June 21, 2009

Happy Father's Day, everyone.  As we've mentioned before, we lost our dad on January 21, 2007, so this is our third Father's Day without him here.  The other day, I was thinking about another approaching Father's Day, and started remembering some of D's favorite foods and what we would have if he was with us now.  I made a list of some of his favorites that came to my mind, and wanted to share some really good recipes for them.

• Lemon Meringue Pie – Grandma's Lemon Meringue Pie from AllRecipes sounds great, and got excellent reviews.  D liked his lemon pie very “puckery” and so do we all!

• Banana Pudding – this recipe for Old Fashioned Banana Pudding from RecipeZaar sounds very similar to the way we've always made it since we were kids.  Homemade vanilla pudding, vanilla wafers, sliced bananas, and NO meringue, no cream cheese, no Eagle Brand!  Not that there is anything wrong with any of those ingredients; we just choose not to include them in our nana puddin.

• Chicken Fried Steak from Toby Keith's “I Love This Bar” in Las Vegas – we found this recipe a while back, and now we can't put our hands on it.  Cook's Illustrated has a recipe that sounds really yummy, but you can only see it if you have a membership as I do.  BTW, I love their site, and this is the only web site I pay for access to, except for Consumer Reports.  But if you don't want to pay for recipes, you could check out Alton Brown's Chicken Fried Steak.  Alton seems to know what he's doing, so I imagine his version is good even if he's not Texan.  😀

• Sardine-Mustard-Onion Sandwich – no recipe needed!  We all have our unusual favorite combinations, right?  This was one of D's.

• Schlotzsky's Pastrami Sandwich on Dark Pumpernickel – we love this sandwich place, and I'm really sorry that you can't find them all over the country.  One of the special things about them is their bread.  Here's a copycat recipe for Schlotzsky's bread, although I haven't tried it yet.

• Keurig Coffee – the best coffeemaker, hands down!  Get yourself some Green Mountain K-Cups, and prepare to enjoy a wonderful coffee experience.

• Red Beans with Ham and Cornbread – Paula Deen should know how to make pinto beans, right?  She has a Slow Cooker Pinto Bean recipe that sounds pretty simple.  Lots of recipes use tomatoes, kidney beans, bay leaf, roasted garlic, etc. but we were never that fancy!  We also didn't pre-soak our beans. All of the ingredients went into the pot, and they simmered for hours til tender.   I think this recipe for cornbread from Hillbilly Housewife sounds great!  It uses buttermilk and a cast iron skillet, so it's off to a promising start.

• Sunday morning breakfast with eggs, biscuits and bacon – who doesn't love the smell of this meal cooking, not to mention getting to eat it?  It maybe one of my favorite smells ever.

• Potato Salad – we'll give you our family recipe in another post. It's a good one!  It originally came from SisMama's dad, who was a magnificent cook with a fiery German personality!

• LilSis' Brisket – LilSis will share her recipe in a separate post too.

Most of all, D loved to eat anything that SisMama made.  If you are fortunate enough to still have your dad, make one of his favorite foods for Father's Day!

~BigSis

June 16, 2009

Have you heard about these new mixes for fat-free brownies called No Pudge?  All you add is non-fat vanilla yogurt. Since I fessed up to being a bake-from-scratch snob, but then had a raving disaster with my homemade cherry pie, I figure I'm obligated to humble myself and try some mixes.  I've heard that these brownies are good, but I'm so skeptical!  A brownie with no butter?  And it's supposed to be worth eating?  I say prove it!

I bought a box of the original flavor of No Pudge at Central Market for $4.59.  They also have mint, raspberry and cappuccino varieties but I wanted to start off with the basic chocolate.  The nutritional label says each brownie has 110 calories, 0 grams of fat, and 22 grams of sugar (!).

The No Pudge brownies couldn't be easier to make.  You add 2/3 cup of non-fat vanilla yogurt to the mix, which includes sugar, flour, cocoa, egg whites, cornstarch, wheat gluten, salt and baking soda.  You mix the yogurt in thoroughly and smooth it into an 8″ square pan.  The instructions say to bake for 30 to 35 minutes, but I only had a 9″ pan, so I baked for closer to 25 minutes.

After chilling overnight, I took these to work for an informal taste test and these are the results:

• Everyone agreed that the flavor was very chocolaty, and two people thought you couldn't tell the difference between these and a full-fat brownie. I could tell!

• The consistency was very fudgy and pretty gooey.  I wonder if I underbaked these, and if they would be less gooey with more baking time, although they tested done and I hate to overbake brownies.  I'd rather slightly underbake than overbake.

