Noshings

Honeycomb Brittle with Pumpkin Seeds and Salted Peanuts

2012-01-06T20:12:00.000-08:00

ok, so Im not going to lie.
this stuff is kind of a pain in the tookus to make.
walk away for a minute and you've got a saucepan full of burnt sugar and your smoke alarm going off.
not pretty.

but do it right and you've got yourself some fancy-schmancy brittle.

what you'll need my little pepitas:

- 1 c. brown sugar
- 1/2 c. corn syrup
- dash of vanilla and salt
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 c. roasted and salted pumpkin seeds
- 1 c. cocktail peanuts
(use any nuts you'd like, pecans would rock)

On a heavily greased cookie sheet, scatter your choice of nuts.
In large saucepan, stir together sugar, syrup, vanilla and salt to combine well.
Then cook over medium high heat to 300*F without stirring.
As soon (and I mean AS SOON as it reaches 300*, oh lawzy, I hope your thermometer is correct) remove from heat and whisk in the baking soda.
Its going to foam up, so don't freak out and start flingng words in my general direction that would make a sailor blush.
Immediately pour over nuts on a greased cookie sheet. (its not going to reach the edges, but will basically make a big oval-ish glob)
Let brittle cool and break into pieces.

big, huge nom
you probably won't even mess up two times before you get it right, like I did.

Pet Photo Challenge - Furry Faces!

2011-12-13T15:54:00.000-08:00

No, he hasn't had any whisker work done.
He's au naturale. ;)

Canon 5D/85mm/f1.8

check out the link for a plethera of adorable furry faces!

This photo was entered into the I Heart Faces photo challenge – www.iheartfaces.com

What is it with all the cookies?

2011-11-10T08:42:00.000-08:00

I seem to be having a cookie obsession lately.
With my apologies...
Scottish Shortbread Rounds

what you'll need my wee lammies:

- 1/2 lb. unsalted butter, room temperature

- 1 c. confectioners sugar

-1/2 tsp. salt

- 1 tsp. vanilla

cream this well then add:

- 2 c. all-purpose flour

Mix well, this will form a stiff dough.

Spoon dough out onto a length of wax paper, about 18 inches long or so.

Form dough into a log, roll up in the wax paper and chill until firm, about an hour.

Once your dough is firm, slice log into slices a little thinner than half an inch.

Place slices onto an ungreased cookie sheet, about an inch or so apart.

Bake at 350* until the edges are slightly golden.

Let the cookies sit on the sheet for a few minutes before removing them or they may crumble on you.

They are best once cooled. So tender and crisp, great with coffee or tea.

p.s. - I made these for the executive chef in the kitchen I work for and he asked me to make them yesterday to add to the menu. They went over so well, he added them permanently.

Who says simple can't be phenominal?

My Grandmother's Cornflake Chocolate Chip CoOkiEs

2011-10-20T08:28:00.000-07:00

Today, I share with you something from my childhood. A snippet of my youth that reverberates through time like a lime green ping pong ball on the game table of life.

okay, so forget I said that.

That was really corny...great segway to the cornflake cookie recipe tho...no?

Please make these, share them with someone you love, with compliments of my gram.

mix this:

1 stick margarine, room temperature

1/2 cup butter Crisco

1 c. white sugar

1 c. brown sugar

Cream well, then add:

2 lg. eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

Mix again, well then add:

2 1/4 c. AP flour

1 tsp. baking soda

Get all that incorporated then add and mix in by hand:

1 c. chocolate chips

2 c. cornflakes

I like to use those small ice cream scoops so that my cookies are uniform, but hey...use a spoon if you must, make sure there is ample room between cookies on the ungreased sheet pan.

Bake for about 12 minutes @ 325* (if you live at lower elevations, you can bake @ 350*).

For the first batch, keep an eye on them to judge how long to bake in your oven.

Im in a new house and this oven is totally different than my last one and I had to revamp my cooking time.

When the cookies are done, they will be golden brown around the edges and the middle will look kind of puffy and underdone. Go ahead and remove them from the oven and kinda drop the pan down to deflate them and let them sit on the hot pan for a few minutes before you remove them.

These suckers are chewy and crispy and incredible, you are very welcome, my loves!

Butter Basil Rolls

2011-10-10T12:13:00.000-07:00

Im such a cheat. I found frozen bread rolls in my local supemarket and thought....yay! This is one of many recipes made using frozen bread dough. I bought the Rhodes brand, which hasn't let me down yet!

In a 10 inch iron skillet (mine is a chicken fryer with tall sides)
fit 14 rolls about 1/2 - 3/4 inch apart.
cover with plastic wrap and let thaw and rise
since I was in a time crunch, I put a few inches of hot water in the bottom of the sink and set the skillet down in the water to expediate things.
let the rolls double in size

melt 1/2 stick of salted butter
to that add:
1 T. parmesan cheese, grated
2 tsp. basil, chopped or dried
1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper

mix well and pour over the rolls

Bake the rolls at 325* F for about 25 minutes.

Cool for about 10 minutes before serving, the pan is wicked hot!

Rocky Mountain Hi!

2011-10-05T15:20:00.000-07:00

Food? Recipes? To be completely honest, we've been consisting off of Pizza Rolls and Entenmann's.
/blush
I did just get a job at Pier 1 Imports. They even give the newbies a 25% employee discount.
Pray for my paycheck.

Here are some recent photos from the Rockies...enjoy the color. The mountains are forcasted to get up to a foot of snow in the next couple days o.O

I really will post a recipe.
A good one, even.
Soon.
Pinky swear.

love to all from the bottom of my pinky toes!

Living in the Rockies

2011-09-26T14:36:00.000-07:00

rocks...seriously.

Just a short drive up the mountain from my house and you get this ^.

I hope this post finds you all alive and well, Im going to be dishing up some wonderful recipes for you all to try very soon. (how about some caramel sticky buns or my grandma's cornflake chocolate chip cookies?)

If anyone has any suggestions, please don't hesitate to hollar!

Missed you all horribly, its good to be back in the saddle =)

I'm baaaaaaaack!

2011-09-26T11:38:00.001-07:00

I finally made it across country to the great Rocky mountains and just this morning got internet. Oh goodness, what did I ever do without it?Goodies and many photos to come soon...thank you all for your patience and good wishes.

love to all!

So, its August....

2011-08-12T08:31:00.000-07:00

and I have still neglected to add any recipes =/
Im lame, its okay you can say it.

We're packing up the remainder of our belongings that didn't sell in our moving sale yesterday, so Im afraid any recipes forthwith will not be coming until we make our move.
I promise to make it worth your while, my friends.

Enjoy the dog days of summer and I will see you soon!
<3 -noshings

Good July evening one and all!

2011-07-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

I apologize for my absence. My laptop decided to take a swan dive and die and I finally got a replacement today, yay! So, soon I will be able to install my photoshop and get some photos uploaded for the blog.
Thanks for being so patient!

p.s...we've sold our house! well, as long as all the banking stuff/inspections/appraisals go well.
you know how that goes...
so perhaps in a matter of weeks, I'll be blogging from the Rocky mountains!

Over the Top B to the L to the T

2011-06-17T16:49:00.000-07:00

Gimme a B!
Gimme an A!
Gimme a C!
Gimme an O!
Gimme an N!
what's that spell??
HEAVEN!

*puts pom poms aside, licks greasy bacon fingers*

I hear you asking, "Who needs a recipe for a BLT?"
You've had your momma's BLT, now try this, do it, I double dog dare ya!
Im sure you've seen recipes for brown sugar bacon all over the web...use my recipe for this part or one of your favorites.

what you'll need my little piggies go to market:
1 lb. bacon, thick cut
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. cracked black pepper

lay the bacon on a baking rack over a cookie sheet and spoon on the brown sugar, smoothing it on so that it covers the slices. Then sprinkle the pepper over the top.

Bake the bacon at 375*F for about 25-30 minutes.
Since all ovens are different, keep an eye after about 20 minutes. It can burn easily so you may have to take some slices out before some others get crisp.
Let your bacon cool, then....

2 thick slices bread of your choice, I used a multi-grain harvest loaf.
butter or olive oil (either is fine)

pan toast your bread on both sides (an iron skillet ROCKS here) with either the oil or butter, I realize this is an extra step, but hey...just do it.

Now you can assemble your sandwich.
I like a little mayo sprinkled with tarragon, field greens and a thick slice of an heirloom tomato.
Im not the BLT police, so do whatever rocks your socks here.

By pan toasting the bread and sugaring the bacon, it just pushes it up a few notches.
enjoy!

Im so lame

2011-06-14T18:28:00.000-07:00

please forgive my absence.
The house went up for sale a few days ago and we're just swamped with....swampy things!

Here's to promising a recipe soon, hey at least my kitchen is spotless!
How about a kitteh to show you how much I still luv you all?

Bo says he won't let me forget to post.
pinky swear.

The Easiest Most Scrumdilliumptuous Pumpkin Bread

2011-05-28T18:20:00.000-07:00

see this unassuming, humble little slice of bread?
I cannot express to you how incredible it is, so just make it, okay?

what you'll need my little punkins:

1 Duncan Hines Spice cake mix
15 oz. can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/4 c. vegetable oil

whisk the lumps out of your dry cake mix, add pumpkin and oil...um...spoon into muffin tins or loaves and bake @ 350*F. Muffins take about 18 mins. and loaves take...longer? ha. Take care not to overbake.

(Tip: I use a standard sized ice cream scoop to fill standard sized muffin tins, one scoop to one compartment.)
I don’t recommend too large of loaf pans as the tops of the bread may get overbaked before the center does. I used mini loaf pans (5 1/2" X 3 1/4") and they took about 40 mins. to bake.
If you do use a large loaf pan, you may want to gently lay some foil across the top of the bread half way through baking to keep it from over browning.
Just gently press on the top of the muffins/loaves and when they are done baking you should feel some resistance and not gooey-under-the-surface-ness.
Top those bad boys with cream cheese frosting (or don't!) and you've got breakfast, lunch, snack, whatevah.
Seriously, best muffins...ever. Pinky swear.

Just something we found in the garden....

2011-05-20T17:52:00.000-07:00

to try to distract you from the fact that I haven't blogged in TWO WEEKS.
I'll do better, I promise, its just been crazy nutso around here.

this is a giant silk worm moth, or robin's moth
isn't she cool and HUGE?!
you can click on the photo to see it bigger =)

Icebox Cheesecake

2011-05-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

Icebox cheesecake...retro, light, perfectly summery and totally nom worthy!

what you'll need my itsy bitsy teeny weeny beach bums:

4-5 whole graham crackers, crushed
1 Tb. sugar
3 T. butter, melted (if you can, please use real butter, it makes a HUGE difference)

mix together and press into an 8 or 9 inch springform pan

bake your crust at 350*F for about 10 minutes.

remove from oven to cool.

for the filling:

1/4 c. milk

1 envelope Knox gelatin

whisk together in a coffee cup and place in microwave full power for about 20 seconds to dissolve.

remove, set aside to cool.

2 - 8oz. pkgs. fat-free or neufchatel cream cheese, room temperature (I had one of each, its fine with either/or...or you can use full fat, hey, Im not your cardiologist!)

2/3 c. powdered sugar (more or less here, feel free to taste and adjust...hey, Im not your mom, either!)

1 tsp. vanilla

pinch salt

cream the cheese, sugar, vanilla and salt until smooth

add the cooled gelatin mixture and mix again until thoroughly combined

then fold in 12 oz. lite cool-whip (or 1 1/2 cups real whipped cream, whipped to med. peaks) and mix in well

pour into springform pan over cooled crust and chill......man.

before you remove it from the pan, run a thin knife around the edges to release it

the original recipe said to chill at least 4 hours...hahhahahahahahaha

its so cute they think Im gonna wait that long

I made it one hour

lets see how long you can wait

Japanese Milk Bread

2011-04-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

Hoe-Lee-Cow...
this recipe has more steps than the pyramid at Chichen Itza.
you will use every dish/pan/spoon in your kitchen. But, you will make this bread over and over, its that good.
millions of Japanese can't be wrong!

what you'll need my little geishas....

tangzhong mixture:
-1/3 c. flour
-1 c. milk
whisk together in small saucepan and heat over medium heat until the mixture thickens, but don't bring it to a full boil. remove from heat and set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, combine:
-1/2 c. warm milk
-2 tsp. yeast
-3 Tbs. sugar

whisk to combine, set aside to let yeast start.

In a large bowl or mixer bowl (I told you there were a lot of steps), combine:
-2 3/4 c. flour
-1 tsp. salt
-1 Tb. powdered milk (I used powdered buttermilk)

Once your tangzhong is cooled off so that it won't hurt your yeast, measure out half of it (120 grams) into the yeast mixture with 1 large egg. Mix together and pour over dry ingredients in large bowl.
Let your dough hook work the dough until mixed then add:

-2 Tbs. softened butter

Let the hook work that in.
Now...at this point, your dough may be very shaggy, if it is, add some flour (up to 1/4 cup or so) a little at a time until the dough doesn't cling to the sides of the bowl any more.
Let the mixer knead the dough about 5-8 minutes.
Remove the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand until the dough becomes less sticky and forms a smooth ball.

Rise in oiled bowl 60 minutes, or until double.
If your house is cool, put a few inches of warm water in your sink and set your bowl into it, covering the dough with plastic wrap.
Once risen, divide dough into 4 pieces..
Form each piece into a ball shape, then flatten out into an round disc shape, about 6 inches across.
Roll the discs up like you would dough for cinnamon buns and lay in greased pan.
For this recipe, I just used an 8" round cake pan.
Repeat with each piece and fit them all into the pan.
Let rise under plastic wrap about 45 mins. to an hour.
Carefully brush with a beaten egg.
Bake at 350*F for about 30 minutes.
At the 20 minute mark, I lay a piece of foil gently over the top to keep the bread from overbrowning.

You will make a titanic mess, but really love this, I promise.
The tangzhong mixture is enough for 2 pans of bread, so if you like, double the recipe and make it all!
But, you can reserve the rest of the tangzhong in the frig for a few days until you'd like to make it again.
Once your bread has cooled, if it makes it that far, store in a large ziplock bag to keep it fresh.
It will stay soft for a good while...not that it ever lasts that long around here.

Making and Drying Pasta

2011-04-14T08:27:00.000-07:00

okay, so my pasta "recipe" is not so much a recipe.

All I do is put a couple cups of flour (I used AP, but if you have semolina...use it) and a tsp. of salt (I added about a tablespoon of dried basil to this batch) and make a little well in the center of the pile, plop about 3 large eggs and let it go with a dough hook on the Kitchen Aid until it makes a dough ball that cleans the sides of the bowl.

Now, eggs are not all built the same, so your mileage may vary.

If its very sticky, you'll need to add flour.

If its dry, dribble some water until its not.

I know, rocket science, right?

Once it forms a smooth ball in the mixer, (you'll want it a little sticky) remove it and give it a few kneads on a lightly floured surface.

Cover with plastic wrap and let sit on the counter for about 45 minutes.

Divide in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll...thinnish. (each half usually rolls out to a 18-20 inch circle-ish blob shape....I already hear your Italian grandmother mocking me.)

Using a pizza wheel, slice into desired size strips.

Now, comes the techy part.

If you aren't going to use right away, lay strips over suit pant hangers to dry.

Yep.

I know you are jealous of my equipment and skillz.

Depending on your relative humidity, drying will take anywhere from a few hours to perhaps a whole day.

Just DO NOT store your noodles anywhere until they are completely dry or you WILL get mold.

ewwwwwwwwwww....

I suggest making your pasta and boiling it right away.

Drying it is kind of a pain in the tookus. lol

Disclaimer: Your Italian grandmother may violently disagree with any or all of my information, technique and/or advice on pasta making. Use said blog post with discretion and/or caution.

Good Morning Viet.....err, hi!

2011-04-12T04:55:00.000-07:00

So, Ive been neglectful.
Please forgive me!
My laptop died and I had to wait until it was fixed.
Well, my honies...its fixed!
New and exciting things to come tomorrow.
Please don't leave me or I will stalk you down and kiss your feet.

okay, I won't, but doesn't that sound frightening???

Oatsy, Nutsy, Seedsy....Wheatsy?

2011-03-26T07:28:00.000-07:00

Its hard to beat a great loaf of wheat bread, shoved full of oats, nuts and seeds!
You'll feel so healthy eating this bread, you'll want to stop shaving and start a commune.

Weigh up a nice potato, you'll need at least 8 ounces of potato after its peeled.

