Freezer Banking for your Future!

The new year is officially back in full swing.  Kids are back in school, noses back to grindstones and schedules are back to a better, manageable flow.   Goals that were set have been put into play. I am sure many of you have done the same  I have been busy working on a number of projects, 

The one thing that I really want to do this year is more freezer banking!  This is also known by other names such as "bulk cooking" "Freezer Meals" and things like that.  I like the term freezer banking because that explains the task to a tee!  I don't want to spend an entire day or two preparing a months worth of meals, because, truth be told, I am not the biggest fan of leftovers.  In fact, I really kind of loathe them.  That is not to say I don't eat them, but anyone who knows me, knows that leftovers are simply eaten in an effort to not waste, which is one of my biggest pet peeves.  There are a few dishes that I actually enjoy leftover, such as spaghetti, chili and stuffed cabbage, mostly I don't like reheated whole meats such as grilled and roasted chicken, steak and/or pork.  In their ground versions, they seem to be more palatable when leftover, but for the most part, I am always looking for better ways to reinvent my leftovers and fool myself into eating them.

I know that I am not alone!  I know that somewhere out there, among you there are people just like me.  You know who you are!  I would rather eat cold leftovers than reheat them.  I have been known to indulge and enjoy cold spaghetti or takeout cashew chicken, right from the paper carton!  Meatballs are better cold than reheated and chicken is definitely something that is best eating out of hand cold straight from the fridge than reheated and rubbery.  There is a solution to the leftover dilemma that I face and freezer banking is the answer.

I have found that when making anything from soups to casseroles to bakes, making enough for two, three or four meals all at one time is just as easy to achieve as making enough for a single meal.  The difference here is in the construction.  Building the dish and then preparing it for the freezer before the final cooking is the secret to never having a leftover 'tasting" meal.  At least that is what I think.  The best part about freezer banking is that you end up stocking your freezer over time and rotating out what you are eating instead of filling up the freezer and being forced to eat what you thought you might like to have for an entire month or two or even three in some cases.  Bulk cooking works for some, but for me, it isn't something I enjoy.

Freezer banking is also an option for people who don't wish to do home canning.  It is a way for you to make extra, freeze and have a meal ready anytime you need it.  We all have those nights when we didn't thaw out the meat or we just don't have the energy to decide what to have for supper.  When you have a freezer full of options this is never a problem.  Just open the door, choose your dinner, pop in the oven and multi task away.  Add a few sides like fresh salad and crunch bread or biscuts if you like and dinner is served, hot and ready, while you were getting important stuff done, like laundry, quality time or "me" time.  

Lots of dishes lend themselves to freezer banking, with some exceptions.  I have freezer banked the following items that my family loves:

This is just a few examples of things that I have freezer banked in the past and some I actually have in my freezer right now.  These are a great way to have a meal ready to go that you can work into your menu rotation and not have a bunch of work to do when you get home from work.  It frees up time when you know you will be busy and still allows you to feed your family a healthy and nutritious meal while avoiding the drive through.  It also helps you save money because you are able to take advantage of what is on sale that particular week and stretch that savings to a couple of other meals.

Coming soon, I will be helping you to focus on how to start freezer banking in your own life.  You don't have to spend days cooking pounds of ground beef and shredding pounds of cheese and eating the same things over and over again just to save money, time and effort.  You can just do it a little at a time and build your freezer bank to suit your own needs.  

I hope this inspires you to want to freezer bank on your own as well.  I think we all do this to some degree, but if we ramp it up just a little you might be surprised at how much you can save in so many ways!

So the next time you make something for dinner.  Think about how you can turn that into an opportunity for freezer banking.  My year is already off to a great start and I have high aspirations for the rest of the year!  Let's all try to make freezer banking a habit!

Sweet & Spicy Cola Riblets! Delicious Game Day Food For a Crowd on the Cheap!

Here is a recipe for a simple and delicious offering for your next party, potluck, picnic, tailgate party, or Super Bowl gathering!  Sweet and spicy cola riblets are cost effective and extremely tasty.  You can cook up a big batch of these tasty morsels for a little bit of cash and have these cooking while you visit with your guests or watch the big game!

Riblets are a cut of meat that was once simply thrown out by the butcher.  They are what is considered an "off cut" in butchering terms.   Wikipedia explains riblets this way:

            A riblet is an alternative to ribs. The actual riblet is the portion of a loin back rib (or baby back rib) that is cut off at the top (nearest the back bone) to give the rib a more uniform look. Loin back ribs don't always have this removed. When not removed they have a rounded look to them and are often referred to as baby back ribs. Riblets used to be thrown out by butchers, but have become popular due to their excellent flavor and lower cost.

