The Tipsy Gourmet

Not your Mama's Hamburger Helper

2011-02-28T20:55:00.000-06:00

Let's just get right to it- I found this recipe at Chaos in the Kitchen. I changed it around a little- added my own little twist- but I love this blog!

Brown 1 pound of Italian seasoning. While I do this I bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta and I prep the broccoli for steaming.

I charred the pepper on the stove- (once it was done- I put it in a plastic bag until it was cool enough to handle- then I pulled all the skin off and get rid of the seeds. Cut the pepper into small strips and set aside) and this is what Wes looked like when he saw it-

He actually thought I didn't know what I was doing- he told me how I could really cook the pepper.

Remove the sausage, and most of the oil. At the end I only left 2 tsp of the sausage fat.

Add 3 cloves of garlic- I use the Trader Joe's frozen garlic and cook on low until it is golden brown.

I steamed 2 small heads of broccoli at this point in my Pampered Chef Micro-cooker bowl thing- and added the pasta (3/4 of a pound of rotini- or whatever pasta you like) to the water.

I added the steamed broccoli to the golden garlic

Then came the roasted red bell peppers

The meat

Then the noodles- right out of the pot. A little water ends up in the pan also, that's good- you need that little bit of liquid.

Finally I added the juice of 1/2 of a lemon and a handful of Parmesan cheese. At this point check for seasoning- and stir

My boys were asking for some hamburger helper- this is what they got. I did not hear ANY complaints. The best part, 2 days of lunches for me!

My handsome little guy giving me his sweet face. How can you say no to that face.

Beef and Mushroom Soup

2011-02-28T20:26:00.000-06:00

Leftovers and soup... 2 things I love, but aren't too popular in this household. I got both out of this dish... while feeding a great friend= WINNER!

Heidi came over for dinner- we started with this soup (minus the croutons). Then had enough for lunch the next day. So leftovers turned into dinner became leftovers again- like that saying... In whence we came we shall become again? Maybe like that- that might not even be the saying.

But this was a difficult night for Heidi, one that I have weathered- and wanted her to have a special night. Not a sad night.

This recipe was adapted from Chaos in the Kitchen

I didn't follow exactly- but I will go through it with you. Cuz- I like you.

Melt 4 Tb in a soup pot- then add 1 small onion, diced; 2 cloves of minced garlic; and 8 oz of sliced mushrooms. Saute until mushrooms and onions are browned and deglaze pot with1/2 cup beef broth (the original recipe says 1/2 cup red wine) scrape the pan and stir. Add 40 oz more beef broth and bring to a boil. Stir in 2 cups left over beef or steak and simmer.

While it is simmering- heat 2 TB butter then add 2 TB flour (making a roux) and stir until golden.

Stir small amounts of cooked flour into soup until it thickens to your liking. Add a little salt and pepper and it is ready!

For the leftovers- I buttered both sides of the bread and seasoned with garlic pepper- then cooked until golden.

Once it was browned on one side- I flipped it and added an Italian Blend then topped with the lid to help it melt. It was a great addition to the soup- making it a filling lunch.

This is Wes's addition to the blog. He has been practicing picture taking. One of his favorite things to do is set up his army guys and make a movie of a battle.

Thanks for reading! Take a little time and treat yourself right!

Herb Butter Chicken

2011-02-13T19:36:00.000-06:00

Sunday night dinner is important. We are gearing up for a grueling school/work week- taking some family time with some good food is a good start.

This is a one dish meal- veg, starch, and protein! Serve with a slice of whole wheat bread or roll- add a side salad with sliced strawberries or apples.

This is the compound butter- 1/2 stick softened butter and a TB of fresh herbs (I used the poultry blend)

Once you clean the chicken up- make a slice into the chicken- you can do the side or front- then squeeze butter in. I use a ziploc bag

The chicken, potatoes and peppers are sprinkled with kosher salt, pepper, paprika and the extra herb butter-

1 bell pepper was cut into large chunks

2 red potatoes cut into large dice

Chicken was baked at 375* for 45 minutes- there are a lot of left overs- these chicken breasts were HUGE!

Billie's Special Chicken Balls

2011-02-12T09:58:00.000-06:00

Don't you just love that name?

I start with a couple chicken breasts- I dice them up, add some olive oil to the pan and pick my flavor profile.

My two favorites are garlic rosemary- or curry.

Today we went with curry- so I added

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp granulated garlic

salt and pepper to taste

While the chicken is cooking- melt

2 TB unsalted butter and add 2 TB all purpose flour-

stir constantly, and don't let it burn. Browning is okay, it adds nuttiness to the sauce.

Add 2 cups of milk- whisking as you add so you don't get lumps- and season.

I used 1 tsp curry

2 tsp Emeril's Essence- Original

salt and pepper

Once the chicken is done- let it cool slightly

Once it's ready- unroll your crescent rolls. Here I used the big ones-

and put a little bit of cheese in one corner

top with a TB of the flavored chicken

Start making it a little packet-

Make sure you press the edges- and no chicken is poking out

I took lot's of pics today- maybe I am trying to make up for all the times I blog and lack the pics.

See... little balls- chicken balls

I like to add all the extra chicken- then pour in the sauce-

Toss in a 350* oven for 18- 20 minutes then top with cheese.

I like to serve mine with couscous- it's yum!

The boys love these, the good thing is- you can change the flavor every time you make them.

Banana Pancakes

2011-02-12T09:38:00.000-06:00

My friend Jess is the Pancake Queen- but since she is in Cali, I have to depend on myself for some yummy pancakes.

Wes asked for breakfast for dinner so I baked some bacon, scrambles some eggs, and threw together a pancake mix-

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 TB granulated sugar

1 TB brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk

2 TB vegetable oil

1-2 ripe bananas, mashed

I mixed all the dry then poured liquid on top- without the banana

Once it is just blended, add the banana and stir a couple time-

Heat a skillet and spray with cooking spray, or use a little canola oil- make sure it is hot enough- use a drop of water and see if it dances and sings- if not, don't put your pancakes on yet.

Once one side of the pancake starts to have craters- you can turn it and cook another minute or two.

I only used one banana, it's all I had- Wes said it needed more pancake flavor. I will try it again, maybe add some chocolate chips too.

Quick Shrimp Stock- some times you just need it.

2011-02-07T16:49:00.000-06:00

I can't find shrimp stock in my store. I did order a big container of base a while ago from R.L. Schrieber last year, but I had to throw it away- I had an overnight open fridge problem.

Making stock at home can be quick and easy- and you can't make Shrimp Etouffee without it.

I bagged some shrimp shells from the week before, and put them in a freezer bag for this weeks dinner.

I started with some olive oil in the pan- then added

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 stalks of celery, roughly chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 lbs of shrimp shells

Once the shells were defrosted and the veg cooked for about 8 minutes I added 5 cups of water

I also added 2 basil leaves, and a palmful of peppercorns

Do you see the heart shaped bay leaf? Made with love!

Let the shells simmer for 30- 40 minutes- really low, you don't want to boil, you just want to simmer on low.

Strain the stock through a stainer covered in cheese cloth-

Once you have all the solids in the stainer- press with the back of a spoon to get all the goodness out of the shells and veg.

You can cool this right away and place in the fridge for a couple days- or freeze for no more than 3 months.

Honey- Oatmeal Bread

2011-02-07T09:18:00.000-06:00

This is a mix of

1 cup old-fashioned oats

2 TB butter- cut into cubes

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup honey-

This recipe just called out to me. I love the

smell of fresh baking bread- it is comfort. Not, bring me back to my childhood days-

Quick tangent- I hear birds outside! What a pick me up! There is 2 foot of snow on the ground- that sound is music to my ears... hurry up spring!

sorry- back to the story- no, my mom was not the bake fresh bread kind of mom. The poor lady had 6 kids and a husband. I think just getting through the day with all kids intact was quite an accomplishment. She did make some lovely B & G- but that's another blog.

The smell of bread is just- well, basic. If you think about the ingredients (and you know that I do- I always do) it is amazing. Yeast- what can I say- this stuff, you look in the bag and you see all of these tiny little tubes- but those tiny little tubes are extraordinary.

You will need 1 1/4 cup boiling water

Pour boiling water over oatmeal/honey mix and stir- then let mix cool to lukewarm. I use an insta-read thermometer, the mix should be between 110- 115*. Here are some tips when using yeast- take a gander, the more you know, the easier it gets!

Once you mix is cool add-

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup nonfat dry milk

2 tsp instant yeast-

and start kneading... by hand or mixer, it doesn't matter. The dough needs to be kneaded.... (ha) until it is soft and smooth.

Look at how pretty that is

Place your dough in a lightly greased bowl and loosely cover- let it rise for one hour.

It should double in bulk.

Punch down the dough, and with greased hands (the dough will be pretty sticky) shape it into a log and place into a greased 9 x 5 bread pan. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap- and let it rise to about 1 1/2 over the rim of the pan- about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. When you are getting close- preheat oven to 350*.

Uncover the bread and bake for 20 minutes. Tent loosely with foil (you don't want to over brown your pretty bread) and bake another 25 minutes. The bread should be golden brown and the center of the bread should register 190*. Let the bread cool for a minute or two in the pan- then remove onto a cooling rack. You can brush with melted butter and sprinkle with more oats- but I skipped this part. You should let the bread cool completely before cutting- yeah, I have a problem with that too. How can you resist a warm piece of bread with a little butter?

The original recipe came from The Brown-Eyed Baker- and you can find the page

here

Bread

This is what it looked like outside- but inside I was all cozy.. oh yeah

and so was my grill! Not letting that baby get touched by snow!

Parmesan and Garlic Chips

2011-02-06T18:28:00.000-06:00

The ingredients... We used 2 large potatoes- cut into thin strips

1/4 cup olive oil

3 cloves of minced garlic

1/2 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp seasoned salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan (you can mix it up- do Asiago, Gouda- whatever you like)

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 425*

Mix the oil, salt, garlic, pepper, and thyme in a bowl- and toss the potatoes around in it.

Leave extra oil in bowl- you will use it later.

Spread slices around on baking sheet in a single layer and put in oven- bake for 15- 20 minutes.

Return baked chips to bowl and add Parmesan and parsley-

Place back on baking sheet and bake another 10 minutes.

This is a great snack for the super bowl-

I had to try it out before hand, so a snow day was a great day to try it!

This recipe was adapted from Nancy's Recipes

This was how we knew how much snow we got- holy cow!

P.W.'s Pig Cake

2011-01-26T21:20:00.000-06:00

I am a blog addict! I know this, I accept this.

I browse, read, save, and print so many recipes... I just can't get enough!

One of my MANY favorites- The Pioneer Woman! she has wonderful recipes, beautiful pictures, and funny anecdotes. I love the picture by picture instructions- the actions shots!

Another thing I love- cake.

The wonderful flavors, the smell of it baking, all the tasty fillings, frosting's and decorations....

what's not to like?

My boy likes cake too...

He takes BIG bites- because he knows it annoys me, but makes me laugh.

This was the beautiful creation before my crazy one got ahold of it.

I had to make up a spoon of Cool Whip- because the recipe only used 4 oz.- that leaves a whole extra 4 oz. in the container. It was lonely- the poor Cool Whip.

For the cake-

1 box of yellow cake mix

1 stick of margarine (softened) I used butter, it's all I had

1 can (14 oz.) Mandarin Oranges, drained, reserve 1/2 cup of the juice

4 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350*. In a bowl-(you can use your mixer) combine cake mix, margarine, 1/2 cup of mandarin orange juice, eggs, and vanilla. Beat 4 minutes on medium- then add the drained oranges and beat until pieces are broken up and small. Then pour the batter into a greased 9x 13 baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. It needs to be golden brown- and the cake should spring back when touched. Remove from oven- and cool completely before covering with the AWESOME topping.

Topping-

1 box (4oz) vanilla pudding

1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, drained

1/2 cup powdered sugar

4 oz. Cool Whip

Optional- extra Mandarin Orange Slices for garnish

Blend juice from pineapple and vanilla pudding. Add the powdered sugar and mix- then add the cool whip and pineapple- spread onto the cake and refrigerate for a couple hours.

Excitement!

This is me- at our Employee Appreciation Dinner

I am dressed up as The Swedish Chef from the Muppet's

and- that is my buddy Jordan. He is the best Sous Chef a girl could have.

It's been awhile...

2011-01-18T18:41:00.000-06:00

First, let me tell you- I have a lot of pictures, but very few of completed dishes.

I am in a rut. Not just a food rut, a life rut. It might be the weather. Maybe the end of the season blues. Not sure- mostly not sure how to snap out of it.

I have tried soup. And showers.

I have tried sweets, and rowdy bars.

The thing that came the closest- a delicious steak salad from The Zodiac Lounge.

It made me smile. Made me sigh, and oh so full. Now that amazing Chef is on a long break- so no new and inspired dishes to tempt me.

Then I went to Costco with JoJo- they had a big #10 can of plum tomatoes with basil. It made me think of all the wonderful things I could make with it. Now that made me smile. I can make marinara, salsa, so many soups.

The funny thing- I opened the can and used it ALL for one recipe.

It was good.

I started with 3 stalks of celery and 3 carrots- I shredded them with the food processor (and saved a ton of time!) I also minced 2 yellow onions and minced 4 cloves of garlic.

Heat a large stockpot with 1 1/2 TB olive oil over medium heat and add the all the above veg- sweating slowly without developing color.