Dice it up and in a saucepan, cover it with at least a cup of water or so.
Boil until its soft.

Once its soft, remove the potato from the water, weigh out 8 ounces of boiled potato.
You'll also need 3 1/2 ounces of the potato water, add that to your potato.

Mash the potato in the water with a fork until you get a mushy mash. That sounded redundant. Set aside to cool off.

In a mixer bowl:
1 lg. egg yolk
2 oz. white sugar
2 oz. half and half or cream

Add cooled off potato mash and...
2 1/4 tsp. dry yeast (or one packet of dry yeast)

Mix on low until combined, then add:
15 oz. bread flour (your choice of white/wheat ratio, I like 50/50)
1 tsp. salt

Mix with hook attachment for a couple minutes then add:
1 oz. shortening (stay with me here...)

then I add:
2 Tbs. wheatgerm
2 Tbs. oatmeal
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
2 Tbs. sunflower seeds

Let the mixer (with dough hook) work for 15-20 mintes. (its less shaggy when made with some wheat flour), remove the dough from the bowl onto a piece of parchment paper doused (doused?) with a tablespoon of flour.
(if you are making an all white flour dough, only 8-10 minutes of kneading in the Kitchen Aid is necessary)

Roll it around and coat it in the flour and turn the edges underneath itself forming a smooth ball. At this point, most of the flour from the parchment will be incorporated.

Place the smooth dough in an oiled bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise about 1 3/4 - 2 hrs. or until about double. (wheat bread takes about twice the time to rise)
If your house is cool, place the bowl in a sink with a couple inches of warm water, adding warm water to heat as necessary for your own proof box.

Divide into two equal pieces (this makes two 1 lb. loaves) and place in two greased bread loaf pans, dust with flour. My pans were a little smaller than standard. I think they were about 7 1/2 inches long by 4 inches wide.
Allow to rise, loosely covered with plastic wrap, until dough is about 1 inch above the edges of the pan, this took me about 45 minutes.
When there is about 10 minutes left on the rise, preheat your oven to 350*F.

CAREFULLY remove the plastic wrap after the rise, you don't want to deflate your loaves for goodness sake.

How tragic would that be?
Babies would cry and angels would weep. So sad.

Bake at 350*F for about 30 minutes. At the 20 minute mark, I quickly opened the oven and placed a piece of foil across the top of the loaves so they didn't get too browned on top.

mmmmmmmm....next on the agenda...toast with a slice of this bread!

Potato and Cheese Pierogies

2011-03-10T11:56:00.000-08:00

Im not Polish, but sometimes I wish I was!
Their comfort food is sublime, to say the least.
Pierogies are a little labor intensive, but your family will love you forever.

what you'll need my little misiaczkus:

•1 large egg, lightly whisked

•2 tablespoons sour cream

•1 cup milk

•2.5 - 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface and dusting

(This dough recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart's mother's recipe, who in my humble opininon, had the best recipe ever.)

Mix the egg, sour cream and milk together, then add the flour to form a soft, slightly sticky dough ball.
This is easiest in a kitchen aid with the dough hook, if you've got one.
Depending on the weather, you may need a touch more flour, but go easy on it, you want the dough slightly sticky when finished.
Knead the ball a few turns to form a smooth surface.

Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temp for 45-60 mins.

Now, your dough is ready, let's roll!

Roll out pretty thin as shown above.
Now, its time to cut some circles, I used a large biscuit cutter.

I was able to get about 3 dozen circles.
There is quite a bit of dough left, but I never roll it back out, it just seems to come out to tough.
So, plan your circles nice and close together to get as many as possible.

I filled mine with a combination of leftover mashed potatoes, shredded cheddar, garlic, basil and pepper.

No more than a couple teaspoons per circle, then fold over around the filling, being careful not to get the filling in the seam.

Pinchy, pinchy!

As you form your pierogies, keep them covered under some plastic wrap so they don't dry out.

Drop them into salted boiling water, about 3-4 at a time.
Keep them moving, gently, so they don't stick to the bottom.
They will float to the top when they are done. This takes about 2 minutes.

Let the boiled pierogies cool off, at this point, you can lay them out flat on a cookie sheet and flash freeze them, then drop the frozen pierogies into ziplocks for later use.

For the ones you want to use now, melt a couple tablespoons of butter in a saute pan with a handful of onion.
Get some nice brown edges on the onion, then move those over and add the boiled pierogies.
Saute on each side to get a nice crust, sprinkle with a little sea salt and enjoy!
I bet you'll wish you were a little Polish, too ;)

Thai Noodles

2011-03-03T16:39:00.000-08:00

Oh lordy, are these good.
Semi-healthy and pretty quick.

what to do:
I ground up 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast (Kitchen Aid meat grinder, ground through large die one time, but you can finely chop your chicken with a knife, if you'd like).
Saute that with a couple teaspoons minced garlic in a couple Tbs. olive oil and 1 T. soy sauce till cooked through.

add:
2-3 c. bean sprouts
1 medium carrot, grated

stir fry that for about 1-2 mins.

sauce mix:
3 T. fish sauce
1 T. hoisin
2 T. lemon juice
1 1/2 t. rice vinegar
3 T. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

mix that up and pour in into pan with cooked meat/veggies.
let that simmer for a few minutes to reduce.
then added 8 oz. angel hair pasta, cooked al dente.
toss well and top with 1/8-1/4 c. chopped cilantro and 1/8c.-1/4 c. chopped peanuts (to taste, really. add the lesser and if its not enough for you, add more like I did)

I almost made myself sick going back for seconds, thirds, fourths....fifths.

What have you been doing, young lady??

2011-03-01T05:59:00.000-08:00

There is a terrific blog post about pierogies coming this week, as soon as I can get to it.
They are insanely wonderful in their simplicity.
True comfort food if Ive ever had any.

But, to keep you up to date, if you care, that is.
I reopened Balsam at Etsy. Its my handcrafted soap shop.
Taking the pictures is really the fun part =)
Here are a few of the products Ive added. Im going with more of a 19th century apothecary theme.
Natural soaps mostly with essential oils and yummy butters and botanicals.
95% of the soaps will be vegan friendly! A few will have honey or goats milk.

Ive had so much fun putting this together, from the labels to the photos to making the soap itself.
Hope you enjoyed the photographs.
Love it? Hate it? Let me know in the comments, Im a big girl, I can take it!

Im hoping to add some home decor photos (for purchase) to my other Etsy store, Accessoire, at some point.
But, I need to get them printed at my photo lab in NY city.
Okay, Im done with the commercial...back to your regularly scheduled programming....food!
Balsam

Caramel Brioche Sticky Buns

2011-02-24T13:42:00.000-08:00

Look out teeth, watch out gums, gird your thighs, here it comes!

I share because I care....and want you to gain as much weight as I do.
what you'll need my homies:

4 lg. egg yolks
1 lg. egg
1/4 c. sugar
6 T. butter, softened
6 oz. buttermilk

In my Kitchen Aid, I used the whisk attachment and made sure this was all blended well, then added:
2 c. flour
2 1/4 tsp. instant dry yeast (or one packet)
1 1/4 tsp. salt

blend some more, it will look like thick cake batter, swap out the whisk for the dough hook.
then add another 1 1/2 c. flour
if its sticking to the bottom of the bowl in a big way, add about 1/4 c. flour, but you shouldn't need any more than that.
remove the dough and on a lightly floured surface, knead by hand for about 30 seconds to form a smooth ball.

Let your dough rise in an oiled bowl, covered with plastic wrap for about 2 hours or until more than double in size and puffy.
When your dough has doubled, get out a 9 x 13 dish and add the following:

1 stick butter, melted
1 c. brown sugar

and stir to combine

to the top of that, toss in about a cup of chopped walnuts or pecans, your choice.

Now, lets get the dough ready.
Pat it out into a rectangle about 12 x 18 inches.

To the top of that, spread about 2 Tbs. melted butter, then 1 c. brown sugar with 1 Tb. cinnamon mixed in.
Spread all that around.

*whew!* I don't think I've ever taken so many pictures of a recipe.
But, they are that good.
okay, so roll it up from the long side.

Please don't mind my craggy, quickly aging hands...*sigh*

winter kills my Irish skin =/

anyway...time to slice!

Cut the log in half, then each half into 6 pieces to end up with 12.

Place them in 4 rows of 3 (or 3 rows of 4, whatever) in the dish.

Cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place to double, about 1 hour or a little more.

mmmm...when the buns look close to doubled, preheat your oven to 350*
once its up to temp, drop em like they're hot in the oven to bake for 35 mins.
at the 15 minute mark, place a large sheet of foil over the tops of the buns.
brioche browns very quickly and can overbrown on top before the bottoms are cooked through.

nom....now, turn them out onto a dish or tray.

They are best eaten that day...so get your fork, you've got a lot of sticky buns to nosh!

once you are totally sugar sick, wrap up the rest in an air-tight container or in plastic wrap or something to keep the air out.

ugh...I need a glass of milk before the sugar coma overtakes me.

Low-work Peanut Butter Cookies

2011-02-21T16:58:00.000-08:00

not low-carb, low-fat or low-sugar
but, hey Im throwing you a bone here.

all you'll need:

1 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar

mix well, then add:
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

finally:
1/4 c. flour

once mixed, roll into 1 1/2 inch balls and roll in sugar

make some pretty forky marks on top

bake the loverly forky dough balls at 350*F for 12 minutes.

cool completely before ~~eating them all with a glass of cold milk~~ storing.
this recipe made 17 cookies for me, most likely I could have had 18
but, the dough was really good.

Disheveled Joseph

2011-02-18T15:48:00.000-08:00

They just didn't seem all that sloppy to me.

Step aside Manwich, there's a new Joe in town.

what you'll need:

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground meat (I had turkey)
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 small bell pepper, chopped

brown meat with veggies, then add:

1/3 c. brown sugar
1-2 Tbs. steak seasoning blend (I had a pepper steak blend)

stir sugar and seasonings into meat well, then add:

1 T. worchestershire
1 T. rice vinegar
8 oz. tomato sauce
1/2 c. BBQ sauce (your favorite is fine here)
1/4 c. ketchup

stir well and let simmer on low until mixture thickens, about 10-15 minutes.
I really love those onion/poppy seed buns.
They rock my world, but go crazy here as you'd like.
BUN CRAZY o.O

Hazelnut Biscotti

2011-02-09T12:14:00.000-08:00

You've tried black walnut, you've had pecan, pistachio and almond, but there ain't no nut that's got anything over the hazelnut!

let's do this thing:

~1/4 c. butter, unsalted, room temp. (1/2 stick)
~3/4 c. sugar
~1/2 tsp. salt
~1 tsp. vanilla

mix well, then add:

~1 whole lg. egg
~1 lg. egg white

mix again, then add:
~2 cups flour
~1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
~3/4 cups chopped hazelnuts

mix until a dough forms
*if its really sticky, add up to a few more tablespoons of flour until the dough is slightly sticky, but handleable. Handleable? Is that even a word?
I didn't need any extra flour today, maybe because its so dry, humidity-wise.

Form into a long log about 3/4 inch high, 2 1/2 - 3 inches wide and probably 15 inches long.

Brush the top of the log with yet another egg white, beaten.
Bake in a preheated 350*F oven for 30 - 35 minutes.
Remove from oven and after only a couple minutes gently lift the log off the pan and onto a cutting surface.
With a large knife, cut into bars about 1/2 inch thick (mine were a little thicker, its up to you) with one swift chop down, just like you would cut through celery.

Place the bars cut side up back onto the cookie sheet and return to the oven.
Turn temp down to 325*F and bake for 20 more minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool.

These little guys are so good, crunchy and not overly sweet, no icing or chocolate drizzle required.
But, if you have to...I won't hold it against you.

*Make sure you cool them completely before storing or they won't stay crunchy.

How NOT to make cake donuts or Epic Fail #347

2011-01-27T12:00:00.000-08:00

I had high hopes for my little cake donuts.
Millions are made everyday, they can't be that hard, right?
wrong
so horribly, pathetically wrong.

I began with a highly rated recipe for dark chocolate cake donuts.
The dough tasted pretty good! Nice, right?

Here's where donut day started to go down hill, on a fast moving bicycle with no breaks.
The frying.
I think I got the oil too hot.
They were gooey on the inside and it was hard to tell when they were done, since they were dark brown to begin with. Hence, they burned.
Yeah, that didn't go well.

Desperately, I thought, hey....bake them!

I hated to think of all that beautiful dark dutch cocoa going to waste.

People bake donuts all the time. They do, really.
Just not like this.
How did they turn out?
Booooooooooooring.
Tragically, irrevocably, irreversibly boring.

*Sigh*
Back to the drawing board, my friends.
If any of you have some tried and true recipes, please take pity on me and share.

Blueberry Pecan Coffeecake

2011-01-21T08:29:00.000-08:00

My very kind neighbor came over after the last snow and cleared my driveway with his ATV and snow blade.
I was oh so very happy and grateful, which of course means, he needed a treat.
This is what I made him.

what you'll need my snow bunnies:
cake:
~5 oz. cake flour
~1/2 c. sugar
~1/4 tsp. baking soda
~1/4 tsp. baking powder
~1/4 tsp. salt

Whisk to combine and add:
~6 Tbs. butter, softened
~1/4 c. buttermilk (not low fat if possible)
~1 Tb. sour cream (full fat)
~1 large egg
~1 egg yolk
~1 tsp. vanilla

Pour this into a greased 8" springform pan, then layer with a generous cup of blueberries, like so:

nom nom

next, you'll need your crumb...
~ 1 c. flour
~ 2 T. cornstarch
~ 1/2 c. sugar
~ 1 Tb. brown sugar
~ 1/8 tsp. salt
~ 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temp
~ 1/3 cup pecans, chopped

Mix with a fork till you get a pebbly texture, kind of like a crumbly cookie dough.
Layer over the berries. Then gently press them down a bit.

Now, let's bake this bad boy.
Preheat the oven to 325*F and bake for about 40-45 minutes. Make sure the rack isn't too low in the oven (or too high if that is where your heating elements are).
When your cake is baked through, give it 10 minutes, then remove from the pan.

I decided to lay the cake on a cardboard round and wrap it up in some plastic gift wrap with a little label so they'd know what I made for them.

Which was done really, because my husband was to deliver it and you know how guys are at explaining things.

Me..."Don't forget to tell them its Blueberry Pecan Coffeecake, okay? Honey, did you hear me?"
Him..."k"

"Oh thank you so much! Really, you didn't have to go to so much trouble! It looks great, what is it?" says my kind neighbor.
{ insert blank stare }
"Its uh...well, its probably....um....cake?" says my cute, but forgetful husband.

yeah, this is why I label.

Bakery Style Cakes

2011-01-12T10:17:00.000-08:00

As a baker, Im often asked to bring "the cake" to many functions, parties, get togethers, soirees, whatever.
And instead of racking my brain to come up with some new fondant design (that tastes like...well, fondant) or piping a ton of overdone buttercream roses, I opt for an easier style.

Enter....the bakery style cake.
Its always a hit, they are pretty and most importantly, they don't have to be fussy!

Here's a few examples.

For my uncle's retirement party, a dark chocolate cake, iced and filled with whipped cream frosting and topped with a dark chocolate drizzle, chocolate dipped cherries and squares of a Hershey bar.

Next, a chocolate espresso cake, iced with a whipped ganache and topped with almond butter cream rosettes, crushed walnuts, espresso powder and espresso beans.

This one is also a chocolate espresso cake, but its iced and filled with whipped cream frosting and topped with dark chocolate covered espresso beans and heart sprinkles. Take note here:
*Sprinkles fix everything, only always*

And a simple one here, all I had was a boxed chocolate cake mix and a tub of chocolate frosting. Tweaking the recipe a little (*click here for the blogpost on this cake*) gives it better flavor and crushed walnuts add a nice finish to the top.

one more?
another whipped ganache chocolate cake. For a little bling, I melted some white chocolate and piped zig zags onto some parchment then chilled it. They stay nice and firm and stand up all cute in the dog poo-shaped piles on top of the cake. Yeah, I see it too...its a doggie poo cake, with bling.
Here's a linky...poo (ha) to the frosting: CLIIIIIICK

Next time you need to bring "the cake" to a function you've been ~~dragged~~ invited to, keep in mind the humble bakery cake. So many options and not so much work ;)

Pining for Summer

2011-01-11T10:21:00.000-08:00

Can I get some fellow feeling here?
Its snowing...again.
meh.
I want blue skies, warm breezes, green grass and cool, babbling brooks.

