Blizzard aftermath

So, we survived the blizzard... we got a total of around 16"-14" of snow, and we only lost power for about an hour or so.

Unfortunately (or fortunately?) I missed most of it being in bed with a 24 hour Flu- which I might add is really closer to 36 hours. However I am fine now, and the storm passed without much damage. The roads cleared up fast, as did my rebound from sickness; which was a good thing as we got the call in that the new table we ordered from the Mill Stores was finished (in Salem Maple stain) and ready for pick up! I think going out and getting it helped my recuperation, as even cooking tacos that night seemed luxurious. Between the new cookware for preparing the meal, and seeing it laid out on the new table, I felt 100% better.

Ask and ye shall receive....

Best Christmas ever! True story! A glory of culinary delight for me to revel in... Cast iron cookware of all sorts, a sprout grower, rice cooker, egg poacher, Caphelon utensils, coffee grinder....! All that alongside the neatest chicken sculpture ever, a beautiful clock with legumes suspended in resin, gift cards to my favorite places, alcohol, and ammo! I am truly Blessed by the love and thoughtfulness of my family and friends.

In the aftermath of a great Christmas, I finished up the damage control of setting the house back into order this morning. Which is a good thing, for now I can ramp up the BLIZZARD preparations. We are expected to get close to 2' of snow on the generous side of the reports, or 16" on the conservative side. I have already drawn water (if power goes out, water goes out due to having a well), placed new candles about the house, and I am going to roast a chicken (in one of my new pans!) with all the fixins for a nice warm meal. My boy friend spent the morning chopping and stacking wood. I also sent him to the store for last minute items in case the storm is as bad as predicted. I believe it will be, seeing as how the snowfall started at 9am (6 hours ahead of schedule), and only continues to increase in its accumulation. The strong winds have not kicked in yet -thankfully- but are expected to later. I'll keep y'all updated and post pictures [as long as the power doesn't go out]. I am kind of looking forward to this storm, but only because I can't wait to throw the cats into a snow bank (really, it's not cruel -just funny) and go sledding.

Almost white Christmas...

The eve of Christmas eve - I wanna open my presents already! They have been mocking me beneath the tree the past week! Along with the anticipation of tomorrow nights festivities (that is when my family celebrates Christmas), is the lack of desire to cook something wonderful tonight... Thus, we are regulated to leftover soups (chicken and rice, potato and bacon) and B.L.T.'s for tonight's fare. Tomorrow for Christmas eve, I am making Beer Bread with Bacon Bacon dip by Tastefully Simple. Something savory to offset all the sweetness!
The snow is still on the ground here in New England, no matter how much of the 2-3 inches from last night got melted during the day. We also had Carolers visit our house the other night, and finally, all our presents are wrapped and/or shipped out. Hopefully a quiet peaceful night by the fire and maybe a movie :)
Happy Holiday's y'all!

More snow! Most of what we got on  Monday had melted off during the day today, but it's accumulating fast right now! This calls for something warming and hearty for dinner... Potato, bacon, and cheddar soup with stuffed quahogs on the side -yummy!
Our internet was down for a little while, but now it's back up and I can share some of my  my holiday decorations with y'all....

Birthday dinner continued...

Dinner went excellent! The Bordeaux wine sauce was sooooo amazing! And sooo easy! I ended up putting the shiitake mushrooms into the sauce and they melded incredibly well. So well in fact, the birthday boy was still raving about it this morning. Win! The filets cooked a little more than I would have liked- but hey- you live, you learn... The USDA temp of 125 degrees is far to done for my liking.
However, after all that wonderfulness of cooking last nights meal, clearly, tonight is a order out pizza night.
Also, in other excitement: we bought a new dining room table today from the Mill Stores. It is called a 'boat' table which you can get a preview of through that link. We are having them stain it in "Salem Maple" so it won't be here for a few weeks.I can't wait though!

Birthday dinner

Seeing as it is my darling's birthday and we can not go out for dinner, he requested a restaurant experience at home... So, I will try my best! We aged some Filet Mignon's (on the high end of Choice cuts, but not quite Prime) in the fridge for close to 48 hours, and I will shortly attempt to make this. It is a Bordeaux wine sauce for the filets, which I am serving alongside wilted spinach greens with raisins and walnuts, white truffle olive oil sauteed Shiitake mushrooms, and roasted chili potatoes. The chili potatoes are something new for me. The ones we got are from Chelsea, MA and look like red potatoes almost in the shape of a chili pepper (hence the name?). I am going to oven roast them with rosemary and the white truffle olive oil. It's fun cooking with new ingredients! I will post pictures as well as a review of how his birthday dinner actually turned out. Wish me luck!

