For one of the holiday events we went to, I was assigned a potato dish. I made this one up and it was really, really good. I took a photo of this, but we’ve had yet another camera malfunction. The camera somehow got set on panorama and it doesn’t save the photo unless you take 3 all in a row to make the panorama. Sigh. I am going to find the time to sit down with the instruction book for this camera if it kills me.

Cheesy Garlic Smashed Potatoes
Boil 5 lbs red potatoes until tender. Pull the skin off 2/3 of the potatoes. Smash with 1 stick of unsalted butter, 4 garlic cloves (finely chopped), the tops of 4 scallions (thinly sliced), 1/2 cup cream, 1/2 container sour cream, salt and pepper, 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese, and 1 cup grated herb and garlic jack cheese (you can substitute any other cheese you want for this). Smash, but don’t mash the potatoes. You can keep this hot in a baking dish in the oven until ready to serve. If you do so, sprinkle the top with paprika. Serves 10.

For one of the holiday events we went to, I was assigned a potato dish. I made this one up and it was really, really good. I took a photo of this, but we’ve had yet another camera malfunction. The camera somehow got set on panorama and it doesn’t save the photo unless you take … Read more →

A couple of weeks ago, I tried the Chicken Paillards from January Martha Stewart Living, but it wasn’t a success. I decided to give Martha another chance and made Pork Paillards from the same article. This one was a winner, gang!

You start with a pork tenderloin and trim it (something I admit I’ve never done before). You then slice it into 1/2 inch pieces and then pound them to about 1/4 inch. This went very smoothly.

You cook the pork in grapeseed oil (which I specifically bought for this). Once that’s done, you take it out and add white wine. I had none but found a dusty old bottle of champagne in the basement (we don’t drink, but someone must have given it to me a long time ago). I used 1/4 cup of that. Scrape up the bits and reduce the wine, then add 1/2 cup chicken stock. Reduce that, then add 3/4 cup sour cream and 1/4 tsp smoked paprika. I got some smoked paprika for Christmas so I was excited to try it.

I served this over whole wheat egg noodles. I loved it. I am a big fan of beef stroganoff and this was like the pork version. The smoked paprika gave it a really interesting, deep flavor. The pork was thin and tender. I would definitely make this again!

A couple of weeks ago, I tried the Chicken Paillards from January Martha Stewart Living, but it wasn’t a success. I decided to give Martha another chance and made Pork Paillards from the same article. This one was a winner, gang! You start with a pork tenderloin and trim it (something I admit I’ve never … Read more →

Happy New Year! 2010 is here and to help ring it in, we had our traditional fondue party last night. We’ve been doing this for years. It started as something fun to do while we were home with small kids and has now become a tradition among our daughter’s friends, who come every year. I like it because it gives a purpose to the holiday for me and we have fun food, and then I can go to bed at 10!

In addition to the cheese and chocolate fondue, this year I made some appetizers. I made cocktail wieners – so not Martha but a kitschy thing I like to make. It’s very simple – mix a bag of mini wieners with half a jar of grape jelly and half a bottle of chili sauce and heat it up.

I also made stuffed mushrooms. I used baby bella mushrooms and filled them with a mix of crabmeat, cream cheese, mustard, dill, lemon juice, bread crumbs and salt and pepper. I put the mushrooms in a baking dish and just covered the bottom with chicken broth. I covered it and baked for 15 min at 400.

I bought a bag of mini vegetable egg rolls and served those with sweet and sour sauce. Then I made up a puff pastry item (channeling my inner Martha). I started with two sheets of puff pastry, which I rolled out to make a bit thinner. Then I mixed 3/4 jar of pesto with 8 oz. of goat cheese in the Cuisinart with some pepper. I spread this mix on the puff pastry and then placed prosciutto on top (I used about 12 pieces of paper thin prosciutto). I rolled them into logs, sealed the edges with water, and refrigerated (a trick I learned from Martha). Then I sliced them and baked at 350 for about 10-15 minutes until they were brown and cooked through. I liked them, but thought they were a little salty.

The fondue went well, but as always it is hours of cutting up food! With the cheese, I served: ham, chicken sausage, marinated chicken breasts, French bread, pumpernickel/rye, pear, apple, grapes, cherry tomato, broccoli, and cauliflower. With the chocolate: pretzel logs, graham crackers, marshmallows, pineapple, blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, banana, tangerine, rice krispies, pound cake, chocolate chip cookies, brownies, and chocolate chip biscotti. We had rainbow sprinkles, chopped nuts, and chopped white chocolate to roll things in as well. Beverages were sparking apple juice, sparkling white grape juice, sparkling red grape juice and cola. We had a bottle of sparkling apple pomegranate juice, but the screw top lid was stuck and when Mr. MarthaAndMe finally got it off, it ended up breaking the top of the bottle off, so we had to toss that one.

