What's for Dinner?

Juggling Motherhood Chef Style....

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 20:50:00 +0000

Juggling Motherhood and Management~ Chef Style..

Well it has been well overdue for a blog post. Many things have happened since my last post. My life has changed many folds over. I am a dog owner now, of a wonderful Boston Terrier named Dibbit, which incidentally was named for my father-in-law's best friend. Wish I could have met my father-in -law, it might explain the ticks and quirks of my boys that leave me scratching my head.

Look Easy?

Beyond that, my life has entered the surrender and transformation phase. Wow, wish that my older self could have told me that when I was walking around with rainbow leg warmers. There is a tremendous amount of truth to the statement " Hindsight is 20/20" this applies to me, five minutes after I have opened my mouth, in the present tense. All I can say is, that I am human, a work in progress.

Learning the Cooperative Way is like thinking outside of the box as a chef. Chefs are used to butter, cream, shanks ,sugar ,fine cheeses and artisan wines. So when we are presented with tempeh, tofu and nutritional yeast we learn fast how to make a feast! Somehow I don't think it has anything to do with food at this point. but more to do with the people. I am learning people at this stage in my life.

For those of you who have no idea what it is like to work in a professional kitchen it is not like my present situation. A professional kitchen with a brigade is nothing short of a shark tank. There are people who are ready to step on your head literally, to get the attention of the Executive Chef, and the Chef relishes in that twisted power. This was how I learned to function for many years. Now, I am working in a Cooperative situation, where my voice, LOL my voice suddenly matters.

Managing humans has been a huge learning curve, because each human comes with a different set of needs, and trying to fulfill those needs eventually leads to productive happy humans. The conundrum lies between that point and the outcome? Someone once told me that managing people, in a way is like teaching a kindergarten class. At first I wasn't so sure that I agreed with the idea but now I understand. Kindergarteners are full of excitement, energy and ideas and imagine 25 of those powerhouses moving in 25 different directions! Where's the Tylenol?

In August my oldest son will be going away to college. I was very fortunate to have him home for a year, post graduation in June of 2014. They call that a gap year, my father called it farting around! (sorry Dad). I can honestly say that I am excited for him, but when I turn off the lights at night. I am sad to see him go, I have taken care, nurtured and looked over him for 19 years and somehow it is hard to turn that emotion off. Life at some point sped up, maybe when I stopped to smell the roses, or perhaps it was when I was distracted by boo-boos, fights or laughing fits either way as I stare at that picture to your right I am humbled by how fast time goes by.

There is a cake that I would like to share with you, one because I live in the apple capital of the USA, and just recently I have read posts of friends whom have started the intricate process of pruning and two because I always end my posts with a recipe and a quote.

Heirloom Apple Cake

8oz of softened cream cheese
4oz softened butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
3 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg5.
1/2 tsp ground allspice
3 apples (Cortland) peeled, cored and diced
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts

In a bowl combine all the dry ingredients and whisk to combine, set aside. In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter, until light and fluffy, gradually add the sugar, scrape the bowl down and add the eggs combined with the extracts, scraping the bowl down again, add all the flour mixture and mix on low to combine. Stir in the apples, cranberries and walnuts and pour into a well greased 10 inch cake pan and bake in a 350 oven until when pierced with a toothpick the pick comes out clean, approximately 45 minutes. Cool and invert and garnish with powdered sugar.

“First rule of leadership: everything is your fault.” – A Bug’s Life

Strawberry Picking is Nigh, Let's go Make a Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 00:39:00 +0000

Getting back into blogging is like getting back into your clothes from the 1980's. Try as you might, it just gathers wrinkles and dust in the farthest recesses of your closet. It really is quite sad since, I work at the The Putney Food Coop and there is an abundance of fodder for me to write about. So, I decided to dust off my rainbow legwarmers and digital camera and set out on the blogger trail again sharing my misadventures from the Green Mountain state.

It is quite hilarious if you knew me personally. I, now work in a very health conscientious atmosphere and I had to replace my old loves like flour, butter, beef and sugar with gluten-free, soy butter, tofu and sucanat.. Oh the travesty of it all....Hold on.......

Did I mention the Cheese, the Glorious Cheese that comes with my job!! The Cave to Co-op program this month rocks ,with Roger's Robusto a cheese akin to chevre. This cheese is made from the milk of Dutch Belt and Holstein cows, and then rolled in herbs with a touch of zesty hot peppers. My thought is a super Alfredo finished with Roger's Robusto !

I really live a dual life kinda like James Bond 007, I grew up on the Twinkies side of the tracks, and now I am rubbing elbows with the Soy Boys, who knew??? I would like to describe myself as the "Roseanne Barr" of chefs ( no ill will Roseanne, I quite adore you!!!). What I mean by this is..when I cook you a plate, you don't need a weed whacker to get to it, or someone to translate it for you, while you eat. Just plain old comfort food.

Unfortunately, I am not here to talk about cheese, although I could go on for months about good cheese. Not the framunda kind, you know the kind that smells like it came directly from your gym shoes, after working out for 12 hours in a fish cannery, on a 90 degree day with no socks, Haha icky!

What I want to talk about is Strawberries!!! This time of the year, strawberries are the earliest most coveted fruit, and when combined with rhubarb, it is the season's most prized combination.

Rhubarb is a a very misunderstood conundrum, kinda like jicama it just creates more questions. But in case you were confused or rather inquisitive, rhubarb is a member of the buckwheat family and is not a fruit at all, but rather a vegetable, it's leaves are highly toxic and because of it's considerable tartness it is combined with ample amounts of sugar. In the USA it is commonly combined with strawberries in the UK you can see it paired with ginger. Here I give you Strawberry Rhubarb pie.

If a June night could talk, it would probably boast it invented romance. ~Bern Williams

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
1 pound well washed diced rhubarb
2 pints quartered strawberries
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp orange extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbs butter
1 recipe pie dough
1 egg combined with 2 tbs water for wash
2 tbs butter

In a clean bowl combine the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, flour and extracts and mix well. Let stand for 30 minutes so that it gets all happy. Roll 1/2 your pie dough out and line a 9 in deep dish well greased pie shell, add the strawberry rhubarb mixture, dot with the butter and top with the other half of your dough, crimp and cut steam holes in the center of the pie, brush with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar and bake in a 350 degree oven until golden brown.
Pie Dough 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup cold water

In a standing mixer combine the flour, sugar and salt, add the cubed butter with a paddle mix on low until the mixture resembles cornmeal, add the cold water and mix until dough comes together, Wrap and chill before rolling.

Back On the Trail

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:32:00 +0000

It is nice to get back into the driver's seat again with respect to blogging. My life sometimes resembles a hamster, spinning around on a hamster wheel. Somehow when you are younger you focus more on the fun aspect of life, rather than the mundane duty of paying bills, carpools and how to creatively disguise hamburger in 4 out of 7 meals.

Which brings me to my next thought, the economy! I was thinking that just yesterday you could escape the grocery store with spending 50 bucks and score a good size pile of loot. Now it averages 70 to 80 bucks and there isn't a whole lot there.

My husband and I are saving our pennies to give our youngest son(the dog whisperer) a puppy for his 10th birthday. I have to say he certainly does have a way with the canines. This weekend we are going to meet the newest addition to the Gould clan, a little Boston terrier preordained with the moniker Dibbit.

The only creature that might raise a stink, would be the dear Giggle, the Siamese/Persian cat. I am sure we will be playing referee for at least a month or two. But Giggle should look on the bright side, not only will he have his dry food to eat but Dibbit's dry food as well. The little garbage gut!

Working at the Putney food co-op has been a great experience. I am a huge vitamin junkie and now I can add additional vitamins to my already ~~overkill~~ daily regime. I should be banned from the Wellness aisle and Web MD as well. In a single afternoon I can convince myself that I am dying of some really rare disease, when really I should just take an Advil.

I am learning things that I never new existed like a PLU machine. What a cool and annoying machine . Cool because who doesn't like sticking labels on things and pushing buttons. Annoying because you have to have some sort of ninja touch with reloading the labels. A ten minute job turns into three monkeys surrounding the machine and slapping it into submission, when all it required was Dona and her ninja touch.

The other cool part of my job is the cryovac machine, again the button aspect lures me in, and the machine does not disappoint it sucks the air out of anything. I really should keep away from it, because I don't thing is was made for my button fetish. I wonder what would happen if you put bubble wrap in it?

Cooking vegan is a challenge because my number one priority is making it taste good. But really it is the old switch-a-roo game. The term vegan was invented in 1944 by Donald Watson and quite simply means "that man should live without the exploitation of animals". It has come to be more of a philosophy, lifestyle and a set of principles than merely a diet.

Vegan Trail Cookies

2 1/2 cups Pamela's Gluten-free Flour
1 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup earth balance
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tsp egg replacer mixed with 4 tablespoons warm water
1 bag vegan chocolate chips
1/3 cup toasted pepitas
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 dried cranberries

In a bowl combine the gluten-free flour,cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt set aside. In a cup measure combine the egg replacer and warm water mix well and set aside. In a standing mixer combine the earth balance and both sugars and cream, add the vanilla and egg replacer and mix well. Add the dry ingredients and scrap the contents from the bottom of the mixing bowl with the top to pull the unmixed sugar up. When well mixed add the last five ingredients and mix well. With a #12 ice cream scoop which is about 1/3 cup (for home use, in the restaurant we use #8 or 1/2 cup) scoop the cookies on a pre sprayed sheet tray and bake in a 350 oven until golden brown.

The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime. ~Babe Ruth

Objects are Closer than they Appear

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:55:00 +0000

Life is a journey, and my cooking career could resemble at times a switch back mountain trail. A switch back trail is rough and unpredictable but the foundation is strong. My faith has carried me through the many hallways of culinary arts.

The single most difficult thing to any new job is morphing yourself into the quilt of people that already exists in your new world. One thing I know is food, this is evident by my inability to turn my back on my longtime friend butter and cream. Hey, when you've ridden in a Cadillac it is hard to switch to a Prius. But those outnumber the Me's. Namely little ole' me.

She said, "Can you make a gluten-free Cinnamon Bun"?, and then another someone said, "Can you make a Vegan Gluten-free Cinnamon Bun"?,and when those two questions were digested, still another female someone said "Hey, I am a diabetic why can't I join this happy Lalala party"?. Wow, my hair is going grey at the temples and I need to get to my hairdresser, and I am keeping myself up late researching things that 5 years ago would seem blase.

