two hundred and eighty-one

"If you had to summarize summer in three words, which words would you choose?  Swimming, picnics, and ice cream?  Vacations, thunderstorms, and fireflies?  Bikinis, bonfires, and s’mores?  How about red, white, and blue?..."

Read the rest of the post "Red, White, and Blue Potato Salad" on Home Ec 101.

P.S.  Stuff about life after the jump.

two hundred and seventy-one

Though I prefer homemade foods and meals, there are a couple of tasty things that come in packets--like butter curry mix.  I mix the paste with melted butter, coat the chicken in it, and cook until the chicken is cooked, then I top the whole thing off by adding water and making a pot of basmati rice.  Complex?  Hardly.  Delicious?  Yes.  As a housewife, however, I can't make a meal-in-a-box without feeling like a bum.  In most cases I would make bread or dessert, but for years naan was one of those breads that was easier and tastier to buy.  Finally, after much experimentation I realized I had tweaked my recipe and techniques enough to produce something pretty darn close to the naan I get from the local Indian restaurants without a tandoor.

P.S.  The unrisen dough can be frozen for up to a month.  The morning of the day you plan to bake the naan, place the frozen dough in a greased bowl at room temperature.  By dinner time, it will be risen and you'll be ready to start at step 4.

two hundred and thirty-seven

Growing up, I didn't eat fast food very often.  My car-having friends, on the other hand, would usually stop and get something to eat on the way home from school.  Since I was in the car I got to be the little bird that stole a chip or two while they weren't looking.  No one minded and it would have been a perfect system had I not developed a taste for some of those greasy eats.  Now that I'm doing the "adult" thing, I can run to McDonalds and get a Big Mac should I feel so inclined--which I do once or twice a year (usually when on a road trip)--but the frustration known as the "regional chain" doesn't always allow for fulfillment of my random cravings for, say, Zaxby's.

Zaxby's is a Southern chicken semi-sit down restaurant (the kind where you order, sit, and then have your food brought to you) that would be unremarkable without one thing: Zax Sauce.  A mix of mayonnaise, ketchup, and a couple of other things, it is capable of making the most boring of chicken strips into an experience.  Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit, but if I am it's not by much.  I can't buy the Zax Sauce in the South and smuggle it home in my luggage since the little containers say to "keep refrigerated" (ahem).  This predicament has left me with only one solution: restaurant recipe rip off!

two hundred and eighteen

"A little over ten years ago today, I enrolled in home economics as a school elective.  To say I was excited would be an understatement, and I showed up for my first day of class eager to learn anything and everything I could about sewing, cooking, cleaning, and—most important to me—baking.  The pace was slow; by the middle of the semester, we had barely made a batch of cookies!  I finally got up the courage to ask the teacher when we’d learn to make, say, a simple loaf of bread.  My courage was rewarded with a “Hah!” worthy of The Simpsons’ Edna Krabapple.  Deflated and embarrassed, I gave up on baking and spent the rest of the course sewing stuffed animals, taking breaks to thread my classmates’ needles..."

 Read the rest of the post 

"Easy Italian Bread" at Home Ec 101.

P.S.  I'm going to be writing Home Ec 101 posts more frequently starting, like, today.  Do my dear Dreams Unreal readers mind if I keep up the trend of posting teasers for my Home Ec 101 posts?  They don't seem inappropriate to me content-wise, but I don't want anyone to feel I'm being annoying and spammy.

two hundred seventeen

I grew up painfully aware of my parents' obsession with mostly organic, totally vegetarian diet (except for me; the doctor prescribed Toddler Michele lamb for anemia.)  Every day, come lunchtime, my tofu became the main topic of conversation and speculation.  "What is it?"  "Is that bread or tree bark?"  "Does your mom know how to cook?"  I can't even count the number of times I heard, "Wanna trade?  'Cause I don't!"  My routine pleas for normal food went ignored for so long that I finally accepted that I was going to be a lunchtime outcast, and that was that.

So, I'm sure you can imagine how shocked I was when a few years after my parents' divorce my brother moved in with my dad, and my mother and I started eating out for dinner near daily.  We ate restaurant food with no abandon, and her concern about grains and non-meat protein flew out the window.  It was during the Time of Restaurant Foods that I learned that I love most everything spicy--as well as anything in the form of nachos.

