Posts Tagged ‘rainy day recipe’
-
Adventure Pics (Plus a Recipe for Disneyland’s White Chocolate Chip Raspberry Cookies)
Wednesday, December 5th, 2012
I’m BAAAAAAACK!
So? What did I miss while I was gone? Any bookish / awkward / or otherwise nerdy news I need to know about? Oh c’mon, you know you’ve got some! You MUST dish! Pleeeeeeease????????
And in return, I’ll bestow upon your lovely self a **reeeeeeeecipe** (she says in her sing-song voice). It’s a knock-off of THE Disneyland cookie. You know, the uber famous White Chocolate Raspberry Cookie. If you’ve not tried it, OH MY GOSH I swear I will make you some and bring them to your house and shove them at you and then watch and smile as you eat every last one. Because they’re that amazing. (In fact, I love them so much, Jay Asher once sent me a pic of himself purchasing one. Just to taunt me.)
But firstly?
I bore you with photos of my vacation.
Because I can (she says with a small *mwahahahaha* chuckle).
Here goes:
First we got super sick.Ugh, right?
NOT something we need a photo of.
But then? Then we got better. And took long walks in the rain.
And jumped in lots of puddles.
Followed by a day trip to Disneyland.
Where we flew a rocket ship.
Then we killed Zurg.
Before being chased by bloodthirsty abominable snowmen through the Matterhorn.
Followed by a whimsical visit to Sleeping Beauty’s castle…
Which was obviously too whimsical for Wolverine, since he felt the need to sneak up and scare the blazes out of Middle Child.
And of course we had to visit Tarzan’s tree house! We wants to live in it, preciouses.
That’s where we saw the incoming pirate ship.
After a harrowing escapeWe fought them off like ninja warriorsand ran away like little girlsand found our way to Main Street.
Where we sat and watched the castle light up with magic.
While the fireworks ignited.
Then?
We *might’ve* kissed.
Before coming home to sleep.
And the next morning…
We started the search for my favorite Disneyland cookie recipe. (Good gracious WHY I’ve not done this before I don’t know.)
We found an AMAZING version!!!
At MY BAKER LADY’S blog (clickety-click the link):
Disneyland’s White Chocolate Raspberry Cookie Recipe
Yes. YUMMY.
Quick word to the nerd: They’re best served cold. ;0)
Now…
Back to my original question.
WHAT DID I MISS??? And how ARE you???
;0)
Tags: California summer recipes, dessert recipes, Disneyland, kid vacations, rainy day recipe, Reading Recipes, recipes, vacation
Posted in Reading Recipes, Uncategorized | 13 Comments »
-
A Recipe for Chipotle Scalloped Potatoes (Plus a Bookalicious Quiz)
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011
IT’S HOLIDAY BAKING TIME!!! *Weehee!* Time to pull out our favorite holiday recipes and get on down to the business of cooking for those twinkle-lit evenings with friends and family (and perhaps a bit of bubbly and toasted nuts). OH THE FOOD-LICIOUS JOY!!! This might even call for a performance of my awkward, whirly, celebration dance! (Although, if you hear my children mention that my awkward, whirly, celebration dance looks very much like MJ’s moonwalk but without the cool moonboots or necessary coordination, ignore them. It looks exactly like that. It looks nothing like that.)
Okay, we move along…
One of my standard recipes I keep stashed away is a spicy little spin-off of my sister-in-law’s incredible scalloped potatoes: CHIPOTLE SCALLOPED POTATOES. They’re simple and pretty-much un-ruinable (<– not a real word, but it should be). Nothing need be exact, a little more of this, a tad less of that—they’ll still taste amazing. I made them last week for a pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving dinner (had to brush up my rusty holiday skills, but really it was just an excuse to eat Thanksgiving dinner twice), and they were as smoky-cheesy-tasty as I’d remembered. Which, of course, meant that I had to immediately type the recipe out to share with you. So, here you go. See below.
And while they’re cooking, check out this fun quiz that flitted across my Twitterfeed last week. See if you can match the Famous Protagonists to the Correct Novels (but be fast cuz it’s timed)! Then leave a comment telling us how you scored! (And no cheating by taking it twice. Yeah, you know who I’m talking to…. I’ve got my eye on you.)
