Impeccable day

Yesterday after I kissed my daughter, I said to her, "Have a wonderful day." Then I kissed my son good bye and I didn't want to be repetitive so I said, "Have a great day." He looked at me disappointed and asked, "I can't have a wonderful day?" 

Don't worry because I replied that I hope he has an impeccable day. When I kissed them good bye today, I told them both to have a wonderful day. They both replied impeccable day. I just wonder what type of day they will have tomorrow.

I hope you will have a wonderful, great, and impeccable day. If you make this dish, at least your supper will be great. I even had leftovers to freeze for another day. I figure if I make more of the recipes in The Pioneer Woman Cooks Cookbook then I can justify why I should buy her new cookbook. I served the chicken spaghetti with this bread which my husband request often. I just formed rolls instead and they came out wonderful.

Chicken Spaghetti
1 chicken, cup into pieces
1 lb spaghetti
1 4 oz. pimiento jar, diced and drained
1 small onion, finely diced
1/2 cup green bell pepper, finely diced
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 tsp Lawry's season salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Add the chicken to a stock pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the chicken until it is cooked about 25 minutes.
3. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside to cool.
4. From the pot, remove 2 cups of broth and set aside.
5. Bring the remaining liquid in the pot to a boil and add the spaghetti. Cook until al dente.
6. Drain the spaghetti and discard the liquid from the pot.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
8. Add the cream of mushroom soup, and about 1 1/2 cups of cheddar to the spaghetti. Toss lightly. Set aside.
9. Remove the chicken from the bones and cut up.
10. Add the chicken to the spaghetti with the season salt, black pepper, and the cayenne pepper.
11. Add the 2 cups of reserved broth to the spaghetti and toss.
12. Stir the mixture together well. Add more seasonings if desired.
13. Pour the mixture into a large baking pan and top with the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. 
14. Bake the chicken spaghetti for 35 to 45 minutes until bubbly.

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook. 

Did you already know...
-In 1938, Lawry's season salt was created in Beverly Hills, CA.
- The Lawry's Prime Rib Restaurant created it to season its Prime Rib.
-It contains no MSG.

deliquify

Since my husband loves ice cream, I showed him how easy it was to make his own. I asked him what type he would like and it was peanut butter. It turned out great. My youngest daughter did not finish her bowl and left it on the kitchen counter. The ice cream did not liquify as expected ice cream to do. My oldest daughter said it was not ice cream. I told her it was so she challenged me and told me to look up the definition of ice cream. In which, I did and told her this recipe does meet the definition of ice cream just because it didn't deliquify. She informed me that deliquify was not a word. Don't you just love teenagers? 

 I am no English major and deliquify is not in the dictionary. I checked several. I told her that it should be and my definition would be when a solid does not turn into a liquid as expected. She said it would mean a liquid was removed. I am really glad I see my tax dollars are paying for her to receive a decent education. So, I guess the correct nonexistent word I should have used was aliquify. The prefix a-means completely so aliquify should mean to make it completely liquid, right? Note: I am not asking my soon to be college student these questions any more.

My daughter and I did continue our discussion of deliquify. I told her that if a popular artist sang a song with deliquify in it then it would be in the dictionary. For an example, "You deliquify my heart, baby!" Right? She agreed with that statement. We did both come to the agreement that it would be a cool name for a band. "See Deliquify in concert, tonight!"

Peanut Butter Ice Cream
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cups peanut butter
1 cup of peanut butter cups

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup of heavy cream, the sugar, and salt. 
2. Stir the mixture over medium heat until all the sugar has dissolved.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and add the remaining heavy cream, milk, and vanilla. Stir well.
4. Add the peanut butter.
5. Stir the mixture over medium low heat until all of the peanut butter has melted.
6. Allow the mixture to cool for about 10 minutes before chilling the mixture in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
7. When the mixture has thoroughly chilled, add the mixture to the ice cream maker and mix according to the ice cream machine manufacturer's instructions.
8. When recommended, add the peanut butter cups to the ice cream machine. 

Recipe adapted from The Perfect Scoop cookbook. 

Did you already know....
-When a solid becomes a liquid, it has melted or dissolved. 
-The melting point to change a solid into a liquid varies depending on the solid.
-The melting point of water is 32 degrees F.
-The melting point of peanut butter is a lot higher than water. (The only answer I found was around 150 degrees F but it seemed too high.)

Patty Melt

Sometimes on the weekend, my husband brings us out for breakfast. It is really nice. Our first date, we went to breakfast. Sometimes, we do not arrive to the restaurant until it is the borderline between the breakfast and lunch menu. Please remember we call our son Mr. Brevity for a reason.

One of the restaurants we visit have patty melts on their lunch menu. So when I asked my husband what I should make for supper, he said patty melts. I was surprised and I knew our teenager would be happy. I didn't know what constituted a patty melt. What I found out is that a patty melt is made on rye bread. It has taken me 10 years to convince my husband to eat whole wheat bread. My husband will eat whole white bread. I knew I could never get him to eat rye bread even 20 years from now.

The other thing about patty melts is the presence of caramelized onions. I hadn't realized the steps involved to make a patty melt. I actually thought it was just a hamburger on toasted bread. How wrong was I? I will admit I used a whole white bread with cheddar cheese. My husband asked for American cheese. I will say this meal was very dangerous and I will not make it often. It tasted too good. I served it with a spinach salad.

