Vita Dolce

I'm moving!!

2010-07-21T20:04:00.001-04:00

I'm working on moving into Wordpress for my blog. It's going to be the same sort of thing, just thoughts on food, recipes......and so on and so forth........

Check out the new site here!

Tune In

2010-07-11T21:00:00.001-04:00

No Reservations tomorrow night at 10/9 central. The newest episode is on the Midwest, so all you Midwesterners, watch for some great food sites!

Thank goodness!!!

2010-07-01T06:59:00.002-04:00

I'm so happy that Tracy went home last night!!! It makes me kind of embarresed that she's from Atlanta because she really was just horrible. I'm sure she really is a good chef, she wouldn't be on the show otherwise, but really?! Most of the food she presented just looked horrible, she made excuses, and was just down right unlikeable.

Now, I'm sure that some of that is staged by the show, but even keeping that in mind I found her personality annoying. So, thank you, Padma for sending her home.

On a nicer note, Top Chef: Just Desserts was announced on the show last night to be hosted by Gail Simmons and Johnny Iuzzini. And can I say about Johnny.......wow.......... if he's going to be the host, just think about how many women are going to be tuning in? I mean talk about eye candy. ;)

Overall, a good show with a good challenge, to grill out at Mount Vernon. Looking forward to next week!

It's an Addiction...

2010-06-30T07:38:00.003-04:00

Anthony Bourdain. There are few people out there who don't know who Anthony Bourdain is. After becoming famous for his TV show, No Reservations, it's gotten kind of hard to ignore him. He writes often and is everywhere on food tv. Is this a good thing.....?

I'm afraid I must say, sheepishly, yes. To be perfectly honest, Anthony Bourdain is rude, crude, and socially unacceptable. But you can't help but love him!! I feel almost bad for liking his show, his books, whatever because he can be so crude and just brutally honest. But isn't that what the food world needs? Someone who will be honest?

Food TV these days is filled with people like Rachel Ray, Sandra Lee, and Guy Fieri, and while these people have helped to expand the food community, they're are just..........well..........not really all the interesting. Of just those three, the only I would ever even potentially watch would be Guy Fieri; Rachel and Sandra make me want to shoot something.

But insert Bourdain and everything changes. This is a guy who actually has worked in a professional kitchen for years, executive chef of a well known restaurant and he decided to write more and produce a show. Good!! I appreciate being able to watch someone on tv who knows what the food world is really like, not someone who just wants to make it big on tv by cooking.

So ultimately, yeah I feel a little bad for liking Bourdain.,....but you've got to admit it, watching him on tv is totally an addiction that you'll never want to give up.

Top Chef is Back!!

2010-06-23T22:50:00.002-04:00

Reality TV has never been one of my favorite types of television, but Top chef is one show that I have always been able to follow. Now in it's seventh season, this year chefs head to the country's capital in Washington D.C. So far, I'd have to say it's been an interesting competition. Only two shows have aired, but I'm already picking out my favorites and those at the bottom of the pack.

I would have to say Kenny is a top contender. He hasn't done the best so far, but you can tell he is talented and will be a force to reckon with. Angelo, honestly, just seems to be a total ass; maybe winning the first few challenges are already making his head swell. And I'm sad to the say, the one chef from Atlanta, Tracy, is a total dud! She's not likable at all, and even if she proves to be a good chef, I highly doubt she'll make it to the final three.

I've also been really interested by some of the puns and choice in challenges. It's pretty clear to see the being P.C. has quickly snuck it's tentacles into food television, which makes it a pretty bum party for the rest of us. But what's Bravo to do...

Can't wait to see what's in store for next week!!

Dinners

2010-05-18T18:28:00.002-04:00

Beer Update

2010-05-14T07:27:00.002-04:00

Last night, after going to see Iron Man 2 (which was awesome!), I came home and just sat outside enjoying the sunset with a beer. My sister and I picked up some of Blue Moon's Seasonal, Honey Moon at the store earlier and I wanted to try it. And it was good!

It's their summer ale made with orange peel and honey, and it was a nice light, summer ale. Very refreshing and overall good. Not like an autumn or winter ale, which would be heavier, but a good beer to enjoy in the heat, sitting out on the porch.

You should go get some and enjoy it with a grilled dish. Have a happy Friday!

Congratulations!

2010-05-11T07:24:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to all of the 2010 Graduates! I am a graduate myself from Hillsdale College (as of Saturday), and now am living at home and will be working. However, I won't be here extremely long: I'll be starting culinary school at the beginning of next year!! Very exciting! :)

Until then, I'm going to try and bake and cook as much as I can, and try and post often. And finally, welcome to the beginning of summer!

Happy Birthday!!

2010-04-14T07:31:00.002-04:00

Today is Edna Lewis' birthday! Unfortunately, she passed away in 2006, but she made a huge impact on Southern cooking, spending her life learning about it and sharing with others. I thought of this this morning because of a blog that I read. I found her through Pioneer Woman, but I love this woman because she makes her own buttermilk! That's kind of amazing to me.

But also must recognize Ezra Pound Cake; she has been the only one I've seen who also wishes Edna a happy birthday. She also has links to some great recipes!

Go fix something Southern to celebrate Edna's birthday!

Spring Break

2010-03-28T19:12:00.007-04:00

My younger sister, PeggyDee, and I are visiting my older sister, Margaret, and her husband at their home in Chicago. We just started our Spring Break, a much needed vacation, I might add, so we decided to visit our sister for a few days before heading back home to Georgia. We all got here late on Friday night, in time for dinner, but last night we stayed in and I had the chance to fix dinner for the family.

Margaret and I stopped by Whole Foods earlier in the day to pick out some fresh veggies, fruit and a few other things to cover dinner for the next few night. Last night, we had a really fresh salad of arugula, fennel, golden beets, and a cheese that I had never tried before. The cheese was a very interesting combination of cheddar and blue cheese; it was a hard cheese like cheddar and had the flavors of cheddar, but it had the strains of blue in it. It was a very nice, distinct flavor; very nutty and almost woodsy.

We had a dish of penne, applewood smoked bacon (uncured), spring peas, onion, and sheep's milk parmigiano; it was absolutely delicious, but unfortunately I don't have any pictures right now. :(

Dessert was wonderful, a lemon cupcake with raspberry buttercream. It was a really nice dessert for the spring, especially with Easter right around the corner. I love the dishes that we fix for fall and winter, but when spring finally comes around, I love the fresh , bright flavors.

Find a great menu for the upcoming spring season. There are some great veggies out there right now, and they are tender and beautiful because they're young. Research your local farmer's market, most of them are either opening up soon or moving from their indoor market to the outdoor market. Find some good and fresh. And then employ the help of a great sister to take pictures for you. ;)

2010-03-26T07:32:00.002-04:00

Hello!! Again, I am sorry that it's been a while since I posted. Our Spring Break starts later today, and it's been crazy busy up until now; full of papers, tests, and who knows what else. You think it, and teacher probably assigned it.

So, since Spring Break is beginning soon, I'm hoping to have a chance to bake a little bit more, fix meals, and so forth. Look forward to more posting next week!

Hey!

2010-03-11T08:31:00.002-05:00

I know it's been awhile; it's been a very busy few weeks and it's only going to get busier. I was looking over schedules with a few people yesterday, and it is quite literally, a sprint to the finish. Graduation is a short two months away, but I'm just hoping to make it Spring Break first. :)

A friend of mine, Emily, is having a recital tonight. It's essentially her "thesis" for her music major. I'm helping her out with set-up and stuff, but I also baked for her as well. I decided to fix Spinach-Gruyere Pinwheels. I first heard of this through Paula Deen a while ago, and so I decided I would fix them, but I decided to add bacon. I fear that my friend, Tim, has been a bad influence on me....bacon makes everything better :)

Spinach-Gruyere Pinwheels

Puff pastry

Spinach

Bacon

Garlic

Gruyere

Parmesan

Fontina

Preheat oven to 400. I make sure that the puff pastry has some to room temp so that it's a little easier to work with. In a large saucepan, render the fat from 3 slices of bacon. Once you have this, saute 2 cloves of garlic in the fat, and once its has lost its raw smell begin adding spinach. You're going to need to wilt down about 1 or 2 bags.

While the spinach is wilting, you can grate up your cheeses. Combine them all together in a bowl. After spinach has wilted, let it cool for a while, then try to drain most of the water from it by wringing it in a towl. You don't want too much water in your spinach.

Once all these ingredients are ready, roll out your puff pastry and brush with melted butter. Layer the cheese, spinach, and bacon on top of the pastry, making sure to leave about 1/2" on one end. Roll up the pastry to make a roll, which you then slice into 1/2" slices. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool and enjoy!!

Detroit Eastern Market

2010-02-22T07:05:00.005-05:00

I love this picture. It reminds me that although Detroit is a little run down, there are some beautiful buildings down there.

Dinner Saturday night. Lobster, crab legs, gnocchi, and broccoli

The nice coffee guy from Avalon :)

Detroit Eastern Market

I am now the proud owner of this ice cream machine :)

I love this picture of my sister and her husband

Chocolate!!

The rows upon rows of spices were totally awesome! I wish I could shop there......

Food, Inc.

2010-02-21T09:36:00.004-05:00

Saturday night, my sister and I ended up watching Food, Inc. She had it on Netflix and we decided it would be a good thing to watch, following the whole food theme of the weekend. All I can say is wow....

Honestly, it's a slightly disturbing movie, but really informative about how the food industry is working in our country right now. The writers of this movie brought together a number of different people, such as Michael Pollan (In Defense of Food), Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), and farmers, like Joel Salatin (Polyface, Inc.) and other people who have been seriously affected by the food industry and are now advocates for food safety.

Now you must keep in mind that this movie does have an agenda, so you do need to take it with a grain of salt, but there is truth in it. It's very revealing about how food companies operate, how they treat their workers, animals, etc. It is definitely something people need to start considering: knowing where their food is coming from, how it's being obtained, how far it's travelling, etc. Also, in a nation where our economy isn't doing so well, supporting local farmers will help to boost local economies.

You don't need to become an advocate for food safety or for eating organic, but it is important to know about your food, especially since it's the fuel you use to run your body. Be aware, and don't be left in the dark.

Friday Night

2010-02-20T09:08:00.002-05:00

Got into Detroit last night because I came for the weekend to visit my sister. She insisted we go to Mudgie's for dinner, which I had never heard, but oh my goodness was it good!! It's this sandwich shop that isn't more than a few minutes from her house, but it was wonderful. We had one of their soup specials, which was a chicken sausage and apple with bleu cheese. Delicious! Also we both got a sandwich, which are named after different people who helped the owner out. I got the Puglini and Giles got the Madill. Mine had chicken, asiago, artichoke, tomato, and pesto in a wrap. I don't remember everything that was on Giles', but it looked good!

Next, we went down to Greek Town, near the casino, to stop in at a bakery called Astoria. It has a lot of European pastries, and they also sell ice cream and coffee. It was slightly overwhelming to be honest. You walk in and there's just a line of pastries in front of you, all so pretty and looking so yummy. I think we spent more time just looking at the desserts that actually eating any, but we did get something. Giles had a chocolate covered strawberry and I got a chocolate covered cannoli. So good!!!

Overall, it was a really fun Friday night, and today we're going to the Detroit Eastern Market, so excited! It's essentially the farmer's market in downtown. It should be lots of fun. Hopefully, pictures and a posting to come soon!

St. Honore's Cake

2010-02-19T06:55:00.004-05:00

So, I thought this was interesting. As I was reading through some baking blogs this morning (which is, of course, what happens every morning) I read about a saint named St. Honoratus. I found it interesting because he's he patron saint of bakers!

A cake is named after him, St. Honore's Cake, which I have never baked before, but looks really, really good!

I think it will definitely be an adventure to try. :)

So, there's the little random fact for the day. Enjoy your Friday and have a great weekend!!

2010-02-18T08:34:00.003-05:00

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a couple of day...I have this little recital thing that I'm doing.....which is taking up most of my time right now :)

But look forward to posting later this week!! I'm going to visit the Detroit Eastern Market. I'm really excited about, and I will actually have a legitimate camera to take pictures with; sweet, right?

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great Thursday!!

Question....?

2010-02-16T08:42:00.003-05:00

What does it mean to eat well? Does anyone really know?

America currently has an obsession with food; always trying to find the next great ingredient, always wondering what the next wonder diet will be. Why? Why is it that people have this desire to know all they can about food?

It must be more than sustenance because if it were just that, we would only eat what we need, and then move on. And people do that! Some care more for their job or some other thing than about what they're putting into their mouth. But then, what of those whose lives who revolve around food? Like chefs or suppliers, farmers and butchers, anyone whose life heavily involves food?

I wish I could ask those people what it means to eat well. Those who live in the grind; the line cook working his first job, the executive chef running the kitchen, the delivery man who brings their vegetables, the farmer who grows them. What does it mean to them to eat well? I wish I could pick the brains of people like James Beard, Edna Lewis, M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, Gordon Ramsey....those people who dedicate their lives to food, trying to make it better, trying to educate. What would they say?

America has made chefs celebrities. Is that what they've come to? Has our obsession with food come to the point where we make it nothing more than idolatry? Or is there more to it...?

