The Do Again Chronicles

Crepes for Dinner (Day 5)

2011-03-24T14:52:00.000-07:00

We were digging out in the dirt on Monday and as a result we had breakfast for dinner and I have no picture either! But these are awesome crepes.

We do a double batch because the munchkins can eat 3-4 each!!! Below is a single batch.

1 c. flour
Pinch salt
1/4 c. white sugar
1c. Milk
3 eggs beaten
1/4 c. butter melted and cooled

Mix milk, eggs, salt, and butter together. Whisk in flour. The batter is VERY runny, but that is how it supposed to be. Cook on med/high pan until set and carefully flip over and cook about 1 more minute.

We serve ours with sliced peaches, powdered sugar and sour cream or G. Man's favorite melted chocolate chips, powdered sugar and sour cream.

Pad Thai (Day 5)

2011-03-24T14:42:00.000-07:00

Sunday is my day off from cooking dinner. G. Man started cooking dinner on Sundays about 8 months ago shortly after he had cancer. A small change, but one I will take. He almost always makes Pad Thai, this Sunday was no exception:)

G. Man uses the recipe from Temple of Thai. The only changes he makes is using 1/4 c. of rice vinegar instead of tamarind since we can't find it here in no where, USA! Also, we use brown sugar for the same reason as the tamarind. And we use ramen noodles because they are cheaper than true thai rice noodles. Still extremely yummy!

No Meal Today (Day 4)

2011-03-24T14:38:00.000-07:00

G. Man and I had the Adult Stake Conference (area conference) for church and we did not eat dinner (well G. Man had ice cream and a bowl of cereal). We just ran out of time. The muchkins ate baked chicken and green beans- but nothing to write home about!

Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day (Day 3)

2011-03-18T14:55:00.001-07:00

I grew up eating Corned Beef, potatoes, and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day. G. Man did not. The first time I made Corned Beef he was leery to try it, but thankfully it is delicious! We only have this meal once a year mostly because corn beef isn't cheap, but it is a DA for sure.

I don't cook it the traditional way. Boiled meat just seems wrong to me, in too many ways. I roast my corned beef and I believe my mom did as well (Momma passed away 7 years ago, so I cannot check that detail). So, it is not so traditional, but it is still yummy!

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Preheat oven 325 degrees

1 Corned Beef with seasoning packet (found in the meat department of your grocery store)
4 carrots, peeled, and cut into 2 inch peices
2 large potatoes, cleaned and sliced into 1 inch thick slices
2 large onions sliced
1 c. water
1 head Cabbage cut into 8 wedges
1 T butter

Place onions on the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch pan. Place carrots around the onions. Layer the potatoes on top of the onions and carrots. Pour water over the vegetables. Place the beef on top of everything, fat side up. Sprinkle the beef with the seasoning packet. Place in the oven on the middle rack. Roast for about 2 1/2-3 hours until tender. Let the meat rest 10-15 minutes before serving.

I steam my cabbage instead of boiling.

Bring your steamer or pot to a boil with plenty of salted water. Follow your steamers instructions and steam for 10 minutes or until tender. If using a stove top pot with a steamer basket place the cabbage in the steamer basket and place in the pot. Steam for 10 minutes. Add a tablespoon of butter and serve with the corned beef and vegetables.

Trip to St. George (Day 2)

2011-03-18T11:50:00.000-07:00

Of course day 2 is 'fast food' day! G. Man and I made a trip to St. George to attend the LDS Temple. We left at 5:30 pm and finished at the Temple at 9:30 pm. We were starving! But one of the great things about St. George is there is an In-N-Out Burger there!!! Let me tell you they really do have the best burgers and fries. We ate on the road so we could relieve the sitters for the three munchkins, so you give a picture of the wrappers. But next time I will snap a picture before I devour the meal!
We tried their shakes as well. They are ridiculously thick. My jaw still hurts from sucking it out of a straw! Great chocolate flavor and so tasty! Next time I am asking for a spoon though:)

If you have never had In-N-Out you must make a trip to experience it!

The three munchkins had casadillas that their sitters made- so no pictures!

365 Days of the Family's Dinner (Day 1)

2011-03-16T18:08:00.000-07:00

I recently saw the movie "Julie and Julia". It is one of my favorite movies now (G. Man would have hated it, but I watched it on my own) and as a result I am inspired to end the year plus break since I last blogged!

Now I am sure there are plenty of 365 days of (insert subject here) blogs now. Mine is to help me find an accomplishment in my cooking. Even if it is simply keeping track of the meal we have had eaten for the year.

So, here is my goal. To detail each meal we have for the next 365 days. There will be repeats- what family doesn't have favorite meals they eat regularly. There will be 'Do Agains', there will 'Never Agains', and there will be 'Somewhere in Betweens'. Somedays there will be just pictures and a short description and other days will include the recipe. Somedays there will be fast food (rarely!) But this will be my family's dinner journey for the next year...

Day 1- Noodle Fritada: DO AGAIN

This meal is a family favorite, though it is still being tweaked. I've used macaroni. , egg noodles and today we used spaghetti noodles. We've decided we like the egg noodles the best. I've also used spinach, asparagus, and just tomatoes for vegetables. It is one of those meals that can be adapted to whatever you have on hand.

The Recipe (for a 14 inch cast iron pan)

Preheat oven 400 degrees
1/2 lb Cooked Noodles (can use leftovers)
1 Onion chopped
2 T oil (I prefer coconut)
2 T. Butter
1 bunch of Broccoli (blanched for about 3 minutes) or 3 c. Spinach, or 1/2 lb Asparagus cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces (blanched 3 minutes)
12 Eggs beaten
1/2 c. milk
1 T. Course Ground Mustard
1 tsp. dried Basil
1/4 c. Parmesan Cheese
1/8 tsp Fresh ground Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Ground Garlic
1 Tomato chopped
1/2 c. grated Cheddar Cheese
1/2 c. grated Mozzarella Cheese

Saute' onion in oil until soft and translucent. If you are using spinach wilt slightly with the onions. Add butter and melt. Keep pan hot.
To beaten eggs add, milk, mustard, basil, Parmesan cheese, garlic and black pepper.
Add noodles and vegetables to onions. Pour eggs over noodles and vegetables. Cook the eggs over medium heat pulling the cooked eggs from the sides and bottom and letting the runny eggs go underneath. Once eggs are almost set sprinkle with tomatoes and cheeses. Place the tomatoes under the cheese or there will be tomato juices on top of the fritada.
Cook in oven for about 5-8 minutes until eggs are completely set and cheeses are melted.

Enjoy!

The Best Pancakes EVER. And I mean EVER! And Syrup.

2009-11-20T13:43:00.000-08:00

I grew up in a house where cold cereal was a staple for breakfast during the week. Pancakes, waffles and french toast were made only on the weekends. In Gourmet Man's world cold cereal is NOT a staple and is used to make Rice Krispy Treats! GM needs a hot breakfast every morning. EVERY MORNING. Oatmeal and other hot cereals are allowed, but pancakes, waffles and french toast are a must. I have mastered the art of pancakes lately (I could always make them, but they are heavenly now) and this recipe is all from my sweet little head:)

1c. All purpose Flour
1c. Whole Wheat Flour (I have make them somewhat healthy! If you want to omit any health from the recipe make it all white four)
1c. Potato Flakes (not the flavored kind, plain dehydrated potato flakes)
1 T. plus 1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Sea Salt
1/4 cup Brown Sugar (you can use white, but why?)
1 tsp Real Vanilla Extract
3 eggs
3 cups Milk
Oil for frying

This is what I call a dump and mix recipe. One bowl and so easy!

I use a cast iron skillet for this, the non-stick kind just don't cut it for me. Preheat the cast iron to be a medium heat.

1. Mix flours, potato flakes, baking powder, salt and sugar together.
2. Add the eggs milk, and vanilla.
3. Mix until combined, but do not over mix! Lumpy is fine (I use a wire whisk to mix so there are no lumps)
4. Pour about 1/4 cup of oil into the cast iron pan. Let it heat up.
5. Pour batter on to pan about 1/4 cup for each pancake. Make sure the oil is sizzling around the edges.
6. Flip the pancakes once bubbles start to form in the center of the pancake.
7. Cook until brown on the bottom (1minute or so).
8. Repeat until batter is gone always making sure there is enough oil to fry those bad boys!

Note- this batter can be stored covered in the fridge for a few days (no more than 3). Just stir it up before cooking.

Double Note- b/c my sweet GM has never been overweight a minute of his life and has not gained an ounce since the day I married him, he can eat these on a regular basis. I on the other hand who have always struggled with my weight and if I look at food wrong gain weight can not eat fried pancakes on a regular basis!!!

Homemade Pancake Syrup

Of course no pancake is complete without syrup. Maple syrup is ideal, but in todays economy who can afford the liquid amber gold? Not us! I've made a recipe that is so yummy, easy and cheaper than even the Aunt Jamima kind! This one is also from my head.

2 c. Brown Sugar
1 c. White Sugar
1 c. Honey (or corn syrup if you do not care for honey)
2 c. Water
1/4 c. Canola Oil
1 T. Vanilla
1 T. Maple Flavoring

1. Mix everything together, but the vanilla and maple flavoring in a 4 quart pan.
2. Bring to a boil and boil over medium heat for 3 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and add vanilla and maple flavoring. Let cool.
4. Store in air tight jar at room temp.
5. If it is too thick for your liking add some more water once the syrup has cooled completely.

Chocolate Pecan Bars

2009-11-20T13:11:00.000-08:00

Nothing beats a super easy recipe that is a real Do Again! Gourmet Man loves pecan pie and chocolate, so how could this fail?

2 c. All purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
2/3 c. Butter, melted
2 c. Dark Brown Sugar (not the light kind, only dark!)
2 eggs
1 T. Real Vanilla Extract
1 cup Chocolate Chips
1 cup Pecan pieces

1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
2. In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, soda and salt.
3. In a separate bowl combine sugar and melted butter.
4. Add the eggs and vanilla to the sugar butter mixture.
5. Mix in the flour mixture to the wet ingredients until combined, but do not over mix!
6. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans.
7. Spread batter in a greased 9x13 inch pan.
8. Bake for 25-27 minutes until the top is lightly brown. DO NOT DO A TOOTHPICK TEST! It will be gooey. It is supposed to be! The outside is crisp and the inside is just like a pecan pie.

Let cool completely before cutting into squares. Enjoy:)

Sometimes the Easy Last Minute Recipes Are DAs!

2009-10-20T10:24:00.001-07:00

Last night I was tired, had a headache and was not into making anything difficult. Quesadilla Night! Yes, even Gourmet Man likes simple things that are very tasty:) I did them a smidge different- using left over chicken and they were real winners all around (the triplets sometimes are like their father and will not touch something if it looks 'funny'!)

Quesadillas

1 can of refried beans (I used Old El Paso Brand)
2 chicken Breasts cooked with My Taco Seasoning (see below) and chopped
2 cups Grated Cheese
8 Flour (or Corn) Tortillas
Oil for cooking

Take one tortilla and spread about 2 tbs of refried beans on half of the tortilla. Sprinkle about 2 tbs of chopped chicken on the beans and then sprinkle with a generous sprinkling of cheese. Fold tortilla over to make a half moon. I always make the whole batch before cooking, makes it much faster!
Heat cast iron pan (I only use cast iron or stainless steel- non-stick is a no-no in this house!) and put about 1 tbs of oil on the pan. When oil is heated place 2 quesadillas on the pan and cook until brown and crisp. Flip and repeat!

Serve with sour cream, salsa and guacamole. Yum:)

Taco Seasoning

I will admit this was invented because most seasoning on the market are full of fillers and not so tasty. This is one of our favorites!

4 tbs Chili Powder
1 tsp *Garlic Salt
1 tsp *Onion Salt
2 tsp Cumin
1 tbs Cilantro

Mix everything together and store in an airtight container. Use 1-2 tbs for tacos. For Mexican Chicken Sprinkle seasoning on chicken breasts and grill or pan fry. For enchilada sauce mix one can of tomato sauce with 1-2 tbs of seasoning mix. This is a very versatile seasoning!

*If your chili powder has salt in it substitute 1/2 tsp garlic and onion powder.

Another Pionner Woman Recipe

2009-10-18T14:04:00.001-07:00

This is actually the first Pioneer Recipe I tried and well, I think they are the first Cinnamon Rolls Gourmet Man liked! I told you he is very picky! Four years into our marriage I find out he really did not care for my grand mother's secret Cardamom Ring Recipe (cinnamon rolls with a twist)! ARGH!!!
I must admit, I have never gotten the Cardamom Ring right. My mom always had it perfect. Mine were always dry and not as tasty. Oh, that recipe will never be found here since it is SECRET! But it is so yummy, even if Gourmet Man does not care for it and I am think I can tweak the recipe now to be better than ever using techniques from this recipe!

Here is the recipe for Cinnamon Rolls.

Now, since I have been on a diet I have not had these, but once again GM knows what he is tasting:) These are fantastic to make for holidays, because they make so many to give away to neighbors! When I made them I froze 1/2 the dough and used the 1/2 to make a full baking pan FULL and they stayed fresh for days! Since they are no-knead they are super easy. And I am all about the easy.

Oh, GM did not care for the maple frosting- he only likes maple on pancakes and french toast, but Other Twin and College Boy loved them with the maple frosting as well as GM's co-worker!

This is frosting recipe I used for GM's cinnamon rolls- which he said were 'heavenly'.

The Best Ever Frosting
1 lb of Powdered Sugar
1/2 cup of butter melted
1/2 cup sour cream
3-6 Tbs of Milk
1 tsp vanilla

Mix powdered sugar, butter and sour cream together. Add vanilla. Add milk 1 tbs at a time until a relatively thick, but spreadable consistency is achieved (depending on humidity and how warm the butter was depends on amount of milk needed). Spread on mostly cooled Cinnamon Rolls (still slightly warm, but not to warm so to completely melt the frosting). Enjoy:)

Do Again

2009-10-18T13:07:00.000-07:00

I married a VERY picky man. To put it bluntly, he only wants gourmet food. Period. And he does not grade on a five star level. There is only one approval. A "Do Again" (DA). Thus the title of this blog! Gourmet Man has on more than one occasion eaten one bite of dinner and put his plate in the sink and had left overs from the night before (like last night! And I actually thought it was very good, but none the less... NOT a DA!)

So, I am for my own good and personal organizing starting this blog to keep track of the DAs and and Never Make This Agains (NMTA)! My Gourmet Man has impeccable taste, so I trust if he likes it you will too...

Our First Winner of the DA award goes to my new idol... The Pioneer Woman. I would like to be just like her, one day, but since I chase 2 year old triplets around all day and get so little done compared to what I would like- I doubt it will ever happen!

Her recipe for Apple Dumplings is AMAZING. My brother-in-law College Boy claimed "This is better than Apple Pie" and my other brother-in-law the Other Twin nearly disowned Gourmet Man when he ate the last piece! To keep a family feud from occurring I rushed to the store for supplies and made another batch! (Oh, I have not had a taste of these bad boys as this recipe was discovered while I was on a diet!) Needless to say, I am not wasting my time making an apple pie this Thanksgiving, especially since this takes nearly no time to prepare and only 40 minutes to bake!

I did tweak the recipe, which I always do to any recipe. I omitted the Mountain Dew and substituted Ginger Ale as I do not believe in consuming neon yellow anything! I also used part brown sugar instead of all white sugar. Here is my tweaked version- but in no way to claim this recipe as my own! All homage goes to Ree, the Pionner Woman!

Tweaked Pioneer Woman Apple Dumplings

2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and sliced into 16 slices
2 Packages of Crescent Rolls in the tube (8 rolls per package)
1 cup Melted Butter
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup White Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
8 oz Ginger Ale
Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter 9 x 13 inch pan. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll by placing slice on the widest end of the crescent roll and wrapping the narrow end around the apple. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan leaving a space between. I put 6 vertically next to each other then four horizontally across the middle and another 6 vertically(does that make sense?) Melt butter, then add sugars and barely stir- this mixture needs to be grainy. Add vanilla, stir, and pour over apples wrapped in crescent rolls. Pour Ginger Ale around the edges of dumplings. Sprinkle with a generous sprinkling of cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE! They should be brown and beautiful.

These babies are best served warm with ice cream, but Gourmet Man, Other Twin and College Boy all ate them cold and plain and still raved like mad!

I will warn you these go fast and are not healthy in any sense of the word! I made batches in 3 days and the second batch did not last 24 hours (and remember I have not had one taste yet!)