I do wish the video was better, but it still brought a tear to my eye!
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Daruis Rucker sings with High School Kid!
Country star and former lead singer for Hootie and the Blowfish, Darius Rucker, surprised high school student Frankie, who has Down Syndrome, at his talent show.
I do wish the video was better, but it still brought a tear to my eye!
I do wish the video was better, but it still brought a tear to my eye!
Monday, November 25, 2013
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie!
Normally, I do recipes on Wednesdays, but since Thanksgiving is coming up, I thought I would add this a little earlier just in case you need a good Gluten Free recipe.
My Sister in Law has a recently diagnosed Gluten allergy and this will be her first Thanksgiving Gluten Free. So we are going for an entire Thanksgiving meal, gluten free. Not as easy as I thought, but I decided to attempt a Pumpkin Pie. I mean, what is Thanksgiving without a Pumpkin Pie?
We will be celebrating Thanksgiving the Sunday before, so I had to make this pie tonight to try it out.
I found that the main roadblock would be the pie crust. Since I am not an expert baker to begin with, this is going to be a challenge. A challenge that I will hot out of the ballpark!
I search the internet for loads of recipes. I wanted something that tasted good and I found most recipes were bland. I asked a friend of mine who has Celiacs disease and she told me to look for a recipe that combines different kinds of Gluten free flour. I did and found this one.
It looked a little intimidating, but, like I said above, I am facing this challenge head on.
First was to find the right flour. Surprisingly, Red Mill makes a lot of great Gluten Free flours. And my local Safeway carries them! Now, the price for these can be a little steep, but I had a $10 off my entire bill coupon, so that helped. And I will just have to discover what else I can bake with these flours.
I also discovered that I don't have a paddle attachment for my stand mixer (see, shows you how much I use it....I have had it for 5 years!) so creaming the butter was a little more work, but I used my hands to help out as well (GASP!).
After I added the rest of the ingredients, I rolled it between two pieces of plastic wrap and discovered that this recipe makes slightly less then I anticipated. I like a full crust, and I was afraid that this would not make a full crust.
Biggest advice at this point....after you cool it in the fridge for at least one hour (I did 2), take it out, and let it warm up for about 15 mins. It will be so much easier to work with!
The great thing about this pie crust, is that you can't overwork it like a regular pie crust. If you have holes, just pinch them closed! If you are lopsided, you can work it with your fingers and not worry about making it tough,
I made two crusts. One for my Pumpkin Pie and one to bake and taste. And I will admit, it tasted pretty yummy! You can taste the oats and a smidgen of almond. It is more crumbly then a regular pie crust and the corn meal helps with that. I think maybe I should try adding crushed hazelnut, too!
Now on to the filling! (Full recipe here)
I decided to make homemade pumpkin pie by roasting sugar pumpkins as opposed to canned pumpkin. I needed 1 1/2 cups and I guessed 2 sugar pumpkins would give me that. I bought three to be safe!
I cut the pumpkins in half and scooped out all the seeds.
Then I chopped them up and added them to a buttered down baking sheet covered in foil.
Next, I roasted these babies for about an hour. My house smelled so good!
After they cooled for a bit, I just separated the skin from the "meat". I found some pieces just peeled off while others needed the knife.
I pureed away!
Then added the brown sugar, molasses, vanilla, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves and some freshly grated nutmeg. Heated all of this up with the pumpkin for about 5 mins on the stove, then put it all back in my food processor.
To this, I added some milk, eggs, and a couple of tablespoons of yogurt (I used greek yogurt).
Then it was ready for my crust!
After I baked the pie, I noticed the crust kinda "ran away" from the edge. So it is not the prettiest crust ever.
Basically, the original recipe is not really two full 9 inch pies, in my opinion. More like one and a half. Luckily I was only making one!
Final verdict: I think I will make this again!!
And a token picture of Stella waiting for Daddy to come home:
Full Recipe for Gluten Free Pie Crust:
From www.NYTimes.com
We will be celebrating Thanksgiving the Sunday before, so I had to make this pie tonight to try it out.
