Home for the Holidays
26 Nov 2011 1 Comment
in Recipes
True, we never really left home, but the whole house has been in such a state of disarray for the past year that I haven’t really had access to most of my home. Finally, most of the renovation excitement is over and I can get back into all of the rooms in my house (except for the office, but that is an ongoing problem of mine… I know I have a desk in there somewhere. I suspect it is buried beneath that pile of “important” papers that I can’t seem to part with.)
I am back in the kitchen just in time for my favorite food season. Halloween to New Year’s Eve is THE baking season. I missed out on Halloween this year, so I’m just going to have to double my baking efforts Christmas. (I’m gonna need more cinnamon.)
I just bought this new book from Amazon - The French Don’t Diet Plan: 10 Simple Steps to Stay Thin for Life. Admittedly, I’ve only read the first 3 or 4 chapters… but the basic idea is that the French are so much healthier than Americans because they eat real food, not the processed faux food that is so prevalent in the United States. Our bodies don’t know what to do with all the chemicals and crap we give it and so we are always feeling deprived and since our bodies are not made to digest the crap they treat it like toxins and the body struggles to keep us alive. So far the main principals that I am taking from the book are: Savor – take your time, taste your food, enjoy. Just shoving food into your head doesn’t count. Portions – You can eat cheese and bread and sugar, just not Mega-Moo sized portions. And my favorite – NO Faux Foods – if you need a chemistry degree to understand what is in your meal…. don’t eat it.
And since I am finally back into my kitchen…. I hope to start cooking more REAL things. Today I made bread – not even breadmachine bread – REAL bread. With my own hands! My kitchen smells amazing.
from Taste of Home Magazine
Ingredients
- 4-1/4 to 4-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
- 1-1/2 cups 2% milk
- 1/4 cup butter, cubed
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, salt and pepper. In a saucepan, heat milk and butter to 120°-130°. Add to dry ingredients; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add 1 egg and 1/2 cup flour; beat 2 minutes longer. Stir in cheese and enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
- Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.
- Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface; cover and let rest for 15 minutes. Divide into 36 pieces. Shape each into a 6-in. rope. Braid three ropes together. Pinch ends to seal. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Place on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.
- Beat remaining egg; brush over braids. Bake at 375° for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool. Yield: 1 dozen.
Originally published as Braided Peppery Cheese Rolls in Best of Country Breads , p57
Ruffle Scarf
18 Oct 2009 Leave a Comment
in Knitting Tags: Knitting, pattern
My current obsession is knitting scarves and hats… in between stamping and scrap-booking and baking and blogging and… okay, so I am kind of scatterbrained with my obsessions!
At any rate, I have found so many wonderful patterns online and on blogs like mine (yeah, they were probably WAY more organized) and I thought it would be nice to return the favor of a free pattern…. good knitting karma!
Mom and I have really been enjoying playing with this pattern lately. We’ve warped it quite a bit from the original which is what I’m sharing here. The original pattern Potato Chip Scarf from KnitPicks was great, but I didn’t like having to use the big needles and the length was crazy! It was twelve feet!
The great thing about most scarves is that you don’t have to be too fussy about gauge and using just the right needle size… scarves are forgiving!
I was in the mood to knit and I just grabbed some pretty colors that I had left over from other projects. Two of the pinks are Caron Simply Soft and the red was WoolEase. (Boo is modeling my scarf… and not happy about it at all!)
Mom and I have added a couple of extra rows to the original pattern since we prefer to use the smaller needles.
Mom has been making theses in bright colors from Caron Simply Soft and I have plans for a red and white ruffle made from some Simply Soft and a sparkly white yarn I found in the bottom of my knitting basket.
Potato Chip Scarf
Needles – #8 US Circular 40 in
Cast On 125 sts.
Row 1: Knit.
Row 2: Knit in front and back of each stitch.
Row 3 , 4 & 5: Knit.
Row 6: Knit in front and back of each stitch.
Row 7, 8 & 9: Knit.
Row 10: Knit in front and back of each stitch.
Row 11: Knit.
BO loosely.
We’ve Been Boo-ed!
09 Oct 2009 Leave a Comment
in Holiday Fun
Halloween is my absolute, compete, total, favoritest holiday ever! Seriously, it’s all about fun and color and candy and letting your imagination run free and … did I mention candy?
