The Sporadic Cook

Bacon Mac

2011-11-15T11:57:00.001-07:00

Isn't it weird how kids who are crazy for mac&cheese don't really like the real thing? And the same kids who also like bacon don't like it when you put it in their mac&cheese? Oh well....more for me!

I found this recipe at Cooking Light. Does it really make it lighter just because I found it there? Maybe, maybe not. I'm sure there are way worse macaroni and cheese recipes out there, but I found this one completely delicious! In fact I'm about to go get some of the leftovers for lunch right now. But before I do, here's the recipe so you can do the same.

Ingredients

3 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
12 ounces strozzapreti or penne pasta
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups skim milk, divided
2 cups finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 slices center-cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Bring 6 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil. Add pasta; cook 8 minutes or until al dente; drain.

3. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add 1 cup milk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until it cools to 155°. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, onions, hot sauce, pepper, and bacon; stir. Add pasta; toss. Spoon into a 2-quart broiler-safe dish coated with cooking spray; top with 1/2 cup cheese. Broil 7 minutes.

Chocolate Kahlua Toffee Trifle

2011-11-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

If you have a sweet tooth the size of Texas, this may be the recipe for you. And if that sweet tooth likes things just a little boozy, then you're definitely in luck.

This is about as easy as falling off a log (but hurts a lot less). Once you get the cake made, you're home free. The hard part is letting it chill once it's all put together.

If you're feeding this to children, you might want to decrease the Kahlua content just a little, it's quite powerful. My kids didn't seem to mind :D

Here's the recipe...make and enjoy!

(from Yummly.com)

1 box cake mix (devil's food)

6 ozs instant chocolate pudding mix

2 cups milk

1 cup kahlua

Prepare cake according to box mix and cool.

Cut the cake up into cubes.

Combine pudding mix, milk and Kahlua.

If it is too runny, set it aside in the fridge to allow it to thicken for 20 minutes.

It will make it easier to work with.

To assemble, use a pretty straight-sided glass bowl or trifle bowl.

Layer the bottom with 1/2 the cake cubes making sure to line the sides of the bowl

Pour 1/2 the the pudding over the the cake layer making sure to spread it to the side of the bowl so you can see the layer.

Spread 1/2 the Cool Whip on top of the pudding mix in the same manner.

Sprinkle 1/2 the Skors bits on top of the Cool Whip.

Repeat the layering with the rest of the ingredients ending with the Skors bits on top.

Chill overnight before serving (yeah, right)

16 ozs cool whip (fresh whipped cream)

1 package english toffee (skor english toffee bit or 6 skor candy bars crushed)

Seven Sporadic Questions: BrownievilleGirl

2011-11-04T21:31:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited to bring you a featured blogger for Seven Sporadic Question from across the pond for the month of November.

Eleanor from Ireland is the face behind Brownieville Girl, and I've been watching her blog for quite some time. I love visiting her site for the delicious food and the warm, inviting atmosphere. Let's get to know her a little better.

1. What inspired you to start blogging?

My new year's resolution for 2010 was to push myself out of my comfort zone. My two passions were reading and cooking/food - so they were the obvious outlets for my new bravery!!!

My first step was to do a couple of book reviews on local radio - I was so nervous, but got such a buzz from actually taking the risk and not making too big (!) a fool of myself!!!!

The next step was to do something with food - I had been enjoying reading some fantastic food blogs, and decided to take the plunge - I was so nervous, would anyone read it, would anyone like my writing/cooking/photos? I'm so glad I took the risk.

2. What's your favorite thing to make for a crowd?

I have a HUGE problem when I'm faced with catering for a crowd - I just can't stop!!!! I write a list and say "that's it, no more" - but then I sneak on an extra salad or three, and then a dessert or two more!! Actually the family love this failing of mine - there are always loads and loads of leftovers!!

Beetroot salad and Couscous salad

I love to cook salads and cold meats and fish - and I always have to try out some new ideas.

Three Bean Salad

Then it comes to desserts and I really go to town!!

Chocolate Roulade

One of my favourite things is to sit with a block of post-its and go through my cookery books deciding what to cook for an event - the best part is that I'm not constrained by my family's likes and dislikes - I can really go to town!!!!

3. What's your favorite thing to make for just you?

I rarely cook "just for me" - I do so much cooking every day (since my sister's passing, I cook dinner for her children every afternoon and then come home and cook a dinner here) that my idea of the perfect "alone meal" is probably a slice of batch bread with loads of butter!!!

4. If you could invite 3 famous people (living or dead) to dinner, who would they be? Any particular reason?

That's easy - I would invite my late sister, my late father, my other sister and my mother (I know that's one person too many but how could I leave one of us out???) Once we got past all the crying and sadness - we would have a ball, there is one thing I can say about my family and that is that they are great craic, it would be an evening full of laughs and fun.

This time last year I would have said that Dad, Nigella Lawson and George Cooney would be on the list - although I don't know if my father would approve of me flirting with George all night!! Actually he'd probably be busy flirting with Nigella!!

5. When you think of your childhood, do any favorite dishes come to mind?

I am very lucky because my mother was a fantastic cook - really adventurous, I remember in particular the time she made stuffed cabbage by deconstructing the vegetable blanching all the leaves, and reconstructing it with a meat stuffing - scrummy stuff, but really hard work!!

Our local green grocer used to dread seeing Mum coming - as she was always ordering vegetable he had never even heard of - it's hard to imagine now that Avocado Pears were considered exotic!!

That all said, my fondest food memories are Sunday Dinners - it was a wonderful family time, we would sit for ages over dinner and chat. We always had a roast of meat - usually beef and delicious roast potatoes - yummmmmmm!

Roast Beef and Roasted Potatoes

6. What do you have in your kitchen that you just couldn't do without? (besides your stove/oven of course)

Oh this one is difficult - every time a buy a new item for the kitchen I tell myself that it is totally essential!!!!

I think that I'd have to say my favourite pots and pans (which are properly non-stick, I've had too many years of useless pans!), or maybe it's my knives, or my Kitchen Aid mixer (makes baking so easy) - I can't make up my mind!!!!!

7. What's your favorite part of blogging? Do you think you'll keep doing it for a while?

This is the easiest question of the lot - the best part of blogging is the feedback I get from the people who are kind enough to read my blog. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit how much I hover waiting to see what comments come in!!!!!

I consider the time I spend writing my blog and visiting other blogs as my "me time" and I can't imagine ever giving it up!

Hope you enjoyed reading more about Eleanor and her delicious food! I know I did, and I learned a new word..."craic"--"Craic" or "crack" is a term for fun, entertainment, and enjoyable conversation. Now I just have to find a way to work it into my conversation :)

Mississippi Mud Sheet Cake

2011-10-30T21:10:00.000-07:00

I decided today that it was time to introduce my children to Mississippi mud cake. The poor little darlings don't get enough sugar and butter in their diet, you know. I can remember my mom making this a few times when I was a kid and I always loved it so much. I went with this recipe I found at Hostess With The Mostess, because...well I just love a sheet cake.

At first I was a little disappointed with the flatness of the cake, but after all the deliciousness is added on top, turns out it's just perfect the way it is.

Mississippi Mud Sheet Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, cut into big chunks

½ cup cocoa

4 eggs, beaten well

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups sugar

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Mississippi Mud Frosting:

One 16-ounce box (about 3 2/3 cups) confectioners’ sugar

½ cup cocoa

½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted

½ cup milk or evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups mini-marshmallows, or 3 cups marshmallows, quartered

Directions:

To make the cake, heat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 13-by-9-inch pan. In a medium saucepan, combine the butter and the cocoa and cook over medium heat, stirring now and then, until the butter is melted and the mixture is well blended, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the beaten eggs, vanilla, sugar, flour, salt, and pecans, and beat with a wooden spoon or spatula or with a mixer at low speed until the batter is well combined and smooth, and the flour has disappeared.

Quickly pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at the 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cake springs back when touched gently in the center and is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. *I only left mine in 17 minutes and that was plenty, the sides were just about to get crispy*

Prepare the frosting while the cake bakes; so that you will be ready to poor it over the hot cake. In a medium bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar and the cocoa, and stir to mix them well. Add the melted butter, milk and vanilla, and use a large spoon or mixer at low speed to beat everything together well. Set aside until the cake is done.

Remove the cake from the oven, scatter the marshmallows over the top, and return the cake to the hot oven form about 3 minutes, to soften the marshmallows.

Place the cake, still in the pan, on a wire rack or a folded kitchen towel. Pour the frosting all over the marshmallow-dotted cake, and cool to room temperature. Cut into small squares and serve.

*I didn't put the pecans in my cake, I sprinkled a few on top with the marshmallows*

Hope you all have a safe and fun Halloween! Next installment will be another edition of Seven Sporadic Questions featuring my first blogger from across the pond. Stay tuned :)

Cafe Rio Pulled Pork

2011-10-25T18:25:00.001-07:00

Just between you and me, I have no idea what or where Cafe Rio is. But I kept reading the praises of the pulled pork by this name and really wanted to try it. I'm pretty glad I did.

This pork is so easy, and So tasty...a little sweet and little spicy. I was rather full from test bites before dinner and didn't have much room left for the main event. But I managed to muscle through it anyway. Who could resist it in a taco rolled up with cilantro lime rice? Not me!

Here's the recipe from Mmm...cafe Hope you like it!