While they are cooking open your big ol' can tomatoes (you of course can pair down- because this made a ridiculous amount) and puree them!

After the veg cooks 5- 7 minutes add the tomatoes, 6 cups of chicken broth, 2 TB Worcestershire sauce, 1 TB kosher salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp thyme, and 2 tsp. Sriracha (or your favorite hot sauce)

Cook uncovered for 20 minutes- stirring frequently. Then lower heat and cover, let it cook anywhere from 20-30 more minutes. Stir every once in a while.

It was comforting. Eating a bowl was like Happy Hour! Only without the smelly smokey bar in the back ground.

I served them with a little bacon wrapped chicken stuffed peppers

Okay good people- I hope to keep the momentum and blog again before next year!

This is what has been happening at the Tipsy Residence

Wes's room before the paint job

Wes's new man room! The really cool Military men where bought at A.J. Specialties in Merrillville- Wes loves them.

When cleaning the room out I found no less than 7 grenades. What can I say- he likes 'em!

Chicken Fried Steak

2010-12-23T10:01:00.000-06:00

So, again no finished product pictures. I am such a slacking blogger. I am a slogger. I still need to do my Turkey Hash off post, which I am afraid will depress me, so I have been putting it off. But this is an easy- feel good post- Beef, it's what's for dinner!

I breaded my tenderized round steak chunks with seasoned flour (I used Emeril's Essence and extra pepper)

Then heated my cast iron to high. Oil was added and heater- then I tossed in a couple patties. You don't want to over crowd the pan though.

While my steaks where browning I started a white gravy- melt 2 TB butter then add 2 TB flour, stir to make a paste and cook for a minute or two- you don't want to eat raw flour. Once it was cooked I added 1 cup milk, 3/4 cups chicken broth and Essence seasoning. Add the milk slowly stirring constantly (you can also whisk- as to insure no lumps)and you let the sauce simmer until it thickens. You can adjust the liquid ratio to fit your likes- I like a thicker sauce!

I am guilty. I love Aldi's canned carrots. I add a tsp of unsalted butter- the drained can of carrots and a couple little drops of honey- and let them simmer for a minute. Then I add a good dash of cinnamon! Oh how I love these carrots.

I don't like many canned veggies- but these just make me smile! Sooo good.

Thanksgiving Recipes-

2010-12-06T09:08:00.000-06:00

Some call it stuffing, some call it dressing- whatever it is... it's comfort. My mom always started Thanksgiving morning making this. The smells are so familiar. I don't think I will ever outgrown the need for this kind of memory and comfort food.

She always started with a stick of margarine (I use butter) then added a couple diced stalks of celery and a couple diced onions. Sweat these- then add a little salt and pepper. Remove them from the pan and brown 1 package of breakfast sausage (you can use the sage- if you like that added flavor) crumble while browning- then add the onions and celery back into the pan.

Way back when she had us kids rip up hundreds of pieces of yucky white bread the night before. You would see bags of bread littering every counter (she did have six kids to feed!) This year, I lazed out and bought a couple bags of bread cubes. I can't help it- I like the ascetically pleasing cubes! So- in a huge pan I mixed 2 bags of cubes, my veg/sausage mix, 2 eggs, beaten, salt, pepper, and I started with 4 cups of chicken stock. I mixed it well, topped the pan with foil- and set it outside (it was stinkin' cold out!) until I was ready to put it in the oven!

The next thing I wanted to prepare was my broccoli cauliflower gratin. It was another thing I could get ready- and leave until later to cook. So I steamed a couple pounds of the veg in my MicroCooker from Pamper Chef and made a wonderful creamy sauce-

I melted 1 stick of butter then added 2 TB diced shallots- when the shallots looked ready I added 1/2 cup flour- and stirred. Thus making a roux! Once the flour cooked for a couple minutes (stay on top of it- and stir, stir, stir) I added 2 cups milk, 2 cups heavy cream, and 2 cups chicken broth- whisking the whole time- to avoid lumps- you don't want a lumpy sauce. I would normally have garlic somewhere in here- but Jerry was coming to dinner (and you all know, he can't eat garlic) so my WHOLE dinner avoided garlic. I didn't even invite garlic into the house (I think the store was wondering why it had so much extra left at the end of the day) Once my sauce started to thicken, I added a little cayenne, some salt and nutmeg. No good cream sauce would be complete without some nutmeg!

While this happily bubbled away- I shredded my leftover bunco cheese! I had some Monterrey and Colby Cheeses- so I shredded about 8 oz of each (before shredding they were 8 oz blocks cheese measurements are hard- an actual cup of shredded cheese is not 8 oz) then added it to the pot- along with a handful of shredded Asiago and Romano cheese (you need that kick!)

I then tossed the sauce on top of these lovely veg- and dumped into a baking pan- covering it with foil for later baking- which I baked at 375* for 35 minutes

This was my lovely turkey- I used a countertop roaster to cook this bad boy. On Thanksgiving, oven space is at such a premium, if you have the extra tools- use 'em! So- this turkey was brined in 1 cup sugar, 1 cup kosher salt, 2 bay leaves- broken into pieces, 1 package fresh poultry herbs-rosemary, sage and thyme, a handful of peppercorns and 4 quarts of water.

It sat in the outside fridge from the morning before until about 1 in the afternoon on Thanksgiving- so a little more than 24 hours. Then I rinsed it- dried it and oiled that baby up! Sprinkled with kosher salt and pepper- then added seasoning into the butt- a couple lemons- a few sprigs of rosemary and thyme and plenty of salt and pepper. I roasted this guy for 2 hours at 350*- the counter top roasters are so efficient- it seemed like no time, and that thing was done!

We had a nice family dinner, but wait until you see what we do with leftovers!

Made up Pancakes

2010-12-06T08:36:00.000-06:00

I have been known to just buy the Just Add Water pancake mix. Come on! You just need to add water! Well, I add water, vanilla, cinnamon, and a little sugar- but still. No need to measure flour, baking soda and powder, salt, sugar and so on. It is almost a no brainer. I also like to make up the Alton Brown dry mix in my spare time (sometimes I have a LOT of spare time) and again- it is just add water!

For some reason- I had nothing in the house the other day, and the boys wanted pancakes. I did not have any mix, no milk, very little flour (we had just finished Thanksgiving- man was my cupboards empty!). I did however have a little jiffy mix left.

So I did the measurements- I think it is 2 cups dry mix- then used flavored coffee creamer for my milk- but diluted it with water. I think it calls for 1 1/4 cups milk- I used 1/2 cup creamer and the rest water- then added 2 TB sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and 2 tsp vanilla- mix thoroughly- and proceed to heating pan- lightly greasing and cook pancakes!

Here are a couple pics of the newest Ross-

This is sweet little Wyatt William Ross

He looks a little disgruntled, because we keep taking his picture, touching his face, and moving him from person to person! Poor little thing.

Lettuce Chicken Wraps

2010-12-06T08:17:00.000-06:00

I hosted drunko bunco in November, and needed a main dish. I made a variation of this the first time I hosted for the girls. I actually followed a recipe the first time- a P.F. Changs recipe clone. This time- I just winged it. I chopped up 2 cups of white button mushrooms, 3 pounds of chicken, and 2 red bell peppers.

I heated my skillet to high and added a little olive oil- then added the mushrooms and peppers- I let them sit for a minute then added a little soy sauce, salt and pepper. Then I added the chicken. I had all the girls in the kitchen at this time- so I was trying to work pretty quick. I had NoNo at the counter cutting up cucumber for garnish, and the rest of the girls where nibbling on the rest of the food. Once it looked about done- I added a little more soy sauce. We used red leaf lettuce- which was washed and cut earlier in the afternoon. We had a sauce on the side- 1/4 cup sugar Of course we kick the boys out- so we had a fun and girl fun night! NoNo won...

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon lemon juice- I used 1 pack of powdered lemon and 1 TB water

1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon hot mustard- I used Sriracha

1 -2 teaspoon garlic and red chile paste - again I used Sriracha-

It was okay- I like the soy salad dressing I make much better on these babies!

This is Wes

He made a snack- we call it the fancy lunchable. He used wheat club crackers, white cheddar cheese and Krakus Ham

He knows what he likes!

This isn't really sharing..

2010-11-30T08:59:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to show off my new grill... none of the food took any time or special recipe- I like my steak to sit with a little olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt and pepper for a little bit before I grill it, but I probably have told you that before.

I probably told ya how to make the green beans before too- but don't want you to think I wrote this JUST to show off my grill-

steam the beans for 2 minutes (I use the Pampered Chef MicroCooker) heat a skillet to high- add 2 tsp olive oil and 1 clove garlic (I use the trader joes garlic cubes in the freezer section) and sprinkle on some kosher salt and black pepper- toss gently until the beans look shiny and start to get a little color.

I cooked the mushrooms on the side burner- once I figured out how to work it- this only took 3 or 4 minutes... This is one pound of sliced button mushrooms with kosher salt, fresh cracked black pepper, and a little olive oil. Once the mushrooms are almost done- I add a pat of butter.

The first steak, touching the new grill.

The new grill, after I christened it with some moocow.

Shiny

Wyatt- my newest nephew and the sweet little heart stealer. He is a dollbaby!

Chicken that Cicco would love!

2010-11-22T09:41:00.000-06:00

I am not a fan of chicken legs. The bone.... and the tendons... ick. I don't mind pulling the meat off the bone- I just don't like the feel of my teeth touching the bone! BUT... the boys like chicken legs. I have been working on different recipes and cooking methods to see what would make me want to eat a chicken leg.

I think I have found it.

This was so good- and at the beginning of this week I had someone ask me about homemade marinades- so two birds/one stone. I started out with a gallon size Ziploc baggie and poured in 1/2 cup of chicken broth, a couple TB of olive oil, and a 2 tsp of each- minced fresh thyme, sage and rosemary. Then I added a good shake of pepper and a pinch of salt. So easy- I tossed in 9 chicken legs and closed the bag- letting out almost all the air. Then juggle, squeeze, flip, and massage the chicken around until all are coated in a nice oil/broth/herb bath.

I preheated the oven to 425* and then prepped my sides. I placed all the chicken legs on one sheet, then used a casserole dish for 1 HUGE potato cut into large chunks, 1 sweet potato also cut into chunks and 1 yellow onion cut into quarters. I tossed these with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. After 30 minutes I turned the chicken and potatoes and swapped racks in the oven. I started my chicken on top- but finished it on the bottom. The opposite for the potatoes- and they turned out fabulous.

The Brussel Sprouts were steamed for 5 minutes in my Pampered Chef MicroCooker with a 1/4 cup of water. When they were done- I drained them and tossed with a pat of butter and a little bit of Roasted Garlic Black Pepper.

I want to try grilling this same recipe (adding some other chicken pieces) - potatoes will still go in a pan, but on the grill. Just wait until you see this grill Mr. Hall bought me! I will post pics later today or tonight on the first meal we cooked on it. Oh so good.

Milo Sized Lasagna

2010-11-21T19:22:00.001-06:00

Dessert.... we didn't start with dessert- but I wanted to get to the good stuff first! This picture speaks for itself. It was a good night!

I made Amaretto Fluff for Drunko Bunco night. Somehow I had leftovers.... unheard of! Amaretto Fluff with store bought angel food cake (and scrabble). First of all, playing Scrabble with an English teacher should be avoided at all cost, unless you have a really healthy appetite for losing! Being that I really adore my bff- I still play with her. She ALWAYS beats me- I won't say she slaughters me (well sometimes she does) I can hold my own. I just can't beat her!

Yeah- she looks happy- amaretto fluff, wine and knowing she is about to put the smack down on me and Jen probably helped a little.

2 packs of vanilla pudding (the 3 oz ones)

1 cup milk

1/2 cup amaretto-

mix these well then add 1 container of thawed cool whip

That's it... I love it with strawberry bread. (I also like it with a spoon- right out of the bowl)

The spread before dinner- I was making a quick lasagna, but even those take a little time. So we started with an antipasto tray- artichokes, kalamata olives, black olives, capacola, salami, and prosciutto. For the kids we did a little bit of Munster cheese and Colby jack, Wes loves his cheese. And- this is a little random (but left over from bunco and it was soooo good) salsa and chips.

While the rest of the lucky ducks sat grazing on these yummy treats, I started the prep for a quick and easy lasagna-

I started with bringing a pot of water to boil, added salt and the noodles- they needed to cook for 8 minutes for al dente. When they were done- we drained them and layed them flat with a little oil on a cookie sheet.

This is the first time I ever used cottage cheese- ricotta- I have used, bechamel- I have used... thought it would be nice to try something new! This is a large container of small curd cottage cheese, 2 large eggs, 2 tsp. garlic powder, 2 TB chopped fresh parsley, pepper- mixed well and set aside until ready

I like a mix of beef and Italian Sausage in my spaghetti sauce- here we have 2 pounds of ground chuck and 2 pounds of Italian Sausage, 3 minced garlic cloves, 2-3 TB chopped fresh parsley, 1 TB of dried basil, 1 TB oregano, salt and pepper. Drain well- then add 2 28oz cans of crushed tomatoes, 2 6oz cans of tomato paste, 1 cup of red wine (or beef broth- omit this if you can't cook down for at least 20 minutes) 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, 2 TB sugar, and pepper to taste. Let it cook for 5 minutes- then taste it... add salt if you think it needs it- or leave it alone!

