Prudence Pennywise

Take Five..or make it Ten. Who's counting?

2011-05-01T16:22:00.000-07:00

I think I must need a break. I didn't know I needed one. I got busy and I took one, quite on accident. But it felt so liberating. I haven't blogged, or facebooked, or tweeted for a bit more than a week. Instead, I've rollerskated, scootered, jogged, shot a few free throws, and played tennis with two little people that are getting rather big while I've had my nose in the computer. I've written a couple of letters (real paper and pen letters) and read more than a few books (current obsession-Emerson's essays). I've graded term papers and written letters or recommendation for several of my stellar students. (Here's hoping they get into grad school-they all deserve it.) I got caught up in the beauty and sweetness of the Royal Wedding. I've done the NYT crossword puzzle every day, and get this-my Quiet Man has done it with me with his own copy. That hasn't happened since we were dating, so you know, Kate and William don't have the monopoly on burnin' love, baby. (By the way, I can still smoke him on crossword puzzles,and he can still smoke me on pretty much everything else in the world, so not much has changed with 16 years of matrimony.) I called my sister Leslie three times this week. That's a record. I shed a suprising amount of tears when the Office said good-bye to Michael Scott. What a great boss he turned out to be, as Jim mentioned. And I mopped, dusted, and pretty much sanitized my house. The closets are next. I'm after you, hoardish, gypsy, cluttery clutter. You can run but you can't hide.This has turned out to be a pretty good break.
I didn't mean to take a break at first. But now it is quite intentional. I'm rather enjoying myself. Thanks for your email. I'll be back after my break.
PS There's plenty of good cookin' in the archives in the meantime. Dig right in and help yourselves.

Easter Dinner

2011-04-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

Easter. It's coming up this weekend, later than Alice's white rabbit. Thank you, spring holiday, for your fashionably tardy arrival. I don't like Easter to kick St. Patrick's Day out of March. So, welcome late Easter. I'm glad you're here. Now let's eat.
Here's what we're having for dinner, with links for the recipes:
Mom's Feathery Rolls
Brown Sugar and Honey Glazed Ham

Super Easy Hot and Cheesy Potatoes or I might make something even creamier and cheesier. Roasted Asparagus
And these Easter Eggs. I'll be back soon with recipe.

Up Next: Fudge Centered Easter Eggs

Harry Potter World and Butter Beer

2011-04-18T07:26:00.000-07:00

J.K. Rowling created a make-believe magical world of wizarding in literature. And now Universal Studios Theme Park has a for-real world of wizarding in Orlando, Florida that is every bit as magical as the pages it seeks to bring to life. The most exciting part of Harry Potter World isn't a ride, or a shop, or a show. It's just being there. For just a moment, you have the sensation that you have been admitted into the world of butter beer, flying dragons and magical candy. Walking throught the gates, you spot the snow covered (in the heat of spring, no less) houses of Hogsmeade

with Hogwarts rising in the distance.

Don't stop there. You'll want to head straight over to Honeydukes and Zonkos for zany toys and magical candy. There are two rollercoasters, one for big thrills and one for smaller thrills. We chose Flight of the Hippogriff, which was just thrilling enough for the eleven and under and thirty and over crowd. Anyone in between those ages would want to opt for the Dragon's Challenge. Maybe next time. The Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is the chief attraction of the park. The serpentine line stretching through the park will tip you off right away. The line will eventually wind through the Hogwart's castle, complete with Dumbledore's office,

talking portraits on the walls, live action newspapers, indoor snow, and the sorting hat. We were paying so much attention to the details, that we forgot to pay attention to this.

When they say that the ride may cause motion sickness, they aren't kidding. The teacups are child's play compared to this ride. This ride bends you sideways, frontways, backwards, and upside-down maybe. I couldn't keep track. If my stomach had been in my pocket, it would have landed on the floor. I confess to closing my eyes for half of the ride to minimize the impact. But the kids loved it. They really loved it. They were frightened by the dementors, whomping willows, and dragons but they weren't at all put off by the topsy-turvy shaking. What is it about kids and getting dizzy? They throw up on airplanes and cars but they laugh their way through the tilt-o-whirl.

My favorite part of Harry Potter World was frozen, edible, and sweeter than a newborn babe. Frozen Butterbeer, my friends. It's a cousin to a rootbeer freeze with whipped cream, but the flavors are butter, toffee, butterscotch and vanilla. The taste is dazzling. The line is horrendous. Don't wait in it. Find one of these servers milling around and give them cash. They will be back momentarily with this. And you will be in butterbeer heaven. I've been playing around in my kitchen, trying to bring you a good copycat. Some recipes combine butterscotch ice cream syrup with cream soda and vanilla ice cream. It's a good shortcut and produces good results. But the from scratchy, caramely, butterscotchy syrup is better. Be sure to put your cream soda in the freezer until it's slushy. A true frozen butterbeer should have little bits of icy soda. Make the magic come to edible life at your house tonight. Cheers!

Frozen Butterbeer

(adapted from Fox News Recipe) Makes four generous servings

Estimated cost: $6.00 1 cup light or dark brown sugar 2 tablespoons water 6 tablespoon butter 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar 3/4 cup heavy cream, divided

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Four 12-ounce bottles cream soda

8 scoops vanilla ice cream Place your cream sodas in the freezer about 30 minutes before you plan to have butterbeer. (This recipe takes about one hour because of cooling time.) In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown sugar and water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring often, until the mixture reads 240 F on a candy thermometer. Stir in the butter, salt, vinegar and 1/4 heavy cream. Set aside to cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes). Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the vanilla extract. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar mixture and the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Use an electric mixer to beat until just thickened, but not completely whipped, about 2 to 3 minutes. To serve, in the bowl of a blender, combine about 1/4 cup brown sugar mixture, 1/2 cup cream soda and two scoops of vanilla ice cream. Blend until smooth. Pour into glass and add additional cream soda to fill to the top. Stir with a spoon to blend. Top with whipped cream mixture. Repeat.

Up Next:

Chocolate Fudge Easter Eggs

Cute as a Button

2011-04-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! Sailor just made it to the finals for a Little Miss Matched sock design contest. Now she needs your help. All you need to do is rate her Cute as a Button design with five stars. That's it. No registration or fuss. Just one little click. Voting is daily through May 2nd. Much obliged, friends. Much obliged. Here's the link and here's her little ol' design. PS If there was a cute as a button award for readers, I would give it to you. Thanks for your help always.

The Magic of Healthy Living Weekend at Epcot with Pollo a las Rajas

2011-04-13T09:58:00.000-07:00

Today has been a much better day than yesterday. For instance, nobody hacked my email this morning to beg all of my kith and kin for a wire transfer. It's the little things like not getting hacked and humiliated that can make a day so much brighter. And Blogher seems to be cooperating a little better today. Not perfect, but better. It's the little things like not having to download the same pictures 753.9 times that make my heart sing zipadeedoodah.

Now, onwards and upwards. Shall we?

Just a couple of weeks ago, Sailor was the lucky recipient of a hefty prize as an essay winner for Disney's Magic of Healthy Living contest. Sailor was just one of fifty. Her cousin, Annaliese, was another one of the fifty, and that made the prize just that much more special. My sister MK and her family joined us at Disneyworld for a whole week, culminating in the prize package weekend for the two girls. On Friday morning, the two girls were lucky enough to be part of a public service announcement that should show up on Disney sometime in the near future. The point of the public service announcement was to show some inexpensive and creative ways that kids could get fit. Sailor was filmed jump-roping and Annaliese was the hula-hooper. They were slated to have an interview with some Disney teen celebs, but the crew ran out of time. The girls were good sports, especially since they still got to meet some Disney VIPs, like Caroline Sunshine of Shake It Up. She was adorable, super friendly and really kind to her adoring little fans.

That evening we had our first official event in a giant warehouse-y structure within Epcot. When we walked through the door, we were greeted by Disney cheerleaders who were whooping and applauding. The whole place was cheerily decorated and full of wholesome Disney loveliness. We couldn't help but smile. Sailor was assigned a team leader with two other cute little girl essay winners. Our families sat together during mealtimes.

Here is Sailor with a healthy dinner. I think she was too excited to eat anything.

Several buffet tables were set up with a wide array of healthy choices, like fava bean succotash, root vegetable potato chips, roasted pork loin, heirloom tomato soup with tofu cream...

Disney put on quite a show for the kids. They watched a couple of picture collages on screen with pictures of the actual kids doing healthy activities with a few headshots sprinkled in. They also had a video message from the First Lady commending them for their commitment to healthy living. We had some Disney characters that showed up to boogie down with the winners, a pots and pan chef's band (The Jammers?), and were introduced to a few more Disney teen celebs that would be hosting for the weekend.

Dessert was an assortment of tiny puddings. We loved the Meyer Lemon and the Strawberry. I can't embrace tapioca in my pudding, even if it is chocolate.

Afterwards, Disney got the kids all pumped up again showered the kids with ticker tape.

We exited through the tunnel of amped-up cheerleaders and headed back to the hotel.

The next morning, Sailor went off on a bus with the winners. We attended a separate breakfast for the families.

We met up with Sailor and her gang at an empty field inside of Epcot. I would never have know these places existed.

The winners particpated in outdoor games throughout the entire morning. Simple games from all over the world. The equipment used was very simple: a ball, a balloon, a rope, a Chinese jumprope. Again, the idea of the weekend was to show that getting fit is fun and doesn't require a whole lot of money, equipment, or time.

There were lots of famous athletes and Disney celebs on hand to hang out with the winners. Maybe you will recognize them. I'm sorry to say that I did not. I don't know who famous people are. Who is Kim Kardashian? Why is Snooki famous? These things I do not ever hope to know.

We had a fun make-your-own lunch spread out on a lazy susan. There were sauteed peppers, grilled chicken, spinach, chopped onions, salsa, chutney, beans, pitas and tortillas-and it was up to you to decide how you wanted to make it. For dessert, we had a fabulous brownie with a banana macaron and strawberry basil ice cream with a green tea swirled cookie thingy. The brownie was excellent. Was it healthy and low fat? Maybe? I got the chef's business card so that I can email him for the recipe.

After lunch the kids met back with their groups for more games inside of Epcot.

Sailor's group went to a grassy knoll in Germany to meet with Dopey and Helga to play more games like "What time is it, Mr. Wolf?"

The also had a gardening class from preteen gardening expert Katie Stagliano of Katie's Krops.

In the evening, we headed back to the warehouse for an awards ceremony and formal dinner.

We ate heirloom tomato water, a grain salad, and a Vietnamese spring roll for appetizers.

The girls were busy sticking foil Mickey Mouse shapes on their water glasses.

For dinner we had roast chicken, heirloom beans and Mickey Mouse polenta. Nice little touch.

The kids marched up on stage to get Healthy Living "diplomas."

I didn't get any pictures, but afterwards Mickey came out to bust some moves with some young, fit Disney singers and dancers. To cap off a great weekend and a great event, we headed into Epcot to watch the fireworks over the lake and enjoy an outdoor dessert bar. My favorite dessert was the low fat lemon cheesecake push pops.

The whole weekend was incredible. I was so impressed with the winners and their families. We met some really remarkable people. Disney was so kind and generous to all of the winners and their families. Their hope is that we will come home and use what we've learned to promote healthy living in our neighborhoods and communities. We've got lots to think about. The best news of all is that Disney is hoping to do the event next year, too. I'm hoping that your kids will be there next.

And now a recipe to share from Epcot. This one hails from the Mexican restaurant inside the pyramid. It would not have been served at Healthy Living event, but I think you will like it anyway. Serve it with chips and salsa and a bed of rice for a lovely meal.

Pollo a las Rajas

4 chicken breast halves

1 cup of chorizo, casing removed and diced (I left this out.)

1 large red bell pepper

1 large Spanish onion

1 large poblano chili

1 garlic clove, chopped 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup sour cream

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1/2 cup half-and-half cream

1. Season the chicken breast halves with garlic, salt, and black pepper.Place the chicken breast halves in a roasting pan and bake in the oven at350 for 20 minutes or until cooked.2. In a saucepan heat 2 tablespoons of oil and lightly sauté poblano pepperuntil skin starts separating. Peel skin from poblano pepper. Make a slit andremove all the seeds. Slice onion, bell pepper, and poblano pepper intostrips.3. In a heavy skillet heat remaining 3 tablespoons of oil and add chorizo,garlic, onion, and peppers. Cook over medium high heat stirring occasionallyuntil onions and peppers are soft.4. Add sour cream, half-and-half, black pepper and salt and simmer for threeminutes.5. On ovenproof serving dishes, place 3/4 cup of vegetable mixture. Top withroasted chicken breast. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese on eachserving plate. Broil until cheese melts and turns golden.

Up Next:Harry Potter World and Frozen Butterbeer

$%^&*(^ and lots more where that came from

2011-04-12T07:21:00.000-07:00

Post Edit: Oh, this day is just getting better by the minute. Just found out our email was hacked this morning. No we are not begging for money to be sent via Western Union, just in case you were wondering. Problems are piling up. Things fall apart. The center cannot hold. Calgon, take me away. I've been downloading pictures for three days for my Magic of Healthy Living Post. I've had to start over from scratch two times due to problems with Blogher. It wouldn't save or publish. Then it wouldn't download pictures except one at a time. Finally, finally, finally this morning I woke up early and began again from scratch and everything was ready to go. For the last step, I cut and pasted in my recipe and then all of my pictures were gone again. It's enough to make a church going woman curse. Cover your eyes if it will offend you. Here goes: &^%$#@&*( And I'm not done yet: ^%$#*&$(&*# And for good measure: %$@#*&%#^$# There. I'm feeling much better now. I will be back soon with a Magic of Healthy Living Post. Either that or lots more cursing. So let it be written, so let it be done.

Vegetarian Black Bean Soup at Disney's Carribean Resort

2011-04-06T06:46:00.000-07:00

The largest moderate resort at Disneyworld is the Carribean Beach Resort. Organized by clusters of buildings named after Carribean islands, each "island" has its own white sand beach, bus stop and pool. The "islands" are centered around a lake and a hub known as Port Royale. Port Royale has several large pools, Disney shops and a food court with one sit-down restaurant, "Shutters." When we read about the hotel on line we thought we were all fired anxious to take advantage of all of these amenities. We imagined ourselves renting bicycles and sailboats, swimming in the pools, lounging on the beach and testing all of the Carribean dishes at "Shutters." Instead, we saw exactly two things at our hotel: Our beds... and the bus stop. There was just too much fun waiting for us at the parks. We hurried out the door every morning early and came home later than we should have at night. We might as well have stayed in a sleeping bags in the bushes outside the park entrances. But not really. Even though we didn't take advantage of all the hotel fun, I'd stay there again in a heartbeat. I've never stayed at a Disney Resort before. Here's why I will again. They have continual buses that run to the park every 15 minutes. (When we've stayed at non Disney resorts we had to schedule a bus that would run every hour, and if it was full you were out of luck.) We had extra park hours daily. When it's really crowded, like it was during Spring Break, this is a huge perk. If you time it right, you can hit just about everything that interests you and pick up fast passes while the park is virtually empty. (When we've stayed at non Disney resorts, I was always peering in the parks with jealousy as I waited in lines for the parks to open. Who were those people in there and why did they get to go in early? Now I know.) And here's the best part, in my opinion: your Disney experience begins the minute you land at the airport. Your transportation is clean, organized and easy. You can send your bags directly from the airport to arrive at your hotel door. Then, when you're ready to depart, you can send your bags and sign in for your flight right from the hotel. I'm sold. Even if my flip flops never touch a white sand beach and my big toe never dips into the voluminous pools, it was still absolutely worth it. And as far as the restaurant goes, I've got the cookbook so I can still have a chance to try out Port Royale's "Shutters" restaurant at home. First off, I made the Vegetarian Black Bean Soup with Johnny Cakes. The soup was fast and easy and it was good the first day but even better the next. It's flavored with paprika instead of chili powder like most black bean soups, which makes a pleasant change. The Johnny cakes could have been better, in my opinion. They were flat with not much flavor, but I liked the idea of them. I'm going to try and see if I can pep them up a little the next time I make it. I'll include their recipe, just in case anybody feels like tinkering. I'll be back in a couple of days with our culminating activity, the whole reason for our visit to the parks, The Magic of Healthy Living weekend event at Epcot.

Vegetarian Black Bean Soup with Johnny Cakes

Estimated Cost: $5.00 for 6 servings

Notes: This soup is very inexpensive, but you can save a little more money by using dried black beans. The soup is vegan and you can easily make the johnny cakes vegan by using soymilk.

1/3 cup olive oil (I used just a couple tablespoons)

2 cups diced onions

1 cup diced green pepper

1 cup diced carrots

1 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 cup diced celery

1 tablespoon cumin powder

dash of dried oregano

2 teaspoons paprika

3 dashes hot sauce

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs cilantro

1 tablespoons salt

dash of pepper

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

2 cans ( 15 ounces) black beans with liquid

2 cups water

Heat oil in large saucepan. Add oinon, peppers, carrots, garlic, and celery and saute until vegetables are soft. Add cumin, oregano, paprika, hot sauce, bay leaf, cilantro, salt and pepper. Add tomato paste, vinegar, black beans and water. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for twenty minutes. Meanwhile make Johnny Cakes (see below.) Serve soup with johnny cakes, sour cream, cilantro, and lime wedges.

Johnny cakes

1/2 cup white cornmeal

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

dash salt

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup hot water

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Add milk and water. Lightly grease a non stick skillet. Drop batter by tablespoon into skillet. Fry until browned and set, then flip and cook until browned on both sides. Up Next:

Epcot and the Magic of Healthy Living

Brown Derby Salad and Hollywood Studios

2011-04-04T06:58:00.000-07:00

The whole time we were at Disneyworld, I kept calling Hollywood Studios "MGM." I wasn't sure why, except that maybe I associated Hollywood with the big movie studios? The charges would roll their eyes and correct me everytime. "Moooooooom!" Kids always drag out the vowels when they are exasperated, don't they? I stubbornly insisted on calling it MGM. (Read: Once I get the wrong idea in my mind, it's stuck there for eternity. So let it be written, so let it be done.) The Quiet Man suprised me with a copy of the Disneyworld cookbook last week. It's full of recipes from all around the park-including MGM! Read that again: M.G.M, baby! Not Hollywood Studios, my adolescent aborrigines, but MGM! At least there is a method to my madness. Apparently it is out of vogue to call it MGM now, but once upon a time, whenever this cookbook was published, the place was called MGM. Disney might be able to change names, but I'm keeping to the original. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. So...while we were at MGM (not Hollywood)...we rode the Tower of Terror (scream for me) and the Great Movie Ride and Toy Story Mania.

