It's about time!

Yup, it has been a several months since I last posted....AGAIN.  Seriously, where has the time gone?  Well after the Thanksgiving post things went a bit, well let's just say things got a bit crazy.  Let's break it down.
My boss gave her notice (at the end of October), HR did not post the job until mid-November, I applied, waited, waited and waited some more.  I finally got an interview mid-December, all while we were crazy busy at work.  I was offered the job and accepted.  YEAH!  Well to keep my long drawn out story shorter, lets just say I started my new job on January 3rd and had a crash course.  My days since the last week of December have been insane to say the least.
It is now September....where has the time gone? We made it through wrestling, baseball (2 teams), wrestling camp, football camp, 2 week vacation, school starting, football & Labor Day weekend horseshoe tournament camping extravaganza.  We are now back in the swing of all things routine.  Well except we now travel twice a week for football and our son is starting drivers education next week.  May all of you stay safe on the roads!

I have been doing little cooking since my schedule became so incredibly crazy at work, but still have managed to make a few recipes.  Today is also the day that my son and I spend in the kitchen for him to get his clock hours for his culinary class.  So far he has made zucchini bread with only a few words of wisdom from Mom.

Here is the recipe we used:  Zucchini Bread 
Just a couple of things.  For breads such as zucchini or banana, I like to butter and sugar the pans instead of flour.  Makes a nice crust and tastes really good.  Also, my son made one batch as written and I made a second batch substituting 1 c. unsweetened apple sauce for the 1 c. oil.  They both turned out great!


In addition I have a few of other favorites from the summer.  Try them out!

Watermelon salad with Balsamic Reduction

Cut up fresh watermelon
Chiffonade (thinly slice) fresh mint leaves

1/2 - 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

In a small pan over medium heat mix balsamic, sugar and water.  Reduce until syrup consistency.

Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the watermelon salad.  YUM!


Rhubarb Compote
4 cups diced rhubarb
1 1/2 cups sugar
1-2 T. lemon juice
1 T. corn starch
1-2 T. water

In a medium pan add rhubarb, sugar and lemon juice.  Cook until tender but not mushy.  Mix in a separate bowl the cornstarch and water.  Add to the rhubarb mixture.  Cook a few more minutes until thickened slightly.

This compote is great for topping French toast, ice cream or toast.

Last but not least here is MY recipe for stuffed pablano peppers....they may sound and look a little, well, interesting but they taste AMAZING!

Stuffed Pablano Peppers
4-5 Large Pablano peppers
1 package reduced fat pork sausage
2-3 ears of corn
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch cilantro
1 tsp. cumin
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2-4 oz. Cotija cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste

Cut tops off of peppers and set them aside.  You will use them later.  Seed the peppers. In a large skillet, brown sausage over medium heat.  Pour off any remaining fat.  Reduce heat to medium-low. Add chopped garlic. Shuck and cut corn off of the cobs, add corn to the skillet.  Add black beans, smashing them slightly with the back of a spoon.  Chop up about 1/3 cup cilantro, add to pan along with 1 tsp. cumin (more if desired).  Stir until well combined.  Crumble in 2-4 oz. of Cotija cheese. Stir to combine and warm through.  Remove from heat.  Stuff peppers with mixture until almost to the top of pepper.  Replace the pepper top and stick with toothpicks to hold into place.  Grill peppers on the bbq, over medium-low heat until outside of peppers are soft and cooked through. Serve with sliced avocado & Mexican crema or sour cream.

This dish goes extremely well with homemade corn cakes, flat bread or tortillas.

This recipe is a great free-form recipe.  Change things up, add whatever sounds good to you.  Don't have Cotija cheese but have cheddar, then use the cheddar.  Don't have fresh corn, use canned or frozen. Do what sounds good to you!  Enjoy!

Ummmm Clams & Cookies....

(Photo from Palace Kitchen)
I have to share a recipe (if you can call it that) that we made the other night.  A little history.  My husband & I had our first weekend away in a year.  It was definitely much needed since he had worked every day except one since January 31st...count them...47 days on with one day off.  No I'm not kidding.  Anyways, we decided on just heading to Seattle for the weekend.  We went to a wonderful restaurant called Palace Kitchen.  We ordered clams (of course) and they were amazing.  They were by far the best clams I have ever had and I have eaten a LOT of clams!  So the best part was the smoke flavor they had.  So here is our take on those amazing clams.

Smoked Clams

Steamer Clams
Butter
Chopped Garlic
Chopped Onion or Shallot
Stock
White Wine
Fresh Thyme
Chopped Tomato
Lemon
Pancetta or Bacon (cooked & chopped)
Salt & Pepper

Soak hardwood chips in water (we used hickory for this recipe).  Start your BBQ.  Temp around 400.  Add wood chips. 

