food

aunt helen’s balls

kdavis 2 Comments

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okay, folks, before we get started, i have to confess that i am in no way related to this aunt helen.  my aunt cindy, who is my actual aunt from my dad’s side, has a friend cheryl.  aunt cindy and cheryl play bunco together, and it is cheryl’s aunt helen who is the originator of this recipe.  it took a quick phone call to actually find out that information, and now we know!  this simple appetizer is a solid recipe to have in your box and is a good base for something even more amazing.  maybe try it with some finely chopped asparagus or some green pepper/red chili mix.  my first though was bacon because as we know, just like puppies, bacon makes everything better!

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honey teriyaki appetizer

kdavis 1 Comment

last week i got caught up in the flurry of an online recipe exchange – how exciting!  i had received a honey teriyaki appetizer dish from our good family friend mary b., and with so much free time over the holiday weekend, i roped my mom into giving it a try with me.

maybe you should give it a try, too?  go on!  flex those cooking muscles, ya beast!

okay, i’ll stop.  you know how i cannot help getting carried away at times.

wait, carried away?

“i get carried away, by the look, by the light in your eyes, before i even realize the ride i’m on, baby, i’m long gone”  “i get carried away, nothing matters but being with you, like a feather flyin’ high up in the sky on a windy day, i get carried away”

ha!  gotcha!  i couldn’t help myself.  who doesn’t love indulging in some classic george strait?  that’s right.  EVERYONE loves indulging in classic george strait.

okay, i really will get down to business with this recipe so that you can enjoy it.

did you say “get down to business?”

“let’s get down to business to defeat the huns”  “did they send me daughters when i asked for sons?”  “you’re the saddest bunch i’ve ever met, but you can bet before we’re through, mister, i’ll make a man out of you”

okay, OKAY!  i really, really do promise that’s the last of it.  at least for you.  this show in my mind is 24/7.  ah, to be so lucky…

ingredients

8 ounces of cream cheese, very softened

1 – 1 1/2 cups of shredded chicken (you can also chop it if you need to save a little time; don’t worry, the chicken doesn’t know if it’s shredded or chopped, so i promise it will taste the same)

*also!  this chicken can either be a rotisserie you picked up from the grocery OR you can poach/boil the chicken yourself.  it will really depend on what’s available and how much time you have.

garlic powder

shredded carrots (the recipe calls for shredded, but we only had matchstick carrots on-hand and found those were a great choice because their crunch held up; just personal preference)

coarsely chopped dry roasted peanuts

chopped green onions

honey teriyaki marinade (just look for a bottle of this stuff in the international aisle of your grocery store)

directions

for a few hours, marinate the chicken in some of the honey teriyaki marinade (not marinate, for marinate is the verb and marinade is the noun; the more you know!).

mm, marinated chicken.

mm, marinated chicken.

grab a greased glass baking dish (a 9 x 13 will do, or something a tad smaller; you don’t want an 8 x 8, though, for that won’t be enough space) and spread the cream cheese out on it.  sprinkle with the garlic powder.

all i want to do is put raspberry jam on it and eat it with a bagel.

all i want to do is put raspberry jam on it and eat it with a bagel.

add ze chicken.

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now, at this point you can take this dish in one of two directions.  direction one is to serve it warm.  direction two is to serve it chilled.  i will detail both directions so that you can wisely make a choice.

direction one (warm)

on top of the chicken, add the carrots and peanuts.

drizzle on some more honey teriyaki marinade.

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pop the baking dish into a warm oven for 15 minutes to get everything warmed through and slightly bubbly.  be careful, though; you don’t want to burn that cream cheese.

top with the green onions and serve with crackers.

