smc cooks leftover pizza

i had some of the pioneer woman pizza dough left in the freezer and i was in the mood for a pizza, but i had no sauce. its easy enough to make, but i really didnt feel like dealing.

i had mozzarella, but nothing else to go with it as a topping on the pizza. then i remembered pw's bbq pizza recipe . i have heard people rave about bbq chicken pizza and it definitely sounds good, but i have never tried it. not sure why. one of the great smc mysteries that will never be solved because now that i have tried it, i will definitely be making it again and again.

i had just made bbq chicken the day before, so i had enough to make the pizza, plus 1/2 a red(why do they call them "red" onions when they are so clearly purple?)onion that i was hoping to use instead of throwing it away like i usually do after it sits there all lonely and sad with no purpose and gets all gross. i didnt have the cilantro, but it was delicious without it. since i was working the leftovers, i will give you basic instructions on what i did without the measurements. click on the links above for the real thing.

i took the leftover dough from the freezer that morning and set in on the counter to thaw. come lunch time i lightly oiled a cookie sheet with olive oil and sprinkled with a little corn meal. i patted the dough between my hands a bit and then started stretching it out.

once i had a small disk,i put it on the cookie sheet and just pulled and pushed until it was the thickness i wanted.

next i poured a little bbq sauce on the dough and spread it out with the back of a spoon. i didnt use too much-you could still see the dough peeking through here and there. then i cut up the chicken into bite size pieces, sliced the red onion super thin and arranged on the dough. i sprinkled the mozzarella cheese on top and put it in the oven at 425 for about 12 minutes until the cheese was melted. it was a small pizza, but i only ate half. i took the leftovers to a friend and she pronounced it incredible. she said the crust had a really good flavor and i completely agreed with her. yummy.

this pizza made me so happy-not only because it was sooooo good,but because i used stuff that was sitting in my fridge that might have gone to waste. its a good thing!

sorry no picture(again). its my goal to start taking food shots, but i am working with a lame-o camera phone and the shots are horrible. what do you think-see what i made even in a bad picture or just skip it if it cant be a quality picture?

smc cooks couscous

i found this while looking through food gawker. i had to modify the recipe a little-i didnt have whole wheat-i used a box of the far east stuff(or is it called near east?)that was actually the parmesan flavor, which worked out well since i only had about 1/4 c of parmesan in the fridge. i was glad to find this since i almost always throw green onions out before i can use them all and i had 4 of them in the crisper drawer. i also threw in some "fresh" spinach that was just about to turn the corner to yuckville. saved it just in time and it really added to this dish. super fast and easy and it made a perfect summer lunch. i am sure it would be a good side dish too.


Whole Wheat Couscous Side Dish with Green Onions and Parmesan
(Makes 4-6 servings; inspired by a recipe for orzo pilaf from Bon Appetit magazine.)

1 1/2 cups whole wheat couscous
2 cups chicken stock (I used homemade chicken stock, but you could use canned chicken broth)
4-5 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup finely-grated Parmesan cheese
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Using a heavy pan with a tight-fitting lid, bring 2 cups of chicken stock to a boil. Stir in couscous, turn off heat, put the lid on the pan and let it sit for five minutes without lifting the lid.

While couscous cooks, thinly slice the green onions and measure 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese.

After 5 minutes, remove lid and fluff the couscous with a fork. Let cool for 2-3 minutes.

Stir in green onions and finely-grated Parmesan. Season to taste with freshly-ground black pepper and serve hot.

smc cooks make ahead muffin melts

make ahead muffin melts
adapted from the pioneer woman(who STOLE it from her mother!)

Ingredients

* 12 whole Hard-boiled Eggs, Peeled And Chopped
* 2 cups Grated Cheddar Cheese
* 1 cup (real) Mayonnaise
* 12 slices Bacon, Fried And Crumbled
* 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Dijon Mustard
* ½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
* 3 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
* 6 whole English Muffins Split

Preparation Instructions

Combine eggs with all other ingredients. Fold together gently. Cover and store in the fridge overnight.