• My opinion was that the texture was a tad spongy and gooey at the same time.  I also thought the first note on my tongue was sugar, which makes sense since non-fat baked goods usually compensate with extra sugar.  I could totally tell that something was amiss with these little guys, although the chocolate fix was there.

Would I bake these again?  Nah.  I'd rather have half of a Barefoot Contessa Outrageous Brownie than several of these.  It was a fun experiment, but that's just how I roll.  I have to say that I like that there aren't a bunch of artificial ingredients and sweeteners in these brownies, but I'm not really into non-fat versions of real food.  Perfect examples are the grossness of non-fat mayo and non-fat cheese.  Blecch.

I can see these “brownies” being served at a baby shower or spa party hosted by one of the “ladies who lunch” in Dallas.  I imagine they'd be cut into 1/2″ squares.  Give me a regular brownie, even if it means more time on the treadmill!

Oh, and P.S.  My camera is on the critical list, so these craptastic photos may be the last you see from it!  I took well over 100 photos to even get a couple that were usable.  If you love your camera, please send me your recommendation of any models I should look at!

~BigSis

May 23, 2009

I can't believe that Memorial Day is here already, that is; summer is here already.  Wasn't it just Christmas, for cryin' out loud?  Seriously, time is going by scary fast and it freaks me out.  The next time I turn around I'm going to be on Social Security, when I still feel like I should be on Spring Break instead.  How does life get by us so quickly?

So.  What I was about to talk about before I wigged out?  Oh yeah, food for Memorial Day.  Alrighty then.  We're supposed to have rain here the whole DING.  DANG.  WEEKEND.  The whole weekend.  My first reaction was to be hissed off.  We work all week long, and then when the long holiday weekend comes along, we get rain?  3 days of rain?  Seriously?

But then I got a grip on my attitude and decided that I would make the best of the weather, whatever it was.  I can't control it so there's no point in getting worked up about it, right?  We still have 3 days off work.  Hallelujah!  So I vow to whine no more this weekend, even if I get mildewed by Tuesday morning.

However, with the weather being so sketchy, I haven't wanted to commit to any plans that rely on a sunny day so I'm not doing the cookout thing.  That doesn't mean I can't think about what I would make for a Memorial Day soiree if I was having one.

Memorial Day is traditionally a burger/hot dog grilling kind of a day.  But maybe some of you are looking for ideas for Monday, and maybe you're like me and want suggestions that don't involve eating critters?  Allow me to give you a sample menu that I would make if I were making it.  I'm going with a Mediterranean theme, up until dessert when it's unapologetically patriotic all the way!  Check out this menu, and enjoy your weekend…soggy or not!  I'm reminded by my conscience that this weekend is about the sacrifices made by our military men and women; NOT about whether I get to sit by the pool or not!

• Olive Garden's Bruschetta from Todd Wilbur's “Top Secret Restaurant Recipes” via Cooking with Good Morning America

• Grilled Portabella Mushroom Burgers with Tarragon Mustard Aioli from DIY Network

• Spinach and Orzo Salad from AllRecipes

• Cherry Tomato and Olive Salad from RecipeZaar

• Berry Cheesecake Pie from Taste of Home

• Red White ‘n' Blue Salad from Taste of Home

Red White 'n' Blue Salad from Taste of Home

~BigSis

January 26, 2009

I've decided to enter my chili recipe in the Ultimate Super Bowl Party Recipe Smackdown that The Recipe Girl is hosting in conjunction with Sam's Club.

I almost always host a Super Bowl Party, even if our favorite team isn't participating! It's just another good reason to have a get together with friends! And I love to cook for a big group of hungry guys! They appreciate almost anything! If you don't fancy cooking, you could always order out by looking for ‘subs delivery near me‘ and cater to your guest's individual food needs.

This year I'm going to make my “prize winning” chili for the Super Bowl. (Okay, it wasn't a famous contest or anything, but I did win second prize and a cute little red ribbon at our recent Chili Cook-off on our dock at the Harbor!)

I've doubled and even quadrupled this recipe, so it's perfect for a large crowd! Here's my version of Chili Con Carne.

