Chicken Pot Pie

I woke up planning to make Ina Garten's chicken pot pie, which I've heard from many credible sources is amazing.

But sometime this afternoon I found another recipe, from an old Marshall Field's cookbook. It seemed a little less intense, so ended up kind of merging the two basic ideas in my brain and coming up with a version of my own.

Ingredients
*a refrigerated pie crust (because I do not own a food processor and I'm not about to cut butter into flour by myself unless forced to)
*mixed veggies of your choosing (I'm not picky, if you like a can use a can, if you like frozen use frozen, if you like fresh, go with that. I used a mixture of can and fresh.)
*1 whole stick of butter
*1 small onion, chopped pretty fine
*1/2 cup of flour
*1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
*2 1/2 cups of chicken stock/broth (I added 4 bullion cubes to the water I pressure cooked my chicken in)
*1 pound of chicken (you could roast like Ina does, or pressure cook as I did, or pull some off of a store bought rotisserie)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Melt stick of butter in a deep saute pan, add onions and cook until translucent. Add flour, wisk together and allow to cook for at least 1 minute (must cook off the taste of flour), then add chicken stock/broth, stir. Add cream and allow mixture to thicken. Turn heat to low, stir in chicken and veggies of your choosing. Pour this mixture into an unbaked pie crust, top with another crust and bake at 425 for 35-40 minutes, until bubbly.



This is not light cooking, and in retrospect I feel somewhat guilty about the butter and cream. But it was seriously perfect, easy and comforting.

Best Hamburger EVER

1 pound or so of Ground Round
teaspoon (or more) onion powder
teaspoon (or more) garlic powder
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
several slices of crumbled bacon
dash (or more) janes crazy mixed up salt
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup bbq sauce
1 egg
crushed crackers

Mix all together, eye balling some ingredients as you go (more seasoning or less depending on how you like it). Form into patties and grill. Makes for a sort of meatloaf-y burger that is SO STINKIN' DELICIOUS.

It Started with Paula Deen

It started with Paula Deen, as these things usually do.



Her memoirs are interspersed with recipes. Which is where I've found my favorite take on homemade biscuits.



Before I knew it I had a group of ingredients going.



I have found the secret is to handle them minimally. Not too much mixing, not too much kneading, gently patting them out to cut.



I cook them in a cast iron skillet. Partly because it seems like the Paula Deen thing to do, and partly because I just love cast iron skillets. My mom's skillets came from her mom. I want them some day.



You have to indent the middle with your thumbprint. I don't know why.



And whatever you do...DON'T FORGET THE BUTTER.



Before you bake, brush them and brush them when they're done. It's pertinent.

Then I made gravy. I don't have a recipe for it. Just pan drippings from the sausage, a scoop of flour, lots of salt and pepper and a pan full of milk. I'm precise like that.



And before I knew it, this was on my plate.



Delicious.

Thanks Paula Deen. Smooches...

Basic Biscuit Recipe

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1 to 1 1/4 cups milk

1/4 cup melted unsalted butter

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450° F.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the shortening with a fork until it looks like cornmeal. Add the milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly until well mixed.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead lightly two or three times.

Roll out the dough with a floured rolling pin to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with a 2-inch cutter.

Place the biscuits in a greased iron skillet. Brush the biscuits with half the melted butter. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush the hot biscuits with the remaining butter. Slit the biscuits in half and ladle Sawmill Gravy over the hot biscuits.

Lessons in Domesticity

This weekend I made homemade dryer sheets.

I also clipped and organized my coupons into a nifty new system that I think is going to work great. It's based off of this idea. After that I took the coupons to the store and cashed them in on some deals. I saved $35 at Kroger and $20 at Walgreens. It felt wonderful. My stockpile of shampoo had officially run out, and my cabinets were dangerously close to lacking any toothpaste. I can now say I haven't paid full price for either of those things in over a year. Nice!