I found that the main roadblock would be the pie crust. Since I am not an expert baker to begin with, this is going to be a challenge. A challenge that I will hot out of the ballpark!
I search the internet for loads of recipes. I wanted something that tasted good and I found most recipes were bland. I asked a friend of mine who has Celiacs disease and she told me to look for a recipe that combines different kinds of Gluten free flour. I did and found this one.
It looked a little intimidating, but, like I said above, I am facing this challenge head on.
First was to find the right flour. Surprisingly, Red Mill makes a lot of great Gluten Free flours. And my local Safeway carries them! Now, the price for these can be a little steep, but I had a $10 off my entire bill coupon, so that helped. And I will just have to discover what else I can bake with these flours.
I also discovered that I don't have a paddle attachment for my stand mixer (see, shows you how much I use it....I have had it for 5 years!) so creaming the butter was a little more work, but I used my hands to help out as well (GASP!).
After I added the rest of the ingredients, I rolled it between two pieces of plastic wrap and discovered that this recipe makes slightly less then I anticipated. I like a full crust, and I was afraid that this would not make a full crust.
Biggest advice at this point....after you cool it in the fridge for at least one hour (I did 2), take it out, and let it warm up for about 15 mins. It will be so much easier to work with!
The great thing about this pie crust, is that you can't overwork it like a regular pie crust. If you have holes, just pinch them closed! If you are lopsided, you can work it with your fingers and not worry about making it tough,
I made two crusts. One for my Pumpkin Pie and one to bake and taste. And I will admit, it tasted pretty yummy! You can taste the oats and a smidgen of almond. It is more crumbly then a regular pie crust and the corn meal helps with that. I think maybe I should try adding crushed hazelnut, too!
Now on to the filling! (Full recipe here)
I decided to make homemade pumpkin pie by roasting sugar pumpkins as opposed to canned pumpkin. I needed 1 1/2 cups and I guessed 2 sugar pumpkins would give me that. I bought three to be safe!
I cut the pumpkins in half and scooped out all the seeds.
Then I chopped them up and added them to a buttered down baking sheet covered in foil.
Next, I roasted these babies for about an hour. My house smelled so good!
After they cooled for a bit, I just separated the skin from the "meat". I found some pieces just peeled off while others needed the knife.
I pureed away!
Then added the brown sugar, molasses, vanilla, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves and some freshly grated nutmeg. Heated all of this up with the pumpkin for about 5 mins on the stove, then put it all back in my food processor.
To this, I added some milk, eggs, and a couple of tablespoons of yogurt (I used greek yogurt).
Then it was ready for my crust!
After I baked the pie, I noticed the crust kinda "ran away" from the edge. So it is not the prettiest crust ever.
Basically, the original recipe is not really two full 9 inch pies, in my opinion. More like one and a half. Luckily I was only making one!
Final verdict: I think I will make this again!!
And a token picture of Stella waiting for Daddy to come home:
Full Recipe for Gluten Free Pie Crust:
From www.NYTimes.com
160 grams (approximately 1 1/4 cups) corn flour or finely ground cornmeal
150 grams (approximately 1 1/3 cups) oat flour (make sure it is from a gluten-free facility)
168 grams (6 ounces) butter, preferably French style Plugrà
4 grams (1/2 teaspoon) fine sea salt
50 grams (approximately 1/4 rounded cup) sugar
40 grams (approximately 1/3 rounded cup) almond flour
9 grams (approximately 2 teaspoons) vanilla extract
63 grams egg (approximately 1 extra large plus 2 teaspoons), beaten
1. Sift together the corn flour and the oat flour. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a bowl with a rubber spatula, cream the butter and salt on medium speed for about 1 minute, taking care not to whip. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle with a rubber spatula and add the sugar. Combine with the butter at low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.
