Saturday, May 1, 2010

Wiley and Gramma take on Disneyland

What a fun day we had! I picked up Wiley and we headed for Disneyland. On the way, we called Great Gramma Dorothy to say Hi, but she wasn't home so we left her a message and told her that we missed her. As we were headed to the park, Wiley was planning out our day and we talked about what we wanted to do. After what seems like a lifetime to a two-year old, we arrived at Downtown Disney parking and headed for the park. 

Our first stop was the Monorail. The Blue Monorail was waiting for us when we arrived at the platform. We headed for the car and uh oh, someone else got Wiley's favorite spot, but we adapted and the adventure began.

Wiley was checking out the map and planning out our day. He decided he wanted to go to Small World first and spontaneously broke into a full rendition of "It's a Small World," to the delight of the people sharing our car!

On the way, a mommy duck and her ducklings were passing through

Waiting in line at Small World

Ready to go!

Here we go!

 Sorry, this is the only picture that turned out in Small World

Wiley checking out the whale's mouth

 
Time for lunch

 
Wiley said "Gramma, I love you!" Aah, be still my heart!

Deep in thought!

Catching the train at New Orleans Square

What's taking so long, Gramma?

 
A stop at Tomorrowland Station

Autopia cars passing through

Time for a little Mickey treat on Main Street

Why is the fountain empty, Gramma?

Passing through Downtown Disney and headed for the car

We were there and gone in three hours! That is Disneyland Gramma style! We had a great time and on the way home, Wiley was making plans for what we are going to do on our next trip. 

Friday, April 30, 2010

Liquid Hand Soap

For more years than I even want to think about, I have been buying the Bath and Body Works foaming hand soap. My favorites were Vanilla for the bathrooms and Lime Verbeena for the kitchen. I have always felt like I was getting a great deal when I could get three, sometimes four and rarely five bottles of their soap for $10.00. I would stock up and buy a couple dozen at a time because I didn't like running out at the wrong time, actually there is never a good time! 

I had a rude awakening recently when I was reading about how to make your own hand soap. I found out that there is only one and a half tablespoons of soap in the foaming containers and the rest is water! Wow, I got a sick feeling in my stomach when I thought about the hundreds of dollars that I have handed over to B&BW for their water with a touch of soap!

I decided right then that I was not going to hand my money over to then again so started searching for how to make the very best hand soap that I could. I found out that there are lots of recipes for making bar soap, but the couple of recipes I found for liquid hand soap were just basic and unexciting. Most of them suggested you grate bars of soap which I will probably try eventually, but that wasn't what I was looking for. This method is definitely fool proof. All you have to do is grate the bar of soap, add water, melt it down and you have your liquid soap.

I started getting a little frustrated that it was so hard to find any information about or recipes that really captured my interest. I finally found a couple that I decided to combine and come up with my own. I'm not going to say that I have all the amounts exactly right at this point, but it works and we have really enjoyed using it. I think part of the difference is that there aren't all the propyl-, butyl-, ethyl-, and isobutyl-'s, so it isn't going to feel the same as those that have all of those chemicals in them. But, our hands are a lot softer after several weeks of using my different concoctions. The thing we're not sure about is the super squeaky clean feeling your hands have after you rinse the soap off. I'm guessing that they have a chemical that keeps that from happening with commercial hand soaps.

I will continue searching for other recipes, but I have a lot of liquid soap right now, and because we are only using it a tablespoon and a half at a time, we won't need anymore for years! I'm going to post what I have come up with so far and will let you know if I come up with something better.

Many thanks to my dear Hubby who rescued my empty B&BW pump soap dispensers from the recycle. I very happily stripped off the B&BW label and now they are ours!

Homemade Organic Liquid Hand Soap

This soap is pure and natural. The tea tree oil ...

See Homemade Organic Liquid Hand Soap on Key Ingredient.


Enjoy!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Super Easy and Delicious Citrus Vinaigrette

A while back, I saw a recipe for a citrus vinaigrette that one of my friends had posted on facebook. It sounded good and I had all of the ingredients, so I printed it out and made it. Wow, it was really good! It was so good, I ended up pouring it over boneless skinless chicken breasts that night before I put them in the oven, and they tasted great.

I also made it adding fresh lemon and lime rind and juice and we loved it. I have used it on fish and the citrus really enhances the flavor. I have shared this recipe with several people and got lots of positive feedback, so now I am sharing it with you. 

Thanks Julie!

Super Easy and Delicious Citrus Vinaigrette

The name says it all! Very good on baked chicken ...

See Super Easy and Delicious Citrus Vinaigrette on Key Ingredient.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Albertina's Exceptional Recipes

Albertina Kerr Restaurant is located in Portland, Oregon on N.E. 22nd, off Sandy Blvd. When I lived in Portland, I enjoyed several great lunches with my mother-in-law, sister-in-law and nieces. Since I moved away, I still get to hear about the many lunches they have there celebrating birthdays, Mother's Day and just because. It has been several years since I have actually eaten there but I have two of their cookbooks and have enjoyed cooking out of them.

Albertina Kerr started out as an orphanage back in 1921 and continued providing shelter and care to children for 55 years. When my mother-in-law moved to Portland at the age of 17, her first job was working at Albertina Kerr Nursery. Although the old estate is no longer home to children, the areas open to the public have been kept in original condition and the grounds are beautifully manicured.

There has been a long history of our family supporting Albertina Kerr as they continue to meet the needs of vulnerable children, young people and families. They also have a high-quality re-sale shop and a gift shop and all of the proceeds are donated to support the programs provided by Albertina Kerr.

My mother-in-law gave me both of their cookbooks, Albertina's A Collection of Recipes and Albertina's Exceptional Recipes as gifts. All of the recipes in their cookbooks have been used in their restaurant. It is open to the public for lunch five days a week and every aspect of it is run by volunteers. All the proceeds, including gratuity are donated to their programs. They serve in-season fresh produce that is Oregon grown.

The following recipes are from "Albertina's Exceptional Recipes." I have made the Fillet of Fish Supreme more times than I could count. I have made this recipe mainly with halibut and a couple of times with salmon and tilapia. We have never been disappointed. I use Tillamook light or fat free sour cream. Make sure that you spread the sour cream mixture and the grated cheese right to the edge of the baking dish to keep the moisture in. I also slice the onions very thin. Very few ingredients but great flavor with moist and flaky fish.

Fillet of Fish Supreme

Simple and Good

See Fillet of Fish Supreme on Key Ingredient.


I have made this recipe several times using salmon. The fish stays very moist and flavorful. Even those that aren't fond of salmon will enjoy this dish.

Herb Topped Fish

Very moist and flavorful fish

See Herb Topped Fish on Key Ingredient.


This recipe is an interesting vegetable side dish. I have had this several times at Albertina Kerr Restaurant. It works well as a make ahead side dish.

 

Carrot Timbale

A colorful and flavorful partner to any meat entree

See Carrot Timbale on Key Ingredient.


This last recipe for Lemon Pilaf is very easy and flavorful and is great served with fish. Very quick and easy with everyday ingredients.

Lemon Pilaf

Very good with chicken or fish

See Lemon Pilaf on Key Ingredient.


Enjoy!  

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Chicken and Goat Cheese

I have been asked several times when I am going to post the recipe for my Chicken and Goat Cheese. It had been a while since I made it, so I decided make it the other night and documented it with a recipe and a picture.

After we moved to Los Angeles in 1998, we were taken out to dinner a lot and we enjoyed many amazing meals at great restaurants. One of the places that stood out was Sisley, a great Italian restaurant in West LA. They have several restaurants around SoCal, but this was the one nearest to us. You were served  warm, homemade bread sticks the minute you are seated. They also drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar on a plate for dipping your bread. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it!

It became one of our favorite places to eat very quickly and we enjoyed taking company there on a regular basis. In the early years, you could expect an impromptu operatic solo while you were dining. As we became better acquainted with some of the servers, we found out that they were waiting tables until they were "discovered" in Hollywood. 

In the beginning, we made a point of trying something new every visit, but eventually, I got in the great rut of having my favorite dish, their chicken and goat cheese pasta dish. It was on this dish that I tried goat cheese for the first time. It didn't sound good to me at all, but someone talked me into just trying it and I was hooked after the first bite.

