Monday, July 6, 2009
Chronicles of a Bungled Real Estate Deal
Menu Planning
| DATE | BREAKFAST | LUNCH | DINNER | |
| MONDAY | 7/6 | CEREAL | SANDWICHES | Tuna Melts |
| TUESDAY | 7/7
| TOAST | LEFTOVERS | Tomato Spaghetti Cups |
| WEDNESDAY | 7/8 | YOGURT | SOUP | Recipe Experiment Night |
| THURSDAY | 7/9 | FRUIT | CHEESE & FRUIT | French Onion Soup |
| FRIDAY | 7/10 | OATMEAL | C.O.R.N. | Polynesian Chicken Pasta Salad |
| SATURDAY | 7/11 | Shirred Eggs | leftovers | Peach Pork Chops & Potatoes |
| SUNDAY | 7/12 | Huevos con Yummy | Chicken Posole | Stuffed Shells |
Healthy Helpings at the KrAzY KiTcHeN
Sunday, July 5, 2009
"Laverne DeFazio" ROAST ~ Simply Delicious Sunday


1 can pepsi
3+/- pound pot roast, with good marbling
1 large onion, sliced thin
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 pound mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic, jar
1 package KNORR brown gravy mix
1 tablespoon Better than Bouillon Beef base
Kosher salt and white pepper
- Bring roast to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Brown the roast, generously ~ salt and peppering it.
- Whisk together the milk, pepsi, bouillon base and gravy mix.
- Surround roast with onions and mushrooms.
- Pour Milk/Coke mixture over roast.
- Bake for at least 3 hours undisturbed. Depending on the thickness of the roast it will probably take 4-5 hours for a thick 3 pound roast until the meat begins to fall apart. You should be able to cut your roast with a fork.
- The combination of ingredients makes its own gravy that is soooooooooooooooooo good.
What really matters
If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
~ Red, White & Blue Swap ~


Simple Summer Suppers ~ Seafood Salad and Parmesan Rolls

2 bunches green onions, chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 can albacore tuna, drained
1 can bay shrimp drained, or 1 cup fresh
1 large lemon, juiced
1/4 cup mayonnaise
salt & pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Mix melted butter and olive oil. Dip tops of rolls into butter mixture and then into the Parmesan cheese. Broil until golden and crusty.
Be sure to head over to The KrAzY KiTcHeN and join this great new meme.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Friday Fill-Ins

hosted by Janet Friday Fill-Ins
2. Laughter truly is the best medicine.
3. It's late, but never too late to make your life happy!
4. Kiss me goodnight always is the sign above my bed.
5. My eyes have seen way too many changes in the world today.
6. Love strongly.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to finishing my book, tomorrow my plans include painting, painting and more painting and Sunday, I want to work in the studio!
There is a new meme in town ~ Monday Munchies
Monday Munchies will focus on quick and and healthy snacks that are both kid-friendly and budget-friendly. The simple recipes and short ingredient lists are designed to make cooking and eating easy and fun for kids, college students, busy moms and anyone else in need of a few fresh snack ideas. Each one will include modifications so kids can make it themselves or to make the food more appealing to picky kids, plus sometimes a few substitutions to make the recipe healthier.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Dietary Missing Links
- In-N-Out Animal Style burger
- A Dunkin' donut (any donut, there are none here, I mean absolutely NO donut shops)
- Chuy's Mesquite Broiler home of the Killer chicken & beef
- Round Table Italian Garlic Lover's Supreme
- Sea Chest Oyster Bar
- Prime Rib and Garlic Bread from the Smoke House

- Rock Inn Burger and Fries
- Crazy Otto's breakfast
- Sierra's Mexican Food
- Buca di Beppo and Capo's the original Las Vegas SpeakeasyItalian Food
- Carrot Cake (and the rest of their menu too) from Stonefire Grill
- Elephant Bar Restaurant
Remember when they were a penny?
Show & Tell Friday is Hosted by Kelli at There is No Place Like Home.
RaspStrawberry Pound Cake


