OMG!!!! She's Back!!!

Well hello there....I've returned to the blogosphere. Did you miss me? Have you missed my passive aggressive musings thinly disguised as digs against former coworkers? Have you missed my biting wit and inappropriate conversations with my daughter? Well, guess what?

SO HAVE I GOSH DAMNIT!!!!!

So, does this mean my smart ass fingers are back to blogging? YES!!!

Does this mean I can go back to making digs at people I'd like to beat the hell out of???

NO!!!!!!!

Well, not really...unless I can do a better job at disguising my disgust for certain people. And since we ALL know that ain't going to happen, I guess I'm still on lockdown for a little while longer......

A moment of silence for my former self, please.....


Okay, enough of that. How was everyone's Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc? Or, as my sister would say, Winter Solstice? Mine was busy. The weeks leading up to what was supposed to be a relaxing Christmas Eve and Day were CRAZY! I was so busy at the store!! It was SO AMAZING!!! Thank you to everyone who ordered gift baskets, gift boxes and chili spices non stop! I had a blast putting baskets together and taking care of all the wonderful Mild Bill's customers. I hope all of you had a fantabulous Christmas with your family, friends and loved ones. My mom and I cooked all day Christmas Day....I wasn't digging it. I'm thinking that won't be happening next year. Christmas Eve was good - we went to early Mass and came home for deli sandwiches, chips and Jalapeno Ranch Dip mix as well as chips and Mild Bill's Salsa. I stayed up late wrapping presents & The Juicy deigned to let us sleep in until 8:30 am. But once I was up, I was cooking. Breakfast, lunch....the whole shabang. My mom and I were worn the hell out by the end of the day. We made some delicious food though.....seared pork loin, roasted prime rib, dressed up mac and cheese, CC potatoes au gratin, sauteed spinach, French peas, the most amazing salad from my mother in law and my mom made dessert. Gary and I had a bottle of Seghesio Old Vine Zinfandel, and a Grenache by Orin Swift, maker of Absract and Prisoner. We never suffer for good wine :)

I think the kiddos had a good Christmas. They all got lots of clothes and Paige got a new bike, a pogo stick and a set of Legos that have led to several meltdowns among not only the eight year old, but the adults in the family as well. Those pieces are soooo small....and there are SO MANY of them! This morning my mom wigged out about the windmill and then Paige, in fine dramatic flair, put her hands on her head and cried:

"I just want this to be over with!!"

Over Legos? Seriously? WTF??? No one is allowed to be pissed at me about this. I was told by my mother and husband that Paige had that on her list and it was important that she receive it since she also asked Santa Claus to bring it to her. So I simply did what I was told.....

Do not shoot the messenger!!!

Oh!! Oh!!! My Expedition is back home! It's home, it's home!!! Thank you Baby Jesus in your ghost manger!! My vehicle has returned to me! It looks so pretty and there is no sign of deer hair in the grill at all. (That sounds soooo redneck and I totally meant for it to!!) I'm so happy! It was my Christmas present!!!!

My mom bought me the two Ina Garten cookbooks that I was missing from my serial killer collection (kidding) and there are sooo many fantastic recipes in both of them. I can't wait to get back to cooking again. Gary and the kids bought me a Le Crueset dutch oven, utensils and holder (all in turquoise!!!) and I was so surprised! I'm a big Le Crueset homer and I buy it a piece at a time when it's on sale. I have a 6 quart dutch oven in yellow, a 3 quart in red and now a 2 quart dutch oven in turquoise. I also have a gratin dish and small stockpot. I don't give a shit that all of my pieces are different colors. This is how the rednecks do it. The Johnny Cash song "One Piece at a Time" comes to mind :)

Something scary happened a few hours ago.

I made dumplings that floated. That were light and fluffy. That didn't sink to the bottom of the pot.

Someone alert the friggin media! For once, my incompetent, inept and ignorant dumpling making self did not screw up the dumplings!!! I made them with Pioneer baking mix and what started out as a dumpling disaster turned into only the 2nd time in my life I've made decent dumplings without cutting up biscuit dough. Well, maybe the 3rd time and I am not exaggerating. I think my dumpling struggles have been well documented on this blog. They were delicious and Juicy and I will have them for lunch tomorrow, too.

Something I don't screw up - MEAT! I rocked my rib roast Christmas Day. Below is the recipe that I have varied every time I've used it. You can use different herbs - even add horseradish to the mix - and it's always going to come out delicious. Every. Time.

Cadillac Cowgirl Prime Rib Roast

5-6 lb boneless rib roast, brought to room temperature
1/4 Cup Olive Oil (or bacon grease...left over from the 10 pounds of bacon you spent all morning frying for your family!!)
1 Can Beef Broth
4 Tablespoons each chopped fresh Thyme, Rosemary, and Parsley
3 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
3 Tablespoons Telicherry Pepper (available from Mild Bills)
4 Garlic Cloves, minced
6 Garlic Cloves, peeled and left whole
Whole sprigs of rosemary and thyme, as well as additional garlic cloves (unpeeled)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. While oven is preheating, mix the chopped fresh herbs, salt, pepper, and minced garlic cloves in a small bowl. Make six 2 inch slices throughout the fat cap of the rib roast; place a garlic clove in each cut and then rub all of the herb mixture over the top of the rib roast and let sit. In a large skillet (preferably cast iron) heat the oil or bacon grease. I used bacon grease because I had so much of it. Once it is almost smoking, add the rib roast. Brown on all sides. You may need help doing this, or at least a large set of tongs and a spatula to get it turned. Or...skip this step altogether - it's not imperative - just something I wanted to try and it definitely didn't hurt the flavor at all...it came out perfect. Once browned on all sides, place the roast in a roasting pan with a rack, herb coated side facing up. Using the beef broth, deglaze the skillet and scrape up any of the herbs and browned bits of meat; once deglazed, pour this mixture over the rib roast. Add the rest of the beef broth to the bottom of the roasting rack along with the additional garlic cloves and whole sprigs of herbs. Place the roast in the oven and allow it to cook on 425 for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, cover the roast with foil and reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Continue roasting for 1 hour or until a meat thermometer reads 135 degrees for medium rare and up to 150 degrees for medium. Remember - the roast will continue to cook even after you remove it from the oven...so keep that in mind when you decide to leave it in there "just a little bit longer". You could end up with a very overcooked rib roast! Once desired doneness is achieved, remove roast, allow it to sit still covered in foil for 15 minutes and slice as ribeyes or thinly sliced prime rib and serve. I paired mine with a really delicious horseradish sauce that I would love to share. However....I was drinking (a little) and didn't write down what I did....so I probably shouldn't try and post a wine-terrific recipe!! At any rate, I used horseradish, dijon mustard, sour cream, mayo, salt, pepper and chopped rosemary and made a sauce. I guess you could do that as well....we all like more of a horseradish flavor, so it had a little more zip than anything. You could always use different quantities to get the flavor you prefer.

It's time for mommybaby private time. I think the boys and Paige are worn out. They've been playing since we finished dinner. We are all going to get in bed and read. I hope everyone has a wonderful evening!!

Spreading my own special brand of joy and kindness....

Kelly