Use a shallow pan that is safe for the oven as well (cast iron would work well).  On the stove top over medium heat melt butter, add garlic & onion or shallot.  Saute until soft.  Add stock, white wine, 1/2 lemon squeeze (you can add the entire 1/2 lemon), fresh thyme, salt & pepper.  Continue to cook to reduce slightly.  Add Pancetta or bacon & clams.  Stir until well mixed.  Move entire pan to BBQ.  Be sure that you are getting a good smoke first!  Do not cover you want the smoke flavor.  Cook on the BBQ for 6-10 minutes until clams open up.  Remove from BBQ, add tomato, more butter & stir.

Serve with crusty bread to soak up all the yummy juices!  Enjoy.

NOTE: Be sure to soak clams in cold water for at least an hour to purge the sand.  I usually change the water a couple of times and sometimes add cornmeal to the water.


 (I don't have exact measurements because I don't use them except for baking.  Here is what I think we used.  I have found that too much wine gives the clams a bitter aftertaste so we incorporate stock as well.  We used about 5 lbs of steamers, 1/4 onion, 5 cloves garlic, 4 Tablespoons butter divided, 1 cup stock, 1/2 - 3/4 cup wine, small bunch of thyme, 1/2 large tomato, 4-5 slices bacon,  S & P to taste.  Also get the BBQ really smoking, we soaked our chips for approximately 1/2 hour first.)



OK so the title is Ummmm Clams & Cookies right?  My 5 year old niece came to spend the night and brought "her" recipe and insisted we make "her" special dessert.   So off to the kitchen we went.  Thank you to her for this sinfully good recipe!  Kids in the kitchen, you gotta love it!


Simple Deep Fried Oreos
or as I so fondly call them "heart attack in a bite"

1 cup dry pancake mix
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
6-8 oreo cookies
Powered sugar
Small paper bag
Oil for frying

In a bowl combine pancake mix, egg and milk.  Stir until lumps gone.  Let rest a few minutes.  In a medium sauce pan heat about 2 inches oil to 350༠.  Dip cookies in batter covering completely and  slowly drop into oil.  Fry until golden on each side (just a couple of minutes.)  Remove from oil and drop into a bag of powered sugar.  Shake bag, remove cookies and eat-em-up!


(I thought I might try different cookies and maybe experiment with flavorings in the batter.)



Hope you all enjoy.  Please let me know how your clams and cookies turn out and what changes you made.

Easy & inexpensive holiday centerpieces

I thought I would share my ideas for easy holiday centerpieces. I had the privilege of preparing a large meal for my family and friends as our contribution to the holidays. I was (and still am) on a tight budget (since I have been laid off since October). So here is what I did.

First centerpiece...4 candle centerpiece.

1. One long narrow serving dish

2. Add four votive holders votive candles
(I already had red votive holders and white votive candles but you could use clear votive holders with red, green, silver or gold or any other color of candle that works for you.

3. Add a couple of sprigs of greenery
(I walked across the yard to the neighbors tree and whacked a couple of sprigs....well it was closer than my trees and it had better sprigs!)

4. Pour a package or more of fresh cranberries around the plate.




There you have it. A beautiful - inexpensive holiday centerpiece. Mine cost me the $2.00 for a bag of cranberries.


2nd Centerpiece - Taper Centerpiece

1. 1 large wide mouth glass vase

2. Add fresh cranberries about 1/3 - 1/2 way up vase

3. Place a couple of sprigs of greenery inside with berries
(Again from the neighbors tree :)

4. 1 votive holder
(Mine was clear but you can use any you have)

5. Fill votive holder about 3/4 full of salt.
(I used Sea salt)

6. Place taper candle into the votive holder
(The salt will hold it in place)

7. Place votive holder & taper inside your vase nested in the berries.



Again, another beautiful, easy and inexpensive centerpiece.

Job? Who has time for a job?

For the first time, really in my life, I find myself feeling like I am living in "The Land of the Lost". I was laid off from work on October 14th after having hours reduced from 32/week to 10/week back in May. Since then I have been religiously looking for a job. As anyone will tell you, it is like finding a needle in the haystack to actually get a job right now. So you may ask where "land of the lost" comes from....Well, you see there has always been a reason I have had a job. Bottom line is....I'm a better Mom, wife and person when I am working. I am more productive and I am just happier. Since I have been at home I have had to come up with ways to kill the urge flee for some retail therapy or worse HSN/QVC therapy (yes you can get food from them too). I've been feeling quite lost with this change that I am forced to face, it is really unfamiliar territory. Who knew it would be so difficult? It never was before. As the saying goes, drastic change calls for drastic measures. So it goes.......