1 stick butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
2 JUMBO or 3 small eggs
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp almond extract
1 box raspberries
1 box strawberries
1 tablespoon orange zest
sugar
- Wash berries and drain well.
- Slice into small pieces and sprinkle with sugar.
- Toss with orange zest.
- Chill while preparing pound cake.
- Cream sugar, butter and shortening.
- Add eggs and salt. Cream well.
- Add remaining ingredients.
- Pour into prepared loaf pan.
- Put into cold oven.
- Set temperature to 325 degrees.
- Bake 1 hour or until knife comes out clean
- Cool 15 minutes and remove from pan.
- Cool completely before serving.
- Top with berry mixture and a scoop of ice cream.
- Enjoy.




Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Jen over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Favorite Ingredient Friday is hosted by Overwhelmed with Joy
Trista over at Southern Fried Mama hosts Tasty Thursday
Tuesdays at the Table is normally hosted by Andrea over at My Chihauhau Bites but Andrea is taking a break while she has her baby and is being hosted by Cole for a while.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Wednesday Wish List
My cousin Jenn over at What I did at School today bought me my first one and I absolutely adore sugar mold candles and this one from Napastyle with the stand is perfect for more than candles.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Food for Thought
Perfect Party Cake at Tuesday's with Dorie.
TIPS FOR MAKING A PERFECT PERFECT PARTY CAKE
- Make sure the butter is VERY soft, the consistency of mayonnaise, before mixing
- Have the egg white and buttermilk at room temperature too
- If there is grated lemon zest in the batter, makes sure it is very finely grated as with a microplane, not a box grater – large pieces of zest can weigh down the batter and prevent full leavening from taking place
- Use buttermilk instead of milk (the acidity promotes faster setting during baking and also weakens the gluten in the batter)
- Buy a fresh can of baking powder
- Use bleached, not unbleached, all-purpose flour (If you’re using cake flour, make sure it is NOT self-rising)
- Test the layers for doneness with the point of a knife or a toothpick rather than relying on a timer to determine doneness – if the layers are over baked and a little dry, the texture could seem rubbery
- Wrap and chill or freeze the layers as soon as they cool – leaving them uncovered at room temperature for a long time could also dry them out
Monday, June 29, 2009
Stretch Your Food Dollar

Don't forget to join us at The Krazy Kitchen for the Stretch Your Food Dollar Wednesday meme that begins July 1st. We look forward to seeing you there.
Chocolate Upside Down Cake
Chocolate Upside Down Cake is posted over at The Krazy Kitchen today.
BLT Pasta Salad
2 cups prepared and chilled pasta (shell macaroni or bowtie looks best)
3/4 pound bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled (save out a bit for garnish)
1/2 cup diced red onion
2 medium firm tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 - 2 cups iceberg lettuce, chopped**
1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise*
1 cup bleu cheese dressing*
- Whisk the mayonnaise and bleu cheese together.
- Pour over the prepared ingredients.
- Toss all together in a large bowl.
- Garnish top with bacon.
- Chill for several hours prior to serving.
**If you plan to have leftovers, toss with lettuce just prior to serving each time.



