My Current Obsession

Kale Chips are friggin awesome.  Awesome.  So awesome that you need to sit down when you take the first bite because they will blow your friggin mind.  So easy, so healthy and so, so, so awesome.  So your dying to make them...right??!!!

I came across these last week and got so excited.  Oh the endless possibilities!  But I knew what I wanted to do with them first... and ran directly to the produce section and bought a bunch of Kale.

These my dear are artisnal sea salts.  The top one is Salish and ended up being my favorite.  Its smoked and smells almost bacony...incredible.  The middle is a Hawiian salt called Hiwa Kai and contains activated Charcoal which is said to aid digestion.  The bottom is Sel Gris.  I couldn't really distinguish the difference between regular sea salt and this one but the Sel Gris is gray instead of white and possibly smells more "ocean like". 

Grab your Kale and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  A salad spinner really comes in handy for the washing process because you want the Kale to be completely dry before you bake it.  If you don't have one get out the paper towells/ kitchen rag and get all the water off after rinsing. Add 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil to the greens and toss.  A little oil goes a long way. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake the Kale in a thin layer for about 10 minutes until they are crsip. Sprinkle with sea salt and chow down!  Repeat with until all the Kale is "crisped".

1 Bunch Kale
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. Sea or Course Salt
Bake at 350 for approx. 10 minutes.

Cheesecake Cookies

                                                                    WARNING

                           IF YOU ARE ON A DIET DO NOT READ THIS POST!

These cookies are dangerous. Its pretty much impossible to have just one.  I made a bunch of these to bring to work last week and they were gone by noon.  This glorious recipe enables you to eat cheesecake without a plate and fork which in my book makes it a keeper.

What you will need:

1/2 Cup Butter- softened

3 Oz Cream Cheese- Softened

1 Cup Sugar

2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

1 Cup Flour

1 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs*

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  

Cream the butter and cream cheese with a hand mixer.  Add the sugar and vanilla and combine.  In batches add the flour. 

If you have a melon baller or small ice cream scoop it would come in handy to keep the cookies uniform in size.  Scoop out balls- about two tablespoons worth and roll them in the graham cracker crumbs. 

Place the cookies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and cook for about 14 minutes.  Let them cool on a rack and they will be ready to go.

*I love this recipe because of the versatility of it.  I originally made Oreo Cheesecake Cookies and just rolled the dough in Oreo crumbs.  The possibilities are endless.... pumpkin cheesecake cookies in the fall by adding a little nutmeg and pumpkin puree,  peppermint cheesecake cookies for the holidays but rolling them in crushed peppermint...there is a cheesecake for every season!  You could even add dried cherries or strawberries to the dough for a tasty treat.   Have fun with it!

Proud to be "Bookish"

Thank God for Stephanie Meyer.  Thank you God for giving Stephanie Meyer the insight to create the Twilight series of books.  Thank you Hollywood for turning Twilight into a movie I liked enough to read the book.  Thank you Stephanie for making the book so good that I read the rest of the series.  (It’s a good series!  Don’t knock it till you try it! ) Thank you God…   

That series got me reading again.  For that I am immeasurably thankful.

I read so much growing up and for some dumb reason hadn’t picked up a book in years.  I have probably read millions of magazines and quite a few cookbooks from cover to cover but just hadn’t picked up an actual book.  I had forgotten how wonderful the feeling is to get completely engrossed in a story.    Since my literary adventure to Forks, WA last spring (you Twigh-hards know what I’m talking about) I have read so many books.  Some I pick up and read a few pages here and there, some I completely devour, staying up late until they are finished.  I am just so thrilled to have reignited this passion.

I just finished A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick. I have looked at this #1 New York Times Bestseller multiple times and knew that I would one day get around to reading it.  I liked it. Didn’t love it but I’m not a book critic and book critics truly loved it.  Definitely “racy”, pretty dark, sometimes sad but still a really good read. If you enjoy very poetic prose you will love this book.  I almost felt like it dragged things out a little but it was good enough to make me finish it in a day.  (It was cold and windy and all I did was read).  

I actually think this book might make a better movie…just my humble opinion. The film is scheduled to come out in 2011 but is still in development so it could be much later.  If I was casting the movie I would be banging down doors to get Daniel Day Lewis to play Ralph Truitt.  Billy Zane would have to be Antonio Moretti.  I can’t for the life of me figure out who to cast as Catherine though….if Jessica Biel was a better actress maybe her? 

Anyway… here is the link from Amazon if you want to purchase the book.   Let me know who you think should play Catherine!!!!

<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=fidedebytepi-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=1565129776" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Filipino BBQ Marinade

Captain Butler, my one and only, is half Filipino.  Growing up, his father always cooked for the family and made them meal after meal of delectable indigenous dishes such as Adobo, Pancit, Chicken with Sweet Peas and the occasional blood pudding… which everyone swears was fabulous.  I have tried my hand at a few but know I will never be able to match his prowess in the Filipino inspired kitchen.  We have a picture of him in our kitchen and I know he has brought me good luck through my cooking adventures.  I would have absolutely loved to know him.