A Recipe for Chipotle Scalloped Potatoes
- 3 pounds potatoes (thinly sliced)
- ½ pound gouda cheese (shredded)
- 4 cups sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
- 1 onion (thinly sliced)
- Salt and pepper
- 2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
- 1 (of the Cream of Mushroom size) can of milk
- 4 chipotle peppers (in adobe sauce) chopped
Spritz with oil a 13X9 inch pan and cover the bottom with thinly sliced potatoes. Lightly sprinkle over the potatoes with salt, pepper, and onion slices, followed by 1/3 of each of the cheeses. Add another layer of potatoes and duplicate with the salt, pepper, onion, and cheeses. Repeat this process (potato layer + ingredients) a third time. In a bowl, combine the Cream of Mushroom soup, the milk, and chopped chipotle peppers and blend. Pour the Cream of Mushroom mixture on top of the potatoes. Bake on 350 for 60-70 minutes, then allow to sit for 15 before serving. Enjoy!
:0)
Tags: Autumn recipes, cozy recipes, fun book tests, holiday dinner recipes, protagonists quiz, rainy day recipe, Reading Recipes, recipes, scalloped potato recipe
Posted in Games, Literary Classics | 16 Comments »
-
A Recipe for Apple Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls (plus literary pumpkin heads)
Wednesday, October 26th, 2011
Close your eyes and inhale the scents of apple bits, steamy cinnamon rolls, and cream cheese frosting set out next to a foamy vanilla latte. A cozy morning breakfast, no? Especially today, when my family and I woke to the lovely autumn weather bringing its chill in from the mist-covered fields and dewy oak trees through the front windows. *le sigh* This recipe is a take-off from my standard one—just a few adjustments here and there. Try it out. Tell me how you like it. (Or maybe how you’d alter it—caramel drizzle, anyone?!) Also, scroll down and take a peek at the beautiful “literary pumpkin heads” below. They’re pretty incredible!
Apple Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls
- 3 ½ – 4 cups flour (I did 3 cups all-purpose and 1 cup whole wheat to add a nuttier flavor)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 packages yeast
- 1 cup warm milk
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1 egg
- 3 small apples chopped fine + 1 Tab butter (sauté for 1 min, then put the lid on and cook on low for 10 min until tender, turn heat off)
- Tons of butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon ;o)
Frosting:
- 8oz. cream cheese
- ½ cup butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 (more or less) cups powdered sugar
In a mixer, blend 2 cups of flour, the granulated sugar, salt, and yeast with the warm milk, butter, and egg. Beat on low speed, gradually adding the rest of the flour. Knead by hand or mixer until smooth and elastic (about 5 min.). Cover and place in a warm spot to rise for an hour-and-a-half. Pull the dough out onto a floured cutting board and roll into a 15X10-inch rectangle. Top with thin slices of butter, a good amount of brown sugar, and cinnamon (I go kinda crazy on this part–the more the merrier), and then sprinkle with the chopped, cooked apple bits. Roll it up firm and cut into 12 rounds. Place them in a buttered 13X9-inch pan, cover, and let rise in a toasty spot for 30 min (should double in size). Bake in a 350 oven for ½ hour. Let them cool for 20 min. while mixing all the frosting ingredients together. Frost and eat!
While you’re delving in, you’ve gotta check out Flavorwire’s amazing literature-inspired Jack-O’-Lanterns.
Nice, right? Right.
;0)
Tags: Autumn recipes, cinnamon rolls, Halloween, literary classic, pumpkins, rainy day recipe, Reading Recipes, recipes
Posted in Reading Recipes | 12 Comments »
-
A Recipe for Wintry Black Bean Chili (and a 2011 reading list)
Monday, January 17th, 2011
In a comment left on one of my recent blog posts, Alicia suggested I recommend a list of books for 2011. I agreed (super fun!), and then ended up adding books I WANT to read for 2011, and then asking friends and family for books they PLAN to read in 2011. By the end of my collection? The list was extensive and awesome and overwhelming. So, we narrowed it down to the below selection. Some we’ve read and recommend (marked by an asterisk). Some we plan to read.
Go at it.
Oh, and there’s a recipe somewhere around here for you.
- The Forever Queen by Helen Hollick
- The Name of the Wind* by Patrick Rothfuss
- Castle in the Air (sequel to Howl’s Moving Castle) by Diana Wynne Jones
- Unbroken (okay, not a novel, but still…I need to read it) by Laura Hillenbrand
- The Importance of Being Earnest* (also not a novel…but you should read it) by Oscar Wilde
- Ender’s Game* by Orson Scott Card
- The Saxon Chronicles* by Bernard Cornwell
- Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
- The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
- The Riddle Master trilogy by Patricia A. McKillip
- Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
- The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton
- Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
- The Pillars of the Earth & World Without End by Ken Follett
- The Dark Elf trilogy* (and then some) by R. A. Salvatore
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
- The Bracken trilogy* (for my kids) by Jeri Massi
- Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry
- Dune* by Frank Herbert
- A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* by Douglas Adams
- The Hood trilogy* by Stephen R. Lawhead
- Whatever else strikes my fancy along the way…
So, what about you? Before you peruse the super tasty makes-me-happy recipe below, tell me what books YOU plan to read this year!!!
A Recipe for Wintry Black Bean Chili
- 2 Tab. chili powder
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 Tab. dried minced onion
- 2 Tab. beef bouillon
- 4 or 5 cans of black beans
- 2 lbs. cubed stew beef (or ground beef)
- 2 (29oz) cans diced tomatoes with juice
There are two ways to make this—in a crock pot or on the stove. Either way, you’ll want to brown the beef; then drain the fat and place the meat in a crock pot or in a cauldron (pot for the stove–I just like that word because it sounds witchy). Add everything else (easy, right?). Stir (obviously). If using a crock pot: Heat on high for one hour and then on low for 6 hours. If in a cauldron: cook for 2 or 3 hours on the stove. Top with a dollop of sour cream and serve with a side of cornbread or crunchy French bread.
Tags: book club reading list, rainy day recipe, Reading Recipes, soup/chili
Posted in Best & Worst Books, Literary Classics, Reading Recipes | 21 Comments »
-
A Rainy Day Dinner Recipe: Balsamic Chicken with Rice Pilaf
Monday, March 8th, 2010
This is my lazy dinner recipe.
The one I whip out on a rain soaked Saturday when, after a hard week, I’ve absconded to drift off for an hour or two into some work of fiction (The Swan Thieves this time), accompanied by the sounds of thunder and nervous squeals from my children playing hide and seek in the house.
Five o’clock usually rolls around before the four-year-old pokes his head in to holler, “Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! What you making for dinner? ‘Cuz I’m hungry and I got big muscles to fight those bad guys and I can give myself a wedgie. Wanna see?”
No. I don’t want to see. And neither does the rest of the universe.
But as to dinner . . . I shall share with you my recipe for Balsamic Chicken with Rice Pilaf. The balsamic addition is mine; the rice pilaf is my friend, Diane’s. Serve both with a salad or broiled asparagus and it proves quite delish.
Oh, except, before you read over it, I’m curious–what did YOU do to relax on Saturday???
Balsamic Chicken
- 1 Tab. olive oil
- 1 clove crushed garlic
- 1 yellow onion (sliced into thick rings)
- 4 chicken breasts (frozen or thawed)
- 2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ tsp pepper
Place olive oil and garlic in a large saucepan and heat until garlic is sizzling. Add the onion and sear on high heat for 2 minutes while stirring. Cover and turn the fire down to medium for 5 minutes. I suggest using these 5 min. wisely by pouring a tasty glass of red wine and sipping on it. (Gulping works too, depending on your day.) Add four chicken breasts, the balsamic vinegar and pepper. Replace the lid and leave heat on medium. The cooking time will vary, depending on whether the chicken is frozen or not. Start with a half-hour and go from there. For the last 10 minutes, remove the lid to allow a slight reduction of the vinegar.
Now start your Rice Pilaf.
- 2 coils vermicelli noodles
- ¾ cube butter
- 1 cup rice
- 2 ½ cups boiling water
- 2 all natural chicken bouillon cubes
Melt the butter in a tall pot. Stir in the vermicelli noodles and cook until they’ve browned. Dissolve the bouillon in the boiling water and add it and the rice to the pot. Stir, then turn the fire on low, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
What’s the mood noise of the moment? Missy Higgins: Where I Stood
:0)
Tags: balsamic chicken recipe, Missy Higgins video, rainy day recipe, rice pilaf, The Swan Thieves
Posted in Reading Recipes | 10 Comments »
- « Older Entries
- Newer Entries »