Hotel Hot Chocolate and the Princesses of Pandemonium

Once upon a time there were five little princesses. Well, perhaps there were really five precocious 4th grade art girls who decided to pretend to be high society princesses.

They spent time practicing their British accents and sticking their pinkie fingers out just precisely so from their colorful little cups of hot chocolate. The loudest and most dramatic of the girls thought they needed ages. She would be 26 years of age and the rest chose to be 2, 7, 9 and 16.

As practice for their future years as members of the public these five princesses took turns talking in extra polite voices while sipping delicately from their cups, but soon enough pandemonium would come.

When girls aged 2, 7, 9 and 16 decided they wished to be heard above girl aged 26’s growing chatter, their calm politeness turn to shrieks of high society mockery.

Or perhaps it was all those refills of hot chocolate or the generous marshmallow to hot chocolate ratio. For it didn’t take long for girls aged 26, 9, and 7 to follow girl aged 2 into diving face first into their popcorn. Giggles and growls were heard among bites, chews and gulps.

Except for one. Girl aged 16 must have been more resistant to the effects of sweet warm hot chocolate than girls aged 2, 7, 9 and 26. For she stuck her pinky out as far as it would go, held her head high and delicately ate her snack. This of course made the other girls laugh and screech louder. For they decided behaving like animals was more amusing than life as high society princesses.

Maybe it would be best to limit real high society princesses to water and gruel. For common princesses are fortunate. When they wiggle and worm in their seats they get to jump up and run out the door to play in the dirt, trees and hills of kind neighbors who share their yard with excitable children.

Common high society imaginary animal princesses are very lucky indeed.

The Maidstone Arms’ Hot Chocolate
Print Recipe
Years ago, my friend Julie and mother of Princess aged 16 clipped this recipe out of "The Oregonian" newspaper. Julie remembers reading that this hot chocolate is served at a nice hotel, and from the title it might be The Maidstone in East Hampton. If you have details please let us know.

8 ounces of high-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup light or dark corn syrup
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
6 to 8 cups milk (or half & half or, what the heck, whipping cream)

Place chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine water, corn syrup and sugar. Bring just to a boil and pour immediately over chocolate. Whisk until chocolate is melted and completely integrated, then whisk in butter. (At this point, the mixture can be refrigerated for up to a month.)

Place chocolate mixture and milk in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until very hot but not boiling. If desired, top with whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder. Serve immediately.

For individual serving, stir 2 heaping tablespoons of the chocolate base into 1 cup milk, or to taste.

Julie's Notes:
I usually use Guittard semi-sweet chocolate chips and grind them up in the food processor so they melt easily.

I use more like 1 heaping tablespoon for an individual serving and even less for Adelia.

Laura's Notes:
For the kiddos, I like to use low-fat milk, 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, a 1.55 ounce Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar and a tablespoon of cocoa powder. I grind the chocolate and cocoa powder in a food processor because I'm lazy.

Story and picture Copyright Laura Flowers 2011. The Maidstone Arms’ Hot Chocolate might be from the Maidstone Hotel.

Monster Mouths

Clara’s 4th grade class is in the middle of their Halloween party right now. The first one where we parents aren’t needed to stick around. The kids had it all under control and it was even their idea to throw a healthy party.

When I dropped off this platter I spotted a giant fruit salad and other healthy goodies. I’m pretty proud of them. How often are kids willing to skip the sugar?

Maybe the 4th graders are teaching us something. Maybe we don’t need those sugary snacks for a fun party, just a reason to celebrate and some healthy treats.

Oh course, I’m pretty sure they won’t be turning down any trick-or-treat candy Monday evening. But I’m still proud of them.

Monster Mouths
I love these! They were so easy too. Print Recipe.

Granny Smith apples
Juice of 1 lemon
Peanut butter
Yogurt covered raisins

1. Add lemon juice to a large bowl and fill with cold water.

2. Slice apples into wedges. Soak in the lemon water for about 10 minutes. Strain and pat dry.

3. Spread or pipe peanut butter on one side of apple slices. Place a few raisins on half the apples. Gently sandwich together.

By Laura Flowers.

Chicken Noodle Soup

There are many ways to make chicken noodle soup, but I tend to prefer this method. Maybe because I like my soup vegetables the same texture as the noodles, but more honestly it’s probably because I’m lazy and this is a less fussy process.

The vegetables and chicken make the broth and soup at the same time, keeping the cooking effort to a minimum. Which is nice.

What you’ll need here is time to let everything simmer. About 2 1/2 hours of it. So this is something I like to make when I’m futzing around the house working on other projects.

Chicken Noodle Soup
This is probably one of our family's favorite recipes. Print Recipe.

