Category: MISC

PRODUCT REVIEW ALERT! BE ON THE LOOK OUT!

I love shopping online with CSN and you can too.  It so easy and they have so many wonderful name brand products to choose from.  Whether you are looking for cheap bedroom furniture, lights, TV stands, dining room furniture or cookware  they have it all. 

I have to say they have an awesome customer service team also!  I just spoke with a gentleman this morning who went the extra mile as well as above and beyond the scope of his duties to fix a problem with FEDEX delivery.  It wasn’t even really a CSN problem, but he fixed it for me anyway.  YAY CSN!!

Look for my review of these wonderful Emerilware cast iron pans in the very near future. I truly wonder how I ever got along without them! I have several new recipes that I’m dying to try and the cast iron will be the perfect vehicle for several of them.
 
Just to remind you, CSN Stores has over 1 million products and that number is constantly rising. Not only is their product catalog growing but they’re adding new stores like www.luxebycsn.com. You can literally spend all day looking for the perfect product at CSN.stores.  Thank you CSN.stores for being so generous to the blogworld and allowing us to help spread the word.

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Fire Day Friday: Banana Nut Bread

Wait….what in the heck does Fire Day Friday and bread have in common?

Bread has been around since the Neolithic era, how do you reckon they made bread back then? No, they did not have fancy stand mixers with bread hooks, instant yeast, bread machines, and convection ovens. It may have been the Stone Age but they didn’t have stoneware. They had the best cooking element ever…..FIRE!

But they didn’t have a Big Green Egg either, so I’ll let it slide if you make this one in your oven. But Alexis is having fun with her Egg and this is one she made for the boys last weekend. It is one of their favorites.

Alexis’ Gelded Banana Nut Bread
Adapted from www.cookingbread.com

3 ripe bananas, peeled and broken into pieces
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 eggs, beaten (they were bad, they deserved it)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour (or all-porpoise flour if you like that marine mammal flavor)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp fresh ground cinnamon

Mix the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar all together. Add in the eggs and mix until smooth.

The buttermilk and vanilla are feeling left out so put them in, too. Get them well mixed. Let’s let the bananas into the party too, mix them in.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Pour into the butter/sugar/sugar/egg/buttermilk/vanilla/banana mixture. (Yes I could have said something like the “wet mixture” but we get paid by the word here at Our Krazy Kitchen.) [Totally kidding there, we don’t get paid but we have a great health and dental plan.]

Where was I? Oh yeah, mix all that together.

Now pour all of that happy mixture into one greased 9 x 5 loaf pan or a 4 mini-loaf stoneware thing like this.

Place in at preheated wood fired ceramic oven or other oven of your choice and bake at 350f for 55-60 minutes. It’s done when a test skewer pulls out cleanly.

Allow to rest on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Slice and serve.

Delicious of Neolithic proportions. Can ya tell I’m proud of my awesome wife?

Sicilian Meatloaf

I love meatloaf. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I. Love. Meatloaf.
This was supposed to be a rolled up, super pretty meatloaf. If you go to Trisha’s meatloaf on Once A Month Mom, you will see a gorgeous rolled up meatloaf that will knock your socks off.

I didn’t roll mine. I like to simplify.  A lot. I wasn’t even creative enough to cook this in a meatloaf pan!  I cooked it in an 8 x 8 pan and layered the meat, then the ham & cheese, then more meat.  I think it had the same effect. Just not as pretty. Not to mention, I was preparing this in front of a camera so simplifying was certainly in order!!
I like to cook in 8 x 8 pans as things just tend to cook better, for me.  This might not be true of everyone else but it is for me.  Breads, cakes, meatloaves.  I love them in these size pans.  I think I have 4 of them. 

I loved the flavor of this meatloaf.  I am a dipper. I love to dip in ketchup or BBQ sauce usually.  This really didn’t need anything. If anything, I think that just a tad of pizza sauce over the top would have been fantastic! 

