Happy Thanksgiving!

Wising you all a happy and over indulgent Thanksgiving.

At our house we will be/have been enjoying the following deliciousness:
Overnight Cinnamon Rolls (breakfast)

Spinach Dip with veggies and crackers (lunchish)

Roast Chicken (one of the chickens we hatched was small turkey size)
Honey Roasted Ham (from one of the pigs we purchased earlier this year)
Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Sausage Stuffing
Sweet Potatoes
Crescent Rolls (made from scratch by Moo)
Buttery Deviled Eggs

Lemon Meringue Pie
Banana Cream Pie
both in a Graham Cracker Coated Pie Shell

For those recipes I haven't posted before I hope to post the recipes in the next week or so . . . I won't make any promises since it doesn't seem as though I have can post very regularly lately. Not for lack of items to post but for a little lack of motivation and a lot of busy doing other things.

Rice with a Bam

I initially made the Emeril's Baby Bam Seasoning because it sounded good and because I wanted to make the Seasoned Crispy Fries. Since making it for the fries we have also used it to season grilled meats and to make Emeril's Baby Bam Rice. So easy and so delicious. KLB was over for dinner when I made the rice and she was thrilled when I offered to send some leftovers home with her. While I think you wouldn't have to follow the first step of frying it I think it did give it a little different texture either way I think it would be delicious. We served it with grilled chicken that PE seasoned with the Baby Bam Seasoning, grilled yellow squash (quarter, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with seasoned salt), and some other veggie I can't remember. Oh, and we probably had a salad. (Sorry folks these are the types of posts you get when I wait weeks to post something.)

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Emeril’s Baby Bam Rice
adapted from Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures
Print Recipe

3 Tbsp oil
2 cups rice, uncooked
2 1/2 - 3 cups water (depending on type of rice)
1 Tbsp Emeril’s Baby Bam Seasoning

Heat oil in a pan. Add rice and stir rice in hot oil for 1-2 minutes or until rice starts to turn whiter in color. Add water and seasoning. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low for 18-20 minutes or until rice is tender.
OR
After rice has been fried put the rice, water, and seasoning in a rice cooker and cook according to package directions.

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One Potato, Two Potato . . .

We have been receiving potatoes regularly from the co-op so I have been trying out some of my long-bookmarked recipes and even a very recently bookmarked recipe. First up was Seasoned Crispy Fries. I had these on the brain as a good accompaniment for hamburgers or bratwurst but every time we had one of those planned for dinner, PE had the grill started and was chomping at the bit for dinner and I didn't have time to make them.

Finally, one evening I had the opportunity to make them. PE had plans to grill steak and I thought the fries would go great with them. Before I could start the fries I had to make Emeril's Baby Bam Seasoning. To go with the steak and fries, PE also grilled shrimp. While everything was grilling/baking I made some fry sauce (ketchup and mayonnaise mixed to your liking) and Simple Steak Sauce.

Luckily everything was fab.u.lous. I say lucky because at the end of the dinner PE commented what a good birthday meal it was. I for a split second thought it was his actual birthday and that I had overlooked it all damn day long. After that split second I came to my senses and realized his birthday was in two days so I had plenty of time to acknowledge his day. Another good thing is that he also purchased his birthday present. He purchased himself an arrow saw. Now that he has that he can purchase any length of arrows and cut them to the desired length instead of having to shop around looking for a place that carries the length he needs.

Anyway, the second potato recipe was Homemade Microwave Chips. I am not one to cook things in the microwave. I will defrost things and reheat others. Okay, I guess I have baked potatoes in the microwave. So evidently I am okay with cooking potatoes in the microwave. I just thought this would be a fun thing for the kids. Moo thought it was great! I used the slicer attachment on my Bosch and that made it so much easier to get evenly sliced potatoes--the slicing blade on the grater wasn't doing it for me. You really have to watch these the first time around. The directions for the recipe said around 13 minutes and it only took mine between 6 and 7 minutes.

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Emeril’s Baby Bam Seasoning
from Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures
Print Recipe

3 Tbsp paprika
2 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp dried parsley
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp celery salt

Mix all ingredients together and store in an air tight container.

