Alright, folks. Dinner tonight- boiled crabs and crawfish!! None for you, sadly. It's in honor of my beloved sister's birthday. She and her betrothed are coming into town this afternoon for a long weekend. Therefore, the updates for the next few days might be a little out of the ordinary, but I promise to keep you...wait for it...posted. Hahahaha, get it?? Puns.
Anyway, so tonight's update is coming to you bright and early and extra special. See, we're also having my Emaw's Famous Dobauche Cake tonight- well, really, this afternoon since Emaw's "night" is more like 4 or 5 PM. Regardless, cake will be had by all! So here it is, just don't tell Emaw I told you.
Preheat the oven to 350. Prepare a box of standard yellow cake mix. Emaw likes a specific brand and type but I can't give away all of her secrets, right?? Now, take a round cake pan and butter or spray it, then lightly dust it with flour (put a small handful of flour in it and shake it all around) now do the hokey pokey and turn yourself around. Pour some of the cake batter into the pan...like just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Be sure to wobble it around and tap the bottom of the pan on the counter to get rid of air bubbles and to try and get it as even as possible. If your cake comes out uneven, like Emaw, you must throw it away. Or like me, you must eat it immediately and then just tell people you threw it away. If you have a second round pan, do the same in it, otherwise this whole thing takes twice as long. Bake the cakes- only about 10 minutes and then check them often since they are so thin and would over-cook easily. When they are done, let them cool a bit and then gently...GENTLY...dump the first one onto a big plate. Mix up a batch of chocolate pudding. Spread some chocolate pudding on it in a thin layer- again, Emaw prefers a specific brand but you have to figure that one out yourselves! Then put on the next layer. Keep making thin cake layers and chocolate pudding inbetween until you have a nice tall, super yummy cake. Then ice the top and the sides with chocolate frosting. For even Emawier results, carve a message on the top of the cake's icing with a butter knife like "Happy Birthday, Frankenstein!" or "Sorry I hit you with my car, Doug!" Whatever is appropriate. Refridgerate for even yummier results. This cake is best eaten with a giant glass of super cold milk. I especially like it for breakfast, because I am a champion. Get it? I am on a roll here!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Day 3- Red Bean Goulash
I know what you're thinking- "Day 3 and she's already behind!" And yes, I forgot all about updating for Day 3. Luckily, I remembered at 5:30 this morning when I was nursing the baby. First, let's have a little pity party for waking up at 5:30 to nurse the baby since she normally sleeps till closer to 7. Secondly, here's last night's delicious dinner. I made enough for 4 but there were no leftovers. There never are. First, cook some rice. We do brown rice (Cajun Grain from the Farmers' Market) over here. 1 cup of rice, 2 cups of water; cover it, bring it to a boil, lower the heat to 2 and cook about 20 minutes. Done. Meanwhile, heat a splash of oil in a large pot. Add diced onion, diced green bell pepper, and cubed garlic (I like a lot!) Saute all that for a few minutes until it's somewhat tender. Open up a can of diced tomatoes and a can of chili beans and add to the pot. I used to use a can of Blue Runner Creole Style Red Beans and it made a much creamier and thicker red bean goulash but I used a regular can of chili beans this time and Lucas liked it better. Whatever works. Cook for about 10 minutes, then lower the heat and let it simmer for a few more. Scoop some rice in a bowl and top with the goulash. Yummy, yummy. Now we're up to date. Are you happy now?
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Day 2- Tilapia Packets with Squash
Again, dinner was a rushed affair tonight- the summer side-track. There's always something, right? So tonight's meal is Steamed Tilapia with Wine and Tomatoes, Yellow Squash Sasserole, and Sauted Spinach. When I first typed that, I saw that I typed "Sasserole" instead of "Casserole." I like it so I'm leaving it. Sasserole. New word. Love it.