After a while, it became the only thing we ever ordered, so I decided to try to reconstruct it at home. Each attempt became closer and closer until I felt like I had it down. I have fixed this dish many times for company over the years and have been asked for the recipe. I didn't have it written down until now, so I could only gave verbal instructions.

I recently fixed it for dinner and realized I should post it on my blog for safe keeping. So, I put it in recipe form and here it is!

Chicken and Goat Cheese

Chicken sauteed with garlic and mushrooms, added to a creamy ...

See Chicken and Goat Cheese on Key Ingredient.


A couple of months ago we decided to eat at Sisely, and of course, I got the chicken and goat cheese. I'm sorry to say that I was really disappointed. It didn't taste the same anymore and I realized that my version was much better than their version.

In case you don't know what Wondra is, it can be found on the baking aisle of most larger grocery stores. 

Enjoy!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Make now, Bake later

I like to make things ahead of time, freeze and then bake later. Especially cookies! I try to keep sweet things at a minimum around the house, so this really works well for us. You can bake just one or a dozen. Because you end up with a fresh baked cookie, I prefer doing it this way rather then baking first and then freezing.

I have found that it works well to make a batch or a half batch of cookies, scoop them into balls and place them on a pan or a tray lined with parchment paper. You can place them close to each other without touching. Then they are ready to be placed in the freezer. I keep them in the freezer for an hour or two, and then they are ready to be removed and placed in a freezer bag. They keep well in the freezer for 3 or 4 months. Just place as many as you want to bake on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper, wait about 20 minutes and pop them in the oven. Bake them according to the recipe.

We recently wanted a little something sweet, so I took these Chocolate Fudge Cookies with Toffee and Dried Cherries out of the freezer and in less than 30 minutes we had a couple of cookies. These cookies are so good! The cherries add a chewy sweetness, the toffee adds a crunchy sweetness and the chocolate, well it needs no explanation!

Chocolate Fudge Cookies with Toffee and Dried Cherries

Chocolaty, chewy, sweet! From "In the Sweet Kitchen" by Regan ...

See Chocolate Fudge Cookies with Toffee and Dried Cherries on Key Ingredient.

 
Enjoy!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Blog Surfing

I have never seen a sponge cake that looked quite like this one on Mennonite Girls Can Cook. It is quite stunning and would be great served with fresh berries. 

Mennonite Girls Can Cook also has a very yummy looking broccoli salad.
I'm thinking Mother's Day Lunch! Thank you Mennonite Girls can Cook!

The Lasagna Blanca at A Year From Oak Cottage looks like a really nice change from the usual tomato based lasagna. It has a tarragon bechamel sauce with layers of sausage and mushrooms.

I'm posting the instructions here on how to make snowflake crystals. This sounds like a fun project to make with the grandsons someday. Thanks to Balancing Beauty and Bedlam. 

Living in the Kitchen with Puppies has a tomato and onion salad that might not sound all that good, but when you see the list of ingredients, I think you might change your mind.

In this weeks edition of Oregonlive.com Food day, I saw a Roasted Vegetable Lasagna that caught my eye. The combination of the vegetables, bechamel sauce and cheese, what's not to like! I'm sorry but the Lima Bean Lasagna just didn't sound appetizing to me.

The Burp has a recipe for double ginger granola. I plan to make this soon.
 
Recipe Girl has a recipe for Bacon Balsamic Deviled Eggs. It looks like an interesting way to serve deviled eggs.

Simple Bites has some really good tips on how to make the best muffins ever.

Daily Unadventures in Cooking has a recipe for tabouli. It looks very fresh and colorful and would make a nice side for a light al fresco meal.

If you like to cook ahead and freeze for later convenience, you might be interested in 30 Day Gourmet Freezer Cooking. They have lots of recipes and also have a search feature for dietary needs.

This is the best time of year to get fresh rhubarb. If you enjoy rhubarb, the recipe on Smitten Kitten for rhubarb crumble would make a nice dessert.

Another recipe for rhubarb at Daily Unadventures in Cooking for rhubarb ginger muffins.

If you have a lot of lemons like we do right now, Your Homebased Mom has a collection of lemon recipes. I am always looking for really good lemon recipes. There recipe for lemon crumb cake looks good.

If you need a dessert that makes a great presentation, take a look at this cake at Recipe Girl for Lemon Truffle Cake.