West built his own lightsaber to become an official Jedi Knight of the highest order.

And we ate the famous Cobb Salad at the Brown Derby. (William Holden wasn't there, in case any I love Lucy fans were wondering.) There's a reason this salad is so famous. It's superb. This is the original Cobb salad that has spawned so many variations and imitations. The original is the best. The dressing is fantastic and the recipe below makes a hefty batch. It's a little taste of MGM (that's right, MGM-ya wanna make something of it?) all the way from Hollywood Studios.

Hollywood Brown Derby Cobb Salad

Estimated Cost: about $10 for for 6 servings

Notes: To save money, buy a bagged mix of spring lettuces and a head of romaine or iceberg for crunch. Chicken can easily be substituted for the turkey. 1/2 head iceberg lettuce

1/2 bunch watercress

1 small bunch chicory

1/2 head romaine lettuce

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 1/2 cups cooked turkey breast, diced

1 avocado

3 eggs, hard-cooked

1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled

6 strips crisp bacon, crumbled

2 tbsp. chopped chives (I used green onions)

Chop all greens very fine (reserve some watercress for presentation) and arrange in salad bowl. Cut tomatoes in half, remove seeds and dice une. Also dice the turkey, avocado and eggs. Arrange the above ingredients, as well as the blue cheese and bacon crumbles, in straight lines across the greens. Arrange the chives diagonally across the above lines. Present the salad at the table, then toss with the dressing (below) and place on chilled plates with a watercress garnish. Serves six.

BROWN DERBY OLD-FASHIONED FRENCH DRESSING

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp. sugar

1 1/4 tbsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 cup red-wine vinegar

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 tbsp. ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. English mustard (I used dijon)

1/2 cup olive oil

1 1/2 cups salad oil

Blend together all ingredients, except oils, then add olive and salad oils and mix well. Blend well again before mixing with salad. This makes a big batch; store in the fridge and use within 3 weeks.

Next Up:

Disney's Carribean Resort with Black Bean Soup and Johnnycakes

Flame Tree Barbecue Sauce and Wild Animal Kingdom

2011-03-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

I love to see animals Walt Disney style. You get a sense of action, adventure with a rainbow sprinkle of danger, with the added benefit of knowing that you are completely safe. I felt safer seeing lions and cheetas at Disneyworld than I did in the henhouse on my trip to the egg farm. I felt safer seeing hippos and rhinos at Disneyworld than I did on their Mount Everest roller coaster. (Backwards in the dark...bah!) Why do I keep going on roller coasters? I hate them. But I love to hate them. I asked my niece Bella if she liked riding on Mount Everest. She said, with all of her five year old wisdom, "I hate it and I love it." I couldn't have said it better myself. But let's get back to the animals, OK? This is a cool high school giraffe hanging out with a junior high buddy.Here's the jungle equivalent of a show off. We went on the safari expedition twice and he tried to race us both times.

Excuse me, ma'am. I believe you dropped something.

I was bemoaning the fact that we didn't get to see a rhino close up, when this guy showed up and wouldn't move and we had to watch him for twenty minutes. This baby gorilla is adorable. I wanted to put him in my pocket and take him home and feed him jars of banana baby food. I'm not sure how his mother would feel about it. Look at George and Martha in the bathtub.When you are done poking fun at animals, you head over here and eat a few. Doesn't that sound cruel? There's something disturbing about eating meat at a zoo, but don't let that stop you. Truth be told, I got a fruit plate and a half order of onion rings. I'm not man enough to eat meat in the zoo. The Quiet man wasn't as easily daunted and ordered the ribs and I stole a small bite. Deelish. I didn't take a picture, not because I forgot but because we were busy fending off a gang of scavenging birds while we gobbled down our lunch. I tell you, it's a jungle out there.

This picture is stolen shamelessly from a travel review site. I doubt they'll mind. Just wanted you to know that I wasn't posting my cleavage with the ribs.

I had to get the recipe for the barbecue sauce so that I could make it for the Quiet Man for Father's Day. Apparently they field daily requests for their sauce, so here it is. Give it a try on chicken, pork, or even dunk your onion rings in it. See you next time with some treats from Hollywood Studios.

Flame Tree Barbecue Sauce

Estimated Cost: $2.00 for 1 and 1/2 cups

Notes: Might as well double it and freeze some for next time.

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons molasses

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cloves

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 35 minutes. Store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Up Next: Hollywood Studios

Dole Pineapple Whips from the Magic Kingdom

2011-03-27T08:20:00.000-07:00

Disneyworld was so right this time, for so many reasons. First of all, the kids are finally old enough to go on the teacups alone. That saved the Quiet Man and I at least 72.3 arguments. No one had to make the supreme dizzy sacrifice of taking two wild and crazy kids on such spinning madness. They're also old enough to go on some roller coasters. I begged everyone to go on Space Mountain with me. Oh please oh please oh please it will be so much fun and you'll never regret it. Oh please oh please. They all loved it. Except me. (I did the same thing on Tower of Terror, Mount Everest, and Thunder Mountain. I just can't seem to accept the fact that I am not a teenaged roller coaster lovin' screamer anymore. Sigh.) It seems that Dumbo is just the right amount of thrill for me. And even that makes me a little dizzy, but don't tell. I don't want to ruin my reputation completely. I love it all. I'm happy just walking around and taking pictures and eating. Look at this shot the Quiet Man got. Just in case you think I post only good pictures of myself on my blog. Oh, I've got lots of doozies to share with you this week. But speaking of eating, while in line for the Magic Carpet ride, we heard someone singing the praises of Dole Pineapple Whips. Apparently, Dole Pineapple Whips are available in only four locations worldwide: Disneyland, Disneyworld, Disney's Polynesian Resort, and the Dole Plantation in Hawaii. After eavesdropping, we jumped out of line and made a beeline over to Pineapple Whip paradise. Have you had one yet? It's a slushy, refreshing sweet frozen pineapple treat. Once you have it, you know there are only four locations in the world where you can be completely happy. (See list above.) The minute I got home, I jumped online to find a copycat recipe. Yes-it's out there! So now you can add home to that list of locations where you can be completely happy. Home Sweet Pineapple Whips. Join me this week while I share my favorite recipes from all over Disneyworld. (I'm also trying to crack the Butterbeer recipe from Harry Potter world-more on that later.)

Dole Pineapple Whips

Estimated Cost: $6.00 for four servings.

Notes: Plan on making this on a day when you will be around for a few hours. There's only a few minutes of active prep time, but you'll need to time it just right.

PS Sorry about the funny spacing. I've been working on it all morning. Grrrrr.

2 20 ounce cans Dole crushed pineapple with juice 2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/3 cup sugar

1 and 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped

Drain pineapple; reserve 2 tablespoons juice. Set aside. Place pineapple, lemon juice, lime juice, sugar and reserved pineapple juice in blender or food processor container; cover and blend until smooth. Pour into two 1-quart freezer zipped bags and store bags flat in freezer. Freeze 1-1/2 hours or until slushy. Stir pineapple slush gently into whipped cream until slightly blended, in large bowl. Return to freezer until completely frozen, about 1 hour and serve.

Next Up:

The Wild Animal Kingdom

Forcing Around

2011-03-22T17:34:00.000-07:00

These pictures are so terrible; I shouldn't even show you. Really I shouldn't. You want to see them anyway? I thought you'd never ask.

West had to bring a creative cake to his first pack meeting for cub scouts. Which means, or course, that I had to help him make this creative cake. Most weeks I'm barely surviving my own to-do list, so I wanted an easy way out. I begged him to choose an easy cake-a castle, a dragon, a clown, a puppy, a balloon. He thought my suggestions were about as cool as the Backstreet Boys in head to toe acid wash. He wanted something hip, sleek, and sure to impress. It had to be Star Wars light sabers. (He's been stuck on the idea since he saw his pictures of his friend Kimball's amazing cake in California.) I was still wondering how I was going to finish grading papers and scrub floors when a good idea took hold. Why not mold a light saber out of rice krispy treats? West could make a batch of rice krispy treats in the microwave with his eyes closed. (He just wrote a how-to essay on how to do just that. With his eyes open.) With very little work, we had two light sabers that could snap, crackle and pop the life out of any Sith Lord. A little canned frosting (yeah, you heard me, canned frosting-you wanna make somethin' of it?) food coloring, and candy melts made the light sabers convincing enough to impress the Jedi council. We traced the Star Wars logo onto waxed paper and filled it in with melted black candy melts, then propped it up on the front of the light sabers.The finishing touch came from a few of his Star Wars figurines.

Luckily, Sailor remembered to snap a few pictures of the wolfclub-pleasing treat on her budget camera. Thank goodness. If she didn't all this horsing around, ahem, I mean forcing around wouldn't have made it on record. And then where would I turn the next time I need an idea? I bet I'll be just as frazzled and busy the next time around. You better believe I'm making this for his next birthday. Oh and see that mess in the background? Just pretend like you didn't, OK? Thanks and May the Force Be With You. Up Next: The Magic of Healthy Living

Healthy Living Pays Off Bigtime

2011-03-21T05:47:00.000-07:00

See this little girl right here? The one mixing up a batch of something yummy?
This little girl o' mine won an essay contest for Disney's Magical of Healthy Living. 50 lucky families converted for a very magical weekend as part of Disney's campaign to encourage a healthy lifestyle. You may have seen some of the promos on the Disney Channel with Michelle Obama. I thought I'd post about it while we were there, but instead of doing anything on the computer, we did Disney every available minute. The only time we went back to our hotel rooms was when we were tired to keep our eyes open any longer. I'm going to get my pictures together and I'll be back soon with a link to a post about our lucky Disney week!

PS You can read a little about it here.

Cap'n Crunch Chicken

2011-03-12T20:30:00.000-08:00

I'm a sucker for anything retro. I just bought a sack of Doritos just because they had a groovy 70's sombrero on the package. (Taco flavor and pretty darn delicioso, thank you very much.) Anyway, the sugar cereal companies must know this about me, because they keep reeling me in with quaint boxes of sweet cereal. I saw a circa 1975 box of old fashioned Lucky Charms and I felt like I'd found a pot of gold. Retro Trix turned me into a silly rabbit. Cap'n Crunch? I fought nine siblings every Sunday morning for a second bowl of Cap'n Crunch for a decade of my childhood. My mother bought ONE box of sugar cereal for Sunday breakfast for ten kids. ONE box. Only the early birds got the goods and some early birds were more like hogs than birds. I ought to know because I was one of them. Oh, don't worry. The late birds didn't starve; they got...Grape Nuts. So you can imagine how excited I was to bring home a whole box of Cap'n Crunch for my family of four. I would be the hero! Except that nobody understood how exciting it was to have a box of retro Cap'n Crunch in the house. My two sensible children exchanged bewildered expressions over their bowls of Grape Nuts. The Quiet Man would never deign to eat anything as nutritionally empty as sugar cereal for breakfast. So that left just me and my antiquated treasure. I had to get everybody as enthusiastic as I was about this cereal that caused greed, lust and sin all before Sunday school. I remembered hearing about Cap'n Crunch chicken from Planet Hollywood in the nineties, so I scoured the Internet, fiddled around a little bit and came up with this recipe. The chicken is delicious-slightly sweet and oh so crispy. Everybody perked up. Maybe I'll try and get everybody out of bed early on Sunday mornings with this Cap'n Crunch.
Cap'n Crunch Chicken

Estimated Cost: $6.00 for 4 servings

Notes: Serve your chicken with barbecue sauce, honey mustard, and ketchup-it's all good!

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons milk

1 cup Cap'n Crunch cereal smashed to crumbs

1 cup Panko bread crumbs, or other plain bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Cut chicken into strips. In a shallow bowl, combine cereal, crumbs, garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper. Dip chicken in egg, then in crumbs. Let dry for five minutes on rack. Heat oil in 12 inch skillet over medium high heat. Cook chicken for about 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Enjoy.

PS To make it a meal, try it with the salad from my last post. Just scroll right down.

Up Next: Overnight Yeast Risen Waffles

Winter to Spring Spinach Salad

2011-03-09T07:27:00.000-08:00

I wish I could put off spring just a little longer. If winter were one of my students, I'd make him repeat a grade, just to enjoy him a little longer. Maybe I should move to Alaska. It's a secret escapist fantasy of mine, anyway. You might think that I don't love spring, but you'd be wrong. I love the chirping birds, the bright blue skies, the colorful flowers, the urge to be outdoors tossing a frisbee. But I love winter, too. I love the coziness, the sparkly frost and snow, the shadowy silhouettes during the dinner hour, the pots simmering and the oven baking, and the solitude of shrinking in and away. If I were Mother Nature, you would be assured 6 months of ice and snow. I'd be about as popular as Obama.

But I'm not in charge. So here comes spring in just a couple of weeks, officially. In the meantime, I find myself craving leafy greens and tender berries, in spite of myself. I'm still hanging on to my zesty citrus and hearty apples, so I created this salad to represent the best of both winter and spring. I admit to eating it daily for lunch. The dressing is sweet with caramel undertones from the brown sugar, yet zesty from the apple cider vinegar and a hint of mustard. The dressing is also deceptively low in fat, but you'll never notice that. But it's spring and that means its almost almost almost swimsuit season. Groan. Just another reason to love winter.

Winter to Spring Salad

Estimated Cost: $5.00

Money Saving Tips: It's almost time to plant spinach! Plant a row of spinach a week to keep you saving all throughout the spring. Choose any apples or berries that you find on sale and vary the nuts according to what you have on hand. You'll have plenty of extra dressing for more salad later in the week.

1 (6 ounce) bag baby spinach

1 large orange, peeled and sectioned

1 sweet apple, sliced thin

1 cup sliced strawberries

1/4 cup paper thin slices of red onion

1/3 cup toasted pecans, broken into bits

For Dressing:

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

1/4 cup vegetable oil

salt and pepper to taste

For Salad, layer spinach, orange, apple, strawberries, onions, and pecans on a platter. Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar with a screwtop lid. Shake until well combined. Just before serving, drizzle dressing all over salad.

Next Up:

Captain Crunch Chicken

Pasta Amatriciana

2011-03-07T07:56:00.000-08:00

We hit an eight year old benchmark this weekend. This little boy of mine was baptized. See that giant cookie shield with the CTR? CTR stands for "Choose the Right." Unless you ask my pesty brother, Roy. He'll tell you that it means "Cook the Rice." "Choose the Right" or "Cook the Rice." You can't lose. We took exactly 793.26 pictures. West with a cookie. West on the piano. West eating breakfast. West brushing his teeth. West taking out the trash. We couldn't help ourselves. I promise not to show you all of them. But, here are a few of my favorites. This is West with soon-to-be-eight years old cousin, Reeve. They look solemn, sane, and very holy in this picture. This is how they looked a few hours later. Wild, wacky, and totally normal. For eight year old, boys that is. Here's West with his Dad and my Dad. All in navy blue sportscoats. My handsome boys.Here is the Bishop with West and his neighborhood buddy, Aidan, who also got baptized that day. The Bishop is the one that made that giant cookie shield above. Needless to say, he's enormously popular with the recently-baptized crowd.

Here is one last shot of West, with those who know him best. He drives us crazy. He makes us laugh. He suprises us with his little acts of kindness. He stays up too late. He's impossible to wake up. He has a noisy voice. He goes crazy for his baby cousins. He wants to be a Jedi and a doctor when he grows up. We love him.

Now this past busy week was a true test of my fast dinner repertoire. I wanted to pick up quesadillas at Del Taco, I really did. But I also knew that next week, while we're on vacation, we'll be eating out nightly. I didn't think I could handle that for two weeks in a row, so I kicked it into gear and made dinner, chop-chop. I'm compiling a list of my favorite 30 minute dinners that don't require a trip to the grocery store. This baby is one of them. "Amatriciana" is a rich, smoky bacon and tomato sauce that is simply luscious over pasta. It's even better the next day, so plan on having leftovers for lunch. You've got time to make it for dinner tonight. Put your water on to boil before you start the sauce and you'll be eating dinner faster than you can say "Choose the Right." Or "Cook the Rice." Either way, you can' t lose.

Pasta Amatriciana

Estimated Cost: $7.00 for 6 large servings

Money Saving Tips: Check the price of bacon at the butcher counter; it might even be cheaper than bacon on sale. If you can't find a good price on bacon, the sauce is just as delicious-albeit not smoky-without it. When you do find a good price on bacon, buy a few pounds and pop them into the freezer.

1 lb. pasta (I used farfalle)

6-8 slices of bacon, diced

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 (14 ounce) cans of petite diced tomatoes, with juices

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

pinch of brown sugar

Optional for serving: grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley or basil

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta. Cook according to package directions and keep warm. In a large skillet, cook diced bacon until cooked and crisp. Remove bacon to a paper towel with a slotted spoon. To same skillet with bacon fat, add onion and cook until softened. Stir in garlic and cook for thirty seconds. Add diced tomatoes with juices, pepper flakes, vinegar, and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss pasta with sauce and sprinkle the bacon over the top. Serve with parmesan cheese and chopped parsley, if desired.

Next Up:

Where Winter and Spring Merge Spinach Salad

Everybody's got a Laughin' Place

2011-03-04T07:44:00.000-08:00

My laughing place is Youtube.
Watch Tom Hanks help his daughter accomplish "her" dreams in the Sexy Baby Nevada Pageant.
Humor makes the world a saner place.
Happy weekend. Hope it's full of lots of laughs.

Mom's Overnight Wheat Rolls

2011-03-02T06:40:00.000-08:00

One of the best things about having your mom for a neighbor is fresh, warm, and straight from the oven. My mother is a fellow recipe-tinkerer and her process is as enlightening as it is delicious. If Mom makes something pretty good, she'll call and tell me to come have a taste. If she makes something really good, she'll tell me to come have a taste and bring my camera. When she hits the magic note just right, she'll walk down to my house. These rolls, at some point during the process, have merited all of the above, including the triumphal victory march to my home. The recipe for Mom's Overnight Wheat Rolls is now pitch perfect. With a pat of sweet butter, warm and melting, you'll be singing their praises. But don't eat them all; a midnight snack with a slice of ham and a dab of honey butter will put you to bed better than a baby's lullaby. If these rolls were music, then they just won a grammy. For my mammy.

