Oh my!

I thought I was one week late but it appears we have been on a several week hiatus. No excuses... life has just gotten real busy with the end of school and beginning of a new job and all. I hear that my sweet sister may be headed to the Magical Kingdom soon so check our site out when you can and we will get back on track as we can.
So, today I am going to replicate a salad I had recently in New York. It was so very yummy and I had to do some research to find the key component. I am not a salad lover but I ate every last drop of this one. Enjoy!!
Here are the ingredients for the base:
 4 Ounces goat cheese
1/2 cup Whipping cream
2 Tbsp. Milk
1 pinch of Salt

Ok, so if you hate goat cheese you are out already. I love goat cheese and this was the bomb!
Whip the cream until it looks like, well.. whipped cream.

Place the milk and the cheese in a bowl and break the cheese down into a soft paste.

Fold the cheese/milk mixture into the whipped cream. I think this could easily make four salads. 

You make a small smear of the goat mousse on the plate.

I know, I know goat cheese AND beets??

Well trust me on this... it was soon good. You just plate up your favorite greens (I used spinach) and then lay beets on top. I will leave mine in bigger strips next time. I also added a bit of bacon to add a third dimension to the salad. A nut would also be nice but you don't want to add too much, the deliciousness is in the simplicity of the dish. 

I make pretty salads and I cannot lie...

The simple joys of......

Cookies!!

We recently had several food opportunities at my workplace and I signed up to bring cookies. I did one semi-home made and one from scratch. I took this opportunity to make PQ's Triple Threat Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Lets get to the semi homemade first shall we?? I took two of those bag of cookie mixes in the sugar cookie variety and mixed them up as directed. A friend had given us a big ole bag of macadamia nuts so I added about a cup of those, a half bag of high quality white chocolate chips and a cup of coconut and made these babies. I ALWAYS have parchment paper on hand and use it religiously but for some reason this is the time I ran out. Never fear, Google assured me to uhhhh read the directions. Some cookies need to be on a greased pan and some not so much. These went straight onto the foil and came off easy peasy. 

Now onto the Rebecca Rather (the Pastry Queen) and her Triple Threat Chocolate Chip Cookies. 

I chopped the chocolate as directed. I could have done this in an electric chopper but I feel like it is rough on it-the chocolate is so dense. I also made the mistake of getting 8 ounces of unsweetened and 3 ounces of bittersweet (the opposite of the directions) so I added additional sugar to the recipe. The lesson here being don't freak out.

Toast the chopped nuts. 

You will mix the chocolate with all of the other ingredients. 

Then the chocolate chips and nuts go in. 

 

Just as the other folks have said who made these have said, I put them in the fridge/freezer before baking. Not for long but they will stay nice and formed if they are nice and cold. I loved these cookies and will definitely make them again. 

Good job Pastry Queen!!

Secrets revealed!!

One of the great things about any hobby is sharing it with friends. Although we all have to eat, I am aware that not everyone likes to eat or cook as much as I do. I am not to obsession level but I would definitely call it a hobby (umm hello I am writing about it and taking photos so, yeah). Anywhoo, I love to share recipes and little tricks that can make life easier.

There are certain foods that are just many friendly and ribs is on that list. I often recommend this recipe to those who are just starting took cook for their husband or family because it is impressive and so very very easy.

Ribs are a financial investment. This is a ta-da mean. You expect them to loooooove them or it is not worth the $$. Go to the store and pick up some ribs. You can get any kind. My peeps love pork so I get those but this recipe works for beef as well.

