Showing posts with label Cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cooking. Show all posts

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Why I need to learn to cook...

Since reading Julia Child's, My Life in France, I've been inspired!
She makes me want to cook
well
(mother, don't laugh)

Does anyone actually have her cookbook?
I may put it on my birthday list


I have lots of cookbooks,
but really I hardly ever cook, especially since we don't have a dishwasher at the lake!
I love reading them though, and dreaming of one day becoming a gourmet chef!

I can cook pretty good shrimp and grits, I can make a lots of different desserts, and I can scramble an egg, but thats probably the extent of my culinary skill - why have they done away with home ec?!?  

These are a few cookbooks I wouldn't mind having on my shelf, or in storage (which is where all the rest of mine are - sad)

This girl seems fun - I watched her show while we were at the beach, and I really liked her!
Plus, 5 ingredients!  I believe even a novice like me can handle that!


 Love Ina Garten
She just makes me happy
Plus, any cookbook title that is "how easy is that?", I need!


Can Gwyneth really cook?
Who cares?!?
She can sing and she is a goop
enough said...


Paula can seriously cook - I've never been disappointed in her recipes!
She has great "menu" ideas, as well!


In other news, I have a new friend
meet Torg
He comes out every morning when the sprinklers go off
I guess for his morning shower!  Isn't he cute?




In other, other news why hasn't pinterest sent me an invite yet?!?  
Im eager to start pinning!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Chic(ken) Kitchens

I've been dreaming of a good ole chicken salad sandwich today.

I love chicken salad so very much, and my addiction started during RUSH week.  All the girls got to eat the left over food after one of the rounds, and someone's mother had made the most delicious chicken salad sandwich I've ever, ever eaten (well that and I was probably ravenous after singing all those stupid chants for 8 hours).

When I lived in Alabama, I always got my chicken salad sandwiches from Zoes.  Zoe's is soooooo good - have yall tried this place yet?  If not, I think they'll be all over soon - Savannah is still in the dark ages, too.  I really think I should open one here!


Since Savannah doesn't have one, I now go to the Fresh Market to get my chicken salad.  They are awesome chicken salad makers as well.  There is actually better than Zoes, but I'm sure its not as healthy.


Ahh, I love shopping here - its so relaxing...I think its the classical music!



I really want to venture out on a limb and try making some of my own, so the hunt is on for a good recipe!

Also, since I'm dreaming - how much of a dream kitchen is this?  I DIE.  Oh, I love everything about it.


And, look at the floor?  Simply perfect!!!  I could make chicken salad in here all day long!  This is definitely going in my "Inspiration" File on my desktop!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

The Reality of it all

We visited T's Dad this weekend.  Since his fall, he has been laying low, especially since he is on intense painkillers and his arm is in a cast.  Thank you so much for your sweet comments and your prayers.  They mean so much to everyone.  We watched a lot of Auburn highlight films from this past season - I thought football season was over.  We also had dinner with T's best friend, who still lives in his hometown with his lovely wife.  She got an Ipad for Christmas and I'm very jealous.  Those things are awesome!   However, I need one about as much as I need a hole in my head so ... The visit went by too fast, and before I knew it we were packed up and getting ready to come home.  But we didn't come home empty handed -

We brought back a load of wood ... T suggested that instead of unloading it all, we could just leave it in the car and get it out piece by piece when we wanted to have a fire.  Men...


I bought a new lamp, while shopping with T's Mom.  It was on sale - why are lamps my addiction?!?  


T's parent's THANKFULLY bought him some new clothes (and boxers - why won't men throw away boxers with massive holes in them?!?) from Orvis.  I love Orvis.


I also brought back some fabric samples, since we are having new drapes made for our bedroom.  Some of the samples were not really my style, so I threw them out.


I going to use this brown check for the drapes...


And the other fabric is going to be for pillows and such.  I really love the top fabric - I bought it months ago because I knew I could use it somewhere.


So switching gears, I was feeling very domestic and decided to make a cake.  You know this beautiful image from December's Southern Living?  Well, I decided to make the spice cake from the cover.



I collected my ingredients...2 sticks of butter, buttermilk, sugar, eggs - how could this taste bad?



I thought I'd document this recipe and put it on my blog, like I've seen people do before.  This will be so fun, I thought.  I was going to try and make it look very neat and easy and like I knew what the hell I was doing...yeah, well here is the reality of my cooking...

I am such a messy cook - and that's the main thing I hate about cooking.  The mess.  I pride myself on being pretty clean and organized, but I'm neither of those things when I cook, bake, whatever.

I've been this way since I was a child, I made cookies one year in our family kitchen.  You should have seen the look on my mother's face when she walked in.  It was the definition of disaster area.

This picture was after I cleaned...is it normal to be this messy?  It just reminds me of mass chaos - not relaxing at all.  Maybe I need to relax and open one of those bottles of wine in the picture.  Didn't Julia Child drink while she made a feast - maybe thats the answer.


Next on to the icing...this involved something I'd never done before.  Heating the icing over the stove, while you whisk - Good Lord, I need to start reading the instructions before I start a project.



The whisking was interesting - not only because it was like performing a science project, but because it went everywhere.  I'm pretty sure I'll be finding bits of "soft peaks" until we move out...

soft peak splattered all over everything!

Almost done, next was the icing - relatively easy.  Look at Paula in the background - she looks so proud...


I will say the icing turned out pretty cool - it was so shiny!



Even though my kitchen was a complete mess..


the cake was beautiful and edible - alright, it was dang good.  Worth the mess is what I'm trying to say.


Hope everyone has a great weekend.  xx.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Warning: Looking at this post may make you gain weight...

Monday night was a BIG night in our house - the BCS National Championship game!  T is a die-hard Auburn fan (uh, tragic, especially since I'm a UGA grad).  Anyway, in preparation for the game I asked T what he wanted me to cook for dinner.  "Um, can you just order a Papa John's pizza?" Yes, thats what he wanted, so I obliged.  I'm more of local pizzaria type of gal, but he loves a Papa Johns.

So we had pizza - half cheese for me :)  By the way, see the Bose in the background - GET ONE!  It is the most amazing thing ever.  The sound quality is great.  Sorry to get off track there for a minute.  Anyway...


I also made Rotel dip, which has become a game day tradition - Good Lawd, I love that stuff, but it has to be just awful for you.  Oh well, it was a night to splurge...


And splurge we did...I made cookies, too.  I opted for the pre-made ones because they are so easy.


Can you believe we ate this bad - gross, I know, but I did have one happy husband...blurry, but he's giving the thumbs up :)  Plus, we don't eat this bad everyday.  Most of the time we're eating a ham sandwich (him) and a salad (me).  Its good to splurge sometimes, and it was a great time to do so.

T was especially happy after Auburn WON - ok, I'll give him his time to gloat.  I hope my Bulldawgs come back better next year!  


Last night, we opted for a healthier dish, and I made a pot roast.  Can we just give a big shout out to the person who invented the crock pot - GENIUS!  



I used the Lipton onion soup mix and IT WAS GREAT!  I highly recommend if yall haven't tried it.



Our refrigerator is still covered with Christmas cards - they make being in the kitchen that much more enjoyable!


Well, thats all for now - I'll be posting more wedding pictures soon!  There are so many I'm trying to decide which ones to share!  Much love!  

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

First Attempt at Pumpkin Bread=

SUCCESS!

See results below...

BEFORE:

24 Hours Later...
 
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