home (it's on the blog somewhere..search for it) or really any kind from salt and pepper to season salt

Preheat oven to 275
Dry off seeds as best as you can. Add oil and mix to coat. Spread out onto a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with seasoning.
Bake stirring every 30 minutes or so until golden brown.
Cool on wire rack covered in paper towels to get any extra oil.

Tub of Pasta

I suppose there is a fine line between a "hoarder" and one who simply "stocks up" on things. I have seen hoarders on the Oprah show. I am not that, however, I do like to have extra items on hand that I use all the time. That part of my personality comes from a childhood in which I didn't know when I would get another..whatever it was, and from the fear that I will need something and have used the last one. I am sure it is a disorder either way you look at it. I just find something very comforting in opening up a cupboard and seeing it full of toilet paper from Costco.

Back to it.

One of the things I choose to stock up on is pasta. Seriously, can you ever have too much? I guess we will get to that in a minute, but it is a good pantry staple item to have on hand for last minute dinners or whatever. Before I got married I had a pretty well stocked pantry which I was quite proud of. Some would say that it looked like my very own mini-mart...but it made me feel secure (note sentence above on childhood).

Flash forward to getting married and moving in with Chris. Our first house was this rambler which he was remodeling and planning to sell. Not a permanent address by any means. The kitchen really didn't have much in the way of storage so we did a make shift pantry slash storage area in the garage. Oh, two things about the garage 1. There was veeeeery little light out there 2. There were critters at one time enjoying my supply of pantry items so I had to put everything into Rubbermaid totes (important fact to the story).

Rubbermaid totes are opaque. Who knows what is in there? Frankly, if I can't see it I must not have any, right? Welllllllllll.

Flash forward again to the kitchen being complete and Chris, being the over organizer that he is wants to organize my mess of the garage pantry into the kitchen so I can find my stuff. I just hate doing that kind of crap. I want it organized but I want someone else to do the organizing. So we are going along and the very last thing was this big Rubbermaid tote buried under piles of pots, pans and whatever. I had already gotten the lecture about having too much of certain things. In my defense, I had such a hard time finding things that I assumed I needed more.... That is the set-up.

We get to this tote and he goes "what's in here?". I casually say "I don't know" and really, by that time my tone was more like "who cares". I was over it. Over digging through crap in the garage and carrying it into the house, over being lectured about over purchasing pantry items, just over it. "How many (insert pantry item here) do we really need Jannell?". Well gee, obviously I felt we needed 5 cans of each since that's how many we have! I ran out of responses after awhile so I just stopped responding. Back to the tote. He opens the lid and no lie, there must have been 20 bags and boxes of pasta in there! It was absolutely stuffed full. I started laughing so hard I was snorting because no sooner had the last lecture ended we opened this tote and it was so full of pasta it was comical. Comical to me anyway.

I didn't have to buy pasta for a long time and to this day, I get reminded of it.

Cook-A-Thon

I had a cooking marathon yesterday that I wanted to share. Picture this: Husband gone on an overnight bachelor party to Levenworth...no kids..bad weather..what does a food nut job such as myself do? Hello? Cook of course!

I planned ahead and did all the shopping on Friday so I wouldn't have to leave the house Saturday unless I absolutely had to, or wanted to..I guess.

On the agenda for today:
1. Potato Lefse
2. Chicken Stock
3. Roasted Vegetable Soup
4. Crepes
5. Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart
6. Olive poppers
7. Moroccan Chicken (for the weeks lunches)
8. French Chicken in a Pot
9. Wild mushroom and Gorgonzola turnovers

I am pretty pleased with myself for making everything BUT #9. I don't usually cook with wild mushrooms but, I wanted to try this Portabello app that my fellow food nut job, Laurie, told me about but I had some dried wild mushrooms and thought I could make the substitution. That would be a negative. News flash - wild mushrooms stink! They smell so gross that once I re hydrated them...the smell was so nauseating that I tossed them and omitted the entire #9 item. I still have the Gorgonzola cheese so next week, a portabello mushroom I will buy and make the recipe correctly. Incidentally it took awhile for the residual funkiness to leave the kitchen. Blech.

Let the cooking begin!

First on the agenda was to boil the potatoes and prep them for the lefse and then to reuse the same stock pot for the chicken stock. The chicken stock rendered the stock pot useless for the next 4 hours (simmering time) so I needed to make sure I didn't need it for anything else - drama! I have other stock pots but all the others are about 5 qts and this one is bigger so when you need it, you need it. Now, I have not made potato lefse before. My husband is from Norwegian decent and it is something he grew up eating. My neighbor, Amy, is also of the same and was kind enough to teach me AND bring over her mom's lefse making tools! Thank you Mary! And a big thanks to Chris' mom, Carol for the recipe.

So by the time Amy came over, I had the potatoes boiled, riced (in my new potato ricer) whipped with cream, butter and salt...and totally cool in the refrigerator. Chicken stock was simmering away on the stove and the house smelled delicious!



If you haven't had the pleasure of potato lefse..basically it is a potato dough rolled very thin with a special rolling pin with a teeny tiny waffle pattern on it and then cooked on a lefse grill at the temp of 500 degrees. It only takes a couple of minutes and you eat them warm with either butter and cinnamon sugar or I guess whatever you want. They are pretty tasty!


While the chicken stock simmered away, I roasted off the veg for the roasted vegetable soup. This is one of my favorite soups because it is easy, healthy and very comforting. Perfect for Fall, but truthfully you could make it anytime. You roast off carrots, potatoes, leeks, tomatoes and zucchini in the oven. You first toss them in a bit of olive oil (I refuse to call it EVOO) salt and pepper and that is it for seasoning. The flavor that roasting the veg brings out lends all the complexity to the soup which is pretty cool. It is the kind of soup that would be really good for a farm to table meal. Then, it is a matter of pureeing it with stock (either veg, or chicken) and that's about it. So yummy. It reheats very well and although I haven't ever frozen it, I imagine it would work ok.



Crepes. Not as easy as I thought. The batter was easy enough, and I know how to make pancakes so aren't these just a thinner version? They are not.

I made the batter in the blender and chilled it. Now, it took both Amy and I to figure out the best way to flip these things while not burning our fingers (which we both did do). My thought is that having a crepe pan would come in handy as I did not. These were ok, but looked too much like a thin omelet for my taste. And I thought they were just "meh".

