“Take Chances, Make Mistakes, and Get Messy!”

     Do any of you recognize this quote?  It is from everyone’s favorite teacher, Ms. Frizzle, from The Magic School Bus.  We watch all the episodes repeatedly at our house, by the way.  Yeah!  I tell  that saying to myself (in Ms. Frizzle’s voice performed by Lily Tomlin) often these days.
It’s been over five weeks since I began writing this blog, but it seems like a lot longer.  Part of the reason, I think, is that starting it was not an easy decision for me.  I was filled with insecurities:  No one would read it, no one would “get”  it, no one would like it.  Also, I’m not really a great cook, but I like to cook, and I like to eat great-tasting food (too much!)  But, it was an idea of mine that didn’t seem to ever go away, so I finally just did it.  I posted and I told a few people, even mentioned it on facebook.  Then, for what seemed like forever, I waited.  It took a while, but people finally started to tell me they read, some commented right on the site, some even became official followers.  I networked with a couple of friends that were already blogging for technical help and learned how to post pictures better.   My husband seemed to have mixed views from the beginning, mostly because he’s worried I’ll go on and on about him somehow.   So, I have tried to include him on my plans, ask his permission before taking a photograph of him (who could forget the chocolate chip cookie photo?),  and tried not to write every night so that I wouldn’t be neglecting anyone.  
So, I took chances, made mistakes, and got messy.  I still have the insecurities but I also have a sense of accomplishment.  I have filled, in a small way, a need I have to be creative.  And it makes me smile.   My inner dialogue (don’t worry, this part is not in Lily Tomlin’s voice, no auditory hallucinations here!)  continues to speak as loudly as it did in the beginning:  “You’re writing this for yourself, even if no one else ever reads it or tries a single recipe.”  That should be enough.
In this mood of being okay with taking chances, I decided it was high time I tried a brand new recipe and report on it, good, bad or ugly.  I found it through a link I was emailed from cooking.com, one of my favorite online stores to window shop for cooking gear.  (Yes, I actually do dream about new cookware from time to time.)  It’s for key lime pie, a summer favorite of mine, which I’ve never before attempted.
 
Key Lime Pie
crust:
1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon melted butter (original recipe called for margarine
1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers
1/4 cup sugar
filling:
Two 14 ounce cans of sweetened condensed milk
5 large egg yolks
grated zest of 1 lime
1 cup fresh lime juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat the inside of a 9 inch pie pan with 1 tsp. melted butter.  In small mixing bowl, combine graham crackers, sugar and 1/3 cup melted butter.  Press into pie dish bottom and sides.  Bake for 10 minutes.
In a larger bowl, whisk all the filling ingredients.  Pour into shell, bake for another 10 minutes.  Cool on wire rack until room temperature.  Chill well before serving.
My Recipe Review  - Graded as a B++
Overall, I am very pleased with the pie.  It was easy to combine, using not too fussy of ingredients.  I used about 10 limes (medium sized.)  I was worried about the baking time being too short but compared it to other recipes and it was in line.  The color of the pie was yellow (commercial bakeries must add green food coloring) and the green lime zest was a little off-putting visually.  I think in the future I would grate it more finely.  But the filling was creamy, tart, and tasty.  The crust was delicious and helped ground the pie.  Because of the richness, it probably should be for 10 or 12 servings.  Curt thought it could use a dollop (my interjected vocabulary word, obviously) of whipped cream or cool whip.
Below are pictures of the process:

Did you know that they sell already crushed crumbs?

