# 42 — Make peanut butter fudge

..... CHECK!!!


Oooooooooh my goodness! Yummie!!!!!!!!!!

So Erik and I went to a welcome dinner for new families at the parish last night, and we were supposed to bring a dessert. Ok, I figured it would be a good excuse to knock off another item off of the 101 in 1001.

I'm not sure exactly *where* I've ever had it before, but I remember simply adoring it. There was an opera going on in my mouth! I've wanted to make it, but never had the proper excuse.

CLICK HERE for the recipe! :) I looked at a lot of recipes, so I wasn't sure what was necessary (do I *really* need marshmallow cream?) and what wasn't ... but this one looked good, so I just took a shot in the dark.

Oh, and it makes A LOT of fudge. I'm glad I made it for a large group, because it's a RICH food .... we just kept a tiny amount. Seriously, I cut mine in MUCH smaller portions than either photo shows. Seriously, if I eat more than 2 small portions, I'd probably be ill, but it IS certainly tasty!

working on the 101 list — Tagine Chicken

Last night, I broke out the most unique wedding gift we received: a tagine.

What the heck is a tangine, you may ask? Well, since I'm a visual person, I'll show you a photo I pulled from the 'net.


Ours is brown, and an awesome gift from our friend, Miss Sarah. She snagged it from Ten Thousand Villages. Their mission is to provide "vital, fair income to Third World people by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America. Ten Thousand Villages works with artisans who would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed. This income helps pay for food, education, health care and housing."

I have to wholeheartedly applaud their efforts!

Ok, so dinner. It was a chicken cinnamon/apricot dish. Um, yummie!!!!!!!!

I didn't find the exact recipe online, but e-mail or comment if you're interested. If you want to browse lots of recipes, CLICK HERE


Of course, here's the list of the new recipes I've tried so far:
Dec. 21 — Peanut Butter Pancakes
Dec. 31 — Calzones
Jan. 9 — Braised Brussell Sprouts + Pork Chops with a creamy herbed sauce
Jan. 14 — Black Bean Burritos
Jan. 18 — Hot Chocolate Mix
Jan. 29 — Ham and Bean Soup
Feb. 1 — Macaroni Salad
Feb. 14 — Focaccia Bread
Feb. 17 — Honey Glazed Chicken
Feb. 27 — Potato Soup
March 4 — Crunchy Chicken and Fruit Salad
March 11 — Tagine Chicken

Working on the 101 list — Crunchy Chicken and Fruit Salad

So I had some leftover chicken and needed a quick and easy recipe. Enter, Crunchy Chicken and Fruit Salad from BH&G. :)

Of course, here's the list of the new recipes I've tried so far:
Dec. 21 — Peanut Butter Pancakes
Dec. 31 — Calzones
Jan. 9 — Braised Brussell Sprouts + Pork Chops with a creamy herbed sauce
Jan. 14 — Black Bean Burritos
Jan. 18 — Hot Chocolate Mix
Jan. 29 — Ham and Bean Soup
Feb. 1 — Macaroni Salad
Feb. 14 — Focaccia Bread
Feb. 17 — Honey Glazed Chicken
Feb. 27 — Potato Soup
March 4 — Crunchy Chicken and Fruit Salad

... WOW ... one week left!!!!!!

Working on the 101 list — Creamy Potato Soup

Since it's Lent, it's back to meatless Fridays. So, I gobbled up tons of recipes, but the trouble was MANY potato soup recipes call for chicken broth or chicken bullion. I've heard both ways on whether or not they're OK during Lent, so I figured better safe than sorry, right? So I just took portions of many recipes and made my own. The recipe below is how I'm going to make it next time (I learned a LOT during this test time).


This is an original recipe, folks!

Ingredients:
1 can condensed cream of celery soup (plus 1 can of milk to mix in)
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (plus 1 can of milk to mix in)
1 head of cauliflower
6 mediu potatoes
6 celery stalks
1 medium onion
3 Tbsp butter
1 pkg (12 oz) shredded cheddar cheese (I prefer sharp cheese myself)
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Start by scrubbing and cutting potatoes into bite-sized cubes. Fill pot with water & a pinch of salt, boil potato bits.

2. Cut cauliflower, steam. Once it's steamed, puree (in a blender works well). You might want to add a little water here to help it puree.

3. Chop celery and onion. In a large pot, saute onion and celery in the butter. Once soft, stir in cream of celery and cream of mushroom soup + milk. warm, but do not bring to a boil.

4. Once the potatoes are softened, drain water, slightly mash potatoes.

5. Add pureed cauliflower and slightly mashed potatoes to the large pot, stir together.

6. Let cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.

7. Stir in bag of shredded cheese.

8. Serve, garnish with additional cheese, if desired.

Ok, some of you might think "what the heck is cauliflower doing in the soup" ... well, I don't get enough veggies, and since they don't add taste, I figured what the heck??? :-)

I also have to give a BIG shout out to Erik. When I was making this soup last night, I didn't cook the potatoes separately, and the soup was a bit scorched ... it wasn't bad, but there's also a LOT of it ... so there's plenty more soup to be eating.

