The Time Has Come...

Sorry, gang, no recipe today. This has been one crazy week and my kitchen hasn't exactly been usable. 

But today, I'm here with a confession. (I have this image of everybody suddenly leaning in  a little closer, hands clasped around your cuppa whatever :)

This was me only a few short years ago. I'd lost forty pounds and had breast reduction surgery.

I looked great, I felt great...

Then something happened.

Several somethings, actually.

Things like this.

And this.

And this.

Okay, I can't blame it all on sweets. 

There's also stuff like this.

For a while, I was doing okay. Then something happened in my 49th year on planet Earth.

Despite a daily gym routine, my metabolism slowed down. The weight began to creep up. And while it may have leveled out over the past year, it's way higher than I want it to be.

I don't like it. 

I feel yucky (that's a technical term, ya know).

And I have a closet full of clothes I can't wear!

So today I am beginning what I hope is a lifestyle change.

I've always said that 90% of losing weight is in your head. If the head ain't willing, the body will not follow.

I know what I'm supposed to do. 

Lean protein, more fruits and veggies, fewer--way fewer--carbs and sweets.

I just have to do it.

So, whether you want the job or not, you have have been selected to be my cheerleaders and accountability partners. (You look so cute in your little cheerleader outfits :)

What advice can you give me to help me stay on task?

Jan, I know you gave up sugar last October. How did you do it?

Ruthy, you're the queen of low-carb eating. What are some good snack options?

I'm too ashamed to tell you my starting weight but, beginning next week, I will tell you how much I've lost or gained. Whether I made good or bad choices.

If anyone would like to join me on this journey, I'd love to have you along for the ride.

After all, there's strength in numbers. :-)

Until next week...

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

We're foodies here at the Yankee-Belle Cafe.

Not that we're snooty or anything - we just like food.

Especially chocolate.

Or anything quick and easy. If you add homemade to quick and easy, you have a winner!

A few weeks ago, the subject of using canned Cream of (anything) soups in our recipes came up. Do we really want to add all the unpronounceable ingredients to our recipes? Or do we just want to feed our families and friends (and ourselves) good food?

This is a recipe I stumbled upon a few months ago, and I've started using it more and more. I'll still reach for the can when I'm pressed for time - but lately I've been finding the few minutes extra it takes to make this recipe.

You see, the thing that makes it quick and easy is that you do it in two parts - first the concentrate, and then the creamy soup base. I found this recipe at Gwen's Nest - another foodie blog :)

So here's Step One:

Cream of Mushroom Soup cubes

These cubes have all the mushrooms, spices and flavorings already cooked and ready to go. It only takes a few minutes to make them.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter
1 pound fresh mushrooms
2 Tablespoons minced onion
2 teaspoons lemon juice (fresh or from the bottle)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

If you're tempted to cut back on the amount of salt (or any other ingredient), don't. You're making the equivalent of twelve cans of Cream of Mushroom soup. Even with the amount of salt and butter we're using, it still comes out to a very small amount per cube, and each cube makes the equivalent of one can of soup.

Chop your mushrooms as fine as you want them. If you have family members who hate mushrooms, chop them very fine - even smaller than the ones in the famous canned soup.

I use my food processor and chop the mushrooms and onions together...

Melt the two Tablespoons of butter in a large skillet.

Add the mushrooms, onions, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until most of the liquid is cooked out and the mushrooms are fragrant (oh, I love that fragrance!). It will take about five minutes. When it's done, remove the skillet from the heat and take out the bay leaf.

Now it's time to get out your ice cube tray. I bought one to use just for recipes like this one. They work great for homemade baby food, too. (No, we're not making baby food at our house!)

Divide the mushroom mixture evenly into twelve cubes and freeze. Once they're frozen, move them to a freezer container or bag.

And the first part of the recipe is done!

Here's Step Two:

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

I made a double batch for my meatballs, so there are two cubes
in the picture.

Ingredients: 

1 Tablespoon butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup milk, or 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup broth
1 frozen soup cube

I used 1/2 beef broth and 1/2 milk for my recipe, since I was making Bandy's Meatballs for a dinner at church (recipe next week!), but you can use all milk, or all broth. You can use chicken broth or vegetable broth...it's up to you and the recipe you need the Cream of Anything soup for.

