cooking lessons

we get into a lot of trouble together. and she gives me great recipes.

Tonight I bring you several new recipes!!! I've been cooking a lot more than this time last year - something about the fact that I'm not focused on getting kiddos 4th grade ready and able to pass the high-stakes state test. Something about not working 60 hours a week leaves energy to make a mess in the kitchen and then clean it up. Have I mentioned I admire teachers and principals and counselors times a THOUSAND? I do. Clap for teachers right now. (Clap, clap clap..)

Speaking of mess...

My friend Caitlin is a younger, cooler version of Martha Stewart. She is a great source of recipes and always makes cooking/entertaining seem like a piece of cake. (Even if she's not serving cake.)

So she heard I was having brunch, she sent me some recipes. Those are what I will share.

I'll also share an embarassing story because, who does not love to laugh at my expense every and now and then? Remember the time I wore a name tag that said "Clint" and also fell to the floor while two stepping?

I digress. Here's the gist:

I found a recipe in the Whole Foods magazine/flier thing that seemed delicious, not horribly unhealthy, and simple. No eggs. No milk. No oil. Just dry goods, 6 tablespoons of butter, and VIOLA, chocolate chip soda bread.

I read the ingredients. Check. I got out ingredients. Check. I follow directions. Check. Everything in the bowl looks funny. I reread directions and ingredients. Check. I continue, unfazed by the funny looking dough stuff. I bake accordingly. I check on it a few times: looks odd, smells great.

My roommate comes home. "Smells good!" Check.

I remove soda bread from oven. It is hard as a rock in some places, gooey in others, something is wrong. I reread recipe. Can't figure it out. I taste it, not horrible, but something is off.

I get in bed and am reading a book when this cute boy I know calls me. (He should have his own cooking show. The first time I saw him cook he made chicken enchiladas from scratch - as in, the sauce was made in a food processor and stuff. We call in enchiladas for "pick up" around the Robinson house.)

Anywho, so I'm telling the cute chef this story so he can laugh at me too, and I visualize the ingredients on my shelf. I think about the cute girl on my baking powder bottle. And then i realize: baking powder. So I ask the chef, what's the difference between baking powder and baking soda?

"One is a base," he says calmly. "And one is an acid. Totally different things."

Well, pardon my french Julia Child, but. Crap. I have used absolutely zero baking soda whilst making SODA BREAD. apparently three tablespoons of baking powder will NOT do the trick.

Oh. My. Good. Gracious. Embarassing? Yep. Ridiculous? Yep. But did I learn something? Yep.

Also, because the cute chef taught me to butter a pan (my lovely mom just douses pans with cooking spray, I had no idea you could butter pans) the whole loaf came slid right into the trash can real nice. So I got that going for me...

Happy cooking & love to all! crob

I highly recommend this recipe, and I used less sugar & butter. Yum-my. Thanks Caitlin (and sisters)

Cranberry Apple Crisp

Fruit Mixture

5 c. (5 med.) sliced peeled apples

1 1/2 c. fresh or frozen cranberries (I used part dried cherries and part crasins)

1 c. sugar

2 T. flour

1 t. cinnamon

Topping

1 c. rolled (whole) oats

1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar

1/3 c. flour

1/3 c. margarine or butter

1/2 c. chopped nuts (I used toasted pecans)

Heat oven to 375 deg.F. Grease 12x8 in.(2 qt.) baking dish. In large bow., combine all fruit mixture ingredients; toss to coat. Spoon into greased baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine rolled oats, brown sugar and 1/3 c. flour. Using pastry blender or fork, cut in margarine until crumbly. Stir in nuts. Sprinkle topping evenly over fruit.

Bake at 375 deg. F. for 30-40 min or until golden brown and apples are tender. If desired, serve with ice cream, whipped cream or topping. 10 servings.

And this is great

Spinach Frittata
1 c onions, chopped
1 10oz package frozen spinach, thawed
5 eggs
2 c grated cheddar cheese
1 jar artichoke hearts, chopped
2 c shredded hash browns

Sautee onions and potatoes in olive oil. Beat eggs and combine with
cheese. Add the rest of the ingredients and bake at 350°F for 30
minutes.