Yuck, Part Two, My Nephew+ Turkey = Amusing

I made my Gram's Cranberry Sauce for Thanksgiving last week.

1 bag of Cranberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
Orange peels from 2 medium oranges

Boil and stir regularly under medium heat until the berries begin to break down, reduce the heat as the berries turn into sauce. The yield is about 2 cupes, enough to feed a 10lb turkey crowd.


When we put some of this sauce on my newphew's plate so he would eat his "no Thank you" portion of Turkey, he liked it at first but then he wasn't interested in finishing ANYTHING on his plate. We had to CLAP after each bite- there were four of them. I hope my Gram though his antics were funny while she was watching from Heaven!

Yuck! Vinegar + Egg = Poaching?

I just tried to make poached eggs without a poached egg frame. I read somewhere if you put vinegar into boiling water, it makes the egg stay together to poach. Well, the poaching happened after a slight temp. change, but the eggs tasted HORRIBLY bitter. Accordingly to my post cooking research, I make two mistakes
1. I should've added the vinegar AS the water came to a boil
2. I should've added onto 1 Tablespoon or less to the water per quart. My usual eyeballing method to cooking didn't cut it here.

I'll have to settle for cup of soup for post-class dinner because I'm too tired to try again.

It's always a Good time for Cake

After class today (yes I'm on a lab working on my blog!) I'm headed over the bakery where we got our wedding cake last year to order a mini-one to celebrate our 1 year anniversary next month.

We received many compliments on the lemon with/ raspberry and chocolate gouache filling with basket-weave frosting delight.

Read the link below if you're a bride to be (or if you're already married and still like to read about wedding trends) about wedding cake alternatives.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/5-mouth-watering-wedding-cake-alternatives-2511874/

Veggies I Can Skip?

I was eating brunch with a friend's little kid a few weeks ago who love love love broccoli. This is not the first kid I've met lately who's been raised to embrace veggies.

Is this a new segment on Sesame Street I'm not aware of?

Check out this article on Yahoo! Shine if you want know which Veggies you can skip:
http://shine.yahoo.com/event/vitality/the-3-veggies-with-the-least-nutritional-value-2510765/

Cooking with a Microwave- Your Pinch Hitter

I use my LG Microwave (thanks Dad for the housewarming gift!) about 4-5 times a week. I'm aware that it's dangerous to:
1. Heat plasticware:

2. Do not put alumimum in there!

3. Do not try to dry my socks in there (ahem) again.

I do use my microwave to:
1. Frozen Veggies in the Bag (I love them- the nutrients are so well preserved). I cannot get fresh veggies and live long enough in my fridge and don't have time to shop every 2-3 days for them.

2. Popcorn- I just learned how to perfectly pop it without burning the middle. I had a lot of mis-trials on that lab in the kitchen.

I'm not yet in the stage of life that I have to make baby bottles but my mom swears by using microwave (her's also has a built-in toaster on one side!) to detox her kitchen sponges. The versatile kitchen tool that's worthy of counter-top space!

Cookbook Collection- Reference or Bibliophilia

I have about twenty cookbooks. The last one I received was a Christmas gift from my husband: "America's Test Kitchen 2001-2011" which was suppose to come with the DVDs from last season. I just received the DVDs two weeks ago. I love receiving gifts later actually.

What is the purpose of cookbooks? For some, like new cooks, it's a step-by-step guide to make a dish. For others, like me who are more comfortable in the kitchen, it's a reference to get inspiration.

I have cookbooks on healthy cooking, low-sodium and Mediterranean, Alicia Silverstone's book on Vegetarian cooking . I've used cooking to look for answers when my allergies were driving me crazy. I followed my love for Julia Child through reading and re-reading my favorite foodie book, Amanda Hesser's Cooking for Mr. Latte.

What do you use cookbooks for?

Wedding "Junk" Food Photo Montage

A photo montage from our wedding, as shot by Tyson Trish Photographer. This is not a gourmand post at all but a celebratory post in honor our (George and my) Green Bay Packers for winning the Super Bowl!