This recipe makes 2 pans of meatloaf. I still have one in the freezer.  I think I’ll try the pizza sauce on it!  Though it was fantastic without it!
We ate this with some awesome Zucchini Fritters.  Talk about delicious!  Crispy, crunchy, tasty, healthy and low calorie. All wrapped up in one meal.
This is linked with Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.  Also with Works for me Wednesday with We are THAT Family. Also linked with Foodie Friday over at Designs by Gollum.  
This meatloaf was prepared as part of my ground turkey freezer cooking day!  Check it out here!
Sicilian Meatloaf Recipe
**Adapted from Once A Month Mom

3 pounds ground turkey
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup bread crumbs (I used panko)
3/4 cup tomato juice (I used V8)
3 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
10 slices ham, 1 ounce sandwich slices
8 ounce mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • Mix together ground turkey with the next 7 ingredients. Blend thoroughly. 
  • Spray 2 loaf pans or 2 – 8 x 8 pans with cooking spray. 
  • Divide 1/2 the mixture between the 2 pans. 
  • Put 5 slices of ham on the bottom layer. They will overlap, that’s okay. 
  • Sprinkle 4 ounces of cheese on each ham layer. Top with remaining half of meat mixture. (If you are only baking one, cover one with aluminum foil, label and freeze. Thaw before cooking.)
  • Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour 20 minutes. 6 servings per meatloaf.
**I put this together differently than the original recipe, check hers out to see another awesome way.

Total calories = 3581 calories (both loaves)
12 servings (6 per loaf) = 298 calories per serving

Sicilian Meatloaf + 4 Zucchini Fritters = 558 calorie dinner

Check out my Zucchini Fritters recipe over at Debbi Does Dinner Healthy!

Save Room for Dessert…Black Bottom Pie

Here’s a little weird tidbit about me, while I’ve never liked pudding, I ‘ve always loved any type of custard pie. Chocolate, vanilla, lemon, coconut, banana, caramel…love the pie! It’s my texture issue; a bowl of pudding is just that, a bowl of pudding. No contrasts, no crunch. But in pie, there’s the creaminess of the custard, the crunchiness of the crust, and the lusciousness of the whipped cream. Truly, a beautiful thing. So, in homage to that sensory delight, today’s post is a black bottom custard pie. From the bottom up there’s the crisp, flaky, and buttery crust, a sinfully rich and chocolate custard, cloaked with a rich vanilla custard, and finally, topped off with a vanilla whipped cream and chocolate shavings. A delight for the connossieur of custard pies everywhere! Hope you enjoy it…

Black Bottom Pie

Custard
1 cup milk
1 cup half and half
4 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 envelope gelatin
4 tablespoons water
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
All-butter pastry (recipe below)
4 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
Vanilla whipped cream (recipe below)
Chocolate shavings, optional

All-butter pastry
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
Ice cold water

Pastry method
Cut the stick of butter into small cubes by quartering the stick of butter lengthwise and then cutting into 32 cubes.
Place cubes on a plate and place plate into freezer for 15 minutes.
Fill a measuring cup with ice cubes and water; chill in freezer alongside the butter.
In a large ziplock bag (1 gallon size), measure in flour, sugar, and salt.
Once butter has chilled for 15 minutes, drop cubes into ziplock bag (a few at a time) and shake to coat with flour.
Press out all air and seal bag.
Place bag on a flat surface, jiggling the bag to distribute the flour and butter mixture evenly.
Using a rolling pin, roll over the bag incorporating the butter into the flour mixture.
After rolling over the bag 2 times, shake and turn the bag to redristribute the mixture, and repeat the process another 2-3 times.
Pour mixture onto a clean surface, and sprinkle on 2 tablespoons of ice cold water. I use a pastry scraper and my hands to incorporate the water. Continue to add water, one tablespoon at a time until you have a shaggy looking mass that holds together when you pinch it between your fingers. I added about 5 tablespoons of water.
Form the pastry into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Roll out the pastry to fit a 9″ pie plate.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Line the pastry with a piece of parchment and fill with pie weights, dry beans, or rice and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven, remove parchment and with a fork, prick the bottom crust all over.  Return to the oven and bake another 10 minutes.  Allow to cool.  Melt the 4 tablespoons of chocolate chips in 30 second intervals in the microwave, stirring until melted. Using a pastry brush, paint the bottom of the pie crust with the melted chocolate. Place piecrust in the refrigerator until chocolate has hardened.

The custard
Mix together the gelatin and 4 tablespoons of water; set aside.
In a large saucepan, combine the milk, half and half, egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Remove from the heat and add the gelatin mixture, as well as the vanilla. Once mixed, remove 1 1/2 cups of the custard and set aside. To the remaining custard, add the 6 oz of bittersweet chocolate, stirring until the chocolate has melted. Allow both custard mixtures to cool.

The assembly
Remove the prepared piecrust from the refrigerator and pour the cooled chocolate custard into the piecrust. Return to the refrigerator and allow to chill for 30 minutes. Spread vanilla custard on top of chocolate custard and refrigerate overnight.

To serve
Prepare the vanilla whipped cream and spread on chilled pie; sprinkle on chocolate shavings and serve.

