Any Way You Want It

August 5, 2011April 13, 201324 Comments

I doubt that Journey was referring to Cornbread in their 1980 hit.

Just look at that hair! I love it! LOL.

But back to cornbread. Cornbread is one of those dishes that you can easily customize to suit your own tastes. Personally Mike and I prefer it spicy and cheesy, but the kids aren’t big fans of heat. So while we were in Maine we created a version that they would find more appetizing.

This recipe is a blend between one that Greg over at Rufus’ Food and Spirits Guide created a few weeks back, and a the version that Mr. N and I made at his cooking class back in June. We started by mixing all the dry ingredients in one bowl – corn meal, flour, sea salt and baking powder. Then we mixed all the wet ingredients in another bowl – honey, eggs and buttermilk. Next we made a well in the dry ingredients, poured the wet ingredients into the well and combined.

For our “custom” ingredients we used what we had on hand, frozen corn kernels, Vermont two-year aged Cheddar cheese and chives. Continue reading →

A Family of Four; 20 Days; 4,200 Miles…

August 4, 2011April 13, 201341 Comments

And countless memories! This is our summer 2011 road trip. Yes – we are road warriors. It all started with my parents. As a child every summer vacation we took was a road trip (usually to the Western U.S.). I treasure the memories of each and every one of those trips, the good and the “challenging.” (I was a teenager for lots of those trips. Enough said.)

A rare teenage smile caught on film. RMNP 1994.

Fast forward to adulthood. I met Mike and together he and I kept the tradition going beginning early in our relationship.

“Standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona. Such a fine sight to see.”

Continue reading →

A Little Therapy for Mom

August 2, 2011October 15, 201542 Comments

While it always feels good to return home after a vacation, it also takes a few days to get back into the swing of things. We’ve got laundry to catch up on, groceries to shop for, friends and family to catch up with, sleep schedules to readjust, cats to clean up after (apparently they were having quite the party without us) and loads of work and bills to catch up on. Fortunately we have some good memories to get us through – that and pie crust.

Pie crusts, for me, are therapy. I’m not sure what it is about rolling out a fresh crust, but it’s something I’ve enjoyed since we were first married. My first crust was a butter and shortening crust, but once I started making my Grandma’s blackberry cobbler, I began working with the double shortening crust. Pie crusts challenge me every time, give a true sense of accomplishment and most importantly, make for amazing desserts. They are also something that I like to tackle alone. Just me and the pie crust.

I start by sifting together the flour, salt and sugar and slicing in chunks of vegetable shortening.

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Mushroom Madness

July 29, 2011April 13, 201342 Comments

The kids set and ready to roll at 5 a.m.!

Today we roll back in from our big family road trip (regional recipes to come!). We’ve toured around for the past couple of weeks and had a wonderful time. That said, we’re all ready to be home. So while we get ourselves back in the groove of “real life” here’s another Portabello mushroom recipe for ya. This one is my favorite!

Our weeknights can get awfully hectic around here. Fortunately it’s a little less crazy in the summer, but not by much. And with all of this international and regional cooking it’s nice to have a meal that doesn’t pack on the calories, but still offers wonderful and savory flavors. I came across this recipe years ago in a Mayo Clinic e-health newsletter. Portabellos with Provolone is an easy dish that’s great for a meal if you’re looking for something light, but can also be served as an appetizer.

It’s very easy. Start with a few fresh portabellos, brown sugar, garlic, rosemary and balsamic vinegar. Continue reading →

Most Definitely Edible Mushrooms

July 28, 2011April 13, 201328 Comments

On a recent hike, Mr. N and I stumbled across a very interesting looking yellow mushroom. The always curious Mr. N decided to pick up a book on mushrooms so we could learn more about it. I think knowing that some mushrooms are poisonous was interesting to him. Unfortunately, we didn’t take a very good picture of it, but the closest we could find based on our memory was the Hygrophorus vitellinus. However, it looked a bit like the image of the Death Cap we found on this page. As long as we’re not sure, we’re going to stick with mushrooms we know are edible–Portabellos!

These portabello wraps are easy and healthy and used to be a staple in our dinner routine for those nights we didn’t want to waste many calories, but one time I put too much black pepper on them and Kristy swore them off for a while. After a long hiatus, though, she let me make them again. They’re good, healthy, and really filling.

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A Winning Pick

July 26, 2011April 13, 201338 Comments

Thanks to everyone who voted for us on Babble and for all the wonderful location suggestions. This morning Miss A did the honors of picking our winner. Mr. N offered his assistance, but she was adamant that he stay far back because she was doing this one!