How it all began...

Some have asked me, where did we get the idea to write a cookbook? Great question. I had been living with my mom and dad since June 2009 and around August my mom starts complaining about her huge pile of cut out recipes that we have now added mine too. Then she suggests we use all of these recipes to write a cookbook. I say, "Okay, but if we are going to do this we are doing it right and getting it published and that is the end of it. Either we do this all the way or we don't waste our time." My mom says, "Okay, I'm in." and together we began our year of cooking all of our recipes together. These are her words....

"Allow me to begin with a few questions...

• Have you or other people you know like your mom or grandma or auntie or sisters or dad or grandpa or brothers-- friends -- ANYBODY ever cut out recipes from the daily newspapers, magazines, on the back of boxes or cans?

If you answered in the affirmative, please continue to the next question...

• Do you or people you know have a pile of cut out recipes somewhere lying around? Maybe like in a drawer, cabinet, shelf, bowls, or several overflowing folders that are jammed in closets, drawers... Are you getting the picture?
• Can you ever find the recipe that you want when you WANT it?
• Do you remember which recipes you even have?
• Have you cut out the same recipe probably 10 to 15 times?

If yes, keep reading...

• Do you have grand plans of typing them all up on the computer?
• Organizing them nicely by food type and category someday...?
• And lastly, perhaps more important, Do you continue to cut out more recipes buildling your collection taller and taller, messier and messier until you are about to blow a gasket when you see the pile?

I know, I can't stop either and neither can my daughter. It is like this crazy "I've got to have that recipe" addition for which there doesn't seem to be a cure.

This blog is for you and all your family memvers and frieds. We are spending this year, 2010, organizing and cooking ALL of our "cut-out" recipes. many we are updating and changing to make them healthy and nutritious, but we plan to coook and eat ALL of them. Many of these were passed down to us. It is time to finally get in the kitchen and do the cooking and writing!

Please let me thank you all of our FOLLOWERS! You are the BEST! We appreciate your comments and support. We really love it when you try a recipe and share it with friends. Remember this isn't just about the recipes, it is also about the sharing and bringing everyone to the table. Your comments keep our enthusiasm high and brings joy and happiness to our "messy" "hot" kitchen!

Please help my daughter and I spread the love and sanity through food. We are doing the best we can and your support helps us keep moving forward!"

So, in the vein of reminiscing, mom and I threw a Beach Party this passed weekend. We cranked up the wood stove inside, started a fire outside, and made sure everyone got laid when they came in. We made carribean themed food. We started with a Caribbean Salsa with chips and fresh veggies and hummus dip. Then I made a Spicy Pineapple Squash Mash, Cocunut Curry Rice Pilaf, and we served with Fresh Grilled Alaskan Salmon that we caught while we were visiting this summer. We topped it with an Awesome Aioli for a show stopping meal!

Carribean Salsa

3 karge tomatoes, diced
2 jalapenos; diced and seeds removed
1/2 cup sweet onion; diced
1 cup fresh pineapple; diced
Juice of one lime
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
3 tbsp. garlic; minced
salt and pepper to taste

Make sure all above ingredients are diced and mix together in a large bowl and serve with tortilla chips. I made a huge batch and it was all eaten before I could even get a taste! It was definitely a hit!

Spicy Squash and Pineapple Mash

1/2 cup coconut milk* (See my recipe below for homemade)
1 medium size squash
1 can pumpkin (14.5 oz)
1 cup fresh pineapple; minced
1 can black beans (14.5 oz); rinsed
2 tbsp. chili powder
3 tbsp. garlic; minced
1 tsp. ginger
1 tbsp. curry powder
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Place squash on a cookie sheet face up and bake for 40 min. The flesh will be easily peirced with a fork when ready.

In a large bowl scoop out the meat of the squash and combine with pumpkin, garlic, coconut milk, chili powder, curry,ginger, and pineapple. Mash together to incorporate all ingredients. Add the salt and pepper and black beans and mix. Pour mixture into a greased casserole dish and continue baking in the oven set at 300 degrees for 20 more minutes. Serve with plain yogurt that has been mixed with the juice of half a lime for a little extra kick!

