tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18019188251040502902024-03-12T16:16:51.838-07:00the basement cookKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801918825104050290.post-14708334482609053252010-04-11T15:37:00.000-07:002010-04-11T15:46:22.370-07:00Fish TacosIn case you were wondering if the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, rest assured, Cowgirl's husband was literally GRUNTING as he ate this. I mean, seriously. Grunting. And Umm. And, Ugh. And, Ohh. And Ugh, And whatever grunting sounds a man makes. Good Lord.<div><br /></div><div>But I watched and I learned.</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUjVtYEKHt2h77NGQY3ASVz90Gkbh12qT3a-lVdNHeuFMu7ySRCnNhePvPRn_7pcLnsVSX8KTUx3WnI9TnB-iFXqvA2J0PXkMv6xHbCaa901fvTkHNwkgJ_2ti_IyU-Hjcs0NqmUiVWgU/s1600/IMG_0492.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUjVtYEKHt2h77NGQY3ASVz90Gkbh12qT3a-lVdNHeuFMu7ySRCnNhePvPRn_7pcLnsVSX8KTUx3WnI9TnB-iFXqvA2J0PXkMv6xHbCaa901fvTkHNwkgJ_2ti_IyU-Hjcs0NqmUiVWgU/s320/IMG_0492.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459012797563271858" /></a>Pinto Beans, White Northern Beans, Kidney Beans, and can of corn - all drained. A can of green chilies, some onion, some salsa, lime juice and you mix that all up and top it with cod and shrimp in a pan, top with some parmesan and cover it with foil. Bake it on the grill (or in the oven) until the fish is done, layer it on tortillas with shredded cheese and sour cream and it's heaven. Utterly heaven.</div><div><br /></div><div>I wanted to grunt while I was eating it. But I didn't. We made asparagus also, by putting it in a package of tin foil with butter, salt and pepper and grilling it alongside the taco innards. It was amazing. It must be asparagus season!</div><div><br /></div><div>All in all, it was an amazing meal. And frankly? I don't care for shrimp, but the cod was cheap and if that's what you stuck to? This would be a dang inexpensive meal.</div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801918825104050290.post-65006122060335438152010-04-06T19:02:00.000-07:002010-04-06T19:22:07.789-07:00Trying New ThingsSo, I have been reading on several (well - like a ton) of blogs about the goodness that is baked kale chips. And I was leery, people. Quite leery. Greens don't get crunchy, they get soggy and slimy. I'm not a fan of greens. I wish I was. I try to like them. I really do.<div><br /><div>Then <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/03/baked-kale-chips/">smittenkitchen</a> tried them. And she said they didn't suck, so when I was at the grocery store, I picked up some kale because I WANT to like new things, yanno?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzXAOV8PDWkhH2HT5nwLLseoOcdVUZDDTb-VixUhhKQU93_bUa_u4JhK-GDQaJndcfH3QjEhq0EvoRlIvPAmENmJWoEwGY-b8rx7OKKss-ziCMaF9-hUfuZmde-hVRapPFI-aJMa2vT3jm/s1600/IMG_0369.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzXAOV8PDWkhH2HT5nwLLseoOcdVUZDDTb-VixUhhKQU93_bUa_u4JhK-GDQaJndcfH3QjEhq0EvoRlIvPAmENmJWoEwGY-b8rx7OKKss-ziCMaF9-hUfuZmde-hVRapPFI-aJMa2vT3jm/s320/IMG_0369.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457213720221366482" /></a>I mixed up way too much olive oil and sea salt and added way too much garlic for good measure. My capacity for extremes might have been the problem here.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBcbccGJLXQLIUIal8RstyZyaosE3F5pDEj4y0lWPPBKncqRE5T0WAE60WLL4E3pg2ecB2J1BFCm76nhrKUokw4HJCH9Zd5mTIIXxZJ9usSdnx-ZTI8TKDvoRUOZgBUKOem8c_3dws7GF9/s1600/IMG_0370.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBcbccGJLXQLIUIal8RstyZyaosE3F5pDEj4y0lWPPBKncqRE5T0WAE60WLL4E3pg2ecB2J1BFCm76nhrKUokw4HJCH9Zd5mTIIXxZJ9usSdnx-ZTI8TKDvoRUOZgBUKOem8c_3dws7GF9/s320/IMG_0370.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457213299346482914" /></a>See this bag? It's pre-cut, which in essence makes the pieces a bit too small for "chips."<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgITP9ALEQvyWbL4Fw9-rMY3zniWtEYY6gY5YAP81uTCl0sRSTom4EjleS3fvAumA6aT_ebzDz8yC0slihL-OdsMoLOw8GRY2qAVgq7AwFfGrYZc6pUcKceiILW7vYTgNmwB-Rj3dc7audg/s1600/IMG_0371.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgITP9ALEQvyWbL4Fw9-rMY3zniWtEYY6gY5YAP81uTCl0sRSTom4EjleS3fvAumA6aT_ebzDz8yC0slihL-OdsMoLOw8GRY2qAVgq7AwFfGrYZc6pUcKceiILW7vYTgNmwB-Rj3dc7audg/s320/IMG_0371.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457211533584768114" /></a>Here's some smothered kale on a cooking sheet.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYaAnzZo0zw9zILlDDm7GJzdng4KyxUL7ONQROamXq5eTheAXWie7uSzr7wTyZVSuncLskYXBtjyTs2MWjSNPPaE-nrMLhmI3vp7ILb3MQYQQ3y1PSfLa3bsEvt1vSoWa2Si3AUgoQCjdf/s1600/IMG_0374.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYaAnzZo0zw9zILlDDm7GJzdng4KyxUL7ONQROamXq5eTheAXWie7uSzr7wTyZVSuncLskYXBtjyTs2MWjSNPPaE-nrMLhmI3vp7ILb3MQYQQ3y1PSfLa3bsEvt1vSoWa2Si3AUgoQCjdf/s320/IMG_0374.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457211287564787522" /></a>Then I baked it. Don't ask me to remember at what temperature or how long. Follow smitten kitchen's recipe, my oven is totally messed up.</div><div><br /></div><div>And it WAS crispy! It was savory! I could like it, I think. If I hadn't gone overboard with the olive oil and garlic. I will try again, because of course I have a whole other half bag of kale to deal with and I ate it raw in a salad the other day and that was... not so pleasant. Yuck. I was SO hoping to like it because some of the free heirloom seeds I got were for kale. But I think I'm going to pass on planting it. Because I love my garden so much and I don't want to grow things I won't eat. I'll pass them along to someone else.</div><div><br /></div><div>But it's worth a try guys, just don't do what I did and mess with the recipe. OK?<br /><br /></div></div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801918825104050290.post-29996278648440939472010-04-05T19:45:00.000-07:002010-04-06T05:44:59.745-07:00Tortillas and TurkeyI revere this book. I had to have it. And my mom gave it to me. I don't know if it's hers or if she found it at an estate sale or what, but I love it. It has the history of American food and other and whatever. I love it. I read it like a novel. I read most cookbooks like a novel. I love them. But this is a favorite. I wanted to make homemade tortillas this weekend. I'm not super into making bread, but I thought making tortillas would be fun. Wraps and stuff, yanno?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0rvuwLXYdAiEsnpem4ey9kaMbDPIODvmuHv42vsggYlXQ1pmP7HBfR-1F1ugAWxV5IOXkEbtMd7ciYk_oluTXp7JFN-uwkscPLXkW5EF_5VY1PSto5yFu8ekUNBm1J4qkFzaMKPFCiLNL/s1600/IMG_0419.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0rvuwLXYdAiEsnpem4ey9kaMbDPIODvmuHv42vsggYlXQ1pmP7HBfR-1F1ugAWxV5IOXkEbtMd7ciYk_oluTXp7JFN-uwkscPLXkW5EF_5VY1PSto5yFu8ekUNBm1J4qkFzaMKPFCiLNL/s320/IMG_0419.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456855245957898338" /></a>2 cups flour<div>1 t. baking powder</div><div>1 t. salt</div><div>1 T. butter</div><div>1/2 to 3/4 c. water</div><div>How's THAT for preservative free?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20MM9zdmtfygFB2cC3KQOod_KlVQqJAgvvWSvBPieQkU46UxUCCADFEKchMxTteHUfHj-waTIgGOfV0sfPUCQohnPqsShFDkyYzzckMmDta81N6Nrd7mNCivJhWaCZm36FSENx3aOww4Q/s1600/IMG_0420.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20MM9zdmtfygFB2cC3KQOod_KlVQqJAgvvWSvBPieQkU46UxUCCADFEKchMxTteHUfHj-waTIgGOfV0sfPUCQohnPqsShFDkyYzzckMmDta81N6Nrd7mNCivJhWaCZm36FSENx3aOww4Q/s320/IMG_0420.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456854980821847346" /></a>Dough.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjD6fszc9v6UK_ZpWGzJ350Cm5sMDGegPl-5W4inZYUGdw8C8FMXtGow4GQFKVZ4eAA9UDdIRS2eeTewGZ0t2encGPDB7kYmqCT_kVIf7Dfj2Uj-JUhYE500-ioZpV-ptNAMLlX2VvQIUC/s1600/IMG_0421.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjD6fszc9v6UK_ZpWGzJ350Cm5sMDGegPl-5W4inZYUGdw8C8FMXtGow4GQFKVZ4eAA9UDdIRS2eeTewGZ0t2encGPDB7kYmqCT_kVIf7Dfj2Uj-JUhYE500-ioZpV-ptNAMLlX2VvQIUC/s320/IMG_0421.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456853817021035314" /></a>Couldn't find my rolling pin, so used a can of green beans. I made whole wheat tortillas yesterday and discovered that the Pam Spray can works better. Where is my rolling pin?!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNnee1IsHR05GsXRo5oQVsg8TRKNqCRZsSecnGc_qrVfgJ_cnm571Y1ki5W9kYihT3eTz6IrRe-nkP5RUNF5bMgGgnOfilWNolz3LO-6am3F1t7-FGyC0pZLWcGogKoNwmuInIQeqoqUv/s1600/IMG_0423.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNnee1IsHR05GsXRo5oQVsg8TRKNqCRZsSecnGc_qrVfgJ_cnm571Y1ki5W9kYihT3eTz6IrRe-nkP5RUNF5bMgGgnOfilWNolz3LO-6am3F1t7-FGyC0pZLWcGogKoNwmuInIQeqoqUv/s320/IMG_0423.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456852749232492930" /></a>Assembly line.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4vm2-qDEWcF18sSiIAL-lNlf6vIjZHIx1CdRPqiK3vBOB8u1Qn5OCHRP_McNOTSJFPEiLGQuNoMMivWuustJAUvKf9P9nhcW1GBVObGNiLET4Rvrg4NA-NmwT3qvoOMEhPZI9DCtPIWk/s1600/IMG_0424.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4vm2-qDEWcF18sSiIAL-lNlf6vIjZHIx1CdRPqiK3vBOB8u1Qn5OCHRP_McNOTSJFPEiLGQuNoMMivWuustJAUvKf9P9nhcW1GBVObGNiLET4Rvrg4NA-NmwT3qvoOMEhPZI9DCtPIWk/s320/IMG_0424.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456852520433705202" /></a>The recipe says to cook them sans fat. I'm all about that.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpRlFFXiTVV_dDkQDqqAeUat1maktOpfRJAqQD00Sl-9TmMPvA1iKloYdzY1Z8bhU7r8vi22HEY4BYDCfDYHhzzivg1h_EXDmcmDt79PisS2ZoNLMOmoSHLIdxVldDnGfoLCRbl6qqs6Ie/s1600/IMG_0425.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpRlFFXiTVV_dDkQDqqAeUat1maktOpfRJAqQD00Sl-9TmMPvA1iKloYdzY1Z8bhU7r8vi22HEY4BYDCfDYHhzzivg1h_EXDmcmDt79PisS2ZoNLMOmoSHLIdxVldDnGfoLCRbl6qqs6Ie/s320/IMG_0425.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456852279849263218" /></a>The stack of goods. The pictures I didn't take of the whole wheat ones are better. They are much, much thinner and have a whole lot more fiber, and I'm not ingesting the poison that manufacturers put into bread. Right?