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
Thursday, June 26, 2008
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
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!
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!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
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
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
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
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!
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!
Friday, June 13, 2008
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
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
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
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
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
Sunday, June 1, 2008
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
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
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