The cooking stage

We have all heard of the Kubler-Ross model...you know, those five stages of grief. (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance) Since my grandmother passed away in June, I have noticed that there is, in fact, a sixth stage...or maybe it's stage 4.5...whatever. Somewhere around the acceptance stage, there lies the Cooking stage. I'm sure that not everyone will experience this stage. But maybe you've been there, too if you had someone in your life like my grandmother. No matter who you talk to about Juanice Hardy, they will certainly mention her cooking. I don't have very many childhood memories that don't involve her, and most of those involve cooking or eating! She loved to make people happy with food!!

In the two months since we lost her, I have baked her famous Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies 5 times. Five. And this weekend, I NEEDED to make her Chocolate Eclair. I love the comforting way those cookies smell and the way the pan of chocolatey pudding looks in my fridge. As I cook through these recipes, I hear Memom's voice in my head...her little tricks and tips and substitutions...teaching me how to crack an egg...showing me how to scoop out perfectly sized cookies with two teaspoons.

So, it seems I'm in the Cooking stage. Maybe I'll be there forever. I miss my grandmother, but I know she is always with me...especially in the kitchen!

Chocolate Eclair
Juanice Hardy

2 small packages instant vanilla pudding
8 oz cool whip, thawed
3 cups milk
1 box graham crackers
1 can fudge icing

Mix together pudding, milk, and cool whip with a whisk until smooth and thick. Line a 9x13 with a layer of graham crackers. Spread half of pudding on top. Layer another sheet of grahams. Spread on the remaining pudding. Layer another sheet of grahams. Place the icing can in the microwave for 30 seconds and stir. Pour icing over grahams and spread out. Refridgerate and serve cold or at room temp.

Cooking Light has an app!

Dear fellow Cooking Light lovers,
There is now a Cooking Light app for the iPhone...the "Quick and Healthy Menu Maker"! It is awesome. AWESOME! You can search through beautiful photos by entree type, and once you find one you like, it will suggest a menu. You can view the recipe, ingredients (perfect for impromtu grocery trips), and nutrition facts right on your phone. You can even share the recipe via email, facebook, or twitter AND save it to your favorites. I love this app. Get it now, you'll love it too!
Sincerely, Katie :)

Click here to get the app!

Here are some recipes I've tried with the app. I used the ingredient list right in the grocery store, then followed the recipe from my phone as I cooked.

Linguine with Two-Cheese Sauce
Cooking Light



Summer Squash, Bacon, and Mozzerella Quiche
Cooking Light

(Click above for link to recipes)

Both were yummy! My favorite was the quiche. I even ate some (cold) the next morning...mmmm. Justin loved the linguine, and I didn't feel as guilty feeding him that as I do with my (instant artery clogging) alfredo sauce!

Now that I have made that alfredo sauce sound so appetizing, I know you are dying for that recipe too! :) It really is good...just don't eat it every day! haha!

Justin's favorite Alfredo Sauce

1 pint heavy cream
1/2 stick butter
2 tbsp cream cheese
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan
salt, garlic powder, white pepper, and nutmeg to taste

Heat cream over medium heat until small bubbles form at edges. Melt butter and cream cheese into cream. Stir in parmesan. Stir in seasonings to taste. Heat a few minutes to thicken. Serve over fresh fettucini or as dipping sauce. (I told you it wasn't healthy...)

Summer grilling and a peek at the new house!

Grilled corn in the husks


4 ears of corn with husks
1 stick of softened butter
smoked paprika
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
kitchen twine, soaked in water

Heat grill to medium. Gently peel back corn husks and remove the silks. (this activity took me back to my grandmother's screened porch...shelling peas and shucking corn was frequently a summer passtime, and fun too!)Coat each ear of corn with butter then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika. Wrap husks back around corn and secure with twine. Place a sheet of aluminum foil on grill grates and grill corn 20-25 min, turning once.


Homemade Baked Beans

3 cups dry navy beans, sorted, soaked, and simmered according to directions on bag
1 can regular coke
1/2- 1 cup beef broth (start with 1/2 cup and add more if too dry)
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 tbsp dry mustard
1 tbsp grainy mustard
1 1/2 cup ketchup
1 yellow onion finely diced
6 slices bacon, diced
1/2 cup molasses
1-2 tbsp salt, to taste

Put all ingredients in a dutch oven over low heat. Cover and simmer for 8-10 hours, stirring occasionally. If too liquidy, simmer uncovered for a few minutes to thicken. If too dry, add more coke or beef broth.





We have done a lot more grilling this summer than ever before. It has been so nice to have our convenient little "grilling patio"! The area where the grill is has a covered patio, a water feature, and a small grassy area that is separated from where the dogs are in the back. It's perfect! (MUCH better than the old house, where you had to walk through our bedroom to get to the backyard...BAD design!)


