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<title>Good Cookin&#x27; Blog</title><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/index.html</link><description>Subscribe to my RSS Feed</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><dc:rights>Copyright 2010 - 2013 Good Cookin&#x27; Blog</dc:rights><dc:date>2012-06-09T13:20:34-04:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
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<lastBuildDate>Sun, 13 Jan 2013 12:48:11 -0500</lastBuildDate><item><title>Bad Blogger</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2012-06-09T13:20:34-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/4b2e2afe4c0e1ba2218df129805530d8-54.html#unique-entry-id-54</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/4b2e2afe4c0e1ba2218df129805530d8-54.html#unique-entry-id-54</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It&rsquo;s been nearly sixteen months since I last hit publish on a post.   And it&rsquo;s been a winding road from that point to this.   I&rsquo;ve realized that I miss the writing, the posting, the photography.   As terrible a blogger as I&rsquo;ve always been, I hate that I gave up on this wee little piece of the internet that I claimed for myself.   So I&rsquo;m back, with no guarantees for how often or what I&rsquo;ll be posting.   But back I shall be and hopefully new and improved.


Reading: Quiet: the Power of Introverts in a World that Can&rsquo;t Stop Talking and Silver Linings Playbook, both of which I highly recommend


Listening: The movie Liberal Arts has some fantastic music, so I went and made a Spotify playlist of what I could find.   You can find it here


Stay tuned.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Schoolin&#x27;&#x2c; Life</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2011-09-13T15:19:11-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/09/13/2011/schoolin-life-guacamole.html#unique-entry-id-53</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/09/13/2011/schoolin-life-guacamole.html#unique-entry-id-53</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[She had requested chicken enchiladas and I decided to go all out and add appetizers, ramp up the enchiladas and do dessert.   She and I have been known to devour guacamole at really unhealthy speeds, so homemade guac seemed the way to go.


I hit up our local farmers market fairly often and got this gorgeous heirloom tomato the week before. 

...These are not all for the guac, I also used limes in the chicken for the enchiladas.


...I&rsquo;ve added a disclaimer to my about page and included it here as well:


I work part-time at my local Williams-Sonoma store and as such, you will see a number of WS products that I use in my daily cooking within my photography.   While my colleagues at the store are aware of my blog, there is no sponsorship or relationship of any kind between me, my blog and Williams-Sonoma Inc.   The products shown are items I use regularly and are included because I genuinely like them and because they are relevant to the production of whatever food I am showing.   If at any time a product outside of these parameters appears, I will make specific note of it within any post it appears.


...Add the tomato and lime juice at the end and stir in, no need to process everything to a pulp.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>So Long Sweet Summer</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><category>summer</category><dc:date>2011-09-12T13:49:04-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/09/12/2011/dusk-and-summer.html#unique-entry-id-52</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/09/12/2011/dusk-and-summer.html#unique-entry-id-52</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I woke up this morning to 60&deg; temperatures, beautiful blue skies and the realization that summer may just be over.   And what a summer it has been.


...No joke, it&rsquo;s been a little ridiculous. 


...It&rsquo;s been a beautiful summer.   And that&rsquo;s the summer I&rsquo;m clutching onto with this recipe.


It&rsquo;s almost not fair to call this a recipe. 

...I&rsquo;m also hard at work overhauling the navigation on this here blog.   My months away have given me new eyes on some clunky tools and missing features.   Currently up, but pretty bare: my recipe page!   Every recipe I post will be available on this page, sorted by dish type, seasonality, special diet...but I need you to tell me what would make it easiest for you: What categories do you look for? ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Back In Black</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2011-09-11T11:28:01-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/217019a79d2b26a1b009b18ffaa98d1a-51.html#unique-entry-id-51</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/217019a79d2b26a1b009b18ffaa98d1a-51.html#unique-entry-id-51</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[We had just wrapped up an all-school conflict resolution assembly and were arriving a few minutes late to 3rd period Physics.   As class was just getting going, a senior who I never knew socially but to this day remember his full name ran in and yelled to turn on the TV. ...  I have no idea what the topic was, because we were all transfixed by the screen.   He was still teaching when the whole class screamed and we saw the second plane hit.   Three of my close friends were in that class with me and I remember all looking at each other with mirrored shell-shocked expressions.


They kept us in school that day and the schedule pressed on, but what I really remember are small things.   The utter silence in the hallways, everyone focused on simply getting there; the news getting around that two of our teachers had children who worked in the WTC; the classmates who had parents and relatives who worked nearby; skipping lunch to huddle in the orchestra room and watch the news and seeing that first al-Qaeda video, claiming responsibility.


I am back and tomorrow I&rsquo;ll be here with a delicious end of summer recipe.   But today, take a moment to remember where you were, who you were with, and how that day may have changed your life and our country forever.   Remember the men and women whose lives were cruelly ripped away and remember the men and women who ran into unspeakable chaos and danger to offer aid.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Caramel Toffee Blondies</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2011-02-10T15:58:22-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/f60eddd8e0e9befd3df1ab07d21eb558-50.html#unique-entry-id-50</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/f60eddd8e0e9befd3df1ab07d21eb558-50.html#unique-entry-id-50</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Now, I realize that most people are still holding on with their teeth to the tattered remains of their New Years resolutions, but bear with me. ...  Hopefully you haven&rsquo;t been good and scrolled right past this without even looking, but these are seriously, really truly, utterly worth it. 

...If you&rsquo;re sticking around for the browning, this is very nearly the same process I used in the carrot cake and the pumpkin cake, just minus the chilling step. 

...I made the recipe twice, once with nuts and once without, so unless you&rsquo;re dealing with an allergy, I&rsquo;d strongly recommend the nuts. 

...Be very careful not to have any holes in the dough, or the caramel will cook onto the bottom of the pan and you will get a really really thorough arm workout trying to get them out of the pan. 

...Drizzle the caramel over the bottom layer of dough and spread around with a spatula so the whole area is covered. 

...This dough is pretty thick and you are going to want to cover all of the caramel, so use your (freshly washed) fingers or a clean spatula to spread it out.   It&rsquo;s not a big deal with the caramel layer is not completely covered, but do your best.


...Put them in some kind of tupperware with wax paper, or eat them all immediately, but do not, I repeat do not allow them to cool completely in the pan.   These get delightfully chewy but for whatever reason, were incredibly difficult to remove from the pan once they were cold. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2011-01-28T19:19:33-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/2aa858e376028eb472f0cf16db010219-49.html#unique-entry-id-49</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/2aa858e376028eb472f0cf16db010219-49.html#unique-entry-id-49</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[At the time of year that, of course, they&rsquo;re hardest to find. 

