Cheesy

Not in a bad way.  Yesterday we made not one but two batches of ricotta cheese!  It was the easiest thing in the world to do, and oh so yummy.  It came together in no time flat.  While the baby was sleeping  we pulled the ingredients from the frig.  The cheese was done before he woke up!

They are:
1/2 gallon whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp salt 
3 tbs lemon juice

Bring the first three ingredients to a boil.  Add lemon juice and simmer for two minutes.

The strain over cheese cloth into a bowl, and let drain for an hour.  You can either use it immediately like we did to make a ricotta cheese cake, or you can refrigerated for a few days and use it in your favorite recipe.  We are using the second batch for stuffed shells for dinner tonight!  Try it, it is easy, and the best ricotta I have ever had.

That is a sweet potato!

At the store the other day I ran across some white sweet potatoes! They looked intriguing, so I got two to make mashed sweet potatoes. They were great. I added a bit of butter and some brown sugar, and mashed them until they were mostly smooth. They had a nice flavor. They were sweet, of course that could have been the brown sugar! To compliment the sweet potatoes we had some ham, and brussel sprouts glazed them with a balsamic reduction! Oh how delightful!

It was a rich meal full of flavor and the colors were beautiful too. It would have been just as nice with the regular orange sweet potatoes, but I love to try something new!

Mashed Sweet Potatoes
2 potatoes cubed and boiled
3 tablespoons butter (more if you like them really buttery)
3 tablespoons of brown sugar (more or less to taste)

Mash together. Serve! Yum

Brussel Sprouts
12 sprouts
Bring water to a boil. Add sprouts boil for 7 minutes or so until bright green. Stirring occasionally.

Balsamic Reduction
1/4 balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar (might need a bit more)

Bring to a light boil, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. This can be used on many dishes, but tastes really good on the brussel sprouts.

Ham
Slice and pan fried until warm.

Replacing Kitchen Essentials

Having unpacked about 19 kitchen boxes in our move I realized that I have enough dinnerware to have dinner for 50 or so people. The plates that I have range from old fiestaware to new plates from Crate and Barrel. I thought I had everything one would need for the kitchen, but it turns out that sometimes those things need replacing. One of the items that sorely needs to go is the blender. We were told in no uncertain terms that our blender is junk. After trying to prepare several appetizers in it for a party for 50 people, we realized it was true! The blender is on the list of things to buy.
The food processor is another item that is essential for the kitchen, and we seem to be without! They make the prep work a breeze when preparing a gourmet meal. Perhaps that will go on to the buying list as well. I love being able to shop and compare online. You get such a better selection and all of your questions can be answered quickly. Shopping smarter!

One item that I would never get rid of is my kitchen aide stand mixer which is still in perfect health thankfully. I use it for pretty much everything. If it ever dies it will be on the replace list too!

The "to buy" list is short, but today we are going to look at a bookcase at the antique shop to house all my favorite cookbooks. I have so many, and I would love for them to be close by so that I can just grab it and get those pots and pans flying!
Cooking is so fun, when you have the right tools and a wonderful recipe! Enjoy your kitchen!

Can Silver be Green?

I just got back from the grocery store. I have been putting off the purchase of tin foil, for many weeks. We always try to reuse the foil if it was just used to cover something, but we were out. I don't use it too often, but sometimes I do need it. I was down aisle 10 looking at the hundreds of boxes of aluminum foil, when one boxed jumped out at me. It was not the regular blue and silver, this box was special, it was GREEN. It was Reynold's Wrap 100% recycled foil. I read the box and not only is the foil made from recycled aluminum, but the box, and the interior cardboard roll were also made from recycled materials! How great is that! I went to the website when I returned home, and got the full scoop on this great new product! The foil feels and looks just like the non-recycled foil, I will put it to the test soon, and I will have an update! I figure, if I am going to use this type of thing in the kitchen, it might as well be as green as can be! This is the silver lining I have been waiting for! Thank you Reynold's Wrap for making our kitchen a little more green.

As Nature Intended

Eating foods that are good for you, is as easy as a quick salad. As I was searching the internet for some healthy foods, I ran across this webpage PhytoLife. The page introduces a new buzz word for healthy foods, phytonutrients. Maybe this will become one of the "IT" words of 2009. What they are referring to is plants as food, and they are naturally good for you. We may know this already, but this site presents it in a new way that was very interesting. They have many articles about healthy food, and the article on wine pairing is a must read. Ever wonder what wine you should drink with your rutabagas?


You may know that I like to cook, from previous entries, I find most of my recipes online. It is just easy to search and find an abundance of recipes. On PhytoLife, they have a recipe section, that has a few really interesting dishes. I can't wait to try the Ruby Reds, Feta and Watermelon. The recipe sounds intriguing with some great flavors and phytonutrients to keep you eating healthy. Eating healthy while running around can be hard, but armed with knowledge, it becomes so much easier. I am bookmarking PhytoLife so that I can follow the news on eating fresh, as nature intended.
Thanks PhytoLife

Grab the Tongs--Giveaway

There is a great giveaway over at Katydid and Kid blog. You have the chance to win a fantastic set of folding tongs from Jonathans Wild Cherry Spoons.
The hoops that you have to jump through are minimal for such a a great giveaway. Check it out soon. The contest ends November 22nd.
So hurry over to Katydid and Kid to grab your chance to win the great tongs.

Potato Soup

Last nights dinner experiment was a great success. I could not keep this recipe a secret... Not after the rave review. My DH said it was the best soup he had ever eaten!!!
The roasted garlic and potato soup is going to be one of our staples this winter.

Here is the recipe if you want to try it out:

Threadbeaur's Potato Soup

6 regular potatoes roughly peeled (not peeled all the way) and chopped
half an onion
6 large cloves of garlic

4 cups veggie broth (homemade)
1 tablespoon celery salt
coarse ground black pepper to taste (i used about 7 cranks on the grinder)
kosher salt to taste (I used about a tablespoon or so)
1.5 cup milk

sour cream and cheddar cheese for garnish

Wash peel and chop potato and onion. Place on baking sheet with cloves of garlic (still in skin). Drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 425 for about 20-30 minutes. You want the potatoes to be brown on the edges. You have wiggle room at this point, if you don't have too much time you can take them out of the oven early at the 20 minute mark or leave them in for a bit longer. While the veggies are roasting get a large pot ready with the broth and spices in it. When the potatoes are done put them in the pot with the broth and the spices. Take the garlic out of the skins and put in the pot. Simmer for about 20 minutes. At this point you need to get the blender out to puree the mix. Make sure you get some broth with the potatoes in the blender, or it will be too sticky. Work in batches until all potatoes are smooth.
When your mixture is smooth add milk. Start with 1 cup. Stir to incorporate then if the soup is too thick add the other half cup of milk. Stir over heat until soup is hot. Serve in bowls with a dollop of sour cream and cheddar cheese sprinkled on top.
ENJOY!


We had this with some great polish sausage. I think that the soup would be great with bacon crumbled on top. That is what we will do next time!