The tomato and goat cheese tart was, I think, one of the highlights of the day. So simple it seemed too good to be true almost... sauteed onions, garlic, thyme and dry white wine that had been cooked down were put onto puff pastry and topped with goat cheese, tomato and basil. They tasted fresh and light. The only tricky part is making sure your puff pastry has thawed. These were one of the last things I made (around 7pm) because my puff pastry took forever to unthaw. Note to self - put it in the refrigerator the night before.


Oh yah, olive poppers. I got this recipe from "Sonjas Kitchen" which is another blog I follow. They are green olives with a dough of cheese, flour and butter wrapped around them. You bake them and they come out crispy on the outside and salty and warm on the inside. Yum, yum, yummy!

French chicken in a pot is essentially baked chicken. I made this because I had to buy 2 whole chickens (Costco of course) and figured that I could pick the meat off to try another kind of puff pastry thingie today. The Moroccan chicken I am making today to be eaten during the week.

It was a fun day of cooking, chatting and eating. What's not to like?

How NOT to bake a big cookie

So here's what just, and I mean just happened:

I am baking a big cookie for the family dessert. Don't even get me started, I know! So this cookie that I have made before (really I have) is baking and I did everything I thought I was supposed to. Did I use my "big cookie directions"? - well, what do YOU think? Direct your attention back to the title of this blog for your answer. Again, the lesson I can't seem to learn would be to always - always use your directions. Especially for baking (stupid precise cooking method).

So the cookie looks done. Key word - looks. I let it cool, and cut into it. Now, I have a "big cookie pan" for said cookie. I can't actually tell if it's done or not but hey - letting it cool on the wire rack will allow it to cook a bit more right? Kind of like letting meat rest before you cut into it. Never compare cooking to baking.

I cut into the cookie while the family gathers around because after all, who doesn't get excited about a big cookie for dessert? I cut the first slice only to notice that it is raw in the middle.

Raw!

Back into the oven it goes. Oh, by the way...never put it back in the oven. Baking is a one shot deal. There is no "cook it for a bit more" with baking. Therefore no room for error. And I errored huge.

After more minutes in the oven I pull it out and again, family gathers around (like cats hearing you open the cat food). "Is it done?" a voice calls from my crowd....I check and - no. It is not done. It is, however, burnt. Well that's just great.

The crowd scatters.

Luckily, my big cookie pan doesn't hold a full recipe of cookie dough and I have the extra in the refrigerator. I spoon several actual normal sized blobs of dough onto a cookie sheet and bake them off. They are cooling right now.

The moral of the story is two fold.
1. Always use directions when baking
2. If you want cookies, just make cookies. Don't try to cheat with a big cookie or the result is a disappointed family. I should know.

Where is the big cookie now? Where ruined food belongs....the garbage disposal of course, where it can mock me no more.

Cheesy Comfort

Does macaroni and cheese say "I love you" or what? But you know what really says it? Homemade macaroni and cheese, that's what. It's not as hard as you may think either.

Seriously, I could make this each and every night and I wouldn't get any complaints. I would be the one complaining that they should want to try something new! Making the same dinners over and over gets old......it doesn't translate to eating the same old dinners over and over I guess.

This is about the easiest recipes known to man! I got it from my "mom" Karla :) I learned how to make this particular recipe a few years back and continue to make it once a week to this day. This night, in fact. I am to the point where I don't need a recipe to make it. It has a really good consistency and is also good for leftovers. I would advise baking this in the deepest dish you have to keep it as moist as possible. The secret ingredient is the yellow mustard - don't omit it, just trust me.

I love dinners that don't have any drama attached to them. There are enough of those already in my life.


Macaroni and Cheese

3 ½ cups elbow macaroni (or 1 small bag or box of Mission brand or whatever. It should be about 1lb)
1 squirt yellow mustard
5 cups grated cheese (I use bagged Colby Jack and Cheddar from Costco)
3 ½ cups milk
4 tbl butter
4 tbl flour

Cook macaroni in boiling water, uncovered until al dente (you don’t want it all the way cooked). Drain

In separate pot…Melt butter in a saucepan over med low heat. Whisk in flour. Cook the flour for a minute or two. Whisk in milk and yellow mustard. Cook over moderate heat stirring constantly until sauce is thick and smooth (coats the back of a wooden spoon).

Remove sauce from heat. Add cheese and stir until melted and blended. Combine sauce with cooked macaroni. Pour into a baking dish and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Meat and Potatoes

I ended up doing two things this last weekend; trying a new recipe and making scalloped potatoes. I usually try to experiment with new recipes a couple of times a month and it was a perfect weekend for it!

Chris and I don't eat red meat anymore (gasp) so I try to keep chicken, turkey and pork fresh with new recipes. Not as easy as I thought it would be. I miss steak, but I don't miss feeling sick afterward. I haven't made a pork roast in forever so I was on the lookout at Costco during my weekly pilgrimage. I ran across these smaller pork roasts (can't remember the cut) but they are even leaner than a regular pork roast. Sold!

Now, what to do with it?

I have this roasted pork roast recipe with a soyish sweet glaze recipe that has been waiting in the wings for some time. It seemed pretty easy just as long as you make sure that you don't overcook the pork or you will have a large dry hockey puck on your table. Having an instant read thermometer comes in SO handy in these circumstances. I think what makes this recipe so good is the combination of rub before you roast it and then the glaze at the end. A perfect mix of sweet and savory.

I don't think I have ever ranted about my experience with scalloped potatoes - or any kind of augratin potato dish from scratch. I have a really, really bad memory. Those of you who know me are silently agreeing right now (I see you). The common thread in my experience with those kinds of potato dishes is that the recipe outright fibs regarding how long it actually takes to bake (and be done). I seriously cannot count the times dinner has been held up waiting on a crunchy potato dish! I am getting all worked up just thinking about it. Last night, while the pork was getting cold waiting on said potato dish I even texted another crazy food friend of mine, Laurie, with the phrase "when will I learn?". Seriously, when? Obviously..not yet. Maybe, not ever.

