I Was a Pinterest Pigeon

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Have you discovered Pinterest? It's fun, and can be quite addictive, I'm told. I'm NOT addicted to it, and due to the story I'm about to tell you, I may not ever be addicted.

Because PAIN is an effective deterrent for most of us in the prevention of addictions.  And people, let me tell you: I had me some Pinterest Pain this week.

I am but a costly casualty on the highway to happiness that is the promise of Pinterest.

Because Pinterest is full of GREAT IDEAS!!! Right? You know it. I know it. We can scroll through genius idea after genius idea, and find fulfillment, beauty and happiness plastered all over its beautiful boards. Is this not so???

I'm here to debunk that little idea.

Learn from me. Learn from my mistakes. Do not travel the trail I have trod.

(As an aside: there is some tasty alliteration going on throughout this post. If you like that kind of thing, enjoy.)

Here's my tale of terrible trouble:

It was my Birthday Eve. I was home alone. My family was attending a party, and I decided to do my hair and get prettied up for the following day. Before I got in the shower, I took one last glance at a "pin" I had seen earlier in the day. (The names and links will be omitted, to protect the "pinners" involved, but one of them knows who she is...:-D  If you're REALLY a dedicated NancyDrew type super sleuth, you can probably google this up, but I'm not going to give you an assist in doing so.)

The pin/post in question has something to do with "DIY Bioré strips". The promise of the post was this: that if you mix up a little package of unflavored gelatin and a couple of tablespoonfuls of milk, microwave it for a few seconds, and then spread it all over your face, it is like giving yourself a facial, and you can peel any blackheads or impurities out of your pores, and your skin will be baby soft.

Now, I've given myself facials before that had to "set" before you rinsed them off, so I was kind of familiar with that concept. And the girl in the picture on the post showed herself applying the gunk all over her entire face. Not just on her nose (like you do with the aforementioned facial strips). And she showed pictures of herself peeling the stuff off, with evidence of a successful result.

So: here's the way my thought process went. In other words, here's how I succumbed to the implied promise of younger, softer skin. Here's how I became a Pinterest Pigeon.

"Hey! That sounds like something I could do tonight! No one's home. I have the gelatin. It's cheap to do. I bet it will be like peeling Elmer's glue off my palm. Remember when I used to do that when I was a kid? Remember how satisfying that was? How the goal was to pull the biggest piece off I could manage, because it looked so cool? That's the way the stuff this lady has peeled off  looks in the pictures in her post: like she just peeled strips of Elmer's glue off her face. That would be so fun! And then, I'd have really soft, smooth, young looking skin for my birthday tomorrow! This is going to be great!"

And thus, this little lamb was led to the slaughter.

I mixed up the gelatin with the milk, microwaved it, and began applying it.

The lady in the post said that the stuff left one's facial hair, but removed dirt and impurities from her pores.

To say that this was not my experience would be the understatement of a lifetime. I'm possibly one of the fortunate few in this life, in that I have never had to tweeze my eyebrows or remove facial hair of any type. My eyebrows, if anything, tend toward the sparse side.

Little did I know they were about to become sparser.

In applying the stuff, I inadvertently got a bit of it into the edge of one of my eyebrows. Hey, if it was like peeling off Elmer's glue? How bad could it be?

It was NOT like peeling off Elmer's glue.

After 15 minutes of letting the gelatin glop "set", I began attempting to peel it off at the lower corner of my jaw. You know, the part where the peach fuzz is located.

Holy mother.

Tears sprang to my eyes and my nose began to run. This was going to hurt. And hurt big.
And I knew that in theory, I could rinse it off. But the promise, the allure, of younger smoother skin dangled before me like a carrot in front of Balaam's ass, as it were, and I REALLY thought this would work. So...bravely...I soldiered on.

"After all",  I reasoned, "I've given birth to two babies. How bad can this be?"

(I think at this point, I had forgotten about the epidurals I'd had when I'd given birth to those babies. Come to think of it, a little novocaine injection might have really been helpful during this procedure. That, or a Valium. Or both.)

Here's how bad it could be:

It was like peeling a huge sheet of industrial strength extra sticky duct tape off my face. Every little follicle of peach fuzz shrieked for mercy. Now I'm scared when it starts growing back, I'm going to have Fred Flintstone's Five O'Clock Shadow.

Will I need to shave, now? Image from here.

When I tried to go slowly, my skin stretched like laffy taffy. I probably have new wrinkles now that I never had before, thanks to the stretching. My jowls now approach my shoulders. In fact, I'm pretty sure that this picture will give you a sense of what I felt was going on:

Before using pore strips, this was a bulldog. Now, it's a shar-pei. Image from here.

When I tried going fast, the pain was like blinding hot, white light. But at least it was over faster that way. And my left eyebrow? Where the hair was already sparse? There's a bald spot, that makes it look like the cherries I flambéed the other day, won.

I now suffer from PTRD: Post Traumatic Rip Disorder.

No: there will be no pictures of me to go with this post. I have some pride.

Could these DIY facial strips have worked well for someone? Yes, I think so. If you are prone to blackheads, have younger, thicker skin than mine, and are used to removing facial hair in other ways, I bet it would work very well for you, as long as you keep it out of your eyebrows. I think, in particular, if you only use it like the Bioré strips are supposed to be used: on your nose or chin area, you wouldn't have a bad experience at all. Hey: the lady who wrote the blog post seemed to like it enough that she wrote about it, and shared it with the entire internet. 

Of course, she could be a sadist, getting a whole lot of demented glee from Pinterest Pigeons like me. But I don't really believe that.

I actually really DO like Pinterest. But I will be a little more careful next time I think I'll try a great new idea.

P. S. Maybe you should pin this article....

LOL!

I'm linking this post up to MamaKat's writer's workshop, just so as to warn any other hairy women out there.

Susan in the Boonies is Out of the Office Today

Pin It Today is Susan in the Boonies' birthday, so she’s taking a vacation day from her Wild Life In The Woods.  I’m Lindsey, (aka the Big Bison) the Guest Birthday Poster, and I’ll attempt to hold your attention until Susan returns to her Wild Life In The Woods.

