Ice CEAM!!!

No, that's not a typo.  That's what Mia calls ice cream.   ICE CEAM!  She had her very own ice cream cone for the first time tonight at Baskin Robbins.  Let me tell you, she loved it.  She just sat there with wide eyes, licking the cone very silently and then every few minutes would yell, "ICE CEAM!" then try to share with everyone in the shop.  Hilarious.  See? Those eyes are KILLER, aren't they?

JC also bought a new lens for our camera and it takes the coolest pictures.  Here are a few from this weekend.  Here she is playing with her daddy...doing who knows what.  

Also, here is one I like to call "Mia-God"...for obvious reasons. 

And NO, I wasn't watching "Keeping up with the Kardashians" either.  Kris Kardashian must have been on PBS or CNN or something...

Lemon Chicken Picollini

Oh....picollini! What a cute word! Right?  $20 to anyone who knows what it is!! Any guesses??

Okay, so it's pasta...just a smaller version of Farfalle. Okay, so it's tiny bow-tie pasta, enough with the fancy words. This weekend was killer for me...and I mean that in a bad way.  Lots of working at night and then getting back up at 5am to work some more.   Let's just say I didn't spend my weekend planning my weekly menu or anything, okay?  Anyway, today was a busy Monday (most are) so I had to throw something together.  And what I came up with, is pretty darn good!  Although Mia wouldn't take a bite of it.  Nope, not one bite.

The inspiration for this meal?  I had to use the 5 day old fresh broccoli crown in my fridge before it went bad.  Here's the end result (sorry for the crappy Blackberry pic)...

Lemon Chicken Picollini:

• Boil water, add some salt and bowl some picollini pasta until al dente.  Drain and set aside.
•  In a separate skillet, heat some olive oil and 1 heaping tablespoon of garlic until fragrant, add 2 cut up chicken breasts and cook until 1/2 cooked.
• Add one whole broccoli crown, cut into bite-size pieces and 1/2 container of mushrooms.  Put lid on the skillet to "steam" the broccoli until mushrooms are soft and broccoli is fork tender.
• Move broccoli,  chicken and mushrooms to a separate bowl and set aside.  
• Add 2 tbsp. of REAL unsalted butter to the warm skillet and melt.  Add 1/2 small container of heavy whipping cream and stir until simmering.  
• Zest 2 lemons and add zest to cream mixture.  Squeeze the juice from one lemon into the cream mixture and add salt and pepper.  Cut the remaining lemon into slices.
• Cook lemon and cream mixture for about 2 minutes.  Add chicken, broccoli and mushrooms to cream mixture and stir.  Add cooked picollini and stir. 
• Chop some fresh basil and add to pasta mixture, top with fresh lemon slices and......SERVE!!

Although Mia turned her nose, I loved it. JC loved it.  But it could have used more salt.  When you are using real cream...the rule is....YOU CAN NEVER USE ENOUGH SALT!

It grows...

I have a garden. I HAVE A GARDEN!!  See?!?!? It went from this... The Beginning to...THIS!

All of those plants in the middle, were started from seeds.  I have TWO green bell peppers already growing and I've already had to cut all the cilantro and share with everyone at work.  I really hope those tomatoes come up.  That's what I am really waiting for.  Green peppers...eh...what I want are the tomatoes! 

I've kind of fallen off the bandwagon with eating "only food that is living".  That means we only eat food that shouldn't be able to stay on my shelf for 6 months and still be edible.  It has to be a plant, animal or grain that actually grows and isn't genetically modified or so laden with preservatives that the ingredient list is 2 paragraphs long.   That was my motto for so long and I guess in the midst of having a job, running a house and having a toddler...somehow...eating velveeta cheese and crappy rice-a-roni side dishes made it's way into our dinners.  I strongly feel that eating preservative-laden foods day in and day out is why many people get so many diseases and try my best to keep those to a minimum for me and my family.