Fast forward a few years when Mr N and I were visiting for the holidays.  My mother offered to take us out for dinner.  Naturally, we accepted.  She recommended we try Travinia, an Italian place down the street from her house, a suggestion that made my nose crinkle in disgust.  You see, last time I had eaten there, I ordered fettuccine alfredo, which would have been decent had the sauce contained cheese instead of just butter and cream--which would have been acceptable, had they not told me I was wrong and that they would not make me another.

After my mother assured me that the restaurant was under new ownership, we were on our way.  Despite her promise of better food, I still refused to order pasta and opted instead for an appetizer, except... nothing looked very good.  I was about two seconds away from ordering a salad when I saw it.  I knew what I wanted and I knew that, if they didn't screw up the sauce, it would. be. epic.  And oh, how epic it was.

Oh, you mean you want know what it is?  I'll share, but be warned: once you've had it, you'll find yourself with near constant cravings and, possibly probably, a larger waistline.  Alright.  If you're sure, you can find it behind the jump...

two hundred and three

I know that pizza is technically an Italian food, but over the years it has become ubiquitously American.  Whenever there is a gathering of people, complete with their varying food preferences, you can almost bet on the presence of a pizza.  It's simple enough for the pickiest of eaters, but can be jazzed up for those who prefer something with a little more texture or variety.  But the best part about pizza is that the "same old" cheese pie can become crave worthy by simply using quality ingredients.

No matter how much people may crave the "gourmet" pizzas, most of us routinely choose the sub-par delivery pizza over the fancypants wood-fired crust with artisanal* ingredients.  Why?  Because it's cheap and easy, and do you have any idea how long it takes to make a pizza???

45 minutes (even less if you buy your dough at the store.)  Seriously.

But what about the variety?  What if everyone wants something different?  Two words: white pizza.  Those who like "plain" invariably enjoy it, while it serves as the perfect base for those of us who prefer our pizzas a little less naked.  A base for what?  Why, a tasty arugula salad, of course--which just so happens to be the exact thing you need to make a plain white pizza into a memorable and almost-healthy meal.

Oh, and to you pickypantseses who aren't satisfied by either of those two options: just throw some pepperoni (or whatever you prefer) on top of half of the white pizza before baking--but don't ask the rest of us to share once you realize pepperoni is no match for arugula.

*Homer Simpson taught me how to spell this word.  No joke.  "artis-anal"

White Pizza with Arugula

 Crust :

2 1/4 tsp yeast

1/4 tsp sugar

3/4 cup warm water

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

Toppings :

1 cup Alfredo sauce

  2 cups Italian or mozzarella cheese

4 cups arugula or spring mix

1/4 cup olive oil

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

freshly ground pepper

Make crust : Mix yeast, sugar and water in a medium bowl; allow to stand until yeast is foamy.  

Stir in flour and salt, then knead on a floured counter until dough forms a smooth ball, about 5 minutes.  Cover the dough with a moist lint-free towel or plastic wrap and allow to rest about 20 minutes (or while the oven is prehreating.)

Roll the dough out into a large circle or rectangle and position on a pizza stone or on an upside down cookie sheet (seriously, it works).  Make sure the crust is thin or it won't be crunchy.

Preheat the oven to 500 F.

Top crust : Spread the Alfredo sauce on top of the prepared and stretched pizza dough.  Top evenly with the cheese.

Bake at 500 F for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is browned and bubbly.  Allow to cool on pan about five minutes, then remove to a wooden cutting board or pizza peel before slicing.

While the pizza is baking, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until well combined (you're making a vinaigrette.)  Toss the arugula with the vinaigrette.

Serve the pizza topped with the salad (and a sprinkling of Parmesan, if desired.)

one hundred and fifty-eight

Tell me, Americans, what comes to mind when you think of biscuits?  Is it the kind from the tube or the box, perhaps?  Or the sausage-egg-and-cheese filled ones from the drive through?  If you're lucky, maybe you're imagining your grandmother's or mother's baking powder biscuits--you know the ones that you can't seem to replicate in your own kitchen--but, as is often the case, most of us aren't so lucky.

