Kitchen Meets Culinary Clutz

It's been snowing all day. The storm rolled into the Oklahoma City Metro early yesterday morning bringing icky freezing rain. We have at least an inch of ice underneat about 4-inches of snow right now. Thankfully we haven't experienced any power outages as of yet! While the kids kept busy playing board games, I plotted my plan of action for dinner. Ok I lied, I watched movies played Mafia Wars & Cafe World on Facebook and Tweeted all day! haha!

I do have to say planning out our meals one month in advance has worked out like a charm! I'm always prepared and have dinner on the table by 6:00 p.m. at the latest! Rolling back into the old routine has made life easy breezy again!


Ok so on with dinner. It's baking in the oven right now and Mmm-Mmm, I can smell the lovely aroma of thyme! I got a bit of a late start on dinner tonight because I spent most of my day being lazy.


I want to thank KT-Q for taking most of the pictures while I prepped. Thank you baby!!

• 
  
  3 1/2 - 4 lbs chicken legs
• 
  
  2 lbs New potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 
  
  2 large yellow onions, cut into quarters
• 
  
  1/4 c. (1/2 stick) margarine, melted
• 
  
  2 cloves garlic, crushed (1 tsp. crushed garlic in jar)
• 
  
  1 tsp dried thyme leaves

Boy was today filled with all sorts of mishaps and misfortune!! I was in a rush this morning and had two pounds of  Boneless Beef Chuck top blade steaks that needed to be cooked off, otherwise it would have gone to waste. By the way, this is the best beef to use when making Beef Stews! (Never buy that crap, which is a cheap top round, that they cube up and label "Beef Stew Meat". *bleh*)

I decided I would make Wild Mushroom Beef Stew. Well I cube up the beef, dump it into my pregreased crockpot bowl, start adding the ingredients and low & behold I can't find the beef broth!  Well I take my chances and open up two cans of chicken broth. I pour it into the pot. No harm, no foul, right? Wrong! Potatoes, chopped and tossed into the pot, carrots are. . .well . . . what happened to my carrots? Somehow my new bag of carrots went moldy!!!!! *Eww* So, no carrots. On with the stew. . . I need a white onion but I only have yellow ones, no biggie, I need shiitake mushrooms and I can't find 'em! Good Lord! So on with the ingredients  . . .  and yeah, you might as well omit the celery while we're at it because somebody ate them with a bowl of ranch dip the other day. . . I turn on the crockpot, secure the lid and rush out of the house to take Rachel to school and head to work.

Eleven hours go by. On my way home from work I made a detour north to the grocery on Tinker AFB and come home patting myself on the back because dinner was actually done at a decent hour. NO SIR-R-R-E-E-E-BOB! Dinner was not done. After poking the potatoes and finding that they were still hard as rocks I couldn't help but notice my crockpot was set to the "Stay Warm" setting!! OMG What was I thinking?! This was totally not happening to me!

In a hustle I started Tweeting my friends on Facebook in hopes that someone with good sense could help me out of this awful predicament. Fortunately a few friends came to my rescue (Thank you Tarun & Jen, Ooooo and Billie-Jo!!). Doctored up Redneck Style, I threw the stew into the microwave for 10 minutes and managed to save dinner!

To my surprise, the stew tasted much milder and hearty using Chicken Broth as opposed to Beef Broth! And I cannot stress to you enough about how important it is to use a good quality beef when making crockpot stews! The beef chuck was so tender! It practically melted in my mouth!

• 
  
  2 Lbs  Boneless Beef Chuck Top Blade Steaks, cut into 1-inch Cubes
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 14-oz cans Chicken Broth
• 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (1 tsp minced garlic from jar)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp paprika
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 med yellow onion cubed
• 1/8 tsp celery seed

My husband first tasted Bulgogi when he traveled to South Korea. He said it was the best food he'd ever tasted.  There is this cute little restaurant in our town called the Korea House. It's located about a 1/4 of a mile west of Sooner Rd on SE 29th Street. My husband describes the restaurant as being "a tiny hole in the wall", because it's tucked back inside a track of rundown businesses, but they serve the best Bulgogi in the OKC Metro!

For the past two years I have been experimenting with making a Bulgogi recipe that resembles the dish served at the Korea House. Below is my recipe. Please note that I have not quite perfected it yet, but it comes pretty close to the Korea House's recipe.

