Snowglobes and Soup

I feel like I have been living in a snow globe for the past two weeks.  Somone keeps shaking it up!  If only the scene I live in was as serene as the scenes you see in the snowglobes. 

No pine trees, warm fires and hot cocoa for me.  It is more like falling on my bum, pushing neighbors cars up the drive way, refilling the bucket of salt because you have just emtpied it for the 7th time, convincing Riley the faster he does his business the faster we can go back in the house, scraping car windows every morning, drivers that use their brakes too much, slick roads, 40 minute commute times...etc.  It just won't stop.  Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be making it into the mountains where we need the moisture stockpile.  I am enjoying the fresh air, but I don't get out in it much because it keeps snowing. 

One thing cold snowy weather does is increase my desire for comfort foods.  I somehow convinced Ralph that I needed some of his homeade tomato soup.  I promised to make a "bread" of some kind to go along with it.  It was so tasty.  I made Mel's Kitchen Cafe, Cheddar and Herb Biscuits to go along with it.

Tomato Soup
2 quarts canned tomatoes
2 cups diced carrots
2 cups diced celery
1 cup diced onion
1 cup cooking sherry (you can substitute water)
4 chicken bouillion cubes
2 Tbls olive oil
2 Tbls butter
4 ounces tomato paste
2 cups water
Seasonings: garlic powder, parsley, french or italian herbs, black pepper, salt if necessary

saute carrots, celery, onions, and dried herbs in the olive oil and butter
add sherry to deglaze
add tomatoes, paste, water and bouillion
simmer until vegetables are tender
puree and serve

***to cut down on sodium use low sodium canned chicken broth, and real sherry.

I hope you are all keeping warm and safe.
Ta Ta for now.

A Stay at Home Day

I looked forward to today as I knew that neither I nor Ralph had anything extra planned.  We had the church thing, no extra meetings, visitors, projects due etc. 

This morning was amazing.  I didn't taste the air when I left to take Riley for his morning business.  The sky was blue and the sun was shining.  Halfway through church, I looked out the window and what did I see.....(not popcorn)  Rain.  When I left church it had stopped raining, but I knew what was coming.   SNOW  When I got home from church I put on my Utah sweats and sweatshirt, a pair of socks and snuggled down under the blanket with Riley and a glass of diet coke and watched mens figure skating. 
(Ralph begged for control of the remote, but I didn't hand it over until a winner had been announced.  He wasn't even watching, he was reading a spy novel anyway, so why should he care?)

The snowstorm hit and I knew it was a good thing to stay home.  As of now we have about 4 to 5 inches of new snow.  That should make the commute to work in the morning loads of fun.


We had a total comfort food dinner of meatloaf, twice baked potatoes, cooked carrots and a big green salad.  The meatloaf recipe I use is from the Barefoot Contesssa, except I use a couple of large cloves of garlic as well.  It uses ground turkey (healthy)  I half the recipe and it gives us food for the week.  I love me a good meatloaf sandwich for lunch.



Can you really make meatloaf look appetizing?



Turkey Meatloaf

• 3 cups chopped yellow onions (2 large onions)
• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 5 pounds ground turkey breast
• 1 1/2 cups plain dry bread crumbs
• 3 extra-large eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup ketchup

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a medium saute pan, over medium-low heat, cook the onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme until translucent, but not browned, approximately 15 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste and mix well. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Combine the ground turkey, bread crumbs, eggs, and onion mixture in a large bowl. Mix well and shape into a rectangular loaf on an ungreased sheet pan. Spread the ketchup evenly on top. Bake for 1 1/2 hours until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F. and the meatloaf is cooked through. (A pan of hot water in the oven under the meatloaf will keep the top from cracking.) Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold in a sandwich.

Looking forward to a productive week.
Ta Ta for now.

Drinking from a fire hose

I sit here trying to come up with the right words to describe the past month and I think this picture says it all!

Life needs to be downsized!  More updates coming.

We recently had a stake boundary change and then more recently a ward boundary change.  The 2nd week in the ward...they had a chili cook off/cake auction fundraiser for the scouts.  Ralph signed us up.  I thought he was crazy, but his skills won out again---we won the cook off!!!  I don't remember where I found the recipe - but we have had it in our files for several years.  I don't have a picture, but trust me it is YUMMO!

Anyway  there have been requests for the recipe - here it is..

