computer trouble

I wanted to post a picture of my short hair. Josh is sad. but my computer had issues. the monitor refused to work for more than two seconds. Josh says it probably has a short and is broken so right now I am using our TV as a monitor. Pretty cool that it can do that. maybe when Josh's mom is here tomorrow she can take a picture of me.

flat

Coming back from the jetty we got a flat. I heard a thump thump thump and asked Josh if he could hear it. He did not at first but it quickly got louder. our tire was shredded to bits. Josh was great though he was calm got us down the hill and to a level spot, changed the tire and got us back on the road. I called John while he drove and got directions to a Big-O tire and we ate lunch while they put on new ones. Rachel was very good considering all the driving.

Spiral Jetty

The spiral Jetty is the art of Robert Smithson made in 1970. There was a drought but within a few years it was covered by water and has continued to be submerged every now and then. It's 1500 ft long and 15 ft wide. the water levels and and salinity of the water change the look and color from time to time. It was the middle of the day but still pretty cold for Rachel so we walked down to it and onto it but did not walk all the way down it.

cow!

Holy cow!

To get to the spiral Jetty we had to go down a gravel road through a bunch of farmers land. The sign watch for cows on road was very serious we ran into several groups and one huge heard! at least a 50-100 head.

promontory point

We visited Promontory point Utah which is where the golden spike was laid to connect the east and west railroads. We watched a video looked at the museum and the site and monument. They had a penny machine but i did not work when Josh tried it. Very sad.

christmas bears

I got out my BYU Bookstore christmas bears and Rachel loves climbing all over them.

wants dad

when dad comes home Rachel follows him around and if he puts her down she immediately wants back up

remember

what do you remember that was important to your families thanksgiving table and what was not?
For me there were several things that were always very important.

Turkey
Gravy
mashed potatoes
rolls
stuffing
pies( pumpkin and cherry cream cheese)

not always there...
cranberry sauce (dad wished it was)
green bean casserole (later it did and i loved it)
sweet potatoes/ yams
apple pie (sometimes)

I loved snacking on the stuffing after the veggies, butter and stock were added before it got soggy. It is the best! Moms green beans are a little special with the sesame oil. Josh tried to have me make it with canned green beans but the little crunch of fresh green beans is just to die for. We never made our own pecan pie (don't you dare mispronounce it) but i loved it when we had it.

ultimate beef taco

I tried the beef tacos from on food network called Tyler's ultimate beef tacos. They were really awesome. The fresh taco shells were really good but they need to be fresh. The day after they get stale. Although expensive the ancho chili powder makes a difference. It is usually described as a spicy raisin flavor. Any leftover beef can be tacos leftovers or would make really great rolled in the corn tortilla and fried. I know what i'm making when chuck roasts are on sale. (beef shoulder is called the chuck so when the recipe calls for beef shoulder get a chuck roast.

Mexican Pot Roast Tacos

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence, 2007

Show: Tyler's UltimateEpisode: Ultimate Beef Tacos

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (145)

• Cook Time:

  3 hr 30 min

• Yield:

  6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef shoulder
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, (recommended: San Marzano)
• 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 3 bay leaves
• 
  
• Vegetable oil, for deep frying
• 6 fresh medium corn tortillas
• Kosher salt
• 3 cups finely shredded white cabbage

Directions

Guacamole, recipe follows

• 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro leaves
• 
  

For the simple salsa:

• 
  
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained, reserving the juice (recommended: San Marzano)
• 1 small red onion, roughly chopped
• 1 Serrano chile
• 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
• Kosher salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Season all sides of the beef with a fair amount of salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, or other heavy pot that has a tight cover, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over moderately high heat. Add the garlic and the beef to the pot, browning the meat on all sides, taking the time to get a nice crust on the outside. Add the onion and allow to lightly brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, plus 1 tomato can of water, spices, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and add enough water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer with a lid for 3 hours until the meat is fork tender. Let meat cool in the liquid. Shred meat and set aside.