Why do we feel the need to eat well? I don't know that I'll ever come up with an answer, and I wonder if people ever do. Maybe it's because there's no one reason, not just one definition. It means different things to different people. For some, it is just to run their bodies so that they are healthy and function well. But for others, it more. It's the desire to make one dish perfection, the desire to serve that perfection to others and to make them see. It's the desire to bring together all the components which make up that meal, and to share it.

That's just one definition that I'm sure will change as time goes on. As we grow older, sharing food with different friends and family; sharing as the goals in life change and the times. Who knows what the answer might be one year from now, two, five, twenty.....I suppose we'll find out.

How would you answer?

Happy Birthday To Me!

2010-02-15T07:15:00.003-05:00

Yes, it's my birthday, and yes, I did bake my own birthday cake. :) I've been baking my own cake for a while now, but I have the say the most distinctive cake, was my sixteenth birthday. That was a pretty awesome cake, all chocolate and lopsided. It was sweet. I really wish I had a picture of it to show you.

However, for this year, I decided to bake a German Chocolate Cake, which is one of favorites! One of the things that I love about this cake is the trivia behind it. The reason it's called a German chocolate cake is because it is named after the man who developed the specific type of chocolate used for it; his last name was German. :)

This cake is great because it's a very tender cake, even if you don't use cake flour, and it doesn't really need any frosting because of the sugary, sweet filling. Here's the recipe I used.

German Chocolate Cake

1 pkge German's Sweet Chocolate (I use Baker's)

1/2 cup water

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, separated

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup buttermilk

Coconut-Pecan Filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and prepare 3 9" cake pans. I also grease and flour the pans and then place a circle of parchment paper in the bottom. Microwave chocolate and water together until it is melted.

Mix together flour, soda, and salt; set aside. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, blending well after each. Beat in chocolate and vanilla. Add flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk.

Beat egg whites in a clean bowl until stiff peaks form. Gently fold whites into chocolate batter. Pour evenly into prepared pans. Bake fore 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in pans 15 minutes, and then turn onto cooling rack. I always cover mine with a damp paper towel. Prepare filling.

Coconut-Pecan Filling

4 egg yolks

1 can evaporated milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter

7 oz coconut

1 1/2 cups pecans

Beat egg yolks, milk, and vanilla in a saucepan until thoroughly combined. Add sugar and butter and cook over medium heat for about 12 minutes, until thickened and golden brown. Pull off of heat and add coconut and pecans. Mix well and then allow to cool completely.

To assemble cake, place one layer onto a cake plate and top with 1/3 of filling. Repeat, using all layers; you will have a nice layer of filling on the top. And that's all she wrote!

The cake really doesn't need anything else, just slice and serve. What's also very nice about this is because you fold in those egg whites, you have a wonderful light texture, with a melt in your mouth deliciousness. :)

This is definitely a great choice for a birthday cake.

Let's Celebrate!

2010-02-13T07:17:00.002-05:00

Last night, in order to celebrate getting into culinary school and my birthday on Monday, I went to Zingerman's Roadhouse in Ann Arbor with my sister and two friends. It was absolutely wonderful!!

I've never been to the Roadhouse before. I've been to the deli multiple times and absolutely love it, but I really wanted to go to the restaurant. It's been around since March 15, 1982 and they really have a wonderful restaurant. The chef, Alex Young, is a James Beard nominee and they use mostly local ingredients. The menu is mostly Southern dishes, which I thought was pretty interesting, and of course, my sister and I have to try a couple of different dishes to see if it was legitimate Southern. :)

We started off with a cheese flight, which is essentially a cheese platter. Zingerman's has their own creamery, and make a lot of their own cheese, but some are also from nearby states, like Wisconsin. It was served with bagel crisps and grapes. I don't know how I could describe the grapes, but they were pretty darn good.

We also got some of their cornbread, which was a Marbled Cheese Cornbread. There were two different kinds of cornmeal, yellow and blue, both from Anson Mills in Charleston, SC. The cheese I believe was from Vermont, I don't recall exactly, but it was pretty good. It was a sweet cornbread, which is not really normal for the South, but it was still very good! It was served with pot likker (actually spelled liquor, but doesn't actually involved alcohol), which was a little heavy on the ham hock, but still very good.

For entrees, my sister got the fried chicken with grits and greens, Heather got a burger, Anna a Caesar salad and macaroni, and I got this absolutely wonderful macaroni and cheese. I felt like I died and went to heaven. It was served with a pimento cheese and peppered bacon. For those who don't know what pimento cheese is, it's a very Southern dish which includes a sharp white cheese, pimentos, which are a types of pepper, and are pretty sweet. Many people vary their pimento cheese, but I think it requires a touch of onion, and there's the requirement of mayonnaise. Granted it must be very GOOD mayonnaise, and yes, it does in fact exist. It's called Duke's or making your own. Anyway, I don't know how they fixed it, but that is literally, the BEST macaroni and cheese I have ever had. Thank goodness there are leftovers :)

We didn't get any dessert, we were all way too full for it. However, I did end up buying a bar of chocolate made by Askinosie Chocolates based out of Springfield, MO. This is a small-time chocolate maker who used to be a lawyer. He came to Zingerman's on Tuesday for a presentation that I really wanted to go to, but wasn't able to because of weather.

Overall, it was so much fun! A great meal, great finds, and a good time. A great way to celebrate! :)

Individual Cheesecakes

2010-02-12T07:19:00.003-05:00

I think they turned out pretty well...I made them chocolate and some had almonds and others had butterscotch chips. Again, it's one of those things where it's not quite right yet, and some changes need to be made to the recipe. Frustrating.....

That's really all for now; not much else to say.....hmmmm.....oh, well....

Everyone have a great Friday!

Hmm...

2010-02-11T08:23:00.004-05:00

So I don't know if this is wierd, but am I the only one who celebrates getting into culinary school by baking? Maybe it is just me...I'm not really sure.

Anyway, I ended up having some time to bake last night, and I was able to fix some cheesecake brownies and an Almond Citrus Olive Oil cake, both for friends which will be mailed out today. The biggest concern I have, though, was my brownies. They aren't quite right yet, sometimes I have that feeling and sometimes I love it. It's nice to have the challenge of making it better, but other times, I get frustrated, not knowing exactly what to change, but knowing that it isn't right.

So, here's a question for you, would you rather have your brownies cakey or fudgey? I tend to lean more towards the fudgey end....Any suggestions?

Something else I'm working on is ready through Bill Buford's Heat.

It was recommended to me from an administrator here at the school because his family has worked in the restaurant business and we've discussed the food industry in general. He also suggested Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, which I will be starting after this one. He offered some really go advice about having a thick skin and being level headed. If you can make it in the food business without being an alcoholic, an addict of some sort, or generally mean, you can make it. It's definitely a tough business....

It also got me to thinking about being in the food industry. I know for a fact that I don't want to be in the restaurant business; I feel like I would be able to interact with customers enough. And I don't know that I would like the fast pace, late night life. I'm definitely leaning more towards a bakery sort of business that has earlier hours and you have more of an opportunity to form a relationship with the people buying your product.

Just a few random thoughts. :) Have a good Thursday everyone!!

Woohoo!!

2010-02-10T07:41:00.002-05:00

I don't have any eloquent to say today......actually I never do....I'm not that eloquent to begin with.

Anyway, I wanted to share the news that I have been accepted into the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York!!! So exciting!!!

I won't be starting until January 2011, which is actually really good. It gives me some time to work and save money after I graduate in May. Also, it'll give me the chance to go home and hang out with my parents and grandparents, and take a little break from school before I start again.

If you want to learn more about CIA, visit their website, www.ciachef.edu, or you can shoot me an email. Have a great Wednesday everybody!!

Yay for February!

2010-02-09T08:19:00.003-05:00

I'm sorry that I haven't posted in a few days, but this past weekend was opera weekend. So, all of last week and this past weekend was full of singing. It was an absolutely wonderful opera, but I'm happy that it's over with because even though it was fun, it was an incredibly depressing opera. But the one thing that helped to make it so much better was looking through cookbooks and talking about recipes with my friend, Catherine, while we got ready before the show. :)

But now, I can start posting on a regular basis again, or at least until next week when I have my senior recital.

A friend of mine asked me to give a presentation last night about eating healthy and easy cooking methods. I was giving this presentation to other seniors in my sorority as a part of a program to "prepare us for graduation and staying in touch with Kappa" and so on and so forth. I was more concerned with talking about cooking, really....

As I was preparing for this presentation, I was able to come up with 10 points that I really think a lot of people should know about or at least, pay attention to. I'll try to keep it short, or else it'll be a really long post; I could talk about this stuff for hours...

1. Prep work and Ziploc bags: most people don't think they have the time to cook, and it is hard to come home after 8, 9, 10 hours at work and prepare a meal. But the key is to do your prep work. When you do have time, on say a weekend or right after you go to the grocery store, do a little bit of prep work and store it in your 'fridge. This way, it's there waiting for you when you get home.

2. A crock pot is your best friend: I love crock pots; they're amazing. You can. quite literally, through something in there and let it sit for 4 to 8 hours. Then when you get home, you're greeted with a wonderful aroma and all you have to do is plate it up.

3. Eat lots of pretty colors and often: Okay, I cannot not honestly take credit for this phrase, it's from Alton Brown :) But he has the right idea. People don't eat enough veggies, and they come in more than just green. Vegetables also come in red, yellow, orange, even purple. Vegetables provide nutrients that we all need, so don't avoid them!!

4. If God made is grow at one specific time, it's best then: This gets back to the idea of eating seasonally. More people are trying to stress it, which I think it good. When you eat seasonally, one, you're getting better tasting food because that's when it's at its best. Two, you'll be saving money! When it's in season, there is more of it causing lower prices at the market. Especially when everyone's paying more attention to their wallets, keep in mind what's in season and you can save a few bucks.

5. Buying in bulk...and your freezer...can save you money: Sam's Club and BJ's can be great places. For certain meats, you can get a larger amount, use what you need and freeze the rest. Then when you need meat later, you can get it from your freezer rather than going to the store. Also, go for the less expensive cuts, like a brisket or a shank or a Boston Butt. You can get a lot of meat for less, and if you cook it right it's really good.

6. If it's processed, there are probably better things for you: Okay, processing can be good occasionally; it was invented for a reason. However, it's gotten a little out of hand. Have you ever tried to read the names of the ingredients in some products? That's right....you can't....you can hardly even pronounce it. In a case like that, your body is less likely to be able to break down the ingredients, so you store what little nutrients are in there, which probably aren't that great for you to begin with. Stick to things that God made naturally, like vegetables, fruit, etc. So, moral of the story....no Velveeta.

7. If you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it: Seeing "cooking wine" on shelves always makes me laugh and then cringe. Have you ever tried that stuff? Well, I have, and it's nasty. If you want to cook with it, drink some first and then decide if it's good enough to be put into a meal because when you cook with alcohol, it concentrates the flavors, making good flavors taste better and bad ones, worse.

8. If your 'fridge is full of leftovers, make soup: Must- Go Soup that is. :) My mom would fix this when I was younger to try and get rid of leftovers in the kitchen. So, all of your leftover meats, vegetables, go into a pot with some tomato sauce, V8 is really good to use, some herbs or stock or whatever suits your fancy, and you have soup to last as long as you like. :)

9. Don't be scared of desserts: It's all about moderation. One slice is great, three or four isn't. Also, avoid the "diet" and "light" junk. It won't satisfy your sugar craving because it doesn't have the buttery, sugary sweet taste that you love, so you'll end going back to the box a few times and before you know it, the box is gone. So simply stated in the words of Alton Brown, " If you want a cookie, eat a damn cookie!"

10. Don't be afraid, be BOLD! Try new flavors, a new recipe, a new technique, and you won't get stuck in a rut. There is so much information available to you from places like Food Network, Epicurious, and so many more! Use the information they are freely giving to you!

So, I really hope you've learned something, even though this post was a little bit longer than I was expecting. Sorry.... :/ You don't have to stick to these points at all, feel free to make your own, but it's a good starting place. :)

Guten Morgen

2010-02-04T08:38:00.002-05:00

This week is ridiculously busy!! It's Opera week! I'm involved in an opera workshop and performances start tonight, so unfortunately, it hasn't really left a lot of time for baking. I mean I'm in rehearsals for at least 4 hours a night. It's totally worth it, but like I said, not lots of time for baking.

So, that's on hold for a little while, but I really wanted to share with you; not something about baking, but actually relating back to my post about the sunrise. Tuesday's and Thursday's I really have the opportunity to sit and watch the sunrise. And as I was sitting there this morning, I couldn't help but think about how awesome God is. So, I thought I would share some Bible verses which really express the beauty of God in words I could never come up with on my own. Enjoy!

Psalm 19

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;   night after night they display knowledge.

There is no speech or language   where their voice is not heard. ^[^a^]

Their voice ^[^b^] goes out into all the earth,   their words to the ends of the world.   In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,

which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,   like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

It rises at one end of the heavens   and makes its circuit to the other;   nothing is hidden from its heat.

The law of the LORD is perfect,   reviving the soul.   The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,   making wise the simple.

The precepts of the LORD are right,   giving joy to the heart.   The commands of the LORD are radiant,   giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the LORD is pure,   enduring forever.   The ordinances of the LORD are sure   and altogether righteous.

They are more precious than gold,   than much pure gold;   they are sweeter than honey,   than honey from the comb.

