A quick look at my latest TV obsession...

And there is only one moer episode!

For all you fans of Project Runway, I want to suggest that you check out The Next Food Network Star. Or something. Whatever it's called, it's great and The Jordan and I both watch it.

I've been rooting for Lisa Garza since the beginning and hope to own an apron from her signature collection (from www.couturecaviar.com) soon! She seems uppity, but her whole premise is "Beautiful Basics." She takes aspects of fine dining and makes them more accessible. Love it!

Peace, love, and Lisa Garza winning out over those two goobers,
Kim

Well...

I guess this is the last post I am required to do, but I know I'd like to continue with this. I think I kind of have to - my mom sent the link to all my aunts and uncles. So if you want to keep getting my little tips, suggestions, and recipes, bookmark this page. I've got a lot more to say!

Peace, love, and another project checked off the list,
Kim

Just really quick...

It's ca-razy late, but I had to post super fast that my Jordan is an incredible boy. Not only did he come over here to feed my cats; he also brought me dinner (granted, his mom cooked it, but who cares? It's the thought that counts!).

And? He even took out the garbage. I know I complain about him a lot but I'm lucky to have him.

Peace, love, and a picture of us dressed up to go into a Parmesan cheese plant (in Parma),
Kim

And also?

The Jordan and I are hoping to have some really nice people over (we have couple friends... how old are we?) and since Jen, of KeithandJen, cooks for the whole crew of us all the time, we are hoping to return the favor. So look for me to blog about homemade mushroom pesto later in the week!

Peace, love, and trying new recipes with my Jordan,
Kim

Yummmmm...

Alright, as we know, the parents are out of town. I have class 3 nights a week, and I usually work Friday and Saturday nights, so it's not like I'm home to cook a lot or eat at home. But, I'm poor and don't feel like eating out every day, so today I made a big ole pot of Knocks'n'Brauts Stew - another Rachel Ray creation. It's super good, with lots of cabbage and dill, even a bottle of beer! Yum! If anyone wants the recipe, let me know. It's a little long, but still really easy. And plus I now have food for the week!

Peace, love, and mustard-y goodness,
Kim

Kegger at my house!

'Cause my parents are going on vacation!

Har har, I'm so kidding. I mean, La and Buddy really are going to Myrtle Beach, but I'm not having a kegger. Nor really doing much of anything, actually. Except cooking, of course!

So it should come as no surprise that I buy cooking magazines with frequency; I recently bought Paula Deen's magazine. La was looking through it and found this AMAZING sounding recipe that's actually super simple. SO. Here's what we had for dinner tonight (as a special dinner since the parents are leaving in the morning. Er. In about four hours.

Anyway, baked potatoes. Broccoli. Caramelized onions (FOUR sweet onions, sliced thin and cooked in only 2 tablespoons of butter). Steaks, with Gorgonzola butter. Sweet Hilton Head wine. Juicy pluots (plum + apricot).

Oh, man.

Buddy, picky as he is, was actually a huge fan of the Gorgonzola butter. And the pluots, even though he allegedly hates apricots. He really liked the butter, though; even though it sounds like a bad idea - I mean, ruin a steak by putting butter on it? But no.

The sweetness of the onions combines with the creamy, saltiness of the cheese; they both offset the simply seasoned steak (just a little Montreal Steak Seasoning) and pull out all this great, simple, smoky flavor from it. So good. And? The Jordan helped a lot. Again! He is just a wonderful boy, you know?

Anyway, I'll be making some pretty cool stuff this week, and I'll post the recipes if ya'll want them. I'm going to a picnic tomorrow and making Curried Nuts and Chicken Spread. And, because I'll be wanting lots of leftovers this week, Knocks'n'Brats Stoup, a RR concoction that is good, hearty, and cheap.

Peace, love, and Vidalia onions,
Kim

PS: The Gorgonzola butter? Take half a cup of softened butter (one stick) and stir in three (3) tablespoons of crumbled Gorgonzola cheese. Once it's all mixed in, stick it in the fridge. Take a dollop and put it on something - a steak, a potato, some bread, your finger. WHATEVER, it'll taste good!

Oh man...

