Foodie Updates

Yeah, so my kid had his pajamas on all day, SO WHAT

This was after we had to scrap 3 of them.....4th time was charm

uh, speaks for itself

Round loaf of deli rye cooked on the BGE

Cooking rye on the BGE

Rye rising on the pizza board

A Foodie's Pet Peeve #3

The Coffee Poser.........you know who you are. I won't name any names here to protect the identity of those involved and his identity has been sealed with a mask as this could get vicious.







COFFEE POSER:
1. one who pretends to drink coffee.

2. who tries to drink coffee but with exaggeration

3. Any one who does not follow his/her own ideas of what he/she likes. Following no one set norm makes you real and following no one set norm makes you poser. Poser is governed not by the coffee you drink, but rather by the state of your mind and the conformity to your own beliefs

4. A person who attempts to blend coffee into a specific social group.

You have a ritual..........you fill up your "pink" thermal cup and then let it cool down (WHAT IS UP WITH THAT), you add heaps of sweet n low and flavored syrups, even your little girl vanilla liquid creamer, you even sometimes put an ICE CUBE in it (that is really irritating), you carry it throughout the house for part of the morning eventually leaving it somewhere completely full from the the time you started. Just drink a pop already!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You don't like coffee, just admit it!!!!!!

I LOVE YOU HONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rye Bread Update

Bread turned out pretty well. I was SHOCKED.......I was hoping for the best but expecting the worst. I did one loaf on the BGE and one on a pizza stone in my convection oven. Soooooo, tomorrow is on for Valentine's Day Reuben Panini's. My waffle cone maker showed up 2 days earlier than expected also. Since I never made the ice cream............here is my plan.....I am going to make waffle cones tomorrow and dip them in white chocolate (also my hubby's fave) and then sprinkle chocolate "jimmies" or "sprinkles" to the rest of ya, from Guittard onto the white chocolate. I am just going to buy some ice cream since I don't have time to make any now.....a girl can't do everything, I got 2 kids bouncing off the walls and cat at the vet for a sex change, I am a busy woman. I know "white chocolate" is not really "chocolate" but what else can I call it?? I have a hard time saying that word "white chocolate".

White chocolate is a confection of sugar, cocoa butter, and milk solids. Unlike chocolate, white chocolate contains neither chocolate liquor nor cocoa solids. The low melting point of cocoa butter allows white chocolate and chocolate to remain solid at room temperature, yet melt easily in the mouth. White chocolate thus has a texture similar to that of milk chocolate.

Jimmies~You're correct in your assumption that 'jimmies' is primarily a New England term for what the rest of the country (and probably the world) know as 'sprinkles.' According to the Dictionary of American Regional English, 'Jimmies' is actually a trademarked term for a brand of candy (not necessarily chocolate) sprinkles, which they explain are 'tiny balls or rod-shaped bits of candy used as a topping for ice-cream, cakes and other sweets.' Although 'Jimmies' is trademarked, my guess is that the term was in generic use for many years prior to the founding of Jimmies as a brand name. And while 'jimmies,' meaning chocolate sprinkles, first showed up in English around 1947, 'jimmies' has also been used since around 1900 as a short form of the old English slang word 'jim-jam.' 'Jim-jam,' in turn, has since the 16th century meant 'a trivial article or knick-knack,' so it's not too great a stretch to see a connection there with candy "jimmies," which are certainly trivial.

I will quiz you on these terms in the future....................................................

Reuben Kulakofsky

My husband's favorite sandwhich "hands down" is the reuben.

I did not know this and I bet you didn't either:According to Omaha lore, the combination of rye bread, corned beef, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut had been dreamed up in 1925 to feed participants in a late-night poker game at the Blackstone Hotel in downtown Omaha by a local grocer, Reuben Kulakofsky. Charles Schimmel, the hotel's owner, was so taken with the sandwich that he put it on the hotel restaurant menu, designated by its inventor's name. Fern Snider, a one-time waitress at the Blackstone, entered the Reuben in a national sandwich competetion in 1956; her entry won--hence one of the earliest pieces of documentation for the name of the sandwich, an OED cite from 1956 from the food services journal "Institutions". ~Jim Rader of Merriam-Webster

I thought it would be nice to try and make some homemade deli rye bread on the BGE (big green egg) and then make him a reuben panini for Valentine's Day supper. I am getting ready to fire up the BGE in a minute. I made 2 loaves just in case 1 does not turn out. Both may not turn out. I have still not purrrrfected the art of baking bread. Lessons will be learned if it doesn't turn out........learning opportunities abound in failure. I embrace failure. If they both turn out.........then some lucky recipient at the railroad will receive the other loaf. Wish me luck!! I will post pics whether it be success or disaster. Although I am sure the disaster will make for more comical reading.

What is for Din-Din???

Tuesday night din-din. Din-Din is the other slang my hubby uses for sup-sup. Slightly annoying, I know, you are talking to to the choir. Anyway, I made this chicken soup adapted from Tyler Florence Ultimate. I substituted gnocchi for the tortellini. If you haven't used gnocchi yet in a soup, you need to. They are soooo yummy. Especially in a chicken based soup. They are tender little potato dumplings that melt in your mouth. Basically the soup was a chicken stock base, carrot, celery, onion, thyme, garlic, bay leaf, italian chicken sausage meatballs and the gnocchi. I then took some roasted garlic bread and spread one side w/some basil pesto, layered roma tomato and a small amount of fresh mozzarella and grilled on the panini press.