Every year around our house, Susan's birthday, January 30th, seems to last longer and longer. 

First: There’s the “Dinner Out Evening”, where we make some poor server set one of the house deserts on fire and sing happy birthday to the Birthday Girl. This year’s edition was a bit unsatisfying because the server begged off the singing portion. He said we really didn’t want to hear him sing. REALLY? This is Music City, where all waiters and waitresses aren’t even considered for the job unless they possess world class vocal chops... 

When you reach a certain age, lighting all the birthday candles requires the Fire Dept. to be on standby. 

Second: There’s the Birthday Dinner at Home, where I attempt to cook something that will wow and impress the Birthday Girl. About the only way I can do this is to cook or smoke something on the grill. Like, maybe, 


BIRTHDAY BUTT:

Editor's Note: Nothing says "Happy Birthday" like sticking some candles in your butt.

Third: The Baking of the Birthday Cake. Last year I found a recipe from Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. for her best birthday cake. The recipe called for kosher salt. I went to the pantry and pulled out the only box of kosher salt we have, which was “coarse ground”, not realizing you can procure kosher salt that is “finely ground” from the grocery store, (And let me just insert, here, that I really do not like going to the grocery store because there’s just so much stuff in them and I tend to glaze over and get lost in the aisles from sensory overload. Why can’t they just have a kosher salt store? I could be in and out in less than a minute, unless there’s a line but I digress)*

*EDITOR’S NOTE: This appears to the editor to be a digression on a digression, but let’s not split hairs. Or salt crystals. Returning you now to the whine already in progress.

 ...I used the coarse ground variety. It's possible the result was not a cake of which Ina would have approved.  There were these little rocks of kosher salt throughout the cake. 

Editor's Note: Here we see the decorating prowess of the Guest Poster in action, in last year's offering. 

So this year I found this cake recipe over on Love and Olive Oil's website:  a bourbon layer cake with chocolate buttercream icing....the picture there makes me drool and drool is very often a happy thing.*

*EDITOR’S NOTE: this recipe was originally shown to the Guest Post Author by the Editor, as a potential birthday cake for the Guest Post Author. The Editor was willing to prepare this cake for the birthday of the Guest Post Author, because the Editor KNOWS how much the GUEST POST AUTHOR likes bourbon. So the Editor questions exactly WHO this cake is for in the first place. Back to the ongoing whine, still in progress.

 But, we have this 14 year old daughter who, shocking though it may be,  does.not.like.chocolate. I’d say it’s possible that she was switched at birth with another baby in the hospital, except that we do have this photographic evidence that clearly shows she’s ours:

Editor's Note: Nothing ugly can be said about such surpassing cuteness.

But back to this year’s cake: taking into account that our daughter doesn’t like chocolate, I decided to try to make the bourbon cake into cupcakes. This will allow the rest of the family to have chocolate icing and our daughter to ice her cupcake however she wants. My plan is for this to be our little version of cupcake wars.

 So, I got my bake on and this is what happened:

Editor's Note: This is what the Guest Poster likes to refer to as "getting his bake on".

Fourth: there’s apparently going to be a Public Viewing of the Birthday Girl, at another local restaurant with some of her friends. Sorry: no pics of that, because that is in the works for tonight.

Oh and just so you’ll know, this year we were unable to schedule Event #2, the Birthday Dinner at Home, before Jan 30th, due to other obligations, so, we’ve got that ahead of us one night this week. Susan wants a nice juicy steak cooked on the grill. That I can do, without too much trouble (like going to the grocery store multiple times because I forgot to get one or two ingredients because I was overcome by the amount of stuff on the shelves....I’m digressing again.)*

*EDITOR’S NOTE: Even though the birthday celebrations may SEEM to be a bit spread out over a long period of time, this post is starting to suffer from the same malady. Get on with it, Dude. Back to the whine. Again.

The Birthday Cupcakes will likely be long gone by the time we have the Birthday Dinner at Home and I’m hoping to slide by without having to get my bake on again for that meal as that may make this day of days, January 30th, last even longer.*

*INSERT EDITORIAL EYE ROLLING.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m wildly in love with the woman who lives her Wild Life In The Woods and am grateful for every day I have to share life with her. Now you may be wondering how old Susan is on this day of days.....well, all I’ll say is she’s old enough to know better than to let me cook in her kitchen.

Happy Birthday Susan, and my birthday wish for you is that we have many, many more years to celebrate January 30th. 

Love,


Lindsey (aka The Big Bison)*


*EDITOR'S FINAL NOTE: It's his first blog post. Y'all be nice to him in your comments.

Lime Cardamom Frozen Yogurt with Brandied Cherries

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Lime Cardamom Frozen Yogurt with Brandied Cherries. It's a party for your mouth.

Tart and tangy, bright and sweet, refreshingly creamy: this frozen yogurt, on its own, is already all that. Drizzle it with the wonderfully boozy richness of the brandied cherries, and you introduce a luscious depth of flavor to this tongue-teasingly amazing frozen concoction that will cause you to sigh with satisfaction.

This recipe for Lime Cardamom Frozen Yogurt was so good, it may now be my new favorite. But, honestly, that's kind of like asking me to choose between my kids! How do I choose which I like better, the lime cardamom or the lemon blueberry?

I'm starting to really get the hang of Jeni's recipes for her Splendid Ice Creams at Home, now that I've made four of them (Vanilla Bean, Black Coffee, Lemon Blueberry and this one, Lime Cardamom.)

To make the Brandied Cherries, I used a recipe from The Joy of Cooking for Cherries Jubilee as a base, and then altered it to fit what I thought would be good. It wasn't just good: it was GREAT!

So here are the basic things to remember when you try one of her recipes, based on my own learning experiences (mistakes):
.
1) Be sure that your cream cheese has completely softened and reached room temperature, or else you'll have little lumps of cream cheese in your ice cream or frozen yogurt.

2) Be sure to make any extra syrups called for (like lime or lemon, blueberry or brandied cherries) in the recipe well before you start, so that they have the opportunity to cool to room temperature as well.

