Sound the Alarm...

...  My family was spared from the flooding in South Carolina praise be to God!  My sister said that she went to the store to get all the fixin's for a pot of chili to hunker down with during the "deluge"; and the store was void of Kidney Beans! Everyone must have been making chili! Chili is one of my favorite comfort foods, and as I go through my handwritten cookbooks I find more recipes for chili than anything else.  I'm straining my brain to remember if I had a chili I didn't like...hum...nope!

Chili is a personal food don't you think?  Once Hubby & I went to a dinner party toting a pot of my chili, as did everyone else! A Chili Cook Off. We all ate a small bowl each others chili, a blind tasting, only the hostess knew who's was who's.  Our own being obvious to us, we still ate it like it was anonymous. We had planned to pick a winner, but no one could pick the best chili, I know I honestly couldn't. Each was a winner in it's own way!  It was so fun to see & taste how different each pot was and how personal it was.

 We have no rain (please pray) but now I have a hankerin' for chili.

All this hunkering & hankering Cowboy talk is making me want chili!...

5 Alarm Chili!

 

 

 

 

 

Yes those are tortilla chips! About an oz of chips. I have also used 2 corn tortillas. They add great flavor & also thicken up the chili.  I blended them with spices, (chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, 1 tbsp. ketchup & sugar) with large can of tomatoes. My favorite is whole tomatoes but I used a can of diced, so it made the chili thicker. I got lazy and didn't fire roast the peppers but it's so much better if you take the time to do that. The dark chilies are dried, which I soaked in 2 cups of hot water before adding those to the tomatoes in the blender as well.  I use the water from this soak in the chili. (brown liquid in measuring cup) Again I was lazy and just left the skins on to get every bit of pepper.  Normally I make with ground beef but I had this marbled piece of meat that I knew was going to be tasty and tender.  I always get my pot beyond hot before adding my room temperature meat. It should stick where it lands and I don't touch it until I can see that it's good & browned. This adds so much flavor. It's surprisingly not as hot as it would seem but I can eat fire so....

With chili I love warm tortillas or cornbread but for this one...

Pass the thick & chewy & crunchy San Francisco Sourdough Garlic Bread please!

Grab that spoon! Dare to Have A Bite ?

I'm a Dipper...

...but not a Double Dipper! I love dip. All kinds of dips. Dips intrigue me, so do sauces but that's another story. Actually, it's a love/hate relationship. haha I do feel a little less guilty eating this dip because there is some protein in it! I'm a tofu lover too. :) 

Yummy Garlic Ranch Tofu Dip

1/2 Block of Firm Tofu

(could use soft tofu if you prefer)
1/2 C Sour Cream
1 Tbsp Dry Ranch Seasoning Mix
1 green onion
1 clove garlic
2 Tbsp lemon juice ( may add more if too thick)
salt & pepper to taste

Put all in food processor and blend until smooth.
Serve Cold.

Ta Da I Tried It Thursday...

... I tried several things this week.  Having a purple thumb, actually I should say yellow thumb because that's the color all my plants turn before I kill them off. hahaha  Coming home from the grocery with 2 bunches of celery, I remembered seeing this Pin on Pinterest and decided to see if it would really work.  I washed the celery cut the bottom off (cut the rest up & put in water for snacks in the frig) then I removed some stalk pieces then placed in a little water & set it in the window.  Well to my surprise it does look like I'm growing more celery! In just a few days there were new leaves. When it has more roots I'm going to try planting it outside. I placed it a glass on top of a tiny antique hand painted plate. I have a set of these & I love them. I always look for them in antique shops & thrift stores. I am never afraid to use my antiques or vintage items. I use them & enjoy them. 

Another thing I tried this week is Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies,  a No Bake, No Fat, Gluten Free Cookie Recipe. My mother has made these all my life, only this recipe you can make in 5 minutes start to finish in the microwave instead of boiling on the stove.  The recipe says 20 min but that's just crazy talk unless you are walking to the store to get your ingredients! Here is the Pin & Recipe.  It was so quick & simple, & such a small batch that I decided to experiment with it.  I replace 1/2 of the sugar with Stevia In the Raw and they still turned out great.   I also made a batch using 3/4 C of oatmeal instead of 1/2 C, even better!

Ta Da!

Fluffy Fluffy Fluffy...

...were the homemade marshmallows I made for Christmas!

If you haven't made homemade marshmallows, oh let me tell you! You have got to try it!

Heavily dust a baking pan with powdered sugar.

In mixing bowl add 3 packages of unflavored gelatin & 1/2 cup of water. Let sit to bloom while sugar boils.