2. Add the almond flour and vanilla extract and combine at low speed.
3. Gradually add the egg and one fourth of the flour mixture. Beat at low speed until just incorporated. Stop the machine and scrape down the bowl and the paddle.
4. Gradually add the remaining flour and mix just until the dough comes together.
5. Scrape the dough out of the bowl, weigh it and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Place each piece between sheets of plastic wrap and gently roll out to a 10-1/2 inch circle. Place on a sheet pan and refrigerate for 1 hour or (preferably) longer.
6. Very lightly butter a 9-inch tart pan or pie dish (depending on the recipe you’ll be using this for). You should not be able to see the butter. Remove one sheet of dough from the refrigerator, and if it is very stiff set it out for about 5 minutes, until it’s pliable. Ease the dough into 9-inch tart pan or pie dish. If the dough cracks, just pinch the cracked edges together. You do not have to worry with gluten-free dough about over working and stiffening the pastry, but try not to press the dough thinner in some places than in others.
To prebake: I don’t use pie weights, because the grain flours tend to stick to the lining. The crust shouldn’t buckle. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. With a fork, pierce the bottom of the crust in rows. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and place in the oven on the middle rack. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned and dry. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely before filling.
Full Recipe for Pumpkin Pie Filling:
Source: www.nytimes.com
1 gluten-free dessert pastry shell (or another crust of your choosing), lining a 9-inch pie pan (unbaked)
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups puréed roasted pumpkin (see below) or canned pumpkin
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar or raw light brown sugar
2 tablespoons almond flour
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons drained yogurt (or crème fraiche)
To roast the pumpkin: Use a small pie pumpkin, which is perfect for pumpkin pie. Cut away the stem, cut in half and scoop out the seeds. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the pumpkin into chunks. Line a baking sheet with foil, lightly brush the foil with butter and place the pumpkin on top. Cover the sheet pan tightly with foil and place in the oven. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, until the pumpkin is thoroughly soft. Remove from the oven and allow the pumpkin to cool until you can handle it. Cut away the skin (or scrape the pumpkin from the skin) and purée the pumpkin in a food processor fitted with the steel blade, or with a hand blender.
1. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees. Place the rack on the lowest setting. Beat the eggs in a large bowl and brush the pastry lightly with the beaten egg. Place in the oven and prebake 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
2. Combine the pumpkin purée, brown sugar, almond flour, molasses, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and salt in a saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring with a heat-proof rubber spatula, until the mixture begins to sputter. Turn the heat to low and simmer, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a food processor fitted with the steel blade or to a bowl if using a hand blender. Add the eggs, milk, and yogurt and blend until thoroughly combined and the mixture is very smooth.
3. Scrape the purée into the pie shell. Place on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out almost clean and the pie jiggles when gently shaken. It should not bake until it cracks. Remove from the heat and cool on a rack.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
24 signs you are a Mom
Reposted from Mommyhasapottymouth.com
You know you are a mom when:
1. Instead of running from projectile vomit, you run towards it.
2. You do more in seven minutes than most people do all day.
3. Happy hour has become the 60 minutes between your kids going to bed and you going to bed.
4. A night of drinking requires more recovery time than minor surgery.
5. A glass of wine counts as a serving of fruit.
6. You have mini-therapy sessions all day long with anyone who will listen.
7. Going to the grocery store by yourself is a vacation.
8. You can experience heaven and hell at the same time.
9. You think of physical pain on three levels: pain, excruciating pain and stepping on a Lego.
10. You have the ability to hear a sneeze through closed doors in the middle of the night, two bedrooms away, while your SO snores next to you.
11. You’d rather have a 103 degree fever than watch one of your kids suffer with it.
12. You’d rather go to sleep than have sex.
13. A 15-minute shower with the door locked feels like a day at the spa.
14. Peeing with an audience is part of the daily routine.
15. You use baby wipes to clean up random spills and the dash of your car.
16. You lock yourself in the bathroom and pretend to have diarrhea just to get a break.
17. You love Moms’ Night Out and Date Night with the Hubs.
18. You have a secret chocolate stash because frankly, you’re sick of sharing.
19. You’ve been washing the same load of laundry for three days because you forgot to dry it.
20. You realize you’ve been watching Nick Jr. alone, even though your kids have been in bed for over 30 minutes.
21. You can cook dinner, breastfeed, talk on the phone and yell at the kids, all without breaking stride or missing any of the TV show you are watching.
