Elsa Cooks

Cinnamon Chocolate Fudge

2012-02-13T08:13:00.003-05:00

Valentine's Day is right around the corner so I thought I would make a decadent chocolate dessert. Instead of buying chocolates this year, consider making some and then wrap them up in something pretty. It's much more personal and will be appreciated by the recipient because of the time you put into it. I love this fudge because it's different. I'm not sure I've ever had cinnamon fudge, and honestly, I didn't think I would like it. But I LOVE it. Possibly my favorite fudge. The recipe does say that semi-sweet chocolate will work but I really think bittersweet is the way to go. I also think nuts might be a nice addition. I'll have to try that next time.

And my wonderful husband bought me some roses so I decided to decorate my pictures for Valentine's Day. :) Of course, my 2-year-old wanted to see them and ended up pulling a rose off of its stem, so I decided to take the petals off and get really creative. I didn't want it to go to waste after all! :)

Sweetened condensed milk (yeah, I could eat that straight from the can)

Add the rest of the ingredients

Melt it all together

Place into a pan and cool

Cinnamon Chocolate Fudge

Serving Size = 8x8-inch pan, 4-6 servings

Original Recipe: Giada De Laurentiis

Butter for greasing a pan
1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 lb (about 2 1/2 cups) bittersweet chocolate chips (60% cacao) (Ghiradelli recommended)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, at room temperature

Butter the bottom of an 8x8-inch pan and line with a sheet of parchment paper, 14-inchesx7-inches wide, allowing overhang on the sides (makes it easier to remove from pan).
In a medium glass or stainless bowl, combine the milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. Stir in the chocolate chips and butter. Put the bowl on a saucepan of barely simmering water and mix until the chocolate chips have melted and the mixture turns smooth, about 6-8 minutes. Make sure the bowl does not touch the water.
Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm.
Run a warm knife along the edges to loosen the fudge, pull the fudge out and cut into 1-inch pieces. Store in refrigerator or freezer.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Linking to: This Weeks Cravings, Savvy Homemade Monday, Mix it up Monday, Mangia Mondays, Sweets for a Saturday, Gallery of Favorites, Linky Followers, Hearth and Soul

Baked Coconut French Toast (Challah)

2012-02-11T10:20:00.002-05:00

The other day I made challah with the hope that there would be enough leftover for French toast the next day.... and there was, yay! But I didn't want to make just any French toast, I wanted to change it up and make something different. I decided on coconut French toast. Delicious! I even stored some in the fridge and re-heated it and it still tasted pretty darn good. I love that it baked up so beautifully in the oven and I didn't have to cook a few at a time on the stovetop. Back in the day this wouldn't have bothered me, but now that I have a 2-year-old, a newborn, and a job (I work from home) life is getting a bit crazy busy. By the end of the day, when I'm waiting for my husband to get home from work, I go into a trance. Seriously, I just stare off into space for a while. Then he gets home and I think I literally fling the children at him so that I can have a break. Yes, literally. hehe And guess what mommy break time means? Leftover French toast! Yay!!! :)

And did I mention that this would be the perfect breakfast to share with your loved one on Valentine's Day?? Drizzle some chocolate on it maybe??

Egg mixture

Coconut flakes

Challah

Soak the bread in the egg mixture

Serve

Baked Coconut French Toast
Adapted From
Serving Size = 4 pieces

4 pieces of challah, 1-inch thick
4 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups coconut flakes (roughly)

Preheat oven to 475F. Grease a baking sheet (I used cooking spray).
Mix together the eggs, milk, cinnamon, and sugar. Soak each slice of bread in the mixture for about 1/2 a minute per side. Take coconut and pat it onto each side, set on baking sheet. Do this will each slice.
Place in the oven and bake about 5 minutes per side (flip them over after 5 minutes).
Serve with chocolate or syrup.

Linking to: Sweets for a Saturday, Simply Delish, Not "Baaad" Sundays, Sweet Indulgences Sunday

Challah and The Weird Sisters Book Review

2012-02-09T12:56:00.009-05:00

I'm going to change things up a bit and hopefully do this every few months. This will be my book and food series. My goal is to read a book, find food mentioned in it or inspired from it, make the food, share the recipe, and review the book. Think dinner and a movie. ;) Enjoy!

The Book Review:
The Weird Sisters, by Eleanor Brown (2012), is a book about three sisters Rose, Bianca (Bean), and Cordelia (Cordy) returning home. The three sisters all create their own difficulties in life and have to find a way to overcome them with the hopes of a better life. If I had to describe their relationship in one quote, it would be this one: "See, we love one another. We just don't happen to like one another very much (28)." They would do anything for each other, but they simply cannot get along.

Cordy spoke to me the most out of these characters because I can relate to her (although, I'm not nearly as wild and crazy, wow!). She's a bit of a hippy, easy-going, doesn't stress too much, and is ok with people making decisions for her because she's too laid back to care. Hair, clothes, and make-up are not really a priority in her life, but she does love to cook. Yes, I love Cordy, and everyone else does as well, which makes the other sisters jealous. She's everyones favorite. Rose is the oldest and wants to mother everyone. Everything has to be just so, which results in mountains of stress for her. The middle, Bean, is self-centered. She wants to look good, feel good, and have fun at any cost. But eventually life catches up with them. Rose needs to learn to let go, Bean needs to escape her own personal hell, and Cordy needs to take responsibility.

As for the parents, well, getting to know them explains a few of their unusual quirks. Their father is a professor at the local university. He is obsessed with Shakespeare and quotes him almost every time he speaks. At first, this drove me insane. I complained about it to anyone that was around me while I was reading, but I think that's the point. I think he was intended to annoy the reader because he annoyed the sisters as well. It seemed like it was his odd way of forcing his children to think for themselves. Their mother, who is battling an illness, weaves in and out of their conversations, missing most of what is being said. Not because she's ill though, it's just her way. But she loves them, would do anything for them, and when it comes time for her to add her two cents, she does it beautifully and possibly makes the biggest impact.

Overall: Lovely book, quick and easy read. This book isn't so deep that you get lost, but it isn't so predictable that you're left yawning. It's a great book to help you relax and unwind.

Click here for the Blogher Discussions Page.

The Recipe:
I selected challah because of Cordy's love for baking, especially her love for braided breads. I believe this bread even became French toast in the book, so guess what we're having for breakfast tomorrow? :) The bread is sweet and delicious and I adore the look of the tiny braided bread on top of the large one.

Let the yeast activate

Double in size

Braid

Brush with egg wash

Let cool

Beautiful, tall slices, perfect for French toast

Challah
Serving Size = 2 loaves (2 of the small braids, 2 of the large braids)
Original Recipe: The Frugal Girl

1 cup warm water
4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (or 2 packages)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened or melted and cooled
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
5 1/4 - 5 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 teaspoon water

In a mixing bowl (I used my Kitchenaid Mixer), add the water and yeast. Let the yeast activate, takes about 2 minutes. Add the sugar, butter, and 1 1/2 cups flour. Mix well. Add the salt, keep mixing. Stir in 3 whole eggs and 1 egg white (reserve the yolk). Mix until a soft dough forms, adding flour until achieved.
Lightly flour a surface and knead until smooth (I usually do this in the mixer as well). Place in the bowl, cover, and let rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size (TIP: I like to put bread in a warm environment, so I preheat my oven long enough to make it warm, shut it off and then put the dough in to rise).
Divide the dough into two pieces, then divide each piece into two more pieces (one should be about 2/3 of the dough and the other 1/3 of the dough). Divide all pieces into three pieces to braid. For one loaf, roll out the three pieces of the large dough into 12-inch ropes. Then roll out the three pieces of the small dough into 6-inch pieces. Braid the large dough, then braid the small dough. Stack the small on top of the large, place on a baking sheet, cover and let rise for 35 minutes or until doubled in size. Repeat with the second loaf.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Add one teaspoon of water to the egg yolk and mix. Brush each loaf with the egg yolk and water. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on write racks. Note: The top braid could slide off a bit during baking. Once you slice it, the pieces will still look pretty good.

This is a paid review from the Blogher Book Club, but the views expressed are my own and were not influenced in any way.

Linking to: Full Plate Thursday, Foodie Friday, Foodtrip Friday, Gallery of Favorites

Quick Ground Turkey Ragu

2012-02-05T17:50:00.003-05:00

I've been busy this weekend updating my blog (new address: http://www.elsacooks.com/), cleaning my insanely messy house, recovering from a mild cold, and reading a book which I plan to review soon. I knew that dinner would need to be something that I could throw together at the last minute. I ended up making a super quick ragu. Usually ragu has celery and carrots in it but we're in serious need of some grocery shopping so we're out of almost everything. I did have a jalapeno though, so I added that to the mix. Feel free to use ground beef instead of turkey. I just used what I had on hand.

Soften the onions

Add the ground turkey

Blend the tomatoes, reserving one

Cook down the sauce

Prepare the pasta

Quick Ground Turkey Ragu
Serving Size = 2 - 3

1 lb ground turkey
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/8 teaspoon or so of ground cinnamon
Salt/Pepper (about 1 teaspoon each + salt for pasta water)
1 jalapeno
5 large button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 onion, diced
Parmesan to taste
1/2 lb Rotini
5 - 6 large tomatoes (blended, but reserve one)
Pinch of sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste plus 1/3 cup water, if dry

Place some oil (I used EVOO) into a large stock pot over medium heat and saute the mushrooms. Remove, set aside. Saute the onions and jalapeno until they soften, then add the meat and cook through. Add the mushrooms back in and all of the spices.
In a blender (I have a Vitamix) blend the tomato until they turn into a sauce (you can add a touch of water if needed), pour into stock pot. Chop the reserved tomato into large pieces and add as well. Stir, add some sugar to sweeten the sauce up a bit and let it cook down and thicken (15 or 20 minutes). Towards the end, add the tomato paste and water, stir well and cook a few more minutes.
Meanwhile, get the pasta started. Bring water to a boil (enough to cover pasta), add salt (about 1 tablespoon), add pasta and cook for 7 - 9 minutes. Drain well.
Pour the sauce over the pasta, top with Parmesan to taste and serve.

Linking to: Gallery of Favorites, Made From Scratch Tuesday

New Site - Under Construction

2012-02-04T14:40:00.000-05:00

Hello!

As you can see, I'm doing some updating on my site. I should be finished soon though so stay tuned. :)

My blog title was Elsa's Cooking Diary and the old address was http://www.elsascookingdiary.blogspot.com

I have switched to Elsa Cooks and my new address is http://www.elsacooks.com

Eventually elsascookingdiary.blogspot.com will automatically redirect to www.elsacooks.com

Thanks everyone!

Peach and Chipotle BBQ Sauce

2012-02-03T09:50:00.001-05:00

Super Bowl is right around the corner so today I'm sharing a unique BBQ sauce to serve. I love buffalo wings, but if you want to take a different route this year I recommend this spicy alternative. The peaches add a nice layer of flavor but it doesn't give a strong fruit taste and the spice complements it beautifully. I would recommend serving this on chicken. I cooked mine on an indoor grill and then finished them off in the oven.

And I wanted to give you another blog update. My blog will be changing over the weekend, or possibly into next week. I will change the name slightly and create a new look. The address will change but it will automatically forward you to the new blog so this shouldn't be a problem. I will keep you updated though. :)

Peach Chipotle BBQ Sauce
Serving Size = 2 cups
Adapted from: Fine Cooking

1/8 - 1/4 cup brown sugar, to taste
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional, I skipped)
Salt/Pepper to taste
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of cloves
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 cup peaches, I used frozen sliced that I froze last year
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 - 2 teaspoons chipotle in adobo sauce (I used 2)
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Combine everything except the butter in a medium saucepan. Simmer until the peaches are tender, about 10 minutes or so. Place into a blender and blend until smooth (you might want to cool it first, it's up to you).
Return to medium saucepan and simmer until the flavors blend, about 10 - 15 more minutes. Stir occasionally. When done, whisk in the butter.

Fennel and Mustard Pan Sauce

2012-02-01T09:29:00.001-05:00

I believe that the easiest way to change up a meal is to make a sauce for it. I've always loved making sauces and if I ever have people over for dinner, I usually serve something with sauce. Not only does it make the meal feel fancy, and it tastes like you worked on it all day, but it also covers up any boo-boos. Let's say you over cook the meat a bit, by adding sauce you add back some moisture. Or say the meat sticks to the pan and tears a bit, just pour some sauce over it. And here's a great tip, always have fresh Parmesan in your fridge. If you decide to experiment and just throw a sauce together (which I do often) and it doesn't taste quite right (also happens often, more than I care to admit), just turn off the heat and stir in Parmesan. I'm tellin' ya, Parmesan has saved many meals in this house.

The sauce I'm sharing with you today is inspired by a recipe from The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook. I didn't want to copy a recipe directly from the book since I know America's Test Kitchen is a little protective over their recipes, so I found one and changed half of it. The fennel and mustard flavors in the sauce are strong so you only need a little bit of sauce for each chicken breast.

And I didn't forget about the book review I promised. As expected, I adore this cookbook. It contains 2,000 recipes and almost any meal I think of, I can find in this book. I also know that whatever I make, it will most likely turn out well. I trust the recipes, which is very important when it comes to buying a great cookbook. The only downside is that I feel the dessert and bread sections are skimpy. I just expected more. I also think that even though the amount of recipes is a really good bang-for-your-buck, I can see how many people would find it overwhelming. I know I do at times. There are no pictures, just page after page of recipes. But overall, I really do feel like it's worth every penny, especially since it's very affordable.

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy!

Fennel and Mustard Pan Sauce
Serving Size = about 3/4 cup, enough for 3 - 4 chicken breasts
Adapted From: Cook's Illustrated Cookbook, 2011, p 318

1 shallot, minced
3/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold
Salt/Pepper, to taste

After you cook the chicken breasts in a large skillet, remove them and add the shallot and fennel seeds (you might need to add a touch of oil). Cook over medium heat until softened, about 2 minutes.
Add the flour and cook, constantly stirring, for another minute or two. Slowly whisk in the broth, scraping up the brown bits. Reduce to 3/4 cup, which takes about 5 minutes.
Stir in any leftover chicken juices and simmer for another 30 seconds.
Remove from heat and whisk in the mustard and butter. Season with salt/pepper to taste.

Linking to: Hearth and Soul

Scalloped Potato Gratin

2012-01-28T19:57:00.002-05:00

There was a Jacques Pepin marathon today on TV and I watched it. All day. In between I did manage to clean the house a bit, tickle my toddler Mimi and swing her around in circles until she was dizzy, made Emmett laugh hysterically, relaxed with my husband, and of course did some blogging. I love being home with my family. Anyway, I watched him make a ton of different dishes and was eventually inspired to make gratin to go with our steak dinner tonight. In a perfect world, where money grew on trees, I would make my gratin in a copper pan, the way Jacques does....
Wait, let's drool at it together....

Ok, enough drooling now.

The gratin was amazing. Creamy, flavorful, but not over-powering. Don't skimp on the salt though or the flavor will fall flat. You can add garlic if you want, or a different type of cheese.... I think almost anything goes. I've made gratin a million times and it's never been bad. How could it be? It's heavy cream and potatoes. You can't go wrong. :)

Layer the potatoes, cream and cheese

The top layer

Remove and add some cheese, broil

Scalloped Potato Gratin
Adapted From
Serving Size = 4-6

About 6 large russet potatoes (2 lbs), peeled and cut 1/8-inch thick (I did this by hand, only takes a few minutes)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (maybe 1/4 cup more or less)
Salt/pepper
2 bay leaves
1/8 teaspoon or so of freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Freshly grated Parmesan, roughly 1 cup (to taste)

Preheat oven to 375F.
In a medium or small saucepan add the heavy cream, salt, pepper, bay leaves, nutmeg and thyme. Over medium heat, cook it until it comes to a simmer. Cook for a minute, then set aside.
Butter a gratin/casserole dish, I used a 2 quart oval baker roughly 10inx7in, 3in high. Add 1 layer of potatoes, pour over 1/3 of the cream, sprinkle on some Parmesan, sprinkle on a bit of salt, add another layer of potatoes, 1/3 cream, more Parmesan and salt, and finally add the 3rd layer of potatoes and pour over the rest of the cream. Season with a touch of salt. (I used about 1/2 cup Parmesan total). The cream will be roughly a 1/2 inch below the top layer of potatoes, add more cream if it's too dry.
Bake for 50 minutes. Remove and add Parmesan on top, to taste (I probably added 1/2 cup roughly). Place under the broiler until cheese melts and browns a bit. (You might want to put a baking sheet under it to keep from making a mess)
Note: If you've only made gratin in a box, keep in mind that boxed gratin tends to be dry. Real gratin should have a good amount of cream.

Linking to: Whole Food Wednesday

Gingerbread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Pecans

2012-01-27T08:10:00.002-05:00

My mom had to have knee surgery a few weeks ago, so I decided to bake her a cake. I was originally going to bake a plain ol' yellow cake, but then I happened to see the Christmas edition of Bon Appetit and they featured a gingerbread cake. And she loves gingerbread. Perfect. :) Then I got creative and did my own thing. I found a cream cheese icing recipe over at Cinnamon Girl, and then decided to make candied pecans and sprinkle them on top. I did sneak a tiny piece from the cake and it was delicious, but I couldn't cut into the cake for a picture. Ok, I could have and almost did but..... it's not my cake so I decided to leave it together. Mostly for the "wow factor." Yuuup, a Storage Wars reference... or two.... I'm probably the only person that watches that show....

