Okay, so I really like Alton Brown's Brownie recipe, but it's a bit more involved than most brownie recipes. When I make his recipe, I usually use my silicon baking cups and make little brownie bites out of them. They are deliciously chewy and crusty and moist and yummy. But I also really like Ghiradelli's brownie mix. One time, I noticed a recipe on the back of the box. I neglected to remove said recipe, but I think I have remembered/recreated it enough that it is super delicious anyway. I think it was called "seven layer brownies" or something like that. Anyway, here's the recipe.
1 box brownie mix
1/2 c butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
toppings- coconut, nuts, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, heath bars, pretty much whatever sweet thing you want
Melt the butter and put it in a 9x13 glass pan. Spray the sides of the pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle the brownie mix over the top. You can mix the butter and brownie together but it won't all mix in. I usually do mix it just to avoid dry lumps at the bottom of the pan.
Put on whatever toppings you like. Coconut is pretty much the only one that is really necessary. At least in my opinion.
Pour the can of milk over the whole thing. Try to get it even but don't stress. Make sure you get near the edges or they will be dry.
Bake for 40-45 minutes at 325 degrees. The brownie will be fudge-like and the milk will turn into caramel. Too long and it will dry. So watch it.
These freeze amazingly well, so you don't have to eat the whole pan at once. But you could if you wanted. I won't judge.
Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts
Friday, March 2, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Baked Mac and Cheese
I have tried a ton of mac and cheese recipes. Even Alton Brown's recipe didn't quite do it for me. This is my favorite so far. I got it from my friend Jonda at Verite. I love it because the cheese sauce is done in the same amount of time it takes to boil the noodles. I have learned to measure the milk and grate the cheese before starting though.
1/4 c butter
1/4 c Flour
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard (I usually add more)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper (I add more. I like pepper)
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (I usually just add a splash and whatever goes in goes in.)
2 cups milk
2 cups sharp cheddar or blend of cheeses
Melt butter over low heat. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over low heat until smooth and bubbly (mine is usually slightly browned too). Remove from heat (or not. I usually don't). Stir in a small amount of milk and whisk until smooth, then stir in a little more and a little more. Go slow with the milk. It makes a difference in the smoothness of the sauce later. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly (or at least frequently). Keep stirring/boiling for about a minute. Remove from heat. Wait a minute so the milk cools some, otherwise the cheese will break. Add cheese slowly so it all melts.
Add 2 cups (about half a pound) cooked macaroni to cheese sauce. Pour into casserole dish and top with bread crumbs. Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 or until bubbly and browned. (I baked mine for about 15 minutes, then broiled the last minute or so to get a good brown top. It was already pretty hot anyway and this was just the right amount of time to thicken up a bit more.)
Now, I've only made this recipe once baked. Usually I make it stovetop. For that, I halve the recipe- so 2 T butter, 2 T flour, and 1 cup milk. I usually leave the seasonings the same and cheese I add to taste. Cook as directed, then add more milk until it is the right consistency for stovetop mac and cheese (however loose or thick you like it.) Dress the macaroni and serve. I still usually use 1/2 pound of pasta, but the kids actually really like this, so they eat a lot.
Now, whatever you do, don't do like I did the only time I baked it. I asked Alann for a box of macaroni from the basement. He tossed up a box I did not recognize. I think it got left behind from my mother-in-law when she moved. When I cooked it, it tasted VERY strongly of old wheat. I was hoping the cheese would cover it up. Nope. I also extremely oversalted the pasta water, so not only was it really old, but really salty too. So it ended up being rather gross. The cheese sauce is good, the technique is good. Just don't use really salty old pasta.
1/4 c butter
1/4 c Flour
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard (I usually add more)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper (I add more. I like pepper)
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (I usually just add a splash and whatever goes in goes in.)