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Seasoned Crispy Fries
from Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures
Print Recipe

2-3 lbs of russet/baking potatoes
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp Emeril’s Baby Bam Seasoning ( or more to taste)

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Peel potatoes and cut potatoes into french fry size sticks. I slice them and then cut the slices into sticks about 1/4-1/3 inches long. Toss potatoes in oil and seasoning. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, stir potatoes to loosen, and bake 10 more minutes or until edges are crisp.

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Homemade Microwave Chips
from Tried and True Cooking with Heidi
Print Recipe

2-3 potatoes
cooking spray
salt & pepper

Remove the glass tray from the bottom of your microwave oven (most are circular and rotate) and clean well with soap and water. Spray entire surface of tray with cooking spray. Very thinly slice potatoes (as thin and even as possible...thin enough to see through) and arrange them completely covering the glass tray. Sprinkle potatoes with a salt and pepper. Lightly spray the top of potatoes with cooking spray. Place in microwave and heat until the chips are lightly browned and crispy (could be anywhere from 6 to 13 minutes). Remove quickly so they don't stick and enjoy with your favorite dip, salsa or plain.

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To Market, To Market

Over the weekend we went to the small farmer's market in our town. It is held at a local creamery. In addition to the vendors the creamery has samples of their cheese. So. Good. We tried some Gouda, Gruyere, and feta. PE like the Gouda that had been aged the longest and had the strongest flavor. I liked the Gruyere. PE discovered he did like feta, just not the feta I usually purchase. Now I know.

We purchased asparagus from one vendor and garlic chives from another. I have never eaten garlic chives before. I now need to plant some in my garden. While purchasing the garlic chives the kind vendor had me taste some of the petals from the purple blossom of a regular chive. Delicious. They had a very pleasant, light onion flavor. I was excited to learn this as the chives I purchased for my herb garden have a couple blossoms so now I fully intend to sprinkle the little petals on our salads this week.

PE had plans to cook a pork roast in the slow cooker and he thought the garlic chives would work well with that. I had plans to make crash potatoes and the garlic chives would work great on that too. For the roast, PE browned it in a frying pan then put it in the slow cooker, sprinkled it with salt and pepper then put the bulbs and leaves from the garlic chives in with it. Toward the end he sprinkled it with Spade L Ranch beef seasoning. Yummy, yummy in my tummy. It paired perfectly with the crash potatoes and steamed asparagus.

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Crash Hot Potatoes
adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Print Recipe

12 whole new potatoes (or other small round potatoes)
3 Tbsp olive oil
kosher salt to taste
black pepper to taste
garlic chives (or other herbs of choice) to taste

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender. On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato. With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil. Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped garlic chives (or rosemary or thyme or whatever herb you have available). Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

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Ol' Reliable Recipes

While I wish I could constantly bake/cook new things, sometimes it is necessary to stick with the familiar; however, with so many recipe variations out there I sometimes struggle with my desire to try new recipes versus the simple fact that a current recipe I use is a family favorite/familiar.

Barbecue Sauce is a great example. There are two that I make that PE loves (Honey Barbecue Sauce and Barbecue Sauce I) and another he really likes (Barbecue Sauce II) but I have six more recipes currently bookmarked. Do I stick with the favorites? Do I try the new recipes? Maybe one of the new recipes will become a new favorite. Maybe one of the new recipes will replace an old favorite. Maybe I waste the ingredients on a complete ick fest of grossness. See the dilemma? If not multiply that one item (barbecue sauce) by 30 or so other items (pancakes, pancake syrup, chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies, peanut butter cookies, shrimp scampi, etc.) all of which there is a current favorite in our home but I have multiple recipe variations bookmarked for them as well. Is the dilemma clearer now? What is a person to do? More importantly what am I to do?

Knowledge of the familiar assists at times with this dilemma. I know how quickly I can make the Honey Barbecue Sauce. I know how long I can let the ketchup simmer. I also know that if I forget about the ketchup and let it simmer a little too long it will still be delicious. I know a batch of our favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe bakes in eight minutes. I know our favorite oatmeal cookie recipe doesn't end up flat, hard, and more resembling lace than a cookie.