For better or for worse, life today is fast paced.  Very few of us want to wake up early in the morning to cut butter into flour, roll out dough, and wait for it to bake (and those of us who do want to wake up early to make biscuits don't necessarily want to do it every single day).  Does that mean we should sacrifice convenience for quality and allow homemade biscuits to go the way of Jell-o molds?  (Hint: the answer is "no".)

By combining the luxury of a food processor or pastry blender and the convenience of ample freezer space, all you have to do is invest 30 minutes of your free time every couple of weeks in order to enjoy the awesomeness of fresh baked biscuits anytime.  The best part of this method?  You have the option of making the whole batch, or just one.  You know, for "quality control."

Honey and Buttermilk Biscuits

 

After vs. before baking.

4 cups all purpose flour

2 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

12 tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) cold butter, cut into tablespoons

1 1/2 cups buttermilk, sour milk, or sour cream

1/4 cup good honey

If using a food processor: 

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in the work bowl.  Cover, then pulse three times to mix.  Remove lid, then add butter.  Replace lid and pulse until the butter is reduced to pea-sized clumps and is well incorporated into the flour mixture.  

Combine the buttermilk and honey in a 2 cup measuring cup and set aside.

Remove the little cup from the lid and replace the lid on the work bowl.  Turn on the food processor and pour the buttermilk and honey into the flour and butter mixture.  Allow to mix until the dough clings to the side of the work bowl.  

Turn out onto floured counter and knead until the dough is smooth, adding more flour as necessary to prevent sticking.

Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into an approximately 8 x 14 inch rectangle; sprinkle the dough with flour, then fold it into thirds.  Roll the dough into another 8 x 14 inch rectangle; sprinkle the dough with flour, then fold it into thirds.  Repeat a third time.

Roll the dough into a half inch thick rectangle, then cut into biscuits using a biscuit cutter, drinking glass, or cookie cutter.  Using the scraps, repeat the rolling and folding process described in the previous step, then cut into biscuits.  Throw away any remaining dough.

Place on a greased baking sheet and freeze for 2-4 hours, or until completely frozen.  Move biscuits to a gallon sized freezer bag for storage.

If using a pastry blender: 

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and give them a quick mix.  Cut in the butter until it forms pea-sized clumps and is well incorporated into the flour mixture.

Combine the buttermilk and honey in a 2 cup measuring cup.

Using a strong wooden spoon, stir the buttermilk and honey into the flour and butter mixture.  Mix until the flour is moistened and the dough is shaggy.

Turn out onto floured counter.

Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into an approximately 8 x 14 inch rectangle; sprinkle the dough with flour, then fold it into thirds.  Roll the dough into another 8 x 14 inch rectangle; sprinkle the dough with flour, then fold it into thirds.  Repeat a third time.

Roll the dough into a half inch thick rectangle, then cut into biscuits using a biscuit cutter, drinking glass, or cookie cutter.  Using the scraps, repeat the rolling and folding process described in the previous step, then cut into biscuits.  Throw away any remaining dough.

Place on a greased baking sheet and freeze for 2-4 hours, or until completely frozen.  Move biscuits to a gallon sized freezer bag for storage.

To bake:

Place the desired number of biscuits two inches apart on a greased or lined baking sheet.  Place the baking sheet in a cold oven (the biscuits will defrost as the oven preheats), then turn the oven on to 375*.  

Once the oven has preheated (or after 10 minutes), bake the biscuits an additional 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Makes 16 3-inch (AKA huge) biscuits.

one hundred and fifty

In case you haven't heard, December is halfway over.  That means I'm in the clear to ask one of my favorite questions: what is your favorite part of the holiday season?  I'm going to take a shot in the dark here and assume your answer was neither "I love listening to Aunt Gertrude's traditional rehashing of the time she passed those kidney stones!" nor "Golly, I've been counting down the days 'til Mom and Dad crack open the eggnog.  I'm still wound up from last year's humdinger of a nog flog!"

Sure, the holidays may include familial togetherness and love and peace and all of that jazz, but the truth of the matter is that those gaieties are merely distractions from the main attraction: the food.  These winter holidays are one of the few times a year we, as a society, have collectively agreed to let loose and eat whatever we can get our hands on, our skinny jeans be damned. We devour cookies and turkey legs, guzzle gallons of gravy, and eat dressing like it's going out of style, because you can only get those foods during the holidays, don'tcha know?