Kids dinner- we were afraid we would run out of lasagna.... (I think we had wine brain- run out of lasagna? wait until you see this thing) We started with the noodle- then topped with meat sauce and plenty of shredded Italian blend cheese- roll loosely and place in a pan with a little sauce on the bottom.

I topped them with more sauce and cheese and baked at 350* for 30 minutes.

I started the layering with a cup and a half of sauce- then 3 noodles. Topped with the cheese mixture then a layer shredded cheese. Add a nice thick layer of meat sauce then repeat! I topped with some finely grated Parmesan Cheese- then baked at 350* for 30 minutes.

I didn't get a final picture- of the before or after cooking... I think we were on our 3rd bottle of wine- not an excuse- just an explanation! If you notice- the cheese almost comes to the top of the pan- I added 2 pounds of meat sauce on top of the cheese- this was THE biggest lasagna I have ever made- I don't think we even ate a quarter of it! Before putting it in the oven- I made everyone feel how heavy the pan was. We had been drinking- so I won't tell you some of the comparisons- but one was Milo- most of you don't know Milo. I will have HH email me a pic so you guys can see the biggest cat that ever lived.

NoNo- after dinner, before dessert- the smile just got bigger as the night went on. She is the hostess with the mostess- thanks for letting me come take over your kitchen every week!

Broccomole- Yeah I said it!

2010-11-11T07:54:00.000-06:00

I like to snack. Most of the time, I would rather have an assortment of appetizers for dinner than a whole dinner. Variety is the spice of life!

I usually get 3 or 4 emails daily from different recipe sharing sites or blogs- I've told you before- I love reading about food! I like to look through these (usually before I have eaten breakfast- so I am good and hungry) and see if anything strikes my fancy. I found a really interesting one a week or so ago. The name alone caught my attention- but the thought of using something that I usually use as the dip carrier in the dip was something I really wanted to try.

Every other week I go to Sam's Club and stock up on my veg for the next 2 weeks meals. I get a huge bag of romaine, the double packs of green beans and sugar snap peas. I get a big bag of small mixed peppers and a HUGE bag of broccoli. Lots of green- sometimes I get sick of all that green. When this came along to try something new- well, alright!

The idea came from Taste of Home- but I very loosely followed the actual recipe.

I started by steaming 3 cups of broccoli florets in my microwave steamer for 3 minutes. I drained them and let them cool.

I put 1/2 cup of sour cream with 1/4 cup of Hellman's mayo, juice of 1/2 of a lemon, 1 tsp Garlic Garlic, and one green onion my food processor bowl- then added the cooled broccoli. Process until smooth- then chill until serving.

You can find the Original Recipe here!

So, Wes likes to go to the barber for a hair cut. I usually leave that up to Mr. Hall, but that boy was looking a little to Hippie for me- so I decided to take him. The Notre Dame game was on- I sat in the sitting area absorbed in the game- and this is what they did to my child. He looks like Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber. We had a dinner and movie night- the other night when we made the crescent wrapped hot dogs, and I played that movie for him. He did not appreciate the movie like I do, but he did get a couple laughs. He REALLY doesn't like when we call him Lloyd though!

Grilled Nutella (A play on grilled cheese) and Jello Shots

2010-11-10T21:39:00.000-06:00

It started like any other grilled sandwich- butter on one side of the bread and Nutella spread on the other-

I placed it on a hot griddle and let it brown

I was making dinner and helping Wes with homework- so the first one turned out great, but I didn't get a picture- then Jay ate it! Then this one Wes and I were sharing, but it cooked for just a couple seconds too long- but it was still GREAT!

As you have all figured out- I love my family. I have a large, crazy, fun, silly, and loving family. We like to get together for holiday's like every other family- but our small gatherings are HUGE. We have at least 17 with just us kids and our kids. Then you add parents (we are a little low on the parental front) step siblings and the extended family (anyone my mom decided to pick up along the way) and we all need to start thinking about getting bigger houses.

See how loving he is- he let us wrap him up (yes he looks a little disgruntled)

My DD

Sweet Winnie

Winnie, Char and Bri- the Care Bears!

The kids

Ty, Matt, Kody, Ky, and Wes

These make family gatherings a little funner... and tastier.

I won't share all my secrets- we Chef's have to keep some...

But the key is to find the right combo's-

So I used GFS blue raspberry and 2 cups of boiling water, 6(maybe 4 I will have to look at my bag again) oz of gelatin (you only need to know how much if you buy the big bag from GFS- if you use a box, just follow the box instructions)

and I used 1 1/4 cup ice water, 1/4 cup of triple sec and 1/2 cup of Berry Pucker- these were awesome!

For Raspberry Jello- I used triple sec and strawberry vodka- using the same blend as above.

Another little secret I can share- keep an empty wine or liquor bottle (once you clean it out) with a lid. Pour the jello mix in and top with a pourer (you can get at a liquor store) for easy pour into the cups.

I use 1 oz souffle cups from GFS.

Cresent Wrapped Hot Dogs

2010-11-10T21:15:00.000-06:00

When Wes helps with dinner, it's just a little better. He adds a little extra love.

So- Preheat oven to 375*

On a baking tray unroll a crescent roll and spread (you can use a rolling pin- just do it gently) it out a little (I just press it out a little with my fingers)

Then you lay a piece of precooked bacon long ways on the crescent and then top with the hot dog.

Then starting at the large end roll the hot dog into the crescent roll

This is our finished product- such an easy meal your kids can do almost totally by themselves!

Bread Pudding and Winnie

2010-11-10T20:59:00.000-06:00

So you might be saying to yourself "What the heck do Winnie and Bread Pudding have in common?"

You are probably sitting there.... wondering, guessing....

Come on! They are both sweet, smell good (she does most of the time- until she goes hiding in the corner), and I LOVE THEM!

Winnie came over to hang out with her Aunt B- and we did a few of our favorite things- we read.

We tried on shoes....

We cuddled on the couch with the soft blankets...

We made silly faces...

And snacked!
We had a great day...

But that night-

I got to make bread pudding. When I was wandering around Strack's the other day they had a 2/$3 sale on loaves of cinnamon raisin bread. It was such a great deal- I couldn't pass it up! Of course I like to toast it for breakfast or a snack- but I thought of a couple other ways to use it up! Here is one...

Preheat the oven to 350* and grease a 9 x 13 pan-

Mix the eggs, milk, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg

and set aside

Dice 1 1/2 of the loaves (I used the cinnabon and the cinnamon raisin)

Place all the bread in the pan and pour over the custard- (I then sprinkled with sugar on the raw and cinnamon)

Then dot on a couple tablespoons of butter

1 1/2 loaves of cinnamon raisin bread

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon- and some sprinkle on top

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 TB vanilla

some sugar on the raw to sprinkle on top

Bake for 40- 45 minutes. When a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

I just made a little caramel the first night- but I still have a lot left, and I am using a jarred caramel sauce. Once it is totally cool, you can cover up and place in the fridge. But before serving- heat up for 30 seconds in the nuker!

Two Bean Chili

2010-11-08T16:38:00.000-06:00

I didn't get any pictures of my chili- I cooked it pretty quick. I wanted to go out and see my favorite boys! So- I will put step by step along with pictures of our night out. First- this is Buddy, the amazing bass, keyboard, singing, whistle playing awesome finger having man! I browned 1 lb of ground beef and 1/2 pound of Italian Sausage seasoned with a little chili powder, salt, pepper and cumin. While that was browning in a skillet I heated a large pot with olive oil.

I sweated a 1/2 of a white onion (diced), 4 small peppers (still using that bag up!) cut into small strips and 1 clove of garlic with some chili powder and cumin, salt and pepper. Once the meat is done- drain and add to the veg. I added one can of crushed tomatoes, one can of light red kidney beans (drained and rinsed) one can of Great Norther Beans (drained and rinsed) and one can of diced tomatoes. I then added more chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper along with a little more cumin. It simmered for 15 minutes waiting for the corn bread to finish. This is Bill- he and I bonded with having almost he same name. He is a kick butt drummer and we share a love for ICB's!

For the cornbread- Preheat oven to 400* I took 1 cup of cornmeal, 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 cup milk, 1 egg and 1/4 cup veg oil. Mix dry ingredients then add the wet and mix just until incorporated. Pour the batter into an 8 x 8 greased pan and bake for 20- 25 minutes. It should be golden brown on top. This is Angelo- he is a maniac. His ability to make up new lyrics is astounding (and sometimes a little shocking) but I find myself singing them anyway!

HH and Jen-

HH, me and Jen

Angelo doing an impression... guess you had to be there.

What Angelo will look like in 13 years. If he is still singing- I will still be taking pictures and dancing.

Beef Roast without Garlic

2010-11-08T09:49:00.000-06:00

When we have dinner with Ama and Jerry- I have to go the no garlic route. I didn't believe there was a such thing, but poor Jerry can't eat garlic. (I think secretly he is a vampire- what other explanation is there?) But none the less- I decided to do a beef roast sans garlic. It was alright.... I think the carrot flavor was a little strong- but I did an alright job considering I couldn't use one of my favorite ingredients!

I started off by seasoning the roast well with salt and pepper and browning my 3 pound English Roast in a little bit of olive oil- over high heat. I let it develop a great color and turning it on all sides.

While it was browning I cut up 1 whole large onion into quarters, cut up 2 carrots (next time I will only use one), and cut up 2 stalks of celery. In a piece of cheese cloth I added a couple parsley stems, some fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, a bay leaf, a few peppercorns and tied it up. Once the roast was done- I plopped it into the roasting pan and deglazed the pot with beef broth. I did not want to miss that wonderful flavor that built up on the bottom! I added a little Worcestershire sauce to the broth and added everything to the roasting pan. I didn't preheat the oven- but you can if you want.

If I was making this for us- I would have cut small incisions in the roast and stuffed pieces of garlic all over that wonderful hunk of meat- but poor poor Jerry. So- on I went without garlic.

I covered the pan with foil and threw it into the oven at 300*. It baked for 2 1/2 hours.

This is what it looked like!

We served it with mashed potatoes, steamed green beans and rolls. I did not use much of the cooking liquid to make the gravy- it was to carroty. I am not anti-carrot, but definitely not on the number one fan list either!

So- this was from a while ago, but wanted to sure a couple memories

Tammy and Janis didn't tell me it was blue night- night out seeing The Unit

We almost match- Paul's big goodbye

Me, Jen and Glenda the Good Witch- Oz Fest

Mommy's Lil Mummy's

2010-10-30T20:16:00.002-05:00

This was the final product. I always like to start at the end- then back to the beginning and finish after the middle. That is just how I roll. Seeing this- you might say to yourself- "Um- I could eat that"-

Seeing this- you might think to yourself "Wouldn't bother with it" or "so what- their peppers". So, I pull you in with the money shot, sweet talk ya with a little bacon and BAM- your MINE!

I have a bag of mini sweet peppers from Sam's. I have used a couple for sandwiches, a HUGE salad, scrambled eggs, and some rice- but I still had a ton. I was contemplating making pepper soup- but wanted to try something new (I needed a blog recipe).

I took 16 of the bigger peppers and cut the tops off- then did a small slice on one side- making it easy to shove your finger in there and pull out the veins. I smacked it against the cutting board to remove extra seeds- and done. It does take a couple extra minutes to do all of them- but the prep on everything else is nearly non-existent so I didn't see it as a big sacrifice.

Once all my peppers where cut and prepped I pulled out my chicken and cut it into chunks- I seasoned well with Roasted Garlic Black Pepper

Then stuffed the chunks into the pepper

I had a pound of maple bacon- so for bigger peppers I used the whole piece and wrapped well, tucking it in at both ends.

My lil mummy's

Mr. Hall heated up the grill- and we were off. I started on low- not wanting to have too many flare ups- but towards the end I cranked it to medium high- I wanted some nice crispy bacon

The way the bacon fused onto the pepper was just so darn yummy-

This is inside of this little nugget of perfection. The chicken stayed moist, the pepper was sweet and soft- then the bacon had the crispy smoky maple flavor that made this over the top!

Here is an update of what is going on in Tipsy's world-

Lil Chef's started back up- this is Victoria a returning student cutting mini peppers for mini bagel pizzas

Most of my class for this session

Lil Man before hair cut

Sweet little guy- with crazy bangs after the hair cut

Pork Marsala and Broccoli Potato Gratin

2010-10-27T09:34:00.003-05:00

I am a big fan of pork! Not just bacon, but PORK! I love braising a pork shoulder for taco's or tamales, I like grilling a chop (especially when it's wrapped in bacon), you all know how much I love me a pork tenderloin- I only eat 2 a week! Some of the best foods come off that little animal- who doesn't like ham (my friend Jessi- that's who) and Prosciutto, Parma, Pancetta, Pizza Sausage, Chorizo! But wait! Cook the whole hog on a spit- GOOD EATS!

So- we have covered my great love of the meat- but this wonderful meat is so versatile I can't think of any application or recipe that you couldn't sub in a little pork. Or a lot of pork. However you roll.

Strack's is always putting these little packs of lovelies on sale. How can you pass up $1.99 a pound? Whenever chicken or pork is on sale I like to stock up the freezer with a couple extra packs. It makes last minute menu planning easy! Well- this last menu planning day I was going through the cabinets and fridge to figure out what I can use up. I always have a couple bottles of wine in the fridge or on top of it. But I have a HUGE bottle of Marsala that I have only used once in a couple months.

I started with 4 loin chops- cut off all visible fat- and pound thin

Dredge the pounded pork into seasoned flour- make sure to season the flour well

Heat 1 TB butter and 1 TB olive oil in a pan- and heat to medium high (I did not get enough color on my fillets- don't make this mistake) once the pan is heated add the pork and cook until browned.

