Doldrums

And I’m not even referring to my lack of blogging lately! It’s my cooking that is suffering greatly. Everything tastes the same! And I’m lacking imagination to come up with something palate-pleasing. My palate hasn’t been pleased in a while.
I have a whack of cookbooks, but not as many as some people I know. And still I am flummoxed when considering what to make for supper.  Am I the only one with this strange condition? I think it’s related to the  ‘I Have A Whole Closet Full Of Clothes But Nothing To Wear!!’ Syndrome. In fact, I think those two often rear their ugly heads together.
So..if you could only keep ONE cookbook in your home (and it couldn’t be online!), which would it be? Oh, and if you have a favorite supper recipe, feel free to share   that, too! I might get inspired!

The Diversion

After several sweltering days in the sun, the hot air rose and the cool air and rainclouds flooded in with a vengeance last night. It’s hard to believe it could be so cool and rainy today after the summery weather we’ve experienced. I didn’t mind the cooler weather, though,  because I decided it was time to clean the house from top to bottom. The dusting-wiping walls-cleaning bathrooms-rearranging furniture -vacuuming type of cleaning that cannot be done if the outdoors are calling.
What I did not expect was my dear friend to call. “Wanna bake a real lemon meringue pie with me today?”. She had read my earlier post about baking and this motivated her to want to bake a REAL lemon meringue pie for the company she is having tomorrow. And I LOVE lemon pie (which you already know).
I rarely bake this type of pie totally from scratch. Yes, I make the crust, but I usually buy a packet to make the lemon filling with . It’s just faster (or so I’ve been led to believe) and I’m just lazy sometimes.
How could I say no to having my friend over for an impromptu visit? So, I dropped the cleaning gear when she arrived after lunch. The pictures say it all..
Oops.. we were having such a great time, we forgot to separate the eggs. (Angie will be having scrambled eggs for breakfast tomorrow!)..

Look at the color of that filling! Almost orange (very deep yellow Omega 3 egg yolks were used)..

We substituted agave sweetener (from the cactus plant) for 1/2 the sugar…

Fillin’ up the prebaked pie shells with that lemony goodness..

We added cornstarch to the egg whites. They became thick and fluffy. Unfortunately, amid all the  excitement, I beat them a bit too  much, so they lost their silkiness.

It won’t affect the taste, though!  Here they are, ready for the oven..

The topping is browned to perfection, we agreed..

Angie promises to save me a piece. From the spoonful of filling I sampled, it was luscious… not too sweet, extremely lemony.
Turns out, it doesn’t really take much more time than using a package. So much better to be cooking with REAL ingredients – real lemons – well, I ain’t goin’ back to the package no more!
Oh, btw, the filling is from this wonderful site.

A Yummy Mistake

Speaking of distractions, the other day I was busy in the kitchen baking a lemon pie for Father’s Day. ( Lemon pie is the Dessert of Choice around here.) As I was reading the directions, I was also listening to an audiobook from the library – trying to focus on two things at once. Not a good thing, most of the time. We all do know that multi-tasking is actually less efficient than once believed, right?
So, there I was dropping eggs into the pan of lemon mixture heating up on the stovetop, intently gleaning information from the CD. Then I realized I had forgotten to separate the egg yolks from the egg whites! Too late. I decided it couldn’t do much harm, so I continued on. I’d have to  separate 4 more eggs in order to make egg white topping, which was unfortunate. Four lonely egg yolks with no apparent purpose in life now sit in a prep bowl in my fridge.
I continued preparing the pie filling, filled the baked pie crusts, added the peaked, fluffy egg white topping, and browned it in the oven. It sat for most of the day.
Supper was served. Full bellies rested. Dessert was served.
Everyone raved and said it was one of the best lemon pies I’ve baked.  Extra good. Could it be that the egg yolks made the difference? Who knew?
I think I may repeat that same mistake next time!

Sabotage

So, Dave brought home a ‘thank you’ gift from his boss’s wife, whom he helped with her computer problems the other day. This gift was the most yummy, decadent, flavorful plate of brownies I have ever had the pleasure of tasting! There was a secret to them and I wanted NEEDED to know it. So, he asked her the next day and today I got a lovely note from her telling me that the secret to these soft, moist, chewy brownies was CARAMILK BARS – 3-4 of them for an 8x8 pan of brownies, distributed between the 2 layers of brownie batter and then baked as per the recipe.
I remembered I had a ‘brownies in a jar’ mixture sitting on my kitchen shelf. Time to try out this recipe. I sent one of my beloved to the corner store for a couple of chocolate bars (only 2, though) and quickly prepared the batter. I layered the Caramilk pieces.
Now the brownies are baking in my oven.
I’ve been trying to eat healthy lately (within reason) and this also means avoiding after-dinner snacking.
And then I go and do this.
WHAT HAVE I DONE?!! 
P.S. I’ll let you know how they turn out.