To make me even more season sick, Ive decided to post some photos taken back when it was warm.
This little get-to-gether had a theme. Theme was you could bring anything you wanted to eat, but it had to be cooked over an open fire.
A little caveman bbq, if you will.

So, my creative friends came up with some great ideas.

There was grilled corn in the husk, chicken and beef kabobs, fish freshly caught from the lake, cheesy potatoes ("baked" in foil over the coals) and cinnamon rolls baked in hollowed out orange peel bowls (also in foil).
and beer. and the peasants rejoiced.

The longest wait was letting the fire burn down to hot coals.
So, we played some cards and noshed some chips!
It was rough, but somehow we managed.

hope you enjoyed a few warm photos on this cold, winter day
plan your own campfire bbq, its a little challenging, but so much fun!
now, if you'll all excuse me, I have to shovel about 5 inches of snow off my driveway.

Screen Printing your own T shirts with Freezer Paper

2011-01-07T08:32:00.000-08:00

You've probably seen this sprinkled around the web on various blogs and how-to sites.
But, Meg and I thought we'd try our hand at it.
What's so nice about this project is, you can make just about any image you want (depending on what you want to tackle), its cheap and even kids can get involved.
Come along for the ride, there are tons of photos to help you if you decide to make your own t shirt.

What you'll need...

~freezer paper (not wax paper or parchment) cut into 8.5x11" to fit into your printer
~fabric paint (got mine at Joann's Fabric store, they were 50% off...woo!)
~foam brushes or paint brushes
~cardboard
~X-acto knife

for the first step, you'll need to find an image you'd like to use.
I found an image of Gir.
Don't know Gir? Ask your kids! =)
I printed him out onto the paper side of the freezer paper (NOT the wax side)
This may take some experimenting to find out how your printer feeds and prints on paper.

With an X acto knife, cut out the part of the image that you want to become the painted part...in a sense, turn it into a stencil. I did this on top of a self-healing cutting mat. Here's Gir, all cut out.

Place your cut out onto your t shirt wherever you'd like it to be. I put him on the back side of my tshirt on the bottom right so he'd sit on my hip. Don't forget to place a piece of cardboard inside your t shirt so that the paint won't bleed thru to the other side of the shirt.

Now, with a dry iron (heated up to the highest setting for the type of fabric your t shirt is), iron your image down.
The wax side will adhere to the t shirt. Isn't that neato??

Looking at the original image, I started painting Gir.

The wax will keep the paint from seeping, just be careful as you paint not to lift the edges of the stencil up.
With a blow dryer, you can dry the paint a little quicker than if you let it dry naturally. But, either way is okay.
Now, peel the wax paper off!
It got dark on me, so I didn't take a pic of peeling off the wax paper. But, when I did, I noticed my mistake.
Yep, Im human...so human its not even fair sometimes.
Anywho, Gir is grey....so is my shirt.
D'oh! *facepalm*
So, I got out a black Sharpie and outlined him so you could uh...SEE him on the shirt.

As you might be able to see...I ended up adding some highlights and shadows to his metal body so he'd be a little more 3D. But, it wasn't necessary. Ain't he just precious??
After the paint dried for 24 hrs. I set it with the iron. Just follow the directions on your fabric paint.
Here are some more we did.
Meg's Irken logo....again, ask you kids, folks.
Meg and I happen to be cartoon dorks =/

She was ambitious on her first t shirt by using a black shirt (takes a lot of paint to cover the black) and she decided to make kind of a reverse stencil so that her black shirt would be the outline of her image.

And finished!

This is also one I did, probably a good choice for a beginner as its just text.
I *heart* Mumford and Sons.
Don't know them? Ask your kids! lol
no, srsly, search for them on Youtube. They are a West London band, so extremely talented.
I suggest listening to "The Cave" and "Dust Bowl Dance", ohh and "Thistle and Weeds". I bet you'll love them, too!
Anyway, I couldn't find a shirt with their logo, so I improvised.

Hope you found something to inspire you! My husband wants an Opus shirt now. Remember Opus?
I promise I'll post a recipe soon.
I just haven't been feeling well and food doesn't sound good to me yet...blech.

From Found to Fab - The Victrola Cabinet

2010-12-27T10:59:00.000-08:00

While driving to a friend's home this summer, we happened to drive past a house that had a Victrola cabinet sitting out for the trash pickup.
Without thinking...which I do a lot, just ask anyone...I stopped and ran up to the door and knocked.
A nice gentleman answered the door and immediately knew what I was there for.
The desperation on my face must've been obvious.
Well, that and the whimpering and pointing at the cabinet may have tipped him off.

He says to me, "Do you want me to put it back and save it for you?"
I could've hugged him, right then and there.
But, I didn't, I just calmly nodded my head and said Id be back with a truck as soon as possible.

This is what it looked like when we got it.
Maegan sanded it all down and began to prime it.

Then when her dad got home, he broke out the Wagner power painter, we love this thing.

Megs chose a loverly peacock blue.

And here it is all finished and placed back in Megs room against her chartruese and dove gray walls...she likes color. A lot. Hope you enjoyed the process.
Please don't get mad that we desecrated an antique...it no longer had the record player in it. So, it makes a great "stuff " cabinet!

Petting some Peeves

2010-12-15T10:38:00.000-08:00

sounds kinda dirty, don't it?
no worries, its not.
I don't have a recipe today, but wanted to get a load off about some things.

Today, its wedding dresses.

Why on God's green earth is it that EVERY single time I attend a wedding, the lovely, blushing bride has to be in a strapless wedding dress?
And I mean eh-ver-ree time. No exceptions, no exclusions.
You watch any of those "choose the wedding dress" shows and what do the brides immediately go for?
anyone?
Yep, I know you are beginning to see the trend here.

Okay, so don't hate on me.
I have seen some ROCKIN' strapless gowns.
But, girls, srsly.
Let's get some creativity going here.

Here is some inspiration for you to ponder.
From Blue Orchid Designs...look at this stunning dress...are you KIDDING ME??
Is this not the epitome of class?
If I could re-do my wedding, THIS would be my gown.

How about this one from Max Chaoul...its off the shoulder, yet glamorous and almost fairy tale like...but, in a modern, up to date way!

Demetrios gives us this sexy, strappy number. Complete with a structured bodice and ruffled skirt.
Gorgeous.

My last inspiration is compliments of Stewart Parvin. Talk about elegance, this gown would be for a metropolitan bride who loves her curves. I believe underneath the lace cover-up, the dress is strapless. But, girlies, how classy does it look with the lace bolero? Holy moly, I love the lines of this gown!

If you are on your way to planning a wedding and are shopping for a wedding dress.
Give some other cuts of dresses a try.
Don't reach for the strapless gown just because thats what everyone else is doing.
Strapless does not automatically mean "elegant and classy", it just means...no straps.

Trust me, sometimes sleeves are more flattering. For goodness sake, ladies, give sleeves a try.
I share because I care ;)

Cracking the Code - Loveless Cafe's Famous Biscuits

2010-12-12T10:02:00.000-08:00

Ah ha, I think I've got it!
If you don't know about the Loveless Cafe and their famous biscuits, do yourself a favor and Google it.
You'll see that many a chef/cook/baker/obsessionist have tried to duplicate these lighter than air, melt in your mouth morsels of pure heaven.
I accept money orders and personal checks as well as cash.
that is all.

what you'll need:
~2 tsp. rapid rise dry yeast
~1/4 c. warm water (I call it "burn the baby" water, just slightly too warm to put a baby in)
~1 tsp. sugar

mix and rest in small bowl while you compile the rest of the ingredients.
in a large mixing bowl, whisk together:

~2 c. + 3 Tb. AP flour
~1/3 c. cornstarch
~2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
~1/2 tsp. baking soda
~1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
~1 tsp. salt
~1 tsp. sugar

Pour into flour mixture:

~1/3 c. vegetable oil
~1/2 c. half & half
~1/4 c. club soda (or tonic water, seltzer, you can use water here, I just happened to have club soda)
and also your yeast mixture

stir to combine
dough will be shaggy, its okay
cover and rest 30-40 minutes to rise (if your house isn't real warm, put your bowl in a warm water bath halfway up the bowl in your kitchen sink and cover the top of the bowl with a plate...its like your own little proofing area)

next, dump dough out onto floured surface (about 1/4 c. flour)
roll dough around gently, it will pick up some of the flour and get less shaggy
knead (again, gently) to form a smooth surface and pat out to about 3/4" thick

cut out your biscuits and set on a greased sheet or my favorite, a Silpat.
melt a couple tablespoons of margarine in a coffee cup in your microwave and brush the tops of the biscuits.

now, cover with a sheet of plastic wrap and set to rest in a warm area
turn your oven on 400*F to preheat for 20 minutes while your biscuits rest
bake for about 15 minutes or until the tops start to get golden edges
remove from the oven and brush with margarine again
eat. but not all of them at once, you'll get a tummy ache. srsly.

Apple Cranberry Crumble Tart

2010-12-09T08:54:00.000-08:00

or pie, your choice.
I don't have a tart pan, sacrilege, I know =/
the fresh cranberries add a nice tartness, especially if your apples aren't particularly tart.
what you'll need:

~1 unbaked 9" pie shell

~4 apples, good sized, peeled and chopped
~1 c. fresh cranberries, sliced in half

then add:
~1/3 c. sugar
~3 T. brown sugar
~4 T. flour
~2 tsp. cinnamon
~1/2 tsp. ginger
~1/2 tsp. nutmeg
~1/2 tsp. salt

mix to combine and pour into pie shell.
then add crumble evenly over the top.

crumble:
~1/3 c. flour
~1/3 c. sugar
~3 T. brown sugar
~1 tsp. cinnamon
~1/2 tsp. salt
~(optional: 1/4 c. chopped walnuts)
mix with a fork and then add:
~4 T. butter, room temp

mix again with fork until mixture is thoroughly combined and looks like a fine meal.
top the fruit and bake at 400* for about 45-50 minutes or until you start to see the fruit bubbling.
please cool the pie to room temp or chill in frig before slicing or you might fall apart on you
not that it won't taste good, it just won't slice nice.
hope you love it as much as we do!

Toast, the ultimate equalizer

2010-12-08T12:46:00.000-08:00

You know you love it.
Toast.
If you don't, check your pulse. ha.
If you are anything like me, toast is not just warm, crunchy bread. Its a flashback of grandma's house, sitting in front of the fire on a cold January morning.
Now, let's make some good bread, because only good bread leads to good toast!

Potato Nut Bread

In your Kitchen Aid bowl or large mixing bowl, whisk together:
~1 c. warm tap water
~4 T. sugar
~2 T. yeast

Let your yeast sit to foam up for about 10 minutes, then add:
~1 more c. warm water
~2 T. vegetable oil
~2 tsp. salt
~1/2 c. instant potato flakes
~ 2 T. dry milk powder
~2/3 c. finely chopped walnuts (or pecans, if you prefer)

whisk to combine and start adding your flour, you'll need about 5 - 5 1/2 cups total.

Once your dough is mixing so that it starts to climb up the hook and not stick so much to the sides of the bowl, let it knead for about 5 minutes.
Remove dough from the bowl onto a lightly greased surface, divide dough in half, cover with a clean tea towel and rest 15-20 minutes.
Massage each half of dough to release bubbles and mold into a loaf shape, place in loaf pan. (9x5 standard sized pan)
What I like to do at this point is mist a large piece of plastic wrap with non-stick spray and gently lay it across the tops of both pans.
Let your loaves double.
Bake at 350*F for 35-40 minutes.
Always have some butter ready to rub on the tops of the loaves when they come out of the oven, its the law.

Oh, and once they've cooled, ~~eat the whole loaf with a stick of butter~~ keep them wrapped up in plastic wrap to keep them soft and ready for TOAST!

Biscuits, you're doing it wrong.

2010-11-28T09:43:00.000-08:00

Have you ever delved into trying out a new biscuit recipe hoping for light and fluffy and getting only heavy and hockey puckey?

Its enough to make a girl/guy cry.

Well, thing is most of these recipes have one thing in common...and it guarantees a bad biscuit every time.

Too much fat.

Yep, I said it.

Usually, Im asking you to not be afraid of the shortening/butter/lard/etc.

But, in this case, Im asking you to back off.

Too much of the wrong kind of fat will load down your flour and baking powder and not allow the fluffiness to come through.

You like how I get all technical?

Stop me if Im going over your head with all these mathematical terms.

I share because I care...what you'll need:

~2 c. ap flour

~1 Tb. baking powder

~1/4 tsp. baking soda

~2 tsp. sugar

~1/2 tsp. salt

whisk together and add:

~2 Tbs. shortening

cut shortening into the flour mixture with a pastry blender until it looks like a fine meal of sorts.

then mix together:

~2/3 c. half and half or cream

~1 tsp. white vinegar

I let this sit a minute until the cream clots up a bit, then add to the bowl.

If the dough is still crumbly and dry add some more cream a tablespoon at a time.

I usually end up adding 1-2 more Tbs.

Working quickly and gently, pat into a disk 1" thick on a floured working surface and cut out biscuits using a metal biscuit cutter.

Please don't use a glass, the rim is too thick and it will smash the edges, keeping your biscuits from rising correctly.

Bake at 400*F for about 15-18 minutes.

I bake mine just until they are cooked through, not necessarily golden cuz I like em as soft as possible.

Light, fluffy, perfect.

Guaranteed!

"Baking" a microwave potato

2010-11-22T12:59:00.000-08:00

Have you ever come home from work, worn out and ready to flop?
You proceed to toss a potato in the microwave, thinking you'll have dinner ready in minutes, right?

wrong.
You hear the microwave beep and happily skip down the hall into the kitchen, throw open the door to find...what could only be described as a large, dry prune.
Appetizing, eh?

No amount of sour cream is going to save this mess.
Good thing you're here.
I'm going to teach you how to "bake" a potato in the microwave and have it still be edible.
woo doggies!

First, choose a nice plump potato, rinse it off and poke the daylights out of it with the tip of a sharp knife.
I say "sharp" knife because a dull one will only make you frustrated and curse.
I chose a sweet potato because they make me happy.

Next, you'll need a paper towel.

Let's diaper this baby!

Now, run it under the tap to get it all wet.

Place the potato in the microwave and cook it as you usually would, this potato took about 4 minutes, but your mileage may vary due to bigger/smaller potatoes and microwave wattage.
When you hear the microwave beep because its done, ignore it for 2 minutes so it can finish baking thru to the middle.
Unwrap your potato and eat it!
The skin will be soft and supple and the inside should be steamed to perfection.
I know, its not quite as good as baking them in the oven, all rubbed with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt.
But, you can't ask for a better potato with only 5-7 minutes worth of work.

A Simple Slaw

2010-11-16T12:56:00.000-08:00

Even you slaw haters may love this one.
Its not mayonnaisey, but slightly sweet, light and crisp.
Cabbage has a lot of nutritional value, so its a great alternative to a green salad.
Serve with some fried chicken or pulled pork and you've got yourself a winner!

what you'll need:
14 oz. pkg. slaw mix (I think I used the Dole brand mix...pour into large bowl, set aside)

in a small bowl,whisk together:
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
1/4 c. white sugar
1/3 c. real mayonnaise (not miracle whip....ick. I even used light mayo)
1/4 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. pepper
dash salt and onion powder

whisk until the sugar is totally dissolved and pour mixture over slaw, toss to combine.
let sit 5-10 minutes in frig and toss again.
serve!

Photography

2010-11-15T06:28:00.000-08:00

it sucks you in like a black hole
first, you think your point and shoot is ample
then you get a DSLR and you think you're Ansel Adams
finally, you get some decent glass and practice for a few years and you realize you aren't that great, but you're getting better.

each week, Im going to try to post some examples of my kind of photography
what can I say, Im an enabler!
I hope to inspire you to take your camera out of its bag and shoot something
even if its just eggs from a local farm and a robin's nest you found in the backyard.
you can click on the photo if you'd like to see it full size

camera: Canon 40D
lens: Canon 60mm 2.8 macro

Cream Cheese Danish

2010-11-11T14:20:00.000-08:00

Homemade cream cheese danish, are you kidding me??

yep
ha
nah, I wouldn't do that to you
here's what you'll need my Easy Like Sunday Morning peeples:

- 2 cups flour (you can use cake flour here, too)
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 cup cold butter, cut up
- 1/2 cup full fat sour cream
- 1 to 2 Tbs. cold water

For the danish pastry:
In a medium sized bowl stir together flour and salt. Add butter. Using a pastry blender, cut cold butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal, you can leave some pieces of butter the size of small peas.