Boo-ing is sort of like being a Secret Santa, except way less organized. (Again, see why Halloween is so much more fun? No committees and lists.. No pressure to pick just the right gift… just candy and fun.)
So anyway… to become a Boo-er yourself: Print out the “We’ve Been Boo-ed Sign” and a copy of the Boo-ing Poem (with the instructions printed on the back of the poem), grab a cute bag or basket, stuff it full of treats and leave it on someone’s desk or doorstep (don’t leave chocolate where pets might get into it! Chocolate can be deadly to animals.) … then RUN!
Once someone has been Boo-ed they have 2 days to Boo two more people… and so on and so on….and the cycle of candy and fun goes on!
Brian, Boo (our Pomeranian…. Boo is just her nickname, but you can see how much our family loves the holiday, right?) & I have been Boo-ed twice already this season. Someone (even if you can guess who Boo-ed you, you can’t let on that you know!) left us two MINI blueberry pies and some S’nausages (for Boo) and a new kind of Hershey’s Kiss… Pumpkin Spice! I love finding new flavors of Kisses and making Peanutbutter Smoochie Cookies. Thank you Boo-ers!!!!
Hershey’s has some great Boo-ing Kits.
Organized Christmas is also a great site with tons of ideas and free printable Boo signs.
So get to Boo-ing!
Getting Through The Night – II
08 Sep 2009 Leave a Comment
We have just survived another round of: ‘Is This an ER-Worthy Event?’ Fortunately, this time we were home, and not in Thailand as we asked this of ourselves.
Ugh! So I got stuck on antibiotics yesterday, no big deal. I had a bit of a headache too, not a big deal either. Normally. I don’t know if the antibiotics made me sick, or if the headache developed into something evil on its own or if it was the combination of the two together…. At any rate, I spent the whole afternoon and most of the night god-awful sick. I am one of those people who if I don’t eat, I get sick… even if I am already sick. So counterintuitive! ‘Eat something so you quit throwing-up.’
Around 9:30 Brian’s voting for a trip to the ER… I was thinking about calling my mom (Mommy!), but I was afraid she might agree with him about the ER…. or worse… she might make me eat something! He relentened when I agreed to eat some Cheerios… one-at-a-time…. Cheerio, fall back asleep, Cheerio, sleep… it was a long night. We slept with the Cheerio box in bed. (Boo loved it! She ‘narffed all the Chieeros that I spilled.) By 4:30 I felt okay enough to take some excedrin and I woke up this morning feeling less like Death.
I would like to nominate my dearest husband for Saint-hood. For bravely staying with me and providing fresh, cool wash-cloths while I barfed; bringing me bland things to eat and not being mad when I wouldn’t eat them (even if I did ask for them to beging with); not complaining about Cheerieos in the sheets; for listening to me when I said I didn’t want to go to the ER; for NOT listening to me when I said I couldn’t eat anything; and for just generally being there and not smothering me with a pillow (I can be bitchy when I don’t feel good… no, really!).
While I’m at it, I should probably nominate my mother too… for getting me through my childhood (and not smothering me with a pillow). I am sure Brian would second the nomination… I am a much better patient now then I ever was as a child! Love you, Momma. Love you, Bri.
Hopefully I can be less entertaining in the health department. I would prefer to stick to chattering about parties, baking, and crafting with an occasional Mini or Pomeranian comment thrown in for variety. Cross your fingers for me!
Layers of Love Brownies
07 Sep 2009 Leave a Comment
in Recipes
I made these brownies this past week for one of our First Friday Get-Together nights. Big hit! Of course, you can’t go too wrong with chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate.
Toll House also has a recipe for a Turtle Cheesecake that I may need to make next!
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Baking Cocoa
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut in pieces
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, divided
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 3/4 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Premier White Morsels
- 1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
- 3/4 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease 8-inch-square baking pan.
COMBINE flour, cocoa and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Reserve 3/4 cup batter. Spread remaining batter into prepared baking pan. Sprinkle nuts and white morsels over batter. Drizzle caramel topping over top. Beat remaining egg and reserved batter in same large bowl until light in color. Stir in semi-sweet morsels. Spread evenly over caramel topping.
BAKE for 30 to 35 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into squares.
Chai-Spiced Cupcakes
25 Aug 2009 Leave a Comment
in Recipes
- 1/2 c Boiling Water
- 4 Teabags Chai Tea
- 1/4 c Water
- 1 Box Yellow Cake Mix
- 1/3 c Apple Sauce*
- 3 Eggs
- 2 tsp Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Cardamom
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/2 c White Frosting
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Line 24 muffin cups with cupcake liners.