Mom's Overnight Wheat Rolls

Estimated Cost: $1.00

Money Saving Tips: Make up a double or a triple batch and freeze them after baking. It saves oven energy and money.

1 and 1/2 cups room temperature water

1 and 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon dried minced onion

1 and 1/2 cups wheat flour

1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for shaping

Mix all ingredients with a wooden spoon to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. An hour before ready to bake, take dough out of the refrigerator. Let rest for one hour. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a floured surface, pat dough into rectangle. Roll into cylinder. Cut into 9 rolls. Place in greased nine inch baking dish. Let rise, covered for twenty minutes. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until tops and bottoms are golden brown. Let rest for one minute and remove from pan.

Next Up:

Pasta Amatriciana

Weeknight Chicken Paprikash

2011-02-28T07:15:00.000-08:00

How was your weekend? Mine was too short, like all the rest of them. This week is going to be one of those crazy busy ones, a perfect storm of recitals, lessons, meetings, classes, and responsibilities, culminating in an important Saturday afternoon with West getting baptized. I looked at West this weekend and I was feeling a little melancholy. Eight is a significant benchmark for LDS families. I've been squeezing my boy a little tighter, staring maybe a little too intently, feeling a little too emotional. I put my arm around his shoulder, and just like I have a hundred times in the last few weeks, said "I'm sad you are growing up so fast, West." This time I think he'd had it. He said, "Mom, look. I'm not that old and you're not that old. I'm not dead and you're not dead. So let's just be happy, OK?"
I meant to be offended, but I burst out laughing first. Oh, this kid. What will I ever do without him? Thank goodness I won't have to find out anytime soon, since we're both young and alive. Here's one of my boy's favorite dinners and mine, too. In about 25 minutes, you'll have a scrumptious sauce of paprika and sourcream over chicken and buttered noodles. It's perfect for busy weeks, like this one. It's also rich and satisfying on a cold winter night and will cure any melancholy you might have about your jam-packed schedule or your children growing up too fast. Weeknight Chicken Paprikash

Estimated Cost: $8.00 for four-six servings

Money Saving Tips: Don't run out to buy Hungarian paprika, if you don't have it on hand. Use my substitution below. Buy chicken breasts when it's on sale and cut it up and freeze it in 1 lb. portions. Put your water on to boil when you start cooking, and everything will be hot and ready at the same time.

1 tablespoon butter

2 large onions, thinly sliced

1 bell pepper, chopped (optional)

1 lb chicken, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1/4 cup Hungarian sweet paprika (OR sub 1/4 cup regular paprika, plus 1 tablespoon brown sugar and a pinch of red pepper flakes)

2 cups chicken broth (use bouillion cubes to save more)

1/2 cup sour cream, mixed with 1 tablespoon flour

a few drops of lemon juice

hot cooked noodles, tossed with 2 tablespoons butter

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 7 minutes, stirring often. Add bell pepper and chicken and cook until chicken is browned on outside, about 6 minutes. Stir in garlic and paprika and cook for one minute. Add chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for ten minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and flour mixture. Return to heat and bring to a low boil to thicken sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper and a few drops of lemon juice. Serve over noodles.

Up Next: Microwave Carmels

Orange Pecan Butter Cookies

2011-02-24T06:49:00.000-08:00

This is a circle.

This is a more perfect circle. Num, num, num.
Here's another circle to consider: I've been nominated as a Circle of Mom Favorite for Money Saving Moms. I'm coming into the race a day late and a dollar short, so help me out by heading over and casting your vote. Much obliged, partner.
I don't know why it happens this way, but for some reason, whatever West is studying in school turns into something to eat. This week, he's been learning about the rotations and revolutions and seasons of the earth. We got an orange and marked it up with equators and poles. Then we poked a skewer through the center for an axis and headed to a dark room where I manned the flashlight in my role as the light-giving sun. Then in an elaborate and dizzy dance, West rotated and revolved with his orange-Earth. It was starting to get sticky. The orange, not the dance. What to do with a bleeding orange? I remembered a recipe I'd read recently in The Taste of Home Baking Book for orange pecan cookies. (I'm still in the money with pecans, thanks to Ramona. ) West and I mixed these up yesterday afternoon. Bonus-making a recipe helps him with two belt loops for Scouts, too. These little cookies are addictive. They're buttery and crisp, with more than a hint of orange and a crunch of pecan. They make a perfect after school or mid morning snack. So even if you don't have an assignment to finish or planet to imitate or a belt loop to learn, you're going to love them.

Orange Pecan Butter Cookies from Taste of Home

Estimated Cost: $1.50 for 2 dozen

Money Saving Tips: Stock up on butter and freeze it when you find it on sale. These cookies make good use of an orange by using up both the zest and juice. Don't fret if you don't have pecans-almonds, walnuts, or cashews would make good stand-ins. These will last all week in the fridge, so slice and bake only what you need for that day.

1/2 cup butter softened

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon orange zest

1 tablespoon orange juice

1 egg yolk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 and 1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup chopped toasted pecan

In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add zest, orange juice and egg yolk, mixing well. Sprinkle salt and soda over dough and mix to combine. Gently mix in flour in three additions. Gently stir in pecans. Shape dough into 12 inch cylinder. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 1 week. Slice off generous 1/4 inch thick slices. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 400 degrees for about seven minutes.

Up Next: Chicken Paprikash with Buttered Noodles
PS Don't forget to vote for your favorite money-saving Mom. Especially if it's me. :)

Easy Cherry Crunch for George

2011-02-22T06:39:00.000-08:00

If it had been your son who chopped down the cherry tree, would you have punished him or would you have let him off the hook because he told the truth about it? What if he was standing there, axe in hand, and then nobly said, "I cannot tell a lie; I chopped down the cherry tree." Good for you, Georgie. Who cares about that cherry tree when you are such a virtuous child? I have a child who is as honest as George. He never, ever tells even a fib. "Yep-I smacked my sister." "Yes, that was me that ate all the Oreos." "Me again-I didn't finish my spelling homework." "I was jealous that Sailor got more ice cream so I switched our bowls." I don't even have to ask. Sometimes I don't even know there is anything to ask, but he volunteers his misdeeds anyway. So the boy hasn't chopped down any fruit trees as of yet, but telling the truth hasn't exactly earned him a get-out-of-jail-free-card either. Or maybe it has. With him, I find myself saying, "Oh....well, just don't do that again." So let's hope he doesn't chop down the ornamental pear trees we just put in the backyard. But if he does, I won't have to stand around trying to figure out who did it. The boy cannot tell a lie. Maybe he's headed for the Oval Office.
Here's our favorite cherry dessert for President's Day. It's easy enough that honest young chaps can make it all by themselves. It's suprisingly good for having a mere three ingredients. If you don't get to it for George's sake, it would be nice with ham on Easter or with barbecue chicken for Fourth of July. Who am I kidding-it's good all the time. Honest.
Cherry Crunch
Estimated Cost: $8.00
Notes: Any fruit pie filling will work here so choose one that you can get for a reasonable price.
2 (21) ounce cans cherry pie filling
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup chopped nuts, optional
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour pie filling into greased 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle cake mix over pie filling. Dot with butter and sprinkle with nuts, if using. Bake for 40 minutes, or until browned and bubbly. Serve with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.
Next Up:
Chicken Paprikash with Buttered Noodles

Cheddar Fondue-no special equipment needed

2011-02-16T06:59:00.000-08:00

I've been craving fondue ever since my parents took my family to a steak and fondue restaurant for my birthday way back in November. But I don't own a fondue pot, I don't think. I used to own one. Where did it go? It is hiding somewhere with all of the other things I can't seem to find this week, like the Star Wars DVDs, the cable bill and my brown headband. Except the fondue pot has been hiding for over a decade through several moves, so I really think it may have actually run away from home. I was thinking of buying another one. Everytime I opened my cupboard to see where I would store a new fondue pot, I would change my mind. Mostly because I had to slam the cupboard shut FAST so my springform pans, rice cooker, pasta maker and drying rack, meatballer, and holiday bundt pans wouldn't come tumbling out. Maybe I could store the fondue pot in West's bedroom closet where I cram my cake stands and punch bowl. I put off making fondue while I wrestled with this dilemma. But then I saw a clever stand-in for a fondue pot in this month's Better Homes and Gardens. The idea is to place a heatproof bowl over two bricks with a tealight underneath. Simple! Brilliant! Best of all-Free! I made the fondue on my stovetop and then placed the pot directly onto the bricks. Next time I make it, I'll transfer it to a pretty bowl, but it was perfectly simple and functional in the pot. To serve, I just chopped up whatever storage vegetables and fruits and bread I had on hand. We sat around with our skewers, chatting and eating, and having a cheesy, good time. I can't wait to make it again and play around with the formula. I'm going for pepperjack cheese with tortilla chips this weekend. Here's a simple recipe below that's open to all kinds of variations. Enjoy!
Gooey Cheddar Fondue

Estimated Cost: $5.00

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons minced onion

3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, tossed with 1 tablespoon flour

Set up two bricks on a napkin at your serving area. Place a small tealight candle in the middle. In a small saucepan, bring broth to a simmer over medium heat. Add garlic and onion. Simmer for 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cheese. when cheese is melted and mixture is bubbly, transfer to the bricks and light the candle. Serve with apples, peppers, carrots, celery, and bread cubes.

Up Next:

My Funny Valentines

XOXO Valentine

2011-02-13T18:30:00.001-08:00

Well, I did it again. I let another holiday sneak up behind me and startle me to death. AHHHHH!! Who let you in? Thankfully, I have an arsenal of Valentine favorites to choose from. I'm going for a six AM run to the grocery store and then I'll be all set. I'm thinking about these XOXO cupcakes to share with friends. Easy.For our dinner, we'll start off with a little crostini with homeade ricotta and roasted red pepper hearts.

Then some red and white pasta. I always have everything I need on hand for this one. I can't think of anything more satisfying on a cold, February night.

Maybe some heart shaped brownies for dessert. Am I going a little too crazy? Maybe we'll just go with the XO cupcakes. And I almost forgot. How's about some a short stack of buttermilk pancakes with strawberry jam and maple syrup.

Good eats and Happy Love Day to all!

Did anybody get a candy gram for Valentine's Day? I got one. It was from my clever girl. She attached a sticky note to a lollipop and wrote Happy Valentine's Day Prudy! Love, Ronnie, Louis, Dan and Daddy. This time I didn't throw the note in the trash.

Next Up: Cheddar Cheese Fondue

Chocolate Mint Brownie Cookies for your Valentine

2011-02-09T07:20:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day has always been a bit toooo much for me. Maybe it started in first grade. A little boy named Ronnie dropped his cache of Valentine cards. I kindly told Mrs. Hiatt I would help him pick them up. As I was bending down, he planted a soggy, wet kiss on my virginal cheek. I did what every self-respecting tomboy would do: I slugged him with a lean upper cut to the ribs followed by a kick to the shins. Then in fourth grade, Louis asked me to be his Valentine on February 13th. I told him "Up your nose with a rubber hose." The next day I got a Valentine from Louis. "Dear Prudy, I hate you. Love, Louis. " By the time I got to Junior High, everyone who was anyone was sending a candygram. You could pay fifty cents to have a lollipop and a love-note delivered to your secret love during sixth period. I think I got three, a couple from my best friend Wendy Foss and one from a hefty boy named Dan that I'd been hiding from for the last six months. Dan wrote: "Dear Prudy, Everytime I call your house, some kid answers and says you're not home. Are you avoiding me? I love you. Dan" I tore the note up and threw it in the trashcan, then I ate the lollipop. On the other hand, my sister Michelle got so many candy grams that she couldn't even carry them. Wendy and I had to help her heft them home. " Dear Michelle, I think we might get married some day." "Dear Michelle, You're like totally the prettiest girl I ever saw. Let's make out during Home Ec." "Dear Michelle, you are soooo much more awesome than your sister. How can you stand her?"

See what I mean? Valentine's Day! And now I'm happily married with a bonafide Valentine, but he's out of town on a business trip. Maybe I should send a candygram to his hotel. "Dear Quiet Man. It's lonely without you. I miss your....quiet. Your calm. Your stillness. Come home soon and we will sit in solitude. Together." Love, Prudy

Here's a Valentine that will always work out for you-Chocolate. I baked up these lovely chocolate mint cookies last night while the charges were filling out their Valentines. I found the recipe on the Nestle Very Best Baking website. They've got all sorts of fantastic Valentine treat ideas, so swing by and check it out. I found what I was looking for. These cookies have got just the perfect amount of mint and vanilla to make them refreshingly delicious, plus they are easy and cheap to make. I wish I could send some to Ronnie, Louis, Dan and most especially my Quiet Man. Here's hoping they all have a chocolate-y Valentine's Day.

Chocolate Mint Brownie Cookies from Nestle

Estimated Cost: $3.50 for about 2 and 1/2 dozen

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (9 oz.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels, divided
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3/4 cup chopped nuts

MELT 3/4 cup morsels in small, heavy saucepan over lowest possible heat. When morsels begin to melt, remove from heat; stir. Return to heat for a few seconds at a time, stirring until smooth. Cool to room temperature.COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, peppermint extract and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in melted chocolate. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in remaining morsels and nuts. Drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.BAKE in preheated 350° F. oven for 8 to 12 minutes or until sides are set but centers are still soft. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Next Up:

Cheddar Fondue

Orange Scented Beef with Broccoli

2011-02-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

Happy February. It's only been here for a week, but already we've had Groundhog's Day, Superbowl Sunday, and Chinese New Year. At my house, the first week of February also means birthday time for West, complete with family and friend parties, cupcakes and a "mint-apolitan" ice cream pie. February is the fastest month, not just because it has 28 days, but also because we don't stop celebrating. (Stay tuned-here comes Mardi Gras, Valentine's Day, and President's Day.) For someone who loves to cook, you couldn't ask for a better month. January has only Martin Luther King day to keep it peppy, and most people are only eating diet cabbage soups and the like. Then comes Feb and everyone chucks the diet and celebrates with chocolate for romance and chili for football and cherries for Washington (and thin mints for the Girl Scouts-smart girls to come knockin' in February). We're working on Chinese New Year over her. Some sources say the holiday lasts for three weeks, so it's perfect for procrastinators, like me. I've got a fantastic orange scented beef with broccoli recipe served over white rice. The beef is tender and juicy and even broccoli nay-sayers will cozy up to the sweet orange and soy. No need to worry about take out prices; this one will feed four all for about $7.00. Best of all-it's table ready in less than thirty minutes. That will give you more time to start thinking about what you're going to make for all of the other holidays that are waiting just around the corner. It is February, you know.

Orange Scented Beef with Broccoli

Estimated Cost: $7.00

Notes: Use any inexpensive cut of lean, tender beef. If you're unsure if the meat is tender enough for stir-fry, ask your butcher. Read through the recipe and have everything ready before you heat the skillet.

5 tablespoons soy sauce

5 tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon orange zest

2 tablespoon brown sugar

1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

1 pound boneless beef steak, cut across the grain into thin strips

1 bunch of broccoli, cut into bite sized florettes

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/3 cup chopped green onions

4 cups hot cooked rice

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, orange juice, orange zest, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, and cornstarch. Heat 1 tablespoon oil over high heat in large skillet. Add beef and stir fry until browned, about three minutes. Transfer beef to a plate. Add broccoli and 4 tablespoons water to skillet. Cover and let steam for two minutes. Uncover and cook until liquid evaporates. Add garlic and green onions to skillet. Stir fry for 30 seconds. Add orange juice mixture and beef back to skillet. Cook until sauce is well blended and beef and broccoli are coated in sauce. Serve over white rice.

Feel like Chicken? Try my Orange Sesame Chicken

with Honey and Soy Broccoli and Mushrooms... with Almond Brown Sugar Cookies for dessert. Next Up: Thinking about Valentine's Day...

The Ultimate Classic Tacos

2011-02-02T07:42:00.000-08:00

When I was writing about the Taco Bell lawsuit a couple of days ago, I thought it would be handy to link to my own recipe for meaty, ground beef tacos. If you're craving tacos, you don't have to go out to eat or resort to one of those yawn-inducing taco seasoning packets. You can make them yourselves with my handy recipe! Um, just a second while I find that recipe. It must be crumpled and dog-eared at the bottom of my blog somewhere. Where is that darn recipe? It's not here. It never was. If a tree falls in the forest, or if a recipe is made but never written about on a blog, did it ever really exist? But hang on; we love tacos. We eat them all the time. Why weren't they here? What excuse could I have for this glaring omission? I think this is it: Sometimes I forget to share the everyday classics, maybe because they seem a little, well ordinary. But ordinary food is usually the favorite food, the food you return to again and again and find yourself making for dinner every Tuesday night. It's the food I like to make when people come to dinner because I know the grown-ups and the kids will both love it. There's nothing wildly exotic about these tacos. They're the ultimate classic with fried corn tortillas, chili and tomato flavored ground beef, shredded cheddar cheese and spicy and cooling pico de gallo. They'd be just as heavenly teetering on a plate on your lap while you watch the Super Bowl, as they would be around the dinnertable on a plain old weekday. So here they are, never to be lost forgotten or non-existent ever again. Long live ordinary, extraordinary tacos.

Ground Beef Tacos:

Estimated Cost for Ground Beef: $5.00-enough for 20 tacos

Notes: I love to double this recipe and freeze the leftovers.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 lb ground beef

2-4 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon chili powder

pinch of cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce (If you like it spicy, use El Pato)

In a large skillet, heat the oil. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up with a spoon. When the beef is almost cooked through, drain off the fat. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cayenne, and salt and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for five minutes.

Serve inside lightly fried corn tortillas with homemade pico de gallo, cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, and sour cream. I like to make refried beans in the crockpot to go along side; they're so easy, it won' take you but a moment.