I'm loving my little shady container garden out there, too!

The "grilling patio" is right off the more formal living area. This room was left furnished by our landlords, and is beautiful (even if not my style...). We NEVER use this room, haha!


The area where the doggies stay has a large patio. Half is covered and has a fan that they enjoy. The other half is open. Behind the patio is a large yard to fetch in.


We spend 90% of our time in the kitchen and the keeping room. I guess they feel more "homey", plus we don't have to worry about messing up someone else's furniture in those rooms!

I love my new zebra rug and butterfly lamp.

The window frames on the mantle are from Justin's great grandparent's barn. I think they look cool with my green buddha head.

And finally a peek at the dining area, entry and hallway. The house is a split plan. There are two bedrooms down that hallway, and our bedroom is on the other side of the house. I'm sure this plan is nice for older kids, but if we ever have a baby...there's no way it's sleeping all the way across the house from me! :)

(candlesticks on the dining room table are handmade by my talented and handsome hubby)

Wow, do I still have a blog?!

Life has been super crazy the past few months, so the blogging (and the cooking) has been on the back burner! (pun intended) We put our house on the market in late March, after working very hard to get it ready. Three days later, we got an offer! So now it's late June and we closed only days ago. Needless to say, getting that house sold was a total pain! Enough of that...
We just got settled in our new(bigger) home and I was finally organized enough to actually cook a meal! My new kitchen is amazing...all the cabinets I need for my gadgets, and a double oven!!

Plus a spot for blogging! :)


We are leasing this house, so all the colors and finishes aren't exactly what I would choose, but they work perfectly with my colorful dishes and accessories.

Last night, we fired up the grill and tried a new recipe for short ribs. Yummy!

(Click the link for recipe details)
Apricot Habanero Short Ribs
www.recipe.com
Justin has bad acid reflux, so I only used a very small amount of the habanero. Hint: wear gloves when handling the peppers. I washed my hands really well several times after chopping and I am still tasting HOT pepper on my fingers the next day! They turned out so good, but the sauce was the star. I baked a couple of sweet potatoes and served a simple arugula salad on the side.



Tonight was a no-cook, quick supper night. I got this recipe from the new issue of Cooking Light (still my favorite).
Open-faced Prosciutto and Plum Sandwiches
This was such an easy and summery meal!


I mean, is it possible to go wrong with goat cheese and prosciutto?

I have to end this post with a tribute to my grandmother. "Memom" passed away suddenly last week and her presence will be greatly missed in our family. If it weren't for days spent in her kitchen mashing potatoes, boiling peas from the garden, and baking cookies, I wouldn't have the love and passion for cooking that I have today. Memom, thank you for all you taught me about family, life and food! I love you!
I will dig out some of her recipes soon and do a post on them!

Bacon and date scones

BACON. Mmmmmm.
I love bacon. Sorry, I just do. And butter. Deal with it.

I also love salty-sweet stuff. Remember the bacon bar??

I wanted to make Justin a yummy breakfast this morning, (well, it was really dinner for him I guess since he is on the night shift) and I came across this recipe while browsing my epicurious app on my iPhone.

Bacon and Date Scones It's from Bon Appetit. And it's perfect.

Dear God, thank you for bacon and dates and raw sugar and butter. Amen

They suggest you serve them with butter and flakes of sea salt. That sounds good and all, but I was thinking some chocolate sauce and sea salt might be good too...

Don't leave me alone with a cake mix...

'Cause I will use it! Justin is on nights right now in the ER. I get bored in the evenings at home alone, plus I don't have to work today....so I was super bored last night. I was lurking around on www.bakerella.com and decided I needed to perfect my cake pop skills. I mean, Justin will need a treat to take to work tomorrow night, right? Yeah, definitely, I should bake something... :) It's not hard to convince me to bake!!! There were 3 cake mixes in my pantry (a very dangerous thing) along with a can of icing left over from making cake balls a few weeks ago. I also had a random bag of yellow candy melts and an assortment of pretty sprinkles. AAAAnnnd, I just happened to have some lollipop sticks and treat bags handy. Whadayaknow...all the ingredients for cake pops!
My first attempt at cake pops was disastrous! Think globs of cake falling off sticks into melted chocolate...not pretty! But I have been determined to figure this out and make some adorable cake pops that even Bakerella would be proud of!!
This time, I got it right! I think the secret is the consistency of the cake ball...I had too much icing last time.
Cake Pops!!


These little cuties are pretty labor-intensive...but I think they are worth it! The middle tastes like cake batter, but it is fully-cooked cake with the icing already mixed in. The candy shell is just colored white chocolate ("Candy Melts"). Yum, yum, and yum! They are cute on the stick or off. Next time I will attempt the Cupcake pops! So very adorable!!

So, you wanna know how to make 'em?

