Bad Hair Day

Don't you hate it when you go through the work of baking some little beauty of a cake or cookie, and you are baking it primarily because the picture in the book is gorgeous, and you know if it turns out your family will think you are amazing....and then it doesn't turn out.  Pretty ugly, but pretty tasty.  It's like you only get half of what you came for.  Shucks.  The good part is that Scott and the kids could care less what it looks like, as long as it tastes good.  Today I tried Finnish Ribbon Cookies.  It was in the plan to make these around the holidays, but plans change.  This was a newspaper recipe, a contest winner and it LOOKED delicious.  But not today.  Start off beating 1 cup softened butter with 1/2 cup sugar, until creamy.  Beat in 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel.  Gradually add a mixture of 1 1/2 cups flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt and blend thoroughly.  Shape dough into ropes about 3/4" in diameter and as long as your baking sheet.  Place ropes 2" apart on ungreased baking sheet and with the side of your finger, press a long groove down the center of each rope.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and fill groove with a jam of your choice (I used raspberry).  Return to oven and bake for another 5-10 minutes.  While cookies are still hot, drizzle with a glaze of 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon water.  Cut at 45 degree angle, into 1" lengths.  What happened to my pretty cookies?  I might have made my ropes thicker than 3/4", and they spread too much and ran into each other-I don't know.   When they came out of the oven the first time, the "groove" was gone (I hate it when I loose my groove).  Anyway, they are delicious, buttery little morsels that are just having a bad hair day...and we are all entitled to that.

Southwestern Style

It's date night again-Friday.  I have to say even though we bought a beautiful sword fish steak from Byerly's to share, the diamond in the rough was the potato salad tonight.  We wood fired the fish with only salt, pepper and olive oil-super yummy.  The sword fish was on sale for $14.99 a pound ($8.00 off per pound) and the steak was just under a pound.  $14.99 a pound sounds outrageous, but our steak cost a little over $12.00 and you can't buy sword fish in a restaurant anywhere for that price-so there you go, cheap date.  Back to the highlight of the night, southwestern potato salad.  It's a refreshing change from the norm.  It goes like this...1 1/2 cups mayo, 1/4 cup dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 1 small chipotle pepper chopped, 1 large ripe tomato seeded and chopped, 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, 3 green onions white and green parts chopped, 1 thinly sliced red onion, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 4 cloves fresh chopped garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and a good pot of cubed red potatoes.  You can mix this after the potatoes have cooled a bit, but they can still be warm, I think they soak up the sauce better.  At any rate, this is a great way to switch up regular potato salad and make something different.  It has a little zip, but zip is good-keeps the blood pumpin'.  Enjoy a taste of the southwest....

Sausage And Such

Scott said "we should have sausage tonight."  Good idea.  Chalk one up for Scotty.  We have sausage in the freezer, because we bought a hog from Pep's Pork.  If you know about Pep's, you know I'm talkin' about the finest sausage in the land.  Smoked to perfection-yummy to the finish.  Really tasty. Tasty with a capitol 'T'.  I browned the smoked sausage in the Orange Pot and added some onions and garlic and let them carmelize a bit.  I added rough chopped whole carrots and red potatoes, some kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.  I then added a whole bag of Frank's sauerkraut (because my friend Nancy made me hungry for it) and topped it with a few twists of fresh cracked pepper.  I let it stew a bit and added some more sweet onion and some green cabbage wedges to top it off.  Oh yeah, I kosher salted and fresh cracked peppered the top again.  Layers of flavor you know, no one wants to be left out.  Simmered until the cabbage was tender on top.  This meal was really exceptional and everyone gave it five stars.  A shoot from the hip kinda meal, easy and super scrumdillelicious.  Try this meal for yourself, Orange Pot or not, you will like it a lot....

