Pam Spray = Kia then Bak-klene ZT = Porsche

Mr G has taught me many ways to save a buck. There are a plethora of products out there where the less expensive option is just as good as the pricier one. That being said, there are items which may cost more but for good reason. Meet BAK-KLENE ZT. Available at Williams-Sonoma, a happy happy place with an abundance of over priced goods, I was introduced to this cooking spray because of some faulty Star Wars pancake molds. If you use Pam or another non-stick spray currently, get yourself some BAK-KLENE ZT instead. It's professional grade, whatever that means. Could mean Martha Stewart uses it or it could mean that Hostess uses it on the assembly line putting together those scary Twinkies. Either way, you need it. This morning I made a coffee cake in a bunt pan where the recipe called for buttering and flouring the pan. Being the great risk taker I am, I did neither and sprayed that puppy down with BAK-KLENE ZT. I am crazy like that. This coffee cake fell perfectly from pan to plate, a dream come true. Thanks BAK-KLENE ZT! (You think they'll ask me to do an infomercial?)

The One that started it all...

Growing up in a culinary house, I was a little intimidated by my parents' abilities in the kitchen. When a throw together meal on a Sunday afternoon is Shrimp Risotto and middle of the week breakfasts were homemade french toast, Belgian waffles, and pancakes, it's easy to see where I felt I may not be able to duplicate the system! But like anything, I believe we all start somewhere. This was my beginning, the initial step into my cooking world which has had many turns, stops, re directions, and even a few successes in the last 10 years. Before I was anything else, I was a baker.

Austin's Cherry Pie
foundations from Williams-Sonoma & my Mother

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

For your crust (you can and must make your own crust, it's simple and it's the KEY to a fabulous pie)- these ingredients yield a double pie crust

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup COLD unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (pea-small grape size)
• 6 tablespoons cold water (varies from time to time)

In a stand mixer (My Grandma, the unequivocal baker extraordinaire, disagrees with me on this technique because she thinks it makes your crust "tough". I adore her, want to be like her, and think she is basically omnipotent, but on this I cannot concur. Your crust, if following this recipe, will come out crumbly and delicious like a shortbread cookie.) mix all ingredients except the water. When mixture is consistency of coarse cornmeal, begin adding your water. 1 tablespoon at a time until it BARELY begins to pull together. When the dough begins to pull together, remove from mixer bowl and separate into two balls. You can throw these in parchment paper and stick them if the fridge if you need to but it's not necessary. Flour your work surface, I use a plastic flexible cutting board so I can flip the dough into the pie pan, and rolling pin. Roll out your bottom crust and place in the pie plate. Roll out your second dough ball. If you are making a lattice crust, which is so gorgeous you won't even believe it, cut your strips now. Experiment here with width for the lattice top, every pie has its own little personality. If simply using a top crust, leave rolled out dough on the side while making the filling.

For your filling

• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups (3 15oz cans) drained jarred pitted sour cherries. These are often found with the canned fruit, not on the baking aisle. They should be packed in water. NEVER syrup.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Place cherries in bowl, add remaining ingredients and stir gently as to avoid breaking cherries. The cherries will have enough liquid in them to produce a nice juice for your pie. Pour cherry mixture into pie pan. Top with lattice or double crust top and flute the edges to your liking. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking 40-50 minutes longer, until crust is golden and filling is bubbly.

Serve warm, serve cold, serve however you love it. Topped with your favorite vanilla ice cream is Mr G's most cherished treat. And any day that starts with a breakfast of leftover cherry pie is a good one.

Artin's Grill

www.ArtinsGrill.com
at The Shops at Legacy

Venturing North can be scary. Especially to those of you residing South of LBJ. From the sounds of it, driving ALL THE WAY up to Legacy seems like a day trip. Not in fact true. For those of us North of LBJ but still in Dallas, Legacy is a mere 10-15 minutes up the Tollway sans traffic. And what may you ask awaits you there? Fine dining, shopping, and a little splash of urabinism breaking up the chain strip malls lining the service road from Plano to Frisco.

A number of the restaurants on Legacy are pricier than they are worth, in my opinion, with food and service equal to that of your nearby Chilis. Not a good thing friends. However, one restaurant I have visited now twice, is one I am happy to recommend to you. My fabulous husband, Mr G, and I went there last summer with friends minus children and then again last night, with family and children. The server we had last night, Kenton, far surpassed the mediocre waiter from last summer. We were there quite early (have you dined with my 16 month old?) so the restaurant was almost empty. From the hostess to the manager who opened the door for us, to our new friend Kenton, all was well.

