tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69789332141609805902024-03-05T05:16:30.641-05:00Ruffling My FeathersMsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978933214160980590.post-51579638568361109402013-04-07T16:43:00.002-04:002013-04-07T16:45:07.893-04:00A mild revivalI haven't written anything in a long time, although I've still been cooking a lot. I've been on a mission to try to cook something out of every cookbook I own. That's a lot of cookbooks. We're up to like 30 or something insane.<br>
This is what I made from Dorie Greenspan's book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Home-Yours-Dorie-Greenspan/dp/0618443363">Baking: From My Home to Yours</a>. I was supposed to make the Peppermint Cream Puff Ring, and as soon as I saw it I was afraid of it. I make a lot of food. I rarely focus on making the food look good.<br>
But this time... this time it worked out.<br>
<a href="http://i.imgur.com/eyi9Hh.jpg"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/eyi9Hh.jpg" width="350" height="250" /></a><br><br>
Look how pretty it turned out! I should have toasted the almonds, I'll admit. A minor mistake. But it turned out well!<br>
And I had so much extra dough (not to mention extra cream) that I made little.... dough-cream-bars.<br>
<a href="http://i.imgur.com/5yMBXh.jpg"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/5yMBXh.jpg" width="350" height="250" /></a><br><br>
And one cream puff.<br>
<a href="http://i.imgur.com/1qJJth.jpg"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/1qJJth.jpg" width="350" height="250" /></a><br><br>
I know scale doesn't really show here, but that cream puff was actually huge. I ate it all, and it was enormous. It was delicious though.<br>
I've been going through these books for a while now. I've made Shrimp de Jonghe, Smothered Greens, Popovers, Duck Confit Tacos, Skate with Tomato and Olive Sauce... it's been interesting. The skate was a REALLY great adventure, it made me go adventure to a fish market and talk to people who had jobs I didn't know existed in order to get five pounds of fish. I still have a pound of it left, if anyone wants to tell me what else to do with it, I'm all ears.MsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978933214160980590.post-90764172241700106722012-02-23T14:48:00.000-05:002012-02-23T14:48:45.962-05:00Grilled LeekWay back when, when the Mama Bird and I were still getting fresh vegetables from the co-opt every week, we had an influx of leeks. My experience with leeks prior to that was limited entirely to knowing that Farfetch'd carried one in Pokemon. I had never actually seen one before, and I had no idea what they tasted like.<br />
<br />
But suddenly, I absolutely had to eat those leeks. I wanted to make a super healthy dinner and I wanted it to involve leeks and I wanted to feel like I was one of those people who tracks their every meal and knows exactly how many carbs they've eaten over the last week, and I wanted to FEEL HEALTHY.<br />
<br />
(...on that note, I recommend using LiveStrong if you want to track that kind of stuff. I use it all the time.)<br />
<br />
But back to the leeks.<br />
<br />
I found a <a href="http://wholelivingdaily.wholeliving.com/2011/10/meatless-monday-lemony-leeks-with-chickpeas-and-feta.html">recipe</a> through TasteSpotting and told Mama Bird that I was taking care of dinner that night. And to not touch the leeks. She was amused by my dedication and told me to do whatever I wanted.<br />
<br />
This is a super easy recipe. You cut the leeks, cook them with some stock and chickpeas, and then make a lemon-honey-dill dressing and serve it with some feta. Doesn't that sound awesome?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOj9BNQc3BB_kXc7VXCP6ZJHdqvkYf_3Y7HXP4uxodSGFX97EE7K26Qs80V9OQZ8RlG1hRfHqKUv1kEmRzozOMrWymOdfCTxP6Q4pUZxhc-LeRT71kSii-PRSbCVeolcnYdEJgRoQl_0/s1600/DSC00001-762054.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOj9BNQc3BB_kXc7VXCP6ZJHdqvkYf_3Y7HXP4uxodSGFX97EE7K26Qs80V9OQZ8RlG1hRfHqKUv1kEmRzozOMrWymOdfCTxP6Q4pUZxhc-LeRT71kSii-PRSbCVeolcnYdEJgRoQl_0/s320/DSC00001-762054.JPG" /></a><br />
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I have no idea why I was so driven to eat those leeks that day, but it was a solid direction. Mama Bird really liked the flavors, but it's definitely not a dish to serve to a meat lover. It would also work really well as a side, since it doesn't serve many. It also sounds really fancy to announce you're serving leeks and feta with a lemon-honey-dill sauce.<br />
<br />
On a non-healthy note: Happy Birthday, Mama Bird. I hope you enjoyed that cheesecake, cause it definitely wasn't healthy. <3MsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978933214160980590.post-74439734045667318302012-01-28T13:07:00.000-05:002012-01-28T13:07:11.230-05:00After 10 hours of cooking....<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_gVWmaD-Bb0lqhNeOI9z-1fkDCJ72b2AlJ3uG2JHVDanzFiqKhU_39f2SiCFS46LgJ4jd6yLDQfBOzHqWsGmgNSHiDn-b1ki0P3Izl3OH_7pZq3LHBkjgrK0O4ZGFc2ZQ7KyIQe6K_pM/s1600/IMG_8989-742133.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_gVWmaD-Bb0lqhNeOI9z-1fkDCJ72b2AlJ3uG2JHVDanzFiqKhU_39f2SiCFS46LgJ4jd6yLDQfBOzHqWsGmgNSHiDn-b1ki0P3Izl3OH_7pZq3LHBkjgrK0O4ZGFc2ZQ7KyIQe6K_pM/s320/IMG_8989-742133.JPG" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUibw-ZXnqNbz7BijJQeCwIzTwKfSaBm831nLe2v2w7d8TGRuGUlg1zKpueGrLp6x7wOJ_mystp4vOsN2qllu-_01i0Fu2e_cT5AeYrZEi7k7351t_Kop_xno8AYS7re8GinWnox7RDS4/s1600/IMG_8987-741459.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUibw-ZXnqNbz7BijJQeCwIzTwKfSaBm831nLe2v2w7d8TGRuGUlg1zKpueGrLp6x7wOJ_mystp4vOsN2qllu-_01i0Fu2e_cT5AeYrZEi7k7351t_Kop_xno8AYS7re8GinWnox7RDS4/s320/IMG_8987-741459.JPG" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieaB2YWp4mH4QCSc-nWrlaDgvXOIZKw7LP5XBcaF32WC7ogmmYx0j4qdOnrHMsOp2gKIbjX7VM7SXqF6XxWdnQbUptMGgfF4QIRyAItFU9ReixqMvdz7QxEz9UExbUZG74cHIyeBHgxOs/s1600/IMG_8992-745086.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieaB2YWp4mH4QCSc-nWrlaDgvXOIZKw7LP5XBcaF32WC7ogmmYx0j4qdOnrHMsOp2gKIbjX7VM7SXqF6XxWdnQbUptMGgfF4QIRyAItFU9ReixqMvdz7QxEz9UExbUZG74cHIyeBHgxOs/s320/IMG_8992-745086.JPG" /></a><br />
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Ridiculously buttery and melt-in-your mouth blackberry muffins....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRHjHRzwlQBl8l8t4LwtZg0DN1MIm4tjr2yqN6v_RNmBmkbbjQik4Y8PpgV02aKf4_Kx4LioM4uE22Abzgbue9DbPXac_WFFCjJ1w5YtQAhYT9DcBXq-8e5RbVhoRRwEujfE9T5R0Aj8/s1600/IMG_8990-742745.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRHjHRzwlQBl8l8t4LwtZg0DN1MIm4tjr2yqN6v_RNmBmkbbjQik4Y8PpgV02aKf4_Kx4LioM4uE22Abzgbue9DbPXac_WFFCjJ1w5YtQAhYT9DcBXq-8e5RbVhoRRwEujfE9T5R0Aj8/s320/IMG_8990-742745.JPG" /></a><br />
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Fresh paneer....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3q-lH-hrWtEmlOCc-NGc0RUSdah0WbO-04acJN-zC_6YrfvxGRWLAwRBweft4NnB2ErVrjEEnURcZF-7ZeFtAHY1FkiCVNheJbvR2UoeEcY9iv-mIwfPNN_BbG6AeKjJ1W2CfPDniGE/s1600/IMG_8993-745627.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3q-lH-hrWtEmlOCc-NGc0RUSdah0WbO-04acJN-zC_6YrfvxGRWLAwRBweft4NnB2ErVrjEEnURcZF-7ZeFtAHY1FkiCVNheJbvR2UoeEcY9iv-mIwfPNN_BbG6AeKjJ1W2CfPDniGE/s320/IMG_8993-745627.JPG" /></a><br />
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A spiced applesauce cake....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEk_lX4WiiaQb55c2azoReBGOY_3d5BxUiqisW-fgCWAE1eGyA4adhNnI1vEssiidDniX6IbDGIoHBzZfFXiJC4brlScd4UfCGOu7Tofiu6V268oTS3a7ZACVWe7Jxj8NFJOuYFyCp160/s1600/IMG_8994-746559.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEk_lX4WiiaQb55c2azoReBGOY_3d5BxUiqisW-fgCWAE1eGyA4adhNnI1vEssiidDniX6IbDGIoHBzZfFXiJC4brlScd4UfCGOu7Tofiu6V268oTS3a7ZACVWe7Jxj8NFJOuYFyCp160/s320/IMG_8994-746559.JPG" /></a><br />
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And a whole mess of peppers, onions, and garlic.<br />
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My friends are coming to visit today. We're going to play League of Legends, board games, and feast until we're too full to move. In the interests of that last goal, I've made them a feast. The menu includes:<br />
<li><a href="http://rufflingmyfeathers.blogspot.com/2011/03/wonton-crackers-and-smoky-hummus.html">Homemade chips</a> and <a href="http://rufflingmyfeathers.blogspot.com/2011/11/smoky-hummus.html">hummus</a><br />
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Indian-Slow-Cooker-Healthy-Authentic/dp/1572841117/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327773839&sr=8-1">Minced lamb and peas</a><br />
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Indian-Slow-Cooker-Healthy-Authentic/dp/1572841117/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327773839&sr=8-1">Palak paneer</a> (although my paneer didn't turn out. So I picked up some peynir instead.)<br />
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Bread-Five-Minutes-Revolutionizes/dp/0312362919/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327773938&sr=8-1">Homemade naan</a><br />
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Home-Yours-Dorie-Greenspan/dp/0618443363/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327773992&sr=1-3">Blackberry muffins</a> (if I'm nice enough to share!)<br />
<li><a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/10/spiced-applesauce-cake/">Spiced applesauce cake with cinnamon frosting</a><br />
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Yeah, I know you wish you were my friend. Birds do like cooking.MsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978933214160980590.post-1631509243790602322012-01-17T22:00:00.000-05:002012-01-17T22:00:25.162-05:00Muffin Round-UpLooking back at all the drafts I've written to be published, it occurs to me that I have far too many muffins.<br />
<br />
Well, that's a lie. Far too many muffins that I haven't shared. Even after the insane amount of baking I did for Christmas, I don't think there's such a thing as too many muffins.<br />
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Instead of writing full entries for each of them, I'm just gonna share a few quick pictures and my thoughts on them. Maybe that'll motivate me to finally get the rest of my old entries up so I can start sharing new stuff again. Like the buffalo chicken calzones I made recently. Oh god, why did I wait so long to make those?<br />