3-4 lb. Pork Butt or Shoulder Roast

2 small cans El Pato Tomato sauce (found in the mexican aisle, this is a key ingredient)

1 15 ounce can tomato sauce

2 1/2 cups brown sugar

Wrap pork completely with foil, place in crock pot and pour ½ cup water around roast. Cook for 8 hours on low. Remove roast, drain juices, remove fat and shred. Dump the tomato sauces and brown sugar into the crockpot, stir together and add shredded pork back in. Cook two additional hours on low.

Cilantro Lime Rice
2 cups white rice
4 cups chicken broth
½ bunch cilantro, chopped
½ tsp. salt
2 limes, juiced
1 Tbs. butter

Combine rice, chicken broth, cilantro, salt and the juice from 1 lime in a rice cooker or saucepan. Cook according to package directions. When rice is cooked, juice the additional lime and add in butter. Stir to incorporate.

Petit Fours and Potatoes

2011-10-20T08:49:00.001-07:00

I know I'm getting more and more sporadic as time goes on, not sure what my deal is. But I recently got the wild idea for making petit fours for a baby shower. I've always loved the idea of petit fours, they're just so...petite! And I can eat way more than four of them. This is the result, I'll say they turned out a little "rustic".

They seemed to make everyone happy anyway, and were certainly tasty. I just used a boxed cake mix, split it in two, and put raspberry jam in the middle. I followed the process found at a blog called "Fly Through My Window" for the frosting. It was fun, but pretty sure it's something I can put behind me now.

These potatoes, I've made them several times and they're SO delicious. We love to eat them with grilled skirt steak with chimichurri...yum!

I'm not really sure where the recipe came from. My husband printed it from somewhere a few years ago and we like it so much we've managed to keep up with the recipe. Here it is...

Grilled Potatoes with Parmesan and Herbs

3 pounds small red skinned potatoes (or whatever smallish potatoes you have on hand)

4 tbsp olive oil

1 cup thinly sliced green onions

3 tbsp chopped Italian parsley

3 tbsp grated Parmesan

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tsp fresh oregano

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes and cool.

Prepare grill (med heat). Cut potatoes in half, transfer to a large bowl. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and toss to coat. Grill potatoes until golden, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Drizzle 2 tbsp olive oil over and add remaining ingredients. Toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm.

Pumpkin Muffins with Crumb Topping

2011-10-09T22:55:00.000-07:00

I had a can of pumpkin that has been sitting on my counter forever, just begging me to do something with it. I found this recipe from "Food & Wine" and saw that it required only ingredients that I already had, so I went for it. Heaven forbid that I have to make a trip to the store!

These smelled delightful when they were baking...all cinnamon-ey and pumpkin-ey. Smelled like fall may have actually arrived. When I had one warm out of the oven, it really wasn't everything I had hoped for. It just tasted like something was missing. And the cream cheese filling didn't really stay in the middle like it was supposed to, but oozed up the sides and out the top a little bit. That didn't really bother me, I enjoy oozing cream cheese.

When I had one later that had cooled off to room temperature, I liked it a lot better. And you can never go wrong with crumb topping.

Here's the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

Filling
1. 1/3 cup cream cheese
2. 1 large egg yolk
3. 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
Topping
1. 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2. 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3. 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
4. 1/4 teaspoon salt
5. 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup canned pumpkin puree

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, mix all of the ingredients together. Cover and freeze until chilled, about 30 minutes.
In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Work in the butter with your fingers. Press the mixture into small clumps. Refrigerate the topping until chilled, about 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350° and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper or foil liners. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the brown sugar, oil and pumpkin puree. Beat in the dry ingredients until evenly incorporated.
Spoon half of the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Drop heaping teaspoons of the cream cheese filling in the center of each cup and spoon the remaining batter on top. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the batter. Bake for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean. Let the muffins cool for 10 minutes before turning them out onto a rack to cool completely.

I was really excited to get to try a Tervis Tumbler as a part of Foodbuzz's Tastemaker Program. I had never heard of them but thought they looked great. You know how some girls have a thing for shoes? I have a thing for anything that holds beverages. Anytime I'm out somewhere and see some new or interesting water bottle or travel mug, I have a hard time holding back. I'm not sure why really. But I digress.... this mug is just perfect, and I love that it's insulated. I hate when my glass gets condensation all over the place. In fact, it was the perfect size to hold one of these....

Have you seen these at in the stores? It's like a juice pouch for grown ups, except there's no straw attached. You just throw it in the freezer, and in a couple of hours you have a delicious frozen drink. And the tumbler kept it nice and slushy for quite a long time.

Fresh Tomato and Cheese Pizza

2011-10-03T18:28:00.001-07:00

I will give you 3 guess as to what cookbook this came from. Clearly, I'm obsessed. Sometimes, that's a good thing.

It's a good thing if you like delicious and somewhat better for you pizza. It starts with Bittman's "Mostly Whole Wheat Pizza Dough", then is simply topped with a tomato and cheese mixture. My daughter said it tasted like an Olive Garden pizza. I think it was a compliment.

I personally loved this pizza. I loved the flavor and texture of the dough, and it reheated well too. It made me a happy girl.

Here's how to do it:

For the dough

2 cups of whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp instant yeast

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil

For the toppings

about 3 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

3 ripe tomatoes, cored and chopped

3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp chopped basil or fresh oregano

Salt and black pepper

1. Combine the flours, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in 1 1/2 cups water. The dough should be relatively sticky and wet, like biscuit batter. If not, add a little more water.

2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover and put it in a warm spot. Let the dough sit for at least 6, or up to 12 hours. (The longer it ferments, the more complex the flavors).

3. When you're ready, heat the oven 500F. Generously oil a baking sheet or large ovenproof skillet. Dust your hands with a little white flour and fold the dough over in the bowl a few times. It will be sticky, but resist the urge to use too much flour. Gently press the dough into the skillet or onto the baking sheet...doesn't have to be perfect. Drizzle the top with 2 tbsp olive oil.

4. Put 1 tbsp of the oil in a skillet over med low heat; when it's hot, add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently until it softens, about 1 minute. Raise the heat a bit and add the tomatoes; cook, stirring frequently, just until most of their liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Let the tomatoes cool.

5. Toss the tomatoes with the mozzarella, Parmesan, and herbs. Spread the mixture on the pizza dough and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake until the crust is crisp and the cheese melted, about 8 to 12 minutes. Let stand for several minutes before slicing so the cheese sets.

This is the part of the post where I'd like to tell you about the totally awesome Bauducco Panettone I received as a part of Foodbuzz's Tastemaker Program. And it was so awesome we tore right through it without doing anything creative (or photogenic). We were also unknowingly assisted with a rather large portion of the chocolate chip panettone by our friend Rinny.

Yes I know chocolate is bad for dogs, someone should tell Rinny that.

Don't worry, he's okay :)

Onion Chapati Turnovers

2011-09-28T09:46:00.000-07:00

Ever since I got Mark Bittman's "The Food Matters Cookbook" (and haven't shut up talking about it) I've been intrigued by the recipe for these turnovers. I like onions, I like turnovers, but what the heck is chapati. Relying on ~~my superior researching skills~~ wikipedia I find that chapati is unleavened flatbread. Another thing that I enjoy...so these puppies just had to be made.

Not a difficult recipe at all. Slightly time consuming. But if you enjoy onions as much as I do, I'd say it's worth it. So this is not a flaky, tender crust. It's definitely got some chew and some body to it. (Did that make sense?)

We had ours with a pot of beans and I thought it was a pretty darned nice combination. Here's a pic of the inside....

Here's Mark's recipe if you're interested.

3 cups whole wheat flour

salt

1 cup warm water

4 large onions, halved and sliced (I only used 3 but they were GIANT)

1/4 cup olive oil

all purpose flour, for rolling the dough

Put the flour in a food processor, add 1 tsp salt and with the machine running pour in the water. (I used my KA with the dough hook) Process about 30 seconds, the dough should be barely sticky. If too dry add water 1 tbsp at a time and process about 5 to 10 seconds after each addition. Put the dough on a lightly floured surface, cover, and let rest for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. You can make ahead, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate up to day. Bring back to room temp before proceeding.

Put the onions in a large skillet over medium heat. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are dry and almost sticking to the pan, 20-25 minutes. Stir in the oil and a large inch of salt and turn the heat down to medium low. Cook, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes or longer, depending on how caramelized you want the onions to be.

Once the dough has rested, divide it into 18 pieces. Heat the oven to 450F and grease a couple baking sheets. Using ap flour as necessary for your hands and the board, pat or roll each piece into a thing 4 1/2 inch circle.

Top each circle with a heaping tablespoon of the onions and moisten the edges of the dough with a little water. Fold one edge over onto the other and press with the tines of a fork to close. Put the turnovers on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the dough is golden brown and hot, flipping over once, 20 to 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temp. They will keep for a couple days wrapped or in a sealed container at room temp or in the refrigerator and for months in the freezer; gently reheat before serving.

On a side note, I was given the opportunity to try a 4 pack of Cholula hot sauce recently and I was tickled to receive them in this cute little carrying case!

I got to try Original, Chili Garlic, Chili Lime, and Chipotle. I liked them all, but the Chili Garlic was especially good with quesadillas, and I liked the Chipotle really well with beans. Can't wait for the next taco night!

Cholula's website has lots of good ideas for using the sauce, and also a coupon if you like them on Facebook.