...The lemon-y freshness of summer, coupled with the sour cream in the recipe makes this a really nice, light and refreshing baked good.


...A new feature I&rsquo;m trying out, you can now download a pdf of this recipe, for your very own self!   Just click here and just like magic, your very own copy of this recipe will appear on your computer. ...  But don&rsquo;t let that stop you from reading the whole post, and admiring the pretty pictures.


...Don&rsquo;t microwave it, melted is not the same as room temperate.


I buy my poppy seeds in bulk at Wegmans and keep them in a jar, but they&rsquo;re also available in the spice aisle.


...In another bowl, combine the sour cream (plain Chobani would work as well) with the lemon extract and vanilla


...Add the flour and sour cream mixtures alternately, then poppy seeds at the end.


...When you put the sugar on at the beginning, it forms a really nice solid crust.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Flourless Chocolate Cake</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2011-01-15T22:36:14-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/f000dcfecc88a777fc07412794a416e8-47.html#unique-entry-id-47</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/f000dcfecc88a777fc07412794a416e8-47.html#unique-entry-id-47</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As soon as I saw this recipe in Real Simple, I knew I had to make it. 

...Go all double boiler-y and melt two sticks of butter with 1/4 fat free half &rsquo;n half (recipe calls for heavy whipping cream, I fought the man).


...I don&rsquo;t know about you, but if there is bittersweet chocolate in my house, it doesn&rsquo;t stick around long enough to be used in recipes. 

...Once the butter/cream/chips meltage is smooth and consistent, whisk into the sugar/cocoa/eggs bowl


...Allow to cool for one hour, then running a knife (or a freshly cleaned spoontula) around the edge to separate the cake from the pan, remove, slice and serve.


...The author calls for confectioners sugar on the top, but I was out.   And while it would have been lovely, I think it might have pushed the sugar levels a little over the top.


...The recipe specifically calls for a 9&rdquo;, but I think the depth of the cake would have been better in the 8&rdquo;. 

...Hardest part of this recipe was resisting the incredible smell for the whole hour it took to cool. 

...If you can master a double boiler and own a springform, you can make this cake. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Nothing Less&#x2c; Nothing More: Chocolate Cookies</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2011-01-02T17:51:10-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/6da8a96f4f12700f010c388a64234deb-46.html#unique-entry-id-46</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/6da8a96f4f12700f010c388a64234deb-46.html#unique-entry-id-46</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Sometimes I think cookies and cookie recipes are a bit overwrought. ...  Who needs a cookie with 87 different elements in it? 


...Not chocolate chip, not chocolate dipped or triple chocolate...just chocolate.


These start out, as all good cookies do, with Crisco and sugar.


...More chocolate, cause they don&rsquo;t look chocolate-y enough.


...Because these are already brown, it&rsquo;s tough to tell when they&rsquo;re...ya know, browned. 

...If you baked them on parchment paper, just slide the whole sheet off to a table to cool.


If not, let them sit on the pan for 1 minute, then remove to foil to cool.


...These cookies are actually based off my original cookie recipe, but plus 1/2 cup baking cocoa and minus the chips.   Because you&rsquo;re adding additional dry ingredients, you may consider adding more butter or Crisco. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Butternut Squash Bisque</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2011-01-29T11:03:56-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/83bde9dccc39dfce9ba5c0dae7368520-45.html#unique-entry-id-45</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/83bde9dccc39dfce9ba5c0dae7368520-45.html#unique-entry-id-45</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Butternut squash is one of those things I&rsquo;ve always seen at the grocery store and been mildly intrigued by.   Once it showed it&rsquo;s utterly omnipresent face throughout the food blog world, I knew I was going to have to investigate.


...But once you get there, look at this, it&rsquo;s so pretty:


...Here are your tools: a really big cutting board (or a really clean counter I suppose), a vegetable peeler, a grapefruit spoon and your big knife of choice.


...I have no idea if it&rsquo;s actually called a skin, but bear with me. 

...You&rsquo;re going to use the grapefruit spoon to get the seeds out, very much like carving a jack-o-lantern.


...I&rsquo;ve made this bisque with chicken broth and it just overpowered the taste of the squash. 

...Cook, much like you would mashed potatoes, for 20-30 minutes or until pieces break apart when you try to stab them with a fork.   At that point, the liquid will have reduced, so bust out the potato masher or immersion blender and blend until smooth. ...  At the very end, add about a quarter cup of half and half, just enough to make it creamy. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Le Pain de Singe/El Pan de Mono</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-12-26T08:06:50-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/2f35e0707d459c5a700641875c5f47a0-44.html#unique-entry-id-44</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/2f35e0707d459c5a700641875c5f47a0-44.html#unique-entry-id-44</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[You can add new ones to an existing set, but a total change is...uncomfortable for me. ...  One year my extended family is all together, the next it&rsquo;s just my immediate family and one set of aunts and uncles. 

...The one element of Christmas that has remained consistent is monkey bread (or pain de singe. ...  Monkey bread is dead easy, requires very little and has come to be essentially Christmas.   I&rsquo;ve made monkey bread for Christmases in West Virginia, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Virginia, for family Christmases and boyfriend&rsquo;s family&rsquo;s Christmases. 

...At least a half cup of white sugar and a generous sprinkle of cinnamon


...And roll each piece of biscuit in the cinnamon sugar mix until it is coated


Meanwhile, in a small saucepan across the kitchen...melt a stick of butter, one half cup white sugar and one half cup brown sugar.


...Whisk the butter sugar mixture and continue melting until it&rsquo;s consistent and creamy


...Take the platter you want to serve on and place it, top side down, on top of the bundt
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Great Thanksgiving Feast: We Conclude</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-12-24T07:04:23-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/d53f93b7f4380aeb1ceb1d7e457ded95-41.html#unique-entry-id-41</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/d53f93b7f4380aeb1ceb1d7e457ded95-41.html#unique-entry-id-41</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[And so, we conclude, the Great Thanksgiving Feast of 2010.


...Post-it Notes are your friends


...Anything that can be done ahead, do it.   If it can be made and frozen, do it.   If it can be peeled and cut, do it.


