The Change

For my few readers out there- I've made a big change in the blog!

1) Physical appearance - colors, template, banner, etc.
2) Content - Last weekend I had a blogger epiphany. I realized the reason I don't write on this blog everyday -- I don't only love food. Duh. I have lots of other interests and loves and I feel constricted to writing about food since that is what I set out to do. I read a lot of other talented women's blogs this weekend (sorry guys, you just can't represent!) and they inspired me to really use this as a jumping point. I've wanted to get reacquainted with my photography, start crafting (sewing, scrapbooking and knitting more) and I want to just write like myself, instead of feeling like I need to be someone I'm not.

So there it is. The beginning of the beginning, I guess...

Sick as a Dog

Well... starting Thursday evening, straight through to today, I've been in one position on my couch, going through 2 entire rolls of toilet paper (yeah I know, I should buy some tissues). My family uses the phrase- sick as a dog and I just realized that I have no idea where that would come from. So of course, I googled it! I got several doggie health websites but I managed to find an answer that I thought was interesting (whether it's right or not... that's a different story).

"The earliest known usage of "sick as a dog'' dates back to 1705. It has been suggested that the phrase originated from the fact that dogs, being domesticated, are the most common animal we've seen vomiting besides ourselves. Our intimate relationships with dogs have also allowed for many other "dog'' phrases like "every dog has his day'' and the straightforward "you can't teach an old dog new tricks.'' British English has sometimes employed similar phrases involving other animals - "sick as a horse'' and, yes, "sick as a cat'' - but "sick as a dog'' is the only choice in American English.

A surprising variant that has become popular in Britain in the past several decades is "sick as a parrot,'' which typically describes someone who is very disappointed or disgusted rather than physically sick. Parrots aren't especially known for being either sick or disappointed, and no one knows exactly how this phrase originated. (One theory traces it to a famous Monty Python sketch involving a dead parrot.) It was first recorded in 1979, and it has been popular in the years since, especially among British athletes describing their extreme disappointment over losing a match."

So I'm finally feeling good enough to sit up with a work loaner laptop in my lap. Unfortunately, all my pictures are still on my camera which would need to be plugged into my personal desktop, which requires me to sit up for more than 5 minutes at a time....just not going to happen today! I thought I would throw in a post about a) how sick I feel so you can feel sorry for me :) Is it working? b) what is to come in the next week or so...

1) Some left over posts from last year of various yummy meals
2) Dianna's request: what you need in your kitchen
3) Christmas
4) Some new meals that I've made this year

I hope you enjoy!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to my 3-4 faithful readers! This is literally the beginning of the new year. I have a new attitude towards food and several new books to help me along! You'll definitely be seeing a lot more posts (with the same terrible photography) soon. I figured I should get up one on the first day of the New Year. So Happy New Year!

Cookies Galore! Funfetti Cookies

Stefanie's cookies brought back all those birthday parties where I wasn't worried about eating half the cake! Who knew that you could make cookies with Funfetti Cake Mix?!


Ingredients
1 (18.9-oz.) pkg. Pillsbury® Moist Supreme® Funfetti® Cake Mix
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs
1/2 (15.6-oz.) can Pillsbury® Creamy Supreme® Funfetti® Vanilla Frosting

Directions
1. Heat oven to 375°F.
2. In large bowl, combine cake mix, oil, and eggs: stir with spoon until thoroughly moistened.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cooki sheets. With bottom of glass dipped in flour, flatten to 1/4-inch thickness.
4. Bake at 375°F for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets.
5. Spread frosting over warm cookies. Immediately sprinkle each with candy bits from frosting.
6. Let frosting set before storing. Store in tightly covered container.

Cookies Galore! Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Catie made some delicious cookies that combine everything you would want in a holiday cookie: peanut butter, chocolate chips and oatmeal!

She got her recipe from Martha Stewart Living.

Ingredients

Makes about 6 dozen.

• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups salted whole peanuts
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
2. Put sugars, butter, and peanut butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix in eggs and vanilla.
3. Reduce speed to low. Add oat mixture, and mix until just combined. Mix in peanuts and chocolate chips.
4. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop balls of dough 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
5. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown and just set, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.

Cookies Galore!

Yay for cookies and the holiday season! This is the first of hopefully 11 different recipes (combined into a smaller amount of posts for lazy readers). I will "highlight" (you'll see what that means) each cookie and give its recipe! I hope you enjoy and have fun with your holiday baking!

