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Archive for the ‘cooking’ Category

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A Cast Iron Wok

In cooking on May 22, 2013 at 6:00 am

If I were a kitten, I would purr.

Instead I’ll just gush.

OMG, I love my new wok. Truly, I don’t know how I survived so many years without one. For the first time in my life, I can make fried rice without pulling my hair out. Nothing stuck to the cast iron. Not the eggs. Not the rice. Nothing. To clean it, I wiped it with a paper towel.

The cast iron retained heat beautifully once it was heated up. The trick of pushing up already cooked foods to the sides of the wok so they cooked at a lower temp worked brilliantly. Truly, the wok is an ingenious piece.

Just in case you want your own because I had you at purr, the wok is a Lodge Cast Iron Wok 14 inches. Because I don’t live in Tennessee near the Lodge store, I purchased mine from Amazon and had it delivered free thanks to our prime membership.

Even though the wok comes pre-seasoned, I opted to season it again by deep frying some doughnuts in it. (Really I just wanted an excuse to make some doughnuts).

Elly helped, of course.

But, back to my wok.

It’s big. I have no idea where I am going to store it yet. For now, it is sitting on top of my stove so every time I walk into my kitchen, I see it there and smile. I can see myself cooking a whole lot more in it than just fried rice and doughnuts.

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Baking Station

In cooking on April 10, 2013 at 7:40 am

We have lived in this house for almost 8 years. For all of those years, my baking ingredients, such as flour and sugar, were scattered across the kitchen. For a time, the sugars were kept on the shelf behind the stove. Never was it convenient to reach over a hot stove to grab a cup of sugar. Yet, I tolerated the annoyance because the sugar canisters looked so pretty sitting on that shelf.

Finally, I could take it no longer. Pretty be damned. I needed orderliness to reign supreme.

It took some shuffling and some paring down, but the baking ingredients are all housed on the open shelves in between my collection of cookbooks.

It has cut down on prep time. It has even increased my baking output. It is all just a little easier now, which is good since more often than not I have a little helper in the kitchen with me.

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

In cooking on February 14, 2013 at 11:21 am

Elly and I are taking these cookies to a Valentine’s Day party.

They are the chocolate Valentine cookies from Pillsbury Best Cookies cookbook.

They have been taste tested and approved by Elly.

Me: “Are they good, Elly?”

Elly: “They are chocolate! Try them!”

Yep. She is my daughter. She loves chocolate like I do.

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Sunday Snapshots (of Elly’s 3rd birthday party)

In cooking, Family on February 3, 2013 at 11:45 pm

Elly woke up this morning and the first thing she said was “I am 3″.

Then, she spent the next 4 hours asking me if her friends were here yet.

As soon as her friends and family did start to arrive, Elly began to ask if she could open her presents and put candles on her cake. It was hard to wait.

Because Elly is my only child and because I love birthday cakes maybe even more than Elly does, I made her not only a birthday cake but also cupcakes in two sizes.

The cake was a yellow cake from Smitten Kitchen’s new cookbook. The icing was a melted chocolate yogurt concoction.

The cupcakes were chocolate zucchini cupcakes with purple cream cheese icing.

After cake came presents.

(alphabet nesting blocks)

After presents came more playtime with her friends and family.

Whacking her uncle in the head with a balloon is always good fun.

Happy Birthday, my sweet Elly!

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Sunday Snapshots belated (of decorated cupcakes)

In cooking on January 21, 2013 at 2:22 pm

Elly has become a minimalist.

After adding just a dab of icing to a cupcake, Elly told me that there was enough icing on the cupcake.

Even after repeated encouragement, Elly would not add anymore icing nor would she let me add any more icing to the cupcakes. She had already decorated them and they were perfect.

Oddly enough, the cupcakes with the least amount of icing were the first ones eaten at Vaishali’s and Joe’s birthday party yesterday. Perhaps, Elly was right. Less is more.

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Sunday Snapshots (of cookie making)

In cooking on January 6, 2013 at 9:42 pm

On the 12th day of Christmas, dear friends gave to me 12 chefs a-baking.

Naturally, we baked sugar cookies.

Well, actually there was only 4 chefs all under the age of  13 not including myself. Yet we made a mess thrice our size.

It was so much fun! Perhaps the best part was the flour showers: dust hands with flour, raise your hands up and then clap.

True, it was less fun to clean the mess up. I think it took me an hour. Totally worth it though.

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Making an Army

In cooking, Family on December 23, 2012 at 9:08 pm

Of gingerbread men and women!

The Ninja cookie cutters were a gift from my cousin, but you can get your set here. They were a hoot to decorate.

The recipe for the gingerbread cookies that I use year after year came from a book that was gifted to me many years ago when I was still a kid in college. It was perhaps my first cookie cookbook, the Pillsbury Best Cookies Cookbook.

Elly helped of course. The decorating set I bought from Pampered Chef were just perfect for her little hands.

The cookies she decorated are featured below. I especially love the trees.

Merry Christmas!

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Christmas Cookies Galore

In cooking on December 21, 2012 at 4:39 pm

We are swimming in cookies now.

I have only baked 3 batches myself.

Buttermilk sugar cookies (drop style with green frosting on top)

Cranberry chocolate cookies

Dan’s favorite, the Highland Shortbread cookies

Thanks to the cookie swap with the Mom’s Club, I look like a baking goddess though.

I still have one more batch of cookies to make because Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without my gingerbread men.

Growing up, we always made sugar cookies and I still do make them during our get together with friends, but I could take them or leave them. A few years ago the gingerbread men took their rightful place as my favorite cookies to make. Why?

Because the gingerbread men are so much fun to decorate and to personalize!

Almost Done Christmas Shopping

In cooking, Sewing on November 2, 2012 at 8:33 am

The lion’s share is done.

I realize most people don’t start their Christmas shopping until December. Some even wait until a week before Christmas. I’m too much of a nervous Nellie to do that. Besides there are some key benefits to finishing early.

Finishing early allows me the necessary time to make at least one handmade gift for Elly. I’m working on two this year: a yarn boa and an apron.

The apron will be a larger version of this one as she has skyrocketed in size since this picture was taken a year ago. The design allows her to put the apron herself, something my independent girl loves to do.

More importantly, finishing early allows me to dedicate the entire month of December to baking cookies, cakes, gifts and pies. This year is going to be even better because I now have a little helper in the kitchen with me. She has become quite the decorator of cupcakes. The trick will be to limit her intake of frosting and sprinkles. Or I could just make more icing.

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Home at Last

In cooking, garden on July 28, 2012 at 7:07 pm

Since Wednesday of last week, we’ve attended a wedding, enjoyed 2 days at the Jersey shore and attended a bridal shower.



Although every bit of it was fun, I am glad to be back home.

I plan to do absolutely nothing today.

OK, that is not entirely true. I plan to stay in the neighborhood to facilitate a boatload of cooking. Folks, it’s harvesting time.

The carrots, jalapeno peppers and, most importantly, the tomatoes are in. First up on the menu: tomato sauce. Oh boy, oh boy!

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