Pots and Pins

Cuban Black Beans and Rice...

I took the little darlings to see Confessions of a Shopaholic...$30 for tickets, $30 for popcorn and drinks...I felt like I needed a Shopper's Anonymous Meeting after all that - and that was BEFORE the movie and the mini-depression that followed....I realized that I live in a parallel universe...in my world there is Ross and TJ Maxx and Target and Walmart and in the parallel world there is Gucci and Bendels and Saks and the like - stores that have security guards dressed in Armani suits to keep "ilk" like me out!  Oh well...it's just as well as I wouldn't know a Gucci from a gopher - but - I would love to "speak Prada" for just one day...and not the kind you hear on Canal Street...maybe in my next life...yes, in my next life I shall be filthy rich and I shall speak Prada with the best of them...and when no one is looking I'll go to the back of my 1,000 square foot closet and pull out a hoodie and jeans and I'll go to Target for some shopping "therapy"...which is what the really rich people do when they want to see how the other 90% live!!  

When it snows in Seattle, or when there is even a threat of snow, the entire city shuts down...not so in Utah where they have plows that rumble down the streets every half hour!  So it's snowing again...and my first thought was to stay inside and cook...forgetting about the plows and the freedom they offer.  The little darlings are good eaters and they like spice...so I made them this Cuban dish and they lapped it up.  Instead of serving this over white rice, I used Wehani rice which is nutty and chewy and so SO good...it's from Lundberg Farms.  At Christmas they sell a Christmas rice - a red and white mixture that is definitely worth stocking up on so you'll have some throughout the year...I'll try to remember to tell you to order some for yourself come November!

Cuban Black Beans and Rice - ME

3 cups cooked rice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 lb. ground chicken

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon cilantro, minced

1 tablespoon butter

2 teaspoons Creole Seasonings

1 can (28 oz.) chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cans black beans (15 oz.)

In a large skillet, combine olive oil, onion and ground chicken.  Cook over medium high heat for 12 minutes or until chicken is done.  Stir in garlic, cumin, oregano, cilantro, butter, tomatoes and black beans.  Bring to a boil and stir in red wine vinegar, Creole Seasonings and black pepper.   Cover with lid, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.  Serve over rice.  Serves 4 to 6.

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"Ideas don't stay in some minds very long because they don't like solitary confinement." ~ Anonymous

Cheddar and Green Onion Muffins...

In between all the drama and chaos of being in a house with 4 kids, (still babysitting my sister's tribe) and 3 dogs, (one of which is a Jack Russel Terrier so he really should count as 2 dogs) I managed to find a bit of time to bake and out of all the recipes in all the world...this is what I wanted to make...cheesy  muffins....it was either the muffins or the chocolate torte - I knew I could share the muffins with the kids but sharing the torte would have been asking to much and then it would have been world war III around here!  I think things are going pretty well, we've only had one major meltdown, over the mandatory Valentine box for the class party ...I helped the little darling for an hour and a half, taping and glueing and cutting a box into the epitome of a Victorian Valentine House...it was stunning...when it was complete the little darling sat back and instead of being thrilled beyond belief and filled with gratitude ...she was rather glum... being the dutiful aunt I inquired about the look on her face and asked what was wrong ...the little darling said...in a very woeful way..."It's not me."  It took her about 10 seconds to rip everything off the box and then another two hours before she turned it into a "Fun Dip Package"...which, apparently was "her."      

My sister was thoughtful enough to send me a picture of them having breakfast in St. Barts...where it is 85 and sunny (it's 31 and snowy here)...she has a sick sense of humor... I retaliated by sending her a picture of all of the dogs enjoying a nap on her bed.

Cheddar and Green Onion Muffins - From Christmas with Southern Living 2006

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powdwer

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese

1/3 cup chopped green onions

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup milk

1/3 cup butter, melted

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stir well.  Stir in cheese and green onions.  Make a well in center of mixture.  Whisk together egg, milk, and butter; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.  Spoon into lightly greased muffin pans, filling 3/4's full.  Bake at 375 degrees for 22 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Remove from pans immediately, and serve warm.  Yield:  1 dozen.

"You can learn many things from children.  How much patience you have, for instance."  ~Franklin P. Jones

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One year ago today:  Pannekuchen and Sugared Bacon

Vanilla Sugar...

It's so simple to make...and so delicious to eat!  Vanilla sugar can be used in anything that calls for sugar...cakes, cupcakes, pies, coffee, tea, etc.  I don't think it's possible to OD on vanilla but for those who do you may want to decrease the amount of vanilla extract a recipe calls for if using vanilla sugar - just a tad.  To two cups of regular sugar add one vanilla bean (or two!) that has been split open and scraped with all of those scraped bits added to the sugar too!  Put in an airtight jar and let sit for two weeks...oooh, when you open the jar, have your nose close - the aroma will tickle your toes!  The vanilla bean will last a good six months so you can continue to replace the sugar in the jar - when you notice it doesn't smell as vanilla-y just add another bean...or two!    

Just make sure to label the jar so when your mister goes to get some sugar he doesn't think it has bugs!  And Vanilla Sugar makes a great gift too!

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One year ago today:  Meringue Hearts With Chocolate and Strawberries

Valentine Gifts...

One of my favorite things to eat is toast...toast with butter, toast with butter and jam, toast with butter and cinnamon-sugar....mmmmm...I'll fight the urge to go have some now so I can finish this post!  Cinnamon toast is a mandatory winter treat...and it's not just for breakfast either!  Cinnamon toast, with a little hot cocoa, makes a great afternoon treat on a cold February day...the only person I know who doesn't like cinnamon toast is the mister...I know that comes as no surprise.  I love cinnamon and those whiz-bang experts who are always saying what's good for us are now saying that Cinnamon is good for diabetics.  I'm sure after I've finished digesting mass quantities those same experts will say it causes cancer...but in the meantime I'm going to enjoy my cinnamon toast!         

I ordered these sweet little bear bottles from Organize.com and filled them with cinnamon-sugar.  I thought they would make nice gifts for my family on Valentine's Day and I know they'll love using them - at least the kids will!

The mister is on his own this Valentine's day as I'm celebrating with Baby Max in Utah...but I left the mister with lots of treats and decorations so he'll feel loved...and he's been given strict orders not to touch ONE THING until I get home, including the laundry...I only like my unmentionables to be pink or gray if I purchased them that way!   

Don't feel bad for me for missing Valentine's Day with the mister...remember, I'll have my plastic roses waiting for me when I get home while your REAL roses will be dead - doesn't that just send chills down your spine?!?   Happy Valentine's Day to you!

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One year ago today: Shredded Pork Sandwiches

Valentine's Fun...

Sherry Grindeland used to write a column for the Seattle Times - sort of a date book/gossip column for the Eastside.  She was always on the lookout for interesting bits to write about...so I thought I'd help her out.  This is part of what Sherry wrote in her Valentine's Day column, February 14, 2004:

"Another view: Nan Slaughter doesn't expect flowers. She calls her husband, romantically challenged.

"I'll be lucky if I get the plastic rose with fake water on it, available only in finer gas stations," Nan Slaughter said. "He once told me those flowers last longer!"

She doesn't complain because this way she gets to buy her own rose, chocolates and lingerie.

"I get the color I want, the flavor I crave and the right size of flannels to snuggle in while I eat my chocolates and smell my roses. What more could a girl want?"

Slaughter agreed to share this story because she hopes it might inspire him to do more than buy one plastic rose.

She just hopes he doesn't go all out and buy a dozen fake ones."

On February 24, Sherry wrote the following:

"Eating crow: In my Valentine's Day column, Nan Slaughter described her husband as romantically challenged.

She joked that she would be lucky if her husband came home with a plastic rose from a gas station.

After giving me permission the day before Valentine's to share her story, Nan began having second thoughts. That Friday evening they passed through a card shop and her husband called her over to read a Valentine. She commented that it was cute.

"Good, now I don't have to buy you one," he said.

The next morning Nan clipped the column item from the paper, enclosed it in his card and gave it to him when he came home from work at 2 p.m. Saturday. He read the card, laughed at the romantically challenged and went into the garage. He returned carrying a new TV/VCR for Nan's workroom — something she had mentioned she wanted — plus a tulip plant and a card.

"I was flabbergasted," Nan said. "I then said, 'Wow, no plastic rose?' "

"No, my car didn't need gas," he said."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When my plastic roses with the fake water droplets are put into a water-filled vase with real greenery and a few sprigs of baby's breath they almost look real...each rose represents ONE Valentine day...as the mister likes to say, they'll last as long as his love for me...albeit in a landfill.  I detest plastic flowers...but over the years this growing bouquet has grown on me...so for a few weeks every February I have them out for all to see just how much the mister loves me!

 

 

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One year ago today:  Butterbean Soup With Curried Buttermilk

 

Quilt Gifts...

I have a few more pics to show you from the last quilt meeting - these are some of the gifts that were exchanged...oh to be one of the lucky gals who received one of these!!!   

Barbara made the apron and hot pad on the left, the apron is adorable, too bad it didn't get in the shot!  Helen made the darling purse above, wouldn't it be fun to tote that beauty around?!  Especially if it was filled with cash!  Hey - a girl can dream! 

Michelle made the apron above on the right along with a hot pad made from selvedges!  Michelle is going to make a quilt made entirely from selvedges...the first thing I do when I buy new fabric is remove the selvedge and set it aside for her...I want her to make this quilt MORE than she does!  Stephanie made the adorable framed cupcake picture...now how sweet is that?!?  I heard that all of the gifts were winners...and with the talent in this group I know they were! 

Karissa's Quilt...

Many moons ago I taught piano which is how I first came to know Karissa.  I think she was in the 5th grade when she started as my student...so I've known her for a good long while!  When Karissa was a senior in high school she made a quilt for her senior project and asked me to be her mentor...I looked everywhere for the picture I took of her quilt, which she donated to Children's Hospital but couldn't find it!!  Oh to be organized!!!  It was a "sports quilt," made with the different teams' jerseys from Washington state.  Now Karissa is a senior in college...she'll graduate this spring from University of Washington with a degree in art and she once again asked me to help her with a quilting project...     

She fussy cut different U-Dub jerseys to get the pictures she wanted, ironed them to interfacing to stabilize them and pieced them together.  She bordered and backed the quilt with the softest flannel I've ever felt and I machine quilted a big meandering stipple for her.  Of course I did my usual work...but I'm hoping that she'll be too busy being wrapped up in her quilt with some cute guy that she won't notice the quilting!   But what I want you to notice are the blocks with the faces...she hand-painted them with fabric paints!  They are her friends and room-mates - didn't she do a great job?! 

Karissa has just started a blog, Brushes and Bobbins, and she's already posted some great stuff - check it out! 

The binding has been sewn on but not sewn down - I left that for Karissa to do since I'm out of time...the boy saw this quilt and asked if he could have it - thought I made it for him...I reminded him that he is NOT a U-Dub fan to which he replied, "If you give me that quilt I will be."  Everyone's a comedian!  

 I'm headed out of town for a bit - off to SLC to babysit my mom's dog and my sister's kids while my parents, my sister and BIL and my brother and SIL all go on a cruise...I was not asked to go because I have "issues" with sharks...read this.   I'm not just going to be a doormat for my family, I'll also get to see Baby Max!  I'm taking my camera and my whisk so you won't be left high and dry.  That's a warning. 

Old Sweater, New Pillow...

I loved my wool red and white sweater and babied it for years - never letting it see the inside of the dryer, carefully hand-washing it...and then I went and lost some weight and now it's too big for me!   But aside from that it's seen better days and I needed to get rid of it but I couldn't bring myself to throw it out...so I cut it up instead! 

A friend mentioned Hot Chocolate this afternoon and I couldn't get it out of my head so when I got home I made myself a batch - thick and chocolately and oh so good - nothing like the kind you make from a package -  and then I set about sewing what was left of my sweater into a pillow...adding a hand-stitched wool-felt heart and some cording, my new pillow took shape quickly...and it's not just a pillow either...oh no, it's another subtle reminder for the mister...the Valentine's Day Clock is ticking! 

"Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves."  ~ J.M. Barrie

Tourist Day in Seattle...

It wasn't all work around the manse this weekend...the mister and I managed to get into the city to do some serious shopping...I took him to all of my favorite haunts, to which he would say, "So this is where the money goes..."  He is nothing if not a brilliant conversationalist.  It might have been a mistake to take him along...because now he knows where to find me when I'm M.I.A.       

We first went to Ballard, there's a nice little quilt shop there, the Quilting Loft, that I adore.  I dropped off some flyers for the upcoming quilt show...and of course, we stopped at Archie McPhees...only the best store in the world!  Then we drove to the Market and had lunch at Cafe Campagne, one of my favorite places to dine.  We weaved our way in and out of the market and our next stop was Le Panier, their palmiers were SCREAMING at me so I had to buy them...it would have been rude not to!     

We bought some fish, shrimp, veggies and then headed to Uli's Famous Sausage...I've told you about Uli's before but it's worth another mention...they have the best dang sausage this side of the Atlantic, and probably the other side too.  I loaded up, they freeze well and I hate to be without!   

Next stop was Market Spice, which as been around for 98 years!  I love this shop - it's where I buy all my spices and colored sugars...if I could do my kitchen over again I would have one entire wall with nothing but large jars filled with spices and sugars...and candy...on to the mini-donut place, just one bag as we're watching our waists, I mean weight...then into DeLaurentiis...cheese and bread and olives for our afternoon antipasti treat!       

No trip to the market would be complete without a stop at Undercover Quilts...a tiny quilting shop that is filled with fabulous!  We ended our market experience with a stop in Sur LaTable...it was so crowded in there you would have thought they were giving away All-Clad pans!  I did buy some great cookie cutters and a few other NEEDED items...as the mister is quick to distinguish between wants and needs, everything on Saturday was a NEED.   

To see what I'm going to make with my booty above, click here.  I'm going to make them with my nieces this coming Saturday for Valentine's Day...they are so cute and the directions are so easy to follow, I know you'll want to make some for your Valentine too!  And yes, the mister was extremely embarrassed that I kept whipping out my camera...but as a tourist it was my duty.

Chicken Pot Pie With Biscuits...

It gets dark a little later now, about 5:15 or so, and the rainy, cold drizzle is a constant companion outdoors...If I've told you this before, forgive me, frozen brain cells cause memory loss.  The mister has set the thermostat so the furnace comes on when he gets out of bed in the morning and then goes off when he leaves for work....it comes on again when he returns from work at night...so during the day it's cold around the manse...unless I remember to bump up the thermostat and push HOLD but usually I don't notice that hypothermia has set in until I'm too cold to move!  The thermostat is some NASA-inspired device that is beyond me and the thermostat/furnace manual is no help either...it just has words, no pictures!  My point here is this...cold outside and in means comfort food.  This Chicken Pot Pie is about as comforting as it gets.

     

If you're busy swirling down the drain like we are, thanks to the pitiful economy, you'll like this recipe because it's pretty cheap to make but the best part is it's filling and good...3 dangs to be exact.  (See my "Dang Meter" here.)

       

And those biscuits...well, they are the crowning glory of this dish - go ahead and slather a bit o'butter on top of each one after they come out of the oven...calories are a good thing when you're freezing to death! 

Chicken Pot Pie With Biscuits - Adapted From Valerie Bellely, St. Louis Missouri

4 chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts

6 cups water

1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped

2 medium onions, chopped

6 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules

2 bay leaves

1 lb. whole fresh mushrooms, sliced

3 celery ribs, thinly sliced

6 tablespoons butter

10 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

1 1/2 cups frozen peas

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Biscuits:

3 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

4 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick plus two tablespoons butter

1 cup milk

Place the chicken, water, carrots, onions, bouillon and bay leaves in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25 minutes.  (You can put the chicken in frozen, just increase cooking time to 40 minutes.)  Remove chicken; allow to cool slightly.  Strain broth, reserving vegetables and saving 4 cups of broth (save remaining broth for another use.)  Discard bay leaves.  Cut chicken into big bite-size pieces. 

In a large skillet, melt butter.  Stir in flour until smooth, gradually add milk and reserved broth.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened (if you want your potpie to be a bit more saucy add in a bit more milk.)  Stir in the chicken, cooked vegetables, peas, celery, mushrooms and seasonings.  Pour into a greased 9x13-inch baking dish; set aside. (The celery and mushrooms will cook in the oven.) 

Make biscuits:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in milk, just until moistened.  Knead in bowl with hands until all is incorporated.  Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 2 or 3 times, but don't over do it.  Pat or roll out to 1/2 to 3/4-inch thickness, cut with a floured 3-inch biscuit cutter, making 12 biscuits.  Place biscuits on top of chicken mixture.  Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown.  Serves 10 to 12. 

"Never regret anything you have done with a sincere affection; nothing is lost that is born of the heart."  ~ Basil Rathbone