If it was not for my ultimate favorite food host Paula Deen, whom sadly found out that she was diabetic, I would still be riding the butter, cream, sugar party train. But I do have a soft heart, and I do adore Paula with diet restrictions and all. It was a Wild Toad's ride wasn't it?

Anyone that meets me, knows that I enjoy a good challenge and perhaps God wanted in on the action. Moving to the Co-op, I have learned to think differently. I have never worked with tempeh and now I could perhaps sneak it in to my family's diet and only get a small riot. Tofu wow!!!, I am just grateful that I am able to make it somewhat palatable.

It is nice to finally put my job on like a well worn slipper that you refuse to throw away. It took a while but we all know good things take time. During the transitional stage Sarah A and I perfected the Ultimate No-No-No Cinnamon Bun.

Putney Co-Op's No No No Cinnamon Buns

Apple Filling
3 large apples, peeled cored and diced
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons orange juice
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Dough
1 1/2 cups soymilk
1/2 cup Earth Balance margarine
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
5 1/2 cups Pamela's Amazing Gluten-free Bread Flour
2 tablespoons dry active yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons Egg Replacer mixed with 4 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup warm water.
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Earth Balance margarine
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Vegalene vegetable spray

In a medium bowl combine peeled cut apples with orange juice, sugar, spices and cornstarch and set aside. In a small saucepan combine soy milk, Earth Balance and vanilla and bring to a scald making sure the margarine is melted. In a standing mixer with a dough hook attachment combine 4 1/2 cups of Pamela's Amazing gluten-free bread flour with 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and two tablespoons dry active yeast. With mixer turned on low combine the flour mixture with the soy milk mixture. When well combined add the Egg replacer and water, and the final cup of gluten-free flour. Turn the dough out on a well gluten-free floured surface and knead for at least 5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl and allow to rise at least 90 minutes. Combine the brown sugar, Earth Balance and ground cinnamon until it resembles a paste. When the dough has risen, roll out on a well floured surface. Spread the dough with the brown sugar mixture and layer all the apples evenly. Roll up and discard the ends. Cut the log in half, cut each half in half and then in half again, so you have eight rolls. Layer evenly in a well greased nine inch cake pan and bake in a 350F oven until golden brown. Turn out and glaze with a mixture of powdered sugar and water.

You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith. ~Mary Manin Morrissey

Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 01:07:00 +0000

The holidays came and went very fast and transitioning into a new job during the hullabaloo was a challenge in itself, never mind feeling lonely and wishing that I could be one of the guys sooner than later. But like everything, things take time and I would just have to be patient. Sometimes I want to bang my head against the counter, the statement "There is nothing common about common sense" has been my anthem these days.

I ventured on my own very early in life, at 20 I was responsible for pretty much everything that a young adult should be responsible for. I was grateful that I could rely on myself to provide the things that I needed, not wanted , but needed. I ate a lot of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese in those days.

One of my bosses told me early in my career, that I would take a lot of lumps in life. This was in order to build character, humility and integrity. I never questioned that lesson, and it has taken me far in life. Yes it sucked, to clean kitchen hoods after a 10 hour shift, the greasy water running down my arm and soaking my uniform. Sure I wanted to complain, but I never wanted them to see that I could not handle the lessons they were dishing.

2011 was a complicated and difficult year. We saw a flood and the garden that I was so proud of receded with the water. People that were special passed away and left a somber hole for those that were left behind. In spite of all that, I lost my job. Yes 2011 was quite a year. But like the seasons, things change.

     I have been settling into my job the last few months, with the dips and valleys along the way. But staying the course has been my number one motive. The kitchen is extremely small and you could feel claustrophobic all of the time. However as small as the kitchen is, the ingredients and the freedom to be creative is far more valuable than having someone step on my toes.

     What I have been learning lately is the fine art of removing all that is good (hey, I am a chef..I can't help it) and morphing it into tasty items for our customers with restrictions. This is has been a super ~~pain in the arse~~ challenging aspect of my job, because no butter is a foreign country to me. Once I got over my hissy fit, I am quite enjoying this adventure.

     Who knew that you could make a cookie taste good without butter, cream or eggs. Hell, I lived in Alaska by myself and that was easier than this task. I would like to introduce you to some great products that I have been working with the past few months. First, every gluten-free cookie needs Pamela's Gluten-Free Flour. I have worked with this product in every aspect possible and I have made some really ~~awful~~ interesting things. It is a very perplexing product. Thanks to Sarah A. I am still in the game.

Then Alex brought up a box of Egg Replacer that had a lot of Chinese looking writing on it. I thought "Oh Boy, another baffling product to add to my already amassing list of baffling products. To tell you the truth, I placed it at the back of my supplies and hoped it would go away. Then like a crack of lightning Alex the Busy reappeared and the jig was up! "People need Dairy-Free, Gluten Free and what about the Vegans"? The law had been spoken it was time to unpack my surplus of free this and free that products and use them. God help me, or rather God help the customers.

Butter oh my lovely butter had to move over for Earth Balance and Vegan Buttery Sticks , and milk and cream needed to make room for Soymilk Creamer and Coconut milk creamer. I had all the machinations for a good cookie. Putting it together is an entirely different hustle. But I did it!

Vegan Gluten-Free Molasses Crinkles( pictures coming shortly)

2/3 cup Earth Balance
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup Crosby's Molasses
2 tsp Egg Replacer mixed with two tablespoons of water
3 cups Pamela's Gluten-Free Flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 ground black pepper (for a kick)
1+cup of Demerara Sugar

In a small bowl combine the Egg Replacer with the water and set aside. In a medium bowl combine all the dry ingredients whisk and set aside. In a standing mixer cream the Earth Balance with the sugar until creamy. Add the molasses and mix well. Re-stir the Egg Replacer and add to the sugar mixture, mix well. Scrap down the bowl. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter constantly scraping down and pulling the batter from bottom of the bowl and recombining it with the top until all incorporated. With a # 12 ice cream scoop, scoop the batter and roll in the Demerara sugar place on a baking sheet and bake in 350 degree oven until the tops crack. Cool and serve.

The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won't. ~Henry Ward Beecher

An Interview with Anna Deskins~A Fellow Bloggy Mom and Children's Book Author

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 21:54:00 +0000

Your children's book, The Adventures of Smitty looks magically. Tell us about it.

It's the story of a magical island of little creatures called Smilies and the mischievous little main character, Smitty. He's such a naughty boy. Haha! All the moms and kids I've shared it with have been giving me such a wonderful reaction. I cannot believe it. I have to tell you how excited I am to finally have a life-long dream come true. Writing The Adventures of Smitty was really about finding a story that I would want to read to my children at night. It has to be exciting but not scary so that my two daughters can go to sleep. Basically, I was looking for that perfect blend to read to my kids at night and decided, "Why not try writing my own?"

We've had a lot of changes in our life recently, so I want to make sure that when I put my daughters to sleep that they feel safe. I have short chapters because I know how busy we moms are but if you can just sacrifice 5 minutes at night reading to your kids, it makes a world of difference. Your kids will never forget it. And although we're running around the whirlwind of life, our kids grow up so fast, and that time that we'd rather finish watching what happened in our favorite soap opera instead of reading to our kids will never come again. I hope that The Adventures of Smitty and books like it help moms do exactly that.

And it's only 99 cents this week. That's what I love about it. Now, You are recently divorced. How have you been able to continue writing when going through such a change?

Yes, it is by far one of the most challenging points in my life. To see a marriage you thought would last forever to not last forever was difficult for the two of us. I really learned a lot about myself and most importantly, it's brought me closer to my daughters. I think that's what really motivated me to finish this children's book no matter what. When you're going through changes in your life like this, you need something to hold on to. There's a part of you that wants to prove that you can make it, that you will be a success even if it's not with the partner you originally imagined building a life with. I had to keep writing, for my kids. I want to show them that they have to keep strong, no matter what.

We as women, as moms really need to stick together to support each other and our dreams. We're living in an age when I think we're finally realizing, although we want love, the men in our life aren't the answer to everything. We have to stand up on our own two feet and keep going. True love will happen, but until then, we have to keep moving forward. Our children depend on us and we depend on us.

In addition to being a children's book author, you're also a small business owner. How do you juggle taking care of two daughters and at the same time running a business?

Yes, I am a fashion designer and have a retail store. Any type of creativity is what I'm passionate about. That's why writing The Adventures of Smitty was so important to me. Let me tell you, running a small business in today's economy isn't easy especially when raising two girls at the same time. But somehow, it seems someone's watching over me because my dreams are coming true no matter what. To have that many moms glowing about my children's book, means so much to me. And I know my girls are proud.

When do you ever have time to write?

You mean, in between laundry, running a business, chasing my girls around the house, cleaning the house, and flying back and forth from Miami to New York? Haha? That's one thing I've learned, when you really want to do something, you find a way. Things fall into place if you just go for it and that's what I want to encourage all the moms who are reading this right now. Whatever your goal is, you can do it. Don't let the challenges in your personal life stop you from going for your dreams. Just go for it and it's almost magical how things fall into place.

Where can we get a copy of "The Adventures of Smitty"?

Right now, it's available online by going to: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/94655 You can also visit my website:http://www.AnnaDeskins.com where you can read more about my writing process, my recommendations for other books and my own adventures in Mommy hood.

I'm so grateful for your support and the support I'm getting from so many wonderful moms who dream of writing children's books one day too. Writing The Adventures of Smitty has been such an emotional experience for me, a true journey as I was going through so many changes while writing it. It's truly been a blessing in my life. It, along with my daughters, and that guy upstairs have really pulled me through a challenging time.

Thanks for the interview, Anna. And let's go out and support a fellow mom by getting a copy of The Adventures of Smitty today. I know I will!

Sleeping With The Dishes

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 19:22:00 +0000

Being the new girl is something that I am no stranger to. In fact, I do and can play the role very well. Funny when you become an adult, people rarely shed their defense mechanisms, those barriers that protect the real person that you are. We all could learn valuable lessons from going back to kindergarten.

Walking into a new kitchen always has its pros and cons and this past week, I remained grateful to have a job and tried to only focus on that aspect. I am not going to say that it was all wine and roses and I am not going to say it was all a bad dream. It is a new chapter in my book and I welcome the blessings and challenges that it may bring.

