Comforting Potato Soup

I didn't get an appetizing picture of this meal...  It really looks like mush to be honest with you, but it tastes so good!  I used this potato soup recipe as my base and came up with this:

First, cook this stuff:
4 baked potatoes (baked for an hour at 400°, cooled, peeled and very coarsley mashed)
1/2 pkg mushrooms, sauteed (in copious amounts of butter and salt...  I have the hubby do it)
1/4 lb ground turkey
1 Cup chicken stock (I use the organic stuff from Costco)

1. Get the potatoes scrubbed, poked with a fork and into the oven.  They do take about an hour (until they're tender), so once you have them cooling go ahead with the rest of the instructions.
2. Like I said, I have the hubby cook the mushrooms because I can't stand to put that much salt on anything, but he cooks them to taste, so however you cook them will be just fine.  Fry them up in a sauce pan, add butter, salt, garlic, whatever.  Once they are cooked to your liking, put them in a bowl and set aside.
3. Using the pan you cooked your mushrooms in, cook up your ground turkey.  Once it's browned (from the left over butter that was in there from the mushrooms) return the mushrooms and add the chicken stock to soak up any remaining yummy-ness from the pan.  Let simmer on low, or if you decided to cook this ahead... stick it in the fridge until you're ready for it.  I am only guessing with my measurements because I was dealing with leftovers.
4. Without burning your fingers...  Peel those potatoes and mash them coarsely.  They should be in bite size pieces, but not unrecognizable...  Cube them if you must.

In a large pot/stock pot/dutch oven:

2 tablespoons flour 

6 cups Milk

1. BEFORE turning on the heat, dump your flour into the pot, and stir in the milk a few tablespoons at a time while using a whisk to mix well.  You don't want it all lumpy and bumpy.  
2. Once all the flour/milk mixture is a nice paste, turn on the heat to medium low and continue adding the milk while stirring.
3. Go ahead and turn up the heat to medium high and continue stirring until thickened.  Let it boil a little, but make sure to scrape the bottoms and sides to keep those lumps away.  When desired thickness is reached, turn it down to a simmer.

Now for the good stuff!

1 tsp pepper

2 dashes cayenne pepper
1 chive sliced
3 small stalks celery with leaves, chopped
1 large carrot sliced
3 1/2 inch slices fresh mozzarella

1. Add your potatoes, and your mushroom/meat mix to the milk/flour mix and stir.
2. Add  the rest of the ingredients (pepper, cayenne, chive, celery, carrot & mozzarella).
3. Stir well and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until the celery and carrots are no longer super crunchy.

We like to eat this soup with a nice warm piece of garlic bread.

Unbaked #8 - Jewelry Holder Frame

For the last ten years, my jewelry has been in a mangled mess inside a little jar that a friend brought back to me from Russia.  Since I'm "growing up" I thought I should have a more respectable holder/display for my earrings and necklaces.

What I used:

Old baseboard (approx 68")

Handheld Saw (and then eventually hubby's power saw)

Spray paint

Hammer

Nails

Lace (I bought a 'sample pack' of 25 pieces of lace 11.5"x14.5" for 99¢!)

Push pins

Ribbon

I found some old baseboards in the attic of our garage (something the previous owners left), and begged my hubby to get them down so I could cut them up and do crafty things with them.  My piece of wood was about 68" long.  So I made a mark every 16" and then I used my quilt mat to measure a 45° angle to either side of my mark.

Then I used my hubby's trusty handheld saw to get the first couple angles cut...  About the time I thought a power tool would come in handy, my hubby came to my rescue and helped me finish the cutting with more precision and less time. (somewhere in there one of my pieces came out shorter than the other three, so I just trimmed a second one down so my frame wouldn't look too funky)  I kept my scraps to fit the thing together...  I'll explain later.

I laid my pieces on a large piece of cardboard, and spray painted my wood white.

When they were good and dry, I flipped them over.  Since I did not have the precision of a table saw, nor do I own a staple gun, I used my scraps to hold the lace in each corner and nailed through the scrap and the lace into the "frame".  I also used nails to keep my lace tight on the sides...  I hammered in my nail part way & then bent it over!  My grandmother, a custom picture framer, and my father, a contractor, would both be so disappointed in my lack of appropriate tools!