Button ribs (or feather bones) are often confused with riblets mostly because Applebee's sells these as "riblets". In fact, what Applebee's sells is found just past the ribs near the back bone, just underneath the tenderloin. This cut of meat actually has no bones, but instead has "buttons" of cartilaginous material with meat attached. The riblet cut was invented in Brisbane, Australia in 1986 by an English man named Robert Wilson, who was born in Liverpool.

Rib tips (or brisket) are found at the bottom of the spare ribs by the sternum. The rib tips have a high proportion of cartilage. The rib tips give the spare ribs a rounded appearance. In an attempt to give the meat a more uniform appearance and make it easier to eat, this piece is sometimes removed, and the remaining spare ribs are referred to as Saint Louis style ribs.

This batch of ribs will be the easiest you have ever made, because they are baked off and then slow cooked the rest of the way.  I love this method because I am actually not the best at making ribs.  So these fit the bill when my husband wants ribs and I don't want to pay for an expensive restaurant dinner.  This is also the best way to feed a crowd some delicious ribs!

I did a basic dry rub, or really a sprinkle of some of my favorite rib rub on these tiny racks of riblets.  I just shingled the meat on a rack that was placed on a baking sheet that I lined with both foil and parchment paper to make clean up easy.  I just sprinkled the rub on one side of the meat.  I sprinkled my favorite Szeged Rib Rub as well as some garlic powder, cracked pepper and good, old fashioned seasoned salt on the riblets.  

I placed them into a 350 degree oven for about a half hour.  I was able to get all 10 pounds of ribs on to two sheet pans and I roasted them on separate racks in the oven, offset from each other and made sure to switch them half way through cooking to ensure even roasting.

When they were done roasting, they were delicious on their own, but we moved on and put the riblet racks into the vessle of the slow cooker then built the sauce!  

Brown sugar, Chipoltle peppers with a bit of their adobo as well as some grainy mustard, molasses and about three cups of a good quality, all natural, cane sugar cola were stirred together to make a wonderful elixir in which the ribs could slow cook. We cooked these for 2 hours on high and another 2 hours on low.  We cooked ours until they were falling off the bone tender.

We at a wonderful supper that night and I allowed the rest of the riblets to cool completely, and put my clean hands in there to remove all the little "button bones" from the pot.  This took a bit longer than I thought because every time I thought I was done, I found more bones.  Be warned, when you do this, you will want to warn your family that they need to be careful of any remaining bones when you serve the leftovers as pulled pork on sandwiches with delicious buns and coleslaw!

Less than eight dollars will give you enough riblet racks for a crowd or enough to feed your family at least three meals.  In my book that is one really awesome way to stretch your dollar! 

I hope you will give these delicious sweet and spicy cola riblets a try.  Remember, you don't have to limit yourself to riblets, you can use this sauce on anything you like from regular spare ribs, baby back ribs, pork tenderloin, pork shoulder, even chicken breasts, short ribs or pot roast or brisket would be amazing with this sauce!

I hope you give this recipe a try and I hope you love it!

Happy Eating!

If you would like to see how I made these, have a look here! 

Soft Pretzels! An Amazing and Easy Homemade Treat!

Soft pretzels may seem like they are reserved for a trip to the mall or a street fair but did you know how easy they are to make yourself at home?  I thought I would give these a try today since I hadn't ever made them by myself.  I only remember watching my grandmother make them.  She knew the secret and I am here to share that with you so you can make these amazing, soft, chewy, delicious treats at home.  Just in time for Super Bowl!

The secret to these pretzels like any other pretzel, is the baking soda water bath!  I have done a bit of research on this recipe and the fact of the matter is that pretzels originally got their deep brown finish from a dip in another alkali bath, and that was in lye!  Can you imagine?  Now that is not really anything new.  Lye is used in several food applications like curing, hominy and of course pretzels.  But this can be dangerous because lye is extremely caustic, it’s poisonous and it can knock you on your feet if you don't know what you are doing.  Now, that is not to say that you cannot use it, but I am not going to use it and I don't think you should either.  Food grade lye can bee difficult to find and it is just better to use the baking soda.  You get a darn similar result and I think you will be happier, safer and healthier for it.

