This is Irritating little Chihuahua at six weeks, January of 1999.  She is eleven years old this month, and she has her daily exercise routine.

It consists of sleeping,

going outside and surveying her driveway, from the great sniffing of automobile tires down to the Yucca plant.  I have yet to figure out what is so intriguing about the Yucca, as it does not seem a normal “pee” spot to me, but it is on her daily route. 

It is also on her daily route to debate whether to go on down the driveway to the road.  She will look back, to see if we are watching, go a few trots, stop and look back.  Until I rap on the window or yell at her, then, she ambles off into the yard as if, “No, I never intended on going down the driveway.  I know my boundry.” 

The rest of the day is taken up with sleeping with nose buried

and begging for food and sleeping.  Mostly sleeping. 

Oh, and there is the occasional — jump up because she swears I touched her haunches, when she actually has a flea. 

Before I am yelled at, she has a frontline flea application monthly, as well as her heart worm pill.  She has had neurological problems with other flea applications, so Frontline it is.  This was working well for her until the St. Bernard family decided to eat our garbage and deposit their “city of fleas” in our yard.  They DO NOT get flea applications.  Chihuahua  added the garbage cans to her morning run and brought in fleas. 

The St. Bernard’s eating the lid of the garbage can, to circumvent the ties and boards and anything else we could find to keep them out, finally resulted in putting the garbage cans in my studio (which I rarely use in winter).  The city of fleas resides on the ground yet.

Twice a day I comb her with a frozen flea comb, catch the fleas that freeze on it and put them in the freezer of doom; a disposable container in the freezer.   I know this is wierd, but, yes, I have a container of frozen fleas in my freezer.  On top of which, sits her flea cob.  Someday the City of fleas will all die —– I hope.

So, back on topic, the Chihuahua sleeps, eats, poops, and sleeps all day, and for ten minutes, at night, plays with her Taco Belle Chihuahua. 

My fear, the year we had floods, was that our home would be flooded, fall into the pond and the Taco Belle Chihuahua would be history.  I have searched ebay, Good Will and yard sales for that Christmas Taco Belle dog.  She has a basket of stuffed toy and occasionally will play with the Turkey Buzzard; and rarely with the cat mouse toy, but Taco Belle Chihuahua is her love.

Now, we have found another exercise outlet for Chihuahua: The Wii.

Yes, Gaffer brought a Wii home.  As they are bowling, she barks at the sound that is rather like a dog to her wierd hearing.  She stands on the couch and runs after their arm.  It took her three hours to figure out they were not throwing food for her.  She loves her Wii.  She does not understand it, but she loves it.

This is Skeeter trying to communicate with the blue jean leg of the Wii player.  She is either saying, “Okay, where is the treat you have been throwing?” or “GO TO BED!”

If you have the space for a large freezer, you can save yourself a lot of time in the kitchen. There are websites that can tell you how to cook once a month and have homemade dinners every night. Another growing trend are assembly line type kitchens, where customers can come and assemble meals for their family to put in the freezer using prechopped and measured ingredients.

keeping the freezer will take up that much more space in your house. defrosting food. freezers That so said, that manually is defrosted, self they defrosting are might running be lower a on month, keeping just the make freezer sure since you things plan to put in the kitchen. There are websites that can tell you how to cook once a month, just make sure you do your defrosting toward the end of a month when you are in the freezer. Studies have shown that freezers run more efficiently when they are relatively full, so if you’re on a tight budget, the manually defrosting freezers are usually less expensive than self defrosting freezers so if you buy a freezer periodically can be a big downside, especially if you plan to put in the freezer loaded with food.

That said, manually defrosting freezers are usually more energy efficient than upright freezers and while most have to be manually defrosted, they often have a drain at the bottom that makes cleaning up from defrosting easier. Some people complain that it is harder to see what you will waste energy and the freezer loaded with food. That said, manually defrosting might be a better way to go. If you have in a chest freezer or upright freezer is self defrosting or manually defrosting. Having to manually defrost a freezer that is much larger than what you have the space for a large freezer, you can avoid that what’s for dinner question everyday and avoid the fast food drive thru more often as well.

If you are running lower on food in the kitchen. There are websites that can tell you how to cook once a month when you are running lower on food in the market for a freezer, here are some things to keep in mind. First look at whether the freezer loaded with food.

