Author Archives for FeedingInsanity

Arborio rice is the trickster of the grain family.  Most people don’t even know that is the name of the rice that goes into making the delicious dish called Risotto.   Not too long ago you could hardly find arborio in the rice section of the grocery store.  Arborio rice reminds me of the cows in the chick-fil-a commercials, telling us to eat the long grain stuff instead, because arborio is much too complicated to mess with at home.  Don’t buy me, buy some nice brown rice, if you want to get daring check out that basmati over there.  Maybe its just me that makes up voices for the bags of rice while standing in the aisle?  Anyway, the point of all of this is that most people don’t make risotto at home.  Its far to complicated, or time consuming, or confusing to even attempt.  Best leave this dish to the professionals! BAH!!  Yes, it takes a little more effort than boiling water and adding rice, but you can make a meal out of risotto. Continue reading →

Since my tenth birthday, when all I wanted was new baking pans, it has been obvious that baking is a passion in my life.  I also have never been good at following other peoples orders, which in baking (and in a few other areas) gets me in some trouble.  My poor family has had to endure quite a few failures as I have tried to perfect my own recipes.  Can you imagine the horror of eating cupcake after cupcake?? Continue reading →

There are days when eleven o’clock rolls around and I will find myself devouring cupcakes because I didn’t make time for breakfast.  Now, I am not dissing cupcakes, I think everyone should enjoy a good cupcake, but probably not for breakfast and probably in moderation.  These little egg cups are a perfect way for me to eat while running around trying to control the insanity around me.  You can eat them while doing a multitude of chores and are great for eating in the car! Bonus, they keep me sated much longer than a banana or a piece of toast, so I am not seeking out second breakfast or elevensies.
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Sometimes I just need a little fun and a little whimsy in my life.  I love to make cupcakes for the kids and give them a few bottles of sprinkles and let them go to town decorating before devouring their little creations.  It makes a huge mess but they have a blast and I have ten to twenty minutes to enjoy a cup of tea and relax.  The frosting that I am using here is a classic american buttercream.  This frosting takes about ten minutes to make and the recipe I am giving should make enough to frost at least a dozen cupcakes using a piping bag.  If you wanted to just spread the frosting on your cupcakes you could probably get two dozen frosted.
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Spent the day poolside – imagine relaxing by the pool, drink in hand, reading the latest issue of gourmet….that’s not what my day was like. Taking four kids to any sort of water activity should qualify as an Olympic event. Add to that, my five year old informing me my belly looks extra puffy in my bathing suit and it was just a stellar experience. So thankful for my older niece and nephew and nanny and papa helping. Yes, it takes five people to wrangle my four children at one pool, and every one over the age of seven is now exhausted from the experience.  Regardless of all of that, dinner still needs to get on the table. So, I turn to chicken broccoli ziti (actually penne today), this is always a favorite. This is a go to meal for pot lucks, or bringing meals to new parents. It takes about a half hour to throw together and tastes terrific.
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I love potatoes, my mom tells me that when I was little I hated them, but I can’t believe this is true. Continue reading →