Big Blue Blob of Dough

Class parents take turns making the play dough at Matthew's preschool. It was my turn last week and I had to make it the color blue. I added the food coloring at the wrong time and this is what happened:Oops. But we rolled it into a ball and it kind of looked like the world from outer space.

Speaking of the world, this recipe makes the most pliable play dough in the world. You'll never buy that Play Doh stuff again. And this batch makes a lot so you can actually create something out of it. I haven't tried, but I'm assuming you can halve the recipe to make two different colors.

Play Dough

4 c flour

2 c salt

8 t cream of tartar

4 c water

8 T vegetable oil

4 t food color

Combine dry ingredients. Combine water, oil and food coloring and gradually stir into dry mixture. Cook over medium heat until a ball forms and pulls away from the sides. It may take a few minutes but it will happen. The longer you cook it, the better the result.

Mint Brownies

I know I'm going through a Cooking Light phase, but I'm kind of obsessed with this magazine right now. Bear with me. Or better yet, buy an issue and try some of their recipes. You can also search through recipes online at http://www.cookinglight.com/. You may become a Cooking Light junkie, too.

I tried these Chocolate-Mint Bars yesterday. Sort of. They appeared on the cover of the March issue and I've been thinking about them ever since. I had planned to make them yesterday morning, but there were a couple of other last minute things I had to do to make the house "houseguest ready" so I cheated. I mixed up a batch of my favorite brownies (Betty Crocker Fudge Brownies) and topped them with the mint and chocolate layers. Mint and chocolate always go well together and the chocolate to mint ratio on these brownies is just perfect.

The recipe says to refrigerate the brownies so the top layer sets up correctly. I did, but then I took them out and let them come to room temperature before serving. If they're too cold, the top two layers won't melt in your mouth and the chocolate layer isn't shiny and pretty (it's hard and has that chocolate bloom to it). But at room temperature, all those problems are solved. Someday I might make the whole recipe the right way, but why mess with success?

The In-Laws Are Coming! The In-Laws Are Coming!

I've been working so hard this week in preparation for my in-laws' visit. I've cooked, I've cleaned, I've shopped. You could say I really channeled my inner domestic goddess. In fact, I think I overworked myself because now I'm run down and have the beginnings of a cold. Don't you just love when your hostess is coughing, sneezing and has a big red nose? Well, at least the house is clean and they'll have plenty to eat. And let's be frank. They're really coming to see the kids so hopefully I'll get some much needed rest.

I've been meaning to post photos of my kitchen for a while. You know, so you can see where all the magic happens. It's just that my kitchen was never in a photo-friendly state. Until now. Here's what it looks like at its best. In other words, it never looks like this.

Healthy Muffins

When it comes to his lunch, my husband is a creature of habit. When we were first married, I made our lunches every night and I always had to make him the same thing: smoked turkey and Swiss on wheat with a little bit of mustard, six Triscuits, and a Granny Smith apple. After several years of the same lunch, he finally switched to crunchy peanut butter & jelly on wheat, nine Triscuits, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, and a banana. He also takes a granola bar for a snack.

The snack and three additional Triscuits can be attributed to the fact that he now works out at the gym in the middle of the day so he needs some more energy. His snack used to be a string cheese, but now he's watching is cholesterol so he switched to homemade granola bars as his snack.

I found these Morning Glory Muffins in Cooking Light magazine and thought they might make a good, healthy snack for him. They do; they just taste more healthy than regular muffins. And I even left out the flax seed! But, at least I have something lined up for when he decides to change his snack in, oh, about five years.

I love you, Brian!

Me No Baker

By now, I'm sure you've realized how grossly unqualified I am to be writing about baking (or anything else for that matter). Clearly I'm not a pastry chef and, other than home economics class in middle school, I've never taken any class that has to do with cooking or baking. In fact, everything I know about the kitchen I've learned by watching Food Network. And that ain't no education.