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7NdzN9zI-PldpiUWHuInbHzn37cxuBhzuVZivzEC8BMCNaNpYZIFFetUI-Ut9Tfe0PKcYXtG1mdtExBqkuUBCGXQ6O6R_zcQhQ9Zzd3WntX72LyqJp7fHH3xifgqQkscZedXH_z9pKjY/s1600/IMG_0431.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7NdzN9zI-PldpiUWHuInbHzn37cxuBhzuVZivzEC8BMCNaNpYZIFFetUI-Ut9Tfe0PKcYXtG1mdtExBqkuUBCGXQ6O6R_zcQhQ9Zzd3WntX72LyqJp7fHH3xifgqQkscZedXH_z9pKjY/s320/IMG_0431.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456851792796528002" /></a>My yummy sandwich. Homemade tortilla, turkey, spicy mustard, swiss cheese and lettuce. WiN!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqG84vEvQZEFccZLeytzq0YlJ0GRgXGrgPE9pJFBm2Yh4_RkykhllbEO6fJAaFYv6y8eA_6d0zZ_zDN1cpesLJQ8VohXVEARcS4H6neQC40GhcLFMxkykhkX23qHQHjMAKtHlHlq0s3gO_/s1600/IMG_0428.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqG84vEvQZEFccZLeytzq0YlJ0GRgXGrgPE9pJFBm2Yh4_RkykhllbEO6fJAaFYv6y8eA_6d0zZ_zDN1cpesLJQ8VohXVEARcS4H6neQC40GhcLFMxkykhkX23qHQHjMAKtHlHlq0s3gO_/s320/IMG_0428.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456851459981015410" /></a>And then I cooked a turkey. Stuffed it with apples and onions.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9tukFQ3ZyyuskQNMEopDebSEb92Ir2AGdlHtccsRSzScIMGe8yCvkxKSzeD0kj-tQDS6NXHccgLAg2rW7Gpl9ByS2NeDBiBx2IPd37aqcJtWAQ-o9oq1FLEEiKjAd2bsyesyQqrNKqxSc/s1600/IMG_0430.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9tukFQ3ZyyuskQNMEopDebSEb92Ir2AGdlHtccsRSzScIMGe8yCvkxKSzeD0kj-tQDS6NXHccgLAg2rW7Gpl9ByS2NeDBiBx2IPd37aqcJtWAQ-o9oq1FLEEiKjAd2bsyesyQqrNKqxSc/s320/IMG_0430.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456851187363479122" /></a>Then wrapped it up because The Pioneer Woman told me to.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKWzD2hyg49woCNZ6BUNgjF0ucCDMbgQBnTjygdL9mwkCW2-dDOtT7bBJ-5HgvDchcp66VxNjAgiv5vU84fPQWTmYvDbVcseh8zE1WU0Lo7EmnnI24YO2dvNkFGq_1OOQQxVt5qNH_bhoI/s1600/IMG_0432.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKWzD2hyg49woCNZ6BUNgjF0ucCDMbgQBnTjygdL9mwkCW2-dDOtT7bBJ-5HgvDchcp66VxNjAgiv5vU84fPQWTmYvDbVcseh8zE1WU0Lo7EmnnI24YO2dvNkFGq_1OOQQxVt5qNH_bhoI/s320/IMG_0432.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456850921520459266" /></a>Notice the change of scenery. My gas oven decided to die on me about an hour and a half into the turkey cooking. WHoooom! And then click click click and then Whooom! and then click click click click. My oven was going to kill me. So I took the whole shebang upstairs. NOT happy, but whatever. Done turkey is better than nothing.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiveR7nWBbsS_XwMyZXfD5NYwIE4WN5m7V6ejcqo95u9BkC2Td8RuH6VhNKylF6mvpT9MmvVMB3dfDAVC6jT1oJyWH13EpDZshTppXW_ReJ3b30drnL8451APnRn5BqSVIv_3tU0SrsAXxH/s1600/IMG_0434.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiveR7nWBbsS_XwMyZXfD5NYwIE4WN5m7V6ejcqo95u9BkC2Td8RuH6VhNKylF6mvpT9MmvVMB3dfDAVC6jT1oJyWH13EpDZshTppXW_ReJ3b30drnL8451APnRn5BqSVIv_3tU0SrsAXxH/s320/IMG_0434.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456850693697306482" /></a>Two hours in, I took off the foil and basted it with butter. YUM. Serious yum.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6VNtfQP3nE7tybyr2a-H0EOMw2TF85YuOQFqeMX1icDjp5CTbrUAGnrXcqEoIC9PtIXeWBO-tPI-HAOmQFDY6dC-iPCtBtqNmW0oDv25TH_jMesG-tTHlytqKX9DoDSSf_ay3fDAIhL9w/s1600/IMG_0435.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6VNtfQP3nE7tybyr2a-H0EOMw2TF85YuOQFqeMX1icDjp5CTbrUAGnrXcqEoIC9PtIXeWBO-tPI-HAOmQFDY6dC-iPCtBtqNmW0oDv25TH_jMesG-tTHlytqKX9DoDSSf_ay3fDAIhL9w/s320/IMG_0435.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456850450960044050" /></a>Look at that golden baby. I didn't take pictures of the desecration (carving) because it was awful. I'm not so good with the demise of the turkey. But I now have six freezer bags full of individual sized portions of turkey and I made turkey tacos tonight. Whee! Taco mix, shredded turkey, lettuce, slalsa and cheese make me very happy. On homemade tortillas! Sigh. I'm so tired, I can't even tell you how happy I am.</div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801918825104050290.post-21063149998481978172010-03-29T19:06:00.000-07:002010-03-29T19:24:29.045-07:00The Birthday CakeSo my mom turned 63 today. They brought my grandma over last Saturday, since she's been staying with them for a few weeks. And Grammie was super excited to see where I live. She likes to picture where people are when she talks to them, and I was so pumped to see her. I talk to her all the time - knowing that each interchange might be our last, but for heaven's sake, she is vibrant and ALL THERE in the head, which I am supremely grateful for.<div><br /></div><div>In the meantime, I wanted to make a birthday cake for my mom. I originally thought of Boston Cream Pie cupcakes, but couldn't find a recipe that didn't say in the comments that it turned out "dry," so I went for springy lemon! The recipe I had started with a lemon cake mix. You added a couple tablespoons of lemon zest and 1/4 cup substitution of lemon juice for the water the mix recommended. Done and done.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbebFyTO6ujmtLhv727DJjdH6WIQF2ozi-vByfSAdcBnk6UiYKPRyjqQqlFaGB3M2kT2u1thO3ygktOdyMI1xi4i2WalLVZ4HMzmVOwEsiN-kuHvhIuCSxX8tmUQaJvoMJiFuKfWaYWrH0/s1600/IMG_0361.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbebFyTO6ujmtLhv727DJjdH6WIQF2ozi-vByfSAdcBnk6UiYKPRyjqQqlFaGB3M2kT2u1thO3ygktOdyMI1xi4i2WalLVZ4HMzmVOwEsiN-kuHvhIuCSxX8tmUQaJvoMJiFuKfWaYWrH0/s320/IMG_0361.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454244816828391010" /></a>Then onto the frosting. This had a ton of ingredients in it. Powdered sugar and cream cheese. Then you fold in some cool whip.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt4kXdOdszoREGHRNYP-JxrD0Yjib2uV7mGF5wKQW7ru7SGjb2l3b8_w870-FbJ5rpwDM9X6Cru7ZDrNr14Cd8AHHcSxPirRsSiPo79iRxeFQN5Nwgamu-eYcxMUBqm6xi9zCVMC3wH4en/s1600/IMG_0364.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt4kXdOdszoREGHRNYP-JxrD0Yjib2uV7mGF5wKQW7ru7SGjb2l3b8_w870-FbJ5rpwDM9X6Cru7ZDrNr14Cd8AHHcSxPirRsSiPo79iRxeFQN5Nwgamu-eYcxMUBqm6xi9zCVMC3wH4en/s320/IMG_0364.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454244551229014066" /></a>Then you make instant lemon pudding to go along with it. But I followed the directions on the box and not the directions from the recipe. One called for 2 cups of milk. The other called for one. Sigh.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJKb2Xy0f4xtBTwfRLnjUa9OFiDVivUQRqC5_6-5LQu9otU6WMmcG-EuE-nUN-2yxr7ShGIDDjxFWl4Qk6Mm7y92iAgSJ3mGGbR5Kt9KaC1c0hrY2kWuG113dRVBRHa4A_AWy03FpS6VK/s1600/IMG_0365.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJKb2Xy0f4xtBTwfRLnjUa9OFiDVivUQRqC5_6-5LQu9otU6WMmcG-EuE-nUN-2yxr7ShGIDDjxFWl4Qk6Mm7y92iAgSJ3mGGbR5Kt9KaC1c0hrY2kWuG113dRVBRHa4A_AWy03FpS6VK/s320/IMG_0365.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454243962352862994" /></a>I knew it was a disaster when I stirred it all together. It just wouldn't get thick. I added another WHOLE bag of powdered sugar when I re-read the recipe and noticed that I'd added a whole cup of liquid that it didn't call for and I was out of powdered sugar. But I was on the phone with my dad at the time and he said, "Just freeze it! Maybe it will make ice cream." Which I did, because seriously? There were lots of ingredients in there and it seemed a shame to toss it out.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyNd_t4-11IYvchke2X8mjvWf_deZ8_TheObbcx9tuExlWKtv92AztfVN_yCtTFwYmxSQ85o91lyR1TX_-Li_kmDdBOjqS4hICAMIj6OeTIaC5rkfdS_J3OXKe5UD_NkoduYOrSq7gq0RW/s1600/IMG_0367.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyNd_t4-11IYvchke2X8mjvWf_deZ8_TheObbcx9tuExlWKtv92AztfVN_yCtTFwYmxSQ85o91lyR1TX_-Li_kmDdBOjqS4hICAMIj6OeTIaC5rkfdS_J3OXKe5UD_NkoduYOrSq7gq0RW/s320/IMG_0367.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454243715083460258" /></a>So I layered the cakes with Cool Whip.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3jOhRBDA9NVieHgFe50CNmctyontcoXwYfEmDcGBBSbTw4Zm7sU7EOUO1X7w08cd0KHpHBQhxUdcvRy9K4PCSRGklWTzsSYHnDsa6CG9o_8GLs2ijJnoEBT8x4sZc2b4Rk1GfMJ3RiNK/s1600/IMG_0376.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3jOhRBDA9NVieHgFe50CNmctyontcoXwYfEmDcGBBSbTw4Zm7sU7EOUO1X7w08cd0KHpHBQhxUdcvRy9K4PCSRGklWTzsSYHnDsa6CG9o_8GLs2ijJnoEBT8x4sZc2b4Rk1GfMJ3RiNK/s320/IMG_0376.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454243423649900738" /></a>And went to the store the next morning for a tub of lemon frosting.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVqBZl9tMmWUycjZ7tKv5gh-ENqUGay2LZsmj-CUD3DhrSsiFJcQSC9LYasnIbF4iFmp_oNAxrS1Eih7YRDGiIH4TGD95c6mFZc-_7fnTiaqrcN0G5btdWK718bNwbp8KHQ_gT6hPZup_/s1600/IMG_0410.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVqBZl9tMmWUycjZ7tKv5gh-ENqUGay2LZsmj-CUD3DhrSsiFJcQSC9LYasnIbF4iFmp_oNAxrS1Eih7YRDGiIH4TGD95c6mFZc-_7fnTiaqrcN0G5btdWK718bNwbp8KHQ_gT6hPZup_/s320/IMG_0410.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454242977079433970" /></a>But lo- and behold! The lemon "cream" ice cream was a hit! Mistakes happen, but this was one of the better mistakes I've made. It went perfectly with the cake. Whee!</div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801918825104050290.post-18321416228820010292010-02-21T17:50:00.001-08:002010-02-21T18:21:45.631-08:00Roasted Root VegetablesI have been trying a new diet for the past few weeks. A friend of mine recently got diagnosed with a variety of food allergies and since she knows I love, love, love to cook, she asked me to help her find recipes that were palatable, allergen free, and easy to prepare. I assured her I would go on the same diet, experiment, and get back to her. And I'm slightly pissed. Because frankly? Even though I don't have as severe symptoms as she does, I feel so incredibly better after cutting certain things out of my diet, I could cry. Cheese, people. Cheese. Have I mentioned how much I adore cheese? Fucking cheese. I LOVE CHEESE. And I'm SO not interested in being allergic to cheese. However, I am willing to try just a little bit harder to cut some of the things that make me feel so disgusting - out of my diet. Which includes cheese (Holy cow. I LOVE CHEESE! How can cheese make me feel bad?! It is my destiny! Cheese!) gluten, nightshade vegetables (Hello? Tomatoes? That SUCKS!) But I am interested in expanding my diet so that the lack of cheese doesn't make me want to slit my wrists.