Patty Melt
8 slices of bread (rye is the preference)
4 oz. of butter, softened
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 lbs hamburger
4 slices of cheese (swiss is the traditional selection)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Butter one side of the bread.
3. Place the bread with the butter side up on a baking pan.
4. Bake the bread for about 8 minutes or until the bread is toasted to the desired darkness. 
5. Remove from oven and set aside to cool for a few minutes.
6. In a small skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.
7. Add the onions and saute the onions until caramelized.
8. Form the hamburger into patties.
9. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the hamburgers for about 5 minutes per a side or until internal temperature reaches around 160 degrees.
10. Once the toast has cooked, flip the bread over and add the desired cheese on top.
11. Place the baking pan back into the oven and cook until the cheese has melted.
12. Remove from the oven and assemble.
13. Place the caramelized onions on top of the cheese.
14. Add the cooked hamburger patty and top with another piece of bread with the butter side up. 

Recipe adapted from Serious Eats and Friendly's.

Did you already know........
- In 1935, the first Friendly's restaurant opened in Massachusetts.
-Two young brothers opened the ice cream shop.
-For 5 cents, the Blake brothers sold double dipped ice cream cones.
-Friendly's restaurants filed for Chapter 11 in 2011.

Butter

When I was a toddler, I climbed out of my crib and went downstairs. I took out some sticks of butter from the refrigerator and joined my younger sister. I shared the butter with her and we made a huge mess. My Mom informed me that butter isn't easy to clean up. 

 I'm telling you this story because at a certain time in ones life there comes a time when something becomes too buttery. If you haven't reached this milestone yet, then this tart is for you. It wasn't one of the popular recipes I have made from the Project Pastry Queen. This week's pick was from Alice of This Home Plate. I did learn that I liked Frangelico liquor which I don't think I've ever tried before so I'm glad I made the tart. I only say tried because you use Frangelico in mixed drinks. One of my sisters has her bartending license and I just know she has made me some great drinks but I don't ask what she is mixing. Next time she visit, can you guess what type of drinks I'm going to ask her to make? Alright, I will still ask her to make butterball shots and drinks with Frangelico.

Since it seems like I haven't had great luck making tarts, it must be the pan, right? Maybe I will just have to purchase another tart pan and then I will have better luck. Do you like my reasoning? I guess it is like purchasing a new pair of shoes. If they hurt your feet since they aren't broken in, you should purchase another pair, right?

Hazelnut Filling
1 cup hazelnuts
3 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
4 Tbsp Frangelico liquor
6 Tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Arrange the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast for about 7 minutes.
3. Gather the hazelnuts in a clean kitchen towel and rub to remove the hazelnut skins. 
4. Allow the hazelnuts to cool for 5 minutes and coarsely grind in a food processor. Set aside.
5. In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 1 minute.
6. Add the egg and beat for 30 seconds on medium high speed.
7. Add the hazelnuts, vanilla, Frangelico, flour, and salt. Mix on low speed until incorporated.

To make the tart:
Spoon the batter into an unbaked tart crust and bake for 40 minutes. Allow the tart to cool for 30 minutes before adding the fruit topping and any glaze. Please see the Project Pastry Queen for the tart crust and the other members variations of this dessert. 

Recipe adapted from the Pastry Queen cookbook. 

 Did you already know....
-Frangelico is a hazelnut liquor from Northern Italy.
-Frangelico is kosher and gluten free.
-The bottle is shaped like a monk's habit with a rope belt as a symbol of the monks who made the liquor over 300 years ago.

Tennessee

Occasionally, I have to travel out of state for work. If I'm going to be gone for weeks, I will ask my family if they want to visit me. My Mom, husband, and sister have all taken me up on the offer. They are so nice to me since they will bring the kids. Two weeks is a long time to be gone without little ones.

One time, I was fortunate to visit Nashville, Tennessee. My Mom joined me at first and we toured Graceland with a friend. It was an interesting tour. Then my husband and kids later joined me. While we were there, we ate at the Neely's restaurant. Everything had barbeque sauce even the spaghetti. I happen to see this recipe on Foodnetwork and figured I would give it a try. 

We liked it. It is easier to make then my sloppy joes since I am trying to hide more vegetables in it. If you like barbeque and sloppy joes, you should try it. I always know if my husband likes it since he will eat the leftovers the next day. 

Spenser's Sloppy Joes
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper 
2 lbs. ground beef
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 cup barbeque sauce ( I used Jack Daniels original)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp hot sauce (I used Frank's RedHot sauce)
4 hamburger buns
Desired toppings: barbeque sauce, cheddar cheese, onions, etc.

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil.
2. Add the bell peppers and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add the ground beef and stir. Cook for 8 minutes or until the meat is fully cooked. 
5. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, barbeque sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and the hot sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Spoon the sloppy joes over one side of the bun and add any desired toppings.

Recipe adapted from the Neely's.

By the way, my son informed me I shouldn't take the photo with the pepper on the plate since it would make it look messy.  I know he is my food stylist but I told him it was sloppy joes and there is always some on the plate. Just so you are aware, my son wants you to know he did not approve of these photos. He is now 7 years old.

Did you already know.........
-In 1957, Elvis purchased Graceland for  around $100,000.
-Elvis had floor to ceiling carpeting in his Jungle room.
-Elvis purchased his plane Lisa Marie for around $250,000.