Girls' Favorites

Dear Lara, your favorite:

Pasta Salad

One box of whole wheat spiral noodles, cooked (obviously) and rinsed.
Add one chopped cucumber (though you do not like cucumbers, so probably want to skip this part)
Add lots of sliced cherry tomatoes-about 15
Add half a bundle of green onions
Add 1/2 container of crumbled Feta cheese
Add 1/2 container of Italian salad dressing

(Advice: Do whole wheat any time you want pasta. Because then pasta IS good for you!!)

Dear Claire, your favorite:

Homemade Mac and Cheese

• 1 (8 ounce) package elbow macaroni
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 (12 ounce) container small curd cottage cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add pasta, and cook until done; drain.
2. In 9x13 inch baking dish, stir together macaroni, shredded Cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. In a small bowl, mix together bread crumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle topping over macaroni mixture.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until top is golden.

(Advice: Always add a little more cheese than the recipe calls for!)

The essential ingredients

I was talking with a friend recently about meal plans and grocery lists. We started joking around about how there are certainly days that we do not do so well writing and sticking to our lists. We laughingly discussed what our essential items are when we are paying a lazy visit to the food store. So here are mine.

A) Unsweetened cocoa powder. For those homemade brownies.

B) Any kind of baking mix. For cheesy garlic biscuits.

Homemade Brownies:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.
2. In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.
4. To Make Frosting: Combine 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Frost brownies while they are still warm.

Cheesy Garlic Bisffins:

(This recipe is from my cousin Candace, a wonderful cook!)

2 Cups baking mix

1 1/2 Cups shredded cheddar

1 tsp garlic salt

enough milk to moisten into a dough form.

Mix ingredients and place in a greased muffin tin. I usually make about 10 out of this recipe. Cook at 350 degrees until golden (15-20 min).

So as long as I've got my chocolate, and my salt, I am a happy woman!!

On wine and waffles...

So we are credit-card-free, thanks to a blessing that came our way. It's not like we had that much credit card debt (or, at least, not in comparison to so many I know), but it was enough for us; and debt is debt. We cut up our cards, and toasted to our new lives over a bottle of moscato, and aged gouda cheese. Moscato is our favorite wine (in fact, the only wine I will drink at all) because it is sweet and bubbly.

Moscato is a good dessert wine. And on that note, a new dessert I like is...waffles. Big, fluffy waffles with syrup, and maybe some various chopped fruit on top, and definitely, positively, some whipped cream. You see, before closing one of the credit card accounts, we redeemed some reward points, and chose to get a waffle iron.

Up until recently, my interest in waffles was less than mediocre, until I visited Aunt Amber, who made really nice, fluffy, golden brown waffles one morning for breakfast-the sort you can really eat with appreciation, unlike the really thin, frozen ones at the grocery store (please don't do that to yourself). So, sad to say but it's true, upon this inspiration, I made my first homemade waffles just the other day. I thought they were so good, I had another after lunch, for my dessert.

Now, I've only tried one recipe. My readers are welcome to comment and include their recipes if they'd like.

Beat 2 eggs until foamy. Beat in, using a hand beater: 2 c flour, 1 3/4 C milk, 1/2 C Veggie oil, 1 TBS sugar, 4 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp vanilla. Pour just a little less than 1 cup of batter on waffle iron, and cook for 3 1/2 minutes.

Chicken Noodles, just the way mommy makes them.

I think the best chicken & noodles are usually your mommy's, even if they aren't so spectacular. It's just one of those comfort foods that most of us have grown up with and love. My mom would make delicious chicken and noodles, with a big side of mashed potatoes. It was one of my favorite meals. I have a memory of sitting in the dining room, eating a big helping of chicken and noodles with mashed potatoes, reading a book from the Babysitters' Club series, and listening to a thunderstorm roll its way in. It is like the harsh food critic tasting Remy's ratatouille: it doesn't have to be the best food on the planet; it just has to remind you of the comfort of home.

