Half a year in one post!

Happy Fall Ya'All!!!

So big changes happening in my kitchen and home. We now have a total of 2 very busy kids living in my home and our weeknights are crazy. With football games and mine and my hubs work schedule its just that crazy. We are adjusting to the decline in kids well and we have just revamped our schedules and everyone is doing great with it. Here are a few shots from my kitchen to catch you up a bit.

                             St. Patty's green bread goes best with great lakes brewery beer! 

baby sitting Burger style with a make your own pizza bar

making fresh hand cranked ice cream with sprinkles and strawberries and of chocolate chips!

and of course whats a party without a homemade soda bar. our favorite add ins are pom juice and mango pineapple orange juice. just add club soda and a funky straw and its better than anything you buy in a can. 

tested out many recipes for homemade vanilla almond granola..therefore I ate a lot of yogurt! 

my little slider graduated into a new school (ya see the pun there?)

we may be down a 7th grader but we did adopt this yummy little guy. Elvis entered our family via a quick stop at the gas station and a bunch of kids with free kittens. He is just the best little guy ever!

found a fun new way to test summer pintrest ideas. Presecco and Bomb pops..Hell Yeah!

inspired by my kids camp this summer at work we made falafels

fall kick started with the ever famous pumpkin cookies with vanilla bean cream cheese frosting.  

southern livings annual apple edition hit my mail box and this Caramel apple Blondie pie was a must make

Tyler Florences best ever fried chicken was a family favorite the first time I made it for dinner in a small batch, so much so I got commissioned to make it for 14 people..40 pieces of fried chicken took a much larger operation. I may not make it again for another year but but it was just as good. 

Skinnytaste.com pumpkin granola recipe with vanilla greek yogurt! 

our Boo! gift surprised many a neighbors and friends with my pecan caramel popcorn

ad what a October without my daughters annual birthday chili. its a big deal with lots of prep and cost a fortune but she looks forward to it each year. It has sausage, london broil, 7 peppers and some surprises as well, i could share the recipe but then I"d have to kill you!

So there you have it 5 months in one post. I'm also posting tonights quick and easy dinner. its not always a gourmet affair but it does always have to be good!

Happy Cooking!

Dinner Basics

This weekend was a restfully and tasty 3 days of culinary basics. Friday evening we had a new friend over for a dinner of Croque Monsieur, French onion soup, strawberry goat cheese salad with burbon pecans and creamy balsamic vinaigrette. I bought a new Breville smart oven so I planned dinner menu around how much I could use it. I even made two apple galletes this weekend an they came out perfect, I absolutely love it!!

Saturday night was a repeat of late night after work sandwiches and turtle cookies and wine while watching Argo. Good food + a good movie = a win win.

Here are a few shots from the kitchen.

Enjoy;)

Valentines Day Menu

Filet of beef with Cabernet reduction Mushrooms, topped with a garlic herb butter

Duck Fat Roasted red potatoes

Asparagus with tarragon bread crumb crisp

Creme Brûlée with chocolate covered strawberries

And of course lots of wine!

Adventures in food a photo entry:)

Here are my most fun creations and failures since my last post. My favorite is the cake with our sugar..oops and I course what would valentines day eve be without chocolate so the love cakes were too cute!

Just take a bite already!

Welcome all to my Blog it has been a work in progress to say the least. It is the title I came up with a year ago. It sits there each day at the top of my screen as I read other blogs. Just looking back at me wanting to be turned into something awesome. It has never had an entry and I'm not sure why, I usually cant shut up about food and my life but I guess today is finally the day. Well here goes nothing...

 My name is Renee I'm now a mostly stay at home mom, who does get out to the world of adults at least once a week for a few short perfect hours to teach a cooking class or two. I fell into becoming a chef. No really..my mom took me to a open house at the California Culinary Academy because I was doing nothing but ditching community college classes, babysitting and going to the beach..oh and watching the newest channel on cable, the food network..ever heard of it? Well next thing I knew I was in the admissions office changing my life's course. I always wanted a restaurant and one day It will be part of my plan but 3 little things changed that and I fell into culinary teaching which I LOVE!

 So I've always loved to cook. from the early ages of not having eggs in the house to still making what I called an "omelet" and my amazing mom eating it every time. Thank god I did not kill her back then with that shit she had to eat. I usually baked and made a few things here or there. Had a collection of cookbooks that were gifted to me over the years, and handled my stress in life by getting in the kitchen! I'd bake to celebrate, I'd cook to improve my dads health or lose some weight myself. I'd whip up some apps for a drunken night with my friends, hangover chocolate chip pancakes or make a souffle just because I was alone with my dog in a new house with nothing to do. now don't go breaking out the tissues just yet..I have had an easy life compared to most. A few heartbreaks, some close calls with my loved ones health, but a full and blessed life is the result so I'm good with that! I just cooked to get through all of it!

 I'm now 33 years old and a mom to 3..yes 3 kids! I have a 13, 11 and almost 5 year old. 2 were my gift with purchase of my hubby and one was my own little creation. I love them all to the ends of time, but I also have 3 kids so the challenges that brings are most of the time are pure fucking chaos!(I curse a lot so make your peace with that or move on) We have special situations in our family that lend its own stress but we work through it and try to keep some balance..and at least at the table! We go thru health kicks and then a dessert will be thrown in because its a random Wednesday, and my god everyone need a peace of cake on Wednesday!

I love to cook up a huge meal for my family and friends and really entertain. I do this because its how I show the people I love that I still can tolerate them (kidding!)but really if I cook for you..your in! I love to try new places and figure out how people make things. Yep that's right I'm always judging peoples food. I eat my way thru vacations and plan destinations based on what places we can try. My kids are foodies and will try almost everything at least once. Our biggest adventure this past year is putting in a garden and it has added a whole backyard to table experience to our lifestyle.

 Anyways I cant promise this will always be the most exciting shit you will read in your day or that you will be so inspired that you will become a chef. However it will be honest, real, and most of the time full of food porn! I will try to update my loyal readers on my culinary creations and stumbles, because everyone has those moments too.

 xo Renee

 Last nights dinner..Banging good shrimp recipe from the awesome blog of skinnytaste this blog writer is amazing she has helped me cut the fat and still be inspired to make awesome meals for my family. This shrimp is a spicy, creamy, light recipe for a good easy quick dinner. I add a quarter of an avocado to each plate and a full plate of salad greens then about 5-6 shrimp right on top. no dressing needed the spicy sauce is perfect to the cool greens.

 Followed up with a warm Caramel Almond Apple Tart that was delivered to my in laws to share, since I would really be eating the leftovers instead of starting this blog today.