Not with me... well, OK, it was with me... but not in THAT way. Get your mind out of the gutter!
I went into emergency yesterday with chest pain. No worries, it turned out to be nothing (well, not my heart anyway, the ticker is great... which is good to know). They kept me around for the day, and scheduled me for a stress test in the morning. I kept trying to get John to leave... I was seriously fine by my own little self, and Monty was locked in the crate at home. Oh, and he hadn't eaten a dang thing since breakfast. Technically, neither had I. They did bring me a tray about 6, and I managed to send him home about an hour later.
So today when I got home, he nuked some leftover stew and some strange concoction he threw together last night when he got home. "Taste this" he said. I did. Oh my! The guy is big into rutabegas. I admit I am becoming a bit of a fan too. We eat them raw, in a few dishes, and most importantly in pastiess. Pasty recipe will show up on here one of these days... I promise!
Well, in his love for the vegetable, he looked around on the internet for recipes. He made some rutabega french fries (he said they were OK, but not fabulous). But he hit it big making mashed rutabega and turnips. I just finished off a small plate. I give it two thumbs up! It's an easy to make recipe that gets some different veggies in your diet, while tasting good too. Can't go wrong with that!
John's mashed rutabega and turnips:
1 big rutabega
2 turnips
1/2 stick butter
parmesan cheese (he used the dry Kraft stuff in the shaker can)
Peel the veggies and cut into smaller pieces, boil until tender, drain. Mash all ingredients together (adding parmesan cheese to taste).
It doesn't get much easier than that! It is kind of squash-like, and I love squash. Stay tuned for my super easy pasty recipe... I guarantee it is easy (especially if you have a food processor). I'm thinking of making them soon, so you may even get a picture of the actual dish this time around!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Don't shop for groceries when you're hungry!
Oh my! I headed up to the store for a few odds and ends. It is snowing and blowing, and I figured I'd brave the weather today, rather than shop late after work tomorrow night... if I make it to work through the snow, that is. This, after feeding horses and cleaning stalls. The wind was blowing so hard and cold out of the south, that on the way back to the barn on the tractor, I had to stop several times to duck my head and cover my face with my hands and let it warm up... it really HURT! And those damn stupid horses want to be out in that? Go for it, silly beasties! They flung big tufts of their hay to the wind, and are scrounging for grass. Brats. They absolutely destroyed their stalls, so cleaning was a huge chore. Three nights in a row staying in was ENOUGH for them by the looks of things. And darned Becky... little Miss I Won't Drink Water Unless It's Warmed hauled the cord for her electric bucket into the stall and unplugged it. Evil beasts, I say!
So, by the time I was done with all my chores, warmed my happy self up, showered and made it up to the store, I was famished. I stocked up on the few items I needed, a few items I was sure I'd need sooner or later, miscellaneous junk food, and decided that since I'd have the oven on, today would be a great day for monkey bread. One thing to note... do NOT, I repeat do NOT stock up on milk, juice, pop and other HEAVY items when there is more than an inch of snow in the parking lot. Shopping carts are not made to navigate snow, and are horrifically hard to push when your arms are rubber from cleaning stalls and they are laden w/three 12 pks of pop, a gallon of milk, a gallon of orange juice, a couple jugs of other juices, a sack of potatoes, and any other heavy thing I could find in the store to buy today.
Now I have some BBQ country ribs, a couple baked potatoes, a big ol' squash in the oven and a loaf pan of monkey balls... err... BREAD... yeah, BREAD rising waiting for it's turn in the oven.
What is monkey bread you ask? Well, I got my introduction on a Girl Scout trip. We were headed who knows where in a van, when one of the other members pulls a foil-wrapped loaf of it out of her bag. She passed it around, and I was instantly hooked. I figured it was something everyone knew about, so when I got home I asked mom. She had no clue what I was talking about. Monkey bread got filed away in the back of my mind for a good 25 years. I found a recipe a while back for it by searching on the internet. It was good, but not fabulous... certainly not like I remembered it. I'm trying again, so I'm off to prep my squash and put dinner on the table. Info on the latest batch of monkey bread will surface shortly...
