Murphy's Law Reigns Supreme

Yesterday... Oh how I wish I could forget you.... Here is proof that some days it's best not to bake even if you were really really reallly craving something. *will post recipe at a later date*

I should have known better since the past few days my brain has not been cooperating with me. Yet, when the sudden craving for Popovers came to mind I set about finding the ingredients...

Being a simple recipe I had everything and even decided to try making them with coconut flour (figured they would taste sooo good).

Two stirs and I knew something was wrong. It wasn't batter but dough! So, I added some extra milk to thin it out and put them in the oven. This is what came out....

Hmm yeah... flat... dense... Bollocks! Not one to give up I went back to the normal ingredients just in case the coconut flour was to blame.

Take two...

Nice fluffy... light... airy....

Just look how much better they turned out compared to the first ones...

I was sooo happy until I opened one up and found the inside RAW! Seriously?! I rarely have baking issues and never back to back... We are having nasty weather so not sure if that was partly to blame but BAH...

First, thing this morning...

"Mom..... can you make pancakes?" Wee Man begs in the hall way.

"Hey Lil Kiwi, do you want pancakes this morning?" DH asks and she nods yes.

They have the nerve to ask me to bake not 24 hours after the Great Popover Fiasco.... they must be crazy...

Anyone else brave enough to post or comment about their baking/cooking disaster?

Food to warm the soul or at least your body

What can I say... It's been a rather long two weeks since my last real post and it's tough trying to sit here again. Not that it is hard to find something to write about but the fact that there is so much. I will try to space it out over the next few days.

The weather here has been nothing short of nasty. Snow upon snow.... Then as some of the snow started to melt the path to our house flooded (like normal) and every night it would turn into ice. Still a lot of snow on the ground and now they say it's going to rain/snow all week. Oh JOY *rolling eyes*

The good thing about all this gloomy weather is I have been cooking. It's amazing what you can whip together when you have to use what you have in the pantry. So, one morning I decided we should make some chili. It's the perfect thing to warm your soul and make leftovers. Normally I would have made a more spicy chili and used some cheap beer.... but then again normally I wouldn't been snowed in....

So, I grabbed some meat, spices, some chili spice mix my mom sent me, two different cans of tomatoes, a can of pinto beans and a can of black eye peas. I know... I know.... I was a little worried at first also but it's chili and I have seen worst go into the pot. Threw everything into the mix, cooked, and prayed that it would at least be edible.

Turned out pretty darn tasty... Wee Man even ate some of it and he never eats anything!

When we still had some fresh provisions I made some 15 bean soup. Once again a wonderful dish for cold days and nights. I don't really have a recipe per say since it depends on what we have or who is eating it; however I will share my base recipe. Just three main ingredients and then whichever other spices I'm craving.

15 Bean Soup Shenanigans Style

Ingredients:

1 bag of 15 Bean Soup Mix
1 lb. ham hocks
Penzey's Ham Soup Base (love it)

Directions:

Follow directions for the beans on the package. Do not add the seasoning package unless you don't have soup base. After soaking and draining beans, add 2 quarts of water and the ham hocks. Bring to a boil over medium high heat; reduce to medium low, cover and simmer 1 hour.

Take out the ham hocks and pull or cut off the meat. Place the meat back into the pot with the beans. Add Penzey's Ham Soup Base; continue to simmer 1 hour or until beans are tender.

Top with fresh salsa and cilantro.....

This is just the base that I work off of. You can also add onions, tomatoes, celery, etc but I prefer simple bean soup.

Parsnips Anyone....

I'd like to introduce you to my new friend.....

Parsnip

I've known of Parsnips for quite sometime now... However, it wasn't until trying to find another way to get Wee Man to eat new foods did I become reacquainted... Two weeks ago we made Parsnips Chips and they were a hit.. Everyone loved them... I'm not a fan of frying foods at home often because face it fried foods are not good for you... They taste soooo good but they are not good for you... LOL

So here is the recipe to make your own Parsnip Chips... I must give credit to Alton Brown for this recipe because well he rocks and when I found this recipe I had to try it... Wee Man actually asked if we could try parsnips again and helped pick out the ones he wanted.. Now I just have to find another recipe...

Ingredients

2 quarts pure peanut oil  (DH had to run to the store to buy some hehee)
1 pound parsnips
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Heat peanut oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over high heat to 370 to 375 degrees F.

