Grilled Potatoes and Carrots

This is by no means an "original" recipe. I have seen variations of it at bar-b-ques and picnics, so I don't really know where the credit for it's tastiness should fall. It is however incredibly quick- incredibly tasty- and incredibly easy to make.

Potatoes
Baby Carrots
(any other veggies you may like)
Ranch Seasoning Packet (or 2!)

Wash and cut raw potatoes. I used approximately 8 medium-smallish Yukon golds, but any type/size will work. Just clean enough for your family. Boil potatoes for a few minutes to soften them. You don't want them mushy, just slightly cooked through so they will cook quicker on the grill. You can even do this ahead of time and have them in the fridge, ready to go whenever you are. (You don't have to pre-boil them, but they will definitely take longer to grill if you don't.)

Combine carrots and potatoes. Mix in 1 Ranch Dips packet (I used Hidden Valley). Sometimes I even throw in some salt and pepper.

Make a foil pouch and dump veggies on it. Roll up tight and take it to the grill.
Flip it a couple times to make sure it cooks evenly.

End result:

 yum

Canned vs. Martha Stewart

There was a comment left on my post about apple pie that amused me no end.  The Anonymous commenter had very obviously not read the recipe post, and furthermore, made the point of this blog more apparent to me.  The comment was: "pie filling from a can. way to go martha stewart. "  While I get that there are always people on the Internet that troll for the opportunity to be contrary and really should be ignored, I thought this was a great opportunity to explain why I began this blog.   

There is always room for easy cooking AND a little "Martha Stewart" or Emeril.

From every angle of our lives as women, homemakers, working women and moms, aunts, grandmothers, etc.  There are high expectations that either push us to frustration or make us just give up.  This is even more true when it comes to the kitchen.  This is so sad.  We are hard enough on our selves with out having to endure more fuel to our kitchen woes fire.  Food is what brings families together. In some families, it is all they do together.  If your choice for feeding your family is a bowl of cereal for dinner or eating out, every single night.... well, you're either trying so hard you can't live up to your expectations so you quit, or just not trying at all.  Yet you also don't need to spend hours cooking and creating, make a gorgeous center piece out of what once was belly button lint to add to an $80 meal your kids won't eat.



When I became a wife and mom, I knew how to make very few things.  Sure, I had enough basics to follow a recipe and I knew a few basic recipes by heart.  It wasn't until I began gaining the collective kitchen knowledge of the family my hubby and I had and our more artsy-foodie friends, that I began to realize how much variety and availability each household and situation has.  Not to mention the camaraderie in cooking with other women.  Some of my best friends have shared a kitchen and their table with me and I have been honored to have them at mine.  We can all learn from each other is we put aside those crazy expectations of perfection and just be one of the girls who knows her way around a kitchen.

Some nights you are on the run; some mornings you just don't feel like making a big fuss.  There are those days when you are so sick of coming up with lunch ideas that you want to scream and call the pizza guy.  Then you look at how much you've already called the pizza guy and how much you could have spent eating real food.  Here is a place you can grab an idea and whip something up that enriches your family, your health and your confidence as a homemaker.  Now, if you have time to make it look amazing, then more power to you.

A woman who loves to feed her family is a woman who thinks about other people and what is best for them.  The secret is she doesn't have to break her neck or the bank to do it.

So YEP!  Canned is great if that's what you've got.  Because, be it pie filling or veggies or cream of something casserole, it sure beats Del Taco for the umpteenth time this month, is more nutritious and your family will think you care about them... particularly if you make it look nice.  Think about it.  If you take your kids to a fancy restaurant, tell them to order cheap or split a meal so you can eat nice, it isn't the same as making that same meal in the all you can eat form for 8 people at the cost of one plate at the restaurant.  That makes your kids and hubby happy and you have more money left to do an activity with your family.

I have a load of recipes that make my family feel loved and special and it only takes a little elbow grease, 30 minutes and 10-15 dollars to do it.  And they all agree a place setting is so much more personal than the gift bag full of greasy, who knows what's really in it, here just eat, "food."