<div><br /></div><div>And on that note, I shop mostly at the food coop. If I can avoid the chain grocery store, I do. And in that manner, I found this. A bag of root vegetables. Destined for roasting or soup. So I roasted them. I've never, ever! Had sunchokes, celeriac, turnips or parsnips. I'm 37. I blame my mother. And so far, my favorite (which means it will be in my garden this summer) are the turnips. They are like a mild radish. And almost creamy in taste. I can't even describe them. But they were oh-so-yummy!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJ7npOfL51W9SASt6t61sA8WW9zKBTw7S2xPmkasVNwwigAcI3eFc9YJptDcLbBq2Fs7XsdbaEnDoy5GqzpEppTrsjkvpIi5ofeM3ct3WeQpaRhjz4RzAFxileOdTc24ow7KYd4TPW0CQ/s1600-h/IMG_0235.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJ7npOfL51W9SASt6t61sA8WW9zKBTw7S2xPmkasVNwwigAcI3eFc9YJptDcLbBq2Fs7XsdbaEnDoy5GqzpEppTrsjkvpIi5ofeM3ct3WeQpaRhjz4RzAFxileOdTc24ow7KYd4TPW0CQ/s320/IMG_0235.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440881251011491714" /></a>I cut about half the bag into bite sized pieces and squished them in a ziplock bag with olive oil, pepper, sea salt, rosemary, oregano and garlic salt. Oh! And I added a chopped onion as well. What are roasted vegetables without onion? Nothing, I tell you. Nothing.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HsoRQLqLhiolqKsvmEwMxruBw42-zxFI__oTvk-XCml03VMckfAMjcQfDKfC_43T3lDporquRpm1LYjWWiold8EyakoE-gX44B4wVldiW4r5DtqmfALV1Vtab0dXdQrB1rvHAPhuyZnq/s1600-h/IMG_0232.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HsoRQLqLhiolqKsvmEwMxruBw42-zxFI__oTvk-XCml03VMckfAMjcQfDKfC_43T3lDporquRpm1LYjWWiold8EyakoE-gX44B4wVldiW4r5DtqmfALV1Vtab0dXdQrB1rvHAPhuyZnq/s320/IMG_0232.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440880619183552402" /></a>I baked them for 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven, stirring them on occasion.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEVyTRmd6Iq1qnLsZm6x4RXqQ7GahRWfO6h8PnCEKDX9jf_CWJZRfkgRy-LeQvR7MfozxkqvuOx-DOgq1WarBRvRC3qJCbKmKxGLzrYKIZ-5eRe7QPp06erR7KfPQbbHqBmhnEneXAUEPM/s1600-h/IMG_0236.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEVyTRmd6Iq1qnLsZm6x4RXqQ7GahRWfO6h8PnCEKDX9jf_CWJZRfkgRy-LeQvR7MfozxkqvuOx-DOgq1WarBRvRC3qJCbKmKxGLzrYKIZ-5eRe7QPp06erR7KfPQbbHqBmhnEneXAUEPM/s320/IMG_0236.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440879965635617154" /></a>And then I served them with brown rice. Dax was pretty sure there was something there for him. But no luck. He doesn't like vegetables. Sorry, buddy.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6JGJDVzKEGfTy4CXf0a-FbX5giT1BTtwkmhnqsC2dNjgNtFAEN0PKZjXUrQsaLfjdE2UfmPL2BqBCw7_x_04BY6nqdTmTiSsFl2XUdnfantrNqPra73LmIputIxtkdfBF3ZMu9sGR9A6U/s1600-h/IMG_0238.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6JGJDVzKEGfTy4CXf0a-FbX5giT1BTtwkmhnqsC2dNjgNtFAEN0PKZjXUrQsaLfjdE2UfmPL2BqBCw7_x_04BY6nqdTmTiSsFl2XUdnfantrNqPra73LmIputIxtkdfBF3ZMu9sGR9A6U/s320/IMG_0238.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440879508678833042" /></a>And if you haven't cooked brown rice by <a href="http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Perfect-Brown-Rice">this tutorial</a>, (Click on it. I'm serious.) you haven't eaten decent brown rice. I was totally blow away by how light and fluffy it was. I am not joking. It was superb!</div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801918825104050290.post-44332851016281107162010-02-01T19:56:00.000-08:002010-02-02T06:27:09.745-08:00Baked DonutsI not only made cheese this weekend, I made homemade donuts. I don't know if The Crazy has anything to do with the cooking, but it made me happy. I used a recipe from <a href="http://thegoodcooknj.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-stove-200th-post-and-baked-glazed.html">The Good Cook.</a> And I made some substitutions, because I'm lazy and don't like to go to the store if I don't have to. You can make buttermilk by combining a cup of milk with a Tablespoon of vinegar and letting it sit for a few minutes. And if you only have lime juice, I'd say it's a good substitute for the lemon. Oh, and I had no lemon peel, so I just left that out. And as you can see, I used an egg instead of 1/4 c. of egg substitute. See? Lazy. Either that or "creative and make do."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1GxCjSzksuGLqVEMCsrvcisQB7MfE6s1P0rrQ8A3GqXZhXpkuwqoznnARxJoAJzYnjE-6fZiwrcksNHQHbUG0pvP7_i5Z44e8oJNbo1zO4-4bGTLvP-4eu_CjhGRJEhxkDhRh2AE3l5B/s1600-h/IMG_0211.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433492615953368882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1GxCjSzksuGLqVEMCsrvcisQB7MfE6s1P0rrQ8A3GqXZhXpkuwqoznnARxJoAJzYnjE-6fZiwrcksNHQHbUG0pvP7_i5Z44e8oJNbo1zO4-4bGTLvP-4eu_CjhGRJEhxkDhRh2AE3l5B/s320/IMG_0211.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Mise en place, because The Good Cook told me to. That silver thing looks like something I possibly stole from a restaurant. And the clear glass thing? It's a votive candle holder.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1GxCjSzksuGLqVEMCsrvcisQB7MfE6s1P0rrQ8A3GqXZhXpkuwqoznnARxJoAJzYnjE-6fZiwrcksNHQHbUG0pvP7_i5Z44e8oJNbo1zO4-4bGTLvP-4eu_CjhGRJEhxkDhRh2AE3l5B/s1600-h/IMG_0211.JPG"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZyq4qQFdX_compAID3Cp5jbQaqBoUmUXgWENDcOndxyBi0oQEdB8_ee7uOxaWI-x65g-NYHavN7wSXx5S1OPUylm-nX0hRltyK_Z7gcg9m5xVQsz5Gr0ItRNH2-TFfIF89NoQo7jlTGAA/s1600-h/IMG_0213.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433492139257265890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZyq4qQFdX_compAID3Cp5jbQaqBoUmUXgWENDcOndxyBi0oQEdB8_ee7uOxaWI-x65g-NYHavN7wSXx5S1OPUylm-nX0hRltyK_Z7gcg9m5xVQsz5Gr0ItRNH2-TFfIF89NoQo7jlTGAA/s320/IMG_0213.JPG" border="0" /></a>The dry ingredients! And if you don't read the recipe clear through before you start, you are liable to put the dry yeast into the bowl without prepping it. And then you read the directions and understand that you're supposed to prep it with 1/4 c. of warm water. So I dug it out and did it. Sigh.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwMQx0L0k2R9EdKRacN7Ohs6eE7hu4RNf87tQBX-6OaVdZWzIbRv1QcDuIzn0Bjeed4kOg825F7YPSkVo7dXPIGbgKEfPNLglgmCOrzfwjaGSVIShtZoMHgAeCSnLy5CTEhjK8JHNNlfW/s1600-h/IMG_0215.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433491864501340050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwMQx0L0k2R9EdKRacN7Ohs6eE7hu4RNf87tQBX-6OaVdZWzIbRv1QcDuIzn0Bjeed4kOg825F7YPSkVo7dXPIGbgKEfPNLglgmCOrzfwjaGSVIShtZoMHgAeCSnLy5CTEhjK8JHNNlfW/s320/IMG_0215.JPG" border="0" /></a>Then, you're supposed to knead the dough for a good 8-10 minutes. It needed a BUNCH of flour to make that happen. I don't have a bread machine, and I'm not sure a bread machine would have made it better, but it was super sticky. Add as much as you need to make it kneadable.</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbc2xAEp37H3lMtghhodrgJZuYs-FvSUtYeFa8tijDSbDBye_0h0G3ZDeiIts7EyEXQfmwuzoc_PzZhR5TTOh4S3W-daiLQ5S8KDA3m7zMLI8Qa5nhPppRWNJEiGkSFOCNDcJjQ6N_VS1/s1600-h/IMG_0216.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433491623392241698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbc2xAEp37H3lMtghhodrgJZuYs-FvSUtYeFa8tijDSbDBye_0h0G3ZDeiIts7EyEXQfmwuzoc_PzZhR5TTOh4S3W-daiLQ5S8KDA3m7zMLI8Qa5nhPppRWNJEiGkSFOCNDcJjQ6N_VS1/s320/IMG_0216.JPG" border="0" /></a>Then you separate it into 10 balls and make 10 donuts and put them on a greased baking sheet.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLEp7_HnVV57zwkv9N8D1ylNeA_Nd-sKVDoaCkgbf7KftrhTV3opYAZQ9wR12CJZFjNYzdKWB5Ba69URXAQCIqIZnWMdGeTxOIyL1M7Flj4JFMAGfHAz9wCkAGYgfrT3_SX0NYIFei8B9F/s1600-h/IMG_0217.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433491113590450146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLEp7_HnVV57zwkv9N8D1ylNeA_Nd-sKVDoaCkgbf7KftrhTV3opYAZQ9wR12CJZFjNYzdKWB5Ba69URXAQCIqIZnWMdGeTxOIyL1M7Flj4JFMAGfHAz9wCkAGYgfrT3_SX0NYIFei8B9F/s320/IMG_0217.JPG" border="0" /></a>Cover them and raise them for 45 minutes. <em>And I will RAAAIIISSE YOU UP! AND I WILL RAAAA IIIISSEE YOU UP! AND I WILL RAAAIIISE YOU UP, ON THE LAAAASSST DAY! </em>Bonus points if you know where that comes from.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzR7t0AwOWBHfqeBCjZbDqZecIwOcqnTUS_9u_IkYB4V8of4aa9zlkpVezod8bzL8i-DBbl-V3_Uy6Z2wbYahcOOk-1ZY-XPqSrwqQ26RfAuNOGuoe_m5yFGNYAKSq7fdLKX3FcMvCTzl/s1600-h/IMG_0219.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433490776357255122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzR7t0AwOWBHfqeBCjZbDqZecIwOcqnTUS_9u_IkYB4V8of4aa9zlkpVezod8bzL8i-DBbl-V3_Uy6Z2wbYahcOOk-1ZY-XPqSrwqQ26RfAuNOGuoe_m5yFGNYAKSq7fdLKX3FcMvCTzl/s320/IMG_0219.JPG" border="0" /></a>They are squishy and plush.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqR5VMqtIQ-q3AwFayqkbl0T5uw-e86bryFpI1vddddIAP1dKQy8pL-oPB8Yx4atH0cprUGAkTgJ_s_aIGO9YMdT9CBG8IdkdfWsw6Cnz281M9fkgAqu7xO0BkfT1zliQmmiUkOpF1pi9R/s1600-h/IMG_0220.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433490511816759794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqR5VMqtIQ-q3AwFayqkbl0T5uw-e86bryFpI1vddddIAP1dKQy8pL-oPB8Yx4atH0cprUGAkTgJ_s_aIGO9YMdT9CBG8IdkdfWsw6Cnz281M9fkgAqu7xO0BkfT1zliQmmiUkOpF1pi9R/s320/IMG_0220.JPG" border="0" /></a>Bake them for 8 minutes and then put on a lemon (lime) glaze. They are not like donuts at all. They are ALL like bagels and bread. And they were super yummy. You either like them or you don't. Tiny hated them. But Other Boy wanted to gobble them ALL up. Yum.