I was looking for a different kind of cookie that required some manipulating (for some reason, I was looking for more work than just put on a cookie sheet and put in the oven). This was perfect.
Ingredients:
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
24 chocolate kisses
colored sugar, or just white
Preheat oven to 350.
Cream butter and white sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add vanilla, then salt and flour. Mix until just combined. The dough will be quite dry.
Form dough into 1 inch balls. Flatten the balls, put a chocolate kiss in the middle, and wrap dough around the chocolate. Form a ball again.
Roll in colored sugar.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the bottoms are JUST brown.
Find the original recipe here: http://www.itsyummi.com/butterball-kiss-cookies/
TIPS:
1. The author of this post recommended that the flour should be reduced so that it would be less crumbly. Accordingly, I used only 2 cups of flour. Unfortunately, I believe that this means that there will be too much butter. After I took the cookies out of the oven, the bottoms had started to melt away from the rest of the cookie, making very funny shapes (a large bulge at the top at then bottoms melting out). I would keep the 2 1/4 cups of flour and deal with the crumbliness. That way they will look a little more appealing.
2. Have a glass of milk or water nearby. These guys are killer.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
MOROCCAN CHICKEN
Today I broke out the CrockPot. It's getting to feel like fall around here (I don't think there will be any more 60 degree days) and I just can't live without it in the winter. I have so many recipes that I've been wanting to try, and the other day I got a book out of the library that was dedicated to slow-cooking recipes. So of course, I had to try one. Today is that day.
This Moroccan Chicken recipe looked really good upon first glance. There was chicken, there were some veggies (like stew), and there were spices. Lots of spices. But what threw me were the raisins. How could I put raisins in my CrockPot? It also called for dried apricots, which I didn't have. I'll let yo know how it turns out.
Ingredients:
2 large onions, cut in half, then thinly sliced
2 cups sliced carrots (about 4 medium)
3 pounds meaty chicken pieces, skinned (I'm pretty sure I have less than this, and all breast meat)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried apricots, coarsely snipped (I didn't have these. So I just left them out)
1 14-ounce can chicken broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
In a large CrockPot (mine is about 5 quarts I think) combine onions and carrots on the bottom.
Add chicken; sprinkle with salt.
Add raisins and apricots.
In another bowl, whisk broth, paste, flour, lemon juice, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, garlic, and black pepper. Pour over chicken.
Cover and cook. Low for 6 1/2 -- 7 hours, high for 3 1/2 -- 4 hours.
Serve with couscous (especially toasted pine nut, if you have it).
Tips on using your Slow-Cooker:
1. No matter what size you have, you must fill it between half and 3/4 full every time you use it. Too little food and it will burn. Too much food and it won't cook all the way through. I didn't know this. (For some reason, it just never occurred to me.) I can't tell you how many times I've burned something, because I have quite a big CrockPot and only two of us to eat from it. Here's to better luck in the future.
UPDATE:
Just finished dinner and we were quite impressed. The chicken was a little overdone, but perhaps that was because I put less than what the recipe called for (it was only for the two of us! I didn't want TOO many leftovers). THe taste was good, but turned out more like a stew with the carrots and onions. Perhaps if we had included the apricots it would have been sweeter, more of like I was thinking it would turn out to be? We'll see next time, for even though there were things that could be improved, this recipe is staying on our list.
This Moroccan Chicken recipe looked really good upon first glance. There was chicken, there were some veggies (like stew), and there were spices. Lots of spices. But what threw me were the raisins. How could I put raisins in my CrockPot? It also called for dried apricots, which I didn't have. I'll let yo know how it turns out.
Ingredients:
2 large onions, cut in half, then thinly sliced
2 cups sliced carrots (about 4 medium)
3 pounds meaty chicken pieces, skinned (I'm pretty sure I have less than this, and all breast meat)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried apricots, coarsely snipped (I didn't have these. So I just left them out)
1 14-ounce can chicken broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
In a large CrockPot (mine is about 5 quarts I think) combine onions and carrots on the bottom.
Add chicken; sprinkle with salt.
Add raisins and apricots.
In another bowl, whisk broth, paste, flour, lemon juice, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, garlic, and black pepper. Pour over chicken.
Cover and cook. Low for 6 1/2 -- 7 hours, high for 3 1/2 -- 4 hours.
Serve with couscous (especially toasted pine nut, if you have it).
Tips on using your Slow-Cooker:
1. No matter what size you have, you must fill it between half and 3/4 full every time you use it. Too little food and it will burn. Too much food and it won't cook all the way through. I didn't know this. (For some reason, it just never occurred to me.) I can't tell you how many times I've burned something, because I have quite a big CrockPot and only two of us to eat from it. Here's to better luck in the future.
UPDATE:
Just finished dinner and we were quite impressed. The chicken was a little overdone, but perhaps that was because I put less than what the recipe called for (it was only for the two of us! I didn't want TOO many leftovers). THe taste was good, but turned out more like a stew with the carrots and onions. Perhaps if we had included the apricots it would have been sweeter, more of like I was thinking it would turn out to be? We'll see next time, for even though there were things that could be improved, this recipe is staying on our list.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
TACO SOUP
Another one of my dad's recipes, tonight's menu calls for Taco Soup. Basically, it's a super easy and fast chili. Just waterier. But it's a great time saver and the recipe makes a ton. Also, it freezes well so don't let all that soup go to waste--put it in the freezer! Exceptional time saver. All you have to do is put it in a pot and heat it up. DONE.
Ingredients:
1-1 1/2 pounds ground beef or turkey
1 package taco seasoning
2 cans corn, undrained
2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans kidney beans, undrained
cheddar cheese, shredded
Brown the meat and drain the fat. Add the seasoning, corn, tomatoes, and beans to the pot. Cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes, or until it is heated through. Serve with cheddar cheese on top and a corn muffin on the side. You can also put this in a CrockPot, as long as you know that the beans will become quite mushy after a while.
Easy huh? And it literally is so warming and yummy, just like chili, but without all the work before you get to eat.
Ingredients:
1-1 1/2 pounds ground beef or turkey
1 package taco seasoning
2 cans corn, undrained
2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans kidney beans, undrained
cheddar cheese, shredded
Brown the meat and drain the fat. Add the seasoning, corn, tomatoes, and beans to the pot. Cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes, or until it is heated through. Serve with cheddar cheese on top and a corn muffin on the side. You can also put this in a CrockPot, as long as you know that the beans will become quite mushy after a while.
Easy huh? And it literally is so warming and yummy, just like chili, but without all the work before you get to eat.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
APPLE BUTTER SPICE CAKE
I went to Aldi the other day, and they happened to have apple butter. I have never had apple butter in my life, so naturally I had to try it. In my cart it went.
Today, I was contemplating the apple butter in my fridge. I hadn't opened it, I hadn't done anything with it except put it in the fridge. So I got on Pinterest for some ideas to use this rather large jar of something I'd never experienced before, and I came across this recipe for apple butter spice cake. It seemed simple enough, and, as someone who loves sweet, warm cake/bread in the morning, I decided that in order to curb this baking craving that I was getting (you know, when it's 9:30 pm or later and you just HAVE to bake something...) I would make this cake so we could eat it in the morning. We shall see, but if the batter has anything to give away about the final taste, this cake will be like pumpkin pie and bread mixed in one. I can't wait.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup apple butter
Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
Cream together the butter and the sugar. Add eggs and half of the buttermilk. Beat until smooth.
In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.
Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix until combined. Add the rest of the buttermilk. Mix until combined. Add the rest of the flour mixture. Mix until just combined.
Stir in the apple butter and mix until the batter is all an even color, not long.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 55-65 minutes.
Let the cake cool, then turn it out. Top with glaze if desired (i.e. 1 cup powdered sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons water or milk or orange juice).
YUM. I can't wait.
Find the original recipe here: http://www.sugardishme.com/2013/10/04/apple-butter-spice-cake/
UPDATE:
This is delicious! The outside got a tiny bit burned, but that was probably because I have a habit of putting too much butter/cooking spray on the pan itself. It needed to bake a little longer than I expected, but it was still wonderful. Can't wait to make this one again!
Today, I was contemplating the apple butter in my fridge. I hadn't opened it, I hadn't done anything with it except put it in the fridge. So I got on Pinterest for some ideas to use this rather large jar of something I'd never experienced before, and I came across this recipe for apple butter spice cake. It seemed simple enough, and, as someone who loves sweet, warm cake/bread in the morning, I decided that in order to curb this baking craving that I was getting (you know, when it's 9:30 pm or later and you just HAVE to bake something...) I would make this cake so we could eat it in the morning. We shall see, but if the batter has anything to give away about the final taste, this cake will be like pumpkin pie and bread mixed in one. I can't wait.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup apple butter
Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
Cream together the butter and the sugar. Add eggs and half of the buttermilk. Beat until smooth.
In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.
Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix until combined. Add the rest of the buttermilk. Mix until combined. Add the rest of the flour mixture. Mix until just combined.
Stir in the apple butter and mix until the batter is all an even color, not long.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 55-65 minutes.
Let the cake cool, then turn it out. Top with glaze if desired (i.e. 1 cup powdered sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons water or milk or orange juice).