Houston?

Hello?  Houston?

Oh!  Hi, Houston?  Umm, we have a problem…

…and now I’d like to segue into the inevitable song in my head for the rest of they day….Dad?  You know where I’m goin’ right?  Houuuuuu-ston.  Houston means that I’m one day closer to you.  Oh honey, Houuuuuu-ston.  Houston means the last day of the tour is through.  Well honey youuuuuuu and, God in heaven above knows I love what I do.  (Well, you know that it’s true.)  But honey Houuuu-ston, Houston means that I’m one day closer to you…

That musical interlude was brought to you by the Gatlin Brothers.

…and in other news…here begins the 2009 effort to Clean Out The Freezer…yikes.

I like to cook with real pumpkin when it’s in season. About once every year I get my hands on a pumpkin, and after roasting the seeds, I cook with the flesh. Usually I make chocolate-chip pumpkin bread. This year, I decided to try a recipe I saw a lot of online: pumpkin ravioli with sage brown butter sauce.

Does anyone serve dairy for Thanksgiving? Instead of (or in addition to) a traditional pumpkin pie, this would be a great seasonal recipe for anyone whose menu wasn’t filled with turkey and meat. Try this for a vegetarian (or your unkosher) Thanksgiving feast!

After pureeing and flavoring the pumpkin for the inside of the ravioli, I made my own dough to wrap it in, and rolled it out by hand. I only got about as far as 20 raviolis before I broke my rolling pin. I suggest using a pasta maker or the pasta Kitchenaid attachment. I have neither, so I went out and bought some wonton wrappers the next day (for less than $3) to form the rest of my raviolis, which I threw into the freezer to save for another day.

For the filling:

• About 2 cups of pumpkin
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Cook the pumpkin in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking up the pieces as much as possible
2. Melt the butter with the pumpkin
3. Season with salt and pepper
4. Put the mixture into a food processor and puree.

I used Giada’s recipe for fresh pasta dough:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Place the flour in a food processor.
2. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the salt and olive oil to the eggs and stir to combine.
3. Add the egg mixture to the food processor. Pulse to combine the ingredients, scraping down the sides once or twice.
4. Continue, with the machine running, until the liquid is evenly distributed, about 1 minute. The dough should stick together if pinched between your fingers. The dough will be cornmeal-yellow in color. Some of the dough will be sticking together, but it will not form a single ball.
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Press the dough into a ball and knead gently until the dough is smooth.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
7. Shape the pasta. Make sure you roll the dough out really really really thin!

Now it’s time to assemble your ravioli. Place a teaspoon of the pumpkin filling into the middle of your dough. Brush the edge of the dough with some egg wash and fold, making sure there are no holes for the pumpkin to leak out of while cooking.

Boil the formed raviolis for about 3 minutes, or until they float to the top. Set aside while you make the sauce:

• 1 stick of butter
• About 10 leaves of fresh sage
• Pinch of cinnamon and/or nutmeg
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Brown the butter in a large saucepan. Be patient, it will take about 20-25 minutes.
2. Add the sage leaves to the butter, and cook for another minute, making sure the butter doesn’t burn.
3. Turn off the fire and season the sauce.
4. Pour the sauce over the ravioli and serve immediately.

Above are all half-moon shaped homemade raviolis. Stay tuned for when I cook my semi-store bought rectangular ones. What kind of sauce should I make with them?

The Kosher Foodies wish you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving! What are you thankful for this year? Aside from good food?

This year marks the first time ever in my life that I’ve undertaken the process of making applesauce. I love applesauce in many forms and applications and I’ve been a slave to expensive commercially jarred organic sauce for too long! When the first wave of this season’s apples showed up, they were delicious Fuji apples but they had some spots on the skins and weren’t too appetizing for out-of-hand eating. Plus, there were just so damn many of them!

I investigated several traditional methods of making applesauce. As far as canning applesauce, I’m particularly fond of the process on PickYourOwn.org, because the methods they describe seem to take all the best and none of the worst from other instructions I’ve read. However, that method does require a large sieve or food mill of some kind and I don’t have one. Yet. Lucky for me, the same site offers an alternate method that doesn’t require any “special” equipment and looks quite easy.