Between The Sheets

Lasagne (Italian spelling) Lasagna (English spelling), no matter how you spell it, beautiful sheets of pasta, layered with rich tomato meat sauce, and a cheesalicious layer too.  Lots to love about this meal!  You knew it was coming, because I tipped you off.  Sunday night we had calzones and the filing for those, made way too much.  Perfect for another dish, like lasagna.  I think I make lasagna different every time.  It depends what I have on hand and what sparks my interest on that night.  Tonight I crispy browned 2 pounds of burger (yes, 2 pounds, because I always make two 9 x 13 pans and freeze one), added 1 whole sweet white onion, 12 ounces fresh baby bella mushroooms, some Sicilian seasoning and some dried roasted garlic.  I then added 1 quart homemade spaghetti sauce and a large can of whole tomatoes, simmered a bit to perfection.  I layer this mixture (starting with this on the bottom) with the left over filling from the calzones and cottage cheese mixed with an egg, Sicilian seasoning and fresh cracked pepper.  Between the layers I use lasagna noodles (and don't waste your money on "no boil" noodles), I have been using regular noodles for years and NEVER pre-boil them.  Saves time and frustration-two areas I am big on.  My final top layer consists of a combo of mozzarella and pizza cheese blend with a good shaking of parmesan cheese all topped off with a colorful sprinkle of fresh chopped Italian parsley.  I bake at 350 degrees for at least an hour, covered with foil (uncovered for last 10 minutes or so) and serve with a crispy garden salad.  Scrumdillelicious, in every essence of the word (even if it's a made up word.)  And it's pretty cool that you have another meal in the freezer for that night that you just can't get it together.  You can do so many things with this dish, use only red sauce, only white sauce, combo of both, beef or chicken, veggies or not-yowzer, so many choices!  What you choose to do between your sheets, is your business.  Whatever you do, enjoy it!

Take My Word For It

Tonight the Orange Pot sits quietly.  On nights that I have a Norwex Party (because I don't get to cook for a living-shucks), the Orange Pot is left to do the other thing it's really good at-lookin' pretty.  Left overs tonight.  I don't especially care for left overs.  Not because they are not yummy, because they are, but because I really like to cook every night.  Left overs rob me of another opportunity to create.  So be it.  Luckily I have a TON of stuff swimming around in my head, not just cooking stuff.  Contrary to popular belief, some of it's actually useful and kinda cool at the same time.  I learned of a new quote today, it goes like this, "The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not and never persist in trying to set people right." -Hannah Whitall Smith.  Perfectly Indifferent-crap, I'm thinking, "you asked for my advice, now take it already and be on your merry way knowing you made the right choice by coming to me."  Don't we have this drive to be the one with the right answer?  OK, I might be letting my guard down here and maybe I am the only one that feels this way, but sometimes I think like that.  When I read this quote today, it slapped me upside the head, it spoke to me.  I do love it and if I can work it into my thick skull my life will be a whole lot easier with a lot less frustration. Why do I get annoyed when someone asks for my advice and completely ignores it?  That's the beauty of free choice and who am I to rain on that parade.  After all, I am the queen of getting advice (whether I wanted it or not) and completely ignoring it-my mom can vouch for that.  The other part of that quote that spoke volumes is the "never persist in trying to set people right"-jeepers.  Do I do that?  Heck yeah.  I gotta work on that.  Sometimes when you are passionate about something, it seems like cramming it down someones throat, must be the right thing to do?  Where does it go so wrong, when it was meant so right?  Self improvement-oh yeah baby that's what I'm talkin' about.  As far as advice, I've got lots of it-just ask me, I'll tell you-and you better take it.  Oops.

Spring Break

Heading to Mexico or just need a break?  How about a little of both?  Tonight we had carnitas.  A little Mexico because of the delicious flavors reminiscent of "South of the border" cooking and a little break because it's east to do.  I am trying to remember, but I think this recipe comes from my cousin Erin in California...Carnitas can be made with beef or pork (3-4 pound roast), just put it in the crock pot.  Slather a can of green chilies over the meat, 2 Tablespoons chili powder (I know!  It sounds like a lot, but stick with me), 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 2 teaspoons cumin, 2-3 cloves of fresh crushed garlic and some kosher salt to taste.  Cook on low for 8 hours and shred.  This gets beautiful tender, fall apart yummy and juicy too!  Don't add any liquid, it makes it's own.  I add a can of black beans towards the end.  I also make rice in my rice cooker and after it is done, I add a generous twist if fresh lime juice and about a 1/4 cup of fresh chopped cilantro.  Serve with some monterey jack cheese, sour cream, lettuce and some pickled jalepenos (only if you are spicy like me) on flour tortillas.  Really delicious food, comforting and vacation style.  What's better than that?  Your family with be begging for seconds faster than you can say "Speedy Gonzales"....andale, andale!