Once pork is done- remove to plate and tent with foil to keep warm. Add a little more butter and some mushrooms (I used 2 cups- it was an awful lot!) and saute for a couple minutes. Once they start to brown you can add 1/2 cup of Marsala and 1/2 cup chicken stock

Deglazing when you pour into pan- see the brown bits (fond) on the bottom? Scrape those up!

Once your sauce is ready add the pork back in and season the whole dish- let it simmer for a couple minutes.

This was my side/veg in one! I boiled 1 pound of Yukon gold fingerling's cut into thin moons- and steamed 2 heads of broccoli in the microwave at the same time

While the potatoes were coming to a boil I started the sauce- the full recipe will be posted at the end- When I redo this recipe, I will make some changes- add garlic! maybe some more cheese- I don't think that the sauce had a lot of depth- so I will work on layering some flavor in. One of the things the original cook said to do is add bacon (I fell a little in love with her at this point) if you have it. Believe it or not- I had it, but didn't add it. I started cooking about 6:45 on a Saturday night- I just wanted to EAT!

Once the potatoes and sauce are done- spray a small baking dish and spread potatoes into bottom. Pour half the sauce on potatoes trying to get an even layer. (I will add a little seasoning and maybe a little butter to potatoes before I add sauce next time- will let you know how it turns out)-

Then top with broccoli and the rest of the sauce- topping with a little Parmesan Cheese and bake for 20- 25 minutes at 350*.

This was the final product- it was tasty, I am still eating it. But it needs something (bacon), I will try it again (bacon) with some other ideas (bacon) and repost! BACON - for some reason, I think bacon will help it out.

I got the original recipe from this Blog. She made it with Prime Rib- sounds yummy

This is my drink of the week- (or year, or lifetime- not sure yet)

One bourbon, One shot, and One Beer- George Thorogood!

Okay- One Whiskey, One Shot, and One Beer!

Pour some Guinness in a cup- then in a shot cup pour half a shot of Jameson and the rest Bailey's (or the cheap version!) when ready- drop the shot (gently) into the glass of Guinness and drink quickly!

Irish Car Bomb - BABY! Oh so yummy- find a neighbor that likes them- or you will drink tooooooo much by yourself. I haven't found said neighbor yet- I am on the look out though.

Lemon Garlic Shrimp Orzo

2010-10-23T22:13:00.000-05:00

This was a great dinner. I found the recipe one day while perusing a few of my favorite blogs. Usually when I find more than 2 or 3 recipes that sound good I just start printing them off- better than filling my favorites tab. This week I have a stack of recipes to either redo, reinvent, or just try. This was one to just try! And it was great!

I gathered all my ingredients (my Mise En Place) for the first part of the recipe

Once I got the onions on the heat- I started shelling my shrimp

They were frozen, so I ran them under cold water a couple times to get the big chunks of ice to melt

I am keeping the shells- I can't find shrimp stock and I want to make Shrimp Etouffee again for Miss Tammy's husband (who is going to fill my IPOD with wonderful music) so the shrimp shells will go into a freezer bag until I am ready to make a simple shrimp stock.

These are all of the lovely shrimp that we are about to make into a lovely dinner

After you sweat the onions you add chicken broth, lemon juice and the zest of the lemon- the link for the recipe will be at the very end- be sure to check out the blog also, I love it!

While I was working on the sauce- I had the orzo boiling away

Once sauce simmers for a little bit- you can add the shrimp

Let it cook until it starts to turn organish- then add the rest of the ingredients

http://dinnersforayear.blogspot.com/2008/07/dinner-121-garlic-lemon-shrimp-and-orzo.html

Blogger has been being difficult with adding pictures- so I will not be leaving you with any cute pics of Little Mr. Hall or anyone else- maybe I will remember to come back and add some later? Maybe not- tonight was an Irish Car Bomb kind of night- so typos and grammatical errors will just have to be overlooked- please and thank you.

recipe

Bacon Chicken

2010-10-21T20:45:00.000-05:00

The name alone should get you guys hungry. Who doesn't like bacon? Crazy people- that's who.

So I thought to myself- how can I take lovely mostly healthy chicken breasts, and top it with one of the most unhealthy (but tastiest) meats EVER? Easily.... very easily. The recipe has like 6 or 7 ingredients- with one of them being BACON!!!!

I like to browse recipes all the time, I think of key words- type them in and spend hours- and I do mean HOURS looking at recipes. It's like porn for me. I get all excited, and of course I can't tell anyone I just spent most of the morning browsing when I as supposed to be - cleaning, cooking, doing marketing for the painting business, laundry, yard work, working on paperwork or taxes.... the list could go on and on. But no, I am sitting here, with the computer in my lap, coffee at my elbow looking at wonderful creations that inspire me and make me hungry.

This recipe came out of one of those mornings- you are welcome.

I found it on About.com, I have no idea if someone is to blame for this originally- so, when you get your doctor's bill for a stent- because you can't quit eating this recipe- email them!

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

6 slices bacon

1 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. olive oil

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used 3)

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1-1/2 cups shredded or colby cheese

Cook bacon in a skillet until crisp, about 4-6 minutes. Crumble bacon and set aside.(I cut my bacon up into small pieces before I cooked it- and used 12 oz.) Pour bacon grease out of skillet, but don't wash or wipe it. Add butter and olive oil to skillet.

Saute chicken breasts (I only used 3 chicken breasts) in this mixture over medium heat, turning once, until chicken is almost cooked and just barely pink in center. The internal temperature should be 155 degrees F. This should take 8-10 minutes. Place chicken in ungreased 12x8" baking dish.

Cook onion and garlic in drippings remaining in skillet. Cook until onion is softened, then stir in salt, pepper, and cooked bacon. (I couldn't resist adding a little chicken broth- all that beautiful fond on the bottom of the pan was begging to be deglazed!) Spoon over chicken breasts and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked and cheese is melted. Serves 6 (mine served 3)

I also made a little pan sauce to serve over the rice and chicken- using the pan we used- heat to medium high once the pan is sizzling add a little chicken broth and scrap whatever is left on sides and bottom. Cook for a minute or two, add a TB or 2 of heavy cream and lower heat. Once you stir that in and let it cook down for 2 minutes finish with a pat of butter- so yummy!

This was delicious and so easy, I kept to the easy theme and nuked the Birds Eye Brown Rice from the freezer section and served some rinsed red raspberries.

Oktoberfest

2010-10-19T20:00:00.004-05:00

This is Delgado (Jason Delgado- I just call him Delgado or Kitchen Husband)

This picture is taken at the Crown Point Civic Center where together we mixed 120 pounds of meat, 9 dozen eggs, 10 pounds of breadcrumbs, 12 bunches of parsley, 1 large (and I mean large) jar of mustard, 1 jar of Worcestershire Sauce, salt, and pepper to form - WAY TOO MANY MEATBALLS. I called it meatball hell.

This was the 3rd annual City of Crown Point's Oktoberfest and the Parks Department decided to run a booth this year. (They do have a Chef ya know!) So we made roughly- 2500 meatballs and 48 quarts of soup (didn't need a whole lot- it was almost 90 out!) 16 lbs of egg noodles in the tiny Civic Center Kitchen- and late in the day Friday we did head over and use the Methodist Church oven- I have kitchen envy now.

It was the first time I have ever cooked for that many people- and of course there were the initial muck ups to put us behind.

They brought me frozen meat- on Thursday morning I am trying to thaw 60 pounds of frozen beef to mix with my 60 pounds of pork (that wasn't frozen) so the 4 1/2 hours it took to do that kind of set us behind a little.

That day was a big success because I have so many helpful people in my life- of course Delgado, my sis-Jen, she came and helped cook and run the booth on Saturday- she was my go to girl in the kitchen and kept the booth running smooth, and of course- AMA! Cheryl came out to help in the booth- making marketing decisions that really got our product selling! A big thanks to my peeps- but I would also like to thank Shannon, my neighbor- when things get hectic and Mr. Hall is AWOL- she takes Lil Mr. Hall in without a second thought. It would have been a rough afternoon if he had to stay in the booth or chase after me all day!

(Also a thanks to HH- if it wasn't for that glass of wine, I might not have made it through)

I can't believe I didn't get many pictures. None of soup, the sauce for the balls, or the noodles. None of the fest, the chili cook-off, or our booth. I feel like a slacker! But they won't let me upload anyways- so I won't beat myself up too much.

I do have a cute picture to share-

Wes got an ammo box from the War Reenactment on Sunday

They stenciled his name along the box- he has it in a place of honor along with his Military Figurines on his headboard. What a cute little patriot.

Chicken Picatta

2010-10-19T19:37:00.001-05:00

This was weeks ago- my blogging is starting to slack. Not sure what the heck is going on with me- but I need to Tighten Up (Black Keys- I love that song). I had a very busy food weekend- but took very few pictures, so this blog will be a combo.

NoNo ordered a couple new cookbooks and saw the recipe for Chicken Picatta in one from Ina Garten. Of course that had to be our Family Dinner Night meal! We served it with the Italian Lemon Cauliflower- a must try! I forgot my meat tenderizer (Jen just bought me a wonderful Pampered Chef meat tenderizer!) so I placed a piece of chicken in large plastic bag and left it open- then pounded the chicken with one of NoNo's heavy bottom pots.

Once they were all pounded- I followed the standard breading procedures-

flour, egg, breadcrumbs-

We followed the Chicken Picatta recipe adapted from Ina Garten with only one change- we used chicken broth in the place of the white wine. It turned out great!

This is what happens when you don't use one hand for wet and one for dry!

The chicken turned out beautiful- my brother in law now wants me to make just the chicken again and toss it in a buffalo sauce!

A classic fish dish- made affordable

2010-10-06T12:41:00.000-05:00

Tilapia Meuniere

In school we used orange roughy- yesterday at the store it was 10.99 a pound. Tilapia was 3.99 a pound. No brainer! Orange roughy is an extremely mild firm white fish, but tilapia is pretty darn good. Tilapia is a low saturated fat, low calorie, low carbohydrate and low sodium protein source. It is a source of phosphorus, niacin, selenium, vitamin B12 and potassium. The American Heart Association recommends you eat two servings of fish a week- this recipe might take away some of those healthy benefits- but if you are light handed with the sauce, it won't be so bad.

This recipe is adapted from bon appetit magazine as Classic Some Meuniere

I made it Tilapia Meuniere

for the fish-

1/2 cup all purpose flour

4 fish fillets ( 3 to 4 oz each)

2 TB veg oil ( I used 1 TB olive oil

2 TB unsalted butter

Place flour into a pie pan- Rinse fish and pat dry- then lightly season each side of fish with salt and pepper ( I also sprinkled a little Old Bay)-

Dredge into flour and shake off excess- place on a platter (I cover a plate with plastic wrap so I can use it again when fish is done)

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat (I pulled out my old blue- forgot how much I loved that pan) until oil shimmers- add butter and quickly swirl to coat skillet. When the foaming stops add the fish and cook until golden- about 2 or 3 minutes then carefully turn over and cook 1-2 more minutes until opaque in center and golden on the outside!

I like to remove the fish to a paper towel lined plate and tent with foil- then pour off the fat from the pan and wipe clean.

Sauce-

1/4 cup unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces

2 TB chopped Italian parsley

1 TB fresh lemon juice

Heat skillet back up to medium high- add butter and cook until golden-

this should take 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add the lemon and parsley carefully sauce will sputter-

Plate your fish- and spoon sauce over! That's it- so easy but so stinking good-

I knocked it out of the park- but how could I not when I was wearing these socks-

Really- they made me cook like a Rock Star!

This could have been a 15 minute meal- make some couscous (about 8 minutes) or nuke some brown rice from Bird's Eye (3 minutes) make a veg- I like my Green Giant Steamer Bags- 5 minutes for yummy broccoli. Tonight I wanted some roasted broccoli- so it was a 20 minutes meal. Preheat the oven to 425* - 1 1/2 pounds of broccoli

a little bit of salt and pepper

2 TB olive oil

2 cloves of garlic- minced (or use a garlic press!)

Toss all of this in a bowl until well mixed- then spread onto a cookie or baking sheet. Cook for 15- 20 minutes- the broccoli should have brown spots-

This stuff is so good! Kind of like legal crack I would guess. (don't really know- just making a guess here!)

Little Mr. Hall didn't like the parsley on top of his fish- so he just scraped it off- but he ate all his broccoli and almost all his fish and rice- so it must have been good!

Here is a look at LilMan's birthday party this past weekend-

Rambo in the making....

Wes is learning how to hold a riffle- Les was a wonderful teacher

Wes- do you see him? He is in camo with face paint- so maybe not.

Winnie in a tank!

Kylee making her daddy proud!

Hope you all have a great week- remember to try something new and do something nice for yourself!

Open face sandwich- well kind of

2010-10-01T08:43:00.000-05:00

You will have to forgive me- the pictures for this post are nearly nonexistent and blurry. I don't know if I was hitting the wine, in a bad mood, or maybe an alien over took my body- but I only have 4 pictures and 3 of them are bad!

So- I had chicken, my sister had some peppers- then she mentioned she had some polenta. The roll of polenta... I thought back to when we used to make spicy tomato sauce over fried polenta at blue. I thought maybe- just maybe we could do something like that.

