Week 2 of Photos

So this week I will admit that I don't have that many interesting shots. Between a family crisis and work the camera did not come out too often.

My cousin was in town visiting his girlfriend and we all went out last Saturday for drinks. When coming in 2 something in the morning your 4" heel shoes wind up under the kitchen table.

A little vignette of Nora and my veil. Oh how lovely she is!

I picked up some tulips to brighten up our living room.

Experimenting with different focus points.

Experimenting with macro shots. Was surprised that I was even able to capture the particles of dust on the shelf. WOW.

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Spaghetti and Meatballs

I was reading the Pioneer Woman's blog and noticed her recipe for meatball soup and thought to try it with traditional spaghetti. I liked the flavor it had with the addition of the freshly grated parmesan cheese. I also had enough left over to freeze and use for meatball subs (Yum!). Each month I make 3-5 quarts of sauce and freeze it so that I have a way to create quick dinners on nights where I am pressed for time. Once again I can give exact quantities for my sauce just ingredients since I make it to taste.

Basic Pasta Sauce

• Olive Oil
• Minced Garlic
• Tomato Paste (1-2 cans depends on how much I am making)
• Can Tomato Sauce (2-4 cans)
• Diced Tomatoes
• Minced Garlic
• Basil
• Oregano
• Parsley
• Kosher Salt
• White Pepper
• Sugar

1. In a crock pot set to high I pour in some olive oil and the minced garlic and let that cook for about 5 minutes

2. I add in the tomato paste, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, basil, oregano, and parsley.

3. Let cook for about an hour. Then I season with pepper, salt and sugar

4. I let it cook for another 1-2 hours.

5. Let cool and freeze.

Pioneer Woman Meatballs 

• ¾ pounds Ground Beef
• ½ cups Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 3 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, Minced
• 1 whole Egg
• 2 cloves Garlic
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• ½ teaspoons Black Pepper
• ¼ teaspoons Ground Oregano
• 2 teaspoons Lemon Juice (I omitted the lemon juice)
• Olive Oil for cooking

1. Combine all meatball ingredients and mix well. Shape into small balls and chill for 30 minutes.

2. After chilling, heat olive oil over medium-low heat in a heavy pot. Thoroughly cook meat.

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What's on my Shelf in the kitchen?

So Ashley & Stephan over at (never home)maker posed the question what is on your shelf, ie your cookbooks, and since I have been meaning to post about this same topic what better time than the present.

I thought I had a lot of cookbooks but Ashley and Stephan beat me hands down. Even though I have a lot I only consult on a regular basis probably 4-5 of them. I am going to highlight my favorites and the ones that I have found most useful.

Joy of Cooking - 75th Anniversay Edition by Rombauer, Rombauer & Becker
I don't know why I waited so long to get this book. By far it is one of the most comprehensive and useful cookbooks there is - hands down. I see why so many coks have it in their kitchen. I turn to this book to read up on ingredients, understand the basics of various techniques, and as a starting point for any new recipe. I don't know how I got along in the kitchen before I got it.

How to Cook Everything - Bittman While there is a new updated edition I have the original. This book is my second most used cookbook because like the Joy of Cooking it does a great job at explaining how ingredients come together to form a recipe, gives the basics of techniques, and gives suggestions on how to do variations of recipes. Another great volume for the beginner cook or as a reference for the more experienced.

Better Homes and Garden Cookbook - This was my first cookbook (I have an edition from the md-90's) and it has great classic recipes. I use it a cross refence with Joy and Cook Everything to develop recipes.

The Martha Stewart Cookbook: Collected Recipes for Every Day - Though some recipes are outside of every day (you know Martha is not quite like the rest of us) there are some excellent recipes in the book. Though not comprehensive enough to be used as a everyday reference, I am sometimes pleasantly surprised as what is contained within.

The Black Family Reunion Cookbook- Recipes and Food Memories by  National Council of Negro Women Though not an everyday cookbook, I can't cook with Crisco and butter every day, however, it helps me to recreate some of the recipes from my childhood. It is the food that I eat when I go to visit relatives down south or I am cooking for big holidays.   If you want some basic soul food recipes this is the one.

Books I use more infrequently but still love:
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl  by  Ree Drummond
Martha Stewart's Cookies: The Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share by Martha Stewart Living Magazine
Cookwise The Secrets of Cooking Revealed by Shirley Corriher 

The other large source for my recipes are the Martha Stewart website and Food Network Magazine.

Books I want:
Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classics
The Fannie Farmer Cookbook
The Deen Brothers Cookbook: Recipes from the Road

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So what goes into making a great pie crust

Photo courtesy of the Pioneer Woman Website

So after cranking out an excellent pie crust this past weekend courtesy of The Pioneer Woman's Cookbook, it got me to wondering what makes for a great pie crust. What do you need to get a flaky, rich, tender pie crust like the one in her recipe? Well I consulted my copy of Understanding Baking: The Art and Science of Baking 3rd edition, a great book for anyone who is serious about baking and here is what it had to say.