I used push pins to make my hanger.  I cut my ribbon so that it was long enough to hang above the frame, and then I tied it around each push pin at either end.  I don't know where the pins came from, but they're flat on top and I was able to hammer them in since I think the baseboards were some kind of hardwood.

Then...  I hung it on the wall and put all my earrings and necklaces on it!  I think it turned out funky but fun.

3 Bean Turkey Chili

First, I have a question...  How do you make chili look appetizing?  If you have any helpful hints, I'll take them!  At least this one is colorful :)  My mom always made chili with all sorts of beans and a yummy spice mix, but I've never been able to make my chili as good as my mom's!  My hubby's grandmother gave me a cookbook a few weeks ago as a graduation gift, and I tried the chili recipe and fell in love!  Of course, I'm not an avid TJ's shopper like the majority of my friends, but I did have all the ingredients on hand and thought I'd give it a whirl.  So, here's my interpretation:

• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 14 oz can Diced Tomatoes
• 14 oz can Black Beans
• 14 oz can White Beans
• 14 oz can Vegetarian Refried Beans (I like Rosarita brand)
• 1/2 C Chipotle Salsa (for a smokey flavor)
• 1/4 C Thick & Spicy BBQ Sauce (for a little zing)
• One yellow onion, chopped
• Olive oil (just a drizzle to saute your onion)
• Ground Turkey (I use the prepackaged-from-Costco approximately 1 pound stuff)

1. Stir together tomatoes, beans, salsa and BBQ sauce in large pot over low heat.

2. Heat pan over medium heat with olive oil, and saute your onions until crisp tender, add turkey and brown.

3. Add cumin to meat and stir until all the meat is evenly coated.

4. Add meat mixture to bean mixture and simmer over low heat.  Serve once heated through.

I made this  yesterday for bible study, and the girls brought shredded cheddar cheese and Greek yogurt to top it.  They also brought a green salad and cornbread muffins that complimented it perfectly!  Since I wanted it ready when they got here, I threw everything in the crockpot on low for an hour and a half and then left it on warm until they arrived.  It allowed the flavors to mingle a bit longer, and the house smelled good too!

Ranch Dressing, Please, Heavy on the Dill!

We ran out of ranch dressing a while back...  And, well, I just did not have it in me to run to the store that evening when I discovered I was out!  Dinner was on plates and headed to the table.  So, I did what I always do, and that was type "ranch dressing recipe" into my little search engine.  To be honest, it probably would have been faster to throw on shoes and drive the two blocks to the grocery store, but I figured "why put on shoes when I probably have all the ingredients...?!"  Plus, the store is usually a zoo around dinner time.

I found this lady's delightful ranch dressing recipe, and used what I had in my fridge.  That's what she'd do anyway, right?  So here's what I used, and I totally didn't measure...  I just scooped ingredients into my dressing thingy until it looked right and mixed it up:

Mayonnaise
Sour Cream
Milk
Fresh Green Onions
Dill (I can't get enough of this stuff!)
Pepper, lots of pepper
Cayenne Pepper
Dried Oregano
Dried Parsley
Fresh Garlic (pressed)
Salt

I stirred it up and tasted it, and poured it over our dinner that fateful night.  The hubby liked it, and I haven't bought it at the store since!  It's probably better for us anyway, right?  The salad pictured above includes fresh spinach, red bell pepper, feta cheese, leftover BBQ tri-tip, and of course, the dressing sprinkled with fresh ground pepper.  I served it with peas, corn and sourdough garlic toast.  I got the spinach and peas from a friend who was going out of town and couldn't use them before she left.  She got them from a local farm, and I have to say, they were really tasty!  The peas were still in the shell, so I had to pop them out and boil them, and that was a fun new experience.  I'm excited to change this recipe around and try using some more of my basil, that some may begin to consider a short tree!

Pesto Pizza

This post is in honor of my dear friend Linda who helped me remember that I hadn't posted about my pesto adventures!  It started a few months ago when I was perusing the fresh herbs at the local grocery store.  I saw a giant pack of basil that had to be kept closed with a rubber band.  I didn't know exactly how I planned to use it all at the time, but then I remembered PESTO.  Yum!  So I looked on one of my all time favorite recipe sites, and found this tasty pesto recipe.  I love that it uses toasted almonds instead of pine nuts because I usually have almonds on hand.   Since my first batch of pesto, I have found an even better way of keeping the basil fresh if I can't use it all right away...  I bought a plant at Trader Joe's for only $2.99.

