Butter up

My journeys into the world of Indian food have been limited.  I'm not afraid to try new things, ok, I have limitations on this, but I'll try most things.  Not monkey brains or balut, but most things.  (If you don't know balut, look it up later. Much later. Blerg.). So there's this Indian buffet restaurant down the road from my office, and my new boss (who did eat balut) wanted to go. This was a while back, when I was still trying to establish repoire with associates in the work place--- so I went.  There were three of us that day, because everyone else thought they were too cool for school (or had plans, or something).  I was left to choose from an array of steaming and colorful dishes without guidance.  I had eaten Indian food a few times before, but in the past, my husband had skillfully directed my selections.  I experienced lots of new flavors that day, and this was one of my favorites.  It is still a meal that I savor slowly, extracting every bright flavor from every single bite.  I will never grow tired of it.  I will always look forward to the day it appears on my plate.  Not.even.kidding.
Try it. You'll see. It will change your life. You don't even have to move to India. Unless you just want to.

Butter Chicken

What you'll need: large stock pot or enameled cast iron, medium sized sauce pan, cutting board, sharp knife, garlic press, skillet

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs) cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter
1 medium white onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, pressed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 (14.5oz) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes
2 cups whole milk (or cream- amen?)
1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 1/2 cups basmati rice
4 cups water

Naan

In your heavy pot, melt the butter and sauté onion and minced garlic on medium high heat.  When they become translucent, drop in the cut up chicken pieces.  Cook until just browned, stirring occasionally (about 10 minutes).  Stir the spices in and add tomatoes, tomato sauce, milk and cilantro.  Let that simmer a bit, but reduce heat to medium.
In the sauce pan, pour the water, add the rice, turn the heat to medium high until it begins to boil. Reduce heat to medium or low (you dont want it to make a mess) and cover for 15 minutes.  Heat the skillet on medium and warm up the Naan, browning on both sides- because that makes it so good.  Serve with a scoop of rice on the dish, cover with a generous helping of butter chicken garnished with a sprig or two of cilantro-and nibble on a little naan while you're at it.
Then go dancing, because you'll want to dance.

Give the people what they want

There are 7 days in a week.  My family gets breakfast by mom on only one of those days. I like breakfast, but I'm out the door before 7 on weekdays and Sundays are almost always super busy.  Saturday, though.  Saturday is THE DAY for breakfast food. We love almond around here and my kids are trying to convince me to make almond rolls in place of cinnamon rolls.  I cannot make that happen, because that sounds gross. I did surprise them with some super duper Bear Claws.  All of those tasty treats were consumed by happy family members and you may want to try them out yourself.  Downside: these ingredients are probably not in your pantry. Upside: these ingredients are easy to find. 

Bear Claws

What you need: mixer of choice, food processor or chopper, rolling pin, sharp knife, spoon, cookie sheet, 400 oven

1/3 C almond paste (the box is pictured for your convenience)

2 3/4 C ground almonds (just chop 'em up real small)

1/2 C white sugar

Pinch of salt

2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

2 egg whites

1 teaspoon almond extract

**beat all of these together on high til fluffy, about 1 minute**

1/2 C flour sprinkled kn a hard surface 

1 package puff pastry, thawed but cold -as pictured (there are two pieces of the puff pastry in the box, use them both but process separately)

Roll out puff pastry on a floured surface spoon 1/2 of the filling on the first puff pastry.  Fold one end  over to the middle and cut with a sharp knife. Fold the other half over to the final edge creating two pieces with filling in the middle. Each should be cut to three pieces (three bear claws) fold the seamed edge backward so tht it sort of curls, and cut three slits separating "toes". - see the picture and it will make sense. (I hope) once you process both puff pastry sheets, you will end up with a dozen of these little fellas. You'll fit six on a cookie sheet comfortably. 

Bake 20-25 minutes, 400 degree oven. 

Some folks like frosting or a glaze on these- if you are one of those people, whip up

1 C powdered sugar

2 tablespoons water
In a small sauce pan over medium heat, spoon a very light layer in the hot bear claw and it will be extra sweet.

HOT DISH ~ Christie Mannin

I met this girl a long time ago.  A long, LONG time ago. Christie Mannin.  (back then she was Christie Cosper)  the beautiful girl with dimples and six tons of amazing hair.  She and her family came to our church when I was in junior high and they quickly became an integral part of my life.  I spent countless hours with Christie as a teenager.  We got our drivers’ permits together.  –had she not taken me along, I might not be driving still today.  Thank you, Christie.

Christie and I became fast friends, maybe because as interests go, ours were very similar.  In our back-and-forth email conversations, I was not at all surprised to learn that Christie enjoys cooking, shopping, decorating, leading worship and serving others in her community.   Christie was always ready to host a party and take care of a house full of people.  It seemed effortless for her. She had the capability, even as a kid, to make people feel comfortable and included; that is one of the qualities that makes her so good at living out the Gospel. 

Christie’s hugs are warm and real and there really is nothing like them.  It’s a hard thing to try and explain in black letters on white paper, because it’s life in color.  She gets it. She understands how to love people, how to care for people and how to reach them where they are.   Christie’s family (husband, Tim , daughters Emily (11), Carys (8), Addison (5), and son Greyson (1)) is excited to be living out the dream and the calling that the Lord began placing on their lives almost 3 years ago- to plant a church that would advance God’s story of restoration in people and in our city.