Of course, here's the list of the new recipes I've tried so far:
Dec. 21 — Peanut Butter Pancakes
Dec. 31 — Calzones
Jan. 9 — Braised Brussell Sprouts + Pork Chops with a creamy herbed sauce
Jan. 14 — Black Bean Burritos
Jan. 18 — Hot Chocolate Mix
Jan. 29 — Ham and Bean Soup
Feb. 1 — Macaroni Salad
Feb. 14 — Focaccia Bread
Feb. 17 — Honey Glazed Chicken

Working on the 101 list — Honey Glazed Chicken

Last night, I made Honey Glazed Chicken. The recipe is HERE. I had to modify it some b/c I was cooking it on the George Foreman. So there were no roasted grapes. :-( I'm anxiously waiting for summer when we can put them on the grill! Oh, and we used boneless chicken ... it was easier.

Erik said he thought it tasted a bit like teriyaki. I agree. :-)

Of course, here's the list of the new recipes I've tried so far:
Dec. 21 — Peanut Butter Pancakes
Dec. 31 — Calzones
Jan. 9 — Braised Brussell Sprouts + Pork Chops with a creamy herbed sauce
Jan. 14 — Black Bean Burritos
Jan. 18 — Hot Chocolate Mix
Jan. 29 — Ham and Bean Soup
Feb. 1 — Macaroni Salad
Feb. 14 — Focaccia Bread
Feb. 17 — Honey Glazed Chicken

Working on the 101 list — Focaccia Bread

Yummie! My friend's girlfriend has a fantastic bread she makes and I've been pestering her for the recipe. Agnes relented and gave it to me ... and I made it Saturday night. Yummmmmmmmmie! it freakin' rocks my socks off!

This isn't the EXACT recipe, but it's close. To check it out, CLICK HERE.

I, however, started w/ 1/4 c warm water and dissolved 2 tsp of sugar in it. Then, I let the yeast stand atop the water for 10 minutes, then mix. Then I combined salt and flour, poured the water mixture in ... and then added another cup of water and the olive oil.


When the dough was all raised and ready, I covered it in olive oil, then sprinkled kosher salt, rosemary, thyme and oregano on top of it. Freakin' rocks my socks off!!!!!!!! (as a matter of fact, I might need to go get another slice right now!).

To serve, eat it warm, or take some olive oil in a shallow dish (or small plate), and add any of the spices mentioned above, tear, dip and enjoy the bread! :-)

Only one more month left ... I certainly hope to keep making new recipes once I finish this.

Of course, here's the list of the new recipes I've tried so far:
Dec. 21 — Peanut Butter Pancakes
Dec. 31 — Calzones
Jan. 9 — Braised Brussell Sprouts + Pork Chops with a creamy herbed sauce
Jan. 14 — Black Bean Burritos
Jan. 18 — Hot Chocolate Mix
Jan. 29 — Ham and Bean Soup
Feb. 1 — Macaroni Salad
Feb. 14 — Focaccia Bread

Working on the 101 list — macaroni salad

Ok, another new recipe! Last night, we took a Macaroni Salad to the Super Bowl Party. WOOHOO!

Erik's a big fan of the stuff, I could leave it in the corner to collect dust, hence taking it to a big gathering where everyone would eat it and I wouldn't have to take it home. No such luck. Plenty in the fridge. Oh well, it's really good, I just don't swoon for it.

As always, please CLICK HERE to check out the recipe. (I LOOOOOOVE that BH&G has all of their recipes online, it makes them SO much easier to share!) Oh, and I used shredded cheese instead of cheese cubes .... simple.

Of course, here's the list of the new recipes I've tried so far:
Dec. 21 — Peanut Butter Pancakes
Dec. 31 — Calzones
Jan. 9 — Braised Brussell Sprouts + Pork Chops with a creamy herbed sauce
Jan. 14 — Black Bean Burritos
Jan. 18 — Hot Chocolate Mix
Jan. 29 — Ham and Bean Soup
Feb. 1 — Macaroni Salad

Working on the 101 list — Ham & Bean Soup

Whew! Half way through my efforts to make a new recipe weekly for 3 months. Yay!!!!!! :-)


Last night, I made Ham and Bean soup. Yummie! The first time I had the soup was while covering a Democratic gathering while interning at the paper in Topeka.

To view the recipe, please CLICK HERE.

