Tormented Kitchen

Quite a while ago, I bought a cake decorating kit. It came with interchangeable tips and a screw-down adaptor to fit it to a disposable plastic piping bag. Have you looked at how expensive those disposable bags are? Well, I needed multiple colors.  I got out the old reusable piping set I got from Mom and then I got out a bunch of freezer zip-top baggies to use with the newer interchangeable set. It's very easy to take scissors, trim off about 1/8 inch from the corner tip of a baggie, add the screw-down adaptor and tip.  Then you fill it with frosting and zip it shut. I especially like being able to close the top because I usually have issues keeping the reusable piping bag rolled shut, so when I'm not careful, icing goes out the top and over my hands. Yes, I will admit to being somewhat messy. It happens to the best of us. The zip-top baggie trick also works well if you have really thin icing and need it to write.  Just fill baggie with thin icing (o...

Haley, my daughter, turned 2 last weekend.  My baby angel is growing before my eyes into a big girl, into a toddler full of attitude. She has a inherited a few of Mommy's attitude traits, like the hand on one hip, the way she points her finger and hollers "No, no, no!" and the way she naturally wallops other kids.  After discussion with other family members and friends, we have determined that this little apple had not fallen far from the tree. I put Haley in a Tinkerbell costume for fun for a little while, just to play, after a morning shower. She let me fix her hair.  I put it up in pigtails.  I like how she tries to say "pretty."  It comes out more like "pree" and she will pat her hair or whatever she's trying to show you that is pretty. We had a small party at home. Before guests arrived, I changed her into her party dress. Then she didn't want her silver party shoes any more. She wanted the pink Ugg-style boots.  I figured she...

There is something about Chinese food that has always held a sort of fascination for me. The ingredients are so simple, but sometimes it amazes me that such simple combinations can be so delicious and taste so complex. I think the nature of Chinese food has always been something regionally adaptable, simple, using a combination of fresh vegetables and a small amount of meat, to make a really satisfying meal.  My earliest memories of eating at a Chinese restaurant are of a little place back in Woodward, OK.  Of course, my favorite was Broccoli Beef and lots of steamed rice doused in soy sauce. Tonight, I made this for my family.  It has been quite a while since I've made Chinese at home.  There are so many take-outs nearby, and the convenience of eating there over at home, has really put my recipes for similar foods in the back of the cookbook. Dear hubby Justin took a bite tonight and asked me where I hid the takeout box. He said it was great.  Eve...

I have never been a die-hard banana lover. My attitude used to be "take them or leave them" but since having children, my taste for them has changed. For anyone who has not experienced pregnancy, there is really no way to describe the ways it can change you. It's more than just physically carrying a baby. Your senses change. The baby has a strange way of letting you know what he or she wants or needs through cravings. Oddly enough, some of these changes don't go away. Both kids love bananas and I think it has permanently changed me. For example, I now really like banana desserts with cooked bananas. I'm still so-so with eating a banana from the peel, but something warm and sweet gets my attention. Also, I used to like donuts a little bit. Now I can mow down donut after donut (which is not so good for my mommy pooch). A few nights ago I was inspired. What could I make with some ripe bananas? I thought about how I could fry them. In an eggroll wrapper? Maybe. ...

The results are in  for the 2010 Best in the West Rib Cook-Off. I agree that they made some tasty ribs. 1st place - Bone Daddy's 2nd place - Kinder's 3rd place - Rasta Joe's 4th place - BJ's Bone Daddy's and Kinder's have been our favorites for years now. We have bottles of their sauces at home too. If you are lucky, some Costco's sell Kinder's ball-tip roasts in a two pack. They are a good deal and easy to prepare so if you find them, give them a try. I'm going to disagree that the best sauce belongs to Johnson's BBQ. I'll stick to Kinder's, thank you very much.

2010, another year, another rib glut! For years, we have made it a point to attend this annual festival devoted to pork ribs. I have to say this year, it was bigger and busier than I have seen, ever. Around Victorian Square, there have been many changes this past year in terms of buildings being demolished and turned into parking lots. The city bus system opened a new station as well, so there were just general improvements for access to the cook-off. We arrived mid-afternoon and walked to see what was available, end to end. It was a long, slow walk because the amount of people was incredible. We checked out the vendors. A whole area was set up in front of the theaters, row upon row of tents of vendors, more than I have ever seen there before. They even had a tiny carnival set up for kids with a midway where you could win a hermit crab. They thought of everything this year. We returned to the Nugget to relax in the hotel room before dinner time. We had pr...

Rice pudding is one of my favorite comfort foods. It's funny to think that most of the people I have met weren't familiar with it. The best comparison is that it's like tapioca pudding. It's custard with rice. I have fond childhood memories of coming home from school to find the same rectangular covered glass dish in the fridge filled with this heavenly treat. It was almost torture to have to wait until dessert to eat it. I think knowing it was there made whatever we had for dinner disappear faster. Once I left home for college, this became a special-occasion treat for me. I didn't get to make it very often. It's time consuming and requires constant attention. If I went home to visit Mom and Dad and found some in the fridge, well, it was history. At some point, I was shopping for grocieries and noticed Kozy Shack rice pudding in a tub by the refrigerated Jell-o. I was curious. So I have to say, Kozy Shack is a reasonable substitute when I don't have the...