How Many Eggs Yolks?

So after making that delicious birthday cake, I took the leftovers to work and my coworkers happily and speedily took care of it for me. I did have one small problem though. The cake takes 13 egg whites between the Japonais layers and buttercream. Which means that I had 13 egg yolks in the fridge. thirteen? THIRTEEN! What in the hell does a person do with 13 egg yolks? Well, 4 of them went into these cookies. Still working on the rest.

Delicious Drop Butter Cookies

Wait? Who makes cookies after giving away all of the leftover delicious birthday cake? Well... the princess walked up to me and asked for a cookie as we were stuck in the house again (thank you polar vortex). And really, these cookies are a bit addictive. They came together quick and are flying out of the cookie jar. Which might be bad. 

Dammit. More Snow. Bitter cold to follow.

See we've been walloped with alternating weather patterns. We start out with a big clipper system and several inches of snow. Then while we are out with the snow blower and clearing off the driveway we get blasted with the polar vortex. We close school because of the snow. Then the wind starts which causes blowing. (We delay for blowing snow.) Then, with the wind comes the wind chill. brrr. So far in January we've had days with wind chills around -35 (lost 2 days for that polar vertex), and then Friday wind chills went to -23 (and we closed again). We are now at 8 days closed for weather. We are only allowed to have 5 before we have to start making them up.

I'm a little stir crazy. 

And it does not look like there's an end in sight. We're supposed to get another 2 inches tomorrow. Then some winds and blowing snow. Then Tuesday we'll have a nice high of -3. A HIGH of -3. Crap. My students are going to fail the OAAs. Those pesky standardized tests that determine whether I'm a good teacher. And I'll be teaching through June. And this weather is brutal on my arthritis. So very little working out for me. I'm thinking of going into the garage and finding the cane. Depressing.

Cookies work well with the coffee!

So yeah, these cookies. These cookies are super good. A teensy rich, but super good. I might need to make them again soon. Because the princess is running out of them. Mostly because Mommy and Daddy are eating them all. The princess has been far too busy playing with Playdo, finger painting, coloring, playing with tater head, and learning Spanish from watching Sesame Street and Dora.

Painting a picture for Abuela Peggy!

Drop Butter Cookies
an original Shazamer recipe

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 egg yolks

Preheat oven to 375 F
Combine the flour, soda, and salt in a small bowl and mix together. Set it aside.
Cream the butter and the sugars until it is nice and fluffy. Add the vanilla. Then add the egg yolks one at a time, making sure they are fully incorporated before adding the next one. Drop by teaspoonfull (or small scoop) onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and let cool on a rack.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Hello. How are you?

Have you dropped a little weight?

You're looking pretty good!

I've been dieting some. I've also been working out more.

Why?

Because there's so much going on in the world today that I can't do anything about. I can't help those people in Haiti besides write a check. I can't do anything about all the poor people (and self employed people) who have very limited access to healthcare. I can't adopt one of the hundreds of thousands of little orphaned Haitian babies. I can't find Osama Bin Laden. (Okay, I haven't looked either.) It seems to me that every time I listen to the news it's just more and more that I can't do anything about. I find it a touch depressing.

What I can do, and the reason for the dieting and working out, is ride my bike. I have a teensy little seat and I'm seriously hoping it gets MUCH more comfortable in the next 7 months. Because July 29th - August 1st I will be riding 328 miles in Pan Ohio Hope Ride. I will be riding to raise funds for the American Cancer Society and their Hope Houses. In fact, today, when I learned yet another person I love very much has been diagnosed with cancer, the only thing that made me feel the tiniest bit better was to put on my biking clothes and ride my bike. So if you'd like to support me, here's the link to my page. If you'd like to join the team I'm on (Adam's Army- named after a soldier who was a good friend of my team leader Mike) we'd love to have you! Just click on the button that says "Join My Team."

Also, expect to see updates ocassionally on how the training is going.

And yes, those noodles are made from scratch, not a box.

If it weren't for the Pan Ohio Hope Ride, I would be doing what every other chubby, emotional eater, in rural Ohio does and eating plates and plates of this delicious Spaghetti and Meatballs. Okay. I did eat plates and plates of Spaghetti and Meatballs, but in my defense, yesterday was my birthday, and I seriously think The Complete Meat Cookbook is one of the top 5 cookbooks in my library (one of the spare bedrooms, not the public library.)

Meatballs and Sauce
adapted from The Complete Meat Cookbook

meatballs:
1 pound ground chuck
1/2 pound bulk pork sausage
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup dried breadcrumbs
2 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp minced onion
1/3 cup finely chopped parsley (I used 1/4 cup dried because it's what I had)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 Tbsp finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

sauce:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
2 medium stalks celery, chopped
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup beef stock
3 cups canned tomatoes
1 tsp Italian seasoning. (Ok, it supposed to be basil, but somehow I have none in the pantry)

In a large deep bowl combine all meatball ingredients. kneading and squeezing until everything is well blended. Shape the meat into 24 meatballs (approximately 1 1/2 inch balls). Place the meatballs on a cooking sheet lined with parchment and place in a preheated 500° oven and bake for 10 minutes, ocassionally shaking the pan.

Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to a Dutch oven, add the onions, celery, and garlic and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring once in a while. Pour in the red wine and bring to a boil. Cook until the red wine is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Add the stock and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer. Add the Italian Seasoning (or basil) and a pinch of salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes and then using an immersion blender puree the sauce to as smooth as you prefer.

Put the meatballs into the pan and simmer over low heat for another 30 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper and serve over the cooked pasta of your choice.

Serves 8.

The Lady Wasn't There

In case you were wondering where I've been.... Yes, I've been on the annual family vacation in Hilton Head, South Carolina. With all of my in-laws. In one house. Yep. That's 11 children, and 10 adults. Before you break into a cold sweat. It's a very lovely, very BIG house. And the children are all great kids. It's a nice chance every year for the Brain to spend time with his brothers and sisters and their spouses and for everyone to take a little time out of otherwise very busy lives. But we're back now. And it was back to frying donuts this morning.

Besides being relaxing, there were some exciting points to the trip too. We got to stop in Columbia, South Carolina and spend some time with the Brain's aunt and uncle who are really great people. We stopped by on the way back because we had such a good time on the way down. We also got to meet two of the Brain's cousins and their families, that I've never met before. It really was a fun time. We also got to spend a week with my newest little nephew. He's such a cutie!

The other exciting thing the Brain and I did was to spend the day in Savannah. We took a "trolley" bus tour which was hugely informative and a lot of fun. We saw beautiful old houses and landmarks like the home of Juliet Gordon Lowe (founder of the Girl Scouts). And we went to see Savannah's great lady. You know who I'm talking about. I'm talking about Paula Deen. The woman who I watch and drool over. The woman who's cookbook I so desperately want to buy, but I don't because I would be hippo sized if I ate food like that. Her food is for naturally bone thin people who have a light speed metabolism, and my metabolism is more like molasses in January. I may never cook her food, but I figured just once I could go eat at her restaurant.

Oh Lordy it was good. It was SPECTACULAR. I had these lovely fried green tomatoes. Yes, the food of the South. It was an appetizer. The Brain had ordered the buffet and went to wait in line behind about 100 people and I really had to restrain myself when these deliciously tart tomatoes arrived. I had to sit on my hands after tasting the spicy red pepper sauce and Vidalia Onion relish. Otherwise, by the time the Brain finally returned from the buffet, there would be none left. I did manage to be fairly dainty and not lick the plate when I finished.

I also have to say Paula makes it glaringly obvious that I can't make a biscuit. Well, I make biscuits like a Yankee of German/Irish descent. Hard little white lumps. Paula's biscuits were crispy almost on the outside and yet so fluffy and steaming on the inside. Unbelievable. I wonder how many sticks of butter there were in there.

For lunch I indulged in the pulled pork sandwich. When I lived in Kansas, I would drive past a barbecue joint every single morning. You have no idea how enticing the smell of pork in the morning can be. When I moved to Kansas I had no real idea what barbecue even was. But after living in Kansas, I craved pulled pork. Just so you know there is no real pulled pork in Ann Arbor or Indianapolis. But there was in Savannah. Of course, I knew that South Carolina barbecue was different than Kansas City barbecue. Fortunately I discovered, thanks to Paula Deen, that I like them both. My pulled pork sandwich was so delicious that although I was way full, I ate it all. I licked my fingers. My pulled pork cravings have been satisfied for the next couple of months.

Paula and the boys weren't there, and I don't think I was the only person who was asking for her. After eating there, don't be surprised if I try to cook Southern food. But I'll probably try to do it without a stick of butter, some bread crumbs, and mayonnaise.

Some Fun Stuff

So, I'm still not cooking, but I have some interesting stuff to share with you.

The first, and I should have pointed this out a while ago when I first found out, is that I am not the only Shazam in the kitchen. I'm not even the first. There's Calamity Shazaam in the Kitchen. She and I both visit this particularly funny blog from Massachusetts. At first I didn't tell you about her, because I was stupid and I wanted to be the ONLY Shazam. And then I realized that she had the name first and I was embarrassed. And now that I've become a somewhat habitual lurker on her site, I'm even more embarrassed I didn't spread word of her because she's really really funny. So please go check out Calamity Shazaam. I promise she's worth it.

Then I thought I'd also share with you the Potato Song, which, maybe it's the drugs or maybe it's the artistry, fascinated me so much that I had to play it twice. This lovely piece of performance was found on Amanda's blog, Mrs. W's Kitchen. You should also check out what she can do to deviled eggs!


Then this lovely bit of fun is from Batter-Splattered, another blog I lurk on. You can find out what type of donut you are. This is me...

You Are a Glazed Donut

Okay, you know that you're plain - and you're cool with that. You prefer not to let anything distract from your sweetness. Your appeal is understated yet universal. Everyone dig you. And in a pinch, you'll probably get eaten.

What Donut Are You?

Seriously. I'm drooling on myself now. Could be the drugs. Or it could be all the marvelous types of fish and recipes to go with them she's got on her blog. It makes me wish we could even fish for the humble Lake Erie Perch or Walleye right now.

And finally, go check out my lovely friend Lisa's blog because not only is she just fabulous, but she's got the roundup for the WCC challenge going. And there are some fantastic looking foods to make in your pressure cooker, slow cooker, or dutch oven right now.

Look What I Made!

This week I decided to take pictures and let you know what I've made from other blogs out there. There are tons of great blogs and tons of great recipes and it's a cool idea I got from Deb and Pixie to highlight things I've made from other blogs...

First, remember those mushrooms that I over-bought? Well I took my massive amounts of mushrooms and turned them into Cream of Mushroom Soup as featured on Smitten Kitchen. It was very very good. I followed Deb's suggestion of adding less cream and I also added about a half cup of Chardonnay (because I happened to have it around).

Then, and the Brain will be upset with me if I don't make this one again, I made Skillet Lasagna from More than Burnt Toast. This was super easy and came together in a flash. And to top it off it was hearty and was just right for a rainy weekend night where the Brain and I both came home tired and hungry. Really really tasty.

Finally, I made the Nut Balls that Lisa Rene of Little Bits entered as her aphrodesiac in the Kitchen of Love event at Mele Cotte. I had to substitute an egg for the tofu because I can't eat soy. These were so darn tasty that my mom and I sat there and just kept eating them. I would say they'd be perfect to bring to a party, but make sure it's a party where you know no one has nut allergies. These little tasty bites were delicious and I totally forgot to make the dipping sauce. These lovely beauties seem to me to be very low carb for those of you who watch that kind of thing and are very high in protein and good fats. It's an appetizer you can feel good about eating.

So those are the recipes I made off other blogs this week. I'll try to post on a regular basis other recipes I find from other blogs. Don't worry I have a whole lot of them I'm eager to try!

Mmmm spaghetti

Spaghetti

Spaghetti, spaghetti, all over the place,
Up to my elbows - up to my face
Over the carpet and under the chairs,
Into the hammock and wound round the stairs
Filling the bathtub and covering the desk
Making the sofa a mad mushy mess.

The party is ruined, I'm terribly worried,
The guests have all left (unless they're all buried).
I told them "Bring presents." I said "Throw confetti."
I guess they heard wrong
'Cause they all threw spaghetti!

-Shel Silverstein

Yeah we love spaghetti. It's the perfect dinner when the Brain is working late and I'm running off to spin class. And I really don't think anyone needs a recipe for spaghetti. Especially because we just used the Meijer organic spaghetti sauce. Nothing to it. But what's that sticking out of the bowl of spaghetti? Why that's Zingerman's Parmesan Pepper bread, quite possibly my favorite bread of all time - big chunks of Parmesan baked into the bread with cracked black peppercorn. It's so hard for me to pace myself and not eat the entire loaf at one time. While you can order Zingerman's bread online, as I've done while living in Indianapolis, this time I got it right from the source. No, I haven't died and gone to heaven, there still is no Zingerman's in rural Ohio. This weekend, I went up to Michigan.

Why? Because my friend Trish and I went to see Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro at the Michigan Opera Theater as a Sunday matinee. It was really good. We go to the opera yearly and we always have a good time. The Marriage of Figaro runs November 10th through the 18th and tickets run as cheap as $25.

Being that I was in town for the weekend it was no problem to invite some friends and family to Drop In & Decorate, Saturday morning. Basically I showed up with 7 dozen cookies and had some icing and sprinkles ready. And my family and friends decorated the cookies. Then another friend of mine helped me drop the cookies at the Ann Arbor Ronald McDonald House. The people were so appreciative. Hosting a party like this is really easy and definitely brightened the day of the Ronald McDonald House people. Follow the link and think about hosting your own party.

While already being in Ann Arbor besides going to Zingerman's we went to the best liquor and cheese store. Morgan and York, formerly known as the Big Ten, or "the cheese cheese cheese liquor store", is in my opinion the greatest place to go and buy cheese and fancy goods. I managed to pick up a Pecorino wrapped in walnut leaves, some cocoa nibs, and some Jasper Hill Cabot Cheddar (possibly the best cheddar I've ever tasted. The staff there is so friendly and helpful, you can't help but leave knowing more about cheese than when you came in. I think it's my favorite place in Ann Arbor. I recommend it highly.