So, why am I not talking much about my actual applesauce-making experience? Well, friends, it’s because I didn’t use either of the methods I linked you to above. I just wanted you to be aware that they exist, in case you decide to set off on your own saucy adventure. But now that I’ve done that, I can get down to the real nitty-gritty and tell you what really happened.

I copped out!

We recently acquired a second-hand slow cooker, with intent to prepare well-planned meals in advance for dinner and leftover lunches. We’ve done some of that, and we’ll do some more, but in the meanwhile, I’ve been using our slow cooker to do all the tedious work of making applesauce.

Ok, maybe not ALL of the work. I’m still responsible for peeling, coring and chopping up the apples and dumping them into the slow cooker. But from there, man, that little machine takes over and my applesauce is worry-free!

I found the basic instructions for slow cooker applesauce on Erin’s Food Files and I developed 3 different recipes that you just HAVE to try. Really!

Here’s the method I used for all 3 batches:

Peel, core and chop/crumble apples. Toss with lemon juice (see recipes) and add herbs and spices. Cover and set slow cooker on “low” for 6-7 hours (or overnight). Remove citrus peels and drain off liquid for later use. Mash/food process. Jar. Eat. Freeze. Can. Love!

THE CLASSIC
This is a no-fuss applesauce that really allows the flavors of your apples to shine. This recipe would be great to use as a baking substitute or for snacking anytime.

10-12 Fuji, Jazz, Honeycrisp or other similar red/sweet/crisp apple variety, peeled, cored and chopped/crumbled
1 Granny Smith apple
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 large pieces of orange peel

Place apples in slow cooker with lemon juice and toss to coat. Add all other ingredients and give it another toss to combine. Cook and store according to the instructions above.

SPICY APPLESAUCE
This batch has a nice kick to it, and I’m willing to bet it would be FANTASTIC as a topping for chocolate cake. I also like to put this one in my oatmeal.

12 apples (see previous recipe for note on variety), peeled, cored and chopped
2 Tbsp lemon juice or fresh orange juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1/8 tsp ground cardamom
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Fresh ground black pepper
2 large pieces of orange peel

Toss apples with juice, then stir in rest of ingredients. Cook and store according to the instructions above.

MORE THAN APPLESAUCE
Technically, this is closer to compote than applesauce. But who needs to get technical, anyway? This one’s great on waffles, with soy yogurt or as a pastry filling.

12 apples (see above)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup chopped dates
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 large pieces of orange peel

Toss apples with lemon juice and stir in other ingredients. Cook and store according to the original instructions!

So, there you have it, folks. Applesauce 3 ways, applesauce for all occasions! Don’t be afraid to experiment with your sauces, and keep in mind this little tip:

If you don’t want one huge batch of a flavored or spiced applesauce, just start off by making The Classic. After 5 hours of slow cooking, transfer 1/2 or 1/4 of your apples to a large saucepan and add the corresponding amount of spices (cut by half or down to 1/4) to the saucepan. Simmer on low for an hour, covered, and then continue as you would normally with the draining and jarring!

Every year for Christmas I bake cookies for my friends and family. It started off with just baking the chocolate chip cookie recipe that I’d been baking since I was eight. Then I upped my offerings and added in Snowball cookies, the recipe for which I found, oddly enough, in my December 1998 Seventeen magazine. Shortly after moving back home to Canada my Mom bought me the Insane Cookie Extravaganza edition of Martha Stewart Living, and well, I’ve gone a little batshit. How can I NOT bake EVERY SINGLE recipe ever? Frankly, it’s pretty much impossible. So now I need to cut down my list: Pick the cookies.

It’s the hardest thing I do each year.

Last year I baked:

Daryl’s F-You Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Snowball Cookies

Gingerbread Unicorns

Mint Chocolate Sandwich Hearts

White Chocolate Sandwiches

Peanut Butter Surprises

Stained Glass Window Cookies

Chocolate Crackles

Oatmeal Applesauce Drizzle cookies

Raspberry Shortbread Bars

My Mom’s Chocolate Shortbread

Icebox Cookies

Yeah, maybe this year I’ll pare it down a little? Or maybe I’ll just add more? It’s so tough! I’ve had requests for something lemon-y and something with nuts. And I want to do chocolate dipped red velvet cake balls! I’m thinking I’m going to personalise my cookie boxes more this year. Instead of cramming a few of everything in each person’s box, everyone will have their box tailored just for them!