Heat a large pot of oil over medium heat. When oil reaches 350 degrees F, fry the corn tortillas 1 at a time. Place the tortilla in the oil and wait about 30 seconds. Then use the handle of a wooden spoon to press down into the center of the tortilla and fold it in the middle. Hold down for a few seconds waiting for the tortilla to form into taco shell and then drain on paper towels. Season with salt.

For the simple salsa:

To make salsa, pulse all the ingredients, except the tomato juice, in a food processor. Add the reserved tomato juice if the salsa is too thick. Drizzle salsa with olive oil, cover with plastic wrap and set aside, allowing the flavors to marry.

To assemble the tacos:

Lay some shredded cabbage as a base. Top with some shredded beef. Serve alongside Guacamole and salsa. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.

leaves.

Guacamole:

• 
  
• 6 ripe avocados
• 3 limes, juiced
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, smashed then minced
• 2 serrano chiles, cut into rounds
• 1 big handful fresh cilantro with stems, about 1/2 cup, finely chopped
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Halve and pit the avocados. With a tablespoon, scoop out the flesh into a mixing bowl. Mash the avocados using either a fork or potato masher, leaving them still a bit chunky. Add the remaining ingredients, and fold everything together. Drizzle with a little olive oil, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and give it 1 final mix with a fork.

Lay a piece of plastic wrap tight on the surface of the guacamole so it doesn't brown and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Yield: about 4 cups

BBQ pizza

I made homemade pizza for dinner and we had pepperoni and a BBQ chicken pizza. It was super good

BBQ chicken pizza

pizza dough
bullseye BBQ sauce or your favorite
chicken
red onion
mozzarella
cilantro

tupperware

Vote

Me and Rachel went out today and did our civic duty and voted. Rachel got sad part way through so I had to try to vote (paper ballot) while holding her. They offered to give Rachel a cookie.....she is 7 months....no cookies yet. We both got stickers!

Rachel at play

chicken scampi

When I bought the restaurant recipe book I checked its accuracy by checking the P. F. Chang recipe with the one I had tried and had really good results with. It was a match. The next recipe I have tried is the chicken scampi. We have a recipe for it that we found while trying to clone the olive garden. It was pretty yummy and everyone seemed to like it but it was not like the olive garden. I tried the recipe on Saturday night and it was amazing. I thought I was eating olive garden. The only change I made was trading the wine for chicken stock. If you want to use wine the process of reducing the stock by half will get rid of most if not all the alcohol. For those who don't have the money or desire to buy spirits chicken broth or stock is recommended as a good substitute.
Now having two recipes turn out amazing I am eager to try more. Here is the recipe....

Chicken Scampi (serves 4 restaurant portions)

scampi sauce:
3 T butter
2 T minced white onion
1/4 c finely minced garlic (8-12 cloves)
1 1/2 c Chabis wine
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp minced fresh parsley
1 c heavy cream

water
16 oz angel hair pasta
4 T olive oil
12 chicken tenderloins
1/2 c flour
red, green and yellow bell peppers thinly sliced
red onion thinly sliced
2 tsp minced fresh parsley

1. Make scampi sauce:
Melt butter, add onion and cook on low till light brown, add garlic 30 sec (do not brown garlic). Add wine, salt, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Simmer 15-18 min to reduce by half. Add cream and parsley. Heat 10 minutes (do not let it boil!)

2 Start pasta. Drain when al dente.

3 heat 2 skillets with oil. Salt and pepper chicken, dredge in flour, shake off excess. Divide chicken between pans and brown on all sides. Move to edges, divide veggies between pans and saute until veggies and chicken are both done.

4. Divide scampi sauce and pasta between pans and toss and heat together. garnish with parsley.
Each pan serves 2.

halloween

Friday was our ward Halloween party. It was really fun. The Bishop and his wife dressed up as Mr. Fredrickson and Russel from Up.
Rachel got to trick or treat from doors in the church and ws really good at picking up a candy from the bowl when offered.
I won a ball toss on my first try and got Rachel the pumpkin Frisbee. Josh did the putting and did it on the first try as well.
There was a costume contest for the kids with a first second and third place and one for the adults with about 4 categories one award each. Me, Josh and Rachel won the superhero/cartoon category beating out a Zelda and link along with others.

TGI Fridays sizzling chicken and cheese

This recipe is from the cookbook mom and dad got me for christmas last year called America's most wanted recipes: Favorite Restaurants. You need a cast iron which melts the cheese and melds everything but me and Josh both really enjoyed it. It makes a ton of veggies. I added marinara sauce to the leftover veggies for lunch or you could just make more chicken and potatoes to serve the whole family. I used red potatoes instead of russet because I love them a lot. The recpie serves 2.

Sizzling Chicken Skillet

2 4oz chicken breasts
marinade:
2 T chopped garlic
1/4 c olive oil
1tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
Veggies
1 green bell pepper cut in thin strips
1 red bell pepper cut in thin strips
1 onion cu tin thin strips
1/4 c olive oil
1 tsp chopped garlic
salt and pepper to taste

The rest
2 T olive oil
2 cups mashed potatoes
1/2 c shredded chihuahua cheese (it exists but is really hard to find use montery Jack)
2 slices American cheese (I think cheddar would have been a little better)
2 T chopped fresh parsley

1. Marinate chicken 3 hours
2. saute pepper and onions in olive oil add garlic near the end and season with a little salt and pepper.
3. Saute chicken in olive oil on all sides till cooked
4. Heat cast iron on burner until very hot.
5. place potatoes on skillet followed by the vegetables, cheese, chicken and garnish with fresh parsley. ( cheese should melt from the hot cast iron if unsure cover with foil for 1-2 min and the heat will melt everything)



Super yum!

top secrete recipies

I was looking for items to make our costumes at DI and while looking through the cookbooks I found this for $3. Normally it would be $15. I love cheap books about cooking!

molasses cookies with a kick

I tried a new cookie from my Oct/Nov taste of home. It was the second place winner in the contest of the month, cookies. It called for about half the spices I have. Which is a lot. I was actually amazed that I had them all. One of particular interest was cardamom, which has a special place in my heart.

The cookies came out awesome and soft. They won't last long. It made 4 dozen. Here is the recipe, as always if you make it I want to hear your opinion.


Molasses cookies with a kick

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 1-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
  
• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon each ground white pepper, cardamom and coriander
• 3/4 cup turbinado (washed raw) sugar

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the molasses, egg and ginger. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves, cayenne, salt, nutmeg, white pepper, cardamom and coriander; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1-1/2 hours or until easy to handle.
• Roll into 1/2-in. balls; roll in turbinado sugar. Place 3 in. apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

inching along

Rachel is now inching along when she can. She is really going and trying to stand as much as possible.

P F Changs mongolian beef

I as searching around the internet trying to uncover the secrets of panda expresses food and I discovered a recipe swearing to be the actual recipe for P F Changs Mongolian beef. Me and Josh had gone there to eat out one last time before Rachel was born. from some secrets I had learned it sounded pretty legit and I found the same recipe with the same claim. I tried it and it was awesome. Only adjustments were I did not use all the sauce it made and to make the brown sugar dark I added 1/4 tsp molasses. Did you know that molasses is taken out of sugar to make it white and then added back to make it brown again for brown sugar? Coll things to know.

Here is the recipe

Mongolian Beef

2 tsp veg oil
1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 Tb minced garlic
1/2 c soy sauce
1/2 c water
3/4 c dark brown sugar
1 c veg oil
1 lb flank steak
1/4 c cornstarch
green onion tops cut 2 in

Sauce:heat oil slightly, add ginger and garlic ( will become fragrant), add soy sauce and water, dissolve brown sugar into it. Boil till it thickens and reduces slightly ( it wont thicken much, the cornstarch from the beef really does it)
Thinly slice the flank steak across the grain so it is tender ( this is easier when slightly frozen). Toss in cornstarch to coat. Heat oil in wok. Fry the beef. drain oil from wok. add back the meat and add the onion, wilt slightly, add sauce as desired, toss and heat, serve.

