Recipes and Chocolate

Claw Foot Tub Renovation

2012-05-25T22:41:00.000-04:00

I was on the hunt for a claw foot tub for the cabin and was very excited when I finally found one. It was reasonably priced (see this post) and in decent shape. It needed a bit of work on the exterior but the interior porcelain was in pretty good shape. The interior porcelain was of more concern to me when shopping then the exterior; the outside I could restore but the inside I would have had the extra expense of that restoration.

We had the tub stored in the pole barn and I had to convince The Husband to help me get it into the garage so I could work on it. Did I mention how happy he is that I have invaded HIS domain?

Here it is sitting in the garage. That’s my helper checking out the drop cloths I have gathered up. I removed the faucets and I was ready to get to work. We needed to find THE Husband again cause somebody has to get that tub turned over and onto those drop cloths!

My “supervisor” checked things out but volunteered no assistance what so ever!

Some helper I have! The Husband did his part and we got it flipped over onto the drop cloths so I could start working the exterior and the feet.

The feet were in pretty bad shape on close inspection so I removed them to work on them easier and also I wanted them a different color than the body of the tub.

As you can see, they weren’t pretty! The inside of the feet had not been painted in many years and they were in serious need of some attention.

I sanded, used a wire brush and sanded some more. Now they were ready for a rust inhibiting primer and paint. Professional equipment could have done a better job but I wanted the tub to retain some of its age and besides, I’m cheaper!

After some work I had the feet looking pretty good. After a good bit of work I had the feet all prepped, primed and ready for paint. Wow, big difference huh?

There was also some minor rust where the feet had attached to the tub.

There was also a good bit of rust under the rim that I needed to tackle as well. There was also some paint spatters around the rim of various colors from all the bathroom colors this tub had been surrounded by; at times it had led a colorful life. The paint was easy to remove; now to tackle all the rust.

After much sanding the tub exterior was ready for rust inhibiting primer. A nice feature of the old claw foot tubs is that you can paint the exterior any color you desire and not interfere with the interior porcelain. I decided that I wanted white feet and a pastel blue exterior and now its time to prime and paint.

Do you see that little stool on wheels in the photo? That is the coolest thing. I can just scoot all around the tub working and it really saves time and my back. This awesome little stool belongs to The Husband and he purchased solely to use when cleaning up his motorcycle. Does he know I am using it to paint? Uh … uh … well …ppffttt… sure (crosses fingers) , shhhhh. Did I mention it is a real handy thing?

It’s real important to use a rust inhibiting primer when doing this type of work. You don’t want to spend all this time and then have your work ruined when the rust starts peeping through your paint job; not a good thing. I decided to use a tinted primer to help in the process, so I had the primer tinted in a shade close to the paint color.

Its going to take a couple coats of primer to seal that rust up well.

I was painting away (on the stolen stool) and I got this distinct feeling I was being watched.

Allow me to introduce you to Demon, yes that’s her name and trust me it fits! Upon being caught in a no-no spot she looked at me and my stolen stool and promptly closed her eyes and went to sleep! When I get all the stinky paint and clean-up products out everyone usually scatters far away from me…except Demon. The Husband’s last words to me after helping me get the tub in place was “You’re not going to get paint on my motorcycle are you?” Well, there is no PAINT on the motorcycle so I went back to work while Demon napped ! LOL, The Husband was not having a good day!

Here it is getting more primer. Those nice color spots on the bottom are my experiments with color choices. The photo doesn’t show well but I decided the paler color was the winning choice.

Now in our excitement to get the tub finished we missed a few pictures. I know, shame on me! We have been roughing it a bit at the cabin and were getting really excited to get the bathroom completed. I did grab a shot of it in its finished glory all loaded on the truck and ready to go to cabin. Its feet are still removed to keep it flat in the truck bed. This still has to get to the top of a mountain!

Yes, that is snow on the ground! Now you know why we were so excited to get the tub to the cabin. Those sun showers just weren’t cutting it anymore! Brrr!!!!

Finally, the tub made it to the cabin and into its new home. The restoration job turned out wonderful and I was very pleased! Those pieces of wood are under the feet to protect the floor while the men are finished sliding it around to hook up all the plumbing.

The bathroom is not huge and I was having some trouble getting a good angle for a picture. I’ll have The Husband try to get better bathroom photos as we progress along.

All that work paid off. I think it turned out gorgeous and I can’t wait to try it out!

Belle

Updates Coming!!!

2012-05-23T07:40:00.000-04:00

I have way behind on updates and I do apologize. I’m not going to even go into details (excuses); I’m just going to pick up where I left off.

We have spent minimal time at the cabin working this winter as we winterized the cabin and at times it was totally inaccessible. The elevation on our cabin deck is 4412’; it’s a different climate there for sure! Spring has rolled around and now we are back working on it as much as we are able to; the cabin is a 2 hour drive from our home. We have been rolling along again with the remodel.

Spring has come to the mountain!

Beautiful!

The wild azaleas were in full bloom; their dark pink blooms brightening up the mountain and their lovely scent filling the air. It was a beautiful site. The Husband even picked me a handful for the cabin. Vase? No, but they were beautiful in a drink bottle on the counter. Thanks Hon!

The leaves are all popping out and the mountain is coming to life.

Look carefully in these photos and you’ll see the illusive Mrs. Grouse.

It was a glorious couple days on the mountain; complete with a beautiful rainbow!

I am so looking forward to long lazy days enjoying the mountain, BUT need to finish this remodel!

Ok, let’s get rolling with the updates!

Belle

Shabby Chic Mantle for the Cabin

2011-11-20T21:06:00.004-05:00

There was an old farmhouse not far from our home that had to be demolished and we were lucky enough to get one of the mantles.

This mantle was in need of some attention. We took it to the cabin and I worked on it there.

Ready for attention

Sorry about the shadows; it makes it easy to tell whether The Husband or I took the pictures. Guess who is not the photographer!

Lots of layers of peeling and chipping paint.

This was a job to clean up and restore. There was multiple layers of dirt and paint. All those layers of paint were also lead based so I needed to work outdoors and wear proper protective gear. The top paint layer was white and I wanted to remove that layer. Then there was a light yellow layer, a darker yellow and then a blue gray paint. Not to mention the many colors around the sides from each time a room was painted a new color.

This was the layer of white coming off using a paint stripper. Then I started sanding to achieve the shabby chic look I was after.

So, I sanded and sanded.

and sanded some more!

After I had sanded to just the look I was looking for I gave it two coats of polyurethane.

The carpenter then installed this on the bathroom wall. I plan on putting the clawfoot tub in front of it. I was really pleased with how the mantle turned out. Thanks Rosetta!

The bathroom is starting to take shape and I can't wait for it to be finished. Next, we install the clawfoot tub.

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle

Cabin Bathroom Part II

2011-11-12T19:57:00.000-05:00

In my last bathroom post we had emptied the bathroom to the

framing and had the whitewashed tongue and groove ceiling installed.

Lots more changes are happening and it's really starting to come together.

New walls were put up. Hooray for walls! A recessed medicine

cabinet was installed in the wall. A set of upper cabinets were

rescued from the kitchen and installed on the wall over the

new commode. Then it was time to get busy priming.It's so

much easier to paint if you don't have to worry about the trim work!