Tonight I did a taco bar for the family and a friend that Jon had over. I made Katie's guacamole, which was great! (Recipe to follow.) I also made homemade taco shells for the first time, I usually get the pre-made junk in the box. But never again, it's so bad to fry up the corn tortillas, but no more than I eat tacos I figure it's an okay treat. So tasty!

The weather as you all know is just fabulous. I did all of my errand running today while wearing flip flops! Mark the calendar: February 8, 2009 and I'm already sock-less. I can only imagine my mood will plummet when it chills back up though.

Finally I leave you with my vacation short list, because I need opinions. I have no idea which beach to go to.

-Hilton Head, South Carolina (or another SC beach, suggestions welcome)
-Outer Banks, North Carolina
-back to the panhandle of Florida
-St. Simons Island, Georgia (or Jekyll Island)
-St. Augustine, Florida
-Orange Beach, Alabama

P.S.

The Guacamole:

2 ripe avocados
the juice from 1 lime
(mash the avocado with the lime juice together before stirring in the rest)
some diced red onion
chopped habanero pepper
2 cloves garlic (feel free to use a teaspoon-ish of that pre-diced stuff you keep in a jar in your fridge)
handful chopped fresh cilantro
pinch of salt

stir it together and then nom nom nom! :)

My note: the nom nom nom part is especially vital when consuming this guac. ;)

Nessuno si Preoccupa

My neighbors sent over a thank you card for the tin full 'o Christmas goodies that I sent them. Included was a $20 gift card to Papa Johns and a note that said, 'Adore your peanut butter balls, thanks so much. Have a pizza on us.' Who does that kind of thing anymore? I love it. So sweet.

Thank You cards are something I want to master this year. I have pretty terrible handwriting sometimes, but I should get over it. It is the thought that counts.

In other news: I made donuts.







Real, honest to blog, Yeast Donuts. From this recipe posted by Owlhaven. I omitted the orange glaze though.

So yum.

Jon had neighbor kids over for dinner tonight, so amongst the three boys these babies were gone in no time. All approved of the recipe. Although, I've learned boys eat almost anything so I'm not sure that's the rousing endorsement you need to hear. ;D

Postscript: The last pic was my 5 of 365 photo. So many bloggers are doing the project this year, it's nice motivation!

We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.

Let's talk cookies, shall we?

I've been in a cookie mood lately, I think it's Christmas. Christmas is a big cookie eatin' time, isn't it?

Today I wanted something chewy, and crispy. Which, if you think about it, is kind of a fine line to try and mix in one cookie. Aren't they usually one or the other? I'm difficult I suppose. Which is probably why I'm a cake and pie person.

Who does one turn to when searching for such a cookie? Ha, duh! MARTHA!

Martha should be the Queen of America as far as I'm concerned.

Buttery Pecan Rounds

I omitted the halve of pecan on the top of the cookies, because I'm cheap. (I don't have Martha's money, obvs.)

I chilled the dough a bit so it was easier to scoop.

And I baked them on a nonstick cookie sheet. Which is totally necessary unless you have actual parchment paper or Silpats. Because let me tell you, these things WILL stick.

Follow my rules and I promise they are super easy and super tasty. The perfect combination of crispy cookie on the edges and chewy in the middle. Not to mention, who doesn't love a nice huge flat cookie?



Next up I tackled super easy peanut butter cookies. I've blogged about this recipe before, but I can't find it. If you've heard this before, pretend you haven't.

Magical Peanut Butter Cookies from Paula Deen

These cookies are so insanely easy, and actually pretty tasty. They are not your usual peanut butter cookies, they have a bit more of a peanut butter fudge taste to them. But I can almost guarantee you have all of the ingredients needed in your pantry right now and they take 5 minutes at most to whip up the batter. You have to try them, at the very least, for the novelty of making such an easy cookie.



And finally, my parents have been married for almost 26 years. Have known each other for almost 28 and for that many years my Mom has been trying and failing to make fudge that somehow emulates how my Dad's mother made it back in like the 60s. She's tried every method you could think of and it's never right. A few weeks ago I tried this recipe, and surprise! It was exactly the fudge he'd been wanting all this time:

Festive Fudge

Yes, all of those candy thermometers and stirring over hot stoves and as it turns out my grandmother's fudge was nothing more than sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips. We, really, seriously, should have known. Because bless her heart, but my Mamaw is not domestic.