But why?  Why may I only eat cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving?  Why do birds only come stuffed in the last two months of the year?  Yeah, I don't know either.  My New Year's resolution this year is a simple one: to make holiday food into everyday food.  Since I'm the organized sort, I'm getting a head start on my resolution by sharing an awesomely easy, superbly delicious way to enjoy chicken (or turkey) and dressing anytime... sans family brawls.

one hundred and forty-seven

I was born in Cocoa Beach, Florida, the land of rockets, drunks, and awesome Cuban food.  Every weekend after church with my grandparents, I went to breakfast at a restaurant called Roberto's.  As a young child, I ordered grits or pancakes or something equally mundane and hard to mess up.  When I got a little older, I started going to church at 11 instead of 8.  On top of giving me an extra two hours of sleep, the later service afforded me the opportunity to learn that Roberto's had a life beyond breakfast food.

Since I was not very knowledgeable about Cuban food, I would often pick something that sounded interesting and hope for the best.  More than a few times, this led to disappointment when I was presented with bits of the animal that are best used for pet food--and rice and beans, of course.  Once I was presented with a Cuban sandwich, however, my roulette style of ordering was quickly abandoned.  After a couple of months, I stopped having to order.  Life was good.

Suddenly, I found myself uprooted to South Carolina where there was no Cuban food to be found.  Disappointed, I willed myself to forget about the ambrosia of sandwiches--and I did.  A few years later, out of the blue, my mother came home from work with a Cuban sandwich, which I eyed suspiciously.  "Where did you get this?" I asked.  "Publix.  Wanna split it?"  She heated it up in the oven and I sullenly ate half of my half of the not-very-good sandwich.  When I was finished, I put the leftovers in the fridge to eat later.

Later came and went, and I was starving.  I padded to the kitchen and pulled out the cold sandwich and began to eat.  And that's the story of how I discovered my favorite sandwich: the cold Cuban.

I live in New Jersey now, the land of no Publix supermarkets and not very delicious Cuban restaurants, so I don't get my favorite sandwich very often.  Every now and then, however, cravings take over and lead to me buying a pork loin and making one at home, but my dislike of touching pork limited these cravings.  That is, until I discovered that I can make the pork in a slow cooker.  Now I'm passing the curse of that knowledge on to you!  Enjoy!

one hundred and thirty-one point five

Orange-Cranberry Sauce

Even people who swear they don't like cranberries love this sauce!  It's delicious as a side dish for turkey or as a dessert topping for, say, no-bake cheesecake.  It can be made several days ahead, and the flavor only gets better as it sits.  Can be served hot or cold, which makes it the perfect alternative to the canned stuff. 

2-12 oz. packages fresh cranberries, mushy berries and/or stems discarded

1 tbsp orange zest, finely grated

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

2/3 cup water

1/3 cup honey (I used cranberry blossom)

1 cinnamon stick, whole

a few grates of nutmeg, to taste

up to 1/4 cup of white sugar, to taste

In a medium pot over medium-low heat, combine the cranberries, orange zest, orange juice, water, honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes or until the berries have popped and the sauce has started to set.  

Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit, then check sweetness.  Fish out the cinnamon stick.  

Stir in up to 1/4 cup of the white sugar little by little until the sauce is sweetened to your liking.

Store in refrigerator until ready to use.  Reheat slightly covered in the microwave for about 2 minutes or on the stove top on low for about 10 minutes.

one hundred and thirty

Thanksgiving is four days away...  Are you ready?  I've shopped for the food, bought some new containers for leftovers, replaced my aging baking pans, finalized the menu changes, and, as of noon today, started my cooking by roasting some turkey necks for stock.  Since there are only two of us--and since I have years more Thanksgiving experience than most twenty-somethings--I am fairly confident that I have everything under control.  Cue unforeseeable holiday-ruining occurrence. Despite my cockiness, I still have a ton of work to do in order to pull off the feast which I'll break down by day, just in case anyone's in need of some inspiration (or a reminder or two).