Spread on English muffin halves, then broil for 3 to 5 minutes or until hot and bubbly. (Don’t set them too close to the heating element.)

i halved this recipe and did not have enough bacon, so i substituted sausage and it was GOOD. my taste testers loved it. very easy and just about everything in this recipe are things we normally have around. no exotic or expensive ingredients. i ALWAYS like that.

smc cooks with the pioneer woman again! cinnamon toast-who would have thunk it?

i am going to be posting this at 11th heavens homemaking haven for homemaker monday-check it out for tons of cool ideas.

i did not grow up on cinnamon toast. not sure why my mother never made it-maybe i should ask her why she deprived her oldest and arguably her best child of this yummy goodness?
i was an adult the first time i ever made it(the absolute WRONG way according to the pioneer woman. toast, butter, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mix on after)for myself. i liked it well enough,but would only eat it occasionally, sometimes going years without even thinking about it.
after the pioneer posted her recipe i doubt i will ever go years without thinking about cinnamon toast again. it is DELICIOUS. and simple. you just have to modify the technique a little. the recipe calls for a bunch of bread, but it easy to figure out how to cut it down just to make a couple of slices. i can only eat two, but i never make less than 4, because either one of my taste testers or my 4 year old niece(who can eat 4 herself)will want some. I have used homemade white bread and store bought whole wheat and both were fantastic. also-i have an electric stove and have found that the low broil setting is better than the high for this recipe, but ovens vary, so their might be some trial and error. i didnt use the nutmeg, but i think it would be good and i will try it next time.
Cinnamon Toast
adapted from the pioneer woman

Ingredients

* 16 slices Bread (whole Wheat Is Great!)
* 2 sticks Salted Butter, Softened
* 1 cup Sugar (more To Taste)
* 3 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
* 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract (more To Taste)
* ⅛ teaspoons Ground Nutmeg (optional)

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Smush softened butter with a fork. Dump in sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg, if using. Stir to completely combine.

Spread on slices of bread, completely covering the surface all the way to the edges.

Place toast on a cookie sheet. Place cookies sheet into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil until golden brown and bubbling. Watch so it won’t burn!

Remove from oven and cut slices into halves diagonally.

smc cooks southern charm

ok-as i predicted, the dating hiatus has brought on more cooking. i love to cook, but i have really been doing a lot more than normal and trying some new recipes. i have also increased my pathetic work out schedule to compensate for all the taste testing. so far, so good. ;-)
my mom got me the mitford kitchen cookbook years ago. i loved the series of novels that tells of the life of a small town episcopal priest and was always interested in the delicious food that was described in those pages. this marmalade cake is mentioned in every one of the 6(or is it 7?) books. apparently, it never really existed and when jan karon went to write the cookbook, she turned to southern living magazine cooks to create the recipe. it really is to die for. i made it for a family dinner. the kids did not really care for it-i think its the tiny bit of bitter from the marmalade that threw their immature taste buds off-but the adults loved it and fought over who would get the last piece. i will definitely be making this again.

Esther's Orange Marmalade Cake
adapted from Recipes from the Mitford Kitchen by
Jan Karon

Ingredients:

For the cake
1 cup unsalted butter, softened, more for greasing the pans
3 1/4 cups cake flour, more for dusting the pans (i made my own cake flour by combining 6tbs cornstarch with 2 3/4 c. flour to equal the 3 1/4 cups. hope that math is right. it worked just fine for me.)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 2/3 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

For the orange syrup
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar

For the filling
1 (12-ounce) jar orange marmalade

For the frosting (i have made this type of frosting before, but i substituted my yummy frosting from a few weeks ago. delicious)
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup sour cream, chilled

Directions:
The cake. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter three 9-inch round cake pans, line them with parchment paper, then lighly butter and flour the paper, shaking out the excess. (please use parchment paper. i was out and skipped this step. it was a messy process stacking the layers because they are so moist from the syrup.)

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Sift a second time into another bowl. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until light in color, about 4 minutes. Add the 2 2/3 cups sugar in a steady stream with the mixer running. Beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Be sure to stop at least once to scrape down the batter from the sides of the bowl. After all the eggs have been added, continue to beat on medium speed for 2 more minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the oil and beat for 1 minute. In a small bowl, combine the orange zest, vanilla, and buttermilk. Using a rubber spatula, fold in half of the dry ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add half of the buttermilk mixture. Fold in the remaining dry ingredients, scrape down the sides, and add the remaining buttermilk.

Pour the batter among the prepared pans, smooth the surface, rap each pan on the counter to expel any air pockets or bubbles, then place in the oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans on racks for 20 minutes.

The orange syrup. In a small bowl, stir together the orange juice and 1/4 cup sugar until the sugar is dissolved. While the cakes are still in the cake pans, use a toothpick or skewer to poke holes at 1/2-inch intervals in the cake layers. Spoon the syrup over each layer, allowing the syrup to be completely absorbed before adding the remainder. Let the layers cool completely in the pans.

