How-To: Whipped Cream

If reading my blog only changed one thing about your cooking, I would be so happy if it was learning to make real whipped cream instead of using fake "whipped topping." 

I have a few recipes, okay two, that I use fake topping for. Jello Cake and Chocolate Eclair Cake. And I understand that sometimes life is crazy and why add just another thing to your list, like whipping cream. 

But, real whipped cream is oh-so-heavenly and oh-so-easy. It's almost just as easy as opening a tub of whipped topping and dumping it out. You measure 4 ingredients (does salt even count? you only use a pinch) and beat for 3 - 4 minutes. Boom. Done. And the results are incredibly better. Sweet and light. And the ingredients are real. 

So the next time you pull up a recipe for Key Lime Pie or Gingerbread, maybe pull up this one too and just give it a chance? You may never want to go back to "whipped topping" again. 

Granola Bars

It is mid-afternoon here. The sun is golden and warm and streaming through my front windows with vibrance. It is quiet. Jack is asleep upstairs and Emma is asleep in her little bouncer in the kitchen. Dreams are flickering across their faces. 

Supper is in the oven and the house is picked up. A rarity these days. It's a moment of peace in the crazy busyness of life. I love these moments when life is calm. 

But it's not always that way. Sometimes there are train tracks all over my floor. And pacifiers tucked in nooks here and there. Sometimes (most of the time) there are dishes all over the counter and oats all over the floor. Sometimes a baby is crying in one room and the toddler is crying in the other. Sometimes these rooms smell of diapers or burnt granola bars. Sometimes there is no sun shining through my windows and it's raining. Not a nice spring rain, but a cold, dreary, unhappy sort of rain. 

But that's life right? A topsy-turvy mix-up of peace and chaos. Storm and serenity. A blog I read once said that "Life is a process of making messes and cleaning them up." And it's oh so true. Learning to smile amidst the mess and say, "Yes, Jack, let's make the granola bars, together."

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

Ah, the humble potato. A difficult vegetable for me. I don't hate them, but I don't love them either. Alone they seem bland and rather boring. They need a little dressing up. Something flavorful and rich. Enter chicken broth, cream and cheese. And ham. My husband requires ham.

We had friends over for dinner last night. Our kids are about the same age and they only live a few blocks away. They are one of those families that are easy to have over. Conversation flows, the kids play and the moms fuss over the babies.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I like things in a sweet and sour sauce. I have a few of these Americanized Asian dishes and I love them. Tender chicken, breaded and fried until just crispy and then baked  to coat each piece in a delicious, sticky sauce. Served with sticky rice and steamed broccoli, this meal tastes far superior to take out.

It's a bit involved, however -- cutting up, coating and then frying the chicken before baking it for an hour. But after tasting it, I'm sure you'll forgive me.

How-To: Hash Browns

I love Saturday mornings at our house. With two little ones, we are up early, but we start out the day in the kitchen, making breakfast together. Sometimes we have something fancy like Quicky Sticky Buns or French Toast. But often it's just humble scrambled eggs and hash browns. Brad mans the bacon and I tackle the hash and eggs. And Jack "helps", standing on his stool, overseeing all. 

Cinnamon Twists

Love is like cinnamon rolls. They both require effort, but the effort is always worth it. There's a sweetness in the commitment to something worthwhile. 

Right now the snow is falling outside my window in large, beautiful puffs. There is a burlap banner strung across the window with painted pink and red and white hearts. My children have appropriately decorated socks on and my sweet newborn is wearing a beautiful red dress. There is a potted rose blooming on the table and various valentines are scattered across the table. My favorite is the one my dad sent to my son, the words "I feel Dumpy without you" hovering above the cartoon dump truck. I'm planning on making my husband's favorite chocolate pudding soon and there's a nice supper started. But these things don't really make Valentine's Day, do they? 

Snow-Capped Pie

My mother called her Rhoda Dell. She was a robust woman with a happy face and snow white hair. Her big smile stretched wide and crinkled her face all the way up to her eyes, which glinted through practically squeezed-shut eyelids. Her laugh, more like a cackle, could be heard resounding through the church auditorium. She was there every Sunday, one of the first to arrive and last to leave, arms full of babies in the between.

This recipe is based on Rhoda Dell's, but doctored a bit by my mom. A key to this recipe that makes it so very tasty is the addition of Worcestershire sauce, celery salt and using the carrot "broth" in the pie. These ingredients add depth to the flavor profile, making this meal go from simple meat and potatoes to a tasty dinner.

Sugar Cookies or "Manna"

This was one of the first recipes I tried as a newly married woman. I remember my husband taking his first bite. His eyes lit up and he nodded his head vigorously when I asked them if they were good. After consuming the better part of a dozen, he decided they were now one of his favorite cookies. He has called them "manna" ever since. 

Sugar cookies can be quite disappointing. They spread too thin, creating dark brown edges that are too crisp and taste burned. It's hard to get them off the sheet in one piece and often half the cookie, and your patience, is left behind in the process. 

I love this recipe because it creates a delicate cookie that is decidedly soft in the center (as long as you don't overbake). The use of parchment paper geniously keeps the cookies from spreading too thin and from glueing themselves to your cookie sheet. The texture is light and almost cake-like. The cookies are sweet, as sugar cookies should be and go lovely with a tall glass of milk. Maybe not quite "the dew of heaven," but pretty, pretty close!

Hot Cocoa for Two

Snow drifts softly down from the heavens, alighting itself on the frozen ground, building up into a blanket of white that covers all the unattractive brown. It fills my home with a gentle, white light. All is quiet outside. None but a few brave souls are willing to venture out and for a moment peace and calm reign on a busy street in the city. 

My firstborn is upstairs getting a bath. I can hear his little baby talk and squeals of laughter when the water splashes up into his sweet face. My second child is snug as a bug in my belly, not inclined at all to come and join us in this beautiful world. 

It's a good moment to sit and watch the weather float by, a mug of homemade hot chocolate steaming my face, a little peace before our world is overturned by the coming of a little baby girl.  

Lasagna

Simple. Homemade. Good Food. 

The kind of meal that you make for yourselves and for company. 

The kind of meal you take to sick friends or friends with newborns. 

The kind that you make in a big pan so that you can have leftovers later in the week. 

It's a simple recipe -- doctor your favorite sauce, boil some noodles and whip up a cheese filling. But sometimes simple is best.