Found Out I Cook Best By Being Messy

Yep, I figgered that out today whilst trying the enchiladas. I made the biggest mess you've ever seen in a kitchen and loved every second of it.

Maybe that's why I've never liked cooking before, I had to be organized. It wasn't any FUN...

So, I had onion and ground beef and chili powder and oil and pans and...all over the place. I used canned chilies and enchilada sauce so had to watch out that I didn't cut myself on the opened cans but it was sooooo FUN.

After I popped it in the oven, I tossed (figuratively, not literally) everything in the dishwasher, wiped the sink and headed to the barn for a quick horse feeding.

Yep, I dun gooooooddd...Look for more posts on my messiness, eh? :-)

Turns Out It Wasn't A Casserole

But it was enchiladas! I did get that part right.

Hubby loved them, absolutely loved them! Yay, me!!

Never have I done enchiladas before and was kind of worried about it. I tweaked the recipe a little bit here and there and fabulous happened.

I found the recipe on allrecipes.com. Never mind that I didn't read the name correctly.

This recipe is a keeper and I'll do it again. :-) Big thumbs up from hubby and me!

Going To Tackle An Enchilada Casserole

Oh, yeah, I sure am!! I found a great recipe and going to try it on hubby tonite.

Will let you know how it goes, the good with the bad! hehehe... :-)

I'm So Behind!!

I'm sorry I haven't been keeping up with my writings! I have a lot to write about but life is getting in the way. At least I'm still cooking though.

Please hang in there and keep coming back to read. :-)

Note To Self: Learn To Fold In Flour

I had this great idea today to make banana bread. Remember the old time recipe book that I found while looking for yard sale stuff?? A good recipe is in the book and since I have some old 'nanas, thought it would be a good idea.

All went well. Two bowls, one for the 'wet' stuff and one for the 'dry' stuff. So, I thought it would be a better idea to add the flour mix (salt, baking soda, baking powder) to the egg, oil and sugar mix.

Bad, really bad idea.

The flour poofed out in one lump and sort of wafted about the kitchen. Then when I tried to get it mixed up asap, more flour went airborne.

I now have a fine, fine layer of white stuff all over the kitchen, me too. Hubby so helpfully pointed this out. Rubbing my face, welp, my hand came away with just a little white.

Still, all in all, the 'nana bread came out of the over in fine shape and I'm waiting for it to cool. Looks good. Really puffed up and nicely brown.

I'll let you know how it tastes!

Learning More About Blogging

Please don't give up on me. I'm in the middle of reading the BFD book and have tried a few things on the horseinfoperson blog but I'm not doing something right. Okay, I'll keep trying. However, I'll keep posting the old way about my adventures in the kitchen anyway. How's that?? :-)

Got "Blogging For Dummies" Book

Hang in there with me as I'm on a learning curve.

I checked out BFD today from the library and just skimming through, I think this will help me do this and the other blog a whole lot better. 'Puter savvy is not my middle name.

Also, found some buttons on this posting page that I can add pics and video from the 'net. Been playing around with it so if you see something ODD on here, it's me fouling things up. At least I'm trying!! :-)

Found An Old Recipe Book

It's my hubby's family recipes book from 1992 or close. I found a lot of old-fashioned recipes in it and can't wait to try some out.

I've always wondered how you made those fabulous green beans with bacon, know the ones I'm talking about?? Welp, this book has it. Oh, yeah!!!

Found out that a recipe that my grandma used to do with hamburger pattie and potatos, carrots and onion is called "Hobo Stew" in the book. I didn't know that. Just made the stuff and it's gooooood!!

Some of the people who submitted recipes have been dead for years and were old when they gave the recipes. I feel these might be really old time recipes. I sure hope so!

Found The 'Good' Coffeemaker! Yahoo!!

Hubby was rummaging through our shed and came across our good coffeemaker. Now this sucker is the one that you fill up and after it filters the water through, all you gots t' do is hold your mug up to push the bar and coffee comes out. No coffeepot, a'tall.

We didn't realize how much we liked that 'maker. Matter of fact, we'd sort of forgotten about it since it was in storage for so long.

The only problem that I see in making a fresh pot is it's a bit more labor intensive. "Labor intensive"...*snork*... Yep, I have to lift out the coffee grounds holder, take out the water resevoir, fill it and then put it all back together with the filter and coffee. But, you understand, it's that extra step that's just a bit much. :-)

But, for coffee, I'll do almost anything for the brew. Nothing like a fresh cuppa first thing in the morning whilst you contemplate the day...or almost the last thing at night whilst you contemplate what went wrong during the day.

Yep, I'm a happy camper!

Made My Very First Cake Icing

Oh, yes, I did!!

I wanted to make a cake but didn't have any icing. Hubby cannot live with cake sans icing so I thought I better find a recipe and get with it! We only go to town about twice a week so that wasn't an option.

Hauled out my Amish cookbook and found three recipes. Good honk, two of those recipes looked like something to do with nuclear secrets and the third one was the easy one. So, you already know which one I went for, right?

Everything went well till I got the sugar heated up (with milk and something else that escapes me...sorry!). Welp, the sugar turned a slightly brownish color. I wasn't sure if it were still good or not but I was already committed, not backing down.

Actually, it turned out well but a little tan-colored. So, I fixed that, oh, yes, I sure did!! I added just a smidge of Hershey's chocolate that you put in milk. Yep, that fixed it really good.

Hubby tried it, after I warned him. He dug in and said it was really good. I'm so proud of myself!

My very first icing try and I hit a homerun! What could be better!!

Oh, Now He Tells Me. 'Taters Saga Upcoming...

Hubby doesn't like mashed 'taters... Seems like he would have mentioned this sometime in the last few days, y'know??

As you know if you'd been keeping up with this blog, I've been fighting and then almost perfecting my mashed 'taters. I even asked him if he liked them and he said 'yes'...

So's today, I'm about to make my signature mashy's and he said he'd rather have home fries. Okay by me. Later, while he's tucking in, he CASUALLY mentions that he really doesn't like mashed and would I only make home fries from now on? Please??....

Oh, geez...just a d*mn good thing he's a great hubby and he's worth the trouble to learn how to perfectly fry those babies up!! But, couldn't he have mentioned this way before now??

*sigh* :-)

I Think I'm Over-Thinking Recipes

Something really, really odd has been happening to me in the last coupla days.

I have my tried and true recipes and when I make them now, I get kind of nervous or something of the like when I'm putting the thing together. Has this ever happened to anyone else??

It started the other day with the mashed 'taters. Welp, I made them again and they turned out a bit runny (again). I don't know why. I was watching how much milk I put in and really drained the 'taters and still, runny. Big bummer.

So this morning, it just seemed a country gravy and bread morning. I usually don't make any biscuits unless it's super special so that's why I used sliced bread. I decreased the amount of pepper because my batch the other day was too hot. Check. I warmed up the oil just right. Check. I whipped in the flour, salt and pepper and THAT'S when I got nervous.

All sorts of thoughts were running through my mind, such as: What if it klumps and I can't undo that? What if it's too dry? What if, what if, what if...

So I stirred in the milk and it didn't seem to be coming together like it usually does. Another moment of panic. Then, finally, I see a little bit of 'smooth' going on. Then a few big bubbles pop up and then a few more and then they were popping regularly. I stirred the usual amount of time.

Whew!! It seems that I did it right after all but, good honk, what I put myself through!! My shoulders came down (I was so uptight that my shoulders were up around my ears and I couldn't breathe, it felt like) and I heaved a big sigh of relief!!

I think I'm taking this JUUUSSSTTT a bit too seriously....

BTW, the gravy and sliced bread tasted great!

Mashed 'Taters!! Yum??

I am soooo proud!! Finally, I got the mashed 'taters right, just right!!

(As an aside, these tries are all since we moved into our new home and I'm trying to do the homemaker thing...)

I think I'm on my 5th try so far on getting them right.

The first time was flat pitiful! For some reason, I thought I needed more milk and so they were too runny. So, I thought I'll add some cornstarch and stiffen 'em up. Except I added too much cornstarch. Hubby mentioned something about the odd taste and I laid it off as the potatoes might have been a bit old...that's all I could think of at the moment. He looked at me rather weird but, smart man, let it go and not another peep.

The next few times were a bit better, was showing some improvement at least. One of the times, I didn't boil enough potatoes and then I did too many. One batch was pretty lumpy but we slogged through. Once I boiled too long and they didn't have the right texture.

Then, this last time, I got them just perfect!! The right amount of butter (real butter, no less) and of salt/pepper and the milk. Texture was just right!! I was sooo proud! Hubby gave me some 'atta-girls' and what could be better, I ask you?? Except...

Trouble was, though, I forgot the gravy... *sigh* hehehe....