Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Changes in How We Search for and Keep Recipes!

My sister Clare has started a blog on cooking called "Nana Clare's Kitchen".  http://www.nanaclareskitchen.com/  She has been married for many years.  They actually cook a healthy rounded dinner each night.  I'd hate to admit what I often do for dinner! I thought about the many online places to find recipes.  I love Martha Stewart's web site,  Great Food and many others.  I like getting emails full of skillet meals,  quick meals,  easy Mexican meals,  etc.

However that doesn't meet all my needs for recipes or 'how to' advice.  So I thought about what do I actually look for in a recipe or want to learn?  I have two ice cream makers I have never used!!  Now years ago I used one like  big one with rock salt but it makes a large amount of ice cream and I seldom entertain. It's kind of a big production to make.  So I bought the little one.  I must be intimidated to learn how to use it. I think it would be fun to make a small amount of ice cream or sherbet sometimes with it.

I have a spring form pan for cheesecake I got at a garage sale.  It's never been used. Part of the problem is I don't want an entire cheesecake sitting in front of just me.  I consider large desserts something I would make to bring for a potluck only. It's the same thing with the fancy food processor attachment I bought with my professional size Kitchen Maid mixer.  I bought it after my own children were grown.  All those years I used a hand mixer or a wooden spoon.  Anyhow Clare,  can anyone walk me through how to use that food processor?  I am sure it does a lot.  I spent $150 on it about 8 years ago.  When is it worthwhile to use as opposed to using the chopping board?

My oldest daughter grows some veggies in her back yard.  I am amazed that they have grown huge, and beautiful pumpkins.  Why am I amazed?   I gardened for years and always heard that our growing season was too short in Minnesota to grow a regular size pumpkin.  They also grew zucchini.  I am jealous.  I don't have a garden area in my yard and the last few times I tried to grow it  years ago I got squash borer and it ruined each plant.  They also showed off very large abundant cucumber plants that even grew up the neighbors tree.  They wanted a simple pickle recipe for them.   Our sister Katie has one I hear but I haven't gotten it yet. I found some but they weren't the super simple type.

So Clare,  how about some how to videos on making ice cream,  cheesecake,  and using food processors?  I'm a person who gets more confidance to try something SEEING something done.
Oh I almost forgot.   I have to know how my brother in law Ken makes the soft caramels.  I can't leave those alone when they bring them for Christmas!

Oh yes,  I bought ,  ummm,  maybe 6 to 8 slow cooker books?  I liked the idea of shopping for the recipe,  throwing it all in the pot and 8 hours later having a wonderful dinner.  I try to weed  out the "weird" recipes.   I don't want exotic expensive ingredients. I don't want to use mixes, I want to make it from scratch.  I start going through the cookbooks.  Ok, not quite so easy. They want you to brown off the meat.  I can handle that.  Then what?  Oh,  change the temp up, now down.  Now what?  Add the veggies the last two hours.  And that isn't all!  Now the problem I have with this is,  isn't this supposed to be for the person who is leaving for work for the whole day?  If I was home,  couldn't I just throw things in the oven or on the stove top?

The blueberry recipe for chicken or pork chops is great!  It does not taste weird.

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