A Cook's Quest

Right now, time is not on my side.  It won't slow down and allow me to get everything done that I need to.  It seems like I blink and there goes my day.  I have determined, using very non scientific methods, that Time hates me that we are in a battle trying to find a balance that will make both sides of the equation happy.  So my dear readers, that is why I have not been posting anything.  It has nothing to do with lack of cooking, well maybe just a bit but, I am finding my groove between work, school and home, but more with my lack of time.  I cook the new recipe, then forget to type it out because something more pressing interrupts me or I type it out and never take a photo, and of course have the best of intentions to prepare the recipe again so I can include a photo but don't.  I will do my best, but the next few recipes everyone will just have to imagine how beautiful the photo was going to be and how utterly delicious the food was.

It was B2's night to choose dessert and she went right to her own cookbook to find what she wanted.  I expected cupcakes, or cookie of some sort with a bazillion sprinkles on them.  But, much to my surprise she chose these light and refreshing floats. The flavors are very similar to party punch, but there is a lot of ice cream so thus, they are a float.  On a beautiful spring evening these were a perfect dessert for the whole family! Lemonade Floats Recipe Source: The Pink Princess Cookbook 1 C Lemonade Concentrate 1/2 C honey 1/2 tsp vanilla 3 C Chilled sparkling water or club soda Fruit Sorbet of your choice Combine the first three ingredients until the honey is mixed in well.  Add the club soda.  In small glasses, scoop as much sorbet as you like.  Top with the lemonade soda mixture and enjoy with a straw and a spoon!

Let me just preface this whole recipe review by saying, this recipe was strange.  I have no idea what possessed me to think that it was a good idea to make rolls from such a strange combination of ingredients, but I will say that after the final product emerged I have determined it won't happen again.  While the flavor was there, the texture was not.  These little rolls are supposed to be light and airy with a sweet taste to them. These were heavy and dense, very very dense.  A packaged variety can be  found in most grocery stores and they are a family favorite in my house. When Br1 requested hamburgers for dinner Sunday night I had the "brilliant" idea of serving sliders; you know little the burgers served on rolls with a variety of different toppings and are so delicious you want to eat at least three?  I didn't want to buy slider buns/rolls at the store so I went searching for a recipe.  I stumbled on this and thought the sweet...

In a family with three young children, a busy husband and a very picky cook (yes, I am very picky) it is sometimes hard to find a recipe that all five of us love that is also easy to prepare.  These spiced chicken tenderloins are easy to make and even easier to eat.  The whole family loved, not just liked, but LOVED the sweet and spicy combo so much that there was nary a morsel left.  On a love scale, 1 being we loved them enough to make again sometime in the future and 10 being let's eat them for our very next meal, I would rate this a 9.  I got this idea from Our Best Bites , and modified it to my family's liking.  They can be as spicy as you want them to be and as sweet as you want them to be.  The original recipe calls for thigh meat, but I had tenderloins and they worked beautifully.  I used my own spice rub that I made a while back by throwing spices into a bowl until I thought they tasted good, spicy but not too hot ...

The wind is blowing and the temperature is still cold, but Spring is here--technically anyway. I want foods that remind me of fair weather days, full of sunshine and laughter, friends and family, and of course fair weather food.  When I saw that strawberries were on a fabulous sale this week I went hunting for a new strawberry dessert recipe.  This Strawberry Cream Puff Cake fit the bill perfectly. The base is exactly like a cream puff or eclair.  Simple to prepare,  with a texture that is light and airy, and full of simple flavor.  It is perfect for the whipped topping infused with orange zest, then topped with fresh berries. I'm telling you this is like heaven in dessert form. I am a bit ashamed to admit that I ate three, yes three, servings two nights ago and also took some for breakfast the next morning.  My husband did the same and our poor sweet children didn't get a crumb.  So, being the good m...

There is time in every person's life that surviving on frozen bean burritos isn't such a horrible thing.  They are fast, easy, and convenent.  I will admit that I have bought a package, maybe a couple, OK, a lot of frozen burritos after my married life began.  I would serve them up to my husband for dinner; many of you (you know who you are) have done exactly the same thing.  Lucky for me, he was still at a point in his life that he was OK with sustenance based on a frozen concoction of beans and processed cheeses wrapped in a flour tortilla and served with a side of whichever condiment was in the refrigerator (for him it was mustard, for me hot sauce) and he ate it with a smile. Fast forward a few years and things have changed a little bit.  Sure, I can still eat a frozen processed burrito and not bat an eye, but the thought of serving them up for dinner to my three sweet children who are dependent on me to eat nutritional meals tha...

Yes, I have been on carbohydrate overload with my new recipes.  Breads just seem to be my go to recipes when I am crunched for time.  A little mixing, let it rest, shape, let rest again, bake in the oven and then enjoy.  Bread requires attention but not a lot of work.  When I know that I will be home for the day it is easy to try something new.  Sick kids are the perfect day to cook for me.  Don't get me wrong, I don't mean that I want my kiddos home sick, but when it happens I know that I will be going no where and I will have the time to try something new.  When B2 fell ill with strep throat, her food request was homemade chicken noodle soup in bread bowls.  Done deal!  I knew just the place to refer to first, Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  She has the best breads that I have found and I knew she had a couple of bread bowl recipes.  I was not disappointed.  As, always Mel's recipe turned out beautifully.  The brea...