You will cook these the evening before you want to serve them. *** This is important***

I bought two vacuum packed racks of ribs. You will open them up and cut the rack in half following the space in between two bones. This is messy-I often cook in PJs and an apron-the best. Before you begin this butchery, you will want to lay out about four long strips of foil. Lay one half of a rack on one piece of foil and go to town laying down some flavor town with spices. My hubby has a friend with his own pork rub he gives us for Christmas. If you don't have one just use the spices that you like and have on hand (salt, pepper, chili powder, brown sugar-whatever). Do not put a liquid barbecue sauce on them-this will just run right off and is wasted-trust me on this. Once both sides are covered, you will wrap that half rack up in the foil. Once you have done all four racks you can find a pot you can put them in, in the oven. We use a magnalite pan but you can use a throw away aluminum pan, a cake pan or anything you want. I often have to take one of the oven racks out since this pan is a bit clunky. Turn the oven on 200 degrees and put the pan in. The ideal time to do this is between 8 and 10 pm just before you go to bed. The first time you make them do it on a Friday night. The next morning you will wake up and say mmmm what smells like meat??? This is not always a smell you want to smell when you wake but the secret to ribs is slow and low. If you did not listen and tried to cook these in a few hours during the day fuggetaboutit. Take the ribs out of the oven and turn the oven off. Let the ribs cool. You can put them in the fridge until about one hour before you are ready to eat them. Once you begin to prepare the other items you are serving with the ribs, unwrap them from their foil. This is a great job for a child or spouse. This is the barbecue sauce moment. Grab your favorite and pour it all on. I rub them down like they are getting a massage. Then back into the oven to heat back up. They WILL be fall off the bone good and someone will tell you need to make more the next time. No one has to know how easy it was.....

Raw ribs bathed in spice.

Cooked ribs bathed in sauce, ready to be reheated. 

 

I tried to get a photo of the ribs or the ribs being eaten but they went too fast. What can I say....

Chicken ala Trey and Whiskey Carrots

Chicken ala Trey

This is a family favorite - so much so that we changed the name.  I'm really not sure what the original name was, but Trey asked for this chicken every time he got a choice.  The main thing that I love about it is that it is so adaptable.  Here are the main ingredients:

I use chicken tenderloins, because they cook quickly and are easy to coat.  You will also need one tube of Ritz crackers, a stick of butter, some parmesan cheese and whatever seasoning you prefer.  

Put the Ritz crackers in a bag and crush them, then add the cheese and seasoning.  In a separate bowl, melt the butter.  Take a rinsed chicken tenderloin, put it in the butter, then into the cracker mix and then onto a cookie sheet or 13x9 casserole dish.  This next part is very important and the reason that that it tastes SO good.  When you have coated all of the chicken, pour the remaining butter and crackers over the chicken pieces.  I have been so lazy that I just put the chicken in the pan, then poured all of the butter and crackers on top.  It tastes good that way, but coating each piece is so much better.

Bake on 350* for 30-45 minutes.  Serve with a mixture of cream of chicken soup and sour cream as a dipping sauce.  It was so good that I wish there was some more in the fridge, but we ate it ALL.

Whiskey Carrots

Kati is always a fan of carrots with brown sugar and butter, so I knew this would be a good one.  I got it from Pioneer Woman's new cookbook.  Here are the ingredients:

After I put the chicken in the oven, I put the 1/2 stick of butter and 1/4 cup of whiskey in a skillet.  After it was melted and slightly reduced, I added the brown sugar and carrots.  The recipe said to cook for 10 minutes, but we like our veggies very soft and I had time so I let it simmer until the chicken was ready.   They were delicious!

Battle of the beak!

So after my first over achieving attempts at the Pastry Queen's recipes, I decided to slow my roll. I was a little more selective in choosing recipes... How many ingredients?? How many steps?? How much sanity??

We buy a roasted chicken pretty much each week. I could probably come up with 100 uses for a roasted chicken without even thinking hard. I am most pleased with myself when I get two uses from one chicken. When I am feeling uninspired I chop up half of the chicken, add some mayo and have chicken salad. While making this one weekend, my sweet husband commented how much he loved chicken salad but how much he hated the fat and calories from the mayonnaise.

Later that evening, while looking through the cookbook, I saw Rebecca Rather's recipe for chicken salad. At least once a day I look on Pinterest. That evening I found myself looking for avocado and greek yogurt chicken salads. Today's adventure is the great chicken salad battle of the beak!

I bought two chickens and deboned them. I used half for one salad and half for the other. Here are the cast of characters for the first one.