Creamy White Chicken Chili

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder or 2 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon oil
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies (if you like less kick, add just one can)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream
Fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)
***We like the texture to be a little thicker so we mix 2T of corn meal with 1/2 cup of the broth -before the cream(s) are added.  Once the corn meal is blended then we add it back to the pot and bring it to a boil.

DIRECTIONS:
In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder (or fresh garlic, if using) in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. Serve with your favorite cornbread, bread sticks or tortilla chips

Wrap it up and a recipe

I've been kind of absent lately because life gets busy and I get lazy and those two combined does not a blog post make.  It also doesn't help that the coldest corner of the house is where the computer is set up. So...because it has been a while - you are in for a long post.

Here are the samples of what I made for my wrap it up swap...

None of these ideas are my original ideas. 

Santa face made with Stampin Up Punches

These are hostess ding dongs with a face.  Reminds me of Mike Wazowski from Montsters INC. 

made them for all the nieces and nephews for Halloween - they never came by.  We delivered them the next weekend.

Peppermint patties with a Christmas Touch

I know...some of you are thinking - why go to the effort for a peppermint patty or candy.  I say...why not?  Wouldn't you rather get these than just a few silver wrapped patties?

In our house Ralph always makes the chili.  Warm, spicy chili made with dried beans, meat and all the spices. I admire the way he can just pull things off the shelf and make them taste good. I like chili...not too spicy and definitely chunky, but have never made it myself.  I have seen lots of recipes touting their claim to be the best.  After seeing this particular recipe on Jaimie cooks it up (see side bar on blogs I follow) I knew I had to give it a try.  I made this for our ward party trunk or treat. (5.5 gallons)  Got LOADS of compliments - best chili they ever had.

When I made it for Ralph and I, I made my favorite cornbread recipe,(posted here) cut a piece and placed it in a bowl.  I then poured chili over the top.  It was so yummy.  You probably already have a favorite chili recipe, but I thought I would share mine.
Here is the recipe in its original format - my changes are noted



Chili picture from Jamie cooks it up

 Three Bean Chili 
1 onion
1 red pepper
1/2 green pepper
1 garlic clove
1/2 pound ground beef  (we like stew meat- but this prolongs the cooking process)
1  15 oz can pinto beans
1  15 oz can light red kidney beans
1  15 oz can dark red kidney beans
1  14 oz can Mexican flavored stewed tomatoes (if you buy them diced you can skip step 3)
1  6 oz can tomato paste (we only used 1/2 can)
3/4 t chili powder (we used a lot more)
1 T brown sugar (gives it a slight sweet flavor - ralph prefers less - I like it how it is.  Blame it on my sweet tooth)
2 t beef bullion
We added some ground cumin to taste
salt and pepper

1. Put your ground beef in a hot skillet and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Let it get nice and browned.
2. While your meat is cooking chop up your veggies.
3. Take your can of Stewed Tomatoes and give them a little chop. Don't try and pour them out onto a cutting board. That kind of mess will urge you to use swear words you never knew you wanted to say. Just stick a handy pair of kitchen scissors into the can and snip away.
4. Grab a large soup pot. Open up your can of beans, but don't drain them. You want those juices. Add the beans and all of the other ingredients to your soup pot. Stir it all around to incorporate all the goods.
5. Let the chili simmer for 30 minutes. Give it a little taste and add more salt and pepper if you would like.

Mom is coming for a visit next week.  We purchased tickets to go to Time Out for Women - sponsored by Deseret Book.  It starts Friday evening and goes through Saturday - late afternoon.  Even though it can be construed as a complete DB advertisement, the time spent with Mom and the messages given make it worth sitting through a push to buy church books.  We will miss our sweet friend Mar.  It won't be the same without her.

We have a home football game tomorrow - supposed to rain and snow all day.  Guess I am out to purchase an inexpensive rain poncho.  It seems like there is always one game we sit through it the rain - One of these days, it might be worth the investment to purchase one of these...Warm, cozy, and it keeps the rain out.  Lets just hope the cold and wet keeps UCLA off their game.  GO UTES!

I am teaching my stamping club class tomorrow as well.  I am having a hard time choosing which cards to demo...and which ones to use as samples.  We might have more than 3 projects.  I will post pictures later.

Ta Ta for now

Zucchini Noodles

If you planted zucchini this year in your garden, I imagine, if yours is producing anything like ours you have a lot.  We like it cooked a lot of different ways - bread, cake, savory pies, fries, cut up in tomato veggie sauce, pancakes, and even raw on a vegetable plate.  We tried a new way tonight and I think it was a success.

While mom was here we went to the Sunflower market for a few produce items and they had a promotional magazine at the check out.  I picked it up and saw a recipe for zucchini noodles with tomato sauce.  Although none of the ingredients were cooked in the recipe in the magazine, we thought we would give it a try and put our own spin on it.

I have a tool called a julienne peeler.  You can buy them at any place that stocks a good variety of kitchen tools. We used the peeler on the zuchinni to make thin long strips - like noodles.   If you buy this tool, you will find yourself using it more than you think.  It is great for julienning veggies for soup and salads.  Even potatoes!

Ralph made a sauce with some of our home grown roma tomatoes, onions, garlic and a few seasonings all sauteed together.  We didn't cook the zucchini because we didn't want it too mushy.  When we were ready to eat we poored the hot sauce over the zuchinni noodles.  We grated a bit of parmesan cheese to go on top.  Tasty!

The noodles almost immediately started to expell their liquid, which we knew would happen.  Thankfully not enough to make the sauce to watery.   You could probably salt the raw zucchini noodles and let them drain the excess liquid, rinse them and then poor the sauce over.  Because of the warm sauce the noodles weren't completely raw when we sat down to eat.  I would describe them as al dente.  This dish along with some home made breadsticks makes for a great meal and super healthy too!  You could add meat to the sauce if you so choose. We will definitely make this again -

Alley Berries

We live in an area of SLC that has several alley ways cutting through the standard city blocks.  As we navigate the alley's as we take Riley on his daily walks we find all kinds of interesting things.  Riley won't walk through the smushed apricots fallen to the ground (he gets that from Ralph)  There are now several people who come to their back yard fences asking how Riley is doing.  He sure makes friends everywhere he goes.  There are several dogs that also come to the backyard fence to say hi. 

One of our early discoveries was a huge patch of blackberries that were uncared for and nobody ever picked them.  Last year we just sampled everytime we walked by. 

This year, we decided to pick the berries so they didn't go to waste.  Mom was a great help.  The patch is full of thorns and it hasn't been pruned for quite some time, so we had to go digging for the berries. 

We have picked them twice and I imagine it is time to go again.  We got about two quarts the first time and about a quart the second time.  We froze most of them so we can make some freezer jam with them.  The second batch was used to make cobbler.  This recipe creates a buttery crisp, cakey topping that you just can't get enough of.

Not my picture, but it looks just like it.

Easy Berry Cobbler

1/4 C butter

1 Cup Flour

1 Cup Sugar

1 Cup Milk

2 tsp baking powder

2 Cups favorite fruit

Preheat oven to 375.  Melt butter in cobbler dish.  To make the batter, mix the next four ingredients together.  Add batter to the hot melted butter in the cobbler dish.  Do not stir.  Sprinkle fruit on top of batter.  Do not stir.

Bake at 375° for 30-40 minutes.

Serve warm with ice cream, whipped cream, or English custard.

Promised Recipe

Salmon and Green Bean Panzanella Salad

picture courtesy of epicurious

1 pound salmon fillet, skin removed

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided

1/2 pound green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon plus 1 teasoon red wine vinegar

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup thinly sliced red onion

8 ounce whole-wheat baguette, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 cup fresh basil, cut into thin strips

Heat broiler to low. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Season salmon with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Broil until cooked through, 5 minutes per side; let cool. Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan; cook beans until bright green and crisp-tender, about 3 minutes; drain and set aside. Whisk oil, vinegar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a serving bowl; add beans, tomatoes, onion, bread cubes and basil, then toss. Flake salmon and add to salad; toss gently. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

*Cooks Note - We sauteed the salmon on the stovetop and had excellent results.  We also added avocado to the salad.  YUMMO!

New Adventures With Seeds?

Nope, I am not planting a garden...already did that.  I am talking about Quinoa.  It has become quite popular recently, so Ralph and I thought we would try it.  First time - didn't turn out so great.  Second time - yummy.  Things I learned.
1. Quinoa needs to be rinsed well.  Even the boxed  stuff you buy off the shelf or from the bulk bin at your health food store needs to be rinsed.    It has a bitter like resin coating called saponin.  You can tell it is on the seed when you rinse because it creates a soapy like suds.  Believe it or not in South America the saponin is used for detergent.  Yes.. rinse well
2.  The Quinoa seed is full of things that are good for you.  High in protein, calcium and iron.  It is a good source of vitamin E and several B vitamins.  It contains all 8 essential amino acids which is great for human tissue development.  It is exceptionally high in lycine, cystine and methionine.  (these are good for people who get cold sores - helps prevent.  Trust me I know)
3.  Quinoa does have a higher fat content than other grains/seeds, but it is good fat.  It is also gluten free for those with wheat problems

Now...with that out of the way here is a recipe I used that I think is the start of a beautiful relationship.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

1 1/2 C quinoa
1 1/2 C cooked black beans (1 can equals about that amount)
1 1/2 T red wine vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

1 1/2 C cooked corn (cut from about 2 large ears - or you can use frozen)
3/4 C chopped bell pepper - I used red, orange, yellow and green
2 stalks of celery - chopped
1/2 small red onion - chopped (1/3 to 1/2 C)
2 pickled jalapeno peppers seeded and chopped (I did not add this - didn't have any on the shelf)
quartered grape tomatoes - as many or as little as you want
avocado - as much or as little as you want
1/4 C chopped cilantro
*I added one large breast of chicken cubed and cooked.  You could also add steak sliced thinkly or shrimp or any other animal protein that suits your fancy
** Ralph added fresh chopped cucumber and loved the addition.

Dressing:
1 Clove garlic minced
5 Tbls fresh lime juice
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp ground cumin - or to taste
1/3 C olive oil

In a bowl wash quinoa in at least 5 changes cold water, rubbing grains and letting them settle before pouring off most of water, until water runs clear and drain in a large fine sieve.

In a saucepan of salted boiling water cook quinoa 10 minutes. Drain quinoa in sieve and rinse under cold water. Set sieve over a saucepan of boiling water (quinoa should not touch water) and steam quinoa, covered with a kitchen towel and lid, until fluffy and dry, about 10 minutes (check water level in kettle occasionally, adding water if necessary).

While quinoa is cooking, in a small bowl toss beans with vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer quinoa to a large bowl and cool. Add beans, corn, bell pepper, jalapeños, and coriander and toss well.

Make dressing:
In a small bowl whisk together lime juice, salt, and cumin and add oil in a stream, whisking.

Drizzle dressing over salad and toss well with salt and pepper to taste. Salad may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring salad to room temperature before serving.   Add the tomatoes and avocado to the salad just before serving - that way they don't go mushy :)

Ta Ta for now

Did I say stress eating?

HAPPY ST PATRICKS DAY

After a hard day at work it is such a relief to come home and hang with my boys.  Riley greeted me last night at the door with his usual enthusiasm and then we ventured upstairs to find Ralph.  He was at the computer looking at soft pretzel recipes. We have never made them before, but decided to give them a try.  Ralph took the reigns on this one and we were quite pleased how they turned out.  We will do some tweaking, a bit chewier and maybe thinner.  If you have done this and have tips/secrets please feel free to share.  They were so tasty as they came out of the oven brushed with butter, flake salt and pepper.  We dipped them in a of mustard.  Riley even liked them - at least the buttery part with no mustard.

INGREDIENTS:

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/8 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F

/45 degrees C)

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup bread flour
2 oz butter

3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45

degrees C)

3 tablespoons baking soda

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt

1.  In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast, brown sugar and salt in 1 1/2 cups warm water and butter. Stir in flour, and knead dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover, and let rise for one hour

2.  Combine 3 cups warm water and baking soda in an quart sauce pan - bring to a boil and then turn stove off.

3.  After dough has risen, cut into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a 3 foot rope, pencil thin or thinner. Twist into a pretzel shape, and drop into the boiling baking soda solution for 30 seconds. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets, and let rise 15 to 20 minutes

4.  Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with coarse salt, garlic salt or cinnamon sugar.

I should go to the gym and work off the carbs, but then again...maybe I will have another pretzel.

Ta Ta for now

I finally found it

So...I don't need a ground hog to tell me spring is on it's way...my allergies are taking care of that.  I did finally go and see and ENT specialist.  After a CT scan they found I had a small sinus infection and I go in for further allergy testing next week.  I am so ready to be done with the sneezy runny nose.

Life has been insanely crazy.  Lets just say, my mind has been so full of things going on that don't necessarily need to be shared here, thus my lack of posting.  I will say that along with the stress comes stress eating.  We have really tried to not keep junk around the house to eat, so therefore we have come up with our own creations to satisfy the stress monster.  

On to a better note...I finally found a chocolate mint brownie recipe worth sharing and blogging about.  Our FHE group met this week and the theme of the party was Irish foods as in St Patricks day is right around the corner.  Now...to those of my friends who know I am a foodie, let me just preface that my FHE group are not real accomplished cooks, but we love getting together and eating anyway.  Ralph and I were assigned dessert.  What is Irish and dessert that I can feed a lot of people with... I know Irish mint brownies (Irish is a stretch.)  The brownies were dense and fudgie, the frosting and topping were smooth and buttery.  That may be because there is a lot of butter in them, but we all know that butter makes everything taste better right?
Here is the link recipe I found   Famous Mint Brownies

Chocolate Mint Brownies – (Recipe for 1 1/2 times is in parenthesis fills a texas sheetcake pan)

Whisk together:
1 c. melted butter (1 ½ c.)
½ c. cocoa powder (3/4 c.)

And then add:
2 c. sugar  (3 c.)
4 eggs beaten  (6)
1 tsp. vanilla (1 ½ tsp.)
½ tsp. salt (3/4 tsp.)

Mix well and then add:

1 ½ c. sifted flour  (2 ¼ c.)

Stir in by hand.  Do not over mix.

Pour into 9×13 pan sprayed with cooking spray.  If making 1 1/2 recipe pour into Baker’s Half Sheet (large cookie sheet.)  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-28 minutes.  Cool for a few minutes and then place in freezer for 20 minutes.

While brownies are in the freezer make first layer of topping.

Mint frosting:
½ c. butter softened  (3/4 c.)
2 Tbsp. milk  (3 Tbsp.)
2 c. powdered sugar  (3 c.)
1 tsp. peppermint extract  ( 1 ½ tsp.)
green food coloring

Mix thoroughly.  Evenly frost brownies and put back in freezer for 20 minutes. Make chocolate ganache top layer.

Chocolate Ganache Topping:
½ c. butter  (3/4 c.)
1 ½ c. good semi sweet chocolate chips  (2 ¼ c.)

Melt and whisk together.  (I melt them together in a Pyrex measuring bowl in the microwave for one minute.  Be careful not to overheat.  It won’t look melted but once whisked it is.)  Drizzle warm chocolate over brownies and spread smooth with a spatula.  Put back in freezer for another 20 minutes.  Cut up into bars - a texas sheet cake makes 48 nice sized brownies. 

They really turn out like the picture and are so yummy.  It was a good thing they got mostly devoured at FHE or I would have eaten the whole pan. 

Ta Ta for now

Whew!

Time has flown and it has been a fun time.   I took some time off of work to spend with my Mom while she was here visiting.  Here is a run down of some of the things we did.  (I should probably break this post down into many, but it is an accomplishment just to get it done.)

One our favorite things to do to relax is knit.  Mom came with a lot of extra dish cloth yarn and since we both like home made dish cloths we decided to make a few.  During the down/TV time Mom knitted dishcloths 23 as of yesterday- I made a few of these, but she made the majority of them.  There are so many cute patterns out there and it is a great way to refresh your skills.  They even work great for facial washcloths.  We got our year supply.

We spent a little bit of time at the Family History Library.  It was fun to hear about my anscestors and learn a little about researching.  We did get to a point on one of them that we had to request a marriage certificate to progress any further.  We were in dungeons, looking at some microfilm and the power went out.  Thank goodness for emergency back up lighting.   Kind of funny, but memorable experience.   Hopefully this visit is one of many that Ralph and I make as we pursue some of our history's

We did a little bit of shopping.  Actually we spent three days running around looking in stores and hanging out.  Muphy's law...when you don't have money to spend you find lots of things you like.  We did find some super sales over the weekend and found a few steals.   We did splurge and purchased matching bracelets that we can add charms to.  The first charm we got were mom/daughter charms. Every time I look at it I think of her and how special she is to me.

It feels like I have done a lot of cooking lately. I love it!   Ralph normally takes care a lot of that, but it has been fun to get back into the kitchen and get my hands dirty.  I have made 5 batches of artisan bread since Mom has been here... along with two pots of soup. Here is one of the recipes that tastes so good and is a nice change from the normal food fare.

Picture from Sunset Magazine

Singapore Turkey Stew

• 1  pound  ground lean turkey
• 1/2  teaspoon  Chinese five spice
• 1/2  teaspoon  hot chili flakes
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
• 1  tablespoon  vegetable oil
• 2  cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1  tablespoon  grated fresh ginger
• 1  can (13 1/2 oz.) coconut milk
• 1  can (14 1/2 oz.) fat-skimmed chicken broth
• 1  head bok choy (12 oz.), rinsed, stem end trimmed, and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1  can (14 oz.) baby corn, drained
• 2  Roma tomatoes (about 8 oz. total), rinsed, cored, and chopped
• 1/4  cup  drained canned sliced water chestnuts
• 1/4  cup  thinly sliced green onions
• 1  tablespoon  lime juice
• 3  tablespoons  chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, mix ground turkey, five spice, chili flakes, and salt. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls. Pour flour onto a large rimmed plate and roll balls in flour to coat lightly.
2. Pour oil into a 4- to 5-quart nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add meatballs in a single layer. Cook, turning frequently, until lightly browned all over and barely pink in the center (cut to test), 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate.
3. Add garlic and ginger to pan and stir just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add coconut milk, broth, and meatballs; bring to a simmer. Adjust heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook until meatballs are no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in bok choy, baby corn, tomatoes, water chestnuts, green onions, and lime juice and cook, stirring often, until bok choy leaves are wilted and stems are barely tender to bite, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve from pan.

I also got to make breakfast and dinner for Ralph's birthday.  Yes, I threw the diet out the window and had home made biscuits with sausage gravy and soft scrambled eggs.  For dinner we had bbq pork ribs with mashed potatoes, veggies and a salad.  His birthday cake was a peanut butter cake with chocolate filling and a cream cheese frosting.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of it before it was devoured by family.  It was very tasty.

Speaking of Ralph's B-day here is a picture of his card... it was fun to make and even more fun to give it to him.  He did express how much he enjoyed home made cards.  I then felt guilty because he is usually the one that gets left off the list.  I know!!!! he should be the first on the list.  I am committing to do much more betterer.

  

Heart Cakes

I hope everyone has a great day and knows they are loved!

 Confession - I love Necco Sweetheart candies.  I have tried these types of candy hearts by other companies - they just don't taste the same.  I especially love them when they are fresh and semi-soft. They have just enough flavor to match their color and they are fun to munch on. 

It was a busy weekend but very productive.  I love having my Mom here to visit and she is so much fun to hang with.  We ran errands on Saturday, as well as attend a gallery showing of some guys metal work (Ralph was attending an open house for a charter school - so Mom and I waited at the library and saw the art showing), grocery shopping, went to meetings (I bailed, but Ralph was good and faithful) and then prepped for sharing time on Sunday.

Ralph's family usually exchanges some kind of treat for Valentines day - I didn't want to be left hanging, so I made one of Ralph's favorite Valentine treats...Heart cakes.  The recipe comes from his Grandma White.  I will just preface that I don't really care for sugar cookies, unless the frosting is just amazing and even then, they are still not my favorites.  These cookies are just different enough - I love them!  Between the almond flavor and oats, the cookies are great by themselves.  The frosting just adds to an already yummy cookie.  Here is the picture of what was delivered to the family yesterday and the recipe.



Heart Cakes

1 Cup butter

1 Cup Sugar

2 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla

2 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

2 1/2 C all purpose flour

2 C rolled oats (I used quick oats)

Cream butter and sugar - add eggs, vanilla and almond extract.  Add dry ingredients.  Chill the dough.  Roll out to about a 1/4 in thickness.  Using a heart cookie cutter, cut hearts and place them on an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

After they have cooled - frost them with this recipe

3 C powdered sugar

1/3 butter - softened

2 T maraschino cherry juice  ( I used a little bit of cherry flavoring and red food coloring)

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

( I used evaporated milk to bring the frosting to the consistency I wanted)

  Ralph's Mom will be coming over for dinner tonight.  We figured since my Mom was already here, we would have both Moms over to celebrate the day.  We will be having linguine with a light tomato cream sauce and scallops, salad, home made bread and turtle chocolate cheesecake for dessert.  The rest of the week will be carrots and celery sticks and lots of exercise.

Ta Ta for now

Christmas Buzz

Have you caught it yet? 
I HAVE!  As long as I stay away from the stores and the commercial hub bub I will be fine.

As Ralph and I talked through some of our plans for the holiday season I started to get a little excited.  We have decided to stay in town for Christmas.  Which means we will put a tree up this year.  I especially got excited when I found out the GRP Christmas album II that I couldn't find is now available as an MP3 download.  I think it is my most favorite of the three.

I volunteered Ralph and I to cater my work party event next Saturday.  It drives him crazy when I do that, but I think he enjoys the cooking and prep as much as I do.  He should thank me as this way it enables him to be in the kitchen and not have to socialize with my fellow employees.  We have planned a mexican buffet.  It makes me hungry just thinking about it.  I love doing these kinds of things.  I have often thought about changing careers to a catering style job, but then I don't think it would be fun for me.  I will stick with the for "personal enjoyment" thing and my regular day job.
 
The activities for the weekend will keep us busy.  I have a baptism to attend in the morning, help Ralph's Mom put up her Christmas decorations, the land lord and an electrician coming to our house to "ground" the electrical outlets, our house to clean and prepare for Christmas.  Sunday - I hope to get some VT done.  Somewhere in that time frame I plan on posting pictures of some of the projects I have been working on and starting a couple of new ones, including our Christmas cards.

We have our family and neighbor gifts planned.  I really think that planning is half the battle.  We have really tried to simplify things but still make them meaningful.  Kind of hard for me as I like to go BIG.  But I think I will be satisfied with what we have planned this year.

I will end with a recipe that I found on Megans cooking Blog it is easy, yummy, and festively colored.

BLT Pasta

6 strips of thick sliced bacon cut into 1 inch pieces
1 C cherry/grape tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
1 lb thin spaghetti
4oz butter
1 C heavy cream
1/2 C parmesan - plus additional for garnish
2 C spinach leaves (makes it a healthy dish)
salt
pepper

• Cook pasta
• meanwhile saute bacon until crisp - drain and save 1 T of the drippings - crumble bacon
• Add tomatoes and sugar carmelize until tomatoes begin to brown (about 5 minutes)
• Turn heat to low and stir in cream, butter, and cheese.
• Drain spaghetti and set aside
• Stir in bacon, and spinach - then add spaghetti. 
• Season with salt and pepper to taste
• Garnish with cheese and enjoy.

You could add chicken to this.
 

There are no words....

that can describe what happened at RES.  OH wait - there are...BUTT KICKIN!  I am not sure what team showed up to play against the horned frogs, but it wasn't the team I normally watch.  We couldn't complete a pass, hand off, or hang on to the ball to save our lives.  There was so much hype over the game and then to have it end the way it did was heart breaking and almost comical at the end as we continued to play like we have never seen or played the game before.  Oh well...we learn from it and move on to South Bend IN to play Notre Dame.  Go UTES!

So I rented a couple of movies to watch last night - Iron Man 2 and Letters to Juliet.  Ralph didn't finish his presidency meeting until much later than he anticipated. We only got through Iron Man 2 - thoroughly enjoyed it. Iron Man rocks and so does Pepper Potts!  But don't forget Scarlett Johansens character.  She double rocked!  I think it will be one we eventually add to our collection.

**SPOILERS**I watched Letters to Juliet when I got home from the football game as it had to be returned tonight before 9:00.  It was good - Vanessa Redgrave is just beautiful  A class act.  My soft romantic brain got sucked in and I loved the scene when the character Claire comes to check on Sophie after a rough day of searching for Lorenzo.  She offers to brush Sophie's hair and says “One of the great joys in life is having one's hair brushed"- tears were sitting on the edge of my eyelids by the end of the scene.  I even made Ralph sit down watch as I replayed the scene.   The ending was a bit cheesy - but loved the happy ending.  I think the real love affair took place between Claire and Sophie.  What a sweet relationship that was.  I needed that after todays fiasco.

For breakfast this morning I really wanted some French Toast - Ralph suggested that pumpin french toast would be a good idea.  So I tried it.  It turned out exactly as I had imagined it would taste.  It will be one we add to our recipe pile of keepers.  I don't have a picture of the finished product, but it looks a lot like regular french toast.  Here is the recipe:
3 eggs
1/4 C milk
1/4 C cream
1/4 C pureed pumpkin
2 T brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cardamon
8 to 10 sliced of bread.

Mix the custard ingredients together.  Soak bread in custard mixture and cook.  These would be good stuffed with cream cheese.  This could also be adjusted to make a good bread pudding.    Use your imagination and enjoy it.

Ta Ta for now