Category: MISC

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

Hi, Martha@Menagerie (and your Monday Munchie host here at the Krazy Kitchen) here to post this week to introduce our new Thursday meme “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner!”

Tamy is on the middle of a cross country move so I’m here to share one of my very favorite and super easy recipe ideas for this week. We’ll be welcoming our guest hosts in the coming weeks!

For today it’s my “No way it’s meatloaf!”

This really is meatloaf believe it or not!

When I make meatloaf I usually make about a 3-4 pound meatloaf and still, with two growing boys and my husband there is usually only about 1/4 of it leftover – not enough for another night, unless you are thinking frugal and thinking creatively that is.

These wonderful creations are simply slices of meatloaf (using your own favorite meatloaf recipe) wrapped in puff pastry dough and baked at 350 for about 20 minutes. Notice just how huge they are – the photo below is shown on a regular size dinner plate – all that from 5 little slices of meatloaf!

I call these meatloaf wraps. The kids can just grab them and go if they want to, but they are even better smothered in brown gray. They are so ridiculously filling! Add a side salad and that’s all you’ll need to round out the meal.

(I really have to stop using my clear glass plates in food photos, makes it look like I just serve my food directly on the counter – I don’t, I promise!)

These wraps, pockets, puffs or whatever you want to call them are a great way to use leftovers – in fact, guaranteed even better than the first night!

If you are interested in being a guest host here at Our Krazy Kitchen please click HERE to leave your link! 🙂

PANTRY ORGANIZATION

Most of you already know that I feel most at home in the kitchen and despite my VIRGO guided perfectionist ways, I too have a tendency to have a messy pantry. We all have those moments when it’s just easier to put it anywhere other than where it really goes. I’ll show this set of before pictures with the disclaimer that we’ve been super busy around here and it really was easier to just shove it back in.
I don’t use a ton of prepared foods due to health concerns, but we all have a pantry full of this and thats. I was fortunate in that the forced remodel of this kitchen allowed me to set things up my way when it went back together. I like to group like things together and that helps to make meal preparation simpler. In the Lazy Susan next to the stove I keep the small appliances together and then on the shelf above those I keep the canned meats, canned vegetables and soups. In the opposite Lazy Susan I group together canned fruits, Jell-Os, box mixes like cake mixes, rice mixes and stuffing as well as jams and jellies. In yet another cabinet I have grouped together all the” seasoning” bottles like soy sauces, vinegars, oils, Worcestershire, etc…. In the 2 shelves below that I keep all the back stock like extra ketchup, mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, hot sauce, etc… Spices and such use on a daily basis are all labeled and alphabetized in their handy box close to the stove while additional infrequently used spices, bread crumbs, flavorings, baking soda & powder and such are kept in a separate cabinet. Baking staples are also all grouped together.

I have all of my seasonings and ingredients placed in such a way that the butcher block becomes my central point for creating. I try to keep all the necessary tools also within an arm’s reach. All of my reaching into cabinets is also at a minimum and I don’t have to dig for what I’m looking for. Every person and every family is different in their likes and tastes, so there is no right or wrong to pantry organization, just what works for you. That said, I have found that logic, organization and common sense play an integral part in kitchen success.


No matter what the size or shape of you ‘pantry’, the whole idea is to make your job easier and cooking more fun. So take that willy nilly approach and toss it out the window. It’s time to organize and see what you have in your pantry. Knowing will help you to keep things rotated and up to date. When I was growing up, my dad always wiped the lids of cans and then dated them when we got home from the store. I don’t go that far, but I do make sure to rotate the older forward paying attention to expiration dates and replace the restock to the rear.
Now for the after pictures.
I try to group like items together. For example the parts for a Mexican Meal are all together. The green chiles are right night to the enchilada sauce which is next to the refried beans, etc…
I store the back up stock on the lowest shelves since I don’t get in there very often. I also pull forward the most frequently used condiments and ingredients so I don’t have to dig for them. The refrigerator is the hardest ‘pantry’ part to keep organized since everyone is in and out ,all day some days, but I try to keep like items together here too. The jams are all on the same shelf, the pickles are grouped together, my garlic, pestos, bases etc… are all together on one of the top shelves to keep everyone from moving them!

This post originally ran on 3 Sides of Crazy as a guest post series for Barbara over at Candy Hearts and Paper Flowers who hosted the Homemaking September 2008 Shape-up. It was an all around comprehensive house to home style of posts to help us get our homes and lives whipped into shape.

Then it ran at OuR KrAzY kItChEn this past July when Martha and I first collaborated.

Artichoke, Feta Cheese and Garlic Puffs – Martha’s Monday Munchies


Here ya go, artichoke, feta cheese and garlic puffs! I’ve been on a puff pastry kick lately and decided to experiment a bit. These turned out delectable and they were super easy!

