Why I don't have a Cooking Blog, Part A

While my creative motivation seems to be either on strike or vacation, the "creating" has not stopped.  It has just ventured onto a different path.  This weekend it was all about creativity in the kitchen. 

The Youngest kiddo informed me that he would like to do the demonstration speech at school that was for extra credit.  GREAT!!  Then the Kiddo came up with the idea of pizza.  Uhhh, okaaaay.  Not exactly an easy demonstration project, but we'll work with it.  But!  Then he mentioned that *A, a classmate with Celiac disease, would not be able to eat the pizza.  Maybe we could find a recipe that she could eat too?  This  sweet child  makes his mama so proud!!  So, the hunt for an easy, demonstrative and gluten free recipe was started.  Found one that seemed to fit the ticket perfectly!  After a conversation with *A's mother to confirm that all the ingredients were allowed (did you know that even Vanilla can have gluten in it?!!), the Youngest Kiddo and I set up to make Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies.  

This is where I came upon the realization that I'm a failure at food blogging.

When blogging, it is to your benefit to take good pictures.  Notice the background, which may distract from your focal image.  It is also imperative that your main image is in focus. 

Only I could manage to get all pictures out of focus!!  I'm off to a fabulous start on this blog post!!

Another important consideration in blogging is to photograph step by step illustrations, if applicable.  Blog posts on cooking or say, art techniques, require this step to engage your audiance.

Yeah.  Okaaaay.  It would seem that someone, who shall remain nameless (cough, me, cough), got caught up in the actual making of the cookies and forgot to PHOTOGRAPH the steps. 

 I could have easily enough "re staged" this whole cooking episode with the Kiddo (in focus), the kitchen spotless, and each and every easy little step in the cooking process photographed.  But I didn't. Why?  Despite the demise to my "cooking blog", I'm just too lazy.  And this is my real  life.  Unedited.   Photos out of focus. The kitchen a mess from another baking project.  It is what it is. 

But the cookies still tasted good!

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

adapted from a couple of recipes on the www

Ingredients

1 cup natural Peanut butter

3/4 cup to 1 cup sugar

1 egg slightly beaten

1 teaspoon Vanilla (gluten free, if needed)

Corse sea salt (optional)

Hershey's Kisses (could be optional, but why?!!)

Place oven racks in the upper and lower third of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Mix all the ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Roll into 1" ball (approximately) and place on prepared cookie sheets.  Use a fork to make cross hatch pattern.  If using sea salt, sprinkle on cookies now.  Bake 10-15 minutes, switching cookie sheets half way through baking time.  Bake until slightly golden at edges (which, is a bit difficult to tell, since the cookies are already golden in color!).  Remove from oven and let cool on sheets for a couple of minutes, before transfering to cooling racks.  Place Hershey kiss in middle of warm cookie.  Transfer cookies to cooling racks to finish cooling process completely.  Makes about 18 cookies. 

ENJOY!

Stay tuned for Part B:  I'm not Bakerella.  

Still in the Kitchen

Hey Peoples!!  Are you all ready for Thanksgiving?  Lucky me, my mother in law does all the cooking for Thanksgiving.  Which means I don't have to have my house clean (yet).  And I don't have to stress on whether the turkey is moist enough.  Or if there is enough dessert. 

But I am requested to bring one recipe every year (and just so you don't think I'm a total slacker, I usually bring some type of dessert too!!).  Many years ago, I found this recipe in a book titled The Little Book of Christmas Joys.   This is a FAVORITE with all the family. It's quick, easy and soooo yuuummy!!  In fact, this was made last Friday for the oldest Kiddo's Thanksgiving feast.  And it will be made again tomorrow for our dinner on Thursday.

Rosemary's Cranberry Salad
Ingredients you will need

Pretend there is some OJ in the picture

Wash and sort your berries.  I ALWAYS have a few of these bags in my freezer.  One:  if there is a shortage, I have my supply for the year.  Two:  this would make a WONDERFUL summer salad too!

Can I just share the fact that I "borrowed" this colander from my mother when I had my first apartment?  She passed away 13 years ago from breast cancer.  I love this.  It is a daily reminder of her. 

Drain the pineapple, reserving the juice

Hmmmm....Now that I'm on a nostalgia kick, I believe this little strainer was "borrowed" at the same time.  How the heck did my mother ever cook after I moved out?!



Peel all but one orange and cut them all up.

Ya know, my mother must have had one heck of a shopping spree after I moved out.  The knife is an old stake knife that I borrowed too.  And, huh.  Whadda ya know.  That cutting board was hers too. 

The funny thing is, my mother was not known for her cooking.

Grind the cranberries and oranges in a food processor or food grinder.



Add the drained pineapple.  I grind it again.  Just in case someone doesn't care for the bigger chunks of pineapple.  Also grinding is easier than trying to stir in the bowl!!

Add the sugar.  The recipe (to follow) calls for 1 pound of cranberries.  I guessamate.  Sooo, I'm generous with my cups of sugar! 

Yep.  I just throw this in the food processor too.  Easy to make sure the sugar is blended well.  I fill my processor literally to the brim!!

Combine OJ and the reserved pineapple juice.  Sprinkle some unflavored gelatin on top.  Heat until it is completely dissolved. 

Add the gelatin to the fruit mix.  Believe it or not, I do NOT do this in the food processor.  By this time, I'm pushing the limits on having a major explosion of cranberries all over my counters.  I pour it into the serving dish I am going to use and then add the gelatin and mix it thoroughly.  (This would be the time to fold in the pecans if you are using them.  While I like pecans, my family prefers this recipe without them)

Chill until set. 