Menu Planning
| DATE | BREAKFAST | LUNCH | DINNER | |
| MONDAY | 6/29 | CEREAL | SANDWICHES | French Onion Soup |
| TUESDAY | 6/30
| TOAST | LEFTOVERS | Seafood Salad |
| WEDNESDAY | 7/1 | YOGURT | SOUP | SAUTEED POTATOES & ONIONS |
| THURSDAY | 7/2 | FRUIT | CHEESE & FRUIT | JAPANESE CUCUMBER SALAD & CARROT TEMPURA |
| FRIDAY | 7/3 | OATMEAL | C.O.R.N. | POTATOES TAMY |
| SATURDAY | 7/4 | FRENCH TOAST | leftovers | GRILLED SAUSAGE & CORN |
| SUNDAY | 7/5 | SCRAMBLED EGGS & TOAST | Tuna Salad | GRILLED CHICKEN & SALAD |
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Oh my, what have we started? AKA the birth of a BLOG
Balsamic Peach Chicken
1/3 cup peach preserves
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup hot water
1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon chicken base
2 cups diced or thinly sliced cooked chicken pieces*
1 1/2 cups prepared brown rice
- Prepare rice and set aside, but keep warm.
- In a small saucepan bring the water, vinegar, preserves, bouillon and brown sugar to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for several minutes.
- Spray a skillet with pure. Stir fry the chicken pieces until heated through.
- Add the vinegar mixture and blend well.
- Add the rice and heat through.
- Serve and Enjoy.
If you'd like to play along, please add this button and link to this post on your post. Be sure to include your recipe in parenthesis following your name. Thanks and have fun. Don't forget to leave a comment and visit everyone. I try not to complicate matters with too many rules, but I do ask that you please use a SDS badge or link back to 3 Sides of Crazy in some way. Thanks.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
House Update - Chronicles of a Bungled Real Estate Deal - It's Official & an ICE Room

This room is made of poured concrete, lathe and plaster which made it extremely difficult to work with. I just couldn't deal with more lathe and plaster tear out, so we created a new wall structure along the old walls in which to change this ICE room into a Mud room/broom closet/recyclables/gardener's shed.



Even though it is storage room, I want to get it looking nice as it is the first thing you see when you walk in from the side door, which ironically is the door most people tend to use.