By them is your servant warned;   in keeping them there is great reward.

Who can discern his errors?   Forgive my hidden faults.

Keep your servant also from willful sins;   may they not rule over me.   Then will I be blameless,   innocent of great transgression.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart   be pleasing in your sight,   O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Sunrise

2010-02-02T08:29:00.005-05:00

People are always asking my why I get up so early because most days, I'm up by 6 am. I suppose it's mostly genetic, my mother is an early riser too. But, also, I get up so early because I love seeing the sun rise. Not saying anything against sunsets, but I prefer the early quiet, where I can sit with my coffee, wake up, and see God's glory in the beginning of the day.

Here's just one example:

I didn't take this picture myself, I'm not that good of a photographer, but I wanted to show just one example of the beauty in the mornings.

One other thing I love about rising early is being able to fix coffee and breakfasts for people. This morning, I fixed some Cranberry Streusel Muffins for the girls in the house. It's so nice to be able to wake up to the smell of fresh baked goods.

Cranberry Streusel Muffins (from Alton Brown's I'm Just Here for More Food)

2 1/4 cups All purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 whole egg

1 egg yolk

1 cup plain yogurt

Up to 1 cup of mix-ins (I used craisins)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Combine all of the dry ingredients and whisk together. Combine wet ingredients thoroughly. Pour dry ingredients into the wet and mix until just combined. Add in your craisins. Using an ice cream scooper, dispense batter into 16 greased muffins tins.

Streusel Topping

1/3 cup flour

1/4 to 1/3 cup brown sugar

cinnamon

nutmeg

butter

Combine all ingredients well. It should form pea-size chunks which you can then put on top of your muffins.

After adding topping, bake muffins for 18 to 20 minutes. Once finished, allow them to cool for 5 to 10 minutes in muffin tin. Serve warm with a hot cup of coffee!

Testing recipes..

2010-02-01T07:42:00.002-05:00

I'm always looking for new recipes to try and taste. It's so much fun to try something and then do the best you can to make it better. Plus, I'm lucky. I have a household of approximately 30 people to test recipes on. They make such wonderful guinea pigs. :)

Anyway, I have a question. I'm working on a bar recipe that my sister actually got me thinking about. In essence, it's a sugar cookie base that has a layer of peanut butter and chocolate on top. I'm still working on the cookie recipe right now. It's not quite moist enough yet.

But my question to you is, if you had the choice would you rather have a thicker cookie layer or thinner? Or would you like it in a cup form, more like a Reese' cup? Or something else, how about a peanut butter cookie base topped with a layer of peanut butter and chocolate?

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Eli Young Band

2010-01-31T16:58:00.004-05:00

I've recently been listening to a lot of the Eli Young band. This is a Texan country/rock band, and their most recent album is Jet Black and Jealous. So, this band got me to thinking about Texas....not good, I know.

Texas makes me think of two things in particular. First, my friend, Raz, who is from Texas and actually introduced the band to me, which I would love to thank him for. Hmm....quick side note:

Is it just me, or does anybody else notice how Texans swagger? I don't know if it's just Raz and his brother, but when you watch them, they swagger....it's so wierd and so absolutely hilarious to watch! I don't know...it must be a Texas thing....

But back to the task at hand, Texas. The other thing Texas makes me think of is beef brisket, which of course, they are known for. It's all they ever BBQ. So, I guess the combination of listening to Texas country music made me want to fix a beef brisket. So, I did.

But first, I had to find one. :) Julie and I went out last night to get just a 4 or 5 pound brisket. We tried Kroger first....and they did NOT have one. How can you be a grocery store and not have brisket?! They had corned beef brisket, but St. Patrick's day is over a month away! And that's a totally different post.... I just wanted a plain, old brisket.

So, we tried Walmart, and success!! We found one. We start to walk to check out, me now carrying this 9 or 10 pound brisket like I would my own child, and Julie goes, "So......can we name it?"

"No! We can't name the brisket! Because we're going to roast it and eat it!"

"How about Ned?"

"I thought you were going to name your first son Ned?"

"Oh.....well......how about Fred?"

Needless to say, we never decided on a name, which is probably a very good thing. :) But anyway, we now had our brisker, and now came the time to cook it. The best way to cook a brisket is at a low temperature for a very LONG time. Brisket comes from what you could consider the shoulder/arm of cow and so it's a relatively tough piece of meat. However, it does have a good amount of fat on it, which can work to your advantage. So, here is my recipe for a beef brisket.

Texan Beef Brisket

9 lb. brisket

1 cup dry rub

4 onions

You need to trim the fat on the brisket to about 1/4 inch on the top. This can be tedious, so make sure you have a good sharp knife, and a paring knife is good to have around as well. Season the brisket well with the dry rub. I use my own personal recipe, you can make up something yourself, buy one, doesn't really matter. The important part is that you do this the night before you're planning on roasting because it needs to sit over night. Make sure to cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge overnight.

When you're ready, preheat the oven to 300 degrees. As the oven is preheating, you're going to make a foil package to wrap your brisket in. I used a double layer of foil, or you could use heavy duty foil, either way you're going to have, at least, one sheet of foil on the bottom and one on the top of the brisket. Cut up your onions into fairly large chunks and lay around the brisket. Seal up the foil so that there are no openings.

You're going to roast this at 300 degrees for about 4 hours or until the brisket is fork tender, which also translates to 175 degrees internal temperature. The brisket will form its own juices in the package which you can then spoon over your beef.

Here is my finished product! I served mine with creamy grits and caramelized onions. I would have also served probably collards, but I didn't really have time today.

So, here's the moral of the story. One, you can roast your own brisket; it's a lot easier than you might think. Two, listen to Eli Young Band, they're great. Three, the next time you see a Texan, watch them swagger and giggle quietly to yourself. :)

Bell's

2010-01-30T07:37:00.006-05:00

I never been a huge beer fan; actually it took my a while to get to the point where I could appreciate and enjoy beer. I feel that I have my brothers-in-law to thank for that. :) But last night, I was just hanging out with some friends, and we decided to get a few different types of beers to try. Of course, being college students, price is one thing we look at, and we were able to find a few for a good price.

1. Dundee's Honey Brown Lager

My friend, Ben got this beer, and it's pretty good. It's more of a medium to heavy beer, but it has a nice smooth flavor. It's a nice accompaniment for a sandwich, and we served it with a portobello mushroom sandwich, which was very good. Great general all-around, inexpensive beer.

2. Rising Moon Spring Ale (Blue Moon)

I've always enjoyed Blue Moon beers. They are well-made and taste good. This is their seasonal beer for spring. It's a pale ale that's been made with lime verbena leaves and lime. Now, I'm a huge lime fan, so I really enjoyed this beer. But something I was debating with a friend, would the beer have been better with just a lime wedge in it? Or with the lime flavorings? I suppose it's up to whoever is drinking it. But, this is a good seasonal is you like a lighter flavor with just that hint of lime.

3. Bell's Amber Ale

I caught sight of this beer at the store and was immediately intrigued because it's made here in Michigan; in Comstock actually. I'm really into eating local foods and drinking local beers and wines; I think it's a great way to support the economy around you, and especially for microbreweries like this, you usually get a good quality beer because people take a lot of pride in what they're doing.

Anyway, this brewery is off of 94, closer to the west side of the state, but after looking it up, they've been around since 1983. They are one of the oldest microbreweries in the Mid-West. Also, it looks like they have a restaurant, you can take tours of the brewery, and do beer tastings.

As for the beer itself, this was by far my favorite. It wasn't too heavy, but it's definitely not a light beer. I don't think it paired extremely well with the portobello sandwiches, but it wasn't bad. I would rather have served this a beef stew probably.

Overall, my goal in this post was to show you some of the good beers around right now. And to encourage you to drink something local! Check it out, most grocery stores will sell local beers, or smaller time stores. Find something new and see if you like it. :)

Cookbooks on My Shelf

2010-01-29T07:35:00.010-05:00

I love cookbooks! I suppose that makes sense, since I like to cook and bake a lot, but even before I got really serious about cooking, I loved collecting cookbooks. I still do, as a matter of fact. I know that it bothers my sisters so much sometimes because every time I pick up or look at some cookbook, my younger sisters always goes, "Why do you need that?!? You have tons at home!"

Oh, young one.....if you only knew...... :)

I suppose the reason I like cookbooks so much is that I like to just peruse through them, flipping pages liesurely, dissecting pictures and examining recipes. There is always some new to find in cookbooks; always some new recipe to try or inspiration for another recipe.

However, since I could not possibly keep all of my cookbooks here at school, I've chosen a few that I refer to almost all of the time. Here are just a few:

1. Alton Brown! You can never miss out on Alton Brown. He is one of my favorite TV show hosts, and I was lucky

enough to hear hi

m speak at Oakland University in Detroit in October. I was lucky enough to attend with my older sister and my roommate, and it was an absolute

blast. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard...

Anyway, he has some wonderful recipes, all from the first 7 or 8 seasons of the show, Good Eats. He also explains the science of cooking, so

if you're a nerd like me, you'll enjoy it. :)

2. Joy of Cooking: this is also a great resource! It's been around for years, and it's been revised a few times as well. I have the newest edition, but there is no doubt in my mind that they'll come out with another edition soon enough.

But what's really great about this book is the fact that it gives you recipes as well as ba

ckground about whatever you're cooking with.

So, say you want to bake rutabaga. You don't know how to cook one, much less what it is. Go look it up here! It'll tell you what it is exactly (it's a sort of tuber) and many different ways how to cook it and prepare it. This is a really a good go-to book, and great for cooks just starting out.

3. Baking by James Peterson

This is also a great go-to book for bakers. Peterson has written one for cooking as well, so if you prefer to have that, go for it. This book is nice because it covers almost every area of

baking from breads to pastries and custards and it gives you the basics. Say for a cake, it'll give you a few basic recipes, which almost all baked good are based upon. Then, it'll tell you how to make variations of that recipe. Also, he has wonderful, beautiful pict

ures in this book. They are very informative and instructive. That's one thing that can be very difficult about baking, a lot of things you have to learn either from watching someone do it, or perform the task yourself. This is the closest to actually being in a classroom with a chef. I think'll you enjoy it a lot, especially if you a visual learner, like me.

4. Rachael Ray: No Repeats

Honestly, I'm not a big Rachael Ray fan, actually I can't really stand her; nobody, and I mean nobody says "Yummo" in real life, and EVOO is in the dictionary now?!?! What is this world coming to...

Anyway, even though I don't like her, her cookbooks aren't bad. They're good for ideas and f

airly easy to follow. The only downside to these books is that a lot of people don't always have the ingredients sitting immediately in your kitchen, and unless you cook A LOT, you won't necessarily use all of whatever it is you have to buy.

But, nevertheless the recipes are good for ideas and guides and that's what I usually refer to.

5. The Flavor Bible

One of my favorite new books! By the same couple who wrote, The Making of a Chef, which I have read I should mention. Anyway, this is another great reference. There are a few chapters in the beginning which helps cooks to understand how flavors work together and how to pair different types of flavors, textures, and smells to fix great food.

In the last chapter, it's essentially a sort of dictionary which all the different pairings that go well together. For example, say you're cooking with pears, you can look pears up in the this book and see all the different foods and spices and herbs that work well with them.

I hope you'll look up these cookbooks because there are really great books, references, and generally good books. Enjoy!

Jodi's Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-01-28T08:25:00.006-05:00

I think I mentioned a few days ago that this house goes through loads of bananas, and for some reason we actually had some get pretty ripe......slightly strange, but that's good for me! I love these cookies because they have the wonderful smell and taste of banana bread, but in cookie form and with chocolate chips. Now, how can you beat that?

My older sister actually introduced me to these because her mother-in-law bakes them and the family loves them! Of course, my sister was kind enough to share the wonderfulness and got the rest of us hooked. :) I will warn you though, these cookies don't last very long once they come out of the oven, so you might need to stash a few of your own if you want any.

2/3 (two-thirds) Cup Shortening

1 Cup Sugar.
2-4 mashed bananas (the mushier the better)

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla
2.5 (two and a half) Cups Flour

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 (half) tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 (half) tsp. Salt.

6 oz. chocolate chips

Cream together the shortening and sugar. I will tell you that I prefer to use butter because of the flavor and it produces a better golden brown color, but shortening works just as well if that's what you have.

Add the smashed bananas and mix well. Add eggs one at a time and then the vanilla. While mixing, combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Add slowly to wet ingredients. You batter won't be very stiff like normal cookie dough, it'll actually be very soft. Because of this I like to use an ice cream scooper to dispense the dough.

Make sure to grease your baking sheet before loading on the cookie dough otherwise the cookies will stick.

Bake at 350 10-12 minutes. You'll know the cookies are finished when they bounce back when you press lightly on them, or until they're a nice golden brown.

These are very cakey cookies, more like a muffin top than a chocolate chip cookies. However, they are absolutely delicious! Be careful....it's an addiction. :)

Edna Lewis

2010-01-27T07:45:00.003-05:00

Not many people know about Edna Lewis. She was in fact a wonderful cook, sometimes labelled as the Julia Childs of the South. She grew up in a very poor family, but grew up to be one of the most influential chefs for Southern cooking.

