Me in the kitchen... (yes i SAID KITCHEN).. :)

so.. as MANY of my friends and family know.. I don't really cook. I mean I do when it's required of me.. BUT I have to say, MOST of the things I make.. DON'T turn out! LOL.. Ask my husband, ask my kids..

Heck ask anyone! LOL.. My husband thinks it's because I am always in too much of a hurry and I don't read directions right, or I want to cook everything on high.. but you know what?  I don't think I ever learned growing up what temperature you are to cook things at.. I mean like eggs for example.. always on high? right?  meat.. always on high right?  Just didn't know that somethings need to cook at different temperatures in order for them to turn out better.. I also misread ingredients ALOT or just mISS ingredients alot and that is probably a result of my brain doing too many things at once (made brownies from the box once and forgot the eggs, made cupcakes last week for my kids.(again from the box) and thought it was weird it called for 1 1/4 cup of oil AND 1/2 cube of butter (even I know that THAT is alot of fat for one cake).. and realized only after I took it out and it fell apart.. that it was actually supposed to be 1 1/4 cup of WATER.. not OIL! LOL).. anyhow.. I just move to fast..

anyhow.. I was at my mom's house for Thanksgiving dinner and it was our job (I say "our" but really Ben's job) to cook most of the meal. He volunteered and so he did dutch over turkey, yams, stuffing, fried a turkey, we made pies, and we did mashed potatoes.. and that is where I come in. He finally got me talked into helping and gave me the simple task of making banana cream pie.. which I thought would be easy, until I tried to put all the ingredients in an unbaked pie shell and my husband was looking me.. like... are you kidding me?? I was like what?? and he said.. you have to cook the PIE crust FIRST!  I DIDN"T KNOW??? LOL.. so we got that all squared away.. but then we needed another pie, so I looked up a recipe on my FAVORITE cook book ever.. the Presto Ward Cookbook.. I gave my entire family it one year for Christmas.. and even ben's family.. and everyone loves it. It has the best recipes.. mostly farmers from our small town from where we use to live.. and I mean the best! So there was a chees pie recipe.. and my mom had all the ingredients, so I decided to make it.. well I got out here sunbeam STAND mixer (note.. I DO not own or have ever owned a stand mixer.. because what was the point ? I don't cook!).. and I was IN LOVE!!! I mean.. I couldn't believe how nice it mixed the cream cheese with the whip topping.. (which by the way.. even though I misread the directions and added 4 times too much cream cheese.. it turned out WONDERFUL so we now make it with that much cream chees! LOL.. sometimes my mixups actually make it better.. okay.. only this one time LOL !)..  AND THEN! I decided to get really creative and use it to MASH the potatoes! I was in heaven!  I was thinking.. this is why I haven't cooked in the past.. I mean except out of a box! because I was donig everything by hand! and a STAND mixer was like.. GOLD!!!.. so when I set my mind to something I just go for it.. and i got on this kick after thanksgiving to get a stand mixer.. I LOVED my mom's.. but she and all my sisters informed me.. it wasn't really a good one.. and that to do bread or heavy stuff I would need a kitchenaid (BREAD?? are you kidding me? LOL.. i would NEVER make bread in my life.. that is what a breadmaker is for! LOL)..so I started doing some research online and decided i really didn't want a kitchenaid.. TO heavy and too bulky and it's NOT user friendly for short people.  I mean the gears to run it are on one side and the gear to lift the arm up and down is on the other.. for short people like me.. it's not the easy to reach over to the other side to get the levers.. so I need a SHORT person friendly mixer.. (which by the way is another reason its hard for short people to cook, we don't get the "leverage" like most people do when say.. using a can opener.. or mixing stuff in a pan.. etc.. because the counters are so high.. we don't get much leverage to use our muscles to do those things! LOL)..so THEN  Ben's sister, Jenni told me about the Bosh mixers and said I would probably LOVE those.. light weight.. can sit on the coutner all the time, and is great for short people! LOL (though she has a kitchenaid and is tall)..so I did more research and after countless hours.. I bought a bosch (for myself for Christmas). We bought the mixerthat goes with it to and the food processor (though I was thinking.. would I ever use it??).. and then as we were getting ready to leave the store.. the lady kept telling me to come back and she would teach me how to make bread. I laughed and said.. oh I don't cook.. this is just for mashing potatoes and making cookies.. but thanks anyways.. and then she mentioned that it was SO easy..(I remember my mom making bread growing up.. and I remember it NOT being easy.. the whole yeast thing.. the kneeding, the rising .. all that stuff.. just crazy).. and she was talking to  my husband and i heard her say.. you just put all the stuff in the mixer with the bread kneeder on, walk away, let it kneed for 10 minutes, then come back, plop it in the pans and let it rise and you are good to go!