YUM. I can't wait.
Find the original recipe here: http://www.sugardishme.com/2013/10/04/apple-butter-spice-cake/
UPDATE:
This is delicious! The outside got a tiny bit burned, but that was probably because I have a habit of putting too much butter/cooking spray on the pan itself. It needed to bake a little longer than I expected, but it was still wonderful. Can't wait to make this one again!
Monday, October 14, 2013
SQUASAGE
I haven't been making a ton of dinners or other food because of the newest development of pregnancy: awful heartburn. One night, it kept me up all night long, nauseous and in pain. Since then, I've been trying to stay away from some of the more pin-inducing foods, but I'm not always successful (those Oreos just seem to call my name).
But tonight, we were able to have a lovely dinner, new to B, before B had to get to class pretty early. If we didn't eat before he left, then there was no way I could eat so late and not be up all night. The solution? A light, filling meal eaten quite early and very tasty, I might say. I had this recipe at home a few times and remembered loving it, so I thought I would give it a try.
SQUASAGE (B's name for it. Better than nothing, I suppose.)
Butternut squash
Ground sausage
Onion, diced
Butter
Brown sugar
As you can see, there are no measurements. For two people, I used one squash, about 1/2 pound sausage, 1/4 onion, and not too much butter and brown sugar. Next time, I would probably put a little less brown sugar, but if you like it to be really sweet, it's up to you.
Brown the sausage in a skillet. Add onions. Cook until the onions are see-through. Meanwhile, cut the squash in half longways (from end to end, not around the middle). Scoop out the guts (seeds and slimy things with them) and place in a baking dish with some water covering the bottom of the pan (not too much). Put heaping amounts of sausage and onion mixture into the cavity that you just carved in the squash. Add brown sugar on top of sausage and butter on top of brown sugar. Cover with tin foil. Bake in 350 oven for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the squash is fork-tender. Serve, putting each half of squash as one serving (one on each plate).
I had extra sausage and onion mixture that didn't fit in the squash. I put this along with the brown sugar and butter in another pan and stuck it in the oven just before the squash was done, melting the butter and rewarming the sausage. We each had a little extra sausage on our plate to eat with all the squash.
Super easy, super yummy. Fall dinner done right.
But tonight, we were able to have a lovely dinner, new to B, before B had to get to class pretty early. If we didn't eat before he left, then there was no way I could eat so late and not be up all night. The solution? A light, filling meal eaten quite early and very tasty, I might say. I had this recipe at home a few times and remembered loving it, so I thought I would give it a try.
SQUASAGE (B's name for it. Better than nothing, I suppose.)
Butternut squash
Ground sausage
Onion, diced
Butter
Brown sugar
As you can see, there are no measurements. For two people, I used one squash, about 1/2 pound sausage, 1/4 onion, and not too much butter and brown sugar. Next time, I would probably put a little less brown sugar, but if you like it to be really sweet, it's up to you.
Brown the sausage in a skillet. Add onions. Cook until the onions are see-through. Meanwhile, cut the squash in half longways (from end to end, not around the middle). Scoop out the guts (seeds and slimy things with them) and place in a baking dish with some water covering the bottom of the pan (not too much). Put heaping amounts of sausage and onion mixture into the cavity that you just carved in the squash. Add brown sugar on top of sausage and butter on top of brown sugar. Cover with tin foil. Bake in 350 oven for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the squash is fork-tender. Serve, putting each half of squash as one serving (one on each plate).
I had extra sausage and onion mixture that didn't fit in the squash. I put this along with the brown sugar and butter in another pan and stuck it in the oven just before the squash was done, melting the butter and rewarming the sausage. We each had a little extra sausage on our plate to eat with all the squash.
Super easy, super yummy. Fall dinner done right.
Friday, October 4, 2013
HONEY CHICKEN KABOBS
I am so behind. There have been so many days that I have made things and I have not put them up. Hopefully I'll be able to remember them.
Last night's dinner was kabobs. B was so excited when I put these on the menu for the week and actually requested them for two weeks in a row. (Not this specific recipe, so I might go ahead and try another one.) My original recipe was for steak kabobs, and I had chicken, so I was forced to look up a different one the day of. Not what I like to do. But I found this one.
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cloves garlic, sliced in large chunks
chicken, cut into 1 inch pieces
veggies, cut up
Whisk the oil, soy sauce, honey, and black pepper together. Add garlic. Add chicken and veggies to the bowl, and place in the fridge. Let this marinate for at least two hours (Mine was in there for 3). When ready, drain marinade and load skewers with chicken and veggies. Cook on grill (direct heat) until the chicken is done.
Original recipe found here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Yummy-Honey-Chicken-Kabobs/Detail.aspx?evt19=1&scale=12&ismetric=0
There are a billion ways to make kabobs and have all the right tricks of the trade. I don't really have the time to go into all that right now, so I might come back and update this post later. Hopefully.
This is not my favorite. Also, the recipe as it is is only enough for the chicken by itself. I ended up doubling it, and I probably should have tripled it. And B, when he was grilling them, didn't pay attention and burned most of them to a crisp. So maybe we might give it another try, since it ended up dry and overcooked, but that was our fault. We'll see what happens.
Last night's dinner was kabobs. B was so excited when I put these on the menu for the week and actually requested them for two weeks in a row. (Not this specific recipe, so I might go ahead and try another one.) My original recipe was for steak kabobs, and I had chicken, so I was forced to look up a different one the day of. Not what I like to do. But I found this one.
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cloves garlic, sliced in large chunks
chicken, cut into 1 inch pieces
veggies, cut up
Whisk the oil, soy sauce, honey, and black pepper together. Add garlic. Add chicken and veggies to the bowl, and place in the fridge. Let this marinate for at least two hours (Mine was in there for 3). When ready, drain marinade and load skewers with chicken and veggies. Cook on grill (direct heat) until the chicken is done.
Original recipe found here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Yummy-Honey-Chicken-Kabobs/Detail.aspx?evt19=1&scale=12&ismetric=0
There are a billion ways to make kabobs and have all the right tricks of the trade. I don't really have the time to go into all that right now, so I might come back and update this post later. Hopefully.
This is not my favorite. Also, the recipe as it is is only enough for the chicken by itself. I ended up doubling it, and I probably should have tripled it. And B, when he was grilling them, didn't pay attention and burned most of them to a crisp. So maybe we might give it another try, since it ended up dry and overcooked, but that was our fault. We'll see what happens.
NANA'S SPANISH RICE
I was feeling very uninspired to make anything super yummy tonight. In fact, I really wanted to go out. But then, B suggested one his favorite dishes that I've had from my side of the family from forever ago: Nana's Spanish Rice. It is super easy and yummy and I was happy to make this one for him. Soon we will chowing down on some incredibly yummy food!
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons white rice
1 large can of diced or crushed tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup hot water
several peppers, whole
Mix all ingredients but the peppers. Place in a greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 F for 1 hour. Meanwhile, blanch the peppers; i.e. partially cook them by boiling them in water until they are softer. When the rice is finished cooking, fill the peppers with the rice and place back in the dish. Top with parmesan cheese and bake until every thing is warm.
This makes enough for about 3 medium peppers. If we ever are having people over, I double (at least) this recipe.
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons white rice
1 large can of diced or crushed tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup hot water
several peppers, whole
Mix all ingredients but the peppers. Place in a greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 F for 1 hour. Meanwhile, blanch the peppers; i.e. partially cook them by boiling them in water until they are softer. When the rice is finished cooking, fill the peppers with the rice and place back in the dish. Top with parmesan cheese and bake until every thing is warm.
This makes enough for about 3 medium peppers. If we ever are having people over, I double (at least) this recipe.
Here we are, October 4. Already. How did this happen? One day I'm lamenting that we can't go on our trip in late August, and the next it is already fall. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I'm always exhausted and sleeping the day away. That must be it.
Yesterday, I planned the next few weeks out with recipes and shopping lists and more. Then I went shopping and got all the food that I needed. When I got home and put all the groceries away, I realized that I hadn't planned anything for dinner that night. Silly mistake. And all the meat I was planning on using was still in the freezer, so not usable right away when we wanted dinner. So we turned to homemade pizza again, and thankfully it was a hit. Every time that I think I'm skimping by making something easy or something we have all the time, B is so excited to be eating that. Does he actually think it's a good dish or does he somehow know that I'm feeling in a rut and wants to make me feel better? Whatever the reason, I'm thankful for it.
Yesterday, I planned the next few weeks out with recipes and shopping lists and more. Then I went shopping and got all the food that I needed. When I got home and put all the groceries away, I realized that I hadn't planned anything for dinner that night. Silly mistake. And all the meat I was planning on using was still in the freezer, so not usable right away when we wanted dinner. So we turned to homemade pizza again, and thankfully it was a hit. Every time that I think I'm skimping by making something easy or something we have all the time, B is so excited to be eating that. Does he actually think it's a good dish or does he somehow know that I'm feeling in a rut and wants to make me feel better? Whatever the reason, I'm thankful for it.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
While in Park City, B stopped by a book store. A wonderful little book store, full of brand new books and so many possibilities. And since B was picking them up by the handful, I decided that I wanted my own. So I wandered around, looking for one that wasn't too expensive, I actually wanted to read (whether I had already or not), and trying not to make it look like I just wanted one too.
