Happy St Patricks Day!!!! As a kid, St Patricks day always meant green milk, green eggs, and those nasty gold foil covered chocolate coins. (you know, from the pot of gold) Not to mention all the leprechaun hunting and pinching. In my family, if you were unlucky enough to forget to wear green, you ended up as a walking target. It all started out nice an innocent, a pinch here or there, but by the end of the day, someone would end up pinching a little to hard or maybe just one too many times and the game would go from pinches to punches.
Ahh, memories.
Now as an adult (kinda adult) St Patricks is celebrated a little differently. The little ones in the family still get their green milk (which they are told is leprechaun pee) and those nasty gold coins, but I think the pinching has stopped.( a great tradition lost) I myself don’t have any littles at home so no little leprechaun games or gross dyed food for me. Nope, in my house we celebrate with a few beers and a more traditional irish dish, Colcannon. Mashed up potatoes with cabbage and kale… I mean, can it get much better? It can when you use red potatoes and red cabbage. Not only is it so tasty tasty, but it is so pretty pretty. No need for green milk or nasty candy.
But I still make sure to wear green and you might find me doling out a pinch or two.
The stuff…. Super pretty red potatoes, red cabbage, shallots, kale, salt and pepper, and olive oil.
Note. If you do not have or want to use red potatoes, russet or white will work, it just won’t be as pretty.
Dice up the pretty potatoes and stick them into a pot and fill up with water and add in a good tablespoon of salt. Stick on high heat and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium and cook those taters until super fork tender. (bring them to the edge of falling apart)
While the potatoes are boiling, chop up the cabbage, shallots, and the kale and stick into a big skillet with a good drizzle of olive oil. Sauté on medium heat until soft and tender.
Once the potatoes are super tender, drain the water and dump them into the pan with the sautéed veggies. With a potato masher or a fork, mash up the potatoes and mix in the veggies, adding a drizzle or more of olive oil as you go. (Start with a drizzle and work your way up until it tastes good to you) Salt and pepper to taste.
The most pretty pan of smashed up potatoes that I have ever seen. Eat as a side dish or even a light main dish. Fork is a good utensil to use, but I found that my fingers worked just as well.
Have a great happy day full of green, potatoes, and pinches. Maybe even a leprechaun or two!
-C
Red Potato Colcannon
5-10 Red potatoes Red Potatoes depending on the size (about 3 1/2 – 4 chops chopped)
1 Cup Chopped Red or Green Cabbage
1 Cup Chopped Kale
1-2 Shallots
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Rinse and dice potatoes and place into big pot. Cover potatoes with water and add about a tablespoon of salt. Place on high high heat and bring to a boil. Turn heat to medium low and let potatoes cook until super fork tender. While potatoes are boiling, chop up cabbage, shallots and kale and sauté in a large cast iron skillet (or any skillet) with a good drizzle of olive oil. Once the potatoes are done, drain water and add potatoes to the skillet with the sautéed veggies. With a potato masher or fork, mash the potatoes and mix with the veggies, adding a drizzle or two (depending on your taste) of olive oil as you go. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve from skillet or dump into a fancy dish with a big spoon.
Eat as a main dish or as a side….Good hot, warm and cold.
I needed something quick, something everyone would like and I needed it to come from food I had in the house……Pretzels, peanut butter and chocolate chips turned into little nutty nuggets. A last minute christmas treat. I have stumbled apron something that I am sure to make many more times to come. People were really into them and for real, so easy and took so little time to make.. Fast, happy, peanut butter and pretzels dipped in chocolate, I mean, do you know anyone that would say no to that? And just because I made them for Christmas does not mean that we cannot make these for any occasion, like New Years, maybe a birthday party or even laundry day. You can even make these as a fun afternoon activity with the kiddos.…Make them whenever you need a fun little treat! Note….This is one of those treats that is vegan, gluten-free (just get gluten-free pretzels) and doesn’t have a ton of sugar..Eveyone can eat them! Hooray!!!!!! (Maybe don’t feed them to a child with a peanut allergy)
Simple as this….Half a bag of pretzel rods(any shape would work)… A big scoop of peanut butter and some chocolate chips…
. Pretzels go into the food processor and pulsed until a mostly fine crumbly crumble. Now in goes the big ol scoop of peanut butter. Pulse until mixture comes togetherGo ahead and take a bite……so good right?..Start turning the mixtures into small balls..think grape sized.
Once the mixture is all rolled out, stick into the fridge or freezer for a little about a 1/2 hour to set up.
Right before you take the balls out of the fridge…melt down the chocolate. Like my make shift double boiler? I know….jealous. If you have one, use it, but if not, a big pot with water and a smaller thin metal or a glass bowl works.. The pot or bowl should fit onto the big pot, but I was having a hard time and couldn’t find any of my bowls…..so i did what I could. Bring water to a boil then turn to simmer. Place chocolate in small bowl on big pot and stir until chocolate is melted, silky and smooth. Remove bowl from boiler and start to dip those balls! Reheat chocolate if needed but be careful to not get any water into chocolate or else it will seize up and you won’t be able to melt it anymore.