The filling. Heat the marmalade in a small saucepan over medium heat until just melted. Let cool for 5 minutes.

The frosting. In a chilled mixing bowl, using the wire whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream with the 4 tablespoons sugar until stiff peaks form. Add the sour cream, a little at a time, and whisk until the mixture is a spreadable consistency.

To assemble the cake. Invert one of the cake layers on a cake plate and carefully peel off the parchment. Spread one-third of the marmalade over the top, smoothing it into an even layer. Invert the second layer on top of the first, peel off the parchment, and spoon another third of the marmalade on top. Place the third cake layer on top, remove the parchment, and spoon the remaining marmalade onto the center of it, leaving a 1 1/4-inch border around the edges. Frost the sides and the top border with the frosting, leaving the marmalade on top of the cake exposed. Or, if you prefer, frost the entire cake first, adding the marmalade as a garnish on top.

Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. (i served it about an hour after i made it and it was good, but the next day, after it had been in the fridge all night, it was amazing!)

smc cooks comfort food

“Food is the most primitive form of comfort.”
― Sheilah Graham

its a long standing tradition amongst us peculiar people(mormons) to take meals into families that just had a baby or are ill. some stakes are doing away with this tradition. not sure why, but i think its a disgrace. sure, its not like we are living on homesteads or in a time where mcdonalds isnt on every corner and a hot pizza is 30 minutes away from your front door. still. i think the tradition is a good one and should stick around.

i spent yesterday cooking for 3 different families. me and my taste testers, a dear friend who has been sick for several weeks, and a sister in my ward who had her first baby after many years of trying.
i am pretty famous in these parts for my adaptation of a very old recipe that i got at my wedding shower from an older woman in my ward. who was worshiped every time she made it and was famous for the delicious elixir. the story goes that she got it from her husbands grandmother(was going to say grandmother in law, but didnt sound right)who was raised in the colonies in mexico. she used to make huge vats of it to send with the young women when they went to girls camp every summer. there were never any leftovers-its that good and i have yet to meet someone who doesnt like it. i never heard her say that the recipe was a secret, but it wasnt passed around or printed in the ward cookbook, so i am thinking she kept it quiet on purpose.
the recipe she gave me was basically directions, with no real measurements, written in long hand. i have modified here and there to suit my taste,so feel free to punch it up with more spice or whatever might make your little taste buds sing.

My Old Ward's Famous Green Chili Burro Mix
1 small to medium pork or beef roast(3-5 pounds) OR
1 whole chicken or cut up fryer
1 onion, diced
2-3 tomatoes, diced
2-3 bouillon cubes(i always use chicken)
2-3 garlic cloves
2-3 tbs oil(i have used both canola and olive oil)
2(at least, i usually use 3)small cans of green chilies
corn starch
salt and pepper
salt and pepper the meat, put in a large sauce pan or stock pot. cover with water(by about 2 inches or so)cook on low for several hours until done.
note: i used to bring to a boil and then turn the heat down and simmer until done. this last time i followed the old recipe and started it off on low and just let it cook all night. the meat literally fell off the bone and was more flavorful.
remove the meat and set aside to cool. continue to let the remaining broth to simmer while you saute the onions, green chilies(drain, but reserve the juice), and tomatoes in oil.
once the meat has cooled, shred using two forks or very clean hands. place into a large saucepan and add the sauteed chili mixture. cover with broth(you will probably have broth left over. i strain it and use it for other recipes)and add the bouillon and garlic. i use fresh garlic, but garlic salt is fine. just make sure you add it before any additional salt and pepper. add about 2 tbs of cornstarch to the reserved green chili juice and pour into the mix-stir until slightly thickened. i go for a stew like consistency, but you could make it thicker if you wanted.
taste this ambrosia and add more seasonings to taste. i almost always add an extra bouillon cube and a little salt and pepper. sometimes another clove of garlic. if you wanted more green chili you could always throw in another can. lots of room for alterations in this recipe.
i made spanish rice to go with and sent tortilla chips and flour tortillas. one of my taste testers loves it over chips with a little cheese-nacho style. i like it with the rice, rolled up in a burrito. some of us have been known to eat it like a stew. its just good-no matter how you choose to do it.

