September 13, 2012

The Things We Do for Love: “Chopped”!

When you’ve been married for more than a decade, it’s easy to fall into a bit of a routine: He nods off around 9 o’clock while I “channel surf” until I land on a decent movie or one of my cooking shows. My current favorite is “Chopped.” Each week four professional cooks vie for $10,000 prize money by creating culinary magic from a basket full of unlikely ingredients, creating first an appetizer (from grape jelly beans, conch, purple potatoes and kale), main dish (tofu, rabbit tenderloin, raddicchio, and Sambucca), and dessert (pumpernicle, lichi fruit, quail eggs, and corn nuts). Thirty minutes, starting NOW. In each […]
November 26, 2008

Wee Cook Wednesday: Rose Sunday Tea Cake

In just a few  more days — right after Thanksgiving — we will be entering the season of Advent. These four weeks before Christmas are about more than buying presents and baking cookies … They are about getting our hearts soft and warm with thanksgiving, ready to receive the Newborn King! Every year on the third Sunday of Advent, I host a special tea party at my house for a group of truly extraordinary friends. We met when we were all still single … a dozen years later, three of us are married, and three have become adoptive parents. One hosts an exchange student every year. Each […]
November 5, 2008

Wee Cook Wednesday: Best-Ever Brownies

This recipe seemed particularly apt today … Those of us (myself among them) who are feeling down about last night, well the chocolate will boost that endorphin level!  And Governor Palin, if you’re reading this, know that this is one mother who still thinks you’re extraordinary, and if I had to do it all again I’d STILL vote for you!  I have a hard time finding the right words — it’s just too sad — so I’ll turn you to this lovely tribe I found, courtesy of Sarah Reinhard, by Carter Clews at GetLiberty.com. This morning at “Aussie Coffee Shop,” Therese also offers some consoling […]
April 25, 2008

Tips in the Kitchen: Kid-friendly chicken recipes

Today on YouTube I came across this video about the best way to cut up a chicken. This is a truly useful skill that will save you mucho dinero at the store. Even the parts that don’t normally get eaten whole (such as the back) make great soup stock. My favorite ways to make chicken include: Chicken Mexicali: Mix 2 cups cooked, chopped chicken with 1 can of cream of chicken soup with 1 cup sour cream. Pour 1/2 jar of salsa in the bottom of a 13 x 9 casserole. Place spoonful of chicken mix in tortilla (I use wheat) and wrap like burrito. […]