Hot and Sour Soup

2011-09-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

I learned to love hot and sour soup in a little restaurant in southeast Missouri. Probably not the mecca of Asian cooking, but this place was where I was introduced to somewhat authentic Chinese cuisine. And it's been the gold standard for me ever since. I can't say this soup was good as what I remember from all those years ago, but it definitely cured my craving, using ingredients I could find in any grocery store.

This took me back to getting that first whiff of Mr. Kim's soup and knowing pretty soon my eyes would be watering and my nose would be running. That's a sign of a good soup right there. I found this recipe at a blog called Cookin' With Cyndi and changed it up quite a bit to suit what I had on hand. If you need your sinuses cleaned out, whip some up and start sniffing!

8 oz. fresh mushrooms, chopped (I used baby bellas)

3/4 cup cabbage, thinly sliced

32 oz. chicken or vegetable broth

2 1/4 cup water, divided

1 tbsp fresh grated ginger

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp ground white pepper

1/4 cup rice vinegar

sriracha sauce or chili oil to taste

1 tbsp soy sauce

fresh ground black pepper

2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup chopped green onion

1 tsp sesame oil

Combine broth and 2 cups of water, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Add mushrooms and cabbage and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add vinegar, soy sauce, white and black pepper, and sriracha. Simmer about 5 more minutes.

Combine remaining 1/4 cup water with cornstarch and stir into broth mixture. Bring to a boil. Simmer 3 more minutes. Slowly pour in eggs in a steady stream while stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in onions and sesame oil.

*this is my version, you can click the link above to get the original at Cyndi's website

Served with an unphotogenic brown fried rice, it was a pretty nice meal. To me anyway, not sure the family was as into it as I was.

So, is anyone out there doing the Google+ thing? I'm there but it's kinda lonely.

Crumb Top Cherry Pie

2011-09-17T21:46:00.000-07:00

A beautiful and easy cherry pie to make you smile.

And to cause your dog to drool.

Easy stuff, and so good. Found the recipe at Jam Hands. The crumb topping really makes it! Enjoy!

1 1/2 cup sugar (more or less to taste)

3 tablespoons cornstarch*
2 cans OregoN Red Tart Pie Cherries, drained, reserve juice from one can *I just used two cans of regular cherry pie filling...it's already thickened.
1/4 tsp red food coloring (optional)
1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 prepared pie crust

Crumble Topping:
1/2 cup butter, cold
1/2 cup sugar
1 c. flour

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Drain the cherries and reserve the juice from only one can. In a saucepan, stir the cherry juice into the combined mixture of the cornstarch and sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Gently stir in cherries and optional ingredients. Remove from heat. Pour filling into pastry lined pie pan. Dot with butter or margarine.

2. Prepare crumble topping: Using a pastry cutter or fork, blend the crumble topping ingredients together. Sprinkle over the pie.

3. Bake 45 minutes or until crust browns and filling begins to bubble. If necessary, cover edges with aluminum foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent over-browning. Cool pie several hours to allow filling to thicken before slicing.

White Bean Veggie Burgers

2011-09-15T22:01:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm moving forward, and just going to pretend that last post ever happened. I'll deny it, there's no proof. Let's eat something healthy now.

I saw these a while back on Reeni's blog, Cinnamon Girl and thought they looked delicious. What's not to love? They're full of delicious things like beans and sauteed veggies.

They really made the house smell wonderful. We didn't eat ours burger style, just with a fork. They were so flavorful, and the whole family actually liked them. That's saying a lot!

Here is Reeni's recipe....hope you like it :)

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

4 large garlic cloves, minced

1 roasted red pepper, diced (I didn't roast mine)

1 teaspoon dried thyme

sea or kosher salt and fresh black pepper

2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup baby spinach, finely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

½ cup seasoned bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

olive oil or vegetable oil, for pan-frying

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium low heat and saute onion until translucent, add garlic, saute until fragrant, add red pepper and thyme, season well with salt and pepper and saute 4-5 minutes, remove from heat.

2. In a large mixing bowl mash the beans with a potato masher leaving them a little chunky. Add spinach, lemon juice, bread crumbs, egg and sauteed vegetable mixture. Season well with salt and pepper. Use a fork to mix well. Refrigerate 1/2 - 1 hour

.3. In a large skillet heat enough oil to generously cover bottom of pan over medium heat. Shape into 6 equal-sized patties. Fry 3 patties at time, about 5 minutes on each side or until browned.

Makes 6 patties

Desperation Dessert

2011-09-12T20:55:00.000-07:00

You know guys, I've been trying to be good...I really have. I've been eating the whole grains. I've been eating a lot less meat, and even eating the veggies (sorta). But sometimes I just need something big and gooey and chocolate. I'm a sweets girl at heart. People who say they don't like sweets...I just don't get them. I could eat them morning, noon, and night. It was time I had a big chocolate treat, but since we've been trying to eat healthier there really wasn't anything in the house. That's how this desperation dessert was born.

I starting scrounging through the cabinets, just looking for something I could throw together to resemble dessert. I found some ladyfingers but they smelled like they had been in the cabinet too long. I found some buttercream frosting that had been unsealed then stuck back in the cabinet to see what sort of things would grow on it. Then I found this stuff....

....and some cool whip way back in the freezer. So the layering began.

The girl was more than happy to help since she hasn't been eating as many sweets either, and I'm afraid she's inherited the old sweet tooth. Or picked up my bad habits (sure, blame the mom!).

So in a nutshell, here's what we did...

Start with:

1 box of instant pudding (mix according to directions)

Graham crackers (or ladyfingers if you've got them)

Cool whip

peanut butter chips

chocolate frosting

Layer graham crackers in bottom of 8x8 baking dish. Pour in half the pudding, sprinkle with peanut butter chips, then cover with half the cool whip. Repeat this process once, top with graham crackers, and smear frosting all over it. Sprinkling with pb chips on top of course. Chill for as long as you can resist eating it. In our case it was about an hour.

And voila...dessert is born! I suppose this is a lot like the potluck favorite eclair cake, just simplified using what's on hand.

I'm not giving up on the healthy stuff, just a side trip now and then :)

Noodles with Spicy Cabbage and Pork

2011-09-06T21:37:00.004-07:00

It seems the food I'm cooking lately is just so very...brown. Maybe I should just call it "earthy". Could be part of the reason I've switched to this pink and blue background since my food is somewhat lacking in color. But the flavor of this noodle dish (once again from Mark Bittman's "Food Matters" cookbook) made up for the lack of color.

I really liked just about everything about this dish. I loved the texture of the rice noodles; it had just about the right amount of heat for me. I think the only thing I might do different is just go all vegetarian and omit the pork, maybe add some mushrooms. It was pretty good left over too. Here's the recipe.

Printer-friendly Recipe

Salt

2 tbsp vegetable oil

8 oz ground pork or thinly sliced pork shoulder

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp minced ginger

1 head Napa cabbage, chopped (I used regular cabbage)

8 oz rice, buckwheat, or wheat noodles

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tsp chile oil

black pepper

chopped cilantro

lime wedges

1. Put the oil in a large deep skillet; add pork and brown it, sprinkling with salt. Remove from pan with slotted spoon and lower heat to medium low.

2. Add garlic and ginger to skillet, stirring occasionally cook about one minute. Add the cabbage, along with 1/2 cup water and cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat and cook about 5 minutes more until cabbage begins to brown. In the meantime cook noodles according to directions, making sure they don't get mushy. Drain the noodles and reserve some of the cooking water.

3. Toss the noodles in the skillet along with the pork, soy sauce, sesame oil, chile oil, and black pepper. Add some of the cooking water if the mixture seems too dry. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
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Grilled Beef Pita Sandwiches with Spicy Tahini Sauce

2011-08-31T10:41:00.000-07:00

I was given the opportunity to review "The New Sonoma Cookbook" recently. I found this book to be chock full of beautiful pictures and delicious sounding recipes made with real food.

I really do like the sound of these recipes; nothing too fancy, just simple, easy to find ingredients with a lot of vegetables. Some of the things I'm looking forward to making are balsamic red onions, Spanish Rioja country soup, and tomatoes with crispy bread topping. But the first recipe I chose is called Grilled Beef Pita Sandwiches with Spicy Tahini sauce. I was happy to find this recipe since I had leftover tahini from when I made hummus.

This recipe assumes you have already prepared 8 ounces of flank steak by rubbing it with a mixture of seasonings (cumin, garlic, chile flakes, salt, pepper and lemon) and grilling it. I had already prepared that the day before so it made it really easy.

Here's the recipe for you:

Grilled Beef Pita Sandwiches

1/2 cup chopped tomato

1/2 cup chopped cucumber

1 cup shredded romaine

1 tbsp lemon juice

4 whole wheat pitas

8 ounces leftover flank steak, sliced

2 oz feta cheese, crumbled

Toss the tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce with the lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Lightly toast the pitas and cut each in half. Divide the sliced beef among the pitas. Sprinkle 1/2 ounce feta into each pita. Top with tomato mixture and tahini sauce.

Spicy Tahini Sauce

1 tbsp garlic, minced

1/2 cup tahini, mixed well

1/3 cup lemon juice (I think this may have been a bit too much)

1/4 cup water

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

1 tbsp chopped parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Combine garlic, tahini, lemon, water and spices in food processor. Mix until smooth. Add olive oil, pulse just to mix. Add herbs, salt and pepper. Thin with more water if necessary.

