My first blogger award!!!! Oh, and a picture of Chicken Meatloaf Muffins.

(Heart pounding. Hands shaking. Waiting for the applause to die down. Deep breath. Here we go...) Thank you. Thank you very much. First of all, I would like to thank the Voting Committee, headed by Linda of Diva Weigh. It is a wonderful feeling to be recognized for years of hard work and sacrifice. Well, it's actually only been for a couple of months of easy blogging, but hey, who's counting? Next I'd like to thank my Mother, who passed her genes to me, giving me my amazing good looks. And, to my loving husband who has put up with me stood by me all these years. I am thrilled beyond all my wildest dreams and graciously accept this prestigious award.

In accepting this award I agree to accept the mantle of responsibility that comes with it. I promise to set a good example, live cleanly and...wait a minute! What kind of award did I win!?!?!? Maaaaan! I thought
this was serious! Oh well, it is an award, and funny, and I am tickled that I was chosen to receive it.

I really do want to thank Linda of Diva Weigh for choosing me from all the bloggers she knows to receive this award. Linda has a great blog. She is funny, can cook, exercises a lot more regularly than I do, and takes great pictures of the wonderful recipes she cooks. Please drop by her blog and take a look around.

There are some stings attached to this award. Eight of them actually...
1. Thank the person who gave this to you.

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

3. Link to the person who nominated you.

4. Tell us up to six outrageous lies about yourself, and at least one outrageous truth.

5. Allow your readers to guess which one or more are true.

6. Nominate seven "Creative Writers" who might have fun coming up with outrageous lies.

7. Post links to the seven blogs you nominate.

8. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them.

So, let's see, I have done #1, #2, and #3. Now for the good part. 6 outrageous lies and one outrageous truth. Hmmmm.... My Mom raised me not to lie, but I guess this one time it will be alright. Just don't tell my Mom, 'kay?
1. I race ostriches in my spare time. They are really fast in case you didn't know.
2. I have spare time. Tons of it. I sit around eating bonbons and watching soap operas all day. "Days" is my favorite one.
3. I won a Grammy for singing in my shower. George Michael wrote the song, but we kept that part quiet.
This is tough! I would  never have believed it was so hard to think of a few outrageous lies! :D
4. Angelina (of Bradgelina) calls me for advice about her relationship with Brad. Daily.
5. At night, when there is a full moon, I change into a super hero who flies around decorating cakes by blinking my eyes. Really.
6. I once spent a month in a think tank, under water, under the North Pole, in my underwear. (I'm sure that's an image you didn't need! Shudder... think tanks!)
7. I once jumped out of a perfectly good airplane with a perfect stranger strapped to my back, while my daughter watched.

Wow! That was tough! I feel like I was just put through the wringer! Think Dustin Hoffman in Marathon Man. Is it safe? Now, for the really tough part. Naming 7 "Creative Writers". Let's see.......

1. Michelle of Flourchild
2. Clivia of Bubie's Little Baker
3. Julia of Little Bit of Everything
4. Leslie of Lethally Delicious
5. Mimi of Mimi's Kitchen
6. Romaine of Salad in a Jar
7. Moogie of Moogie & Pap

That was hard too. I love reading so many of your blogs and so many of you are funny and creative and more than deserve this award, but those are the first seven that came to mind. Now, my adoring fans, I must leave you for some much needed rest and relaxation. Oh, but before I go, several days ago, maybe last week, I made some Chicken Meatloaf Muffins. At the time, I didn't take a picture. I made the same dish tonight, and did take pictures. Of course, I think the ones I didn't take pictures of were prettier than these, but, it will give you the gist of how they are supposed to look. Enjoy. :)

Tuesdays with Dorie - Rick Katz's brownies for Julia

Another Tuesday and another terrific (chocolate!!) recipe from Dorie's book, "Baking". This week's yummy selection is Tanya's choice. Tanya's blog, Chocolatechic is where you can find the recipe. Tanya is a woman of few words, but, they are always worth reading. :) Please be sure to drop by her blog and check it out.

I whipped these brownies up yesterday afternoon. I almost messed up. I had the book open on the counter and as I looked at the recipe to double check where I was and what was next, I realized I was reading the wrong recipe. I almost made Bittersweet Brownies instead of Rick Katz's brownies for Julia! :D Never a dull moment around here folks!