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direction two (cold)

on top of the chicken, add the carrots, peanuts, and green onions.

drizzle on some more honey teriyaki marinade and serve with crackers.

whether you prefer direction one or direction two, the dish is going to be a hit.  now, as a cream cheese lover, i am always in favor of more than less, but the 8 ounces the recipe calls for here is just perfect.

mom recommended throwing in some water chestnuts, which are another one of my favorites.  i totally understand that they have zero flavor whatsoever, but that crunch is just so delightful!

finally, if you don’t want them on a cracker, we decided it would be just as delectable in a lettuce wrap, either for an appetizer or an entree.

dc december – day 4

kdavis 1 Comment

at last!  our final day of fun in dc ushered itself in on sunday morning.  our flight wasn’t until the early evening, so we had plenty of time together before everything came to a close.

after getting our packing done, we headed out the door for brunch, but wait!  not before i can coordinate these adorable photos on the stoop of our chinatown home!  aah, i looked at them and could hardly contain myself.  what a great trip because of these gems!

nathan, sarah, jamie, lenora, me, alison, kiley, garth.

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dc december – day 3

kdavis 1 Comment
apparently i love taking pictures of metro signs…
garth & me!
garth & me, ruining greg & jamie’s picture. i mean, ENHANCING it….

saturday morning came a little earlier than i would have liked, but there’s no time to lose when  you’re on vacation in dc, so i rallied (can you rally at ten a.m.?) and we set out to take on the day.

we stopped at panera bread for some quick sustenance and then hopped on the blue line in chinatown to head to arlington.  we plan our annual trip around the wreaths across america ceremony, and with this year being the 150th anniversary, i wasn’t going to miss it for anything.

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dc december – day 1

kdavis 1 Comment

okay, i’m a touch behind on my writing, but better late than never, right?  right!  i’m glad we agree.  so, without further adieu, i give you the first day of last week’s fifth annual dc december trip!

we flew out of atlanta around eight p.m. thursday night to arrive in our very chilly capital city at a decent hour.  the trip was quick and uneventful, just how i like my cross-country treks.  well, this trek was not technically cross-country, but we certainly were no longer in the south.  we freshened up and joyously retrieved our suitcases from baggage claim.  i say “joyously” because one year my bag was very much left in atlanta all on its lonesome.  poor little guy!  delta quickly delivered him to our door the next day, though, so all was well.

jamie & me.
nathan & alison.
jamie & greg.

a $25 cab ride later, we were at the doorsteps of our humble abode for the weekend in chinatown.  nathan had found a sweet townhome for our visit on vrbo, and with six bedrooms and three bathrooms, it was perfect for our large group.

we dragged our things up the stairs, in through the doors, and pleasantly found peter and shaun inside, greeting us with drinks and food.  it was actually sarah’s birthday that day, so they surprised her with a dinosaur cake; how thoughtful!  he was affectionately named barnabas and kept us company most of the time we were in town.  the yellow cake was thickly topped with frosting so sweet that i almost had a stomachache afterwards.  but!  it was nothing a little adult beverage couldn’t remedy.

sarah, pleasantly surprised and so kind as we sang “happy birthday.”
what did i say when i saw this cake? “good thing there’s grass, because otherwise he’d be walking on clouds, and that’s just not realistic.”

we enjoyed the rest of the night as we sipped on manhattans with one another.  the fun was only beginning!

my garth & me!

my garth & me!

turtle pretzels

kdavis 2 Comments

ladies and gentlemen, i present to you the easiest treat ever made by man:  turtle pretzels!  okay, i don’t think they’re really called turtle pretzels, but they’re something i made last thanksgiving with the family, and i never really got the name.  so!  turtle pretzels they will be!

this recipe is so stinkin’ easy that i am not even going to break it down into ingredients and directions.  you can literally read the instructions here and be good to go!

preheat your oven to 250 degrees fahrenheit.

grab a cookie sheet and line it with parchment paper.  if you ran out of parchment paper like i did, use tin foil instead.  place those window pane pretzels on there, just a little spaced out.

pretzels

next, violently tear open a bag of rolos.  i use the word violently because when i cut and ripped mine open, i had rolos everywhere.  it was like an early rolo Christmas just for my tiny kitchen and me.  then, because you don’t want to look too much like a mess, place them all next to the bag nicely as if they had just come out that way.

rolo bag

unwrap those little candies and place one atop each pretzel.