The area of the city they were directed to was not close to the home they lived in, and so they moved closer.  They planted themselves right in the middle of the mission field, changed schools, changed neighbors, and started loving a whole new bunch of folks.

When I asked Christie what she wanted the world to know, she told me, “Our prayers are that our church will be full of people who are gathered to ‘do church’ the best way we know how by bringing life to our city, loving God, and living the gospel. We will learn how to truly live out the greatest commandment…to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength…and to love your neighbor as yourself. We are excited for where our church is after only 18 months of gathering and to be living in the center of the city doing life and ministry with those around us. Our family motto is “Do Things That Matter!”

 

For more info about what is going on with OKC Community Church, visit their website , Facebook page, twitter, or instagram                        

put a lid on it

Christmas Eve a few years ago changed my kitchen drastically.  
When the gifts were distributed at my mom and dad's house, I had one questionable item in front of me.  It was heavy and sort of flat.  My kids were the age where they want to open all of the gifts, no matter who the gift was for. I didn't get to open this particular item, because my daughter beat me to it. With eyes sparkling and mouth ready to exclaim a squeal of delight, she pulled the paper off and ripped the box open.  Her mouth snapped shut, and the sparkle turned to a furrowed brow.  She said in a quizzical, maybe critical, tone, "you got a lid?"
I peeked over her shoulder and my eyes started to sparkle. I let out a squeal of delight and gushed my thank you.  Poor Gracie was totally confused.  (the whole pot was too heavy and big to wrap and place under the tree, hence a lid.  I did receive the rest separately. Just a lid doesn't do anybody any good.)

That was the day I received the most used pot in my kitchen: the enameled 5 quart cast iron from Cuisinart.  I truly use it at least 5 times a week. It holds a lot or a little. It cleans up easily.  It cooks evenly.  It weighs about 500 pounds. For those one-pot-wonder meals, this guy is perfect.  Soups are happy to mingle together there, and pot roasts move from the stove top to the oven with delight when they are cradled in this fella. You should get one. And you should cook goulash in it.  I did last night, and it was the perfect comfort food, easy clean up, one pot -- all of these things make me happy.

Goulash
what you need: the pot mentioned above (or any heavy stock pot) cutting board, sharp knife

1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper
2 (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 1/2 C elbow macaroni
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Brown the ground beef in your favorite pot over medium high heat. 
Add in all other ingredients and stir around so that all of the pasta gets friendly with the liquid. 
Top that baby with the lid and reduce the heat to medium.  Stir every 5 minutes or so. cook for 20-25 minutes, until the pasta is al dente. 

Tuesday Blues-day

Blue is for blueberry.  I found a great deal on blueberries this weekend, and I figured I should make use of those pretty little fellas.  When I first started cooking for people, I made these muffins a lot.  One day I made a batch and took them to my office to share.  I told a few people that there were blueberry muffins in the kitchen.  I guess they were expecting a boxed muffin mix, but this is so much better.  My dear friend came back to me and said, "what IS this? Its not just a regular muffin. what did you do?"  I laughed happily, thrilled that someone other than me recognized the extreme effort that was put forth to produce a delightful breakfast for the co-workers who make my life so fulfilling.  I sent her this recipe and I am very sure I changed her life.  I often prepare breakfast for our Board Members, and these muffins make an appearance each and every time.  I'm afraid there would be a revolt if I stopped making them.  Here. You try it. See what happens. 

Blueberry Muffins
what you need: muffin tin, stand mixer or hand mixer with a bowl, ice cream scoop (or spoon), 385 oven

3C flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
dash of salt
dash of nutmeg
1 egg
1 C sugar
1 C plain yogurt
1 pint blueberries

* topping- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. 

Mix the dry ingredients together.  Add egg, yogurt and sugar and mix only 10 seconds. Fold in blueberries mixing only a few seconds.  Spray a muffin tin with non stick spray.  Use an ice cream scoop and fill each cup. In a cup or small bowl, mix sugar and salt together to make the topping.  Sprinkle on top of the muffins before baking to add a lovely sugary-salty crunch. This totally sends these through the roof. 

"Why is there sauce on the muffin in the picture?", you ask. Well, I do that sometimes. Not when I'm taking them somewhere, that's just messy, but sometimes.  So this is how:

In small saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together 1 cup fresh blueberries, 1 teaspoon water, and 1 teaspoon sugar. The berries will pop and beautiful juices will start to thicken and look syrupy.  That's when you stir in 1/4 cup plain yogurt. Spoon some on your plate, on the muffin, in your mouth- whatever seems appropriate at the time.

PS I am eating one of these as I type this up.  I promise, this is perfect and the berries are so fantasticly fresh. I need a few more.

Glorious Cheese

Way back in time, I had this friend.  Her mother-in-law was from Mexico and she was a fantastic cook. This was fortunate for me, because I like to eat.  I got to be the sous chef when my friend tried making cheese and onion enchiladas for the first time and I totally enjoyed the process, the company and the FOOD!  I have simplified a few things over the years due to family demands on my time (as well as the hazard of having a baby on my hip while cooking).  That might make my recipe less authentic, but it sure makes it easier and it tastes just as good. Keep in mind, these aren't the restaurant version of enchiladas - they're not smothered in sauce or swimming in a pool of cheese grease. -and I feel like that's a good thing. OH and one more thing: tortillas. If you are lucky enough to have a tortilleria close by, go there. Go now. Buy some corn tortillas and make these.  There are some good tortillas at the supermarket, but holy lard and masa- fresh ones will possibly make your eyes roll back in your head and your knees turn to jello.