Unfortunately, she passed away in 2006, but before that happened, she became very good friends with Scott Peacock, the executive chef of Watershed in Decatur, GA. He now tries to carry on her tradition of Southern cooking within his restaurant.

They wrote a book called "The Gift of Southern Cooking" before Edna died. It's a wonderful book and a great resource. But what I really wanted to share was an article. I found it last year in Gourmet's archives from the early 2000's. Edna Lewis writes about what the south is. I hope you enjoy!

http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s/2008/01/whatissouthern_lewis

Peanut Butter...yum..... :)

2010-01-26T08:27:00.002-05:00

Peanut butter is wonderful stuff. I thank God that He inspired George Washington Carver to discover the wonderfulness of peanuts in general.

Sorry, I had to express my love of peanut butter someway..... :)

Anyway, I had a friend request some peanut butter cookies, and even though he is far away (Arizona), I figured he could use a little TLC from my kitchen. I love this recipe; it's from my mother's kitchen, but I like it so much because the cookies aren't necessarily soft. They're actually slightly crunchy and kind of crumbly. This is due to the ratio of fat and sugar and then you add the peanut butter and you get a wonderful texture and flavor. Yum!

So to continue to share the TLC, I thought I would post the recipe, especially since a friend tried one and wants the recipe. :)

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup butter (or shortening)

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup peanut butter

2 1/2 cups flour, sifted with 1 tsp soda and a pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla

Combine dry ingredients, and set aside. In a standing mixer, combine butter and sugar until creamy, then add peanut butter until well mixed. Add eggs, one at a time, then add vanilla. Add dry ingredients slowly and mix until well incorporated.

This dough can chill until you're ready to use it or you can bake immediately. I like to use a small ice cream scooper to form balls which I then press out with a fork. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 12 minutes (it'll depend on your oven) You know they're finished when they have a beautiful golden brown color. You'll also be able to smell them, telling you they're finished. :)

It's times like this that I really wish I had my camera!!! Or even had my sister here to take the picture because she's such a wonderful photographer. Oh well......

I hope you enjoy these cookies!!!

Yogurt is....

2010-01-25T07:49:00.004-05:00

So good! Now, I'm not talking about the colored, artificially flavored yogurt stuff that most people by these days. I'm talking about plain, simple, the way it should be yogurt. It's not usually the first thing that shoppers pick up when you're in the dairy section of the grocery store because most people don't think they like the taste. That's right....it's not naturally sweet; it's actually very tart. We've all gotten so used to the processed kind that we can't handle the real stuff. Now, I know it might be a different flavor for your poor little tastebuds, but make it a challenge and try it! If you want a little sweetness, top it with some honey or fruit.

So misunderstood! Lots of companies are coming out with yogurt that has probiotic cultures, bacteria that are good for your GI tract, blah, blah, blah...... Well, here's a little secret for you.....don't tell anyone........original yogurt already has those bacterial cultures. Ahhh!!! Are you suprised?!?! I really hope not. If you look at yogurt closest to its original forms, it has that wonderful bacteria in there already, and hundreds more!

Here's a little scientific information for you. Activia, created by Dannon, has made "Bifidus regularis" it's own culture. This isn't abnormal, a lot of good quality cheese companies do the same thing. Legally make the culture theirs so that other companies can't use them (just so you know Kraft isn't really one of them....) What they don't really tell you is that, Bifidus regularis isn't really a bacteria. It's real name is Bifidobacterium animalis subspecia animalis, strain DN-173 010, but that doesn't really roll off the tongue quite as easy, now does it.

This culture is found naturally in our GI tract already. We acquire them during infancy from breast feeding. The cultures develop and simply have a lower population when we're older because of the hundreds of other bacterial strains within our body. This yogurt, Activia, is simply changing the bacterial flora of your intestine to help things out.

Well, here's another secret for you, you can save some money by buying plain yogurt, which is cheaper.....and get a lot of the same benefits. You can look up the articles, whatever, the bacteria are really good for you and help promote good health.

So under appreciated! There are so many uses for yogurt, not just breakfast in the morning. It's wonderful to use in marinades, they add great flavor, breakfast in the mornings, lunches, dips.....whatever your mind can come up with. Personally, I really like to use yogurt for dips for veggies, chips, anything. Here's a good recipe for it.

Savory Yogurt Dip

8 oz plain, whole milk yogurt

garlic

lemon zest

rosemary

salt

pepper

Line a strainer with cheesecloth and pour yogurt into the strainer. Let excess liquid drain off the yogurt while you work on other stuff. Chop up your garlic finely, you can use as much or as little as you like. Personally, I'm a big garlic fan. Also, chop up your rosemary finely. Once you've drained the excess liquid off the yogurt, it will be much thicker with a consistency closer to a soft cheese. In a bowl, combine yogurt, garlic, rosemary, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Combine well. Serve with pita chips or anything else that sounds good.

Really, you are not short of options for this dip. Change up the flavors depending on what you're serving. Use lots of different herbs, spices, whatever suits your fancy. However, do not ever underestimate yogurt.

Sunday Morning Brunch

2010-01-24T13:28:00.003-05:00

It's gotten really warm here, so it's been raining. It puts you in the mood for really comforting food, like French Toast. :) After church this morning, came back to fix french toast, specifically my dad's french toast. It's something that my sisters and I loved having when we were younger, especially when served with iced milk.

It's really easy to fix and fast.

Daddy's French Toast
8 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
dash of nutmeg

Combine all ingredients well. Use day old bread for your toast, soak in egg mixture and cook in a skillet brought to medium heat or 350 degrees on an electric skillet. Serve with maple syrup. :)

A great brunch for Sunday morning or even dinner :)

The Little Things....

2010-01-23T19:11:00.002-05:00

I love how the little things in life are the ones that inspire you to bake. Or at least, they inspire me. :) Sometimes, it's a phrase or a song, sometimes it's a picture a landscape or a smell. Then you just get started thinking, "Hey, that sounds really good" or even "how can I reproduce that or make it better"?

Sometimes it's just the sight. Seems a little philosophical for my post, but oh well.....

I felt inspire to bake banana bread this past week. It was probably because we go through bananas like mad in this house, and for once there were some very ripe bananas sitting in the kitchen. Since I know that no one will eat them.....I stole them :)

Banana bread is such a comforting thing, I love the way it smells. So to share that wonderful smell, here's the recipe that I like to use.

Banana Bread with Pecans

2 cups AP flour

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 overripe bananas

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temp

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup pecans

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, mash bananas together; I like to leave them a little bit chunky for good texture in the bread. Mix in the sugar and combine well.

Add butter, eggs, and vanilla. Once well combine, add dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Add pecans.

Pour batter into two prepared loaf pans.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minute or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes our clean.

Just a thought, with this bread it might be good to use butter pecans. For that, bake pecans at 350 for about 5 to 10 minutes, until fragrant. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan and mix well, then add to batter.

Also, this bread is really good with chocolate chips. :)

Shirley's Fudgy Brownies

2010-01-21T11:46:00.003-05:00

For my birthday last year, I was given a copy of Shirley Corriher's Bakewise, which I love! It's full of so many wonderful recipes and knowledge; it's definitely a go-to book. :)

I decided to bake some brownies last night, and I love Shirley's recipe for Fudgy Brownies and they are always popular! So, I thought I would share the recipe. She says that it's best for these to cool overnight before cutting them, and this is true, but they are just as good when they come right out of the oven. Just give them about 10 minutes to cool and serve!

Shirley's Fudgy Brownies

1 1/2 cups pecans

1 1.2 cup plus 2 T butter

12 oz semisweet chocolate

1 oz German chocolate

4 large eggs

3 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

2 T white sugar

3 T light corn syrup

1 T vanilla

3/4 t salt

1 1/2 cups AP flour

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Spread the pecans onto a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes. When the nuts are hot, stir in 2 T of butter. When cool, coarsely chop and set aside

Line a 13 X 9 inch pan with parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray or use release foil. Make sure to leave enough of an edge to easy lift brownies from the pan.

Place the remaining butter in a bowl with chocolates. Melt butter and chocolate over simmering water, making to sure that no water touches the chocolate. This can cause the chocolate to seize. Set aside.

Combine eggs in a bowl, and beat lightly. With minimum stirring, combine eggs, sugars, corn syrup, vanilla, and salt.

Again, with minimum stirring, add chocolate mixture to egg mixture. Once combined, add flour, and mix until just incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top.

Bake brownies until they begin to pull away from the edge of the pan, about an hour. My oven runs a little hot, so mine really need only 50 to 55 minutes. Brownies should be slightly underdone. When you insert a toothpick, it should come out with some gooey brownie. :)

Now here are your options. Either cool completely in the pan and then refrigerate overnight before cutting. But if you can't wait that long (like me) Allow brownies to cool for 10 minutes, lift out of pan and cut into them.

Absolutely wonderful with a scoop of ice cream!

Early Morning

2010-01-19T08:43:00.002-05:00

First off, I still cannot post pictures since camera is still MIA. I believe I might have left it at home in GA, which of course, does not help me at all.

But to get to the important stuff, here at school, I have a lot of friends in fraternities and soroities, seeing as I am in a sorority myself. But last week, the Sigma Chi fraternity had their initiation week, aka "Hell Week". It's actually fairly enjoyable for us, minus the fact that they come and yell at us at 6:30 in the morning.

To make their week slightly better, my sorority sisters and I always fix breakfast for these gentlemen; it's something we've been doing since I came here. Anyway, I thought I would share our menu and a recipe.

"Hell Week" Breakfast

Southwest Egg Casserole, modified from Savory Sweet Life

Bacon

Monkey Bread

Hasbrowns

Oj, coffee, milk, etc.

I really wanted to share the recipe for Monkey Bread, which is so easy and absolutely delicious.

25-30 frozen yeast rolls

1 cup brown sugar

1 package non-instant butterscotch pudding

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 stick melted butter

Add rolls to a greased tube pan. Combine brown sugar and pudding. Mix well and pour over the rolls. Combine white sugar and cinnamon and pour over rolls. Top with chopped pecans and pour butter over the top. Let rise over night, no more than 8 hours.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Enjoy!!

Absolutely delicious and reidiculously easy :)

Low Country

2010-01-15T19:50:00.002-05:00

Every now and then, I get in the mood for some good home Southern cooking. And today, I really wanted Shrimp and Grits. I didn't have anyone in particular to fix it for, but my friend Anna came over and we had a really good meal. I'm sorry I have no pictures though, my camera is MIA. But I will tell you the menu.

White Cheddar Grits with Venison Sausage and Shrimp

Buttermilk Biscuits

Chocolate Lava Muffins (from Alton Brown's book, The Early Years)

The venison sausage was made fresh from a friend at work. He killed the deer himself and made his own sausage. It was wonderful with lots of jalapenoes!!

Sorry!

2010-01-11T09:05:00.000-05:00

I must apologize for not posting in a long time. This past semester was crazy! Finishing up my thesis and getting ready for presenting and all of the other things that life entails kind of pushed my blog into the background.

I'm hoping to have more time to bake this semester, so hopefully you will see a post soon!!

Pumpkin-Brown Butter Cupcakes

2009-10-16T10:04:00.004-04:00

First, I must apologize that I haven't posted in a long time. School is horribly busy, especially since I'm trying to finish my senior thesis, a requirement so that I can graduate. So since that's been taking up a lot of my time, I haven't been able to get any good pictures of anything I've baked.

But now, I'm visiting my sister in Chicago, who happens to be a wonderful photographer. We baked Pumpkin-Brown Butter Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting, courtesy of Martha Stewart. That lady really does know what she's doing because those cupcakes were absolutely decadent.

Great for Fall. Enjoy your daily source of pumpkin. :)

Packing....

2009-08-27T08:05:00.005-04:00

I'm sorry that I haven't been updating, but it's been a very busy week. Trying to get all packed up before I head back to school tomorrow. I really don't like packing, but I'm getting there.

Just to give a little update on Top Chef: even though I have a slight affiliation to Michigan, I'm happy that Eve is gone. She didn't have any focus it seems. Even though I didn't like her very much, maybe I'll still check out her restaurant in Ann Arbor. I guess I'm hoping she'll redeem herself since she went to Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.....I don't know......

But she's gone for now. On to next week!!

Julie and Julia, Part II

2009-08-21T21:46:00.002-04:00

I'm sitting here, listening to the rain (and Jonas Brothers), eating my PB&J sandwich, and suddenly had an overwhelming desire to blog. Maybe it's because I just saw Julie and Julia. I went with my mother and sister, and absolutely adored it! I'm sorry that I was not able to see it sooner, but I'm very happy that I've seen it now. It reminds me, 1) how much I love to cook and bake and flip through cookbooks, 2) that there are other foodies out there like me :), and 3) how much I adore Meryl Streep (especially when she's playing Julia Child) and Amy Adams.

We are having a terrible thunderstorm, due to Tropical Storm Charlotte or something from Florida, and I don't think we've had a storm this bad in a ridiculously long time. I'm very happy to have made it home, which for some reason reminds me of something that I learned in Michigan. Northerners cannot, for the life of them, drive in rain.

So, you'll have to excuse me of my short ramble, but I got started on it because I was happy to be home, and then became so much more happy when I discovered that my mother has both Volume 1 and 2 of Mastering the Art of French Cooking!!!!!!!!! She has a large mass of everything you can possibly imagine in the basement (where her desk/dominion is) and it makes me so happy that she has it! I'm pretty sure I did a tiny happy dance when I discovered that she had the books and then grabbed then and dashed off when them with her laughing at my back.

