Cookbookaholic

Behind the Door!

Okay, I wanted to finish up my story about being in Hilton Head for New Year’s. Duncan and I went in the morning for our thrift store run to the only one open on New Year’s Eve: Hospice Community Thrift.

When we got back to the condo, my youngest was peeved that he didn’t get to go and my father-in-law was looking to get out and do an afternoon thrift store run. So, after lunch, we all piled into my car and headed back to HCT. Knowing that this is half price book day, maybe this time around I’ll pick up those couple of books that I put back on the shelf.

They were still there. Here’s what I picked up the second time around: Some Enchanted Evening (Friends of the Symphony, West Shore Symphony Orchestra in Muskegon, Michigan) and Chafing Dish Cookery (Florence Brobeck).

As I was walking around the store, I remembered about the time I picked up the mother lode of cookbooks when Elsa was working there. She brought out a shopping cart that was filled with cookbooks and I came home with this huge batch of about three boxes!

The lady working the cash register had been very nice and I took a chance and asked her if she knew of any more cookbooks back in the store room. She thought there were a few more and told me to come with her to the store room entrance. She knocked on the door and an older lady answered. She began, “Ms. Susan, this young lady collects cookbooks and was wondering…”

“Get in here!,” she said.

So in I went and the door closed behind me. 

There was an aisle filled with books from floor to the top of the bookshelves. There were even several boxes that had yet to be unpacked. The lady pointed me to the middle area but I didn’t see any order. Cookbooks were here and there kinda scattered about. Here’s what I found:

The Household Searchlight Recipe Book (1941), The Boston Cooking School Cook Book (Fannie Merritt Farmer). The one from Household Magazine is from 1941 and has this thick, embossed cover. Plus, there’s a Household Magazine subscription receipt tucked in the pages. Jean Berry had just started her subscription to the magazine on August 7^th…wow, World War II was just around the corner.

Nationality Rooms Recipe Book (University of Pittsburgh), The Cranberry Connection (Beatrice Ross Buszek, Cranberry Cottage, Nova Scotia), Heart and Soul Cookbook (Church of St. Peter, Monticello, NY) and From Our Table to Yours (S.C. Cancer Specialists).

Wow! Lots of searching and I’ve come up with a nice haul! I’ve also suddenly realized that while I’ve been going through the shelves, no one else knows I’m in the back room. I’m heading towards the door and spot this at the end of the row:

Bermudian Cookery (Bermuda Junior Service League). Nice last second snag! 

I emerge from the back room and the boys and hubby see me carrying an armful. I think they had combed the store twice wondering where I’d run off…

I paid for the cookbooks and they packed them up into this snazzy canvas bag for me! Nice way for 2010 to finally end.

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

This lovely (large and deep) heart box of See's Candies just arrived at the office! Very yummy surprise from the hubby!

 
Hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day!!!

After Christmas Sales!

Every year for Christmas, we give the families on my hubby’s side a gift bag. It usually includes my favorite cookies (remember the Inspiration cookies?), Russian Tea Mix and maybe another item or two. Usually, the cookies are packaged in a decorative plastic bag…

But this year, I spied these awesome tin containers at my local Harris Teeter. The cylinders were painted burgundy and had “Santa Claus Cookie Co.” in yellow. They were really unique and I thought they’d be perfect for the gift bag.

And then, I checked the price. $9.99 each. Seriously? Oh well, would’ve been nice. I decided to wait until after Christmas and then check out as many Harris Teeter’s I could find. Maybe if I’m lucky I can piece together four of them and hold them until next Christmas.

Of course, I was too lazy to run out to Harris Teeter right after Christmas. As you’ll remember, we were down in Hilton Head for the New Year and I hit up the local Harris Teeter. Nothing! Only left over wrapping paper. Oh well…

On the way home, we decided to stop by the HT near the house for a Red Box movie. I took a quick glance inside and found four shopping carts filled with leftover Christmas items. Wrapping paper, cute Santa/Snomen cookie plates…and all four of the cookie tins!! Woo-hoo! And—they were marked down!

I was riding the markdown train pretty high so I went over to the nearby Bloom and found an awesome candy plate marked down to a dollar. Super cool! I’ve already got the drop on next Christmas!

 

Best New Year’s Day Meal EVER!!!

I try so hard every year to have the traditional New Year’s Day meal of ham, greens and Hoppin’ John. I keep hoping that it'll bring us prosperity. The jury is still out on whether it actually works.

We ushered in 2011 down in Hilton Head with the in-laws. My usual restaurant didn’t have the New Year’s meal last year—so I was unsure if I’d find it this year. My mother-in-law remembered that one of her favorite restaurants had advertised the special. Plus, it was nearby. I’d never been to One Hot Mama’s restaurant before and was excited to give it a try.

