One Month Later

It has been a month since my last post, and I finally figured out that starting a blog during the holidays wasn't the brightest idea. Between working, shopping, baking, decorating, attending parties, and creating--it left little time to blog the recipes I've tried!

I started in late November making homemade liquors---I brewed up a holiday cranberry liquor and homemade kahlua. I finally bottled them on December 24th, and they turned out beautifully. I really wish I would have taken a picture of the final product, but alas, I did not. I ended up buying all my bottles at the Andersons. They originally contained mineral water, but it was much cheaper to buy the bottles full, than empty-go figure. I then decorated each bottle with ribbon, faux berries, and a homemade tag. Each family member got one for Christmas...hope they are enjoyed.

I also made sea-salted turtles, pralines, frost-bite cookies, buckeyes, haystacks, smores cheesecake, toffee banana cream pie, and smoked macaroni and cheese. The candies were all boxed and given as gifts. The cheesecake, pie, and macaroni taken to Christmas parties. I also made my old standby---bacon/spinach/smoked gouda stuffed mushrooms for two parties. You absolutely cannot go wrong with those.

My main reason for not blogging is not a cooking endeavor (believe it or not) but a sewing one! I spend many countless hours with my mother and grandmother quilting a crown royal bag blanket for my husband for Christmas. I actually decided to do this the second weekend of December, so that didn't leave much time to complete such a large project. Most of the time when my mother quilts it takes six months. She about died when I told her the task at hand!

But for many evenings, while my husband thought I was out "shopping" I was actually buying fabrics, cutting, pinning, basting, and sewing. Actually I did most of pinning and cutting, while my mother operated the sewing machine. Now, I must admit the finished product is not perfect by any means, but I don't think anyone would even realize it. On my next post I will definitely have a picture to put up.

The next few days though will be spent preparing for our Cheers for the New Years Blowout we are having on the 31st. We will just have to wait and see how that goes!

Mississippi Mud Madness

WRAPPING UP NOVEMBER

It is the end of the month, and in the mortgage world that means stress and chaos abound......I'm also trying to get our second office up and running and that is a work in itself. Eric and I are on the front line of the home buying process, but are only a piece of the puzzle. On the backburner, are our processors and underwriters who get the packages out the door.

To butter them up for the end of November, I decided to make some Mississippi Mud Bars to take up to them.....I mean come on, what is better than gooey chocolate goodness in a time of stress? So, thank you to the ladies behind the scenes! You do a wonderful job, and we appreciate you putting up with us!

Mississippi Mud Bars

Recipe to follow when I get time to post!

This the Season, Deer that is!

GREAT WHITE HUNTER

Alright, for the faint at heart---please don't be upset, but my husband is so excited! He managed to tag is first deer ever! Even better, he got it on my grandparent's property and they were tickled pink! Look closely, it is a nine pointer. Pretty good for his first one!

Now, I could never go out myself and take down bambi, but I am glad he could. They are all over the place around here and most end up meeting their end with the front of some one's car. So, I am all for hunters that can kill them humanely and can use the meat. I instructed Eric to have most of the meat processed for trail bologna and jerky--since everything else is just too gamy for my tastes. My grandmother is finally going to pass her secret trail bologna recipe to me, so hopefully I can reproduce what she has for years.

I spent my entire childhood watching the guys go up in the woods in the freezing cold for days even weeks at a time, hoping to bring back the biggest buck during the holidays. My uncle Randy always seemed to be the most stealth, while my grandfather usually fell asleep on his stool. My grandmother would warm everyone up with navy beans and coffee. It swells my heart with pride to know that Eric is carrying on some of my family's traditions.

Fall Baking

Rougemont Apple Pastry

Monday, November 26, 2007

Happy late Thanksgiving. I finally have enough time to write! I have made several things since I last wrote on the 18th, so I will need to do a little backtracking. Let me backtrack through Tuesday, the 20th!

Friday, November 23, 2007

Well, we made it through Thanksgiving---probably a few pounds heavier, but stress-free! Today, I am getting ready to make some appetizers for wine tasting we are going to this evening. Eric will only drink Chianti Classico, so I picked up a bottle of that for him to take. I am going to take a Chardonnay we picked up from Homewood Winery in Sonoma, California last year. I am going to make some stuffed mushrooms, and cheese/sun-dried tomato tarts for my savory dishes. For dessert, I am going to make the Rougemont Apple Pastry Cake, once again from "A Passion for Baking".