Cheese and Onion Enchiladas
What you need: cookie sheet, tongs, vegetable oil spray, baking dish, shallow sauce pan (big enough for a tortilla to set flat in), sharp knife, cutting board, 250 oven

1 (16oz) block Colby jack cheese cut into sticks (picture string cheese, but not as thick)
1/2 C shredded cheddar for topping
1 medium onion, diced fairly small (I like small onions, you may not)
1 large can red enchilada sauce
12 soft flour tortillas (they make 'super soft' now and I'm very happy about this)

After you have prepped the cheese and onion, you're ready to start the tortillas.  (Keep the cheese and onions close by)
 Place 6 tortillas on a cookie sheet. Spray them with cooking oil, turn them over and spray the other side too. Slide the cookie sheet in the heated oven and start on the sauce.  Pour the entire can of enchilada sauce in a shallow pan and turn on medium heat. While that heats up, spray your baking dish with cooking spray.  Grab the hot tortillas and put them on a plate- repeat the spray and heat process with another 6.
Now that you have some hot and oiled tortillas available--the mess....
One at a time, using tongs, carefully (and quickly) lay the tortillas in the red sauce, turning once so they are just coated. After coating, move the tortilla to your baking dish, place a strip of cheese (or two- it needs to make a line across the whole tortilla) about an inch from one end. Drop as many onions as you like on top of the cheese and roll 'er up. Repeat this process with the first six tortillas.
If you feel like it's taking a long time, take the second batch of tortillas out of the oven so they don't get crispy. They only need to be in there long enough to become pliable so they don't break in half when you're trying to roll them up.  Finish up the rest of the dozen woth the sauce, cheese and onion assembly. Line those babies up in your pan and pop em in the oven to get all melty and fabulous. -about 15 minutes.
*if you want to pour any remaining sauce on top, go right ahead. I prefer them a little dry-ish.
Once the cheese is melted and the enchiladas look super tasty, top them with te shredded cheese and serve them to the masses.

HOT DISH, Kinsey Charles

I remember the first time I saw Kinsey.  I had gone to Barnes and Noble to meet my brother, who was in college at the time.  He was there to study with a friend, and I just wanted a coffee, so it was a perfect place to catch up.  The "friend" was Kinsey.  She was fun and friendly and absolutely lovely.  I walked away wondering why my brother was crazy and why he wasn't dating this lady.
It wasn't long before they were a couple and totally perfect for each other.  Eventually, I went with my brother as he purchased the ring he would put on her finger and watched him excitedly prepare a meal (all by himself) and plan the proposal.  The rest is history and this amazing woman is now my sister. 
Kinsey is one of the most real and reasonable people I know.  She is kind and creative and quirky and I completely adore her.  She is 'mom' to Davie Lucille, who Kinsey describes as fabulously hilarious, weird, and intelligent.  (I concur.)
I like to talk about Kinsey and the songs she writes. Her lyrics tell about real life and her voice is smooth and silky.  She is uniquely transparent and shares her story beautifully.  Kinsey states that, "Mental illness runs in my family and has influenced my perspectives, socially and artistically." Because she so openly shares about the experiences in her life, people easily relate to her and embrace her as lyricist.  I find that I answer myself with her lyrics when I tend to be too harsh, I hear Kinsey's voice singing "they don't know what she's gone through lately, they don't know where she's been."  I am encouraged to see the good in people the way she does. I am challenged to look below the surface to see the things people don't always notice.
I know you will fall in love with her when you listen to her work here.

I asked Kinsey what she wants the world to know.  I leave you with her answer:
"When my daughter was learning to speak, it was amazing to see her level of frustration decrease as her vocabulary increased.  I think the same thing happens when we experience art.  Art has the power to heal parts of us that nothing else can reach, to connect with that vulnerable piece of hurt we are trying to hide, to give us a voice.  We realize our feelings and our beliefs when we are creating or experiencing someone else's artistic expression."

bring home the bacon

I was eating bacon before bacon was cool.  I'm a trend setter that way. I eat bacon with breakfast. I think I'm the only one. I even eat bacon on BLTs.  You've not heard of that, have you? See. I'm turning the world on its ear.
I have served green beans cooked with bacon as long as I have served green beans.  That's the only way I knew green beans to be prepared: bacon, onion, green beans, seasoning. Boom. (but that took at least an hour to get them just like grandma's)
I had my eyes open to a new world of green beans with bacon 15 years ago.  I was eating dinner at my future in-laws' house and I was terrified.  My dad had drilled table manners in to the core of my being, so I knew how to sit and where to place my napkin and not to reach across the table.  Still, I know that I am not the most coordinated individual on the planet so anything could happen.  We ate some sort of meat that required being cut with a knife and fork (I don't remember what it was. I was barely breathing) and I was so shaky and scared that I passed my plate to my boyfriend (husband) and requested that he cut my meat for me.  I just imagined the screeching noise of my fork sliding across the plate when the meat turned loose, and I couldn't bear to be 'that girl'. Instead I avoided the gaze of the on-lookers seated around the table and proceeded to eat the now carefully cut meat in silence.  I typically do better in silence.  My filter gets a little dysfunctional and I say strange things that should not be repeated. Its awkward.
Back to the bacon.  And the beans.  On the table, sat these little piles of green beans wrapped neatly in bacon and they sort of looked like green bean sushi.  I like sushi, but sometimes its hard to know how to eat it. Do I pop the whole piece in my  mouth? OR Do I try to bite it in half whilst retaining the other portion artfully between two sticks?  I almost always pop the whole thing in my mouth and hope I don't look like a squirrel while I chew it.  On this day, I chose to cut the green beans. With just a fork, no knife.  They were perfect.  I found that they were to be referred to as "green bean bundles" and I found that I want to eat them every day.  Here's how I make 'em.  They're much faster than the cooked-in-a-skillet-with-bacon-and-onion-beans I have always been faithful to, and a fun little change.