• 
  
  2 lbs  Ribeye, tenderized and thinly sliced (the higher the Grade, the better!)
  
  
  
• 
  
  5 Tbsp granulated sugar
  
  
  
• 
  
  1/4 cup brown sugar
  
  
  
• 
  
  1/2 cup soy sauce
  
  
  
• 
  
  2 buds finely chopped garlic (or 1 tsp crushed garlic from jar)
  
  
  
• 
  
  1/4 tsp salt
  
  
  
• 
  
  5 Tbsp Mirim* (or sweet sake)
  
  
  
• 
  
  2 Tbsp sesame oil
  
  
  
• 
  
  2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds**
  
  
  
• 
  
  1 cup split green onions
  
  
  
• 
  
  Sambal Oelek (Ground Fresh Chili Paste), optional
  
  
  
• 
  
  2 cups steamed rice
  
  
  

1. 
   
   Prep rice: 2 cups rice to 4 cups water. Set to boil. When boiling, turn heat down to low setting, stir once, cover and steam for 18 minutes.
   
   
   
2. 
   
   Preheat skillet to Med-High / High heat.
   
   
   
3. 
   
   With exception of the beef, Sambal Oelek (and rice), mix all the ingredients until sugars are dissolved.
   
   
   
4. 
   
   Pour over sliced beef, and toss to coat.
   
   
   
5. 
   
   Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours if prepping ahead of time, otherwise marinate for 15 minutes.
   
   
   
6. 
   
   Pour meat mixture into hot skillet, turning meat frequently to brown evenly until meat is just shy of desired completion. Cook off most of the juices.
   
   
   
7. 
   
   With a measuring spoon, remove about 4 Tbsp of juices from skillet  and place into small bowl. Add  about 2  tsp cornstarch and mix well.
   
   
   
8. 
   
   Pour the cornstarch mixture onto the Bulgogi and stir until juices form a thick syrup. Remove from heat.
   
   
   
9. 
   
   Add only enough chili paste to suit your tolerance of spice. (Because the kids cannot handle the spicy chili paste I serve them first before adding chili paste to the rest of the Bulgogi meat!)
   
   
   
10. 
    
    Serve on top of steamed rice.
    
    
    

• 
  
  1 lb ground beef
  
  
  
• 
  
  1 packet taco seasoning
  
  
  
• 
  
  2/3 c water
  
  
  
• 
  
  1 16-oz can refried beans
  
  
  
• 
  
  12-oz shredded mild cheddar
  
  
  
• 
  
  10 flour tortillas (My daddy prefers Corn Tortillas!)
  
  
  
• 
  
  1 10-oz can enchilada sauce
  
  
  

1. 
   
   Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 13 x 9-in casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
   
2. 
   
   In a medium skillet over medium-high heat brown the ground beef, then drain off fat.
   
3. Add the taco seasoning, 2/3 cups water and refried beans; mix well. Remove from heat.
   
4. On each flour tortilla, place an equal portion of ground beef mixture and a little bit of shredded cheese, reserving at least 6-oz of cheese.  Tightly roll each tortilla and place seam side down in the casserole dish.
   
5. Pour the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
   
6. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted.
   

• 
  
  1 Tbsp oil
  
• 
  
  1 c. long grain rice
  
  
  
• 
  
  2 c. water
  
  
  
• 
  
  4-oz tomato sauce
  
  
  
• 
  
  1/2 Tbsp salt
  
  
  

1. 
   
   In a medium skillet, on medium-high heat, brown rice in oil. 
   
2. Stir in two cups water, tomato sauce and salt.
   
3. Bring to a boil.
   
4. Turn down heat to low and cover.
   
5. Simmer the rice, covered, for 20 minutes.
   
6. Fluff rice with fork before serving.
   

I was at the Tractor Supply the other day and noticed the sales associates pulling out all the gardening supply. *Oh Geez* is it that time of year again? I do not have a Green Thumb when it comes to gardening! The last garden I attempted (Spring/Summer 2008) started off growing beautifully and then withered away in the Oklahoma heat. I tried so hard to keep the plants well hydrated. I weeded every day, fertilized, I even tilled the earth every day!

The grubs and aphids were just awful that year! I tried every pesticide imaginable but it was no use, my garden went down by vermin, plague and drought.