2 cups milk
2 cups sharp cheddar or blend of cheeses
Melt butter over low heat. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over low heat until smooth and bubbly (mine is usually slightly browned too). Remove from heat (or not. I usually don't). Stir in a small amount of milk and whisk until smooth, then stir in a little more and a little more. Go slow with the milk. It makes a difference in the smoothness of the sauce later. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly (or at least frequently). Keep stirring/boiling for about a minute. Remove from heat. Wait a minute so the milk cools some, otherwise the cheese will break. Add cheese slowly so it all melts.
Add 2 cups (about half a pound) cooked macaroni to cheese sauce. Pour into casserole dish and top with bread crumbs. Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 or until bubbly and browned. (I baked mine for about 15 minutes, then broiled the last minute or so to get a good brown top. It was already pretty hot anyway and this was just the right amount of time to thicken up a bit more.)
Now, I've only made this recipe once baked. Usually I make it stovetop. For that, I halve the recipe- so 2 T butter, 2 T flour, and 1 cup milk. I usually leave the seasonings the same and cheese I add to taste. Cook as directed, then add more milk until it is the right consistency for stovetop mac and cheese (however loose or thick you like it.) Dress the macaroni and serve. I still usually use 1/2 pound of pasta, but the kids actually really like this, so they eat a lot.
Now, whatever you do, don't do like I did the only time I baked it. I asked Alann for a box of macaroni from the basement. He tossed up a box I did not recognize. I think it got left behind from my mother-in-law when she moved. When I cooked it, it tasted VERY strongly of old wheat. I was hoping the cheese would cover it up. Nope. I also extremely oversalted the pasta water, so not only was it really old, but really salty too. So it ended up being rather gross. The cheese sauce is good, the technique is good. Just don't use really salty old pasta.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Curry Coconut Chicken- in the crock pot!
Shortly before leaving Utah, Alann and I discovered Indian food. His bosses at Bristlecone loved it, and took him out every now and then. We went out once or twice and really liked it. When we moved to MO, we discovered that there are no Indian restaurants nearby. (Not that we have seen anyway. If anyone knows of one, please let me know!) One day, I really wanted some Indian food, so I scoured the interwebs. I found this recipe.
Curried Coconut Chicken. When I use allrecipes, I make sure to read a good number of comments. After reading through a lot of them, this is the resulting recipe. I put it in the crock pot because I have two babies. I can barely manage to make a regular dinner, let alone one that requires an hour or more of cooking and watching.
So here we go.
Ingredients:
2) Heat oil and curry powder in large skillet or sauce pan over low heat for 5 minutes. (Turn on your vent fan.)
3) Add the onion and cook for another 8-10 minutes. You can turn the heat up a bit with the onions.
4) Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
5) Add the tomatoes and tomato sauce and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
6) Stir in the coconut milk and sugar. Pour mixture over the chicken.
7) cook on high for one hour and then low until ready to serve. Since I never remember to defrost my chicken, I always boost it to high for an hour first. It seems to cook better that way. If you are leaving the house, you can just put it on low and it should be fine.
8) Optional- reduce the sauce in a pan on the stove before serving. I only do this if the chicken gave off too much liquid and the sauce is runny. Sometimes it's okay, sometimes it isn't.
Delicious served with rice or noodles. I usually make some broccoli or cauliflower as a side as those seem to go well too.
Curried Coconut Chicken. When I use allrecipes, I make sure to read a good number of comments. After reading through a lot of them, this is the resulting recipe. I put it in the crock pot because I have two babies. I can barely manage to make a regular dinner, let alone one that requires an hour or more of cooking and watching.
So here we go.
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks (since I crock-pot, I don't bother to cut. The whole breasts break up just fine after cooking all day.)
- 1 teaspoon salt and pepper, or to taste
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons curry powder (yes, really, use this much.)
- 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed, diced tomatoes (you can drain if the sauce is too wet)
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 3 tablespoons sugar
2) Heat oil and curry powder in large skillet or sauce pan over low heat for 5 minutes. (Turn on your vent fan.)
3) Add the onion and cook for another 8-10 minutes. You can turn the heat up a bit with the onions.
4) Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
5) Add the tomatoes and tomato sauce and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
6) Stir in the coconut milk and sugar. Pour mixture over the chicken.
7) cook on high for one hour and then low until ready to serve. Since I never remember to defrost my chicken, I always boost it to high for an hour first. It seems to cook better that way. If you are leaving the house, you can just put it on low and it should be fine.
8) Optional- reduce the sauce in a pan on the stove before serving. I only do this if the chicken gave off too much liquid and the sauce is runny. Sometimes it's okay, sometimes it isn't.
Delicious served with rice or noodles. I usually make some broccoli or cauliflower as a side as those seem to go well too.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Gingerbread
Since Christmas is coming up soon enough, I thought I would post my gingerbread recipe in case anyone needed it.
Gingerbread
1 C. Butter
1C. Sugar (I prefer to use dark brown sugar it gives it a richer taste)
2 eggs
1/2 C. cold water
1 C. molasses (again, I like the dark)
2 tsp. soda
4 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
5 1/2 C. flour (more as needed)
Cream butter & sugar, add eggs. Separately mix water, soda and molasses then add to butter mixture. Add dry ingredients, knead to firm dough adding flour as needed. Chill several hours. Roll 1/4-1/8 inch thickness, cut and arrange on cookie sheet. Bake 350 for about 7 min.
This makes a ton of cookies. If you are crazy, you can double it
Gingerbread
1 C. Butter
1C. Sugar (I prefer to use dark brown sugar it gives it a richer taste)
2 eggs
1/2 C. cold water
1 C. molasses (again, I like the dark)
2 tsp. soda
4 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
5 1/2 C. flour (more as needed)
Cream butter & sugar, add eggs. Separately mix water, soda and molasses then add to butter mixture. Add dry ingredients, knead to firm dough adding flour as needed. Chill several hours. Roll 1/4-1/8 inch thickness, cut and arrange on cookie sheet. Bake 350 for about 7 min.
This makes a ton of cookies. If you are crazy, you can double it
Monday, August 3, 2009
camp prep and a recipe
So, I've been trying in vain to get ready for camp. One of my main worries is a baby monitor. Ours run on batteries, but the range is really small (as is our house) and the batteries die a quick death. So I thought maybe a walkie talkie set would work. I bought a set, but it is too smart for it's own good. It turns off after the push to talk button is pressed for a minute "to save battery life". Lame. So I am going back to Target to get the model that is voice activated. We will see. While watering my garden this morning, I noticed three ripe tomatoes and some basil that needed to be picked. So I made a Caprese Pasta Salad for dinner. It was actually really good- kind of like a cross between caprese and bruschetta. The Caprese salad is usually mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil with balsamic vinegar on it. Easy enough to convert.
1/2 pound pasta -I used rotini but anything would work- macaroni or shells maybe
3 golf-ball sized tomatoes
handful of basil
1/2 pound of fresh mozzarella- this is the stuff in water. It is less firm than the "aged" kind. You could used the other kind if you had it.
2 cloves of garlic (don't use 2 huge cloves. MMM Garlic. All. Night. Long.)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive or veg oil (I used Canola. We are out of Olive. Sad days)
1 teaspoon honey
salt and pepper
Cook the pasta (Do I need to tell you this?)
Mix the vinegar, oil, and honey together. (Okay, so the honey sounds weird, but we added it at the table and it mellowed the flavors without being too present itself.) (Also, go easy on the vinegar unless you know you like vinegar.)
Cut the tomatoes into small chunks. Put it in the mixture to marinade. Make the garlic into a very fine mince or paste. (I used a garlic mincer/press thing. It makes a really fine mince easy.) Add the garlic in. Add some salt to speed the process along.
Cut the cheese into similar sized pieces to the tomatoes. (Don't add yet.)
Chiffonade (ribbons) the basil. Add it to the tomatoes.
When the pasta is done, run cool water over it to cool it off some. If it's too hot, it will melt the cheese. Dump it in with the tomatoes and then add the cheese. Stir to combine.
