Cooking Skills Redeemed!

Last night I decided to make something I rarely venture into, a casserole. I try and stay away from casseroles mainly because they produce way more then the 2-4 servings that P and I tend to stick with, also, they are usually laden with cream of chicken, cream of mushroom and the like. While I like the "creams," I am not the young lady I once was, and every now and then I like to keep an eye on what I eat. The sodium content alone in those cans of convenience are enough to make me want to stay away from the world of casseroles.... despite all that I strayed from the norm last night. Let me also add that this is a Paula Dean recipe, despite the fact that some of her southern charm annoys me sometimes (sorry M-I-L), I can appreciate the fact that she knows how to make a mean cocktail to accompany most of her dishes, and well, as far as Homestyle Chicken Pot Pie goes, I trust a southerner over anybody else.

Homestyle Chicken Pot Pie

2 1/2 cups peeled and coarsely chopped potatoes (about 2 med. size)

1 cup peeled and sliced carrots (about 2 med. size)

1 can corn, drained (15.25oz)

1 can green beans, drained (14.5oz)

2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used about 3 good sized boneless, skinless, breasts)

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 can chicken broth (14.5oz) (Do yourself a favor and go for the Low Sodium)

1 pint half & half

1 tbsp dried parsley flakes

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 can refrigerated biscuits (7.5oz)

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 13x9 inch baking dish. (the deeper the dish the better)

Combine potatoes and carrots with enough water to cover in a Dutch oven. Bring to boil and cook for 8min. Drain well.

In a large bowl, combine cooked potatoes and carrots, corn, green beans, and chicken. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for 2min, stirring constantly. Slowly add chicken broth and half & half, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring constantly, for 7 minutes, or until thickened.

Stir in parsley, salt, and pepper. Pour batter mixture over vegetable mixture tossing gently to combine. Spoon into prepared baking dish.

Separate biscuits and place evenly on top of casserole. Bake for 20-30min, or until biscuits are brown and casserole is hot and bubbly.

I think this casserole was delicious and since I shredded my chicken rather then cubed it*, I single -handedly restored my faith in chicken pot pies. Also, the sheer size of the casserole guarantees P and I meals for a week, and pot pies are always tasty, hearty leftovers.

* I DESPISE cubed meat. This theory does not apply to fruit, cheese, or anything else. Just meat. Don't judge.

New Look = NotSoGood

I was so pleased with my dresser makeover that I began to look for other things to paint. I think I was just pleasantly surprised with how much more I enjoy painting smaller pieces of furniture compared with the agony of painting large rooms. Those feelings are what ultimately led to my old coffee table becoming the next victim of my paintbrush. The back living room in our home is pretty dull in my eyes, very neutral and bleh.... I am not opposed to neutral but this room bothers me, maybe because there are about three different shades of green on the furniture and nothing nice really pops out, or maybe because this room is filled with all the old furniture. Needless to say, I felt that this room could benefit from some Colonial Red as well. While I don't think end result of the coffee table is heinous, I cannot promise that it won't be changed soon. Maybe this time I will try sanding down the red and adding a nice stain on top to being out some more gloss that this room could benefit from. Here is where it stands as of now.

BEFORE

AFTER

Old Dresser, New Look

I finally got around to painting an old dresser I picked up at an estate sale over the summer. I stopped by Lowe's and picked up a little can of Rust-Oleum red paint, I believe it was called Colonial Red, or something rustic like that. After lightly sanding the dresser I went ahead and started slapping some paint on it. My vision was to have it keep it's older appearance and not look glossy... and I am pretty happy with the way it turned out. I left the knobs the original wood but sanded then down a bit. The dark wood comes through the red perfectly and I am pretty pleased with my quickie paint job. I may go back and redo it sometime but for now it adds some color to the guest bedroom.

BEFORE

AFTER

Epic Fail

I am thoroughly disappointed with my cooking capabilities, at least with my most recent venture. Since the cool, crisp whether is upon us I've decided that it is officially soup season. I have been blabbering for weeks about making butternut squash soup and this weekend I took a stab at it. I found a simple recipe that gave me the impression that the soup would turn out more sweet than savory, which is exactly what I was looking for....

