annie blog

October is the month of all things pumpkin.  Not that it ends with October, but, it seems to start there.

I love, LOVE pumpkin.  Jon used to keep track of all the different pumpkin related things that I ate and drank but I think he gave that up a few years ago.  It would be a lot to keep up with.

There are some new, delicious-looking recipes that I’ve found lately while clicking around……what to make first?

For instance, Smitten Kitchen has these gorgeous pumpkin cinnamon rolls on her site.

Also, Annie’s Eats has these pumpkin spiced latte cupcakes, based on the drink of the same name from Starbucks.  They look amazing.

Or, these pumpkin toffee cookies with salted caramel glaze. Toffee, salted caramel, and pumpkin?  How could that be anything but great?

Verdict:  I think that I’ll start with the cinnamon rolls.

I hope that y’all are having a great Thursday.

Go CARDS!!

P.S.  These aren’t pumpkin…but mini-taquitos with avocado cilantro sauce.  My mouth is watering.

This is about a freezer meal, y’all, and it might be something that you’re doing already.  I was reminded about blogging it today as I was squirreling away a few pieces of bacon in the freezer for later.  Where am I going with this?

My boys are eating a lot these days.  As in, we almost never have leftovers unless I double a recipe.  Now, what I occasionally do have, is a few pieces of bacon and or possibly some leftover chicken.  What I always do when these things happen is that I always put the leftover in a small bag and freeze it — sometimes combining it (in its own small bag) with other sundry ingredients in a larger plastic bag.  Why?  Because from the little here and there leftover you can have a really awesome pizza.

For instance,  with a cup of leftover Huli-Huli chicken, crumbled bacon, barbeque sauce, some thawed pineapple and thawed onion slices, you can have a really wonderful barbeque chicken pizza.

This is common sense, I know, but lately I’ve tried to be more purposeful about it.  So, when I come home and don’t really want to cook all that much, I can pull these things out of the freezer and have a dinner that everyone loves while using food that might have gotten lost and spoiled in the fridge.

Other ways to categorize would be to have a bag for omelet fillers and one for stir fry, too.

I’ve made lots of pizza crusts and there are lots of good ones out there.  I typically use this one from Pioneer Woman.  I don’t refrigerate mine, though, but make it after carpool for dinner the same night.

Okay, that’s all that I’ve got today.  I hope that y’all are having a great Wednesday!

GO CARDS!!!!

Last night, I fell asleep while hemming a skirt.  I woke up, sitting up with the needle in my hand and thimble still on my finger.  So, I shuffled off to brush my teeth and take my allergy meds.  I was walking along, turning off lights as I went, thinking how I would surely be back asleep in no time, still being so drowsy.   This was good, because lately I’ve been getting into bed and then lying awake for awhile — not insomnia but not something that is usual for me.   It was 15 minutes until midnight.

I was on my way to the bedroom when I ran into my 12 year old.  He was up and very alert — wide-eyed.  I asked him what he was doing.  He answered me with the question, “Would you happen to know where the human anatomy textbook is?”

And, all of a sudden, I’m very awake.

Sent him to bed.  Got into bed myself.  All the while wondering, “What?”  Sleep didn’t come soon.

I live with interesting people.

Hi y’all! I hope that you had a good weekend.

We had a good one.  We didn’t go anywhere or do anything extra and I have to say that I enjoyed that a lot.  Looking back at the Saturday, it looks like I actually got a lot done, but I assume that is because I’m mother and people were asking for things.  So, I feel like I had a nothing day even though I ironed and sewed on Boy Scout patches and did laundry.  I suppose that it felt relaxing because between all of that I read a fiction book for the first time since June.

The problem with me and a good fiction book is that I have a hard time putting it down when it is time to cook dinner.  This bunch of boys is hungry, though, and even though I would have gladly eaten some crackers and cheese and kept reading…that wasn’t going to work for them.

So, out of desperation, I tried a quick recipe for the first time and, by its many virtues, it shot right to the top of my make it fast/feed a lot of hungry people/tastes awesome list.

When I was making it, James wandered in and saw the ingredients.  He said, “Are we having tacos?”  I replied that we were having something taco-ish.  He loved the resulting meal and asked for seconds, saying, “May I have some more TacoNess?”  So, TacoNess it is.

It is sort of a casserole and sort of tacos.  No little bowls of toppings are required here, though.  There is also no chopping of onions whatsoever.  If you are really moving fast, or happen to have some pre-browned meat in your freezer, it could be on the table in 30 minutes or so.  So, in general, a lot less work than any enchilada recipe or other mexican food recipe that requires rolling stuff in tortillas.  Not that I don’t love enchiladas or recipes like that.  They just don’t fall under dead easy, in my book.

Make this!  There will be happy people in your house.

TacoNess

Ingredients:

1 pound of ground chuck or ground round

2 cans of rotel (tomatoes and peppers), cans drained but with 1/2 cup of liquid reserved

1 can of refried beans

3 cups of colby jack cheese or mexican blend

one recipe of homemade taco seasoning

12 taco shells (I used white corn)

Preheat your oven to 475.

Cook the beef until it is no longer pink. ( About 5 minutes.)  Drain off any fat.  Add the taco seasoning, the remaining can of rotel, and the reserved juice.   Simmer until the mixture is nearly dry.

While the beef is cooking, in a bowl, combine beans and one can of the drained rotel.  Spread this in the bottom of a 13X9 casserole dish.  Top with 1 cup of cheese. Stand the taco shells upright  in the bean and tomato mixture.  Put a big pinch of cheese (about 1 Tablespoon) in each shell.

After the beef is finished cooking, evenly divide it between the standing taco shells and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and cook for 10 minutes.  Uncover and cook for 6 more minutes until the cheese is bubbly. and browning slightly.

*One note from this lazy cook:  rotel has, by my measurement, about 1/2 cup of liquid per can.  So, next time I won’t be measuring out drained liquid.  I will, instead, be just draining the one can that I add to the refried beans and dumping the whole other can in with the meat.  So, even faster, if you are a lazy non-measurer like I am.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ground oregano
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
Mix in small bowl. (This is equal to 1 1/4 ounce package of commercial taco seasoning.)

The recipe for TacoNess was adapted from a recipe that I received from an email that I occasionally get from America’s Test Kitchen.  I changed the amount of meat (I used less than called for) and the seasoning for the original dish.  I also omitted the one tablespoon of hot sauce that they call for in the recipe.

Happy Monday, y’all!

This is a great meal, y’all.  It is my adaptation of a salad in the wonderful book, Salad for Dinner, by Jeanne Kelley.

This salad is wonderful and has spicy, sweet, and savory elements and lots of crunch, thanks to the cabbage.  I think that it is a nice departure from lettuce and a good thing to make if the greens at the store are lacking.  I usually make it for Jon and me to have for lunch.  So, my boys don’t eat it — but then I haven’t given them the chance.  James is happy when I make it, though, because the ingredients list contains Sriracha sauce which he uses to flavor everything from rice to grilled cheese sandwiches.  Crazy boy.  Anyway, when I intend to have it over several days, I just make a whole recipe of the salad and dressing and divide it accordingly — saving the chopping of the cabbage and cilantro.  The dressing becomes more assertive by the day, but since it is already sort of assertive, I don’t think that is really a big thing.

And, we’re off.

Spicy Peanut Dressing:

1/3 cup natural-style crunchy (or regular) peanut butter

1/3 cup natural rice wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons organic sugar (or use golden brown and pack it)

1 Tablespoon Sriracha sauce

1 large garlic clove, pressed

Slaw:

1 medium head cabbage, thinly sliced

1/2 can pineapple in juice, juice discarded and the pieces chopped into smaller bits

2 carrots, peeled and grated

1 sliced red or yellow bell pepper thinly sliced (optional)

4 thinly sliced green onions

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 – 2 cups leftover shredded chicken (or you can do a pound of shredded rotisserie)

1/2 cup chopped roasted and salted peanuts

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together and season with salt to taste, if needed.

In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, pineapple, carrots, red/yellow bell pepper, green onions and cilantro.  (If you’re making the whole recipe ahead, up to this point can be done 8 hours in advance.)

Add the shredded chicken and dressing to the cabbage mixture and toss to combine.  Season the slaw to taste with salt.  Sprinkle with peanuts and serve.

Happy Monday and Happy 1st of October, y’all!

I love these two house tours.

Both are from DesignSponge.

Both are stunning.

Both are owned by the same person…one is her cottage, one is her house in the city.

What do I love?  The use of color, the use of white, the wood, the artwork, the gorgeous furniture, … basically the everything.

If you want to see for yourself, here’s Amie Weitzman’s Connecticut Cottage (love it all…even the mud room is lovely)  and Amie Weitzman’s NYC Townhouse.

Meanwhile, my son is turning 16 this week and I’m trying to avoid a serious attack of basketcaseitis.  It might be a close one.

Happy Wednesday, y’all!!!

I really like to-do lists.  Lists, in general, are interesting to me.  Especially when the list isn’t mine and the tasks listed aren’t my responsibility.

I saw this to-do list the other day….it is one of Johnny Cash’s.  So funny!  You should give it a look.  I like that he lists also what he isn’t going to do.

Speaking of Johnny, let’s give one of his songs a listen.

Heart of Gold is a good one.

Happy Tuesday, y’all!

I’ve seen a few gorgeous, amazing food items lately….

First, fried guacamole.  Let that knock around in your brain for a minute.  Bonus: they look like lovely little crispy candy wrappers when you’re finished making them.  Awesome!

Also from Joy the Baker, baked chili cheese fries.  Enough said.

Then, there were these two from SmittenKitchen.

First, this beautiful challah bread with figs and olive oil.  I was thinking of going back to my anti-inflammation diet (which means no gluten) and I will — but first I’m going to make and consume this.  Soon.

Also, after the diet bandwagon is again boarded by grumpy dieter, me, I will make this lovely orzo with eggplant and mozzarella.  Of course, I’ll be making it with another grain…I’m thinking brown rice.  Or maybe jasmine.  Either would be good, I think.

That is all, y’all.  Lovely food to try, though!

Happy Monday, y’all!

Why?  Well, I’d have to say that this recipe put me over.  Pumpkin donuts with browned butter glaze and pecans.  Yes, please!!  Sounds great and very Autumn-ish.

Also,  I’ve been wanting to try some of the babycakes gluten free donuts, too.

Sold.

And, for your listening pleasure this Friday, may I suggest Odetta?

Happy Friday, y’all!

I’m not trying to be bossy, y’all, but you really should make these pancakes.

I know that I’ve talked about pancakes on here before.  That is because Barlows love some pancakes.  We have them once a week for dinner.  For years, I used my P-annie Cakes recipe.  It is a good one.  And, if separated from my recipe box or the internet, it will probably be my go-to recipe because the proportions are still knocking around in my brain.  But, if I’m not denied access to this recipe, then it is the one that I’ll be making.

I first found it on the Esquire website.  Just a note:  Esquire food articles are pretty good.  Anyway, the author of the article has a brother who is a chef and can walk into any kitchen and start whipping up glorious food from whatever is on hand.  He (the author) does not have this cooking ability himself, but he does have this recipe for pancakes in his wallet.  He said that he has been carrying it with him for years and that it is always a hit.

So, of course, I had to give it a try.

If you want the original recipe, please click on the link.  This is the recipe with my modifications.  One of the changes was to double it.  (I find that I’m doubling a lot these days….perhaps it has to do with the army I’m feeding.   But, seriously, leftover pancakes are yummy the next day and if you’re going to make a mess in the kitchen, you might as well make extra.)  Also, the only other big change is that I substituted extra-virgin sunflower oil for the butter in the recipe.  This follows my general philosophy about butter that basically goes….if there is butter in something, then I really want to taste it.  I find that we don’t miss the butter in the pancakes because I do cook these with melted butter on the griddle.

Pancakes

2 1/2 cups of flour

5 teaspoons baking powder

4 Tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspooons salt

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups milk

6 Tablespoons sunflower oil

Combine dry.   Beat eggs  in a separate bowl.  Combine oil and milk with beaten eggs.  Mix wet into dry.  Stir until barely mixed.

Happy Thursday, y’all!