So, back to where we began, sitting at the table with my PB&J, listening to the rain (and Owl City now), silenting rejoicing my good fortune. Sitting next to me are the famous copies of Julia's books, which have the incredible talent of making anyone feel inspired to cook. Unfortunately, I won't be cooking anything right now, as it's 10 o'clock at night, and I must get up early in the morning to help my father paint his office. But that will not stop my endeavors! In the near future, I will be fixing Beef Bouruignon, so look for the post.

I just wanted to share my good fortune. Go see the movie!

Top Chef

2009-08-21T07:58:00.003-04:00

Okay, so I'm a day or two late posting about Top Chef. So, shoot me.....it's been a busy week.

So, to begin, let's start with Top Chef Masters (even though it came on afterwards). Rick Bayless won!!! That makes me very happy because he earned it and he deserved it. I think I would have been happy if Hubert Keller has one too, but surprisingly, not so much Michael Chiarello. Either Bravo did a good job of making him look like a jerk or he is. Or maybe he's just extra competitive. Either way, I didn't really like him all that much over the all of the episodes.

So, yay for Rick Bayless! Now, I can go visit his restaurant in Chicago...and try to convince the sister and brother-in-law that they should come along..... :)

Okay, on to Top Chef:Las Vegas. I liked the quickfire challenge and the fact that they had the high stakes round. It was different. But of all things, it makes me happy to say that Jennifer Zavala went home. I don't really think her dish looked all that appetizing, and when a judge, especially someone like Wolfgan Puck, tells you that your food was not well made and didn't taste good, just shut up and take the hint. Don't stick your foot in your mouth and try to make excuses.

Also, very happy that Kevin won! First, he's from Atlanta (yay!) Two, despite the fact that there's only been one show, he's seems pretty down to earth. Not really someone who will take crap from anybody, but knows how to have a good time. I will definitely be rooting for Kevin and the other two Atlanta Chefs. And there's one from Michigan, so maybe I'll root for her too. :)

Next show: Wednesday, August 26th, 10 pm.

2009-08-18T16:27:00.001-04:00

Happy National Cupcake Day!!

Unfortunately, I don't have time to fix anything today, but maybe tomorrow. Enjoy!

Chef's Table

2009-08-13T09:33:00.003-04:00

My grandparents are member of an athletic club in the Atlanta area, and last night, they invited me and my mother to attend what the club calls a Chef's Table. It's a dinner of about 8 to 10 people, and they give you a tour of the kitchen, pantry, storage, wine cellar, etc. before serving you a dinner that is prepared for you by the chef. Although, I wasn't able to take pictures, I can post the menu.

Deviled Egg with Beluga Caviar

Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Brut

Chilled Gazpacho with Lobster, Crab, and Shrimp, Chile Arbol Oil

Salad of Roasted Beets, Grilled Corn, Chevre, and Arugula

Domaine Vincent Girardin Meusault

2005

Smoke Roasted Beef Tenderloin

Molasses and Peppercorn BBQ Glaze

Joel Gott Cabernet Sauvignon

2005

Mixed Berry Cobbler,

Buttermilk Ice Cream

Deep Fried Chocolate Truffle

Pinot Blanc Vin Glace Wine

2006

Overall, the meal was absolutely wonderful! But, I have to say my favorite part of it all was the fact that you were eating in the kitchen, and you were free to get up from your seat to go watch the chef prepare your meal!

As someone who hopes to attend culinary school one day, it was very nice to be able to ask both the executive chef and the sous chef questions, pick their brains, so to speak. They were both helpful and welcoming.

The food, of course, was delicious, and how on earth could you not enjoy a deep fried chocolate truffle?!? It was an enjoyable, summer meal with lots of wonderful company.

So, if you can, do some research to see if any local restaurants, clubs, or kitchen stores offer something similar. If they have it, jump at the chance because it is lots of fun!

Beach Reads

2009-08-10T09:58:00.003-04:00

Well, there's no beach involved, and it's not brain candy....sorry. :)

As some of you may have noticed, I tend to read a lot, especially during the summer when I have a little bit more time. I finished Julie and Julia, and I enjoyed it immensly! She's a wonderful writer, and while it took me a little while to get used to the sailor's mouth, I loved it. I will definitely be getting her new book which comes out this December. But since I have finished that book, I've started another (big surprise) called Becoming a Chef by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page.

It's been a very informative book, and I would suggest it for anyone who has a remote interest in the food industry, whether you're looking to become a chef or you are just an avid home chef. The authors reveal a lot about the food business, especially since a lot of the advice is coming from famous chefs around the world. Just to give you an idea of some of the topics, here are a couple of chapter titles:

Chefs, Yesterday and Today; Early Influences, Discovering a Passion for Food; Cooking Schools, Learning in the Classroom, and more!

I'm maybe about halfway through the book, and I love it! I have more books on my shelf to read, but if you have any suggestions, don't hesitate to let me know!

Wedded Bliss Pt. 2

2009-08-09T15:30:00.006-04:00

Wedded Bliss

2009-08-08T08:26:00.004-04:00

So, today I will be attending the wedding of a second cousin in Birmingham, AL. And while I, like most young women, tend to enjoy the wedding ceremony and everything, I don't really think it's my favorite part. My favorite part.......wait for it........is, of course, the cake. Now, I have to say, a lot of the time, I'm kind of disappointed with cakes. You know how you see all of these wonderful, beautiful cakes on TV, but they cost thousands of dollars! I'm not going to be seeing anything like that at a friend's wedding! Especially when most of them are fresh out of college. So, that leaves me with something the normal Americans can actually afford.

Now, this is all good and well; I'm not trying to place any blame or anything, but like I said, most cakes disappoint me. I feel like too often I end up seeing a very traditional wedding cake, square or round, with multiple tiers with those plastic column-things holding up a tier with maybe a plastic couple on top. But really?!? Who wants that on their wedding day?!?! Plastic columns and a stuffy looking cake that really isn't all that appealing?!? Nope, not for me....

One day, I would love to see a cake that doesn't involved plastic things to hold it up. And maybe today, I'll be surprised, which would be absolutely wonderful. And I will definitely keep you up to date on what it looks like.....maybe I'll even get a picture. :)

Julie and Julia

2009-08-07T09:32:00.004-04:00

So, in preparation for the Julie&Julia movie, I've begun to read the book. And I have to say, I'm so sorry that I've missed out! I mean, this woman, Julie started this blog in 2002 (I was in high school) and her book was published in 2005 (still in high school) and I really bummed that I wasn't reading it while she was writing the blog.

It is such an enjoyable book that I often times find myself laughing out loud. And I'm very happy that I'm reading the book before I go to see the movie because, you know, you always go to see the movie and then decided to read the book...and then you're really upset that you didn't read the book first because you realize how much better the book is than the movie? I hope I'm not the only one....

Anyway, the book is very good, and you should read it......before you see the movie. :)

Chicken and Clafoutis

2009-08-06T10:48:00.005-04:00

Georgia can be an unbearably hot state at times. Just combine that 95 degree weather with 50% humidity, and it can be downright suffocating. But even with the heat, I cannot help but love this state. And one of the things that I love the most during the summer is all the fresh produce. There is a fruit and vegetable stand that is about a 15 minute drive away that we frequent during the summer months, and yesterday I unexpectably had the day off from work, so I went to RJ's, the infamous veggie stand.

So. For dinner, I got some fresh white runner pole beans and some lady peas, which are wonderful little beauties. I also picked up some limes to use at dinner and some fresh, warm, juicy plums. After reading "Cooking and Screaming", I decided to fix the clafoutis that Mrs. Kane had in her book, and I paired it with some chicken, beans, peas, and fresh tomatoes.

The tomatoes were fresh from a patient of my father's. The chicken was grilled with a yogurt, mint and lime marinade. Clearly, the chicken was a little bit burnt, (woops....) and I think next time I use this marinade, I will try and bake it. Or maybe grill it again, but at a lower heat.

Overall, it was a great summer meal.

And for dessert was the plum clafoutis!

The recipe suggested serving it with creme fraiche, but I actually just topped it with some powdered sugar, and it was pretty and yummy! What I loved most about this dessert was that it was so simple to bake and so good! Here's the recipe:

Summer Clafoutis:

1 cup summer fruit (almost anything that you want, but don't use strawberries; Adrienne says they get to watered down and mushy)

1 tablespoon and 1/3 cup of sugar

3 eggs

1 cup of whole milk

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1/2 all purpose flour

1. Lightly butter a 9-inch pie plate. Arrange fruit in the bottom of the pan and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar. Set aside

2. In a mixing bowl, combine eggs and rest of the sugar and whisk together until smooth and slightly frothy about 1 minute.

3. Add the milk, vanilla, and salt and whisk together until smooth. Sift in the flour and whisk until competely combined. Pour over the fruit.

4. Bake the clafoutis at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. The clafoutis will puff up while baking. Cool for 30 minutes (the clafoutis will fall some) Top with powdered sugar when ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Angel Food Cake and Reading

2009-08-05T09:42:00.004-04:00

I have this horrible habit of not blogging as often as I should. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I am not the best writer in the world; I'm a science major for goodness' sake!

But to help with the update, I will do "double" update so to speak. First, on a book that I read recently and what I've been baking.

First, the book is called "Cooking and Screaming" by Adrienne Kane. It's a relatively short memoir that was very enjoyable. I wouldn't call it a difficult read, but it's definitely a page turner. It's about this young woman, Adrienne, who suffered a stroke at the age of 21, which was caused by an AVM, aterior-verous malformation, I believe. Essentially, it's a tangle of blood vessels in the brain, which ever now and then bursts. So, this memoir covers the attack of her stroke through therapy, recovering, and how she discovers her passion for cooking. Through her cooking, she is able to come to terms with her stroke and disability that results from it, and from it, she creates a successful catering business and becomes a food writer.

Overall, it's a very inspiring story, and I will be happily recommending it to all my friends. :)

Secondly, some things that I have been baking this summer: angel food cake. I had the privilege of living at my grandparents house for a couple of weeks this summer, and I had full access to their wonderful kitchen, as well as the job of planning and fixing all meals. Being Georgia and all, the peaches are absolutely delectible during the summer, and I wanted something light and yummy to accompany them. So, I baked an angel food cake. This cake is pretty simple to fix, and even better, it's lowfat! There are no egg yolks, no butter...so it's a great dessert if you're watching your waistline. :)

Here are two desserts that I fixed with angel food cake. First, is angel food cake with french vanilla ice cream and peaches and blackberries. Second, I tried to use up all of the egg yolks that I had by make a custard flavored with Chambourd and topped with raspberries. Both were very good and it was a nice summer treat!

Finals

2009-05-02T14:05:00.003-04:00

It's finals time here in the 'Dale, and that means some pretty intense studying going on all the time. While I should be studying today, I decided to bake instead; talk about procrastination. So, this morning, I decided to bake coffee cake for the girls in the house, and then I saw the Nilla Wafers. Nilla wafers always make me think of banana pudding. After finishing the coffee cake, I fixed banana pudding, which is now chilling, but it filled my morning. But that means that I have to study now.........boo........

Marbled Coffee Cake with Chocolate Fruit Filling

Banana Pudding

Mother's Day Tea

2009-04-07T20:40:00.005-04:00

Here at the Kappa house, we celebrate Mother's Day a little bit early. Because we get out of school so early, we have to celebrate in April. So, part of my job as an officer is to plan this event for all of the girls in our chapter and their mothers. And must I say, I was so proud to see so many mothers come! We had proabaly about 27 or 28 mothers along with their daughters, as well as some grandmothers, sisters-in-law and few neices. Here's one of our lovely girls.

Since our tea was on a Sunday, we did a lot of the food preparation ourselves. I thought it was absolutely delicious! It so wonderful to prepare things yourself sometimes. I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Mom's Day Tea Menu:

Finger sandwiches, scones with jams, fruit tray, cheese and crackers, lemon-raspberry cupcakes, assorted hot and cold teas

Cupcakes

2009-03-04T20:29:00.006-05:00

So, here I am again at college, baking when I have the chance, and me, being the silly person that I am, gave up desserts and sweets for Lent. Poor me......

However, that does not stop me from baking! When inspiration hits, you must follow it. So, I followed my inspiration for what was on my tastebuds, even though I could not have it, and that turned into the wonderfulness of Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate cupcakes. Or, if you like shorter names, I blissfully renamed them Reese's Cupcakes.

I must apologize for the quality of the picture; I'm no photographer, so it's not as pretty as it could be. Plus, it was nighttime when I took the photo (bad choice for lighting)

I really did think that these were beautiful, dipped in a chocolate ganache for the icing. The only thing I would change about it would be the filling. It's a good consistency, but there wasn't enough. Instead of piping it into the cupcake, I think it'll be better next time to cut a small cone out of the top and spreading the filling into it. This might make dipping more difficult, but it'll give you more filling in each bite, which is what's important.

This is definitely a recipe to keep!

German Chocolate

2009-02-10T08:02:00.004-05:00

I need to get a lot better about posting more often, but school gets busy along with the rest of life, and so it gets pushed to the back burner.