Rainy afternoon
Spice interactions
| Omit | High | Medium | Low | Very Low |
| 90 to 1,150 mcg | 60 to 90 mcg | 30 to 60 mcg | 10 to 30 mcg | 5 to 10 mcg |
| kale | okra | Chinese cabbage | tomato paste | cashew nuts 1 ounce |
| collards | cabbage | lettuce romaine or cos | mixed vegetables | split peas |
| spinach | rhubarb | celery | blackberries | lima beans |
| turnip greens | plums dried stewed | coleslaw | blueberries fresh | squash winter |
| beet greens | cowpeas or blackeye | peas edible pod | cabbage red | prune juice |
| mustard greens | cabbage Savoy | plums dried 5 prunes | mangos 1 fruit | |
| Brussels sprouts | cabbage | artichokes | duck (1/2 cooked) | |
| broccoli | blueberries frozen | grapes red or green | salad dressing Italian 1 tbsp | |
| onions Spring or scallion | pumpkin | cauliflower | salad dressing Russian 1 tbsp | |
| dandelion greens | peas green | carrots | beef stew | |
| parsley 10 sprigs | tuna fish in oil 3 ounces | miso | papaya 1 fruit | |
| spinach noodles | carrot juice | cucumber peeled | oat cereal cooked | |
| asparagus | spaghetti sauce | yellow snap beans | pears | |
| sauerkraut | mung bean sprouts | green snap beans | muffins oat bran | |
| endive | soybeans cooked | vegetable soup | soy milk | |
| lettuce green leaf | kiwi fruit 1 medium | salad dressing French 1 tbsp | peppers sweet red | |
| French fried potatoes 1 large fast food serving | soup split pea | |||
| cauliflower | soup clam chowder | |||
| raspberries | seaweed kelp 2 tbsp | |||
| biscuit with egg & sausage fast food (1) | chickpeas or garbanzo beans cooked | |||
| salad dressing vinegar & oil 1 tbsp | fruit cocktail | |||
| pine nuts | peppers hot chili green | |||
| tomatoes fresh | chives 1 tbsp | |||
| salad dressing blue or Roquefort 1 tbsp | peppers hot chili red | |||
| bread stuffing 1/2 cup | squash summer | |||
| turkey patties breaded battered fried 1 patty | soup vegetarian vegetable | |||
| seeds pumpkin or squash roasted | peaches dried 3 halves | |||
| lettuce iceberg | refried beans | |||
| peppers sweet green | pinto beans | |||
| vegetable juice cocktail | avocado 1 ounce | |||
| potatoes mashed | figs dried (2) | |||
| pickle relish 1 tbsp | red kidney beans | |||
| Asian pear | mayonnaise salad dressing 1 tbsp | |||
| pickles dill (1) | potatoes hash brown | |||
| chestnuts | apricots canned | |||
| plums purple canned | sweet potatoes | |||
| salad dressing thousand island 1 tbsp | tomato juice | |||
| alfalfa seed sprouts | peaches frozen | |||
| fruit leathers 1 ounce | ||||
| raisins | ||||
| chili con carne | ||||
| honeydew melon |
Daring Bakers ~ Bakewell Tart ...er...pudding
Like many regional dishes there’s no “one way” to make a Bakewell Tart…er…Pudding, but most of today’s versions fall within one of two types. The first is the “pudding” where a layer of jam is covered by an almondy pastry cream and baked in puff pastry. The second is the “tart” where a rich shortcrust pastry holds jam and an almondy sponge cake-like filling. The version we’re daring you to make is a combination of the two: a sweet almond-flavoured shortcrust pastry, frangipane and jam.
The Challenge was
• Rough Durations: Please see individual recipe elements to see how much time you’ll need. You may pull it together in more time or less—it all depends upon your kitchen’s pace. You can complete the tart in an afternoon, or break it up into a couple of days by making the pastry one day in advance.
• Measurements: These recipes were developed using weight and not volume metrics, so for better results, pull out your scales. We’ve done our best with the Metric to Imperial conversions.
• A giant tart, medium tarts or little tartlettes: We’ll leave that to you.
• Mandatory and Optional Elements
Mandatory element 1: Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
Yes, it’s a pie pastry. Don’t look at us like that. It’s sweet and tender and it’s not scary…and we’re encouraging you to do it by hand and put the food processor away (but if you really want to pull out the gadget, go ahead).
Mandatory element 2: Frangipane
We love onomatopoeia of frangipane: it’s rich, sweet and feels slightly luxurious, and can be used in several confections.
Optional element: Home made jam or curd - I used homemade Raspberry Jam.
Bakewell Tart…er…pudding
Makes one 23cm (9” tart)
Prep time: less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements)
Resting time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Equipment needed: 23cm (9”) tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin
One sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)
Bench flour
250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz) jam or curd, warmed for spreadability
One quantity frangipane (recipe follows)
One handful blanched, flaked almonds
Jasmine’s notes:
• If you cannot have nuts, you can try substituting Victoria sponge for the frangipane. It's a pretty popular popular cake, so you shouldn't have any troubles finding one in one of your cookbooks or through a Google search. That said, our dear Natalie at Gluten a Go Go has sourced some recipes and linked to them in the related alt.db thread.
• You can use whichever jam you wish, but if you choose something with a lot of seeds, such as raspberry or blackberry, you should sieve them out.
• The jam quantity can be anywhere from 60ml (1/4 cup) to 250ml (1cup), depending upon how “damp” and strongly flavoured your preserves are. I made it with the lesser quantity of home made strawberry jam, while Annemarie made it with the greater quantity of cherry jam; we both had fabulous results. If in doubt, just split the difference and spread 150ml (2/3cup) on the crust.
Annemarie’s notes:
• The excess shortcrust can be rolled out and cut into cookie-shapes (heck, it’s pretty darned close to a shortbread dough).
Sweet shortcrust pastry
Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)
Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling film
225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 (2) egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)
15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water
Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater*. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.
Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.
Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes
Jasmine’s notes:
• I make this using vanilla salt and vanilla sugar.
• If you wish, you can substitute the seeds of one vanilla bean, one teaspoon of vanilla paste or one teaspoon of vanilla extract for the almond extract
Frangipane
Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula
125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
3 (3) eggs
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract
125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
30g (1oz) all purpose flour
Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.
Annemarie’s notes:
• Add another five minutes or more if you're grinding your own almonds or if you're mixing by hand (Heaven help you).
Assembling the tart
Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 200C/400F.
Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.
The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish. When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.
*One of the reasons I joined Daring Kitchen was to learn new things. No matter how much experience you have, there is always something new to learn. This little trick for cutting butter into pastry was an awesome learn!



















































