Blog Archives

A Light General Tso's Chicken and a Reclusive Rocker

1/21/2015

I made this lightened up
General Tso's Chicken....

I had a hankering for Chinese but I wanted it to be healthy with as few preservatives as possible.
Enter this dish...Martha Stewart's Lighter General Tso's Chicken.

Here's the fixins for this tasty dish...
By the way, I've made it TWICE within the past week.

Okay so first cook up the rice. I see I used water here.

Usually I use chicken stock for more flavor but water was fine.

Rice done?

Okay, slice the garlic cloves, grate the ginger, trim the snow peas in half and dice up that chicken.

Now we'll start by making the sauce with the cornstarch
and water.

By the way, I DOUBLED all the sauce ingredients but the snow peas.
You WILL want extra sauce.

Now add in the snow peas, garlic and
grated ginger...unless you are my sister-in-law Kim who is allergic to ginger, then just leave the ginger out :)

Now add in the soy sauce, red pepper flakes,
and brown sugar...

So your sauce is ready.

Hang on tight though,

gotta get the chicken cooked up.

For the chicken we start with another thrilling picture of cornstarch and water except this time we also have two egg whites and pepper in there. Yoo Hoo!

Throw the diced chicken in the bowl...

And mix 'er all up!

Okay, get all your prepped food ready for the stove top...

Cook the chicken in a couple tablespoons of oil, you'll need to cook in two batches, don't crowd the pan...
takes about five minutes each side.

Remove the chicken from the pan and add in the snow pea liquid mixture...bring to a boil, reduce heat and throw a lid on it for just a couple minutes...

...until it's all nice and thickened like this....smells so good!!

Now throw that chicken back in there...

And toss to coat.....you likey?

Now if you use the correct amount of snow peas, there will be double the amount I have in there.
Remember also, I doubled the ingredients for the sauce...the soy sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch and water, red pepper flakes, ginger and garlic.

Plate some up!

General Tso's Chicken!

Only much lighter!

The pea pods are fantastic, the sauce is light and perfect, the coated chicken...really satisfies that Chinese food craving!

Okay, Martha hits another home run with another fantastic recipe!
Here's the direct link to Martha's website, just click HERE.

Martha Stewart's Lighter General Tso's Chicken
Straight outta www.marthastewart.com

Prep Time45 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Serves4

Ingredients

- 1 1/4 cups long-grain brown rice
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 pound snow peas, trimmed and halved crosswise
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated and peeled
- 3 tablespoons light-brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- 2 large egg whites
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower

Directions

Cook rice according to package instructions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1/2 cup cold water until smooth. Add snow peas, garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce, and red-pepper flakes; toss to combine, and set aside.
In another bowl, whisk together egg whites, remaining 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken, and toss to coat.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Lift half the chicken from egg-white mixture (shaking off excess), and add to skillet. Cook, turning occasionally, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate; repeat with remaining oil and chicken, and set aside (reserve skillet).
Add snow-pea mixture to skillet. Cover; cook until snow peas are tender and sauce has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Return chicken to skillet (with any juices); toss to coat. Serve with rice.

Just click HERE to go directly to Martha's recipe print page to print this recipe off!.

While I was making this delicious dish,
the second time in one week,
I was listening to this soundtrack from the
Begin Again movie.

The movie is fantastic,
I loved it!

It stars Keira Knightly and Mark Ruffalo...

Also stars Adam Levine,

who was pretty decent, actually.

Here's the trailer for the movie.....

The movie was written by John Carney who also wrote Once

another awesome movie about singer/songwriters.

Begin Again features the Academy Award nominee for this year's Best Original Song from a movie...Lost Stars.

Much of the soundtrack was written by the reclusive former rocker
Gregg Alexander of New Radicals
fame.

Gregg walked away from fame just as his album
Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too
was hitting great heights in the 1990s.

Who can forget this New Radicals song that totally defined the 90s...
You Get What You Give.
Click on it, go ahead, and start dancing!

So yeah,

this Gregg just walked away from it all,

just as his other single was charting too...
Someday We'll Know.

Ninety miles outside Chicago...

It's only in the last few months, since the nomination of the Lost Stars song, that Gregg has decided to come out of seclusion.

Even after winning numerous awards for writing Santana and Michelle Branch's song Game Of Love in the early 2000s...Gregg Alexander remained reclusive.

Who DOESN'T remember this song...

it was ALL OVER THE PLACE!

So, it'll be interesting to see what songwriter wins the Academy Award for Best Original Song next month
at the Oscars. And if it's Gregg, will he show up to accept.

By the way, Gregg's long time writing partner is Danielle Brisebois,

an accomplished singer/songwriter,

although you may remember her from
playing Stephanie in All In The Family and
Archie Bunker's Place.

If you scroll back up, Danielle is adorable playing the upright drums in the
Someday We'll Know video.

Okay kiddos, that's all I gots for today!
Gots is a word.
Look it up.
In the Pretend Word Dictionary.
I'll loan you a copy.

