Yesterday I made yet another of the recipes which I copied from Jeanne Cooney's book, A Second Helping of Recipes and Murder, the chocolate pudding shots. Loaded with mega-calories, I am certain. The recipe did not specify the size of the pudding box, so I used the smaller size. It included an entire 8 oz. container of Cool Whip, so you get the idea on fat content. The recipe also did not specify number of servings. I poured out eight servings into small stemmed juice glasses. This recipe would also be elegant served in the small colored shot glasses I have seen at TJMaxx, but it would take a very large number of them! To get a very neat fill I would recommend using a pastry bag. This would be great to serve as a small dessert at a cocktail party or evening get-together.
I was short on the Bailey's Irish Cream, so I used only half of what the recipe called for.
Arthur and I both thought they were good, not super, as I had hoped. They reminded me of Black Forest Chocolate Cake. Arthur said they tasted like mudslides.
I would make them again for adult company. I think I will try a variation of her White Russian pudding shots by substituting chocolate pudding for the vanilla. In the book she suggests garnishing with strawberries. I think I would garnish with more Cool Whip, or some chocolate shavings.
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Monday, September 21, 2015
Another Recipe from Jeanne Cooney's Book
Yesterday I made the Chicken Dumpling Hot Dish recipe from Jeanne Cooney's, A Second Helping of Murder and Recipes. We liked it. It had good flavor. There was loads of leftover sauce, however, so next time I make it I will either add more chicken (I had cooked two large breasts for this batch.), vegetables (blanched and drained, if frozen), a couple of cooked, cubed potatoes, or some frozen hash browns. I put some frozen hash browns in the bottom of a casserole dish and scooped the leftover hot dish on top of it for a second meal for us, or lunches for me. I had seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper before adding the other ingredients, but next time will only pepper the chicken. The soup already made it salty enough. In my humble opinion, at least. My husband was adding salt to his portion before eating it last night. I can't imagine how that must have tasted. Any relation between that salt shaker and his high blood pressure?
We made a few stops on the Central Minnesota Builders Association tour of homes yesterday. We were not overly impressed. At the first house we stopped at, I would have needed a step stool in all of the closets, and in the laundry room, not to mention the kitchen. The closets all had hanging bars which were out of my reach. In two of the houses the master bedroom closets had to be entered through the bathroom, which I would not like. Fine if one is getting dressed right out of the shower, but what a pain if you just need to grab a pair of shoes or a sweater. I could imagine having to walk over my husband using a sink or the commode while I was trying to get dressed. The million dollar house had a mouse hole in the wall between the walk-in closet and the laundry room for dirty clothes. I would have put the hole up higher so that clothes could be dropped into a basket on the other side instead of being kicked through, and then needing to be picked up off of the floor. I also would have put a door on the hole for privacy. One of the houses had a nursery-sized room (furnished as a nursery for the show) at the top of the stairs, but way down the hall from the master bedroom. I did not think that very practical. Gone are the great rooms of a few years ago. Gone also are formal living rooms and dining rooms. Instead the new homes are designed with huge family room spaces in the lower levels. Not sure if that is a good idea, either. There is such a thing as kids having too much privacy, out of the way of parental supervision. I see family rooms as being redundant when there is a living room in the house. A small play room within sight of Mom's or Grandma's main work areas would be a better option. Second story laundry rooms are another phenomenon which would take some getting used to, as well as laundry rooms too small to hold an ironing board. What's the point? Bonus rooms are also in, but I figure, why not just build a closet in so that they can truly be multi-purpose, serving as an extra bedroom, guest room or work room. Having just picked out new flooring for our house, we thought some of the flooring in these expensive homes to be cheap in comparison to our choices. We saw a patio home with a very noticeable gap between the flooring and baseboard in a bathroom, so construction was not necessarily any better than that in our Fred house, either. The things which I did like on the tour were a built-in china cabinet and sun room in the patio home and the patios and garage floor at the million dollar house. Husband commented on my negativity, but I pointed out that that could be a bonus for him, since I was not clamoring for upgrades! We have plenty of house as it is. Just needs some de-junking, which will continue as we paint and clean for the flooring project.
My Shaklee Basic H came to the rescue again twice last week. The first time was when Arthur needed to remove some tar from his car. The second time was when I went to clean electric tape residue off of the mirror above my vanity I presume it was Fred or Kathy who had put electrical tape around the mirror to hide the black spots. I decided it was time to rip it off. My Basic H worked like a charm.
We made a few stops on the Central Minnesota Builders Association tour of homes yesterday. We were not overly impressed. At the first house we stopped at, I would have needed a step stool in all of the closets, and in the laundry room, not to mention the kitchen. The closets all had hanging bars which were out of my reach. In two of the houses the master bedroom closets had to be entered through the bathroom, which I would not like. Fine if one is getting dressed right out of the shower, but what a pain if you just need to grab a pair of shoes or a sweater. I could imagine having to walk over my husband using a sink or the commode while I was trying to get dressed. The million dollar house had a mouse hole in the wall between the walk-in closet and the laundry room for dirty clothes. I would have put the hole up higher so that clothes could be dropped into a basket on the other side instead of being kicked through, and then needing to be picked up off of the floor. I also would have put a door on the hole for privacy. One of the houses had a nursery-sized room (furnished as a nursery for the show) at the top of the stairs, but way down the hall from the master bedroom. I did not think that very practical. Gone are the great rooms of a few years ago. Gone also are formal living rooms and dining rooms. Instead the new homes are designed with huge family room spaces in the lower levels. Not sure if that is a good idea, either. There is such a thing as kids having too much privacy, out of the way of parental supervision. I see family rooms as being redundant when there is a living room in the house. A small play room within sight of Mom's or Grandma's main work areas would be a better option. Second story laundry rooms are another phenomenon which would take some getting used to, as well as laundry rooms too small to hold an ironing board. What's the point? Bonus rooms are also in, but I figure, why not just build a closet in so that they can truly be multi-purpose, serving as an extra bedroom, guest room or work room. Having just picked out new flooring for our house, we thought some of the flooring in these expensive homes to be cheap in comparison to our choices. We saw a patio home with a very noticeable gap between the flooring and baseboard in a bathroom, so construction was not necessarily any better than that in our Fred house, either. The things which I did like on the tour were a built-in china cabinet and sun room in the patio home and the patios and garage floor at the million dollar house. Husband commented on my negativity, but I pointed out that that could be a bonus for him, since I was not clamoring for upgrades! We have plenty of house as it is. Just needs some de-junking, which will continue as we paint and clean for the flooring project.
My Shaklee Basic H came to the rescue again twice last week. The first time was when Arthur needed to remove some tar from his car. The second time was when I went to clean electric tape residue off of the mirror above my vanity I presume it was Fred or Kathy who had put electrical tape around the mirror to hide the black spots. I decided it was time to rip it off. My Basic H worked like a charm.
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Peanut Butter Cup Bars
Last time I wrote about Jeanne Cooney and her books. I tested the Peanut Butter Cup Bars which were in her second book, A Second Helping of Murder and Recipes. I have to say that they were fabulous. Very rich and creamy. I will not tell you how many I ate in one sitting, but I was thinking that I could keep up with Emerald Malloy with no difficulty. Arthur and I both agreed that we like the bars better than the candy with the same name. Lip smacking good. My one thought on the recipe is that perhaps I could try parchment paper in place of aluminum foil. It might be easier to work with. Sorry I can't share the recipe. You will have to buy the book, or look for another version. As for the other recipe which I tried, the overnight chicken and mushroom hot dish which I had to eat all by myself since someone else does not like mushrooms, I could have shared it with my granddaughter when she was over the other day. She said that she likes mushrooms. Never mind that she is only four and a half years old.
I started taking off baseboard in the bedroom, thinking that we could perhaps knock a few dollars off of our flooring costs. I am painting the walls, and it would make that job simpler anyway. I am by no means an industry expert, but my guess is that the nails which Fred (the builder and original owner of our house) used longer nails than he should have. They certainly do not pull out of the walls as easily as in the demonstrations of removing baseboards which I saw on YouTube. In order to get some of the baseboard off, Arthur had to remove the frame and studs from the closet: Fred had cut holes into the studs and frame and passed the baseboards through the holes. Either the closet was an afterthought, or he was too lazy to cut the baseboards. What a mess. We also discovered that the pieces of baseboard in small areas are made of a different wood, and are of a different height. It's a Fred house.
I started taking off baseboard in the bedroom, thinking that we could perhaps knock a few dollars off of our flooring costs. I am painting the walls, and it would make that job simpler anyway. I am by no means an industry expert, but my guess is that the nails which Fred (the builder and original owner of our house) used longer nails than he should have. They certainly do not pull out of the walls as easily as in the demonstrations of removing baseboards which I saw on YouTube. In order to get some of the baseboard off, Arthur had to remove the frame and studs from the closet: Fred had cut holes into the studs and frame and passed the baseboards through the holes. Either the closet was an afterthought, or he was too lazy to cut the baseboards. What a mess. We also discovered that the pieces of baseboard in small areas are made of a different wood, and are of a different height. It's a Fred house.
Sunday, September 13, 2015
More Minnesota Authors
My two latest fiction reads were books which I picked up at the St. Cloud Bookshop, Hot Dish Heaven (Jeanne Cooney, North Star Press, St. Cloud, MN 2013) and the second book of the series, A Second Helping of Murder and Recipes (2015). The books caught my attention because they were advertised as written by a local author, and of course, the titles included the butt of Minnesota folk culture, hot dish. Plus, the books contained recipes. I also purchased them as a preview, to see if they were something I would want to give away as Christmas gifts. After reading them, I think not.
The books take place in the town of Kennedy, in the Red River Valley. Reviewer Lois Grieman, quoted on the blurb on the back of the first book, was not kidding when she said, 'Hot Dish Heaven is full of Garrison Keillor type characters and tasty Midwest Flavor." As I read the book, I thought the Scandinavian slang was taken not from locals, but from Sue Scott on A Prairie Home Companion. It read like plagiarism. The blurb on the back of the first book referenced Lutherans and Irish Catholics, so I was expecting something a bit more reflective of traditional Christian morality. Instead I got a Catholic priest who clearly was not versed in appropriate boundaries for this day and age (!), and a seeming entire community of believers who had no clue as to the practice of the virtue of chastity. I would not call sex in the books graphic, but I would say that the lack of virtue left me feeling flat rather than uplifted and refreshed, with one surprising exception at the end of the second book.
I am a bit curious to see what becomes of Emerald and Deputy Ryden as a couple should Ms. Cooney write a sequel. However, Emerald's character is such a mess that I cannot see her maturing enough without a long passage of time for them to have a healthy relationship which could turn into something permanent.
I am also hoping that a sequel would have some recipes for simple salads besides Jello, even a cole slaw or potato salad. Quick breads would also not be out of keeping with the "flavor" of the book.
The recipes? I was not impressed with the large amount of pre-packaged ingredients used, from seasoning mixes to boxed Macaroni and Cheese. I always think the point of making a hot dish from scratch is to avoid the preservatives, fats and high sodium content of the boxed versions. Some of the recipes sounded downright repulsive (Pineapple Cheese Hot Dish and Irish Baked Hot Dish.). Most are seasoned with only salt and pepper, sounding very bland. Most are variations of recipes found commonly in any church cookbook. I am going to try the vanilla and chocolate pudding shots, the chicken dumpling hot dish, and the No-Bake Peanut Butter Cup bars.
I purchased another batch of half-pint jars yesterday so that I can make applesauce from our abundance of apples this fall. I also need to get moving on wall washing and wallpaper stripping so that I can get some painting done before our new flooring is installed in October. Looking forward to our "new" house.
The books take place in the town of Kennedy, in the Red River Valley. Reviewer Lois Grieman, quoted on the blurb on the back of the first book, was not kidding when she said, 'Hot Dish Heaven is full of Garrison Keillor type characters and tasty Midwest Flavor." As I read the book, I thought the Scandinavian slang was taken not from locals, but from Sue Scott on A Prairie Home Companion. It read like plagiarism. The blurb on the back of the first book referenced Lutherans and Irish Catholics, so I was expecting something a bit more reflective of traditional Christian morality. Instead I got a Catholic priest who clearly was not versed in appropriate boundaries for this day and age (!), and a seeming entire community of believers who had no clue as to the practice of the virtue of chastity. I would not call sex in the books graphic, but I would say that the lack of virtue left me feeling flat rather than uplifted and refreshed, with one surprising exception at the end of the second book.
I am a bit curious to see what becomes of Emerald and Deputy Ryden as a couple should Ms. Cooney write a sequel. However, Emerald's character is such a mess that I cannot see her maturing enough without a long passage of time for them to have a healthy relationship which could turn into something permanent.
I am also hoping that a sequel would have some recipes for simple salads besides Jello, even a cole slaw or potato salad. Quick breads would also not be out of keeping with the "flavor" of the book.
The recipes? I was not impressed with the large amount of pre-packaged ingredients used, from seasoning mixes to boxed Macaroni and Cheese. I always think the point of making a hot dish from scratch is to avoid the preservatives, fats and high sodium content of the boxed versions. Some of the recipes sounded downright repulsive (Pineapple Cheese Hot Dish and Irish Baked Hot Dish.). Most are seasoned with only salt and pepper, sounding very bland. Most are variations of recipes found commonly in any church cookbook. I am going to try the vanilla and chocolate pudding shots, the chicken dumpling hot dish, and the No-Bake Peanut Butter Cup bars.
I purchased another batch of half-pint jars yesterday so that I can make applesauce from our abundance of apples this fall. I also need to get moving on wall washing and wallpaper stripping so that I can get some painting done before our new flooring is installed in October. Looking forward to our "new" house.
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