Rougemont Apple Pastry Cake

Pastry Crust: 2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, cut into chunks
6 tablespoons ice water

Apple Filling: 10 large apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4" slices
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins, plumped and dried
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Vanilla Sauce: 1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1) Brush bottom and sides of 10" springform pan with melted butter and place on a baking sheet. For crust, place flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse to make a grainy mixture. Add water and pulse to make a shaggy dough. On a lightly floured work surface, gather dough together, kneading a few times to make a smooth dough. Wrap and chill dough at least one hour before rolling out.
2) Meanwhile, for filling, toss apples with sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, raisins, and lemon juice.
3) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough and fit on bottom and sides of prepared pan (dough should be 1/8" to 1/4" thick). Fill with filling, pressing gently. For final layer or apples, arrange apples in concentric circles. Apples should come to top of pan. If they don't, prepare more to fill out the pan, tossing with cinnamon and sugar. Cover pan lightly with foil.
4) Bake cake 60-75 minutes or until apples are soft, removing foil after 20 minutes. The top apples might seem dry and browned, but interior apples should begin to feel soft--use skewer to test apples.
5) For sauce, in a small bowl, blend melted butter, sugar, vanilla, eggs, flour, and cinnamon. Pour this over hot cake, trying to get sauce to drip into crevices. Bake another 20 minutes. Cool on rack.
6) Refrigerate cake at least 6 hours or preferable overnight. Brush with warmed apricot jam before serving.

Alright, Marcy Goldman says that "This is one of my favorite pastries of all time--one you will want to make again and again". I must disagree--although it was a nice cake---it wasn't memorable to me or even that delicious. Just glorified apple pie, but less crust. Don't get me wrong, it was good--but I don't think I will make it again. I have another recipe for a sour cream apple pie that I really love, so I will stick with it. Until next time!

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Ah, the pre-Thanksgiving day rush! Fortunately, we go my grandmother's house in the morning and Eric's mom in the afternoon. So, I don't have to worry about waking up at six in the morning to fix a bird! My grandmother always fixes enough food to feed a small army, so I knew that I didn't need to bring a thing there. I did want to make a yummy dessert to take to Eric's mom's (Valerie) house. I once again went to my new cookbook, A Passion for Baking, by Marcy Goldman. I decided on a Cinn-a-Bun Cheesecake. No rhyme or reason, it just looked really yummy and different.

It turned out beautifully! I was a bit worried, because I have never had much luck with cheesecake and I was skeptical if I had overcooked it. We ended up getting to Valerie's late in evening, so I was worried that no one would touch it because of all the other food. Boy, was I wrong---I ended up coming home with two pieces and Eric ate one of the before he went to bed! The recipe calls for an 8" pan, but I only had a 10" springform--so I ended up doubling the crust recipe, so it would be nice and thick. I LOVE CRUST. It is the best part:)



Cinn-A-Bun Cheesecake

Crust: 1 1/2 cups finely crushed crispy cinnamon-raisin cookies ( I used Voortman's)
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Filling: 1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup flour
1 cup coarsely chopped cinnamon-raisin cookies
1 cup raisins (soak them in extra hot water, for 5 minutes and drain--to plump them up!)
1/3 cup cinnamon chips
1/2 cup butterscotch topping
1 teaspoon cinnamon mixed with 1/4 cup sugar

1) Preheat oven to 350. Toss cookie crumbs, butter, and brown sugar together in bottom of an 8" springform pan. Press crust into bottom of pan and spray sides with nonstick cooking spray.
2) For filling, in a mixer bowl, blend cream cheese, sugar and sour cream until smooth, scraping bottom and sides of bowl to incorporate everything, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in eggs, vanilla, and flour and blend well 2 to 3 minutes.
3) Spoon one-third of filling into prepared pan and top with half each of chopped cookies, raisins, and cinnamon chips. Drizzle on some butterscotch topping. Dust on some of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Cover with another third of the cream cheese filling and dust on some more cookies, remaining raisins, more cinnamon chips, and more cinnamon sugar (you do not want raisins on top because they will scorch.
4) Add last bit of filling and finish top of cake with cookie crumbs, cinnamon chips, and a nice dusting of cinnamon sugar. You want to end up with a steusel-looking topping.
5) Bake 45 to 55 minutes. Turn off oven, open oven door, and let cool in oven 1 hour before removing to fridge. Chill cheesecake at least 6 hours or overnight before serving. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Since I used a 10" pan, I ended up using twice as much cookies and cinnamon chips for my filling and steusel top. As I said before, I also doubled the ingredients to make the crust. I think this would be so good for breakfast warmed up with a cup of tea.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Monday night was bowling night and we had our Thanksgiving potluck. I had signed up to take baked ziti and Mississippi mud bars, but Eric talked me into making the chili I had made for the game again. I have to admit my second batch was better than the first and this is going to be the only chili I ever make from now on! I just ran out of time to make the mud bars, so I made a batch of cornbread to go along with the chili.
I ended up getting five or six compliments on the chili--so I will chalk that up as a success. My god, that is the best compliment in the world to me. Making and creating things that make others happy---is what I love the most! It is true, I am that cheesy. I really wish mountain biking or marathon running could be my passion.....but no it is food and crafts. Good grief.