I found myself in the children's/teen's section, and picked up this book Wonder. I had heard about it, though basically that adult book groups were reading it (in which case, I would use shy away from it). I knew it was a best-seller. I knew it was a fast-read. So I added it to our growing cart.
I read the whole thing in two days. And if you knew me, a children's book this long should have taken shorter. (True, I was on vacation and didn't have the time to just sit and read for hours straight like I sometimes do.) And while I was engrossed in the story while I was reading it, as soon as I put it down, I promptly forgot about it. There is supposed to be something that I learn from this one, right? There was supposed to be something that I took away from this and applied to my own life, right? I mean, isn't that why all these book discussion groups were talking about it? But I just didn't get it.
And I still don't. I might read it again, if I ever got really bored and the library wasn't open or I had a lot of fines. (Only then do I peruse the bookshelves in our house, full of books I've already read but can't get rid of for some reason.) I might have my kids read it, when they're old enough. But really, if someone wanted to borrow it and never gave it back, I wouldn't mind. If someone wants to discuss it with me, that's fine too. But I won't have too much to say about it. It was a good vacation read. But I'm glad I'm on to other things.
I found myself in the children's/teen's section, and picked up this book Wonder. I had heard about it, though basically that adult book groups were reading it (in which case, I would use shy away from it). I knew it was a best-seller. I knew it was a fast-read. So I added it to our growing cart.
I read the whole thing in two days. And if you knew me, a children's book this long should have taken shorter. (True, I was on vacation and didn't have the time to just sit and read for hours straight like I sometimes do.) And while I was engrossed in the story while I was reading it, as soon as I put it down, I promptly forgot about it. There is supposed to be something that I learn from this one, right? There was supposed to be something that I took away from this and applied to my own life, right? I mean, isn't that why all these book discussion groups were talking about it? But I just didn't get it.
And I still don't. I might read it again, if I ever got really bored and the library wasn't open or I had a lot of fines. (Only then do I peruse the bookshelves in our house, full of books I've already read but can't get rid of for some reason.) I might have my kids read it, when they're old enough. But really, if someone wanted to borrow it and never gave it back, I wouldn't mind. If someone wants to discuss it with me, that's fine too. But I won't have too much to say about it. It was a good vacation read. But I'm glad I'm on to other things.
BROCCOLI SALAD and more...
Tonight's menu: smoked chicken, B's grandmother's broccoli salad, and corn on the cob on the grill. I couldn't be more excited. B loves his new grill, and so far every night since we've had it, we've made dinner using it. And I am not complaining. That thing has gotten me out of most cooking duties, and on to my first love: baking. I'm glad B enjoys his cooking, because it's certainly making me happy. I even do the dishes without complaining because he's done mot of the cooking!
Grilled, smoked chicken is on right now, and I can't wait to try it. B had some elaborate steps, including brining the pieces and setting up the grill to be a smoker, but I didn't really pay attention. But he really isn't putting much of a rub or a marinade or anything else on it. This is why I'm excited to try it.
My contribution to tonight's dinner is B's grandmother's broccoli salad, as I mentioned before. We had it when I first met her, last Thanksgiving when we flew down to Florida so I could meet most of the extended family. It was really good, and I remember liking it, but B remembers loving it. So I got her recipe and here we are, trying it out for ourselves. All the parts are in the fridge now, just waiting for the chicken to be done. I'll post an update when we've actually eaten some of this stuff. Because I think it's going to be amazing.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds of broccoli, florets
1 cup chopped red onion
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup raisins
7 strips bacon, crispy and crumbled
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons white vinegar
Mix first five ingredients in a large bowl. Put it in the fridge until ready to serve.
Mix the last 3 ingredients in a smaller bowl. Put this (separate bowl) into the fridge as well, until ready to serve.
Just before serving, add the wet ingredients to the dry. Serve.
Ridiculously easy, huh? I was pretty psyched when I read the recipe and knew how much B loves it. We'll see if he still likes my version.
Note: This recipe says that it came form the Park City cookbook. Fun coincidence that we just came from there! Also, it says that it is excellent with barbecued chicken and corn on the cob. Which is exactly what we decided to have as well! Somehow, the universe is coming all together.
UPDATE:
Dinner was fabulous. The chicken was moist and flavorful and to die for. The salad was so good we had trouble not eating all of it (but we would have been sick). The corn was wonderful, though not the best part of the meal. And, I forgot to mention, I made french fries! Yes, from scratch. (Are you getting the hint that B and I make WAY too much food for us to eat? And yet we eat it anyway?) Apparently, the trick is to fry the potatoes twice, so that the air inside of them makes it nice and crisp.
So now, as Baby W (yes, we've named him!) pushes up on my ribcage, causing some major pain, my husband is generous enough to do the dishes. And I'm telling you, there are a lot. I can also tell you that both of us will be getting a good night's sleep.
Leftover pumpkin cookies and pumpkin pie for dessert, if we don't explode before then.
Grilled, smoked chicken is on right now, and I can't wait to try it. B had some elaborate steps, including brining the pieces and setting up the grill to be a smoker, but I didn't really pay attention. But he really isn't putting much of a rub or a marinade or anything else on it. This is why I'm excited to try it.
My contribution to tonight's dinner is B's grandmother's broccoli salad, as I mentioned before. We had it when I first met her, last Thanksgiving when we flew down to Florida so I could meet most of the extended family. It was really good, and I remember liking it, but B remembers loving it. So I got her recipe and here we are, trying it out for ourselves. All the parts are in the fridge now, just waiting for the chicken to be done. I'll post an update when we've actually eaten some of this stuff. Because I think it's going to be amazing.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds of broccoli, florets
1 cup chopped red onion
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup raisins
7 strips bacon, crispy and crumbled
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons white vinegar
Mix first five ingredients in a large bowl. Put it in the fridge until ready to serve.
Mix the last 3 ingredients in a smaller bowl. Put this (separate bowl) into the fridge as well, until ready to serve.
Just before serving, add the wet ingredients to the dry. Serve.
Ridiculously easy, huh? I was pretty psyched when I read the recipe and knew how much B loves it. We'll see if he still likes my version.
Note: This recipe says that it came form the Park City cookbook. Fun coincidence that we just came from there! Also, it says that it is excellent with barbecued chicken and corn on the cob. Which is exactly what we decided to have as well! Somehow, the universe is coming all together.
UPDATE:
Dinner was fabulous. The chicken was moist and flavorful and to die for. The salad was so good we had trouble not eating all of it (but we would have been sick). The corn was wonderful, though not the best part of the meal. And, I forgot to mention, I made french fries! Yes, from scratch. (Are you getting the hint that B and I make WAY too much food for us to eat? And yet we eat it anyway?) Apparently, the trick is to fry the potatoes twice, so that the air inside of them makes it nice and crisp.
So now, as Baby W (yes, we've named him!) pushes up on my ribcage, causing some major pain, my husband is generous enough to do the dishes. And I'm telling you, there are a lot. I can also tell you that both of us will be getting a good night's sleep.
Leftover pumpkin cookies and pumpkin pie for dessert, if we don't explode before then.
Monday, September 23, 2013
GLAZED PUMPKIN SUGAR COOKIES
Can you say best cookies ever? And I'm not exaggerating. I had a little leftover pumpkin from my pie last night, so I was browsing Pinterest looking for a way to use it up. (Note: I have a recipe for some add-in to your coffee to make it taste like a pumpkin spice latte that I've been wanting to try, but at the moment we have no coffee :( and that pumpkin was just calling to me in the fridge. Soon, I will try this other one, though.) I came across this recipe for cookies, and thought that I might try it. Oh goodness. Dessert heaven.
GLAZED PUMPKIN SUGAR COOKIES
Ingredients:
Cookies:
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (I used fresh, she used canned)
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Glaze:
3 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (I left this out. I just made this icing sugar)
Mix butter, oil, pumpkin, sugars, vanilla, and eggs until smooth.
Slowly mix in all dry ingredients until mixed and fluffy.
Spoon onto baking sheet (I always use parchment paper) and flatten using the bottom of a glass. If the dough is too sticky (mine was), dip the bottom of the glass in white sugar for every cookie, then flatten.
Bake for 8 minutes EXACTLY at 350.
GLAZE: Combine ingredients until smooth. After cookies come out of the oven, transfer them to a cooling rack. While the cookies are still hot, put small amount of glaze on top. Let the glaze harden a bit before storing.
Original recipe here: http://www.laurenslatest.com/soft-glazed-pumpkin-sugar-cookies/
TIPS/TECHNIQUES:
1. I committed one of those sins that every baker must never commit: I didn't soften the butter. I wanted to make cookies, and realized that all of my butter was in the fridge still. I don't have a microwave, so there's no easy way out. Until, maybe, today. I turned the oven on to preheat it, and immediately stuck the stick of butter on the rack. I left it there for maybe 2-3 minutes (checking all the time because I didn't want it to melt all over my oven). When I took it out, the edges were soft (not melted) but the middle was still quite firm. I put it in the mixer anyway. I added all the ingredients and started my mixer. For the first mix (all except the dry ingredients) the butter mixed, but was lumpy. I was worried, but pressed on. But the time I was done mixing and ready to bake, the batter was incredibly fluffy and no chunks of butter were left over! And these cookies really are delightful to eat. So maybe I have found a way to bypass my oversight?