Blue Lights, Thanksgiving and Chex Mix

I bought an 18 pound Butterball on Friday, for FOUR PEOPLE. I'll never stop pointing that out. The excess we go through each year for FOUR PEOPLE. I mean I guess I'll stop if it's ever more than FOUR PEOPLE. But until then...

And really we do enjoy the leftovers. A lot. I think I enjoy the cold stuff the day after more than the actual meal. Since by dinner time on Thanksgiving I'm usually too exhausted to really enjoy my plate. At any rate I've finished most of the shopping. Behold, the menu:

Dinner:
Turkey
Dressing
Pioneer Woman's Rolls
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Corn
Broccoli Casserole
Mashed Potatoes/Gravy
Cranberry Sauce
Pickled Beets
Deviled Eggs
(and anything else I've failed to list...which I'm sure is something)

Dessert:
Pumpkin Pie
Jello
Chocolate Pie
Pumpkin Cobbler

Today I strung blue Christmas lights for the first time ever. I must admit, there is something very retro and cool about them. Or nuts. Really...it's all about perspective. I'm trying to stay positive.

And I made homemade Chex Mix. Which I still can't decide if I like or not.





I used corn and wheat chex, pretzel sticks, cheereos and Planter's Pecan Lover's Mix. And of course the recipe from the Chex site. I tried to make it once when I was like 12 or 13 in the microwave. Needless to say it was disgusting. So I was at least much more pleased this time.

And finally, have you heard the news? Apparently I've hobnobbed with the future Secretary of State!

Sure, she'll meet lots of important people over the next few years...but first? She had to meet me! ;)

Of Pizzas and Televisions

Another weekend, another experiment with yeast.

Believe it or not I've never made pizza dough from scratch. We've always bought those little packages that you mix up at home or frozen dough. Again, had to do with that whole 'fear of kneading' thing.

I used this recipe from Epicurious, which is becoming one of my go-to websites these days. One pizza I covered in pepperoni and green olives on one side, my mother covered another with her favorite toppings: mushrooms, onions, green peppers, and olives.

Final verdict: all delicious but I still need to play around with the thickness of the crust and just how done the bottoms of the crusts should be.











In unrelated news: the tv in the living room blew up this weekend. And by 'blew up' I mean it stopped working, made a horrible sound followed by a horrible smell. We knew it was coming since it's had this awful picture for about a year...but I come from a family of procrastinators. And tightwads.

It's made for some hilarious moments. Like last night when I just couldn't stop laughing about it while my brother moped around like it was the end of the world. Or this morning as I watched my Dad, reading glasses a top his 50 year old wrinkling face, as he pored over the paper ads muttering, 'what happened to tube tvs????'

So I guess we're on the market for a new...fancy television. I feel like a Clampett moving to California or something.

Anyone have a LCD tv brand that you just love and want to rave about? Or one that you'd like to tell me to stay far away from? Because I've got my parent's credit card and it's burning a hole in my proverbial pocket.

Getting things off of my chest, the annual purging of emotion and thoughts

I had to register for next semester's classes this week. Something about doing that sent my mood this week into a downward spiral. I feel so close, yet so far away from graduating. A few years ago in my college career I let myself get into a bit of a pickle. I was living in Lexington, feeling very alone, hating my roommate, hating everything about the way college was turning out. I stopped going to class very often and barely squeaked by with the grades I got. It was never that I wasn't capable, it was that depression had overcome my life and I could no longer function.

I remember walking around like a zombie that semester. And then that semester turned into the entire school year. Finally I made the hard decision to move home and not return back to living in Lexington the next fall. Last year was a bit of an experiment in how that would all work. I didn't take a terribly full workload since I wasn't sure how the commuting thing would go.