I can't decide what my favorite part of the bathroom will be but I am in love with the new floor! We got 10" wide plank flooring for the bathroom. We stained it before it was put down and we will put floor finish on it when the rest of the work is complete. The floor appears rustic and looks like its always been there;, even without the final finish it is beautiful.

Then the new toilet went in. I'm sure going to miss that old "rock and roll" toilet. Yea, right! The tank is still not on in this picture for ease of painting. We got the primer coats on but the final paint still needed to be completed.

I'm so in love with it already and it's not finished! How about that floor? Isn't she a beauty?

Now it was time to get busy with the final wall paint. At this point we are still managing to stay ahead of the trim work installation. The bathroom will have an old claw foot bathtub and an antique mantle when it's complete. I decided to do a textured wall treatment to keep the vintage them going. This took a bit of extra time but was well worth the effort. I was very pleased with the end result.

Below is an up close photo of the wall texture. I may also do this same wall treatment in another room of the cabin. Just ignore the shadow, my camera and I weren't agreeing that day but it looks like an old plaster wall.

The wall painting is complete. The cabinet doors were removed

for painting and still need to be finished but the room is now

ready for the trim to be installed.

What a difference! There is still more work to come but its made an amazing transformation already.

More updates to come.

Mountain Belle

Bathroom Update Part I

2011-11-11T08:11:00.017-05:00

The cabin bathroom was so ugly and scary when we purchased the cabin that I still shudder when I think about it. It has been a long process but we almost have it completed. The bathroom has involved so much work and has made such drastic changes it will take multiple posts to give all the details.

This is what we started with:

This is the bathroom in its original glory

The shower was so flimsy it was more of a liner then an actual shower. If you slipped in this shower the whole shower would probably come down around you.Sound like fun?

This counter was made from 2x4's and tile. There was a curtain across the lower half but I tossed it before I remembered to take the photo.

Below is my personal favorite. I call it the "rock and roll" toilet. Seriously, if someone sat down on the toilet it would pitch forward and attempt to throw the unlucky individual onto the floor. It was a rare treat! I'm going to miss that rock and roll toilet. Not!!!

This bathroom needed lots of help. There was nothing we saved
in this bathroom except the studs in the wall.The photo below is
a rug that was on the floor when we bought the cabin. The
cabin had been deserted for so long that the mice took
most of the rug. Yuck! We actually put the rug to the side
and tossed around the idea of framing a piece of it to remind
us how far we had come in the remodeling. About half way
through the bathroom demolition we were so over that idea
that it no longer seemed funny. That the rug was tossed.
Bye bye rug!

I know y'all are all jealous about right now. I couldn't type
that with a straight face! Needless to stay we gutted the
bathroom all the way to the bare studs and started over.

After demolition it was already an improvement to me.
I was actually excited to see nothing but a framed wall
and insulation. While the walls are being torn apart
we opted to put the same white washed tongue and
groove pine on the ceiling that we were using for the
vaulted ceiling in the living area. The ceiling looks
great; my photo does not do it justice. A new overhead
light fixture was installed. I had to allow room for a shower
rod system I had made for the claw foot tub so no chandilier
for this bathroom but it still looks great.

This room is starting to come together. Next we tackled
the walls and floors. More updates to come!
.

Mountain Belle

Cabin Windows and Doors

2011-11-10T20:55:00.000-05:00

I know I'm behind on the cabin updates and I apologize. We
have been very busy with the cabin. Between our jobs and
working on the cabin whenever we can we have been going
non-stop. When I was home long enough to possibly post I was
behind here or just exhausted.Please accept my apologies. I'll
get you up to date on all our changes. I have lots of posts to write!

The outside of the cabin has really come along way. The last
exterior photos I posted showed the paint colors we were using
but since then we have made even more changes.

Cabin after exterior color and before new windows

The new windows and patio doors have been delivered and
installation is complete. It is really making a big difference have
the old windows replaced. Of course nothing is ever just a simple
job. We made some changes in the existing window and door
configuration so openings had to be resized. The front of the
cabin had 2 patio doors. We decided to replace with 1 patio
door and 2 side accent windows. The double window on the
front was shortened to be above kitchen counter height inside.
The kitchen sink in the new kitchen will go under that set of windows.

After the openings were resized they needed to be primed and
painted multiple times. The Husband got busy with his paint brush.

We also had several new window openings added. We had two
awning style windows added to the back of the house on our
bedroom wall.

awning windows added to bedroom

We also added 2 awning windows in each gable end of the
cabin. These windows will be a great air flow benefit as they
can remain open during rain and the extra light they allow has
made a big difference.

We are having a flood light added above the awning window
which is what those wires are for. The acreen door is new but
the main door and the trim around it are still waiting to be replaced.
I'm still holding out for the right door; giving the old one a paint
job till then. I'll find it .... soon I hope!

From this:

To this:

Yes, that is snow you see!

More updates coming. We have been really busy!

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle

vintage clawfoot tub and antique farmhouse sink

2011-09-23T22:23:00.000-04:00

I have a wish list for the cabin and two things on my list are a claw foot tub and a vintage farmhouse kitchen sink. Luck would have it that I found a sink and tub at the same time so I took off with the truck and went after my haul.

I have my heart set on installing a claw foot tub in the cabin bathroom. I have been watching and shopping around. They either needed lots of restoration work or were way too pricey for a cabin. I stuck with my shopping till I found one.

I also really wanted a vintage farmhouse kitchen sink, the kind with the big sink and the built in drain boards on the side. The sink was much harder to find than the tub but I finally found one of those too. It's 24" wide with 2 drain boards on each side. The entire sink is 54" long. It's a big one and I love it! It needs some minor repair and it is going to be gorgeous.

These are going to look awesome when we are able to get them installed. I can't wait!

Now we just have to get them all the way to the top of the mountain. Any volunteers?

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle

Cabin Remodel Part 1

2011-09-21T21:39:00.001-04:00

our not so attractive ceiling

First on our remodel list was to remove the standard 8' ceiling and raise it to make the space feel more open. So we had the carpenter start taking the ceiling and insulation down on one section so we could take a peek.

Our original plan was to leave all the trusses exposed and paint them; sadly that look was not to be. The trusses had ugly wood plates since it was built before metal plates were used. The trusses themselves were all rough cut lumber. This meant they all had pieces of insulation stuck to them and they were going to have to ALL be de-fuzzed and groomed before we could paint them and all the rough cut wood was going to be a real pain to paint; pink fuzz not the look I was going for.

It was going to be an extremely time consuming project so the original plan was vetoed. If it hadn't been for all that pink fuzz I was going to sic Darth Vader and his power spray painter on those trusses. I think those cool exposed trusses need to be planned for at time of construction and not after the fact.

It all worked out because I had a Plan B! (actually Mr. Carpenter did …. shhhh). We decided to have the ceiling re-engineered and vault it. Good idea Mr. Carpenter; let's do it.

So, we began the long process of reworking the ceiling, supports and preparing for a tongue and groove vaulted pine ceiling. I have never learned to do things the simple way and decided that the pine needed a subtle white washing before being installed. I began experimenting with different colors and options till I found the one I liked. Subtle but pretty. Then….. the wood arrived. All the ceiling boards needed to be whitewashed and all the exterior trim pieces I had wanted needed to be primed and painted. Oh no!!! What was I thinking? I have to whitewash and paint all of those?

While the new supports and trusses are being taken care of I am up to my ears in boards to whitewash.

