Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Recipe Wednesday, Part DEUX!


I know I already posted a roasted chicken recipe today.  But I am posting this as a special one because I made this on Sunday and I have had a lot of requests for the recipe.  So.......


CINNAMON ROLLS WITH FIREBALL GLAZE
Yes, you saw that correctly.  Everyone's favorite party drink (except one person I know), FIREBALL!
I have cooked with regular whiskey before, so I thought, why not cook with Fireball.  It all started with a Facebook exchange with a friend.  He was wondering if it is too early to take a shot of Fireball (he has a baby at home), I said that was a stupid question (of course not!).  But it got my wheels turning.  Fireball has cinnamon in it.  What can I make with Fireball that needs a cinnamon flavor....Cinnamon Rolls!  Eureka, I am a genius!  

Well, not really, because someone already posted a recipe online for it.  But it was AMAZING!!  So the recipe is HERE.  I will repost it on my blog as well.   Thank you Provacative Palate.  Your recipe has gained you a follower forever!

You can either make your own rolls or buy premade ones.  I usually make my own.  I actually still use the recipe from my 8th grade cooking class!  Thanks Mr. Randy Brown (may he RIP)!  But this day, I realized at 11pm that I forgot my yeast.  So, I had to go the other route.

I bought the Cinnabon Pillsbury rolls that are in the refrigerated section.  And it was fine.  Would have been better with homemade rolls, but the glaze really can mask the "can" flavor of the rolls!  So this recipe is for the GLAZE ONLY. It makes about enough glaze for 6 small rolls.  I will double it next time because you want to sop it all up, it is so good!

Here we go:
INGREDIENTS:
FIREBALL!!! (1/4 cup)
1/4 cup of butter
I cup of brown sugar (packed)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
6 Tbsp of heavy cream
Combine first 4 ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil for 2 minutes.

Take off heat and slowly stir in cream.

Coat your cooked rolls and enjoy!

So easy, so yummy!   

If you want the Cinnamon Roll dough recipe, Mine is almost identical to this one.  It is an overnight recipe.  My recipe is still written in my 8th grade hand writing and I have yet to type it up.  But use this on as well!  Plus, I love Alton Brown.  I have a slight crush.  He is such a science geek and I love that!





Recipe Wednesday!

One of my "Go Tos" for one meal that can turn into  is Roasted Chicken.  I have many friends who have told me that they are intimidated by roasting a chicken.  They shouldn't be!  It is super easy and FUN!

Some tricks before I give you the recipe.  First...you need a roasting pan with a wire rack.  Especially if you plan on roasting veggies in with the chicken.  If you don't want to buy a roasting pan, you can get a foil roasting pan.  It works, but you should throw it away.  If you plan on getting into roasting things more (chicken, Duck, Turkey, veggies), then I would get a good roasting pan.  I bought mine at Costco and LOVE it.

Next, I would get some latex medical gloves (unpowdered).  You can get them in the pharmacy section of your store.  You need to really get inside the chicken and under the skin and sometimes the feel of cold, raw chicken bother some people.

Thirdly, Some people get really intimidated about carving a chicken (or turkey and duck), so they don't buy whole chickens.  Whole chickens can be super inexpensive and like I said above, you can make several meals with it.  If carving it freaks you out, here is a good carving map.  I use it!  And don't worry if you are messy with your carving.  It takes time to master.

Ok. are you ready?  No?  Oh well, here we go.

You will need a whole chicken, two lemons, fresh rosemary, One cup of butter (room temp), And salt and pepper.  Easy so far, right?

First, make sure you take the giblets out of the chicken and then fry them up and give them to my SIL.  Or just throw them away.

Then, with a paper towel, pat dry the chicken, inside and out.

Don't forget to preheat your oven to 400 degrees!

Next, take your room temp butter and put it in a bowl with zest of two lemons, rosemary (finely cut up), and salt and pepper to taste.

Time for your handy, dandy latex gloves!  Slap those babies on your hands.  Now the fun part.  Mix up the butter mixture and rub it genrously all over the bird.  If you are feeling adventurous, you can even seperate the skin from the meat, oh so gently, and put some of the butter mixture there.  That gives you super crispy skin!  But you have to be careful to not let the skin tear too much.

Also, don't forget to rub the butter INSIDE the cavity.  Many people forget to season the inside, but it does make a difference in taste.

Now, add some more WHOLE rosemary sprigs and quartered lemon to the inside cavity.  I roasted mine with butternut squash and sweet potatoes in the bottom of the pan.

Roast for 1 hour and 15 mins (check and make sure it is at least 165 degrees in the breast).

And of course I didn't take a pic of the chicken when it was out of the oven.  Looks like I will have to make it again then add it later!

With the leftovers you can always make chicken soup, chicken wraps, or chicken salad!  I will post those recipes next week.