Okay guys, thanks for humoring me!!
Have a great night and we'll talk at ya soon!!!

openclipart.org

Ham & Leek Empanadas, Abundant Sunshine, and Dishes That Just Will Not Clean Themselves

1/18/2015

Empanadas have been around forever!

How come I've never had one before, then????
These babies are fantastic!!!

The filling can be
sweet
or
savory.

They're usually deep fried but can also baked.

This is a savory one with ham, leeks &
Gruyere cheese.
These were baked.
It's like a warm ham and cheese in a flaky croissant!!!!!

This Ham & Leek Emapanada recipe
is from Ina Garten's
new cookbook
Make It Ahead.

Best part is,
these lovelies cook in
the oven,

NOT the deep fat fryer!

Ham & Leek Empanadas
Makes 12 empanadas
Straight outta oprah.com from Ina Garten's new cookbook Make It Ahead - a Barefoot Contessa cookbook.
Ingredients

1 1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups small-diced leeks, white and light green parts only
1/3 cup crème fraîche
4 ounces smoked ham, such as Black Forest, cut into 1/4" dice
4 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated
2 ounces (2 cups) baby spinach, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. julienned basil leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper, plus more for sprinkling
1 large egg
2 Tbsp. milk
All-purpose flour, for rolling
3 sheets frozen puff pastry, defrosted (2 packages)
Fleur de sel or sea salt for sprinkling

Directions
Active time: 40 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Preheat oven to 400°. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

In a medium (10") saute pan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add leeks and sauté until tender but not browned, about 4 minutes. Stir in crème fraîche and simmer 1 minute.

In a medium bowl, mix ham and Gruyère. Add leek mixture, spinach, basil, Parmesan, salt, and black pepper. Mix and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and milk.

Sprinkle a cutting board with flour, roll out 1 sheet of the puff pastry to an 11" x 11" square, and cut into 4 equal squares. Brush edges of each square with egg wash. Place 1/3 cup of the ham and cheese filling in the center of each square. Fold each square diagonally to form a triangle, lining up edges of pastry. Place empanadas on prepared sheet pans and press edges with tines of a fork to seal. Brush each with egg wash and sprinkle with fleur de sel and pepper. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling. (If making ahead, put sheet pan in freezer; when frozen, transfer empanadas to a resealable plastic bag.) Bake until puffed and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.

Here's the direct link to oprah.com and Ina's fantastic recipe...click HERE.

Okay, let's get started with the fixins here...

By the way: 1 1/2 CUPS of leeks = 1 1/2 leeks. Figure a cup a leek. You're welcome :)

Also: The puff pastry is frozen. It really did thaw out on the counter in under 30 minutes. Weird.

Um, now a disclaimer...

Sour cream is a fine substitution for creme fraiche. Frankly, I'm leery of anything that sounds too fancy anyway :)

Okay, now prep everything...chop up the spinach, leeks, ham, basil. Grate up the parm and that yummy expensive Gruyere. Beat the eggs with milk and get the flour ready.

Melt the butter in the pan and throw the leeks in...

Throw creme la-de-da-DO-DA-DAY
I mean the sour cream in there and stir.

Now take that yummy, salty diced ham and throw it into a bowl with the Gruyere cheese.

Hellllooooooo Gorgeous.

My life is complete.

Now throw the sauteed leeks
and
sour cream mixture in there...

We're really rockin' and rollin' now....
add the spinach, basil, parm, and salt & pepper into that lovely ham and Gruyere mixture!

Okay, now let's look at this lovely medley all mixed up.....

Dear Readers of My blog,

I forgot to take a picture of this colorful ham and cheese and spinach and basil and parm yummy medley all mixed up. Crap. I swear I didn't eat it. All.

Love, Angie

So anyway, you need to roll the puff pastry dough
out into an 11'' x 11" square.

When the pastry defrosts out of the package, it is 9" x 9.5".
I measured.
With a tape ruler.
Cuz I am a dork.

Just take flour and a rolling pin and do your thang...
easy peasy.

Divide that puff pastry into 4ths.

Line the baking sheets with parchment paper and get the egg wash mixture ready...

Okay, now brush the edges of each square with the egg wash...

Place 1/3 cup of the filling in the middle of each square.

Fold each square into a triangle...

Place the triangles onto the baking sheet...

Take a fork and crimp the edges...
this part was actually fun....cuz I am such a free wheelin' party animal who knows no boundaries of fun-ness and stuff. Duh. Shut up.

I admit, I only had two sheets of puff pastry so I threw all that ham mixture into 8 empanadas instead of 12. I am a rebel.

Can you see the egg wash that goes on the outside there? Well, do it. Brush that egg wash all over.

Then season each empananada with
salt and pepper.

So they're ready to go in the oven...

And here they are after 25 minutes...
now these look messy as a whole...

But single each one out and they are loverly golden brown and perfectly baked!

Open one up and this is the deliciousness inside, the ooey gooey Gruyere with the diced ham, the small hint of mild onion with the sauteed leeks and the bite of the spinach, all in that flaky pastry crust.
So good!!