OK, here goes...
Monkey Bread
2 cans of biscuits (the cheap-o kind, nothing fancy)
Cinnamon-sugar
Butter
I ripped the biscuits into 4 pieces each, rolled them into balls and coated them w/cinnamon-sugar and dropped them into a loaf pan. Cut up 1 Tbsp. of butter (or more!) and place small dabs all over top. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes (poke the balls in the middle w/a toothpick to see if they are done). Drizzle butter cream frosting on top if you are feeling extra sinful (will be similar to McD's cinni-melts). Good stuff, and an easy kid-friendly recipe!
So, by the time I was done with all my chores, warmed my happy self up, showered and made it up to the store, I was famished. I stocked up on the few items I needed, a few items I was sure I'd need sooner or later, miscellaneous junk food, and decided that since I'd have the oven on, today would be a great day for monkey bread. One thing to note... do NOT, I repeat do NOT stock up on milk, juice, pop and other HEAVY items when there is more than an inch of snow in the parking lot. Shopping carts are not made to navigate snow, and are horrifically hard to push when your arms are rubber from cleaning stalls and they are laden w/three 12 pks of pop, a gallon of milk, a gallon of orange juice, a couple jugs of other juices, a sack of potatoes, and any other heavy thing I could find in the store to buy today.
Now I have some BBQ country ribs, a couple baked potatoes, a big ol' squash in the oven and a loaf pan of monkey balls... err... BREAD... yeah, BREAD rising waiting for it's turn in the oven.
What is monkey bread you ask? Well, I got my introduction on a Girl Scout trip. We were headed who knows where in a van, when one of the other members pulls a foil-wrapped loaf of it out of her bag. She passed it around, and I was instantly hooked. I figured it was something everyone knew about, so when I got home I asked mom. She had no clue what I was talking about. Monkey bread got filed away in the back of my mind for a good 25 years. I found a recipe a while back for it by searching on the internet. It was good, but not fabulous... certainly not like I remembered it. I'm trying again, so I'm off to prep my squash and put dinner on the table. Info on the latest batch of monkey bread will surface shortly...
OK, here goes...
Monkey Bread
2 cans of biscuits (the cheap-o kind, nothing fancy)
Cinnamon-sugar
Butter
I ripped the biscuits into 4 pieces each, rolled them into balls and coated them w/cinnamon-sugar and dropped them into a loaf pan. Cut up 1 Tbsp. of butter (or more!) and place small dabs all over top. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes (poke the balls in the middle w/a toothpick to see if they are done). Drizzle butter cream frosting on top if you are feeling extra sinful (will be similar to McD's cinni-melts). Good stuff, and an easy kid-friendly recipe!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Wow! Two days in a row!
It is bound to happen now and again. John decided to head over to work tonight to clean out the coolant tank on his CNC lathe. Since weekends are about the only time he can have the place to himself, and he needs the room to pull out the tank, he figured no time like the present. So here I sit.
I think this evening I will share a little yummy beverage I found to toast in the New Year with. I found this on the Betty Crocker website... but I have a few changes that I would do if I made it again.
Frozen Cranberry Margaritas
1 can (11 1/2 ounces) frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate, thawed
2 cans (12 ounces each) lemon-lime soda pop
5 cups water
1 cup tequila
1/4 cup lime juice
1. In 3-quart plastic container, beat all ingredients with wire whisk or spoon until well blended. 2. Cover and freeze at least 24 hours until slushy. Serve in margarita or cocktail glasses.
Now my tips... reduce the water by at least a cup or two (or maybe even three or four). I'd also throw more tequila in there. With all that water, it really kind of lacked flavor.
Once it was frozen (and first time through it froze near solid... I thawed it out some and added more tequila to make it slushier), I used an ice cream scoop to dish it out. I gave the option of pouring Sprite or cranberry juice over it to make it drinkable... it came out kind of a spoonable slush, but not something you could actually drink. I don't think it would be drinkable even with more tequila.