I started off by dicing 4 chicken breasts up and seasoning then with 21 Seasoning Salute- Jen chunked up a red, green, and yellow pepper- I heated a large skillet and added olive oil and garlic- tossed in the chicken and sauteed for a couple minutes. I removed the chicken and added a little more oil and the peppers. I tossed them with a little Roasted Garlic Black Pepper and sauteed for about 2 minutes. We added the chicken back in (should have had onions- but Mr. Hall isn't a big fan) and heated back up together.

On the side I opened a can of tomato sauce (it was salt free- kind of tasteless) and added the garlic pepper and Italian seasoning- and let it heat up. I also added some wonderful hot seasoning my friend Jay gave me- that did give it a little life!

In a large frying pan I heated up a little olive oil until almost smoking and added the sliced polenta. I wanted to get a nice crust on it so the sauce didn't soak right in.

Then I layered- just like an open faced sandwich-

Polenta on bottom- then tomato sauce- topped with the chicken confetti

Sorry about the blurry picture

Don't make the mistake of overcrowding the pan when cooking your chicken. Instead of getting a nice brown color and cooking fast- it will just simmer in its own juice. Not good!

NoNo made Wes a nice cake of his choice- chocolate on chocolate-

Not my best post, or meal even- but I did learn something- so I wanted to share it with you. (You all probably know already- I think I did to- but sometimes you forget) If you are in a funk, and you don't let the food pull you out- the meal will turn out funky. For some reason- the kitchen work didn't do its magic. I went in confused on what to make, not really feeling it. You could tell- when you took a bite. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't my usual GOOD!

So- when the mood doesn't strike- order pizza or make sandwiches!

A couple weeks ago my friend Tammy sent me an message about a Taste of Home- Home Cook contest. I entered Not Your Mama's Potato Soup in and was picked for the top 10 finalists! The Taste of Home has been doing a cooking show at the Star Theatre for a couple years, I just never went. This year they invited me to bring my prepared dish the morning of the show and the Chef would judge it. That same evening the top 10 finalists needed to be present at 7:00 to see the winners- Alas I was not a top 3 finisher, but I still got a $50 Strack and Van Til gift card! I want to thank my friend Janis for going with me- I was thankful I didn't have to endure that long LONG show alone.

This was my entry!

Me with my gift certificate- I wouldn't be smiling so big if I knew how LONG the 2 hour show actually felt.

I can't resist- here's a funny one of my lil'man

Hope you all have a lovely weekend- find or make some great food and think of me while your eating!

Okay- you don't have to think of me- but if you find great food, you should let me know!

PFB #2! An Ethnic Challange!

2010-09-26T16:24:00.003-05:00

Let me start off by saying- I am eating this right now- and OH MY GOODNESS! My friend Krystal

came over while I was still working on my blog- she got to try it while I was still in the process. Lucky, lucky girl.

I tell people all the time- if you can read a recipe, you can cook it! So, I took all week to think about a challenge that I felt was REALLY intimidating.What is more intimidating than cooking food someone is familiar with, for them? Especially if you have never ate/cooked it before?

Mr. Hall's maternal grandfather was Serbian. He grew up eating Serbian cuisine, this is something that I had never heard of before I met him. Today, I am having his mother over for Little Mr. Hall's birthday dinner.... let's see how I do. Here is what I came up with- Cevapcici. Cevapcici is Serbia's national dish- I hope I do it justice.

This recipe adapted and slightly altered from- this web site

1 lb ground pork

1 lb ground beef

1 onion- minced

2 cloves of minced garlic

1 tsp. oregano

1 TB paprika

1 egg- slightly beating

salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients very well and form into small finger shaped sausages-

you are supposed to grill them- but unfortunately my grill died so I cooked them on the stove-

They turned out like this-

I made Serbian Potato Salad and Tomato Salad- the tomato salad recipe came from here.

Our Serbian Potato Salad recipe is from Jay's Nan- you boil a couple red potatoes with skin on until they fork tender. (You have to use red potatoes- Nan says so)

Peel potatoes as soon as you can handle touching them- then chunk them. You need to sacrifice your hands here- if the potatoes are still pretty warm- the vinegar soaks in really good!

Toss with thinly sliced onion, parsley, pepper, salt and equal parts vinegar and oil.

I never got to meet Jedo (Mr. Hall's grandfather), I was a couple years too late- but I am hoping to introduce my son to his great grandfathers culture. One of the things I got from listening to Nan (Mr. Hall's grandmother) is you don't let people leave your house hungry. People that visit eat, drink, and feel welcome when they stop by. I have that down already! I love to feed people!

Here is our final plate- a yummy cevap topped with the tomato salad served along side a potato salad.

Sounds healthy....

Week recap-

This was Wesley's birthday week- so a couple pics of my birthday boy!

This is Little Mr. Hall opening his present from NoNo!

Wes at his birthday lunch (we let him play THE HOOKIE)

I promised Little Mr. Hall I would throw in his hard work...

Remember- try new things, be nice to people, and do something for yourself.

Hope you have a great week!

Mr. Hall doesn't like Chinese Food

2010-09-22T07:41:00.001-05:00

Mr. Hall will eat vegetables (this is the guy that thinks when I make brussel sprouts- he is getting a special treat). He loves meat. Pasta is okay but honey wheat bread with cinnamon butter is a star to him. I can make a Tangine (not his favorite- but he eats it none the less), Lasagna, Tacos- but if I make anything with a hint of a Chinese name- he won't eat it.

Luckily for me, he has never been in the Chinese Restaurant down the street that has a HUGE menu- and a nice sized picture of Pepper Steak. I love pepper steak. I get away with making it- because I tell him the steak is just in beef gravy. If anyone ever let's him in on this- I will be devastated. (Mr. Hall doesn't read my blog- he is a BIG fan of me- just not of reading blogs)

This is just another one of those comfort foods from childhood that I crave. My mom always made it with green bell peppers and round steak- my method and theme stay the same- I just kick it up a notch. (Yes- I am still a HUGE fan of Emeril)

Here is my pepper steak-

I start with 2- 3 red, yellow, or orange peppers (red peppers were .99 a lb)

I like to cut them into thin, but short strips-

Okay- they aren't super thin (but thin is relative)

Then 1 yellow onion

Cut in half- then sliced into 1/2 moons

2 cloves of garlic

minced- you can also use a garlic press

I cut 1 1/2 lb of sirloin into strips

seasoned some flour with my favorite season blend- and tossed steak in

Heat a heavy bottom pan to medium high- then add some olive oil

Add your steak- and brown on both sides

If you don't have much steak, you can do that in 1 batch- if you cook as much as I do, you will need to separate into 2 batches (need to feed Mr. Hall, little Mr. Hall, Mr. Mechanic next door, and Uncle Monkey in case he comes over- I need plenty of steak!)

Once your meat is browned- remove from pan and lower heat. Add a little more olive oil-

and toss in your peppers, onions and garlic. I season this with a little more of my favorite seasoning blend- and cook on low for a couple minutes- then I add 1 can of beef broth and scrape the bottom of the pan (if you flour the meat enough- you won't need any other thickener) the gravy starts to thicken quickly- then I add 1 lb of sliced mushrooms and the meat back in. Then I add a little Worchestershire Sauce and cover- let it simmer on low for about 10 minutes. If at this point your gravy isn't thick enough- you can add a slurry of cornstarch and cold water.

I like to serve mine over Jasmine Rice with some veg- the boys eat it up!

Okay- my picture of the day...

This is Hope, isn't she beautiful- she is one of my girl's from next door- I love those girls!

Mr. Hall enjoying dinner- isn't that a pretty wall behind him- he is such a good painter guy!

And finally the gratuitous Wesley pic- can't leave that boy out

My little Punk Rocker! Not the cutest face here- but eloquent- getting ready for school!

Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Beets with Mango Couscous

2010-09-20T08:30:00.000-05:00

My old stand by- the Pork Tenderloin. Mixing it up with different sides makes it not so boring!

There is a produce store in Dyer called Produce Depot - they have a really good organic section and a lot of local produce. Last week I stopped by and they had some lovely looking brussel sprouts. Now- Mr. Hall is a big fan of brussel sprouts- believes that he is getting a special treat when I make them! So- to get Mr. Hall to try beets, I added them to brussel sprouts. I am tricky like that.

First- I peeled the beets- then I sliced them into a medium dice. I then cut all the brussel sprouts in half and tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, Tastefully Simples- Garlic Garlic in a roasting pan.

I roasted these for 45 minutes at 400*. Half way through- I pulled them out and stirred them well.

When the beets are tender, you know they are done! This is such an easy dish- and using local produce will make you feel all sophisticated and edgy! You can add any flavor blend to this- I used thyme, because I had it! I would really like to have a little more garlic next time (but what don't I want more garlic in?). So- this is the beautiful shot of the roasted yumness

Look at those beauties... they tasted pretty darn good also.

Now on to the couscous- I didn't take any pictures, but man- you can't get easier. Just don't try to nuke it- worst side ever! (all I can say is thank goodness for the Birdseye frozen brown rice that cooks in 2 1/2 minutes) So- I started by putting a tsp of olive oil in the small sauce pan- heat and add 1 clove of minced garlic and stir. Cook the garlic for about 30 seconds then add 1 cup chicken broth (you can use veg broth, water, etc.) bring to a boil- add 1 cup couscous, turn off heat and cover. After 4 to 5 minutes take the cover off and add 1 TB of mango jam (again- you don't have to do this, I just wanted to add a little sweetness to my teriyaki pork plate)

The sweet/salty of the pork and the crispy/freshness of the veg, and the soft/sweet couscous= good dinner

This is what I did during the day-

I made a few apps for the viewing of The Great Food Truck Races-

I watch it every week with my friend Janis- from Janis Cooks

I also made my tomato tart again (didn't turn out as good- had to put tomatoes in fridge for a couple days- they weeped all over the tart)

This week I also went to the apple orchard with Wes- here are the goof balls I got stuck with-

Their sad faces

Their sweet faces!

A good start to a great week- see y'all soon!

Ready, Set, Blog- My first Entry for PFB

2010-09-18T00:06:00.001-05:00

My Lil' man already think's I am a star- let's see if we can make it official!

I have put this off for too long. I am not sure why- I love blogging. I have FUN blogging (tonight- my bunco girls told me I could have fun at an Insurance Conference). I guess in part I was nervous- not that I actually think that Dana Cowin (a total Rockstar in the culinary world) will read my post- I imagine she can just delegate to one of her minions. After a couple drinks (come on, I am The Tipsy Gourmet) and lots of support from my girls- here I am.

To my loyal followers- I have entered a contest... a blogging contest! You can read all about it at http://www.foodbuzz.com/project_food_blog. If passion or desire has any affect on the outcome- we will be triumphant- please keep your fingers crossed- and bear with me as I explain to others what you already know... That I am the next food blog star!

What makes me stand out as a food blogger? If you knew me- ever had a conversation with me- you would know, I blog like I talk. My friend Tammy said tonight- it's like I am sitting in front of her telling a story (I do go on and on in real life too). I like to share my life, food, family- my love. When I blog, I add life and food. Fun and family. I share my passion, recipes, and stories- hoping someone out there (besides my sister Jen- who is my biggest cheerleader) will see something new, or different, and say- "Hey, I can make that!"

My sis- Jen! She thinks I am great!

The best part of blogging is sharing the knowledge I have acquired. I am not good at many things- I can't crochet, sew, play chess... but I can cook. When someone learns something, gets a laugh, or an idea from reading my blog- I feel like I have actually made a contribution.

Here is a little list of my bad habits- that should be overlooked while reading my blog-

1. I type like I am talking, sometimes that ends up with non-sentences

2. I don't like peas

3. My punctuation stinks

4. I use parenthesis WAY too much

5. I like exclamation marks- I am not yelling, I am just excited

Thank you- to whoever does have to read this post. Also.... a BIG thank you to my supporters- because without you- none of this would be possible. (I haven't won an award yet- I am just practicing for when I do!)

Oh yeah- I have won an award- for the best beans in Lake County (just like my friend Janis and her grill, I have to bring it up whenever the word award is mentioned)

Ranch Potatoes (Paul's Potatoes)

2010-09-16T21:56:00.002-05:00

Two great people.

I love cooking- making food for people I love is just that much more rewarding. Above is my best friend- HH and her handsome companion- Patron Paul. Two people I love. Paul loves my Ranch Potatoes- I think, if I loved him like that (and their was no Mr. Hall) I could get him to marry me- while he was eating these potatoes. Lot's of love- you would think it was spring. But alas, we are reaching into fall- and with the changing leaves... other things are changing.

Paul is moving. Not like to the end of the earth- but two hours away. Yes, I don't see him all that much now, but when I want a lunch date.... he is usually in The Region. Now??? Sad

This past weekend Paul's wonderful family threw him a going away party- I had to make Ranch Potatoes. Little guy and I spent the day with some great people- we ate, talked, laughed. Fun was had by all- but Paul... poor, poor Paul- did not get any potatoes. (I secretly think if he would have had some, he would decide- job be darned- he needed to stay here- where the Ranch Potatoes are)

I do not have a picture of the final product- but I have some great pictures of the night before his party- so I will share those, along with the recipe-

I got this recipe from a friend Marisa many years ago-

8 large red potatoes cut into bite size pieces

1 cup sour cream

1 cup ranch dressing

1/2 lb bacon

1 cup cheese

seasoning of your choice- I used Roasted Garlic Black Pepper (but who didn't know that- right?)

