I’ve moved to my new site at Twinisms.com! If you forgot to update your bookmarks, here’s some more of what you’re missing:
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Category Archives: Uncategorized
Don’t Forget!
I’ve moved to my new site at Twinisms.com! If you forgot to update your bookmarks, here’s some of what you’re missing:
WTF Wednesday
Hey Friends! This page has moved to Twinisms.com. Click over for the WTF Wednesday!
Bite This
Hey Friends! This blog has moved to Twinisms.com. Please update your subscriptions and bookmarks! Thank you!!
Independence Day!
Hey Friends! This blog has moved to Twinisms.com. Please update your subscriptions and bookmarks! Thank you!!
It’s Independence Day, for me! Welcome to the new and improved Twinisms.com.
I’m on my own, the master of my domain you might say. (The first person to name that quote gets a FREE VIRTUAL HIGH FIVE)
Cue the FIREWORKS!!!
Subscribers, please update your subscription to twinisms.com. I will continue to post on both sites, but only for a little while. I get enough of doing things twice in my real life. So soon, this will be the one and only place to hear about the twinkies antics, teenage angst, dumb husband tricks, and everything you never needed to know about Alaska, stupid dogs, and bodily functions.
I bet you’re dying to know how much reindeer poop we brought home after this adventure…
Or why I’m letting this moose eat Jackson…
No, it’s not a parenting strategy, although it might keep him under control.
You probably want to know if the moose is a better kisser than Dallas…
Dallas has slightly better breath, so he wins.
I know you don’t want to miss all that.
So update now! Thanks for reading:)
Oh and Happy Birthday America!
Bite This
That’s it, that is the new title for this weekly segment. It has a bit more punch than Tasty Tuesday don’t you think? Big thanks to reader Rhaea for the title. Rhaea can be counted as an in real life friend, even though I haven’t seen her since the 6th grade. She was in my older sisters class in the little Catholic school I attended. It’s true, we were Catholic school girls. We even wore little plaid uniforms like Brittany Spears only more scrawny, small town Ohio girl than slutty, pop star. You get the idea.
Also new this week, I am preparing a recipe suggested by a reader! Heather sent me a few recipes to try. She also included a challenge (and recipe) to make rice pilaf from scratch. Thanks hussy, you’re awesome. (Relax, she’s a real life friend too so I can call her that. You should hear what she calls me!)
Rosemary Chicken & Rice Pilaf
Ingredients
Rosemary Chicken
Adapted from the Deen Brothers Braised Chicken with Rosemary & Potatos
4 Large Chicken Breasts, cut in quarters
1 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Black Pepper
3 Tbs. Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbs. Lemon Juice
1 Tsp. Rosemary
4 Tbs. Unsalted Butter, cut into pieces
Rice Pilaf
This recipe is from AllRecipes.com
2 Tbs. Butter
1/2 Cup Orzo, uncooked
1/2 Cup Onion, diced
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 Cup Rice, uncooked
2 Cups Chicken Broth
The original recipe calls for chicken legs and thighs. We do not eat chicken on the bone in this house. I also do not enjoy dark meat. Gross. Heather informed me that you need the skin on the chicken to get crispy or some other BS. I just added half a stick of butter. It worked, and I didn’t have to deal with nasty bird skin and bones in my kitchen.
Anyway.
Whisk together the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, lemon juice, and rosemary. Place chicken in a dish that is safe for both the oven and the broiler. Pour on olive oil mixture and toss to coat. Sprinkle butter tabs on top. Let it sit for 10 minutes on the counter. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
In my family my Uncle Ralph is famous for saying, “MORE BUTTER” I tend to agree. There’s nothing that wouldn’t be better by adding more butter.
Put the chicken in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until it is cooked through. The time will vary depending on the thickness of your chicken hooters. To check the doneness of the chicken press on it, without puncturing it. If it bounces back it’s done, if not it needs more time. When it is close, turn on the broiler and leave it in for another 10 minutes.
The rice pilaf is very easy. I even screwed it up a little and it was still delicious. Let me say right now, I will not ever make Rice-A-Roni rice pilaf again. I will, as the twinkies say, “make it out of scratch.”
It’s easy. Melt the butter in a pan. Add the orzo and cook until brown. Add the onions and garlic and cook it for one minute. Add rice and chicken broth. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.
I browned the rice with the orzo (that’s how the box crap works). To make up for the starches that were released I added about a half a cup of water. No problem.
Sorry, I didn’t take pictures of the rice while I was making it.
I also made lima beans. I love them, so do Reese and Taryn. Buy the frozen ones, baby lima beans if you can find them. Cook them according to the package, but for crying out loud add some salt and pepper to the water while they are cooking!
Season everything, everything. Always. I put salt and pepper on turkey sandwiches. I’m not kidding.
Once they are cooked toss them with a few tablespoons of butter.