So I boil a small chicken in a big pot of water. Boil it until the meat starts to fall off the bones. Once that happens, I call my big manly husband, and ask him (like a baby) to take the chicken out of the pot, because it's too hot for me. My mom probably never had to do that. Keep the liquid (broth) in the pan. If your husband one day throws the broth out because he "is just trying to help," and clean up your dishes, go easy on him, he has no clue. Let the chicken cool for a bit, then begin to shred it. The key here is to use your fingers. Throw the chicken meat right back in the pot of broth. Throw in a bag of wide, egg noodles (don't get extra-wide, I think they are too thin and flimsy). I think I usually use an Amish-style noodle. Go heavy on the salt and pepper. Next up, you can add some store-bought chicken broth or stock to the pot. I add a few cups. If you just put in water, or use a low-sodium chicken broth, talk about bland. Simmer it until the noodles are tender. Boil and mash some yukon gold potatoes, then there you go. Mommy's chicken and noodles.

Breakfast

Menolikebreakfasttime.

My ideal breakfast starts at 10am, and includes pop tarts, pepsi, and doughnut holes. Brought to me on a tray. In bed. The kids are at Grandma's and Nana's.

But breakfast is supposedly the most important meal of the day (prove it), so I usually (grudgingly) make up some french toast, eggs & bacon, etc. with a few days of oatmeal or cereal thrown in.

A co-worker of mine long ago said to me, "I have never eaten a poptart," upon watching our class of preschoolers eat poptarts for snacks. I stared at her quite speechless until she explained that her mother always made her family very big, home-cooked meals in the morning. "Still, a poptart, "says I, "is, like, a food group for college students." Crazy mothers sheltering their kids. ;)

Make up breakfast the day before (ie breakfast casserole), or make a big batch of things one morning and freeze a lot. Freeze french toast (scroll down for a recipe), waffles, etc. I don't like cooking in the mornings, so this frees up a lot of time for me.

We really like frittatas here! I have no idea how I learned how to make these, but here's my own recipe:

1. Beat several eggs in a bowl and let them sit out in room temperature until you are ready to use them. Season them.

2. Dice 2 potatoes, and cook them in a little olive oil in a cast-iron skillet, over medium heat, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go.

3. Fry 4 slices of bacon. When the bacon is cooked, chop into small pieces.

4. Turn your broiler on to the low setting.

5. When potatoes are done, add in the bacon, some cheese of your choice, and pour the eggs over all. You want enough eggs that the other items are submerged in the eggs. Add in some garlic salt!!

6. Let the frittata cook for a few minutes on the burner, until you see small bubbles begin to appear.

7. When that happens, place it under the broiler for a few minutes, add a little more cheese to the top, and cook a few more minutes. It won't take long.

8. When it browns a little on top, take it out, cut it like pie, and enjoy! You can also add any vegetables (I would just add them to the same skillet at the potatoes while they are cooking). Like broccoli or peppers.

My breakfast this morning: Fennel tea w/ orange rind, poppyseed muffin (or 4), and egg whites.

Beef Stew

When I was little, one of my favorite meals was beef stew. I would smell the aromas all through the house, and say, "Mmm, I LOVE beef stew!" Then my sister Jill would say, "Then why don't you go marry it? Haha!" And for some reason, that would make me upset. :D

I use about 1.5-2lbs of beef stew meat from the store. I chop the pieces up smaller than they are in the package because this is SOUP. So you need bite size pieces, obviously.

I went to my mom and asked her how to make beef stew, and she shrugged and said, "I just do what it says on the back of the seasoning packet!" SO, following the instructions on the back of beef stew seasoning packet, coat the meat, then cook it til brown on all sides, add the water and seasoning, and let it simmer for an hour. Then you can add whatever chopped veggies you like, but for me, I only do potatoes, carrots, and celery. If you decide to add other gross things, I simply cannot vouch for the taste of your beef stew. :D

But once I add the veggies, I throw away the instructions. I always add more water. If the vegetables are submerged, you've added too much. For each cup of water I put in, I add a beef bouillon cube. And lots of salt, if you like flavor. If you don't like flavor in your food, then I suppose you could skip the salt. I simmer the stew for awhile, about 1 1/2 hours. So, altogether, after you've simmered just the meat, and cut up your vegetables during that time, the stew will take about 2 hours and 45 minutes to cook.