“It seems to me that our three basic needs, for food and security and love, are so entwined that we cannot think of one without the other.”
— M.F.K. Fisher

smc cooks- LEMONS!

my sister from az brought me a ton of lemons the other day. i zested and juiced them all and so far i have made 2 delicious lemon recipes. the first is from the tasty kitchen .


fresh lemonade.

adapted from tasty kitchen
by thatssoyummy


6 whole Lemons
1 cup Granulated Sugar
6 cups Cold Water

Juice the lemons. This should give you 1 cup of lemon juice. Remember you can get the most juice by firmly rolling the lemons between your hand and the counter.

In a gallon pitcher, combine 1 cup lemon juice, 1 cup sugar, and 6 cups cold water. Stir, and adjust water to taste-i added a little more sugar, i am sweet like that.

Chill and serve over ice.
i love this stuff-very easy. so easy i have made it three times this weekend.

next....lemon bars. possibly my favorite lemon treat.
lemon bars
adapted from the better homes and gardens new cook book.

1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tbs flour
2tsp lemon zest
3 tbs lemon juice
1/4 tsp baking powder
powdered sugar(optional)
beat butter on med-high for 30 seconds
add 1/4 c sugar, then 1 c flour(will be crumbly)
press into ungreased 8x8 pan. bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
for the filling, combine eggs, 3/4 c sugar, 2 tbs flour, lemon zest, lemon juice, and baking powder. beat 2 minutes.
pour filling over baked layer. bake 20 min. once cool, sift powdered sugar over top if desired.
delicious and so very easy. you can whip these up really fast and they seem to really impress people. thats what i call working smart, not hard.

smc has a bun in the oven

no, i am not announcing my hypocrisy and almost certain ex communication. there is literally a bun(actually 2 loaves) in the oven. so glad my mom doesnt read(or even know i write)this blog. they would be calling the emts, and probably her bishop for spiritual guidance and support. my name would be on the prayer roll of every temple in the world before sundown.
back to the bread.
i love to make bread. the whole process just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and pioneer like. i have lots experience baking all different kinds of bread, but right now i have a surplus of whole wheat flour, so i have been focusing on the more rustic and hearty breads. there is nothing like a good loaf of wheat bread, but some dont care for the heft of the whole wheat. i love it, but for those who dont, there is a little something called vital wheat gluten.
i had never heard of it before until i saw it in a recipe over at 11th heavens homemaking haven(love the alliteration of that title). she explains in her recipe how the vital wheat gluten will improve the texture of wheat breads, making it a little lighter. it was a little hard to find in my grocery store. i assumed that it would be in the baking aisle, but i had to hunt for it in the health food section. its a little pricey(i think it was $5 for a 1lb 6oz), but you only have to use a few tablespoons for each recipe, so it will last for quite a few loaves. i was going to start off with one of 11th heavens recipes, but the bobs red mill vital wheat gluten flour bag had a recipe right on it:
honey oatmeal bread.

4 1/2 - 4 3/4 cups whle wheat flour
2 tbs vital wheat gluen
3 pkgs active dry yeast
2 cups mild
1/3 cup honey(i used a little extra)
1/4 cup oil(i used canola)
1 tbs salt
1/2 cup scottish oats(i used the bobs red mill steel cut oats)
In a large mixing bowl combine 2 cups of the flour and the yeast. In a sauce pan heat milk, honey, oil and salt just till warm (115 degrees). Add to dry mixture in mixing bowl. Beat at low speed with electric mixer for 1/2 minute, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Beat 3 minutes at high speed.

By hand, stir in oats, gluten and enough of the remaining flour to make a stiff dough. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead till smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Shape in a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size (about 45 minutes).

Punch dough down; turn out onto lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Shape into two loaves; place in two greased 8-1/2" x 4-1/2" x 2-1/2" bread pans. Cover and let rise in warm place till double (about 30 minutes).

Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Remove from pans; cool on wire racks.

Makes 2 loaves (13 slices each).
this bread is AMAZING. it smells wonderful and my taste testers devoured an entire loaf almost immediately. i planned on giving the other loaf to my home teachers, so i had to hide it to save it from the ravenous beasts. try it with butter and honey. TO DIE FOR.

smc cooks- yep, in the kitchen again

i am a pretty good cook. i am normally confident about trying new recipes because 99% of the time i am successful. i was totally disappointed in myself when i messed up(not once, but TWICE)a simple recipe with only three ingredients.