In sauce pot add -

2 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cup Karo Syrup

1/4 cup water

Cook on medium heat. You can stir to dissolve sugar. Once sugar starts to bubble around the edges, boil without stirring for 8 minutes - soft ball stage.  Remove from heat and slowly pour sugar into gelatin beating on low while pouring. Then beat on high for approx. 4 - 5 minutes until mixture no longer is getting fluffy, then add 1 Tbsp of vanilla.

 Beat on high until marshmallow candy is a little stringy pulling off sides of bowl. 

Pour into dusted pan then heavily dust top of candy with powdered sugar. 

Have a good scraper ready to get all the candy out of the bowl!  Let sit until candy can be handled & cut.  After cutting toss in powdered sugar to coat all sides so that each piece is not sticky.

I think I will make one more batch using all the left over candy canes that are on the tree.

 I am going to crush them up & add them to the boiling sugar.

 

 

Hot off the Griddle...

...Just had to share this! I was craving hot water cornbread & I had a pot of kale and you know I have lots of garlic!...  These were so quick & easy, delicious & a little better for me than regular hot cornbread.  Crunchy & crispy on the outside, soft & creamy on the inside. Yum!

Crunchy Garlic Kale Cornbread Croquette

1 1/3 C boiling water

1 tsp salt

1 C cooked Kale (with all water squeezed out)

1 C Yellow Cornmeal

2 Cloves of Garlic

Oil for frying

*

Add cornmeal to boiling water & stir to remove lumps. Add salt, kale & garlic. Let sit for a few minutes to swell up.  Spoon into lightly oiled pan & fry until firm & golden brown.

Chop Chop Chop...

... I love chopping it's the best thing about cooking. Oh I love to slice & dice too. That's why I was so excited to see the huge bag of garlic my hubby brought home. I chopped & chopped & peeled & peeled! I keep a little bowl of water to dip my fingers in when they become too sticky.  I decided to make him some potato salad which he loves with lots of garlic & black olives, a little reward.  

I chopped until my heart was content!

 

Garlic Olive Potato Salad

6 boiled potatoes cubed

3 large cloves of garlic

1/2 Fresh Parsley - I used curly type

3/4 C Mayo

2 small red Bell Peppers

1 small White Onion

2 Stalks of Celery

I can of Jumbo Black Olives sliced

1 tbsp. dried basil

Salt & Pepper to taste

 

Hubby was happy! He loves garlic.  The whole house smelled like a wonderful garlic garden. 

I input the recipe into SparkPeople's Recipe Calculator and for 1/2 Cup Serving it has 152 calories. 

I put some whole cloves into olive oil & placed in the frig to use later and I will be using that oil when all the cloves are gone.

I decided to keep some unpeeled cloves in my cute garlic holder. It's so full when you lift the top they tumble out.  Doesn't it look like it's smiling? :)

 

So inspired by this gift of delicious stinky garlic; & my love of  chopping, slicing & dicing; I had to go paint this little ACEO...

"Love Stinks"

(To purchase this piece just click on the painting)

 

It may even smell like garlic! hahaha 

 

Rollin' In Dough...

...real dough that is!   This is how my son & I spent the morning....

We even ground our own chicken & pork for the filling, which consisted of carrots, cabbage, bean sprouts, garlic, celery & green onions; then a little soy sauce, salt & pepper.  Some Chinese Five Spice was added to the pork dumplings.  We tested the filling by putting a little of it on a dish in the microwave for a minute.  We had fun!  Clean up was easy too because I laid out brown paper all over the counter tops before we started.  

*Dough Recipe*

2 Cups

1 Cup warm water

Put all in food processor and process until it clumps together & is a smooth ball.  Dust with flour, wrap in plastic and let rest 20 min. while you make your filling.  Divide dough in half, then roll into log about 10" long. Cut log into 1/2 pieces. Then flour & roll into 3" circles. Spoon about a tablespoon of filling into center, fold over, then crimp edges. 

If you love dough, please check out  more great recipes & follow my Pinterest Board "Rollin' In Dough"! Click HERE.

Create A Great Weekend! God Bless!

Summer Fun..?

"Want some ice cream?"

" hum... no thanks... I'll pass."" Can I have your scooper?!" haha

 

5 Minute Sugar Free Ice Cream Recipe I want to try by Satisfying Eats ...

HERE

 

One Potato, Two Potato....

Three potato... MORE!!!   Slice, rinse, rinse, rinse, dry, shallow fry... OH MY!!   I sprinkled one batch with salt & onion powder those were gone in seconds!

Oh Sweet Summer!

 

A great watermelon salad from Cooking Weekend!

4 cups cold seedless watermelon, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup feta, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2 cup Kalamata olives
2 tbsp salted pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 tsp fresh mint, finely chopped
freshly ground black pepper

dressing
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp orange juice

Combine the vinegar and orange juice. Sprinkle evenly over the salad and serve.

Life is Sweet...

...Eat it up! I can't wait to make this cake.
Click HERE for the Recipe and Tutorial to make this easy elegant cake. Share with all your friends. Pineapple cake is my favorite, what's yours?

Sweet Sunny Spicy Spanish Guitar kind of Day

Yes it's 100 outside but you know I like it hot! Red Pork Chili Colorado, Fry Bread & Yellow Lemon Buttercreams. Yum.

I had some beautiful chops but was craving something spicy & saucy even though it is hot. This is great though because it's simple and you don't have to stand in a hot kitchen fussing over it. This is just 4 large chops cut in big chunks, browned, 2 chicken boullion, just enough water to cover and 1/2c spaghetti sauce (I didn't have 1/2 can of tomato paste but this came out great), 1/2 large yellow onion slices really thinly, 4 cloves of grated garlic, 2 tbsp of chili powder, 1 tbsp of cumin. Stewed for about 2 hours or until pork is tender. Simple and so so good.

I'm experimenting with a fry bread recipe. I'm really trying to work that one out for my son who is thinking about getting a gourmet food truck. I started with a "biga" as though I were making a foccacia bread. I hope it turns out. It looks bubblalicious right now. I will repost a picture to this post if it comes out good so stay tuned. Is there "bad" bread? ...I don't think so!

Don't these lemon buttercreams look so sunny and summery? They will give you a sunny disposition for sure! I scored a bunch of great Mr. Candy molds for only $.50 each and they were unopened and brand new. (Thrift store, I donate then buy stuff. hahaha) I got this sunflower, a frog, pineapple, seashell, rose w/ leaf, turtle, leaf, and shamrock. When I got them I thought I would use them for clay but the recipe looked so easy, and my guys have sweet teeth, so I tried it. The guys loved them and I'm all for easy. If you come to visit you will get these on your pillow and I am now planning to make some for Christmas packages. Peppermint extract is now on my shopping list. Don't worry you don't need a mold to make these buttercreams! You can roll the dough into thin logs and cut into equal pieces or roll them into balls. This would be great for kids to do too! I hope you give this yummy recipe a try.

Buttercream Candies

1 box of powdered sugar

1/4 cup of melted butter

10 drops of food color

1/4 tsp of extract or flavoring - I used lemon extract

Work with hands to dough that sticks together, then roll into log or press into a candy mold. Place on wax paper or parchment paper. Dry for 1 hour then turn over and dry on other side.
Store in cool place. These can be frozen up to 3 months.

Thank You beautiful Charo for helping me have fun while cleaning my kitchen! So Caliente!

A Few Firsts

The first time I tried "Sticky Chicken".

It was a treat because we grill more than we fry. I sauteed 1 large (it was huge soft ball size) yellow onion, 1 large bell pepper, 3 stalks of celery, chopped in same size pieces, in a little olive oil. Once it was soft & starting to brown I removed it from the heat, seasoned with a little salt & pepper then set aside. Then I breaded some chicken tenders with a double coating of flour, pepper, garlic powder, pinch of cayenne & a tsp or so of Old Bay Seasoning & oregano, *I used these seasonings when I realized I was out of Cajun spice seasoning, or couldn't find it due to my extremely large stash of spices*. Then I fried the chicken tenders on high until golden brown but not done. I set the oven for 350 and melted 1/2 stick of butter. *I couldn't do it! I couldn't use an entire stick like the recipe called for after frying all the ingredients!* I put 1/2 the butter in a deep casserole dish, then the chicken, the veggies spread evenly on top, then a sprinkling of dried oregano, the juice of one lemon and drizzled the rest of the butter on top. I covered & baked it for 1/2 hour. It makes it's own gravy and the veggies get stuck to the sticky breading. Oh yum! It's usually cooked with thighs and legs so next time I'll try it that way. Then we can get all messy & sticky eating it with our fingers. A little unsweetened Southern cornbread baked in my cast iron skillet will be a must to go with it next time. The guys loved it so there will be a next time!

My first bracelets with my hand blended clay beads are now in my shop! I have a few more to list, one with faux jade and another with black beads that I think look like lava or asphalt. (I make one me and one for the shop, one for me, one for the shop!) I won't get them listed today because I have the photographs ready.

Big Shout Outs & Thank You's go to the CAST Team blog for featuring my photograph and EarthToGirl for featuring my art on her blog & in her Etsy Treasury and to Ayala Art for drawing my name to win your wonderful art! Yippee!

Pizza On The Patio...

... Mama Mia! That's what I thought when I took a big bite of this grilled pizza I made yesterday for a summer dinner on the patio. We were all in the mood for pizza but didn't want to get take-out & didn't want to turn the oven on, so I decided I would try to grill one on the bbq. I have never tried it. I love youtube. I found this video by UrbanGriller on how to grill a pizza on a gas grill. He made it look so simple and he's right, it was!

I happened to have 3 cans too (one was from the tomatoes) so I was set. I made my own dough. I've been making bread so long that I don't need a recipe for that. I eye-ball everything so I can't give you a recipe for it, but it's a basic yeast bread recipe. I buy yeast in the bulk section of the grocery store instead of those packets. The UrbanGriller used a box of dough mix and that looks like it works out great in the food processor, less mess than my way. To make the sauce I used a can of whole tomatoes, the tomatoes only, and I added a tsp of coursely ground fennel, salt & pepper. His recipe of just tomatoes & garlic was just too plain for me & my spicy family, but I tried it before adding the fennel. My favorite pizza is a plain cheese or Margarita pizza, tomatoes, cheese & basil. Honestly I will eat most any pizza, even anchovies, but if it has more than 3 toppings I don't really enjoy it as much, I like it simple. I used a long pan and made 1/2 of it Margarita and the other 1/2 pepperoni. I took heed to what UrbanGriller said about the pineapple, so I seeded the fresh tomatoes w/o squashing them, salted a little & let them sit in a collander to lose some of their juice while I made the dough & sauce. The fresh basil from pots around my patio came in handy. I made 2 pizzas. The first one was left on the pan the entire cook time, about 13 minutes. It didn't brown as much as I wished it did on the bottom, so while cooking the 2nd pizza I gingerly slid it off of the pan & let it crisp up directly on the grill for the last few minutes.We have a big bbq with 5 burners so by the time the last pizza was ready to go on the grill temp was about 600 degrees. It didn't take long for that one to bubble & brown. So yummy. Next time I will wait until it's that hot again, but it did work well like he said at about 350-400 degrees.

You should have seen the happiness on my son's face when we opened the grill to have our first peeks at it! With a huge smile he says with excitement "Get your camera Mom!" hahaha The guys say it was so good that they don't want to order pizza anymore. Even though that means I'll be doing the cooking, I think I have to agree. I'm keeping those cans for next time and I'm going to buy me some pizza pans! I may have to have a summer patio pizza party to experiment will lots of sauces & toppings! Want to come over for a slice?! I'd love to see what your favorite toppings are! A Big Shout Out goes to ChocolateDogStudio for including my art in her Etsy Treasury! Thanks so much! Also to Be In Style Fashion for the Style Award for my Sometimes Things are Just Black & White Blog! Thanks so much!

Be In Style Online Shopping

Simple, Strange & Scrumptious!...

...I'm first in line for a culinary adventure. I love messing up the kitchen, experimenting, trying something new, a little strange, or out of the ordinary. This vegetarian salad is that! It may sound a little strange yes, but be prepared to be surprised at how scrumptious it is! It's cool & refreshing, sweet & tangy, bright & pretty, and so easy to throw together. 1/2 lb spaghetti cooked, drained & cooled *broken into pieces before boiling 2 packed Tablespoons of pickled ginger

2 Cups of undrained bean salad *this bean salad is not super sweet2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

1 green onion finely sliced2 Tablespoons of peanuts *adds tasty crunch

2 pinches of dried parsley *just for looks reallyServe cold with a sprinkling of fresh ground pepper.

I had a little photo help from Hubby (olive oil) before he left for his gig in Old Sacramento today. He loves noodle salads. When he gets home a cool dinner will be just what he needs. Grilled chicken breast & this salad. bye-bye salad. I will definitely be making this again. It's perfect for a summer party on the patio or packed into Chinese take-out cartons to take on a picnic.

Big Shout Outs go to Whatshername & Sharon Clancy Designs for featuring my art in their beautiful Etsy Treasuries! Thanks so much! Please stop by their lovely shops by clicking on their names above.

Eggs-cellent!

Even the smallest member of our family is going to love the new Cooking Channel that launches on Monday. We are all "eggcited" ! Ok sorry I couldn't help myself, a little egg humor, a little yolk, I mean joke. (go ahead and groan, I know I did! haha)

WonTon Quiche Recipe From The Incredible Edible Egg

24 Wonton wrappers
4 EGGS
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. finely chopped ham (1 oz.)
2 Tbsp. finely chopped green onion
2 Tbsp. finely chopped red bell pepper

1.HEAT oven to 350°F. COAT 24 mini muffin cups (1-3/4 x 3/4-inch) with cooking spray. Gently PRESS 1 wonton wrapper into each cup, allowing ends to extend above edges of cup.
2.BEAT eggs and flour in medium bowl until blended. ADD ham, green onion and bell pepper; mix. SPOON about 1/2 Tbsp. egg mixture into each wonton-lined muffin cup.
3.BAKE in center of 350°F oven until filling is set, 12 to 15 minutes.
Enjoy