3) If you're making frozen yogurt, you'll need to strain some of the liquid out of the yogurt. You must do this 6 - 8 hours before you begin making the frozen yogurt, to make the consistency of the yogurt more dense, so be sure to include that amount of time in your plans. Jeni called for cheesecloth, but I didn't have any, and discovered that paper coffee filters lining a strainer work just fine. I also discovered later this week that my local grocery store has cheesecloth readily available. It was in the household cleaning section, surprisingly enough to me.

4) If you are making frozen yogurt, and you strain one 1 quart container of Greek yogurt (which I did), you will have enough solids for two batches of yogurt. You need 1 and 1/4 c. for each of Jeni's frozen yogurt recipes, and you'll get exactly 2 and 1/2 c. of strained yogurt out of a 1 quart container of Greek yogurt. So make one batch of frozen yogurt, and save the other cup and 1/4 of drained yogurt in a covered plastic container in the fridge, to use for a second batch. :-D Which you're going to want, I promise!

The only problem I had with this particular recipe, which I also had with the frozen lemon yogurt, was fishing the lime zest out of the ready-for-the-ice-cream-machine yogurt, once it had chilled in the Ziplock baggie. If you have a suggestion for an easy way to do this, I'm all ears. Basically, I'm reduced to hunting around in that baggie with a long handled teaspoon, to fish out the zest. But it is important to do, because the long strips of zest can wrap around the ice cream machine's stirring paddle. (Don't ask me how I know this to be true...but I do.)

I did not alter Jeni's recipe for the lime cardamom frozen yogurt in any way, except that I came up with the idea for wanting to combine it with some kind of sauce made from sweetened tart dried cherries.  I soaked the cherries in brandy, and then flamed them, and then added Kirsch (a lovely cherry brandy) at the end, to give them a nice finish. And it was kind of a genius idea, if I do say so myself.

So here's Jeni's recipe for:

LIME CARDAMOM FROZEN YOGURT

INGREDIENTS:

LIME SYRUP:

3 to 4 limes (I used 3)
3 T. sugar

FROZEN YOGURT BASE:

1 quart plain low fat yogurt
1 1/2 c. whole milk
2 T. cornstarch
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. heavy cream
2/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. light corn syrup
zest of 3 limes, removed in long, large strips
1/4 t. ground cardamom

ADVANCE PREP:

For the strained yogurt:
Fit a sieve over a bowl and line it with one or two paper coffee filters (or 2 pieces of cheesecloth). Pour the yogurt into the sieve, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours, to drain. Discard the liquid, and measure out 1 1/4 c. of the strained yogurt. Set aside.

PREP:

For the lime syrup:
Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from 3 limes in large strips. Reserve.
Halve the limes and squeeze enough juice to measure 1/2 c.
Combine lime juice and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and let cool.

For the frozen yogurt base:
Mix about 2 T. of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.
Whisk the cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth.
Fill a large bowl with ice and water.

COOK:

Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, corn syrup, and lime zest in a 4-qt. saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat,  and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture.
Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes.
Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture.
Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about1 minute. Remove from the heat.

CHILL:

Gradually whisk the hot mil mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Add the 1 1/4 c. yogurt, the lime syrup and cardamom,and whisk until smooth.
Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

FREEZE:

Remove the lime zest. Pour the frozen yogurt base into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy.
Pack the frozen yogurt into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.


BRANDIED CHERRY SAUCE:

1 c. dried sweetened tart cherries
1/4 c. slightly warmed brandy
2 T. kirsch

I soaked the cherries for an hour or so in 1/4 c. brandy. When it was time to make the dessert, I drained them through a sieve, and measured the remaining brandy. I used that, and added a bit more to what was in the measuring cup, so that I again had 1/4 c. brandy with which to make the sauce. I warmed the brandy for about 20 seconds in the microwave. Into a saute pan I poured the soaked cherries, and then over them, I poured the brandy. I warmed them both over medium heat, and then ignited the brandy with a long lighter. (USE EXTREME CAUTION HERE. HERE'S A VIDEO LINK YOU SHOULD WATCH, IN CASE YOU HAVE NEVER BEFORE IGNITED ALCOHOL.)

When the flame had extinguished, I CAUTIOUSLY added the kirsch, WHICH IS ALCOHOL, WHICH WILL BURN, so make sure the flames are out.

Pour all this over the frozen yogurt. Oh, my dear. You're going to be so very happy.

For the Purists among us: Lime Cardamom Frozen Yogurt Yumminess, Solo. Without the Brandied Cherries.
Also wonderful!

Feel free to share this on Pinterest, or, wherever you've a mind to share it!

Remember That Thing You Can Never Live Down?

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Remember The Partridge Family? Remember little Danny Partridge?
Image from here. 

The title to this post was supposed to have been:

"Top Ten Life Stories That I Will Never Live Down".

(You see,  I'm writing this as a response to a writing prompt given to me by MamaKat, over on Mama's Losin' It.)

But, really, why do there need to be ten?

Ten stories are unnecessary. Superfluous. Overkill!

For me, there is one, and one only.

There is only a need for one story that I will never live down.

And I KNOW you want to know what that one story is.

Our family had gone on a trip to the Baltimore, MD, area, for a family reunion. 

And as best I recall, we had taken a day and driven over to the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. It must have seemed like a good time to spend the day at the beach.

On the drive back to our cousin's home in Baltimore, we had stopped on the road in Salisbury, MD, at a fund raiser for the local firemen there.

I was about 10 years old at the time.

The firemen of Salisbury, MD, were serving up an oyster fry.

In hindsight, I honestly don't know to this very day if I might possibly be allergic to oysters. I say this because I have had another bad experience following ingesting oysters, after taking a bite of an oyster dip at a potluck Christmas party.  I didn't know what it was until after I had taken a bite of that dip/spread/whatever it was that was sitting in a casserole dish in that dimly lit room. And then I began to wonder what the heck I had just eaten. I asked, and was told it was oyster something. That experience did not end well. I didn't even make it home from the party before I paid for it. But then there was another time after that when I ate raw oysters on the half shell at a restaurant, with absolutely no ill effect.

So…I STILL wonder.