Danger, Danger, Danger Will Robinson

Quite frankly, THIS CONCERNS ME!!! I open up my package from KAF (King Arthur Flour) today and this is what I pull out.

*USE CAUTION STRONG FUMES*

All I wanted to do was try and make some homemade rye bread. Instead, I find myself suiting up w/latex gloves and looking for the mushroom cloud gas mask ensemble. Who knew that baking could become a biohazard.

Just in case you are too young to know who Will Robinson is or you live in a bubble:“Danger, Will Robinson!” is an English catch phrase derived from the classic 1960s American television series Lost in Space. The phrase characterizes the relationship between two of its regular characters, the Robot and Will Robinson over the course of several episodes of that series. The autonomous (and nameless) robot takes a protective attitude toward Will, and alerts him thus to dangerous situations, expecting Will to take immediate action to protect himself. The robot cannot do everything, even though its sensors are amazingly sensitive: Interesting Factoid:Despite the popularity of the phrase in everyday culture, it was only said once on the show.

I Call This One~ BOY EATING COOKIE

Breakfast For Sup-Sup

My husband always asks what is for Sup-Sup (supper). I have no idea where that came from, the sup-sup. When I don't cook anything (which is not often), he will come home and walk in the door and say "What is for sup-sup" and I will reply "What do you smell" and he will say "Nothing" and then I will reiterate "Then I guess that is what we are having for sup-sup".

Tonight I am making Italian Omelettes filled with Italian Turkey sausage, tomato sauce, red/green peppers and low fat mozzarella. Grilled Rosemary Bread brushed w/olive oil (toast), a salad of baby italian lettuce and a caramel iced coffee (just going to throw some coffee, torani caramel syrup and fat free 1/2 & 1/2 in a glass of ice. mmmmmm good.

I don't know if anyone saw Tyler's Ultimate today but he made a really yummy grilled cheese and a chicken soup w/chicken sausage meatballs and tortellini and chocolate amaretto walnut brownies...........that is definately going to be on the menu at this household this week!!!!

I don't know that I am going to pull off the mexican hot chocolate ice cream w/mallows for V-day. My waffle cone maker will not be here until Thursday. It might have to wait for another time. DRATS!!!! Back to the cooking drawing board for V-day. Emeril made a beef stew w/cocoa and a flourless chocolate torte today........perhaps that could be the one.

Fishing For Waffles

Last night I had a dream that I was fishing with corn on the cob and catching fish left and right. I think it was because I had been bad mouthing all of you "so called" salmon eaters out there.

I also dreamt I was making waffles.

The End.

A Foodie's Pet Peeve Part Folie a` Deux

Folie à deux (literally, "a madness shared by two") is a rare psychiatric syndrome in which a symptom of psychosis (particularly a paranoid or delusional belief) is transmitted from one individual to another.

I am absolutely positive that SOMEONE out there, yoohoo, over here, shares this same Pet Peeve with me. Here is goes:

INDIVIDUALS THAT LIKE SALMON, BUT WON'T EAT ANY OTHER SEAFOOD!!!!

This post is dedicated to my husband and also to Danielle (you know who you are). I knew that this underlying psychosis was rampant in my house but did not know it extended beyond the borders of our front door. Apparently so, you know you are, Danielle. I am sure there are others too.

My husband refuses to eat seafood, won't even try it. BUT BUT BUT, he will eat grilled salmon. Now the reason I find this absolutely ludicrous is...............that salmon is one of the FISHIEST tasting fishes (I know it is not a word) out there. How can you not like tilapia or halibut but you can eat salmon????? Tilapia is TASTELESS, salmon tastes like you would imagine fish tastes like. How can you not like a buttery sweet scallop BUT you can eat salmon??? This is a MAJOR pet peeve of mine. How can you not have a deep fried haddock dinner but eat SALMON???? Someone had to shed some light on this madness and unfortunately it has to be me.

A Foodie's Pet Peeve

*Pet peeves involve complaints about specific behaviors, rather than general dissatisfaction.

hmmm I am not even totally sure how to start this one. One thing that really annoys me is when someone says they don't like a certain food. Particularly when this someone, has either NEVER tried this particular item of food or has only tried it once one way. Does this make sense???

example: I don't like bananas. I loathe them. The consistency reminds me of wallpaper paste. I don't like bananas per say but I like banana things. I like banana pudding, banana cream pie, I LOVE banana bread, I will even make a bananas foster but I will not peel a banana and eat it unless that banana and I were the last thing on an island and I had to eat one or I would starve to death.

Okay, so that proves a point......you can NOT like something one way but you could possibly like it prepared another way. Just because you don't like it one way doesn't mean you might not like it another.

