A Couple Cooks

Covet

2011-11-28T17:22:00.001-08:00

I am officially obsessed with Williams Sonoma Goldtouch bake pans and want them all! Well all the ones I use frequently at least. I want to buy nothing else because I am sosososo amazed by them. Must find a way to buy them now;) Time to start a bakesale or something considering it would only be 300 bucks to buy all the baking pans I want bahahah. So if you are in the mood for some good baking pans check those babies out!

A Few Favorite Treats

2011-11-06T07:30:00.000-08:00

My sister in law is having a baby soon, but after that we have been planning to start a fun food blog together, hence my lack of posts. But in the mean time, I thought I would share a few favorite treats.
Hot Cocoa is a must have now that we have already had 2 big snow storms. I love this recipe because it is all natural, I have everything I need on hand and it's very easy to tweek for flavor.

1/3 cup cocoa-our favorite to use is scharffenberger, but you have to look hard to find it affordably!!!

3/4 C sugar

4 C milk

splash of vanilla

pinch of salt

Mix 1st three ingredients and put over low heat until smooth and hot. Add last 2 ingredients and enjoy. If serving for kiddos add a little extra milk to cool it and make it not so strong. We also like to add a spoonful of caramel sauce for fun. You could add a drop of mint instead of vanilla or a spoonful of seedless raspberry preserves too!
Doughnuts

Chocolate Glaze
Apple Challah Bread
Cheesecake recipe courtesy of Dorie Greenspan topped with a basic ganache, whipped cream and strawberries.

Corn Chowder

2011-09-12T19:56:00.000-07:00

Couldn't find a recipe that had everything I wanted, so I combined a few and it turned out pretty good. So for a little lighter corn chowder, here we go:

3 large onions(sweet ones are my favorite), chopped

2 T olive oil

4 T butter

3 cloves garlic

8 T flour

1 heaping tsp dried thyme

1 heaping tsp dried parsley

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

12 C chicken broth

2 C whole milk(half and half or cream if you feel the need)

12 ears of corn cut off cob, or 2 lbs frozen corn(fresh makes a huge difference)

10 slices bacon, cooked and strained

Saute onion until it starts to become translucent. Add garlic and butter and saute for a few more minutes. Add flour and spices and cook for one more minute. Add broth and milk, bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Add corn and bring back to a boil then add bacon and turn off heat. Serve with cheese, chives and bread.

Black and White Brownies

2011-05-11T16:23:00.000-07:00

I have an addiction. If I see a new kind of chocolate at the grocery store, I have to buy it. If I see an old favorite at the store, I must buy it. It's addicting I tell you, sales and chocolate. One day at target I took a stroll down the candy isle only to find Lindt bars two bucks a piece. One dark chocolate sea salt and one white chocolate coconut bar later I strolled away with a smile. After my white chocolate experience I decided I needed more so while in Atlanta I purchased myself a bar of Trader Joe's new white chocolate with 45% coco butter.

Then the white chocolate recipe search began and this recipe is what I found. Yum, yum, I could not stop eating these things. Neither could Jacob, he kept telling me what colors he wanting, thinking I would be so impressed I would keep giving him some....it worked, for two brownies at least.

Although irrelevant to the matter of chocolate, I kinda love my babies. They are beautiful inside and out. So since I look at them in the mirror all day, I feel beautiful. It's almost as though I feel I am looking at myself because I see them more than myself.

White Chocolate Brownies

adapted slightly from Smitten Kitchen

3 ounces white chocolate
1 stick butter
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 C white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch square baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over opposite sides of pan. Repeat with second piece of foil in opposite direction. Butter foil.

Melt white chocolate and butter together in a large bowl over a simmering pot of water (or in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring between each), remove from heat and stir the mixture until it is smooth. Whisk in sugar. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Add flour and salt together, stirring until just combined. Add chocolate chips. Spread into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Chocolate Brownies

adapted from Hershey's

1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
2eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Melt butter over stove or in microwave. Add sugar and mix until combined. Add eggs one at a time. Mix in vanilla. Slowly mix in cocoa be sure it doesn't make a mess. In a separate bowl combine flour, powder, and salt. Mix with wet ingredients until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

When both brownies are done, cool in pan on a rack until room temperature(I threw mine straight in the freezer). Once cooled put in freezer until brownies are slightly stiff. Cut into two inch squares. Using whatever shape you have cut the middles out of each brownie and perform a switcharoo.

Strawberry Crumb Cake

2011-05-11T16:06:00.000-07:00

In hopes of finding high calorie foods I can pretend are not dessert, I came across this wonderful recipe. Coffee cake with strawberries in it, how unheard of, so I bolted to the grocery store. The early AM excursion was definitely worth it. Minus the part where I showed up home late and my very pregnant friend was waiting at my door. Did I mention she carried in my groceries, then held my baby while I made this cake? Bet you're just dying to be my friend now...

I'm sure the butter in this cake could be cut back by using applesauce in the actual cake part and possibly creating a smaller crumb layer. But you see nursing a child seems to make me a hungry monster(see above not of how I treat my friends when I'm hungry).

Strawberry Crumb Cake

1 C flour-I use white wheat, white is okay too

1/2 C white sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C milk

1 egg

2 T butter, melted

1 pint of strawberries, washed and sliced

4 T cold butter

1/2 C white flour

1/2 C sugar

1/4 C pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 375

Mix the first four(dry) ingredients. Add the milk, butter and egg and mix until just combines. Layer in a 8*8 square or a 9 inch springform(my preference for looks and convenience). Layer strawberries on top of the batter. Cut butter into the other 1/2 C sugar and 1/2 C flour, a food processor works great here. Add pecans to butter mixture. Layer on top of strawberries*. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until crumb is lightly brown.

*When I make crumb topping I like it to be cruncy, so I will grab a handful of the mixture and squeeze it into a ball before I sprinkle it on top, that way there are chunks;)

Sweets

2010-10-18T12:05:00.001-07:00

I recently made a few cakes, with the help of my two year old for a charity fund raiser. My cakes seem to always place, but I think the judges are biased cuz my cakes taste good, cuz they aint always perty!
Both cakes are fabulously moist and fairly simple. The chocolate frosting is insanely rich, so you can only eat a small slice!

Italian Wedding Cake

source-Sandra Lee

1 (18.25-ounce) box white cake mix
1 stick butter, softened
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
3 egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup sweetened flake coconut, divided in half
2 cups chopped pecans, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Lightly coat 2 (8-inch) cake pans with cooking spray; set aside. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, butter, buttermilk, egg whites, and extracts. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in crushed pineapple, coconut, and 1 cup pecans-to decorate like mine only add 2/3 cup. Divide batter into 2 prepared cake pans. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until tester inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes then turn out on to wire racks to cool completely.
In a small bowl, stir together remaining 1-(2/3 to decorate like mine) cup pecans and frosting. Frost the top of each layer stack on top of the next layer. Use remaining frosting to frost the entire outside of cake.

*To decorate cake toast the remaining 2/3 cup pecans(in their whole form) in a pan over medium until fragrant. Toast coconut in the same fashion until lightly brown. Bake a border on the top and fill middle with coconut.

*For my frosting I cream 8 oz softened cream cheese with a stick of butter. Then I added 2-4 cups powdered sugar, depending on the consistancy you like. Last, I added about half a teaspoon of vanilla.

Chocolate Cake

adapted from the blog Simply Recipes

3 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ tsp salt
¾ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda
2 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup + 2 Tbsp cocoa
1 cup + 2 Tbsp water
1 cup + 2 Tbsp canola oil
5 large or 4 extra large
¾ cup water
1 ½ tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, sift or whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and cocoa.
Add 1 cup and 2 tablespoons of water and 1 cup and 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Mix for 1 minute. Add eggs, 3/4 cup of water, vanilla. Mix 5-6 minutes with a whisk, 3-4 minutes with a hand mixer, or 2 minutes with a KitchenAid mixer.
Pour into three 9" cake pans, bake at 350°F for 25 minutes. Test by placing and removing a toothpick through the center at 22 minutes. When toothpick comes out clean, loosen from pans cool on rack until almost cool. Once almost cool, wrap in plastic wrap, put back in pans(to hold shape) and freeze for an hour before frosting.

Chocolate Frosting

adapted from annies-eats.com

14 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped-I used ghiridelli chocolate chips

9 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

9 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

6 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

1 cup plus 2 tbsp. sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

To make the frosting, melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. You can also use the microwave on a low setting, stopping in intervals to mix. Set aside to cool until just barely warm. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Gradually mix in the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Beat in the melted and cooled chocolate and vanilla. Then the sour cream. Continue beating until the mixture is smooth and well blended.