Green Bean Bundles

4-6 servings
you need: a cookie sheet (cover it in foil or you will be sad) an oven set to broil

2 cans cut green beans, drained
1 lb bacon
garlic salt
black pepper
sugar

Lay out strips of bacon one at a time. Place a pile of green beans (10-12) one inch from the end of the bacon.  Fold the inch piece on top of the beans to sort of hold them in place.  Roll the bundled beans all the way down to the end of the strip making a tidy little grouping of bacon wrapped beans. (You can secure with a toothpick, but I don't generally take the time).  Continue with this process until you have used up all of the bacon and beans.  It should come out pretty evenly and there won't be very many beans, if any, left alone.  Sprinkle on garlic salt, black pepper, and a pinch or two of sugar and slide your tray in to the oven to await the crispy goodness.  12-15 minutes later, the bacon should be looking crispy and there will be grease running rampant.  That's good. Flip those bundles over and stick 'em back in for another 5 minutes or so.  This will keep you from eating squishy bacon. Nobody wants squishy bacon.
Super easy, super quick, and they keep well to be served with lunch the next day if you have some left over.

Who Do Ya Love

It seems like a hundred years ago when my dream was to study at Juilliard and perform on Broadway.  Arias and Show tunes were replaced by Rock and Roll and the Blues. Rock and Roll and the Blues were replaced by, well, by real life and that's where we sit today.
I learned a thing or two along the way, changed a few things, grew up a bit (I like to think I grew up a bit.)
I learned that dreams and goals are different, but both demand pursuit. I learned that I don't, in fact, have nerves of steel.  I learned that good singers are a dime a dozen.  I learned that I'm not as tenacious as I thought I was.  I learned that I'm often more likely to fight for someone else than to fight for myself. I learned that its better to listen than to be the one always making noise.
I discovered that the truth about music, about art, is that its often hurt woven into something beautiful. 
I fell in love with dissecting all the things I hear in songs - even more than I loved singing them. 
The rhythmic genius of John Bonham kept me listening to Led Zeppelin for days at a time.  (I wasn't sad about Robert Plant's voice either.)  Eddie Van Halen was intoxicating with a guitar. He changed everything, and he could do anything.  Michael Jackson sang the orchestration for his pieces before they were recorded and totally blows my mind with every song (he really should have a category of his own). Johnny Cash decided to modulate down instead of up when he wrote "I Walk the Line" - because he wanted to.  I'm even a little bit glad that the devil went down to Georgia, looking for a soul to steal from Charlie Daniels and his little band.  Cher's brilliance is undeniable, and she taught us about fun with auto tuning.  P!nk is one of the most gifted and most honest vocalists of my generation (also the least auto tuned, which gains much respect from me.) Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald made me wish I was not a little white girl.  Peggy Lee and Margaret Whiting made it ok that I am. Christina Aguilera can sing her face off and leave everyone's jaw on the floor.  Robert Nesta Marley could take the most stressful day and melt it to something smooth and easy.  Nobody writes lyrics like Billy Joel, his stories are colorful and real. The piano is (crocodile) ROCKED by Elton John.  I am a Willie Nelson fan by marriage; he's an acquired taste.  I immerse myself into the moody chords and lyrics of Adele, Amy Winehouse, Natalie Maines.  Those Gershwin boys put words to my dreams and Mr. Andrew Lloyd-Webber provided the soundtrack to long drives and late nights. I can't even imagine my formative years with out Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein.
The space between me and Juilliard has never seemed quite so vast.  I don't even care.  The space is filled with amazing artists who say the things I want to say. For a girl like me, that's handy, because I speak in lyrics, I even pray in lyrics.  It really is ok to speak the words someone else wrote, isn't it? Doesn't it give them, and you, just a little more credibility? Doesn't it say that those feelings that fill up lines and spaces are true and valid? 
I LOVE music.  I'm so glad that I learned to listen. I want to learn more.

Not bologna

Ok y'all.  I have this rule about eating at a restaurant: dont order somwthing you can cook just as well at home.  this has become sort of problematic, as I often try to replicate a dish if I like it a lot.  My list of available entrees is shrinking.  I looked for a good meat sauce for a long time. You know the feeling-- you want a good plate of spaghetti and you just can't seem to locate the best meat sauce. I found it. It in my kitchen. Side note: I was in Portland with some girlies last year and I ordered the bolognese. The server thought I ordered 'all of these' and she was possibly confused by my request.
I should speak more clearly.
There are so many flavors that work so beautifully in this dish.  Its impressive enough to serve to your in-laws, should the occasion arise.