Let me just say that I have made quite a few things that never made it into "Holly's Official Recipe Box," but the butternut squash soup that I produced Saturday night was nearly appalling. I don't know where I went wrong. Let me retract that, I don't think I went wrong, I think I fell victim to a crappy recipe! I spent a little time doctoring it up last night with some cream, cinnamon, and nutmeg but the initial taste is still off and the aftertaste is bitter. I am scouring the internet to try and find a lifeline for my pitifully disgusting soup. Does anyone have any suggestion?? Should I have roasted my squash before pureeing? Cream cheese, white wine? Maybe I should just leave this one to the cooking experts :(

Stained Glass?

I am so relieved that we finally got some more house projects completed this weekend! Above 3 out of the 4 entry doors in our home we have transom windows. I have had mixed feelings about these windows since moving in... On one hand I love them in that they are original to the home and they let in a ton of light, on the other hand they can also offer an unobstructed view for those on the street of one walking up and down the stairwell. Our home has two front entryways, this is a result of the house being a duplex in its former life, but we really only use one of them, so after growing paranoid about the main transom window P purchased some decorative film to block the view.

Let me first say that after reading the instructions I gave up on it, but within 10min P had it up and looking lovely. We both noticed the amount of light it took away from our main hallway but the exchange for more privacy was worth it and it almost fools you into thinking that it is true stained glass. I would certainly recommend this product to those of you looking for solutions to their wide open transom windows or sidelights. Now I am stuck trying to decide whether the other front door needs to have the film applied as well.....? I like the idea of continuity but at them same time that would mean losing light in the dining room....

Birthday Dinner

Sorry I made you wait so long... Sunday's birthday dinner for my sister-in-law was a success! I am so pleased as this was my first big dinner in the new house. I was able to pull out all the new serving ware and utilize all my dinnerware and flatware... I am such a domestic geek. I even used my linen napkins and napkin rings for the first time! I made sure to spruce up the rest of the room by adding some candles and a pumpkin ensemble....

Here is what was served:

Cheese Ball (made to look like a pumpkin)

Salad

Green Beans

Sauteed Asparagus

Mashed Potatoes

London Broil with mushroom gravy

Chocolate Trifle

Turtle Pumpkin Pie

Everything was homemade with love, save the canned green beans. I was able to save myself from freaking out the day of by preparing the cheese ball, the turtle pumpkin pie, and part of the chocolate trifle the day before. Without further ado, some recipes for you.....

Caramelized Garlic Cheese Ball
2 tsp butter

2 tbsp coarsely chopped garlic (I def. used more and it was most certainly noted)

1 tsp sugar

8oz cream cheese, softened (Chan, did you even notice?)

1/4 cup butter, softened

8oz sharp cheddar, shredded

1/4 cup sliced green onion

1/4 tsp salt

____

1/2 cup finely crushed cheese crackers (I used Cheeze-It)

bell pepper or green onion for garnish

Melt 2 tsp butter in small skillet until sizzling, add garlic and sugar.

Cook over med/high heat stirring constantly until garlic starts to brown (3-5min).

Remove from heat.

Combine garlic mix and all other ingredients, save the crackers, in bowl and beat at med speed until creamy.

Shape into ball (pumpkin), cover, and refrigerate 1 hour.

Uncover and roll cheese ball into crushed crackers.

Cover and chill 2 more hours, or however long you need to, and garnish with green pepper. I just used the green onion because it was already on the counter. You can actually freeze this deliciousness for later consumption.

I'm going to hop around a bit and go straight to the dessert now....

Turtle Pumpkin Pie

I stole this recipe... clearly I don't have time to sit at home and brainstorm recipe ideas so I will save us all some time and just link this recipe. Plus, like the terrible blogger that I am, I forgot to take a pic of the finished product before it was savaged.

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/turtle-pumpkin-pie-106961.aspx

I did get a little distracted with some housework going on Saturday and accidentally put in a tbsp of cinnamon rather then a measly tsp. I could taste the difference but no complaints were lodged. I will put a warning on this pie though, it is RICH.