22. You get more excited about the Mini Boden Catalogue than J Crew’s.
23. You decide to stick with your car for the next decade because a) you can’t afford to switch and b) you haven’t found a car wash that knows how to get all the milk stains and glitter removed.
24. By the end of the day, brushing your teeth feels like a huge accomplishment.
And I would like to add a personal one: When you need to excuse yourself to the restroom, you tell your adult friends "I need to go potty." without hesitation.
Friday, November 15, 2013
I'm a dolphin!
I took a personality test online that tells you what your animal personality is. I turned out to be a Dolphin!
"Creative and contagiously happy, ENFPs have boundless energy and an appetite for learning about new things and meeting new people. They bring joy to others and are keenly perceptive to the needs of those around them. They are vivacious and popular enthusiasts. ENFPs tend to get bored easily, and they are always ready for the latest and the greatest in friends, relationships, experiences, and ocean jumping."
This makes sense. I just started taking up crocheting, love to sew, love to do crafts with my kids, need to keep moving, can't just sit and watch TV (have to be doing something with my hands) and I am feeling antsy so I am planning a week long back packing trip this summer, would love to someday skydive, climb Mt Rainier and hike the Pacific Crest Trail.
So, this hits the nail on the head!
Try it yourself! And post in the comments what you got. I would love to see what my friends and family get!
http://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/whats-your-animal-personality-type
"Creative and contagiously happy, ENFPs have boundless energy and an appetite for learning about new things and meeting new people. They bring joy to others and are keenly perceptive to the needs of those around them. They are vivacious and popular enthusiasts. ENFPs tend to get bored easily, and they are always ready for the latest and the greatest in friends, relationships, experiences, and ocean jumping."
This makes sense. I just started taking up crocheting, love to sew, love to do crafts with my kids, need to keep moving, can't just sit and watch TV (have to be doing something with my hands) and I am feeling antsy so I am planning a week long back packing trip this summer, would love to someday skydive, climb Mt Rainier and hike the Pacific Crest Trail.
So, this hits the nail on the head!
Try it yourself! And post in the comments what you got. I would love to see what my friends and family get!
http://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/whats-your-animal-personality-type
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Damn you, Vampirestat!
I was checking my stats on my blog the other day and got super excited when I got 60 hits in one day on one of my recipe posts. I was thinking, "Sweet! People like me!". I was walking around the house, with my chest all puffed out. Stomping around like I was somebody important. My 4 year old, Ava, asked me why i looked so funny. I told her because "Mommy is important and I feel proud!". She then started to walk around like me, all proud of something.
Later that night, I looked at my stats again. First I saw "adsense" as a source of my traffic. Wait....I don't have adsense on my blog. I did a google search (my IT husband has taught me better then to click on a random link) and found out that it is a bot, generated to look like you have visits to your blog.
poop.
Then the other big one was Vampirestat. This, I knew, had to be bogus. I mean, I don't trust vampires, ghosts or zombies!
After some more research, I have discovered that this too is a bot that is trying to make you click on the site, therefor overrunning your blog stats with more "hits".
And the kicker is....there is no way around it. No way to block them at all.
So, my proud moment is shattered. But I am thankful for the 3 hits a day I get on this blog from others besides the meanie bots. I am assuming those three people are family. You are all getting an extra treat for Christmas.
Now if I can only get my husband to read my blog!
Later that night, I looked at my stats again. First I saw "adsense" as a source of my traffic. Wait....I don't have adsense on my blog. I did a google search (my IT husband has taught me better then to click on a random link) and found out that it is a bot, generated to look like you have visits to your blog.
poop.