Just thaw puff pastry and cut into small squares. Mix a jar of artichoke hearts, a package of feta cheese, a heaping spoon of minced garlic, a little Parmesan cheese, and some fresh ground pepper – lightly mix. Spoon a small amount of mixture onto one corner of the pastry, fold over to form triangle, seal edges and bake at 350 for 20 minutes – YUMMY!

Originally posted at Menagerie

Bat’s Breath Cake aka Oreo Cookie Cake

hosted at OuRKrAzYkItChEn


BAT’S BREATH CAKE
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 JUMBO eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon maple extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
6 crushed OREO cookies
1/2 cup whole milk

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Grease and flour a 9×9 inch BUNDT pan.
  • In a medium bowl, cream the butter.
  • Add sugar and cream again.
  • Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until well blended.
  • Add in the vanilla and maple extracts.
  • Sift together the flour and baking powder.
  • Add to the creamed mixture and mix well.
  • Blend in the milk until batter is smooth.
  • Pour into the prepared pan.
  • Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
  • Cake is done when it springs back to the touch.

DARK OF NIGHT FROSTING
8 tablespoons butter, melted
3 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup Hershey’s cocoa
1/3 cup milk

  • Mix all together.
  • Spread over cooled cake.
  • Decorate with orange candy balls.
    ♥final blog signature. ♥

    • Cararmel Popcorn, Carrot Cheese Balls

    hosted at ThEKrAzYkItChEn

    CARAMEL POPCORN

    4 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking sheet
    10 cups plain unsalted popped popcorn
    1 cup cashews or peanuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
    1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
    1/4 teaspoon Coarse Salt

    • Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
    • Butter a large baking sheet.
    • Place popcorn in a large bowl.
    • Add cashes to bowl and toss to combine. Set aside.
    • In a small saucepan, bring butter, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons water to a boil, stirring constantly.
    • Working VERY quickly, drizzle popcorn with sugar syrup, and toss.
    • Spread popcorn evenly on prepared baking sheet.
    • Bake, tossing occasionally, until golden and shiny, about 40 minutes.
    • Transfer hot popcorn to a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet; let cool.
    • Store in airtight container up to 1 week.

    CARROT CHEESE BALLS
    8 ounces cream cheese, softened
    4 ounces yellow cheddar cheese, finely grated (2 cups loosely packed)
    1 cup finely grated carrots

    • In a medium bowl combine cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and carrot.
    • With moistened hands, gently form about 24 balls.
    • Serve or refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, up to 2 days.

    3420344618_9e5495bf19_m

    Chocolate Chip Cookies: What Did You Bake Today?

    It was about a decade ago that I made, what was for me, an important discovery: More brown sugar than white sugar makes for a better tasting chocolate chip cookie. Maybe many of you already know that. Now, in this recipe, I have been experimenting with texture for many years. The original recipe called for only 2 1/2 cups of flour and the resulting cookies, while delicious, were floppy at best. For this post, I increased the amount significantly to 4 cups. The cookies turned out more cakey than I’d prefer, but my children absolutely loved them. Seeing, they are the people for whom I bake, I may stop fiddling…maybe.
    CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

    2 sticks butter
    1/2 cup sugar
    1 1/2 cups brown sugar
    2 eggs
    1 tsp vanilla
    4 cups flour 
    1 teaspoon salt
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1 cup chocolate chips
    • Cream the butter and sugars.
    • Add the eggs and vanilla.
    • Combine the dry ingredients and add.
    • Stir in the chocolate chips. Bake 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
    • Makes about 4 dozen.
    What Did You Bake Today?

    We Interrupt this regularly scheduled meme…

    …for an important update, a reminder & some important announcements.

    We are sure many of you have noticed that we’re experiencing a few growing pains around here at OuR KrAzY KiTcHen as we test and expand the waters and horizons around us.

    Just a quick reminder that the Halloween Party at OuR KrAzY KiTcHeN begins this Sunday.
    Sunday, October 18th ~ Saturday, October 31st, 2009

    here at OuR KrAzY kItChEn
    RSVP via MR. LINKY

    We’re having a party here at the OuR KrAzY kItChEn and you’re invited. Bring your favorite recipe, decorating idea, pictures, anecdotes and let’s have some fun together.

    • Do you have a special popcorn ball recipe?
    • What is your favorite fall recipe?
    • Do you have a favorite apple recipe?
    • Do you have special way to carve pumpkins?
    • How about a party punch that’s perfect for Halloween?
    • What is your idea of a best costume?

    We’ll post Mr. Linky on October 18th and leave him in place through Halloween. Write your post piece and come link it up. We’ll all have some time to blog hop and see each other and try recipes.

    Next we would like to announce the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas parties.