You can serve it now, or chill it probably up to a day. (So you can make it early in the day when it is still cool and not heat up the kitchen.)
I was surprised by how filling this was. I meant to add some white beans for protein, and forgot, but I am still sure they would be good here. I also thought about some italian sausage or pepperoni. This would also make a fine side salad for a piece of grilled chicken. I don't think I will ever just eat a tomato out of hand, but they are becoming increasingly more welcome on my plate in their raw form. (As long as I can smother them in garlic, onion, or vinegar- i.e. salsa, bruschetta, or this.) This was a wonderful meal for a hot summer's day.
1/2 pound pasta -I used rotini but anything would work- macaroni or shells maybe
3 golf-ball sized tomatoes
handful of basil
1/2 pound of fresh mozzarella- this is the stuff in water. It is less firm than the "aged" kind. You could used the other kind if you had it.
2 cloves of garlic (don't use 2 huge cloves. MMM Garlic. All. Night. Long.)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive or veg oil (I used Canola. We are out of Olive. Sad days)
1 teaspoon honey
salt and pepper
Cook the pasta (Do I need to tell you this?)
Mix the vinegar, oil, and honey together. (Okay, so the honey sounds weird, but we added it at the table and it mellowed the flavors without being too present itself.) (Also, go easy on the vinegar unless you know you like vinegar.)
Cut the tomatoes into small chunks. Put it in the mixture to marinade. Make the garlic into a very fine mince or paste. (I used a garlic mincer/press thing. It makes a really fine mince easy.) Add the garlic in. Add some salt to speed the process along.
Cut the cheese into similar sized pieces to the tomatoes. (Don't add yet.)
Chiffonade (ribbons) the basil. Add it to the tomatoes.
When the pasta is done, run cool water over it to cool it off some. If it's too hot, it will melt the cheese. Dump it in with the tomatoes and then add the cheese. Stir to combine.
You can serve it now, or chill it probably up to a day. (So you can make it early in the day when it is still cool and not heat up the kitchen.)
I was surprised by how filling this was. I meant to add some white beans for protein, and forgot, but I am still sure they would be good here. I also thought about some italian sausage or pepperoni. This would also make a fine side salad for a piece of grilled chicken. I don't think I will ever just eat a tomato out of hand, but they are becoming increasingly more welcome on my plate in their raw form. (As long as I can smother them in garlic, onion, or vinegar- i.e. salsa, bruschetta, or this.) This was a wonderful meal for a hot summer's day.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Pop quiz
You have some cabbage and a sweet potato that need to be used. What do you make for dinner?
Answer: Chili!
Ok, it sounds weird, I know, but hear me out. First off, let me say that I don't condone "deceptively delicious" type ideas- hiding spinach in the brownies just isn't my thing. I DO condone the eating of more and different types of vegetables. Honestly, I don't think I know anyone who eats enough veggies. So I try to put different veggies in things. I don't sneak them in, you can tell they are there. (like spinach in meatloaf.) But they are sometimes a little odd. Like my new favorite is to put some sweet potato in with mashed potatoes. It makes them orange, but otherwise taste mostly the same, and they have a little added nutrition.
So, back to the chili. I made this in my crock pot. And it was awesome. Just follow your normal crock pot chili recipe. (I can post one if there is a large public outcry, but otherwise won't bother.) Use about half a small head of cabbage. Dice it as fine as you can manage. Peel and dice the sweet potato really small too. I added the meat, the seasoning, onions, peppers, the cabbage, and sweet potato and cooked it all together on high for a few hours, then added the beans and corn. (Sometimes I add tomatoes, sometimes not.) If you are using dried beans, put them in with everything else and let them all cook together. Mine were canned this time, so they went in later so as to get hot but not mushy. The awesome thing about the cabbage is that is just disappears. I don't know where it went, but it was gone. Every now and then you got a little crunch, but if you put onion in, it may have been onion. Nobody knows. The sweet potato disappears if the pieces are really small, or there may be one or two blocks of orange left. I stirred and mushed before I added the beans, though they were mostly disintegrated already. The sweet potatoes add a little bit of sweetness to the chili- much like if you were to add some chipotle. It balances nicely, and will probably be a usual addition for me from now on. I assume the cabbage would work with a slow-cooked stew as well.
