FUN in the Kitchen!

Once in awhile I feel inspired...inspired to cook something new or different in the kitchen!  Working full-time seems to limit my ability to try new recipes...OR even branching out to my tried and true recipes! 

So it was recently FUN to cook with Jen as she inspired us to try "beer-can chicken"!  Here she is preparing the bird with "secret seasonings" rubbed on the skin.  We used a half-bottle of beer poured into an empty soda can (I didn't have an official "beer can"...but this worked fine!)  Vince did the honors on the BBQ, and the final result was moist and tasty poultry!

A few weeks ago, Jen and I had reminisced about eating "Beirocks," a "yeast dough bread pocket with a filling of beef, pork, cabbage, or sauerkraut, onions, and seasonings."  The bierocks of Kansas are generally baked in the shape of a bun, but in Nebraska, they are called "runzas" and are usually rectangular in shape.  So, we made an attempt at making Kansas beirocks, using my mother's recipe, and the results were surprisingly good!

Our version contained only ground beef, but I know that the pork sausage combination is  a little more flavorful. I did a little research, and found all sorts of beirock recipes on the internet, plus the history of this food.  One source said that bierocks were "a characteristic and portable food of the Volga Germans on the American Plains...a baked bun stuffed with cabbage, onions and meat." 

In May, Terry and Ken had a "bumper crop" of apricots and kindly shared some with us.  We love to eat them for snacks, or take them in our lunches, but Jen and I baked apricot bread one Sunday afternoon!  It turned out delicious...Thanks, Terry, for sharing that new recipe with us!

Landon was fascinated with this "fruit" and tried a new taste with supervision.  I was surprised when he tried one, and wanted to eat the entire yummy piece! Mimi took the pit out quickly!

Last, but not least, I was able to do some cookie baking with Cailyn on one of their recent visits. (I kept it simple by using a cookie "box mix").  For a 3-year old, Cailyn is quite the expert on mixing up cookie dough already!  (When we bake "pretend cookies" in her play-kitchen, she knows the exact process, and I made the mistake of trying to stir the ingredients too soon, and she let me know the error of my ways!) Ha! :-)

After the stirring, it was too hard to resist licking our fingers...she REALLY likes the eating the cookie dough!  We did limit it, but I let her lick the spatula at the end! 
The cookies were delicious, and we all enjoyed the results.

There's always a "mess" to clean up when I cook, but I do enjoy being in my kitchen and preparing food for my family.  Hopefully, while I'm off work this summer, I'll be able to organize and try some more new recipes!