What was I to do with all this fabulous pesto?  Of course, I would spread the pesto over pizza dough, and top it with cheese!  Ok, so, I have a secret to share.  I could honestly live on pizza...  breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack...  every day... for the rest of my life.  It was a weekly ritual growing up, pizza, every.Friday.night!  I just can't get enough of the stuff.  Making dough in my bread maker takes at least an hour, so I searched my files of quick recipes, and decided on a focaccia.

I tried this focaccia recipe in a December post, and I was less than satisfied with the flavor.  However, I always hear my husband's voice in my head saying "It's a good first attempt" when I make something that does not meet the expectations of my taste buds' standards.  So, I grabbed that giant mixer and set to work with the bread.  I don't really measure the olive oil, I just kind of get my hands oily and spread the dough pretty thin on a baking sheet.  I only sprinkle the tiniest bit of cayenne and parmesan across the top before baking.  I bake it for about 8 minutes before yanking it from the oven and spreading pesto, cheese and toppings over the lightly browned thin crust.  The pizza in the picture is only topped with pesto, mozzarella and parmesan, but I've used leftover BBQ chicken, olives, pineapple, mushrooms, feta, cheddar, and any other toppings I might have in the fridge that day.

So, there's the easiest, fastest way I have figured out to satisfy my craving for pizza, and use that basil!  While the Focaccia is baking, whip up that pesto, shred that cheese, and have dinner ready in under 30!

Basil, Tomato, & Mozzarella, Oh My!

I bought a basil plant at Trader Joe's a few weeks ago and it just loves my sunny kitchen window! So much so, that I'm actually running out of recipes for all those scrumptious leaves!

My hubby had a long day at work today so I thought I'd make this snack for his arrival home. It popped into my head while I was staring at my giant basil plant and contemplating what to do for my hubby to provide a calm home atmosphere... FOOD! A friend of mine made a similar arrangement when I went to her house one day, so I thought I'd try it out.

It's so simple, and very tasty on a summer evening: 3 Roma tomatoes, fresh mozzarella in water, and fresh basil. I sliced and layered them in the fun arrangement you see in the picture, drizzled them with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and sprinkled the masterpiece with pepper and kosher salt.

On a side note...  My hubby bought me an iPhone for graduation, and I'm having so much fun taking pictures with it.  I tried posting this blog entry from my phone, but for some reason only the picture came through...  I'm still learning :)

For the Love of Olives

There is this amazing restaurant in the town that I grew up in that serves really yummy tapenade.  It's one of those things that I eat and think "ooh, I need a recipe for this" and then by the time I get home, I forget about it, and life goes on...  Well, not today!  I will  no longer miss out on the olives that olive-haters leave behind!  The coolest part about this recipe is that I learned how to roast red peppers too!  So with Kalamatas from good ol' Costco (yes, I have a GIANT jar in my fridge), a lemon from my tree and the experimental red pepper, I went to work.  Lemme tell ya...  It's pretty tasty!

The Tapenade Recipe
Roasting Red Peppers instructions

I tried the first suggestion of roasting the pepper on my stove-top...  Let's just say that someone as accident prone as me should not be playing with fire!  Next time I will use the broiler so as not to combat a flaming vegetable.  Since the article is long, here are the highlights and a variation of what I did.  You need a gas stove or bar-b-que:

1. Wash your pepper.
2. Broil red pepper in oven with door open (so flame stays lit), turning the pepper with tongs so that it gets burned evenly.  You want the outside to be black all over.
3. As soon as it is done, stick it in a bowl with a plate over the top and allow to cool completely.  Do not let the steam out!  I let mine sit for about an hour and a half.
4. Get out a bowl and place a small-mesh strainer over it.
5. Take a paring knife and slice the first layer of skin lengthwise down the pepper.
6. Cut around the stem and pull the stem and seeds out and place them in the strainer letting juices drip into the bowl.
7. "Open the pepper like a book" and remove any excess seeds.  Carefully scrape the burned skin off of the pepper and into strainer.  Be careful, it gets slippery... and remember that anything that comes off of or out of the pepper goes into the strainer!
8. When finished, discard the stuff in the strainer (garbage, compost, whatever) and place the pepper in the bowl with the juices!  You can stick a lit on it and refrigerate it for later use, or do what I did...  Slice it up and dump the whole bowl in the food processor for the tapenade!

