She's Baaaack!

So I'm back at the frat. I don't want to be back at the frat. I really dislike that I'm back at the frat. It isn't better. It's actually worse. There's no internet. What am I supposed to do with my time if I can't look up mindless drivel and play Wordworm? Of course, there's already been drama. They couldn't decide when I started, and then they couldn't decide how often I was working. And of course they didn't know how many people were eating when (and they still don't), and they weren't terribly sure what the budget was. Oy... welcome back to work, right? The good news is, it might not be forever. I have an interview next week. Woot! But, I don't have the job in the bag yet. I'm only hoping... praying... wishing... crossing fingers, toes, eyes, the beams from my nuclear ghost-catching backpacks, etc. I would totally ask all of you to put in a good word for me at my (hopefully) future place of employment, but then I realized that you read my blog and probably think I'm insane. So, that might not be a good idea.

I did find something out about the boys; there are guys at the frat that like vegetables. They will actually take large helpings of all things green. I knew they existed! I'm even fairly sure they aren't just figments of my imagination. While hiding in the lounge (the kitchen gets to be over 100 in the summer, requiring me to find someplace cool) a couple guys came in and they actually requested that I cook more veggies like broccoli. Of course one of them also requested that I cook less pork. Eh, less pork is not a very viable option as the guys won't eat fish and there's only so much you can do with just chicken and beef on my budget. The new steward also informed me that the guys requested that I make mac and cheese once a week. They are going to get really sick of it really fast. Or maybe they won't, but I'm pretty sure I'll get sick of making it. Homemade mac and cheese is somewhat labor intensive; it requires a lot of steps. I also tend to burn myself on the cheese sauce pot every time I make it.

I've decided to make a change to the way I do the blog. It simply isn't feasible to put up a new recipe every day. So, I'll probably put up a recipe once or twice a week. I haven't decided if I'll still put up thoughts every day. I'm not sure you want to hear me babel that often. I'll have to think about it.

Torture: (v) 1. To inflict pain 2. To cause anguish 3. To sit in a room with a fresh out of the oven apple cobbler and vanilla ice cream in the freezer but not be allowed to eat it.

I made apple crisp today. If it tastes half as good as it smells than it turned out divine. I didn't really have a recipe for it (as per usual) so when I got groceries I just kinda grabbed what I thought I might need. I used to make apple crisp back in the long long ago when I worked at a grocery store deli in high school. I remembered making large trays of it using apple pie filling and making a sort of crumb crust on top. Well, I haven't been able to find any industrial-sized cans of apple pie filling and the little ones are expensive. So I decided to go ahead and make it from scratch. Yeah, I've lost my marbles, I know. It really didn't end up being all that hard to make. Sure, peeling 8-10 lbs of apples wasn't particularly fun, but I used a one of those little utensils that cores and slices the apple which cut the steps down considerable. The end result was a gooey apple filling with a lovely cinnamon-y crunchy top. (Ok... Ok, so I stole a bite...) Lucky for you I wrote down the ingredients I used and the amounts, so you can make it too.

Apple Crisp
Serves... probably about 8

For the Filling:
8 medium Granny Smith Apples, about 2 lbs
1/8 cup Lemon Juice
2 TBS Flour
½ cup Brown Sugar
½ tsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Allspice
¼ tsp Ginger
¼ tsp Nutmeg
¼ tsp Salt
½ cup Butter

For the Topping:
½ cup Flour
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Rolled Oats
1 tsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Nutmeg
½ cup Butter

Preheat the oven to 375. Grease a 9x13 pan. Peel, core and slice apples. Do not slice the apples too thin or they will disintegrate; slice the apples into 12ths or 16ths. In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Mix lemon juice and sugar mix with apples until they are well coated. Spread the apples evenly over the pan. Cut the butter into small pieces and dot the apples with it.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, oats, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cut the butter into small chunks and add to the oat mixture. Using your hands (or a pastry cutter), cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles small crumbs. Sprinkle crumbs evenly over apples. Bake for 15 minutes then turn the temperature down to 350 and back for another 30 minutes. Crust should be golden brown and the apples should be soft. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