Peanut Butter Balls & Chicken Chilaquiles: Part 2

2011-08-29T10:34:00.001-07:00

My daughter takes her lunch to school almost every day, and it's safe to say we are in a bit of a *rut. I've tried the wraps, she usually hates them. I've tried sending soup in a thermos, that takes more pre-planning than I'm able to muster. And I'm sure she's definitely sick of the same old granola bars and snack bars. I'm sure she'd love it if I filled her lunch box with peanut butter cups, so I'd say these are the next best thing.

Not to imply they taste like a pb cup, but they are pretty darned good. In fact I'm having a little bit of a hard time right now not scarfing down the remainder of them while she's at school. I'm not sure it's the absolute healthiest recipe around, but at least you can pronounce everything that's in it. And it's definitely something the kids can help with.

Here's the recipe I found at Mommy's Kitchen.

1 cup honey

1 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

2 cups dry powdered milk

3 cups oatmeal (instant or old fashioned) uncooked

1-2 tbsp wheat germ (I didn't have any but I had some flax seeds so I ground up a couple tablespoons and threw them in)

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

Mix it all together with a hand mixer. Form balls by hand and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Freeze until firm then store in a large ziploc in the refrigerator.

I know I just made chicken chilaquiles a few weeks ago and shared them with you, but I made a slightly different version this past week from my new cookbook I keep talking about, the "Food Matters Cookbook". I think I like this version slightly better because of the bell peppers and fresh poblano in it. I have to confess I didn't go to all the trouble of deep frying my tortillas, I just toasted them; and I think bagged tortilla chips would be just fine.

8 small corn tortillas (stale is ok)

1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs (I used 3 breasts)

2 poblano (or other fresh mild chiles) seeded and sliced

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 onion halved and sliced

1 tbsp minced garlic

8 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped (canned are fine, instructions read to strain them but I preferred it with the juices)

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

lime wedges

1. Cut tortillas in half then into 1 inch wide strips. Put the oil in deep skillet over med-high heat. Fry the strips, turning frequently until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

2. Pour off all the oil except 2 tbsp. Add the chicken and cook until done. (I have to also confess I just boiled the chicken, just seemed easier) Add the poblanos and bell pepper, onion and garlic. Cook about 5 to 10 minutes until vegetables begin to soften. Add tomatoes and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

3. When the chicken is cool enough to handle chop and return to the pan with vegetable mixture. Along with the tortillas. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

*Any lunch box advice is very appreciated!

Pasta with Caramelized Fennel and Onion

2011-08-22T20:32:00.000-07:00

As one of Mark Bittman's newest fans, I now bring you the first thing I made from his book, "The Food Matters Cookbook". I think fennel is so pretty as well as being crunchy and delicious, and I'm always happy to find a way to use it. (okay so this only the second time I've ever used it, but who's counting?)

I really liked this dish, and all members of the family managed to eat some, so that's saying a lot. I added some ground chicken sausage, and sauteed spinach for color.

Here's the recipe for you:

Makes: 4 servings

Salt
3 large or 4 medium fennel bulbs, cored and sliced
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
Black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces any pasta, preferably whole wheat
1/2 cup white wine, optional

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Put the fennel, onion, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper in a large, deep skillet over medium-low heat. Cover and cook, stirring every 5 minutes, until the vegetables have given up their liquid and are almost sticking to the pan. Add 3 tablespoons of the oil, raise the heat to medium-high, and cook, uncovered, until the vegetables are nicely browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.

2. Cook the pasta in boiling water until it's tender but not mushy. When it's almost done, turn the heat under the skillet to medium, add the wine or some of the pasta cooking water to the pan, and stir to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water. Toss the pasta in the pan with the fennel and onion, adding a little of the pasta cooking water if the dish seems dry. Season as desired and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Serve immediately.

BTW...I'm really enjoying this cookbook. There are so many things I'm looking forward to making, I don't even know where to start!

Birthdays and Hummus

2011-08-18T22:30:00.000-07:00

Those two things just go hand in hand, don't they? Where have I been lately, you may be asking? Just letting the little things all overwhelm me. Back to school stressed me unnecessarily, I'm trying to diet, and have been a little down in the dumps. Coincidence, I think not! But it does bring me to the hummus.

I'm a brand new Mark Bittman convert. I took some of my hard-earned FoodBuzz money and purchased his book "Food Matters" and the cookbook that goes along with it. I guess Mark's story is he was getting older and fatter, bad stuff was happening to his health, and his doctor told him he needed to become a vegan. Which sort of clashed with his line of work, being a food writer and all. But he decided to try a plan where he is a "vegan until 6" everyday...eating no animal products, just plants, plants, plants. Then after 6 eat a normal dinner without gluttonizing, and it worked for him.

So I thought to myself, if he can do it, maybe I can do it. I like plants. So I spent this past Sunday prepping veggies, and making beans and oatmeal and brown rice in mass quantities so I would have easy access to things I can eat and so far so good. I've taken a few pounds off, and feel like it's something I can live with. Why am I telling you all this? Beats the snot out of me; here's Bittman's recipe for hummus.

2 cups drained well-cooked or canned chickpeas, liquid reserved

1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste), optional, with some of its oil

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus oil for drizzling

2 cloves garlic, peeled, or to taste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon ground cumin or paprika, or to taste, plus a sprinkling for garnish

Juice of 1 lemon, plus more as needed

Put it all together in the food processor and blend it together, adding more liquid from the chickpeas if needed.

So mine came out a little dry, guess I should have added more liquid. And it made way more than I needed since I'm the only one who eats it. Wonder if it freezes well.

And as for birthdays, my little 5th grade flute-playing chickadee turned 11 today. She's growing up so fast!

This was the first year she requested a homemade birthday cake, and she wanted the same one I made for her dad back in June, without the raspberry sauce. So obviously that required extra frosting on top!

Just as delicious as I remembered. And there's no chickpeas in it!

Homemade Laundry Detergent and The Devil's Quiche

2011-08-08T15:14:00.007-07:00

I've been thinking for while about making my own laundry detergent after seeing the recipe here. The biggest deterrent was that I kept forgetting to save my milk jugs, but I finally managed to salvage a couple and set forth to make detergent.

It was really way easier than I expected. It doesn't leave your clothes especially fragranced, but they definitely smell fresh. I haven't tried it on any tough stains so I can't say how great it would be at that.

Here's the recipe should you decide you'd like to give it a try.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

1 bar of soap (any kind)

1 cup borax

1 cup washing soda (I found the arm and hammer brand with the laundry detergent)

a big pot (holds more than 2 gallons)

a grater

a funnel

2 empty gallon jugs/containers

Grate the bar of soap into your pot.

Add a gallon of water to the pot with the soap. Cook until soap dissolves.

Add borax and washing soda. Bring to a boil.

Turn off the heat. Add one gallon of cold water and stir well.

Fill each container.

The mixture gets kind of "congealed" after it cools. Shake it before dispensing to mix anything that has settled. Use about 1/2 cup per load of laundry.

So I was talking on Facebook about making this, and one of my friends mentioned that washing soda can be caustic, and needs to be handled with care. And could possibly wear down your clothes faster. Then another friend mentioned she's been using this for a year and has had no problems. So I guess you just have to weigh the pros and cons and decide if it's something you want to do or not. The ingredients are certainly cheap enough, and I have enough left over to make several more batches.

Also, after reading I've found you need to be sure not to use it with bleach.

Now on to food....

Quite some time back I made a dip call Jalapeno Popper Dip that I found at Closet Cooking. It was quite delicious, so when I saw that Kevin had made a quiche inspired by the same dip, I had to go for it.

Don't let my silly name fool you, it's pretty tasty. I'm sure even old Scratch himself would approve. But it definitely had some heat to it (and I didn't even use as many peppers as the recipe called for).

Here's the recipe, if you'd like to wake up your taste buds...go for it!

Ingredients

1 (9 inch) pie shell, pre-baked (if you buy storebought like I did, get deep dish)

1/2 cup cream cheese, room temperature

2 jalapenos, diced (seed them is you prefer less heat) (I only used one here)

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup cream

5 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 jalapeno, sliced

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

Spread the cream cheese over the bottom of the pie crust and sprinkle on the diced jalapenos.

Heat the milk and cream over medium heat until just before it boils, about 5 minutes and pour it into a large bowl.

Pour the eggs into the heated cream while stirring constantly.

Mix in the paprika and salt.

Pour the mixture into the pie plate and bake in a preheated 350F oven for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven, arrange the jalapeno slices on top, sprinkle with cheese and bake until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown, about 15 minutes.

*I don't know why my post has those white strips through it here and there. Please be my friend anyway*

Chicken Chilaquiles

2011-08-04T21:12:00.001-07:00

Just a quick post tonight but I wanted to get this up because I think it's highly important that you make this dish as soon as humanly possible.

This is a Martha Stewart recipe and it meets all my criteria for fast, easy, and delicious. It calls for a rotisserie chicken which makes it all that much quicker, but if you had the time and inclination, you could certainly roast your own. And I think next time I make it (and there will be a next time) I'll add a little can of those diced green chili peppers. Oh, just to satisfy my curiosity I looked up the word "chilaquiles", and it mostly just means a dish served over crispy corn tortillas.

Here's Martha's Recipe...go forth and make!