...Cover your tables in butcher paper, put out crayons and let everyone write what they are thankful for this year.


Gingerbread houses will keep any number of people busy for hours


...This holiday is all about family


...Accept the failure will happen and not everything can be perfect


And remember, amidst all the cooking, all the planning, all the shopping, all the dishes and all the house guests, to give thanks.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Apple Pie Vindication</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-12-29T17:04:10-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/71dde309528a3c7249d761b72b61b6fb-40.html#unique-entry-id-40</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/71dde309528a3c7249d761b72b61b6fb-40.html#unique-entry-id-40</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[So after my epic apple pie fail (okay maybe it wasn&rsquo;t epic) of Thanksgiving, I was determined to re-do my apple pie.


I knew the problem wasn&rsquo;t with my recipe, but rather with the corn starch.   So taking the same recipe I used before and being insanely heavy handed and totally disregarding presentation, I give you: Apple Pie Redux.


You know that saying that everything is bigger in Texas? 


Think of this as a Texas pie.


Bigger chunks of apple, bigger crust, bigger portion of cinnamon


...Note: this had WAY too much cinnamon. ...  And this pie had it&rsquo;s own share of problems (the crust was too thick, there may actually have been too much corn starch, the apple slices were too think) but it was delicious.   So stick with that original recipe, make sure you&rsquo;re using good corn starch and all will be well.


By the way, apparently this month contains National Pie Week, January 23rd to the 29th. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Great Thanksgiving Feast: Brown Butter Rocks</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-12-23T16:57:12-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/b0d73f21c634791c6784f5765cb9b496-39.html#unique-entry-id-39</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/b0d73f21c634791c6784f5765cb9b496-39.html#unique-entry-id-39</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As I said in the pie post, every Thanksgiving brings one brand spankin&rsquo; new dessert recipe. ...  I had been toying with a few different ideas until the holiday edition of Fine Cooking landed in my mailbox. 

...I used the icing recipe on a carrot cake and found it, as FC recipes usually are, to be freakishly delicious. 

...I was working on another Pioneer Woman recipe that day, but I really love the splash of color her cookbook adds to these pictures, don&rsquo;t you? 


...For the icing this time. (if you didn&rsquo;t read the initial browned butter effort, I recommend you go back and do so)


...At this point I did something I don&rsquo;t at all recommend and manually held this bowl underneath my stand mixer, ball whisk attachment, and beat the icing the rest of the way.   Really, don&rsquo;t do it unless you absolutely must.   Forgive the lack of pictures, I was desperately clutching the bowl with two arms.


...It&rsquo;s really hard to take an appealing picture of a cream colored cake, on an off white cake pan, sitting on top of a pebbled white folding table.


...I am going to shoot Fine Cooking an email and ask if they mind if I post the recipe for this, but until/unless they give the okay, I&rsquo;m just going to strongly encourage you to subscribe. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Great Thanksgiving Feast: Extravaganza de Pie</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-12-22T15:23:50-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/ba07416528830a64775ef7bf2ac9b9e5-38.html#unique-entry-id-38</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/ba07416528830a64775ef7bf2ac9b9e5-38.html#unique-entry-id-38</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[They are of course influenced by my family&rsquo;s Southern/British/New England tastes, but I would recommend all of these highly to any pie lover.


...I always hated the pecan pies that were crust, goop and a thin layer of pecan on the very top, so this pie is...well, the opposite. 

...Start out melting white sugar, light corn syrup, dark corn syrup, brown sugar, butter and salt in a large sauce pan. 


Yes, I did choose, of all the tools and implements in my kitchen, to stir this with a butter knife.


Note: the pie crust is going to get its very own post, but before you start any of these pieces, you should have crust at least chilling in the fridge.


...Beat three eggs in another bowl and add, with 1 1/2 cup roughly chopped toasted pecans, to the sauce pan at the same time. 

...I made three several years ago and had blind taste testers (not literally blind, but you know what I mean) and the most popular, by far, was the recipe on the can on Eagle Sweetened Condensed Milk. 

...That&rsquo;s because, while this is easily the prettiest pie I&rsquo;ve ever made, there was some kind of massive malfunction with this particular one.   I ran out of corn starch midway through the day and I&rsquo;m fairly sure the new can of it was a bad batch. 

...Bake at 350 degrees for at least one hour or until outer edges of filling are firm and center is beginning to set
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Great Thanksgiving Feast: The Bird(s)</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-12-21T15:06:36-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/3f389f46a55fa9e979e2125a225bb6b2-37.html#unique-entry-id-37</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/3f389f46a55fa9e979e2125a225bb6b2-37.html#unique-entry-id-37</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Add in lighting challenges, a crowded kitchen and just trying to remember what I&rsquo;ve already taken a picture of and what I still need to? 

...Luckily, nothing about the actual preparation of the bird(s) was forgotten or done wrong. ...  So beautifully in fact, that I&rsquo;m really disappointed in my lack of pictures.   I didn&rsquo;t take a single picture of the completed bird.   It&rsquo;s not that I&rsquo;m being picky about the quality of the picture or a little blurriness or bad lighting (c&rsquo;mon, look at this first one!) 

...Fistful of fresh sage, half a stick of butter and three or four long stalks of celery, cut into pieces, all into the cavity:


...Where I literally did not touch them until 12:30 when I started checking doneness. ...  I was planning the main meal for 2 pm, and wanted the turkeys done at 1, leaving them an hour to rest.   They were actually done a little early, but I left them in until 1, then pulled them out and tightly foiled them.


...I literally ate nothing but turkey, gravy and a roll and it was all I wanted it to be. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Great Thanksgiving Feast: Bread Item</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-12-18T14:50:56-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/a28fad6ea41ccc4dd39195225ceda5d4-36.html#unique-entry-id-36</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/a28fad6ea41ccc4dd39195225ceda5d4-36.html#unique-entry-id-36</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[If it were not expensive and I wouldn&rsquo;t be putting myself at risk for mercury poisoning, I would eat shrimp multiple times every day. 

...My family has a lot of its own vernacular and one of my own contributions to it is: bread item. ...  I wasn&rsquo;t too picky about what it was, but there had better be one.   Last year my mom convinced me that making rolls wasn&rsquo;t necessary and that the effort required could be better spent elsewhere.   Being 20-something and ya know, no longer 8 years old, I decided to go along with it. ...  I don&rsquo;t know if anyone else in my family noticed, but I totally did and vowed not to do it again this year.


