Welcome!

For those of you that have been followers for awhile.....you will have already read this.  I have switched my blog over to a different site, and now I am re-posting all of my old blogs onto this site.  So here goes....

Originally posted 10/4/10

Hi everyone!  Welcome to the Gourmet Rooster Blog!  So glad you found me!!  My name is Courtney.  I have a hubby named Chris, and 2 awesome kids, Addy and Paisley.  Now that we’ve been introduced, let’s get on with it.  As you know, I will be selling all of my yummy products over on my website, GourmetRooster.com.  After you check out what I’m cookin’ over here, go check out what I’m sellin’ over there. My products aren’t quite ready, but they should be soon!  On this blog, I will be posting tons of recipes.  I will also post tons of craft and party ideas too.  I promise to make you look like the domestic goddess (or god?) that I know you are.  Some recipes will feature my products, but a whole lot won’t.  Check back often because I have tons of ideas!

All of the recipes that I post will be pretty easy.  I am a home cook, and I promise to not be too cheffy.  You won’t find roasted bone marrow with shrimp foam or anything weird here.  It will be good ol’ fashion home cooking that everyone loves.  But more importantly, these will all be recipes that you can make while still watching your oldest child do a swan dive off the counter and trying to keep your youngest from eating the pet hermit crabs.  If there in an option to make a recipe even easier, I will offer that.  If I can make it even fancier, I will offer that option too.  The craft and party ideas will all be reasonably easy and affordable as well.  Let me be creative for you, and I can help make you look like the fanciest person on your block. 

I haven’t been to culinary school or art school…..I am just a normal busy mom who loves to cook for her friends and family.  I also love to make crafty stuff and plan parties.  I love to try and find the fancy in everything.  My goal is to make simple, yet fancy meals, with one simple twist.  Some people love sports, love video games, etc.  I love this stuff and I think I am pretty good at it…At least I haven’t had any complaints from my husband yet.

So let’s get on with the first post and find your fancy!!!

Football!!!

When fall starts, I can count on a few things……I will become obsessed with Pumpkin Spice Lattes, I will decorate for Halloween freakishly early, and finally…..my husband won’t leave the couch on Sundays.  Football will become his life.  The 49ers will steal my husband until play-offs, which they will inevitably not be in. 

Ok, actually, anyone that knows me will tell you that I am not a fan…..But I am a huge fan (seriously, if there was a contest…I would dominate) of football food.  Namely, appetizers.  Hors d'oeuvres, amuse bouche, finger foods, canapés, chips & dips any meat on a stick…I have never met one I didn’t like.  I have been known to stake out the hors d’oeuvre servers at weddings and the like.  I mean, I will plant myself at the kitchen door and meet the servers on their way out.  And yes brides, I will judge you on the amount of hors d’oeuvres you serve;)  Back to my main point, I love football food, and I think that a lazy Sunday spent on the couch screams for snacks!!

One of my absolute faves is my world famous pimiento cheese.  Ok, not world famous….maybe just famous in my part of Nevada….more specifically, my house.  Maybe because I pretend I am southern, or maybe due to my love of mayo…..I can’t get enough pimiento cheese.  And this recipe rocks.  It is super easy, super yummy, and super healthy.  Ok, I made the last part up.  But hey, football season is short, live it up.  I can be healthy for basketball season;)  I also love a good brownie, so I am including my recipe for Football Brownies.  They are too cute, and you can do ‘em up fancy just for your team (Wolfpack!)  Yes, you could use a packaged mix, but from scratch brownies are crazy easy and taste ten times better.  I pinky swear.  Really….right now I am holding my pinky up to the ‘puter.

So on with the shoooooooooowwwww…….

First things first, here is what you will need:

6 or 7 ounces softened cream cheese, 2/3 Cup Mayo, a 4 ounce jar of diced pimientos, 1/3 Cup diced green onions, dry ranch dressing mix, a little pepper, and a whole bunch of cheese.