I also did not use capers in mine, but I plan to next time.  I spread the mixture over thinly sliced sourdough and it was delicious.

Unbaked #7 - The Toy Mouse, for Mouse

See the cat?  Her name is Mouse.  She is the most needy, obnoxious cat I have ever met, but my hubby loves her, and well, that's the only reason she is still around!  Since I love my hubby (and not his cat), I made her a toy  to keep her occupied and out of my hair.  Here are the instructions for the crocheted toy...

What you need:
Cheap, scrap yarn, and not very much of it!
Size J Crochet hook
Stuffing (like you'd use if you were sewing a pillow, or shredded paper?)
Scissors

1. Chain 3 and slip stitch them together.
2. Chain 2 and turn.
3. Double crochet in each of the first 3 chain.
4. 2 Double crochet in each previous double crochet.
5. Double crochet around and around until your "mouse" is as long as you want it.
6. Skip every other double crochet until the backside is closing in.
7. Before closing it completely, turn it inside out and stuff with stuffing.
8. Slip stitch the "tail end" closed, add one more chain, snip about an extra 2 inches of yarn and pull your crochet hook through that last stitch to secure with a knot.

There you have it!  Something to keep the cat busy so you can blog, check Facebook, bake, nap, clean house, or whatever ;-)

My Favorite Pasta Salad

This is a super duper easy pasta salad I love to make for summer potlucks, and summer is just around the corner!  I made it for a friend's birthday tonight :)  It was pretty yummy if I do say so myself!

1 (12 ounce) box of Tri-Color Rotini

Your favorite Italian Dressing

Feta Cheese

Artichoke hearts in water (not oil), sliced

Kalamata Olives, sliced

1. Cook pasta according to box directions.  Drain and rinse with cold water.

2. Stir in enough dressing to coat the pasta.

3. Add artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives and feta cheese.  As little or as much as you want!

4. Refrigerate for two hours.

Add more Italian dressing for extra flavor & tang!  I also like adding red onion and baby corn too.  After I've stirred it all together I like to sprinkle the feta cheese on top and add an artichoke "flower" and olives for decoration because, after all, it's all about the presentation, right?!  Enjoy :)

Sweet, but Not Too Sweet Scones

These scones are soooo easy to make!  Just make sure you have a stick of butter in the freezer at least a day in advance.  They can be as sweet, or not sweet, as you want them.  I use this awesome pan that my hubby's grandmother gave to me, and they turn out more evenly baked... but you don't need the pan :)  I used my pizza stone prior to owning the pan, and they turned out yummy then too!

Here are some tweaks:

Instead of 1/2 cup raisins, use: 1/4 cup white chocolate chips, 1/4 cup dried cranberries

or

With raisins, add 1/2 tsp cinnamon into the dry ingredients.

Since this recipe serves 8, I made them a little flatter for a brunch for my brother-in-laws wedding and used a small glass to cut them into circles.  Each batch made 12 scones instead of 8.  I topped them with icing and they were a hit!

White chocolate icing:  1/2 cup white chocolate chips; 1 Tbs milk.  Heat on low in a small saucepan until melted and smooth.  (Add more milk if needed)  Drizzle on top of cooled scones and allow to dry.

Cinnamon icing:  1/2 cup powdered sugar; 1 Tbs milk; 1/2 tsp cinnamon.  Mix ingredients in a small bowl with whisk until smooth.  Add more sugar or milk to obtain desired consistency.  Drizzle on top of cooled scones and allow to dry.

As you can imagine, these scones are so versatile, and I'm sure there are so many other goodies to put into them!  On Friday, I got to watch the Royal Wedding with my aunt and my cousin, and we made them plain and topped them with my aunt's home canned peach butter.  Matched with delicate china brimming with hot peach tea, these were a delectable treat.  The company was great too!

Melt In Your Mouth Lemony Goodness

Who doesn't love a good lemon bar?  Ok, I guess not everyone is keen on lemon flavored sweetness, but here they are nonetheless!