 

LilSis' Chili Con Carne

LilSis' Chili Con Carne

3 pounds lean ground beef
One sweet onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 dark beer
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (28 oz) can tomato sauce
1 can dark kidney beans (drained)
1 sm. can corn (I use Green Giant Sweet vacuum packed)
4 – 5 tsp. Penzeys Chili Con Carne spice*
2 chopped roasted poblano peppers (optional)
1/4 t. cayenne
1/2 t. onion powder
salt to taste
1 T. olive oil

*The Penzeys Chili Con Carne spice, formerly known as my secret ingredient, is so different from just a regular chili powder. It's the reason why you don't see cumin or a bunch of other spices listed in the recipe. Here are the ingredients in this one amazing spice: ancho chili pepper, tomato powder, ground cumin, Mexican oregano, garlic, coriander, onions, red and green bell peppers, Tellichery black pepper, allspice, cilantro, and cloves. If you don't have a Penzeys store nearby, you can order online from the Penzeys Spices website.

Saute the chopped onion in the oil in a large saucepan until onion is soft. Add the ground beef, salt and minced garlic to the pan and brown until beef is cooked throughout. Drain the beef and return to the pan. Add the beer to the beef and simmer for 15-20 minutes on medium heat. Add the diced tomatoes and simmer for another 15-20 minutes. Simmer for longer if you want the tomatoes to cook down more. Add the tomato sauce, roasted peppers, and Penzeys Chili Con Carne spice. Simmer for another 30 minutes or so. Add the cayenne pepper, onion powder and additional salt if necessary. (This is the stage where you can adjust the seasonings to your own taste. This isn't like baking, so add whatever you want here.)

Once you have your chili seasoned just right, add the can of beans and the corn and just heat throughout. This can be served right away or put in a crockpot to stay warm for hours. It's even better heated and served the next day.

I usually set up a buffet style toppings bar with bowls of these toppings so everyone can add the toppings of their choice.

Toppings:
chopped onion
chopped jalapeno
fritos
oyster crackers
sour cream
grated cheese (I use Tillamook medium cheddar)

And if you really want a great frito pie, layer the bottom of the bowl with the fritos first, then chili, cheese, more fritos, and sour cream. Yummy! It doesn't get much better than that!

Okay, so this recipe probably doesn't qualify as one of our healthy, low fat recipes if we are topping with the cheese, fritos, and sour cream. But we can make an exception for the Super Bowl, right?

~LilSis

January 3, 2009

Hey LilSis, and Happy New Year!  How funny that many of your resolutions were mirrors of my thoughts.  Not so surprising after all though, I suppose.  We do have a lot of similar experiences with similar responses to them.

We haven't talked about this offline, but I can give you some of my thoughts on what I'd love to talk about in BigSisLilSis in 2009.

• More MAC, more skin care, more beauty product info! I think we're all looking for the thing that works best for us, and if we put our heads together, we can compare notes and maybe save each other some time and money,  I have some leads on some interesting products that I'm working on already.
• More food and more recipes! I've got a bee in my bonnet to try some baked goods using agave nectar and coconut oil, since these two are touted as healthier alternatives to traditional ingredients.  Overall, I want to bake more and post more recipes and photos.  I have a whole bunch of new baking cookbooks that I need to break in, and baking just makes me happy!
• More tips and thoughts on achieving the healthiest state we can reasonably attain, as opposed to just trying to look good. Not that there is anything wrong with looking our best; I'm just focusing like a laser beam on getting healthy healthy healthy this year, God willing.
• More cats in hats, of course! My furkids didn't get a new chapeau this Christmas since their Meowmy was busy with the SPCA bake sale (sorry, kitty pies, sometimes you have to sacrifice for the good of your fellow felines).  But I promise more hats on more cats in 2009!  And that isn't just an empty campaign promise!  Since we agree that we need to laugh more, one of the best ways I know of is cats in hats!
• In the category of “materialistic”, I'd like to talk more about shoes! Buying shoes, organizing shoes, wearing shoes…you know, just talk about shoes.  I REALLY want to share my love (obsession or fetish may be better terms) for t-strap shoes!
• Last but not least, I'd love to do more Sister Showdowns, Sunday Suppers, and What the “L”s. I get a kick out of doing those, and I hope I'm not the only one who does.

Those are my off-the-cuff thoughts, LilSis.  What are your thoughts for the year ahead?

~BigSis

December 17, 2008

Did you ever meet anyone who didn't love brownies?  I haven't.  I think most people love them, like I do, even though I'm not even a sweets eater.  Monday's SPCA Bake Sale would certainly make that point.  We sold all of our brownies and bars, and we started out with quite a few of them, cut into big generous slabs!   Here's what we had:

• Barefoot Contessa's Outrageous Oreo Brownies from Culinary in the Country.  These are as big and fat and thick and rich as they look!  Crackly on the top, moist and fudgy inside.  They make me happy. 😀

Barefoot Contessa's Outrageous Oreo Brownie

Check out that Christmas Oreo red filling!

