Merrrrrrrry Christmas!

Soooooo, I know it's been a long time since I've had a post.  And for those of you who follow my blog (hi mom and dad!) I'm sorry.  I've been super busy with work and just haven't had much time to cook let alone write on my blog!  But I have some free time coming up (hopefully) and a bunch of recipes to share plus two new foster kitties (ahhhhh!)  so I promise to post more often.  In fact I'll just go ahead and make it my New Year's resolution!  So we'll see how long that lasts.  :)

But anyhoo, enough about me.  I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Peeeeaaaahhhh Buuuuuhhhhhh! (mouth full of peanut butter)

I've been craving peanut butter a lot lately. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, bumbs on a log minus the bumps (eww raisens), peanut butter and crackers, peanut butter straight from the jar (shhh don't tell.) So when I had the urge to make cookies the other day peanut butter cookies were a no brainer. And I found this recipe that includes oatmeal so that means it's healthy! Right?

Here's what you'll need: peanut butter (duh), butter, flour, oats, white and brown sugar, baking soda, salt, honey, an egg, and vanilla extract.

Mix together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl beat together peanut butter, butter, sugars, honey, egg and vanilla until well blended and nice and creamy. Stir in the dry ingredients in 2 batches. Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes until it is firm.

Form the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and roll in sugar. Place them on a large baking sheet and smush down a little bit. Yes smush is a technical term. You can do the traditional criss cross with a fork, or you can roll like me and top with some extra peanuts. I happened to have honey roasted in my pantry.

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until puffed and beginning to brown. Cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. If you can wait that long that is. (I couldn't.)

Mmmmmm, stacks of cookies.


Peanut Butter Cookies
adapted from epicurious.com

1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup old-fashioned chunky peanut butter (about 9 ounces)
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup honey
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
The epicurious recipe also included 5 ounces semisweet chocolate coarsely chopped or chips, which I would have added if I had it on hand. But I didn't :(

I think I'm gonna stop rewriting the directions for recipes down here because I think I cover them pretty well with the photos and I'm lazy. If the directions are complex I might do them, but otherwise let me know if you need more step by step instructions. Peace!

A Bowl of Bolognese

So I know it's been a while since I've posted a recipe on here. It's actually been awhile since I've had time to cook! But I had some spare time the other day and I thought a nice pasta dish would be lovely. (I always think a nice pasta dish would be lovely.) But I also wanted to try to work some veggies and fiber into my dinner so I decided on a rich, hearty bolognese sauce. Plus I had lots of celery in my fridge, so, perfect!

There's lots of different ways to make tomato sauce. Marinara is usually just tomatoes cooked down with some basil and garlic. I usually just do a quick sauce with some onions thrown in too. But this sauce is special and requires a little thinking ahead because the longer it simmers the better it gets! Lets make it!

You will need 2 pounds of ground meat (I used beef you could also use any combination of pork, veal, turkey, wild boar, use your imagination!), celery, carrots, garlic, onion, milk (yes milk), red wine, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and thyme.

Chop the veggies in a small dice (you could use a food processor) and saute in olive oil. I also added some butter cause that's how I roll but it's not required. Be sure to salt the veggies to draw out the water and flavor. When the veggies are soft add the garlic and thyme. Mmm, kinda smells like Thanksgiving at this point.

Add the ground meat and break up into little bits. When the meat is cooked add in milk and simmer to reduce. I read that the milk is important because it protects the meat from the acidity of the wine. Speaking of which, when the milk is reduced by half add in the wine!

When the wine has reduced by half add in the tomato paste and crushed tomatoes. Thin out the mixture with chicken stock or water. Add salt and pepper to taste but not too much because as the sauce reduces the flavors will grow. Now here is the important part. The sauce needs to simmer for AT LEAST an hour. An hour and a half to two hours is even better. So go watch some TV, maybe catch up on some yardwork or gardening, pay your bills, you got time!

Your patience will be rewarded with a thick, rich, meaty sauce that's a little bit sweet from the tomatoes and carrots. Serve over your favorite pasta. I used some linguine which was a good choice as this is a hearty sauce. Enjoy!

Bolognese Sauce
Adapted from epicurious.com

2 pounds ground meat
2 large carrots
4 ribs celery
2 onions
4-6 cloves garlic
1 cup milk
1 cup red wine
1 can tomato paste
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 cup water or chicken stock
1 tablespoon thyme
Salt and pepper (the recipe I used said 1 1/4 teaspoons salt but I added way more than that. Salt is pretty subjective so just taste as you go along!)