Here you go:

You will need:

1 prepared cake mix, any flavor you like. (bake in any pan you like, it doesn't matter because it will get crumbled)
1 can store bought icing (this time, the cream cheese variety worked well...)
Preferably, a stand mixer
a small cookie scoop
your clean hands
a parchment-lined cookie sheet
your fridge
lollipop sticks (or not)
Candy Melts in your favorite color
Sprinkles
a few styrofoam blocks
plastic treat bags and ribbon (again, or not if you don't do the stick thing)

Cut your cooled cake into chunks and try to remove all the brown edges and any crust on the top. Place cake in your mixer's bowl. Use the paddle attachment on medium speed to crumble the cake as finely as you can. Once crumbled, add some icing (a little at a time) until you get a consistency like cookie dough. It will pull away from the bowl and the crumbs will not be visible. You should have a uniform mixture.



Use the cookie scoop to evenly portion your balls. Roll dough into balls in your hands and place them on your prepared cookie sheet. Chill them in the fridge for 15 min or so. (if they are too cold the chocolate will crack)

Melt 4-5 candy melts in a little bowl. Take your balls out of the fridge. Dip the end of a lollipop stick in the chocolate (1/2 in. deep) and stick it into a ball, no more than halfway. Put the pop back on the cookie sheet. Repeat with all the balls and chill them again for a few minutes to set the chocolate. Meanwhile, melt the rest of your candy melts in a deep bowl (you will need enough depth to stick the pops straight down in the chocolate.)

Dip each pop straight down and pull straight out. Use an offset spatula to tap the stick. (this helps the excess fall off smoothly) Decorate however you like with sprinkles, etc before the chocolate sets. Stick the pop in a styrofoam block to dry. Wrap each one in a bag and tie with a bow. If you don't do sticks, they look cute sitting in a mini cupcake wrapper. Whew! that was fun!




I was up until 2 AM with these, but it was fun to finally get them right! And, Justin enjoyed them when he got home!

Cupcakes and puppy paintings...

I made some chocolate cupcakes with buttercream for a shower on Tuesday. Here's how they turned out:


I'm trying to do a better job with my photos, also! I'm slowly learning how to use all the features on my camera, and Justin got me a fisheye lens for Valentine's Day! Yay!

Stay tuned this coming week! Tomorrow I am making a 2 tiered cake for a baby shower...and next week I am making a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse birthday party cake. I will probably be on a sugar high for the next two weeks!!

Today, I was outside taking pictures of the puppies and practicing shooting with my camera in aperture priority mode. I got a really cute shot of Minky and decided I needed to do a "blue dog" portrait of her, since I have TWO of Baxter. I didn't want her to feel left out!

Silly Puppy!


"I'm ready for my close-up"


Ready to paint


Sketched out


Green background done!


All Done!

Valentine's day menu....I took a different route!

So, yeah, that "healthy" menu plan I had going on....HA! Who am I kidding? It's Valentine's Day for goodness sakes! We needed something a little more special than scallops and cauliflower. :) There's still plenty of time to get "skinny" for my vacation. (again, who am I kidding)

With the memory of last year's Valentine's dinner on my mind, I decided to make rack of lamb our little love day tradition! Maybe I will try a different variation each year and try to mix up the sides and presentation a little.

This year I tried Giada's Rack of Lamb with Mint-basil Pesto. Click the link for the full recipe from foodnetwork.com. Rack of lamb is super easy to prepare (it just looks fancy and complicated). Once it is carved the "lamb lollipops" give the most beautiful presentation...especially with the "pop" of the green pesto. It was so delicious! I pulled the lamb out a little shy of the 20 minutes suggested for medium rare since we like our meat a little more on the pink side...it was absolutely perfect. Be sure to let the rack rest for the full 10 minutes so the juices can redistribute before you carve it!!
As our side, I decided on polenta. I've made plenty of polenta, but I have never tried it "fried" before. I thought the lamb would look perfect perched on top of a little tower of polenta cakes. Here is how I made them:

Creamy Parmesan Polenta Cakes
Katie Daniels

1 tube of basil-garlic prepared polenta, chilled
1 egg, beaten in a shallow dish
2-3 dashes Tabasco
Salt
Pepper
2 tbsp Freshly grated Parmesan
1 tsp finely chopped basil and mint leaves (left over from your pesto!)
1/4 cup flour
Olive oil

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Slice chilled polenta into 1/2 inch slices (2 per person). Beat egg in a shallow dish with tabasco. In another shallow dish combine flour, salt and pepper to taste, parmesan, and herbs. Coat a polenta cake with egg and then flour mixture and fry in oil until golden brown. Repeat until all cakes are fried adding more oil as needed. Drain cakes on paper towels and season immediately with salt and pepper.

These were beautiful and yummy! Another easy, yet dramatic-looking dish...Check out how it looks plated. Can you believe this whole thing took about 30 minutes total?