Country Fun

This is the video of the paint can that didn't quite make it to paint another day... I apologize for the horrible quality, but I did hit the can every time (just for the record).

Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving this year was small for us - only 7 people. We still had a 18lb bird (farm raised locally of course) that was delicious, and made for many tasty left overs, stock, and soup. On the menu besides the turkey was: Spiral cut ham, cranberry relish, canned cranberry, green bean casserole, a sweet potato bake with craisins and nuts, mashed potatoes, gravy, and stuffing (done in the bird! No controversy!). For a pre-meal appetizer I made beer bread with a bacon dip (from Tastefully Simple).
As small as it was, we still continued our family tradition of skeet/target shooting after dinner before dessert. I'll try to figure out how to post the video of the paint can that didn't quite make it...
Dessert was plentiful to say the least! I made pumpkin cheesecakes with hand made whipped cream topping, but we had so much it was hard to choose. There was Cherry pie, Indian pudding, blueberry pie, cookies, and more I can't even remember!

Cape Cod re-cap

Luckily, we were able to take a mini vacation to Cape Cod a few weeks back. Our "kick off to the Cape" dinner consisted of a rib eye steak sauteed in butter, a seasoned tomato side (think loose interpretation of bruscetta), and fingerling potatoes sauteed in butter with green onions and mushrooms. It went fantastic with a red wine from Rhode Island's Sakonnet Vineyards.

Our first night on the Cape we went to a place called "Sam Diego's" in Hyannis. Our hotel referred us there, but it was sadly disappointing. I ordered a steak and Caesar -something relatively safe- while my boyfriend ordered their taco and enchilada plate. Both were less than enthusiastic eating, consisting of pre-packaged and/or canned ingredients poorly put together.
  For the second night we visited the "Chatham Squire" (located in downtown Chatham) which I highly recommend. The clam chowder tasted freshly made from local sources, and the mussels I had were divine!... The mussels were served over linguine in a white sauce, with fresh diced tomatoes and herbs. This place alone makes me want to frequent the Cape! I believe the last time I ate that well was out in San Fransisco. Also, tips for if you go there; you are able to buy their wine glasses, carpool for the lack of parking, and see if they make reservations -otherwise expect a wait. A wait well worth it though!

Before I end, a neat thing we got to see was while taking a walk along the Cape Cod Canal.... The train bridge actually lowered for a train to cross, and raised up again for a ship to pass. Nifty!

TURKEY DAY!! (almost)

As I was peeling a pound of Yukon Gold Potatoes, and contemplating the pumpkin cheesecake I have yet to make in preparation for Thanksgiving tomorrow, I realized I have neglected this blog for a little. My boyfriend and I went for an alone get away on Cape Cod in Hyannis MA -the reason I haven't posted much.
Although I felt wonderful on our trip, I am feeling quite stressed right now! This year is the "off" season for my families Thanksgiving, as is it is the 'in-law year'. Even though I am only cooking for 7 versus the 20+ of last year, it feels much more pressuring! Maybe the more intimate setting makes me feel as though I should shine extra, or I had more prep time last year - I don't know! But I am looking forward to spending time with my family, and going shooting in the back field. I will post the re-cap our Cape trip, and how Thanksgiving turned out later. For now, I need to finish these potatoes and start the cheesecake!

Fried fish and Dill horseradish sauce

An easy break for fish that will get eaten right up! If you do happen to have left overs, it makes for great fish sandwiches the next day... We had this the other night along side spinach salad.

Fried Cod Fish

1 large Cod fillet cut into medium/large chunks
2 Eggs, beaten
2 tbsp. Half and Half or Milk
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup Flour
Shortening
Parchment paper
Lemon

Combine eggs and milk together in one bowl, beat well, then set aside. Mix bread crumbs and flour together in another bowl, set aside. Melt shortening in a large fry pan -enough to fill the pan half way. While you are waiting for the shortening to come up to frying temp: dip your fish into the egg mixture, and then into the bread crumbs, coating well. As you coat each piece, place them on parchment paper to get ready for the pan. Fry each piece around 2-3 minuets on each side. Drain fried fish on wire cooling racks before serving. Serve with lemon wedges and Dill Horseradish Cream Sauce.

Dill Horseradish Cream Sauce

4 tbsp. Butter
1 oz. Cream cheese (cubed)
1/4 cup Half and Half
1-2 tbsp. Creamy Prepared Horseradish (or more to taste)
1 tbsp. Dill (fresh)
Salt

Melt butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Using a whisk, add cream cheese and melt into butter. When these are combined, slowly add the half and half. Soon as that is integrated, add the rest of ingredients. Serve over fish.

