Episode 14: PAHDEE PUHTAYTOEZ

this cookin' cutie has had wayyy too much time on her hands. HEROW NEW RECIPEEZ.

and that's right. you heard me...PARTY POTATOES. so easy. so cheezy. so delish. SOOO low cost. and will feed a lot of party-comers!

ingredients:
-1 bag of frozen hashbrowns (30 oz/10 cups)
-1 can of cream-of-whatever soup. i used cream of celery to be vegetarian friendly, but cream of chicken may better satisfy a carnivore's taste buds.
-1/4 cup of milk
-1 onion (diced)
-LOTSA CHEEZ. sharp cheddar and italian blend were used in this recipe. at least 2.5 cups.
-10 oz. of sour cream. i used 'light', just because i didn't want the final product to be a little lighter in texture.
-salt and pepper
-large mixing bowl, stirring/mixing utensil, aluminum foil

recipe:
-preheat oven to 350.

-pull frozen hashbrowns out of the freezer and leave out to thaw a bit. you want them to be still frozen when you begin to combine ingredients, but thawed enough that the shredded taters can separate.

-in a large mixing bowl, combine your diced onion, cheese, and sour cream and stir up.

-toss around your bag of hashbrowns to separate the shreds. pour on top of your mixed ingredients.

-stir up your ingredients some more and then dump in your can of condensed soup. DO NOT ADD WATER TO YOUR SOUP FIRST.

-it should be easier to stir by this point, but pour your milk in anyway.

-season your mixture with salt n pepa.

-spread mix into a 13x9 baking pan or casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil.

-bake at 400 for 45 minutes.

-take foil off, top your dish off with some added cheese spread over the top, and continue to bake until cheese is melted and browning.

party potatoes in action!

ENJOY! OM NOM NOM NOM HAPPY DANKSGIVING! love, jules.

Episode 13: PIE & DOUGH (Perfect-O 4 Thanksgiving)---Pecan&Pumpkin

Go to your grandma's to learn how to make a nice and tasty pie crust, they know. Oh, they know.




Before I came over, she made some cranberry sauce (that is waaay good, btw)
and she put it outside to let it sit and get thicker-FASTER. So there's a tip? for you. and you?

                                                                      hehehehehe!
                                                                        
In spirit of Thanksgiving {yEEEEEEEEeeeeeEEEEEEEEeeeee---(spirit) }  my grandma & me hadda pie makin' date.

FOOLPROOF PIE DOUGH:
2 1/2 c. unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp. table salt
2 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 c. veg. shortening
1/4 c. cold VODKA, yeah
1/4 c. cold water

USE ONE OF THESE for easy pie crust rollin'

1.  Combine 1/2 c. flour salt & sugar

2.  Add butter and shortening and process w/ a pastry blender until homogeneous, uneven clumps
3.  Add remaining cup of flour, evenly distribute with pastry blender

4.  Divide dough into 2 even balls, flatten slightly and refrigerate at least 45 min. and up to 2 whole days!
5.  When ready, take out of fridge and with rolling pin, roll it going from the center to the outside until evenly distributed all around

Roll it out (now roll it out)
6. Fold in 2 halves, place in pie dish and do and patching up and reconstructing you need so it looks like a crust!hay!
7.  REPEAT STEPS 5&6 for PIE #2! Don't Forget!

NOW...while the pie crust is cooling in the fridge, it would be wise to make the PIES


We made Pumpkin Pie (Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie):

ingredients:

2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 can (16 oz.) LIBBY'S Solid Pack Pumpkin
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 1/2 c. (12 fl. oz can) undiluted CARNATION Evaporated Mlik

DIRECTIONS:

Combine ingredients in order given, pour in crust! 15 minutes @ 425 degrees and 40-50 min. at 350 degrees (FARENHEEEEIT)



AND THEN we made Pecan Pie:

ingredients:

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 stick butter
CREAM them
1 c. light corn syrup
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
ADD TO ABOVE, BEAT WELL
3 eggs
ADD ONE AT A TIME, BEAT AFTER EACH!
1 c. pecans
ADD
THEN BAKE!