The moral of the story: don't be afraid to make somewhat odd veggie pairings. They work, sometimes.
Answer: Chili!
Ok, it sounds weird, I know, but hear me out. First off, let me say that I don't condone "deceptively delicious" type ideas- hiding spinach in the brownies just isn't my thing. I DO condone the eating of more and different types of vegetables. Honestly, I don't think I know anyone who eats enough veggies. So I try to put different veggies in things. I don't sneak them in, you can tell they are there. (like spinach in meatloaf.) But they are sometimes a little odd. Like my new favorite is to put some sweet potato in with mashed potatoes. It makes them orange, but otherwise taste mostly the same, and they have a little added nutrition.
So, back to the chili. I made this in my crock pot. And it was awesome. Just follow your normal crock pot chili recipe. (I can post one if there is a large public outcry, but otherwise won't bother.) Use about half a small head of cabbage. Dice it as fine as you can manage. Peel and dice the sweet potato really small too. I added the meat, the seasoning, onions, peppers, the cabbage, and sweet potato and cooked it all together on high for a few hours, then added the beans and corn. (Sometimes I add tomatoes, sometimes not.) If you are using dried beans, put them in with everything else and let them all cook together. Mine were canned this time, so they went in later so as to get hot but not mushy. The awesome thing about the cabbage is that is just disappears. I don't know where it went, but it was gone. Every now and then you got a little crunch, but if you put onion in, it may have been onion. Nobody knows. The sweet potato disappears if the pieces are really small, or there may be one or two blocks of orange left. I stirred and mushed before I added the beans, though they were mostly disintegrated already. The sweet potatoes add a little bit of sweetness to the chili- much like if you were to add some chipotle. It balances nicely, and will probably be a usual addition for me from now on. I assume the cabbage would work with a slow-cooked stew as well.
The moral of the story: don't be afraid to make somewhat odd veggie pairings. They work, sometimes.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Why pay others when you can do it yourself?
Some people are butter aficionados (I don't think that is spelled right, but spell-check says it is..). Some people love margarine. Some don't care either way. I personally don't really care, but there are certain applications that I prefer one or the other. Baking- butter all the way. Eggs- butter. Grilled cheese- a spread is easier to get on the bread. I saw a blog post a while ago about someone who made their own spreadable butter. You know, the stuff you pay almost twice as much for, when there is actually less butter in it because it is cut with canola oil. (Kind of like the watered down foamy soap.) I've never purchased spreadable butter for myself, though I bought it and used it at work once in a while, and it was okay. I was still sticking with my good old Country Crock Shedd's Spread. (Why does it have two names?) But still, the spreadable butter idea was kicking around my head, and I wanted to try it, I just hadn't gotten around to it. Two things spurred me into it. 1) We ran out of Shedd's Spread, but have an enormous amount of butter (in a tub, instead of sticks, which is not so great). and 2) Alann recently heard the "margarine is one step away from plastic" theory. Check out snopes for some insight. So he has been saying that to me every time we had shedd's spread, until we ran out anyway. So, since I had lots of butter and wasn't planning a shopping trip anytime soon, I figured I would at least try it out. (Yes yes, butter may or may not be bad for you, especially if you happen to have a hubby with high cholesterol, but I prefer the natural stuff to the chemically made stuff 99% of the time. And by natural I mean I could make it myself if I wanted.) So, here is the recipe.
Spreadable butter:
8 oz (1/2 a pound, 1 cup, or two sticks) of really soft room temp. butter (mine seemed to be on the verge of melting it was so soft)
1/4-1/2 c of light flavored oil- canola or vegetable or light olive oil
1 tsp salt- honestly, I forgot this and it seems fine without it.
