Vicky Learns to Cook

The Christmas cookies are waiting impatiently to be made. My apron needs a hug. The oven tells me its cold. It's about that time. Here are the list of cookies I want to make. Yes I realize it's a lot. Grinch Cookies Chocolate cookies dipped in white chocolate and peppermint candy Buckeyes Sugar cookies with Christmas lights (mini m n ms) Shortbread jam thumbprints Gingerbread men and women Oat Date squares Samoa truffles Lemon cookies Coconut macaroons Chocolate chip cookies with red and green candies Iced oatmeal cookies Oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookies Rice krispie skillet cookies Turtles Fudge Peanut butter cookies Toffee Almond cookies😎 Cranberry orange cookies Meringues Kolacky with jam Gingerbread thumbprints with lemon icing Since the fruitcake is sleeping, it's time to get started. Let's see, there are ... 24 cookies and we have.... 14 days.... hm... I'll start with the Almond cookies. I got the recipe from the Io...

Hello from Vicky's Cakes! To show you how easy it is to use cake mix in your Holiday cooking, I found a "Grinch Cookies" recipe online that calls for a cake mix and made them using Vicky's White Cake Mix. So, let's say you happen to have my cake mix on hand, find this cute recipe online, and want to make Grinch cookies for your kid's holiday party. "Grinch Cookies! Aww how cute!"  You'd need two eggs, 1/2 cup oil, some green food coloring, some candy hearts (found at your grocery store), and some powdered sugar to roll them in, but I think the powdered sugar would even be optional. Here I have added the mix to the bowl, the eggs, oil and food coloring. Mix it first with a spoon, then by hand to get the entire batch of dough a green color. Break off pieces and make meatball shapes, optionally roll in powdered sugar, stick your thumb in to make a dent, then put the candy heart in the middle, and bake. Kids can do this! Her...

Good evening! Hope you are all well.  I've been thinking about the past few weeks, a few lessons learned, and some wins I wanted to share, and while I bake a cake that was ordered, I wanted to get them down for you. LOSSES: First we will discuss muffins, and my as yet to have figured out recipe exchanges: There was an apple oat muffin recipe I tried to replace some of the ingredients and ended up with dry crumbly nearly tasteless muffins. Really they were better used as door stops. Substitutions included: wheat flour for white, turbinado sugar plus some honey for white and brown sugar. I think these things would have been better had I added some applesauce or some greek yogurt perhaps. What do you think? Anyway I tried to make the best of it and created a bread pudding out of it. That too was dry but I found that putting maple syrup over it was pretty good. Next we will talk Chorizo and how I really don't quite understand the need for vinegar? So I had this idea th...

Monday dinner - Turkey Kofte with couscous Ingredient list:  For  the kofte: 1 lb ground turkey 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped 1 tsp garlic, chopped dash cumin salt olive oil For the sauce:  1/4 c 2% milk 1/2 block cream cheese 1 handful fresh dill, chopped 1 tsp garlic, chopped dash of lime juice Whole wheat pita or flatbread Homegrown tomatoes, chopped baby arugula 1 c Couscous 1 1/4 c water dill weed salt garlic powder parmesan cheese to taste Directions : Mix turkey, parsley, garlic, cumin, and salt. Form into 7 or 8 balls and squeeze them into tubes.  Put olive oil in a frying pan and sear the kofte on both top and bottom.  Turn down the heat and put the lid on the pan to cook through.  Meanwhile heat the milk, cream cheese, dill, lime juice and garlic in a microwaveable bowl for 30 seconds to warm up the cheese. Mix until smooth and then refrigerate.  Heat up the water f...

Sunday dinner: Whole sage chicken with creamed spinach and honey glazed carrots Ingredient list:  1 natural young fresh chicken 1 bag of carrots 1 bag of celery stalks Pam olive oil spray Fresh sage leaves Fresh thyme Fresh rosemary Fresh mushrooms, sliced thick 1 bag or box of baby spinach 1/4 c cream cheese 1/4 tsp Ground nutmeg 1 - 2 tbsp honey salt white pepper Directions : I start with a "natural young fresh chicken", bought at the local Kroger. Cut it out of the bag with kitchen scissors (ones you only use for the kitchen) and you will discover a bag of giblets in the cavity. (Note: always wash your dish drainer with bleachy soapy water if you set the chicken on it! Oops.) Giblets in a bag.  No I wont make you eat this if you think its gross. Use it for stock, later. Here's how: Pull the giblets bag out of the chicken, as shown above, and dump the contents into a small saucepot. Add water, 1 carrot - chopped, 1 celery rib -...

What is your dream? Mine has been, for many years, to open a bakery. I'm not confident that I know enough to do so, or have the money or time to do it either. But the dream lingers. What I've learned from working at my current job is that even when you don't have all the parts yet, you start building something, start heading in the right direction. Be open minded and ready to change everything about your first draft as you start talking to people, but have a dartboard to throw darts at. With this mentality, you WANT people to tear apart your idea. Because what is left over is more polished and gleaming than what you could have done on your own. It builds ownership and people will remember they were part of building something new and wonderful. So with this attitude, I've decided to start moving toward the dream. I got a printer and pulled down the recipes I thought might sell with my gimmick and created a cookbook over the last two days. You all know wha...

Oatmeal Raisin Carob cookies They are soft. And not too sweet. But the raisins and carob help. It is not your typical chocolate chip cookie. But what it is, is good. The best part? not only is it on my diet, it is 157 calories a piece. Not bad for my first healthy recipe. 👱  3 out of 4 stars! Vicky aka The Clumsy Healthy Chef. ;)