I have a mean trick that I constantly play on our good friends. It stems way back. She says in a conversation.......oh, I don't like to cook with red wine. I hate red wine in sauces or soups. I hate red wine. hmmmmmm........so I make my Italian Sausage and Bean soup and she sits down to eat it and says "Oh my gosh, this is so fricking good"....... I say "Oh really, because there is 1/2 bottle of red wine in it". My friend states she hates coconut. I make cowboy cookies and put ground up shredded coconut in them. Friend says "These are the best cookies we have ever had, can we order 2 dozen from you"........I say "Oh really, because there is coconut in them, I thought you hated coconut." Friend says "I hate pumpkin......pumpkin pie disgusts me, I hate all the spices". I fix a Pumpkin cheesecake and cover it in caramel. Friend sits down to eat it and I tell her she has to try it......if she doesn't like it that is fine, I won't be offended. Friends says "OH MY GOSH, I LIKE PUMPKIN". She proceeds to eat the whole piece meanwhile saying the whole time........who knew, I like pumpkin. Tomorrow night this same friend is coming for BLT Pizza which is her favorite. I use 1/2 applewood smoked bacon and 1/2 neuske's turkey bacon. This same friend has said in the past that she hates turkey bacon. I can't wait for her to sit down and gobble her pizza down. I am them going to say "Hey, have you tried that turkey bacon from Fresh Market yet?" She will then proceed to reiterate that she HATES turkey bacon and then I will say.........."Oh really, because your pizza was just covered in it." This turkey bacon is so meaty and good you can't tell it is not the real deal....it is actually better than the real deal.

A Foodie's Pet Peeve Part Deux Tomorrow............Stay Tuned

Barefoot Stacey

Barefoot Contessa's Lemon Chicken and Croutons, French Made Easy Update:

This dish turned out pretty good.....the croutons turn into kind of a rustic stuffing once all the juices are poured over them. I used an herb focaccia bread to make the croutons. For our side of veggies I cut up a rutabaga, red pepper, fennel bulb, cipollini onions, baby carrots and cauliflower tossed in olive oil, thyme and rosemary, salt & pepper and roasted it off. I don't know that I am ready to call myself Barefoot Stacey but I did a pretty good job. The chicken was roasted to perfection...it literally fell apart. I have made a number of her desserts but this is the first major meal of hers that I have prepared.

Cipollini Onions
Pronounced chip-oh-LEE-nee this is a smaller, flat, pale onion. The flesh is a slight yellowish color and the skins are thin and papery. The color of the skin ranges from pale yellow to the light brown color of Spanish onions. These are sweeter onions, having more residual sugar than garden-variety white or yellow onions, but not as much as shallots.
The advantage to cipollinis is that they are small and flat and the shape lends them well to roasting. This combined with their sweetness makes for a lovely addition to recipes where you might want to use whole caramelized onions.

Barefoot Contessa's French Made Easy

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_30341,00.html

IF I can get to Fresh Market this afternoon, I will make this tonight for supper. Barefoot Contessa's Lemon Chicken with Croutons. I have seen this show air a couple of times in the past and have always been intrigued by it. I think w/a side of french beans and some roasted squash in place of the shallots. I love shallots......my husband not so much. I think I may also roast off a head of garlic to go with it also.

Steel Cut Oat Update: 15 month old really likes the steel cut oats mixed with unsweetened applesauce and cinnamon. SCORE! They also hold up beautifully in the fridge for the next day. They retained complete texture and were just as yummy as yesterday after being warmed slightly in the microwave and topped with cinnamon and maple syrup. I am convinced and hooked and will be eating this at least 1/2 of the week for breakfast. Nothing Nothing Nothing like regular oatmeal.

We are hopefully having friends over Saturday night for BLTA (bacon, lettuce, tomato, avacado) Pizza's on the BGE. I use this Neimans Ranch bacon in the meat case from Fresh Market....it is very meaty and thick...I take kitchen scissors and cut all the fat away and just use the meat portion of the bacon. It still renders a tiny bit of fat but not much but you get all the great flavor and crispiness to sprinkle over the pizzas. This trick works wonders to cut out a lot of the fat. They also make a turkey bacon that is out of this world.....it is thick and really meaty and tastes NOTHING like that stuff in the case that is prepackaged.....you know which one I am talking aobut. It is worth the extra money to buy the organic neiman's ranch. A little bit of mozzarella, asiago and parm, roma tomatoes and romaine tossed w/some mayonnaise, and diced avacado, on a honey wheat crust. This is our friends favorite pizza when we have them over.

I also placed a RIDICULOUSLY large order with KAF. I figured I might as well just order everything and pay one shipping instead of constantly deciding to make something....needing to order and paying $7 shipping everytime. I also paid for 2 day shipping which I am TOTALLY against forking money out for but I had a problem with my last order sitting at the post office in Little Rock for 5 days.........I finally called the post office directly and bitched and it was delivered the next day. They let it sit on a pallet in the back for 5 days because it wasn't a priority.....maybe not to them......but it was FOR ME.

CHOCOLATE SPRINKLES 6 OZ

1LB
CALLEBAUT SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS

WHITE CHOCOLATE JIMMIES 4OZ

APPLE PIE SPICE 4 OZ

CRANBERRY-SUNFLOWER GRANOLA BAR MIX 200Z

FRENCH KISS COOKIE MIX

KAF ORGANIC HIGH GLUTEN FLOUR 3LB

WHITE RYE FLOUR 3#

MEDIUM RYE FLOUR 3#

ITLHRB
BISCUIT MIX

SRCM
BISCUIT MIX

VTCHED
BISCUIT MIX

BISCUIT CUTTERS SET/4

PARCHMENT HALF SHEETS

SAF RED INSTANT YEAST 1#

NON DIASTATIC MALT POWDER 1#

DELI RYE FLAVOR 4 OZ

NATURAL BANANA FLAVOR 2 OZ

SWEET CHOCOLATE FLAKES 4OZ.

BAKER'S SPECIAL DRY MILK 1#

POTATO FLOUR 1#

HEIDELBERG RYE SOUR 4 OZ

Well, I am off to exercise this blog off hahahahaha.