Everyone loved it though, and it was a hit. I liked it best with the cranberry juice, it added a lot of flavor.
I think this evening I will share a little yummy beverage I found to toast in the New Year with. I found this on the Betty Crocker website... but I have a few changes that I would do if I made it again.
Frozen Cranberry Margaritas
1 can (11 1/2 ounces) frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate, thawed
2 cans (12 ounces each) lemon-lime soda pop
5 cups water
1 cup tequila
1/4 cup lime juice
1. In 3-quart plastic container, beat all ingredients with wire whisk or spoon until well blended. 2. Cover and freeze at least 24 hours until slushy. Serve in margarita or cocktail glasses.
Now my tips... reduce the water by at least a cup or two (or maybe even three or four). I'd also throw more tequila in there. With all that water, it really kind of lacked flavor.
Once it was frozen (and first time through it froze near solid... I thawed it out some and added more tequila to make it slushier), I used an ice cream scoop to dish it out. I gave the option of pouring Sprite or cranberry juice over it to make it drinkable... it came out kind of a spoonable slush, but not something you could actually drink. I don't think it would be drinkable even with more tequila.
Everyone loved it though, and it was a hit. I liked it best with the cranberry juice, it added a lot of flavor.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Back to work after the holiday and tired as heck!
It's funny, I used to work 10 hour shifts all the time and it didn't much bother me. Maybe it was the fact that the last two hours were optional... AND overtime that got me through the day. Now we have a required 4-day, 10-hour work week. It's nice to have a three day weekend, but I need one of those days just to recover. Now to get any overtime, we have to work an extra day, not just a couple hours over here and there. Oh, and to get a vacation day, you have to take 10 vacation hours instead of 8.
But then again, as I was reminded this morning, maybe it's the puppy. He's cute, fun, and very energetic. He has many ploys to get mommy to wake up and PLAY already! This week he's tried them all. From the standard hover and stare at my face and give me a random lick, to the downright rude punch in the gut with a well-placed paw, then on to every ounce of cuteness he can muster in the form of doggy hugs. Yes, he has pushed all my buttons this week. Not his fault at all that he naps all evening and is ready to go once the sun comes up. Not his fault, certainly, that I don't get to bed until 3am...
So, my 'almost daily' thoughts of blogging have already flagged to 'I'm posting at least once over the weekend whether I like it or not!' Which leads me to today's recipe. Or this week's recipe... or however this pans out...
Cream Cheese – Chocolate Chip Pastry Cookies
1 pkg. Frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
3 Tbsp. Granulated sugar
2 cups milk chocolate morsels (I use the semi-sweet)
Unfold 1 sheet puff pastry on floured surface. Combine cream cheese and granulated sugar in small bowl. Spread ½ mixture over puff pastry, leaving a 1-inch border along 1 long side. Sprinkle with 1-cup morsels. Roll up starting with covered edge, and seal with bare edge by moistening with water. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Chill for 1 hour. Cut rolls into 1 inch slices and place cut side up on lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 for 20 – 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes, remove to wire rack to cool.
This is another recipe you can get creative with. Or at least I have. Use your imagination... throw some nuts in there. I've used sliced almonds and pecans and both were yummy. Different chips can be used also (how about the green or red ones for the holidays).
These taste best fresh and still warm from the oven. An option would be to make them up ahead of time, keep them rolled in foil in the fridge, then slice and bake just prior to your company coming over.
Yes, I know it's resolution time... everyone is dieting. I guess I should have started my blog earlier and got my holiday recipes out of my system. :)
But then again, as I was reminded this morning, maybe it's the puppy. He's cute, fun, and very energetic. He has many ploys to get mommy to wake up and PLAY already! This week he's tried them all. From the standard hover and stare at my face and give me a random lick, to the downright rude punch in the gut with a well-placed paw, then on to every ounce of cuteness he can muster in the form of doggy hugs. Yes, he has pushed all my buttons this week. Not his fault at all that he naps all evening and is ready to go once the sun comes up. Not his fault, certainly, that I don't get to bed until 3am...
So, my 'almost daily' thoughts of blogging have already flagged to 'I'm posting at least once over the weekend whether I like it or not!' Which leads me to today's recipe. Or this week's recipe... or however this pans out...
Cream Cheese – Chocolate Chip Pastry Cookies
1 pkg. Frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
3 Tbsp. Granulated sugar
2 cups milk chocolate morsels (I use the semi-sweet)
Unfold 1 sheet puff pastry on floured surface. Combine cream cheese and granulated sugar in small bowl. Spread ½ mixture over puff pastry, leaving a 1-inch border along 1 long side. Sprinkle with 1-cup morsels. Roll up starting with covered edge, and seal with bare edge by moistening with water. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Chill for 1 hour. Cut rolls into 1 inch slices and place cut side up on lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 for 20 – 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes, remove to wire rack to cool.
This is another recipe you can get creative with. Or at least I have. Use your imagination... throw some nuts in there. I've used sliced almonds and pecans and both were yummy. Different chips can be used also (how about the green or red ones for the holidays).
These taste best fresh and still warm from the oven. An option would be to make them up ahead of time, keep them rolled in foil in the fridge, then slice and bake just prior to your company coming over.
Yes, I know it's resolution time... everyone is dieting. I guess I should have started my blog earlier and got my holiday recipes out of my system. :)
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Intro, and what I'm eating now.
Hi! I'm Karen B and welcome to my blog. I'm new to this, so bear with me while I get started.
I enjoy cooking... especially easy recipes. I like altering recipes to fit me and what I like (and sometimes even up the garlic to satisfy hubby). I also enjoy sharing recipes I have found with others... which is the reason behind this blog, I guess.
In the true meaning of sharing recipes, I invented "The Recipe Party." I had a relative that, when asked for a recipe for a dish she brought to a family event, proclaimed "I don't share recipes!" I thought 'hey... why not have a family get-together where a dish is brought with the intention of sharing the recipe?' The Recipe Party was born, and was welcomed into my family with open arms. In fact, I haven't had one the last couple years, and a couple relatives have been bugging me to get on the ball and have one. I may post details of how to host/have a recipe party in the future, but have kind of tossed around the idea of marketing it... hey, it's a cool idea, why shouldn't I make a little dough off it? :)
So, on to today's recipes. As I type, I am consuming holiday leftovers. I'm having cheese ball on bagel chips. So that is what you'll get to start out the blog.
Cheese Ball
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 bunch green onions, diced (green part only)
1 pkg. corned beef slices (you can use beef or corned beef... just use the store brand, Budding, or whatever is really cheap... they are the chopped, pressed, processed, cooked and sliced really thin kind), diced
Mix all ingredients (squishing it all w/your hands is about the only good way to do this), shape into ball and chill. Serve with crackers, bagel chips, etc. The roasted garlic Triscuits and the 1/2 pretzel, 1/2 cracker things (Keebler?) are especially good with it.
As far as amount, I would use this size for 5-6 people. I triple to quadruple (or more) for large family get-togethers. Heck, I have relatives that would probably cry if I didn't show up with one of these over the holidays!
Bagel Chips
Unsliced bagels
Butter
Fresh garlic/garlic powder/garlic salt
Salt/seasoning salt
This is one of those "make it the way you want" kind of recipes. I use any kinds of bagels so long as they aren't sweet (like cinnamon-raisin). Poppy seed, cheese, onion, plain... they are all good, and feel free to mix and match. I got mine from a local grocery store's bakery, and just took what they had left. I think it was 9 bagels (if you want a more exacting quantity to start with).