The Husband took this photo because he thought my "backside" would give folks an idea of how big that stack of wood really is by using my backside for comparison. Very, VERY funny!

Somewhere in New England there is lovely old covered bridge with very wide boards. The Husband used this same measurement technique (my backside) to show how BIG the boards were. Ha Ha!

Thank goodness Mrs. Carpenter came to my rescue. She helped me whitewash board after board after board. She is actually there more than I am so she has actually whitewashed more than I have. Thank you Mrs. Carpenter!!!!! I was proud of myself when I finally finished all the exterior corner trim pieces (that were on site) to go on the cabin. Then …. Mr. Carpenter informs me that more are coming; all the new window trim pieces. Sigh, this is going to take a while folks.

Tongue & Groove boards before whitewashing

After whitewashing. I'm really liking it.

While I am up to my elbows in painting and whitewashing Mr. Carpenter is wanting me to make decisions . Where do I want lights, where do I want switches, how do I want to ceiling boards to run. The nerve of that man! If you have ever built or remodeled a home then you know what I'm talking about. I was about ready to do my best Linda Blair imitation. He just stood there smiling waiting for me to process and decide. All I could think was "where is the chocolate"? During most of this The Husband is doing the power spray painting and his Darth Vader act. All we got out of him (when he would stop to talk) was "whatever she says" in his Darth Vader voice. I don't think Darth Vader ever said those words.

Trim painting and ceiling board whitewashing are rolling along and the new windows and doors arrived have arrived. Hooray!

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle

Cabin Living Area

2011-09-20T21:53:00.001-04:00

This is where I hope to put a cute wood cook stove, when I find it

Before remodeling

The cabin work continues, we have made lots of progress but we still have LOTS to do.

I have been writing so far about all the exterior progress and all the work The Husband has been doing. I have been working too, really! My work has been focused on the cabin interior; I leave The Husband outside with the bears.

The cabin was purchased "as is" which means there was a lot of stuff left behind in addition to the repair work that needed to be done. There was a lot of linens, mattresses, rugs, miscellaneous household items, basically just lots of stuff. Also, the cabin had been abandoned for a while and the mice had decided to move in. One day while cleaning a large closet I got a "feeling" that I was being watched. Sure enough, sitting up high on a shelf was a mouse watching me and he had a really big smug grin on his face. BIG YUCK!

this is a job for a BIG trash can

Big BIG trashcan

I sorted, ripped up carpet, bagged up the discards and cleaned everything I could; the discard pile rapidly grew. After many pickup loads and a large utility trailer full, we finally have the bulk of everything removed from the cabin. Do you know a mattress and box springs is very heavy? The last time I tried to help The Husband carry a mattress and box spring he said I tried to kill him. This time there were only a couple steps involved so he remains alive and unharmed.

Then I had to have a heart to heart talk with the mice; they didn't appreciate me cancelling their lease!

I did all that cabin cleaning so it could become a construction zone covered in sawdust, tools, paint and wood… sigh. I feel better with all the "chocolate sprinkles" cleaned up though! Construction will be going on for a while and the mice are currently evicted. I know the mice are outside plotting their revenge against me but for now I'm winning so don't burst my bubble yet.

Panic attack .... I mean strategic planning mode

Now time for the real fun began; we brought in a carpenter to start the remodeling process. Hooray!

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle

The Mountain Cabin

2011-09-15T23:11:00.002-04:00

When we first found the cabin we had to park at the end of the lane and walk up a winding path to the cabin. No one had been there for a while and the forest was trying to take it all back; it was too closed in for a vehicle without getting a paint job messed up.

After making our way down the long driveway we made it to the cabin. Awwww….. poor thing! It was sitting there in the middle of the woods and barely visible. The forest was trying to take it back too. We were instantly smitten! The cabin was sitting there all hidden in the woods waiting for someone to love it again.

In spite of the years of neglect the structure was sound and we knew it had lots of potential. The view was spell binding off the front deck. The elevation on the deck of this cabin is 4412'. At this elevation the climate can be harsh and cabins need to be maintained promptly so they can weather the harsh winter. The cabin was needing some attention.

So, we bought it and jumped right in. Because winter comes early at that elevation we started on the outside as quickly as we could before the first snowfall comes. The Husband power washed the house, storage building and all the decking. This took a couple trips to the cabin to complete but made a huge difference.


Look at the difference the power washing made to the deck

Power washed cabin .... already looking better

Once we had this step completed it was time to paint. The Husband wasn't thrilled with my plan for the cabin paint job but he followed through with it. Thanks goodness for his power spray painter. Whew!

Two coats of primer went on first.

Then 2 coats high gloss enamel.

The Husband wasn't sure he needed to paint that last coat of paint. The carpenter suggested he could wait till spring and see how the one coat held up. The Husband liked that idea. Then the carpenter said "if it needs another coat then you can paint it again but in the spring you will have to tape all the windows and doors because the news ones will have been installed". The Husband didn't like that thought; he muttered a bit but he did the second coat of paint. We started calling The Husband "Darth Vader" because he wore a respirator while painting and sounded just like Darth Vader. The force was with him; two coats of primer and two coats of paint later Darth Vader was finally finished painting the main color on the cabin. It was well worth his effort; the siding is well protected and feels great.

The little ugly duckling is changing everyday

After the painting was complete Darth Vader confessed his secret. He only painted the storage building one coat; "I want to see which paint job lasts longer". Hmmmm ….. storage building protected by trees vs. cabin on side of mountain taking the brunt of the weather and wind? No fair! No wonder Darth Vader was a villain.

When the windows come in the cabin will really start to look great. I can't wait. Now I have to work out a front door color. I wonder if Darth Vader has any suggestions?

The carpenter has started replacing the trim boards, which I have already painted white. I can't wait to see them all up. He should start putting in new windows next week. Once the ugly brown windows are replaced with the new white vinyl ones it's going to look sharp. I can't wait!

There is lots more to come.

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle

The Mountain Cabin Storage Building

2011-09-14T23:18:00.012-04:00

The Storage building is finished!

There is a storage building on the property with the cabin. We have been working on the cabin too but the building is showing the most signs of progress so I'm starting with that. I have to attempt to redeem some of my sanity with you guys!

Poor building

The building, like the cabin, had been neglected, piled full of things, covered with soot from a non-vented generator and the generator needed serious attention before we could use it. There was a large gaping hole in the bottom back wall that I was sure a bear could fit through. That thought got me one of those looks from The Husband. Yes, I am nuts! (but I still think a bear could have fit through there). The Husband said he would fix the hole so "mice and squirrels couldn't get in". What about the bears I ask? I think our daughter inherited her eye roll expertise from him!

It's a man-thing and and The Husband wanted to stake his territory in the building before I could so he jumped right in and because we really needed to get the generator working. He worked his fanny off on the building while I was busy clearing out closets and cabinets in the cabin. The building is a lot smaller than the cabin so it is showing signs of progress pretty quickly. He did a great job!!!

The above photo is after he had power washed the entire building and he had already started to prime it. I missed a couple photos....oops.

While he is doing all this work I am still plotting on exterior colors. About the same time we were purchasing the cabin I had a birthday and The Husband handed me the keys and said "Happy Birthday". Hmmm.... I said "Cool! This means I can paint it pink!". Now a photo of that face would have been awesome! I can't wear it and it doesn't smell good but I'll take it. Planning paint colors can be a daunting task. Do you know how many shades of pink there are? I still think that building would look lovely pink. Don't you?