Printer-friendly recipe

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes, in puree
2 canned chipotle chilies in adobo, finely chopped (about 1 heaping tablespoon), plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from same can)
Coarse salt
1 small cooked rotisserie chicken (about 1 3/4 pounds), skinned and shredded (about 4 cups), carcass discarded
1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves, chopped, plus 4 sprigs for garnish
4 cups (about 3 ounces) tortilla chips
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 3/4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/4 cup) *I used queso fresco*

Directions

Combine oil and garlic in a large (3-to-4-quart) saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and sizzling, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes with their puree (breaking tomatoes up), chipotles and adobo, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil; season with salt. Reduce heat and simmer rapidly until lightly thickened, 6 to 8 minutes.
Add chicken and cook, stirring, until hot, about 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in chopped cilantro.
Divide chips among four shallow bowls; top with chicken mixture and sauce. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, sour cream, and feta. Serve.

Goulash

2011-08-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

We spent some time in northern Arizona in a cabin this past week, and I wanted to make a dish that was delicious and warming. When I ran across this Goulash recipe from Smitten Kitchen I knew I wanted to try it.

I loved this recipe, and the chunks of meat got all tender from the long simmer time. If I had been at home with all my spices and seasonings, I probably would have added a dash of hot sauce of some sort. Otherwise it was perfect just the way it was.

Make and enjoy!

Makes about 16 cups, serving 12

5 slices bacon, chopped

3 pounds boneless chuck, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 medium onions (about 1 1/2 pounds), chopped fine

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons paprika (preferably Hungarian sweet)

1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup red-wine vinegar

1/4 cup tomato paste

5 cups beef broth1 to 5 cups water or beer (use the former to make a stew, the latter to make a soup)

1 teaspoon salt

2 red bell peppers, chopped fine

In an 8-quart heavy kettle cook bacon over moderate heat, stirring, until crisp and transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. In fat remaining in kettle brown chuck in small batches over high heat, transferring it as browned with slotted spoon to bowl.

Reduce heat to moderate and add oil. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until golden. Stir in paprika, caraway seeds, and flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Whisk in vinegar and tomato paste and cook, whisking, 1 minute. (Mixture will be very thick.) Stir in broth, water, salt, bell peppers, bacon, and chuck and bring to a boil, stirring. Simmer soup, covered, stirring occasionally, 60 to 75 minutes.

Season soup with salt and pepper. Soup may be made 3 days ahead and cooled, uncovered, before chilling, covered. Reheat soup, thinning with water if desired.

*this is a giant recipe...I halved it and it fed 6 just fine

*I used half beer and half water, so it turned out a little more "soupy"

Before we took off for the mountains I was looking for a quick and easy dinner to make and decided on this CPK copycat for Thai Chicken Pizza.

Honestly I can't find the exact recipe I used (helpful, I know), but there are dozens out there. I bought a premade whole wheat crust from Trader Joe's to save time. It was good at first, but I'm not 100% sure I like Thai food, and the peanut butter flavor got a bit overwhelming.

Also before we left, I had the opportunity to try these wonderful little sandwich croissants made by Thomas.

I'd like to say I did something clever with them like made a breakfast sandwich or fill them with a beautiful chicken salad, but no. They were tasty and we just shoved them in our mouths. Maybe next time I'll be more patient and do something fun with them. I would definitely buy them if I saw them at the store.

Igloo Cake

2011-07-19T16:02:00.000-07:00

It's most likely I never would have picked this recipe out on my own. But my son loves flipping through cookbooks and finding recipes and he saw this one and kept after me until we tried it.

May I just say, thank you Simon. What a light and delicious cake, just perfect for summer! The recipe in the book is called "Snowball Cake" but because of the shape of the bowl we used, it looked more like an igloo. This is what it looks like after dumping it out of the bowl.

It uses a store bought angel food cake (or your own if you want to make it), and some crushed pineapple, cool whip and gelatin. It involves a little investment of time just because it has to gel a little bit.

Here's the recipe, make and enjoy.

Printer-Friendly Recipe

2 tbsp unflavored gelatin

1/4 cup cold water

1 cup boiling water

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

20 oz crushed pineapple, drained

16 oz cool whip thawed

1 prepared angel food cake (8 inch, cut into cubes)

1 1/2 cups flaked coconut

In a bowl, sprinkle gelatin over cold water; let stand for 1 minute. Add boiling water; stir until gelatin is dissolved. Stir in sugar and lemon juice until sugar is dissolved. Add pineapple. Refrigerate until partially thickened, about 20 minutes. Fold in 4 cups whipped topping.

Line a 3 qt round bowl with plastic wrap. Spoon about 2 cups of pineapple mixture into bowl. Layer with half of the cake cubes and half of the remaining pineapple mixture. Repeat layers. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Unmold onto a serving plate. Spread remaining whipped topping over dessert. Sprinkle with coconut.

Magic Milkshake

2011-07-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

I read about these milkshakes several years ago on a site called "Hillbilly Housewife". I just never could remember to buy the powdered milk you need to make these, and finally got around to doing it.

It seems when I first read about it, the article said that these were supposed to taste like a Frosty from Wendy's. It doesn't say it there anymore, so I'm not sure if I dreamed it or what, but you might say they are a little frosty-like.

The ingredient list is a little bizarre as it adds 2 tbsp of corn oil, which seems like an odd thing to add to milkshakes. But according to the recipe it's essential for the "creaminess" of the drink. It's certainly not calorie friendly. I sat here last night and tried to calculate the calories and thought "yikes!" But I suppose if you used splenda instead of sugar, maybe 1/2 the oil, it might not be so bad.

Anyway, enough blabbering, here's the recipe. As far as what we thought about it, the girls in the house thought it was pretty yummy, and the boys weren't too impressed. Maybe it's a girl thing.

1-1/2 to 2 cups ice water
1-1/2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 1-1/2 trays of ice cubes, as much as you can spare
2 tablespoons corn oil plus a 5-second squirt of non-stick spray for emulsification purposes

Place all of the ingredients into the blender, including the oil and the non-stick spray. Use less water for thicker milk shakes and more water for shakes that are easy on your blender motor. The blender should be about 3/4′s full. Place the lid on. Process for a full 2 minutes. Pour into cups and serve. Makes 4 – 12oz servings

It seems to me you could doctor this recipe up to make any flavor combination you like.

Fruited Cheesecake Flag

2011-07-04T15:32:00.000-07:00

Not to whine and complain (cause that just wouldn't be like me), but 4th of July just isn't as much fun as it was back in my little hometown. There were rides, and food, and a parade. I'm especially bummed since I've learned that parade now includes monkeys riding miniature donkeys.

But I guess the day is what you make it, and the neighbors have already started their loud hippity hop music and fireworks. Who could blame them it's only 110 today.

So my day shall include this cookie based cheesecake flag and I shall cease and desist with the whining.

I saw this at Mel's Kitchen Cafe and thought it was the cutest thing. My son is a fan of cheesecake and berries, so he likes it especially much.

Here's the recipe if you feel inclined to make it.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
12 ounces (3 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature
8-9 ounces (1-2 cups) blueberries
1 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced lengthwise into thirds
12 ounces (3 cups) raspberries
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Coat a 13-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the long sides. Coat parchment with cooking spray.

Sift flour and 1 3/4 teaspoons salt into a medium bowl. In a large bowl, cream the butter with a mixer on medium-high speed, occasionally scraping bowl, until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. With the mixer running, slowly add light brown sugar, beating until very pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture all at once, and beat on low speed until just incorporated.

Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. Press the dough into an even layer that covers the bottom of the sheet. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Bake the dough until the entire surface is golden brown, about 30-35 minutes. Let the cookie base cool completely in the baking sheet. Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed, occasionally scraping bowl, until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add granulated sugar in a slow, steady stream. Scrape the bowl, then mix in lemon zest, vanilla and a pinch of salt until well combined. Scrape the bowl, then beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, until incorporated. The mixture should be very smooth; scrape the bowl as necessary. Pour the cheesecake batter over the crust and spread into an even layer.

Bake the cheesecake until the filling is set, about 20-25 minutes. Let the cheesecake cool completely in the baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm and cold, about 4 hours (or overnight).

Run a sharp knife along short sides of sheet, and use the parchment overhangs to lift out the cheesecake. Run the knife under hot water and dry well. Use it to cut the cheesecake into 48 squares, wiping the knife clean between cuts.

Transfer squares to a serving platter, reforming the rectangle. Decorate the top left squares (3 down and 4 across), with a mound of blueberries on each square. Use raspberries (about 4 per square) to decorate the 1st, 3rd and 5th rows (the 1st and 3rd rows are shorter rows since part of them are decorated with blueberries). Decorate the remaining rows in one of two ways: either dust them with powdered sugar for a completely white row or place three cut strawberries on each square and dust the tops of the strawberries with powdered sugar. If using this method (to dust the strawberries with powdered sugar), dust the strawberries immediately before serving as the powdered sugar will begin to dissolve into the juiciness of the strawberries.

Serve immediately (or refrigerate for up to 3 hours).

Hope you and yours are having a great 4th of July!

Rosemary Bread

2011-07-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you know this about me, but I'm very impressionable. If I had the time and the money, I'd probably spend it all making just about every last thing I see all of you posting up on your blogs. But I don't, so I have to choose. And a tough choice it is...but it really helps when I already have all the ingredients, such as with this Macaroni Grill copycat recipe I saw at Brenda's Canadian Kitchen.

I've only been to the Macaroni Grill once or twice, and it's been quite some time ago. So I honestly don't remember what kind of bread they served. I just remember their macaroni was not grilled, which teed me off just a little. But, if they are serving this type of bread, I apparently need to give them a revisit. I love that this is easy and delicious. And the smell of fresh bread is always a good thing, but when rosemary is added to the mix...that's just even more awesome.