Anyhow, we stopped to support the firemen at this oyster fry. Two carloads of us. My immediate family, and my uncle and aunt and their seven kids.

What I think I recall them serving were fried oyster sandwiches.

And at the time, I thought they were pretty good: hey - they were fried. Enough salt and deep fried batter and you can make most things taste good. And I'd never had oysters before. And everyone else in my family and extended family were eating them like they were going out of style. 

So, I ate my sandwich, too.

And then, we all went on the drive back to my uncle's house near Baltimore.

And my uncle and aunt invited me to ride with them and their family. (We probably swapped a few cousins for cousins, to keep the body count even.) But I rode with my uncle in his car, as a special treat. 

My uncle and aunt had two daughters who were almost my age, and I wanted to be with them: playmates! How fun!!! See, I came from a family of four children, where I was five years younger than my nearest sibling. So everything I did or said was generally counted as silly or less important, because I was "the baby". So to hang with two girl cousins who were almost my age, and with an uncle and aunt who were very fond of me, was a very special treat.

So riding home from the Eastern Shore was fun! SO much fun!!! I was independent from the rest of my family, and was being treated as a special guest, and I was having a ball: the time of my life!!!

Until I started noticing that I was feeling a little car sick. 

A bit queasy.

And then queasier.

And then I noticed those oysters were sitting like ROCKS in my gut.

And then my throat started feeling like it was closing off. Like someone had put a clamp around it. 

And then my upper intestines started sounding the "WoooooooooOOOOT! WoooooOOOOT! WooooooOOOOT!!!! RED ALERT!!! BATTLE STATIONS!!!!" alarm siren that they used to sound on the deck of the Starship Enterprise. (You know. Star Trek?) "ALL HANDS ON DECK!!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!!! REPEAT!!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!! RED ALERT!!!! WoooOOOOT! WooOOOT! WooooOOOT!!!"

And I KNEW that EMERGENCY EVACUATION PROCEDURES for the contents of my stomach were about to take place. 

But what to do?

I was a shy, quiet little girl: a favorite of my uncle BECAUSE I was shy and quiet and sweet.

"Uuummm….Uncle Ralph???" my tremulous voice queried. "Uhhhhh….I feel kinda sick…..".

(Yes. His name really is Ralph. Don't think I don't appreciate the irony. And I could not possibly make this stuff up.)

"Well, do you need us to roll down the window, Sweetheart, so you can get some fresh air?"

"Uuuuhhhh….yeah…." I replied, as various cousins shifted positions in the back seat (long about the time all the oysters in my stomach were really getting rolling on shifting their own positions) to allow me to hang my head out the window. And my cousin Kathy began the LENGTHY process of rolling down the window. 

How long can that take, right? 

Well…sadly…the answer is …just a teeny. bit. too. long.

Yup. Regrettably, Kathy, though an amazing athlete with lighting quick reflexes, couldn't QUITE get those reflexes going quickly enough to get that window rolled down. Not, at least, before I hurled my entire lunch UP ONTO THAT SAME WINDOW. So not only did I not make it TO the window, but everyone in the back of the car was treated to the absolutely HORRIFIC SIGHT of the contents of my gut, splattered and dripping down the inside of the car window. And then...there was the stench. All the way back to Baltimore.

Friiiiiiied oysters. 

Mmmmm, mmmmm, mmmmm.

So, since that time…

I have graduated from high school. Graduated from college. Lived on another continent and learned their culture and language. Been gainfully employed as an educational professional. Obtained a Master's degree. Been AGAIN gainfully employed. Gotten married. Had two kids. Been responsible for providing an education for those two kids. At present, I'm even writing a blog that is not doing too badly.

And STILL.

STILL!!!

 At every family reunion, the very first thing that one set of my cousins will say to me is not, "How are you doing?" or "Gosh, it's great to see you," or "Wow! Don't you look great! Whatcha been up to?".

Nope.

The very FIRST kind words they treat me to, invariably, are:

"Hey! Remember that time you threw up all over the back of Dad's car and it splatted down the window???"

Because….

when you've achieved THAT level of notoriety...

after that….

I mean…

what else IS there?

It's all downhill from there.

Right?

I feel sorry for those child stars who peak so early in their young lives.

The Partridge Family may be gone, but for Danny, it's never been forgotten.
Image from here.

Here's to you, Danny Bonaduce/Danny Partridge. You, and all the other young Hollywood stars who've reached the apex of your career far too soon.

I know how you feel, man.

Now. How about you? What are YOU trying to live down? :-D

P.S. Whatever you do, for gosh sakes...don't share this!  ;-D

For more great stories like this one, (but probably lots better than this one) you can visit here: 

Lincoln Town Car Burritos

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Arriba! Arriba!

These aren't just your average burritos, muchachos.

These burritos take the food of the common hombre, and kick it up a notch or twelve.

It is, I dare say, The Lincoln Town Car of the Burrito Automotive family.

(When I named these, I never thought that I might have chosen a car metaphor because beans tend to give people gas. But...Sigmund Freud's slip MIGHT be showing...that's all I'm sayin'...)


And my friends, I offer unto you the keys to the culinary kingdom, for taking a ho-hum kind of dish, the lowly burrito, and turning it into a dish that your family begs you to make. Excellence in every area. My cleanly little secrets for making a GREAT burrito.

Secret #1: A Great Big Tip on Cooking Beans 

This recipe originally came from the Gourmet Today cookbook (the lime green one) and it said to use canned beans, but I keep dried pinto beans in my pantry, because they are economical and delicious. So right off the bat, I change the written recipe a bit by cooking my own dried beans. I utilized a tip I learned from Cooks Illustrated in regard to cooking beans, which is counter-intuitive to everything I have ever heard about cooking beans. The general wisdom one USUALLY hears is: don't salt beans till the end of their cooking time, or they will get tough.

But after tons of experiments and research, Cooks Illustrated found that if you basically brine the beans in your overnight pre-soak, then rinse them the next morning, and then cook them in fresh water, they come out creamier.