 IMPORTANT TIP:  Line the pie crust with tin foil so it doesn't burn!

                                                                   &VOILA!

                          
                                               YUM--uuuuuuuh, can't wait for Thanksgiving

Episode 12: Applesauceomeness

TWO POSTS IN ONE WEEKEND! This is nuts.

Okay so I realized I have too many apples from picking them at the orchard over a month ago, so I decided to make applesauce.

I was also inspired by my brother Pat ( HI PAT! ) and his girlfriend Lora ( HI LORA! ), I remember they made a fuckton of applesauce and applebutter last year with their 90-some apples they picked. That's some serious apple fixings!

Recipe from this food blog:  http://sweetpeaskitchen.com/2010/07/28/homemade-applesauce/

Ingredients:

• 4 apples – peeled, cored and chopped (Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji, Jonathan, Mcintosh)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or one 3 inch cinnamon stick)

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients into a large pot. Cover. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until apples are soft.
2. Remove from heat. Mash with potato masher or fork until desired consistency.

----------I didn't peel the apples because I forgot, don't really know how, and because I like the skin so WHATEVER-------------

 my bare hands picked these. from trees. yeah.

one apple

four apples. put in pot. add ingrediants.  easy as pie!

WHICH makes me think that I should make apple pie with the others..mmm 

mash using potato masher or your fave way/utensil to mash. store in fridge. 

there you go, done. don't even need to sprinkle cinnamon sugar on this business.

night, guys

Who wants to buy me a bigger cutting board?COOL

ALSO------I wouldn't waste your time peeling the apples to make this, it really tastes great with the skin!  But if you wanna be a real go getter theeeeeeeeeen
do it.

Episode 11: Pumpkin cupcakes! with homeade frosting! you can do it! hooray!

Hello to all of you foodblog lovers on this fine fine fall day.  It's a cold one..so put on your bakin' shoes and whip up this lil diddy

Who doesn't like cupcakes?  It's like having cake but not because you're having cupcakes.
 

I got the recipe from this kickass cupcake site if anybody's interested: 
http://mingmakescupcakes.yolasite.com/  (this one if Cupcake #15).
I didn't use crystallized ginger because who buys that anyways?
BTW: thankyou Molly for showing me this site. it's soooo great







Also:  a few things I was CONFUSED about.
confectioners sugar=powdered sugar
1/2 lb. of confectioners sugar=2 cups (I don't get why they don't just say that-fools.)

                            Give it up for an amazing Thai restaurant in Chicago--TAC Quick.  This is "Cashew"

hey Dad check out my new apron!!!YES, & thankyou Artifacts.

Okay, cupcakes.

WINE BAKING SHOES SCHOOL!

OKAY  OKAY OKAY, cupcakes.

Set your oven to 350! wassup!

1 can of this makes two batches of these cupcakes! go wild! ALSO: check out the Triscuits.  Product placement.

Throw in some pecans because you're nutty

Fill 'em up.  Also--notice the creamcheese.  Get it out so it's room temp. for the frosting! think ahead! yeah!

OH GOD

While you're letting the cupcakes cool (before you frost them) try doing something constructive! like going to your schools dorm fitness center! and then getting told to leave because you don't live in the dorms! aww yeah.

                                   It's coo because bikes are cooler than fitness centers. WORD.  So are tampons, notice bottem left corner. yay for menstruation!

YO, sis!  It's the big Tits and Bonnie! How bad do you want this?!!?!!?!

Also changed a lightbulb!

OKAY, frosting.

  This was fun because you get to mix it with your hands

Before you whip it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIEVqFB4WUo)

Props to Becca for giving me this legit mixer

ALSO:  put a lil' flour on your hands before you mix with your hands, last time I didn't and it was waaaay too messy.  It's still messy but just not as much! HOORAY

 Now FROST 'EM!

Awwwyeah

Pass 'em out to your friends.  Make them dream of your goods. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtC92pzp5vw)

 ALSO I just realized this post has many shoutouts in them.

HEY MOM thanks for buying me some clothes and lunch today that was real swell of ya