Don't be afraid - homemade hamburger buns and more!

One of the best tips I have for people wanting to learn to cook, to cook more, to try new things, is to NOT BE AFRAID!

Know that when you try something, you have a very good chance of failure. But it's not the end of the world. And until you try something, probably more than once, you don't know if you can handle it, if it needs tweaking, or if the recipe should just be tossed!

A couple of years ago I learned to make bread. Many of my recipes are made/kneaded in my Kitchen Aid. But I also make breads by hand (on days when I can't have the noise of the mixer - as my husband is sleeping). It wasn't easy taking the leap from bread machine to kneading by hand, and some loaves ended up in the freezer to be used for stuffing down the road because they were too dense. But over time I've learned how the dough should feel, so I can usually add more moisture or flour, depending, saving the bread before baking.

Practice makes perfect!

or at least better~

I have tried many types of breads, and rolls, saving some recipes, tweaking some recipes, and tossing others. And I've wanted to try making hamburger buns for a long time, large, soft, beautiful fresh hamburger buns. We love to make grilled burgers of all kinds, and putting them on purchased buns just seems soo.. wrong!

I found a recipe for "40 minute" buns - seemed easy enough - so I gave it a try. And while they are FAR from perfect, they tasted awesome tonight all toasted up and holding our homemade burgers!

I need to get better at uniformity - and I'm not sure this is the best recipe out there, so I'm not posting the recipe. But I'll keep looking, and trying, until I have the right one to share!

The point of this post is - to not be afraid to try. It won't always be perfect, but it will always be homemade, and made from the heart. And THAT is what it's all about.

when in Rome....

You know the saying. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

I like to apply that to my food. (Imagine that!)

We travel a lot. Not glamorous vacations in high-end resorts, but typically road trips, with the destination being a family member or close friend. And the best part of road trips is seeing everything along the way. We have road tripped out west, down south, to the east, and even Route 66. One of my favorite things to do on road trips is sample the local foods - finding small, out of the way eateries that specialize in some of the local favorites.

Being the foodie that I am, I often come home from the trips wanting to recreate what I've enjoyed on my road trip. My family is even guilty - asking me to make something they've had on a trip. I learned early on that living in a small Midwestern town, I don't always have access to ingredients needed. And I have learned to improvise, making muffaletta olive salad from scratch when it wasn't found in the store.

But I am wiser now.

So while other people bring back shot glasses, artwork, and postcards, I bring home souvenirs that will help me in the kitchen - seasonings, condiments, and even chicory. I will even bring back meats, cheeses, and of course wines and beers to enjoy once we are home. (Again the perk of road trips - room for more to bring home!)

We returned a couple of weeks ago from an extended vacation to New Orleans and Memphis. While I've been to New Orleans several times, I had never spent time in Memphis. With family and friends in both places, we got to enjoy amazing local foods - both homemade and in restaurants. My new favorite from New Orleans would have to be the boudin sausage, and from Memphis of course - we had amazing ribs.

So I brought home my souvenirs from both places -a couple of seasonings, the chicory I can't find here locally, as well as the muffaletta salad, and some amazing rib marinade to try.

For me, it allows me to not only play with some new foods, but it makes our vacation last a little bit longer, as we remember our favorite parts of the vacation while enjoying some of that amazing food back home.

So next time you're a world traveler, think about bringing something home for your kitchen. It will give you a reason to try some new recipes!

Italian style cabbage rolls - deconstructed!

Hope you all have your coffee in hand! Time for another round of Saturday morning coffee with Missy! I've been gone for awhile - a long vacation, and then a family issue, but I'm back, and cooking in the kitchen!

I saw a post floating around  for a cabbage roll dish - in a pot on the stove. Knowing I had a half a cabbage left in the fridge from St. Patrick's Day's corned beef and cabbage, I thought I'd put my own twist on it.

I started by browning up some amazing local ground beef with onion and garlic. Once browned, I added in Italian diced tomatoes, some chopped cabbage, and some cooked orzo (I always have some cooked grains in the fridge for easy meals - orzo went well with the Italian twist on the dish!). I added some salt, and seasonings, and had a wonderful dinner for this cold spring day in Wisconsin. Paired with fresh Italian bread from the oven, I think my husband will enjoy dinner tonight!

Italian Style Cabbage Rolls - Deconstructed!
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
28 oz. can Diced Italian Tomatoes
1 cup cooked orzo
1/2 medium head of cabbage, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried Italian sesasoning


In a large deep saute pan, or a large sauce pan, brown meat with onion and garlic until meat is browned and vegetables are softened. Add canned tomatoes and juice, cooked orzo, salt, Italian seasoning, and chopped cabbage. Cover and simmer untlil cabbage is soft, about 20-30 minutes.

The beauty of this dish - you could use pork sausage instead of ground beef, 

cooked rice instead of orzo... It's an easy dish to modify, to make to your family's tastes. Enjoy!