Monday : triple check grocery list and cabinet contents; wash aprons, kitchen rags, napkins, etc.; roast turkey necks for stock; prepare turkey stock; share recipe for dressing.

Tuesday : make cranberry sauce; roast garlic for mashed potatoes; clean out refrigerator; clean oven; wash roasting pans and/or dust-covered special Thanksgiving serving dish; slice French bread for crostini, then freeze.

Wednesday : make dough for rolls, then shape in muffin tin, complete final rise overnight in the refrigerator; prepare dressing; make brine (double batch for a whole turkey), then brine turkey overnight; make cheesecake; make dip for appetizers.

Thursday : slice veggies for appetizers; bake mini-quiches and frozen crostini for appetizers; roast turkey, then make gravy; make mashed potatoes; make green beans; bake dressing and rolls; nom.

Andouille and Sage Dressing

This recipe is based on one that my mother discovered in Bon Appetit in the '90s.  It can be made with any sort of boxed stuffing mix (or with your own bread, dried, crumbled and seasoned--but who wants to do that kind of work?) but cornbread is the default.  Disclosure: I'm using the "chicken" flavored Stove Top that I got in bulk at a wholesale club.  No matter what, make sure that you use good, homemade stock rather than store bought.  Also, use the given amount of broth as an idea, rather than a rule; nothing's worse than dry dressing... except for soggy dressing.

4 tbsp butter

16 oz. Andouille sausage, sliced into coins

16 oz. pork and sage bulk sausage

2 cups onions, diced

2 cups celery, diced

1 tsp thyme, crumbled

14 - 16 oz. stuffing mix

1 1/2 - 2 cups turkey stock

In a large pan over medium-high heat cook the bulk sausage about 5 minutes, or until browned; drain and remove to paper towel-lined plate.  Add the sliced Andouille to the same pot, cooking an additional 5 minutes, or until browned on both sides; remove to paper-towel lined plate.  

Add butter to the pot.  Once butter has melted, add onions, celery, and thyme; cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  

In a very large bowl, use your hands to thoroughly mix both of the sausages, the softened onions and celery, and the boxed stuffing.  Add one cup of the turkey stock and stir.  Little by little, add the rest of the stock until the dressing is moistened.  Refrigerate until an hour and a half before you're ready to bake and serve.

Preheat the oven to 350.  Spoon the dressing into a large buttered glass or ceramic baking dish.  Cover with a buttered piece of foil, then bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil, stir the dressing, then return to the oven to bake uncovered for an additional 30 minutes or until browned.

one hundred and twenty-five

Dear Internet,

I couldn't think of a blog post today because PSE&G keeps messing with my head with its random outages.  Since I'm not a total bum, I figured a recipe might be a good compromise.  Just for good measure, I'll even make it seasonal and Thanksgiving-y.  So, here's my recipe for beer brined bone-in turkey breast, complete with a punny title.

Love,
Michele

Baysted Bone-In Turkey Breast with Pan Gravy

Start with:

6-8 lb. bone-in turkey breast, thawed if frozen

Brine overnight in:

1/4 cup kosher salt

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1-12 oz. bottle ale (I used Magic Hat HIPA)

water to cover

When you're ready to roast, remove the turkey from the brine and rinse thoroughly inside and out.  Pat dry.

Place the turkey breast side down on a large cutting board.  Using kitchen shears, cut along either side of the spine (your shears will cut through the ribs) until you encounter resistance.  Place one palm flat on the very top of the spine.  Using your free hand, grab the wing (or what's left of it, if your breast came wingless) and bend it towards the spine.  You know, like you're trying to break its shoulder, because that's precisely what you're attempting to do. 

Repeat the process on the other shoulder, then use your shears to finish removing the spine by cutting through the space between the shoulder and arm.  Don't throw away the spine or any scraps (except for the white tube-looking spinal cord because yuck).

Allow the turkey to rest at room temperature while you make...

Lazy Turkey Stock:

32 oz. homemade or store bought chicken stock

scraps from turkey

Combine stock and scraps in a medium pot.  Simmer covered over medium heat for 45 minutes, or until it smells sufficiently turkey-y.  

Meanwhile, start on...

