life – Page 2 – The Cookbook Experiment

Roasted Cauliflower

Last week was a whirl wind of activities! We learned that our deployed son was coming home! Now, we were already planning for his return, since we had a window when he told us he was coming. However, that window closed and he was still on the other side of the world. So when we got the new date, I didn’t tell a soul for fear that it would change again. It didn’t, and I finally got my hug!

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Then the next day I was totally surprised to have my 2Lt show up at my door!!! It seems that everyone in the family knew he was coming except me. That’s ok, because I just love surprises like that!! He came to surprise his girl who was playing in her first university symphony orchestra concert. He had to tell her though, because she already had plans for the weekend!

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I just love having my family come home, and my heart was almost full! I was totally missing my girl, but I am thankful that she and Sammy should be here for Thanksgiving. I can’t wait to squeeze that little man again!

This recipe was originally created for potatoes, but I used it last week with cauliflower. It turned out great, and the hubby loved it. It could be used as a potato substitute or as a veggie side dish.

1 large head cauliflower

1/4 to 1/2 c. water

1 tsp. garlic powder (or fresh minced garlic)

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. sea salt

1/2 c. dried parsley (I used dried cilantro since I had no parsley)

1/4 c. butter, melted

Cut the cauliflower into small pieces and place in a microwave-safe dish. Add the water and cover. Microwave until mostly tender. Strain the water and gently squeeze the cauliflower to remove any extra water.

Lightly spray the dish and return cauliflower to it. Sprinkle the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and parsley or cilantro over the top of the cauliflower, and gently stir to combine. Pour the butter on top of the mixture.

Place in a 350* oven and bake uncovered until cauliflower is tender and slightly golden, about 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Diving Into A New Experiment

Barbi here! Apparently I have not been as active here as I should be.. at least, that’s what she says. To make up for my deliquency, I have helped create Jan’s newest venture. Go me! 🙂

Crochet has been one of her hobbies for as long as I can remember, but only recently has she been allowing other people the pleasure of seeing her talent. What started as baby shower gifts will hopefully turn into a little recognition for a craft that has been forgotten by many.

Mom’s designs are completely unique. Not a single blanket is ever the exact same. We decided (yes, we, not just me) to base the name – Left2Crochet – on her unique ability to crochet left-handed. Since all crochet patterns are written for right-handed people, this is quite an accomplishment.

Please take a few seconds to check out the shop and leave her some encouraging feedback! As usual, this is just an experiment. We are not dreaming big here, but it never hurts to test the waters, right? So, in we go!

Thanksgiving Desserts!

Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, cranberries. . .the menu items at our Thanksgiving Day dinner remain the same from year to year. Yours probably do as well! We enjoyed Thanksgiving Day this year with Tim’s brother and his family for the first time in 8 years! With four parents, 8 kids ages 12-21, and one girlfriend, we knew we needed plenty of food. . .and plenty of food we had! Two turkeys, two types of cranberries, and two types of dressing, plus lots and lots of other side dishes and desserts made for quite a feast. Here are a few recipes for desserts that we enjoyed this year.

PECAN PIE This is my mom’s recipe with just one tweek. . .chocolate chips!

1 c. light corn syrup

3 eggs

2/3 c. sugar

1/3 c. butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. chopped pecans

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 (9-inch) pie shell

Preheat oven to 350. Combine corn syrup, eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla and salt in large bowl; mix well. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips; pour into pie shell. Place pie on baking sheet. Bake 50-55 minutes or until filling is set about 3 inches from the edge. Cool completely on wire rack. Serve each piece topped with whipped cream.

Apple-Cranberry Crisp

5 large apples, peeled and sliced

2 c. fresh cranberries

1 cup chopped pecans

1/3 c water

3/4 c. flour

1 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1 stick butter, softened

Spray bottom/sides of 13×9 pan. Layer apple slices, cranberries, and pecans in pan. Pour water over all. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in mixing bowl. Cut in the butter until it resembles course crumbs. Spread over fruits and nuts. Bake for about 30 minutes or until crust is browned.

College Quickie: Rice

College tends to deplete a lot of things in life, such as time, food, money, food, sleep, food, brain power, and food. After a long day running between classes, or working to pay for those classes, microwaved leftovers start to sound pretty good. Extra rice always manages to land in our fridge, saved for the inevitable missed-dinner nights, and it happens to be my favorite dish to experiment with. My list of rice variations rivals Forrest Gump’s shrimp list, and since it’s been “one of those weeks” where nothing else gets done, I decided to share…

Rice And:
grilled fish (tilapia or salmon)
frozen peas
mozzarella cheese
teriyaki sauce
soy sauce
sweet and sour sauce
tuna salad (mix tuna with sour cream, dried cranberries, and sunflower seeds)
chicken strips
sour cream
lemon and lime juice
chow mein noodles
fresh tomatoes (grilled or fried)
tomato sauce
marinara sauce
chicken alfredo
orange slices
cashews
on toast
tortilla chips
taco shells
ground beef
stir fry leftovers

…to name a few! Anything I didn’t mention?

Rolled Cold

In case we didn’t mention this earlier, we live in South Carolina. Hot, muggy, humidified, sticky South Carolina. The temp will not fall below 85 until sometime in September, so we have a lot of hotness to look forward to! Living here requires a bit of creativity regarding cold meals and desserts. Any oven-baked dish is just not as appealing when you are already drenched in sweat, but avoiding the oven entirely is pretty much impossible.
“Ice cream” were the first two words off the tip of my tongue when Mom asked if I had thought about this week’s dessert. It’s cold, it’s sweet, and it’s simple. Unfortunately, throwing ice cream in bowls does not make for an interesting recipe. So I dug around a little and found this fantastic idea.

icecreamroll1 — Barbi CANNOT cook without Pandora.

icecreamroll2 — Jan started wondering about the lack of butter or oil.

icecreamroll3 — Warning: not for the weak-wristed!

icecreamroll4 — Make sure the cake is completely cool. We chilled it for 30 mins.

Rolling the cake with the ice cream inside was a fun challenge and the whole thing looked so artistic that I waited a full three seconds before digging in! The guys, of course, had no such inhibitions…

icecreamroll5 — Squished out some at the overlap, but pretty sure no one noticed!

Experimental Trials (or, Life Interferes..Again)

Clearly, the wheels that turn the kitchen have hit a serious speed bump. Despite our best efforts, life continues to rear its ugly head at the most unfortunate times, successfully moving any sort of extracurricular activity to the back burner. We have managed to pop out some truly great recipes, but time escapes us every time we sit down to type! What happened to slow, lazy summers with long empty evenings?? Jan is finishing up Sunday school lessons, participating in 5K races (oh yes. Really.), and preparing for VBS and various other summer activites. Barbi is working 40 hours a week, interning 6+ hours on weekends, and living with a friend for two weeks (not to mention the other social obligations that come with being a 20-something college girl). Simple summers are a thing of the past. But we are by no means giving up! After Barbi returns home and Jan finishes her pre-summer prep, we will return full force to the Cookbook Experiment. To satisfy your curiosity until then, here is a short list of what we’ve been brewing:

Almond-topped Carrots with Raisins

Mushroom Chicken and Dumplings

Apricot Cake Crumble

Beef and Cheese Baked Paninis

Southern BBQ Chicken with Sweet and Sour Sauce

Encouragements, tips, tricks, stories, and other bits of feedback are definitely welcomed! Check back soon for more of our recipes, life drama, pictures, and general culinary catastophes!