Change is scary, but fear is just that energy in motion, don't give it the fuel to move. Sometimes it is easier said than done. My fortitude has been tested these past two months, and at times it has been hard to see the silver lining. I knew going into a new kitchen, I would be on the outside looking in. It kind of feels like you are the last person being picked for a game of kickball. Been there, done that. Being a military brat I stood alone many times. It will just take some time.

So now on to more exciting news than my popularity. The Putney Co op is like a chef's Disney World, like Christmas everyday from a gastronomic standpoint. Sometimes, I can hardly contain my need to giggle and clap my hands like a hyper four year old on a sugar bender. I walked by a case of Maytag blue cheese and I just wanted to hug it.That is only the cheese. The possibilities are endless, and it seems my silver lining has just passed over like Haley's Comet.

So I did tell you that is was not all wine and roses right? Here is the part that was like the customer that doesn't get the hint that it is time to go home. Gluten free!!! Many patrons of the Co op are, 1. very food conscious, 2. very food conscious and finally 3. don't mess with it. Lots of gluten free, and vegans. Yikes I feel that fear in motion. I have been working with all fat, added fat and a side of fat for so many years that gluten free never passed my lips.

It will be a humbling learning experience. That being said, this is not the challenging part, the challenging part is baking a good product, in a wildly erratic oven, that only has one shelf reserved for you, and throw in a couple of people continuously opening and closing the said oven and right there folks is the "recipe for disaster". Yes ma'am that stings like salt in a wound. This little dynamic only gives those that are further up on the food chain than myself, fodder to run with. Murphy's Law should have been overruled.

Farewell to Fat Pepperoni Rolls

2 cups King Arthur All Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon Fleischmann's Dry Active Yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water(110F to 115F)
1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil
1 pound pepperoni, sliced or unsliced
1 cup mozzarella or parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon EVOO (like Rachel Ray says)

In a mixing bowl fashioned with a dough hook, add all the dry ingredients, including the yeast. Combine the warm water and olive oil and pour into mixing bowl. Turn the machine on low and mix until the dough pulls cleanly from the sides. At this point you might have to add more flour, just add a little at a time, like 1 or 2 tbs at a time. When the dough is elastic and no longer is sticky to the touch, oil the same bowl that you mixed the dough in, cover with a towel and set in a warm place, until doubled in size. Punch down and your ready for cheese and your favorite toppings. Good hot oven is the key to getting a good rise and browning, anything over 400F is a good starting point.

Now portion the dough into the size pepperoni rolls that suit you. Roll out your dough and brush with the olive oil lightly and sprinkle with cheese, layer with pepperoni. Wrap like a burrito and seal edges, and place on a cookie sheet seam side down. Repeat until all dough and ingredients are used up. Bake in a 400F oven until golden brown and serve with your favorite marinara sauce .

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. ~Herm Albright, quoted in Reader's Digest, June 1995

New Beginnings

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 00:25:00 +0000

Well, there has been so many changes in my life these days. The job I once had, is no longer. I did bemoan my situation ~~longer than needed~~ for a few days. I soothed myself by watching the entire 5 seasons of Dexter, eating snack size Baby Ruth's and nursing myself back to health. My oldest son caught a cold, and I not only caught it, I nurtured it into a full blown assault on my sinus cavities.

"You're rundown", my mother says, "The stress finally got you", says my husband. Either way it was fortuitous to get sick whilst looking for a job. I am the kind of person ~~that can't sit still for very long~~ that needs a plan in place. Losing my job in the manner that it happened, threw my whole inner zen off. I am a planner, and I did not plan on this. I was not fired, I did not quit, the business just closed. Plain and simple. In case you haven't noticed the economy is not so good.

The hospitality industry is just that hospitality, comfy pillows, hot meals, heated pools and turn down services. But when the money dries up, so does the luxuries. Sad, but it is the truth. Small businesses in this economy, have but a sliver of chance of making a go of it. Sadder still, is the state and government agencies, don't seem to give a crap. They would sooner, tax the ever loving stuff out of you. My advice read the fine print, know who you are electing, and realize that some of what they have to offer is B.S.

Well on a much happier note, I am again, gainfully employed. Going back to my old stomping grounds Putney, Vermont. Tis where the whole journey began. A wee 23 year old, transplanted from culinary school to Vermont. I worked for the Putney Inn for just about a coons age, funny, I picked the state
because it sounded intriguing. I still to this day, do not have an explanation as to how and why I set up camp in Vermont. Now, I journey to the Putney Co op for a exciting journey into the world of tempeh, seitan, gluten-free and organic. Jasmine, is going to have soooo much fun with me.

I am so happy to have a cooking instrument back. After 5 weeks, I FINALLY have propane. I can cook again. No more microwaving!!. It has been a grueling 5 weeks without the ability to cook. Me of all people not being able to cook. During the hurricane, flood, loss of job, yada, yada I won a case of ravioli through Star Ravioli that came via Heidi Lee and her into the soup site. Great site, a must in the culinary world. Tonight was Ravioli Night !!!!

Really Good Meatball Recipe

2 packages of Catelli Ground Meatball and Meatloaf mix

1 Vidalia onion

10 cloves of garlic

2 to 2 1/2 fresh white bread crumbs

3 ozs olive oil

1 bunch fresh parsley, rinsed and chopped finely

2 tablespoons dried basil

6 eggs

1 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

healthy grinding of cracked black pepper (if you have a grinder, only way to go) otherwise use butcher grind.

salt to taste

In a food processor, mill the onions and garlic with the olive oil until fine. In a large bowl, add the ground meat with the onion mixture, add the eggs, heavy cream, dried basil, parsley, black pepper, salt and Parmesan and mix well. Add the bread crumbs, if the meatballs seem a little soft add some more. Roll into balls, slightly smaller than an egg. Cook on a greased cookie sheet in a 350F oven for about 45 minutes and then enjoy.

Those who forget the pasta are condemned to reheat it. ~Author Unknown

A Rae of Sunshine

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 01:17:00 +0000

   It has been over a week since, the "epic" flood. My readers have enjoyed, some of the great times, I have had this summer. Nothing can prepare a person for the great strength water can bring to the table.

People that my husband and I say "Hi" to, or greet in the grocery store week after week, now have NOTHING. Businesses, homes lost down the Whetstone Brook. A young man that was supposed to be in my son's class in High School, Marble Arvidson has been missing since Saturday, August 27th. Gone, just like my garden, gone under the mud. My neighborhood is and has been mud lately.

    I or rather "we" were not prepared to handle the raw emotion a tragedy can bring. My mother kept telling me "Don't cry Paige", you need to keep it together for your boys. My husband "Be strong, don't let them pick up on your fear". I literally wandered around the morning of August 29th with a jug of water that my sister in Christ Stephanie Kendall gave me. I was numb, and stunned.

    When we arrived at our home, our yard or what was once our yard, was similar to a creek bed drying up in a drought. The mud or silt just painted a picture of being under water for a long time. The remnants of my herb garden, were the tops of my cherry tomatoes, buried under heavy mud. My garden was gone. My spruces and goat willow missing.

The west side of my trailer had so much debris, that it took my husband and I, a week to get it right. On Tuesday August 30th, I raked some much debris out from under our home, some of which was children's toys and blankets, that I actually questioned "Why"?

    We were more fortunate than our neighbors. My neighbor Sandy fell into a sink hole and broke her ankle in 3 places, within just a blink of an eye. I am not going to glass this over, the folks in Melrose Terrace, Glen Park and on Brookwood Street were and will qualify as devastation.

    I felt sick and terrible all at the same time. There was nothing that I could do, but to lean on the shoulders of my church. What I heard from a "very cool source" there was a convoy or a "semi" heading it's way from Tennessee to Brattleboro, Vermont to help. This was my chance!!!

    I embraced my opportunity to help my neighborhood, whether you needed it or not. The sentiment was there. This was important to me. It distracted me to the turmoil that both my sons displayed. My youngest Kerry age 9, displayed it on August 29th, crying and trying to gather his Mom walking around with a water jug. My oldest Casey, it came out at the end of the week, in very heart wrenching sobs, that just picked open my tentative healing wounds. Nothing can prepare you for this.

     My church seven vehicles strong delivered supplies to those that were abandoned, left behind. I was so happy and strong. The best thing that came out of the storm, was that I could be a Godmother to an amazing young woman. I pale in comparison to her resolve. I will take care of her to my dying day, as God as my witness, Kalie Rae I will honor my part.

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. ~Desmond Tutu

GOODNIGHT IRENE

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 01:04:00 +0000

     Well as usual per my rain cloud somewhere out there,that hangs at the ready to ruin my pre planned plans. We are having not just a little rain incident, but for crying out loud, we are going to experience in the next 36 hours an event that has not happened on the east coast since 1944. Wow, that is very comforting.

    What is worse is I live in a trailer park, OMG she said it, she lives in a trailer park. Yes I do, and again who cares, I am not throwing money away to a landlord. Wait? that is an idea..perhaps I should be a landlord it is a win win. But seriously our drainage is not the best and now I have to worry about my kitty, home, garden and my newly planted weeping goat willow. Yep figures! The moment I get a hunger for gardening and actually plant a tree, a major hurricane hits the East Coast in like 100 years, figures.

   My family and I were supposed to travel to Maine and visit my parents this weekend, and between the time that I went to Walmart at 4:30 and the time that I arrived home at 5:30, it was clear that I was going nowhere. At 9pm Thursday August 25th, they were evacuating nursing homes in New York City. That is a wee bit more than disturbing.

     So here we are in the process of buttoning down our trailer?, however we are a spits throw from the Whetstone Brook, that is even less than comforting. In years past we were evacuated at 2 plus inches of rain, this time around we are facing a minimum of 6 inches.

   This paragraph is the aftermath of the mini hell that I have been through the last 5 days. I am the blessed one. There are those that are spit's throw from me, that have lost their homes, businesses, and everything in between, due to the awesome force of water.

     Currently, we have a young man missing since Saturday, August 27th, walking up Route 9, the worst road to repair just in Brattleboro. The last 5 days have been intermittent tears and gratitude. But, at the end of the day it still does not erase those that have lost EVERYTHING. I have a hard time sleeping with power, that is how close the heartbreak touches. There will be no recipe here, because my world has been shaken, and I had a family during it, my husband that has broken his back the last four days to fix what has been broken , my two sons 9 and 15 who have absorbed the tragedy in their own ways. No one should have to endure the emotion that my two boys have had to shoulder. This is why I cry. No one expected it to hit Vermont, but it did and the people that I care about Virginia, Bob, Antoinette, Beverly, Shirley, the list is endless are left behind to absorb the tragedy and move on? This is what is wrong with our community, we assume that everyone is OK, when inside ourselves we are not OK. Please help the Red Cross in Vermont with the recovery in Vermont. There is strength in numbers.

