Camp Whimsy

Home Made Pizza Night

 
Friday evenings I like to make home made pizza. Nothing says "it's Friday, let's party!" like pizza. Home made pizza dough is super easy to make if you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, recipes for dough are easy to come by online, in books or magazines and they call for a few simple ingredients that you are likely to have in your pantry already. Yeast, water, flour, olive oil and salt are the most common ingredients. Some recipes call for sugar which is intended to help the yeast rise quicker, though active dry and rapid rise yeast rise sufficiently on their own. Experimenting with different recipes for dough is fun and most of them seem to turn out well.

 
Prepare dough in mixer. Place in oiled bowl covered with kitchen towels in a draft free spot for about one and a half hours. Punch dough down.

 
I have found that most dough recipes yield too much dough for one pizza, and you end up with a pizza that is mostly bread. I prefer to divide the dough into two equal portions and make two medium sized pizzas. I use pizza stones. Pans work well also.

 
Do not roll your dough. Stretch your dough as thin as you are able using your hands without making holes.

 
Spread sauce. If you are able to make fresh sauce that is even better. Most of the time I use a pre-made sauce such as Contadina. And don't forget the other options of pesto (use sparingly to avoid oily pizza) or alfredo. When I make an alfredo dish during the week I reserve some of the sauce to use on Friday night's pizza.

 

Now for the fun part: toppings. Generally I use what I have available. In the case for the pizza I was preparing when taking these photos I had cheese (I like to use mostly mozzarella), garden tomatoes, olives, red bell peppers, red and green onions, fresh pineapple, minced garlic, bacon, dried basil and crushed red pepper.

 
I like to make half and half pizzas, in this case I made half Hawaiian style and half bacon, tomato, olive, garlic and basil.

 
Voila! Home made pizza. The family is happy and ready for the weekend!

 

Eat Your Fruits and Veggies!

 
On hand in my kitchen: fruits and veggies. Finally the tomatoes in the market are worth purchasing and I am looking forward to harvesting my own in the garden this summer. Meal time is so much better with a variety of fruits and veggies on hand.

Lava Cakes

 
For dessert: chocolate lava cakes with vanilla raspberry swirl frozen yogurt.

 

Insane good.

Pantry Storage

 
Here is a look at my solution for pantry storage. Before we remodeled our kitchen I had a huge pantry which you can see on this post. Our remodeled kitchen is much more efficient (you can see it in this post.) When we remodeled we removed the old HUGE pantry. I needed a place to hold our small appliances, serving platters, large tupperware, and pantry food items. My solution was to put two large baker's racks in our laundry room, which is right next to the kitchen. When we built our home I had the architect add several feet to the laundry room, thinking one day I might put a wall of cabinets for storage there, I am really glad I did this now, because it has proved to be a very valuable space for our home.

 
I store all of our pantry items in here. The only food items stored in the kitchen are a bread/snack drawer and a baking station drawer with all of the necessary baking indgredients I might need.

 

Although I would like to have cabinets made for this wall one day, the baker's racks are nice because I don't have to search for anything.
 

Random Thoughts: Missing Spoons

 
 
My silverware drawer. If you look closely you will notice the disproportianate number of spoons to forks. Seven spoons, twenty three forks. You may be wondering where my spoons have gone, and I will tell you. I grind them up in the sink disposal. They slip by me and despite the horrible sound of a spoon being chewed up in the disposal, I  have not learned to be careful about checking the disposal for spoons that may have fallen down the drain. I flip the disposal switch on and lose yet another spoon. Why do I keep doing this? And why are they always spoons and never forks? Do you do this or am I alone in my spoon disposal habit? Just checking.

Potato Linguica Bake

 
Unlike my baking, most of my cooking is thrown together without a recipe. So here is my un-recipe for an easy potato linguica baked dish.

 
Thinly slice a few pounds of baking potatoes (red-skinned potatoes work nicely in a scalloped type recipe such as this), half a yellow onion and linguica. If you like you can throw in a few dried herbs or a bit of diced garlic.

 
In a round baking dish spread a layer of potatoes, linguica, and onions. Top with fresh ground black pepper, a bit of sea salt, a nice drizzle of olive oil or melted butter and a healthy sprinkle of white cheese such as monterey jack or gruyere. Repeat layering process two more times...

 
...and end with a layer of potoatoes and cheese, adding grated parmesan to the top layer. Then give it a bath in heavy cream (about 3/4 cup). Bake, covered in a foil tent, at 375 for about one hour, or until the potatoes are fork tender. Baking time depends on the variety of potatoes you use. For a decent explanation of potatoes and their uses click here.

 

Cheese, cream, spicy sausage and tender potatoes and onions...may I have a fork please!!!