Then the other big one was Vampirestat. This, I knew, had to be bogus. I mean, I don't trust vampires, ghosts or zombies!
After some more research, I have discovered that this too is a bot that is trying to make you click on the site, therefor overrunning your blog stats with more "hits".
And the kicker is....there is no way around it. No way to block them at all.
So, my proud moment is shattered. But I am thankful for the 3 hits a day I get on this blog from others besides the meanie bots. I am assuming those three people are family. You are all getting an extra treat for Christmas.
Now if I can only get my husband to read my blog!
Recipe Wednesday!
Today's recipe is Spaghetti Squash Fritters!
I am a squash nut. I never liked squash before but since I had to make a bunch of it when my oldest was a baby, I learned to love it! It is all in the preparation.
I made this recipe because my husband loves crab cakes and this is like a crab cake without the crab. And a bonus, my 10 year old niece who is super picky loved them!
Full recipe is here.
I changed the amount for the fritters a little bit because I added more spinach and I love cheese so I added more cheese.
First, cut a Spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds.
Put in a microwave safe plate and cover with damp paper towel. Heat for 20 minutes.
Once done, let sit for 10 minutes to cool. When it is cool, take a fork and scoop out the insides so it looks like Spaghetti (hence the creative name, Spaghetti Squash).
Heat a skillet on medium. Add some olive oil (about 2 tablespoons). Add spinach leaves. The recipe calls for 8 ounces, but I found that was too little for me, so I doubled it. Remember, the spinach will shrink up when cooked.
Once cooked, Take the spinach and squash and put it in a dry paper towel or clean kitchen towel. Wrap it up and squeeze out all the liquid (or as much as you can) and make sure the spinach is cool before you do this....the liquid can get pretty hot. ;)
Coarsely chop the spinach and squash. Place in a bowl.
Add 1/2 cup of Panko crumbs, 1/4 Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons garlic, one teaspoon black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon of Baking powder. Combine.
Next, we need to fluff up some egg whites. I had help from my 4 year old with this step!
Take two large egg whites and beat them with an electric beater until peaks form. I tried to take a picture of what it looks like, but it didn't turn out so well. But I will post the pic anyways.
Looks like whip cream! Well, ok... maybe this picture looks ore like tapioca. I am not a photographer!
Now gently fold the egg cream in with the other bowl of ingredients.
Now to assemble the fritters.
Take a 1/4 cup, fill it with the mixture. Round it out and make it into a small cake/pancake. You don't want it too flat. The recipe says make them 3/4 inch thick, but I made it about an inch think. It was more filling that way!
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium head. Add 2 tablespoons of oil (I used olive, you can use veggie or canola if you so choose). Heat the fritters until crispy on each side (about 3 minutes per side).
Once they are cooked, keep warm.
Now to make the sauce. I am not hugely excited about the sauce. It was a little bland to me so I added some oregano and minced garlic. That seemed to help.
Mix 5 teaspoons of canola mayonnaise with 2 teaspoons of 2% milk, 2 teaspoons with Sriracha (recipe calls for one teaspoon but I like it spicy), and 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. This is when I added some oregano and minced garlic and some black pepper.
Now add the sauce to the top of the fritters and serve!
I think I may do more of an crab cake aioli sauce next time. But it was a great start!
I am a squash nut. I never liked squash before but since I had to make a bunch of it when my oldest was a baby, I learned to love it! It is all in the preparation.
I made this recipe because my husband loves crab cakes and this is like a crab cake without the crab. And a bonus, my 10 year old niece who is super picky loved them!
Full recipe is here.
I changed the amount for the fritters a little bit because I added more spinach and I love cheese so I added more cheese.
First, cut a Spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds.
Put in a microwave safe plate and cover with damp paper towel. Heat for 20 minutes.
Once done, let sit for 10 minutes to cool. When it is cool, take a fork and scoop out the insides so it looks like Spaghetti (hence the creative name, Spaghetti Squash).
Heat a skillet on medium. Add some olive oil (about 2 tablespoons). Add spinach leaves. The recipe calls for 8 ounces, but I found that was too little for me, so I doubled it. Remember, the spinach will shrink up when cooked.
Once cooked, Take the spinach and squash and put it in a dry paper towel or clean kitchen towel. Wrap it up and squeeze out all the liquid (or as much as you can) and make sure the spinach is cool before you do this....the liquid can get pretty hot. ;)
Coarsely chop the spinach and squash. Place in a bowl.
Add 1/2 cup of Panko crumbs, 1/4 Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons garlic, one teaspoon black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon of Baking powder. Combine.
Next, we need to fluff up some egg whites. I had help from my 4 year old with this step!
Take two large egg whites and beat them with an electric beater until peaks form. I tried to take a picture of what it looks like, but it didn't turn out so well. But I will post the pic anyways.
Looks like whip cream! Well, ok... maybe this picture looks ore like tapioca. I am not a photographer!
Now gently fold the egg cream in with the other bowl of ingredients.
Now to assemble the fritters.
Take a 1/4 cup, fill it with the mixture. Round it out and make it into a small cake/pancake. You don't want it too flat. The recipe says make them 3/4 inch thick, but I made it about an inch think. It was more filling that way!
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium head. Add 2 tablespoons of oil (I used olive, you can use veggie or canola if you so choose). Heat the fritters until crispy on each side (about 3 minutes per side).
Once they are cooked, keep warm.
Now to make the sauce. I am not hugely excited about the sauce. It was a little bland to me so I added some oregano and minced garlic. That seemed to help.
Mix 5 teaspoons of canola mayonnaise with 2 teaspoons of 2% milk, 2 teaspoons with Sriracha (recipe calls for one teaspoon but I like it spicy), and 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. This is when I added some oregano and minced garlic and some black pepper.
Now add the sauce to the top of the fritters and serve!
I think I may do more of an crab cake aioli sauce next time. But it was a great start!
Saturday, November 9, 2013
That Poo Will Overflow the Toilet!
Cutest kid ever! Makes me want Pickle Chips, however.
And like one of the commentators said before, In 20 years it will be "I drank to much! Ugh!"
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Recipe Wednesday (Thursday)
Today is a personal favorite....ROASTED DUCK!
When I was pregnant with Ava, Idiscovered craved duck. The restaurant by our condo (RIP, Shallots, you are missed!) made the best roasted duck and we would eat their almost weekly. The server knew me and knew what I wanted.
GIVE THE PREGNANT LADY A DUCK!!
So I decided to learn how to make it myself. I was a little scared of duck at first. I have heard it burns easily if not watched, it can dry out, it is not very meaty, etc. But I forged forward, went to Costco, and payed $15 for a whole, frozen duck.
The first time I made it, I paid close attention as it was cooking. And it turned out very well! Now I have a couple of different recipes for it but the method is the same. And I would love to share it with you!
First off, you need 4 hours to roast this baby and you need to be home the entire time. It takes a lot of attention, but trust me....it is worth it!
First off, preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
Take your defrosted duck and take out the neck and giblets from the cavity. You can use the neck and the rest of the parts (except the liver) to make stock. I use the liver to saute and make a pate out if it. But I will tell you, not many people like liver pate. I on the other hand......
Here is a pic of the giblets...the liver is the large, brown yucky thing. But so yummy!
Next, rinse the duck with water, inside and out and pat dry with a towel.
Cut off the extra neck skin. I save it and roast it separately in my toaster oven for the duck fat. But you can toss it if you want.
Now the hard part. A duck is super fatty. So you need to cut a diamond in the fat all over the duck, making sure not to cut all the way down to the meat, or else it will dry out. Use a sharp pairing knife and slowly cut a diamond shape.
I accidentally went down to the meat in a couple of parts, but luckily, it did not dry out.
Also, check for quills (bottom part of feathers). Once in a while, I will get a duck that still has some quills. Use tweezers to pull them out.