Vanilla Whipped Cream
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Using a mixer, beat all ingredients until stiff peaks form. Use immediately.

TIPS FROM AN EX-CATERER

While out blog surfing today, I happened on a fun new cooking blog, The Church Cook, who had a wonderful post about food preparation.  The post had 10 tips and but they are really good tips.  I’ll list the tips for you, then you can go check out the whys behind them.
  • Use your hands
  • Use a thermometer
  • Keep ingredients close to you
  • Store food in ziploc bags
  • Use the timer
  • Weigh Your baking ingredients
  • Clean as you go
  • Freeze
  • Prep ahead
  • Have Fun Sharing

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Cooking The Italian Way – Focaccia

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Here’s something that’s going to blow your mind.

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I used to be a picky eater.  Very picky. 

In fact, I would say that for most of my childhood I was only marauding as an Italian. 

Any true Italian family would have disowned me, what with my distaste for tomato sauce, fish, and sausage, among many other things.  But my parents dealt pretty well, much to their credit. 

(And now I’m getting it back tenfold, as my palate has expanded so much that I can’t attempt to cook something for them without realizing that it has some spice or vegetable that my father doesn’t like.  I.e. it HAS a vegetable in it and therefore he doesn’t like it.)

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When I was eight, my father was sent on a business trip to Italy for three weeks (he works for an Italian bank). 

To which my mother responded, “Oh no you didn’t.”

And so all four of us – my mom, my dad, my brother, and I (my sister hadn’t been born yet) – ended up on a transatlantic flight headed straight for the old country.  

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We stayed for six weeks, meandering through the city of Torino and then the small beachside town of Chiavari.  And while I actually do remember a fair portion of the trip, especially considering how young I was, the thing that stands out most in my mind was the focaccia. 

Now, this may be because this was all I would eat for the entire trip.  I hated the pizza.  I hated the pasta.  I was obviously young and stupid,  And delusional. 

But the focaccia?  Oh my lord that was good.  Sometimes when I close my eyes and think really hard, I can still taste it.  Salty.  Olive oil-y.  The kind of good that, when you bite into it, you know everything must be right in the world.  At least for that second in space and time.
Though I’ve searched high and low, I’m pretty sure focaccia that good doesn’t exist here in the US.  That stuff they serve you in restaurants doesn’t even come close.

This recipe that I’m sharing with you, however, is one of the best renditions I’ve found so far.  It’s not the exact flavor and texture, but, to be fair, I’m pretty sure that’s because there’s some secret ingredient that the Italians are putting in the bread (crack, cocaine, heroin…who knows.  Who cares?  It’s totally worth it.) to make it taste so good. 

I’ve sent a few private investigators over to Italy to figure it out.  But so far all of them have come back twenty pounds heavier, extremely content, but with little to no insight into “the focaccia problem”, as I call it.  When you want something done, you should do it yourself, I guess. 

So until I have a chance to get myself over to Italy, this is going to have to suffice.  Make it.  And dream with me.
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Before I get to the recipe, I just want to share with all of you a fun, new FREE e-cookbook that has come out (featuring a few recipes by yours truly).  The e-cookbook features smart schooltime recipes for snacks and lunch food that are fast, easy, and healthy.  Guaranteed kid-tested, mother-approved kind of stuff.  You can download it here.

Focaccia
Makes 1 loaf, adapted from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures

1 1/2 cups warm water
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 cups (14 3/4 oz) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast
4 teaspoons Italian seasoning mix

Spray a 13 x 9 pan with cooking spray then drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over the bottom of the pan.

Place the water, olive oil, salt, flour and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Beat on high speed for about 1 minute.  The dough will be smooth, elastic and sticky.

Transfer the dough to the prepared baking pan.  With oil or water on the tip of your fingers (don’t use more flour, you want the dough to remain sticky), press the dough into the bottom of the pan, nudging to get it all the way into the corners.  Cover the pan and let the dough rise for about 60 minutes, or until it is puffy.

While the dough rises, preheat oven to 375 F. 

Once risen, uncover the pan and use your fingers to make dimples all over the dough (you may need a bit of oil on your fingers if the dough is too sticky).  Drizzle the dough lightly with olive oil and sprinkle it with the Italian seasoning.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown.  Remove the pan to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes, then turn the focaccia out of the pan (otherwise the bottom crust will get soggy).  Serve warm or at room temperature. 

I made the focaccia into a grilled eggplant, tomato, and fresh mozzarella sandwich.  Amazing!

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Southwestern Roast Beef Sandwich

I won’t fork over big bucks for the latest kitchen gadget but sometimes you get lucky at a garage sale.