OHM’s was really interesting. It looked like a cross between a biker bar and a Ruby Tuesday. The menu was American fare with lots of barbeque and burger options. The New Year’s special came with collard greens, Hoppin’ John, cornbread and your choice of ham or fried turkey with gravy. I opted for the ham.

Best New Year’s Day Meal EVER!!!!

I got two thick slices of ham…moist and tender with a slightly smokey flavor. The collard greens were just about the best I’ve ever had. The Hoppin’ John was a unique fluffy rice with beans…really light but filling.

Oh man…THAT was the right way to start 2011!

One Hot Mama’s American Grill

7 Greenwood Dr.

Hilton Head Island, SC  29928

843-682-6262

 

Our next trip to Hilton Head will definitely include One Hot Mama's in the restaurant rotation! 

Secret Santa Gift Card!

I was thrilled about my Secret Santa Gift Card to Williams-Sonoma. A little apprehensive as well….as you know, I usually pick up cookbooks and kitchen items at garage sales. I never have the coins to waltz into a snazzy joint like Williams-Sonoma. In fact, I don’t remember the last time I went to the one here in Charlotte. Come to think about it, have I ever been in there at all? Hmmm…..

Just before Christmas, I went online and looked at the Williams-Sonoma website. I saw a Caramel Apple Pancake/Waffle mix that sounded very appealing—plus, it was on sale for $9.99. The website mentioned that this product is seasonal and usually sells out very quickly. I admit I was tempted, but just didn’t want to see half of my gift card go to cover shipping and handling charges.

So, I actually paid a visit to the store…

I knew I was taking a risk with this pancake mix being sold out. I looked around almost every table and corner in that store. I only found the mix as part of a more expensive $52 gift package. After asking one of the workers, we found the tins in the one corner (where I didn’t look earlier). Still there and still on sale! I grabbed one and decided to grab the Five Apple Cider concentrate as well.

Both items were on sale and the gift card covered everything but .48 cents! Thanks again Chad! What a great Secret Santa you are!!!

 

Tough Week

As you probably already know, we had a tough week right before Christmas. I had a ton of things I wanted to post but just couldn't find enough willpower to write. It's just so heartbreaking. Christmas Eve was really tough. I was teary-eyed all day long.

Losing someone unexpectedly is so incredibly awful. I remember when we lost my dad. While it was the most devastating thing I've ever gone through, the idea of Heaven evolved from some mystical idea into something more tangible. My dad wasn't a man of many words, but I knew I now had a staunch supporter rooting for me to get there.

Now that the year is ending. I've got to say, with all honesty, this has been one year I'm really glad to see come to a close. I've learned a lot about the people around me: some good, some not so good and some I'm glad have moved on. I'm hoping this new year will be a huge improvement in many, many ways. Cross your fingers for me. 

I'll get some posts up soon. Promise.

 

Christmas Morning Casserole: The Recipe

Apparently, lots of people do a casserole of eggs, bread, cheese and sausage for a Christmas morning breakfast. Growing up, I only remember a filling breakfast of chocolate and pistachios. Yummmmm…breakfast of champions.

Last year, I decided to tinker with a few versions of the recipe and came up with this one. The most significant difference is with the bread base. I actually use English muffins (toasted if I feel froggy) instead of the usual sliced bread. 

Here’s the recipe. If you try it on Christmas morning, I hope you enjoy it.

Christmas Morning Casserole

Ingredients

1 pkg sausage patties, browned and crumbled

3 English muffins, split (toasted optional)

6 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese (grated)

Salt and pepper to taste

Dash of hot sauce

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a skillet, brown sausage patties and crumble them into small pieces. Butter the bottom and sides of a large baking dish. (I use the large, oval Corning Ware baking dish.) Line the bottom of the dish with the split English muffins. Add the crumbled sausage on top.

Next, mix the beaten eggs with the milk, add in salt, pepper and hot sauce. Pour the egg mixture on top of the English muffins and sausage. Top with the grated cheese.

Place the dish in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. As the eggs cook, they will puff up and rise significantly in the dish.

I like my dish a little on the brown and crunchy side, so I let it cook a little longer at 30 minutes.

It’s very filling and includes all your usual breakfast staples: eggs, cheese, sausage and bread. Plus, once the sausage is done—the oven does all the work! I like to have this as an option for grazing throughout Christmas morning. Sure, pancakes or waffles with syrup might also be around, but I like to have something like this on hand to keep me from overdoing the sugar. Merry Christmas! I hope Santa brings you lots of good stuff!

 

Oh the Irony: Strict Chadetarian is My Secret Santa

Our annual Bob & Sheri staff Christmas lunch and Secret Santa gift exchange rolled around again on Monday. We gathered at an amazing restaurant called 131 Main and had an early lunch together.

I was very excited because I pulled Sheri’s name out of the hat! Of course, I immediately purchased the “Crazy Cat Lady Action Figure.” She had joked about it on the air so I crossed my fingers and hoped that a listener wouldn’t beat me to the punch. Luckily, they didn’t—and Sheri let out a huge squeal of delight when she opened the box! (I also put some hair care products from jessicurl.com in there as well.)

 

When it came time for my Secret Santa gift, newsman Chad Bowar handed me a package. How funny is that? The one guy who doesn’t like to mix his food and keeps his food from touching gets stuck as my Secret Santa!

Chad did an amazing job! I unwrapped a copy of Mosh Potatoes: Recipes, Anecdotes and Mayhem from the Heavyweights of Heavy Metal by Steve Seabury.

I remember when he got this cookbook. I suggested that he be a guest blogger and review the cookbook from his unique perspective. As you may know, Chad is also the Metal expert for About.com. So this cookbook was right up his alley…if only he liked the food they featured!

Sheri grabbed it and started to read out the hilarious recipe names and their contributors. Did you ever think you’d have a recipe for “Remo’s Hot, Sweet, and Sticky Ass-Kickin’ Wings” from Jeremy Thompson of the band Nashville P*%%#? Does “Kale “em All” from Dillinger Escape Plan’s Liam Wilson sound like something you’d like? “The Hell Wok” sounds just delightful thanks to Guillaume Bideau from Mnemic. Perhaps Todd and I could sample up a serving of “Jagermeister Roasted Lamb” from Baptized In Blood’s Brandon Eedy?

I was actually really honored that Chad would part with this cookbook. We know how he loves metal bands and this seemed like a unique book for him to have. I noticed that he had tucked an envelope and card inside the front cover. I was busy flipping through the book that I didn’t open it until our lunch arrived. Inside was my “real” gift: a $25 gift card to Williams-Sonoma!

Fancy! I’m not upscale enough to go in the store—and haven’t been there in years. I think I’ll have to devote an upcoming lunch hour to go check it out. Thanks Chad!!!

 

Don't Call It Spode...

The week has flown by so quickly. We've been cleaning up the house in advance of an appraiser's visit.

I bought two long and deep plastic storage bins for the boxes and boxes of cookbooks around the house. Needless to say, I filled them both and STILL had some cardboard boxes leftover. Up in the attic they went anyway...

The upside of all this upheaval? I found some of my Christmas china! I found several plates, bowls and a mug at a garage sale but had lost the pieces in and amongst the boxes of cookbooks. A quick cleaning in the sink and here it is!

 
Now, don't call it Spode...because it's not. This is the Cuthbertson Christmas Tree pattern (with narrow green band). It's very, very close to Spode but note the star at the top of the Christmas Tree. I like the star better up there.

Plus, this is my mother-in-law's Christmas china pattern. When I was getting married, I thought it would be nice to continue that tradition in my family as well.

It's hard to find though. The original company was English so pieces were hard to find unless your local Belk carried the pattern. Then, Cuthbertson bit the dust a few years ago; so pieces, especially serving pieces, were hard to find. I've cut back on the eBay battles to get more--but it's a thrill to find a few pieces here and there at yard sales.

I think another company revived the pattern? Maybe? But anyway, now it looks a little more like Christmas at my house!!

 

Thanksgiving Part Deux

Sunday was the Thanksgiving get together for my hubby’s side of the family. I took a couple more Pecan Pies and by request, Caramel Cake.

My father-in-law loves, loves, loves Caramel Cake. In fact, he requested one a few months back. We were meeting at a pool party and when we brought the cake inside—he quickly, carefully and stealthily hid it from everyone else. Come to think of it, we brought one to him last Christmas. As we handed it off to him, he literally placed it on top of his refrigerator and there it stayed…. 

I guess you could say he doesn’t like to share the Caramel Cake. 

Anyway, here’s a picture of the Caramel Cake and Pecan Pies.

Duncan’s Deviled Eggs were also a special request! He spent Sunday morning getting everything together. We used the colossal platter that I got at a yard sale and he made over a dozen eggs to have enough to fill it up. I just knew that they would look spectacular on the platter.  We arrived about half and hour early and Dunc was able to put the final touches on the eggs. And wouldn’t you know it, someone grabbed an egg before I could take a picture!

Plus, you can probably spot the egg where he learned that he had to "carefully" shake the paprika bottle!