Here's the recipe. It's big enough to serve twice for my family of four. Sometimes I use it on spaghetti and freeze the rest to make a lasagna another day.

You need- a big, heavy, stick pot, medium sized bowl

Bolognese
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb bacon, diced
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork sausage
1 large onion diced
1 C carrots chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon thyme, dried
1/4 teaspoon oregano, dried
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
1 C red wine
28oz crushed tomatoes (don't drain)
14oz tomato sauce
1C beef broth
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 C whole milk
4 Tablespoons butter
1 C Parmesan

Heat olive oil in the heavy pot over medium high heat. Brown te bacon about 5 minutes. Add in all of the fresh veggies, herbs and spices cook only one minute and remove from the heat and transfer to a separate bowl. Brown sausage and ground beef. Rinse and drain the grease leaving only meat in the pot. Lowering the heat to medium, begin adding wine, broth and tomatoes. Allow these to reach a simmer let the mixture thicken- keeping it on the heat at least 45 minutes, up to an hour and a half. Turn the heat off and stir in butter, milk and cheese. Serve over pasta or layer in lasagna.  Your house will smell glorious and your mouth will be watering.
Warning: folks have been known to want this sauce so badly that they fill their mouths way too full with meat sauce that way too hot and end up spewing more than bolognese out of their mouth while onlookers cover the ears of small children. Proceed with caution.

Shine On

(photo from Curly Girl designs. Go check her out)

Sometimes I stop for a minute and look around at the people in my life, and I am in awe. 
 I've lived a  life filled up with people who have encouraged me to do better, to be better, to love better.  
I want to introduce you to some of these people, you will be encouraged by them.  Keep an eye out for a little feature called "Hot Dish" that will pop up in this little blog o mine from time to time.
I have some Hottie Dishey friends, and they do some work that will blow your mind.
I am surrounded by great moms and dads, writers, thinkers, singer/songwriters, philanthropists, teachers, missionaries, givers, doers, people full of compassion and kindness.  These are the kinds of people I want to be around.  I want to write about them, because I want to learn more about them and find ways to be more like them.  Don't worry, you'll see what I mean.

Always say yes

When it comes to important matters like maple icing, you should always say YES.
I have only recently fallen for the goodness that is maple icing and I want to invite you to join me.

Cinnamon rolls have been a family favorite for at least five generations in my family.  My Great Grandma Bailey was the cinnamon roll boss and I have wanted to assume that role (or roll... As you like it) the trouble is real. When asked about her cinnamon roll recipe, Grandma Bailey would instruct us to use 'any recipe, just double the sugar and double the butter.'  That, surprisingly, doesn't work for me. Here's the recipe I came up with. It suits us well.

You'll need: a stand mixer or hand mixer and bowl, rolling pin, small sauce pan, medium sauce pan,  medium bowl to mix sugars and cinnamon in,  2 (9x13) pans, 375 oven

Dough
1 1/4C whole milk
1/2C vegetable oil
1/2C sugar
4 1/2C flour (reserve 1/2C)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package dry active yeast

In the small sauce pan, heat the milk until its just simmering. Add yeast, oil, sugar and stir until combined. Transfer to the mixing bowl and begin adding dry ingredients gradually (including flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder).  Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside to rise, about two hours, until doubled in size.

Filling
1/2C (1 stick) unsalted butter - room temp
2 tablespoons cinnamon
3/4 C sugar
1/4 C brown sugar

After dough has risen, roll it out on a floured surface (this is where the reserved flour comes in). The dough should form a rectangle, about 2 1/2 feet long and 1 foot wide. *Make sure the dough isn't sticking to the surface so that it's not a crazy sticky mess and it will roll up easily.*  Using a spatula (or be like me and use your fingers) spread the butter all knee the dough. From edge to edge. Mix sugars and cinnamon in a bowl, then sprinkle liberally on the buttered dough. Pat the sugar/cinnamon mixture down so that it doesn't fall out when you roll it up. Starting with the long edge, begin rolling the dough into a log, moving from end to end to keep an even line. When you get it all rolled up (fairly tight) squeeze the seam together so your rolls stay rolled and you don't lose the goodness from inside. You will cut 24 rolls, each about one inch wide. Spray both baking dishes with non stick spray and place 12 rolls in each pan. You will leave about an inch of space between the rolls, they will grow as they bake.  Bake about 15 minutes- they will be a beautiful shade of light brown.

Icing
1 bag (1 pound) powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2C milk
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (OR maple flavoring!!)
One little shake of salt

Over low heat, melt butter, add powdered sugar, add milk, salt and flavoring. Whisk until icing is smooth.  Spread over each pan of hot cinnamon rolls (don't use your fingers on this one)and celebrate the goodness.
I did this for breakfast today and I have been happy ever since.

Another beautiful use for the maple flavored icing is this--
Reduce milk to 1/4C, don't add butter. Prepare the same a above and add 3 C pecans. Stir around to coat and turn out onto a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. Then go make some new friends, bribe your children to wash all the dishes, or lock yourself in your bedroom with these fancy nuts, a book and a coffee. Yes. This is a great idea.

