I have finally decided on what I am going to use as a prize for my contest this month! I have recently attained a copy of (pause for dramatic effect)… “American Food Writing, An Anthology With Classic Recipes”. Edited by Molly O’Neill! Can’t you just hear the hallelujah chorus!? This is an amazing book! I just had to go out and buy a brand spankin’ new copy to give to one of you!

So… all you have to do in order to be entered into my contest is leave a comment telling me who your favorite chef of all time is! Chef, food critic, or food writer. they are all the same to me! Just leave a comment and I will add your name to the drawing.

Wanna know how you can be entered into the drawing twice? I’m gonna tell you. All you have to do is put up a link to this post on your facebook wall, or tweet about this contest. Be sure to leave a comment telling me whether you tweeted or put it up on face book and I will put your name in the drawing again.

This is such an easy way to get such an amazing book! So come on, let those comments pour in!

*Must be 18 or older to enter

**Available in US only

*** Must claim prize within 30 days of notification, or prize will be forfeited

Ok. I have put all the names into the drawing, and the lucky winner is… Gianna! Gianna said that her favorite chef was Gordon Ramsay! Congratulations, Gianna.

Everbody, be sure to come back next month for another great contest!

Push My Buttons, Really!

This post was written by my lovely drivers ed teacher, Mrs. Deborah Newell. Mrs. Newell has informed me that she is a wonderful southern cook and wants to share her recipes with the world. So here it goes…

 
I am a Moravian and I love this recipe that tells of my roots in the Moravian Community. Everyone, loves this and when someone needs a meal, here it is.. but, the trick is: When you see yard sales, always buy the pie pans..That way when you send the pie to someone sick, they don’t have to worry about getting it back to you.. That alone would make me get better..Here goes:
 

Country Chicken Pie

first I go to the grocery store and buy those pie crust in the box (the shame of it all) and put one in the bottom of a deep dish pie pan.

WAIT!!! I am going to have to step in and make a comment here! STOREBOUGHT PIE CRUST!?!?!?! I just about had a heart attack when I read this! I believe that you shouls use home made pie crust. You may think it is alot of work, but trust me, it is worth it. So, be sure to check out my recipe for pie crust. -Teen Chef

 
2. I cook 3 large boneless or bone-in chicken breast (now, if that chicken was on weight watchers, cook 4)
3. after they are done, shred the chicken up just like you like to eat it.
4. I salt and pepper the chicken

Now, for the broth!

5.Add 1 TABLESPOON of flour to 1 cup of stock, and cook until thickened and pour over your chicken in the pie pan.
6. repeat number 5 for the gravy after this has been cooked (don’t forget salt and pepper in the gravy as well, or it will be bland and people will talk about you)
7. Cover the top of your pie with the other pie shell ( they come 2 in a  box, so perfect) and cut slits or make a flower or anything to let that steam excape.. When I am feeling like Martha Stewart, I will take a tablespoon of butter and throw some flour in it and crumble it on the top before baking, but only when I am trying to impress someone, which ain’t often.
8. I cover it with foil and bake on 400 degrees for about 20 min.. uncover and bake until the top is brown, usually around 10 min.

Now this is your meal and you can serve it with a nice slaw too top this off. It should be Moravian Slaw but we will not tell the Baptist or anyother religion of my plan.. and the best part:  ENJOY!

Push My Buttons, Really!

I made these last night when I was craving something sweet, AND I LOVED THEM!!! They are called brownie cookies, but my little brother likes to call them wannabe brownies. My mom loved that name, I thought you might like it too.

2/3 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1/3 cup baking cocoa

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups chocolate chips

2/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans(optional)

In a large bowl, mix the shortening, sugar, water and vanilla together. Beat in the eggs. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add this to the shortening mixture and beat until well blended. Stir in the chocolate chips and (optional) nuts.

Bake at 375 for 7-9 minutes. Cool and enjoy!

Push My Buttons, Really!

If you like baked beans, these are some that will have eveyone coming and begging you to fix for every dang ol’ supper from here to Oregon, if you don’t want to be popular, then don’t cook these, if you do…here is MY recipe:

This recipe is for a 13×9 inch pan:

1 to 1 1/2 lbs of good hamburger( don’t get the cheap stuff, get good)

1 Green/Red/Yellow(Heck, purple will work) Pepper

Bush’s original Baked Beans, the largest can (now, don’t get crazy and buy that super sized can, unless you are feeding a army , then, have at it)

1 cup Chopped Onion

1 lb Bacon

Brown the meat with the chopped onion and the pepper, then drain REAL good.

Put the beans into a greased 13 x 9 inch pan and cover with hamburger mixture and mix real good.

Now this is the good and “make it different step”:

Take a bowl and put about 1/2 cup of brown sugar in it.. don’t be stingy. Add about 1 cup of ketchup and, the secret ingredient, Worcestershire Sauce ( a couple of hits will work) mix together real good and pour over beans and hamburger.. Top this with slabs of uncooked bacon on top..

Bake at 350 degrees until the bacon is done

Hopfully you will not scald yourself trying to eat it while it is still in the oven..

note:

Again, with the brown sugar, and bacon.. I see a theme here!!

Push My Buttons, Really!