This was really good, like really, really good. I highly recommend you try it.
Who has a recipe for me to make next week?
Guilt
It happened. I’ve become one of those people who actually cares about the stupid dog. I do. I care. I can’t believe that we let her get sick. The results of her urinalysis came back today with too many bacteria to count and painful crystals.
I suck at life.
I knew she was sick. I knew she was peeing every thirty seconds. I knew that she was putting off a scent at the dog park. The male dogs were all over her.
I tried to convince myself it was because she is such a pretty girl.
I mean really, who wouldn’t love that face?
Maybe it was the aggressive beavers. She’s not much of a swimmer, but she’ll get into the lake at the dog park for a drink. Those beavers are nasty, disgusting animals. I bet the lake is diseased.
Either that or I’m the worst dog parent ever.
Not possible. Not the worst. I’ve seen Animal Cops.
I’m becoming one of those stupid people who will spend piles of money on the stupid dog. I’m already jammed up that the vet only gave me a week’s worth of pain meds for her. I have to call first thing in the morning.
She’s going to gain 10 pounds because I’m comforting her with food. It works for me, so I figure it will comfort her too.
I’ve lost my mind.
Stupid dog.
Tantalizing Tuesday
Tantalizing Tuesday? Dinner With Twins? I need a new name for this segment. Thoughts? Ideas? Comments?
Tonight’s dinner is brought to you by the letters D & J, for Dallas and John.
That’s my husband, Elmer Fudd, and my son, the unibomber.
Salmon W/sun-dried Tomato Marinade, Rice Pilaf, and Grilled Romaine
Ingredients
2 Filets of Salmon
1 Bottle of Lawry’s Sun Dried Tomato Marinade
2 Boxes of Rice-A-Roni Rice Pilaf, cooked according to package directions
2 Heads of Romaine Lettuce
Grated Parmesan
Garlic Powder
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
The bottle says to marinate the salmon for half an hour. I did it for about an hour and a half. Dallas is not a big fan of fish, so I was trying to get it to taste more like sun-dried tomato and less like salmon. It still did not permeate to deeply into the fish, but it was good.
Don’t ask why he went salmon fishing if he doesn’t like fish. He’s an idiot.
The first step is to start cooking the rice. It takes about 20 minutes. I know it’s a shortcut, when I have time to learn how to make rice pilaf from scratch I’ll let you know. Don’t hold your breath.
Next, prepare the romaine. You will want to keep the head intact, so rinse it and then lay it in a strainer with the open part down for a few minutes. Don’t worry if there is still a little dirt near the root, you won’t eat that part anyway. Then cut it in half so that the root part continues to hold it together.
Using a paper towel, dry out any remaining liquid. Drizzle both sides with olive oil and season with garlic powder, kosher salt, and pepper. I like a lot. It’s totally up to you, just make sure you use a lot when you have me over for dinner.
Depending on the size of your filets it will take a little more than 15 minutes to cook the salmon on the grill. You could also broil it.
When you think the salmon is less than 10 minutes from being finished you will want to throw the romaine on the grill. It’s just like grilling anything else, don’t freak out.
Once it is nicely charred, flip it over and grill the other side.
It’s really good, trust me.
When it is finished chop off the stem and pull out the yellow leaves. Unless you like the yellow leaves, just don’t tell me about it because it’s disgusting.
The batch of romaine that I had on the top rack did not cook as well as I would have liked. The upside is that even if it doesn’t cook it still tastes great. The sun-dried tomato marinade was good and very easy. It made a mess on the grill though, so use foil.
I’m really serious about renaming this post, so shoot me some ideas. Also, if you have a recipe you’d like me to try send it my way.
Tasty Tuesday
We’re heading down to Texas for a classic that happens to be my husband’s favorite dish. Full disclosure: he prefers the one they make at Luby’s to mine. Yes, I married a man who likes cheap cafeteria food. He also prefers deli cookies to homemade. He would have been a fat loser without me.
Anyway.
Tonight I made King Ranch Chicken. It’s a cheesy, spicy casserole type thing. It’s great for potlucks or to feed a crowd (like I do every night).
King Ranch Chicken
Ingredients
1-2 Pounds Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, cooked and cut into bite size pieces.
10 Oz. Package Corn Tortillas, cut in quarters
1 Large Onion, chopped
1 Large Green Pepper, chopped
2 Cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 1/2 Tsp. Chili Powder
1/2 Tsp. Garlic Salt
1 (10 Oz.) Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 (10 Oz.) Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 (10 Oz.) Can Rotel (undrained)
I cooked the chicken in some chicken stock and water. Just place the breasts in a skillet with the lid on and boil until one. You’ll want to reserve the cooking liquid. If you cook them another way or buy the already cooked stuff, you’ll need a can of chicken broth for the next step.
My original recipe called for a whole chicken cooked and cut up. As if.
Bring the cooking liquid or your can of broth to a boil and then remove from the heat. Dip the cut up tortillas int he liquid for a few seconds to soften, then set aside.
Don’t let them sit in the liquid too long or they will get mushy.
Place half of the tortillas in a lightly greased 13x9x2 baking dish. On top of that place half of the onions, peppers, and chicken. Repeat with another layer.
It does not look especially appealing. The peppers will be slightly crunchy when the dish is finished. If you’re not a fan of crunchy peppers you may want to sauté them for a few minutes first.
Next, sprinkle the shredded cheese, chili powder, and garlic salt on top.
Combine the soups and spread them on top of the cheese. Pour the entire can of Rotel (do not drain) on top of the cheese.
If it looks like a wet, gloppy mess you got it right. It’s not pretty. Don’t worry about it. This isn’t fine dining, no one cares about your presentation.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until it is cooked through and bubbly.
My friend, Jennifer, told me that she makes this with Doritos instead of tortilla chips. Sounds awesome. Maybe that’s the Luby’s secret? Hmmmm….
I didn’t make anything with this, I probably should have. Maybe black beans or a salad. I was tired today, so this is all they got.
John likes it, Taryn hates it. It’s pretty much the story of my life.
Tasty Tuesday
Fact: Fried food is awesome.
Fact: The key to frying food well is a three-step breading process.
Fact: Tonight you are going to learn the secret to frying pork chops.
The first few times I suggested making pork chops Dallas balked. He said he didn’t like them, so I didn’t make them. They weren’t one of my favorites either so it was not a big deal. Then I watched something on TV about frying food (I think it was Bobby Flay, but maybe not. I don’t usually watch him because his voice is irritating.) and decided to try it. It was, and continues to be a family favorite.
Pork Chops & Stuffing
Pork Chops
5 Boneless Pork Chops, 1 inch thick
3 Eggs, beaten
1 1/2 Cups Seasoned Breadcrumbs
3/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Cup Flour
Salt & Pepper
Canola Oil
Stuffing
2 Boxes Stove Top Stuffing, cooked according to package directions
4 Celery Stalks, chopped
1 Onion, chopped
8 Oz. Mushrooms Sliced
2 Tbs. Butter
Salt & Pepper
The first, and maybe most important step to proper frying is to bring the meat up to room temperature. This is a good rule of thumb for most meats. If you try to cook them when they are cold they will tighten up and get dry. You also one them to cook relatively quickly and to splatter as little as possible.
Dry pork chops are gross.
You’ll need to set up a breading station with a bowl for the flour, the eggs, and the breadcrumbs mixed with the parmesan cheese. Season each step with salt and pepper. I used table salt instead of kosher salt for breading. You’ll also need a plate for the finished product
Place the pork chop in the flour mixture first. Shake off any excess.
Next put it in the egg mixture.
Last dredge it in the breadcrumb mixture. Set it aside and repeat the process with each piece.
Place enough oil in your skillet to just cover the top of the pork chop. It can be difficult to judge when the oil is the right temperature. Too cool and the breading will be saturated and fall off. Too hot and it will burn before the meat is cooked. I use the high-tech method of sprinkling water into the oil until it has a decent sizzle, but does not splatter and pop in a scary way. You could use a thermometer. I have no idea what temperature you should use, those setting rubbed off of my electric skillet.
It should look like this.
Cook them until they are a golden brown on each side. The chop should spring back slightly when you press on it. You don’t want to cut into it to see if it is done because all the juice will escape and if you have to put it back in it will get oily. Again, you could use a meat thermometer. I have one, it’s never been out of the box.
They’re done when they look like this.
They should rest for about five minutes before serving. This fun contraption is my cookie cooling rack, on top of a baking sheet, lined with a paper towel. Fancy shmancy.
Stuffing goes great with pork chops. I’m not into the applesauce thing. You could do that if you wanted. Just not at my house.
I do not like homemade stuffing. It tasted like wet bread, blech. I like Stove Top, sage flavor. My Aunt Sylvia taught me to doctor it up with onions, mushrooms, and celery. It’s a pretty simple process that adds loads of flavor.
First chop up the vegetables and season them with salt and pepper. Let them sit together in a bowl for a while if you have time. Saute them with the butter until the onions and celery are soft.
While that is going make up the stuffing. Tonight I used chicken broth in place of some of the water, only because I had it. I don’t think it tasted any different from just using water.
Once everything is cooked mix the stuffing and the vegetables together and place them in a baking dish. Heat them in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. You can also skip the baking step. I’ve done it, so far no one has choked out at the dinner table.
It’s awesome. You could make some brown gravy and have just this as a meal. Seriously. Taryn hates it, but she’s a teenager she doesn’t know anything.
I heated up the green beans with lime juice and Adobo.
There you go. Fry your little hearts out!
Twinisms 