On my way out to say goodbye to 2011. Where did the time go? Why does it seem as if the years pass faster the older I get?
Overall, 2011 was a great year. I had two friends come back into my life in a very positive way. I am happy to have both of their friendships. I feel closer to my family than ever; specifically to my nieces. They are such wonderful girls! My dad, with his various health issues, made it another year and kept me laughing in the process.
Also, I think with age, anxiety lessens. Which is a good thing for those of us that are of a particular anxious nature. I feel calmer than ever.
I have a few resolutions for the coming year, as well as a motto:
All things in moderation. I mean to apply this to everything in the coming year - spending, drinking, working. I'm taking it down a notch so I can focus more on inner happiness.
Resolutions:
1) floss daily
2) smile more
3) stay off my phone while driving!
4) appreciate those who make my life easier - the people who help me be successful
5) enjoy life every day (after all the Mayans say this year is it)
Blessings to anyone reading this. Time to start this night with a nice dinner out.
Happy New Year!!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Quiche Redemption
I remember my mom used to make quiche quite a bit. I helped her with it when I was little. She passed away over 20 years ago and I don't think I've made a quiche since she and I last made one together. Probably because I have a very vivid memory of screwing up one of her quiches and it's given me a mental block.
I was 8 or 9 when it happened. She told me to crack eggs into a bowl. I happily began cracking eggs into something she had already prepared instead of a fresh bowl. I can't remember what she had in that bowl. I think it may have been the crust. I just remember her finally realizing what I was doing and the quiche preparations coming to a grinding halt.
She didn't yell at me or get angry. She just exclaimed over my mistake and put a stop to my egg cracking. Then she proceeded to take a spoon and fish the eggs out of whatever she had already mixed up. I sat there watching her, feeling terrible for ruining my mom's quiche.
Although I can't remember exactly what was said, the words were soothing. I came away with the idea that most things in the kitchen are fixable; It's not the end of the world when things don't go exactly as planned. Only now do I realize this was a valuable lesson I should have used more outside the kitchen.
Anyway, I think I've shied away from making a quiche because of this long ago memory.
But not today my friends!
Redemption, thy name is quiche.
I'm too lazy for crust this morning so I'm going with a crustless quiche in muffin tin. I'm not using a recipe today. I think quiche can be made with whatever.
Ingredients:
That small bit of cheese is fontina. It's delicious but high in fat. That's probably why it's so good. Obviously I'm trying to balance out the cheese by using turkey bacon. Plus it's the only bacon I have.
Cooking the bacon first:
Look mom! Eggs in a bowl! By themselves!
My chives are still alive so I decided to chop them up and throw them into my quiche. I think it's impossible to kill chives.
Hm. This looks like a lot of chive but I think it will be ok.
I also added salt, garlic powder, parsley flakes, and a little pepper (not too much because the bacon is peppered)
I realize I don't know if I should put the bacon in first and top it with the egg or vice versa. It probably doesn't matter right?
I almost forgot the cheese! I read somewhere that if you want to grate a soft cheese like fontina, you should put it in the freezer for a bit to make it easier to grate. Just don't forget about it like I almost did.
Take two, with cheese:
Into the oven they go! I sprinkled the top with Chia Seeds also. I'm kind of obsessed with these at the moment:
Antioxidants! Omega Fatty Acids! Calcium! Aztec Superfood! These things are pretty good for you. Who knew? (well obviously the Aztecs - I wonder if they would think we are idiots for making Obama chia pets instead of eating them. Something to muse about while waiting for the quiches.)
I'm not sure how long to let these cook. I'm thinking 20 minutes or so.
Finished product. They fluffed up quite a bit while cooking but shrunk after they came out of the oven. I may have whisked the eggs too much.
Result: Yummy, but could use more cheese.
Easy fix. I think mom would be proud.
I was 8 or 9 when it happened. She told me to crack eggs into a bowl. I happily began cracking eggs into something she had already prepared instead of a fresh bowl. I can't remember what she had in that bowl. I think it may have been the crust. I just remember her finally realizing what I was doing and the quiche preparations coming to a grinding halt.
