There is a NEW MEME in town

Joy at Joy of Desserts is hosting a new meme.
Head on over and check out the rules!

1. Almond Macaroons

2. Coconut Macaroons

3. Apple Pie

4. Peach Pie

5. Peach Cobbler

6. Black Forest Cake

7. Apple Tart

8. Tiramisu

9. Belgian Waffles

10. Ice Cream of all types

11. Macademia Nut Cookies

12. Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

13. Cherry Clafouti

14. Lemon Curd

15. Candied Blueberries

16. Bread Pudding

17. Tapioca

18. Creme Brule

19. Pumpkin Pie

20. Brioche Egg Bread

21. Lemon Bundt Cake

22. Parfait

23. Cheesecake

24. Brownies

25. Maple Fudge

26. Chocolate Mouse

27. Pates de Fruit (Real Fruit Jellies)

28. Gingerbread

29. Madeleines

30. Boston Cream Cake

31. Berry Shortcake

32. Pecan Pie

33. Pot de Creme

34. Marzipan

35. Mexican Hot Chocolate

36. Compotes

37. Beignets

38. Applesauce Kugel

39. Truffles

40. Crepes

41. Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

42. Blintzes

43. Eclair

44. Mille Feuilles (Napoleons)

45. Palmiers (Elephant Ears)

46. Chiffon Cake

47. Buche de Noel (Yule Log)

48. Lemon Meringue Pie or Key Lime Pie

49. Pound Cake

50. Cream Puffs (Petits Choux)

51. Turnovers (Chaussons)

52. Tartelettes aux Poires (Pear Tartelettes)

53. Mocha au Cafe

54. Cornets a la Creme (Cream Horns)

55. Glazed Strawberry Pie

56. Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

57. Magic cookie bars

58. Banana Cream Pie

59. Dump Cake

60. Baked Alaska

61. Dirt Cake

final blog signature.

Tropical Glazed Roast Chicken

TROPICAL GLAZED ROAST CHICKEN

1 Whole Chicken
kosher salt & pepper
16 oz. can*
1 Bartles & Jaymes Tropical Mango Malt Ale
2-3 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup apricot pineapple jam or plain apricot
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons ground mustard
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray can with PURE.


Rinse and pat dry chicken. Tuck wings on the chicken. Puncture large fat deposits at top of thighs and breasts. Pat kosher salt and pepper onto chicken.

Fill can ½ full of Tropical Mango malt ale. Drink the rest. Spray 9 inch baking dish with PURE. Stand chicken over can in 9 inch baking dish.

Set oven shelf to lowest position.

Roast chicken 90 minutes OR until internal temperature is 140 degrees.

While chicken is cooking whisk cornstarch and water together until there are no lumps – set aside. Bring remaining ingredients to a simmer in a medium saucepan until reduced and thickened to about ¾ cup, 6-8 minutes.

Remove chicken from oven and increase heat to 500 degrees.

Slowly whisk cornstarch mix into glaze and simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Place 1 cup water in saute’ pan and place in bottom of oven. Return chicken to oven for 15 minutes more.

Remove chicken and brush with ⅓ of glaze.** Return to oven until glaze is browned and sticky. About 10-15 minutes.

Remove from oven and brush with another ⅓ cup of glaze. Let rest 20 minutes.

Strain drippings and add to remaining glaze over low heat until heated through and use as gravy. I like to serve with mashed potatoes.

Recipe works really well on chicken legs too. If using these, foil tent the pan with the legs and can of ale for first 60 minutes to infuse the flavor.

*I use a green bean can that I put in the dishwasher after each use and reuse for future chickens. I like it better because of the more substantial than a beer can and supports the chicken throughout the cooking time.

**If glaze has become stiff, return to heat for a few minutes to soften.

final blog signature.

Buttermilk Bread

BUTTERMILK BREAD
1 1/2 pound loaf

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
3 1/4 cups unbleached flour
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

The beauty of bread machines is they always want the same layering.
Liquids
Butter chunks & Honey
Flour, salt & baking soda
Yeast


The key to any good bread is using quality fresh ingredients.
Just remember, garbage in is garbage out.
Let your bread maker do the rest!
Don’t forget to come back and join us for the Bread Round Up on October 15th.

Try these too:

Sausage Gravy for Biscuits & Gravy

1 package Jimmy Dean bulk sausage
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper or more to your personal taste
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 3/4 cups whole milk
3/4 cups whipping cream

  • Brown the sausage in a skillet until crisp and crumbled.
  • Drain grease from sausage ans set aside.
  • Add butter to skillet and with a flat edged spatula scrape up ALL those little bits of sausage so they can flavor your gravy as it cooks.
  • Reduce the heat and add flour, stirring constantly until absorbed by butter and golden.
  • Slowly add first the milk and then the cream, stirring constantly until mixture thickens.
  • Add sausage pieces back in and heat through.
  • Serve over White Cheddar Biscuits.
  • We like to add a scrambled egg on top of the biscuit before the gravy.
  • Enjoy!

final blog signature.

Homemaking September Shape Up ~ Deep Cleaning & a really productive day

Barbara over at Candy Hearts and Paper Flowers has been helping us shape up our homes during the month of September. And while I know she will get to these things as the month progresses, I thought in the spirit of the theme, I’d share what I did today.

Last night we experienced our 4th (that I know of) frost and so when today turned out cool, brisk and clear (at least it started that way) I decided to undertake the major fall deck transformation. Here in the north woods we get a significant amount of snow so I always put away EVERYTHING versus just covering it. Thank God for the barn!

So this morning I started with:

  • Straightening the barn and making room for everything.
  • Then I tore apart the BBQ and ran all the pieces (grills, grease traps, tools and burners) through the dishwasher.
  • I picked up all the various sprinklers, hand nozzles, trowels, plant supports, rakes and shovels and put them away.
  • Then I made sure the lawn mower and trimmers were put away too.
  • I emptied the dogs pool and scrubbed it clean with soap and water and set it aside to dry.
  • Then I drug and I do mean drug (I think they gained weight over the summer) all the lawn furniture into the middle of the yard and rinsed them off.
  • While everything was drying I collected all the summer lawn stakes and bird feeders (we use only suet hangers in the winter) and put those away too.
  • I got out the fall lawn stakes and my stacking pumpkins. I’ll leave the rest of the Halloween decorations till next month. These are just my harvest ones.
  • When the lawn furniture and dog’s pool were dry I drug them up to the barn and put them away.
  • After the dishwasher finished I put the BBQ back together, covered it and stored it in the barn also.

These two didn’t help at all either – spoiled brats – LOL – this is all they did while I was out there with them.

I tracked a lot of stuff into the house and then had to vacuum too! While I was on a roll I drug out the shop vacuum and did the basement stairs and basement too! WHEW! I’m tired and it’s only lunch time.

We ended up with a surprise visitor(Eric) for the week so I’m editing my menu plan quite a bit and am making Taco Ring Salad tonight. I decided while I was at it I’d do enough meat to freeze 1/2 for the meal during the Christmas gang’s visit. So all in all it was a VERY productive day!

final blog signature.

Scrumptious Sunday ~ National Rice Month ~ Cranberry Rice Pilaf & Chicken Alfredo Rice Casserole


Scrumptious Sunday hosted by Meredith at Mercedes Rocks

CHICKEN ALFREDO RICE CASSEROLE
1 cup alfredo sauce
scant 1/2 cup milk
1 can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon minced garlic, jar
2 tablespoons Classico sun-dried tomato pesto
2 1/2 cups cooked rice* (white, brown or wild – your choice)
2 cups chicken, cooked (I like to grill it) and cubed
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried basil, revived
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon butter, melted
3/4 cup italian bread crumbs

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a large bowl combine milk and alfredo sauce. Blend until smooth.
  • Add rice, chicken, basil, cheese and tomatoes and stir well.
  • Transfer to a PURE sprayed baking dish.
  • Bake covered for 30 minutes.
  • Mix melted butter and bread crumbs. Sprinkle on top.
  • Bake another 20 minutes uncovered until crumbs are golden.
  • Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

*1 cup uncooked rice equals approximately 3 cups cooked rice

TRIVIA TIP: According to Better Homes & Gardens May 2008, the first recipe for chicken and rice casserole appeared in the 1896 Fannie Farmer’s The Boston Cooking School Cookbook.

CRANBERRY RICE PILAF
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 small bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup sliced and chopped mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup craisins
1/2 cup brown rice
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
1 cup water

  • Melt butter in a 3 quart saucepan
  • Saute’ onions and celery until tender.
  • Add mushrooms, thyme, salt and pepper and cook 2 minutes more.
  • Add bouillon, water and mix well.
  • Add rice and heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until rice is tender.
  • Add crasins and cook 5 minutes more.

Homemaking September Shape Up ~ Family Dinners & Holidays, Organizing for a crowd

Barbara over at Candy Hearts and Paper Flowers is hosting the Homemaking September Shape-up. It’s an all around comprehensive house to home style of posts to help us get our homes and lives whipped into shape.

She asked me to write some guest posts for the kitchen section and I’m so excited to help her kick off this whole idea.

FAMILY DINNERS & HOLIDAYS, ORGANIZING FOR A CROWD

I’m going to have a houseful for the Christmas holidays so I will use that as my example.

Besides menu planning and doing everything you can to organize, my best advice is to use cutting boards to aid in stacking items in the refrigerator and use cookie sheets as lids in the oven so you can stack multiple dishes on each shelf and have room for the Turkey or Ham and all your side dishes so they’ll all be ready at the same time.

For a crowd that will be around for an extended amount of time, I also try to prepare dishes in advance and freeze them when possible so that I don’t spend all my ‘visiting time’ in the kitchen. I may have spent the better part of a day cooking now, but it was well worthwhile as it will save me tons of time while my company is here.

So to recap:
1) Menu Plan
2) Organize
3) Pre-make as much as possible
4) Stay organized or at least reorganize as necessary

for example:
12/17 ~ Spaghetti Bolegnese & Garlic Bread (sauce was made today and frozen)*
12/18 ~ Winter Soup & Beer Bread (soup was made today and frozen)
12/19 ~ Crock Pot Lasagne & Garlic Bread (sauce was made today and frozen)*
12/20 ~ Everything but the Kitchen Sink Soup & Buttermilk Biscuits & honey (soup made today and frozen)
12/21 ~ Garlic Shrimp Pasta
12/22 ~ Chicken Cacciatore (sauce made today and frozen)*
12/23 ~ Meatloaf Muffins & Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes
12/24 ~ Pot Roast & Veggies & Mashed Potatoes & Corn Flake Wreaths & Peanut Butter Bourbon Balls
12/25 ~ Rum Raisin Glazed Ham, Holiday Carrot Casserole, Garlic Smashers, Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie
12/26 ~ Chicken Enchiladas and Chile Cornbread (enchiladas made today and frozen)
12/27 ~ CORN (Clean Out Refrigerator Night)
12/28 ~ Lemon Lime Pepper Chicken & Cranberry Rice Pilaf (Rice made today and frozen)
12/29 ~ Taco Ring Salad
12/30 ~ Out for mom’s 69th birthday
12/31 ~ Chicken Fried Chicken with Peppered Gravy & Mashed Potatoes
1/1 ~ Creamy Tomato Soup & Cheddar Cheese Biscuits
1/2 ~ Stuffed Shells & Garlic Bread (Shells made today and frozen)
1/3 ~ CORN
1/4 ~ Meatloaf with a kick & Maple glazed carrots
1/5 ~ out on the way to the airport

All the meals that aren’t already prepared have been proportioned out and seasoned before freezing so they’re immediately ready after thawing.

Now I’ve given you a rather large example, so think how easy it will be to do just a Sunday family dinner after church? All the same principles apply just in a smaller proportion.

*I’m using the same sauce on all of these so I made a HUGE batch which will save me soooooooooooooooooooooooooo much time!!

final blog signature.

Homemaking September Shape Up ~ Kitchen Cabinets

I’m so embarassed, but promised Barbara I’d post these. Even me, the obsessive compulsive neatnik can let things go a tad too long! I found tops with no matching bottoms and vice versa – they all went for the donation box. I put the more seldom used pieces towards the rear and in the the big tote out of the way and the pieces I use almost daily towards the front and on top. Maybe we can get it to stay this way. Yeah right, LOL.

final blog signature.

Homemaking September Shape Up ~ Cooking with Kids

Barbara over at Candy Hearts & Paper Flowers is hosting the Homemaking September Shape-up. It’s an all around comprehensive house to home style of posts to help us get our homes and lives whipped into shape.

She has asked me to write some guest posts for the kitchen section and I’m so excited to help her kick off this whole idea.

