pleased as punch...

I am officially back - just 88 posts and 158 re-edited and re-uploaded photos later! What better way to celebrate than a welcome back party! I thought we could start with some punch - so here is a little [quick & easy] recipe for you that I slightly adapted from one I found in Kraft Food and Family magazine. Be on the lookout for more additions to the party this week - including some gifts :D

[click on the picture for a bigger view]

Like the felt party hats? They are available from Modern Lola in stripes & polka dots! The kawaii faces are by iKyr over on deviant art.

PS: this post had to be on the 'picture light' side as I am currently at 99% of my flickr capacity for this month...

cold day / warm soup...

I haven't shared a recipe lately, so I thought this might be a good time of year to share a hearty soup. This is super simple [my favorite kind of recipe] and involves few pots and pans [can it get any better] and it is almost better the next day as leftovers [don't pass out on me :] Our oh-so generous boss has given us a turkey breast for Thanksgiving the last several years and this is a wonderful way to use it. You can use cooked chicken, I'm sure it would be just as scrumptious! The hubby says that you know a soup is good when it prominently features 'exploded rice' - the rice is dropped into boiling water and then simmers for a long time, when it soaks up all that broth it... well... explodes for lack of a more culinary word.
Without more wordiness, here is the recipe:
Turkey [or Chicken] and Rice Soup
makes 12 cups

:ingredients:
2 c turkey or chicken, cooked & cubed
1 c carrots, chopped
1 c celery, chopped
1/2 c onion, diced
2 Tbsp dried parsley
3 Tbsp chicken bouillon [if using cubes, enough for 10 c water]
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
3/4 c rice
10 c water

:directions:
Bring water to a boil; add bouillon
Put all other ingredients in; bring to a boil
Cover & simmer for 45 minutes

note: this soup works wonders to combat the bajillion inches of snow we have seen this winter in Ohio [and the rest of the northeast]

yummy in my tummy...

This year’s all-gals Christmas party was a hit – Jordan and I served up a yummy dinner. I love these little muffins/biscuits. They are made using a slightly altered version of a recipe in the Kitchen Aid cookbook that came with my stand mixer. Thought I’d share…

Cheddar Herb Muffins
Yields: 24 mini muffins or 12 regular muffins
• 1 C buttermilk
• 1/3 C butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 C flour
• 1 C shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp thyme
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
→ Place buttermilk, butter, and eggs in mixer bowl. Mix on medium speed for one minute. Stop and scrape bowl. Combine flour, cheese, sugar, baking powder, herbs, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Turn to low speed and add flour mixture, mixing just until moistened, about 30 seconds. Be careful not to overbeat.
→ Fill greased muffin pans 2/3 full. Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes. Serve warm.

yum.

kitchen chemistry...

In college, my favorite courses were always connected to food science. From nutrition & wellness to how acids change the structure of meats (heatless cooking) - I love the thought of 'daily' life interacting with the scientific. My latest project brought a touch of the chem lab into my kitchen... My new (and first) spice rack!

I purchased the test tubes and corks on etsy. I printed labels out using the avery circle template (free on their website) and used a circle paper punch to cut them down to size. Then I used some trusty mod-podge to attach the labels to circles of scrapbooking papers.

I was so excited to win a test tube holder on ebay (only $9.99) and SO disappointed when my test tubes were too big! Nevertheless, I persevered; cutting out the wire frame work and creating a new one. Certainly not as nice as the original commercial made one - but all of my spices fit!

momma mia...

Feeling in an ever so 'bakey' (the culinary version of crafty) mood, I put together some homemade pizza crusts. There is something about making a recipe with yeast in it that, well, makes me feel like a true baker. As if somehow I am back in the 'olden' days, REALLY cooking from scratch. Pizza night was a fun-filled evening, complete with card games. I made a traditional pepperoni and cheese and one tomato basil pizza. What can be better than vegetables fresh from your garden - vegetables fresh from your neighbors garden. All the joy without the back breaking work. A little bit of garden poaching happening here. These beauties are from the neighbors raised bed - how nice she is to share! Green beans from Royce & Marlene's garden. I was so excited - a whole grocery bag of green beans to snap!

popover perfection...

Feeling in a 'bakey' mood, I decided to test out my latest kitchen gadget: a popover pan! Normally I wouldn't have purchased such a one-trick-pony, but for $1 at the Hospice garage sale, I had to give it a try.

A popover is a quick bread with no yeast and a minimal time commitment (hence the name 'quick'). As they rise in the oven to double their original size, they develop lots of air bubbles - leaving holes. Best served warm with a dollup of butter (yum). My darling hubby arrived just in time to enjoy them hot out of the oven. Perfect when you have (1) only a few ingredients on hand, (2) only a little bit of prep time, (3) don't like to do many dishes, and (4) love bread with dinner! :Recipe:

-ingredients-
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt

-directions-
heat oven to 450°
grease popover pans very well
beat eggs slightly
beat in flour, milk, & salt - beat just until smooth, do not overbeat
fill popover pan 1/2 full bake 18 minutes
reduce oven temp to 350°
bake 8 more minutes
remove from pan
note: you can also use 6oz custard cups or experiment with muffin pans


The recipe is from recipezaar - a great site if you haven't tried it out yet.

temptation island...

OK - so this isn't a craft, a recipe, or even a decorating tip - it is just a confession. I probably haven't partaken of 'regular' soda in several years, but today the cheerwine in the fridge was calling my name and I just couldn't take it anymore. So, today for lunch I had chips and cheerwine - so delicious!

If you don't know cheerwine, you should! It is produced (and almost exclusively distributed) in North Carolina. One of our kid's had relatives in from the Carolinas and he brought a case of it to Campaigners. (Thanks Skippy!) Cheerwine is like a more cherry-ey tasting cherry Dr. Pepper. Oh, and it is completely non-alcoholic :0)

please no 'corny' jokes...

To me, nothing says summer like grilling. There is something about cooking (and eating) outdoors that lets you know that this is a special season. I'm sure it didn't matter as much to our caveman ancestors who probably cooked and ate outside ALOT more than they would have liked. Another sign of the season is corn on the cob. Not creamed or in a can, just delicious! We recently enjoyed a fresh tank of propane (by that I mean we used the grill not drank/inhaled the propane) by grilling some corn on the cob. It was so delicious you didn't even need to butter or salt it! I imagine there are a million and one variations that you could try, here is the recipe we loved:

Grilled Corn on the Cob
*Ingredients*
1/3 C Butter
1 1/2t Ground Cumin
1 1/2t Chilli Powder
2 Cloves Minced Garlic
12 Ears Sweet Corn (still in the husk)
Kitchen String

*Directions*
Soak the corn in the husks and the kitchen string for 20-25 minutes. Pull back the husks without taking them off; remove all of the silk. Mix all of the remaining ingredients together. Spread butter over each ear of corn and then gently pull the husks back up. Tie each ear with the kitchen string.Put them on a medium heat grill for about 20 minutes. They will need to be turned often and the lid to the grill should be closed when possible. To check for doneness: the husks will be blackened and the corn will be tender.

Like this recipe? We got it from the Gooseberry Patch cookbook Summer in the Country (thanks Nicole!)