Of course, here's the list of the new recipes I've tried so far:
Dec. 21 — Peanut Butter Pancakes
Dec. 31 — Calzones
Jan. 9 — Braised Brussell Sprouts + Pork Chops with a creamy herbed sauce
Jan. 14 — Black Bean Burritos
Jan. 18 — Hot Chocolate Mix

#65 — Make my own hot chocolate mix

... CHECK!!!!!!!!


Yummie! My friend, Marie, gave me her mom's hot chocolate recipe, and BOY OH BOY is it good! I'm enjoying a cup right now.

The heck of it is it makes A LOT of mix. I made HALF of the recipe and still filled a large container with the mix. Sheesh!

I might be cheating *a little* but I"m counting this as my new recipe for the week. :-) It's good to officially be into month 2 of my 3 month project of making one new recipe/week. Let's see, that's 5 weeks down, 7 weeks to go!

Of course, here's the list of the new recipes I've tried so far:
Dec. 21 — Peanut Butter Pancakes
Dec. 31 — Calzones
Jan. 9 — Braised Brussell Sprouts + Pork Chops with a creamy herbed sauce
Jan. 14 — Black Bean Burritos
Jan. 19 — Mary's Hot Chocolate

Working on the 101 list — Black Bean Burritos

Ooooook. New meal time.

The other day, we grabbed a bag of black beans at the store. I've NEVER cooked with them before and had to come home and read up on them and how to work with/prepare them. What an education!

So, this wasn't a full recipe ... I combined THIS recipe with THIS recipe.

I soaked the beans over night, then cooked them for 2.5-ish hours, drained and mashed them and tossed in some chili powder. Then I added cooked onions. I warmed tortillas and then we put the mashed beans on the tortillas and topped them with cheese. Erik even added some brown rice in his burritos. :-)

Next time, I need to come up with some more spices or something ... it seemed a bit bland ... but we'll see what happens.

Of course, here's the list of the new recipes I've tried so far:
Dec. 21 — Peanut Butter Pancakes
Dec. 31 — Calzones
Jan. 9 — Braised Brussell Sprouts + Pork Chops with a creamy herbed sauce
Jan. 14 — Black Bean Burritos

Working on the 101 list — Braised Brussels Sprouts + Pork Chops with a creamy herbed sauce.

Friday night, my parents swung through town with some friends. They suggested we go out to eat, but I *insisted* they come over. Why? Because I had one more day to make a new recipe. I'm a dork like that. :-)

So I had 8 extra people in our house to eat 2 recipes I've NEVER made before. What brave buddies!

It's been 7 years since I cooked chops myself ... but it was quite yummie!

CLICK HERE for the Chops recipe. And CLICK HERE for the Sprouts recipe. :-)

Of course, here's the list of the new recipes I've tried so far:
Dec. 21 — Peanut Butter Pancakes
Dec. 31 — Calzones
Jan. 9 — Braised Brussell Sprouts + Pork Chops with a creamy herbed sauce.

Working on the 101 list — Calzones

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Ok, so I'm exhausted.

For the first time in my LIFE I didn't make plans for New Year's Eve. I didn't go to a party. I didn't hang w/ my family. I didn't even make plans w/ E. If I was awake when he got home, he'd see me .... otherwise, I'd be catching up on MUCH NEEDED sleep.

But yesterday, I made Calzones for dinner. :-)

Yes, it's on my 101 in 1001 list!

Ok, ok, ok, so you're saying "Karen, it's been 10 days since you made something ... you're a cheater! That's not w/in a week." WELL smarty pants, I have decided to count a week from Sunday to Saturday. Dec. 21 was a Sunday, so I hit the start of that week. This week, I opted to do it on Wednesday. So there!

I was sort of grousing about it to myself, but it's truly nice to have an excuse to try a recipe I've cut out and stuck in my folder ...

Anyhow, for those of you interested, please CLICK HERE to view the recipe. I used the Ricotta and Ham variation, which was interesting. Also interesting was that there were potatoes in the calzone. I've never heard of/had that before, but it wasn't bad at all.

Of course, here's the list of the new recipes:
Dec. 21 — Peanut Butter Pancakes
Dec. 31 — Calzones

• • •
Also going on in my life ... I opened the box of the closet system, and in an extremely tired state, tried to figure out and measure the best option to putting those bad boys up. Photos to come when it's all spiffed up.

Working on the 101 list

So, today begins my efforts for another item on my 101 in 1001 list.

45. Make one new recipe/week for 3 months

Today, I started with breakfast. We had peanut butter pancakes. YUMMIE!!!!!!!!!

Fairly easy, not a big adjustment from my normal pancake routine ... good times. The only thing is they're DENSE pancakes, so I could only eat 3 VERY SMALL pancakes. Yikes! NOT in character for me.

To check out the recipe, CLICK HERE. Oh, and I omitted the chopped nuts and instead added mini chocolate chips on the top. :-)

I'll try to keep a running tally of new recipes, too.

Dec. 21 — Peanut Butter Pancakes