Luckily for me, it was just Chris and I. No guests this time. Not like the infamous "crock pot scalloped potato" incident of 2008. A recipe which cooked for 10 hours in a crock pot only to STILL be crunchy! It may have even been last Christmas. I couldn't say for sure as I have tried to block it from my memory. It was a serious baked ziti moment where I completely lost it - in front of the whole family. The main course is just about done when I finally decide (why did I wait?) to check on the crock pot scalloped potatoes. A new dish, mind you. I know, don't even get me started. I stick a knife in the top layer of the potatoes and they aren't just "not done" they are SO not done....that the potato slice actually won't come off the knife and I am left standing over the crock pot holding a knife with a raw potato on it. So of course, I am all "(insert loud gasp)" the potatoes are RAW! I think Chris and his dad were within earshot and Chris just steps away from the kitchen slowly while his dad is attempting to make me feel better. His attempts, while chivalrous, are well know in my household to have absolutely no affect whatsoever on me. I am sure you can just imagine the rest of the evening from there......Let's just say that a little part of me died that day. Joking! (but not really).

Back to the latest dish to hold up dinner. This recipe was the least offensive of all the scalloped potato dishes that I have made. I even bought a little hand held cheap slicer to cut the potatoes with. I have always wanted a french mandolin, but I have a hard time coughing up the money for something I wouldn't use very often. $20.00 works for me! I think that having such a gadget is really key to the success of this dish, although, there is a fine line between mashed potatoes and scalloped. That difference lies in the thickness of your potatoes. Too thin, mashed - too thick - crunchy.

As it turned out, the dish really only needed 30 or so more minutes to cook past what the recipe stated and since the pork was actually done earlier than I had planned...it was cold by the time the potatoes were done. Both were very good and definitely are keepers. Maybe next time, I will make the potatoes the day ahead. If any of you are wondering, the brown on top of the potatoes is this yummy crust made by adding Parmesan toward the end of cooking. Mmmmmmmm.

Herb Roasted Pork
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed - I used 4 just because I love garlic.
1 (5 pound) boneless pork loin
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup vinegar - I used white.
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce

What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a bowl, combine sage, salt, pepper, and garlic. Rub thoroughly all over pork. Place pork in an uncovered roasting pan on the middle oven rack.
3. Bake in the preheated oven approximately 3 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches at least 150 degrees F, depending upon your desired doneness.
4. Meanwhile, place sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, water, and soy sauce in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to bubble and thicken slightly. Brush roast with glaze 3 or 4 times during the last 1/2 hour of cooking. Pour remaining glaze over roast, and serve.

Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 pint heavy cream
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced - I just used a garlic press
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese - I used Cheddar Jack from Costco
4 slices provolone cheese - I used a bit of shredded mozzarella I had
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

What to do:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 1 1/2 quart or larger
casserole dish with butter or nonstick spray.
2. Layer half of the potato slices in the bottom of the casserole dish. Dot with half of the butter cut or pinched into small pieces. Arrange half of the garlic slices over the potatoes, then pour half of the heavy cream over. Sprinkle one cup of Cheddar cheese over the layer, and season with salt and pepper. Repeat layering of potatoes, garlic, cream and Cheddar cheese, then top with the slices of provolone cheese. Season again with salt and pepper.
3. Bake for 1/2 hour in the preheated oven, then sprinkle the Parmesan over the top. This will create a semi-hard cheese crust. Continue baking uncovered for another 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender when tested with a fork....which, in my case was a total of 1.5 hours, so plan accordingly.

Again, she attempts to bake.

Gougeres. Um, what?

Translation: Cheese puffs. You fill em, you know? They can be savory or sweet (cream puffs from Costco anyone?).

These were for appetizers. Now, I can not state emphatically enough how much I hate to bake. However, I do love to eat, so sometimes you gotta do..what you gotta do.

Gougeres are a egg dough of sorts. I don't think that you can make these without a food processor but what do I know about baking? You start by cooking on the stove top - butter, milk, salt and flour. Once it comes to temp you transfer that into a food processor and while it's running add an egg mixture. I just realized that there is no leavening agent in these so it is strictly the cooking process and extra egg whites in the recipe that makes them puff up. Once that is done you add cheese and either pipe them onto a parchment lined baking sheet or drop them out by teaspoonful. Can you take a guess which one I did?

You bake them and when they are done and golden brown (not very golden brown as mine were) you cool them and fill with whatever you want. I made a chicken/artichoke filling of sorts and they were too big to be bite sized so they ended up more like finger sandwiches. They were good, not great.

And no, your computer is not having technical difficulties...you don't/won't see a picture of the finished product. For obvious reasons.

Would I make them again? Yes. And if they turn out, you may even see a picture.

Ingredients:
2 large eggs , plus 1 large egg white
6 tablespoons water
5 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 10 pieces
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (2 1/2 ounces), sifted (or just lightly scooped into your measuring cup as I don't own a sifter)
3 ounces Gruyère, Emmentaler, or Swiss cheese , shredded (about 1 cup) - I used sharp cheddar that I had on hand.
Pinch cayenne pepper

Directions:
1. Beat eggs and egg white in measuring cup or small bowl; you should have 1/2 cup (discard excess). Set aside.

2. Bring water, butter, milk, and salt to boil in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring once or twice. When mixture reaches full boil (butter should be fully melted), immediately remove saucepan from heat and stir in flour with heatproof spatula or wooden spoon until combined and mixture clears sides of pan. Return saucepan to low heat and cook, stirring constantly, using a smearing motion, until mixture is slightly shiny, looks like wet sand, and tiny beads of fat appear on bottom of saucepan, about 3 minutes (paste should register 175 to 180 degrees on instant-read thermometer).

3. Immediately transfer mixture to food processor and process with feed tube open for 10 seconds to cool slightly. With machine running, gradually add eggs in a steady stream. When all eggs have been added, scrape down sides of bowl and add
Gruyère and cayenne to food processor. Process for 30 seconds until a smooth, thick, sticky paste forms. (If not using immediately, transfer paste to medium bowl, press sheet of plastic wrap that has been sprayed lightly with nonstick cooking spray directly on surface, and store at room temperature for up to 2 hours.)

4. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper; set sheet aside.

5. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto lined baking sheet into evenly spaced 1-2 inch mounds. Use back of teaspoon dipped in bowl of cold water to even out shape and smooth surface of mounds.

6. Bake 15 minutes (do not open oven door), then reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake until golden brown and fairly firm, 12 to 14 minutes longer. Remove baking sheet from oven. With paring knife, cut 3/4-inch slit into side of each puff to release steam; return to oven, turn off oven, and prop oven door open with handle of wooden spoon. After 10 minutes, transfer puffs to wire rack. Serve warm. (Gougères can be cooled completely and stored at room temperature for up to 24 hours or frozen in zipper- lock plastic bag for up to 1 month. Before serving, crisp room-temperature gougères in 300-degree oven for 5 to 8 minutes; crisp frozen gougères for 8 to 10 minutes.)

Artichoke/Chicken Mixture

1/4 to 1/2 Finely diced cooked chicken. I used rotisserie.
1/2 tsp finely chopped green onion
3 marinated artichoke hearts finely chopped.
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1 tsp mayo
salt and pepper to taste.

Mix and microwave just until heated through. Mixture goes into finished cheese puffs.

"Let them eat cake!"

Remember before when I stated how I hated to bake? Well, I still hate it. However, sometimes....I have to just suck it up.

I sucked it up and baked a cake.

Don't get too excited and think I turned over a new leaf, or anything silly like that. No. This is really a super easy peasy cake. It's a chocolate cake made rich from cocoa powder, chocolate chips and coffee. It tastes like a dense devils food cake sort of. Love it because I usually have everything on hand, except the cocoa powder which I only use for this cake so I try to keep some in the pantry.

I get the cake all baked and then Antonio goes, when are you going to frost it? Uhhhhhhhh, shoot. I didn't bother to look and see if I had any frosting (in the tub of course...duh! I hate to bake remember?) I try to get him to just eat it without the frosting to which he replies, "uh mom, I hate to tell you this...but I can't eat cake without frosting!". Of course he can't. Cakes are supposed to have frosting, and to Antonio, it won't be happenin without frosting. To him, there is only 1 way to do most things and cake must have frosting.

If you have ever met my son, Antonio, you aren't surprised by that.

So now I have Antonio on a scavenger hunt around the garage pantry while I scower the kitchen for frosting. I have to have some around her somewhere, right? I mean...I stock up on everything. Remind me to write about the "tub of pasta" incident.

No frosting. Well, that figures. I am going to have to - gasp! Make some.

Dun, dun, dunnnnnnnnn.

I knew just who to call. Amy! My neighbor/friend who has descended down from a long line of bakers. She will know just what to do, and boy did she. She gives me her moms..moms frosting recipe and let me tell you - it is my favorite kind of frosting recipe, easy and yummy. Even though I would choose a bag of chips over candy any day, I can tell a good frosting from bad. This is one of the best ones I have tasted.

When it was all said and done, the cake had the taste of a Hostess chocolate cupcake and the frosting reminded me alot of the filling. What's not to like?

Cake

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1 cup fresh black coffee, hot
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract


1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray 8-inch-square baking dish with nonstick cooking
spray.

2. Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in large bowl. In separate bowl, combine cocoa and chocolate; pour hot coffee
over cocoa mixture and whisk until smooth; let cool slightly. Whisk in mayonnaise, egg, and vanilla. Stir mayonnaise mixture into
flour mixture until combined.

3. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake until wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out with few crumbs
attached, 30 to 35 minutes.

4. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack, 1 to 2 hours. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, cut into squares, and serve straight from the pan; or
turn cake out onto serving platter

Amy's Frosting

1. Mix (electric mixer) 2 heaping cups powdered sugar and 2/3 cup shortening.

2. Add 1 egg and mix

3. In a saucepan, combine 4 Tbl sugar and 2 Tbl water. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Pour into powered sugar mixture. Mix immediately.

4. Add 1 tsp vanilla – mix. Done!

Back in the saddle again....

A few blogs ago..in a kitchen far far away...I had a double disaster weekend in cooking. Figuring that I really should try to be smarter than the recipe - I wanted to try again. I dug through my recipes of yummies yet to be tasted when I can across "Moroccan Chicken". I just love a recipe where I actually have most, if not all of the ingredients in my house already. I wasn't very OCD this weekend and didn't plan my meals before the shopping list so making something brand new seemed like an impossibility. But no! Moroccan Chicken jumped out of the recipes and into my lap (well, not really of course - but it did stand out).

Basically this recipe is a quick braise. If you are a lover of garlic, this is the recipe for you. It's not too spicy, although I used 1/2 the amount of cayenne pepper called for just for the simple fact that I knew there would be leftovers and the longer cayenne sits in a recipe - the spicier it gets.

The sauce was a bit thinner than I wanted. A direct result of not reducing it enough because I was too impatient (translation: hungry) so it ran all over the plate - but was still yummy. I wanted to serve it with couscous but didn't have enough so I had 1/2 brown rice, 1/2 couscous and Chris had couscous only. The chicken was tender and the olives had just enough bite. Be sure and rinse them off with water just in case the brine is extra salty.

A truly easy recipe that only tastes complicated.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN

1 1/4 teaspoons sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I used 1/8)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 strips lemon zest (each about 2 inches by 3/4 inch)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice , from 1 to 2 lemons
5 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 5 teaspoons)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (8 ounces each), trimmed of excess fat
Table salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion , halved and cut into 1/4-inch slices (about 3 cups)
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon honey
2 medium carrots , peeled and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick coins, very large pieces cut into half-moons (about 2
cups)
1 cup Greek cracked green olives , pitted and halved
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves


1. Combine spices in small bowl and set aside. Mince 1 strip lemon zest; combine with 1 teaspoon minced garlic and mince together until reduced to fine paste; set aside.

2. Season both sides of chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke. Brown chicken until lightly golden, about 2 minutes; using tongs, turn chicken and brown on second side, about 2 minutes more. Transfer chicken to large plate.

3. Add onion and 2 remaining lemon zest strips to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions have browned at edges but still retain shape, 5 to 7 minutes (add 1 tablespoon water if pan gets too dark). Add remaining 4 teaspoons garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add spices and cook, stirring constantly, until darkened and very fragrant, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in broth and honey, scraping bottom of pot with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits.

4. Add carrots to pot and arrange chicken on top of carrots. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast registers 160 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking.

5. Transfer chicken to plate or bowl and tent with foil. Add olives to pot; increase heat to medium-high and simmer until liquid has thickened slightly and carrots are tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Return chicken to pot and add garlic-zest mixture, cilantro, and lemon juice; stir to combine and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

A typical dinner for me

Sadly, I rarely eat the dinners I make. Just can't do it anymore. I seriously hate to admit that, but depending on what number your age starts with....you feel me. So - 5 out of 6 nights I cook a different dinner for myself, usually fish. I really like the Tilapia loins that Costco has frozen and vacuumed sealed individually. They defrost fast and they take on the flavor of whatever you put them in or put on them. I totally heart them! I try to keep at least one extra in the freezer because occasionally Costco will be out. I try not to throw hissy fits in public, and keeping an extra has saved me more than once.

Another great find is frozen brown rice. LOVE it! For those among you who have cooked brown rice you know. Can it take any more time to do it? 45 minutes later, I am not sure I'm hungry anymore. Fret no more....this rice cooks in the microwave in 3 1/2 minutes and it has a yummy chewy texture. Great to reheat and very nutritious. It's with the frozen veggies and it's Birds Eye Steam Fresh (I think). I highly recommend it.

Another good thing to fill up on (that, and all my meals need some kind of crunch) is salad. The greener the lettuce leaf, the more nutritious it is. Again, Costco to the rescue. Now, I am not one of those nutjobs who would rather eat like this. No. I would rather have the meatloaf, pizza, lasagna...... I just know that if I want to fit into my clothes, I have to cut things out and watch the portions. Thank you father time! Don't get me wrong...I don't eat healthy every day, but I pick and choose where to blow it. Weeknight dinners usually isn't the time or place for that.

I have included the recipe I used for tonight's fish, but I have cooked it every which way but Sunday and this particular fish had never let me down.

Baked Fish

2 Tilapia Loins (defrosted)
1 TB chopped green onion (the green parts)
Sliced lemon
1 pat of butter – not fake butter…real unsalted butter
Chris seasoning (see meatloaf blog)

Preheat oven to 325
Put fish in a baking dish and sprinkle with onion and spice. Lay a few lemon slices on each piece. Dot each with butter. Cover with foil and bake for 40-45 minutes until fish is cooked.

That’s it.

No drama, just comfort.

Meatloaf just has comfort written all over it, don't you think? We haven't had it in a long time and even though it's still Summer...the air was a combination of damp and crisp tonight so I figured meatloaf would be what's for dinner.

It is one of those things you don't really need a recipe for, but I have one written down that I made up mainly because I am a freak about recipes. That is partly why I was so mad at myself with the steamed clams in beer sauce mess.....I knew better than to just "wing" a recipe.

I just love a dinner with no drama.

I, of course, didn't eat this dinner. I had fish. It looked good though.



Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf - Sponsored by Costco, it seems.

2 lbs Ground Turkey – Mine is from Costco, of course...2 packages.
2 eggs
½ cup of ketchup
½ cup or so of plain bread crumbs
1 tbl of Chris seasoning mix (recipe below) or your fav. Seasoning mix.
1 cup milk
1 cup grated cheese (or to taste)– I use grated cheddar jack (Costco)

Mix all the ingredients and put into a 13X9 baking dish. The key with meatloaf or meatballs for that matter is to not overwork the meat. Form it into a rectangle. The secret is to try and get it a uniform thickness all over so it cooks evenly. Bake at 425 for about an hour and 15 minutes. Let stand for 5-10 minutes, slice and enjoy.


Chris’ Spice - I use this as our family's all purpose spice on everything

1 Part Granulated Onion
1 Part Granulated Garlic
1 Part Med ground black pepper
1 ½ Parts Table Salt

Double the failure, double the frustration.

I am not usually one to start something, like a blog for instance...and not keep up on it. The lack of posts is due to the fact that my last two ventures were garbage, and into the garbage disposal they went after choking enough bites down to curb the hunger.

Complete disaster #1 - Steamed clams in beer cream sauce over pasta.
Sounds good doesn't it? Well, it was not good. Not good at all. The story started out with Chris and I at dinner at Anthony's Woodfire Grill. We had steamed clams in beer as a starter. It was soooo yummy. We both foolishly decided it would be a grand idea to recreate it at home over pasta. I asked the server for the ingredients and figured that I could just wing the cooking (mistake one). The server said that they were made with a stout beer, check. Cream, check. Butter, check. Clams, check. It sounded simple enough.

I will just cut to the chase because even retelling the tale is getting me agitated. The sauce was bitter. So bitter that it was baaaaaarely edible. Translation: It was all we had for dinner, it was late and I couldn't see myself cooking something else. Chris said he liked it, which, HAD to be a big fat lie. I honestly don't mind being told something is not good because if the audience doesn't like it - chances are I already know it's garbage. I think it all went wrong when I reduced the beer too much. Now, I am not a beer drinker and especially not stout. It was just the grossest thing. I mainly had salad and some clams, which were cooked quite well considering.... What is the lesson I learned? I learned to always have and follow a recipe with new dishes. I did something that I NEVER, and I mean NEVER do in the kitchen (perfection disorder, hello?) and that is "wing it" with something new. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Moving on to complete disaster #2 - Chicken Biryani (an Indian chicken and rice dish)
At least this one was edible. It just didn't taste good.
I love Indian food. I have this Indian market in Shoreline that I go to called "Indian Sweets and Spices" and they have all kinds of fixins for yummy authentic Indian cuisine. I really should have known better than to buy a "complete spice mix". I never do that. I always like to make the spice mix myself from a recipe. That affliction is part control freak and part addicted to cooking. The spice mix was highly recommended by my friendly store guy and the picture looked good.

I followed the directions to a T! Is there any other way to follow directions?

The resulting dish was bland but yet, spicy. Weird huh? I thought so. It just didn't taste good. I added some cumin and more yogurt to see if that would help but it just didn't . We ate some because, as previously stated there was no backup dinner plan. The rest? Garbage. Buh, bye it went. Next time, I go with my instinct and make the spice mix from scratch - as I knew I should.

Lesson learned.