She didn't yell at me or get angry. She just exclaimed over my mistake and put a stop to my egg cracking. Then she proceeded to take a spoon and fish the eggs out of whatever she had already mixed up. I sat there watching her, feeling terrible for ruining my mom's quiche.
Although I can't remember exactly what was said, the words were soothing. I came away with the idea that most things in the kitchen are fixable; It's not the end of the world when things don't go exactly as planned. Only now do I realize this was a valuable lesson I should have used more outside the kitchen.
Anyway, I think I've shied away from making a quiche because of this long ago memory.
But not today my friends!
Redemption, thy name is quiche.
I'm too lazy for crust this morning so I'm going with a crustless quiche in muffin tin. I'm not using a recipe today. I think quiche can be made with whatever.
Ingredients:
That small bit of cheese is fontina. It's delicious but high in fat. That's probably why it's so good. Obviously I'm trying to balance out the cheese by using turkey bacon. Plus it's the only bacon I have.
Cooking the bacon first:
Look mom! Eggs in a bowl! By themselves!
My chives are still alive so I decided to chop them up and throw them into my quiche. I think it's impossible to kill chives.
Hm. This looks like a lot of chive but I think it will be ok.
I also added salt, garlic powder, parsley flakes, and a little pepper (not too much because the bacon is peppered)
I realize I don't know if I should put the bacon in first and top it with the egg or vice versa. It probably doesn't matter right?
I almost forgot the cheese! I read somewhere that if you want to grate a soft cheese like fontina, you should put it in the freezer for a bit to make it easier to grate. Just don't forget about it like I almost did.
Take two, with cheese:
Into the oven they go! I sprinkled the top with Chia Seeds also. I'm kind of obsessed with these at the moment:
Antioxidants! Omega Fatty Acids! Calcium! Aztec Superfood! These things are pretty good for you. Who knew? (well obviously the Aztecs - I wonder if they would think we are idiots for making Obama chia pets instead of eating them. Something to muse about while waiting for the quiches.)
I'm not sure how long to let these cook. I'm thinking 20 minutes or so.
Finished product. They fluffed up quite a bit while cooking but shrunk after they came out of the oven. I may have whisked the eggs too much.
Result: Yummy, but could use more cheese.
Easy fix. I think mom would be proud.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Thanksgiving Turkey Success!
Who made an awesome Turkey for Thanksgiving? This girl.
That's right. Although I have never cooked a turkey before in my life I was able to pull this one off with a little help from the folks over at butterball.com.
Here are my keys to success:
1) Thaw the turkey properly.
For Christmas, we usually get a smoked turkey from Greenburg's in Tyler, Texas. This is a fully cooked turkey so all you have to do is let it thaw. Its in a paper bag and a box, so my dad usually sets it outside in the garage for a day if its cold outside. It took a lot of convincing to get my dad to understand you could not do this with a raw turkey. When I explained it needed to go in the refrigerator or cold water he would respond "but I just put the Greenburg in the garage." Somehow the difference between a raw and a cooked turkey did not register with him. I finally managed to convince him to put it in cold water for a while.
2) Brine
I went back and forth with a friend of mine on the brine issue. He suggested I get an injector kit just in case. I did NOT get an injector kit. Instead the turkey was put in the following brine:
I put my turkey in a 350 degree oven for about 3 hours. I tried to cook the turkey on the green egg but that wasn't working. After trying for a half hour to get the temperature hot enough I just said forget it and threw it in the oven. I thought it was going to take longer than three hours but the butterball people say to pull it out when the thigh meat reaches 180 degrees. I checked it at 3 hours and it was higher than 180 so I pulled it out immediately.
4) Basting
I came up with this on my own. I was just going to put a little butter to brown the outside of it when I saw a leftover Shiner Bock in the fridge. Doesn't beer make everything better? I mixed the Shiner with some butter and basted my turkey every hour.