COOKING WITH KIDS

My most recent experience of cooking with kids was with my girl scouts on some simple tasks or the time with Amber this summer. What readily comes to my mind is my grandma teaching me way back when. She’d let me wear her apron which she so cleverly converted into a size that fit me pretty well. Then she would bring a kitchen chair over to the counter and let me climb up on it. She would let me help her do simple measurements or read her the recipe (that she already knew by heart, but wanted me to learn to understand) or stir pancake batter. When she taught me to measure it was EXACT. You used a table knife to level off the top of the measuring cup. She also taught me how to make the best cakes with double sifting. These days they say you don’t need to sift, but I feel I get a better texture and moister cake by still sifting.

No matter how old they are, kids want to help in the kitchen and we should be glad and welcome their eagerness. Much of our life revolves around food and cooking in one way or another and boys as well as girls should learn at the very least, the basics. As Barbara pointed out, even finicky eaters become better eaters when they are a part of the process of making their own food.

You can include children of all ages in any food preparation. Just be aware of their capabilities and base their tasks on that. For example, every kid wants to wield the meat cleaver, but probably shouldn’t.

Start their tasks with simple ones like learning to measure correctly, snapping beans, washing vegetables, measuring rice, when to add the different ingredients and even simple things like cracking an egg which can certainly be messy, but every kid wants to do it! Grandma taught me to crack eggs into a separate bowl instead of directly into a recipe which turned out to be a very valuable lesson. You can always pick out egg shells if the only thing in the bowl is a single egg, but you don’t want to be doing it from a bowl with all your cookie makings in it. There was a point when I was using farm fresh eggs and let’s just say I was certainly glad I still used that separate bowl for eggs or my whole cookie batch would have needed to be tossed out. Kids can roll dough or meat into cookies or meatballs. They can use a fork to criss cross the tops of peanut butter cookies. Teaching them to clean up as they go will also be a benefit in so much of their life! If all goes well, this will also bleed over into cleaning up their toys and/or rooms.

As for that meat cleaver task at hand, you can take turns so that their tasks don’t involve the sharp implements, but yours do. Most importantly make it fun for you and them. The more fun they have, the more likely they are to want to learn more and more.

final blog signature.

Favorite Ingredient Friday ~ Green Bean Salad


GREEN BEAN SALAD

3/4 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

  • Cook green beans in boiling water until tender crisp.
  • Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again.
  • Whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper.
  • Toss vegetables together. Pour oil mixture over and toss again.
  • Chill
  • Season with fresh squeezed lemon, salt and pepper just before serving.

final blog signature.

Homemaking September Shape Up ~ Techniques to make Week Day Meals Easier

Barbara over at Candy Hearts & Paper Flowers is hosting the Homemaking September Shape-up. It is a comprehensive house to home style of posts to help us get our homes and lives whipped into shape.

She has asked me to write some guest posts for the kitchen section and I’m so excited to help her kick off this whole idea.

TECHNIQUES TO MAKE WEEK DAY MEALS EASIER

There are many ways to make your life easy to still have made from scratch recipes every day of the week and not resort to hamburger helpers or take out.

By having a menu plan ahead of time you can get organized whenever you have the time. When I do the shopping I buy in bulk to cut the cost and since I have my menu plan ahead of time, I break down the bulk package into meal appropriate sizes before freezing when I get home. During the winter, I like to spend Sunday afternoons preparing for the week’s meals. If I know we’re heading into a particularly busy time I always make double batches and freeze half for another meal. There are times we literally eat out of the freezer for the whole week, but they are all homemade meals.

Remembering to defrost your meat is key to easy meal preparation on weekdays. The most time consuming part of cooking with fresh ingredients every night of the week is the chopping and preparation of vegetables. If you are sticking to your meal plan you can do these all at once. For example if you are going to need a 1/2 cup chopped onion for each of 3 meals, then choose a large onion and chop the entire onion, storing it in Tupperware and taking out what you need for each meal as you need it. I also gather together the seasonings for each meal and have them ready to go.

The key here is to be able to start cooking immediately and just add ingredients without having to do chopping and prepping.

To recap:

  1. Menu Plan
  2. Defrost Meat
  3. pre-chop vegetables
  4. pre-measure seasonings
  5. pre-set table when/where possible
  6. prepare double batches when appropriate

final blog signature.