What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step. It is always the same step, but you have to take it. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wind, Sand and Stars, 1939, translated from French by Lewis Galantière

Here We Go Again

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:04:00 +0000

So blogging themes or rather pimping my blogs bling. Can be very addicting. What would have taken ten minutes to do, takes now a minimum of three hours of fiddling, with or without deleting, and we all know how I feel about deleting. The HTML language is a unknown planet for me. HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language, already I am like what??? Basically to a novice, such as myself, it is the "code" behind every web page.

Gaining an understanding of HTML requires me to go deep surfing. Which ends up being a Sunday or two with good weather. But a Northeaster with a possible school closing could tip me into the favors of the HTML edge.

These days I plan in advance the times, that I will teach myself something new. The last time I went too deep into web surfing, in the name of blogging. I caught a nasty Google Redirect Virus. Boy, I can't describe how irritated and desperate, I felt. Problem with that virus was you had to fix it with a browser besides Google. Wow, that was like an hour I wasted, trying to beat the virus from redirecting me, and then Google telling something I already knew.

So instead of trolling for blogging bling, I found myself trolling techie sites, to help me out of the pickle that I found myself in. I was not going to call my Dad, because he is way smarter than me. I would have to answer his serious questions : "What were you doing"?, "What sites were you on"? and my favorite "Why"?, that one stings the most.

My main objective is to avoid Sensai Martin's (A.K.A my Dad) questions. This process took some time, because I had to read the solutions carefully, and cross reference with other sites.To get the overall best solution. I am sure that the computer monitor felt verbally abused during this process, but I don't care.

Summer is just about over and my son's are preregistered for their annual wake up call. The planned event will kick off on Tuesday, August 30th at 0700 hours. I am taking the day off, so that I can relish in the grunts, groans and and overall apathy, that a new school year brings. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year, and good news I get my house back, squatters 0, Mom 1.

The weather is changing again, it crept up on us. The mornings are cooler and the days are shorter. I wish I could bottle it, and sell it on EBay, I would make a fortune. When the weather gets cooler, my desire to make hearty meals comes back. In the summer, who cares. Next week the squatters must once again exercise their grey matter, and I get some semblance of order back until June 2012.

Rocking Tomato Pie

1 prebaked 9 in deep dish pie crust
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 egg white
5 or 6 vine ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and sliced
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
4 green onions finely sliced
1 tsp fresh lemon peel
1 clove finely minced garlic
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated smoked provolone
1/2 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

In order to peel, seed and slice tomatoes. Remove stems and cut an x into the bottom of the tomato. In a saucepan bring water to a boil, once water is boiling add the tomatoes for about 30 seconds, or until the skins begin to blister. Remove and cool in ice water. Peel the skins, cut in half and gently squeeze the seeds out. Slice the tomatoes and place in a colander sprinkle with salt and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Brush the pie shell with 1/2 of the egg white and in a 400 degree oven par bake the pie shell. Cool and brush the shell with the remaining half of the egg white, allow to dry and then brush with the mustard. Sprinkle the pie shell with 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar and layer the shell with the tomatoes, green onions, garlic, fresh herbs, and lemon peel. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper (trust me it is worth it). In a small bowl combine the remaining cheddar, smoked provolone and mayonnaise. Top the pie with the cheese mayonnaise mixture and bake in a 350 degree oven until golden brown.

Labor Day is a glorious holiday because your child will be going back to school the next day. It would have been called Independence Day, but that name was already taken. ~ Bill Dodds

When Life Hands you Lemons, Make Cheesecake

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:55:00 +0000

Today was a day, that should have been spent with the covers over my head. In pajamas, with a chick flick (as my Dad, so eloquently puts it), Kleenex, various bad choices in food, air-conditioning pushed to the max, and all the remotes, plus the neighbor's remotes.

Ever have those days when, if you acted on what you were thinking there would be a lot of people with holes bore into the back of their heads, and the bumper stickers "If you can read this, then you are too close" or "Tailgater's Suck", was the only rational choice in bumper sticker flair for you.

Yes I know, we all have wanted to flip a few hundred birds in a day. But we have to just imagine it. I read a post earlier about, when you are running late, then everyone else is taking their time. Been there, done that. I found through experience, it is just better to accept and move on. Don't nerve yourself up on your way to work, there is enough nerving up waiting for you at work, so why waste it on someone that you don't know. At the end of the day it is better to have not flipped the bird than to flip the bird. Plus you will have a lot less enemies. So, my finger rests at the ready for today.

Changes are in the air, not only is Summer giving into Fall, but children are going back to school. This is a very anti-climatic moment for me. I feel bad about it more than my sons do. My sons are 6 years apart, so I have a grueling two hours of shuffling kids off to their predetermined destinations. My oldest is in High School and my youngest is going to be fourth grader.

Windham Southeast Supervisory Union or to the locals WSESU, ~~is a whole bunch of unnecessary initials~~, is a group of schools in the Southern and Eastern part of Vermont. See what I mean, just get to the point already. Change blew up WSESU's skirt, and now all the counties in Southeastern Vermont are forcibly impacted by this change. I bet you are thinking, get to the point already! In a nutshell, the high schoolers, according to some remote testing, fair better going to school an hour later. My only response to that is WTH!

Again I have to say" What the Hell". I would rather use another response, but I am a lady. Where were the bleeding hearts for me, when I had to tuck my keyster in the seat at 8am? Are you kidding me? I did just fine, in fact I was in the honor society, it taught me discipline. The only thing this will teach students is it is OK, to hit the snooze button, because some pony-tailed scientist wrote his thesis on the effect of one additional hour of sleep on the teenaged brain. WTH!

My family is mildly impacted by this ridiculous brain fart. But my friends that have small ones can add the facet of buses only being funded one way to school. This makes it hard for anyone to work? What about the single mother with no car, that desperately needs to work? I would like to ask if they included that in their study? Give me a break, we are giving the youth a reason to hit snooze and call in sick.

The more I think about it, the more I need Pepto-Bismol. If there was anything desperately, I wanted to convey to my readers is this: FAMILY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO OUR EXISTENCE. Things and situations fall away, but family stands beside you, to fight the good fight. We can rest there, gain strength and push forward.When times get rough, it is time to eat cheesecake, in the dark, in the middle of the night, when no one else is watching, because it makes every thing better.

Traditional New York Style Cheesecake
makes one fat 9 inch cheesecake
Crust
3 2/3 cups graham crackers crumbs
3/4 cup melted butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Filling
36 ounces softened cream cheese(bring the cream cheese to room temperature)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp fresh lemon peel
2 tsp lemon juice

In a bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, vanilla, cinnamon and sugar and mix with a whisk, add the melted butter and mix thoroughly. Prepare a 9 inch spring-form pan. By this I mean spray liberally with pan spray. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan, and somewhat up the side. Bake in a 375 oven for 10 minutes to set the crust. Set the crust aside. In a standing mixer beat the softened cream cheese. Let it mix for at least 5 minutes. Then gradually add, and I MEAN GRADUALLY add the sugar until it all is incorporated. You will notice that the cheese and sugar now has a sheen to it (this is good). Add the lemon peel. lemon juice and vanilla and mix. Now turn the mixer down to low and add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Somewhere during this process, you need to pull everything stuck at the bottom and sides of the mixer into the mix. When mixing you will see it. After all the eggs are in, turn off the mixer. Line the bottom and sides of your pan with heavy duty aluminum foil( this prevents the water from messing the crust up). Find a pan that will facilitate this spring form pan ( meaning it will fit nicely into the said pan). Pour the cream cheese mixture over the crust and place into your predetermined pan. Add some hot water, that only covers the spring form halfway. Cook in 375 degree oven for 1 hour or until the center is slightly jiggly. Pull from oven and remove from the water bath. With a sharp knife, run the blade in between the pan and the cheesecake to prevent cracking in the middle and allow to cool overnight before you remove the pan. After that, grab your remotes, Kleenex and cherry filling. My advice unplug the phone it messes with the ambiance.

There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want. ~Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes

It is Hard to Run Uphill With the Enemy

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 01:51:00 +0000

So guess what? My small town, is kinda not so small anymore. Not in the respect that it grew triple fold overnight, but rather it has turned down a very dark path. When I first moved here 20 years ago, I thought to myself, "OK this is a lot like Alaska". Nobody locked their doors at night, and everybody knew your name. That was attractive to me, the chance to belong, finally I was steering my own ship.

Many of my readers do not know, that I was what you called a "Military Brat". Meaning that my father was an officer in the Coast Guard and we moved a whole bunch. That is how I ended up in Alaska, from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. We hung our hats just long enough to become attached. It was exciting and painful all at the same time.

Since then, I have rooted myself in Vermont and kept a promise to myself. To allow my children to grow up with the kids they attended kindergarten with and see it through to graduation.

Lately, this decision has been a bitter pill to swallow. Interstate 91, has become a breeding ground for drug trafficking. Now, instead of just driving by, they are moving in. Drug related murders are a new symptom to an already uncontrollable situation. The statement getting caught in the crossfire is a very real possibility these days.

It just doesn't end there, our economy is going down the toilet, and unfortunately we all get a ticket to the show. In the last two weeks, we have had two very senseless murders. This makes you want to lock your door, pull your shades and being anonymous is a lot more attractive than being neighborly. Try this little experiment, smile at everyone you meet, you will be surprised at the number of people that don't smile back. What has happened to us?

Some say it is the summer, the heat and blah, blah, blah. I kinda have to agree. Time to close the bait shop, put the tanning lotion away, and take inventory of ourselves again. When was the last time, that you sat down and played a board game with your family? Without all the outside stimuli? For us the Gould's, a really long time. Been too long.

We played Monopoly yesterday, and it seems that my husband, could have taught our oldest son, the fine art of total world domination. Within the first half hour, I managed to hand my entire game strategy to him, how does that happen?
But I have to say it was entertaining watching my husband, pass the torch.

Summer has flown by, the mornings are feeling a bit cooler. I am so bummed that I saw Halloween decorations at the Dollar General. While I do enjoy the seasons, gardening has become more enjoyable. I should move to Arizona. Nice weather all year long. Florida is too humid, and I don't like to sweat.

