Sunday, December 28, 2008

Pita Pizza


I love homemade pizza! I was craving it tonight after church so I decided to make some. I used whole wheat pita bread as my crust because I didn't want to take the time to make my own dough. I topped it with basil pesto, fresh sauted mushrooms, garlic, chicken and feta cheese. It was really good...with a glass of wine or a beer it would have been perfect.

Treats!


So my parents gave me a great gift for Christmas. A gift card to the Fresh Market!! I had to stop on my way out of Macon Friday and make a few purchases. Hot chocolate, Elderflower water, scone mix, Kalamata olive tortilla chips, my favorite chocolate (Green & Black's) and granola planks (crumble up to eat as cereal). Thanks Mom and Dad!!

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Wolf Sub-Zero Pro 48


I was looking at one of my older Gourmet magazines today and saw this refrigerator. I looked it up on their website and it didn't even have a price which means it's very expensive...I guess it doesn't hurt to dream.

Christmas With The L's

Traditional breakfast of Dunkin Donuts and Grapefruit


Fresh Market coffee and Christmas mugs for everyone

Timothy and his pinstriping kit

Phillip with his gift from me. It was a big hit with all the guys....we LOVE Steve McQueen!!

Among other things I received a good bit of parts for my car...a little bit closer to being finished!!


Newest Member of the Family


My brother Wesley recently got a dog. His name is Tank and he's 1/2 boxer, 1/2 pitbull. He is so stinking cute! I want to take him home with me.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

My Christmas Present from 119 Chops

My knife set from Chops for Christmas. Can't wait to use it!!

Monday, December 15, 2008

Did I Mention I Hate My Phone?

I currently have a Blackberry Pearl which I greatly despise. It will randomly delete all my call and text history. I will get notification that I have a text message or missed call but when I click on view it shows nothing. Today if I had anyone call or text me between 5 and 10 I have no record of it. It is very aggravating! I'm going tomorrow to change back to my old phone...it's not worth the extra $30 to keep the Blackberry even if it does have awesome gadgets.

Productive Day

Today was a regular Monday of washing clothes, cleaning and running errands. After I got most of my things done I headed to Charlotte's for some more projects. We made baklava and homemade apple sauce. It was loads of fun! I can't wait to try the baklava tomorrow.



The making of the apple sauce was super easy and fun. I just quartered the apples and tossed them in a pot to cook down. After they were cooked we put them through Mrs. Debbie's Squeezo which removes the seeds and skin. I've got to save up my money and get one of those. They list of things I could process is endless! This would be great during the summer to use for all the things I could grow in a garden.


Snow White and her caramel apple...it's almost as large as her head! I think she just licked all the caramel off and left the apple. :)

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Something New

So I've been bored at work for quite a while because I'm not learning anything new. It's frustrating when you do the same thing everyday and I'm not really advancing in my knowledge of my field. It's discouraging sometimes because there is so much to know and learn about in culinary arts and I feel like I'm stuck were I'm working. Anyway, I did get to do something new today!! It might not sound interesting to everyone else but I got to butcher a swordfish. No, not the whole fish but we do get these large pieces of meat that have to be butchered and cut down to portions we can serve. It was really fun and it made my morning a little more exciting. It made me want to go deep sea fishing...those things have some crazy thick skin. Yeah for learning something new!!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Clementines


I could have stayed in bed all day today. I think that I hit snooze 6 times this morning and because of it got up 30 minutes later than usual. Due to the ever changing weather in Statesboro I have been feeling bad since Tuesday...I think it's just a bad cold. Charlotte had me over for lunch today and we had some awesome soup as well as some amazing clementines. They were so good I had to eat 2. I'll be going by Harvey's tomorrow to get me a box!!

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Something To Look Forward To

So the restaurant is only opened Wednesday through Saturday. It's nice because I get three days off, but the downside is that I work around 50 hours in four days. It makes for four very long days. About 2 months ago Charlotte and I started doing breakfast once or twice a week at the bakery. It's so nice to have something to look forward to on my long days. I usually have the french bread roll or biscuit with their raspberry jam and they have great coffee.


Monday, December 8, 2008

Brandy's Back To Blogging!!

My good friend Brandy has been without internet for the last few months so she hasn't been blogging. Her blog was one of my favorites and she just got her internet back this week!!! Welcome back Brandy! Click here to check out Kids Are Messy.

A Few Things I Love About This Time Of Year

Parties


Holiday Baking

Family All Home At One Time

Cold Weather Clothing

Christmas Music

Holiday Decorated Houses

Friday, December 5, 2008

Gingerbread


My gingerbread family from last year.

I love gingerbread and gingersnaps but I hardly ever make them. This happens a lot because growing up in a large family I could make anything and it would be eaten. Now there isn't anyone to eat my creations. I just need to do a better job of giving them to friends. Charlotte makes gingerbread cookies a lot this time of year with the girls. The first time I ever hung out with Charlotte was 2 years ago at Christmas and she was in the kitchen cooking gingerbread men with the girls. I was super impressed because it takes a lot of patience to cook with kids. I would like, one day, to teach cooking classes to children. Anyway (got off on a tangent) I really want to make a gingerbread house this Christmas. I have a recipe that we used in class to make a monster gingerbread house for a charity event. I'll have to round up some kids to help me. Can't wait!