The brownies were pretty simple to put together. Melt some butter with chopped chocolate, unsweetened and bittersweet. Stir in some sugar. Beat some sugar with eggs. Use half in the melted chocolate. Whip the other half. Add that to the melted chocolate/egg mixture, sprinkle with flour, blend that in,pour into pan, bake. See, simple. I decided to bake my brownies in a special brownie pan a good friend bought for me last year. In my house, the hubby and I fight over the corners when we have brownies. I like the crusty edges, and so does he. If I don't watch him, he will eat all the corners and I won't get any! Elaine, my friend, bought me a pan that bakes 12 individual brownies!! Each brownie is all edges!! I love it. And, I don't have to cut brownies each time I want one. They are already "cut" for me! Life is good!

I was multi-tasking while the brownies were baking, and almost ruined the whole batch. I was in the other room, writing up the post about Braised Short Ribs when the buzzer went off letting me know the brownies were done. Well, I didn't hear it. After several minutes (5 or 10??? I don't know!) my hubby said, "hey, I think your stuff is done in the oven". I raced into the kitchen and yanked the pan out of the oven. And, actually, I think it was good I "forgot" them. Several of the posts I read about these said they were "gooey" inside. Mine were moist (believe it or not!) but not gooey. And rich. And full of chocolate flavor. These are some seriously good brownies! Seriously! But, hey, don't just take my word for it. Check out what the other bakers thought of this one. Oh, and Tanya, Thank You!!!

Dinner by "The Pioneer Woman", cooked by this country girl! :)

As I sit typing this, I can smell  Braised Short Ribs cooking in the oven. Oh. My. Goodness! My house smells so delicious it is making my mouth water. If these ribs taste anywhere close to how they smell cooking, I will know why Ree called this "Heaven on a Plate". As I was preparing it, well before it started braising  it in the oven, my hubby said, "I don't know what you are making, but I can't wait to eat it"!  He usually just asks "When's dinner"?

I came across this recipe recently while reading through The Pioneer Woman blog. If you have never visited her blog, do yourself a favor and check it out. Her photography is amazing, her recipes are simple yet delicious and I love reading about life on the ranch with Marlboro Man, as she calls her hubby.  I recently tried Grilled Rib Eye Steaks with Onion Blue Cheese sauce and Crashed Hot Potatoes. It was delicious. And, my first time eating blue cheese anything. :) Tonight I am trying the ribs and another first, Creamy Polenta with Goat Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese. I never knew polenta was cornmeal! I have led a very sheltered life. :D

This dinner was really easy to make. I used bacon instead of the Pancetta Ree calls for. And, only one cup of wine instead of 2. Other than that, I pretty much followed Ree's recipe. I will post the recipe below, but you can also check it out on her website. Her pictures are much better than mine! :)

Update...we just finished dinner. Normally there is some talk at the table, the usual how'd your day go, that kind of thing. Tonight? The only sounds tonight were the sounds of forks touching plates and mmmmm sounds and the sound of Patches, our dog, shifting her weight from side to side while waiting to see if anyone would notice she was patiently waiting under the table for a morsel or two. (Yes, my hubby is that kind of guy! :})
These ribs were so tender and so full of flavor. They almost melted in your mouth.  And, the polenta? Delicious! I loved it. Creamy, cheesy, a wonderful compliment to the ribs and steamed broccoli. What a fabulous dinner. You need to make this dish, and soon!

Braised Short Ribs

from The Pioneer Woman Cooks blog

8 whole beef short ribs

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

6 pieces of Pancetta, Diced (I used thick-cut bacon)

2 Tbls. olive oil

1 whole medium onion, diced

3 whole carrots, diced

2 whole shallots, peeled and finely minced (I didn't use these)

2 cups red or white wine (I used one cup red)

2 cups beef or chicken broth (I ended up using 4 cups to almost cover ribs)

2 sprigs Thyme (I used dried thyme leaves as I had no fresh)

2 sprigs Rosemary

Salt and pepper ribs, then dredge in flour. Set aside.

In a large dutch oven, cook pancetta over medium heat until completely crispy and all fat is rendered. Remove pancetta and set aside. Do not discard grease!

Add olive oil to pan with the pancetta grease, and raise heat to high. Brown ribs on all sides, about 45 seconds per side. Remove ribs and set aside. Turn heat to medium.