Our internal clocks must be connected to some remote season detector, because everyone was in the house by 6pm last night. I was able to get the laundry done, dinner cooked, dishes cleaned, and still have time to do a little blogging, before my guilty pleasure HBO True Blood at 9pm. Can't help it I heart True Blood.

Speaking of hearts, I should be loving what's left of the summer, just about two weeks left. I signed up for this challenge the I Heart Summer Slim-Down Challenge. I have two weeks to drop a size, by doing 6 small steps to a smaller me. This should be interesting. I might get grumpy, I am just warning you all.

Healthy Chicken Soup

2 ready roasted chickens from your local grocery store
1 stick or 1/4 cup butter
1 pound rough chopped celery
1 pound peeled, rough chopped carrots
2 medium onions rough chopped
5 cloves garlic roughly chopped
2 32 ounce containers of chicken stock
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup brown rice
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp black pepper
salt to taste
1/2 cup corn starch
1/2 cup water

Pull off all the meat from the grocery roasted chickens, keep the bones if you are completely ambitious, otherwise toss, set the meat aside. In a soup pot, melt the butter add the vegetables and sweat until translucent. Add the can of tomatoes and chicken stock, bring to a boil. Add the brown rice and simmer the soup until the brown rice is soft. When the rice is soft, combine the cornstarch and water and thicken the soup and season with the thyme, pepper and salt.

In my humble opinion, the world is in need of a good spanking.

Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be. ~Thomas à Kempis, Imitation of Christ, c.1420

A friend will do Voodoo BBQ with you, or is it Hoodoo BBQ?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 02:18:00 +0000

Well today went tremendously better, because one, my constitution leveled itself off, and second my friend, Ami surprised me. I thought she was in Florida, and boom there she was, standing right in front of me.

Ever meet a person that you automatically feel comfortable with? I met her, when I began water aerobics at the Colonial Motel. Water aerobics are just about the funnest thing going. But the Motel shaved the hours of the class, and I think at one time, even postponed it. When they resumed the class, it was much later and only two days a week. The classes in the evenings are actually for those that want to do the exercises,and benefit from the program. My one complaint about water aerobics at the pool was the day class, somehow it dictated the fate of the evening class? When I went to the ONE class during the day, I could not hear the instructor, but I did hear about other people's business.

But that is a whole separate post, made for a cold winter evening when I have no better place to go, but to blather it to the Internet super highway. It was beyond great to see Ami's grandson Ashton, I almost did not recognize him, if it was not for his eyelashes. My big bad, I gave him sugar. Sorry Ami, but I am a chef, I give food when I love you, does not matter what form it comes in.

So today, day number five on my quest to become the next Top Model, ha, that sentence still cracks me up. I try to say it to myself, and I have a hard time not laughing. But joking aside, when I become the next Top Model, I plan to ask all people to spell their names backwards first. Then if it is not too much trouble, we will all play "Duck, Duck, Goose". The models I think will feel sorry for the goose, just saying...

So it seems to me, that the carbohydrates must have had some psychological hold on me. Because I am talking nonsense all the time. Can this qualify as a disability? I'm kidding, but one thing that I am not kidding about is food. Tonight I made Haitian Voodoo Sticks, only without all the Hoodoo. When I say no "Hoodoo", I mean no spicy, spicy because we have acid reflux. It happens when you get older, you have to be aware of the Voodoo, and carry at all times the Nexium. It is the difference between a good night's sleep, and tearing your medicine cabinet apart in the middle of the night, looking for that Rolaids that "you stashed" in case of an emergency.

Haitian Hoodoo Sticks, or was it Voodoo, Gosh Who knew?

2 1/2 pounds Angus beef sirloin boneless tips
10 bamboo skewers soaked in water for at least an hour
3 tablespoons of beef bouillon granules
3 tablespoons beef stock
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped green onions
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
kosher salt to taste
3 tablespoons Tamari
4 tablespoons Sweet Chili sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil

In a bowl, dissolve the beef bouillon granules into the beef stock. Add the garlic, Tamari, chopped green onions and mix well, al
low to set for 10 minutes.Add the rest of the ingredients and mix. Take your pre-soaked skewers and thread the boneless sirloin evenly. Pour the marinade over the skewers and marinate for 30 minutes. Grill according to preference. In my case serve with a fully-loaded salad, and maybe a few pork rinds, because of course they are 0g Net carbs.

In the Middle Ages, they had guillotines, stretch racks, whips and cahins. Nowadays, we have a much more effective torture device called the bathroom scale. ~Stephen Phillips

p.s. Kalie~I ate a whole lot of jelly bellys :)

Day Four at Fat Camp, Can I Come Home?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 01:23:00 +0000

So this is the 4th day of having no carbohydrates. But, I did cheat last night, and ate two Oreo cookies. The worst part about that whole scenario, was that I don't think, I even savored them, and it was over before it started. I awoke in the morning, and knew I had to write it in my food journal. I tried to write really small and a little illegibly. My employees are intrigued by my food journal, so they read it. Who am I fooling?, just myself.

Eating vegetables everyday, plus copious amounts of protein, has not been so bad. However, my constitution has changed a bit. A small setback that I was not ready for. It hit me today around 11am, and where is the air freshener when you need it? Isn't it great being human, and on a diet too. My co-worker, Jasmine (love you to pieces) can eat solid lard slathered on fatback, and never gain an ounce. Me, I walk by a cake that she is frosting and the pounds jump from the cake to my bottom.

When you hit the magical number 40, suddenly you are playing with a entirely different deck of cards, and if you do not treat your body right, It catches up, much quicker. I quit smoking when I turned 40, plus had major plastic surgery due to my own stupidity. If there was one thing, I could say to the young girls that I know. Please, don't tan in tanning beds. I am proof that you can get skin cancer. Not to mention wrinkles, leather skin and looking older than you really are.

So on my quest for a healthier person. Cooking has become creative, to say the least. You can't have full leaded cream cheese, so I choose the half cafe. Shredded cheese same thing. I can have all the vegetables that can choke me in a single day. Protein it is a freebie, and I must admit that eating protein can tame the "McDonald's" beast in me. Personally, I think those fast food joints pump their good smelling virus out into traffic, so if you are stuck at light, you then are romancing a cheeseburger, whether it comes from Wendy's, Burger King or McDonald's.

So tonight I made stuffed peppers, only daycare speed. I wanted to do stuffed poblanos. But my husband read medium to hot pepper on the little info thingy at Hannaford's . So that ended my island excursion. Green peppers it is. But either way it really tasted great. Join me on my descent into gastronomic hell.

Stuffed Green Peppers, Low Carbohydrate Style

4 really nice looking green peppers, and if you are feeling frisky choose other colors.
1 1/2 pounds ground beef, 90% a good choice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 vidalia onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 fresh zucchini, diced
1 can chili beans
1 10 oz can Rotel tomatoes
1 8oz pkg 1/3 less fat Neufchatel
2 cups of Monterrey Jack Cheese
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp black pepper
kosher salt to taste
1 avocado diced to top

Prepare the peppers, by stabilizing them, and seasoning them with olive oil, salt and pepper. In a 350 degree cook the green peppers for about 10 to 15 minutes, just until you start to smell them. Pull out of the oven and set aside. In a saute pan heat the olive oil and add the onion and garlic, saute until soft. Add the ground beef, and diced zucchini, when beef is done drain. Return the mixture to the pan and add the Ro-tel, beans,cream cheese and spices. When well incorporated, take off the of the heat and allow to cool. Add the Jack cheese and mix well. Top the pre-cooked peppers and cook in a 350 degree oven until the peppers are soft. Enjoy.

When we lose twenty pounds... we may be losing the twenty best pounds we have! We may be losing the pounds that contain our genius, our humanity, our love and honesty. ~Woody Allen

Again Time to Monitor What I Eat?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 23:57:00 +0000

As many of you know, I struggle with my weight. Wow, that is unusual and your are a Chef? Chefs and weight are like peas and carrots, let's just say we get along. The whole reason, I became a chef was because, I was in love with Hollandaise and all his lovely cousins. What is better than a perfectly poached egg, slathered in a butter sauce? To tell you the truth, that is how I tell if a restaurant is worthy, if the menu has Eggs Benedict, it is either a death sentence or a blessing. If you can't do Eggs Benedict right, then most likely the rest won't be too appetizing either.

Creative healthy cooking starts out like gangbusters for me, then I lose interest and the pasta starts calling my name again. You would think that I would be the foremost authority on diet food. Yep, I am good at regurgitating useful recipes and hints, but when applying it to my own life, I get bored.

My husband and I could stand to lose a lot of pounds. He is similar to me in that, we both feed each others ability to say "Tomorrow, we will start the diet", and "Today, let's have Alfredo sauce". Yep that is us, in a nutshell. Guess that is why they call it marriage, or rather "Partners in crime". He just stopped by the office, so I had the opportunity to inform him that "We" are on a diet again. He is such a good sport. Let's see how long this will last.

I think when we were young, we never knew, how or what was going to propel us in the direction we were meant to go. Some of us got there sooner, because they possessed discipline, while others, took the long way around (me). The solution has been whacking me on the back of the head for years. Hey, I learn at a slower pace!

What if I combine my knowledge of food, with my desire to lose weight, that would equal Voila: a journey into making food more naughty but in a nice way. So that is the mission naughty but nice....oh Boy!!! I would like to introduce you to Joy Bauer, she is the Today Show's nutrition expert and has written books like "Your Inner Skinny"(I would LOVE that one), "Joy Bauer's Food Cures" and her newest "Slim and Scrumptious". This winter, I plan on going through her last book, recipe by recipe and trying all the creations. Hey, Joy, let's find a cookbook that cuts the carbohydrates? I am the chef, you are the nutritionist, we could rock the diet world.

Tonight we are riding on the "we gotta lose weight wave", I made Basil grilled Pork chops. Yum. With a really complex foo foo salad, we have a winner.

Basil Grilled Pork Chops

4 pork chops....just pick what you think is best
1/2 cup of fresh chiffonade basil
2 tablespoons fresh chopped garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon cut in half and squeezed
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

Chiffonade the basil, and chop the garlic add to a gallon size plastic bag. Add olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Add the pork and let marinate for at least 30 minutes. Remove and grill or broil accordingly.