Meanwhile, scrub the parsnips to remove any excess dirt. Lay the parsnip flat on a cutting board, and using a vegetable peeler, peel off 4 to 5 flat, wide noodle-shaped strips. Rotate the parsnip 90 degrees and repeat. Continue to rotate until you can no longer peel strips. Repeat with the remaining parsnips.  This proved difficult with the cheapie cheap peeler we found since the good one was broken in the move...

Gently add a small handful of parsnips to the oil, stirring gently, until lightly browned and crisp, approximately 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Remove the crisps from the oil using a spider or slotted spoon; hold over the pot and allow to drain for 30 seconds.

Transfer to a cooling rack set over a half sheet pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired. After the first batch, the oil temperature may drop. Adjust the heat in order to maintain a minimum temperature of 325 to 350 degrees F. Repeat until all parsnips are cooked. Serve warm or at room temperature. Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Ours didn't last that long.. Of course, I also didn't do a full pound like the recipe calls for just in case the kids didn't like them..

Yum!

My Big Fat Greek Soup

I have about four or five sets of photos to go with recipes we have made in the last month or so.. The problem is someone (ahem) keeps forgetting to post about them... Shame on me I know...

Well, I found my recipe for a soup I use to make all the time when I lived in Hawaii because it was cheap and good... When I say found I mean found... It was packed up in a box when I moved and I just found it the other day...It's been awhile since I have made this soup... So, without further ado...
Greek Lemon Rice Soup

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup uncooked long grain white rice (I haven't tried it with brown rice but do plan to soon)
2 eggs
Juice of 1 fresh lemon, or to taste
1/2 cup cold water
1 cup warm broth (from the cooking soup)

Preparation:

1. Bring broth and rice to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the rice is very tender, about 15 minutes.

2. Separate 2 eggs (whites in one bowl and yolks in another). Whisk the egg whites till creamy and fluffy. Add the egg yolks to the egg whites and mix them until creamy.

3. Slowly add the lemon juice to the eggs .

4. Mix half of a cup cold water and half of a cup warm broth/soup together in a medium/large bowl (making one cup of luke warm water/broth so the eggs do not curdle)

5. Slowly add the lemon/egg mixture to the water/soup mixture. Stir slowly till blended. Then add another half cup of broth. Stir slowly till blended.

6. Slowly pour the mixture into the rice soup and stir till blended.

Enjoy.... If you like you can add a little dill, parsley, pepper, etc to taste... You may even want to add some green onions for color and flavor if you like...

Do have to warn you that you need to be careful with the lemon juice.... I happen to like the tangy lemon a tad stronger than oh say DH does.. So, he wasn't happy with the amount of lemon juice I put in.. However, in my defence it was a very juicy lemon... Oh and yes it doesn't look yummy at all when making it but oooo it's good..

Return of the Vegetables

OOoo just look at the lovely vegetables we got this week... Those Acorn Squash are just perfectly shaped.. See those big green Avocados... hint they are the same size as the squash... Those Sweet Potatoes... even the Butternut Squash is beautiful...

Normally, I don't get this excited about vegetables but with all the horrid weather (snowed again two days ago) the pickings have been well slim... Now, I have some lovely vegetables to make some great meals...

I can't wait for the fruit to start looking good again... It's times like this when I wish I could have a garden...

I forgot to take pictures but I did cook the Acorn Squash already and it was delicious.. Below is the super simple recipe for some Baked Acorn Squash..

Baked Acorn Squash

Ingredients

1 Acorn squash
1 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut the acorn squash in half, lengthwise, from stem to end. Sometimes they can be a tad hard to cut so use a good knife and be careful. Use a spoon and scoop out the seeds in the center of each half. I normally poke holes with a fork but you can also score the insides of each half several times with a sharp knife.

Coat the inside of each half with 1/2 a Tbsp of butter. Add a Tbsp of brown sugar to the cavity of each half. Place each half in a baking pan, cut side up.

Add about a 1/4 inch of water to the bottom of the baking pan so that the skins don't burn and the squash doesn't get dried out. (I actually never do this and have no problems; however, it's in all the recipes I have ever seen sooo) Bake in the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the squash is very soft and the tops are browned. Remove from oven and let cool before serving as is; or scoop out the squash and lightly mash in a bowl to serve.

Side note... As always, I don't follow recipes to the T... You should always follow them the first time and then adjust them as you want... Thus... with this recipe I do things a little different..
I don't add water and it has never dried out... I never do just one squash always two... Don't measure my butter and sugar anymore.. Eyeballing is just quicker and easier since I have done this recipe so many times... Everyone loves this dish and it is easy to make and normally a hit with friends... Even kids like it..

Little Orange Monster

So there I was washing bottles and such when it hit me... Hungry.. I could picture that adorable orange monster from the TV calling to me.... How could I say no to the cutie when he started acting like a monkey and pointing to the bread.... I'm sorry and ashamed to admit that I broke down and made Hungry just what he wanted... Banana Bread...

Just to show him that I was in charge I added some chocolate on one side of the loaf... HA HA take that you little evil cute monster....

My DH thinks Hungry needs to visit more often because he loves coming home to different delicious smells.... He begs for me to make stuff because he can't bake... DH loves to kick me out of the tiny kitchen we have in this place to cook dinner but ooo he doesn't dare bake... The last time he did it was muffins... OH how I wish I had a picture to show of those poor sad things... They were flat, dipped in the middle, and the bottoms were burned.... Pancakes same thing flat and heavy.... Even when I have told him the secret to fluffy light pancakes he still messed them up... By the way, one of the secrets is a little sugar and some vanilla....

I do have something else to post today but not sure if I will get it done today or tomorrow since it's been two crazy days here...

OH and if anyone wants to make me errr I mean themselves a Hungry Monster I found a website with some info... Freaky adorable cute furry monster..... How to have your own Hungry Monster


Here is the recipe for this yummy Banana Bread with chocolate...

First, I need to let you know that while this is the recipe for it, I am known for adding stuff here and there... For example this time I didn't add any nuts and instead shaved some chocolate in layers on the batter before putting it in the oven...

Banana Bread with added chocolate

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
3 ripe bananas, mashed (or more depending on size)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

here are some optional things you could add...
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
a pinch of cinnamon
1/2 cup of brown sugar for color (ie... use only 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar)


DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in the egg and mashed bananas. Mix in flour, baking soda and salt just until combined ( if adding nuts or chips add now). Pour into prepared loaf pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. If top begins to brown too quickly, decrease heat slightly. Center should be soft and chewy, while the outside, crisp and crunchy.


If what you want is a CHOCOLATE Banana Bread then here is a recipe I like... Don't make it often because I don't always have the ingredients... Warning some find this bread very chocolaty and can't taste the banana.. Once again I normally change the recipe here and there depending on what I have in the cabinet...

Chocolate Banana Bread

INGREDIENTS

1 cup margarine, softened
2 cups white sugar (or brown and white)
4 eggs
6 bananas, mashed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup lite sour cream
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional or add nuts)


DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, cream together margarine, sugar and eggs. Stir in bananas and vanilla. Sift in flour, baking soda and cocoa; mix well. Blend in sour cream and chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of a loaf comes out clean.

Chocolate Overload

Okay... I have something to admit... Now listen er read closely... What I'm about to type is going to shock most of you... I'm one of the few that is not a Chocoholic... Please do not stop reading... I know I just admitted something that most of you can not even imagine... However, think of how hard that was to admit to a world of Chocolate loving people....

In my defence I love DARK Chocolate it is just so yummy... So when the mood to eat chocolate hits it hits BIG... However, this evening was not about the mood to eat chocolate... This was a result of what happens when I get upset with DH.... Yep, he did not bring home the right thermometer even though he was informed...

"This *shows picture on website* is what I am looking for.... Here is where you can get it... This *shows website and name* is the only one I want... Do not bring anything but it home"

What I got was three Wii games, three milkshakes, two toys for the little girl across the street birthday and a thermometer that is similar to the one I wanted... He must have known he was wrong because this is what I got as an answer...

"I have the receipt so we can take it back... I made sure I could take it back just in case you did not want it..." *looks at me hoping this will save his hide*

What's a girl to do... I know he means well but come on... Thus, I went to cleaning and then decided to whip up some chocolate muffins with dark chocolate chips and some dark chocolate chip shavings on top... The kitchen smells of mouthwatering heavenly sweet yummy delicious chocolate... It was so over whelming I almost made a chocolate banana bread... However, no bananas and that would require more time away from the kiddos...



Wee Man seems to be getting worst so it could be a long night.... BAH

Here is the recipe for those oh so yummy Muffins...

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I use the dark chocolate chips)
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
4 tablespoons white sugar (optional... or I use raw sugar or shaved chips on top)


DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.

In medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In large bowl stir in milk, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients into large bowl; beat well. Add chocolate chips and walnuts, stir well.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Sprinkle muffins with sugar or raw sugar. (or wait until they come out and then shave chips on top.)

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Then sit back and enjoy...