I kept working on paint colors and this is the compromise I came up with.

Looking nice! He then put down a nice layer of thick pine bark mulch till we decide on permanent pathways. We bought 8 bags but we need to pick up a few more to finish the job. The residue on the ground is paint from using the power spray painter. The Husband says it will go away soon; I think it makes it easier to see bears! :)

As I mentioned earlier, I just had a birthday during all of this. Our son is in the service and he and his wife are currently on the west coast and couldn't be here for my birthday. They sent me a gift card for my birthday to use on MY (snicker) cabin. I took my gift card and bought some out door candle lit lanterns for outside the cabin. Thanks for the present guys!! The Husband stood back and viewed his awesome job on the building and decided it was missing something. He rounded up some hooks and 2 of the lanterns and put them on the building.

This is the end result. I think it turned out great. The Husband did a great job!

We are making progress!

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle

This post is linked to these friends; check them out!:

Introduction to the Mountain

2011-09-12T07:52:00.018-04:00

Somewhere over the rainbow we have a cabin

We have been looking for a cabin for almost 4 years now. There were numerous reasons why we couldn't find what we were looking for but we were determined to find "the one" and kept looking. Our main criteria was elevation and view, The Husband and I are both heat wimps and we wanted the higher elevation for the lower temperatures. If a cabin wasn't much cooler than here at our home it didn't make much sense for us to run off to a cabin. That was our logic and we're sticking with that!

We found this particular cabin in June; the elevation on the cabin's deck is 4412' and the view was awesome. Wow, now we're talking! We felt an instant need for this cabin. We had the high elevation, awesome views and the eastern exposure we were looking for. We were sold! The catch was the cabin was in need of some serious TLC; big time! After we both agreed we wanted to put in an offer The Husband looked at me and asked "Are we crazy? This is ugliest cabin we have looked at and we want to buy it." My response was "Yes, we are crazy. What else is new? Let's go for it!". That is exactly what we did.

The gorgeous mountain laurel around the cabin

We have been working our fannies off since mid July and I have lots of posts to catch you up to where we are now. Some of the pictures and cabin details are not for the squeamish; you may want to run now! ( I almost did) Did I mention we are crazy! The cabin started out pretty bad; for those of you brave enough to stick through the bad I will have lots of good coming, eventually. I will try to get some of the good posted as soon as I can because I don't want to be sent 100's of straight jackets; I already have one. I will begin posting about the renovation / cleanup process. This is requiring lots of chocolate so if you do
send me a straight jacket please put some chocolate in with it. Please!!!

The cabins in this area are not for the faint of heart. The last stretch of road to the cabin is 3 miles straight up a rugged mountain road with lots of bumps, rocks and switchback turns. Did I mention it was a single lane road? Coming down the mountain is a bit of a different story. We use 4x4 to hold the vehicle back without constantly using our brakes; that's so we will still HAVE brakes when we reach the bottom. Still with me so far? Scared? ROFL, it's not too bad...um....most of the time.

When you see this view you are almost there. Deep breath now

If you are brave enough to drive up this mountain all the way to the top this is one of the views that awaits you off of the deck.

You can see for miles

The cabin is currently a construction zone but due to the travel required we have made a "camp" with some cots in the bedroom after we finished scrubbing and clearing out. We don't want to take additional furniture up there to have in the way during the remodel so we make do with very minimal. Below is the sunrise on our first morning there. It was stunning!

and higher

Good morning

On one of our evenings there we had a thunderstorm. It was a sight to watch. We were too amazed to attempt photos and we'll try to remember next time. The following morning again the view was spectacular and I never get tired of it. As The Husband would say: "Sometimes I wake up grumpy and sometimes I let her sleep". This is the view I woke up to:

Fog in the valley at sunrise

The valley below is covered in fog and just the tops of the mountains were showing above the fog just as the sun was also coming up. It looked like a churning ocean. I enjoyed my coffee and the view that morning! Actually 2 maybe 3 cups of coffee but with that view I had to stay put a while.

This cabin has been neglected for quite a long time. We have a few trees that have overtaken the view. We will be opening the view up even more. I'll make sure to show you the updated views.

Lots more to come as we renovate and decorate the cabin.I have started at the beginning and will continue with the updates. Stay tuned, lots more to come!

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle

She's Back!

2011-09-11T12:12:00.001-04:00

Hi all,

I'm very sorry for the very long absence. I stopped posting when multiple family members were diagnosed with terminal illnesses. I also had a lot of other things going on at the same time; including a son joining the military and my heart wasn't into fun light hearted blogging at the time and I didn't have the time as well. The it just became to daunting to try to find the time to try to start back up again but I now bringing this blog back to life! I am truly sorry for the long desertion but ………. I'm back!!!!!!!!!

Life is still pretty hectic right now; in addition to my job and normal activities that go with life. The Husband and I have just purchased a cabin that needs a lot of TLC and this is taking a bit of time away from my cooking but I will be getting back to the cooking I enjoy it so much. I am going to start posting about the cabin remodel and it's continued progress. When I have the cabin kitchen ready for serious cooking I'll be posting about some serious mountain and outdoor cooking. I can't wait!

There is so much to write about that I don't know where to start! Let's just jump in. shall we? I'll fill in the details and chitter chatter as I start rolling along with the posts.

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle

Chocolate Cupcakes with Mint White Chocolate Ganache

2009-03-16T14:35:00.011-04:00

My tribute to St Patrick's Day and a bad day treat for myself. Not bad huh?

This is a moist delicious chocolate cake made with brown sugar and sour cream. It has a rich chocolate goodness that is awesome.

I decided to icing these cupcakes with a silky mint white chocolate ganache. Now we are talking pure decadent pleasure. I enjoyed every mouthful!

I made the ganache and then divided it and made half of it green in a tribute to St Patrick's Day. This is a rich ganache; almost truffle like, so a little goes a long way. You can lighten it up if you choose but I was going for the full works! There are loads of ganache recipes; the one that follows is more the ratio for truffles. I use this when decorating with ganache or when decadence is called for.

These are wonderful for any occasion. The ganache can be colored to fit any occasion or simply left its natural color. These are delightful with the white ganache and sprinkled with crushed starlight mints. Make some for your favorite occasion; chocolate and mint...how can you go wrong?

I have the recipe ingredients below as originally written; I only changed up the mixing steps. I always omit the coffee granules when making this cake but add them in if you like coffee flavor in your cakes. I confess that I can not tolerate anything coffee and sweet related. I love coffee and sugar but can't handle the two together. I never waste my efforts making any dessert that has coffee flavor in it. That's my quirk, so I've put it in the recipe for those that enjoy it.

Decadent Chocolate Cake adapted from Wilton

3 squares (1 oz each) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
1 1/2 cups hot water
3/4 cups sour cream
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs (room temperature)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 35o degrees. Grease and flour pans if not using cupcake liners.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt unsweetened chocolate; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, dissolve the cocoa powder and coffee (if using) in hot water; stir well. Stir in sour cream and salt, set aside. I medium bowl combine flour and soda; whisk well and set aside.