Add onions, carrots, and shallots to pan and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in wine and scrape bottom of pan to release all the flavorful bits of glory. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes.

Add broth, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Taste and add more salt if needed. Add ribs to the liquid. They should be almost completely submerged. Add thyme and rosemary sprigs (whole) to liquid.

Put on the lid and place into the oven. Cook at 350 degrees for 2 hours, then reduce heat to 325 degrees and cook for an additional 30 to 45 minutes. 

Ribs should be fork-tender and falling off the bone. Remove pan from oven and allow to sit for at least 20 minutes, lid on, before serving. (While this was sitting, I made the polenta with Parmesan cheese). At the last minute, skim fat off the top of the liquid. Serve 2 ribs on bed of creamy polenta, spooning a little juice over the top.

Sweet Melissa Sunday - Classic Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Welcome to another addition of Sweet Melissa Sunday. This weeks recipe is Classic Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Rosy, of Rosy Lips and Lavender is this weeks hostess and she picked a winner! Be sure to stop by her blog and check out the recipe for this cake. Look around while you are there...she takes great photos! And, be sure to head over to SMS to see what all the other bakers thought of Rosy's choice!

My daughter's birthday is today and I made this cake for her. She loves red velvet cake (though I think she likes Funfetti cake more!) and I figured I would kill two birds with one stone by making this. We are getting together with her and her hubby on Tuesday to have dinner at Fuddrucker's. We have been going there for her birthday dinner for quite a few years now. I will bring several of the heart cakes with me that night. For the birthday girl's dessert,  you know. :)

This was a really simple cake to put together. I didn't read about switching out baking powder for the baking soda, to get a truer red cake, until after my cake was done. But, I think it's pretty red. Other than cutting back on the cinnamon by about 1/2 teaspoon, I made this one just like in the book. I ended up using some of the batter in my mini heart cake pan, getting 6 hearts, and there was still enough batter to bake 2 6-inch rounds!

I did stray from the recipe when it came to the icing. Shocking I know! Coming from someone who seldom if every varies from how the recipe is written. Seeing 3 sticks of butter and only 12 ounces of cream cheese...I just couldn't do it. I have a favorite cream cheese icing that I make. It calls for 1 stick of butter, 1 package of cream cheese, some confectioners' sugar and a little vanilla. It's smooth, creamy and delicious. I decided to use my icing on this cake instead of Melissa's.

The end result? What a great cake! I found it to be moist and tender. I could detect the cinnamon and I am glad I cut back on it a little. I think it would have been overpowering for my tastes if I had used the full 2 teaspoons. The chocolate flavor is there, but very subtle. I think my color turned out pretty nice. Maybe it could have been redder, but I think it looks good. And the icing? Well, I already knew it would be good!

I think my daughter will be very happy with her mini heart shaped Red Velvet cake with Cream Cheese Icing. Happy Birthday Beth!! (if you are reading this!) <3<3<3

Apple Kuchen and Chicken Meatloaf "Muffins"

Ever since my trip to Germany in October of last year I have been thinking about the fabulous apple dessert I had my first day there. Apfelstrudel. It was apples wrapped in a pastry dough, dusted with confectioners sugar. Ordering it I spoke my first German and was so proud when I was understood. (I spent several months teaching myself how to speak German listening to CD's while driving).

I recently came across a recipe for making an Apple Kuchen from Recipes from a German Grandmother. The site is full of all kinds of German dishes, as well as links to all things German. When I saw the pictures of the dish Apple Kuchen, I knew I had to try it. I had everything on hand I needed to make it and figured it would be a good way to spend an afternoon at home.

Very simple recipe, easy to put together. I have to confess that I messed up several of the steps. I made it while looking from my laptop to my counter where all the ingredients were and back to the laptop. The recipe on the site is laid out with a lot of pictures and few words. I guess I was looking more at the pictures and less at the words and put things together in the wrong order, or missed somethings all together. (Hangs head in shame.) I am surprised it came out at all!

The dish is good, but not great. Maybe it would have been better had I followed the directions correctly. :) I think the addition of raisins would be great. I also think half the amount of dough would be better. Seemed too thick around the edges. I  think thinner slices of apples would have been better. I like my apples soft and these still had a little bite to them. And nuts. I think nuts would be good too. But, over all, I did like it. It's apples, cinnamon and custard. The custard is almost an afterthought. Just a little moisture in the dish. But, try it for yourself, see what you think.