2. The glaze is wonderful for these cookies. I was skeptical, because I thought the cookies were pretty great on their own, but this added was even better. The thing about glaze, though, is that it gets gloppy fast. The recipe told me to make the glaze at the end and put it on all the cookies, then let it harden. But I only have a small amount of space to cool the cookies. and the next batch was coming out of the oven fast. So I developed a new method. I let the glaze harden a bit in the bowl, and whenever I needed it, I mixed it up again. I only put the glaze on the hot hot cookies, and that helped to melt it a bit and coat the whole cookie.
GLAZED PUMPKIN SUGAR COOKIES
Ingredients:
Cookies:
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (I used fresh, she used canned)
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Glaze:
3 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (I left this out. I just made this icing sugar)
Mix butter, oil, pumpkin, sugars, vanilla, and eggs until smooth.
Slowly mix in all dry ingredients until mixed and fluffy.
Spoon onto baking sheet (I always use parchment paper) and flatten using the bottom of a glass. If the dough is too sticky (mine was), dip the bottom of the glass in white sugar for every cookie, then flatten.
Bake for 8 minutes EXACTLY at 350.
GLAZE: Combine ingredients until smooth. After cookies come out of the oven, transfer them to a cooling rack. While the cookies are still hot, put small amount of glaze on top. Let the glaze harden a bit before storing.
Original recipe here: http://www.laurenslatest.com/soft-glazed-pumpkin-sugar-cookies/
TIPS/TECHNIQUES:
1. I committed one of those sins that every baker must never commit: I didn't soften the butter. I wanted to make cookies, and realized that all of my butter was in the fridge still. I don't have a microwave, so there's no easy way out. Until, maybe, today. I turned the oven on to preheat it, and immediately stuck the stick of butter on the rack. I left it there for maybe 2-3 minutes (checking all the time because I didn't want it to melt all over my oven). When I took it out, the edges were soft (not melted) but the middle was still quite firm. I put it in the mixer anyway. I added all the ingredients and started my mixer. For the first mix (all except the dry ingredients) the butter mixed, but was lumpy. I was worried, but pressed on. But the time I was done mixing and ready to bake, the batter was incredibly fluffy and no chunks of butter were left over! And these cookies really are delightful to eat. So maybe I have found a way to bypass my oversight?
2. The glaze is wonderful for these cookies. I was skeptical, because I thought the cookies were pretty great on their own, but this added was even better. The thing about glaze, though, is that it gets gloppy fast. The recipe told me to make the glaze at the end and put it on all the cookies, then let it harden. But I only have a small amount of space to cool the cookies. and the next batch was coming out of the oven fast. So I developed a new method. I let the glaze harden a bit in the bowl, and whenever I needed it, I mixed it up again. I only put the glaze on the hot hot cookies, and that helped to melt it a bit and coat the whole cookie.
Vacation
I have the time to get around to talking about our lovely vacation!
We headed out for a friend's wedding in Seattle early on Friday morning. We hadn't planned exactly how we were going to get from the airport to the wedding itself, so it was a surprise to land in Seattle and learn that the couple had sent one of their friends to pick us up! He was a great tour driver, and as we passed downtown he showed us all there was to see. Neither B nor I had ever been to that part of the country before, and I must say that it is beautiful. The trees are so overwhelming and the rain felt like it belonged. I would love to visit again, though not in so much of a hurry.
We arrived at the church and began to help decorate. This wedding was run by all the family and friends of the couple, and it was wonderful to see everyone pitch in so willingly. B was a groomsman, so he had other responsibilities, but I helped arrange and decorate tables and prepare food. It was an intense day-before-the-wedding. We didn't have a car, so we had to rely on others to drive us to our hotel and pick us up, but it wasn't too much of a problem. The wedding itself was wonderful. The sun came out and everything went smoothly, and the couple are now happily back from their honeymoon and preparing to move to England for the next few years. B and I were so happy that we were able to share in their day.
From Seattle, we flew to Park City, UT. B's family has a condo there, so it was wonderful to be able to spend a week in the mountains with a car and a condo for our use. It rained quite a bit, but even that couldn't hide the beauty and awe of the mountains. We spent a day in Salt Lake City, and we were able to tour the LDS grounds and see the organ. We took the ski lifts to the top of the mountains and hiked down (yes, as I am seven months pregnant, I am pretty proud of that one). And of course we ate good food. Park City is known for its yummy restaurants (though most are pretty expensive). We were able to try a few of the really nice ones and enjoy the good down-to-earth cooking of others. In short, our trip is exactly what we needed: a relaxing time away before fall really settled in and September, October, and November zoom by. It will probably be our last vacation before the baby comes, so I'm glad that we were able to take it. Hopefully soon.
We headed out for a friend's wedding in Seattle early on Friday morning. We hadn't planned exactly how we were going to get from the airport to the wedding itself, so it was a surprise to land in Seattle and learn that the couple had sent one of their friends to pick us up! He was a great tour driver, and as we passed downtown he showed us all there was to see. Neither B nor I had ever been to that part of the country before, and I must say that it is beautiful. The trees are so overwhelming and the rain felt like it belonged. I would love to visit again, though not in so much of a hurry.
We arrived at the church and began to help decorate. This wedding was run by all the family and friends of the couple, and it was wonderful to see everyone pitch in so willingly. B was a groomsman, so he had other responsibilities, but I helped arrange and decorate tables and prepare food. It was an intense day-before-the-wedding. We didn't have a car, so we had to rely on others to drive us to our hotel and pick us up, but it wasn't too much of a problem. The wedding itself was wonderful. The sun came out and everything went smoothly, and the couple are now happily back from their honeymoon and preparing to move to England for the next few years. B and I were so happy that we were able to share in their day.
From Seattle, we flew to Park City, UT. B's family has a condo there, so it was wonderful to be able to spend a week in the mountains with a car and a condo for our use. It rained quite a bit, but even that couldn't hide the beauty and awe of the mountains. We spent a day in Salt Lake City, and we were able to tour the LDS grounds and see the organ. We took the ski lifts to the top of the mountains and hiked down (yes, as I am seven months pregnant, I am pretty proud of that one). And of course we ate good food. Park City is known for its yummy restaurants (though most are pretty expensive). We were able to try a few of the really nice ones and enjoy the good down-to-earth cooking of others. In short, our trip is exactly what we needed: a relaxing time away before fall really settled in and September, October, and November zoom by. It will probably be our last vacation before the baby comes, so I'm glad that we were able to take it. Hopefully soon.
Pumpkin time! FRESH
Finally, I have enough energy to do things again! I have cleaned the house (well, started anyway) and made some food, though B is still helping me out on that front. But he loves it!
Yesterday, he bought a new grill. Now, we had a grill, but that grill is extremely small. The last apartment we lived in had only a small balcony on which to do anything outside (I'm talking two chairs, a small drinks table in between, and we still had to squeeze around to sit in them), so the grill was literally the smallest little charcoal grill we could find. Now that we have a house, with a beautiful front lawn, we decided to go ahead and make the purchase: a new, bigger, charcoal grill.
Last night, we broke it in. Two beautiful steaks on one side (almost two pounds of meat!) and a tray full of peppers, onions, and mushrooms on the other. I made some cornbread in the oven, and after we started our meal, B added a few ears of sweet corn to the grill, so we could eat them hot when we were ready. It was heavenly.
And on top of all of this, the weather is finally starting to cool down. We ate outside and actually got a little chilly. Which is all to say that I love fall and all the flavors that come with it. When we went to the store to pick up the meat, I couldn't help myself from adding a few pumpkins to the cart. I just had to have fresh pumpkin.
If you've never had fresh pumpkin, straight from the oven off the rind, you are completely missing out. The smaller ones are sweeter, and the grocery store even had the ones labeled "pie pumpkins" so it was really easy to choose the right one. And they were only $3-4! I love when something so yummy to turns out to be so cheap.
Anyway, I got two of these small pumpkins, each about 4 pounds or a little more. I came home and prepared the first one instantly. Instructions: Cut the pumpkin in half. Scoop out all the seeds and strings in the middle (this is the fun part) and put them in a bowl for later. Plop them in the oven (I like to put them cut side down on a cookie sheet covered in parchment) and cook in 350 oven until the flesh is tender, about 30-45 minutes for my pumpkin. Remove from the oven, let cool, and scoop out into a bowl. Put all this flesh into a food processor and puree. And then eat. Eat to your heart's content. Because goodness can also come in a taste. And that is fresh pumpkin.
I made a pumpkin pie from all this pumpkin, but it turned out not so well. The crust got soggy in the middle, and there is too much ginger. I tried a new recipe and followed it pretty well, so I guess I'll just have to return to my mom's. And I have another pumpkin just waiting for me on the counter, so I think I might try again.