Gingerbread House Cookie Building Slabs
(This dough can also be used to make gingerbread people and/or cookies)

1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons baking soda
1 tablespoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/3 cups light or dark molasses
9 cups all purpose flour
Icing Cement (recipe below)

Whip cream and vanilla until cream holds soft peaks. In a large bowl, mix sugar, baking soda, ginger, and cinnamon. Stir in molasses and cream. Gradually add flour, mixing well. On a lightly floured board, roll our a portion of dough until it's flat but still thick enough to pick up easily without tearing. Place it on a greased and floured 12 by 15 inch rimless baking sheet.

Finish rolling dough on pan, supporting the rolling pin on equally thick wooden strips placed along opposite edges of the pan. Use about 2 cups dough for each 1/8 inch thick slab, about 4 cups for each 1/4 inch slab and about 6 cups for each 3/8 inch slab. If the cookies are not evenly thick, the thin areas bake darker in color and are more brittle.

You can bake up to 2 pans of dough at a time in 1 oven. Bake dough until fairly firm when pressed in the center-in a 300 degree F. oven. Allow about 1 hour for 1/8 inch thick slabs; in a 275 F. oven, allow about 1 3/4 hours for a 1/4 inch slabs and about 2 1/4 hours for 3/8 inch slab.

After 30 minutes, remove pans from oven and place pattern pieces close together on the dough; with a sharp knife, cut around pattern edges; lift off pattern and scraps. Return both pans to oven, switching their positions, and finish baking. Meanwhile, roll out remaining dough to make cookies and other special features.

When done, carefully loosen cookies with a spatula; cool on pan until firm, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Decorate and assemble structure with icing cement or wrap pieces airtight and store up to 1 month; cookies keep crisp longer, but do not taste as fresh.

Icing Cement
With and electric mixer, beat 2 large egg whites, 1/8 teaspoon cream of tarter, and 2 teaspoons water until frothy. Mix in 3 cups sifted powdered sugar; beat on high speed until icing is stiff, 5 to 10 minutes. Use, or cover up to 8 hours. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

No More Facebook!

Ok...I have decided to delete my facebook account. I personally think facebook has become quite ridicules and a waste of time really. I haven't really used it to keep up with people and especially now that I'm blogging there is no real reason to have it. The only thing I like about facebook is being able to upload pictures but I already have gmail where I can upload more pictures for friends and family to see. Click HERE to view my pictures.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Thanksgiving

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is already over and Christmas is only a few weeks away. I still think it should be the middle of September. The restaurant was closed Thanksgiving day and I took Wednesday off too so I could go to see my family for more than just a few hours. Mama , of course, had a list of things she wanted me to make when I got there Wednesday. Most of it was the usual Thanksgiving fare but I did get to try a couple new desserts(both out of my Nigella Lawson cookbook).

Sticky-Toffee Pudding

for the cake:
scant 1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons self-rising flour
1/2 cup whole milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped rolled dates

for the sauce:
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
approx. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in little blobs
2 1/4 cups boiling water

Preheat the oven to 375 and butter a 1 1/2 quarter capacity baking dish.
Combine the sugar with the flour in a large bowl. Pour the milk into the measuring cup, beat in egg, vanilla and melted butter and then pour this mixture over the sugar and flour, stirring-just with wooden spoon -to combine. Fold in the dates then scrape into the prepared baking dish.
Sprinkle over the sugar for the sauce and dot with the butter. Pour over the boiling water and transfer to the oven. Set the timer for 45 minutes, though the dessert might need 5 to 10 minutes more. The top of the dessert should be springy and spongy when it's cooked; underneath, the butter, dark brown sugar and boiling water will have turned into a rich, sticky sauce. Serve with vanilla ice cream, creme fraiche or heavy of light cream.
Serves 6-8

I only tasted a bite before I headed back home to Statesboro Thursday afternoon but I heard that all the brothers liked it so I guess it was pretty good.

One of our things to do at Thanksgiving is try and get an updated family photo...it's always a challenge with all of us. I think we got 1 or 2 decent ones out of 10.










Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

I made cookies today from the peanut butter chip I got yesterday from the discount food store. I took them to bible study but I still have a ton left. They're going with me tomorrow when I head to my parents house for Thanksgiving and will be fed to the brothers.

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

2 cups of all-purpose flour
3/4 cups cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups butter softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 10 oz package peanut butter chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Beat butter and sugar in a large mixer with mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Gradually add flour mixer, beating well. Stir in peanut butter chips. Drop by round rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 9 minutes. Don't overbake. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.