I saw those lovely packets of seeds dangling from the displays calling out to me and I so badly want to try my hand at gardening again.  Am I crazy?  I must be crazy because I am going to make another attempt at growing a garden this year. This time I will seek out a good plot of earth that offers an equal amount of sun and shade. I need to find an area close enough to both the house and our wellhouse.  I think I will plant our garden either in our front yard or on the east side of the house directly south of the wellhouse.

Now, I must decide, should I plant directly into the earth or build planter boxes? Hmmm. . . . .  I may need to build planter boxes because the gophers are a menace out here on the south shore. 

Well here I go again!!! Maybe this year's vegetable garden will prove lasting results!  I am crossing my fingers and hoping for the best!


 Now to find free scrap wood to build my planter boxes out of . . . . Ooh! I'll post an ad on the Freecycle forums!

When I was a little girl I loved it when my big sis made the most excellent bowl of Pico de Gallo.  My siblings and I could tear that bowl up with a bagful of tortilla chips in seconds! Our Momma always asked her to whip some up for parties and family gatherings. A year ago I asked my sis for her recipe. Today I made my first attempt at making the Pico de Gallo. Oooh Baby what I made was a salsa so hot my eyes welled up with tears and my hair caught fire!!! I V-Lined straight for the faucet and could have cared less if I looked like a fool slurping water straight from the tap! I looked over my sister's recipe wondering if I did something wrong. If I remember correctly, my sis guts out all the seeds from the chiles before she throws them into the food processor because her salsa has never tasted this hot! Oh, and her salsa looks so much prettier than mine because she makes it chunkie like Pico de Gallo is supposed to look! So here you have it, my very own twist off of my sister's salsa recipe. I like to call it, Hot Damn! Salsa.  Plus I included my big sister's Pico de Gallo recipe too!

• 
  
  4 ROMA TOMATOES
  
• 2 LARGE SERRANO CHILES (DO NOT SEED)
  
• 1 Tbsp. MINCED GARLIC
  
• 4 -5 SPRIGS of CILANTRO
  
• LIME JUICE (enough to flavor and to thin the salsa to desired consistancy)
  
• SALT (enough to desired taste)
  

• 
  
  3 SERRANO CHILES, SEEDED (or jalapeños)
  
  
  
• 
  
  2 - 3 ROMA TOMATOES
  
  
  
• 
  
  1 MEDIUM YELLOW ONION
  
  
  
• 
  
  HANDFUL OF CILANTRO
  
  
  
• 
  
  SALT TO TASTE
  
  
  
• 
  
  A LITTLE WATER
  
  
  
• 
  
  MINCED GARLIC AND DEHYDRATED CELERY
  
  
  

I couldn't resist the temptation of asking the Pastry Chef for the recipe. I was surprised when she opened her recipe binder and pulled out a recipe that they found on the Food Network website! I went to Food Network and retrieved the recipe for the Indian Fry Bread. After making the bread, layer your Indian Taco with:

• Beans
• Shredded or Ground beef seasoned with Taco Seasoning
• Spanish or Mexican Rice
• Shredded Lettuce
• Shredded Cheese
• Sliced Black Olives
• Green Onions
• Diced Tomatos
• Salsa
• Sour cream
• Etc.

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
  
• Oil, for frying

Directions


Put flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well, add warm water and stir until dough begins to ball up. On a lightly floured surface knead dough. Do not over-work the dough. After working dough, place in a bowl and refrigerate for 1/2 to 1 hour.
Heat oil to 350 degrees in a frying pan or kettle. Lightly flour surface and pat and roll out baseball size pieces of dough. Cut hole in middle with a knife (so the dough will fry flat) to 1/4-inch thickness and place in oil and cook until golden brown and flip over and cook opposite side until same golden brown. Dough is done in about 3 minutes depending on oil temperature and thickness of dough.
After fry bread is done top with favorite topping or, chile and cheese first, then cover with lettuce and tomatoes, onions, green chile and you have an Indian Taco.

I just threw the lasagna in the oven and set the timer for 22 minutes. I was thankful when I found a 12 oz pack of pre-cooked ground beef in the freezer. Then I got to thinking, I need to share this quick tip!

There was one thing I learned when our family quickly expanded from having 1 - 2 kids to having a bunch more is creating simplicity and establishing inovative habits.