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First up: Coconut Jam Muffins, from <a href="http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-oatmeal-coconut-muffins-s,0,4782270.story">Los Angeles Times</a>. They're definitely dessert muffins, since they're pretty darn sweet. Surprisingly, even my friends who didn't like coconut liked these. I think it's probably because they have oatmeal too, because oatmeal does magic things to muffins.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6jmor3Jya2yPEKrnOUBdbz510EbOLSFkk2XzmCHJQLpdBvq_feedLaEGCrAPEsAMpYnXBcYe2_4LKVcn1somBFiJm8lXyPTS5M6tfxdCU5ysHnpWTuFSmKOJIjXyzP7-flWheIPxvam0/s1600/coconut+muffin+1-761475.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6jmor3Jya2yPEKrnOUBdbz510EbOLSFkk2XzmCHJQLpdBvq_feedLaEGCrAPEsAMpYnXBcYe2_4LKVcn1somBFiJm8lXyPTS5M6tfxdCU5ysHnpWTuFSmKOJIjXyzP7-flWheIPxvam0/s320/coconut+muffin+1-761475.jpg"/></a><br />
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Whole Grain Pumpkin muffins from <a href="http://www.othersideoffifty.com/2009/01/whole-grain-pumpkin-muffins.html">Other Side of Fifty</a>, which I sadly didn't take a picture of. They didn't look too pretty. I also doubled the batch to use all the pumpkin I had left, and ate these for almost a month and a half. As someone who's always disliked pumpkin pie, I thought that was a pretty big feat. <br />
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Morning Glory Muffins from <a href="http://www.joyofbaking.com/CarrotMuffins.html">Joy of Baking</a>. I didn't get a picture of these either, but with a much more reasonable excuse. I made these the morning of <a href="http://runforyourlives.com/">Run For Your Lives</a>, which is a zombie-themed 5k. We got up super early to drive to the race, and I decided that really nutricious muffins would be great, and someone suggested carrot. So I went all out and made Morning Glory muffins. There are no pictures of these because they were all completely demolished the night I made them, including the extra ones I left at my house. I'd highly recommend trying them.<br />
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Raspberry Lemon muffins from <a href="http://cocobeanandme.blogspot.com/2009/03/raspberry-lemon-almost-no-fat-mini.html">Coco Bean</a>. Despite my making these more than six months ago, I remember them extremely well. I really liked the flavor, but I didn't do a great job with the zest, so there were long strands of lemon throughout the muffins that weren't really enjoyable to chew on. If it hadn't been for that, I think they would have been perfect.<br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFClyCRsjTYRDjkNnTyLUvUmmCkWm19Eou2SIG0RGVtMMU8gBUrdHieIiFfbbhgFLh-TwUND1kfRrEns-jsaxpYrPpuoJjZLmnmwHAAD3irUsI6UcPZaKQsDnGJnK9ttIhIIc0ER4e3cc/s320/IMG_8044-792384.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619577699981631858" /><br />
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Honey Cornbread muffins from <a href="http://www.afarmgirlsdabbles.com/2010/06/28/honey-cornbread-muffins/">A Farmgirl's Dabbles.</a> I made these to pair with jambalaya, so I could watch the Princess and the Frog and have fitting food (never mind that they actually eat jumbo in that movie.), and they were great. Not overly sweet, but sweet enough that I think with a little jam they'd be a perfect dessert. Thinking about them makes me sad I gave the rest away...<br />
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Chocolate Cherry muffins from <a href="http://stolenmomentscooking.com/chocolate-cherry-muffins/">Stolen Moments.</a> I don't think I even need to say much about these. Just look at the name and ingredient list. Chocolate muffins are great, and then add cherries? They were amazing.<br />
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Apple Cinnamon muffins from <a href="http://canaderican.blogspot.com/2009/01/muffins-made-with-yogurt.html">Southern, eh?</a> I have a thing for apple and cinnamon. I love them. Next time I make these I'm going to put a bit more cinnamon in them, but otherwise they were great. They're also surprisingly low calorie.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTCsCjkV2vsQs3aan-6tBTW2xle8t1KyWExxWKxhTZbrUPXdkzHEGo2vtWUZbnSozpnu0aKL6OWB-VsyTMgBejkpQT4Y9MBU7hNxx1HjPCyCR1pwtwhFda5pSP9AdQA96fns01y5SWf5c/s1600/IMG_8232-753465.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTCsCjkV2vsQs3aan-6tBTW2xle8t1KyWExxWKxhTZbrUPXdkzHEGo2vtWUZbnSozpnu0aKL6OWB-VsyTMgBejkpQT4Y9MBU7hNxx1HjPCyCR1pwtwhFda5pSP9AdQA96fns01y5SWf5c/s320/IMG_8232-753465.JPG" /></a><br />
And now for the Christmas muffins.<br />
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White and Purple Amaretto muffins, modified from <a href="http://www.ilovemuffins.es/blog/?p=685">I Love Muffins</a>. Instead of having any chocolate I just made extra batter and died some of it purple. I wasn't a big fan of these, but I think the texture difference the chocolate would have provided would probably have alleviated most of my complains about them. I also just didn't find them terribly flavorful, since I didn't add anything to compensate.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7c5Zjvbs8ne5pb3LcC8tc0CWQkVTsi_fyTWs_LNytDlrC3wV8hh4Gkr2oXumipJfp2zp8nxTqSm1pf0NeAZrz4mrogGxeRQupWdLPGynSdh82tL_dRC6N5CT9si8AyhBndOxnbj9TPg/s1600/DSC00082-727817.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7c5Zjvbs8ne5pb3LcC8tc0CWQkVTsi_fyTWs_LNytDlrC3wV8hh4Gkr2oXumipJfp2zp8nxTqSm1pf0NeAZrz4mrogGxeRQupWdLPGynSdh82tL_dRC6N5CT9si8AyhBndOxnbj9TPg/s320/DSC00082-727817.JPG" /></a><br />
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Strawberry Cinnamon Sugar muffins from <a href="http://eggsonsunday.wordpress.com/2008/04/13/strawberry-cinnamon-sugar-muffins/">Eggs on Sunday</a>. I added some food coloring to make the batter pink, and also put pink sugar sparkles on top, just in case it wasn't sweet enough before. They were quite good, although I wish strawberry flavoring would come through more in baking. Maybe if a large number of strawberries were pureed....<br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN2_mkmVecLHGO94CkT8xyPt4Qi_lHdaRf5xhXVTAkbUaB1snYlYDe3Z_Dm8Ay6HafDWwSSxsJZ_fviCkCe_UF-rLku5WU-mTCr0I60QAdwutCdk-3Fnmqad81EjJxH3ecV436253ffdI/s320/DSC00084-728895.JPG" /><br />
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I would actually call these cupcakes, honestly.... and we didn't take a picture of any of them, but they're rainbow muffins! I had a lot of help with these, and they did a bunch better job at making them even than I probably would have.... making the rainbow cake was frustrating enough for me.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbEgOjAetC5FTyDNhtV84HDEpgGrPlPoSsF3I9kBmAp1khIyTwN4l9ULXcnzKuLSg-jl0OYAW2erdGIpMZuszkUIacTxeMX3fu6IuKSlkk_3v8exve2tJ5CBRBnO-8buRJc9ZlAM_rC_U/s1600/DSC00085-729659.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbEgOjAetC5FTyDNhtV84HDEpgGrPlPoSsF3I9kBmAp1khIyTwN4l9ULXcnzKuLSg-jl0OYAW2erdGIpMZuszkUIacTxeMX3fu6IuKSlkk_3v8exve2tJ5CBRBnO-8buRJc9ZlAM_rC_U/s320/DSC00085-729659.JPG" /></a><br />
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Here's a picture of all the muffins (well... half of the muffins. There were five tins in the end): <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitK4DhHYgbfgAOQfksNy9arYjcuJlejlN_-o6fX9XByvQKJE4z6GfXitU-0WsdIYnQroOM2trHjzN4LB6IxK8WumL0aLNUBlJYvgPEZOXNOSVVdQ6itS-MnA34r0tTcok_c0Wtq39etAw/s1600/DSC00095-732741.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitK4DhHYgbfgAOQfksNy9arYjcuJlejlN_-o6fX9XByvQKJE4z6GfXitU-0WsdIYnQroOM2trHjzN4LB6IxK8WumL0aLNUBlJYvgPEZOXNOSVVdQ6itS-MnA34r0tTcok_c0Wtq39etAw/s320/DSC00095-732741.JPG" /></a><br />
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There are four muffins in there I didn't take pictures of individually: blueberry from <a href="http://obsessedwithbaking.blogspot.com/2009/02/blueberry-muffins.html">Obsessed with Baking</a> (which I've made before and are always a huge hit), another version of <a href="http://babeinthecitykl.blogspot.com/2008/08/cinnamon-sugar-donut-muffins.html">Cinnamon Sugar</a> muffins, banana muffins from <a href="http://melbournefoodfiles.com/2011/09/27/best-banana-muffins/">Melbourne Food Files</a>, and my personal favorite, apple butterscotch from <a href="http://annies-eats.com/2010/01/26/apple-cinnamon-butterscotch-muffins/">Annie's Eats.</a> I could have easily eaten all of the butterscotch ones on my own, and probably would have if there hadn't been people in the kitchen with me.<br />
<br />
Okay, there's one more muffin I didn't share with you guys, because they were special. I also liked the pictures I took of them enough that I think they deserve their own post. So while the world may be almost caught up on my muffin adventures, bear in mind that I just ate the last of the banana muffins, so the time for more is rapidly approaching....MsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978933214160980590.post-50656921326817999412011-12-25T14:41:00.000-05:002011-12-25T14:41:52.867-05:00Christmas Baking<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-haZ1T6U37Gdmgl2RbceVKz_zez33CuUe_ucWQ0uldy4UEW0UmBMV_p_D3CpH-ABEbC_W5cIiM8BV81YxZ6zGcVjv1b66mJXkN07sq1wU-1a9y6rpCRHcLMoEqje-W4rfWB16rQRJLk/s1600/DSC00089-748962.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-haZ1T6U37Gdmgl2RbceVKz_zez33CuUe_ucWQ0uldy4UEW0UmBMV_p_D3CpH-ABEbC_W5cIiM8BV81YxZ6zGcVjv1b66mJXkN07sq1wU-1a9y6rpCRHcLMoEqje-W4rfWB16rQRJLk/s320/DSC00089-748962.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
Four dozen cookies, two pounds of candied almonds, and about ten dozen muffins, all baked in two days. The complete list:<br />
<br />
<li><a href="http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/candied-almonds/">Candied Almonds</a><br />
<li><a href="http://milkandhoneycafe.blogspot.com/2009/01/g-is-for-good.html">Green Tea Cookies</a><br />
<li>Modified <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chocolate-raspberry-cookies/">these</a> into Chocolate Blackberry Cookies<br />
<li><a href="http://www.foodista.com/blog/2008/10/07/russian-tea-cookies">Russian Tea Cookies</a><br />
<li><a href="http://dozenflours.com/2008/05/daniels-carrot-cake-cookies-with-cream.html">Carrot Cake Cookies</a><br />
<li><a href="http://obsessedwithbaking.blogspot.com/2009/02/blueberry-muffins.html">Blueberry Muffins</a><br />
<li><a href="http://eggsonsunday.wordpress.com/2008/04/13/strawberry-cinnamon-sugar-muffins/">Strawberry Cinnamon Sugar Muffins</a><br />
<li><a href="http://www.ilovemuffins.es/blog/?p=685">White Amaretto Muffins</a><br />
<li><a href="http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/taste-a-rainbow-cupcakes-842128/">Rainbow Cupcakes</a><br />
<li><a href="http://annies-eats.com/2010/01/26/apple-cinnamon-butterscotch-muffins/">Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Butterscotch Muffins</a> (which are possibly my favorite)<br />
<li><a href="http://babeinthecitykl.blogspot.com/2008/08/cinnamon-sugar-donut-muffins.html">Cinnamon Sugar Muffins</a><br />
<br />