In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and 1 tablespoon of the water. Add to the flour mixture and stir with a fork until the mixture starts to clump together. Add the remaining water, if necessary, to moisten. Form into a ball. Shape the dough into a rectangle. Place between 2 pieces of parchment paper, waxed paper or plastic wrap. Roll to 18x9-inch rectangle. Get out your ruler, make sure its perfect.

nah, Im just jackin, you can eyeball it.

Peel off the top sheet of waxed paper or plastic wrap. Turn the dough over onto a lightly floured surface (optimally, I use a floured piece of parchment on a jelly roll pan, like in the photo. I form the danish on the parchment and throw the whole she-bang in the oven.) and peel off remaining paper or wrap. Fold the dough crosswise into thirds, forming a 6x9-inch rectangle. Fold dough in thirds again, forming a thick piece about 3x6 inches. Wrap dough and chill in the refrigerator 1 hour or until firm. (Dough may be chilled up to 24 hours; let stand at room temperature until easily rolled.)

So, can I be frank here...I feel like such a weiner.
teehee
I didn't do the whole folding thing...Im a lazy bum.
The dough was thoroughly chilled and I rolled it out and used it.
Im lame, I know.
But, I set the bar low so that you'll feel better about yourselves.

After you've rolled it back out to a large rectangle, slather the filling (recipe follows) on the inner third of the dough and with a pizza cutter or sharp knife cut strips in a herringbone pattern on either side of the filling, as shown in the photo.

Then, like in the photo above, fold the strips over the filling, alternating from one side to the other.
When you are finished, it should look something like this...or nicer, I kinda rushed this.

Next, it goes in the oven at 350* for about 20-30 minutes...or until golden brown.

Sorry to be so vague, but ovens tend to vary so much.

ooooh....all goldey and flakey!

Now, all you need is some glaze, because it ain't danish if it isn't glazed!
Let it cool to room temp before glazing so it all won't run off, cuz that would be a crying shame, srsly.

Filling recipe:
8 oz. cream cheese, room temp
1 egg
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
dash salt

**other fillings that can be substituted could be apple, berry, pumpkin, etc.
a can of whole cranberry sauce would be DIVINE and easy, too!
you could even put the cream cheese filling on the bottom and add a little cranberry on top of that.
yeah...just like that.

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbs. heavy cream or half and half (add slowly depending on consistency, you can add more, if needed.)
1 tsp. vanilla

I hope you got a pot of coffee going, you're gonna need it!

Adulthood and faking it

2010-11-08T07:20:00.000-08:00

We all know those people.
You know, the ones who act their age, balance their checkbooks, use coupons and make pie charts.
THOSE people.
I am not part of that club, full of well-rounded mature human beings who have retirement funds, eat low carb diets and return phone calls in a timely fashion.

Me?
I crumble into a fetal position at the thought of W2's and deductions.
Balancing a checkbook is like Greek to me.
Not the cool "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", gyro sandwich Greek, but the ancient, nobody speaks it anymore Greek.
I revel in instant gratification, childish daily activities that do not involve anything that could be categorized as "adult" or "responsible".
The more I try to force myself to be actively mature, the quicker my brain rebels and I end up landing face first in a Peter Pan oblivion (read: sitting in my comfy chair, under a blanket with a bag of popcorn surfing I Can Haz Cheezburger and watching Invader Zim)

Alas, as much as I'd love to bury myself in books, movies, mindless grocery shopping and traveling the world...I must function as the "adult" I fool everyone in believing I am.
Bills must be paid, taxes must be calculated and insurance must be analyzed.
Meh.
Procrastinating to the last possible minute that won't affect my credit score furthers my disorder.
Manning up and taking care of things right away would be the smart thing to do - lessening the anxiety and building stress, but noooooo...only an adult would do that.
And we all know I'm not capable of such mature decision making.
In spite of myself, I do manage to keep my house picked up, my family fed and clean underwear in the drawers.
Who'da thunk it, right?

Well, enough about me, there are some bills that need to go in the mail.
So, we're going to make pudding pops and watch movies instead.

ahhh...escapism at it's best.
I told you I was a hot mess.

Ive got a great recipe for you guys, it will be worth the wait, promise!

what I did last night while avoiding stuff that needed done
a new love, miniature food and creatures with polymer clay

We have a Winner!

2010-11-05T15:37:00.000-07:00

Congrats Jenn!
you'll be up to your neck in bubbles in no time!
I'll be contacting you shortly for your info.

have a wonderful night, kids
thanks for playing
there was going to be a recipe w/photos today
but, I am quite under the weather
there will be a yummy post soon so stay tuned
>.<

My 100th Post, some soapmaking and a giveaway!

2010-11-03T18:51:00.000-07:00

100 posts?
and you're still here?
its a miracle
not a miracle that its my 100th post, Im a jabberbox
but, the fact that you've hung on, so loyal
I love you all, you rock my socks!

so, this post is for you
Ive been getting requests to talk about soapmaking, something I happen to know a little bit about having made literally thousands of bars of soap.

Let me preface this by saying it is NOT a tutorial for soapmaking, it is just a photojournalistic adventure into my process. If you'd like to know how to make soap, please visit the Miller Soap Site or Teach Soap for detailed info about soapmaking.
Still with me?

If so, here's soapmaking, my way!
There are no photos of me because I was behind the camera, but if you could see me, you'd see me in goggles to protect my eyes in case of splashes.

I line my mold.

Then, I measure my oils, both solids and liquids into my mixing bucket and using my stickblender, I blend them all together.

Behind the scenes, in a safe plastic container, I mix my lye crystals into my water. (it gets hot, very hot, like 175*F)

Then, after letting it sit for a few minutes, I add my hot lye water to my oils, they begin to melt and I start to blend again!

My mixture traces and its ready to color and scent before its poured into the mold.

In the second picture, you see Ive added some black jojoba wax beads to my mixture.

This is my swirl mixture, it is made of Dead Sea mud and orange clay.

I add about 10 ounces of soap to the cup and stir to blend.

To the base portion, still in the original mixing bucket, I add my essential oils, in this case its Orange and Patchouli.

Using both my hands and hence, not the camera, I poured the clay/mud soap mixture into the fragranced and uncolored base portion then immediately poured the whole she-bang into the mold.
When it thickened up in the mold, I used the back of a spoon to texture the top.
I just love it when it looks like custard...

Then, it goes into the oven at 170*F for about an hour until it gels.
This part of the process isn't necessary, unless you are me and feel the need to cut soap the same day its made. I must have instant gratification like an 8 year old....I'll blog more about my immaturity and refusal to grow up sometime.
All you psychiatrists out there can have a field day.

Here we are fresh out of the oven!

Then, we wait....I totally hate this part, but Id rather not melt off my fingerprints.

The soap is left to come to room temperature and then I cut it to reveal the pertiness inside.

Its like treasure every time!

Here's the other soap I made the same day. Its a goats milk soap with ground oats and local, organic honey.
Its DIVINE.

Okay, so I can hear you after reading all this mumbo jumbo, "Bring on the GIVEAWAY, woman!!"
Keep your pants on.
The winner of the giveaway will receive one soap bar of each of these batches I made.
The soap needs to sit a week or two before I send it so keep that in mind, please.

All you have to do is comment to this post and answer this question:

What kind of bathing do you prefer...Bath? Shower? Waterfall? Dust bath? Backyard hose?

Or if you don't bathe, tell me that, too.
Although if you win, sending you soap would be unnecessary.

p.s...all my soaps are made with vegetable oils, organic, if possible.
the orange/patchouli soap is made with essential oils and the goats milk soap has a small amount of a honey fragrance oil.
I'll leave the comments open until Friday when I'll randomly pick a winner AND have a new recipe for you all, cuz I luv ya.

Hostess Crumb Cake Copycat

2010-10-29T15:15:00.000-07:00

ahh...the guilty pleasures of a Hostess Crumb Cake.

what is it about those stupid, fluffy, moist, crumby cakes that take you to such a happy place??

I can't tell you that, but what I can tell you is that this recipe is pretty darn close, maynard

this post is me procrastinating

there is laundry to be done

floors to be mopped

cats to be ~~shaved~~ brushed

-does that make me the crazy cat lady? does 136 cats make me crazy?

leaves to be raked

toilets that should be scrubbed

bills to be paid

computers to be defragged

septic tanks to be sucked

but noooooooooooo

CRUMB CAKE wins, using any point system, always

I was so excited about crumb cake that I neglected to take photos of the process, so yeah, ingredients:

I ran out of room to draw a box of cornstarch and bag of flour and I really do not have crossed eyes, most of the time.

this is why Im a photographer and not a ~~con~~ MS Paint artist.

what you'll need:
~ 1/2 pkg. white cake mix (9+ oz. dry mix)
~ 1/2 c. water
~ 2 egg whites
~ 2 Tb. oil
~ 2 Tb. sour cream

Mix well and pour into a 8 x 8 pan (or 8" round) that has been sprayed with non stick stuff.

For the crumb...refer to the picture above.....hahahhahaa, nah I wouldn't do that to ya.

~ 1 c. flour
~2 Tb. cornstarch
~1/2 c. sugar
~1 Tb. brown sugar

Whisk to combine and with a fork, stir in butter
~1/2 c. melted butter, cooled

it will make this crumbly cookie dough type stuff
top the batter with all the topping
bake @ 350*F for 40 mins.
eat.

p.s...its even better if its allowed to cool to room temp and covered then let to sit over night.
but, I totally understand if it doesn't make it that long.
I won't judge you.

Uber Epic Fail #348

2010-10-26T16:49:00.000-07:00

Let me preface this post by saying that I AM a cake baker. I'd put my hand on a stack of Bibles to testify to the fact. But, that didn't stop the epic failure that was about to commence as I ever so light-heartedly began to bake this afternoon.
Would you believe zombies attacked? "want caaaaaaaaaaaake...."

A good friend of mine begged me for a cake. And as I cannot seem to say "no" *facepalm*, I started a chocolate cake.
Now, lesson learned here...do not make a Texas Sheet Cake recipe in 8 inch round pans and expect them to come out of the pans in whole cake form.
I mean, why would you expect that? I suppose its too much to ask for.
Every layer, and I mean EVERY layer came out in pieces. Like my heart.

Im pretty sure I heard the universe giggling and I can almost guarantee you it was pointing as it giggled.
jerk.

See how I tried to "glue" the cake hunks together with ganache?

Yep, Im uh perfeshonal.

I know, lets add some whipped cream!

oh.

I know, I know...sprinkles!
yep, sprinkles and chocolate covered espresso beans.
maybe with a caffeine induced psychotic buzz, no one will notice the fact that their slice of cake is more like a mound of pre-chewed mess.

*in a desperate cake decorating frenzy, you'll believe anything. and sprinkles are pretty.

Lesson #2? #3? I forget...but, whipped cream frosting and sprinkles can hide a multitude of crap.

When I took this cake outside to snap a pic, a gnat swarm of Biblical proportions flew straight at it.
I. kid. you. not.
Doomed from the beginning.
I warned everyone in the house not to open the frig and even breathe wrong or the cake, held together with a wing and a sprinkle, may implode and rip a hole in the time/space continuum.
Pray CakeWrecks doesn't see this.

A Recipe and a Field Trip

2010-10-19T16:26:00.000-07:00

I would tell you that this is cornbread, but its not.
I would tell you, though, that it is a moist, light corn cake made of stone ground corn meal.
I would also tell you that this piece is history, as of 30 seconds after the photo was taken.

To get the cornmeal, ground on a millstone from a grist mill that is almost 200 years old, we had to go on a little trip. Wanna see? Do ya, do ya?

ya, that's her tongue hanging out, she doesn't have a fat lip.
classy.

This is the mill, four stories high and hugamongous! Especially if you take into consideration that it was built in 1817. The wheel is about 20 feet in diameter and gets its water from the elevated aquafer that snakes over to the mill from the creek in the hills behind the town. Too cool, right?

Of course, the mill isn't the only building in the village. Here are some of the sights.

The tavern/inn complete with barrels, taps and beds upstairs. Although, I guess people were shorter then, the ceiling was maybe 6 ft. high.

The grist mill office with spooky table.

Apothecary, castor oil included, in case you desperately need a case of explosive diarrhea.

Life must've been rough, Rosie Wedgewood, born and died Feb. 16, 1862. =(

Okay, Im sure you are all bored to tears by now.
I'll add this fluffy, nummy recipe. Serve with hot soup and some butter and honey, for good measure.

what you'll need:

melt 2 Tbs. butter and pour into an 8 x 8 square pan, set aside and preheat oven to 350*F.

in a large mixing bowl add:
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. stone ground cornmeal
1/4 c. sugar (I like it a touch sweet, you can taste the batter and adjust if you'd like more or less!)
1 Tb. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

whisk to combine then add all at once:
1/3 c. vegetable oil
3 Tbs. melted butter
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. cream or half and half

mix lightly to combine and pour into an 8 x 8 square pan in which you have already poured in the 2 Tbs. melted butter.
bake at 350*F for 35 minutes.
I like to let it cool for a couple minutes before digging in, but it is best served hot!
enjoy my corny friends =)

Dough from the frig...

2010-10-11T20:11:00.000-07:00

and a bag of shredded cheeses.

and you've got dinner!
okay, so its not good enough for my husband, who believes every meal must have meat.

I made this bread recipe about a week ago and half of it went into the Muffaletta. The other half went into the frig. I can only eat so much bread in a day.
So, today I took it out of the frig and let it come to room temperature on a piece of parchment paper that was lightly dusted with flour and covered it with plastic wrap.

At this point, I put my pizza stone on the rack closest to the bottom of the oven (that's where my elements are) and cranked that sucker up to 475*.
When the dough was warmed up (it took about 40 mins.) I patted it out with floured fingers into a round about 3/4 inch thick.

With a pizza wheel, I sliced it into strips and topped it with kosher salt, cracked pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and basil. Next came about half a bag of the cheese. I like it cheeeeesay....cheesy like a Sunday morning.

Since, I have a handy dandy wooden pizza peel, the next part of the process is A LOT easier than if I didn't. (*hint hint...they are like $10 at Bed, Bath and Beyond)
I quickly slid the breadsticks, just as they were on the parchment paper, onto the lava hot pizza stone.

Pizza peels rock.
Parchment paper may rock even more.

I let them bake for about 13-15 minutes, but your mileage may vary on that.
This is what it looked like when it came out.

Isn't that a thing of beauty???
Nom. NOM.
Dip these little dudes in marinara and you're golden, GOLDEN, I say!

See how versatile that bread recipe is?? Not just good for loaves. I love whoever those guys are that came up with this recipe...Jeff and Zoe perhaps? Ugh...I'll look it up and thank them properly later. Must. eat. breadsticks.

Dark Chocolate Snacking Cake

2010-10-07T15:12:00.000-07:00

snacking, its such a cute word
its more of a snarfing cake, though, truth be told

This is my rendition of a chocolate Texas Sheet Cake. I took an already GREAT recipe (found at the Pioneer Woman's site) and tweaked it to my personal tastes.
Honestly, its my favorite cake. Incredibly moist and dense with enough chocolate to kill any craving. Guaranteed!
Stick a fork in me, Im done.

What you'll need:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 teaspoons salt

Mix the first 3 dry ingredients well in a large bowl and set aside, then in a small saucepan, melt:
- 2 sticks butter

Then to your melted butter, add:
- 8 tablespoons cocoa (make sure to sift your cocoa if its lumpy)
- 1 cup water

Let the cocoa mixture come to a boil and boil for 30 seconds, take off heat and pour over the flour mixture and stir slightly and set aside, then in a small bowl mix together:

- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 whole eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons vanilla

Add to your flour/cocoa mix and stir to combine. Pour all this in a greased 9x13 pan. No, not a sheet pan. I want CAKE, not cake....

This bakes at 350* for about 35-40 minutes. But, I trust you to keep an eye on it. Depending on your oven it may be more or less 5 minutes. To test your cake, just gently press your finger on top of the middle of the cake, it should feel firm. When the cake is almost done baking, make your frosting...

Melt in a small saucepan
- 1 1/2 stick butter

Then add:
- 6 tablespoons (heaping) cocoa (I used Hershey's Special Dark...yeah baby)

Remove from heat and stir until smooth, then add:
- 6 tablespoons milk or cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 14 oz. powdered sugar

Stir until smooth. When your cake comes out of the oven, let it sit for about 5 minutes then pour this ultra yummy glaze over the top of it.

