Thursday, December 16, 2010

Christmas Cookies - Danger Zone

At a request from my fiancee we made cookies this past weekend. Not just a few, a ton of Christmas Cookies.  One of the things that made it easier was using the same dough to make different cookies!  I love the Nestle Toll-House Chocolate Chip cookie reciepe you can find on the back of the chocolate chip bag. This is one of the simplest (and yummiest IMO) to make. Here's the hook, make one large batch of the dough, then seperate it and add different chips to it!  We made chocolate chip, peanut butter chip, and butterscotch chip out of one dough!  Another cookie is the peanut butter thumbprint cookie. While the recipe said to dip the ball of dough in granulated sugar before baking, we dipped some in red sugar and some in green sugar.  Then as soon as they came out of the oven some of them got Hershey kisses while others got mini peanut butter cups! Five types of cookies done with only two batters!  One of Fred's favorites from his side of the family are these cream cheese log cookies. So We made those.  Then I used the same dough to encase balls of almond paste and made cookies that look like snowballs! One more classic we made were butter spritz cookies in the shape of wreaths, trees, snowmen, and stars. After all the cookies were cooled and in Tupperware for safe keeping we were eying them up to eat.  I knew the cookies wouldn't last long if there were so many sitting around, so the next day Fred and I packaged a lot of them up and went delivering them to family members out here on the Island. Now that there aren't that many cookies left, we've been rationing them so that we'll have enough to last us through Christmas! Happy Baking this holiday season!
~ The CookerLady

Monday, June 7, 2010

Chobani! What is it?

I used to like yogurt. a lot.  Fruit on the bottom was one of my favorites.  Over time I have found yogurt has gotten a lot more watery and thin than I would like.  I have found the solution!  Super healthy Greek yogurt loaded  with protein and probioticsChobani yogurt has become a definite favorite of mine.  It is super rich and creamy and feels a lot more substantial than danon or yoplait etc.  They make a few different flavors with fruit on the bottom, as well as plain and vanilla.  A Lot of their varieties are even 0% fat!  I have even used the plain yogurt to replace sour cream in things like fajitas etc.  I am dying to make a dip out of it too!  I will definitely post that one if it comes out yummy!  Talk to you soon  ~ The Cooker Lady

Friday, May 28, 2010

The Meatball Shop!?!?!

This morning on my way into work I heard a radio DJ say he went to the Meatball Shop last night in NYC.  THE MEATBALL SHOP!!!!  I'm a sucker for meatballs when they are really good, not those Subway types that are all chewy and are nowhere near soft and flavorful.  So I've done some research and have decided that this is where I am going to take my boyfriend after we go to a Mets game for his birthday!  They have few different meat choices  (like beef, pork or chicken), then they have different sauce choices as well as side dish choices.  Everything is A La Carte, leaving the meal to be totally customized for you!  I can't wait to get there and breathe in garlic! As I'm sure will be wafting all over that place!  I actually contacted one of the owners to show him a picture of the spaghetti and meatballs cupcake I have made in the past.  He got back to me within an hour saying that it looked awesome and for me to introduce myself when I came in lol!  So when I go to the Meatball shop in the end of June I will certainitly post a little review of what I tasted!  ~ The Cooker Lady

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Burger Bundles

A lot of the time I base what I make off of recipes I have learned from my mom.  One of them being burger bundles!  These are very simple to make and delicious for a cool night when you want a nice filling hot meal.  I made some stuffing (I have to admit, it was from a bag!!!) and then took ground beef and made it into a ball, flattened it, put a ball of stuffing on it, then put another flattened patty of ground beef on top and sealed the sides.  At this point it looks like something between a flattened baseball and a flattened softball depending how much ground beef and stuffing you use.  The most important thing here is to seal the edges of the two patties of beef for ultimate steaming of the stuffing, and it is a really cool surprise when you cut it open to find stuffing inside!  So take these monster meatballs and place them in a baking dish (I use a deep pyrex or even a cake pan).  Bake them in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes.  Then take a can of cream of mushroom soup, mix it with a half cup of milk, then pour the mixture over the burger bundles, stir in some of the juices in the pan and even any extra stuffing you might have.  I usually make egg noodles to go with these bundles of Yum! 
~ The Cooker Lady ~

Chicken A La What?

Looking for something different to dish up tonight I was perplexed.  Looking through the cabinets and fridge got my gears rotating for ideas.  I thought about the chicken and dumplings that my mom used to make.  Great comfort food!  I was missing one key ingredient, chicken gravy.  So I made a kind of chicken pot pie mixture instead and steam the dumplings on top of the chicken pieces.  If anyone has the old-school Betty Crocker cookbook you can find the dumpling recipe in there.  It is not an Asian style dumpling, no filling involved.  It is a very easy to make light and fluffy doughball/biscuit type dumpling.  I first cooked some carrots, onions, corn, and zucchini in a high-sided saucepan.  Then I added the chicken and let that cook for a little.  Added some milk for a creamy pot-pie effect along with various seasonings and garlic, of course. Once the mixture had been boiling for a few minutes i added the dumpling dough on top.  Being that i love these so much I made a double batch.  In hindsight, probably not the greatest idea!  As the dumplings were cooking with the lid on they became higher than the sides of the pan!  It is ultra important for the lid to be kept on the dumplings for the last half of their cooking time as this is when they steam and puff up.  So I took two wooden spoons and wedged them under the lid so that the lid could stay on without touching the dumplings.  It looked like a heck of a contraption, but it worked!  Phew!
~ The Cooker Lady ~

Sunday, April 18, 2010

OUCH!