But sometimes...you just need a little velveeta cheese on top of your steamed broccoli, right?  And JC and I may have eaten McDonalds after Mia went to bed last night.  I may have had a chocolate shake and two cheeseburgers.  Oh well...tomorrow is another day.

German Chicken and Dumplings and...Man Cream?

I'm a few weeks late on this, but better late than never, I guess!  I had a fabulous Easter weekend with my husband's family.  My absolute FAVORITE part was watching (and attempting to help) my German sister-in-law Iona make German chicken and dumplings and a wonderful dessert sent straight from German heaven called...Man Cream.  What an odd name, right?  I know what you're thinking, cause I thought the same thing too.  But seriously, it's delicious and I'll get to why it's called that in a minute.

We don't get to see Iona, Ben and their 4 month old baby girl Nora Elise (my favorite name ever), very often because they live in North Carolina and Ben is career military...which means he doesn't get to get away much.  So we made the most of it and I snuggled that baby as much as I could!  She is precious and just so chubby!  See?

My little munchkin has lost any remnant of babyhood chub and is now a lean and mean toddler.  I also forgot how much babies drool...

Anyway, Saturday night...Iona made us the traditional Sunday afternoon family meal in Germany.  Chicken and dumplings.  I WISH I would have copied her recipe, but it was in half German and half English (which is awesome by the way) and so I couldn't decipher it.  All I know is that I helped chop raw chicken livers and almost barfed.

Here it is in pictures...

The chicken...stuffed with sauteed hamburger, chopped chicken livers and onions.  She browned the chicken before it went into the water pot to boil. 

The dumplings, made mostly of bread, eggs, parsley and other stuff.  (No Bisquick here folks)

Then they are browned up to get a crunchy outside.

My sister-in-laws trying to turn the chicken in the pot.  They didn't really succeed, but I thought it was a great moment to capture. 

The chicken, boiling for a few hours in tomato sauce and water.

The end result was fabulous.  I mean...fabulous.  Definitely not my mom's version of chicken and dumplings, but this one took al ot more time and was truly a work of art.  I just wish I would have written down the recipe!

On to the man cream...I actually made most of this and I loved it!   Man Cream is a german traditional dessert made by the wives/mothers in the family to ensure that their men stick around.  Legend has it that it's so good, that it's supposed to keep them at home.  Let me tell you...I think legend is right.

First you make the pudding...but it's not just any pudding...it's this kind. It's made pretty much just like the jello stuff too.  Except it has a much richer taste and it's not as sweet.

Then you let it cool.  While it's cooling you whip your cream.

And then add this:

It's meant to keep your whipped cream stiff.  Once the pudding is completely cool, you add some rum.  Yup, the traditional German liquor of...rum.

Then you fold the cream in to the pudding very, very slowly...a little at a time.

Then you add chocolate chips, fold those in slowly and top with more chocolate.

Simple and delicious.  German food = Awesome.

Birthday Cake

I'm 28.  Yesterday was my birthday and now I'm 28 years old.  It's a pretty awesome age to be, I guess.  No different than 27.  When I turn 30, well...that will probably feel a little different.  Anyway, I have always been the type to never quite graduate from grade school in the sense that I feel the need to always bring things for other people on my birthday.

This year?  Homemade Red Velvet Cake.  I actually have never had red velvet cake.  Crazy, huh?  So, I made THIS RECIPE the night before my birthday and brought it in to work yesterday.  It was Sweet!!!  And I don't mean, like..."Sweet, Jill brought me a birthday cake on her birthday"...I mean, "Oh my god, all of my teeth just fell out because this cake is so sweet."  It was too sweet for me and I was a little disappointed.  Mostly cause it's straight from scratch, is made with things like "shortening" in it and I even sifted the cake flour. CAKE FLOUR! I didn't even know that existed.  Anyway, here is me sifting.  That flour does look rather pretty, doesn't it?