The crust after baking

Pie filling in crust, before baking

Right out of oven, will set up a bit while cooling

Some Like it Hot

While opposites attract, as they say, there are some areas of life in which it’s good to be in agreement with your spouse.  Parenting style, attitudes toward money, religious views, life goals are all topics that, if views on such are shared, can impact the success of a marriage.   I’ve hit upon another:  The temperature of the food you eat together.
We all know there are two meanings to temperature of food.  The first is the actual heat still in the food after cooking or preparation.  I was raised that the food had to be steaming on the plate.  Curt not so much.  (Jack, incidentally, hates hot food.  Often, we must cool his plate of food in the freezer for 3-5 minutes.)  So when I call that the meal is ready, I expect my husband to promptly stop what he is doing  and walk to the kitchen table.  It’s a struggle every day to have my real life meet my expectations, and this issue certainly can sometimes add to said struggle.
Luckily, the second meaning of food temperature brings us greater agreement.  Mexican food and Chinese food should have some heat to it.  Otherwise, why bother?  Onions and garlic?  Bring them on.  This way, neither is offended because you each consumed the smelly add-ins.   My face sometimes reddens while Curt remains stoic in appearance, but we both like the hot spices.
When visiting a college friend, Cathryn, in Virginia in the late 80’s, she and her husband made a casserole dish that was wonderful.  It is one of those many versions of the chicken enchilada casseroles that you see in the West often.   When I made it for Curt the first time, I naturally expected rave reviews because who doesn’t like cheesy Mexican casseroles?  He said something like it needed more zip to it.  He added that maybe I could put jalapeños in place of the green chilies.  I did from then on, but now I can’t serve that version to company.  It is blazing hot!  And it has become one of our favorite dishes.  Jack doesn’t like the heat yet, and doesn’t want to see any peppers, onions or olives anyway, so he gets his own mini casserole with only tortillas, chicken, cheese and the sauce.
Now you get to decide if you like it hot…or not!  Buena suerte, mis amigos! 
King Ranch Chicken Enchiladas (from Cathryn)
1 dozen corn tortillas
1 can each of cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soups
8 oz sour cream
1 lb cheddar cheese, grated (preferably by husband!)
1 chicken, boiled, boned, cut up or 4 chicken breasts, cooked and cut up
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 small can of jalapeños or chilies, depending on preference
1 small can black olives, sliced or chopped, drained

All the ingredients, ready to compile casserole

Sauté onion and green pepper in olive oil until tender.  Mix soups and sour cream.  Dip 6 tortillas in mixture, line bottom of 9x13 pan.  Layer chicken, onions, peppers,  3/4 of can of olives, and jalapeños.  Top with 2/3 of cheese.  Layer with remaining tortillas dipped in mixture.  Pour any remaining sauce on top of tortillas.  Top with remaining cheese and garnish with remaining olives.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
***Recipe is best if left in fridge overnight before baking.

before layering top tortillas, Jack’s special casserole on left

fully assembled

after cooking

Jack with his very own casserole

What Could Be Better Than The Next American Idol?

Are you into American Idol?  We are at our house.  In fact, our cat is named after Mr. Simon Cowell himself because we adopted him on the night of the finale of Season 3.   Who couldn’t imagine a pampered and overindulged cat telling someone that they sing dreadfully and would be better off performing on a cruise ship?  But I digress.
While I do my best to fight the gray in my hair, I must admit I am officially old.  Probably too old to legitimately enjoy Idol, as we fans like to call it.  But I’m certainly not the oldest person who follows the show. In fact, there is a phenomenon emerging in the fan base.  A group of older female fans are making an impact with their votes.  Some argue that Season 5 winner Taylor Hicks (pictured right) was the first beneficiary of this group.  Others noted last year that David Cook was pushed ahead of teen heartthrob David Archuleta (both shown above) by the older female voters.  They call this group the Cougars.
Where am I going with all this?  Curt thinks I’m one of them, a Cougar.  At least as far as this show is concerned. 
Let me catch you up for this season if you haven’t been watching.  There is this incredibly adorable recent widower named Danny Gokey.  His story broke everyone’s heart during the auditions.  And he can sing!  So, he was a fan favorite, including mine at the beginning.  Curt asserts it was so especially among the Cougars, who are extra sympathetic to his loss.  But then came along a more talented, seasoned (he has Broadway experience) and dare I say shrewd Adam Lambert who outshined Danny every week.  Behind him, a dark horse named Kris Allen, slowly charmed everyone.  His style is modern and understated and enjoyable.  (Honestly, I could see myself buy his album before I’d buy either of the other guy’s music.)  Well, the big upset occurred last Wednesday when Danny was voted off, leaving Kris to battle Adam in the finale tonight.