I found this lemon bar recipe shortly after we got married when I was searching for more ways to use all those lemons falling off the tree in my front yard.  What I didn't notice when I made them the first time was that it called for "confectioner's sugar" (aka powdered sugar), and I used good ol' granulated sugar.  When I realized my mistake (about the 4th time I made these bars), I figured...  it works, why change it?!  I have to admit I did try using powdered sugar for the "crust" once, and they tasted funny!  My hint is to mix the crust just enough that it sticks together, but that it's still crumbly, and to make sure you dust the bars with powdered sugar just before they are served because otherwise it just soaks in.

The Very Best Brownies

My mom & I found this recipe for Easy Double Chocolate Chip Brownies when I was in middle school trying to raise funds for winter camp.  Years later, while trying to impress my boyfriend (now husband) with my mad baking skills, everything went wrong and the charred brownies flew out of the oven and onto the floor barely missing my beau's feet!  We had a good laugh about it, but they've turned out right every time since then...  I still can't believe he actually let me try again!  That's true love!

My tips:
I keep my giant 72 ounce bag o' chips from Costco in the freezer at all times!  I don't put nuts in the brownies because I don't always know if the people I plan to share with can have them.  I only bake them for 17 minutes and serve them quickly after they come out of the oven with whipped cream, chocolate sauce & caramel sauce.  They just melt in your mouth, and the little bits of chips that you stir in at the end add that extra-chocolatey-ooey-gooey-goodness!

Unbaked #6 - The Shell Scarf

I saw this scarf pattern in a craft store and wouldn't you know they had free copies hanging right next to the example scarf!  I thought I'd try it out & share.  Well, my first run was a bust!  So I searched for the shell stitch as the pattern suggested, and to no avail I just couldn't seem to find what I was looking for... but since my dear friend Google rarely leads me astray, I eventually found this Front Post Stitch link that looked like the scarf I saw hanging in the aisle!  Hooray!  So here it goes...  I changed it around a bit to make it work for me.  I used a large wooden crochet hook that was my great-grandmother's, and some "country blue" yarn that cost a whopping $2.97 (+tax) at Wally World.

If you take the instructions one step at a time with patience, you will be happy with the outcome.  I pulled out my scarf at least 5 times before getting it right!  Once you get it down, it's a piece of cake!

In the first three steps, every time you seen chain, it is referring to the beginning chain of 20.

SECTION ONE:

Getting Started:

1. Chain 20 stitches loosely
2. Going backwards down the chain from where your hook is, in 4th chain from the hook, create 2 double crochets, chain 2, and 3 more double crochets in same stitch (or 4th chain).
3. Continuing down the chain, skip 3 chains.  In 4th chain, create 3 double crochets, chain 2, and 3 more double crochet in same stitch (or 4th chain. 

REPEAT STEP 3, 3 TIMES.  You should be at the end of your original 20 chains.  

SECTION TWO:

For the remainder of the scarf:

From here on, you will continue to repeat the following instructions until the scarf gets to your desired length.

1. Chain 3, turn.   Create a front post double crochet in the next 2 double crochets of the previous row.  (This is where is gets tricky & you might need to glance at the link if you don't already know this stitch)  Chain 2, then 3 double crochets in the chain 2 of the previous row.
2. Skip the next 3 double crochets and skip that next chain 2 also.
3. In the NEXT set of double crochets, create a front post double crochet in each of the three double crochets, chain 2, and then 3 double crochets in the chain 2 of the previous row.  

REPEAT STEP 3, 3 TIMES.

REPEAT SECTION TWO UNTIL YOUR SCARF IS AS LONG AS YOU WANT IT TO BE!

Good luck and have fun!

Fruity Chicken Salad Sandwiches With Helpful Chicken Boiling & Shredding Tips

I am notorious for making food that is not "in season."  While the rest of the country is making comfort foods, I am busy in my California home preparing summer picnic dishes like chicken salad sandwiches and lemon bars!  This chicken salad is one of the most flexible recipes I make, and it's great to have on hand for quick lunches.  Here's what you need to have a taste of summer all year long:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, boiled & shredded - see below for tips (I boiled enough chicken for this and my enchilada recipe...  Yay for a time saver!)
mayonnaise (or greek yogurt - thanks to my dear friend Kerry for that idea!)
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/2 apple, thinly sliced & chopped (the size of the pieces matter only to your palate)
1/2 cup dried cranberries

salt
pepper
garlic powder
your favorite bread

1. Put the shredded chicken in a bowl and mix in mayonnaise about a Tbs full at a time (I end up using about 3 Tbs) until the chicken kind of sticks together.  If you like your salad really moist, you'll want more mayo.  
2. Add the celery, apple, and cranberries, and stir until mixed.
3. Add salt, pepper & garlic powder to taste.  (I probably use 1/8 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of pepper & 1 tsp of garlic powder...  We love garlic, what can I say?!)
4. Grab 2 pieces of your favorite bread, spread a little mayo on (if you like), and put the salad in between!