After class last night, I was starving, which isn't surprising when you consider that the class wasn't over until 9 at night and I had eaten lunch (from the O!) at around noon. Anyway, I decided to go to Kazanski's, on Murray Ave.

For the longest time, I've really been hungry for corned beef and cabbage - I always get the extra-lean corned beef; all that fat just weirds me out. Anywy, that's what I ordered, along with a side of lima bean soup (which I may or may not have eaten on my way home... while driving).

Oh.

My.

Goodness.

It was, in a word, AMAZING.

My mom was watching Big Brother 37, or whatever season they're on now, but we were going to watch Wipeout after. So I brought my food downstairs, where my mom proceeded to try it and delcare it some of the best she's ever had, too. Apparently she used to have a really good recipe for corned beef and cabbage, but my picky dad doesn't eat it, so she tossed it. Which means that I will be posting again later today when I find a recipe. Yummmmmmm!

Is it weird that we LOVE boiled cabbage?

Peace, love, and corned beef,
Kim

I learned something tonight...

And I thought I should share it with you. I went to The Jordan's house after class, and, after eating, was asked, "Kim, is this wine any good?"

"Oh. Does wine go bad, really?"

The Jordan informs me, "It sure smells ripe..."

I purse my lips at him and take a sip from the bottle (hush, no one else was going to drink it and I didn't feel like dirtying another glass). I then purse my lips at the horrible, sour, gritty taste in my mouth.

"Wow. I thought you were kidding that there was gunk at the bottom of the bottle. "

As I walk over to the sink to dump the putrid grape juice, I realize, "Huh. Wine really can go bad." Just thought I'd share that little tidbit with you all. Lesson learned? Seal your opened bottles properly. Or just drink it all before it has a chance to go bad. Either way.

Also? Jordan texted me while I was in class tonight, starving to death, and tells me that I can either have ravioli or chicken ad rice for dinner when I get to the house. Actually smiling with glee, I text him back, "DO YOU MEAN CHICKEN AND RICE AS IN MY FAVORITE THING THAT YOUR MOM MAKES???!!?!?!?!"

Jordan: "What?"

Me: "The stewed chicken. Is it the stewed chicken with the rice, like I loooooove?"

*long pause while Jordan apparently has to find out what stewed chicken is*

Jordan: "Well, it's grilled chicken with kind of a Mexican rice."

*long pause while I inwardly weep until I realize...*

Me: "Ooh! It's like a summer version of my favorite!"


And Mrs. M did not disappoint. While the summer version is not as good as the hearty original one, it was still delicious. And please understand, Mrs. M is a wonderful cook and makes all sorts of crazy, cool, exciting things. She rolls her eyes every time my love of stewed chicken with rice is mentioned, in fact. Much like my mother, when I gush about how much I like chicken with cream sauce over toast. I guess I'm simple like that.

Anyway, lots to do!

Peace, love, and simple deliciousness,
Kim

And also...

My mom made some AMAZING fish the other night that is too easy and too delicious not to publish.

Those Penzey's spices I'm always talking about (seriously, they should so pay me for talking them up all the time) have found yet another use in my house. My mom used the Mural of Flavors blend (which is salt-free), and here's what she did to get it on the fish:

Take some fish - we like mild fish, so I'd suggest tilapia - and put it on a plate. Dump some EVOO over it and sprinkle on some of the seasoning. Give your fish a little EVOO-spice-massage; flip the pieces over and repeat on the other side. Grill until flaky - find your cooking times (and some great tips for marinades, sauces, and stuffings) here.

We had it with asparagus, broccoli (my dad is super picky), and parsley potatoes. Yum!

Peace, love, and another post,
Kim

This is going to sound ga-ross...

But the BEST way to eat my mom's homemade potato pancakes? With cinnamon applesauce and sour cream, mixed together on top while the pancake is still warm so they get all melty together.

In case you were wondering, I had potato pancakes for dinner tonight along with halushki. Also? (And here comes a recipe) Cucumbers with vinegar and sugar. Again, sounds totally gross, I know. But here's how it's done so it's DELICIOUS.

Take a cucumber and slice. You can peel it if you want, or make it stripy. Whatever. Stick it in a bowl and set it aside. Then get a container that you can shake stuff in. Put in about 1/2 cup of white vinegar and about 1/2 cup of sugar. Add water. Shake it and taste it. If it's too sharp, add a little more sugar and water. If it's just sweet water, kick in some more vinegar. When you get the blend right so it takes good, take it and pour it over those cucumbers. Stick the bowl in the fridge for a while. Enjoy!

Worry not, my babies. I WILL be blogging more!

Peace, love, and gross-sounding-yummies,
Kim

And one more thing...

I am going away to Hilton Head Island after the wedding this week, but I'm sure I'll have plenty of yumminess to blog about. Especially as I'm hoping The Jordan takes mercy on my poor, sun-sensitive skin and takes us to some wineries instead of the beach for a day. Hm.

And also, we'll probably be making some kind of dinner for the family while we're there. Wheeeeee!

Peace, love, and v-a-c-a-t-i-o-n,
Kim

Yesterday I made...

Thirty-six dozen cookies!

True. Story.

And my mom? Is AWESOME. Also a true story.

I made Real Cool Cookies, Sandwich Creams, Pudding Cookies, and Macaroons. I dyed the macaroons pink and the filling for the sandwich creams pink. These cookies are for a wedding. Any guess what Jenn's wedding color is?

Here's a recipe for macaroons (which, again, were dyed pink.)

Preheat oven to 350.

1 lb. shredded coconut
1 can sweetened condensed milk (DO NOT use low fat or fat free, I don't care WHAT kind of diet you are on)
2 t. vanilla

Mix. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a heavily greased or parchment-covered cookie sheet. Top each with 1/4 of a Marrischino cherry or a piece of pineapple (optional). Bake until light brown on top (about 8 minutes).

Store them in an airtight container.

I doubled this recipe and made about 7 and 1/2 dozen. They are super pretty, even when not dyed, and really quick and easy to make.

Enjoy!

Peace, love, and pink macaroons,
Kim

Remember those Mini Meatloaves?

Well, here is the promised recipe. DELICIOUS.

1 4 oz. jar mushroom pieces
1 1/2 pound ground beef
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 t. salt
1 T. grated onion
1/4 t. pepper
3/4 c. BBQ sauce
1/2 c. water

Preheat oven to 375. Reserve 2 T of the mushrooms. Mix remaining mushrooms and liquid, gr. beef, bread crumbs, egg, salt, pepper, and 1/4 c. of the BBQ sauce. Shape mixture into six 3 1/2 inch loaves and place in a 12 x 8 baking dish. Mix reserved mushrooms, water, and remaining BBQ sauce. Spoon over meatloaves. Bake40-45 min., basting occasionally.

*I make double the sauce so I can serve it like a gravy on the side.

*Serve with fries and peas... Yum!

Eeeeeee!

I get to help cook tonight!

I was a dork before graduate school, but the fact that I have way less free time now means that I get way more excited about the dorky things I love than I used to. Which means that, where I used to be internally stoked to cook dinner, I now dance around the house carrying a wooden spoon and wearing an apron (true story).

Anyway, we're having Mini Meatloaves, a recipe my mum filched from Good Housekeeping before I was even born. To this day, it remains one of our favorites; I'll post it soon! One really cool thing I've done with the recipe (because I like to give my three readers good kitchen tips - stay loyal and all that) was to make a big batch, freeze them, and then take them down to Hilton Head in a cooler for a family dinner with the Mroziaks. Then, all we had to do was whip up some sauce, throw them in the oven, and make peas and some kind of potato. My mum? Total genius; I can't take credit for that one.

Peace, love, and yummy spicy loaves of mushroom-y BBQ-y goodness,
Kim

One of my easiest, most favorite recipes EVER...

And I'm only sharing it because so few people actually read this blog. This recipe is for Peach Shmutz. I got it from the mother of my Georgia friend, Lee, so you KNOW it's going to be good. Although, when Mrs. T. gave it to me, she called it Peach Cobbler. I guess that, because I serve it in bowls with a scoop of vanilla ice cream all melty and delicious on top, it's never really resembled a "cobbler." So, shmutz it is!