What I don't know is how a new recipe will turn out until I cook/bake it. I am not smart enough to know by reading the recipe alone. In 99 cases out of 100 I am unable to guess what the complete end result will be. I may have an inkling and get one part or another right but that part often times is not preparation time. I cannot tell you how many times I make plans to "whip up" a new recipe and HOURS later I am finally finishing. Some of those times I can't even determine what exactly went wrong or why it took me so long. The recipe said "50 minutes including prep and baking" why the hell am I still in the kitchen after 100 minutes? Do I get sidetracked? Not usually. Or maybe I do and I don't realize. At any rate. . .unless I have a extra time on my hands I prefer to stick to the ol' reliable recipes.

Here are some of the recipes that I make regularly.

Ketchup
Simple Syrup
Homemade Pancake Syrup
Copycat Bisquick Mix
Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Homemade Frozen Hashbrowns
Meatloaf a la PE

Our Mini Thanksgiving

We had a mini Thanksgiving today. Everything (thankfully) turned out great. We have only cooked a turkey one other time. PE and a friend fried one a few years ago but that is all of our experience with turkey. I made stuffing for the first time and what makes that even more exciting is I just threw things together so I can call it my own. Our meal consisted of Roasted Turkey, Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Sausage Stuffing, Brown and Serve Rolls, Honey Butter, and steamed Normandy vegetables. For dessert we had the Buttermilk Cake with Caramel Icing I made last night. Nana came over to join us for dinner and had the pleasure of eating potatoes, stuffing, and rolls. No turkey as it had to go back into the oven. I guess you can't always go by the temperature you really need to look at the juices too (pink isn't good).

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Roasted Turkey
from Sparky
Print Recipe

turkey
lemon juice or half a lemon
Kosher salt
2 celery stalks, cut in half
1/2 yellow onion, quartered
2 carrots, cut in half

I followed The Pioneer Woman's directions as far as the roasting goes (Ree gives excellent directions); however, we sort of did what we wanted other than that. We cleaned the turkey. Rubbed the inside with lemon juice and Kosher salt. Rubbed the outside with Kosher salt and drizzled it with olive oil. We placed the celery, onion, and carrots in the cavity of the turkey. We placed the turkey breast side down on a roasting rack in a disposable roasting pan placed on a baking sheet. I am not going to reinvent the wheel by retyping Ree's directions. Her directions have pictures and she would never lead you astray. Go here for those wonderfully detailed roasting directions. We turned the turkey over (breast side up) for the last hour of baking.

We put the neck and giblets in a small sauce pan covered with water with 1/4 onion, 1 carrot, and 1 celery stick cut in thirds. We simmered them for a couple hours. PE ate the heart, liver, and part of the neck--ick--and I will use the broth for something.

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Sausage Stuffing
from Sparky
Print Recipe

1 loaf French bread
14 oz pork sausage
5 cups water
1 garlic clove
1/3 cup butter
2 cups celery, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 cup chicken stock
1/4-1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp basil

Cut French bread into 1/2 inch cubes. Spread out on a baking sheet. Either bake in a 275 degree oven for 20 minutes or until crusty OR place in cool oven overnight. Place dried bread in a large bowl (should be 8-10 cups). Boil sausage in water with garlic clove for 15 to 20 minutes. while the sausage is boiling, heat butter on medium to medium-high heat. Add celery and onion to melted butter and saute for 5 minutes. Add seasonings and continue to simmer. Drain water from sausage reserving for later (discard garlic clove). Crumble the sausage in the pan and cook until browned. Pour two cups sausage water and the chicken stock into celery and onion mixture. Heat to boiling. Once sausage is browned combine with bread in bowl. Gradually add the broth mixture to the bread/sausage mixture and toss. Keep adding broth mixture until stuffing is plenty moist but not overly soggy. Taste as you go and add more seasonings and salt to taste. When the stuffing is ready pour into a baking dish and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until golden brown on top.

++Once in the casserole dish you could also freeze it until you are ready to bake it. Think how much easier that would make Thanksgiving day.

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Creamy Mashed Potatoes
adapted from The Pioneer Woman
Print Recipe

5 pounds red potatoes
3/4 cup butter
1 (8 Oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces that are generally the same size. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 to 35 minutes. When they’re cooked through, the fork should easily slide into the potatoes with no resistance, and the potatoes should almost, but not totally, fall apart. Drain the potatoes in a large colander. When the potatoes have finished draining, place them back into the dry pot and put the pot on the stove. Mash the potatoes over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape, before adding in all the other ingredients. Turn off the stove and add butter, cream cheese, and half and half. Mash. Add Lawry’s seasoning salt and black pepper. Stir well and place in a medium-sized baking dish. Throw a few pats of butter over the top of the potatoes and place them in a 350-degree oven and heat until butter is melted and potatoes are warmed through.

Note: When making this dish a day or two in advance, take it out of the fridge about 2 to 3 hours before serving time. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until warmed through.

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Thansgiving Contributions

We joined PE's family at his sister's house for Thanksgiving. Of his six siblings and their families only one niece was missing from the get together--that is amazing. We had a great time hiding in the corner visiting. The kids really enjoyed seeing their cousins. Our contributions to the dinner were Sweet Potatoes, Petite Corn with Wild Rice, Cream Cheese Cranberry Cake, and Honey Butter (in separate post).

The Sweet Potatoes are always a big hit. The leftovers reheat nicely. The Petite Corn with Wild Rice was a new dish and it was a nice change. I will make it again. The Cream Cheese Cranberry Cake was a hit too! The combination of the lemon with the cream cheese was wonderful. It remained moist for several days after.

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Sweet Potatoes
adapted from The Pioneer Woman
Print Recipe

4 whole medium sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
2 whole eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup flour
3/4 stick butter

Preheat oven to 375. Wash sweet potatoes. Peel and cut sweet potatoes into large pieces. Bake until fork tender, about 30-35 minutes. Add sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla extract and salt. With a potato masher, mash them up just enough—you don’t want to be perfectly smooth. In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar, pecans, flour, and butter. With a pastry cutter or fork, mash together until thoroughly combined. Spread the sweet potato mixture into a regular baking dish and sprinkle the crumb mixture all over the top. Bake in a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

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Petite Corn with Wild Rice
adapted from The Pioneer Woman
Print Recipe

2 cups cooked wild rice
3-4 cups frozen petite corn
1 cup heavy cream
6 Tbsp butter
2 whole eggs beaten
1-2 tsp kosher salt
cayenne pepper to taste
1/2 - 1 cup milk, for thinning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook wild rice according to package directions until almost done (use chicken broth or a mixture of chicken broth and water). Rice should still have a firm (but not crunchy) bite. Drain rice and allow to cool. Pour corn kernels into a large mixing bowl. Add in cream, butter, beaten eggs, salt and cayenne pepper. Stir together. Add in cooled wild rice, stirring gently. Splash in milk so that mixture is stirrable, but not overly juicy. Taste for seasonings, adding more salt or cayenne pepper if needed. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until just turning golden brown on top and the mixture is somewhat set.

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Cream Cheese Cranberry Cake
from Confections of a Foody Bride
Print Recipe

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 (8 oz) cream cheese, room temp
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tsp salt
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, tossed with 1 Tbsp flour
Whipped cream, optional

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a bundt pan with baking spray, coating well. Beat butter and cream cheese until combined. Add sugar and turn mixer to med-high and cream for 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time until combined. Add lemon juice and zest, almond extract, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Turn mixer to low and add salt. Add the cake flour in two batches. Fold in the cranberries. Spread batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake 60-70 minutes, until the cake has browned and a skewer inserted in the center comes out with only moist crumbs attached. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a rack and cool completely. Cover tightly overnight and enjoy the next day.

Birthday Meals

The morning started with Aebleskivers (recipe below) for the birthday girl. Then we picked up KLB and went to get Moo's hair cut. It turned out so cute! We got the idea and pictures from here. She now looks older than her 14 years and her dad has grounded her until she is 30. (We aren't looking forward to beating off the boys. I see a father sitting on the couch cleaning his guns in Moo's future.)

