I've been tagged!

Alright, the tagging has made its way to me from Mari, so here are 8 facts about me.

1.) As I mentioned in my cookie post, I opened up a bookstore in college with my now husband and a friend, Jared. Jared started selling used books on Amazon right when it was becoming popular and made a ton of money. He turned it into a business. We worked out of a warehouse with thousands of books and sold quite a few on the internet. After we ended up with hundreds of books that were unlistable, either because of no ISBN or there were just too many listed online, Jared decided to open a storefront. He asked me to spearhead it, so I was able to fulfill a dream. Not only did I work in a bookstore, I started one from the ground up. It was one of the best experiences of my entire life. I learned a lot about business and I had the absolute pleasure of forming relationships with a few regulars. I knew where every book was in that store and was able to recommend a lot of great books to customers. One of the saddest days of my life was the day we closed the store. Jared let me go through the inventory before we had our closing sale and told me I could take whatever I wanted. I left with 4 full boxes and a ton of memories.

2.) I've known I wanted to be a lawyer since I was 14 years old. I did a research project on the Scopes Monkey Trial and fell in love with Clarence Darrow, the "attorney for the damned". It sort of became a calling and I decided after that project that I wanted to be a public defender. Who is more damned than the PD's clients?

3.) I am a desperately shy individual. If I am not 100% comfortable, I hold back and just watch. I come off as a snob, but it really is just being shy. As a result, I'm terrible at making friends and only have 1 or 2 close friends.

4.) I held the hula hoop record in my neighborhood for 3 summers straight. No one was better with that hoop than I. Now, I can't keep it around my waist for the life of me, but I will always have that title.

5.) I recently started running for fun. I was introduced to the Couch to 5K running program and decided to give a shot. In the past, I have always said that I hate running and would only do so if forced. Now I actually like it. I made it to week 8 in the program, but then suffered my first sport related injury. Apparently, the hip flexor is something that needs to be treated when injured, otherwise the hip will roll forward to protect it, causing one leg to be over half an inch longer than the other. This, apparently, then causes the band that connects your hip to your knee to rub on a bursa, causing bursitis and a sharp, persistent pain in the hip. Or so I've heard. I will now not only work at physical therapy clinic; I will be a patient.

6.) I currently don't have any pets. I want a pet, but my husband is allergic to cats and doesn't "believe" in indoor dogs. I have told him that it's either a dog or a baby, but he's not giving in on either.

7.) I am one of the biggest Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans you will ever meet. I own all 7 seasons on DVD and watch them on a very regular basis. When I had FX, I would wake up at 7:00 AM to watch Buffy reruns, even though I have them all on DVD. My best friend and I along with 2 other friends from college would have Girls Night every week where we'd watch Buffy, eat pizza and gossip about our boys, who were all friends/roommates. Good times. I gained a lot of weight that year. Too much free pizza (our friends worked at the dining hall pizza place and would bring the pizza to us).

8.) I am not picky about movies. I will watch just about anything so long as it is not horrifically violent. I have only turned off one movie (The Nutty Professor- too many fat jokes), walked out on one (Saw II- so gross), and almost walked out on one other (Unbreakable; Worst.Movie.Ever.). I also wish I could get the two hours back I wasted watching the Transporter, but those are the only movies I can say I disliked. Some say I have no taste, but I'd like to say I have low expectations. I don't expect all movies to be Oscar contenders. While it doesn't take much to entertain me, I will say that Audrey Hepburn will always be my favorite actress and I love all her movies, even the silly ones. My friend, Jana, made quite a bit of fun of me for liking Funny Face, but how pretty was she in that movie?! Open mind, people. That's all it takes.

Alright, now it's time for me to tag some people. I'm kind of at the tail end of this, so I'm not sure I'm going to be able to tag 8 people. I'm tagging Meredith, Jana, Ang, Laura, and Mary Ellen. I don't think these girls have been tagged recently!

Another Dessert.

Someone needs to stop me. I'm so bored waiting for the results of the bar so I can actually be a lawyer, I have been filling my hours trying to perfect my baking skills. The muffins were super great and the cookies were darn good as well, so my confidence this afternoon was pretty high. I'm not the best baker- I much prefer cooking- but today I decided to revisit my arch nemesis, cheesecake.

I saw Giada make these on her show Everyday Italian the other day and decided to try them. The initial plan was to include these with the muffins, but that's not going to happen. The recipe was ok I guess, but I cannot successfully make a cheesecake. There is something or someone in the universe that has decided I will not make a cheesecake that is not cracked, sunken in the middle, or otherwise ugly looking, underdone, or overdone.

This recipe appealed to me because they were bite sized and I could use my newish mini muffin pan. Yesssss. I also figured they would be less likely to fall in the middle if they were smaller. Turned out I was wrong, but you can't blame me for hoping. The water bath was a little bit of a disaster (some of the cheesecakes went for a pre and post baking swim), but the process seemed to go alright. After I pulled them out, a few of them fell, gosh darn it, but the rest looked alright.

Then I tried to pop the darn things out of the pan. They did not want to come out without a fight. The recipe only has you butter the sides, not the bottom, of the cups and as one might expect, the bottoms didn't want to come out. They were not the prettiest dessert, but the taste was good. I may just try the recipe as a whole cheesecake. That is, if I ever decide to make a cheesecake again.

Individual Orange and Chocolate Cheesecakes

from Giada De Laurentis

1/3 c finely crushed chocolate wafers

2 T butter, melted

1/4 c ricotta cheese

2 oz cream cheese

1/4 c sugar, plus 2 tablespoons

1 orange, zested

1 egg

Butter, for greasing

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the crushed chocolate wafers and the melted butter. Place a tightly packed teaspoon of the wafer mixture into each mini-muffin cup and press down firmly.

In a food processor combine the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, 1/4 cup of the sugar, half of the orange zest, and the egg. Blend until smooth. Lightly grease the sides of the mini muffin tin with butter. Fill the cups with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the cheesecake mixture. Place the mini muffin tin in a baking dish and pour enough hot water in the baking dish to come halfway up the sides of the mini muffin tin. Bake for 25 minutes. Transfer the mini muffin tin to a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Use a small knife to gently pop the cheesecakes out of the cups.

Just before serving, combine the remaining orange zest with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Top each individual cheesecake with about 1/4 teaspoon of the orange zest mixture and serve.

Makes 12 mini cheesecakes.

And the best wife in the world award goes to...

Me! This morning I woke up at 4:30 to make my world famous chocolate chip cookies for one of my husband's Physical Science classes. They actually all behaved during a fire drill so he wanted to try a little positive reinforcement. He was first going to do donuts, but then asked me to make some cookies.


Now, I don't mean to brag here (maybe I do), but it is generally accepted that I make the best chocolate chip cookies in the world (at least according to me, my husband, and a group of StuCo students from Farmington, MO who stayed with us a few days last semester). I cannot reveal the recipe, but let me say it is from my grandmother, Nestlé Tollhousé (anyone? anyone?).

While some say that it is the recipe that makes the cookie, I would have to completely disagree. The recipes don't usually vary all that much. One recipe is pretty much as good as the rest. And as we all learned from Monica Gellar and Phoebe Bouffet, the one on the back of the chocolate chips is pretty darn good.


What makes a good cookie is the technique, so rather than sharing a recipe, I will share my technique. I really do think these things make all the difference, but feel free to disagree! But remember, my cookies are the best. I now have another class of 15 year olds who agree (and asked for more!).



The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie
According to Linda




1. Always start with softened butter. Not solid. Not melted. Softened. Leave on the counter for about 30 minutes or so. It usually does the trick. The finger should just depress, just like testing doneness on a steak.