I had never made mayonnaise from scratch but thanks to my food processor, I made it in a jiffy! The recipe says use a blender and I see now why. The processor left it a bit liquidy but I was not feeling in the mood to get out and clean up multiple appliances. Below is a picture of the chicken and mayo plus apples on the bottom. The bowl next to it is all of the veggies my son and I will not eat. I mixed it up sans veg and took some out. Then I mixed in the veg. Yes, I am that kind of girl!

Then came the avocado recipe. This is easy to find on pinterest (or pin-tear-est if you are funny). 

Chopped chicken, greek yogurt (I did a half cup instead of 1/4 yogurt and 1/4 mayo), two avocados (The recipe said one), fresh garlic, cilantro, salt and pepper. 

Seriously, what kid gets food this pretty on a week night??!!

The winner? The Pastry Queen. I think over time he will slap some hot sauce on that avocado one and go to town. 

Fancy bisquits or ...scones!

Well Happy Monday To Ya!
The second recipe that I made from the Pastry Queen was these cheddar scones.

It was a pretty straightforward recipe. There are some steps so it is good to prep one night, make one night and bake one morning (as if it was al effortless and you just happened to have scone dough laying about!). 

I cooked and chopped the bacon as well as grating the cheese one night. You could buy both pre-bagged but really if you are doing that, just buy pre-made scones. The next day I prepped the onions and then got out my handy food processor. She made this super smooth. I then rolled it out onto a floured surface and cut it into 8 slices. If I were to do this again, I would probably make two circles and then cut them into smaller triangles. Maybe freeze half? You tend to eat what you make and I would like to have just one to two per person and then have some for the next weekend. 

My sweet husband warned me he really did not like scones the entire time I was making them. Guess who loved them the best?! 

Enjoy-worth making when you have visitors coming or just want something special for breakfast. 

Apple-Smoked Bacon and Cheddar Sconessource: Rebecca Rather, The Pastry Queen

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 stick well-chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
4 green onions, thinly sliced
10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped into 1 inch pieces
3/4 to 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 large egg
2 tsp water

Preheat oven to 400.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl on low speed. With mixer running, gradually add cubes of butter until the mixture is crumbly and studded with flour – butter bits about the size of small peas. Add grated cheese and mix just until blended. (This can also be done by hand: In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Gradually cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles small peas. Stir in cheese.)

Add green onions, bacon and 3/4 cup of the buttermilk to flour and cheese mixture. Mix by hand just until all ingredients are incorporated. If dough is too dry to hold together, use remaining buttermilk, adding 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough is pliable and can be formed into a ball. Stir as lightly and as little as possible to ensure a lighter-textured scone. Remove dough from bowl and place it on a lightly floured flat surface. Pat dough into a ball. Using a well-floured rolling pin, flatten dough into a circle about 10 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. Cut dough into 8 to 12 equal wedges, depending on size scone you prefer.

Whisk egg and water in a small mixing bowl to combine. Brush each wedge with egg wash. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until golden brown and no longer sticky in the middle. Serve warm.

PQ New Orleans Red Potatoes

This recipe is a delicious, yet easy to create and modify.  You start by rinsing a bag of red potatoes (about 2 pounds).  Put the potatoes in a big pot and cover with water.  Once the potatoes are boiling, set the timer for 20 minutes.

After they become soft enough to stick a fork into them, drain the water and break them apart.  This is the great part of the recipe.  They are not mashed or cubed, they are just broken apart.  From my experience, that makes it taste like potato salad with some mashed potatoes mixed in.  I took a large, plastic spoon and broke them apart one at a time in the bowl.  When I had a new layer completed, I would sprinkle them with cajun seasoning.  At the very end, I poured 2 sticks of unsalted butter over the top and stirred once more.  I know that sounds like a lot of butter, but the potatoes seem to soak it up and it did not feel overwhelming.

They made a great side dish for Trey's spicy nuggets (something a little hot and something mild)

One of the main things I liked about the recipe is that it is almost endlessly adaptable.  Some of the ideas we came up with were:

• loaded potatoes by adding sour cream, bacon and cheese
• seafood potatoes with crab boil as the flavoring
• ranch potatoes with ranch mix and sour cream

They were delicious and we had a very good meal that night!

Trey's spicy nuggets (middle school humor)

My plan was to give you a recipe called Chicken a la Trey.  It was originally called something else, but Trey requested it so much that we changed the name.  Trey and I went by the grocery store and he changed my mind.  He works at a fast food restaurant that serves chicken strips and he is always wanting to make them the way he wants at home.  So, we went for the real lard! (please take your cholesterol meds before trying this)

I don't know why I don't make "real" fried chicken or nuggets, they are really good.  My kitchen was a mess when we were finished, maybe that is it.  To get started, put a big blop of Crisco in a frying pan.  Turn the fire to about medium until it melts.

While you are waiting, put some flour in a baggie or a bowl.  Add whatever spices you want.  I always think dry ranch mix would be good, but Trey went for the cajun spice.  Also, make a bowl that has one egg scrambled and about a cup of milk.

We made nuggets, so just cut chicken breasts into chunks about 2" x 2".  First, drop them into the flour mixture, then into the egg wash.  Finally, put them back into the flour mixture before dropping them into the grease.  Trey says this is the secret - double breaded.  It was crispy and flavorful this way.

I think Trey may have been just having fun, more than battering the nuggets.

After they have browned on both sides ("Minnie don't burn no chicken!"), place them on paper towels to drain.

Trey said they were great!  I am sure we will try this again (when Kati is home for kitchen clean-up).  It would be a fun way to experiment with spices and sauces.

We made some potatoes to go with our nuggets.  That recipe was from The Pastry Queen and I will share it tomorrow.

PQ Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie

Complicated ordah!
Ok, so I chose to cook two recipes from Rebecca Rather's Pastry Queen book this weekend. I saw there were several chunks of the recipe for Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie but I did not really think about what that would mean. Let me just say gird your loins-there are A LOT of steps to this little pie.
First I made the crust. My food processor got a work out this weekend and I wish I had about 3-4 of the whole bowl, lid and pusher things because they are never easy to clean. Once the crust was made (while telling myself this would be worth it as opposed to rolling out a pre-made crust), it had to rest in the fridge for an hour. I then rolled it out and pinched the edges. That was when I discovered I had no parchment paper or beans to use to pre bake the crust. I cut slits and prayed-all was well. The crust had to cool and then I added 4 ounces of bittersweet chocolate to the crust.

This part was fun, like painting with chocolate. I then left it in the freezer to set. Then a layer of peanut butter was added.  I may add more next time-will let you know once I taste it! (edited-slightly more but not too much-I think even better would be crunchy)

Remember when I said I am a rule breaker? Well here we go. In the recipe you are supposed to make the pudding first and then do the chocolate, peanut butter part. I put off the pudding because it was the most complicated task. When making the pudding-you will need organization and patience. I put some newly purchase banana liquor and some newly purchased unflavored gelatin in a bowl over bubbling water. It was unclear whether to cook it the whole time or just for a while and then let it sit. I cooked it until well blended and then moved it to the side.  In another pan you have to boil and then steep a vanilla bean and milk. I had some vanilla paste so I improvised. Note we are on pan #2. Then you have to mix 4 egg yolks with sugar (if you don't forget the sugar-no one would ever do that right? right??) and then add cornstarch. The recipe said 15 minutes but I think I did about 5-10. I was using a hand mixer and the recipe thought I would use a whisk. Who is going to whisk for 15 minutes????  Once all that is going, you will slowly add the hot milk to the egg mixture (I used a hand mixer because who wants to whisk on top of making homemade pudding people!). This mixture then gets poured into clean pan #3 and has to cook until it thickens. I added the melted gelatin early during this part. I do not think it affected the pie. Nor did the fact that I completely forgot to add the sugar-thank goodness I tasted the pudding! I added it at this time and no one (except you dear reader) will ever know. 

The pudding has to rest for 30 minutes so it can cool. While I was waiting I cut the bananas and dumped them in lemon lime soda to avoid browning (good to know!). I layered half of the bananas in the crust, add half of the pudding and then did it all over again. I layer plastic wrap on it so no film will form and put it in the fridge overnight.

I then called my son in and told him two things....

I have virtually no memories of my parents fighting or arguing. I remember once our car would not start and when my Dad got home we drove to the car and he started it right up. I remember how frustrated my Mom was and it was the only time I remember tense words between them. Once I started making this pie I suddenly remembered one other on-going argument that occurred in my teen years. My Dad swore his Mom put bananas in the hot, homemade pudding when she was making banana pudding and my Mom would argue that she did not but just layered it. It was a funny and lighthearted argument but both were convinced they were right.

The second thing I told him was to think about pudding he had eaten in his life and then to close his eyes and lick the spatula. I wanted him to taste what homemade pudding was like by itself and compare it to what he has eaten most of his life. 

His take away? He got his love of banana pudding from my Dad.

I shared with him (and later my husband) the seemingly endless steps to this pie. Everyone has been warned to cut small slices and savor each bite as it may be awhile before they see this coming again. Who am I kidding, it will be gone 15 minutes after the first slice is cut!

I still have two more steps in the morning... chocolate (well worth adding) and whipped cream. 

I am thinking of the Pioneer Woman's beef and cheese enchiladas and my friend Sheri. This will be the second recipe in my repertoire that you swear you will never make again due to the many, many steps but you know once loved ones taste you know you will be asked to make it again. 

**Edited-my Mom and Aunt Barbara came by so I could chauffeur them to their cruise. They got to taste the pie and another recipe. We all enjoyed it but I want to make it again (crazy I know) with remade crust and one more whack at the pudding before keeping this in my dessert rotation. 

Franny's Fave Peanut Butter-Banana Cream Pie with Hot Fudge Sauce

The Pastry Queen, by Rebecca Rather

Crust

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbs sugar
• 2/3 cup (11 Tbs) chilled unsalted butter
• 4-5 Tbs ice water

Filling

• 1/4 cup banana liqueur, such as creme de banane
• 1 envelope + 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin
• 1 vanilla bean
• 2 3/4 cups milk
• 4 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 Tbs corn starch
• 3 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 2 ripe bananas
• lemon-lime soda
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, at room temperature

Hot Fudge Sauce

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 Tbs unsalted butter
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• pinch salt
• 1-2 Tbs whiskey (optional)

Whipped Cream Topping

• 2 cups chilled heavy cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

3/4 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Split Green Peas and Ham

I want to appreciate my sister for getting the blog set up. In her honor, I made a Louisiana dish as my first entry. This is not in the Pastry Queen's book.  Although I like to think of myself as a rule follower this does not apply to cooking. In the kitchen I break the rules regularly and since I am usually the sole mad scientist, no one knows the difference. This recipe was taken straight off the back of the Camellia Brand green split pea bag. It is my experience those are good recipes-even fail proof as they have to be something the average Joe can handle. I had some left over ham that I wanted to use. It turned out the really be less that I thought so I added 3 slices of thick bacon to give the dish some additional meatiness. 

Ingredients?

Onion, ham, carrots, peas, chicken broth, garlic and bacon if you feel the need. 

Cut up the bacon in small pieces. 

Chop all the ingredients-or ingredientses if you are a Miranda fan. 

Get out a medium size heavy pot and lay the bacon in there. Cook it down till brown and crispy. Take the bacon out and drain. Keep the bacon grease in there and throw in the onion and carrots. I covered them to sweat them down. Add in one chopped garlic clove (or squeeze some in from a tube, just sayin'). Once you feel they have begun to tenderize, add the ham and the 6 cups of chicken broth. It said to cook for two hours but mine was done in about an hour. 

I was pretty sure the boys were going to boycott the ham and peas due to the green color. I attempted to attract them with the garlic Bisquick biscuits as a benefit of eating the peas. They have excellent inference skills and knew the peas go with the biscuits. Both gave the peas a thumbs up and I congratulated myself on (1) using all the ham and (2) making a meal with vegetables involved.