Chicken Enchiladas

Usually on Sunday...our family either has tacos or burrito bowls. Today, I was lazy and just decided to make chicken enchiladas. Soooooooo easy, they are practically stupid easy.


They are an even better idea when you have not-so-fresh-anymore tortillas to use up like I did tonight :) I used to buy the sauce in the can, but found this easy (and when I say it's easy, it is) red enchilada sauce recipe that I have tweaked which I make every time now. I think it's cheaper than the can and you can say you made it from scratch.


Excuse the picture...it's of the leftovers instead of a pretty ready-to-serve plate. See above for the reason. Lazy.

For you recipe junkies:

Enchilada Sauce

1 tbl olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced – or a tsp of the jarred minced up kind.
1 tsp minced onion
½ tsp dried oregano
2 ½ tsp chili powder – depending on how spicy you like it. For the kids sake I use 2 tsp.
½ tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried parsley or 2 tsp fresh – or not at all as I NEVER have any of either.
¼ cup salsa
1 6oz can tomato paste
2 ½ cups water

Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat.
Add the garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add onion, oregano, chili powder, basil, pepper, salt, cumin, parsley, salsa and tomato paste.
Mix together and then stir in the water.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20mins
You may need to add more water to your thickness liking depending on how much it reduces. It is a VERY forgiving recipe.

For the enchiladas - Sasch, this one is dedicated to you. I put amounts just for you sista!

10 flour tortillas - or so.
2 Costco cans of chicken (cuz that's how I roll) You would be surprised how well that canned chicken works in this recipe.
2 cups shredded cheese (plus about 1 ½ more for the top) – I use cheddar jack from Costco. See a pattern?
1-2 packages taco seasoning. I have the big container so I just end up shaking some in...till it looks good and tacoy.


Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease 9X13 pan with Pam or whatever you use. Put enough of the sauce in the bottom of the pan to coat it. In a bowl, combine chicken, taco seasoning and cheese. Now honestly, how full you fill the enchiladas is up to you. I think I may put about ½ cup into each one and then I fold each side over and then the ends over like a square package (see poorly taken photo). I just adjust the filling amount until it is used up and the pan is filled up. Pour remaining sauce to taste over them and then top with remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake for about 35-40 minutes until you can hear the sauce bubbling when you check on them.

If there are any holes in this recipe, it is due to the fact that I made it up and don’t use one. I typed it on the fly just now.

You only have to ask

After several requests for the recipes from my cooking adventures (sometimes mis-adventures) I have included my versions of each in their respective post. I will do that from now on. I'm new, so I didn't think anyone would want them. Lesson learned.

Side note - if you would like to see a particular recipe on the blog, just let me know. It would be a fun challenge to try new things. Even I get into cooking ruts and need help out of them.

If you try any of the recipes, please tell me how they worked for you and/or how you changed them to suit your family!

Ok, bye.

Raise your hand if you hate to bake!

My father, even though I never really knew him....was a baker by trade. My brother, Chris, and his daughters (and even a son-in-law) are bakers (by hobby). I don't know what happened with me, but I loathe baking. From what I have gathered, you are either a cook...or a baker. I am a cook. I will bake if forced or if the mood grabs me but baking is a stressful experience. You mix ingredients together and put them in the oven and just hope for the best. With cooking, you can add...taste...adjust and potentially save a dish from being wrecked along the way.

You all know how I hate it when dinner is wrecked. See previous blog on ziti.

Tonight, I felt like making cinnamon rolls. Not for me, silly. How do you think I fit into jeans? Not by eating cinnamon rolls, that's for sure. But Chris likes them and the kids will eat them all up so I don't have to stare at them for too long.

The reason I am blogging about these particular cinnamon rolls is that they are the best batch to date. Beats me how that happened - so don't even ask. It won't happen again I'm sure of that. So here you go.... and yes, they are just as good as they look. It's the recipe, not me.


Cinnamon Rolls

INGREDIENTS
• 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F)
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup butter, softened

• Frosting
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS
1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start. If you don't have a bread machine..(I have one because, again, I hate to bake) you can make dough the way you would if you know what you are doing and let it rise until it is double in size. You know who you are if you understand that :)
2. After the dough cycle is finished. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 20 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
3. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 25 minutes
4. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

"...grind the pepper yourself, it's the same thing"

As I have stated previously, I can't stand bad service or bad food..especially if I am paying for the meal! Ooooh, hate it! Not everyone is cut out to be a server, but if you are one..please do the job the best that you can. I guess that can be said for all professions.

I had mentioned in an earlier blog that I would mention what I affectionately refer to as "the pepper grinder incident". Well, today's your lucky day. That, and we ate at the same restaurant last night to celebrate our wedding anniversary. It was yummy.

Since I live in Marysville, Wa...the fine dining choices are quite limited within a 40 mile radius. Granted, there are several good restaurants in town which are good but if you are craving the fine dining experience or a fresh piece of halibut...you are on a road trip to either Seattle or Bellevue (40+miles one way). One exception to this is Anthony's Home Port in Everett. Chris and I will go there for a special evening or if we are just craving fresh seafood. I grew up with Anthony's and Arnies in Edmonds being so close and frankly, took them for granted. Not anymore.

What I like about Anthony's is that it's close to us and both the food and service are consistent. Well, up until our visit that fateful evening a little over a year and a half ago....

To preface, I just would like to say that I completely understand that everyone has a bad day. You can't be cheerful all the time, even if you are in customer service. I can tell the difference between an off night, a new server and then what we had...

The dinner started out with just small things..the server took longer than she should have to greet us and take our drink order, no cocktail napkin for under my drink (I am a freak about condensation on my drink glass). While we were waiting for our appetizer to come (steamed clams) she was arguing with the couple behind me about a question they had regarding a mystery vegetable on their plate. Then it moved into things like, we didn't get small forks for the clams and there was no bowl to put the shells in. I got a "put out" attitude when I nicely asked for a bowl. She responded - "for what?" Uh, the clam shells - hello? (I said that last part in my head). And then the moment happened. You know, that moment when things go from tolerable to not so much. Our salads arrive and now picture this: she puts them down and just starts walking off - doesn't say a word. I am staring down at my salad and then I look up at Chris to notice him staring at my salad and then at me. He looks up and calls out to the server "excuse me?" she comes 1/2 way back to the table. 1/2 way! Not back to the table. That is part of what makes this moment so memorable (the manager seemed to be equally speechless as I retold him later...but I don't want to get ahead of myself here) Chris said, and keep in mind, we both are still being friendly with her at this point... "could my wife get some fresh ground pepper for her salad?". I am one of those who likes a little food with my pepper.... So the server, whose name was Kacy H. (as printed on our receipt) says half turning to walk away.."there is a pepper grinder on your table, you can grind it yourself...it's the same thing".