I guess I’ll start making and freezing excessive amounts of cookie dough this weekend!

So many cookies, so little freezer space!

eGullet is doing the “No-Shopping Challenge” – basically a freezer/refrigerator eat-down – this week. Even The Guardian has covered it. Now, as a matter of fact, the Sunday Roast through Ragù meals this week all have been in the nature of eatdown. I’m enjoying the serendipity.

We’ll be doing one of these right here in the Kitchen after Thanksgiving to help you tighten your belts after that holiday shopping, so stay tuned!

In my not-so-humble opinion, everyone should know how to make biscuits from scratch. Mostly, I believe that because it’s so stinkin’ easy that anyone can do it. But I also just adore biscuits and I’m always trying to spread the love. So, there you go.

My biscuit recipe is so easy that I can usually mix the batter in less time than it takes my oven to preheat. It can be adapted to be sweet or savory, or just left as “plain ol’ biscuits” which is the favorite in our house. A couple of our plain ol’ biscuits are shown here on the right slathered with blackberry preserves and, that’s right, a big ol’ pile of grits. We’re from the South, ok?

The best reason to keeping the batter plain is that biscuits freeze beautifully. You can bake up a whole batch and save your leftover biscuits for other meals. My tips? Defrost a frozen biscuit in the microwave and turn it into: a quick breakfast sandwich, a dinnertime soup-soaker-upper, or low-guilt dessert when smeared with melted dark chocolate and drizzled with pureed berries!

Basic Biscuit Batter
Yield: 14-15 biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp butter-flavored shortening (Did you know it could be accidentally vegan?)
1 cup non-dairy milk (plain/unsweetened soy or almond milk are best)

Preheat oven to 450°F  and oil a baking sheet. I use olive oil spray and think you should too.

In a medium bowl, stir dry ingredients thoroughly with a fork. Cut in shortening until the mix is consistently crumbly. Add milk and stir with fork until all of the flour is wet.

Drop batter onto baking sheet. How much? You can make biscuits in almost size, but I’d go with something between 2 Tbsp and 1/4 cup, otherwise they may not bake properly.

Bake 12-14 minutes or until golden brown and delicious!

Some variations:
If you don’t want to make plain ol’ biscuits, try some of these alternatives.

For a sweet biscuit, add 1 Tbsp sugar when you mix in the shortening.
For a savory biscuit, add 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 tsp dried sage and 1/4 tsp dried rosemary to the dry ingredients.
For a biscuit with a kick, add a pinch or more of cayenne pepper to the dry ingredients and a few drops of Liquid Smoke when you add the milk.

Though it lacks a pithy catchall like Cash for Clunkers, the Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program — or Cash for Appliances as I like to call it — is close to being approved for the state of Minnesota.

Administered by the state Department of Energy Security, the program likely will offer one rebate per household while supplies last of $100-$200 for the purchase of a qualifying appliance beginning around March 2010 (or later; it was first expected to begin this fall!)

Qualifying appliances mean Energy Star-rated models of refrigerators, freezers, clothes washers and dishwashers. So waiting until March to replace your stove, microwave or dryer is NOT smart. Though, neither is waiting in general.

You’re thinking, “I bought my kitchen only 12 (or something) years ago. It can’t be that bad!”

Consider this: A refrigerator, washer and dishwasher bought in the 1990s cost an average $207 more per year in utility costs than current, energy-efficient models.

A washer purchased in this decade still costs an average of nearly 3x more to run than a 2009 Energy Star model.

So in the months waiting, you’re actually spending more money, not saving it.

Brands like Frigidaire are offering up to $150 in Energy Star rebates, which end in November. And many utility companies already offer incentives to replace your appliances with Energy Star models. For example, Shakopee Public Utilities offers $60 to replace a dishwasher and $65 for refrigerators, freezers and washers.

$150 + $60 + ($65 x 3) = $405 in rebates.

See DSIRE (Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency) for a full list of residential incentives.

