Cooking blog round-up

Disclaimer: When I was a journalist, I hated blogs. I found them to be unfounded sources of gossip and basically no better than your average tabloid. Then again, I used to live in a community with an active blog presence that had an ongoing ... rivalry? ... with the newspaper I worked for. I don't know if rivalry was the word, but I worked at a twice-weekly newspaper and the relationship I had with the bloggers reminded me of how much I hated radio broadcasts and TV broadcasters when I worked at dailies. This hatred probably stems from my competitiveness and hating to be scooped, etc.

Anyway - that was a weird rant ... back on topic! Now, as the proprietor of not one but THREE blogs, you can probably tell I'm something of a blog addict. And this cooking blog came from reading a lot of excellent ones that are out there on the blogosphere.

I thought I'd take today and share a handful of the really good ones that I like:

1) This one IS first because I wouldn't have half the recipes in my bookmarks without it: www.foodgawker.com I'm going to warn you right off - if you like cooking, you might become an addict after visiting what has to be classified as foodie porn. People from all over the world (I get aggravated by the metric system on a regular basis with this site ...) submit pictures and suggestions to the moderators of this site, who in turn post the creme de la creme of food recipes from the blogosphere on this site on a daily basis.

2) ThePioneerWoman.com is also an incredible web site that I access daily. I wouldn't go as far as saying the PW adheres to the "simple and lazy" mantra, but she has some of the most accessible recipes that I've found on the Net. She also has a wicked sense of humor and a writing style that I really admire.

3) Dragon's Kitchen. Again, not the "simple and lazy" category, but this person has some incredible recipes up her sleeve.

4) I include this one because I admire this person's tenacity: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/
This woman has vowed to post one recipe per day for a year using nothing but her collection of crock pots. Not every recipe is a winner, but there are some good things to be found.

Macaroni Redux

This is a pan of perfection

I told you all the other night that I am trying to perfect cheese sauce for my beloved macaroni. Well, my friend Mariah just made it easier for me by sending me her family's recipe for cheese sauce. And trust me ... it is perfection:

Cheese Sauce

(Note from Mariah: For your mac & cheese, here's a recipe for a cheese sauce. We used it for mac & cheese, on peeled, cubed & boiled potatoes, on peas, on broccoli, on cauliflower. My aunt makes sure there is some every Thanksgiving & Christmas to go on her mashed potatoes ...But, I admit, this recipe kind of sparks a battle between my Midwestern upbringing & my more recent desire to not eat super-processed foods (e.g. Velveeta))

(Ed. note: I hear you sista! But Velveeta is soooo goood! :)

2 T butter or margarine

2 T flour

1 C milk

Velveeta

Melt butter in saucepan over med heat, stir in flour. Add milk, a little salt & pepper. Cook until thickened, stirring frequently. Add 3-4 (or more) thick slices of Velveeta. Stir until melted into sauce. Pour over whatever you've got.

Apologies!

One of my goals when I started this was to have pictures when I posted recipes so you could get a glimpse at what something should look like. (Then again, if you don't know what a pancake looks like, I must ask what rock you might have been living under.)

But happy days are ahead. I took pictures of the baked spaghetti (I made that last weekend when the Swensons were over and before letting them dig in, I had to snap a couple of pics - I'm such a gracious host) and I even modified the awesome macaroni and cheese to make a decadent no-bake version. And yes, I took pictures of that - even before Ryan spooned his up he asked me if I had a chance to take pictures yet.

Thanks everyone for reading - it has been awesome to hear feedback and to even have my mom ask how one of her co-workers knew how this blog existed (thanks Facebook!). There's lots more coming ahead and I'm really excited.

Some things to look forward to:

• Interview with one of my favorite cooks in the whole, wide world! My buddy Erin is renowned for his corn bread, his olive flatbread, his homemade mac and cheese, his vodka penne pasta, his tres leche cake - hell, I don't think I've ate ANYTHING of his that I haven't adored. He's also great about handing out leftovers.
• An Italian dinner party with my friend Will. Hell, he hasn't scheduled it yet and I just volunteered to help if he needed (yeah - my Italian skills go as far as spaghetti and tiramisu - it will be the blind leading the blind.).
• More awesome recipes than you can shake a stick at.

Depending on how things go, I might increase the frequency of how often I post, because I have a lot of seasonal recipes up my sleeve and what's the point of giving you a pumpkin cheesecake recipe in April? So please stay tuned!

Ham and Bean Soup: Crockpot Style

This is another one of my mama's specialties although I have some pretty fond memories of eating this soup with my Grandma Boots. This is the ubiquitous Ewing recipe for ham & bean soup - grandma always made this in her stockpot, my mom modified it to make in her 6 qt. Crockpot. Mom always has a crock of this ready if I'm coming home for a weekend and leaves it on the "low" or "keep warm" setting until it's gone or until she's packing me some leftovers to take home. This is one of those soups that just gets better as it sits:

Ham & Bean Soup - crockpot method

1 lb. dried white beans (I use great northern, baby limas are also good)
1 ham hock (look near the chicken gizzards if you're having a hard time finding this rarity)
3 carrots, sliced (since this is overnight, kind of give 'em a medium density so they don't fall apart in your crock)
2 celery, sliced
**Mom has also been known to peel and slice a couple of potatoes into her crockpot ... it's good, but these days I'm trying to avoid carbohydrate overload. But I'm eating bean soup ... never mind.