Take it from me, try to wait until its cool to cut into the cake or you'll burn your mouth.
Don't ask.
Oh and another thing, you may want to make this only if you'll have help eating it. I cannot guarantee that your jeans will fit the next day if you don't.

The next cake recipe will also be a Texas Cake recipe, but...it will be a white buttermilk cake with chocolate frosting. Oh my.

Ren Faire Randomness for your Hump Day

2010-10-06T16:58:00.000-07:00

or Thursday, whenever you happen upon here.
A group of us went to the Renaissance Faire this past weekend and I thought Id share some of the craziness!

The cast of characters, okay so the giant was an extra, he wouldn't fit in the car anyway.

I was the only pirate with a Canon...buh dum buh.

The year was 1547 and there was much shopping to do.

Teenage patrons in sweats...checking their cell phones?
Yeah, it was real authentic.

But, the costumes were, well, interesting to say the least. There were drunken sailors singing ditties of ocean life, wenches and grog.

Apparently, there was a hole in the log in the bog on an island in the middle of the ocean.

There were grampa knights with adorable toddlers!

and...elves? def. not Legolas.

and wee lasses and ladies with pet dragons, it moved...I swear it did!

and, um...Pan. What a character he was!

Gypsies and pirate wenches!

Pimps and thugs checking espn.com for game scores? I think somebody missed the point here.

And there is something that must be mentioned...cleavage. Cleavage abounded, no pun intended. Maegan won by finding THE best cleavage in the whole faire. I think this guy must have agreed...check out his line of sight.

Cute gals in costume with a dreadlocked guy on a phone staring at me. It was all very surreal. I was all in the renaissance mode and he was harshing my mellow...man. But, I can't blame him, he couldn't keep his eyes off my Canon.

Its good being a girl with a camera, no one, absolutely no one said I couldn't take their photo. They even smiled pretty and posed. Like these minstrels.

Even the scallywag, dirty pirates were photogenic.

Am I rambling again? How about this chick, she was all too eager to pose. All while complaining that her photos show up all over the internet. Really? Do they now?

The Enchanted Statue was spooky weird. Wasn't too sure what to make of him, her, it?

Our friendly neighborhood giant, juggling before the joust. He sure was a jolly giant, no peas though.

This kid totally showed him up, juggling 5 balls! His name was Vincent and he's gonna be somebody...and you saw it here first, kids!

Have you seen enough yet? Or can I show you the jousters? Pretty please?? They were so cool.
This is Sir Shanton (reigning champ, by the way) laughing because the announcer dude fell off his horse. Well, not so much as fell as "was thrown" because his saddle wasn't sinched. Poor guy, his shoulder was dislocated. Yee-ouch!

His horse was MAGNIFICENT and he was a total sweetie.

The other jouster was Sir Charles. He had a mohawk, how wicked is that?

And then....my camera battery died.
Learn from me, kids, always charge your batteries. Thanks for trudging through my photos and going along in the journey. Next year, Im going as a Celt.
They may take our lives, but they'll never take our FREEDOM!

Okay, so I was out of butter...

2010-10-05T16:49:00.000-07:00

I know, OUT OF BUTTER
who does that? really??

There is this cookie recipe Ive been dying to have the time to try and no butter.
*sigh*
After rummaging in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes with pauses of grumbling, cursing, crying...
I spy a box of Fleischmann's margarine.

ugh...I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.

But, being the dyed-in-the-wool, to-the-death food blogger that I am, I trudge on. Margarine and all.
So, I don't know how these would have been with real butter rather than the Oleo, but I was pleasantly surprised. Enough so that I immediately took photos and ate half a dozen.

The things I do for you people.

what you'll need dah-links:

- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (butter flavor is best)
- 1/4 cup margarine (stick margarine, not the stuff in the tub)
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar

Cream well then add:
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix in and then add:
- 2 cups all purpose flour (measured out with a spoon and leveled off)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt

and lastly fold in...
- 1 cup chocolate chips

Lazy bum that I am, I have a 1 oz. ice cream scoop that I always use for cookies. It sure is handy to keep them perfectly sized. But, it makes gargantuan, calorie-laden balls of wonderfulness. Not that its a problem for me.

These baked perfectly in 18 minutes at 350*F on an ungreased (make sure its ungreased, no parchment or silpats either) baking sheet, leaving at least 2 inches between. My husband likes them a little more crispy on the edges. They remind me of a perfect Doubletree type cookie. Not that that is a problem either.
If you like them a touch more chewy, reduce that time to about 16-17 minutes if you are using the 1 oz. lazy bum scoop.
Once taking them from the oven, I leave them on the baking sheet for about a minute before removing them to cool on a sheet of foil.

Hello luvah...

Butter Crumb Caaaaaaaaaaaaake

2010-10-02T12:31:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of photos. It was so very dark and rainy this morning while I was baking. The sun started to peek as I was setting up this photo.

This cake is oh so very nummy. The butter cake is light, but very moist. The crumb could have been better, I will explain during the recipe part of the post.
This recipe was taken and revised from the original New York style Crumbcake recipe. But, I think Ive tweaked it to make it a little better, at least in my humble caaaaaaaaaaaakey opinion.

make it or go home!

cake:
~5 oz. cake flour
~1/2 c. sugar
~1/4 tsp. baking soda
~1/4 tsp. baking powder
~1/4 tsp. salt

Whisk to combine and add:
~6 Tbs. butter, softened
~1/4 c. buttermilk (not low fat if possible)
~1 Tb. sour cream (full fat)
~1 large egg
~1 egg yolk
~1 tsp. vanilla

Fold to combine and pour into greased 8X8 square cake pan, top with crumb topping (recipe and rambling about it follows) and bake at 325*F. I baked mine for 45 minutes on a rack in the upper middle area of my oven to prevent overbrowning of the bottom. That would make it dry and who wants a dry bottom?? I mean. nevermind.

Okay for the crumb topping, the original was good. It really was, don't think Im being unthankful or anything.
It was crumby and crunchy. Which many people prefer.
But, I like a cakier crumb like the top of a Hostess crumb cake. How lame is that?
Here is the recipe for the original, I'll post the version I like afterwards.

~1/3 cup granulated sugar
~1/3 cup dark brown sugar
~1/8 teaspoon salt
~3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
~1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, still warm
~1 3/4 cups cake flour

This makes a TON of crumb, I actually put about 1/2 cup of it in the freezer for muffins cuz it just looked like it would be too much. I know, too much and crumb topping in the same sentence. weird.

Im amazed at how long I can ramble about crumbs...here's my version:

~ 1 c. flour
~ 2 T. cornstarch
~ 1/2 c. sugar
~ 1 Tb. brown sugar
~ 1/8 tsp. salt
~ 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temp

Mix with a fork till you get a pebbly texture, kind of like a crumbly cookie dough.
Layer the crumbly crumb balls on your cake batter and bake!

Now, Im not asking you to make both kinds, but if you do...let me know which you prefer.
m'kay? my loverly lurky loos??

you might also like my copycat version of the Hostess Crumb cake that I used my crumb topping recipe for!
click me for cake

Muffaletta, my way

2010-10-01T15:55:00.000-07:00

I say 'my way' because I hate olives. blech.
They are okay on pizza, but that's about it.

I love these giant sammiches. How can you go wrong, really?

Doesn't my sammich look like it has a ham tongue? Guess I stink at layering lunch meats.

"Open you mouth and say AHHHHHHHH...."

Start with a great round loaf of crusty, chewy bread. I made a batch of lazy, artisan bread from here.

I used half of this recipe, resulting in a pound and a half loaf.

For the sandwich spread, instead of the traditional olive spread (*shiver*), I made a creamy tarragon spread.

what you'll need:

~1/4 c. mayo (not Miracle Whip)

~2 Tb. french or catalina dressing

~1 tsp. tarragon

~1/8 tsp. each onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper

~2 Tb. chopped pecans

Blend the spread well and slather half of your mixture on the bottom half of the loaf.

Next, goes all your goodies. This is what I had on hand today:

~organic romaine

~1/2 lb. honey ham slices

~roasted red peppers

~whole milk mozzarella

Then, slather the other half of the spread on the top half of the loaf and top off the sammy!

Now, that's a BIG sammich!

I like to tightly wrap it all up in some foil and refrigerate for about an hour, then slice that puppy up! Traditional muffaletta is cut into pie shaped wedges. My loaf was oblong, so I just cut it up like a big sub. Serve it with some cole slaw or mmmmmm....homemade french fries! or a hot, veggie soup. I had a craving for baked mac and cheese with a buttered panko topping.

So, yeah...that's good, too.

Make your family a big muffaletta, they'll think you're just awesome!

And if you want, make the olive spread instead...even tho I didn't, my big girl panties were in the laundry.

What to say

2010-09-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

a quick note to apologize for the lack of posting today
my grandmother has passed and I find no words
hug your grandmothers, kids

10.1.10
its been a whole day, now
Im doing so much better today
thank you all so very much for your kind words
and good thoughts
I sure can feel the love =)
xo, nic

Do yourself a flavor

2010-09-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

seriously.
If you do not have reduced balsamic in your cabinet, you need some.
Its pretty expensive, which is a total buzzkill.
Good thing you can make it easily.

A fresh tomato and whole milk mozzarella, drizzled with this reduction is the best. salad. ever.

what you'll need:

~16 oz. balsamic vinegar, any kind will work, it doesn't have to be pricey
~2 Tb. brown sugar
~pinch salt

In a heavy gauged saucepan, whisk all the ingredients and bring to boil over medium high heat.
Then, turn down heat until you get a rapid simmer.
Whisk every now and again and keep an eye on it. In about 15-20 minutes it will start to get all syrupy and resinous looking. Don't let it get too thick on the stove, because once you let it cool it will thicken more.
Take it off the heat when it looks like the consistency of warm honey.
I keep mine in a small mason jelly jar ready to drizzle on strawberries, pizza, cheese, etc!

After School Bars

2010-09-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

The beauty of these scrumptious, chewy, crunchy morsels is that you can add whatever cereal you have.
They almost taste like a candy bar, but you can make a whole pan for almost nuthin.

what you'll need:

~6 c. of miscellaneous crunchy stuff...let me 'splain...
~1 c. mini marshmallows

I used 2 c. wheat chex, 2 c. broken up pretzels and 6 broken up graham crackers

But, you can use any unsweetened crunchy cereal, any kind of pretzel and go crazy and change out the crackers if you'd like. Club crackers would ROCK. Anyway...if all you have is cereal, use cereal for all 6 cups. I won't tell.

In a saucepan over medium highish heat, combine:
~1 c. corn syrup
~1 c. sugar

whisk to combine and bring to a boil, as soon as it comes to a boil, boil for ONLY 15 to 20 SECONDS...THATS IT and I mean it!!!
Any longer than that and you'll chip a tooth, seriously.

Immediately remove from heat and add:
~1 c. crunchy peanut butter
~1 t. vanilla

Whisk until smooth then pour over your crunchy mix.

Stir it all up and dump into a brownie sized pan, I think mine was 11 x 7. Oh, and spray it with some non-stick stuff first, or you will be cursing me and my ears would burn and I'd feel all bad, and stuff.

Press the mixture in the pan and then if you'd like, you can melt some chocolate chips (about 1/2 cup or so) with a teaspoon of shortening in the microwave and drizzle it on top. Cuz that makes it even better!

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm....a thing of beauty, I say!
okay, so chill this in the frig just until the chocolate is set. Then you can cut them up into bars and store in a tupperware type container. Room temperature is fine. These are great for bake sales, school snacks, oh who am I kidding...you'll just eat them all in front of the TV like I did.

The Motley to our Crue

2010-09-17T10:15:00.000-07:00

Bogart, our quintessential clown.
He fetches, sleeps upside down and cries if his box seems too "stinky". If you sit on the floor with him, he will rub all over your face with his with such love in his eyes. What a playah, eh?

No matter what he tells you, he does like his picture taken. And with that face...who could blame him?

Next, is Izzi.
Quirky, opinionated, her eyes are crystal blue and her perfect pink ears are stone deaf.
She loves her momma, tolerates all others and hogs the bed.
Four years ago, we found her crying in a dirty well-house lying next to her dead litter mate.
Her eyes had not opened yet, so the vet estimated she wasn't more than 4 or 5 days old.
With a tiny bottle and goats milk, we nursed her to health, taught her to use a litter box.

So, yeah, she thinks she's human. Sometimes, I wonder, too.

Since she can't hear, I blow on her to get her attention, hence the second image.
"Yes, momma, you blew?"

Just look at those eyes!

What cat-itude!

Banoffee Pudding

2010-09-13T06:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, I do make real food for my family...why do you ask?

This was sooooooooo good. I love banoffee pie, but its a little too sweet for me. I adapted it for a gathering I was attending and it all disappeared. Sorry, I didn't get a single serving photo for you, but as soon as everyone attacked it, it didn't look so nice and neat.

If you like bananas, dulce de leche and butterscotch, this is for you. Its kind of like the spawn of banoffee and banana pudding.

What you'll need my bloggies:

~1/2 box of shortbread cookies (I got a box of Stouffer's shortbread at the dollar store)
~2 large bananas, sliced into pennies
~1 can of dulce de leche (found in the international foods aisle if you live east of the Mississippi)
~1 recipe of butterscotch pudding (recipe follows)
~1 pint of heavy whipping cream (whipped to medium peaks with a couple tablespoons of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla added during whipping)

First, you crush about 16 shortbread cookies and layer all but about 1/3 cup of it in a 2 quart baking dish.
Mine is round, weird, I know. I don't even remember where I got it. Make it in whatever you like, time and space will remain constant and angels will not weep if you use a cake pan.
Then, atop that, layer your banana slices.

Next, goes the can of dulce de leche, try not to eat half of it...licking the spatula between every scoop is not kosher.

Now, your pudding. Make sure you've cooled it down a little before you layer it on.

After the pudding has cooled completely, schmear on your whipped cream nice and thick...and top with the remaining crushed shortbread.
Its best if you cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for a few hours before serving. Its like layered love, if you ask me.

Butterscotch Pudding:

In a medium saucepan, whisk:
~3/4 c. dark brown sugar
~1/3 c. flour
~1/2 t. salt

Separately, mix together:
~1 c. cream or half & half
~1 c. whole milk
~3 egg yolks

Then, add the milk mixture to the flour/sugar in saucepan and whisk till smooth. Bring to boil over medium heat and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and add:
~1 Tbs. butter
~2 tsp. vanilla

Let it cool for a bit, if you lay some plastic wrap on the surface of the pudding, it won't get that skin that usually forms...and who wants skin on their pudding?
I mean, what if it started to grow hair, then you'd have to shave or wax it before you made dessert.
And that's just gross.

The Day I Became my Grandma

2010-09-08T16:11:00.000-07:00

aka...carrot cake.

Let me explain.
Have you ever done something out of your element then in hindsight when you had time to think about it, realized it was exactly something your grandmother/grandfather/mom/dad would do?
Yesterday, I was rummaging through "that" cabinet.
You know, that cabinet that is like a virtual avalanche when you open the door?
The family secret that no one talks about, its embarrassing really.

I digress.
I came across some aluminum food storage containers that I had gotten at the dollar store. And I thought to myself, hey...self...wouldn't those be perfect to make some carrot cake in and freeze them so that if I needed an impromptu dessert or pms attack, Id have cake. CAKE, PEOPLE! And we all know, cake doesn't need a reason.

So, that's what I did. I made some carrot cake batter and divided it in the 3 containers (they measured about 8" by 5 1/2") and baked them up.
Here's the recipe I used by the way....

1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 1/3 c. vegetable oil
4 lg. eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. carrots, grated
1 c. diced apple (or drained, crushed pineapple...banana, sweet potato, pumpkin...you get the picture. The latter 3 would make the cake even more moist...and that's never a bad thing!)

mix those together and add (how's that for instruction?):

2 1/4 c. flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups
2-3 tsp. cinnamon, depending on your level of spice likeablility...I like 3.
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Lightly stir together and divide into 3 greased pans (8 or 9 inch if you're going to make a cake right away or those little thingies I bought, if you are also becoming your grandmother)
Bake at 350* for 30-35 mins in the 8 or 9 inch pans or 45 minutes in the grandma pans.