caramel sauce
1 cup of sugar
6 tbs butter
10 tbs heavy cream
how could i mess that up? i dont know, but i did. twice. i googled a bunch of different recipes to try and figure out where i kept going wrong. the following instructions are what i pieced together to make my sauce a success. successful sauce. lol
melt(i think the term "melt" is important. only one recipe mentioned in and i think that is what finally clicked with me) the sugar in a medium sized, heavy sauce pan. all the recipes i read said to heat it on medium high heat, but on my electric stove i put the burner on 3. to me, that is LOW, but it just might be my stove. both times i heated on med/high, i got a mess of crystallized sugar.i hate electric stoves, but you gotta work with what you got, right?
any way, melt the sugar, stirring it regularly. the recipes say 'constantly', but my experience showed me to wait for it to melt a little bit, then start stirring. i walked away several times to allow the sugar to melt a little bit more between stirrings. basically, this is a controlled burn of the sugar. you keep letting it "burn" until it reaches a caramel color. the different recipes i looked at talked about waiting for bubbles around the edge to turn amber or mahogany, but that never worked for me. i just kept melting and stirring and the sugar turned a caramel color. voila!
add the butter-it will get all sizzle-y , so be prepared! once the butter has melted and is completely incorporated, you turn off the heat and then add the heavy cream. really watch out because it really bubbles up. you need to keep stirring, stirring, stirring. i switched to a whisk at this point-not completely necessary, but it made it easier. add about a tsp of vanilla and about a tsp salt(kosher if you have it). i added a pinch more salt- the sweet/salty thing with caramel is especially good.
within a few minutes you will have caramel sauce. beautiful, delicious caramel sauce.
i will never buy the hfcs(high fructose corn syrup)crap again! now that i know what i am doing, i will make this stuff whenever i need caramel sauce. its so good that i sometimes just eat a spoonful of it all about itself. yummy!

smc cooks with martha stewart

one of my favorite people gave me the martha stewart new classics cookbook. as a thank you for the lovely gift, i wanted to make her something from the book and decided on the truffle brownies on page 543. if you dont have the book, you can find it here.

truffle brownies
adapted from martha stewart, the new classics
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
* 3 ounces good-quality unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 1/4 cup milk
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 4 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
* 2/3 cup heavy cream
* Heart-shaped sprinkles, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan, and set aside.
2. Make batter: Put butter and chocolate in a heatproof medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until melted. Let cool slightly.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl; set aside.
4. Put sugar and eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add chocolate mixture, milk, and vanilla, and beat until combined. Add flour mixture; beat, scraping down sides of bowl, until well incorporated.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies (avoid center and edges) comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, 27 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely in pan.
6. Make topping when brownies are cool: Put chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until just simmering. Pour over chocolate; let stand 5 minutes. Gently stir until smooth. Allow ganache to cool, stirring every 10 minutes, until slightly thickened, 25 to 30 minutes.
7. Pour ganache over cooled brownies in pan; let set, about 20 minutes. Refrigerate until cold, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Let brownies stand at room temperature at least 15 minutes before serving. Lift out brownies; cut into wedges, wiping knife with a hot, damp cloth between each cut. Scatter sprinkles on top.

smc still cooking with the pioneer woman

i made the pw's potato skins yesterday. DELICIOUS!! i have never made potato skins of any kind, but i think most recipes call for them to be fried. not pioneer womans! there is oil in the recipe, but nothing compared to completely submerging the potato in a vat of boiling oil.
the recipe is not listed on her blog, so i wont list it here(until i figure out if i am allowed to do so), but i can tell you its really easy, a little time consuming(an hour + for baking the potatoes), and doesnt require any fancy or cost prohibitive ingredients.
pioneer womans recipe is classic. cheese, bacon, sour cream, and chopped green onions. the flavors meld just right and i was surprised how delicious such simplicity could be.
if you have the book, please try these-they are so worth it!

smc cooks! the cooking continues with the pioneer woman

today i made iny's prune cake with buttermilk icing and all i can say is YUM! this is one of the recipes that is actually in the pioneer woman's archives, so you can check it out here. it is very easy to make and PLEASE dont let the fact there are prunes in it gross you out or make you run away. this is basically a spice cake with a delicious icing. i think calling it "buttermilk icing" is kind of misleading. sure, there IS buttermilk in it, but it translates into a caramel/butterscotch type sauce that seeps in to add to the delicious moistness of the cake and leaves a think layer sitting on top. seriously. yummy. the pioneer woman encourages you to lick the spoon and i was obedient and was instantly blessed. she also encourages you to try the cake warm(i did),but promises that it gets better with time. i will let you know in a day or two. if it lasts that long.
ps-as i was writing this post the pickiest of my taste testers walked in and asked "whats this?" i chose not to divulge the whole truth-he would definitely be turned off by the prunes-and simply called it "spice cake with caramel icing". his eyes rolled heavenward when he put the first bite in his mouth.
pps- there are a lot of desserts in the pioneer womans book, but i will be moving on to her other recipes. most of them are meant to feed a crowd, so i need to line up dates or family or random strangers off the street to cook for.

