Frigid Weekend

I heart Ina. Yummy, pretty Rugelach.

Ugh, I am so ready for spring to come. I know I shouldn't complain, we did just have a couple of mild weeks in January. But this frigid weather has got to go. So I didn't do a whole lot this weekend, except stay in and cook, hang out with the fam, and get sucked into yet another vampire series. Ya know, the usual. :) I cooked a few things, trying to use up some ingredients, some I had in the house since Christmas (when I had the best of intentions of making all those cookies). I just finished making one of those batches. They were Ina Garten's Rugelach cookies. Cookies, but more like a pastry. Yes, I'm still working on learning how to work with dough, haven't given up yet. These turned out pretty tasty, although they are what steered me away from dough recipes in the first place- time consuming. I found I actually enjoy the process though. So it's worth it, if only for the feeling of accomplishment of actually finishing them and having these pretty little pastries to show for!

After watching Julie & Julia, I had said I was really inspired to try a Julia Child recipe, so this weekend I tried her Chicken Breasts with Mushrooms and Cream Sauce. Oh my, Julia, you sure do know how to make a sauce! I guess they don't call you the master for nothing. The sauce was absolutely fantastic! Very rich, of course, with her love of butter, and this also had a whole cup of heavy cream in it! But ooohh soooo worth it! It was flavored with Madeira wine, such a perfect compliment to it. I don't have her cookbook, so the link is a blog I found online with her exact recipe in it. I did what this woman did when she cooked it- used a dutch oven. My mom got me one for Christmas and I was so psyched to try it out! What an fantastic kitchen essential! From stove to oven- love it! The picture was taken when I heated up the leftovers the next night, and the sauce kind of separated on me, but the first night, it looked much more like the actual sauce. It was still good the second night regardless!

I was fearless, Julia! And it didn't come out half bad!

I have to say thank you to my wonderful husband for doing all the dishes when I go into cooking over drive, like this weekend, he did them ALL for me. I sincerely hate doing dishes and I am super slow at them, so it takes me forever. I am very grateful for my "dishwasher", he makes cooking much more pleasant for me!

I know you are all wondering about the vampire series I was sucked into. First it was Anne Rice, then Stephanie Meyer, now..... Charlaine Harris! Yup, totally involved now in Sookie and Bill's romance and all the murders going on in Bon Temps, Louisiana. I can't wait to start the second one. It is serious junk food reading— easy to get into, a fast read, and a great escape from reality. I don't know why, but man, I eat this vampire stuff up! It's not Twilight, but I'll take it. :) In fact, my book and a rugelach cookie are both calling to me now, a nice way to relax on a Sunday night, I'd say......