Again I will say, it's almost like an artisanal ham and cheese croissant.
Several flavors meld together and you will have people ask WHAT IS IN THESE THAT MAKE THEM SO GOOD?

Now these empanadas would be good for lunch because they're not super filling. They're definitely snack material and maybe even as a solo appetizer before a meal.

Okay, it's a bee-utiful day out here today,
full of sunshine!!!!! See that light in the right hand corner? That's called sunshine, something that is not common a lot
in the winter here!!!

I love seeing the railing shadows on the deck from that awesome sun working it's magic!!

The snow is melting.......
too bad, so sad....NOT!!

The cats started to wake up out of their winter slumber too.

I'm planning on enjoying the day after I clean up this craptastic mess in the kitchen. I abhor cleaning, especially the kitchen!!!
Now I know you're thinking that don't look so bad, pffft.

Well, let's just piece this out, shall we???

A nice combo of
dirty wine glasses from
last night
and
coffee from this morning.

Next to that is more
dirty glasses,
cat treats, butter
and a precariously placed plate.

FOR PETE'S SAKE,
CAN NO ONE CLEAN UP AFTER THEMSELVES????

Oh wait, that was me.
:(

Next,
onto the other counter is a cookie cooling rack that's been hanging out on the counters for a week.

I've been planning on making cookies but it just occurred to me while I'm typing this, that the cookies I'm going to be making

are no bake.

This just makes my blood boil.

I hate washing pans. I think I'm allergic to doing dishes.

Lastly, let's take inventory of the island:

1. Message pad
2. Store receipt
(I always want to make sure I'm not being screwed out of being charged too much, ya know?)
3. More cat treats. Really? This is borderline embarrassing.
4. Italian seasoning.
5. Measuring tape. Doesn't EVERYONE have one of those on their countertop, though??
6. Earrings. Guess I can't blame those on Tim.
7. Towel and steak knife.

So I better close up the laptop now and go clean the kitchen.

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I'm gonna go peruse more pictures like this

Source?

And this gorgeousness

bhg.com

And a droll worthy kitchen all day long

Domain Home...Benji Madden's LA kitchen

And when I get tired of perusing pictures like this

THEN I will go dishes.

Promise!

Girl Scout honor (does that count even if you weren't a Girl Scout?)

Okay, have a good rest of the weekend and we'll talk at y'all soon!!! :)

Angie Decides To Torture Herself By Attempting Baking Again, But By Golly, She Perseveres and These Snickerdoodles Came Out Pretty Decent!

1/13/2015

I knew I could do it!!!!

I BAKED!!!!!
Snickerdoodles!!!

Tim has a sensitivity to white flour,
so we try to use whole wheat as much as possible,
which is why I made these Snickerdoodles from 100 Days Of Real Food.
These cookies are 50% whole wheat.

Here's the fixins for these
Whole Wheat (50%) Snickerdoodles!

What's up with the upside down butter?? I'm a dork.

Ummmm, s'cuse me for a minute,

but my line-up of the fixins up there is wrong...

See the Clabber Girl
Baking Powder there?

Well, the recipe calls for cream of tartar.

Apparently "baking powder" is NOT "cream of tartar."

Huh...........

Public Service Announcement.....Cream of Tartar is NOT the same thing as baking powder.

Pffffffftttt...
Whatev.

Sighhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I TOLD you I abhor baking!

Anyway, I caught my mistake and didn't let it slow me down with these whole wheat snickerdoodles.
I was determined to get these cookies made,
and made well!

Said Angie in her very
very
very
determinedly voice,

to herself,

in her head,

determinedly.

So anyhoo, let's start with these exciting baking pictures!
Mix the dry stuff up together in a bowl and don't overstimulate your eyeballs on the massive colors taking place in that bowl...

Mix up the cinnamon and sugar
to use for later.....

Throw the eggs and butter and sugar in a bowl.
Try not to miss the bowl.

Okay. Because I SUCK at baking, I made sure to be organized,
and at this time I took a dishrag to the counter,
I put all the crap away,
I set out all my bowls in an organized manner.
I just knew I could finish this without dying of complete, utter,
mind numbing
boredom.

I came prepared this time....

I cracked my knuckles for starters....

...and did some meditative poses with Tim...

PHOTO SOURCE: SHEKNOWS.COM

WHAT???????

IT COULD HAPPEN Negative Nancy, Doubting Thomas, Disbelieving Dave, Dream Crushing Deena, IT COULD HAPPEN!!!

Anyway, what did happen is I mixed all the wet
stuff up.....

And then I threw the dry stuff in there.....

Then I took one of those things that makes perfect melon balls and grabbed some cookie dough...

Then I threw the cookie dough ball into the cinnamon and sugar...

Then I fell asleep from boredom.

Then I woke up cause the cats were trying to eat the cookie dough...

KIDDING!

They weren't eating the cookie dough, geeezzzzzzz.

They were eating the butter that was left out.

Oh c'mon...kidding!!!

Anyhoo, I managed to roll all of these beauties in the sugar and cinnamon....