In a 2-cup measuring cup, pour boiling water over tea bags and steep 3-4 minutes. Discard tea bags and add 3/4 cup water to tea to make 1 1/4 cups.
Combine cake mix, tea, apple sauce and eggs in a large bowl. Mix two minutes on medium speed. Fill muffin cup, 2/3 full.
In a small bowl, combine sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp over each muffin. Stir with a toothpick.
Bake 18 -22 minutes. Ice each cupcake as desired.
* You can use apple sauce in place of oil in most baking recipes. It drastically reduces the calories and rarely alters the taste or texture. I like using Mott’s Natural Applesauce. I buy it in the little snack size cups. They are 1/2 cup, which is often the exact size called for in cakes and breads and you don’t have to worry about a big jar going to waste.
Thai Calorie Conversion
09 Jul 2009 Leave a Comment
So apparently the conversion rate for Thai calories to American calories is much higher than the conversion for money. Wouldn’t you think that I would have burned more calories walking ten miles a day in 90 degree heat than I ever could have consumed? That is certainly what I thought! Where else could these two stupid pounds have come from? The only possible answer is that Thai calories converted to a higher rate of American calories….right?
Oh well. On a completely different note (having nothing to do with calorie conversion) The Blue Owl in Kimmswick has opened a second store! Mary’s Sweet Shoppe opened next door to the original store in Kimmswick. They sell icecream and pies and other yummie treats. And the best part? The Sweet Shoppe is open until 8:00pm!!! So it would be possible for someone’s loving husband to, say… stop by on the way home from work….. Maybe bring his lovley young wife some chocolate covered strawberries? I’m just saying… that could happen! Not making any demands or trying to coerce anyone into anything… nope. Deffinatley not. Just mentioning the possibility.
Gooey Butter Cookies
05 Jul 2009 Leave a Comment
in Recipes
I am a little addicted to Gooey Butter Cake. In any and all forms…. The Blue Owl in Kimmswick has the most amazing Lemon Gooey Butter Cheesecake (A delicious, creamy lemon cheesecake on top of a lemony gooey butter cake crust!) , but it isn’t one of their ‘regular’ desserts… so I have to go back often to see if they are serving it that day. (Even if they don’t have that one available I need to have lunch there anyway…. I mean, why waste the trip?) They have also started making a Chocolate Chip Gooey Butter Cheesecake…. I know! So yummie! But the stinkers haven’t put the recipe in their cookbook yet. Torture! So I am forced to experiement on my own. I found this recipe for Gooey Butter Cookies and I had to make them….. for learning purposes, of course. (Once I figure out a recipe for the cheesecake I will post it here…. in the mean time, go to the Blue Owl and try all the other things thay have to tempt us…. and try my
Gooey Butter Cookies
Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package yellow cake mix (or lemon cake mix)
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Add cake mix, and stir until well blended. Roll into 1 inch balls and roll the balls in the confectioners’ sugar. Place 1 inch apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.
Makes 36
OMG! These things are dangerous! I made a batch for our 4th of July party and they disappeared.
It’s Alive!
05 Jul 2009 Leave a Comment
Blogging our little paws off!
Finally! The actual Phoenix Rize page has been updated and is online.
Brian didn’t string me up by my toes… there were a few touchy moments there… I knew what I wanted our site to do and I knew it could be done. I just didn’t know how! Apparently, I am a bit impatient. Hard to believe, huh? Fortunately for our marriage ( and my toes!) Brian has far more patience than I do. He figured out the how and now PhoenixRize.com is up and running again. Yay!
Our Flickr photos and the WordPress posts are all on the PhoenixRize page now. One stop shopping! New posts and photos will appear on PhoenixRize (just remember, if you bookmark the page you need to refresh when you go back to it).
Let me know if you have any problems with it or it starts behaving screwie.
Under Construction
03 Jul 2009 Leave a Comment
Yes, I know everything is looking strange at the moment. Don’t worry. I have a plan. If Brian doesn’t strangle me first (I keep bugging him to help me fix things…. I know what I want this page to do… and I know it can be done… I’m just not sure how!) I should have everything straighted out and pretty in a day or so. Hopefully it will combine all the things I have been trying to do and make them play nicely together.
