Valerie's Workshop

This past weekend was supposed to be our weekend away. To Clinton, Iowa for a wedding, or so we thought.  Our bags were packed, my hair was curled but we weren't going anywhere. Oh, but as that old saying goes, "the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray." Koa, our 10 year old golden retriever was sick. Not just sick, but bleeding internally; the tumor on his spleen had ruptured and needed to be removed, STAT! My heart sank, my stomach flipped and my head raced. What do we do? Where do go? Will he live? Oh, hell! Well, the what we do and where we go involved surgery at the local animal hospital. Will he live, well he is right now and that is all that matters.   After a day or so of having him home, and a day or so of processing what happened, here's what I need to share. My only hope is that you can relate to it, find comfort in it, or just read it! 

As I mentioned in mt last post I made a to-die-for pork roast last week. Scott picked up the roast but left it up to me to decide what to do with it. Having never prepared this cut of meat before I scoured my cookbooks, looking for a recipe that I had all of the ingredients for in the pantry. What I landed on was the recipe for "Father Tim's Mother's Pork Roast" from Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook. One thing I didn't have at home was bourbon but I was able to find a half full bottle of brandy hiding in the liquor cabinet. The original recipe also called for a boneless Boston butt pork roast, but I much prefer cooking meat yet remaining on the bone (much richer flavors result from meat cooked on the bone) and I didn't have a boneless but roast at home! The roast was a cinch to prepare, took hardly any effort at all, and literally fell off the bone when we attempted to slice it. We each enjoyed a serving of pork with baked potatoes, all smothered in the hea

  This past week I had the pleasure of spending a day at home with my 3 year old. We completed puzzles, worked on crafts and played with Legos. He took a nap, the dogs ran circles round the yard enjoying a warm February day, and I got lost in food, again!  The item that consumed the most oven hours was the pork rib roast; a dish I winged with some inspiration from a recipe for pork roast I found in  Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook . (Super yummy ... maybe if I get a free moment tomorrow I will post the recipe. No photos, though, it didn't last!) The item that brought the most smiles to my families faces and assembled in a cinch was the scrumptious little heart cookies that Bodie and I made. Below you'll find their recipe, found in the Cookie and Biscuit Bible which I received a couple years back as a gift. Next time you're wanting to make cookie cutter cookies, try these, and share the joy! Rolled Almond Cookies Makes 24 Ingredients: ½ cup butter, softened ¼ cup

  For the past two years now I've been lucky enough to have the ability to bake my own bread each week. At first it was out of necessity; it's a lot cheaper to bake amazing, healthy bread then it is to buy healthy, high-quality bread. Now it's out of the love of baking; the rewarding feeling that comes from sharing my hand-made, home-baked loaves and the joy of baking with others (especially my son) is unmatched. I take one (or two) days each week and dedicate their theme to baking two to six loaves of bread for my family. Some weeks  are busy and I revert to my impossible-to-fail " Amish white bread " recipe. Other weeks are more relaxed and I put a bit more time and love into my loaves and bake the amazing Rustic Italian Loaf from Cooks Illustrated (worth every moment of it's creation!). This past week was one of my busier weeks; my boss was out of town for 9 days, leaving myself and a couple of gracious part-timers to run the store. *My one day a

Well, yesterday marked the day of Super Bowl XLV. Being the Wisconsinite that I am, and a "bit" of a Packer Fan, it was sort of an important day. What better way to celebrate then by eating some SUPER sinful , Super Sunday Snacks? I was stuck at work all day and wasn't able to cook but was delighted by the smell of the house when I got home. John had just finished making a batch of bacon wrapped water chestnuts and I had not yet a decent meal.  I made sure to sample one for quality control purposes and then put them out of my mind until the game started. Once the balls started flying and the helmets started smacking, we reheated the chestnuts, mixed some brandy & cokes, and enjoyed our snacks while watching the Packers kick A*@. After an amzing dinner of rib-eye steaks and couscous and an even sweeter Packer's victory, we got to enjoy our appetizer as a completely over the top, yet amazingly tasty dessert (sure to win the heart and stomach of any man). So p

February in Wisconsin can lead people in all different directions. Some people get cabin fever and head to the hills to launch themselves downward with a couple of fancy 2x4's strapped to their feet, or to the lake to freeze their tuckus while praying a fish bites. Some folks head to the kitchen, cooking vats of chili and baking dozens of loaves of bread. Others suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder and keep quiet until the light and warmth of Spring lift their spirits. I, un fortunately, fall somewhere in between all three. But no matter what time of year, no matter what my mental state, nothing picks me up quicker then a few minutes of tinkering in the kitchen. This past week we had one heck of a blizzard dumped on us in Madison, with 18+" of snow falling over two days (into a city that was already loaded with snow). Rather then wasting the day away on the couch, I cooked. I roasted a pumpkin and made a new version of pumpkin soup, surprised myself with a no-recipe, no-c