Insert looooooong dramatic pause here.

We both just look at each other. I'm sorry, did I really just hear what I think I heard? Ok, at this point..I am mad, but not pissed. Not yet.

Just then, I turn around to notice the table diagonal from me grinding the pepper for each other on their salads. What just happened? I am so confused. So now with our server out of sight, there wasn't much else to do but grind the pepper myself on the salad from the one on the table. We ate our salads in silence. We did that because of the arguing from the table next to us and up a couple of steps (if you have eaten there, you know what I am talking about) was having with each other over fresh ground pepper. It was a "good old boy" taking a couple out for dinner and you could tell that he was treating them. At one point, he said to the same server as she was, again, walking away from his table..well, more like raised his voice to say to the server along the lines of "I want some fresh ground pepper on my salad before I am done eating it!" That fresh ground pepper never did come for him either. There were other misc. discussions/arguments taking place at the other three tables with and without the server that we could hear bits and pieces of.

Our entrees come. Our server was not the one to bring them. I had ordered lobster, and on the plate sat a baked potato. "Um, excuse me...did I get a choice of starch with this entree?" was my question. I asked because I didn't remember getting a choice and I NEVER order a baked potato as a side. They are too filling for me. The way that this particular gal fell all over herself to right the wrong of the starch was a stark contrast to the "I don't care what you need" attitude of our server. And it reminded me in a flash of the kind of service I should expect at Anthony's and I was instantly over it. All of it.
I think I did ask for a different side dish, and she was very kind..but the damage was soooo done. Our server was crazy enough to come and ask us how dinner was. My response was to put my fork down and deliberately turn to look out the window. I think Chris said something quickly to her to make her go away before I flipped out. He read my mind and all he could say was " please, for me wait until we are home before you talk to the manager" because, oh yes...the manager was going to chit chat with me about this one and Chris didn't want a scene.

I couldn't get home fast enough. I dialed the number and asked for the manager. I could tell that he picked the line up from the hostess desk because of how noisy it was in the background. I began with letting him know that I had a few concerns with the service we had received that evening at dinner. When he went into his manager mode, I began with...ahem, and I quote "well, I guess it all started going down hill when our server told us to use the pepper grinder on our table and grind it ourselves, it's the same thing." I heard nothing but the murmur of the busy restaurant coming out of the phone for about 10 seconds. His next words were "would you mind if I put you on hold? I would like to go into my office so I can take notes".

We like Scott the manager.

Long story concluded: Scott did what I would expect a manager should. He took notes and there were several more gasps and pauses on his end as I had narrowed down the evening to the few moments that prompted my phone call. He was kind enough to invite us back for the same meal again...on Anthony's. Which was delicious and every bit of the special evening that the time before should have been. I had him come to the table so I could personally thank him for his attention. We still go back to Anthony's and it is because of how Scott the manager dealt with the situation.

I don't want much, just fresh ground pepper on my salad.

Soup is good food

Still reeling from "the great ziti debacle of 2009", I decided to just pull back and keep it simple. Julia Child calls this soup "simplicity itself" and she could not be more spot on.

Potage Parmentier (the name of the soup, duh!) translated is Leek or Onion and Potato Soup. I read Julie Powell's blog, bought both her book and Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, saw the movie and decided I wanted to make this soup and see what all the fuss was about. I am a believer. I have never cooked something with so few ingredients which yielded such incredible flavor. The Cliff Notes version goes like this - take chopped leeks, russet potatoes and salt..simmer them in water (not broth, just plain old water) until they are mushy and puree them. Add a bit of cream - ha, HA! Sorry, I was having a ziti flashback..... DONE.

Wait, that's it? Seriously? While I am chopping (and watching Pride and Prejudice, love that movie) all I can think of is, "should I add more....something?" "where, exactly is the flavor going to come from?" A quick side note to this is that when I first started really getting into cooking, there were very few shows on TV. Forget an entire channel dedicated to the art. So I learned from watching shows like:

The Galloping Gourmet

Julia Child

...and my personal favorite - Great Chefs. Man, I miss that show.

The main thing that fascinated me was how master chefs could build layers upon layers of flavor in a sauce. That has stuck with me and I try to do it as much as I can. The more complex the recipe, the more I enjoy cooking it. So when I was making this soup...I so badly wanted to saute the leeks first in butter and then deglaze the pot with chicken stock etc...etc. But I restrained myself and just followed the recipe. When the soup was done, I could NOT believe the amount of flavor that it had! Julia was not kidding when she said it was simplicity itself. I stand corrected. A dish doesn't have to be difficult to taste complex. I loved it, and I will keep this one as a "go to" comfort soup dish for whenever. A light soup with nice depth of flavor which is good as a starter to a meal or just to make you feel loved. Thank you Julia.

Potage Parmentier - Courtesy of Julia Child

3-4 Cups or 1lb peeled potatoes, sliced or diced. I used Russet baking potatoes. I like their consistancy.
3 Cups or 1lb thinkly sliced leeks including the light green parts.
2 quarts of water
1 Tablespoon salt (I used kosher salt)
4 Tablespoons whipping cream
2-3 Tablespoons minced chives. Used as a garnish and to bring out more of the leek flavor

1. Simmer the vegetables and salt in the water partially covered for 40-50 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
2. Put the soup either through a food mill (don't own one) or in a blender and pulse for just long enough to slightly puree the soup. The soup should still have some texture in it.
3. Correct seasoning if needed...I didn't need to.
4. Off heat and just before serving, stir in the cream by spoonfuls.
5. Top with chives and enjoy.

Taco Sunday

When I was a teenager, I would go to Taco Bell for "Taco Sunday" which entailed getting disgusting beef tacos practically for free or something. So anyway....a while ago I was looking for something fairly easy for Sunday dinner. Having PD (perfection disorder...duh!) like I do, I use Sunday nights to get things ready for A. Work on Monday and B. School, lunches etc.