Loca Luna

DINNER WITH FRIENDS

www.localuna.com
Reviews:
"Featured on Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels"
One of the "Best Neighborhood Restaurants in America."Bon Appetit Magazine
"Abernathy has a passion for creative southwest cooking."Gourmet Magazine
"A rising star."Southern Living
FUN - Delicious - Creative - Casual Cool - Reasonably Priced
NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED, AWARD WINNING GEM

What I ate: LOCA LUNA CHEESE DIP "The Best on the Planet !" This is a white vegetarian cheese dip and it is OUTRAGEOUSLY DELICIOUS.
Loca Luna Grilled Salmon with Spicy Tequila-Cranberry Basting Sauce. A dynamite sauce over Super-Fresh Filet over Sweet Corn and Sun dried Cranberries. Sauteed Vegetables and Saffron Rice. Iced Tea and a Chocolate Bavarian Torte. Oooooh la-la.

This is a great little restaurant. We have eaten here quite a few times and it has become one of our favorites. We were excited to share it with our newly relocated friends. They loved it.

Thinking Cap is ON

Okay, now this steel oat thing has really got me thinking. Whilst exercising this morning the little hamster in my head jumped on his wheel. Of course I think about FOOD while exercising....doesn't everyone??? The possibilities are ENDLESS....................I am sure I am not the first person to think of these but here are a couple of combinations to keep it switched up a bit so you don't get bored.

1. Mushed up banana, cinnamon, maple syrup, chopped walnuts and some vanilla extract
2. Dried apples, cinnamon, maple syrup, chopped pecans and sweet dough extract
3. Blueberries, honey, almonds and almond extract, perhaps a tablespoon or 2 of milk
4. Dates, Pecans and a sprinkle of toasted coconut and honey
5. Strawberries, honey and a couple of tablespoons of milk or possibly even the fat free 1/2&1/2 I have been using

I am thinking that adding just a smattering of extract could really impart some great flavors into these oats. The sweet dough extract is from KAF (king arthur flour) and this is an extract that most bakeries use in their dough when making pastries or sweet breads and rolls. I am thinking this could give a wonderful sweet buttery undertone to these oats w/out using any of the fat in butter etc. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Instant, Quick, Old Fashioned or Steel Cut, What's Your Pleasure??

I personally have never cared much for Quaker Instant Oatmeal packets. They taste like flavored wallpaper paste to me. Every baking recipe always calls for "quick" oats. I replaced all "quick oats" with "old fashioned"oats....noticing a better texture to cookies, bars, muffins with "old fashioned".....kind of a chewier texture w/some substance. I will never go back to using quick oats. Old fashioned are much better for you also. Now comes the "steel cut" oats or also called "irish oatmeal". These don't even look like the oats we are normally used to. They look like little pellets in the container and you could not use these to bake with. I have heard so much about them lately and what great health benefits they have that I decided to try them this morning. It did take a full 30 minutes to make. It was quite yummy. It consisted of 4 cups of water to a rolling boil, add 1 cup of steel cut oats and once mixture starts to thicken slightly you lower temp to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. I topped it off with 100% maple syrup that I had infused with cinnamon sticks and 1/2 tsp of vietnamese cinnamon. They have a chewy texture. I was pleasantly surprised. I have found a recipe on http://www.recipezaar.com/ for crock pot steel cut oats.......sounds like something I am going to try. http://www.recipezaar.com/101101 It would be great to do this the night before and have it waiting when you wake up. Fresh Market carries container of these wonderful dried chewy apple slices and I think these cut up and put into the crockpot along with the oats would be a great addition. I have also heard replacing some of the water with a 100% apple juice while cooking will give it some needed sweetness. I think topping the appley steel cut oats off with some toasted walnuts and a little maple syrup and cinnamon will be just the trick. Cinnamon has so many powerful health benefits......lowering blood pressure and also helping control Type II diabetes. I try and eat some cinnamon everyday. What a great healthy gift to give your body every morning. I always hate eating breakfast, I am never hungry in the morning but I have literally forced myself for years to eat breakfast, usually a cold bran cereal or granola of some sort. I am glad I finally took the time to try these oats. They are definately going to become a regular in my diet (diet in as what I consume on a daily basis.......not diet as in I am going to cut calories to lose weight).

I May NEED To Order This

I really am feeling compelled to order this from Williams Sonoma. Homemade ice cream is one of my specialties. I have been using http://www.coneguys.com/ cones. They carry them in our fresh market. I like them, but don't love them. I think this waffle cone machine may be the missing piece that makes my life complete.....ok, perhaps that is a little dramatic......I am sure my husband won't buy that excuse either....although he could care less about my spending habits. Chocolate dipped waffle cones........chocolate dipped waffle bowls sprinkled with jimmies. I mean it is cool to give homemade ice cream as a gift but it would be da'bomb to also give homemade cones to eat it out of. Looooooooong Paaauuuuuussssssseeeeeee, okay, I am back.......I ordered it!!!