You're going to be making a cream base for the soup from the butter, flour and liquid - a thin gravy, really. There are two methods you could use.

1) You can make a roux by melting the butter in a skillet and then whisking the flour into it. And then add the liquid, whisking it slowly until it's all combined. Add your frozen cube, and stir while the cube melts and the soup thickens.

2) Since there's a large amount of flour compared to the small amount of butter, I used method #2.
Measure the liquids into a large measuring cup, then whisk the flour in (add the flour slowly to avoid lumps). Melt the butter in a skillet, and then slowly whisk the flour/liquid combo into the pan. Add your frozen cube, and stir until the soup is thickened.

Now your soup is ready to use!

The best part of these cubes is that you don't have to use them to make Cream of Mushroom soup. I've been adding them to other recipes to ramp up the savory factor. I'll be sharing these recipes in the future here at the cafe!

Meanwhile, enjoy your soup :)

Serendipity Saturday

Missy, The Belle, here, filling in for Julie.

I know we've shared recipes on here that have come from family. I thought today I'd share some of the fun things I remember from childhood that have changed. Things I do differently now.

First, any good southerner worth her salt learned to season vegetables with fat, and maybe a tad of sugar (learned this from my mother). In fact, in my house growing up, we seasoned them with BACON GREASE. Yes, we always had a coffee cup full of bacon grease on the stove top. And yes, it lived there, not in the refrigerator. Somehow, we never died from it. :)

When I served the chicken parm (recipe yesterday), I also served it with green beans. I grabbed a bag of frozen beans. Added a dash of water, and then butter and bacon grease.

I, however, am paranoid. So on the rare occasions I fry bacon, I keep the grease in the fridge until ready to use it. I tossed it in with the butter, salt and pepper (shhh, and a pinch of sugar).

YUM. You should try it.

Also, growing up, whenever we baked, we always sifted the flour. We had this old fashioned hand-squeezed gadget. I had one that I took from home when I moved away. I just found one like it on ebay! (Click here to check it out.)

We would sift and sift until my hand muscles would hurt and my fingers would get weak. Of course, my hands were tiny and could barely reach. I never questioned my mother about it. Just figured it was some magic step that couldn't be left out.

But then came adulthood. I began to question the old ways that were a burden! :) And finally, my excuse came. My sifter rusted out and had to be thrown away. Did I quit baking? NO! I just kept right on. And whatdaya know, everything turned out just fine.

Then, one day, I saw someone on a cooking show sifting flour using a mesh strainer. I had one of those! I'd had no idea you could use that. You could just hold it over the bowl and wiggle and tap. So much easier! Why had I never thought of that?

So now, when I feel like it, I actually sift my flour. But only when I'm feeling industrious or am channeling one of the fantastic bakers here at the cafe. :)

Cool! Look what I just found. They still make the kind of sifter my mom had! Check it out here. I have a feeling they're much easier to use nowadays.

Speaking of the old days… Remember Five and Dime stores? We called ours the 5 & 10. I used to love to go there to get bubble gum and candy.

Well, talk about serendipity. These days, one of our favorite restaurants is called Five & Ten. Located in Athens, GA, it's our go-to place for birthdays and anniversaries.

We went for dinner in January for my birthday. The food is seasonal and local. And always interesting and tasty. I love the way the chef makes such creative dishes. And they're usually works of art as well (check out the website to see some).

For my birthday, I had…

BOILED PEANUT HUMMUS  with Georgia olive oil and crostini (oops, ate a couple before I remembered I wanted photos!).

I'm still craving more of this hummus. Would love to try to make it at home.

ROMAINE HEARTS  with classic caesar dressing, parmesan, bacon, pressed bread

 How cool is that? Instead of croutons, pressed bread. Such a nice touch!


TAGLIATELLE -- That night it had root vegetable ragout, pork belly, sunflower seeds, kale (crispy chips on top)

I'm sorry this photo is so dark. I was too embarrassed to re-take it with a flash. This was one of the best pastas I've ever had.

The food was outstanding--as usual. And I even braved taking photos. A little embarrassing at a nice restaurant, but I wanted to share with all of you!

Here's a bit about the owner/chef at Five & Ten, Hugh Acheson...

From their website:

Five & Ten is Hugh’s flagship restaurant, started from scratch in 2000. “The menu,” says Hugh, “has always been an open interpretation of Southern food, melding Georgia cookery with French and Italian influences I learned growing up. It’s been a very fun restaurant over the years.”

Acheson’s fresh approach to Southern food has earned him a great deal of recognition including Food & Wine’s Best New Chef(2002), the Atlanta Journal Constitution Restaurant of the Year (2007), a James Beard winner for Best Chef Southeast in 2012, a 2007 Rising Star and 2012 winner of the Mentor Chef award from StarChefs.com.

Well, I hope you enjoyed a trip down memory lane today. What's something you grew up with that you've changed in the kitchen? Or what's your favorite special occasion restaurant?

Check out my books at www.missytippens.com.

Quick Chicken Parmesan with Missy Tippens

Missy, here. Bringing you an AMAZING dish, Chicken Parmesan. I saw Giada De Laurentiis make this on her Food Network show and immediately printed it off. Here's the original recipe.

Let me say that I did not make the tomato sauce homemade--although I do plan to. Since my son had brought his girlfriend home, and I didn't want to spend the evening in the kitchen, I  just used jar sauce, and it turned out really, REALLY good. I'll be making this often.

Chicken Parmesan

Adapted from Giada Le Laurentiis

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

[NOTE: I used 2 tsp dried Italian Seasoning in place of the 3 fresh herbs above.]

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Eight 3-ounce chicken cutlets (I had 3 regular chicken breasts that were about 24 oz. total)

1 1/2 cups Simple Tomato Sauce (recipe at link above) or purchased marinara sauce (I used 

the whole jar I think)

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

16 teaspoons grated Parmesan (I just put it on by the handful and didn't measure!)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Preheat oven to 500 degrees (yes, you read that right).

First off, when I read the baking time and method, I knew I couldn't use the full sized chicken breasts or it would be undercooked. So I got my best knife and sliced each one in half horizontally, so they were still full sized but half regular thickness. So now I had 6 cutlets.

Stir together the herbs and olive oil in a bowl.

Heat a heavy, oven-proof skillet over high heat.

Brush the oil/herb mixture on the chicken (both sides). Cook in the hot skillet, about two minutes on each side (just until brown).

Remove skillet from the heat and pour tomato sauce over and around the chicken--in other words, bury 'em.

Top each cutlet with the cheeses, dividing it equally. I was VERY generous with the cheese. LOL

Oops! I forgot the butter. Remembered it after a couple of minutes, so was taking this shot into a 500 degree oven, afraid to melt my iPhone! So, before you put it in the oven, drop pieces of the butter on top.

(CHEESE AND BUTTER. WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE ABOUT THAT??!)

Bake until cheese melts and chicken is cooked through. This only takes like 5 minutes! So it's such a quick meal. And OH MY STARS. It's amazing! Gooey, cheesy goodness.

Well, I didn't get a photo of the finished product. I almost never do. Why do you suppose that is??? :)

I hope you'll try this! Enjoy!

www.missytippens.com

Guess Who Got Her Days Messed Up??????

Oh my stars, I'm on Wednesday mode....

THE PROBLEM WITH THAT IS THAT WE'RE ALREADY TO THURSDAY!!!!

Which means I'm late for a very important date in the cafe....

So, what to do????

I know!!!!

I'll show you babies!!!

This is Finn. You've met him. He's old school, Blodgett baby....

But LOOK WHO'S HERE!!!! This is Ayden, Roman's baby brother!!!!!  He's saying, "Hey, what are you doing in that contraption, kid? Is that what happens when we get bigger??? THEY PUT US DOWN?????  NO!!!!!!! I LIKE MY SNUGGLES!!!!!"

Yes, Roman and Ayden have come back to hang with me this week! Roman has completed his chemo....

He's got HAIR!!!!!

And his central line came out on Monday!

He's crazy busy, fun, excited to be back with his buds, loves the NEW ROOM!!!! (he drags everyone back there, caroling "New room! New room! New room!!!!"

Everything that's happend in the last seven months pales in comparison to seeing this little guy healthy, happy, and unrestricted.

NO MORE MASKS!!!!!