And duck is on the menu in the next few days....that one is a little tricky but I will post my results as well!

MANGIA. MANGIA!!!!




What does family mean to you?

***WARNING: Total Stream of Conscience writing ahead****

I was out for a jog on this GLORIOUS, SUNNY day (which, in the Pacific Northwest is rare in October) and I was listening to the radio and the radio host went on and on about how his family annoyed him and he moved far away from them because he couldn't handle them.  He recently got married and his in-laws live close by and he said he is annoyed with them, too.  So he wants to move, but the wifey says "Hell, no.".

It got me to thinking about my own family.  I have very interesting family dynamics.  My parents divorced when I was around 5.  They got along for the sake of the kids, but there were some rough patches.  My moms side of the family is boisterous, fun, wild....basically an Italian American family.  My dads side is similar, except the white version. ;)  Mom's side eats all the food and drinks all the wine.  Dads family drinks all the wine and throws all the food.

My parents are both remarried and get along remarkable well.  In fact, my Step Mom and my Mom are very similar in personality and when they get together it is quite funny.

Sometimes my family annoys me.  Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live in a different state.  But then I get sad.  No matter how much my family annoys me, I can't imagine not having them there.  My brothers mean the world to me.  My Sister In Laws and my Step Sister ARE my family.  My cousins are like my siblings.  Heck, even my third cousins, once removed are my cousins and we are close!

Sure, there are some family members who drive me up the wall.  Some whose choices in life I question.  But I believe that blood is thicker then water and I stand by them.  I may not agree with their choices, but I still am there when they fall.

And then the whole in laws thing comes into play.  My In laws are not a lot like my family.  They are more reserved and have different traditions then my family, as to most families.  But the first time I met them 8 years ago, I realized that they are truly good people at heart.  I am lucky.  I love my In laws.  In fact, I really don't like that word "In laws" because it seems to have a negative tone to it.  I call them my family.  Because they are!  They may be different then what I am used to but in the end, we all love each other and support each other and that is what matters.

I know there are very different family dynamics and some families are truly bad.  If there is drug/alcohol abuse or if there is physical or emotional abuse, then I totally get why you have to separate yourself from that. I don't have the patience or tolerance for parents who hurt their children in any way.  But personality clashes?  I don't agree with that.

In this world, you need to learn how to deal with different types, even in family.  It comes down to respecting your elders (which I think is a lost expectation in kids these days) and being tolerate of differences.

We are losing this in our kids.  They are told to be free to think whatever they want, which in a sense, I agree with.  Let your children have their individuality and let them be creative but that doesn't mean you don't teach manners, respecting authority and being tolerant.

Ok, off my soap box.  I had to get that off my chest!

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Recipe Wednesday!

So I thought I would put some of my favorite recipes on Wednesdays.  I will mostly put the ones that went well, but may put some epic fails in as well.
I love to cook, I love to chop, I love the smells and sounds of the kitchen.  Before kids, I would go to Pike Place Market and buy fresh produce and seafood, make an awesome, fancy meal, and drink excellent wine.

Now, I have to find things that can stretch into two or three meals, that can please my picky kids and that doesn't take hours to prepare.

And I don't cook basic.  I still want a little of my "foodie" personality to come out.

So today's recipe is... Moroccan Chicken!

I got this recipe from Livestrong awhile back.  It has become a family favorite!  And it gets everyone to like Cauliflower!

Click on the link above (or here) for the full recipe.  But here is what I did:

First you have to grate the cauliflower.  I just used a cheese grater.  I do have a grater attachment for my fancy food processor, but I have yet to use that function.  So I just grate away, being careful to not scrape my knuckles.  Or if you have a ricer, I suppose you could try that.

Spread the cauliflower mixture in a casserole dish.


Next, we brown up some chicken thighs.  I do skin on because my hubby likes the crispy skin.  If you want a healthier option, then by all means take the skin off.

Add one tablespoon of butter to a pan on Med Hi temp.  Salt and pepper the chicken and brown 3-5 mins on each side then set aside to set.  You are not fully cooking the chicken, just browning so it is not rubbery when baked.

Then you need to add your yummy veggies! In the same pan the chicken was cooked in, add onions, carrots, garlic, and fresh ginger.  Cook until onions are soft.  Then add one tablespoon of butter and spices, and stir.

Add red pepper, can of diced tomato's, salt, parsley and add the chicken and let simmer for a bit (I let it simmer for about 5 minutes).

Pour all the contents of the pan to the baking dish of cauliflower and mix well.  Add lemon slices to the top and bake, covered in foil, for 35 mins at 375 degrees.  After 35 mins, take foil off and bake an additional 25.

And don't forget to take a pic of the finished product.  I didn't.  Oops!

But here is one from the website:

Mine totally looked like this.  Really!

