Christmas 2010

Can you believe how fast I got these pictures up?!

It's a Christmas miracle!!!!

Thanks Steven.

These are just pictures from his camera, because I haven't seen the pics that my mom or my uncle Joey took.

Anyway, here are some pictures from my family's celebration. We are waiting to do Christmas with the kids until they get back from Hawaii.

Here are a couple of the Christmas tree at my parents' house on Christmas Eve. Steve was playing with the light and shutter speed.

Here are a couple of pictures of my dad's side of the family...from left to right:
Cal, Lyndi, Georgia, Steve, me, my dad, my uncle Kirk (the tall one in the back), my mom, my uncle Joey.

 And no Christmas post would be complete without pictures of our beloved dogs, right? Unfortunately Steve didn't get any good pictures of Logan...which is a shame because he is a gorgeous monster of a dog (112 pounds).

How cute is Tilly? As Lyndi pointed out, she looks like she could be the daughter of Aly and Kempton. You know, if they weren't COUSINS and all that. And if they weren't all fixed. And if Kempton wasn't from North Carolina, Aly wasn't from Montana, and Tilly wasn't from Washington.

Aly and Tilly napping under the table.

We kept the dogs separate for most of the evening, but by the end we just decided to give up and see how it went with Grandpa Kempton in the mix. Over all it went really well! Logan and Aly seemed to almost know that they needed to be gentle with Kempton, and they pretty much left him alone. Tilly is only 6 months and a little crazier than the others, but she did really good too. Kempton did try to hump her a couple of times, and there were a couple of times that I may have come close to having a heart attack...but everything worked out fine.

And now for the food...

My dad made a delicious pork tenderloin on the charcoal grill, and served it with a yummy brown sauce. The marinade recipe that he used was fantastic - I'll see if I can get it from him to share.

My aunt Georgia made this gorgeous wild rice pilaf.

I made PW's Asian noodle salad (recipe post to come).

And my mom made two brand new recipes that we hadn't tried before. The top one is a squash au gratin with spinach, and the second is a bacon, apple and leek bread pudding. The bread pudding was amazing. A total keeper. I have to get that recipe.

Yum.

What a lucky girl I am to have such a totally rad family.

And to have them all be good cooks, on top of it! 

Thanks everyone!

Love you!

How to Roast Garlic (and other random thoughts)

Happy Monday!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend...and for my friends that celebrate Christmas - a wonderful and Merry Christmas!

Santa was very good to me this year, and I was fortunate enough to spend the weekend with my family.

I ate (and drank) waaaaaay too much.

I'll post pictures later (blame Steve). 

So...I was thinking that I might need to scale back on the heavy comfort foods for a little while.

Like, forever.

Or at least for a couple days (New Years Eve, anyone?).

And another thing that I need to do is start working on posting pictures for the recipes on here that don't have any; as well as rewriting some of my more confusing recipe posts.

These are things that I will be working on over the next few months, so bear with me if there are less "new" recipes posted and more re-runs.

I'll try to slip in a "healthy" recipe here or there too.

I use the term loosely.

Here's one now!

Garlic is really good for you, and roasting garlic mellows out the flavor as well as making it easy to spread.

Also - it may or may not keep vampires away. 

Use this for pasta sauces, soups, salad dressings...or just spread some on a loaf of good crusty bread!

How to Roast Garlic

• 1 head of garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 sheet of aluminum foil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Peel as much of the papery outside off of the garlic as possible, while still keeping a layer on the cloves, and the cloves attached by the root.

Slice off the top of the head of garlic, exposing the cloves.

Drizzle the olive oil over the exposed cloves, and wrap the entire head in the aluminum foil (you could also use a garlic cooker if you have one).

Bake for 45 - 60 minutes, until the cloves are soft throughout.

Let cool and then squeeze the roasted garlic "paste" out of the head and use.

Enjoy!

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Cone of Shame

Sorry for the grainy pic - I took it last night on my phone.

As bad as I feel when he gives me this look...I still can't help but chuckle when I see this picture.

Pathetic.

It's a crazy busy week for me this week so I don't know if I will get around to posting another recipe, but I wanted to give you an update on Kempton and wish you a very Happy Holiday(s)!

Kempton is doing really well.

His surgeon and his therapist agree that his range of motion is excellent, and he has already lost 4 pounds (he is suppose to lose 7) - quite the feat considering his is leash-bound and until Friday, wasn't allowed any exercise except to go to the bathroom.