    WHEN: Sunday, November 15th ~ Saturday, November, 28th, 2009
    WHERE: OuR KrAzY kItChEn
    RSVP: MR. LINKY

    We’re having a party here at the OuR KrAzY kItChEn and you’re invited. Bring your favorite recipe, decorating idea, pictures, anecdotes and let’s have some fun together.
    • Do you have a special pumpkin pie recipe recipe?
    • What is your favorite side dish recipe?
    • Do you have a favorite apple recipe?
    • Do you have special way to carve a turkey?
    • How about a party punch that’s perfect for the Thanksgiving crowd?
    • What is your idea of a best decorating idea?
    We’ll post Mr. Linky on November 15th and leave him in place through November 28th. Write your post piece and come link it up. We’ll all have some time to blog hop and see each other and try recipes.

    AND


    WHEN: Sunday, December 17th ~ SUNday, December 27th, 2009
    WHERE: OuR KrAzY kItChEn
    RSVP: MR. LINKY

    We’re having a party here at the OuR KrAzY kItChEn and you’re invited. Bring your favorite recipe, decorating idea, pictures, anecdotes and let’s have some fun together.
    • Do you have a special Christmas Cookie recipe?
    • What is your favorite holiday recipe?
    • Do you have a favorite fudge recipe?
    • Do you have special way to decorate the tree?
    • How about a party punch that’s perfect for a holiday party?
    • What is your idea of the perfect family holiday?
    We’ll post Mr. Linky on December 17th and leave him in place through Sunday, December 27th. Write your post piece and come link it up. We’ll all have some time to blog hop and see each other and try recipes.

    NOW FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT:
    We are looking for guest hosts!


    As a guest poster:

    • You can post on any food genre or topic.
    • You can guest for a week or a month, we’re pretty flexible.
    • Perhaps you have a wonderful tutorial for a favorite recipe that you already posted. No problem, re-posts are great when formatted well.
    • Guest hosts will need to post a new entry advertising their guest posts to oUr KrAzY kItChEn on their own home blog.
    • A Mr. Linky will be added so our regular readers can play along with you.
    If you’re interested in becoming a guest host, please sign Mr Linky and we’ll contact you ASAP.

    Kitchen & Cooking Tips

    1. Using buttermilk as a meat marinade is an effective tenderizer. It also converts the proteins into B vitamins which helps the liver burn up to 38% more stored fat as energy.
    2. Adding sour cream to chili will curb the “hotness” of the fiery effect.
    3. Adding 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to each 1/4 cup of sour cream acts as a binder and prevents the sour cream from curdling in the heat of the chili.
    4. 2 parts instant coffee to 1 part water makes an effective paste for scratching nicks on dark furniture.
    5. Bake winter tomatoes for 30 minutes at 350 degrees to achieve that summer flavor. As the tomatoes cook, the sugars caramelize, giving them a sweeter and juicier flavor. Let them cool and then chop and toss with salads, salsas or fruits.
    6. For fluffier pancakes, separate the eggs and whip the whites into soft peaks before folding them into the remaining ingredients.
    7. Run your knife through a stick of butter before slicing marshmallows for that yam casserole. You won’t end up with a sticky residue on your knife.
    8. Applying a teaspoon of butter to your cat’s paws will help prevent hairballs.
    9. Adding a bit of butter to a watermark on your wood table before you go to bed will help replace the lost moisture from the wood. Just wipe away any residue the next morning.
    10. Rubbing butter on the edge of your snow shovel will help the snow slide right off as you toss it aside.
    11. Rubbing a bit of butter around dusty candles will make them look fresh again.
    12. Butter applied to the cut edges of blocks of cheese will prevent molding.
    13. Anchovies make a great seasoning for sauces, just a bit salty and spicy all at once. Remember to remove them before serving or mince them so fine that no one notices but you! Also remember a little goes a long way.

    wildatheart

    It’s finally here…

    The big move is just a day away… I know it seems like I have been away forever… but it will just be a few more days during the move until I return to a normal blogging schedule. I will post a update soon of the house finished – finally!

    I recently ran this post over at The Motivation Station. It shows where I’ve been lately more than anything!

    With the BIG move just days ahead I feel as if I’m behind the 8 ball as it has become a cascading catch 22 trying to organize, arrange and coordinate the moving truck, son picking up the things he’s taking, donations to the various charities, finishing projects for the house, packing the last boxes, cleaning & laundry as well as the blasted weather.

    Day 6 (we did Friday and Saturday for 3 successive weekends) of the rummage sale was successful, though I feared it might not be when the snow began to fall. Fortunately, it did not stick and while the temperature stayed a bone chilling 25 with wind chill factor, the sun did eventually shine.