• The type of fat you use in making pie crust is critical. Fats that remain solid at room temperature (such as lard or vegetable shortening) make for the flakiest crusts. Oil on the other had coats the flour preventing gluten from forming and thus results in a crust that is crumbly and too tender.
• Butter gives a pie dough a better taste, however it has more water and less fat than vegetable shortening or lard. Butter also needs to be kept very cold so that it will hold its shape in the dough until it sets and won't melt in the flour. This is critical since a flaky crust is the result of fat melting in the crust during baking leaving air space behind which makes the pie crust flake.
• Ingredients which are highly acidic such as vinegar, lemon juice, or sour cream make the crust tender by aiding in the break down of gluten proteins.
• Protein from dairy products such as egg promotes browning.
• Ingredients should be as cold as possible when combining to promote a flaky crust
• A minimum amount of water should be used since water contributes to gluten formation which can toughen the crust. (So its too much water that makes a pie crust tough!)
• Refrigerating the dough for several hours or overnight after mixing and forming into discs allows the dough to become hydrated which makes it easier to roll, prevents shrinkage when baking, and adds to better quality in taste.
• When working with doughs rich in butter they should be chilled after rolling which prevents the fat from melting too quickly in the baking process.

So Pioneer's woman has all the ingredients to make delicious crust: a fat that is solid at room temperature, minimal water, and acid that aids in tenderness, a protein that promotes browning, and refrigerating the dough to allow for hydration.

Hope this helps you in making better pie crust.

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Wedding Video

We got our wedding video today. Yeah.

Thank You Well Spun Weddings!

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I thought I would be able to do it

I was the girl that swore up and down before her wedding that she was not emotionally attached to her dress. That I could easily sell it in a heart beat after the big day. It was an easy way to recoup some of the wedding expense. What was the big deal, its not like I would ever wear it again. At least it could bring joy to someone else.

But here we are over 4 months out from the wedding and it is still here. I can't let go. I love Nora and don't want to part with her. Ever since we got back from our honeymoon she has been adorning my professional dress dummy in our bedroom. I take her off her little pedestal every couple of weeks and try her on and glide around the house. I thought I would take her to get professionally cleaned, I thought I would formally post her for sale on all the wedding boards, or send her over to a consignment shop but NOOOOOOO. She is still with us and I don't see her leaving anytime soon.

Has anyone else been reluctant to part with their wedding gown? Where is your gown now?

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Chicken Pot Pie

Today was the first time I tried a recipe from the Pioneer Woman's cookbook. I got the book almost a month ago and have been dying to try some of the recipes. So with the long weekend and the fact we had a huge pack of chicken breast in the freezer I decided to give her chicken pot pie recipe a go. I thought this recipe would be a challenge for me given the fact that I bulk at making pie dough since in the past I have not had the best of results. I figured if I botched the crust I could easily top it with biscuits and make Chicken and Biscuits. The mixing of the crust was fairly easy, especially since I purchased a pastry cutter to work in the shortening. My biggest fear was in rolling out the dough and over working it, thus making it rubbery. But the crust remained very soft. I will admit that I had some trouble with the dough sticking to my work surface, but a pastry scraper really helped in lifting up the dough. The recipe actually recommends making the dough ahead of time and freezing, and I think I will try that to see if it handles differently. But overall I was really pleased with the recipe. The filling was flavorful, creamy, and rich and the crust was so flaky and delicious. (My husband loved it!!!!!!) This is definitely now on my recipe rotation and I am going to use this dough recipe for pies and tarts (now that I found an easy dough recipe that renders good results I can now perfect my pie making).

Chicken Pot Pie (Courtesy of Pioneer Woman)

• 2 pie crusts (Pioneer Woman Perfect Pie Crust recipe) - I used one to line the casserole dish and one for the topping
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/2 large onion finely diced
• 3 carrots diced
• 3 celery stalks finely diced
• 1/2 cup frozen peas 
• 2 cups diced chicken
• 1 cup flour
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken or turkey broth
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 1/4 cup white wine (optional)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Frozen peas (optional)
• thyme, salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

• Melt butter in a skillet or dutch oven. Add onion, carrots, peas, and celery, and cook until translucent (a couple of minutes.)
• Add chicken and stir. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir. Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly.
• Pour in chicken broth, stirring constantly. Add in wine (you can leave this out if you’d like.) Pour in cream. 
• Bring to a slow boil and allow mixture to cook and thicken for a few minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste (do not underseason), and fresh or dried thyme to taste. Do one final taste at the end and add what it needs.
• Roll out crust so that it’s about 1 inch larger than the pan you’re using.
• Optional - line casserole or pie pan with one of the pie crusts. (I like my pot pie to have double crusts)
• Pour mixture into a casserole dish or deep pie pan
• Place the crust on top of the pot pie mixture, and press crust into the sides of the dish. Cut vents in the top of the crust.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until very golden and bubbly.
• Allow to cool for a little bit before serving.

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