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8s5CSq7RRLrV4fxAmr6JKGdDM0vFMVZ_EL0_QoQRgYjQm6xzgWbsrvPGwV3rg8uPYhyphenhyphendpkeMjPy0YfeubBT4urun-9sLd-em25SdiCSKPA5OCXsO6rvi1UAW9h5ELQOdnmaP-D7Rs3kAW/s1600-h/IMG_0222.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433490250974040402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8s5CSq7RRLrV4fxAmr6JKGdDM0vFMVZ_EL0_QoQRgYjQm6xzgWbsrvPGwV3rg8uPYhyphenhyphendpkeMjPy0YfeubBT4urun-9sLd-em25SdiCSKPA5OCXsO6rvi1UAW9h5ELQOdnmaP-D7Rs3kAW/s320/IMG_0222.JPG" border="0" /></a> There you go. Donuts. Yeah for me!</div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801918825104050290.post-12062910048103342142010-01-17T19:46:00.000-08:002010-01-18T07:05:35.912-08:00Lava. And Its Chocolate Incarnation<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">I ended up at an impromptu dinner party last night at a local restaurant. They ordered for me because I didn't know about it until they'd already sat down, and my four cheese mac and cheese was an utter delight. Pretty much everyone who had steak wished they were me since the beef was not so good and the pasta was oh-so-delicious. But during the course of conversation, someone said, "What's that cake that you get at Chili's that's part cake and part pudding and a whole lot of delicious?" And that man's wife and I said at the same time, "Volcano cake!" Well. Suffice it to say that I spent the day googling volcano cake, but found out that googling molten lava cake gave me better results. And here are the results.</div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><br /></div>This is a Martha Stewart recipe. Of which I mostly refuse to follow. It's a principle sort of thing. But it was the easiest and I had all the ingredients on hand and well - you didn't have to separate the eggs and whip egg whites and fold them in. Not a fan of whipping things. Well - just not food things. So here you go.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427905988790903250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprkN9AwoMR7aF1y8Ml2GozdKhtFyIzOpOVMt1pDfEKFx5SpUuZACcOL1im7TmPcQrUo7C1DWxYflYpR_OPqHebpazuZuulx0kjXZXMIJvy736hmyoAxUB51Ktbmm5tGxOd74K8Hi-GWL7/s320/IMG_0181.JPG" border="0" /> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">The recipe said you should cook them in six muffin tins and since I was giving them away, I decided to use my ramekins. I only had three small ones, so I made three baby cakes and two medium ones.</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427905718881456946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWPTDbis4gmPMGXNGhv0BV_AHgsdtJoZ32sMVsr7ieLQOtmS0v-gt6Y3RA7qgUGhY1e7iggBTEjB8Uvdz8VPBxCOrk-I-2hNz5I-4mZF1ny9DEUg5aHcWjXNk84b7yKMkWaBaKliKx5E_/s320/IMG_0179.JPG" border="0" />The "dough" got decidedly hard when I mixed the chocolate with the eggs, sugar and butter. I will make sure that those three ingredients are more than room temperature next time. It was almost too hard to plop in the ramekins.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427907662438088786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOmqi68gsNXwMQcS9dzcbSqM5cRjo5jQGeoCDTYQj-HMlbmk4EynSslP799QiBd3Mr1fzjUW3W0c20DGG9hrZ7tkBu5ZmB8NC61bPzhdeKLcAYMThPFHcajKgykMaIqNdsymNavAUJB36K/s320/IMG_0186.JPG" border="0" /> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">The finished product with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427907003150150354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbyDyr7UAfUp6YqOAhGb5hq5Grl8hIlLMpkkHZs8s5GxHrO8iTLSuiRUKQoNU_liBhcF2J8nJJ_xeR2LJ-zCQybxjROhoP9ATomFWMS-BaaW7fZnH8EDSEdgyuR7CRpL1crsh_dmTb1wk/s320/IMG_0185.JPG" border="0" /> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">And the carrying case! A drill box. Perfect!</div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><br /></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><b>Molten Lava Cake</b></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">4 T. butter</div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">1/3 c. sugar</div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">3 eggs</div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">1/3 c. flour</div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted</div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><br /></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Preheat oven to 400 degrees, spray ramekins to within an inch of their lives. Cream butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time, beating after each. Add flour. Then fold in the chocolate. Distribute between 6 small ramekins or muffin tins. Bake 8-10 minutes. The top may look sort of dry, but the middle should still be liquid. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes. You can either invert them, or serve them individually in ramekins. They are very rich.</div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801918825104050290.post-81694144226519301482010-01-09T11:21:00.000-08:002010-01-09T11:33:02.877-08:00The Anti-Holiday Salad<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz5g9n9b2IjchkuGmmSPXTQcacDEOWOZbqDd81UeRCUFmKG_AlNavNqZBEvfqJb7k6gMiyijb7xOGoX2oZF3yNNzwmI5D56ROf6YgjCpaHCqDaBqmDO-4FNKISvB4bV8HF1nDUoFNPSmaK/s1600-h/IMG_0132.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424822884770681922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz5g9n9b2IjchkuGmmSPXTQcacDEOWOZbqDd81UeRCUFmKG_AlNavNqZBEvfqJb7k6gMiyijb7xOGoX2oZF3yNNzwmI5D56ROf6YgjCpaHCqDaBqmDO-4FNKISvB4bV8HF1nDUoFNPSmaK/s320/IMG_0132.jpg" /></a> So, <a href="http://www.crissyspage.com/">Crissy</a> informed me that spinach and clementines are the antidote to holiday over-consumption. And well. I don't like spinach. Or clementines. But I liked the baby arugula I used in my Christmas salad, so I got some more of that. And three clementines. Not the eight pound bag they wanted me to buy. Just three. And not three pounds. Just three. They even opened a bag for me so I could do that. A little smile will get you a long way in the produce section. Right? Of course, right. (You know that phrase comes from Fiddler on the Roof. Right? You have listened to that soundtrack fifty billionty times in your lifetime. Right? Of course, right.)<br /><br />I peeled and sectioned the clementine and put the slices on top of the arugula, sprinkled some feta cheese on top, splashed it with balsamic vinegar, drizzled it with a bit of olive oil and then cracked some pepper on top. A pinch of sea salt. And? It was luscious! My mouth liked it. Alot. The feta distracted me from the fact that I was eating something so incredibly healthy that I have no chance of getting scurvy today. I will make it again. Yes! AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN! And you will too. Because it's that good.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801918825104050290.post-80117002338877214062010-01-03T16:28:00.000-08:002010-01-03T17:25:01.460-08:00A Little Somethin' Somethin' for the ColdIt has averaged about 2 degrees Fahrenheit this past weekend. Tiny Apartment has been very, very cold. I've got my tasty wool slippers and homemade wool socks, but today when I was trying to take a nap, I couldn't get warmed up no matter what. So I conspired to cook something hot and spicy to take the edge off.<br /><br /><div><div><div>I keep this three ring binder of recipes I've ripped out of magazines over the years. If - when I finally try a recipe - and it's a winner, I will write it on a recipe card and put it in my wooden recipe box. I know. This whole online thing is great and everything, but I cherish the handwritten recipes from my mother, grandmother and Aunt Kathy. When I see their handwriting, not only do I know it's going to be good, but my heart thinks of them. And I hope that doesn't die with the age of the internet. It might. But so far, I'm not giving in. </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div> </div><div><br />So, this recipe - I'm PRETTY sure came from a Clean Eating magazine, but it doesn't really say. I'm assuming so because I think I remember that the recipe on the OTHER side of the page came from a Clean Eating magazine. So, if you don't put your name and date on all your magazine pages, you're shit out of luck in my world. So there you go for credit. The recipe is called Shrimp Fra Diavolo with quinoa. But I despise shrimp, so chicken it is. Fra Diavolo means "Brother Devil" which apparently refers to the crushed red pepper, but I was not particularly impressed with it's devilishness - no matter how good it was. I think if I did it again, I'd add twice the amount of crushed red pepper.</div><div><u></u></div><div><u></u> </div><div><u></u> </div><div><u><br />Kate's Chicken Fra Diavolo</u> </div><div><span style="font-size:85%;">Somehow adapted from Clean Eating Magazine</span></div><div>1 cup quinoa, rinsed</div><div>2 cups water</div><div>1 1/2 T. olive oil</div><div>1 lb. chicken tenders for stir fry</div><div>1/4 t. sea salt</div><div>Freshly ground black pepper, to taste</div><div>1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced</div><div>1 red onion, chopped</div><div>2 cloves garlic, minced</div><div>1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes</div><div>1/2 t. crushed red pepper</div><div>Bring water and quinoa to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until water is absorbed and quinoa is fluffy and tender, 10 -15 minutes.