Happy Cooking, Ladies!  Oh, and to Anonymous:  Eating good food makes you less grumpy.  You should try one of our recipes.  ;)

Apple Pie

Richard's Grandma said she loved apple pie as dessert for her traditional Irish dinners.  She's no longer with us, but the tradition continues.
I have some odd inability to make a decent pie crust, so I buy mine.

You can be lazy and buy canned pie filling, (this way often lacks flavor) but the best way to make the pie filling is finding tart apples, and following on of the many recipes such as this one by Paula Dean.  I find apple pie filling to be like a bread recipe.  Everyone has a recipe they love, but few of them are truly bad.

The bottom layer needs to be poked with a fork to keep its shape and keep from bubbling.  Trim the outside of the bottom crust so it doesn't go over the sides.

dump pie filling into bottom crust and even out as best as possible.

Place the top layer, centered, on top of the fruit.  Use your fingers to "close the lid" and pinch the crust all the way around.  Sprinkle with sugar.

Use a small, sharp knife, like a paring knife to make air holes.  you can be creative or just make large slits.

Cover crust edges with foil. You do this because the crust will brown well before the middle of the pie is done with out it.  By the time the pie is done, with out foil, the crust will burn on the edges.

Bake at 400 for 20-30 min and remove foil.  Continue to bake until crust is browned.

Voila!

Corned Beef and Cabbage with Potatoes

We have to make this every once in a while for my hubby and kids and their Irish heritage.

This traditional dish is surprisingly one of the easiest to make.

Ready?

You need:

A large pot or crock pot

packaged corned beef with season packet

head of cabbage broken up or chopped

peeled and diced potatoes

water

Dump everything into the pot.  Incluing the juices in the meat package and seasonings from the packet.

This is meant to be boiled, so fill with water to the top of the contents of your pot.

Boil for 4-6 hours in a pot or on high in a crock pot

or on Low in the crock pot over night or for at least 12 hours.

When it is done, the beef will fall apart and be stringy.

the cooked cabbage will blend in with the potatoes.

Corned beef is a great source of Iron.  Corned beef and Cabbage has a ton of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, 1/8 your daily value of calcium,  and Potatoes have potassium.This is a high in sodium meal, but they do have lower sodium Corned beef if you look hard enough.

Traditional Irish Soda Bread Farls



Place a large flat skillet, lightly floured on the stove over medium low heat.

2 C Flour

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Baking Soda (Sifted)

fluff together in a large bowl and make a large hole in the center

1 Cup Buttermilk

fill the hole with the buttermilk and quickly mix into a dough.

Place dough on a floured surface and gently knead into a ball, then press into a disk about 1/2 in thick.

cut disk into 1/4 pieces (Farls)



Place your fourths/Farls on the floured, heated skillet and cook until golden brown (about 5 min) flipping once to brown the other side (another 5-ish minutes)

Think really dense KFC biscuit with butter and jam....but better.  Also, the dough can be fried like a scone or baked into a bread.

Wandering Gypsy Girl Roasted Chicken

What you'll need.

Preheat the oven to 400

In a small bowl combine spice mixture, lemon rind and butter. Spices: cumin, paprika, marjoram, thyme (there should be mostly thyme), S&P. Make a thick paste - this will go between the skin and meat as well as over the top of the skin for flavor and moisture.

Gently lift skin away from meat with fingers. Rub butter mixture in as you go.

Place thinly sliced apples and lemons between the skin and meat (over the herb butter). Layer the apples closest to the skin - the acid from the lemons will help bring out the sugars in the apples to flavor the meat. Stuff the cavity with onion, oranges, lemon, apples, and garlic that have been seasoned with S&P.

In your roaster create a bed for your chicken to cook on (this prevents it from sticking to the bottom - you may also use a rack or insert...but using vegetables and fruit adds far more flavor for the meat and the gravy after).

Saute roughly chopped onion, celery, carrot, lemon, orange, and apples briefly.

Nestle the chicken into the warm vegetables and fruit and cover the chicken with bacon (the fat from the bacon will keep the bird moist without braising. By increasing the initial fat content and cutting out the step for braising you allow the oven door to stay closed through cooking thus allowing for a more even cooking temperature throughout the process.

Cook at 400 for 20min then reduce heat and continue to cook for 20min per pound or until the juices run clear. Remove bacon about 10-20min before you are ready to remove the chicken to allow the outer skin to brown.

Once the juices run clear remove the chicken from the oven. The skin over the fruit will be thin d/t the high acidity.

Remove the chicken from the pan into a bowl breast side down. Allow to rest.

By allowing the chicken to rest breast side down you are allowing the juices to redistribute into the breast meat keeping the bird very moist.

Break down the chicken by removing the breast meat in whole pieces.

Separate the legs, thighs, wings and accessory meat. Serve on a formal platter for parties or separate and store if you are using the meat for other meals/recipes such as some of the leftover makeovers listed previously on the blog.

If serving immediately serve along side a nice bright vegetable such as green beans and a flavorful starch.

Homemade chicken stock

Waste not ... Want not! In my childhood home my mother almost always had something on the stove simmering away. From tomatoes to chicken bones my mother could transform leftovers and extras into delectable freezable's that could be used again and again.

To make Chicken Stock

Remove the giblets, and neck bone (leave the skin on the neck bone/meat). Roughly chop celery, onion, carrots and garlic. (If you are deboning the chicken instead of cooking it whole you can add ALL of the bones to the stock pot. The bones add a great deal of flavor.)

Add all ingredients to a stock pot with 1-2 pads butter, thyme, a bay leaf, and S&P. Saute for 5-10 minutes over medium heat until onions are soft but not burnt. Cover with water, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and then cover with a lid. Simmer over very low heat for a few hours.

Once the stock is rich in color and flavor remove from heat and allow to cool.

Strain stock through a fine mesh screen or cheese cloth.

Discard the vegetables, giblets and bones. You now have a rich flavorful stock that can be used for cooking right away, can be stored in the fridge temporarily, or frozen or canned for longer storage periods.

Wandering Gypsy Girl Fried Red Potatoes

Red potatoes are small, tender and easily cooked in a variety of ways. One of the great things about them is that you can leave the skins on as they cook up beautifully.

Fried Red Potatoes:

Diced red potatoes

1-2 cloves garlic grated or mashed

olive oil (I like extra virgin)

1-2 pads butter

1/4 cup water

S&P to taste

Add olive oil and butter to a medium sized saute pan over medium heat. Add potatoes, S&P and saute for 3-4 min or until potatoes begin to crisp. Add water and cover with a lid. Steam potatoes until just tender. Remove lid and allow remaining of water to cook off. Add garlic paste to pan and toss thoroughly. Saute potatoes with garlic until fragrant and remove from heat before garlic burns.

Serve warm as a side.

Wandering Gypsy Girl Potato Leek Soup

I got the base for this soup from an Irish Pub cookbook (please see earlier post) and felt it could use a little Gypsy Girl flare. Below is how I made it tonight and I thought it turned out delicious. Alter and enhance as you see fit. Happy Cooking!

1 Leek

2 Potatoes

1/2 sweet onion

1can Chicken stock

3 slices bacon

1pkg cream cheese

1/4 cup heavy cream + extra for garnish

1/4 small block cheddar cheese

chives (garnish)

S&P to taste

3 pieces of bacon diced and fried until crisp.

While the bacon is cooking chop up 1 leek (including the majority of the green stock), 1/2 sweet onion, and two potatoes.

Remove bacon from pan when crisp and reserve for garnish at end. Add 2 pads butter to the bacon drippings in the pan and then add the onion, leeks, potatoes and S&P to taste. Saute until onions are soft but not brown.

Add 1 can chicken stock and 1/2 can of water. Cover with lid and simmer 20min or until potatoes are cooked through.

Poor potatoes/leek stock mixture into a food processor or blender. Pulse/blend until smooth.

Melt 1 package cream cheese, 1/4 cup heavy cream and 1/4 of a small block of cheddar cheese (if you have white cheddar that would be great...I went with yellow because it was what I had).

Pour the blended potato leek mixture back into the pan with the cheese and stir until smooth and heated through. If you desire a slightly thinner consistency simply add more cream, milk or stock until the soup is to your liking.

Garnish with cream, chives and crisp bacon bits.

Awesome Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been on a mission for about a year or so now to find the perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. I've been on numerous blogs, Pinterest, Food Network, all the big recipe websites and more. Tried hundreds of recipes and some were great, and some well not so great. Then one day I was looking in an old recipe book I had started when Ryan and I were first married. It was a gift from my only sister Marlo who had shared a dozen or so of her favorite recipes in the front of the recipe book and the rest of the book was blank for me to write recipes down. When I came across this book the other night I started flipping through it. When I found a recipe for CCC's (chocolate chip cookies) that I used to make all the time when the hubs and I were newlyweds.

So I busted out the Kitchen Aid and whipped them up. I had completely forgotten how awesome and soft these cookies were. Not only were they soft but they still had an awesome buttery taste too. They even stayed soft the next day. I wouldn't know about any longer than a day because they didn't last that long ;-) The recipe makes the perfect amount for my little family of 5. OH! And the dough was delightful, cuz you know we all eat the dough by the spoonful am I right?

So now I'm sharing the recipe with you and also making sure I have a digital copy! Enjoy the yummies!

CCC's

1/2 cup shortening (I used the butter flavor cuz why wouldn't you?)
1/2 cup butter (1stick)
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 bag milk chocolate chips (or your favorite chips)

Cream together shortening, butter, sugars and eggs. Add salt, soda, vanilla and flour and mix together. Add the chips last. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

The Dip That Saved Me

I got a Kitchen-Aid Mixer for Christmas. I haven't used it. My oven has been used once since January. My kids are getting sick of pancakes and my husband misses meat. Yes, I am pregnant and am so nauseous that my once beloved past time of cooking for my family has been thrown aside. There is however one thing that I have been craving. It doesn't smell up the whole house and I could eat it by the bucket-load. This dip has literally become my alternative to pancakes and french toast and cold cereal. If it's weird please don't tell me-I don't think I want to know!

Tomato, diced
Large bunch of fresh cilantro, llightly chopped
1/2 stalk green onion, minced
dash or two of lemon juice
handful of chopped black olives
dash of garlic salt

I could eat this stuff straight from the bowl- but then again, I am pregnant. It is also pretty good on corn chips. Matt (my husband) likes to throw in a handful of grated cheese, which is good, but lately- I like it just the way it is.

Pinterest

Who else is in love with Pinterest?!? It is my new online recipe book. A few of us (that I know of) are on Pinterest so you should come follow us! You can find me as TBeautyBox I have lots of food boards. (Ladies of this blog if you want to throw your Pinterests on here ;-) feel free) I was so excited to find a certain recipe last night. It is a Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe from Weight Watchers. I love the recipe and was devastated, but then I never really took the time to track it down again ha! So I was thrilled to come across it on Pinterest last night. The cookies are very low in calories and fat and are delicious. I have yet to make them but I wanted to share the recipe on here with you.

And just a little shameless promotion for myself. I also have a website that is centered around beauty Tristan's Beauty Box  I do video makeup and hair tutorials and other fun videos. I post product reviews and such. It is a lot of fun! You can also add my website to your Google Readers by copying and pasting the address into your subscriptions. Thanks!! www.tristansbeautybox.com 

WW Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
– 2 tbsp light butter, softened
 - 2 tsp canola oil
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, dark-variety
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp table salt
- 1 large egg white
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 3 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips, about 1/2 cup

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
In a medium bowl, cream together butter, oil and sugar. Add vanilla, salt and egg white; mix thoroughly to combine.
In a small bowl, mix together flour and baking soda; stir into batter. Add chocolate chips to batter; stir to distribute evenly throughout.
Drop rounded half-teaspoons of dough onto one or two large nonstick baking sheets, leaving a small amount of space between each cookie. Bake cookies until golden around edges, about 4 to 6 minutes; cool on a wire rack. Makes 24 servings.
Serving size is 2 cookies
Each serving = 1 Weight Watchers Point

Loaded Cheesy Rice

2 Cups of Uncooked Rice

Make according to directions with Chicken broth instead of water and adding some minced onion

Melt in about 2 Cups of Cheddar Cheese.  (Enough to coat all of the rice)

Place in bowls topped with sour cream and bacon bits

This was not an all around hit in our house.  Exactly half and half, actually.  It tastes like the rice version of a loaded baked potato.  I dug it, personally, but the potato purists felt it would be better to stick with the good stuff.  LOL

If I ever make this rice again, I think I might add broccoli.



Crock Pot Cajun chicken

I found this recipoe HERE along with a ton of other Crock Pot recipes.

11/2 to 2	lb.	meaty chicken (breasts, thighs, drumsticks)
		non-stick spray coating
2	tbsp.	nonfat milk
2	tbsp.	onion powder
1/2	tsp.	dried thyme, crushed
1/4	tsp.	garlic salt
1/4	tsp.	white pepper
1/4	tsp.	black pepper

Remove skin from chicken. Rinse chicken, pat dry. Spray inside of Crockery Pot with nonstick coating. Arrange the chicken, meaty sides up in Crockery Pot. Brush with milk. In small bowl mix onion powder, thyme, garlic salt, white pepper and black pepper. Sprinkle over chicken. Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours (high 4 to 5 hours) until the chicken is tender and no longer pink.



What are you looking for when there is nothing to find?

You ever spend a ton of time staring at the fridge or pantry, only to close the door, and come back a few minutes later to nothing?  There's nothing there that you want.  It can be frustrating.  What are you looking for?

My doctor told me we are often thirsty when we go foraging for munchies.  It seems to be true for me.  Instead of looking in the pantry, go to your sink and get one of your 8-10 glasses of water for the day.  It helps your digestion, complexion, and puts you in a better mood.  We get dehydrated easier than we think and drinking more fluids helps head aches and dizziness more often than not.

And a plus side?  When you drink the water you are supposed to be having, you aren't eating all of those extra calories.  So stop looking for things that aren't there and be healthier!  

(On a side note, I've been really thirsty lately...  I think I have a non-alcoholic drinking problem.  LOL)

Traditional Irish Potato Leek Soup

I tried this new recipe from a cook book I received for Christmas (and impressively I only made one change to the recipe) - It turned out wonderfully and so I'm sharing here.

Serves 4-6

4tbsp butter

1 onion chopped

3 leeks, sliced (from the base to about 1/4-1/2 way up the green stocks)

2-3 potatoes (depending on size) sliced

3 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock (I used one box or organic chicken stock)

S&P to taste

2/3 cups heavy cream, to serve (optional)

2tbsp snipped fresh chives to garnish

(I added one half package of cream cheese)

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks, onion and potatoes to pot and saute until onions and leeks are softened. Poor in stock, bring to a boil, the reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Transfer mixture to a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Return contents to pot, add softened cream cheese and S&P. Combine contents thoroughly and bring back up to temp.

Ladle into soup bowls, swirl with heavy cream and garnish with chives.

A Girls Best Friend

Carrie and I have found on more than one occasion that some of our best work (cleaning or cooking) is accomplished while we are on the phone with one anther. The kids are at school or have gone to bed (I may be up late because I have to work the next day) and laundry needs to be folded or the dishes need to be put away, or we need to make dinners or birthday cakes etc. BUT we've been working or cleaning or cooking or running after others all day and we are less than inspired.

Sometimes the best inspiration is a sister or best friend. Once on the phone we encourage one another to finish our tasks and at the same time entertain one another through the process with stories from the previous few days. Before we know it we're laughing and catching up and the laundry or dishes have practically done themselves.

Next time you find yourself staring down a pile of work and feeling less than inspired...grab your phone and get to gabbing! Before you know it the work will be done :-)

Cumin Tomato Rice

Basmati Rice

Butter

Tomato diced

Cumin seeds

Cumin powder

Turmeric (just a pinch for color)

S&P to taste

Follow the instructions on the package for the basmati rice. Add cumin seeds, and some cumin powder to the water and butter while the rice is cooking. After the rice is cooked through taste and add extra cumin powder S&P to taste. Dice up tomato (either one large or a handful of cherry tomato's) and add to rice.

-Enjoy

Weekly cooking

I've been working nights at the hospital for almost a year now and find that it can be very difficult to get myself motivated to cook when I work multiple shifts in a row. By the time I get home from a 12 hour shift I am less then inspired to a whole lot more than shower and sleep. Unfortunately not cooking can be very hard on the pocket book.

Taking a page from my mothers book (who is a very smart woman who successfully raised three very busy young girls on a budget) I spent the evening on a day off cooking and preparing for the days ahead.

I love cooking and so I took the time to pick out new recipes to try. However, If you aren't a huge fan of spending hours cooking -going with fast and easy go to meals works very well for this! By picking a single day to dedicate some time cooking...you can save yourself hours of time the rest of the week. You can prepare packed lunches as well as dinners for at home. If you want to make a more than will keep in the fridge for a few days...try a few freezable classics for the end of the week.

Curry or Vindaloo Chicken

I've recently been inspired to learn to make Indian food. A friend from work who is actually from India has been giving me tips and tricks and I have come to learn the basic make up of most curries is essentially the same - from Vindaloo to Masala to Green Coconut Curry the big difference comes in the combination of spices and the finish.

Start with the basics - your choice of meat (you can use chicken, turnkey, pork, lamb) onions, garlic, ginger, and the combination of spices you are using. I like using the microplane grater for the garlic and ginger.

Saute onions until very soft and slightly brown. Add garlic and ginger last and only cook a few moments to prevent burning.

Add spices (and if making masala add the tomato paste here too). Make a thick paste with the onions and then after cooking the spices though a few moments add in the meat.

Add the stock to allow for enough moisture to simmer the meat and prevent the spices from being burned. The longer and slower the meat simmers the more tender it is.

Using a spatula or spoon keep the mixture moving. If you walk away the mixture will burn and stick to the bottom of the pot creating a burnt flavor.

Once cooked through taste and add additional S&P as well as any heat spices such as cayenne or red curry to taste.

If you are making masala add the heavy whipping cream here. If you are making green curry add the coconut milk here. - Wait to add the cream until after the meat is cooked all the way through. Simmer for a few moments after adding and then plate while hot.

Serve over rice and garnish with a bright green herb (cilantro is a very popular choice in Indian cuisine). Traditionally curries are served with Naan or rice pancakes and with yogurt. When eating you add the yogurt to the meat and rice to help make the mixture creamy and to cool off any heat from the spices that may be a little to hot.

Chicken Masala

2lbs boneless chicken diced into bite sized pieces.

1 large yellow sweet onion diced small.

2 cloves garlic diced or mashed into a paste

1/2 tsp fresh ginger

5tbl EVOO

3tbl butter

1 small can tomato paste

chicken stock as needed

Heavy cream

4tbl masala spice mix

1/2 tbl turmeric

S&P to taste

cayenne or spicy red curry to taste (for heat)

Suate diced onion's in oil and butter until soft and slightly brown (not burned or crispy). Add garlic and ginger- saute until fragrant. Add spices and cook through but be careful not to burn.

Add can of tomato paste and combine thoroughly.

Add chicken to the pot and add 1/2-1 cup chicken stock to help all spices to coat chicken. Simmer until cooked through.

Add more chicken stock until you have a good amount of gravy. Slowly stir in heavy cream. Add S&P and any additional cayenne to taste.

Serve over Basmati rice and naan.

Garnish with cilantro or parsley.