While flexing my finger with aches now, I'll tell you what happened.  I was working friday morning and opened up a large can of apple pie filling.  The can-openers always seem to miss spots and I had to yank the lid up to get to the contents of the can.  I was cutting the filling up inside the can and hit my pointer finger knuckle on the newly opened lid.  As I headed to the sink I realized how deep the cut was and started to freak out a little as I saw the flap of my finger open.  It hurt like hell, and nor I or my boss knew if i really needed stitches.  So we cleaned it and bandaged it up to see if it would stop bleeding.  All in all I didn't go get stitches and 3 days later now it still hurts inside but is healing.  I have a very busy week coming up with work, so I hope my finger is fully functional very soon.  (it of course had to happen to my right hand, the one I use the most :( )  Needless to say, cooking has been a challenge being that I am nowhere near ambidextrous!   ~ The Cooker Lady

Friday, April 9, 2010

Sucky Weather... Comfort Food?

Does anyone else feel like this?  When the weather is crappy and rainy and gives you a headache, all I want is comfort food!  Stuff that's not great health-wise, but awesome mental wellness-wise. Meals that mom used to make, or something you just always love to eat.  I find myself wondering what is in my pantry tonight that I can make some sort of comfort food with to get the crappy weather out of mind and sight.  Maybe I'll try a lighter version of chicken parmigiana... I have a couple grilled chicken breasts in the freezer, crushed tomatoes to make the sauce with, pasta and mozzarella cheese..  Sounds good to me! :)  My favorite part of chicken parm is when the mozzarella cheese browns in spots on the chicken. And yes, I like my pizza like that too! Signing off to start my sauce...  ~ The Cooker Lady

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Old Fashioned Swedish Meatballs w/ Rice

         Ironic I should share this meal as my first foodie post.  This is straight from my Irish grandma, yes the one who deemed me the "Good Cooker-Lady".  While I don't remember her specifically making this for me, I remember my mom making it and telling me that grandma made it all the time.  This is one of the simplest meals I've made which is why it's funny that I've been living on my own for about 2 years now and haven't made this dish yet.  The first thing i did was start cooking my rice.  I used to be a true follower of the minute rice...  red box, just add water and nuke it.  Until I had to pay for my own groceries!  Real rice in a bag is way cheaper than any boxed rice!  It is so easy to make, just take 1 part rice to 2 parts water, bring to a boil and then simmer until tender. This usually takes about 20 minutes, hence starting that first.  Back to the meatballs! Layer a non-stick pan with a little bit of olive oil and lots of onion flakes (this is the key to yumminess!) I use ground beef (85%) mixed with an egg, some oats and a little garlic powder.  Roll a bunch of meatballs small-ish in size and brown the crap out of them.  That browning is going to add the best flavor to the sauce.  Once they are nice and brown add 1 can of condensed cream of celery soup (or cream of mushroom if you prefer).  It does not have to be Campbell, as  a matter of fact I used store brand!!! Also add 1/2 the can worth of milk (fat free :) ) or water.  simmer it until the sauce is nice and thick and then put the meatballs over the tender rice!  Done!!!  Phew, I think it took longer to type than to cook it!  It's one of those meals that is great for winter time when you want something hot and hearty. It got a thumbs up from Fred!  Next time I may try it with super lean ground beef, or a blend of ground turkey and ground beef..  There is a can of cream of mushroom lurking in my cabinets waiting for the next time I feel like making that home-style meal :)   ~ The Cooker-Lady

Starting Things Off

            I figure a little background might be helpful to those reading.  I have been a professional baker for about 4 years now.  Attended Johnson & Wales from 2002-2006 and have been making sweet temptations ever since.  I have a knack for cooking as well.  I tend to be able to almost imagine the taste of the ingredients together before creating a meal, giving me an advantage.  My boyfriend, Fred, is a successful member of weight watchers (he has lost 64 lbs so far!) and so my cooking has changed somewhat over the last months to more healthy versions of yummy meals.  I struggled with making turkey meatballs and eating salad all the time until I learned to adjust the foods I was working with instead.  Buying canned foods with no salt added was a huge plus for me as well as figuring out how to use veggies in ways that they wouldn't be left as a "side" being  simply steamed and not really all that great tasting. I stopped drowning everything in butter and switched to using little bits of olive oil.  Started drinking fat free milk (something I vowed never to do!!!) and eating fat free sour cream and reduced-fat cheeses (another one of those things I snubbed at before).  But the results are worth it.. Making cheese-steak with reduced fat cheeses I would have never known the difference.  With the exception that I didn't get the tummy ache after eating.  Anyway thats the "Jerry" as my father would say. Signing off to post about dinner...  ~ The Cooker Lady