Cook-Aholic

This past weekend I was a cooking fool!  I made all kinds of different recipes just for fun and they all turned out fantastic.  I was very pleased with my feats of culinary talents.  As per usual, the weekend flew by way too fast.  And Sunday night my husband and I are looking at each other going, "What did we do this weekend?"  It had gone by so fast we had already forgotten what we did Friday night, but we didn't forget this:

Come 'n' get it.

For some reason this weekend I channeled the Pioneer Woman and cooked like I was on a ranch and my husband was a cattle rancher and I had to make sure my man was fed!  So for Friday night dinner we had Pioneer Woman's Rib Eye Steak (We used Sirloin Steak, that way we bypass the bone) with a Whiskey Cream Sauce (and because I live in Kentucky I used Bourbon).  It turned out delicious!  It was rich, creamy and I was amazed that I made this homemade country style meal.  I added some carrots and scalloped potatoes for some veggie factor and we honkered down and enjoyed! Again, any recipe I find in her cookbook is not on her blog (for obvious reasons, girl needs to sell books right?).  But I really have enjoyed this book, she uses pictures and great instructions so that I'm not scared to take on some of these recipes. 

Saturday was a day filled with eye exams, eating breakfast out and watching UK basket ball with friends!  We finished up our night watching the hilarious and one of our favorite movies, Bridesmaids.

Sunday I was back in the kitchen "slaving away", I woke up in the morning and was craving eggs and toast.  Then I remember a recipe in my wonderful cookbook that combined the two:

Cast Iron Workout.

Pioneer Woman calls it Egg-In-The-Hole, but my husband calls it Gas House Egg.  Basically you cut a hole out of your bread and crack and egg in the center and cook it up.  I don't like my eggs runny, so I cooked them over medium.  The toast was yummy, buttery and crisp.  Again, I was like, "I'm pretty good at this!" Hahahaha.  I guess when I'm out of my element and cooking new things I get a little scared about how it will turn out, so when it turns out scrumptious I give my self a high five.

But my culinary achievements were not done yet.  I worked on my syllabus for my new class that I am teaching at UK's College of Design that starts on Wednesday so when it came to dinner time, my husband stepped up and cooked dinner for me.  I decided to tackle dessert:

Kentucky Goodness.

I made a Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie!  I used a local recipe and would be happy to share.  This turned out to be so delicious.  It is rich I will warn so a small piece goes a long way.  I can't wait to share this pie with my parent's and blow my Mom's mind.

1 cup sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

-Combine these three ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted.   Cool slightly.

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup bourbon

4 large eggs beaten

-Combine these four ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.  

Once mixed: slowly add the sugar mixture to the egg mixture, whisking constantly while pouring.

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans

-Add these two ingredients to the mixture, the chocolate will melt as the egg mixture should be very warm.

-Pour into unbaked pie shell (I just used the pre-made ones in the refrigerated section).

-Bake at 325 for 50-55 minutes until top is browned and set.

Now that I ate like a cowgirl this past weekend, this week will be filled with carrot and celery sticks I'm sure!  But it sure was fun to out these fun things, never thought I could straight up make a pie!  Haha! Here's to a good week!

Lately

Lately I have been sssssuper stressed.  About work, home, holiday weight gain, etc.  I worry too much and this is a fact that I am coming to terms with.  I believe that you should give your worries to the Lord and He will never give you more than you can handle, but there is that control freak in me that thinks I can handle it all.  I am up against several deadlines at the office and all are due yesterday I feel like.  At home, the Christmas decorations are slowly coming down and I need to clean it thoroughly. My other stress is my weight, and I just didn't care what I was putting into my mouth during the holiday season.  It sure was fun, but now I am paying the price.  I went for a jog last Wednesday and it kicked my hiney!  So per usual start to the new year I am trying to get back to a healthy, happier and less stress routine.  

So for today, since I haven't posted in a while, just wanted to keep my blog afloat and talk about some fun things.  I recently tried out a shellac manicure for the first time and really loved the results.  However due to my nail biting habits it only lasted 1.5 weeks, as the promised 2.  But I do love to have painted nails and my absolute favorite brand is Essie.  Then the $8 price at checkout just kills me for some reason.  I'm like, "What if I don't like this color?" then I'm stuck with this polish forever and have dropped almost $10 on it!  (That's the deal finder in me).  So, sometimes what I like to do for trial reasons is to buy a different less expensive brand to test out different color types.  Then if I use that color quite a bit I will go all out and buy the fabulous Essie version. 

Vintagey.

I bought this Petites brand in the color Vintage Gray and have worn it several times.  It lasts about a week and that is with a base and top coat.  Sometimes with this gray I will imprint newspaper using rubbing alcohol so that my nails resemble a newspaper (thank you Pinterest!).  But now I think it's time to upgrade to the good stuff.

This past week my Dad was out in Phoenix on business and being the fabulous only child that I am, I invited my Mom to come join my husband and I for dinner this past Wednesday.  I made Mini-Meat Loaves which is a super recipe I found in a local cookbook called Beyond The Fence.  And for dessert:

All-American.

The Pioneer Woman's Flat Apple Pie!

Her recipes have never let me down!  I love them all!  My Mom got me her cookbook and biography for my past birthday this year.  This was my first technical pie in the baking department.  I have made cold pies such as peanut butter pie and lemonade pie.  So I was very excited to make this American treat on a cold winter's night (although today will be a balmy 56 degrees).  This recipe is not available online however, ya gotta get her cookbook.  But I'm sure a quick google search can solve anyone's recipe search problems.  This pie was easy, fast and DELICIOUS! 

Tonight I am going to give her steak with a whiskey cream sauce a try, so wish me luck!  Here's to a stress free weekend everyone!

Bomb Diggity Grown Up Grilled Cheese

Now that I have your attention with the most clever post title ever.....

Every now and then the husband and I don't really feel like cooking a full course representing all the basic food groups, we just want something delicious and fast.  And for those nights we don't want our "eat like a kindergartener" food (which consists of peanut butter jelly sandwiches and mac-n-cheese) and our palette is feeling more adult, we came up with an alternative.  Using the recipe I found here at the Pioneer Woman's tasty kitchen blog, the husband and I found a delicious way to make Grown-Up Grilled Cheese.  These take no time to make, in this post I will show you my adjustments to the recipe.  Enjoy!

Round 'em up.  No I didn't pick that red paint color, ew.

The recipe calls for fontina cheese, but I most likely have either cheddar or mozzarella on hand.  I chose mozzarella for this sandwich of course and began to shred away (you could also just use the already bagged shredded mozzarella, but I did not have that in my refrigerator).  

This is the second time using cheese grater.

Another adjustment was my bread, since I am not prone to having ciabatta bread around I just used my good 'ol wheat bread.  Although I bet the thick sliced ciabatta bread would give this sandwich a delicious crunch, texture and flavor.  Please try it with ciabatta if you haven't to have it or pick it up at your bakery.  So just spread each slice with pesto on one side.  

Thank goodness pesto is legal, yum.

Spread olives over one slice.  I prefer green and kalamata olives, so I put them on my sandwich.  The husband likes black olives, so we like to customize according to our needs.

olive you.

Then sprinkle cheese over the olives.

Oh cheese.

This is where I get crazy, in lieu of a tomato slice we put pepperoni's on our sandwich.  What you say?  It really brings out the Italian in us though.  But our main reason, my husband was unsure of the sogginess factor from the tomato.  I bet it would be fine, he is just paranoid.  Do what makes you happy on your Grown-Up Grilled Cheese.

nom nom

Another difference, I do not have a panini maker so I used a frying pan.  I warmed a small amount of olive oil and fresh ground black pepper in the pan.  Placed the other slice of pesto covered bread on the pepperoni's and placed in pan. I basically cook like a grilled cheese from this point out, making sure all the cheese is oh so gooey and the bread is grilled and crunchy.  Once this is done, remove from pan and serve!

my mouth is watering.

 We serve our Grown-Up Grilled Cheeses with a fresh salad and that tomato we didn't use, we just put on the side of our salad!  So I apologize for taking a recipe and tearing it to shreds, but that's what makes cooking so much fun.  Experimentation is wonderful, especially when your husband is a willing guinea pig.

Ay Caramba!

I have made these white cheese chicken enchiladas for the husband and I, and these quickly have become one of our favorites when dining in.  I shared the tale of this delicious meal with my parents and since then they have continued to harass us about when are they coming over to dinner to be able to try these enchiladas of delight.  So, I set a date for them to come over to enjoy.  My mother brought her delectable homemade guacamole and margaritas ingredients (oh and paper towels and other items for the strapped for cash newlyweds, Lord love 'em).   

I had to borrow Pioneer Woman's picture, since I neglected to take one.

I found the recipe for the enchiladas from the always fantastic Pioneer Woman!  With any recipe I try I adapt it to fit my needs and lifestyle.  For instance if you read the official recipe, she cooks her tortillas in oil, I just nuke them in the microwave.  And other little details like that, that don't effect the taste too much but work better with my schedule.  The result however was still faint worthy.  Check out the link here for the recipe.  It would be so awesome to get to go the her ranch and cook with her!  But anyways, this meal pleased all.  We serve it with a little mexican rice and refried beans, and of course sour cream, pico de gallo and guacamole! 

For dessert, just some simple sorbet in these absolutely precious sorbet dishes and spoons I recently received from Crate & Barrel as a belated wedding present.  Since the weather was so nice, the sorbet was a great way to cleanse the palet and cool off before the weekend ahead of us.  Aaaahhh!

Find here to buy.

Cocoa Love

One of my favorite blogs/websites is The Pioneer Woman.  You must check her out right now if you haven't already, it will change your life, link here.  I have tried a ton of recipes and thanks to her step-by-step instructions and comedic relief each one has turned into a success! The chocolate valentine cookie recipe can be found here.  I made these to tell my husband in a "sweet" way how much I loved him.  However, I did not have store-bought letter stencils so I just made my own out of paper.  The recipe has nutmeg as an option, I used it and wished that I hadn't.  These cookies stand great on there own! They were chocolately, moist and delish.

The way to a man is seriously through is stomach.