Giveaway winners will be posted tomorrow!!

Just checking in for a moment to say that we are getting through this snowing weekend with lots of games of Uno  and Connect Four.

All winners of giveaways for the month will be announced tomorrow morning.  It's going to take a while to get through all the entries, lol!

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!

Snowed In!!

We are snowed in with about 14 inches of snow.  Digging out, and will be back soon!!

It's My Birthday! I'm taking the Day Off!

Today is my 40th birthday!  Wow, time really flies, lol!  I have to say, don't be afraid of 40 - I am a stronger, happier person today than I've been any time in my life.  I'm still making new friends and having new beginnings and having a blast doing it.

I tell you, my family has spoiled me rotten already!  From my mom I got a huge roasting pan and an electric skillet that I've been wanting forever!  My sister got me two Pagan books that are just awesome!  Over the last month or so, my husband has gotten me a wicked awesome camera, a smaller, compact camera to keep in my purse, a freaking big red KitchenAid mixer (!!!) and last night he came home with a Nook for me!!  I could not have been more surprised!!  My parents-in-law gave me a Barnes and Noble gift card to go along with it.  I don't think I've been this completely spoiled on a birthday since I was a little kid.  I might have to turn 40 again next year, lol!!

In blog news, we are nearing the end of February, and the End of Retro Cooking Month - make sure to get your entries into all the giveaways that will end the last day of February!!

Have a great day!

Retro Cooking Giveaway #9: Better Than Homemade!

Another book that I have in my personal library, Better Than Homemade by Carolyn Wyman! 

This is a hilarious and informative book about the history of processed foods!  Ever wonder why Pringles come in that tube?  Or who came up with the idea for SPAM (or why, lol?)?  How about all the strange flavors that Pop Tarts have tried?  Yep, those answers and more are here in one place, plus much more.   One of my favorite stories is about how the Kool Aid empire was started by an 11 year old.  I need to get my kids busy!

Requirements to enter:

• Have an blog accessible through your user name or leave an email address with each entry.
• Visit  Irreference.com, come back here, and leave a comment about your favorite "How To" article on that site.

For extra chances to win (required post must be made for these to count!), you may do any one or more of the following (leave a separate comment for each):

• 1 entry each (for a total of three possible) - Write about this giveaway on your blog, Myspace or LiveJournal. Leave a separate comment for each and include the URL to the post. (As per the new Facebook TOS,  Facebook can NOT be used as an entry for giveaways.)
•  1 entry - Post a comment about the convenience food you just can't live without!
• 1 entry (per day) - Twitter the following message: RT @MrsBsConfession Visit silvermoonwitch.blogspot.com to enter to win Better than Homemade from @irreference publishers!(Leave a separate comment for each day's tweet, including the URL to the post.)
• 1 entry - Be or become a follower on Twitter of @irreference
• 1 entry - Be or become a subscriber to Irreference TV on YouTube.

All Retro Cooking Month Giveaways will run until the last day of February. All winners will be picked at noon, EST on February 28 via an online, random number generator. Winners will be announced soon after.

PLEASE NOTE: 

• If your blogger profile is set to private, I will be unable to find your blog or email via your profile.  If you don't leave an email address in your comments, and your profile is private, the entries DO NOT count.
• Entries that are not on separate posts will be counted as one entry. 
• Entries that contain links not related to the giveaway (capital "s", rhymes with "ham") will be deleted, and those entries will not count.
• Entries must be in English.

Read more: http://silvermoonwitch.blogspot.com/2001/02/retro-cooking-month-giveaway-1-betty.html#ixzz0gSjlQwFT

Retro Cooking Giveaway #8: Field Guide to Herbs & Spices from Quirk Books!

This is one of the books in my personal collection (of many!) from Quirk Books, and it is just awesome!