The Cheese Incident, Part Deux

Lunch: Corn Dogs, Tater Tots and Fresh Veggies
Dinner: Chicken Stir Fry and Rice

So, did you all survive the time change? I did, but just barely. I remembered to set my alarm clock forward an hour and then promptly forgot to set the alarm. So I woke up this morning to the cat licking me (weird in and of itself because the cat never licks) only to find that if I hurried, I would still miss the bus and had just enough time to drive to work. Bah humbug! Oh well, I suppose it isn’t all bad as now I can go check out the new Goodwill by my sister’s. I’m a Goodwill junkie. I love shopping there especially when it’s in the swanky part of town because then I’m more likely to find good books. George (the cat) deserves a treat though, he’s saved me from many a morning disaster by waking me up. Good Mr. Kitty! Although, he frequently is guilty of aiding and abetting my lateness by being cute and cuddly in the mornings. Bad Mr. Kitty! (I honestly think he does it on purpose. He snuggles up close and purrs just at the moment when I know I can’t hit the snooze anymore and have to get up. How does he know?)

So… the cheese incident has come (hopefully) to a close. I received a letter of apology from each of the two perpetrators. I honestly wasn’t expecting such a courtesy. It ticked me off a bit when I found it mostly because I don’t like to be accused of mishandling the funds when I’m working so hard to be frugal and still create an appealing and diverse menu. After blowing off a little steam, I realized it was actually really funny. Who, other than a crunchy granola vegan, honestly complains about too much cheese? If I ever decide to do stand up comedy, you can bet this will be a part of my act. Perhaps I should thank them for being such a wonderful target of interest and ridicule for my blog (and imaginary future comedy career). I do like that the steward actually did something. It seems kind of novel to have someone effectual who is on your side (and not talking smack behind your back). Good Mr. Steward! It certainly does make my job here a little brighter.

Speaking of a little brighter, do you think I’m too dark? My dad (who has already let me know I will be receiving no letter of apology for this) thinks this blog is too dark. I’m not entirely sure what he means by this. I tried to get him to explain what he means by “dark” but he really couldn’t. Ok, sure I do have a rather sarcastic sense of humor, I’ll admit to that. (But, where could I have gotten that from DAD? Cough cough mumble mumble mumble) I’m not advocating the clubbing of baby seals nor am I (at least I think I’m not) woe-is-me-everything-is-horrible emo. I don’t do bright and bubbly. But, just a week ago he was posting on Facebook how funny he thought this blog is. Perhaps he’s just getting senile in his old age… (How’s that for dark?)

Here’s my latest whiteboard creation…



Thought you might like to know.

The following recipe is one I whipped up for an impromptu St. Patrick’s Day family get-together this past Saturday. I wanted to make something sugar free that was still tasty and St. Patrick’s Day themed as well as being relatively quick and easy to whip up. Not a small order. So, this is what I came up with. Sure, there are more sophisticated desserts out there, but this fit the what I was going for, and turned out tasty. (Although I did have to make a minor change from the one I actually made. Apparently, sugar-free cool whip doesn’t like to be mixed with Bailey’s).

Irish Cream Chocolate Trifle
serves 8

Sugar Free Angel Food Cake
1 small packet Sugar Free Instant Chocolate Pudding
4 cups Sugar Free Cool Whip, thawed
1/3 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream
1 ½ cup Skim Milk
Dark Chocolate Shavings or curls

Mix the pudding and the milk together and whip with a whisk for 2 minutes or until the pudding thickens. Fold in 1 cup of cool whip. Cut cake into thin slices. Dip half the slices into the Bailey’s so that the cake soaks up some of the liquid but doesn’t become too soggy. Arrange the slices on the bottom of a trifle bowl. Layer half of the chocolate pudding and half of the remaining whip cream over the cake. Repeat with remaining cake slices, pudding and whip cream. Top with dark chocolate shavings or curls. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly... and Cookies

Lunch: Beef and Bean Nachos
Dinner: “Beef Burgundy“, Buttered Noodles and Veggies
Dessert: Chocolate Chip Cookies

So, today I would like to talk about the good, the bad, the ugly and chocolate chip cookies.