                              Apple Kuchen with Custard and Streusel Topping

Ingredients:

Basic Coffee Cake Dough

2 eggs, well beaten
1/4 cup milk, warmed
1 pkg. (or 1 tablespoon) dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup butter (1 stick, melted but not hot)
1/4 cupsugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
3 cup flour, more if needed

  

Pour lukewarm water, yeast, and sugar in mixing bowl. 

Add melted (not hot) butter, warmed milk, salt, lemon peel, and beaten eggs. Mix well.
Add flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each cup. Add more flour, if necessary, to make a smooth dough, and turn out onto a floured surface.
 Knead very lightly.

Let rise for about 1 hour; punch down and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile prepare apple and custard toppings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Apple Topping
4 medium sized apples (I used 2 Grannies and 2 Galas)
1/3 C. vanilla sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 cup melted butter (This was one of the things I missed while putting this together)

Peel and core apples, then cut into ¼ inch slices.

Spread dough in 2 well-greased 9-inch round or square cake pans, pushing it up on the sides as for pie crusts. (I used a 13x9" pan instead of two 9" pans)
Stagger the apples in rows(or in random fashion if in a hurry) on top of dough. Drizzle melted butter over the fruit and crust, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. (Totally missed this step too and just tossed everything together in a bowl like I would for an apple pie) Let the dough rise for 30 minutes.

Bake for 10- 15 minutes at 375 degrees to set the crust. (Missed this step too! :} So embarrassed!)

Remove from oven.Top with the custard and the crumb topping. If you want you can just add the crumb topping and bake it without the custard.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Custard
1 beaten egg
1 cup cream or 1/2 cup sour cream with 1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. 

Crumb Topping
1 2 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup melted butter

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. 

Cover the apples with the custard.

Then sprinkle crumbs over the custard and continue baking at 350° for 30 minutes longer. Until the custard is set and the apples are completely cooked.

Cool and cut in squares and serve topped with whipped cream. Store in fridge, this cake

gets better after a day. It will keep for a week at least properly stored.



 The other recipe I tried yesterday was one of my own creations and it turned out fabulous! Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of it as I wasn't thinking about posting it in my blog.  I had some ground chicken and decided I wanted meatloaf. I added some carrots, onion, green pepper, egg white, bread crumbs, fresh rosemary, and a little barbecue sauce, stirred it all together and then used a large ice cream scoop and put two scoops of the mixture into the openings of a large muffin tin. I had 8 ounces of ground chicken and it made 4 -2 scoop meatloaves. I baked them for about 35 minutes. They smelled delicious cooking and tasted just as good. The bottom had just enough of the crust I like in a meatloaf. You could see the carrots and green pepper peeking out. They were moist and so good! I think I surprised myself with what I created and just how good it was. I served it with some brown and wild rice, fresh baked Artisan bread and a green salad...dinner was healthy, easy and delicious!

Chicken Meatloaf "Muffins"

8 ounces ground chicken (or turkey)
2 small carrots, peeled and finely diced
1/4 green pepper, finely diced
1/4 yellow onion, finely diced
1 twig of fresh rosemary, chopped
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 egg white
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Using an ice cream scoop, measure out two scoops of meat mixture into the openings of a greased large muffin tin. Drizzle a small amount of barbecue sauce over each "muffin". Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes, or until thermometer registers 180 degrees. Enjoy!

Tuesdays with Dorie - Milk Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes

Mmmm, cake! And, not just cake, chocolate cake. And, not just chocolate cake, chocolate cake with walnuts! And, not just chocolate cake with walnuts. Chocolate cake with walnuts, mini sized! Sweet, tiny, chocolate, individual cakes full of chocolate-y flavor and walnuts! Mmmmm, cake!

This week's TWD was Milk Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes and it was Kristin, of I'm Right About Everything, who picked this winner. Be sure to stop by her blog for the recipe (if you don't already own a copy of Dorie's book). As soon as I saw her choice I was excited!  I love chocolate cake, love nuts, of all kinds, and had a new cake pan I couldn't wait to use. It makes 6 cute heart shaped cakes and when I saw this recipe I knew I would use this pan for it.