In large bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy; add sugar and beat again till combined and fluffy. Stir in vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add eggs; one at a time, mixing just until yellow disappears. Do not over beat at this point. Next, add melted chocolate and blend well; scraping bowl well. Add half of flour mixture and add a small portion of the sour cream mixture; just enough to make the flour mix in well. Now add rest of flour and stir just until combined. Add remaining liquid and stir until combined. Do not overmix your cake at this point.

Divide batter among pans. Bake layers at 35-42 minutes; start checking at 30 minutes. if making cupcakes start checking them at 15 minutes and may take up to 20 minutes.

Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely.

Mint White Chocolate Ganache

1 cup heavy cream
16 ounces good quality white chocolate , chopped
3 tablespoons butter (optional but good)
2 teaspoon peppermint extract

Place chopped chocolate in a mixing bowl. Heat cream and butter (if using) till almost to the boiling point. Remove cream from heat and stir in extract until combined. Pour hot cream mixture over chopped chocolate. Stir until all the chocolate is melted and thoroughly combined; at this point stir in any food coloring if using and stir to combine. Cover and let the mixture cool to room temperature. When mixture is cool put in mixer and whip until light and fluffy. This will not double in volume but will be fluffy for cupcakes. If using as a piping; you can skip whipping it. Icing cupcakes as desired.

Tips:

The ganache can be made on its own, chilled, no need to whip and rolled into truffles and decorated as desired. Yum!
This is a heavier ganache version made for use on cupcakes as shown. If you wish to icing a cake or would like a much thicker icing on your cakes I would double the cream and half the chocolate for a light fluffy version. This version is less dense but still very tasty.
Omit the mint extract and use on a cake of your choice.
This recipe works equally well with semi-sweet chocolate. Have fun...make it yours.

These were so delicious; I couldn't get the photographer to leave them alone. I hope you enjoy!

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle

This post is being linked to:

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace

Corned Beef and Cabbage Pizza

2009-03-14T23:55:00.005-04:00

It's that time of year when we start thinking of St Patrick's day and all things Irish. I came across this pizza recipe on Food Network and thought I would give it a try. It had corned beef, cabbage and potatoes; it fit in with St Patrick's and sounded good to me. Here's my version and opinions on this recipe.

I have a houseful of teens most of the time and of course they all love pizza. My husband is not that crazy about pizza; he mostly objects to the pizza sauce. I have never been able to get many dishes past my family that involved cooked cabbage; this pizza was a challenge. It has no tomatoes but plenty of cabbage and I decided to put it to the test. I did load it up with extra cheese as you can tell by the photo; my crew loves cheese.

I had made plans to make this pizza but my day started to fall apart pretty quickly; so, I cheated and used store bought crusts. That's a whole wheat crust in the pictures, I didn't really burn it!

I will post the recipe as I originally found it but this recipe does need some modifications. This is one of the few ways I have managed to get cabbage by my crew; with summer coming and lots of fresh cabbage soon to be available I will try this again but make some changes. We love to use the grill in the summer to make pizzas, I'll try this again on the grill. It has redeeming qualities but needs a boost. I will post the suggestions I think it needs at the end of the recipe. I also think this recipe will be a great way to dress up some leftovers; it does have possibilities.

Corned Beef and Cabbage Pizza from Food Network

Crusts for 2 pizzas (your favorite dough or pre-made crust)
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plue more for the pan
3 sliced green cabbage
kosher salt
1 teaspoon pickling spices, tied securely in cheesecloth
1 large potato, peeled and thinly sliced
freshly ground pepper
2 cups shredded mozerella cheese
3/4 cup monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
6 ounces slice corned beef

Heat 1 T olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cabbage, season with salt and and cook until just soft, about 5 minutes. Add the pickling spices and just enough water to cover. Simmer over low heat, covered, until the cabbage is tender, about 20 minutes. Drain the cabbage and set aside; discard the spices.

Place a pizza stone in the oven, if you have one, and preheat to 500 degrees. Toss potatoes with 2 T olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in a single layer on a baking sheet until golden, about 15 minutes.

Place a pizza dough round on a pizza peel (if using stone) or on an oiled pizza pan; drizzle with 2 T olive oil. Scatter half of each of the cheeses, corned beef, cabbage and potatoes on crust. Season with salt and pepper. Carefully slip the pizza onto the hot stone, if using, or place pan in the oven. Cook until golden and crispy, 10-15 minutes. Repeat with remaining pizza crust/dough and toppings.

Tips/suggestions:

Personally I did not find that the potatoes added that much to the pizza. In the future if I have some leftover potatoes in the fridge I may toss them on but I will not go to the effort of peeling and roasting them just for this pizza; not enough of a flavor boost for the trouble.

This could be made with the canned corned beef to make it a little more economical. Also, if you have some leftover corned beef roast, chop the leftovers for this pizza.

I think it needs some onions added to it for a nice flavor boost. I will add these next time.

I think some russian or thousand island dressing would add a nice flavor also; kinda of add a reuben sandwich flavor to the pizza.

If you have a tea ball, they work great instead of cheesecloth for the pickling spices.

If you are a fan of caraway seeds, I think a few tossed on the pizza would be a pleasant addition.

I was in a hurry and did not make homemade dough and I was out of my stash of homemade crusts in the freezer. I think homemade dough would have been better.

I think this has some serious potential with the right kind of changes. Let me know what you come up with.

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle

Mock French Cassoulet

2009-03-12T22:15:00.011-04:00

This is always a big hit at our house and I usually don't have leftovers. It doesn't photograph like a star but it is one at our house. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does.

Have you ever tried a recipe, really loved it and then....promptly lost it? I sure hope I'm not the only one that ever does this.

I originally made a dish similar to this over 15 years ago. We really liked it but the original recipe disappeared. Recipe thief? Since we enjoyed it so much I searched for a copy of the original or a similar one but never found what I was looking for.

This recipe is what finally came about as I played around over the years; I could remember some of the ingredient but no quantities. I tweaked, added and adjusted till I came up with my own version. It was never written down, it always just hung out in the back of my mind. Scary huh? I finally wrote it down so I could share it with you.

This recipe originally started out as a quick version of a French cassoulet. This dish is my speedy rendition of a long lost French cassoulet recipe. The original cassoulets involved a long cooking time, beans and quite a few varieties of meats; this is the busy cook version. I only using 2 varieties of meat and neither one of those are totally true to the original.

There are many recipes for cassoulets and some do contain tomatoes; I have totally crossed the line away from authentic but not from taste. This dish combines the proteins of beans and allows a smaller amount of meat to be used which also makes this a budget friendly dish.We're going to speed up cassoulet cooking; and that's why I call it a mock cassoulet.

This dish is a great change of pace from the usual pasta dish. It's got a sweet/tart taste that is a pleasing contrast with the mild taste of the beans. I hope you enjoy.

Mock French Cassoulet

1 - 12 oz package of bacon, cooked and diced; reserve 2 T of drippings

1 lb of chicken breast, cut into 1" chunks

1 medium onion, diced

1 teaspoon dried Thyme or 1 T fresh

2 tablespoons brown sugar

4 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 - 14.5 oz cans petite diced tomatoes

2 cups chicken broth

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or several fresh cloves, minced

1 bay leaf (optional)

2 - 14.5 oz cans of cannellini or great northern beans

Heat a skillet over medium heat, add the 2 teaspoons of reserved bacon drippings. Put in the diced chicken and onion in the skillet and cook until the chicken is almost cooked through; stirring frequently. If using fresh garlic add it when chicken is halfway done.