The Good: Much to my great happiness, the old steward has stepped down. I was informed of this yesterday morning by the vice president of the frat; however, they had to vote on who would replace him so I had to hold off on my celebrations until I found out if it really was for the better. It was. My little brother’s big brother was voted in as steward and song leader last night (song leader? I don’t know; I didn’t want to ask). I’m happy about this change because this particular guy A. actually lives at the frat B. is actually on the meal plan and C. is one of the guys who regularly comes down to talk to me. He did send me an e-mail last night, after he was voted in, saying he was going to make sweeping changes. I’ll admit that made me a little nervous. However, the sweeping changes he’s planning on making involve keeping the kitchen cleaner and setting up a feedback system so I know whether or not the guys like particular meals. I’m a little skeptical about the feedback system. You must keep in mind these are college boys and while they are grateful for tasty food they are also very, very whiney. Feeding frat boys tends to be a damned if you do, damned if you don’t affair. But, at any rate he said he was going to be a hard a$$ about keeping the kitchen clean (hooray), set up better lines of communication and organization between me and the frat (hooray!) and see about funneling more money into the food budget (possible raise?).

The Bad: The much less organized treasurer let me know today that he screwed up on the budget. Rather than $370 a week… I only have $350, but then he thought he had told me $400 before so I suppose it could have been worse. Of course, it’s nearly halfway through the semester and these guys go to Tech, you’d think they’d have figured it out by now… Perhaps I should cut cookies out of the weekly budget.

The Ugly: Today on my way back down to the kitchen from the ladies room, I was accosted by one of the brothers carry a clear plastic bag. He grinned and said, “Look what I got!” and then turned the bag around to show me the contents. It was full of condoms, a lot of condoms. Yeah… I really didn’t know what to say to that. Again, there are some things I simply do not want to know and are much better not asking about.

Cookies: Rather than a recipe today, I thought I might give you a few tips on how to perfect chocolate chip cookie baking. Chocolate chip cookies are actually relatively easy to screw up. I’ve had my fair share of cookies that turned out too crumbly, that spread into pancake cookies, etc etc. Over the years of baking chocolate chip cookies, I’ve found a few tricks that help to make a nearly fool proof cookie.

First, I always use the traditional Toll House cookie recipe. This, I’ve found, is the best recipe with one tiny exception. I like cookies that are a healthy mix between crisp and chewy. With the traditional toll house cookie recipe, you tend to get a cookie that is crisp all the way through. I want one that is golden brown and buttery with crisp edges and a soft and chewy center (I don’t ask for much do I?) I achieve this by using half the amount of butter and substituting butter flavored vegetable shortening for the rest (you can find this in the baking section in convenient bars).

Second, the butter must be just the right temperature. Just like with pie crust, chocolate chip cookie dough is finicky about how warm or cold it is. If you use butter right out of the fridge, it won’t incorporate easily into your dough and you’ll end up with a worthless mess. Similarly, you can’t use melted or melty butter. If the butter is too soft, you will end up with a sticky gooey mess that won’t form into a stiff dough. While I know we’re all impatient, it is important to let your butter sit out until it is room temperature and soft but not melty. It shouldn’t fall apart when you remove the wrapper. It is the right temperature when you can easily cut off a slice and the slice doesn’t lose its shape, but you can then spread it across a piece of bread without destroying the bread. For the love of all that is baking, don’t try to soften your butter in the microwave. I promise you, it won’t turn out. (Sorry to be a butter Nazi, but… this is important to making perfect chocolate chip cookies) Also, you shouldn’t refrigerate your shortening unless you’re making pie crust with it, so it should already be room temperature.

Third: When your butter has reached the right consistency and you’ve made your dough (it should be a fairly stiff dough), stop what you’re doing. Don’t start attacking the dough with any spoon or scoops! Refrigerate it for the next 20-30 minutes. The friction from mixing it in the mixer will have warmed the butter enough to make the dough sticky. This is bad. Sticky dough leads to major cookie spreadage. Luckily, refrigerating it for a little while will cause the butter to set and make for a better dough. Also, if you’re making a lot of cookies and have to do several batches, be sure to keep the dough refrigerated between batches. You don’t want your dough getting sticky in a warm kitchen.

Fourth: What kind of sheet are you using? I don’t really like the dark, non stick cookie sheets as they tend to over bake the bottom of the cookie. A well seasoned baking stone works nice or one of those air cookie sheets. If you find you’re having trouble with the cookies sticking you might want to use parchment paper on your cookie sheet. Parchment is also an excellent tool if you’re going to be reusing cookie sheets. While one batch is baking, you can set up the next batch on some parchment paper. At work I don’t have any of these things. I only have some old, industrial sized baking sheets and foil. So even though the recipe tells you that you don’t need it, I lightly butter the foil to keep the cookies from sticking. The emphasis is on lightly. To do this I use the wrapper the butter came in and just give the foil a good wipe with this. You can also use the wrapper from the shortening just keep it very, very light.

Fifth: Before you put those cookies in the oven you want to make sure your oven is completely preheated. Again, impatience leads to bad cookies. You want the oven nice and hot and the dough nice and cool because that will help prevent cookie spreadage. Your cookie will be done when it is golden brown and the edges are defined but the center is still soft. Let the cookies sit on the pan until the pan is just cool enough to touch. If you try to remove the cookies too soon, they’ll just fall apart. (Although, I do like to eat a piping hot, falling apart chocolate chip cookie…). You can then carefully move them to some cookie racks (which I don’t like) or you can let them cool on some parchment or foil laid out on a table. You want your cookies to be completely cooled before you try to box them up or stack them. If you put them away still warm, they tend to crumble and mush into each other and then you have a box of cookie mess.

So… those are my tips for making perfect chocolate chip cookies.

Opa!

Part of me loves lazy days, and part of me hates them. I love lazy days at home because they give me a chance to catch up on things I’ve been meaning to do, like the dishes. But I hate them because I simply can’t seem to get anything done on lazy days; I’m too busy doing nothing. I feel like I have a day off and I should get to sit on the couch all day and watch cheesy movies. On some lazy days it feels like I’ve accomplished something if I’ve taken a shower. So, I decided I needed to break my couch-potatoness and I walked the dog. Not only that, I showered. Hooray for me! If I’m feeling extra vigorous later, I might actually go through all of the stuff we brought back from our trip down to Fitzgerald and put it away/ wash it. Our going away bags and all the lovely presents we received are still sitting on the couch where we dropped them on arriving home Sunday afternoon.

I mentioned earlier that I walked the dog. In case you’re wondering what he looks like, this is Indie:

Indie is short for Indiana (as in Indiana Jones). Unlike his namesake, he is not brave and adventurous. In fact he’s terrified of just about everything and everyone. Or at least everyone until he’s in the room with them for about two hours (they must, of course, be completely ignoring him, even when he comes up for a stealth sniff and lick) after those two hours, you are his friend for life. He is sweet and loveable, goofy and while he can be very smart, he’s mostly pretty stupid. I can say that because I love him. He is a real-life version of Pluto, you know Mickey Mouse’s dog. He’s clumsy and silly. He thinks he’s actually a little dog. He will try to get in laps. Here is trying to be a little dog:

This means “pet my tummy”:

“Please pet my tummy”:

This position usually is accompanied by a strange grunting noise.

My cat, George, you’ve met. Here he is helping me with the laundry. See how he helpfully sits on the clean shirt. He’s getting hair all over it.

This position we call loaf cat. We call it that because you can’t see his feet or tail and he looks like a hairy loaf of bread with a cat head.