I ain’t gonna lie

I ate the WHOLE thing.
Let me begin by saying that I have been VERY good lately, watching my sugar intake, upping the vegetables, cutting out breads, and just saying NO to sweet lattes.
But tonight, I blew it.
It’s been one of those days when the flesh is weak. Ever had one of those days?
No one was  home except me (for at least another hour). I remembered the Breyer’s icecream sitting in the freezer compartment. Unopened. Sort of hidden (not like I did that on purpose or anything).
I had to choose between the tiny bowl and the cereal bowl. The big one won out.
One little scoop, or three. Ummm… three.
Chocolate sauce? check.
Scoop of homemade raspberry jam? check.
Whip Cream topping ? Why not? check.
Yes, it tasted very scrumptious.
Will I ever do this again?
You bet.
In the near future?
Hopefully not.

Food

Ah…food! We are so blessed to live in a place where we can actually choose what to eat each day. 
This past month, I’ve been attempting to cook a variety of main dishes (never replicating the same recipe twice), and I guess I’ve done okay. I guess if you want to get picky about it, I did make pizza twice, but one was deep dish and the other wasn’t, so technically I’m okay, right?
I’ve learned that I actually ENJOY trying new dishes. I get really tired of the same ol’ same ol’. Yes, it takes a little more energy and planning to search my favorite food blogs, magazines, or cookbooks  for the recipe, but it’s worth it… IF the dish is well received.
I live in a somewhat picky- eater household for the most part. Actually, I’d say Jill and I are definitely the most adventurous. Others may eat anything I serve, but I can tell they way they chew their food, they aren’t always enjoying it. And still others like to  critique each dish that graces their presence. All done very carefully, mind you. After all, they know where their next meal is coming from!   No names, of course. Never.  Oh, I should add that some of the comments are positive. ;)   I do get “Mmmmm..mmm..good stuff, Mom!” now and then.. (music to the ears).
A few weeks ago, #1 son and I did the Big Cook together. Well, HE did the shopping, then came over, and WE cooked up 3 different meals, doubled… so that meant 6 dinners… and for a single guy, that’s 6 suppers plus at least 1 or 2 leftover meals. I kept one lasagne, and he took the rest home to throw into his freezer. It was a successful experience, and I’m sure we’ll do it again. 
A few more days and I will have  accomplished  my January  goal!

The Progressive Woman Cooks…

..Pioneer Woman’s recipe…. Fancy Macaroni
One word….no, THREE WORDS….yummy!…..comforting! …rich!
If you like macaroni casserole, but want something tastier, smoother, cheesier,  more satisfying….. you must try this…


I found it here. I dare you.

Oh, the joy of yummy food!

One of the pleasures I experienced this Christmas season was that there was so much good baking in this house, and yet I was not stressed over baking it all.
Because my talented daughter did so much of it.


 
And she always puts the extra effort in to make it top notch.
Am I not a woman to be envied?

Comfort Food

Tonight was a good night for this. I thought of eating it right out of the container, but the other 3 ice cream lovers home at the time  probably wouldn’t have been pleased.

It won't be Thanksgiving without..

pumpkin something or other. I feel deep pity for those who do not like pumpkin. Pumpkin pie with whipped cream has got to be a heavenly dessert.

Last Sunday I had a pumpkin spice latte, made by the very able barista at church.. It was so scrumptious, especially topped with whipped cream

So.. dear daughter emailed me (that's how we communicate in our house) this recipe, which we are going to make this weekend sometime.

Why don't you try it, too, and let me know if you enjoyed it? You may end up with a perpetual smile on your face.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe


Ingredients:

2 cups milk (your choice – skim, 1%, 2%, whole, soy, etc.)

2 tablespoons canned pumpkin OR 1 teaspoon of Torani Pumpkin Spice Syrup (your choice)

1 or 2 tablespoons sugar or sugar substitute

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1-2 shots espresso (about 1/4 cup of espresso or 2/3 cup of very strong brewed coffee if you don’t have an espresso machine.)

Method:

In a saucepan combine milk, pumpkin and sugar and cook on medium heat, stirring, until steaming. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and spice, transfer to a blender and process for 15 seconds until foamy. If you don’t have a blender, don’t worry about it – just whisk the mixture really well with a wire whisk.

Pour into a large mug or two mugs. Add the espresso on top.

Optional: Top with whipped cream and sprinkle pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, or cinnamon on top.

Ali’s Tip:

For the almond-lovers out there, try substituting almond extract instead of vanilla in this sometime. Yum!!

A Thanksgiving shout-out goes to:

http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/pumpkin-spice-latte/

One a day keeps the .....?

Three a day (within 3 minutes) ..... makes me feel slightly sick. But it was worth it. :)