We buy our ground beef in bulk. We freeze half of the meat immediately. The other half we ground up in a large stock pot and freeze into 12 oz. and 18 oz. and 24 oz. packs.  I love my Food Saver. It get's a lot of use in our home.

You may be asking yourselves, "Why 12/18/24 oz. packs? Why not full 1 - 2 lb packs?" Well when the fat burns off and the meat is drained, you wind up with less than one or two pound packs. Plus, if you're thinking on a budget, you may want to stretch the buck somehow, right?

I label my packs depending on the weight. The 12 oz packs are labeled: Spaghetti, Lasagna, Hamburg Helper, etc. The 18 oz. packs I label: Enchiladas, Sloppy Joes, etc. The 24 oz. packs I label: Chili, Tacos, etc. .

On ultra busy days it's handy to to have pre-cooked ground beef available in the freezer to prep our suppers with! It cuts down on cooking time too!

My very good friend, Jen, gave me a great tip one day. She has a family of six also, so she knows the importance of being frugal with your spending as well as meal planning. When whipping up those ever so quick-fix Hamburger Helpers for a large family, mix one pound of ground beef to two boxes of Helper! It's the noodles that the family favors anyway, plus less red meat means healthier meals!

As the years have gone by I finally realized that I am no Supermom. I used to manage all the household duties, cook, soothe an ailing cold and run errands all by myself.  It was a breeze and I enjoyed it! Then again, I was a stay-at-home mom and college student. It was easy to keep the fort in order, make a full course meal and have enough time to catch a favorite sitcom after tidying up before bedtime.  I never had to worry about surprise visits from friends and family because my home was always spotless. People used to boast that my floors were so clean you could eat off of them! haha!

Then one day my daughters started growing up and thanks to the good Lord we added two wonderful teen sons to our family!

Instant parenthood of teens can be a bit of a challenge especially when your two new kids came from homes where the word "clean" was never part of their vocabulary,  Ha!  Baby steps had to be established to teach my two new sons the habit of good 'ol structure, organization and cleanliness. 

Having a well structured, organized home is very important to us, especially when you have one autistic child diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome who needs all the structure we can offer.   I too need structure and organization to function smoothly otherwise I tend to become overwhelmed and stressed.

 In 2007 we reintegrated our daughters into the public school system (we used to be homeschoolers), and the courts had finally awarded us custody our youngest son, life got ultra boring for me. I went stir-crazy in this big empty house with Brian and the kids gone to work and school so I decided that it was time for me to go back to work too!

When I leapt back into the work force organization seemed to have flown out the window.   Now Brian and I are working hard at trying to come up with a good plan of attack when it comes to divying up the chores. It becomes a bit of a challenge when the busy schedules of everyones extra-curricular activities get thrown into the mix!



I was so very thrilled to have found this wonderful website called Successful Family Chores! You will love this site! We are always looking for new inovative ways to make parenting easier and stress-free! Chore Charts are printing and I'm working on my weekly menu planning! It's been years since I last used the menu planners and I'm excited be using them again!!

• 3 lbs Ground Beef
• Seasoned Salt
• 2 16-oz cans Refried Beans
• 2 cups thinly shredded Mild Cheddar
• Optional: sliced black olives, green onions, jalapeño, diced tomatoes, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, etc.
• Tortilla Chips

I managed to forget to pull meat out of the freezer to thaw this morning! That's nothing new in this busy household! Was I alarmed? Heck no! Let's cook!

Main Dish:

• 6 Pork Loin Chops (frozen)
• 1 14.5-oz can Chicken Broth
• Emeril Original Essence
• Salt & Pepper

Side Dish:

• 6 cups water
• 3 cups long grain rice
• 3 Tbsp margarine
• Garlic salt
• Parsley flakes

1. In a dutch oven over medium-high heat, pour one can of chicken broth and add frozen chops. Cover with lid and let parboil for 10-15 minutes.
2. Prep the rice. In a 3 or 4-qt saucepan bring water, rice, margarine, garlic salt and parsley flakes to a rolling boil.  Stir once, set heat to low/ med-low and cover with lid. Set timer for 18 minutes.
3. Back to the chops. . . Chops should be thawed by now. Turn each chop and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Replace lid and cook for another 10 minutes.
4. Remove lid. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, uncover chops and cook off the broth. When the broth is mostly evaporated, sprinkle both sides of each chop with Emeril's Original Essence and then switch the chops around so each are able to brown on both sides. Chops are done when reached the internal temperature of 170°F.
5. When rice is done, serve with chops and enjoy!