Coconut Rice Pilaf

5 cups whole grain rice; cooked according to package directions
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup shredded coconut
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. all spice
3/4 cup green onion; diced
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. paprika
1 small can of diced chili peppers
1/2 cup fresh cilantro; diced
2 tbsp. garlic; minced

Combine the cooked rice with all the other ingredients in a large pot and heat over low heat for 25 minutes or until all flavors have been combined and the rice is hot and sticky! Add salt and pepper to taste! This is a delicious rice to serve alongside pork, chicken, or fish!

Simple Grilled Salmon

1 large filet of salmon
1/2 cup of low fat milk
1 lemon; sliced into rounds
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup fresh dill
Salt and pepper

To prep the salmon, soak in milk for 1 hour prior to grilling. When ready to grill, place the salmon in heavy duty foil and drizzle with olive oil. Rub the olive oil over the meat side of the fish using your hands. Sprinkel with salt and pepper and place fresh dill and lemon sliced on the top and fold the foil over the fish making a pouch.

Heat outdoor grill to medium (approx 350 degrees). Place the foil wrapped fish on the grill and close the lid. Allow to cook for 20 minutes. The fish will be slightly pink in the middle. The timing may vary depending on how thick the fish is cut and how large a peice it is.

We served it alongside an aioli and there wasn't an ounce of fish left!

Awesome Aioli

3 egg yokes
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. butter
4 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 tbsp. parmesean cheese
1 tbsp. parsley

Mash garlic cloves and sea salt together in meduim bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk together until smooth and creamy. Serve over the salmon for a delightful treat!

Mental Health Tip: Winter can be a serious downner. It seems to never. Our remedy is to create fun events where we can be outside, be creative, and bring people together to share a meal! Why not do the same thing and create your own beach party where ever you are!

Happy sunshine days from our kitchen to yours!

~"Too Lovely" Hot Messes in the Kitchen

Stay and celebrate

A dear friend of mine, Joe, just celebrated a birthday on Sunday. Joe, much like me, moved to The Flathead Valley in search of something bigger. Coincidentally that meant leaving his family and friends back in California. Since my mom and I love hosting parties and Joe is a wonderful friend of ours, we decided to host Joe's birthday party. To be honest, we were totally delighted to get to throw a party in honor of him. We had planned the menu and settled on a Cajun/Mexican theme. What could be more fun that hot spicy food when it is 6 degrees outside? Yes, it was 6 degrees!

My boyfriend, Scott, had come to visit me the night before and since he lives four hours away he was planning to skip the party. He claimed he had lots of work to catch up on before Monday morning. Seems reasonable, I guess. We had spent the day catching up, talking, and generally just enjoying each other’s company. Around 4:00pm, we headed back over to my house. We walked in the door and I saw Scott’s thoughts begin to shift. He looked at me and said, “Maybe I can stay. What time is dinner?” I laughed and replied “Oh, really. I can’t convince you to stay, but the decorations can?”

My mom and dad had set the table, laid out appetizers, and hung festive ribbon throughout the house. It looked amazing. Music was playing and a fire was burning in the fireplace keeping the house toasty and warm. Scott took off his coat and made himself comfortable by the appetizers. They were conveniently located in the “heart of the house” which most people call the kitchen. We all pitched in to make guacamole, salsa, and once the birthday boy arrived, we shared in our birthday tradition; Champagne!

Two by two the other guests arrived. Some had met Joe and some hadn’t, but it didn’t seem to matter as each of our friends brought a card and a special gift for him. That night we dined on Chipotle Chicken, sweet potatoes laced in bacon, black bean and corn delight, and a nice barley salad with cilantro (provided by Ava). The night was a huge success and as my mom and I were washing the dishes, I watched my friends gathered around the dining table laughing and enjoying themselves, some meeting each other for the first time. As I watched, I was humbled by the kindness of our friends. I leaned over to my mom and said, “This is my favorite part, watching everyone laugh, smile, and create new friendships.”