The result?
The meat was juicy and tender. The only problem was that the breast meat wasn't dry enough to make very good slices of meat. (My brother said it would have helped if I had an electric slicer. I didn't really think ahead to the actual carving part of this scenario.) Huge Success. Everyone loved it. Plus I had my family at my house and got to spend some much needed time with them. I can't think of anything better than that.
Here's hoping everyone else had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
That's right. Although I have never cooked a turkey before in my life I was able to pull this one off with a little help from the folks over at butterball.com.
Here are my keys to success:
1) Thaw the turkey properly.
For Christmas, we usually get a smoked turkey from Greenburg's in Tyler, Texas. This is a fully cooked turkey so all you have to do is let it thaw. Its in a paper bag and a box, so my dad usually sets it outside in the garage for a day if its cold outside. It took a lot of convincing to get my dad to understand you could not do this with a raw turkey. When I explained it needed to go in the refrigerator or cold water he would respond "but I just put the Greenburg in the garage." Somehow the difference between a raw and a cooked turkey did not register with him. I finally managed to convince him to put it in cold water for a while.
2) Brine
I went back and forth with a friend of mine on the brine issue. He suggested I get an injector kit just in case. I did NOT get an injector kit. Instead the turkey was put in the following brine:
- 2 gallons cold water
- 10 ounces Kikkoman Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons dried sage
- 2 tablespoons dried celery seed
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
I put my turkey in a 350 degree oven for about 3 hours. I tried to cook the turkey on the green egg but that wasn't working. After trying for a half hour to get the temperature hot enough I just said forget it and threw it in the oven. I thought it was going to take longer than three hours but the butterball people say to pull it out when the thigh meat reaches 180 degrees. I checked it at 3 hours and it was higher than 180 so I pulled it out immediately.
4) Basting
I came up with this on my own. I was just going to put a little butter to brown the outside of it when I saw a leftover Shiner Bock in the fridge. Doesn't beer make everything better? I mixed the Shiner with some butter and basted my turkey every hour.
The result?
The meat was juicy and tender. The only problem was that the breast meat wasn't dry enough to make very good slices of meat. (My brother said it would have helped if I had an electric slicer. I didn't really think ahead to the actual carving part of this scenario.) Huge Success. Everyone loved it. Plus I had my family at my house and got to spend some much needed time with them. I can't think of anything better than that.
Here's hoping everyone else had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Solution to a freezing office.
My office is like ice. I'm not sure why the A/C is running when its 60 degrees outside but its almost unbearably cold. Thankfully I have a little heater under my desk to help keep me warm but now I have a PERFECT solution:
FOREVER LAZY!!!!!!!
That's Right! Forget the Snuggie - This thing is the SERIOUS answer to anyone who is cold and also lazy. Its like a hoodie with legs - and a drop seat. That's right, I said a drop seat. So you don't even have to take it off to go to the bathroom. Wow.
These people really back up the name Forever Lazy by calling their colors "Workday Blues" and, my personal favorite, "Asleep on the Job Gray."
Seriously? Who actually owns one of these??? I'm sure they've sold tons. I've got to get to work on the next big idea for a reverse blanket/hoodie/longjohn something or other. Only problem is, now that the name Forever Lazy is taken, whatever will I call it?
FOREVER LAZY!!!!!!!
That's Right! Forget the Snuggie - This thing is the SERIOUS answer to anyone who is cold and also lazy. Its like a hoodie with legs - and a drop seat. That's right, I said a drop seat. So you don't even have to take it off to go to the bathroom. Wow.
These people really back up the name Forever Lazy by calling their colors "Workday Blues" and, my personal favorite, "Asleep on the Job Gray."
Seriously? Who actually owns one of these??? I'm sure they've sold tons. I've got to get to work on the next big idea for a reverse blanket/hoodie/longjohn something or other. Only problem is, now that the name Forever Lazy is taken, whatever will I call it?
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