But, moving on, I've been able to bake some more this semester, especially since I have such a wonderful kitchen at my disposal. I haven't taken many pictures, but I did decided to take some pictures of the cake I baked this weekend, mostly because my mother asked me to.

So, I decided to bake a German Chocolate cake; this is actually my second attempt. My first was a complete flop because I misread the directions. It still tasted really good, but looked worse than this one. So I ended up making a trifle out of it, which is another post for the future.

So, some little words of wisdom I learned from the whole attempt: 1) always, always, ALWAYS read your recipe first, especially in regards to how many pans to use. 2) Sometimes preparing your pan in not enough. I prepared my cake pans with vegetable spray and flour, and they still wouldn't come out, which is why my cake looks so strange. Also put a circle of wax paper or parchment paper on the bottom as well. It's so much more helpful.

So, the moral of the story: always prepare pans, always read the recipe CORRECTLY. Of course, all of the girls in the house still loved the cake (I have to admit that it tasted pretty darn good), it's just not so pretty. :) Just a few things to keep in mind for next time.

P.S. Here's a cake that I baked last fall: a Pumpkin Spice Layer Cake

Busy, busy, busy...

2008-08-12T10:37:00.002-04:00

Sorry that I haven't posted lately. It's been a very busy summer, mostly because my older sister is getting married at the end of the month. So, unfortunately I haven't really had much time to try out any new recipes or anything.
I'm probably going to put it off a little bit longer too because I would like to change a few things on my blog. So, hopefully you'll see some new and pretty changes.
Have a great August!

Peach Cobbler Murder

2008-07-22T13:02:00.003-04:00

I love to read and one of my favorite types of novels are muder mysteries. As seen in an earlier post, I like Diane Mott Davidson, and I have recently found a similar writer. Her name is JoAnn Fluke and she also writes murder mysteries and her main character is involved in food. She has ten Hannah Swensen murder mysteries in print right now, and I have just read Peach Cobbler Murder.

I picked it up at the library right before I left to go on vacation with my family, and I have to say that I couldn't put it down! It was a really cute read and I enjoyed it very much. I'm hoping to get the first book to read, titled Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder. I hope you'll look her up and hopefully pick up one of her books. You can see all of them at www.murdershebaked.com

Summer Sandwich

2008-07-21T23:12:00.002-04:00

I know that I haven't posted in a little while; sorry, it's been a busy summer so far. My older sister is getting married at the end of the summer, so that's been keeping our family busy, plus we just recently got back from a week long family reunion. It is, by far, one of my favorite weeks of the year, and part of the reason is lunch.
I know that seems like a really silly reason, but I'm pretty sure that lunch is one of my favorite things about the reunion. Since we've been going (this past year was number 17) my mother has always fixed pimento cheese, and I must admit, it is one of my favorite summer sandwiches. The only other sandwich that really competes during the summer would have to be the tomato sandwich with garlic cream cheese, but that's a previous post.
Anyways, pimento cheese is a Southern staple, not only as a favorite lunch, but it's also wonderful on a Stone Wheat cracker as an appetizer or you could serve it warm and melted on a piece of toast. And what helps to make it wonderful is that fact that it's so easy to fix.
This is my mother's recipe.

Pimento Cheese

White Sharp Cheddar Cheese ( I like to use Cracker Barrel cheese) 16 oz, grated
Chopped Pimentos, drained (canned) 8 oz
Garlic, freshly pressed- one clove
Sweet only, finely grated- one scant tablespoon
Mayonnaise (I like to use Duke's) as much as is needed

It's easiest to grate the cheese in a food processor. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until well mixed. Give it time to chill so that the flavors can meld.

Enjoy your summer sandwich!

Braves Game

2008-06-24T06:43:00.004-04:00

Last night, I went to the Braves game with my sister and a couple of friends, and we had such a good time. I really enjoy going to see the Braves during the summer, hanging out and eating hot dogs. And hot dogs were the food of choice that I was looking forward to. I love the Georgia dog that they serve at the stadium.

The hot dog is topped with Vidalia Onion relish and coleslaw, and then I put a little bit of ketchup on top. I know it doesn't looks really appetizing, and the hot dog is hidden somewhere in that mess, but it was so yummy. And Margaret certainly enjoyed it as much as I did.

Strawberry Shortcake.

2008-06-23T07:02:00.003-04:00

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while, but things get busy and you just can't seem to find the time to blog. Well, last weekend, I spent some time up at Lake Lanier with a friend at her lake house, and as an expression of my gratitude, I made dessert. And since it is still strawberry season, I decided to fix Strawberry Shortcake. Now, the thing that is different about this recipe is that instead of using a biscuit or a scone, I tried using shortbread. It was suggestion from my mother, and she told that it was how her grandmother fixed, so I decided that it would be fun to try.

Shortbread
Cream together 1 cup of room temp. butter and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. Slowly add in 1 1/2 cups of All Purpose Flour. Your dough will still be a bit sticky once it's all been blended together. Scrape all of the dough onto a sheet of Cling Wrap, wrap it up, and stick it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Once the dough had rested, roll it out on a well floured board. If you're not careful the dough will stick so be generous. I found that I was able to pat it out with my hands pretty easy. Using a biscuit cutter, cut out round and place on a non-greased baking sheet. Preheat your oven to 350. Once your shortbread is ready, place it in the oven, and immediately turn it down to 225. Let it bake for 45 to 1 1/2 hours (depends on your oven) Do not let it get too dark. It should be a nice golden brown, but if it gets to dark, even if it isn't burnt, it will a bit of an off flavor, so be careful. You should have a crunchy, buttery cookie at the end.

For the strawberries, I hulled and quartered probably a pound of strawberries and then sprinkled 1/4 cup of sugar on top. Be generous with your sugar because it helps to form the syrup from the strawberries. These need to sit for at least an hour so that some syrup can form.

For the whipped cream, I used 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, a tablespoon of sugar, and a trickle of vanilla. Whip it in a bowl that has been sitting in the freezer with beaters that have also been in the freezer. Don't whip the cream until right before you need it.

To assemble, place a cookie down on your plate, spoon over the strawberries, top with whipped cream, and if you would like, put another cookie on top. It's different from your normal everyday Strawberry Shortcake, but it's still very good. Has more of a bite to it rather than just bread. I'm sorry that there's no picture, but it was very pretty, and while I might still try another recipe with a biscuit or scone, you should give this one a try. It was yummy!

Addendum

2008-06-12T14:42:00.002-04:00

This is a sort of add-on to the previous post. While I was thinking about this recipe today, I was thinking about different ways that you could personalize to fit your tastes. One example, if you're not a big cheddar fan, you could switch up the cheeses to suit your fancy; you could use goulda or fontina or mozerella, whatever you like. Also, throw some other yummy stuff in there, like maybe bacon or pancetta or some pretty vegetables, like peas or roasted red pepper. Really, the possibilities are endless.
Also, something that might make this recipe a little more friendly for only a couple of people, dish it into an buttered individual ramekin. You'll probably have to change the baking time; I'm not really sure what it would be, but I would definitely keep on eye on it.
So, get your creative streak going, and do something to individualize your mac and cheese.

Mac and Cheese

2008-06-12T07:34:00.003-04:00

I light of my so called "writer's block", my sister told me to put up a recipe that she could fix for her husband at home. Well, here you go Giles (I want comments on how it turns out). I found this recipe in the Food & Wine Magazine and since I was dieing to try it, I've now assigned it to her.

Marja's Mac and Cheese
8 to 10 servings ( you can cut it in half if you need to, but leftovers would be yummy)

3/4 pound elbow macaroni
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup of whole milk
1 cup of half and half
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 1/2 cups of shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese (4 oz)
1 1/2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese (4 oz)
1 1/2 cups of shredded Monterey Jack cheese (4 oz)
4 oz cold cream cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubdes

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the macaroni for 3 minutes (it will still be very chewy). Drain the macaroni and return it to the pot. Drizzle lightly with the olive oil and toss well.
2. Butter a 10 X 15 in baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk the heavy cream with the half and half, the whole milk, eggs, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Stir in the cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses and the macaroni. Spread the mac and cheese in the prepared baking dish and scatter the cream cheese cubes on top.
3. Bake the macaroni for 5 minutes. Using the back of a large spoon, spread the melted cream cheese cubes evenly over the surface. Bake for 40 minutes, until bubbling.
4. Remove the baking dish from the oven and preheat the broiler. Broil the mac and cheese about 3 inches from the heat source until richly browned, about 2 minutes. Let stand for at least 10 minutes and up to 20 minutes before serving.

Make ahead: The assembled mac and cheese can be refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before baking, or add 15 minutes to the baking time.

I hope that you enjoy this Giles, plus it would make really good leftovers for Dean while you're in London. I want to see pictures if you fix it. :)

I think this would be wonderful served with a fresh salad or with a side a sauted sugar snap peas. Some that's a bright, vibrant green; it would be a wonderful contrast and a pretty picture. Also, since it is Food & Wine magazine, the wine that was served in combination with this meal was a 2005 domaines ott rose. I hope that it makes a wonderful meal, and I will try and post more.

2008-06-11T07:16:00.002-04:00

So, I feel that I've run into a little bit of a problem: writer's block. Well, maybe you can't call it writer's block because I'm not really much of a writer, that's my sister's job. I guess it would be better to call it lack of inspiration. I just haven't run into a food, in the last two days, that has inspired me to write anything about it. So here I am, writing about my lack of writing; seems a little bit ironic. Maybe something will come up later today....or maybe tomorrow........I guess we'll see.

Classic Sunday

2008-06-08T15:09:00.004-04:00

One Sunday out of every month, our family will have fried chicken for a Sunday meal after church. This is the quintessential Southern meal, and I love every minute of it. Our favorite place to get fried chicken is Mrs. Winner's. They serve crisp, peppery chicken with buttery, flaky biscuits. We love to serve it with green beans and creamed corn. Then we'll have the biscuits for dessert with honey or jam.

It's so, so yummy and crunchy and delicious. Maybe you'll try it for a Sunday meal.

Locavores

2008-06-07T07:56:00.005-04:00

So last night, I watched Lions for Lambs with my family, and essentially, it's a movie about the war in Iraq and all of the political "schemes" behind it, and so on. To say the least, it's a very liberal movie (it was directed by Robert Redford) and I'm not liberal. In fact, it's kind of hard to deny that I'm anything but conservative. But besides my political beliefs, it got me to thinking about politics and its connection with food and economics.
It's seems to me that whenever food is brought up, in regards to politics, most people think of people who are obsessed with eating organic and saving our world from global warming and so on and so forth. Well, I'll tell you right now, I'm not like that. I mean, I'm all for preserving our world; it's a beautiful place that shouldn't be wasted, but there's much more behind eating organic or eating local food than just health benefits. I'm hoping that once you read this you'll be more willing to reconsidered organic and locavore eating, since the hippies put you off.
First, some definitions. Being a locavore means that you don't eat food which hasn't been grown within one hundred miles of your home. You tend to get your produce from farmers around you, and do the best you can to get meats that are grown close as well. Same with all other food groups. While this may seem extreme to some people (and in some cases it can be), there are some good things about it. For example, if you have children, you can help explain to them that food doesn't in fact come from the grocery store, and it's not from neatly piled stacks. It's actually grown in the ground and people worked hard to get them the food they need.
Also, with the "economic crisis" that we're in (I put that in parenthesis because you may not agree) eating food locally helps to stimulate the economy that you are living in. By helping those farmers around you, you in turn are helping yourself. If you have a small business, you should know this better than anyone: as soon as the small business owners begin to disappear from a town, your economy is shot because you will be losing jobs within your community. So even if you're decide not to eat locally to eat better food, do it so that you can help you economy from going bust.
There is also the benefit that you will truly be eating better food if you eat locally. What a lot a people don't realize, or what they won't admit to themselves, is that when you buy produce in your local grocery store, most of it is traveling an average of two THOUSAND miles before it reaches you. If you don't realize what this means, I'll explain it to you. The fact that your food must travel so far to reach you means that the food is picked green before it's fully ripe so that it doesn't bruise while travelling. Well, that doesn't sound to bad right? Wrong. In order for you to get ripe fruits and veggies, some chemicals are applied to it to get it closer to that point, or in some cases nothing at all. So when you pick it up, you're getting unripe produce that won't be as good.
Also, because of the advance technology within the United States, we do something called genetic engineering. As far as food is concerned, this means that we can choose seeds and make modifications for food so that it will be, for example, firmer or more round or any number of things so that they will travel better. This means that while you might get a tomato that looks prettier, you're usually getting a tomato that's completely tasteless. You might as well be eating cardboard for its taste.
So, here are a couple of things to remember, as far as locavores go, first you will be purchasing food that tastes better and looks better, plus you have the added bonus of helping the economy around you, and when you support your local economy, you will in turn begin to help the American economy. I know that it sounds kind of silly and too far off like, "How can my purchasing fruit help the American economy?" But it does! Just as any economist; when you add up all of those little economies, it makes one big one, and when the small ones are healthy, the big one will be too.
So, to sum all things, I hope that my political rant hasn't put you off, and I hope you will reconsider buying some of the local produce around you. If you don't know where you can find any, trying googling farmers markets around your home town or you can trying google your state with "organic" next to it. There are a lot of things that you can do, so go look some stuff up. Use Google or whichever search engine. Learn more about your community and help your children to learn about it too. I hope that you have a great weekend. :)

National Doughnut Day

2008-06-06T06:21:00.004-04:00

To all pastry lovers out there (and policeman too), today is National Doughnut Day! Established in 1938, National Doughnut Day was assigned to be the first Friday of June and it's original purpose was to raise money for the "lassies" of the Salvation Army in WW1. It obviously not a really celebrate holiday so you should start; it's a good excuse to go get a doughnut. :)
Now for a little bit of history. It's thought that the doughnut was invented by Dutch settlers who brought it over to the United States, but there is some evidence that the Native Americans might have made pastries. Also, when it comes to doughnuts, there are many different kinds. Of course there's your normal doughnut and your jelly-filled, but there's also the Louisiana beignet or the Italian bombolini or one of my brother-in-law's absolute favorites: the paczki. The paczki is actually a very popular choice for Fat Tuesdays mostly in Chicago and Detroit.
So, take my advice and god get yourself a doughnut. Personally, my favorites are Krispy Kreme, which you can get in the grocery store, but they are the BEST if you go get them fresh and hot, right out of the kitchen. Happy Doughnut Day!

