Tracey Lamont: cooking

Tomorrow, the bird

Friday, July 15, 2016

Today was a busy day. You know the kinda day you get home, you're really hungry and figure out what's for dinner.

If you're looking for a pasta recipe, you might enjoy this. I figure this way. Everything in moderation, so to speak. So for tonight, it's pasta.

So, we were talking about what could be added to it. The choices are endless. Here's what we came up with for dinner this evening.

It's summer and tomatoes are wonderful to add to pasta. Don't you agree? Lately, I can't eat enough of them. I've been enjoying them daily. We talked about adding them to the recipe. They can be sliced ot could be a garnish on the top.

Creating dishes is fun. We discuss different ideas and then come up with something that sounds good. So, today we have white beans in the pantry and ham in the fridge. I'm not vegan so porky's going in the pot.

The pasta is going in a white cream sauce. Then, if you choose, add red pepper flakes because a little spicy heat is good.

Cream Sauce Recipe

One stick of Cream Cheese

A bit of butter

A half pound of grated cheese of your choice

About 2 cups of milk

Flour

Melt down the cream cheese in the same pot that you boiled the pasta

Once the cream cheese is melted, then slowly add in the milk, bit by bit - about 2 cups of milk

Then plop in the butter and let that merry

Now in a separate dish or cup, put in about 5-7 tablespoons of flour

Mix in milk until you have a thick, liquidy, smooth liquid

Now toss the flour and milk in with the cream cheese mixture, add in the cheese and stir frequently as the mixture thickens.

Once the mixture is all thick, add in the beans, tomatoes and pasta!

It turned out really good! All three of us enjoyed it! Hope you try it! Let me know if you did and how you liked it.

Biggest hugs,

Tracey

This blog is sponsored by:

4506 Hampton Ave

St. Louis, Mo 63109

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bootlegger

National Pizza Day

Tuesday, February 09, 2016

As I was reading about the history of pizza, it made me think of my own history with the well rounded tasty treat. The topping choices are many and the combinations, endless. I have to admit that pizza is one of my favorite things to eat. When I was younger, there was a place my family would go in Texas. As I recall, Little Italy, near Texas Tech, had really good pizza. The cheese and red sauce was really good. My parents liked the place, a lot. That was years ago and yes, I can still remember the pizza. I remember standing off to the side quietly watching the owner make the "pies". He made it look so easy.

Fast forward to my twenties, I worked at a local pizzeria on the weekends. Not just any pizza joint, it was Villa Pizza. They focused on quality ingredients and their food reflected this, everything was so good. It was a busy place and it's no wonder! I would watch them spin and decorate the pizzas and in minutes, a nutritious masterpiece would be produced. It was that good.

These days, if you're in Las Vegas or visiting, the Bootlegger Bistro on Las Vegas Blvd. is one of my favorites. The pizza is exceptional. They have many wonderful, authentic dishes to choose from. The restaurant is pleasant and relaxing and has always been a wonderful experience. They also have an area where you can place an order and take out. If you're ever in the area, don't deny yourself. The food is excellent.

http://bootleggerlasvegas.com/

There isn't a day that goes by that I wouldn't consider having a slice or two. It's just one of those things. Life's simple pleasures. Happy National Pizza Day!

brunch

Tourtière~~It's really good!

Monday, December 14, 2015

If you know me, you know I am a "foodie". That's right. Always have been. I enjoy cooking from scratch the best. It's really special to taste food in its most natural state in my opinion. When foods are combined, it's magical as they use your palette as a playground. There are those who live to eat and those who eat to live.

I can recall, my mother making a dish that I really enjoyed. Yes, it's been years but it was comfort food then, and still is. When she would tell me she was making "hash", I was thrilled. It is a simple dish, it's true but the pleasures were large to me. I liked mine a certain way once served. Salt, pepper, one thin pat of butter and a small amount of ketchup. All three of us, me and my girls, enjoy the dish these days.

I saw this recipe today and I wanted to share it with you. It's similar to my childhood favorite but it has an added ingredient.