...and I threw them in the oven for around
10-12 minutes and they came out like this.

Yeah.

If you looked at these REEEAL
close up,

without glasses
or contacts
or a magnifying glass,

they didn't look so bad, really...

But when they were put on the cooling rack,
they looked a little....mmmm, how shall I say...
wonky.

So I made smaller cookies the next round and didn't cook them as long.....

And it worked!!

Is this a snickerdoodle or what??!!

Remember these are 50% whole wheat!!

Go ahead, grab one!
They're in the freezer, in a baggie. They freeze AWESOME!!
Just take a cookie out quick and it thaws within a minute or two and is a delicious snack.

Okay, so this Snickerdoodle recipe is from Lisa Leake of www.100daysofrealfood.com.

This is her new cookbook.

You've heard me talk about her website
before here.
It really is informative, approachable and fantabulous!

WholeWheat Snickerdoodles (50% wholewheat)
this is straight outta www.100daysofrealfood.com
Adapted from Joy of Cooking
Ingredients
1 cup wholewheat flour
1 cup allpurpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter, softened (but not melted)
1¼ cups + 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 eggs
3 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and eggs together using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk or
beaters. Slowly add in the flour mixture until it's thoroughly mixed.
4. Use a 1 or 1½ tablespoon cookie scoop to form balls from the dough. Alternatively, you could roll the dough
between your hands to create balls.
5. Mix together the 3 tablespoons of sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl and roll each dough ball around until
evenly coated. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10 to 12 minutes

Click here to go directly to Lisa's recipe.

So that's another chapter in
Angie's Life of Baking.
Pretty torturous but I made it through, thanks for caring :)

I LIKE cooking, man...it's just that baking is just too detailed and intense for my
pea brain.

Which is why I will be sharing two other cookie recipes I made this month.

WHAT?????

Apparently I like torturing I MEAN CHALLENGING myself.

CHALLENGING!!
I LIKE C-H-A-L-L-E-N-G-I-N-G MYSELF.

Torture. Pfffft, if I wanted torture I would raise kids again...WHAT???? KIDDING!!!

Okay, stay warm and cozy and we'll talk at ya soon....probably tomorrow with an AWESOME empanada recipe!!!
And by tomorrow, I mean sometime within the next week,
cause I am timely like that :):):)
Talk to ya soon!!!
:)

Dudes Love This Super Easy, Quick, Cheesy Skillet Gnocchi.....Also, Favorite Cookbooks....OH STOP SNORING...I CAN HEAR YOU!

1/10/2015

I am committed this year to cooking out of those cookbooks there on the shelf...

Yup, that's right...I already have begun cooking a few dishes which I will be sharing over the next few months.

These are the cookbooks Ima be concentrating on....

Ina Garten is
Barefoot Contessa.

This book is just recently out in Fall 2014.

All of the recipes can be made ahead of time.

I've made one recipe so far and it was dang good.

No surprise considering it is Ina Garten.

Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa D'Arabian
of Food Network.
Published in 2012.

Melissa shares recipes for a family of four that can be made for $10 and under.

I've made a couple recipes and they're easy and pretty spot on!
No fancy ingredients here!

Thug Kitchen cookbook was born from a popular cooking blog.

Published in 2014, this excellent cookbook shares all vegan recipes but you would never guess they are vegan.

Entertaining and delicious, this cookbook uses naughty words in the descriptions, so buyer-cook beware.

Vegan Before 6:00
by famed New York Times culinary journalist and columnist Mark Bittman.

Mark has a style of writing that is friendly and interesting and relatable.

Vegan Before 6:00 was published in 2013 and narrates with recipes his journey to lose weight and reduce his cholesterol numbers, utilizing a vegan before 6:00pm philosophy, thus never feeling deprived.

Ahhh, how I love me the Nadia G with Bitchin Kitchen.

Nadia is an Italian Canadian and she uses humor in her show and this cookbook from 2009 to share yummy recipes.

She does often use ingredients not always commonly found in your pantry, so that is a barrier but other recipes are spot on for a fun meal/dish.

Plenty.
Yotam Ottolenghi is an Israeli chef, writer and restaurant owner.

This popular cookbook from 2010 shares vegetable recipes.

Ottolenghi has a new cookbook out in 2014 called Plenty More that also has done
very well.
I plan on making lots of these dishes this year.

And lastly, again,
Mark Bittman.
The Mini Minimalist.

Mark has a NYTimes column and food cooking show called The Minimalist.

These recipes are easy with few ingredients. This printing is small though, because the book set is very small.
If you are an old hag like me, you will def need your reading glasses :)

Okay, you would think that I would be sharing a recipe from one of these cookbooks but alas, I am not.

Am instead sharing this
Cheesy Skillet Gnocchi.
The mens of the world LOVE this!
I think it's the spicy Italian sausage.

This recipe came from the cool cooking blog DinnersDishesandDesserts.com
Erin has fantastic recipes and information, check it out, just click on her website there.

So why is this dish so special, you ask? Well...