Then I did all of the other things the recipe said to do and ended up with four bowls of ingredients.  See?

And eventually, they all got mixed together...

Then I made the That's the Best Frosting I've Ever Had recipe again and...yup.  Still the best frosting I've ever had.

Baked it, put the frosting on it and viola.  Red velvet birthday cake, from scratch!!

Oh, it's so pretty...but really, just way too sweet.  I may or may not have chugged milk straight from the jug out of necessity after taking a few bites of this first piece.  Happy Birthday to me!

My version of de-boning a duck.

You know how in the movie Julie&Julia, she's ALWAYS complaining about having to "de-bone a duck" because it freaks her out? Well, that's how I feel about cutting a whole chicken into it's eight segments...2 breasts, 2 legs, 2 thighs and 2 wings. One of the things that I never learned (although my father was a meat butcher at our family grocery store for many years)...was how to cut a whole chicken. I've avoided it, to say the least.

Now, I have cut a whole chicken after cooking it and served it that way.  But, cutting it when it's raw?  No...that's gross. You know what it is... (and maybe you want to stop reading if you're squeamish about raw chicken)...it's the crunching of the knife through the chicken bones.  That's what it is for me.  It's pulling out the slimy liver from inside the body cavity and the crunching of the bones when you have to cut through it.  Seeing the bone marrow is pretty nasty too.

But, recently I've been playing a little game with myself.  I have been trying to save as much money as possible when I go grocery shopping.  (I blame watching the previews for Extreme Couponing on TLC).  Anyway, last weekend, I planned my weekly shopping trip a little differently.  I pulled out the weekly sale ads for both Tom Thumb and Kroger.  Circled the things that we usually buy that were on sale at both locations, checked what coupons I had and then did my shopping at both places.  Guess what?  Just by doing that...I saved $65 with coupons and sale items.  Holy crap!  Anyway, this is a topic for another post...the point is whole chickens were one of the sale items that I purchased.  That meant I had to quickly get over my fear of cutting a whole chicken. 

So, I watched a few YouTube videos (I found THIS ONE to be the most helpful) and turned the above whole chicken into this...

I dont' know how good I did with the technique...but for the most part, I had eight distinct pieces of chicken.  Not as bad as I thought. The key...is a really sharp knife.  Chicken bones are strong.  And very, very crunchy.

Okay, on to the good stuff.  I seasoned the chicken parts and put some buttermilk and a little hot sauce in a big bowl. 

Threw the chicken in, let is soak for about an hour, then coated it in flour, fried it in vegetable oil for about 2 minutes on each side.  THEN put it in a pyrex dish and baked it for 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  The result was this...

I MADE FRIED CHICKEN!!!  Okay, so fried/baked chicken.  But really, it was pretty good.  I liked it.  JC liked it.  And Mia was giving us a preview of what I can only guess "the terrible twos" are and threw everything on the floor at least 4 times.  Not very fun. 

But, in other news...I MADE FRIED CHICKEN!!! 

Corned Beef and Cabbage!

I'm not Irish. At least I don't think so.  Well, now that I say that...my mom said that in her dad's (my grandpa) heritage, there was one guy who came to the US from Ireland.  But that's not the point.  The point is that on St. Patrick's Day...everyone is Irish.  It's an excuse to drink beer and eat Irish food, all in the name of a holiday that we all claim as our own personal heritage day. 

I am no different, because I have done plenty of celebrating, none of it actually ON St. Patrick's Day.  Last weekend, JC and I went to the Dallas St. Patrick's Day parade in Lower Greenville.  We ended us missing the parade...but we got there for the fun part.  The after party...and oh dear lord...was it fun.  Definitely got a little "flavor" for Dallas.  It's something I've been missing since I moved here and so it made me feel a little more connected to this huge city I call home.

So, today is actually St. Patrick's Day and last night (in honor of my parent's last night visiting in TX), my mom made the annual Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner that my dad requests every St. Patrick's Day.  I can take no credit in this meal.  I worked at my office while my mom slaved in the kitchen.  Turns out...she actually didn't slave...because this little beauty...