Drop a few balls into the melted chocolate. I was doing 2-3 at a time. Take a spoon or spatula and gently roll or coat entire nugget. Remove and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
That’s it…Imperfect little perfect candy nugget truffle thingys….I sprinkled the tops with colored sugar.. you know, for a little holiday fun.. 3 simple ingredients( oil doesn’t count).. and 10 minutes of hands on time…can’t get much better then that.
Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles
Ingredients
3/4 cup Peanut Butter
10-12 Pretzel rods
1 1/4 cup chocolate chips
tablespoon coconut oil
Pretzels go into food processor and pulse until a fine mealy constancy.. Add peanut butter and pulse until combined and is easily handled. Add a bit more peanut butter if the mixture seems to dry or another pretzel if mixture is too loose.
Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Roll mixture into small grape sized balls. Pace in the fridge or freezer for 1/2 hour.
After the balls have chilled, place chocolate chips and coconut oil into a double boiler and heat until chocolate is fully melted. Place balls 2-3 at a time into melted chocolate, roll around to completely coat, then transfer back onto wax paper. Once all balls are chocolate coated, sprinkle with something( if you want) and place back in fridge to set up.
Share(if you feel like it) and Enjoy!!!
FA LA LA LA LA….. LA LA LA LA….Happy eve of Christmas! What better way to celebrate the holidays than with the sweet and spicy flavor of ginger…in donut form! There is nothing better.
This donut is ideal for Christmas morning(or any other morning)..Warm and sweet, bright and tangy….The perfect balance to make everyone happy! It’s really fast and easy, so you can make a batch while the coffee is brewing, or you can even make them tonight and maybe leave a donut out for santa. Have guests over for the holidays…Dazzle them with a homemade donut. Hanging out at home by yourself…make some donuts…..traveling….well you are kind of screwed at the moment… but think about making donuts when you get where your going.
It all started a few Christmases back when the mister gifted me with a wonderful addition to my kitchen bakeware….a donut pan…. and it was a game changer. If you do not have a donut pan I suggest that you immediately go buy one.. No joke, it’s so worth it. The pan elevates a simple cake recipe to something more… A round of frosted soft cakeness. Circles with holes…..happiness. Hopefully you already have a donut pan, but if not, I trust you will soon.(you can still make this recipe without the pan, just bake it in a 9×9 pan. Yes, it will still taste amazing, but it’s that much better as a donut!)
I am really excited to finally share a donut recipe with you all. I haven’t made a batch yet that hasn’t won a round of applause or at least a super double thumbs up. If you haven’t made donuts yet, bookmark this recipe and make it priority for your next baking adventure
.What I started with….flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt whisked together. A little bowl of fresh ginger, powdered ginger and cinnamon. Molasses, brown sugar, vanilla, and egg, melted butter and milk. Not a bad line up
The spiced mixed in to the dry….I used fresh and powered ginger but if you don’t have any fresh.. just add more powdered…but fresh adds that extra bit of gingery spiciness.
The wet ingredients all mix together. Molasses first, then the butter, vanilla, and the brown sugar, mix that then add the egg and the milk last.(avoid adding egg and melted butter together so it doesnt scramble) Mix wet mixture with the dry until fully incorporated and smooth.
A beautiful donut batter….Scoop small spoonfuls of batter into very well greased donut pan …smooth tops with a spoon or spatial….I may have added just a little too much batter the first round, , which is totally cool, it’s just the donuts came our with a bit of a spare tire around the bottom…a little more to eat I say.Out of the oven and turned onto a cooling rack…This beauties smell so very nice.
While the donuts are cooling, prepare the icing. Mix 1/4 cup of cream cheese with 1/2 cup of sifted powdered sugar. Half of a lemons worth of juice with a teaspoon of lemon zest and mix… add a splash or two of milk to get the desired consistency(this is a cream cheese glaze, it won’t harden like a sugar glaze)When the donuts are full cooled, dip into glaze….
Flip and let drip……and admire. I had to beat a few hands away while taking these pictures..I am telling you, people will do crazy things for a donut…..CRAZY THINGS…Just look at these. And for real, they really don’t take much time. You could totally whip these up in less than 30 minutes.. just make sure to have someone else do all the dishes!!!
Gingerbread Donuts with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze
Ingredients……Makes about 8
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons molasses
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoon melted butter
Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cream cheese
1 teaspoon lemon zest
half a lemon worth of lemon juice
a splash or two of milk
Instructions Preheat oven 350
Grease donut pan In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, powdered and fresh ginger. In a small bow mix molasses, vanilla, brown sugar and melted butter. Stir and add milk and egg last.
Mix the wet with dry ingredients and until just combined. Scoop small amounts of batter to each donut mold… fill to about 2/3 full. and level out with a spoon if spatula. Stick in oven and bake for 10 minutes or until edges just start to turn golden brown and a cake test comes out clean.
