I might be a nerd, but...

So, I got an e-mail - have I mentioned I love all things cooking-related? As a part of these, I'm on a lot of e-mail lists, but this e-mail, this one I couldn't resist. The subject just piqued my interest. I found these babies over at Williams-Sonoma**! I might be a nerd, but they're pretty fantastic, and I'm currently looking for a reason to need them in my life. I'm pretty sure John's getting these cookies for his birthday!

**Williams-Sonoma doesn't know me; as much as I would like to receive free product from them, I never will, but I did borrow the picture from them. :)

Keeping up with the Kardashians...and my Life

So I know I said I'd post something last week...notice how that didn't happen. Sorry - truth be told, I was tired, and I had a lot of stuff with work going on, and really, who's reading this? I did cook some.

I made Chicken Enchiladas - they were delish! I will post them soon.


I also made Memphis Sweet Potato Fries from Down Home with the Neelys...yeah, they didn't turn out so great. Don't get me wrong - they tasted incredible, but in the words of a coworker, "They looked a hot mess." There are no pictures - I was too ashamed.

I also made homemade chicken nuggets - adapted from a recipe I found on Tasty Kitchen. I would have taken pictures, but they were gone before I could get a camera out. (Yes, they were THAT good.)

I also made homemade mashed potatoes, but who needs a blog post about that?

This is what I've discovered in the past week and a half:

1. I let my boyfriend cook, and I'm not ashamed to admit it; I rather enjoy it.

2. I watched The Real Housewives of Orange County...and enjoyed it.

3. I watched Millionaire Matchmaker...and enjoyed it.

4. And today...today I watched Keeping Up with the Kardashians...and enjoyed it. I couldn't help it. It was like a train accident; I couldn't look away. I'm fairly certain I'm going to call my cable company and ask them to take that station off of my cable...items #2, #3 & #4 all are on the same cable channel; it's bad news for me. I don't know why I get sucked in, but I do.

The moral of this story? I need to get out more...

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Valentine's Day, even if you are single! See, I think Valentine's Day is extremely overrated, but I celebrate it nonetheless. Hey, any holiday where chocolate plays a major part will be acknowledged in my house! I received wonderful goodies from J and made heart-shaped cookies with the girls - just refrigerated cookie dough and cookie cutters people!

Look forward to some delicious new recipes to be posted in the near future, and until then, go get yourself some Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Hearts - they go on sale tomorrow! ;)

Fancy Schmancy Mac n Cheese

The Pioneer Woman - who hasn't heard of her in the food blog world?! I love her - she is such a witty writer and her food is mmm, mmm good! For Christmas, I got her cookbook, and I haven't really looked back since. Now, I was cooking her stuff before the cookbook, but I collect cookbooks. Part of my goal for this blog is to cook through more of my cookbooks because I have a TON (seriously, I have a whole bookcase dedicated to cookbooks!).

Now, in addition to the Pioneer Woman's fabulous picture tutorials for recipes, I had in my mind the phenomenal Gruyere Mac N Cheese from Iron Starr Urban BBQ, here in the Oklahoma City metro area. If you live around here, you have to try it!  So, I decided to adapt the Pioneer's Woman recipe to give me some fabulous fancy schmancy mac n cheese!

Fancy Schmancy Mac N Cheese
adapted from Ree Drummond's Macaroni & Cheese


4 cups dried penne pasta
1/2 stick butter
1/4 C all-purpose flour
2 1/2 C whole milk
2 heaping t dry mustard
1 whole egg, beaten
1/2 lb. Gruyere cheese, grated
1/2 lb. Fontina cheese, grated
1/2 t salt
1 t seasoning salt (I used Lawry's)
1/2 t ground black pepper
2 dashes cayenne pepper

1. Cook pasta until very firm - it will continue cooking when you bake it. Drain and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, beat the egg and set aside.

3. In a large pot on the stove on med-low heat, melt the butter and sprinkle in the flour. Whisk together constantly for five minutes, being careful not to let it burn.

4. Pour in milk and add dry mustard, whisking until smooth. Cook for five minutes, whisking constantly, until very thick. Reduce the heat to low.

5. At this point, take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into the beaten egg, whisking to avoid cooking the egg, and whisk until smooth.

6. Pour egg mixture into sauce and whisk until smooth. Add all but 1/2 C of cheese into the sauce and stir until melted. Add salt and pepper.

7. Add the pasta to the sauce and stir until combined. Pour into a buttered baking dish and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Enjoy!

Good 'Ole Southern Buttermilk Pie

Ahh, the South - to have visited there is to understand the love and pride Southern people have for their home. See, I grew up in East Texas. Some would say that it's not a part of the South - that's false. East Texas was pretty much founded by people who came from the Southeast - my family, for instance, comes from Georgia, Mississippi, and Kentucky. Now when you get to Central and West Texas, I won't argue with you - they are most definitely not a part of the South. Plus, I went to college in Mississippi - Ole Miss, to be exact. I am a tried and true Rebel. I sat through watching The Blindside saying to my friends in Oklahoma, "I went there!!!"  I say all that to say this - Buttermilk Pie - it's a Southern thing that should spread across the nation.  It's so delicious. All I can say is, it tastes nothing like buttermilk. Please try it - you will be amazed!

Buttermilk Pie
- from my Momma!

9 in. unbaked pie shell
½ C butter, softened
2 C sugar
3 rounded T flour
3 eggs, beaten
1 C buttermilk
1 t vanilla
Dash nutmeg

Cream butter and sugar together. Add flour and eggs; beat well. Stir in buttermilk, vanilla and nutmeg. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake 45-50 min (usually takes a little longer). Bake at 350 degrees. Place on wire rack to cool completely before serving.

Merry Christmas to me!

I love all things related to the kitchen - especially new bakeware and new cookbooks!  Santa was very good to me this year!

My new 3 qt cast iron enamel casserole!

Plus my new sheet pan, Silpat, Godiva hot chocolate AND the Pioneer Woman's cookbook!