I somehow stay busy even with work being slow currently.  It gives me a chance to try new recipes for us and those recipes will eventually benefit my customers. 

The cheesecake squares turned out well and kept well in the refrigerator in a covered plastic container.  I still have the one package of cream cheese.  I saw a recipe for mini cheesecakes using Girl Scout Cookies some where this weekend.  I have to check on that but not this week. 

Savannah Cheescake Cookies from Paula Deen

• Crust
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 stick butter, melted
• Filling
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla or almond extract
• fresh berries and mint leaves for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Combine flour, brown sugar, pecans, and butter in bowl.  Press dough into an ungreased 13by 9 by 2 inch pan.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
3. For filling, beat cream cheese and sugar togehter in a bowl until smooth, using a handheld electric mixer;add eggs and extract;beat well.  Pour over crust.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Cool completely.
4. Cut into squares before serving.  Decorate tops with berries and mint leaves.

I made a couple changes, I try to follow recipes, but sometimes I can't.  I love graham cracker crust so I used graham cracker crumbs instead of flour.  I baked the crust about 13 minutes.  I did use almond extract, I love almond flavor.  We had no mint leaves but did have fresh strawberries so yes to fruit, no to leaves. 

I was able to buy a bigger cutting mat after lunch with friends so was able to cut border pieces and do some sewing on Friday.  Here is my sampler quilt with the second border.  I like it and now have to get batting, sew a backing and learn how to do actual quilting.  I have to check the store calendar for classes. 

We went to the American Craft Council show on Saturday.  We try and go every year since the timing works out well for my birthday and any presents we might need for that.  We did find earrings for my birthday present at Ben Dyer where I've shopped before.  I love his simple, elegant designs. 

 My birthday is Friday so I spent some time yesterday finding a cake to make.  I'll try and get it made Thursday so I can start my birthday with cake for breakfast.  I am trying to narrow the choices and assure myself that we only need one birthday cake no matter how wonderful a day it is.  Unless I can convince myself that one cake would be for my birthday and one for the First Day of Spring.  I need to keep talking to myself. 

The kittens are still growing and luckily are very cute.  We are still having some cat fights on me at 2 and 3 in the morning.  The kittens are sill crazy all night long but luckily prefer the non jingle bell toys so no bells, just some crashing sounds.  No breakages so far though. 

Cody is still much braver than his sister and wants everyone to know that he is watching the front door and will deal with univited guests.

I've mentioned before that I rarely go out for lunch.  If I'm working there is no way to stop, eat and start again.  If I'm not working then many of the people I know are working so that's out.  I also do tend to get involved in things like baking, quilting, etc. 

Everything aligned correctly today and I met some friends for lunch.  One friend will be moving shortly, his wife is being transferred to Kentucky and one friend I haven't seen for a while, she has been fighting some serious health issues.  Lunch was great.  My female friend looks good if a bit thin and sounds good.  She chose the restaurant, only fair since she hasn't even been able to leave the house.

We went to Tanaka a Japanese restaurant in Roswell on Alpharetta Highway.  It's a small place but the good was great.  They have teriyaki, sushi, sashimi, tempura and specials.  I got a combination box that came with salad, soup, tempura and sashimi.  Excellent!  All the meals were beautifully presented and everyone was happy.   They serve dinner also, I will go back.

I got home and after checking email and the phone, I decided that the dust in the living room needed to be dealt with.  I turned on the tv while dusting and Oprah was on.  The show had 3 celebrity chefs, that I like, going to regular family homes to help families eat better for less money. 

A good show, I agree with what was shown and even if I am not a celebrity with my own show, would love to work with anyone that needs menu planning advice and cooking lessons.  You really can save money by planning meals and cooking.  If you need help, or if you have friends that need help, let me know! 

I've been cooking out of the freezer, using up what's there and I've been trying to use ground meat every week.  I love burgers and spaghetti sauce but there are more recipes out there.  When we buy our meat we buy 40 pounds at a time.  Half of that is made up of steaks and roasts and half ground beef. 

Tonight we had meat loaf and we both thought it was excellent.  Very simple, basic meatloaf with good flavor and fast cooking time. 

 Mini Meat Loaves from Cooking Light January 2003

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 pound ground sirloin
• 3/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine ketchup and mustard, stirring well with a whisk.  Reserve 2 1/2 tablespoons mixture. 
3. Combine remaining ketchup mixture, beef and next 6 ingredients (beef through egg) in a large bowl, stirring to combine.
4. Divide beef mixture into 4 equal portions.  Shape each portion into a 4x2 1/2 inch loaf;place loaves on a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray.
5. Spread about 2 teaspoons reserved ketchup mixture evenly over each loaf.  Bake at 400 degress for 25 minutes or until done. 

I only made one change, I used a cookie sheet and covered it with foil and then coated it with cooking spray.  Much easier after dinner cleanup!  We now have 2 left for dinner maybe Saturday. 

I haven't done any sewing for a couple days.  I needed a bigger cutting mat and went and purchased that after lunch.  Maybe tomorrow I'll cut some borders and get them on my sampler quilt.  Here is the sampler quilt with the first set of borders.

I've been pretty busy the last few days.  If you recall I had cooking classes on Saturday and Sunday with the youngest chefs.  On Saturday I cooked with ten 3 to 5 year olds and on Sunday I cooked with 13 4 and 5 year olds.

Since my Wednesday quilt class has been going so well and I have been keeping up with homework, I had to add some stress to my quilting life.  One of my fellow students decided it was a great idea if we signed up for class this past Monday that was titled Beyond Beginners.  Of course we hadn't finished beginners yet. 

I went to class on Monday with nothing done ahead of time, remember my weekend, and of course discovered the other 3 students had cut fabric ahead of time.  I spent about an hour cutting my fabrics while the rest of the class sewed.  I did have to learn to cut fabric in squares bigger than my ruler.  I am not good with reading directions and being able to visualize the finished item in my head, my brain doesn't work like that.  Yes, quilting in addition to sewing and ironing, does require pattern reading. 

I spent several hours Tuesday sewing and studying my pattern and hoping that I was doing what I was supposed to do.  I wanted to get some work done so I could consult with the teacher in my beginning class on Wednesday.  I was about finished when the kittens woke up and decided to help me pin and lay out the pattern.  I made it and this is what I ended up with so far. 

I did it correctly!  I confirmed with my teacher yesterday.  Yesterday I also almost finshed sewing the top of the sampler quilt.  That's a good thing since that was the last day of class.  I think I can get the borders on, then I have to add batting, backing and actually quilt it.  I think there are more classes in the future.  The Beyond Beginners class was only one day, so I still have half of the top above to finish. 

My husband was disappointed when he came home from his meeting Tuesday night that I had not had time to make dessert.  I had explained to him earlier in the day that I had spent lots of time sewing and reading patterns (not strengths) so I was surprised he was surprised to see no dessert.  I had to nap after all that stress! 

I did make dessert yesterday after quilt class.  I got home, started the pie, made my dinner time line in my head, and had no time to nap.  We needed to eat early yesterday to get to Ash Wednesday services at 7 at church.  I made macaroni and cheese from Ellie Krieger's book and it was good.  After my husband said he liked it, I told him the secret ingredient  - frozen squash.

Macaroni and 4 Cheeses by Ellie Krieger

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen pureed winter squash
• 2 cups percent lowfat milk
• 4 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (about 1 1/3 cups)
• 2 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated (about 2/3 cup)
• 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon powdered mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons unseasoned bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until tender but firm, about 5 to 8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
3. Meanwhile, place the frozen squash and milk into a large saucepan and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally and breaking up the squash with a spoon until defrosted. Turn the heat up to medium and cook until the mixture is almost simmering, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the Cheddar, Jack cheese, ricotta cheese, salt, mustard and cayenne pepper. Pour cheese mixture over the macaroni and stir to combine. Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the baking dish.
4. Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan and oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Then broil for 3 minutes so the top is crisp and nicely browned.

 We went to church and then had pie when we got home.  I found the recipe on the Cooking Light board, it's not light, it got great reviews, so I had to make it.  It is good!

Snickerdoodle Pie from Better Homes and Gardens

I love bread.  Good, warm bread, nothing like it.  I would like to bake more, but it does take time and I need to plan ahead.  Because I have been trying to avoid new cookbook purchases, I tried to ignore all the posts I read about the wonderful book Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. 