Yesterday, he bought a new grill. Now, we had a grill, but that grill is extremely small. The last apartment we lived in had only a small balcony on which to do anything outside (I'm talking two chairs, a small drinks table in between, and we still had to squeeze around to sit in them), so the grill was literally the smallest little charcoal grill we could find. Now that we have a house, with a beautiful front lawn, we decided to go ahead and make the purchase: a new, bigger, charcoal grill.
Last night, we broke it in. Two beautiful steaks on one side (almost two pounds of meat!) and a tray full of peppers, onions, and mushrooms on the other. I made some cornbread in the oven, and after we started our meal, B added a few ears of sweet corn to the grill, so we could eat them hot when we were ready. It was heavenly.
And on top of all of this, the weather is finally starting to cool down. We ate outside and actually got a little chilly. Which is all to say that I love fall and all the flavors that come with it. When we went to the store to pick up the meat, I couldn't help myself from adding a few pumpkins to the cart. I just had to have fresh pumpkin.
If you've never had fresh pumpkin, straight from the oven off the rind, you are completely missing out. The smaller ones are sweeter, and the grocery store even had the ones labeled "pie pumpkins" so it was really easy to choose the right one. And they were only $3-4! I love when something so yummy to turns out to be so cheap.
Anyway, I got two of these small pumpkins, each about 4 pounds or a little more. I came home and prepared the first one instantly. Instructions: Cut the pumpkin in half. Scoop out all the seeds and strings in the middle (this is the fun part) and put them in a bowl for later. Plop them in the oven (I like to put them cut side down on a cookie sheet covered in parchment) and cook in 350 oven until the flesh is tender, about 30-45 minutes for my pumpkin. Remove from the oven, let cool, and scoop out into a bowl. Put all this flesh into a food processor and puree. And then eat. Eat to your heart's content. Because goodness can also come in a taste. And that is fresh pumpkin.
I made a pumpkin pie from all this pumpkin, but it turned out not so well. The crust got soggy in the middle, and there is too much ginger. I tried a new recipe and followed it pretty well, so I guess I'll just have to return to my mom's. And I have another pumpkin just waiting for me on the counter, so I think I might try again.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Update
The last post I wrote detailed my trip to the hospital, my kidney infection, and the fact that we were headed out on a well-deserved vacation after all that we had been through. Well, we did that. And we got back on Tuesday. Just in time for me to come down with some sort of respiratory infection. Welcome home, right? So today I sit here either shivering or sweating like a pig because of my fever and battling a cough that refuses to stay down every time I breathe or talk. On top of that, I forgot to get the chicken out of the freezer so that we can have dinner (a necessity, since I haven't been food shopping yet from vacation).
Here's to hoping that you are having a good week. Because I certainly am not.
Here's to hoping that you are having a good week. Because I certainly am not.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Away, we go away.
B and I were planning on heading out to Seattle for a wedding this weekend, and had an elaborate plan of driving out there and camping our way through national parks and forests to reach our destination. We figured that since we were both between jobs and the baby isn't here yet, this would be the perfect time to try one of these. We were so excited and got all the camping gear we would need and even some of the food.
And then the kidney infection happened. I got out of the hospital on Tuesday. We were supposed to leave on Thursday. That wasn't going to happen with a 6-months-pregnant lady who was still recovering from a major infection where she couldn't even get herself up and out of the bed. So the trip got cancelled.
We were totally bummed. I was definitely looking forward to this trip, and I couldn't wait to get out of the Chicago suburbs and into some real outdoors. I had done all the planning and all the reserving of campsites and more, and then I was forced to go back and cancel all those things. It made me so sad to think that we weren't even going to make it to the wedding.
But B surprised me. While I was sitting at home, watching the days go by and wishing I were in Yellowstone, as we were supposed to be at that moment, he bought some plane tickets. And now, miracle of all miracles, we are headed to Seattle tomorrow to celebrate with friends at their wedding, then off to Park City, UT, where we will still have a week or so of vacation in beautiful mountains. I can't wait. And, I have the best husband ever. The trip may not be exactly what I was thinking of and planning on, but it is still one of the best things that I could have imagined.
And then the kidney infection happened. I got out of the hospital on Tuesday. We were supposed to leave on Thursday. That wasn't going to happen with a 6-months-pregnant lady who was still recovering from a major infection where she couldn't even get herself up and out of the bed. So the trip got cancelled.
We were totally bummed. I was definitely looking forward to this trip, and I couldn't wait to get out of the Chicago suburbs and into some real outdoors. I had done all the planning and all the reserving of campsites and more, and then I was forced to go back and cancel all those things. It made me so sad to think that we weren't even going to make it to the wedding.
But B surprised me. While I was sitting at home, watching the days go by and wishing I were in Yellowstone, as we were supposed to be at that moment, he bought some plane tickets. And now, miracle of all miracles, we are headed to Seattle tomorrow to celebrate with friends at their wedding, then off to Park City, UT, where we will still have a week or so of vacation in beautiful mountains. I can't wait. And, I have the best husband ever. The trip may not be exactly what I was thinking of and planning on, but it is still one of the best things that I could have imagined.
Monday, September 2, 2013
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (TOLL HOUSE)
Just finishing up the last dozen cookies from the latest adventure--chocolate chip cookies. B requested them, after failing to find any "fancy" dessert that he wanted after dinner. So we're back to an old favorite.
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Heat oven to 325 F.
In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until creamy.
Beat in eggs.
Gradually add flour mixture.
Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 9-11 minutes.
Helpful hints:
1. There's been a post circulating Pinterest about the way that ingredients affect how cookies (or muffins or cupcakes or anything else you can think of) come out of the oven. I can't reiterate it enough. Tonight, I took out the butter I was going to use for the cookies, since it has to be softened. I don't have a microwave, and so I always need to be thinking ahead. Well, today was pretty warm, and we decided not to turn the AC on, and then I made dinner and left the butter on the counter in my ridiculously hot kitchen. And you guessed it, the butter was more than softened. It was on its way to becoming melted. And then what did I do? I made the batter and left it on the counter while B and I watched an episode of TV. So not only was the butter already too warm, but I left it out even more before I actually made the cookies. This made the cookies sadly "melty" on the cookie sheet, and bake unevenly. Some on the top are too brown, while others are not quite done. And they are all about 1/4 inch thick and gloppy. But at least they taste good.
2. Parchment paper is my best friend. The recipe calls for a greased cookie sheet, but I never use those anymore. Parchment paper can be reused and it really isn't that expensive. When I got married, my aunt (a wonderful baker that I hope to be one day) furnished my kitchen with everything baking-related. And this included a giant package of parchment paper from King Arthur Flour. Almost a year and a half into my marriage, and I haven't even scratched the surface of that package. And I make a lot of cookies.
3. A cookie scooper. Is there a better word for this? My mom taught me that using one of these (they look like a ice cream scoop, but smaller) ensures that each cookie is the same size. She likes them when she's baking for gifts or for other people at all. I have come to rely on them, just because they make things so much easier. I have three different sizes, and I use each and every one of them.
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Heat oven to 325 F.
In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until creamy.
Beat in eggs.
Gradually add flour mixture.
Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 9-11 minutes.
Helpful hints:
1. There's been a post circulating Pinterest about the way that ingredients affect how cookies (or muffins or cupcakes or anything else you can think of) come out of the oven. I can't reiterate it enough. Tonight, I took out the butter I was going to use for the cookies, since it has to be softened. I don't have a microwave, and so I always need to be thinking ahead. Well, today was pretty warm, and we decided not to turn the AC on, and then I made dinner and left the butter on the counter in my ridiculously hot kitchen. And you guessed it, the butter was more than softened. It was on its way to becoming melted. And then what did I do? I made the batter and left it on the counter while B and I watched an episode of TV. So not only was the butter already too warm, but I left it out even more before I actually made the cookies. This made the cookies sadly "melty" on the cookie sheet, and bake unevenly. Some on the top are too brown, while others are not quite done. And they are all about 1/4 inch thick and gloppy. But at least they taste good.
2. Parchment paper is my best friend. The recipe calls for a greased cookie sheet, but I never use those anymore. Parchment paper can be reused and it really isn't that expensive. When I got married, my aunt (a wonderful baker that I hope to be one day) furnished my kitchen with everything baking-related. And this included a giant package of parchment paper from King Arthur Flour. Almost a year and a half into my marriage, and I haven't even scratched the surface of that package. And I make a lot of cookies.
3. A cookie scooper. Is there a better word for this? My mom taught me that using one of these (they look like a ice cream scoop, but smaller) ensures that each cookie is the same size. She likes them when she's baking for gifts or for other people at all. I have come to rely on them, just because they make things so much easier. I have three different sizes, and I use each and every one of them.
Candide by Voltaire
I've decided--what is life without the books that we read? So I've decided to keep a tab on the books that I read, as well as everything else I'm already doing.
Candide by Voltaire. Such and interesting book. I read it in high school (thanks AP History) and filled out a little worksheet for it for extra credit, but I must have had a bad translation or I really wasn't paying attention to what I was reading then. Because this second time around was quite different.
B is a philosopher, and his reading would be quite different from mine. Basically, because I didn't get all the references or all that Voltaire was trying to say. Instead, I read it for the story itself. The story about the man that continued throughout life looking for evidence that there were good things and good people. An for the story, it is quite fantastical. Meeting long-lost friends though dead (several) and all the hardships he himself went through, only to find that what he wanted in the end was not very exciting. I liked the story (other than the details of the abuse suffered by every character) and I would read it again, but probably not for a long time.