What's In Your Pocket?

I don't know what's in your pocket, but I'm going to tell you what's in mine.  Tonight we are having calzones.  I love this meal because you can take it so many directions.  Sometimes I put sauce in and make it like a pizza pocket.  Sometimes I make them sauceless and that was tonight.  Spinach, mushroom, ricotta calzones-oh yeah!  Saute 12 ounces baby bella mushrooms with a green onion in a little olive oil, 3 cloves fresh garlic, kosher salt and pepper.  I saute the mushrooms so they give up their liquid and don't sog out my pocket.  I mix 15 ounces ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, 1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, a twist or two to fresh cracked pepper and some kosher salt. As it turned out, this made WAY TOO MUCH cheese filling, so lasagne is on the meal plan for this week (won't that be tasty as a layer in lasagne?) After the mushrooms cool, add them to the cheese mixture.  Scooter grilled up some chicken breasts, let them cool and slice.  When I make the pockets, I do use a calzone mold.  The dough goes in the mold first, then fill with chicken and cheese mixture, fold in half and press.  Bake in a 450 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.  Super yummy!  I like them plain, but Scott dips them in pizza sauce and we have a nice salad with homemade dressing (tonight was white wine vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, celery seed, pepper and olive oil).  I have to tell you about the dough, similar concept to my previous dough post, but the recipe is designed for pizza.  But that will be another time, another adventure.  For now just keep'um guessing "what's in your pocket?"

It's Not Easy Being Green

Poor veggies, they have a bad rap.  Veggies are the ones left on the plate.  The ones the kids sneak to the dog under the table.  The ones getting scraped into the side of the sink with the garbage disposal in it.  But why?  Perhaps it's the preparation?  Maybe.  Last night with our Steel Head Trout, I made some roasted asparagus.  Asparagus is delightful this time of year, it's tender shoots calling to me as I zip through the grocery store.  Asparagus is also a sign of spring, and that makes me smile.  If you are already a lover of asparagus, you probably just steam it.  Good-yes.  Fantastic-no.  Roasting asparagus intensifies the flavor and allows this vegetable to live up to it's full potential.  Clean your asparagus, dry it off, lay it out on a baking sheet (I like to use parchment paper under), drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.  Roast in a hot oven (425 degrees), until they just start to shrivel.  Really tasty!  If you have never prepared asparagus, no better time than the present.  After all, spring has sprung and the tender asparagus is just begging to show you what he's made of-give him a chance...

Hot Date

For the first ten years of our marriage, we faithfully went out on a Friday night date.  Then, life happened, and we had to make some budget cuts.  Occasionally we would treat ourselves to a beautiful slab of fish or a nice cut of steak, and make it at home.  Saved huge money and still felt like royalty.  I like that.  Well, it's Friday night and we are saving money once again.  Tonight we found a lovely fillet of Steel Head Trout.  It has become a favorite.  Similar to Salmon, but it's darker, brighter color is wonderful and delicious. Seasoned with only kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper and drizzle of extra virgin olive oil-grilled over charcoal to perfection!  (I know this great grilling guy, we call him Scooter.)  It has the skin on, so grill first on non-skin side, flip once to skin side and that is your finish.  I made a quick lemon caper dill sauce and I didn't keep track of amounts-I'm sorry.  Lemon juice, sour cream, whole grain dijon mustard, fresh cracked pepper, dill weed and some honey.  Accompanied by roasted asparagus and pasta salad.  This meal is actually better than any restaurant fish we have ever had, and for $12.00, who could argue?  By the way on Friday night "date nights", the kids get fish sticks and I don't even feel bad. I love my time with Scooter, just don't tell Scott.

Wanna Make Some Easy Dough?