I had some yellow squash on hand from a friend- it was getting pretty old so I figured I'd better use it! I sliced and cubed it and threw it into a microwavable casserole dish (Marshall's has my favorite Le Creuset ones for super cheap- perfect size too!) I added a few slices of yellow onion that I diced. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the dish (not the squash) and zap in the microwave for 10 minutes on high. Take it out (WITH oven mits!) and melt a tablespoon of butter in a small bowl. Add a dash of milk to the butter and 1 egg and stir it up. Add to the squash and toss to coat. Shred some chedder cheese, just enough to add a thin layer on the squash. And then crunch up some crackers into crumbs into a thin layer on top of that. I use those cheap Captain's Wafers, you know, the kind your grandmother steals from Picadilly. They are good to have in the pantry for various dishes and it doesn't matter if they get stale since you are essentially crushing them into crumbs anyway. Pop that in the oven at 400 and bake about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, I defrosted some tilapia fillets in some water in the sink- it takes no time at all. Lay out a foil sheet for each fillet (2 for us) and plop the fish down on each one. Salt and pepper. Put a pat of butter on each as well as some diced tomato. I split a tomato from the garden between our 2 fillets. I chopped up a few cloves of garlic for each. And I grabbed a basil leaf from the herb garden for each, rolled it up, and sliced it. Then I gathered up the foil to make little packets for each and before closing up, added a liberal splash of cheap white wine, which I always keep in the fridge for cooking. Seal up and bake at 400 (with the squash) for about 10-15 minutes- check and make sure the fish flakes and it's done.
I also sauted some spinach in a pot on the stove with a dash of olive oil and a diced up clove of garlic to round out the meal. You pretty much throw it all in the pot, turn the stove on medium, and let it do it's thing. Should be done in under 10 minutes.
Tonight's meal was accomplished with the very capable help of my lovely assistant, Mollykins. That's her new thing- standing on a stool and "helping" cook, though all she wants to make lately is cakeballs. Me too.
I had some yellow squash on hand from a friend- it was getting pretty old so I figured I'd better use it! I sliced and cubed it and threw it into a microwavable casserole dish (Marshall's has my favorite Le Creuset ones for super cheap- perfect size too!) I added a few slices of yellow onion that I diced. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the dish (not the squash) and zap in the microwave for 10 minutes on high. Take it out (WITH oven mits!) and melt a tablespoon of butter in a small bowl. Add a dash of milk to the butter and 1 egg and stir it up. Add to the squash and toss to coat. Shred some chedder cheese, just enough to add a thin layer on the squash. And then crunch up some crackers into crumbs into a thin layer on top of that. I use those cheap Captain's Wafers, you know, the kind your grandmother steals from Picadilly. They are good to have in the pantry for various dishes and it doesn't matter if they get stale since you are essentially crushing them into crumbs anyway. Pop that in the oven at 400 and bake about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, I defrosted some tilapia fillets in some water in the sink- it takes no time at all. Lay out a foil sheet for each fillet (2 for us) and plop the fish down on each one. Salt and pepper. Put a pat of butter on each as well as some diced tomato. I split a tomato from the garden between our 2 fillets. I chopped up a few cloves of garlic for each. And I grabbed a basil leaf from the herb garden for each, rolled it up, and sliced it. Then I gathered up the foil to make little packets for each and before closing up, added a liberal splash of cheap white wine, which I always keep in the fridge for cooking. Seal up and bake at 400 (with the squash) for about 10-15 minutes- check and make sure the fish flakes and it's done.
I also sauted some spinach in a pot on the stove with a dash of olive oil and a diced up clove of garlic to round out the meal. You pretty much throw it all in the pot, turn the stove on medium, and let it do it's thing. Should be done in under 10 minutes.
Tonight's meal was accomplished with the very capable help of my lovely assistant, Mollykins. That's her new thing- standing on a stool and "helping" cook, though all she wants to make lately is cakeballs. Me too.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Day 1- The very first ever post. EVER.
Milli Vanilli is playing on the stereo. This quite possibly will be important later so pay attention, folks. This is serious business.
