Showing posts with label Cookin'. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cookin'. Show all posts

10.13.2013

Sisters

Yesterday Kenners and I went down to visit my sister and niece. We hardly ever get the opportunity to see them. Which is really sad seeing how we live in the same state! But life happens. Schedules are so jam packed and there's always a million things to do over the weekend.

Erica and I had planned this get together weeks in advance. We were going to put together a whole bunch of freezer meals to prepare for the upcoming winter months. The biggest problem we ran into was finding enough recipes that sounded remotely tasty! There's a whole bunch of yuck out there. My dear friend, Andy, was very quick to make fun of the whole endeavor and sent me tons of different pins and texts making fun of us! Love that girl!!

In the end we chose two meals to put together. A ham and potato dish and a cilantro/lime/chicken dish. The ham/potato meal doesn't look too promising but we'll have to wait and see how they turn out!

 Since our "freezer meal" day turned out to be a bit of a flop, Erica suggested we visit a cemetery close to her house. 
This is where Captain John Brown is buried. He "departed this life in hope of a blest immortality" in March, 1776.
 This is Captain Brown's wife. We couldn't quite figure out her first name. We think it is "Ame". She died in May, 1786 at 75 years old. Her stone was to the right of her husband's and was way smaller than his.
These two stones are both daughter's of General John Tyler. Oliye Coit, on the left and Lydia Mott, on the right. Lydia kept the military tradition alive and married Colonel Samuel Mott.
I thought it interesting that the sisters were buried side by side.
 This teeny little grave marker sits all alone. The only carving is M.E.N. I have no doubt that this tilted, tiny marker has a story to tell.
 You could read the parents' sorrow carved into this gravestone. William Avery passed away when he was 17. The inscription says:
The rising moon cannot insure
That we will end the day
For death stands ready at the door
To snatch our lives away
 This was the only gravestone in the cemetery that was marked with a "Patriot's Grave 1783" star. Here lies Captain Nathan Geer. He died in 1836. I can only imagine the combat and the battles he fought to obtain our freedom. He is a true hero.
It was a beautiful fall afternoon to wander through the cemetery with my sister!

When I got home I had a voicemail saying I had permission to start making grave rubbings in my local cemetery. I can't wait to give it a go!

In the meantime I am packing up the kids and driving to Tarrytown, NY to visit Sleepy Hollow.  I have one daughter who is thrilled to go and one who is begging to stay home. I'll let you figure out which is which....or should that be who is who?

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1.29.2011

Grocery Bag Lovin'

Have you checked out OWN yet?
If you haven't then you definitely should take a sec and take a gander.
Thanks to OWN I was introduced to Anna & Kristina's Grocery Bag and am absolutely lovin' it!
Those girls are super cute as well as super sassy! Anna likes to sprinkle in a good curse word here and there and frankly, I too feel the need to swear while I'm cooking!
The girls and their show hail from our Northern neighbor, Canada, and talk with just a touch of an accent. I love how they say processor (as in food processor).

Each show begins with Anna and Kristina, who are not professional chefs, selecting a cookbook to review. They choose a few of the recipes to make and then then serve them to a professional chef in hopes of impressing him with their dishes. During the course of cooking they test out different kitchen supplies and share their picks. At the end of the show they decide whether or not the book meets the A&K seal of approval.

Be sure to give them a watch and check them out on facebook and give them a "like".

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1.28.2011

Snowin' and Simmerin'

Another snow storm.
Another foot or so of snow (it's dumped 56" this month alone!!).
Welcome to my snowy nest!!!
This weather is perfect for a pot of something yummy simmering on the stove.
While at the store earlier this week I bought some Great Northern Beans. On the can was a recipe for White Chicken Chili. What I liked about the recipe was the absence of cream or a high fat ingredient.
I tweaked the recipe a little bit. It didn't call for any salt and pepper. It needed it. I also added more chicken broth than the recipe called for.
I skipped the cheese and sour cream but added the fresh salsa. It added another layer of spice, some crunch and freshness.

White Chicken Chili

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies, drained
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 cans (15.8 oz.) Great Northern Beans (or Navy)
1 can (14.5 oz.) chicken broth
1 1/2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken breast (I shredded my chicken)
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
Salsa (optional)

In large skillet, cook onion in oil for 4 minutes or until transparent. Add chilies, flour and cumin; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add beans and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened. Add chicken; cook until hot. Garnish with cheese, sour cream and salsa, if desired.