Truss the duck and fold the wings under.
If you need help with trussing, click here.
Salt and Pepper the duck to your liking. If you are going to use a sauce (like the recipe I have at the end of the post), then a small amount is fine.
Once the duck has been trussed and scored, put it in a roasting pan on a roasting rack and roast for 1 hour at 300 degrees.
After the first hour, take it out and poke holes all over the bird with your pairing knife. The step will release the juices and makes the skin super crispy. Try not to expose the meat.
Flip the bird breast side down, cook for one hour.
Take it out, then poke holes again, flip it breast side up and cook 1 hour.
Take it out, poke holes again, flip it breast side down and (you guessed it) cook for an hour.
While that is cooking, make the glaze. Add 3 cups of orange juice, 1/3 honey, 1/4 cup soy sauce to a sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat then let simmer for 20 mins. If you want a little kick to it, add 3 tablespoons of Sriracha Sauce to it. I do it and it is a nice change of pace!
Once that is done, take the duck out, up the temp of the oven to 400. Once that is preheated, put the duck back in, breast side up for 10 mins.
Take duck out and brush the glaze all over the duck. (If you are saving the duck fat, which I highly recommend, take it out BEFORE you brush with the glaze).
Put back in the oven, still breast side up and cook for an additional 5 mins.
Take it out, let it rest for a few minutes, then carve it up like a chicken and enjoy!!
When I was pregnant with Ava, I
GIVE THE PREGNANT LADY A DUCK!!
So I decided to learn how to make it myself. I was a little scared of duck at first. I have heard it burns easily if not watched, it can dry out, it is not very meaty, etc. But I forged forward, went to Costco, and payed $15 for a whole, frozen duck.
The first time I made it, I paid close attention as it was cooking. And it turned out very well! Now I have a couple of different recipes for it but the method is the same. And I would love to share it with you!
First off, you need 4 hours to roast this baby and you need to be home the entire time. It takes a lot of attention, but trust me....it is worth it!
First off, preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
Take your defrosted duck and take out the neck and giblets from the cavity. You can use the neck and the rest of the parts (except the liver) to make stock. I use the liver to saute and make a pate out if it. But I will tell you, not many people like liver pate. I on the other hand......
Here is a pic of the giblets...the liver is the large, brown yucky thing. But so yummy!
Next, rinse the duck with water, inside and out and pat dry with a towel.
Cut off the extra neck skin. I save it and roast it separately in my toaster oven for the duck fat. But you can toss it if you want.
Now the hard part. A duck is super fatty. So you need to cut a diamond in the fat all over the duck, making sure not to cut all the way down to the meat, or else it will dry out. Use a sharp pairing knife and slowly cut a diamond shape.
I accidentally went down to the meat in a couple of parts, but luckily, it did not dry out.
Also, check for quills (bottom part of feathers). Once in a while, I will get a duck that still has some quills. Use tweezers to pull them out.
Truss the duck and fold the wings under.
If you need help with trussing, click here.
Salt and Pepper the duck to your liking. If you are going to use a sauce (like the recipe I have at the end of the post), then a small amount is fine.
Once the duck has been trussed and scored, put it in a roasting pan on a roasting rack and roast for 1 hour at 300 degrees.
After the first hour, take it out and poke holes all over the bird with your pairing knife. The step will release the juices and makes the skin super crispy. Try not to expose the meat.
Flip the bird breast side down, cook for one hour.
Take it out, then poke holes again, flip it breast side up and cook 1 hour.
Take it out, poke holes again, flip it breast side down and (you guessed it) cook for an hour.
While that is cooking, make the glaze. Add 3 cups of orange juice, 1/3 honey, 1/4 cup soy sauce to a sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat then let simmer for 20 mins. If you want a little kick to it, add 3 tablespoons of Sriracha Sauce to it. I do it and it is a nice change of pace!
Once that is done, take the duck out, up the temp of the oven to 400. Once that is preheated, put the duck back in, breast side up for 10 mins.
