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.