At this point, I could almost hear my grandmother saying, "You should frost those before you freeze them, that way it eliminates a step later."
Gram was ALWAYS right...btw.

Speaking of my Gram, you would have loved her. She was this tiny, spunky, uber smart spitfire that everybody liked immediately. She told it like she saw it so you could always count on her to either give you good advice or a kick in the pants, if you needed it.
I cannot express in words how much I miss her. The day she passed (8 years ago) I didn't cry, I couldn't. Processing the whole thing was more than I could bear. So, down it all was shoved and if I had stopped to think about it for more than 3 seconds, a mental breakdown would have been a sure thing.

Long story even longer, I tear up just thinking about her now. I am thankful for all the knowledge she imparted/guilted/pummeled/advised to me. She had 7 children and helped raised several grandchildren, as well. So, freezing dinners and desserts for another time is exactly something she did.

Wow, this got all TMI and deep, didn't it? Sorry about that.

okay, so just frost the darn things...this is the recipe I used...

1 stick salted butter, room temp.
1-8 oz. block cream cheese, room temp.
1 tsp. vanilla
3-4 Tbs. cream, milk or half & half
3 c. powdered sugar

Once your cakes have cooled, ice those puppies all the way to the edges of the pan to seal the cake, top with some chopped pecans, if you'd like...I liked.

Now, put them in the freezer uncovered for about 30 mins. to make the icing solid.

Then you can wrap them up all snug as a bug and freeze them for later...or like tomorrow when you need a fix.

Please enjoy the recipe and thank you for listening to my ramblings about my beloved Gramgram.
And if you still have your gram, savor every minute with her. She is a treasure that cannot be replaced.
xoxo, nic

Did I ever mention....

2010-09-07T06:44:00.000-07:00

that Im a soapmaker?
My memory isn't what it used to be.
But, I do remember that Im quite proficient. I think.
Here are some random soaps Ive made. Although, I don't make much soap anymore, I still enjoy it from time to time.

First is Flowerchild, topped with dried floral buds. I had one woman tell me it reminded her of a particular flower that grows in Scotland. She stood there and huffed it for several minutes before purchasing a few bars.

The second one is Black Raspberry Vanilla, girlies love this one.

Third, Mantra, it won an award!
See? I told you I was proficient...well, at least once I was.

This one is Cuban Coffee Bean, it smelled like Starbucks...sold VERY well lol.

The one below is French Lavender, I need to make some today. Ive got a market at the end of the month and my customers will expect that one. I may get lynched if I don't have some.

The white and pink one next is Peppermint Stick. Oh, how I love peppermint.

For the two above, the green/blue one is Cedarwood Patchouli, yum....and the last one Mint Cocoa Bean.
The swirl is made with pure cocoa powder.

I called this one Bad Moon Rising, thought it looked kinda cool, in a groovy, heavy kind of way. It smelled herbally earthy, a great dude scent!

One more...Cedarwood Mint, I love this essential oil combo. Earthy and refreshing all at the same time!

So, there you have it, some of my favorites from the past few years.
This is the one I made last night, just cut it this morning. Its Goats Milk Oatmeal and Honey. Probably my best seller next to Lavender.

In the mold, it will make 11 bars and a sliver left for meeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Here it is being cut...I know, you are all so very impressed with my state of the art soap cutter...ahem.

And all in a row like soldiers, ready to cure up for a few weeks and be packaged. My troops will then be sent to various bathrooms in homes across my state for the sole purpose of ridding the masses of dirt and smelly smells.

Have I bored you to tears yet?
My next post will be food...back to your regularly scheduled programming, I promise!

Double Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

2010-08-27T07:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, so let me preface this recipe by saying that just because it has yogurt in the title, it is not "diet" or "low calorie".
So, you won't be hearing any of those hip, rad buzz words like "healthy", "eco-friendly" or "green"...wait. Anyway.
Don't count your calories here folks.
If you want to swap out low fat ingredients, be my guest, buuuuuuuuut...it won't be the same, guaranteed!

I share because I care.

what you'll need...

~32 oz. plain full-fat yogurt
~12 oz. sweetened condensed milk
~3/4 c. sugar
~1 Tb. vanilla extract
~1 tsp. vanilla powder (optional, but tasty!)

Whisk all together, yep, that was hard, huh?

Okay, so this makes a lot of frozen yogurt. Probably more than your ice cream maker can handle at one time. It was about twice the amount my Cuisinart can handle. So, I poured half into the ice cream maker and reserved the other half in the frig until the first half was done. I didn't even have to refreeze the bowl, it had enough oomph to freeze it all. Snazzy, eh?
So, working quickly, spoon the frozen yogurt into a freezable container and store in the freezer until the next half of yogurt is done. Also, I suppose you could reserve the other half of the unfrozen liquid in the frig until you were ready for it.
Once all your yogurt is frozen, resist the temptation to eat it all and freeze it for several hours to let it ripen and finish freezing. I just ended up leaving mine overnight. The next day it was utter frozen yogurt perfection.

Utter.
I said utter. moo lol

Look what you made me do.

Its rich, its creamy, its tangy...like the kind of yummy that makes you question why you ever thought it wasn't as good as ice cream.
Feel free to use this as a base for other flavor extracts or additions.
I think it would be FAB with a cup of fruit added to emphasize that tangyness, like peaches or berries or mangoes or chocolate.

Almost 2 years ago, I posted this...

2010-08-26T07:47:00.000-07:00

and it really bears repeating
some of you may be newer followers
and as posts tend to get buried, I thought Id resurrect a particularly useful project for those of you that like to tackle your own celebration cakes.

This type of cake decorating can be adapted to just about any cartoon image you'd like.
Your daughter likes Dora? Done.
Little guy loves Bob the Builder...easy!

It entails some work, mostly getting your icing colors right and freezing the image between each step.
You don't have to do the rainbow cake part...its just so fun, you'll want to pee yourself!
Ok, maybe not that, but you know.
Kids LOVE these!

Please read the whole recipe and info before starting....I have a few flashbacks and some flashsideways so, its best to take it all in before you start.

Easy cake part:
(you can use a scratch cake here too, but...call me lazy today. You'll need a thick battered cake, hence the sour cream pound cake-ish type here)

1 white cake mix (if its lumpy, sift it)
1 c. water
1/2 c. sour cream (I had light on hand, just don't use fat free plz)
1/2 c. vegetable oil
3 eggs

Now, after you've mixed this up well, separate the batter into however many colors you'd like. I used disposable 16 oz. drinking cups and made all 6 colors of the rainbow.
Then, I colored each portion with Wilton gel colors, liberally, to get vibrant shades. (You'll need a little more batter for the first color poured than the last.)
This is where you can get creative with your colors, make aqua, pink and brown if you'd like, anything will work!

In a greased and floured 8" round cake pan, pour the first color of your choice, spread it evenly with a spatula to the edges of the pan. Continue with the next color, but don't worry about spreading it, just pour it in a circular motion onto the first color, leaving a border of that first color that you can see, a good inch or so. Just keep pouring the colors into the center of the color before it. In the cake above, I only used 1/2 a cake mix and used one 6" cake pan for one cake, so I poured all six colors into one pan. But, if you use an entire cake mix recipe, you'll need two 8" pans. What Id do in that case is pour 3 colors into one pan, then continue with the next 3 colors in the next pan. Then when you stack the cakes, you'll have the entire rainbow.

Once your colors are poured, they should look like a bullseye in your pan.
Bake them off at 350* till the middle springs back when touched.
I sliced off the dome top after it cooled.

Stack and ice them as desired. I used decorator's whipped cream icing (Bettercreme), because I'm lazy. lol
But, fondant will work too, as well as buttercream.

Next, the decorating! This is called a frozen buttercream transfer.
First, I printed out an inverted smilie with a spoon logo that I found online.
You can also use coloring book images as well...but, remember its all in how much detail you want to conquer. Its really not all that difficult.
This image happened to be pretty simple, but Ive done more complex ones, as well.
Ive done Pooh, Precious Moments, Nemo, etc.
(remember your image will be a mirror image because it will be done backwards...basically any color book image could be used...think of the possiblities!
:Remember!: If using text such as your child's name, make sure it is a backwards mirror image so that when you invert it on top of the cake, it will read correctly.

tape your image right side up to a piece of cardboard
put a piece of glass over that (like from a picture frame)
then tape a piece of wax paper on top of that

Get your icing (I used a simple 1c. shortening to 3c. powdered sugar with enough milk to make it the consistency of toothpaste) ready, coloring a little black, a little yellow, a VERY little red and leaving the rest white
w/ a tiny icing tip (#3) and the black icing, outline your image.
(freeze again)

Put the whole sha-bang in the freezer to set up
then start filling in like a coloring book picture (you may have to thin down your icing a little so it fills in smoothly)
first the yellow face and red drips from spoon (I used a #10 for yellow, #3 for red) (freeze again)

Now fill a bag with the white and a #10
and fill in the teef, hat and spoon
then add another layer of white over the whole thing
(freeze again)

Once your image is very frozen and working quickly, very carefully untape it from the glass
invert over the top of your cake, centering as well as you can and place on top and
peel off wax paper.

Voila! moist, dense rainbow yumminess!
Smash your face in this puppy and go running down the street in a gold jumpsuit singing showtunes.

How about some Mongolian Beef?

2010-08-25T09:22:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I love the fact that I can make some really good Asian food without schlepping out of the house.
Mostly, because that would entail me changing out of my jammies.
People look at you funny if they can see your skivvies through your threadbare jammy pants.
snobs.

what you'll need:

1 lb. flank steak or cube steak, thinly sliced crosswise
1/4 c. cornstarch
2-3 Tbs. olive or canola oil

1/2 tsp. ginger (grated or powder)
2 tsp. minced garlic (about 2 large cloves)
3 large green onions, sliced

Whisk together in small bowl, set aside for sauce:
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. low sodium soy sauce (if you don't use low sodium, it might be a touch salty)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp. red pepper flakes (this will add heat, so the amount is up to you)

2 c. broccoli, chopped and cooked (I used some frozen chopped broccoli, heated through in the microwave for a couple minutes)
about 4 c. cooked rice, I like brown rice, for what that's worth.

For the meat, make sure the slices are dry by patting them with a paper towel. Throw the cornstarch into a gallon ziplock, add the meat strips, shake to coat all the strips well. In a large skillet, saute the meat in a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium to medium-high heat until cooked through. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

For the sauce, in the same pan, add the garlic, green onions and the ginger, saute for a minute. Add the soy sauce, water, brown sugar and pepper flakes you whisked together. Cook sauce for a couple minutes and add the cooked meat strips to the sauce.
Continue to simmer for a few more minutes until everything gets all thick and saucy.
Yeah, I said saucy.
Saauuucy....

Toss together your rice and broccoli and layer your meat saucy mixture on top.
Its quite yummy, I think you'll be real happy with this recipe.
Serves about 3-4.

White Chicken Chili

2010-08-17T13:07:00.001-07:00

I've heard it mentioned that this is the "girl" version of chili.
Pishaw! I say!
Make it hot, make it spicy, show those boys what "girly" really means.

what you need:

2 T. olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped

saute in large saucepan until the onions start to get translucent then add:

1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. cumin powder

stir all in with the sizzling onions for a minute then add:

3 1/2 c. chicken stock
1/2 c. green chilies, chopped (about a 4 oz. can with juice)
15 oz. can white northern beans, drained
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Let this come to a steady simmer and add:

2/3 c. pulverized corn tortilla chips
(you can add masa if you have it, perhaps 1/4 cup or so)
2 T. sour cream

Stir in and let simmer for another 5-10 minutes or so before serving.
Salt to taste at the end since the crushed chips have salt in them.

Makes about 4 large servings, but easily doubled for bigger crowds.

To Frost or not To Frost, that is the question.

2010-07-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

This is a redeux of my Ugly Mug Cake.
Which was truly...ugly.
Despite its unfortunate looks, it is really tasty.
You know those days when you really just need some chocolate cake?
But, who wants to drag out every bowl you have and heat up your already hot house with the oven?

Hence, I give you, a cake of your very own, to frost or not to frost, to share or not to share.
Feel the power?
You're welcome.

Again, what you'll need:

1 pkg. chocolate cake mix (Pilsbury, Betty Crocker, generic, whatever you like)
1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) instant chocolate pudding mix (instant)

Mix these together and package up in a large mason jar, gallon ziplock bag, etc. This is your base for many, many, ooey, gooey, chocolate fantasms of joy.
(I think I hear villagers rejoicing)

1/2 c. of your chocolate cake/pudding mix
1 heaping Tbsp. sour cream
1 Tbsp. oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract (use the good stuff, people)
1/4 - 1/3 c. coffee (I usually just grab whatever is left over from the coffee pot. You can use water here, as well)
1 Tbsp. chocolate chips (the mini ones work best)

Mix up your ingredients and spoon into a cereal bowl that you've sprayed with non-stick spray. Now, all bowls are not created equal. Make sure your bowl is microwavable and don't fill the it more than halfway with your batter. As a tiny, chocolate Chernobyl may result in your microwave.

Oh, the humanity!

Microwave on full power for about a minute and a half or so. Again, all microwaves are not created equal. If you have an ancient one, it may take a few seconds longer than a brand new, technologically advanced zapper.
Mine takes exactly 1 minute 45 seconds.

To make it pretty, top with whipped cream, frosting or iiiiiiiiice cream...NOM.
Or don't, its your choice.
As it is pretty dang decent plain and simple.

This little cake, too easy to be true, is so rich and moist. It reminds me a bit of a flourless torte.
Go sit in the corner, hovering over your decadent treat like a vulture, growl at the kids and the dog. But, whatever you do, just don't tell Jacques Torres, he'd probably retract my rights to touch chocolate ever again.

Vanilla Bean Dulce de Leche Macarons

2010-07-29T12:26:00.000-07:00

okay, so these are rather messy, infuriating and a little complicated.
but, oh so worth it!

see the little "foot"???
I fiiiiiinally got them.

For the recipe, I used THIS recipe from Tartelette.
She seriously rocks macarons in a big, bad way.

The only thing I changed was I left out the violet sugar and added ground vanilla beans. For the filling, I used canned Dulce de Leche with some good vanilla added to it.
That's basically it. Id walk you through it, but seriously, check out Tartlette's site, she's a pro at this.
The infuriating part is trying to get them the same size.
Mine looked like the line up at 7th grade gym class...too tall, short, chubby, scrawny, one picking its nose...gah.
I've found I like the smaller ones (1.5 inch) as opposed to the larger ones. They are just cuter, more compact, like me. ha.
I ended up baking them at 325*F for about 15-18 minutes.

I so wanna make blue ones...
mmmm....bluuuuue...

Lemon Basil Bread

2010-07-27T12:25:00.000-07:00

From the bakeries atop Mount Olympus, Atlantis, Nirvana, Heaven, or your choice of paradise comes this delicate, beautious rendition of the staff of life.
Tall, fluffy, soft, perfect.

okay, is that enough?
what an introduction, eh? lol
This is an exact mimic of the lovely bread Jennifer and I purchased at her farmer's market from a Syrian bakery.
okay, the bread we bought was lemon sage, but I have basil in my garden, so there you go.
I truly hope you love it as much as I do.

what you'll need, my pretties...

got a kitchen scale?
good, you'll need it!
Weigh up a nice potato, you'll need at least 8 ounces of potato after its peeled.
Dice it up and in a saucepan, cover it with at least a cup of water or so.
Boil until its soft.
Once its soft, remove the potato from the water, weigh out 8 ounces of boiled potato.
You'll also need 3 1/2 ounces of the potato water, add that to your potato.

Mash the potato in the water with a fork until you get a mushy mash. That sounded redundant. Set aside to cool off.

In a mixer bowl:

1 lg. egg yolk
2 oz. white sugar
2 oz. half and half or cream
1 1/2 tsp. lemon extract

Add cooled off potato mash and...

2 tsp. dry yeast

Mix on low until combined, then add:

12 oz. bread flour
3 oz. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt

Mix with paddle attachment for a couple minutes then add:

1 oz. shortening (stay with me here...)
3 lg. basil leaves, minced (you could use dry here, a teaspoon or two?)
1 tsp. lemon zest

Let the mixer work for a couple minutes until you get a shaggy dough, remove the dough from the bowl onto a piece of parchment paper doused (doused?) with a few tablespoons of flour.
It will be sticky, don't worry!

Roll it around and coat it in the flour and turn the edges underneath itself forming a smooth ball. At this point, most of the flour from the parchment will be incorporated.