He won't stop licking his incision (hence the cone of shame), no matter what I try. He now has to wear his cone all day when I am gone, and for most of the night. By keeping the cone on, about 2/3 of the incision has healed, but there is about 2 inches on top that hasn't closed yet. I am hoping that it heals by Christmas so that I don't have to embarrass Kempton by making him wear his cone in front of the other dogs.

We are approaching the 4th week since his surgery, and weeks 4 - 6 are a very delicate time because the sutures are dissolving and the knee is very unstable. We are working hard to rebuild the muscle in his left leg, but it is still about 5 centimeters smaller than his right.

Hopefully we can get through Christmas with 3 other dogs (2 2 year olds and one puppy) without re-injuring his knee, which (as the surgeone said) would be "catastrophic". It will be interesting to say the least, and I am anticipating a very stressful weekend for myself.

Hopefully someone bought me wine for Christmas.

I'll update you all after the holidays - please send us positive thoughts!

I also wanted to take a moment to say "Thank You!" to everyone who is reading this. I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday season and I will catch up with you next week at the latest!

Love,
Lindsey

Meaty Lasagna

The answer to your question is yes.

I do weigh 6,000 pounds due to all of the hearty comfort food that I have been consuming.

I promise that after the new year, I will try to post something healthy.

There is no point in even pretending like I am going to eat healthy before then.

Please note: for this recipe I used uncooked lasagna noodles. If you are going to cook your noodles first, do not use cottage cheese. Use ricotta cheese because it is less runny (though quite a bit higher in calories...not that we are counting).

Having homemade (or store-bought - I won't tell) marinara sauce on hand makes this recipe a cinch to throw together.

Yum.

It doesn't get much more comforting than lasagna.

Meaty Lasagna (serves 8**)

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 lb Italian sausage (spicy or mild, whatever your preference)
• 8 cups marinara sauce
• 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 24 oz cottage cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1 lb grate mozzarella cheese
• 1 lb uncooked lasagna noodles (you probably won't use the whole box...save the rest for next time!)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Brown beef and sausage in a large saucepan over medium heat. Throw the onions and garlic in the with the beef for the last few minutes of cooking. Drain grease.

Add marinara sauce to saucepan and stir to combine. Heat through.

Combine cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese and egg in a large bowl.

In a large lasagna pan, put enough meat sauce on the bottom of the pan to cover it (about 2 cups). Place uncooked noodles in a single layer on top of sauce. On top of noodles, spread 1/2 of the cottage cheese mixture and 2 cups of mozzarella cheese. Place about 2 cups of meat sauce on top of mozzarella cheese, then another layer of noodles. Put remaining cottage cheese mixture on top of noodles, followed by remaining meat sauce and then top with remaining mozzarella cheese (and additional Parmesan cheese if desired)*.

Cover with aluminum foil, place on top of a baking sheet (to catch drips) and bake for 45 minutes.

Remove aluminum foil and continue to cook until cheese is bubbly and brown.

Remove from oven and let sit for 10 - 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

*If you have a deeper lasagna pan (or if you don't use any meat), you could probably do a third layer. Mine was almost overflowing so I could only do 2 layers.
**This recipe is easy to cut in half if you want to use an 8" x 8" baking dish instead of a 9" x 13". Cut all ingredients in half except for the egg - you can still use a whole egg (plus, how do you cut an egg in half? Don't answer that.).

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Good News!

I have a couple bits of good news for you all on this gorgeous Thursday!

And by gorgeous, I mean that the temperature is above zero.

The first bit of info is on a personal note...

A judge signed the stipulation granting me the ownership of my house this week!

Translation: I pay Jim out half the amount of equity and his name comes off the title of the house!

So my little cottage is mine all mine - to sell, fix up or add on to!

For those of you in the area, a saging housewarming party is in the making...but it probably won't occur until after the holidays!

The second bit of good news impacts most of you a little more, because it is about the blog...

Thanks to the help of the lovely and talented Dara of Cookin' Canuck, I will soon be including a link at the bottom of each of my recipes for a printable recipe!

Dara was kind enough to walk me through how to do this, so over the next couple of weeks I will be working tirelessly (or in between shopping, wrapping and eating) to add the link to the bottom of all of my existing recipes!

I hope this makes it easier for you to try and share your favorite recipes.

On another note, tomorrow is Steven's birthday and we have a collection of festivities to attend to over the weekend, so you may not hear from me again until Monday.

Boo! Wah! Hmpf. Snort.

Don't worry - I will try to cook up something delicious this weekend so that I have some good stuff to share with you next week!

In the meantime, stay warm and have a fabulous weekend!

Hot Jalapeno Popper Dip

Monday after work Marisa and Erin came over to have a little "Happy Hour" get together and so they could meet my sister-in-law-to-be, Lyndi (who is currently staying with me).

I had been eying (eyeing?) this recipe on Tasty Kitchen that I came across for Hot Jalapeno Popper Dip, and I decided that this was the perfect time to try it out.

Yum.

It was really good - it was creamy with just the right amount of heat, and it tasted very similar to a jalapeno popper (which was the goal).

The recipe was for 6 or more people, and the 4 of us almost ate the whole thing.

Here is the recipe...I only made a couple of slight adjustments (which I noted below). This is perfect for your next party!

Hot Jalapeno Popper Dip (serves 6 - 8) by babskitchen on Tasty Kitchen

• 2 whole (8 Oz. Each) Pkgs. Cream Cheese, Softened
• ½ cups Sour Cream
• ½ cups Mayonnaise
• 1 can (4 Oz.) Chopped Green Chilies, Drained I used fire-roasted
• 5 whole Jalapeño Peppers, Seeded And Diced (leave In A Few Of The Seeds To Give Dish Some Extra Heat)
• ½ cups Parmesan Cheese, Grated
• ½ cups Panko (Japanese Bread Crumbs)

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Stir together cream cheese, sour cream, and mayo in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in green chiles and jalapeños. I used a hand mixture to blend it all together once the cream cheese was soft.

Pour mixture into an oven safe serving dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and panko crumbs. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes, then put under the broiler for 1 – 3 minutes to lightly brown the top.

Serve warm with tortilla chips, crackers or a crusty bread.

*Cut recipe in half for 6 or fewer people.

** I think putting a layer of grated sharp cheddar cheese (or mixing a half cup in with the mixture) would be delightful. I also think it could have used a 1/2 teaspoon or so of salt. 

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Chicken Parmigiana

Yummy Yummy Yummy.

Chicken Parmigiana is one of my favorite dishes of all time.

It's a bit labor intensive...especially if you make your own marinara sauce (which I did), but totally worth it.

It's comfort food that is fancy enough for company.

Come to mama.

Make this very soon.

If you have leftovers, you could make it into a Chicken Parmigiana hoagie!

I didn't include a marinara sauce recipe below because I'm still tweaking it.

You can use your own favorite recipe, a jar of premade, or below are a couple of my tomato sauce recipes that would also work:

Roasted Tomato Sauce (this is yummy and probably the closest thing to my marinara sauce that I have on the blog)

Spaghetti and Meatballs...from scratch (this is a little more labor intensive, but a yummy recipe to make for someone that you love)

Also - this recipe will give you a generous amount of coating for the chicken breasts...you could easily make 6 breasts with this amount of egg wash, flour and bread crumbs. Or you could cut the recipe in half if you were only making 2 or 3 breasts.

Chicken Parmigiana (serves 4)

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cups of flour
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh cracked pepper
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 eggs, beaten with two tablespoons of water
• 1 cup of crushed croutons (I used cheese and garlic croutons, Italian would also work well), you could also use Italian style breadcrumbs, but the croutons have a wonderful texture
• 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
• 6 cups of your favorite marinara sauce (see above recipes)
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning (thyme, oregano, etc.)
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 pound spaghetti or angel hair pasta
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Place chicken breasts in a large zip-top bag. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, pound breasts until they are thin. This will help them cook uniformly (is uniformly a word?). 

In one bowl (I use a pasta bowl) or plate, combine flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder .

In a second bowl/plate, put eggwash (beaten eggs plus water).

In a third bowl/plate, combine crushed croutons, Panko breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning and basil.

Dip each chicken breast first in the flour mixture, then in the eggwash, then in the breadcrumb mixture, making sure to coat both sides. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Warm your marinara sauce on the stovetop in an oven-safe pot or dutch oven (I used my Le Creuset).  Make sure that the pot is large enough to fit all of the chicken breasts because this will be the vessel that you will be using to finish the dish.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan to medium heat. Add the coated chicken breasts to the hot oil (working in batches if necessary), and cook until the bottom of the breast is starting to get nice and brown. Flip over and repeat on the other side.

Place browned chicken breasts on top of the marinara sauce in an oven-safe pan, sprinkle each breast generously with Parmesan cheese. Place the dish uncovered into the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until sauce is hot and cheese is melted and bubbly.

Plate by adding some noodles, topped with a chicken breast and some extra sauce. Finish with more grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Enjoy!

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