Bay Butter:

8 Turkish bay leaves

12 tbsp salted butter

In a small saucepan, melt the butter.  Stir in the bay leaves, then infuse over low heat for about 30 minutes, or until fragrant.  Fish out the bay leaves and set them aside.

While the butter is infusing, gather...

The Rest of the Stuff:

1 onion, cut into eighths

2 ribs celery, cut into thirds

2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp paprika

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375.

Once the butter and broth are done, place the turkey breast-up on a roasting pan.  Slide your hand under the skin to disconnect it from the meat.  Slightly lift the breast off of the pan and slide the onion, celery, and bay leaves (from the Bay Butter) into the hollow space under the rib cage.  Gently rest the turkey on top of the veggies, making sure nothing's poking out.

Coat the turkey with the bay butter, then sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and paprika.  Place the turkey in the preheated oven and roast at 375 for 30 minutes.

Carefully pour two cups of the broth into the bottom of the roasting pan.  Baste the turkey with the juices and broth from the bottom of the pan.  Reduce the heat to 325 and roast an additional 1 1/2 hours, basting again at the one hour mark, and one last time at the one hour-thirty minute mark.  If the pan begins to dry out or the drippings begin to burn, add extra broth one cup at a time.

Remove from the oven once the temperature in the thickest part of the breast measures 165.  Allow to rest on the counter 20 minutes before carving.  Meanwhile, remove the veggies and bay leaves from the roasting pan and start on...

Pan Gravy:

pan drippings from roasted turkey (above)

2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp butter

1 cup turkey broth

chicken stock, as needed

salt and pepper, to taste

In a small pot, melt the butter.  Whisk in the flour to create a roux, cooking for about one minute or until it smells nutty.

Whisk in the pan drippings and turkey broth, adding chicken stock 1/4 cup at a time until the gravy reaches your desired consistency.  Check seasoning, then...

Eat:

one hundred and eighteen

Some friends are chatting together, reminiscing of their great-great grandmothers' matzo ball soup they all had during the holidays when they were growing up.  Each remembered their family's soup as perfect and unable to be topped, which in turn offended the person sitting to their left (who am I kidding?  The person to their right got offended, too).  After much arguing and disagreement, the friends decide to have a matzo ball-off, each preparing their grandmother's recipe for the group to judge. 

Each eager to prove himself right, the friends headed to their respective homes and phoned their respective grandmothers.  When they were through being berated for not calling often enough, each asked for the family recipe for matzo balls.  All over the country, Bubbies hemmed and hawed, then made hasty breaks from the phone. 

The friends blamed their Bubbies' odd behavior on the affects of forgetfulness and age, and then called their mothers.  When they were through being berated for not calling often enough, each asked again for the super secret, super special family recipe--only to be left even more confused when their mothers responded with uproarious laughter.  The friends waited for their mothers to collect themselves (assuming there was an oft told story attached to the recipe, as tends to be the case), pens poised over notebooks.  Finally the collective mothers finally pulled themselves together long enough to say, "Manischewitz".

Bubby's Secret Matzo Ball Soup

1 whole chicken, ~5 pounds

1 large onion, quartered and peeled

4 carrots, quartered and peeled

4 ribs of celery, quartered, leaves reserved

4 cloves garlic, smashed

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp salt

pepper, to taste

water

1/2 cup celery leaves, chopped

Remove the giblets from the chicken, rinsing out the cavity after.  Place the rinsed chicken in a large stock pot, along with the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.  Add enough water to cover the chicken.  

Over medium-high heat, bring the pot to a boil.  Cover the pot, then reduce the heat to low and simmer about 3 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and falling apart.  

Carefully remove the chicken from the pot to a carving board or rimmed baking sheet.

Strain the broth through cheesecloth into a large bowl, then discard the vegetables.  Rinse out the pot you cooked the chicken in, then pour the strained broth back into the pot.  Taste the broth and add more salt and pepper as desired.

Using your hands or two forks, pick the chicken off of the bones and put it into the broth.  Cover and simmer over low heat an additional hour.

Follow the package directions to mix the matzo balls (make both packages that come in the box).  Once they have been chilled and then formed into balls, remove the lid from the pot and increase the heat to medium-high to bring the broth to a boil.  Stir in the chopped celery leaves.