Taco Sunday was reborn! Only, homemade and not from Taco Bell - ewwww. No offense to those of you who like Taco Bell....here's my disclaimer "the thoughts and opinions of this blog are meant to be those of the author only and may or may not reflect the actual opinions of the readers"

Lately, taco Sunday has morphed into "Burrito Bowl Sunday" as well.

I love the burrito bowls that you get from Chipotle, or Qdoba. If you have never had them, they are tasty. I even do my rendition of cilantro-lime rice to have with them.

No tantrums, no drama. Just food. Sorry to bore you.

Quick side note...I was at Costco today doing my weekly thing. I just loooooorve that store - swoon... when I spotted the sample lady sampling Yoplait Parfait Bites. I am not someone who goes to Costco for the sample smorgusboard that seems to be everywhere. I only sample the things I am interested in buying. I tried these and they are quite tasty. It took me back to buying good humor bars from Joe, the ice cream man. Not the ice cream van thingies that drive around now...can you say creepy? They come in bags of about 5 bites and are 150 calories a bag. Low sodium and sugar. It's yoplait covered in granola with strawberry jam inside. It was my dessert tonight and quite yummy for 150 calories. That's my product placement for today, Yoplait can send me my royalties later.....are you listening, Yoplait?

Ok, bye.

Burrito Bowls - No recipe...just memory

Basmati rice
Meat of choice. I use ground turkey seasoned with taco seasoning.
Corn
Black beans
Chopped cilantro
Fresh Lime juice
Chopped tomatoes or pico de gallo
Chopped green onions
Shredded cheese
Sour cream
Salsa
Avacado
Cilantro
Lime
Salt to taste

1. Make meat with mexican/taco seasoning.
2. Make rice and with the water add chopped cilantro to taste and the juice of 1 lime.
3. Prepare all the other ingredients.
4. When rice and meat are done, spoon rice in bottom of bowl and top with other ingredients..or, whatever you would put on a taco. The key is to taste the rice and adjust the lime juice and salt to your taste.

That's really all.
Yum

Dinner and a tantrum

Ah yes...entertaining. What to make for dinner that everyone will like but won't be so complicated that I can't enjoy their company because I am cooking the whole time? Baked Ziti -that's the answer! Such a good recipe and easy enough to prepare..bravo.

Before I go any further, let me just say that I am one of "those" people who gets their night absolutely ruined by a bad meal or poor service while dining out (remind me to tell you about the pepper grinding incident at Anthony's Home Port). At home, a bad meal will just push me right over the edge - guests or no guests. I have even been known to toss a meal out rather than attach my name to such a failure. Maybe someday when I am at a loss for blog ideas I will reminisce with you about such evenings and the dishes that only perpetuate my perfection disorder.

Back to last night.

Ok, picture this.... I am happily chatting with everyone about whatever, cleaning the dishes that I dirtied making the ziti. Putting away extra items in the refrigerator (mind you, the ziti is now assembled and in the oven baking) when to my horror I notice the unopened carton of whipping cream in the refrigerator. GASP! The cream! I missed a step in the preparation for the ziti!^#^$&#*!! It's one of those steps that you can't go back and do once you have missed it. I felt just like I had typed a personal email and then hit "reply all". One of those things you can't undo. ...Uh, not that I have ever done that. Ahem, anyway.... so I am gasping, frantically looking from the open refrigerator to the oven and then back again. The closest people to me are all "what's wrong?" Well, by now I am stamping my feet in frustration like a 3 year old muttering how I forgot a step etc..etc. "Oh, I am sure it will be just fine" were the responses. They were right to a degree...it would be fine. That was the problem, it would be just fine - not really yummy as it should be.

For those of you with perfection disorder, you will understand. For those of you without such a disorder...indulge me and it will be over soon. The step I forgot goes like this: you take whipping cream and corn starch and cook it until it starts to thicken. You add that to the pasta mixture and then you top it with sauce. Even though the ziti is still good without it, the cream smooths out the acidity of the marinara sauce and the corn starch helps to set the ziti so you don't have a runny mess on your plate. So instead of this refined tasting pasta dish, it was essentially baked pasta in marinara with cheese and a tomato bite. I could taste the difference.

If you are one of the lucky ones who have seen first hand my tantrums over dinner preparation issues (can you say Thanksgiving?) you would be surprised. I had my little fit, and just moved on. Well, the fit lasted until we actually sat down at the table but whatever...the point is that I moved on. On the surface that is. Everyone said the dinner was good, and it did taste good. But I guess I knew how it was supposed to taste, hence the frustration. The bigger picture is that we enjoyed good laughs with family and everyone was too full for dessert. A success for most. For me, I am haunted by that stupid carton of whipping cream just sitting there smugly in the refrigerator.

Baked Ziti (The right way)

1 lb cottage cheese
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups grated parm cheese
1 lb ziti or short tubular pasta
2 tbl olive oil
5 garlic cloves minced or pressed thru a garlic press
1 28oz can tomato sauce
1 15oz can petite diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
½ cup plus 2 tbl fresh chopped basil (or 2 tsp dried ..or to taste)
1 tsp sugar
¾ tsp corn starch
1 cup heavy cream – Don’t forget this
8 oz grated mozzarella cheese
Salt
Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix cottage cheese, eggs and 1 cup Parmesan together in a medium bowl; set aside. Bring water to boil for pasta ..boil pasta until pasta begins to soften but is not yet cooked through, 5-7 minutes. You want the pasta just getting soft and still crunchyish in the middle. Drain. Don’t wash the pasta pot.

2. Heat oil and garlic in a skillet over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and oregano. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 mins. Off heat, stir in basil and sugar. Salt and pepper to taste.

3. Stir cornstarch into heavy cream in small bowl, transfer mixture to empty pasta pot set over medium heat. Bring to simmer and cook until thickened 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup of the tomato mixture and ¾ cup mozzarella. Mix together. Add pasta and combine.

4. Pour into a 13X9 baking dish and spread remaining tomato sauce mixture evenly over pasta. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese over top.

5. Cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to cook about 30 minutes longer until cheese is bubbly. Cool for 20 minutes so it can set.

Eat!