Everybody Needs a Little Whoopee Pie Now and Again

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 19:18:00 +0000

Things have changed dramatically for me, when I became a "pseudo-boss". I am suddenly, very aware of the employees time cards, what they are doing during their shifts, and how can I cut corners. Oh My God, do you feel the insanity in that? I used to get mad, when the Executive Chef suddenly was lurking. I get it now.

I must grow a backbone, or one that I can chuck into the dumpster on the way out. Before this, I worked for various grandiose chefs that thought balsamic vinegar aged any less that 25 years, was somehow inferior. WELL. yes if you live .... Manhattan. This little neck of the woods is in no way Manhattan. People that live here year round, are just regular working folk, that want to be able to pronounce what they are eating, and not need a weed whacker to eat their entree.

Small towns are just what they, are small towns, everyone knows every ones business, and if they don't know, they know someone who does. For example, just recently we had a homicide here. Yes, I know, happens everyday in your neck of the woods. But still, why do we have newspapers? You can learn all you need to know by just asking the right people.

Trust me, not much happens up here, that is why I live here. But, when something like a homicide happens, all sorts of ideas go through your head. You appreciate your friends a bit more, say " I love you", more often, and keep your children closer. Final decisions such as death, tend to stir up fear in our own lives, whether you live in Manhattan or Brattleboro.

My life has changed in so many ways. If you told me ten years ago, that I would quit working the hot line, quit smoking, learn to garden, write a food blog, and become a boss. I would probably think you were nuts. One because I don't like change it scares me, and two refer to one. But I should say, I am doggie paddling quite nicely.

In the past, I craved the adrenalin rush, from cooking during a dinner rush. It was easily 130 degrees, your buried up to your eyeballs in dinner tickets, and it is only 5:30pm. I had a lot of fun, but I missed out on a lot, with my children too. Some days I miss the once was, but less and less. Moving on and change is healthy. I am proof of it.

Speaking of change, I decided that the Whoopee Pie needed a little facelift. While the Mainers and the Pennsylvanians argue over who did it first, I will sneak a good recipe in.

Red Velvet Whoopee Pies

1/2 cup Butter Flavored Crisco
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons red food coloring
2 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
Cream Cheese Filling
1 cup butter
1 pound confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup marshmallow fluff
2 ounces cream cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a bowl combine all the dry ingredients, being sure to sift the cocoa into the dry, and set aside. In a small bowl, crack your egg and add the vanilla and red food coloring, set aside. In a standing mixer, add your Crisco and brown sugar and cream. Cool hint* your ice cream scoop(number 8 scoop), that sits most of the time in your drawer, is exactly 1/2 cup, and if you are like me, Crisco is messy. Scoop and your good to go*. While the mixer is on low, add the egg, vanilla and red food coloring and mix well. Starting with the dry, add to the mixer, with the buttermilk until all is incorporated. Cool hint 2* make sure before you are done mixing, to take a good scraping to the bowl. Because the sugar, 9 times out of ten is stuck to the bottom of the bowl, this results in whoopee pies that have the sugar separating from the dough. Kinda like the flat cookie, that is mostly sugar. After it is well mixed. Using a number 12 scoop, kinda the next size smaller. Scoop your pies evenly apart from each other and bake in a 350 oven until the tops slightly spring back when you touch the top. Cool completely before you fill with the filling. Beat the butter, cream cheese, and fluff until soft, add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until fluffy. Well you know the rest.;)

The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook. —Julia Child

A Cool Balanced Diet is A Mousse in Each Hand

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 22:39:00 +0000

So I am not sure about the rest of the world?, but it is freaking HOT. I am in no way a Southerner, so when it is going to be hot, it is more than my Yankee blood can handle. Friday, my car thermometer registered 110 degrees, and I went no where.

When it is that hot, all reasoning or ability to not get aggravated, goes right out the window. Friday, I seriously felt, I might need anger management. My good friend Alexis Bennison coined a phrase, that I find myself quoting more than, "Work Smart, Not Hard", it is as follows; "There is Nothing Common about Common Sense". Now, I will let that marinate with you awhile.

So as you sat, and thought about that little nugget of wisdom, was your first thought, Oh yes, I have been there a time or two. Remember not every brain is wired the same. It was like that all day, only add; grumpy, sweaty, impatient customers, who could care less about how uncomfortable you are, humidity, heat, 6 burner stove, one conventional oven, one convectional oven, a breaker that keeps tripping, 6 aggravated people AND stick all of that in a closet, and see if you might need anger management at the end of 9 hours.

Another little secret about me, I have OCD, for those that do not know what that means, It is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. When tasks do not get done in the fashion that I would do them, I tend to get antsy, and unable to focus on what I am doing. What a double edge sword! I am my own worst enemy.

So old news, it is freaking hot. Next week will be the same yada, yada. What can I say? I signed up for food service, and I am quite sure the blood is not dry yet, on the contract. However Saturday I did get the privilege of getting reamed by a woman, one that I never laid eyes on, and two never once talked to, about something that I had no idea about. First, Really Obnoxious Lady, slow your speech down, so I can understand you. Second, let me get a word and lastly, shut the hell up, so I can help you, so you can be happy, and I never have to speak to you again.

The solution was, having one of my employees drive her precious small tray of bars, all the way to Swanzey, New Hampshire, just about 30 minutes away. Which by the way, was FREE, because you were SO RUDE. All in the hopes, that this woman does not spread her vile tongue all over the area. Hope your bridezilla shower was enjoyable. Don't worry about me, there is Neosporin for my wounds. Can't wait to actually meet you.

During heat waves, or a heat dome,as my son Casey described it. The last thing that I would like to do is cook. ~~Well if we were going, to be truthful here, that is pretty much every night.~~ Oh come on, there are not those of you that say perhaps, work as plumbers, and your faucets don't leak? If I could get away with take-out every night, and I am being honest, I would definitely try. But enough with the fairy-tales, and on to a cool refreshing dessert.

Lime Coconut Mousse

1 quart heavy whipping cream

6 oz egg yolks

1/2 cup key lime juice

10 oz granulated sugar

1/2 tsp lime extract

2 drops green food coloring

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup key lime juice

1 tsp coconut extract (might have to call them)

1 1/2 tablespoons powdered gelatin

Whipped cream (decoration)

toasted coconut (decoration)

Whip the cream until stiff peaks form, place in a bowl and refrigerate. In a separate metal wide mouthed bowl combine the egg yolks, sugar, lime juice, extract and food coloring, mix and set aside. In another metal wide mouthed bowl combine the coconut milk, lime juice and coconut extract and stir. Sprinkle the gelatin over the surface of the coconut liquid and allow the gelatin to bloom, what this means is as follows, courtesy of What's Cooking America: As the gelatin absorbs the liquid, each granule becomes enlarged; this is known as "blooming. Blooming gelatin is a step integral to ensuring the smooth texture of a finished product. It involves sprinkling the powdered gelatin into a liquid and letting it sit for 3 to 5 minutes. Then, when the mixture is heated, the gelatin will dissolve evenly.

You can bloom gelatin in just about any liquid. Avoid the fresh juices of tropical fruits such as papaya, kiwi, mango, and pineapple as they contain an enzyme that will eat the gelatin. Pasteurizing kills the enzymes in these fruits, so canned or frozen juices are fine. So now we understand the blooming process, and that will not frighten you from making a really nice mousse, lets move on. Get a sturdy heavy bottomed saucepan, equipped to handle our wide mouthed bowls, and fill 1/3 of the way with water. Place on the stove and bring the water to a boil. Meanwhile, get your standing mixer, or if you have a hand-held get a big bowl ready for that.(using a hand-held can be done, it just might be messy and aggravating, kinda life a 100 degree day). When the water is boiling, you are going to place the bowl with the yolks securely over the water, and using a potholder to grab the bowl, whip using a wire whisk until it is light colored and frothy. It is important at this stage to keep the mixture moving, because we don't want scrambled lime-flavored eggs. When the temperature achieves 120 degrees transfer to your mixer, and mix on high speed, we are achieving the light texture that mousse so often has. Now take your coconut milk mixture and place over the boiling water and melt the gelatin. This might have to helped along with a stir, because coconut milk is very dense. Once melted, add to the whipping egg yolk mixture until well combined. Remove your whipped cream from the cooler. Fold the egg yolk mixture into the whipped cream, don't panic it, it will be loose. Refrigerate until the mousse has set. Garnish with fresh whipped cream and toasted coconut.

Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it. ~Russel Baker

Pride Go Beforeth the Fall

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 01:09:00 +0000

Well when my oldest son says that perhaps, I should take a break on the poem writing, he is like E.F.Hutton, I should listen!! My oldest son is like an old soul, in a young man's body. I trust his opinion above everyone else. Because number one, he delivers criticism in a way, that never hurts any one's feelings. Second, he has written some really good poems. Not every line has to rhyme, sage advice from such an awesome kid.

It has been real hot here lately, when I got out of church yesterday, it was 93 degrees. Driving home I noticed that the hydrangeas were all wilting, even the ones in the shade. That is an indication of a real hot day. The cicada bugs were already in full concerto. You know the bugs, that usher in the hottest part of the day.

When it is that hot, your options suddenly slim down. Unfortunately, I have a major open wound on my leg, so I can't go to the pool. Isn't that so apropos? Hottest weather of the year, and Paige gets burned on son's 4 wheeler, so no swimming in the pool.

Little secret though, I did make a vow to never swim in the local waters around here anymore for three reasons. One, the horseflies ate me alive once, and two I swam in a beautiful place called Putney Falls, a really gorgeous place to swim but, I had a leech attach itself to the bottom of my foot. Thirdly, refer to number two, plus I get creeped out by the stuff floating around under the water, that I can't see.

Amazing as you age, your brain still registers, the young you. Even though , in the morning, your knees creak, you did not sleep well and the new ailment du jour, is the bottom of your heel is giving you trouble. If I had a nickle for every time I got up and diagnosed myself with a rare disease, via the "Internet", I would be a rich woman. Truth is, I am just aging.

When you get older you love to take shortcuts. Being a chef, I love to take shortcuts in cooking. I do it all the time, here is one that I do: Two cans of Bush's beans, with 1 pound of bacon, cooked and crumbled into the beans. Save the bacon grease to saute a chopped onion in, drain the onions and add to the beans. There you have doctored up beans that did not take hours to make. (still love your beans., Mom) But that is not recipe.

