A Romantic Dinner & A Give Away For You

Want to surprise him or her with a lovely romantic dinner at home? We've got just the romance for you and yours. Or maybe you want to visit a parent or be with your family. Create a wonderful tradition of sharing and loving with all of those around you. We are here to provide you with a dish made from our hearts just for you. Have a little surprise planned? Let us know how we can help you. We love a great love story. In fact we love it so much we want to hear about your LOVE STORY! You can make a comment in our blog section or you can leave a comment on the Face Book section. We will select the most romantic story and the winner will receive Dinner on US and a couple of our favorite Romantic Movies delivered to you on February 14th. Delivery is available in York and Strafford County! Hurry orders and entries will close at 6PM February 12th.

It's like learning how to do a Kip

A long long time ago I use to be a gymnast. A fairly decent gymnast at that. At the age of 7 I wanted to be on the team. I wanted to do what all the other girls or "older girls" were doing. Mind you that these older girls were a  whopping 11! I advanced fairly fast through basic classes and spent an entire summer working out with "The Team" I thought it was so totally awesome!

There were three things that I had to accomplish before I could officially become a member of The Team. I had to vault a front handspring, I had to be able to tumble multiple back handsprings and do a kip on the bar. I had everything down but the kip. What is a kip? It is the one single move that can get you onto the bars. Its when you jump onto the bar and your feet glide out in front of you and you pull your feet to the bar to there is a moment when you are suspended with your feet and hands next to each other than you push down with your hands and push your feet back so you are vertical to the bar. Maybe you get that....

I spent days, hours, many painful hours with ripped hands and frustration trying to figure out why I could not get myself up on that bar. I can still hear my mom telling me it was time to go. And over and over I would say just one more time mom. But I never gave up. And one day. I got myself up on that bar. I was on The Team as a Class III gymnast at 8 years old. I had my first meet in Merrimack NH. It was a total bust! My all around score was a total of 12 points, seven of those points came from vault. And as all the judges looked at me with those sad sad eyes. I didn't care. I just knew at my next meet I would do better. And I did.

Why is any of this relevant? Because I am on a new adventure. I want what I can't have right now. And I've got a lot of things to learn and figure out. Sometimes fear of failure can paralyze you. Squashing the voices of doom and gloom is sometimes impossible. The self induced pressure to be successful everyday. And the frustration of it just not hitting the mark. That just one more before closing. And having to lock the doors to go home. 

So as I was lying in bed with my head swirling around that was thought that came to mind. I gotta learn how to do the "Kip"  and the rest will fall into place. But giving up won't get you there and mistakes are lessons to learn for the next time. That really is all anyone can do.

Besides, who else is going to feed Fred and Mrs. Q? Nobody but Pop It In The Oven! 

Something My Friends and I Have In Common

All of my friends have one simple thing in common. THEY LOVE TO COOK AND EAT FOOD. It's kind of sad really that we glaze over the who did what in school and head right on in to food chatter. Kids good? Healthy? Doing well in school? Check, Check and Check.....

A couple of years ago we had a girls weekend up in Livermore Maine. We all brought a little something of our own creation but the winner that weekend was Suzies Human Beans and Rice ( Cuban Beans and Rice - but the two little ones couldn't say Cuban so it came out Human. This dish is good on its own, with eggs, toast, meat or pretty much anything you are having that provides a little zing. I strongly suggest your own Tamales!!

INGREDIENTS **

• • 1cup dried black beans, rinsed and picked over 
  •               2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (see note)
  • 2cups water
  • 2large green bell peppers, halved and seeded
  • 1large onion, halved at equator and peeled, root end left intact
  • 1head garlic, 5 medium cloves removed and minced or pressed through garlic press (about 5 teaspoons), remaining head halved at equator with skin left intact
  • 2bay leaves
  • 1 1/2cups long grain white rice
  • 2tablespoons olive oil
  • 6ounces lean salt pork, cut into 1/4-inch dice (see note)
  • 1tablespoon minced fresh oregano leaves
  • 4teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2medium scallions, sliced thin
  • 1lime, cut into 8 wedges

  
  

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Dissolve 1½ tablespoons salt in 2 quarts cold water in large bowl or container. Add beans and soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. Drain and rinse well.
   2. In large Dutch oven with tight-fitting lid, stir together drained beans, broth, water, 1 pepper half, 1 onion half (with root end), halved garlic head, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until beans are just soft, 30 to 40 minutes. Using tongs, remove and discard pepper, onion, garlic, and bay leaves. Drain beans in colander set over large bowl, reserving 2½ cups bean cooking liquid. (If you don’t have enough bean cooking liquid, add water to equal 2½ cups.) Do not wash out Dutch oven.
   3. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Place rice in large fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear, about 1½ minutes. Shake strainer vigorously to remove all excess water; set rice aside. Cut remaining peppers and onion into 2-inch pieces and process in food processor until broken into rough ¼-inch pieces, about eight 1-second pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary; set vegetables aside.
   4. In now-empty Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon oil and salt pork over medium-low heat; cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned and rendered, 15 to 20 minutes. Add remaining tablespoon oil, chopped peppers and onion, oregano, and cumin. Increase heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Add minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add rice and stir to coat, about 30 seconds.
   5. Stir in beans, reserved bean cooking liquid, vinegar, and ½ teaspoon salt. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer. Cover and transfer to oven. Bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 30 minutes. Fluff with fork and let rest, uncovered, 5 minutes. Serve, passing scallion and lime wedges separately.

**Recipe from Cooks Country.

Dogs Need Treats Too!

Some of you may know that I am the owner of two German Shorthair Pointers named Oskar and Steve:

this is an older picture of the guys. stevah was just home a few weeks at this point. 

A few years ago Geoff and I started making peanut butter treats for the guys. They are perfect for the morning walks and very very inexpensive to make. We go through a lot of cookies at our house so being able to whip up a few batches of these treats is always a benefit. Plus they give Dudes (Oskar) the energy needed to deal with his little brother. This recipe comes from a different blog I use to run from 2009. Feel free to use it for your four legged friends. They will definitely love them.

Dude Snacks

2 cups flour
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375'F. In a bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and baking powder. In another bowl, mix peanut butter and milk, then add to dry ingredients and mix well. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness and use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Bake for 20 minutes on a greased baking sheet until lightly brown. Cool on a rack, then store in an airtight container. Based on doggy consumption these can last about 2 weeks! Just enough time to make more!!

January One - Who Wants Breakfast?

Good Morning Everyone! I have received a ton of feedback from yesterday's post. Thank you....I needed to hear to some of your comments. 

But lets get on with it shall we. Many of you may not know that I use to be an avid blogger over on The Renee Chronicles and moved over to Turbulent Indigo (Any guesses on where that comes from?) Since mid - last year I have kind of left the creative writing portion in the trash. So part of what I want to incorporate in this blog is Pop It In The Oven and a little bit of who this Renee person is. 

For Christmas 2012 I made a cook book out of the recipes I incorporated on my blog for my family. It was intended to be something funny and how I remember food being cooked as a kid. It was by no exaggeration a huge hit. With that being said, let me bring together the best of the best recipes here. Maybe at the end of the year we will have a little something put together that is open - free and fun and easily shared with friends and family. 

Today's recipe is all about Crepes. To me, these are very special thin pancakes of glory. As kids my brothers and I use to sit around the dinner table begging for more crepes. I honestly don't know how that woman put up with all of us. If you are considering buying these in a package please read on. It will only take about 60 mins out of your life and you will be so grateful.

Crepes! or French Pancakes or Wicked Thin Pancakes Bub.........

Ingredients: 

1 cup of milk

2 tbsp butter

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup of flour

1 tsp of baking powder

1/2 tsp of salt.

Heat together the milk and butter. Do not boil just get it hot enough so the butter is melted. When cooled add into other ingredients and mix until smooth. A hand mixer or Kitchen mixer works fine. Now, when I make mine at home I use a small cast iron skillet and add a thin piece of butter. Using a ladle pour out into your pan on medium to medium high heat. The bottom should be a golden brown. Keep checking, these do not  cook like a pancake. Flip until golden (less than a minute) transfer onto another plate and cover. Continue until batter is gone. Should get about 20 pieces. 

Serve up with brown sugar, maple syrup, confectionery sugar, jelly, fruits cheeses and your family will worship like the kitchen goddess you are. That goes for you guys out there too.

2014

Now that I've been up for about two hours and the automatic timer on the coffee pot just went off I think I'm ready to start this blog. 

As I work my way into putting new menu's together for 2014 I find myself sitting here with lots of questions. So I figured why not reach out via social media and ask you the questions burning in my brain. I want to make Pop It In The Oven a place that serves good food, good cooking that leaves you satisfied. My intentions for this establishment have never been to be a fancy swirly plate with a sprig on the side. It's just not how I roll. Your input is very important to me. If you could please take a few moments to reply to the following questions I would greatly appreciate it. AND!! For those of you who do respond You will get a 10% coupon code off your first order in January! (not to shabby eh?)

• What happens on Fridays? This is our slowest day of the week. What will bring you in the door on Friday Nights?
• Would you prefer to just come in or place your order ahead?
• We  have had a wide variety of foods. Do you think there are to many choices? 
• What can we do better?
• What are we doing well?

2014 Goals: 

For now Pop It In The Oven will be functioning out of Circle Subs until I can find a location that is affordable and right for the business. I am also looking into leasing commercial kitchen space but the price has to be affordable so I can keep the prices the same. If you know of anyone who does rent out a kitchen I'm very open to having a conversation with them. 

I'm also working on setting up this blog to be more interactive in regards to my world of cooking and the world of Pop It In The Oven.

Please send your responses to renee@popitintheoven.com I will send your 10% coupon code in a reply. 

Now where is my coffee mug.........

What Is This Huntington Chicken You Speak Of?

Happy Ordering Day!

So one of the most popular questions I've received is "what is Huntington chicken?" To be fair I will share a little downfall about my recipe designing. I have this horrible habit of scanning recipes and going YUM sounds good to me! It falls into the category of not knowing all the lyrics to all the songs and making up my own verse. In looking at this dish I did the mental note.

Chicken - check

Cheese - check check

Pasta Shells - oh yeah!

=

NOMNOMNOM.

I will have you know exactly what Huntington Chicken is. While putting this together you cook chicken breast. Chop into bite size pieces. Cook pasta as one normally cooks pasta. Add Chicken broth and flour mix together. {INSERT LOUD RECORD SCRATCH} Wait what? This calls for a gravy? With pasta? HOW DID I MISS THAT? I will admit that with great trepidation I continued on with this dish. Added a little bread crumb on top and baked it for 30 minutes.

Prior to placing this questionable dish I explained to Mr. G that I was unsure about this dinner so if it's a fail we can get pizza. My fail safe bribe.

I have to say this dish is AMAZING!! It was cheesy as you would expect Mac N Cheese to be and was not as I feared pasta drowning in gravy. Totally delicious. To categorize this I would say that this is total comfort food. The second category GUY FOOD. Guy's I promise you this one is a winner for belly.

So that friends is exactly what Huntington Chicken is. Happy Friday Eve!! And don't forget today is ORDER DAY!!!! wooo woooooo.

xo
Renee