I love it when a plan comes together

Sometimes people ask me how I have time to cook every night.  Easy: I'm a planner. I do not like surprises.  I do not fly by the seat of my pants. I do not arbitrarily purchase ingredients that have no purpose in life.  It even makes me a little uncomfortable when my kids or husband help themselves to a snack that I hadn't accounted for in my menu planning.
I plan my menu for my grocery shopping trip and I plan it when I prepare meals. I have a chalkboard on my fridge with the weeks meals listed out so that there are no surprises.  You can go getcha one at your friendly Hobby Lobby.  I hot glued mine to my fridge for safety purposes. 
I try to cook once and serve twice.  When I have two dishes on my weekly menu that include chicken, I cook all of the chicken early in the week and it's ready when I need it, I just have to add the sauce or other components of the dish.  Same goes for ground beef, meat sauce and rice.  I make sure to include one crock pot meal each week and I try to use the crock pot on my busiest night of our week.  That just makes life easier. Life is easier when it's planned and when the plan is followed to the letter- and we all know that our plans are always followed.to.the.letter.  Therefore, life is always easy.

yes, we CAN!

Last week, my grandma told me that there was a great sale on vine-ripe tomatoes.  48 cents/pound. 
We had been talking about canning, I wanted to learn the process, and she was happy to teach me.  When she saw that there was a great price, well, the time had come to pass the torch. 
I happily walked in and loaded my little basket with 20 POUNDS of tomatoes. They all looked fantastic, and there were millions in the bin, so I didn't feel at all bad about my purchase.
As the cutest girl ever rang me up, she looked at me like I was crazy and said, "what are you doing with all of these?!" (which I felt was a legitimate question)  "Canning them." I said, simply, as if it was something I did all the time.  "OH, ok...... how do you do that?" she proceeded where she should have just stopped at "oh, ok."  Her lack of confidence in my skills was not masked as I answered, "I have no idea."

I carried my lovely loot home and prepared for my lesson. 

No such lesson occurred.  My grandma evidently had some time on her hands because she texted me the next day (all grandmas should text) saying that the tomatoes had been washed, scalded and peeled, also the jars were washed and the tomatoes just needed to be cut and put in jars.

Ok. I can do that.

WOW. That was a lot of tomatoes to cut up. My darling daughter helped and we got through them fairly quickly.  Soon, there were 14 pints of tomatoes ready to go.  I have never heard of anyone canning the way my grandma did these tomatoes, but here is the process.  Messy, but easy.

you need: tomatoes, jars, lids, rings,  knife, spoon, canning salt, cookie sheet, oven

1. wash.
2. scald. (gently drop in boiling water for 10 seconds)
3. peel. (skin comes off fairly easily after the scalding)
4. cut. (cut out anything white leaving only the red meaty part. its best to cut over a bowl and save the juice. cut to quarters or smaller as you like.)
5. jar. (leaving 1/2 inch of room at the top, add one teaspoon of canning salt, add a bit of the reserved tomato juice or water, any seasoning you like - I suggest a few basil leaves - move a spoon around in the jar to release any air bubbles)
6. cover. (place a lid on top, twist a ring on just tight enough to seal it, not so tight you have strain a muscle opening it back up)
7. heat. (do not pre-heat the oven. put the jars in to a room temperature oven, turn it on to 250 for 50 minutes. turn the oven off, but DO NOT open the door. leave the jars until completely cool - over night if you can)
8. store. (in a pantry near you.)

Grandma said she has been using this method for 40 years and it hasn't failed.  If any of the jars do not seal properly, you can still use the tomatoes, but they are not shelf stable. Refrigerate them and use them within a week.

Buena suerte.  (I think you'll love this, really. Its pretty fantastic)

Nature vs. Nurture

We are entering in to that weird place of life where kids choose their own music, decorate their rooms as they see fit, wear what they want (within reason) and invite random neighborhood kids I've never seen before to join in their games. 
A few days ago, my kids were playing with one of the kids from down the street and they asked if she could come in to play. I said yes (because I had just cleaned the house, otherwise I would have banned her from the premises because I am just that vain).  It wasn't long before I heard the familiar percussion and guitar that precedes the undeniable voice of Mr. Mercury, himself . 
I was preparing supper and enjoying the laughter of the children.  I was oblivious to the world around me.  I was chopping broccoli to the beat and instinctively wailing along with Queen's 'Radio GaGa' as the new little friend of my kids walked into the kitchen with an inquisitive face. ("inquisitive" sounds better than "terrified") -but she came back the next day, so I didn't cause too much distress.

I am happy that my children (specifically, daughter, in this case) are appreciating the same trail blazing musicality that I cut my rock and roll teeth on.  They have so much music available to them, and yet, heredity (or the sheer beauty) drags them to choose Queen.  It just makes me proud, ok? Queen, if you did not know, offers answers that I might have had trouble articulating without them.
I found this quiz from several years ago, and it I think it will help you to understand me just a little bit more.  All answers are in the form of a song title.  All songs were recorded by Queen.

1. Are you male or female: white queen

2. Describe yourself: fat bottomed girls (they make the rockin world go round)
3. How do you feel about yourself:i'm going slightly mad

4. Describe an ex boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife: another one bites the dust

5. Describe your current boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife: somebody to love

6. Describe where you currently live: in the lap of the gods

7. If you could go anywhere, where would you go: i go crazy
8. Your best friend is: lily of the valley
9. Your favorite color is: my melancholy blues
10. You know that: the show must go on

11. What's the weather like: time to shine
12. If your life was a tv show, what would it be called:we are the champions

13. What is life to you: under pressure
14. What is the best advice you have to give: friends will be friends

15. If you could change your name, what would it be: the invisible man

16. Your favorite food is: coming soon

17. What you do for school / work: mother love

18. You wish you had: i want it all


This has long been one of my favorite pictures of my daughter. She was very young then, but it is perfect. She loves music. She is my best girl and I am amazed by her every day.

a tricky tip

I don't remember where I learned this, and I don't remember how I did it before, but I know that this is a new(ish) technique for me and I want you to know about it. 