Up Next: Chinese New Year favorites

Beefier than Taco Bell Nachos for Super Bowl Sunday

2011-01-31T06:57:00.000-08:00

Have you been following the crazy law suit against Taco Bell? A consumer is calling for Taco Bell to be more honest about the actual percentage of beef they use in their tacos, burritos, and cheesy gordita crunch-a-ma-jigs. I don't know what they have on their menu. I haven't been there in years. Not since my sister Heidi bought a burrito on our drive from California to BYU and it dripped all over her cut-off sweats as she cruised the I-15. I was riding shotgun, trying to sop it all up with napkins and laughing my head off. I don't think that incident was Taco Bell's fault, but if you think it was, maybe I should consider a lawsuit. It has caused me considerable emotional distress and I haven't been able to step into a Taco Bell or wear cut-off sweats since then.

I think we're getting a little too big for our litigious britches, don't you? Here's what you do if you don't like what they're doing at Taco Bell, at Mc Donalds, at Acme Roller coaster company-you don't go. You don't spend your money there. You don't have to sue, get it? Your dollar is your vote. And aren't we forgetting the obvious here? Who goes to Taco Bell because they are expecting the finest quality Angus beef? Unless I've got America pegged all wrong, I think people are there for taste and price. Taco Bell, like any good housewife, stretches their budget by adding a little of this and a little of that to their ground beef. Didn't your Mom put oatmeal in her meatloaf? Beans in her chili? Breadcrumbs in her hamburger patties? That conniving little penny pincher! Take her to court and sue her for all she's worth! How dare you, Mom? Um...It sounds ridiculous, because it is ridiculous. Businesses, just like people, balance their budgets by making compromises here and there. If you don't like the extended beef at Taco Bell, take your discriminating dollar somewhere else. (Or make your own food at home; I'm here to help.) I'm pretty certain you'll be paying more, but maybe you'll be so busy eating you can keep your litigious mouth shut.

That sounded a little harsh. Let me try that last line again. Maybe you'll be so busy eating, you can keep your litigious mouth closed. Was that nicer? Oh, good. This is nicest of all: I've got some big, beefy nachos for your Super Bowl Sunday. They're loaded with shredded beef, melted cheddar, sour cream and homemade super-fast salsa. Get a pot roast going sometime this week so you'll have plenty for nachos this weekend. And if you're too busy to cook, you can always go to Taco Bell. No suing though, OK?

Pot Roast for Mexican Recipes

Estimated Cost: $8.00 for lots

Any inexpensive roast will work well, since you're going to be simmering for a long time.

1 pot roast, about 3 lbs.

1 onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, whole

1 cup smooth salsa

1 cup beef broth

Put everything in the crockpot on high for 4 hours, or on low for 6-8. Mash up the onion and garlic with the juices. You can also do it on the stove top; just brown the roast in a little oil, add all the ingredients and simmer until tender about 3 hours.

Quick Salsa

Estimated Cost $1.00 for about 2 cups

1 (14 ounce) can Mexican style diced tomatoes with jalapenos

juice of 1/2 lime

pinch of sea salt

1/3 cup chopped onion

1 clove minced garlic

Combine all ingredients in blender and process to smooth, or leave it a little chunky.

Nachos:

Layer tortilla chips, refried beans, shredded beef, and shredded cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream, salsa, and chopped scallions and tomatoes.

Next Up: More Super Bowl food. Or Chinese New Year. Still thinking...

PS I might go to Taco Bell one of these days, just to show my support.

Vermont Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Maple and Mustard

2011-01-26T07:45:00.000-08:00

If it weren't for men, I'd say that grilled cheese sandwiches are the perfect dinner. I think most women and children would agree. Men, on the other hand, are perfectly happy to eat a grilled cheese sandwich as part of a dinner, perhaps as the appetizer part. You have to train men to recognize that grilled cheese, or soup, or even a baked potato, and worst case scenario-a bag of popcorn can quaify as dinner. They will put up a fight, but don't give up. Or compromise and let them have their bag of popcorn and a bowl of cereal as a well balanced meal. And let them have their grilled cheese sandwich with a bowl of soup. (It has to be tomato soup with grilled cheese, in my bossy opinion.) Here's my favorite grilled cheese in the world. We discovered it on a trip to Vermont with my sister Heidi and husband Mikey. We were all instantly enraptured. (It was lunch time and for men a grilled cheese sandwich can be cautiously accepted as lunch.) You might be tempted to think that apples are a strange addition but they are perfectly at place with the sharp cheddar cheese, buttery sourdough bread, hearty ham and maple mustard dipping sauce. I've also swapped out the apples for tomatoes and it was equally good. If you are going to have grilled cheese for dinner, then this is the one. Be firm. He's going to love it.

Vermont Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Estimated Cost: $6.00 for 4 sandwiches

4 tablespoons yellow mustard

4 tablespoons maple syrup

8 slices sourdough bread

softened butter

deli sliced ham or turkey

thin slices of apple-any variety

sharp cheddar cheese

In a small bowl, combine mustard and maple. Spread just a dab very thinly on insides of two slices of bread. Stack one slice of bread with cheese, apples and meat. Top with other slice of bread, mustard side in. Butter outsides of bread and cook in preheated frying pan over medium heat for two minutes. Flip, reduce heat to low and cover and cook an additional three minutes, or until bread is toasted. Serve with extra maple mustard dipping sauce.

Frosted Fudge Brownies with Pecans from Ramona's Tree

2011-01-24T07:16:00.000-08:00

Every year in late January, my dear neighbor Ramona hires a man to come with a machine-a-ma-jig to knock the pecans off her stately tree. The first year when the pecan-shaker came, I thought it was an earthquake and sent the kids to stand in doorways while I shouted instructions about covering their heads. I got that from my good old fashioned Los Angeles upbringing. But it was just the rumblings of the pecan-shaker and not a 6.3 on the Richter scale. We could relax and enjoy the pretend earthquake, kind of like a Disneyland ride. We got into the swing of things and we really started looking forward to the pecan-shaker. Afterwards, Ramona's yard was always full or pecans. They needed to be collected and sorted. If you don't hustle over to help Ramona, you won't get the chance. She is spry and hard-working AND she has dozens of helpful grandchildren. If you want to help Ramona, you better not procrastinate or there will be nothing left to do. Here are my Ramona, my two charges and cousin Reeve collecting the nuts. West is making sure it's a good nut before he tosses it into the basket. (We need those little Willie Wonka scales for good nuts and bad nuts. )Sailor has a handful of perfectly good pecans, ready to be shelled and toasted and made into all sorts of lovely things, like the glazed pecans that Ramona brings us every year for Christmas. Since it was getting late in January, I asked Ramona when the pecan-shaker was coming for our annual thrill. But this year, all the pecans fell off by themselves. No shake, rattle or roll was necessary. When Ramona saw that we were disappointed, she brought us over another bag of sugared pecans and a whole bag full of pecans. We've been in heaven. To show our gratitude, I decided to bake Ramona some chocolate frosted brownies with lots of pecans. I spotted the recipe on Cookie Madness, my friend Anna's baking blog. The brownies were utterly divine. They were rich and fudgy and full of buttery pecans. (They've gotten nothing but rave reviews from everyone we've shared them wtih.) They are relatively inexpensive to make since they don't require any baking chocolate; just plain old cocoa powder does the trick here. You could swap out the pecans for another sturdy nut like walnuts, but I think the pecans are worth the splurge. Or you could move onto my street and wait for sweet Ramona to bring you a basket. Frosted Fudge Brownies with Pecans from Cookie Madness
Estimated Cost: $4.00 for 9 servings
4 oz (1/2 cup) butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 scant teaspoon salt
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup Hershey’s natural cocoa (not sure what results you’d get with Dutch)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Frosting
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional) or 9 pecan halves
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8 inch metal pan with foil and mist the bottom with cooking spray.
Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Whisk in the sugar, then whisk in the eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder. Gradually add flour mixture to the batter. Stir in the pecans (if using). Pour into pan and bake for 20-25 minutes (I baked for 20). Pull from oven and make frosting.
Frosting: Stir together cocoa powder and powdered sugar. If you have time, you might want to sift it. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the milk. Stir it into the chocolate/sugar mixture. Stir in the vanilla. Add pecans if using. Pour over the warm brownies and kind of spread it a little to cover. Garnish with pecan halves.
Let brownies cool completely. Lift from pan, set on a cutting board, trim edges and cut into squares. I trimmed the edges and made 9 large squares.

Sullivan's Homemade Crusty Bread-with a shortcut

2011-01-20T07:45:00.000-08:00

Post Edit: Thanks to Shanzanne for pointing out that the name of the bread creator is Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery. Forgive the error. I promise to keep making mistakes just as long as you will keep forgiving them.
I am pretty certain at this point that most people have tried the famous no-knead bread. I have and I'm a believer. Sullivan Bakery master Jim Lahey believed that the ancient Romans probably weren't setting a timer for 8 minutes to knead their bread erstwhile eeking out a living and guarding their homes against invading Barbarians. No, more likely than not, they were mixing up some very basic and standard ingredients and leaving the mass to fend for itself for the day. Sullivan mixed up some flour, water, and salt and found that with a very small amount of yeast and an ample amount of time, he could produce some exemplary loaves of bread. The other issue, of course, is capturing the crustiness produced by the blazing hot temperatures of the old wood fired ovens. Lahey found that if you preheat a pot and lid in your oven at 450 degrees for 30 minutes, you could slip in your dough and produce roughly the same effect. It works. The bread is crusty and full of beautiful holes. It was grand.... Except I have to confess that it really bothered me to have my oven on for 30 minutes with nothing inside of it. It's an apalling waste of energy and money. I started skipping the 30 minute hellfire and began putting my pot in the oven for as long as it took for the oven to preheat to 450 degrees. I felt a little better. But wait; it gets better still. A while back, Lahey found that he could produce the same great results by popping his bread into the cold pot and skipping the preheat all together. The first time I tried it, my bread was stubbornly plastered to the bottom of the pan. The next time, I coated my pot with a slick of vegetable oil and the problem was solved.
Here's what you're going to do. Roughly 24 hours before you want to eat bread, mix up 3 cups flour, 1/4 teaspoon yeast (If you're kitchen isn't at least 70 degrees, use 1/2 teaspoon yeast), 1 and 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 and 7/8 cups water. Stir it together just until you have a shaggy mess. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit for somewhere between 12 and 18 hours.

Get a little flour on your hands. Take the dough out of the bowl and knead it for a few seconds until it comes together in a smooth ball. I used to take the smooth ball and put it on a floured dishcloth to let it rise for two additional hours. Now, I oil the bottom of an oven-safe cooking pot and dust it with cornmeal and put the bread in there to rise.Here's a picture of my pot when I used to preheat. You could use a Dutch Oven, or a glass casserole dish. I use my regular old stock pot, but I cover the handles with tinfoil, since the handles aren't ovenproof.
If you're using the shortcut method, you won't have to worry about the preheat. In fact, Jim says you can even skip the second two hour rise. I tried it once, but I had better results with a second rise in the cold pot for two hours. Place the cold pot with your bread inside, covered with a lid, in the oven and turn the oven on to 450 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake an additional 30 minutes. Here's what's waiting for you. Ta-da. You're not supposed to slice into it until it cools. I can never last that long. I bet the ancient Romans didn't resist, either. Sullivan's Homemade Crusty Bread-the shortcut
Cost: less than $1 a loaf
3 cups flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon yeast (double it if your kitchen is colder than 70 degrees)
1 and 7/8 cup water
1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt
cornmeal for dusting
Stir together flour, yeast and salt. Add water and stir until shaggy and combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 12-18 hours. Coat hands with flour and shape dough into ball. Place in pot with lid. (I grease the bottom of my pot.) Let rise for two more hours. Place bread in pot, covered with lid, in the oven and turn the oven to 450 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake an additional 30 minutes.
PS Thanks everybody for all of your Tiger Mother input on the last post. I'm still thinking about it and your comments were very insightful.

More on Tiger Mothers and Slow Cooker Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

2011-01-18T08:07:00.000-08:00

I don't think we're done hearing about Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. (Click to hear about it on NPR.) At least I know I'm not done thinking about Tiger Mothers. Last week, most of the buzz focused on Amy Chua's methods for forcing success, but then I found this article that gets personal. Did you know that Chinese kids, in addition to making superior music at young ages, are also kicking our collective booties at math? I was pretty certain they were kicking mind, but my kids too? It kind of makes you wonder. I'm not sure if I should make the kids stand on hot coals and recite algebraic formulas while practicing Bach concertos on their violins, or if I should just let them take the day off to roller skate and eat hot fudge sundaes. What is best? Again, it's probably somewhere right down the middle. (Minus the hot coals, of course.) In my self-evaluation I've learned a few things.
Here is how I'm like a Tiger Mother.
My kids practice their violin for one hour on school days and sometimes more if they are getting ready for a performance. They also practice piano 1/2 hour daily.
School work is a firmly mandated affair. Even though I homeschool, I am demanding and regimented about schoolwork.
There are no sleepovers with friends.
I sometimes yell. I'd rather use a pleasant euphemism like "raise my voice," but the truth is I sometimes yell.
Here is how I am not like a Tiger Mother.
I accompany them on the piano while they play their violin. I tell them what a good job they are doing, not to tease them into greater heights of achievement, but mostly because I honestly believe they are doing very good work. I teach them piano and for the most part I am doing a very mediocre job.
Sometimes we take trips on schooldays. Sometimes we bring our homework on airplanes and sometimes we don't. I don't worry about it when we travel. Sometimes when we have family visiting from out of town, we only do a half day of school.
We have sleepover with cousins.
I don't yell very often, but even once is too much. But here's what make me very Western: I feel terrible afterwards. Do Tiger Mothers experience guilt? Because I sure do. Doggone it kids, make sure you listen the first time.
How are you like and unlike a Tiger Mother? Leave me a confessional comment. I won't judge.

All of this Chinese mothering has made me very hungry for Chinese food. Do you think there has been a run on Chinese take-out with all of this Chinese mothering buzz? I bet. Here's a recipe that introduces big Asian flavors to Western convenience: Slow Cooker Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps. Chicken is slow simmered in the crockpot in ginger, garlic, and soy until it is fall-apart tender. The chicken is then spooned into crisp lettuce leaves with brown rice, carrots, cilantro and chili garlic sauce. It's cheap and easy and delicious and my family loves it for dinner. At least this Western mother is getting one thing right.Slow Cooker Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Estimated Cost: $6.00 for 4 servings
1 pound boneless chicken
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce (Available in Asian Foods section)
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
For Serving:
lettuce leaves (I like red leaf)
cooked brown rice
thinly sliced carrots or radishes
chopped cilantro
sliced green onions
Place chicken, soy sauce, 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce, and ginger in the crock pot. Cook chicken on high for 3-4 hours or on low for six hours. Shred with a fork and serve in lettuce leaves with rice, carrots, cilantro, onions and chili garlic sauce.

Battle Hymn of the Western Childhood

2011-01-13T08:34:00.000-08:00

Post Edit: I just watched an interview with Amy Chua and she seemed a perfectly reasonable, intelligent woman. Maybe the reviews were really just a lot of unfair hype. But then again, now I will plunk down my dollars and read the book. So maybe all of this unfair hype is good for Amy (and her pocketbook) after all. Then again, maybe I'm getting it all wrong. See why I could never be a Tiger Mother? I'm always second guessing myself. Love, Kitten Mother

There's a lot of buzz about a new book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Amy Chua, a Yale law professor, wrote this memoir to her Chinese style parenting. I haven't read the book but I've read alot of the hype. My Dad sent me an article yesterday from the Wall Street Journal that was titled something like if not exactly, "Why Chinese Mothers are Superior." I was expecting ten ancient Chinese secrets for rearing children to be happy, healthy, and loyal family members. Instead, I read a monument to abuse. I'm sure that the reviews include only the most sensational elements of the story, so I spent more time reading up on Amy Chua and her methods. I will read the book before I cement my views, but here's my impression. Her basic premise is that Western parenting has gone soft. Children that are not at the top of their class and rising are virtually dunces. Children who do not spend two to three hours on instruments (piano and violin only) are doomed to mediocrity. Her theories are odd but her practices are offensive. She threatens to burn her children's toys, withold birthday parties and gifts, and calls them garbage-all this if they can not master a particular piece on the piano. The children, unsurprisingly, conform and perform. This is a totalitarian regime and mama means business. Amy pats herself on the back as a successful parent. After all, she believed they were capable right from the start, even when there hands slipped clumsily over the piano keys. There are no play dates, no school plays, no television. There are instead performances at Carnegie Hall and Ivy League futures. But does that make a child successful? What about the magic of childhood, the only time when you can paint pictures, kick a ball, or sing operettas all day even if you are lousy at it ? And at what point do we allow our children to discover what they are passionate about? Why not buy a dog to train if it is only hard, certifiable results that we are after? Success-or happiness for that matter-isn't always about a showy performance and a stellar resume. It's about figuring out who you are, what you love, how to be kind and connect with other human beings. It's learning that you are good enough, even if you never make it to America's got Talent or land on the Fortune 500. And if you're good enough, then everybody out there is good enough. And you'll treat them that way.

Here's what I wrote my Dad about the article: Pop, I read the article with interest but in the end I concluded that her style is abusive. Many Chinese mothers are decrying her system, stating that it does not represent their methods or philosophies. I'm sure that her girls will grow up to be conventionally successful, but I worry that they will be unkind, unfeeling, uncreative, disconnected and unresponsive to conventional displays of affection. What do you think, Dad?

Then my Dad wrote me a kind email and came over for ice cream. That's the kind of Dad he is. Soft and Western and absolutely perfect. I hope your parents were just like that too.

"Above all else, children need to know and feel they are loved, wanted, and appreciated. They need to be assured of that often. Obviously this is a role parents should fill..."

Ezra Taft Benson

Gingerbread Granola

2011-01-11T08:52:00.000-08:00

I spent the weekend in California, in Huntington Beach specifically, visiting my little sister and her family. I can't decide if I want to come home and aggressively jump into my workpile and ferociously make and conquer new goals or.... not. Maybe I just want to move to Huntington Beach and collect seashells, take up the ukelele, and chase pigeons all day. It might be just as fulfilling. It might even be more fulfilling. What is the meaning of life, by the way? Is it six-mile jogs and flax smoothies or is is it relaxation and double cheeseburgers? Because I could really get into either. Just point me in any direction and obsession kicks in. But hang on. I'm starting to suspect that the meaning of life is all of it: the double cheeseburger, the flax smoothie, the six-mile jog and the beach bum sloth.