All you have to do is send 3 easy installments of $19.99 and in 4-6 weeks your kit will arrive on your doorstep (shipping and handling not included).  Gotcha!  No, really, like I mentioned yesterday, I have a trick to make wonderful crusty bread, from scratch-and it's easy.  Easy dough.  As much as I would like to take all the credit for this great concept, in good conscience, I can't.  A few years ago I purchased this great little book "Artisan Bread In Five Minutes A Day."  It's a no knead method for busy mom's like me that love fresh bread.  The beginner recipes goes like this: 3 cups lukewarm water, 1 1/2 tablespoons yeast, 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt,  6 1/2 cups unsifted all purpose white flour.  Yeah, that's it.  Use a 5-6 quart bowl or bucket, add the water, yeast and salt-don't even worry about it dissolving all the way.  Add your flour and mix until it is all incorporated, it's going to look pretty wet-don't sweat it.  Let this rise loosely covered on the counter for 2 hours, cover and refrigerate.  This makes four 1 pound loaves and the dough keeps for 14 days.  Whenever you have a hankering for some fresh bread, just lightly flour the dough surface, reach in and pull a hunk up and cut it off.  Form it in a ball and dust with flour as you go, no need to knead.  Let it rise for approximately 40 minutes, slash the top (because it's fun to do and makes a pretty loaf) and bake for about 30 minutes at 450 degrees.  Scrumdillelicious in no time at all and you could do it every night if you wanted to.  I did practice for years, making bread from scratch, kneading and learning it's mainly about the "feel" of the dough.  Don't get me wrong, I love to make dough the hard way too-very rewarding, but hats off to the working mom and dad that just need to find that extra hour in the day.  By gosh, I think you just found it-for FREE. Score!

On Top Of Old Smokey

All covered with sauce....In our house, if I ask the kids "what should we have for supper?"  I hear a chorus from  five years of age and under, of "SPAGHETTI!"  It is a quick meal, and during the week, they win a couple times a month.  Sometimes I like to surprise them with a diversion from plain old meat sauce to meatballs.  A little more putsy, but worth it in the end.  A couple pounds of ground beef, 1/2 cup of bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 2 eggs and salt and pepper to taste.  Shazam, you've got meatballs!  Brown them nice and dark, turning as you go, you don't have to cook them all they way through, that will happen when they are bathing in the hot tub of sauce.  Add a can of mushrooms with liquid to deglaze all the yummy bits off the bottom of the pan, some chopped raw onion, sicilian seasoning, dried roasted garlic and after a bit, add your sauce.  I can my own sauce, so I use that, but anything in a jar will be fine too.  Let that simmer and thicken a bit and then hold onto your hats because it's going to be yummy and your kids with think you are the best.  Serve over pasta with a generous dusting of parmesan cheese, a pretty salad and some crusty bread and you've got yourself a meal.  I have a trick I use for fresh, crusty scrumptious bread-that you bake from scratch, but tomorrow is another day....for now I am off to conquer Old Smoky, one delicious meatball at a time.

Fancy Pants

Yeah, that's what the other cake pans call the bundt pan.  Fancy Pants.  I wanted something a little special for Scott's birthday today, after all you only turn 40 once.  I was torn because I worked today and had it been the weekend, I would have blessed him with a dessert that took WAY more time, but you do what you can-I guess.  I decided on a lovely bundt cake, because they look special and are very easy at the same time.  I have an amazing recipe for homemade chocolate cake, got up at my usual time and only had to forgo my sitting down cup of coffee time.  That's how easy and fast it is.  The cake goes like this, 3 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 6 tablespoons cocoa (I use Ghirardelli), 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 3/4 cup oil, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 2 teaspoons vanilla and 2 cups cold water.  Mix it all together and pour into a REALLY WELL GREASED AND FLOURED fancy pants pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour, let cool for 10 minutes before turning out.  I think the WOW value is only increased by a rich topping of genache, equally easy to make.  16 ounces good quality sweetened chocolate, 1 cup cream and 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, melted in a double boiler (or a glass bowl over a kettle of boiling water) until smooth.  Let it cool for a little bit and drizzle over your super fancy, delicious cake.  Tonight we will be heading to St. Cloud for the traditional mexican meal and then straight home because old guys have to get to bed.  But first, we will have a little slice heaven because the old guys wife was slavin' in the kitchen all day long....Happy Birthday Scott-we love you!