1 pound carrots cut into 1/2” thick rounds
1/2 pound celery, cut into 1/2” thick pieces
1 medium onion, diced
4-5 pound chicken, cut up
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 bay leaves
14.5 ounce can chicken broth
8 cups water
12-ounce package frozen egg noodles

1. Stir the carrots, celery, onion, chicken bouillon granules, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper, bay leaves and chicken broth together in a large pot or Dutch oven; top with chicken skin side up. Pour the water over chicken.



2. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours. Scoop out chicken and set aside.

3. Return soup to a simmer. Add noodles, cover and cook for 30 minutes.


4. Meanwhile, discard skin and pull meat off of the bones. Shred into bite sized pieces. When noodles are done, return chicken to soup; discard skin and bones. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

By Laura Flowers.

Pork Noodle Bowls

Thursday after school is art day around here. A surprisingly good-natured college student attempts to teach a room full of noisy messy chatty silly 9-year-old girls how to draw.

Which is fun for all of us, but most of my time is spent trying to quiet them down enough for the young woman to teach, sweeping up crumbs and popcorn, telling the dog to stop barking and wiping down walls where mysterious smears appear from charcoal coated hands.

So this was a simple and inexpensive alternative to going out to eat last night. I think the prep took about ten minutes and the cooking time was about the same.

Pork Noodle Bowls
Once you start cooking everything is going to go too fast for prep work, so have your ingredients ready before you begin. Print Recipe

3 packages ramen noodles, any flavor
2 teaspoons chili oil
.75 pounds thinly sliced boneless pork chops or other pork cuts
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
1 large carrot, grated
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, Cut the pork into bite size strips. In an extra-large skillet heat the chili oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork and stir-fry until no longer pink. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds. Carefully add the chicken broth and soy sauce. Scrape the bottom of the pan while you stir.

3. Bring the broth to a boil. Add the spinach and carrot. Cook until spinach is wilted and carrot is cooked, about 3 minutes. Turn off heat.

4. Place the ramen noodles in the boiling water (throw away the flavor packets). Cook for exactly two minutes and strain. Place noodles and cilantro in with the pork mixture. Toss well and let the broth soak into the noodles for a couple of minutes.

Serves 4.

By Laura Flowers.

Seasoned Taco Meat from Scratch

This taco filling is a redo from an unnecessarily long recipe. I’m much happier with it now and hope you’ll be able to navigate it quickly.

Seasoned Taco Meat from Scratch
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Skip the chemical laden taco spice packets. This re-worked recipe from an old magazine puts those things to shame.

Spice Mixture
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Place all the spices together in a small bowl and set aside.

Taco Filling

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 onion, diced

3 medium garlic cloves, minced
Spice mixture, above

1 pound 90 percent lean (or leaner) ground beef, yak or bison 

1/2 cup plain tomato sauce

1/2 cup chicken broth 


2 teaspoons white vinegar


1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes.

2. Add garlic and spice mixture; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ground meat and cook, breaking meat up as you go. Deglaze the pan a little with extra broth if needed at this point. Scrape the pan bottom to prevent scorching, until meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.

3. Add tomato sauce, chicken broth and vinegar; bring to simmer. Stir frequently and break meat chunks up completely. Cook for about 10 minutes or so until the liquid is reduced and thickened, but mixture isn’t dry. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper if needed.

Recipe and photograph by Laura Flowers.

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Skillet Lasagna with Italian Sausage and Vegetables

At the entrance of my local grocery store there’s a massive tower of Hamburger Helper. Our college students are back in session and need cheap food, right? So I suppose I shouldn’t be annoyed.

But I am. I’m quite irritated in fact. How did “Hamburger Helper” become food anyway? Now, I’m not one of those always-make-it-from-scratch nutters and shortcuts are quite welcome in my hectic life. Food shortcuts. Not MSG loaded chemical shortcuts.

When did it become acceptable to eat non food items? Why did this happen?

Trust me. I know how much cheaper and easier it is to grab a pound of bargain priced hamburger and a box of garbage, but in the end these new adults aren’t doing themselves any favors.

If I could devote my life to helping students cook I would. Maybe I still will. Until then I’ll create copycat recipes with real vegetables, real dairy, whole wheat pasta and organic meat. It may cost more, but what are the lives and health of those I care about worth?

A lot more than a box of chemicals I can tell you that.

Skillet Lasagna with Italian Sausage and Vegetables

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The ingredient list looks long, but this hearty skillet dinner isn’t difficult to make.