There's your sandwich!

When grapes are on sale I like to use them instead of cranberries.  Also, if I know we won't be around other people after we eat, I add some thinly chopped onion too.  The garlic alone is enough to keep even our closest friends away!

Chicken Boiling & Shredding Tips: 

A little hint on the chicken...  I buy a 10 pound bag of frozen chicken from Costco every few months.  I stick how ever many frozen chicken breasts I need for my meal into my largest saucepan, and fill it with water until the chicken is just covered.  I put the saucepan over high heat and let it boil until the chicken is no longer pink.  It takes about 30-40 minutes depending on how many chicken breasts I'm cooking.  If is starts to boil over, I pour in about a tsp of olive oil, and/or turn it down to medium high (salmonella scares me, so I don't usually turn it down unless I need to go out of the kitchen).  Once the chicken is cooked, dump it into a colander and rinse it under cold water for a moment.  Take two forks and use them to pull the breasts apart in opposite directions.  Do this until the chicken is shredded to your liking.  If the chicken is too hot to handle and you're not planning to eat it for a few hours, or until the next day, stick it in the fridge!  Or better yet, make extra & freeze it for next time :)

Enjoy!

Beef For Dinner? Yep, In My House!

Thanks once again to my mother-in-law for the magazine subscription or else I would not have stumbled upon this simple beef stir-fry that has become a monthly staple in my house!  About a year after my hubby & I were married, he asked me sweetly "do you think you could make red meat once in a while?"  I have never liked the taste of beef, but in order to score some points in the wifey book and make something I could stomach I went on the hunt!  I substitute Trader Joe's brand instant chicken broth packets.  Since I use chicken more than beef anyway I figured it wouldn't make a huge difference.  We didn't notice a change in the taste, and now I don't have to waste a can or box of broth.  I just use the full cup of the broth packet mixed with water.  The trick is to mix the cornstarch with all the other ingredients before adding it to the broth or it will get all clumpy & gross.

I also made a cold cucumber "salad" with thinly sliced cucumbers using my mandoline, a little soy sauce and some rice vinegar.  I tossed it all in a bowl together and stuck it in the fridge when I put the meat in to marinate.  That way it was chilled by the time we ate.  It was a nice addition to the meal!

Apples in My Muffins!

I received a new cookbook for Christmas!  I found a recipe that I had most of the ingredients for, and it had apples so I had to try it!  Instead of running to the store, I just improvised!


2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. raw sugar
2 t. baking powder
2 t. baking soda
2 t. cinnamon
2  eggs
1/2 c. oil
4 medium apples, peeled, cored & chopped (I used Galas)
1/2 c. pecans
1/2 c. dried cranberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Grease that muffin tin!
2. Mix flour, sugar, powder, soda, and cinnamon (in your mixer, YES, I finally used mine again).
3. Separately, in a medium bowl, mix eggs, oil, apples, pecans, and dried cranberries.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and set that mixer on slow speed, and make sure to scrape the sides & bottom of the bowl.
5. Spoon the mix into muffin cups until it just reaches the top.  Use less if you don't want that nice "muffin top" experience.
6. Bake for 20 minutes and cool muffins on cooling rack.

These are not very visually appealing when they come out of the oven, but I had friends over the morning that I baked them, and they pretty much devoured them!

A Whole Chicken, It's What's For Dinner!

I know I've mentioned before that my mixer is one of the appliances I fear in my kitchen, but my Crock-Pot is a very close second!  Since I'm apparently into facing my fears these days, I looked up a chicken recipe to try out in the ol' slow cooker (I have a feeling that I will become a frequent reader of this Crock-Pot blog).