Shanks A Lot

Yesterday I was zipping through the grocery store and spotted a delightful cut of meat, that is not found on a daily basis.  Beef shank.  It's the cut of meat sometimes labeled "soup bone".  It has a round shaped bone in the center and is full of marrow, which is what makes it a treasure.  Jam packed with flavor, richness and silky texture beef shank makes tasty soups and braises beautifully.  It is a tougher cut of meat and therefore works best to cook it the larger portion of a day.  Great in a crock pot, or if you are hanging around the house for the day, the enamel cast iron pot (color orange) is perfect!  I worked today, so I opted for the crock pot.  I seasoned the shanks generously with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper, covered them in a blanket of sliced onion (one whole), about a cup and a half of dry red wine, a couple cloves of fresh chopped garlic, three carrots in chunks, a few bay leaves, a cup or two of beef stock, a healthy tablespoon of organic chili paste (I knew I would find a use for it) and topped it all off with a large can of whole tomatoes.  I set the pot to high and left it that way for 8 hours.  Towards the end, I did add a can of cannellini beans because I wanted to get a little more volume (these shanks were a little on the small side).  What it becomes is amazing, the meat melts away from the bone, velvety texture and flavor like you would not believe, layers of flavor actually.  Serve over rice, mashed potatoes or egg noodles.  I decided on mashed potatoes for tonight.  Super comforting food.  Try this one for yourself, your family will shank you for it :)

More Than One Way To Skin A Cat

I like to make roast.  For years I made it the same way, salt, pepper, a couple bay leaves and some sliced onions.  350 degrees for a few hours, cooked well done, so you never needed a knife.  Fall apart yumminess! I have experimented over the years and found that there is more than one way to make a roast, and while the good ol' standby was fine preparation for this comfort food, there were other methods begging for introduction.  Tonight, one of my favorites is coming to dinner, the soy sauce roast.  The first thing that comes to mind is, "I bet that's so salty it could choke a goat."  Surprisingly, not so.  What you get here my friends, is a twofor.  Two for one.  Not only do you get a beautifully seasoned piece of meat, but the juice it is bathing in will be ladeled into little bowls and used as au jus.  Really tasty.  Served with a side of garlic mashed potatoes and a colorful salad, who could ask for anything more?  Super easy.  Brown the roast on all sides (I don't always do this part), move it to your roasting pan, surround it with 1-2 sliced onions (depending on the size of the onion), mix up 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon dry ginger, 1 clove of finely chopped garlic and fresh ground pepper to taste.  Cook at 200 degrees for 2 1/2 hours.  Slice your meat and serve the au jus on the side.   And you know, anytime you have au jus with a meal, it is technically considered "fine dining".  Which is just what we will be doing tonight.

Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie

Crispy Golden Brown Panini!  That's right, lunch today.  A few years ago Scott bought me a panini press.  It's fun to use and makes really great sandwiches.  The press and a few great ingredients turn lunch in Cold Spring into a mid day meal in Venice.  Today I used Vienna bread, lightly buttered one side and sprinkled Alpine Touch seasoning on the butter, I turned it over and built my sammy!  I first spread some whole grain mustard, sprinkled some parmesan cheese, a slice of aged swiss, a few slices of herb roasted turkey, some pickled banana peppers, another slice of swiss and top with the other prepared slice of bread (butter side up) and press!  The result is a crispy, buttery, gooey treat and no one is complaining-because they are too busy eating!  I love that you can go so many different ways with this meal, change the bread, the cheese, the meat, the seasonings and it is different every time.  You don't even need the press, just used a frying pan with a heavy object to weigh down the sammy, I have heard of using a brick wrapped in tin foil.  You will have to flip the sammy doing it this way.  No matter how you slice it, it's yummy and turns ordinary into extraordinary and that's what the kitchen experience is all about.  And for those of you that read the title of this post, and thought the blog was headed in another direction, I got rid of my bikini years ago-nasty.

You Gonna Eat That?