After stopping by PE's work for the birthday girl to show off the new do and for KLB to sell some jewelry (you can see some of her creations here.) Then we went home where I started baking and Moo watched movies and played around on Facebook. All was going well until Nana canceled because she has a cold and was not feeling well and then KLB canceled because she was not feeling well. (I wish the best to both of them and hope they are feeling better soon.) Moo decided that since KLB wouldn't be around to watch SYTYCD and Glee with us that she would reconsider Cooking W.'s invitation to attend the football game (I guess the boys and I aren't good enough company). Not a big deal, but she did leave in the middle of dinner and now I have an uncut cake in my refrigerator. There is always tonight.

Let us get on with the recipes.

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Aebleskivers
from Sparky
Print Recipe

5 cups flour
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
3 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups half & half
6 eggs (separated)

Mix dry ingredients in one bowl. In a separate large mixing bowl add milk, half & half, egg yolks, and beat. Slowly add dry ingredients, keep beating until very smooth and glossy. Whip egg whites until stiff and fold into batter mixture. Preheat aebleskiver pan with 1/2 tsp oil in each cup. When pan is hot, fill cups just under full. Once all cups are filled start turning Aebleskivers (using a toothpick, bamboo skewer, or knitting needle). Each turn will be small, pour uncooked batter to bottom of pan and slowly form sphere. When light golden brown remove to plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with syrup or jam.

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Chocolate Cake
from Hershey's Kitchen
Print Recipe

1 3/4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9” round baking pans. In a large bowl mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking power, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and oil. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water with a spatula or spoon. Evenly pour batter into both baking pans. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to fully cool.

++I also made cupcakes. Make the batter as directed. Pour batter into paper lined muffin pans. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to fully cool.

++The cupcakes are extremely moist and delicious. I won't know about the cake until tonight.

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Chocolate Mousse
from Real Mom Kitchen
Print Recipe

1 tsp unflavored gelatin
1 Tbsp cold water
2 Tbsp boiling water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa
1 cup cold whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in small cup; let stand 1 minute to soften. Add boiling water; stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Cool slightly. Stir together sugar and cocoa in medium bowl; add whipping cream and vanilla. Beat on medium speed of mixer, scraping bottom of bowl occasionally, until mixture is stiff. Pour in gelatin mixture; beat until well blended.

++The mousse I tasted from the spoon is delicious. How it pairs with the cake I will not know until tonight.

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Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
from MyRecipes.com
Print Recipe

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
1 (16-oz.) package powdered sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
5 to 7 Tbsp milk

Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Whisk together powdered sugar and cocoa. Gradually add powdered sugar mixture alternately with 3 Tbsp milk, 1 Tbsp at a time, beating at low speed until blended and smooth after each addition. Beat in up to 4 Tbsp additional milk for desired consistency.

++The frosting is delicious on cupcakes. I can't wait to see how it tastes with the cake and mousse.

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Perfect Cupcake Frosting and Filling
from ourbestbites.com
Print Recipe

3 Tbsp Flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup real butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract, or other flavor if you wish.

Whisk together the flour and the milk. Heat in a small sauce pan on medium heat. Whisk continuously until it starts to thicken. Let it cook, while stirring, until it looks like pudding (you should be able to see the bottom of the pan when you stir it). Even though it's thick, pour it through a mesh strainer (just whisk the mixture in the strainer to push the thick stuff through) and then let it cool completely to room temperature or chill it in the fridge. It needs to be cooled completely. If it isn't cooled completely, it will melt the butter and the frosting will be runny. In an electric stand mixer with whisk attachment(s), beat the butter and the sugar for a minute or two until well combined and fluffy. Then while beating, add in the thickened milk mixture and the vanilla. Beat on the highest speed without it spraying all over the place for 7 minutes. Yes, 7 whole minutes, maybe even 8 or 9--that's when the magic happens! Use it to fill cupcakes or other pastries, or as a frosting on top. One batch makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes with BIG tops or it will frost 24 if spreading a little on top.

++DELICIOUS!! This is going to used a lot in my house from now on. It is so worth the work.

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Hasselback Potatoes
from Mmm...Cafe
Print Recipe

4 medium baking potatoes
4 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp butter
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425. Put the potato on a cutting board, flat side down. Start from one end of the potato, cut almost all the way through, making thin slices. Arrange the potatoes on a baking sheet. Melt butter and stir in minced garlic. Spread between the slits. Sprinkle some salt and freshly ground black pepper over the potatoes Bake the potatoes for about one hour or until the potatoes turn crispy and the flesh is soft.

