Tormented Kitchen

Saturday was Haley's first birthday. We had a small family party at our house. I put Haley in a super-cute pink dress. I made Haley's cake and frosting completely from scratch. I took photos of each step along the way. I was excited! Then it was time to dig in. I decided NOT to post the cake recipe. It was not an instant success. The batter was good. The only problem, once I cooked it, it was hard to get it to come out well. I live in "high altitude" Nevada, so baked goods always need adjusting. I had to cook it more than the recipe said. The recipe said bake for 20-24 minutes. OK. I went for 22 to start. It was still pretty liquid in the center. I gave it 4 more minutes. It looked set up, but the toothpick test yielded a wet toothpick. Another 3 minutes later, the edges were brown, pulling away from the pan, and I got a dry toothpick. Lesson learned: shaped pans with uneven depth make cooking a bitch. I cooled it in the pan a few minutes, then...

My mom has been making these for as long as I can remember. I had a few birthdays where I asked for these instead of a regular birthday cake. These are nothing like brownies from a box, so if you are used to the typical "thick and fudgy" you're looking in the wrong place. Buttermilk brownies are light, fluffy, cakey, but still plenty rich and decadent. I happen to like mine without nuts, and with a thin layer of frosting. I suppose people that like nuts could add some walnuts or pecans, but I have no idea how much you would want to add. I'll throw out a guess of 1/2 to 1 cup of nuts in the brownie mix. Another adjustment would be to the frosting. I happen to like it thinner and more like doughnut glaze, just how I have it written out below. But if you like thicker, fluffier frosting, you could just add more powdered sugar. An extra cup works well with the amounts of liquids. However, when you make the frosting with more sugar, it's not as pretty and shiny. Br...

I love sweets. The past few days, all I’ve been able to think about is eating. I finally figured out why I’m having cravings. Hormones getting back on track and all that. No I’m not pregnant again. Positively not pregnant, things are just getting back to normal. I have been raiding the pantry wishing we had cookies, staring into the freezer wondering where the chocolate Breyer’s ice cream went, gazing into the liquor cabinet thinking of whipping up a special hot chocolate. You know those days. I guess after a good day of wishing for cookies, I broke down and made some. I don’t know why I resisted so much. Maybe it had something to do with feeling fat and frumpy and trying to be good. My mission Get Skinny is coming along much more slowly than I would like. But I’ve had many setbacks, namely all the yummy donuts and cookies that are so hard to resist. I have very low resistance when it comes to chocolate chip cookies. I can inhale a half dozen off the cooling rack before I...

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...

Hey remember this entry about peeling citrus fruit with a staple remover ? Well the handy little staple remover has found another use. I use it for shelling pistachios. Sometimes those little buggers are hard to crack with your bare hands. I tried crushing them with the handles of my scissors. I found that just prying them open with the staple remover is more effective. Insert the small metal protuberance into the crack of the pistachio. Run it down to lengthen the crack and twist to pop it apart. Viola. Nuts.

Nice, flaky, pie crust is one of Justin's favorite things. He even eats the unbaked scraps. This recipe is kind of funny. It makes up a nice mix that I just add water to. All the other crust recipes I've seen you make it all right when you need it. I'll make up a batch and keep it in the fridge so it's easier to whip up a pie than starting completely from scratch. I use this crust for everything sweet and savory from apple pie to quiche. (I will post my quiche recipe someday soon. Promise!) Ingredients 6 c. flour 1 T salt 2 c. shortening Method 1. Mix flour, salt, and shortening in a large mixing bowl using a pastry cutter until an evenly sandy texture is achieved. 2. Store mix in refrigerator in a sealed plastic bag or container up to three months. 3. To make one crust to fit a 9" pie dish, put 1 1/2 c. mix in a bowl and add 4 or 5 Tablespoons cold water. 4. Blend well and and form into a ball. Dough should be sort of dry. If it's sticky add more of the...

Yes, yet another yummy recipe from my mom. It's another one of those recipes that I have no idea where she found it, but it's worth keeping. Ingredients ½ c. butter, softened ½ c. shortening 2 c. packed brown sugar 2 eggs ¼ c. water 1 tsp. vanilla 4 c. all-purpose flour 1 ½ tsp. baking powder 1 ½ tsp. baking soda ¼ tsp. salt 1 c. flaked coconut Method 1. Using a stand mixer, cream butter, shortening, brown sugar until light and fluffy. 2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. 3. Add eggs, vanilla, and water to mixer. Mix well. 4. Add dry ingredients to mixer. Mix well. 5. Add coconut and mix to incorporate. 6. *Cover mixing bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 2-4 hours. 7. *Shape into balls. 8. Place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheets. Flatten into rectangles and press the tines of a floured fork on top for texture. 9. Bake 8-10 minutes at 400 degrees F, or until lightly browned. 10. Cool on the sheet 2 minutes, then transfer to a rack t...