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Inspiration: Holiday Cyber Cookies

4 Dec

Love everything about fresh baked cookies except the actual work of baking them?

Wish you had the energy to make and send some far away to loved ones?

Well, now you can – sort of! The geniuses over at Better Homes and Gardens have just developed a great new website feature:

All you do is frost and decorate your cookie with all the neat colors and cookie shapes (this is WAY easier said than done, mine looks like I had a blindfold on, and I pride myself on my frosting skills):

And then you can send it out to whomever you like!  This is what they get, with your personalized message:

So, what are you waiting for? Go to the Create a Cookie factory and send me something! Just make sure it’s not too good – I might bite the computer screen!

UPDATE: where have I been?

3 Dec

Hi guys! Sorry if it seems I’ve dropped off the face of the Earth recently. Of course with Thanksgiving, we were all occupied for a handful of days. And now that we’re back in the swing of things, at least for the next few weeks, I’m a busy bee!

I have been attending events, cooking, baking and asking lots of questions, and with those activities, I’ve been taking pictures and videos to share.

Of course, that means I have to upload it all. I’ve been making progress on it, but it’s been a long process for some reason (YouTube was slow, etc.).

So, I’ve got some great posts coming up, this week and next, and hope that you enjoy what I’ve been up to.

I would love to put a call out there to anyone reading to ask for potential guest posts for the holiday season.  Things I’d like to see guest posts on could include:

  • Holiday tradition dishes
  • Dumpster dishes you always end up making post holidays
  • Your “go-to” dish or appetizer you take to parties
  • Plans to eat somewhere cool this season
  • Questions about how to cut corners on time and money when cooking for parties or groups this season
  • Whatever else you can think of!

So, stay tuned, and please let me know if you have something you’d like me to do a post on, or if you would like to do a guest post with me!

I love this time of year, and can’t wait to show you all I’m up to!

-Siiri

Secret Trick: Top turkey tips (and other quick ideas)

24 Nov

Again, I have been reading the Better Homes and Gardens website lately, and they have some great tips for holiday prep, I really thought I should pass on:

Tip 1: Carving the turkey

Carving a turkey

You might not be cooking it yourself, but if you’re going to someone’s house, many times they have a guest carve it, or alternatively, NO ONE knows how. So, show your expertise here by jumping in and impressing the crowd!

Tip 2: Thaw it out!

Putting a frozen turkey in refrigerator

No use in attempting to cook it if you forgot to thaw it out in advance right? There’s a couple things to remember when thawing, so this would be a good tip to remember!

Tip 3: Mashing it so good

Assortment of Potatoes

Everyone thinks mashed potatoes are the easiest side dish to make. And they can be, but they can also be very easily ruined (I would know, I’ve done it before). So take a minute to commit this tip to memory.

Tip 4: THE MOST IMPORTANT – Turkey Gravy

Making turkey gravy

Seriously, this is the MOST IMPORTANT dish at the table. I don’t care what anyone says. I’ve been making gravy from scratch for years, and it is hands down the best thing EVER. (don’t even bother arguing this point with me, all you’ll get is a blank stare, followed by a spoonful of my gravy to shut you up).  It also happens to be SO easy to make. Don’t skimp, don’t use a packet. Use what that poor bird gave you. You’re servin’ him up for dinner, at least let him keep his dignity by impresssing you with his tasty gravy bits.

Their recipe for turkey gravy isn’t exactly what I do, but it’s close enough and easy to follow. (I add fat free half and half and a bit of water instead of chicken broth, but i like the chicken broth idea and will try that this year. Also, 1/4 cup of the FAT?!?! Yeah, keep the difibrulator near by, kay? you don’t need that fat.  I only use 2 tablespoons and dump the rest of the fat leaving the broth juices behind for the gravy. This way, you can use more gravy on your taters, and not feel badly about it!)

Gobble Gobble!

(All tip pictures from Better Homes and Garden Tips articles.  www.bhg.com)

Very Scary: blood and death apples

21 Oct

Okay, many things:

Matt Armendariz Donut

1. I found my new food lust: www.mattbites.com

spooky-apples

2. On my new food lust site, they posted the BEST Halloween recipe I’ve seen this year: http://mattbites.com/2009/10/13/adams-scary-apples/

3. Paul loves apples, Paul LOVES candy. I will try to make these (if I can get my act together enough to get a candy thermo and black food coloring!)

Secret Trick: yogurt

14 Oct

I have a few secret tricks I keep in my back pocket for anytime I’m making a meal or dish that either has a recipe or that I’m winging.

Secret Trick for this week: yogurt.  It’s your new best friend, didn’t you know?

 Nancy's Yogurt

I don’t mean the kind you eat at breakfast that comes in a tiny portion cup for $0.89 at the store. I mean plain, nonfat, unsweetened yogurt.  You might not want to eat it plain this way, but it makes one hell of an ingredient and substitutor.

You will notice when I post recipes or ideas on A Half Cup, many times yogurt will be an ingredient. IT IS SUCH A WORK HORSE.

For $2.99 (give or take), you can buy a quart of nonfat, plain yogurt.  And here’s some of the things you can do with it, over it’s pretty long shelf life in your fridge (usually mine lasts me almost three weeks):

Substitute for: butter, oil, shortening

Add to: soups, salad dressing, frosting, cheese-based dishes (like lasagna)

You can also dump it into a strainer lined with a cheesecloth or a cotton (non terry) dish towel and drain the water out of it to make a thicker dip.

Or my all time favorite, you can freeze it and make homemade frozen yogurt! YUMMMMMMMMMMMMM, but also BRRRRRRRRR!

Greek Gods Yogurt

There are a few kinds of yogurt that are great to have on hand: plain nonfat, nonfat greek, and whole fat (although use that whole fat very sparingly if you’re watching your intake).

If you’re not currently using, buying or trying yogurt, give it a chance! It’s cheap, lasts a long time, and (duh) it’s really good for you. Unless you’re lactose intolerant…..in that case, you can use soy pudding (which is creamy like yogurt, but made from tofu)

Have questions? Want a recipe that uses yogurt or soy pudding? GIMME A SHOUT!

Inspiration: making something for next to nothing!

14 Oct

If you ever find yourself walking through the store, uninspired, or having the “blahs,” fear not.  It happens to the best of us.  The only thing worse than going to the store on an empty stomach (can you say IMPULSE shopping?!?!), is going to the store and not wanting to buy, cook, or eat anything you see.

What to do?  Simple.  I go straight to the butcher, produce manager or deli lady (or man), and say to them “What looks good today? I’m bored, feeling indifferent, and don’t have a lot of money to spend.  What would you recommend?”

5. Butcher

You’d be really surprised how many great recommendations they’ll offer up.  They know what’s the freshest, they also know what’s on sale. And if you tell them you’re doin’ it on the cheap, they’re more than happy to come out from behind the counter, and be your instant personal shopper.

Bottom line?  They LOVE to help, they love to talk and they love to share ideas. 

All you really need is one good idea from one of those departments, and you can instantly shape a no-recipe meal around that one good idea!

So take advantage of your local store department managers, or in the case of a produce stand, talk to the person that’s cleaning the produce, ask them how they cook it at home. You might be surprised what answers you get.

Great Success!

13 Oct

So I just wanted to touch back and let you all know that Paul made the Tomato Chicken Bake last night to much acclaim. He said it was easy (YAY!), and that everyone loved it, ate it right up, and told him how good it was (Double YAY!!).

He didn’t give me any constructive feedback, so I might have to make it myself and see if there’s anything I’d do differently in the future. Stay tuned, and happy Tuesday!

A case of the Mondays

13 Oct

So tonight, Paul (boyfriend), needs a recipe for Nerd Night.

What is Nerd Night? Glad you asked. Without giving too much away, and at the risk of embarassing him, Nerd Night is usually a Monday night when a bunch of the guys get together at one of their condos and watch football, play nerdy fantasy card games (MTG anyone?) and hang out.

Tonight Paul’s hosting, but he doesn’t get off work till 7:30, and the guys will be there at 8! That means he really needs a recipe that will feed the masses (usually 4-8 guys) that is little to no prep, and hands off, so he’s not in the kitchen much.

Here’s the recipe I left him for tonight:

Chicken Tomato Bake

PICT2101

Easy, hands off, done in an hour.  If you’re making 8 chicken breasts, you can either double the tomato sauce, or add chicken stalk or water to expand the marinade.

Ingredients:

4-8 chicken breasts (frozen)
1 can tomato sauce or tomato soup
1/2c red wine (anything is fine, even if it’s past drinkable)
1tsp. Poultry seasoning
1tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2tsp. Cayenne pepper
1tsp. Garlic powder
1tbsp. Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Grated white cheese (parm, jack, mozarella, blue, goat, feta, whateva)

Directions:

1. You’ll have two casserole dishes, so you’ll either want to put them side by side on the middle rack, or you’ll put on one each rack, and split those racks so they’re evenly spaced in the oven.
2. Pre-heat your oven to 400F.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, dump:
 a. Tomato sauce
 b. Red wine
 c. Poultry seasoning
 d. Italian seasoning
 e. Garlic powder
 f. Olive oil
 g. Pinch salt and pepper
 h. Cayenne pepper
 
4. Place chicken breasts (frozen) in baking dish (you can spray the bottom, but it’s not totally necessary).  If you are serving 6-8ppl, you might need to split your chicken into two dishes.
5. Pour half the mixture over each batch of chicken (or all the mixture if just one dish).
6. Cover each piece of chicken with a bit of cheese. It will melt into the sauce so don’t use too much, or it’ll melt off and go to waste.
7. Cover tightly with tin foil (crimp edges).
8. Place on the center of the rack (or even space them if using multiple dishes).
9. Put in oven quickly, don’t let the heat escape.
10. Cook for 40 minutes. Do NOT open the oven. (If you have to use two racks, then set the timer for 20 minutes, switch the dishes top to bottom at the 20 minute mark and reset the time for another 20 minutes).
11. At 40 minutes, take one batch out (quickly shut the oven door). Remove tin foil and check the thickest part of the thickest breast for doneness.
12. If not done, replace for an additional 10 minutes.
13. Serve immediately with more cheese for people to doctor up their own servings.

 

I don’t have a picture of this one yet, sorry to say. But, please feel free to make this the next time you or someone you know is having a case of the Mondays, and send me your feedback! Did you like it? Did it bomb?! Did you modify or adapt? I’d love to use your feedback to alter this recipe for future use.

Thanks and here’s to a quick and painless end to this cold, cold day!

But then again…..maybe a cup full.

12 Oct

Welcome to my first post of what I hope will become a very fruitful resource for people seeking easy, fresh, quick recipes for every night, entertaining nights, family dinners, take-alongs, baking, and “Dumpster Dishes” (getting rid of what’s in the fridge and cupboard so nothing goes to waste!).

As time goes by, I’ll develop more categories for posts, and as with life, not everything will fit into a category I’ve created! (But isn’t that half the fun???)

I’ll share my own recipes with you all, and welcome the constant feedback and growing wealth of knowledge of you, the true foodies of the world!

For starters:

Here’s a great recipe I made recently, from the ever fabulous Better Homes cook book, with my own substitutions and additions!

Cappuccino Crinkle Chip Cookies

Ingredients

2Tbsp  softened butter
1  cup packed brown sugar
2/3  cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1  tablespoon instant coffee granules (I use 2 packets Italian Roast Starbucks VIA ReadyBrew)
1  teaspoon baking soda
1  teaspoon ground cinnamon
2  egg whites
1/2  cup nonfat yogurt
1-1/2  cups all-purpose flour (you can use gluten free also, works great)
1  cup granulated sugar (don’t worry, not going into recipe, only for dusting)

(I also added 1/2 to 1 cup peanut butter chips at the end of mixing.)

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the brown sugar, beat for 4 minutes (trust me, this is a secret technique that will change your cookie life).  Add cocoa powder, coffee granules, baking soda, and cinnamon, beat until combined, scraping sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in egg whites and yogurt until combined. Beat in the flour in 3-4 batches. Don’t over mix after last batch. Stir in chips.

2. Place granulated sugar in a wide mouthed bowl (too small and you can’t work very well). Drop dough by heaping teaspoons into sugar and roll into balls till covered well. Place balls 2 inches apart (seriously, don’t skimp on this or they’ll bleed together) on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are firm. Transfer cookies to wire racks and cool. Makes about 32.

Make-Ahead Tip: Place in layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature up to 1 week or freeze up to 3 months.

And here’s the link to their version: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/cookies/cappuccino-crinkles/

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