This post was written by my lovely drivers ed teacher, Mrs. Deborah Newell. Mrs. Newell has informed me that she is a wonderful southern cook and wants to share her recipes with the world. So here it goes…

Pig Candy.. that’s right.. when you are from the South..2 thinks go hand and hand.. Bacon and Brown Sugar.. put the 2 together and you will have a dish just waiting for a FIGHT! now let get down to business:

1 lbs. Bacon
Dark Brown Sugar

that is it, 2 things.. Now who could not remember that ..right?

Now, roll that wonderful bacon real good in the dark brown sugar and place it on an oven rack that has been coated with Pam.. I always line a baking dish with foil cause that fat off that wonderful bacon is going on something and you don’t want to have to throw away a pan.. so make it easy on yourself and line away… Place this pan underneath the rack with the bacon on it. The grease will drip right onto the pan.
Bake this on 350 for about 20 min. and you don’t have to turn it over as long as it is on that rack..
Let it cool (if you can stand it) and Voila-PIG CANDY.
This makes the best BLT’s in the whole and I mean Whole wide world ever.

NOW LET’S GET TO COOKING!

Push My Buttons, Really!

I was recently told by my drivers ed teacher that I needed to explain how to leave a comment. She said that she loved my site, but couldn’t figure out how to leave a comment.

So…. This one’s for Mrs. Newell!

Ok. Step by step instructions for leaving a comment.

Step 1: If you look at any of my post, you will see the word “comments” in the right, bottom corner of any given post. Next to that you will see a number in parentheses. That is the number of comments that have been left by other readers. Click that number!

Step 2: Once you click the number, you will be taken to another page. This page has all the comments left by others and a box at the bottom of the post where you can write your own comment.

Step 3: Once you write your comment in the box, click the button that says “Submit Comment”.

Congratulations! You have succesfully left a comment! If your comment doesn’t show up immedietley, don’t worry. I will make sure that it comes up ASAP! 

Mrs. Newell, Just so you know, this is how I thought you would look trying to figure this out on your own. I hope this is helpful.

Push My Buttons, Really!

I have a picky eater that I have to cook for every night in my house. It gets harder each time. So, I have come up with a few creative ways to get picky eaters to eat and eat and eat some more.

1: Try finger foods. Most kids love foods that they can pick up and play with.

2:Try to present the food to your child in a fun and creative way. Remember, presentation is just as important as preperation.

3: Take your child along on a trip to the supermarket or farmers market. Out of all the foods you cn find there, have your child pick 10 yummy fruits and vegetables they would be willing to try and eat.

4: Have your child make a list of the foods that they love. Using this list, create several different meals. You should think about including your kid in the preperation of these meals. There is always room for a kid in the kitchen.

5: Maybe you could have your child pick one fruit or vegetable for the whole family to try. This can be your fruit of the week.

Note; I love tip number 5. I try and pick out a new, wierd fruit every time I go to the store. I always find something new to try. If you take the time to look, you will be surprised at what you can find at your local super market. I found cactus leaves, which were actually pretty good, at a Food Lion right down the street.

6: Maybe it’s time to ease off on the pressure to try different things. Your childs food taste may seem odd to you but if the meals are balanced, maybe you should just let your kid have their way. There will be bigger things for you to worry about.

If you follow these simple tips, your kid will be stuffing their face full of new and interesting foods in no time!

Push My Buttons, Really!

* This is a completely honest review. I have not been given any type of payment to write this review.

How many of you have heard of the new Subway breakfast menu? We had company in over the weekend, and I wanted to sleep in. I was woken up around 8:30 AM and told to get dressed, that we were heading out for breakfast. We all pile into the car and start driving. We pull into a parking space in front of subway, and I don’t think my eyes could have gotten any wider! Subway? For breakfast?!?!

That was the first and last time I will go to Subway for breakfast. I just have one word for that food, NASTY!

First thing I noticed, there were very few choices! I couldn’t believe it! There were only 5 different choices posted on the breakfast menu! I like to have choices! I can be a picky eater. Doesn’t happen often, but I have my moments! And that morning was one of the times where I wanted to try something DIFFERENT! I like to think outside of the box when it comes to food. I couldnt do that here. Oh Well….

I finally decided to try the steak, egg and cheese sandwhich with monterey cheddar cheese(if you’re like me, you would just say,”Tex Mex Cheese!”) on Subways Flatbread.

Sounds good, right? WRONG! It tasted very, for lack of a better word, rubbery. And I’m not talking about the texture, although it did have a certain rubbery feel to it, it tasted, again, for lack of a better word, fake.

I drenched it in ranch dressing and forced myself to eat it.

I think the only good part about the Subway breakfast is that it was low fat and had about half the calories of a Egg McMuffin from McDonalds.

For the sandwhich I ordered there were 170 calories(not including the ranch dressing) and 4.5 grams of fat.

As opposed to the 300 calories and 12 grams of fat found in an Egg McMuffin.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Subway. Just not their breakfast!

Push My Buttons, Really!

Yay! I have waited so long for the Ultimate Blog Party! So, let’s all slip into some comfy pj’s and grab a cup of coffee(maybe some chocolate too!) and make some new Blog Buddies.

I would love to win any of the prizes that Five Minutes For Moms is offering. If you have a blog, be sure to go and join the blog party! I can’t wait to hear from all of you!

Push My Buttons, Really!

Ok. A little weird but lets keep an open mind.

Chef Daniel Angerer has made cheese from his wifes breast milk. He has offered samples of said breast milk cheese to customers at his restaraunt, Klee Brasserie.

I would try it once just to say I had tasted it. But what about you? Would you eat it?

Push My Buttons, Really!