Alas, I also talked to some people who gave great reviews so I caved and bought it.  Since I was already buying one book, I figured I may as well get 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer which has also had great reviews.  I haven't opened that yet but will be exploring Indian food soon.

I made dough on Saturday, put it in the fridge to rest and on Monday made a loaf of bread for dinner.  It is really easy and the bread was good!  I have enough left to make 3 more loaves and it stays good in the fridge for 2 weeks!  So as much as I might want to, we don't have to have bread every day.  Now of course I need to play with different shapes, flours, herbs, etc.

This was the first attempt with the master recipe that if you follow the book, you should make first.  I think it looks pretty good.  And it tasted good too.

I spent this morning getting ready for my class on Saturday.  If you have any 3 to 5 year olds and think it's time they get in the kitchen, I know there are still some open spots.  We're making delicious desserts, all treats, due to customer request.  We'lll get back to meals after this class.  You can contact The Cook's Warehouse in Decatur for more information on this class. 

I'll try and get pictures, we're making lemon fudge, brownie cupcakes and a frozen dessert.  Lots of butter, sugar, flour, marshmallow cream!

I need to get ready for quilt class now.  I just loaded the car which is all I seem to do.  This time it was with sewing materials and a sewing machine, usually it's groceries and containers.  I always carry pots, pans, a food processor, mixer, rolling pin, muffin tins, etc. 

I don't have the day off exactly, I have done my normal Monday office work to be prepared for my customers this week.  I need to make sure I have recipes, containers, grocery lists, labels and heating instructions before I go to the store and to the house. 

I woke for good at 5:30 this morning.  There was a cat fight on me about 4 or so.  Bandera was under the covers with me, Cody was on top of the covers, there was growling, hissing, I encouraged all cats to leave me!  I went back to sleep for a short time.  I was in the office at 6:30, worked, talked to my sister for a while, have breakfast in the oven. 

I'm still having the potato cravings so this morning I am trying a potato and bacon cake.  It's in the oven, we'll see how it comes out.  If it looks good, maybe there will be pictures. 

Last night in an effort to move from the potatoes we had Sweet and Spicy Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Spinach Salad.  Both of the recipes came from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger which is a great cookbook, all of the recipes I've tried have been good.  If you watch the Food Network she has a show called Healthy Appetite by Ellie Krieger.

Sweet and Spicy Grilled Cheese Sandwiches by Ellie Krieger

Ingredients

Directions

1. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lower heat to medium. Add onions and saute, stirring, until edges are browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
2. Place 3/4-ounce Cheddar on 1 slice bread. Spread 1 tablespoon caramelized onions on top of cheese and top with 3/4-ounce pepper Jack. Top with 1 large or 2 medium slices tomato and other slice of bread. Repeat with 3 other sandwiches.
3. Spray a nonstick skillet or griddle with cooking spray and heat until hot. Place sandwich on griddle and weigh down with a heavy skillet or plate. Lower heat to medium-low and grill until underside is a deep brown but not burnt and cheese is partially melted, about 5 to 6 minutes. Flip sandwich and grill other side, an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Slice in half and serve hot.

I only made two of the sandwiches and used a small skillet with a 28 ounce can of tomatoes for a weight.  They looked golden brown and were very tasty.  I've made the salad before and might have already posted the recipe, but I'll do it again here just in case.

 Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon and Apple Cider Dressing by Ellie Krieger

 I have time now while breakfast is baking to zip through the shower and get a load of laundry in.  I also better check my Fly Lady flight plan for today to see what the mission is. 

Have a great President's Day!

I cooked for my new customer family yesterday and while I thought the food was good and the day went well, I always need to make sure the customer thought so too.  I chatted to them when I left and assured them that I would call and check on them to make sure the instructions made sense.

This morning I checked email and this is what I received from the head of the house:

We are going to have a beautiful weekend here!  It is sunny and expected to be in the middle 60s.  Just like spring.  I may try to go out and enjoy but first must finish my quilt homework.  The quilt class is going well so far but the square we learned this past Wednesday was difficult.

I have a picture of the one square that I made after 2 hours of class.  I like the square, I'm happy with it, it is the correct size, I just thought I'd accomplish more.  The other students in class are at the same place I am.  They also finished one square and they all look nice.  As soon as I finish writing here I am going to start on homework so I'll have tomorrow if I need more time.  I have to make 2 more squares.  Without the teacher being with me! 