  Danny, Kris and Adam

While some in my family seemed busy gloating that the Cougars’ votes didn’t ruin the integrity of this year’s talent competition, I took inventory.  Even earlier in the night, as we watched a pathetic fan run after Danny’s limo (in the hometown visit footage) with tears because she missed meeting him, I had known the truth.  I wasn’t like her at all.  I was not a Cougar!  I was not a fan of Danny’s solely based on physical attraction mixed with a heavy dose of sympathy.  While I felt for Danny’s personal life and admired his voice, I knew he wasn’t the winner simply because he wasn’t the best.
All this soul searching brought to mind a recipe I haven’t made for a couple of years.  So I decided to make it for the Season 8 Finale tonight.  My friend Judy (by the way, also an Idol fan) shared this with me in the mid-90’s and called it “Better-Than-Robert-Redford-Cake.”  She suggested that some prefer the title “Better-Than-Tom-Cruise-Cake.”  (I’ve also heard it referred to as better than something else, but I’ll spare you the what as this is a family-friendly blog.)  Since Robert Redford appears to be semi-retired and Tom Cruise lost his appeal to me in that whole Oprah chair-hopping episode, it occurred to me that I could rename this ultimate comfort food cake as “Better-Than-The-Next-American-Idol-Cake” for this year at least.   It will give you Cougars something to eat while you are crying your hearts out for Danny.
Better-Than-The-Next-American-Idol-Cake   (from Judy)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1 stick margarine or butter, melted
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 extra large (16 oz) cool whip, thawed
2 large boxes of chocolate instant pudding mix
3 cups milk
1-2 Heath Bars, crushed into small pieces
For crust: Mix flour, pecans and butter, press into 9x13 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, let cool.
Middle layer:  Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar.  Mix with 1/2 of cool whip.  Spread on crust.
Top layer: Mix pudding with milk, fold in remaining cool whip.  Place on cake.  Top with crushed candy bar, chill before serving.

 
Note:  I halved the recipe and used an 8x8 pan because it’s only us three.  Pictures show first, after the crust baked, after adding cream cheese layer, and finally, after the top layer and candy bars.
 

Go Kris!

Enter to Learn…

This side of the entrance for my Alma Mater, Brigham Young University, reads  “The World is Our Campus.”  We liked to joke that it really was “The Campus is Our World.”  On the other side of the entrance a similar sign reads “Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve.”  I thought about clever ways to distort this second motto for the purposes of this post, but I didn’t want to be irreverent to its true intent.  
Regardless, I learned a lot about a lot of things while at BYU, and not all of it was from my studies.  It was a truly wonderful time for me where I made new, great friends.  I was very unlike all of them, being from back east, speaking with a New York accent and being in the western United States for the first time in my life.  They accepted me and helped me in ways they will never know.  I came out of my shell and started to grow up.  Like most young adults, I could finally figure out who I was and who I wanted to be.   I wanted to be a good cook, for one thing, so I started to seriously compile recipes.  I even bought myself this recipe holder at the BYU Bookstore.  If a roommate made something great and shared it, I wrote the recipe down.  If we wanted to cook something (typically for a group of guys we invited over) one of my roommates would call her mother for a special recipe and I would keep a copy.  I have frosting recipes from Kelly and Cathryn, a recipe for breakfast crepes from Laura Leigh, recipes for a peach dessert and fudge from Tracie, an oatmeal cake recipe from Shauna which actually earned me 2nd place at a contest later and a couple of great recipes I still use today from Julie. 
Tonight for dinner we had sloppy joes.  The recipe is from Julie’s mom and really is tasty.  Way better than that canned manwich stuff that I have used for camping trips.  The secret to the homemade recipe is to let it simmer for 1-2 hours.I highly recommend this recipe.  We three enjoy it.  I personally enjoy opening up my recipe box and saying hello to an old friend by seeing her name on the card.  My college roommates taught me many great things.  Thank you, dear friends.
Note:  If you ever want to see Curt enjoy a good story, ask him about the time I was in a hurry and accidentally grabbed cayenne pepper instead of chili powder.  We literally ate sloppy joes in tears due to the heat!
Julie’s Sloppy Joes
1 lb hamburger meat
1 tsp salt
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped (optional)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp dried mustard
3/4 c ketchup
1/3 c water
Brown hamburger, onion, green pepper with salt, pepper and chili powder.
Add vinegar, sugar, mustard, ketchup and water.  Cover and simmer on very low for 1-2 hours.  Serve on hamburger buns.  Makes about 8 sloppy joes.



