Family Recipes

I woke up this morning thinking about food.  Probably because I made pork chops last night and they ended up being really, really salty.  As in so salty I’m not sure I can eat them.   Oops. 

I’ve talked about it before….that long line of southern cooks I come from.  And how I think somehow it skipped me.  I’ve been cooking more and more lately…and have discovered I actually enjoy it.  I still have a few disasters.  And I do wish it were easier to find more simple recipes….but it’s not bad. 

But this morning…I woke up thinking about my childhood favorites.  And how I haven’t mastered them.  And I need to.

• Vegetable soup
• Cornbread
• Talerini
• Sour Cream Enchiladas (totally mastered these J)
• Mexican Rice (check mark)
• Turkey/Chicken Tetrazini
• Potato Salad (I’ve never actually made this when I haven’t been geographically in my mother’s presence)
• Pasta Shell Salad (check mark – and the best bite is right after you mix it and the noodles are still warm)
• Fried Okra
• Fried Chicken
• Baked Beans (I used to be the official baked bean maker at our house, but it’s been years.  Maybe because I only know how to make baked beans in one particular pan that feeds approximately 900 people)
• Pole Beans
• Field Peas with a few okra on top
• Roast Turkey (I might be okay with this one, maybe)

I’m sure I’m missing quite a few recipes.  And will add to the list as I remember.  What about you?  What were your favorite family meals as a kid?

Bucket List Dinner

A longgggg time ago....in the spring...my good friend Aveline and I crossed something off of our bucket lists.  Dinner at Floataway Cafe.  It was so delicious.  Beet salad with avocado, seared scallops with risotto and the second best bread pudding I've ever had.  Here's to more bucket list dinners in the future!

 

Just a teensy weensy tiny bit...

This morning there was the teensy, weensy, tiniest hint of cool in the breeze. Just enough to make me think of fall. Which leads to winter. Which leads to the holidays.


I can’t seem to get it out of my mind now. Cool breezes, falling leaves, cozy clothes, blankets. Oh, I can’t wait. Fall and winter seem to be the time I am most interested in trying new things, particularly crafty things. Here’s what I’m thinking I’d like to do.

Make french onion soup

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Make wreaths, either with yarn or ribbon or burlap

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Have fresh greenery, maybe on the mantle

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Make peppermint candles (or find some to purchase that I can get enough of to last me all year long)

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Make a quilt

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I know, I know…how can I be thinking of this when it’s blazing hot outside? But I just can’t help myself.

Thank you all so much for your sweet comments on Facebook about our little doggie Cosette passing away. I miss her so much already, but I am so thankful we had her for as long as we did. I’m not sure any new dog will ever be as wonderful as she was….

I got bored.

Most people who know me know I’m not the world’s greatest chef. To be honest, I don’t enjoy cooking as much as I think I should. I am a direct descendent of a gaggle of really, really good, southern cooks. Isn’t it hereditary? I thought being a seamstress who could whip out froufy dresses or beautiful quilts in a heartbeat was hereditary, too. I’m still upset about that one. But I digress. Anyhoo, I’ve gotten bored with my cooking repertoire. I mean seriously, when you’re cooking for one….it really comes down to chicken breast, a pork chop, or a rare stake (rare as in not very often, not as in mooing when you eat it - blech) combined with some variation of a “side” dish. Salad, rice, stuffing, vegetables, stir fry. The occaisonal casserole, but seriously, to make it worthwhile, you have to actually eat the whole casserole and I’m only good for a threepeat (three times in one week).

So, back to that bored thing. My momma taught me that only people with no imagination are bored, so I put my noggin' to good use, stumbled around a few cooking blogs, and upped the anty.

Introducing one of my two new favorite foodie blogs …. Iowa Girl Eats. Seriously, love it. First of all, she shops at Trader Joe’s a lot and tries new products. I love Trader Joes, but tend to balk at trying something new especially if it comes from a freezer. I know, weird. But I’ve discovered if she gives it a good review, I’m pretty much in agreement. So, I’ve purchased a few things I would have passed by that have become great staples.

I’ve tried several recipes….all of them wonderful! And all relatively easy. No more chicken and salad for me (well at least for little while).

How about Thai Peanut Noodles? To say I'm obsessed with these noodles is an understatement.  I love asian food, but haven't ever been terribly successful at making it at home with the exception of a simple stir-fry.  But these noodles?  They taste just like they came from a restaurant.  Awesome!
















Whole Wheat Gnocchi with Spinach and Sausage.  My first experience with gnocchi.  It was good.  My only problem with the recipe is the ground up sausage...which is a a textural thing for me.  So, I change it up and used sliced sausage instead.  Worked great!
















Roasted Vegetable Salad with Balsamic Glaze.  Ummmm, yeah.  Perfection on a plate.  My mouth is watering.
















Don't get me started on Roasted Brussell Sprouts.
















Or roasted Teeny Tiny Potatos from Trader Joes.  Cutest little things, huge taste!

I recommend it all.  My tastebuds are happy, and I'm not bored anymore. 

What are you cookin'?

All photos from Iowa Girl Eats