I literally turned around and put my  hand up and said.. STOP.. WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY???  All I have to do is put the stuff in the mixer.. walk away.. come back and then I have dough?  well heck.. I CAN DO THAT!

Soo.. guess what the first thing I made with my mixer was.. NOT mashed potatoes, NOT cookies.. I MADE BREAD!! FROM SCRATCH! I even found some packages of yeast that Ben's sister had left in my cupboard.. Not only did I make ONE loaf of bread.. i actually made 8!!  My first loaf didn't turn out quite as nice as I had expected.. we keep our flour in the fridge because we hardly ever use it and so it doesn't go bad (too funny because most people can go through flour fast enough to not worry about putting in the refrigerator)..and I just thought ben kept in there because you were supposed too.. I didn't know until after I made the first loaf of bread that he only kept in there because I never used it! LOL.. anyhow.. needless to say, my cold flour killed my yeast and my bread didn't rise.. I almost gave up and said I would never try it again.. but Ben rescued my bread.. added some more yeast.. and then we baked it. I also realized after I made it that it was actually supposed to be 2 loaves, NOT one.. so it came out EXTRA Tall! LOL.. but  then I decided I wasn't going to let my first loaf get the best of me.. so I  found a different recipe online.. one that said (fail proof)..and this time, used Room temperature flour.. and realized BEFORE it was too late that the recipe I was doing actually made 4 loaves of bread.. and they ALL TURNED OUT!! so then I made more! LOL.. then the NEXT  day.. I made sour cream sugar cookies.. (FROM SCRATCH! I have never made sugar cookies from scratch before.. we just always buy the pre-made dough ones.. or ben makes them).. then this week I made 4 more loaves of bread, banana bread, and are you sitting down... TODAY.. I made Cinnamon ROLLS!!!!!!!!  seriously.. ALL BY MYSELF! All of this since LAST Sunday ( I got the Bosch last saturday night..  a week or so ago)..  .. I know my family is dying right now.. because they know me.. and know that it is NOT possible! LOL.. but I did it! and they turned out so delicious.. I didn't realize they made so many.. so I took plates to all my neighbor's, friends and family.. (we can't eat 50 cinnamon rolls).. so that is my story! LOL.. Ben.. being the dork he is.. took pictures of me making bread and cookies last sunday.. he said he better get it on film.. because it might never happen again! LOL..  I AM OFFICIALLY A REAL BAKER!!.. I have also realized to just READ THE DIRECTIONS SLOWLY.... and like 4 or 5 times.. because sometimes my brain works to fast.. like today..in the rolls, I almost added 2 CUPS of sugar instead of 2 TBS.. good thing I caught that! LOL..

So I just had to share that with you! LOL.. I am going to try a NEW bread recipe that my friend Sherelleshared with me today.. actually I got the recipe for the cinnamon rolls of her website.. and actually 4 of the five meals i am doing this week are ALL from her website.. she has amazing recipes for crockpot meals.. and I have learned I am that kind of a gal, if I can stick it all in one pot.. walk away and come back 8 hours later with a good meal.. I am ALL over it (none of this cooking the meat first, then boiling the potatoes, then making a sauce.. etc)..I LOVE the crockpot idea.. it's kinda like the whole bread thing.. just so simple! 

But now I have realized I need to get a couple of Aprons.. because I might be able to bake now.. but I certainly can't do it without making a HUGE mess.. mostly all over myself. I actually MADE an apron (yes.. I know.. I sew sometimes too).. (i am wearing it the first picture)  we had a Super Saturday craft thing I was in charge of last month and one the projects we did was an apron you make out of two kitchen hand towels and ribbon. (love it because the edges are already finished because you use handtowels.. so it's my kind of apron!)  My friend showed me how easy they were, so i made up a couple of samples for people to sign up.  Anyhow.. I ended up cutting the ribbon off one side of the apron because we ran out of the stuff at the all day thing and someone else really wanted that ribbon for her apron.. so i just got off one of my side strings off the sample one I made.. but now it doesn't stay on very well. So I need to fix it.. But I realized I also need to get a full sized one.. because most of the flour, etc ends up on the top part of me.. so I spent alot of my night last night, looking on Etsy for a cute apron.. found some CUTE ones.. but they were like 30 bucks! and I am cheap! LOL.. so I might have to have Ben's mom make me some.. I found a really cute apron book.. and I might find some cute fabric and ask her if she will make me one :).  My Dear friend Jenn Jacobs actually made me one, last year.. SO stinking cute.. and.. after 3 months of it just hanging from my office door, I let one of my good friends daughter's use it for her cooking class at school (her and my oldest son braden are both in it together)..  this year because she couldn't find a cute the store.. and mine was just sitting her..  (she is like my second daughter)..she is going to give it back at the end of the year.. but I can't wait that long! LOL..  So until then, I need to find something to replace it.. so.. I will keep looking! Or I will break down and try and make an apron this week as well.. it's Christmas.. why not??

well sorry for the long post.. but I knew my family and friends would enjoy hearing about my adventures.. actually I posted it mainly because I knew they wouldn't believe it! LOL..  Love you all!

