Gadgets and Toys Of a Cooking Mom

I have been compiling a list of wants, desires, and just things I would like to have.  I don't often buy things for my self.   I have never been raised to do the "I want this, I want that, give me give me give me. "   How ever I have things that would either make things in life just a little easier.  Perhaps encourage me to bake more, or things I bake might turn out a little better.  One of those items my work has recently compiled donations from fellow employee's and placed one in our break room.  I LOVE IT! I made my donation knowing I would use it.

I am pretty much the only person in my house that consumes coffee on a regular bases.  I would want to get the nice little pod you refill yourself.  I just think how nice would it be.. plop the pod in the maker press a button and caffeine ingestion commence.  I do think it would be better to just take on my caffeine like this - 

I think we should be able to drive  up to our local star bucks and order up one of these.

My other wish and desire is to have a kitchen aid stand mixer (and a bigger kitchen so i can store all of these wonderful things ).  I would like to have the pasta attachment that attaches to it. 

Now putting all of these items in a kitchen that say I design would be just wonderful but I live in reality and well like I said these are my dreams. 

Or even better something more like this one

Oh now I can't forget .  I do have this love for wine.  I enjoy a nice glass of wine with a wonderful dinner.  I enjoy it in the summer and fall as a great way to unwind the day.  This is my contribution to that lust for wine.

So when that day comes that I win the lotto and I am done giving to everyone else.. these are the things I want to get.  Oh and one last thing. 

If I have a endless supply of money I would get a cleaning service. 

Having fun with google

So today I was just sitting reading my facebook and someone posted an address of a street in Pittsburgh with some instructions on using google maps.  So I look it up and follow the instructions , laughed then looked around.  Eventually I had to google what I was seeing there were so many CRAZY things on this one street.  Needless to say it was a set up.  Carnegie Mellon University fine arts student set up a big event to happen down a street that the "google mobile" was going down.  It was hilarious.  Being as I am located not far from Pittsburgh this meant a lot to me and amused me.  I honestly found so much humor in this ! I ask you to take a tour around this little street in Pittsburgh enjoy a laugh.   So just do as a friend of mine told me and google map Sampsonia Way, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania .  Take a stroll up and down the street investegate the side streets to especially at "firemensway "  Post gazett's news artcle about it

Stuffed cabbage or Pigs in a blanket

Saturday or Sunday I was watching Foodnetwork Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa.  She was making a traditional Jewish meal for her husband Jeffry.  When she said stuffed cabbage I nearly fell off the couch.  I hadn't had stuffed cabbage in YEARS!  She proceeds to tell and cook this "sweet and sour" style tomato sauce.  Her recipe
The more I would think about it the more I wanted it.  I knew my dear husband would have nothing to do with it.  It contained cabbage after all.  He refuses to eat cooked cabbage in most forms.  (only kind I have ever seen him consume was in Chinese foods when I don't think he realized what it was.)  When I was a child my mom would make these things called porcupine balls (the filling that went in to stuffed cabbage with out the cabbage) So it hit me.  I will make stuffed cabbage and I will make a separate container for Mike of just the meat.

All day today at work all I could think of was eating this meal.  I honestly must have said it 100 times at work today "I can't wait for dinner tonight" . 

So-  I am not one to read a recipe ... So I recalled the jist of the recipe.  (see above for her recipe) I knew I didn't have the red wine vinegar but I have many other kinds.  I decided to use Rice wine vinegar. -

I prepped my ingrediants for the sauce , I used my Immersion blender  with the mini chopper attachment to fine mince onion and carrot.  for in the meat mixture.   That was very handy.

This is what Mikes turned out like.   Not nearly as yummy looking as mine but- 

I made home made escalloped potatoes to go with. 

Let me get you a napkin. I'm sure you are drooling too!

This meal made me very happy.  The only thing that would have made it better is if everyone in the family would have loved them as much as me.  I guess its the cabbage that gets them. 

I have one container with potatoes and stuffed cabbage to take to work later in the week.  I have 3 leftover containers of just stuffed cabbage. I have already had one request for some.   mmmm This was so yummy.

Here is the list of ingredients I used to make mine. 

3 large carrots fine minced (with a processor ) 2 for in the filling 1 for the sauce
1 large onion (1/2 fine minced like the carrot 1/2 just diced)
2 lbs of ground beef
2 cups of long grain rice (not minute or instant)
2 large cans of diced tomatoes
3tbsp rice wine vinegar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large jars or cans of spaghetti sauce or 4 cups of a home made sauce)
2 tsp garlic minced
one head of cabbage.

salt n pepper

I will not give step by step how to make this.  If you need more instructions please read Ina's recipe.  I  will tell you that I mixed 2 of the minced carrots and the minced onions with the rice and 1 can of diced tomatoes with the ground beef.  I saute' the diced onion and remainder carrot  with a tbsp of oil till they are caramelized I then add the brown sugar and vinegar and diced tomatoes and boil rapidly to reduce moisture.  Meanwhile I had already cooked the head of cabbage for apx 10 -15 min to loosen the leafs.  I started rolling the cabbage with meat waiting on sauce to reduce then placed them in casserole dishes topping with sauce.  I baked them for 1.5 hours