But for dinner tonight I decided to make a simple stuffed chicken with spinach, ham and cheese on the inside. I served mashed potatoes and steamed snap peas on the side. I thought it was about time we had something healthy to eat. The chicken recipe I made up as I went.....I made a simple roux, then added ham and spinach. I put that in the middle of the chicken and topped with shaved Parmesan cheese. Then I made a sauce of sherry, chicken stock, bay leaf and a touch of half and half. It actually turned out quite nicely, but my pictures are not so hot! Eric was starving, so he rushed me through my snapshots! Ugh, the white plate is awful! It just takes time to get things like that right, but how could I let him sit there and starve to death! Ha!

Sunday, November 18, 2007


It's the day after the big game and GO BUCKS, we won! The game started at 12:00pm and I got a late start by getting up at 8:30am. I decided to make the chili the night before, and leave the bread and dessert portion for the morning. But at 10:20am, when our first guests told us they were getting ready to head over---panic mode hit. My bread dough was still on it's second rise, and the cookie batter was only half assembled. Eric was still out buying soda, chips, and other football viewing necessities! Eeekkk!Fortunately, I convinced them to not come over until 11:30am to buy myself a little time. I really wanted everything to be ready for the oven and my kitchen mess cleaned up by the time guests arrived. Somehow--I pulled it off!

I decided to make Pain Pesto Bread and Kitchen Sink Cookies, both from Marcy Goldman's "A Passion for Baking". I just purchased this book, and I swear every picture in this thing makes my mouth water. I am pretty sure I will try every recipe in here at least once.

Pain Pesto

1 1/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon yeast, rapid rising
4 cups flour, approximate
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
5 teaspoons sugar
2 3/4 teaspoons salt
10 ounces prepared pesto (I used Buittoni)
Dustings of salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, and parsley
1. Stack two baking sheets together.
2. In mixing bowl, hand whisk water and yeast together and let stand 3 minutes to dissolve yeast. Add one cup of flour and stir briefly. Then stir in oil, sugar, salt, and most of remaining flour. Mix ingredients and then attach dough hook and knead on lowest speed 8 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding more flour as required.
3. Remove dough hook from machine and spray dough with nonstick cooking spray. Cover entire mixer with clear plastic bag. Let rise 45 to 90 minutes or until almost doubled.
4. Gently deflate dough on lightly floured surface. Let rest 10 minutes and then roll out into 20x20 inch shape. If dough resists, let it rest a few more minutes and roll out gently. Drizzle some additional olive oil on dough and then smear pesto all over surface. Roll up jelly roll style. Shape into "S" shape on prepared baking sheet.
5. Drizzle olive oil on top and dust with salt, pepper, Parmesan, and parsley. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until puffy, about 45 to 60 minutes. 6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Press bread down slightly before it goes into the oven. Bake until it is well browned, about 35 to 45 minutes. Cool to warm on baking sheets before cutting.


The bread was good, but not great. I think I was in such a hurry that I rushed the rise times and it made the bread a little dense. The flavor was still good, I just know it could be better. It was great dunked in the chili, though!


Kitchen Sink Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
2 cups rice krispies
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped milk chocolate bars

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In mixing bowl, cream softened butter and melted butter with both sugars and vanilla. Add eggs, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and blend well. Stir in oats, cereal, marshmallows, butterscotch chips, semisweet chips, and milk chocolate to make a well-blended cookie dough.
3. For each cookie, scoop out 2 to 3 tablespoons of dough and place on prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.
4. Bake 12 to 14 minutes until set all over (I baked mine 14). You should see crisp edges and some marshmallow leaking out. Let cool on baking sheets before removing.


Oh my goodness, are these good! I recipe posted above is tweaked a bit, since I added more marshmallows and butterscotch chips than actually called for....but I swear that extra marshmallow made them a bit more gooey and and butterscotch made the edges so crispy! If you are looking for something a bit different, these are the cookies to make. Very, very easy to throw together. I'm sure you could change the out the flavors of chocolate and butterscotch chips for whatever you prefer.