While I'm sitting on the fence thinking about such important and meaningless things, I think I'll have some granola. Gingerbread granola, to be exact. It's just the right thing for wafflers like me, because it's about as healthy as that flax smoothie I mentioned earlier and almost as satisfying as a double cheeseburger. I love the warm wintery combination of molasses, cinnamon and ginger. It makes January seem a little more celebratory and a lot less serious. Make some of my granola and have it on a big bowl of yogurt with frozen berries. Or not. Have it on triple scoops of vanilla bean ice cream with caramel sauce and whipped cream. Either way you'll be getting it right. Here's to a New Year of success and failure, work and play, gluttony and diet. Stick around.

Gingerbread Granola

Estimated Cost: $2.00 for 8 servings

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup molasses

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 teaspoon dried ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

4 cups old fashioned oats

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk all ingredients except oats. Add oats and toss to coat. Spread onto foil lined cookie sheet. Bake for 28 minutes, stirring every seven minutes. Let cool before storing in an airtight container.

Next Up:

Better for You Pizza

Sesame and Soy Roasted Broccoli

2011-01-06T07:39:00.000-08:00

I promised you some healthful January food. But it's no good if it isn't delicious. So rest at ease; this broccoli is delicious. You might be thinking that my New Year's Resolutions have made me a little loopy. I might be a little loopy, but it has nothing to do with my New Year's Resolutions. (Besides I didn't make any.) This broccoli is not your typical microwaved, soggy, cruciferous florets. Broccoli that is roasted at a high temperature becomes slightly sweet and delicately crispy with a pleasant, nutty aftertaste. With a drizzle of soy and sesame it really is delicious. So make it in January because it's healthful and full of fiber and antioxidants-just like I promised-but make it all year because it tastes really, really good. Besides it will make your mother really happy if you tell her you had broccoli for dinner and that you liked it.
Money Saving Tips: Check the price on loose broccoli and bagged. Sometimes the bagged is cheaper and it's a great time saver. Sesame oil is pricey but a little goes a very long way.
Sesame and Soy Roasted Broccoli
Estimated Cost: $4.00 for six generous servings (about 1 cup each)
1 (12 ounce) bag broccoli florets
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Line cookie sheet with foil. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread broccoli on cookie sheet and coat drizzle with olive oil (or coat with cooking spray) and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Roast broccoli for 10 minutes. Drizzle with sesame and soy and roast for10 minutes longer, or until broccoli is browned in places and crisp tender.
Next Up: Better for you Homemade Pizza

Ringing in a New Year

2011-01-04T09:55:00.000-08:00

Before we toss out the butter and the cream, I wanted to show you my New Year's Appetizer Party. It's just the kind of food that we swear off in January. Good bye spinach and garlic stuffed mushrooms.

Sweet Chili meatballs, it was nice knowin' ya.

My Dad's cottage cheese dip. We won't say good-bye. Just au revoir. Cottage cheese dip, you're invited to the Super Bowl party.Baked brie with French Bread and blackberry jam. I'll miss you.

Hot Jalapeno Popper Dip. We were just getting to know each other.

Veggies and Sweet Curry Dip. You might be allowed to hang around still.

Chips and Salsa. I could never, ever give you up.

Teeny-Tiny Chocolate Chip Cookies. They're kind of harmless, don't you think? Never mind the fact that I can eat 87 in one sitting.

See how innocent they look in the hand of a five year old niece?

Happy New Year! There are lots of good, healthy dishes waiting around the corner. (And plenty of bad-for-you food too. I gotta be me.

And one more thing before I go. Take a look at the snow we woke up to yesterday. I live in the desert. Those are palm trees that you see covered in snow.

PS This is my parent's pool. This is where we hang out in the summer when we have days that are approximately 100 degrees hotter than yesterday.

Be back soon with fiber and antioxidants.

Happy New Year 2011

2010-12-31T10:12:00.000-08:00

It's a little late to be posting a recipe for your party tonight, but you can still pull it off. It's Jalapeno Popper Dip and when you eat it, steam will come out your nose and your face will turn red and you will snort like a bull. I love it when that happens. If setting your tongue on fire is not your idea of a good time, then use more green chilies and less of fiery peppers. This morning I've been working on my New Year's card, as opposed to a Christmas card which I can never manage to send. (Do you want a New Year's card? Send me your address at prudencepenny@aol.com) I've been looking at all of our best memories of 2010. But then I realized that I failed to include any pictures from this last week. This week was kind of an important one. So I'm putting my pictures here instead. And since they aren't going on a card, I can include the good, the bad, and the ugly. Let's start with the ugly. This is when I dropped my cell phone in the pumpkin pie because I was on the phone with my sister Leslie while baking. I should never ever bake when I talk to Leslie. Haven't I said this before?This is our rag-tag Star Wars-y Nativity. We have a Jedi costume, two Princess Leia costumes, a belly dancing costume, and a real authentic galibea (spelling?) on West from my trip to Egypt. This is West with his new electric drumset. I think he must have seen a movie with some cool kids and their boomboxes. Well, he can try.

Sailor has been wanting an American Girl doll for years, but between you and me, I've always thought they were too pricey. Then Santa stepped in. The charges cut out cookies all by their lonesomes while I finished up some pressing work. Can't remember why it was so pressing now. I should have been cutting cookies with this two. A little boy breakfast party. I love having parties that aren't birthday parties. The expectations are low. I can live up to that.
The same party, next day with the itty-bitty neighborhood females. Same menu. Same low expectations.

We almost went biblical and built an ark to escape the rains. But then a beautiful rainbow appeared in the backyard. Then it started raining again. But that doesn't make a good end to the story, does it? Let's end with the dip instead.Here's that dip I was telling you about. The idea is to capture everything you love about jalapeno poppers in a scoopable form. I tried a couple of versions and we liked this hybrid version best. You can top it with breadcrumbs to mimic the coating on a popper, but it seemed like overkill to me if you are going to serve it with tortilla chips. It's better with just another layer of melted cheese. I'm going to make another batch right now. Guests arrive in 4 and 1/2 hours. Happy Spicy New Year!

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Estimated Cost $5.00

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1/2 cup mayo

1/2 sour cream

4-8 jalapenos, minced

1 tablespoon lime juice, plus 1 teaspoon lime zest

1 cup shredded jack, plus more for the top

1 (7 ounce) can diced green chilies

crushed red peppers, optional

Grease a pie or quiche dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients. Taste and adjust heat by adding crushed red peppers. Season to taste with salt. Sprinkle with extra cheese and bake for 20 minutes.

Do you Mastermind too?

2010-12-28T20:11:00.000-08:00

I am in the throes of a serious obsession. Don't try to help me because I don't want out. Yet. I haven't written and I won't call. There will be no homecooked meals or midnight movies or tidied rooms till this thing runs its course. It's Mastermind and Sailor got it for Christmas. She hasn't had a chance to touch it since except to set new codes for me. Have you ever played Mastermind? If not, don't bother unless you are willing to ignore your offspring, your hungerpangs, your Christmas decorations, and your blog. You've been warned.

PS Play online right here. It's not quite the same as handling the candy-colored pieces in your hand, but it'll do till you can run to Target.

PSS I'll be back with Jalapeno Popper Dip. You can dip with one hand while you play Mastermind with the other.

What to do after Christmas.

2010-12-27T07:14:00.000-08:00

How was it, everybody? Was Christmas everything you hoped it would be with sugar on top? We had a lovely, happy day around here. We did everything in slooooooooow motion to make the magic last. We spent four and 1/2 hours opening presents. Don't worry-it's not because we spent our retirement on a million presents. Everything we opened, we stopped and played with together. Slowly. With enthusiasm. And patience. We put together A Hello Kitty puzzle, played Star Wars Guess Who, banged on West's drumset, dressed up Sailor's doll, read a chapter in West's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and another chapter in Sailor's "Sisters Grimm, then "designed a dress for Sailor's fashion studio, used West's science kit to make laboratory snow, doodled in Sailor's sketchbook, read Far Side comics, and rollerskated up and down the neighborhood in between. I'm doing it this way from here on out. Of course, there's nothing new to do today since we've already done it all. We can solve that. It was unforgettable. And sweet. And very, very Merry. Hope yours was too (with sugar on top).

Today I'm browsing around Blogher and I'm hoping you'll do the same. They've got an incredible prize for a lucky someone who comes poking around: A full conference pass to BlogHer Food11 in Atlanta, Georgia. Click here to peruse and enter. You can't win it if you're not in it. So give it a go!

But there are so many reasons, not just the chance of a prize, to check out Blogher. They've got expert advice, light hearted stories, discussion panels, recipes-you name it. If you're thinking of starting a blog, they'll help you get there. If you've got a blog, but you'd like it to be better (um, me), they've got writing pointers for bloggers. They've got their Month of Features page, which aptly highlights sidedishes (jalapeno creamed corn!) for December and will switch to Health and Fitness for January. Speaking of January, if you need a shot in the arm during the bleakest month, check out the Kids Give me Hope feature for some sweet warm fuzzies. I dare you not to smile. My favorite new feature I saved for last. Own Your Own Beauty is a movement to redefine what beauty looks like. This month's theme: Creativity.Real women are standing up for authentic beauty that comes from within-not the kind that comes in a bottle, a bag, or a plastic surgeon's chair. I love the motto: "We are the beautiful people. All women. Everyone of us. And that's Amazing." Be part of the change. Check out some of the posts, tips, and pictures. Take the pledge to Own Your Own Beauty. I'm doing it because I have to raise my daughter in this image obsessed world. We can help be part of the change for the next generation.

There's something for you to do today while the kids are using up their batteries and showing off their Christmas loot. I promise that it's much more fun than taking down Christmas trees and throwing away wrapping paper. That can all wait till tomorrow. Or never.

Be back tomorrow with Jalapeno Popper Dip. Thats right you heard me.

Pack a Punch Ginger Cookies (for Courtney)

2010-12-22T18:07:00.000-08:00

These ginger cookies from the Cookie Swap are perfect. Perfect! The texture is chewy and crackly. The flavor is unmistakably ginger, due to a heaping tablespoon of dried ginger. A tablespoon might sound overpowering, but it isn't. It's just perfect. (Did I mention that already? Perfect!) The drizzle of white chocolate tames the heady ginger with a bit of richness. These will be my new go-to perfect ginger cookie. One of my favorite readers, Courtney just left me a comment telling me she needed this cookie post haste. I think she might be right. We all need these cookies. I'm going to try to whip up a batch with white chocolate chips in the dough and skip the drizzle. I'll let you know how it goes. Credit for the recipe goes to my friend Nancy Gubler. She's leaving in January for a mission to New Zealand. I hate to see her go, but I'm sure glad she gave me her recipe before she left the country. That was close.
Gingersnaps from Nancy Gubler
Estimated Cost: $3.00 for 3 dozen
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1/4 molasses
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon ginger
2 cups flour
sugar, for rolling
melted white chocolate for drizzling, optional
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add molasses, salt and egg, mixing well. Sprinkle in cinnamon, soda, and ginger. Gently mix in flour. Shape into 3/4 inch balls. Roll in sugar and bake on baking sheet for 12-15 minutes. Drizzle with white chocolate, if desired.

Waxing Poetic about Fruitcake

2010-12-22T06:35:00.001-08:00

Do you eat this stuff? Nah, me neither. But I do write about it. The Tampa Tribune hosts an annual Fruitcake haiku writing contest. You know how I love finding a good contest. The only thing better than finding a good contest is winning a good contest. I was thrilled to nab the top honors. My prize of three incredible cookbooks arrived in the mail just yesterday. It was an early Christmas for me. You can read all about the contest and my winning verses right here.

Last night we had a little lull in the rain, so this morning the waters in the Santa Clara and Virgin Rivers have receded. However, the rains started again about 30 minutes ago and we are expecting another 2-4 inches. We are not out of the woods and it will be touch and go until about midnight tonight. I'll keep you updated by twitter and you keep our community in your prayers. (You can read twitter updates on my sidebar.)

This morning I'm hosting a Christmas breakfast for West's neighborhood gang of 7 year old boys. West was really worried that our house would be destroyed in the flood and we wouldn't be able to have his holiday breakfast party. So phew! It's hard to explain to a 7 year old that the loss of pancakes and sausages would be the least of our worries. Still, I appreciate his childlike concerns. They keep us smiling around here. The guests should be here in about an hour so I better get busy cooking. I'll be back later today with those upcakes and cupdates...or is that updates and cupcakes?? Oh, you know what I mean!

Savory Treats can be Sweet....

2010-12-21T08:49:00.000-08:00

Cupcakes are coming tomorrow.I've been baking for eons now. There's been lots of creaming and beating and whipping and mixing and folding and stirring and separating and filling and frosting. All of it has been sticky sweet. Last night I went to see Sailor dance in the Nutcracker. When the Sugarplum Fairy was leaping through the air, I felt a little dizzy. Maybe I've had a bit too much sugar. Maybe. Maybe not. I think a kitchen Goddess somwhere might be looking out for me, because look what came this morning by way of UPS. A new friend sent me a giant box of Hickory Farms goodies. A Signature Party Platter! Party tonight, family room carpet, 10:15 sharp (right after final performance of Nutcracker). I remember getting boxes from Hickory Farm when I was a little girl. We used to fight over the best stuff and not much has changed. Sailor wants the smoked cheddar cheese, I'm after the cheeseball and crackers, and the boys are already making big plans for the sausage. I went online to check out Hickory Farms to send to a few faraway friends. They've got an initiative going called No Kid Hungry. For every Signature Party Planner you order, Hickory Farms will donate $5 to their No Kid Hungry Campaign. So what are you waiting for? Head to the nearest mall or click right here for all kinds of savory treats with a sweet feeling. (I just saw they are offering Free Shipping through Christmas Eve, too.)

I'll be back with my chocolate cupcakes with peppermint marshmallow filling and gingerbread cupcakes with maple frosting.

PS The river behind my parent's home is full to capacity and the rain is coming down hard. Keep our community in your prayers!

Double Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies

2010-12-18T20:37:00.000-08:00

My friends Denise and Kellie hosted a Cookie Swap this week. I didn't think I would be able to make it (finals!), but then how could I miss it? Cookies! Friends! Fun! promised the invitation. I rearranged my schedule and called my favorite babysitters (mom and pop) and looked for a knock-your-socks-off cookie recipe. You'd think I'd have one by now, but I wanted a brand new knock-your-socks off cookie recipe. I spotted this brand new cookie recipe in the December Bon Appetit. You know how I feel about chocolate and peppermint at Christmas time, but still, it had to be extra special. I checked the Internet to see what any other cooks had to say about Double Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies-four forks and rave reviews all the way around. Can I add my forks to the pile? Yum! This is my new favorite Christmas cookie. Sorry Santa, I doubt you're getting any. Take a look: The cookie base is like a rich crackly brownie with chunks of chocolate. It's topped with more melted chocolate and sprinkled with crushed candy canes.
And this is what you end up with. Candy Canes and Chocolate. A Christmas match made in heaven. Like Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. Holly and Ivy. Scrooge and Jacob Marley. Frosty and um....Mrs. Frosty. Rudolph and Clarice. Grinch and Max.

I might have eaten all the cookies myself, but then I remembered the Cookie Swap! I packed these little treasures up in a tissue paper lined box and headed over to the Cookie Swap at Denise's gorgeous house.

Denise and Kelly made the whole party so pretty. Look at all these adorable decorations!

All of the beautiful cookies and recipe cards were arranged on the counter top for sampling.

It was hard not to be greedy since the cookies were amazing, but then I remembered that I was going to be taking some home so I settled down. A little. The cookies were second only to the conversation. Remind me to take a break and talk to friends more often. I think I'd like to do this once a week. Or once a day. Or maybe twice a day. Or maybe I should just move in. Denise? Kellie? Could you clean out the spare bedroom?

Look at all the cookies I came home with!

Kellie's butter cookies: The butter flavor is so luxurious!

Lainie's M and M cookies. I know these guys. They're like old friends that you never see enough of.

I'm not sure if these whoopie pies came from Jen or Robyn but all I know is I didn't get one bite. West ate all three of them in less than 24 hours. Please don't call social services. Once in a while he eats something that grew in the ground.

Nancy and Lexie brought these white chocolate coated ginger cookies. They pack a whopping ginger punch and I couldn't get enough of them. I might have to make some tonight.

Denise made these darling little coconut-marshmallow-chocolate balls. It was almost like a bumpy, rich little truffle. You'll love them.
And these? You recognize these, don't you?

I raced home after the party and then the babysitters and charges had another party with the cookies. Within 48 hours, I didn't have a single cookie left. But I've got the recipes and you can bet you'll be seeing them right here.

Money Saving Tips: But chocolate chips on sale throughout December. These cookies are a good use for already broken candy canes.

Double Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies

$5.00 for 50 small cookies

2 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (do not exceed 61% cacao; 15 to 16 ounces), divided
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 large eggs
4 candy canes or 16 red-and-white- striped hard peppermint candies, coarsely crushed Read

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Stir 2 cups chocolate chips in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Measure 2/3 cup melted chocolate; transfer to small metal bowl and reserve for drizzling.
Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until creamy. Add sugar and both extracts; beat until smooth. Add eggs; beat to blend. Beat in melted chocolate from medium bowl. Add dry ingredients; beat just to blend. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Measure 1 level tablespoonful dough; roll dough between palms to form ball. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing cookies 1 1/2 inches apart.
Bake cookies until cracked all over and tester inserted into center comes out with large moist crumbs attached, 8 to 9 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes. Transfer cookies on parchment paper to racks to cool completely.
Rewarm reserved 2/3 cup chocolate over small saucepan of simmering water. Using fork, drizzle chocolate over cookies. Sprinkle crushed candy canes over, arranging some pieces with red parts showing. Chill just until chocolate sets, about 20 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 weeks ahead. Store airtight in freezer. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Up Next: Gingerbread Cupcakes with Maple Frosting and Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Marshmallow Filling

Multi-tasking gone bad.....