++While delicious, next time I will make the slices thinner.

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Bacon Wrapped Tenderloin a la Hunting W.
from Sparky
Print Recipe

1 tenderloin, sliced into 1" thick slices
bacon
butter, melted
garlic, minced

Wrap each slice of tenderloin around its sides with a slice of bacon, securing with toothpicks. Combine garlic with melted butter. Grill as desired topping the steak with the garlic butter a minute or so before the steak has reach desired doneness (nope, not a word).

++Anyone not in the know would have never guessed they were eating elk.

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I also served Crescent Rolls frozen from earlier in the week. I actually forgot about the rolls until I started the potatoes, so I had to modify their defrosting and baking. They were supposed to defrost all day. Instead I placed them in the slightly warm oven (leftover warmness from baking the cake and cupcakes) while I started to prepare the potatoes. Midway through preparing the potatoes, I turned the oven on to preheat. After four minutes I removed the rolls from the oven and placed them on the stove top to finish defrosting/rising while the potatoes baked. Once the potatoes finished I baked the rolls as directed in the recipe and they turned out just as good as the fresh rolls.

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Homegrown Chicken . . . Tasty

Since PE killed the bird last weekend we needed to get it cooked. So, Thursday night PE did the prep for Garlic Lovers' Chicken in the Slow Cooker (recipe below) and Friday morning he just had to put the crock in the slow cooker and turn it on. On Fridays I work half day so when I got home around 12:00 the house smelled SO good. Yummy, yummy, gonna have garlic in my tummy.

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Garlic Lovers' Chicken in the Slow Cooker
from Dinners for a Year and Beyond
Print Recipe

1 whole chicken, about 6 - 7 pounds
1 onion, sliced
30 cloves of garlic, peeled OR
15 cloves and 5-6 Tbsp refrigerated minced garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup white wine or chicken stock
1/4 cup flour dissolved in 1/2 cup chicken stock

Place chicken, onion, and garlic in slow cooker. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle salt, pepper, and thyme over the chicken. Add wine and chicken stock mixture to the slow cooker. Cook on low for about 6 hours. The internal temperature of the chicken should register about 165 degrees when it is done.

++We strained the remaining juices and made gravy. To make the gravy put the remaining juices in a pot. Add cornstarch dissolved in water. PE did this and I don't know how much of each he used.

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We served the gravy over PE's delicious mashed potatoes. To make the mashed potatoes, dice 10-12 pealed russet potatoes and boil in water until tender. Drain potatoes and return to pan. Start to mash and add some butter, salt and pepper, and cream cheese, oh and for good fattening measure, add whipping cream too. (Seriously!? Yes. They are so tasty. Just don't eat too many.) You can truthfully add any combination and amounts of the cream cheese, butter, and whipping cream. You can also add any of the following in the place of or in addition to those ingredients: milk, plain homemade yogurt, sour cream, or half and half.

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We had a bit of a sweet tooth after dinner so I made No Bake Cookies. PE loves them because of the chocolate and peanut butter combination.

No Bake Cookies
from PE's Family Cookbook
Print Recipe

1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 Tbsp cocoa
pinch of salt
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup quick oats
1/4 cup flour

Line a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with waxed paper. In a small saucepan combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, milk, cocoa, and salt. Place in saucepan on burner with medium heat. Stir with a wooden or silicone spoon. Bring mixture to a boil and let it boil for one minute. (Begin timing when the first bubble rises from the bottom of pan.) Remove pan from heat and place on heat-resistant surface. Add peanut butter, vanilla, quick oats, and flour. Stir until well mixed. (Mixture should be moist and shiny. If mixture is dry and crumbly, add more milk, one teaspoon at a time until mixture is moist and shiny.) Using two small eating spoons (or one of these), scoop a small portion onto your jellyroll pan that has been lined with waxed paper. Allow mixture to cool in refrigerator before eating. (They set up as they cool.) Yield: about 24 cookies.

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That was our evening with Bob (Moo and Bug were at football games). Bob is such a good kid when he isn't arguing with Moo or bugging Moo/Bug.

