Dec 30, 2009

Absolutely Amazing

First Day!

Normally on lazy days, which today would have been if I didn't have that magical machine waiting in the kitchen, I would sleep in until about 8:30 or 9, depending on when the dogs felt they were hungry. Not today. I was up and ready to go by 8, after laying in bed for about 2 hours thinking about all the yummy things I was going to make.

Before I start with today's food, let me talk about the wonderful cookbook my Mom picked up at a garage sale for a steal and is so lovingly letting me borrow so that I may fix the binding as well as cook everything I can out of it (my own little Julie & Julia). The Betty Crocker's New Picture Cook Book text edition. Now I really can't find a good website for it and the prices for it range all over the place, but my Mom got a really good deal on it none the less. Here is our copy:

 
It is the ring binder edition with tabbed sections. I think the first few pages are missing since I couldn't find any copyright information in it. 

My first recipe from the cookbook as well as my first recipe for the mixer was the Stir-n-Roll Biscuits on page 77. Here is that page for your viewing pleasure as well as the mixers first use :)




Yesterday I also got a french style rolling pin (from the Paula Deen line at WalMart), my first rolling pin! Instead of making  my normal drop biscuits I decided to try out the rolling pin only to realize I did not have a circle cookie cutter. But this glass did the trick.

They were just simple biscuits, no fancy flavors (I can't wait to try my onion and herb biscuits using my new blender and mixer!), so we ate them for breakfast with jelly and butter. I think next time I need to use a bigger cup since they came out a little small.
 

The slow cooker needed some use, so after the biscuits I started some sweet pork chops with onion and green peppers to be ready for the evening.
Of course I had to make cake and frosting with the new mixer. What is better than cake and frosting made from scratch? Nothing! I decided on a yellow cake with butter cream frosting (I didn't actually use cream, but evaporated milk instead). Both recipes were from the little cookbook that came with the mixer. Action shot during frosting mixing:


I only made a one layer cake since it's just the two of us (granted Mike does need the calories but I definitely don't).

The butter cream frosting came out so smooth and lovely. I used to make it by hand (which would take about 9 hours....) and it never came out this nice. I haven't tasted it all together yet but I am sure it will be super awesome.

To round off dinner, I made some crushed potatoes with garlic and basil from 400 Three & Four Ingredient Recipes and Honey Glazed Carrots. I don't normally buy frozen veggies with glazes incorporated, but Grandma gave them to me and I thought they would go with the sweet pork and they did. The potatoes, not so much, but they were still good.

I haven't decided what tomorrow holds. We had some frozen breaded fish squares (I know, weird) that we got through Angel Food Ministries (more on Angel Food in February when we start talking about surviving a month on a $150 budget) that I am going to try and work around tomorrow.

Another picture for you to enjoy as you wait. This is baby Trogdor, the green iguana, in the bath. He is now a super huge big boy who lives with Mike's parents in Ohio in his sweet custom cage:




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