We Are The Littles

From Arborio Rice Pudding

In order to get into the mood to write this blog, I put cinnamon sticks to simmer on the stove. I just love that smell. Later, when I am done with the homemade potpourri, I will add some milk to it and a touch of sugar, then I will have a drink known as Canela, which means cinnamon in Spanish. See, whimsical, yet practical, just as our dish was for this TWD challenge presented by Isabelle. Thanks, Isabelle, for hosting this simple, but tasty treat test.
Okay, so this was my first experience using Arborio rice. I found it at our local World Market. It was a reasonable price, especially when you consider a little goes a long way. That is my kind of deal. I did not have any issues with this recipe. It thickened up nicely for me. It was very similar to the Mexican Rice Pudding we make with traditional long grain rice, except it uses whole milk, instead of condensed and it is served cold, not hot like ours with cinnamon. One of my favorite memories from home, my grandma making us this dish in the mornings. I prefer Vanilla Rice Pudding over the chocolate, which will shock most people who know me to be a Chocofiend. I chilled and served the pudding in individual ramekins. Then, I topped it with whipped cream and a sprinkle of raspberry flavored cocoa, served with limone glazed biscotti, and garnished with a cinammon stick.
I am so excited! I was finally introduced as a new baker on the TWD homepage. I thought they had forgotten about me. I guess not.
Be sure to visit the site and look at the many blogs. I warn you, many will make you hungry and inspired!

Next up: Thanksgiving Twofer Pie

Okay, so I used to think that my husband only married me in hopes of having Mexican food cooked for him every day. Now, I know it is true. Unfortunately, my Mexican rice (not to be confused with saucier Spanish Rice) has not been up to par since I moved away from home. Yes, Wichita Falls is known for its superior Mexican Rice. Actually growing up with my grandma, I was able to observe how to cook a lot of Mexican dishes, or Tex-Mex meals. She really did not like us in her kitchen, much like me now, and I would have to watch, ask questions, leave, and experiment when she was away. Cooking Mexican Rice was one of the first dishes I learned to make. Of course like most of us, my first few attempts were bad. Then, I became the “backup rice maker” in our family, especially on Sundays, when everyone went to church,except for your’s truly, and I was expected to have something ready. I felt redeemed by doing it.
After moving to Houston, the mecca of cheap and scrumptions Mexican meals, I slacked off on cooking Mexican dishes, and relied solely on the good Hispanic tradition of older women cooking for us “young’ns”. In my case, it was my good friend and babysitter, Marina, who always made sure I was well fed. I miss the days of her having homemade breakfast tacos and Mexican hot chocolate or cafe’ waiting for me. Those were the days.
Okay, so now I am all married up and feel the instictive urge to cook for my man his favorite food. So, I went back to my inspiration, Marina, for her awesome rice recipe that she is so famous for. I hope you enjoy making this recipe as much as I did. The flavors are wonderful and a great aroma fills the entire house. It is an easy recipe. It is an easy clean up. It is also the perfect side dish or main dish for dinner or a light lunch. Now, if only I could learn to make her awesome beans!

Recipe

4 tbs of canola oil (or any light oil)
2 cups of Long Grain Rice
1/2 cup of diced onions (or to taste)
2 tsp of minced garlic (or to taste)
4 cups of boiling water
4 oz. of tomato sauce
2 chicken bouillions
2 tsp of grounded cumin (or to taste)
Optional add In’s (listed below)
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Optional to add at end (all or one of each):
2 cups of cubed cooked chicken, 1 cup of cooked mixed veggies, 1/4 cup of diced tomatoes

Boil 4 cups of water. In a skillet, heat oil on medium heat and lightly brown rice. Add onion, then garlic. Mix and for 2 minutes let rice brown some more. Next, mix in 4 0z. of tomato sauce. Then, pour boiling water on top of rice. Stir. Add chicken bouillons,cumin,and salt and pepper, and stir again. Note:at this step, my grandma used to add in small stalks of celery with leaves, for flavor and presentation.
After this step or adding in optional ingredients, cover your rice and allow to cook for apx 20 minutes, or when rice becomes fluffy. Here you could add in one cup of frozen veggies here and allow to warm in pan for a few minutes.

Buen provecho!