Chocolate Trifle

1 (19.8oz) package brownie mix

1 (3.9oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix

1/2 cup water

1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (8oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 (12oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed, they don't actually make 12oz containers of Cool Whip, but they do make 16oz containers.. do with that what you'd like.

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions and cool completely. Cut into 1 inch squares. (I completed this step the day prior and boy did it help!)

In a large bowl, combine pudding mix, water and sweetened condensed milk. Mix until smooth, then fold in 8oz Cool Whip until no streaks remain.

In a trifle bowl or glass serving dish, place half of the brownies, half of the pudding mixture and half of the 12oz container of Cool Whip. Repeat layers.

I then sprinkled some brownie crumbs on top as garnish. Refrigerate 8 hours before serving. Again, this is RICH! Totally delicious though...

I'll be back with more later~!

Really?

http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html

I think this whole 'holiday for every day of the year' has gone a little too far. Don't get me wrong, I am not anti-pirate, but if I don't receive a paid day off from work then it doesn't really count as a holiday. Before you even ask, YES, I did talk to my boss about receiving the day off of work on account of National Talk Like a Pirate Day, I even tried to haggle for an early release. Well kiddos I am still here in my windowless cubicle..... recovering from a lunch induced nap. I cannot wait to get outside in that semi-chilly air.... Have a great weekend!

Casserole + Cake

Clearly I have been forsaking my house duties for cooking lately. While my list of household projects continues to grow and more and more people are seeing the house I find myself more in the mood to bake a pie then paint a dresser. I like making people happy with food... and I love eating! Monday night I had a pretty simple dinner topped with a pretty sweet cheesecake for dessert. The dinner was a basic sausage and rice casserole with steamed broccoli, my Mama passed this recipe down to my sister and I and while it isn't the most complex or fancy recipe it is quite simply one of the easiest meals to make and it always makes me think of my Mama in the kitchen (the rarity that it was...ha.)

Sausage & Rice Casserole

1lb sausage (I prefer Jimmy Dean HOT)

1 cup rice (take the better route and go for some whole grain or brown rice)

chicken broth

*additional items can include whatever spices you'd like to throw in there or green peppers, onion, corn, slivered almonds, etc.

Cook and drain the sausage. In the meantime, bring 3 1/3 cup liquid to a boil. (I usually use about 1 1/2 cups broth and the rest water. How you want to split that up is your call.)

Once the liquid is boiling add the rice and cook until tender and the liquid is gone. Add sausage in with the rice. That is it folks. Once you add the two together you may add any additional items (I threw in some red pepper flakes) and your meal is ready to go. We threw ours on a plate with some steamed broccoli and we were set.

I skipped adding any extras the other night because all I could think about was the upcoming cheesecake. I hadn't made cheesecake in quite some time and it always intimidates me. I often worry that it won't set right or that the consistency will be off. I LOVE cheese and always have high expectations of any recipe with a substantial amount of cheese in it so I was fretting. I found a super easy recipe and it didn't disappoint.

Cherry Cheesecake

Preheat oven to 375

crust:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs (or you could just buy the pre-made crust I suppose, I was just in the mood to clean the dust off my spring form)

1 tbsp melted butter

1 tbsp sugar

Mix all the ingredients together and press firmly onto the bottom of a 9" spring form pan. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

3 (8oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Beat cream cheese until it become light. Add eggs, sugar and vanilla and beat until well combined. Pour mix into crust and bake about 35-40min. Top with your favorite topping, our choice of the night was cherry pie filling. Simple and delicious.

For some reason my cheesecake took an ungodly amount of time to cook. I would say it took almost an hour! Just keep an eye on it, you will see when it's ready to come out. The top will become golden and your toothpick will come out clean. Let it cool to room temperature before placing in the fridge and adding toppings.

Hopefully I will post more about some house projects this week as I MUST get some projects done, especially hang some things on my blindingly white walls. I am also planning and preparing for my first big dinner at the new home.... I am SO excited! I love feeding people.