Make this, you'll be glad you did :)

1 cup water

1 1/4-ounce packet active dry yeast

2 tsp. sugar

2 T extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing and serving (divided)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2 T dried rosemary (divided)

1 tsp. fine salt

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

Stir the yeast, sugar and 1/4 cup warm water in a large bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer). Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, the flour, 1 1/2 tablespoons rosemary, the fine salt and 3/4 cup warm water; stir with a wooden spoon (or with the dough hook if using a mixer) until a dough forms.Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, dusting lightly with flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. (Or knead with the dough hook on medium-high speed, adding a little flour if the dough sticks to the bowl, about 8 minutes.)Brush a large bowl with olive oil. Add the dough, cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until more than doubled, about 2 hours.*Brush 2 baking sheets with olive oil. Generously flour a work surface; turn the dough out onto the flour and divide into 4 pieces. Working with one piece at a time, sprinkle some flour on the dough, then fold the top and bottom portions into the middle. Fold in the sides to make a free-form square. Use a spatula to turn the dough over, then tuck the corners under to form a ball. Place seam-side down on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, putting 2 balls on each baking sheet. Let stand, uncovered, until more than doubled, about 2 hours.**Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake the loaves 10 minutes; brush with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with the kosher salt and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon rosemary (work very quickly when you do this). Continue baking until golden brown, about 10 more minutes.*** Transfer to a rack to cool. Serve with olive oil seasoned with pepper.Makes 4 small round loaves of bread.

Baked Beans with Swiss Chard

2011-06-30T08:57:00.000-07:00

This is a delicious (if not somewhat unphotogenic) recipe found in the most recent issue of The Food Network's magazine.

This isn't your typical sweet and bacon-y baked bean recipe (although I do love that kind). This lets more of the bean flavor come through, and adds some swiss chard for a little extra nutrition.

We found it pretty yummy. I was making shredded pork the same night so used that instead of the lean turkey or ham called for in the recipe.

Here's how to make it....

Printer Friendly Version

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 small onion, chopped

1 small stalk celery, finely chopped

1 small carrot, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 small bunch Swiss chard or mustard greens, stems removed, leaves chopped

1/2 cup diced smoked turkey or lean ham (about 2 ounces)

1 15-ounce can whole tomatoes, crushed by hand

2 15-ounce cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-ounce can navy beans, undrained

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and golden, about 7 minutes.

Add the chard, turkey and 1/4 cup water to the skillet; cook, stirring, until the chard wilts slightly, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, increase the heat to medium high and simmer until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Add the pinto beans, then add the navy beans and their liquid. Add the parsley, thyme and oregano and return to a simmer.

Coarsely mash about one-quarter of the beans in the skillet with a potato masher or fork to thicken the mixture; season with salt. Transfer to a 2-quart baking dish. Cover and bake 45 minutes, then uncover and bake 10 more minutes.

Champagne Cake with Raspberry Filling

2011-06-25T07:52:00.000-07:00

Ever since I've known my husband he has talked about a champagne cake he used to get from a local bakery where he grew up. All the time, 24/7, that's all he talks about. After 14 years, I finally took a hint.

This cake was AWE-sum! I made it for my husband's birthday, and because I was pressed for time, I made the layers a few days ahead, wrapped them tightly and froze them. It worked out just great! (thanks Monica :)

I'm not very good at the fancy frosting thing, but I put a thin layer on first, froze it just a tad, then put the rest of the frosting on. It kept the crumbs from getting all over the place.

This cake was so flavorful, it was light and rich at the same time. I seriously can't wait for an occasion to make it again. In fact I'm a little sad right now thinking about it, since it's all gone.

Here is the recipe I found at a site called Mixing Bowl. The article is geared towards making it for a wedding cake, but don't worry, the proportions are just right for a two layer cake.

Ingredients:

Champagne Cake
6 eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup softened margarine*
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup good-quality Champagne

Raspberry Filling
3/4 cup frozen raspberries
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon good-quality Champagne
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Water

Champagne Frosting
2/3 cup margarine
6 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons good-quality Champagne
1 to 2 tablespoons water (plus more if needed))

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

Separate eggs, reserving whites and discarding all but one egg yolk. Set egg yolk aside. In a large bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

In a medium bowl stir to combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl beat butter and sugar together with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in the reserved egg yolk and the vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and Champagne to the butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition until just combined. Fold 1/2 of the beaten egg whites into the batter to lighten. Fold the remaining beaten egg whites into the batter. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Loosen sides, remove from pans, and cool completely.

To make the Raspberry filling, combine the raspberries, sugar, Champagne, and water in a small saucepan. Stir and heat over medium heat until mixture is bubbling. Strain raspberry mixture through a sieve into a bowl. Discard seeds. Pour strained raspberries back into the saucepan and heat until bubbling. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and just enough to make a slurry. Whisk cornstarch slurry into strained raspberries (add slurry slowly and if raspberries thicken up before all the slurry is gone, discard remaining slurry). Remove from heat and chill completely in refrigerator.

Meanwhile, to make frosting, beat the margarine on high speed with an electric mixer for about 30 seconds. Beat in the powdered sugar until combined. Beat in the Champagne and vanilla. Beat in enough water to make frosting of spreading consistency.

To assemble cake, spread Raspberry Filling in the center of one cake layer (leaving about 1/2 inch border around the edges uncovered). Top with the second cake layer. Frost the tops and sides of the cake with the Champagne Frosting. If desired, use a pastry bag to pipe remaining frosting in decorative designs on the tops and sides.

I decided to use the frosting between the layers along with the raspberry sauce.

Honey Lavender Ice Cream

2011-06-24T08:14:00.019-07:00

You know that smell when you go into a health food store or farmer's market (like Sprouts), near the lotions and beauty items aisle? Kind of a strong, floral smell? If you really really like that smell and wish you could have it in something to eat, this ice cream is for you.

I had seen recipes around with lavender in them, and wanted to give it a try. When I bought my little dried lavender flowers and brought them home, after a thorough sniffing I was pretty sure it wasn't something I would enjoy in a foodstuff, but I proceeded anyway.

This recipe is from Epicurious. It starts out by making a custard, and really isn't difficult; and the consistency was definitely pleasing....

....this was after freezing overnight. But it smelled and tasted more like a soap to me. Maybe I should melt it down for Lavender Milk Bath :)

But if you are someone who enjoys that flavor, I do recommend this recipe. Here it is for you.

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup half-and-half

2/3 cup mild honey

2 tablespoons dried edible lavender flowers

2 large eggs

1/8 teaspoon salt

Bring cream, half-and-half, honey, and lavender just to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, then remove pan from heat. Let steep, covered, 30 minutes.

Pour cream mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and discard lavender. Return mixture to cleaned saucepan and heat over moderate heat until hot.

Whisk together eggs and salt in a large bowl, then add 1 cup hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking. Pour into remaining hot cream mixture in saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thick enough to coat back of spoon and registers 170 to 175°F on thermometer, about 5 minutes (do not let boil).

Pour custard through sieve into cleaned bowl and cool completely, stirring occasionally. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 3 hours.

Freeze custard in ice cream maker. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.

P.S. I'll bet this recipe would be just dandy if you substituted some vanilla bean for the lavender.

Twice Baked Butternut Squash

2011-06-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

It's time for the butternuts again...looks like we've got a bountiful harvest for our little backyard. Martha Stewart's recipe for Twice Baked butternuts looked like a good one to try.

pictures on aluminum foil are just a bad idea

And good it was, and pretty darned easy too. I was most surprised that the girl child even like it! Give it a whirl if you get a chance...here's the recipe for you.

Printer Friendly Recipe

6 butternut squash (about 9 pounds total)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon nonfat sour cream
2 teaspoons paprika
6 fresh chives, cut into 1/8-inch pieces
3 tablespoons fresh breadcrumbs, lightly toasted

Heat oven to 450 degrees with the rack in center. Halve squash lengthwise, and remove seeds and fibers. Sprinkle squash halves with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Fill a roasting pan with 1/4 inch water. Place squash in pan. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake until squash is tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer squash to a cool surface, and let cool enough to handle. Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees.
Use a spoon to scoop baked flesh out of each half into a large bowl, leaving a 1/4-inch border around six of the halves so they will keep their shape. To the bowl, add sour cream, paprika, chives, and remaining teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix with a handheld electric mixer or potato masher until smooth and well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Fill six squash halves with mixture (discard remaining six empty halves). Sprinkle tops with toasted breadcrumbs. Bake until golden brown and warm throughout, 20 to 30 minutes. Serve.
Things I did differently:
I didn't use 6 butternuts, just one, so just decreased the other ingredients by eye-balling it.
I nuked the butternut before the second baking to speed things up. I added just a little butter and used store bought bread crumbs.

As a side note, I recently tried to make Jamie Oliver's recipe for homemade ketchup . This sort of fell under the category of "what was I thinking?".

It started out promising with some lovely homegrown tomatoes and a mix of other lovely veggies (everything Jamie uses is lovely so I felt I needed to follow suit).

When he made this on TV it came together pretty quickly, but in reality there's a lot of "cooking down" time. Where is my fast forward button when I need it?

Smelled really great, but in the end, it never thickened up at all, it was more of a "runny tomato sauce". I ended up using it to flavor some sloppy joes and it was really nice, but way more work that I am interested in investing for such a small result. Probably yielded just shy of 2 cups. Oh well, live and learn!

Monster Cookies for Dad

2011-06-19T17:08:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone has had a great Father's day, be it showering your husbands or father's with attention, or if you are the dad and were the recipient of much praise and adoration. Or if it was a time of quiet reflection of the dad who's no long with you, hopefully with many happy memories left behind.

I don't talk in depth about the dad of my kids here on the ol' blog very much, other than a casual mention. He's kind of a private person and I'm sure prefers it that way. (Thank goodness I'm not a well known blogger who scatters pictures of her entire family all over the place...ha!) But I have to say he's a great dad and a great husband and we are blessed to have him. Since I was feeling especially thoughtful with it being father's day and all, I wanted to do something extra nice and make some cookies that reminded him of his past. He had recently got his hands on his grandmother's monster cookie recipe, so I decided to take a stab at making them for him.

No pressure there! These cookies hold memories that are near and dear to him, and my hope was that even if they weren't just like grandma's, they would at least remind him of her cookies and bring back happy feelings of a simpler time.

I had the pleasure of meeting his grandmother only once, she has since passed.

We traveled to Iowa and stayed with her for a few days. I remember sitting at her kitchen table and watching in amazement while she made a pie completely from scratch, never once consulting a recipe, and chatting the whole time. I'm sure that sort of thing was as natural to her as brushing her teeth.

So how did the cookies turn out? Were they just like grandma's or was there something lacking? I'll never know of course, because my husband would be too kind to tell me they weren't up to snuff. But they are definitely tasty! I made the entire recipe and boy do they make a lot!

Here's a scan of the copy of Grandma Litwiller's recipe that I followed.

I was surprised after reading through the recipe more closely there was no flour! I wondered if it was a mistake...but I decided to trust the recipe and go with it. And I started to improvise and use butter, but then decided if the lady said oleo, I'd better do what she said. We left out the coconut, and as far as a "bag" of m&m's, I just threw in however many made my skirt fly up.

I had Simon in the kitchen helping me each step of the way. He helped with the m&m's by stuffing the majority of them into his face.

okay, maybe I scatter a few pictures here and there, but I'm not well known so it's okay :)

White Beans and Cabbage

2011-06-11T14:08:00.000-07:00

I saw this dish as made by Joanne at Eats Well With Others, and new I had to make it mine. I adore cabbage and don't use it nearly as much as I should.

I sauteed some brats first to go with this dish, then proceeded to prepare the cabbage in the same pan and liked the flavor it added. I also added a little of the flipflop Chardonnay toward the end and think that was a great touch too :)

Here's the recipe...hope you'll give it a try if you get a chance.

Printer Friendly Recipe

2 tbsp olive oil
4 oz potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed and cut into tiny cubes
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1 cup dried white beans, soaked and cooked (I used canned)
8 oz finely shredded green cabbage
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1. Pour the olive oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and a big pinch of salt. Toss, cover, and cook until potatoes are cooked through, about 5-8 minutes. Be sure to scrape the pan and toss the potatoes once or twice so that all sides get browned.

2. Stir in the shallot and the beans. Let the beans cook in a single layer for a few minutes, until they brown a bit. Then scrape and toss again. Cook until the beans are lightly brown and crispy on all sides.

3. Stir in the cabbage and cook for another minute, until the cabbage loses its structure. Serve dusted with parmesan.

We ended up having a bit of a multi-cultural meal this particular night.

Along with the cabbage and brats, we had some Mexican Corn Cups I had seen made on the Food Network quite some time ago. (I loved these, I'll put the recipe below for you), and my attempt at fried green tomatoes covered with some homemade salsa. Not a bad meal!

Mexican Corn Cups:

(from Food Network)

4 ears sweet corn, husked and silks removed
4 tablespoons mayonnaise or Mexican sour cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
6 tablespoons crumbled queso fresco or mild feta cheese
Ground chili powder for sprinkling
Salt, for sprinkling
Lime wedges, for serving, optional

Directions

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the corn and cook until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the corn to a platter and allow them to cool slightly. Using a serrated knife, remove the kernels from the corn. Divide the corn between 4 individual cups or small glasses. Put 1 tablespoon mayonnaise (I used sour cream) and 1 tablespoon butter in each glass. Sprinkle with cheese, chili powder, and salt. Serve with the lime wedges, if desired.

Cube Steak Sandwich and Flip Flop Wines

2011-06-08T06:31:00.002-07:00

Of course this is really "Marlboro Man's favorite sandwich" from The Pioneer Woman. But I just felt too silly to call it that.

It really is a ~~butter-laden monstrosity~~ wonderful sandwich that the whole family enjoyed. I love the "au jus" that goes along with it...sorta like a kicked up french dip.

Here's PW's recipe. I'll admit that I didn't use quite as much butter as she did, I just toasted the buns instead of grilling them, and I added a little red wine to the final product and simmered it just a bit. (If you feel the need for the 15 step tutorial on how to slice an onion you can click here for the recipe on PW's site)

1 whole Large (or 2 Small) Onions
2 sticks Butter (lots And Lots Of Butter)
2 pounds (to 3 Pounds) Cube Steak (tenderized Round Steak That's Been Extra Tenderized)
Lawry's Seasoned Salt (or Similar Seasoned Salt)
½ cups (approximately) Worcestershire Sauce
Tabasco Sauce, To Taste
4 whole French/deli Rolls

Preparation Instructions

Slice onions and cook in 1/4 stick butter until soft and light brown. Remove and set aside.

Slice cube steak against the grain. Season with Lawry’s.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter over high heat (in same skillet) until melted and beginning to brown. Add meat in single layer. Cook one side until brown, then flip and cook until brown, about a minute on both sides.

Add 1/2 cup (at least) Worcestershire sauce, 5 to 6 shakes Tabasco, and 2 tablespoons butter. Add cooked onions. Stir to combine.

Butter halved French rolls and brown in skillet.

To assemble, lay bottom half of French roll on plate. Place meat mixture, followed by a

spoonful of juice from the pan. Top with other half of roll.

So, speaking of wine, I was recently given the opportunity to try a variety of wines made by flipflop.

You know, I'm not much of a wine expert, but I have to say I really enjoyed the chardonnay....really light and refreshing. I haven't had a chance to try the other two but am looking forward to it. Not only are these wines tasty, and quite reasonably priced, they also take part in helping others through an organization called Soles4Souls. Since 2005, Soles4Souls has distributed over 14 million pairs of new and gently used shoes to people in need. And for each bottle of flipflop wines sold, Soles4Souls distributes a pair of shoes. Sounds like a win-win to me!

Seven Sporadic Questions: Krista's Kitchen

2011-06-05T07:34:00.000-07:00

A few posts back I made two different recipes that I had found at the same blog, Krista's Kitchen. So it seemed only fitting that I feature her for June's episode of Seven Sporadic Questions.

When I read Krista's blog, I get the mental image of a super-organized person who loves trying new things, and is very family oriented. Let's visit with her now!

1. What inspired you to start blogging?

I don’t know if it was inspiration so much as efficiency that motivated me to start my blog. Here’s the

story: In the winter of 2007 we moved from Indiana to Atlanta, GA. Since it was the middle of the school

year, I didn’t look for a teaching job while we settled into our new home. (Before we moved I taught high

school Family and Consumer Science or “Home Ec” classes). While we were in Georgia and I wasn’t

working, I was able to really dedicate some time to one of my passions: cooking! I tried new recipes,

learned new techniques, perfected my favorite dishes, and invented a few of my own. Also, during this

time, my youngest daughter was born. I decided to start a family blog to keep all of our relatives and

friends “back home” updated on the happenings of our little family. After starting our family blog, I

discovered other blogs. I found Ree Drummond’s blog, “The Pioneer Woman Cooks” by clicking a link

on one of the blogs I was reading. “How cool!” I thought. “A whole blog dedicated just to what she’s

cooking. That’s a great idea!”

When we were transferred to Ohio in the summer of 2008 for my husband’s job, I began getting a lot of

phone calls and emails from friends in Georgia and my friends and family in Indiana requesting recipes

and advice about meal planning. Looking up recipes and returning calls and emails was taking up a lot of

time. Not that I minded, but trying to keep up with a 3 year old and crawling baby while unpacking were

already keeping me pretty busy! Then I remembered the Pioneer Woman’s blog and thought, “Wouldn’t

that be convenient?” I could put my tips for meal planning and all of my recipes into a blog and then my

friends and family could access them whenever they wanted. I actually thought that blogging would save

me time by not needing to look up a few recipes! You bloggers know that this is not the case. At the time,

I also didn’t realize that there were like, a GAZILLION other food bloggers out there. Nearly a year after

I began my blog, the movie “Julie and Julia” hit the theatres. By then, people besides my family were

reading my blog. I got a lot of, “Oh, so you saw the movie and then started a food blog? “ Nope. I was

clueless. : )

2. What's your favorite thing to make for a crowd?

I always make dessert when I’m having company over. My husband isn’t big on sweets and my oldest

daughter only likes brownies. If I make a dessert, I’m usually the one that ends up eating the whole thing.

So I usually try to wait until company is coming to make dessert. I love to bake. You know that theory

that you’re either a cook or a baker? It doesn’t apply to me. I was a baker first, and then became a cook

later out of necessity- I had to get dinner on the table for my family. Now I enjoy doing both.

I love to cook for a crowd, so consequently, we entertain whenever I can get people to come over. I

sometimes make my old favorites, but I often test out new recipes on company. I love to make fussy little

appetizers that both look impressive and taste amazing when we host a party. However, my most

requested summer recipes for a crowd are Bruschetta, as well as Beef On A Stick, Spicy Peanut Chicken

Kabobs, and Rotini Salad.

3. What's your favorite thing to make for just you?

I tend to make seafood or Asian cuisine (or a combination of the two) when it’s just me. Recipes like

Linguine with Clam Sauce, Coconut Shrimp Soup, and sushi are some of my favorites. Oh, and I love to

make a Caprese Salad for my very own lunch in the summertime

4. If you could invite 3 famous people (living or dead) to dinner, who would they be? Any

particular reason?

Curtis Stone. When I was in college and during the first few years after I joined “the real world”, I was a

huge fan of TLC’s “Take Home Chef”. I used to wish that Curtis Stone would pick me up in the

supermarket and come home with me for an afternoon of cooking! So, I guess I’d start with him. (I may

still have a teensy weensy married woman’s crush on him.) Can you blame me? Have mercy, he is HOT!

Plus, I recently read one of his cookbooks and cooked some of the recipes and they really are fabulous. Of

course we wouldn’t have to cook or eat. He could just talk to me with that cute Australian accent of his….

I don’t think that I’d pick another famous person. Truthfully, I don’t give a lot of thought to famous

people. Maybe because I’m so far from their world? I’d rather have dinner with the people I already know

and love. Since becoming a stay-at-home mom, a girls’ night out is one of my favorite things to do.

Dinner with my 2 sisters and/or a group of my best girlfriends is always just what I need to put me in a

good mood. Dinner with a famous person would certainly be something to brag about, but I’m pretty sure

I’d have more fun with “my girls” on any given night.

Finally, I would love to sit down with my grandma one more time. My dad’s mom lost her battle with

cancer when I was a freshman in high school. She wasn’t famous, but she certainly was a great lady! I’ve

always wished that I could sit down with her now that I am an adult and get her perspective on things and

hear her stories.

5. When you think of your childhood, do any favorite dishes come to mind?

Many of my childhood memories are centered around my family’s kitchen. Growing up on a farm,

everything came from our barn or garden and everything was made from scratch! I come from a long line

of good cooks and I spent hours learning from my mom and my grandmas. I have written about many of

my childhood favorites on my blog. Some standouts are fresh green beans, fried mushrooms, ham and

beans with cornbread, my mom’s lasagna, and desserts like Texas Sheet cake, homemade ice cream,

lemon lush, apple dumplings, and rhubarb cream pie.

6. What do you have in your kitchen that you just couldn't do without? (besides your stove/oven of

course)

I absolutely love my Santoku knife. I use it every day. A super sharp knife is a must have! Also, my

beloved KitchenAid stand mixer, my immersion blender, my Pampered Chef chopper and microplane

grater, and my wooden spoons and rubber scrapers.

7. What's your favorite part of blogging? Do you think you'll keep doing it for a while?

I have always enjoyed writing, so blogging about food is a great way to combine two things that I enjoy.

While I started blogging so that friends and family could have easy access to my recipes, my blog has also

become a creative outlet for me. Plus, I like that fact that I have a record of nearly everything I have

prepared in my kitchen over the last 2 years. If I want to remember what I thought of a recipe or how I

executed a certain step, I only have to type the name of the recipe into a search bar on my blog and I can

see all of the details

Writing a food blog also challenges me to keep learning about food and cooking and to keep trying new

recipes. The saying “practice makes perfect” holds true. I have become a better cook, photographer, and

writer because I exercise those skills almost daily to provide content for my blog.

I also like blogging for the fact that you put the information out there and then receive feedback. Whether

it’s a tip, a new recipe, or just a word of encouragement, I enjoy hearing from the people who are reading

my blog. This brings me to the final reason I enjoy blogging- the friendships that I have made as a result.

Sure, they are friendships based on reading each other’s blogs and responding with comments, emails,

and facebook messages but the friends I’ve made in the blogging world are not so different from the

friends that I see in person. We share parts of our lives with each other, offer support, and genuinely care.

So, for all of the reasons that I listed above, I do believe that I will keep blogging for some time. I’ve been

at it for 2 years and 7 months now. While I’m not turning out posts every day like I did in the beginning

(before I had to balance work and family activities and caring for a new house with a great big lawn), I

still shoot for 2-3 posts per week. Some weeks I really have to force myself to get a post up- there never

seem to be enough hours in my day-but my blog is something that I’m not willing to let go of.

Well, I don't know about y'all, but after reading that I'm pretty darned hungry! Somebody pass the sushi!

p.s. I'm not sure why my paragraph lines came out all broken like that...sorry :)

Algerian Bouzgene Berber Bread with Roasted Pepper Sauce

2011-05-26T22:14:00.000-07:00

To be honest, I really don't know what a couple of the words in that post title mean. But I found this recipe printed out next to my husband's computer....I can take a hint. So I'm not really sure of the source of the recipe.

It turned out to be a little more of a time investment than I expected, but I'm glad I made it. You just can't go wrong with roasted red peppers. I love the aroma when they come out of the oven.

The bread is pretty plain and simple, so it pairs perfectly with the zesty sauce.

Here's the recipe for you

Printer Friendly Recipe

Ingredients

2 red bell peppers
4 tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
salt to taste
2 pounds semolina
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
3 cups water, or as needed
4 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons olive oil for frying

Directions

Preheat your oven's broiler. Place red bell peppers and tomatoes on a baking sheet, and roast under the broiler for about 8 minutes, turning occasionally. This should blacken the skin and help it peel off more easily. Cool, then scrape the skins off of the tomatoes and peppers, and place them in a large bowl. Remove cores and seeds from the bell peppers.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the jalapenos and garlic, and cook until tender, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, and transfer the garlic and jalapeno to the bowl with the tomatoes and red peppers. Using two sharp steak knives (one in each hand), cut up the tomatoes and peppers to a coarse and soupy consistency. Stir, and set sauce aside. (I preferred just cutting the veggies up before putting them in the bowl)
Place the semolina in a large bowl, and stir in salt and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Gradually add water while mixing and squeezing with your hand until the dough holds together without being sticky or dry, and molds easily with the hand. (I only ended up using about 2 cups of the water.) Divide into 6 pieces and form into balls.
For each round, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Roll out dough one round at a time, to no thicker than 1/4 inch. Fry in the hot skillet until dark brown spots appear on the surface, and they are crispy. Remove from the skillet, and wrap in a clean towel while preparing the remaining flat breads.
To eat the bread and sauce, break off pieces of the bread, and scoop them into the sauce. It will slide off, but just keep reaching in!

Rhubarb Crisp

2011-05-23T21:16:00.003-07:00

So I've been lurking around at a blog called Krista's Kitchen lately and have a couple of new dishes to show for it. Firstly is this rhubarb crisp that we had for dessert tonight.

I have to say, I don't really think I've ever tried rhubarb before in my life. If I have I sure don't remember it. Did you know the leaves are poisonous? I guess that's why they sell only the stalks. Anyway, it's a pretty tart fruit (or is it a veggie?) so this recipe has a ton of sugar in it.

I loved the combination of the tart and the sweet, along with the oatmeal and brown sugar flavors in the topping. Give it a go if you get a chance!

Here's Krista's recipe:

Printer Friendly Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup quick cooking rolled oats

1/2 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

4 cups sliced rhubarb

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

In mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, oats, butter and cinnamon; mix together until crumbly. Press half of the brown sugar and oats mixture into a buttered 8-inch square baking dish. Top with the sliced rhubarb.

In a saucepan combine 1 cup granulated sugar, cornstarch, and the 1 cup of water and vanilla. Cook together until clear, then pour over rhubarb.

Top rhubarb with remaining crumb mixture and bake at 350° for 45 to 55 minutes.

Also tonight from Krista's blog we had her Cheesy Chicken Toritilla Soup.

I had been in the mood for regular torilla soup, and saw this cheesy variety, and said "sign me up!".

It's pretty tasty, to me it's more dip-like than soup-like. Either way, a bowl full of melty cheese is always a good thing.

Here's the recipe for the soup:

Ingredients

•1 envelope Taco Seasoning

•1-½ pound Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Diced

•½ cups Chopped Onion

•2 T Butter

•⅓ cups Flour

•2-½ cups broth, chicken or vegetable

•8-12 oz. 2% Milk Velveeta, cubed

•8 oz. Shredded Monterey Jack or Mexican 4 cheese blend shredded cheese

•1 jar salsa (any Variety)

•1 cup half and half or milk

•Fritos, green onion, and sour cream (for garnish)

Preparation Instructions

In a skillet, add seasoning and diced chicken. Cook until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Drain, and set aside.

In large saucepan (or pot), saute onion in butter for 2 minutes. Stir in flour until blended, then gradually stir in the broth. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for two minutes longer, or until thickened slightly. Add Velveeta, shredded cheese and salsa. Cook on medium-low until cheese is melted.

Stir in half and half. Add the chicken back in. Stir. Heat through but do not boil. Remove from heat and enjoy.

On a side note, my totally awesome hubby surprised me today with a brand spanky new laptop! My old one was slower than a turtle in a coma, and was a little "quirky", putting it mildly. This one looks at me and says "c'mon slowpoke, whatcha waitin' for?" Okay, so it's a little mouthy, but I love it! Thanks for the early birthday present!

Anyway, since I'm on a different machine, it may take me a while to get all my old bookmarks found again. But be patient, I'll find you!

*I shared this as a part of Potluck Sunday @ Mommy's Kitchen*