Seemed to be really easy to make.  Recipe Time...

Ingredients:

2 Stalks of Celery
4 Carrots (or a bag of baby carrots)
1 Medium yellow onion
4-6 Red Potatoes (peeled)
1 head of cabbage (cut in large shreds)
1 12 ounce can of beer (we prefer Miller Light or Shiner Bock in our household)
1 big piece of Corned Beef with spice packet included (it contains coriander and other things)

Put celery, carrots, onions, cabbage and potatoes in the bottom of a crockpot.  Rinse the beef and sit on top of the veggies.  Add beer and spice packet and enough water to cover meat.  Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Okay, want to hear how it really went?

So, my mom wasn't satisfied with how the crockpot was cooking the meat.  She didn't "trust" it, she said.  So, here is how the cooking steps were modified...

About halfway through crockpot cooking time, take it out and put it all in a roasting pan...cover with tin foil and put it into a 300 degree oven until you think it's done.  (Usually just test the meat and make sure it falls apart.)

It was SO good.  So, really, no method to the madness...whatever works, I guess.  To finish up our fine St. Patrick's Day meal, we had a true Iris traditional dessert.  Ready to see it?!? 

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake.  I hear it goes way back to Irish traditions in the 1600's.  Okay, just kidding.  But I'm all about making this MY holiday, so...why not? This cheesecake is homemade all the way by my mommy dearest.  Here it is in ALL it's glory:

Just beautiful.  Here's the recipe:  Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

In other news, I finally figured out how to get Mia to drink more water.  At the moment, she's all about apple juice...and that concerns me just a little.  So, the key to getting her to drink water...is to put ice cubes in it.  It's novel enough now to work.  And everybody knows...that novelty is what works in parenting...right?

Plain ol' Chocolate Chip Cookies

Have I mentioned that Mia loves Sesame Street?  It all started with a healthy obsession with Elmo (or La-La) as she calls him.  Then we moved on to Big Bird...now...it's Cookie Monster.  I bought her a cookie monster book and do the cookie monster voice when I read it to her.  She loves it!  She giggles and just wants me to read it over and over!

Well, all of that reading about cookies...made me want some.  So...

Tollhouse. Cookies.  Need I say more?  Except maybe that I didn't have enough tollhouse chocolate chips so I had to use 1/4 bag of Tollhouse chocolate chips, 1/4 bag of Ghiradelli chocolate chips and 1/4 of Whole Foods brand dark chocolate chunks.  I think it improved the classic recipe.

Like I've said before...I'm not a baker.  It's too much responsibility.  I like to change my mind sometimes when I cook and when you bake...that's not really an option.

Well, today...my mom would be proud.  I followed the recipe perfectly (except for adding a few of the different chocolate chips as mentioned above)...I made sure each cup of flour I added was leveled off, I made sure my butter was actually soft as the recipe calls for and I EVEN TOOK THE TIME TO ADD EACH OF THE EGGS SEPARATELY!!!  I feel very accomplished.

Let me tell you...I get why baking matters.  This is the first time I've ever made cookies and they actually came out perfect.  They didn't stick to the pan...they weren't too "greasy" or too "cakey", they weren't burnt...they were perfect!

First, I had to spend a little time with the dough. 

Even the dough tasted better with all of the correct measurements and all.  But the real proof...is here:

Perfect!  The bottoms aren't burnt either! Seriously, I may have to file this under the "Best Thing I Ever Made" category...and they're just boring old chocolate chip cookies!

So now, I have a pantry full of girl scout cookies AND homemade chocolate chip cookies.  Awesome. I mean, Awesome!!

And the little girl got a great surprise when she woke up from her nap!  Her afternoon snack was a cookie, milk and grapes instead of grapes and cheese or something boring and healthy like that.  She loved it.  Of course.