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422681439262629874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9v9KejGsQWTyPFywnP3XJNB7EHCoHX5zzF2DtuBfV4tLtIVBlo_8YFImzdy3c2xMdcZwZzKYPjJVg9BRbXwu8GrK0BG-eNzlPiCQxNcejEsH3DWUfO5sD9xvkjQmv5DbY2PMvJDtrNa9R/s320/IMG_0117.JPG" />Heat 1 T. of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken tenders, season with salt and black pepper and cook until done, about 3-5 minutes per side depending on thickness. I cooked mine on my George Foreman grill, which I love. Regardless of how you cook it, when it's done, cut it into bite sized pieces.</div><div></div><div>Heat remaining oil in skillet and add red bell pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Add onion and cook for 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. I used a combination of onions, yellow, and red peppers because I had leftovers from other recipes. Whatever floats your boat.</div><br /><div>Add tomatoes and crushed red pepper and stir well. Add cooked chicken and simmer until heated through. To serve, top quinoa with chicken mixture.</div><br /><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422681224606568818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_AFkGd45gFr3-x9iWqrkaTUBMnoSXp0QdkzSXFxTVyKsrNJclvCemhQbkz94axZk3Vpy0hPNiSyY2rFuMXld9xF-XxirxyRNFs5UaG_WakgBaBEZ6LdZbsXtbKFU-GbZNh0Yi3K1nu0d/s320/IMG_0114.JPG" />Now, I'm a single gal, so I make sure to look at the number of servings each recipe makes. And I got some awesome new Pyrex storage dishes for Christmas, so I portioned it into 4 serving sizes and refrigerated it. I've got almost a whole week's worth of lunches in my refrigerator tonight. And it's lovely.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422684887699858498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIr79KQ50mA-QdrwbB0DRhjDxiZ3XhztKwhSD_imBUh2dDEzm4NCbfrcuCu2muJhiRLNTJvE6-8RWANQs6tdD_HdY9nMqPkuuQ-t6jpBQL4hbqM9JfkCncA6JQusrICPRAuMAfxvKOjZ0k/s320/IMG_0121.JPG" />When all is said and done, I think this dish needs more pizazz. I would definitely add more black pepper and some italian seasoning, along with a healthy dose of crushed red pepper. But that's just me. I make it the way they tell me the first time and then make my adaptations the second time around. </div></div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801918825104050290.post-52214900076590972502009-10-11T17:38:00.001-07:002009-10-11T18:11:12.475-07:00Comfort FoodHey! It snowed this weekend! I'm ecstatic to say the least. My four year old heart wants to play. But it also wants yummy comfort food. And I've been experimenting. Fried Egg Sandwiches and Black Beans and Rice? YUM!<br /><br />I bought these ramekins years and years ago. I thought they were pretty. I had no idea they were specifically for certain cooking dealios. I'd been googling baked eggs for awhile. I don't do so well in the fried egg department. I break the yolks and mess them up every time, so I thought if I could soft-cook eggs in the oven, I'd give it a try. It starts with a buttered ramekin. And please, please, please note the coffee mug Gay Boyfriend bought me last month. It makes me laugh.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_e4d-cSPyHOuxsb6lOiwsUg3UbwPwK179nvH5VYFEGGPOvCuRbSytpHNbEqQYIeGnoNYtDLKvEHtuUGrN3xC7cS8h0jgB34E87i4WqspLd3sbV0oOHtv2dEscE3-ifhdAEs-6L6qPtHit/s1600-h/LAbor+Day+Party+004.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391507185358459506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_e4d-cSPyHOuxsb6lOiwsUg3UbwPwK179nvH5VYFEGGPOvCuRbSytpHNbEqQYIeGnoNYtDLKvEHtuUGrN3xC7cS8h0jgB34E87i4WqspLd3sbV0oOHtv2dEscE3-ifhdAEs-6L6qPtHit/s320/LAbor+Day+Party+004.jpg" /></a><br /><div><br /><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Then I put in two eggs and peppered it. Added some garlic salt and put it in a 350 degree oven. Some of the recipes said to put it in a water bath. That seemed way too complicated, so no. I think I'll do differently next time.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwXFrBTvyEC0t1Pf2eNMFcNxaPoOJCRk6Yx2pmIBZskaS7zyaN4VpU7x_EQvVrU07gWwWjx93-JR8VFO0jj0LXqla7RQM73AJ_hOhZG3_yTiKdg104tYuIam-8SRXjdIgIBczrkhyhmbZp/s1600-h/LAbor+Day+Party+005.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391507115447450258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwXFrBTvyEC0t1Pf2eNMFcNxaPoOJCRk6Yx2pmIBZskaS7zyaN4VpU7x_EQvVrU07gWwWjx93-JR8VFO0jj0LXqla7RQM73AJ_hOhZG3_yTiKdg104tYuIam-8SRXjdIgIBczrkhyhmbZp/s320/LAbor+Day+Party+005.jpg" /></a><br /><br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Then I cooked up some bacon. Oh, bacon. My lover.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguq-yLxITG_CzeP4adnY9QrzrHAuGuKRcFzZK0DuU55Bqq2CT476zBe4ofXDTmDgs24WFy8tOMfh6CM7U6Rr_pYblOQTnes7hJJLb2ybpofoalTWdeo1hHihAP4FLvLt0BjxXuGxrmzVY0/s1600-h/LAbor+Day+Party+006.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391507031297984786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguq-yLxITG_CzeP4adnY9QrzrHAuGuKRcFzZK0DuU55Bqq2CT476zBe4ofXDTmDgs24WFy8tOMfh6CM7U6Rr_pYblOQTnes7hJJLb2ybpofoalTWdeo1hHihAP4FLvLt0BjxXuGxrmzVY0/s320/LAbor+Day+Party+006.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I prepared my plate. I made cheesy garlic biscuits the night before from Bisquick. Followed the recipe, but added shredded Velveeta (cheese of the Gods) and some garlic salt. I made them in a pan and not as biscuits and cut them into wedges. That's how much I love cheesy biscuits. Then I buttered both sides (I love butter) and added yellow mustard on one side and a slice of provolone cheese on the other. That might have been a mistake. I'll explain later.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirGhZkDaasxsYu-O4tCyBrZAZoLeQGd9v92W-1jShHmRT7g2jVLcUrw6_PgZwUDd_8AicBZOefxAzMdfxuiNbBDTq1W7LkcXA18HZ2fPSKqHjfksdCpchYfEuRfPkxN8MqzEcyOSmvXFVL/s1600-h/LAbor+Day+Party+007.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391506947532788610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirGhZkDaasxsYu-O4tCyBrZAZoLeQGd9v92W-1jShHmRT7g2jVLcUrw6_PgZwUDd_8AicBZOefxAzMdfxuiNbBDTq1W7LkcXA18HZ2fPSKqHjfksdCpchYfEuRfPkxN8MqzEcyOSmvXFVL/s320/LAbor+Day+Party+007.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Oh Bacon. I want to marry you.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM4lw7795VOUrNO4WsYSWVaeX3CngIEQqvkWCaYEKT-Z70GoN-snIRj5vbFNjsBPcSdwKYvKPAtz0wmcd3WHcweLSAdpefY5tOHOijtcI36ueinyJvqcklraQisy_03b8eyF0iVtZSWXo3/s1600-h/LAbor+Day+Party+008.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391506855812202018" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM4lw7795VOUrNO4WsYSWVaeX3CngIEQqvkWCaYEKT-Z70GoN-snIRj5vbFNjsBPcSdwKYvKPAtz0wmcd3WHcweLSAdpefY5tOHOijtcI36ueinyJvqcklraQisy_03b8eyF0iVtZSWXo3/s320/LAbor+Day+Party+008.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Bacon on one side. Eggs on the other. They got too done without the water bath. I wanted them over easy, but the slimy whites were too slimy and I kept cooking them until they weren't slimy and hence the medium cooked eggs. I think the water bath would cook the whites faster without sacrificing the gooey yellowness of the yolks. I'll let you know.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWWvBsyfFXNm7j6almO0QDfELdXrn6-LL1P-r5M_gvhY46ck3WXLYj-W0Xfx5OlMUbnQhZVNtbhpHieX6NURi08CFoE7TlkJS9Hot5txw36AgJ-71jRBDeFkmHy7hEfdBwKANdlvxihu5/s1600-h/LAbor+Day+Party+010.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391506738342036210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWWvBsyfFXNm7j6almO0QDfELdXrn6-LL1P-r5M_gvhY46ck3WXLYj-W0Xfx5OlMUbnQhZVNtbhpHieX6NURi08CFoE7TlkJS9Hot5txw36AgJ-71jRBDeFkmHy7hEfdBwKANdlvxihu5/s320/LAbor+Day+Party+010.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The provolone? When it started to melt, it looked a little too much like slimy egg whites, so even though I was convinced it was melted provolone, I couldn't look at it. I thought it might be uncooked egg and it icked me. Sorry. But this sandwich was AWESOME! I can't wait to make it again with over easy eggs and cheddar cheese.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq9t2RkxYVaNd9sKt5FusQ3EpqP8cLs16srvLNd9Byh-IyAofXQfftRSfojyjttfQ1nCDSrSjgtGnkK8HkOhB5TJRkMSa_5XjFNGCKmyg9IzP373klIExu43kqBSTxidAU3Z4OukiLTWEu/s1600-h/LAbor+Day+Party+011.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391506649843367090" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq9t2RkxYVaNd9sKt5FusQ3EpqP8cLs16srvLNd9Byh-IyAofXQfftRSfojyjttfQ1nCDSrSjgtGnkK8HkOhB5TJRkMSa_5XjFNGCKmyg9IzP373klIExu43kqBSTxidAU3Z4OukiLTWEu/s320/LAbor+Day+Party+011.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Then on Sunday night, with the flurries coming down, I decided to make black beans and rice. It's really all I had besides fresh produce and I've been eating squash until it grows out my ears. So. I made some rice. One cup of rice. Two cups of water. Brought it to a boil and then simmered it until it was done. About 20 minutes with the lid on. In the mean time, I sauteed half an onion, a red pepper, some garlic, added some chicken stock and simmered until the vegetables were done, added a generous sprinkle of cumin and black pepper and poured in an undrained can of black beans. I simmered off most of the moisture and then added the cooked rice and cooked it until it was almost dry. Yum and good. And great for a cold or warmed up lunch next week. I gobbled down about a quarter of it for dinner.<br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfLQ1N9Jzd_ic8Z-ItBTaxOSkYDARkKifaD3zYENi-Vs5iwGpLbaxC7-W9vrKHlZG73dgw14fsEN-LBpyYsw8wicUN7d6uevRU-xsRnGAbuWWQCdqpv0DbA2jM3gsAHIs6aPNgdQ8YGK8c/s1600-h/October+010.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391506510973225170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfLQ1N9Jzd_ic8Z-ItBTaxOSkYDARkKifaD3zYENi-Vs5iwGpLbaxC7-W9vrKHlZG73dgw14fsEN-LBpyYsw8wicUN7d6uevRU-xsRnGAbuWWQCdqpv0DbA2jM3gsAHIs6aPNgdQ8YGK8c/s320/October+010.jpg" /></a></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I promised one of my friends some baked squash with brown sugar and cinnamon and that's what's going on right now. It smells great, but I like my squash savory and not sweet. When it's done, I'll let it cool and then scoop it out, mash it and put it in a tupperware, then ship it out to my car for tomorrow. I can't wait to give it to him. I want to see the smile on his face. That's what makes it so fun!