Discount Food Store

So yesterday Brandy and I went the discount food store and it always amazes me how little I pay for what I find. It's great!! I got 2 boxes of cereal, 2 boxes of whole wheat past, 2 bags of baking chips, pancake mix, and diced peaches for $8.80. The cereal alone would have cost me more than that at Wal-mart. They're getting two more trucks in this week so we're planing another trip next Monday or Tuesday.
My favorite cereal is Oh's so the fact that they had them made the trip even better!!! Yay!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Another Cookbook

My list of cookbooks that I want is endless. Williams Sonoma has some great cookbooks and this one I would love to have. Oh the breakfast possibilities!!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Breakfast

I love breakfast when I actually have time to cook it. The days when you don't have to be at work and though there are chores to do around the house you actually have 30 minutes that you can enjoy a good breakfast. Growing up Saturdays were these days and my dad would always make pancake and waffle batter. All of us kids would find our way to the kitchen at different times and make ourselves a waffle or a pancake. Only the earliest of risers would actually be up in time for my dad to cook their breakfast. My dad was usually out working on one of the many projects for the day way before the rest of us wanted to be awake. Of course you didn't want to get up too late or the batter would be gone and you would have to either make more or eat cereal. Mondays are usually my days to eat sometime other than a quick yogurt or cereal for breakfast. I actually hate to admit that I made pancakes from a box for breakfast this morning. Making a whole batch of pancake batter for one person is kind of ridiculous considering I can't eat all of it.

They weren't as amazing as they could have been but they weren't to bad. I ate mine with honey because we didn't have any decent syrup here at the house and because I just love honey! I haven't found a really good whole wheat pancake recipe yet so if any of you have one please pass it on. Well...I better stop blogging about pancakes and get some chores done around the house. Unfortunately things don't clean themselves.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Soup

I love soup during the cooler months. What's really weird is that I never make soup. Growing up in a house full of men we didn't really eat a lot of soup (I'm finding most men aren't soup lovers). I found a recipe a couple weeks ago, in one of my books from school, for butternut squash soup. I made it this past weekend for Royal Flemings baptism party and it turned out really well. I purchased all of my ingredients from L&D produce. I was so glad they had everything that I needed so I didn't have to go to dreaded Wal-mart. Anyway...here is the recipe for the soup. It was a big hit at the party.

Butternut Squash Soup

2tbs Unsalted butter
1 cup Leeks, white and pale green parts only, sliced thin
1tsp Garlic, minced
3 cups Butternut squash, peeled, seeded, 1/4 inch diced
1 cup McIntosh or Gala apples, peeled, seeded 1/4 inch diced
1 tsp Curry powder
pinch Nutmeg
3 cups Chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup Heavy cream, hot
salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt butter over moderate heat until it turns nut brown; reduce heat to low
2. Add leeks; cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds.
4. Turn up heat to high.
5. Add squash and apples; cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to caramelize.
6. Stir in curry powder and nutmeg; cook 1 minute
7. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 30 minutes or until squash is tender.
8. Puree the soup through a food mill or blender (the soup should have a coarse texture)
9. Bring the soup back to a simmer; add hot cream and correct seasoning.

Yields 4 servings

Thursday, October 23, 2008

For Brandy

I thought of Brandy when I saw this bag in Dublin. It would make a great diaper bag. We need to recreate it!

New Things to Play With

Charlotte and I went to drop the girls off at her in-laws and it was only 20 minutes from Macon so we met my mom and Charlotte's sister Jenny at the Fresh Market. The Fresh Market was amazing!! It's probably good that we don't have on here...I would spend way too much money. I stocked up on Lady Fingers and got some awesome spices, curry sauce and elderflower water. It was a lot of fun.

Purchases from the Fresh Market


We finally have more than Walmart in Statesboro!! The Hobby Lobby, TJ Max and Books A Million opened up this month. I got these really cute ramekins at TJ Max...can't wait to make souffle in them.


We had a graduation party for me last Saturday. It was so much fun! I got some really fun gifts. Charlotte got me some spice jars (which are already filled with my spices from the Fresh Market) and Brandy got me my first cake plate and a day planner. Can't wait to use all of them!! I have such wonderful friends!

Monday, October 20, 2008

Quick Trip...Too Quick

I just returned last week from vising the UK and Ireland for a week. This was my third trip to the UK but I have never been to Ireland. I really enjoyed Dublin probably because I had never seen it. I would love to go back for a longer stay and see the countryside. Unfortunately because I was on a budget I didn't get to try all the foods I would have liked but I did get a few meals that were fun.


Falafel's in Edinburgh-falafel's are fried balls or patties made from fava or chickpeas. They are usually served with pita bread and a yogurt sauce.


Chicken and onion pie with a apple cider glaze and Magners Cider (also in Edinburgh)

Chicken soup and Bulmers Cider-this meal was awesome after a day of walking in the Dublin rain.

Coffee in Dublin

Our breakfast at our hostel in Dublin-there was more than just scones I just wasn't feeling well so I was eating light.

Potatoes and Cider in Dublin



Our snack on the train to the London airport. The train broke down so we missed our flight to Dublin and had to wait an extra 5 hours in the airport.



Pastry cafe in London. I was sooo excited!!

I have tons more pictures so if you want to see them just ask!