Springville Art Museum

If you live close to the museum and you have not been here reciently you should go. Me and Rachel came today to see what there was to see there was some really fun art inside even the lower level had art picked out to demonstrate color principles for children. The Best however was the sculpture garden. I have been her many times but the garden wasn't open yet. Today it was and right now it is beautiful. many flowers and roses are in bloom, the vines have grown and decorated the walls, apples hang like ornaments from manicured trees and the weather is perfect to be outside. One of my favorite things was a fishsculputre on the patio area. Carved of marble the artist picked the perfect piece. The colors ans streaks really remind me of a colorful fish under shimmering water.

more ducks

ducks

duck

She's gonna catch those ducks

More crawling

Just more crawling

She is so cute and has mastered the sit and crawl. She wants to eat the camera too!

Crawling

Rachel is only 6 months old and has mastered the crawl. It takes a lot of cleaning and energy to keep up with her. Today she managed to completely pull her self up on the crib, slightly leaning over the rail so down another level it went. She is bigger than the boy below us who is 1 1/2 -2 months older.

She grows so fast!

Panda express ideas

I found a copycat recipe for their Beijing beef. I was not all that I had hoped. The sauce was really like a sweet and sour sauce and not at all what I was looking for. However I did get a technique from the recipe that was very helpful. The beef has a coating on it and this recipe seemed to get it. The beef was cut and marinated in egg, salt, water and cornstarch. then it was dredged in cornstarch and fried. the coating on the beef was good and it picked up the sauce like you want it to.

Now I just need to figure out the sauce.

Vegetables have always been easy and right.

Poem: Recipe

I didn't have potatoes,

so I substituted rice.

Didn't have paprika,

So I used another spice.

I didn't have tomato sauce,

so I used tomato paste.

A whole can not a half can-

I don't believe in waste.

My friend gave me the recipe-

she said you couldn't beat it.

There must be something wrong with her,

I couldn't even eat it.

This poem is not of my making but I thought it was to funny not to share.

first taste

This was Rachel's first taste of semisolid food not counting the things she found when I wasn't looking. She left me a piece of grass in her diaper. Woops!

spicy peppers

I am reading a book about food called the shameless carnivore. In the book the man is trying 31 different meats in 31 days. He is making rattlesnake and decided as suggested on the package of meat that he make it into a chili. As with many chilies it necessitated cutting up peppers. If you don't wear gloves watch out and wash really well or beware! After cutting the peppers and lightly washing his hands he scratched his nose and also accidentally took a big whiff. Here is an excerpt from the book.

" this is what it felt like: Imagine an ice cream headache. Now imagine that the ice cream flavor is "searing pain." It is not a pleasant experience. Your head is filled with what you assume to be boiling carbolic acid that is moments away from liquefying your gray matter, your nose begins to leak uncontrollably, your eyes redden and swell as though you'd been punched in the face by a gorilla, after which comes wave after wave of coughing and nausea...and there is simply nothing you can do but sit there and endure it. Spiciness has no complete remedy but time. So I sat down in a comfortably chair, took some long, measured breaths (through my mouth- my nose was still dribbling a clear,spicy liquid that, for all I knew, used to be part of my brain), and assured myself that the worst would be over in about thirty or forty-five minutes, which it was. At least I only touched my nose, I thought with great relief when the pain in my face had diminished to a moderate tingle; I couldn't bear to imagine what would have occurred had I instead tried to remove a stray lash from my eyeball or, elsewhere.


Peppers can be dangerous.

fruit or vegetable?

By definition many of the plants we assume are vegetables because of how we eat them are not what they seem.

Fruit - Reproductive part of plant meant to be eaten to distribute seeds

Vegetable- any part of the plant besides the fruit that is consumed ex: leaves, stems, roots tubers ect.

You thought it was a fruit but it's a veg:
rubarb
Let me know if you think of others

You thought it was a vegetable but it's a fruit:
Tomatoes
peppers
green beans
snap and snow peas
zucchini
squash
cucumbers
olives
ect.

Now you know.