You start by cleaning your potatoes and cutting them- then add them to a sauce pan with cold water just to cover. Throw some heat under it- and let it come to a boil. Add a little salt to the water once it comes to a boil- let them cook until they are just fork tender. Drain

While the potatoes are cooking- cut bacon into small chunks and slowly cook to render out the fat and make it crispy! (bacon- it's like adding a tasty little love nugget)

Pull the bacon off- and drain onto paper towel-

Now assemble- in a bowl add all ingredients (you can leave a little cheese out for the top) and stir- and place into a sprayed casserole dish. Top with a little more cheese and bake @ 350* for 20- 25 minutes.

What a pretty sight!

Okay- here are a couple weekend pics-

Buddy- the bassist from The Unit! Love him!

A great night--- except for the bathroom.

Paul busted out in 4th place- just missed the trophy by one spot!

Still smiling- what a champ- love him

HH and I

What a way to end this blog- love that girl!

Stuffed Pepper Soup- for Kristen

2010-09-09T21:46:00.000-05:00

Not an appetizing picture- but right now, that is all I have...

Soup is simmering as we speak. My house smells so good, I wish I could package it and share it with all of my friends.

So today was kind of a tough day for Tipsy- had many issues that arose during the day- this is how I conquered them. I made soup (and had a couple drinks with Mr. Hall). Dinner was covered- Ama and Jerry came over for pizza before the car show on the square, and I had Garlicky Chicken Legs in the crock pot. I didn't need soup- but I always want soup.

Stuffed Peppers have always been a comfort food for me. No one makes them better than my dad- that and his stuffed cabbage. You can taste the love. I have been trying to get him over here for years to show me the way. I make them, they turn out fine- but I am missing something. I can't say love- because usually my mojo is all over the food! I think there is something essential about learning your families dishes. So much history is lost when the children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews don't take the time or have the inclination to learn.

I really don't have a recipe for this soup that I have written down. The amount of meat can change, the veg you add can change- and you could definitely add more rice or beef stock.

This is what we did today-

I browned 1 1/2 pounds of ground chuck and 1 yellow onion and 2 garlic cloves with 1 tsp salt and a little pepper

I then drained it- and added 4 chopped bell peppers

1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, 1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes, and 1 16 oz can of beef broth-

After it simmered for about 10 minutes I added 1 tsp oregano and 1/3 cup of Long Grain Rice- I will probably add more rice tomorrow- I will cook it before I add it to the soup

Kristen- let me know if you make it- and how you like it! Don't be afraid to try different things- you can add more rice- less tomato or more broth!

So poor little Mr. Hall- before he went to bed 2 nights ago, he snuck a piece of gum. He thought if he chewed it, his tooth would come out. Well the tooth did come out- BUT....

He woke up with gum in his hair. Didn't think my little guy could get any cuter- but him with this toothless smile is just melting me.

Crock Pot Chicken Legs

2010-09-09T20:55:00.000-05:00

I love blogs.... I like to see what others are cooking- what I may want to cook.

I found this chicken recipe on Dine and Dish.

I love crock pot meals, especially when I have plenty on my to do list. So last night when my neighbor asked me if I could keep an eye on 5 kids for her in the morning.......... yes- 5 kids, throwing dinner in the crock pot this morning before they came over just made sense. It all made sense until I realized (yes after the chicken was seasoned and placed in the crock pot) it was Thursday and Ama and Jerry were coming for pizza before the car show! We can't feed Jerry garlic, it makes him sick- so no crock pot chicken for him- I had 38 cloves of garlic in that pot! When the chicken was done- I pulled it out- most was falling off the bone and ripping apart. I let it cool for a little while then placed in the fridge. Tomorrow I will be pulling all the chicken off the bone and adding a little chopped celery, onion, and grapes with some mayo and a little cider vinegar. Chicken salad for the weekend!

Here is how we made the chicken-

This is the spices mixed, I chopped the rosemary up to make it a little more even sized with the rest of the spices- and I didn't have red pepper flakes- so I used a little cayenne powder.

This is the chicken once it was seasoned and placed in the crock pot

12 chicken legs (more or less as needed)

40 garlic cloves (papery skins left on)

2 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2/3 cup chicken broth

6 tablespoons oil

Place garlic cloves in crock pot.

Mix spices together in med bowl.

Pour oil into separate med bowl.

Dip chicken legs in oil, then roll around in spice bowl, until chicken is nicely coated in spices.

Place chicken legs in crock pot with garlic cloves surrounding it.

Pour chicken broth over all ingredients.

Cook on Low for 8 hours.

After removing the chicken legs from the Crock Pot, you can place them on a cookie sheet brushed with olive oil and put them under the broiler on high for 5 minutes. This helped to crispy up the outsides some.

I didn't broil the chicken- we don't really eat the skin- so having it crispy isn't a priority. Also- we are just going to chop it up for chicken salad.

I had one of my favorite guinea pigs try it before we cooled it down. My sis-in-law stopped by and tried it out- she did say it had a nice kick, but it was good! I will post the chicken salad sandwiches this weekend!

My baked beans are the best-

2010-09-07T21:47:00.002-05:00

Well, in Lake County Indiana they are!

This is a picture of the bowl we submitted to the judges..

Well a whole new panel of judges tried the beans yesterday. My very opinionated and supportive family! Yes- you have all heard about the cook-out, made a couple dishes blah blah blah.

The beans are AWESOME- I have made them a couple different ways and they always turn out great. Some times I make them with my homemade honey bbq sauce, some times I cook the veg before adding all ingredients together and sometimes I just leave the veg raw- toss it all together and let it all simmer together. That is the benefits of not being afraid to cook- who cares if you screw it up- try something else next time! You can't succeed without trying... failure is just a learning curve!

I got this idea from checking out many different recipes for baked beans- I like the mix of peppers- but you can add jalapenos to spice it up, or omit the poblano if you can't find them. Try this like this or change it- don't be afraid to make it your own.

1 sweet onion finely diced

2 cloves garlic minced

1 red bell pepper- small dice

1 poblano pepper- small dice

you can saute these veg with a little olive oil and salt and pepper at this point to develop some deeper flavors- or keep raw for the fresh taste

optional- 1 jalapeno - seeded and finely chopped

1 1/2 cup bbq sauce (I like my own honey bbq- I will repost)

1/2 cup beer- you can also use broth

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp liquid smoke

2 cans of black beans- drained and rinsed

1 can baked beans

Mix these all together and bake at 375* for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. If they are a little thin you can cook down a little more.

2 cloves minced

2 tsp minced shallot- you can use regular white onion- rinsed under cold water before adding it to pot

1 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 cup honey

3/4 cup ketchup

2 TB tomato paste
1 TB Teriyaki Sauce

1 TB Worcestershire sauce

2 TB red wine vinegar- you can use any vinegar or liquor in this step, I have used Bourbon- yum

1 TB curry powder

1 TB Paprika

1 tsp Sriracha Sauce

Heat olive oil in sauce pan- add garlic and shallot and sweat until translucent- add rest of ingredients and bring to a boil- lower heat and simmer for about a half hour.

I would share one more picture of my wonderful trophy- but the photo option is being difficult right now- so maybe next time!

Nothing says love like Pumpkin Bars

2010-09-07T20:19:00.000-05:00

I don't make it very often, but when I do- I EAT IT! I don't eat a lot of sweets. I am a chubby girl who loves- LOVES- pasta and bread. Sweets are good, I enjoy making them, but I would much rather eat a bowl of pasta with a bread stick (or 3).

When we were discussing having a cookout yesterday morning- I knew I did not want to go to the store. Having a well stocked pantry (mine is more of a well stocked couple of shelves) makes cooking on the fly easy. (Threw in a little kitchen lingo for you) I enjoy pumpkin- you can add it to risotto, make a creamy dip, cookies, pies, cakes, soups- I can go on if you like. So having a can or two in the pantry, you can't go wrong. The other ingredients are of course every day items- flour, sugar, cinnamon, eggs...

I didn't have any cream cheese, but my beloved sis-in-law had a can of cream cheese frosting- so problem solved. I will add my fresh frosting recipe to this- but we just made do.

In a previous blog, I made mention of writing recipes in the front of my first cookbook. The wonderful lady that gave me that cookbook, also shared this recipe with me.

4 eggs

1 2/3 cup sugar

1 cup oil - veg or canola

16 oz can pumpkin

2 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

It did not come with directions- but this is what I do- Preheat oven to 350*- lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking dish, or you can use a cookie sheet for thinner "bars"- beat eggs until they are light lemon color- add sugar, mix well- add pumpkin, oil, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt- mix until well incorporated. Add flour and stir until it is mixed well. Pour into baking dish and bake for???? how big is your pan- 20 to 35 minutes depending on your pan! Sorry!

Frosting

8 oz cream cheese at room temp

1/2 cup butter also at room temp

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups powder sugar-

Mix all until it is smooth. Frost a completely cooled cake.

My brother Chad loves this dessert- I think it is more of a cake, but have always called it bars- that is what I was told! When I can make something that one of my boys loves, it makes me so happy. Wish my camera was up and running yesterday, would have liked to get a good Chad eating pumpkin bars recipe...

Look at that sexy cake- don't you just want to tear into it?

Came home for a quickie...

2010-09-07T09:26:00.002-05:00

This was the beginning of a quick lunch. I was going to make a poached egg on top of sauteed spinach and mushrooms with a hollandaise sauce- looked in the fridge, and was out of butter.

I did however have 1 chicken breast. So- sauteed spinach, mushrooms, and chicken it is. See, Mr. Hall came home in the middle of the day and I wanted to make a great home cooked lunch. Much better than those sandwiches I make him everyday.

On of life's little treats- the frozen bags of brown rice. In 2 1/2 minutes you have a yummy warm side for any meal.

So- all I did- heat a little olive oil in a saute pan. Add the mushrooms and season well. Toss the mushrooms once in a while, but they will take a couple minutes to render out some of the water and get a nice browned crust. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and add spinach, 1 clove garlic and salt and pepper. Stir around- it wilts pretty quick. Remove from pan- heat a little more olive oil and add seasoned chicken. Cook on each side for 2 to 3 minutes- depending on thickness. Add all back to pan- and check for seasoning.

I added a couple cherry tomatoes after this- but just tossed them in and plated. I didn't cook any of the freshness out of them.

Mr. Hall was happy with his quickie....

If you change a family recipe....

2010-09-07T08:54:00.000-05:00

My sister makes this noodle salad- Grandma's Mac Salad

A recipe she got from her husbands grandma- hence the name. She makes this for most family gatherings- we love it! It's simple and creamy... easy to make. But- yeah always a but, I didn't have elbow macaroni and wanted to make a couple dishes for a cook-out without running to the store. I did however have rotini- whole wheat rotini. Did you know- 8 oz of mac and 16 oz of rotini isn't the same. I don't even think 8 oz of mac and 8 ozs of rotini is the same. Well, in my hurry to get my food done- I didn't read the whole recipe. So- I made the dressing for the 8 oz of mac (while boiling 16 oz of rotini), mixed it up, covered it, and tossed in the fridge to chill. I did not look at this again until we where at my brothers and ready to eat. How horrible, to open up this much loved salad and see a dry mess. Needless to say, it soon went into the garbage. Of course, us being us- we still had plenty of food, but I did miss the mac salad.

1 cup Hellman's Mayo

1 TB mustard

2 TB white vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

8 oz. mac

2 stalks of celery- diced small

1 bell pepper- diced small

That is all you have to do- READ THE RECIPE!!! There is no tricks, no special lighting- just boil some darn noodles, cut up a couple veg, and make an easy little dressing. And I screwed it up. I was so proud- we decided at 9:30 in the morning that we wanted to have a cook-out at 1. I wasn't going to hit the store and be part of that huge crowd- I was just going to make things from stuff on hand. I had plenty of options, no camera, and a couple hours. I chose to make the mac salad, my AWARD winning baked beans, pumpkin bars, and banana chocolate chip monkey bread (before you get all excited- I used a mix that a friend gave me for the monkey bread).

I don't know about you- but my special tried and true recipes all end up in a cookbook. My first cookbook came from a mother of a guy I dated for most of my young adult life. She was like a second mother to me. We used to hang out all the time. She had a cookbook, and on the inside cover was recipes she got from her family. She made the most wonderful yeast rolls for Sunday dinner. Oh- so warm and yeasty- a little butter... I regress. One Christmas she got me that same cookbook- and shared some of her recipes with me. Now all of my special recipes- Grandma's Mac Salad, Blue slaw (from the restaurant blue- I used to work at), and Jay's grandmas fudge are on the inside of my cookbook.

Previously mentioned cookbook with recipes

For Christmas HH gave me a really cool blank book. I have started to write recipes in there, since I am running out of blank pages in this cookbook. Any cookbook writers out there- add a few blank pages in the front and back with the word NOTES on top- people will love it!

Sorry Janis- My Tart is Better!

2010-08-31T09:37:00.000-05:00

Sexy... yes, food can be sexy. This is one delicious, warm, fragrant, sexy tart.

My friend Janis, from Janis Cooks, makes a very good tart... but I am here to say, mine is a little better.

I am an avid blog reader. I go through some of my favorites everyday, and this usually leads to me finding new blogs. It is a vicious cycle. One that I don't really mind- but really, how much time can I spend doing this?