</div></div></div></div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801918825104050290.post-92115804662739569982009-09-12T18:20:00.001-07:002009-09-12T18:37:58.444-07:00Homemade Tomato SoupOh! It was so exciting to harvest my tomatoes! But I gave them to cowgirl to make salsa. So I ended up making homemade tomato soup from canned tomatoes. Oh well. It was wonderful anyway! I diced a small onion and browned it with 2 tablespoons of minced garlic in olive oil.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB1C5tNSGKpnFt2huIUiwsKQqTR4BPoibYNtOhw3FkJzaMrzYPE2OAmttrijj724XKObfe4ZYgo58hiEzPpwxaaKGuodkyXRq5zTgSxJxrrZ7JcUAjkwqMaxOehiRwXzXPKvSbzx4E22ui/s1600-h/LAbor+Day+Party+039.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380758809422656562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB1C5tNSGKpnFt2huIUiwsKQqTR4BPoibYNtOhw3FkJzaMrzYPE2OAmttrijj724XKObfe4ZYgo58hiEzPpwxaaKGuodkyXRq5zTgSxJxrrZ7JcUAjkwqMaxOehiRwXzXPKvSbzx4E22ui/s320/LAbor+Day+Party+039.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Then I added a 28 oz. can of tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of worchestershire sauce, a sprinkle of sugar and 2 cups of chicken broth. Then I simmered it for 30 mintes and added a tablespoon of dried basil.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU2qQwlVzhHL03IozCb36FYbFheDxtcySXZABm7_SPx4Q7lqwxTeUjRmAmTnBX4ExnwrvHmGNEO2olACCCCZrrX0n2dmpag-ky22r-e-e2PoDSUVew_ac22Wt-iPKJ0prHBu744ZROwwQo/s1600-h/LAbor+Day+Party+041.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380758573224744066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU2qQwlVzhHL03IozCb36FYbFheDxtcySXZABm7_SPx4Q7lqwxTeUjRmAmTnBX4ExnwrvHmGNEO2olACCCCZrrX0n2dmpag-ky22r-e-e2PoDSUVew_ac22Wt-iPKJ0prHBu744ZROwwQo/s320/LAbor+Day+Party+041.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Cooled it, blended it and added a can of fat free evaporated milk and warmed it up again. It's so good. It's so very good.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjALDvbdHMG2DqvHkeGcbK-6KVvFnsctF6bfiXcrNmisSMklvAUqGzdzgUpSdh1x1rwoPwyLibnD0PiQKJK1h2gO5h5ln_jzf84bbfieAPvkM7cWPnd-MSK6keBwgaCi3TOKBw9jP7woAw8/s1600-h/LAbor+Day+Party+042.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380758466901013234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjALDvbdHMG2DqvHkeGcbK-6KVvFnsctF6bfiXcrNmisSMklvAUqGzdzgUpSdh1x1rwoPwyLibnD0PiQKJK1h2gO5h5ln_jzf84bbfieAPvkM7cWPnd-MSK6keBwgaCi3TOKBw9jP7woAw8/s320/LAbor+Day+Party+042.jpg" /></a>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801918825104050290.post-77585775412886801892009-09-12T18:00:00.001-07:002009-09-12T18:15:28.392-07:00Chicken Quesadillas!~My homegrown peppers were put to good use tonight! They were green when I picked them. When I pulled them out of the bag tonight, they were red. What happened?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwoLNaQb4mDyRMzs9ujkAtbYN-WQjU7HRoiBJSzh0YqvQQubz6aEWBAU5lTN2PMy0ij7BelF56KCYDxsQGCb2M3G4zYllo7e5lFg_fVT5E-BsfReni7gkVWm8Jhk1UJGSvu7NKjkDEZcL/s1600-h/LAbor+Day+Party+025.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380752110510582818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwoLNaQb4mDyRMzs9ujkAtbYN-WQjU7HRoiBJSzh0YqvQQubz6aEWBAU5lTN2PMy0ij7BelF56KCYDxsQGCb2M3G4zYllo7e5lFg_fVT5E-BsfReni7gkVWm8Jhk1UJGSvu7NKjkDEZcL/s320/LAbor+Day+Party+025.jpg" /></a> So I diced them!<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_DEZigHwqnUWJa1QJESSrAhuX1zVplZNaWK6DJNxGucl8CuR8igRMM0FGeZs2SScrOn7PebN4CujaqJ4ZEPTyBKntp5mNWhRY5XJ0oWj6VPWwXr4XlzOyNkQFBjqvZblhQG-8otySf2bZ/s1600-h/LAbor+Day+Party+024.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380752019215535906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_DEZigHwqnUWJa1QJESSrAhuX1zVplZNaWK6DJNxGucl8CuR8igRMM0FGeZs2SScrOn7PebN4CujaqJ4ZEPTyBKntp5mNWhRY5XJ0oWj6VPWwXr4XlzOyNkQFBjqvZblhQG-8otySf2bZ/s320/LAbor+Day+Party+024.jpg" /></a> And added a small diced onion.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3B0UTWg4OGUD_f1mfFax4AEGItMfKc0Oyj6wUYySyrAYWha-jUr0SGgMohZ1Asnc-Zejg1Wo_68nvwSzy9Th_8b8D_uSGGp8yBZy9cM4M-q_2IS445THib8d2yhMc92qgUWHYhDh2jaFM/s1600-h/LAbor+Day+Party+026.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380751912402176626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3B0UTWg4OGUD_f1mfFax4AEGItMfKc0Oyj6wUYySyrAYWha-jUr0SGgMohZ1Asnc-Zejg1Wo_68nvwSzy9Th_8b8D_uSGGp8yBZy9cM4M-q_2IS445THib8d2yhMc92qgUWHYhDh2jaFM/s320/LAbor+Day+Party+026.jpg" /></a> Warmed up some olive oil.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgefCbj1RzQD8BpCSseEj_DdSfipYzoFOP7Z0kxz05ZCGaUdtEKfL5Emk0h47K6nzuUux-ETtKMPtau2G6AGN-BYLjMhLWiWbOkCAlXRD-lzjyX1eixrOWw-qnslJpGPDUJ3vQK7rmsNOgi/s1600-h/LAbor+Day+Party+027.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380751810036730450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgefCbj1RzQD8BpCSseEj_DdSfipYzoFOP7Z0kxz05ZCGaUdtEKfL5Emk0h47K6nzuUux-ETtKMPtau2G6AGN-BYLjMhLWiWbOkCAlXRD-lzjyX1eixrOWw-qnslJpGPDUJ3vQK7rmsNOgi/s320/LAbor+Day+Party+027.jpg" /></a> And blackened them.<br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380751627242786962" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtg7M-3_I6UGsULF9PecQuefllTEvtQQ2ktOkgodUWKtUC7t2g3TtR3sdeD3SMRi5OwAuRKKyANLHfsr4dGZvvoOCgSyhywPksaEUxzZS5V1aUV-wLkVGXO3kGFmhhuWc5uKcUXCrjQOt/s320/LAbor+Day+Party+031.jpg" />Then I mixed half a can of enchilada sauce with a smooshed can of breast of chicken.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6iVtijm-k2cpPt51tIfywlm8et-aG2FDKLFeaPP2R8lSi62T54D5LtGlA-EzYkV-IqbAYCfQWmnW1BfEY-9fiv9j6u_J0l2ku6gkO87FhoadeasafBYTMPSE5DImbwOOHP8hus6KUSCVD/s1600-h/LAbor+Day+Party+029.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380751721599071042" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6iVtijm-k2cpPt51tIfywlm8et-aG2FDKLFeaPP2R8lSi62T54D5LtGlA-EzYkV-IqbAYCfQWmnW1BfEY-9fiv9j6u_J0l2ku6gkO87FhoadeasafBYTMPSE5DImbwOOHP8hus6KUSCVD/s320/LAbor+Day+Party+029.jpg" /></a> It looks gross, but if it's in little pieces I can't tell there's chicken in there.<br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLR2thXWGg6h9Ckrmb_V0D_AMj3-smGdMWv7x7j5VXUC3YfID_Uw0SgYjX3ZIlfewMkZnHOggiWt5gg2XHlwDT-e7Q9jLckdI_Bg62_Z4tpWgCO7Kx7-Iowb11UZTONNuXFdUvaYmG5e-l/s1600-h/LAbor+Day+Party+030.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380751506083994466" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLR2thXWGg6h9Ckrmb_V0D_AMj3-smGdMWv7x7j5VXUC3YfID_Uw0SgYjX3ZIlfewMkZnHOggiWt5gg2XHlwDT-e7Q9jLckdI_Bg62_Z4tpWgCO7Kx7-Iowb11UZTONNuXFdUvaYmG5e-l/s320/LAbor+Day+Party+030.jpg" /></a> And I added it to the vegetables.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMzmnuskuHmBBLFSVKuzxiDhYfVkfXdd1_0K_CMujlEoEV7JVO5pjkMIgjuJ-jtDvWjbQwh281zgSByoaEzV9xeEHBwMsVjBsZ4LC2HZMeGZQR5WuCiDJdROnr-V5Gbx92LtZi0FpBLAT/s1600-h/LAbor+Day+Party+032.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380751392137797346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMzmnuskuHmBBLFSVKuzxiDhYfVkfXdd1_0K_CMujlEoEV7JVO5pjkMIgjuJ-jtDvWjbQwh281zgSByoaEzV9xeEHBwMsVjBsZ4LC2HZMeGZQR5WuCiDJdROnr-V5Gbx92LtZi0FpBLAT/s320/LAbor+Day+Party+032.jpg" /></a> And cooked it until most of the liquid was evaporated.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKnVrZbGLMLs2dYkoRlfLCW5fIpRrDzYu3VgeQYFSuW3iGDAa5yJiDs_Ab0guBlpJc6CYK4YbE5se_VWfRj9IEef6NZMHccGbXqCiVISnkoVaFVtfoSvB6zs7Gg6eSYGH0CxLsYtOuGBuA/s1600-h/LAbor+Day+Party+033.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380751281387401362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKnVrZbGLMLs2dYkoRlfLCW5fIpRrDzYu3VgeQYFSuW3iGDAa5yJiDs_Ab0guBlpJc6CYK4YbE5se_VWfRj9IEef6NZMHccGbXqCiVISnkoVaFVtfoSvB6zs7Gg6eSYGH0CxLsYtOuGBuA/s320/LAbor+Day+Party+033.jpg" /></a> See? And now it's time to put it all together. Cheese. Glorious cheese.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5wMK5clZvpI-szcr9pArO2b0e_z-mH6VoUydtoJKfT1dpGf1E6UBSuBGwenXqjVGiN1Id-te3u5b9i1kDBqMDG4vfp36nYvBeD4XyO-WUEqCPIwooEA63XlgUhufab367boGMQ2H4vx13/s1600-h/LAbor+Day+Party+034.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380751192119378562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5wMK5clZvpI-szcr9pArO2b0e_z-mH6VoUydtoJKfT1dpGf1E6UBSuBGwenXqjVGiN1Id-te3u5b9i1kDBqMDG4vfp36nYvBeD4XyO-WUEqCPIwooEA63XlgUhufab367boGMQ2H4vx13/s320/LAbor+Day+Party+034.jpg" /></a> I washed the skillet, heated up some olive oil, put in the tortilla and added some cheese.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXOc2iCOIBCQu7wh_8LQgR5kS932Mr7gN8rK08cABuLfl6DA8tWoYJsX2aGSqbAEJcVT663RV7Jlc-JeQYUlSAyqMgbR-vWes8_xuIWsFp0-kKgavVBf-dda7EYvl3DUvFKmoqRQ4SDt3/s1600-h/LAbor+Day+Party+035.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380751101520265570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXOc2iCOIBCQu7wh_8LQgR5kS932Mr7gN8rK08cABuLfl6DA8tWoYJsX2aGSqbAEJcVT663RV7Jlc-JeQYUlSAyqMgbR-vWes8_xuIWsFp0-kKgavVBf-dda7EYvl3DUvFKmoqRQ4SDt3/s320/LAbor+Day+Party+035.jpg" /></a> Put a good scoop of the crap on it.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkPP7b68r-jI_SiuZA-wYLDa9LOJ8RXdYE7S_9LbUJinaCLGTmLz8bt-sevRacKaw7yp8-djdBBqQ4_XXbExoHrcvFjrJzdqvagjYdpRcCa2LakqTQXxqgrWHskLUra9NoXhf-wshFPnEj/s1600-h/LAbor+Day+Party+036.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380751003657012546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkPP7b68r-jI_SiuZA-wYLDa9LOJ8RXdYE7S_9LbUJinaCLGTmLz8bt-sevRacKaw7yp8-djdBBqQ4_XXbExoHrcvFjrJzdqvagjYdpRcCa2LakqTQXxqgrWHskLUra9NoXhf-wshFPnEj/s320/LAbor+Day+Party+036.jpg" /></a> Added some more cheese and another tortilla...<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9RvB5e2lid1khdasvfZ7Ik2dquIf04lV15puhLOfSs2nObCSlFO2QyIJO-1z3t2j-ei8644Jyv0tqMrW5rlkhPXIVabQwvEt1rZKPPG4rBbPaqG8FscCO2Rw5Yk0EUj9NozFkqQ6Om43/s1600-h/LAbor+Day+Party+037.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380750907180275554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9RvB5e2lid1khdasvfZ7Ik2dquIf04lV15puhLOfSs2nObCSlFO2QyIJO-1z3t2j-ei8644Jyv0tqMrW5rlkhPXIVabQwvEt1rZKPPG4rBbPaqG8FscCO2Rw5Yk0EUj9NozFkqQ6Om43/s320/LAbor+Day+Party+037.jpg" /></a> Then flipped it.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51jY2aWP266rEDxCLViaoWatLpFxJtP4eapAsgWIEzJ63wJtpcsjF97XWm7Bdw2otlWIvFjjsjDmVdG6flzUVa02hhZlpcFrOixliTDkfJjLo75tfZv02xU9zz-t8l-MPWsABUWmxEFSm/s1600-h/LAbor+Day+Party+038.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380750809559061506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51jY2aWP266rEDxCLViaoWatLpFxJtP4eapAsgWIEzJ63wJtpcsjF97XWm7Bdw2otlWIvFjjsjDmVdG6flzUVa02hhZlpcFrOixliTDkfJjLo75tfZv02xU9zz-t8l-MPWsABUWmxEFSm/s320/LAbor+Day+Party+038.jpg" /></a> I had to take some samples upstairs. The boys gobbled it up. And so did I. I think the best part was the crispy tortillas. And the subtle spice from the enchilada sauce. Not too hot. Not too nothing. Glorious.<br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801918825104050290.post-9518700917357504722009-08-16T18:22:00.000-07:002009-08-16T18:32:06.199-07:00Fried ZucchiniWe were about 10 miles from Miss M's hometown when we went camping last weekend. Her dad brings the camper for us with his truck every year. This past Saturday, he stopped by for coffee and brought us produce! There were two days worth of cole slaw for my family on vacation and way too many beans. I brought the zucchini and broccoli home, but I wasn't sure what to do with it. I have read about fried green tomatoes, but I wanted to try fried zucchini. And I did it. First, I soaked it, sliced in milk.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370737127455933922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjSF3ozXXUBP7a1Wrh5nnKFyxpv2KaAJTegn-3kyIvrBeGYRxh_WhqcohmpQ8RQmQbBzbuwvzSWC_oQQCzkDQQpoGRM4buWaX7bqnkBlhFtqKsRShNZ94k5BOrmQX_9zVuk6PHnAev52pY/s320/Jenny's+039.jpg" />Then I coated it in crushed cheese nips (What? It's all I had. There is no bread in a single woman's house!) parsley and red pepper flakes.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370737278284102466" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxz6EkbUT4OzM2aqTpnOqMhXA3R_uOd-I2f3W-4IRtCz_EaBB46u0J8lmNqaJCt7VW60MpJTQq2MXcHoDhfeBKT8aEA8lyQhgMzW2xXAkTo15E0Ecx0CAwowNEfv-cyF4_tvoi9YVPjfD/s320/Jenny's+045.jpg" />Fried it up in olive oil with some minced garlic.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370737390469492498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEyOnJHcS0tnIhG1cYNrE0ZW9XmWQe4yRaEiu9VjTAccMFGGBaroqRPX3rBXxeZ11Jtahcgq8_pSY3yWFKEXRb1rz-fXtLQkfxI3zqDNklMv2lzoF94a6by-muUQgL_Sw8OV-Tmsg11k17/s320/Jenny's+046.jpg" />And there you have it. It was awesome! I make stuff up all the time, but this was a good one. I have one more zucchini to deal with. I may just do the same with it. I gobbled it all up!<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370737489480697810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQdwTTtdem-VSqJZb5VvJicRUYYEMefQ3abBneMTETseXlWKMtFQq9DxE_qQNz48tMqOpBSzr_eNk0nXuTqpe5LHZA78A0aFxwGYPfuLzj7FQP3XeAD3JTo4FrUazBRxJOkyIVWrTxb5UR/s320/Jenny's+048.jpg" />Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801918825104050290.post-62680741604762330402009-03-13T08:01:00.000-07:002009-03-13T08:12:09.429-07:00Ancient Chinese SecretI'm hosting a luncheon this weekend and whenever I invite people over, they ask, "Are you making that beef sandwich stuff?" And I always say yes, because even though it's horribly simple, everyone loves it and there's never any leftovers. I've taken to buying an extra roast that I cook the next day, just for ME. Because I'm selfish like that. Throw in a side of my sponsor's Chinese Noodle Salad, people bring the rest and we usually have a feast. Enjoy.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Kate's Shredded Beef</span><br />This is the easiest thing in the world that I'm almost ashamed to admit it is my signature dish. I usually get Round Bottom Roast, but any sort of beef will do - whatever's on sale and whatever your fat likes and dislikes are. I usually get about a three pounder, because that's what cooks the best in my crock pot. Add a packet of onion soup mix and a packet of dry italian salad dressing mix, throw in a cup of water and cook on low for about six hours. Then you shred it with two forks and return it to the crockpot. Serve on buns and people will marry you for it.<br /><br />Well, they haven't yet. But I'm waiting.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Marcia's Ancient Chinese Secret</span><br />People bring this in various forms to potlucks all the time. But just remember - don't add the ramen noodles or the dressing until you're ready to serve. This salad is no good soggy or leftover.<br /><br />2 bags of coleslaw or broccoli slaw - I like the broccoli slaw<br />2 packages of ramen noodles - beef or original asian flavor<br />1/2 a red onion<br />1 cup olive oil<br />1/3 cup vinegar<br />1/4 cup sugar<br />1/2 cup slivered almonds<br />1/2 cup of cunflower seeds.<br /><br />Mix broccoli slaw, almonds and sunflower seeds in a bowl. Crush ramen noodles and add, saving seasoning packets. Shake oil, vinegar, sugar and seasoning packets in a tupperware and then toss into the salad. You can alter the amounts of oil, vinegar and sugar to taste, of course. And if you want more dressing - have at it. I somtimes just use one bag of slaw and the regular amount of dressing.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801918825104050290.post-85901547975253534382009-02-27T18:49:00.000-08:002009-02-27T19:06:54.808-08:00Quinoa - The Ancient GrainI've been reading about quinoa. It's considered a "whole food" with enough protein and carbohydrates to sustain life. Did you know there's an<a href="http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/112924/inside_the_svalbard_international_seed.html"> international seed bank</a> that is to save society if something horrible happens? Quinoa is an ancient grain that could provide sustainability for the world should the inevitable global meltdown happen.<br /><br />I got this sun dried tomato quinoa box at the funny grocery store (local food coop) about a year ago and it was so rich, I could hardly stomach it. I'm pretty sure I threw most of it away. (Please say prayers for people who are starving in the world. I mean it. I'm not being sarcastic.) But I bought some plain, ordinary quinoa grains about two months after that and have since been researching ways to cook it so it would be palatable.<br /><br />I tried tonight. I was feeling adventurous. Plus, it's snowing - so I'm hunkering down for the night and good food smells make me happy.<br /><br />I figured quinoa was like rice, so I put two cups of water and one cup of quinoa in a pan and brought it to a boil, then covered it and simmered it for about 20 minutes. Perfection. In the meantime, I sauteed choppped onion and garlic with italian seasonings and red pepper flakes in a tiny bit of olive oil. When it was nice and translucent and a little browned, I added the cooked quinoa and sauteed it a little, too. I tasted it and it definitely needed salt and pepper, so I added some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and I gobbled a bunch of it down. It's super yummy. And I think I'm sustainable.<br /><br />Thank God.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801918825104050290.post-11587061021233793192009-02-11T12:48:00.000-08:002009-02-28T08:23:28.986-08:00Crinkly FingersBaked Chicken Fingers<br />adapted from cleaneatinmag.com<br /><br />Olive oil<br />2 boneless skinless chicken breasts<br />1/2 c. skim milk<br />1 T. dijon mustard<br />1/4 cup almonds, sliced<br />1/4 c. rolled oats<br />1/2. c grated parmesan cheese<br />1 T. dried parsley flakes<br />1/2 t. ground black pepper<br /><br />Preheat oven tp 350 degrees. Lightly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Trim any fat from chicken and cut into strips. Stir milk and mustard together in a bowl. In a separate container, mix together almonds, oats, parmesan, parsley and pepper. One at a time, dip chicken into milk mixture, then dridge them in oatmeal mixture, making sure each piece is coated evenly. Arrange on baking sheet and bake for 14 to 16 minutes, turning once, or until chicken is cooked through and coating is golden brown.<br /><br />The original recipe didn't call for parmesan cheese, but I wanted it, so I substituted it for whole wheat bread crumbs. You could go either way for less fat. These were easy to overcook, too. So watch it! Super yum!Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801918825104050290.post-3600945084853195652009-01-25T17:33:00.000-08:002009-01-25T18:19:38.251-08:00Baked Penne with Aspargus and TurkeyAnother Clean Eating recipe from <a href="http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/">http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/</a> that I changed up a bit.<br /><br />13.5 oz. whole wheat penne pasta<br />1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces<br />Cooking spray<br />1 lb lean ground turkey<br />3 cups organic pasta sauce - I used Muir Glen Garlic Roasted Garlic<br />1/2 t. dried basil<br />1 t. minced garlic<br />1 small onion, minced<br />1/4 t. sea salt<br />1 cup part skim mozzarella cheese<br />1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated<br /><br />Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook penne according to directiosn. When pasta is 1 minute from being done, add asparagus and boil for 1 minute. Drain and return to pot.