My life now is completely different, a total turnaround from that dark year. I've never been the type to need to be around people, but I did need to be around family. I was tired of cooking microwave meals and eating them alone. I can honestly say I am now a much happier person.

But I'm still feeling the effects of that dark year, and the subsequent adjustment period.

It is going to take me a little longer than I'd ever thought to finish my degree. And this year has been a bit of a challenge, not because of classes, but in overcoming this looming idea of timeframes and how my life should be and at what age.

I'm sharing this because this is what I deal with. These are the things that run through my brain on a daily basis. And I don't think I'm always upfront with myself, much less everyone else. I suffered from depression. I don't let a day go by without realizing how thankful I am for that low point in life to be over. But I still struggle with the feelings. And it's okay.

Anyways, I wanted to get this out there for my own cartharsis. Maybe if I say what I'm feeling I can confront it, right?! haha

I also wanted to share a few things that are bringing me great joy right now, and counteracting those crummy feelings I sometimes let myself get ahold of.

So my mother started collecting those Christmas Village houses this year. I'm still not quite sure why. Except she always gets on a kick of some sort with a new hobby every few months, and this month it's Christmas Villages. Ehh, whatever.

I initially rolled my eyes. Thought it was stupid. I think I even laughed at her a few times.

And then I went to Michaels and Garden Ridge, found the Lemax Villages on clearance and 50% off and well...I have a hobby, it's calling finding good deals and not being able to resist them:



Umm yeah, I bought all of these in ONE trip. And my Mom is the one laughing at me now.

The problem remains though, apparently the purpose of a Christmas Village is to put it on display. And I've now bought so many that we're going to have to buy a table, or stop eating at the one in the kitchen.

I also wanted take the time to point out that while I have been baking many things lately, many fattening things, I am not eating all of them. I threw away more than half of that monkey bread last night. Not because it wasn't good, it was quite delish. But because I've been the same weight for the last several years, and while I'm not doing anything to lose any of that weight, I don't want to do anything to make me gain 50 pounds on top of it.

That said, has anyone ever eaten chicken noodle soup served over top of mashed potatoes. Like this recipe here?

We don't do a lot of chicken soup around here, but I'm very intrigued with the over mashed potatoes part. It sounds like a lethal combination. And by lethal I mean...insanely delicious.

And finally, does anyone else watch, or did watch, or enjoy, The West Wing? I didn't while it was actually running on television. I always thought I'd like it though. And now...I'm obsessed. Where was I 10 years ago? Why wasn't I watching this piece of brilliance?

Monkeys and Butter

I dream of one day owning a camera worthy of creating fantastic photos of food. Because maybe then I could branch out and just have a food blog. That would be awesome.

You see, the thing about this stage in my life: 'Limbo' as I like to call it, is that not much is going on that is blog worthy. I could bore you with stories about my classes. But...they bore me and I'd rather not discuss them. I don't have children so I can't hop on the Mommy-Blog bus. I'm not married, don't have a mortgage. I can't even knit...so there goes that marketable blog niche.

Honestly, I'm no longer an interesting person.

I don't drink, so there are no wild and crazy parties to write about. I have no juicy love life. If I had been blogging my actual 'life' over the last several weeks it would have gone a little something like this:

I went to class today, stopped by the grocery, made dinner for MY PARENTS (loser), watched CNN and went to bed. (Also, wah....why is my life going nowhere? *insert whine, and tears here*)

The end.

But I bake a lot. I do a lot of cooking. That I can write about. That might actually be interesting. Except that little detail: all the interesting food blogs are interesting because the photos are good.

And my camera is a lovely piece of shit.

Heck, maybe if I had a decent camera I'd be a food AND photography blog. Omg....creative juices are FLOWING in my brain right now. (Must continue to hint at camera for Christmas. Not too old to resort to begging my parents.)

For now I will suck up my pride and share the shitty pictures. Because I made butter. And monkey bread.