Since I know anything with the flavors of his youth will make him happy, even if they have been slightly modified by his all American woman, I just had to make this recipe.  The recipe I started out with comes from one of my favorite blogs, written by someone that just happens to be Filipino!  Ivory Hut posted this recipe for a BBQ marinade and made it with chicken legs and actually barbequed them.  I’m patiently waiting for the wind/snow/slush/rain/hail mixture that is plaguing my neighborhood to subside before I crank that baby on so I needed an indoor solution.  I got this awesome Ron Popiel rotisserie from my Grandma Ginna and felt deep, deep in my bones that it was the way to go.  I could have done a whole chicken but decided that a pork loin might just be a little better...

The recipe call for marinating the meat for 3 hours but I let it sit overnight. I didn’t have Sprite so I used Fresca and it turned out great.  I love using Soda in marinades.  All those chemicals really break down the meat.  Knowing this should make me quit the Coke Zero but….lets get back to the recipe.   Right before we popped the loin in the rotisserie the Captain came up with the nifty idea to cut slits on both sides of the loin to let the marinade seep deeper in and provide us with more crispy outer pieces.  I will be implementing that step earlier on next time I make this recipe.

These are the cuts that Captain Butler made... we stuck pieces of the garlic from the marinade between the slits.

 This is the almost finished product... look at all those yummy crispy pieces...

           This is it!  Smelling wonderfully of pork, vinegar and garlic before it sits for 10 minutes to rest.

You could use this marinade for a lot of things. I will be making it to BBQ Chicken when our weather finally warms up.  It would be yummy with beef kabobs.  It would be great for any game since the vinegar/ soda combo tenderizes the meat.

The Captain loved it and so will you.

The Marinade:

1 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar

½ Cup Sugar

3 Torn Bay Leaves

¼ Cup Soy Sauce

3 Smashed Garlic Cloves

1 Tbsp Pepper

1 Can Sprite

Our First Supper

Maybe it was the fact that i woke up at 10:30 and immediately read the new issue of Southern Living.  Maybe it was the fact we vegged aaaalllll day.... randomly checking on the babies...whom are hell bent on digging their way to China and finding mulitple gophers on the way....who knows.... but Lordy..

MAMA WANTED FRIED CHICKEN!

Since Captain Buttler squirms when I make the mere mention of Chicken Breasts.   These were indeed the said Chicken Breasts as they were boneless and skinless.  Something I love.... something he fears.  The only answer was Chicken Fingers.  The kind you get at diners with country gravy and taters.  Sounds good to me....

I ended up making them just like fried chicken.  I now think the secret to not TOTALLY stinking the house up like your local greasy spoon is getting the iron skillet out of the house the second you are done putting the char/ brown on the exterior of the breading and finishing up the meat in a 350 degree oven.  I run outside with the iron skillet when I'm done and place it in our cold BBQ.  The chicken was dosed in flour, sage, paprika, garlic, s&p then sunk in an egg wash with tabasco, finished up with the same flour and then fried.  Plain ol' mashed potatoes were added and then the magic secret was added.  Drumroll...

A package of Country Gravy Mix!  Its the best thing ever.   I use it for my biscuits & gravy and no, I mean, NO, one notices.  Add some ground sage, fresh ground pepper and hot sauce and this will be your best friend.

The second picture is my attempt to not take it allll the way.  Nothing like steamed spinach to fill you up an keep you from feeling the guilt.  I didn't work out today so this is a bit of a splurge... but when you really think, its all whole, organic and home made.  No preservatives (besides the gravy mix).  Its a beautiful thing when you can put together a healthy dinner that your family loves.  Hawkie got his pills tonight with leftovers.

It was delish. I will be busy cleaning my iron skillet.  It is, afterall, a bit like a family member that needs a lot of love.  xoxo

The Beginning...

Why am I writing a blog?  Why not!!  My posts are going to be about the life changing, earth shattering details that matter to me on a day to day basis.  Very deep, serious things like finding the perfect blush, perfecting fried chicken with country gravy, discovering a new workout tip, how messy my kitchen currently is, my excitement about a new piece of clothing, how messy my kitchen currently is, and I'm sure there will be quite a few posts on maximizing time spent cuddling with extra soft, extra furry babies.  I won't be blogging about things like the ever discouraging and depressing news of the world.  My heroines are Scarlett O'hara and Ree Drummond, aka the Pioneer Woman.   I have a very unhealthy obsession with celebrity gossip, southern cooking, Cherry Pepsi Zero and fighting back the signs of aging.  Now I have to give back the only working laptop in this God forsaken house...bye!