So, tip #1: The night before, put 3 T. of salt in about 4 quarts of water, and soak your rinsed and sorted dried pinto beans. I soaked about 2 lbs. of beans. The next morning or afternoon, rinse them off, drop in a smoked ham hock (that part is optional, but if you want to know MY secrets, that's how I made mine, and they were yummy. This can be omitted if you find the added fat - and flavor - undesireable.) and cook them till creamy tender. I think mine cooked for 2 and 1/2 hours, but your mileage/cook time may vary.

Cooks Illustrated says you can soak them in that salt solution for anywhere from 8 to 24 hours, so do what you need to do. You can do this with the quick soak method, too, if you need to.

Secret #2: A Marvelous Little Homemade Condiment called Pickled Onions.
For years I saw these being recommended in Gourmet magazine, and for years I avoided them. I'm not THAT big of an onion fan. The very name, "pickled onions" sounded nasty to me. But there they were again, lurking in their bean burrito recipe...and they sounded easy enough to make, and I thought, "Well...I've got some red onions in the closet...I could do this easily enough...it's worth a try...."

Well....wrong. I made the solution...went to get the red onion out, and all my red onions had gone moldy. Big fat bummer. But I didn't want to NOT try the recipe because it would mean wasting the solution I had made...so...I used white onion instead.

White onions work! They're just not as sweet as red onions, but they are a fine substitute. So when you see the recipe, and you see it calls for red onions, and you have none, despair not. White onions work just fine.

  DO NOT OMIT THE PICKLED ONIONS. THEY ARE DA BOMB.

Lincoln Town Car Bean Burritos
adapted from Gourmet Today Cookbook
Makes 6 burritos


Full of beans, pepper Jack cheese, and a wonderful condiment - quick Mexican pickled onions - these burritos are outrageously good. Panfrying melts the cheese and crisps the outside of the tortillas.

For Pickled Onions

2 c. water
3 T. red wine vinegar
2 T. sugar
1 medium red onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

For Bean Filling

3 T. vegetable oil
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
2 lbs of cooked pinto beans (see directions at the top of this post)
1/3 c. water
3 scallions, finely chopped

For Assembling and Cooking Burritos:

6 (8- to 10-inch) flour tortillas
2 c. coarsely grated pepper Jack cheese (about 8 oz.)
1/3 c. finely choped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 T. vegetable oil

Accompaniments: salsa and sour cream

Prepare the Onions:
Bring water, vinegar, sugar, and salt to a boil in a 1 qt. heavy saucepan. Add onion and simmer, uncovered, until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and cool to room temperature.

Make the Bean Filling:
Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Add garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring until garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Stir in beans, coarsely mashing them with a potato masher or a large fork until combined. Add water and scallions and cook, stirring, until most of water ins absorbed, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Assemble the Burritos:
Spread one sixth of bean filling across middle of 1 tortilla, leaving a 1" border at either end. Sprinkle with 1/3 c. cheese, 1 heaping T. pickled onions, and scant 1 T. cilantro. Fold ends of tortilla over filling, then roll up tightly, enclosing filling. Transfer seam side down to a plate and assemble 5 more burritos in same manner.

Cook the Burritos:
Heat 1 1/2 t. oil in a 10- to 11-inch cast-iron or other heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add 2 burritos, seam side down and fry until lightly browned on underside, 1 to 2 minutes. Using tongs or a spatula, turn over and fry until golden, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to paper towels to drain briefly, then transfer to a platter and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Fry remaining 4 burritos in 2 batches in remaining oil in same manner.

Serve with salsa and sour cream. 

The fixin's.

We add the Pepper Jack Cheese.

We add the pickled onions.

Salsa, sour cream, and cilantro: olé!

Thinking about pinning this on Pinterest? You should!
Or, share it on Facebook, or Twitter, or Stumble it!

How do you feel about Mexican food?

Ina Garten, Lisa Douglas, and Susan in the Boonies

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The other day, my daughter was watching the old '60's sitcom, Green Acres, on Hulu.

I was hearing bits of dialog coming from the computer where she was watching it in the other room.

And may I just say,  that Oliver Douglas was very often a fairly grumpy man on that show.  Probably had nothing to do with the nitwits he had to endure after his move to the Boonies. I mean, after his move to Hooterville. But that's neither here nor there.

So, today, at lunch, I walked into the kitchen, and my daughter was watching another episode.  I decided I would see if I could determine what the appeal was for her.

At the end of the theme song, I froze, my gaze completely arrested by this image, of trend setting, fashion-forward, Lisa Douglas (aka Eva Gabor).

Note the collar and the pearls. Image from here. 

And suddenly, I KNEW where Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa, had gotten her fashion sense!

Jeffrey doesn't feel the need to brandish a pitchfork. Cookies are much less threatening.
Image from here.

That Eva Gabor/Lisa Douglas: she was a trend-setting fashionista ahead of her time, and doubtless, a bit of an inspiration for our Barefoot Contessa.

Ina could have, however, taught Lisa more than a thing or two about cooking, as I recall.

Personally, I bet if Lisa Douglas had had cooking lessons from Ina Garten, Oliver Douglas would have been a much happier guy. More like Ina's Jeffrey. (Who just ADORES his Ina's Roast Chicken.) Look how happy Jeffrey is!

Green Acres is a bit different from living in the Hamptons. And it's certainly different from the Boonies. But there ARE similarities which may be noted by the careful observer.

Getting away from the hustle and bustle of big city life to a more rural setting?

You see the parallels?

Anyway, if you need me, I'll be upstairs looking in the bathroom mirror, practicing popping my collar.

Fun, Fun, Fun

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I clean up, OK? (image from here)

Well, in my ongoing efforts to do spring cleaning in the middle of winter, since winter has kind of been cancelled here in the Boonies this year, anyway, I have added a final "page", at the top of my blog, (check out the top right, under the picture frame) that will hopefully make it easier to navigate.

This one is called "Fun", and I've tried to include not only the funnier posts, but also some categories of some of my better, perhaps more interesting posts.

The sub-categories are called:

1. Fun
2. Not So Fun, Perhaps, but Interesting
3. Posts that put the "Wild" in "Wild Life"
4. About as Funny as a Heart Attack 

If you're a new reader, or would just like to check out some more of my work, these posts are some great places to get started. Just click on the "Fun" link, and that should get you there. 

Would love to hear back from you, especially if you run into a new (to you)post that tickles your fancy! Or, take this opportunity to re-read an old favorite. I did, yesterday, and there's some pretty good stuff amongst these. 

Feedback, Again

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Feedback can be good...feedback can be bad....

So....

Since I've been organizing and cleaning up the place a bit...

I've been  noticing that my recipes are becoming the posts that are getting the most traffic or clicks.

And I'm positive that this is in part due to my dear husband's wonderful photography.
And, it's probably also due to the fact that I am just posting more of the recipes for things that I cook.
And maybe, even, that I am becoming a little more known for having good food posts. (At least, I hope that's the case.)

And, I'd like to hear some feedback from you, my valued and trusted readers.

What do you hope/expect to find when you visit?

So, first, please, in your comment, classify yourself as a:

1. Devoted Reader
2. Fairly Regular Reader
3. Occasional Visitor
4. Newcomer

Next: please indicate in your comment what you expect/hope to find when you drop by for a visit:

1. A recipe
2. Something amusing/entertaining
3. What's Going On/Life in the Boonies
4. An encouraging word/thoughts that pertain to the spirit
5. I have no expectation: I'm up for whatever you've got!

(Or any other feedback that you might have for me, that I failed to think of: all comments welcome.)

I'm not planning on stopping writing on any of those general topics: food, faith, or fun. But, on the other hand, if there's something you're missing, or something that you'd like to see more of, I'd love to hear your thoughts!  I'd like for your visit here, where you spend a few moments of your valuable time,  to be something of actual value to you. 

Talk to me!

New Page: Faith

Pin It I'm trying to spruce the place up a bit.

Look at the top of the page, just underneath the title of the blog.

First, you may remember, I made the Recipes page.

But now, I've re-titled it "Food".

But it's really recipes. I'm just going for the whole alliteration thing: Food, Faith, Fun.

(Next up on my personal to-do list is to look back over the posts that I've written just for fun, and list their titles and links. A dedicated blogger's work is never done...)

So, today, I did a page that is comprised of links to my posts that pertain to faith.  Of, devotionals, if you will.

I was actually kind of surprised at how many of those I've done!

So, if you click over here to my blog, and suddenly think, "I haven't spent much time thinking about God today. I'd like to take a moment and do that,", you have a whole page with handy dandy links, where you can click on any title or book of the Bible that strikes your fancy.

Hope the work that I've done proves valuable to you, in some way.

For All the Dogs I've Loved Before

Pin It Who've traveled in and out ...
and in and out...
and in and out....
my door.

In backwards order, here are the top 5 dogs of my life:

5. Pilgrim Pee Dog - the neurotic German Shepherd
4. Deacon D. Dawg - old Iron Tum, the Yellow Labrador
3. Memphis - the mutt who looked like a black Lab, but who was actually part Golden Retriever, part Short Haired Pointer
2. Rommel - the Butt Head, half-breed German Shepherd

1. Gustav Von Rommel (aka Gus):

Because I need a German Shepherd picture, I'll insert one of Pilgrim Pee Dog, here, but this is not Gus.

He came to us, the unwanted runt of the litter. "Little Pup", the owner of his mom called him. He spent the days of his puppyhood doggie paddling in the Coal River of West Virginia, before he came to our house to live. Before he moved into my heart.

Gus was a German Shepherd. That, alone, says more than my mere words could ever say to some of you, that is, to those of you who are familiar with the breed. German Shepherds have one guiding mantra: "Must. Guard. Perimeter." And Gus knew that was his sworn duty.

 He was my first, and probably my best dog, (but don't tell Memphis I said that) and I am sad to report that I have no pictures of him. He was gorgeous in that true-to-the-breed Rin Tin Tin kind of way. Absolutely classically beautiful. And even better that just looking good, he was a good boy, with a heart the size of Texas.

 German Shepherds choose one family member to whom they especially bond, and Gus chose my Mom. Afternoon nap time/reading time and bedtime, you could find Gus, parked on my Mom's side of the bed. Keeping watch. Guarding the perimeter as best he could.

I always wanted him to love me best, and spent the better part of my childhood attempting to woo him away from Mom. And even though he didn't love me quite in the way that he adored my Mom,  he definitely saw me as his responsibility. There was no doubt about that. When my little girlfriends would come over to play Barbies, and we'd have the Barbie cases opened and unpacked in the middle of the floor and, Gus would come and lie down in between me and my girlfriends. Just where I didn't want him. But he had to keep me safe. It was his sworn duty. Sieg heil.

Gus was the one to whom I turned whenever my heart was broken. He listened to my childhood woes, allowed me to cling to his neck while my tears soaked his ruff, and then licked the remainder from my cheeks when I was done crying on him. I don't know that he understood all the troubles that I poured out to him, but he regarded me with great seriousness and sincerity, and certainly acted as though he did

One day, Gus brought home a huge white pet rabbit. He carried it home by the scruff of the neck, and lay down on the porch with that poor bug-eyed, panting rabbit, its little heart racing, but its body frozen with fear, lying between Gus's large front paws. When the rabbit tried to move, Gus would put his mouth around the rabbit's neck again, but he never broke the skin nor left a mark, nor harmed the bunny in any way. We got the bunny back to the family to whom it belonged, (still don't know how it escaped from its hutch) which was a house that I passed on my way to school, but about a 5 minutes walk from our house. We still don't know how the bunny came to rest on our front porch between Gus's paws. And he never told us, either.

Gus was a great walking companion, and kind of famous in our neighborhood. He was not a barker or a growler, and he loved to go on walks with Mom, or me, when I would take him., He was alert, but dignified. Just doing his German Shepherd job. My little neighborhood friends used to drop by my house and ask if Gus could come out to play. I am not making this up.

 He would fetch a stick for what seemed like world without end. Amen. And the quirkiest thing of all? Whenever Dad would mow the lawn, he would go to the woods behind our house and bring back a turtle. Weird, huh? Who would have thought that starting up the lawn mower was the international dog signal for "Go get a turtle,"? But, apparently, it was, at least, for Gus.