Butter

So, I took a small carton of heavy whipping cream and poured it into a bowl with a tight lid. And...I began shaking. And shaking. And then I handed it to Jon and he shook it some more. After about 10 minutes or so of shaking you hear a solid part begin to form and a lot of sloshing going on:



The butter is beginning to form and the liquid is....*drumroll please*...Buttermilk (Go ahead, tell me I'm a genius). You can either pour off the buttermilk and save it for baking (or drinking if you are like my late grandfather who loved the stuff) or pour it down the drain like I did.

Secure the lid again and shaking some more, you want to really remove all the buttermilk. If not, this will cause the butter to go rancid faster.



Keep shaking, keep pouring.

Eventually little is left to pour off. At this point cover the butter with a splash of cold water. Begin to 'massage' (mix around in the water) the butter with a spatula. This will help really remove all of the buttermilk. Drain off the water and repeat the process until the water is clear.



Pour off all excess water and spoon the mixture into a ramekin or other storage device. Add a little salt if you prefer salted butter.

Monkey Bread

I made the butter because A) I've really got nothing better to do and B) I had made homemade yeast rolls to go with beef stew and homemade butter sounded heavenly.

But the yeast roll recipe (the one I shared before) makes A LOT OF ROLLS. And I didn't really need a lot of rolls. So, instead of putting the last of the rolled balls of yeast dough into muffin tins, I used the remainder to make monkey bread.

I rolled each ball into a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Layered them haphazardly into a greased bundt pan and allowed them to double in size:



Then I mixed up 1 stick of butter and 1/2 cup of brown sugar and brought it to a boil on the stove. I poured that mixture over the risen yeast and baked it all at 350 for about 20 minutes.



After it was done cooking I immediately turned it out onto a plate. You don't want it to cool and stick to the pan.



And so then, as if there were not enough calories involved already I mixed up 4 ounces of cream cheese, half a stick of butter, 2 cups of powdered sugar and a tsp of vanilla to make cream cheese icing to dip the monkey bread in.



Sometime after that I stapled my mouth shut and burned my cookbooks.

The end.

What did she cook this time?

The Pioneer Woman's No Knead Rolls!



These things were freaking fantastic. If you like carbs, that is. If you have the slightest problem with the C word, you might want to stay away.

Seriously easy as far as bread goes, it took only one pan:



I let them rise in the oven, which I'd warmed and turned off, since the house was otherwise freezing:



But the best part was learning you can keep the dough in the fridge for a couple of days. I had no idea you could do that! Call me ignorant in the ways of dough.

I made two pans today, which we ate...too many to even mention. And I have the rest of the dough in the fridge. I plan to use it over the weekend.

Between the cinnamon rolls and the dinner rolls, this was my week of coming to terms with the big scary thing I call YEAST. I was always afraid of kneading properly, killing the yeast, ruining entire recipes. But I think I'm ready to purchase a large can of the stuff to have on hand now.

And maybe a treadmill or something to counteract the carbs.

Coconut Cream Pie

I like pie. A lot. I would say on a scale of desserty goodness, pie ranks right up there in my book. Above cookies, but just below birthday cake. But I especially like baking and creating pies. I think there is a very simple reason for this: pies are a lot less science-y than cookies or cake.

It's true, if you really get to thinking about it. Forget baking powder or soda, or you know...anything, and a cake or cookie can become a gigantic FAIL. But pie? A little more room for error.

My mother came into my room early Saturday morning telling me some story about Barack Obama and pie. I was only half listening, nodding into my pillow and drowning out her words to be completely honest. But something about that pie story stuck in my head, specifically the coconut cream part.

So before you know it, I'm standing in the kitchen on a Sunday evening stirring custard (which I've NEVER EVEN ATTEMPTED BEFORE) and toasting coconut.

I think the results were pretty damn awesome.

I based my recipe on this one, modifying slightly due to a lack of half and half.

• 3 cups milk
  
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cup flaked coconut, toasted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked
• 1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

1. Blind bake a pie crust. I had a frozen Mrs. Smith crust in the freezer. When using frozen you want to thaw it out, prick the bottom with a fork, place a piece of foil filled with dry beans or rice in it, and bake for about 12-15 minutes at 375 degrees.

2. Place milk, sugar, eggs, flour, salt and into saucepan. Bring to boil on low heat, stirring quite frequently.

3. Remove from heat, add 1 cup of toasted coconut to mixture and 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Pour into baked pie crust. Chill in fridge for 3-4 hours.

4. Top with tons of whipped cream and remainder of toasted coconut.

(Toast 1 1/2 cups of coconut by placing on a cookie sheet and baking for 5-7 minutes at 350 degrees. Stir a few times during baking.)

Recipes

Apple Butter:

I based this recipe on one I found online at a crockpotting blog. I've never really eaten much apple butter, but my Dad loves it, so I figured if anyone would know if this was good or not it would be him. He loved it, so I'll share it.

3 pounds of whatever apples you love (I imagine you could do as many apples as you'd like, but I had a 3 pound bag on hand)
1 bag of those cubed melty caramels
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
2 tsp of cinnamon
a few dashes of cloves
1/2 cup of white sugar

Core and slice 3 pounds of apples, add vanilla, place in crockpot on low and cook overnight. (8 hours)

Wake up to a wonderful apple smell.

Smash the cooked apples with a fork. Or some fancy masher if you are so inclined. We aren't that upscale around these parts.

Add cinnamon, cloves (I only used a dash because I hate when cloves overpower anything, but if you love feel free to add more), sugar and an entire bag of those caramels. (I only used 16 caramels thinking it might be too many. HA, go for the WHOLE BAG, trust me...it can handle it.)

Turn on high and cook for a couple of hours with the lid OFF.

----------------------------------------------------

Pumpkin Roll

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup pumpkin
  

Filling:

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Powdered sugar (optional for decoration)

FOR CAKE:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan.

BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. (If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes.) Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

FOR FILLING:
beat cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

I used Libbys Pumpkin Pie Filling for the pumpkin in this. If you are unfamiliar, it's pumpkin with the necessary spices already in it. So I just did 2/3 of it, and didn't have to add the spices. But, do whatever works best for you.

And for those who think I'm cheating by using canned pumpkin: MARTHA uses canned pumpkin. That makes it okay. ;)

---------------------------------------------------

I also made a chocolate cheesecake, but now I can't find the recipe. Oops.

I've decided the ONLY good thing about cooler weather is the baking. But the baking is bad for my heart and my thighs. So logically this proves my theory that moving to South Florida will prolong my lifespan.

What are you people baking? Have any good recipes or blogs to point me to? I have a long weekend ahead of me and my neighbors are starting to expect goodies.

Pie, Pie, I Like Pie

How I Spent My Weekend

• Kicked it all off by watching the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics. Amazing, stunning, I'm still blown away by it.
• Became kind of Olympics obsessed. I'm watching swimming right now.
• Spent all day out on Saturday with my entire family helping Jon pick out a new bow for his latest hobby: archery.
• Resisted the urge to shoot myself later from the stress of it all.
• Happy that sort of outing rarely happens anymore.
• Froze 6 bags of tomatoes, trying to make a dent in the growing pile of crop from the garden.
• Barely made a dent.
• Created 2 pie recipes on my own.
• Baked a Blueberry-Raspberry Pie which was phenomenal.
• Made barbecued pulled pork.
• Baked another pie: Apple that time around.
• Watched more Olympics: gymnastics and diving.
• Straightened my hair.
• Ate pie.
• Okay, 2 slices of pie.
• Contemplated making a German Chocolate Cake.
• Shut up, I didn't.

Blueberry-Raspberry Pie Recipe:

12oz of blueberries
12oz of raspberries
1 cup of sugar
1/3 cup of minute tapioca
dash of lime juice (or lemon if you insist)
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together, let sit for 15 minutes. Pour into pie crust, top with another pie crust, flute edges and slit the top. Brush top with milk, melted butter or egg white wash and sprinkle with sugar.

Apple Pie Recipe:

5 granny smith apples: peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of flour
2 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of nutmeg
1 tsp of vanilla extract
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of melted butter

Mix apple slices with white sugar and flour. Mix in cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Add brown sugar and melted butter. Pour into pie crust, top with another crust...yada yada...see directions above.