2. Beat the heck out of the butter and sugar before adding the vanilla. And I mean beat them. We're talking beating the crap out of them. There is a point at which the butter and sugar look fluffy- this is when they are creamed. If you're not sure, keep beating them. There's no such thing as over beating it, at least not in my book.

3. Mix in the vanilla after the butter and sugar are fluffy. Mix really well after the vanilla and after each egg.

4. SLOWLY mix in the flour mixture. I mix it in about a spoonful at a time. It really doesn't take that long and it makes less of a mess. I'm not sure if it does anything for the cookies, but this is the only way I don't end up with a cloud of flour flying all over my kitchen.

5. At this point, follow the recipe. I check my cookies really often to make sure they don't cross that fine line between perfect and crispy. I also try to get a few pans that aren't all the way done so we have some super soft ones.

This is what I have learned about chocolate chip cookie making. As long as I am totally tooting my own horn, I would also like to add that a very popular DJ in Columbia, MO raved about my cookies on air when he had them at an event held by the bookstore I helped open with a friend (and closed, unfortunately) in Columbia. People came to the bookstore just to try the cookies! Too bad they didn't buy more books.

Welcome, Neighbor!

We have a new neighbor now so I wanted to bring some baked goods over to welcome her and her children to the neighborhood. I would have loved it had someone done the same for me, so hopefully I won't come off as too June Cleaver. I didn't want to do just cookies (though I make a mean chocolate chip cookie) and I had some buttermilk to use up from those gosh darn biscuits, so these muffins made the cut. I found them on Annie's blog and have wanted to make them ever since.

These muffins may be the most wonderful baked good I have ever put in my mouth. No joke. They were moist. They were sweet, but not too sweet. The cinnamon sugar top made the muffin absolutely perfect. I could have eaten dozens of them! Luckily, the recipe only made 9 and I was giving most of them away. As of now, however, I still have them all because the neighbor hasn't been home when I have. Hopefully I can catch her this weekend; otherwise these muffins will be gone!

If you make these muffins, don't change a thing. They are perfect and there is no reason to mess with perfection. Trust me!

Cinnamon Buttermilk Muffins

from Williams and Sonoma

7 T unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 c sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

1 1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1/2 t freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 c buttermilk

1 1/2 t vanilla extract

2/3 c sugar

1 T ground cinnamon

6 T (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease 9 standard muffin cups with butter or butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray; fill the unused cups one-third full with water to prevent warping.

To make the muffins, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well until pale and smooth.In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Add to the butter mixture in 2 additions, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. Stir just until evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each three-fourths full. Bake until the muffins are golden, dry and springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins and let stand until cool enough to handle.

To make the topping, in a small, shallow bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon (you won't need this much- I only used about half this much. Ditto for the butter). Put the melted butter in another small bowl. Holding the bottom of a muffin, dip the top into the melted butter, turning to coat it evenly. Immediately dip the top in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, coating it evenly, then tap it to remove excess sugar. Transfer the muffin, right side up, to the rack. Repeat with the remaining muffins. Let cool completely before serving.

Makes 9 muffins.

It can't all be gourmet.

Tonight's dinner was not gourmet, but it was easy and tasty. We've had a box of Chicken Quesadilla Pasta Roni sitting in our pantry for a long time. It made the move with us and was around for awhile before that. Tonight I decided it was time to get rid of it. It's hard to call this a recipe, but I did do some serious doctoring to the box dinner, with a little inspiration from the serving suggestions. I was actually quite surprised at how good it came out. I probably won't be buying the box stuff again any time soon, but it's good to know that something really tasty can come from surprising sources.

Chicken Quesadilla Skillet Dinner

source me and Pasta Roni

1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1 jalapeno, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 box Chicken Quesadilla Pasta Roni

1 1/2 c water

1/2 c milk

2 T butter

1 c frozen corn

1 c salsa

1/2 c cheese

chopped tomato

chopped black olives

sour cream

crushed tortilla chips (I baked some corn tortillas in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes)

Brown ground beef in large skillet. When almost brown, add jalapeno, red pepper, and onion. Soften until beef is browned. Stir in water, milk and butter and bring to a boil. Add pasta, seasoning mix and corn to the pan and return to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer until pasta is al dente. Stir in salsa and cheese. Serve with chopped tomato, olives, sour cream and crushed tortilla chips.

Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce, Asparagus and Peas

This dish ended up being a perfect summer afternoon lunch. We spent most of the day working on our dining room, but making and eating this dish was a great break. I got the recipe from Cooking Light, the August issue I think. I didn't change anything and I don't think I would if I made it again. The sauce didn't thicken up very well until well after I made it, but the pasta really held on to what sauce was there. Very lemony. I garnished mine with some lemon zest and snipped chives to make it just a tad lemonier and pretty.

Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce, Asparagus and Peas

from Cooking Light

8 oz uncooked long fusilli (twisted spaghetti)

1 3/4 c (1 1/2-inch) slices asparagus (about 1/2 pound)

1 c frozen green peas, thawed

1 T butter

1 garlic clove, minced

1 c organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic)

1 t cornstarch

1/3 c heavy cream

3 T fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

1/2 t salt

1/4 t freshly ground black pepper

Dash of ground red pepper

Coarsely ground black pepper (optional)

Lemon slices (optional)

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add asparagus during last minute of cooking time. Place peas in a colander. Drain pasta mixture over peas; set aside.
Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic to pan; sauté 1 minute. Combine broth and cornstarch in a small bowl; stir until well blended. Add broth mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in cream, juice, salt, 1/4 t black pepper, and red pepper. Add pasta mixture to broth mixture; toss gently to coat. Garnish with coarsely ground black pepper and lemon slices, if desired. Serve immediately.

Crying?! There's no crying in baking!

Biscuits. I was terrified to make them and I think they knew. I pulled out my Alton Brown cookbook to find the perfect scientifically based biscuit recipe. I found it. He promised me I would have award winning biscuits. He has yet to fail me, so I jumped in. I froze the butter. I grated it into the dry ingredients. I rubbed in the butter instead of cut. I bought an enormous tub of plain yogurt because he said it makes them fluffier. I mixed. I turned it out onto floured waxed paper. And this is what I got:

Which turned into this:

And finally this:

I was incredibly frustrated in the kitchen and my husband had to yell from our dining room in progress that they were only biscuits. He just has no idea. I hate kitchen failures! Once I decided to just throw the mess away, I looked in my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook for another biscuit recipe. Turns out I didn't have enough flour to try again because I had wasted two cups on this disaster. Sigh. I ended up walking to Aldi's to buy buttermilk biscuits in a tube and a bag of flour. I'm not seeing another biscuit attempt in my near future, but at least now I have the flour.

While the biscuits may have been my greatest cooking disaster to date, my sausage gravy and eggs turned out quite yummy. I used a recipe I got off the Nest a long time ago, I think from nestie TexasSmith (It was Krashed24, from this blog. Sorry Amber!). It turned out much better then the darn biscuits. The eggs were nothing special, but I did snip in some chives and I always whisk in water, not milk, to make the eggs super fluffy. While my "breakfast" wasn't actually finished until 1:15 in the afternoon, I at least got to eat some pretty tasty gravy. It was even made with fresh from the hog sausage. My mother-in-law sent us home with a few pounds of a friend's pig, so I figured gravy was the way to go. Very tasty.

Sausage Gravy

from Amber

1 lb pork sausage

2 T chopped onion

6 T flour (I used more since I used skim milk)

4 c milk

1/2 t sage (I used poultry seasoning because some caterpillar decided to eat my fresh herbs)

1/4 t salt

black pepper

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage and onion until sausage is no longer pink. Drain, reserving 2 T drippings (my sausage didn't get any drippings, so I melted in some butter). Stir flour into sausage and drippings until blended. Cook and stir until light golden brown. Add seasonings, then gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir until desired consistency.