Cooking Inspiration: Where do you get yours?

I love to cook. I love to bake.

These are some of my favorite cookbooks to flip through when I need a little inspiration. I also find myself going to the Internet as well.

But some days, when I just need a quick and easy recipe that I know I have all of the ingredients for in my pantry, I rely on this old standby:

 

What is your cooking standby? What are some of your favorite recipes or go-to-cooking sites? I'm looking for some new cooking & baking inspiration and would love to hear what you can't live without in the kitchen!

What the crock?

You know those food blog posts where people praise their cooking abilities? How their recipes turned out just perfectly? 

This is not one of those posts.

By a long shot.

This post is this:

This is what I came home to one night last week. It was supposed to be Asian beef. But instead it was burnt crap. And the house smelled like burnt tomatoes and vinegar. It was so disappointing. Not only was I looking forward to another crock pot success, but I had actually told people about this great new recipe I found, how I had it cooking while I was at work. Yup, I had this working mama thing down people! 

And then I came home.

I think we ended up ordering pizza.

I can't remember. The rest of the night was a blur.

And it took two days of soaking in sudsy warm water to get that crap out of my pot.

Any crock pot winners you'd like to share? I could use a few good recipes please!

Luscious Lemons

My in-laws recently came for a visit shortly have their trip to Southern Arizona (ah...the retired life). They brought us a big bag of fresh citrus from their families backyard! Knowing how much I love oranges, they thought it would be a fun treat for me! (Notice how there aren't any pics of said oranges? Yeah...that's because I scarfed those bad boys down so freakin' quickly. Seriously. Love. Oranges.)

But now, I've got these great big lemons that are beautiful to look at and smell even better.

So what should I do with them? 

Cutting them up and putting slices in my water seems like such a waste.

I feel these beauties are destined for something so much better.

Ideas? I'm ready.

Go.

Embracing the crock

The crock pot that is.

Being a full time working mama, I'm always looking for things that make my life easier (and really who isn't!)

I adore grocery delivery services (thank you Amazon Fresh!)

I'm all about running errands on my lunch break (when I can).

And I really need to be better about using my crock pot. I love the idea of coming home from a busy work day and smelling something warm and delicious wafting through the house, like my personal cook was busy there all day long. But I haven't tried too many crock pot recipes aside from the standard pot roast.

But this past weekend was different. In the mail I received my supplemental EveryDay Food magazine (I'm still so sad that magazine no longer exists!), but I was thrilled when they published a small version of it this month. I immediately flipped through it folding down pages like crazy. Then I stumbled onto this gem: Italian braised pork. Cooked in the slow cooker. Yes please!

(photo from EveryDay Food/Martha Stewart)

I made it first thing Sunday morning while the wee one entertained herself as my sous chef with some plastic measuring cups, a wooden spoon and basically anything I could hand her that gave me 10 minutes to chop, saute and dump into the crock pot. I made this over quinoa and it was a hit with my family! We had the left overs last night and it tasted even better the next day.

I would have posted pictures but I was working on borrowed time to get it prepped. And it was so tasty it was gobbled up too fast for a photo once it was done.

This recipe is a keeper! I highly recommend it! Once again, thank you Everyday Food & Martha Stewart for another fabulous recipe!

The best banana bread recipe. Ever.

Yeah, I'm making that bold statement for all the world to see.
This recipe has become one of my go to recipes lately. Despite the fact that we eat a lot of bananas, we always seem to have some going bad.

So I turned to Martha and she didn't disappoint. She says it's easy-to-bake and she's right. And it's so moist and tasty! The secret: sour cream.

The hubby loves bananas, but doesn't like banana bread. A fact he's told many pretty much every time over our seven years together when I've whipped up some. But not this one. He can't get enough of it.

Although I must confess, I haven't told him that the secret is the sour cream - something he detest even when used in baking (I know, I know what you're thinking, you can't taste the sour cream. I know. The man's crazy but I love him.)

Give it a try the next time you've got a few over ripe bananas. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Martha Stewart's Banana Bread (I omitted the nuts):

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan; set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, and beat to incorporate.

2.In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture, and mix until just combined. Add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla; mix to combine. Stir in nuts, and pour into prepared pan.

3.Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Let rest in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool.

Canned Salsa

The other day I got together with a few Purly Girls for a little canning instead of knitting. We hit the farmers market on a rainy Saturday morning for the fresh local ingredients, then headed into the kitchen for some serious chopping, blanching and stirring. And of course some chatting and laughing.