So, for those of you who enjoy seeing real baked art, I've started a new list of blogs on the right that will make you happy. These are some blogs I go to for inspiration. Sometimes it backfires on me though because I end up sad that my blog will never be anything like these. But that's okay. This is just for fun and my blog is not my livliehood. Thank goodness.

So take a look. Go explore them. You'll see what I mean. I hope you still come back to see me once in a while, but if you don't I'll understand. Unless you're my family or friends! Uh, as if there's anyone else reading this.

Whatever, Martha!

Have you heard of this new show on Fine Living Network? Martha Stewart's daughter, Alexis, and her friend Jennifer watch tapes of Martha's old shows from the early 90's and offer commentary. I was looking forward to the show because who can resist digs at Martha Stewart? Well, while the show has its moments, it was generally a big let down. Maybe if it was anyone else poking fun at Martha it would be funnier. And I'm not saying that because she's her daughter (although making fun of your mother on national television is a little mean). Alexis seems a little snobby, self-absorbed, and critical of everything and everybody. She just doesn't seem like my kind of person. And having a laugh at Martha's expense is one thing because Martha claims this whole thing was her idea, but I don't think they should be laughing at Martha's guests. When these guests appeared on her show, they didn't sign up to be ridiculed fifteen years later.

I think the premise of the show is fun but it needs some work. They need to show more of the Martha clips and offer more comments. Alexis and Jennifer seem to go off on their own little tangents while the Martha show is rolling and they're missing opportunities for more humorous comments--which is what the how show is all about. And the last five minutes or so? They talk about something not related at all to Martha Stewart (gym locker room behaviors?). Why?

That said, it's worth it just to see how far Martha Stewart has come, gone, and come back. So, if you have a chance to watch it, check it out.

Light Chocolate Chip Cookies

Look at 'em! Don't they look delicious? Yes, they're from Cooking Light so they're on the lighter side, but seriously, you'd never know it. They're as good as any chocolate chip cookie I've ever had. I was skeptical at first because I thought you'd need more chocolate chips, but you truly don't. You can actually taste the cookie dough! They look nice, too. They're chunky-looking, not flat with protruding chocolate chips. What's more, after they've sat on a napkin for a few minutes, the napkin isn't all greasy and each cookie has only 88 calories. Although the cookies in my batch had only 86 because I made 49 cookies. Sneaky, huh? Nah, that's just how it worked out.

Even though these are good, I have to admit I was a little disappointed. I had forgotten that I finished up the good vanilla the other day (mise en place! mise en place! mise en place!). I'm not a vanilla snob, but the only vanilla extract I had in my pantry was the Wilton clear vanilla that you use when mixing colored icing so that your colors are more true. It's artificial and so gross and it totally gave the cookies a weird taste and smell. But, I'm confident that wouldn't have happened if I had used pure vanilla extract. I'm definitely making these again!

Pinkberry. Take Two.

My first attempt to make the famous Pinkberry frozen yogurt at home didn't go so well (see this post for details), but my friend Jennifer, who is always looking out for me, told me to try this recipe. I did and it made me very, very happy. Look how thick it is! The consistency is totally opposite of my first try. It's delicious, but there's just one problem. It's so good that I could easily eat the entire batch in one sitting. And that's obviously the problem.

The recipe calls for Greek-style yogurt, but the cook's notes are very specific about using whole-milk yogurt. I was shopping, found the Greek yogurt, and put it in my cart. The only words I noticed on the carton were "Greek" and "Plain." It wasn't until after putting the concoction into the ice cream maker and rinsing out the yogurt container that I noticed "11 g" next to "Total Fat." Naturally, my eyes went straight to "Saturated 7 g." And that's per half cup serving. Yikes! Pinkberry this is not! For those not in the know, Pinkberry makes a point of making their customers aware that their original frozen yogurt is fat-free. I am making a point to let you know that while this frozen yogurt rivals Pinkberry in taste (better!), it falls way short in being considered a reasonably healthy alternative to ice cream.

Look at how thick, rich and creamy it is! Pinkberry Take Three will be made with non-fat, plain Greek-style yogurt.

Tagging

Apparently, I've been tagged. It's a blogging thing, I guess. My friend Jennifer tagged me and I have to tell what I was doing years ago. If you care, read on. If not, I'll bake something tomorrow. I promise.

20 years ago:

1. I was in 7th grade at Francis McClure Middle School in White Oak, Pennsylvania.
2. My life revolved around Pitt Basketball and point guard Pat Cavanaugh.
3. I had to wear a Frankel appliance orthodontic device every night.

10 years ago:

1. I graduated from Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, with a BS in Finance, minor in Accounting.
2. I was engaged and planning a wedding.
3. I had my first real job at Mid Atlantic Capital Group in Pittsburgh.

5 years ago:

1. I worked at Charles Schwab.
2. My daughter was born, and I resigned to be a stay-at-home mom.
3. I found out how hard it is to be a good mother.

3 years ago:

1. I organized a hugely successful (If I may say so myself) breast cancer awareness luncheon benefitting the American Cancer Society.
2. I was a bridesmaid in my brother's wedding.
3. I attended a parent/toddler interaction preschool class at Desert Sun with Elizabeth (which I'm now enjoying with Matthew).

1 year ago:

1. I took a Wilton cake decorating class at Joann.
2. We decided to redo our backyard landscaping.
3. We found out Matthew is allergic to dairy.

Yesterday:

1. Matthew and I took Elizabeth to school and did some errands.
2. We took Elizabeth to her Tiny Tots tennis class.
3. I finished watching Gone with the Wind. I just finished the book and I had never seen the movie.

Today:

1. We walked to school! Can you believe it?
2. I baked chocolate chip cookies. You'll see those later.
3. I danced to Bella Dancerella with Elizabeth and her friend.

in 5 years:

1. Elizabeth will be in school all day and Matthew will be in kindersteps. I'll just have the morning to myself so I probably won't be working yet.
2. I'll be able to volunteer in Matthew's classroom a lot and have a really clean and organized house.
3. I'll start thinking about what I want to do and where I want to work when both my kids are in school all day. I can't think about that now or I'll go crazy. I'll think about it in 5 years.

I now tag Carie and Laura. I'm supposd to tag three people but I only know two who have blogs and haven't been tagged yet.

When Will Summer End?

No one wants summer to end. Except for Arizonans. It's September and it's hard to believe this is Elizabeth's seventh week of school. Her school is half a mile away from our house and we really, really, really want to walk to school. We plan to as soon as the weather cools down but that might not be for another month (maybe even two) from now. Actually, we had the windows rolled down in the car this morning so that's a step in the right direction! Maybe fall is on its way.

It hope so. Walking to school, wearing layered clothing, and admiring the changing leaves would be nice and all, but to tell the truth, the real reason I'm anxious for fall's arrival is to taste the apple crisp, the pumpkin pie, the spice cake, gingerbread, poached pears with cinnamon. Am I making you hungry for fall, too?

This year, I'm going to try an experiment. By now, you know how I feel about my food god, Alton Brown. He's very particular and likes everything fresh. On his show and in his book, he explains that spices start to lose their flavor right after they are ground so purchasing ground spices at the supermarket isn't a good idea. There's no way to tell exactly when they were ground or how long they've been sitting in the well-lit store. (Light is bad for ground spices, too). Instead, Alton buys his spices online from a store in Chicago called The Spice House. If you go to their website, it's clear these people know spices. And they sound like a pretty cool couple.

So, this fall I'm going to place an order with them for my favorite spices--cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, and more--to see if my cookies, cakes, and pies taste any better. I'm confident they will. If you want to experiment too, log on to The Spice House and see if there's anything you'd like. We could combine our orders, save on shipping and savor the fresh flavors of the season together.

Another Reason to Eat Ice Cream

As if we needed another reason. This Chocolate Crunch is a delicious way to dress up what some people may consider 'plain' vanilla ice cream. Cooking Light says it's also satisfying on fresh fruit and yogurt so I plan to try it on those, too. It's kind of like granola but I imagine you'd get pretty frustrated if you tried to just eat it. The pieces are pretty small as opposed to big chunky clusters, so it's probably best as a topping. (Or maybe not. It hasn't stopped me any from eating it right out of the container.)

It certainly isn't hard to make and the whole process takes less than a half hour. I used six (of the ten) squares of a 3.5 oz Lindt Excellence 70% Dark Chocolate bar so, technically, I guess my chocolate crunch has 2.1 ounces of chocolate. Is my math correct? But an extra tenth of an ounce of chocolate never hurt anyone, right?

Little Miss Muffin

Yes, I've been baking a lot of muffins lately, I know. They're just so darn tasty and so darn easy to make and the varieties are endless. I've vowed to never use a muffin mix again because muffins made from scratch are in a league of their own. Plus, you can make your own muffins for just pennies because you probably have everything you need in your pantry or fridge.


These Orange-Cranberry Wheat Germ Muffins from Cooking Light are great for breakfast or for a healthy afternoon snack. They're best warm. And don't be scared of the wheat germ. I've been adding it in everything from muffins to pancakes and no one notices the extra serving of whole grains. Shhhhh!

Like Mother, Like Daughter

I think my food photography (which I know leaves a lot to be desired) has inspired my daughter. Yesterday I was in the kitchen making dinner and she came in with her little Fisher Price camera and wanted to take pictures of the taco meat browning and the shredded cheese. Her camera has just one mega pixel and I wouldn't let her get too close to the stove but, oddly enough, her pictures look better than mine.

Ridiculously Simple

...and simply yummy. Elizabeth has this cookbook for kids. Every once in a while she'll pull it out and pick something she can make. She can do it all (except any oven or stove top steps, of course). You don't really need a recipe for these S'mores Nachos. Line a baking sheet with parchment, put about 5 chocolate chips and 4 little marshmallows on each graham cracker piece. Set your oven rack about 6 inches under the broiler and broil for 30 to 60 seconds until the marshmallows start to brown. Trust me. You'll be as happy as your kids.

The Whole Family Is Nuts

My cousin Melissa made these Candied Pecans from my mother-in-law's recipe. They are so good and so hard to stop eating before you've overindulged and are saying, "I ate too many of those nuts."

Candied Pecans
1 stick margarine (or butter)
1 lb unsalted pecans
1 c sugar
2 egg whites
pinch of salt

In a large baking dish, melt margarine. In mixing bowl, stir egg whites, sugar and salt until foamy. Stir in nuts to coat. Spread in pan with margarine and bake 30 minutes at 325 degrees, stirring every ten minutes. Dump onto a cookie sheet and break apart. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.

To Grandmother's House We Go

Every Sunday, we go to visit Brian's grandmother for dinner. When we first moved here, Brian and I would go out to dinner every week with his three grandparents. For the first 20 some years of his life, Brian didn't live very close to his grandparents (which is a completely foreign concept to me because where I come from, your whole family lives within a 20 mile radius of each other). He's making up for lost time and loving it. Anyway, after dinner, we'd go back to GiGi's for dessert because one of his grandmothers would always make something sweet. Times have changed. Sadly, his grandfather passed away seven years ago and his other grandma moved back to Colorado. So our Sunday party lost two but then Brian and I had two kids so we're back to five. It's a little more trouble to go out to dinner each week so usually GiGi (short for great-grandmother) or I make dinner and eat at her house. This week she made a ham so I offered to bring dessert.

I tried out another Cooking Light dessert yesterday and it is so yummy! Carrot Cake is one of my husband's favorites, and this recipe interested me because in addition to the shredded carrots, she uses one jar of baby food carrots. Plus, there's oatmeal in it and hardly any oil or butter (just one tablespoon in the icing!). It's practically health food!

(Sorry for the fuzzy photo. I tried to snap the photo quickly before I had to explain to GiGi why I was taking pictures of my cake. At 91, I know she couldn't care less about a blog.)