2010-12-16T10:42:00.000-08:00

Sometimes when I am doing too too much, everything comes crashing down and sends me back to square negative one. Like this morning, for example. I had been up late night grading term papers and assigning final grades. I woke up early to alter Sailor's leotard for Nutcracker dress rehearsal tonight, organize my courses for next semester, and to make 4 dozen cookies for this afternoon's cookie swap. At 10:30 my hair was still in a wet bun, my kitchen was a disaster and my two young students were trying to teach themselves math while I shouted orders from the kitchen. Right when I was up to my ears in melted chocolate, West tried to get himself a drink of OJ from the fridge and knocked down a full gallon of milk. It splattered all over the kitchen, inside the fridge and all over me. (Goodbye purple shoes, it was nice knowin' ya.) Just at that moment and right as my chocolate was deciding to seize up, the doorbell rang. It was my visiting teachers, the two lovely ladies from church assigned to peek in on me on a montly basis. Sailor answered the door in curlers-she has to have tight wringlets for her Nutcracker performance. Brooke and Amy came right in and helped West mop up the floor while I got the last of the chocolate on the cookies. Even though I'm trying to do much, it felt like someone was looking out for me-crazy, chaotic me. Do you have visiting teachers? You might want to think about getting some. If not, you could find yourself crying over spilt milk in a messy kitchen ten days before Christmas. I narrowly escaped. And you know what? I was so frazzled, I didn't even offer those girls a cookie. I'm pretty sure I can fix that.

PS The cookies were so amazing! I can't wait to post the recipe tomorrow. After I grade 120 more term papers, assign 120 more final grades, make it to two holiday parties and one Nutcracker rehearsal and drop off two plates of cookies to Brooke and Amy. See you then.

Bark in a Splendid Variety

2010-12-15T03:51:00.000-08:00

I really like writing "Bark in a Splendid Variety." It has the clunkiness of something translated from a foreign film. "Bark in a Splendid Variety." I've got bark in splendid varieties and lots of it! Yesterday I made ten plate fulls of the lovely stuff. It took less than thirty minutes of active work and I didn't wash a single dish. This might just be the easiest treat you'll ever make. If you can spread chocolate chips in a single layer on a foil-lined cookie sheet, then you can make bark.

Put the chips in the oven at 325 for about 2-3 minutes.
If you can find the mint chocolate/dark chocolate chips from Nestle, then you can make Jackson Pollock bark.

Just swirl the melted chips around with a toothpick. It will come out ridiculously gorgeous.

Sprinkle some nuts, if you like. Yep, nuts. They're suprisingly good with mint. After you sprinkle the toppings on, hold the pan a good six inches above your counter and drop it down with a thud. It'll wake the dead and keep your toppings in place. Two good things in one.

Here comes my white chocolate bark with Grasshopper cookies. Kim wrote me a comment to suggest I use Oreos, but I didn't have any and I almost cried bitterly. But then I found these cookies in my cupboard and wiped the tears and forged ahead. It was in high demand from the kitchen scroungers, i.e. the kids and me.

I call this one "Candy Cane Lane" Bark. It's just so Christmas-y. Marshmallows, Candy Canes and Christmas sprinkles deck the halls of dark chocolate. Santa's getting some on his plate this year.

I also made a Candy Bar Cunch bark. It's in the back on the left and consists of a lovely blend of milk chocolate, rice krispies, cornflakes and roasted peanuts. I could have sworn I took a picture of it. Where did it go? Where oh where did it go?

After all the bark has cooled, break it into pieces and arrange on paper plates. I tried putting the bark in pretty boxes, but the bark is too pretty to hide its light under a bushel. Let it shine, baby, let it shine.

See what I'm talking about?

I made four double batches and got ten plates of bark in a splendid variety. Maybe I spent $20. Maybe even a little less. I'm doing a repeat today. For complete instructions, click here.

And one more thing before I go. Here's your chance to do something so easy and good today. Nuskin has developed a product for malnourished children all over the world. Vitameal is specifically formulated to target the nutritional needs of the poorest little people all over the world. Each Vitameal pouch contains 31 child-size meals-enough for a whole month for a hungry little soul. Here's what you can do: like this page on Facebook (click here) and Nuskin will donate a pouch. Easy, right? Spread the word and spread the love.

And one more one more thing before I go. I'm going to a Cookie Swap tomorrow and I don't know what I'm making yet. Any suggestions?

Next Up:

Salted Browned Butter Cookies

Candy Cane Chocolate Sheetcake

2010-12-13T07:07:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. I was planning on making bark, and lots of it, sistuh. I'm armed with multiple bags of chips-white, mint, milk chocolate, semi-sweet, peanut butter, and butterscotch. Oh, I've got the nuts, too. (Don't even go there.) I'm talking about peanuts, almonds, cashews, pecans. I just don't happen to have any bark to show for all my bite. But I do have peppermint sheetcake. I called my niece to wish her a Happy 10th Birthday on Saturday. She's my little namesake, Prudy-leigh Jr. My sister had just put a Texas sheet-birthday cake in the oven. I can't hear the word Texas sheetcake without going into cold sweats and deep longing. I ditched the bark and started baking. Don't judge me too harshly; I actually needed a dessert to take to a church party that night. I made the Texas sheetcake and then I covered it with a CHOCOLATE frosting and crushed peppermints. It looked scrumptious. I sliced up about half of the cake and toted it off magnamimously to share with other church goin' folk. I planned to photograph the rest in the morning so I could share it with all of you, who are home in your pajamas presumably. I have this little trick with myself where I hide especially tempting food in the oven. It is such a clever, sly little trick. I forget that the sugar-devil is in there and I can stop munching. It works, it really does! I don't see it, so I go about my business, hmm, hmm, hmm, grading papers, hmm, hmm, hmm, folding laundry, hmm, hmm, hmmm, preheating the oven for dinner, hmm, hmm, HMMMM????? Sniff, sniff. Yep, I burnt my precious sheetcake. Out of sight, out of mind. I sent my sugar-devil straight to Hades, covered in warped Saran wrap. But don't worry. I'm making more tonight. I've got another party; who doesn't this time of year? I'm putting the cake in a baby front carrier and toting it around the kitchen this time. There's no way I'm going to let it out of my sight, even for a second. Of course it might be all gone by the time the party starts, but at least I know that someone will have enjoyed it. Namely me. Here comes the recipe. Turns out I had pictures of my last peppermint sheetcake with vanilla frosting. I'm not sure which one is better. I'll let you decide.

Candy Cane Chocolate Sheetcake

Estimated Cost: $5.00 for at least 16 servings

Money Saving Tips: Use already-broken candy canes or peppermints. By using some vegetable oil, the cake will stay moist the next day and cut the cost of using all butter. Make your own buttermilk substitute, by combining 1 teaspoon vinegar with 1/2 cup milk. Let stand for five minutes.

1/2 cup cocoa powder, such as Hershey's

1 cup water

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

For Vanilla Frosting:

1/2 cup butter

6 tablespoons cream or milk

4 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

about 3/4 cup smashed candy cane bits

Notes: For chocolate frosting, simply add 6 tablespoons cocoa powder and an extra tablespoon of cream when you melt the butter.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour large cookie sheet. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring cocoa powder, water, butter and oil to a boil, stirring just until well combined. Meanwhile, combine flour, sugar, soda and salt in large bowl. Pour boiling chocolate mixture over dry ingredients and mix well. In a separate small bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 18-20 minutes, or until center springs back at touch. While cake is baking, melt butter in medium saucepan. Add cream and mix until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool for five minutes. Whisk in powdered sugar, adding more cream if needed to make a thick glaze. Pour over warm cake and smooth out with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle with candy cane bits.

Up Next: Bark in a splendid variety

The Easiest Bark you'll ever make....

2010-12-10T07:23:00.000-08:00

First things first.

The winner of the Nestle gift basket is #25-Jen, who likes it sweet and salty. Congrats! (E-mail me your address at prudencepenny@aol.com)

But wait! Have you made the Magic Mint Bark yet? Do not pass go. Do not collect $200 dollars. Go directly to the kitchen and make some. In betweeen my classes last night, I went to Target and stocked up on Nestle Dark Chocolate and Mint chips last night for $2 a bag. (Your Target should have them on sale this week too.) I bought white chocolate chips, butterscotch, milk chocolate, and semisweet too. That's really about all you need for the bark. So think: For around $2 bucks, you could make nice little neighbor gifts, all wrapped up in cellophane. Easy, fast, and fab. Oh, I know bark has been around forever, but this Nestle recipe is a revelation. No careful melting, no dishes to clean, no worrying about the correct temperature for the chocolate. All you have to do is spread a single layer of chocolate chips on a foil lined cookie sheet. Bake at 325 for about two minutes and then swirl the chips around with a knife. Sprinkle on a topping (nuts, pretzels, peppermint, sprinkles,dried fruits, etc) and then pick up your cookie sheet and wham it down on the counter. Shazam! The impact imbeds the toppings just enough so that they remain visible but stay put. Last night, I tried making some Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pretzel Bark. It honestly took all of three minutes. All I did was spread the chips on a foil lined baking sheet and place them in the oven for two minutes.

West broke up some pretzels for me while the chips were melting.

I sprinkled the pretzels on top of the melted mass and smacked the cookie sheet on the counter. This is what I've got.

I've ravaged a few edges (who could blame me?) and the stuff is sweet and salty and heavenly. It's like an inside out chocolate dipped pretzel only better, since it's more chocolate than pretzel. You better believe there's going to be a few more variations made today. Click here for the original Magic Mint Bark Recipe from Nestle-then use your imagination.

If all goes well, I'll be back this weekend with Smore's Bark and Peppermint Marshmallow Chocolate Bark and Milk Chocolate Cereal Bark. Somebody stop me before I go too crazy!

Your Very Best Baking

2010-12-08T06:49:00.000-08:00

Would you trust the holiday baking advice of a woman who is not only the director of Nestle's Culinary Center but is also a mother of three triplets? Me, too. Hurrah! I got a chance to pick the brain of Chris Garboski, a woman who understands that baking has to be fabulous, but not always fussy and complicated. I am taking her advice to heart. Read along for some holiday baking inspiration. (All of the photos on this post are from Nestle Kitchens.)

Me: What are the best sturdy homemade treats for mailing?

Chris: Bar, drop or dried fruit cookies are best for mailing. Cookies with hard crunchy textures, like biscotti and shortbreads, ship well as do chocolate chip, gingersnap and oatmeal cookies. Tender, fragile cookies are likely to crumble when mailed, so save those for cookie exchanges. Here are some of my favorite cookies to mail:

Milk Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Double Chocolate Dream Cookies

Holiday Gingersnaps

And of course the Original Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies. When my grandfather was alive, I would send him several batches of cookies throughout the year. They ship very well! Here are some tips for shipping cookies: So that your cookies arrive in one piece, it’s best to wrap four of the same size cookies together in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then place in a resealable plastic food storage bag and seal shut. If you are shipping two kinds of cookies, you should double-wrap the cookies so that the flavors don’t blend together. Line the container you plan to use (decorative tin, etc.) with bubble wrap. Place the heaviest cookies at the bottom of the container and layer the wrapped cookies with bubble wrap or crumpled paper towels. Attach lid, then wrap one more in bubble wrap. Put the container into a sturdy cardboard box (be sure to add bubble wrap to the inside bottom of box). Use bubble wrap or crumbled newspaper to protect the container inside the box.

Me: What is an easy treat for kids to make and give away to their teachers and coaches?

Chris: Here are a several ideas: Kids love to assemble cookie or brownie ingredients in a jar. All the recipients need to do is add butter, vanilla and eggs.

Oatmeal Chip Cookie Mix in a Jar

Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix in a Jar

Chewy Brownie Mix in a Jar

I just love these dipped pretzels. You can add sprinkles, chopped nuts, etc. For teachers, these would be adorable placed in a mug, then wrapped in cellophane. Decorative bags work well too. Last year, my son painted a coffee mug for his teacher, then added homemade cookies inside. She cried. I actually have it on camera, it was a very sweet moment!Party Mixes work well too. Just place in a decorative bag and you are done!

Blizzard Party Mix

Butterscotch Party Mix

Toll House Party Mix

Me: Is there a great treat that could WOW at a holiday party that an inexperienced baker could pull off?

Chris: This is a brand new recipe that is easy to make and will certainly WOW guests! Chocolate Dipped Caramels with Sea Salt

Here is another one I love, these glazed nuts are great served in a bowl, on a cheese plate or in salads. Not necessarily a “treat” as in dessert, but a great addition to a party.

Me: What are some inexpensive, pretty treats that you could give as gifts to neighbors and coworkers?

Chris: I love these and they are so easy! For the toppings, the sky is the limit! Easy Chocolate Dipped Ginger Cookies

Bark is also perfect to give as gifts! You can present in a decorative tin or cellophane bags.

‘Tis the Season Gingerbread Bark

Magic Mint Chocolate Bark

Thanks, Chris! I've got the double chocolate dream cookies in the oven and I'm making the Magic Mint Chocolate Bark (just two ingredients!) for a party this weekend.

Cilantro-Jalapeno Latkes with Chipotle Sour Cream

2010-12-05T20:08:00.000-08:00

photo from Cooking Light Magazine
When I was in high school, my Mom decided that our family should be celebrating-or at least learning about- Hanukkah. She invited one of my Jewish friends (Sheryl Ziff) over to teach us about the festival of lights. At first I was a little embarrassed. I mean, c'mon Mooo-oooo-ooooom. You don't talk about miracles with your high school friends while your little brothers and sisters sit around giggling in a semicircle, do you? Do you? Huh? But as usual, mother knows best. I loved hearing my sweet, smart friend explain some of the beliefs and customs of her religion. It was inspiring, like any miracle I accepted in my own religion. For the record, my grinning brothers and sisters in the semicircle loved it too. Later my parents went on a trip to Israel and bought a menorah, a dreidl and some of the other customary Hanukkah gear. We were outfitted to become honorary Jews, at least during Hanukkah. So we kept on celebrating. Last month, on our trip to Israel, I bought my own menorah in the old city of Jerusalem. (My little brother Jack talked the vendor down to two for $26, and we split the deal.) I couldn't find a dreidl (can you believe that?), but I still have the pathetic one I made from cardboard fifteen years ago. Eh, it works. But most important, we have latkes, my friends. If you have to choose between menorahs, dreidles and latkes, go with latkes everytime. I'm petty sure you can't have Hanukkah without them. I just found this spicy, super-hip (guaranteed to impress high school friends for sure) latkes studded with slices of jalapeno in Cooking Light Magazine. Oh, all right, you can leave out the peppers if you didn't grow up on burnt tongues in southern California. But make these latkes! And get out your candles and get celebrating. A miracle always calls for a party. And for the record, our moms are right about ev-er-y-thing. It is pointless to resist. (I'm talking to you, Sailor!) Notes: Latkes are good, cheap peasant food. Potatoes, onions and oil are the star ingredients, so these will cost you mere pennies to make. Also-I was concerned that the potatoes would discolor after draining for 30 minutes. They got a bit pinkish initially, but once I mixed them with the eggs they returned to pristine white.
Cilantro Jalapeno Latkes with Chipotle Sour Cream
Estimated Cost: $4.00 for six servings
6 tablespoons light sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
3/4 teaspoon grated lime rind
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
6 cups shredded peeled baking potato (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 cup grated fresh onion
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper
1 large egg
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
Preparation
1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
2. Combine potato and onion in a colander. Drain 30 minutes, pressing occasionally with the back of a spoon until barely moist. Combine potato mixture, flour, and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl; toss well.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Spoon 1/4 cup potato mixture loosely into a dry measuring cup. Pour mixture into pan; flatten slightly. Repeat the procedure 5 times to form 6 latkes. Sauté 3 1/2 minutes on each side or until golden brown and thoroughly cooked. Remove latkes from pan; keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and potato mixture to yield 12 latkes total. Serve with sour cream mixture.

Next Up:

Holiday Baking Tips from Nestle's Very Best Baking

Glazed Cranberry Cornbread Muffins

2010-12-02T06:08:00.000-08:00

Anybody out there still surviving on leftover turkey pot pies and mashed potato patties? Not us. We were picked clean. Except for one thing, and I was just about to toss it out and move on. But wait! I read on my friend Valerie's blog that cranberry sauce is the number one discarded item after Thanksgiving. (Check out her post-she also has a recipe for pumpkin soup that I'm dying to try.) I had to give my frugal face a good hard look in the mirror. Am I a cranberry man or a cranberry mouse? Well, I'm more like a cranberry house-frau. But I am a decent cook, and a penny pinching one at that. I decided right then and there that I was going to use up that sauce and we were gonna like it. So let it be written, so let it be done. Amen and Hallelujiah. So, that's how these Glazed Cranberry Cornbread Muffins came to be. What a lucky experiment! I used up every last bit of that cranberry sauce, and guess what? The Quiet Man and the charges all asked if I would please make these again tomorrow. Oh, yes I'll make them again. But not till I've got some leftover cranberry sauce hanging around.

Money Saving Tips: If you don't have extra cranberry sauce, swap it out with some jam. Buy your cornmeal in bulk and store it in an airtight container in your cupboard.

Sweet Cranberry Cornbread Muffins

Estimated Cost: $2.50 for 12

1 cup flour

1 cup cornmeal

2/3 cup sugar

2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

6 tablespoons melted butter

2 eggs

12 teaspoons cranberry sauce

1 cup powdered sugar

2-3 tablespoons cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, powder, soda, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, butter and eggs. Pour over dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Line 12 capacity muffin pan with paper liners. Divide batter between evenly between cups. Top each with a teaspoon of cranberry sauce. Place muffin pan on cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for about 16 minutes, or until tops are browned. (Middles will sink a little.) Prepare a glaze by combining powdered sugar and cream to a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over warm muffins and serve.

P.S. The charges are doing acts of kindness everyday in December with their church classes. The Quiet Man and I are jumping in, too. It's a great way to celebrate the holidays all month long. Join in! Some ideas for the next couple of days: Call a relative on the phone that you haven't spoken with recently. Rake leaves, shovel snow, or pick up trash in a neighbor's yard.

Next Up:

Potato Latkes for Hanukkah

Keep These on Hand for Easy Entertaining...

2010-11-30T07:04:00.000-08:00

I'm getting ready for drop-in guests over the holidays by stocking my cupboards and fridge now. Here are a few of my favorite things to have on hand for effortless entertaining...
Clemetines, Satsumas, or any kind of Orange. They're at their juicy best in December. Fudge covered Ritz crackers will give you that sweet-salty crunch that we all crave.

