Oven Cooking Bags

I love oven cooking bags just as much as the crockpot liners! I always lose the cooking guide.  If you've not tried them you should.  This is the way I have done turkey for the last 25+
years!!

http://www.reynoldskitchens.com/tips/oven-bag-cooking-guide/

ReaLemon/ReaLime Equivalents

How much ReaLemon/ReaLime juice is equal to 1 medium fruit?

1/4 cup ReaLemon = 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (do not dilute)

1/4 cup ReaLime = 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (do not dilute)

3 tablespoons ReaLemon = the juice of 1 medium lemon (do not dilute)

2-3 tablespoons ReaLime = the juice of 1 medium lime (do not dilute)

Again - this is one of those equivalents you can't find when you need it!

Bacon Bit Equivalents

I can never remember what website this is on - so I decided to post here!

These are the measurements for Hormel Bacon Bits.  I imagine they would be the same for each brand

1 Tablespoon = 1 1/2 strips of bacon

1 3-oz jar = 1 1/2 LBS of bacon

7 grams = 1 Tablespoon

3/4 cup = NOT PACKED = equal approx 1 pound of bacon

I've been using the Aldi brand bacon bits lately and they measure out to 1 cup.  Who doesn't love a little extra bacon!

Merry Christmas

We will be taking some time off to enjoy the holidays with family and friends.

Have a happy and safe holiday, we'll be back in 2012!!

Kelly

Gifts from the Kitchen

If you are like us when the kids were in school - there were teachers, office staff, school nurse, and others that you wanted to recognize for taking care of them day in and day out. And don’t forget everyone else on your list, mailman, neighbors etc. Of course you can’t buy something for everyone, so gift mixes or pre-made treats are perfect. I was just thinking of this when Tiffany posted these great snack mixes.

http://eatathomecooks.com/2011/11/the-no-bake-no-cook-no-time-gift-solution-4-snack-mix-recipes-in-a-jar.html


I’ll post some mixes I’ve used over the years. I’ll apologize in advance that I can’t give credit to the original owner, some were passed down, some were from friends and some I just don’t know.

Here’s to a Happy Holiday!

Kelly

Is Christmas really 7 weeks away?

How I Spent My Weekend

I have the BEST Aunt ever!! Yes, she reads this :) ! Last week was my birthday, and she took us and Alma to Austin to the Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School for a "Master Chef" class, “Holiday Food 101.”

We started this “food related weekend” with dinner in Austin at Jasper’s, Chef Kent Rathburn’s (Chef Rathburn beat Bobby Flay in an Iron Chef challenge) restaurant. The staff, service and food were exceptional.

After breakfast Saturday we headed over to Cordon Bleu. What a place. We were greeted by Chef Paul and his Sous-Chef’s (students of the school) of the day. We were given our aprons and told to pick a table. There were four tables of “new students.”  Halfway through preparation of the recipe we were given, you switched tables and had to finish something you hadn’t started.  WHAT A BLAST! We were able to cook a whole meal with the chef and his students. We are still trying to remember all of the techniques that he shared. I recommend that if you have an opportunity to attend a class, it will be exciting and memorable. We were even able to take in the Open House class, “Cupcakes.” We left with another great recipe and a few tips to make great cupcakes.

After a quick trip to the restaurant supply store that was all the talk (we were restrained from a long shopping experience as they were only open for 5 more minutes when we arrived). :(  We headed to San Antonio for MORE food. Saturday evening we walked along the Riverwalk and ate the famous Mi Tierra’s Café of San Antonio. This café has been in business since 1941 and is open 24 hours a day! Again we had excellent service and food.

Sunday morning came and it was time to leave – the weekend was coming to a close. All I can say is it was a great weekend! One I will always remember. There aren’t words to really say Thank You! You are truly the BEST Aunt (and my favorite) and Friend (Alma) a girl could have! Love to you both! XOXO

We were Test Cooks!!

We can finally say we were test cooks last month for Tricia at http://onceamonthmom.com/   It was exciting to preview the menu!  The homemade chicken nuggets, buffalo chicken rolls and pizza sticks didn't last long, plus the girls at work are dying for the recipes - now I can share.   If the heat wave here (maybe 106 today) in Dallas ever goes away, maybe we'll grill again - it's just too hot to cook or eat!!!
I have already been able to "gift" a meal for a family that needed a little TLC.  I really loved having something to give when the call came - but it was really hard to choose, as all of what we made we wanted to keep.
If you don't follow Tricia, you should.  Her recipes and menus are easy to follow.  Hers is the first blog I open on the first of the month.  Thanks Tricia for all the great recipes!

Eat at Home Giveaway!

Visit Eat at Home for Tiffany's new e-book, Feast in 15, Speed Cooking Weeknight Dinners.

 

Looking through the Table of Contents just makes me hungry! With it being an e-book you can start cooking right away, or enter her giveaway and try to win one.

Kelly

We are still here!

No we haven't fallen off the face of the earth! Life has just gotten the best of us.

Since we have last posted Pam has moved .3 miles to me (such as in the same neighborhood - 8ish houses away, in the house across the street would have been better – but I’m happy she is so close!).

We both enjoyed having our college boys and their friends over the holidays We really need to cook now, because what they didn't eat, they took back to school!  (We love our boys!)

We have been collecting new recipes to try and since the Dallas area is expecting a sleet/snow storm tomorrow we decided to cook a couple of soups last night after work (yes we are crazy).  In about 2 hours last night we made 4 recipes!  That was chopping, cooking, soup break and clean up!

We “really” have cook in February, as “Mother Hubbard’s Freezer is bare”.

Stay warm!

Dinner Report

Ok, tonight we had the Chicken Ranchero Casserole.  It gets a little spicy after being frozen, not a lot, just a little.  Matthew topped it with ranch dressing and loved it more.

Since I last posted a dinner update we've enjoyed the Sesame Ginger Chicken, Fajita Burgers and Taco Mac and Cheese, Cafe Rio Chicken. 

All get thumbs up to make again (Sesame Ginger Chicken is a every time thing).

Later,

Not all are freezer recipes

Over the next several days I will share family favorites.

Some have been frozen, some haven't -- if you try them and they freeze well let us know.

Great Dinners

Ok, so we've been eating out of the freezer (isn't that the plan?) and having teenagers home makes it nice having something to "pull out".

So far collectively we had buttermilk chicken, asian steak, baked ziti w/queso sauce (this needs more pasta-after baking sauce thins out, and really only feeds 3), Pam's family really liked the Cafe Rio Chicken (next on our list), the Black Bean and Mango Salad is a hit w/all of the teenage boys (with or without chicken), Bruchetta Chicken.

More updates as we dine, until then