My mom used to cook up whole chickens when I was young, and they were on sale for 77¢ per pound during my last shopping trip, so I thought I'd give it a shot.  Ooh, giblets for gravy!  Chicken gravy did not turn as tasty as turkey gravy, but it worked.  I also made a salad consisting of baby spinach, sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, celery, goat cheese, and ranch dressing.  I sliced up some potatoes with the slicer that my grandma gave us for Christmas, and boiled them up to make mashed potatoes for the gravy.

It was a pretty yummy meal, and pretty inexpensive too.  I have leftover chicken for sandwiches now since a five pound bird is a little much for two people!

Refreshing Cucumber, How I Love You So!

It's that time of year again when I start acting like a health conscious food critic.  You know the type, I put away the chocolate cake recipes (somewhere not too secret so that I can find them again in about a week), and I start looking for those healthy alternatives for my residual holiday cravings!

This may not be the healthiest item on the menu, but it got me to eat carrots.  I got the idea for this cucumber dip from a magazine, and I don't remember which one!

Ingredients:
1/2 Cucumber, peeled
1 package (8 ounces) Neufchatel Cheese (or cream cheese if you don't want the "lite" version)
1/4 onion, grated using the small holes of the grater
1 tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. In my "special blender" I stuck the cucumber in & pulsed it to a puree.
2. I poured the cucumber puree into a fine mesh strainer and got as much liquid out as possible.  (I reserved the liquid for something else, you'll see).
3. I put the cucumber puree, cheese, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper into the blender & spun it until it was all creamy & dip-like.

Pretty simple, huh?  It tastes great with carrots, and I'm not a huge carrot fan.  I used the leftover liquid to make a tasty cucumber-lemon-water.  I juiced one lemon, and poured the lemon juice and cucumber liquid into a two-liter pitcher.  I added ice and filled the pitcher with water.  It's a little tart, but very refreshing!

Unbaked #5 - Sewing! Aprons for Sisters

I have a super cute apron that I got as a wedding gift, and last year for Christmas I used it as a pattern to make a similar one for my sister.  This year I made another one for my new sister-in-law (pictured above)!

What I used:
1 yard of fabric
1 package of bias tape (3 yards)
1 spool of matching thread

What I did:

1. I ironed my new fabric.
2. I laid my apron over the new fabric.
3. I pinned my apron to the new fabric to keep it from shifting.
4. I cut around my apron (avoiding the straps on my apron so as not to cut them off).
5. I unpinned my apron.
6. I folded the new fabric in half to trim it up symmetrically.
7. I cut new straps from remaining fabric and sewed them into tubes, then turned them inside out.
8. I pinned the bias tape and straps onto the apron.
9. I sewed the whole thing together.

The pockets on my sister's from last year were very time consuming and confusing.  To be honest, I'm not a great seamstress!  I did not have the time or patience this year to try to get them onto my sister-in-law's apron.  I think it turned out pretty well without them, and my mother-in-law (my sewing teacher & only reason I currently have possession of a [her] sewing machine) said "who needs pockets on an apron?"  I agreed.

This is my sister's from last year...

My Favorite Chocolate Cake for 3 Occasions!

The picture does not do this cake justice (it always gets gobbled up before I can snap a good shot)!  I found this recipe in the September, 2008 edition of Gourmet Magazine and made it in December that year for my mother-in-law's birthday.  It was a risk for me because I'm a very visual person and there was not a corresponding picture when I found it toward the back of the mag.  Though, I could easily imagine the cake once I read over the recipe.  I've made it quite a few times in the last few years, and I made it for our New Year's Eve/friend's birthday/another friend's anniversary bash yesterday and it was a hit!  It's a very rich cake, and small pieces are advised with a dollop of whipped cream.  A word to the wise, there are 3 steps to making this cake and there is a waiting period between each step, so you might want to make the crust and the filling the day before, and then glaze it about an hour before you present it, but making it all the day of really tastes the best!  Enjoy...


The changes I made to accommodate my kitchen:


Buy one 11.5 ounce bag of Ghirardelli 60% cacao baking chips for the following - 


FOR THE FILLING -- change:  9 oz bittersweet chocolate (not more than 65% cacao if marked), chopped ---> 1 1/2 Cup Ghirardelli Chips


FOR THE GLAZE -- change: 1 3/4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped  --->  1/3 Cup Ghirardelli Chips


I also use a 9" springform pan and it works just fine!