Friday, November 16, 2007


I have decided that since the big game is tomorrow and I will partake in the making and baking of some tailgate foods! Unfortunately, since the game is being played up north, we will be watching it from the comforts of our living room.
Eric supposedly is inviting a few people over to watch the game, so I figured I would make a batch of chili to feed a crowd. I'm going to modify recipe from Better Homes & Gardens (The Best Holiday Meal issue 2007). We'll see how it turns out!

HALFTIME CHILI

12 ounces Italian sausage
2 1/2 pounds beef check roast
2 large onions, chopped
2 large green bell peppers, chopped
4 cups water
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 6-ounce cans tomato paste
29 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
12 slices bacon
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup canned jalapenos, chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon minced bottled garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1. In electric skillet, cook sausage until brown. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to 6 quart dutch oven. Reserve drippings.
2. Trim fat from beef and cut into 3/4" pieces. Add half of beef and onions to electric skillet. Cook ands stir until beef is browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meat mixture to the dutch oven. Cook remaining beef with green bell peppers in electric skillet, until browned. Transfer this mixture to the dutch oven.
3. Stir the water, beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, jalapeno peppers, cayenne, sugar, chili powder, garlic, salt and oregano into the mixture in the dutch oven.
4. Bring this mixture to a boil and then lower heat to simmer.
5. Meanwhile, fry bacon in electric skillet with chopped mushrooms until crisp. Stir this mixture into simmering chili.
6. Simmer for 4-5 hours.
7. Serve with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and green onions, if desired.


Here's the finished product! This recipe was very easy and the flavor was excellent. It had the perfect amount of kick for me, but wasn't overly hot. The beef chunks simmered long enough to melt in your mouth and the caramelized onions were so yummy. I decided to add mushrooms to the original recipe, and I think they made an excellent addition. Eric gave it the thumbs up, so I'm sure this will be a repeater.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Please bear with me....I 'm not sure if this site even allows me to save achieves or if I will eventually lose all the items I've posted. I guess only time will tell. Below is a picture of my honey, Eric:)

Yes, he always looks that alluring! Work beckoned today, so not much to report on.......we have been summoned though to watch after my grandfather (who just had open heart surgery) this Friday. I am planning on doing some baking then, while we watch the History Channel with him at the highest volume the television will allow!

Oh, but how I still love going to grandma and grandpa's house even though I am 26 years old! Memories of baking, gardening, and exploring the great outdoors. Their forty some acres made for a glorious playground.

I'll talk more on that later though (since it is the basis for all things domestic that I love to do!)........but on to the hockey game this evening. Go BlueJackets!!!

Tuesday, November 13, 2007


Still trying to figure this whole blogging thing out. It is making not want to do my "real" job, which is a mortgage lender. I work for a big company, but my husband and I run two satellite offices in Southeastern, Ohio. Fortunately, we are blessed with being busy in this horrible market and have hired on an excellent assistant who makes our job a piece of cake (thank you, Heidi, if you ever read this!).
I spent this morning out running around taking photos for appraisal comps--and with all the leaves changing, the sun, and the sixty degree weather--it has made it very hard to focus on anything work related!
So, I will mess around with this blog and try to figure out what in the world I am doing. I guarantee you it is going to be very elementary until I can find an instruction manual on this kind of thing. It will be trial and error for now, so please bear with me!
First, I guess I should give you the abstract statement for what I want to get out of this whole thing. Foremost, I want this to be the place to share my trials and tribulations in the kitchen. I will try a new recipe at least once a week, which I will share with you, as well as my thoughts on the outcome of the finished product. Sometimes it's great, sometimes it's really bad. I'll also fill you in with what events are inspiring my cooking. That's the great thing about the business I'm in-- that you get to do lots of entertaining, which is my forte!
Also thrown in there will be the quarks and daily doings of my husband and I---and of course our friends and family. Eric, my husband, is the constant guinea pig--and I will probably reference him all the time. He's usually the final say on what dishes get repeated in our house, and is my toughest critic! I'll introduce the rest of the family as I go along, because we truly are a tight-knit group.
This week I will be getting ready for the Ohio State-Michigan game party at our house, as well as a bowling potluck for Thanksgiving (yes, I bowl--and horribly). So, hopefully I can make some good things to share with you and inspire you to do some cooking of you own. It should be interesting.

Monday, November 12, 2007


I have decided after months of looking at other people's blog to create my own. Yep, that's me:)