Thoroughly mix together the cream cheese and mayo.  You can use light, but please don’t use fat-free.  It just tastes weird.  They must be room temp, or they won’t mix smoothly.

Dice up your pimientos a little bit more.  Yes, they come diced, but there’s no harm in running your knife through them a little more, right?

Add in ½ a pack of ranch mix.  Save the rest-sprinkle it on a turkey sandwich, or over popcorn.  Ranch dressing is just plain good, so you will find something to do with it.

Mix the pimientos, ranch, green onions and cream cheese/mayo.

Add in ½ a pack of ranch mix.  Save the rest-sprinkle it on a turkey sandwich, or over popcorn.  Ranch dressing is just plain good, so you will find something to do with it.

Mix the pimientos, ranch, green onions and cream cheese/mayo.

Mix in about 2 to 3 cups of cheese.  I used sharp cheddar and Monterey jack.  Again, your call on how much cheese to use.  I used 3 full cups.

Tada-it’s done.  Pop it in the fridge, it will keep for a couple of days.

You can serve it with crackers or corn chips, in a sandwich (just slap it between 2 slices of white bread), top a burger with it……the possibilities are endless.

Onto the brownies……

You will need 1 C of butter or oil, or a mix of the 2, 2 C sugar, 2 tsp. of vanilla extract, 1 tsp. of espresso powder, 4 eggs, 1 C flour, 2/3 C cocoa (unsweetened), ½ tsp. Of baking powder, and ½ tsp. of salt

Mix the sugar with the oil/butter.  I used 1 stick of melted butter and ½ cup of oil.  That is 1 cup of fat.  It is what I had on hand, and I feel that fat is fat, is fat….etc.

For the frosting, you need about 2 ounces of softened cream cheese, 2 ounces of softened butter, vanilla and powdered sugar.

Beat the heck out of the butter and cream cheese

Add in the vanilla and powdered sugar.  Beat until you have frosting!  Put the frosting into a plastic storage bag and pop it in the fridge until you need it.  Or squirt it directly into your mouth like I have been known to do.

Back to the brownies….once they have cooled, you can cut your footballs.  I used a cookie cutter, but you can totally use a paring knife.

 Snip the corner of your plastic bag off and pipe yourself some laces.  I had to look at a picture.  Yep, I am that unfamiliar with the ol’ pigskin.

I made some little flags to make ‘em fancy.  I downloaded pics off the Web and glued them on toothpicks.  Seriously folks, does it get easier?  Tie on some color coordinating ribbon and you are the coolest mom ever.

Here are the recipes for those that don’t have the patience for my long windedness (is that a word?)  Let me know how it goes!!

Court’s Pimiento Cheese

6 ounces softened cream cheese

2/3 Cup mayonnaise

4 ounces diced pimientos, drained

1/3 Cup diced green onions

½ pack dry ranch dressing mix

3 cups grated cheese

Dash black pepper

-Mix all ingredients together until thoroughly blended

Football Brownies

1 cup melted butter or oil, or combination

2 Cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon espresso powder

4 eggs

1 Cup flour

2/3 Cup unsweetened cocoa

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

Mix together butter and sugar.  Add eggs, vanilla and espresso.

In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients.  Mix dry into wet ingredients.  Pour into greased 13x9 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 ounces butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups powdered sugar

Beat, with hand mixer, butter and cream cheese until smooth.  Add in vanilla.  Beat in sugar until desired constancy is reached.

Mix in the eggs

Throw in the vanilla.  A teaspoon is a capful, little known fact;)

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and cocoa.  I hate dirtying multiple bowls, but that’s the breaks kids.

Stir the salt, baking powder and espresso into the flour mixture.

Dump that into the wet mixture and mix completely

Mmmmmmm, chocolate goodness

Pour into a 13x9 lines with foil and non-stick spray.  You will thank me later for that.  Bake for about 25 minutes on 350 degrees.