On a different note, but a similar one, my new ice cream flavor flave is going to be a Mexican Hot Chocolate. I dont' know if anyone has had mexican hot chocolate before but it is quite yummy. Ibarra makes a mexican chocolate, if you can find it, and it is quite convenient because it already has the cinnamon in it. It comes in a chunky round piece, usually 5 to a container. If you can't find mexican chocolate, you can melt down some chocolate and put a little coffee/espresso, some cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne in it. One time I made a mexican hot chocolate fondue and we dipped miniature ice cream balls rolled in nuts in it........OH MY is all I can say. Anyway, I am thinking of making the chocolate ice cream, with the espresso, cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne and then putting a marshmallow swirl through it. Hence the Mexican Hot Chocolate Ice Cream w/Marshmallows. Just like a cup of steaming Mexican Hot Chocolate topped off with mallows.....except cold. Now wouldn't that be AMAZING in a homemade waffle cone or bowl??? That will probably be my husbands Valentines Day Gift.

When It Rains It Pours.............

This is the last thing for today, I swear. I either have NOTHING to say or I can't shut up. I guess today is one of those obnoxious internet posting days for me. I made Chicken Caesar Salad Pizzas on the BGE Saturday night..............so I wanted to post a quick pic of that. I used an Italian Flour from KAF (king arthur flour) and the dough was very soft and actually pretty tricky to work with. They turned out great though. Just brushed the dough with a little olive oil and some dried herbs and garlic, sprinkled on some shredded asiago and 2% mozzarella and then baked for 5 minutes on the BGE. When I took it off it was topped with organic romaine hearts, olive oil/lemon/fennel seed chicken breast, shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano , cracked black pepper and caesar dressing.

I also think I need a waffle cone maker for my homemade ice cream. Honey......if you are listening.

You're Gonna Have To Face It You're Addicted To Panini's

Remember that song "You're Gonna Have To Face It You're Addicted to Love"......by Robert Palmer......May He Rest In Peace.

Well, I am going to have to face it.........I am addicted to Panini's. A panini machine is definately one kitchen gadget that is worth its weight in gold. We use ours all the time. It is not the same making them in a pan on the stove or even using a griddle pan and weighting your sammich down. A griddled panini machine cooks it on the top and bottom at the same time making this incredible crunchy outer layer of your sandwhich.......they are just incredible. Tonight I took rosemary and olive oil panne brushed it with olive oil on the outside, brushed the inside w/sundried tomato pesto, layered a small amount of shredded asiago, a couple of diced boar's head pepperoni bits, and some fresh mozzarella then grilled it. I also took some roasted garlic panne and brushed that with olive oil, then put some NY mustard and some american cheese and then some Kansas City Steaks peppercorn and sea salt tournedos that I sliced thin, sauteed red/yellow/green pepper and grilled. Sweet potato fries and baby organic italian salad mix with olive oil and red wine vinegar. Then I ended up making maple pecan squares a recipe from King Arthur Flour.

Is It Christmas Again??????

IT MUST BE CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today was a good day......not only did I get super duper reading material from the usps....my King Arthur Flour order reared its head and Crate and Barrel also showed up. NOW THAT IS A GOOD DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I feel like a kid on Christmas Morning, one who still believes in Santa Claus. I absolutely LOVE the fact I can sit in front of my computer and order items without having any human contact, and then receive these items at my doorstep in 7 days. I could hole up here, in my house, like a pig in a poke ordering my wares from the convenience of my laptop with a beautiful agoraphobic glow radiating from my body. Life is good!

Game Day Turkey Chili and Toasted Cheeze Sammiches

Stacey's Organic Game Day Turkey Chili:
1 lb. ground white meat turkey breast
2 links of sweet or hot italian turkey sausage
1 can organic black beans drained
1 can organic pinto beans drained
1 can organic red kidney beans drained
1/4 of each--chopped red, green and yellow pepper
4 chopped celery stalks
2-3 cans low sodium V-8 juice
1 29 oz. can tomato sauce
1 bottle of corona or your favorite beer
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ancho chili pwder
1 tsp chipotle chili pwder
2 tsp regular chili pwder
1 1/2 tsp of garlic pwder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp oregano

Take the turkey sausage out of the casing and crumble up and fry w/the other ground turkey about 7 minutes. Add in chopped veggies and continue to fry another 4 minutes. Add in all the dry seasonings until meat and veggies are coated. Add in bottle of beer and simmer for 4 minutes. Add in beans and then V-8 and tomato sauce. Simmer covered 1 1/2 hours. Dried seasoning is approximate. Everyone's spice level is different.....use whatever amounts more or less you wish. Adjust for taste. Also if you like more soupy chili use more V-8 and if you like thicker chili use less V-8. This is extremely low fat and healthy. I serve this with organic blue tortilla chips and light sr. cream.

Toasted Cheeze Sammies:
Any artisinal bread will do. We usually use an organic roasted garlic panne or rosemary and olive oil panne. Slice bread into your favorite thickness and brush outside of one side of bread pieces with some olive oil. I use a light jarlsberg cheese and a 2% kraft deluxe american single and then sandwhich into a panini press. A toasted cheese on the lighter side.

Disclaimer: One might actually float away after eating this meal it is so low fat......make sure you put weights in your shoes.

Boiled Cookies

I have officially renamed "no-bakes" as "boiled cookies"..........true, you don't bake them but you DO boil the mixture. I think they should aptly be named "BOILED COOKIES". Anyway, no-bakes are one of those cookies that you make and then you start picking at them as they start to harden (at least I do). Right after you finish dropping all of them you go back to the first one you dropped and then you run your index finger through it and pick up the gloopy mess and have your first taste and then you finish running your finger through it until the parchment paper is clean in that spot. You then start to clean up your mess and then GO BACK to the cookies (the 2nd one you dropped onto the paper) and you check that to see how hardened it is......still a little gloopy but you then pick it up in gloopy pieces with your index finger and thumb, finishing it off of course. You then proceed to put one of your kids to bed (takes about 15 minutes)......you come back down and see they are pretty hard so since you have already had 2, you decide to pick out a small one toward the middle on the left.......it peels right off the paper but is not super hard (this is my favorite time, when they are hard but they are still really smoooooth). You proceed to eat that one and then walk away and sweep the floor, clean out the cat box etc. You go back and decide that one more SMALL one won't kill you.........you find another small one on the bottom row toward the right......it peels off purrrrfectly and you eat that one also. You then proceed to move all the cookies upward filling in where you took cookies so it doesn't look as though you actually ate 4 cookies. You go and fold some laundry........thinking to yourself.....eeeck, I don't feel so good, I am full, BLAH and you walk back realizing you just ate 4 NO BAKES, you SHOULD be sick and ashamed. No bakes are always one of those cookies that you end up saying to yourself later on in the day.........sheeeesh, I shouldn't have eaten that last no bake.

Anyway, my recipe for no-bakes differs a little bit from the average recipe that is why I am renaming them boiled cookies. The espresso powder gives the cocoa powder a deeper flavor and the mexican vanilla is great to use with anything chocolate. The old fashioned oats instead of instant oats give the cookie a bit of a chewier texture instead of the eventual crumbly texture of the original no bake.....they don't get as dried out.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups white granulated sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Scharffenberger)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk (full fat)
1 pinch salt
1 tsp of espresso powder or instant coffee
3 cups old fashioned oats (not instant)
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 teaspoon mexican vanilla extract (neilsen massey)

DIRECTIONS
In a saucepan bring sugar, cocoa, butter, milk, espresso powder and salt to a rapid boil for 1 minute.

Add old fashioned oats, cruncy peanut butter, and mexican vanilla; mix well.

Working quickly, drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper, and let cool.

Yet Another One Of My Favorite Things

I was never much of a chip person....I have really discovered some yummy chips in the last couple of years. I LOVE Kettle Chips and also Terra Kettles. I would say these run on the more artisinal side/gourmet side. You can find them in most stores. They have no trans fats, no msg and no artificial whatchamacallits. The Sea Salt & Vinegar Kettle's are my favorites.....they are dipped in the sea and brushed with vinegar. My favorite kettles are the sea salt krinkle cut blend of white, russet and sweet potato. These hit the spot when you have a panini and a baby italian salad. I don't eat chips often but I do always have these in the house. Just another one of my favorite things.

Who Doesn't Like Cinnamon Bread????

Desperation 101

I am one of THOSE people who HAS to have something sweet EVERYDAY......EVERYDAY---no exceptions. Even if it is just a taste of something.....mind you, if I don't get something sweeeet I will turn into a head-shaving umbrella beating maniac (you know who I am talking about). I don't keep many prepared sweet things in my house....prepackaged cookies etc. I usually have something made, whether it be cookies or brownies or SOMETHING. Yesterday I had nothing. So then improvising must take place. What does any food addict do when faced with this dilemma??? Instead of cowering in the pantry in the fetal position, you reach for a bag of Ghirardelli 60% Bittersweet chocolate chips and you dip them in Jif Peanut Butter (reduced fat of course)!!

CRACK

McAlisters Tea is addictive. This is affectionately known as "crack" in our house. You can't live w/out this stuff once you have tried it. Lucky for us you can buy it by the gallon.

Blueberries and Bowel Movements

One interesting side tip.............I LOVE BLUEBERRIES. They have to hands down be my favorite fruit. Unfortunately most of the year they taste like crap. My grandmother used to have a blueberry bush right outside her back door and I always remember it being covered in a net to keep the birds away. Aside from them tasting like doo doo most of the year they are also very expensive. It really irks me when I buy a pint of berries at the store for $2.99 or $3.99 and even $4.99 and you get them home and they are tasteless. I like my berries firm and with some bite to them. Frozen fruit does nothing for me. Anyway, on Friday I went to fresh market and they had pints of berries for 99 cents from somewhere like Peru or Zimbabwe or something, I can't remember. I thought to myself "SELF, for 99 cents it is worth the try". I got them home and was pleasantly surprised they were great. I wished I would have bought more. So like any food addict does when they get a hold of a prized possession they don't share their find and they consume the whole pint of berries for lunch for themselves. The added bonus was......the next day when I dropped the kids off at the pool (as my husband says)......it smelled as though I was frolicking through a blueberry patch on a late summer morning!!!!! AMEN FOR BLUEBERRIES!!!!! Everyone should eat them!!!!

Just One of the Amazing Things I Like About My Kitchen

This is one of the coolest things in my kitchen. I LOVE IT!! I always seem to take crooked pictures.

Wine, Cheese, Balsamic Vinegar and Soup.....Things That Age Well

I have always been under the belief that MOST soup tastes better the next day......no, not the dogfood you get out of the can but the REAL DEAL. Soup you make from scratch. I wonder why they call it "from scratch" when you make something homemade?? I always thought you scratch an itch.......you can also itch something too.....do you scratch a mosquito bite or do you itch it?? Personally, I itch it....but I have also scratched it in the past. I digress. I decided to make a vegetarian vegetable soup today for tomorrow......so I made it Sunday to eat on Monday. I just think it tastes better after it has sat in the fridge overnight and the flavors have had a chance to meld. What the hell is meld anyway??? That is a big FoodTV term........

Meld: To merge or blend two things into one

Well I melded many things......not just two into one....so I wonder if it IS still meld?? I basically took 8 c. water, 1 28oz dice tomatoes and juice, 2 T tomato paste in a tube, 1 can drained cannellini beans, 1 1/2 cups diced potato, 1 c. shredded carrot, 4 celery stalks, 2 small zuchini and 1/2 head of chopped cabbage, 1 c. frozen corn, some dried basil and oregano and minced onion and 1 leftover rind of Parmigiano Reggiano and simmer for about 1 hour.

Saturday night we were going to do our usual pizza on the BGE but I got engrossed in something and forgot to take out my resting dough to rise. So, I improvised. We had quesadillas again due to leftover sundried tomato tortillas. So instead of Philly Steak Pizza's we had Philly Steak Quesadillas. I had grilled up some peppercorn & seasalt crusted petit beef tenderloin tournedos from Kansas City Steaks, hence the steak part, then I sauteed up some green and red pepper, baby bella's and some sweet onion and they layered that on the buttered tortilla and topped off with some lowfat mozzarella and a slice of provolone and then grilled it on the BGE.

Friday we had a small ice storm here so I had made Baked Potato Soup in sourdough bread bowls along with baby romaine salad and cowboy cookies.

I have honey wheat dough rising for tomorrow and I am going to make some cinnamon bread w/my favorite schmear and then the vegetable soup.

I am also patiently awaiting a package from King Arthur Flour AND Crate and Barrel....will post more when they show up.........hopefully tomorrow, Monday.

You might want to check out www.wickedwhoopies.com oooooh the love!

Cake For the Boys

A friend of ours is taking a cake decorating class with her daughter. She dropped this cake off last night while we were grubbing chow w/the Gov. When we came home our 3 year old was screaming....."I need cake" "I need sugar"..........Thanks Cathy, I appreciate it.

Sour Dough'n Hoochie Mama Part Deux

<----King Arthur is da'bomb

Below is my left over starter I will put back in the crock in my fridge and feed again so I will have starter when I want to make bread again. I feel Amish......kind of like when everyone was getting ready for Y2K and they thought every ATM machine was going to implode....and they bought generators and cases of campbells soup and lots of toilet paper. I am self -sustaining.....bring it on UFO's....I can hide in my basement and live off of bread on the BGE while the world around me evaporates......until of course, I run out of charcoal......i don't have a basement either but makes for good effect.

So today I tried to make sourdough bread bowls for my potatos soup. They turned out pretty good. This was my first attempt at making sourdough bread, let alone making it on the Big Green Egg (BGE).

<----Baking on the BGE <---- LOVE THIS!!!!!

I will definately try these again. I am actually surprised they turned out....I must of had really good starter because I was doing 3 things at once....making potato soup, making sourdough bread and starting my pizza dough for tomorrow and later on in the day I found a ramekin behind a towel on my counter that had the OTHER 1/2 of the salt/sugar mixture I was supposed to put in my dough. UGH! I love the BIG GREEN EGG, I LOVE IT!!!!!

Is it Dinner or Supper???

I call it Supper most of the time. I guess it seems if you are eating at home you are having supper.....unless you invite someone over and then you invite them for Dinner. Or if you go out to eat, you always go out for Dinner. Weird.

....anway I made 2 bean, corn and cheese quesadillas. We did corn, refried and black beans, monterey jack/cheddar/cotija cheese on sundried tomato flour tortillas....topped off with shredded romaine, light sr. cream and salsa.

Tongues of ~FIRE~

Fagiolata Italian Bean Soup Mix

This stuff is SUPERB!!!

Now before I go any further with just yet one more of My Favorite Things (sorry Oprah I have'm too), I have to dedicate this post to my cousin Molly (you will see why as the story progresses). Anyway, I love these beans (no I don't want to marry them). heheheh remember when you were a kid and you said you loved something and then your friend would pipe up and say "If you love them why dont' you marry them". ADD again. I used to buy these beans at Williams Sonoma. They came in a jar for $8.50. I know you can buy dried beans anywhere but this particular mix is ONLY Italian Dried Beans. The ingredient list of the beans is also in Italian so it was hard to search on the internet to see if anyone else carried them. About a year ago I went in to get a jar and they were all out. The girl behind the counter stated they didn't have them anymore......WHAT???? I started to get a bit dizzy, my head was spinning, palms were clammy........how was I going to make my Italian Sausage and Bean Soup???? A pleasant surprise happened in November when I trekked up to the WS outlet in Memphis and saw they had the beans in the store. I bought 3 jars but I am now down to my last jar. The outlet is 2 1/2 hours away and it is not a pleasant drive. The regular WS store no longer carries these. I am going to go on a dried bean search on the internet when I get a free moment to see if I can at least buy them individually. Anyway....back to the Molly dedication. Molly had come with her hubby and son to visit us from MN when we were in NE. I made my famous Italian Sausage and Bean Soup. One of the really large beans in this mix is called an Extra-Large Violet Bean.....it looks like a huge purplish butter bean. Molly proceeded to say that she really liked them and that a lady at her church told her they were called "Tongues of ~FIRE~". Well being the recovering guilt-ridden scaredy cat Catholic I am in my mind I am thinking "oooooh Tongues of ~FIRE~" that is kind of scary in a religious kind of way.......should I be worried.....kind of like if I am not good I am going to get 10 lashes from the Tongues of ~FIRE~.......should I eat them?? Should I put them in a shrine like the (Jesus Cinnamon Bun or the Mother of Mary Tortilla.....see previous posts). Should I invite Benny Hinn for supper or perhaps the other guy that you call for your FREE Miracle Spring Water or your FREE Green Miracle Cloth (don't ask it is the south). So now everytime I eat this soup I think of Molly and get a little twinge of spiritual frightness while I am eating my Tongues of ~FIRE~. I don't know Tongues of ~FIRE~ just sounds religious to me.........I am catholic though so keep that in mind or am I????