Yummy gnocchi in a tomato sauce mixed with Italian sausage and mozzarella.

Spicy!
Bursting with flavor!
Filling!

Here's the simple fixins for this
hearty dish!

Okay, so gnocchi is thick,
soft dough dumplings.
Packages can be found on the shelf in the pasta section at bigger supermarkets OR in the refrigerated section by the fresh tortellini and such.
I imagine you can find them frozen too.

I buy the
whole wheat gnocchi that I find at Hy-Vee in the specialty pasta aisle.
These are made with whole wheat and
sweet potatoes.

Also I use
FIRE ROASTED
tomatoes in this recipe. Makes a HUGE flavor difference! The smokiness of these tomatoes with the sweet, spicy Italian sausage...yum!

Now this is going to go quick, so keep that in mind...a quick, hearty meal in 20 minutes!!

Start by browning up the gnocchi in a couple tbsp of
olive oil.

Only takes 5-8 minutes to get a nice color on these little dumplins'.

Remove the gnocchi to a bowl and brown the Italian sausage.

The guys loved this Italian sausage.

To make this a leaner meal, I may use a turkey breakfast sausage next time.

Remove the sausage to the same bowl as the gnocchi and wipe the grease out of the skillet.

Add
the fire roasted tomatoes
and garlic into the skillet.

Don't forget the seasonings!

Salt, pepper
and Italian seasoning.

Add the
gnocchi and sausage into the tomato base.

The dish
is coming together good, amIright?

Add a bit of cream,

1/4 cup...

Stir and simmer until completely warmed through...

Top with some yummy fresh mozzarella.

My preference is the fresh mozz ball instead of the packaged shredded stuff.

See, that's it!!
20 minutes and no chopping of a thousand vegetables!!

Plate some up....

This dish is bursting with hearty flavor of the Italian sausage, fire roasted tomatoes, the gnocchi dumplings and creaminess from the cream and mozzarella.

If you have men in your family, they will go back for seconds and thirds.
Tim called this dish "killer" and kept insisting that it can't be good for him cause it's so ding dang good.
Our son-in-law and 3 year old grandson LOVED it too!!
So see, it crosses three generations here.

Okay, here's the recipe straight outta the DinnersDishesandDesserts website...
Erin had adapted this recipe from Cooking Light.

Cheesy Skillet Gnocchi
dinnersdishesanddesserts.com
Cheesy Gnocchi Skillet is a one pan, quick and easy dinner. A healthified
version of pure comfort food.
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 (16 oz) package gnocchi
2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
12 oz Italian sausage
1½ cups tomatoes, diced (or 1 can diced tomatoes)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
¼ cup heavy cream
½ cup Mozzarella cheese
Instructions
1. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil, and cook gnocchi for about 7 minutes, or until lightly
browned. Remove from pan.
2. Add sausage to the pan, and cook until browned. Remove from pan.
3. Add tomatoes, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to the pan. Cook for about 7 minutes, until
tomatoes are soft. Add gnocchi and sausage back to the pan. Pour in cream, and stir until everything is
warm.
4. Top with cheese, heat until melted.

Click here to go directly to the recipe on Erin's page.

Okay, so the night I made this Cheesy Skillet Gnocchi dish,
Little Boy Blue (our 3 yr old cutie patootie, one and only grandchild) and his mom and dad were staying over and I caught them in high spirits singing one of their favorite family songs, I've Been Working On the Railroad.

Little Cutie Patootie-He's-So-Adorable-I-Just-Want-To-Eat-Him-Up Little Boy Blue asked to sing it
over and over again!

The kids stayed over because the weather had gotten freaky deaky blizzardy unexpectedly. I tried to take a picture that night of the awfulness but this was the best I could get...

I think I was probably in my stocking feet out on the front porch in the middle of a nor'easter and was shaking from nerves and oh, I don't know, THE FACT THAT IT WAS A BLIZZARD OUT THERE and that is why this picture is so crappy and shows absolutely nothing of what I just talked about. Sigh...

OH WAIT!! DON'T GO YET!!!!
I have one more picture I want to show you!!
See, it has been sooooo cold and snowy,
the cats sit in the window sill alllllll day long....

....depressed and pale from lack of Vitamin D.

Oh wait, that's me.

KIDDING!!

They're actually depressed because a squirrel has been tormenting them every day from that
tree outside the window.

Hello playmate squirrel, come out and play with us, and bring your dollies three, climb up our apple tree, climb down our rain barrel, we'll open up the cellar door and we'll be jolly friends (hehehe) forever more, more, more more more more.

Note: My cats are wienies. Any squirrel or groundhog or butterfly could take any one of them :):)

Okay, that's all I have for today, kiddos!!
Stay warm this weekend (except for when you bake up a New York Style cheesecake and deliver it straight to my house of course, duh),
but other than that...stay cozy warm and we'll talk
at y'all soon!

GLORIOUS Thin Burgers

1/4/2015

Tim's cousin Peaches,
has my
dream kitchen.

