It's gonna be another whirlwind of a year...

There are probably 9 other things that I need to blog about but I'm going to continue to put them on hold and blog about all of the exciting things that are coming up!

February: Wendy and I are going to Portland to visit Mary & Zach! They just moved away at the end of December so I'm really anxious to see them (and Mary's cute little pregnant self)!

March: Ashley, Wendy, Lindsay, Jessica, and I are road tripping to AZ for a few spring training games! And we'll get to see my Aunt Sharlyn and her family. I love going back to visit there! And we are already planning what music we'll listen to on the way!

April: Start spreading the news! We're going to NYC!! I am so excited to finally see New York! We'll be celebrating Ashley & Jessica's bdays while we are there. Can't wait!

May: Linds and Ryan are getting married! They just got engaged two nights ago!! They are getting married in the Salt Lake Temple on May 4th.

2011 New Recipe #24 Bandera Cornbread

Bandera is a fancy schmancy restaurant in Corona Del Mar. I've only been there a few times and, no surprise, loved it. I think I've tried three items there - one was some sort of rotisserie chicken salad, another was delicious grilled artichokes, and finally, the unforgettable iron skillet cornbread. Seriously, I could go there and just eat the cornbread. So imagine my excitement when I came across a clone recipe! I made it when I was in KS to go with the tortellini soup. I must admit that it wasn't quite as good as Bandera's but it was still great. I'd recommend it! My mom didn't have a cast iron skillet so I used a dutch oven and it worked. Like a charm.


Bandera Corn Bread Clone 
from Food.Com


Ingredients: 
(serves 16)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 (15 ounce) can creamed corn
3/4 cup of whole corn (fresh or frozen)
2 ounces green chili peppers (1/2 small can, roasted style)
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
1/2 cup monterey jack cheese (shredded)
4 eggs
 
Directions:
1. Prehead oven & 12" cast iron skillet to 300 degrees.
2. Mix flour, cornmeal, salt & baking powder and set aside. Melt butter and combine with sugar, creamed corn and chili peppers. Mix to combine. Add eggs one by one and mix until well blended. Add whole corn and cheese. Fold in flour mixture until mixed well, clumps are okay.
3. Carefully remove cast iron skillet from oven and evenly coat top and sides with canola/vegetable oil. Pour in cornbread batter (be careful, it may splatter).
4. Bake 30-60 minutes, or until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
(Err on the side of underdone because the moistness of this is one of it's virtues.)

2011 New Recipe #23 Tortellini Soup

While I was home for Christmas, each of us girls were assigned a day to cook. I've been on a soup kick lately so decided to make tortellini soup. This is probably my favorite dish that Wendy makes so I figured I'd try it myself. Everyone loved it. I served it with cornbread, which will be the next post. (I've never eaten it with parmesan cheese but I'm sure it would be great.)

TORTELLINI SOUP

(Recipe from Wendy's sister, Amber. I don't know where it's originally from.)

3 (10 3/4 oz.) cans chicken broth                            2 cloves garlic, crushed

3 (10 3/4 oz.) cans cream of chicken soup                1 tsp. dry basil

2 cups cooked chicken                                          1/2 tsp. dry oregano

1 cup chopped onion                                             1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 cup sliced carrots                                              1 (7 or 8 oz.) pkg. cheese tortellini

2 cups water

Combine chicken with chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, onion, carrots, water, garlic, basil, and oregano.  Bring to a boil.  Add tortellini and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.

2011 New Recipe #22

I wanted to use the rest of my molasses so decided to make molasses cookies. I've had them before and they are yummy (the reaction from some of my friends was not so great but who really cares what they think, right?). The problem was that I wanted to us all of the molasses so I ended up taking the recipe times 1 1/2. How do you use 1 1/2 eggs, you ask? Well, I thought that was way too much trouble so I would recommend not doing it! The cookies were delicious and I didn't mind rolling them into little balls and into the sugar (I'd do that over rolling out dough any day!).

Let me just insert a little plug for my Silpat. It's the best and I think everyone should have one. Go buy one. Now. You won't be sorry.

Lucy's Molasses Cookies

http://www.iamchasingbaby.com/2011/09/lucys-molasses-cookies.html

Ingredients:  

3/4 C. Vegetable Oil - 1 C. Sugar - 1 Egg - 1/3 C. Molasses (MIX)

Gradually add the following dry ingredients...

2 tsp. Cinnamon - 1/4 tsp. Clove - 1/4 tsp. Ginger - 2 tsp. Soda - 2 1/4 C. Flour

Mix until thoroughly blended.  

Roll dough into tablespoon sized balls.

Then coat in remaining white sugar.

Place cookies two inches apart onto greased baking sheets.

Bake at 375 degrees for 8 mins.

2011 New Recipe #21

Oh boy, I'm getting down to the wire! I'm behind a few recipes on the blog but I haven't completed my 30 new recipes this year! I have a few more planned so let's cross our fingers that I can make it!