*To make the frosting raspberry, add 1/2 or seedless raspberry jam, or more to taste.

*This stores well in the fridge if covered tightly, but it takes time to come back to room temp.

Why Hello!

2010-10-18T11:34:00.000-07:00

So I pretty much quite blogging for a while. I feel like I am finally caught up in life again. Not too sick(spent the first 27 weeks of pregnancy feeling horrible), no more school, and life is just going busy as it should. I am dying for a nap, but wanted to share some fall soup recipes I have had requests to share. Sorry, I have not taken pictures, but maybe that will be my next step if I get on this blog again in the near future. So here ya go!

A couple quick things, I have a weak stomache, and my husband enjoys his girly figure so if you want a richer soup, use more butter/cream, etc. Also, I always use turkey sausage, but you can use the pork stuff. Almost anywhere has turkey sausage by the breakfast food or ground meat. Walmart actually has my favorite for 2 bucks a pound frozen. Also, if you use dry herbs when something calls for fresh, use way less, like 65 percent less depending on the herb. Oh and feel free to use fresh, I am just too poor to always do that;)

Herbed Potato Soup
adapted from allrecipes.com

3 good sized potatoes
3 cups chicken broth
½ onion
1 clove garlic
2 Tbs butter
3 tbs flour
¼ tsp thyme
¼ chives
¼ tsp parsley
¼ tsp oregano
Salt and pepper
1 ½ cups milk
Bacon, gr onions,

Peel and chop potatoes and throw in water to boil. Cook onions and garlic in butter until soft. Add flour and seasonings. Then add milk until thickens. Add milk mixture to potatoes. Simmer for like 20 minutes. Blend if desired and serve with parmesan.

Potato Leek Soup

2 T butter
2 leeks, clean and cut, white and light green
3 cloves garlic, minced
6-7 potatoes, peeled and cubed
Enough chicken stock to cover potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
3 T flour
1 cup canned milk, I like skim
1 teaspoon dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Heat pan with butter and cook leeks until they begin to look clear. Add the garlic, and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the cubed potatoes, and toss to coat. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add enough chicken stock to just cover the potatoes. Cover, and simmer until potatoes are tender.
In a separate pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Cook stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, salt, pepper and parsley. Bring the cream mixture to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir the cream mixture into the potato mixture. Puree about 1/2 the soup, and return to the pan. Adjust seasonings to taste. Also, if you have a hand blender you can just use it a little and you will get a creamy, still chunky soup. Do not over mix or soup will be starchy/pasty!

Serve with cheese and bacon on top if your feeling naughty.

Minestrone
adapted from a recipe Mal got from her sis-in-law

1 lb. turkey sausage
2 cans (14 1/2 oz.) beef broth
2-3 stalks diced celery
2 cups chopped carrots
1 chopped onion
1 can (28 oz.) tomatoes
2 cans (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp oregano
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup pasta (macaroni, rotini, shells, etc.)
1 can kidney beans
2 small diced zucchini (totally optional)

Brown sausage in large pan; drain. Saute carrot, onion and celery. Add Zucchini , garlic basil, salt, pepper and bay leaf and cook until zucchini is soft. Add broth, tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add noodles and cook for five minutes. Add beans and sausage and cook for five more. Serve With Parmesan cheese.

Squash soup
adapted from rookie-cookie.blogspot.com because my little belly cannot handle the fat in it. Although if yours can I recommend checking her recipe out for a more velvety texture.

2 medium butternut squash, about 4 lbs
1 green apple, peeled, cored and cut into quarters
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
5 parsnips, peeled and chopped-this is a pound for me
Kosher salt and ground pepper
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 c half and half or evaporated milk

Peel squash and apple, cut in half, and de-seed. Roast at 425 for about 45 minutes or until squash is fork tender. Chop the squash. Set aside.
Meanwhile, melt the olive oil and butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and parsnips. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables are softened.
Add the roasted butternut squash and the apple. Pour in the chicken stock. Turn the heat up to high and simmer for 5 minutes. Blend soup in batches, but leave room for air to escape from blender. Or use hand blender. Pour all soup back into the soup pot and bring to a simmer. Add the cumin, paprika and milk. Serve soup with a small pat of butter on top-optional.