Lamb dinner recap and brunch

I slacked off and haven't posted the pics from the other nights Cranberry Glazed lamb chop dinner, so here it is:

It was by far one of the best dinners I have made in a while. It was also a delectable and easy introduction to cooking lamb. If you remember, we made the Hollandaise sauce for the asparagus from scratch... The only downside is it makes quite a large batch. However, the left over sauce made for an excellent brunch the next day of Eggs Benedict with scrapple. If you have no clue what Scrapple is, click on that link for the definition, but trust me -it is the best breakfast food ever invented. It was a perfect compliment to a fresh laid egg, the Hollandaise sauce, a day old biscuit, and fresh picked parsley (not forgetting a few hot sauce dashes on top).

Pecan Brittle

Wow! I never should have made this, I believe I am going to eat the whole sheet tonight! I always associate brittle with county fairs and church flea markets as a special treat a few times a year. I made pecan brittle tonight for the first time and it was incredibly easy with just a few ingredients! It's also very light and airy despite it's hard crack that makes brittle so distinct. Below is a picture of the sheet before cracking, and the recipe below that.

PECAN BRITTLE*

1 1/2 c sugar
1 c water
1 c light corn syrup
1 1/2 c chopped pecans
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

 

Generously butter a cookie sheet. In a large saucepan over high heat, cook sugar, water and corn syrup until mixture reaches 280°F on a candy thermometer. Slowly add nuts and stir until temperature reaches 300°F. Turn off heat. Carefully stir in butter and vanilla until blended. Add baking soda, and stir vigorously but cautiously. Pour mixture onto prepared cookie sheet and spread as thinly as possible with a wooden spoon. Cool completely, about 15 minutes, Break cooled candy into pieces or chop to make toppings for ice cream. Store in an an airtight container.Makes about 2 pounds.

*from Cooks.com

Cranberry Glazed Lamb Chops

This will be my first time cooking Lamb, but I think I'm up to the challenge. Tonight's dinner will be a Cranberry Glaze on  Lamb chops, steamed asparagus served with from scratch Hollandaise sauce, as well as red potatoes quartered and roasted in olive oil with garlic and herbs. To top it off, we have paired this meal with a Cabernet Sauvignon. I can't wait to start eating- I mean- cooking!  And the part everyone in this household likes, is every time we make Hollandaise sauce it means Meringue cookies. Why? Because you can't let good egg whites go to waste! The Hollandaise only requires egg yolks, thus leaving a perfectly good excuse to use the egg whites on a simple tasty dessert.

To satisfy my time up until this [hopefully] awesome meal, it's time to work on making Holiday Cards. I cleaned the craft store out of a beautiful holly printed paper, now it's time to design and create...

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

We did a lot of running around today, and I don't feel like cooking tonight... so I'm going to rely on one of my 'cheater' meals: Parmesan crusted chicken breasts. It's so quick and easy to make for a meal it feels as though I didn't even cook a dinner at all. The upshot of running around today is I finally went to the new Tractor Supply Warehouse, and even better, the Bass Pro Shop in Foxborough. I've only been to the Bass Pro in Vegas at the Silverton Casino, and this one was almost bigger! We're gearing up for ice fishing season, and it was nice to see aisles devoted to it. Plus, the really nifty fish tanks/indoor streams :) Now, onto tonight's dinner recipe!


Parmesan Crusted Chicken

2-3 Boneless Chicken breasts
1/2 cup Hellmann's Mayo
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (NEVER the type pre-grated in the can! Eeewww!)
4 Tbsp. Bread crumbs ( I like the 'Italian style')

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken in a baking dish. Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl. Using a spatula, spread mixture on top of chicken. Bake uncovered for 20min, or until chicken is cooked through.

Done! Just like that! Super easy and wicked tasty.

Seed order

Now that the frost has killed off last years garden (except for my Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme -wait- do I hear a song coming on?) it's time to order seeds and plan for next years crops. As it was out first year in the house this past season, we only had time for a small un-planned garden. It produced very well and I was able to can a lot considering, just not much variety. To re-hash this years crops, we grew: 4 tomato varieties, musk melon, bell peppers, 4 different hot peppers (cayenne, hot lemons, red zavories, and jalapenos) lettuce and an onion for produce. My herb garden included parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, peppermint, tarragon, chives, lemon mint, lemon verbena, dill, purple basil, sweet basil, and chervil.
 This year, we will be expanding quite a bit in hopes of being more self sufficient. I based quite a bit off what I will be able to can and store for the winter. I won't bother with seed variety names for sake of simplicity (feel free to request them if interested!), but our seed order this year includes: Green beans, cucumbers, arugula, 3 types of lettuce (Boston, Romaine, and Crisp varieties), onions, cayenne peppers, jalapenos, potatoes, zucchini, summer squash,  and 3 varieties of tomatoes. We also plan on planting apple trees (YAY!!!!), and expanding on my herb selection as well as replanting the annuals listed above from last year. However, we will wait to get those from our local green house when it's time. I can't wait till spring again!