The end result is a ton of jars of homemade salsa that smells and tastes delish! The summer salsa season will live on in our house as the gray, cold and rainy winter approaches! Pass the chips please!

Summer Canning

This summer, my canning friend June & I decided we needed a plan. Last summer things got a little out of control as we canned a a ton of jams in one crazy nine hour canning day.

This year, we decided to simplify things a bit and do more seasonal canning.

So this summer, it was all about the jams: raspberry, blueberry, blackberry & a mix of blue/blackberry. For fun we tossed in a Lemon Vanilla jam.

It was a very sweet afternoon.

The blackberries in their jamming glory (or gory?).

Final tally:

26 - 1/4 pints

13 - 1/2 pints

7 - pints

Go Local Challenge: I'm the guest blogger this week!

Head on over to Living Senses this week! I'm the guest blogger for the Go Local Challenge! This year I wrote about the resurgence in canning. Plus there's lot of informative link for those who are  interested in learning more about canning.

Oh, and there's a link for super cute download-able PDF canning labels. And they're free. Go on, check them out, you know you want too!

GL Challenge*: Canning with Amy Pennington

Last week I took a canning class from gardener, canner, cookbook author & uber savvy business woman Amy Pennington. She's recently written a cookbook called Urban Pantry, Tips & Recipes for a Thrifty, Sustainable & Seasonal Kitchen. It's about growing what you eat, eating local and preserving food. It's a delightful book full of great recipes and a lot of inspiration.

During the class she made a quick batch of raspberry jam and brandied cherries. I learned a quick and easy technique for water bath canning when one doesn't have the official water bath canning equipment (shes says to put a clean dishtowel in the bottom of big old pan to keep the jars from clanging around together).

Here's Amy looking all Seattle suave with her iced drink and hot pot!

Mmmm....red raspberries cooking down for jam!

All prepped and ready to go!

If you're in the Seattle area, Amy is teaching a canning/preserving class one Thursday a month (day and evening classes) through October at Cupcake Royale on Capitol Hill. Each class she'll can something different and seasonal so if you take more than once class, you'll learn something new! I'm thinking of signing up for the October class to see what fall goodness she comes up with!

*Go Local challenge is pretty cool, check it out!

Summer baking

For some reason, when the temperatures heat up outside - and inside my un-air conditioned kitchen - I seem to feel the need to bake. Because 83 degrees inside isn't hot enough, I break out my bread pans, muffing tins and cooking sheets. Why you ask? I blame the summer fruit. Fresh picked blueberries from the farmers market seem to want to become warm, gooey blueberry muffins.

And who am I to stand in their way?

Although, I think next time I may try to make Popsicles. There would be less sweating involved in those.

Happy 4th!

Hope your Fourth of July was a festive and tasty one!

S'mores - Seattle Style

The hubby & I had a BBQ this Memorial Day weekend. We decided to make homemade marshmallows and graham crackers for s'mores on our fire pit. We followed the directions from jam it, pickle it, cure it & other cooking projects by Karen Solomon. If you like to try new things in your kitchen, this book is for you. I have to admit, I was a little intimidated at the idea of making my own marshmallows, but they were surprisingly easy to do - albeit quite messy. Just like a good s'more.

The marshmallows setting in the pan. I didn't get any cooking pics because the process happens pretty fast.

The hubby helping to get them out of the pan. Then you cut into squares and dip in powdered sugar.

Voila! Homemade marshmallows!

Homemade graham crackers. Again, didn't get any cooking pics, it was pretty busy in our kitchen!

The roasting of mallows. Note the jeans and fleece in the pic, yes, this is a BBQ in Seattle. A little cold weather and rain does not stop us! There were homemade mallows to be roasted people!

Get ready for it...

Ooey, gooey, s'mores goodness!

Easter Treats

I love Easter. I always have. I'm not sure why, I've never been able to pin point why its do dear to me. Maybe it's the all the spring flowers that are beginning to come up in my favorite shades of yellow, pink and purple. Maybe its the promise that spring is really just around the corner. Or maybe its just another excuse to eat chocolate and other good food with family and friends. Whatever the reason, I hope your Easter was a lovely one!

Some Easter Flowers

Our friends Jon, Sara and their dog Tug look for the beers the Easter Bunny left in our yard.

The Hubby was the big winner finding most of the beers.

For dessert I tried something new, a raspberry blackberry custard. The thing I loved about this dessert was the fact that is was made in the blender!

Isn't sweet how Martha watches me?!

Some of my favorite things

The wind and rain has returned to Seattle. Gone are the recent unseasonably warm sunny days we’ve had recently. It was just what I needed to help snap me out of my February funk.

 (I snapped this pic on my camera phone while out for a walk along Alki on Sunday morning. The snow capped mountains in the background are the Olympics.)

So as I reach once again for the rain coat (really, this is Seattle so it’s never that far away), I’m going to try and think about some of the things that have made me happy these past few, warm sunny days. I thought I’d share them with you:


500 Days of Summer – I recently saw this movie. And I loved it! Seriously loved it. It was such a good story of love, friendship, heartbreak and the hope that there is love out there. I’ll admit it left me crushin’ a bit on Joseph Gordon-Levit.


The Guernsey Literary and Sweet Potato Pie Society – I’m about halfway through this book and I feel like I’m right there on Guernsey with the crew. I don’t think I want this book to end.


Seeing a movie by myself – I don’t get to do this often but I recently had the opportunity when the hubby was out of town. I love going to the movies by myself because I can watch whatever I want. And I don’t have to share my movie popcorn with anyone. In case you’re wondering, I saw New Moon (and loved it!)


Roasted Vegetables – I haven’t been doing a lot cooking lately (the hubby is doing it for a while these days) but I recently tried a new recipe for roasted butternut squash, onion and garlic. When they were done roasting the recipe called for squeezing half of an orange over the veggies. I can’t even begin to describe how good it tasted. I ate the hunks of butternut squash and onion with my hand as I stood over the stove, it was that good.


So there you go. A few things that are making me happy as we slip back into the gloomy dark days of late spring. What makes you happy these days?

A Homemade Life: my book report

I decided to treat myself to Molly Wizenburg’s book A Homemade Life. I can honestly say it’s one of the best treats I’ve bought myself in a long, long while.  
                                                            
To say I loved this book is a bit of an understatement. Molly’s* writing is so clear and conversational, I felt like we were great friends and she was simply telling me about her day.

I believe Molly and I could actually be friends if we met in real life and here’s why:
1. We both live in Seattle, thus making the friendship geographically feasible.
2. We both have a slight obsession with Paris, to say the least (as I write this I am listening to French music).
3. We both love to cook, bake and eat.
4. We both love chocolate – dearly.
5. And she shares my belief that goat cheese pretty much makes any dish freakin’ rock.

I’ve recommended this book to pretty much everyone I know. If you haven’t read this yet, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. The chapters are short and sweet and end with a recipe that leaves you with a bit of a hungry rumble going on in your tummy.


And it’ll make you want to call your dad just to say hi and tell him you love him.


All of those things my friends, are very good.


*On an somewhat unrelated noted, Rebecca sent me an email today about a soup cooking class next week, I had ready decided to sign up before I got to the bottom of the email and discovered the class is going to be held at Molly’s restaurant Delancey. I did a little dance of joy in my cubicle. Slightly stalkerish I know.

Red Onion, Potato and Goat Cheese Pizza

Potato Pizza. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking I'm crazy. Finally lost it. Well, you're not alone with that thought. But you're dead wrong.

There's this fabulous pizza place in town called Serious Pie. It's got some delicious, serious pizza. My favorite of which is the Yukon Gold Potato pizza. I've taken several out of town guests there for lunch and then made them try the pizza. They are all skeptical at first, but I make them try one bite. Then they usually admit it's fabulous, or they don't like it and I eat it all myself. Either way, I'm pretty happy.

So imagine my delight when I was flipping through a Cooking Light magazine and found a potato, onion and goat cheese pizza. I ripped it right out and decided this was going to be a staple in my kitchen before I ever made it.

If you're looking for a different type of pizza, I promise this won't disappoint.

Red Onion, Potato and Goat Cheese Pizza

Fruit...beware....

For Christmas my sister gave me the book jam it, pickle, cure it. She also gave me a bunch of fun jars (plus some other fun goodies!) The book has a bunch of really great recipies for jams, pickles, meats, cheeses and crackers. I think this will keep me quite busy and hopefully quite full through out the seasons!

Christmas Classics

It seems all of the magazines this time of year have dozens of different types of cookies splashed across their pages. They are all pretty, mouthwatering and no doubt incredibly yummy. As a cookie connoisseur myself, I would love to bake them all. Despite all the new fancy recopies, I always come back to this staple in my family’s house: the sugar cookie.

My mom, sister and I have been making this recipe pretty much my entire life. When I was 3, my preschool teacher asked my mother if she’d make some cookies for our Christmas party. She gave her a recipe. And a tradition was born. Every year the three of us would make these with my dad acting as the official taste tester. It’s a rough job, but someone’s gotta do it.


Sugar Cookies


1 C butter

1 C sugar

1 C powdered sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 C vegetable oil

4 ¼ C sifted flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp vanilla


Mix all the dry ingredients together with a wisk. Mix butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and oil. Add dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix well. Drop by teaspoon onto a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with colored sugar if desired. Bake 9-12 mins at 350. Makes 7 dozen.


Or you can let them cool completely and frost with powdered sugar frosting.


Powdered sugar frosting


Heaping Tbl of soft butter

2 C powdered sugar

Add milk slowing to make right consistency

1 Tbl vanilla

Mix with mixer at high until just right.


From my family to your, enjoy the treats of the season!

A random list on a “short, easy holiday work week”

The hat I made for the hubby’s birthday was too big. Thanks Rebecca for the suggestion of washing/drying it. It’ll either shrink enough to fit either him or myself. I was on the verge of ripping it out and starting over. Not good.

 I’m annoyed/insulted that the car dealership only offered me $200 for my beloved car. So it’s only a1999 Plymouth Neon, but it’s been well taken care of, it’s super clean on the inside thanks to my Type A skills and it’s been loved much. They so don’t deserve Leon the Neon.

 If anyone one in the greater Seattle metro area needs a used car that runs well and has a cd player, drop me an email.

 I’ve lost the recipe for the one dish I was signed up to make tomorrow: homemade cranberry sauce. I know it calls for cranberries, sugar and apple cider vinegar. The rest is a bit of mystery.


Note to self: Google cranberry sauce. Don’t wing it for a family holiday dinner (that last quote courtesy of the hubby.)


Got another massive work project dumped on my plate yesterday.


I may be getting an intern next year to help me out. Am thankful that my boss has recognized that I’m beginning to get just a wee bit overwhelmed with work.


I have to write a show script, find a location for another show and deal with a few other fires before my plane leaves in just a few hours. No problem.


Here’s to a happy, healthy Thanksgiving with not so questionable cranberry sauce and a good bottle of wine to recoup from this “short and easy holiday” week!

Some are keepers; others go straight into the compost

For the past few months I’ve been loving my new subscription of Everyday Foods by Martha. I read it on the bus (yes, that’s how much of a cooking nerd I’ve become, I read cooking magazines on the bus). I’ve tried dozens of new recipes and they have all been delicious and quite easy.


So imagine my surprise when I tried the latest one from the November issue called Beef Stew. As you know, I’m a sucker for a soup recipe and I figured I’d try a meat one for the hubby. But I gotta say, I had my doubts from the beginning.


Now I will admit here, that some of this is partly my fault. I forgot to take the stew meat out of the freezer before going to work that day. I tried to thaw it out before I started cooking it, but I only got part of it thawed and it was getting late. The recipe does take a while so I figured what the hell, and just started cooking. That wasn’t the only problem. The stew base was really a soup base and just so watery. I tried adding garlic. This recipe didn’t call for any garlic and that should have been my first clue. I’m always skeptical of any recipe that doesn’t have garlic because it’s so good….why not have it? I also tossed in some of my standby soup seasonings. Nothing. Didn’t help.


The hubby came home. I explained my concern. He was now concerned as he’d never really seen me this concerned over a meal that I hadn’t even eaten yet. We talked about alternatives. There really weren’t any and besides, I was determined not to let this recipe get to me. I powered on and made the rolls to go with the stew. The same rolls I make all the time. For some reason, they turned out not finished on the inside, and after tossing them back in the oven, I nearly burnt them trying to finish them.


We sat down to eat dinner, both of us filling up on the unburnt portion of rolls. The stew meat was chewy and bland. The “stew” was even blander. The hubby dumped a bunch of his favorite seasonings in his bowl which didn’t really help my self esteem. Or the soup.


In the end, we called this recipe not so good to say the least. Neither of us finished our helping. I was feeling bad for all the time, money, food spent on the recipe, but really, it wasn’t good.


But I managed to cheer myself up with a big bowl of popcorn and by watching Glee that night. And those two things made for quite the tasty dessert.