Take duck out and brush the glaze all over the duck. (If you are saving the duck fat, which I highly recommend, take it out BEFORE you brush with the glaze).
Put back in the oven, still breast side up and cook for an additional 5 mins.
Take it out, let it rest for a few minutes, then carve it up like a chicken and enjoy!!
These dogs are having a worse day then you!
Thanks to Mommy Has A Potty Mouth for this gem!
This Dog who almost nailed it:
This Dog who didn't expect to see a cat behind the door:
RUDE HUMANS!
"Why did I get in the car?"
Puppy who thought he saw his soulmate:
Must. Conquer. The. Slide!
Coming in HOT!
No depth perception!
Too big. Too big. Back up. Back up.
Puppy can't catch a toy:
That ball is deadly!
This is why Doodles Don't run:
High Centered Corgi:
Poor Doodle!
* Recipe Wednesday has been postponed until Friday. My roasted Duck recipe needs pictures and the SD card that has them is with Mr Knutzen at work... <facepalm>
This Dog who almost nailed it:
This Dog who didn't expect to see a cat behind the door:
RUDE HUMANS!
"Why did I get in the car?"
Puppy who thought he saw his soulmate:
Must. Conquer. The. Slide!
Coming in HOT!
No depth perception!
Too big. Too big. Back up. Back up.
Puppy can't catch a toy:
That ball is deadly!
This is why Doodles Don't run:
High Centered Corgi:
Poor Doodle!
* Recipe Wednesday has been postponed until Friday. My roasted Duck recipe needs pictures and the SD card that has them is with Mr Knutzen at work... <facepalm>
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
There is hope for our future!
I saw this video on my Facebook feed about three times this morning (and it is only 8am!).
There is a perception of the football team in schools. Even at the middle school level. This story shows that there are some parents and teachers doing it right! Teaching our kids tolerance.
Warning, it is a tear jerker but NEEDS to be viewed!
God bless these boys!!! Share this video to all you know.
There is a perception of the football team in schools. Even at the middle school level. This story shows that there are some parents and teachers doing it right! Teaching our kids tolerance.
Warning, it is a tear jerker but NEEDS to be viewed!
Friday, November 1, 2013
Happy Blue Friday!
Mr Knutzen and I get to go to the Seahawks game on Sunday! Yes, they are playing Tampa Bay who is STRUGGLING to say the least, but as we say from the Monday Night game against the Rams, we can't take any team for granted.
So today, along with doing laundry and taking care of the kids, I am going to be perfecting my outfit for the day. I have my jersey, I have my homemade Hawks headband (or I can wear my beanie), I have my homemade Hawks fingerless gloves but I think I need something else.
I am going to make some Hawks feather earrings and some fleece boot toppers/liners. Feeling so crafty!
I already have boot socks so I am just going to add a Seahawks fleece to them for now. I think I may run out of time to actually sew the full liners. But this is a project that I will want to master soon!
UPDATING SOON WITH PICS!
HERE IS THE FINAL PICS!
Busy weekend and wasn't able to post the pic until now.
Here are the earrings:
So today, along with doing laundry and taking care of the kids, I am going to be perfecting my outfit for the day. I have my jersey, I have my homemade Hawks headband (or I can wear my beanie), I have my homemade Hawks fingerless gloves but I think I need something else.
I am going to make some Hawks feather earrings and some fleece boot toppers/liners. Feeling so crafty!
I already have boot socks so I am just going to add a Seahawks fleece to them for now. I think I may run out of time to actually sew the full liners. But this is a project that I will want to master soon!
UPDATING SOON WITH PICS!
HERE IS THE FINAL PICS!
Busy weekend and wasn't able to post the pic until now.
Here are the earrings:
And the boot toppers!
The game was too exciting. The Hawks were playing Tampa Bay who is 0-7. We should have creamed them....instead we won in overtime. I was super confused about that. But, Nick and I had a great time!
GO HAWKS!!!
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