Whip all ingredients together in a food processor or with a hand mixer.
Seriously, that's it. I cleaned out the spread container and just mixed in there since it was twice the size of the amount of butter I was using. When I did this, I used 1 pound (16 oz or a whole box equivalent) of butter and 1/2 c of oil. The original recipe called for 1 whole cup of oil for that much butter. I decided when I started to see if I could use less oil, and decided to start with 3/4 cups. But after I had mixed in the 1/2 c, it was really really soupy, so I was afraid and stopped. But a night in the fridge sorted it out just fine. The consistency is almost exactly like the spreadable butter you get at the store. Straight out of the fridge it is still firm, but definitely spreadable, but if you let it sit out for a few minutes, it softens up nicely. If you wanted it more spread-like, you would have to add more oil. If it gets left out and warms up enough, I will probably whip the extra 1/4 c of oil in and see how that goes, but I won't leave it out on purpose. Or next time I will try the 3/4 c of oil and see which one we prefer. But so far, I am pretty pleased with it. I like that it's one less thing to buy. And I like that it cuts the saturated fat of the butter by the "good fat" in the oil. And it tastes really buttery, much better than most of the spreads anyway. So there you have it. Score one for Becca, score zero for corporations doing something for me that I can now do myself.
Spreadable butter:
8 oz (1/2 a pound, 1 cup, or two sticks) of really soft room temp. butter (mine seemed to be on the verge of melting it was so soft)
1/4-1/2 c of light flavored oil- canola or vegetable or light olive oil
1 tsp salt- honestly, I forgot this and it seems fine without it.
Whip all ingredients together in a food processor or with a hand mixer.
Seriously, that's it. I cleaned out the spread container and just mixed in there since it was twice the size of the amount of butter I was using. When I did this, I used 1 pound (16 oz or a whole box equivalent) of butter and 1/2 c of oil. The original recipe called for 1 whole cup of oil for that much butter. I decided when I started to see if I could use less oil, and decided to start with 3/4 cups. But after I had mixed in the 1/2 c, it was really really soupy, so I was afraid and stopped. But a night in the fridge sorted it out just fine. The consistency is almost exactly like the spreadable butter you get at the store. Straight out of the fridge it is still firm, but definitely spreadable, but if you let it sit out for a few minutes, it softens up nicely. If you wanted it more spread-like, you would have to add more oil. If it gets left out and warms up enough, I will probably whip the extra 1/4 c of oil in and see how that goes, but I won't leave it out on purpose. Or next time I will try the 3/4 c of oil and see which one we prefer. But so far, I am pretty pleased with it. I like that it's one less thing to buy. And I like that it cuts the saturated fat of the butter by the "good fat" in the oil. And it tastes really buttery, much better than most of the spreads anyway. So there you have it. Score one for Becca, score zero for corporations doing something for me that I can now do myself.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Excitement!
I just found a new floor cleaner! Let me preface this post by saying that PineSol makes my nose bleed. Windex makes me sneeze. Most cleaners are too heavily perfumed that they make me feel unwell in some way. I have a very narrow range of products I can use and tolerate. I also have two dogs and a cat. The dogs like to "help" clean, by licking up the crumbs of food that are scattered about. So I worry about what chemicals they are licking. The cat wouldn't deign to help clean, but she does supervise. For this reason I have to lock her out of the bathroom when I scrub the bathtub with comet. Otherwise, she jumps up on the side or even will try to get in it. I know she licks her paws later, so I don't want her licking bleach. And while I was mopping the floor, sure enough, there she was, every step of the way, sitting in the wet floor. Plus soon enough I will have a mobile baby to worry about, either my own or Jeanna's. I don't want them licking the floor or picking up something and putting it in their mouths that has chemicals on it.