It took hours and would not have been possible without a lot of help, but they all came together, and I think everyone liked everything.<br />
<br />
Merry Christmas, everyone!MsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978933214160980590.post-43312711661431344482011-12-19T19:18:00.000-05:002011-12-19T19:18:01.208-05:00Christmas...I'm doing a lot of baking for Christmas. A lot. As in I'm planning on doing absolutely nothing but going to work, the grocery store, and to my kitchen on Thursday night so I can be ready for the EPH exchange on Friday night.<br />
<br />
I'm trying a lot of recipes I've never made before, so I'm definitely nervous things won't turn out. I can't share the full list of what I'll be making, but here's a tease as to some of the ingredients that will be featuring:<br />
<li>bananas<br />
<li>almonds<br />
<li>butterscotch<br />
<li>blackberries<br />
<li>powdered sugar<br />
<li>green tea<br />
<br />
Hopefully I won't be too tired to share everything about the hours this will take.MsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978933214160980590.post-63232863596563479302011-11-21T04:58:00.003-05:002011-11-21T04:58:00.196-05:00"You're making old person muffins?"In case you couldn't tell, I'm making a bit of an effort to start updating sort of regularly again. I'm not going to promise any sort of schedule, because this blog is supposed to be for fun, and schedules stress me out. I'll be sharing a lot of older stuff for a while- stuff I made and didn't share because I was too lazy to type. <br />
<br />
These may be the first muffins I've made that I didn't like.<br />
<br />
I made these thinking that I wouldn't really like them. Hoping, but thinking 'wow, these certainly sound... interesting, I hope they're good...' Mama Bird looked at the recipe and assured me that if I didn't like them, she'd eat them. So I decided to be brave and to try it. I like new food, right?<br />
<br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRHEEm-kK7e2gv6PZZP_JE_oivSDl5PqJ45nXAQ6h9Pt9xd7lBm4nZqbjrux6VDj_NQeS9YwKVp-DFNYotz3TKFOcZaiyATHZYCQMDhHbc7sIJLXAEU3Vx33UlX6vgOSyTX_Bmu8Sugo/s320/IMG_80192-718538.jpg" /><br />
<br />
They don't even really look good.<br />
<br />
I tried to like them, and I did eat two before I gave up and declared that they were all for Mama Bird. She did eat them all, to her credit, but I don't know how she did it. I'll be sticking to sweeter muffins from now on.<br />
<br />
<b>Recipe from <a href="http://teaspotnyc.blogspot.com/2009/02/i-know-muffin-man.html" target="new">Teaspot NYC</a>.</b><br />
<li>2 cups applesauce<br />
<li>2 ounces dates<br />
<li>1 cup wheat bran<br />
<li>1/2 cup buttermilk<br />
<li>1 large egg<br />
<li>2 tablespoons honey<br />
<li>3/4 teaspoon ginger<br />
<li>1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
<li>5/8 cups all-purpose flour<br />
<li>2 tablespoons ground flaxseed<br />
<li>1.25 teaspoons baking soda<br />
<li>1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
<li>1/4 teaspoon allspice<br />
<li>1/4 cup old-fashioned oats<br />
<ol><li>Preheat oven to 375.<br />
<li>Heat applesauce and dates over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture is reduced to about 1.25 cups, or 15-20 minutes.<br />
<li>Remove from heat and let cool completely.<br />
<li>Transfer applesauce to bowl, and mix in bran, buttermilk, egg, honey, ginger, and vanilla.<br />
<li>In separate bowl, mix flour, flaxseed, baking soda, salt, allspice, and 1/4 cup oats.<br />
<li>After letting stand for 10 minutes, mix ingredients together.<br />
<li>Transfer batter into muffin tins.<br />
<li>Bake 20-23 minutes.<br />
</ol><br />
Makes 12 muffins, with 90 calories and $0.43 per serving.MsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978933214160980590.post-5426833640064916732011-11-15T19:04:00.001-05:002011-11-15T19:04:00.328-05:00Smoky hummus!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIlGCt1LVklKvHGhhZ17yrrqmxqlgIlgRJaS4RwJP0E2TrB6x0zf7uUTWZq9A0ix7n1n8kzZN2HJOZwSv2oTHjIX0x_Lq4btLk4LCSv6MOfifCaT4dZu83iDk5N2AqnIWr5fc-HdRY5zc/s1600/IMG_7499-782101.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582655968332864290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIlGCt1LVklKvHGhhZ17yrrqmxqlgIlgRJaS4RwJP0E2TrB6x0zf7uUTWZq9A0ix7n1n8kzZN2HJOZwSv2oTHjIX0x_Lq4btLk4LCSv6MOfifCaT4dZu83iDk5N2AqnIWr5fc-HdRY5zc/s320/IMG_7499-782101.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
This is a ridiculously easy hummus recipe. Although honestly, all hummus is easy once you've made it. I posted about it <a href="http://rufflingmyfeathers.blogspot.com/2011/03/wonton-crackers-and-smoky-hummus.html">a while ago</a>, but didn't have any sort of recipe to share, so I decided it was time to experiment again until I could come up with this.<br />
<br />
Sister Bird loved this hummus. As in she would go out and buy me the ingredients for it so I would make it for her. Now that she's back at school, I guess I won't be making it as often, but that's only because I know I'll be the only one who ends up eating it, since Papa Bird hates anything that has curry powder in it, and Mama Bird claims it's too spicy.<br />
<br />
They're both wrong, it's delicious.<br />
<br />
<b>Smokey Hummus</b><br />
(Makes 5 servings, with 178 calories and $0.60 per serving)<br />
<br />
<li>5 cloves garlic<br />
<li>15.5 oz chickpeas, half drained<br />
<li>3 tablespoons tahini<br />
<li>2 tablespoons lemon juice<br />
<li>1/2 teaspoon curry powder<br />
<li>1/2 teaspoon cumin<br />
<li>1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes<br />
<li>1 teaspoon Frank's red hot<br />
<li>1 teaspoon sriracha<br />
<ol><li>Mince garlic.<br />
<li>Combine everything in food processor.<br />
<li>Blend until smooth, adding additional liquid from chickpeas if hummus is not smooth enough.<br />
</ol>MsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978933214160980590.post-72184410257891171212011-11-09T18:15:00.003-05:002011-11-09T18:15:00.229-05:00Butternut Squash SoupMama Bird has been pretty amazing recently. Not only did she magically produce a brand new immersion blender from our basement when I mentioned I was thinking of buying one, she signed us up for a Community Supported Agriculture. If you don't know what that is, it means that every Wednesday for the next two months we get a box of locally grown vegetables. I was quite excited about it when she brought the idea up to me, because I knew that it meant I'd be getting vegetables to play with that I had never cooked. Sure enough, last week we had a butternut squash and some leeks. I haven't messed with the leeks, although Mama Bird stole the potatoes that were meant to become the chips for the fish and chips I'll be making sometime this week. Hopefully Thursday or Friday, if Skyrim doesn't steal my entire life.<br />
<br />
I wasn't sure I'd like this soup, because I've never been a huge squash fan, and I don't tend to enjoy sweetness. But I liked this. I dipped some bread in it at first, but I don't think it needs that. It tastes thick, like it has cream, but it's all healthy. I'm hoping to eat it for lunch this week to make up for the amount of naughtiness I've been eating- remember that coconut ice? It's all gone now. I throw out the remaining third after I gained enough strength to resist it. Sadly, I didn't ever take a picture of it... nor do I have a picture of this soup. It just doesn't look great, sadly.<br />
<br />
But it tastes good. If you want a light healthy soup, give it a shot.<br />
<br />
<b>Recipe from <a href="http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/crockpot-butternut-squash-soup-recipe.html" target="new">A Year of Slow Cooking</a>.</b><br />
<li>1 butternut squash<br />
<li>2 tablespoons olive oil<br />
<li>2 onions<br />
<li>4 cups vegetable broth<br />
<li>2 apples<br />
<li>1.5 teaspoon salt<br />
<li>1/4 teaspoon black pepper<br />
<li>1/4 teaspoon nutmeg<br />
<li>1/4 teaspoon cloves<br />
<li>1/4 teaspoon coriander<br />
<li>1/4 teaspoon cinnamon<br />
<ol><li>Cut squash in half longways, microwaving if the skin is too tough.<br />
<li>Scoop out seeds.<br />
<li>Coat in olive oil and roast at 400 for 15 minutes.<br />
<li>In slow cooker, combine cubed and peeled apples, onion, broth, and spices.<br />
<li>Cover and cook on high while waiting for squash.<br />
<li>Peel squash, and cut into cubes.<br />
<li>Cook on low for 8 hours.<br />
<li>Blend.<br />
</ol>MsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978933214160980590.post-37182708152670142682011-10-29T10:55:00.001-04:002011-11-09T12:30:09.407-05:00Halloween Coconut Ice?I've been cooking a lot, still. Tons of muffins- I made over fifty muffins for a little trip to the Run for your Lives 5k recently. I made whole grain pumpkin and morning glory muffins, and they were pretty much destroyed. The morning glory ones almost didn't make it to the next morning, actually.<br />
<br />
I didn't take any pictures of them, because I am both an idiot and still don't have a camera.<br />
<br />
Then I decided I wanted to retry the failed coconut ice I made so long ago. I got a different recipe, and mmmm, I think Prehistoric Bird will agree when I say that it's good. It's terrible for you, no doubt. But it melts in your mouth, and it just tastes like delicious sugary coconut.<br />
<br />
I'll take pictures of it later. But for now, just know: I am still slowly trying to cook through England.MsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978933214160980590.post-48143055497047449672011-10-08T09:25:00.000-04:002011-10-08T09:25:05.815-04:00Bad things come in more than threes, these days.My laptop's hard drive completely crashed last week. As a computer person, you might assume that I had the foresight to back up all of my important files, but you would be slightly... incorrect in that assumption. I'm hoping some of my things can be recovered, but for now, everything is gone. That means all of the pictures I had taken in the past months are gone.<br />
<br />
