It Takes a Village...

...to make a 1st birthday cake. Wow! When our cake maker had to cancel a few days ago I told Jordan, "Oh, come on, we can do it!" I confidently told my mom that if she'd bake the cake and dig up all the decorating gear then I'd take over from there.

Well, it was a very sweet adventure and I ate way too much icing in the process. We made two sheet cakes and cut them into the shape of a Giant Schnauzer like the one T fell in love with at the dog parade. Then we decorated. (My mom took all of these pics so she's not in them but, believe me, I could not have done it without her. I had no idea what I was doing.)
I was afraid it would end up on Cake Wrecks but it actually turned out pretty well! I am pleased. We're serving it tomorrow night at Truett's "official" birthday party. We're going to tell him it's Maggie's white cousin.

We used my mom's family decorator icing recipe. I'm not a big icing fan but this is delicious:

1 box confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup Crisco
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup cake flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. butter extract

Chrys

Mixing Colors: Cookie Remix

This time we mixed icing colors instead of the dough.

I used Sarah's family recipe for Green Thumbprint Cookies. I love them just the way she makes them but I have tweaked the recipe a bit for us b/c Mike my family doesn't prefer them rolled in pecans. (I also substitute coconut oil for half of the butter, add a little coconut concentrate and some almond extract to the cookies and icing. So mine are have a coconut almond flavor. I also don't cook them as long as the recipe says to b/c we like them doughy and not browned at all.)

A very gracious Sarah gave me permission to post the recipe:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease cookie sheet.

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups sifted regular all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

2 egg whites slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans

Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in egg yolks and vanilla. Sift together flour and salt. Gradually add to cream mixture. Chill dough for ease in handling. Shape balls into one-inch in diameter. Dip in egg white then roll in nuts, place on cookie sheet and with finger make a deep impression in the center. Bake 15-18 minutes and cool 7-10 min then add icing to center of cookie.Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 tablespoons hot water
food coloring

In small mixing bowl combine sugar, butter and vanilla. Gradually add water and beat until smooth and mixture holds shape slightly.

Chrys

Barbecue Pop-Ups

I grew up eating "Barbecue Pop-Ups". I'm not sure if my mom made up the recipe or what, but they are yummy and easy. This is how I make them:

You take cheap, store-bought biscuits (in a can) and stuff them into muffin tins. Oliver likes to make the "nests". (Hint: the biscuits are easier to work with if you let them sit out at room temp for a bit.)
Then you put the filling in the nests. For the filling, I add a can of beans (drained and rinsed) to a pound of browned ground beef. You can make your own barbecue sauce with ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar if you want to but I'm lazy so I just add a bottle of store-bought barbecue sauce. Mix all that up and spoon it into the nests. (Please pardon my mess. I'm one of the most unorganized, messy folks you know. I hate it, but it's true.)
Top them with shredded Cheddar cheese. Oliver is generous. Not necessary.
Then you bake them on 350 for 10-12 minutes or until the biscuits are ready.Easy and yummy! I'm not claiming it's the healthiest meal my kids have ever eaten but I think they'll survive. I did. And the best part? Oliver ate it! (I'm testing some of his food allergies, btw.)

Chrys

A Tasket, A Tisket, Please Pass the Brisket

I could have easily been a vegetarian for the first 30+ years of my life. I have always loved vegetables and never really cared much for meat. But motherhood turned me into a meat-loving momma. As soon as I got pregnant with Oliver I started craving meat and that has yet to stop. I remember calling Mike at work one day and asking if he could meet me for lunch at a local barbecue place. "Barbecue?? Are you serious? Do you know long I've waited to hear you say those words??"

And thus began the carnivorous chapter of my life.

So now let's talk brisket. Mmmmmm. It's one of my favorite meals. I've learned that everyone has an opinion on how a brisket should taste. Some folks picture a barbecue brisket. While I like barbecue brisket, it's not my preference. I prefer a tender, juicy piece of meat that is falling apart and doesn't require a knife to cut. With lots of sauce. We like it spicy around here. And I like to eat it with peas and mashed potatoes. Or it's just not right. See, I am opinionated about brisket.

Here's how I make it. It's super easy and takes very little time. I get it ready in the morning so it sits in the crock pot all day and makes the house smell delicious.

This is the meat I buy at Super Target. It's a Sutton & Dodge "Beef Chuck Brisket Trimmed Flat". I lay out three large sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil. I add a little seasoned salt, pepper, a tiny bit of Italian spice, and a hand full of brown sugar. I mentioned that we like spicy food and that goes for brisket as well so I add some "Hickory Smoke Seasoning" from the bulk spices area at CM. It has lots of red pepper flakes in it which give it a kick. Yum!
I put the brisket lean-side down on top of the sugar and spice.
Then I add the same seasonings to the fatty side. After doing so, I fold up the edges of the foil to form sides.
Then I add about a third to half of a bottle of Allegro marinade:
Wrap it up tightly so that the juices can't escape and put it in the crock pot on high for 5-6 hours. After that time, I turn it to the low setting and leave it there until time to serve.Easy peasy. And delicious!