I got really excited to make these cookies:

They are gingerbread heads and aren't they just adorable?!? Yeah, I thought so, too. And I've never made gingerbread cookies and wanted to be festive so I went for it. I had to buy and use molasses cookies for the first time ever (it smells disgusting - my dad feeds the cows molasses and I can't stop thinking about that). I didn't realize until I was halfway through that I had to chill the dough and then roll it out (I usually steer clear of those recipes). By the time I finally finished them, I lost all motivation to decorate them. I bought some frosting in a can that had different tips and then let everyone decorate their own. We had fun and they were yummy.

Gingerbread Cookies

www.bakerella.com

5 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1 cup butter, slightly soft
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup molasses

• Sift flour, soda, salt and spices together in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Using a mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add egg and mix until combined.
• Add molasses and mix until combined.
• Gradually add in flour mixture and mix until combined and a dough forms.
• Divide dough into four sections and shape each into a flattened disc.
• Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
• When ready to bake preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Roll out each disc between two sheets of parchment paper using a rolling pin.
• Flour the sides of the paper that will touch the dough to make it a little easier to release.
• Cut out shapes and remove excess dough to reuse.
• Leave cutouts on parchment paper and transfer to cookie sheet.
• Bake for 8-9 minutes. Cool on cooling rack.

For the icing, mix together four cups confectioner’s sugar and four tablespoons meringue powder with about four tablespoons water. If it’s too thick, add more water a teaspoon at a time. Or if it’s too thin, add more confectioner’s sugar. Decorate using a #2 to outline and #3 tip to fill in.

2011 New Recipe #20

Wendy had the missionaries over for dinner on Sunday, November 20th. She made chicken tortellini soup and cornbread. Linds and I were in charge of dessert and chose to make Citrus-Glazed Pumpkin-Carrot Cake. It was a fun recipe to make and nice to have someone help (especially with all those grated carrots!). It turned out really well except for the fact that I didn't have an angel food cake pan so I used a bundt pan, which wasn't big enough. At all. No worries, though, I just cut off the excess and it was fabulous! I such at taking pictures these days but it basically looked just like Martha's picture (people get us confused all the time) so here ya go!



Citrus-Glazed Pumpkin-Carrot Cake
www.marthastewart.com

Ingredients

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
5 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/3 cups light-brown sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin puree
1 3/4 cups finely grated carrots (about 7 medium carrots)
1 1/2 cups toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
Citrus Glaze

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 14-cup angel-food cake pan. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, 4 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl as needed. In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk and pumpkin puree. With mixer on low, add flour mixture to butter mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions pumpkin mixture. Scrape down bowl as needed. Fold in carrots and walnuts.
Spread batter into pan, using a small spatula to fill any air pockets. Smooth top and firmly tap pan on a flat surface several times to remove air bubbles.
Bake until a wooden skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 70 to 75 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Remove cake from pan. To serve, spoon glaze over top.


Citrus Glaze

Ingredients

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
Pinch of coarse salt

Directions

In a medium bowl, stir together sugar, lemon and orange juices, and salt. Thin with additional juice if necessary (glaze should be consistency of heavy cream).

Lately...

I'm not very good at balancing my time between writing in my journal and reading books, magazines, and scriptures...oh, and blogging. I've read 11 of the 12 books I set a goal to read this year. I'm a few months behind on my magazines (but I refuse to move on before going through each of them). I started listening to my scriptures on my phone (via the Mormon Channel app) so I'm staying a little more on top of that. I tried to write in my journal weekly (sometimes during my lunch break) but got a few weeks behind, which translates to hours of time because I include so.much.detail! It's worth it, though...right?!?

My last life update was mid-September so I'll pick up from there.

September

• ran the Great Urban Race in LA with Naco, Nikki, and Annalee
• spent the day with Tami's family (dinner, games, singing, laughing - love them!)
• attended Nancy & Ryan's wedding reception in beautiful Newport Coast
• watched friends' softball games (live), Oklahoma State football (on tv - Go Pokes!)
• saw the San Francisco ballet with Wendy and Naco - LOVED!
• new roomie, Lindsay, moved in ON HER BDAY!

October

• went to St. George with Wendy to support Karen, Ali, Travis, and Annalee in the marathon
• attended Morgan's bridal shower & Melissa's baby shower (and got to catch up with my dear friend, Betsy!)
• suffered through a sugar fast with Wendy (why do we torture ourselves?)
• went to Disneyland - TWICE (once with Naco, Ash, Wend, Jenn, & Jess; then with Wend & Steph)
• hiked Bridge to Nowhere with Naco, Ash, Mary, & Zach
• watched my friend, Sharon, perform in "Singing in the Rain" with Landon
• April visited from DC (dinner, beach, glow in the dark bocce, celebrated her bday!)
• went to Jess' annual fall party complete with a visit to the pumpkin patch
• hosted our first (Steph's 6th) annual Chowder Chowdown!
• went to the Haunted Hay Ride in LA (creepy)

November

• started a painting project with Naco
• celebrated Randilyn's bday at a dueling piano bar
• Joe visited from DC! (lots of sightseeing - island, beach cruisers, peninsula, saw "To Kill A Mockingbird," beach bonfire, Malibu, Santa Monica, etc)
• spent a weekend in Santa Barbara with Ali & Wendy (ran the half marathon, celebrated Ali's bday)

Time is flying by! I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week!