This really is a study in chemistry. Walter White would be proud!  Simple chemistry of taking something and exposing it to an alkali in order to get a specified result.  In this case a deep brown, crispy outer crust that is the pride of any pretzel maker.    Many recipes call for just a little bit of baking soda mostly 2 tablespoons in a cup of water.  However my Nanny always did it different and this, in my opinion is the way to go. She used much more water, I have estimated around 8 cups and always used 2/3 cups of baking soda.    Dissolve the soda in the water and then bring to a simmer in preparation for giving your dough a lovely warm alkali bath prior to baking.

I mixed up my dough in my stand mixer and then allowed it to sit for 30 minutes.  You can find the recipe here:  http://bit.ly/1miMQq0   Then I preheated my oven to 400 degrees.

This step is crucial because I don't want your pretzels to stick to the parchment like mine did!  Make sure you line a baking sheet with parchment and that you also spray, butter or oil the parchment well.  Trust me, when this step is skipped, your pretzels will stick to the paper and although they will still be delicious, you will have to sacrifice their undersides because of the sticky problem.

Now you can divide your dough into six equal pieces.  Form each piece into a snake between 12 and 15 inches long and then twist into a pretzel shape or cut into nuggets.  Either way they are delicious. 

Dip your pretzels or nuggets into the simmering baking soda bath for 30 seconds each and make sure to get all sides wet with the mixture. 

Place the simmered pretzels onto the oiled baking sheet.  At this point you can sprinkle with some coarse salt or you can leave them naked for another application after they are baked.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown and beautiful.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool before diving in.

You can also leave off the salt and wait for them to be baked then dip into melted butter and roll in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar for a perfectly sweet treat!

I hope that this encourages you to give pretzel making at home a try.  I think these would be delicious along side a bowl of beef barley soup or even made into some sandwich rolls for a tall Ruben sandwich.  Eaten on their own they are perfect for dipping into delicious mustard or homemade beer cheese!

I hope you give these delicious soft pretzels a try and I hope you love them!

Happy Eating!

You can see how I made my pretzels here:

When Life Gives You Milk, Make Cheese!

I was recently fortunate enough to receive some free milk from my dairy man because it was past the sell by date and he could no longer offer it for sale.  We have a good relationship and he knows that I will make something with it and it won't have to go down the drain.  I love him for that!  It makes us all happy!  So I went home with two, half gallon bottles of delicious whole milk, in addition to my weekly needs so it was time to make some homemade ricotta cheese in preparation for a baked spaghetti casserole I was planning later in the week.  Oh happy day! 

Ricotta cheese is in so many of our favorite recipes, from casseroles and vegetable dishes and pastas and desserts, that it can be easy to reach for the commercially produced version without giving a thought to making it ourselves.  The price comparison isn't that different, and you aren't going to save much money by making your own.  What you will save, is unnecessary ingredients and you will gain the confidence of knowing how to make this simple cheese right in your own kitchen.  This is the most basic of cheese making, requiring only three ingredients,  good quality whole milk, white vinegar and salt.  A little patience won't hurt either.  You will be on your way to the most simplistic form of heaven on earth when you give this process a try, even if it's just for fun, but I promise you, this is addicting!

Sometimes I want to know how to do things, just to know how to do them.  This comes from a deep seeded sense of curiosity that I have had since birth.  I am sure that my mother could tell you stories of how I took the telephone apart or any number of gadgets, just to see what was inside, only to fail at re-assembling them into a working device once again.  Those things are just experience.  The main experience I gained was that mom isn't as impressed as I was with how things work.  All kidding aside, making cheese goes right along with canning, baking and cooking.  In that they are all a part of a process, sort of an alchemy or chemistry, if you will.  Cheese making is fascinating in its simplicity, but it is vast and the types of cheese you can create from just milk, salt and some sort of acid and in many cases a type of culture are endless. 

Every part of the world has a type of cheese it is known for.  Cheese was most likely first discovered by accident, with nomadic people using a mammal stomach as a vessel to carry milk.  When they went back to the vessel after a long day of trudging through the desert, they found that their milk had turned to cheese.  Maybe that sounds off putting to some, but it really makes a lot of sense.  One of those "Eureka" moments that took off like a shot. 

Ricotta is one of the most basic forms of cheese that you can create easily at home with no cultures and no bacteria, it does not need to be "innoculated" and only needs to have the milk solids separated from the whey.  This is where the vinegar comes in.  You can also choose to use fresh, never bottled lemon juice to create this process as well.  I have also been working with a buttermilk ricotta that is wonderful and only uses whole milk and buttermilk as the acid for breaking a curd.