...I relied on my stand-by BHG recipe (found here) and off set the prep time by cooking them literally weeks in advance. ...  These froze incredibly well after the second rise and after setting them out, covered on baking sheets (all over any flat spot in my living room), baked wonderfully the next day.


...AND made them pretty small, so the yield on this was probably closer to 60.


...I didn&rsquo;t do the dollop of butter on the inside of the roll, but they did get a pre- and post-bake brush of melted butter.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Great Thanksgiving Feast: Veggies</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-12-17T19:54:15-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/f822ccc6d1eeee1d84d7d96fec88766f-35.html#unique-entry-id-35</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/f822ccc6d1eeee1d84d7d96fec88766f-35.html#unique-entry-id-35</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Anyway, spread them in a single layer on a jelly roll/cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil and generously sprinkle cumin, salt and a bit of black pepper.   Roast at 375 or 400 (on Thanksgiving the turkey takes oven temperature precedence, so that temperature is based on the turkey, not the vegetables.


I did not broil these at the end of the 20 minutes, but I think that would have been a nice addition.


In past years, I&rsquo;ve made the (clich&eacute;d) traditional sweet potatoes, with the marshmallows and all that. 

...Even though I&rsquo;m not a big fan of sweet potatoes (I have a major sweet-savory thing), I wanted to try something new but still provide something my family would like. 

...I peeled and cut up the potatoes and braised them in a skim milk and fat free half &rsquo;n&rsquo; half combination (80% skim, 20% half &rsquo;n&rsquo; half?), covered, on medium heat for 35ish minutes, or until a piece broke apart easily when stabbed with a fork.


...My sister Alex was my foodtography assistant for the whole show and she took this super-cool shot of sugar being poured. 

...Chop off the woody part of the stalk and place in a single layer on a jelly roll pan, drizzle olive oil and go wild with the salt, pepper and a grated parmagiano reggiano.


...With the aformentioned hand mixer death, these mashed potatoes never got to where I wanted them. 

...Cooked covered for 30 minutes or until the pieces break apart easily when stabbed with a fork.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Great Thanksgiving Feast: Appetizers</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-12-07T18:48:49-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/c869ad0110c71e4f328ff99fc3da5b00-33.html#unique-entry-id-33</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/c869ad0110c71e4f328ff99fc3da5b00-33.html#unique-entry-id-33</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[We serve buffet style, I start planning a month ahead, I cook all day Wednesday in prep, and I make the exact same appetizers every year.   I really doubt anyone in my family is complaining, mostly because they&rsquo;re freakishly delicious, but nonetheless, they are the same.   I serve them two hours prior to the main meal, which is in my mind, enough time to regain some semblance of hunger. 


...Sautee 1 cup of the roughly chopped (toasted) pecans in the butter and brown sugar until well candied.


...Then bake the whole thing in the oven at 375 for 35-40 minutes, until the whole thing looks melty. 

...In a bit bowl, combine a 10 oz package of frozen spinach, thawed and drained, an 8 oz package of softened cream cheese and a 14 oz can of artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed and chopped. 

...Top with more cheese (mozzarella, asiago and parmagiana reggiano are pictured) and bake (I used the same square Pyrex in which I roasted the garlic) covered, then uncovered, until the cheese browns and is bubbly.


Now, I stopped trying to kid myself into thinking this was even remotely healthy this year, but there are ways to make it a little bit less calorically devastating.   I use all part skim mozzarella, reduced fat cream cheese (never fat free, ew) and fat free half and half in the alfredo.   I also use less mozzarella in favor of more flavorful cheeses like asiago and reggiano, which get the point across without needing a huge amount. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Great Thanksgiving Feast: Photo Overview</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-12-04T13:25:24-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/42e99d7bd4e3770319ea995bb2ee9a53-32.html#unique-entry-id-32</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/42e99d7bd4e3770319ea995bb2ee9a53-32.html#unique-entry-id-32</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[So between my sister and me, two cameras and two days of prep and cooking, there are well over 1000 photos of this year&rsquo;s Great Thanksgiving Feast.   Before I go through each with recipes and prep, here&rsquo;s an overview of the two days!


...Browned butter, setting in a pretty glass bowl


36 lbs of turkey, dry herb rubbed Wednesday night


...A completed architectural feat


...A new attempt at sweet potatoes


...Yukon golds steaming up the place


...Out of 1K+ pictures, these are the only ones of the completed turkeys...fail


...The completed sweet potatoes


Wait, how&rsquo;d that get in there??
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Perfect Pie Crust</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2011-01-27T15:38:52-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/31bda3063f122e63bcdc74ca08982dbe-31.html#unique-entry-id-31</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/31bda3063f122e63bcdc74ca08982dbe-31.html#unique-entry-id-31</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[And mark this day down, because I think this is probably the first (and maybe only) time I will tell you that not using a stand mixer is better.   I love my stand mixer, I can&rsquo;t imagine baking without it, but for this one instance, it&rsquo;s worthwhile not to use it. 


...Leave them there for at least half an hour, until the water has a light crust of ice on the top and the fat is very very cold.


...I found that if I grate the whole block and then blend, it&rsquo;s very difficult due to the massive layer of butter on top. 

...Take out the nice chilled ball of dough and cut it in half (if it&rsquo;s a two crust pie)


...Lay your pie pan, upside down, on top of the dough and cut, with a paring knife, about 1&rdquo; to 1.5&rdquo; outside of the circle of the pan.


...If this is a one crust pie, edge it and place the whole thing in the fridge for at least an hour before adding filling. 

...You need to seal the crusts so that your filling doesn&rsquo;t just ooze out the outside of the pie while it bakes. 

...Either way, you&rsquo;re then going to cut a vent, so the whole crust doesn&rsquo;t puff up in the oven.


...Your baking time is going to vary on what your filling is, but expect about an hour at 375 or 400.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Honeyed Shortbread: the Point of No Return</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2011-01-26T17:03:59-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/e6f3b3fe8b4a0b1351d219b421ef4258-30.html#unique-entry-id-30</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/e6f3b3fe8b4a0b1351d219b421ef4258-30.html#unique-entry-id-30</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Since it wasn&rsquo;t really seasonal and since I just made it (&lsquo;cause I wanted to) as finger food to have about, I didn&rsquo;t post it then. 

...It&rsquo;s absurdly expensive so I only buy it at the holidays or to make something where it will really matter, but since this was Thanksgiving, I had some on hand. 

