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

I J K L

M N O P

Q R S T

U V W X Y Z

Souper Tomatoes 2

So I have been reading about the tomatoes and while people in the southern US like their tomatoes thanks to spain and the Caribbean the new englanders were from brittian who did not embrace the tomato as much and a little less than enthusiastic about them. Here are some of the comments they had listed in the book.

1 Some found that the reeking smell of the tomato plant made them nauseous and believed the smell was a warning against eating them

2 One said they appeared so disgusting that he must be very hungry before being convinced to try them.

3 Another thought that it would never receive a permanent place in our list of culinary vegetables.

4 Someone called them odious and repulsive smelling berries

5 It is the mere fungus of and offensive plant, which one cannot touch without an immediate application of soap and water with an infusion of eau de cologne to sweeten the hand.

6 There was a man whose mother warned him against touching them and he became a Harvard doctor and scared everyone for quite sometime thinking they caused cancer

I guess we know why new England clam chowder is the creamy one. I prefer Manhattan clam chowder myself. I think the smell of tomato plants is like a lovely perfume and I can consume massive quantities of them straight from the garden. Is there anything better than a garden tomato. If there is I can't think of it.

Souper Tomatoes

I was looking through the bargin books for fun at the bookstore and I found the coolest book. At least to me. I is called souper tomatoes and is all about the history of tomatoes. It goes into the history of using tomatoes and the history of soup, how america became infatuated with tomatoes and how ketchup became our national condiment. I'm really excited to read the whole thing and it cost me.....hold your breath.......$2! I love cooking books like this. Keep your eyes peeled at discount bookstores for gems like this.

Mini dragons

Similar to my mini monsters I have done a bunch of Mini dragons of all sorts. I was inspired by the movie "how to train your dragon". Although I haven't seen it I have seen the previews and know that there are multiple types of cool dragons. Which one is your favorite?