Pumpkin Bar = Pumpkin Bread

So I was a little disappointed with my baking last night. I had been waiting all week to try out this pumpkin bar recipe I had come across, in my mind I am imagining a lemon bar but with the pumpkin taste, I was after the gooey, tangy effect. I first started to doubt my pumpkin bars when I poured them into the pan. They were crustless. I had never made crustless lemon bars before...? I guess I should have realized by all the flour and eggs in the recipe that the pumpkin bar was actually going to turn out to be pumpkin BREAD, albeit very moist bread. I am very disappointed in my lack of a gooey sweet pumpkin bar but here is pretty tasty bread recipe if you care to try it.

1 cup flour 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup sugar 1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup oil 1 tsp baking soda

2 eggs 1 tsp salt

1 cup canned pumpkin 1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350

Grease 9x13 pan

Mix all ingredients until well blended

Bake for 25 min

Bad pic I know, but it was pretty tasty. As you can see my niece and I made a dent in it. It was very pumpkin-y and the nuts were an added treat, it was nice and moist .... but lacking in the gooey bar factor. I will continue my search!

Get on the Boat....

The zucchini boat that is... I was checking out some easy veggie recipes online the other day and came across this little gem. http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/stuffed-zucchini-boats-111123.aspx

A zucchini boat..for real?! I had to make it, so while P fixed us some steaks I got to work on crafting our boats. I pretty much followed the recipe but I added some extras.

-I shredded some fresh mozz and threw all of it in the mix.

-Instead of using Ritz crackers I used pistachio crackers that I have been trying to keep in the house at all times. They are delicious to say the least and even better with a little peanut butter on them, what can I say....the more nuts the better!

-Instead of using dried basil I just snipped some fresh basil from out back

-I added some pepper and red pepper flakes

-To top it off I placed 1/2 slice of pepper jack cheese on top of each boat, that was the kicker.

I have to say that they were pretty tasty, even P seemed to have hopped on the boat. In hindsight I may have gone ahead and added a little Old Bay or something else but they were tender boats stocked full of cheese and other tasties.

Bambi = Dinner

I have to say that I have most certainly been slacking in the home cooking department. It's not that I haven't been cooking or eating, it's just that I have been forgetting to take some pics of the process. I figure what the heck, I can at least share the yummy recipes with you and try and dig up some photos online. First meal of the week was venison chili. While I am becoming more and more comfortable with cooking meat as the days go by I, nor P, are hunters. K generously supplies me with the raw meat that is necessary for the venison meals and it is all certainly appreciated.

brown 1lb ground venison
add about 4 garlic gloves, chopped
add 1 green pepper, chopped
add 1/2 large white onion, chopped
add 2-28oz cans of diced tomatoes (I always play with this depending on my mood, also they make "chili ready" diced tomatoes and some have basil and oregano flavors...)
3tbsp chili powder (after letting it sit for a bit I added quite a bit more along with some paprika, red pepper flakes, cumin, salt, pepper.... follow your taste buds on this one, mine was a little spicy)
2 cans red kidney beans
1 can great white northern beans (I love beans..fiber!.. so my chili is stocked full with as many as possible!)

Simmer everything together, the longer the better. I made mine the night before and just popped it in the fridge overnight. The next day I simply reheated it on the stove top and it was perfect. Plop a little cheddar and sour cream on top and it was game time. I normally serve my chili with cornbread but my mom raised me to serve it with rice. I like rice, I just don't normally carry it in the house. Enjoy!

iPod update

Well I just wanted to share a little fact with ya'll, I am sure most of you, at least those of you who are substantially less technologically challenged than I, already know. You can now change your iPod battery all on your own. Shocker! I think it requires having one of those tiny screwdrivers that they make for glasses and such and purchasing a battery from Batteries Plus. I handed my precious over to P and he worked the magic. All my tunes have been reinstated and it works beautifully on an iDock. Unfortunately, the places where those tunes matter the most to me, in my car and at the gym, are still highly inaccessible. Something must have happened in the battery switching process because the earphone jack is definitely NOT working. I am heartbroken all over again. I have my tunes at my fingertips but now I can only jam at home?! The dog always looks at me funny and I much prefer belting out in my car, it is also probably better for the public good as I am less likely to kill someone on the road if I am distracted by a good song. Oh well, it's off to the Genius Bar for me tonight. If anyone out there works for Apple or has had this problem, HELP!