Preheat the oven to 350.

4 c. peaches, skinned and sliced (about 7 med. peaches)
1 c. self-rising flower
1 c. brown sugar
1 stick butter or margarine, just a little colder than room temperature

Put the peaches down in a greased baking dish (if you want your shmutz thicker, use a 9x9, a little thinner or to make it stretch, use a 9x13).

Mix sugar, flower, and margarine until mixture is coarse, adding more flower if needed. Sprinkle mix evenly over peaches. Bake 25-30 minutes, until crust is brown.

This dish has become my most-requested - by my family, by The Jordan's family. It's wonderful, and so easy!

This recipe is also great with APPLES. If you take this recipe, stir in a little cinnamon with the apples before you put them in the baking dish. When you make the crust mixture, add some cinnamon sugar. This is a fall favorite that even my dad likes!

Just in case...

You guys thought I was just dorky for crocheting, I also collect antique books. Because I haven't cooked anything super-cool or exciting lately, I thought I'd share a recipe from one of my old, old cookbooks. While I haven't had a chance to actually try making any recipes from this book, some of them actually sound good. This one, however, totally does not. From the chapter titled "The Sick Room," here is the recipe for Beef Tea.

Cut a pound of lean, fresh beef into small pieces; put the meat in a bottle and cork tightly; place in a kettle of water and allow to boil one hour or more; take out the bottle an strain the essence of the beef into a bowl; season slightly for a sick person.

So I'm not really sure what about this is good for a sick person. Unless it's like beef bullion? Or maybe the grossness of it was supposed to scare faking-it children out of bed.

If you are wondering how old this antique book is, here is the bibliographic information, although not formatted properly or anything (yep - I'm in library school, in case you missed it.):

The Practical Receipt Book by Experienced Housekeepers
Compiled and Revised by the Ladies of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of Titusville, PA
Third Edition, 1891

"Good cooking means economy and enjoyment;
Bad cooking means waste of money, time and temper."

Peace, love, and hella-old books,
Kim

Oh, snap!

For Christmas, my mum gave me Giada's cookbook, Everyday Italian. I've made quite a few recipes since I got it, but the one for risotto is one I have been putting off since I found it. Risotto is an Italian classic, but it is also, unlike many other Italian dishes, notoriously difficult to make.

I don't want to sound like I know a lot about the topic, but a simple explanation of risotto is that it is Arborrio rice that is cooked very slowly. One of the keys to making it is to add the liquid very slowly; something about this process does something to the shell of the rice grains. Whatever happens, risotto is supposed to be really creamy and soft, and once you've made the basic recipe there are bagillions of variations. The thing is, if you add the liquid too quickly, it turns pasty instead of creamy, too slowly and you didn't add it fast enough; it can end up chalky, chewy, rubbery. Any number of factors can cause all of these occurrences.

Whatever; I finally tried it. The Jordan was integral to its completion, I have to say; he stirred and stirred and stirred and stirred. And it was DELICIOUS! I'm going to try making some variations, which I'll post here if they are good. You can find any standard risotto recipe online, so I'm not going to copy Giada's unless someone asks for it. I'm super glad I tried it, and you should try it too!

If anyone has any risotto tips or advice, I'd love to hear them!

Peace, love, and creamy-ricey-sidedish goodness,
Kim

A recipe with hooch!

Hello! I went to a bridal shower over the weekend and made this dip. It's best with fruit, but also works with Nilla Wafers. Hell, I take a spoon and eat it all on its own when no one else is looking. And it's super easy!

1 small package vanilla instant pudding
1 cup Amaretto
12 oz. of Cool Whip, thawed

Whisk together the pudding and Amaretto in a bowl. When the pudding is dissolved, fold in the Cool Whip. Make sure you get all the liquid off the bottom of the bowl. Refrigerate for a little while so it firms up a bit. Serve with fruit.

Yum!

Peace, love, and more easy cooking,
Kim

Easy dip recipe!

Every year, my parents, my godmother, the Jordan, and I go to Ligonier Days. We buy cha-cha knick knacks, eat lots of food, and visit this gi-normous antique store. Something we buy every year are these little dip packets. It's powdered spices that you then mix into a mixture of sour cream and mayo. There is only one downside, and that is that you have to use the whole packet, which makes a considerable amount of dip. I have discovered an alternative.

Penzey's Spice Company (seriously, people; check them out) makes dip mixes that make smaller batches. Because I'm a spaz, I like to doctor mine. Here is my favorite:

Make one batch of Penzey's Horseradish Dip the way it says to on the bottle. Then add about 2 teaspoons of dried dill, a tablespoon of dried minced onion, and a splash of Worcestershire sauce. Let it sit in the fridge for an hour or so to let the onions soften. Delicious on veggies, crackers, pretzels, and chips alike!

Hello, again.

Well, dear readers (all three of you), I'm sorry I haven't written anything. I've had a few family emergencies in the last week or so, but I promise I'll get a new recipe or something up here soon.

On a culinary note, Jefferson Regional Medical Center has a surprisingly decent cafeteria.

Peace, love, and salty hospital food,
Kim

Someone actually requested a recipe...

And I feel special!

This recipe, which I call "Slaw Stew," is cheap, easy, and delicious (if my Jordan were writing this, he might say, "Sounds like my ex-wife," a joke which will never get old). Slaw Stew comes from my boss at the flower shop, Claire. Claire and I tell people she's my aunt, because that's 84,000 times easier than our real relation, which is that she is my mum's ex-husband's step-cousin. So, Aunt Claire it is! Anyway, when it's slow at the shop, Claire tells me recipes that her hella-Italian grandma used to make. This, apparently, is very similar to one. I hope you like it!

Take about a pound of lean ground beef. Brown and crumble it in your soup pot and drain it.
Throw in an onion, chopped (I used Vidalia) and 3 or 4 cloves of garlic.
Add some EVOO (that's Extra Virgin Olive Oil to those of you who don't know Rachel. As in Ray.) so it doesn't scorch.
Now cook that stuff until everything gets a little soft looking.
Now you'll want 1 or 2 of those small bags of broccoli slaw mix; throw those in the pot too.
Take two cans of stewed tomatoes (I used one big and one regular sized) and dump those in, juice and all. Fill each can halfway with water and add that, too.
I mixed up 3 cups of beef bullion and added those, too, because my stew was super dry, but just eyeball yours.
Now put the lid on and turn down the heat. Let it simmer until everything is soft - about 2 hours.

I served this with some garlic bread and fried zucchini and also passed grated Parmesan to sprinkle in the soup. DELICIOUS!

And for you crazy vegetarians or *gasp* vegans, I feel confident that this would be equally kickass with tofu meat.

This makes wonderful leftovers, so it's totally cool if you live by yourself or if you're the only one that eats this kind of stuff. Make a pot on Sunday, and you'll have lunch all week!

A little bit sappy...

Alright, this blogging thing is addictive. Or just a novelty, but either way, here I am. Again.

I just had a post-class dinner and drink with some of the most wonderful people anyone will ever meet, and I decided that good food tastes 84,000 times better when you are eating it with good people. So, wonderful people, you know who you are. Thank you. I know I can never eat anything bad when you are around.

Peace, love, and sappy moments,
Kim

Rather than pay my Citi bill...

I thought I'd throw another blog out. Because, really, who wants to pay a credit card bill when they could talk about food?

So at Cosco they sell these rotisserie chickens, which are something like three pounds, for $6, I think? Anyway, they're super cheap and super good and we get them all the time. The only thing is, you can only eat chicken with cream sauce over toast (another favorite from my mum's childhood) so many times. So I have developed a mean chicken salad to use up some of the chicken. It's all very approximate and customizable.

Homemade Chicken Salad
Take some chicken and cut it up into itty bitty pieces (or if you like chunky chicken salad leave it bigger). Then take some onion and celery (to taste) and cut them up even smaller. Throw that stuff in a bowl along with some Worcestershire sauce . I happen to love mayo (it is clearly the best condiment), so I throw in a lot of it. If you like dryer chicken salad, use less. I also throw in about a tablespoon of sour cream. It gives a little extra something to the taste.

Now for seasoning: I like to put in some dried dill and a few shakes of salt and pepper. Penzey's makes these great spice blends, so I use those a lot (for everything - check them out sometime!). My current favorite for chicken salad is called Sandwich Sprinkle. Stir it all together, add more mayo or seasonings, and put it on some bread or Triscuts. And that's it! It keeps well in a tightly sealed container, but I don't know for how long. Sorry, kids. But it will probably be gone before you need to worry about that anyway!

Also, my mom bought this AMAZING pineapple (also at Cosco), so I thought I'd also give you a super easy pineapple recipe that you can take to picnics and parties that looks fancy, tastes delicious, and takes pretty much no time to make.

Red Pineapple
Take a pineapple. Cut the core out and clean it all up, then cut it into chunks. Put it into a container that you can seal. Now take a packet of Jell-o powder and sprinkle it over the top of the pineapple. Put on the lid and stick the whole thing in the fridge for a few hours. Before you take it to wherever you are going, stir it around. The Jell-o should be evenly distributed and syrupy. Enjoy! We generally use cherry or strawberry Jell-o because it looks pretty and tastes YUMMY, but lime is also okay. If you try any other flavors, let me know!

Peace, love, and happy picnicking,
Kim

And a recipe...

I realized after sending the link for this blog to my mum that I hadn't posted anything really about cooking. So, anyone who knows anything about growing up Polish and Slovak knows that cabbage is a main ingredient in, oh, everything. We boil it, fry it, stuff it, dress it. It's cheap and pretty much always available and very versatile. And I love it! Halushki is an ethnic food that has tons of variations, but here's how we make it (which is how my grandma made it, which is how my great-grandma from Prague made it).

Shred a head of cabbage and a small onion or two. Melt a stick of butter and a stick of Promise in a ginormous skillet and toss in the shredded veggies. It will look like a lot, but it will cook down, I promise.
Forget the cabbage for a few, and get a bag of noodles. My grandma used either those teeny squares or the itty-bitty bowties, so that's what we use. Cook them like the package says to.
Give the cabbage and onion a stir every so often and make sure it's not sticking. If it starts to look too dry, add some more butter and Promise (always in equal amounts - I didn't say this was figure friendly, people.).
Add some salt and pepper to taste. Keep cooking the cabbage over medium heat so it's making noise without popping too much or burning. Cook it down until it's sort of a tan color and soft - about a half hour, I guess.
Drain your noodles and add them to the skillet. I like my halushki really cabbage-y, so I usually have some leftover noodles. But if you're a first-timer or not a huge fan of cabbage or you used a hu-u-u-u-uge head of cabbage, you'll want to use the whole bag of noodles. A really yummy thing to do with the leftover noodles (or any leftover noodles) is to mix them with some cottage cheese and a little butter. It sounds weird, I know, but I don't eat cottage cheese any other way! These are both staples for any family picnic for me. Enjoy!

Peace, love, and cabbage,
Kim

The First Post

Dear friends, classmates, and anyone else looking at this little blog,
I have never blogged before, not even on LiveJournal (although I do have an account, I only use it for stalking other people), so bear with me as I get used to this form of communication. Although this is for a class, I really wanted to blog about something I genuinely care about without being too sappy. I thought of Julia and Me, this great book about a woman who, during a life crisis, decides to cook every one of the recipes in Julia Childs's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1, and decided that I would write about food. I love cooking, and when I think of cooking, I can't help but think of my mother, hence the title of this blog.
Growing up, I was always allowed in the kitchen. While my mother always kept (and still does keep) an impeccably clean house, all bets were off when we were in the kitchen together. We would share secrets and tell stories; my godmother was also often there as well. Perhaps because of this, many of my favorite memories revolve around food.
Anyway, all this food and cooking has made me a brave eater and a brave cooker, if there are such things. I have never been to culinary school of any kind; I claim no expertise or real knowledge. I just read a lot - cookbooks and culinary essays. If I seem pretentious, please ignore it. I mess up a lot, as you will see, but I hope you enjoy reading about my cooking and eating as much as I enjoy talking about it.

Humbly yours,
Kim