 

Vintage Jar Toothpick Holder

 
I'm a sucker for pale blue. Always have been. My whole house is covered in shades of pale blue and gray. So when I found this old Best Foods jar for one dollar with a perfectly pale blue lid I knew we would never part. I took it home, gave it a good washing and filled it with toothpicks.

 

And who doesn't like Best Foods? I think mayo is heavenly and should be a food group. Just sayin.

 
Lovely little toothpick holder, don't ya think?? And for an absurd amount of tasty recipes to try, head over to Best Foods.

 

Gingerbread Time

 
We had our annual gingerbread making and decorating day. It was yummy and fun.

 
 
Audrey and Strauss were happy to have their great grandmother here to join them.

 
We had an assortment of candies, including gum drops, Necco wafers and colorful candies from the bulk bins.

 

Necco wafers make the best roofs. This year I didn't make the whole gingerbread house, I used house cookie cutters instead.

 

It's hard to beat decorating gingerbread with your great grandma. Yes siree.

Gingerbread

 
Here is the recipe for gingerbread I adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe.

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 cup dark-brown sugar

4 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

5 teaspoons ground cinnamon

 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups unsulfured molasses

6 cups all-purpose flour

 
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder; set aside.

 
Combine spices and pepper in a seperate bowl, set aside.

 
In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy.

 
Mix in spices and salt.

 
 Beat in eggs and molasses.

 
Add flour mixture; mix on low speed until thoroughly combined.

 
Divide dough into thirds and wrap in plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour.

 
Heat oven to 350 degrees. On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. (actually I prefer it rolled a bit thicker, it is less likely to break).

 
Cut into desired shapes. Place dough shapes on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake 12-14 minutes, or until gingerbread is firm in the center, but not dark around the edges.

Tip: use a good sized thin metal spatula to lift the cut cookies on the baking sheets, it makes the task much easier.

 
Run, run as fast as you can. You won't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!

Buche de Noel Joy

 
We enjoyed our first Christmas cake of the season. Pure joy.

 

Loco Chili Dip

 
Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best! Case in point: my mom's recipe for "loco" chili dip. This is so easy it is positively crazy (hence the loco in the recipe's name). Heat one can of chili in saucepan. Add one 8 oz. block of cream cheese cut into cubes to chili until melted. Serve warm with Frito's. Perfect for an afternoon of watching the game on the telly.

 

 

Saturday Supper - Chicken and Biscuits

 
Saturday's supper was dreamy. My husband likes to cook a few dishes himself and he is the official chicken roaster in our house. Which is nice for me because all I have to do is make the gravy when the chicken is done.

 
I like gravy almost as much as I love chocolate.

 
Of course we need biscuits with this meal. My husband likes biscuits so much he wanted to learn to make them himself so we had several biscuit making lessons over the summer and he is much improved, they don't resemble hockey pucks any more! And I like having one less thing to make.

 

 
Chicken, biscuits and gravy. Tasty, tasty.

 

 

Pico de Gallo for Kathie

My friend Kathie sent me an email asking me what she should do with the abundance of tomatoes in her garden. Well Kathie, in my opinion the best thing to do with fresh tomatoes is to make salsa fresca! Simple, tasty and fresh! Chop tomatoes, one white onion, jalapeno, and cilantro. Add salt and fresh ground pepper to taste! Voila! Perfect on home made enchiladas, tacos, burritos, omelets, grilled chicken or served with mexican tortilla chips. You might want to make up a batch of my favorite mexican corn cakes and load them up with your best pico de gallo. If you want to go a step further you can throw in a bit of diced avacado and lime juice too, that would be tasty in pork tacos! 

Freshy, freshy. Tasty, tasty.    

Apricot Jam

Last week I made three batches of apricot jam. 

My dad brought me the apricots from a farming friend he sells with at a local farmers market. They were beautiful. Tree ripened fruit puts fruit purchased in a store to shame. Because the fruit is picked at the proper time it is much sweeter than the fruit sold in markets, perfectly ripe.

Washing jars and lids before I start.

Prepared fruit for a batch.

 
Adding the sugar and stirring until it reaches a full rolling boil.

Jars, full of sweet jam. A beautiful sight!

 
Hand made labels for home made jam.

I attached the labels to some of the jars with twine and placed the remaining jars in bags with the labels stapled to the bags.

Jars of jam all lined up, ready for giving. I started with 24 jars and currently have 5 left! What else would I do with all of this jam? Home made with love, the best kind of present. If you are interested in canning and looking to start I recommend the Ball Blue Book . Canning is a fairly involved process, similar to baking. You must follow the proper steps to ensure your fruit sets, and also that your jars are properly sanitized and the seals seal correctly. After a full day of canning your efforts will be rewarded and you will have plenty of home made jam to share.