Official

This is an official blogger promise.

I will write at least one post every 48 hours.

Really! I promise this time! I can't guarantee that every post will be extraordinarily interesting but there will at least be one.

I'm about to write a series of posts- inspired by my favorite style maven- Miss Kate! The series was a request from another loyal reader about "How to Stock Your Kitchen". I immediately thought this was a great idea- but does she mean with utensils and gadgets? spices and long term staples? pots and pans? Well, why not answer all of the above! Therefore, you will soon be embarking on an adventure into my wild mind (and the world of internet research that I will perform to write this post) so I hope you find it useful!

In an additional note, my friends at work (which include my muses from the above paragraph) decided to do a holiday cookie exchange. I will be asking for the recipes from each of them and posting them on here for your enjoyment!

Awesome Salad Dressing with Pan-Roasted Garlic

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_75379,00.html

Delicious dressing- that's all I have to say!

10 gloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 hearts Romaine lettuce
Grated romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano In a small skillet, combine the garlic cloves and the oil. Over a low heat, caramelize the garlic until browned and soft, about 20 minutes.

Transfer garlic cloves to a blender or food processor. Add the vinegar and mustard. Blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly pour in the reserved garlic oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Chop the lettuce into bite-sized pieces and put in a large salad bowl. Pour the dressing over the lettuce and toss to coat. Sprinkle some grated cheese on top and serve immediately.

Overeating is for suckers, suckers and girls...

What person doesn't overeat at some point? Whether you do it to relieve stress, make you happy, or because you are plain old bored, we all do it! Sometimes it comes to a point where it is completely unhealthy and is related to binge eating and bulmia.

I'm not talking about that (though it is a very important topic). I'm discussing "normal" overeating. You walk into the kitchen, grab a bag of chips, sit down with it in front of America's Next Top Model, and an hour later... oops! All gone! Where'd it go? Did I just eat an entire bag of chips? No... the boyfriend had a few... but the grease and salt on my hands is a sure sign that I had well over my fair share. This happens to me very often, which takes a toll, not only on my poor tummy (where all the fat congregates) but on my grocery bill. It almost seems like someone hypnotized me so I forget what I'm doing every time I eat a snack...

I came across this article on the Weight Watchers website which reminded me- there is something I can do about my little (multi-chip) problem. This resulted in more searching the internet for other ways to beat the chip bag. I like the ideas from WebMd- no distractions, smaller portions and knowing when you're full. I also found another article about different reasons people overeat and how to beat it. It suggests solutions for everything from boredom to feeling overwhelmed to daily habits.

Feel free to comment about your own overeating- or about how you looked at the questions that help determine if you are an overeater on Overeaters Anonymous and you qualify for therapy... (join the club!)

These are some of those foods that disappear really fast in my house...

Rosemary and Lemon Chicken Dinner

DELICIOUS! We've made this twice and it has been our favorite meal to make and eat! The chicken has turned out very tasty and tender and especially good because we went out of our way to buy fresh rosemary for this meal (from the Farmer's Market), and it was worth it!

Recipe for Lemon-Rosemary Chicken:

Yield: 4 servings

• 2 medium-size lemons
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 small skinless, boneless chicken-breast halves (1 pound) *(we used breast tenders- they were frozen from costco, we pulled them out the day before to defrost)
  

1. From 1 lemon, grate enough peel to equal 2 teaspoons. Thinly slice half of second lemon; reserve slices for garnish. Squeeze juice from remaining 3 lemon halves into small bowl. Stir in lemon peel, rosemary, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic.

2. Spray heavy skillet-grill or 12-inch skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Heat skillet over medium-high heat until very hot.

3. Meanwhile, toss chicken-breast halves with lemon-juice mixture.

4. Place chicken-breast halves in hot skillet; cook 5 minutes, brushing with remaining lemon-juice mixture in bowl. Turn chicken over and cook 5 minutes longer until juices run clear when thickest part of chicken breast is pierced with a knife. Garnish with lemon slices.

This meal is pretty quick (as long as you put the baked potatoes in the oven well in advance). I rubbed the potato with olive oil and sea salt before putting it in the oven at 350/375 for an hour. Meanwhile, I made the peas and chicken and a butter for the inside of the potato. I melted Smart Balance butter (gotta save my cholesterol!) and threw some rosemary in!

I really recommend this so let me know if you make it and how it turns out for you!