Pictures show first, browned meat, second, after just adding all ingredients, and third, after simmered for 1-2 hours.  If too watery after simmering, uncover and boil off liquid for a couple of minutes.

The Gracious Mother’s Day Mother

This is my mom, Dorothy, pictured here with my dad. This photo was taken in 1993 in the Lincoln Bedroom of the White House. They were taking a tour with his army reunion group. She has been gone for over 12 years and I miss her. I wish her a Happy Mother’s Day!
She was not into breakfast. She didn’t eat when she first woke up. She did like breakfast food and we occasionally had it for dinner. Or she would eat breakfast later in the morning, more like brunch. Because she didn’t eat breakfast, she didn’t cook breakfast. My dad was the weekend breakfast guru. He loved making fried eggs, homemade hash browns, bacon, cream of wheat, french toast and the occasional pancake. I loved everything he cooked except the pancakes. (Although in that era, and in a household of six, you ate what was served to you, unless it was fish or brussels sprouts.) They were from the all purpose mix from a box: Bisquick. Not my favorite.
As an adult I myself tried Krusteaz, which was an improvement, but not like pancakes found at diners or pancake houses. I eventually stumbled across a recipe printed in the Sacramento Bee that finally made breakfast at home great again. I thought I’d share it with you in case you wanted to make it for Mom. Or, moms, if you want to try it, you can print it out and give it to your little chefs.
Which brings me to explain the title of this post. As I remember Mother’s Day, I remember bringing Mom breakfast in bed with something that was probably not too palatable. She smiled, said thank you and ate it, or at least tried to eat it. Never once did she reject this love filled gift. Now I ask myself, how was she able to eat breakfast early in the morning just this one time a year? Because she loved me.

No Flap Jacks –from the Sacramento Bee
1 c flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 c milk
1 egg
1 to 4 tbsp melted butter
In deep bowl, mix dry ingredients with a whisk. Add wet ingredients stirring only enough to mix. Allow batter to rest 20-30 minutes. (Important step!)
Cook on medium hot, turning when bubbles don’t close up. Makes a dozen medium pancakes.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Oh Fudge, I Miss Him Already

On Sunday night, we told Jack about a business trip Curt was taking this week. Only 2 nights, 3 days in Utah. I have been telling myself that it will be fun to have complete control of the remote for a change(once Jack is asleep) and that absence makes the heart grow fonder, etc. Jack was stoic about it on Sunday, so we both seemed to be home free from any emotional fallout.
Monday, Jack sang a different tune. After school, while eating a snack, he whined to me that he wouldn’t have anyone to play with since Dad was going to Utah. When I asked him about it, Jack worried about who would be there to play video games with him. I reminded him that I could play Mariokart, but that didn’t appease him at all. (I’m not that good, but better than Curt at this one game!) Since Jack doesn’t even play video games every day, I know he was just finding a way to express how he would miss his Dad.
Around the same hour, I started thinking of what treat I could make for Family Night (which we have every Monday night) and I remembered a recipe given to me five years ago that I had always meant to try. Any guesses which food group this sad blogger would choose from? Yes, that’s right, the chocolate one. We already had some vanilla ice cream in the freezer, so after dinner and our Family Night lesson, I dug out the Hot Fudge recipe. The giver of the recipe was a client of mine, who wanted to impart something of hers when our professional relationship had ended. Because it was a client, I can’t give you her name, of course. So I’m renaming it “Lonely Hearts Hot Fudge” in honor of Curt’s departure Tuesday. It turned out to taste very delicious, so that soothed the pain a bit. But the leftovers will make for a better welcome home celebration in a couple of days, don’t you think?
Recipe Note: This was given to me doubled of what I’ve written below. What I have written makes a full pint of fudge sauce, so that is more than plenty unless you have a very large crew or are making the sauce to give as gifts.
Lonely Hearts Hot Fudge
1/2 can (6 ounces) evaporated milk
1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/2 c sugar
2 heaping Tbsp cocoa
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
Melt butter in double boiler over low-med heat. Add cocoa and mix in well. Add sugar and stir well. Add milk and vanilla. Heat slowly to thicken, stirring very frequently. (Mine didn’t thicken to a commercial brand thickness, but did thicken enough for my taste. See photos below. I made a makeshift double boiler with my new cookware and did fine.) Cool slightly (it will thicken a little more as it cools) before serving as an ice cream topper.