Crust! In my opinion, the more the merrier when it comes to crust! When I saw this, the first thing I thought was, I need to try this! Then I thought, I really should share this. I've included the link below.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Be sure and check out the flaky, golden crust. A big thank you to Grow a Good Life for sharing the recipe and the pictures too.

http://growagoodlife.com/tourtiere/

Biggest hugs,

Tracey

baking

Little Helping Hands

Thursday, December 10, 2015

It wasn't THAT long ago that my girls were little. They were always eager to help. When laundry time rolled around, if we did a load at the house, I would ask them to help. I recall many times we would sit on the couch and sort through socks. It was fun for them to match up the socks and make pairs. A good idea is to buy net bags that have a zipper on them. It actually helps with losing socks and makes sorting each persons socks much easier.

I would have them fold the wash cloths and hand towels as well. The larger towels I would do while they did the smaller items. It was fun to involve them and it was a learning experience for all of us. Then, we would take their things to their room and put them away. I asked my eldest, when she was around four, which drawers she wanted for her socks, shirts, etc. and we labeled the drawers which made it much easier. As time went by, it was the involvement and hanging out was what I most enjoyed. I also enjoyed The Wonder Pets and JJ The Jet Plane!

As they got a little older, they were shown other tasks. Wiping counters down, wiping light switches, feeding our two black labs, and taking the trash out. The tasks were things they could do while learning about "the chores".

As they have matured and grown, they both enjoy cooking. It's pretty cool to watch them in the kitchen. They might ask for my advice or opinion once in a while but they do really well and I basically try to observe and not micro manage.

Haleigh likes to bake. These are the shortbread cookies she made. She makes mean cupcakes too. Meridian cooks up a storm and plates very tasty dishes. This one, (above) was Arugula, green onion and cheese over a lovely marinated steak. I must admit, I'm an excellent taste tester, always have been. It's a dirty job but someone has to do it!

Biggest Hugs,

Tracey

cooking

3 Cooks Make A Family

Friday, November 27, 2015

Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks for all your blessings. The first Thanksgiving took place in Plymouth Colony, present-day Massachusetts, in 1621.

In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November, would be Thanksgiving day. Who would've known that the declaration, made by our 16th president, would have lead to delicious meals with friends and family as we give thanks?

This year for Thanksgiving the girls and I enjoyed a lovely meal and the side dish was gratitude. I thought I would share with you what we had!

A spiral sliced ham...

It was hard trying to decide what the main course was going to be but the girls and I decided on ham.

On the side of the fabulous glazed ham we had stuffing or dressing.

We also made sweet potatoes with marshmallows, yum!

This was so good. It's a favorite of ours. The way the marshmallows and sweet potatoes are mixed, it melts in your mouth. I like mine with pecans.

Trust me you will love this recipe:

Ingredients

1 can of Sweet Potatos/Yams or 6 fresh yams, cubed

A few tablespoons of brown sugar

One bag of marshmallows (large)

Directions

1. Drain the sweet potatos after opening the can about 3/4 of the way

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

3. Pour Sweet Potatos into baking dish

4. Pour marshmallows on top of sweet potatos

5. Place in oven at 350 F, checking until marshmallows are slightly brown and sweet potatos are warmed.

Then we had old fashioned pumpkin pie!

Did you know, that the earliest pumpkin pie wasn't the pumpkin pie we know and love today? Evidently, people would cook pumpkin flesh in a shell with milk and spices. It wasn't a pie consistency, it was more like a pudding.

It wasn't until 1651 when a French cook wrote a cookbook and featured a recipe that where pumpkin pulp was boiled with milk, strained and then mixed with sugar, butter, and salt. The cook baked the mixture in a pastry shell and voilà! A Thanksgiving tradition for many was born.

We hope you, your friends, and family all had a wonderful day full of love.

Biggest Hugs,

Tracey

all natural

Barkingly Good Treats

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

This past weekend, the girls made treats for Spanky and Jackie. They really enjoy their treats. Peanut butter is a favorite of our 4 legged girls. I recently read how some peanut butter has xylitol as an ingredient. So, now when buying peanut butter, I’ll make sure there isn’t any on the ingredient list.

Dog Bone Recipe

2 ¼ cup flour

½ cup Peanut butter

2 eggs

Water as needed – about ½ cup

½ cup miniature marshmallows

Combine flour and eggs. Stir and add in peanut butter. Add a little water so the dough is like bread dough. The dough should be firm and slightly sticky. Add marshmallows into the dough and fold them in.

Depending on the size of bone or cookie style treat, form them in your hand and place on the cookie sheet. It’s easier when Parchment paper is used. Easy clean up! Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. The smaller the treat, the crunchier.