While donuts are cooling, stir together cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and zest. Add small splashes of milk until you reach the desired consistency(not to runny, think dish soap) Dip baked side of donuts into glaze, flip and return to wire rack.
And then you open your mouth…..EAT DONUT……..EAT!!!
Those are some for real chocolate chip cookies…….for real.
This is probably one of the first recipes that I ever really knew by heart. Some recipes I can bring up in my head, but if I haven’t used it in a while, I usually have to check to make sure I got it right… Not these… Chocolate chip cookie are forever imprinted in my brain.
Chocolate chip may seem like a simple cookie, but trust me, its more complex then one may think. There are so many little factors that really affect the over all cookie: The baking temperature, the exact perfect time to pull the cookies out of the oven. Weather the butter is hand mixed or beaten, softened or melted. The color of the baking sheet and how long you leave the cookie on the sheet before placing on the coloring rack…….This cookie is as much about method as it is about ingredients. ….But don’t let that scare you..you got this. Just don’t think that these are a mindless act of baking. You have to be committed, keeping on the oven the whole time these cookies are baking………….. It’s so worth it.
Full disclosure here…I have been making these cookies the same way for so long so I am not exactly sure, but this might actually be the same recipe as toll house. I haven’t looked….Either way…I have tried out other chocolate chip recipes and this one has always come out on top.
As usual, I forgot an ingredient in the line up…the chocolate chips, oh and the pinch of salt.. But rest assure, even though not pictured, there are indeed chocolate chips in these cookies!
Pre heat the oven to 375.
Room temperature butter creamed with both the white and brown sugar. Before you add the butter to the sugar, smash any of the big chunks of brown sugar. The key to my recipe is not melting butter or using an electric beater, it’s all hand mixin, no electric mixing(you could use a kitchen aid, but I don’t have one so I think you should use a wooden spoon too), plus it’s a good arm work out. Mix mix mix. I find smearing on the side of the bowl helps too. Mix/smear until both sugar and butter is a unified color and consistency, Once that happens, add the two room temperature eggs, the vanilla and mix a little more,
When everything is mixed, add the dry ingredients and mix that until fully incorpaerterd….
Take a minute here and sniff……I love the smell of cookie dough, it’s a happy smell.Now for the chocolate chips. I use only 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips… You want just enough in each cookie, but don’t want to overwhelm it with too much chocolate. The cookie is as much of the star as the chocolate. See how may cookie sheet is nice and silver and clean? For a long time I used a very dirty and dark baking sheet. I would make cookies and they always seem to come out slightly burnt. Got myself a new baking sheet and……perfect cookies. If your baking sheet is dark, I would recommend using parchment paper.
Your ready to scoop and bake….my suggestion. Make 2-4 cookies for your first batch, or what I call the tester batch. I swear, there is some law of the universe that says the first batch always is overcooked. I have excepted that and learned to only make a couple for the first batch Scoop mounds of your preferable size(I do a spoonful) and place on sheet with each mound having good amount of spreading space. Place in preheated oven..
Now here is the really important part!!!!Baking time is essential to how your cookie turns out. If you want a more soft and chewy cookie, bake for about 7-9 minutes or until the cookies are just barely turning brown…just barely. They might seem a little undercooked, but the cookies will cook a bit more once pulled from the oven Trust…I know what I am talking about. .Let them cool for about a minute on sheet before transferring them to rack. If you like more crunchy milk dipping cookie..bake for 9-11 minutes or until they are golden brown.
Lovely right…
Now you have gone and done it…Made fantastic cookies!!! Maybe you are going to share? No pressure, but it is the holiday season. For real, you can’t go wrong with a chocolate chip cookie, every loves it. and then will in turn love you too.
Get people to like you with Cookies!!!! hahahaha… but you know its true!
Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 white sugar
1 cup (two sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 eggs
teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking soda
In a large bowl with a wooden spoon, cream together the brown and white sugar with the room temperature butter. Add eggs and vanilla and stir. Now add the dry ingredients and….. then the chocolate chips.
On a light-colored baking sheet to a parchment line sheet, use a spoon and drop a constant size mound of dough, leaving room for expansion. Place in oven for 7-9 minus until cookie is barely turning brown. Remove and let sit on sheet for another minute before transferring to cooling rack. Keep doing this until all of you dough is gone…
COOKIES!!!!
.I am awesome. It’s ok for me to say that today because this is probably the coolest and most fantastic thing I have ever made in my entire life. Phew, I had to get that off my chest. For the last week I have been thinking a lot about what holiday treats I want to make. I have been planning on making a full fledge yule log with the rolled sponge cake, the filling and the candy mushrooms and taking a whole day to do it. Well that is just not happening this season.. The next week is nutters and I have so much other baking to do that I just don’t have time to do a log…bummer
Oh, but how my mind never stops.. See, it’s not the cake that I wanted to make, it was more making a cake look like a piece of wood that was appealing to me. So I must try, or better yet, create my own version of a yule log……………
Problem solved. Peanut butter, fluff, nutella and a wrap. And oh what a piece of wood I made.(insert dirty joke here) A yule log,(or yule branch), but whatever. Its food that looks like a piece of wood. I am happy.
Simple ingredients…I pictured 2 flour wraps because I was going to make 2, but ended up only making one, so one wrap per log works…… A glob of fluff, a glob of peanut butter… A smaller glob of nutella and a sprinkle of a crunchy cereal (I used crispy rice cereal) The cereal is not essential, but it add a little bulk and crunch to the log and when eating wood, there should be a little snap crackle and pop. If you want to make this into a vegan log, use vegan marshmallow cream. You can even omit the mallow and use a banana, or jam, or anything you want. Heck, you can make a smorgasbord of logs…That would be fantastic. A bundle of logs of all different flavors….I am doing it!!
Trim off two opposite side of the wrap and put them aside, you are going to use one of the trimmings in a second. Smear the peanut butter, fluff, and a bit of the nutella all over, even to the very edge of the wrap.
Sprinkle the crunches on top and then starting rolling from one of the non trimmed edges, Try to get it as tight as you can.
Take one of the scraps and smear some more peanut butter and nutella all over it(leave our the crunches) and roll. You will end up with a branch nub. Attach the nub. I smeared more fluff to the bottom and it stuck on pretty well, but (not shown here) I took a little piece of a spaghetti and stuck it in the nub to keep it in place. If you don’t use the fluff in your log, I would use the spaghetti(It is edible and will soften from the peanut butter so you don’t have to worry about taking the noodle out)
Looks good right…You can go ahead and stop here if you want to…Its pretty great, but one more minute and…
A bona-fid Yule log…well its kind of more like a branch, but what whatever.
I used the other end of the spaghetti noodle dipped in the nutella to make the lines. I just free formed it and it really transformed the log into a LOG!!! Just to jazz it up I added a handful of crunchy rice with the extra glob of pb and fluff, mixed it up and made little piles of yule log landscape. Added a few dried cranberries and pistachios for color…. It like taking walk through the woods. After the mister ate the crispy mounds, I sprinkled some flaked coconut around it and that looked pretty fantastic too.
Needless to say that if you make this, your day will be excellent.Make it for a friend, you will bring them joy. Its hard not to smile when looking at food that looks like wood. Happy.
These little logs would make fantastic party snacks. Fast and tasty … can’t get better than that. Think about walking into an office party, or better yet, a school party….All the other parents will think you are awesome and then probably start to hate you..Hey, it’s not your fault that you are cool enough to read my blog.(its ok, you can share the website) SO make them for friends, for family, for anyone.. Just don’t try to start a fire with the logs….It might not turn out so well.
Have fun splitting wood!!!
Yule Log
Each wrap makes one log
1 big glob of Peanut Butter
1 big glob of Fluff
1 small glob of nutella
1 medium flour wrap
1 handful of crunchy rice cereal
a spaghetti noodle
Note..Use these flavors or make up you own……PB and Jam…PB and Banana.. PB and Apples ….Cream cheese and Jam.. the possibilities are endless.
With a sharp knife, trip two opposite sides of a wrap and set trimming aside for later. Spread the peanut butter, fluff, and nutella(or whatever ingredients you want) all over wrap, up to the very edges. Sprinkle crispy rice all over.
Starting from one end, roll wrap leaving the seam on the bottom. With one of the wrap trimmings, spread more peanut butter fluff and nutella all over and wrap as well. Place a dollop of fluff on the bottom of the small nub and place on the roll where ever you see fit. For a better hold, snap small piece of spaghetti noodle and stick through nub into log.
For the tree markings, dip a toothpick or spaghetti noodle into nutella and lightly draw little lines on the log…..And you are done. If you want to jazz it up, sprinkle rice cereal or coconut or whatever you want to make the log look more nature like, do it. .
And now its time to eat your log…..
CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH!!
Happy Hanukkah!!! Today is the first day of the festival of lights and I wanted to send a little love towards those who celebrate it.
I am not going to lie, I don’t know much about Hanukkah but I do know that its customary to eat fried foods during the holiday. The oil represents the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days ands.nights when it should have lasted for only one night. That’s a cool reason to celebrate.. So a lot of food eaten during the holiday is fried, therefore I must fry, and what better than potato latkes.
I don’t usually fry anything. But again, I don’t think I used as much oil with these as I could have..just enough to cook and not stick. Hey, it’s the holidays and this oil had meaning so it’s completely a ok to eat a little fried, just make sure to eat lots of good healthy stuff too!
I didn’t actually use all the potatoes in the picture, but I wish I did. There was the perfect amount for dinner for two people, but I wanted to make a few extra for left overs….there were none. Oh well. I did a matchstick dice for the apples.. I didn’t want the apples to be to chunky and I didn’t want them to turn into sauce so the match stick worked well. After I diced the apples, I squeezed a little lemon over the top to keep the apple from turning brown.
I start grating the potatoes and onion, and whoa! Imagine my surprise when one of the potatoes was purple… I got pretty excited.The color is so beautiful. and made the latkes look so nice…It was meant to be.Super squeeze the juices out of the grated potato and onion. If you don’t get most of the liquid out, the potato won’t crisp up and will fall apart and be and it will be gross. So SQUEEZE! Add in the egg, cornstarch, salt and pepper and mix it on up. Did I mention that I was making these for the mister and the GF sister..No flour, just cornstarch. I think they might have come out even better without the flour…so yeah, these babies are gluten-free.
Your mixture is going to start to get a little watery again. Its cool, just squeeze it out with your hands and smash into patties.Enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan on medium heat. Test the oil to make sure its hot enough before sticking the latke n the pan. To test, sprinkle water in pan, if it sizzles, its ready.Working in batches, fry each latke on each side for around 5 minutes..you don’t want to cook to fast or the inside of the latkes will be raw. I always do a tester and feed it to nick. He’s my guinea pig….He said they were awesome.. With every batch made, stick on a wire rack and keep in the oven to stay warm. The rack keeps the bottom from getting soggy on the pan… so use it. Roasted apples are the BOMB!!! Its like eating apple sauce sticks or little bites of heaven(A bit dramatic, but these are so good) I roasted mine for 20 minutes, until they were nice and soft but not completely failing apart. If you are into it, add a touch of cinnamon…I did’t this time, but you bet I am going to be making myself a big ol bowl of roasted apples this week, and yes, I will top with cinnamon. A bowl of apple slaw, sour cream and lemon wedges….I put the latkes on a nice little pile of greens. A very good idea. A dinner worth celebrating! I also served the latkes with roasted chickpeas and cailflower…for more of a meal…( Mini recipe… Cauilfower and chick peas drizzled in olive oil, tossed in salt pepper and garlic, roasted 30 minutes and topped with lemon) A little added veggie and protein….I am looking out for you people.
There we have it…my variation on a traditional food. Enjoy your fried pancakes of potato and onion, they are a food worth a celebration.
HAPPY HANUKKAH!
Potato Latkes with Roasted Apple Slaw
Ingredients
3 medium potatoes
half of a small onion
2 eggs
2 tablespoons corn starch
vegetable oil
salt and pepper
2 medium apples
sour cream(optional)
Wash and cut apples into match sticks… Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and stick in oven. Let roast for 15-20 minutes or until the apple is nice and soft. Remove and set aside.
In a large bowl, grate the potatoes and the onion. Transfer the mixture into a clean towel and squeeze the crap out of it to remove as much liquid as possible. Return to bowl and add the two eggs, corn starch and salt and pepper. In a large skillet on medium heat, drizzle enough oil to completely cover the bottom..Work in batches and after each batch, add a bit more oil to cover the pan. Once the oil is hot place squashed latkes into oil. Fry each side until crispy and brown, about 3-5 minutes. When fully cooked, place on a wire rack in the oven to stay warm and crisp. When ready to serve, top with roasted apples and a dollop of sour cream. You can serve the latkes on top a bed of greens..Its a good way to make the pancakes more meal like.
Enjoy
Oh, it definitely was a long week. Did a lot of holiday stuff, watched a lot of littles( got peed on) got sick and lost my voice for a couple of days.(that was fun). All sorts of good stuff. But for real, I had a great week. Here are some bits. Persimmons.,,,,,,,,,,,. Do I need to say more?
This new tea… I wasn’t sure I was going to like it but oh do I. It’s so freaking good, I have been drinking it every day. I must stock up before its gone!
Everything about getting our Christmas tree makes me happy. Every year, the mister, the dog, and I drive down to the rangers station,, get our tree tag , and hike into the Green Mountain National Forest to hunt for and cut down our Christmas tree. The tree is the thing for me. I don’t want presents, no shopping, take the food, just the tree and I will be happy. Its our most fantastical tradition. We make is a whole day event. A nice drive, lunch, listening to Christmas music, lots of hot coffee, a long hike in the most beautiful place in the world. The perfect day. Look at how happy this guy is. Its hunting season and we forgot his bright colors so we improvised. Yellow trash bag ribbons. His new nickname is now Trash dog. It fits him.
Watching this little. She is an amazing human being and I love love love her.. I think she might be mine. She really likes soup..
My elf candle holders I got from CB2. I wanted them so bad for years and finally the last year they sold them I bought myself these guys. I heart them
Oh you like my new milk crate show bench? Its awesome,, one of the best uses of scrap wood and milk crate that I have ever done(Yes there has been other scape wood milk crate projects) Well you are in luck..I will show you how to made it.. watch for it next week!
I love old strainers. I kind of have a thing for them. This big guy is now in my collection. Bonus, green AND purple kale….
Hanging out with my sister. I haven’t seen her for what seems like the past 4 months(she is in nursing school). This was her last day of classes so we cleaned her house, folded laundry while listening to music and I made her dinner.We wrapped up the night by mass texting our other sisters inappropriate pictures of the elf on the shelf. It got pretty crazy. It was such a great night. I love my sisters.
Hope you found some bits of happy this week, if not, your not doing it right.
THE LOVELY CRAZY
September 19, 2015 by maximios • Blog
Ahh, memories.
Now as an adult (kinda adult) St Patricks is celebrated a little differently. The little ones in the family still get their green milk (which they are told is leprechaun pee) and those nasty gold coins, but I think the pinching has stopped.( a great tradition lost) I myself don’t have any littles at home so no little leprechaun games or gross dyed food for me. Nope, in my house we celebrate with a few beers and a more traditional irish dish, Colcannon. Mashed up potatoes with cabbage and kale… I mean, can it get much better? It can when you use red potatoes and red cabbage. Not only is it so tasty tasty, but it is so pretty pretty. No need for green milk or nasty candy.
But I still make sure to wear green and you might find me doling out a pinch or two.
Note. If you do not have or want to use red potatoes, russet or white will work, it just won’t be as pretty.
While the potatoes are boiling, chop up the cabbage, shallots, and the kale and stick into a big skillet with a good drizzle of olive oil. Sauté on medium heat until soft and tender.
Have a great happy day full of green, potatoes, and pinches. Maybe even a leprechaun or two!
-C
Red Potato Colcannon
Rinse and dice potatoes and place into big pot. Cover potatoes with water and add about a tablespoon of salt. Place on high high heat and bring to a boil. Turn heat to medium low and let potatoes cook until super fork tender. While potatoes are boiling, chop up cabbage, shallots and kale and sauté in a large cast iron skillet (or any skillet) with a good drizzle of olive oil. Once the potatoes are done, drain water and add potatoes to the skillet with the sautéed veggies. With a potato masher or fork, mash the potatoes and mix with the veggies, adding a drizzle or two (depending on your taste) of olive oil as you go. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve from skillet or dump into a fancy dish with a big spoon.
Eat as a main dish or as a side….Good hot, warm and cold.
.
Pretzels go into the food processor and pulsed until a mostly fine crumbly crumble. Now in goes the big ol scoop of peanut butter. Pulse until mixture comes together
Go ahead and take a bite……so good right?..Start turning the mixtures into small balls..think grape sized.
That’s it…Imperfect little perfect candy nugget truffle thingys….I sprinkled the tops with colored sugar.. you know, for a little holiday fun.. 3 simple ingredients( oil doesn’t count).. and 10 minutes of hands on time…can’t get much better then that.
Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles
Ingredients
Pretzels go into food processor and pulse until a fine mealy constancy.. Add peanut butter and pulse until combined and is easily handled. Add a bit more peanut butter if the mixture seems to dry or another pretzel if mixture is too loose.
Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Roll mixture into small grape sized balls. Pace in the fridge or freezer for 1/2 hour.
After the balls have chilled, place chocolate chips and coconut oil into a double boiler and heat until chocolate is fully melted. Place balls 2-3 at a time into melted chocolate, roll around to completely coat, then transfer back onto wax paper. Once all balls are chocolate coated, sprinkle with something( if you want) and place back in fridge to set up.
Share(if you feel like it) and Enjoy!!!
This donut is ideal for Christmas morning(or any other morning)..Warm and sweet, bright and tangy….The perfect balance to make everyone happy! It’s really fast and easy, so you can make a batch while the coffee is brewing, or you can even make them tonight and maybe leave a donut out for santa. Have guests over for the holidays…Dazzle them with a homemade donut. Hanging out at home by yourself…make some donuts…..traveling….well you are kind of screwed at the moment… but think about making donuts when you get where your going.
It all started a few Christmases back when the mister gifted me with a wonderful addition to my kitchen bakeware….a donut pan…. and it was a game changer. If you do not have a donut pan I suggest that you immediately go buy one.. No joke, it’s so worth it. The pan elevates a simple cake recipe to something more… A round of frosted soft cakeness. Circles with holes…..happiness. Hopefully you already have a donut pan, but if not, I trust you will soon.(you can still make this recipe without the pan, just bake it in a 9×9 pan. Yes, it will still taste amazing, but it’s that much better as a donut!)
.What I started with….flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt whisked together. A little bowl of fresh ginger, powdered ginger and cinnamon. Molasses, brown sugar, vanilla, and egg, melted butter and milk. Not a bad line up
A beautiful donut batter….Scoop small spoonfuls of batter into very well greased donut pan …smooth tops with a spoon or spatial….I may have added just a little too much batter the first round, , which is totally cool, it’s just the donuts came our with a bit of a spare tire around the bottom…a little more to eat I say.
Out of the oven and turned onto a cooling rack…This beauties smell so very nice.
Flip and let drip……and admire. I had to beat a few hands away while taking these pictures..I am telling you, people will do crazy things for a donut…..CRAZY THINGS…
Just look at these. And for real, they really don’t take much time. You could totally whip these up in less than 30 minutes.. just make sure to have someone else do all the dishes!!!
Gingerbread Donuts with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze
Ingredients……Makes about 8
Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze
Instructions Preheat oven 350
Grease donut pan In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, powdered and fresh ginger. In a small bow mix molasses, vanilla, brown sugar and melted butter. Stir and add milk and egg last.
Mix the wet with dry ingredients and until just combined. Scoop small amounts of batter to each donut mold… fill to about 2/3 full. and level out with a spoon if spatula. Stick in oven and bake for 10 minutes or until edges just start to turn golden brown and a cake test comes out clean.
While donuts are cooling, stir together cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and zest. Add small splashes of milk until you reach the desired consistency(not to runny, think dish soap) Dip baked side of donuts into glaze, flip and return to wire rack.
And then you open your mouth…..EAT DONUT……..EAT!!!
This is probably one of the first recipes that I ever really knew by heart. Some recipes I can bring up in my head, but if I haven’t used it in a while, I usually have to check to make sure I got it right… Not these… Chocolate chip cookie are forever imprinted in my brain.
Chocolate chip may seem like a simple cookie, but trust me, its more complex then one may think. There are so many little factors that really affect the over all cookie: The baking temperature, the exact perfect time to pull the cookies out of the oven. Weather the butter is hand mixed or beaten, softened or melted. The color of the baking sheet and how long you leave the cookie on the sheet before placing on the coloring rack…….This cookie is as much about method as it is about ingredients. ….But don’t let that scare you..you got this. Just don’t think that these are a mindless act of baking. You have to be committed, keeping on the oven the whole time these cookies are baking………….. It’s so worth it.
Full disclosure here…I have been making these cookies the same way for so long so I am not exactly sure, but this might actually be the same recipe as toll house. I haven’t looked….Either way…I have tried out other chocolate chip recipes and this one has always come out on top.
Pre heat the oven to 375.
Room temperature butter creamed with both the white and brown sugar. Before you add the butter to the sugar, smash any of the big chunks of brown sugar. The key to my recipe is not melting butter or using an electric beater, it’s all hand mixin, no electric mixing(you could use a kitchen aid, but I don’t have one so I think you should use a wooden spoon too), plus it’s a good arm work out. Mix mix mix. I find smearing on the side of the bowl helps too. Mix/smear until both sugar and butter is a unified color and consistency, Once that happens, add the two room temperature eggs, the vanilla and mix a little more,
Take a minute here and sniff……I love the smell of cookie dough, it’s a happy smell.
Now for the chocolate chips. I use only 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips… You want just enough in each cookie, but don’t want to overwhelm it with too much chocolate. The cookie is as much of the star as the chocolate. 
See how may cookie sheet is nice and silver and clean? For a long time I used a very dirty and dark baking sheet. I would make cookies and they always seem to come out slightly burnt. Got myself a new baking sheet and……perfect cookies. If your baking sheet is dark, I would recommend using parchment paper.
Your ready to scoop and bake….my suggestion. Make 2-4 cookies for your first batch, or what I call the tester batch. I swear, there is some law of the universe that says the first batch always is overcooked. I have excepted that and learned to only make a couple for the first batch Scoop mounds of your preferable size(I do a spoonful) and place on sheet with each mound having good amount of spreading space. Place in preheated oven..
Now here is the really important part!!!!Baking time is essential to how your cookie turns out. If you want a more soft and chewy cookie, bake for about 7-9 minutes or until the cookies are just barely turning brown…just barely. They might seem a little undercooked, but the cookies will cook a bit more once pulled from the oven Trust…I know what I am talking about. .Let them cool for about a minute on sheet before transferring them to rack. If you like more crunchy milk dipping cookie..bake for 9-11 minutes or until they are golden brown.
Now you have gone and done it…Made fantastic cookies!!! Maybe you are going to share? No pressure, but it is the holiday season. For real, you can’t go wrong with a chocolate chip cookie, every loves it. and then will in turn love you too.
Get people to like you with Cookies!!!! hahahaha… but you know its true!
Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie
Preheat oven to 375.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking soda
In a large bowl with a wooden spoon, cream together the brown and white sugar with the room temperature butter. Add eggs and vanilla and stir. Now add the dry ingredients and….. then the chocolate chips.
On a light-colored baking sheet to a parchment line sheet, use a spoon and drop a constant size mound of dough, leaving room for expansion. Place in oven for 7-9 minus until cookie is barely turning brown. Remove and let sit on sheet for another minute before transferring to cooling rack. Keep doing this until all of you dough is gone…
COOKIES!!!!
Oh, but how my mind never stops.. See, it’s not the cake that I wanted to make, it was more making a cake look like a piece of wood that was appealing to me. So I must try, or better yet, create my own version of a yule log……………
Problem solved. Peanut butter, fluff, nutella and a wrap. And oh what a piece of wood I made.(insert dirty joke here) A yule log,(or yule branch), but whatever. Its food that looks like a piece of wood. I am happy.
Looks good right…You can go ahead and stop here if you want to…Its pretty great, but one more minute and…
I used the other end of the spaghetti noodle dipped in the nutella to make the lines. I just free formed it and it really transformed the log into a LOG!!!
Just to jazz it up I added a handful of crunchy rice with the extra glob of pb and fluff, mixed it up and made little piles of yule log landscape. Added a few dried cranberries and pistachios for color…. It like taking walk through the woods. 
After the mister ate the crispy mounds, I sprinkled some flaked coconut around it and that looked pretty fantastic too.
Needless to say that if you make this, your day will be excellent.Make it for a friend, you will bring them joy. Its hard not to smile when looking at food that looks like wood. Happy.
These little logs would make fantastic party snacks. Fast and tasty … can’t get better than that. Think about walking into an office party, or better yet, a school party….All the other parents will think you are awesome and then probably start to hate you..Hey, it’s not your fault that you are cool enough to read my blog.(its ok, you can share the website) SO make them for friends, for family, for anyone.. Just don’t try to start a fire with the logs….It might not turn out so well.
Have fun splitting wood!!!
Yule Log
Each wrap makes one log
Note..Use these flavors or make up you own……PB and Jam…PB and Banana.. PB and Apples ….Cream cheese and Jam.. the possibilities are endless.
With a sharp knife, trip two opposite sides of a wrap and set trimming aside for later. Spread the peanut butter, fluff, and nutella(or whatever ingredients you want) all over wrap, up to the very edges. Sprinkle crispy rice all over.
Starting from one end, roll wrap leaving the seam on the bottom. With one of the wrap trimmings, spread more peanut butter fluff and nutella all over and wrap as well. Place a dollop of fluff on the bottom of the small nub and place on the roll where ever you see fit. For a better hold, snap small piece of spaghetti noodle and stick through nub into log.
For the tree markings, dip a toothpick or spaghetti noodle into nutella and lightly draw little lines on the log…..And you are done. If you want to jazz it up, sprinkle rice cereal or coconut or whatever you want to make the log look more nature like, do it. .
And now its time to eat your log…..
CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH!!
I am not going to lie, I don’t know much about Hanukkah but I do know that its customary to eat fried foods during the holiday. The oil represents the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days ands.nights when it should have lasted for only one night. That’s a cool reason to celebrate.. So a lot of food eaten during the holiday is fried, therefore I must fry, and what better than potato latkes.
I don’t usually fry anything. But again, I don’t think I used as much oil with these as I could have..just enough to cook and not stick. Hey, it’s the holidays and this oil had meaning so it’s completely a ok to eat a little fried, just make sure to eat lots of good healthy stuff too!
HAPPY HANUKKAH!
Potato Latkes with Roasted Apple Slaw
Ingredients
Wash and cut apples into match sticks… Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and stick in oven. Let roast for 15-20 minutes or until the apple is nice and soft. Remove and set aside.
In a large bowl, grate the potatoes and the onion. Transfer the mixture into a clean towel and squeeze the crap out of it to remove as much liquid as possible. Return to bowl and add the two eggs, corn starch and salt and pepper. In a large skillet on medium heat, drizzle enough oil to completely cover the bottom..Work in batches and after each batch, add a bit more oil to cover the pan. Once the oil is hot place squashed latkes into oil. Fry each side until crispy and brown, about 3-5 minutes. When fully cooked, place on a wire rack in the oven to stay warm and crisp. When ready to serve, top with roasted apples and a dollop of sour cream. You can serve the latkes on top a bed of greens..Its a good way to make the pancakes more meal like.
Enjoy
Oh, it definitely was a long week. Did a lot of holiday stuff, watched a lot of littles( got peed on) got sick and lost my voice for a couple of days.(that was fun). All sorts of good stuff. But for real, I had a great week. Here are some bits.
Persimmons.,,,,,,,,,,,. Do I need to say more?
Everything about getting our Christmas tree makes me happy. Every year, the mister, the dog, and I drive down to the rangers station,, get our tree tag , and hike into the Green Mountain National Forest to hunt for and cut down our Christmas tree. The tree is the thing for me. I don’t want presents, no shopping, take the food, just the tree and I will be happy. Its our most fantastical tradition. We make is a whole day event. A nice drive, lunch, listening to Christmas music, lots of hot coffee, a long hike in the most beautiful place in the world. The perfect day.
Look at how happy this guy is. Its hunting season and we forgot his bright colors so we improvised. Yellow trash bag ribbons. His new nickname is now Trash dog. It fits him.
Hope you found some bits of happy this week, if not, your not doing it right.
HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!!