If you did not know it by now, one I am a carb junky and two I am a food blog addict! I found this great website hosted by Chef John through other food sources, and I wanted to share this recipe with you (check out embedded video). First, you will love it cause it is a video blog (yay!). Second, you will love it cause it is super easy and just in time for BAKING weather!
So, do not think of the overall time, but focus instead on the goal, which is great smelling, easy baking, no Knead bread, and it is Pumpkin!!! I hear the applause. Yes, you wonderful, beautiful people, bake until you drop! I will try this soon and as usual post it. I will also share the “leftover”tip Chef John gives on the recent blog;use the leftover bread to make French Toast. Heaven.

On another different, but same, note, Mrs. Angie and fam are coming in for the weekend. She does not know yet, but we will be catching up on our girl talk while we bake and cook for tomorrow’s dinner party! It is Mexican-themed, of course.
The menu:
Mini Empanadas for Apps accompanied by chips, salsa, and homemade guacamole
Enchilada Casserole as the main course with Mexican rice and Slow-cooked pinto beans for the sides
Chocolate Tres Leches for dessert
and Homemade Sangria to wash it all down with
I will let you know how it goes.

Happy eating!

From 3MChoCCakeCup

Yes, hard to believe, but it is true. My hubby,in his never-dying support for my hobbies, found this recipe to pass along to me. This recipe was featured on Lifehacker and called for a “throw together stuff from your pantry for when you need a choco-fix”- chocolate cake made in a microwave. I had heard of something similar a while back, but it called for a regular cake mix instead. Either way, today I decided to give the quirky recipe a try. I really wanted to video the whole 3-minute (and 30 second) adventure, but since I used a ginormous coffee cup, you never could see the cake rise in the video. Oh, well.
Okay, so the cake did turn out like the Lifehacker demo. It did taste gummy and like a cheap brownie cake. I souped it up,though. I am talking a little butterscotch pudding, chocolate syrup, and powdered sugar (I ran out of whipped cream!). It managed not to taste so bad after all that, but so would cardboard. So would I eat this if I were fiending for chocolate in a desperate situation? Probably not. That is what cars and stores are for. Will I play with it some more? Uh, yes. It is me after all we are talking about. I will probably even try to Weight Watcher it. I also think I will add a flavored hot chocolate mix, like raspberry, for extra sweetness. The possibilities are endless, at least in my world.
This was fun to do. Better than laundry! There are some tips the Food Hacks give, like adding chocolate chips in the mix. I also like the idea of making it into a gift, a cup with the recipe and dry ingredients in it. Clever. If you read on further in the online article, you will find similar quirky recipes, like kneadless bread, and other jazzy comments about this microwaved cake. I especially like the one that says, “Only a stoner could have come up with this”. Ganja Blue, I agree!
Bon Apetit, everyone! And thanks to my man for helping me live THE dream-(p.s. don’t forget to scroll down and read my man’s post)

From Kugelhopf

I am so excited. This is my first “Tuesdays with Dorie” or to be referred to from here on out, TWD, post. This week’s recipe was Kugelhopf as chosen by Yolanda of The All-purpose Girl. I am so happy to be in such culinary company! I was even happier that my Kugelhopf even made it into the ballpark of looking like Kugelhopf! As I write this, I have just had 2 slices of mine toasted and with strawberry jam, accompanied by chocolate truffle coffee. It is amazing how such quaint treats can be made right in your home.
The only problems I had with my first go at making Kugelhopf is that I was unsure of how the dough should look in the different stages and how it should be applied to the pan. Also, my dough did not rise to the top of the pan at the “final rise”-stage after several hours (7) of waiting. I finally threw in the towel and popped it in as is. The result was not too shabby. I was happy with it. At least it resembled a baked treat! It also tasted like a buttered croissant. The kids ate it, especially since I substituted raisins with Craisins, and brushed the outside generously with honey butter. I also did more than just sprinkle powdered sugar, I dropped it on! It may be a while before I make this again. It takes some time and with kids (the baby is in the background fussing), it can be a little difficult,although, my seven year old son did help add in the sugar and butter and he and my oldest daughter took some of my pictures.
Anyway, I am so happy to be here. I can hardly wait to do the next challenge,arborio rice pudding (vanilla or chocolate). BTW, all my recipes are coming from Baking From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan. I am not allowed to post the recipes, per TWD rules, but they are floating around. Also, I bought my copy for a really good price at Jessica’s Biscuit. It is like the online Wal-Mart for books! O.k., gotta get to the baby!

Okay, so last night the kids and I used our imagination and had “Fancy Restaurant” Night. Even though, it was not that fancy, it was still fun to do with the kids. I will not say it did not have its moments. Unlike a real fancy restaurant, I had interruptions from the kids in and out of the kitchen and a demanding infant, so my Rachael Ray inspired 30-minute meal took more like one hour and a half. True to the cooperation of a baby, Gabby fell asleep before mealtime, so she did take not take part in this first event.

The menu was as follows:

App (somthing I threw together with the kids in mind)
Tortilla strips crisped with olive oil topped with diced grilled chix and bacon with cilantro lime salsa and lightly melted fresh mozarella tossed with olive oil and grilled tomatoes

Main Course
Turkey Thyme Meatloaf Patties with Mashed Sweet Potatoes (Everyday with Rachael Ray, November edition, pg. 106)

Dessert
Fresh Strawberries with cream lightly sprinkled with cocoa and drizzled chocolate, accompanied with glazed lemon biscotti.

Drinks
Sparkling Apple Cider

Of course, I have short cuts I will take next time to make the same meal, with a similar taste, without so many steps and ingredients. This meal would only take 30 minutes with no interruptions, prepped ingredients, and experience. However, the meal itself was very delicious and the whole house smelled of Thanksgiving. Another tip, next time, I will probably add dried cranberries to the sauce.
Of course, the critics had their say. The boys appreciated the attempt, but would prefer no onions next time. Other than that, they liked it.

As you can tell by the pics, Savannah really liked the meal. This means a lot, because she normally does not like Meatloaf. My secret, I left out the ketchup the recipe called for to take away some of the “meatloaf” taste. I also added in soy sauce with the Worcestershire sauce to add some sweetness to the dish. Since Savannah helped me with the prepping of some of the food, she found out the hard way, that sweet potatoes can be difficult to peel and cut. The secret, nuke four good sized ones for about ten minutes on high in your microwave. Then, you are in business. Another shortcut, buy canned and go from there. I think this is what the magazine must have done or used a different variety, such as a real YAM, because I did not achieve the same brick color as is expected by using the fresh sweet pots.

Okay, there are a few more shortcuts I could add, but it would make this blog too long. The kids did a great job playing along with mom and getting themselves all dudded up for the occasion. Next to Gabe, they are my favorite culinary guinea pigs! My friends come in a close second.

Don’t forget to scroll down and look at Gabe’s Culinary Creation and our Halloween Pics!

Okay, here are the pics from last night’s Halloween happening. Not much went on. The boys were grounded from trick o treatin’ and had to stay indoors to help pass out candy. They did a great cheerful job. Savannah helped me decorate outdoors and the cupcakes. Both were a lot of fun.  Even though we did not go trick o treatin’ we did manage to get dressed up. Gabby had a total of four costume changes, being the lil’ diva that she is.  We did watch some light scary movies, The Corpse Bride and Jaws.  It was a pretty tame night. Hardly any trick o treaters. Did anyone else get an unbelievable amount of high schoolers at their door? I mean I am a believer in being youthful and all, but 6-foot high school boys with “OMG”-girlfriends should really stick to their own crowd!  Although, I guess trick o treatin’ could be a creative, cheap date and it is better than drinking and driving! Okay, I have second thoughts. Maybe it is not so bad after all.

Speaking of teenage boys, Savannah’s sweetie surprised her again this week with flowers AND and an Easy Bake Oven.  He delivered the oven in a cute way by leaving it at the door and brought trick o treatin’ to her, or maybe he was just too scared to face me! Either way, I am so jealous. I have always wanted an Easy Bake oven. I think we will use it tonight or tomorrow.

Okay, well after an already busy day with still a lot more to go, I think I am going to go take a nap with hairball.  Tonight, the kids and I are having “Fancy Restaurant” night at home. Something new and CHEESY I thought we could try.  We are all going to get kinda dressed up (even Gabby) and eat at the rarely used formal dining room table.

Ahhhh, memories. Yesterday, the kids and I made a stop at the pumpkin patch on our way home from picking up the Princess from school.  You know it was spur of the moment, cause I have no make up on and we are not dressed in cute fall outfits. You will not believe the kids we saw all decked out with their parents posing them and taking pictures with professional camera gear. We were just there, us, casual, with my little trusty ole camera.  Next year, we will be prepared, expensive camera and costumes and all!

In true “lets-ruin-mom’s- let’s- make-a- happy-memory-moment” form, the boys managed not to pick out a pumpkin. They were dragged from photo op to photo op, followed grudgingly by their older sis, who felt she was not dressed right for the occasion. Gabby might have followed suit, but she is just a baby and oblivious to everything except when she is going to get fed! Thank goodness she was full.  So while I was inquiring about the price of the pumpkin the boys picked out, a less frugal family grabbed the pumpkin the boys wanted, pouting ensued, and no alternate pumpkin was chosen! So, I managed to get fall pictures for free and did not get stuck with a pumpkin bill. All in all not a bad moment, but not much of a Kodak one, either!

Here are the pictures the kids obligingly took. Hope you enjoy. Please forgive my exhausted,homely look. I hope you will all understand, especially since I have made huge strides by letting these pics be posted. Hope my loving hubby appreciates it.

After note: Justin did find a fake ear of fall corn on the ground and brought it home, actually snuck it home. He told me it must have been free since it was on the ground. I hope we are safe, since the pumpkin patch was at a church! Susan K, if you are reading this, please do not tell your congregation!

Friday night, Savannah and I started decorating three cakes needed for the neighborhood’s Fall Festival and a birthday party. Now, let me start off by saying that she is naturally gifted at such things. I,however, am not. It takes  me classes. It takes her just one demo, then she takes off and running with it! I admire her natural talent.
Here are the pictures of the cakes. Savannah did the Casper Cake from beginning to end. She baked, carved, crumb coated, and decorated it. Next time, I will have her make the buttercream frosting and colors. I did the Smiling Jack o’Latern one in a cake mold pan. We both tackled the Spiderman Cake. This was a challenging cake. It was for my good friends’ little boy’s second birthday party. I had several ideas for this cake. I even bought the small Wilton Spiderman cake pan.  I ended up not using it and tried a varied version of a demo I saw on Youtube. I was in a bind though. I could not find a cake box and board big enough to present the cake. The board is used for extra space to add borders to a decorated cake, as well as, carry the cake on. I was unable to add bottom borders to my cake without risking smashing the cake from lifting. Once again, I was upset with Hobby Lobby for not carrying boxes and boards big enough for the cake pans they sell.   I also do not have a strong free-hand style, so I struggled with decorating Spiderman. Next time, I will try using fondant for him. I have never used it, but for a small scale project, buying it from the store would be okay. Luckily, my daughter had a great free-hand, so she finished the details for me and even did the writing! I also placed the cake on an over-sized clear cutting board. Not only did it help carry the cake, but it was so easy to cut the cake on. The cake was a big hit. Not one crumb was left. I will have to get with my neighbor to see how our Fall Festival cakes fared at the cake walk.
Let me also give Duncan Hines a shout out! They really do have the superior cake mix above all the other commercial mixes.
Okay, I am over and out.

Gabe left today to go make us money.  We are so sad. Even one of our neighbors was sad for us today when she watched Gabe say bye to the boys at the bus stop.  We were so busy this time off, but as always, we had a great time. I am especially happy that we had a family weekend and sendoff before he left. Papa and Weezer and Aunt Omega came into town. We all went to see Savannah perform in The Little Mermaid. It was funny and she did great! Yesterday, she was even singled out to pose for a journalism student’s project. We were honored to sit out in the Explorer and wait for her as she had her photo shoot outside on the hood of a car. Okay, you are probably wondering as we did, What is a mermaid doing on a car? Well, that was the photographer’s vision. And in case you were wondering, the photographer was a girl. Hope that does NOT add more fuel to the fire (haha).  My other thought was, if they were going to pick a car, why a Honda Civic? I digress. Anyway, we had a great weekend with the family filled with a lot of food, as only we can do it.  I was especially happy to take Weezer to the mecca of grocery stores, HEB.  For those of you unfamiliar with the store, one day I will take you on a photo tour and show you why it is all that.  Sunday we had a HUGE breakfast that included Omega’s famous home styled potatoes and signature pancakes (big and thick!).  Sunday, Savannah left us to go act and we went to the park, while the Cowboys were getting it handed to them. Gabe and the boys pretended to be MLB stars and Gabby and I were the cheerleaders.

Anyway, that is a glimpse of our days. Now, my best friend is gone, and once again, the house is not the same.  It is going to be a LONG six weeks, but Gabe and I are having a running contest, so that should help time fly. It will also help our waistlines, especially since we ate Tres Leches all weekend like there was no tomorrow. I want to try to lose enough weight so he notices a difference when he returns and has to buy me a new wardrobe. He now has his new home gym in Nigeria already assembled and waiting for him. I have my new treadmill (thanks again, baby!). It is going to be ironic when I beat him using the gift he bought me. And I am bringing it!

Gabe will put up pics and video from the play as soon as he is settled, but don’t tell Savannah or she will kill us! I will also be keeping everyone updated with pictures, stories, and videos, while I keep Gabe in the know when he is away.