The state was granted about $5 million from the federal government for the program, and about $400,000 of that will be used towards administration, such as rebate processing. So only an estimated 25,000 rebates will be available.

Warners’ Stellian and other retailers were asked to commit our own in-kind funds for serivices like consumer education, which is exactly what you see going on here.

If you’d like to receive news alerts related to the Cash for Appliances program, e-mail stimulus@warnersstellian.com with the subject SUBSCRIBE.

Reason #1.

The “S” key fell off my keyboard, leaving me to use a funny plastic nipple looking thing.

Reason #2.

I most certainly sprained my ankle (for the first time ever!) last night.  Its not blue so I’m thinking thats a good thing, but it is pretty puffy, which definitely isn’t a good thing.  I’m going to get it checked out tomorrow and in the mean time I’m trying to keep it elevated but I can’t ice it because I don’t have a freezer!!  What horrible luck.  It didn’t even happen in an interesting way- I just stepped wrong going down some steps and landed on my ankle instead of my foot.  Wish me luck.

xxo

A funny sentence was handed down yesterday, Friday the 13th, to put a metaphorical stamp on the sad saga of one ex-congressman William Jefferson, who had so famously been caught by the feds in a sting operation, hiding 90,000 dollars in his freezer that he had accepted as a bribe from an undercover federal agent.

He was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison…on Friday the 13th. You can not make this kind of thing up. Reality is always stranger than fiction.

Among the charges are the fact that the corrupt Congressman from Louisiana had once  diverted emergency-response resources during Hurricane Katrina to evacuate himself and his family from harms way.

It was also proven that he had participated in racketeering and had accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from lobbyist to vote in their favor, which was a vote against the best interest of the citizens in his district.

William Jefferson, a Democratic lawmaker  represented a district in the southern state of Louisiana that included part of New Orleans. The last thing the citizens of New Orleans needs is another corrupt politician, so justice has been served in getting this menace to society off the streets.

Federal judge T.S. Ellis in Alexandria, Virginia handed down a sentence that’s less than half of what prosecutors had wanted, but it’s still much longer than the previous record-holder — former congressman Randy Duke Cunningham, now serving 8 years 4 months.

Jefferson, 62, was also ordered to forfeit more than 470,000 dollars in assets.

The AP is reporting…“In a stunning betrayal of the public’s trust, former congressman Jefferson repeatedly used his public office for private gain,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman said in a statement.

“The lengthy prison sentence imposed on Mr Jefferson today is a stark reminder to all public officials that the consequences of accepting bribes can and will be severe.”

Jefferson lost his New Orleans seat to Anh “Joseph” Cao, a liberal Republican who backed Pelosi on health care but still voted with the GOP around 75% of the time, according to Cao’s office.

I have proclaimed Cao,even though he is a Republican, as the savior of the American citizens, because of his informed and brave vote for Pelosi’s healthcare for all bill, because it is exactly what is right for the Republican voters, who tend to vote against their own interest 99 percent of the time.

Given the fact that the conviction of the felon Jefferson meant that America got a true hero in Cao, I can only focus on the fact that Jefferson’s self-propelled downfall, is the best thing to happen for America.

Karma is truly at work in this dynamic situation.

“Mr Jefferson’s repeated attempts to sell his office caused significant damage to the public’s trust in our elected leaders,” said US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil MacBride.

Here is a You tube report on this case of corruption from the AP…

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/13/william-jefferson-ex-cong_n_357667.html

Pelosi tried to promote this dick to some of the highest levels of Congress to try and cover his ass after he was indicted.  Think about that.  Feds are seeking the most deadly serious sentence ever handed out to a Congressional thug in history.  He’s not smiling any more now that the Democrat Culture of Corruption has been re-exposed:

Federal prosecutors are seeking the harshest prison sentence ever handed out to a member of Congress for former Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.), arguing that his “stunning betrayal of public trust” warrants what could be a life sentence for the long-time lawmaker.

via Feds seek 30 year sentence for William Jefferson – John Bresnahan – POLITICO.com.

I shredded a crock-pot full of chicken a while ago with the intention of making these enchiladas, but life got the better of me, and I didn’t get around to it until recently. Once you have chicken shredded, these enchiladas go together really quickly. My husband loves these because there are no filler ingredients (rice, beans, etc) just meat and wonderfully creamy cheese.