• Barefoot Contessa's Outrageous Brownies with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts from Food Network. These actually sold out before the Oreo version, which surprised me.

Outrageous Brownie with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts

• Caramel Bars from my recipe file.  They're full of caramel, oats, walnuts and chocolate chips. I need to post the recipe; they're so good and easy!

Caramel Bar

• Pecan Pie Bars from “The Pastry Queen” by Rebecca Rather.  Oh. So. Yummy.  That's all I can say.

• RazzMaTazz Bars ( I used cranberry jam instead of rapberry, so I guess these would be CranMaTazz Bars instead) from CookieMadness.net.  In addition to the jam, they have white chocolate and almonds. Very rich, delicious and pretty too!

• Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars from the back of the chocolate chip package, or RecipeZaar.  These are a classic, and everyone loves them. Especially BDot!  I like them full of pecans, but not everyone is a nut-lover, so I left them out for the Bake Sale.

All of these beauties were sold, and I know we could have sold many more brownies.  Several people walked in the door asking, “Do you have any brownies?”  Alas, we had to break the hearts of these folks who came in after the last outrageous crumb went out the door.  Next time…even MORE brownies!

Do inquiring minds want to know how many bowls it takes to make a batch of outrageous brownies?  Check it out:

Outrageous mess for outrageous brownies!

I think it took 3 bowls (maybe 4) for these brownies, and let me tell you, they were worth it!  This is my new favorite brownie recipe.  Thanks, Ina!  As soon as I recover from this baking extravaganza, I'll be back with more details on how the SPCA Bake Sale turned out.  Meanwhile, make some friends…make some brownies!

~BigSis

October 26, 2008

BigSis has already said that she isn't a “Halloween Celebrater”. I, on the other hand, love to decorate for Halloween and love to host Halloween parties. I have just found it a little hard this year to get into the “Halloween Spirit” because it has been so unseasonably warm here in Southern California. I had this weekend set aside to get the yard and front porch all decorated. “Best laid plans!”

We found out that HayHay had his first surf competition yesterday. So, instead of decorating the house, I drove down to Mission Bay for a day at the beach to watch surfers compete! “You do what you gotta do, right?” HayHay came in first place so now we have to be back down at the beach at 11:00 this morning. I really don't know when I'm going to get this house decorated!

I've been “surfing the net” trying to get some new, quick, and easy ideas.

I NEVER eat sweets, but for some crazy reason, I LOVE CANDY CORN! So, of course I love this entire “Candy Corn inspired” theme from Hostess with the Mostess!

I JUST LOVE THE CANDY CORN DECOR!

(Maybe I won't be tempted to eat the candy corn if it's in a vase with a candle or flowers!)

I don't like scary stuff so I don't like any of the “skull & crossbones” party themes. I was really happy when I found this “Playful Mod” theme. It's perfect for adults and children. I have a bunch of fun Halloween candle holders from PartyLites that will match this theme perfectly, so I'll do something like this for Friday night at our house. I've even seen some neon Halloween-themed lights, so that could be good too. Those lights from www.neonfilter.com can be personalized to say whatever you want, so you could make it as spooky as you like. That could be a great addition to Halloween decorations.

I LOVE THE ORANGE, PURPLE, & GREEN COLOR COMBINATION!

I think these spider toothpicks will go well with this party theme!

Cute little Spider Toothpicks!

There are recipes galore for very cute, “bat shaped” cookies and candy corn cookies and intricately decorated cupcakes, but those recipes are for those of you who are more prepared than I am this year. At this late date, I'm looking for fun, quick, and easy. I found this recipe for Scary Spiderweb Cupcakes on Betty Crocker. I love that the web is just made with the black decorating gel and the spiders are made from gumdrops. Looks easy enough; even for me.

Scary Spider Cupcakes

I love this Chocolate Marshmallow Ghost Cake! One of Martha's readers said that she simplified it by using two white cake mixes, instead of starting from scratch. I might have to do that…

Ghostly Marshmallow Cake!

Check out this great idea for a Witch's Curtain! You just use trash bags!

Easy Witch Curtain

Every year, we sit aside one night for a Family Pumpkin Carving Competition. “Yikes!” It just snuck up on me this year. We'll do that either Tuesday or Wednesday night and if they turn out “worthy of being photographed”, I'll post some photos on Friday. I like this Pumpkin Totem idea from Martha.

I really like this pumpkin totem!

I hope this helps those of you who need some new, quick and easy ideas for this Halloween! Happy Halloween Decorating!

~LilSis