Both were baked for 50 minutes at 375.

Apple Pie measurements are kind of a rough estimate. Throw what you like in, it will turn out fantastic, trust me. Just don't forget the butter. For no other reason than I like butter.

What Would Jimmy Buffett Do?

Today Dad had a doctor's appointment. Not much new or unusual about that. But I must say, this office was the most beautifully decorated doctor's office...EVER. Which made for a more pleasing experience for me, the one waiting with the patient.

Jon could have cared less. Something about being 13 has morphed this kid into an iPod listening, texting food. Whatevs. I didn't want to talk to him anyway.




Speaking of this kid. I mean, teenager. He's totally been working on his Jimmy Buffett vibe in prep for our upcoming vacation. I'm totally jealous that he's 13 and working on his 4th beach trip, he's the kind of kid I hated in school. (Just kidding, I didn't hate y'all. I mean, not really. Well, just a little bit.)

Anyways. Here he is with the infamous "Florida Hat". The hat that was bought in Florida once and only makes an appearance once a year. Jon's claimed it this go 'round.



Ignore the fact that my foot is in this next picture. (Yes, I know, tiny toes. Flat footed. Stubby. I get it.) Look at those flip flops! Gorgeous.

Well, basic. But gorgeous nevertheless.

I'm breaking here for a moment to give a glowing review of "Havaianas". They are made in Brazil. I bought my first pair two years ago, and for a rubber flip flop they still look as new as the day I bought them. I hate when the cheapos from Target or Walmart rub all over my foot after a day of wear, or the pattern on the bottom wears off at all the pressure points. So I invest a little more. In Havaianas, Rainbows, Reefs, and Ocean Minded. AND IT'S WORTH EVERY PENNY. Even if my father just doesn't get it.

End of PSA.



Okay, where was I? Oh yeah. Pots de Creme. I made this yesterday. It was delicious. Pioneer Woman taught me how:


http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/page/2/

Love coffee, adore chocolate and aren't afraid of a little raw egg? This is the dessert for you.



My vacation is officially 20 days away. It blows my mind to even think about that number. I'm so ready to be on the road. I am a firm believer in the idea that getting there is half the fun. This year with gas what it is, getting there will be half the budget. But it will be amazing. I love rest areas and Pilot Stations and crappy coffee in paper cups at 3 am. Oh gosh. Am salivating at the thought.


But there are of course still things that need to be bought and taken care of. The van needs alignment, Jack needs his shots, we need a box of the crap to take put together and then there are beach chairs....


Last year I managed to come home from Seagrove with 4 shiny, beautiful beach chairs from Publix.

Fast foward to this year and you'll find me pilfering through the garage moaning, "where are my CHAIRS" like a crazy lady.

The chairs for the record are gone. Nobody will give me a straight answer about where they went. But I'm hoping they are in a better place now.

Amen.

In the meantime, I've now got to get more chairs. Until then we've taken turns claiming the lone leftover beach chair. Jon's got dibs currently.






The Florida Hat and a Beach Chair and I wonder why he asks me today to find him more tropical music for his iPod. "You know, songs about the beach and beer," he says.

Good Lord.

And amen.

From the Church of Buffett.

Cookbook Roundup

A post at Devin's Blog got me thinking about the essential cookbooks in my kitchen. I love to cook. I remember being in middle school and thinking I'd never, ever learn how to cook because I had an uncle who said I should because it's a "womans job". Thankfully I got over it. Gender roles aside, I've embraced my domesticity as the years have gone by.

Here are a few cookbooks that have never ceased to fail me:

My mom has had this Betty Crocker cookbook for years and years. I can recall not even being in school yet and thumbing through this cookbook. It's got a section for everything imaginable: appetizers, soups, salads, condiments, pork, chicken, beef, fish, cookies, cakes, candy...etc. I think every kitchen needs a good all around cookbook and this is a great candidate. Not to mention it was recently updated, and I've seen dozens of the updated versions sitting in the clearance sections of Borders and Barnes and Noble.

The Joy of Cooking is another fantastic all around cookbook. Everything you'd ever want to make is found within the nearly 1000 pages of this book. There are directions for cooking any cut of meat, any way you want to do it. Just the other day this book helped me figure out how to pan broil a ribeye on a rainy day when the grill wouldn't start. Which is why it's in my kitchen. When I'm in doubt, or crisis, this is the book I grab.

Let's be honest here: no respectable southern kitchen is complete without Paula Deen. I have her "Celebrates" version because it was a Christmas present, but I think her box set of the original Lady and Sons is the real essential Paula Deen. She has such simple recipes that are incredibly easy to follow, which I love. But really, it's the copious amounts of butter that make me love these cookbooks more.

There are a few things food-wise that I hate. Any side of pork that isn't bacon or barbeque, huge chunks of onions and salmon patties. I also hate making cakes from scratch. Oh I can do it. I've done it several times before, thinking they would somehow be a million times tastier. They aren't. I say the only way they are different is the trouble it takes to make them. Which is why this little book is my lifeline. Each recipe starts with a basic cake mix, which you doctor up to make an incredible cake. Then you add one of the zillion incredible frosting recipes and VOILA...Cake. I couldn't live without this one.

When I'm not consulting cookbooks I'm consulting websites. In fact, anymore I consult websites more than cookbooks. I guess that's only natural. Here are my favorites:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/

http://www.workitmom.com/bloggers/orderingdisorder/

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/cooking/

Inspire me, what are your favorites?

Takin' on the Bakin'...or Cookin'

I fully admit to using cake mixes from the standards, Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker. I do usually use "The Cake Doctor", a neat little book my Mom bought years ago to make a spin on them. But occasionally I prefer taking the time to create a cake from scratch. It is also admittedly cheaper to do so and probably better (what an oxymoron) for us. And every little bit counts I suppose when you see the rising grocery prices.

Last year I made the best $17 purchase ever when I picked up the new edition of "The Joy of Cooking". I highly recommend it to anyone who spends any amount of time at all in the kitchen because it's like a bible with nearly every recipe staple imaginable. (However, don't pay the money I did and find it at Half Price Books)

Today was, of course, one of those stay in inside and do something to take your mind off of the nastiness outside kind of days. And I knew immediately what I wanted to do: cook.

But I had no idea what I wanted to make. After a quick perusal through "The Joy" I decided on a Chocolate "Texas Sheet Cake" and a small pan of Fettucini Alfredo to use as a side dish with our Ribeyes and Green Beans planned for dinner.

This is the Texas Sheet Cake recipe, straight out of the book:

I whisked together my flour (using the natural Hodgens), sugar, salt and baking soda.

Mmm...butter. We still buy margarine because Dad likes it and he doesn't need the cholesterol, but I've been using real butter *very sparingly* because it's natural and doesn't have the chemicals and crap that margarine does. Plus, for baking it's just a better medium.

Melt butter in a pan with a cup of water, 1/2 cup of oil, 1/2 cup of cocoa powder and bring to a boil.
Add to the flour mixture and just stir until shiny and mixed. (No mixer required! Yay!)

Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, although mine took closer to 30.

Mmm...cake. Let cool on a rack. Stick in freezer as you become impatient.

Frost with icing of choice. I used a really easy "Quick Chocolate Butter Icing", also from "The Joy of Cooking.

The next thing I attemped was the Alfredo. Just because I love it and have always wanted to try and make my own. "The Joy of Cooking" recipe was so freaking easy, I couldn't resist.

However, I modified. Bowtie pasta instead of fettucini because I had none. And, Half and Half instead of whole cream. And only a half a stick of butter because I made less.

You cook the pasta, drain, I cooked about 8 ounces. Melt the butter (1/2 stick), add the pasta to the melted butter, add cream (Half and Half 1/2 cup), 1/2 cup of parmesan. Mix together, salt and pepper to taste.

Easiest thing...ev-er. Will definitely do again.