smc and the pioneer woman

i made my first recipe from "the pioneer woman cooks"- "flat apple pie". at first i was going to list the recipe because pw lists all her recipes on her blog- or so i thought. when i checked her blog, flat apple pie was not in her archives. not sure about trademark and copyright laws when it comes to a format like this, so i will just tell you about what happened.
not sure why i started with this one. i have always had problems with pie crust. i failed the pie crust unit in my high school home ec class. mine was never tender and flaky and always resembled cardboard. the few attempts since then have been equally dismal. my mother is a star pie maker, so i decided that it just wasnt one of my talents and focused on other areas in the kitchen. i am great with cakes and cookies and even some candy, but when i saw this recipe as looked through pw's book i decided i wanted to conquer the pie crust.
this recipe is easy and the results were delicious. my moms apple pie is generously laced with cinnamon, but pw's has none. just granulated sugar, brown sugar, and a little lemon. i didnt miss the cinnamon at all!
the pie crust ended up being perfect, but where i failed(and will easily correct next time)was with the "flat" part. instead of using a pie pan, you simply(it wasnt simple for me)put the rolled out crust on a cookie sheet, pile the apples in the middle and fold the edges up around, making a rustic looking tart-like pie. you see the apples peeking out from the middle where the crust doesnt meet. i didnt roll the dough out thin enough and the crust was too thick on top. it tasted good, but the apples were over powered by the crust. i am going to make it again and aim for flat apple pie perfection.

i am so going to be COOKING!

i just got the pioneer woman cooks and LET ME TELL YOU, i am going to be cooking up a storm. i am not even half way through browsing the book and there are at least six recipes i am going to try. since i am on a dating hiatus, i am seeing that cooking will be the replacement activity. that and upping my workouts to off set all the taste testing.

cooking de ja vu

i am having major blog dejavu. i am making some delicious potato soup and thought i would write up another smc cooks post, but i kept thinking i had done it before. i went to look at previous posts, but couldnt find anything, so here goes...

Copycat Black Angus Baked Potato Soup

6 cups milk
2/3 c flour
2/3 c butter
6 large baked potatoes, cut into cubes
10 slices cooked bacon
1 3/4 c shredded cheese(just about any yellow cheese would work)
8 oz sour cream
chopped green onions to taste(i use 3-4)
1/2 tbs black pepper
1/2 tbs white pepper
3/4 tbs salt(i recommend kosher salt)

melt butter, then add flour to make a roux stir as it cooks for about 1 min.
add milk, once heated through add
cubed potatoes
onion
cheese
sour cream
bacon
salt
pepper
i usually will garnish with a little extra bacon, onions, and sour cream.
this is really a delicious soup and this is the best time of year for this warm your tummy goodness!
i am making bread to go with it, but this recipe is new to me, so i will report on it later. it looks yummy. will see if it tastes as good as it looks.

smc cooks spinach-dont run away!

i think spinach has lost a lot of the stigma from years past. growing up we ate all different vegetables, but spinach was not one of them. i was mainly exposed to canned spinach which looked disgusting and my friends that were forced to eat it confirmed it was as bad as it looked.
i was turned on to fresh spinach via delicious salads, many of them dressed with an incredible hot bacon dressing, but i stayed away from cooked spinach until i saw a simple recipe that i ventured to try and ended up loving it. it goes a little like this:
grab a bag of fresh spinach from the produce aisle in your grocery store-the brand i get packages it in a 10 oz bag(looks much bigger, but spinach is light)and for me, that makes 2 lunch size servings of sauteed spinach.
drizzle about 2 tbs of olive oil in a skillet or sautee pan and heat over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add a little minced garlic and sautee for just a few seconds before you add about 1/2 the bag of spinach. at this point, things will move fast. keep stirring the spinach and watch it shrink before your eyes. it goes from a big pile of green to about 1 cup of wilted yumminess in 2-3 minutes. add a little kosher salt and a few cranks of fresh cracked pepper. delicious and so healthy. check this site out for some of the amazing benefits of spinach. i love how the experts say it will keep you and your brain YOUNG. me and my cougar ways need that added benefit, believe me.