adventures in the kitchen
Monday, April 28, 2008 Blueberry Scones


If you're ever in the grocery store and see the blueberry scone mix from King Arthur Flour, you should definitely buy it! I saw the mix on the brownie/cake mix isle and thought it would be a fun addition to our Saturday morning breakfast menu. Sure enough, they were a hit! The scones are easy to make and taste really good. A wonderful simple treat for breakfast, brunch or an afternoon snack (the directions are on the scone mix).

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Posted by kristy :: 7:39 PM :: 0 comments

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Breakfast casserole

Some of our very dear friends came down to visit this past weekend. Knowing things would be busy Sunday morning before church (we leave the house around 7:30 am), I made a breakfast casserole on Saturday and kept it in the refrigerator until it was time to cook it on Sunday morning. I can not express how great it was to be able to have a warm, yummy breakfast without having to spend all morning in the kitchen! I HIGHLY recommend this dish when you're going to have company and would rather visit with friends/family than spend an hour or so cooking breakfast.

Ingredients
  • 6 slices of bread, cubed
  • 8 eggs, beaten
  • 1 pound of sausage, cooked, drained and crumbled
  • 8 slices of American cheese
  • shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2 cups of milk
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • pepper to taste

Grease two 8x8" Pyrex dishes with butter or butter-flavored Crisco. Spread cubed bread evenly over both dishes.

Sprinkle evenly with sausage.

Place 4 slices of cheese over the top of the sausage in each dish (8 slices of cheese total).

Mix eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour evenly over ingredients in each pan.

Sprinkle each dish with Mozzarella cheese

May cover and chill overnight. (If left overnight, remove from refrigerator 15 minutes before baking.)

Bake @ 325 degrees F. for 45 minutes or until set. Cut into square and serve. Serves 8 adults.

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Posted by kristy :: 10:51 AM :: 2 comments

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Easy (and VERY yummy) Banana Pudding!



This is a Paula Dean recipe which I got the Food Network website (its official name is Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding). The recipe was super easy and the final product was delicious!!! I highly recommend this dessert :)
  • 2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies (you can find these on the cookie isle at the grocery store)
  • 6 to 8 bananas, sliced (I only used 5 bananas)
  • 2 cups of milk
  • 1 (5-oz) box instant French Vanilla pudding (I couldn't find a 5-oz box, so I used one and a half of the 3.4-oz boxes).
  • 1 (8-oz) package creme cheese, softened
  • 1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 (12-oz) container frozen whipped topping thawed, or equal amount sweetened whipped cream (I used cool whip)

Line the bottom of a 13" x 9" x 2" dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.

In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a hand-held mixer.

Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth.

Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture.

Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended.

Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (I found that the banana pudding tastes best after it has been in the fridge for a few hours).

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Posted by kristy :: 9:14 AM :: 0 comments

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Tuesday, April 22, 2008 Asian Pork & Noodle Skillet

In our short time in Birmingham my husband and I were blessed with super friends - Kristy & Payton! I have enjoyed keeping up through the blogosphere and now am thrilled to join in this Kitchen Kreations blog!

One Pot


One Spoon

One Yummy Dish!


This past week I tried a new dish included in the latest Spring 2008 edition of Season's Best from Pampered Chef. These little $1.00 cookbooks have some great little treats! The best part about this dish - my fabulous...but very picky husband and my sometimes finicky toddler LOVED this dish too! The pork was a little spicy for my little one but he thought the noodles were yummy & fun! Oh wait - the other great part - it is a ONE pot dish! Just for you Katy! Although being in NYC you can probably get some super Asian take-out! Enjoy and keep up the great posts!


2 medium carrots (I used some julienne carrot sticks and put them on my portion only)
1 med red bell pepper
5-6 green onions, divided
2 pork tenderloins
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp PC Asian Seasoning Mix (see note below)
4 pkg oriental-flavored ramen noodles
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 c water

Cut carrots into julienne strips. Cut bell pepper lengthwise into 1/4 inch strips. Slice green onions. Set aside. Trim fat from tenderloins. Slice pork lengthwise into four strips. Thinly slice strips crosswise. Combine pork, sesame oil, seasoning mix and two of the ramen noodle seasoning packets. Set aside. Add vegetable oil to a 12 inch skillet; heat over medium high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Add half the pork. Cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until browned; remove pork from skillet and keep warm. Repeat with remaining pork and remove from skillet. Add carrots & bell pepper to the skillet. Cook 1-2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add water and remaining seasoning packets; stir to loosed browned bits from skillet. Add ramen noodles and green onions. Cover. Bring to a boil and cook 4-5 minutes. Add pork; stir to break apart noodles. Remove from heat; let stand covered 3-4 minutes. Serve!

Note: I halved the recipe since it was just the three of us and I didn't want a bunch of leftovers not knowing how it would turn out. I have the Asian Seasoning Mix (4.50 from PC) but if you don't, you can substitute a mixture of garlic powder, soy sauce, ginger, red pepper. Just add a little of each together and use your own judgement!

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Posted by Winnie Spann :: 8:54 PM :: 4 comments

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Monday, April 21, 2008 Red velvet balls


Pros: Deliciously moist and yummy. Always a big hit!
Cons: Take a while to make.

Bake a red velvet cake, per the instructions on the back of the cake mix box. Once the cake is done baking, remove it from the oven and put it in a large bowl. Break the cake up until it is all one consistency (make sure there are no hard edges). If you want, you can put the cake in a food processor to make sure it is mixed into a very fine texture. Mix a tub of cream cheese icing into the cake. Stir well, making sure the icing gets evenly distributed. Form the cake/icing mixture into small (apx. 1-inch) balls. Place balls in the freezer until they harden (about 10-15 minutes)
Melt a package of chocolate-flavored almond bark, making sure you don't burn it (I melt mine on the stove over low heat, stirring constantly). Dip red velvet balls in the almond bark. Place dipped balls on wax paper until chocolate hardens. Yields approximately 40 red velvet balls.

I've heard that you can use any type of cake mix with this recipe, but I've yet to try anything but red velvet (why mess with a good thing, right?!!). I've also tried dipping the red velvet balls in white chocolate flavored almond bark. The white chocolate makes the treats a bit sweeter, but I still prefer the classic milk-chocolate.

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Posted by kristy :: 10:22 PM :: 3 comments

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Jalepeno Tilapia

Jalapeno Tilapia is one of my very favorite dishes at Johnny Carino's. I found a recipe on the Internet that I think tastes a lot like the entree that I've had there. I made it tonight for Payton, my mom and dad. Everyone liked it, or at least said they did, though dad did say it was a bit spicy :) (Now is a good time to disclose that I REALLY like spicy food, but I, too, found this recipe to be a little overboard when it comes to the jalapenos. The next time I make it I'll use 1/2 - 3/4 cups of jalapenos instead of 1 full cup. ) Below is the recipe.



Ingredients
  • 6 tilapia fillets*
  • 1 cup white flour
  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • 4 teaspoons chopped garlic
  • 1 cup diced jalapenos (again, I recommend using less than 1 cup)
  • 2 cups chopped spinach
  • 2 pinches of salt
  • 2 pinches of pepper
  • 2 pinches of garlic salt (or 2 pinches of garlic powder and 1 additional pinch of salt)
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup lemon butter
  • 12 ounces angel hair pasta
  • 2 teaspoons fresh parsley
  • 1 cup diced roma tomatoes
* I used frozen tilapia fillets that I had thawed in a bowl of milk (I once read that allowing frozen fish to thaw in milk helps it lose that distinct frozen seafood taste).

Directions
  1. Heat melted butter and garlic in a large saute pan over medium heat.
  2. Dredge the tilapia fillets in the flour and add them to the melted butter and garlic. Continue to cook over medium heat.
  3. Once the tilapia has finished cooking on one side, flip the fillets over and add the jalapenos, spinach, salt, pepper, and garlic salt.
  4. Prepare the angel hair pasta in boiling water and allow it to cook 3-4 minutes. (I didn't have angel hair pasta so I used regular spaghetti noodles. They were good, but I still prefer the angel hair with this dish).
  5. Once the fillets begin to flake, add the heavy cream, and bring mixture to a slight boil.
  6. Once the cream begins to boil, remove the pan from the heat and pour the lemon butter into the sauce
  7. Put pasta in bowl and pour fish and sauce over the pasta.
  8. Garnish with fresh roma tomatoes and parsley.
This dish goes great with a salad and bread. If you're looking for something to spice up your menu, this is a good choice! This recipe feeds 4-6 adults.

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Posted by kristy :: 9:34 PM :: 1 comments

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La Bamba Casserole

Hello readers! Kristen here, I went to college with Kristy, and I also grew up in NW Florida. This mexican style recipe has become an all time favorite of mine. It's from Cooking Light magazine a few years ago and it is even better the next day! Enjoy!

La Bamba Casserole

1 small can chopped green chiles, drained
1 lb ground turkey breast
1 c. chopped onion
2 tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 10oz can diced tomatoes & green chiles
2 c. frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
1 16 oz can fat-free refried black beans
1 ½ c. shredded cheddar
1 c. chopped tomato
Chopped olives (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Arrange chiles in single layer in 8-inch square pyrex dish coated with cooking spray.
3. Heat large non-stick skillet (coated w/ cooking spray) over med-hi heat. Add turkey, onion, chili powder, cumin, salt, and garlic. Saute 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Cook until turkey is no longer pink.
4. Add diced tomatoes (undrained), cook until liquid evaporates, about 6-7 minutes.
5. Spoon turkey mixture over chiles, top with corn. Carefully spread beans over corn (if beans are too thick to spread, I sometimes heat separately in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds). Top with cheese.
6. Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes, top with tomatoes and olives (optional). Serve with rice or Tostitos scoops chips and a salad for an easy dinner!

Serves 6.
344 calories, 10.7 g fat, 32 g protein, 7 g fiber.

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Posted by kristen g. :: 11:44 AM :: 2 comments

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Rasberry Hazelnut Crumble Bars






I saw this recipe on the Bake or Break blog and couldn't resist trying it (you can see the original post on the BorB site by clicking here). I admit, I changed the recipe a bit due to ingredients I could/could not find in the grocery store, but it still turned out great. Hope you like it, too.

(I've listed the original recipe, as found on the BorB site, and inserted any adjustments I made in parenthesis).

CRUST:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, diced
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease an 8″x 8″baking pan (I used a 6.5" x 10.5" brownie pan). Set aside.
Combine flour, brown sugar, and salt in a food processor (I mixed mine with a hand mixer and then put it through a sifter one time). Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles cornmeal (again, just used a hand mixer). Add egg. Process just until dough comes together in a ball. Spread dough into bottom of prepared pan.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until light golden brown. Set pan on wire rack to cool.



FILLING:
  • 12 ounces seedless raspberry preserves (I could only find a 10-ounce container)
  • 1 & 1/2 cups chopped hazelnuts (I couldn't find any hazelnuts, so I used pecans)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 eggs

Spread raspberry preserves on top of cooled crust.
Using a food processor, pulse hazelnuts and sugar to a cornmeal consistency (I left my pecans finely chopped and mixed the pecans and sugar with a hand mixer on medium speed). Add butter and eggs, and process until creamy. (May be refrigerated until ready to use.) Spread over preserves. Set aside.



TOPPING:
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, diced

Combine flour, brown sugar, and butter using a hand mixer at medium speed. Mix until mixture begins to pull together. Sprinkle over filling.
Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes.* Let cool completely before cutting into squares.
*The bars won’t necessarily look “done.” Look for some browning on the top and around the edges. Giving the pan a little shake, too. If it still jiggles a good bit, give it a few more minutes. As they cool, they will set.



Results: I really liked it. It's not extremely sweet (especially compared to the cookies from the previous post), but has a rich flavor (probably because of all that butter!!) and would be great served with coffee. I was glad that I didn't put my pecans in the food processor because I liked the crunchy texture that they added to the recipe. One disclaimer: I dirtied a lot of dishes while making this recipe, so make sure you have plenty of time and clean dishes before you start. Enjoy :)

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Posted by kristy :: 6:53 AM :: 1 comments

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Sunday, April 20, 2008 Funfetti cookies



This recipe is sooo easy that I'm almost ashamed to post it. I got it off the Pillsbury Funfetti cake mix box and was shocked that something so simple could taste so good. Here are the directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix one box of Pillsbury Funfetti cake mix (a 18.9 oz. package), 1/3 cup of oil and 2 eggs. Stir until moistened. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. With bottom of glass dipped in flour, flatten to 1/4-inch thickness. Bake at 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute, remove from cookie sheet. Spread Pillsbury Funfetti vanilla frosting over warm cookies. Top with sprinkles immediately. Let frosting set before stacking cookies. Makes apx. 3 dozen cookies.
Okay, here's my question: do you think you could use any type of cake mix in this recipe or do you think it has to be Funfetti? Also, I've heard about people who substitute apple sauce for vegetable oil in their baking. Has anyone tried this? I can't help but think about how much that would decrease the calories and fat in this recipe.

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Posted by kristy :: 2:00 PM :: 5 comments

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 Spinach Pizza


This is a slight variation of a recipe I got from Parenting Magazine a few months ago. I made it for lunch today and it was y-u-m-m-y! Best of all, Payton and Will eat it, and neither of them care for spinach.

Ingredients:
  • One 15-oz. container of part-skim ricotta cheese

  • 3/4 tsp. garlic powder

  • one 9-oz bag of baby spinach

  • two 12" pizza crusts (I prefer the thin and crispy ones)

  • one 8-oz. bag of shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese

  • one 6-oz. bag of shredded parmesan cheese

  • 1/4 tsp. of salt
Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

  • Rinse spinach and put in microwave-safe container (I use a square pyrex dish). Sprinkle about 2 tbsp. of water over spinach. Cover tightly with saran wrap and cut small hole in the top for steam to escape. Cook in microwave for about 2.5 minutes. Drain water off of steamed spinach. Set aside.

  • Mix ricotta cheese with garlic powder. Put half of the mixture on each pizza crust and spread out evenly.

  • Evenly distribute spinach over the ricotta cheese mixture on each pizza.

  • Sprinkle each pizza with apx. 1/8 tsp. of salt (for a total of 1/4 tsp.). You can use more or less salt depending on your preference.

  • Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over each pizza then lightly sprinkle parmesan cheese over each pizza. (Unless you just really love cheese, you will probably not use the entire bag of either cheese. I usually end up using about 3/4 bag of mozzarella and 1/4 bag of parmesan).

  • Bake at 400 degrees farenheit for 12 minutes, or until cheese on top has started to turn golden brown.

Hope your family enjoys it as much as ours does :)

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Posted by kristy :: 11:48 AM :: 1 comments

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 Stuffed Peppers


Or, as we like to call them "Stuft Peppers". Hello, all! This is Page, Kristy's friend. I haven't cooked much lately since my hubby has been away at school, but now I have been in the mood to cook and can't wait to make this for him when he gets home! It's a super simple recipe from The Hubby's mom, Pat but does kinda take up a lot of pots (sorry, Katy ;):

Ingredients:
4-6 Bell Peppers
1 T oil (I use EVOO)
2 T chopped onion (I like more, so I use a half an onion)
1/4 t dried thyme
A Dash of savory
A Dash of black pepper
2 c. yellow rice
3/4 c. tomato juice
1 lb. hamburger meat (I use 80/10 'cause I like it rather lean)
Ketchup as needed (Optional)

You can change up these ingredients as you like to your preference. If you are using less than 6 peppers, I would reduce the amount of hamburger meat and rice unless you just want some left over for later.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Preheat saute pan to medium heat - add oil.
3. Fill large pot about 5 inches high with water (or high enough to cover the peppers) and bring to a boil.
4. Clean peppers, cut off their tops, take out their interior seeds and boil for about 5-6 minutes.
5. Brown onion in oil with hamburger until hamburger is cooked. Add the remainder of the ingredients to the hamburger and mix.
6. Fill peppers with hamburger mixture.
7. Next (optional) add squirt of ketchup on the top of each bell pepper mixture. We like to put the initials of the person it is for spelled out in ketchup ;)
8. Bake on baking sheet (I cover mine with aluminum foil so it's one less pan to clean!) for 25 minutes.
9. Make husband clean dishes.
ALL DONE!





***Update from Kristy: I made these last week and they were delicious!!! Here is a picture of the final product.

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Posted by Page :: 4:58 PM :: 5 comments

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Friday, April 11, 2008 Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

2 large chicken breasts, cooked & cubed
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
2/3 c. (or whole cup if you want it richer) sour cream
1 c. (more or less to your liking - I usually use about half a bag) frozen mixed vegetables thawed
1 can refrigerated biscuit dough
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In 9 x 13 glass baking dish mix chicken, soups, sour cream & veggies. Place biscuits on top spaced evenly apart (they won't cover the entire top - it's okay, but if it bothers you that much, you could always use two cans of biscuits). Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, about 20 - 30 min. Serve with white (boil-in-bag) rice. Serves 4 adults.

Variation - if you don't have a can of refrigerated biscuits, use the Bisquick recipe for homemade biscuits & plop the dough by large spoonfuls on top of the casserole.
Posted by Katy :: 5:48 PM :: 3 comments

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Kristy's Lazy-In-The-Kitchen Sister & Her Shamefully Easy Meatloaf


Hey Everyone, I'm Katy, Kristy's younger & less culinarily inclined sister. Though most of what she says about our family tree of talented cooks is correct, I definitely don't fall into that line. I don't enjoy cooking - I find it annoying (too many dirty dishes at the end of it all). I love sweets, but am not in any way partial regarding where they come from: store-bought, restaurant dessert, little girls who live downstairs & bring around cupcakes every once in a while - it's all good to me.

So, with that disclosure (just to recap - COOK NOR BAKER AM I) I will nonetheless throw some super easy, can't mess this up, domestic intelligence insulting recipes your way. Here's the first one . . .

BEST MEATLOAF I'VE MADE TO DATE (which isn't saying much)

1 - 1.5 lb. hamburger meat (I always use the 93% lean stuff)
1 sm. onion chopped up small
1 c. store-bought spaghetti sauce, a.k.a. marinara sauce (or plain tomato sauce from a can)
1 c. stuffing mix
1 egg
Ketchup

Combine all but ketchup & bake at 350 degrees for 50 min. Top with ketchup & bake 10 more min. Servings - enough for me & Chris plus leftovers to spoil in the fridge. Probably enough for two adults plus some kiddos. Probably not enough for 4 adults unless you go with the 1.5 lb. ground beef & they're not super big eaters.
Posted by Katy :: 5:33 PM :: 2 comments

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Thursday, April 10, 2008 Butterfly Cake


I made this cake for Easter dinner, and almost forgot about it until I read Winnie's comment. I think I originally got the recipe off the m&ms website when Payton and I were first married. It's super easy and very yummy--here are the directions:


  1. Pick out your favorite boxed cake mix (I prefer butter or funfetti) and light-colored icing (I use fluffy white). Of course, if you're feeling adventurous, feel free to make your own cake batter and/or icing.

  2. Following the directions on the cake box, mix cake batter and bake in one greased 9-inch round cake pan.

  3. Once you've taken the cake out of the oven and it has completely cooled, cut it down the middle into two equal-sized sections.

  4. Flip sections around so that the curved parts of each section are touching.

  5. About 2/3 down the side of each section, cut a small triangle. Remember to try and keep each side of the cake congruent, so you'll want to make your triangles the same size and cut them out of the same place on each side. You can discard (or in my case, eat) the triangle pieces.

  6. Frost the cake. Warning: The outer edges of the cake (where you cut the cake) can be difficult to frost, so be sure to use plenty of icing.

  7. Using chocolate coated candies (I prefer the spring-colored m&ms), create your own design for your butterfly.

  8. For antennas you can either use Twizzler pull-n-peel candy or you can microwave a starburst for a few seconds (until it's easy to mold) and roll it into antennas.

  9. Enjoy :)

Posted by kristy :: 9:59 AM :: 0 comments

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Tuesday, April 8, 2008 This one's for Andrea

This is the cute apron I currently wear while in the kitchen. I have another one that I really like also, but it's already packed. Jamey & Leah (brother & sis-in-law) gave this one to me for Christmas/birthday last year.

Okay now, Andrea, it's your turn. Don't you want to share your famous spaghetti or chocolate chip cookie recipes with our wonderful readers? :)






Posted by kristy :: 6:30 AM :: 2 comments

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Saturday, April 5, 2008 Best syrup this side of...Arkansas




When my parents would come to Arkansas to visit me at college, they would always stay at The Duck's Nest, a small camp on the White River. The owners of the camp would have homemade syrup and waffle batter in the refrigerator when mom and dad arrived. The first time I tried the syrup I thought it was the best thing I had ever put in my mouth! Today, almost 10 years later, I still think it's the best syrup I've ever tasted. Thankfully, the owners of the Duck's Nest were kind enough to give us the recipe. Warning, it's not the healthiest thing ever, but for an occasional treat, it's perfect! Enjoy :)

DUCK'S NEST SYRUP (serves 12)

Ingredients:
2 cups of sugar
2 sticks of REAL butter
1 cup of buttermilk
1 tsp. of baking soda
2 tsp. of vanilla

Directions:
1. Melt butter in deep pot over medium heat (mixture will expand as it gets hot, so make sure your pot is deep)
2. Stir in sugar, buttermilk and baking soda.
3. Stirring frequently (apx. every 15 seconds) bring the mixture to a boil over med. heat.
4. Boil on med. heat for 5 minutes (continue to stir mixture while it is boiling).
5. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla

**If you don't use the syrup immediately, you can store it in a glass container in the fridge. Once it cools the mixture will separate, but don't worry, once you heat it up and stir it again it will regain it's original consistency. You can store the syrup in the fridge for up to 7 days.

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Posted by kristy :: 11:47 AM :: 2 comments

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First post on the new blog :)

Per my mom's request, I've established a new blog to document my kitchen adventures. (This way I can continue to use babywill.net as an online baby book for Will--I really do want to get it printed and bound one day for him). I don't know how frequently I'll post on this site, but promise to share great recipes when I find them!

A little background on when/why I developed a love for baking & cooking: I was fortunate to grow up around the majority of my extended family, all of whom seem to share a love for creating delicious meals in the kitchen! Mam Maw (my great-great-grandmother who lived with us for a while and passed away when I was a senior in high school) made excellent spaghetti, which, until I was in elementary school, I lovingly referred to as "sketti." Nanny (Mam Maw's daughter, my great-grandmother, who passed away in March 2008) made the best hickory nut cake you've ever tasted. Grammy Jean (Nanny's daughter, my dad's mother, my grandmother) is famous, at least in our circle of friends and family, for her celestial chicken and congo squares. Granny Barry (my mom's mother, my grandmother) is the queen of country cooking and can also make some delicious shrimp dishes. My parents, Jim & Marsha, are the epitome of hospitality and often treat guests to anything from apple pie to Parmesan zucchini (and everything in between). My uncle Jerry and cousin Holly (dad's side of the family) watch cooking shows every chance they get and always delight us with new dishes at family gatherings (my favorite is still the key lime turkey that we had for Thanksgiving a few years ago). My Uncle Bill (mom's sister's husband) makes delicious sausage bread, which he always prepared for us on Christmas morning.

As I've gotten older, I've been fortunate to learn from other great cooks: my mother in law makes delicious meals for every meal (seriously, I gain weight every time we spend a few days with them!), my college friend Brandie R. could give Martha Stewart a run for her money (she's the one I e-mail with baking-related questions), my dear friend, Winnie, who I met when I worked in an office with her husband (she would often send yummy treats to the office with Jake), my younger sister, Katy, has become quite the great cook and is always trying new recipes, my sister-in-law, Leah, is a fabulously creative baker and my sister-in-law, Paige, has lots of great health-conscious recipes that use all types of fresh produce.

Well, there you have it; those "mentors" helped develop my love affair with food!

I also have a few rules of thumb when it comes to my own baking:

1. I always use real butter
2. Good bakeware is a MUST (for stove top cookware I prefer stainless to non-stick because I don't want to have to worry about the non-stick coating scratching off)
3. Real vanilla is also a MUST when baking (it's expensive in the US, so if you or anyone you know is going to Mexico any time soon, get some there. It's around $15 for half a gallon!)
4. Always wear a super cute apron
5. Have fun!

I'll close with a funny story that I remembered a couple days ago while cooking something that called for "soda." One time, when I was in 5th or 6th grade, I decided to make sugar cookies. The recipe called for "soda," which I just assumed meant some type of soda drink. Since they were sugar cookies I opted for Sprite, because I didn't want the Coke to make the cookies dark. Needless to say, they didn't turn out that well. Not terrible, but certainly not good. I couldn't figure out what I had done wrong, so I told Mam Maw everything I had used just to see if I had left something out. Apparently what I had left out was baking soda! She and I laughed for a really long time about that one!

Happy baking :)
Posted by kristy :: 10:32 AM :: 2 comments

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