Ugly Cake

How was Christmas for everyone?  I hope it was very special for you all.  Around here we all had a stomach virus! 

The cooking was down to a minimum because the smell of food made most of my family even sicker.  This is the reason I didn't blog about all the yummy Christmas goodies, because there were none around here.  I had to put off red velvet cake until Valentines day. That's fine because it will get to be the star of the season and not just another dessert lost in the massive amounts of sweets made at the holiday season. But red velvet cake or cupcakes or cake pops or whatever I decide to make during Cupid's visit, is not what I am here to tell you about.  I want to confess something very personal and painful for me- I can make a cake taste good, that is not my issue, making them beautiful is! Yes I make ugly cakes and other foods too really!

We eat with our eyes first.  Well in this house everyone has learned to dig right in because it probably doesn't look very good but it typically taste great.  That is my saving grace, they get it in their mouths and they love it but no one ever oohs and ahhhs over my plating.  I am sure there are others who have my sad problem, right? Please say there is!  

Moving on, I baked a cake the other day.  No big deal, I used a box cake mix and some icing from Duncan Hines for the middle layer.  I used caramel Bailey's instead of water when combining the cake mix and eggs.  It smelled SO good!!  I knew I was off to a good start!  The cake baked perfectly and popped out of their pans beautifully and I got excited about the possibility of a pretty cake--finally!  I put the first layer on the glass cake stand and proceeded to put all of the can of caramel icing in the middle and plopped the other layer on top of the icing.  The cream cheese and mascapone had been coming to room temperature on the counter all morning.  I then began to make cream cheese icing.  Now I have made this many times and have never really felt the need to measure too much because it just seems to come together.  Well, I added caramel Baileys to the cream cheese and mascapone and powdered sugar mixture.  It was a little too wet meaning it would run down the sides of the cake.  So, I added a little more powdered sugar and so on.  When I finally got close to the consistences I wanted I found that I had made too much!!  I mean I could have iced 2 maybe 3 more cakes!  I know, what a ditz I am,  but it did taste good. 

I spread the frosting on the cake and as true to my usually form I got crumbs in the icing and made the plate messy and it still found a way to run somewhat.  But my husband loved it so I guess it could be

considered a success.  The moral of this story is-" ugly cakes taste good too!"

Thanksgiving

   How was every one's Thanksgiving?  Mine was good.  I am still tired from all the cooking.  Did you guys cook too?  I love doing it but midway through Thanksgiving morning I got a little overwhelmed.   The idea of cooking the entire meal is so exciting to me but I do not delegate very well.  My kids and mom were around to help but I somehow become a martyr in the kitchen.  My back was aching and I was so tired from baking pies really late the night before, but I felt like I had to do it all, why?!   Why did I have to take it all on.(whining to myself)   I think I am superwoman I guess.  Maybe I wanted to show my mom I can do it alone, make her proud of me.  Or maybe I am just selfish and I want all the praise for the meal.   No, I really don't mind sharing the spotlight in the kitchen.  I just really like doing all of it by myself and allowing everyone to kick back and relax.  Its a holiday after all and I like spoiling my family.  My mom has done enough of the cooking when I was younger, and I didn't have to lift a finger so, now its her turn to just show up and eat. 

Parker House Rolls mid-bake!!

Green Bean Casserole

Pecan Pie

 After the meal of yummy turkey and cornbread/sausage dressing with sweet potato casserole and green bean casserole with my homemade Parker house rolls and homemade (for the first time ever) cranberry sauce, I passed out for a good couple of hours.  That's Thanksgiving for ya, yeah it was wonderful.  I hope yours was too!

  Now, what are you cooking for Christmas? Hanakkah?  Are you ready?  Me either.  But, we will get through it I promise!  Happy Holidays!

Chicken Piccata

I know, I know everyone makes chicken piccata, but this girl had not made it in years.  Literally about 3 years.  I don't know why I hadn't made chicken piccata in 3 years or so.  I don't have anything against it, believe me, not one thing!!!   I had forgotten how easy, fast and delicious it is.  So in case you have forgotten too or maybe you have never made it,  I want you to have this recipe to cook with ease and serve up with grace and finesse and impress someone soon with it.   Ok, ok,  I don't do much with grace and finesse. I have to concentrate really hard walking in heels and I loose focus when given gum (in heels or not).  But, just trust me, if you need something new in your cooking lineup this is a great go-to recipe.  And I can chew gum and cook it at the same time, I am still working on cooking in the heels.

