my kitchen disaster...

pictures first...

this last picture here is a little smokey... if you couldnt tell.

so, i was going to make a pie for my mom.  a banana carmel pie to be exact.  i was very excited about it and found this great recipe.  the recipe called for one 14 oz can of sweet condensed milk (unopened) to be boiled for 3 hours.  yes, unopened.  boiled.  for 3 hours.  so, one hour down i get a text from amanda.  "happy hour at dark star"  long story short... went to happy hour and left the unopened can of sweet condensed milk boiling knowing that i wouldnt be gone too long.  as soon as we pull up to the apartment, amanda calls it.  you can smell something burning from outside... and i was just praying i wouldnt open up my apartment to flames.  luckily, this was all i found.  

i ended up making my mom a pie but it did not involve boiling unopened cans of any kind.  and yes, ive learned my lesson.  alcohol does not trump leaving the oven on.  hahaha.

The powers of champagne and mother combine to bring you, PIES.

My mom and I opted for not 1 but 2 pies this Memorial Day Weekend. The first, a delicious apple pie, the second being a mixed berry.

Homemade Crust:

Makes 2 nine inch crusts

2 cups all purpose flour (not wheat, this is pie, suck it up)

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup plus 2 tbs shortening

4 to 5 tbs cold water

Measure flour and salt into bowl, mix in shortening. Sprinkle with water, 1 tbs at a time mixing until dough almost cleans side of bowl.

Gather dough into 2 even balls. Roll out on floured surface.

Berry Goodness:

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 orange zested

pinch salt

1/2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tbs butter, cut into bits

2 cup fresh blueberries

2 cup fresh blackberries

2 cup fresh raspberries

Line 1 pie pan with crust. Mix together sugar, orange, salt, lemon juice, and butter. Add berries. Toss until coated. ( Our berries were slightly runny and we are pondering adding a bit of flour to this, let me know if you try it)

Kindly dump into pie crust. Lattice second crust over top, crimping edges. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Place pie in oven and bake 15-20 minutes at 400. Reduce to 350 and bake an additional 40-50 minutes.

Apple:

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup all purpose flour (again, it's a pie, go for the white)

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

dash salt

6 cups granny smiths (peeled and sliced)

2 tbs butter

Mix sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Mix with apples until coated (try one, they're good). Place into pie crust and dot with butter. Lattice top with 2nd crust. Bake 40-50 min. at 425. Prepare for great smells!

super amazing (and easy) muffins

i have this bulk muffin mix that is very handy.  i use it quite a bit since its already made up and you can always add something different to it.

for the dry mix: 6 cups flour 2 cups oats 3 cups sugar 3 tsp. salt 3 tsp. cinnamon 2 tsp. nutmeg 3 Tbsp. baking powder ingredients for the muffins: 1 c milk  1 egg 1/2 c applesauce, unsweetened 2 3/4 c of the dry muffin mix in a huge bowl, mix together all the dry muffin mix ingredients. i use a whisk to mix it all together until well blended. store in a container with a lid until used. to make the muffins, combine 2 3/4 c of the muffin mix with the wet ingredients. spray muffin tin or use the muffin cups. fill half to 2/3 full. bake in a preheated 400 degree oven. 16 minutes for regular sized muffins. 12 minutes for mini muffins. thats it :)   ive put things from chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, dried fruit and nuts into the mix when im making these muffins.  theyve all turned out awesome!!

slow cooker chili

i recently went home to surprise my mom on her birthday and acquired a few new cooking goodies.  (i also forgot my camera there so youll have to deal with the camera phone pictures)  one of the things i was very excited about was the slow cooker aka crock pot! :)  the day i returned to louisville, i was in the kitchen cooking.  this was the result...

mmmmmm.... chili :)  i made the concoction that night and put it in the refrigerator.  the next morning i turned it on low and let it cook all day while i was at work.  i was so excited to come home and walk into my apartment!!  the wait was torture but it was worth it...

ingredients:

(basically a little bit of this and a little bit of that)

28-ish ounces of diced tomatoes

(i used one can of diced tomatoes with onions and chilies in them and one can of fire roasted diced tomatoes)

1 can black beans

1 can of dark red kidney beans  

(drain both cans)

1 onion

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

(the green peppers were ginormous!!!)

i got to use my nicer dicer.  i love this product... like, a lot!  amanda makes fun of me for it but i think its amazing and use it as much as possible!!

2 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon dried oregano 

i think thats it.  you can add more of anything or add less.  you can also add other things like carrots and celery but i dont really like those in my chili.  

enjoy :)

Hippie Loving Tree Hugging Granola Bars

So, in an attempt to make a cheap snack, I concocted some granola bars. Wine optional, but recommended.

Ingredients:
2 cups oats
3/4 cup wheat bran
3/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 ground flax
1 cup slivered almonds
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
4 Tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
sprinkle of cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 handfuls dried cranberries
shaved semi-sweet chocolate (or chocolate chips if you're Megan)

Toast the wheat, sunflower seeds, oats, flax, and almonds for 10-12 minutes at 400.

In the mean time, line a baking dish with waxed paper and lightly spray or drizzle with olive oil and prepare for great things.

Bring brown sugar, honey, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt to a slow simmer.

Dump cranberries and chocolate into large mixing bowl. Add toasted goodness and the beautiful syrup you just made. Mix well or you're going to have granola crumbles.

With a spatula, spread across waxed paper. Cover with remaining waxed paper and press down as hard as you possibly can without grunting. You want these suckers to stick together dang it.

Let cool for 3 hours. Mine are currently cooling, I'll let you know what to do next...

jumbo stuffed shells with broccoli and spinach

im not good at taking pictures yet... i always seem to forget some part of the preparing or cooking process or the finale.  sorry.  i swear im trying to be better....

yummy.  these are soooooo awesome.  :)  

so, on this one i just threw some stuff together... ill list what i used and you can configure to your needs.  this recipe is pretty versatile so you can add or remove whatever you like.

this makes a lot!!  i baked some and froze some for later.

1 box jumbo shells

2 16 oz ricotta cheese

mozzarella cheese 

grated parmesan cheese

garlic

basil

oregano

pepper

frozen spinach and broccoli

speghetti sauce

4 egg whites

cook shells, dont rinse.

cook broccoli and spinach, then chop well.

in mixing bowl, mix all cheese, garlic, basil,

oregano, pepper and veggies.

spread a layer of sauce in a 9x13 pan.

stuff shells with a mixture and place in pan.

i spread a little more sauce over the shells 

and threw on more cheese (of course) :)

bake at 350 for 35-40 min.

to freeze shells -  dont bake the first.  line 

them on a cookie sheet, freeze and then

place them in a container for use at a later date.

mmmmm, i love cheese :)

i will put cheese on just about anything.  you name it, ill probably ask if you have cheese that i can put on it.  cheese makes everything better.  so i decided to make my own alfredo sauce to see if i could pull it off.... 

i did.  :)  i made a meal and took it out to richards moms on mothers day since i couldnt be with my mom.  she loved it.  so did richard.... but he eats anything.  i dont have any pictures but of course here is the recipe.  (i also doubled everything)

1/2 cup cream cheese  (i used neufchatel cheese since its lower in fat)
1 cup milk (i used soy)
3 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese  (yeah right, i used the shit in the canister you put on your spaghetti)
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp dry parsley

the best way to do this is to use a blender. put cream cheese, milk, parmesan cheese, garlic, pepper and salt in blender. Blend until there are no clumps, pour into saucepan on medium heat, cook for about 10 minutes. while cooking add parsley....

yes, its that easy.  it is a little peppery but i like it that way... and so did everyone else :)

not really anything to do with cooking....

i had a visitor the other day while i was attempting a new recipe....

it might be posted later.  im not entirely impressed with it, i just needed to get rid of a few things that were about to go bad.

anyway.... to the good part.  :)

How it all started

I think the cooking/baking all started in mid-April in an attempt to follow an old secret family recipe for Red Velvet Cake. While I can't reveal the recipe at this time. Give me enough cocktails and it will one day be posted.

I really just wanted you to see how pretty they were.

the best best best no bake cookies you will ever have!!!

basically made up my own recipe... you really cant go wrong with no bake cookies.

1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce (in place of butter)

1/2 cup of soy milk (in place of regular milk)

2 cups of sugar

1 cup mini chocolate chips

2 tablespoons peanut butter

3 cups quick cooking or old fashioned oats (i used a little of each, doesnt really matter)

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 teaspoons coco bacardi   :)

put chocolate chips, peanut butter (i melted mine a little bit), oats, bacardi and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. combine the applesauce (or butter), milk, and sugar in a saucepan; bring to a rolling boil. boil for 1 minute. combine the hot mixture with the oatmeal and chocolate chip mixture; stir well. drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper.  let set for a few minutes before shoving into mouth  :)