...So after the tart pan has been in the freezer for at least 30 minutes and gone into a 375 degree oven for about 30, we&rsquo;re going to microwave this honey.


...See, after 15 seconds in the microwave, this is what the honey will look like. 

...Using a pastry brush (if needed) cover the whole shortbread with the honey. 1/3 cup should be plenty.


Sprinkle generously with sea salt and pop it back into the oven for the last five minutes.


...I took a biscuit cutter (you could use a glass if you don&rsquo;t have a biscuit cutter) and cut out the center, then sliced accordingly.


You can also just try and slice it like a cake, but I found these to be a bit much.


The honey bakes into the top of the shortbread (you can just see it in this picture) and gives it this amazing density.   Coupled with the salt on top, which is just enough to really enhance the honey, you won&rsquo;t ever eat regular shortbread the same way again.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>I&#x27;m Terrible at Coming Up with Titles...</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-11-18T11:42:28-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/a682e4569128a1d5d99bf467111ca401-29.html#unique-entry-id-29</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/a682e4569128a1d5d99bf467111ca401-29.html#unique-entry-id-29</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I don&rsquo;t seem to be getting any better at coming up with clever, yet relevant post titles... fellow bloggers, tips? 


...I&rsquo;m trying to expand my soup repertoire, but baked potato soup is the go-to family favorite for now.


...Put the potatoes in a 400 degree oven for at least an hour. 

...Sautee in a big kettle with some butter and some olive oil until they&rsquo;re golden and translucent.


...Now whisk in 6 cups milk and turn the heat up to medium high.   You don&rsquo;t want it to come to a boil, but you want it to get hot


...Once they&rsquo;re touchable, use a fork and spoon to remove all the &ldquo;meat&rdquo; from the skin.


...I failed to take a picture of the rest of the stuff, but add cheddar cheese, a regular container of plain greek yogurt, garlic, black pepper and salt to taste, and a handful of bacon.


...Sautee onion on medium heat in butter and olive oil until golden and translucent


...When potatoes are done, remove and slice in half to cool
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Cheesy Deliciousness: Alfredo</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-11-18T09:51:55-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/1836ec6429fe763fc769b28bb1b6afda-28.html#unique-entry-id-28</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/1836ec6429fe763fc769b28bb1b6afda-28.html#unique-entry-id-28</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Last night, I sat down with last year&rsquo;s notes, my recipe binder and a couple cookbooks to lay out the plan.   Because we have so many people, we don&rsquo;t do courses, but we do serve appetizers a couple hours before the main meal. ...  My own version is a mash-up of a Cooking Light Recipe and traditional restaurant style dip, but it calls for a jar of alfredo sauce. ...  I don&rsquo;t do jar marinara and even though it&rsquo;s Thanksgiving and I will have 97 things going, I will not do jar alfredo.


I make this sauce throughout the year and have now made it so many times that the biggest challenge of writing it up was figuring out measurements. 

...The form of the mozzarella (fresh or shredded or sliced) is pretty irrelevant in the end, but what is crucial is butter:


...There can never be too much garlic in the world: I know because I&rsquo;ve tried to put too much in this.   I&rsquo;ve used fontina in place of and in addition to mozzarella, if I have asiago in the house, it goes in.   The cream cheese bulks it up, the half and half thins it out and cooking it longer brings it back to that ridiculous melty amazing state.   My sister has stood over the sauce pan after the meal and scraped what&rsquo;s left of it onto any piece of bread she can find. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A Mexican Conundrum</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-11-14T12:17:25-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/fd4f48bb504192665b038cb76a8161de-27.html#unique-entry-id-27</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/fd4f48bb504192665b038cb76a8161de-27.html#unique-entry-id-27</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[For a family as wholly not Latin as mine is, we eat a lot of Mexican/Tex-Mex food. 

...While our local grocery store has recently branched out from Pace and all the regular American brands of Mexican products, our local Walmart tends to have a better selection of more authentic products. 

...Spread a few spoonfuls of the green sauce on the bottom of your baking dish (9x13 Pyrex here)


...I didn&rsquo;t do it, but if you like things spicy, adding a packet of fajita seasoning at this stage would be good. 

...Add chicken (bearing in mind you&rsquo;re doing this 8 times, so don&rsquo;t be too heavy handed)


...I was experimenting with the rolling method (folding the ends in like a burrito or not) so that&rsquo;s why they&rsquo;re all so inconsistent. 

...Now cover the pan with foil and bake at 375ish (doesn&rsquo;t have to be specific) for 25 minutes.   Then uncover and bake for another 5-10, until the cheese is browned.


...I serve enchiladas with white rice (brown if you&rsquo;re feeling healthy and can deal with the texture, I can&rsquo;t).


...Uncover pan and bake for another 5-10, until cheese is browned
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Gingerbread Win</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-11-10T12:35:45-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/cbafa3fea2cda6749030a3d9c486adc3-26.html#unique-entry-id-26</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/cbafa3fea2cda6749030a3d9c486adc3-26.html#unique-entry-id-26</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[To fully appreciate how much of a win this recipe is, you have to understand how complete my rolled/cookie cutter epic fail status is. ...  The dough is too cold to work, too sticky to handle, gets stuck in the cutter, is totally disfigured by the time it gets to the pan...you name it. 


...It may be that I&rsquo;ve finally found a technique that works for me, but if it works for me, I bet it&rsquo;ll work for you. 

...In another bowl, combine all the spices and dry ingredients. 1 tsp baking soda, 3/4 tsp salt, 1 tbs cinnamon, 4 tsps ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cloves.   I like my baked goods really well spiced, so while I&rsquo;d recommend keeping the proportions roughly the same (lots of cinnamon and ginger, tiny amounts of nutmeg and cloves) feel free to mess with it.


...I&rsquo;ve only recently discovered the wonders of parchment paper and I cannot overstate how great it is for baking. 

...Pull the dough out of the fridge (if you left it in overnight, you may need to give it a few minutes to warm up).


Keeping the seran wrap on top of the dough (and the wax paper below) roll out the dough until it&rsquo;s a consistent thickness. 

...Lift the wax paper to peel off each little man and put each on the parchment paper covered cookie sheet


...I got one good re-roll out of the dough before it had to go back in the fridge and re-chill.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Best Cookies Ever</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-11-09T13:41:51-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/ef8674d542531a82bfacb1ae451975d4-25.html#unique-entry-id-25</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/ef8674d542531a82bfacb1ae451975d4-25.html#unique-entry-id-25</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[They have the granularity of a lot of sugar and a rich deliciousness. 