UPDATE:

The Genius's were not able to help me. Not only did they fail to perform the magic I was counting on but one gentleman was borderline rude when I told him that I hate iTunes and much prefer Sharepod. I understand I was busting on the company that puts food on his table but ya know what?.... iTunes has crashed my computer, twice! Despite all that, P went ahead and bought another iPod classic. My old baby is now forever his and I now have my own new silver one. I know, I know, I bought old technology but you know what, all I want to do is jam! I don't need to check my email or check the weather on the new iPod touch. As cool as it seemed for all of an hour, I figured it would take me 'till Christmas to figure that mamba jamba out, and I don't know about you but my fall season is already pretty full, to full to add "iPod tutorial" to my list. For now, I am happy, content. So if you see me singing at the top of my lungs in my car or looking blissfully happy at the gym, do me a favor and ignore me, for I am jamming.

GingerFest 2008

This is exactly why P and I decided to get married..... so that one day, if need be, we could help repopulate the dying breed of gingers. This is certainly an epidemic that needs to be addressed. It looks like I need to make a trip to Wolverhampton!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7596940.stm

Labor Day weekend wrap-up

I am already enjoying September. The walks into work in the morning have been nice and crisp and I cannot wait until the leaves start to change... Although I have to say, the warm, breezy weekend weather was a dream and I was sorry to see this past weekend go.

As promised I have some pictures of the goodies that K and I baked over the long weekend.
Friday night we arrived and immediately began making homemade pizzas. This of course came after some tasty cocktails were mixed. The drink of the evening was sweet tea flavored vodka and club soda. Perfection. Albeit a bit dangerous. The pizzas were basic but totally delicious. I love that you can make them your own by adding whatever you want from the fridge or pantry. We started by using thin crust pizza dough, then we just began throwing anything we could find on top. Cheeses included, fresh parm, mozzarella, and feta. Veggies included, spinach, shittake mushrooms, spinach, and K's homegrown tomatoes. Add plenty of olive oil (in lieu of red sauce), garlic, and basil and you have a tasty treat! We added a side salad to complete the meal.

At the Rivah, snacks are always in abundance as well. K made my personal favorite snack, spinach dip. I am not quite certain of everything that was made to concoct this fine dip but I know that the amount of cheese was enough to send anybody into a lactic shock ( I don't think this is an actual medical condition, it's just something I could imagine happening after too much cheese intake).

I have to say that Saturday's dinner took the prize thanks to a joined family effort. On the menu was crab cakes, whole wheat cous cous, and creamed spinach topped with panko crumbs. I have to say I was pleased with my first attempt at making creamed spinach (family, expect to see this at Thanksgiving). I stole the recipe from Food & Wine and absolutely loved every bite. Panko crumbs add an extra hint of salt and an almost tempura like texture and I was unaware, until Saturday, that they were available in "Italian" flavor. We ended the evening with my mother-in laws chocolate explosion cheesecake. Words cannot describe, oh wait, diabetic attack, there you go.

Sunday, we decided to take it easy with a simple hot dog and hamburger cookout. We substituted bison meat for the burgers and I of course had to throw in my favorite veggie, brussel sprouts! That meal was completed by my homemade apple pie.

Super easy recipe:

2 refrigerated pie crusts (I know I should make my own crust, but I like to cheat)

6 Granny Smith apples (peeled and sliced)

1 cup of sugar

1 tbsp flour

1 tsp cinnamon (you could add a little nutmeg or some chopped nuts in there if you'd like)

Combine ingredients and pour into pie crust. Bake at 375 for 25min with foil surrounding the edges. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20min until golden and bubbly.

(I tend to brush some butter and sugar over the top crust for a little extra goodness)

Oh man, I am getting hungry all over again! All in all, the food was great, the Rivah was warm, and the breeze was cool. A perfect ending to another summer was had by all.