I loved the way my table looked, even if it was not up to Martha’s standards. I used my gold tablecloth. I went to the party store and bought plates, cups, and napkins that say Happy New Year. I bought a string of New Year garland which went down the center of the table. Each person got a hat, a noisemaker and two little champagne poppers. Also in the center of the table I placed a few different metal noisemakers, a big horn, a little gold hat and a feathered New Year’s tiara. It looked festive and cute.

Happy New Year! 2010 is here and to help ring it in, we had our traditional fondue party last night. We’ve been doing this for years. It started as something fun to do while we were home with small kids and has now become a tradition among our daughter’s friends, who come every year. I … Read more →

I’m loving the Jan/Feb Everyday Food issue with lots of light dinner ideas. I tried the Herbed Orzo. This is possibly the simplest recipe in the world. Boil a cup of orzo. Add 3 tbsp chopped herbs (any kind) and 2 tsp lemon juice and salt and pepper. That’s it. I did add some olive oil to the cooking water which keeps the orzo from sticking together and gave it a little flavor. We grated a tiny bit of Parmesan cheese on top when we ate it. This was nice and light and fresh and was pasta without being a heavy pasta dish. Orzo cooks so quickly since it’s small that this is perfect for a last minute thrown together dinner. You could dress it up with some sauteed spinach or cherry tomatoes if you wanted some more veggies.

I’m loving the Jan/Feb Everyday Food issue with lots of light dinner ideas. I tried the Herbed Orzo. This is possibly the simplest recipe in the world. Boil a cup of orzo. Add 3 tbsp chopped herbs (any kind) and 2 tsp lemon juice and salt and pepper. That’s it. I did add some olive … Read more →

Hello everyone. I’m back. Or mostly back. I was really thrown for a loop when I pulled all of my stomach muscles on the right side lifting a laundry basket. It was so ridiculous. I couldn’t believe how badly hurt I really was. Almost two weeks later, I am back to normal activities for the most part.

For my first real foray into the kitchen since the injury (Mr. MarthaAndMe did all the Christmas cooking as I sat on a stool and offered instruction), I made a recipe from the Jan/Feb issue of Everyday Food. I am a subscriber, but this issue came to me early from MSLO. There’s an interesting section on parchment paper cooking I wanted to try out. I made Salmon with Green Beans and Lemon Zest. I remember trying parchment paper cooking once when we were first married and it got a little scorched!

This dish was easy to put together – put your salmon fillets on the paper, add green beans, lemon zest, some capers, salt and pepper and  a little olive oil. Fold the paper over and twist the ends. Bake at 400 for about 10-12 minutes. That’s it. I was actually pretty impressed with it. My salmon got a little overcooked (the problem with this is you can’t check it for doneness without ripping the paper), but other than I did enjoy it. We squeezed some lemon juice over it when we ate it since it needed more lemon flavor. I actually liked the capers and enjoyed the green beans with it. I like having most of dinner in a cute little package like this  – it’s very appealing somehow.

I want to try some of the other parchment paper recipes, so check back for those results in the coming days.

Hello everyone. I’m back. Or mostly back. I was really thrown for a loop when I pulled all of my stomach muscles on the right side lifting a laundry basket. It was so ridiculous. I couldn’t believe how badly hurt I really was. Almost two weeks later, I am back to normal activities for the … Read more →

My grandmother made the world’s best sugar cookies. I’ve never tasted any like them, ever. Her cookies are soft, moist, and delicate. Because I grew up eating these, I have been spoiled and don’t care for the harder sugar cookies most people seem to make. The key ingredient is buttermilk, which makes for a soft dough, but is also responsible for the texture and flavor. Because of the soft texture, you need to make this dough, then freeze it completely before you attempt to roll it out and cut it out. There are many family stories about this. One year my aunt took the entire batch out to a table set up in the garage and rolled them out in the garage where the dough would stay cold. The first time I attempted it, I didn’t freeze it long enough and I ended up with a huge mess.  The other trick is picking the right cut out shapes. The dough spreads and softens as it cooks, so many shapes become unrecognizable. I’ve found that stars work quite well. Candy canes also work. Santas, snowmen and trees tend to just blur and become blobs. My grandmother often just made these as circles.

As my Christmas gift to you, dear readers, I’m going to share this special family recipe.

Gai’s Sugar Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 cups buttermilk

4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Alternate adding dry ingredients with buttermilk. Freeze the dough for several hours. Roll the dough out using lots of flour on the counter and on the rolling pin because it will stick if you aren’t careful. Roll this out a bit thicker than you would with regular sugar cookies – you want it to be about a 1/2 inch thick. Flour the cookie cutters. Place on silpats in a oven preheated to 375 degrees. Bake for 10-12 minutes. You want to take them out when the bottoms are just beginning to brown.  Don’t let the top of the cookie get brown or it will be too hard. Let them rest on the baking sheets until cool and then remove them.

I usually make a simple frosting of butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk (which you can color with food coloring if you want different colors) and then we decorate them with colored sugar. As you can see in the photo, my kids really get into it!

My grandmother made the world’s best sugar cookies. I’ve never tasted any like them, ever. Her cookies are soft, moist, and delicate. Because I grew up eating these, I have been spoiled and don’t care for the harder sugar cookies most people seem to make. The key ingredient is buttermilk, which makes for a soft … Read more →

We’re going to hit the pause button on Martha Mondays until after the holidays. Some members have suggested it and I agree. So the next Martha Mondays will be Jan. 4. Pru Singer from My Life Pru Singer has made her pick for that already, so you can plan ahead – Silver Dollar Pear Pancakes. We’ll push everyone else’s assigned dates back a week from there on out.

I’ll still be posting through the holidays. For one thing I am determined to make a croque en bouche. Fingers crossed on that.

We’re going to hit the pause button on Martha Mondays until after the holidays. Some members have suggested it and I agree. So the next Martha Mondays will be Jan. 4. Pru Singer from My Life Pru Singer has made her pick for that already, so you can plan ahead – Silver Dollar Pear Pancakes. … Read more →

Hello and welcome to Martha Mondays this Christmas week. I hope all of you are ready, or almost ready for the big day and if you celebrate Hanukkah, I hope you had a nice holiday.

This week’s project, Vinegar Glossed Chicken,  was chosen by Sara at Sassy Suppers. I was excited to try this since it is a Lucinda recipe and I usually like her recipes a lot.

This recipe was pretty simple to put together. I used boneless chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken cut up since no one here likes dark meat. You start by browning your chicken in some oil. Once that’s done, add the chicken stock which you reduce by half. Next add in the vinegar which has been mixed with garlic and rosemary. The recipe says to swirl the pan and cook it down till it forms a glaze.

This did not work out very well for me at all. I followed the amounts exactly and ended up with a pan of very sour vinegar – cooking it down make it thicker, but did not change the flavor. There was no way I could feed that to my family so I set about doctoring it up. I added about a cup of more chicken stock and then added Wondra to thicken it. I added sugar to cut the taste of the vinegar – several teaspoons. I also added some water at the end and more Wondra to try to thin out the taste of the vinegar. No one really cared for this. I served the sauce/gravy separately so people could control how much they got. The chicken did turn a pretty color. I wouldn’t try this one again. I guess maybe if you love the taste of vinegar this would appeal to you, but it just tasted horribly sour to me. The kids complained about how it made the house smell. It was just overwhelming. Lucinda, you’ve failed me!

Hello and welcome to Martha Mondays this Christmas week. I hope all of you are ready, or almost ready for the big day and if you celebrate Hanukkah, I hope you had a nice holiday. This week’s project, Vinegar Glossed Chicken,  was chosen by Sara at Sassy Suppers. I was excited to try this since … Read more →

I just had to share with you these cookies, made by Teen Martha. Shhh, don’t tell Martha. Teen Martha had these at school and was craving them. They’re called Funfetti Cookies. You buy a box of Funfetti Cake Mix and there’s a recipe on the side of it to make cookies with it. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Funfetti is a white cake mix with multi-colored pieces in it – almost like jimmies. I don’t buy cake mixes, ever, so I was pretty unfamiliar with this myself. Teen Martha insisted it was good though. She whipped them up and and ta-dah – Funfetti cookies. I have to admit they were kind of good, in a this can’t be good for me, it’s so filled with chemicals kind of way! They are a crunchy sugar cookie and the colored pieces are kind of pretty.

I just had to share with you these cookies, made by Teen Martha. Shhh, don’t tell Martha. Teen Martha had these at school and was craving them. They’re called Funfetti Cookies. You buy a box of Funfetti Cake Mix and there’s a recipe on the side of it to make cookies with it. For those … Read more →

It’s been a while since I tried a completely new-to-me Martha dish. In fact, I had never heard of paillards. There’s a section in January Living all about paillards, which are essentially thin cuts of meat. To make chicken paillard, I butterflied chicken breasts, then pounded them flat. This was easy to do. The recipe itself was also simple – cook the chicken in butter and olive oil. Remove it from the pan and cook 1/4 minced shallot then add two lemons that have the rind removed and have been cut into segments. 3/4 cup of chicken stock also gets added. You cook it down and toss in a little butter at the end. It sounded simple and delicious.

It was simple, but it was not delicious. I liked the chicken cooked this way very much. It was tender and thin. The sauce, however, was horrendous. It was so incredibly sour that we couldn’t eat it. I don’t understand how anyone could think adding two entire lemons to this pan sauce could be a good idea. The photo in the magazine is deceiving – it shows a small amount of light brown pan sauce. Mine turned out lighter  with big hunks of lemon in it – it looked like applesauce and as you can see, there was a lot of it. It was not appetizing at all.

I will definitely prepare chicken in this style again, but I’ll make  a completely different sauce.

It’s been a while since I tried a completely new-to-me Martha dish. In fact, I had never heard of paillards. There’s a section in January Living all about paillards, which are essentially thin cuts of meat. To make chicken paillard, I butterflied chicken breasts, then pounded them flat. This was easy to do. The recipe … Read more →