So I took my boys to see Frozen the other day- they loved it, and so did I- but I wonder whether or not Disney had some magic eight ball to foretell this damn polar vortex freezing misery??? Mr. M said to me after the movie "If love makes the world warm again why are we so cold? I love you and brudder (brother)". Sorry, bucko. Doesn't work that way, at least not in MA. That's ok, I could be like some of my fellow teachers who are bunkered down in their schools in Georgia with hundreds of their students because the busses couldn't get them home- raiding the cafeteria to make meals for the kids and all of the stranded staff. Poor South. It sucks.
That said, I whipped up some yummy honey garlic chicken with lo mein tonight and it was just perfect. Easy too! I used a premade sweet and sour sauce for the chicken, and added some stuff.
Chinese Style Chicken
3 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
cornstarch
1/4 cup oil
1 bottle sweet and sour or other Asian saute sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup vinegar- rice wine or white
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Toss oil in saute pan over medium heat, and allow to heat up. Brown chicken in pan then put in 9 x 13 baking dish. Stir in sauce, garlic powder, honey, soy sauce, and vinegar. Make sure pieces are coated. Bake for 1 hour, tossing chicken every 15 minutes. Eat. Super delicious- not fried- but really, really tender.
Eat, then repeat. My kids even eat this. Understatement- they SCARF it. If you don't have a bottle of sweet and sour sauce, use ketchup with the rest of the ingredients (about 3/4 cups) and up the honey to 1/3 cup. You can also toss some sesame seeds over the finished product.
Eat warm.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Friday, January 17, 2014
I just don't know how she does it...
How many times have you thought that? I just don't know how she...homeschools- works- bakes- cleans- runs- showers? The fact of the matter is that we all think that at some point. I look at some of my friends and am consumed with jealousy- they're freaking adorable. Hair done. I think- "I just don't know how she looks so pulled together". At the same time, she is wondering the same thing about another mama- "I just don't know how she always has fresh baked bread- I can barely make chicken nuggets". The real message here is that we are all incredulous. Being a mom is no easy task- there is the provision of regular daily needs- food, water, etc. I got that DOWN. Then there is the other stuff. I don't give a flying rats behind if my floor is sparkling- I'd rather make cookies with my kidlets. Yet another mama is willing to have clean laundry folded and put away, but hasn't had a good shower in weeks. It just doesn't matter. We can work harder, sleep less, craft more, eat less, run more- and we still might not be happy. No one person can get it all done, while raising happy, healthy, loving children. We've got to just let it go. Hell, I am doing a 5K in four months and the farthest I have run EVER is to the end of the driveway to catch an escapee toddler. You know what? That's ok. I don't NEED to be fastest. I don't need to WIN. I need to have fun with my friends. I want to enjoy my life. I'll find the strength I need in the moments I so desperately need it. You get to a point where you just have to trust the universe. Second guessing your choices isn't worth it. Playing the comparison game isn't worth it (mainly because you WILL. ALWAYS. LOSE). It's time for women, and mamas in particular, to just recognize that no one person can do it all. Women are stronger than freaking donkeys after all- we can just get shit done. However, when we don't, it doesn't mean we have failed.
It only means we are still trying, and tomorrow is a new day.
It only means we are still trying, and tomorrow is a new day.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Cookie Half-Assed Tutorial
OK, so this isn't actually a tutorial, because I don't have any pictures. However, making super fancy decorated cookies isn't as hard as it looks. Instead of emailing twelve different people what they need, I figured I would just write a blog post. I am trying to figure out the best way to put together a tutorial, too.
You need certain things to make beautiful iced cookies. Step one- buy all this crap. The links are all Amazon, but you can get the stuff elsewhere. I snagged some Kuhn Rikon at Sur La Table super clearance, and they sometimes have them at Marshalls/TJ's etc. Meringue powder is carried in Walmart, A.C. Moore, Michael's, and most grocery stores have it- perhaps under the name powdered egg whites. Icing color you can get again at Walmart, craft stores, etc. I like just getting a full set so I am ready for anything- I will occasionally snag extra red from Wilton, in the little tub. Tub colorant is a PITA though, because it dyes your hands, and you have to use a toothpick to scoop it out. A little goes a long way, UNLESS it's red. Be red-y (hahaha) to use a whole bottle!
