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?"