That's her partner Herb up there,
who is English,
and who made us the absolute
BEST SUNDAY MEAL EVER! I talked about the meal here...
Beef with Yorkshire Pudding.

Anyway, Peaches posted a link on my Facebook page last month and said these
Martha Stewart Thin Burgers
were
"glorious."
Glorious, I thought?

Really?

G-l-o-r-i-o-u-s?

This is Martha's picture...right outta marthastewart.com

Merriam-Webster Dictionary DEFINES GLORIOUS AS:

having or deserving glory, fame, or honor
: very beautiful or delightful
marked by great beauty or splendor : magnificent

Oh my goodness gracious, people!!!

Peaches is correct!!!

These thin burgers
*
are
*
GLORIOUS!!!

Okay,
now MY burger looks a little crazy with that lettuce but I ask you to trust me...

You must make these exactly-according to
Martha's recipe, using the exact specified ingredients,
and you must assemble these exactly as described...
and you then will know what GLORIOUS means.

I see salty dill pickles and that super high end creamy American cheese (HA!), I see iceberg lettuce and white onions. What I don't see in this picture but is integral is the toasted POTATO BUNS and yellow mustard!

Keep this in mind...

NO KETCHUP ALLOWED!

Just so you know...
I made these Thin Burgers for the first time on December 14 with hand made, baked, sweet potato fries.

These burgers were so delicious I made them again December 16 with homemade french fries.

And I made them AGAIN on December 17.

What???

Shut up!!!

Clearly Tim and I NEVER eat burgers,
it's only for cheat night!!!

Cheat night just happened to present itself
...
...
...
...
...
three times that week!!!!!! HA!!!!!!!!!

Anyhoo, here's the fixins for these GLORIOUS Martha Stewart Thin Burgers!

This is the recipe, straight outta marthastewart.com.

Here's the link one more time....marthastewart.com, just click on this!
Angie says PLEASE make special note of Martha's Cook's Note at the end...so important!!

Thin Burger
Straight out of central casting: a savory, slender patty on a deliciously squishy bun.
Martha Stewart Living, August 2012http://www.marthastewart.com/911342/thin-burger

Prep Time20 minutes
Total Time20 minutes

YieldMakes 4
Ingredients

- 1 1/4 pounds coarsely ground beef chuck (70 percent lean)
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 slices American cheese
- 4 teaspoons unsalted butter, softened
- 4 potato sandwich rolls
- 1/4 cup diced white onion
- 1 dill pickle, thinly sliced
- 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
- 4 teaspoons yellow mustard

Directions

Divide beef into 4 mounds, and evenly place on a 12-by-14-inch piece of plastic wrap. Place another piece of plastic on top. Roll into 5 1/2-inch patties, about 1/3 inch thick, with a rolling pin.
Heat a griddle or 2 large cast-iron skillets over medium-high. Season both sides of patties with salt and pepper. Cook patties, pressing with a spatula, 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, flip, and top with cheese. Cook 2 minutes.
Butter cut sides of rolls, and toast on griddle until edges just start to brown, about 1 minute.
Sandwich burgers in rolls with onion, pickle, lettuce, and mustard.

Cook's Note
Toppings
Sour-salty pickles, spicy onions, and shards of cool iceberg lettuce are the best counterpoints to this greasy-in-a- good-way patty.

Make Ahead
Thin patties freeze beautifully when layered with parchment in a freezer bag. After an hour at room temperature, they're ready for the griddle.

Patty
A 70 percent lean meat mix is key for griddle-cooked burgers, which get crisp by sizzling in their own fat. Flatten them with a rolling pin for uniform thinness.

Cheese
This guilty-pleasure burger begs for gooey, melty American cheese.

Bun
Martin's Famous Sandwich Potato Rolls are our choice for their slight sweetness and optimally squishy centers. Butter them before toasting to highlight those qualities, and then add contrast with a smear of sharp mustard.

So, I just want to make clear what makes
this burger perfect:

1. Dill pickles...salty and tangy!!!

2. Yellow mustard! Not Dijon, just yellow!!

3. Good old craptastic sliced American cheese!!

4. Potato buns! Do NOT use any other kind!!

5. White onion. Perfect!!

Chop up some of the onion and iceberg lettuce....

My cutting board looked gross but I swear it was clean!

Butter up those potato buns!

Do NOT use anything but potato buns!!!

So, you will get four hamburgers out of
1 lb. of 70% lean....
(giggle, can you believe, 70% lean, no wonder these are so yummy!)
Roll 1/4 of the meat into a ball and stick between plastic wrap and roll thin.

See, nice and thin and even here...

layer the patties between parchment paper.

...like this!!

Salt
and
pepper
them up,

both sides.

Cook the patties in the pan. I used cast iron.

Flip these beauties over and cook an additional minute or two...

Throw on the creamy American cheese!!!

Remember those buttered potato buns from earlier in this post?

Throw them in the pan and let them brown up to some squishy yummy goodness!

Now
THAT'S
what I'm talkin' 'bout!!!

Two burgers for Angie with cheese,
two burgers for Tim without cheese.
SHUT UP! You'll eat two also!