I'm going to start working on replacing them with new pictures but between having mono and a huge homework load for my graduate class (not to mention all the other things going on in my life!), it certainly won't be getting done this week. I promise eventually things will start updating again!MsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978933214160980590.post-70581905671166291412011-10-02T09:52:00.000-04:002011-10-02T09:52:09.868-04:00Sick Birds don't Blog...Sorry for the silence again, but I've been very busy. Between starting a new job and then catching mono, I've hardly had the energy to function, let alone be witty enough to write blog posts. I have plenty of posts half written, and plenty of pictures taken (jumbo muffins! You've no idea how much that excites me.), but right now I just don't have the energy to write anything lengthy. In fact, I'm about to go crawl back in bed and take a nap... and yes, I know it's only 10 in the morning.MsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978933214160980590.post-28432428202444682602011-09-09T10:51:00.000-04:002011-09-09T10:51:36.581-04:00You win this round, peanut butter.I know this picture doesn't look that appetizing. I took it with my phone while starving and not really willing to take the time to figure out how to make it look pretty.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh61LoIHKHyWZTq-tlJmULbMqKINQ1CYodErRIZonjFBxahwTxBFPsaP5EB_v-gRRuWxPC5e12XGCLJgTYWFg3sfAVeBgUERq_K3x6elXx73dbqq_vrug2BHbv4epZP68AWHX79xqpcUOc/s1600/chicken+pad+thai-705132.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh61LoIHKHyWZTq-tlJmULbMqKINQ1CYodErRIZonjFBxahwTxBFPsaP5EB_v-gRRuWxPC5e12XGCLJgTYWFg3sfAVeBgUERq_K3x6elXx73dbqq_vrug2BHbv4epZP68AWHX79xqpcUOc/s320/chicken+pad+thai-705132.jpg"/></a><br />
<br />
I've made this recipe twice now since discovering it. I wasn't sure I'd like it at first because I used to think that peanut flavor belonged in nothing but dessert, but recently I've been craving it. I have found myself eating just peanut butter and nutella, spread on graham crackers.<br />
<br />
You should try that, by the way, because it is delicious.<br />
<br />
But the point is, I used to seriously judge my friends whenever they would eat peanut butter out of the jar, and I have many friends who do. And suddenly I find myself thinking 'huh, that isn't such a bad idea after all.' What's happening to me? Next thing you know I'll be not eating meat for days at a time without even trying.<br />
<br />
...Oh, wait...<br />
<br />
Anyway, enough rambling. Ignore my poor photography, and give this a try. I have changed the recipe slightly in that I added a marinade step, because I think it gives the chicken a lot more flavor. I also think that you should steam the peas before so they aren't SO crunchy, but that may be a personal preference. Some people like them super crunchy.<br />
<br />
Recipe modified from <a href="http://www.thecookingphotographer.com/2011/07/spicy-thai-lime-chicken-rice.html" target="new">The Cooking Photographer</a>.<br />
(Makes 5 servings, with 289 calories and $3.11 per serving)<br />
<li>1 tablespoon light colored oil<br />
<li>5 thin sliced chicken breasts<br />
<li>2 cups snap peas<br />
<li>1 cup chicken broth<br />
<li>1 tablespoon Sriracha<br />
<li>1 tablespoon brown sugar<br />
<li>2 teaspoons fish sauce<br />
<li>1/4 cup fresh lime juice<br />
<li>1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter<br />
<li>3 tablespoons chopped unsalted roasted peanuts<br />
<li>2 green onions<br />
<li>pepper<br />
<ol><li>Cut thinly sliced chicken breasts into strips.<br />
<li>Marinade chicken in chicken broth, Sriracha, brown sugar, fish sauce, some pepper and lime juice for at least three hours.<br />
<li>Begin steaming snap peas.<br />
<li>Heat up oil, and saute chicken.<br />
<li>Add snap peas to skillet and cook for two to three minutes, then add marinade and peanut butter, and cook for about five minutes.<br />
<li>Add chicken back to wok, and cook until marinade has boiled down.<br />
<li>Plate, serve with rice and additional lime wedges.<br />
</ol>
<br>Today's lessons learned: <ul><li>Steam snow peas. Or they stay crunchy.<br />
<li>When did peanut butter get so delicious?!<br />
</ul>MsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978933214160980590.post-90769311664885088262011-09-02T00:34:00.000-04:002011-09-02T00:34:06.218-04:00Pitas appear to be beyond me.Aha, and ya'll thought I forgot about <a href="http://rufflingmyfeathers.blogspot.com/search/label/mission%20dodgy%20grub">my mission to re-cook everything I ate in England</a>, didn't you? The one I gave the ridiculously British-sounding name to? Well, I didn't forget at all!<br />
<br />
I'm just bad at cooking things in a timely manner, it seems.<br />
<br />
The original version of this dish came from the Jazz Cafe, and it was one of the things I was most looking forward to. And it turned out deliciously. Everything except the pita, which I attempted to make on my own. The bread tasted fine, but you know how pitas are supposed to have little pockets, for putting food inside...?<br />
<br />
Mine were just sad and flat. I didn't even take a picture of it, because it made me so sad.<br />
<br />
I did take a picture of the final product, though.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjormiFATNNVUQDbAuOMLfX-C9iQDALT8-44VL5MPNFoT-qyo16GpKSmAvb3klrGZAalpm-HZ8NGZXlnToYN9bQ1tigSURpbPJ7W6gRzWL33GTbsR7GvwrEyOWeDkLYLDcgcFNkl5b3Ah0/s1600/IMG_8189-750405.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjormiFATNNVUQDbAuOMLfX-C9iQDALT8-44VL5MPNFoT-qyo16GpKSmAvb3klrGZAalpm-HZ8NGZXlnToYN9bQ1tigSURpbPJ7W6gRzWL33GTbsR7GvwrEyOWeDkLYLDcgcFNkl5b3Ah0/s320/IMG_8189-750405.JPG"/></a><br />
<br />
So many colors! If I had not made whole-wheat pitas, then maybe there would have been even more, but I appear to be obsessed with whole-wheat. I think that's a good thing, it makes me feel healthier.<br />
<br />
These are really easy to make. Mixing together the tabbouleh and tzatziki can be day the day before, even, and the lamb patties only take minutes to throw together. It takes a while only to chop everything up by hand. I'm a horrendously slow food chopper, so it still took me about half an hour, but Mama Bird could have done it in probably 10. I guess that should be my next goal: improving my chopping skills...<br />
<br />
<b>Recipe from <a href="http://www.allaboutyou.com/food/Lamb-patties-with-tabbouleh-recipe/recipe" target="new">All About You</a></b><br />
(Makes 8 servings, with 338 calories and $2.02 per serving)<br />
Lamb Patties<br />
<li>18 ounces ground lamb<br />
<li>4 tablespoons breadcrumbs<br />
<li>1 egg<br />
<li>zest of 1 lemon<br />
<li>2 teaspoons oregano<br />
<li>3 garlic cloves<br />
<li>2 tablespoons olive oil<br />
<ol><li>Mix all ingredients but olive oil in bowl until well combined.<br />
<li>Shape into eight patties.<br />
<li>Place on tray and chill in fridge for at least 15 minutes.<br />
<li>Heat oil, and fry over medium to high heat for 4 to 5 minutes each side.<br />
<li>Drain on kitchen towel.<br />
<li>Serve with tabbouleh, pita, and tzatziki sauce.<br />
</ol>
<br>Tabbouleh
<li>2 ounces couscous<br />
<li>2 ounces fresh parsley<br />
<li>1 ounce fresh mint<br />
<li>1/2 red onion<br />
<li>3 tablespoons olive oil<br />
<li>3 tablespoons lemon juice<br />
<ol><li>Put dry couscous in bowl and pour in 1/2 cup of hot water. <br />
<li>Stir, then cover and let sit until water is absorbed.<br />
<li>Fluff with fork, and add remaining ingredients. Chill before serving.<br />
</ol>
<br>Tzatziki Sauce
<li>1 cup greek yogurt<br />
<li>1 cucumber<br />
<li>1 green onion<br />
<li>2 cloves garlic<br />
<li>1 tablespoon mint<br />
<li>3 tablespoons lemon juice<br />
<ol><li>Peel and dice cucumber.<br />
<li>Combine all ingredients and stir well.<br />
<li>Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.<br />
</ol>
<br><br>Today's lessons learned: <ul><li>I chop things very slowly.<br />
<li>Pitas without pockets are a lot like naan.<br />
</ul>MsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978933214160980590.post-32882487354253367802011-08-26T23:42:00.000-04:002011-08-26T23:42:25.288-04:00Almost Vegetarian Lentil StewSince my nest is located in the upcoming path of the lovely Miss Irene, Mama Bird and I took a trip to our local grocery store at 10:30pm today. I expected the store to be completely crowded with nothing left on the shelves, and she thought I was being silly and that there'd still be plenty of everything and no one there.<br />
<br />
It wasn't nearly as packed as I thought, but the almost complete lack of bottled water was not surprising. I don't think it's going to be as bad as we're preparing for, but owning another 32 bottles of water can't be a bad thing as long as we make sure to recycle! Mama Bird and I then spent a ridiculous amount of money on groceries. It wasn't because we were trying to stock up, it was because I had a long list of make-ahead meals I wanted to try. I intend to spend at least a few hours tomorrow making my own freezer burritos, and I want to try to recreate my own version of Amy's pizza pockets, which I was in love with all through high school and college. If I could make my own, I would be able to die happy. As long as I could eat them first. I also want to make my own granola <a href="http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/11/crockpot-granola-recipe.html">in a slow cooker</a>, because everything is better that way.<br />
<br />
So tomorrow is going to be quite a day for cooking, hopefully. I must be stressed.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWqTiPA96JBEry1cWH7ZvOBv5RflyMbAKS5pXWi5wTOQs-zIY1W0WwIVsaJXJ0u6JYgqvxB07UPOoXL5f0N1kkZNpEJ35zYHmMZN6s-LHiJpexwQd__AavYgM3q8xVHtGPRqmfu768svg/s1600/IMG_8156-760036.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWqTiPA96JBEry1cWH7ZvOBv5RflyMbAKS5pXWi5wTOQs-zIY1W0WwIVsaJXJ0u6JYgqvxB07UPOoXL5f0N1kkZNpEJ35zYHmMZN6s-LHiJpexwQd__AavYgM3q8xVHtGPRqmfu768svg/s320/IMG_8156-760036.JPG"/></a><br />
<br />
But today I'll be sharing a lentil stew that confuses me every time I eat it. It's delicious. It may be too spicy if you're me and just start tossing peppers in without thinking about it. But no matter what you do, if you don't eat this with bread or rice, then I just don't think it's very filling. Note the calorie count.<br />
<br />
It's a very easily modifiable recipe. You don't want it to be spicy? Don't put in as many peppers- heck, don't put in any! You don't have celery, but wow you have a bunch of carrots? Not really an issue. It's a vegetable lentil soup. It won't judge you, you can do what you want.<br />
<br />
And even better, if you want to make it vegetarian, just switch out the chicken broth. Instantly vegetarian! And the only thing you'll miss out on is that delicious chicken flavor.<br />
<br />
Recipe modified from <a href="http://redchillies.us/2011/06/22/lentil-vegetable-soup/" target="new">Red Chillies</a>.<br />
(Makes 6 servings, with 75 calories and $1.18 per serving)<br />
<br />
<li>1 cup brown lentils<br />
<li>1 stalk celery<br />
<li>4 garlic cloves<br />
<li>1/2 onion<br />
<li>1 potato<br />
<li>2 cups chicken broth<br />
<li>2 carrots<br />
<li>1 teaspoon black pepper<br />
<li>1 teaspoon ginger<br />
<li>1/2 teaspoon basil<br />
<li>2 bay leaves<br />
<li>1/2 cup spinach<br />
<li>1/2 teaspoon thyme<br />