Yeah, that's what they'll say.  "You gonna eat that pasta salad"?  They will be begging for more.  Pasta salad, so versatile, so simple and so yummy.  Choose your pasta, your veggies and your dressing and there you go-magic.  Yesterday we had wood fired chicken legs.  What to have with it?  Pasta salad is a great choice and is so reminiscent of summer.  I tried something new.  I have a great recipe for a black bean and corn salad, awesome with Frito Scoops.  I turned it into a pasta salad by doubling the saucy portion of the salad and adding 12 ounces of pasta.  I used tri-color bow ties.  The black bean and corn salad goes like this....1 can of black beans drained and rinsed, 2 cups frozen corn kernels, 1 small red bell pepper diced, 1/2 of a red onion chopped, 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin, 2 teaspoons tabasco sauce, 1 lime juiced, 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil and salt and pepper to taste.  If I were making this into a pasta salad, I would double the cumin, tabasco, lime and oil.  The pasta really soaks the liquid up.  Super scrumbalicious!  I make pasta salads all summer long, so I will have plenty of ideas for you in the near future.  For now, try this one and don't be surprised if you hear your kids say "you gonna eat that?"  Which has a much better ring than "here Fido".... Give it a try.

She's Got Legs

Chicken legs, that is.  Crispy, smoky, barbeque saucy legs.  Cooked over a wood fire.  Oh yeah, a wood fire.  Last summer Scott and I built a backyard fire pit, complete with cooking grate.  We cooked meals over the fire a couple times a week.  How relaxing to hang out in the backyard, by a fire, while cooking the evening meal.  It didn't take us long to figure out that not only was it relaxing, but some of the best food ever.  Chicken legs with a sprinkling of kosher salt and a turn of fresh ground pepper, wood grilled to perfection and finished in the last minutes with our favorite barbeque sauce.  Sometimes I make my own sauce, but not on Thursday nights and that's another blog post anyway.  Tonight is the maiden voyage for a summer of wood fired cooking, so stay tuned, because there will be more posts to come on this subject.  Afterall, when you've got legs, you gotta know how to cook 'em.

What's Shakin' Bacon

Another beautiful day! We grilled hamburgers and had leftover potato salad. The key to a great grilled burger is not to over mix the meat. That's a tough one for me, more is better, right? Wrong. Add your seasonings and combine delicately, or you will toughen the meat. I used Hell's Kitchen rib rub and kosher salt. The burgers were topped with venison bacon, yes venison bacon. Sounds gross, doesn't it? It's not. Venison bacon is less greasy, the perfect blend of smoke and salt and a much healthier alternative to pork bacon. Scott's dad, Curt, had a bunch of venison bacon made before he passed away. It has been passed down to us, and it makes me smile every time we make it. I always think of Curt and how he loved the simple things in life like bird watching, a pontoon ride and his flower garden. And venison bacon, and pork bacon too. The bacon was actually a left over from Sunday's brunch of scrambled eggs and pancakes. It was screaming to be used on the burgers, actually the reason we HAD burgers. We also added cheese, aged swiss or smoked gouda-your choice. Smoked gouda won. I know Curt would be glad his bacon is going to use, after all with eats like that, it's much easier to be a member of "the clean plate club"...as Curt would say.

You Mustn't Eat Naked

Salad that is. Salad dressings are easily overlooked. After all it's so easy to just buy a bottle with the added "benefit" of Calcium Disodium EDTA (used to protect quality). WHAT? I have be creating salad dressings for years. We have salad approximately four times a week, so it became necessity as well as really fun. Basic "rules" are as follows, (even though I am more of a rule breaker than a rule maker). You need a SWEET, a SOUR and a FAT. You can't go wrong and you won't be disappointed. My SWEET varies from honey, to orange marmalade to various jams. My SOUR might be vinegar, lemon or lime juice or banana pepper brine. My FAT is almost always extra virgin olive oil or occasionally canola oil. I like canola oil if I am going for an Asian theme. Mix and match, match and mix, whisk vigorously as you go and you will create something wonderfully scrumptious and your kids will even eat the salad. Who could resist the deliciousness? Give it a try, you won't look back. You will soon realize that eating salad with bottled dressing is like eating in your underwear, it can be done-but why? Not pretty....