Rosemary's Cranberry Salad.  Yield:  16-20 servings

1 pound cranberries                                                        2 cups sugar

4 oranges, one unpeeled                                                 1/2 cup orange juice

1 15-ounce can crushed pineapple                                  3 envelopes unflavored gelatin

    packed in juice                                                           1/2 pound pecans (optional)

Wash and sort the berries.  Peel all but one orange and cut up all of the oranges.  In a food grinder or food processor grind the cranberries and oranges.  Add the drained pineapple, reserving the juice.  Stir in the sugar and mix well.  In a small saucepan combine the reserved pineapple juice and orange juice.  Sprinkle the gelatin on top and stir.  Heat until the gelatin is completely dissolved.  Add the gelatin to the fruit mixture.  Fold in the nuts (if using). Pour into a pretty dish (the recipe actually says to pour into a greased 3-quart mold.  Personally, I could never get the thing to release pretty.  So I opt to use a pretty dish).  Chill until set.  ENJOY.

I would love to hear of any favorite family recipes that you might have!  I am ALWAYS looking for something new to add to our family gatherings (or just week day dinners!)

I have some other CRAFT projects in the works on my desk just waiting for me to finish.  I made the mistake of going into the playroom yesterday.  Let's just say I now have a truck full to take to the local thrift store, a garbage can full of trash, a recycle can full, and a pile to give to the school.  Aaannnd, we still have one more corner to go!! Good grief!! Was this ever a job long over due!!

Till then.....remember~~exploring creativity is a journey that can be found in so many areas.  Try something new today.  Whether it be in the kitchen, your craft area or on the computer.  ENJOY





Pioneer Woman....

I am NOT!!  LOL!  I just love Ree Drumond, aka The Pioneer Woman. I love how her sense of humor comes out in her writings.  I love her photographs of life on the ranch.  They remind me of growing up in Wyoming. With real cowboys and wild mustangs too.  I love how she showcases her cooking and does not apologize for using fat, beef, and the yummy stuff (and the fact that she takes all the photos herself).  To me, she is personable.  Not afraid to tell of her so-called faults and mistakes.  I am incredibly envious of the lodge kitchen and her own kitchen.  Both of which I envision to be larger than my entire house. 

But I thought I would try and channel her with today's post.  Let's just say that there are MANY miles between California (me) and Oklahoma (Ree). 

Remember the Denmark Paper Doll the youngest Kiddo had to make?  Well, along with the fact report and the paper doll, comes the "make an ethnic dish" from that country to share at the Ethnic Feast.  Once again I'd just like to thank Mrs. M. for assigning the Kiddo a country that uses common, off the shelf ingredients.  Mind you, all the food made also has to be vegetarian or made with meat substitutes.  Just to add to the fun!!
After some research, the Kiddo and I settled on Danish Peppernut Cookies to make. 

Ingredients you will need:

                                   

In a large sauce pan mix the sugar, corn syrup, milk and shortening. 

Bring to a boil and after it cools, add the spices and baking powder

Stir in the flour

Chill for a couple of hours.  Roll out a 1/4" rope on a surface dusted with powder sugar.  Ignore the part of the directions that say to cut the cookies in 3/8" segments and bump it up to 2" segments

Also ignore the instructions that say to bake on greased cookie sheet and use parchment paper.  That way you don't have to wash the cookie sheets!!

Sprinkle with some more powder sugar

And dress the Kiddo up to look like a darling Danish boy!!

I must say that these turned out pretty yummy!! They are a "hard" cookie. Like a biscotti. Or, that is how ours turned out!! I think they are designed to dunk in coffee or hot tea.  Maybe someone of Scandinavian decent could let me know.  Personally, no one in this family has had any problems just munching on them!!  The cardamom and anise give these a nice flavor. 

Danish Peppernuts

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup dark-colored corn syrup

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup shortening

1 teaspoon anise extract

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

14 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3-1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Sifted powdered sugar

1.  In a large saucepan combine sugar, corn syrup, milk, and shortening.  Bring to boiling.  Remove from heat and cool about 15 minutes.  Stir in anise extract, baking powder, vanilla salt, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.  Stir in the flour until well mixed.  Cover and chill about 2 hours or until easy to handle. 

2.  Divide dough into 24 equal portions.  On a surface dusted lightly with sifted powdered sugar, roll each portion of the dough into a 1/4 -inch thick rope.  Cut into pieces about 3/8 inch long (or 2 inches like us!).  Place 1 inch apart on a greased cookie sheet (or use parchment paper)

3.  Bake in a 375 degree F oven about 10 minutes (5-7 min was better in my oven) or until lightly browned on bottom.  Immediately remove and cool on paper towel (once again, I just used my cooling racks).  Makes 8 cups of cookies (thirty-two 1/4 cup servings)

*****************

Now, I don't want you to think that I never take pictures of the oldest Kiddo.  He is at the age where he really doesn't care to pose for his silly mother.  But I did manage talk him into letting me take this quick photo of him kinda dressed as an Indian for his 8th grade Thanksgiving feast.  Basically, the kid wore brown shorts, a light tan t-shirt turned inside out to hide the graphics.  I kinda/sorta made an arrowhead he had into a necklace and a cheesy headband.  "Mom.  Could I be one of the Hopi gods tomorrow.  Me:  Dude.  It's 8:30 pm. Just how am I suppose to come up with an elaborate costume NOW?  "Yeah.  I  guess.  Can I have a large feather that looks like an eagle feather in the headband?  Me:  Bud.  It's 8:35pm.  I have some chicken feathers I think.  You get chicken feathers.  Deep heavy sigh...

Love, The Pioneer Woman Wannabe.  (snort)......