Delicious Summer

Summertime...

...and the living is delicious!  

My Improved Kitchen

When we built our house four years ago one area I didn't get right was the kitchen. It was a bit too small and a large built in pantry took up way too much space. So although our kitchen was still fairly new, it needed a makeover. Here's a peek at how it turned out (click on pictures for a closer look!) I love, love, love my white open shelving and bead board walls. It gives the kitchen so much character and reflects my sense of style. I decided to decorate with my cafe au lait theme. Partly because I adore having cafe au lait in New Orleans, and every morning here at home, and also because I like old dairy collectibles. Coffe and milk, the perfect pair!  

You may remember these letters I found at last year's Farm Chicks Show. I've been waiting to put them up in my kitchen for almost a year! My husband is going to make a small raised white board to set them on so they will be more visible.

Here are a few full shots of the kitchen. The cupboards below the open shelving are new.

 
 
Remember this old cupboard I found? It sits atop the fridge full of fun vintage kitchen collectibles.

My favorite practical part of my new kitchen is this baking station. All of my baking essentials are here, in one tidy place with plenty of counter space for working.

Cafe station.

I love this old cow picture I bought from Amy's  Etsy shop.

 
View of the new countertop bar from the living room, looking into the dining area. I still have to get stools for the bar, but am waiting until my children are a bit older before I get them!

View from the kitchen into dining area.

And here are a few before shots...

For a complete look at my old kitchen head over to this post. Before the remodel we had a pony wall behind the sink which made the kitchen feel much smaller. We also had a huge pantry that took up one whole corner of the kitchen. We removed the pantry, slid the fridge over, got rid of the upper cabinet above the fridge, and had new lower cabinets installed. I added bead board to all the walls to give our kitchen more character and chose open shelving over more upper cabinets so I would be able to decorate the kitchen. I love to decorate!

Bye bye huge pantry!

See how much space that old pantry was taking up!

 
Here is the wall we lowered and the old concrete counters we took out. Concrete was practical, but my new granite counters are much prettier!

Having plywood counters for a few weeks was a small price to pay for our new kitchen.

 
I love my new, improved kitchen! It is the heart of our home and I love walking into it each morning! I spend more time here than any where else and I love that too.

And lucky for me I have this little helper who loves being in here as much as I do! After we finished making these cookies he clapped his hands, threw them high in the air and declared, "now, let's make...pizza!" Cookies and home made pizza. I really am lucky!

  

  
   
  

  

Morning Ritual

 
Iced mocha with chocolate syrup = how I start the day. 

Dale Jr.'s Favorite Mac & Cheese

Because I like noodles covered in absurdly creamy cheesy sauce: Dale Jr.s' Mom's recipe. And who doesn't want to eat a favorite from a guy named Dale Jr.?

Mexican Corn Cakes

 
I first found the recipe for these corn cakes in the April 2006 issue of MSL. I have been making them to rave reviews ever since.  Double or even triple the recipe for a large crowd, plan on making extra since they reheat really well. I like to make extra corn cakes and serve them warm for breakfast topped with a fried egg, salsa and sour cream. 

This recipe is a classic keeper because it has simple, fresh ingredients that yield a truly satisfying result! I usually use about 1/4 less corn than the recipe calls for.

Cotija is a Mexican cheese that is at nearly every market here in California. It is crumbly and a package will make several batches. Grate extra to sprinkle on top of your assembled dish.

The dough comes together quickly, keep in mind this is a dough you do not need to over work since you will be forming it into patties.

I assemble the patties and layer them on wax paper, ready for frying. If I am hosting a crowd I assemble them before hand and store them, covered, in the fridge until it is time to fry.

 
Fry patties, several at a time, 2-4 minutes per side.

I prepare spiced pork loin in the oven and shred after the meat has rested several minutes.

 
I serve the corn cakes topped with refried beans, shredded pork, avacado, salsa, sour cream, and grated cotija. This is a perfect summer time meal, I make fresh salsa and I like to chop a few jalapeno peppers from my garden. 

 
Let me know if you like these as much as I do! ~Kim
  
  
  

Creme Brulee

 
Last month I celebrated my 30th birthday with a day trip to San Francisco. On the list of things to do: visit Sur la Table and purchase a kitchen torch and creme brulee ramekins. Mission accomplished! I have an entire book on creme brulee but went with Ina's recipe from her Barefoot in Paris cook book for my first batch. The recipe was simple and a good candidate for a dinner party since the custard can be cooked ahead of time and burnt just before serving. Creme brulee is one of those desserts that looks fancy but is quite simple to prepare. I highly recommend it! I love cooking. I love baking. I love baking and cooking. Hooray for my new bff kitchen torch! I have all sorts of nifty plans for my lovely kitchen torch and I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship!