Crocked Under Pressure

Moving

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 22 Aug 2015 02:45:00 +0000

I have changed my address ....

You can now find me at

Crockedunderpressure.com

See you soon!

Happy Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 15:21:00 +0000

Last year, we were dealing with the aftermath of Sandy and all the emotions that it brought. This year, we were fortunate and did not have any weather tragedies. Regardless if we are still trying to rebuild or if we have recouped from our losses, there are still things in our lives that we need to remember and can be thankful for.

Last year one of my Professor's had asked about tips and tricks for Thanksgiving. In my opinion, it was pretty extensive. I have decided to re-post this information to those of you who need a reminder to "take a breath" and think about the important things in your life.

In a week from this Thursday it will be Thanksgiving. The stress of the holiday season on a normal basis is enough to make you want to jump out a window, but now add the stress of relatives and possibly the first time hosting the Thanksgiving dinner and your thinking "Holy Moly, what have I done, this is a recipe for disaster". Here is a list of ideas to relieve some of the pressure you may be feeling.

1.    Take a deep breath. Don't take on more than you feel you can handle. Especially if it's your first time you’re hosting the dinner. KEEP IT SIMPLE!

2. Don't try new recipes. Now is not the time to field test a recipe. Most people like tradition when it comes to the holiday. Stay with the tried and true. If there is something traditional that you can't prepare, ask one of your invites to provide that dish.

3. Prep ahead of time. Think of yourself as a restaurant. What do they do to be able to run smoothly? They prep, prep and more prep. Cut and clean as many of your vegetables ahead of time as possible. Make as many of the dishes a head of time. Foodnetwork.com has wonderful simple recipes that can be done in advance.   For mashed potatoes, wash and peel the potatoes (don't cut them up, they will be too waterlogged) then cover them in cold water overnight. All you will have to do the next day is cut them up and cook. Stuffing can be prepared a day ahead and put in a casserole dish. Take it out for about an hour to bring to room temp and then cook as you would normally. If your baking potatoes, use your microwave too cook, then coat them with vegetable or olive oil and put them in oven to crisp the skin.

4. ASK FOR HELP! Especially if this is your first time hosting. If someone asks if they can bring something, SAY YES! A side dish, salad, appetizer, dessert, even the turkey. My mother in law isn't a great cook, but I know who to call to make a roast turkey. Take advantage. Better yet, make it a "Potluck Thanksgiving" and ask everyone to bring something, even if its napkins. You don't want to be the martyr, it will just add more stress. If they can't bring something, assign them to be the packing or cleanup crew. Teenagers are great for this. Get as many people involved as possible.

5. Not only can you ask your family and friends to help, but you should also take help from the supermarket. If you or anyone you know cannot do the turkey, especially if you don't want to take the chance of serving a "Grizzwald" dry bird, order it. Put a little of your own touch on a store bought items; top that out of the box apple pie with ice cream, whipped cream and drizzle some caramel topping on it. Get a plain cheese cake and top with raspberry/strawberry preserves or drizzle chocolate shell ice cream topping and caramel sauce on top of the cake and add some pecans to make a turtle cheesecake. Use boxed stuffing and add sweet sausage and chopped apples.

6. If you have a lot of people coming, forget the good china. There are some beautiful disposable dinnerware, flatware, serve-ware and glasses that can be purchased and there is no dish washing. Local dollar and discount stores offer great deals on disposable aluminum pans. USE THEM!

7. Roast, roast, roast. Carrots, string beans, cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts are great roasted. Toss with Olive Oil, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder and roast in a 425 oven until fork tender. Broccoli, string beans, and brussel sprouts can then be tossed with balsamic vinegar. Top with chopped parsley and viola!

8. Gobble, Gobble. If you don't have a large oven, cook two small turkeys instead. Or one whole small bird for show but then have another one already cut up into parts.

9. If you insist on using fine china and serving platters or even if you are using disposable as sit down or buffet; Set your table and set out all your serving pieces one or two nights before. This way your not running around last minute to try to find that gravy boat.

10. No need to stress. If all else fails.... make reservations at a nice restaurant or have the meal catered.

You want to enjoy your holiday and your company. The most important thing to remember, is keep it simple and as the good ole Boyscout saying "be prepared". If you forgot a side dish, so what! Move on and serve what you have. The host/hostess does not need to stress, it will show to your guests and no one will have a good time. "Don't let them see you sweat!"

Have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!

Ree Drummond!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 20:27:00 +0000

On October 29th, Ree Drummond's new book "The Pioneer Woman Cooks a Year of Holidays" was released. My daughter and I were lucky enough to be able to meet the wonderful Pioneer Woman in the flesh at her book signing that night.

First and foremost, I cannot tell you how exciting it was to meet Ree Drummond. She is just as sweet and kind in person as she seems on the Foodnetwork. She is one person who impressed me as being very genuine. She started her book signing at Barnes and Noble with speaking about her life on the ranch. Unfortunately, I had an appointment and was unable to see her speaking. Her start time was 6:00pm and I did not show up until about 6:45. By that point she had finished speaking and had started signing books. If I had purchased the book earlier, I would have received a wrist band and would have been able to take advantage of the preferred seating inside the room. Since I knew I would not be able to attend on time, I took a chance and just showed up. As it turned out, I ended up at the end of the line for the last row of seats. I applaud Barnes and Noble for keeping everything orderly as they directed each row of seats up to Ree for signature. The Barnes and Noble staff assured us that even if they were closing, that Ree Drummond wanted to make sure she had the chance to meet everyone. Store closed at 10pm, we finally reached Ree at 10:15pm. Even with a 3 hour wait, it was sooooo worth it! The Delightful Ms. Ree spent time with each and every person that came to see her; she held every baby, took pictures and signed the new book or any other of her cookbooks. She even signed my daughter’s tablet! We met some very nice people while we waited so it ended up to be an evening enjoyed by all.

Now about the book; it is just stunning. All the pictures of the ranch life and Ree's family, which she takes herself, are just breathtaking. This is the third book that Ree has released and it does not disappoint. This book, just like her other books, is easy to follow with clear pictures of various steps in the cooking process. I love the way she puts her thoughts to the pages of each section of the book. The colors are bright and the book will be easy to pick out from my bookshelf. There are 140 of Ree's recipes which are simple and elegant. They are great for someone who is just starting to learn how to cook or for the experienced cook and entertainer. No fussy, special ingredients are necessary; they are all accessible in your local grocery store. Even though the recipes are sectioned into various holidays, they are really great for anytime during the year. This book can be left out as a coffee table book for all to enjoy.

Thank you Ree for a wonderful evening and one of the most beautiful cookbooks I have ever seen.

Apple Picking in Autumn

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 24 Oct 2013 19:27:00 +0000


Photo Courtesy of Samantha Meyers

Autumn, what are the season's favorites that come to mind? Beautiful colors on the trees. Ahh it’s just breathtaking. Then there is the brisk air which is refreshing after the warm humid weather of summer. The last bounty of the summer harvest; tomatoes, squash and delicate basil are enjoyed before they have all but fallen back to sleep until Mother Nature wakes again in the spring. Most of all, there is the fun and frolic of apple picking.

My daughter enjoys apple picking with her friends. This year, she wanted to invite a small group of friends and have them back at the house for a party afterwards to enjoy their fruity treasures.

She gathered about four of her closest friends from school; most had never been apple picking before. They piled into our van and I drove them to the local orchard for their apple mission. They are old enough that I can just let them loose on the poor souls of the orchard, this way they were be able to enjoy their independence without adults hovering over them. I was surprised that they were finished in about an hour. A romp in the orchard was an activity enjoyed by all.

Since DD wanted to have all her girls back at the house for a bite. I decided I was going to make it easy on myself and make a Chili/Salad Bar. Everything was done the night before, chopping, cutting and salad dressing making. Yes, DD and I made four homemade salad dressings. If you decide to do a salad bar but salad dressing making is not for you, just use good quality bottled dressings. The next day all I had to do was put the ingredients for the chili in the slow cooker in the morning, turn it on and just walk away. When we got back, the aroma of chili spices permeated all through the house. Now all that was left was to put out the salad and all the toppings and let the eating commence. All the “fix'ins” were great for the chili, the salad, if they wanted to make a taco salad or on their own.

I cannot take all the credit for the idea. It was an inspiration from the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond that sparked this wonderful idea. I think I will be doing this from now on. It was easy to prepare and to execute. I was able to sit back and relax while the girls had a great time picking different toppings and going back for more. Any leftovers from the salad bar were “re-purposed” for during the week's dinner and lunches. Maybe next time, I’ll expand and include desert. Ice Cream sundae bar, who knows?
The picture below shows the spread that we all enjoyed.


Salad/Chili Bar

Garden of Eden

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:51:00 +0000

Wouldn't it be nice if everyone was able to grow their own vegetables. It would reduce our carbon foot print, provide nutritious vegetables to our families and save us money in the long run.

When I speak of gardening to my grandmother, who is 93, she remembers the Victory Gardens of WWI and WWII. At that time, the government asked all Americans to help the War effort; the Victory Garden was one of those contributions. After WWII, we were in the midst of prosperity. Our society became one of convenience and disposability. Most back yard gardens consisted rose bushes, shrubs and a beautiful manicured lawn.

Through the 1960's and up to 1981, we would rather go to the store and purchase our veggies from a shelf, rather than grow them ourselves. Our children did not even know where the vegetables came from let alone what type they were. During the 50's 60's and 70's it was rare that the vegetable garden became part of the family life, unless you were a hippie living on a commune. However, many Italian families (mine being one of them), still continued to provide the vegetables to their families from their garden for economic reasons.

As our society went through various economic upswings and decline, so did the family garden. Up until recently, fresh vegetables were left up to the large corporation farms. Slowly pushing out the small family farms who sold their land to real estate developers. Local farming began going the way of the wind.

According to "Sparkpeople - A Brief History of Vegetable Gardening", "White House gardens have always been a point of controversy. From the Roosevelt's, to the Clinton's and up to our current President Obama." In fear, that promoting home gardening would "hurt the American food industry". However, in 2009 the White House transformed part of the South Lawn to the current "White House Garden".

There became an up swing in the importance of local gardening and the procurement of local produce. Our society has become more aware of the tragic end to the local farmer and their wonderful produce that come in the summer heat. Not only have we now started growing our own produce in our back yards, we want to support the small local farms at local farmers markets, we have gotten involved in community farming in urban neighborhoods. Apartment dwellers are utilizing the rooftops of buildings to grow produce. Some communities have assisted in putting in vegetable gardens in local schools to educate children the importance of where their food comes from and the nutritional value of their diets. There are local CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture) for those who want to be involved by purchasing shares and/or volunteer their time on a farm, in return receive a weekly abundance of produce that has been harvested.

We need to teach our children that food just does not appear on the shelves or freezers of our local supermarket. They need to see the care that it takes to provide food to our communities and the importance of supporting local family farms.

I am far from a Master Gardener. I am only a beginner or novice gardener, but, I do enjoy picking a vine ripe tomato right from the plant during the heat of the summer. There is nothing like the satisfaction of putting something in the ground that is as small as the head of a pin just to watch it grow and mature into a plant the produces something so luscious.

You know it's summer when you see the vegetable/fruit stands on the side of the road selling their freshly grown produce. I am doing my part, I have planted some seeds and they have started to grow and mature. Follow my gardening page to see how things are going. I'm hoping for an abundance of a harvest. We will just have to wait and see. I'm going to try to keep a gardening diary of my successes and failures. Hopefully there will be more successes. Click on Gardening to follow along

Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 20:58:00 +0000

Happy Gobble Gobble Day everyone!

With Hurricane Sandy coming into our lives and then a Nor’easter storm on her tails, many of us were simply inconvenienced without power for a few days. But for those who have lost more, we must keep them in our thoughts and prayers.

These tragic events have brought to mind what we should appreciate the most and what we should really be thankful for. These events have brought our families, friends and communities closer together. It has made us realize that material things can be replaced or rebuilt, even though difficult, but it can be done. What cannot be replaced are our family members, friends and community and the love and support they bring.

This Thursday holiday, many will be sitting around the table looking at their families and saying a true Thanksgiving.

Many people are still going to have their Thanksgiving feast. Some families will have more members joining for the first time because they have been displaced. The stress of the holiday on a normal basis is enough to jump out a window, but now add the stress of new relatives and possibly the first time hosting the dinner, now you have a recipe for disaster. I recently received a tweet from a teacher wondering how to relieve some of the pressure you may feel. Here's a list of ideas:

1.    Take a deep breath. Don't take on more than you feel you can handle. Especially if it's your first time you’re hosting the dinner because your normal place of celebration has been displaced. People understand, even if you just cook a protein, one starch, a vegetable and a salad. People will be happy to just have the company of family and friends

2. If you want to go traditional, don't try new recipes. Now is not the time to field test a recipe. Most people like tradition when it comes to the holiday. Stay with the tried and true. If there is something traditional that you can't prepare, maybe the person that normally does it can come to your house and do it there if they are unable to do it their kitchen.

3. Prep ahead of time. Think of yourself as a restaurant. What do they do to be able to run smoothly? They prep, prep and more prep. Cut and clean as many of your vegetables ahead of time as possible. Make as many of the dishes a head of time. Foodnetwork.com has wonderful simple recipes that can be done in advance.   For mashed potatoes, wash and peel the potatoes (don't cut them up, they will be too waterlogged) then cover them in cold water overnight. All you will have to do the next day is cut them up and cook. Stuffing can be prepared a day ahead and put in a casserole dish. Take it out for about an hour to bring to room temp and then cook as you would normally. If your baking potatoes, use your microwave too cook, then coat them with vegetable or olive oil and put them in oven to crisp the skin.

4. ASK FOR HELP! If someone asks if they can bring something, SAY YES! I need a: side dishes salad, appetizer, dessert, even the turkey. My mother in law isn't a great cook, but I know who to call to make a roast turkey. Take advantage. Better yet, tell everyone to bring something, even if its napkins. Now is not the time to be a martyr. If they can't bring something, make them the packing up and cleanup crew. Teenagers are great for this. Get as many people involved as possible.