I bought a dehydrator for $6 at a garage sale a couple of weeks ago on a whim. I would never have spent $50 to buy one new in a store but for $6, what did I have to lose?

I have been having fun drying out an assortment of chilies and then grinding them up in a coffee grinder. So I had this wonderful sweet paprika and a spicy chili powder to use and thought I’d make a southwestern roast beef.


Southwestern Roast Beef Sandwich

2 lb beef eye of round
4 ea hoagie rolls
5 tsp Southwestern Rub
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Cumin mayo
8 slices swiss cheese
lettuce, tomato, red onion

Rub
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 – 1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp turbinado sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Cumin Mayonnaise
4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
3 teaspoons Chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions
Make the cumin mayo. In a small skillet over medium heat (using no oil), add cumin and stir constantly until darkened (2 minutes). Remove from heat. Mix mayo, cumin, lime juice and cilantro in a bowl. Cover and let chill for an hour before serving.

Mix rub ingredients together. Rub three teaspoons onto all sides of the beef roast. Mix the other two teaspoons with the oil.

Since this is Fire Day Friday, I spit roasted my beef on a rotisserie on the grill.

I used about 3/4 chimney full of lit coal and it took about an hour or an internal temp of 140f. I brushed it with the oil/seasoning mixture about 30 minutes into the cooking time.

You could also do this in an oven. Put the roast in an oven preheated to 450f for 10 minutes. Baste with the oil mixture. Cut the heat to 250f and then cook it for another 30 to 40 minutes or until the roast hits an internal temp of 140f.

Let rest for 15 minutes and then slice thinly. TIP: When I want really thin sliced roast beef, I will put the roast in the fridge for a day and then slice it while it’s cold. Whether doing it by hand or on an electric slicer, it’s easier to get thin slices when fully chilled.

Serve on a hoagie roll with the cheese, toppings and cumin mayo.


The roast beast…errr beef was tender and packed with flavor. The cumin mayo sealed the deal. It sure beats roast beef from a deli!

It’s my birthday soon and CSN wants to give you a present to help me celebrate! so it’s GIVEAWAY TIME at 3 Sides of Crazy!

I love shopping online with CSN and you can too.  It so easy and they have so many wonderful name brand products to choose from.  Whether you are looking for a  Corelle, TV stands, dining room furniture or cookware they have it all.
Seriously, you really need to go check out these sites
www.racksandstands.com
www.allmodern.com
www.diningroomsdirect.com
www.cookware.com
www.moremailboxes.com

How can you win? By joining this giveaway of course!

Just to remind you, CSN Stores has over 1 million products and that number is constantly rising. Not only is their product catalog growing but they’re adding new stores like www.luxebycsn.com. You can literally spend all day looking for the perfect product at CSN.stores.  Thank you CSN.stores for being so generous to the blogworld and allowing help spread the word.

The winner receives a $55 gift certificate to use
as they wish on any of the CSN.stores websites.


THE RULES ~ leave a comment for each entry with the link.
  • Answer one question – What is your favorite holiday recipe?
  • Go over to their new site, www.luxebycsn.com and tell me your favorite item.
  • You can earn an entry by linking that recipe here.
  • You can earn an extra entry by blogging about this contest.
  • You can earn another entry by becoming a follower of OUR KRAZY KITCHEN.
  • You can earn another entry by becoming a follower here at 3 Sides of Crazy.
  • You can earn another entry by becoming a follower here at Always Eat On The Good China.
  • No entries after 11:30 pm Pacific Time Sunday, September 20th.
  • Winner will be selected at random and announced Monday, September 21st.
  • Good luck!

Disclosure: I did not receive any type of compensation for this post. CSN stores is sponsoring this giveaway and will handle prize fulfillment. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced to post them.

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Simply Delicious Sunday will be making some little cakes soon…

I love shopping online with CSN and you can too.  It so easy and they have so many wonderful name brand products to choose from.  Whether you are looking for lights, TV stands, dining room furniture or cookware they have it all.

Look for my review of this beautiful Pumpkin Patch Pan in the very near future. I truly wonder how I ever got along without it! 
 
Just to remind you, CSN Stores has over 1 million products and that number is constantly rising. Not only is their product catalog growing but they’re adding new stores like www.luxebycsn.com. You can literally spend all day looking for the perfect product at CSN.stores.  Thank you CSN.stores for being so generous to the blogworld and allowing help spread the word.


I’m envisioning an awesome little cakes in my family’s future.  The uses are going to be endless.


If you stop by 3 sides of crazy, I’m having a CSN giveaway there.

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