...There are a few really crucial ingredients that make or break this cookie, and the first is butter flavored Crisco. 

...A packed 1/2 cup of light brown sugar and 1 cup white sugar, plus vanilla. 


Anyway, if I measured the vanilla, it&rsquo;d probably be somewhere around 3 teaspoons. ...  There&rsquo;s far more room for abandon in baking than you&rsquo;d think. 

...Anytime a member of my family goes to South America, which is more often than you&rsquo;d think, I ask them to bring back vanilla extract. 

...This is the vanilla I&rsquo;m using right now, I have no idea which country it came from, but it&rsquo;s wonderful.


...Somewhere between 2 1/2 and 3 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt and a generous teaspoon of the baking soda.


...I was pretty excited about actually baking in daylight and having nice light and make have gotten carried away...

...Let them cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet, then move to aluminum foil. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Tales of Family and Food</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-11-08T14:43:12-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/11082010/family_food_crepes.html#unique-entry-id-24</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/11082010/family_food_crepes.html#unique-entry-id-24</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Growing up, we spent a lot of time at my grandparents house in Virginia. ...  My grandfather was an Anglican priest, now bishop, and so Sunday mornings were always a frenzy of activity. 

...My grandparents had this huge wooden kitchen table, and Saturday mornings, any family member in the house could be found there.   My mother has four siblings and throughout the years, at least one of them was living at that house.   We&rsquo;d all tumble out of our beds, wake whatever aunt or uncle was home, and find our way to the kitchen table, where my grandfather would hold court. 


They had this enormous quasi-commercial stove and on Saturdays, it was my grandfather&rsquo;s domain. ...  If you&rsquo;ve ever made crepes or been to a creperie, you know the smell... there&rsquo;s a uniquely crepe smell, and it had this amazing ability to penetrate the house. 


...In a very hot skillet, pour a bit of oil and swirl the pan, enough to cover the surface. 

...It should very quickly cook around the edges and begin to pull back from the pan.


...My grandparents have since moved from that house and my own immediate family has absconded with the recipe, but no matter what, that smell and that taste will always take me back to being 8 years old and having everyone in my world around one table, eating my grandfather&rsquo;s crepes. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Experiment: Cookie Surprise</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-10-14T21:52:36-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/10142010/cookie_experiment.html#unique-entry-id-21</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/10142010/cookie_experiment.html#unique-entry-id-21</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[That&rsquo;s the posting schedule I&rsquo;d like to get on, one recipe and one...non-recipe post per day. 

...The cookies were a great hit, but unfortunately, the store where I bought the peanut butter cups is no longer. 

...After I picked my sister up from school, we headed to the closest one to see if perhaps they might have my little peanut butter cups. 

...I had this idea: what about wrapping a bud and a caramel in cookie dough and baking it? 

...I was pretty generous with the amount of dough, and spaced them out pretty widely on the pan so they wouldn&rsquo;t into one enormous cookie mass.


...The caramel had melted through to the bottom of the cookie and even getting them off the pan was a challenge. 

...The next attempt ditched the buds entirely and tried to alleviate the melting out the bottom problem by simply placing the caramel on top of the dough.


...They&rsquo;re also about three inches in diameter, as were the first batch, so by now I was running low on dough. 


...I&rsquo;d recommend lowering the flour to somewhere between 2 1/2 cups and 2 3/4 cups though. 


...	3. dark chocolate buds don&rsquo;t seem to have enough fat in them to melt well. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Bad Blogger Black Bean Soup</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-10-14T12:57:26-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/10142010/black_bean_soup.html#unique-entry-id-20</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/10142010/black_bean_soup.html#unique-entry-id-20</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[No one in my family likes this but me, but if you like black beans, disregard their opinion. 

...We&rsquo;re obviously not too concerned with chunks, so there&rsquo;s no time or rule here.


...By the way, if you aren&rsquo;t attached to a particular salsa already, I highly recommend this one from Costco:


...Anyway, you&rsquo;ve got a saucepan with half a can of whole beans, half a can of blended beans and 1/2 cup salsa. 

...Here we have 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt.


...The why eludes me, though I suspect if I sauteed onions in some olive oil at the beginning, it wouldn&rsquo;t. 

...If you stick it in the sink and immediately fill it with water, it cleans very easily after you&rsquo;ve eaten.


The one normal can version of this recipe will feed two, or refridgerates well for a second meal.   If you&rsquo;re serving more, just get the big can of black beans, and double everything else. 

...I&rsquo;d recommend this with mozzarella cheese and a nice piece of crusty bread.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Scurrilous and False</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>misc</category><dc:date>2010-10-03T21:22:17-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/10022010/marie_claire_article.html#unique-entry-id-19</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/10022010/marie_claire_article.html#unique-entry-id-19</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Disclaimer: I didn&rsquo;t start this blog to rant and I sincerely hope that however few readers I have at this point (thanks guys!!) 

...But I am not a newcomer to the healthy living blog community.   I have been reading healthy living blogs for the last two years and it is predominantly these blogs that inspired me to start my own.   I started my own with the intent of focusing on cooking, largely because I&rsquo;m not comfortable putting my everyday life that fully in the open. 

...I&rsquo;d highly recommend not spending your money on the magazine, but you can find a scan on Strawberry Sweat&rsquo;s blog here, or patronize your local library and read it there.   My own opinions of the writer, her research or lack thereof, and of the editorial decision makers at Marie Claire are vehement and harsh, but I would honestly rather promote these women.


...I would not have started a blog or tried any number of different foods or completely changed my perspective on exercise without you and your writing.   You have given, and continue to give, a gift to the world by giving of your hearts, minds and lives. 

...I&rsquo;ve strongly expressed my opinions on Marie Claire&rsquo;s Facebook page and will be sending in a letter to the editor.   You can find their Facebook page here and reach their Editor in Chief Joanna Coles at joannacoles@hearst.com. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Carrot Cake with Brown Butter Icing</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-09-27T15:03:44-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/09_27_10_carrot_cake.html#unique-entry-id-18</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/09_27_10_carrot_cake.html#unique-entry-id-18</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In my efforts to eradicate the scourge of carrots in the fridge (see carrot bread), I made some cake. ...  This cake was made on the best of days, the day a new edition of Fine Cooking Magazine landed in my mailbox.   This icing, a brown butter cream cheese icing, is on the cover of the current edition and really, it&rsquo;s incredible. 