<li>3 serrano peppers<br />
<ol><li>Heat 3 cups of water in pot, and put lentils it.<br />
<li>Bring to boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.<br />
<li>Set aside, but do not drain.<br />
<li>Heat a little oil, and saute garlic and bay leaves.<br />
<li>Add onion and mix until lightly cooked.<br />
<li>Add ginger, celery, carrots, potato, and spinach.<br />
<li>Cook until slightly less firm.<br />
<li>Add broth, spices, and peppers.<br />
<li>Simmer for 40 minutes.<br />
</ol>
<br>Today's lessons learned: <ul><li>Different peppers have different levels of spice!<br />
</ul>MsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978933214160980590.post-55241922987106099192011-08-17T15:49:00.001-04:002011-08-17T15:49:00.611-04:00Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread.I love cornbread. Love, love, love cornbread. I recently went to Boston Market with someone I'll dub Model Bird, and he commented that I must not like cornbread because I didn't touch the piece they gave me.<br />
<br />
"No, I love cornbread," I replied modestly. "I just know that I can make much better cornbread than they can."<br />
<br />
So I did. And if anyone thinks this isn't better than Boston Market cornbread... well, then they certainly aren't any friend of mine.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDwtF3alZNVXZYKq7DiWaNuxoZPYJH_eeAHK2Bv88-gZApWN3TPP2FBxRjBR6yFtkaiZltys3jzwvdvKoWH6TbigChpR6AmcujEhI3sPpnoDYFWllKamn1ZgKgqo6elbIyoU3Gw3ib72Q/s1600/IMG_7547-772065.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDwtF3alZNVXZYKq7DiWaNuxoZPYJH_eeAHK2Bv88-gZApWN3TPP2FBxRjBR6yFtkaiZltys3jzwvdvKoWH6TbigChpR6AmcujEhI3sPpnoDYFWllKamn1ZgKgqo6elbIyoU3Gw3ib72Q/s320/IMG_7547-772065.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
My mother was concerned about the jalapeno being in it. I was disappointed to realize that the jalapeno lost its bite once cooked. I should have known that, but I forget things sometimes. It still had a pleasant little kick.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibbNtigWLnx9CVuUb4JL-R_TWcut3Eav4_b0CRDzBcsc7evYy6KAecGC5dE8QFGzLkU8WPm9_Sr2qMS9A21X8o9W9RqR_qsfZbjbiBCHk5UWMWsJkBAXxQOJjk0TmIojELwI8xXRP6PrQ/s1600/IMG_7549-774599.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibbNtigWLnx9CVuUb4JL-R_TWcut3Eav4_b0CRDzBcsc7evYy6KAecGC5dE8QFGzLkU8WPm9_Sr2qMS9A21X8o9W9RqR_qsfZbjbiBCHk5UWMWsJkBAXxQOJjk0TmIojELwI8xXRP6PrQ/s320/IMG_7549-774599.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtEN7B7XYrFX7bLAiXWhxx48USr0C09BfqHhCBhQ5ukyrFADn6szoNZxjPxRODqhlF7xCVbr-3cNYAknzB3OS5u4pvKQFWYmRrdnouvU1-5MKvRdf-fplbk3IQxrkwu4K2bpvz4Mjg5i0/s1600/IMG_7553-780164.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtEN7B7XYrFX7bLAiXWhxx48USr0C09BfqHhCBhQ5ukyrFADn6szoNZxjPxRODqhlF7xCVbr-3cNYAknzB3OS5u4pvKQFWYmRrdnouvU1-5MKvRdf-fplbk3IQxrkwu4K2bpvz4Mjg5i0/s320/IMG_7553-780164.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
This is definitely not healthy cornbread. I have a separate recipe I do for that. You could probably half the amount of cheese in the recipe and still be happy with it. But if you're gonna make unhealthy cornbread, you may as well go all the way...<br />
<br />
<b>Recipe from <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/jalapeno-cheddar-cornbread-recipe/index.html" target="new">Food Network</a>.</b><br />
(Makes 16 squares, with 295 calories and $0.60 per squares.)<br />
<br />
<li>3 cups all-purpose flour<br />
<li>1 cup yellow cornmeal<br />
<li>1/4 cup sugar<br />
<li>2 tablespoons baking powder<br />
<li>2 teaspoons kosher salt<br />
<li>2 cups milk<br />
<li>3 eggs<br />
<li>1/2 pound unsalted, melted butter<br />
<li>8 ounces aged extra-sharp Cheddar<br />
<li>1/3 cup chopped scallions (3 scallions)<br />
<li>3 tablespoons fresh jalapeno peppers<br />
<ol><li>Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.<br />
<li>Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.<br />
<li>Combine the milk, eggs, and butter in a separate bowl.<br />
<li>Mix wet and dry ingredients carefully, not over-stirring.<br />
<li>Mix in 2 cups of grated cheese, scallions, and jalapenos.<br />
<li>Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.<br />
<li>Pour batter into pan and sprinkle with remaining cheddar.<br />
<li>Bake 30 to 35 minutes.<br />
</ol>
Today's lessons learned: <ul><li>Jalapenos lose some of their kick when they're cooked.<br />
<li>Bread gets moldy if you don't take care of it. It gets moldy faster if it's laced with cheese.<br />
</ul>MsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978933214160980590.post-61749801874844887132011-08-14T22:18:00.001-04:002011-08-14T22:25:52.066-04:00Time to turn the oven back on...I haven't posted in a while, I know. Since when I went to Spain. A lot has happened since then, and I mean a LOT. I lost my job four days before I left for Madrid. When I got back, Boyfriend Bird and I decided to end our relationship, and for a while I just decided that I didn't want to be responsible for things. I went on a family vacation to North Carolina, then went to Indianapolis with some friends to go to <a href="http://www.gencon.com/">GenCon</a>.<br />
<br />
I'm upset about some things. It's obviously devastating to lose a job, especially in an unstable economy. Boyfriend Bird and I dated for four and a half years, and it's hard to walk away from something like that. I'm going to call him Troll Bird here from now on. Which isn't meant to be a negative thing, as strange as that sounds. In fact, I think he'd possibly appreciate the nickname. But all that change so quickly... depressed me for a while. I didn't want to do anything, I just wanted to sort of mope.<br />
<br />
Things are becoming more stable. I don't have a job yet, but I've been looking, and I have plenty of interviews lined up, as nervous as that makes me. And with my return to being an adult, I want to return to updating this blog. I won't make any promises about twice weekly posts, or even weekly posts. I have been cooking a lot still, I just haven't been sharing it. And even if I don't write long and witty posts, I at least want to be taking pictures and remembering what I've been doing.<br />
<br />
I have plenty to share. A carrot cake, pancakes, cookies, muffins, not to mention everything I ate in Madrid.<br />
<br />
But I think my primary focus is going to be finishing cooking by way through England.MsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978933214160980590.post-90767052731688804262011-07-28T19:14:00.016-04:002012-01-26T10:07:23.249-05:00More meat, more stuffedThis will be my only post for a while. As you are reading this, I am sitting in a plane, on my way to Madrid. Madrid! I don't speak Spanish at all well enough to be going to Madrid!<br />
<br />
Once again, I'm sure I'm going to take pictures of every meal I eat, even though my faithful camera is now broken. For the time being, I'm borrowing one of Mama Bird's old cameras, but I'll probably have to buy a new one soon. I guess I'd mentioned doing it a few times already, so it's not too big of a deal.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlYUr4IabAm7SLHiX_NZnKkZrp-cgqr4CkZPKVwtHKtyUbmrOG3UOnLcuzrZuSrBPP9YzNzsh5mm97ov3VQGJ6aG-XZR9rW_fI1LKxOH07faafRZGqPADSjPm8vGoaWh8UBpIj_Y3TLw/s1600/IMG_7694-752183.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlYUr4IabAm7SLHiX_NZnKkZrp-cgqr4CkZPKVwtHKtyUbmrOG3UOnLcuzrZuSrBPP9YzNzsh5mm97ov3VQGJ6aG-XZR9rW_fI1LKxOH07faafRZGqPADSjPm8vGoaWh8UBpIj_Y3TLw/s320/IMG_7694-752183.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
But before I go, I'll leave you with one of the things I've been meaning to share for a few weeks now. I made these for friends months ago, and it's high time I shared them. I originally thought that they'd be light, that everyone would be able to eat two zucchini boats apiece and it'd be a nice healthy meal. I didn't realize how much meat that would have been for everyone. Next time I make these, I may half the meat, or at least drop it to 3/4 of a pound.<br />
<br />
<b>Recipe from <a href="http://homesteadinghousewife.blogspot.com/2008/12/when-mom-is-home-alone.html" target="new">The Homesteading Housewife</a></b><br />
(Makes 8 servings, with 250 calories and $1.94 per serving)<br />
<li>4 zucchini<br />
<li>1 onion<br />
<li>1 green bell pepper<br />
<li>4 cloves garlic<br />
<li>1 pound ground beef (or 1/2 pound ground beef and 1/2 pound Italian sausage)<br />
<li>1/2 teaspoon oregano<br />
<li>2 eggs<br />
<li>1/2 cup parmesan cheese<br />
<li>1/2 cup bread crumbs<br />
<li>2 cups mozzarella cheese<br />
<ol><li>Preheat oven to 375.<br />
<li>Wash zucchini, but do not chop stems.<br />
<li>Put in a pot of cold water, and bring to a boil.<br />
<li>Let boil 6-7 minutes or until tender, and remove and set aside to cool.<br />
<li>In a skillet, brown meat and add garlic, onion, oregano, and peppers.<br />
<li>Slice zucchini lengthwise, and scoop out seeds.<br />
<li>Chop extra zucchini 'meat' and add to meat mixture.<br />
<li>Mix bread crumbs, Parmesan, and eggs in with meat, and mix well.<br />
<li>Fill zucchini boats with meat, and top with mozzarella.<br />
<li>Bake until cheese is hot and bubbly.<br />
</ol>
Today's lessons learned: <ul><li>Stuffed anything is much more filling than you think.<br />
<li>Sometimes, more meat is not the answer. But only sometimes.<br />
</ul>MsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978933214160980590.post-69193229076120162242011-06-22T20:21:00.001-04:002011-06-23T08:24:45.345-04:00Chocolate Peanut Butter Heart AttackYou wouldn't know it, but I've been baking a fair bit recently. And according to Sister Bird, making food she can't eat. Not because it's bad. Some of the food she has legitimate reasons for never wanting to eat. Like the habanero spiced potatoes. I was the only person in the family who could handle the amount of heat in them, but I didn't like them enough to write up a post about them. Making something I haven' liked enough to share has been happening a fair bit, aside from the incredible response the jam muffins got.<br />
<br />
On an unrelated note, am I the only one who uses jam and jelly interchangeably? I know, one is chunky, one isn't, but really?<br />
<br />
But as I was saying... I have an enormous backlog of things to post about. Two more muffin recipes, stuffed zucchini, jalapeno cheddar cornbread, chicken and cannelinni soup, hummus, sloppy joes.... I've stored up plenty of pictures and thoughts, but I'm just slow about typing them out. I liked all of those things, but I don't think any inspired me to immediately share them with the world.<br />
<br />
This cake, on the other hand, needed someone to write a public service announcement about it.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4ejjXr__8c72_z-VENS7fWFdojRqDEVPZJSa26AOf7UdMNyHMd9jHS9t7L0sHnKG3yD7V7YSvPvoT7HEe0Yed5moNVp8byOr1jFZBkRhr63y285zvsevRP16f4TUi-gebttrdi3OuZg/s1600/IMG_8074-750520.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4ejjXr__8c72_z-VENS7fWFdojRqDEVPZJSa26AOf7UdMNyHMd9jHS9t7L0sHnKG3yD7V7YSvPvoT7HEe0Yed5moNVp8byOr1jFZBkRhr63y285zvsevRP16f4TUi-gebttrdi3OuZg/s320/IMG_8074-750520.JPG"/></a><br />
<br />
I wanted to make it for Papa Bird for Father's Day, because I know he has a soft spot for chocolate and peanut butter, and I've currently got a soft spot for any cake that'd let me practice with my leveler. So when I looked in my crazy collection of recipes and saw <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/chocolate-peanut-butter-cake/">Smitten Kitchen's</a> chocolate peanut butter cake, with three glorious layers, I knew it was a match made in heaven.<br />
<br />
After I did the nutrition information for it? It was still a great match. But it certainly wasn't made in heaven.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMD4y2MpE2WDts0dfPgz-osa9GQWGfSgNXH0m52wIIsSeViqBUQH8CpztgtjDprRzxVuOX_omcOMDGctaQYlaac0bVg06fYsxqAfIIhBqNOn-554D7TxavAzgD64Av4F4aX3oL47hxEyc/s1600/IMG_8060-745215.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMD4y2MpE2WDts0dfPgz-osa9GQWGfSgNXH0m52wIIsSeViqBUQH8CpztgtjDprRzxVuOX_omcOMDGctaQYlaac0bVg06fYsxqAfIIhBqNOn-554D7TxavAzgD64Av4F4aX3oL47hxEyc/s320/IMG_8060-745215.JPG"/></a><br />
<br />
One of the great things about this cake is that it was a one bowl recipe. Obviously, the frosting and the ganache were done in separate bowls. But the cake batter itself was whipped up in one bowl. Which, by the way, I did without the aid of Mama Bird's Kitchen-Aid mixer. I've been slowly shifting away from using mixers, and back to beating things by hand. It's easier to fold things like delicate berries into batter without breaking them, and it's easier to ensure that every part of the ingredients have been mixed. Or maybe I'm too lazy to get the mixer out. That would be impressively lazy.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0-40tiG_O1j-yLw25cxMOW8tdBYGwSrGqlbUllYuxWGfrMbwsz55dpkth8RM-UFj365erYWT1qgZv5sxeXA8RYqKcBXOsKX9dXU57xZf1kp3GG-BRV979pTFOIxST6LxA3PnjAXe_x0/s1600/IMG_8063-747049.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0-40tiG_O1j-yLw25cxMOW8tdBYGwSrGqlbUllYuxWGfrMbwsz55dpkth8RM-UFj365erYWT1qgZv5sxeXA8RYqKcBXOsKX9dXU57xZf1kp3GG-BRV979pTFOIxST6LxA3PnjAXe_x0/s320/IMG_8063-747049.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
I still made the frosting in the mixer, though. Whipping butter isn't fun or easy.<br />
<br />
The whole thing took me most of the day to make, but most of it was waiting. Make the batter, wait for the cakes to bake. Panic when the edges bake too quickly and look burnt. Fret that they're not done after half an hour, and wait even more impatiently. Pull them out and wait for them to cool. Get impatient and put them in the freezer. Level and frost the bottom layer, and shove it back in the freezer.<br />
<br />
Go bother the neighbors because you clearly need a break from all this hard work.<br />
<br />
Frost the other half, put it back in the freezer, make ganache. Forget to put it in a double boiler and sort of accidentally make fudge. Break the corn syrup bottle and have to make the glaze without any syrup. Then finally serve the cake.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRSGwVbTtl2POWQ6G-8AiA3umRf_UG7evREofQ3Fiq8XG8FjdJCn8oAoY4Z8iVzK4C4CCdRoWGagqlzTD4H60uoRJvugCnuIj3Vrw89w5FOgA8edryZImNfbL4S7E6LtD7b5Ol2jWIDHg/s1600/IMG_8078-752038.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRSGwVbTtl2POWQ6G-8AiA3umRf_UG7evREofQ3Fiq8XG8FjdJCn8oAoY4Z8iVzK4C4CCdRoWGagqlzTD4H60uoRJvugCnuIj3Vrw89w5FOgA8edryZImNfbL4S7E6LtD7b5Ol2jWIDHg/s320/IMG_8078-752038.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
I was so proud of it. It looked professional. Sort of. It tasted either professional or like it really wanted you to have diabetes. It was extremely rich, and just tasted like peanut butter chocolate love. Papa Bird loves those things. Home run for Father's Day, right?<br />
<br />
Well, not exactly. He was... okay with it. He was tired and not really hungry. He complained it was too rich, too many calories, even with such a small piece. He was tired and dare I say, possibly even a bit grumpy. I was sad I was forcing him to eat a cake he didn't want. I ate an entire huge piece out of spite for everyone who complained.<br />
<br />
But really, it is delicious. Fleur Bird loved it so much he had two pieces and asked me to make it for his wedding. Papa Bird told me last night that he loved it and was sorry to see it all gone. So if you know anyone who loves peanut butter and chocolate and want to see them struggle with an amazingly rich piece of cake.... here's your cake.<br />
<br />
<b>Recipe slightly modified from from <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/chocolate-peanut-butter-cake/" target="new">Smitten Kitchen</a></b><br />
(Makes 16 slices, with 695 calories and $0.86 per slice)<br />
Cake<br />
<li>2 cups all-purpose flour<br />
<li>2.5 cups sugar<br />
<li>3/4 cup cocoa powder<br />
<li>2 teaspoons baking soda<br />
<li>1 teaspoon salt<br />
<li>1 cup canola oil<br />
<li>1 cup sour cream<br />
<li>1.5 cups water<br />
<li>2 tablespoons white vinegar<br />
<li>1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
<li>2 eggs<br />
<ol><li>Preheat oven to 350.<br />
<li>Mix together four, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.<br />
<li>Add oil and sour cream and mix well.<br />
<li>Mix in water 1/2 cup at a time, beating well.<br />
<li>Add in vinegar and vanilla.<br />
<li>Add in eggs and mix very well.<br />
<li>Bake for 35-40 minutes.<br />
</ol>
Peanut Butter Frosting
<li>10 ounces cream cheese<br />
<li>4 ounces butter<br />
<li>5 cups powdered sugar<br />
<li>2/3 cup peanut butter<br />
<ol><li>Beat cream cheese and butter together until fluffy.<br />
<li>Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating well each time.<br />
<li>Add peanut butter, and mix well, being sure to scrap all parts of the bowl.<br />
</ol>
Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze
<li>8 ounces chocolate<br />
<li>3 tablespoons peanut butter<br />
<li>1/2 cup half & half<br />
<ol><li>In a double boiler, melt chocolate and peanut butter.<br />
<li>Cool, being careful to not let set.<br />
<li>Mix in half & half.<br />
<li>Pour over cake as quickly as possible.<br />
</ol>
<br>Today's lessons learned: <ul><li>Cake is not always a great present.<br />
</ul>MsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978933214160980590.post-6405029075076212362011-06-11T23:46:00.002-04:002011-11-09T12:31:06.338-05:00"These are the best muffins you've ever made."I made these muffins a while ago, using apricot jam that I had leftover from making thumbprint cookies. I had a whole second jar of jam, so I brought it to my friend's house to use up more and to leave it with them.<br />
<br />
I made the muffins while they were working on dinner, which was a delicious fish of swordfish steaks, crab cakes, and green beans with garlic and onion. The meal was fantastic, but I won't go into details about it because I did nothing to help prepare it, and it seems unfair to take their credit.<br />
<br />
Around 4:30, I decided I was too hungry to wait for dinner. So was Kendo Bird. So I decided to make the muffins I had promised Darth Bird, while they worked on making the crab cakes and the swordfish.<br />
<br />
They came out of the oven around 4:40.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVOsXLlSGn1puI5DbbFW08vhaLLIf2F3H5J2QQ8K5tBIR5Wf3VZ8C-5PRDr7jot1fT7tabCahEXaPc5VqJq7e43PGAwTfIk7eDbvc3BgLPPA6MxkjtkPtbKbX7S_b6Fq9wpExu_vkVlYc/s1600/IMAG0040-775680.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVOsXLlSGn1puI5DbbFW08vhaLLIf2F3H5J2QQ8K5tBIR5Wf3VZ8C-5PRDr7jot1fT7tabCahEXaPc5VqJq7e43PGAwTfIk7eDbvc3BgLPPA6MxkjtkPtbKbX7S_b6Fq9wpExu_vkVlYc/s320/IMAG0040-775680.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617078816518629010" /></a><br />
<br />
Except for the second one that I spent a while resisting, they were all gone by 4:46.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifabbNe2G9P15Si_eTMhszAs-07KRluKUhp-OkzuEf1rwuy_iQjV8d76VdXQtGZisZGbsD7YX9gIuoWRLBBlZ004uIfX6dpH9IkUCGbNj_EgNZG65jd1C2N5HerSVRob-t0PuN-M3DINI/s1600/IMAG0041-777711.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifabbNe2G9P15Si_eTMhszAs-07KRluKUhp-OkzuEf1rwuy_iQjV8d76VdXQtGZisZGbsD7YX9gIuoWRLBBlZ004uIfX6dpH9IkUCGbNj_EgNZG65jd1C2N5HerSVRob-t0PuN-M3DINI/s320/IMAG0041-777711.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617078826223930050" /></a><br />
<br />
Everyone ate two muffins, while they were still steaming from the oven. I had almost burned my hands getting them out as quickly as I could. And they were instantly destroyed.<br />
<br />
They're also delicious in the mornings, microwaved to the point where the jam is once again hot and bubbly. They're light and, dare I say it, fluffy, with a slight hint of cinnamon in the dough. We've used six different jams now: apricot, black cherry, red plum, peaches, raspberry, and blackberry. I've only eaten the apricot and red plum. We played muffin roulette. Made two dozen muffin, with four of each, put them all on a giant plate, and spun it around. I got red plum, but my diet stopped me from taking two or three more, like I really wanted to.<br />
<br />
These are certainly a new favorite. I can see making these for parties, although I'd love to find a way to make them look prettier...<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMM5WI00MYXY_RfM2Hp96nC8C8vi9gpfyoLFETwMIsqw2QCG7GoaltKMw-ir-clO1ymkfXIkHDFj1FXlvUGLJ7qCdmBNtze6dpGcj6QthVKboT7kwryR2rzr9OOs-HN-FKQNnos0_VjRs/s1600/IMAG0044-738625.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMM5WI00MYXY_RfM2Hp96nC8C8vi9gpfyoLFETwMIsqw2QCG7GoaltKMw-ir-clO1ymkfXIkHDFj1FXlvUGLJ7qCdmBNtze6dpGcj6QthVKboT7kwryR2rzr9OOs-HN-FKQNnos0_VjRs/s320/IMAG0044-738625.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617167134091540514" /></a><br />
<br />
I dunno, they look pretty good on their own.<br />
<br />
<b>Cinnamon Jam Roulette Muffins</b><br />
(Makes 12 muffins, with 126 calories and $0.21 per muffins)<br />
<li>1.5 cups flour<br />
<li>1/2 cup sugar<br />
<li>2.5 teaspoons baking powder<br />
<li>1 teaspoon cinnamon<br />
<li>1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
<li>2/3 cup vanilla yogurt<br />
<li>1/4 cup butter<br />
<li>3 tablespoons milk<br />
<li>1 large egg<br />
<li>1/4 cup jam<br />
<li>1 tablespoon sugar<br />
<li>1/2 teaspoon cinnamon<br />
<ol><li>Preheat oven to 375.<br />
<li>Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and salt. Mix well.<br />
<li>Combine yogurt, butter, milk, and egg in separate bowl.<br />
<li>Add wet ingredients to dry, just combining.<br />
<li>Spoon one tablespoon batter into each liner.<br />
<li>Top each with 1 teaspoon jam, and then top with remaining batter.<br />
<li>Combine extra tablespoon sugar with extra cinnamon, and sprinkle over batter.<br />
<li>Bake for 15 minutes. <br />
</ol>
Today's lessons learned: <ul><li>My friends really, really like muffins.<br />
<li>Six varieties of jam, and no one can decide which was best....<br />
</ul>MsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978933214160980590.post-10560652183393010922011-06-07T00:13:00.000-04:002011-06-07T00:13:23.468-04:00Parsley smells deliciousI wish I could tell you that tonight's dinner was a well-planned out meal I had been intending on eating for the last few days, but it wasn't. I decided it was going to be my dinner at about... 7 o'clock. Mama Bird, Sister Bird, and I went to the grocery store at 7:30, and we sat down to dinner at 9:30. It was one of the worst meal planning days I've had in a few weeks.<br />
<br />
But it was good enough I am writing a post about it only hours after eating it. So at least it was inspiring.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOXduDc9iM0S7dMgHMCW2eO6xrUMGORJhNsnIy-HcNrR-L5cTMPqWCZFKIEumZhoC1jSASzuBNMmQE0JchrvXnGIxmG37s2-yeYfjEFybiXd455JYmkoi3kU9vE-EtsDWOqf568G-OpE8/s1600/IMG_79772-708922.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOXduDc9iM0S7dMgHMCW2eO6xrUMGORJhNsnIy-HcNrR-L5cTMPqWCZFKIEumZhoC1jSASzuBNMmQE0JchrvXnGIxmG37s2-yeYfjEFybiXd455JYmkoi3kU9vE-EtsDWOqf568G-OpE8/s320/IMG_79772-708922.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
I've been stealing Mama Bird's camera for more and more pictures. I think she's going to notice soon.<br />
<br />
Now, as for what this fish actually was... it was very, very easy to make. Perhaps that's why I picked it, because I didn't want to be in the kitchen all night. We had most of the ingredients: we still had fresh parsley from a salad I had made previously, we have an insane amount of lemon juice, and the rest is staples in our house. Except the fish. That we bought fresh.<br />
<br />
And really, this is incredibly easy to make. You blend some parsley, lemon juice, garlic, and then marvel at home wonderful your kitchen smells. Maybe you even call your mother into the kitchen to make her smell it too. She'll agree, but be annoyed you aren't finishing cooking everything else.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUOa3kVIUlW8uEw_puTwVAchpbv3NX8HgMKbqRmGejUULRNBdKkA-obQ-yi6QEWtnz13o4x2l-yj026luPCwunptPJpD86dZw_oQyKngvmtaeZx5GVh7aIowKRwb92cCASbwcTZELpcq0/s1600/IMG_79792-710010.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUOa3kVIUlW8uEw_puTwVAchpbv3NX8HgMKbqRmGejUULRNBdKkA-obQ-yi6QEWtnz13o4x2l-yj026luPCwunptPJpD86dZw_oQyKngvmtaeZx5GVh7aIowKRwb92cCASbwcTZELpcq0/s320/IMG_79792-710010.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
With some green beans and pierogies, it's a a pretty quick meal. I doubled the amount of garlic in the original recipe, and didn't count the exact amount of parsley I used. Next time I would have used slightly less, because I thought there was a bit too much. Maybe that's just because I wanted to use the rest of the parsley mix as a sauce for my green beans.<br />
<br />
And sadly, my family did not enjoy this meal as much as I did. Mama Bird and I liked it, but Sister Bird and Papa Bird didn't. Sister Bird doesn't like fish, and Papa Bird chowed it but said he'd rather eat some 'real meat.' Oh well, I guess not everything can please everyone.<br />
<br />
<b>Recipe from <a href="http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/2011/02/quick-lemon-garlic-fish-289-recipe-145.html" target="new">Budget Bytes</a></b><br />
(Makes 4 servings, with 170 calories and $2.32 per serving)<br />
<li>4 tilapia fillets<br />
<li>1/2 bunch fresh parsley<br />
<li>3 tablespoons lemon juice<br />
<li>4 cloves garlic<br />
<li>2 tablespoons olive oil<br />
<li>1/8 teaspoon black pepper<br />
<ol><li>Preheat oven to 450.<br />
<li>Rinse parsley and put in food processor with lemon juice, olive oil, pepper, and garlic.<br />
<li>Put fillets in baking dish and pour parsley mixture over them.<br />
<li>Bake for 12-15 minutes.<br />
</ol>
<br>Today's lessons learned: <ul><li>Sister Bird and Papa Bird don't like fish. That is sad.<br />
</ul>MsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978933214160980590.post-61809816215618893482011-06-03T15:51:00.002-04:002011-06-03T15:51:00.123-04:00Not eating meat has not killed me.I feel obligated to post under that title because it's been a full week and I haven't updated, which makes me sad. A week without cooking? The only thing sadder is a week with no reading, which I would be totally unable to endure. The more observant of you may notice I posted a button for a 'Books' section, which remains... empty. I will be posting some stuff there once I have a few hours in the evening, because I haven't had a night at home since last Thursday. Which is also why I haven't really been cooking.<br />
<br />
My meatless month is still going well. I don't really crave meat unless someone mentions a specific dish, like my coworker telling me about the rub he used to grill up a few steaks, or smelling fajitas when sitting in a TexMex restaurant. Other than that, I've not missed it nearly as much as I thought I would.<br />
<br />
And as someone pointed out to me, yes, I know it isn't actually vegetarian to eat fish. I'm technically pescetarian for the month. And I have been eating a lot of delicious fish.<br />
<br />
So what have I been eating? Stuffed peppers, tuna-cannellini spinach salads, some pizza, some pasta... and a lot of just mixed veggie salads. Baby corn, red onion, carrot, cucumber, spinach, lettuce, green pepper, and other things I can't even remember. Oh, and I tried a veggie burger from a new local burger joint. Boyfriend Bird ordered a tuna burger, partially because he likes eating things he can't make at home and partially because he'd feel bad eating a huge burger in front of me. The veggie burger was nothing like the ones I would occasionally eat as a child, and it was not bad. But I didn't love it like I wanted to. I'm hoping to make my own and see how they turn out.<br />
<br />
I do have a few recipes to share with you, as well as some pictures of my dog getting filthy in our backyard, but Blogger is being mean about uploading the pictures, so that will be for later. I won't be home until Sunday, but hopefully I'll have the time to bake the next round of muffins and share some of the things I've made.<br />
<br />
After a brief but passionate fling with Mama Bird's camera, I'm thinking of spending a few hundred dollars and buying myself a nice one. Is it crazy to buy a nice camera solely for pictures of food? Something tells me definitely maybe.MsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978933214160980590.post-49055542742547269342011-05-27T17:45:00.000-04:002011-05-27T17:45:00.562-04:00Caramelized Onion SandwichThe vegetarian adventure is going well. My grandparents are visiting right now, and my grandfather enjoyed eating his Denver steak- not the cut, but a recipe I will share here someday- as slowly as possible, and discussing how delicious it was with a big grin. They're here for a week, and I'm thinking it's going to be a very difficult week. But it's nice to see them.<br />
<br />
The decision to make this came from my looking at the archives and realizing I had not made anything off my list of things I had eaten in England, other than that coconut ice I tried to recreate.<br />
<br />
Y'know, that's probably vegetarian too. Maybe I ought to make that this week.<br />
<br />
Anyhow, I realized that re-creating that list was a goal I had set myself that I had made no progress on. Granted, it's not exactly a pressing goal, but... I said I would do it, darn it, and I was going to do it. So the first meatless dish I came to was the <a href="http://rufflingmyfeathers.blogspot.com/2011/02/eating-my-way-through-england.html">onion sandwich</a>, and I cringed slightly.<br />
<br />
I remember how proud of myself I was when I ordered that. A sandwich with no meat? Just vegetables? Well, darned if I wasn't the most cultured American in all of London. Who cares if it came with fries? I was still cultured and proud of it. The smug pride lasted until I took the first bite, and realized it was sweet and served cold.<br />
<br />
It wasn't bad, mind. I ate most of it, as you can tell by the quarter that was left by the time I remembered to take a picture. But it wasn't something I would ever order again. So why would I want to cook one for myself?<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-6mhUNOhaCF8ohzZojdn-9htCWrBk-L_5Pnd7dakNGUYaoFv-Krk4CWIprg1zrrc3IFWx7i8TEOFoVPC6BSCcufRoliVrLP6OSTexeeP55aWegjlyBROYTLOMcKXu0clmWluhnD8qdo/s1600/IMG_8799-727401.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-6mhUNOhaCF8ohzZojdn-9htCWrBk-L_5Pnd7dakNGUYaoFv-Krk4CWIprg1zrrc3IFWx7i8TEOFoVPC6BSCcufRoliVrLP6OSTexeeP55aWegjlyBROYTLOMcKXu0clmWluhnD8qdo/s320/IMG_8799-727401.JPG"/></a><br />
<br />
Because I made mine savory. Worcestershire sauce (also, how English!) instead of sugar, and on toasted bread with melted cheese. And a bit of mustard, because it sounded good. Instead of the fries, I served it with enough broccoli on the side that my sister asked if it was the serving plate for everyone else. She was disappointed. My family was amused by my sandwich, but I enjoyed it.<br />
<br />
It could have been less calories if I had used lighter bread, but I decided I wanted something firm to stand up to the cheese, and because I thought at first the onions would be very oily. They weren't, but the bread was still delicious.<br />
<br />
Hopefully I'll be making more England food after this month is over. But so far, I'm really enjoying the lack of meat. Hopefully Darth Bird is holding up!<br />
<br />
<b>Recipe from <a href="http://www.closetcooking.com/2011/03/beer-bread-caramelized-onion-grilled.html" target="new">Closet Cooking</a>.</b><br />
(Makes 1 sandwich, with 500 calories and $2.38)<br />
<li>Half a large onion<br />
<li>1 tablespoon oil<br />
<li>2 tablespoons water<br />
<li>1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce<br />
<li>1/2 teaspoon thyme<br />
<li>2 slices cheddar cheese<br />
<li>2 slices oatmeal bread<br />
<ol><li>Slice the onion thinly.<br />
<li>Heat up oil, then saute onions until no longer firm.<br />
<li>Reduce heat, add water, and stir occasionally for 15-20 minutes.<br />
<li>Toast bread.<br />