The process is as simple as the ingredients.  The first, and most important thing to know is that you need to start with impeccably clean, stainless steel, pots, utensils and an instant read thermometer or a cheese making thermometer.  This is where you simply cannot skimp or get lazy.  Thoroughly wash and dry your pot and your utensils in a bleach solution, and allow them to air dry to make sure there is no residual bleach for at least 15 minutes after they have been washed.  Then you can move on with your ricotta.

Pour 1 gallon of whole, high quality milk into your pot.  Allow it to heat over a low flame until it reaches 180 degrees on an instant read thermometer. At no time do you want this milk to boil or simmer.  

When it reaches the right temperature, you are going to drizzle in 1/4 cup of distilled white vinegar, or freshly squeezed lemon juice, never bottled lemon juice and never apple cider vinegar, which can give your cheese an off flavor. 

Using a large slotted spoon, you will want to slowly stir the milk and you will be able to see the curd separating from the whey.  At this point pop the thermometer back in and allow this mixture to reach 185 degrees, at which point you will turn off the heat, gives things another stir and put the lid on the pot.  Allow this to rest for 20 minutes before draining.

Once the cheese has rested, drain into a colander that has been lined with either several layers of cheesecloth or a flour sack towel and if you like, catch the whey and use it for bread baking and smoothie making, you can also simply let it go if you don't think you will use it.

Bundle the cheesecloth together and wrap with some string.  Hang this bundle from a hook, over a bowl and colander and allow it to drain for at least a hour.  

At which time you can remove the string and pop the cheese into a container.  You can salt it at this time to taste and use it as you like!

I hope that this gives you the confidence to try making this simple cheese for yourself and I hope that when you do you will love it!

Happy Eating!

If you would like to see how I made my ricotta cheese, you can watch here:

Easy, French Style Herb Roasted Chicken!

When I think of a classic Sunday dinner, it has to be a perfectly roasted chicken.  Tender, moist meat, seasoned beyond compare with a crispy, golden brown skin.  That is what I am going to share with you today, a roast chicken with a European flair.  French style, herb roasted chicken is just a delicious as it sounds but not nearly as difficult as you may think.

Cooking in the French style can sometimes sound a bit intimidating, but I can assure you that most basic French cuisine has simple roots of the peasant variety.  Yes, there was Marie Antoinette, and her cake, but in reality, the poor folks outnumbered the aristocracy and it is their food that we should take our cue from.  Simple, wholesome ingredients like a perfectly sourced chicken along with fresh aromatics like onions and Meyer lemons are the basic building blocks for a delicious bird.  Top that off with some good quality olive oil and a generous sprinkling of homemade Herbes De Provence and you have a bird that would have been fit to feed Marie herself with nary a complaint to be heard. 

Getting this underway is easy!  Go get yourself the best chicken you can afford.  I love to get mine from a local shop that sources locally grown birds, however sometimes my wallet screams at me and I just go for the grocery store variety when I can get them on sale.  Sometimes I can get whole birds for .69 a pound and that is when I fill a portion of my freezer with them because you can't beat a whole chicken for around $3! 

Today I have two chickens that are both between 5 and 6 pounds each.  I love to roast off more than one bird at a time and if I had had the room in my oven, I would have roasted three of them as I intended, but for now one of them went into the freezer for another time.  It takes just as much time and energy to roast off two or three chickens as it does to roast one.  Make use of your time, energy, and electricity and get more for all your effort.  You can do so much with leftover roasted meats that the payoff really is enormous.

I washed and dried each chicken and then place them on a wire rack inside of a rimmed baking sheet.  This will help the air circulate all around the entire bird and allow any juices and fat to drain into the pan without having the bird boil in it's own juices.  This is what roasting is all about!  Then I sprinkled the cavities of the chicken with some of my homemade Herbes De Provence and stuffed them with some halved, peeled onions and lemons, which I squeezed over the top of the birds before stuffing them inside.  This will help to perfume the meat and give it amazing flavor. 

Next I drizzled about a tablespoon of olive oil over each chicken and gave it a quick massage to spread out the oil.  Then I sprinkled a copious amount of the herb mixture over each one, completely covering them with a luxurious crust of herbaceous goodness.  If you like, at this point, you can give the chickens a little spray of olive or vegetable oil.  This will help the dried herbs not to burn so fast and give them a little more oomph!  I use my Misto, oil sprayer for this, but any commercial cooking oil spray will work just fine.