8 ounce box whole wheat or regular lasagna noodles
1/2 cup ricotta
1/3 cup shredded Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces thinly sliced mushrooms
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound Bulk Sweet Italian Sausage (not in casing)
8 ounce zucchini, sliced into 1/8” thick half moons
24 ounce jar red pasta sauce (I like Newman’s Own Sockarooni Sauce in this dish.)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Break lasagna noodles in half lengthwise then break each strip into 1 to 2 inch pieces. Cook according to package directions, for whole wheat I cook them up to 5 minutes longer to soften to taste. Strain water out and mix noodles with a small amount of olive oil to keep them from sticking together.

2. In a small bowl, mix together ricotta and Pecorino Romano or Parmesan. Set aside.

3. In a very large skillet add the olive oil and melt the butter over medium high heat until the foam begins to subside. Add mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook for several minutes until the vegetables start to soften.

4. Add the sausage and break it up in the pan, then add the zucchini. Cook, stirring occasionally until sausage is thoroughly cooked through. Turn off heat and strain mixture in a colander and place back into the skillet.

5. Turn the heat to medium. Stir in pasta and pasta sauce and cook for a few minutes until heated through. Stir in water then dollop on ricotta mixture and sprinkle with mozzarella. Swirl in the cheeses. Top with more Romano or Parmesan if desired before serving.

Note: Can’t eat dairy? Want to save some money or cut down on calories? Feel free to leave out the butter and all cheeses. Just substitute another tablespoon of olive oil for the missing butter. At the end, taste for salt and pepper as you might need to add extra to make up for the missing salty cheese.

Recipe and photographs by Laura Flowers.

Elves’ Favorite Dessert. Run Away!

Glancing through recipes for a winter photo assignment I spot something quite out of the ordinary. Fluff. What the heck is fluff? Isn’t that the stuff hidden in the back corner of salad bars old ladies eat?

So I make, style and shoot this fluff stuff, all the while sniffing my nose up at it. I do not eat fluff. No one eats fluff! In a hurry, I stuff strangely pale green fluff back into the Cool Whip container and get back to work.

After several more hours of shooting I start to crave something sweet. Peering into the fridge I sigh and gingerly take out the evil fluff container. I take a spoon and dip it into said crazy evil fluff.

It was there at that very moment something magical happened.

I liked it. Really, really liked it! Unfortunately, I "liked" it so well that I ate the entire container all by myself over the next several days.

So what do you think I did after eating an entire container of yummy pistachio fluff? That’s right. I made a whole new batch just for me.

Ah fluff, I love you. Wait a second... Does this make me an old lady?

Elves’ Favorite Dessert
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1 tub Cool Whip (thawed)
1 small box pistachio pudding
1 small can crushed pineapple

Mix pineapple with it's juice and pistachio pudding powder together in a medium sized bowl. Fold in Cool Whip. Store fluff inside the Cool Whip container and chill before serving.

“Yum Food and Fun for Kids”, Winter Issue 2010. Recipe from Menu Mom Christine Steendahl. Photograph by Laura Flowers.

Butterfinger Caramel Apples

Having only one child can be a problem sometimes. Like when I need emergency kid models and one won't cut it. Thankfully, my friend Julie loaned me her two for this Halloween assignment. I wouldn't have been able to finish without them.

It’s so hard to be little and behave well for hours in the hot sun, but they did great. Sadly, the kids didn’t make it into Yum Food and Fun for Kids this time, but I still have cute shots of them to enjoy.

This kid-friendly recipe starts with a bag of caramels. Feel free to use any kind of Halloween candy you have around for pressing into the sides. I think Snickers bars, M&Ms or chopped chocolate covered pretzels would be especially tasty here.

Butterfinger Caramel Apples
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This is a fun way to use up some of that excess candy and enjoy the fall apple harvest.

5 Granny Smith Apples
5 wooden dowels or popsicle sticks
3 (2.1 ounce) Butterfinger candy bars
14-ounce bag caramels, unwrapped
2 tablespoons half and half
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
Pinch of salt

1. Wash and dry apples. Twist off the stem and place a wooden dowel or popsicle stick into the apples. Lay out a piece of wax paper to set apples on.

2. Place candy bars in a gallon-sized bag and crush into small crumbs with the back of a spoon. Place crumbs on a large plate. Set aside.

3. Place caramels, half & half, corn syrup and salt together in a shallow bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments on high stirring at each stop. Repeat until well melted. Stir in vanilla extract.

4. Roll an apple in caramel spooning some over the top. Let the excess drip off and spoon off the bottom. Dip the bottom in the crushed candy. Scoop up some of the candy and pat crumbs onto the sides of apples. Place apple on wax paper.

5. Reheat caramel between each apple for 15 to 20 seconds. Stir and repeat with the rest of the apples. If desired, trim bases of apples with kitchen shears.

Yields 5 Apples. Prep time 20 minutes. Setting time 1 hour.

From Yum Food and Fun for Kids Magazine, October 2010 by Laura Flowers.

Dotty Popcorn Balls on a Stick

I shot this recipe so long ago I’d nearly forgotten about it. Now that I’ve remembered, I think I’ll take these orange tinted popcorn balls as goodies to my daughter’s school Halloween party.

The stick itself is more of a gimmick on these fall threats. Cute, but not necessary, and I’ll be leaving them off when I make these for the kids. Feel free to skip that part as well; because stick or no stick, these candy packed treats will be welcomed by popcorn ball lovers everywhere.



Dotty Popcorn Balls on a Stick
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Bright and fun this is a great recipe to get kids excited to help out in the kitchen.

¾ cup popcorn kernels
16-ounce bag mini marshmallows
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons water
¼ teaspoon salt
Wilton Orange Icing Color Paste
7.5 ounce box Dots Candy (Dots can be omitted for regular popcorn balls)
8 inch cookie treat sticks or dowels

1. With an air popper, pop popcorn kernels in two batches into a large bowl. Pick out and discard unpopped kernels. Add the Dot candies and set aside. Lay out a long sheet of wax paper.

2. Add the mini marshmallows, butter cubes, water and salt to a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30 second increments until melted stirring after each turn. Then stir in a small amount of orange color paste.

3. Pour the marshmallow mixture over the popcorn. Toss well to coat. Wet hands and scoop out mixture with two hands. Press the batter together well. Set on the wax paper. Repeat with the rest of the popcorn mixture wetting hands as needed.

4. Insert the sticks all the way through the popcorn balls. Press the popcorn around the sticks well. Place back on the wax paper to dry. Repeat with the rest of the popcorn balls.

5. Let sit for two hours to dry. Once the popcorn balls are solid wrap in sheets of wax paper and secure with rubber bands or ribbons.

Yield 11 popcorn balls. Prep time 20 minutes. Total time 2 hours 20 minutes.

Recipe and photograph for Yum Food and Fun for Kids magazine, October 2010 by Laura Flowers.

Apple Cider Citrus Punch

This recipe is really more juice-like than punch-like, but it’s light, refreshing and something the kids will enjoy maybe more than the adults. It would go well at a fall party for children. Or perhaps welcomed by the kid at heart.

When I think of this punch, I recall the kids I took photographs of all dressed up for Halloween in August. I can’t help but laugh and remember the looks on the faces of passersby who must have thought we were totally and completely insane.



Apple Cider Citrus Punch
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Simple and sweet, serve this punch warm or chill and enjoy cold.

8 cups apple cider or apple juice
3/4 cup cran raspberry concentrate, thawed
Peel of 1 orange

Warm the ingredients in a large saucepan over medium low heat. Serve immediately for warm drinks, or cool and then refrigerate for cold punch.

Yield 8 servings. Prep time 10 minutes.

From "Yum Food and Fun for Kids" Magazine, October 2010, by Laura Flowers.

Spooky Triple Cheddar Crackers

Is it really October already? Then I suppose it’s time for some Halloween treats. I wrote and shot this recipe for the October issue of Yum Food & Fun for Kids. Now that the magazine is out I can share these crackers with you.

I gave Kathia from Pink Little Cake first dibs on these cheesy snacks, so you may have already noticed them floating around. She was kind enough to have me as part of her fun filled month of Halloween guest bloggers. If not though, here’s the recipe.

Oh, I almost forgot! I wanted to share that I get to attend Foodbuzz's Festival thanks to Nature's Pride Bread. Thanks for crossing your fingers for me, it must have worked! I can't wait to see all my food blogging friends!

Nature's Pride thank-you thank-you thank-you!

Spooky Triple Cheddar Crackers
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Making crackers at home is like magic and these are the most magic of all as you watch them puff up into cute little Halloween shapes. Cut this recipe into any shape you prefer to enjoy homemade crackers year round.

1 1/3 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon onion powder
6 tablespoon unsalted butter, diced
8 ounce package shredded triple cheddar cheese, or cheddar of choice
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons water

1. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a food processor pulse together the flour, salt, paprika and onion powder. Add the butter and process until combined. Add the cheddar and pulse until finely chopped. Process in the egg yolk and water until the mixture forms a ball.

3. Remove the dough and knead in your hands for a few turns. Divide in half and roll one part between two pieces of wax paper to 3/8 inch thick. Peel off the wax paper and stamp dough with cookie stamps or cut with cookie cutters. Place the crackers on cookie sheets.