5. Not only can you ask your family and friends to help, but take help from the supermarket. If no one can do the turkey, order it.   Put a little of your own touch on a store bought items; top that out of the box apple pie with ice cream, whipped cream and drizzle some caramel topping on it. Or get a plain cheese cake and top with raspberry/strawberry preserves or drizzle chocolate shell ice cream topping on it and sprinkle on some pecans and make a turtle cheesecake. Use boxed stuffing and add sweet sausage and chopped apples.

6. If you have a lot of people coming, forget the good china. There are some great disposable dinnerware, flatware and glasses that can be purchased and there is no dish washing. Local dollar and discount stores offer great deals on disposable aluminum pans. USE THEM!

7. Roast, roast, roast. Carrots, string beans, cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts are great roasted. Toss with Olive Oil, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder and roast in a 425 oven until fork tender. Broccoli and string beans can then be tossed with balsamic vinegar. Top with chopped parsley and viola!

8. Gobble, Gobble. If you don't have a large oven, cook two small turkeys instead. Or one whole small bird for show but then have another one already cut up into parts. Or no turkey at all; most supermarkets are giving away hams as well as turkeys. They are already cooked. Brush it with maple syrup, cover and cook at 425, uncover, brush with more syrup and increase heat to 450 until top is crispy and the ham is heated through. Don't forget everyone likes baked ziti, serve it with a salad.

9. If you insist on using fine china and serving platters or even if you are using disposable as sit down or buffet; Set your table and set out all your serving pieces one or two nights before. This way your not running around last minute to try to find that gravy boat.

10. No need to stress. If all else fails.... call for reservations at a nice restaurant have everyone chip in or have the meal catered. I just spoke with a very close friend of mine. She works for the local electric company. Because of the storms she has been putting in 80 hour work weeks and she's not even sure she will have Thanksgiving off. Knowing that, she will not have time to cook, she decided to cater. There, no stress!

You want to enjoy your holiday and your company. Right now, no one needs any more stress. Not even the hostess with the mostess.

Have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!

Mid-Summer Night's Dream

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 06:19:00 +0000

We are now into our second week of August, where did the summer go. I feel as I get older time just goes by faster and when there are children, time goes by at warp speed. Isn't summer supposed to be the time when everything slows down to a snail's pace?

One of the magazine's that I read has a segment called "What do you like about this month?". I can honestly say that August brings the heat (not the part of the summer I enjoy at all), but with the heat it brings the bounty of all sorts of fresh fruits and vegetables. Some of which are great on the grill. Although a cold ripe plum or a warm sweet tomato plucked from the vine are the best during this time of year. It is about the freshness of the season and to get outside and enjoy the day. Usually around this time of year, I'm planning an outside get together with friends, but this year my attention has turned towards something different. Smoking! Not cigarettes or cigars, but ribs and pork loin.

My first attempt a couple of years ago was a pork butt for pulled pork, it came out ok. DH was not happy about the dark bark part the the pork. This years first attempt was pre-seasoned ribs from Costco. I made my own BBQ sauce. My only issue was the timing. I should have left them on for another hour. But they were quite yummy anyway.

When I planned on making the ribs, I started with almost a big "BANG", my workhorse of a grill decided that it didn't want hold the flame properly. So in costing out the repairs, it turned out it would be less expensive to purchase a new grill. I was sad to see the old one and the older one go (yes, I had two grills at once). I found a similar grill at Home Depot, but it doesn't have the rotisserie and I decided not to go with the one with the smoker believe it or not. It does however, have the sear burner, five burners and a side burner. Much more cooking area than the last. Which is great, I found out, for a beginner smoker like me! No special equipment needed.

Have you ever eaten something from a restaurant and said, gee I wish I could do that. One of my favorite foods is German cuisine, not really grill fare. Most people think of schniztle, which I have done at home numerous times, but I reiterate, not grill food.. Most people don't think of Kassler Ribchen (Smoked Pork Loin) as grill food either. Previously, the only place I was able to get this was at a restaurant or I had to buy it at a butcher close to my work. Well I don't work there any longer, he only carries it periodically for a small fortune and he is not convenient to get to. So with the craving in heart, I decided my only alternative was to try to make it myself.
.

Smoked Pork Loin (Kassler Ribchen)

And guess what? I was very successful. I was concerned because towards the end of the smoking time, a higher entity decided to bring on a rainstorm and I was afraid that it would cause the temperature to drop and ruin the pork. From what I was reading in the recipe, they advised if there was a problem with completing it in the smoker, I could finish this in the oven for 10 minutes at 450 degrees which I did, just to bring up the internal temperature of the pork to 145 degrees which is the perfect temp to keep this pork juicy. Along with the roast, I made Crockpot Baked Beans and Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream that would put any chocoholic into a sugar coma. I have listed all three recipes in the printable recipe section.