My Wednesday square                                                     Several different squares

I haven't mentioned the kittens much lately but they are doing well after about 1 month with us.  Sophie finally emerged from under the desk in the office and made her way to under the chair in the living room.  She is venturing out more and loves to rest on the couch when she's not snuggled in with her brother.  She is still a little wary but if you have patience and let her come to you she is very loving.

Cody has never been wary and is pretty big, they are 8 months old now.  He loves the chair in the living room and usually is stretched out taking up all the room.  Of course that's where I usually sit and where his older sister Bandera likes to be with me, so we still have some growling and hissing occurring.  Cody still thinks she's just kidding. 

The pictures are from yesterday's afternoon nap time and Bandera is in front of the chair in the sun.  She has always been pretty small and about half the size of the kittens now.  She would have liked to have been on the chair, in the sun, but Cody was there and she's not about to share with the monster kitten.

Yesterday morning I went to a new Bible study that I started attending last week.  It's a 7 week course titled About My Father's Business by Regi Campbell.  I am enjoying it so far, we meet from 7:30 to 8:30. 

After that I had to come home to wait for the oven repair person again.  He suggested that we needed a new part last time since the oven shuts down when I use self-cleaning.  He installed that and hopefully that will fix the auto shutdown after cleaning.  If not, he did show me how to reset it which will save me a $120 service call each time!  I assured him that as much as I enjoyed seeing him, I'd like to avoid any further meetings.

I also had a meeting with a potential new customer yesterday afternoon.  I went to the house to meet with most of the family.  I met dad, the 11 year old, the 10 year old and got a glance at the sleeping 2 year old.  Mom was working.  They are pretty busy with traveling baseball, swim meets, work, school and life in general.  I assured them that I could help by taking some of the stress out of dinner time.  Since they all get in at different times I am going to package the food so it's convenient for their schedule. 

So now I am off to finish homework.  My friend Kevin needs to borrow a chafing dish so she'll call when she's ready to drop by.  I also have to plan next week's menu.  Last night and tonight I had "whatever" since my husband is at a retreat this weekend.  Last night I just had simple steak and potatoes.  Tonight I am planning on sea scallops since that's something my husband does not enjoy. 

It feels like January just flew on by.  Looking back on my calendar, I was busy but not so much that an entire month is gone already.  I guess so though.

I had a nice Groundhog Day.  I made a cake on Sunday to take with me to the class at the Culinary Business Academy.  This was a small class but since we teach the cooking portion of the class at The Cook's Warehouse in Decatur, I knew the staff there might like cake too.  For whatever the occasion might be.  I don't bake much even though I enjoy baked goods and sometimes a simple cake is the best.  I've had this recipe for a long time and have no idea where it came from.  It is good though.

Caramel Pecan Pound Cake source unknown

• 1 cup butter
• 1 pound brown sugar
• 1 cup sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 cup pecans, finely chopped
• powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar at medium speed.  Gradually add sugar and contine creaming.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
3. In medium bowl, combine baking powder, salt and flour.
4. Add flour alternately with milk to creamed mixture beginning and ending with flour.  Mix just until well blended after each addition.  Stir in vanilla and pecans.
5. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10 inch tube or bundt pan.  Bale 1 hour and 30 minutes.  Cool cake for 15 minutes before removing from pan.

Monday was a good class day and with only 4 students we can get to know each other and they get almost individual attention.  There are 3 men and 1 woman and all have had interesting life experiences such as the military in intel, been in the Gulf War, one is a licensed pipe fitter and welder, one does computer work, one is an aspiring singer/songwriter who is singing in Nashville, one lied about his age to be able to work at 14 at Burger King and has been cooking ever since.  Very interesting how many different paths lead to the personal chef choice.

Tuesday I cooked for clients a little sooner than normal in order to make sure they were covered for the company that arrives this weekend.  They have many meals that will make entertaining and clean up easy for all.  I made a beautiful and delicious cake that will be ready for snacking.  My customer said she will not say that she made the food, I told her she could.  She said expect to get a call asking when I can cook  for their company but I have to travel to Idaho.  It's a nice compliment that my clients feel at ease using the meals for entertaining.  I also got dog hugs and kisses before and after cooking. 