So let's start out building this gorgeousness...

Thin hamburger with cheese on grilled potato bun...

Check!

Yellow mustard spread on bun...

Check!

Dear Mother-in-Law June,

You are going to want to use Dijon mustard because you LOVE Dijon mustard.

DON'T!!!

Use YELLOW mustard for this.

Love,
Angie

Now
add
chopped white onions...

Check!

Salty, tangy
dill pickles.
Mmmm, salty and tangy.

Check!

Iceberg lettuce!!!

No, do not use spinach or romaine,
you use ICEBERG!

Check!

Almost there!
See the tasty burger, the creamy American cheese, the crunchy mild onions, salty dill pickles and that iceberg lettuce?

Well, THROW THE TOP BUN ON!!!
Check!

Okay, this was from the 1st night I made these glorious burgers....

We had sweet potato fries with the burger that night...

As you can clearly see, I started gobbling the burger before pictures were done. Story of my life.

Two days later, I made the burgers again, with french fries.
And the very next day, I made these burgers YET AGAIN.

And this picture below is from last night,
when I made them AGAIN!!
They are addictive, I tell ya!!

I can't help it! I was blogging about the lovelies and my mouth kept watering, so I reached right into the freezer and pulled a couple burgers out.

Tim's eyes got HUGE! Another cheat night!!

By the way, the flat burger patties freeze great!! Just lay them between sheets or parchment paper! So easy.

Again, here is Martha's recipe:

Thin Burger
Straight out of central casting: a savory, slender patty on a deliciously squishy bun.
Martha Stewart Living, August 2012http://www.marthastewart.com/911342/thin-burger

Prep Time20 minutes
Total Time20 minutes

YieldMakes 4
Ingredients

- 1 1/4 pounds coarsely ground beef chuck (70 percent lean)
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 slices American cheese
- 4 teaspoons unsalted butter, softened
- 4 potato sandwich rolls
- 1/4 cup diced white onion
- 1 dill pickle, thinly sliced
- 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
- 4 teaspoons yellow mustard

Directions

Divide beef into 4 mounds, and evenly place on a 12-by-14-inch piece of plastic wrap. Place another piece of plastic on top. Roll into 5 1/2-inch patties, about 1/3 inch thick, with a rolling pin.
Heat a griddle or 2 large cast-iron skillets over medium-high. Season both sides of patties with salt and pepper. Cook patties, pressing with a spatula, 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, flip, and top with cheese. Cook 2 minutes.
Butter cut sides of rolls, and toast on griddle until edges just start to brown, about 1 minute.
Sandwich burgers in rolls with onion, pickle, lettuce, and mustard.

Here's the direct link!!!
http://www.marthastewart.com/911342/thin-burger

OH!
One more reminder.....

A few weeks ago, I fixed these burgers for our visiting kids.

Our son-in-law LOVED his first burger.

On the second hamburger though, he added ketchup thinking that would be awesome too.

It wasn't.

He said he was so surprised the difference was so noticeable.

I just smiled and nodded and said "I know."

So I hope you try these burgers some time and let me know how you like them!

In the meantime, Mr. Smurf
and Tim
and Angie
are blue until the day we can make and devour these burgers again.

I actually paid money for that Mr. Smurf figurine up there.
No comments from the peanut gallery, please :)
He sits on the top shelf of a small bookcase in my book room...right by a fruitcake tin with vintage magnets.

Isn't this tin cute, though?

Looks 70s to me.

The tin sits next to an Apollo 11 photograph someone took and framed.

And lastly, show and tell ends with my vintage Kodak hanging light above the bookcase.
It's 70s craptastic plastic :) and says
"Kodak Cameras Film."

The light probably hung in a camera shop
in the 70s.
I had $15 or $20 on it back in the day when I ran antiques out of my barn but alas, no one ever bought it.
So I had it cleaned up and rewired and hung it in the basement last week.

Are you wondering if this post is eeeeeeeeevvvvvveeerrrrrrr going to end?

Are you fast asleep right about now,
kind of like Gino here???

Okay, nighty-nighty
until the next time of another thrilling edition of
Angie Reads a Recipe and Makes It and Posts Boring Pictures About It!

Have a good rest of the weekend y'all,
stay warm
and we'll talk at ya soon!

A Light General Tso's Chicken and a Reclusive Rocker

Rice done?

The pea pods are fantastic, the sauce is light and perfect, the coated chicken...really satisfies that Chinese food craving!

Ham & Leek Empanadas, Abundant Sunshine, and Dishes That Just Will Not Clean Themselves

Empanadas have been around forever!

How come I've never had one before, then????
These babies are fantastic!!!

The filling can be
sweet
or
savory.

They're usually deep fried but can also baked.

This is a savory one with ham, leeks &
Gruyere cheese.
These were baked.
It's like a warm ham and cheese in a flaky croissant!!!!!

I admit, I only had two sheets of puff pastry so I threw all that ham mixture into 8 empanadas instead of 12. I am a rebel.

Angie Decides To Torture Herself By Attempting Baking Again, But By Golly, She Perseveres and These Snickerdoodles Came Out Pretty Decent!

I knew I could do it!!!!

I BAKED!!!!!
Snickerdoodles!!!

Here's the fixins for these
Whole Wheat (50%) Snickerdoodles!

Dudes Love This Super Easy, Quick, Cheesy Skillet Gnocchi.....Also, Favorite Cookbooks....OH STOP SNORING...I CAN HEAR YOU!

I am committed this year to cooking out of those cookbooks there on the shelf...

Yup, that's right...I already have begun cooking a few dishes which I will be sharing over the next few months.

The kids stayed over because the weather had gotten freaky deaky blizzardy unexpectedly. I tried to take a picture that night of the awfulness but this was the best I could get...

GLORIOUS Thin Burgers

Tim's cousin Peaches,
has my
dream kitchen.

That's her partner Herb up there,
who is English,
and who made us the absolute
BEST SUNDAY MEAL EVER! I talked about the meal here...
Beef with Yorkshire Pudding.

Anyway, Peaches posted a link on my Facebook page last month and said these
Martha Stewart Thin Burgers
were
"glorious."
Glorious, I thought?

Really?

G-l-o-r-i-o-u-s?

Merriam-Webster Dictionary DEFINES GLORIOUS AS:

having or deserving glory, fame, or honor
: very beautiful or delightful
marked by great beauty or splendor : magnificent

Oh my goodness gracious, people!!!

Peaches is correct!!!

These thin burgers
*
are
*
GLORIOUS!!!

Author

Categories

Archives

A Light General Tso's Chicken and a Reclusive Rocker

Rice done?

The pea pods are fantastic, the sauce is light and perfect, the coated chicken...really satisfies that Chinese food craving!

Ham & Leek Empanadas, Abundant Sunshine, and Dishes That Just Will Not Clean Themselves

Empanadas have been around forever!

How come I've never had one before, then????These babies are fantastic!!!

The filling can be sweet or savory. They're usually deep fried but can also baked.This is a savory one with ham, leeks & Gruyere cheese.These were baked. It's like a warm ham and cheese in a flaky croissant!!!!!

I admit, I only had two sheets of puff pastry so I threw all that ham mixture into 8 empanadas instead of 12. I am a rebel.

Angie Decides To Torture Herself By Attempting Baking Again, But By Golly, She Perseveres and These Snickerdoodles Came Out Pretty Decent!

I knew I could do it!!!!

I BAKED!!!!!Snickerdoodles!!!

Here's the fixins for these Whole Wheat (50%) Snickerdoodles!

Dudes Love This Super Easy, Quick, Cheesy Skillet Gnocchi.....Also, Favorite Cookbooks....OH STOP SNORING...I CAN HEAR YOU!

I am committed this year to cooking out of those cookbooks there on the shelf...

Yup, that's right...I already have begun cooking a few dishes which I will be sharing over the next few months.

The kids stayed over because the weather had gotten freaky deaky blizzardy unexpectedly. I tried to take a picture that night of the awfulness but this was the best I could get...

GLORIOUS Thin Burgers

Tim's cousin Peaches, has my dream kitchen.

That's her partner Herb up there, who is English, and who made us the absolute BEST SUNDAY MEAL EVER! I talked about the meal here...Beef with Yorkshire Pudding.

﻿Anyway, ﻿Peaches posted a link on my Facebook page last month and said these Martha Stewart Thin Burgers were "glorious."Glorious, I thought? Really? G-l-o-r-i-o-u-s?

Merriam-Webster Dictionary DEFINES GLORIOUS AS: having or deserving glory, fame, or honor: very beautiful or delightfulmarked by great beauty or splendor : magnificent

Oh my goodness gracious, people!!! Peaches is correct!!! These thin burgers*** are*** GLORIOUS!!!

Author

Categories

Archives

How come I've never had one before, then????
These babies are fantastic!!!

The filling can be
sweet
or
savory.

They're usually deep fried but can also baked.

This is a savory one with ham, leeks &
Gruyere cheese.
These were baked.
It's like a warm ham and cheese in a flaky croissant!!!!!

I BAKED!!!!!
Snickerdoodles!!!

Here's the fixins for these
Whole Wheat (50%) Snickerdoodles!

Tim's cousin Peaches,
has my
dream kitchen.

That's her partner Herb up there,
who is English,
and who made us the absolute
BEST SUNDAY MEAL EVER! I talked about the meal here...
Beef with Yorkshire Pudding.

Anyway, Peaches posted a link on my Facebook page last month and said these
Martha Stewart Thin Burgers
were
"glorious."
Glorious, I thought?

Really?

G-l-o-r-i-o-u-s?

Merriam-Webster Dictionary DEFINES GLORIOUS AS:

having or deserving glory, fame, or honor
: very beautiful or delightful
marked by great beauty or splendor : magnificent

Oh my goodness gracious, people!!!

Peaches is correct!!!

These thin burgers
*
are
*
GLORIOUS!!!