The finished product!

Call the Cooking Police, I’m Stuck in the Sixties!

Does this cookbook offend you? Do you think cooking from labels of cans and bottles is wrong? I met one cook who thought it was cheap to cook like this, almost like cheating. The idea being that a ‘real’ cook used only pure ingredients, not something vulgar like ketchup.
I am not so pristine in the kitchen. Cooking from a cookbook like this for me is okay because, and only because, some of the food is quite yummy. It is also familiar. It is an extension of my early years, the formative ones.
I’m from the tail end of the baby boomers, born in the early sixties. Our moms managed their meals carefully while in abundant times when their pantries were stocked with canned goods. They proudly exchanged recipes like the ones in this book, as if finding a new use for something they already have on hand marked a resourceful, clever cook. I don’t remember any of my neighbors being known for being gourmet cooks in our



little corner of suburbia, but there were many successful cooks who always had hot, ample meals waiting for the family at the end of a day. (First photo, my 6th birthday, July 1968, second photo, with friends Dean and Bobby, 1970.)
Fast forward to today. Using fresher, organic ingredients is what’s in style. Haven’t we all heard that we need to shop only on the outside walls of the supermarket, where the fresh produce, dairy, meat and bread are? We all know what we should do. However, we buy fast and frozen food like never before due to time crunches and maybe even boredom. Can we instead glean ideas from the past to make our meals more satisfying, sort of a trans-generational mix of healthy meets comfort and ease? (In the current economic climate, we may have to.)
And a cookbook like this already tells you what was best from the past. I personally use about four dinner recipes from this book. But I’ve adapted them a bit to suit what we now know is healthier. I have found that the salt measurements in these recipes are much too high for our modern taste buds and health practices, so I lower them. I adjust some of the more fattening ingredients. I make sure to use goods with no MSG. I use healthier oil, like olive oil.
I recently found out that Curt was bragging at work about one of the meals I make from this book, quick Chinese pepper steak. (The fact that he even mentioned one of my meals to them made me smile. Call me dependent…but that’s another posting soon.) So, I sent the recipe in. Several of his co-workers, including men who do the cooking, have reportedly prepared it. They all gave very positive feedback, including that it’s very easy and simple yet quite tasty. I’ve listed the recipe below, with adjustments to the amount and type of soy sauce and also the type of oil. Also, I’ve not been able to find Ehler’s brand of Au Jus seasoning (does it still exist?,) but have found two or three brands available.
So what if you occasionally feel like you’re in an episode of Leave It To Beaver while you’re eating dinner? I’m sure June Cleaver was a great cook.

cooking in wok

   served over steamed rice

Quick Chinese Pepper Steak

(adapted from Best Recipes From the backs of Boxes, Bottles, Cans and Jars)

1 lb. round steak, cut into 1/2 inch strips

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 medium onion, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced

1 envelope Ehler’s Au Jus Gravy Mix

3/4 c water

2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce

1/2 tsp ground ginger

3 c hot cooked rice

Cook meat, onion and pepper in skillet in hot oil until meat is browned. Stir in remaining ingredients except rice. Cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve over rice. Makes 4 servings.