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Thursday, January 27, 2011

egg series

My egg series will be located in the tab labeled "Fun Facts". It will be more than just fun facts, I hope you will find it informative and useful for your daily cooking. Enjoy!

Back to the grind......

Well I made it back to GA after a wonderful trip home to ...freezing MN. I had so much fun seeing all my friends and a few I haven't seen in years! The weather: cold at first then it warmed up a bit ...into the 20"s I believe. hmmmm its 50 something here in GA, and sunny. Well back to reallity and blogging about real stuff you want to hear! I'm starting a series on eggs... yes the good old egg. stay tuned...............

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Pineapple Orange Marmalade on FoodistaPineapple Orange Marmalade

No more coffee?

Well, it's official....I'm all out of my "free" starbucks coffee... well it really wasn't free, as a starbucks employee, you get to have 1lb a week... but you sure work your butt off for it! (ironic that it's national coffee break day) Here is a good recipe for dessert with coffee, coffee and cream cheese cake:

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Mis en place....

What? (French) This is the key to success in all baking and cooking. It really means being prepared:
Read recipe from start to finish before doing anything else.
Assemble all ingredients (make sure you have everything you need).
Room Temp....milk eggs etc. ( unless recipe calls for chilled).
Assemble all tools needed.
Weigh or measure ingredients.
Pre-heat oven (at least 15 minutes).
The goal of Mis en place is to have everything you need ready to go so you don't have to stop in the middle of preparing  once you begin. Stopping midway can affect the outcome of your dish.......

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

To Minneapolis I go!

YAY!
I am heading home for a few days, leaving this Sat. Jan 22nd , coming back on Jan 26th... not enough time but will still be fun. I am hosting a brunch at my daughter Natalie's house on Sunday. I think we will have a good turnout. Whats on the menu you ask?
Well for starters coffee and mimosa's
Cheesy egg bake
Frittata's
Cheesy Chile relleno squares (really yummy)
Marji's caramel pecan breakfast casserole
The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond's BEST coffee cake ( it is the best)
www.thepioneerwoman.com
Orange cranberry scones (just like the picture in the last post)
Cheddar bacon scones
Platter of bacon and sausage
probably some muffins too
OBTW I will be doing all the cooking/baking!
Hope to see you there!

Monday, January 17, 2011

Homemade orange/cherry scones

 
Yes , I know they should be orange /cranberry scones, but,  I only had dried cherries...still really good, the orange is more pronounced so you don't taste the cherry very much, that and my food processor kind of chopped them up too much......user error,,,,,,,,,,,,OH and very yummy thick orange vanilla icing!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Oh Honey!


I think I'm going to invest in beehives...I mean, really , to make real honey... I've always wanted to do that. I will dress up in the net and fetch me some honey...maybe I can sell some too....have you seen the prices of honey lately?? Yikes

Toto....were not in Minnesota anymore........

AT LAST!

AHHHHHHHHHH .....at last.... I was able to get out of my driveway today and actually see the sun and civilization again! It is nice to be snowed in, but wow, I learned that I do need to be around people, not just poodles! Romeo and I did have some nice quality time together.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Cabin Fever

Well, it's been 3 days since the"storm of the century" for Dahlonega. I've been in my cabin, no way to get out.... they don't seem to plow around here....That's OK! I stocked up on everything , including propane for my nice cozy fireplace. Six inched really cripples this ole mountain.....way too icy to drive on hills.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

My afternoon snack


mini popovers and espresso, made with my cool espresso maker of course!

Monday, January 10, 2011

How to cut a pineapple


Pineapple Orange Marmalade on FoodistaPineapple Orange Marmalade

WHAT THE.....


Hay! Didn't I move to Georgia? What is with all this snow? Romeo want s to know too... We got about 6 inches I think. I moved from MN, the coldest planet on earth.... to GA..... to escape winters...I do admit it is very pretty and makes me think of home, but I also know it will be gone in a week, so actually that is the perfect kind of winter to have .....yay!

The snow has brought many hungry birds to my feeders. I lost count at 15 different kind of species. I identified two new types that I had never seen before; the Eastern Towhee and the Brown Thrasher. As a novice birder, I am thrilled to say the least. I also have a nice bright red Cardinal that comes regularly with his wife:)
 

Friday, January 7, 2011

My amazing Coffee find!

WOW, when I first saw this "thing" it scarred me...but I kept seeing it on cooking shows, magazines, websites...etc. SO as a former Starbucks' employee, I had to investigate. I needed a way to make good tasting espresso shots with out buying an expensive espresso machine... the key here is "good espresso shots".... well I don't know what took me so long but I'm glad I finally joined the party! It is so easy to use and vary affordable too, about $20 bucks for the small one.
                                                              ?What is it you ask?
.... The Bialetti Moka Express (stove top espresso maker)..... FANTASTIC-O! just grind your coffee for espresso and you will have a nice cup of  hot creamy rich espresso...........just like that.......enjoy!

Moka Express
BIALETTI   MOKA   EXPRESS

Thursday, January 6, 2011

What the heck does Speck mean??

I just learned a new term today....Speck, lightly smoked pork that is cured and air-dried, adds richness to many dishes.  hmmmm....... who new?
I will post a recipe with Speck in it...

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

SOME INTERESTING FACTS

SALT:
Did you know that Homer, the Greek epic poet, (not Homer Simpson) called salt a "Divine substance" and Plato, the classic Greek philosopher said salt was dear to the gods. Salt was so valued that the town of Jericho created a salt trade center over 10,000 years ago. Humans and animals would not survive without it. Salt has a fascinating history.
There is a great book out called SALT A WORLD HISTORY, by Mark Kurlansky. It is a must read for any history or cooking enthusiast!

I live in a cabin in the woods....

Why does that remind me of Sponge Bob?