This recipe is for my bestie Jasmine a.k.a Princess Buttercream.

Jasmine's Bruschetta with a few Paige Twists (the no hassle way)

1 loaf of Hannaford's Wheat Frnech Bread
1 container of Hannaford's Pesto Pasta Sauce
1 vidalia onion, julienned
3 cloves of garlic,minced
1 bag of Baby Spinach
1 container of Backyard Cocktail tomatoes cut into slices
1 8oz package of Galbani, Fresh Mozzarella, cut into slices
1 package of Perdue Short Cuts Grilled Chicken
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
Fresh basil leaves, I got my from my garden, cut chiffonade (thin strips)
Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste.

In a saute pan heat the olive oil and saute the onion and garlic, until caramelized. Add the spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted and set aside. Cut your french bread in half, and then cut each half lengthwise. Divide the pesto sauce evenly between the four parts and spread. Now that the spinach mixture is cooled, divide it up between the four pieces, add the tomatoes cut into slices and the chicken. Divide up the fresh mozzarella evenly over the four pieces..LOL (it is not an exact science, just do what feels right). Bake until crispy and the mozzarella has melted. Top with the fresh basil and enjoy!

We are all worms, but I do believe I am a glowworm. ~Winston Churchill

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y night :) :)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 03:04:00 +0000

This is the rare photo of my oldest son, notice the antiquishness of it?

So today is Saturday, my ultimate favorite day! Number one favorite reason is, because my brain does not have to register work mode in the morning. Two because well, that's obvious, I don't have to work!!!! I love it, I love it, I love it!!!!

Today was your average run-of-the-mill day for Paige. I must say, it is far easier to scare your children into doing common sense things, than it is employees. Perhaps, I should treat my employees, like my children, and then I might get some action. I am too nice, I need to develop a backbone or a Z-snap. In this day and age, a Z-snap holds more weight.

You'll be happy to know, that my rather largish burn from said 4-wheeler(not mentioning names) is doing much better, thanks to Dr. Bookwalter and his amazing silverdene cream. If it was not for my Monday job, I might be in the ER tonight. Boy that is fun, been there a gazillion times. Between both hands, I must have had over 45 stitches applied. I take my nickname: Stubby very seriously. If only they had a Blue Ribbon for most stitches between both hands.

The drama in the Vermont has been at a minimum this week. I heard from my great friend Roberto, he got locked out of his facebook account, and of course, I think any communication beyond, so and so likes your post or ,so and so commented on your post, is bogus, I then just ignore. He called me bless his heart. Love you Roberto!!! I will give you, the facebook secrety-secret code anytime.

Well tonight I decided I was going to make both my son's favorite faux vegetable (gotta love Jessica Seinfeld, she is the guru, of hiding the veggies) dish. Bacon Cheddar Cauliflower Fritters. They hate the smell of the cauliflower cooking, so kick them outside during that process. But the end result sometimes deserves a picture to the grandparents, of said kids, eating the veggies.

Bacon Cheddar Cauliflower Fritters

1 large head of cauliflower
1 tsp salt
1 12oz or 1 pound package of thick sliced bacon
1 onion, finely diced
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
1/2 cup flour
1 large egg
fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt
1 tsp granulated garlic
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon finely sliced scallions

Rough chop the cauliflower and place in a pot with the tsp of salt, cover with water and boil until the cauliflower is soft. Drain and place in the refrigerator until cool, about 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile render the pound of bacon, until the strips are crispy then drain the bacon on a paper towel. Reserve the grease. Caramelize the finely diced onions in 1/4 of the bacon grease you reserved. Set aside. Pull out the cooled cauliflower and mash the hell out of it, add the caramelized onions, crumbled bacon, 1/2 cup shredded cheddar, 1 egg and the 1/2 cup of flour and mix well. Season with the black pepper, kosher salt and granulated garlic~form into 3oz patties. In a saucepan, heat some of the reserved bacon grease and fry the cauliflower patties on both sides until brown and crispy. Serve with sour cream and scallions.

Why does Sea World have a seafood restaurant? I'm halfway through my fishburger and I realize, Oh my God. I could be eating a slow learner. ~Lynda Montgomery

Think before you Act...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 01:36:00 +0000

So, my son he got this 4-wheeler (I guess that is what you call them). Well, My husband (Jeff) and my youngest (Kerry) they been having a hell of a time, getting this darn machine running. It has been a more than a month project, and trust me when I say, we got's lots of projects. Remember when we painted the walls.

Anyhow, I have been outside a lot, enjoying my flowers. and I was surprised that I only killed the calibrachoa superbells (this is what I did wrong, straight from the provenwinners.com website :Too much water makes our roots rot (Ick). Full sun. Fertilize once a month. How extra double super easy is that?) In a nutshell, I over watered, put it in the shade, tried to fertilize, but by that point it was a lost cause. So I was disappointed by that, but there is always next year. As usual, I digress.

There my man is, getting all greased up.

Back to the subject at hand. My son's four wheeler. It looks so much less dangerous, when it sits in the yard. The last thing you think, is that it is a potential hazard. So night after night, I stared at my husband, as he got all grease monkey on me, pulling strange tool after strange tool out, playing with the wheels. I asked questions, but did I understand? NO!! I still to this day do not know what a swing arm bushing is?

So there came that glorious day when, I heard that familiar VAROOMROOM outside. I ran to door, threw open the screen, and what do my wondering eyes should appear, but four small boys, and two big ones, watching the brand new path being worn into the lawn, or rather that was my impression.

Look, he is in full guffaw mode.

The laughing and guffawing drew me in, so I had to just mosey outside and monitor the fun. I must admit it looked really fun. Maybe that is why, my little Kerry, stopped looked at me and said "Hey, Mom wanna take a ride"? That was it, I jumped on that stupid beast. I got really too excited. We went less that 5 feet, and I managed to burn my leg(wearing shorts) on the muffler, and as a reaction to being burned, I dropped my right foot into the ground(wearing flip flops) to somehow stop this machine(like it is a bicycle or something) and ripped a toenail off. From start to finish less than 30 seconds of fun.

so much more work, than it is worth.

But I was thankful, that I burned myself on a Saturday night, because I had the next two days off to recover, like it was a sliver or something. Boy, I was really wrong. Today is Friday and I am still recovering. I thought the toenail issue was gonna be a bigger deal, nope the burn took center stage, and God as my witness, I will never so much as think of getting on one of those four wheeler type things again. I don't care if they burn a trail to China on that damn thing, I am cured of thinking I am biker chick.

What better way to make myself feel better, than to make some baby back ribs. Ribs or any meat for that matter, never really lasts that long in my house. The summer is the best time to have ribs on the grill, and I usually make homemade macaroni and cheese and collard greens to go with it. But that is a whole nother story to be continued......

Paige's BBQ Baby back Ribs

2 packages of really meaty looking pork loin back ribs

2 tablespoons granulated garlic

1 tablespoon onion powder

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste
1 18oz bottle Stubb's BBQ sauce(best in the world!!)

Remove the membrane off the back of the baby back ribs go to this you tuber to learn how. Once the membrane is removed. Combine the all the spices, salt and pepper, plus the vinegar and maple syrup and rub the ribs until all the mixture is rubbed in. Place in plastic bag and marinate over night. About two hours before you want to serve the ribs, pull them from the bag, place in aluminum foil and roast in a 300 degree oven, till almost done. Pull them out and slather with Stubb's and grill on charcoal grill until done, and enjoy.

Hey yogurt, if you're so cultured, how come I never see you at the opera? ~Attributed to Stephen Colbert

Cloudy with a Chance of Cinnamon Buns.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 01:24:00 +0000

So we all know what happens when it rains right? Well, the most obvious indication is everything gets wet. OK, here is a quick lesson in meteorology. What happens when a cold front and warm front meet? The cold air rises above the warm air, which then create moisture to rise. Which then condenses into water droplets, which then form into clouds, those clouds will then form into thunderstorms. Basically in a nut shell, a cold front meeting a warm front creates thunderstorms, if the atmosphere is unstable, it is the recipe for wicked weather.

The other day, it was humid as hell you could cut the air with a knife. The forecast was a not so good start, midday sunshine and get ready for the thunderstorms in the evening. In the summer where I work, you can't see out of the two windows we have, because they have air conditioners in them(I am not complaining, mind you). However, it is difficult to see what kinda weather you are going to have unless, you walk outside. Either way, I think I might have become a weather aficionado because, when it gets dark up in the sky, that means rain is coming, and soon maybe even thunder.

Doh!!!!! Double Rainbow!!!!Make a Wish!!!!!!

So I get ready to go home, and no dice, not a rumble not a flicker. Just a bust. That happens when you live in a valley. The mountains wreck all your fun. I am not saying that I want a twister, but a wicked thunderstorm would be exciting. I should be ashamed of myself, because the folks in Springfield, Massachusetts, would certainly, disagree with me.

When it rains and gets dark, my first instinct is to start cooking. Like cooking somehow, will stop the storm dead in its tracks. I found this recipe, which I altered a "wee bit" for ginormous cinnamon buns. A perfect food for a dark, stormy night. By the way, the storm produced rainbows, two of them in fact. Which I captured.. Ha!!! take that Ghost Hunters!

Ginormous Cinnamon Buns

1 tablespoon dry active yeast

4 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons really hot water (110-115F)
1 1/2 cups of really warm water, combined with 1/4 cup instant mashed potatoes
2 tsps vanilla extract
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup dry non-fat milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
5 cups all-purpose flour

The Cinnamon Bun Guts

2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp almond extract

Glaze
3 tablespoons butter, melted
pip-squirt of vanilla extract
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
2 or 3 tablespoons milk

In a bowl combine the flour, the dry non-fat milk, salt and sugar and whisk to combine. In another bowl
dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let it sit there until it foams. Then add the melted butter, potato water, and extract. In a standing mixer pour the yeast mixture in, and with a dough hook add the dry ingredients. Mix until the dough comes together. If it looks wet add a wee bit more flour. Turn out on a clean surface and knead for 5 minutes, until the dough becomes elastic and shiny. Place in a greased bowl and cover for about 1 to 2 hours, or until it is double in size. When it has risen, turn out on to a floured surface and roll into a rectangle, a 1/2in thick all the way around. In a bowl combine the softened butter, sugars, extract and cinnamon, brush ALL of it(till there is nothing left) on the dough, then roll up like a jelly roll. Cut into a equal 6 parts and place in a pre-greased 13x9 pan and let rise and additional 45 minutes in a warm place. In a 350 oven bake the rolls 45 minutes to and hour. As the rolls cool, make the glaze. Beat the melted butter with the milk and powdered sugar and add the extract. Spoon the glaze on till it gone and serve.