The Field Guide to Herbs & Spices, by Aliza Green is just a wonderful resource for anyone who is learning or wants to learn more about the culinary uses of herbs.  Included in every herb listing: alternate names of the herb, a general description, the season it's at it's peak, cautions, a recipe using the herb, and a list of foods that the herb goes well with.  I absolutely LOVE this book!

And the pictures in the book are just gorgeous.  Bright and done so simply, they can be a real help in identifying that strange chili that you've never heard of, but the latest recipe you're dying to try calls for.

And yes, one lucky winner is going to win their very own copy, thanks to Quirk Books!

Requirements to enter:

• Have an blog accessible through your user name or leave an email address with each entry.
• Visit  Irreference.com, come back here, and leave a comment about your favorite book on the site.

For extra chances to win (required post must be made for these to count!), you may do any one or more of the following (leave a separate comment for each):

• 1 entry each (for a total of three possible) - Write about this giveaway on your blog, Myspace or LiveJournal. Leave a separate comment for each and include the URL to the post. (As per the new Facebook TOS,  Facebook can NOT be used as an entry for giveaways.)
• 1 entry (per day) - Twitter the following message: RT @MrsBsConfession Visit silvermoonwitch.blogspot.com to enter to win The Field Guide to Herbs & Spices from @irreference publishers!(Leave a separate comment for each day's tweet, including the URL to the post.)
• 1 entry - Be or become a follower on Twitter of @irreference
• 1 entry - Subscribe to Irreference TV on YouTube.

All Retro Cooking Month Giveaways will run until the last day of February. All winners will be picked at noon, EST on February 28 via an online, random number generator. Winners will be announced soon after.

***PLEASE NOTE ON THE TWITTER MESSAGE:
When you copy something from this blog, it automatically adds my URL to the message when you paste it again - basically a way to try to keep people from copying my content.

Just erase the part of the message that says:"Read more: http://silvermoonwitch.blogspot.com/2010/02/retro-cooking-giveaway-4-inside-glass.html#ixzz0fov63F12"

PLEASE NOTE: 

• If your blogger profile is set to private, I will be unable to find your blog or email via your profile.  If you don't leave an email address in your comments, and your profile is private, the entries DO NOT count.
• Entries that are not on separate posts will be counted as one entry. 
• Entries that contain links not related to the giveaway (capital "s", rhymes with "ham") will be deleted, and those entries will not count.
• Entries must be in English.

Retro Cooking Giveaway #7: Pinshooter from Tarabu!

What's a pinshooter you ask?  Well, this is!

From the artist:

"Introducing, PinShooters! from tarabu

There comes a time in every girl's life when she realizes that all those chotchkes she collected on juvenile roadtrips might be, well, just one more thing to dust. 

And she hates dusting.

That's what happened to me - one day I realized that a) I don't really want to dust these tiny things on a regular basis, b) It's more than a little wasteful to donate an entire dishwasher load to cleaning them twice a year, and c) do my friends now really need to know how many times I've been to Virginia? 

Of course, they're perfectly useful and some are truly sentimental, but others, well, they are chotchkes that need to serve a function (because my friends and I don't drink that much!).

And so the PinShooter was born. 

Cute and functional they serve three vital functions: they hold pins and needles, they let me sew something small that can be finished in under a day, and they give me something useful to do with all those chotchkes.

Here's your chance to win an original PinShooter, made just for MrsB's fans."

Requirements to enter:

• Have an blog accessible through your user name or leave an email address with each entry.
• Visit Tarabu at Etsy, come back to this post and leave a comment about your favorite item in the shop.

For extra chances to win (required post must be made for these to count!), you may do any one or more of the following (leave a separate comment for each):

• 1 entry each (for a total of three possible) - Write about this giveaway on your blog, Myspace or LiveJournal. Leave a separate comment for each and include the URL to the post. (As per the new Facebook TOS,  Facebook can NOT be used as an entry for giveaways.)
• *1 entry (per day) - Tweet the following message: RT @MrsBsConfession Visit silvermoonwitch.blogspot.com to enter to win a Pinshooter from Tarabu! (Leave a separate comment for each day's tweet, including the URL to the post.)
• 1 entry - Leave a comment here about your favorite sewing project.
• 1 entry - Be or become a follower at the Tarabu art blog

All Retro Cooking Month Giveaways will run until the last day of February. All winners will be picked at noon, EST on February 28 via an online, random number generator. Winners will be announced soon after.


***PLEASE NOTE ON THE TWITTER MESSAGE:
When you copy something from this blog, it automatically adds my URL to the message when you paste it again - basically a way to try to keep people from copying my content.

Just erase the part of the message that says:
"Read more: http://silvermoonwitch.blogspot.com/2010/02/retro-cooking-giveaway-4-inside-glass.html#ixzz0fov63F12"

PLEASE NOTE: 

• If your blogger profile is set to private, I will be unable to find your blog or email via your profile.  If you don't leave an email address in your comments, and your profile is private, the entries DO NOT count.
• Entries that are not on separate posts will be counted as one entry. 
• Entries that contain links not related to the giveaway (capital "s", rhymes with "ham") will be deleted, and those entries will not count.
• Entries must be in English.

Read more: http://silvermoonwitch.blogspot.com/2010/02/retro-cooking-giveaway-5-fantasy-me.html#ixzz0gOH67V9L

Retro Cooking Giveaway #6: Art Print from Angelique Art!

Another wonderful creation from Angelique Art, the winner of this giveaway will get their choice of print!

Here is just one gorgeous example of what's in her studio to choose from:

Requirements to enter:

• Have an blog accessible through your user name or leave an email address with each entry.
• Have a shipping address in the US
• Visit Angelique Art, come back here, and leave a comment about which print you'd pick if you win.

For extra chances to win (required post must be made for these to count!), you may do any one or more of the following (leave a separate comment for each):

• 1 entry each (for a total of three possible) - Write about this giveaway on your blog, Myspace or LiveJournal. Leave a separate comment for each and include the URL to the post. (As per the new Facebook TOS,  Facebook can NOT be used as an entry for giveaways.)
• *1 entry (per day) - Tweet the following message: RT @MrsBsConfession Visit silvermoonwitch.blogspot.com to enter to win a print from artist @angelmroczka! (Leave a separate comment for each day's tweet, including the URL to the post.)
• 1 entry - Be or become a follower on Twitter of @angelmroczka
• 1 entry - Subscribe to Angelique's personal blog.

All Retro Cooking Month Giveaways will run until the last day of February. All winners will be picked at noon, EST on February 28 via an online, random number generator. Winners will be announced soon after.


***PLEASE NOTE ON THE TWITTER MESSAGE:
When you copy something from this blog, it automatically adds my URL to the message when you paste it again - basically a way to try to keep people from copying my content.

Just erase the part of the message that says:
"Read more: http://silvermoonwitch.blogspot.com/2010/02/retro-cooking-giveaway-4-inside-glass.html#ixzz0fov63F12"

PLEASE NOTE: 

• If your blogger profile is set to private, I will be unable to find your blog or email via your profile.  If you don't leave an email address in your comments, and your profile is private, the entries DO NOT count.
• Entries that are not on separate posts will be counted as one entry. 
• Entries that contain links not related to the giveaway (capital "s", rhymes with "ham") will be deleted, and those entries will not count.
• Entries must be in English.

Read more: http://silvermoonwitch.blogspot.com/2010/02/retro-cooking-giveaway-5-fantasy-me.html#ixzz0gOH67V9L

Today's mcklinky

I just now realized that I forgot to add a mcklinky yesterday, and since to day is a giveaway day, I thought I'd put one up for anyone who wants to share a recipe!  Old, new, fancy, simple - each and every one is welcome!!

Today is a Giveaway Day!!

Today I'll be concentrating on catching up on some awesome giveaways that I got behind on while I was sick.  So make sure to stop in and check out what's going up through the day!  Lots of giveaways to be entered!

Good luck!

This recipe is one I've posted before, but I thought it was worth another look - it's super easy to whip up and soooo tasty!


First the cast of characters:

• 8 chicken thighs (I've used boneless, skinless, bone in,thighs, legs, breasts, skin on-whatever floats your boat), rinsed and patted dry, any obvious fat trimmed off
  
• 3/4 cup tamari or soy sauce (tamari is a traditionally brewed soy sauce, richer, slightly thicker and just delicious. Once you've used it, it's hard to go back to regular soy sauce. It's one thing I will always slurge on in the grocery store.)
• 4-6 green onions, chopped fine
• 3 Tbsp sesame oil (I LOVE sesame oil!)
• 3 Tbsp honey (if you don't have honey, substitute 2 Tbsp sugar)
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced or pressed
  
• 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger (or 1/4 tsp of powdered, but trust me, it's better to use fresh)(of which I was embarrassingly out of here)
  
• pepper to taste

Start your oven preheating to 375 degrees. Then place your rinsed, trimmed chicken into a baking dish (skin side down if using chicken with skin) that's been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray (you'll thank me later when it's time to wash it). Use a dish that's not too big; you want the chicken parts all pretty close together so that the sauce will cover it all nicely when you add it in.

Measure out your tamari or soy sauce and add it to a small bowl. Or, if you're like me and want to makes as few dirty dishes as humanly possible, measure it out in a large measuring cup that you can add the other sauce ingredients to.

Next, slice up your green onions.


If they are large, 4 usually does the trick. With smaller ones you'll wanna slice 5-7 or so. You want roughly about 1/2 a cup of sliced onions.



Add those to your tamari. Add the sesame oil.


Then the honey. If you do it in this order, the honey will just slide right out of the measuring spoon.


Next throw in the garlic. You'll want to mince it. Unless you have one of these:


I could not live without a good garlic press. You should get one. Seriously, go get one right now. We'll wait.

Usually I have a piece of peeled ginger root in the freezer, waiting to be grated into recipes and tea. Unfortunately, not today, so I used powdered.



Then the pepper:


Give it a nice big stir, and pour it over the chicken. You'll probably need a rubber scraper to make sure you get all the honey out.


Now you are ready for the oven. If you are doing bone in chicken, you'll want to let it cook for 45, flip it over, and cook for another 15 minutes.

With boneless, do 30 minutes, flip then 15.

Remove the chicken from the sauce and place it on a dish to serve. It's going to be golden and smell fabulous.


I usually put the juice in a gravy boat to pour over rice, which I serve along with steamed broccoli.

See? That wasn't so hard, was it?

Korean Chicken Thighs

Ingredients
8 chicken thighs, rinsed, patted dry, trimmed of fat
3/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
5-7 green onions, chopped fine
3 Tbsp sesame oil
3 Tbsp honey (if you don't have honey, substitute 2 Tbsp sugar)
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced, or pressed
1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger (or 1/4 tsp of powdered)
pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking dish with no-stick spray. Place your chicken thighs in the dish, skin side down.

Combine the rest of the ingredients into a small bowl. Mix well, and pour over the chicken. Make sure the chicken is nice and coated.

Pop it in the oven for 45 minutes. When you're done, turn the chicken over, spread the juice over the top, and pop it back in for 15 more minutes.

Serve this with the sauce over white rice and a nice bowl of those Asian veggies you can just pop in the microwave.

World's Best Mac and Cheese

This recipe is one that originates Food Network magazine.  I changed a few things up, but it's still basically their recipe. With the ham, it's a hearty main dish.  Leave out the ham and serve it as a side dish.   You can find the original here.   This isn't as easy as cooking a box of mac and cheese, but it's sooo delicious! Enjoy!

PLEASE NOTE:  This is also a photo intensive post, it might take a bit of time to load.

First things first, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and start cooking the pasta according to the package directions.

 I like to use a spiral pasta for this, like Fusilli or Rotini.  I like the way it holds the thick, creamy sauce. 

When the pasta is done, mix it with 1/4 cup of milk.  This is such a great hint!  It keeps the pasta from getting sticky and turning into a clump while you make the rest of your dish.  It will work any time you are making a creamy sauce like this!

Meanwhile, while the pasta is cooking, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet and start browning  your pancetta.  (You can absolutely substitute regular bacon for this, but I prefer pancetta for this recipe).  I made added pancetta to the recipe because it really gives the dish a great flavor. 

Combine Swiss and parmesan in a bowl. 

 In another bowl, crack in 2 eggs:

(I love this photo!  It always makes me want to do this:)

and beat together with 1/4 cup of milk. Fold in the cubed bread and add half of the cheese mixture.

Mix well so that the bread is well coated with the milk, eggs. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, cayenne and about 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a tablespoon of olive oil to a pan, and start browning your pancetta.

When the pancetta starts to brown, throw in the shallots.

Let the pancetta get pretty crispy and the shallots start becoming translucent.  If the pan starts to look a little dry as the shallots start sucking up the oil, add a tablespoon of butter.  Yes, we are adding butter to Italian bacon.  Sue me.

When the shallots and pancetta are all nice and cooked through, add the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds longer - just until you start to smell it.  You don't want it to overcook and become bitter in this.    

Sprinkle in flour mix and cook at medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk, about 2 minutes, scraping all the nice browned bits off the pan as much as possible.  This makes a nice roux that will thicken up your sauce.  

Make sure to let it cook for the full 2 minutes, otherwise your sauce might end up tasting like flour.

Next, slowly add 1/2 cup water and the remaining 1 1/2 cups milk; 

bring to a boil, stirring until thickened. Remove from the heat and whisk to cool slightly. Add the other half of the mixed cheese and mix together until the cheese completely melts into the liquid.

Add pasta. 

Mix well.

To the buttered baking dish, add half of the pasta:

Top with some of the ham and cover with remaining pasta.  Top with the remaining ham.

then cover with the bread mixture. Bake until golden and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Let rest a few minutes before serving.

There's a ton of changes you can make with this dish.  Use the pancetta, but leave out the ham.  Leave out the ham and pancetta completely.  Switch up the cheeses.  The cheese sauce is really the star of the show.  It's not a quick, throw together dish, but it is really delicious and hearty.  

To Die for Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound spiral pasta, like Fusilli or Rotini
• 1 cup diced Pancetta
• 1/2 cup diced shallots, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups (or 6 oz) coarsely grated Swiss cheese (Substitute Gruyere or Jarlsburg)
• 1 cup (4 oz) finely grated parmesan cheese 
• 2 large eggs
• 3 slices white sandwich bread, roughly diced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 8 ounces thinly sliced deli-boiled ham

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a shallow baking dish.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the ziti and cook to package directions.  Drain and transfer to a large bowl; toss with 1/4 cup milk

Combine Swiss and parmesan in a bowl.  In another bowl, crack in 2 eggs and beat together with 1/4 cup of milk. Fold in the cubed bread and add half of the cheese mixture. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, cayenne and about 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.  Add pancetta and start to brown.  Add the shallots and cook until pancetta is browned and shallots are transparent. If pan starts to become dry, add in 1 tablespoon butter.   Add garlic; cook, stirring, just until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Sprinkle in flour mix cook, stirring with a whisk, about 2 minutes, scraping all the nice browned bits off the pan as much as possible. Slowly add 1/2 cup water and the remaining 1 1/2 cups milk; bring to a boil, stirring until thickened. Remove from the heat and whisk to cool slightly. Add the other half of the mixed cheese.  Add pasta. Toss.

To the buttered baking dish, add half of the pasta, top with some of the ham and cover with the remaining pasta. Top with the remaining ham, then cover with the bread mixture. Bake until golden and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Let rest a few minutes before serving.