Drop the matzo balls into the broth and then cover with the lid.  Reduce the heat back to low and simmer until the matzo balls are puffy and floating, about 20 minutes.

Enjoy!  And don't tell anyone my family's secret recipe, that is, unless you're prepared to find out that it's your Bubby's secret, too. ;-)

one hundred and sixteen

Monday's here, and you know what that means: the N family survived Kittenpocalypse, Shrubbery included.  The weekend was full of lots of cuddles (not all of them well received by the kittens), tons of yummy foods, and hours of playing on the floor.  Oh, and oodles photo opportunities, of course!

I so wanted to be on the ball and go back to normal kitten-free posting today, but for some odd reason, I'm up to my neck in chores that went neglected over the weekend.  I've decided that I'm going to cut myself some slack today and allow myself to the easy way out with this blog post.  You know what that means, right?

KITTEN!!! PICTURES!!!

(And for those of you who want something a little more substantial: scroll down for my "made it up as I went along" recipe for chili.  This is the Internet, though, so cute kitten pictures get top billing.  Sorry!)

Kitten high five!  (Forgive the unmade bed.)

This = our whole weekend.

Snuggling with D'ohnut.

Shrub and D'ohnut finally sharing the couch!

one hundred and eleven

Over the weekend my husband and I got some awesome news: soon there will be not one, but two new members of the N family!  Two more mouths to feed, twice the messes to clean up, and twice the fun.  Though we're excited, we are not entirely without concern; how Shrubbery J. Cat will react to them encroaching on his lap space?  Will he get as much attention as he currently does? Is it going to bother him when they decide that his toys are their toys?

Oh, I'm sorry, did you think I was talking about baby people?  Meet Bagel (left) and D'ohnut (right), five month old kittens and soon-to-be adoptive brothers of Shrubbery J. Cat.  We got to hang out with them (and their highly allergic caretaker) last night, and it looks like humans are about to be outnumbered by cats in the N house.  Their caretaker is coming by on Wednesday evening to help them settle into their new home--and to eat dinner, naturally--and then everything will be official.  Woohoo!

Yesterday morning, I knew that I had to find something to say "thank you" to our new friend for taking such good care of Bagel and D'ohnut for us despite her horrible allergies.  Since I'm lazy/a fan of multitasking (and because I'm an OMG-so-busy expectant kitty mommy now!!!!!!!) I figured that I'd use those cookies for a blog post today.  They even have cinnamon and nutmeg in them, so they're seasonally appropriate and everything!  I've said it once and I'll say it again: two birds, one stone.  I wonder if Amazon has a bulk deal on bird killin' stones?  I'm going to need them.

one hundred

I'm still sick, but I can't really call this post "ninety-nine point eight"*, so hooray for my "one hundredth" post! Fortunately, I seem to be getting better, despite the disturbing level of pressure that seems to be trying to make my eyeball explode out of its socket and my teeth out of their little spots in my gums (Do those have names?  Tooth holes?).  I was able to run an errand today, do a couple of loads of laundry, and make some matzo ball soup as a compromise for my antibiotic conundrum.  I think I'll be good to go grocery shopping tomorrow and, after I finish this exhausting paragraph, I may have just enough energy to share my most favorite bread recipe in the world: ciabatta.

*Well, I could, but I'd feel really lazy.

ninety-four

I spent hours at the social security office this morning, but finally have my application all finished and whatnot.  I've been told I'll find out their decision in 3-6 months, but I'm expecting to hear that I'm super-mega-healthy and that I am capable of going out and getting a job at Wendy's.  Fortunately, it's not like we're financially dying over here, so wait I can.

To start the week off on a tasty note, I'm going to share the awesome sides that I prepared with dinner last night.  Because I'm a slacker (and because I was literally five minutes away from literally dying of hunger*), I neglected to take pictures, but I will make them again this upcoming weekend just to share the photos with you, my adoring readers.  Now that I think about it... sides aren't very photogenic, so I'm probably doing you a favor by sharing the recipes sans image.  Happy to help!

P.S. Updated the Simpsons post with yet more proof.

*srsly.  My last snack was two whole hours prior!

eighty-nine

The weekend has come and gone--again.  Why does that always happen!? 