4. Freeze the crackers on the cookie sheets for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Move the cookie sheets to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Cool crackers on cooling racks. Store in an airtight container.

Yields 54 3/8 ounce cookies. Prep time 30 minutes. Baking time 20 minutes.

Recipe & photographs for Yum Kids October 2010 by Laura Flowers.

Shortcut Homemade Twinkie Copycats

I couldn’t face producing three batches of Twinkies from scratch for Jesse’s work this week. So I didn’t. Instead, I tweaked Todd Wilber’s pound cake mix version into something more Twinkie-like. What's neat about Todd's version is he made his copycats without a cream canoe pan by wrapping foil around spice jars to created molds. If I didn’t have the pan already, I’d have done things his way.

There were a couple problems with Todd’s recipe. I’m not sure if they’re because I used a nonstick pan instead of foil, but they needed a roll in simple syrup. Without it they weren’t really Twinkies, just pound cakes with filling and strange crusty outsides. I adjusted the cooking time as well, but that’s probably just a difference in baking methods. If you use the foil method they’ll take longer to bake.

If you’re not into shortcut baking, Leslie Bilderback made a fantastic, but complicated Twinkie recipe from scratch. It might be fun to tackle if you have the spare time, or are making just a single batch.

I think sometimes a shortcut is perfectly fine though. Especially for something fun like this. Overall, these little cakes are pretty darn Twinkie-like, not too difficult, and have that cool novelty of being baked at home. I'll be making these again.

Shortcut Homemade Twinkies
Simple Syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water

Boil together in a small pot with a lid. Once mixture comes to a boil remove the lid and cook for three more minutes to ensure the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside.

Cakes
Crisco for greasing
4 egg whites
1 16-oz box of golden pound cake mix
2/3 cup of water

Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a cream canoe pan with Crisco. (Butter doesn’t work as well here).

Beat the egg whites until stiff but not a solid mass. In a separate bowl combine the cake mix with water and beat until blended. Then, fold egg whites into the cake with a spatula then beat it with the hand mixer at the end until just combined.

Fill the molds half full of batter. Bake for around 22 to 23 minutes, or until the cakes are lightly golden brown around the edges (but light on top) and a toothpick comes out clean.

Run a toothpick around the cakes to loosen the sides. Dump the hot cakes onto parchment paper. Turn cakes upside down so the bottoms are now on top. Place some of the simple syrup into a wide shallow bowl and immediately roll the tops, sides, and ends of hot Twinkies in the syrup. Try not to get syrup on the bottoms. Fill with cream filling, below.

Repeat the process for second set of cakes. Be sure to grease the pan again.

Cream Filling
2 teaspoons very hot water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups marshmallow cream (or one 7 oz jar)
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 chopstick

To do the cream filling, first mix the salt into the bowl of hot water, and mix until the salt is dissolved. Let it cool.

Combine the marshmallow cream, shortening, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a bowl and mix, preferably with an electric mixer or stand mixer on high, until fluffy.

Now pour the salt-water solution in and mix.

When the cakes are mainly cool, poke a hole into the bottom in three places like a Twinkie with a narrow ended chopstick. Move the chopstick around inside to make some room for filling. Then stick a pastry bag into the holes and press gently to fill.

Storing “Twinkies”
Store in a wax paper lined covered container for a few hours before serving. Twinkies need time for their outsides to get soft. Twinkies also freeze quite well after filling.

Makes 16 Twinkie Copycats.

Adapted from Todd Wilber from Top Secret Recipes. Picture by Laura Flowers.

Creamiest Macaroni & Cheese Ever

I stood in my kitchen growling over yet another bad recipe. I don’t know why, but I have terrible macaroni & cheese karma. I’ve tried everything. I even went as far as making all of Alton Brown’s recipes from Good Eats. Well ok, I didn’t fry mine into blocks. That’s going a bit too far.

Anyway, I got lucky. Dishboy Scott was over helping me cook that Monday evening and he started babbling about how he always makes a medium white sauce first, and it’s fantastic, and blah blah blah blah blah. I stared at him incredulously. “What did you just say?”, I demanded. “Back up a bit. You mean to tell me you have a fabulous, easy macaroni and cheese recipe you make all the time, and you’ve let me suffer for years through all my bad attempts?!”

I tossed the recipe in my hand into the garbage and Scott quickly instructed me how to make the most simple, most wonderfully creamy, and by far the best macaroni and cheese I’ve ever had. This recipe is a keeper!

I love my foodie friends. Thanks Scott you are awesome!

Creamy Macaroni & Cheese
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Use flavorful, good quality cheese in this pasta. It makes all the difference.

1 pound good quality sharp cheddar or vintage white cheddar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 & 6 tablespoons unbleached flour, divided
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
Lots of freshly cracked pepper
1 pound macaroni, cappelletti, or other pasta of choice
Salted pasta water

1. Begin boiling the water and cooking the pasta according to package directions in heavily salted water. Meanwhile, grate the cheese and toss with 3 tablespoons flour. Set aside.

2. In a large pot melt the butter over medium to medium high heat. Stir in 6 tablespoons flour (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons to make it easy), and salt. Cook until golden stirring frequently. Very slowly pour in the milk stirring completely into the flour as you go so lumps don’t form. Add lots of freshly cracked pepper and stir the mixture constantly until thickened. Turn off the heat and add the cheese. Stir until melted.

3. When the pasta is done cooking, set aside about a cup of the salted pasta water. You'll need it for the sauce. Drain the pasta and add it to the cheese mixture. Stir gently to combine. Add pasta water as needed to make creamy.

Recipe by Dishboy Scott. Picture by Laura Flowers.

Ants on a Log & Selfish Thoughts

I spent the day peacefully alone in my kitchen from the time my family left this morning until dinner was placed on the table. I baked loaves of bread, a pan of rolls, and slowly made an old fashioned strawberry cream pie from a favorite book. I prepared an inexpensive, yet fantastic split pea and bacon soup, packed Clara’s lunch for tomorrow, and quickly threw together these peanut butter celery sticks for an after school snack.

When I’m by myself in the kitchen my mind wanders all over the place. Most of my thoughts involve food and society typically. Or more selfish things, like wondering if I’m throwing away a creative paying career while I work on my full time mom and wife skills.

Finally sick of thinking to myself (or perhaps about myself), I turned on the television for some company. Sandra Lee popped on, making rolls of sorts with store bought pizza dough. I didn’t even realize I could buy pizza dough like that! I’ve always made it at home.

Sandra Lee got me thinking. Is all I do really necessary? Would it be so wrong if I added stuff together from the store to make dinner? I do think Sandra has some neat ideas. After watching her for awhile I realized that for me, using a product for fun occasionally is fine, but it doesn’t help me reach my long term goals.

I want my daughter to deeply understand that bread, pizza, rolls, pies, and meals come from a family kitchen, not just from a store or restaurant. I want her to learn that baking and cooking from scratch is fun, easy and better for her in the long run. I want her to know what food is and what it is not, and to be able to appreciate something as simple as celery with peanut butter and a few raisins.

So I guess I’ll keep plugging away, although I seem to be going at a much slower pace than the rest of the world. My job here isn’t finished and I better get my backside in gear. Maybe I’ll still have time to work on that exciting career later on.

Ants on a Log
I’ll take a couple of these over scary looking dyed "yogurt" sticks any day!

Celery
Peanut Butter
Some raisins

Clean, dry and slice the celery into 3 or 4 inch pieces. Use a tip 1A and attach to a disposable pastry bag. Fill with some peanut butter and pipe onto the celery using a figure eight motion, first push back slightly, then forward a half inch, then back again a bit, and repeat until the pattern is completed on the celery. Repeat with remaining celery sticks and top with raisins.

Recipe by every parent who’s ever had a peanut butter loving child. Picture by Laura Flowers.

Homemade Chocolate Pudding

Robin H. your number was picked! You get a two-pound bag of Mocha Roca Mishaps. I feel like I should apologize. That’s a lot of Roca!

Dishboy Scott introduced this pudding to me. He’s been making it since he was a kid from his favorite dessert book, the 1960 “Better Homes & Gardens Dessert Cook Book”. Scott still likes to make this pudding and drizzle it hot over cold vanilla ice cream.

Sometimes we get lucky and he makes this for us. I had no idea hot pudding and ice cream could be so incredible together. But if you like your pudding cold be sure to chill it with a piece of plastic wrap directly on top so a skin doesn’t form.

This old dessert book is a gem in the Better Homes and Gardens collection. I finally found a copy of my own so I can pass these nearly lost recipes to my daughter.

I’m left wondering how advertising conned us into believing pudding came from a box. It must have taken awhile, because this is such an easy dessert. Growing up though, I thought pudding only came from a little box. I’m grateful I know better now.

Chocolate Pudding
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
3 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
2 ½ cups milk
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

In saucepan, mix sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually blend in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, till mixture thickens. Cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Add vanilla.

Pour into 5 or 6 sherbets; chill. Or pour into individual molds, rinsed with cold water; chill till firm. Unmold in chilled dessert dishes. Serve with cream.

*Or add two 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate, cut up, along with milk.

Notes: Directions are from the book, but you can serve this warm as a sauce over vanilla ice cream or you can place it in a bowl and cover and chill with plastic wrap directly touching the pudding so a skin doesn’t form.

Recipe from “Better Homes & Gardens Dessert Cook Book”, 1960. Picture by Laura Flowers.

Bugs Bunny’s Pasta or Roasted Carrot & Garlic Cream Bowties with Peas

Oh roasted carrots I’ve been missing you my whole life! I had no idea roasting you would create such buttery rich squashy flavor and take garlic to a whole new level of heaven.

Why didn’t anyone tell me sooner? Reeni from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice I owe you big time for this recipe. It’s a staple in my house already and I’ve made it three times since you posted it.

Reeni thought she would add pancetta or bacon next time, and I decided to go the vegetarian route and add peas. I think nearly anything you choose to add to this pasta will be fantastic!

Bugs Bunny Pasta
Print Recipe
1 pound of Carrots, sliced in 1-inch rounds
5 cloves of garlic, whole, peeled
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
Sea or Kosher salt and fresh pepper
1 teaspoon Thyme
2/3 cup Heavy Cream
1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated, plus more for serving
1 pound of Pasta
1 and 1/2 cups Reserved Pasta Water

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl toss carrot rounds and garlic with the Olive oil, using your hand to thoroughly coat the carrots and garlic with oil. Season well with salt, pepper, and thyme.

2. Bake in a 9x13 inch baking pan about 45-50 minutes until carrots are tender. Take the pan out and toss halfway through the cooking time.

3. When carrots are tender, remove from oven. Cook the pasta in a generous amount of salted water to al dente according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking
make the carrot cream.

4. In a blender or food processor puree the carrots and garlic together with the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese until smooth. When the pasta is done cooking reserve a cup and a half of the pasta water.

5. Drain pasta and add to a large mixing bowl. Toss with carrot cream, (add 1 ½ cups frozen petite peas here if using) adding pasta water a little at a time until you get a nice consistency and the pasta is evenly coated.

6. Serve with Parmesan Cheese and crusty bread/garlic bread.

Notes: Recently I've been roasting two heads of garlic for this pasta with great results. I guess if this recipe could possibly get any better, garlic would do it.

Recipe by Reeni @ Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice. Picture by Laura Flowers.

Homemade Chili Mac

Why buy the MSG loaded boxed garbage when it’s nearly as simple to make your own healthy version? It always scares me a bit when I read the back of ready to assemble meal boxes. I spend hours in my grocery store scanning ingredient lists giggling and freaking myself out for fun. Do it sometime and watch the funny looks people give you!

I can’t even pronounce some of the ingredients, if you can call them that. I don’t know where they’re from, what they really are, and if they should even be considered food.

Seriously though, make your own versions of those boxed meals whenever possible. They’ll taste better and you won’t have to tell your family you fed them sodium hexametaphosphate, calcium lactate, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, and monosodium glutamate for dinner.

Crazy chemical-laden cheap food products might cost less, but in exchange we pay with our health. No thanks. I’ll cut costs somewhere else.

Homemade Chili Mac
Printer Version
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ¼ pounds ground beef (organic if possible)
Salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder for seasoning beef
1 onion, diced
1 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with roasted garlic
1 (4.5 ounce) can chopped mild green chiles
8 ounces (2 cups) elbow macaroni
2 cups water
2 to 4 Tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro to taste
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
½ cup Tillamook Vintage White cheddar or other favorite cheddar
Freshly ground pepper
Sour cream & parsley for garnish (optional)

1. Heat oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat and add ground beef and diced onion. Season with a dash of salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Once the meat is no longer pink, strain off the grease in a colander and place the meat mixture back in the pan.

2. Add chili powder, cumin, onion powder, coriander, 1 teaspoon salt, minced garlic and brown sugar and cook over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.

3. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with roasted garlic, can of green chiles, elbow macaroni, and 2 cups water. Stir to combine, cover and keep at a high simmer for about 14 minutes or until juices are absorbed and macaroni is tender.

4. Stir in pepper jack, vintage cheddar, and cilantro and season with freshly ground pepper. Taste for salt and add if needed. Garnish with sour cream and parsley if desired.

Recipe and photograph by Laura Flowers.

Green Chile Cheeseburger French Fry Casserole

Ooo I’m feeling a little ashamed of myself here. I know I shouldn’t have, but I really enjoyed (inhaled) this super unhealthy amazing tasting spicy casserole. Why do such unhealthy foods have to taste so darn good?

It’s so simple too. I just don’t want to know the calorie count. If you find out, please don’t tell me!

Ingredients
1 ½ pounds extra lean ground beef
½ an onion, diced
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 (7 ounce) can diced mild green chiles
1 (15 ounce) can Garacias Nacho Cheese Mexican Cheese Sauce, medium or mild (I used medium)
1 heaping cup shredded chipotle cheddar cheese, or cheddar cheese of your choice
1 pound Ore-Ida Extra Crispy Fast Food Fries
A sprinkle of salt for fries

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Get out a 9x13 inch Pyrex pan and a large skillet.

2. Cook the ground beef, onions, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and fresh ground pepper together over medium high heat until no longer pink, Strain off the fat and place the meat mixture back in the pan.

3. Add the chiles and nacho cheese sauce to the pan and stir into the meat. Cook for about four minutes on medium low until combined and warmed through.

4. Pour the meat mixture into the 9x13 inch pan. Spread out and top with shredded cheddar. Top with frozen fries and sprinkle lightly with salt.

5. Bake for 30 minutes.

Recipe by Laura Flowers

Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes

Annoyingly, I’ve been battling lactose intolerance this past month. When this happens I tend to head to my food bible, The Joy of Cooking. I don’t have to worry about the recipes not working, because I know they all do. Then, when I need to adapt a recipe I know my changes are the only part that might fail. This time though I was quite surprised. These simple blueberry pancakes were better without the dairy. They were light and fluffy, and even reheated well!

I tend to be very heavy handed with dairy products. It’s not a meal unless it’s loaded with cheese, milk, and/or butter. I think for the long haul I should probably cook with more alternative milks like almond or coconut. It’s probably better for me than just living off of one food group anyway.

I still worship cheese.

Wisk together in a large bowl:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 ¾ Tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
A dash of fresh grated nutmeg

Combine in another bowl:
1 ½ cups unsweetened Almond Breeze (almond milk) or milk
3 Tablespoons vegan butter or butter, melted
2 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Other ingredients:
Light colored olive oil
About 1 ½ cups frozen wild blueberries

1. Mix the liquid ingredients together quickly into the dry ingredients being careful not to over mix. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile preheat a griddle to 360 degrees, or wait and cook in a nonstick skillet over just slightly more than medium heat.

3. Brush the griddle or skillet lightly with oil in the spots where pancake batter will be. Pour ¼ cup of batter on top of the oil. When the pancakes start to bubble up sprinkle the tops with a small handful of berries each. Flip the pancakes over when the bottom looks done. Continue to cook until browned and the batter is cooked through.

4. Serve with warm maple syrup.

Notes: Almond Breeze is usually found by the shelf stable soy milk.

Recipe adapted from "The Joy of Cooking". Picture by Laura Flowers.

Strawberry Dutch Baby with Fresh Strawberry Rum Syrup

The strawberries are finally ripe here! So Monday afternoon a friend and I made the two hour drive to Knapp’s Farm, where the strawberry plants were so loaded with fruit they drooped to the ground. In no time we had picked 30 pounds of plump, juicy berries.

So what does one do with that many strawberries besides make jam? I have no idea, but I’m having fun finding out! It seemed like Dutch Babies and Strawberry Rum Syrup would be a great way to start.

Strawberry Dutch Baby
2 eggs, at room temperature
½ cup milk
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Powdered sugar
1 cup sliced strawberries
Strawberry Rum Syrup (Recipe below, make syrup before starting Dutch Baby)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Beat together the eggs, milk & salt. Then beat the flour into the mixture until smooth.
3. In a 9 to 10 inch skillet melt the butter over medium heat on the stovetop. Pour in the mixture and cook for exactly 1 minute.
4. Place the skillet in the oven and immediately turn the oven down to 350 degrees.
5. Bake until puffed over the edges and nicely browned; about 15 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and top with strawberries, powdered sugar, & strawberry syrup. Slide onto a plate, cut in half, and move half to another plate. Serve immediately.

Serves 2

Fresh Strawberry Rum Syrup

This stuff is so good I drizzled it over my cereal this morning. It would be great with ice-cream too.

½ cup water
½ cup granulated sugar
2 cups strawberries
Zest of 1 lemon
2 Tablespoons white or dark rum
Small pinch of salt

1. Clean, hull, and puree strawberries in a food processor. Set aside.
2. In a medium sized sauce pan over medium high heat boil the water and sugar until clear.
3. Add the pureed strawberries, lemon zest, rum & salt. Bring to a boil and then lower the temperature until the mixture is at a high simmer. Cook for 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Syrup will thicken more as it cools.
4. Cool slightly and serve warm over pancakes. Cover leftover syrup and store in the refrigerator.

Makes about 1 ½ cups

Notes: Knapp’s Farm is located in the Green Bluff Growers Community just north of Spokane, Washington. The web site can be found at http://www.greenbluffgrowers.com/.

Recipes by Laura Flowers