I was sitting at the breakfast table with my grandma and she told my kids that she had another Jerusalem melon ready in the fridge.  They happily retrieved said melon and returned to the table a little daunted. It had not been cut up. There it was, in its juicy, sweet glory, and they couldn't even eat it.  I quietly asked them to bring a bowl, a spoon and a knife so I could prepare it for them.  (Quietly, because I didn't want to disturb the dramatic story being told from across the table.)
As instructed, my daughter brought the bowl and the knife.  With anxious eyes - and watering mouths, no doubt, the two strawberry blonde children watched and waited.  I don't think they even realized that grandma was still talking at this point. 

Carefully, I scooped the seeds out with the spoon and proceeded to section off a slice of juicy goodness.  I removed a section about one inch wide, and then began making cuts across the section which resembled the grin of the Cheshire cat.  With one masterful swoop of my knife, I separated those cut pieces from the rind and landed them in a bowl to be enjoyed by the patient on-lookers.

I noticed that my grandma was watching, too. I don't know if she was nervous about my knife wielding or if she was just as hungry as the kids, but she was checking me out.  I have decided that she was probably watching in amazement and trying to record in her memory exactly what I had done so that some day she could do the same.  I'm just glad she has me here to help.

 Here's a picture tutorial in case you, too, want to try your hand at melon slicing.  Don't cut yourself.

Thats my boy

My pregnancy was a surprise. (actually both pregnancies were a surprise) My daughter was only 4 months old when I found out that there was another baby yet to come.  I remember crying a lot. I was terrified. I only barely knew how to take care of one kid, and now there would be two!
Happily, that second pregnancy was so much easier, labor and delivery was easier, and he was just an easier baby. (that girl baby was a doozie.) 
He has always liked being with me. If I was cooking, he wanted me to hold him (which I mastered beautifully).  If I was folding laundry, he was in the middle of it, but he was happy about it, so I didn't mind much.  Even now, 8 years down the road, he likes to at least stop by the kitchen to see what's going on and ask if he can help or if I need a "taste tester".  He isn't as involved with the laundry. Its a battle we fight often.  One of the things he has recently become interested in is menu planning. Each week, he likes to add a few meal requests to my list, and I am happy to oblige.  Last night, for example, he wanted meat loaf with mac and cheese.  I whipped it up (along with some super healthy zucchini and tomatoes to balance it out) and he was -as he always is- very complimentary. 

Then something else happened. I impressed him. -- and that is the real reason for this post. I want to tell you about my success.  So... going back to a few days ago:  I found Avery sitting on the tailgate of his dad's truck. Just sitting.  I asked what he was doing, and he said he was waiting for the neighbor to come play (the neighbor is a really nice kid in his 20s).  Evidently, Avery had asked if he wanted to play catch, and he said he had a few things to get done and that he would in a little while.  So Ave waited. I told him that I would play catch with him, and he quickly turned me down.  I (half joking) said, "why? because I'm a girl?"  To my surprise, he said, "well, yeah, basically."  wow. thanks, son. 
I would not be seen as a girl. Not to this whipper snapper. No sir.
This brings us to last night.  After my impressive dinner, I bravely walked outside to where Avery was riding his skateboard and told him - not asked. told.- to go get the baseball and ball gloves and I would play catch with him. 
"Really. Mom. Really?" he said with contempt. "Yep. go get 'em." I said, standing my ground with confidence.
He did. He came out and zinged that ball right at me. No time to think. But I didn't need to think. I snagged that ball right out of the air (I jumped at least 4 feet off the ground) and whizzed it right back at him. 
A huge smile spread across his face, and he said, :"Wow, Mom. You're actually pretty good."
"Yeah, Ave. I can throw a baseball." I replied victoriously. 
He was impressed, and we had so much fun. I was even willing to ignore his hysterical laughter as I ran down the street chasing his wildly thrown baseballs. 
He's a cool kid. He's a happy surprise.
And I have to run, there are scouts calling.

Chopped.

I do not prepare a from-scratch dinner for my family every day.  This week, for example, I knew I would be baking Tuesday night, so I needed something I could toss together pretty easily.  Italian Chopped Salad was exactly what we needed.
I planned ahead and got everything from my local supermarket (where they have everything I could imagine).  Here's what I got to make 6 servings...
 

You need: large bowl, knife, cutting board, small container with a tight lid

Italian Chopped Salad
1 bag romaine lettuce
1 pint grape tomatoes
1C stuffed green olives
1/2 C kalamata olives
1/4 C sliced banana peppers
1 (6oz) package cappicola ham, sliced
1 (6oz) package shredded ham
2 oz fresh mozzarella, diced
4 oz provolone, diced
Dressing:
1/4 C red wine vinegar
1/2 C olive oil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Shaken, not stirred

Serve with this bread:
(Heat oven to 500)
1 loaf French bread cut in half and then sliced down the middle
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp

Slather butter. All of the butter. Place on a cookie sheet, bake 15-20 minutes til the bread is crunchy and the butter is turning brown.

I should have been making this once a week for my whole life. Better late than never.

Oh. My. Ganache.

It is possible that I have used this title before, but I'm not changing it. 
Years ago, years and years ago, I went to a wedding where they had food that changed my life. It was the wedding of my husband's brother and there was ganache.  I had never eaten anything with ganache, and I wasn't exactly sure what it was, but I ate it. I savored the smooth chocolatey decadence and I hoped to, one day, find it again.
((Fast forward 10 years or so.))
One of my dearest and oldest friends (old. she is so old.) requested that I make some cupcakes with a ganache filling.  All this time had passed.  I did not know if I could recreate the beauty, the art, the perfection that I had experienced all those years ago in Post, Texas. 

--aside-- the total request was as follows : banana cake filled with chocolate ganache and topped with peanut butter frosting.  I thought she was crazy, but I set out to complete the task before me.

As I lamented the sure difficulty of the ganache and toiled over how to prepare a perfect peanut butter frosting, I started to really over-think this whole thing. (shocking, I know).  "It can't be this hard," I thought.  ~and I was right. 

Here is my super-simple ganache recipe:
-what you need: sauce pan, spatula, medium sized bowl, wire whisk

1C heavy whipping cream
2C (one bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips

In your sauce pan, over medium-high heat, warm the whipping cream.  Be careful not to scorch it.  Stir it around a bit. Meanwhile, dump your chocolate chips in the bowl that you have set aside. When the cream is boiling (not a huge rolling boil, just some bubbles that tell you that its hot)  remove the sauce pan from the heat and pour the cream directly over the chocolate chips.  Stir with your whisk until all of the chips are melted and the chocolate is smooth. 

from this......to this

You can use the ganache just like this to dip fruit, cookies or spoons in. **ahem. don't burn your tongue off. Not that I would know anything about that.**  You can let it cool and pour it over a cake. You can let it cool and whip it in a mixer and make a fluffy icing. You can let it cool and fill up a pastry bag and pipe it in to some banana cupcakes and top it with peanut butter frosting, which is what I did today. ( I may also eat it with a spoon.)

Should you choose to create a fab cupcake like those mentioned above, you may want to do this as well:

Peanut Butter Frosting
-what you need a mixer (standing or hand-held)

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2C creamy peanut butter
2C powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk

Cream the butter and peanut butter together, add the powdered sugar gradually, add milk. (you may like your frosting a little creamier, this is pretty dry. Add a little more milk as desired)

I filled a pastry bag with this loveliness and piped it through a star tip. 

The banana cake, you ask?  Store bought. I trust it. It's easy. I prepare my cupcakes just as the box tells me to.

Dear April, I did think this was a crazy combo. I was wrong. I apologize.

These babies have become one of my personal favorites, and one of my most requested.  My thanks to my brother-in-law (for getting married and introducing me to gananche) and to my girl April (for coming to me for this brilliant creation of flavor combination).

Bacon grease, melons and everything in between

It’s funny how sometimes I can’t get away from memories of my grandparents.  Not that want to get away from them, don’t get me wrong. It’s just that there are days, where everything seems to bring back a sweet memory.  Bacon, for example.  I don’t know how she did it, but my grandma managed to keep the smell of bacon in her house at all times. Possibly, a bacon grease diffuser, I’m not sure.  I fried bacon yesterday to make biscuits and gravy since the kids were home and I had some time to cook breakfast, for a change. I fried an entire pound of bacon for my little family of four. (I would like to tell you that I can put that in the “Cook it Once, Serve it Twice” category of my life, but that is just not the case. We ate it all. Happily.)  I thought of her while that tasty treat was sizzling away. I wondered what she did with all the bacon grease she must have accumulated. (diffused it, obviously). 

My entire adult life, my grandpa had a garden. Well, he called it a garden. It was huge. Almost ‘farm’ status, I think.  It was an hour and a half away, but for years he drove out to that garden several times a week during the summer, watering, harvesting, weeding, mowing; tending.  There was way too much produce for just him and grandma to eat, so he would bring his truck home loaded down with squash, tomatoes, cantaloupe, cucumber and start handing it out to friends, family, neighbors and grocery store check-out clerks so that he could load it back up a few days later. He worked hard and he had something worth sharing.  Yesterday, my neighbors brought a Jerusalem melon over.  They had grown it in their garden and there was just more than they could eat. It was juicy and sweet and I was grinning through tears as I cut it up and thought about grandpa and ‘something worth sharing’.

So many of my meals are based on recipes that my grandma wrote out for me. So many of the dishes I cook are things I remember discovering at her table.  She taught me to fry a cucumber, stuff a roast, and spin a thread of sugar.  They taught me to serve and to share.  They taught me that generosity had nothing to do with wealth and contentment was often found in doing something for someone else.

I remember talking with my uncle as the family was preparing for my grandma’s funeral six years ago.  I told him that I was afraid that I hadn’t learned everything I was supposed to learn yet, and I wasn’t ready to let her go.  He told me that I had learned it all, and it would be there when I needed it.   Again, as we were together at grandpas death six weeks ago, I looked around their house and hoped that all of the hours I’d spent there had somehow made me more like them.

photo cred: Laura Atterbury