1st snow fall = crockpot time!

We got our first snow fall in Berkley, MA this morning... It wasn't much and dissipated quickly into rain, but it was definitely snow!  If the hard frosts of last week didn't make me want to pull out the crock pot, this sure did. I should have done a stew, but I had got a good deal on some pork shoulders/Boston Butt and decided to do pulled pork sandwiches. It's probably one of the easiest crock pot dishes ever to make -it just requires time.

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

1 pork shoulder roast or Boston Butt (around 2 1/2lbs)
14oz of BBQ sauce (I only use Sweet Baby Ray's)
 1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
1 Tsp. brown sugar

Hamburger rolls, salt, pepper

Place pork into crock pot, season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover, and cook on LOW for 10-12 hours, or on HIGH for 5-6 hours until done.

Remove pork from crock pot and place in a shallow pan. Using 2 forks shred the pork.

Return shredded pork into crock pot along with the BBQ sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar and onion. Mix well. Cover crock pot, and cook for 2 hours on LOW, or 1 hour on HIGH.

Serve on Hamburger buns.


I love this great over-night recipe. It goes extremely well with a garden salad or coleslaw for a side.

Shepherd's pie

Shepherd's Pie tonight for dinner! Thanks to Kathy for the idea. It's perfect because I have all those mashed potatoes from the chicken dinner the other night, so half the work is already done. I make mine as a cross between my mom's recipe and Gordon Ramsey's. That's probably sacrilege, but he adds a depth of flavor that was missing from my mom's (sorry Ma!). The recipe for Gordon Ramsey's Shephard's Pie can be found here.
In other random news, my Silver Molly fish had babies! I'm very excited because I've never had live bearing fish before, and it means our tank has a happy environment.

Coffee Marinade for pork chops? Yes please!

I tried this last night for the first time, and it will definitely be a repeat! Absolutely brilliant using your left over coffee, and amazingly easy. This recipe is from Alton Brown's "Good Eats".

Coffee Marinade for Pork:

1 c. Coffee
6 oz. Molassas
1 tbsp. Dijon Mustard
2 tbsp. Cider Vinegar
2 cloves garlic (crushed or minced)
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Ginger (freshly grated)
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
6 sprigs Thyme (fresh or frozen)

Combine all ingredients except Thyme in small bowl, mix well. Place pork chops in a gallon zip top bag with Thyme sprigs. Pour marinade into bag, close top, and shake to cover. Let sit overnight in fridge, or for 4 hours before grilling pork.

This marinade will probably cover up to 6 medium pork chops- I only did 3. Also I reserved the marinating liquid, then reduced it a little on the stove top and it made for an excellent sauce to pour over the cooked pork! Served along with whole grain rice and a garden salad, it's a wonderful meal!

New freezer and chickens

So, we went out and bought a new, bigger freezer yesterday to hold all of our chickens for the up-coming year. My boyfriends family raises meat birds, and we had the annual family chicken processing day this past weekend. In celebration of this, I roasted a chicken with fresh herbs from the garden (rosemary and thyme) salt, pepper, then rubbed them into the skin with olive oil, sliced garlic cloves placed under the skin, and stuffed with Bell's stuffing. Home made from scratch stuffing is so over-rated - I love Bell's! Plus, Bell's was created in Boston - how perfect is that?! For sides we had Yukon Gold Mashed potatoes, biscuits, and cranberry jelly (yes, from a can... perfect for sandwiches later in the week).

Mission Statement of Yankee-Billy

Well, to begin with; I got tired of Face Book. However, upon deleting my account, I was getting asked by friends, "How will I discover new recipes and ideas for dinner? You were my source!" or, "I never realized you could grow, let alone make something like that!"
Thus this Blog was born...
I'm not pretending I know a lot - far from it. This Blog will help you follow my trials and tribulations on the way to being a self-nourishing happy household. Tried and true recipes will be posted, as will the joys and knowledge tidbits of country living.
The Blog is named Yankee-Billy because of my roots in the New England (where I live again now) and the years I spent in the Southwest (NV) and South (WV). I feel it has given me a certain liberation in cooking (never-mind mentality!). Especially so upon returning to my home town, and trying to keep all those long rural family traditions intact, while attempting to incorporate the influences of my travels.