We had a guinea pig named Peter, who was a female. (Don't ask.) Peter loved to graze on the grass in the front yard, when we'd take her out on a nice day, but every once in a while, she'd make a break for the bushes that were up close to the wall of the house. When she did that, she was really hard to recapture. Gus would lie outside watching her. Herding her. Keeping her out of trouble, away from those bushes, but also keeping her from leaving the yard. Must. Guard. Perimeter. really was his life's calling. One day, and one day only, Gus left Peter in the yard and ran up in the street two houses away to bark and growl at another dog, a dog with whom he was normally friendly. It took us a few minutes to realize that he was warning Shadow to stay away from our yard, and our guinea pig. That herding instinct is strong, and if you don't have a flock of sheep to shepherd, I guess you have to make do with a guinea pig, if you're a German Shepherd.

We had Gus from the time that I turned six, until the time that I was 19. Thirteen years is a very long life span for a German Shepherd. I had started school in a state that was a 24 hour drive away from where my parents lived, away from Gus, when I got the news that my folks had to have him put to sleep. You might as well have told me I had lost a sibling. I cried and cried and cried, like a baby. Never got to say goodbye to the old feller.

He was the very best dog I ever had: he set the bar impossibly high for all the dogs who ever followed him. There will never be another like my noble Gus.

Gentleman Gus, my Mama used to call him.

If ever a dog went to heaven, Gus did. And if Gus isn't in heaven, I'm just not sure how good heaven could possibly be.




P.S. I did this post in response to a writing prompt given to me by Mama Kat. For more great posts like this one - but probably even better! - you can click on this link:

Lemon and Blueberry Frozen Yogurt

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Lemon and Blueberry Frozen Yogurt.

January may seem like an odd month to be posting frozen ice cream, frozen yogurt  or blueberry recipes, but if you follow my blog, you know that I was given the cookbook "Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams At Home" for Christmas, and that I'm having fun utilizing my new Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker,.

So let's just say that these berries were so cold they turned blue, and that you'll love so much,  you won't care what month it is. In fact, it can make ANY TIME of the year reminiscent of the warm days of good old summertime.

The lemony lusciousness of this stuff reminded me of a favorite cookie that I make: my Lovely Lemon Bars. (I should post that recipe here some day, shouldn't I?) The zest adds a powerful zing to the sweet frozen custard. And the sweetness of the blueberries? Think of them as one of the more delicious antioxidant flavor-bombs on the planet. Thank You, God, for blueberries.

Before I give you the recipe, here's what I learned from my experience of making this WONDERFULLY smooth, creamy, sweet-yet-tart and tangy bowl of YOWIE-KAZOWIE FLAVOR!!! (Such yumminess!!! Really!!!) 

WHAT I LEARNED:

It requires a teeny bit of prep work, so you'll need to start it on the morning of the day you want to eat it by draining your yogurt. Jeni's recipe says to use cheesecloth to drain it, but I didn't have any. But what I DID have was the knowledge that when you need to drain liquid off of yogurt, to make it thicker, you can substitute a paper coffee filter (the type that fits into a basket-style coffee brewer was what I used) and use that in place of cheese cloth. When you measure out your drained yogurt, (you'll need 1 1/4 c. of drained yogurt) there will be leftover drained yogurt. Mine is in the fridge, and there MAY be enough to make another batch of frozen yogurt, but I haven't measured it or tried to do that, yet.) 

Another thing you'll want to do in advance, (that I didn't),  is to make your blueberry syrup, so that it has time to chill before you use it.  I made it while the frozen yogurt custard was stirring in the machine, so it was still warm, and I had to stick it in the freezer to get it to cool down, so that I could layer it in the container that I use to store the ice cream in my freezer for its final chill.

And finally, you should also make your lemon syrup in advance, so that it has time to cool down as well.

When you peel the zest off the lemon, make the pieces as big as you can so that they're easy to pick out of the custard.

When you make your lemon syrup, you only need the 3 T.of sugar that the Lemon Syrup recipe calls for, and not the 2/3 c. that I saw while hurriedly referring to the frozen yogurt base recipe, rather than the lemon syrup recipe. So, my lemon syrup probably had an extra half cup or so of sugar in it.  Oops!!! Turned out great, anyway! :-D

This time, I made absolutely sure that my cream cheese was completely softened to room temperature, and well whisked, and I had no cream cheese lumps in my ice cream, so be sure that your cream cheese is perfectly softened!

I think that just about covers all of my mistakes/learning experiences. :-D

So, here's Jeni's recipe for 

Lemon and Blueberry Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients:

Frozen Yogurt Base:

1 quart plain low-fat yogurt

1 1/2 c. whole milk

2 T. cornstarch

2 oz. (4 T.) cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. heavy cream

2/3 c. sugar

1/4 c. light corn syrup

zest from one of the lemons used for the lemon syrup

Lemon Syrup:

2 to 3 lemons (I used 2, but they were large)

3 T. sugar 

Blueberry Sauce:

1 1/2 c. blueberries

3/4 c/ sugar

ADVANCED PREP:

For the frozen yogurt base:

Fit a sieve over a bowl and line it with two layers of cheesecloth (or do what I did and use a paper coffee filter). Pour the yogurt into the sieve, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours to drain. Discard the liquid, and measure out 1 1/4 c. of the drained yogurt; set aside.

PREP:

For the lemon syrup:

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest in large strips from 1 lemon.; reserve for the frozen yogurt. Leave the lemon zest in large strips so it's easier to strain out later). Juice enough of the lemons to make 1/2 c. of juice. 

Combine the lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and let cool.

For the blueberry sauce:

Mix the blueberries and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the berries are tender and the sauce is thickened, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool, then refrigerate until cold before using.

For the frozen yogurt base:

Mix about 2 T. of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry. 

Whisk the cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth

Fill a large bowl with ice and water. 

COOK:

Combine the remaining mil, the cream, sugar, corn syrup, and lemon zest in a 4 qt. saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry.

 Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and collk, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

CHILL:

Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture intot the cream cheese until smooth. 

Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

FREEZE:

 Remove the zest from the yogurt base. Pour into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy

Pack the frozen yogurt into a storage container, about 1/3 at a time, alternating it with layers of blueberry sauce. Do not mix. End with final layer of sauce. (Store any leftover blueberry sauce in your fridge, to drizzle over top of frozen yogurt). Cover frozen yogurt with parchment paper pressed directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

What's your favorite flavor of frozen yogurt?

If you like this recipe, please, feel free to share it on Facebook or Twitter, or Stumble it, or use my yummy looking photos on Pinterest.

Cajun Chicken Alfredo

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Cajun Chicken Alfredo on Fettucine

 A few months ago on the Food Network, I started watching a show that featured chefs making their favorite, sure thing/go-to recipes, called The Best Thing I Ever Made. (With a title like that, who could resist, right? ) Guy Fieri . host of several Food Network shows (like Diners, Drive Ins and Dives, and Guy's Big Bites) started his career in food as the owner of a restaurant called "Johnny Garlic's". With its success, he then added many more restaurants to his stable. He credits the dish I'm about to share with you as being the dish that not only caused ALL his restaurants to stay in business, but that also helped him pass his exam to get out of culinary school, when he was training for his career. With such high praise, I was eager to try Guy's Cajun Chicken Alfredo.

Now any recipe with an Alfredo sauce is going to be laden with fat, and, as we know, fat = flavor. But really, I thought I could get a lot of flavor with a lot less fat, so if you want Guy's full fat version, click the link above.  I came very close to following his recipe exactly, but I cut the fat by using half and half rather than cream in the sauce. (Cream is 36% fat, while half and half is anywhere from 10% -18% fat, depending on the half and half you buy.) Even when using half and half, this is no diet dish, but I felt better about that small savings. To compensate for the loss of fat in my version, I increased my cooking time of the sauce, to allow the sauce to further reduce, and thicken up.

I wanted to tell you about another change in the recipe that I made due to my own personal preference. You can buy jars of marinated in oil sun-dried tomatoes, which is what Guy's original recipe calls for, and they have a brighter red color than the variety that I used, but frankly, their taste tends to be more sour and bitter. I prefer to buy Frieda's sun-dried tomatoes that come in a plastic/paper packet and are hanging from a rod in our local grocery store's produce section, and here's my reason. When I buy dried sun-dried tomatoes, and then hydrate them myself by soaking them in boiling water for 5 minutes before draining and chopping them, I find their flavor to be much sweeter,  deeper, and richer. There may be less color in my dish, but the color gets covered up by the Alfredo Sauce, anyway. If you want a bit more color in your dish (and I will next time) sprinkle on a few halved or quartered grape tomatoes for color, after you have plated your pasta.

I made my own blackening rub by following Guy's recipe, but frankly, when I was done stirring it up, I found a jar of "Cajun Seasoning" in the back of my spice cabinet, and did a blind "spice sniff test" with my son and me, and discovered that both he and I preferred the aroma of the Luzianne Cajun Seasoning I already had on hand. (But since I'd already mixed up this fresh batch of spices, that's what I used.) So, if you happen to have a jar of that spice blend, or Paul Prudhomme's blackening spice mix, you can definitely save yourself several minutes of digging through your spice cabinet, and use what you have. There is one advantage to making your own blend, which is that you control the amount of cayenne (read: HEAT) that you put in your own blackening spice. At my house, we are slightly weenie-like in our ability to tolerate heat, so rather than putting in a full teaspoon of cayenne, which is what Guy's recipe called for, I only added 1/4 of a teaspoon. You should adjust this recipe to your family's preference for heat/spiciness. ALSO: Guy called for dredging the chicken breasts in the spice, but I sprinkled the breasts generously with the spice mix. This gave me a lighter coating of spices, which was what I wanted. Didn't want TOO much salt: I'm not that wild about the gritty coating of acrid burnt spices that "blackening" sometimes produces.

Would I make this again? It was absolutely scrumptious, the kids were CRAZY about it, and it was pretty easy to do, so, yes, I would. I'd be more likely to make it when my husband is out of town,  though, because, let's face it, it's not exactly a heart healthy recipe. My husband is not going to be happy to read that, and will probably remind me how much weight he has lost and how hard he is exercising these days to keep his blood vessels nice and unclogged. (You're the best, Babe. If it's all the same to you, I'd prefer to keep you alive for a long, long time.)

Without any further delay, here is MY version of Guy Fieri's Cajun Chicken Alfredo: DELICIOUS!

Ingredients:

Kosher salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Blackening spice: recipe follows
2 T. olive oil
3 T. minced garlic
1/4 c. dry white wine
3 c. half and half
1 c. roughly chopped, re-hydrated sun-dried tomatoes

1 lb. fettucine

3/4 c. grated Parmesan
1 t. fine sea salt
1 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c. thinly sliced green onion, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350º. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over very high heat.

Sprinkle the chicken breasts with the Blackening Spice Rub (recipe follows). Place the chicken in the hot skillet, and blacken both sides of the chicken, about 3 minutes per side.

Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet and place in the oven until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165º on an instant read thermometer, about 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and slice the chicken into strips on the bias.

In a large skillet, over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and lightly brown it, about a minute. Stir in the wine. Pour in the half and half and bring to a simmer. Cook until the sauce is reduced by half. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and chicken slices.

Meanwhile, cook the fettucine al dente, according to the package instructions and drain.

When the cream sauce is the desired consistency, stir in 1/2 c. of the Parmesan, the sea salt, pepper and pasta.

To serve, toss the pasta with the cream sauce and serve. Garnish with the green onions and the remaining 1/4 c. Parmesan. (Some chopped grape tomatoes would add more color, if you like.)

Blackening Spice Rub:

1 1/2 t. garlic powder
1 T. freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 T. salt
2 t. ground cumin
1 t. onion powder
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1 t. Italian seasoning
1 t. smoked paprika
1/2 t. chili powder

Combine the spices in a small bowl, and store the leftovers in an airtight container.

If you were to make this dish, what are your preferences in regard to heat/spiciness?