Kelli Rocha's Blog » Food

Fresh Baked Bread

Kelli Rocha — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 04:00:07 +0000

Keeping up with my “foodie” theme of late, here’s a shot of the homemade rolls I conjured up for dinner. Yes, I did use the bread machine, but I did have to shape the rolls (which I’m not very good at) and bake them myself. They were DE-LICIOUS if I do say so myself. The best part of baking anything is the smell… and this aroma took me right back to my childhood. I’ll always associate that smell with walking into my Grandmother’s house and the fresh bread she had in her kitchen… daily.

Dove Chocolate

Kelli Rocha — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 06:00:50 +0000

Earlier this week I posted on Facebook that I was out of chocolate. A lot of people laughed at me, but the ones closest to me realized that this was a serious situation that needed to be fixed immediately. As a matter of fact… a new bag was delivered to me (Thanks Mama Wright) later that evening. I love chocolate and I have a serious addiction. I eat chocolate everyday. My favorite is Milk Chocolate Dove Promises. The individually wrapped pieces are perfect for a quick taste.

Leroy is co-dependent so he makes sure that I’m happy and have a readily available supply on hand. Is it any wonder I love him?

Food Network Magazine

Kelli Rocha — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 03:00:45 +0000

I have always loved cookbooks… the ones with pictures only. I’m a visual learner so I have to see the finished product to truly appreciate the recipe. I subscribe to several magazines, but this is probably my favorite. It’s like receiving a big, beautiful cookbook once a month, in the mail. I’d like to be able to say that I’ve tried several recipes from this publication but that would be a lie. For me this magazine is more “pleasure reading” than it is a tool to assist me with cooking.

I’ve always wanted to start a Favorite Things list (like Oprah) and this magazine would definitely make the cut.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Kelli Rocha — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 03:00:00 +0000

I am not ashamed to admit that there are very few things that I WOULDN’T do for a good chocolate chip cookie. I love them, but I am quite picky about which ones I’ll eat. They can’t be too dry and crispy… and yet not doughy. I like a fair amount of chips, however I’m not a fan of the chocolate chunk. Semi-sweet chocolate is my favorite chocolate, but I’ll eat other flavors and combinations. There is one Cardinal rule: Absolutely, without NUTS.

Shortly after we landed in Sacramento on Sunday afternoon, I saw a post on Facebook from my friend Trish. She said that she was making her famous Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies… I immediately sent her a message telling her that I would be in the area in that evening and of course she invited me to stop in and get some. The catch was the fact that she wasn’t going to be home. She gave me her security code so I could get into the house. A NORMAL person would have just skipped it since they weren’t going to be home… but not me. She told me the code, where the cookies were… and I didn’t hesitate a moment.

Later that evening, when we were out with friends, I was bragging about Trish’s cookies when I received a call from her. She wasn’t sure that I had picked them up. I assured her I had… and when I told her that I had some friends that wanted to try them, she invited us over AGAIN so we went. I got two batches.

They were gone by Monday evening.

Tonight… I was craving the cookies again. I didn’t have the ingredients for Trish’s so I settled for this fundraiser/frozen dough version. Not quite as good, but better than nothing. Any cookie is better than no cookie at all.

Popcorn

Kelli Rocha — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 03:00:23 +0000

To say popcorn is a family tradition is somewhat of an understatement. For my mother’s side of the family it was a downright necessity. She even had a special bowl that she used to eat it from… and wouldn’t you know that was the ONLY thing we argued over after her death in 2004. (Of course, I now possess the bowl, on the promise that I serve popcorn in it when we get together which I have failed to do.) I remember when air popping machines came out, my mother was in heaven.

Steel was the next junkie… Of course for him, it had to be the healthy kind, 100 calorie packs. Granny had enough butter on her version to kill a small horse. I think she used to use a cube of butter for each batch but Steel is much more conscientious of his diet. After a conversation with him tonight on iChat, I rummaged through the cabinets to find a microwaveable pack. Just the smell alone is worth the effort.

Tomatoes in October

Kelli Rocha — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 03:00:26 +0000

Hard to believe that it’s possible, but I still have tomatoes (good ones) in October. We’ve been going through a little heat wave and it looks like I’ll still have fruit through next week as well. I guess I better start watering them again. There is nothing better than a homegrown tomato so I’m going to enjoy this for as long as it lasts.

Triscuits

Kelli Rocha — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 03:00:30 +0000

I never thought I would say this, but I’m addicted to Triscuits. I don’t know what it is… to be honest, I think they taste like salty cardboard… but they hit the spot. I usually eat them in the morning and they ease my stomach which is usually a little upset from taking my vitamins. Sometimes I feel like I’m eating a piece of a woven basket… but I keep going back for more. Weird.

Flourless Cookies

Kelli Rocha — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 03:00:01 +0000

I had a craving for Oatmeal/Chocolate chip cookies today. After going through the cabinet and realizing that I had all of the necessary ingredients, I decided to whip up a batch. I took a call from Sierra in the middle of the preparation and lamented to her how much I wished she was home to do this for me. (She’s the baker in the family…) I mixed it all up, baked a batch and this is what I got. I was extremely disappointed. I didn’t understand why they went so flat. They looked terrible. I tossed them in the garbage and decided not to bake the remaining batter in the refrigerator.

When I went to throw away the recipe, I realized that I had omitted the flour. That is a major ingredient in cookies and their flat appearance suddenly made sense to me. I remembered that I still had some dough in the fridge, so I pulled it out, tossed in a handful of flour and baked up another batch that turned out perfectly.

PF Chang’s

Kelli Rocha — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:00:01 +0000

The sales yard picked up half of the cows today. A horrible day at the dairy. To make matters worse, Leroy had to be in Sacramento all day for a conference. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise because witnessing the pick up would have been very difficult. But I’m sure he would have rather been home. Being away was worse for him. I packed a bag before I left home and headed straight to Sacramento after work to meet him and spend the night so he wouldn’t be alone.

I made him take me to one of my favorite restaurants… PF Chang’s. I absolutely LOVE their lettuce wraps. This one is located right downtown Sacramento in the middle of the hustle and bustle. It was fun and the food was delicious. Just the diversion he needed.

Grandma’s Cookies

Kelli Rocha — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 03:00:34 +0000

These are by far, my absolute favorite (packaged) cookies. I discovered them when I was working in Yosemite. They sold this brand in the vending machine in the office where I worked. I have loved them ever since. I used to find them in convenience stores, but they are getting harder and harder to find. Costco had them in a variety pack for a while, but I didn’t want peanut butter and chocolate chip, so it was a waste. Leroy discovered that they sell the individual chocolate packs at Cash and Carry. He had to go there today, so he picked up a few and left them sitting on my desk for me. What a nice surprise waiting for me when I got home.