<br /><br />Meanwhile, coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Cook ground turkey and onions until turkey is browned, add garlic, basil, salt and pepper to taste. Add pasta sauce and simmer until heated through.<br /><br />Add turkey meat sauce to penne and asparagus and stir to combine.<br /><br />Coat a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray and add 1/2 the penne mixture and sprinkle with 3/4 of the mozzarella. Add remaining penne, then sprinkle remaining mozzarella and top with Parmigiano-Regianno. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. This makes six servings. And it's really good.<br /><br />The original recipe did not call for onion or for fresh garlic - rather garlic powder. I thought it needed onions. And I think it was an excellent addition. The original recipe also called for just tomato sauce. I couldn't find it and replaced it with organic pasta sauce. Again, a good substitute.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801918825104050290.post-12425115020298457642009-01-18T16:28:00.000-08:002009-01-19T11:13:51.261-08:00HomemadeSo, M and I are doing the Clean Eating diet (which is NOT a diet, but a WAY OF LIFE. Whatever. I've tried them all...) But I love to cook and this recipe tried to be labor intensive. It is a pasta dish, so I was immediately intrigued. Anything pasta makes me happy.<br /><br /><strong>Chicken Rotini with Homemade Roma Tomato Pasta Sauce</strong><br /><br />6 lean chicken breasts<br />1 T. Olive Oil<br />1 large onion, chopped<br />1 large carrot, chopped<br />2 ribs of celery, chopped<br />1/2 c. chopped fresh basil<br />2 tsp dried oregano leaves<br />4 cloves of garlic, passed through a garlic press (I'm using minced)<br />8 roma tomatoes chopped<br />1 medium sweet potato baked (Cut it in half, drizzle it with olive oil and place halves face down on a cookie sheet. It took an hour at 350.)<br />1/4 c. chicken broth<br />10 oz. whole grain rotini pasta<br /><br />Cut chicken breasts into thin strips. (I bought the kind already cut up for stir fry and then sliced it up even more. Raw meat is GROSS!) Heat olive oil, add onion, carrot and celery until soft but not brown. Add garlic and herbs and continue cooking 2-3 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and the pulp of the sweet potato along with the chicken broth. Add chicken strips and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover tightly and simmer for 20 minutes. Cook the pasta al dente and mix with the sauce.<br /><br />Um. Super good. But you totally could use canned tomatoes. Just saying. And in the future, I'd probably pre-cook the chicken and shred it before adding it to the sauce. I didn't like the end texture of it. Plus, this would be just as tasty without the chicken and I might consider adding black beans to it instead for some protein.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801918825104050290.post-31800892987509222442009-01-11T15:35:00.000-08:002009-01-11T15:39:44.903-08:00Fish. I Don't Hate It Anymore.So, my girlfriend and I have started the Clean Eating "diet" which is not a diet, but a way of eating, which incorporates six small meals a day, eating protein and complex carbohydrates at each sitting. I did it all last week and frankly? I lost nothing, but I FEEL better. And that's what's most important at the end of the day.<br /><br />Tonight, I took a suggestion from another friend and made this dish. It's incredible. The beans just pop in your mouth and the tomato sauce makes it zesty and the sprinkle of parmesean gives it just enough of the cheese flavor to satisfy me but keep me from eating the whole dang block of swiss that I like to do in one sitting.<br /><br />Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Drain and rinse a can of great northern beans and dump into the casserole dish. Place two frozen fish fillets (any type that trips your trigger. I used tilapia) over the top and then pour a small can of tomato sauce over the top. Sprinkle with parmesean cheese and cook in the oven - uncovered for 45 minutes to an hour at 350 degrees.<br /><br />I have enough for tonight and an incredibly large lunch tomorrow. Bon appetit!Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801918825104050290.post-1957039943995274452008-12-26T18:59:00.000-08:002008-12-27T19:51:27.634-08:00Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars3/4 c. butter<br />3/4 c. peanut butter<br />3/4 c. sugar<br />3/4 c. brown sugar<br />2 eggs<br />2 t. vanilla<br />1 1/2 c, flour<br />2 c. oatmeal<br />3/4 t. baking soda<br />1/2 t. salt<br />Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Combine flour, oatmeal, baking soda, and salt. Then add to the wet mixture. Spray 9 X 13 pan with cooking spray and spread batter in pan. Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes. Remove from over and cool.<br /><br />Glaze:<br />1/2 c. peanut butter<br />2 c. chocolate chips<br />1/2 c. butterscotch chips<br />Melt in saucepan and spread over cooled bars. Chill and cut.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801918825104050290.post-60128278476833915262008-12-26T12:35:00.000-08:002008-12-27T19:49:23.818-08:00Lemony Cheesecake Bars1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs<br />1/3 c. finely chopped pecans<br />1/3 c. sugar<br />1/3 c. melted butter<br />Perheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine graham cracker crumbs, pecans, sugar and butter. Press into 9 X 13 pan and bake for 6 minutes. Cool.<br /><br />2 8 oz. packages of softened cream cheese<br />1 can sweetened condensed milk<br />2 eggs<br />1/2 c. lemon juice.<br />Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweeted condensed milk. Add egss. Beat until combined. Stir in lemon juice. Pour atop crust and bake for 30 minutes. Cool 1 hour and then store in refrigerator.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801918825104050290.post-52636008304357912462008-12-26T10:28:00.000-08:002008-12-27T19:49:41.700-08:00Pumpkin Pie BarsCrust:<br />1 c. flour<br />1/2 c. brown sugar<br />1/2 c. oatmeal<br />1/2 c. butter<br />Combine until crumbly. Press into ungreased 9 X 13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.<br /><br />Filling:<br />1 can evaporated milk<br />1 can pumpkin puree<br />2 eggs<br />3/4 c. sugar<br />1/2 salt<br />1/4 t. cloves<br />1 t. cinnamon<br />1 t. ginger<br />Combine. Pour onto crust and bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees.<br /><br />Topping:<br />1/2 c. brown sugar<br />1/2 chopped pecans<br />1 T. butter<br />Combine until crumbly and sprinkle over filling. Bake 15-20 minutes.<br /><br />So good with cool whip. Oh yes.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801918825104050290.post-39361475173961820872008-12-26T10:26:00.001-08:002008-12-27T19:51:57.918-08:00Sobriety Dessert BuffetWe're having a party. A serious party! I have two years of sobriety on Sunday, December 28th. One of the girls I sponsor has one year as of last December 19th. And this dirty old man who works at Tallgrass has 17 years - on the same day as me. And in honor of all that not drinking, I'm throwing a dessert buffet. Here's the menu.<br /><br />Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars<br />Carrot Cake<br />Apple Crisp (didn't get made)<br />Strawberry Pretzel Dessert (didn't get made)<br />Lemon Cheesecake Bars<br />Pumpking Pie Bars<br />Chocolate Cake (from a box)<br /><br />We're going to get all jacked up on sugar and caffeine and then go to the birthday meeting. Should be like old times - flying high. Stay tuned.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801918825104050290.post-22503509255298713302008-12-23T16:30:00.000-08:002008-12-23T16:38:51.327-08:00Grandma's LoveThe following recipe is my grandma's. I make this chili quite often, as it reheats well and you can change it up in a number of ways. My mom doesn't like things with beans or tomatoes and yummy stuff like that, so we only ever got it at my grandma's house. She's now 92, still living alone, driving herself to the grocery store and pulling weeds a little bit every day in the summer. I love her. And I love that I have this recipe of hers. Now it's yours.<br /><br />Layered Chunky Beef Chili<br /><br />3 1/2 lbs. bottom beef round or boneless chuck<br />2 T. vegetable oil<br />2 onions, chopped<br />4 cloves garlic, minced<br />1 28 oz. can tomatoes<br />2 c. beef broth<br />1 6 oz. can tomato paste<br />3 T. chili powder<br />1 1/2 t. dried oregano<br />1 t. ground cumin<br />1/4-1/2 t. cayenne pepper<br />1/2 t. sugar<br /><br />Cut beef into 1/2 " cubes. Heat oil in large pot until sizzling with a drop of water. Stir beef, onions and garlic in oil until beef is browned. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 1-2 hours.<br /><br />How I change it up: I use a combination of turkey burger and canned beans to equal the 3 1/2 lbs. beef. I just brown the turkey like it says to do for the beef and add the drained beans when I dump the rest of the stuff in the pot. And I usually just put it all in the crock pot and leave it all day. Some people add things like green peppers, but I don't. I like it like this.<br /><br />I serve it with shredded cheese and sour cream if I'm feeling naughty!Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801918825104050290.post-44235474408375567722008-12-13T21:44:00.000-08:002008-12-13T21:46:41.752-08:00Still Fucking SickI'm still sick and this is what my grocery list looks like.<br /><br />THINGS FROM THE GROCERY STORE THAT WILL MAKE ME HAPPY.<br /><br />In green sharpie marker on a yellow recipe card. That seems important.<br /><br />Ramens<br />Frozen peas<br />Velveeta Cheese<br /><br />Yep. That's it. I don't make my ramens like soup, I make them like noodles. Cut back on the water and you'll be happy. Then I throw in cheese and peas. It doesn't get any better than that. I'm telling you.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.com0