This is unedited video of a running, hide-in-the-closet fest featuring ROMAN!!!!!  And I have no idea what's on this, I mean, I took the video but sometimes there are interesting things in my videos... Like in my books... in need of editing, LOL! This one didn't get it!

Two amazing things this week:

1.  When you CLEAN THE COUNTERS, YOU FIND THINGS YOU LOST like the recipe that's slated for my Christmas Love Inspired book....  #happyfind!!!!!!

2.  The noise I heard in my room was NOT A MOUSE, it was old, loose maple spinners skittering on the roof outside the window.

SUHWEET!!!!!

And here's our week in pictures:

"Fauna" in her favorite spot, catching rays.....

 The old farmhouse, with snow covering the the problems in true Currier and Ives style!!!!

 And a pic I took to celebrate a fun historical idea I have....  Old wagon wheels have a way of doing that to you!!!

Now in the past two days we've morphed to flooding and mud, NOT AS PRETTY!!!!

But if you're going to have a blizzard, you might as well get outside and record God's beauty!

Mini Pizzas ...Take Two

Hello, everybody! The Fresh Pioneer is back and I have another snacky type food for those afternoons when lunch came too late and bedtime is creeping up on us. We need something fast, easy, and then we can move on to homework, baths, and bed. I put up the pizza crescent rolls and they were alright, but they tasted very sweet to me. So, when I saw this other recipe, I thought it might be more to our taste.

 You'll need flour tortillas, pizza sauce, cheddar or whichever cheese you prefer, and pepperoni. (Did I forget anything, Carol? Kav, did I miss a word? I need a proofreader, I swear. I should send these posts to you all before I hit "publish"!)

 The original post I saw was only a few pictures, without any directions. One had tortillas being trimmed into a circle with a glass, a la biscuits. But when I did that, it was too small! So, I used scissors. Yup, I'm classy like that.

 OK, now they're a little too big. Just adjust as needed. I could have measured, but who knows where the tape measure is. So, maybe four inches across? Don't quote me on that.
Preheat the oven to 350F. I just guessed on a temperature, since the picture I saw didn't have instructions, and figured I could turn it down I burned the first batch, or leave it longer if it needed more time.

 Since it looks like I only have one child, I decided to include the whole gang this time. As you can see, they were less than thrilled to be snapped at close range. And I see haircuts on the horizon...

 Swipe on some pizza sauce (about 1 tsp) and make sure it reaches the edges. Put in the cheese (about 1 TBS).

 Put a slice of pepperoni on the top. Leave off if you have pepperoni haters.

 I set the timer for five minutes, and they didn't seem quite done, so I added another five minutes. Ten minutes total.

 Ooooh, they smell delicious!

 The girls were having their online class on the history of Imperial Russia, so Isabel is giving me a combined "why are you handing me food" look and a "why are taking my picture" look.

 Here's Ana on my laptop, also "in class". It's great they can eat in class and not get in trouble!  Taught by a professor at Yale, it's open to anyone of any age, so it didn't matter my kids are 12 and 14. The application process is pretty simple. They get college credit, too! I've been teaching them Russian for two years, but most of the foreign pages they've had to read so far have been in Old Church Slavonic and some articles in Ukrainian. Anyway, you can see the professor in the top right hand window, and the main screen is the lecture notes she's writing as she's speaking, and the bottom window is the class, asking or answering questions. NIFTY. I would have loved this when I was little. Alas, all I had were old encyclopedias!
The homework has been really fun to see. Lots of livejournal links of what's happening in the Crimea have been added at the last minute, since it's history repeating itself. But we loved the section tracing the history of music in the Orthodox church.
Need a little chant in your day?  This is a  video of znamenny chant, and this one is a little longer but very beautiful video of Vaalam's Breathren monastery choir.
And then, with this video part of their homework was to translate the Old Church Slavonic to Russian, then to English. Since it took a while for them to do that, I got to hear this clip about... oh, twenty times. It was nice background music for the zoo...

 OK, back to pizza. Here is the child who does not like his picture taken. He doesn't know I'm doing this. Don't tell him I took it, and don't tell him I put it up on the blog.

 Aver, mi guapo jefe de jefes came back from work famished. He's not a pizza guy, so he made himself a sandwich. It looks like a normal sandwich on the outside, but see that little jar of pickled jalpenos? Secret ingredient. I think he does that so I don't ask for a bite.

 Ay ay! Esta es una mirada que dice, "PORQUE?" (Uh oh, this look says, "WHY?")

 And so I explain that all my cooking pictures have one child and no one else. This is his patient look. I see this a lot.

 While the next batch of little pizzas are cooking, I wanted to figure out what to do with all the tortilla scraps. One of my kids suggested baking them like chips, but with a little butter and sugar. Dessert! I don't have a pic of them after, but you can use your imagination. We sprinkled a little cinnamon on them and dipped them in honey.
 Before I forget, I'm giving away Jane Austen paper dolls over on my blog, so if you've ever dreamed of dressing Mr. Darcy then pop on over and enter! I have THREE to give away and although I'm a true Janeite, I need to reduce my stack of Austen goodies to a manageable size before it turns into an Elizabeth Bennet avalanche!

Ok, dear friends, have a wonderful week! I'm starting a new writing project and it's spring and everyone is healthy and the grass is growing and all is well with the world!

Until next time!

Cake in a Mug - Tasty Treat or Kitchen Fail?

Happy Tuesday, everyone. The Texan here, fresh off of spring break and a week at the ranch. And you'll never guess what I saw. 

Texas Bluebonnets!

You know what that means... Spring has arrived in Southeast Texas.

And to think, only two weeks ago they were covered in ice.

The cattle really enjoyed the nice weather and lazing beneath the live oaks.

More about the ranch later, but today I wanted to share this most amazing recipe I found in the newspaper the other day. It's called Cake in a Mug. I was so intrigued by Jan's Muffin in a Mug recipe (here), that this really caught my eye. Of course, it's not near as healthy as Jan's recipe, but if you're looking for a quick chocolate fix, hey, this is the way to go.

First, you need a mug.

This is my favorite tea mug I got at conference a few years ago.

Now, into that mug, you want to add:

4 heaping tablespoons flour

4 heaping tablespoons sugar

2 heaping tablespoons cocoa

Stir that together, then add:

1 small egg, beaten

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons canola/vegetable oil

I used a fork for mixing.

Stir well before adding 2-3 drops vanilla extract and a handful of chocolate chips.

Mix well and cook uncovered in the microwave on a high for 3 minutes.

Here goes nothing.

Oh-oh... still a minute and a half left to go.

Whew!

Made it without spilling over.

Now, the recipe says to let it cool and tip out onto a plate. Which I did. However, I'm thinking this would have been yummy just like this. 

But I followed the directions.

So while we're waiting for the cake to cool, let me tell you about Maddie's first ranch adventure.

First of all, the ranch is a 4 1/2 hour drive. It took a while, but Maddie finally found a comfortable spot to rest in the car.

Yep, that's the center console and her chin is resting between the seat and my arm.

Silly puppy.

But it was worth the trip. So many new sights, sounds and smells to explore.

And we never knew what she might drag out of the woods. 

Like these deer bones.

This was Maddie's first experience with water,too, so we weren't sure how she would react.

She liked sitting on the pier, the breeze blowing through her fur.

But, sometimes, you just have to get up close and personal.

The hilarious part was when she decided to take a flying leap. Sure wished I'd had the camera then. I mean, it was literally a flying leap, all fours spread out as far as they would go.

Cake's ready.

So I tip it out of the mug.

Not real attractive, but it smells divine.

And clean-up doesn't look too bad.

Now for the real test.

Hmm...the more it cools, the harder it gets. But it still tastes good. Just the texture is a little off.

I'm thinking it shouldn't have been nuked for so long. Our microwave is 1100 watts, so maybe I should have cut the time to 2:20 or 2:30 minutes. This was not addressed in the directions, but I think this is definitely a case of trial and error. 

Will I try this again?

You betcha! And I think I'll add a few more chocolate chips. My handful wasn't very full.

But this was quick, easy and used only ingredients I had on hand. Not to mention the portion size. 

Way better than a big ol' cake sitting in my kitchen, calling to me for who knows how long.

So what do you think? Tasty treat or kitchen fail?

Would you try this?

I'll leave you with one last Maddie video. 

This time, I did have the camera rolling.