Then I roasted the chickens for 45 minutes at 400 degrees and then for an additional 45 minutes at 350 degrees, making sure to keep them in the oven until their internal temperature, when taken with an instant read meat thermometer registered at least 160 degrees.  Make sure you take the temperature in the breast as well as the thigh area.  Also make sure that the juices are running clear with no signs of red or pink.  Then you can be sure your bird is perfectly done. 

You're not quite ready to cut into that bird just yet though!  Go ahead and cover them with some foil and let them rest for at least 20 minutes to allow all those delicious juices to settle and redistribute into the meat before you are ready to sit down to a delicious meal of herb roasted chicken.

I served mine with some roasted potatoes and onions along with a big green salad and we were very happy campers!  The best part is that there are plenty of leftovers to have fun with in the coming week.  I plan on making several dishes to feed my family just from these two chickens.    They include a chicken burrito lasagna, Chinese chicken soup, chicken pot pie, shredded chicken salad and maybe even a Greek inspired chicken pizza.  There might even be some meat left over for egg rolls, you just never know.  Chicken is not going to waste in this house and it shouldn't in yours either.

I do hope that you will give this classic French style, herb roasted chicken a try and I hope you love it!  I hope that you are inspired to step outside your comfort zone and make delicious, simple and nutritious meals for your family and do it all within your budget.  Look for more easy recipes, coming soon where I will be using up some of those leftovers from our Sunday chicken dinner, I know you are going to love them too!

Happy Eating!

If you would like to see how I roasted my chicken, you can have a look, here:

Fat Free, Guilt Free Pumpkin Brownies! A Treat That's Good Enough To Eat!

The new year is here and the time to get back into a normal schedule and better eating habits is back.  We all try to do better with the dawn of a new year.  We often make resolutions, the most popular of which, according to statistics and surveys is losing weight, getting healthy, eating better, and mostly overall health in general.  Many people make resolutions but in our home we try to abstain from making lofty goals that we may or may not make every effort to achieve.  In the heat of the moment it is always nice to hear that we are going to lose a certain amount of weight, but in the end we may hurt ourselves because we don't lose it fast enough, or we fall off the wagon so to speak.  In the end, making a goal to live a better life, strive for excellence and in the vein of Bill and Ted, "Be excellent to each other" will work for us.  Do you make resolutions?  It works for some.  Good luck in yours if you do.

With better choices at the forefront of today's recipe, I recently saw a piece on the news highlighting several people who has made the choice to become fit and healthy.  One of them said that being able to have a treat from time to time helped them to reach their goals and that their treat of choice was a brownie.  However their brownies were made using a boxed mix and a can of pumpkin.  So I thought it might be fun to give this a whirl and see what we could come up with.  The goal here is to have a sometimes treat and not to eat the whole pan.  That would defeat the purpose.

I started with a boxed brownie mix.  I used Duncan Hines, but you could use any mix that makes a 9 x 13 pan of brownies.  I also used a 15 ounce can of solid pack pumpkin.  Not pumpkin pie mix, just pure canned pumpkin.  This is the easiest it will ever get!  Put the brownie mix in a bowl, put the pumpkin in a bowl and stir until fully combined.  The mixture will be thick and fudgy looking.  Spread this into a 9 x 13 inch pan that you have sprayed lightly with cooking spray or in my case, vegetable oil from my Misto sprayer.  I love that thing!  Then you can bake this as instructed on your box of brownie mix.  I baked mine for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.  

When I removed them from the oven, they were noticeably dull in appearance, but they were firm to the touch and bounced back a bit when I pressed them gently with my finger.  I allowed the pan to cool on a wire rack and then cut them into squares.  During the cooling process, the brownies lost some of their initial loft, because these don't have eggs, they are going to be flat, but don't let that discourage you.  Remember, we are trying to make better choices and even if you sub out this recipe for your favorite fudgy wonder just a couple of times, you are making better choices.  Save those thick, beautiful, chocolate delights for a few times a year, like your birthday or Valentines day or some other celebration.

I called Rick and the girls into the kitchen so we could all give these a try on camera to see if they were as delicious as they smelled.  We all enjoyed them very much.  Micah really liked them and this surprised me because she tends to be a bit more finicky especially with the outward appearance of a dish, and she tends to make a snap judgement on the spot.  In this case, they were a hit.  We really could not taste pumpkin at all.  Rick really like them as well as Molly and myself.  In all I think this experiment was a big hit.  

I think this quick and easy brownie fix is a nice way to eat your cake and have it too.  If you have started the year off with a goal to watch what you eat, then this occasional treat is just the ticket to keep you going.  As with any special treat, these are intended to enjoy by the each, not by the pan.  If you feel your will power is weak and fragile this soon after the holidays, then freeze them in baggies and enjoy them piecemeal.  Or you could take them to work or even to a neighbor to share to help you avoid the temptation of eating them all at once.

This was very simple and went together in a snap.  It really is similar to other ways of reducing fat and calories in a basic mix, I have made brownies in the past with prune puree and egg whites as well as apple sauce or even mashed pinto beans in place of the oil.  All of these are great ways to increase fiber and decrease fat.  These are not a low sugar or sugar free option, however, in moderation you can enjoy them no matter what special program you may be on.  

Someday I will have to share the other ways of making guilt free brownies with you.  You might be surprised at how delicious they are!  I hope this inspires you to be good to yourself, and try a new way of having a delicious treat for the new year.  I hope you try these guilt free brownies and I hope you love them!

Happy Eating!

If you would like to see how I made these little lovely's  Take a look here!

New Year to Bring New Changes!

The new year will be upon us in a day or two and with the dawn of a fresh, new, squeaky clean slate, comes the realization that we actually have to work for our successes!  That being the case with my Noreen's Kitchen website.  I was notified by my website hosting company that they would be phasing out the current website builder that I have been using for the last three years and that I would have to begin using the new and improved version.  Why can't things be easy?  I can't simply migrate the over 300 pages that I have already published to the new version, I have to put my current website into a holding pattern while I rebuild it in the newer version of their builder.  Messy, messy, messy!  What a phenomenal waste of my time, you might say, if it were you and I would tend to agree.  However I cannot change how this is going to work and since they didn't ask me first, I will simply have to acquiesce and deal with it in my own way.

The way we will be dealing with this is that I will be rebuilding Noreen's Kitchen website from the ground up.  I will be hopefully going back through my YouTube videos and posting all the recipes I have done videos for so that you can refer at any given time to make the recipes that I have demonstrated.  I have wanted to do this for a while, but simply could not find the time.  Now I have no choice.  I have also wanted to revamp the visual and graphic aspects of the website and make it more pleasing to the eye and streamlined.  I am hoping that I can achieve that as well and make your experience while visiting very pleasant and make you want to come back on a regular basis!  All these things are positive approaches and the changes will, no doubt be positive as well.  I have learned a lot over the last 5 years of having my channel and 3 years of my website and I am going to implement the things I have wanted, to make everything easier to deal with.

All of this is going to take time.  I estimate, if I really work hard at it, and still keep up with my channel uploads, it will take me between 6 and 8 weeks to totally revamp the site from start to finish.  I ask patience from all of you who rely on the site to download and print my recipes.  No worries, though, the current version of the site will remain the same until the new version is available to be published.  You will still be able to access the site for printing out your favorite recipes until the new site is done.

Please sign up for email notifications through this blog and you will get an email each time I upload and post a new entry and/or recipe.  All of this is part of my goals for the new year.  One of which was to post a blog entry to coordinate with my video upload as well as post the recipe on my website and pay more attention to all my other social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, and Instagram.  In time I will get a good schedule going and a checklist.  

In the last year, I have learned a lot.  As many of you know, I left a mainstream job about a year ago when my boss was elected as a judge and my office closed.  My husband Rick and I decided to try making my YouTube channel, website and blog our business.  So far it is working and we see great things in our future,  but we know we cannot rest on our laurels and we have to keep working very hard to get where we want to go.  We have you to thank for our continued success.  Without your support, feedback and love, we would definitely not be as successful as we have been and hope to be in the future!

It is our hope that you stick with us through this transition, which should be relatively painless.  Just look here on this blog for recipe posts.  I am uncertain if I can post PDFs, but I will find that out in good time.  If not, you will have to copy and paste for a short period of time.  

Thanks in advance for your understanding, continued support and constant participation in making our online community a wonderful place to be!

Quick Caramel Sauce! Hit Your Sweet Spot!

Caramel Dip!  Easy and delicious!

Anyone who knows me, knows that autumn is my favorite time of year.  I wait with deep desire and anticipation for the first crisp mornings to make their debut.  Living in North Carolina, I sometimes have to wait a bit longer than other places I have lived but the feeling is always the same!  I breath in that crisp morning air and let the stresses of summer leave my psyche.  Ah, sweet autumn, welcome once again!  Once the leaves begin to fall and blanket the earth for her long winter's nap, it brings to rise certain necessities in our home.  Candles change their fragrance, the garden goes to sleep, warmer clothes come out of hiding and requests begin to come from members of the family for things that they love this time of year.

Caramel is one of those beloved flavors of the season.  Caramel is a favorite the year round, however in the cooler months, especially in the fall, it is essential.  Drizzled over ice cream, as a sweet dip for apples or as a chewy moment of satisfaction on the go, this is the flavor of the month for sure!  I have recently been playing around with those little cellophane wrapped caramels that we all grew up with just to see what I could do with them.   I also was trying to recreate a caramel dip similar to those found in the produce section but without all the garbage ingredients.  I was successful on many levels.  One thing led to another and the results spoke for themselves!  O caramel, I we love thee!  

I made a plain caramel dip with just a bag on unwrapped caramel candies and some heavy cream popped it in the microwave and let it melt, gave it a stir and voila', beautiful caramel dip for my girls to dip apple slices in, after school!  My husband of course covered a bowl of vanilla ice cream with the stuff and was in heaven!

Next up, I wondered what would happen if I threw  a cup of chocolate chips in that mix.  Wonder no more!  This made the most amazing chocolate caramel sauce you will ever put in your mouth!  It has the texture and consistency of the best hot fudge you have ever tasted and I really mean that.  When this cools, it is perfect for dipping pretzels and enjoying that sweet and salty combo.  

Then, one evening as I was sitting with my husband and doing research for a few new projects.  I asked him if he thought that caramel dip would work with some peanut butter chips.  Rick said what he always says,  "Only one way to find out!"  And so it was that we created this delicious, decadent peanut butter flavored warm and gooey caramel dip that was just as amazing as the other two.  It has a distinct thickness about it and it is perfect after it cools for dipping crisp sticks of carrots and celery into.  Probably not diet worthy, but definitely kid friendly and who doesn't want to get just a few more veggies into their kids?  Am I right?!

I think I will be making batches of these dips/sauces to share for the holidays.  I think jarring them up in jelly jars and giving in trios would be a welcomed and thrifty gift for friends and neighbors and a little bit different from the ubiquitous cookies and banana bread, not that there is anything wrong with those things, but sometimes it is nice to be a little different!

So the next time you have a yen for something sweet, give these sauces/dips a try!  Eat them warm or let them come to room temperature so they get thick and gooey.  Either way you do it they will be devoured right before your eyes.  You can be happy in knowing that you made it yourself, you know whats in it and your family will love it!

I hope you try these and I hope you love them!

Happy Eating!

Check out the videos for the sauces here:

Caramel Sauce

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqHp4a4szyk

Chocolate Caramel Sauce

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB-deoymA9I

Peanut Butter Caramel Sauce

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjJ65RCJ9xo

Say Cheese! Make Cheese!

Homemade cottage cheese is cheap and easy!  Give it a try!

Over the last couple of weeks I have been playing with cheese.  No, not literally playing with cheese, by playing, I kind of mean, learning about how to make simple cheese.    I have had success with two different types of simple cheese that are very nice to have on hand or in my case watch disappear!

I like to know how to make things for myself because sometimes you just can't be sure what is being put into some of the commercially produced items that we tend to reach for on a regular basis.  Do  want to make cheese all the time?  But I do want to know how to make it myself.  I tend to get a great deal of satisfaction from researching, applying myself and making something as ubiquitous as cheese in my own kitchen.

I will tell you that making cheese takes patience, time and attention to detail.  When you look at a recipe, you need to follow it.  When you see an ingredient such as rennet, you must have it, there is no real substitution.  You always want to start off with the necessary ingredients in order to have a good end result.

I have been playing with homemade mozzarella cheese for about two years. I have been successful exactly twice and I think it was by mistake both times.  The other dozen times  tried, it was nothing but a gloppy mess that did not set and was unable to be properly pulled.  I have dumped countless gallons of perfectly good milk down the drain in the form of failed cheese.  More than I would like to admit, but because we all make mistakes and it is a learning experience and all part of the journey, I will divest myself of my own pride in order to inspire others.

Cheese making is an art!  It is not, however, reserved for farmers and cheese masters.  It is accessible to everyone.  You can find great books on how to make your own small batch cheeses at home.  You can also find great supplies for making everything from cheese to yogurt at many websites.  Have a look around and a whole new world will open up to you.  I suggest you start small and easy like I did, by making a type of Farmer's cheese or homemade cream cheese.  Simple, and delicious and very, very easy. 