pop the cookie sheet into the oven for two minutes.  only two minutes, kelsey?  doesn’t that seem a little short?  well, yes, in the grand scheme of things two minutes is not very long at all, and you don’t need a long time with these little guys.  they just need to warm enough so that we can smash them down, which we’ll do in just a moment, if you’ll be patient.

after those long and excruciating two minutes are up, pull the cookie sheet out and press a pecan half down on top of each rolo.  the reason you only need two minutes is because if you go any longer, all that caramel surprise inside the rolo will squirt right out, and that’s not what we want.

let the treats cool and harden and then store them in an airtight container.  then take them to your company holiday party and watch them get scarfed up by all your ravenous coworkers who cannot get enough of your baking.  happy holidays!

red beans and rice

kdavis Leave a comment

after my fair share of turkey and dressing over the thanksgiving weekend, i needed a recipe that was a little different and a lot simple upon my return to atlanta.  as my mom and i were in the kitchen, i asked “mom, if i were your red beans and rice recipe, where would i be?  i think i want to make it for dinner and lunch leftovers this week.”

in classic tori fashion, she pointed to her noggin, which meant it was going to be fun listening to her dictate it to me.

“okay, wait just a second.”  i grabbed a notepad and pen from the kitchen desk, right where they’ve always been for the past nearly 20 years, and prepared myself to take note.

i present, here, tori’s secret red beans and rice recipe in all its glory!

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the measurements and preparation here made enough to feed clark and i nearly all week.  his portions tend to be a bit larger than mine, but regardless, you’ll have plenty to share, or not; it’s up to you!

ingredients

smoked sausage (i used a standard hillshire sausage, the stuff that comes in the horseshoe shape)

3 small cans of dark red kidney beans, not drained (or 1 large can, if you can find it in your local grocer)

*if you cannot find dark red kidney beans, light red kidney beans will do just fine

28 oz. can of diced tomatoes, not drained

one medium-sized yellow onion

salt & pepper

garlic

cayenne pepper

white rice (or brown rice, if you’re healthy, unlike me)

directions

cook up some rice according to the package directions, as much as you think you need.  i found that about 8 cups of cooked rice was the right ratio for the final product.

get out a big ‘ole pot and first dump in the kidney beans and tomatoes.  put the heat on medium/medium-high, depending on how quickly you need it warmed.

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slice the sausage into coins and then halve the coins so that you have quarters.  coins?  quarters?  ha, weak money humor.

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dice up that onion and then pat yourself on the back, because you’ve gotten better at dicing onions, as opposed to when you first started being an adult and half the onion went to waste because you didn’t know what to do with it.

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add everything to the mix and let it get nice and hot, and then!  almost drop your phone right in the pot because Lord knows you’re made of money and can afford a new phone at the drop of a hat, right?  heh, that’s quite a sense of humor you have, my dear!

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as you heat it up, add in salt, pepper, minced garlic, and cayenne pepper.  let the flavors simmer and meld, give it a taste, and then decide if it needs more.  i bet some tobasco sauce would be a pretty good choice, too.

scoop that rice into a bowl and plop a bunch of the red beans and sausage on top.  finally, take it into to the office and show off to your coworkers.  they’ll be jealous because this homemade meal took you all of about 20 minutes and i’ll be damned if it doesn’t look amazing!

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thanksgiving casserole

kdavis 2 Comments
all of ze ingredientz.

all of ze ingredientz.

to all my fellow americans and thanksgiving-celebrators out there, happy turkey day!  let’s give thanks for days off from work and no alarm clocks and good food and tradition.  let’s also give thanks for the family and friends we can see today, while also keeping in our memories those who are no longer with us or cannot be with us.

clark and i came home to birmingham tuesday night, and as they always say, there truly is no place like home.  our childhood is here, our past was created here, and i will gladly return to suburbia nearly any day of the year.  it continues to amaze me that although my life is bustling with adventure and activity, i sometimes crave and cannot get enough of a bit of a slowdown, to ensure that i do not let the most cherished people and moments pass me by.

this thanksgiving is full of pajamas and tradition as always, but we tried something new with our grandmother gaga’s breakfast casserole.  my mom had uncovered this dish in her recipe box, and although it’d been years since she probably received it, there was no question that it was penned in gaga’s handwriting.

from the andrich family to you and yours, happy thanksgiving.  let’s eat!

ingredients

6 eggs

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard

4 slices bread (cubed)

*we just used a loaf of french bread and ripped it up.  keeps you form having to dirty up a knife and cutting board.  plus, it looks cool and rustic when you rip up bread.