I have always loved to bake & cook, but have only done basics. You know what I am talking about - soup out of a can, grilled cheese, tater-tot casserole, tacos, pork roast, chicken with rice..you get the idea. It has only been in the last couple of years that I have really started to experiment with food and baking (yup, some gets thrown away because even the dogs won't eat it...but not much).

I started to make homemade bread when I figured out it would save us between $40-$50 a month....just on bread (this includes loaves, rolls, bagels, etc.) Wow...that is a great savings and I will know what actually goes into the bread I make (kinda makes you think eww doesn't it?). Well as luck would have it, I actually like making bread. I've made white, wheat, honey-wheat, oatmeal, dinner rolls, sandwich rolls, slider rolls, cinnamon rolls, bagels, baguettes & french. I started out by using my bread machine to make the whole thing (yes a faux pas to those who spend hours and muscles kneading by hand - craziness I say), moved onto just using it for dough and now everything is made in the kitchenaid (unless I am crunched on time) and baked in the oven. Kitchenaid = the best invention since sliced bread! I have a couple new recipes bookmarked to try: English muffins & brioche. Maybe this week.

I can't forget autumn/winter transition. 'Tis the season for pumpkin. Oh, how I love anything pumpkin. I have an incredible recipe for pumpkin cookies (that seem to disappear faster than I can get them finished) and just found a great pumpkin muffin recipe. Yah, they don't last long either. Boys eat a lot when they are teenagers. Speaking of pumpkin, I made a fabulous pumpkin soup with bacon, toasted pecans & blue cheese....I know sounds kind of yucky, but it was really tasty. Two teenage boys and one happy husband gave the green light to make it again. Trust me I am just as surprised as you are.

So, I got really lucky in my life. I have one fabulous boy who pretty much eats everything, literally. When I say everything, if you looked in my fridge and cupboards, you would understand. Why didn't anyone ever tell me that teenage boys have two hollow legs? Seriously? The best part is it makes it easy to try new things. The only things I have found that he didn't like were the butternut squash ravioli and butternut squash soup....I think it might be the butternut squash, huh. Oh and the crazy thing he won't eat...tacos. I'm not sure if he really is my child because that just happens to be my very favorite dinner ever. Was he switched at birth? Not likely since he looks just like his Dad. Call me crazy, but who doesn't like tacos? That is just plain wrong. Whatever, he is missing out. I guess to his defense he really eats everything else, even stuff I would not dare try...I'm kind of a sissy with some things. Yes, it is true, I admit I am a complete wimp when it comes to some food items, think slimy or wild.

Anyways, as I said I have been experimenting a lot lately. Tonight is was the pumpkin soup, two nights ago it was homemade Cinnamon-Pancetta Carbonara. Now when I say "homemade" I really mean it. The only store bought pasta you will find in my house is orzo or fusilli (you know the cork screw kind for salad) or maybe once in awhile penne. I have been making my own pasta for a couple of years now and once you make your own, the store bought stuff just doesn't do. I do have to admit I use the kitchenaid with the pasta attachments, much to the dismay of a very dear friend who's Italian heritage finds that to be just shameful. But alas, it is the way I make it and I have not had any complaints, just ask the teenage boy who ate four helpings, a stuffed husband, sister and father. I am really expanding my food repertoire.

All of this just to say that I have enjoyed being in the kitchen preparing savory meals, sweet concoctions and breads, lots of breads. Really it all just started because I'm a terrible stay at home person and needed to find an outlet without breaking the bank. So now I ask, do I really have time for a job?

Is there ever enough fresh bread?

So lately I have been on a HUGE cooking/baking streak. (I really don't see any weight loss in my near future.) On Saturday morning alone I baked the best sticky buns I think I have ever had. My Dad, son and husband will happily agree, since they ate most of them. Not only did I bake those, I also ventured into the world of baguettes. Not as hard as I had thought, but still very time consuming since they do raise three different times. Turned out pretty darn good for my first try. After that was the homemade jalapeno dip to go with the fresh baguette. Seriously, the bread lasted a whole hour till it was gone! Nobody waited for the dip to be done.....hummmm. Remember that was just Saturday morning.

For the past two weeks I have been baking a ton of different breads. White, wheat, bagels, french bread, more wheat, sticky buns, cinnamon rolls, more white and baguettes. None has gone to waste and I am having a blast and really saving money too! Now just to clarify, I have not eaten all of it, nor has my husband or son. We shared the baguettes and one sticky bun, oh and a slice of french. Ok, so we are complete bread people. What is wrong with that? Really!?

Cool part is I get to trade homemade wheat bread for fresh garden vegetables! Yahoo! What a great deal. Yup, I do eat vegetables too. Lots of them actually. You have to have an accompaniment to go with the bread - right? I am so very excited to see where all this baking will take me, other than the gym.

So my question...Is there ever really enough fresh bread?

If you have the baking bug or any thoughts....please let me know. Send your favorite recipe or post your best advice.