Place the smooth dough in an oiled bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise 40-45 minutes or until about double.

Divide into two equal pieces (this makes two 1 lb. loaves) and place in two greased bread loaf pans, dust with flour. My pans were a little smaller than standard. I think they were about 7 1/2 inches long by 4 inches wide.
Allow to rise, loosely covered with plastic wrap, until dough is about 1 inch above the edges of the pan, this took me about 45 minutes.
When there is about 10 minutes left on the rise, preheat your oven to 350*F.
CAREFULLY remove the plastic wrap after the rise, you don't want to deflate your loaves for goodness sake.
How tragic would that be?
Babies would cry and angels would weep. So sad.

Bake at 350*F for about 35 minutes. At the 25 minute mark, I quickly opened the oven and placed a piece of foil across the top of the loaves so they didn't get too browned on top.
Other pan sizes will vary the baking time, just keep an eye on them.
If you have a thermometer, the internal temp should be 190*.

Look at that oven spring!!

Oh, the crumb...the soft, slightly sweet, lemony, basily (basily?) taste....

My daughter and I dived in as soon as the loaves were cool and tried it plain, with butter and with vanilla honey butter.
Stop looking at me like that.
Does this bread make my butt look big?

Yeah, just like that, baby!

Once your loaves have cooled, keep wrapped in plastic so they don't dry out.
Resist the urge to slice and eat every loaf with a stick of butter while vegging out in front of the tv watching The Office, making bread is HARD!

Farmer's Market Trip

2010-07-26T15:25:00.001-07:00

Recently, I visited Colorado to see my BFF and her town has the cutest little farmer's market!
Check out some of the images I captured for you.

Beets, gorgeous, colorful beets!

Wildflowers abounded, it took A LOT of restraint not to buy every single bunch!

Have you ever seen more beautiful onions in your life??

Oh, the breeeaaaad....people, the BREAD! There will be a blog post very soon as I was bread obsessed when I got home.

Never in my days have I seen squash like these, perfectly split down the middle with colors of green and yellow. Superb!

Tomorrow, there will be a post about bread, some of the most incredible bread Ive ever tasted.
When I got home, I researched and read till my eyeballs dried up.
Today, I was able to perfectly mimic the bread we got at the Farmer's Market.
You're gonna love it!

Zucchini Potato Latkes

2010-07-11T15:46:00.000-07:00

Got so many zucchini you don't know what to do??
Are neighbors leaving sacks of them on your porch, ringing the doorbell and running?
jerks.

what you'll need:

1 cup grated, packed zucchini
1 cup grated, packed potato (I used a red potato)

grate your veggies and squeeze out as much juice as you can, the drier the better!
then add:

1 lg. egg
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 t. onion powder
1 clove garlic, minced
3 lg. basil leaves, minced (or 1 tsp. dry)
3 T. self rising flour
1/2 c. shredded cheese (I used some colby, but any kind is fine)
1 T. (heaping) sour cream

mix all together and drop into a hot skillet by 1/4 cup amounts, flatten the mixture with a fork to about pancake thickness, saute in olive oil over medium to medium-high heat until crispy brown.
serve with sour cream and chives, if you'd like!

Upcycling, Redoing, Creating

2010-07-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

If you are anything like me, you change your decor about every 2 or 3 years as the fancy strikes.
And its not like Ive got a billionaire sugar daddy to fund it all.
My usual pet peeve is expensive pillows.
A great way to punch up a blah room is great pillows, right?

Have you priced them?
Holy cow!
Since Im less one arm and a leg now and don't have the others to spare, I figured Id break out and make my own.

Now, Im quite an impatient Patty and did NOT want to sew together a pillow.
So, I found a plain aqua pillow at a superstore (Meijer) on clearance for $5.
I doubt I could've bought the fabric and stuffing for that price.

To make it decorative, I pulled out my stash of felt (which can be found cheaply) and cut out an owl shape, his belly, eyes, beak and some leaves.
Using some embroidery floss and a tapestry needle, I simply sewed together what I thought looked cute.
(you can find TONS of inspiration if you google, I promise)
Using hot glue, I glued him onto the pillow, then randomly glued the leaf shapes.
Voila!
Ive got a decorative pillow that cost me under $6.

Since felt doesn't ravel, think of all the possibilities!
Flower silhouettes, birds, cats, dogs, houses, clock shapes, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
I need more pillows =)

What?? Another blog? Are you crazy, lady?

2010-06-30T15:46:00.000-07:00

I must be certifiable. And that is a weed.

http://www.aperturesciencephotography.blogspot.com

its just a little place to share with family and friends
I shot a wedding this past weekend, so those of you who "know" me may want to check it out.
Those of you who don't, may not give a hoot.
Its cool, I love ya anyways.

Hot Momma Refrigerator Pickles

2010-06-14T17:13:00.001-07:00

...yes, I would be the hot momma *snicker*

No, seriously, they are a titch spicy...and sweet and tart and crunchy.
nom.

Whisk together:

~1 cup white distilled vinegar
~1 1/2 c. white sugar
~2 tsp. salt
~1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper
~1 tsp. celery seed
~2-3 tsp. tabasco sauce

~1/2 tsp. dill (optional, lots of peeps like the dill, I like them just fine without!)

Mix until sugar is dissolved and add:

~3 cups thinly sliced cucumbers
(note: if you slice your cukes up and put them in the frig for a couple days before dunking them in the brine, they will stay crisper for you!)
~1/2 c. sliced thinly red onion (optional)

Unfortunately, I did not have the onion.
All heck and hades blew up in thunderstorms in our area, so I had to hurry up and pick my cukes out of the garden and whip this up for a photo for you.

Oh and yeah, first harvest from the garden! Yay!
It was 4 small cukes, I like them small cuz their crunchy and crisp.

anyway, I ramble.
I usually put all this in a large quart-sized Mason jar, but any container with a lid will do.
Shake it all up a bit and refrigerate several hours or overnight.

I can't tell you how yummy these are with pulled pork, BBQ chicken or, oh man, on a really good hot dog. *faints*
You can eat all the pickles out of the juice and fill it back up with cukes!
Well, unless you have grubby fingers digging out the pickles...cuz, eww.

Fruit Crumble Crisp

2010-06-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

Since its summer, we definitely need a go-to recipe for a dyed-in-the-wool perfect comfort food.
And since its me...that would be a dessert.
I didn't have fresh peaches, so I used a 29 oz. can instead.
I promise, it still turned out fab.
You could try apples, cherries, pears, raspberries, blueberries or a combination of several.

This recipe is for an 8 x 8 pan, double for a 9 x 13.

what you'll need kiddies:

3-4 cups of fruit (I used a drained 29 oz. can of peaches and a cup of fresh blackberries)
3 Tbs. flour
3 Tbs. sugar
dash salt

Mix gently and pour into a greased 8 x 8 dish.
Mine happened to be a 7 x 9 Pyrex dish.

Topping:

1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. oatmeal
1/2 tsp. salt

mix well, then cut in with a pastry blender or fork:

1 stick cold butter, cut into cubes.

Cut in until the butter is well incorporated in small even pieces.
At this point, your topping will look a lot like crumble!

Pile all that sugary, oaty, buttery goodness on top of your fruit, evenly, of course.
Bake at 350*F for about 40-45 mins.
If you've doubled this, it might take a bit longer.
But, you will see the fruit get all bubbly around the edges and the top will get golden brown and crunchy.
Let it cool a bit before serving.
Molten hot spoonfuls of sugary fruit can be a deadly weapon and we wouldn't want you scalding your guests.
Well, unless you'd rather they not visit anymore.
Its your call.

Who's your baby daddy? a.k.a. Frankensquash.

2010-06-05T09:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, so here's the deal.
I google, this is how I know.
When you have a squash vine and you want actual squash to grow, a boy flower and a girl flower must be open during the same timeframe (like a couple hours) to pollinate or the baby squash behind the female flower will die and fall off.

So, yesterday morning I went out to my tiny garden to find a beautiful, yellow, hugamongous zucchini flower open with the cutest baby zucchini behind it.
Much to my horror, no male flowers were open.
GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

But...with my little eye I spied an open male acorn squash flower.
{Enter mad Mad Scientist full of evil madness and stuff}
With my mad paintbrush I stole the pollen from the acorn squash flower and brushed it ever so slightly on the female zucchini flower.
It almost felt wrong.

Visions of Ligers and Tions raced through my head.
Doctor Moreau laughed maniacally showing his sharp, yellow, coffee stained teeth and wrung his thin fingers knowing he had influenced yet another soul.

This morning, as you see above, the baby squash is quite alive and hence must have been pollinated. Did a friendly bee happen to bring along the correct pollen?
Will it be a hybrid of some mutated sort?
I will update the abomination as it thrives and grows.

"Feed me, Seymour!!"

How does your garden grow?

2010-06-02T17:26:00.001-07:00

Mine grows swimmingly...well, for now.
woo!
You never know when those pesky pesks might show up and want to nibble on your tender shoots and vines. Id rather not have to use any sprays or pesticides, that would kind of defeat the whole purpose, you know?

The lasagna style gardening seems to be for me. You don't have to rely on the soil in your yard, which mine kinda suckled. I think some of this ground was fill dirt because we find little rocks and what not when digging in some places.
Garden plants don't take well to clay and icky fill dirt.
Lasagna gardening bypasses all that and gives you a clean slate, soil-wise.

The neighbor's tree was overflowing with cherries, so I put together some jam this afternoon with the cherries and some blackberries I had in the freezer.

Im nervous, people.
Its still rather fluid, ugh, hope it gels and makes uh...jam.
If not, I'll label it 'Berry Syrup'.
It'll be great for pancakes and waffles, right?
RIGHT??
Jeepies, all that work for syrup.

Sweet Potato Banana Muffins or Loaves

2010-05-27T11:04:00.001-07:00

To heck with expensive bakery muffins, make your own, I say!

*Disclaimer: Consumption of said muffin may induce joy, contentment and a general sense of well being. Use with caution.*

what you'll need, my little pretties....

~ 1 cup mashed sweet potatoes (I used some from a can of "yams" drained and mashed)
~ 3 whole Medium, ripe Bananas (I use frozen bananas, let them thaw and drain them because they get watery)
~ 1 cup Sugar
~ 2/3 cup Vegetable Oil
~ 2 whole Eggs (large)
~ 2 cups Flour, Not Sifted
~ 2 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
~ 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
~ 1/2 teaspoons Salt

~ 2/3 cups Mini Chocolate Chips (optional)
~ 1/2 cups Chopped Walnuts (optional)

Mix together sweet potatoes, bananas, sugar, oil and eggs.
Then add in the dry ingredients and chocolate chips.
Fold batter carefully until flour is incorporated.

As for the walnuts, I reserve these and toss them on top so that they toast as the bread bakes. They end up tasting amazing this way, trust me.

This batter ended up filling four 5 X 3 inch little loaf pans (GREASED! or you’ll be cussing me).
I suppose it would fill up two 8 X 4 inch loaf pans, too. But, my volume math is a little rusty so whatever you use, leave about 3/4 of an inch from the top of the batter to the top edge of your pan.

Or, just throw all caution to the wind and make muffins instead.

Bake loaves at 350F for 15 minutes, then turn down to 325F for another 30 minutes.

If you’re making muffins, it will depend on the size of your muffin tin.
I made Texas sized bakery muffins, so they took 30 mins. or so.
Just watch them, I gently press on the top of the muffin when I think they are close to done. If they are done, they will spring back and feel firmish. If they are not done, it will feel gooey.
Or, stab them with a toothpick.
Whatever floats your witch.
"She turned me into a newt!"
"A newt?!"
"I got better..."
(Monty Python lives!)

Hey, how technical is that? My grandfather was an engineer, so I come by it honestly....not.

Test them to make sure they’re cooked through the middle. But take care NOT to overbake, or you will have dry muffins.
And there is nothing worse than a dry muffin.

Makes 4 mini loaves or 8 or 9 Texas sized muffies.

PB and J cookies

2010-05-23T17:20:00.000-07:00

Can't you just feel the love?
Its like a Sunday afternoon at grandma's and a treat after a long day at school all rolled into one.
We like raspberry preserves, but please get crazy and use your favorite!
But, eww...don't use orange marmalade.
Okay, use it, but don't tell me if you do.

what you'll need:

1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter flavor shortening
3 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 c. fruit preserves or jam (not jelly)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place sheets of foil on counter top for cooling cookies.
Combine brown sugar, peanut butter, shortening, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Add egg. Beat just until blended.
Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended.
At this point, I like to chill the dough for an hour.
Roll into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.
With your thumb, make an indention in the top of each dough ball and fill with about 1/2 tsp. preserves.

Bake one baking sheet at a time for 8 - 10 minutes or until set and just beginning to brown. (Please note that this time is relative, your oven may be cooler or hotter than mine. Also, depending on how many cookies you put on the cookie sheet, it may take a little longer. So, keep your eye on them!)
Do not over-bake, you'll want them to be barely golden on the edges.
Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to foil to cool completely.

Pour yourself a glass of milk and join me for pb & j, my way ;)

Our Garden, Lasgana Style

2010-05-17T14:39:00.000-07:00

I was horribly remiss at taking photos along the way. My hands were so grubby that I was reluctant to pick up my baby...err, camera.
But, here was the process for any who are interested in lasagna gardening!
No, there is not a lasagna pasta plant.

The Lasagna style refers to a layering of different materials.
We started with a sunny place in the backyard lawn...okay, lets be honest here, its mostly dandelions.
I loosened up the sod with a garden claw then layered the whole area with recycled newspapers, about 4 pages thick.
Wet those down.
Top with a scant layer of straw.
The theory is that the newspapers smother the lawn then break down to provide a nice compost for the veggies.
I hope it stifles the weeds, too.
If not, you'll hear me ranting soon enough.

Here is where I took the first photo:

Our garden is tiny, a 4 foot by 8 foot rectangle. But, there is only 3 people in our family, so I hope it is plenty!

Next, I layered a 2.2 cubic ft. bag of peat moss, 16 bags (40 lb.) top soil and 2 bags (also 40 lbs.) of manure.
My dear husband cut some metal supports for one end so I can string some twine to carry the load of the pole beans.

Ain't he just the greatest?
Hands off ladies, he's mine.

Then the plants went in...3 acorn squash, 3 zucchini, 4 salad cukes, 4 bell peppers, 6 pink girl tomatoes, uh, many pole beans and in the corners some cilantro and basil.
I probably planted too tightly, I just couldn't throw seedlings away.
They look up at you with those bright green leaves and just...well, you know.

I promise to update the garden as the beans sprout and the vines flower.
The whole schpeal cost me about $60, but that investment should reap some decent rewards in the coming months. And next year, I'll just have to amend the soil with a little compost and plant!
Hopefully, soon I will so much produce that I will be begging you all to come and take vegetables off my hands!

Brown Sugar Pancake/Waffle Syrup

2010-05-09T08:33:00.001-07:00

The first time I had some brown sugar syrup over my fluffy, hot pancakes, I thought "where has this been all my life??"
So, when you find yourself out of that wretched stuff marked "maple syrup" when in reality it is only flavored corn syrup, make some of this.
You may never go back to maple!

what you'll need:

~2 c. brown sugar (I used light)
~1 c. water
~4 T. butter, unsalted
~1/2 tsp. salt
~2 tsp. vanilla

Add all but vanilla to small saucepan, bring to boil while whisking to dissolve the sugar. Let boil rapidly over medium heat for a full 3 minutes.
Immediately remove from heat, whisk in vanilla and let cool for a couple minutes until serving.

To keep, I poured the excess into a canning jar to place in the frig. (DO NOT stir it as it cools, it will form grainy sugar crystals in the syrup.) It will thicken up quite a bit, but you can pop in the microwave for a few seconds to warm it up before serving next time.

oh, its sooo good...

Really, really, reallllly good frosting

2010-05-06T12:12:00.001-07:00

chocolate, that is.
Its like a whipped ganache or mousse, quite lovely.
Your family will make yummy noises and sing your praises.

what you'll need:

~1 c. heavy cream (confession time, I only had half and half)
~2 Tbl. corn syrup
~pinch salt

~20 oz. semisweet chocolate, like Nestle's mini chips or chopped chocolate of your choice.

~1 tsp vanilla
~1 cup powdered sugar
~2 sticks butter, cut into pieces

Heat cream with corn syrup and salt on stove until simmering. (Can you handle another confession? I threw it in the microwave for about a minute or a little more until it was hot, but not boiling.)
Meanwhile, put chocolate pieces in your mixer bowl and with the mixer running add simmering cream mixture slowly and mix for one minute, until chocolate is melted.
I used the whisk attachment on my Kitchen Aid.