Kuhn Rikon Decorating Bottles
Meringue Powder
Icing colorant
Toothpicks
Confectioner's Sugar
Cookies- I use sugar cookie cutouts, and yes, most of the time I use a mix. I collect cookie cutters so I have tons, but if I see a cute one I grab it. I order specific shapes for special events- I just ordered a daisy and wedding dress to use for a shower I am throwing later this spring.
See, now that was easy? That's what you need...recipe below for the royal icing (which I make by the pound and just keep in the fridge)
Royal Icing
Really, you need a stand mixer. If you don't have one, borrow one, or you can use a hand mixer. Add the whipping attachment.
Heaping tablespoon of meringue powder
Confectioner's sugar (I start with half a bag)
1 cup water (which you add VERY slowly. A little goes a long way!!!!)
1 tsp extract- I usually use almond or vanilla, but mint sometimes, and lemon in the summer.
Put sugar and meringue powder in bowl. Add extract and about 1/4 cup water. Turn on mixer and gradually add water until fully mixed. Frosting should be glossy white and fairly stiff. If it is too powdery, add a smidge of water at a time. If it's too watery, add more sugar. When it's fully beaten, you can lift the whippy thingy and peaks will remain but aren't super stiff. That's the perfect consistency. When you add color, that's when you can thin with a touch of water for flooding, or add a touch of sugar for piping names or small details.
Got it? That's all you do, for the first step. Yeah, go bake your cookies too. It's fine if the dough is a touch thicker, and for the love of Adam DON'T OVERBAKE. My cookies bake for 6 1/2 minutes at 350- but that's my thickness, my cookie recipe. They should be lightly golden brown on the bottom but not browned on the top! If you are using a mix, add about a tablespoon of flour to the mix so that it is stiffer. Never try to roll out room temperature dough either- pop that stuff in the fridge for at least an hour to firm up.
I promise I'll cover the decorating itself in the next post- I need to get some pictures because it's not super easy to explain...
You need certain things to make beautiful iced cookies. Step one- buy all this crap. The links are all Amazon, but you can get the stuff elsewhere. I snagged some Kuhn Rikon at Sur La Table super clearance, and they sometimes have them at Marshalls/TJ's etc. Meringue powder is carried in Walmart, A.C. Moore, Michael's, and most grocery stores have it- perhaps under the name powdered egg whites. Icing color you can get again at Walmart, craft stores, etc. I like just getting a full set so I am ready for anything- I will occasionally snag extra red from Wilton, in the little tub. Tub colorant is a PITA though, because it dyes your hands, and you have to use a toothpick to scoop it out. A little goes a long way, UNLESS it's red. Be red-y (hahaha) to use a whole bottle!
Kuhn Rikon Decorating Bottles
Meringue Powder
Icing colorant
Toothpicks
Confectioner's Sugar
Cookies- I use sugar cookie cutouts, and yes, most of the time I use a mix. I collect cookie cutters so I have tons, but if I see a cute one I grab it. I order specific shapes for special events- I just ordered a daisy and wedding dress to use for a shower I am throwing later this spring.
See, now that was easy? That's what you need...recipe below for the royal icing (which I make by the pound and just keep in the fridge)
Royal Icing
Really, you need a stand mixer. If you don't have one, borrow one, or you can use a hand mixer. Add the whipping attachment.
Heaping tablespoon of meringue powder
Confectioner's sugar (I start with half a bag)
1 cup water (which you add VERY slowly. A little goes a long way!!!!)
1 tsp extract- I usually use almond or vanilla, but mint sometimes, and lemon in the summer.
Put sugar and meringue powder in bowl. Add extract and about 1/4 cup water. Turn on mixer and gradually add water until fully mixed. Frosting should be glossy white and fairly stiff. If it is too powdery, add a smidge of water at a time. If it's too watery, add more sugar. When it's fully beaten, you can lift the whippy thingy and peaks will remain but aren't super stiff. That's the perfect consistency. When you add color, that's when you can thin with a touch of water for flooding, or add a touch of sugar for piping names or small details.
Got it? That's all you do, for the first step. Yeah, go bake your cookies too. It's fine if the dough is a touch thicker, and for the love of Adam DON'T OVERBAKE. My cookies bake for 6 1/2 minutes at 350- but that's my thickness, my cookie recipe. They should be lightly golden brown on the bottom but not browned on the top! If you are using a mix, add about a tablespoon of flour to the mix so that it is stiffer. Never try to roll out room temperature dough either- pop that stuff in the fridge for at least an hour to firm up.
I promise I'll cover the decorating itself in the next post- I need to get some pictures because it's not super easy to explain...
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