Tillamook cheese. I love the stuff. I keep a couple of babyloaves on hand to slice up for a cheese platter. I love the Vintage White Cheddar, Pepperjack and Sharp Cheddar.

I just discovered these new crackers and I'm hooked. Along with the nutty pecan flavor, you get a subtle maple sweetness. Nut Crisps and Tillamook Cheddar are my new favorite lunch buddies.

Here's a tiny picture of Nestle Chocolate Mint Instant Cocoa Mix. I'm not normally a fan of instant cocoa mix, but this version is rich and flavorful. With some whipped cream and marshmallows, we're talking instant party.

I'll also keep olives, cashews, garlic bread, Christmas M and Ms, and frozen homemade tomato soup around for any suprise visitors. What am I missing? Leave me a comment and let me know what else I need in my holiday stockpile. Be back tomorrow with potato latkes....

The Stats...

2010-11-29T07:18:00.000-08:00

4 (20 lb) turkeys
1 (15 lb.) ham
30 lbs of potatoes
4 lbs of sweet potatoes
5 lbs. or corn
5 lbs of green beans
1 lb. cranberry sauce
15 quarts of gravy
4 (9 by 13) dishes of stuffing
12 dozen rolls
3 pumpkin cheesecakes
1 pecan pie
1 apple pie
1 raspberry pie
1 pumpkin pie
2 ice cream cakes
60 guests for the weekend
And it's all gone. (Except for a few of the guests and they are packing up as I write.) There is a lot to do before the dinner and during the dinner and after the weekend. But there is even more to do on Monday morning after a holiday. Time to get cracking.
Here's a few pictures of my favorite parts of the weekend. Hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Prudy's Online Thanksgiving Hotline 2010

2010-11-23T20:45:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Prudy's Online Thanksgiving Hotline. I really want to put my phone number here and let each and every one of you call me all day. My husband thinks I am crazy, especially since we are having 43 people for Thanksgiving dinner. (Does anybody else want to come? I've still got two wicker chairs and a patio table that nobody has claimed.) I am here, ready and willing to answer your last minute cooking and baking questions. I'll update throughout the day as any questions come in.
I just made your gravy base and it is oddly sweet. Will it balance out with the drippings?
Yes, never fear. The turkey drippings are intensely savory and your finished gravy will be only slightly sweet.
Can I leave my brown bag apple pie overnight without baking it or will the crust get too soggy?
Because the press-in crust is so sturdy, your pie will be just fine if you wait till tomorrow. Just be sure to toss your apples with a little lemon juice to keep them looking fresh. Your pie's going to be fantastic warm out of the oven with a melting scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yum!
Hey Prudy , if I make the corn recipe as you have described and bake it ahead can I then pore it into a crock pot to transport and serve and if so ...when should I add the parmesan cheese ?
Skip the oven and the pot and make the whole darn thing in the crock pot. Add corn, cream, sugar, and salt to the crock pot and cook on low for two hours. Mix together butter and flour and stir into corn; cook on low for one more hour. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese about 10 minutes before serving. Nice and easy!
I have been stalking your blog for a while and thoroughly enjoy your posts. I am taking the opportunity of your hotline to ask about your roll recipe - how long can I let it stay in the "fridge" stage before I need to roll them out and let them rise and bake? Can I make it a few days ahead and let it sit in the fridge? (Krista asked the same question-so I'm killing two birds with one roll.) First of all, thanks for your kind words. I'm going to do a hotline more often, just to boost my self esteem.:) As for the rolls, they can happily spend two days in the fridge, just chillin' till you need them. If you haven't started them yet, run home and mix them up. Or wait till tonight. Or make them tomorrow morning. That's what I love best about them.

How many side dishes are you serving? Anything out of the ordinary?
This year, we're trying to keep it to the minimum since we have a big group for dinner. We'll be serving Summit House Corn, Green Beans Almondine, Cornbread Stuffing with Cranberries, Traditional Sage and Celery Stuffing, along with our Mashed Potatoes, Gravy and Turkey. Our most unusual side dish is my Aunt Charlotte's sweet potatoes with green apple, pecans, and orange. Why haven't I posted it yet??? Do you have a way to make canned whole-berry cranberry sauce more interesting? We can make it interesting, but can we make it delicious? Oh, yes. Since canned cranberry sauce is super sweet, think about adding some bold, bright flavors to balance it out. Stir in a tablespoon of orange zest, or a squeeze of lime juice. A few tablespoons of crushed pineapple would give it some tart zip. For textural contrast, another great option would be a few handfuls of chopped nuts and some dried cranberries. Suddenly I find myself craving canned whole-berry cranberry sauce. Now that’s interesting.
I love your blog and am so glad that you have open Thanksgiving hotline again this year. Here is my question:How do I get it all piping hot on the table at the same exact moment in time for grace? Muchas Gracias! This is always the trickiest part, isn’t it? First of all, unless you’re cooking for a very small group, you need to get some of the cooking done in the days before Thanksgiving. Try making your pies, stuffing, yams, roll dough, and gravy base before the big day. (Bring everything to room temperature before serving time and then give it a good zap in the microwave to get it piping hot.) The Turkey needs priority in the oven, so make sure everything besides the rolls are baked before you put that turkey in. Tom turkey will need to rest for 30 minutes between oven and carving time, so pop your rolls in at precisely that moment. With a little luck, everything should be just perfectly piping hot as you say Amen. And if it isn’t, anyone who complains can do the dishes. For eternity. My sister-in-law is a terrible cook....sorry, sister, but it is true.What can I have her bring besides ice?or how do I nicely supply a specific recipe?
Well, this is always an interesting issue, isn’t it? What does the hostess do to make everyone feel involved, even the chefs with two left thumbs? First of all, consider what kind of party you are hosting. This isn’t an engagement party for two English royals, this is a family Thanksgiving. It’s less important that the food be perfect than it is for everyone to feel included and loved. Ask your sister-in-law what she would like to bring for dinner. She might just surprise you and ask to bring the ice, and then your problem is solved. But if she wants to bring her Aunt Bertha’s famous sardine infused brussel sprouts, just smile and tell her you can’t wait to try them. A little human warmth can do wonders for the appetite. Post Edit: A wise reader suggested that you assign her a relish tray. Perfect! this may not really be a hotline question, but i've never found a good blackberry pie recipe. do you have a favorite? i don't want one with blueberries in it:)
Mwah, ha, ha. You better believe it. Have you been rummaging through my secret files, because this one is a fairly new discovery that I’m hoarding till next summer. Here’s a sneak peek. Let me know if you need it now, and I’ll email it to you post haste. If not, I’m saving it for some patriotic, sunny holiday many degrees Fahrenheit away.

Leave a comment with your question and I'll get back to you just as quick as you can say Prudence Pennywise...

Indispensible Holiday Corn-See For Yourself!

2010-11-22T06:40:00.001-08:00

I'm going to show you how to make my favorite holiday corn, I really am. But first, let me tell you about our weekend. We had cousins come into town early for Thanksgiving. They had barely stepped foot out of the car when we whisked them away to a Riders in the Sky concert. These are four of the silliest goofball cowpokes you ever did see. (Um, I'm not sure if I'm talking about the singers or the kids. I'll let you decide.) I hope I get to see them in concert again. Kids and grown-ups alike were doubled over with laughter. We left tapping our toes and humming through smiles. This weekend was also our local hospital fundraiser, The Jubilee of Trees. Talented people in the community decorate and donate trees for auction. Generous people in the community buy these decorated trees. Last year my parents bought a Peter Pan tree that I inherited this year. I'll give you a peek later (and a peek of the one they bought this year), but here's a sample of one of the themed trees available for purchase. This one caught my eye for the Quiet Man's parents. It would be perfect in their Nantucket room. If I had a million dollars....

The charges were part of the entertainment at the Jubilee. Sailor has been playing the violin there for the last five years, and West for the last three. He's come a long, long way. (I used to have to crouch behind him for moral support. Now I sit in the audience making silly faces at him.)I never get sick of watching them play, not at home or abroad. I'm getting my money's worth for those violin lessons. I've got my own little string duo that always owe me a favor. And of course, we had to take part in all of the good times at the Jubilee, in the name of charity, tut tut! I almost almost almost stood in line for face painting myself. I want a pretty snowflake on my cheek.

This one was a crack-up. For a buck, the kids could be inside a giant bubble. Who thinks of these things?Boy in a plastic bubble.All right, enough with the weekend and let's get one to the week. It is THE week. Thanksgiving is a mere few days away. Are you making pie crusts and freezing rolls and brining turkeys? I ought to be, but I'm getting a slow start due to excessive play. (See above photos.) But today, doggone it, I'm making this corn and putting it into the fridge. This recipes hails from a beautiful restaurant in Fullerton, California known as the Summit House. Some people (me) go there and order bowl fulls of the fantastic stuff. This is corn at Daddy Warbuck's house on Christmas morning. It doesn't get any better than this. It's decadent all right, but that's why I save it for holiday meals and dinner parties. Start off with a handful of easy ingredients: frozen corn, flour, butter, sugar, cream, and salt and pepper. (Sugar, where are you? Did you not want your picture taken?)

Place the corn, salt, sugar, pepper, and cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

In a small bowl, combine softened butter and flour to make "kneaded butter."

Add to the corn mixture to thicken.

Pour it into a buttered casserole dish. Store it covered in the fridge and warm it up in the oven right before you're ready to eat it.

If you want it to be extra over-the-top delicious, sprinkle the top with parmesan and put it under the broiler to brown. Oh, yes. It's going to be good. And you might want to double it, since I have never, ever had any leftovers no matter how much I make. Try not to eat it all for dinner tonight.

PS Have you got any questions about Thanksgiving dinner? It's time for Prudy's Online Thanksgiving Hotline. Leave a comment and let me at 'em.

Money Saving Tips:

Swap out the cream for evaporated milk. Use canned corn in place of the frozen, if that's what you've got. Canned and frozen corn should be on sale for pennies this week.

Creamed Corn Au Grautin from the Summit House

Estimated Cost: $4.oo for 8 servings

1 lb. frozen corn

1 and 1/2 cups whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

pinch of pepper

1 and 1/2 tablespoons softened butter

1 and 1/2 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons finely shredded parmesan cheese

Combine corn, cream, salt, sugar and pepper in a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for five minutes. In a small bowl, mix flour and butter until completely smooth. Add to corn mixture and stir until well combined. Return to a boil. Simmer for one minute. Remove from heat. Pour into a buttered oven-proof dish (an 8 or 9 inch square, pie or quiche dish will all work). Place tightly covered in fridge until ready to serve. Just before serving, heat oven to 425. Sprinkle corn with parmesan and bake until hot and bubbly. (For Thanksgiving dinner, I bake it completely in advance and heat it in the microwave just before dinner time. )

Up Next: Prudy's Online Thanksgiving Hotline-leave a comment and ask away!

My Favorite Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Streusel

2010-11-20T07:34:00.000-08:00

I was getting ready to post my pumpkin ginger cheesecake, one of my signature dishes around the holidays. I started to look through pictures, making sure that I hadn't posted it already. This is what I found from last year. They look like babes in arms compared to this year. I like them just like this, chubby cheeked and smiling. These were our guests.and this was our dinner last year. Here's Dad reading to the kids later in the evening.

If you peeked in on us this year, I suspect it would look just about the same, except for last year's wee ones are a bit taller and trimmer and there are new little babies taking their place. When it's all said and done, even though Thanksgiving is a truckload of work, I am so happy to be able to share it with my family. My whippersnappers aren't going to be little forever. I'm so glad they have such happy memories with their cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. They might not be little forever, but a happy memory is eternal.

After looking through all my old pictures and posts, I discovered that I hadn't shared my ultimate favorite Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Streusel. I will still post my cheesecake, but it's going to take a backseat. (Don't worry Heidi-I'll still make you one for your birthday.) The cheesecake can stick around through New Year's but this pie, this pie is all about Thanksgiving. I found the recipe in Bon Appetit in 1994, when I was a college student. I've since tinkered, but the credit should be theirs. (The original top-rated recipe is here. )The spiced pumpkin filling is silky and rich, just like you would expect. What makes the pie exceptional is the ginger scented pecan streusel topping. I have to guard this pie like a hawk, or my pesty little brother Roy will steal all the streusel off the top. It's a little game we play, he and I. We've been raging a pumpkin pie war for sixteen years now and I wouldn't have it any other way. Make my pie and drive your own little brothers crazy. It's all part of the happy memories.

Money Saving Tips: Stock up on canned pumpkin this week when you can get it for a buck. Substitute evaporated milk for the half and half, if you don't have it on hand. Walnuts would be everybit as nice as pecans, if you can find them for cheaper this week.

Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Streusel, adapted from Bon Appetit

1 pie crust, partially baked (click here for my recipe and tutorial)

Filling:

1 16-ounce can solid pack pumpkin
1 1/2 cups half and half
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed golden brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoons ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans (about 2 1/2 ounces)
1 tablespoon finely minced crystallized ginger, optional
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.For filling:Whisk all ingredients in large bowl until combined. Pour into partially baked, cooled pie crust. Bake until skin begins to form on filling and filling begins to set, about 50 minutes. Remove from oven. Let pie stand 10 minutes to set slightly. Maintain oven temperature.
Meanwhile, prepare topping:Mix first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Rub in butter with fingertips until mixture begins to form small clumps. Sprinkle topping over pie. Bake until pie is set and streusel is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool completely. Serve with whipped cream.

Next Up: Summit House Corn

Grandma's Buttery Holiday Rolls Tutorial

2010-11-18T07:06:00.000-08:00

Hiya everybody. We're just one week away from Turkey Day. Woo-hoo. I'm starting to dust off platters, count chairs, and scribble grocery lists for my Quiet Man. We've got a count of about 35 I believe, but there's always room for more if you're thinking about a visit. I've still got one lonely cardtable, so come on over. One of the items on our table that draws the crowd is my Mom's buttery holiday rolls. Light and feathery, soft and pillowy, these rolls are a favorite with young and old alike. I know it might seem intimidating to work with yeast, but once you get the hang of it, these rolls are really quite easy to make. They require very little kneading since a long, cold rise will turn the task over to the yeast. Make them the night before and shape them during the final hours of prep. I like to pop the rolls in the oven just as the turkey comes out, since the turkey needs to rest for about 30 minutes. There's nothing like a piping hot turkey dinner with a warm, homemade roll resting on the side of the plate. I'm not going to name any names (Sailor, Reeve, little Adam) but there are some in our family that will skip the dinner and load the plate up with rolls. They're that good! Here's a step by step guide that will help any baker churn out perfectly delicious, positively pretty holiday rolls.
The ingredients are simple and inexpensive: milk, active rise yeast, butter, eggs, water, salt, sugar, and flour.

"Proof" the yeast by mixing it with a bit of sugar and warm water. When I say warm water, think baby bottle warm. No hotter than you would offer to a wee screaming babe.

After ten minutes, it should be a spongy mass. (I let mine go a little longer. I got distracted laughing with Mary Kate on the telephone.)

Meanwhile, heat your butter and milk in the microwave for a minute. Make sure it's not too hot-think baby bottle warm again.

Add your milk and butter, sugar, eggs and salt to your yeast mixture. Stir in 2 and 1/2 cups flour with a wooden spoon. Just stir until it's mixed in.

Just like this. It's a little thicker than pancake batter.

Cover and let rise for one hour.

Now you've got a bubbly, sticky mass that's about 50 percent larger.

Stir in the remaining 3 cups of flour. You don't need to knead. Just keep a stirrin' for a couple or minutes, cowgirl.

You'll be left with a sticky, ragged dough. Perfect. Now cover it up with some buttered plastic wrap as a blanket and say good night. Put it somewhere nice and cold, like the fridge if you've got space, or maybe the garage or the shed. Just make sure it's cold and not freezing. (Even if it did freeze, you'd be fine-you'd just have to thaw out before moving forward.)

About 90 minutes before you're ready to bake, pull back the covers and take a look at your dough. It should be a big fat ball full of air pockets.

Butter your hands and gently punch it down.

It's going to be sticky, so use a light, cold hand. Divide the dough into two equal balls and set one aside.

Flour your work surface. Use as much flour as you need depending on how sticky your dough is. If it's really cold, you won't need too much. My dough was at room temp, so it needed a bit more.

Turn the dough out onto the floured surface. Roll or pat the dough out into a 12 inch circle. (Thanks to Sailor for laying down her math to snap pics while my hands were buttery.)

Generously butter the dough circle. I used 2 tablespoons here, but sometimes I go crazy and use twice that. Ooh, boy. Crazy I tell you.

Coat a sharp knife with cooking spray.

Divide the dough in half. Repeat four times, making eight wedges.

Divide each wedge in half again for a total of 16 pieces. Don't worry if they aren't perfect. Perfect is for bakeries. Rustic is for home.

Start with the wide end of your wedge and roll up snugly.Tuck the skinny ragged end of the wedge to the bottom of your roll and place on a greased cookie sheet.

I scooted them all over and ended up putting all sixteen on a standard cookie sheet. Repeat with your remaining ball of dough.

Cover them and let them rise for about 45 minutes, or until almost doubled.

Bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees. Pick up a roll with a spatula and make sure it's nicely browned on the bottom, too. Let them cool for a couple of minutes before placing them in a basket.

See if you can resist eating one before dinner. Bet you can't.

There you have it. Now go forth and bake yourself some buttery holiday rolls. I can almost smell them now! See you this weekend with my favorite pumpkin cheesecake.

Grandma's Buttery Holiday Rolls

Estimated Cost: $2.50 for 32 rolls

5 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water (baby bottle warm)

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup softened butter (or heat it with milk in microwave)

1 and 1/2 cups warm milk (baby bottle warm)

3 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1 and 1/2 teaspoon salt

5 and 1/2 cups flour, plus more for rolling

4-8 tablespoons softened butter, for spreading

In a large bowl (or freestand mixer) combine yeast, water, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes to "proof" the yeast. If the yeast rises, continue. If it does not, discard the yeast and begin again. Add butter, milk, eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Stir in 2 and 1/2 cups flour with a wooden spoon. Dough will be extremely sticky. Let stand, covered in a warm place for one hour. Add remaining flour, stirring with a wooden spoon for two minutes. Dough will be sticky and ragged. Place dough in refrigerator or cold place (basement or garage?) overnight. About 90 minutes before serving time, divide dough into two balls. On a floured surface, roll one ball out into 12 inch circle. Generously butter top of circle. Cut circle into 16 equal wedges. Roll up, beginning with wide edge. Tuck raggedy edge under and place on greased cookie sheet. Allow to rise, covered in a warm spot for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until almost doubled. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes. (Rolls can be frozen at this point, tightly wrapped. Bring to room temperature before warming in oven for five minutes.)