<li>Add Worcestershire and thyme to onions, and scoop on top of bread and cheese.<br />
</ol>
<br>Today's lessons learned: <ul><li>I have come to really like onions, but perhaps not enough for daily onion sandwiches.<br />
<li>Savory onions are much more delicious than sweet onions.<br />
</ul>MsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978933214160980590.post-2084454941658683972011-05-23T17:17:00.001-04:002011-11-09T12:30:58.192-05:00Strawberry Banana Muffins.... and a necklace.For some reason, I wanted to take my picture of this muffin with the necklace that I had recently bought. So I did.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiig8UbEhcsP0btiFa1s2FRCVjU_VB7CJBPNWqWI1aQJb0ofQChmv-CXLzDKix67rlLtaWkcVaLzREgXJRFo-tFlwAquUNEH89RfufoMbBe-p5zTRrzhQOncAgyhk5gnb2mmzjuSNRYdY0/s1600/IMG_7665-726331.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiig8UbEhcsP0btiFa1s2FRCVjU_VB7CJBPNWqWI1aQJb0ofQChmv-CXLzDKix67rlLtaWkcVaLzREgXJRFo-tFlwAquUNEH89RfufoMbBe-p5zTRrzhQOncAgyhk5gnb2mmzjuSNRYdY0/s320/IMG_7665-726331.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
Sadly, I don't have any pictures of the muffins that don't have the necklace, and none of them came out terribly well, so... I wish I had realized that before I ate all of the muffins. The necklace is gorgeous, and can be found on <a href="www.lisaleonardonline.com/Sweet-Simple-Birdie-Necklace-P71C8.aspx">Lisa Leonard Designs</a>. Her pictures of it are much, much better!<br />
<br />
And please, I already have been informed of the irony of a bird wearing a bird necklace.<br />
<br />
As for the muffin... well, I am not a big fan of bananas, so it amused Mama Bird that I would opt to make muffins with bananas. Especially since I had to fight Papa Bird for the bananas, which caused some tension for a few days. But she makes delicious banana bread, so I knew I liked banana flavor, just not something else about them.<br />
<br />
These were much more successful than the cherry muffins. I'm not a huge fan of when I get a bite that's all banana and no strawberry, but I'm sure normal people who like bananas would disagree with me. Even with my disdain for bananas, I thought these were pretty delicious, and they will be staying in the breakfast rotation.<br />
<br />
<b>Recipe from <a href="http://pookiepantry.blogspot.com/2009/04/i-have-problem.html" target="new">A Pookie Pantry</a></b>.<br />
(Makes 17 muffins, with 140 calories and $0.25 per serving)<br />
<li>1/4 cup unsalted butter<br />
<li>1/4 cup applesauce<br />
<li>3/4 cup light brown sugar<br />
<li>2 eggs<br />
<li>1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
<li>2 large ripe bananas<br />
<li>1 cup strawberries<br />
<li>2.25 cups all-purpose flour<br />
<li>1.5 teaspoons baking powder<br />
<li>1/4 teaspoon baking soda<br />
<li>1 teaspoon cinnamon<br />
<li>1/2 teapoon salt<br />
<ol><li>Preheat oven to 350 degrees.<br />
<li>Whisk together brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and mashed bananas.<br />
<li>Add applesauce and melted butter and stir to combine.<br />
<li>In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.<br />
<li>Gently fold in the strawberries, making sure they are coated with flour .<br />
<li>Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not overmix.<br />
<li>Bake 20 to 25 minutes.<br />
</ol>
Today's lessons learned: <ul><li>Bananas: sometimes acceptable.<br />
</ul>MsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978933214160980590.post-54603369764280341192011-05-20T18:05:00.000-04:002011-05-20T18:05:00.882-04:00Mother's Day Baked ZitiThe blog layout finally changed! It's got 99% less birds, 100% less stripes, and 100% more food. Looking at that picture does make me wish I had more of those tacos, though... I'll add them back onto the list of recipes I need to make. First on the list is everything I ate in England. I swear I'll get to that before it's been a full year.<br />
<br />
I wasn't sure what I should have shared today. As the first day of my meatless month thought it'd be fitting to share something vegetarian, but I don't have anything vegetarian I've been waiting to share. I was tempted to post the last muffin recipe I have stored just to make it three muffins in a row, but I decided a real meal every now and then is a good idea too.<br />
<br />
Not that I couldn't live off muffins. You can put fruits and veggies in those, so don't let anyone tell you a muffin isn't a complete meal.<br />
<br />
Mother's day was almost two weeks ago, which is years in blog time. But I never shared when we cooked up for Mama Bird, and that's really a shame, because it was a very filling meal that lasted us for quite a few days.<br />
<br />
Yes, I said what 'we' cooked up. Sister Bird and I told Mama Bird that we would take care of dinner for her on Mother's day. I originally was hoping to make her stuffed zucchini, but Sister Bird isn't quite on-board with my desire to be trying new food, so she vetoed it as soon as it was suggested. But since Mama Bird been's bragging to her about what a good cook I am now, she still wanted me to come up with something for us to make.<br />
<br />
One thing I've learned about my sister over the years is that she loves meaty, cheesey pasta dishes. So I told her we should make ziti. She vetoed the meatless version, too. It was not a terribly healthy dinner, but you can't win them all.<br />
<br />
We also decided to make garlic bread. If I had thought about it more, I would have prepared it differently, but I am rarely known for thinking ahead.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_bk3E7rDIgpV-31IXAf2DNGNrLzSH8Py_9UWra5D2-qY0mivjK161n6q_Yop6Qd8A014Je-CW_wTeB-iG-gW0wRUDHRRh0r7eUdkQCSc2T5X6veDmNS6Zhv8Oc56W4uB3hcEFeO_bnw/s1600/IMG_7666-708184.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_bk3E7rDIgpV-31IXAf2DNGNrLzSH8Py_9UWra5D2-qY0mivjK161n6q_Yop6Qd8A014Je-CW_wTeB-iG-gW0wRUDHRRh0r7eUdkQCSc2T5X6veDmNS6Zhv8Oc56W4uB3hcEFeO_bnw/s320/IMG_7666-708184.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
So I just melted some butter, minced some garlic, and stirred them together for a little, then put them on the bread. It was super garlic-y.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSPrVSCuyi9rZ5Ob63s-LRT3ZmlKJAthqAwltdDxeRCEVrJGXTohPRPqXL3pcPTsEl4gqVn4WyV_rVDHIoNxceNiyiqT8PAVsxgH5wJjNHr661QNAeWmngu8hHfn8ARC3mENNkUd2qro/s1600/IMG_7667-709655.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSPrVSCuyi9rZ5Ob63s-LRT3ZmlKJAthqAwltdDxeRCEVrJGXTohPRPqXL3pcPTsEl4gqVn4WyV_rVDHIoNxceNiyiqT8PAVsxgH5wJjNHr661QNAeWmngu8hHfn8ARC3mENNkUd2qro/s320/IMG_7667-709655.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
Luckily everyone in my life loves garlic. A lot.<br />
<br />
So, if I had thought ahead for the garlic bread, I would not have melted the butter, but just left it soften. Then I could have stirred the minced garlic into it, spread it on the bread, and then broiled it. That would have made sense, instead of spooning melted butter and slightly cooked garlic onto pieces of bread. <br />
<br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDLTwDuZOSX-xo0s3hXPCGJz7DpQBbE0-Z-BF7MFxUGWwPfcxXg9B4xtjch7uofmZb4fP0C9yLfD6bk8ZGY1P1UBVTZp54qRPbK9UImiT1zhAuT1LcsZPpFPDSi3YpAomJ8EiQBjlV0U/s320/IMG_7670-711712.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607286016969129746" /><br />
<br />
The baked ziti was HUGE. I don't mean 'oh, it fed our family and we had leftovers the next day' huge. I mean it fed all four of us, Sister Bird took another fourth of it to school with her, and Mama Bird and I ate it for lunch for another four days. It was so bulky that when I put it in the oven it scraped up against the top. There's still melted cheese in the oven now, and you smell it whenever you use the oven.<br />
<br />
It's been annoying Mama Bird quite a bit. Happy Mother's Day?<br />
<br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBtw-y14RlOpy7YBy3f15tXUefntad5yyo01yt3jfxun-asSXlnQvklmNweML0RYuLyLPr7zyVIujQO5knW2cq4GeaI8pvueGgm3U1LnJ6WM9xfnCCUijYTjE_fO96SGbiK8JC2wUjjPM/s320/IMG_7672-713851.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607286025425455202" /><br />
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These pictures were extremely rushed, because we were all quite hungry by the time it came out of the oven. Well, I saw all of us, but maybe it was just me. It's so hard to tell sometimes.<br />
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Overall, it was a little sweet for me. I don't care for sweetness in most main dishes, and although I think my family agreed it was slightly sweet, no one else had that problem. Don't get me wrong: this was still a meaty, cheesy, pile of delicious pasta. I would have just upped the red pepper flakes and most likely included Sriracha if I had been making it for myself and friends instead of Mama Bird. I also think this was really closer to 16 servings than 12, but we had eaten signifcant salads and a fair bit of super garlic-y bread before we really got into it.<br />
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<b>Recipe from <a href="http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/baked_ziti/" target="new">Simply Recipes</a>.</b><br />
(Makes 12 6 ounce servings, with 441 calories and $2.37 per serving)<br />
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<li>1 pound ziti pasta<br />
<li>1 pound ground beef, pork, sausage, or a mix<br />
<li>1 onion<br />
<li>3-4 garlic cloves<br />
<li>3/4 tablespoon basil<br />
<li>1 tablespoon thyme<br />
<li>1 tablespoon rosemary<br />
<li>1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes<br />
<li>32 ounces marinara sauce<br />
<li>1/2 pound mozzarella cheese<br />
<li>1 cup ricotta<br />
<li>1 cup parmesan<br />
<ol><li>Preheat oven to 350.<br />
<li>Bring a pot of water to boil, and cook pasta.<br />
<li>Brown the meat, adding onion and garlic whenever desired.<br />
<li>Add herbs once meat has been browned, and stir well.<br />
<li>Cook about a minute, then add tomato sauce and bring to a simmer.<br />
<li>Spread a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of casserole pan.<br />
<li>Spread half of the ricotta over the sauce.<br />
<li>Mix some of the sauce with the pasta, and then add to pan.<br />
<li>Spoon the remaining sauce over the pasta, and layer with cheese.<br />
<li>Bake in the oven until top is browned, about 20 minutes.<br />
</ol>
<br>Today's lessons learned: <ul><li>When putting stuff in the oven, make sure there's enough room for it. If not, move the racks down.<br />
<li>Don't get cheese inside the oven, it will smell like burning for weeks.<br />
</ul>MsBrownBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14047058062635025650noreply@blogger.com0