Preparation Makes Light Work Later

Below are the recipes I made today.

Magic Mix
from Everyday Food Storage
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2 1/3 cups powdered milk
1 cup all purpose flour (Yes, use All Purpose)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature

Combine dry milk, flour and margarine/butter into the large bowl of a mixer (Bosch or Kitchen Aid highly recommended). Mix on low so powder doesn't spray everywhere (unless of course you have a Bosch or the attachment for the Kitchen Aid that prevents powder spray). Turn on high and mix until it looks like corn meal. Store tightly covered in refrigerator.

Visit Everyday Food Storage for other ways to use the Magic Mix. Enter "magic mix" in the search box at the top of the page. Some examples are condensed cream soups, pudding, and various sauces. I will be using it to make the Yellow Squash Puree Macaroni and Cheese mentioned yesterday.

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Okay so Moo wanted to make something sweet and I wanted to use the Magic Mix so I found this recipe and she made it.

Magic Mix Chocolate Pudding
from Everyday Food Storage
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1/2 cup sugar
1 cup Magic Mix
2-3 Tbsp cocoa
2 cups water
1 tsp vanilla

Combine Magic Mix, sugar, and cocoa in saucepan and mix well. Add water, stir over medium heat until pudding bubbles. Add vanilla and beat. Cover and Cool.

Tasty! I am guessing it will taste even better tomorrow when it is completely chilled.

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Yellow Squash and/or Zucchini Puree
1 lb yellow squash and/or zucchini
1 lemon wedge

Bring water to boil in a pan with a steamer basket. Wash the squash. (DO NOT peel your zucchini or squash when cooking or baking with it. That is where all the nutrients come from.) Slice squash into one-inch rounds. Once water is boiling place squash in steamer basket and squeeze the lemon wedge over the squash--this will help enliven the flavor. Cover and steam for five minutes or until tender. Uncover and let squash cool for a bit. In batches, puree in blender or food processor. Squash tends to release quite a bit of liquid so there shouldn't be a need for additional water. Pour the squash into freezer storage containers or ice cube trays (great idea if you are making homemade baby food). Let cool completely before freezing or refrigerating.

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When Bob was younger I made a lot of his baby food by steaming vegetables. If anyone has thought about doing that and has any questions, I would be happy to share my experience. Besides you have not seen such an awesome shade of green as you get from homemade peas.

TIP - When steaming vegetables, let the remaining water cool and then use it to water your houseplants. The nutrients from the vegetables is great for the plants.

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I had a thought that I would make my own mayonnaise and truth be told I executed that thought. Executed but did not do so successfully. I will post a recipe once I have successfully made mayonnaise.

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Potato Gnocchi (Potato Dumplings)
from Simply Recipe
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2 lbs potatoes (the older the better)
3 Tbsp Kosher salt
1 egg
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups flour

Place the potatoes into a large pot and fill the pot with water to just above the potatoes. Place on high heat and add salt. Leave to boil for 20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain. One at a time hold the potatoes and peal them with a knife or vegetable peeler. Work quickly. Using a potato ricer or a food mill 'mash' the hot potatoes. Add the egg and stir quickly--this will cook the egg. Add one or two handfuls of flour and stir until it all sticks together in a ball of dough. Remove from bowl and knead on a floured surface or Silpat. Knead for a couple minutes adding the remaining flour until the dough does not stick to hands and is pliable. Cut the dough into four or five sections and roll out each into a 1.5 inch roll. Slice the roll into 1 inch rectangular pieces. Add an indent to each rectangle by pressing your finger into the center of each rectangle--this helps hold sauce. Repeat with all sections and place gnocchi on on a floured platter or dish to prevent sticking. At this point the gnocchi can be placed in freezer until hard then placed in baggies for use at a later time. To cook - bring a pot of water to boil. Add a few gnocchi at a time. When they rise to the surface, wait half a minute to one minute then remove gnocchi with slotted spoon. Drizzle with olive oil to prevent them from sticking to one another. Serve with your favorite sauce.

I am going to use the gnocchi later this week for Gnocchi with Summer Vegetables.

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I believe that is everything I made today. If I left anything off I will write about it tomorrow. Good night.