Also, I don't give enough attention to my cat.  He's repaying me by clawing at all of the furniture.  Today, he was sleeping in the chair like this.  I couldn't resist.

Barbeque Meatballs ala Mussack

Like I've said before...I'm a Midwesterner.  My roots are northern Midwestern...with my dad's family mostly coming from Northern Iowa and Southern Minnesota (I think).  Well, I have a cookbook that my grandma Mussack gave me a few years back. It's one of those compiled church cookbooks, where the entire ladies aid is in charge of submitting recipes. Most of the recipes are similar...none of them are particularly healthy.  It's the Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Adams, Minnesota cookbook. I love it for four reasons:

1.  There are at least 35 different "hot dish" recipes in it.  Classic northern food. 
2.  There is a recipe called "Bob's Slop."
3.  The measurements include things like "a touch of this", "pinch", etc.
4.  My grandma made notes in the margins next to the recipes she liked.

Tonight, I made a winner.  Barbeque Meatballs.  In the margin, my grandma wrote..."Good".  So, I trusted her judgment and gave it a whirl.

First step...make the BBQ sauce...

1 1/2 TBSP of sugar
2 TBSP Worchestershire sauce
1 CUP Ketchup
1/2 CUP Water
1/4 CUP Vinegar
1 small onion, minced

Mix it all together in a saucepan and put it on low to simmer for about 30 minutes.  Like this:

Next, mix together:

2 LBS of hamburger (the recipe said sausage, but I only had hamburger...so that's what I used)
3/4 CUP of oatmeal
1/2 CUP of milk
Salt and Pepper

Form into little balls and brown.  Like this:

Once the meatballs are browned most of the way through, put them in a 9x13 pan and pour the BBQ sauce over top.  Cover with tin foil and stick in a 350 degree oven for an hour.  When it's done...you'll get this:

 
Wait, here's a closer look:

They were so good that I'm serious, JC couldn't talk.  Not an exaggeration.  He loved them.  I loved them.  Mia shoved most of them into her high chair and pointed to the cookies on the counter.

Oh well...can't win them all.

The best thing I've ever made. Really.

So, remember when I said I was going to make this?  Devil Dogs Well I did.  And it. was. amazing.

First I made this from scratch.  Way better than box.  I will never be fooled again.

Then I made this frosting "type" mixture.  I call it that because it doesn't taste like frosting, but I cannot describe it any other way.  The first two ingredients were flour and milk.  Riddle me that.

Then you put them together...which was very hard.  Mostly because the chocolate sheet cake was so moist.  (I hate that word). But again....I have no other way to describe it.

Put it together.

Up close. Cause it's so beautiful.

I made these for my father-in-law in place of a boring old birthday cake.  So, of course...

Sprinkles are in order....

That's the happiest birthday I have ever seen.  They were a hit too, everyone just basically grunted while we ate them after dinner. We ate at a hibachi grill too (where nobody EVER has any room left in their tummies from all that fried rice)...but they made room, and it was definitely worth it.  This is THE BEST thing I have ever made.  Period.  And I'm not a baker! I hate to measure! I hate worrying that my cake will stick because I AGAIN forgot to grease and flour the pan. What if I put too much sugar?!?  Do I HAVE to really level off the top of the measuring cup?? Baking is just too stressful.  

But this was simple.  Everything from scratch with sugar, real butter, eggs, everything that's NOT low calorie.  But if you're gonna splurge, this is what you splurge on.  Period.  They are kind like homemade Suzie Q's by Little Debbie.  You know...these?

Again, way better.  Probably more fattening.  But, guaranteed made with 100% real ingredients. Just a lovely, lovely, lovely dessert.

I put Mimi in a pretty green dress for the birthday dinner.  This is the best shot I could get.  She's on the move and has NO time to pose for pictures. She's gotten to where she won't even look at me when I have the camera.  Maybe I should put down the camera for a day? Nah.