creative little daisy

What, another food post?

From the girl who doesn't like to cook?

I'm not sure what has come over me of late, but I've been kinda enjoying cooking. It's the new pots I got for Christmas,  from Mitch. Not something I had asked for or really even wanted. So I thought.  I think he may have been given a hint from Alyssa and she picked them out. Between the two of them, they really scored with this gift. I love my new pots! I have better results with what I'm cooking and have in turn enjoyed the process more. I'm enjoying cooking. Did I just say that? Really?

 

Hamburger steak with rice 'n gravy and homemade biscuits.  Not the prettiest of meals, but it sure did taste good. Let me know if you'd like the recipe. I'll make it again and take some pictures along the way. You know, like I'm the Pioneer Woman or something.

The whole lotta cream cheese enchiladas

So, the other day, I saw a link to firehouse chicken enchiladas on Flower Patch Farm Girl's blog and quickly added it to the growing list of things she's cooked that I have to try. I'm such a follower. Anyway, I couldn't find the green enchilada sauce in the one stop light town I live on the outskirts of. And I didn't put in the black olives, so I guess aside from the half a pound of cream cheese, my chicken enchiladas are really nothing like firehouse enchiladas.

 

At this point,  I've added half a block of cream cheese to my shredded chicken + taco seasoning and water and am not sure I should use the whole 8 oz. That seems like an awful lot of cream cheese.

What the heck, I like living dangerously.

 

Creamy, spicy, chicken-y goodness just waiting to be wrapped in a flour tortilla and smothered with more cheese.

This ain't healthy eating, folks.

But it is hot, and bubbly, and saucy, and oh so creamy, and good. Very, very, good!

I really should have made a salad, to offset the bad-for-you-ness of this cheesy pile of fat and cholesterol, but like I said before, I like to live dangerously.

I opened a can of corn instead.

Yep, that's a lot of sour cream too. It's all about living on the edge, I tell ya.

Soup for breakfast

Does anyone else like last night's leftovers for breakfast? Some things are just better the next day, don't ya think? Especially soup. And spaghetti. Meats, like roast... not so much. Chinese food, way better the next day. Pizza, we always order extra so we'll have leftovers for breakfast. I'm not a first thing in the morning breakfast eater though. Soup probably wouldn't be so appetizing at 7am, but by 10 it's pretty darn yummy.

In case I've tempted you with all this talk of yummy soup, here's the recipe (using that word loosely). When I make soup, it's usually just throw in what I have. In this case I had:

A pound of smoked sausage sliced into bite size pieces
One small to medium onion, diced
2 carrots, chopped into small pieces,
A couple cloves of garlic, finely minced
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 can great northern beans
Water
Salt, pepper, oregano (dried), parsley (dried) to taste
Small seashell pasta ( ~ half of a one pound box)

Sautee the onion and carrots in a little oil
Add sausage just to brown slightly
Add garlic, give it a couple stirs to blend everything
Add two to three (maybe more, I didn't measure) cups of water and bouillon cubes
Throw in a large can of crushed tomatoes and a can of great northern beans (or the bean of your choice)
Add some more water if you need to, I just adjust the amount depending on the size of my pot.
Season to your liking with a little salt, pepper, oregano. I also added a few splashes of Tabasco sauce.
While this simmers, cook some small seashell pasta in another pot. Again the amount depends on how much soup you want to make and how much pasta you like in your soup.
After the soup has simmered long enough to soften the carrots, add the cooked, drained pasta let it simmer for another 5 minutes or so, just take care not to let the pasta get mushy, unless you happen to like mushy pasta. I do not.
Some Parmesan cheese on top would be good if you have it. 
Enjoy! Be sure to save some for breakfast.

My new favorite soup and a new view on cooking

I think I've mentioned here before that I don't enjoy cooking. It's kind of funny because I've also mentioned that I come from a family of creative women who love to sew. As accomplished as those women were/are in sewing they are equally talented in the kitchen. My granny loved to cook and everything she made was delicious.

For as long as I can remember, we've had Sunday lunch at my aunt Mary's house. Every Sunday she prepares a HUGE meal, enough to feed 20 people, no matter that there may only be 5 or 6 at the dinner table. She loves to cook.

Somehow that love of cooking had not been passed on to me, or so I thought. Oh, I may be getting ahead of myself. I don't think I'm ready to call what I'm feeling love, but I have had a different feeling about cooking lately. I've not dreaded it so much. I've come to realize that what I dislike is not the cooking itself, it's the thankless job of cooking. The chore of it all. For years I've been responsible for cooking, cleaning, and putting away. (don't feel too sorry for me, I don't do it every night)  Between the kid's school, work and extracurricular activities schedules and Mitch's crazy work hours I've never had a helper in the kitchen. I don't enjoy eating enough to make it worth all the work involved in meal preparation and the subsequent clean up. I'm happy to eat a peanut butter sandwich or a bowl of soup (from a can), but then there are those other folks who live with me.

Alyssa's school schedule allowing her to be home in the evenings coupled with her being a wonderful help while I was sick resulted in me having a partner in the kitchen. Together we have discussed what we'll have for dinner. We've worked together preparing the meal and also worked together cleaning up.  I think there may have even been a time or two when Casey pitched in a little on his nights off.

I know you're probably thinking, "why didn't I recruit helpers before now?" I guess it goes back to my it's easier to do it myself than listen to the griping mentality. I know I've not done anybody any favors but the kids have really had very few responsibilities around the house. With Alyssa school was the first priority, so she was never given many chores to be responsible for. With Casey, it's more an avoidance of the butting of heads that I know will ensue. Again I know that's not good parenting, not doing him any favors, I'm the first to admit that. Just add that to my list (long list) of parenting mistakes, but that's not what this post is supposed to be about. No, it's supposed to be a positive post about a new view on an old chore.

I'm happy to say that I've enjoyed preparing meals the past couple of weeks. Yes it's likely the time spent with my daughter and not so much the cooking I've enjoyed, whatever it is, I think everyone has benefited. I've been able to pass on a little motherly knowledge to my firstborn, my baby girl, and that makes me very happy, even if it does have to be in the kitchen.

Another thing that makes me happy is this soup. I'm a soup lover, especially a light, brothy soup, so when I saw this post I had to give it a try. A quick google search and I found a recipe. I made a couple of changes, I left out the watercress (didn't have any) and added noodles. I wanted rice noodles but again, didn't have any, so angel hair pasta it was. My new favorite comfort food. I'll be making a lot of this and I imagine when Alyssa has a family of her own, she will too.

Cooking is so overrated & Gratitude Friday

I've read a couple of posts lately on the topic of what a craft blog should be. Should they be strictly crafts, showing all pretty stuff and nothing personal?  Should they show the reality of dirty dishes and piles of laundry or are we happy to believe the fantasy? Well, I've got my own bone to pick with a few of you so called crafty bloggers. Quit posting all the beautiful, nutritious meals you prepare for your families. There is no place for such in the craft blog world and you're making lazy cooks like me look bad. Just check out this post. Pesto Seared Salmon? Fillet of Beef au Poivre? Lauren, you're killin' me here! How about hot dogs or sandwiches? Doesn't cereal for dinner sound fun? The only time I get a cookbook out is the rare occasion that I bake. I guess it's not that I don't like to cook as much as I am a poor pre-planner. I'm sure you can't run into the kitchen 10 minutes after everyone is whining they are hungry and whip up Fillet of Beef au Poivre, that is unless Stouffer's is involved. We eat way too many convenience foods and too few fresh vegetables and fruits. I'm sure we consume more cheese in a year than is allowed by law. My family knows about blogs and there is a chance one of them my somehow stumble across the likes of this or this. Is it too much to ask that you keep your fancy little dinners to yourselves? You're bringing me down.

**disclaimer** JOKING FOLKS I love being inspired by all types of domestic talent. Maybe one day all the pretty food pictures and mouthwatering posts will motivate me.....naaahhh.

Now that I have that out of my system I can do gratitude Friday.

• Laughter
• Tears
• Smiles
• Hugs
• Understanding
• Sunshine
• Rain
• Love
• Forgiveness
• Success
• Failure (when there's a lesson to be learned)
• Happiness
• Memories

Gratefull for all...

My Favorite Cake Recipe

The kitchen is not my favorite place. I think I'm an ok cook. I can put food on the table that is edible but I don't get any excitement out of the process. Then there's the cleaning up after. It  makes it all seem so unnecessary. Just order a pizza or make a sandwich and be done with it. That's my philosophy. That said, every now and then I make this cake.

I made it for Kelli for her birthday. And since I am such a Suzie homemaker... hey! I hear you laughing. Stop that! Since I am such a Suzie homemaker I made one for my family. Of course I get some too, but I was doing it unselfishly for the family. It is the best cake EVER. That is if you like a moist, sweet, but not too sweet cake with a hint of chocolate, which I do. So to me it's the best cake EVER. I got the recipe from a book. The Cake Mix Doctor. It is full of cake recipes using a mix but adding ingredients to give more of a made from scratch taste. I've tried a few recipes from the book and they were all very good. This one is Stacy's Chocolate Chip Cake on page 42. I don't follow the recipe exactly because it seems to call for way more chocolate than I want.

I hope I won't get sued for posting the recipe. Try it and then go get the book.

1 bar (4 oz) German Chocolate (I use 4 squares instead of the whole bar)

1 package plain yellow cake mix (don't get one that has pudding in the mix)

1 package (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix

1 cup whole milk

1 cup vegetable oil, canola, safflower, soybean all fine

4 large eggs

1 package (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips. (I use a hand full instead of the whole bag)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

Greese and flour the pan/pans. I use a bundt pan

Grate the German Chocolate with a food processor or hand grater until finely grated. Set aside

Place cake mix, pudding, milk, eggs, and oil in a mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Fold in grated chocolate and mix on medium for 2 minutes more. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into pan/pans

Bake 58-60 minutes.

Let cool about 20 minutes, remove from pan and EAT! I don't think this cake needs any icing. You can ice it if you want. I just cut a big piece and get a glass of milk. Yummy!!

Now that's probably the most you'll hear out of me about cooking. Let me know if you try it.