Here is loaf cat from the side:

Here is a true story that is very, very funny and for which my sister will most likely get mad at me for telling you. This past Sunday, my hubby and my sister’s hubby went to go see a movie; meanwhile, I hung out with my sister and her two kids. When the guys got back from the movie, we were all starving and decided to go to this Greek restaurant. Mmmm Greek food. So my sister, her hubby, my hubby, my two nephews (ages 2 and 5 months) piled into our cars and headed out. Never having been to this particular restaurant before, we were not aware that they had dinner and a show. In other words, they had a scantily clad belly dancer with sparkly fringe on her hips and chest that performed every so often. We sat down to eat and all was going well. The boys were very well behaved. Then, the music started, and the dancer started making her way between the tables. At first our little 2 year old nephew took no notice. Then she got closer. He turned and looked, and boy let me tell you his eyes took over his whole face. She stopped at our table right next to him, and he sat there eyes wide, mouth hanging open just staring at her. She, of course, thought this was just precious and she danced there for a while, clanging her finger cymbals and shaking everything she had. My sweet little nephew was just enthralled and everyone around was in tears laughing. The song ended and she left the floor. Then, just as we were finishing dinner, the music started back. This time my nephew knew what was about to happen and he started to point and laugh. Not a sweet little boy chortle, but a wild, crazy little man laugh. My poor sister hid her face, although I’m pretty sure she was still laughing. He continued laughing until the music was over, and then it was time for us to go. On the way home, we asked him what he liked about the dancer. His response, “She’s sparkly”.

Here is a recipe for red velvet cake. I love it because it uses oil rather than butter which makes it very dense and moist and fabulous. Every Christmas deserves a red velvet cake! (A word to the wise, do no be funny and try to make this green velvet cake. They made green velvet cake at Kroger and no one would buy it. It just looked disgusting)

Red Velvet Cake
Make one 9inch, 3-layer cake

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring (1 ounce) (I prefer to use the Wilton, no-taste, red gel food coloring)
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pecan pieces for garnish

To prepare pans: Thoroughly grease 3 round 9-inch cake pans, it works best if you use vegetable shortening. Then, using the bottom of the pans as a guide, cut out three circles of wax paper to go into the bottom of the pans. Press them into the bottom, and lightly grease the paper. Then, flour the pans with the paper in the bottom until the sides and the paper are covered lightly with flour. Set pans aside. (this is a sure-fire way of keeping the cake from sticking to the bottom of the pan)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour 3 (9 by 1 1/2-inch round) cake pans.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In another large bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.
Using a standing mixer, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smooth batter is formed.
Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Place the pans in the oven evenly spaced apart. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through the cooking, until the cake pulls away from the side of the pans, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
Remove the cakes from the oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen them from the sides of the pans. One at a time, invert the cakes onto a plate and then re-invert them onto a cooling rack, rounded-sides up. Let cool completely.
Frost the cake. Place 1 layer, rounded-side down, in the middle of a rotating cake stand. Using a palette knife or offset spatula spread some of the cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake. (Spread enough frosting to make a 1/4 to 1/2-inch layer.) Carefully set another layer on top, rounded-side down, and repeat. Top with the remaining layer and cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting. Sprinkle the sides with the pecans.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 pound cream cheese, softened
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and butter on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. (Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape the down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.)
Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the vanilla, raise the speed to high and mix briefly until fluffy (scrape down the bowl occasionally). Store in the refrigerator until somewhat stiff, before using.

Ooo La Oui

Friday Menu: Brunch: Crepes and Sausage.

I love crêpes. They are one of my favorite street/café food in France. Although, I think I prefer the savory buckwheat ones called galettes. Those they fill with all sorts of delightful things such as juicy brat-like sausages, or ham and cheese or tomatoes, onion and a fried egg or just about anything you can imagine. Mmmmm… When I studied abroad we would have galette parties and have everyone bring something to put in the galettes, rather like a French Stone Soup. But, buckwheat flour isn’t sold at Sam’s and I’m not about to trek all the way to Whole Foods just to make galettes for the guys (although, now that I’m talking about it, I might do it for me. Galette party at my house, everyone bring something!). So, I decided to stick with the sweet ones, which are every bit as delicious, and again, filled with every sweet thing imaginable. I once had a bananas foster one one time…