...I will include the cake recipe and ingredients below, but to be totally honest, it looks almost exactly like the making of the aformentioned carrot bread. 

...I baked this cake at night and so yes, my lighting is a little wonky, but this cake is exactly that rich an orange. 

...Add the good part of the butter to the cream cheese and brown sugar mixture. 

...Okay, so because this recipe is currently on news stands, I&rsquo;m going to tell you to go buy it yourself. ...  but my love for Fine Cooking compels me to tell you to go and buy it for yourself. 

...The original recipe for the cake is from the September &rsquo;99 edition of Bon Appetit and can be found on Epicurious here.


The recipe for the icing is from the October/November 2010 edition of Fine Cooking and you should go buy it. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Nutty Granola</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-09-21T12:31:46-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/09_21_10_granola.html#unique-entry-id-17</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/09_21_10_granola.html#unique-entry-id-17</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Sure, you could just go buy a bag at the grocery store, but wouldn&rsquo;t you rather have exactly what you want and cheaper? 

...When the idea to cook a food comes to mind, as opposed to being inspired by something I read, my first consideration before I look for a recipe is high or low. ...  My use of &ldquo;low&rdquo; is not in any way pejorative, in fact my whole blog is pretty much dedicated to the lowering of &ldquo;cuisine&rdquo;. 

...It&rsquo;s one of my very favorite blogs to read, so I&rsquo;m testing out her method to see if it helps me organize better. 

...Anyway, take 4 cups old fashioned oats, 1 cup wheat germ, 1/2 cup flax meal, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 1 cup chopped almonds, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon nutmug. 

...Then mix 1/3 cup canola oil, 3/4 cup water and 2 teaspoons vanilla in a separate bowl. ...  This looks pretty gross, so I didn&rsquo;t take a picture, but I&rsquo;m sure y&rsquo;all can visualize sufficiently.


...Make It Yours: the only real essentials in this granola are the oats, the wheat germ, the oil and the water. ...  I happened to have almonds and pecans in my kitchen, so that&rsquo;s what went in.   While I realize that this recipe is totally delicious (it&rsquo;s okay, I&rsquo;ll own it), part of the point of me sharing this with you is to show people how easy it is to create recipes for yourselves. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Chicken Chili&#x21;</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-09-16T19:00:25-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/09_16_10_chicken_chili.html#unique-entry-id-16</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/09_16_10_chicken_chili.html#unique-entry-id-16</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[My family would eat this with a dollop sour cream/plain greek yogurt and a mild cheddar cheese or colby-jack. 

...I have a weird opposition to the white kidney beans, but it really doesn&rsquo;t matter which ones you use. 

...Anyway, drain the kidney beans (but not the black beans) and add both to the pot.


...(See the note at the end of the recipe if you&rsquo;re opposed to this, for whatever reason. 

...Add a can of diced tomatoes (drain if the chili looks broth-y, don&rsquo;t if it&rsquo;s thicker than you like it) and bury the chicken to cook.


...I can tell you what to add, but the how much is based on what my family likes. ...  The easiest fix at that point is to dump in a couple spoonfuls of sour cream (or plain greek yogurt) to diffuse it. 

...For me and mine, seasonings that go in at this point would be 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper.


...Add your seasoning and let it cook without a lid until it&rsquo;s thickened to the point you like it. 

...You still have to feel your way through how much of the seasonings you want to use, but it is nice and convenient.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Really Really Good Carrot Bread</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-09-15T13:04:39-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/09_15_10_carrot_bread.html#unique-entry-id-15</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/09_15_10_carrot_bread.html#unique-entry-id-15</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[That&rsquo;s about 2 1/2 cups of shredded carrots.   I wasn&rsquo;t too terribly concerned with a consistent shred, so there are larger chunks of carrot in the mix too. 

...Add in 2 cups of flour, 2 teaspoons of baking soda, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1 1/4 cup white sugar.


Elsewhere, lightly beat 3 eggs and combine with 1 cup oil (of your choice, I used canola) and 4 tablespoons vanilla.


...PAM for Baking is my usual choice (it smells like cake, I love it!)


...One of my favorite things about quickbreads is when they have a crunchy topping. 

...Gonna have to watch this one, it took about 40 minutes at 375 for mine to finish, but this will of course depend pretty heavily on your pans and on your oven.


...These will freeze really well and the batter can also be used to make muffins.


...In another bowl, lightly beat eggs, then add oil and vanilla


...Bake in preheated oven at 375 for 40 minutes (or 20 for muffins).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Marinara Sauce</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-10-15T10:49:09-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/10152010/picky_eater_sauce.html#unique-entry-id-13</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/10152010/picky_eater_sauce.html#unique-entry-id-13</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[My extended family has these stories of me as a willful child, sitting at the dinner table for hours because I wouldn&rsquo;t eat something on my plate. ...  I&rsquo;ve always had certain foods I&rsquo;ve irrationally not liked, things I simply refuse to eat.   There&rsquo;s no real rhyme or reason to it, just an adamant, unwavering commitment to avoiding them.


As I&rsquo;ve gotten older and learned to cook, my pickiness has taken a turn toward the slightly more reasonable: snobbery.   Now there are certain foods that I don&rsquo;t really eat unless I&rsquo;ve made them.   It&rsquo;s not that there&rsquo;s anything inherently wrong or bad about them, it&rsquo;s more that...

...Once I figured out just how simple it was to make it for myself, with my preferences in seasoning and thickness, there was no going back. 


...If you&rsquo;re just throwing it on top of some fresh pasta, eat it right from the pot. 

...Cook uncovered for about 2 hours, until volume has gone down nearly two inches on the side of the pot


...I wish I had taken a picture of it, but filling a gallon bag, pressing out all the air and freezing the bag horizontally flat is the best method for keeping sauce long term. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Skillet Corn Bread</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-09-23T13:38:36-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/09_16_10_skillet_corn_bread.html#unique-entry-id-12</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/09_16_10_skillet_corn_bread.html#unique-entry-id-12</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[So chili and cornbread are one of the meal combos that is in regular rotation in my house, especially in the winter.   This recipe specifically has been in such rotation that the Food & Wine magazine from whence this recipe comes has barely left my kitchen.   There are probably 30 cookbooks in my house and we keep exactly two of them in the kitchen. 