I made this last night, along with some honey wheat bread. Us girls went outside to play in the evening, and when we came back in, our noses red and runny, and our fingers numb, it was so nice to come into a warm house with delicious smells of food around.

Lara: Sniff. Sniff. Mmm, mommy, I smell something really yummy. Sniff. Sniff. Sniff.

Mommy: I LOVE beef stew!

poppyseed chicken

10-12 chicken tenders, cooked, and cubbed/shredded
8oz sour cream
10 3/4 can of cream of chicken
1/2 tsp garlic salt
pepper to taste

Mix it all together, put in 9x13 greased pan. Sprinkle on 1 sleeve of saltine crackers/buttery round crackers. Pour over cracker crumbs 1/2 cup of melted butter. Sprinkle on 1 1/2 TBSP of poppyseeds. Put in the oven for 30min at 350.

This recipe comes from my cousin Candace, which I may have altered a little as I tried to get the right amount of ingredients. Very easy, and we all love it.

Making your sink shine!

My sink is not very pretty and shiny. I am good at ignoring this, until I visit a home that has such a nice, new sink, and then I come home and tell Dad that I want a new sink!

Most of the time, it's not a new sink you need. It's a sink that needs a good cleaning. It's like this with any appliance. A really good cleaning can make it look brand new...or close to it. :) Then you will save yourself lots of money.

Here is how I make my sink look close-to-brand-new:

1. Clean out any dishes and messes from the sink
2. Fill it to the very top with hot water, put in one cup of bleach and let it sit for about 1 hour
3. Drain, then scrub the basin with whatever you normally clean it with. I use SOS pads and scrub my sink to death.
4. Be sure to also clean around the faucet until all the scum is gone,
5. Rinse the sink and dry
6. then use some Windex and shine the sink

This will make your sink look really nice. I like to do this, but I usually don't have the time. But it happens sometimes and it will motivate you to keep the dishes clean and out of the sink for awhile, b/c you don't want to ruin your beautiful sink!

The Best Ever French Toast

I am not a huge fan (or even a fan at all) of french toast, so I never thought I would say this, but it is true: I can make a MEAN french toast. Go figure.

The bread is key. I mean, that really is all it takes. Use a regular bread for french toast, and breakfast is a waste of time.

So, I found a fabulous bread for french toast, which is Brioche. Brioche is a French bread, which is tender and crumbly. It is almost pastry-like, and is therefore never meant to be eaten without the addition of...well...something.

Mmmm, yum, it is so good! So here is my recipe:

Cinnamon French Toast

1 egg
2 egg whites
1/4 C milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
4 slices of Brioche

Mix the ingredients together in a pie dish. Soften both sides of the Brioche with the mixture. Cook french toast on a griddle on medium heat, flipping once.

Sprinkle on some powdered sugar, or "snow" as Lara refers to it (and, yes, we know what other word "snow" refers to. Ha!). Then eat it up!!

Mashed Potatoes

I think most people have their own particular ways to making mashed potatoes, and you might find a way that you like best. But, in the meantime, here is how we make them.

Cut each potato into about 4 pieces
Put in water-just enough to cover the potatoes
Bring the water, uncovered, to a boil
Turn the heat down to a simmer, cover, and let cook for about 15 min, or until soft
Drain, put back on the heat until the sizzling sound dies down, take off the heat
mash with a potato masher
(or a fork if you are feeling really bored)

When adding ingredients, make sure they are warm. Any milk/cream should be warmed up in the microwave first, and butter should be softened at room temperature (take a stick from the fridge and place it near the potatoes while they are cooking).

I remember one holiday when I was younger, when my grandpa came over and was finishing up my mom's potatoes. He pulled me over and said, "Now, Stretch, watch and learn." He made a well in the potatoes, then proceeded to put in, like, 20 Tbsp. of butter. I don't put that much butter in my potatoes; salt is my weakness.

When making regular mashed potatoes, I just put in a little butter, a little salt, test, a little more butter, a little more salt, test, butter, salt, test, until I've gotten the taste I want. I add the milk first, so the potatoes are easier to stir. Add milk until the potatoes are the consistency you enjoy. (Some people like really thick, and some people like really thin, so the idea is that you cook your food the way YOU like it. Then when you have a family, you cook them the way EVERYONE ELSE likes them.) Add in some pepper too!