Candide by Voltaire. Such and interesting book. I read it in high school (thanks AP History) and filled out a little worksheet for it for extra credit, but I must have had a bad translation or I really wasn't paying attention to what I was reading then. Because this second time around was quite different.
B is a philosopher, and his reading would be quite different from mine. Basically, because I didn't get all the references or all that Voltaire was trying to say. Instead, I read it for the story itself. The story about the man that continued throughout life looking for evidence that there were good things and good people. An for the story, it is quite fantastical. Meeting long-lost friends though dead (several) and all the hardships he himself went through, only to find that what he wanted in the end was not very exciting. I liked the story (other than the details of the abuse suffered by every character) and I would read it again, but probably not for a long time.
DAD'S PARMESAN CHICKEN
The weather is finally beautiful here in the Midwest. Sadly, I believe that it won't last. Goodness, it's September! Enough of this heat already.
Today was filled with cleaning and cooking--my kind of day :) The floors are mopped, the dishes are done, the carpet in vacuumed, the bathroom is clean, and (most) of the laundry is folded and put away. After a few days being out of commission, it's nice to finally be able to clean the house so that it is usable again. I've been waiting for this day.
Dinner tonight was my dad's parmesan chicken. No, it's not the same as the breaded chicken in tomato sauce and spaghetti. Instead, it's yummy goodness covered in butter and bread crumbs. Amazing. It's known as my dad's signature dish, and anytime I make it there are compliments. And it really is super easy.
3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. dried parsley
some salt
a little pepper
1/3 cup melted butter
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast HALVES
dash paprika
In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper.
In another bowl, combine the butter, lemon juice, and garlic.
Dip chicken in butter mixture, then roll in crumbs.
Roll up chicken jelly-roll style; place seam side down in greased baking dish.
Drizzle with any remaining butter mixture; sprinkle with paprika.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 F for 35 minutes or until juices run clear.
This recipe is wonderful. Just saying.
Today was filled with cleaning and cooking--my kind of day :) The floors are mopped, the dishes are done, the carpet in vacuumed, the bathroom is clean, and (most) of the laundry is folded and put away. After a few days being out of commission, it's nice to finally be able to clean the house so that it is usable again. I've been waiting for this day.
Dinner tonight was my dad's parmesan chicken. No, it's not the same as the breaded chicken in tomato sauce and spaghetti. Instead, it's yummy goodness covered in butter and bread crumbs. Amazing. It's known as my dad's signature dish, and anytime I make it there are compliments. And it really is super easy.
3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. dried parsley
some salt
a little pepper
1/3 cup melted butter
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast HALVES
dash paprika
In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper.
In another bowl, combine the butter, lemon juice, and garlic.
Dip chicken in butter mixture, then roll in crumbs.
Roll up chicken jelly-roll style; place seam side down in greased baking dish.
Drizzle with any remaining butter mixture; sprinkle with paprika.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 F for 35 minutes or until juices run clear.
This recipe is wonderful. Just saying.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Hospital musings
So I haven't posted anything in quite a few days. Why? I was diagnosed with a kidney infection, and I spent Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday morning in the hospital. Now, having a kidney infection by itself is enough to make anyone lose their minds, but remember that I am also 25 weeks pregnant with my first child, so I was really upset. So many things going wrong? I didn't want to even entertain the possibilities.
But today, one day from being released, I am doing better. I can now sit up in bed all by myself, as well as walk upright and even eat something other than water. It is a wonderful feeling to be unplugged from the IV and the baby monitor, and I can honestly say that being in my own house has helped me a lot.
But still, that means I either lay in bed or sit on the couch all day. I can't have any pain killers (which I thrived on in the hospital) and so moving is still a little difficult. Thankfully, B had come home and done laundry and made the bed while I was stuck, and the house looked beautiful. But now, after we've lived here and B has become my nurse, the house needs cleaning and the fridge needs emptying. We've been eating hospital food since then and I'm still not up to making anything other than canned soup and sandwiches, sadly. B is pretty good cook himself, and has made us some nice dinners, but these few days have been tough on us both. Hopefully, when I check back in, I will have had the energy to clean up a bit and make that food. Ergh.
But today, one day from being released, I am doing better. I can now sit up in bed all by myself, as well as walk upright and even eat something other than water. It is a wonderful feeling to be unplugged from the IV and the baby monitor, and I can honestly say that being in my own house has helped me a lot.
But still, that means I either lay in bed or sit on the couch all day. I can't have any pain killers (which I thrived on in the hospital) and so moving is still a little difficult. Thankfully, B had come home and done laundry and made the bed while I was stuck, and the house looked beautiful. But now, after we've lived here and B has become my nurse, the house needs cleaning and the fridge needs emptying. We've been eating hospital food since then and I'm still not up to making anything other than canned soup and sandwiches, sadly. B is pretty good cook himself, and has made us some nice dinners, but these few days have been tough on us both. Hopefully, when I check back in, I will have had the energy to clean up a bit and make that food. Ergh.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
ZUCCHINI CHOCOLATE CAKE
I'm still working on that giant zucchini that my friend gave me. Two batches of zucchini muffins and a chocolate zucchini cake later, I STILL have about 2 cups of grated zucchini left. I think it's a little ridiculous. But at least we get to enjoy all of these yummy desserts out of such a wonderful vegetable.
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups grated zucchini
3/4 cups chopped walnuts
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9x13 pan.
Stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
Add the eggs and oil and mix well.
Fold in nuts and zucchini.
Pour into the greased pan.
Bake for 50-60 minutes until done (when a knife inserted in the cake is clean coming out)
Nothing too complicated about this at all, and yet it comes out so delicious. It's nice and fudgy and chocolatey but not too much. Definitely try it.
Original recipe found here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chocolate-zucchini-cake-iii/detail.aspx
*Note: I am currently watching an episode of The Office, so I apologize if there is any typos or ridiculous words.
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups grated zucchini
3/4 cups chopped walnuts
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9x13 pan.
Stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
Add the eggs and oil and mix well.
Fold in nuts and zucchini.
Pour into the greased pan.
Bake for 50-60 minutes until done (when a knife inserted in the cake is clean coming out)
Nothing too complicated about this at all, and yet it comes out so delicious. It's nice and fudgy and chocolatey but not too much. Definitely try it.
Original recipe found here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chocolate-zucchini-cake-iii/detail.aspx
*Note: I am currently watching an episode of The Office, so I apologize if there is any typos or ridiculous words.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
OATMEAL COOKIES (WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS)
With extra people in the house, we went through two dozen muffins quite quickly. In fact, we haven't had any baked goods in the house for a few days! (Excluding those doughnuts I could not live without the other morning, and then decided not to eat.) So this was the next step. These were requested, and I happily obliged.
This recipe I got from the Internet ages ago (which isn't quite true, as the Internet is only about as old as I am). But it's not bad for just run-of-the-mill oatmeal cookies. It doesn't look the best (I'm saying it now), but the taste is out of this world. Tonight, mine came out flat and looking undone, but they were heavenly. Just make sure to have a glass of milk handy.
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1.5 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups quick-cooking oats
raisins or nuts (optional)
(In this case, I added chocolate chips.)
Directions:
Cream together white sugar, butter, and brown sugar.
Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Stir into creamed mixture.
Mix in oats, then raisins or nuts.
CHILL dough for one hour.
Bake at 375 F for 8-10 minutes.
This recipe I got from the Internet ages ago (which isn't quite true, as the Internet is only about as old as I am). But it's not bad for just run-of-the-mill oatmeal cookies. It doesn't look the best (I'm saying it now), but the taste is out of this world. Tonight, mine came out flat and looking undone, but they were heavenly. Just make sure to have a glass of milk handy.
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1.5 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups quick-cooking oats
raisins or nuts (optional)
(In this case, I added chocolate chips.)
Directions:
Cream together white sugar, butter, and brown sugar.
Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Stir into creamed mixture.
Mix in oats, then raisins or nuts.
CHILL dough for one hour.
Bake at 375 F for 8-10 minutes.
PIZZA CRUST
After a bout of exhaustion (including sleeping until 8, then going back to bed after a heavy crying session and sleeping until lunch), I decided that today I was going to get back in the swing of things. I've been putting off so much and letting B fend for himself for meals, and I knew that needed to change. So, I went to one of our all-time favorites: homemade pizza.
Tonight, I made everything from scratch. Yes, the crust, the sauce, and all the ingredients (though I really only had to chop things for the toppings). So, here it is. For those that say I cheated by using a bread machine, I refuse to believe it. I love that thing.
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons yeast
3 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup and 2 tablespoons water (I use lukewarm)
Directions:
Put all the above ingredients in the bread machine in the order given.
Select the "Dough" cycle and press "Start". (My machine take an hour and a half for this cycle.)
After it has completed, remove the dough and place in a well-greased bowl. Roll the dough around to coat it with the oil.
Cover it with plastic wrap or a towel, and let rise for about half an hour.