Just food for thought, I did not use any special type of smoker. I used my gas grill with the soaked hickory chips in aluminum foil. For all of you out there that thought you needed special equipment to get the job done, I say Ha! I hope you enjoy the recipes as much as my family did.

My next adventure is trying to make my own bacon. I already purchased the pork belly. So stay tuned for the next chapter of smoking.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 01:57:00 +0000

Wow, I haven't been on blogger in while. According to the website redesign it seems I've missed a lot. Well, I am going to commit to a few things. One of which will definitely be a more consistent blogger. I know, I know, I've said that before.

My idea of holding live feed cooking classes are still in the works, so don't get upset. As soon as they are available, I will be tweeting and letting you know when. Heck, you will even get the tweet about the try out class first.

I'm thinking about doing some revamping of my own. One of which is doing a Market Fresh section of my blog. This will include a review of the market, what is in season, a tip or information I get from the market and a recipe using the ingredients I've picked up.

Some of you may know I love to entertain and I know some of you do too, but you either don't have the experience, time to plan or have never done it before. I would love to help you with that. I would provide a "plan of action" to include a menu, shopping list, suggested platters or plates to show off your hard work and most importantly the recipes with a time line of when to do everything. However, there will be a fee for this service. I'm not sure how much it will be but it definitely will be affordable for the package. Most of my menus would definitely be simple and user friendly.

Please let me know what you think about both of these ideas. I would love the feed back before I start.

I will be going on short vacations in the near future. This will give me the opportunity to review various restaurants and share my vacation experiences with you.

So keep your twitter up to date and keep and eye out for the new stuff!

Four Generations

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 20:05:00 +0000

When I was born, I was lucky enough to be able to enjoy not only two full sets of grandparents but two full sets of great grandparents as well. There is longevity on my mother's side of the family, so both my mother's grandmothers were alive, Grandma S and Grandma N.

My Grandfather's mother, we'll call her Grandma N, for now, was from Poland and brought over many great traditional recipes. Two of which I grew up with were, Peirogies and Babbka. At that time, it was such a large family, so when my grandmother was a young bride, she would sit and help make these peirogies. They were a lot of work, making the dough, rolling the dough, grinding the meat, (yes, I said meat, I'll get back to that later), stuffing the dough, boiling the peirogies, packaging for the freezer (if there are any left!).

After my Great Grandmother passed away, my Grandmother continued to make these wonderful Polish dumplings.
We were now a smaller family, but the peirogies are still a lot of work no matter how many people are in the family. So she would make these once a year with my mother and I. The meat would be hand ground with a crank meat grinder and the dough would be kneaded and rolled by hand. Each little round dumpling stuffed and sealed by hand and each one a work of art unto it's self. The way I can describe them, they look like an Italian Tortelloni. My Grandmother had the patience of completing the task by herself after I would loose interest and say I didn't want to do it any more.

Well time wore on, my Mom and Grandmother sold the house and moved into a condo. But where did the hand crank grinder go to make the peirogies? No one knew, at first we thought it was given to my Uncle but he said "no, he had no use for it". Then they resigned themselves to the fact it may have been thrown away in the move. So from that point on, no more peirogies. You see, the meat has be a specific grind. It can't be too course and it can't be too smooth like a paste. The grinders were so expensive that we were just never able to replace it. How will life be without those wonderful pillows of stuffed dough with oniony meat, fried in butter. Just the thought makes me want to cry.

A couple of years ago, my mom gave me the commercial KitchenAid standing mixer. My husband bought the grinder attachment. A few times I made homemade ground hamburgers. The grinder comes with two dies, course and small.

Before the Christmas Holidays, I was sitting with my mother and grandmother (who is now 93) talking about the peirogies. I said we should try using my meat grinder on the mixer to see how they would come out. So we had a plan in place. They would have to drive to me and we would have to do it at my house. From that point, I started saving all my leftover roasts and putting them in the freezer.

A couple of weeks ago, mom calls me and said you need to buy this, this and this and we're coming up to make the pierogies. My heart leapt with excitement to know my daughter will now be able to be part of a family tradition from her Great, Great Grandmother, how priceless.

We ground the meat through the electric food grinder, perfect. I made the dough in the standing mixer, perfect, we cut out the rounds with a glass they way it's supposed to be, stuffed them all by hand, boiled them, buttered them, and packaged a total of 450 pierogies in one day. My daughter had a hand in every step of the process with never a complaint of being bored, unlike her mother.

We all sat around the table, my Grandmother, Mother, Daughter and myself stuffing these pillows of goodness and telling stories about family relatives, talking about family gossip and cherishing the time that four generations sat at the same table and were able to share this meaningful tradition together.