For super yummy (8) potatoes, forgo the milk and butter, and add:
8oz cream cheese
8oz sour cream
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp onion salt
1/2 tsp salt

Stuffed Chicken

Stuffed chicken is an easy way to be creative and use ingredients you like-and it doesn't involve measuring; you just use as much as you would like of your favorite ingredients.

Tonight for supper, I pounded down some chicken tenders. I then layed some mozzarella and bacon bits on each strip, rolled them up, and stuck in a toothpick to keep them tightly closed. I put a thin layer of cream of chicken in the bottom of a 9x13 pan, and laid the stuffed chicken side by side in the dish. Then, I brushed on some olive oil, and sprinkled on some garlic salt and bread crumbs. For 8 chicken tenders, I cooked them in the oven at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

I only ever use chicken tenders now to do a stuffed chicken dish. They are easy to pound (make sure you cover them with plastic before you pound, otherwise you are going to spray your kitchen with salmonella), easy to roll up, and easy to tell when they are cooked through!

But don't follow my recipe, just lay on that chicken whatever strikes your fancy. If it turns out terrible, it's like I always say, "We'll just be making a quick trip to McDonalds!"

Lara, you enjoyed them quite a bit!

Hope's Hawaiian Sandwiches.

Okay, so maybe that name is totally lame, but the fact still stands that these -ARE- my Tennesee cousin Hope's sandwiches. And they are bite sizes of yumminess! Even with my Holy Meal Plan on the fridge, some days I just do not want to cook, so I whip these up in a jiffy and everyone is pleased as can be. We've had these several times since my other cooking cousin Candace introduced them to me.



It's plain and simple. Take some Hawaiian rolls, cut them open, and put in any kind of meat and cheese you like. I prefer ham, and Daddy likes roast beef. I also slather them up with butter on the inside first. When they are still open-faced, I sprinkle on some garlic salt, then I close them up, put on a little more butter and garlic salt on top (just a little), and bake them in the oven, til the cheese is melted. They are delicious, and I recommend making 2x what you think you will want.



Simple, but not plain! Delish!

Kitchen Sense Lesson 1: How (not) to store potatoes.

It was my first year of marriage. I lived in a small apartment with a little, bitty kitchen. I had to be careful how much food I purchased, since there wasn't a lot of cabinet space. And where to put the potatoes? I decided to put them in one of the bottom cabinets. My fellow neighbors often just kept them on the floor in the kitchen, but I didn't like them in the way like that. After awhile, I began to smell a very horrid smell, and could not figure out where it was coming from. I kept complaining, and Daddy kept responding that I was crazy because he didn't smell anything. But then I noticed a strange, brown, oozing liquid on the kitchen floor-just a little. I tracked it down, and to my absolute HORROR, the liquid led to the potatoes...they had melted into a complete gooey mess, all over the cabinet. It looked and smelled like the the potatoes had, in fact, turned into diarrhea and had attracted gnats. It was terrible, and it took a really long time, a lot of hot soap and water, and lots of paper towels to clean this mess up.

So what went wrong? Nothing, really, it was just that I forgot the potatoes were in there. You see, I rarely cooked potatoes back then. (I did not even know how to make mashed potatoes!) And they were in my dishes-I-never-use cabinet. So they grew old and, well, turned into poop. Potatoes aren't meant to sit around forever. Like any veggie and fruit, you want to eat them up quickly.

Here are the rules for the appropriate way to store potatoes:

((http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/how-to-store-potatoes-at-home-533.html))

Before storing the potatoes, put them in a paper bag with holes in it. Avoid using plastic bags, as they tend to increases condensation and thus, lead to development of mold.

Potatoes should always be stored at a place which is cool, dark and has lots of ventilation. One of the best options is to store the potatoes in a root cellar.

Avoid storing the potatoes in a pantry, as it may lead to their sprouting and dehydration.

Potatoes should not be in the refrigerator, especially below a temperature of 7 deg C. This is because below this temperature they develop a sweet taste and get darkened when they are cooked.

The ideal temperature at which potatoes should be stored is somewhere around 7- 10 deg C.

Never ever store potatoes along with onions. When the two of them are put together, they produce certain gases that spoil both of them. (Although, here is an addition from my gardening-pro neighbor: Onions should be stored in a sightly cooler place, 32-40 degrees while potatoes should be stored at 40-50 degrees. They don't emit anything that rots each other, no more than any other veggie. )

Mature potatoes should not be stored for more than 2 months, while the new ones should be consumed within 1 week.

Sweet potatoes should be stored for a maximum period of one week only, since they are very delicate.

Never ever keep the potatoes in direct sunlight. Infact, keep them away from prolonged exposure to light. If exposed to light for too long, they become green, develop a bitter taste and might become toxic.

Keep on checking the stored potatoes every few days. The moment you see a soft, shriveled or sprouted potato, remove it from the storage area.

So where do you put your potatoes?

Everyone puts their potatoes in different places. The fridge, under the sink, in the cabinet. Apparently, your best option is your root cellar, a common storage place that comes with most 21st century homes. Even if I had a root cellar, I like my food to stay in the kitchen with me; I can't be going all over to track it down. So, I keep my potatoes in a bag on the floor, out of the way. One day, I will purchase a potato canister. Wherever you store them, just always keep an eye on them. Or they will come alive and eat YOU!!

Mama's Book of Kitchen Sense. Preface

I guess if I were to be strictly honest, I do not like to cook. But I do cook, because I like to eat. I look forward to the end product, not so much the process. I make all kinds of good things, so if I were to put a name to my cooking style, it would be simplicity. I really do not like to cook anything that has a lot of steps to it, is complicated, or involves spending too much time in the kitchen. I love a meal that keeps you going back for more, but takes more time to eat it than cook it.

I'd cook with Nana sometimes in the kitchen, but mostly I just learned as I went after I got married. Nana was a natural chef, having been taught by her grandmother, I believe is what she told me. She made great comfort-food meals that didn't have written recipes. And I don't think she owned any measuring utensils. Papa would cook sometimes too, mostly meats. He enjoyed experimenting with spices. I'm more like Papa in the kitchen, when I am just myself. I grab different spices and liquids and just combine, not really knowing what I am doing. But usually I am not myself, because I can't afford to ruin a meal (not that Papa ruined meals, but I probably would). So I am articulate, analyzing recipes, measuring precisely, setting my timer.

When I married, there was not a lot I could make, but it didn't matter, because our work and college schedules didn't permit a lot of time for nice sit-down dinners. It was not until I hit the nesting phase during my first pregnancy that I started putting a little more thought into cooking. I have definitely come a long way since my first year of marriage, but considering that was 7 1/2 years ago, it is nothing impressive.

What I really like about cooking is the challenge. I enjoy trying unusual things, recipe names I can't pronounce, foods you often only eat at restaurants. Not to say that is what I do five times a week, but just that I can find enjoyment if it's an unusual cooking day.

Being a mother of two, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I prepare three meals a day, and two snacks. And I HAVE to. It is not that it is just my job, but I would likely go to jail for not nourishing my children. So I am in the process of trying to make it a happy and healthy experience for everyone. I am still learning as I go. And what is the point of learning if it is not to pass down what you have learned to your children?

So that is why I have started this blog...eventually, it will make a nice, big, fat book full of kitchen stories, mistakes, victories, and yummy recipes. I hope my darlings will like it!

Top Tier Devil's Food Cake with Sour Cream Fudge Frosting

Our daughter L is at Grandma's this weekend, so my husband D is finding himself restless with his freedom. He couldn't decide what to do when his Saturday afternoon wasn't consumed with building a castle for the princesses or playing Snow White's Prince Charming. So I suggested he find something to cook. D likes to look through our monthly Bon Appetite magazines, find the gooiest, chocolatey-est thing in the magazine, and make it. He had his eye on this particular cake for a few days.

Top Tier Devil's Food Cake with Sour Cream Fudge Frosting

aka D is the Devil because He is Trying to Make Me Fat Cake