Seafood Stew With Fennel Too

A couple of weeks ago Scott and I took a night away from children and enjoyed downtown Minneapolis. On Saturday afternoon we had lunch at Zelos. I had a wonderful seafood stew, and I could hardly wait to put my own meal together. I started by purchasing a seafood blend of shrimp, scallops and calamari from Trader Joes. I then bought a large fennel bulb, three leeks, and some seafood stock. I sautéed in olive oil six cloves of chopped garlic, fennel and leeks. I then added 1/2 cup of white wine, fresh cracked pepper, fresh thyme and salt, cooked for a few minutes and added four cups seafood stock, three cups chicken stock, a can of whole tomatoes and some saffron threads. This needed to blend a bit and then I added the seafood to the bubbling mixture. I made some Albert's egg noodles and ladled the steaming stew over. Yummy yes, Zelos no. I will continue to work on this one, because that meal is forever etched on my mind and palate. Could it be that it was so wonderful because of the circumstances surrounding the meal, a weekend away with my wonderful husband? Maybe, but I will continue to pursue....

A Potato Salad Kinda Day

What a day! You know those days when winter is winding down and spring is on the horizon and it is unseasonably warm? That's a potato salad kinda day! Red potatoes, green onions, celery, hard boiled eggs, whole grain Dijon mustard, Miracle Whip and fresh ground black pepper! That's it and it's yummy. I use light Miracle Whip, not because I am ultra calorie conscious, but because I have discovered it has a more delicate consistency than the regular Miracle Whip. The other ingredients are adjusted to your liking, but this is what I used. About 8 good sized red potatoes, 6 green onions (white and green parts thinly sliced), 3 ribs celery, 6 hard boiled eggs, approximately 1/4 cup mustard and enough Miracle Whip to really moisten the mix. It's ok to overdo it, because it soaks it up as it sits. This delightful salad tastes and smells of a lazy summer day and paired beautifully with grilled T-bone steaks And sautéed baby portabella mushrooms and asparagus. If you have never made your own potato salad, give it a try! You won't be sorry...

Celebration Of Life

No time to cook today. I left work early to attend the funeral of Scott's Uncle, Richard. They are not called funerals these days, but celebrations of life. Very impressive. Richard was a music buff and his favorites played throughout the visitation and were used in the slideshow. Richard has three daughters, each spoke in memory of their Dad today. I did not have an emotional attachment to Richard, as I only met him a few times. I didn't even bring Kleenex. Wrong answer. This celebration of life left me reflecting on my own. Richard's daughters talked affectionately of their father and the fond memories. They spoke of late nights (while in kindergarten) watching The David Letterman Show, grilling and gardening and playing air guitar with their Dad. It made me think,"am I too hard on my kids"? If I died today, what would they say at my celebration of life? It is so easy to get caught up in routines and schedules, that I hope I'm not missing the point. Maybe I need to ease up and have more fun with my kids, maybe that's what it's really all about. Next time I go to speak to my kids in correction I will ask myself, "what would Richard do?". If I'm not sure, we will just play air guitar....

Why Adventures of the Orange Pot?

I know this will be a question. Why did you call your blog "Adventures of the Orange Pot"? So let's cut to the chase....My husband Scott got me a sweet cast iron enamel pot for Christmas, color orange. I love that pot and equally love the meals that come out of it. It is heavy and makes great soups, stews and braises beautifully! The pot alone is reason enough to start a blog. I love to cook and hope to inspire others to do the same. I grew up with a Mom that knew how to cook and did it well, but very simply. She believes there are three spices (salt, pepper and onion), but it was always good and always "homey". I learned the basics from her (like boiling water and making gravy with flour-not out of a packet). I went through a phase of boxed Hamburger Helper and then simultaneously ran into the Food Network and a boss that cooked AND canned. She inspired me and I learned from her. It was that combination with a strong foundation in the basics that started something magical in the kitchen. I find it very rewarding to start with a batch of ingredients and end with a meal that my family loves. Let the adventures begin!