Using a well-floured surface, roll the dough out to form a large circle, however big you want the pizza to be. I use my rolling pin, but I'm excited to try to twirl it around in the air like the movies.
Add topping and bake at about 425 F for 15-25 minutes.
Find the original recipe here:
http://www.food.com/recipe/easy-peezy-pizza-dough-bread-machine-pizza-dough-35805
Helpful hints:
1. Yeast is really hard. I still haven't mastered it, but this recipe is easy enough that there's not much that can go wrong. I've tried recipes before that have totally failed, and I suppose that's just what you have to do sometimes.
2. I popped the crust into the oven while it was warming up and I was chopping the toppings. You should do this only if you want a crispier crust. If you like doughier, skip this step and put the toppings right on the unbaked crust. Either way, it turns out pretty great.
3. I also made my own sauce. It was pretty awesome, I gotta say. I won't reproduce the recipe here, because I got it from America's Test Kitchen, where B got the lovely idea of giving me a membership. If you don't know what I'm talking about, find it here: http://www.americastestkitchen.com/. It is one of the best resources out there, in my opinion. Take the time and the money to really look through what they have, and use their suggestions. They got me hooked on my spatula, my dough scarper, the little prep bowls that they use in television shows, and we have had many MANY amazing meals from their recipes. It's their job to find the best way to make something, and it is so worth it. So, all that to say, I took their recipe for sauce. And it was good. And easy, I might add.
Tonight, I made everything from scratch. Yes, the crust, the sauce, and all the ingredients (though I really only had to chop things for the toppings). So, here it is. For those that say I cheated by using a bread machine, I refuse to believe it. I love that thing.
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons yeast
3 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup and 2 tablespoons water (I use lukewarm)
Directions:
Put all the above ingredients in the bread machine in the order given.
Select the "Dough" cycle and press "Start". (My machine take an hour and a half for this cycle.)
After it has completed, remove the dough and place in a well-greased bowl. Roll the dough around to coat it with the oil.
Cover it with plastic wrap or a towel, and let rise for about half an hour.
Using a well-floured surface, roll the dough out to form a large circle, however big you want the pizza to be. I use my rolling pin, but I'm excited to try to twirl it around in the air like the movies.
Add topping and bake at about 425 F for 15-25 minutes.
Find the original recipe here:
http://www.food.com/recipe/easy-peezy-pizza-dough-bread-machine-pizza-dough-35805
Helpful hints:
1. Yeast is really hard. I still haven't mastered it, but this recipe is easy enough that there's not much that can go wrong. I've tried recipes before that have totally failed, and I suppose that's just what you have to do sometimes.
2. I popped the crust into the oven while it was warming up and I was chopping the toppings. You should do this only if you want a crispier crust. If you like doughier, skip this step and put the toppings right on the unbaked crust. Either way, it turns out pretty great.
3. I also made my own sauce. It was pretty awesome, I gotta say. I won't reproduce the recipe here, because I got it from America's Test Kitchen, where B got the lovely idea of giving me a membership. If you don't know what I'm talking about, find it here: http://www.americastestkitchen.com/. It is one of the best resources out there, in my opinion. Take the time and the money to really look through what they have, and use their suggestions. They got me hooked on my spatula, my dough scarper, the little prep bowls that they use in television shows, and we have had many MANY amazing meals from their recipes. It's their job to find the best way to make something, and it is so worth it. So, all that to say, I took their recipe for sauce. And it was good. And easy, I might add.
Monday, August 19, 2013
After a crazy few days, the house and life is a little more back to normal. B's dad is back home and his brother is here to stay. He's spending the next few days at our house still, and moving into the dorm full-time sometimes next week. So I have two boys that I'm feeding on a regular basis, which is somewhat new to me. I am enjoying it, though.
The difference is, I am a pregnant woman that is not feeling too well lately. I make them dinner and only have a snack later. I'm fine with the arrangement, though.
Lunches are B's favorite: a sandwich on ciabatta bread with peppered turkey, Swiss cheese, fresh spinach, a slice of tomato, and mustard. Usually, there are grapes to accompany it. And that's lunch.
Dinner tonight is chicken (with the ribs and bones and skin) on the grill, seasoned with salt, pepper, and rosemary. SO GOOD. Some sort of veggies and probably biscuits. Who knows what I'm going to have.
But other than food, nothing much to report. Laundry is done and the dishwasher is empty. I call that a productive day. Now if only I could curl up with a glass of wine and finish the Bond movie that B and his brother started. But, alas, no wine.
The difference is, I am a pregnant woman that is not feeling too well lately. I make them dinner and only have a snack later. I'm fine with the arrangement, though.
Lunches are B's favorite: a sandwich on ciabatta bread with peppered turkey, Swiss cheese, fresh spinach, a slice of tomato, and mustard. Usually, there are grapes to accompany it. And that's lunch.
Dinner tonight is chicken (with the ribs and bones and skin) on the grill, seasoned with salt, pepper, and rosemary. SO GOOD. Some sort of veggies and probably biscuits. Who knows what I'm going to have.
But other than food, nothing much to report. Laundry is done and the dishwasher is empty. I call that a productive day. Now if only I could curl up with a glass of wine and finish the Bond movie that B and his brother started. But, alas, no wine.
Friday, August 16, 2013
ZUCCHINI MUFFINS
This is my grandmother's recipe. I have loved it ever since I knew how to bake.It makes two loaves of bread or about 24 muffins (I ALWAYS make 23 muffins with this recipe. Maybe that's just because I fill the cups pretty full).
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 cups flour
1 cup oil
2 cups zucchini, chopped fine or shredded (about one medium zucchini)
3 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 T. cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional, but strongly suggested)
Mix in the order given. Pour into greased loaf pans or muffin tins. Bake at 350 F for 1 hour, or 20-25 minutes for muffins.
Things I learned:
1. I have made this recipe multiple times in the last few days. Lots of company = many muffins eaten. The first batch came out with burned bottoms, though the tops looked perfect. After doing a quick search on the Internet (exactly what I usually do), I found a few mistakes.
a) I put both muffin tins on the top shelf of the oven so that I wouldn't have to switch them halfway through baking them. Problem. I was crowding the pans and so the muffins were baking unevenly. So instead of taking this "easy" way out and burning the muffins, I put one on each shelf and set the timer for half the time. When that was done, I switched them. Problem solved. This second batch is worth everything before.
b) My oven could be baking unevenly to begin with. We recently moved into the house we are in now, and I am still getting used to the new oven. In the last place, we had a beautiful, pretty much brand new oven, and here, I'm sure it's from the 70s. I believe that it bakes a little differently than my last one and I still have to get used to it. Hopefully, I will be able to take the time soon to really understand how off it really is.
2. This recipe truly does make a lot of muffins and doesn't use a ton of zucchini. I got a zucchini from a friend a few days ago that is literally the size of my forearm. When they are that big, it isn't very tasty to just stick them in a stir-fry and munch them up at dinner. You really should put them into something, like bread. But now, I've made two batches of this recipe and I still have about a third (or more) left of the original zucchini! I will have to find some other way to use it, as I believe B is getting tired of all the zucchini muffins hanging around the house.
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 cups flour
1 cup oil
2 cups zucchini, chopped fine or shredded (about one medium zucchini)
3 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 T. cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional, but strongly suggested)
Mix in the order given. Pour into greased loaf pans or muffin tins. Bake at 350 F for 1 hour, or 20-25 minutes for muffins.
Things I learned:
1. I have made this recipe multiple times in the last few days. Lots of company = many muffins eaten. The first batch came out with burned bottoms, though the tops looked perfect. After doing a quick search on the Internet (exactly what I usually do), I found a few mistakes.
a) I put both muffin tins on the top shelf of the oven so that I wouldn't have to switch them halfway through baking them. Problem. I was crowding the pans and so the muffins were baking unevenly. So instead of taking this "easy" way out and burning the muffins, I put one on each shelf and set the timer for half the time. When that was done, I switched them. Problem solved. This second batch is worth everything before.
b) My oven could be baking unevenly to begin with. We recently moved into the house we are in now, and I am still getting used to the new oven. In the last place, we had a beautiful, pretty much brand new oven, and here, I'm sure it's from the 70s. I believe that it bakes a little differently than my last one and I still have to get used to it. Hopefully, I will be able to take the time soon to really understand how off it really is.
2. This recipe truly does make a lot of muffins and doesn't use a ton of zucchini. I got a zucchini from a friend a few days ago that is literally the size of my forearm. When they are that big, it isn't very tasty to just stick them in a stir-fry and munch them up at dinner. You really should put them into something, like bread. But now, I've made two batches of this recipe and I still have about a third (or more) left of the original zucchini! I will have to find some other way to use it, as I believe B is getting tired of all the zucchini muffins hanging around the house.
Restaurant loves
For some reason, neither of us were really hungry yesterday. Like, at all. And so, I never really made much of the food that I normally make. Lunch was rushed and on the go, as we had to run to get B's dad and brother from the airport. (They are here so B's brother can come to school here in the fall! Very exciting.) From there, we went out to dinner.
