Archive for December, 2009

December 15th, 2009

Martha Stewart Better Watch Her Back!

by LanaJoy

So a few days ago I did a post saying that I was going to be hosting a birthday party for my friend Beverly.  Well, as promised, here is the photographic evidence of my attempt at actually being in charge of some of the food.

The veggie pizza shaped like a Christmas tree (Bev made the star).

The veggie pizza shaped like a Christmas tree (Bev made the star).

Now let me say that I am actually a good logistical planner and have to plan all sorts of things for various work and volunteer projects, but part of that usually involves calling a caterer.  So the morning of the party I got out the recipes for the things I was to be making.  The two main things were the veggie pizza pictured above, and a cheese ball that is supposed to look like a pine cone.  I LOVE cheese balls so I figured this was a good decision.  Well, immediately after looking at the cheese ball recipe which is due to be ready that same evening, I notice a problem in the instructions, “refrigerate overnight.”  Hmmmmmmmmm what to do about this?  Well, rather than get discouraged, I simply decided to make it as it said, and stick it in the freezer and let it firm up that way.  I call Dena to tell her this idea, and after she got done laughing, she of course had to tell me that this was a bad idea because the point of letting it sit overnight is to let all the flavors absorb together.  I was not to be deterred from my plan so I set off to the grocery store to procure the ingredients.  The cheese ball recipe called for a half a teaspoon of dill, and upon noticing that a jar of dill weed is around $8, I made an executive decision to just double the amount of crumbled bacon and add chopped green onions instead.  How bad can cheese, bacon, and onions taste?  Again Dena laughed about this decision, but being hell bent on proving her wrong I continued on.

After I got home I immediately started getting a good crisp on the bacon (recipe calls for 3 pieces I used 6).  Then I mixed an 8 oz. package of cream cheese with 1/2 cup of mayo, added the crumbled bacon, and about 2 or 3 chopped green onions.   Then I slammed it in the freezer for a few hours.  After a couple of hours I took it out, formed it into what I thought was a pine cone, and stuck it back in the freezer a little while longer.  Then about an hour before the party (since it’s supposed to be served at room temperature) I got it out and proceeded to stick some almonds I had toasted in the oven all over it until it looked like a pine cone.   (It takes about 1 1/2 cups, and you just roast them on a cookie sheet for about 20 minutes at 300 degrees until the get some color on them)  A few sprigs of rosemary at the top to make it look realistic, there it was, my glorious pine cone cheese ball.

Realistic AND delicious!

Realistic AND delicious!

So now nothing was left but the process of getting myself ready for the party, which is always the most time consuming part.   Lots of people came by to wish Bev a happy birthday, and quite a few enjoyed my appetizers.  Either that or I gave them so much egg nog they didn’t know the difference, but either way I consider it a success.

A very festive Bev.

A very festive Bev.

Bev goes all out on her holiday decor!

Bev goes all out on her holiday decor!

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December 13th, 2009

It was the best of chicken, it was the worst of chicken…

by Dena

The holiday season is a time for family. Since we have already talked about our mother, father, my mother-in-law, a cousin, and ourselves we thought it time to bring out a few more members of our family.

When we think of the women who marry into our family, a few are stand outs above the rest. For instance, my uncle married a woman when they had both retired and she stands out as being one of the worst cooks/aunts/busybodies I can recall. None of us can forget an instance when a family member passed away and Auntie M was there the whole time as soon as food started arriving. She was crazy about chicken wings and hoarded them all to herself. One evening she scavenged a few away and returned the next day with a pan of her chicken and spaghetti. She had taken some spaghetti, arranged the wings (with bones) on top of six slices of cheese. Someone raked it in the trash when she wasn’t looking. Yes, she was a stand out.

In complete contrast stands my brother’s wife, Melinda. She not only is a great cook, she is cooks huge dinners for our family on most special occasions. Christmas is really the time of year that she shines. Today while I was at their lovely home I admired her festive Christmas decor. Of course, this year she has another reason to celebrate.

RVW 053Her first grandchild!

RVW 003Every part of the house is decorated for Christmas. She has a tree in almost every room. I had to take pictures before she started on making the chicken and spaghetti.

RVW 015Did I mention they live on a farm? They hunt, fish, raise cattle, and kids. (It was in the pasture behind this house that Joy started a fire while cooking. Just FYI)

RVW 013The pictures don’t do justice to show the antlers on the mantle. Nor do they to the rest of the house. Can you see why we have Christmas here?

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Time to get back to the kitchen. Melinda has been no stranger to the kitchen, cooking for her husband and three kids and often, large groups will hire her to cater because she can do such a great job. My brother will make jokes about her cooking at times, saying that her pickles glow in the dark, but nobody could cook for him like she does.  (nobody wants to!)

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Here is a good chicken and spaghetti recipe.

  • 4-6 chicken breasts, boiled and deboned (save broth)
  • 1 family size cream of chicken soup
  • 1 family size cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 1/2 Velveeta cheese
  • 2 cans of rotel
  • med onion (chopped)
  • bell pepper (chopped)
  • garlic powder
  • Mexana Chili Powder
  • 2 lbs spaghette

Add 3 cups of water to broth. Bring to a boil and add onions and peppers, then pasta. Cook until tender. Do not drain. Add soups, chili powder, garlic powder, and rotel. Add the cheese last and then turn to low, stirring often. If not careful, this will scorch. Cook til the cheese is melted.

I had to leave before the finished product was completed. Anything that is more than bony wings with sliced cheese is a keeper around here.

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Merry Christmas!

CategoryOut of the frying pan, Well Seasoned | Comment1 Comment »

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December 10th, 2009

Dena lies—–I can cook!

by LanaJoy

Well, it’s no secret that my cooking skills (or lack thereof) have become the stuff of myth and legend in our family and on this site.  It’s not that I can’t do it at all, it’s just so much easier to run to a restaurant.    Now, you may have read previously on here that the one time I was left in charge of a family cooking episode, it ended with 5 fire trucks coming to the rescue.  I still don’t know what the big deal is.  Nobody got hurt and that acre or two of land grew back greener than ever!

This Saturday, I, along with my friend Steven, are hosting a birthday party for our roomie and good friend Beverly.  She is always having these great parties with lots of great goodies, so now it’s her turn to relax and let us do the hosting.  Now when it comes to planning, Steven is a cross between Hitler and Martha Stewart, and it has been mandated that this party have a Christmas theme.  Even the appetizers I am making have to have a Christmas theme, so after much looking I have found a few that I think I can handle.   I tend to prefer recipes that have minimal ingredients and don’t involve lots of like chopping and stuff.  I don’t spend all this money on manicures for nothing!  So I have a veggie pizza and cheese ball with my name all over it.  And yes, as soon as I complete these tasks there will be photographic evidence posted here!

But in celebration of planning a party with Host-zilla, I mean Steven, here is one of his easiest and best recipes!  Give these candies as gifts and people will think you slaved over them!

  • square pretzels
  • rolos candies (in the bag)
  • pecan halves

Preheat oven to 300.  Take a cookie sheet, arrange as many pretzels as you can on there.  (it’s ok if the sides touch) Place one rolo on each pretzel, then place in oven for about 1 minute.  Pull them out and immediately place a pecan half on each one and press down slightly.  They will flatten out a little bit, and look sort of like a turtle candy with a pretzel on the bottom.  Let these cool and firm up and then you can eat them, serve them, give them as gifts, whatever you like.

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December 9th, 2009

Short Update on Queen Red

by Dena

Some of you may remember that our mother,  the inspiration for Red Velvet Wisdom, has been in the hospital for quite some time. In fact, it was very touch and go for a while. She has been released twice, only to end up back in within a day or so.

Well, she was released yesterday and I do believe she is ready this time. She only has one machine hooked up to her (rather than three) and she is much stronger. She will be home for Christmas!

She’s craving something chicken. I know she’s getting better!

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December 7th, 2009

Meatloaf, just like Mama’s.

by Dena

Writing about my grandparents has brought back many memories of them. As I’ve said before, food was something that was important. Nothing “exotic” was tolerated. My grandfather refused to eat brussel sprouts, claiming that if he wanted cabbage he would eat cabbage.  They never ate any ethnic food, and he thought garlic was poison.

He was a typical meat and potatoes man. When I got out in the world on my own I was excited to take them a meatloaf, to show off my cooking skills. I think my grandmother was down for some surgery and I was trying to help out. I had spent quite a bit of time finding just the right recipe (pre-internet days) and chose a high quality, low fat hamburger meat. He looked at it, took a bite and said, “It tastes just like your Mama Snooks’ meatloaf.”

I was beaming. How wonderful that my first meatloaf tasted like his mother’s own. I loved my great-grandmother dearly, and this was the ultimate compliment. Until……

Yes, there had to be that other shoe drop. He finished his sentence. “It tastes just like your Mama Snooks’ meatloaf. Too DRY.”

Well. I explained that I had used an very low fat meat. He explained that it shouldn’t slice like salami, but almost fall apart, while being moist. He finished by saying that it had a good ’scald’ on it, but needed something else.  I later had to drive all over town finding the perfect red pepper for my grandmother to make a meatloaf, to show me how.

Since then, I have tried to find the perfect meatloaf recipe. To be honest, I think this is one of those things that you have to learn and use a pinch here and there.  I know that I no longer use the leanest meat. I go the next lower.I start with about 2-3 lbs of ground beef.

Next, I add chopped onions, bell peppers, and chopped garlic. I usually use a whole medium onion, most of the bell pepper (saving the rest for topping) and a few buds of garlic.

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If I have access to lots of fresh tomatoes, I use them as well.

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I add this to the meat in a big bowl. Then I add 2 eggs, some catsup, worcestershire sauce,  and a can of tomato paste. Mix this with your hands with the fresh vegetables. Add salt and pepper and then you need a filler. I have used many things over the years. My mother likes crackers or bread crumbs. I think my all time favorite filler was using Grape-Nuts cereal. It gave it an amazing taste. You don’t use too much, maybe 1-1 1/2 cups. My grandmother used oatmeal. I think it is up to your own tastes and how you like the texture.

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I bake it in loaf pan at 350° for almost an hour. I take it out and mix a sauce of catsup, worcestershire, and brown sugar. It spread it on top, add the leftover bell peppers, and bake about 15 minutes more.

Did I bother to take an after picture? No. I forgot. I usually have several people waitin to dig in.

CategoryOut of the frying pan | Comment1 Comment »

December 5th, 2009

Things Our Parents Forbid, No Matter How Old We Are

by Dena

Things we aren’t allowed to do, no matter how old we get.

1) Travel

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My parents have some aversion to leaving the county in which they live. In fact, they really don’t go much outside a 30 mile radius. I live about 50 miles away and that is considered a trip. They take about 2 weeks to plan and execute a visit to my house and only stay about an hour.  About ten years ago my mother had a major heart surgery in Houston. I remember my brother saying that it was a shame she would go through all that for the surgery, only to die in an accident with Dad trying to drive her home in Houston traffic. Somehow, they made it.

2) Alcohol

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My parents never drank. They didn’t like it and you were going to hell if you did it. Unless it was for medicinal purposes, such as the only way to cure anything stomach related is vodka. It doesn’t count. I was very happy to hear a coworker of mine, who is older than me, explaining to her mother why she had beer for beer bread. She borrowed a can, of course. I did too. Really.

3) Cursing

You don’t do it. You don’t watch TV or Movies that have it in there. Only mother is allowed to curse and it is at her discretion. She says she is driven to it by her family.

4)  Tell people that Mom is diabetic.

(oops)

5) Don’t get on the internet.

Perverts are lurking on there, wanting naked pictures and will come to your house. Never put a picture or your name. The only reason anyone would want to go online is to check the weather, forward emails about the president, or check the cattle prices. Anything else is asking for trouble.

038Right, Joy?

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