We finished off the evening with our friend Lee’s famous Whiskey Chocolate cake  (recipe will be in a future blog) and coffee ice cream (Joe’s favorite). We sang happy birthday with 30 candles on the cake (1 extra candle to grow on). In the end, our friends lingered longer than they had intended with it being a “school night” and all. And Joe, he stayed long after the final guests had left. Mom, dad, Joe, and I curled up on the sofas; Joe with a guitar in hand. He played music while the rest of us tried to singing along. We all seemed to not want to night to end. Once all of the guests had departed, I reflected on the simplicity of the night and how everyone had seemed to want to delay their departure despite knowing that they might be worse for wear the next day. I suspected that just as Scott’s initial read was to stay and celebrate, every guest had also caught that same fever.

So this holiday season, and everyday thereafter, my mom and I encourage you to stay and celebrate!

Famous Smyers Guacamole

5 ripened avocados

1/2 red onion diced

5 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 jalapeno peppers with seeds removed and diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
juice from 1 lime
1 tablespoon pepper
2 tablespoons salt

Harvest the fruit from the avocado first. Cut each avocado in half and scoop out the fruit into a large bowl. Mash the avocados using a potato masher until very few lumps remain and a smooth and creamy texture is created. Next, mix in the garlic, diced onion and jalapenos, lime juice, and fresh cilantro. Mix until all is incorporated, then add salt and pepper.

Chipotle Chicken

6 large chicken breasts (they can be bone-in or boneless and cut for portion size)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup low sugar barbeque sauce

juice of 1 lemon

5 cloves of garlic chopped

Chicken Rub recipe:

1 tablespoon basil

1 tablespoon paprika

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon chipotle powder

1 tablespoon oregano

1 tablespoon salt

To make the chicken rub, mix all spices together in a large bowl. A store bought chicken rub with similar spices can also be used to cut down on time.

For this recipe we used oversized chicken breasts on the bone as they were on sale at the store. We cut off the extra skin and fat and cut each chicken breast in half. Then we mixed all of the ingredients for the rub together and rubbed each chicken breast with the rub. Heat a skillet with the olive oil and sauté each chicken breast for 2 minutes on each side or just until they turn a brownish golden color.

Next place each chicken breast in the crock pot and pour the barbeque sauce, garlic, and lemon juice over the chicken. Set the crock pot to low and set for 6 hours.

*This recipe is also great to grill the chicken in the summer, but due to the extremely cold weather we opted to cook the chicken in the crock pot and it was delicious!

Sweet Piggy Potatoes

5 large sweet potatoes

4 cloves of garlic diced

4 strips of bacon cooked and diced
1/4 cup of plain fat free yogurt
2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pierce each sweet potato with a knife or fork to allow heat to escape while baking. Place each potato in the oven and bake for 30-45 minutes or until you can easily squeeze them and they are soft and can easily be peirced with a fork. Allow them to cool for 10 to 20 minutes to avoid burning your hands.

While the potatoes are baking, cook up the bacon in a skillet and drain on paper towels and allow bacon to cool before dicing into small bite size peices. If you are pressed for time, you can also heat the bacon in the microwave. To do this, place the strips of bacon on a fresh paper towel and heat in the microwave for 3 minutes on power 8.

To assemble, open up the sweet potato skins and scrape out the meaty insides using a spoon. Place the potatoes in a medium sized baking dish. Then mixing in the yogurt, garlic, butter, and diced bacon bits. Stir all ingredients together and place in an oven set at 250 degrees for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

Black Bean and Corn Delight

1 can of black beans drained

1 package frozen sweet corn
1/2 red onion diced
3 teaspoons crusted garlic
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
salt and pepper to taste

This is fairly simple and completely delicious. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place all ingredients listed above in a medium sized baking dish. Mix well. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes stiring halfway through the cooking process. This can also be topped with Mexican cheese or mozzarella cheese if desired.

Mental Health Tip: This is the type of meal and occasion that brings out the best in everyone. Even when it is 6 degrees outside, it is impossible to be anything but happy. When this food is brought to the table it brings out the best in everyone. Try it and you too will want to stay and celebrate!

Brought to you by... "Too Lovely" Hot Messes in the kitchen