Ingredients



Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/morrocan-chicken-casserole/#ixzz2iZ1Sr3eN




Monday, October 21, 2013

My first 5k!

I am new to running.  In fact, I have always hated running.  It bores me.  But it is the only thing that makes my body look like it did before the little minions came into my life.  So I do it.

I decided last spring to take up running more seriously.  I discovered that I could barely run a mile.  How was I going to get this going?  I am the queen of excuses.  Some of them include:
"I have no one to watch the kids while I run"
"I have no one to run with"
"I don't know where to run"
"just......no."

But I laced up my shoes and kept with it.  I complained the whole time.

Then something amazing happened.  I discovered a group called Who I Run 4.  It matches runners (or walkers, cross fit doers, Yoga doers and such) to children with diseases or disorders that make it so they can't be as physical.  All you do is get matched and you dedicate your runs and work outs to them.  No money is exchanged.  It is a new wave pen pal system.

I got the honor to be matched with a little boy named Knox.  He is now 9 months old and has APERT syndrome and Lobar Holoprosencephaly. He has already had surgery to correct his webbed hands and feet.  And he is having his first cranial surgery on Nov 6th.  Because he is so close to my baby's age and he has a brother who is close to my oldest daughters age, it really hits home for me.  So now I am held accountable.  I have to run for him.  I promised him and I keep my promises.

So, I did my runs the best I could.  I was only able to run once or twice a week, but I did it anyway I could.  I am also a hiker and did a ton of hikes.  Luckily I live in an area where there is great hiking 20-30 mins from my house.

I signed up for my first 5k, a Halloween themed one.  Then I realized.  I have never ran 5k without stopping.  Holy crap, what did I just get myself into!  And I also have this weird phobia of running in front of people.  And for those who know me may think that is crazy....I love to be the center of attention normally but running?  No way, Jose.

2 weeks before my race, I had a BAD sinus infection.  I didn't run at all.  I couldn't breathe!  How am I going to run this race and not breathe!?  I was freakin' out a little.  A week before the race, I attempted my first 5k.  I got to mile two and couldn't stop coughing.  I couldn't finish.  And then the excuses came.

I am too sick to train.  I need to rest.  I can't finish the race.

Oh crap...I have already signed up (no refunds), I already told Knox and his family that I was going to do this AND I bragged to my friends and family.  I HAD to attempt it.

Morning of the race, I was nervous.  But I set my expectations low.  Just finish, is what I told myself.  If I have to walk, just walk fast and don't stop.  Keep moving.

Before my race, I watched Ava do her first race, a half mile.  She had a grin on her face the whole time!  She did great and didn't stop!  She is not even 4 yet and she finished strong!  Right before my race she told me "Run fast mommy!  You can do it!".


She was right.  The race started, I pushed play on my 5k playlist that I made on Spotify, and I was off.  I just ran.  and ran.  and ran.  The first half mile my muscles started hurting.  My breathing was labored a little too much.  I didn't feel comfortable.  But I couldn't stop.  Then I got into a zone.  I have heard of that racer zone, but never experienced it.  I listened to my tunes and thought about my form and just relaxed.  Then I saw a sign up ahead.  It said I hit the 2 mile marker....WHA!?  Already?  I thought I was at 1!  And I felt great!

I pushed mysef to pick up the pace and I went for it.  I saw the finish line.  I saw Nick, Ava and Stella.  I saw Nick with his camera and a big, proud grin.  I made the last turn and dashed to the finish.


Now, this race was not timed, but I timed it myself....and I got a personal record!  42 mins!  I blasted my best of 45mins.  AND I NEVER STOPPED RUNNING!  Now I am hooked and signed up for 3 more 5k's before the new year.

Now it is the day after....and I am tired and sore.  But I am still gearing up for my next race!!


Introduction!

So, I have blogged in the past, but not just about my life with my family.  I thought this would be a good way for friends and family to see my kiddos and how they grow, and also to pass on my recipes, crafts and ideas that may, or in a lot of cases may not, work.

My name is Katie.  I am in my early 30's and married to my sweetheart, Nick for 5 years now (been together for 10).  We have two beautiful girls named Ava (age 4) and Stella (Age 1) who are the light of our lives.

 But we cannot forget our first baby, Bella Bear, the Wonder Goldendoodle.

I have been a Stay at home Mom since Ava was born.  I have a background in Pediatric Medicine and I miss it dearly but I would not change the path that I have taken.  I am not naturally creative.  I would rather buy a costume them make it but I am now taking up sewing so I am forcing myself to get out of my comfort zone. I am also an avid cook, not so much a baker but I am trying!  I love the outdoors and am starting to run more and sign up for races.

Hopefully this blog will serve 3 purposes:
1- Give great ideas that are easy and cheap
2-Keep family and friends updated on our lives
3- Keep me entertained and sane.

Let the shenanigans begin!