Enjoy!!!

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12.28.2010

Yoga Lessons

Yesterday I posted the following on my Facebook page:
Can I wait until the New Year to start eating right and exercising again?
Please say "Yes!!!"

Well, my friend Sarah responded with this:
"I've already started!
Got my first work-out in yesterday and about to hop on the elliptical now."

Great....that's just great. So I decided to go ahead and try out the Bob Harper's "Yoga for Warriors" DVD I purchased at the beginning of the month but hadn't gotten around to trying out yet.
I asked the girls if they wanted to do yoga with me.
I thought for sure they would both say yes. They both do yoga in school.
Rand has a teacher that starts out each class with yoga. She is now proficient in twisted dragon, eagle arms and legs, shark, downward dog, among many others.
Kenners' teacher does yoga with the class before they take a test to help with blood flow and brain power. (Maybe I would have been a genius in school if my teacher had used such techniques).
Anyway, both girls said no.
I was surprised...and a bit let down.
But I went ahead and did a bit of yoga by myself.
And it kicked my butt.
Who knew?
In January's Redbook, Ali Sweeney said that she does the same DVD and it kicks her butt too. I guess that makes me feel a little bit better!

Now I suppose I should lay off the Christmas treats and start back up on the treadmill and keep going with the yoga. But I have to tell you...these Salted Caramel-Pecan Bars are tempting the heck out of me. I might have to make them for New Year's Eve!

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7.23.2010

S'more Pops

Tonight we had a fabulously easy and impromptu dessert of S'more Pops! I found the recipe a few weeks back via Ready.Set.Plan and immediately fell in love with this idea!
What is needed:
~lollipop sticks
~crushed graham crackers
~marshmallows
~melted chocolate (mine was in the microwave when I snapped this picture)
To assemble:
~poke the lollipop stick into a marshmallow
~dip marshmallow into melted chocolate
~coat with graham cracker crumbs
Delish!
Super easy!!
Oh! I forgot the final step...pop the whole shebang into your mouth and enjoy!!

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7.15.2010

A Rainy Day at Home

I spent the majority of yesterday at home working on projects around the house.
For instance, notice the empty slots in my key/mail organizer:
They have been empty for about 4 or 5 years.
Pathetic!
But no longer!!
And I made dinner for the first time in days.
My family was so appreciative!
Homemade meatballs, sauce and cornbread.
A great end for a rainy day at home!

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12.09.2009

Snow and Cookies

This morning we woke up to our first snow storm of the season. We were all giddy with the idea of no school and being home together. I had planned ahead for the possibility of a snow day and had all the ingredients needed to bake cookies to give to our neighbors. We worked our way through chocolate chip, gingerbread and Dove Double Chocolate cookies before arriving at the sugar cookies. All did not go well. Take a look at what are supposed to be reindeer.
I think they look like fat, fluffy sheep.
DK says they look like bunnies.
Needless to say these did not pass quality control and were gobbled up by my children. After several more attempts at different shapes and failing miserably I gave up in utter frustration.

Sugar cookies are no longer part of my baking repertoire.
I never really liked them anyway.
So there!

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5.05.2009

Spicing it Up

In honor of Cinco de Mayo we are spicing up dinner tonight and topping it all off with mock margaritas!! Arriba, arriba!!!!

Touchdown Taco Dip
1 can (16 oz.) refried beans
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 Tbsps. taco seasoning mix
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup pitted ripe olives, sliced
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions with tops
2 Tbsps. fresh cilantro or parsley
Baked Tostitos

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread refried beans over bottom of round baking pan.

Combine cream cheese, sour cream, garlic and taco seasoning. Mix well. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over beans.

Sprinkle cheddar cheese over cream cheese mixture.

Bake 15-18 minutes or until hot. Remove from oven. Sprinkle olives, tomato, onions and cilantro over dip. Serve warm with Baked Tostitos.

Black Bean Salad
2 cans black beans
1 can corn
1 1/2 cups diced celery
1 1/2 cups red onion
1 red pepper
16 oz. jar of salsa
Lime juice

Rinse and drain beans. Add drained corn and mix together.