    Tips for a successful rummage sale:

    • When choosing an items for your sale, you have 3 decisions to make: 1) am I still sentimentally attached to this? 2) Is this really junk and should just be tossed or will someone else find value in it? 3) Would I be willing to move it cross country? If you’re answer was YES to any of these questions, then it’s not rummage sale material.
    • Have plenty to rummage through. If you don’t, invite your neighbors to join in. Truly the more the merrier and the more hands to help with the work. If people don’t see a large selection, many will walk away before they even walk in.
    • SIGNS – maybe the most important factor. Make sure people know where to find you easily. Use clear, LARGE lettering and colorful poster board. List the important items that may interest people most. Adding a stuffed animal of some kind might help too. We began our sale during the local Harvest Festival so we added a colorful scarecrow from the local dollar store to the signs.
    • When having a multiple weekend event, it’s important to “ADD” to your signs. Things like “added items”, “last day”, “50 % off today only”, etc… and make sure to keep the dates straight. When I did this, I used different color fluorescents to emphasize the differences.
    • Run a simple newspaper ad. I also took the signs down between weekends and then put them up fresh just before the next weekend.
    • Place fliers on local bulletin boards.
    • Many local radio stations will run a talk time where they’ll advertise your sale for free in smaller towns.
    • Wide aisles so they can see everything and not trip over each other.
    • Say hello with your customers and have a chat. Engaging them in conversation might shed insight into what they are really looking for. I sold items that weren’t even out for sale that way. Things I just hadn’t gotten around to pricing and putting out.
    • Organize your items into like groups or ‘departments’.
    • If you’re selling linens, clothes, quilts etc… launder them and clearly mark them to size and they are more likely to sell.
    • Price items right. If you’re still so sentimentally attached that you’re asking more than someone else is willing to pay then you’re item will not sell. In my case with moving across country, it became a battle of sentimentality versus practicality. Most of what I had to sort through had become remotely sentimental by association. For example, when my father passed away and we closed down his house and antiques & collectibles business most of it went into storage for me to sort through later as I was currently working full time and going to school full time too. Just a few short months later was the Northridge earthquake. While I lost most of my personal belongings in it, the things I could save were packed up and added to storage for later while we re-built the house. A few short years later mom decided to move out of state and and many more things were added to that pile to sort through later. A couple years later hubby’s unit was deployed and things became even more hectic so the sorting was put off. After his deployment and an unsuccessful foot surgery he was forced to retire from his civilian job and we bought this investment house turned nightmare. We moved it all cross country with us. We are finally dealing with all that remote sentimentality after 16 years. Trust me, it would have been sooooooooooo much easier to deal with years ago and actually saved money and time and emotions to have already dealt with it.

    wildatheart

    Apple crumble pie and apple cake recipes – Save Room for Dessert

    Fall is a great time for baking. The kitchen doesn’t get too hot, and there are so many great recipes which make us feel warm and fuzzy just thinking about them. Apples are now available year-round, but they are particularly tasty and just more fun when in season.

    Most of the participating recipes in last week’s Save Room for Dessert were apple desserts. Did you notice Liz‘ Apple Crumble Pie? Her post detailed the misadventures of two young love birds baking in the kitchen, and of course the delicious recipe.

    I’m sure you’ve seen bundt cakes before. They come in all shapes and sizes these days. Chaya shared with us a rose shaped apple cake recipe with caramelized apples peeking through on the edges like they might on a Tarte Tatin.

    I can’t wait to see which desserts you are all going to share with us this week!

    I’d like to remind you about the Halloween Party right here at Our Krazy Kitchen starting October 18th.

    There’s also the 2nd annual Need to Knead Bread Roundup starting November 1st. at my own blog, Joy of Desserts, and also at Tamy’s blog, 3 Sides of Crazy. Just click for all the details. You are all invited! Tell your friends, too, because the more the merrier.

    Pick your favorite badge!


    Please leave your link to your post, not your homepage, on MckLinky, and be sure to link back to this post or blog.

    Crunchy Squid’s Head for Cultural Connection

    Time for Cultural Foods again, hope you do have something to show us and what your culture is.
    I’d say that one of my favorite seafood is the squid. And nothing goes to waste. These are the extra squid’s heads that I didn’t include when I made the Calamares (sorry forgot to take a pic of it). Although, cooked almost in the same manner with the Calamares, this one’s more fun to eat and munch.
    You simply coat the squids’ heads with corn starch or any coating or breading mix of your choice. For this one I used the Ajinomoto’s spicy breading mix ‘coz I find it more appetizing and so with my family and friends who had partaken them too. Anyway, after coating the heads, simply deep fry in a hot vegetable or any cooking oil of your choice until the desired crunchiness and color. And voila! Dip into vinegar with garlic and a dash of black pepper. And BTW, dipping our foods fried in oil is very common here, as it is believed to take away the oil away from them, thus still maintaining a healthy body.
    So, come on! Join now and get cultured…