B-Day

I had a very enjoyable birthday wed so thank you everyone for your birthday best wishes. I made a huge Mexican spread for dinner and Julie came to. I got lot of fun books like the art of ratatouille, the man who ate everything, the eleventh hour and a bunch of art book I got to splurge on 90 % off.
If you have kids and haven't read any of Graeme Base's books you should go to the library. I remember finding anamalia a book where it goes through the alphabet alliteratively and I loved it so much. This one called the eleventh hour is a rhyming mystery story. It is kind of like the mystery Island book mom got me and loved. there are things hidden in the fantastic images.
My "cake" was key lime pie I made myself. If you have ever bought them pre-made don't. they are about the easiest dessert you could make. Almost easier than instant pudding. Here is the really complicated hard recipe:

Key Lime Pie
1 graham cracker pie crust
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c key lime juice( yes key limes do taste a little different from regular limes )
3 egg yolks
whipped cream if desired

Mix milk, juice and eggs. pour into crust bake at 350 for 10-15 min.

Apparently you didn't used to have to even bake it because a reaction between the juice and the egg thickens it but because raw eggs can make you sick nowadays you bake it just enough to heat the eggs to be safe.

Buddhas hand

Have you ever seen a stranger fruit?

I caught a glimpse of one on Iron Chef and had been wondering what the heck it was. Once I figured out that it was a "fruit" called buddhas hand I looked it up and her are some of the things I learned for anyone who thinks this kind of stuff is neat. I sure do.

Although it smells powerfully of lemon, it has no juicy pulp hidden below its peel. Instead, the Buddha's Hand is grown commercially for its great taste. The fragrant rind is used to savor lemon liqueurs and specialty vodkas, and provides fragrance to lemon-scented cosmetics. Chinese and Japanese households suspend it in their homes as a natural air freshener, and it still has a place in some religious ceremonies. The fruit has a yellow rind when mature, and contains no flesh, juice or seeds. Although Buddha's Hand is popular for its decorative importance, but the rind of the fruit is moreover eaten in some Asian countries.

In China the Buddha’s Hand citron symbolizes happiness and long life, because its name, “fo-shou”, has those meanings when written with other characters. Chinese like to carry the fruit in their hands, place it on tables in their homes, and present it as a sacrificial offering at temple altars. Though esteemed chiefly for its exquisite form and aroma, the Buddha’s Hand fruit is also eaten in desserts and savory dishes, and the sliced, dried peel of immature fruits is prescribed as a tonic in traditional medicine. The tree is very popular as an ornamental, often in bonsai form, in pots.

Sorry the lower part seems to be black...it didn't like to be copied and pasted.

winner winner chicken dinner

So I tried a new recipe tonight. It was inspired by an episode on food network and a recipe ad in taste of home. The picture really doesn't do it justice...anyway here is how it goes

Chicken thighs and legs (bone in skin off)
oil
paprika, salt, pepper, flour
vegetables- ( I used red potatoes, onions, carrots and green beans)
thyme, oregano
chicken stock (not broth-stock has way more flavor)
lemon juice

1. toss chicken in a mix of flour, salt, pepper and paprika. Heat a little oil ( like 1-2 Tb) in a large skillet. When hot add chicken (should sizzle). Brown on all sides. remove and set aside.

2. Add vegetables to pan and gently brown up a little, ( brown food tastes good!) add oil if necessary. Toss on thyme and oregano as desired (probably around 1/2-1 tsp each).
*I like my green beans really crisp so I waited until the whole dish was almost done before adding

3. Place chicken back in pan with veggies and add stock and a splash of lemon juice (1-2 Tb depends on what you like I also added a bit more paprika). Let simmer covered until chicken is cooked, veggies are tender and stock, flour off of chicken and potato starch become like a gravy.


This recipe was super yummy as well and as a one pot meal and pretty nutritious. You could make it even healthier with low sodium stock and leaner chicken breasts- although they are more expensive.

Go Huskers!

She loves the grass

ba ba

She is growing up to fast. Listen to her super cute babble.

through the looking glass

Rachel thinks that the mirror is very funny.

teeth

Rachel's teeth are coming. I can see them coming almost through the gums and she is quite unhappy about it.

Alphabet A B C D

This is my food alphabet that I have been working on and i am pretty proud of it. Can you name everything in my alphabet?

E F G H