Look how pretty my china is!

I put together this cheese plate for us to snack on before, during and after dinner:




Smoked gouda, drunken goat, mini toasts, organic blueberries, bourbon pralines, and local honey. This, in itself, could have been my meal...so, so yummy! My favorite bite: toast dipped in honey with a slice of smoked gouda.

Are you ready for dessert? Always, right?!
In college, our favorite treat was the molten chocolate cake at Chili's. (obviously I wasn't doing much in the kitchen in those days!) This is still my favorite dessert. But when it's made with really good ingredients it is even better!!
I found this recipe for molten chocolate cakes in cupcake form...perfect! Thanks, Martha...I can always count on you!

Molten Chocolate Cupcakes
Martha Stewart

How gorgeous are these?!



Hope you all had a fabulous Valentine's Day!!

Potential Valentine's Day Menu

We never go out for Valentine's day, I always cook. I wouldn't have it any other way! I love cooking for us and getting to use my china!! Here is the potential menu...I'm trying to be healthy (and skinny for our vacation!).

Asparagus spears with smoked salmon

Seared scallops with pomegranate sauce

Roasted cauliflower with herbs and
parmesan

Chocolate meringues

That's the plan for now...

A few of my favorite things...

1. Bakerella!
First of all, Bakerella's blog is simply a work of art! I only hope that one day my photos will be that beautiful. This woman is amazing! She started with a little baking blog, and now has baked on The Martha Stewart Show and has a cookbook.



Could those cake pops be any cuter?! She is the brains behind those red velvet truffles I make for Justin at Christmas. The cake pops are basically these on a stick...only decorated to perfection. Bakerella is my cooking blog icon!

2. Chuck Hughes

Chuck is a Montreal chef and the star of my FAVORITE Cooking Channnel show, "Chuck's Day Off". Not only is he ADORABLE and covered in food tattoos...but there really is some awesome music on the show! I love him! I also love that cooking was his second career. It gives me hope that one day my culinary dreams will come true!
Here is an excerpt from his bio on www.cookingchanneltv.com:
"He loves simple, well-made food: “It’s food!” he excitedly reminds us. “It’s meant to be fun and taste good — it doesn’t have to be fancy ... ” And if you want to know about some of his favorites, look no further than his tattooed arms: lobsters, oysters, bacon and arugula testify that maybe, just maybe, this guy really loves his craft."

3. Food trend: Macarons



The new cupcake?!
http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/macarons-slip-past-cupcakes-as-the-pastry-trend-du-jour/Content?oid=2015426

4. Parlor Market

Jackson's newest fine dining restaurant. Justin and I went to Parlor Market a few weeks ago, and I fell in love. Brick walls, reclaimed wood tables, slab marble ceviche bar, and the buzz of an open kitchen in the background. Perfect lunch spot, or place to dress up and go out on the town. The food is off-the-charts amazing. There is nothing else like it in Jackson. It is definitely on par with some of the places we've eaten at in New York! Wow! LOVE! I cannot stop thinking about the southern cheese plate...seriously.

5. Mo's Bacon Bar
I can't even talk about this. If I do, I will drive to The Fresh Market and buy them out. Then none of you will be able to experience this. So, for your sake, I won't talk....just go get one before I do. :)
Now I want to go to Parlor Market for lunch then come home and bake Macarons with Bakerella while watching an episode of Chuck's Day Off while eating a bacon bar!

Asparagus Tart

Asparagus Tart
Katie Daniels

1 sheet puff pastry, rolled out, scored, and docked
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
2 medium onions
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 bunch pencil thin asparagus
1-2 oz goat cheese
3 slices swiss cheese, cut into small sqares
1 lemon
Salt
Pepper

Caramelize the onions: heat 1 tsp oil in a nonstick skillet, add onions and season with salt and pepper. Sautee until deep caramel brown in color. Set aside.
Arrange puff pastry on a parchment-lined baking sheet [score a 1 inch border,and lightly poke holes with a fork (dock) the center]. Brush the mustard over the pastry, just in the center area. Spread caramelized onions evenly over mustard. Arrange asparagus, alternating ends to tips over onions. Squeeze lemon juice over asparagus, then season with salt and pepper. Arrange swiss squares in a checkerboard pattern over asparagus, then place bits of goat cheese in the open squares. Drizzle everything with olive oil and season once more with pepper. Bake at 400 for 15- 20 min until pastry is brown and cheese is bubbly.

I made a cake!!

I think it turned out pretty good...I'm pretty proud of that bow!

Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs

From my new Everyday Food cookbook! I'm ashamed to admit that this was my first time to make meatballs. They were delicious, though. I'm not much of a meat eater, so I thought Justin would eat most of the meatballs and I would eat the spaghetti...but I loved all of it! Here is a quick link to the recipe: Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs from Everyday Food.