Today is quilt class, 3 of 6.  I have my homework done and wonder what we will learn this week.  I have not counted my squares to see how many more are needed.  Maybe today.  The teacher said we had the most to do last week so maybe we are on the way down the hill.  I know this is supposed to be fun and enjoyable and it is, but I do have to remind myself to breathe while in class.  The sewing still intimidates me.  Also the cutting since that's pretty final.  At least stitches can be ripped out.  And have been.

Tomorrow I'll be teaching again at CBA.  We cook in the morning, have lecture at lunch followed by the ever popular "tour of the car", and then I teach marketing in the afternoon. 

I love that my life is so varied! 

Today is class 2 of 6 classes.  I did my homework yesterday so I'll be ready to learn a new square today.  I just love working with the fabric colors and deciding what goes with what.  I enjoy that so much that I just pretend I like to iron and sew.

I had a meeting with a new client this week and I'lll be cooking for them tomorrow.  They too seem to be very nice, besides mom and dad there are three children that we're going to count as one person for portion needs.  We'll see who eats and how much and adjust servings next time if we need to.  This is another no dairy family and they prefer to not eat soy either. 

I tried a new pasta recipe Monday night and it was excellent.  I need to remember to make it again since we really enjoyed it.  It's from Cooking Light and had so many ingredients that are favorites.  I did not have ziti pasta so used medium shells.

 Ziti with Spinach, Cherry Tomaotes and Gorgonzola Sauce from Cooking Light September 2008

I made it through the week.  Well, almost, I have a class tomorrow with 10 to 17 year olds and we'll be learning some new ideas for lunch.  That will be fun.  I do have all my copies made, my grocery list done and my invoice ready  so most of the work is complete.

Lunch at Buckhead Beef was superb.  We had a speaker from Strauss free raised veal who explained how they produced veal and several Atlanta chefs cooked different cuts of veal for lunch.  I haven't eaten veal in years because of all the horror stories of the raising of veal, but I will eat Strauss after listening to the presentation.  We had 4 different meals for lunch.

After lunch I zipped home, threw in a load of clothes, got directions to the Culinary History meeting and was on my way.  I wasn't home long but did get my laundry done.  I love my new washer and dryer. 

I headed off to Emory where I have never been and hoped to not get lost.  I pretty much thought I had no chance of not getting lost since I found Buckhead Beef AND got home without getting lost.  I made it though, found parking and headed to the building.  It was very cold and it was a little bit of a walk, but once there the catering group had snacks for our meeting so all was well.

We heard about the Orca that Emory is using to change vegetable waste from their food prep into water.  It can be used for all proteins also but they're just trying it out and it seems to be very beneficial.  They are currently trying to get approval to use the water to water plants on campus.  We went to see the machine and found that there is no garbage smell to it and it was grinding away.  It uses friction and enzymes.  Of course I have a picture but keep in mind it was dark, on a loading dock and really cold.

I got home again without getting lost and was very surprised.  I frequently don't make it home in one try.

Wednesday was my first day of quilting class and that went well.  We are making a sampler quilt and I got 3 squares done in class.  I have homework of 5 more squares so I think that will be Sunday.  I like the teacher, we didn't make her cry and the other students seem nice.  I love looking at all the fabric. 

Wednesday night we went the the Art Institute for dinner for my husband's birthday.  If you've never been you should go, good food and reasonable prices considering it is a white tablecloth, candle light dinner.  I remembered to take pictures of almost all of the dishes.  My entree of pork was fabulous, my favorite. 

We got home in time to watch Top Chef which is not as exciting this season as past.  I don't really have anyone I am hoping will win.  Maybe next week more will become clear. 

I had a customer yesterday and today and all went well with the cooking.  My customer yesterday worked on her menu for next time while I was cooking.  Usually I send a menu for her to approve, but she was ready with her cravings for next time.

Today was my new client who has a 1 year old who is allergic to dairy and a 5 year old.  I think all went well.  I'll call and check on them in a couple of days. 

I need to go make dinner now and move laundry from washer to dryer.  We're having sausage quiche with the extra ingredients from yesterday's cook day.