Chloe Poppins

Happy Birthday, Sophie!
January 25, 2007

Well, I’m a little late with last week’s recipe trial. That’s understandable considering all the activity we’ve had around here with two birthdays and a house full of visitors. Last week’s recipe started in America’s Best Recipes (A 1990 Hometown Collection) published by Oxmoor House. It’s called Herbed Buttermilk Dressing, and was quickly adapted due to necessity. The original recipe called for one spice we didn’t have on hand, as well as blue cheese crumbles. So, leaving both of those items out I created a new Herbed Buttermilk Dressing. Try it out.

1 C Buttermilk
2T instant minced onion
2T chopped parsley
1/4t dried basil
1/4t dried whole rosemary
1/4t dried whole oregano
1 clove garlic (crushed)
1/2 C Mayo
1/2 C Salad Dressing
Salt-n-Pepper to taste

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a small bowl; stir well and let stand for 5 minutes. Add Mayo and Salad Dressing; stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill thoroughly. Serve over your favorite salad greens. Add tomatoes to the greens for extra color and taste. Yield about 2 2/3 cups.

Let me know what you think!

Well, Mark’s been away all week and today we had a mild ice storm here in upper South Carolina. At least is was mild here in our neck of the woods. But what better excuse to pop a few logs on the fire and read to the children. So, after we finished school today and returned from a cancelled dance class, I started a fire in the den for the kids. We read a few chapters from our book, Return of the Black Stallion and made plans to toast marshmallows after dinner.

The marshmallow toasting should prove to be fun. Mark ate all the large marshmallows, so now I’m left with a bunch of mini-marshmallows. Hmmmm? Hope you’re all warm and toasty this evening.

Today I tried something new. Silicon bakeware.

For Christmas this year, both my mother and my sister-in-law gave me silicon bakeware items. I’ve seen them in the stores, and even given some as gifts. But never dared to purchase any for myself. Let me just say, WOW!

The bundt pan by Le Creuset from my mom made the MOST BEAUTIFUL cake. Not one single crumb stuck to the pan. My only critique would be that the center of the cake didn’t brown as much as the outside. But who cares? At least it’s not stuck to the pan!!

For my money, this silicon bakeware is going on the top of my gift list for wedding showers. Thanks Mom! Thanks Nichole!

So … last night was the first official night of weekly recipe testing. It appears to have been a success. This baby I’m having seems to have a craving for Chinese food. Last night’s fare consisted of Sweet and Sour Chicken served over brown rice, and Pork Fried Rice. Wilson wasn’t too keen on the pineapple in the chicken dish, but once he removed those offending items he cleaned his plate. Sophie liked it all. And of course, Sam preferred the chicken alone and a huge pile of rice. Mark was pleased and gave consent for me to continue this little experiment. Overall, I’d have to give the meal an 8.5 out of 10. Bear in mind, it takes a lot to score a 10 around here.

Sweet & Sour Chicken in the FIX IT AND FORGET IT COOKBOOK
pg. 177
NOTE: To have a more traditional sauce, drain the pineapple before adding it to the sauce. Also, in Step 1, liberally apply the 2Tbsp of quick-cooking tapioca. Maybe even add 2 1/2 or 3 Tbsp instead.

Fried Rice, modified from the SOUTHERN LIVING COOKBOOK
Egg Fried Rice recipe, pg. 344
NOTE: I marinated about 1/2 lb. lean pork in 1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger and 1/4 cup Teriyaki Sauce. I cooked the pork in the oil prior to adding the veggies called for in the recipe. I finished up as called for in the book.

Now I’ll be looking for some likely recipe candidates for next week!

This is just the tip of the ice berg. On three other shelves in another room, there must be twenty Southern Living Annual Cookbooks, in addition to all the other Christmas cookbooks, books by Martha Stewart, clippings from newspapers and magazines, cook books from church organizations and Junior Leagues all over the United States. I’ve lost count. I’ve read them for entertainment and used many of them. I do have some I favor more than others. The original Southern Living Cookbook, which was a wedding gift, has been a long time favorite. So, what to do with them all?

This year I’ve decided to try a new recipe each week. I’ve done this before, but I’m adding a twist. I’m going to try to make at least one recipe from each book I have. This could prove to be quite a challenge since we’re expecting our fouth child, and the three we have don’t all like the same things - of course. Anyway, it should be a fun endeavor. I’ll try to keep up with posting the best and the worst of the experiment. Happy Cooking!

This looks like a fun idea to try. We just finished talking about polar bears in science, so maybe we’ll give this a whirl. Check out the Family Fun website for lots of other cute ideas.