Every now and then I come across a recipe that's okay, but not really brag-worthy.  When that happens, I'll usually just toss the recipe, but every now and then one of those "meh" recipes just calls out to me and I can't get it out of my head.  Inevitably, I find myself in the kitchen digging through the cabinets and the fridge, wondering what I can do to coax the meal to taste at least a little better than just "okay".

Real Simple's rosemary-garlic chicken is, unfortunately, a meh-cipe.  It has good (figurative) bones and it's easy and inexpensive, so I've found myself making it for several years now, despite the nagging feeling of mild dissatisfaction.  Sure, I've made a few adjustments to the amount of garlic, liquid, and butter, but nothing I did seemed to make this a crave worthy meal.

Long story short, Chicken Francese was on the menu at our wedding--despite the fact that neither Mr. N nor I had ever tried it.  With my first bite, my mouth was hit with the realization that the answer to my chicken problem had been in my cupboard all along and was just plain ol' white flour.  The first time I cooked rosemary-garlic chicken as a married woman, it was a surprising success and I knew that I had to share it with someone.  At the time, I wasn't even sure if my blog was going to last more than a month, so I put off noting the measurements and taking pictures until, uh, yesterday.  Just for you, Internetz, I made it a point to remember, so now I can finally share the changes I've made to the original recipe.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

P.S.  Big public congratulations to Mr. N for his recently published article!  You rock!  (Since we're married, I think that means I get 50% of the accolades; I'll be nice and let him have them all... this time. <3)

eighty-five

 Have you ever noticed that some people are just lucky at life?  In high school, my husband and I knew a kid that won every luck of the draw contest that he entered, especially those random phone-in radio contests that would give away tickets to shows and concerts.  He would be barred from entering contests for a period of time, only to seemingly win yet another one the very day he was allowed to participate again.  If that wasn't frustrating enough, his other family members had similar luck!

It's probably needless to say after that incredulous rant, but I am not one of those winny (new word!) people; that's one of the reasons I don't gamble or enter any contest that costs me anything more than 30 seconds of my time.  Well, imagine my surprise when I checked Google Reader this morning and found that I had won a giveaway from one of my long-time favorite blogs, Home Ec 101!  It certainly brightened up my rainy, weekend's-finally-over morning.  Thanks to Heather@Home Ec 101 for providing the web with years of near-encyclopaedic knowledge that I can always refer to when I don't know the best way to get something cooked or cleaned!

While on our quest to save money (especially on food in a disturbingly delicious part of the country), we have done a lot of our eating out at the Momofuku family of restaurants.  How is this decidedly not inexpensive food even close to a frugal option?  Because we have gift cards leftover from our wedding, of course. ;-)  That means we've eaten for "free" every time we've been since April!  Unfortunately, the cards' values are starting to dwindle, meaning I'm faced with a sad choice, indeed: pay real money for Momofuku or learn to make my own homemade version of Noodle Bar's pork buns (sans pork belly, because I have this thing about textures--especially fat that isn't crispy).  Since six billion pounds of slow roasted pork shoulder were staring me down when I opened the refrigerator yesterday afternoon, my answer was obvious...

eighty-two

Did you know that you can't buy Gordo's Cheese Dip anywhere in New Jersey or New York?  I found this out after much Googling (and possibly some praying/begging a higher being to give me what I want, darn it).  So, I figured I'd make my own with Queso Quesadilla, "Authentic Mexican cheese for melting"--or so the wrapper claimed.  I spent something like a half an hour working on the queso fundido, but only 20 minutes making the chicken filled fried tortillas (including the few minutes I spent nursing a giant oil burn on my hand).

I finally got everything plated... And then I forgot to stir the cheese one last time before topping the tortillas with it, so Mr. N got all of the creamy awesomeness and I ended up with something resembling cottage cheese.  (Should I go insane and decide try it again, I'll probably strain out the cheese solids or try to find some Asadero or something...)  Needless to say, I didn't take a picture.  I did promise to share the recipe, though, so I will with a word of warning: don't try to make your own queso fundido using this recipe.

Now that I've successfully made Pollo Fundido sound 100% horrible, here's the recipe!