Also, there will be some changes on my blog in the next few weeks. I will let you know before anything happens, of course. :)

Gingerbread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Pecans

Serving Size = 18-inch round cake

Adapted from: Bon Appetit, December 2011

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup mild/light molasses (I used full flavor)
1 large egg, beaten to blend
1/2 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350F. Coat an 8-inch metal cake pan (I used round) with nonstick spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper, then spray the paper as well.
Mix together the flour and next five ingredients in a bowl.
Place butter in a large bowl and add 1/2 cup boil water. Mix until the butter melts. Whisk in the sugar, molasses and egg. Add the dry ingredients and whisk to blend.
Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake until tester comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack. Let it cool and remove the parchment paper.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Original Recipe: Cinnamon Girl

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into pieces, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar, more if needed

Beat cream cheese until fluffy, gradually add the butter and powdered sugar.

Candied Pecans
Click here for Candied Nuts recipe.
I used chopped pecans and had to cut the recipe down to this:

1 egg white with a splash of water (I only used half of this)
1/8 cup brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mix together, spread onto a greased baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven (250F) for about 40 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Assemble:

After the cake cools, spread the frosting over the top. Sprinkle on the candied pecans.

Linking to: Gallery of Favorites

Portobello and Kale Pesto Pizza

2012-01-23T21:41:00.005-05:00

If you're tired of eating the same type of pizza, this one is a great alternative. I was originally inspired by the Brown Eyed Baker but ended up straying from the recipe, not because I wanted to, but because I didn't have the ingredients. I went grocery shopping and forgot the basil. So, I had to think of an alternative and I remembered that I made kale pesto, and I did have kale, so there ya have it. :) I really thought my toddler would hate it. She wanted a bite so I gave her a small piece and while chewing she kept saying, "Mmmm!"

Now, the taste of kale is strong so if you're not in love with kale then you will not fall in love with this pizza either. Also, don't go too crazy with the garlic, it can get pretty strong rather quickly (meaning I went a little crazy with it hehe). My favorite thing about this pizza though is the color. The green is so vibrant and it remains that way even after cooking.

By the way, my little man is 3-months now! And he learned something new in the last few weeks. He can now roll over. It's hilarious because he rolls from his back to his belly and then gets made about it. So I flip him back over, and before I know it he's flipped back onto his belly and he's mad again. hehehe Too cute!

Portobello and Kale Pesto Pizza

Serving Size = 1 18-inch pizza

Kale Pesto, click here for recipe, the recipe is for 2 cups but I only used 1 cup
1 18-inch pizza crust, click here for recipe
2 or 3 Portobellos, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons or so of butter, or oil (EVOO)
Mozzarella, shredded, to taste (at least 2 cups, I went a little heavy)
Parmesan to taste

Preheat the oven to 400F.
After pre-cooking the crust, spread on the kale pesto. Saute the mushrooms and onions in a saute pan over medium heat. Once softened, add to the pizza. Top with cheese or extra Parmesan.
Cook until the cheese melts and browns a bit. If you want the crust to remain soft, simply slide an extra pan under the pizza pan.

Linking to: Hearth and Soul, Made From Scratch Tuesday, Tuesdays At The Table, Trick Or Treat Tuesday

Sauteed Duck Breasts with Cherry Sauce

2012-01-20T18:08:00.009-05:00

I didn't realize this until just now, but sauteed duck breasts with cherry sauce would be the perfect Valentines Day dinner, right?? I got this recipe from one of my new books and you'll find the review below. But first, I want to discuss the food. I did change the recipe slightly, so if you buy the cookbook you'll see a slightly different recipe. What I love about this meal is that it sounds/looks/tastes very gourmet and is extremely easy to prepare. The cherry sauce is very mild, which I love. If it was loaded with cherry flavor then no one in my house would touch it. Fruit with a savory dish is usually a giant turn off around here. The sauce is sweet with a bite from the vinegar, and a slight hint of cherry. The duck is cooked perfectly with a crispy yummy skin. Just remember that duck should be cooked medium-rare to medium but no more or it will be tough.

As promised, here is my book review on Meat by James Peterson. I'm going to keep this short and to the point.... hopefully. :)

First, if you're a beginner to all things meat, then this would be a great place to start. If you're already advanced, skip this book. It is a quick read because he doesn't provide a massive amount of details on each type of meat. For example, he explains the different types of duck, compare/contrast, how to cook them, and then a few recipes to get you started.

What I love the most about this book is that if you're a germaphobe (and I am) and you fear raw meat (and I do), this will help put your mind at ease. He undercooks his meat too much for my taste (he cooks chicken to an internal temp of about 145F), but he explains why he does this, which I find helpful. He explains that the bacteria on chicken is usually only on the outside and dies at about 137F. So, if the middle of the chicken is undercooked you probably won't get food poisoning as long as the outside is cooked. Of course, he's not saying undercook your chicken, obviously you need to cook it through and use a thermometer. Anyway, the point is, it's not THAT easy to get food poisoning from meat that is undercooked. But IT IS EASY to get food poisoning from raw meat, before it's cooked, and from cross-contamination. This really puts my mind at ease and I'm able to work with meat a little more comfortably. Honestly, that was the highlight of the book for me. BUT keep in mind that he only recommends farm fresh everything, so his chances of food poisoning are reduced and that's partly why he can get away with lower cooking temps, in my opinion. Like I said though, I'm still going to cook my chicken longer. Now, for the meat that you can undercook (such as duck), I do agree with his cooking temps/times. The duck was spot on.

As for the recipes, well, I wouldn't buy the book for the recipes alone. They are a great starting point though, but the reason to buy this book is to expand your meat knowledge.

Sauteed Duck Breasts with Cherry Sauce
Serving Size = 2
Adapted From: Meat: A Kitchen Education by James Peterson, 2010, p. 72

2 boneless Moulard duck breasts, about 1 lb each (or 4 Pekin or Muscovy duck breasts)
Salt/Pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 - 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons meat glaze (optional, it's basically broth that's been gently simmer until it reduces and becomes thick)
1/2 lb cherries, pitted and halved
3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 3 slices

Using a sharp knife with a thin blade, score the skin on the breast about 20 times in one direction, then turn the breast 90 degrees to the first cuts and cut it 20 more times (hold the knife at a slight angle). Only cut the skin, do not cut through to the meat. Salt and pepper the duck breasts.
Heat a saute pan over medium heat and let it warm up completely. Use a pan just big enough for the duck. Saute for 20 minutes, until the skin starts to turn golden brown. It will get pretty dark, but if it does too fast then turn the heat down a bit. If you use Pekin or Muscovy, then cook 12 minutes. Once done, flip and cook another 3 minutes (or 2 minutes for Pekin or Muscovy). When done, set aside and keep warm.
Pour off the fat and return the pan to medium heat. Add the sugar. Once it dissolves and turns golden, add the vinegar and deglaze the pan (scrape up any bits). Make sure at least 2 tablespoons of vinegar remain, if not then add more. Add the broth and stir in the glaze. Add the cherries, bring to a simmer and cook for about 2 minutes.
With a slotted spoon, remove the cherries and set aside. Simmer the sauce over high heat (or medium high, which is what I used) for about 5 minutes, or until a light syrupy consistency develops.
Add the cherries back and stir. Whisk in the butter, but do not boil. Season with salt/pepper to taste.
Slice and serve (cut Moulard crosswise and Pekin/Muscovy on an angle).

Sorry for the lack of pictures, I think my camera is on its last leg. It doesn't seem to be focusing correctly.

Disclosure: I am an Amazon affiliate, meaning I will make money if you purchase a product on my page through Amazon.

Linking to: Gallery of Favorites, Foodie Friday, Foodtrip Friday, Friday Potluck

Pecan Puffs

2012-01-18T08:50:00.002-05:00

I saw this recipe during a holiday special from Sarah Richardson. I love her show. She said this recipe came from a '50's cookbook but wasn't sure which one. I'm a sucker for old recipes so I saved it to try. The cookies turned out wonderfully, although I did overcook them a tad and made them a bit too large. The texture is very.... crumby..... but in a good way. When you place the cookie in your mouth it crumbles into a million tiny pieces and then turns smooth. My toddler devoured most of them, although I'm pretty sure a few ended up on the floor. Warning: Do not give a toddler an extremely delicate cookie to eat or you will have a giant mess. :)

Speaking of kiddo's, I am extremely proud of both of mine. The other day we drove to a city an hour away to do some shopping. This is the first time we've taken Emmett that far away, mainly because we've never had to until this point. He did great though. He didn't cry the entire way there or back. When we were in the store he wanted to be held (I never leave them stuck in the cart if they want out) and then he talked to everyone that walked by. Mimi was also a good girl, even though she was beyond tired. She woke up in the worst mood imaginable. I'm still not sure why but once we got in the car she was just fine. Maybe she was bored and wanted out of the house for a while. Anyway, when we got back home I made trout and roasted veggies. She ate a ton of fish and broccoli (which she helped cook) and I was debating whether or not to take a picture of this rare moment. I didn't, but I should have. Not only does she want to help me cook EVERY single meal, but lately she's actually been eating what she cooks. Yay!!

Pecans

Brown sugar

Mix until frothy

Slowly add the flour

Refrigerate and then form into little balls

Dust with powdered sugar

Pecan Puffs
Serving Size = Roughly 3 dozen depending on the size
Original Recipe: Sarah Richardson

2 cups pecans
2 sticks butter, unsalted
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups sifted cake flour
Powdered sugar

In a food processor, grind the pecans until they are almost a pecan butter. Add the butter and brown sugar and process until it appears frothy. Add the vanilla and pulse a bit more.
Slowly add the flour, pulsing between.
It should form a thick paste. Place into a large bowl and refrigerate for an hour, or until firm.
Preheat oven to 300F.
Scoop out bite size amounts (about 2 teaspoons) and roll into balls. Place them on a greased baking sheet (you can place them pretty close together).
Cook for 35 - 45 minutes (depending on the size). Remove from oven when they turn slightly golden brown. Let cool to the touch and then remove from the baking sheet to a cooling rack (preferably with your hands since a spatula can damage them). Place them close together and dust with powdered sugar (be generous). Let cool and then dust again before serving.

Linking to: Hearth and Soul

Smoked Gouda and Mushroom Risotto

2012-01-14T13:19:00.002-05:00

If you're in the mood for something rich and over-the-top, you've found the right recipe. I served this insanely decadent side dish with a big and juicy steak. It seemed like the obvious choice. I listed the amount of gouda as 1/2 - 1 cup because it really depends on individual taste. Smoked gouda is a bit strong though, so start low and add more to taste. I added a bit too much. It was stilly tasty but a little bit strong.

Risotto is also a great way to keep the kids busy. If you have a tiny toddler lingering around, as I usually do, go ahead and put her in charge of stirring, she will be thrilled. If you have a tiny newborn lingering around as well, that's simply because daddy packed him into the kitchen in hopes of distracting you with tiny-baby-cuteness so daddy could sneak a bite. Works every time.....

Note: I went a little heavy on the cheese so your risotto will probably be a bit more loose than the one above.

Smoked Gouda and Mushroom Risotto
Serving Size = 3

2 cups warm broth (I used homemade turkey broth, but chicken, beef or mushroom works)
2/3 cup Arborio rice
Salt
6 large mushrooms, thinly sliced (button)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup - 1 cup smoked gouda
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan (if you only have the Parmesan in the green can, then skip it or add a tablespoon or so)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons oil oil (EVOO)

Saute the mushrooms on medium in 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 tablespoon of butter (use a pan big enough to keep from crowding the mushrooms too much). Remove to a plate and set aside.
The pan shouldn't have much oil or butter left so add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the garlic, stir, and then add the rice and stir again. Cook the rice for about 2 minutes.
Turn the heat down a bit to medium low and add 1/2 cup of broth, let it cook. When most of the liquid has absorbed (you should be able to drag your spoon through the rice and you'll see the bottom of the pan for several seconds before the liquid and rice close it up again), add another 1/2 cup and stir and so on (add a bit of salt during this process if you want).
When the rice is done it will be very creamy (not dry but not running-all-over-the-plate liquid-y either). Add the mushrooms, gouda, and Parmesan. Stir well, taste and serve. (takes roughly 30 minutes to make)

Linking to: Gallery of Favorites, Makin' You Crave Monday

Garlic and Rosemary Potatoes

2012-01-12T08:38:00.001-05:00

Here's another recipe from Premeditated Leftovers, one of my favorite blogs to visit. As soon as you see this recipe, I can predict what your first thought will be... "Wow, that's a lot of garlic." But nope, it's not a lot of garlic, it's the perfect amount. I ate these potatoes up in a heartbeat and pretty much ignored the rest of the meal (we were having ribs that night, so that's saying somethin'). You must try this recipe - must, must, must.

And a big plus --- the recipe is low in fat because there isn't any butter. This is a very good thing for me because I still have 12lbs to get rid of to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. And you won't miss the butter because it's so packed full of flavor. Did I mention that you must, must, must try this??? Because you must. :)

Also, my two cookbooks arrived the other day so I'll be trying out some new recipes. Expect a book review soon.

Garlic and Rosemary Potatoes
Serving Size = About 4
Original Recipe: Premeditated Leftovers

2 1/2 - 3 lbs red potatoes, washed and quartered (I used russet, peeled)
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 green onions, thinly sliced (I used a regular onion)
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon parsley (I used fresh)
1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary, crushed (crush it well)
1 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Salt, to taste

Place potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold water, turn heat to medium-high and boil until fork tender (12 - 15 mins).
Drain the potatoes and pour into a bowl, set aside.
In the large pot, over medium heat, add the oil and saute the onion for several minutes until it starts to soften. Add the garlic, rosemary, and parsley. Cook for just a minute and then add the potatoes back in, add the salt/pepper, toss well and cook for about 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

Linking to: Show Off Your Stuff Party, Frugal Food Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, It's a Keeper Thursday, Delightfully Inspiring Thursday, Creative Juice, Taking a Timeout Thursday, Tastetastic Thursday, It's a Party at A Creative Princess, What's Cooking Thursdays

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (Mini and Regular)

2012-01-10T09:18:00.008-05:00

I decided to do a combination of mini and regular muffins. It's a great idea if you have little kids because they can eat the tiny muffins and the adults can eat the regular muffins (less waste!). I hadn't thought of that until after I made the muffins though. Really, the only reason I made regular muffins was because I didn't want to wait for the mini muffins to cook, cool, and then re-fill the pan and bake..... pure laziness. :) The muffins turned out wonderfully with a good amount of lemon, very moist, dessert-like but not too sweet.... just perfect (I found the recipe at Eat Cake For Dinner).

My toddler still hasn't tried the mini muffins though. Instead, she pulled a chair up to the table and stuck her finger into each muffin creating tiny holes. Lovely....

Update: My toddler LOVES them. It just took her an entire day to decide to take a bite... now most of them are gone. :)

The dry ingredients

The wet ingredients

The batter

Mini and regular muffins

Mini muffins

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Serving Size = Roughly 2 batches of mini muffins (24 per batch), or roughly 12 regular muffins. I did 1 batch mini muffins and 6 regular muffins.
Original Recipe: Eat Cake For Dinner

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sugar
2 lemons, zest and juice (roughly 2 tablespoons zest and 4 - 5 tablespoons juice)
1 cup plain non-fat yogurt (I used regular)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon extract (I skipped)
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I had to use EVOO, but grapeseed oil, almond oil, or butter would work)
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Glaze
I changed this part, see original recipe link above for original recipe

1 cup powdered sugar
Roughly 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 375F. Rub together the sugar and lemon zest until fragrant. Add the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt to the lemon/sugar mixture.
Mix together the rest of the ingredients (not the glaze).
Slowly combine the wet and dry ingredients but do not over mix.
Pour into mini muffin pan or regular pan.... or both, like I did. I put both into the oven. The mini muffins take 12 - 15 mins (15 for me) and the regular muffins take 15 - 20 mins (20 for me).
Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then remove to a cooling rack.
Once completely cool, mix together the glaze and drizzle over the top.

Linking to: Hearth and Soul, Made From Scratch Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Tasty Tuesday, Trick or Treat Tuesday, What's Cooking Wednesday, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Sweet Treats Thursday, Sweet Temptations, Mix It Up Monday

Carrot Cake Oatmeal

2012-01-08T21:58:00.003-05:00

I know I should be excited and focusing on the carrot cake part of this dish, but honestly, I've never heard of adding an egg to oatmeal. Maybe I'm the only one though? I thought it was brilliant and as soon as I saw it over at OwningWellness I was excited to give it a try. My little Mimi likes to eat oatmeal for breakfast and I thought this would be a great way to sneak some egg in. Aside from the egg though, which might only be new and fascinating for me, the oatmeal also has carrot in it. Mimi actually likes carrots already, so I knew she wouldn't mind them too much in her breakfast. :) Anyway, a yummy and nutritious breakfast (and very creamy because of the egg).

And if Emmett could eat solids, I'm sure he would be all over this as well. Unfortunately, he's stuck with milk for several more months. :) By the way, his colic went away at 6 weeks and hasn't returned. Yay! He sleeps much better and is MUCH happier in the evenings. I have no complaints at all. Our room is a little on the crowded side but everyone sleeps all night..... warm, comfy, happy..... I really couldn't ask for more.

Carrot Cake Oatmeal
Serving Size = 1
Original Recipe: OwningWellness

1 cup of coconut milk, or more (I used regular milk)
1 egg
1/3 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup gluten free oats (I used old fashioned oats)
2 tablespoons coconut sugar or maple syrup (I used white sugar and adjusted to taste)
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (I increased to taste)
1/8 teaspoon ginger

Shred the carrots. Mix together the milk and egg in a medium sauce pan and then add everything else. Mix and cook over medium-low heat. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until thick. Add more milk to thin out if desired.
I served mine with a little more cinnamon and some more milk over the top.

Linking to: Mouthwatering Monday, Whole Foods Wednesday

Two Books

2012-01-07T14:28:00.000-05:00

Hello!

I just wanted to drop a quick note letting you know I'm still alive! :)
We've all been sick this week, plus my mom had surgery (she's doing great), so I haven't had time to cook very much.... at least nothing worth mentioning. :)

I did buy two new books though and I am waiting for them to arrive. The first is Meat by James Peterson and it's my attempt to cross one thing off of my new year resolution list. I'm hoping to expand my knowledge on all thing carnivorous. The other book is the Cook's Illustrated Cookbook. Since it has a large amount of recipes (2,000), I thought it was worth a shot. I've been eyeing both books for a while now and I'm pretty excited to get them.

Anyway, I am listing the books below if you want to check them out.
Hopefully I'll have a recipe for you tomorrow and a couple of book reviews in the next week or two.

Chicken and Cauliflower Tagine

2012-01-03T17:16:00.013-05:00

As I was browsing the net looking for new recipes I ran across the blog Moroccan Cuisine Marocaine and started looking around. Since I have a tagine that's always begging to be used, I narrowed down the hunt to chicken tagine. And then I found it.... chicken and cauliflower. I never thought to add cauliflower for some reason. Unfortunately, when I went to make the recipe my internet died and I had no way to see the recipe so I had to make up my own. Traditionally, it's served with bread. I like mine with rice though and you could even use couscous if you wanted. Also, a lot of recipes call for a large amount of cinnamon but my husband and I do not care for that too much. I keep the amount of cinnamon low, just enough to give the recipe some more spice and depth, but not enough to identify. Adjust to taste. :)

If you don't have a tagine you could use a clay pot or a pot with a heavy lid. It doesn't taste exactly the same, but I think it works pretty well. Just make sure the heat isn't too high. By the way, I know the instructions look long (as usual), but I swear it's an easy recipe.

Click here for more tagine info.

Have the spices and garlic ready to go

Cook the onions and add the spices

Add the potatoes

Serve

Chicken and Cauliflower Tagine

Serving Size = Roughly 3

6 chicken legs (pat dry)
1 onion, chopped
1, 14.5 oz can of whole tomatoes, or 4 - 5 small tomatoes, chopped
About 1/2 - 3/4 cup of water or chicken stock (I usually use water)
1/2, 14.5 oz can of peas, or roughly 1/2 cup of frozen peas
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Salt/pepper to taste (about 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper)
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Roughly 2 - 3 cups chopped cauliflower
Roughly 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Roughly 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 small potatoes, peeled and diced
A few tablespoons of oil (EVOO)

Place the tagine on the stovetop, no lid, and set the temperature to medium. Add the oil right away. Once it heats up, add the chicken legs and brown them. Remove to a plate.
Add the onions (and more oil if necessary) and cook until they start to soften and get a touch of color.
Add all of the spices and garlic at once to cook them a bit, just a few seconds, then add the tomatoes (if in a can, add about 1/4 of the juice as well). Stir well, getting the brown bit and spices off the bottom. Put the lid on and let cook about 5 minutes.
Add the chicken legs back in and fill the tagine about 1/2 way up the chicken legs with water or chicken stock. Gently stir and put the lid on. Cook for about 45 minutes to and hour on medium-low heat, stirring from time to time.
Add the potatoes, put the lid back on, and cook for about 30 minutes (You might need to add more liquid, keep checking throughout the process. It's ok if it's a little less than half way up the chicken but you don't want it too dry.... you can also add too much liquid though).
Add the cauliflower, cilantro, and parsley and cook for another 20 minutes with the lid on. At some point taste it to check if it needs more spices. (When cooking a tagine, the cooking time should be around 2 hours normally. If you want to reduce the time a bit, you could cut the potatoes very small and cut the time back by 30 minutes. I wouldn't recommend any less cooking time though).
At the end I add the peas and cook for about 5 minutes since they're already cooked.
Serve with bread (traditional), or rice or even couscous.... heck, I think it would even be yummy over mashed potatoes, it's up to you. :)

Here is the tagine that I use: Emile Henry 3.7 quart in red

Linking to: Made from Scratch Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday Party, Tasty Tuesdays, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Trick or Treat Tuesday, Whole Food Wednesdays, Gallery of Favorites

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries and Balsamic Reduction

2012-01-01T18:15:00.005-05:00

I saw this recipe over at The Pioneeer Woman and decided to give it a try. I love the combination of flavors, especially the tartness from the cranberries. I also think it's an impressive side dish to serve with just about anything. Did you notice that I keep posting cranberry recipes? I'm obsessed. hehe :) Oh, and a quick note... remember to drizzle on the Balsamic reduction. It's very sweet so you will want to add it to taste.

And Happy New Year everyone! I wanted to share my new year resolution with everyone, but I really don't have just one big resolution. So instead I came up with a list of little things I want to do this year.

Here we go!

Make curtains for the living room
Make sushi
Grow as many tomatoes as possible so that I can make sauces for the winter
Take a small road trip with hubs, Mimi, and Emmett
Drink more water
Become more organized... come up with a daily routine
Sew an outfit for Mimi or Emmett... or a blanket, toy.... anything at all
Repurpose my old clothing
Cook a lobster
Buy a new camera and learn how to use it
Buy a domain and create a new banner
Do something spontaneous, crazy, wacky, insane.... or just something a little different :)
Paint the trim in the house.... oh my gosh we've been putting that off forever
Make croissants (yikes...)
Backup, organize, etc. my computer (especially the pics and videos)
Teach Mimi some French words
Learn to like..... *gulp*..... parsnips... bleck!
Make a fancy dinner and invite my parents over
Stop procrastinating
Learn more about meat... I mean thoroughly understand the different cuts of meat, the names, everything.... buy a book and study it

I REALLY wanted to add "make pottery" to the list because it's really a dream of mine, but that's an expensive hobby so I'm going to wait on that one (especially since I plan to work on my photography skills). hehe But hey... even if I accomplish nothing on this list, it will still be a great year. I am surrounded by my family and that makes each year amazing.

Happy New Year everyone!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries and Balsamic Reduction
Serving Size = 16 (I cut this down to 3 servings)
Original Recipe: The Pioneer Woman

3 lbs Brussels Sprouts
1/2 cup Olive Oil (EVOO)
Salt, to taste
1 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 cup sugar (I will reduce this to 1/4 cup next time, see the note below)
1 cup dried cranberries (I used fresh and increased the amount a bit)

Note: You could leave the sugar out of the reduction and it would work. I think it should be sweet, so I would add some but I think next time I will reduce the sugar by at least half.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Clean and trim the Brussels sprouts. Place onto a baking sheet (or dish) and toss with some oil. Sprinkle on just a bit of salt. Roast for about 30 minutes, or until brown.
In the meantime, start the reduction. In a medium saucepan mix together the vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook until very thick (about 15 - 20 minutes). Click here for a picture of reduced Balsamic.
When the Brussels sprouts are done, I throw the cranberries on top of them and let them cook 1 additional minute just to warm them up (the cranberries will break a bit).
Before serving, drizzle on the reduction to taste.

Linking to: Mouthwatering Monday, Hearth and Soul, This Week's Cravings, Tuesdays at the Table

Houston's Buttermilk Garlic Dressing

2011-12-29T11:48:00.008-05:00

We make a lot of salad in this house. I've always loved salad.... well, except when I was pregnant with Mimi. I couldn't even look at lettuce. Isn't that an odd food aversion?? Anyway, I'm always keeping an eye out for new salad dressings. Let's face it, oil and vinegar gets a bit boring after a while.... there's only so much you can do with it. I saw this recipe at Cookin' Up North and pinned it to try. We LOVE it. Very yummy, creamy, tangy, and full of flavor. I highly recommend you give it a try and also check out Cookin' Up North, it's packed full of great recipes.

And now I need some help from y'all. :) I've decided to squirrel away some money for a new camera. I've had my little camera for years and as much as I love it, I think it's time to step up a bit. I love photography, so it will be a good investment. I am definitely, without a doubt, buying a Canon. I have nothing against Nikon, but I've always owned a Canon and I'm familiar with them. But now I'm stuck between two different kinds. The Canon 60d and the Canon Rebel T3i. I'm leaning towards the T3i because it's cheaper.... but I'm undecided.

Any thoughts?

Does anyone own either camera and if so what do you think of it?

Houston's Buttermilk Garlic Dressing
Original Recipe: Cookin' Up North
*Note: I've never eaten at Houston's so I can't compare.

2/3 cup sour cream (I added a few extra tablespoons)
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon crushed garlic (I used garlic powder and increased it a bit to taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt (I increased a bit to taste)
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk

Mix ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate for a couple of hours and then serve.

Linking to: Full Plate Thursday, Gallery of Favorites, Show Off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff, It's a Party at a Creative Princess, Turning the Table Thursday, It's a Keeper Thursday, Tastetastic Thursday, Taking a Timeout Thursday, Foodie Friday, Friday Favorites, Friday Food Fight, Friday Food, Foodtrip Friday

Paprika Chicken with Creamy Sauce

2011-12-28T09:21:00.007-05:00

I realize it's only been a few days but I have missed blogging! Especially taking pictures of the food. I'm happy to be back!

Anyway, I pulled out a vintage cookbook today that my mom gave me. I flipped to the back and looked for the chicken section and my eyes immediately went to the paprika chicken recipe. When I saw that it also had a sauce I was sold. It was a big hit and I'm pretty sure my husband was sad that we didn't have leftovers, so I'm sure I'll be making this again soon. I followed the directions almost exactly as written (other than the paprika, the extra herbs, spices, and lemon juice are my own additions), but I might change something next time around. I notice this in a lot of vintage recipes for some reason, but the chicken was cooked until crispy and then cooked through with the sauce. This means that the crispy crust isn't THAT crispy anymore. It didn't bother me any but you might want to pound the chicken breasts thin and cook them through, remove from heat, finish the sauce and then serve. I'm still undecided, but I might try it next time.

Farm Journal's Country Cookbook, 1959

And Christmas was great. We ate, slept in, ate some more, opened gifts, ate, napped, snacked..... Yeah, the baby weight that I'm trying to lose is never going to leave after this holiday. Yikes. And I received a mini muffin pan so naturally I'll be making mini muffins soon.... double yikes. Oh, and a donut pan..... yeah.... I just gained weight thinking about all of the baking in my future. :)

Ok, list time.

Christmas highlights:

Giving my toddler Mimi a giant princess castle with all of the princesses.
Seeing my 2-month-old Emmett laugh and giggle over a Thomas the Train doll.
Hearing Mimi say, "Look! A twee!" when we put our little twee (tree) up.
Making spritz cookies and watching Mimi decorate them.
Eating breakfast at my parent's house.
Watching "The Year Without a Santa Claus" more times than I care to admit.
Burning my bread... ok, not a positive highlight but definitely something I'll remember for a while.
Seeing Mimi jumping and laughing with her cousins. Not just any jumping and laughing but really getting involved and playing. She's really growing up fast.
Shrimp cocktail -- enough said.
Making spaghetti, meatballs, and garlic bread the night before Christmas eve. I think we have a new tradition.

I hope everyone had a nice holiday. I'm looking forward to the New Year, although I need to come up with some resolutions. :)

Paprika and flour

Chop the onions

Garlic... mmm...

Add the chicken to the sauce

Add the cilantro

Plate it, drool at it, take a picture even though the family is starving :)

Paprika Chicken with Creamy Sauce

Serving Size = 2

Adapted From: Farm Journal's Country Cookbook, Nell B. Nichols, 1959

2 chicken breasts
1/4 cup of flour (roughly)
1/2 tablespoon paprika (I used sweet paprika. Make sure you use high quality)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
A pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt (about 1 teaspoon)
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream (could just add 1/2 - 3/4 cup sour cream, but I only had 1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a large pan, add some oil (I used EVOO) and set to medium heat.
Mix together the flour, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and cayenne pepper. Reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons of the flour mixture. Coat the chicken in the flour mixture and add to the hot pan. Cook a few minutes on each side to create a brown crust. Remove to a plate.
Add the onion to the pan and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook another minute or two until fragrant, remove to a plate.
Turn the heat down to medium low and add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan. Once melted, add the reserved flour mixture and stir, gently cooking the flour for a few minutes. Add the chicken stock and stir well. Bring the mixture to a simmer and add the onions and chicken back in. Simmer very gently for about 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked and tender.
Remove the chicken and finish the sauce. Make sure the heat is low and add the heavy cream, sour cream, lemon juice, and cilantro (and some black pepper). Stir well and taste.
I served mine over potato cauliflower mash.

Linking to: Hearth and Soul, These Chicks Cooked,What's Cooking Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Fat Tuesday, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Creative Juice, Weekend Show Off Party

Spritz Cookies

2011-12-23T21:50:00.005-05:00

Several weeks ago I was shopping on Amazon for Christmas gifts when I saw a cookie press (Kuhn Rikon Clear Press) and thought it would be something that Mimi would enjoy working with. We made some cookies today and she loved it. She really couldn't press the cookies out of the press because it requires some strength, but she liked watching me. Her favorite part was decorating them though. I gave her red and green sprinkles and she decorated each cookie. I love that she's old enough to cook with me in the kitchen. Today, we made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. She wanted to stir the sauce, so I let her and then I tasted the sauce. Well, even though she never wants dinner, she saw me taste the sauce and so she had to taste it too. The same thing happened with broccoli not too long ago.

I know!

A kid that eats broccoli! I was amazed too! I even called my husband in so he could see what was happening. haha!

Anyway, back to the cookies! :) They were delicious and lots of fun for the family. I'm sure Emmett will love decorating them someday as well. The press was worth the investment, although it can get a bit irritating when the cookies do not come out correctly. But since I only plan to make them on special occasions, it wasn't that bad.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Dough

Make cookies and give to toddler to decorate

Tree

Star

Spritz Cookies
Serving Size = About 3 dozen cookies
Original Recipe

1 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg, large (needs to be large)
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour (all-purpose)

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg, vanilla, and salt. Mix until combined
Slowly add the all-purpose flour, stirring slowly until just combined.
Load the cookies into the press and choose which shape you want. Press onto an ungreased cookie sheet (we added colored sugar). Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
Tip: I had an easier time making the cookies when the cookie sheet was a tiny bit warm.

Linking to: Foodie Friday, Let's Do Brunch

Chocolate Pudding

2011-12-20T17:53:00.001-05:00

I've made chocolate pudding before and it didn't turn out very well. I've always assumed it was because I used cheap chocolate, but apparently not. I used Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder and it worked beautifully. I was thinking how I should post a cookie recipe since Christmas is around the corner, but ya know what? Everyone makes cookies and brings them to the Christmas party, why not take pudding instead? Not only will kids go crazy over this but adults will love it too.

And as you already know, I've been in a funk lately. I haven't been in the Christmas spirit at all and the rainy/soggy/cold/icky/nasty/cloudy weather isn't helping either. So over the weekend I decided to stop sitting around and made myself useful. I was determined to accomplish something... anything. So here's what I did:

Drum roll please..... I FINALLY learned how to use my sewing machine after owning it for over a YEAR. I sewed some curtains for my kitchen. All I need to do is attach some ribbon and it will be done.
I cleaned everything. The appliances, floors (washed, vacuumed), polished tables, did laundry, did the dishes... etc etc etc
Last week we smoked a turkey and I put the carcass in the freezer. So I pulled it out and made several cups of turkey stock.
I made outdoor decorations, more info on those can be found at my family blog.
Played outside with Mimi. I felt like I hadn't been outside in ages and the weather wasn't GREAT, but it was better than normal. So we put on our coats and hats and headed outside. Lots of swinging, sliding, jumping and playing in the dirt.

And on Monday I bought stocking stuffers for the kids. Emmett also had his 2 month doc appointment and the little guy now weighs 11 lbs and is 25 inches long! He's growing up fast!

So I did get a few things done. I'm really happy I figured out how to use my sewing machine though. I plan to buy some material later and make curtains for the living room as well. I really enjoy sewing. I'm excited to make more... stuff... whatever it will be.

Non-GMO cornstarch, love it

Let the pudding cool to room temperature

Chocolate Pudding
Serving Size = 2 cups (I recommend doubling the recipe)
Original Recipe: The Frugal Girl

2 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
2 cups of milk, divided
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
Water

In a medium saucepan, mix together the cocoa powder and just enough water to create a smooth paste. Stir in the sugar and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups of milk.
Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring regularly, until it starts to boil. Go ahead and mix the cornstarch and reserved 1/2 cup of milk together.
Once the mixture reaches a boil, add the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly until it comes back to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the pudding into individual dishes or into one large bowl. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until cold. A skin will form, so if you want to avoid this, lay a piece of plastic wrap against the top of the pudding while it's cooling.
Top with whipped cream and serve.

Linking to: Hearth and Soul, Full Plate Thursday

Smoked Turkey Tetrazzini

2011-12-17T20:40:00.001-05:00

The other day we decided to buy a turkey and smoked it. We have an electric smoker (this one, I believe) and we absolutely love it. LOVE love love it. My parents bought it for us for Christmas.... I think last year. We use it spring, summer, fall, winter. But you can also smoke on an outside grill, use whatever you think is best. I love this one because you just plug it in, add the soaked wood chips of your choice (we usually use applewood), some water and then put the meat in. Easy as that. I appreciate the convenience even more now that I have 2 kids. For a 12 lb turkey it takes roughly 6 hours at 225F, but keep an eye on it.

Ok, let's move on to last night. We had leftover turkey, it was 5pm, I just got back from work.... I started dishes, fed Emmett and before I knew it.... 6pm, and still no dinner started. So I said to hubs, who was either holding Emmett or entertaining our little tornado toddler, "Let's have turkey tetrazzini" to which he replied, "Huh? What is that?" And then we both started laughing and I have no idea why. Probably from a lack of sleep. So after we recovered from this hilarious moment that really wasn't hilarious at all, I explained it to him (probably in way more detail than he cared to know) and he said, "That sounds complicated..." (meaning: Oh man, we're going to end up having dinner at 10pm and I'm starving...)
True, it does sound complicated, especially if you look at the ingredients list and the instructions, but it isn't, I swear! Super easy, like any pasta or casserole.

Anyway, you can make this without smoked turkey, meaning just regular turkey, but the smoked adds a ton of flavor. It will definitely change the taste quite a bit. But I'm sure it will still taste great. There is probably a way to give it a smokey flavor without smoked meat, any thoughts?

Onions, mushrooms, garlic

Cooking the flour and butter

The sauce

Place into casserole dish

Remove from oven after bubbling and golden brown

Smoked Turkey Tetrazzini
Serving Size = at least 4

1/2 cup mushrooms, thinly chopped
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Pinch of cayenne
1/2 teaspoon coriander
Salt/pepper to taste
1 smoked turkey breast, diced (maybe 3 cups and we smoked ours with applewood)
3/4 lb of spaghetti
1 1/2 - 2 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup heavy cream
Parmesan (to taste, at least 1/2 cup but I'm sure I added added at least 1 cup)
3 tablespoons butter (unsalted), 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter (unsalted) plus a touch of oil (extra virgin olive oil works)
1/4 cup or so of Panko breadcrumbs

Start the pasta by bringing water to a boil with salt. Add the spaghetti and cook for about 9 minutes (I actually check it before 9 mins and undercook it just a tiny bit since it will bake in the oven). While this is cooking, start the sauce.
Add 1 tablespoon of butter to a large skillet with a touch of oil (EVOO), over medium heat. Saute the mushrooms and onions until soft and then add the garlic, stir until fragrant, remove to a plate.
Add the 3 tablespoons of butter to the pan and let it melt, add the flour and stir until it's smooth. Cook for about 5 - 10 minutes until it starts to smell toasty (I usually turn the heat down just a bit).
Over medium-low heat, add the chicken stock and stir until it thickens (this happens quickly, about 5 minutes). Add the heavy cream back in and stir. If it's too thick, add some more chicken stock. Add the veggies and turkey, stir well. Remove from heat and add Parmesan. Stir.
Add the spaghetti and stir well. I don't add all of the noodles at once because I'm always nervous it will be too much and it will end up dry. So you might want to add to taste and put any extra in the fridge, depending on how you like your sauce. But 3/4 lb worked for me. Taste to check the seasoning.
Place into a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish and top with more Parmesan cheese and Panko breadcrumbs (regular would work too).
Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 30 minutes or until bubbling and brown. I turned the broiler on at the end to brown the top a bit more.

Linking to: Mangia Mondays

Caramelized Onions with Cranberries, Fried Tilapia, Roasted Broccoli

2011-12-15T14:13:00.005-05:00

The star of this meal is the caramelized onions with cranberries. I saw this on PBS the other day but they used a different kind of berry that I didn't have.... but I do have cranberries, lots and lots in fact. They add a wonderful tartness to the sweet onions. And serving it with fish was perfect but you could serve it with just about anything.

Below is the complete meal. Fried tilapia and roasted broccoli, super easy to make.

And I wanted to share Christmas decoration pictures with you this week but I've turned into Scrooge McDuck. I have no holiday spirit. At all. I haven't even put up the tree. So to try to bring back some holiday cheer I've decided to make a list of my holiday favorites.

Here we go:

Favorite Christmas cookie: Mexican wedding cookies, sugar cookies, jam cookies.
Decor: Gingerbread men. I have wreaths, cups, teapots, etc. Second would be snowmen.
Music: My mom always listened to Amy Grant Christmas songs so I think of them first during Christmas. But I also like the old classics.
Movies: The super old cartoons (The Year Without a Santa Claus, Rudolph, etc).
Traditions: Making cookies, decorating stockings, hot chocolate, opening one gift on Christmas Eve, leaving cookies out for Santa.
Lights: Clear, no blinking, no music, no nothin'.
Outside decor: All natural if possible. I like to collect branches, pine cones, etc. and hang them up with ribbons.
Gifts: I like to receive dishes of any kind --- pottery, pyrex, Walmart, Kohls, I don't care... I just love anything kitchen/cooking related. Duh. :) Since that was so obvious I'll add classic novels, scarves, perfume, and bags to the list as well.
Tree: Real would be my favorite but I don't want to spend the money, so we go with fake.
Food: Roast beef, summer sausage, cheese cheese cheese, freshly baked bread with flavored butter, tuna ball (I'll post the recipe soon)......

What are some of your holiday favorites??

Roasted Broccoli:

Preheat oven to 400F.
Drizzle with some Extra Virgin Olive oil, sprinkle on some salt and cook for about 15 - 20 minutes, or until tender.
Squeeze on a bit of lemon juice and serve.

Fried Tilapia:

Coat the bottom of a large skillet with oil (this is a shallow fry) and heat over medium-high.
Once the oil heats up, dredge the fish (4 fillets) in a mixture of all-purpose flour (1/4 cup or so), salt and paprika (1 teaspoon), place into the oil and cook about 3 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the fillet. Do not dredge the fish in the flour before the oil heats up, this is not something you want to do in advance.

Caramelized Onions with Cranberries
Serving Size = 2
Original Recipe

2 small/medium onions, chopped
2 - 3 tablespoons or so of cranberries, cut in half
1 tablespoon of butter
Salt
Sugar (a few teaspoons)

Toss the onions with a generous sprinkle (about 2 teaspoons) of sugar and a bit of salt to taste. Let set for 10 mins or so to get the water out.
Heat a large skillet somewhere between medium low and medium heat. Melt the butter in the skillet. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally until softened. This should take roughly 20 - 30 minutes. At the end, you can turn the heat to medium to get some color if necessary.
At the end, add the cranberries and warm them up for a minute or two. Serve.

Linking to: Full Plate Thursday, Foodie Friday, Gallery of Favorites

Mexican Stuffed Peppers

2011-12-13T12:33:00.003-05:00

My husband and I were discussing dinner last night. He suggested stuffed peppers and I suggested taco salad. So I brilliantly decided to combine the two and we had Mexican stuffed peppers. :) I just have a few quick notes about my peppers. I do not cook them to mush. I like them to maintain their shape. I also do not like watery peppers, so I pre-cook them not only to reduce the cooking time when I add the meat, but to get rid of some of the water. I served them with lettuce, sour cream, and salsa.

Emmett has been good in the evenings lately, so making dinner isn't as difficult. I'm able to think and plan a bit more now. Mimi has been my kitchen helper. She wants to stir everything and gets things out of the fridge for me. It's very cute. Her favorite thing to make is pancakes though. I made them 4 times yesterday so I'm starting to feel like IHOP. But it's good for her to participate. I want my children to learn how to cook. Plus, she's picking up new words and she's more willing to try new things such as broccoli, asparagus and other veggies that would normally make her scream, "NO!!!!!!" Pretty soon Emmett will be able to cook with me too.... very soon actually, I can't believe how fast he's growing.

We also decorated stockings yesterday. It's our tradition that I started when Mimi was born. We buy some cheap stockings, some material paint, and paint whatever we want on each stocking. Easy as that.

P.S. My apologies, the pics are a bit blurry. Holding a toddler and snapping pics is challenging. :)

Cut peppers in half, remove stems and seeds

Rice

Mix in the rice and cilantro

Stuff the peppers

Top with cheese

Mexican Stuffed Peppers
Serving Size = 2 peppers, 4 halves

1/2 cup white long grain rice
1 cup of water
2 tablespoons of tomato paste (or tomato sauce, or add fresh tomatoes to the beef, or skip completely)
1 1/2 lbs of beef (I think I had a little less)
2 large bell peppers
2 - 3 tablespoons of cilantro
Taco seasoning (click here for recipe), add all of it
Salt/pepper to taste
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup or so of sharp cheddar cheese (or medium cheddar)

Preheat oven to 400F. Slice the peppers in half, remove the stems and seeds. Place them into a baking dish, add a little bit of salt and bake for about 20 mins (water should pool up in the middle of each pepper, pour it out).
Bring 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup of rice to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste (you could also use tomato sauce, or skip and add tomatoes to the ground beef, or skip completely) and about 1/4 teaspoon or so of salt and stir. Cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer gently for 20 minutes.
In a large pan over medium heat cook the ground beef until no longer pink. Drain the oil off. Add about 1/4 cup or so of water and pour in the taco seasoning. Mix well and cook until the liquid is gone. Add the cilantro and mix.
Add the rice to the meat mixture and taste test. Place the mixture into the peppers and bake for about 15 minutes. After 15 mins or so, top with cheese and let it melt (should only takes a couple of minutes).
I served mine with lettuce, salsa, and sour cream.

Linking to: Hearth and Soul

Cran-apple Muffins (Cranberry Apple)

2011-12-11T21:13:00.002-05:00

The other day I was thinking about how I need to use up some of the cranberries in my fridge. My mind immediately went to muffins. Any time I need to use up fruit I tend to think of muffins. Anyway, at first I wanted to make orange cranberry muffins but since I've already made orange cranberry bread, I wanted to do something different. Then I remembered the apples in my fridge..... so the idea of cranapple muffins was born. :)

Just to experiment, I replaced the milk with apple juice and it worked very well, giving the muffin a lot of apple flavor. You could also do all milk, 1/2 milk and 1/2 apple juice, or even 1/2 milk and 1/2 orange juice. You can also replace the butter with oil, which is what most recipes call for. I try to avoid using up my oil though. And even though 1 cup of sugar sounds like a lot, it isn't that much. These are wonderful for breakfast since they're not over-the-top sweet.

Also, I apologize if my blog has been full of typos recently. I am lacking sleep. YAAWWWNNNNNN

I love my kids and can't wait to have more but......... waking up a few times every night starts to get exhausting after a while. Really, I only wake up maybe twice every night for about 15 minutes but I'm such a big baby that I need 8 hours uninterrupted or I'm worn out the entire day.

Totally worth it though.

Batter

Cranberries

Chop them up

Add apples and cranberries to the batter

Fill the muffin pan

Let cool and serve

Cranapple Muffins
Serving Size = 12 muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup unsalted butter (could replace with oil)
1 small apple, peeled and chopped (I used the food processor)
1 cup of cranberries, chopped (used food processor)
1 cup apple juice (could replace with milk)

Preheat oven to 400F and grease a muffin pan.
In a mixer, mix together the eggs and sugar. Add the butter and apple juice and mix.
In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add to the wet ingredients until just combined.
Measure out 1 cup of cranberries and place into food processor and chop. Add to the batter. Peel 1 small apple, place into food processor and chop. Add to the batter. Mix until just combined.
Fill the muffin pan 3/4 of the way full and place in the oven. Cook 18 - 20 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Leave in the muffin pan for a few minutes (about 3 - 5 mins). Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.

Linking to: Masterpiece Monday, Mangia Mondays, Savvy Homemade Monday

Roasted Asparagus with Dijon Mustard Sauce

2011-12-09T09:57:00.004-05:00

Mustard.... what can I say? I absolutely love the stuff. My favorite way to eat a hot dog? Yep, tons of mustard and nothing else. Potato salad? Muuuuustard. Deviled eggs? Sandwiches? Dips?

Ok, you get the point. :)

Not only am I a mustard fan but I also love asparagus. So when my two favorite things combined..... yum!! Adjust the sauce to taste. I like to go heavy on the mustard and vinegar. I served this with a big ol' porterhouse steak and some bread. I just realized that I never talk about what I drink. Cold decaf sweet tea, no ice. Daily. With every meal -- breakfast, lunch, and dinner. :) And even know I love horseradish sauce on my steak, this sauce was pretty good on it as well. In fact, I'm also thinkin' it would be great on a baked potato.

I barely used enough for 2 servings. Make more because it goes fast! :)

Roasted Asparagus with Dijon Mustard Sauce
Serving Size = About 2 or 3
Original Recipe

Asparagus, trimmed (about 3 servings)
Oil (I used EVOO)
1/4 cup sour cream
1 - 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/2 - 1 tablespoon vinegar (I used tarragon)
Pinch of sugar (optional)
Salt/Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400F.
Toss the asparagus in some oil until lightly coated. Sprinkle on some salt. Cook in a baking dish for about 20 minutes, or until tender.
For the sauce, combine the sour cream, dijon, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Adjust to taste. Either heat in the microwave until warm or heat in a small saucepan over medium heat until warm.

Linking to: Foodie Friday, Full Plate Thursday, Frugal Friday, Friday Favorites, These Chicks Cooked, Gallery of Favorites

Perfect Gift - Blaze 'n' Crochet

2011-12-07T17:51:00.002-05:00

Nope, this isn't a recipe! I know, how very odd! :)

I won a giveaway over at Premeditated Leftovers about a week ago. The prize was a crocheted item from Blaze 'n' Crochet created by Shana. I had the choice of either a hat or dish towels. At first, I thought I could only choose from the hats/dish towels Shana already created. But no! I could send her any idea or picture and customize it however I wanted. Awesome!! I decided to go with an infant hat for Emmett. Since I think bears are adorable, I found a bear hat design and then customized it. I sent Shana the info and she was able to create the hat in a few days. She sent me a pic for approval and shipped it to my house. Easy as that! The picture above is the hat I received. :)

Her hats are about $20.00. I HIGHLY recommend them. They are the perfect gifts to give out. They are handmade, from a small business, great quality (the yarn is super soft), customized.... I could go on and on. The best thing though is that when you give a handmade gift like this, people hang on to them. Really. If someone gives me a Gymboree hat for Emmett, I will love it, adore it, he will wear it, then out grow it and guess what? Yard sale. If someone gives me a handmade item, I'll love it, adore it, he'll wear it, out grow it and..... it goes into storage for future kids or to give to Emmett when he has kids. People cherish handmade items forever. It's just the perfect gift.

Here's her info!
Click here for her facebook page (more pictures of her work as well)
Email: mommy2blaze@gmail.com
Hat: $20.00 shipped
3 Washcloths/dishcloths: $15.00 shipped
100% cotton

Contact her and place your orders asap. Place your orders before the 12th to get them by Christmas!

Note: I am not getting money for this, promise! :)

Linking to: Masterpiece Monday, Gallery of Favorites

Mexican Chicken Egg Rolls

2011-12-07T08:56:00.001-05:00

Here is a great way to use up the leftovers from the previous recipe (click here for recipe). I had one smoked chicken breast (it doesn't have to be smoked), 1/2 a bell pepper, 1/2 an onion and some corn leftover. I also had won ton wraps sitting in the fridge, so I decided to throw together some spices and came up with Mexican chicken egg rolls. If you don't have egg rolls, then you could make these into quesadillas or even put the mixture on top of some tortilla chips, top with cheese, broil, and now you have chicken nachos.

As you can see, I've given up on the diet I started. It lasted about 2 weeks, which is the amount of time it takes for the allergens to leave the system. Before 2 weeks ended, I started to notice Emmett was improving. Since it hadn't been 2 weeks yet, I assumed it was because he was approaching 6 weeks and that's when colic starts to ease up. So I started eating some of the allergens again and he's still fine. So, as I thought, it was probably just age related. Thank goodness though! The diet was brutal. It definitely made me realize that I rely way too much on dairy and wheat.

Anyway, I've decided to try out some gluten free bread as soon as I can find all of the different flours that I need. I'm not going to be gluten free, I just want to try it out..... mostly because I love to cook and I want to try new things. :)

Spice mix

Chicken and veggies

Spices added and water cooked out

Roll it up

Shallow fry

Mexican Chicken Egg Rolls
Serving Size = 9 - 12 egg-rolls
This is a leftover recipe, click here for previous recipe
Note: If you have leftover taco seasoning (click here for recipe), you could use that instead of the spice mixture below.

2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
Pinch of cayenne
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
Salt/pepper to taste (maybe 1 teaspoon of salt)
1/2 cup corn
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 bell pepper, finely chopped
1 chicken breast (smoked), shredded or finely chopped
1/4 cup or so of shredded cheese (any will work: cheddar, muenster, etc)
12 or so won ton wraps
1/4 cup or so of water
Extra water to seal edges

In a large pan over medium heat, saute the veggies in some oil until tender. Add chicken pieces and heat through. Add the 1/4 cup of water and spices. Add corn, mix well. Cook water out. Turn the heat off and add the cheese. Mix well.
Fill won tons with about a heaping tablespoon. Dip your finger in some water and wet the edge of the entire won ton. Turn the won ton so that it's in a diamond shape. Fold the right and left edges over the filling so that they touch in the middle. Fold the edge closest to you over and roll it up. Make sure the edges are sealed. Continue with the rest.
Have oil hot and ready to go. I usually do a shallow fry. Cook for a few minutes per side until golden brown, watch carefully. When done, drain on a paper towel.
I served mine with lettuce and sour cream.

Creole Rice

2011-12-04T11:06:00.003-05:00

The last few days have been pretty good. My husband gave me a Christmas present early. Yes, it's true, we ruin the surprise. Both of us do actually. We always end up giving out gifts early. The stunning serving platter that you see is from hubs. It's hand made, hand painted, and gorgeous. Of course I had to serve something on it immediately. We smoked a chicken and after searching through the fridge I decided to throw together some creole rice. Yep! Another recipe that involves my creole spice mix. Hey, at least it's frugal, cut me some slack! :) You can use any amount of spice you want and almost any type of veggie; it's very versatile. In fact, you could easily eat this as a full meal. And if you add some ground beef and extra spice it would be a complete meal.

I've also been decorating our house with art (Christmas decor is next). I saw a painting on sale and grabbed it because it matches my kitchen perfectly. I also hung a big antique copper colored flower on the wall. I know there is a big vintage clothing trend lately. I'm not really into fashion, but vintage items for art or for the kitchen.... love 'em.

Scroll down to see the platter hubs gave me, which could also be used as wall art.

Smoked Chicken

Click here for the recipe

Bell pepper, celery, onion

Parsley

Rice!

Creole Rice
Serving Size = Roughly 4

1 cup of rice (cook according to directions)
Beef or Chicken Broth (add enough according to directions)
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
1/2 bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 an onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of Creole Seasoning (click here for recipe)
1 - 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
1/2 - 3/4 cup of cooked corn (canned or frozen)

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, add some oil (I use EVOO). Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper. Saute for a few minutes.
Add the broth, creole seasoning, corn, and parsley. Stir.
At this point, follow the rice instructions:
I used jasmine rice, but normally I would use plain rice long grain rice. For jasmine rice I used 1 cup of rice and 1 1/2 cups of broth. Bring broth to a boil, cover, turn down heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
For white rice I use 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of broth. Add broth and rice, bring to boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
Once done, fluff the rice and serve. If worst comes to worst and the seasoning is just too weak for you, then you can add a bit more and mix while it's hot.

Click here for a recipe that uses up the leftovers.

Linking to: Foodie Friday

Spicy Braised Beef Ribs and Potato Cauliflower Mash

2011-12-01T18:16:00.003-05:00

Another recipe from France at Beyond the Peel. I've mentioned her blog a few times now so definitely check it out if you haven't already. Her recipes are so reliable. I always know the meal will be wonderful if it comes from her blog. As for this recipe, oh my gosh, I cannot go on about it enough. I LOVE it, hubs LOVES it, and even my picky toddler ate it and THAT is saying something. It's so easy to make too. You just put it in a pot and cook it for 2 hours or so. Simple as that.

We might even have to make this again over the weekend since you can set it and forget it. I've decided that this year we are going to make as many Christmas decorations as we can instead of buying new or just using our old ones. I have a ton of fun toddler activities lined up that I'm excited to try with my little Mimi. Hopefully I'll have some pics to post in the next week or so. :)

Saute the onions and remove from pot.

Place the meat and onions back into the pot and cover. Cook for 2 hours.
By the way, the juices in the pot are AMAZING. Loaded with flavor and
heavenly over the potatoes. Yum!

Spicy Braised Beef Ribs
Serving Size = 2 - 3
Original Recipe: France @ Beyond the Peel
Note: I did make a few changes to the original recipe such as doubling the spices, leaving out the bacon (we don't eat bacon), adding red pepper flakes, and replacing the fresh ginger with ground (I only had ground).

Dry Rub

2 1/2 lbs beef short ribs (I could only find boneless beef ribs)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried chili powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger (to replace the 2 tablespoons of fresh ginger that I didn't have. If you have fresh ginger then leave this out)
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

To Braise

1 onion cut into wedges
2 tablespoons Brandy (I skipped this and used beef broth instead)
Roughly 2 cups of beef stock
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Combine the spices in a bowl and pour them over the ribs. Mix well (remember that turmeric will stain your finger nails so wash well). Set the ribs aside.
Get a heavy pot, such as cast iron, and heat over medium heat. Make sure you have a tight fitting lid as well. Add some oil to the pan and saute the onions until soft. Remove the onions to a plate and set aside. Add more oil if needed. Place the ribs into the pot and brown the meat on each side. Take your time and get some nice color. Remove the ribs and set aside.
Pour 2 tablespoons or so of Brandy or beef broth into the pot to deglaze. Scrap the yummy bits of flavor off the bottom. Add the meat and onions back to the pot. Sprinkle on a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional) and fill the pot with beef broth until it comes about half way up the ribs (if you have fresh ginger, add it now). If you don't have enough beef broth then add some water. Cover with the lid and turn down to a simmer. Cook for roughly 2 - 3 hours (mine took 2 hours).

The mixture should be a bit thick.

Potato Cauliflower Mash
Serving Size = 2
Note: France served hers over a cauliflower and bean mash.

4 small potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 head of cauliflower, chopped
Salt/pepper to taste
1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed
1 tablespoon cilantro

Place the potatoes and garlic into a medium pot and cover with water (cover above them since you will add cauliflower later). Boil until fork tender. In the last 10 minutes or so of the potatoes cooking, throw in the cauliflower and boil. OR you could also steam the cauliflower separately.
Drain the water and smash the potato/cauliflower mixture. Season with salt to taste. Add the cilantro and mix.
You shouldn't need to add any milk and it should be a little bit thick. When you place the ribs on top of the potato mixture you will also add some juice from the ribs pot, which loosens up the potatoes.

Linking to: Gallery of Favorites, Friday Favorites, Hearth and Soul

Grandma's Apple Salad

2011-11-28T12:55:00.002-05:00

I've decided to change my diet for a month or two. I hate to do this but I am going to try to give up dairy and wheat (possibly nuts too). My two favorite things in life are dairy and wheat. I eat them DAILY. But my baby boy Emmett has been having colic every night. More than likely his colic is caused by nothing and will just go away when he is around 4 months old. But just in case, I am going to change my diet to see if it helps him. I would hate to leave him suffering for months when I could have changed my diet and fixed everything. I really hope this helps him though. Fingers crossed!

Although I kind of have this feeling I will mess up and eat wheat or dairy and not realize it. We'll see though, this is all new to me.

Anyway, since my diet is changing my recipes will be changing a bit. I might still throw in some dairy and wheat since the rest of the people in my house can eat it, so don't run away screaming if you're only here for bread and cheese recipes. :) The recipe I'm sharing today is from my grandma who passed away a couple years ago. I remember eating this at every gathering she ever had and I loved it. It might be an acquired taste though because my husband hates it with all of his heart and soul. :) You be the judge though. You might be able to sub out the mayo with plain yogurt but I haven't tried it.

My inspiration to try this recipe (because I've made this and failed a few times) comes from Everyday Mom's Meals. She made a Waldorf salad and I used it as a jumping point. It worked perfectly. I'm so happy she blogged her recipe, click here to check out her lovely blog.

Grandma's Apple Salad
Serving Size = about 4

3 apples
1 pear
2 cups grapes, halved
2 tablespoons mayo
2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Note: My grandma never added pears. She also added bananas and walnuts.

Mix together the mayo, lemon juice and sugar. Adjust to taste by adding more lemon juice or sugar.
Chop the fruit into bite sized pieces (I didn't peel anything) and mix with the dressing. Serve cold. Also, letting the flavors blend in the fridge before serving makes the salad even better.

Linking to: Hearth and Soul

Rosemary Bread

2011-11-25T18:17:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We sure did! There was so much food that I can't even remember everything. I do remember the turkey though because we had 3 of them. Yes, 3! We're a big group. :) One was deep fried, one was baked, and the last one was smoked. How did everyone else cook their turkey this year?

My main job this year was the bread, although I did bring several other things. I ended up making dill bread, honey oat bread, and rosemary bread. I was shocked to see that I hadn't posted my rosemary bread recipe. It's a favorite and is the number one bread requested by my mom when we have a gathering.

Enjoy! And happy holidays everyone!

Several types of bread that I made, including the rosemary of course :)

Rosemary Bread

Serving Size = 1 1/2 lb loaf

Original Recipe

1 cup water
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning (I just pour in some oregano, thyme and basil)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary (original calls for 1 tablespoon, but I think it's too much)
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Optional for second method

1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
Extra rosemary and sesame seeds for decoration

Place everything into your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select white bread/basic cycle, medium crust, 1 1/2 lb loaf and press start.
OR, and this is the way I did it (I've done both and they both work, but I prefer this second method) select the dough cycle on the machine and let it do the work. Then remove the loaf from the bread machine and place into a greased 8x4-inch baking pan, turning once to coat the top of the bread. Cover with a towel and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Mix together an egg white with 1 tablespoon of oil and brush the top of the bread. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and rosemary for decoration (optional).
Preheat oven to 350F. Bake bread for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and creating a solid sound when tapped.

Linking to: Foodie Friday, Gallery of Favorites, Full Plate Thursday

Candied Walnuts II

2011-11-23T20:10:00.003-05:00

I found these over at uTry.it, a great cooking blog that I visit often (you can also find the link under "Blogs I Adore" at the top). I decided this would be a great little snack to take to our Thanksgiving dinner...... and thankfully I made 4 cups or else we wouldn't have any to take because hubs keeps snacking on them..... Mimi too. Sigh... :)

Anyway, these are delicious and they're not too sweet. The recipe has two versions. The original version uses 2 cups of nuts, the other version (uTry.it version) uses 4 cups. If you use 2 cups then it will probably taste similar to the candied nuts you can get at the mall. They are extremely sweet and coated with a thick layer of sugar. Usually they are so sweet that you can only eat a few. The 4 cup version, which is the only version I've tried, would be similar (in terms of sweetness) to honey roasted peanuts.... meaning you could eat a handful. So they are sweet, but not over the top.

Candied Walnuts
Original Recipe: uTry.it

2 egg whites
Splash of water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon (I added 1 teaspoon, maybe more)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups of nuts (original recipe calls for 2 cups)

Preheat oven to 250F and grease a baking sheet.
Combine both sugars, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, mix the egg whites with the water. Pour the nuts into the egg mixture and coat. Pour the nut/egg mixture into the sugar mixture and toss to coat. Pour onto the baking sheet evenly so they are not on top of each other. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and cool.

Other food I'm making for Thanksgiving:

Dill Bread
Honey Oat Bread
Rosemary Bread (recipe to come)
Apple Sauce (recipe to come)
Honey Butter (recipe to come)
Sweet Rolls
Cranberry Sauce
Yogurt Cheese (recipe to come)

Linking to: Hearth and Soul, A Week of Handmade Gifts

Mom's Sugar Cookies (Holiday Favorite)

2011-11-19T10:49:00.002-05:00

I'm excited to share this sugar cookie recipe with everyone. It's easily one of my favorite cookies and it has a boat load of memories connected to it. My mom makes these cookies every Thanksgiving and Christmas and she always has since I can remember. These ARE, in fact, the cookies we left for Santa when I was a kid and now my kiddos leave them out for Santa as well (lucky guy). Anyway, in our house there are 2 types of sugar cookies: the crumbly ones, and the solid ones with icing. This recipe is for the crumbly ones. They are thin, sweet, fall apart, and melt in your mouth delicious. I would not recommend putting icing on these, it would be a sugar overload and they would crumble apart.

My mom found this recipe in an old cookbook and as much as I would love to cite it, I haven't a clue what the book is called. This recipe is written on a tiny, torn, food stained sticky note and is currently on my fridge door. That's all I know about it.

Oh yes, and can you tell I love to photograph food? I even loved taking food pics before I started blogging. I wish I could say I have a fancy-schmancy camera, but I don't. It still gets the job done though. :) Now prepare for 30,000 pics. What can I say..... all of the kiddos were napping.

Combine the dry ingredients and set aside

Mix the sugars and wet ingredients,
slowly add flour mixture

Once the dough comes together, stop mixing

Make 1-inch balls

Dip the bottom of the glass in the dough to moisten it

Now dip the glass in the sugar

Smash one cookie, dip the glass in sugar,
smash another cookie, and so on

Smashed cookies

Baked cookies with extra sugar sprinkled on

Remove from baking sheet right away and cool

Thin, sweet, yummy, holiday cookies! Childhood favorite!

Mom's Sugar Cookies
Serving Size = About 30 cookies

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup), softened
1/2 cup of oil (canola, or vegetable, or grapeseed)
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Extra sugar for smashing and decorating

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease baking sheet.
In a bowl mix together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a mixer, mix together the butter and sugar until creamed together then add the egg. Add the powdered sugar, oil and vanilla, mix.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined.
Pour some sugar onto a small plate and then take a large drinking glass (about a 3-inch wide bottom) and dip the bottom of the glass into the cookie dough just to moisten it. Place the glass, bottom side down, onto the sugar covered plate.
With the dough, form 1-inch balls and place a few inches apart on the baking sheet. Take the sugar covered glass and smash each cookie until it spreads out to the size of the glass. Dip the glass in sugar again and repeat with each cookie, remembering to dip the glass into the sugar after smashing each cookie.
Bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies just start to get a touch of light brown color on them. Remove from oven and sprinkle lightly with sugar, just for decoration. Remove immediately to a cooling rack.

Note: These freeze well.

Another note! :) My friend over at Needlefinger's made these cookies and replaced the all-purpose flour with Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour and she said it worked perfectly. Check out her blog for pics!

Linking to: Sweets for a Saturday, Hearth and Soul

Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins

2011-11-17T13:34:00.011-05:00

First off, let's discuss the muffins. They are yummy and we need to address them immediately. :) My friend Casondra at Pieces of my Heaven on Earth sent this recipe to me. She said her kids love it and I knew my 2-year-old would too. She loves peanut butter and eats it straight from the jar every day. I'm not a huge PB&J fan but even I think these are good. The PB flavor is mild and the muffin is not too sweet overall. Also, they're not dense, which was surprising. Another plus though!

Ok, the next item to address.... EXHAUSTION! Woowwwww I'm tired. I only have 2 kids so I feel like I don't have the right to complain, but wow.... sleepy. My mother-in-law has 10 children. How did she do it? Really, how??

Anyway, it could definitely be worse so I'm not going to complain too much. My little man Emmett has had stomach pains throughout the day so it has been a bit exhausting, but he actually does pretty well sleeping at night. He tends to wake up at 5:30am every so often though but that doesn't bother me too much. Mostly it's just during the day that wears me out. Any suggestions on how to ease tummy pain in infants??

PB&J Muffins
Serving Size = 12 regular size muffins
Original Recipe: Pieces of my Heaven on Earth

1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups low fat milk
2 tablespoons melted butter (unsalted)
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 teaspoons jam (I used raspberry)

Preheat oven to 400F.
Combine both flours, sugars, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.
Using a mixer, mix together the milk, butter, peanut butter, egg and vanilla. Mix until combined. Pour in the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
Grease a muffin tin and fill halfway (or less, but not more or you will run out of batter) with batter. Add 1 teaspoon of jam to each muffin and then cover with the rest of the batter.
Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in muffin tin for about 5 minutes then remove to cool on a wire rack.

Linking to: Full Plate Thursday, These Chicks Cooked, Foodie Friday, Gallery of Favorities, Friday Potluck

French Onion Soup and Croutons

2011-11-14T17:02:00.003-05:00

If you're pantry is empty, or if you want to save money.... OR if a newborn kept you awake all night and you want a very easy to make lunch, then here's your recipe.

It's so easy a caveman could do it.
hehehe
Couldn't resist.

Anyway, I made rye bread the other day to go with our steak dinner. Of course there were leftovers, so the next day I chopped up the extra bread and made croutons. This gave me the idea to make French onion soup because I could top it with croutons and cheese. I thought this would be more interesting than a salad. And I was right, much more interesting.... and tastier too. Plus, it's cold outside so it's perfect soup weather.

Rye croutons

Croutons
Serving Size = 4 cups
Original Recipe

4 cups of breads
2 teaspoons garlic salt (I just use garlic and salt)
1/4 cup of butter, melted or use EVOO

Preheat oven to 325F.
Cut bread into 1 inch cubes. Toss with EVOO or melted butter until very lightly coated. Add seasoning and toss to coat (I just used garlic powder and salt).
Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20-35 minutes, or until toasted and crispy.

Start cooking the onions

After a while they should start to caramelize

Add the broth, parsley, simmer and serve

French Onion Soup
Serving Size = 2

2 1/2 cups beef broth (you could also use chicken, vegetable or a combination)
1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon of flour
2 onions, thinly sliced
Salt/Pepper
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of parsley, chopped
Gruyere, Swiss cheese, or fontina
Croutons or bread (handful for each bowl or 1 slice per bowl)

Place a stock pot on the stove and set the heat to medium. Add 1/4 stick of butter and let it melt.
Slice the onions thinly (I slice them like thin onion rings) and add to the stock pot. Stir well and add the bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper. Let the onions cook until they are golden brown and soft (about 25 or 30 mins). In the last few minutes, add the garlic and stir.
Once the onions finish, add 1/4 cup or so of beef broth to deglaze the pan. Stir well so that the brown bits come off the bottom. Once the liquid evaporates, add the flour and stir. Turn the heat down to medium low to keep the flour from burning and cook for about 10 mins to remove the raw flour taste.
Add the rest of the beef/chicken broth and the parsley. Adjust the heat to a simmer and let it cook for another 10 mins. Now it's ready to serve.
Place the croutons on top of the soup, add the cheese and place under a broiler until the cheese melts and browns a bit. You could also just slice some bread, place the cheese on top, broil and then place on top of the soup. Garnish with parsley.

Dear Santa,
Did you see the stunning bowl at the top? Even though I love and adore it, I'm not sure it's made for French onion soup. Could you please deliver me a set of red Technique Flame 2 cup soup bowls that are made for onion soup? You know, the ones with the cute little handles that can also be used on the stovetop, in the oven, broiler, freezer, anywhere, any time, any place, completely amazing.... you get the point. :)
Thanks so much,
P.S. I promise to post more cookie recipes.

Linking to: Mangia Mondays, Tuesday Night Supper Club, Tuesdays at the Table, Hearth and Soul

Two Jalapeno Popper Dips - Regular and Low Calorie

2011-11-11T13:15:00.001-05:00

This is the original version, it makes a smooth cheese topping

I found this recipe over at Mrs Happy Homemaker. You can also find her link under my "Blogs I Adore" page at the top. Yes, I adore her blog, so check it out. :) Anyway, as soon as I saw the title of this dip I knew I would have to try it. We're big jalapeno popper fans in this house. I actually made this dip two different ways. One was a low calorie way (my additions) and the other one was the original full fat version (Mrs Happy Homemaker recipe). So you can choose either one. Both were delicious. The full fat version was richer and had more oil, the low fat version had a tangy flavor and less oil. The low calorie one has a crisp crust and the original has a smooth, cheesy crust. Again, both were yummy.

I actually came up with the low calorie one because, as you can guess, I need to lose some of my pregnancy weight. Yikes. And yikes again.

Jalapeno Popper Dip - Original Version
Serving Size = Almost 2-quarts (About 8 - 12 people)
Original Recipe - Mrs Happy Homemaker

2 8-oz packages of cream cheese, softened
1 cup of mayonnaise
8-oz diced green chiles
2-oz canned jalapenos, chopped (I doubled this for medium-hot --- see note below)
Parmesan cheese, shredded/grated, roughly 1/4 cup (I used my micrograter)

Note: I've used pickled jalapenos and fresh jalapenos. Both were great, just remember to cut the fresh jalapeno into very small pieces.

Preheat oven to 400F.
Combined everything but the Parmesan cheese and place into a 2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top.
Bake for 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and browned a bit.

Low calorie version uses sour cream and panko bread crumbs

This is cooked. The lower fat version makes a crispier crust with the cheese

Jalapeno Popper Dip - Lower Calorie Version
Serving Size = Almost 2-quarts (About 8 - 12 people)

2 8-oz packages of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
8-oz diced green chiles
2-oz canned jalapenos, chopped (I doubled this for medium-hot --- see note below)
Parmesan cheese, shredded/grated, roughly 1/4 cup (I used my micrograter)
Roughly 1/4 cup of panko bread crumbs (just eye it)

Note: I've used pickled jalapenos and fresh jalapenos. Both were great, just remember to cut the fresh jalapeno into very small pieces.

Preheat oven to 400F.
Combined everything but the Parmesan cheese and place into a 2 quart casserole dish.
Mix together the Parmesan and the breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the top.
Bake for 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and browned a bit.

Linking to: Gallery of Favorites, Foodie Friday

Krachel Bread Pudding

2011-11-08T15:46:00.010-05:00

We celebrated a holiday over the weekend so I decided to make some krachel. I ended up with leftovers because my appetite isn't as big as it was when I was pregnant. So with 4 krachel remaining I decided that bread pudding was a brilliant idea. Unfortunately, I know very little about bread pudding so this was all new to me. Even though I'm a bread pudding newbie, I have to say this was delicious. The anise seeds really added something special in the background without over powering the dessert. I also like the amount of custard. Some people prefer very dry bread pudding but I prefer more custard. If you want yours to lean to the dry side then go ahead and add another krachel.

Cube the bread

Cube the apples

Pour the egg/milk mixture over the top and push down with a fork or spoon

Remove from oven and let cool

Close up

Click here for the Krachel Recipe
(Note: When I made my krachel, I used 2 teaspoons of anise seeds)

Krachel Bread Pudding
Serving Size = 1 8-inch square pan (I cut it into 9 small pieces)
Original Recipe

4 krachel, cubed, bite size
1 apple, peeled and cubed, bite size (optional)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups of milk
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F.
Place the cubed krachel into an 8-inch square baking dish and top with the apple. Pour the melted butter evenly over the top.
In a mixer, mix the eggs and then add the sugar. Mix in the cinnamon, vanilla and milk until combined.
Pour the milk mixture over the bread mixture and then push down gently with a fork to make sure the bread is covered and soaking up the milk.
Bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out fairly clean (I added about 15 extra minutes, but watch yours closely). Place on a wire rack and let cool at least 30 minutes and serve.

Note: You can replace the krachel with a different bread. Just fill the 8-inch pan roughly 3/4 of the way full.

Linking to: Hearth and Soul, Tuesdays at the Table, These Chicks Cooked, Full Plate Thursday, Friday Favorite, Frugal Friday

Banana Crumb Muffins

2011-11-05T17:08:00.002-04:00

Banana Muffins. The perfect breakfast and snack throughout the day when you are dead tired. And I am. So very tired. Surprisingly, not from a lack of sleep due to a tiny newborn entering our lives. I'm just worn out today. Maybe the excitement from the last 2 weeks is catching up with me. Who knows! My Mimi loves these muffins though and calls them "cake." She tries to get into them when I'm not looking. She actually gave me a heart attack because while they were cooling on a wire rack, she picked up the entire rack and carried it into the living room. I have no idea how she kept from dumping them on the floor, but she didn't.

By the way, newborns are not challenging at all. They can't move. They eat, sleep, and you can set them anywhere. 2-year-olds though, that's another story. They climb on everything, move everything, run everywhere, leap off of couches, write on walls, and never sit still. Maybe this is why I'm tired. Chasing a 2-year-old is exhausting folks, exhausting. But I love it, really. I love being a mom.

Banana Crumb Muffins
Serving Size = 10 muffins
Original Recipe
Batter

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar (I reduced to 1/2 cup)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted (unsalted)
1 teaspoon vanilla (my addition)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (my addition)

Topping

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter, unsalted

Preheat oven to 375F. With a mixer, cream together the sugar and butter. Add the vanilla and egg, mix. Add the bananas.
Combine the dry ingredients for the batter and then add to the banana mixture until just moistened, do not over mix.
Grease a muffin tin (I didn't use paper liners) and fill 3/4 of the way.
For the topping, mix together the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until it resembles coarse cornmeal.
Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of each muffin.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove from tin and place of wire rack to cool.

Linking to: Sweet Tooth Friday, Sweets for Saturday

Panera's Cream Cheese Potato Soup

2011-11-02T11:21:00.003-04:00

There's nothing better than hot soup on a cool fall day. Well, hot chocolate is probably better..... but other than that, nothing. ;) I've always been a potato soup fan. I remember my dad made this often when I was a kid. He had a different recipe though and didn't use cream cheese, but it was still delicious. Cream cheese is definitely a new spin on this old favorite. It adds great flavor and richness which bumps up this budget friendly meal and makes it seem a bit more fancy. I was worried it would lack flavor but I was surprised that it didn't.

Hubs loved it too and even went for seconds. He's never had potato soup. I'm pretty sure he was worried when I told him what we were having for dinner (he hadn't eaten all day because of work).

Our phone conversation went something like this:

Hubs: "What's for dinner?"
Me: "Potato soup"
Hubs: "What's potato soup?"
Me: "It's...... like..... runny mashed potatoes."
Hubs: "Oh...... What's in it?"
Me: "..... potatoes...."
Hubs: "........ *laughing*"

I could have been more detailed but after dealing with a toddler and an infant all day, it just wasn't there. haha! We had a great laugh over it though. By the way, making dinner while watching two kids and no hubs to help.... challenging! But I did it and I think it will get easier over time. I also did the dishes and laundry. I know! I even impressed myself! I'm getting the hang of this. :)

And check out my bowls! Love 'em! My husband and I celebrated 7 years of marriage and this was one of my anniversary gifts. He knows the way to my heart is through dishes. hehe The outside of the bowls have the same pattern but reversed; all dark blue with white flowers. I also included a few pics of our anniversary dinner.

Some of the food from our anniversary dinner!

Pita bread and hummus, click here for recipe
Shrimp Cocktail
Texas Brisket, click here for recipe

Ok, onto the potato soup!

Cube the potatoes (quickly before infant wakes up)

Finely chop the onion and add to stockpot
(too late, he woke up, so finish soup while holding infant)

Serve (be fancy and add a parsley leaf)

Panera's Cream Cheese Potato Soup (I've never had their soup, so I'm not sure how similar this is)
Serving Size = About 4
Original Recipe

4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cups chicken stock (enough to cover the potatoes)
1 tablespoon of butter
Some oil (EVOO)
1 8-oz package of cream cheese, cubed
Salt/Pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon or so of cayenne pepper
2 - 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Heat a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the butter and a touch of oil, saute the onions until they start to turn clear and soft.
Add the chicken stock and potatoes. Make sure the potatoes are covered with stock. Add salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Cook until potatoes are tender ---- about halfway through I added the parsley.
Mash a few of the potatoes to release the starch and cook about 5 more minutes. Turn the heat down to low and add the cream cheese, stirring well. Once the cheese has melted, adjust seasoning and serve.

Linking to: Cast Party Wednesday, Mangia Mondays, Tuesdays at the Table, These Chicks Cooked, Foodie Friday, Frugal Friday, Friday Favorites

Creole Artichoke Hearts

2011-11-01T08:10:00.003-04:00

Remember the creole seasoning I made a while back? I've learned that it's amazing on tilapia, delicious in pasta, and it turns out it's also a yummy way to spice up veggies --- in this case, artichokes. I absolutely stink at working with artichokes. Seriously. I struggle to cut the fresh ones up, the yield is so flippin' tiny, they never cook right, I end up frustrated and blah. I'll stop complaining. I remember the first time I worked with fresh artichokes. I decided to make artichoke mash but I didn't get ALL of the leaves peeled away. After I pureed it I ended up with a ton of strings running throughout the mash. I didn't notice this until after I served it to everyone. Bleck! Funny now that I look back on it though. Aw, embarrassing memories, gotta love 'em! :) So until I work up the courage to go down that road again, I am using canned artichoke hearts. Feel free to be braver than me and work with fresh.

As for life with baby number 2, it's going great. I can't get over the fact that labor and delivery was only 5 short and almost painless hours. Recovery was instant. I have no back pain like I thought I would. The only thing we're missing is some sleep but that's expected. And actually, we're not missing THAT much sleep, not enough to really complain about. We're lucky so far! :)

Creole Artichoke Hearts
Serving Size = 2 - 3

1 can large artichokes hearts, drained (5 - 7)
1 - 2 teaspoons creole seasoning, click here for recipe
Roughly 1/2 cup grated cheese, to taste (I've used fontina and muenster before)
Panko breadcrumbs (about 1 - 2 tablespoons, just to cover)
1/2 tablespoon or so of butter (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F.
Drain the artichoke hearts and cut them in half or quarters. Place into a baking dish.
Mix together the cheese and creole seasoning. Sprinkle evenly over the artichokes. Top with the breadcrumbs and then dot some butter across the top (optional).

Linking to: Hearth and Soul

Brie En Croute

2011-10-27T10:33:00.005-04:00

Ok, let me start by saying that this is a stunning and very impressive appetizer to serve at any function. However, if you are not a brie fan than you will not be jumping up and down over this. Unfortunately, I've never been a brie fan. I like brie but I don't love it. I LOVE the cinnamon/sugar/walnut combo and when I get a bite of it with the brie, yummy. I think it's yummy because it masks the brie a bit and it becomes almost a cinnamon roll. But those times when I get mostly brie.... eh.

I know, everyone wants to try a recipe that the blog author doesn't care for. haha! What a great review! Oh well. :) It's a great recipe and if you love brie than you will love this. Promise! I still like it even though I'm not a brie fan, so a brie fan will go crazy over it. :) My only tip is to make sure you really spread the topping over the brie so that you won't get any sugarless bites. Also, Paula Deen recommends cutting the top of the brie off a bit to let the flavors blend better. I didn't do this but I would try this in the future.

And baby Emmett is doing great! Here are some random thoughts:

He's a calm little guy.
Having 2 kids is more work but having the second baby is easier. I know what to expect.
His weight is average but NOTHING fits him. Even newborn clothing is huge. I don't get it!
Mimi loves him and will stare at him and smile. She also somehow knows to be gentle with him.
I was worried I would have guilt over a second baby. How could I devote my every minute to Mimi if I had another baby?? I haven't had this problem though. I feel like giving Mimi a brother is a blessing and I think it's definitely a positive thing in her life.

Being a mommy rocks! I love it!

Place the mixture onto the puff pastry

Brush with an egg

Let cool and serve with crackers

Brie En Croute

Serving Size = 1 8-oz wheel

Original Recipe

1 sheet frozen puffed pastry, thawed (will try making this from scratch some day)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup walnuts
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I added more, maybe 1/2 teaspoon total)
1 8-oz wheel Brie
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg beaten
Crackers for serving

In a sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat and then add the walnuts. Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the cinnamon and stir well.
Roll out the puff pastry a bit (maybe an inch or two). Place the brie into the middle and then top with the walnut mixture and then the brown sugar (if you want, cut the top of the brie off first and then add the walnut mixture). Lift the corners of the puff pastry and bring together (if the dough doesn't stretch over the brie, then roll the sides out a bit more) and then tie with kitchen twine (I didn't have twine, so instead I brought the dough up and cut off a bit of the excess dough and then smashed everything down so that the dough wouldn't come apart in the oven).
Place onto a cookie sheet. Brush the puff pastry with the egg and bake for 20 mins, until golden brown (I cooked mine about 10 mins longer). Let it cool for about 15 mins before serving or all of the cheese will flow out.

Linking to: Let's Do Brunch, Full Plate Thursday, Gallery of Favorites, Foodie Friday, Friday Favorites, Friday Potluck, Sweets for Saturday

Baby Emmett is here!!

2011-10-25T13:53:00.004-04:00

Emmett has finally arrived! Here is a run down of the labor and delivery, no gross details, promise! :)

On Saturday, hubs, Mimi and I decided to go out of town for one last trip before Emmett arrived. As soon as we arrived at our destination we headed straight to the food. I inhaled a giant sandwich, fries, doughnuts, sweets drinks and anything else in sight. I decided since this was my last time out that I would be bad and enjoy as much food as possible. After the pig fest, we headed over to do some shopping. Unfortunately, this was cut short because I was having random contractions, which I guessed was false labor and we ended up going home. All evening I was fine, so we cleaned the house a bit and sat around.

Move forward to 5am when I wake up with cramps. My first thought was that I had food poisoning. The amount of junk I ate would make anyone ill. But nope! As soon as I stood up out of bed I knew I was in labor and the contractions slowly started. By 8am, I decided they were a bit strong so it was time to head to the hospital to be safe. I guessed I was 5 cm maybe.

And then a train happened. And we sat and waited for the train to pass, but I was still fine.

Destination reached. We were at the hospital but we didn't go to the ER (apparently we should have) and instead tried to find the OB/GYN. We couldn't find it. At least 15 mins later, and a mountain of stress, we FINALLY found it. The nurses were in shock that I didn't pre-register (? I didn't know about this) and they were hesitating on trying to find a room for me. I started to panic because it hadn't crossed my mind that in the world's smallest town I wouldn't be able to get a room (it was empty by the way).

Move forward again and Ms. Awesome Nurse appears. She tells them to put me into room such-and-such and then wants to get my weight. Pause because I am having a contraction and cannot move. Then I'm weighed and moved to the room. The nurse, not Ms. Awesome Nurse, but another one, checks me and I am 8 cm. The nurses start to panic and hook me up as quickly as possible to their machines. They call my doc, but she is out so they call the backup. At this point, still panicked over the room situation, I'm getting more stressed over the news but I didn't for ONE SECOND believe I was 8 cm. No way. No possible. Not enough pain. I've read about this and it would be unbearable at this point. So I knew they messed up and the max I could be was 6 cm (I've had a long history of nurses making mistakes). Of course, I didn't tell them this because I didn't want angry nurses. Then I tell them that I want an epidural because in my mind I knew that even though the contractions weren't THAT bad they would get MUCH, MUCH worse and I had a long way to go. And hubs wasn't around at the time because he was filling out forms for me or else he would have told me that the epidural was a waste of time. And I was stressed. Did I say that already?

Unfortunately, the anesthesiologist is about to walk into surgery and the backup won't answer. I panic big time now. What felt like 10,000 years later the anesthesiologist calls and says he's paused the surgery and will come up for my epidural. So he appears and is super nice, but talks forever about the medicine. I would say we sat with him for about 40 mins total, at least. After finally getting the epidural, my legs start to go numb and as soon as the first contraction is gone and the second is gone.... the shot worked.... the nurse says, "She's ready to deliver."

What??!! I even told them they were wrong at this point, I couldn't possibly be that far along and ready to deliver. I was not ever in enough pain to be that close to delivering a baby. But the doc shows up, the first time I've even seen him, and baby Emmett arrives.

So basically, the epidural saved me minutes of pain and resulted in weeks of back pain. Not to mention Mr. So-and-So had to have his surgery paused.

Dear Mr. So-and-So,
I'm sorry if my epidural non-emergency resulted in your death.

Lesson learned? Yep! In the future, I will have an all natural child birth because I can, without a doubt, do it and it's not as bad as everyone said it would be. At all. Although it does differ from person to person. And even though it wasn't completely natural, I still waited until I was probably 9 cm to get the epidural (just guessing) and I feel very proud. Normally, I would be full of regret for my decision, but I'm not. I really feel like I accomplished something and I feel proud for knowing that I CAN do this and in the future I plan to. You live and learn, that's just life.

Overall, great experience, the nurse I had was AMAZING, which I figured out after the delivery. She made the entire hospital stay more pleasant. I was back on my feet almost immediately and didn't need any medicine. I left the hospital early and we're all healthy, happy and at home.

Updates!
I think I forgot to add the weight and such!! 7 lbs, 4 oz, 23 inches long. :)
And back pain update. Turns out I did not have weeks of back pain, only a few days of mild pain. Yay!

Honey Oatmeal Bread

2011-10-22T20:47:00.003-04:00

I think this might be my favorite bread recipe. It's a close one though. I adore French bread as well. This bread has a slight sweetness to it from the honey and stays soft even after 1 day. Normally bread starts to get tough the next day but this one stays fresh. This is great served with dinner, as a snack, or even as a sandwich. The original recipe uses a bread machine and cooks it in the machine as well. I skipped this because even though I love my bread machine, I tend to have better bread when it's baked in the oven. So I used my bread machine to mix it and then moved it to the oven. Worked beautifully!

And today is October 22nd!! My due date is only a few days away! I'm getting excited to meet baby Emmett and introduce him to his sister. I've been going over all of the pregnancy memories. I was thinking about when my husband and I found out the sex of the baby. I was getting the ultrasound and within seconds I looked over and saw my husband smiling. I assumed he was excited to find out the results but he had actually gotten a glimpse of the gender and knew we were having a boy. He would have been happy with a boy or girl, but deep down he was hoping for a boy so we would have one of each. Of course, I can't read ultrasounds at all and most of the time I have no clue what I'm looking at so the technician had to announce it to me. It was a fun and exciting day. :)

I am going to miss being pregnant though. Everything has been pretty simple from day one so I have few complaints. I will definitely miss the following:

Feeling the baby kick
Baby hiccups!
The long, difficult and even irritating name search but the relief when I finally found one
The growing belly
The overall excitement

I'll keep everyone posted. Hopefully he'll make his appearance soon!

Place into a pan

Brush with egg white and sprinkle on oats

Remove from oven

Remove from pan immediately and cool on wire rack

Honey Oatmeal Bread
Serving Size = 1 lb loaf
Original Recipe

1 cup of water
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil (I used EVOO)
1/4 cup of honey
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup rolled oats + extra for sprinkling
2 1/3 cups bread flour (plus more if needed)
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (original recipe added 1 but based on the reviews I bumped it to 2)

Place in bread machine on dough cycle. Once the dough starts mixing, check it to see if you need to add more flour. The dough should be a bit sticky.
Once done, place into an 8x4-inch baking dish sprayed with oil. Cover with a towel and let raise for 30 minutes in a warm place (I usually preheat the oven for a minute, shut it off, and then add the bread). Brush with 1 egg white plus 1 tablespoon of water. Sprinkle on some oats. Bake in oven at 350F for 25 - 30 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and let cool on wire rack.
Note: If you want, you can cook it in the bread machine (I haven't tried). The original recipe recommends cooking it on the light setting.

Linking to: Gallery of Favorites, Let's Do Brunch, Hearth and Soul

Coconut Cookies

2011-10-19T17:48:00.005-04:00

Let me start with something silly. While I'm writing this post my toddler is in her playroom (the one we're still working on) playing with her toys. I know this sounds silly but when I see her playing by herself I feel like such a successful parent. She isn't hanging on us, relying on us or her movies for entertainment. She's sitting by herself playing with her toys and talking with them, having her own "me" time and being independent. She doesn't do this often but when she does I feel like she's really becoming a big girl. It's the little things your kids do that make you proud.

Anyway, back to baking! Chewy coconut cookies.... you really can't go wrong with this dessert. You know I have a love for coconut so when I ran across this recipe I added it to my "must try" list. And look how pretty and golden they are.... wait.... I need to pat myself on the back because I'm awesome. hehe :) Really though, they are delicious, super easy to make, and you can get creative. Add white chocolate chips or drizzle milk chocolate over them. You could even dunk they half way in chocolate and sprinkle extra coconut on. The possibilities are endless.

Sugar and butter

Add the flour mixture

The dough

Let them cool and serve

Coconut Cookies
Serving Size = 3 dozen (I had about 28)
Original Recipe

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (I probably used 1 teaspoon)
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350F.
With a mixer, cream together both sugars and the butter until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well combined.
In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add this to the butter/sugar mixture until combined. Add the coconut until combined.
Place about 1 teaspoon sized balls (I'm pretty sure mine were a bit larger) onto an ungreased baking sheet. The instructions say place each cookie 3 inches apart but mine were definitely closer together (maybe 2 inches apart).
Bake 8 - 10 minutes (mine took 15 minutes). The cookies should be golden brown and slightly firm when touched before removing from the oven. They will give a little but they will not collapse under your finger. You do not want to undercook these. The outside has a tiny bit of crunch and the inside is chewy. I usually leave them for 1 minute or so and then remove them from the baking sheet to a wire rack.

Linking to: Cast Party Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Foodie Friday, Frugal Friday, Friday Favorites, Sweet Tooth Friday, Sweet Treats Thursday, Sweets for Saturday

Cheesecake Dip (Very Easy!)

2011-10-18T07:41:00.003-04:00

If you're looking for a dip that's quick, easy, and loved by all then here it is folks. It's creamy and not too rich or too sweet. Even though it's a dessert dip it doesn't feel heavy, especially since you can serve it with fruit. I think people that are not fans of baking will especially love this recipe. You can mix it up in minutes and then serve it with several varieties of fruit or graham crackers. Super simple but still attractive when you bring it to the table.

This recipe came about because we spent the entire day working on the house. I wanted my evening sweets but I didn't want to make something complicated or that would dirty 50 thousand dishes. So far we've managed to put up more trim, fix the countertops, did a massive amount of cleaning, and completely re-organized my entire dish collection. I can walk into the kitchen and find the bowl I want instead of pulling everything out of the cabinets, getting frustrated, and then calling my husband in to finish the search. I'm kind of a baby some times. :) I'm 39 weeks pregnant so time is running out. I really want this house in order before Emmett arrives. Fingers crossed!

Cheesecake Dip
Serving Size = About 1 cup
Original Recipe

1/3 cup sour cream
4 oz cream cheese softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (could also use almond extract, but I went with vanilla)
1 tablespoon of milk
2 - 3 tablespoons powdered sugar (I went with 3)

Mix everything together with a hand mixer until smooth and serve. It's best to refrigerate for an hour or so until it firms up more.
I served mine with grapes, apples and graham crackers.

Linking to: Hearth and Soul, Tuesday Night Supper Club, Mangia Mondays, Savvy Homemade Monday, Cast Party Wednesday

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

2011-10-16T20:59:00.000-04:00

I found this recipe at Brenda's Canadian Kitchen, one of my favorite blogs to visit. I would have to agree with her, this is one of the best chocolate chip cookie bars I've ever made. My husband isn't a huge chocolate chip cookie fan but even he was constantly getting into these addictive little bars. They are chewy and moist and heavenly. I actually added about 3 extra minutes to my cooking time because I was afraid they would be undercooked. They did turn out perfectly for me but you will want to watch yours to make sure they cook to taste. What I LOVE about these bars is that each piece has a ton of chocolate in it. A ton, really. But I think if you decide to add walnuts you might want to cut back on the chocolate a bit.

Don't tell anyone but I did eat these for breakfast a few times. Shhhh! hehe In my defense, I had a busy week. In the last month of pregnancy I have to see the Dr. every.single.week. Which means I sit in the waiting room every.single.week.for.ever. And then I had to work, and house stuff and you know the story. I did go to a wedding over the weekend though. I'm shocked that my back wasn't bothering me too bad the night of the reception so I was able to walk around with Mimi and talk to people. I was worried that I would have another day of being stuck on the couch with pain, but nope! Yay!

I've also lost complete control of my pregnancy hormones. I go from mad, to laughing hysterically, to crying hysterically in minutes.

It's scary folks.

Very scary.

People are avoiding me. :)

Sugar and egg mixture

Smooth the batter into the baking dish

Let cool to room temperature

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Serving Size = About 20 bars
Original Recipe: Brenda's Canadian Kitchen

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled slightly
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

*Note: if you decide to add walnuts you might want to cut back on the chocolate chips a bit.

Preheat oven to 325F. Line a 13x9 -inch baking pan with foil, allowing overhang at the ends to lift the bars out easier (I skipped this and just sprayed my baking dish with oil).
Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda together and set aside.
Mix the melted butter and both sugars together until combined (I used my mixer). Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well. With a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined but do not over mix. Fold the chips into the batter.
Smooth the batter into the baking dish and bake until light golden brown, slightly firm to touch, and the edges start to pull away from the sides - about 27 - 30 minutes (I added 3 additional minutes). Let cool to room temperature, cut and serve.

Chipotle Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Lime Coleslaw

2011-10-13T11:58:00.004-04:00

What's not to love about spicy shrimp tacos?? I saw this recipe on Kitchen Belleicious yesterday and then had my husband stop by the store for shrimp on the way home. I had everything else in the fridge needing to be used so it worked out perfectly. A couple of notes. Don't fear the sugar, it isn't that sweet. DO fear the chipotle sauce if you are not a spicy food fan. I actually added 2 teaspoons to make it hot, but I would say 1 teaspoon would make it medium. So if you are really against heat then you might want to cut that back for mild or maybe just add the pepper and not the chipotle sauce. Also, I didn't have Greek yogurt so I used half mayo and half sour cream in its place. I'm sure you could use all mayo, all sour cream, or even regular plain yogurt and it would work just fine.

Anyway, YUM! Try it, we LOVED it!

And guess what? This weekend I have actual adult person plans. Yay! I'm attending a wedding. Although, I can honestly say I'm not looking forward to this the way I once did. Of course, I'm still excited to see everyone, don't get me wrong! But the fact is my back hurts which means I walk like John Wayne. Yes, very attractive. At any point my back could go out and then I won't be able to walk at all. I am also huge and the classy, adorable, I've-been-dying-to-wear-this-thing-forever dress that I planned on wearing doesn't fit (as of 2 weeks ago). The replacement is a huge dress that looks like it came from a hippie's closet. I can't even wear heels to dress it up.

Large-o hippie John Wayne. Woohoo.

I'll survive though. And to make myself feel better I plan to make an extremely fattening and delicious dessert. And then I'll eat it. Alone. Sharing with no one. Maybe this is why my dress doesn't fit?? hehehe

The sauce

The coleslaw mix

Mix the coleslaw and refrigerate until ready to use

Add the sauce to the shrimp (the sauce does thicken a bit)

Chipotle Shrimp Tacos with (Avocado) Lime Coleslaw
Serving Size = About 2
Original Recipe: Kitchen Belleicious

For the Shrimp

1 lb of medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 corn tortillas (I normally make mine but didn't this time - click here for the recipe)
1 teaspoon salt for the shrimp
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper for the the shrimp
1 tablespoon olive oil (I used EVOO)
1/4 cup brown sugar (click here for the recipe)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
1 teaspoon adobo sauce (I used 2 to make it hot)
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 sprigs of cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons of olive oil (EVOO)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar

For the Coleslaw

1 bag of coleslaw mix (I finely chopped 1/2 head of cabbage and shredded 1 carrot)
1/3 cup Greek yogurt (I used 1/2 mayo and 1/2 sour cream mixed to make 1/3 cup)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Juice of 2 limes (I used 1 lime)
1 medium avocado, mashed (skipped because I didn't have any)
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Season the shrimp with the salt, pepper and olive oil. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours (I skipped this step because I didn't have time).
Coleslaw: Mix all of the ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to use.
Sauce: Mix together the sugar, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, garlic, cilantro, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 2 tablespoons cider vinegar. Set aside.
Heat a grill pan to medium-high and cook the shrimp for about 3 minutes until slightly curled. Add the sauce and toss often to make sure they are coated well. Cook for another minute or two or until pink and cooked through.
For the tortillas, warm them. You can grill them until charred (20 seconds per side) or any other way you choose.

Linking to: Full Plate Thursday, Gallery of Favorites, Foodie Friday, Frugal Friday, Friday Favorites, Friday Potluck

Creole Chicken Pasta

2011-10-12T09:23:00.006-04:00

After a long day of back pain and watching my toddler, I can honestly say this meal brightened my mood. Not only is it next to effortless to make and barely takes any time to cook, but the flavor is amazing. You can adjust to taste as much as you want but I love the big flavor of the spices. I know I keep saying this but this is one of my favorite meals. You might be able to sub out the heavy cream with half-and-half if you want to save calories, I haven't tried this though. I'm 9 months pregnant, calories are not on my mind at the moment. I won't even tell you the amount of dessert I've been eating lately! :)

I'm glad this was easy to throw together though because towards the end of the day my toddler became a handful. As I was cooking she brought me a bag of white chocolate chips that she wanted to eat, then dumped out a bag of dried chickpeas, which was followed by 1/2 a bag of vermicelli. My back hurt too much to bend down and clean up the vermicelli so this meant that I had the privilege of walking on dried noodles while I cooked. It will be interesting to see what Emmett adds to this mix in about 2 weeks! Ahhh! hehe

Chop up the bell pepper

And chop up the onion

Cook the chicken and set aside

Add the onions to the chicken pan and then the peppers and garlic

Add the chicken back and let the flavors blend

Creole Chicken Pasta
Serving Size = 2 - 3

2 chicken breasts, cut into pieces (boneless, skinless)
About 2 tablespoons of creole spice, to taste - Click here for the spice mix recipe
1 tablespoons of butter and some oil
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
Parmesan to taste (I added about 1/4 cup)
4 oz fettuccine (cook for about 8 minutes and remember to salt the water a bit for flavor)

Cut the chicken into small pieces (mine were about 2 bites each). Toss with the creole seasoning to taste. The pieces should be moderately and evenly coated.
Heat a large pan with a tablespoon or two of oil (EVOO will work) over medium heat and add the chicken, cook until cooked through (maybe 15 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.
Add some oil if needed, and then add about 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the chopped onions and cooked for a few minutes until they start to get tender.
Add the bell pepper and garlic, cook a few more minutes. Add the chicken stock and let it simmer, scraping the bottom for bits and pieces of yummy flavor. After that simmers for a minute, go ahead and add the heavy cream. Stir well and add the chicken back.
Simmer gently until it starts to thicken (5 - 8 minutes, while the pasta is finishing up). Taste and check the seasoning. Add the fettuccine to the pasta and mix well. Add the Parmesan to taste, mix and serve. To make it extra pretty you can add some chopped parsley to the top (I didn't have any).

Linking to: Cast Party Wednesday, These Chicks Cooked, Mangia Mondays

Oatmeal Raspberry Bars

2011-10-10T08:01:00.003-04:00

I found these bars at This Woman Cooks. My toddler is crazy about them. When we ran out, she got the empty baking dish and sat down to eat the crumbs out of it. Needless to say, I will be making more of these for her. It is more of a dessert bar because it's so sweet. Next time I am going to decrease the sugar to 1/4 or 1/2 cup to make it more of a breakfast bar. So depending on what you're looking for you can adjust it. Also, I wasn't sure if I should have sprinkled plain oatmeal over the top, or if I should have sprinkled on some of the crust mixture. I just used plain oatmeal and it worked out great but I will try the crust mixture next time.

Anyway, I hope everyone had a great weekend. We sure did! We went out to eat and then to a pumpkin patch. The restaurant overlooks a big lake. Even though the food was good, I think that if it were icky it still would have been great. The view really makes all the difference. There is something so relaxing about eating and watching the water. Mimi was even a good girl and ate a ton of chicken. The pumpkin patch was also nice, although it was intended more for older kids. There were some toddler activities, but not many. Mimi's favorite part was petting the tiny goats.

Of course, the trip inspired me to decorate our porch.... which we had to finish building first. So once we finished it I decorated it with a hand painted Eeyore bird house from the pumpkin patch, mums, a TON of pumpkins, lanterns, and little flower pots. Oh yes, and ribbons, tons of ribbons and bows. I bought some colorful corn at the pumpkin patch and tied big fall ribbons around them and hung them up. My husband was shocked when he saw the decorations. I went from nothing to everything. hehe

Mimi picked this one out

Mums!

And more mums!

I could go on and on with the photos but I will stop for now! :)

The crust

Sprinkle on the oats and bake

Oatmeal Raspberry Bars (Or any other jam)
Serving Size = Roughly 15 bars
Original Recipe: This Woman Cooks (and Beloved Green)
*Update: I tried the recipe with 1/4 cup of sugar instead of 3/4 and still find it delicious. :)

1 1/4 cups flour (use half wheat and half white)
3/4 cup brown sugar (I would decrease to 1/4 or 1/2 cup for a breakfast bar)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 cups of oats + 1/3 extra (the extra 1/3 was my addition, see notes below)
1 cup berry jam (I used raspberry)

Preheat oven to 375F.
In a bowl, mix together the wheat flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Cut the butter into thin slices and add to the bowl. With a mixer on medium, mix until it starts to form a solid dough (I'm sure you could use your food processor as well). Pour in the old-fashioned oats and kneed them until combined.
(Topping: At this point I wasn't sure what to do. I think I was suppose to take 1/3 cup of the dough mixture and set it aside. I skipped this and instead just used an additional 1/3 cup of oats at the end. I will use the dough mixture next time though.)
Grease a 13x9-inch pan. Place the dough into the pan and pat it down until it's even across the bottom. Place the jam on top evenly and then sprinkle on the 1/3 cup of oats.
Bake for 25 minutes until the top of the oats start to turn golden brown. Pull them out and let them cool completely or they will crumble apart. Can be stored on the counter or in the fridge.

Linking to: Hearth and Soul, Savvy Homemade Monday

Honey Chipotle Chicken Wings

2011-10-07T07:36:00.003-04:00

I've been making this recipe for a while now and it's never turned out bad, not once. It's sweet, spicy, and all kinds of messy. I've reduced the honey before and increased the chipotle and it still turned out great, so it's very easy to customize to your tastes. And the best part is it's a beautiful meal. I feel very impressive when I set these wings on the table and they are decorated with a beautiful dark sauce, sesame seeds, and some bright green spring onions. I wanted to post this ages ago but I wasn't sure if I should because the recipe was submitted in a competition and I didn't want to hurt any feelings out there. But I must say, I can definitely see why this was submitted in a competition. Delicious!!

In other news, my back is still killin' me folks. I have a feeling it will stay this way until baby Emmett arrives. But the weather here has been perfect so having an excuse to sit on the front porch doing absolutely nothing has been nice. Think positive!! :) We're also going to a pumpkin patch this weekend so I'm excited. I think Mimi will have a great time (there are pony rides!).

Spice rub and chipotle glaze

The wings

Honey Chipotle Chicken Wings
Serving Size = 8 - 10
Original Recipe: Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

1 cup of honey
2 - 3 tablespoons pureed canned chipotle chiles in adobo or BBQ sauce (I used adobo and I highly recommend it)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons chili powder
Salt/Pepper to taste
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons smoked paprika (I use sweet paprika)
3 lbs chicken wings
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
3 green onions, thinly sliced

*I've followed the exact recipe before. I've also cut back on the honey before by almost half and increased the adobo by 1 tablespoon or so. It still turned out great. So you can adjust to taste.
*Also, I didn't use 3 lbs of chicken this time so the sauce was a tiny bit heavy. Still great, but if your wings look more dry... that's the reason. :)

Preheat over to 400F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, chipotle puree (I used 3 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and pureed them in my bullet type blender), 1 tablespoon of mustard, 1 tablespoon of chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons of oil.
In another small bowl, stir together the remaining 3 tablespoons of chili powder, coriander, cumin, and paprika.
Rinse the chicken wings under cold water and pat dry. Cut the tips off and discard (or freeze for chicken stock). Cut the wings into 2 pieces at the joint.
Place the chicken into a large bowl and add the spice rub mixture and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Mix well to coat. Season with salt/pepper. Place the wings on the baking sheet and bake for 30 - 40 minutes, or until cooked through and golden brown (slightly charred is fine too).
Transfer the wings to a large bowl and pour the chipotle glaze over them. Toss well to coat. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle on the sesame seeds and green onions.

Linking to: Gallery of Favorites, Foodie Friday, Frugal Friday, Friday Favorites, Friday Potluck, Savory Sunday, Masterpiece Monday

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2011-10-05T18:36:00.004-04:00

Severe back pain has now kicked in. The joys of pregnancy. I actually didn't have this problem with my first pregnancy, thank goodness. I'm pretty much stuck on the couch. If I try to do dishes, laundry, or move around too much then I get shooting pain in my back. On the bright side, I am very thankful that this occurred in the last 3 weeks of pregnancy and not sooner.

Actually, it's closer to 2 weeks now. Ahhh!! I'm so excited!! :)

Before back pain entered my life I did do a few fall activities --- one very popular one --- Pumpkin carving!!!! Yes, I am a mature adult. I sat on my porch drinking tea, eating caramel corn, and carving pumpkins. hehe

So here is the result but cut me some slack, I am not very good at this......

He's a happy pumpkin. I'm more into cute decorations
and not the scary kind.

What I am good at is dealing with the pumpkin guts. :) I cleaned them, picked out the seeds, and roasted them. YUM! Even my toddler was munching on them and she's very picky. Now, there are a lot of ways to roast pumpkin seeds. Some people boil them, dry them, then roast them and all kinds of other techniques. I probably only eat pumpkin seeds once a year during Halloween, when I'm carving the pumpkins, so I haven't tried very many different versions. But I love this recipe and it's super easy.

Spread them out on the pan and roast

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

About 2 teaspoons of melted butter per 1 cup of seeds
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 300F.
Clean the pumpkin seeds off. I usually put them into a strainer and fill it with water. The seeds float to the top a bit and I scoop them out. Rinse once more to make sure everything is clean, but it doesn't have to be perfect. Dry them off with a towel and place them into a bowl. Toss with the butter and salt to taste. Lay on a baking sheet in one even layer. Roast for about 45 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Linking to: Cast Party Wednesday, These Chicks Cooked, Full Plate Thursday

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles and Pumpkin Painting

2011-10-03T17:06:00.006-04:00

3 weeks until baby Emmett arrives. I cannot believe how quickly this pregnancy is going by. I'm lucky, I didn't have any problems at all. I have zero complaints (actually, I have zero complaints about my first pregnancy as well). The need to keep busy and get things accomplished, even if they are silly things, is increasing though. Today, I baked pumpkin snickerdoodles and a pie (not to mention breakfast, lunch and dinner). Yesterday, I carved pumpkins, roasted seeds, made hummus, and bread (plus grocery shopping). There is not a dirty dish in this entire house and the fridge has been emptied out. I actually stand around washing and re-washing the countertops for no reason at all and I plan to start laundry here in a bit. I might be losing my mind, so keep an eye on me please. hehe

I pinned this idea a while back (from Renee Simmons).

Originally from here.

I just used plain ol' material paint because I couldn't

find puff paint.

Anyway, the pumpkin snickerdoodles are delicious. I've already made them twice. I would rather make these than a regular snickerdoodle any day. Not because they taste better, they are different from each other and both are great, but because they are easier to bake in my opinion. When I bake regular snickerdoodles I find that it's easy to overcook or undercook them. With these, the pumpkin keeps them moist, so as long as they are completely cooked through (just push the top and see if it gives or not) they are done and will not be dry. I found this recipe at Greens and Chocolate a while back and pinned it. Check it out! :)

Mix the dough

Make the cinnamon/sugar topping

Flatten the cookies a bit

Very moist and yummy!

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Serving Size = About 15 - 18 cookies
Original Recipe: Greens and Chocolate

1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup of sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping:

1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (just greasing the pan works as well).
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and beat until combined. Add the pumpkin and vanilla. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
For the topping, combine the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Scoop out balls of dough (about 1 tablespoon). It will be very sticky, but it gets easier as you go. Roll the balls in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place them on the baking sheets about 2 inches apart and flatten them a bit with your hand.
Bake for 9 - 10 minutes (mine took longer, about 15 minutes), or until the edges are golden and the top has set (meaning it isn't soft any longer). Note: In my opinion, it's harder to overcook these than the traditional snickerdoodle. The pumpkin keeps the cookies moist, so do not undercook.
Let them cool of the baking sheet for about 3 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Linking to: Everyday Sisters Sharing Sundays, Food Palette Series, Hearth and Soul, Cast Party Wednesday, Sweet Tooth Friday, Gallery of Favorites

Cilantro French Bread

2011-10-02T21:34:00.000-04:00

It's time for me to welcome a new member to our family. Baby Emmett? Nope, not yet!

A beautiful, made in America, hand thrown chip and dip set. We all know I love pottery. I REALLY love American pottery though and I've been trying to beef up my collection a bit. The reason I love it isn't just because I'm supporting small businesses in the US but because they match everything I own. Really. Most US pottery that I find only uses about 3 or 4 colors, which means it's super easy to match it up with my hand painted, extremely bright, very busy, international pottery. My collection is made up mostly of American pottery and accented with pottery from different countries (Morocco and Mexico mostly).

Ta da!

I love that the bowl can be removed, leaving a big platter

I'm trying to be artistic :)

Anyway, I LOVE it so expect to see it often. :) I want to make some type of fruit dip next.

As for the bread, that turned out pretty well too. I've seen a recipe similar to this on Bon Appetit, but instead of following their bread recipe I just made French bread and rolled the herbs up inside of it. I definitely prefer it dipped in hummus than as a stand alone bread. For the hummus, I left out the paprika and cilantro. I also used tahini since I recently found a brand that doesn't cost a fortune or expire in 2 minutes.

Mix the herbs and oil

Spread onto the bread and sprinkle on the sesame seeds

Roll up the bread

Cilantro French Bread

1 cup of cilantro and parsley (mostly cilantro, a bit of parsley - or skip the parsley all together)
3 tablespoons of oil (EVOO)
Sesame seeds to taste
French Bread Recipe (I used bread flour and halved the recipe. By the way, I need to write a new review for this bread because the more I make it the more I love it.)

Chop up the cilantro and optional parsley. Add the oil and mix. After you roll out the French bread, spread the herbs across the bread evenly. Sprinkle on the sesame seeds (as much as you like) and roll the bread up.
Continue with the rest of the French bread recipe.

Hummus

Click here for the hummus recipe

I left out the paprika and herbs. I also used tahini instead of a nut butter substitute.

Crab Puffs (a MUST try)

2011-09-29T20:20:00.007-04:00

Last week I found the best coffee cake and today I give you the best appetizer.

Crab puffs.

I saved this recipe ages ago but never got around to making them. My friend made lobster cheese bites for a birthday party (I'm guessing they are a lobster/cheese combination with breadcrumbs and baked, possibly? Or deep fried? I haven't tried them) and it reminded me to try this recipe. They are very similar to making cream puffs but you're less likely to mess these up. Cream puffs can collapse, these won't as easily. Don't open the door when they are cooking though, just to be safe. Since the dough is almost the same as cream puffs, I went ahead and took the same short cut by mixing in the eggs with my Kitchenaid Mixer. It saves your arm, trust me.

What's great about these puffs is they taste good hot but taste just as good (if not better) at room temperature, so they are the perfect appetizer to take to a party. The outside is golden brown and when you break them open they are full of ooey-gooey-cheesy goodness. Holy moly, out of this world I tell ya. My husband and I gobbled them up immediately (even my toddler ate some which is rare). Another plus is that they taste great with canned crab meat. We do not have access to fresh crab but if you do then feel free to use that instead.

A must try. Trust me! :)

Mix the dough until a ball forms, then leave for 5 minutes

Spoon the dough onto the greased pan

Bake until golden brown

Crab Puffs
Serving Size = About 4 dozen (I had 3 1/2 dozen)
Original Recipe

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon of water
1/2 cup butter, unsalted
1 tablespoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (I used wayyyy more, maybe 5 or 6 splashes, but adjust to taste)
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
2 cups (8 oz) shredded Swiss cheese (I used my food processor. I normally do not care for Swiss, but I LOVE it in this recipe)
1 can (6 oz) drained crab meat, flaked and cartilage removed

(Have everything prepped and ready to go)

Preheat the oven to 400F. Grease a large baking sheet.
In a medium saucepan, bring the water, butter, mustard, salt, cumin, and hot pepper sauce to a boil. Add the flour all at once and stir quickly until a smooth ball forms. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
Pour the dough into a mixer and with the flat beater start stirring. Add the eggs one at a time until combined, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until smooth and shiny (it will thicken as well). Stir in the crab meat and cheese.
Drop rounded teaspoon fulls 2 inches apart onto the greased baking sheets (mine were more like tablespoons).
Bake for 23-26 minutes (26 for my tablespoon sized puffs) or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks. Serve warm.

*Update: These do taste good out of the freezer as well. Just preheat the oven at 350F and bake for about 15 minutes or until the middle is hot.

Linking to: Foodie Friday, Frugal Friday, Friday Favorites, Gallery of Favorities, Friday Potluck, Savvy Homemade Monday, Masterpiece Monday, Let's Do Brunch

Panera Broccoli and Cheese Soup (with Chicken)

2011-09-28T20:44:00.002-04:00

I've tried several broccoli/cheese soup recipes and this is the only one that has turned out very well. I am used to the Velveeta version, but since I want to avoid Velveeta (and have for some years now) it's been a struggle to find a soup that competes. In my opinion, this one competes and surpasses the Velveeta. I was afraid the amount of sharp cheddar would make the soup almost bitter, but it didn't at all.

I did add chicken to the soup, which is unusual. I woke up in the morning, pulled some chicken out of the fridge to thaw, went to work, and then decided I wanted soup. Soooo..... I figured I would just combine the two. My husband likes the soup better with the chicken but I prefer the soup without the chicken.

I served French bread with this soup.

And only 4 more weeks until baby Emmett arrives! I'm excited to see him but stressed about getting things done. I'm actually going to make some meals in advance and freeze them. My husband assured me that he can handle the cooking, and I'm 110% sure he can, but I think we will all be tired and it would be nice to have a few heat and eat meals.

Here's the frozen food plan so far:

Pancakes for breakfast
Sausage for pizza
Pizza crusts (personal sized, 6 or 10 inch)
Lasagna
Bread
Fried chicken tenders

That's all the ideas I've had so far. Any suggestions??

Cook the chicken

Cook the flour

Add the half and half and chicken stock

Add the veggies

Add the cheese

Panera Broccoli and Cheese Soup (Optional Chicken)
Serving Size = 4
Original Recipe

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
Oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup melted butter (unsalted)
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half cream
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 lb fresh broccoli
1 cup carrots, julienned
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
Salt/Pepper to taste

In a large stock pot (I used my favorite purple cast iron one) over medium heat add some oil, cook the chicken, and then remove. Add a touch of chicken stock to the pan just to deglaze it a bit, scraping the bottom as it evaporates.
Add about 1 tablespoon of butter and a little more oil. Toss in the onions and saute. Remove the onions from the pot.
Add the 1/4 cup of butter to the stockpot and melt, then add the flour. Whisk constantly for 3 - 5 minutes, or until the flour cooks. Stir in the half-and-half. Add the chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes (I think I simmered for 10 or 15 minutes). I had to add about 1/2 cup more of the cream and 1/2 cup more of the broth.
Add the broccoli, carrots, onions, and chicken. Cook over medium low heat for 20 - 25 minutes or until the veggies are cooked. Add the nutmeg and salt/pepper to taste.
If you skipped the chicken then you can puree the soup but I prefer not to.
Add the cheese and stir until melted. Remove from heat and serve with bread.

Linking to: Full Plate Thursday, This Week's Cravings

Nutmeg Coffee Cake

2011-09-26T18:06:00.004-04:00

Ok folks, I've found the best coffee cake ever.
The best.
It looked delicious when I saw it at Brandy's Baking blog, but as I was making it I grew a bit concerned. First, there's no sugar mixed with the walnut topping. I found out that it doesn't matter at all, of course you can add a few tablespoons but it doesn't need it. My second concern was that it really only requires nutmeg. Won't it be plain??? Nope! It is packed full of flavor. And my last concern was the crust. A coffee cake with a crust? How would that work? Works perfectly! It isn't REALLY a crust. It does create a layer of texture that you can taste and see, but it still blends with the cake (it's a soft crust).

Oh, and my biggest concern was dividing the flour/sugar mixture evenly. I just eyed it and it worked perfectly, but feel free to measure it out more accurately if you want. And even though I didn't try this, because I gained a shocking amount of weight at my 2 week pregnancy doc. appointment, I think that drizzling the top with a powdered sugar/milk icing would be awesome. Almost cinnamon roll-ish.

You will LOVE this recipe, give it a try! Definitely my favorite coffee cake!

I made some brown sugar

Press the crust into the bottom of the pan

Mix up the batter

Sprinkle on the topping

See the layers? Mmmm

Nutmeg Coffee Cake
Serving Size = Roughly 9 big pieces
Original Recipe: Brandy's Baking

2 cups flour (all purpose)
1 1/4 cups brown sugar (I made my own, click here for the recipe)
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I used freshly ground)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup finely chopped walnuts (about 4 oz)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper and grease the paper (I just sprayed my baking dish with oil).
Crust: In a food processor, add the flour and brown sugar and pulse until mixed. Add the butter and pulse until it resembles sand. Spoon 1/2 of the mixture into the pan and press evenly over the bottom.
Batter: Pour the remaining flour/sugar mixture into a large bowl (I used my mixer). Add the egg, sour cream, nutmeg and baking soda and mix until combined. Spoon the batter over the crust.
Topping: Mix together the chopped walnuts (I used my food processor) and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top of the batter.
Bake until the center is set (check with toothpick), about 40 - 45 minutes. Do not over bake though or the edges might get a bit hard. I prefer it served warm, but if you let it cool down then the crust will get a little more crunchy.

And of course, it's even better with a cup of coffee. :)

Linking to: Hearth and Soul, Cast Party Wednesday, These Chicks Cooked