Atlanta Lover's Guide to Atlanta: My Way

2008-06-05T15:34:00.006-04:00

So I was reading the Amateur Gourmet this afternoon and I stumbled upon his Atlanta Lover's Guide to Atlanta (http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2008/03/in_praise_of_at.html). And while I enjoyed it thoroughly (he highlighted some wonderful places, most notably Watershed), I feel like he left a few of the important places out. So, I decided that I was going to add to it, and make my own version. However, anything he did highlight, I will leave to him, and write down my own personal favorites.

1) South City Ktichen

There are actually two locations in Atlanta, one in Vinings, the other in Midtown, so go to which ever is closer. This restaurant serves contemporary Southern cuisine in a wonderful open envrionment. Their shrimp and grits is to die for! And there is absolutely no way you should leave without trying their desserts. Also, they are apart of a group with other restaurant, not unlike the Buckhead Life Group, so you could easily check out the others restaurants. The Buckhead Life Group is wonderful to check out too. All of the restaurants are somewhere in Buckhead and serve a wide variety of cuisine.

http://southcitykitchen.com/

http://www.buckheadrestaurants.com/index2.html

2) Garrison's

Now, I love Garrison's. It's in Vinings, which has wonderful shopping so you can walk around before or after you eat; you can sit outside on the patio and enjoy brunch, lunch or dinner. One of my favorite dishes from Garrison's is their Salmon BLT. I mean, it's so good, it's indescribable; you just have to go find out for yourself.

http://www.garrisonsatlanta.com/

3) Varsity

Ok, really. How can you talk about Atlanta and not mention the Varsity? It's semi-sacreligious. It's an Atlanta icon, just like peaches are to the state of Georgia. Now, I must admit the food isn't the best, but the atmosphere makes up for it. You walk in the door and you're immediately greeted by the shouts of "Whadayahave? Whadayahave?" There are murals on the wall and you can buy cute little tourist junk if you want. I do have one piece of advice though: don't eat too fast, you will regret it, trust me. The food's kind of greasy so eating too much, too fast will take a toll on your stomach. But other than that, it's a great place to visit.
Also, while you are at the Varsity, walk the two blocks up to the Fox Theatre. It used to be an mosque, but the owner has too much gold installed and he couldn't afford it anymore and he ended up selling it. Now, most major broadway shows go there. I've seen Phantom of the Opera and Wicked there myself, and I tell you it's an awesome experience. The decorating will wow you alone, and if you choose, you can take a backstage tour of the theatre, which makes it just that much better.

4) OK Cafe

Located on the corner of West Paces Ferry and GA41, I promise you this restaurant has been there for years. And I don't mean just 20 years, longer. They have a warm, inviting environment that just makes you want to smile. They serve classic Southern comfort food that you cannot help but enjoy. And added bonus: they have take out. Now, this isn't your normal everyday take out. You walk in, go through almost like a buffet line of freshly prepared food, and get what you want. You also have full option of desserts, drinks and breads. You're not ordering your food ahead and picking it up, you actually pick out just what you want.

Another added bonus, The Flying Biscuit is right up the street. Literally, in the next shopping center, you could stip in at their newest location and get some of their delectable biscuits.

5) Aunt PittyPat's Porch

Yea, try saying that five times fast. Located in the heart of Atlanta, this restaurant is named for the famous character from Mrs. Mitchell's outstanding novel, Gone with the Wind. It's more of an upstale restaurant, but it's so home like. As soon as you walk in, you feel like you're coming onto someone's front porch. The restaurant is actually downstairs and very good, I might add. The last time I went, I had the venison which was cooked perfectly. Again, it's contemporary Southern cuisine, but with a little more style. I think you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

http://www.pittypatsrestaurant.com/index.html

6) Canoe

Canoe is a wonderful restaurant right on the Chattahoochee River off of Paces Ferry. It's not very large, but it's nice. It's great for going out to eat with someone special or just having an occasion with a good friend. You can also rent out part of the restaurant for special occasions. I've seen wedding receptions held there, outside closer to the river. I also hear that their wine selection is wonderful.

7) Willy's

While there are many Willy's locations, they are only here in Georgia. It's really more of a fast food joint that serves California style burritos. It's so yummy and tasty and such a fun filled atmosphere. It also seems to be a bit of an high school hang out (well, at least the West Paces Ferry location is). So if you're looking for a quick, easy, delicious bite, try a Willy's or a Moe's, which is almost as good (but not quite). :)

8) Swan Coach House

Last, but certainly not least is the Swan Coach House. As it's name indicates, it used to be a coach house, providing a roof for the carriages for the Swan House. The Swan House is a one of our pride and joys as it is an absolutely gorgeous historical house. If you ever get the chance, you must visit. You can buy tickets through the Atlanta History Center, which is quite literally right in front of the Coach House. There is wonderful interior decorating at the House and a lucious green front lawn. There's also a tiny art gallery as a part of the Coach House, displaying work by Atlanta artists. And if there's one thing I have to suggest for the Coach house, it would be their Fried Green Tomato sandwich. Now, don't scrunch up your nose and say, "Ewww" because you would passing up one of the best sandwiches you've ever had. And if you don't believe me, just read the book or watch the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes" and maybe that will change your mind.

Now, I hope that this little guide will help you to choose some places to eat while you're in Atlanta. But remember, go out and discover, I mean this list could go on forever and ever; there are ten or twelve bakeries alone that I could list off that you should go to, but you can't go to all of them. So, while you're shopping or going to the Aquarium or the World of Coke, find a nice little hole in the wall or try one of these places to stop for lunch or dinner. Now, I hope y'all enjoy your stay! Come visit us again soon!

Sweet Tea

2008-06-05T06:21:00.003-04:00

One of the essentials for any Southern kitchen is a good sweet tea recipe. Now, I don't drink sweet tea very often, it tends to be something I drink for a party or a special occasion, but my father drinks it almost everyday so I've become very proficient at making it. Another great thing about this recipe is that it's not difficult at all! Three ingredients that's it.

3 cup of boiling water
1 family size tea bag (I prefer decaf Luzainne)
1/3 cup of sugar (don't use Splenda, it's just not the same)

Steep the tea bag in the boiling water for three to five minutes. Stir in the sugar until dissolved. Serve over a full class of ice with lemons.

There are a couple of specifics about sweet tea though, especially this recipe. Make sure it's a Family Size tea bag, if it's not, you need to use two bags. Depending on how strong you want it you can steep it longer. One last thing, don't use fake sweeteners or any substitute for the sugar. Sugar is what makes this recipe, so if you're watching you weight, just do like I do, have sweet tea at special occasions, and then unsweet tea every other time; it works wonders. :)

Chinese Coleslaw

2008-06-03T06:54:00.005-04:00

Because it is so hot down here in Georgia, we tend to have foods that are a bit lighter and more refreshing, and Chinese coleslaw is one of my favorites. My father also likes it a lot so we tend to fix it pretty often. The great thing about this coleslaw is that it's incredibly easy to fix and takes almost no time at all. Also, if you have anyone in your family who doesn't like mayonnaise (the traditional dressing for coleslaw) this will work wonders for you because there is no mayonnaise at all. :)

It's pretty simple to fix. First, shred a large head of cabbage. I like to use my food processor for this with the grating disc attached. I then put all of the cabbage into a large tub for mixing' a large bowl would work just as well. Then add chopped up snap peas, toasted slivered almond, water chestnuts, and two packages of crushed Ramen Noodles, saving the seasoning packets for the dressing. The picture above shows all of the ingredients before mixing.
The dressing is also very simple. Combine the two Ramen seasoning packets with 1/2 cup of vegetable oil and 6 tablespoons of rice vinegar. You can combine them in your blender or just whisk it all together. Pour over the coleslaw and mix well.
Like most coleslaws, it's usually best the day after you fix it, so try and fix it the night before if you're going to serve it for a party. If you don't have the time for that or if you don't remeber, it's still just as good fixing 5 minutes before the meal.
I hope that you enjoy this refreshing salad as much as I do. :)

Cafe Intermezzo

2008-06-02T08:38:00.004-04:00

So this weekend, I got together with an old friend whom I've known my entire life, we grew up together, and went to lunch. We went to one of our favorite restaurants near her house called Cafe Intermezzo. It's not a very big place, but it's cute and charming. They've recently done some remodeling at this location, which is wonderful because we were able to sit outside and enjoy the warm weather and the cool shade. But what I love about this cafe is the wonderful food. They serve a wide variety of foods, everything from breakfast to dinner. They have a rather large beverage menu, but I must say that their hot chocolate is the best.
I was very happy with my Waldorf Chicken Salad Sandwich in honey wheat bread. It was absolutely delectable and very refreshing. And of course we couldn't skip out on dessert. :) They store all of their desserts in a cooler near the front of the cafe, so you can walk up, choose what you like and they bring it to you. I must confess I had a very hard time choosing something, but finely I was able to decide upon the Chocolate Pecan Torte. And it was to die for! It was was perfect for the afternoon and not too heavy. My friend had the Raspberry Linzer, which was also very good. (She let me steal a bite :) )
So take some time and go to a local cafe or restaurant with a good friend. Enjoy a glass of iced tea and definitely get dessert.

http://www.cafeintermezzo.com/

New Year Resolution

2008-01-02T16:17:00.001-05:00

Like most people, I made some New Year resolutions, and the one that I felt I should blog about was my resolution to collect all the recipes I have into one cookbook. I know that I have quite a few, so I've decided that it's going to be a year-long project. There are many ways to go about this, one being to buy a blank cookbook at a bookstore and write them in yourself. This can be time-consuming but at the same time, it can be a pastime and a wonderful thing to pass on to your children. Another option would be to make a scrapbook of all the recipes. Again, this is time-consuming, and I've found that it's better for those recipes that have a story behind them. For example, maybe you have the same meal at one event every year, or some story with friends inspired you to create a recipe.
While these are both wonderful options, I don't really have the time to do either one of these. But this will not stop me from fulfilling my resolution because I have found a website to help me in my endeavors. It's Tastebook.com. I believe I read about it at Culinate.com, a website that joins a lot of blogs about food. So, I decided to check it out and, to my delight, I found that not only can you buy cookbooks, but you can also create your own! Once you creat an account, you can immediately start typing in all of your own recipes and then you save them in a folder, which contains all the recipes for your cookbook. Each book can hold up to 100 recipes giving you plenty of room, and then you simply order is from the site, and it's mailed to your door. Another wonderful aspect is that fact that you have access to thousands of recipes from their website, many of which came from Gourmet and Bon Appetit magazines.
With this site I hope to create my own cookbook with a little more ease and a little more time. Check it out, I think you'll love the website and it will inspire you to create your own cookbook.

Marshmallow

2008-01-01T12:50:00.001-05:00

I love the Christmas season, and I'm very sad to see it go. I love to be able to make cookies and dinners for my friends and family, but one thing that I had never done before was make marshmallows. Now, I love hot chocolate, in fact I'm very picky about it. One thing I believe that makes hot chocolate are really good marshmallows. So, I decided that I wanted to try and make my own, and I have found that they are much easier than I originally thought.
Basically, it's a mixture of sugar, water, and corn syrup that's been heated to 240 degrees. It's slowly added to powdered gelatin that's mixed with water. This is beat in a mixer for 12 to 15 minutes, and during the last minute of mixing you can add flavor with vanilla or some other flavoring. You can also add some food coloring. This warm mixture is spread in a 9 X 13 pan that's been prepared with a powdered sugar and cornstarch mixture. It needs to set for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Once the marshmallows are set you can cut them with a knife or scissors. To make sure that they don't stick, you mix them with more of the sugar and cornstarch mixture.
I brought these to work with hot chocolate and some peppermint bonbon cookies. They were a hit! I hope that one day you will try making your own marshmallows; you will enjoy them tremendously!