Add remaining vegetables and a splash of lime juice. Mix.

Toss with salsa. Chill before serving.

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2.19.2009

Because I'm Tryin' to be a Good Mama...

...I decided to bake an Upside-down Chocolate Chip Cake...
....and look what happened!
the cocoa powder lid flew off...
...and coated the kitchen in cocoa dust!

But look at the end result...
Totally and completely worth it!

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12.09.2008

Cooking Made Easy

For those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile you know that I am not a gourmet chef. I struggle each and every day to prepare dinner for my wonderful family. I would say I'm about 40% successful. Not so good! That's why the new commercial with Lisa Kudrow intrigues me. Every time I see it I can't help but wonder if this is my solution! Can a game turn me into a gourmet chef? I'm not so sure but $20 is much cheaper than actual cooking lessons!

Please and thank you, Santa!

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10.02.2008

More Baking?

Yes! Can you believe I did more baking today? I've been wanting to make Lavender Scones for about 3 months and I FINALLY got around to making them today. I had wanted to perfect this recipe and make these scones award winning perfection so I could enter them into my town fair. Well, that was a bit ambitious and did not happen. After all, I made them for the first time today and needed to submit them by 9 PM tonight! (Our town fair is tomorrow!)

A little souvenir from our family reunion this past summer

Sifted flour, baking powder, butter, sugar and lavender

Roll it out

Finished product...not quite the culinary perfection I was dreaming of...

Lavender Scones
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
6 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. dried culinary lavender, chopped
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk

SIFT flour and baking powder together. CUT the butter into flour mixture until it has the consistency of bread crumbs. STIR in sugar and lavender.

In separate bowl, BEAT egg and buttermilk, then ADD to mixture, FORMING dough.

PLACE dough onto well-floured surface and SHAPE into a circle. PAT down dough until it is about 1 inch thick. Use a floured cutter to stamp out 12 scones. PLACE scones on parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with a little sugar.

BAKE at 425 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. SERVE warm with jam with preserves.

Now would you like to know which steps I forgot to follow when making my scones? I did not chop the lavender and I forgot to sprinkle the tops of the dough with sugar before baking. I told you I wasn't good at following recipes! If I really want to submit a baking entry into the fair next year I'd better start practicing NOW!!!

10.01.2008

Cheesecake Challenge

Last week Cydney posted a recipe for S'mores Cheesecake. The pictures looked absolutely divine and I decided to make it for my PTO officer meeting tonight. I am the world's worst recipe reader/follower and I didn't read it all the way through before beginning. For best results I should have made it yesterday and let it chill overnight. Oops. I won't go into all of the other little mistakes I made but no matter, what is most important was spending time with my little helpers.

Meet my sous chef, Kenners

JK, my dishwasher (not too happy looking)

Kenners garnishing the cheesecake with melted chocolate

Don't look too close or you might figure out my other mistakes!

9.27.2008

Bake-Off!

It's a rainy Saturday here on the East Coast. All of our errands are run. Birthday parties have been attended. Naps have been taken. Now we're all lined up on the couch watching this year's Pillsbury Bake-off Contest. It only aired on the Food Network back in July! Thank goodness for DVRs. Here are a few of the recipes we want to try.




this one sounds very intriguing to me but not to the girls!

The girls and I all agreed that the Loaded Baked Potato Pizza and the

Click HERE to view the winning recipe!

8.07.2008

Kitchen Glam

I have wanted to put a TV in my kitchen for quite some time. I have these grandiose visions of myself in the kitchen, wearing high heel shoes and a feminine apron concocting fancy French recipes while watching the Food Network.

So far no TV. Therefore no fancy meals to feed to my family.

This afternoon I whipped up a batch of no-bake cookies while listening to the thunder rumble outside. And I bet if you asked my girls they would say those cookies are better than any ooh-la-la foreign pastry.

But still I just have a feeling I would be hosting a lot of dinner parties if I could only have a small-ish flat screen TV in the corner of my kitchen!

Do you have a TV in your kitchen? Is it something you use? Should I keep pestering (sweetly, of course) my dear hubby to run the cable so I can finally have my dreams come true or should I put this issue to rest once and for all?