I had no problem with making the cake part of this recipe. My pan that makes 6 cakes? Well, there was only enough batter to fill 4 of the 6 openings. I guess the heart shapes were a bit larger than a typical mini bundt pan. I just filled the two empty containers with water and baked away. Seems like they baked for about 25 minutes. The first time I checked to see if they were done, there was still batter on the knife. Another 5 minutes in the oven took care of that.

It wasn't until my glaze seized up in the pan, after adding the corn syrup, that I remembered all the comments I had read (and said "Oh, I will have to remember that"...Hah!) about problems with the glaze. I solved my issue by heating up some heavy whipping cream and stirring that into the glaze until I could pour it over my cooled mini heart cakes. I sprinkled a few toasted walnuts over the top of each cake before the glaze hardened.

The verdict? Delicious! I could detect the nutty flavor from the walnuts, and, the ribbon of nuts and cocoa in the center was a nice surprise (even though I knew it was there). The cake was delicious, full of chocolate flavor, rich, moist, everything I was hoping it would be. The milk chocolate was a nice change of pace from all the dark and bittersweet chocolate desserts I seem to have been making. And, the glaze, once I got it right, was just sweet enough.  A little early for Valentine's Day, but I "heart" this recipe! :)

Drop by TWD and see what everyone else thought of this one. Next week...more chocolate! :)

Sweet Melissa Sunday - Melissa's Butterscotch Pudding

I just noticed that this will be my 66th post! Won't be long and I will hit 100. And, just a few short months ago, I didn't know anything about having a blog. Excuse me while I wipe away a tear. :)

Pudding. My usual experience with pudding is to open one of those boxes and pour some milk into a pan with the contents of the box, stir, heat and eat. I don't usually make pudding from scratch. The last time I made a pudding, I had to put it in the freezer so I could eat it with something other than a straw. (I went back and tried the same recipe a second time with better results). So, I was a bit nervous about trying this week's recipe, which Jennifer of Maple n' Cornbread (such a great name for a blog and such a pretty blog!) picked for us. You can find the recipe on her blog.  I thought about passing, but I did have everything on hand I needed to try it and decided to give it a go.

I halved the recipe. I happen to like butterscotch and pudding, but the hubby is a fan of neither. He's a cake/cookie/brownie kind of guy. Pudding? He would use it on top of a piece of cake or brownie in place of whipped cream, but never eat just pudding on it's own. So, knowing all of this, I figured half the recipe would be more than enough. Thought about making a quarter of the recipe, but it made my brain hurt trying to cut it in half and then cut it in half again. :D

Followed the recipe to a "T". I was a bit startled and concerned with I added the amber colored sugar to the cream mixture and it (the sugar) became this mass of solid rock in my cream! I didn't panic (too much). I just kept stirring and stirring and finally the rock melted into the cream and all was well again.

Filled the bowls I was using for the pudding, placed them in an 9x9 inch baking pan and filled the pan half way up the bowls with hot water. Covered with foil and into the oven it went.

I checked after 45 minutes and my pudding was still very liquid-y. I recovered the pan and let it cook for another 10 minutes. Checked again and it seemed more solid, but I decided to check the temperature as Melissa suggests in the recipe. I got 157 degrees and pulled the puddings from the oven. Set them on the counter, still in the pan and let them cool to room temperature. The very centers still seemed a bit jiggle-y, but I figured it would firm up in the fridge.

Well, the outer edges of each pudding firmed up, but the very center, about a 1/2 circle stayed liquid. The flavor is wonderful. It's warm, rich, not too sweet. Silky on the tongue. It's a delicious pudding and I could see making it again. What a wonderful pie filling it would make. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I am sure the problem with the still liquid center is my fault. Either I under-baked them, or didn't have the thermometer placed in the center, or who knows. I won't call this a true "Fail" because some of the pudding is, well, pudding. Had the center thickened up, it would have been perfect.

If you would like to see what the other SMS bakers (or pudding makers!) thought, please head over and check them out! Can you believe next week's recipe will the be first one in February?!?!

One last thing I would like to leave you with. We received about 9-10 inches of snow yesterday. Living in the country, we see a lot of deer and turkey in our back yard. This morning, while at the kitchen sink looking out into the yard, I spotted this small button buck foraging for something to eat. I ran, grabbed my camera and took a couple of pictures. After he wandered off, I cut up some apples and put them out there for when he returns.