Next Up: Pumpkin Ginger Cheesecake

I have a dream...

2010-11-17T07:20:00.001-08:00

Post Edit on November 18:
The winners are....numbers 8, 9. 11, and 14. That's Mom of 2, Katie, Gigi, and Nancy. Email me your addresses (prudencepenny@aol.com) and I'll send you a coupon for a free pound of sausages! Congrats!
I'm getting ready to share my roll tutorial tomorrow. I'll be sharing step by step photos of my mom's melt-in-your-mouth Thanksgiving rolls. The buttery dough is rising on the counter, warm and cozy. (Check out my piecrust tutorial here.)

For today, lovely readers, I wanted to tell you about another recipe contest that one of you out there needs to win. Johnsonville Sausage is hosting a recipe contest and all you need to do is come up with an original recipe using Johnsonville Sausage as an ingredient. Somebody please win the $10,000 to fulfill their culinary dream. My culinary dream is to put in an outdoor kitchen on the back patio complete with a fireplace, grill, and sink. What's your culinary dream, readers? A trip to Italy? A year's tuition at cooking school? A new up-to-date kitchen? Catered holiday parties for a year? All of the above, please and throw in a few new sets of dishes while you're at it. I didn't know I was so greedy, but if you open the gates, expect a flood. Leave me a comment and tell me your culinary dream (or dreams!) before midnight tonight and four wide-eyed winners will get a free pound of Johnsonville sausage on me. Winners will be chosen at random. Be back tomorrow with the Thanksgiving rolls...

Mini Meatloves with Sweet Tomato Glaze

2010-11-16T07:30:00.000-08:00

A hot-off-the-griddle, warm welcome to my new readers! Pull up a chair and I'll make you a nice cup of tea in my mind.
Yesterday after I was finished filming my donut segment for TV, I raced out of the studio, and headed straight for home, a 5 hour drive. (The charges were blissfully playing at their cousin's house near Salt Lake City.) Sailor has a voice class that she's already missed three times while we were in the Middle East, and I didn't want to end up doing more make-up classes for make-up classes. I drove sensibly, but the goal of making it to voice class was on my mind. I pulled up to class at 4:30 on the dot, not a minute too soon or too late. (Thank you again, my over-worked, underpaid guardian angel, whoever you are.) I raced home to wash the 5 hour old donut dishes and then I ran back to pick up Sailor, only to have to race her home again to get her ready for her ballet make-up class. I remembered my mom was home alone, and called to make sure she had dinner. Then, I did the only sensible thing that a frazzled mother can do around 6ish on Monday night. I went through the Del Taco drive-through. The man at the window had a twinkle in his eye. He's my new funny friend and his name is Tito. "You look pretty brave, so I give you the hottest Del Scorcho sauce, lady." I told him I thought I could take it his Del Scorcho and put it in my kid's baby bottles; we like it hot at my house. "Why you come here for dinner tonight? You look like a nice lady. You don't make dinner for your family? Maybe I make dinner for you, then you should make dinner for me." Then we both chuckled for a while. I'm not in the habit of inviting strange men to my house for dinner, but I just might make an exception for silly Tito. Anyone who can make me laugh at the drivethrough deserves a warm meal. This, and not Del Taco quesadillas, is what my family is having for dinner tonight. It's a great meatloaf recipe for those busy nights (and tonight is another one of those) when you don't have time to warm your hands by the oven for an hour. These yummy little loaves are cheap to make and bake up in just twenty minutes. The best part is the sweet tomato glaze over the juicy meat, especially if you've got some mashed potatoes on the side. Eat your heart out, Tito!

Money Saving Tips: Buy your ground beef in bulk for the best deals. Take it home and freeze it one pound portions, for easy meals. Stale bread of unwanted loaf heels are put to good use in this recipe.

Miniature Meatloaves with Sweet Tomato Glaze

Estimated Cost: $5.00 for 4

1 slice bread

1/3 cup milk

1 lb. ground beef (I used ground sirloin)

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup instant oatmeal

1/2 cup minced onion

1 clove garlic, minced

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoon ketchup

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line cookie sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray. Break up bread into 1 inch pieces and place in large bowl. Pour milk over the top and allow to soak in for about thirty seconds. Add beef, egg, oatmeal, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano. Gently mix until well combined. Shape beef into four separate oval "loaves" and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Meanwhile combine ketchup, brown sugar, and vinegar in a small bowl. Brush over mini meatloaves. Bake for an additional five minutes. Let stand for five minutes before serving. Serves four.

Up Next:

Thanksgiving Dinner Roll Tutorial

Tune in for Donuts

2010-11-15T06:25:00.000-08:00

Post Edit: As it turns out, I like being on TV much, much more than I like watching myself on TV. Cringe. Here's the link.
Good mornin'. I am in Salt Lake City making my very favorite donuts for this. If you are in Utah, you can watch at 11:00. I'll post a link later, but only if I don't set anything on fire or burp on live TV. And since I'm still in my pajamas, I don't know if I forgot anything vital this time. I'll let you know.

PS Thanks for all of the Happy Birthday wishes. Henceforth I shall be 30 something no longer. It's 29 from here on out.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

2010-11-12T12:03:00.000-08:00

My little sister just informed that I have not yet posted my pumpkin chocolate chip bread. Her apron was on and she was ready to bake. Where was the recipe? Of course she must be mistaken! I churn out loaves of this perfect pumpkin bread every year. Here's why it's perfect: The recipe uses the entire can of pumpkin (waste not, want not), has just the right combination of pumpkin flavor, cinnamon, and chocolate, uses common, inexpensive ingredients and is a snap to make. The end result is three delicious loaves for sharing with neighbors and friends. Of course I must have posted it already! Right???? Right?

Wrong. I even took a picture last year, but never posted the recipe. So here it is, better late than never. Thanks for the reminder, sistuh. You've given me a good idea of what to do with the rest of my afternoon.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Estimated Cost: $4.00 for threestandard loaves, or 8 mini loaves

Notes: You can swap out the nuts for an equal amount of extra chocolate chips.

1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin

1 cup vegetable oil

3 cups sugar

2/3 cup water

4 eggs

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 and 1/2 cups flour

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup chocolate chips tossed with 2 tablespoons flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 3 standard loaf pans. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, oil, sugar, water and eggs, mixing well. Add in cinnamon, soda and salt. Very gently, stir in flour until just combined. Stir in walnuts and chocolate chips. Separate into 3 separate loaf pans. Bake for one hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool on a rack for ten minutes before removing from pan.

Next Up: Mini Freeform Meatloaves

The Keys to Good Cooking

2010-11-11T06:23:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I posted about a new cookbook by the esteemed Harold McGee. The Keys to Good Cooking is much more than a cookbook; it's a guide, a companion, a troubleshooter, a friend. If you've ever asked Why? or How? in the kitchen, than this book will be your kitchen goddess. With Thanksgiving just two weeks away, I need it more than ever. There's a subsection on oven roasting, advice on rubbing the bird with butter, tips about obtaining crisp skin and moist meat. Armed with information, I think I'll be making a masterpiece turkey this year. And if I err (which I'm destined to do), I'll head back to the book for troubleshooting. And we're not just talking turkey either, folks. There's a whole section on pies and pastries (not to mention vegetables, breads, sauces, eggs, etc). Want to avoid a soggy crust under your pumpkin pie? McGee says to use a pastry crust made with egg. Yes, sir! They say there are no dumb questions, and the advice in the book ranges from obvious to brilliant-but always accessible. It's a lovely stoveside companion for both a beginning cook or an accomplished chef. I'm relieved to have it in my turkey-day arsenal.
Let's start talking about Thanksgiving tomorrow. See you then.
PS I was not paid or compensated in anyway for this review, other than receiving a copy of the book. As always, my opinionated opinions belong to bossy old me.

A few preholiday Pennywise Tips...

2010-11-10T06:39:00.000-08:00

Hello out there. I am steadily unearthing myself from under my gargantuan post vacation to-do list. And not a moment too soon, since Thanksgiving is just two weeks away. Time to get back to the business of saving money for the holidays. Here's a couple of ideas for this week.

Waste not, want not when your recipe calls for just a little bit of canned pumpkin. (I'm making warm pumpkin pie puddings tonight and the recipe calls for just 1/2 cup.) Put any leftover pumpkin puree in a nice warm pot of chili, up to 1/4 cup per serving. It blends in flawlessly with the flavors of chili powder and tomato.

Old Navy is having an outerwear sale this week. In stores, coats are 50 percent off until Thursday. (The online sale ends today.) I bought new winter coats for both the charges, but I'm still greedy for more. I'm yearning for this orange number. Can you tell I've got pumpkin on the mind?
Butter's going to be on sale over the next two weeks as supermarkets vie for your feasting dollar. Stock up now for all of your Christmas baking. I'm holding out to get some of my favorite brands for $2 a pound. (Same goes for nuts, canned broth, and spices.)
And one more little thing. I love this comfy, quilted, monogrammed tote bag. It would make a perfect, personalized Christmas gift for under $30. ( Embroidered Bags. )They've got adorable diaper bags and travelbags for monogramming, too.

Have a fabulous, frugal day! Be back tomorrow.

A few more pics....

2010-11-09T07:03:00.000-08:00

Just a few more before I move on.

Welcome Home

2010-11-08T07:27:00.000-08:00

Hello again, dear readers. I missed you. It's been exactly 18 days since I slept in my bed, made my own food, used my own shower. East, West, Home is best. I'm tempted to slack off today, turn on the fireplace and make some cocoa, read out loud to the charges. Except I know that tomorrow I will be 19 days behind instead of 18. And those Halloween decorations are still hanging around the house, the cobwebs of October past. Jack-o-lanterns don't look as cute next to piles of unloaded suitcase junk. Nope, I better put my nose to the grindstone. But first, here's a brief recap of my trip. And I do mean brief. They say that pictures are worth a thousand words, so I'll let my pictures do most of the talking.

My trip began in upstate New York. I settled in my two precious treasures with Oma and Opa and enjoyed the beautiful fall scenery for a couple of days.

They love spending time with Oma and Opa in New York, which made saying good-bye a little bit easier. A little tiny itty bit.

Nine out of ten of my siblings and most of the spouses plus my parents headed to the Middle East for 13 days of adventure. We started our journey in Petra, Jordan viewing the incredible Treasury carved right into the red rock.

We spent the next few days on and around The Sea of Galilee.

If you want to dip your feet into the River Jordan, beware. There are little nibbling fishies.

This is an underground cave in Bethlehem. There were approximately 500 million people in about 10 square feet.

We spend most of our time in and around Jerusalem. It was bittersweet nostalgia for me and my four other siblings that spent time there as students.

Here's my friend Omar, the olivewood carver and shopkeeper that I first met 20 years ago.

We tried our best to celebrate Halloween in a foreign land. The Quiet Man packed my witchy tights for a suprise.

My sister Laurie had Halloween treats for everybody. (And her ear is making a brave recovery, poor thing.)

This was my favorite spot as a student. Hezekiah's Tunnel is a dark underground tunnel filled thigh deep with water. (It used to be armpit deep with plenty of potholes but it's gone safe and commercial now.)I love to shop and hang out in the Old City of Jerusalem. It hasn't changed much.

The air in the Old City of Jerusalem is full of spices. I bought saffron and sumac and za'atar. Then I packed them in my suitcase. Now I smell like the Old City. In a good, spicy kind of way.

Our next stop was the Dead Sea for a filthy little beauty treatment.

Our first day in Egypt was spent snorkeling and lounging at the Red Sea.They had whirling dervishes for night time entertainment. They make me dizzy just to watch, but I can't look away. They also had belly dancers by the pool and I admit that I got sucked into a lesson. In my bathing suit. All video evidence has been destroyed. Violaters will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. (That means you, Jackson.)We headed to Cairo for our last stop. Yep, the pyramids and the Sphinx. You gotta see them once in your life. Or maybe even twice. But that's it for me.

We capped off our last night with a dinner cruise down the Nile. We were late enough that we had to be ferried to the cruiseship by speedboat. (That was the best part.)

This is my favorite picture from the trip. The middle aged belly dancer has just passed our table and it looks like my Dad and my husband are getting a little eyefull on the sly.

We spent our last minutes shopping at an open air market and then meeting the group for a last birthday lunch for my brother Roy before hopping on an airplane.

When they say don't drink the water in Egypt, remind me next time to watch out for the ice, too. The Quiet Man and I shared a blue raspberry slush right before we got on the airplane. Not smart. Not smart at all. That was the last time you saw us smiling till we landed in upstate New York. But now we are happy. We missed those little charges of ours. We made our own little people and when they are away from us, we miss them. They may be loud and crazy and wild, but they are ours. (And they have loud and crazy and wild in their genetic make-up. ) Huge thanks to Oma and Opa for being first-class babysitters. I hope they get a well-deserved nap sometime soon.

I missed you, too dear readers. Welcome back. See you tomorrow with more recipes.

Oh Jerusalem!

2010-10-29T21:38:00.001-07:00

If I'm not careful, I'm going to miss our bus this morning. We are headed to the BYU Jerusalem Center on the Mount of Olives for church. We have been swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, visiting an archaelogical dig, spending precious moments at holy sites, and in between it all we have been gabbing and chatting. I'm trying to hit all of my old hang out spots in Jerusalem and even visit a couple of my old friends. Yikes-bus leaves in 10 minutes but since I have the Internet I'll leave you with my pictures and very little explanation. You'll see my family, my sisters, and even some ice creams. The good news: Heidi got her luggage. Bella got her cast-not green, but pink in a last minute decision. I saw my old friend Omar from twenty years ago. Bathrooms were locked and we had to change in the bushes for our swim in the Sea. My sister Laurie forgot to pack her bra after the swim. You might think this is bad news, but since we all laughed so hard, I'm including it as good news.

The bad news: The Quiet Man caught this wasp in our hotel room. And for really bad news, one of my sisters fell in an ancient cave and sliced her ear requiring a trip to the emergency room and a little reconstructive surgery. She's doing great but I don't want to mention which sister until she has a chance to talk to her family. The Van Gogh jokes are already starting.

Shalom from Israel

2010-10-26T08:33:00.000-07:00

Did I mention that I have been to Israel? Well, I have. I went with my father on a trip when I was nineteen. I think it was supposed to help me settle down and get serious about life. I'm not sure if it worked; sorry, Dad. But I loved Israel enough to go back as a student at the BYU Jerusalem center. (Thanks for that one also, Dad.) I am back in the Holy Land for a third time. I'm here with my brothers and sisters and our spouses, and of course dear old mom and dad. We arrived at the Sea of Galilee last night. It is the land of milk and honey. (And sesame bread, falafels, roasted peppers, and cucumbers.) I'm taking lots and lots of pictures, and not just of the food this time.

I want to post those pictures, I really do. But I've been navigating blogher in Hebrew and I think I might be at my patience limit. I'm still trying, so if I succeed that means I remember more of Hebrew class than I thought. I hope Dad will be proud.

Petra, Jordan is where we have been for the last two days. This is where we rode donkeys, camels, horses and buggies. And walked, and walked, and walked. I have blisters and sore calves to prove it. 1000 steps to monastery, plus 6 or so miles there and back. But who notices when you are with family. I can't stop laughing, which only proves that I can't get serious anywhere in the world. Sorry again Dad. I'm going to keep you posted, gentle readers. Tonight we are going on a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee and dinner begins now. Be back tomorrow with any luck. Shalom!

PS The bad news: My sister Heidi has had no end of trouble. The tour company cancelled her flights and lost her luggage. She's going on four days with no stuff.

More bad news: My niece Bella broke her foot with the kind babysitter. Poor little sweetie-pie. West threw up in his sleep and poor Oma had to clean it up. Thank you, Oma.

Good News: We had a birthday party for Uncle Mark last night. Heidi's luggage should be here tonight. Bella is going to get a green cast tomorrow. West feels fine and Oma is the kindest nurse a person could ever want.

Italian Tomato and Basil Steaks in the Crockpot

2010-10-22T05:47:00.000-07:00

I was bemoaning the lack of fall in the southwest, but now I am celebrating its abundance in the northeast. Sailor, West, and I landed in Rochester, New York early Wednesday morning. I am struck, dumb-founded, twitter-painted by all the beauty. You don't have to look hard or drive far away. It is in the backyard, across the street, growing just beyond the parking lot. Today we are heading out on a packet boat for an afternoon fall foliage tour of the Erie Canal. All of this beauty has a time limit. Frost said that nothing gold can stay. I know that one violent gust of wind will steal away all of my lovely leaf friends. I'm heading outside while I can. In the meantime, here's a savory fall recipe to share on the wake of Cookie Bookie. (If you missed any Cookie Bookie, scroll down and lick your lips.) I've got a luscious, tender beef recipe in a sumptuos tomato and basil gravy. Pour it over mashed potatoes, polenta, or buttered noodles. It will warm the soul after a chilly afternoon looking at the winsome wonders of my favorite season.

Money saving tips: Use a very economical cut of steak, since it's going to get tender in the crockpot. Don't waste your money on anything for the grill. Choose skillet or braising cuts of beet.

Italian Tomato and Basil Steaks in the Slowcooker

Estimated Cost: $5.00

1 lb. steaks-any economical cut since it will be made tender in the crockpot

1/2 medium onion, finely minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 and 1/2 cups tomato sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons dried basil, or 1 tablespoon fresh

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1/3 cup whipping cream mixed with 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Combine all ingredients in the slowcooker, EXCEPT cream and cornstarch. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, or until tender. Stir in cream and cornstarch and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Serve over pasta, mashed potatoes, or polenta.

Try the steaks over these buttered noodles. Toss a pound of campanelle with a couple tablespoons of browned butter, chopped basil, and salt and pepper.

Next Up:

Mini Freeform Meatloaves