I enjoy using chicken tenders instead of breasts because I always have an enormous pack of chicken tenders in my freezer, you know the BIG ones from Sam's.  My children love chicken so I buy a lot of it.  The tenders are easy to prepare and they cook so fast.  This is a great meal for when you don't have much time.  I put a few tenders at a time in a large bowl that is about half way filled with flour, salt, pepper, garlic and Italian seasonings and mixed well.   While the olive oil is heating in your saute pan (I use a large pan or I would be here all day because I have 3 kids ,two of which are growing boys and I have to cook a lot of chicken to fill them up!) you can dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and I pile them up on a plate and let them wait in line to be cooked. I don't worry with whether they are cooked all the way through or not the first go around for the tenders because they will go back in the pan with the sauce while it thickens and finish cooking then. YUM!
  

While each batch of tenders cooks you can get the other ingredients ready.  Have your capers ready with a couple of lemons and chicken broth, they will all join the party shortly.  When all the tenders have had a go at browning up,and the pan is now empty, squeeze fresh lemon juice into the pan.  The pan will sizzle and steam a little but that is good!  You see, while it is sizzles it gets up all the brown bits stuck on the bottom of the pan from the chicken breading.  The brown bits on the pan are flavorful when picked up by the lemon juice and chicken broth and mixed in to what becomes a thick and tasty sauce with a gravy consistency.  Put the butter in with the capers (I don't drain mine) into the sauce stir it together a little and put all of the chicken back in the pan and cover and simmer for just a little while , it should take about 10 to 15 minutes.   Cooking tenders instead of breasts cuts this cooking time down quite a bit.   The sauce gets thick and I toss chives into it (instead of parsley, but whatever you like or have on hand).  I had rolls and crusty bread along side the chicken and that was it.  My whole family loved it!  You must try it! 

It tastes so good!  Plus, when someone asks what are you cooking for supper you sound a little "shnay shnay", you know, fancy when you say-- and say it confidently,   chicken piccata!!!  Ok, I know people are not that confrontational about what you are cooking, I got a little carried away with that.  Anyway ,just have fun and get in your kitchen and cook up something delicious tonight. ENJOY!



Chicken Piccata

15 chicken tenders
3 cups of flour
1 tbl of sea salt
2 tbl of black pepper
3 tbl of garlic with Italian seasonings (I used the powder that has Italian seasonings in it)
cover the bottom of pan with extra virgin olive oil

3 tbl of butter (for this I used Smart Balance)(it tastes good and I was saving my unsalted butter for baking at this time)
2 lemons
1/4 cup of capers ( I don't rinse them but some do)
2 tbl of chives

Serve with rice or bread or with whatever you like.  It is that easy!

I'm back!!!!

  It has been over a year since I have sat down and blogged.  I guess the new location meant new routines and writing on my blog got pushed to the bottom of the list. You see, we moved into our new house about a year ago and we were so grateful for our home.  Everything was new and the house we had rented was old. Very old ,as in some parts of it was thought to be from the civil war time.  Now don't get me wrong some old homes are gorgeous and well taken care of and not haunted. Yes that is what I said...haunted.  Now, before you stop reading this and write me off as a crazy person, listen to our tale. 

 We moved in our new house mid September of last year.  Being Halloween time, we began to watch this show called Ghost Adventures.  While watching an episode, they spoke about hearing a growl. They went on to explain, the growl meant the presence of demonic spirits.  All of a sudden, my children started unburdening themselves with scary stories of what had happened to them in that old house we had lived in.

   I was completely shocked.  They had not told us all that had happened.  Needless to say I was scared for my children but also very curious.  We started researching paranormal occurrences and the history of that house.  The house was one of the first houses on that road many years ago.  The exact time of the house being built is a mystery because back in the 30s or 40s the records burned at city hall in that county.   The people that live in the little town don't talk about all of the hauntings in that area. We have a friend that has lived there his entire life and he told us a family was slaughtered in that house.  I don't know how they died but the family dynamic was the same as ours-Dad, Mom, Daughter, Son and Son.  The story that has always been told there is  they were killed by a drifter who came in on the train when it still ran through the town.

   It became an obsession to my whole family  to find out what haunted that old house.  We went every time the moon was full.  The door would always be locked but it would open for us--every time!!!  We took only cell phones to record with, no EVPs or special equipment, but it worked!  I asked once "who is here with us" and I got 2 different voices one said "me"  the other said "Walter".  Walter spoke a lot that particular night.

  I know this sounds nuts ,   but it happened to us and I feel like this was an experience I will treasure.  I know nuts, right?  But after several trips up there and asking many questions and taking lots of pictures I feel as if Walter and what we feel is his wife (we lovingly call Rosie for her rose perfume) protected us against the evil spirits that also reside there.

   My son, Brock, got scratches around his neck where he was wearing a blessed cross necklace, not once but 3 times.  His necklace was taken off twice but the last time we dipped it in holy water and the scratchs stopped at where the necklace laid around his neck.

  Alexandra, my daughter, would ask Rosie "are you here" and she felt her shirt get tugged just like she had felt so many times before.  She said she could feel someone tucking the covers in around her most nights and it was comforting.  The night Brock woke up to a growl in his room, it felt much different then, they explained to us.  My youngest had strange bites all over him.  I thought mosquitoes but he had them even when snow was on the ground.  I checked for bed bugs, nothing.  Then I read about something people who study paranormal activities call 'ghost bites'.  Now I didnt know how I felt about this, it sounded really crazy except, the minute we moved he had no more bites and his skin finally healed.

  This is just some of what happened to us there, but I have to say I wouldn't change a thing about our experience there.  We ghost hunted as a family.  My husband was always there with us (probably the most excited  of all of us).  We became closer than ever sharing this time together chasing spirits.  I like to think the good spirits there, Walter and "Rosie", are pleased that our family has benefitted from knowing them.  Well, kinda knowing them.

  Walter and Rosie never hurt us.   My guess is they are the husband and wife killed there  I don't know for sure and I can't prove it.  But, I know they were good and that there is something bad roaming in that house.  From now on, I will leave the ghost hunting to the pros.

  I am going back to blogging about food and drinks that I love!  So, let's eat y'all!!!

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

After making all of those chicken tenders, and I do make a lot of them.  You may find that you have leftovers, which I think is great!  If they make it through the next day in your fridge without anyone finding them and scarfing them down without a second thought, you can make pizza with them!  Well, your idea might be different, but homemade pizza dough with Buffalo chicken wing sauce and some veggies, pineapple and cheese with the leftover chicken tenders sliced up on top is just so good!

First make the dough.  No its not hard!   Take your measuring cup and fill to the 1 cup line with warm water.  Toss in a teaspoon of yeast.  Add a tablespoon of sugar and let stand for 5 minutes or so until foamy with a head like a beer.  In a mixing bowl  add 3 3/4 cups of self rising flour.  I know that sounds like over kill with yeast and self rising flour but, it is great with crunchy dough bubbles when it is done.  Take a fork or a whisk and loosen the flour and make a well in the middle of the flour.  Once the yeast is foamy add it into the well in the flour bowl.  Add extra virgin olive oil in the dough mixture and start incorporating with your hands.  I knead it just a little and it becomes a beautiful glistening ball of yum!

Make sure the inside of the  bowl is covered with oil so as it rises the dough will not stick as much to the sides of the bowl.  Now cover with a warm wet kitchen towel and set it in a warm place like near the oven.  Let it rise for an hour, although I tend to be impatient and 30 minutes is about all I can wait but the longer you let it rise, the lighter and fluffier it will be.  This makes 2 normal large thin crust pizzas.

After, kneading and rolling out the 2 pizza crusts place on the pizza pan ( I like using the bottom of the pan) sprinkle with sea salt on top of the naked pizza dough.  Shmear buffalo wing sauce( I like Moore's) on the dough sprinkle that with Italian seasonings.  1 bell pepper, 1 red onion, and 4 big slices of fresh pineapple should be chopped into same size pieces and scattered all over both pizzas.  Cut chicken tenders into slices and scattered across the pizzas too.  Now the finishing touch is all the cheeses: pecerino Romano, asiago, and of course, mozzarella!  Use as much as you prefer, I prefer my pizza ooie-gooie with lots of cheese!!  Cook at 450 for 12 to 15 minutes!  It is so good!  I also like to take an extra piece of pineapple slice and squeeze the juice from it all over both pizzas!  Enjoy!!

Can't Believe I Made Those Chicken Tenders!

I started seriously cooking about 5 years ago.  I could make a  few dishes but, not many and did not understand much about seasoning, cooking times, what paired well with what, you know, the really fun things about cooking.  Well, I discovered that all of that was fun but still intimidating. 

Most all kids and husbands love chicken fingers, or tenders as they are called around my house because, my children seem to think the word fingers is too cannibalistic for them.  One of the dishes I wanted to master for my kids was chicken tenders.  The seasoning alone can be daunting.  Different recipes satisfy different taste buds.  After studying several recipes and trying just as many I decided to go simple and build from there. 

Now, if you are reading this and you don't cook much and you think you can't cook good chicken tenders with just enough spice and very juicy, well you are me a few years back.  If I can do this, ANYONE can do this!!  So, take a deep breath and keep reading! Ok?