While chicken is cooking put the white beans in a sauce pan to heat through.

When chicken is almost done add all of the remaining ingredients to the skillet. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer till reduced to sauce consistency; about 20-30 minutes. When desired consistency is reached, remove the bay leaf and stir in the bacon.

To serve: Place a serving of white beans in a bowl or on a plate and top with the chicken mixture and serve.

Yield: approximately 6 servings.

Tips:

I frequently cook my own dried beans for this dish.

This can be sped up a great deal by precooking bacon ahead of time or using precooked frozen bacon. I tend to keep frozen bacon in my freezer and some bacon drippings in the fridge for emergencies.

Don't forget the frozen chicken bits to help speed the process. They can be tossed in the pan frozen and will be cooked through by the time the dish has finished simmering.

If you need to get this dish ready at warp speed you can speed the process by omitting the chicken broth and using chicken bouillon / base required for 2 cups liquid and only adding water if needed to achieve desired consistency; this will allow you to reduce simmering time. It's nice to have the simmer time but you can hurry it along this way when pressed for time.

This can also be served over mashed potatoes if you prefer those to beans.

This dish freezes wonderfully.

Change the meats up; instead of bacon use ham, sausage, kielbasa, or pancetta. Live it up a bit.

Play around with it and enjoy.

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle

Orange Pineapple Marmalade

2009-03-05T09:20:00.001-05:00

I think of marmalade as edible sunshine!

This is a spin on traditional marmalade. It's a citrusy blend of oranges, lemons, pineapple and cherries. This is wonderful on toast, biscuits and in your favorite recipes.

Frequently, this time of year good sales can be found on citrus fruits and that makes this the perfect time to make marmalade. There's something special about making this during this time of year; it's still cold and dreary outside and this reminds me that spring really is around the corner.

Orange Pineapple Marmalade from "The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook"

3 medium oranges
1 medium lemon
1 (20 ounce) can crushed unsweetened pineapple, drained
6 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 hot water
1 (6 ounce) jar maraschino cherries, drained and chopped *

Wash oranges and lemons; cut into quarters. Remove seeds and membrane from each piece. Grind unpeeled oranges and lemons in a food processor or a meat grinder.

Combine ground citrus, pineapple, sugar and water in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat; simmer 30 minutes, uncovered; stirring often. Remove from heat; stir in cherries.

Pour hot mixture into hot sterilized jars, filling to 1/4" from top. Remove air bubbles and wipe jar rims. Cover at once with metal lids and screw on bands. Process in boiling water bath 5 minutes. Yield: 8 half-pints.

* The maraschino cherries up the sweetness level but sometimes I like my marmalade a little tarter. This time I substituted chopped dried cherries for the maraschino cherries and cooked them with the other fruits to soften them up. Pick your sweetness level and eat it up. The dried cherries will give a little darker look and the maraschino will "pink" it up a bit, both are tasty.

Now you have a nice supply for yourself or a special gift for a fellow marmalade lover.

Remember the English muffin bread? Ah, here they both are together. I
love it when a plan comes together!

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle

English Muffin Bread

2009-03-03T15:50:00.004-05:00

This is a wonderful bread you are sure to enjoy.

A friend gave me this recipe almost 30 years ago. I have been making this so long that I have actually made hundreds of loaves of this bread. I have made this bread for family, friends and have even honored requests for orders on occasion. This bread has never failed to be enjoyed.

This bread is like an English Muffin except in loaf form. It is best served toasted and enjoyed just like an English muffin. We enjoy this for breakfast and sandwiches.

This recipe makes 2 loaves. You can divide the recipe if you wish to only make one loaf but it freezes so well that I go ahead and make both loaves while I am already making a mess.

This dough is not quite like other bread doughs; actually it can be a sticky mess. Let's walk through the process and some of the tricks I've picked up from making this so many times.

The first step is to thoroughly grease 2 bread pans and dust them with a coating of cornmeal. This gives that light cornmeal dusting on the outside just like you find on a traditional English muffin. This is a matter of preference and I have been known to skip the cornmeal; make your own call here. This batch was made with the cornmeal dusting. Now, sit the pans aside to await the bread dough.

You're going to want your mixer for this recipe, so get it out. Even though this is a "bread" dough please put the paddle attachment on and not the dough hook. This bread does not require the kneading that some bread doughs require but does need thorough mixing in the beginning; so stick with the paddle.

Measure 3 cups of flour and set aside for later addition.

Now into the mixer bowl add: 3 cups flour, 2 T dry yeast, 1 T sugar, 2 t salt and 1/4 t baking soda. Now mix this for a minute to completely combine all dry ingredients.

I recommend a thermometer for this step. Measure 2 cups of milk and 1 cup of water into a microwave safe container. Since microwaves vary a lot, heat milk for 1 minute and then check again in 15 sec intervals. You want to heat the milk and water to a temperature of 120 to 130 F. We are adding this directly to dry ingredients instead of to yeast only, so it needs to be a few degrees warmer than lukewarm. Use a thermometer for best results. If you overheat it, then let it cool down slightly before adding to dry ingredients.

Once liquids are at proper temperature add them to the dry ingredients in the mixer and mix thoroughly. Once this is mixed completely, begin adding the reserved flour. You will need between 2 1/2 cups to the full 3 cups measured out. Mix only until the flour is incorporated, this bread does not need a lot of kneading.

This will make a stiff sticky dough and look something like this when mixing is complete.

Time to put the dough in the pans. For this next step get a sturdy spatula and give it a good spray with some cooking spray; trust me on this one. This dough is stiff and sticky and will try to stick to everything. Use the greased spatula and divide the dough evenly among the 2 bread pans. Take the greased spatula and gently press and smooth out the dough into the bread pans.
It will look uneven...and frankly...not very pretty. That's ok, it will straighten itself out. Set the pans in a warm place and cover. Let the dough rise for about 45 minutes.

When it has finished rising it will look something like this. See, those ugly wrinkles worked out.

Put the loaves into a 400F oven for about 25 minutes.

The loaf will look like this when done. Remove from pan and place on a rack to cool.

After being removed from pan you can see that nice dusting of cornmeal. Let cool completely.

It's now ready to toast and enjoy.

English Muffin Bread

5 1/2 - 6 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups milk
1 cup water
Cornmeal, for dusting pans

Grease 2 bread pans, dust with cornmeal and set aside.

Measure 3 cups of flour and set aside for later. Into mixing bowl measure: 3 cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt and baking soda. Mix the dry ingredients on low speed until thoroughly combined.

Heat milk and water in microwave until 120 - 130 F. Add liquids to dry ingredients in mixer and mix until thoroughly combined. After combined, add 2 1/2 to full 3 cups flour of reserved flour; add enough to make a stiff batter.

Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes. *

Bake at 400F for 25 minutes. remove from pans immediately and cool.

If freezing this bread I recommend slicing it first. This way you can pop one slice at a time in the toaster without having to thaw an entire loaf.

*The earlier picture of nicely risen dough is when all things go well. When the temperature and humidity are just right, this bread can rise like a freight train. Keep an eye on it while it is rising, it may be finished before the 45 minutes are up.

What happens if you forget to watch it? Well, it tries to crawl out of the pan and looks like a science project gone bad. Don't ask me how I know this. If life gets in the way and this happens to you here are a few things you can do to salvage the bread. Do NOT attempt to punch it down and get it back into the pan. Now, get a sharp pair of kitchen shears and trim what has tried to escape. Shape the loaf back up with the shears as best you can. The loaf will be smaller and not as perfect texture but it sure beats throwing your hard work away. It will still be tasty, just not perfect. I hope you enjoy!

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle

Southen Pecan Brownies

2009-03-01T22:07:00.016-05:00

This is my favorite brownie recipe. Luckily I don’t make them very often because I could eat them all! Brownies are a popular treat with most everyone and these are pure decadence. They are really that good! I have made these with and without the nuts and both versions have been equally delicious. I do recommend that you don't skip toasting the nuts, it's well worth the extra step.

I have used milk, semi-sweet and white chocolate chips / chunks and they all turn out great.

These brownies are dense, chewy and full of rich chocolate flavor. Although I have changed a few things but I change the butter. I have to agree with Paula on this one; butter does make it better. These don’t last long around here.

Southern Pecan Brownies adapted from from “Cooking with Paula Deen”

1 1/2 c butter (3 sticks)

5 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate

2 1/2 c sugar

6 large eggs

2 c all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 c milk chocolate morsels

1 c toasted chopped pecans

Confectioners sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 13x9x2 baking pan or line with heavy duty aluminum foil and lightly grease the foil. The foil aides in removing brownies and makes clean up easier.

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine butter and unsweetend chocolate. Microwave on high in 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until butter and chocolate are melted and smooth, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In mixer bowl, beat sugar and eggs at high speed until fluffy. Beating the eggs will give you that shiny crusty brownie crust we are familiar with. If you don't want the crust, then skip the mixer. Instead gently stir the eggs until mixed and then add sugar; stirring just until blended. This will give a softer finished crust. *

Gradually stir in cooled chocolate mixture.

Add salt and vanilla and stir well. Gradually beat in flour and stir just until flour is mixed through. Do not over mix. Stir in pecans and chocolate morsels.

Pour into prepared pan and bake 35-38 minutes or until center is firm.

Once cool, lift brownies from pan using foil as handles. Dust with confectioners sugar if desired.

Tip: When trying to cut fresh warm brownies, the best knife to use is a plastic knife. This will help keep the brownies from crumbling and tearing while you cut them. I know it sounds strange but trust me, it works. I keep one in my baking drawer for just such special occasions.

* This is a great tip I learned from the famous cookbook author and writer Shirley Corriher. I love her books "Cookwise" and "Bakewise".

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle

This post is being linked to:

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace

Creamy White Chili

2009-02-25T14:55:00.003-05:00

This is a family favorite at our house on a cold winter's evening.

I know there are lots of recipes around for white chili but I always come back to this recipe. This chili has a pleasing creaminess to it and just the right amount of spiciness. I have never made less than a double batch. This is a real crowd pleaser.

Creamy White Chili adapted from “Taste of Home”

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into ½ ” cubes

1 medium onion, chopped

1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 - 15 ½ oz cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained

1 - 14 ½ oz can chicken broth

2 - 4 oz cans chopped green chilies

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 c (8 oz) sour cream

½ c whipping cream

In a large dutch oven, sauté chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil . Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. If not serving right away I recommend stopping at this point. When you are ready to serve bring back to correct temperature and remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and whipping cream. Take care not to overheat or bring to a boil when reheating so that the dairy does not curdle. Serve immediately. Yield: 7 servings

We like this topped with some shredded cheddar cheese and served with tortilla chips.

I have increased the beans from the original recipe as it was a little brothier that I felt a chili should be. This is excellent if you have the time to cook your own dried beans; 1 1/2 c cooked beans equals one can (15 1/2 oz) of beans. The bean broth also adds a wonderful flavor to the chili if you wish to use it. When using broth from the beans, I use chicken boullion or chicken base in place of the chicken broth. Add additional chicken broth only if needed to get to the desired thickness for your tastes. Don't forget that the cream is going to thin it down a bit.

This is an easy weeknight or make ahead meal using canned or precooked beans and the frozen chicken bits to get you started. This freezes well. Enjoy!

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle

Frozen Chicken Bits

2009-02-24T11:23:00.013-05:00

What the heck is that? Kind of scary looking isn’t it? Meet frozen diced uncooked chicken.

Have you ever found yourself standing in the kitchen wondering what you were going to fix for dinner? You’re wondering because you forgot to get anything out to defrost or it’s still frozen! Quite often I think it’s going to be just Himself and I and then the “ravaging teens” return and I'm scrambling to come up with another plan. Have you ever thrown a block of frozen hamburger in the skillet and hoped you could get it thawed and cooked before your family became hostile? Or the frozen chicken breasts that ended up too done on the outside if you got the center cooked through? Oh yea, been there and done that one! This post is about a great time saving tip in the kitchen.

Well, my friends this is our way to some fast and quick meals. It’s diced, frozen uncooked boneless chicken. I can find diced cooked chicken in the stores but I can’t find uncooked diced chicken and sometimes that’s exactly what I want. This is also a lot cheaper than the precooked chicken and lets you take advantage of sales and stock up. I have quite a few recipes that I can make at warped speed with this convenience from my freezer. I’ll be posting on some of those but I bet you have a few yourself. When in a bind for time I start with this in the frozen state and because I have diced it into small chunks before freezing it is almost impossible for the chicken to not be cooked through when I have the rest of the dish completed. I call them frozen chicken bits.

I actually watch for the chicken sales to stock up on what I need for this tip. I have also used turkey to do the same thing. Around the different holidays you can catch some wonderful deals on turkeys and turkey breasts. More often than not I will by the bone in breasts or thighs and debone and skin them myself; the leftover bones make a wonderful additional to my chicken stock fixings. This time I happened to find a great deal on some boneless chicken breasts. Then one weekend day I loaded up and started chopping. The end result was the wonderful shortcut to tasty, quick meal.

I know pictures of naked, raw chicken is not the most fun thing to look at but that’s what this post is all about. Trust me, this will be a major kitchen time saver. let's get started.

I know, not very exciting but it’s going to be well worth it.

Step #1: Find a cookie sheet or pan of your preference to spread the chicken out on. Next, take this EMPTY pan to your freezer and make sure you’re going to have a flat place to lay it while your chicken freezes. Trust me, standing in front of a freezer with a tray already full of chicken and not finding a flat surface to put the pan is very frustrating. I’ve learned this the hard way so hopefully this won’t happen to you.

I find a very light spitz of cooking spray on your pan makes it easier to remove the chicken after it’s frozen. So go ahead and prep your pan so it’s ready to go.

Step #2: Wash your chicken off thoroughly. I bought a large quantity on sale so I worked in small batches so I didn’t have all my chicken sitting out of the refrigerator for a very long time. After washing your chicken, remove skin and bones if you’re using that type, if just using boneless then trim off any fat. Now you’re ready to start dicing. Boneless chicken can be slick, so watch your fingers. Lay a piece on your cutting board and start dicing into small chunks. We want these to be able to cook fast so go for the size of a nickel and no larger than a quarter. I know a wooden cutting board looks nice and makes great pictures but I NEVER cut meat, especially raw meat, on a wooden cutting board. Wood cutting boards cannot not be sanitized after cutting raw meat to suit me and the one above can be sanitized in the dishwasher. Works for me, I like easy.

Step #3: Now it’s time to put the chicken on your pan. We’re going to flash freeze it then bag it up. Spread the chicken out on the pan, you don’t want to crowd the pieces. You want them to freeze individually, if there is a little bit of touching they will break apart after freezing. You may have to do this in batches or if you have freezer room then do several pans at a time. This is what your pan should look like:

Step #4: Now into the freezer with the chicken. Times will vary slightly but start checking after 30 minutes and may take up to an hour. Do not forget about your chicken and leave it overnight or you will end up with freezer burnt chicken. After chicken is frozen, remove from freezer and take a large cake turner and scoop the chicken loose and pop into a freezer bag. Don’t forget to label and date the bag before putting the chicken into it, lots easier that way. Please label and date your chicken. I know, “you won’t forget” but somehow that always seems to happen when something get pushed to the back and we wonder what that mystery package is. Please label! I put mine in gallon bags and just take out what I need. You should end up with something like this:

Now we have the makings of some wonderful quick meals. You can use what you need when you need it, from cooking for one to cooking for a family. Quick, easy and great! I’ll be posting recipes that this chicken can be featured in. I hope you enjoy.

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle

Chocolate Waffes with Fresh Strawberries

2009-02-20T19:14:00.041-05:00

Is that chocolate featured as the main course? You betcha! No, I'm not the least bit ashamed about it.

The strawberries are ready in Florida and they are starting to arrive at our local produce markets. I couldn’t resist they looked soooo wonderful.

When I saw these in the store several recipes came to mind but Chocolate Waffles jumped to the front of the line. When chocolate can be featured as the main course then I’m all over it. These are my daughter’s favorite and I have been warned not to eat them all. She's planning on having some when she gets home from work. Now, would I really eat all the waffles? She thinks she knows me so well. Is being a chocoholic genetic?

I’ve been making chocolate waffles for quite a number of years. I have changed recipes, adapted recipes and tweaked my little heart out trying to find that just right combination. I like to make these as a weekend brunch or for a weeknight dinner. Typically chocolate waffles are made as a dessert and are fairly sweet, they are delicious with toppings like ice cream and fudge sauce or fruit. When we are having these as a meal we like them not quite so sweet and then topped w/ fresh sliced strawberries with a drizzle of maple syrup. YUM!

Tonight we had these for dinner with some link sausages. Although in my house they are called “killer” sausages. If not careful they can send out spurts of hot juice out when you cut into them. This happened to my son one time, a line drive right between the eyes. Now, every time we have them we warn him they are attack sausages and they can kill. I have asked him if he would like a pair of goggles before eating them. I’m not sure he finds it as funny as the rest of us. If you decide to serve these with sausage links…Beware the killer sausages!

Chocolate Waffles Adapted from King Arthur Flour Baking Companion

2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 c butter, melted and cooled (or 1/4 vegetable oil)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder, slightly rounded
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 c buttermilk, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 c all purpose flour
1/4 c sugar sugar
1 pint of strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
Maple syrup

For dessert waffles: additional 1/2 c sugar and 1/4 t nutmeg (optional) stirred in with other dry ingredients. Gently fold 1/2 c chopped walnuts and 1/2 c mini chocolate chips into batter after thoroughly mixing in dry ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, butter or oil, and vanilla. Beat until light, about 2 minutes. At this point your waffle iron needs to be heating up so that once you blend the liquids with the dry ingredients you can begin adding to waffle iron. Blend in buttermilk, then flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Bake waffles in preheated well-greased waffle iron until done according to the manufactures directions for your waffle iron.

Serve topped with sliced strawberries and drizzled with maple syrup. These can be covered with plastic wrap and stored till next day or frozen and pooped in the toaster.

If making as a dessert: top with ice cream and your favorite fudge sauce.

Yield: ten 8-inch waffles. I used a large waffle iron and doubled the recipe for about 7 large waffles.

* If you don't have buttermilk on hand, add 1 T cider vinegar to measuring cup then fill to one cup line with milk. Allow to sit at least 5 minutes, but preferably till room temperature.

We really enjoy these when fresh strawberries are available but we sometimes enjoy them with strawberry syrup (recipe coming) when the fresh berries are not available. These are also delicious with fresh raspberries.

We have farms around here where you can pick your own strawberries. I can't wait till they come in and I will be sure to post more strawberry recipes here. Enjoy!

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle

This post is being linked to:

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace

Me and a Blog

2009-02-18T21:13:00.010-05:00

I actually never saw myself starting a blog; it definitely was not on my list of things I wanted to do. Until just recently I barely knew what and blog was and when I learned what they were, well, frankly I thought they were a “kinda silly”. So, I have now officially joined the ranks of “kinda silly”…. So let’s be silly and have fun!

I had friends who were either asking for recipes or into discussing recipes and the next thing I know I’m being encouraged to start a food blog. A food blog? “What’s that?” A few pointers in the right direction and I was hooked. Wow, there are lots of food blogs out there and reading them was addictive. My love of cooking and reading combined into one, how could I top that?

I love to cook, I cook easy to difficult recipes and the whole spectrum in between. I can be the ultimate foodie / cooking snob and then turn into the busy mom cheating by whatever means I can to get food on the table. There will be times the foodies will love me and there will be times they will scream and run because of my cheating . All I can say to this is “If you have a starving group of teenage boys so close you can LOOK UP (scary part) and see the whites of their eyes and not be very scared, you are a brave soul indeed!” I on the other hand am very scared and will do what it takes for me and my kitchen to survive, besides teenage boys are not into brie and pesto when starving….trust me! I try to be healthy and cook from scratch whenever possible but sometimes survival wins.

I think we we are losing the art of taking time to cook some “real” food and are existing on packaged food and fast food. This is not only hard on the wallet but is also just not healthy; read that ingredient list sometime. I hope I can help a few along the way learn some simple things to make life taste better and be easy on the wallet. There will be times I make more difficult things and maybe the new cooks will prefer to just watch the fun. The name of the game here is to have fun and not take ourselves or life too seriously; smiles and chuckles are wonderful things.

I will cover a wide range of subjects like quick meals, budget meals, reinventing leftovers, crock pots, favorite gadgets / appliances, more skilled and time consuming recipes and my favorite… baking. During the warmer weather I will also be covering a lot of home preserving and I think this too will also be lots of fun.

If you haven’t noticed yet, you soon will, I will chatter and type a mile a minute so grammar and punctuation are not always at the front of my brain. My goal is not to win grammatical awards but for us to learn and have fun in the kitchen so just ignore the boo boos and enjoy yourself. You can have fun in the kitchen….you really can! As well as my bad writing I am also good at cheating. Sometimes a girl’s gotta do what she can and I’m all over that. I can have a recipe and make it multiple ways, normal and cheater version. When this happens I will also put my cheat tips with the recipe. I don’t live next to a grocery store and I don’t like making constant trips to the grocery store so I keep a well stocked pantry and freezer in addition to the home preserving and half beef we buy. This has saved me many a time when I have a last minute change of plans. I have a teenage son and he can really eat, add to that several teenage friends hanging out and large quantities of food can be required on short notice. Just the other night I thought it would be just my husband and I so I got 3 pork chops out of the freezer. Imagine my face when all of the sudden I have 3 hungry teenage boys, husband and myself and I’m staring at 3 pork chops. Yea, that called for a very quick change of plans! So, hopefully we can all learn together as I make this journey through life and my kitchen.

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle