The Cuisinart 3-Cup Mini-Prep Plus Food Processor Winner is...

Wow I was truly amazed  how many of you signed up for this fun giveaway. I really didn't expect it and I am really sorry I don't have enough money to buy one for each of you. I wish I could. But thank you all for entering. You made my 1st blog birthday giveaway a hit! 

But on to the winner… drum roll please…………

Welcome Home Cookies Part #2

So the calamity of cookies continues. So a few days before dad's surgery I made another double batch of these delicious cookies. But I was in a hurry and tired  so mistakes were make, big mistakes. I used white sugar instead of brown sugar.  I didn't want to toss out all that butter and sugar so I continued on with the recipe (after a few choice words).  


So I baked the cookies and although they weren't what I was expecting (they were fluffy and cakey) but they were still yummy and I hate to toss out ingredients.  So I packed off a few to Courtney from Misadventures in Cooking and the rest were divided between work, friends and the overnight bag for the hospital.  Check out Courtney's post about me here!

Welcome Home Cookies: Part #1

Did you see the awesome post about me at FTLOB? Check it out here to learn something special about me and check out the giveaway. 

I am dedicating this post to the rocking Courtney from Misadventures in Cooking. She shares her cooking and baking triumphs and tribulations on her blog.  I need to share my cooking calamities more since they are not so few and far between lately. My family has certainly had our share of tribulations this week. My dad's surgery on Thursday was crazy, after an hour in surgery he had some blood pressure issues and they stopped surgery. He is fine and feeling good at home. The surgery is rescheduled for the end of May.


So I am so glad to be home. Moving sucks but I love my new place but with everything that has happened in the last 2 weeks, I haven't finished painting or hanging pictures. But it looks great and Sookie and I are feeling very at home. But the last few weeks have been a crazy mixed up calamity of events, starting with these cookies. 


These cookies were the first thing baked in my new apartment and oven. They turned out delicious and super  awesome despite the fact that I  bought the wrong kind of chocolate chips, I got bittersweet 60% dark chocolate baking chips. But after my momentary freak out (it was 11 pm, no way was I running to the store) I decided to change up the recipe. Instead of 1 1/2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips I added 1 cup of white chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of the bittersweet chocolate chips.  They turned out super yummy and the cookies didn't last 3 hours at work. LOL that is why I have no pictures of these freaking delicious cookies, so I used this picture from Martha Stewart. This was the first batch of cookies. Check out part #2 on Thursday. Enjoy!

Guest Blogger Courtney from Misadventures in Cooking

This guest post is courtesy of my friend Courtney, her blog is Misadventures in Cooking.   In Courtney's own words she is a "33 year old cooking novice.  Self diagnosed with Mageirocophobia (fear of cooking).  Working on it one small dish at a time."   But this girl is crazy hysterical funny and very brave in the kitchen. What other "kitchen novice would attempt and this?

Check out this amazing family bread recipe that looks incredible and absolutely delicious (also my bread has never looked like that ever).

Also Courtney has mad frosting skills, check out her first time  frosting a cupcakes, it is gorgeous.

Chicken Cacciatore for Dummies

Let’s just start out saying that I am not a dummy.

(I actually did really well in school – and I’ve handled real life pretty well, too, if I do say so myself.)

But when it comes to cooking, I have some challenges.

And a lot of time, I’m drawn to recipes that are considered ‘easy’, ‘idiot-proof’, or ‘for dummies’.

Since I’m lucky enough to be guest posting here at Calamity Kate’s, I thought I’d go all out – and pick a supposed idiot-proof fancy dish.

(You know the ones that I mean.  The ones that you see on restaurant menus and have a hard time pronouncing…like foie gras, cioppino, and pappardelle.)

Oh, yes.  I want to prove that if I can make it, anyone can.

The Recipe:

Chicken Cacciatore from Giada de Laurentiis on Food Network

4 chicken thighs

2 chicken breasts with skin and backbone, halved crosswise

2 t salt, plus more to taste

1 t freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

1/2 c all purpose flour, for dredging

3 T olive oil

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3/4 c dry white wine

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice

3/4 c reduced-sodium chicken broth

3 T drained capers

1 1/2 t dried oregano leaves

1/4 c coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour to coat lightly.

In a large heavy sauté pan, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and sauté just until brown, about 5 minutes per side. If all the chicken does not fit in the pan, sauté it in 2 batches. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. Add the bell pepper, onion and garlic to the same pan and sauté over medium heat until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, broth, capers and oregano. Return the chicken pieces to the pan and turn them to coat in the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Continue simmering over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through, about 30 minutes for the breast pieces, and 20 minutes for the thighs.

Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a platter. If necessary, boil the sauce until it thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Spoon off any excess fat from atop the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, then sprinkle with the basil and serve.

The Results:

Since I was intimidated by the phrase “halved crosswise” I just used some boneless breasts and thighs (they were on sale – and easy to find while dragging my two boys around the grocery store).  Note to self and everyone else out there: when a recipe says to use bone-in and with-skin chicken, it is for a good reason – probably flavor.

But I’ll get back to that in a minute.

To start the recipe I had to touch raw chicken.  I hate doing this with a passion.  It completely grosses me out, and I’m a tad paranoid about food poisoning.  But I did it.  I dredged (never done that before), and it wasn’t too bad.

Browning the chicken and making the sauce was actually pretty easy.  (Except when I added the onions -– hot oily pan = hot oily splatters!)

It did smell heavenly…I do love that about cooking; the smells can turn out amazing.

I added back the chicken and periodically checked on it (meaning between changing diapers, feeding my four year old, letting the dog out, etc., I would stop by and make sure nothing was burning).  I also made sure to use my handy-dandy meat thermometer to make sure the chicken came up to the correct temperature.

Look at all that color!

I also cooked up some quick egg noodles to make it a full meal.  And I even timed it out correctly.

I plated it all and was excited to dig in.  And the sauce was delicious!  So flavorful and balanced.

But the chicken… it was kind of bland.  And now I know it’s my own fault.

Must follow directions.   Must follow directions.  Must follow directions!

Guess maybe I am a dummy.

But only slightly, right?

And if I can do it with only one major mistake, and you already know what that is, YOU can do it perfectly!

Good luck and happy cooking!

Hey, at least it looks good!