Crêpes (pronounced like crap with a French accent) are very easy to make. They are generally served for dessert in France, and are traditionally eaten in the wintertime. And, if you want to really impress your friends and family, you can learn to flip them in the air rather than turn them with a spatula. My dad taught me when I was in 6th grade, and I have impressed everyone ever since. Ok, maybe not everyone, but I have impressed a few people… There’s also an old tradition that if you can flip it and catch it in the pan with your left land, while holding a coin in your right hand, you’ll become rich. When it comes to fillings, the most common way you find them is either with butter, sugar and cinnamon, or Nutella. Nutella is a chocolate-hazelnut spread that is out of this world. I would eat it with a spoon if it wouldn’t make me gain 100 pounds. (How did I get so skinny in France, this was literally about 36% of my diet, the rest being bread, yogurt, and pasta. Maybe it was the yogurt…). Fruit is also a very popular filling. For the guys, I’ve got a few different kinds of pie filling, whip cream, and of course, Nutella.

If you’re wondering just what exactly crêpes are, they are, in the words of the movie Talladega Nights “Those skinny little pancake thingys”. Yup, that’s what they are. Skinny pancakes. You’ll find a rather pathetic version at IHOP (ok, call me a foodie, but I simply can’t call those soggy, floppy things crêpes, they don’t deserve the circumflex).

So, without further ado, here is the recipe for crêpe batter.
(Oh… so who’s bringing the wine to the galette party?)

Sweet Crêpes

24 large Eggs
8 cups Milk
12 tbs Butter, melted
6 cups All Purpose Flour
3 tsp Salt
1/3 cup Sugar

Mix all ingredients well, until there are no lumps (It may be easiest to give a mix in the blender). Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour (can be made a day ahead of time. Heat a non-stick omelet pan over medium-high heat (or whatever setting you would put it at to make pancakes). Run a stick of butter over the pan to grease (do not melt too much butter in the pan as it will ruin the crêpes. The easiest way to do it is to unwrap part of a stick of butter and then run the butter over the hot pan quickly while holding onto the still wrapped end) Pour a small amount of batter into the pan. This will vary depending on pan size, but for an 8 inch skillet, it will be slightly less than ¼ cup. Swirl the batter around as you pour to evenly coat the surface of the pan. The crêpe will cook quickly, usually less than a minute or so per side. When the bottom has become light golden brown and crisp, flip it over to the other side. Cook for an additional minute. Serve warm with a selection of tasty fillings (strawberry lavender jam was another of my favorites… L I miss the jam lady at the Rennes market!!!)

Black Friday Comes

Menu: Lunch: Pizza Hut Buffet Dinner: Golden Corral Buffet

Happy Black Friday! I think it only makes sense that the day after the holiday of gluttony is the day for spending more than you ought to on stuff you most likely don’t need and won’t use. Ok… so I’m not much of a spender and even less of a shopper. My husband is just the opposite. So you can guess who got up early to shop and who stayed in bed… We are currently is the lovely southern small town of Fitzgerald, GA, known for its wild chickens. No, I’m not kidding. There are wild chickens running around everywhere here (and crowing at 5am).

As you might guess, I’m not cooking for the boys today. In fact, I’m not cooking for anyone. We’re at my in-laws this Thanksgiving, and my in-laws are big fans of going out to eat, especially when it includes a buffet. So this afternoon we’ll be hitting the stores (again… sigh) in search of “awesome deals” and then hitting the buffet. The only cooking I will have done this holiday is the enormous pile of mashed potatoes and the gallon of gravy. I didn’t even make my signature pies this year. While I love to cook all sorts of things, desserts are probably my first love in cooking. Maybe because I have such a sweet tooth… Instead the role of pie maker in my family fell to my sister this year. My sister is an excellent and creative cook, and I was sure desserts for my family were in good hands. I even handed over my pie crust recipe. Not really much of a secret as it’s based on Emeril’s recipe (only based on, I can’t help but try to improve on everything). The great secret in perfect pie crust making isn’t really as much in the recipe as it is in how you make it, and this is where even the best cooks get frustrated. The two keys are keep it cold, and don’t mess with it more than absolutely necessary. So, here is how I make my pie crusts.