Finely dice carrots, celery, and onions and saute in olive oil with a sprinkle of salt. When veggies are soft add in finely chopped garlic. (I use a grater.) Add in thyme. Add in meat and break up into little pieces. When meat is cooked add milk and reduce to about half. Then add in red wine and reduce that by half as well. Stir in tomato paste, crushed tomatoes and chicken stock. Salt and paper to taste. Simmer over medium low heat for at least one hour. Serve with your favorite pasta.

Adoption Day

Yesterday was adoption day at the PetsMart in Euless for the Alley Cat Angels, and I stopped by for a little while to meet some more members of the group and take more photos of the kitties. There were all new kitties there today as Ophelia, Krissi, Andy & Randy got taken back home with their fosters and Mandy was picked up by her new family! So here are some of the photos I took, all the kitties are so sweet! As always find out more about this kitties and Alley Cat Angels at their website www.alleycatangels.org

This is Sean & Brendan, they are about 2 months apart and from the same litter. The baby, Sean is a little on the small side, but is super playful.

Say hello to Spot, Mittens and Smokey! These sisters have the most silky super soft fur!

This handsome cat is Sneakers. He's a little cautious, but purrs mightily when you pet him.

This is Misty, isn't she beautiful? She's shy, but once she warms up to you she'll be very affectionate.

And this is Letty. She's new to the organization, so let's find her a new home soon!

And since I can't take just one photo of each cat, here are some more for you to enjoy!

Kitties just go crazy for the feathers!

Alley Cat Angels

Today I started volunteering with the Alley Cat Angels, a cat rescue operation here in the DFW area. My job is to clean cages every Monday. Glamorous, I know, but on the plus side I get to play with the kitties that are staying there! I brought along my camera to get a few shots of them. Expect to see a lot more kitty photos on here as new ones come in. And if you're interested in adopting a kitty friend for yourself, Alley Cat Angels have adoption days at the Petsmart in Euless every second and fourth Saturday. I'll be there this Saturday, taking more photos and meeting all the kitties. Stay tuned!

These are either Andy, Randy or Mandy, they're siblings and look alike! Aren't they precious? They were ready to play as soon as they were let out of the cage, and weren't too happy about being put back in. They started climbing on the cage and one fell into their food bowl! Of course then they had to be let out again so we could clean that up. I think that was their plan all along, sneaky sneaky.

This is Ophelia, a beautiful long haired lady. She's a little shy, but once you pick her up her motor starts running!

And here's Krissy. Her coloring is kind of reverse skunk, white all over with a black stripe down here back! Very unusual. She's a sweety too.

More photos just cause! If you'd like to learn more about this organization, the kitties, adoption, or volunteering please visit their website at www.alleycatangels.org

Movie and a Nom: Slumdog and Samosas

Hey Hey! I'm starting a new segment on my blog called Movie and a Nom. Yeah it's pretty much what it sounds like, I'll watch a movie and make a nom to go along with it. First up is Slumdog Millionaire and my lazy Samosas.

I love Indian food and always order samosas when I eat out. So I thought I'd try making them at home! Unfortunately, while I may make an awesome pie crust I kinda stink at making other pastry doughs and breads. One time I tried empanadas and it was not pretty. So to make it easier on myself I used frozen puff pastry sheets instead.

I thought they turned out great! Like a savory, spicy turnover. Mmmm. The pastry was buttery and flaky and the filling of potatoes, peas and spices was exactly like in restaurants.

As for the movie, I thought it was good but not great. I feel like I've been hearing for so long now about how awesome and wonderful the movie is that it was kind of a let down for myself. I can't quite put my finger on why I didn't think it was a great as everyone said but let's just say it didn't change my life. While I don't think I'll watch this movie again, I will definitely be making these samosas many many times.

Here's the recipe if you'd like to make them yourself:

Lazy Samosas
adapted from epicurious.com

1 package frozen Puff Pastry, defrosted
2 medium potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled
1/2 bunch green onions (white and green parts), chopped
1 fresh green chiles, such as jalapeños, seeded and minced (optional)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chile powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup frozen peas, defrosted (more if you really like peas, which I do!)

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and cool, then finely dice. Mix potatoes with rest of ingredients (except the puff pastry silly) and mash lightly to help bind together. Take one sheet of puff pastry and place on floured surface. Pinch together seams on both sides and then roll out a little bit, to about 12 inch x 12 inch square. With a pizza cutter cut pastry into quarters. Put about 1/2 cup of filling on each quarter and brush sides with a little egg wash. Bring the corners of each square together in the middle and pinch the edges together to seal in the filling. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with other sheet of puff pastry. Brush samosas with egg wash and bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes, or untle samosas are golden brown.

And now I'll leave you with a few more photos of golden deliciousness.

How Very British!