...So, pitch #2 (see #1) for you go to out and buy a cast iron skillet. 

...Add 2 tablespoons of butter, the recipe says unsalted, I&rsquo;ve used both and it&rsquo;s fine.


...1 1/2 cup flour, 3/4 cup cornmeal, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 2 teaspoons salt.


Melt 6 tablespoons butter (the rest of the stick from above) in a microwave-safe container. 50 seconds does it in mine.


...You&rsquo;ll know it&rsquo;s done when the edges are browned and a toothpick or fork come out of the center clean.


...I&rsquo;m not so much on the whole &ldquo;relish&rdquo; concept, so I cannot comment on any taste/texture differences between mine and theirs. 

...If you go up to 3/4 cup sugar, this is a definitively sweet corn bread. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Asparagus Wrapped in Deliciousness</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-09-27T13:33:42-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/09_27_10_asparagus.html#unique-entry-id-7</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/09_27_10_asparagus.html#unique-entry-id-7</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This post is a smidgen out of season, now that it&rsquo;s September, but I wanted to share it anyway. 


I contemplated starting a blog for a long time before I actually did it.   Probably a lot of people I discussed it with thought I&rsquo;d forgotten or dropped it. ...  Instead I spent a lot of time flailing reading and thinking and trying out the process of &ldquo;cooking for blogging&rdquo; to see if it worked for me.   This is one of posts I did way back in June to test all this out. 

...Take asparagus, enough for however many you are serving.   We eat about 5 or 6 per person, you do the math.


...I know I said bacon, but this is prosciutto. 


Wrap 4 stalks in one piece of prosciutto, layering so that most of the stalks are covered.


...Grill until the exposed stalk has nice grill marks and the prosciutto is crisping.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Marinated Cow Flops</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-09-23T15:02:00-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/09_23_10_portobellas.html#unique-entry-id-5</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/09_23_10_portobellas.html#unique-entry-id-5</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Regardless of what my mother says, this is an incredibly easy and delicious way to eat portobellos.   I owe this recipe to a former boss, who took our whole office out to dinner in Little Italy while we were at a conference in Manhattan. 

...Basically, this is a portobello marinated in a balsamic vinaigrette, pan seared with cheese melted on top, then sprinkled with sea salt and sometimes bits of bacon. 

...Please use a sharp knife so you don&rsquo;t totally ravage the mushroom like I did:


I&rsquo;m not even going to show you the underside of the poor thing, it was really that bad.


...Anyway, pour the balsamic vinaigrette of your choice over it and let it marinate for at least a couple hours, I left it overnight.


...Because there&rsquo;s still an edge around it, you&rsquo;re going to have to flatten it with a spatula. 

...Eventually, once the liquid output has slowed, add pieces of the cheese of your choice to the top and lower the heat.


...I wish I remembered which restaurant this came from, but New York, Little Italy, small place with to die for lobster cannelloni. 

...Marinate in balsamic vinaigrette for at least 2 hours, but overnight is fine
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Best BLT Ever</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-11-14T13:57:46-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/4f31cd1ada2544580c782ff7877cc588-2.html#unique-entry-id-2</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/4f31cd1ada2544580c782ff7877cc588-2.html#unique-entry-id-2</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In light of the recent glut of baked goods, chicken enchiladas notwithstanding, I thought I&rsquo;d go to the other extreme...with BACON!   This is an awesome summer sandwich, complete with fresh basil, local tomatoes, local fresh mozzarella and bread. 


...So please forgive my beginner photography, complete with date stamp, and focus instead on the deliciousness that is a Pesto Aioli BLT with Mozzarella.


...If you do no other gardening, grow a basil plant.


...Did you know if you put the bacon in a cold pan and heat from there, it will curl less? 

...The rest of the materials: a fresh crusty bread (this is Portuguese Salolio from Giant Foods), fresh mozzarella, sliced (less savagely than I did please) and a beefsteak tomato


...I drained most of the bacon grease (through a sieve and to save in the fridge) then add the bread. 

...Add the mozzarella to half the slices in the skillet and allow it to begin melting.


Take out the other half of the slices (the ones sans cheese) and spread the aoili


...Even though this is a predominantly summer sandwich, I will definitely be making this through the winter. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Anyone Can Roast a Chicken</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><category>recipes</category><dc:date>2010-09-01T10:00:00-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/9_10_10_roast_chicken.html#unique-entry-id-1</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/9_10_10_roast_chicken.html#unique-entry-id-1</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I can guarantee that some of you, my sister included, are scoffing at this as she reads. 

...If you don&rsquo;t like French, think of it more as &ldquo;having everything done so you don&rsquo;t remember mid-way when your hands are covered in butter and flour that you forgot to open that one stupid little can with the annoying can opener&rdquo;. 

...If your oven is possessed like mine, invest in an oven thermometer that tells you what temperature it actually is inside. 

...The shallot in the corner is mostly for the purposes of showing you what an un-chopped shallot is. ...  Note: I was making two chickens that day, so this is way more celery and shallot than you&rsquo;ll need to make one.


...I have some schmancy salt and whole peppercorns and a mortar and pestle and occasionally I feel the need to grind them myself.   If you aren&rsquo;t as much of a dork as I am, just use kosher salt and regular pepper. 


...And I put a tablespoon or two of butter just inside the opening of the chicken. 

...Grind pepper if whole peppercorns and mix in salt (or just mix)


...Rub down chicken with salt and pepper mixture, add any leftover mix to the vegetables
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Here...we...go&#x21;&#x21;</title><dc:creator>tiffany@goodcookinblog.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2010-09-01T09:00:00-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/acfe37d4690974ed3301ba8975157893-0.html#unique-entry-id-0</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.goodcookinblog.com/files/acfe37d4690974ed3301ba8975157893-0.html#unique-entry-id-0</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[There is something to be said for just...taking the plunge.   I&rsquo;ve been reading some fantastic blogs for nearly two years, thinking about starting my own for six months and cooking and taking pictures and...not starting.   For whatever reason, not starting.   So today, I got up, sat down at my computer...and typed.   And here we are! 


My name is Tiffany and well, this is my blog.   I am utterly and totally an amateur cook, living in Central Pennsylvania.   I love to cook and I&rsquo;d like to think I&rsquo;m atypically lucky: my food usually turns out pretty tasty. ]]></content:encoded></item></channel>
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