I slice the bagels thinly from the top (lay flat, start slicing from one edge... you'll have all different shapes and sizes). A good serrated bread knife is good for this. I throw all the slices into a big roaster pan and set the oven to 'bake' at about 250. I let them dry out some, then melt a stick of butter to drizzle over top (stir them up frequently while drizzling to coat as many/much as possible). Shake on some garlic salt (or garlic powder and seasoning salt... or you can use salted butter and fresh garlic, or garlic butter... it is really up to you... FYI I used the garlic powder/seasoning salt combo this time). Just leave them in the oven, stirring them gently from time to time. As they dry out, feel free to sample to see if the flavor is to your liking... and don't hesitate to get creative... they are YOUR bagel chips, after all! They are done when they are a nice golden brown and all crunchy.
I'd like to thank Tom, a buddy from work, for this recipe. He brought some in to sample that his dad made... the recipe told to me like this: bagels, butter, garlic salt, low heat. Well, maybe it was a little more than that, but not much. It was enough to get me addicted to them. :)
I enjoy cooking... especially easy recipes. I like altering recipes to fit me and what I like (and sometimes even up the garlic to satisfy hubby). I also enjoy sharing recipes I have found with others... which is the reason behind this blog, I guess.
In the true meaning of sharing recipes, I invented "The Recipe Party." I had a relative that, when asked for a recipe for a dish she brought to a family event, proclaimed "I don't share recipes!" I thought 'hey... why not have a family get-together where a dish is brought with the intention of sharing the recipe?' The Recipe Party was born, and was welcomed into my family with open arms. In fact, I haven't had one the last couple years, and a couple relatives have been bugging me to get on the ball and have one. I may post details of how to host/have a recipe party in the future, but have kind of tossed around the idea of marketing it... hey, it's a cool idea, why shouldn't I make a little dough off it? :)
So, on to today's recipes. As I type, I am consuming holiday leftovers. I'm having cheese ball on bagel chips. So that is what you'll get to start out the blog.
Cheese Ball
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 bunch green onions, diced (green part only)
1 pkg. corned beef slices (you can use beef or corned beef... just use the store brand, Budding, or whatever is really cheap... they are the chopped, pressed, processed, cooked and sliced really thin kind), diced
Mix all ingredients (squishing it all w/your hands is about the only good way to do this), shape into ball and chill. Serve with crackers, bagel chips, etc. The roasted garlic Triscuits and the 1/2 pretzel, 1/2 cracker things (Keebler?) are especially good with it.
As far as amount, I would use this size for 5-6 people. I triple to quadruple (or more) for large family get-togethers. Heck, I have relatives that would probably cry if I didn't show up with one of these over the holidays!
Bagel Chips
Unsliced bagels
Butter
Fresh garlic/garlic powder/garlic salt
Salt/seasoning salt
This is one of those "make it the way you want" kind of recipes. I use any kinds of bagels so long as they aren't sweet (like cinnamon-raisin). Poppy seed, cheese, onion, plain... they are all good, and feel free to mix and match. I got mine from a local grocery store's bakery, and just took what they had left. I think it was 9 bagels (if you want a more exacting quantity to start with).
I slice the bagels thinly from the top (lay flat, start slicing from one edge... you'll have all different shapes and sizes). A good serrated bread knife is good for this. I throw all the slices into a big roaster pan and set the oven to 'bake' at about 250. I let them dry out some, then melt a stick of butter to drizzle over top (stir them up frequently while drizzling to coat as many/much as possible). Shake on some garlic salt (or garlic powder and seasoning salt... or you can use salted butter and fresh garlic, or garlic butter... it is really up to you... FYI I used the garlic powder/seasoning salt combo this time). Just leave them in the oven, stirring them gently from time to time. As they dry out, feel free to sample to see if the flavor is to your liking... and don't hesitate to get creative... they are YOUR bagel chips, after all! They are done when they are a nice golden brown and all crunchy.
I'd like to thank Tom, a buddy from work, for this recipe. He brought some in to sample that his dad made... the recipe told to me like this: bagels, butter, garlic salt, low heat. Well, maybe it was a little more than that, but not much. It was enough to get me addicted to them. :)
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