Add powdered sugar and vanilla and mix again.
Then, with mixer running, add butter one piece at a time, waiting until the piece is incorporated before adding another. Cool until thick and spreadable.
It will look like thin fudge until its cold.
Beat with an electric mixer for a few minutes before spreading.
It will lighten in color and get all whippy looking, like this!

Great on all flavors of cakes, I made chocolate...of course.
makes about 4 cups of frosting, maybe a titch less.
Keep refrigerated! I doubt it would handle high temps very well, not that it sticks around for very long.
Also, GREAT for cupcakes!

Navajo Tacos

2010-05-03T17:00:00.001-07:00

Not your typical taco...well, unless you're Navajo!
I love these things...soft, fluffy flat bread topped with everything you love in your tacos.
So, make up a batch of fry bread and get creative.
Whether vegetarian or with meat, your choice!

what you'll need:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup skim milk, warmed, but not hot
1 T. veggie oil

2 cups shortening for frying, or as needed (depending on size of skillet)

In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in milk and oil, and mix until the dough just until it comes together.
Add more flour if necessary to be able to handle the dough. On a floured surface, knead the dough until smooth, for about a minute. Let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes.

Heat shortening in a large, deep heavy skillet to 350 degrees F. Oil should be about 1 1/2 inches deep. Break off 1/2 cup sized pieces of dough, and shape into round discs 1/4 inch in thickness, making a thinner depressed area in the center. Fry breads in the hot oil until golden on both sides, turning only once. Drain on paper towels.

Top with your favorite ingredients.
We like either ground beef or shredded, cooked chicken, lots of lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream and loooooooooads of guacamole!

Another thing you can do with fry bread is to dust it in a mix of cinnamon and sugar as soon as they come out of the oil.
These little guys aren't diet friendly, just so you know.
But, a great treat!
Makes about five 6 inch rounds usually, but don't quote me on that.

A little shout out to CreativeLive.com

2010-04-27T12:36:00.000-07:00

What a great place to learn and grow, whether art, photography or digital software...
Give it a look to see if there are any free online classes you'd like to take part in!

go to CreativeLive and click on courses.

Right now, Im enjoying The Creative Eye with the great Art Wolfe.
Truly a never to be experienced again moment with such a talented, creative mind.

If this doesn't make you want to recycle...

2010-04-19T16:27:00.000-07:00

nothing will.
Doesn't this just make you sad/ill/mad/frustrated?!

A 2nd garbage patch: Plastic soup seen in Atlantic

So please, for me, if you choose to use plastic bags from the grocery store, recycle them. Almost every superstore has a place to recycle them.
Its a great start to recycling!
Hopefully, in your area, there will be even more plastic recycling options.

An even better option is to use reusable grocery bags. If we all used them, there would be no need for plastic shopping bags!
I know...it's a pipe dream, but wouldn't that be great?

Another tip is to get a stainless steel water bottle that you can refill with a faucet filter or filtered pitcher. The amount of plastic water bottles that are thrown away each day is mind numbing.

thanks for indulging me my little rant lecture =)

From Found to Fab! - volume 1

2010-04-12T16:18:00.000-07:00

A new chapter in the blog is opening today. I hope you enjoy it and get a little inspiration, too!

I found this little table/desk/whatever at Goodwill for $3.99. Isn't it adorable??
Structurally, it was very sound. The wooden top had a few nicks and bumps, but that just added to its charm. It even has a little drawer...too cute, eh?
The tin label stamped onto the frame said it was made by the Bramwood Press. It was a company that made office furniture and also printed documents in Indianapolis. The only documentation I could find for this company was an estimate for printing from 1912 and an ad from a 1962 Life Magazine.
So, for a date on this little guy, your guess is as good as mine.

All it needed was a coat of paint.
I painted the brick wall in my kitchen a kitchy aqua blue and the inside of my dish cabinet is a tomato red. I wanted something simple, but colorful.
The steel frame needed no work whatsoever, but the top got a little face lift.
The base was painted the aqua, the tree is dark chocolate brown topped off with a tomato red bird. Not sure what kind of bird, but it must to be a bird, cuz its got whaaaaangs.
See how I cheated and just painted silhouettes? =)
I hope you like the result!

next From Found to Fab is an adorable steel patio chair with footstool...it needs some work, so give me a week...or so. =)

Mushroom Chicken with buttered egg noodles

2010-04-05T13:37:00.000-07:00

Easy as pie and wonderful with some buttered egg noodles and a great salad on the side!

what you'll need:

~ 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

dredge in flour and saute' in about 4 T. olive oil over medium heat until cooked through and golden brown. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside for later.

now...toss in:

~ 1 small can sliced mushrooms with the juice
~ 1/4 c. white wine

Using a whisk, deglaze the pan with the juices. Let the mixture come to a simmer and it will begin to thicken. Add some salt, pepper and I like onion and garlic powder to taste.
Then add:

~ 1/2 c. heavy cream, half and half or evaporated milk

Whisk in well and add the chicken breasts back to the pan, coat them with the sauce and let it all simmer for 5 - 10 minutes.
Serve with some happy little buttered egg noodles....just call me Ross, Bob Ross.
Oh and toss some fresh parsley or basil on those noodles.

Easy Cheesy Coconut Pie

2010-03-24T12:27:00.000-07:00

what ever you do, don't make this pie.
Ive warned you!

~1 c. sugar
~1/3 c. butter, melted
~4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
~2 eggs
~1 c. buttermilk or soured milk
~1 T. vanilla
~1/2 c. my homemade baking mix or Bisquick
~1/2 c. coconut shreds

Mix all but coconut in a blender or with an immersion blender, stir in coconut and pour into an 8 or 9 inch pie pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.
Bake at 350*F for 45 minutes or until the pie jiggles as one mass and doesn't have a liquidy center.

Cool to room temp, then chill in refrigerator before serving.
But, that's only if you made this pie.
Which I told you not to, if I remember correctly.

NeeDeep NeeDeep!

2010-03-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

or in tree frog language, "IS IT SPRING YET?!?"

Let's all shut our eyes and scrunch our noses and hope like the dickens that no more snow falls, the sun begins to shine and I can get some color on these pasty legs.
I think I blinded the cat getting out of the shower yesterday.

Flower Brooch Winner......

2010-03-20T07:01:00.001-07:00

is...............Kellie C. (homesweethome)

congratulations Kellie!!
please email me at celticmuzzy@yahoo.com with your name and shipping address so I can get it shipped out to you!

thanks to everyone who entered, there will be more giveaways, photography tips and yummy recipes, so stay tuned!

How about a GIVEAWAY?!

2010-03-16T17:33:00.001-07:00

Since you all make me feel all warm and fuzzy and loved and stuff...I wanna reciprocate by giving back.
We might even start doing this as a monthly thing ;)

This giveaway is.....*drumroll please*

BBRERBERBBRBBRBRRBBRBRBDDBBRBRBRBRBBRRBRRBBRBRBRBRBRRDDDDBBBRBRBBRRRRR....

was that a drumroll or a raspberry given by someone who had just had oral surgery and their mouth is still numb?

I digress.

Here is Carrie, isn't she pretty? She is from my Etsy store, Accessoire.

Carrie is crafted from the softest 2-ply cashmere in a deep cornflower blue.
The petals were hand felted, formed and sewn and ultimately backed with a 1 1/4" brooch pin.

Here you can see her pinned to a simple white summer dress.
Take those "winter" brooches and turn them into a spring and summer accessory!

Cashmere is quite the royal fiber! Did you know it takes one of these rare goats four years to grow enough cashmere for one sweater?

ok, so to enter for the giveaway all you have to do is post an answer to this question:

If you could eat a meal with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?

The drawing will end Friday, the 19th at 9 pm EST. The winner will be randomly drawn that evening and posted Saturday morning!
Anyone is welcome to enter, they don't even have to be a follower, but you can only enter once!

Sea Salt Caramels

2010-03-05T09:50:00.001-08:00

Have your socks fallen off yet?
If they have and you've found them, could you check and see if my socks are there, too? I did laundry yesterday and came out with 4 old maids...how does that happen?

You put 10 pair of socks in the washing machine, you get only 8 pair back when everything comes out of the dryer.
Is there a black hole conundrum glitch in my dryer that Maytag has failed to tell me about?

Anyway, I digress.
Today, I share with you my version of Sea Salt Caramels.
This recipe is not for the faint of heart, it takes a little getting used to, a little know-how and perhaps a little serendipity.
Please read the whole recipe with extra notes before you begin, there is a twist and a catch and a couple flashbacks.

what you'll need:

1 Tb. vanilla
1 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling (I like the course granules)

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup water

1. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, then brush parchment (DO NOT use wax paper...it will stick) lightly with canola or vegetable oil.

2. Bring cream, butter, and 1 teaspoon fleur de sel just to a boil in a small saucepan, then remove from heat, add vanilla and set aside.

3. In large saucepan, boil sugar, honey, and water in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil, without stirring but gently swirling pan, until mixture is a light golden caramel.

4. Carefully stir in cream mixture (mixture will bubble up, be careful!) and simmer, stirring frequently, until caramel registers 248* degrees F on thermometer, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour into baking pan, (do NOT scrape pan after you pour) sprinkle generously with sea salt, and cool 2 hours. Cut into 1-inch pieces, then wrap each piece in a 4-inch square of wax paper, twisting the ends to close.

notes:
make sure your thermometer is calibrated or you'll get caramels that are hard as rocks or caramel sauce.

*Whew...are you tired yet?

Intermission

2010-03-02T17:23:00.000-08:00

While you patiently await the next recipe, which I promise will be a doozy, here is some random randomness for your perusal...

The eViL ToOf plush I made for a friend who had her wisdom teeth yanked out of her skull.
He's mad, he's bad, he's got brains falling from his cranium.

This is a cake I made for my cousin, Jeremy, when he got his plumber's license...to weak of fortitude, LOOK AWAY!

"Dahlink, Im ready for my close-up."

Did I just hear a collective..."ewwwwwwwwwww..."?
MUAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHA....ha...

The weird squirrels that live in my yard...notice the white tail? weird...
I also found him in my panty drawer...little perv.

here is his momma

Ok, if you've gotten this far, kudos to you.
My random randomness can ramble, sorry about that.

But, good news!
The next recipe will knock your figurative socks a'tumble!
Get your sea salt ready ;)

Homemade Baking Mix

2010-02-22T10:03:00.000-08:00

Its 11pm and you have a hankering for pancakes, waffles, biscuits, coffeecake, whatever, and you are out of Bisqui....your favorite baking mix.
What to do??? All in a tizzy?
Well, fret no more, my friends.
Noshings is here to save the day!

What you'll need:

6 c. all purpose flour
3 Tbs. baking powder (make sure its fresh and hasn't been in your cabinet since your teenage son was in diapers)
1 Tb. baking soda
1 Tb. salt
3 Tbs. sugar

Sift all these ingredients together and hopefully you have a Kitchen Aid...if not, a handmixer will do, it will just wear your arms out a bit.

Put your sifted ingredients in the mixer bowl and add:

1 c. vegetable shortening (butter-flavor will work here, as well)

With the whisk attachment, start slowly, increasing speed a bit as the shortening incorporates into the flour.
You may have to stop the mixer and scrape off the whisk and sides once or twice.
But, in the end, you should have a powdery mixer with no lumps.
I like to keep this in a large tupperware container in the frig.
Use it just like you would Bisqui....your favorite baking mix!

Soon, I will be adding recipes using this mix.
Enjoy!

My Ugly Mug....Cake

2010-02-13T14:07:00.001-08:00

So, this isn't rocket science, which is a good thing, we'd all die.
Math is NOT my thing.

Its an individual cake, in a coffee cup, hot and gooey, straight from your microwave.
Ive tried dozens of these and this one takes the cake....har har.

What you'll need:

1 pkg. chocolate cake mix (Pilsbury, Betty Crocker, generic, whatever you like)
1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) instant chocolate pudding mix (instant)

Mix these together and package up in a large mason jar, gallon ziplock bag, etc. This is your base for many, many, ooey, gooey, chocolate fantasms of joy.

1/2 c. chocolate cake/pudding mix
1 heaping Tbsp. sour cream
1 Tbsp. oil
1/4 c. coffee (I usually just grab whatever is left over from the coffee pot. You can use water here, as well)
1 Tbsp. chocolate chips (the mini ones work best)

Mix up your ingredients and spoon into a coffee mug (or a cereal bowl, I usually just use this since it comes out prettier) that you've sprayed with non-stick spray. Now, all mugs are not created equal. Make sure your mug is microwavable and don't fill the mug more than halfway with your batter. As a tiny, chocolate Chernobyl may result in your microwave.

Microwave on full power for about a minute and 20 seconds. Again, all microwaves are not created equal. If you have an ancient one, it may take a few seconds longer than a brand new, technologically advanced zapper.
And you will have...this.
(In the cereal bowl, it just looks like a little cake, no falling at all, its amazing is what it is)

Try your best not to scream and hold back your feelings of revoltion. Its not THAT bad looking. Big baby.

To make it pretty, top with whipped cream or iiiiiiiiice cream...NOM.

This little cake, too easy to be true, is so rich and moist. It reminds me a bit of a flourless torte.
Go sit in the corner, hovering over your decadent treat like a vulture, growl at the kids and the dog. But, whatever you do, just don't tell Jacques Torres, he'd probably retract my rights to touch chocolate ever again.

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge

2010-02-09T06:10:00.000-08:00

Eek! My first entry in a I Heart Faces photo challenge. Its not going to win, but you just got to get your feet wet at some point!
This is my cousin and his fiance before their engagement party last weekend.
Not one for the norm, we thought a 40's vintage feel would be cool.
Thanks for peeking!

http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/

Pecan Cluster Granola

2010-01-20T09:54:00.000-08:00

Sweet, crunchy, full of whole oats, glazed pecans and dried fruit.
Makes a great snack or a filling breakfast!
If you don't like dried cranberries, throw in dried cherries or blueberries. Dates and dried apricots are a nice addition, as well!
I hope you enjoy my rendition on homemade granola.

heat your oven to 350*F
what you'll need:

6 c. whole oats
2 c. pecans, chopped
1/2 c. walnuts, chopped
1 c. cranberries, dried (reserve until later)

mix oats and nuts together in a large bowl, set aside.

In a microwave safe container mix:

3/4 c. oil, something light like canola
1 1/4 c. honey
1 T. vanilla, get the good stuff, you'll thank me later
1 t. sea salt

Mix with a fork or whisk and warm up in the microwave for about 30-60 seconds.
when you take it out, either whisk it very well or take an immersion blender and emulsify the mixture.
Immediately, pour over oat mixture and stir to coat well.

Spread your granola out onto two cookie sheets and place in preheated oven for 20 min. Remove, stir (I usually scoop everything back into the large bowl then pour it back onto the cookie sheets.) return to oven for 10 minutes.
Keep an eye on it, you'll want it to start to toast a bit and the sugars will carmelize on the granola.
Remove again, stir, add your dried fruit, stir some more and return to the oven for 5-7 minutes.

That should be adequate to get everything toasted.
If your cookie sheets are larger than mine and the granola was spread thinner, it may take a little less time.
So, just keep an eye on it the last time in the oven or so.

Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature before storing in an airtight container, then hide from kids and husband.

Like the new Look? How about some Penne to celebrate?

2010-01-13T16:02:00.001-08:00

8 oz. penne pasta

Boil to al dente, set aside.

1 lg. or 2 smaller chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
2 T. olive oil

Saute chicken in the olive oil over medium till cooked through.
Remove from pan, cool, slice into bite sized pieces.

In uncleaned pan you cooked chicken in: ...(unless you burnt the chicken...cuz that would be icky)

1/2 stick butter
2 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced

Let butter melt and garlic soften up a bit before adding:

1 whole red, roasted bell pepper, chopped large
(I used a jarred pepper)
12 (approx.) artichoke hearts, chopped
(I used Trader Joe's frozen artichoke hearts)
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
15 oz. can whole stewed tomatoes
(remove the tomatoes from juice and dice)

Once spinach is cooked through, mix together and add:

1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
1/4 c. tomato juice from the canned tomatoes

simmer for a few minutes, this will make a light, loverly sauce
salt, pepper to taste
add the chicken back to the pan, toss to coat and serve!