I do love the food here in Wheaton, IL. We went to The Bank Restaurant last night for dinner, and it was one of the more satisfying meals that I've eaten out in a long time. After starting off with a wonderful creamy chicken and rice soup and a dish called "Shrimp Yakotori" (wonderful, I assure you), I had an entree of beef stroganoff with fresh, housemade sour cream and a side of green beans. I might be having it again for lunch (it was quite a bit of food). B had a yummy swordfish dish with mushroom risotto, his brother had a crab meat salad (with tomatoes and goat's cheese, yum!), and his dad had a steak salad with potatoes and blue cheese. All in all, a wonderful meal that I'm sure B and I will be going to have again soon.
I topped it off with ice cream and peanut butter at home, but no one else joined me. Perfectly ok, since I'm the pregnant lady and have excuses to eat that kind of stuff.
This morning, it's kind of the same deal. Everyone is awake (finally) and we've all had our coffee, but no one seems to want to eat breakfast. I had a snack (because I would faint without it, I'm sure), and now everyone is off doing their own thing. I will probably make another batch of zucchini muffins with the giant zucchini I have from a friend, and B's dad loves my molasses sugar cookies, so perhaps a batch of those. We shall see what the day brings, as everyone plays around and works to their heart's content.
I do love the food here in Wheaton, IL. We went to The Bank Restaurant last night for dinner, and it was one of the more satisfying meals that I've eaten out in a long time. After starting off with a wonderful creamy chicken and rice soup and a dish called "Shrimp Yakotori" (wonderful, I assure you), I had an entree of beef stroganoff with fresh, housemade sour cream and a side of green beans. I might be having it again for lunch (it was quite a bit of food). B had a yummy swordfish dish with mushroom risotto, his brother had a crab meat salad (with tomatoes and goat's cheese, yum!), and his dad had a steak salad with potatoes and blue cheese. All in all, a wonderful meal that I'm sure B and I will be going to have again soon.
I topped it off with ice cream and peanut butter at home, but no one else joined me. Perfectly ok, since I'm the pregnant lady and have excuses to eat that kind of stuff.
This morning, it's kind of the same deal. Everyone is awake (finally) and we've all had our coffee, but no one seems to want to eat breakfast. I had a snack (because I would faint without it, I'm sure), and now everyone is off doing their own thing. I will probably make another batch of zucchini muffins with the giant zucchini I have from a friend, and B's dad loves my molasses sugar cookies, so perhaps a batch of those. We shall see what the day brings, as everyone plays around and works to their heart's content.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
CAESAR CHICKEN SALAD
Lunch
We had a good friend over for lunch today, and I thought he was a pretty picky eater. But he seemed fine with the idea of a caesar salad with some chicken on top. (Which was pretty good because I didn't have a backup plan.) So, super easy.
For three people:
1 chicken breast, cut up pretty small
Assorted veggies (we had green peppers, mushrooms, cucumbers, and tomatoes)
Lettuce (we had a combination of romaine and spinach)
Ken's Caesar dressing
Cook the chicken in a skillet in the Caesar dressing (it gets wonderful flavor from it)
Chop up all the veggies while the chicken is cooking.
Either put the dressing on the entire salad and toss it, or, as we did today, let each person put his own on hos own salad (which resulted in my salad being a little over-dressed).
No special tricks here. Just fast and easy and delicious and nutritious lunch.
(By the way, "nutritious" is an awful word to spell.)
We had a good friend over for lunch today, and I thought he was a pretty picky eater. But he seemed fine with the idea of a caesar salad with some chicken on top. (Which was pretty good because I didn't have a backup plan.) So, super easy.
For three people:
1 chicken breast, cut up pretty small
Assorted veggies (we had green peppers, mushrooms, cucumbers, and tomatoes)
Lettuce (we had a combination of romaine and spinach)
Ken's Caesar dressing
Cook the chicken in a skillet in the Caesar dressing (it gets wonderful flavor from it)
Chop up all the veggies while the chicken is cooking.
Either put the dressing on the entire salad and toss it, or, as we did today, let each person put his own on hos own salad (which resulted in my salad being a little over-dressed).
No special tricks here. Just fast and easy and delicious and nutritious lunch.
(By the way, "nutritious" is an awful word to spell.)
SPINACH AND TOMATO QUICHE
Dinner tonight:
Quiche. Fresh spinach and fresh tomatoes with lots of cheese and lots of other goodies. Had a friend over for dinner unexpectedly and, thankfully, it was enough food and WONDERFUL for eating. This was a great recipe, though I would reduce the amount of liquids that it had--it took a little too long to bake.
1 crust
1/2 onion, diced
a bunch of spinach
a little less tomatoes, diced
3 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
pinch nutmeg
salt and pepper
lots of cheese (I used monterey jack this time, would definitely do again)
Saute onions until brown.
Beat together eggs, cream, milk, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Leave on the counter until ready to use it.
Add onions, spinach, tomatoes, and cheese. Mix well.
Bake in oven at 350 F for 35-40 minutes or until cheese is brown on the edges and middle is not jello-y.
Original post: http://sugareverythingnice.blogspot.com/2009/12/spinach-quiche.html
Helpful hints I learned from today's ventures:
1. 180 C = 350 F (about)
2. 10 ounces of frozen spinach (the amount in the frozen package at the grocery store) is the same as 1.5 cups of fresh cooked spinach. 1.5 cups of cooked spinach is 1.5 POUNDS of fresh spinach. So when I say "a bunch a spinach" put in more than you would think necessary. It all cooks down.
3. For dessert, I made zucchini muffins. One of these posts I'll put the whole recipe online so that it will be saved forever. But for now... They came out incredibly burned on the bottom. I haven't burned anything in years, so I was quite surprised. The only thing I could think of was that, obviously, I left them in too long, or I didn't clean the pan out enough after the last batch I made. And so the oil was left in the bottom and burned the muffins? I'm not sure. But with the amount of zucchini I have, I can easily just make another batch.
Quiche. Fresh spinach and fresh tomatoes with lots of cheese and lots of other goodies. Had a friend over for dinner unexpectedly and, thankfully, it was enough food and WONDERFUL for eating. This was a great recipe, though I would reduce the amount of liquids that it had--it took a little too long to bake.
1 crust
1/2 onion, diced
a bunch of spinach
a little less tomatoes, diced
3 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
pinch nutmeg
salt and pepper
lots of cheese (I used monterey jack this time, would definitely do again)
Saute onions until brown.
Beat together eggs, cream, milk, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Leave on the counter until ready to use it.
Add onions, spinach, tomatoes, and cheese. Mix well.
Bake in oven at 350 F for 35-40 minutes or until cheese is brown on the edges and middle is not jello-y.
Original post: http://sugareverythingnice.blogspot.com/2009/12/spinach-quiche.html
Helpful hints I learned from today's ventures:
1. 180 C = 350 F (about)
2. 10 ounces of frozen spinach (the amount in the frozen package at the grocery store) is the same as 1.5 cups of fresh cooked spinach. 1.5 cups of cooked spinach is 1.5 POUNDS of fresh spinach. So when I say "a bunch a spinach" put in more than you would think necessary. It all cooks down.
3. For dessert, I made zucchini muffins. One of these posts I'll put the whole recipe online so that it will be saved forever. But for now... They came out incredibly burned on the bottom. I haven't burned anything in years, so I was quite surprised. The only thing I could think of was that, obviously, I left them in too long, or I didn't clean the pan out enough after the last batch I made. And so the oil was left in the bottom and burned the muffins? I'm not sure. But with the amount of zucchini I have, I can easily just make another batch.
Blogging.
Blogging. Never have I ever thought that I would be writing a blog. But it's not at all to have others read what I am doing with my life. No, blogging would be much more stressful if that was what I was really out to do. Instead, I think it's a pretty good way to keep track of all of the things that I have done on the Internet (recipes, helpful hints, inspirations) rather than a Pinterest account. Why? Because Pinterest is extremely addicting and any time I get on it, I waste more time than I really need to.
So. This "blog" is more like my journal. Somewhere to keep all my recipes, what worked and what didn't, hints that I use sometimes but not enough to remember, and anything else that comes up. My personal journal.
But a little bit about myself. I am a recent college graduate (yay!) and have been married for about a year and a half to a great guy, whom I will probably just call B. We live in Wheaton, IL at the moment (which could change soon), and we are getting ready to welcome a little baby boy in December. That pretty much sums up everything about my life that's going on. I am currently just at home (which is why I have time to try all of these great new recipes) and thoroughly enjoying it. I keep myself busy and always end up having a lot to do every day. Isn't it amazing how that happens? Anyway, we are enjoying a time of relaxing and enjoying life.
So. This "blog" is more like my journal. Somewhere to keep all my recipes, what worked and what didn't, hints that I use sometimes but not enough to remember, and anything else that comes up. My personal journal.
But a little bit about myself. I am a recent college graduate (yay!) and have been married for about a year and a half to a great guy, whom I will probably just call B. We live in Wheaton, IL at the moment (which could change soon), and we are getting ready to welcome a little baby boy in December. That pretty much sums up everything about my life that's going on. I am currently just at home (which is why I have time to try all of these great new recipes) and thoroughly enjoying it. I keep myself busy and always end up having a lot to do every day. Isn't it amazing how that happens? Anyway, we are enjoying a time of relaxing and enjoying life.
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