Sorry no "after" pictures. We were too hungry to wait.

Chrys

Victory

Victory over the pot roast, that is.Of course I tried it again. I can't say no to a challenge.

After years of pot roast failure, I am proud to announce that I have finally succeeded.

And it was worth the wait.

Deeeeelicious. Melt in your mouth. Mmmmmm. I think I will probably have some for breakfast tomorrow. You think I'm kidding.

Thank you, Internet, for all of the great tips and ideas. I think my biggest problem was that I was using the wrong kind of meat. I'll never buy chuck roast again. I know there are lots of ways to do this, but here's what I did and I seriously don't think it could have tasted any better:

• I got an Eye of Round roast from CM.
• I added salt and pepper to taste, then put it in the crockpot on low before I went to bed last night.
• This morning I added a whole bunch of carrots and one onion.
• This afternoon I added a little red wine, a packet of ranch dressing mix and some Italian dressing.
• The roast cooked for about 20 hours. The house smelled incredible!
• After removing the roast and veggies, I added a little water/cornstarch mix to thicken the gravy.
• I served it with Parmesan Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
  
• And sweet, green peas.
• We didn't need knives. It was so tender it just fell apart.
• The carrots were as sweet as candy. I could live on veggies but my husband isn't easily impressed. He asked for extra carrots. Twice.

I am sooooooooo excited to have this new ability. I can make a pot roast! An I-want-seconds, melt-in-your-mouth, tender, delectable pot roast. I can't wait to make it again soon. I guess we need to finish these leftovers before I start another one.

So it's a big day at our house. A Pot Roast Makin' Momma lives here.

Chrys

A Change of Heart

When I was single I pretty much lived on cereal. I'm not kidding. So healthy. Not sure how I lived to be thirty years old and meet and marry my husband. But I hated cooking and avoided it at all costs. (All joking aside, I spent many years struggling with an eating disorder and avoiding food altogether. Serious issues. But that's another post for another day.)

Mike, on the other hand, is a great cook. He dreamed of us preparing meals together and that sounded like zero fun to me.

But fast forward nearly five years and now I can honestly say that I love to cook! Who could have predicted this? Not me. It wasn't an overnight change but I've seriously prayed that God would give me the desire and ability to care for my family in this way and I'm so happy that I've learned to enjoy it. It really is a blessing. I find it fun to experiment in the kitchen and feed my family (often) delicious and (hopefully) nutritious meals.

Oliver's exceptionally picky eating habits combined with his numerous food allergies have been a challenge to work around. I have been forced to be creative and it has grown me in a lot of ways.

And I think I've redeemed myself after Monday night's pot roast disaster! I've tried some yummy new recipes this week. The first two are Cuban. I've never made Cuban food before but I served these last night and Mike declared it was his absolute favorite meal ever. Score!

I always enjoy getting new recipes so I thought I'd share...

Mojo Criollo - Cuban steak marinade (I used a thin shoulder steak and cooked it in the iron skillet. I'm sure it would be even better on the grill.)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
6 garlic cloves (pressed)
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste

I used our Magic Bullet for everything so I just mixed the marinade in that.

------------------------------

Cuban Black Beans - (The recipe doesn't call for it but I added fresh corn to this and we loved it.)
2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup diced onions
1/2 cup salad olives (I used the entire jar of Zatarain's salad olives b/c we like olives.)
2 T olive oil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt & pepper

Saute' onions in olive oil. Add beans and olives, simmer for five minutes. Add oregano, salt and pepper. Serve over white rice.

------------------------------

I got this last recipe at Central Market, too. I made it tonight when Elizabeth came over for supper. We all agreed it was delicious. Not sure about the metric measurements - just add as much as you'd like to.

New Potato and Roasted Pepper Salad
1 lb new potatoes, halved or quartered
6 T olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 T course grain mustard
300 g mozzarella cheese, torn into bite-size pieces
188 g baby spinach
200 g roasted red peppers packed in oil, drained, torn into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons fresh basil
salt & pepper to taste
* I also added a small jar of black olives b/c we love olives. The recipe didn't call for them, though.

Cook the potatoes in boiling water for 10-15 minutes till tender, then drain. Make the dressing by whisking together the oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper. Place all the other ingredients, including the warm potatoes, in a large bowl and drizzle over the dressing and lightly toss. Serve immediately.

Chrys