For cleaning the floors, I prefer mop and glo. I don't know why. Probably because that is what we always used growing up. I like the smell too, it isn't overpowering. But you can't use Mop and Glo on laminate. It makes it cloudy. Go ahead, ask me how I know. So, I've been using mostly just hot water, which works ok, but you can't leave water on the laminate or it buckles. (Again, ask me how I know.) So my solution was just don't mop that often. That works great when you don't have kids. Not so great now. So I was racking my brains trying to figure out what to do. What did I do? I googled it. A few people mentioned that equal parts rubbing alcohol, vinegar, and water, with or without a few drops of dish soap, would make a good laminate cleaner. I personally have a hard time with anything that LEAVES soap behind. I feel like I need to rinse it afterwards. So I tried it without the soap and it worked great!! Most of the floor just has an assortment of dirt and dog / cat dander on it. That wasn't a big deal. Where the cleaner really stood out was the laundry room and the kitchen. I don't know about you, but I make a BIG mess when I cook. That's why I have dogs. =) So the floor in there is um, scary sometimes. And the laundry room is a mess because that is where we feed and water the dogs, so there is dog food, water spots, gravy made from dog food sitting in water spots, you get the drift. Plus the entrance from the back yard is there, so it is extra dirty. It cleaned up the filth just great.
So, here is a "recipe" if you will. Mix 1 part rubbing alcohol, white vinegar (or I guess you could use apple cider for a more pleasing scent), and water in a spray bottle. I used 1/2 cup of each in a 12 oz bottle. Then I ran one of my kitchen dish rags of which I have 500 under some hot water in the sink and stuck it on the end of my "swiffer" (it's not name brand. Shh). Then I went to town. I spritzed some solution on the rag to prime it a little, then sprayed it on the floor, and rubbed with the rag. It was easy, it was QUIET (baby was sleeping), and I don't have to worry about the chemicals. It does smell a little weird while you are applying it, but as the alcohol and vinegar evaporate, the smell goes away. I even sniff tested the floor after it was dry. There is NO lingering vinegar smell. Alann hates the smell of vinegar, so I made sure to use it first thing this morning, so that it will for sure be gone before he gets home. If I could do one thing differently, it would be this: a microfiber cloth for the end of the swiffer, and a better spray bottle. The kitchen rag worked ok, but if there was any dog hair on the floor, it just pushed it into a pile, instead of picking it up like the microfiber would have. Also, the spray bottle I used was the cheapo $1 at Target bottle that I bought to use for baby's wipe solution. It sucks a little. It works okay once you get the spray going, but it takes a while to get the pumper primed. Plus you have to get really close to the floor because it isn't too strong. So a "professional" bottle might work a little better. But overall, I am pleased, and will be using this method from now on, at least once a week, maybe twice. Yay for a clean house!
For cleaning the floors, I prefer mop and glo. I don't know why. Probably because that is what we always used growing up. I like the smell too, it isn't overpowering. But you can't use Mop and Glo on laminate. It makes it cloudy. Go ahead, ask me how I know. So, I've been using mostly just hot water, which works ok, but you can't leave water on the laminate or it buckles. (Again, ask me how I know.) So my solution was just don't mop that often. That works great when you don't have kids. Not so great now. So I was racking my brains trying to figure out what to do. What did I do? I googled it. A few people mentioned that equal parts rubbing alcohol, vinegar, and water, with or without a few drops of dish soap, would make a good laminate cleaner. I personally have a hard time with anything that LEAVES soap behind. I feel like I need to rinse it afterwards. So I tried it without the soap and it worked great!! Most of the floor just has an assortment of dirt and dog / cat dander on it. That wasn't a big deal. Where the cleaner really stood out was the laundry room and the kitchen. I don't know about you, but I make a BIG mess when I cook. That's why I have dogs. =) So the floor in there is um, scary sometimes. And the laundry room is a mess because that is where we feed and water the dogs, so there is dog food, water spots, gravy made from dog food sitting in water spots, you get the drift. Plus the entrance from the back yard is there, so it is extra dirty. It cleaned up the filth just great.