Sweet Pie Crust
Makes 2 9-inch crusts

2 cups of Flour*
¼ tsp Salt
1 ½ tsp Sugar
½ cup Vegetable Shortening**
½ cup Butter **
½ cup Ice Water

Refrigerate both the butter and the shortening overnight; do not remove until you’re ready to make the crust). Mix the flour, sugar and salt. Put butter and flour mixture into the food processor and pulse until the mixture is coarse crumbs. Do not over process. Put crumbs into a mixing bowl. Mix in 3 tablespoons of cold water with your hands. Add more water as necessary until dough just begins to come together. Form two equal-sized disks, and cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Roll out the crust on a lightly floured surface until its 1/8 inch thick.

* Do not sift flour before measuring
** For a crisper, more buttery crust, use 1 cup of butter rather than ½ shortening and ½ cup butter

2 for Tuesday

Tuesday Menu: Lunch: Buffalo Wings, Celery and Baby Carrots
Dinner: Russian Chicken, Buttered Noodles and Mixed Veggies
Dessert: Pumpkin Roll (AKA Pumpkin Ho-Ho)

Today is 2 for Tuesday as I am throwing in an extra recipe: Russian Chicken and Pumpkin Roll. Ok, so the pumpkin roll one isn’t actually my recipe. It is, in truth, off of the Libby’s Pumpkin can, but it’s on the back of the label and therefore hard to get to. And then, you go embarrass yourself by trying to peel the label off in the store to make sure you have all the ingredients you need, and everyone’s looking at you like you’re nuts, and some store clerk comes up and asks you if you need help… Ok, so I have some issues when it comes to Libby’s Pumpkin Roll. Not the least of which is that my family calls it pumpkin ho-ho. Which I feel demeans all the hard work that goes into actually making it. It is not some glorified chocolate Twinkie, but it is a delicious dessert that makes an excellent accompaniment to any holiday meal.

Russian chicken is a recipe I borrowed and adapted from my old boss. I was lucky to fall in with a company that loved food (and drink) as much if not more than I did, and we were always swapping recipes. She made this one at work for us one chilly winter day. The prep is soo easy. Throw a couple things together and throw them in the oven for a while. And the smell… oh the smell. You know when Russian chicken is in the oven; you spend all day salivating over it. The chicken is absolutely fall off the bone, and it turns a delightful red.

Libby’s Pumpkin Roll
Serves 10 (I’m making 5)

Cake:
Powdered Sugar
¾ cup Flour
½ tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Baking Soda
½ tsp Ground Cloves
½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
¼ tsp Salt
3 Eggs
1 cup Granulated Sugar
2/3 cup Canned Pumpkin (not the pie filling kind)
1 cup Walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 15x10 jelly roll pan, line with parchment paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton towel with powdered sugar (Note: Not a terry cloth towel. If you don’t have a flour sack towel, you can use a clean sheet of parchment paper. Just be sure it measures out longer and wider than your cake)
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar in mixer until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly in prepared pan, and sprinkle with nuts.
Bake for 13-15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together. Allow to cool completely.

Filling:
½ lb Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup Powdered Sugar, sifted
6 Tbsp Butter, softened
1 tsp Vanilla
Powdered Sugar

Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla in mixer until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread filling mixture evenly over cake. Reroll cake . Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.


Russian Chicken
Serves 26

28 Chicken Leg Quarters
9 bottles Russian Salad Dressing (If not available, use Catalina)
9 pkgs Onion Soup Mix
4 jars Peach Jam
1 cup Sliced Jalapenos, the canned variety

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together salad dressing, onion soup mix and peach jam until thoroughly combined. Arrange chicken in a greased baking dish, skin side up. Pour dressing mix over chicken. Sprinkle with jalapenos. Cover and bake for 1-1 ½ hours, uncovering the last 30 minutes.