Just like the old saying goes, a job worth doing is worth doing well.  In a world full of instant this and quick that.  Cheese is still one of those things that takes time.  I was recently inspired by a friend who made some quick spreadable goat cheese that she seasoned with fresh chives and other herbs from her garden.  Watching her I knew that I could do that.  Although I am sans a goat, I did not let that stop me.  Off I went to the Amish market for some fresh whole milk.

Cheese is really nothing more than milk solids that have been separated from their water or whey.  In layman's terms we are removing the water from the milk.  What results is the thick, milk solid that all cheese is made from.  The cheese I made, similar to my friends, was soft, spreadable and delicious.  It did not contain rennet and did not require time to rest or incubate and become a curd.  This cheese was super simple and everyone can do it!

Farmer's cheese requires nothing more than a little time, some milk, an acid such as lemon juice or vinegar and whatever seasonings you wish to flavor your cheese.  I made two different types of cheese from one half gallon of milk.  Flavored cheese spread with salt and Herbs du Provence and the other half I turned into the most decadent whipped cream cheese you have ever tasted.  Simply divine and does not compare to what is sold as cream cheese in the market today.

I think making cheese can be very rewarding, but be warned, if your family is anything but mine it will disappear quickly.  Between bagels, toast, crackers and simple snacking this cheese might not last the afternoon.  Make sure you try and put some aside for your breakfast, that way at least you can bask in your hard work if only for a moment.

Now go do something cheesy!  Make some cheese!

You can see how I made this wonderful cheese here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kpbb_JWQTgU

You can get a printable recipe and instruction here:
https://www.noreenskitchen.com/Farmer_s_Cheese.html

K.I.S.S. and Get Ready for Valentine's Day!

This post is a collaboration with Williams-Sonoma, but all words and opinions are my own.

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and this is the perfect time to think about how you want to surprise your sweetheart with something for that special day.

While flowers are a lovely gesture, they are really expensive and with the economy being what it is, they can be off the table for some people.  Jewelry is always a welcomed option for the ladies in your life, but again, can be expensive.  I don't know many people who have the extra money to plunk down on a diamond heart for the February holiday.  What to do?  Food is always a wonderful option! We all have to eat like it or not (who doesn't like it?)  Whether you plan to cook a meal for your sweetheart or make something even more creative,  the folks over at Williams Sonoma have compiled some great ideas and resources to help plan your Valentine's Day.

There are lots of ways to show your loved one that you care.  You don't have to spend a ton of money, but you do want to make sure that whatever you do, you do it with quality and care.  Think about what you want to make and do it as simply as possible.  Remember, if you have never made a recipe before, you might want to give it a try before you make it for your wife or fiance'.  Just to make sure you know what you are doing.  The evening can quickly become a disappointment, mostly for yourself, if you don't have confidence that what you have chosen to make is going to be a smash!

The best advice I can give you is this;  K.I.S.S. (fitting no?).  Most of us know this little gem as Keep It Super Simple.  Maybe not how you remember it, but a bit nicer and still imparts the same message.  Keeping things simple is the key to being successful at anything!  In this case, planning a simple, yet romantic meal for your special someone can be easy with a bit of planning and a little finesse.    

 Start your night with a romantic appetizer of a shared shrimp cocktail.  Move on to bacon wrapped filet mignon that are the star of the show and super simple to create for your main course.  Then, finish off with a molten chocolate cake, delicious and decadent.  All of these dishes are simple, yet will knock the socks off of anyone you choose to share them with.  The best part of this type of romantic meal is the fact that you have made it yourself!  Cooking for someone is, after all,  the ultimate expression of love, in my opinion.

You can find the recipes for the bacon wrapped filet mignon as well as the molten chocolate cake on the Williams-Sonoma website here: 

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/menu/valentines-day-dinner-for-two.html

If making a whole meal is not your preference, you can always make a sweet treat for your honey.  Below are a few suggestions for Valentine's day, I've come up with that you might consider.  The most important thing to remember is being together, in the moment and making a beautiful memory is priceless.  Here is hoping you have a priceless Valentine's day, sealed with a K.I.S.S.

Hazelnut Mousse!  Quick and Easy and Impressive!

Fun Valentine Krispy Treats!  Super Fun for the Kids!

Valentine Chocolate Orange Meringue Kisses

Check out other Ideas on my website:

http;//www.noreenskitchen.com