Tomorrow We Dine With the Governator

I WISH.........I would rather have dinner with Arnold than Beebe.

Thursday night my presence is requested at a Chamber of Commerce dinner with the Governor of AR. I can hardly wait...........SHA RIGHT! In fact, I don't even know if we are getting dinner. My husband never knows anything about anything if it is not work related. He comes home 2 weeks ago stating we have a dinner to go to with the Governor for the Chamber...2 weeks heads up is a HUGE deal for him...usually I find out 4 days before something. Anyway, he said dinner but the reminder email I received said nothing about dinner and said something about a 5:30-6:30 reception. I did not get a little rsvp card requesting my chicken, steak or fish or ~other for all you pita's (pain in the asses) out there that need a vegetarian or diabetic meal etc. Reception usually means lousy cold appetizers or whore's of yours (see prior posting 12/07/07). To top it all off we have a table right up front which means I will have a hard time rolling my eyes from boredom w/out the whole room seeing me.

Tree Hugging Granola Veg-Head

I wouldn't say that I am a Tree Hugging Granola Veg-Head. I do possess many of those qualities. I am not 100% anything. I am not an extremist on ANYTHING. I believe there are many areas for grays and not everything is black and white. I do some green things and some not so green things. I eat meat but I have my limits. I know PETA says that "In every package of chicken there is a little bit'o pooh"....I really don't care....I am over it. VEGAN's are a whole other story which I dont' have time for today. No meat, dairy or any animal by products??? C'mon already.......I am thoroughly convinced this group of people just HATES food period. Anyway, I am waaaay off my subject. I try to buy organic as much as possible.....do I only eat organic??? No. I try to stay balanced in everything I do in my life. I don't always succeed but I do always bring myself back to the middle when things get out of whack and rebalance as much as I can. Everything in moderation is my motto. I do very much believe that we have foods out there that can hurt and heal our bodies. Foods that can prevent illness. My favorite drink that I have everyday for lunch.....no fail....is what I call my Artery Plaque Busting High Blood Pressure Preventing Drink. I mix a concoction of POM 100% Pomegranate Juice with a Red Ruby Grapefruit that I juice myself and then 1/2 of a lime with 2 Tablespoons of Flax Seed Meal (if you are drinking on a Saturday morning and have nowhere to go....omit the flax seed meal and throw in some citrus vodka heheheheh). Now mind you, I don't have any said ailments to speak of (knock on wood) but I don't want any either. I figure if I can head any of this stuff off at the pass what better way to do it than with foods that are healing in nature. I don't eat completely healthy....but I don't eat completely bad either. I try and balance my options out. Some more of my favorite ailment busting foods are black beans, cinnamon, flax seed, old fashioned oats, unsalted almonds, pecans and walnuts, spinach, olive oil, tea and salmon.....oooh and sundried tomatoes and roasted red peppers (did you know that a red pepper has more vitamin C than an orange). Just looking to do the right thing but with a little fun thrown in from time to time.........definately not going to go through life not having eaten a cookie or pizza or artisinal bread and cheese........that to me would be a living HELL. oooooh and blueberries too!!!

New Recipe on Recipes Schmecipes

I have posted my recipe for Quattros Leches Cake on recipes schmecipes if anyone is interested.

On a Happier Note~

Stage Left:

Here is a pic of the Chicken, Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Potato Pizza with lemon wine butter sauce. That is a mouthful.......I love it when the edges are nice and black and crispy. I could eat pizza every night off of the BGE.

Below: Here is a pic of the Apple Pie Pizza! It turned out soooo good, but still felt as though something was missing. I ordered some sweet dough extract off of King Arthur Flour last night and that should fit the bill. If I add that to my dough next time it should give it a sweet vanilla buttery flavor that you taste in all of your bakery pastries.

R.I.P. My Good Friend

R.I.P. 1997-2008

Dear Good Buddy,

Thank you for being there. You were a trooper. When I couldn't afford a commercial size food processor you held your own. You chopped, whirled, and pulverized things with the greatest of ease even though you were a mini prep. Things you weren't even equipped to chop. We had good times. Last year when Dana brought home the restaurant size Cuisinart from Sur La Table that cost a small house payment for our anniversary.....I didn't forget about you. I didn't cast you aside, I still used you for small jobs, but I took the load off your aching joints. I still kept your spot on the counter even though you looked dwarfed and in need of a facelift compared to my new bigger and better toy. Tonight I took advantage of you and I ask for your forgiveness as you go to the grave. I am sorry. I put pecans, walnuts, AND coconut in your half lifeless body and filled you up to the brim. I heard you struggling but didn't listen, I was too lazy to use the workhorse...that would have required getting out another blade and lid. For this I apologize. You struggled and tried to hold on.......finally taking your last breath. I shall never forgive myself. R.I.P. good buddy, rest in peace.