Iron Chef

2007-11-04T10:03:00.001-05:00

So I have been watching the Next Iron Chef every Sunday for the past 5 weeks, and so far I've found it too be pretty interesting. The challenges have been difficult and yet amusing and fun at the same time., and it definitely brings out the best and worst in people when they're competing. Now we're down to three chefs, John Besh, Micheal Symon, and Chris Cosentteno. I believe the next challenge is supposed to take place in Paris. I do feel as if I should predict who will win. When it really comes to it, I believe it will be a battle between Besh and Symon. Consentteno doesn't seem to have the right attitude for it, plus the judges have remarked multiple times that while he can put on one or two outstanding dishes, he's not consistent. There is always a dish or two that isn't so great. Personally, I really want Besh to win. He's a good chef who knows how to have fun but can be serious about his work when he needs to, plus he's from the South, can't really beat that. But also I wouldn't be opposed to Symon winning. He's just as good and fun-loving. He's also won two challenges, which I'm sure bugs Besh, but he's done a good job. I suppose only time will tell, so watch the episode tonight at 9 on Food Network.

Memories

2007-11-03T08:22:00.001-04:00

This morning, I'm fixing a breakfast for some friends and we are having Monkey Bread. Personally, I LOVE Monkey Bread, but not just because it tastes so yummy in all its sugary goodness. I also love it because it reminds me of home and of Christmas past. My mom always used to fix it for breakfast Christmas morning, along with Eggs Benedict and grapefruit. It always fills the kitchen with a wonderful smell, and it's so incredibly easy to fix!

Monkey Bread

Grease and flour a large tube pan. In it evenly distribute 24-30 frozen rolls.

Combine the following ingredients in a small mixing bowl and then sprinkle over the frozen rolls:
1 pkg NON-instant butterscotch pudding mix (3.75 oz)
1 Cup brown sugar
1/2 Cup white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 Cup chopped pecans

Melt 1/2 cup butter in microwave on low power and pour over rolls. Do not cover and allow to rise at room temperature for overnight (max 8hrs).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake bubble bread for 25-30 mins. Let stand for just a few minutes before turning out onto a large serving platter.

Hope you enjoy this delicious bread as much as I do!

Busy, busy, busy

2007-09-12T07:14:00.001-04:00

There are times that I get so distracted with work and with school that I forget to relax. I get so worked up that I really just can't focus on anything else. This is obviously a problem, not just because I feel stressed out emotionally, but I end up feeling bad physically. And one thing that has made my week just a little bit better is my mother. I was reading her blog and noticed that she posted a recipe that always reminds me of when I was little: molasses cookies.
Now these cookies can turn out to be crunchier if you make a little on the small side, but personally I like my when they are still soft and warm from the oven, so make them just a little bit bigger than you would normally make them, maybe about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide.

Molasses Cookies

1.5 Cups butter
2 Cups sugar
Cream those two in an electric mixer with wire whisk.

Add
.5 Cup molasses
2 eggs (one at the time)

Sift together the following six ingredients and then add to *wet* mixture:
4 Cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp cloves
2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon

Stir until well blended. Chill the dough before rolling it into small balls.

Bake at 375 degrees on ungreased cookie sheets for 10-12 mins, depending on the size of the ball :)

Makes 4 dozen

These also happen to be one of my dad's favorite cookies that we make. And they will taste even better as fall is on its way: the spices in the cookie just make you smile. Well, I hope that you enjoy these cookies as much as I do, and they can also help you to relax a little. Maybe just sit down with a book, a mug of tea, and then delectable cookies.

End of Summer

2007-08-29T07:16:00.001-04:00

So it's been a little while because school's been starting back resulting in a very busy time of the year. But I feel that I need to take note of the last good crop of the summer. A bit earlier this month my family received some tomatoes from a friend, and it was his last crop this summer. So while it was very kind of him, we ended up having a lot of leftover tomatoes that we had no clue what to do with. And so, after much debate, we decided to fix homemade tomato soup.
It was the most wonderful soup that I have ever had! I mean sure Campbell has it moments, but this was simply divine. Coming from Georgia, it may have seemed to hot to have soup, but this was not the case. We served it with a roast beef sandwich in pita bread with alfalfa sprouts and horseradish sauce. We also served cheese straws with it which only improved the soup. And because I loved this soup, I thought that I would share it with you. :)

Tomato Soup

8 cups fresh, August tomatoes, peeled and seeded

NOTE: I strained my peelings and garnished 1 cup fresh juice.

Save it!

1 large yellow onion, chopped finely
6 stalks celery, very finely chopped

Cook the above ingredients in a saucepan for 20 minutes until the veggies are soft. Strain them in order to separate the pulp from the stock, pressing gently to extract as much liquid as possible. As a result, I had approximately 5 cups of cooked tomato pulp ( including onions & celery) and 4 cups tomato stock.

Place the stock only in a small saucepan and simmer until reduced by half. Set aside. Puree the pulp in a food processor. Set aside.

In a large pot, melt 6 Tbs butter; and add 6 Tbs flour, stirring with a wire whisk until well-blended and smooth. Cook until this roux turns slightly brown. Dont walk away! This will burn easily.

Add 5 cups beef stock. (I cheated and made mine with bouillon cubes. This is why I dont have to salt the soup in the end.) Stir the roux quickly as you add the stock to create a smooth base. Add 2 tsp sugar and 1 tsp paprika. Cook over medium heat until the mixture starts to boil.

Reduce to low heat and add the tomato pulp. Stir well. Cook for 5 minutes without boiling. Thin with the tomato stock (I used the two cups mentioned at the beginning of the recipe.) I suppose one could thin with a little warm milk or cream, making the result *Cream of Tomato Soup*, but I'm getting off topic.

I hope that you enjoy as much as I did! Happy Summer!

Dark Tort

2007-08-11T10:30:00.001-04:00

So my mother gave me a book to read because she knows how much I like to cook and she thought I would enjoy it. It's titled Dark Tort, written by Diane Mott Davidson. It's a mystery but the main character is a caterer named Goldy. So far I've found it very enjoyable, and what pleases me most about it is that it includes some yummy recipes in the back.

Peaches

2007-08-07T18:18:00.001-04:00

Living in Georgia, it is impossible not to have peachs during the summer. It's what we're known for and they are absolutely decadent during the summer. I'm sure it's a fruit that I could get anytime of the year if I really wanted to, but it's not something I want to have all year around. It's a food that makes summer what it is, a wonderful time to relax with friends and family and to enjoy some good food, whether it's tangy BBQ or a sweet peach.
Now a peach can be enjoyed multiple ways: fresh, a little ripe by itself. It works wonderfully for breakfast with some cottage cheese or on a salad at lunch. It can be used to make salsa for chips or for a topping on fish. But I love it in dessert! Sometimes I enjoy it with some vanilla ice cream and little bit of peach schnapps, but I love the recipe that my family had on Sunday. It's a peach crisp, very much like an apple crisp. Now I must warn, this dessert will be gone as fast as you can say peach, so make sure you make enough for everyone.

Peach Crisp

Peaches, 32 oz, frozen, sliced (if you can find good ripe peaches, that's an even better option)

Toss with 1 C of sugar, 4 Tbsp of flour
Place in an oblong pyrex dish (3 qrt)

Top with mixture
2 C oatmeal
1 C butter, melted
1 C brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1-1/2 C chopped pecans

Bake 45 minutes @ 350

*Top with some ice cream while still warm

Enjoy!

Reminiscing

2007-08-06T19:03:00.001-04:00

I was going through some of my mother's recipes the other day (and I'm still working on it; she has a LOT of stuff) and I found a letter. It was from a friend of hers who she knew when she was still living in Rome, GA. Now, many of the names I didn't recognize, but attached was a recipe that my mother had requested for a seafood stew. Even though I haven't fixed it yet, it sounds delicious so I thought I would share it.

Seafood Stew

8 cups peeled shrimp ( you can also toss in crawfish, crabmeat, oysters, fish)
3 or 4 onions
2 cans of tomato paste
1 qt water
4 or more bunches of green onions
1 large bell pepper
6 Tbsp parsley
1 cup celery
10-12 cloves of garlic
1 or 2 red hot pickled peppers
1 lemon, including the rind (rind should be peeled, being careful not to peel off any of the pith)
Paprika, chili powder, sal and black pepper

First, saute the chopped onions (not green ones) and separate from grease. Then you make a roux- by browning flour in 1 1/2 sticks of butter. Add flour to use up all of the grease, probably 10-12 Tbsp. Cook slowly in iron skillet, stirring all the time. When nearly brown, add tomato paste and onions and cook until dark brown- but do not burn- keep stirring all the time.
Now chop all the vegetables fine- green onions, parsley, bell pepper, celery, garlic, hot pepper, and lemon. (Usually I pare the yellow part of the lemon and chop it up. Then I cut the lemon and squeeze the juice into liquid.)
Put the roux in a large boiler and warm, then add the water slowly while stirring to keep the mixture smooth. Bring to a boil- add chopped vegetables, salt to taste, chili powder to taste (probably 2 Tbsp or more) paprika to taste and color. Simmer for 2 hours, then add shrimp and other fish and cook until meat is done.
Serve over rice.

This sounds like a wonderful recipe to me and one that would be wonderful on a summer night or during the fall. Now personally, I would add some okra in there to make a gumbo, but I think it would be just as good without.
I have really enjoyed going through my mother's recipes and seeing all the wonderful things that she has enjoyed over the years. Do you have a favorite recipe from a family member that helps you to remember?

What I'm Reading

2007-08-05T18:18:00.001-04:00

Right now, I'm reading a very interesting food book called How to Read a French Fry. The author of the book is Russ Parsons, who is a journalist for the Los Angelos Times. This is his first book, and so far it's very interesting. It goes into some detail to explain the science that's involved in cooking, and in doing so one is able to better understand what is happening while cooking. I find it helpful because I feel that it's teaching me to be a better cook and to better understand what happens when things go wrong.
I also happen to own his second book How to Pick a Peach. This book explores the food industry in relation to grocery stores. It looks into how food has lost so much of its flavor and texture due to mass production. Food is now grown to look pretty and to ship well rather than for its flavor which is ten times more important! It encourages the reader to look into what they are buying in the store and to explore the possibilities of buying from local farmers.
I find on Sunday afternoons that I enjoy a good book to read and possibly a nap to help me enjoy the rest of the weekend. If you enjoy cooking as I do, or if you're just looking for a good read, I suggest either one or both of these books.

Tomatoes

2007-07-31T18:19:00.001-04:00

One of my favorite summertime eats is tomatoes. I love having a tomato sandwich for lunch or maybe a BLT or just having them plain. But the one thing that has come to annoy me about tomatoes is that they can be eaten all year around! Now, I know that this is just a product of American commerce, but you must know that isn't how it should be!
Now, folks, let's remember there are in fact four seasons in one year, and there are fruits and vegetables that are best during those seasons. In order to not be completely put off one veggie or fruit, it only seems logical that you eat it while it's in season and at it's best. Which is why I stick to having fresh tomatoes only during the summer, and I look forward to them all year.
One of my favorite toppings for tomatoes is garlic cream cheese. It's a simple recipe but absolutely delicious! It's not only great with tomato sandwiches, but it also works well on BLTs or just having in plain with crackers.

Garlic Cream Cheese

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 c mayo, Duke's preferably
garlic, enough to fill garlic press*

Combine all ingredients until well combined. Serve immediately or wait until the next day. It's better after sitting for a day, and continues to get better.

*You can change to garlic to suit your taste, more or less, but keep in mind that the flavor gets stronger after the first day.

Now, for those of you who don't like mayo(Dean....), it may have something to do with the fact that you're using Miracle Whip or something silly like that. But I feel the need to inform you that the only mayonnaise that is worthy of the name is Duke's. It may cost a little bit more, but trust me, it's worth it. And if that thought of mayo just grosses you out, just keep in mind that mayo is really nothing more that eggs and oil, so nothing really wrong with it. Just try the Duke's and then decide.

And so to end for today, have a tomato sandwich with some garlic cream cheese or just have it plain, but remember it's a summer food. That's when is grows and that is when it is best, so enjoy it at it's best. :)

Grant Achatz

2007-07-30T19:00:00.001-04:00

This being my first post, I thought I would start out with a chef that I have recently discovered. His name is Grant Achatz, owner of Alinea restaurant in Chicago. He has received multiple outstanding awards from people such as the James Beard Foundation, Gourmet magazine, and Food and Wine magazine.
I heard about him first through Food Network. His restaurant was featured in a show based mostly upon his cooking technique. He is known for applying the newest methods of molecular gastronomy, such as using liquid nitrogen as a coolant, etc. His restaurant features mainly two tasting menus consisting of 12 or 24 mini courses. Now, I've never been to his restaurant, but from what I've heard about it, it's spectacular and if I ever happen to be in Chicago, I plan on making a reservation.
What distresses me the most about the hot upcoming chef is that he has recently announced that he has squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth. Basically, that means that he has a malignant cancer in the mouth and it has reached Stage 4; this means that the cancer has possibly spread to his lymph nodes. But as far as I know, he is optimistic about chemotherapy. But even if chemotherapy works, there is the possibility that he may lose his sense of taste. This could be a severe blow to his culinary career, and yet I have read that he is hopeful. He stated that taste would not keep him from his career, just as deafness did not stop Beethoven from writing one of his greatest symphonies. I certainly hope that chemotherapy is successful because it would be heartbreaking to lose such a tremendous talent.
If you want, you can read the full article on Grant Achatz in the Chicago-Tribune. I found the article through Molecular Gastronomy News. Here's the link: http://www.topix.net/food/molecular-gastronomy
I hope that this first post has inspired someone to look into the career of this brilliant culinary mind, and that you will keep him in your prayers as he will be in mine.