Rainbows apologize for angry skies. ~Sylvia Voirol

Dog Days of Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 00:52:00 +0000

The summer is a time when your life becomes much easier. No ice scrapers to carry, no boots, hats, mittens or cars to dig out. You can freely get around, whenever you like.

The last three days I have been work free, no worries, no responsibilities or issues. Ample opportunity to laze around, with my laze on. It was far easier to laze around when I was younger. Now if I attempt to laze around, say for example,in a bed, my hips start to hurt, and I just can't get comfortable. Might be different if I had a Swedish Tempurpedic, but alas, I just have an average run of the mill bed.

Lazing around requires a minimum knowledge of lazing. Years ago, I could have been the poster child for laziness, however try as I might, my conscience gets the better of me now. Being lazy requires a non-compliance of my said agenda. That said agenda includes making the necessary fundage to take care of the little Gouldlets. Being lazy just is more work than it is worth these days.

Last night, it was hotter than the hinges of Hell, and I could not for love nor money get comfortable. At 2:49 in the morning, I finally decided that sleeping in the livingroom, with the air conditioner was what I needed to do. There I lay, hyper aware that I was unable to sleep. 3am and then 4am, and finally 5am my husband came out, time to move back into the bedroom, where thankfully, it had cooled down. New problem, try not to fall too deep to sleep, otherwise you are going to be late for work. I awoke at 7:06am, pissed off, tired and not ready to put my happy face on.

So off to work I go, with the luggage under the eyes. If it was not for iced coffee, I am not sure where I would be these days. Going back to work after having 3 days off, is nothing short of torture. Trying to get back into the swing of things was crippling at best.

Today, you could have cut the air with a knife, it was that humid. So humid, that the humidity dripped off the trees, and it was not even noon yet. Yuck!!! The day was business as usual, and the sky loomed overhead, threatening a beating later on. Days like these, I just want to curl up in a refrigerator with a blanket, a fat sandwich and good book.

Movie rentals to return, catering equipment to drop off, and dinner to plan. Today was a day for a salad and grilling. No heating up the tinderbox for supper.

Bacon and Ranch Potato Salad

5 pounds baby red potatoes

1 pound applewood smoked bacon

1/2 cup diced celery

1 package of ranch dressing mix

2 cups of mayonnaise

2 ozs mustard

1 tsp celery seed

2 ozs sweet pickle relish

1/2 cup sour cream

salt and pepper to taste

Boil potatoes until soft, drain and cool. In a pan, cook bacon until crispy and drain. Dice cooled potatoes, and add crumbled bacon. Dice celery and add to potatoes. Season with mustard,celery seed, sweet pickle relish and salt and pepper. Mix the package of ranch dressing mix with mayonnaise and sour cream and mix well. Add this mixture to the potato mixture and combine well. Adjust seasonings, chill and serve.

Being a child at home alone in the summer is a high-risk occupation. If you call your mother at work thirteen times an hour, she can hurt you. ~Erma Bombeck

Staying Out After the Streetlights Come On

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 16:35:00 +0000

Yesterday was the 4th of July, a national holiday centered around the independence of amassing and thus, the detonation of many colorful creative explosives. This party was three days in the making, and if we include the trip to the TNT fireworks store last week, we are at a full week and the last three days.

A little secret about Paige, or maybe you already know this, I live with three boys, one is 54(my husband), a 15 year old and a 9 year old. They all have a fixation with explosives. As you can imagine, my trip to the TNT fireworks store was uneventful, to say the least. I am not knocking the explosives scene, I am just saying, if you have seen one firework store, you have seen them all. I was being the casual observer, noticing that every single male in the store was glassy-eyed, overwhelmed and wondering if they brought enough cash?

So as if one lighter was not enough, we now have four lighters, in case by some freak of nature, the other three lighters decide to stop working. Keeping them out of the stockpile has been nothing short of a miracle. Every night the big red bag would call out to them "Go ahead, nobody is looking". If I had a nickle for every time they stuck their head in that bag, I would be a rich.

This year, I took pictures of my Americana in Vermont, and I captured some genuine patriotism. In years past, we have went to the parade, and did the yada, yada. But crowds these days scare me. Too many people stuffed in an area that could use a little bit more room. So we opted instead to enjoy a quiet 4th, awaiting sundown and the green light to start blowing things up.

Yesterday, was very hazy, hot and humid, further adding to the less is more rule. Although, I would have loved to have dove into an ice cold pool, sharing that experience with a gazillion bouncy sugared- up kids was more work that it was worth.

Brattleboro is not a big town to begin with, now add a holiday, a pool, kids, parents, vendors, a parking lot, lots of cars, wall to wall people, including tourists, softballs, baseballs, loud car stereos with too much bass, a couple of over-stimulated toddlers having melt downs, and then put all of that on a head of a pin, and you will have the 4th of July at Memorial Park. Some of us think, well "I will get there early", or "I will park far from the crowds". No matter what recipe you use to get in and out of the organized chaos you still will get home at 11pm.

This is why when my boys start getting the itch to purchase explosives around the last week in June. I must let them go, because a couple hundred fireworks will always beat 500 sardines crammed in a keyhole, I am just saying, I know my limitations.

This year, I made the kind of cake that nobody wants to admit to making. The corny flag cake adorned with strawberries, blueberries and my personal favorite Cool Whip.

I am a Chef, and I have seen some cool things during my career. But the last thing I want to be doing on the 4th of July, is making anything that costs too much to make and nobody will eat. I don't care how highly developed your palate is, or how high you can garnish your plate, or on what continent you got your ingredients from. We all started out as kids, even Bobby Flay. We liked ketchup on our hotdogs, tartar sauce on our fishsticks, peanut butter on our celery, the crusts cut off of our sandwiches and most importantly, a cake made from a box with Cool Whip and fresh fruit, that Mom decorated like a flag, just for us.

4th of July Flag Cake (courtesy of Cool Whip and Pillsbury)

1 box of funfetti Stars and Stripes cake mix
1 disposable 13x9 pan
1 tub of Extra Creamy Cool Whip
1 pint of fresh strawberries (any local berries will do)
1 pint of fresh blueberries

Prepare the cake according to the package directions and pour into the 13x9 pan. Bake at 350 for 32 minutes. When completely cool, frost with entire tub of Cool Whip and decorate like a flag. Chill and enjoy with a big glass of milk.

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism. ~Erma Bombeck

Nothing is Worth Doing, Unless you Overdo It

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 01:19:00 +0000

Whenever you heard the statement the "winds of change", did you ever knowingly apply it to your life? Maybe secretly, but never outwardly, so that there were others that could vouch for your transformation. I went through that, the last 3 years. What a uphill climb it has been. In February of 2008, a non-healing sore under my nose, started to wear on my mind. I come from a family of basal cell carcinomas. All of us, father, mother, sister and I. I went to the doctor, and in fact, it confirmed what I already knew. But, what I was not prepared for was, what the plastic surgeon told me, (with unfortunately my husband present, as a witness) "Paige, NO Smoking 2 weeks before and 4 weeks after". Holy Cow, that is 6 weeks, we are going to need an exorcism. That my readers, was the beginning of the transformation.

I prided myself as a smoker, just ask anyone! What, I was not prepared for, was a doctor with a super fat microscope on the top of his head and needle equally as big. He did what you all are so scared to admit, he stuck my face with a needle no less than six times, around the right ala of the nose. Which means the lateral surface or the part the flares the nose out. This in lay men's terms is a really bad thing. But let's remember, I am still burying my head in the sand. This doctor preformed a Mohs procedure. That means that they shave the surface of your skin to cut out the cancer. Let me remind you, that basal cell is benign, but if left unchecked it can turn ugly. Either way it was done, cancer free and ready to start anew.

Well, during this transformation, I gained fifty pounds, that I put on over a year and half, caused by a sluggish thyroid(which BTW girls, that are smoking because it keeps you slim, smoking can effect your thyroid). I was done with, staying inside and feeling sorry for myself, and it was time to do something different. Flower bed, OK I can handle that, a few potted plants, a couple hanging plants, OK still manageable. Herb garden~Let's see how out of control it can get.

Here is the herb garden, somewhat virgin like, just ready to be tamed.

My husband and I, took this all on when it is about 95 degrees out, and we have to wait until dark, even to go outside and work on it. It is humid as heck, the mosquitoes have taken up shop right next to us, inviting the biting gnats, that come out only when we touch the soil to weed the rocks out. So a project that normally would take 1 day, has taken three because someone forgot to rename Brattleboro~ Death Valley. Here are the herbs, just screaming to be planted. However, thunderstorms and not your average run-of-the-mill thunderstorms, have decided otherwise.

Long story short, last night Jeff (my husband) and I, furiously planted the herb garden, all the while watching an approaching storm. We literally dug the last plant, and the sky opened up. That is not even the funniest part. After the rain, I was very excited to show my cat Giggle, the Catnip that I so lovingly planted for him. What a bad, bad plan. I had to go get the flashlight, to even see him, because he is black. When I came back, he was rolling on my chocolate mint, and Greek oregano, and had the catnip in a choke hold. I grabbed for him to get him out, and he hissed. Very effective on a dark, stormy night.Then, I tried to pick him up and he bit the snot out of my hand. Oh what to do, what to do!! I go inside, grab dry the food and then shake it right next to his ear. Ten second delay and he realizes "Oh wow, food for my trip". The Einstein that I am, I shake it on the ground to get him out of the garden. Snake him up, drop ship him to the house, and then realize whoa..I just have provided food for the neighborhood cats, and a gratuitous romp in my garden. Back out to the back yard, to pick up the cat food, and another chance to get bit and hissed at. Wow, what a bad, bad plan.

Upper right hand corner "the catnip".

Today, all I thought about was a brothel of neighborhood cats, having a pool party in my well-thought out herb garden, and Giggle serving up seconds on the other end of the garden, where I planted another plant. I went straight to Wal-Mart and bought two cherry tomato plants, walked straight out to the garden, up came the catnip and in went the tomatoes. Here is what is left of the one catnip plant, that we did not plant in the woods.

He rolled it to death, and there it lies.

The garden is the poor man's apothecary. ~German Proverb