 

 

  

 

 

 

Comments

[Sherelle]

Christy...you are too cute! I am so glad you are entering the world of BAKING! You'll be addicted (and like me, your butt might grow a little ;) I hope that bread recipe works out for you!

[Jennifer]

WOW Bosch mixers are the best thing. The BEST. I have my mom's which is older than me (I'm 30), and I normally bake all of our bread. I've slacked on that the last few months, but I'm getting back to it because it's SO much healthier and cheaper. She baked all of our bread. . . nine kids, so that's a LOT of bread. I remember loving bread day. She'd usually do 16 loaves that day, and freeze what we didn't devour right there.

I have to tell you though. . . I make whole wheat bread for the most part. Mine usually doesn't rise that great. I never thought about it being because the whole wheat flour was cold from being in the fridge. Derr! All these years!

[Lettie]

I have to tell you, I love my Bosch mixer too. But, I'll have to have you show me how you do your bread. I haven't figured that one out. My loaves always are so dence.

[Tammy D]

That is GREAT! I was smiling the whole time I was reading. So much fun!

[lori jolley]

You are too funny! Baking is fun, huh?! I think its relaxing and I love having the kids help. Keep it up!

[Alicia King]

well well, look who's baking now! you sound exactly like me...I just have Levi do it all. that's my problem, I don't have patience, I read too fast, and I don't really care. But I do want to know how to make cookies at least!!! oh someday! Congrats on all your baking skills!

[melody]

you are my freakin' hero, Christy Tomlinson.......I am gonna really try to make bread now...you have inspired me...I miss you so much!!!

If you come to boise for christmas...will you bring me some bread????

xoxox
mel

[Tina]

That is sooo funny! I have a kitchenaid that Jeff gave me for my birthday 3 years ago. I LOVE to bake, so it was a very good thing for me. My first day I made two cakes, a loaf of bread and cookies. Now I just make rolls and do bread in the bread maker. :)
Your apron turned out really cute! I may need to do a Christmas one :)

[Chris]

Yea!! Isn't it just awesome? I love my Bosch! Good for you on being able to make bread on you're first try...it took me 16 freakin' years to get it! I ALWAYS killed my yeast. ALWAYS!! {Still do sometimes ~ grrr} So I am proud of you! Enjoy and happy baking you cute mama you!

[MOM]

Christy, I laughed so hard to tears. Girl you are so like me!! I'm going to be smiling in my dreams. But I am really proud of you. You conquered the cooking thing!! I hope you send me some bread for Christmas. I love you. MOM

[Jesse Edwards]

This is so much fun to read! I remember those brownies without the eggs! don't you love bosch?! I have one! now I'll have to get you an intermediate cookbook!

[Jill Godon Cruz]

Hey Christy! So awesome to see that you're blogging again :) Thanks for sharing the story, it was great! You're more courageous than I am... I haven't been so lucky in the kitchen! Hope you & your family are well :)

[Julie]

Hi Christy...

Loved your baking story....sounds like you have had quite a week! lol

I know things are crazy busy with the holidays coming up, but when you have time...could you please post the directions for the aprons made from dishtowels? I have four daughters who love to be in the kitchen...and thought it would be fun to make aprons for them in their favorite colors!

Thanks so much and happy holidays! Glad to see someone else has a big family too...I have five children and a step-son, but love every minute of it!

Julie

[Donna Murdock]

Christy, I must send you the recipes that the Bosch guy gave us! You will love them so much. I can actually eat real bread again, thanks to our man Leavitt, a very distant cousin to Mike Leavitt. I promise I will get them in the mail over Christmas break. Your Bosch mixer will love them, too. Then you can send them to Sherelle and everyone else.

I knew you could cook because you are so creative! You are simply the best at everything you do. Love, Donna

Oh, and have the very merriest, most special Christmas ever.

[Amy Jackson]

Nathan says... "Bosch mixers change lives. Congratulations you have now joined the ranks of novice bakers. You are on the path to bakery existentialism" ....haha!

[Bosch Mixer Sale]

great post christy...it looks yummy!;) thanks for sharing ideas, i love to bake with my bosch mixer. We will come back often.

Once again, thank you!

[homes for sale philippines]

This place is what I fall inlove with specially in the kitchen, because I love to cook.

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