I'm a bit of an anglophile. I love British humor (humour), British TV shows, British cars, and of course British accents. The food is a little hit or miss though. Fish and chips - hit! Steak and kidney pie - miss. Shepherd's pie - hit! Blood sausage - miss. You get the idea. But a huge hit in my book is the scone! Crumbly and buttery, it hits the spot for afternoon tea, breakfast, a midnight snack, lunch, dinner, mid morning snack, mid afternoon snack, whenever!

Here's what you'll need: flour, baking powder, butter, sugar, cream, salt, an egg and some type of add ins. I used craisins and pecans but you could also use chocolate chips, currants or other dried fruits, any type of nut, or orange zest. You are only limited by your imagination!

Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut the cold butter into chunks and work into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender, fork or your fingers. Work the butter in until the mixture is crumbly. Mix together cream and egg and pour into flour and butter mixture. Mix until dough is moistened and comes together. Stir in dry fruits and nuts.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and pat into a rectangle. Using a pizza cutter, cut into wedges. (You could also cut them in circles like biscuits.) Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush with beaten egg white wash. Sprinkle with some sugar if you'd like.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

Mmmmmm. Perfect with a cup of tea. Or coffee, or milk, or orange juice, or a soda, or a beer, or a nothing at all, or you get the idea. Enjoy!

Cream Scones
recipe courtesy of my friend Nathania

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup cream
1 egg well beaten
1/2 - 1 cup (depending on what you like) of craisins or other dried fruit, nuts, etc

Combine flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a bowl. Cut in the butter
with a pastry blender, or rub in with fingertips (Cut cold butter into bits
then blend in with fingers.) Mix in egg and cream with fork. Stir in craisins.
Turn dough out on a lightly floured board, and pat out in a rectangle about one
half inch thick. Cut in wedges. Brush tops with slightly beaten egg white and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

The Search For The Perfect ... Brownie

There are lots of different ways to make lots of different foods, so I thought I'd take it upon myself to try different variations of some of my favorite foods to try to find the PERFECT one. And what better place to start than with brownies?

Looking in my pantry today, my sweet tooth started itching and unfortunately there was nothing in there to scratch it. A box of unsweetened chocolate caught my eye and I immediately thought, oooooo brownies! So I turned to my trusty computer to find a recipe and was dismayed when 100 different variations popped up, all with different ingredients. Unsweetened chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, or cocoa powder? White or brown sugar? Walnuts or pecans? Mocha? Mint? Cheesecake? Ahhhhhhhhhh! So I thought I'd start with the most basic of basic recipes, the one on the back of my Baker's chocolate box. Here's what it said:

For the ingredients: Unsweetened chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs, flour and vanilla.

In a microwave safe dish heat the butter and chocolate on high for 2 minutes, or until the chocolate is melted. Remove from the microwave and stir until chocolate is melted. Let it cool a little bit. Yes, those are photos of a bowl of chocolate and butter. What else do you need in life?

Mix the sugar in with the chocolate, then add the eggs and vanilla. Be careful not to scramble the eggs if your chocolate is still warm. Add in the flour and stir. (I also added a pinch of salt because I used unsalted butter.) Pour the batter into a 9x13 inch pan lined with foil and sprayed with oil. An easy way to line your pan is to fit the foil on the bottom of the pan first before setting it in the inside. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with fudgy crumbs. Do not overbake!

Cool the brownies before slicing. To slice, pull the brownies out of the pan using the foil. Since these brownies are pretty moist I found the easiest way to cut them is with a pizza cutter. Cut the brownies in big or small pieces depending on how much you want to indulge in. :)

Mmmmm, nothing beats a warm brownie. Except maybe a warm brownie with a scoop of ice cream on top. Overall this was a pretty good recipe for a standard brownie. Nice and moist, chewy, with that light crust on top. And the ingredients are pretty basic, so as long as you have the chocolate they're a snap to make. (Pretty instant gratification as far as baking goes.) I like a deeper chocolate flavor though, so I guess the search will continue. But it was a delicious start!

Chocolate Brownies
recipe courtesy of Baker's Chocolate

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 sticks of butter or margarine (3/4 cup)
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
(A pinch of salt if you use unsalted butter)

In a microwave heat chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl for 2 minutes on high or until butter is melted. Remove the bowl and stir until the chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, stir and be sure not to scramble the eggs. Stir in flour (and salt). Pour batter into a 9x13 pan lined with foil and greased. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until just set and a toothpick comes out with fudgy crumbs. Cool and enjoy!

For the purposes of this search I will not be changing any of the recipes I try. But that doesn't mean you can't! Feel free to add in nuts or different flavorings.