baking

Last kitchen fail of 2011

My last cooking adventure of 2011 was an epic failure in which I learned    waxed paper doesn’t always make a good substitute for parchment paper.

Now, I’ve done a similar swap before, so when I headed to the kitchen to whip up some of George Stella’s “Goldfish” Crackers, I lined my baking sheets with waxed paper without a second thought.

Big mistake. BIG. First off, waxed paper in the oven at 400 degrees F sets off the smoke alarm. Twice. I had to open up both doors and turn on the fan over the stove.

But the bigger problem: My little cheesy bits of goodness stuck to the damn paper.

They weren’t going to peel off with my finger (which I managed to burn on hot cheese) or a spatula.

I even tried putting the paper in the microwave to heat them up more and then peel the crackers off. No go. They were stuck to that waxed paper like a brick to fresh-dried mortar.

I was really bummed, because I wanted those darn crackers. And the top halves I managed to pry off were pretty tasty.

So it was off to Walmart to look for A) a silicone baking mat or B) parchment paper. There was silicone to be found — except maybe in some exceptionally large boobs on one of the other customers.

Armed with a roll of this cool Reynolds wrap that’s parchment paper on one side and foil on the other, I headed back to the kitchen for Take Two.

Once I had the proper equipment, the recipe was super-simple. All you do is cut slices of real American cheese into 16 pieces, season them with salt, chili powder and garlic powder and lay them out on the paper.

It couldn’t be much easier, really.

This time, when I pulled the baking sheet out of the oven, the browned bits of cheesy goodness slid right up.

They tasted pretty good — and are pretty darn addictive. I kept popping them into my mouth as I whipped up another snack: curried nuts (also from George Stella’s book). Those nuts are delicious. I think they might be better than the cinnamon candied nuts from his first book (my previous favorites).

The crackers are pretty salty, though. Next time, I think I’ll omit the added salt, and just season them with garlic and chili powder.

The moral of the story is: Always have the proper equipment for a recipe. Waxed paper and parchment paper aren’t interchangeable.

Good to know!

A little holiday fun

After reading Julie and Tina‘s answers to this holiday survey, I decided to throw my two cents in, too. Nothing wrong with getting in on the holiday fun, right? Only eight days until Christmas!

25 Questions: Holiday Style 

(Yes, I totally copied and pasted the survey out of Julie’s post, headline  and all)

• Eggnog or hot chocolate?

I love them both … but I’ve actually made homemade low-carb eggnog before — and it wasn’t too tough. Hmm. May have to break out that recipe again.

• Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?

A little of both. Most of the presents we got were wrapped, but the difficult-to-wrap ones — like a doll in a bassinet — just showed up under the tree.

• Colored lights on tree/house or white?

Colored all the way. They’re so much prettier and more festive than plain white ones.

• Do you hang mistletoe?

Nope. We had some in the doorway between the living room and kitchen when I was a kid, though.

• When do you hang your decorations up?

Usually right after Thanksgiving.

• What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?

Green Bean Casserole, baby!

• Favorite holiday memory as a child?

Probably not my favorite, but it’s a funny one: The Christmas I was in sixth grade, I got a Walkman (for cassette tapes — I’m old, remember?) and some other things … including what I thought was a bra from an aunt. When Mom asked me what Aunt Nellie got me, I said, “a bra” (probably with a look of horror). Mom laughed and said I should check inside the box, because Aunt Nellie was famous for reusing boxes. Sure enough, the gift wasn’t a bra after all, but some cassette tapes for the Walkman. (Cyndi Lauper and Culture Club, if I remember correctly.)

• What is on your Christmas wish list?

Since I just got a new MacBook and an iPhone, there’s nothing left that I really, really want. A fully-loaded Starbucks gift card’s always appreciated. (An engagement ring from the Boyfriend would be nice, too, but I don’t see that one happening.)

• Do you open a gifts on Christmas Eve?

My family never did, but the Boyfriend’s does.

• How do you decorate your Christmas tree?

My parents got my brother and I a special ornament every year, and I have most of mine now that my parents are gone. But the roommate’s bratty puppy got ahold of some of them one year, destroying ornaments almost as old as me — so now we put up cheap Christmas balls that we don’t care if the dog chews. When I was growing up, we put tinsel on our tree … but tinsel and pets don’t mix.

• Snow? Love it or dread it?

Ha. I just wrote a post about how I don’t love snow like I did when I was younger — and in fact curse when it shows up in our forecast. I’m cursing Sunday right now.

• Real tree or fake tree?

Real trees smell better — but fake, pre-lit ones are easier to deal with.

• Do you remember your favorite gift?

There’ve been so many … The food processor and other kitchen goodies from my Aunt Ruth were great ones, and so were the Magic Bullet blender and George Foreman grill from my roommate. As a kid, one of my favorites was the Barbie Townhouse. (I think I asked for the Dreamhouse, but the Townhouse is what showed up under the tree.)

• What’s the most important thing about Christmas for you?

Spending time with family and friends

• What is your favorite holiday dessert?

My mom’s butter cookies, which I’ve waxed poetic about on the blog before.

• What is your favorite tradition?

Decorating the butter cookies. Mom frosted them while Dan and I put on the sprinkles and other decorations. (I’ve streamlined the process somewhat now that I do it all by myself, by drizzling the icing and flinging sprinkles. Takes a lot less time, but there’s also less togetherness.)

A close second is sipping Hot Dr Pepper with a slice of lemon while we open our gifts on Christmas morning.

• What tops your tree?

An angel.

• Do you prefer giving or receiving?

They’re both great, in different ways.

• What is your favorite Christmas song?
  

  Decorating cookies the old-fashioned way. I'm the one in the back.

Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer … or anything off the Christmas Comedy Classics album

• Candy canes, yuck or yum?

Good for low-fat dieters but not low-carb! Taste-wise? I’d rather have chocolate.

• Favorite Christmas movie?

“A Christmas Story.” Ralphie and his quest to get a Red Ryder BB gun is a classic (and it was set in Hammond, Indiana, on the street my mom grew up on, Cleveland Street). How can you not love that movie?

• What do you leave for Santa?

Cookies and hot cocoa. (Santa didn’t like milk.)

• Do you have a Christmas morning tradition?

Now, no. But when we were kids, my brother and I got up early and went through our stockings. The stockings were the only things we were allowed to open before our parents got up.

• Do you prefer to shop on-line or at the mall?

Mall, definitely.

• Christmas letter or Christmas card?

I try to send cards … but sometimes wonder if a letter would be easier. I usually only get to about half my cards before Christmas, because I write a little note in each one.

My vacation is ending

Can I just say “Waah”? I’ve been off for so long that I’m really not looking forward to going back to work. But that’s what I have to do tomorrow. Tuesday is back-to-work day for me.

Why didn’t I win the lottery while I was off? Oh yeah — I don’t think I bought a ticket.

It’s been a busy weekend chez moi — and a kitchen-heavy one. (Every so often, I’m just in the mood to try new recipes … or revive old ones.) In case you missed it while out having your own fabulous adventures, here’s what I’ve been up to:

— I created a new Zucchini-Crusted Pizza Casserole, inspired by Roni at Green Lite Bites.

— I made my own low-carb barbecue sauce and cinnamon- and cocoa-roasted almonds.

— And I hurt myself at last night’s softball game. Yes, it still hurts — a lot. I don’t see it stopping any time soon.

Today, I’ve been trying to make the most of my last vacation day. I was up relatively early, at 9 a.m. Considering I was up at 1:30 a.m. baking low-carb zucchini muffins and didn’t get to bed until 3, that’s plenty early.

I used one of those muffins (from George Stella’s cookbook) to make a delicious breakfast sandwich: 1 muffin, 1 egg and 1 slice of cheese for 6.6 net carbs. I also put tonight’s dinner in the slow cooker: Pork roast with homemade low-carb barbecue sauce.

Then I headed to my favorite used bookstore for some writing time. 550 words later, it’s time for lunch and other stuff. If I’m lucky, I’ll get 500 more words written before the end of the night (and my vacation).

Tomorrow morning is my next weigh-in for Romance’s Biggest Winner. I think I’ll see some good numbers this week. I’d better.