Dump the lot together in a 6-quart crockpot, fill the rest of the space with water and start cooking overnight on the "low" setting. (No sense in rushing this awesomeness.) In the morning, the hock will be ready to strip the meat that's hunkering around the bone. It's kind of a disgusting process, but take a slotted spoon, take the hock out and use a fork to get the good stuff away from the fat and the bone and put it back into the soup. If you've cooked this for a good 8 or so hours, the beans will be tender enough to eat, but if you're from my family - why would you? Park your crockpot at the "keep warm" setting. This soup will be darn near perfect at around lunch time. It will be even better for dinner. (This is the point where Ryan is glaring at me to shut the crock pot off. So I will, my mom probably wouldn't.)

Bean soup freezes relatively well (if you have any leftovers ...), but I'm warning you - this needs a ton of salt. I usually let people add their own, but it definitely needs some sodium. You could probably toss a bay leaf in as well when this is cooking, but other than salt and pepper, I keep the spices to a minimum. This soup will stand on its own.

Homemade Pancakes: You Don't Need No Bisquick!

Prior to my life with my future husband, I actually learned how to make pancakes from scratch. OK - so that isn't rocket science, but considering I came from a household where pancakes came out of a box (whether it was powder or frozen), I consider this to be a huge achievement. But the reason I know how to make homemade pancakes is because of my dear friend and former roommate (and future bridesmaid) Gretchen. I lived with Gretchen when we went to Malta during our junior year of college. On Sunday morning, Gretchen would treat the flatmates to a breakfast of homemade pancakes. And even if she went out the night before and decided to not get up until afternoon the next day, she'd come home, make a bowl of batter and leave it in the fridge for the early risers. Gretchen learned to make pancakes from her father Rick and when I asked her for the recipe she said it was probably from Betty Crocker. But it's all good.


Homemade Pancakes

1 1/4 c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 T sugar
1 egg
1 c. milk
2 T oil
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients together. Cook on a griddle that's heated to 340 degrees or in a frying pan. (If the pan is not hot enough, you'll know ... trust me ... you'll know.)

Monday Madness: Meet my Mama

This is going to be an occasional feature where I interview some of my favorite cooks and ask them some random questions about cooking. Of course, I cannot begin this feature without quizzing the mother of all cooks - or actually, just the mother of me (and my brother ...). My mom Sharon.

What's one of your first cooking memories? My Grandma Schlitter making pies. According to my mom, Grandma Schlitter had miniature pie tins and would make individual pies for her grandkids.

What is your go-to recipe if you have an event to attend and you've been asked to bring a dish? Mom's known for two recipes that are requested time and again - her spinach strawberry salad and her chicken and rice.

What is your favorite food? My mom closes her eyes and seems to go in a trance. Mashed potatoes and gravy - with homemade brown pork gravy. (You see where I get my taste for food?) Mom's other favorite food is homemade gingerbread cake - another recipe of my Grandma Schlitter's.

Why do you cook? Because I like to cook. I find myself standing at the stove with my hand on my hip just like I always saw my mother doing. Mom stops a second and glares when she sees that I'm grinning at her. "You're like your mom?" I ask, very cheekily. I stopped doing that because I am not my mother. (Editor's note ... it's just a long story. And if you're a woman, you probably understand that your biggest fear growing up is that you'll turn out to be just like your mother. But that does not apply to this editor. ... love you ma!)


Words of wisdom for other cooks: To hell with anyone else, cook what you like.

My mama's the hot chick on the left. The other swell chicks are my cousin Trix (middle) and my Aunt Sue - another culinary goddess.

Mama's Spinach Strawberry Salad

1 bag of prewashed baby spinach
1 c. Craisins
1 can of mandarin oranges, drained
Raspberry vinaigrette dressing with poppyseeds (Mom uses Kraft dressing ... I think)

Combine all ingredients, toss with dressing right before serving. If you're looking for a little extra crunch, slivered almonds or chopped walnuts are a good addition.

Domestic female seeking ...

... crockpot and soup recipes. It's getting to be that time of year when I love hot food but am too lazy to cook when I get home. (What else is new, right?) But since the grill has gone the way of the corner of the garage, I'm ready to fire up the crock pot.

Feel free to leave me a comment or shoot me an email at shelleybakes@gmail.com

Let me get you started with this gem from About.com:


Crockpot Lasagna


Ingredients:
2 pounds lean ground beef
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
48-ounce jar chunky pasta sauce
8-ounce can tomato sauce
14-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
15-ounce container part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 egg, beaten
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
16 ounce package mafalda noodles (mini lasagna noodles)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation: In a large skillet, brown ground beef with chopped onions and garlic. Season with season salt and pepper to taste. Drain thoroughly. Add spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and water. Simmer 10 - 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, parsley, egg, and beat well. Add half of the mozzarella cheese. In 5-6 quart crockpot, pour 1 cup of the beef sauce. Then top with a layer of mafalda noodles. Top with1 cup mozzarella cheese, more ground beef sauce, then a layer of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers to fill crockpot 3/4 full. Cover crockpot and cook on low for 6-7 hours - DO NOT STIR. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve. Serves 8-10.