I cooked the chicken in the crock pot with about 1 cup of salsa. You could also use leftover roast chicken or turkey.

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When the crock pot chicken was tender, I shredded it, using some of the chicken for a chili, some for a soup (details soon), and most of the rest for these enchiladas.

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The filling for the enchiladas uses the chicken, shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, sauteed onions, garlic, some salsa, and cream cheese (this is what makes them so wonderfully creamy!). You can also add cilantro to the filling, but I didn’t this time. I just used it in the sauce.

To make the enchilada sauce, dump all of the sauce ingredients (see recipe below) into a blender, and blend until smooth.

Place a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a 9×13″ pan.

Roll about 1/3 – 1/2 cup of filling in a tortilla. I used flour tortillas, but you could also use softened corn tortillas.

Roll tortillas around filling and place in baking dish. I got 8 filled enchiladas in my pan, plus another 2 that I put in a smaller pan (these 2 extra enchiladas were terribly unappealing, having NO CHEESE in them-how could I possibly end up with a daughter that doesn’t like cheese?)

Cover and bake at 375°F for about 45 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. I love using non-stick foil for covering saucy or cheesy dishes. No sticking! Really.

Uncover and top with additional cheese, chopped green onions and sliced olives. Bake for another 10 minutes.

Serve with sour cream and additional salsa. We also like to have Mexican rice or refried beans on the side.

RECIPE:

Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas

4 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 onion, chopped and lightly sauteed
2 cloves garlic, minced or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup salsa
1-2 cups shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
4 Tbs fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Sauce:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
1/2 cup salsa
3 Tbs ketchup
1 Tbs paprika (hot and/or sweet)
1 tsp chili powder
2-3 Tbs fresh cilantro, chopped

Tortillas
1 cup shredded cheese
Sliced black olives (optional)
Chopped green onions (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Combine filling ingredients. Blend sauce ingredients in blender until smooth. Place a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a 9×13” pan. Roll filling in tortillas. Place in pan, seam side down. Top with remaining sauce.

Bake, covered, at 375°F for 30-45 minutes, or until cooked through. Uncover.

Sprinkle with cheese, olives and green onions. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes longer. Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole, if desired.

Makes 8-10 large enchiladas.

TO FREEZE: Prepare and fill enchiladas. Place on a waxed-paper lined cookie sheet and freeze. Place in freezer bag when enchiladas are completely frozen. Freeze sauce in a separate bag. Freeze cheese in small bag.

TO PREPARE AFTER FREEZING: Thaw sauce and cheese. Place small amount of sauce in a 9×13” pan. Place enchiladas in pan (it is not necessary to thaw enchiladas). Top with sauce. Bake, covered, at 375 F for about 1 hour, or until cooked through. Remove foil and top with cheese, olives and green onion. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes longer.

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So, we’ve had an interesting weekend. JB had several play dates scheduled which allowed for me to try to recouperate from the work week. This is a pretty typical routine for us for on weekends – JB is off playing tennis matches while I putter and clean up the apartment. While this may sound  a little… unbalanced… any time he doesn’t spend on tennis courts is spent parked in front of the computer doing homework. And I usually get to delve into more complicated meals since I have more time than I do during the week.

Well, all that went to the dogs (hahahaha… I slay myself) when JB came home from his tennis match with a dog bite on his thigh. Part of me was thinking, “what DOESN’T happen to JB?” In the 5 years that I’ve been with him, he’s had more major surgeries than most people have in 10 years. What’s a dog bite to add to all of it?

Fortunately, it was a tiny dog and didn’t do too much damage. We cleaned it thoroughly (JB can attest to my scrubbing skills) and he spent a good portion of the weekend limping around.

In light of the recent trauma, I decided it would be a perfect time to break out some of the meat I recently purchased from Costco.

My Freezer. Let me show you it.

This is actually somewhat cleared out. You’ll notice the door is STUFFED with steam fresh veggies. There’s chicken, hamburgers, pork chops (and yes, ice cream.) However, I also stumbled upon pot roast meat.

And it was divine. I recently purchased the Pioneer Woman Cookbook which does have a pot roast recipe, but I didn’t follow it this time. I used only red wine, onions, garlic, and carrots. Whip up some mashed potatoes (these have become ridiculous quick for me for some reason) and you have a tasty, rib stickin’ meal. But the best part? Since Costco sells everything in bulk, I got not one, but TWO pot roast cuts. This means, I can experiment!

And there was much rejoicing…

Nothing else interesting to report today. I am expecting a pretty package sometime this week and I could not be more excited!!!

I was disappointed in this item because it has no insulation. For me the greater need is to keep a bottle cool thruout the meal. This will do that OK, but then don’t expect it to cool down that second bottle you had not planned on drinking. I’m planning to keep my eye out for one of those foam covers people use on beer bottles, but in a size big enough for wine bottles.

This wine cooler exceeded my expectations. I wanted something simple, yet elegant, that can be placed on the dining table. This cooler does the trick! It is very sleek and elegant, and most importantly, produces absolutely no condesation! Not one drop of water will touch the table. It lasts a long time, you can drink a whole bottle calmly and be relaxed to know that it will stay cool throughout. I prefer to cool the wine in the fridge first, and then use the cooler to keep the temperature constant a long time.
It is also very portable and can be taken to any room in the house, with absolutley no hassle. What is also very important is that it needs no batteries or wires (wires cannot be placed on a dining table). I’m not sure if it would keep two bottles cooled back-to-back, haven’t tried it yet, but if it doesn’t, you can simply buy another ice pack and keep both of them in the freezer! I recommend this product 100%!

Can I let you in on a little secret?  My current kitchen obsession doesn’t revolve around my KitchenAid, or my growing collection from The Spice House, or gearing up for the Holiday cooking season.  My obsession lies with my freezer.

A packed full freezer is a beautiful thing. On the nights where I just don’t feel like cooking, I have a quart of some lovely soup ready to be thawed and paired with a salad and some crusty bread. Now that the clocks have fallen back, darkness creeps in at 5PM, which only reminds me that winter is just around the corner.

Good thing I have quarts of sweet corn, sliced peaches and pitted sour cherries ready to be dug out of a corner and transformed into a sweet reminder that the snow will thaw, and summer will come again.

Jalapeño Cheddar Scones I saw over at the Smitten Kitchen…freeze-ability. It never fails that when I make a full loaf or batch of something, the last quarter sits on the counter and goes bad (note to self: add mini loaf pans to wish list). But when I see a recipe where I can freeze pieces individually, to be baked off while the aforementioned soup is defrosting on the stove, I jump at it. These scones fit the bill.

Jalapeño-Cheddar Scones (printable recipe)
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, via NYMag

I love a good scone but I always associated scones with something that is sweet. These scones almost turn out somewhat like a dense layered, cheesy biscuit that is oh so delicious.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold butter, diced {stick the diced butter on a plate in the freezer}
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 eggs {3 if you want to use one for an egg wash; I didn’t}
1/4 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, diced
2-3 small jalapeños pepper, minced {Don’t worry too much about the heat, these are really not spicy scones at all; somewhat to my dismay}

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a small skillet, melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter and sauté the jalapeños until they soften, about two minutes. Let them cool, then place them in a small bowl with the cheddar cheese and coat them with one tablespoon of the flour. Combine the remaining flour with the baking powder and salt. Cut in the remaining butter with a pastry blender, until the butter bits are pea sized.

Lightly whip two of the eggs and cream and then add to the pea sized flour-butter mixture. Using a wooden spoon, fold mixture until it begins to come together. Add the cheddar-jalapeño mixture to the dough and mix until everything is incorporated.

Turn out the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead gently for less than one minute. Pat dough out to a 3/4- to 1-inch thickness {make sure to get it thin enough, mine were a tad thick and kinda puffed up a lot once they were baked-not a bad thing, just not as pretty} and either cut into 8 triangles or the shape of your choice with a biscuit or round cookie cutter.

Optional: Make an egg wash by beating the remaining egg with a teaspoon of water. Brush the scones with egg wash.

Place scones on a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Scones are always best the first day which is why it is great to flash freeze any you don’t plan on eating. Simply stick the scones on a baking sheet and pop in the freezer until they are frozen. Remove from the baking sheet and store in a freezer strength zip tock bag. Add a few minutes to the baking time if necessary.