1 pound sausage, hot or mild

*we had some frozen, fully-cooked sausage patties that we just plopped right on top.  worked perfectly!  but, if you prefer to cook and crumble your own sausage, be my guest.

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

*i highly recommend you use at least 2 cups of cheese.  1 cup looked so wimpy, so i said, “to heck with one cup!”  it was a very good choice.

directions

cook sausage and drain.

beat eggs.

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add salt, mustard, and milk.  then get an action shot of the tori, because who doesn’t love to be photographed in their pajamas?

in a greased baking dish (a glass 9 x 13 should do you just fine), layer the bread, sausage, and cheese.  ooh, baby, that’s the stuff.

pour milk mixture over the top and refrigerate overnight.  bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 45 minutes or until set.

eat with a fork, but make sure it’s just like milo is doing here, with a side bite, or else it won’t taste the same!

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rum balls

kdavis Leave a comment

i’ve known my coworker mark now since 2010, and years ago i brought in rum balls per his special request.  now, these things are not my cup of tea at all, but oh goodness, he could not get enough of them!  these strong little suckers are right up his alley, and he so kindly reminded me last week that i hadn’t made them in quite some time…

say no more, mark!  i grabbed my ingredients, made a quick stop at the liquor store for the good stuff, and got to work tonight.  these rum balls are quite easy to make, but i will warn you now that they are a bit messy.  rum balls don’t roll themselves, so be prepared to get your hands dirty.  the recipe is below, along with all kinds of fun pictures.  enjoy!

ingredients

1 cup milk chocolate chocolate chips

1/2 cup white sugar

3 Tablespoons corn syrup

1/3 cup choice rum (i used captain morgan’s white rum this time, but you could just as easily use a silver rum; you could also use bourbon if that’s more your style)

2 1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafers (about an 11-ounce box will do)

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar

directions

if you were so fortunate to find a box of vanilla wafers already ground up, good for you!  if you were not so fortunate, crush those little guys up with a food processor.  it’ll take all of about two minutes, and opening up a brand new box of vanilla wafers is, le sigh, divine.  those things might be some of the best smelling crackers/cookies in the world.  just my opinion!

next, microwave the rum for about a minute and then add the white sugar to dissolve it.  i promise that doing so will make the mixture easier to incorporate in a minute.

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oh, and after you heat up that rum, it is going to smell strong.  just a warning.

place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heat them in the microwave for one minute.  stir, and if necessary, return to the microwave and heat at 20-second intervals, stirring between each, until melted and smooth.

add and blend the rum-sugar mixture and corn syrup with the silky chocolate.

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in a large bowl, stir together the crushed vanilla wafers, walnuts, and chocolate mixture until evenly distributed.

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okay, next comes the fun part.  use your hands to roll the “batter” into little balls, just a skosh smaller than a ping pong ball.  anything bigger is going to be overwhelming, take my word for it.

oh, also take my word for it that it is easiest to roll all of the balls first before we take them for a dip in the confectioner’s sugar.  and yes, your hands are going to get quite icky.  that’s why you have a little brother to take that picture for you, so no one misses any of the fun!

so, the final step is to roll each ball of chocolately-alcoholic goodness around in a bowl of confectioner’s sugar.  i use more like a 1/2 cup of sugar because i like to coat those things well.  after they’re all covered and white like winter snow, pop them in the refrigerator, cover them, and leave them for a week so that all the flavors can blend together.  once you finally do peel off that lid, the rum will be strong and taste even stronger which, if you’re anything like mark, is a glorious thing.