I don't know about other cooks- but sometimes I see a recipe, and I just can't get it out of my head. Only making it- and making it well, will do. You may find this funny- but when I saw this tart recipe on Happy Love Strawberry, I knew I had to make it. She used a nice blend of red and yellow cherries- it was pretty cool looking. I started by bugging all my friends that weren't too lazy to plant a garden this year(yeah, yeah- I need to plant some yumminess) for some cherry tomatoes. When I made my Baked Tomatoes with Shells last week, and tasted fresh sweet summer- I knew I needed that again.

As in all great things... I had to think about it. As I was washing dishes, I thought of how the house will smell fragrant and herbaceous when baking. While folding laundry, I thought of the soft chewy cheesy feel I wanted to create. But- when I was making my bed (yeah- were the magic happens!) I thought- I just did a dish with red cherries... what will my readers think. You know all 2 people that actually read my blog! Thanks NoNo and Ma! What will they say when I have two red tomato dishes- so similar. Oh the horror of it. Then the crazy squiggles that live up in that dome of mine- started thinking about the wonders of tomatoes. The beautiful Royal Red Cherry, The Green Grape, The Golden Nugget- but my true love... The Yellow Pear Tomato!

I knew I had to find them. My brain had already made this tart, and it was beautiful. My search began- many farm stands, grocery stores, and Farmer's Market's later... I find myself in Valpo. The SMALLEST Farmer's Market I have ever seen. I was a little disappointed. I drove 45 minutes to check this one out. Low and behold- I see yellow cherries- and in some of those tiny little green baskets- my yellow pear tomatoes. Yellow pear cherry tomatoes! I found you, but wait, why are you mixed with yellow cherries? I must have looked desperate, the lady running the stand called her daughter over and the three of us went through all of the baskets to finally collect almost enough to make 1 basket. The town is saved- I mean the tart is saved!

How traumatic, or dramatic- this search has been. My head doesn't work like other people's... I couldn't go back to just red cherries... not when I can see this beautiful bright yellow tart.

Love- I see clearly- in your bright yellow skin.

When I came home from the farmers market- I cleaned all my little lovelies- and then went picking through. I did bring home others. I thought their fate was a little better off in my hands. I will make you into a wonderful flavorful dish... is what I told them. And I did-

This recipe is adapted from the blog- Happy Love Strawberry

Tomato Mozzarella Tart with Basil Garlic Crust

It started with pulsing 1/3 cup and 2 small garlic cloves in the food processor.

I then added 1 1/4 cup flour and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt-

and pulsed it a few times. I then added 1 stick of cold butter cut into 10 pieces- and pulsed until the flour and butter blended into little pea size chunks- then added 4 TB ice cold water-

and of course- pulsed. You only pulse it until it forms a ball-

You then scrape it all- form it into a disk, wrap it and put it in the fridge for an hour to let it rest.

After about 45 minutes- I started cutting my tomatoes and cheese so I could assemble once I rolled out this dough-

Look at those beauties

I sliced the cheese into thin semi-circles

I lightly floured my silpat mat- and started to roll it out.

The mat has marking to make it easier to tell what size to roll-out for.

Then you can roll the dough onto your pin-

And place it into your tart pan-

I don't have a removable bottom tart pan- so I used my spring form pan-

press into the edges- and form the sides up a little- mine is a little wonky- I didn't form a good circle when I was rolling.

Then add 8 oz. of mozzarella in a single layer-

Top this with roughly 1 pound sliced cherry tomatoes-

then sprinkle kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper and a little olive oil over the whole thing-

Bake this beauty @ 375* for 35- 40 minutes. You need to let it rest before taking it out of the form. Then cool it slightly before slicing. The tart can stay uncovered for 6 hours at room temperature. It didn't make it quite that long, so I have no idea how well it keeps once refrigerated. When I make it again, and if it lasts longer- I will let you know...

This was brunch- let me tell you, I had 2 1/2 brunches!
Make this for someone you love- they will know, after the first bite- what you are telling them.

Birthday Dinner for Jay

2010-08-29T23:22:00.000-05:00

Jay 'n his Ma- Jay's 33rd birthday (unless you ask him- every time he tells someone an age- he gets a couple years younger- last I heard was 26)

I decided to invite a couple people over for Mr. Hall's birthday. At first there was discussion of ordering pizza (he does love Bronko's Sausage Pizza) last week when were talking about having people over. I just couldn't bring myself to have people over and not cook a good meal. I decided on some BBQ Chicken, Roasted Potatoes, Mac N Cheese, Cheddar Corn Bread, Green Salad, Grilled Cauliflower, Fruit Salad. I also made 2 starters- a tomato tart-

I will blog this recipe separate tomorrow- it turned out wonderful!

I also made a tomato crostini of sorts-

I bought some Cheddar Bacon and Onion Bread from the Valpo Farmer's Market yesterday- I thought it would make a wonderful vessel for a little tomato, basil, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and Parmesan. I sliced the bread (not an easy chore, it was pretty soft) and grilled it on both sides for a couple minutes.

I brined my chicken for 4 hours- with 1 quart water, 1/2 cup kosher salt, 2 TB honey, 4 TB sugar, 1 tsp whole black pepper, 1/3 cup olive oil and 1/3 cup soy sauce. 9 chicken breast fit in fine. I have been working on different blends- this one seems to be pretty good.

When I was ready- I pulled the chicken out- patted it dry and seasoned with grilling seasoning and let it sit for about 5 minutes while the grill heated up.

This is a horrible picture- but the BBQ chicken after the grill got ahold of it.

For the potatoes- I just cut small white potatoes into quarters, tossed with oil, butter, and garlic pepper- then placed in the oven @ 350* while I was cooking the garlic bread and mac n cheese.

For our mac- I used 1 box of Barilla Plus Elbow Macaroni. I cooked it for 6 minutes and drained it, then put back into pot. To the pot I added 1- 8oz package of cream cheese, 4 TB butter, 1/2 cup of milk, 3 cups of shredded Sharp Cheddar, 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan, salt and pepper- stirred it well and added it to a 9x13 baking dish that was liberally sprayed with cooking spray. Then baked it for 35 minutes @ 350*

I also made some corn bread- I used the Barefoot Contessa's recipe from the cookbook- At Home- It is a Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread-

I followed this recipe- except for the 3 jalapenos- I just used a half of one- here is the link

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/jalapeno-cheddar-cornbread-recipe/index.html

It turned out okay- I like mine a little sweeter.

The cauliflower was just like what I did earlier in the week- except I only used salt and pepper- Jerry can't eat garlic- so I had to make a couple dishes without garlic-

Now- a couple family shots, and I am off to bed...

Chuck- the best brother-in-law EVER! Came over this morning and helped Mr. Hall fix his van- it was like 93 degrees outside- but those guys just got in there and got it done. Thanks Chuck!

Ma and Jerry- enjoying dinner- they brought a yummy cake from Cold Stone!

Jen and Kody- this is the second picture... the first was gross thanks to Kody- your welcome.

HH, Ty and Wes sticking his crazy dome in.

Mr. Hall's b-day is tomorrow, let's see how old he says he is by then...

Triple Layer Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

2010-08-25T21:10:00.001-05:00

Let me just start this by saying- I have yet to have a slice of this cake. But I know the 3 separate components are AWESOME!

After dinner, I started the prep for the cakes- it has 2 different sauce/ topping components. Neither took very long- but I was already invested when I realized I did not have any parchment. I did what any desperate non-baker would do- spray the pans to death and pray.

This just needs to be said- in every Lil Chef's session I teach- I stress the point of mise en place. Yet, I can't get the lesson.

So here I am 32 minutes later- looking and praying- I let them cool for a little while- then knife around the edges- THEN.... nothing. The cake just sat there and mocked me. It says- "I know that you know, that I should come out- but I won't!" Well, really the cake didn't talk, but that is what it was thinking. Anyway- so I let them cool a little while longer- scoop them into a giant bowl and tell Wes to put on his shoes.

These cakes are going to get made tonight! I don't care if it is 10 minutes before your bedtime- we are going to the store. Off to the store we go... no, I couldn't do this earlier... I had to play Russian roulette with my wonderfully moist yummy cake.

So here we are back home- I measure, spray, preheat and start the batter all over again. I feel myself slipping back into that... well I don't know what to call it. But when I cook- when I know what I am doing, and I am making something GOOD- I just go somewhere. Like when you listen to music... you feel some songs. It's like that. Well here I am- and Wes yells- "aren't you going to read me a book?" And- mother of the year candidate I am not- I yell- "NO" So... bake to baking.

All of my pictures of the process seemed to turn out blurry- but essentially what happened was... I followed the directions! Easy enough-

Here are the three pans loaded and ready-

The first frosting of the night-

I did make this 1 1/2 times- I wanted to make the layers thick!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Glaze

I did do a couple things different- I am going to show the pictures while I tell you-

I put a nice layer of peanut butter frosting then topped it with the peanut butter chocolate glaze- then just piled on the layers-

Then at the very end- I mixed 8 oz of milk chocolate, 8 oz of semi-sweet chocolate, 4 TB of Lyle's Golden Syrup, 3/4 cup of half and half- this turned into a wonderful glaze- and I topped the whole cake

Unfortunately I did it on the cake plate- so now, it is sitting in a small lake of chocolate- wait, why is that unfortunate? It is pretty darn tasty. Just not as attractive.

This went to my wonderful neighbor Keith- he came and weed whipped for me today. I hate that job!

I don't know what I was doing- not seeing the whole table cloth all twisted....

Okay- maybe now I can have a piece. Thanks to my sister and sister-in-law for talking me into finishing.

Now for the recipe-

For the cake: This is adapted from Happy Love Strawberry- where I think she poached from the Smitten Kitchen- Originally called- Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes

2 cups plain flour
2 1/2 cups sugar - I think I was a little stingy with this
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup neutral vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups water
2 tbsp distilled white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.

2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk to combine them well. Add the oil and sour cream and whisk to blend. Gradually beat in the water. Blend in the vinegar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs and beat until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and be sure the batter is well mixed. Divide among the 3 prepared cake pans.

3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean.

4. When ready to frost the cake, put in the freezer for about an hour first so it's maneuverable, or else your layers will break up - trust me! Place one layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or large serving plate. Spread 2/3 cup cup of the Peanut Butter Frosting evenly over the top. Repeat with the next layer. Place the last layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.

5. To decorate with the Chocolate–Peanut Butter Glaze, put the cake plate on a large baking sheet to catch any drips. Simply pour the glaze over the top of the cake, and using an offset spatula, spread it evenly over the top just to the edges so that it runs down the sides of the cake in long drips. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes to allow the glaze and frosting to set completely. Remove about 1 hour before serving.

For the Peanut Butter Frosting:

Makes about 5 cups

10oz cream cheese, at room temp
1 stick butter, at room temp
4-5 cups powdered sugar, sifted - the original recipe uses 5c., I definitely used less but can't remember exactly how much. Add to taste.
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter, preferably a commercial brand (because oil doesn’t separate out)

OR: skip the cream cheese and use 1 1/2 c. peanut butter

1. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the icing sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Continue to beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Add the peanut butter and beat until thoroughly blended.

For the Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze:

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

8 oz dark chocolate, coarsely chopped - I used half milk/dark as a rough equivalent to American 'semisweet'- I used a blend of Milk Chocolate from Trader Joe's and Semi Sweet from Hershey's
3 tbsp smooth peanut butter
2 tbsp golden syrup- I found at Meijer's- Lyles Golden Syrup
1/2 cup single cream- (half and half works)

1. In the top of d double boiler or in a bowl set over simmering water, combine the chocolate, peanut butter, and syrup. Cook, whisking often, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

2. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cream, beating until smooth. Use while still slightly warm.

Grilled? Cauliflower

2010-08-25T08:21:00.000-05:00

I love my vegetables. Sure there are a couple I don't like, okra- ick (although I believe okra is botanically a fruit- but used as a veg). Pea's- I believe peas are little green balls of evil. But brussel sprouts, beets, rutabaga's- YUM.

This was a quick side dish- made timely only by cooking time.

I started this by cutting up one head of cauliflower and tossing it with 1 1/2 TB olive oil, 2 tsp Roasted Garlic Black Pepper, and the juice of 1/2 a large lemon.

I heated the grill to medium high- I wanted a nice sear on my meat, and put the grill pan with cauliflower on the grill. I didn't mess with it very much- I was inside cutting my pork tenderloin into medallions- but I did flip it every 4 or 5 minutes. It cooked for about 20 minutes. When I pulled it in, I tossed it into a bowl- added 2 TB unsalted butter (I could have used more olive oil, but I had butter right next to me) because it looked a little dry- then I added a palm full of shredded Parmesan- and nuked it for 30 seconds.

I served this with thinly pounded pork tenderloin.

A tip- if you pound it between to pieces of plastic- and wet it with a little water, it is easier on the meat.

Half the meat were basted in a Pampered Chef Maple Honey Mustard Sauce and half with Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce.

I also tried to nuke couscous for the first time. Let me just say, never again. We ended up eating the Birds Eye Frozen Brown Rice- nukes in 2 1/2 minutes (really great for nights like this!) I just tossed it with 1 tsp. butter and a little seasoning.

Good dinner.... but wait until you see desert. Later- I will blog that later.

What I lovingly call- Not Your Mama's Potato Soup

2010-08-24T23:23:00.000-05:00

I love potato soup. I love my mom. I did not love my mom's potato soup. Many things my mom was good at: raising 6 great kids, loving her grandkids, bingo, bowling, darts, working.... man I could go on and on...

she was not the best cook.

I am not saying she didn't make anything good- she was the inventor of TURKEY HASH- after Thanksgiving, you will all love turkey hash also! Although- I now jazz mine up, and think mine is better (I better watch out when I go outside, she might strike me with lightning) She made awesome Mexican Rice. Her biscuits and gravy are legendary. But, her potato soup was icky. My lovely mom's version- Milk, margarine, potatoes, salt and pepper- DONE. Really? What about some bacon, onions and cream???

Only picture I can find with my ma and papa- this computer doesn't have any of my older pics yet.

This pretty little lady loved my potato soup. I didn't want to tell her what I called it for the longest time. When finally I told her, she thought it was funny. When she started getting really sick, and didn't really eat anything- she asked for this soup. I was staying the night at the hospital with her, and she asked if I would bring her some. When I brought it, she was bragging to the nurses about what a great cook I was (not yet graduated- so I was yet to be considered a chef) and how I made the best potato soup. Not that she was willing to share any. When the nurses used to come in at two in the morning and wake her up, she always wanted a snack. What a time for potato soup (or cake- she usually asked for a sweet).

So- this is my potato soup.

Not Your Mama’s Potato Soup

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

½ cup diced bacon

¼ cup diced onion

3 cups diced potatoes

4 cups chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/8 tsp. cayenne

¼ cup dill weed

¼ tsp salt

And pepper to taste

Sauté bacon until crispy- add bell pepper and onion- cook until softened. Drain all of the fat off- and take some of the bacon, onion, and pepper- and set aside to top soup. Add potatoes and stock- bring to boil and boil until tender. Add cream and seasonings- puree most to thicken. Add cheese and serve. Top with reserved bacon, peppers, and onion.

This is after the bacon is browned- I added red bell peppers and scallions (I didn't have any yellow onion)

Here I added the chicken broth and potatoes- I like to cover it and bring it to a slow boil- then let them simmer until they are fork tender.

I split the potatoes and stock up- and puree 1/2

I puree until smooth-

Then I add it back to the pot along with the cream and seasoning

At the very end- once the seasonings are to your liking- add the cheese- yesterday I added a little ColbyJack, Sharp Cheddar, and Parmesan.

I hope you enjoy the soup as much as we do, sometimes I add a little more potato to get a little thicker- and sometimes I even puree it completely. Once you make it, you should try your own variations. Happy cooking!

Baked Tomatoes with Shells

2010-08-19T21:07:00.000-05:00

I was browsing in the cookbook aisle at the library last week. I love looking through to see what looks good, what to put on my wish list- like I don't have enough cookbooks already (do you ever really have enough). I love looking through the Jacques Pepin, Julia Child's, James Beard and other Culinary Greats.The knowledge that you can attain from these food geniuses is almost infinite... there is always a new thought or chef out there to learn from. But mainly- browsing to get an idea for a new dish is usually so exciting. Just think- that next book you pick up might have an ingredient mix that you hadn't thought of- or a picture that makes your mind wander into the great food beyond. That is what I love- yes, I read some of the recipes- but I love looking at the pictures and wondering how I would make that dish.

I am not one of those chefs that come up new and innovating dishes- I am more of a riff off- or redoing old classics kind of chef. So looking at different cookbooks puts so many ideas- usually I don't know where to start. But when I saw this pasta dish with fresh cherry tomatoes and bread crumbs, I knew right away I would try it. Best American Recipes Cookbook from the year 2000 had a lot of promising ideas, this is definitely a cook book I would like to add to my collection.

I will give you the way I tried it first then put the recipe from the book- I wanted to add a little sauce to the pasta- so here I go riffing again.

I cut enough cherry tomatoes in half to fill a pie pan

I then mixed-

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese- grate or shred & mince

3 cloves of minced garlic

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

I mixed these up well- then seasoned the tomatoes with salt and pepper (I did not measure this- I just grabbed a pinch and seasoned) then drizzled with olive oil (if I had to guesstimate- I would say maybe 2 TB)

top with bread crumb mixture-

I then baked them for 25 minutes at 375*

While they were baking- I pulled out a small skillet- added 1 TB olive oil, 1 cube of garlic (1 clove- but mine is frozen from TJ's- yes I didn't mince enough the first time) and set over medium high heat

Once the garlic unthawed... I added a little pepper and 1 cup of chicken broth- and the juice of 1/2 a large or 1 small lemon-

and then turned the heat down to medium and let it simmer about 5 minutes. Then added 1 cube of basil (yes, again- TJ's) I believe it is the equivalent of 1 tsp. then added a handful of shredded Parmesan. Once the pasta was drained, I added the sauce- then tossed in the tomatoes-

Not a great picture- but Mr. Hall was in such a hurry to get at it- he already started to dip in the pasta before the tomatoes were added. If that doesn't make you want to cook everyday- I don't know what would. When my guys smell good food and come running- boy do I feel like a ROCK STAR!

Today was LilMan's first day at school- breakfast took a while to eat- so we started the school year by running for the bus! So, no in front of the house picture this year- but here are a couple from this morning and afternoon-

Just finished breakfast- but no hairdo yet...

Hairdo intact- but still a little sleepy...

Then we realized the bus was out front....

No good picture- but hey, memories are memories.

Little Mr. Hall and Mr. Hall after school

Little Mr. Hall telling me about his great day! He had 2 recesses!!! Look at those smiling eyes- makes me so happy to see him like this.

Well- that is all for me right now, need to get LilMan ready for bed- we have another school day before our weekend!

Here is the original recipe from the book-

Pasta with Baked Tomato Sauce

Serves 4

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound very ripe cherry tomatoes, halved

1/3 cup plain dry breadcrumbs

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano

2 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino (or, if you don't have this, just more Parmigiano)

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 pound dried penne or spaghetti

1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, torn

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with one-third of the oil. Place the tomatoes cut side up in the dish.

2. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheeses, and garlic and toss with a fork to mix well. Sprinkle the bread-crumb mixture over the tomatoes, making sure that each cut side is well covered with the crumb mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until the tomatoes are cooked through and starting to brown on top, about 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Time the pasta so it finishes cooking about the time the tomatoes are ready to come out of the oven.

4. When the tomatoes are done, add the basil and stir vigorously to mix everything into a sauce. Drain the pasta and immediately transfer it to the baking dish. Add the remaining olive oil and mix well. Serve at once.

A Special Dinner for a Great Friend

2010-08-18T23:35:00.000-05:00

Many people can articulate how they feel with words. Most of the time words are beyond me... unless I am thinking, talking, writing, or eating food. I show love, anger, sadness- all emotions- with my food. When I can burn 3... yes I said 3- grilled cheese trying to make one, you know I have no desire to be in the kitchen. When I spend 4 1/2 hours cutting, chopping, slicing, simmering, baking, molding, and plating a small little cold salad for your lunch- I am showing you... I love you. I want your little cold salad to be the best thing you have eaten all day. Now don't misunderstand, sometimes my little 15 minutes in the kitchen I create lovely meals that are all for the pleasure of someone.

The kitchen, for me, is where it all happens. Nothing helps me work out my frustration more than taking 4 or 5 pounds of potatoes- peel and dice, peel and dice, peel and dice- by the 3rd pound I am in another world. Yes Jen- B's world- where all is glittery. When I am sad, I listen to horribly sad music- cry and cook.

But nothing- EVER- is better than cooking for a loved one. I have a couple recipes I need to try out, and what better than use said loved ones as a guinea pig.
After Sunday's dinner, I was talking to HH about the mixed grill and she sounded very interested in the veg sides I made. Perfect way for her to try them?? Come over and let me try my new Brined and Baconed Pork Tenderloin Medallions- yes, kind of a long name.

I did a simple brine for the tenderloin- I wanted to make sure it did not dry out after being browned in the pan then grilled. Goal accomplished- it turned out nice and moist!

Here is what I did-

1 qt cold water

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup kosher salt

1 tsp black pepper corn

3 smashed but left whole- garlic cloves

You need to put it in a food safe container that can be stored covered in the refrigerator. Pork Tenderloin can stay in a brine from 2- 8 hours. I left mine in the fridge for 3 hours, it turned out great. I would like to try different times, just to see if there is a difference.

For our sides- I did almost the same as Sunday's dinner- except I used an OBSCENE amount of garlic today.

I prepped my onion- then added olive oil and roasted garlic black pepper- and covered with foil

Green Beans with olive oil and Grilling Seasoning

Mushrooms- sliced and seasoned with salt and pepper, garlic powder and olive oil

Peppers- sliced and minced 1 large clove of garlic and added salt and pepper

I also grilled some Romaine- I just cut it lengthwise with the core still attached and drizzled with olive oil, salt, and pepper

YUM!

I also cut up a whole chicken- thinking I would only use the breasts and leave the rest for another recipe I wanted to try. That was when I first started preparing for dinner and was only going to feed 3. By the time I started cooking the number jumped to 6 plus a to go. No big deal- I did have a full chicken- so I cut it into 12 pieces (I cut each breast into 2) and seasoned with 21 seasoning salute from TJ's.

I start cutting it up by cutting out the backbone. You can save this, the wing tips, and any other bones you don't use to make stock. I then cut off the wings- if you twist the different parts (except the breast- it won't move!) you will see where there is a joint to cut into. This makes it so easy to figure out.

With the Pork Tenderloin- I took it out of the brine and patted it dry. Then cut the loin into 1 inch thick medallions and wrapped in BACON. I only seasoned the ones that did not get the bacon robe.

Next- I heated my cast iron and browned the bacon/loin before tossing it on the grill-

Here is the last finished dish...

I was pretty happy with how the pork turned out, of course this is only the starting point, so many ways and times to brine!

Here are a couple pics from OZZfest and STUFF!-

My trophy from the Grilling Competition! Dear Beans, I own you!

Wes showing me how dirty he can get his shirt 2 minutes after I make him put it on.

My nephew- Ty @ OZZfest- we were just walking around...

2 girls I had to get my picture taken with

Tyler getting an autograph from a band with a name he is not allowed to say.

We have had fun this week- but tomorrow... DUN Dun dun.... School starts.

Mixed Grill and Taco's a Twofer

2010-08-15T23:36:00.001-05:00

This is a two for one blog. Last night I was at a friends house and we made taco's and beans- I didn't get many pictures so I am adding that to my Sunday Night Dinner post.

This week we did not have dinner with my sister and her family. We went to Ama's house (my other mother) to make dinner for Jerry's belated birthday. I had an idea of a spectacular spread of food- and boy did we accomplish that. This is my first attempt at what I call a "Mixed Grill". With 2 different pork products and most of my favorite veggies- I do not need to tell you I wasn't disappointed. I did not take any pictures of prep. It was so ridiculously easy, I would be embarrassed to photograph this... Having a couple grill baskets would make it a little easier- but foil is my friend- so we made it work.

Here was our menu-

3/4 inch cut Smoked Pork Chops (Doug Komo's)

2 red bell peppers- sliced in thick strips and tossed with olive oil and salt and pepper (Jerry can not eat garlic- this is a little tragic- but I can go one meal without it on ALL my food) all onto a giant piece of foil, wrapped and tossed on a hot grill

1 large vidalia onion- cut into large chunks- tossed with... you guessed it olive oil, salt and pepper. This we placed in a pie tin and covered with foil- lightly cover, you will want to stir them (and pull a couple out to try)

2 pounds of white button mushrooms- washed but left whole with a little butter, olive oil, salt and pepper- then folded into a large foil packet

1 pack of haricot verts (thin French Green Beans) split in 2 packs- one with Grill Seasoning and olive oil- the other with salt, pepper and olive oil-

Last but not least- asparagus... with- olive oil, salt and pepper.... like you didn't know.

We also made Italian Sausage from Pietak's- it is made without garlic! So- our table was groaning under the weight of all that yumminess.

Yes- the amount of foil is slightly ridiculous... I know.

But Ama will tell you- it turned out well worth it!

Here is our last night dinner with Meg and Puke-

My girl Meg... awww

A horrible picture of Puke

We made pork and beef tacos and black beans for our taco dinner. The beef is ground chuck- and I add a mild taco seasoning pack along with roasted garlic black pepper.

The pork meat is from the local Mexican Grocer in Cedar Lake. We ate our taco's with some pico, guac., and lettuce on whole wheat shells...

Pork taco with black beans, pico, and shredded cheese

Beef taco with black beans, pico, and queso fresco

The beans... yeah, not the best picture.

The black beans are drained and rinsed then tossed into a small sauce pan- I then add a couple TB's of pico de gallo and a little garlic powder.

The end of this week was a little sad. The kids are leaving for college- so the pool won't be as fun. But Friday I did something I never thought I would do... I jumped off the diving board. So what you say... it isn't that far up- BUT I CAN'T SWIM! I felt safe- one of the greatest lifeguards stood guard while I made my leap- (really I just kind of stepped off the board) I was exhilarating! Wes got a couple pictures- I am also going to add a couple pics from some of my best kids at the pool...

Well- this is my best kid... swimming on his back- isn't he amazing?

My big splash- with Nick guarding- thankfully he did not have to jump in after me.

This is when I finally surfaced- it did seem like a long time- but boy did I do good!

Blake- poising all sophisticated like- isn't he supposed to be watching the water?

Holly- one of 3 siblings that work at the pool

Miss Mary

Nick- his last sitting for the 2010 season

Hannah- the 2nd sibling

Brady- the 3rd sibling

My buddy Jess- I will miss her dearly. I lucked out meeting her- a kindred cooking spirit.

Have to put one more of lil man swimming-