So, here is a "recipe" if you will. Mix 1 part rubbing alcohol, white vinegar (or I guess you could use apple cider for a more pleasing scent), and water in a spray bottle. I used 1/2 cup of each in a 12 oz bottle. Then I ran one of my kitchen dish rags of which I have 500 under some hot water in the sink and stuck it on the end of my "swiffer" (it's not name brand. Shh). Then I went to town. I spritzed some solution on the rag to prime it a little, then sprayed it on the floor, and rubbed with the rag. It was easy, it was QUIET (baby was sleeping), and I don't have to worry about the chemicals. It does smell a little weird while you are applying it, but as the alcohol and vinegar evaporate, the smell goes away. I even sniff tested the floor after it was dry. There is NO lingering vinegar smell. Alann hates the smell of vinegar, so I made sure to use it first thing this morning, so that it will for sure be gone before he gets home. If I could do one thing differently, it would be this: a microfiber cloth for the end of the swiffer, and a better spray bottle. The kitchen rag worked ok, but if there was any dog hair on the floor, it just pushed it into a pile, instead of picking it up like the microfiber would have. Also, the spray bottle I used was the cheapo $1 at Target bottle that I bought to use for baby's wipe solution. It sucks a little. It works okay once you get the spray going, but it takes a while to get the pumper primed. Plus you have to get really close to the floor because it isn't too strong. So a "professional" bottle might work a little better. But overall, I am pleased, and will be using this method from now on, at least once a week, maybe twice. Yay for a clean house!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Pork chop recipe
I made this awesome pork chop recipe the other night. The original is at All Recipes. This includes my substitutions and tweaks.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 large, maple grilling plank (only if grilling)
- 4 (6 ounce) boneless pork loin chops, about 2 inches thick (or thin ones.)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 2 cups fresh spinach leaves (or 1 c frozen)
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth (you may have extra)
- 2 cups garlic seasoned croutons (or 4 slices bread, toasted with garlic powder. I used 2 slices pumpernickel and 2 whole wheat, because that's what we had. Could use stuffing mix as well)
- 1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend (or mozzarella)
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped (I used dried)
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- Preheat outdoor grill for medium-high heat. Prepare a maple grilling plank by soaking in water according to manufacturer's directions.If you are baking, which is what I did, preheat oven to 350 degrees. While it's preheating, cut the bread slices into cubes and throw them in to toast.
- Place the pork chops on a clean, flat surface, and cut from one side through the middle to within one-half inch of the other side. Open the two sides and spread them out like an open book. Season inside and out with salt, pepper, and rosemary or other seasoning of your choice. Set aside until needed. (Next time I do this, I will probably not stuff the chops. I don't normally buy thick cut chops anyway. I would use thin ones, or cut the thick ones in half.)
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, and celery; cook and stir until the onion is soft and transparent, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach, and cook until wilted (or defrosted), 3 to 5 minutes. Add the croutons (or dried bread product of your choice). If using bread, I would add some seasoning like poultry seasoning to give it some more flavor. Slowly, pour in the chicken broth, about 1/3 of a can at a time. Only use as much as you need to moisten the stuffing. Stir until croutons absorb the broth. Remove from heat, and stir in the Italian cheese blend and the Parmesan cheese.
- Spoon the vegetable-cheese mixture into the pockets of each pork chop. Close one side of the pork chop over the filling. Can use toothpicks to secure. If using thin ones, just put the stuffing on top of the pork, about 1 inch thick. (Or less I guess. I like stuffing.)
- Place pork chops on the prepared grilling plank. Sprinkle with fresh rosemary, and season with salt and pepper to taste. If baking, put them in your preferred roasting dish. You can pour some of the extra chicken broth in the pan as well.
- Cover and grill, turning once, until pork chops are no longer pink in the center and juices run clear, about 30 minutes.Or bake at 350 degrees, 30-40 minutes, until done.
- You have extra stuffing you say??? EXCELLENT!! I put mine in my little silicone muffin cups and baked them with the pork until hot. If you don't have silicone cups, just put it in a muffin tin or other baking dish.
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