My mother and grandmother were happy to leave with her little treasure bundles, some to give to my uncle and some to keep for themselves. My daughter is also very lucky to be able to share four generations during her life and gift of a tradition was given to her that she will always remember and cherish and someday share with her daughter.
Next time you make something, maybe it's a cake, a roast or whatever it is, share it with your kids and/or grandchildren, because you never know what will turn out to be a handed down tradition in your family.
I'm sorry there is no recipe attached to this post. We hold dear certain recipes that are not allowed outside the family. But I can tell you that next time you enjoying a bowl of Tortelloni pasta remember the story of the "Four generations"
Easter is coming, I have been given the task of making Grandma N's Babbka, only made during this time of year.
Happy Easter and Happy Passover All!

Happy New Year!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 03:57:00 +0000

Well the old year is gone and the new year is here. For some, they are happy the old is gone, for the fact that there is hope for the future of the new year to come. I wish everyone a happy and healthy new year. If you are one of the ones hoping for a better year to come, my blessing and prayers are with you in hope that dream comes true. For those who are happy the way last year went, I wish you continued blessings.

We generally like to avoid the craziness of going out, so instead we like to celebrate by ourselves at home. In the past however, we used to have a huge New Years Day brunch which I enjoyed hosting. Over the past few years, that has dwindled to having a few close friends for dinner. This year, they were unable to come, so we had a relaxing day to ourselves.

In many cultures, there are special dishes served on New Years Day in order to ring in prosperity and good fortune. For many who come from the south, it would be black eyed peas and rice, called "hoppin' john", in other cultures, such as Greece, Mexico, and Holland, a circular cake is prepared to symbolize the completion of the year, In China, Poland and Germany, Fish is served to symbolize a long and healthy life as well as the scales symbolize prosperity. In Italy, Lentils are served also to symbolize prosperity in the up coming year.

Since I am of Italian decent, I made Lentils with Parsley and Garlic Sausage over rice. A little combination of Italian and the hoppin' john tradition. Since the lentils are round they symbolize coins and to reinforce the wish for prosperity, I also cut the sausage in rounds and cooked them in with the lentils. Along with the tradition of the dish, it also happens to be extremely filling. It is a great dish to serve on a cold evening with crispy bread and a green salad. Check it out on my printable recipe page.

And yes, I did make this in my new Cuisinart Crock pot. I hope you have had the chance to check out the
Williams and Sonoma page.

Well, classes start up again this week. Another six weeks of grueling studying. We are also awaiting word of acceptance for private school for my daughter. So the next few weeks are going to be stressful but exciting.

What a way to start the new year!

Christmas and all it's glory

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 02:39:00 +0000

Well the rush of the season has come and in the midst of going. Everyone I speak to says the same thing, it came so fast. Yes, Virginia, Christmas does come the same time of year, every year, but it just seems that the time goes by faster and faster each year. As usual, it was Christmas Eve at my stepsisters house in her newly and beautifully renovated kitchen (I'm so jealous) then Christmas and a extra few days at mom's house. It was very nice. I even got to see friends I haven't seen in a couple of years.

My daughter and I were in charge of bringing some dessert and a dinner dish to my stepsister's house. So I made sausage and peppers, my daughter made her wonderful Red Velvet cupcakes. I also made mini strawberry cheesecakes and lemon crunch bars. The cheesecakes came out so creamy and rich that I will be making them again. And yes, being that you asked, I will most definitely post the recipe along with the icing. But you will have to wait until the weekend, sorry.

My daughter only asked for literally (4) things from Santa, so it was somewhat easy to oblige. Her biggest request was the new Xbox 360 with Kinnect. Thank goodness for Santa Grandma and Elf G-ma. So I had one happy girl. BUT, the biggest kicker was what she bought for me; this wonderful Cuisinart 4 in 1 slow cooker and paid for it herself. This gift is unbelievable. The only thing she said is she wants a meal cooked from cooker for every dollar she spent, so I guess she will be getting something out of the slow cooker each day over the next year! No honestly, this slow cooker does pretty much everything except for food shopping. It roasts, sautes, steams and slow cooks. It's great to brown meats then switch to roast or slow cook. No more extra pots. The weekend she gave it to me, I made an incredible roast beef; not pot roast. Thank you Cuisinart. Now I need a new food processor and a emulsion blender. Hmmm which first. My food processor is the second Black and Decker and was not meant for the abuse it takes when my daughter makes her Oreo truffles, so I am torn between the Cuisinart 12-16 cup or the new Kitchen Aid. Hey, if any head honcho's out there from either company is reading this, I'm up to doing reviews, hint, hint. Here's the link if you want to see it http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/cuisinart-multicooker/?pkey=cpressure-rice-slow-cookers .

I know I haven't been consistent in blogging, I promise it will get better and more recipes will be added. Since I'm a beginner, I'm doing the balancing act of family, work, school and blogging. But please stick with me, it will get better I promise.

During my time at mom's, one of the things we do is we take my daughter and my 16 year old cousin for a " girls lunch". For the past couple of years, we have been going to the Grand Lux Cafe. They are an affiliate of the Cheesecake Factory. The Grand Lux has different items on their menu but it is still the same high standards and beautifully presented food. If you get the chance go to have a lunch there, you won't be sorry. I will put a full review under my review section.

There is some Flint news so check it out.

Well, now see, sometimes it's worth waiting. You get more bang for the buck and more words on a page.

Anyway, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and please have a safe and prosperous New Year. Eat lentils, the Italians believe it will bring good luck and prosperity.

Sorry it's been too long

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 04:57:00 +0000

I'm very sorry I haven't posted in awhile. Unfortunately, sometimes life as we know it gets in the way of other commitments. I know, I know, I missed posting about the snow storm of October, Halloween, Thanksgiving and the beginning of the Christmas season. Well, I'm here and ready to post. Check out the "Flint News" and the new recipe for Pork Roast with Apple Butter Gravy, yummmm! I was hoping to get my classes up and running by October, but it looks like it's going to be closer to January, sorry guys. The one thing that's good waiting so long is how much I have to say.

First thing I want to talk about is brining. Has anyone brined anything? pork, turkey, a chicken maybe? No? Don't be afraid, once you do it, you might actually do it more often. Brining is the process similar to marinading.. Putting meat in a liquid to impart flavor. The difference between the two is; marinating, you are trying to penetrate the flavor of your marinade all through your protein. Brining, on the other hand, you are not trying to impart a flavor profile as much as keeping your protein moist and juicy. My favorite protein to brine is pork, which is what I did today. The one thing about brining is, you want to make sure you have enough time for the meat to soak in the liquid. I will give you the recipe I used, but there are many great recipes for different kinds of brines. So check them out, find one you like. Don't be afraid, you never know, you might just end up brining your next Thanksgiving turkey.

The next thing I want to mention and I think everyone could benefit from this. My lovely co-worker mentioned something she does for her family at dinner that I think I'm going start making a habit. She put's out a platter of some kind of fruit on the table with and as part of her dinner. I will actually starting doing this on a daily basis. However, I will be putting out the fruit before and keep it out with the dinner. Since we are all trying to eat healthier and since they all love to pick while I'm making dinner, this will be a great way for my family to get some of their fruit. I might actually include some cucumbers and carrots. The other benefit will be to possibly cut down on the portion sizes of dinner. So this week I have pineapple and cantaloupe.

The last thing I want to mention is, it is the holiday season. I know we are all running around with the season of stress. Shopping for parties and family, baking, decorating on top of the normal family life. I'm sure you hear this all the time about those less fortunate. One question that I have for you is this..... why is it that we should only remember the less fortunate during the holidays, why should it not be year round. I was kind of reminded of this today in church when they discussed their "Giving tree". Where you select a label of the gender and age of a child to buy them a gift. Besides the actual gift for the holiday, doesn't that child also have basic needs throughout the year? Something to think about. I was also reminded today when we went to a function for "People and Paws" hosted by our local animal shelter. Along with people in need, there are those who depend on us fully to provide for them, animals in shelters. These are helpless creatures that have absolutely no control over their circumstances. I plead to you to get involved more with your local shelters by donating food, old blankets, maybe time, if your able or financially, again only if your able. We are starting to coupon for food to be donated to the local shelter. One thing to keep in mind this season. It's always exciting to get a new puppy or kitten for Christmas, I know, I've been there. But just remember a few things, a puppy or kitten is a huge commitment. Make sure you have the time, the dedication and discipline to give this new addition to your family. Yes, just like a baby, it's a new addition, because let's face it... it is a baby, just not human. You don't want to go through a heart wrenching act of adding to your local shelter by donating your new addition, if you know what I mean. If you don't want to go through all the puppy/kitten stuff, consider an older shelter dog/cat that would fit into your life style. These older animals want and need a loving home. There are some great animals that need help, they just were in bad circumstances and need your understanding to get them through their difficult time. You have the opportunity to change that. We were blessed to get Flint when he was five, he is a wonderful loving dog and we are happy to provide a spoiled lifestyle for his later years. I hope you consider the same.

Just remember New Year's resolutions don't have to be; to go on a diet, get more exercise, or even to give up smoking It could be as simple as being more patient with someone who is difficult, getting more involved with your church, temple or charity of your choice, helping a neighbor in need, or even writing a letter to someone who needs some words of encouragement. Resolutions are about change, sometimes changes to self improve, but I think we tend to forget, that we can change ourselves by doing good for others. This is a priceless route to self improvement.

Enough ranting. I said what I have to say.

I encourage you to send me an email to let me know what your resolutions are and your progress on them. Also on a lighter note please offer up some recipes for me to try and I will give it shot and post those pictures of my successes.

This weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:35:00 +0000

As usual it was a busy weekend. What I thought was going to be a quiet Sunday, turned out to be food shopping. It's a shame, when the foodie has no food in the house. So I bribed my daughter into going with me to Stop and Shop. I told her she could be in charge of the scanner gun while we shop. I don't normally go to Stop and Shop, they are more expensive than Shoprite. BUT, they had some great 10 for $10 sales. Just as a little aside and a great tip: I do not shop for vegetables in the supermarket, I go to a local vegetable store. The fruit and vegetables are always fresh and bright and the best thing is when I spend $30 (which is always) I get free eggs! Free is always good. So check out YOUR local vegetable store to see if they have any offers like that. Maybe you'll get free milk which is always great too. If they don't have something, talk to the manager to see if they would be interested in putting something like that in place. It would bring in more customers for them and you possibly get something for free.
After almost two weeks of not cooking, I finally made a pot of soup. My family loved it. It was called Sausage Minestrone Soup, click here to get a printable version. Unfortunately, we don't have pictures of this one. But I promise, next time I will.
The last thing I want to mention, my little wish for a local Penzy's came true as a surprise. I love getting the Penzy Spice catalogue, but I'm not a fan about mail order stuff. I want it and I want it NOW! When my daughter and I were at the mall the other day, guess what? They opened a Penzy's right in our mall. How great it that?! I was so excited because now I can get high end spices and spice mixes without waiting.
Well, until next time. Oh and I hope you have signed up with your email so this way we can notify you about those classes I'm working on.

Signing Up!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 03:51:00 +0000

As you can see we added a spot to enter your email address. Now, this is very important because I am getting closer and closer to getting classes up and running. When you put in your email, you will be on the list and one of the first ones to find out when the classes will be available. You will be "in the know"!. So go ahead and give me your email. When the classes are available, I will be able to email you to tell you the exciting news. Once you receive the email, you can check the class information section of the blog to find out how to sign up and join in on the fun. Also, if you have tried the recipes, let me know what you think and how you made out. I'm interested in the feed back. If you are interested in seeing something specific for a class, let me know about that too! I look forward to meeting you all.

Chicken Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:07:00 +0000

Cooler weather and cold/flu season is coming and you want to have something warm and comforting so you ask; What is the best way to make chicken soup? Invest in a pressure cooker, you can do what would normally take all day in about 30-45 minutes.

My little girl had a cold this weekend and the best thing for this is good old "Jewish peniclin" - Chicken soup (click here for printable). But I have papers do for classes and didn't have time to babysit a pot of soup. Also, when I just put the raw chicken in the pot to boil and cook, I don't get that wonderfully rich flavor (we call that "chicken shadow soup, when the shadow of the chicken passes over the water). I have discovered that I can make the best chicken soup with to two major things:

Rotiserie chicken (store bought)
and the Pressure cooker.

I will put the details of the recipe in the recipe section. But just imagine, wonderfully rich, homemade soup in about an hour. Yummm.

Oh, and I didn't forget about the sausage and pepper recipe, I have papers due remember?

Last Nights Dinner - Sausage and Peppers, YUMMMM!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 16:09:00 +0000

I have been working on homework for classes that I am taking and haven't had the chance to add last night's recipe. I will be able to add it later tonight. So look for the recipe with the pictures and updated Flint News.

Check out the newest Flint News!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 18:31:00 +0000

click here Can you find Flint?

Secret Seasoning, Ssshhhhh

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:46:00 +0000

In the list of ingredients I always list Secret Seasoning . A printable copy of the ingredients are available. I use this on everything.

Tonights Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 02:14:00 +0000

There's a second recipe up from tonight's dinner. Swedish Meatballs, check it out.
I hope you enjoy it. Click on recipes and you can see the photos or print a copy to take with you.

Check out my review section

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:40:00 +0000

I've updated the review section, check it out with the first review!

First recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 01:18:00 +0000

Well, I'm posting my first recipe, including pictures. It is for Pork Chops with Mexican Salsa Verde. It is flavored with wonderful Mexican flavors of garlic, tomatillos, cilantro, and lime. I served it with butter and herb rice, glazed carrots and a beautiful green salad with fresh peppers from our garden. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family did. I want to thank my daughter, Samantha and my husband for helping with the pictures. I think Samantha has a future in being a food stylist/photographer. This recipe is on the recipe page with pictures for the various steps

Pork Chops in Salsa Verde

For Printable Recipe click here

Test from phone

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 20:07:00 +0000

Just wanted to see this worked

First post going live!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 21:49:00 +0000

Hey everyone, This is the first post of my blog. While I work on getting involved with doing a real -time cooking class with you, I will be bringing you some tips and tricks for the kitchen, maybe a few recipes, great information that I learn and can pass onto you. I look forward to helping you have fun in the kitchen.