Right on cue, my husband Lucas calls to say he'll be a bit late tonight and wants to know what's for dinner. And right on cue, I answer, "A surprise!" mostly because I haven't even thought about dinner tonight. Between taking care of two small girls, a herd of various animals, keeping the house tidy, and making sure my sanity is in check, dinner is one of those ever-looming-in-the-back-of-my-mind things. In 24 hours, the cycle begins again. So- tonight. I'm feeling a bit ambitious. I'll be honest, it was a good day. I got a 45 minute nap in. It would have been longer had the answer to "What can Brown do for you?" been "Not come to my house, ring the doorbell, and interrupt naptime!" Nonetheless, a good day. So I'm going to try out something new tonight for the first EVER post. Steak Fajitas. Now, remember folks, I try to use whatever I have on hand with very little "planning" for individual meals. And I try to keep it all under 30 minutes, prep-to-cleanup. So first off, I started defrosting a steak around 4PM, and by "defrosting a steak" I really mean, I took it out of the freezer and laid it ever so gently in the sink, still in its lovely home of freezer wrap. Since I'm not abitious enough to think that my 2 year old would enjoy steak fajitas, I'm only feeding myself and my husband, so I'm just working with one medium-sized steak. After it defrosts, I slice it into strips then rub each with a mix of butter and lime juice then season it up with my own version of tex-mex spices. Salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion power, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and a dash of oregano. Then I let it "rest" and marinate while I get everything else ready. Pan's on the stove with a spritz of olive oil, getting medium-warm. I grate some cheddar cheese onto a paper towel (again, less cleanup) and hide it from the dogs- they go nuts for cheese. I get out a packet of Wholly Guacomoley- snack size. If I had an avocado or 2, I'd make my own since it's so much yummier but alas, I have a package so that'll do, pig, that'll do. I dice up a tomato from the garden, and I set up two dinner plates with a tortilla on each. Zap them in the microwave for a few seconds to warm them up. Throw the steak in the pan and let it cook about a minute, take the tongs and flip each piece to the other side and let it cook another minute. Turn off the stove and move the pan off the burner. Let it sit a few minutes. Throw it all together on the tortilla and serve. Throw the pan in the sink and add some water to let it soak during dinner. Extra topping options: sour cream, beans and rice, corn, sauted onions, whatever your little heart desires. I like to keep it simple. And that's dinner! See you tomorrow night!
Remember Milli Vanilli? Last week, I made 2 sock puppets for Molly, the 2 year old. She finds them hysterical, particularly when they act out the abridged version of the plot to the gem of a movie "Overboard" starring Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn. Lucas named them Milli and Vanilla- the puppets, not Kurt and Goldie- that would be ridiculous. Aren't you glad you paid attention? I told you it would come up again.
Right on cue, my husband Lucas calls to say he'll be a bit late tonight and wants to know what's for dinner. And right on cue, I answer, "A surprise!" mostly because I haven't even thought about dinner tonight. Between taking care of two small girls, a herd of various animals, keeping the house tidy, and making sure my sanity is in check, dinner is one of those ever-looming-in-the-back-of-my-mind things. In 24 hours, the cycle begins again. So- tonight. I'm feeling a bit ambitious. I'll be honest, it was a good day. I got a 45 minute nap in. It would have been longer had the answer to "What can Brown do for you?" been "Not come to my house, ring the doorbell, and interrupt naptime!" Nonetheless, a good day. So I'm going to try out something new tonight for the first EVER post. Steak Fajitas. Now, remember folks, I try to use whatever I have on hand with very little "planning" for individual meals. And I try to keep it all under 30 minutes, prep-to-cleanup. So first off, I started defrosting a steak around 4PM, and by "defrosting a steak" I really mean, I took it out of the freezer and laid it ever so gently in the sink, still in its lovely home of freezer wrap. Since I'm not abitious enough to think that my 2 year old would enjoy steak fajitas, I'm only feeding myself and my husband, so I'm just working with one medium-sized steak. After it defrosts, I slice it into strips then rub each with a mix of butter and lime juice then season it up with my own version of tex-mex spices. Salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion power, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and a dash of oregano. Then I let it "rest" and marinate while I get everything else ready. Pan's on the stove with a spritz of olive oil, getting medium-warm. I grate some cheddar cheese onto a paper towel (again, less cleanup) and hide it from the dogs- they go nuts for cheese. I get out a packet of Wholly Guacomoley- snack size. If I had an avocado or 2, I'd make my own since it's so much yummier but alas, I have a package so that'll do, pig, that'll do. I dice up a tomato from the garden, and I set up two dinner plates with a tortilla on each. Zap them in the microwave for a few seconds to warm them up. Throw the steak in the pan and let it cook about a minute, take the tongs and flip each piece to the other side and let it cook another minute. Turn off the stove and move the pan off the burner. Let it sit a few minutes. Throw it all together on the tortilla and serve. Throw the pan in the sink and add some water to let it soak during dinner. Extra topping options: sour cream, beans and rice, corn, sauted onions, whatever your little heart desires. I like to keep it simple. And that's dinner! See you tomorrow night!
Remember Milli Vanilli? Last week, I made 2 sock puppets for Molly, the 2 year old. She finds them hysterical, particularly when they act out the abridged version of the plot to the gem of a movie "Overboard" starring Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn. Lucas named them Milli and Vanilla- the puppets, not Kurt and Goldie- that would be ridiculous. Aren't you glad you paid attention? I told you it would come up again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)