The school district in the neighboring town already cancelled school for the next two days due to a severe weather forecast. It's supposed to get cold. . . .very, very cold! They're talking lows of -2° F., with wind chills as low as -20° F. If our school district gets cancelled tomorrow then I am going to attempt a recipe I've been wanting to experiment with for a long while, MARSHMALLOWS! I've had the recipe for years but I've been too much of a ninny to take a stab at it! Here's the recipe below, don't forget to leave your comments on how your concoction panned out, ok?

• 
  
  About 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  
  
  
• 
  
  2 Tbsp. unflavored gelatin powder
  
  
  
• 
  
  3/4 cup cold water
  
  
  
• 
  
  2 cups granulated sugar
  
  
  
• 
  
  1/2 cup hot water
  
  
  
• 
  
  3/4 cup light corn syrup
  
  
  
• 
  
  Few grains of salt
  
  
  
• 
  
  1 tsp vanilla extract
  
  
  
• 
  
  About 2 cups powdered sugar, finely chopped pecans or walnuts, or sweetened flaked coconut, for rolling
  
  
  

1. 
   
   Generously dust a 13 x 9- inch pan with 1/4 cup powdered sugar.  Using the back of a spoon, spread the powdered sugar across the bottom and sides of the pan until the bottom surface is completely covered, using slightly more powdered sugar if necessary.
   
   
   
2. 
   
   In a small bowl, combine the gelatin and cold water, stirring to blend.  Set aside.
   
   
   
3. 
   
   In a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat, bring the sugar, hot water, corn syrup, and salt to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to boil.  Cook, without stirring, to the soft ball stage (234°F to 240°F, with 236°F recommended).
   
   
   
4. 
   
   Remove from the heat.  Stir in the gelatin mixture.  Pour the combined mixture into a large mixing bowl.  Using a heavy-duty electric mixer, beat the mixture on medium-high speed until it holds its shape, blending in the vanilla while beating.  Pour the marshmallow mixture into the prepared pan.  Let stand until firm, about 20 minutes.
   
   
   
5. 
   
   Using a sharp knife or cookie cutters dipped in hot water, cut into squares, triangles, or other shapes.  Roll each marshmallow in powedered sugar, tap the marshmallows lightly to remove the excess sugar.  Store in an airtight container.
   
   
   

Yesterday was to be my first day of PT (Physical Training). The only thing I managed to workout on was the head of my Chocolate Dove Reindeer that Santa left in my stocking! Hey, at least I put the poor guy out of his misery! I think . . . At least now he won't see his fate when I devour him later!

Unfortunately I didn't get a one hour workout this morning because the snooze button kept hitting itself, the kids were dragging out of their beds, and Beau was itching to be taken out of his crate. Time flies when that dang snooze button has a mind of its own. Imagine that! (I managed 30 minutes!) I promise I will force myself to make-up the lost time today after I get home from school. I can do this!!!! I think. . . . tehehehe!

Yesterday was so cold, not to say that today was any better, but I'm bundled up in the family room next to a blazing fire. I love cold weather! It's all about bundling up in your favorite blankie next to a warm fire and sipping a tasty cup of hot cocoa with lots of marshmallows! I also love making a big pot of chili to warm the soul!!

Now you will have to forgive me because I have been experimenting with my chili for over a year now. My favorite brand of chili is Nalley's. I can't get that brand in Oklahoma so I have to settle for trying to clone Nalley's Mm-Mm Good Chili! haha!

Here is my latest and greatest thrown together last night. It's not nearly as good as Nalley's but I can definitely say this pot of chili was excellent!!!

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs ground beef
• 2 8-oz cans tomato sauce
• 2 cups water
• 2 15.5-oz cans kidney beans (I prefer VanCamps or Great Value Light Red Kidney)
• 2 15.5-oz cans red beans (I prefer Bush's or Great Value)
• 3/4 cup chili seasoning
• garlic powder (to desired taste)
• seasoned salt (to desired taste)
• Jane's Krazy Mixed-Up Salt (to desired taste)
• crushed red peppers (to desired taste)
• 1 medium yellow onion (finely chopped)

Directions: