Tormented Kitchen

I don't have a great story about how I started making these potatoes. Usually, I have some story to tell about my food and how it came to be part of my tattered cookbook.  Actually, there is a little bit of story behind these here potatoes.  I went to the store one day before picking up the kids from daycare.  I saw this package of multi-variety tiny potatoes. They were cute. And they called to me.  They said, "Jenny, buy us and make something delicious! Please!" So I did. And I did.  Bought them, and cooked them, I mean. I even used curly parsley from the garden.  That parsley plant happens to be the one that Eric picked out and planted last summer all by himself. He's usually not too keen on green vegetables, but once I pointed out is was his parsley, well that made a world of difference. One note on parsley. I normally buy flat-leaf Italian parsley. I think it has a slightly better flavor and it's easier to chop the flat lea...

My dear readers, you may have noticed a gap in posts lately.  Yes, it's true. I have been away from the kitchen, or hurriedly making super-easy repeats of things already posted here, or just plain old going out to eat. We also managed to sneak in a week-long vacation to Los Angeles.  It was crazy! I have only been there once before, back in 1997. Things were very different this time.  We ate at the evil Golden Arches restaurant too many times out of convenience's sake, and tried a few local diners.  One night Justin's sister provided sandwich-makings for a picnic in the park down from the hotel. Another night, we had a good-sized family dinner where Justin fixed Garlic Filet on the grill and his sister and friends made various side dishes.  Theresa made deviled eggs with minced olives mixed  inside.  Andrea made a very tasty tomato-mozzarella caprese. Christina made guacamole. It was nice for me to able to just relax and not be the cook fo...

A long time ago I found a recipe for Steak Au Poivre.  This was way back when I was first learning to cook for myself as an adult, in college, in a cramped apartment kitchen. Anyhow, I followed the recipe and it was kind of weird.  The idea was good, though.  Peppered steaks, cooked in a pan, with a simple reduced cream sauce to fancy it up.  Awesome idea, actually.  That one recipe just didn't do it for me. I tried some other things, different cuts of meat (found out that some just aren't tender enough for pan-searing), and tried some different things in the sauce (capers, beef stock, onion, herbs).  I have come to the conclusion that I like it better on the simple side. I normally like pan gravy loaded with onions, but not for this. If I add beef stock to thin out the sauce, it's too thin. Sometimes I like the tang of Dijon mustard, sometimes I don't. Last week I made it with mustard. Last night, I made this with no mustard. (Yum yum for Jenn...

OMHYGOODNESS! I have been absolutely crazy for bread. I tried one of those "no-knead" recipes (with a few minor adaptations) and it turned out very well. I had the big stand mixer handy just in case, but I didn't actually need it. I had been planning on making bread for a few weeks now. I made time yesterday and recruited my son to help. A little boy, just shy of 4 years old, is actually an excellent assistant for this since it doesn't require the stove until the very end. Eric lost interest about half way into the first raise. No surprise there. I let him go play with the neighbor's girl, while I kept up with the dough. I ended up letting the dough rise extra after I shaped them into loaves. I have noticed that when baking here (high altitude and low humidity) that sometimes you have to really watch things during rising so it doesn't get dehydrated. Damp towels, plastic wrap and steamy spots in the kitchen help me get successful results. I baked up th...

The other day, we went out grocery shopping. To be different, (and to spend a gift card I got a Christmas), we went to Trader Joes. Now, I like my food healthy, and reasonably priced, but I rarely shop at TJ's because they are WAAAAAAAY across town and usually bustling with uptight yuppies. Justin, me, and the kids braved TJ's early-ish Saturday morning. We bought some fruit, tortillas, and a package of lamb chops. I was hoping for some pork, but apparently, they don't carry pork. I was a tad bummed about the pork, but seeing the lamb lifted my spirits. I only get lamb a few times a year, usually on special occasions when we go out to eat. Seeing these chops got me thinking about how I would prepare them. I remember the last time I fixed lamb at home, I pan-fried it. It was tough. It was muttony. I know lamb has a very distinct fragrance and flavor, but that time was Not Good. I was hesitant to pan fry again, but only searing in the pan and finishing in the oven kept ...

This recipe is basically one of trial and error that constantly evolves each time I make it. It began as a recipe from a French cookbook for Zucchini Quiche. Well, since neither Justin or myself particularly like zucchini, I changed that right away to other vegetables. I tried broccoli (which is good when the florets are realy small) but we just love spinach. So spinach it is. By the way, spinach is a SuperFood so it's nice to find a way to eat it without noticing the vegetable-ness. I have also changed up the cheese blend and every time it's good no matter what I use. I happen to prefer Colby-Jack, or a Mexican blend, but sometimes I use whatever is on hand. Sometimes it's a blend of provolone, cheddar, and Swiss cheese. We love cheese so it always tastes good. Ingredients 1 9-inch blind baked pie shell 1/4 c. finely diced onion 1 clove garlic, mashed or diced (or 1 tsp. from a jar) 2 Tablespoons butter 1 c. diced ham 1/2 c. frozen chopped spinach 1/2 to 3/4 c...

I found the recipe! It was saved on the big EHD at home so I didn't have to retype everything that was already typed. Thanks goodness. I also found my crepe recipe so that will be coming soon too. I realized that since this contains almonds, even though it's not "health food" it is somewhat healthy. According to SuperFoods Rx by Steven Pratt, nuts and seeds are very good for your health. In any dose, they benefit cardiovascular health. And that is one of my concerns. Heart problems run in my family so any help is help. Some notes on preparation: I use my Kitchen-aid stand mixer to beat the egg whites. A hand-held mixer will do the job just fine, but with two little ones, I need my hands free most of the time to hold them. Ingredients: 3 large egg whites 1 c. sifted confectioner’s sugar ½ c. all purpose flour 1/3 cup finely ground, blanched almonds (no skins) 6 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled 1 T. honey Method: 1. Preheat oven to 400F. Butter 2 ...