First, take raw chicken tenders that you buy from your meat department at the grocery store, and put them in a large bowl and fill until covered with milk, to which I add a half a cup of vinegar (just regular white vinegar to make homemade buttermilk).  Let the tenders soak in their buttermilk bath for about an hour in the fridge!  This is a step that can NOT be skipped.  You can't believe the flavor it adds to the meat and aides in moistness!  None of that dry chicken will do!

In the meantime,  set up your work station. Yes, this is work but it is worth it!  Take 3 dishes, like casserole dishes, deep and long so the tender can lay down flat.  The first dish fill halfway with flour ( I used self rising this time around because I read it makes the breading fluffier).  The next dish I put in eggs ( it took 4 eggs for mine because I had a lot of tenders) and whisk them.  Finally, in the 3rd bowl add italian breadcrumbs.  No extra spices or even salt and pepper needs to be added, something I was surprised at how the salt and pepper was never missed. 

Now, get your saute pan or cast iron skillet prepared by heating it to medium heat with peanut oil.  Yes, peanut oil is something else that adds flavor but  it doesn't burn easily, which is important since this will take some time cooking all of the tenders in batches.  This is where it gets a little tricky, giving a recipe to you that is according to my cook top. Since cooking times can vary so greatly from gas to electric and from stove to stove, my advice for this is don't walk away for long while the chicken is cooking.  Watch for the breading to turn that beautiful brown color. It doesn't take long and remember when you remove a tender from the pan and lay it on your paper towel to drain, it will continue to cook while it is still hot. (Rule of thumb for perfectly cooked chicken, the juices should run clear).

As I said earlier, this is a labor of love.  It takes a while if you have to make as many as I do. I also make homemade honey mustard to dip the chicken in and the homemade way is so much better than store bought.

This is all it takes. 5 ingredients!  And it is so good my picky eater loves it and he only liked ketchup until he met honey mustard made at home.  Now, I am sure you have noticed there is no honey in this picture.  Technically I should probably name this agave mustard, but you get the idea, and understand my honey was hard as a brick, so I opted for agave nectar and it still tastes like honey!!! 
I needed to make quite a bit as I mentioned earlier so my measurements are not strict but they make a lot but you can store it in the fridge for a couple of weeks (mine never lasts that long, so it may last longer).

Honey Mustard


2 cups of regular mayo (like Hellman's)
1.5 cups of yellow mustard
3/4 cup of Dijon mustard
.5 cup of Agave Nectar
squeeze in half of a large lemon

just mix together and enjoy!  I actually caught my boys eating this with a spoon, like pudding! My family likes the spice of the horseradish from the Dijon joined with the sweetness of the agave or if your honey is not a solid block like mine was that night feel free to use honey.  The best part is you can adjust according to your tastes which is the best part of learning to cook at home.  You are the master of your flavors and that is really fun and worth the effort!

Breakfast for Supper

I love breakfast foods.  My entire family loves breakfast foods, just not at breakfast time.  We get up and slimy eggs are not the first thing we want to encounter.  But give us a few hours and those eggs that seem so slimy become beautiful orbs of sunny flavor.  When accompanied by fried potatoes, bacon and homemade biscuits, well, that is a big chow down time at the Berryman household.

If you have ever fried potatoes, you know the divine aroma that fills the air and draws the family, especially the boys, into the kitchen.  They come running and when they discover the bacon in the oven, well, there is no getting rid of them until you feed them. 


I love to bake my bacon in the oven on a baking pan covered with our cookie cooling rack on top.  The grease drips away and the meat becomes so crispy.  The bacon is then wonderful for crumbling over
 a baked potato or a salad or whatever you like bacon on.  In this case, I crumble the bacon over the finished potato and egg mixture.  But I leave a few pieces whole to go along side the meal.  That is, if I can keep my sons out of it.  That usually becomes the big challenge.


Last night, I thought I had more eggs than I actually had.  So before going into panic mode, I found that I had some bread that needed to be used quickly so, I cut the bread into small squares and fried them in the olive oil before I started the potatoes.  Yes, croutons!  I hear you,  they are mostly for salads but they made a nice crunch and filler in the egg/potato mixture. Really!  It was very good and it was more than enough for my crew.

See, doesn't that look yummy!  Well, it was!  The biscuits were made from Bisquick and buttermilk then sprinkled with cheddar cheese.  As you can see in this photo, the cheese makes a delicate lace around the biscuit and adds a little fancy detail to a very non-fancy meal.  I usually mix flour, baking powder and cut butter into my biscuits but, I decided to take a quicker route last night and it turned out delicious!

Making breakfast for dinner is such a fun meal with endless possibilities.  My kids have put in an order for pancakes.  So breakfast night will be back on the menu again soon here at our home!  Try it!