The food was fantastic, with an eclectic menu which stayed unique without getting too weird. I strongly dislike places where everything is so weird, there is nothing to choose from. Their happy hour is worth dining early for as well, half price appetizers (spare rib nachos and shrimp taquitos, yes please) and $2 or $3 off wine, beer, and liquor. Presentation was great, food was hot, and they literally made the most magnificent macaroni and cheese for my boys and had it on the table within 7 minutes of me ordering it. No foolin. I had a delectable salad with chicken, beets, and an almond encrusted goat cheese which when I asked for a different dressing, they were happy to oblige and didn't look at me like, well, you know the look. Kenton was attentive, waived the split charge on the entree my Mom & her BF shared, and when we knew we had reached our kid-in-a-restaurant time limit, they waited to assemble Mr G's burger in a to go container until right before we left so it wouldn't get soggy. Awesomeness!!

So, put your big girl Hanky Pankys on and drive up to Legacy and stop in at Artin's. I don't know Artin personally but I bet he'll be glad you came and so will you!

Colorado Pine Nut Salad

Everyone needs a staple salad that goes well with every dish, every occasion! That way you can keep the necessary non-perishable items in your pantry and throw it together at a moments notice. My Mom always made this salad from Creme de Colorado and it is so amazing, everyone raves about it! If you're in a time crunch for dinner, grab a rotisserie chicken from the grocery, fresh baguette, and throw together this salad, and voila!

Colorado Pine Nut Salad
Creme de Colorado

• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• mixed greens (I love romaine, but anything works here)
• freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup coarsely shredded Parmesan

In a small saucepan, boil garlic in water for 10 minutes; drain. In large salad bowl, mash garlic and salt to a paste. Whisk in mustard and vinegar. Add oil while whisking until incorporated. Add lettuce, torn into pieces, toss well, and season with pepper. Sprinkle Parmesan and pine nuts over salad and serve.

Girlfriend Hygiene

How do I put this delicately? If you lost 5lbs yesterday because you finally shaved your legs, we have a problem. Ladies I understand that time is of the essence. Especially if you have small children. But, back in the singleton days, I bet you shaved your legs every day. EVERY day. Maybe skip a day during the winter, but you get my drift.

The important point here is another thing we wives let go by the wayside post-marriage and definitely post-children, ourselves. When you were his girlfriend, you were sportin' your A game. Why not do that now? If part of your A game involves shaving your legs daily, go ahead and bring that back. He will appreciate it, I swear. Men may be different in what they find sexy with regard to their Mrs, but all men prefer softly smooth shaven legs. You are working so hard at the gym to keep those legs looking fab, show em off with a little razor action too.

I am spoiled, I have mentioned this once or twice, because my husband is a team player. He helps with everything family and home related and with a smile on his face. So I like to spoil him, it's part of the fun trade of marriage. And if shaving our legs is spoiling them, don't you think we have it easy? Grab that razor and throw some glam on those gams.

Home Matters

http://www.4homematters.com
970.581.6739

Calling all Colorado housewives! How lucky are you to have Home Matters at your disposal?? Home Matters, owned by Pam Lampe, is a treasure which cannot be adequately described as an interior design service. Pam's real gift is turning your house into a home. A true interior designer, she works with you in every facet of design whether it be staging, holiday decor, or simply changing a room's look.

While you may be afraid that the Real Housewives are the only housewives who can afford help in this arena, you are wrong. Home Matters is the chic avenue for the budget minded housewife. You will not be disappointed when you see your home transformed (with a lot of things you already hid in your guestroom closet!) and feel at ease knowing Pam has enhanced your individual style while leaving your checkbook in tact. Keep your dollars local Colorado lovelies, give Home Matters a call.

Expanding the Palate

There is an entire world of flavor and often times, we limit ourselves by routine and familiarity. Attempting to expand my family's palate, I like to try new recipes, new restaurants, new cuisine. Do not be afraid of new. Worst thing that could happen? It sucks and you order pizza. Done and done.

Here is a recipe we tried the other night and it turned out great, even my boys (5 and 1) ate some!

Spicy Indian Chickpeas
Mad Hungry
Lucinda Scala Quinn

• 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion finely chopped (I only used half an onion), plus 1 small onion sliced, for garnish
• 8 garlic cloves, minced (2 tablespoons)
• 3 tablespoons of peeled fresh ginger, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (left this out for the kids)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 15oz cans chickpeas, drained (1 cup liquid reserved)
• 1 large tomato, sliced in wedges for garnishing
• 3 hot fresh green chilies, sliced lengthwise and seeded, for garnishing

Heat a large pot and swirl the oil. Add the chopped onion, garlic, and ginger. Saute until soft and lightly golden, 5 to 6 minutes. In a small bowl, combine cinnamon, garam masala, cumin, coriander, cloves, cayenne, and salt. Add to the onion mixture; cook and stir the spices to lightly toast, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another few minutes to combine. The color should be dark red. Add the chickpeas plus the cup of reserved liquid. Stir to combine. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, removing the cover in the last few minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit for a minute to allow the beans to soak up the spice flavors. Season with salt to taste. Serve in a shallow bowl with jasmine rice garnished with sliced onion, tomato wedges, and slices of green chilies.