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

6 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs butter and 2 tbs flour, melt butter add flour to make roué
3 carrots, thinly sliced
2 rib celery, thinly sliced
1 onion, diced
Desired spices-I like thyme, sometimes basil, parsley, sometiems marjoram
16 oz gnocchi
2 cups frozen peas or 5 oz fresh spinach
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
Freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan

Add butter, onion, carrots and celery to a large stockpot. Cook until tender. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add flour and cook another minute. Add the broth and bring to a boil.
Cook for about 5 more minutes until veggies are soft.
Season with parsley and other Italian seasonings. Bring to a boil again and stir in gnocchi and, cooking until the gnocchi are al dente, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in frozen peas/spinache and chicken, cook for 1-2 minutes and turn off heat. Take into consideration that Parmesan cheese is salty, and a generous amount of pepper, to taste. Ladle the soup into warmed shallow bowls and shower each with freshly grated cheese.

Italian Wedding Soup
recipe courtesy of Ina Garten-this is a crowd pleaser, men and women!

meatballs:
3/4 pound ground chicken/turkey- i use the whole pound
1/2 pound chicken/turkey sausage, casings removed -again I use the whole pound
2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs
2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup grated Romano
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
3 tablespoons milk
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
salt and pepper

Soup:
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 cup minced yellow onion
1 cup diced carrots, about 2
3/4 cup diced celery, usually 2
10-11 cups chicken stock
1 cup small pasta such as tubetini
1/4 cup minced fresh dill - you can add a teaspoon or two of dried and it tastes great
12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Romano, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. Drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or sprayed. Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned.
In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan.

Pasta e Fagioli
adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

1 lb turkey sausage
1 T butter or EVOO
1/2 large (or 1 medium) onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 carrots, thinly sliced
4 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
6-8cups . reduced-sodium broth (depending on how much liquid you would like)
1 (28 oz.) can tomato sauce
2 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. salt
4 oz. small dry pasta -macaroni or tubilini are my favorites

Put sausage in large stockpot and bread up as you cook. Once the sausage is browned, remove it from the pot with a slotted spoon and discard any excess grease.
Melt the tablespoon of butter in the pot. Add the onion, carrot and celery, and saute over medium heat until vegetables are soft, 8-10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for one more minute. Return the sausage to the pot, add the can of diced tomatoes with juices, stir briefly, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the beans, beef broth and tomato sauce to the pot. Add in all of the seasonings, stir well, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer at least 30 minutes.
Add the dry pasta and continue to simmer on low for another 10-25 minutes.

Lentil Soup

1 lb ground turkey, beef, or turkey sausage- browned
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup onion chopped
1 cup carrott, sliced
2 stalks celery(optional)
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb lentils rinsed
6 cups chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes(optional)
Parsley
1 teaspoon thyme
2 bay leaves
salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil. Saute onions, carrots, and garlic over low heat (do not brown garlic), until tender, approximately 10-15 minutes. Add the lentils (and meat if using it) and mix with vegetables.
Add the chicken stock, thyme, bay leaves and pepper. (no salt until later).
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 45-60 minutes until the lentils are very tender. May need a bit more chicken stock, if too thick.
Remove bay leaf, taste and add salt if needed.
At this point you may want to puree half of the soup to create more of a creamy texture. I prefer to keep them the way they are. If you want a little more texture and flavor add some cooked ground beef half way through.

Cream of Celery-this is great to sub for canned, or just eat by itself
adapted from allrecipes.com

4 teaspoons butter
4 cups diced celery
1 cup diced onion
2 tsp chicken base
4 teaspoons flour
2 cups milk, whatever fat you choose, I go skim
½ tsp dried thyme
1 clove garlic
pepper

In a large saucepan,heat butter til bubbly,add celery,onion and stock cubes and stir til well combined. Reduce heat and cover,and let simmer for 10 minutes til veggies are tender. Sprinkle flour over veggie mixture stirring constantly,until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Puree 1/2 the mixture then return to pan,rewarm stirring til well combined.

Split Pea Soup
adapted from allrecipes.com

1 (14 ounce) package dried split peas, rinsed
2 cups diced ham
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon seasoning salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 quarts hot water or chicken stock

Layer ingredients in crockpot. Pour in water, so don't stir. Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours or on low for 8-10 hours. Remove Bay leaf.

Cream of Brocolli
source:allrecipes.com

2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
3 cups chicken broth
8 cups broccoli florets
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
ground black pepper to taste
¼ tsp garlic powder

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in medium sized stock pot, and saute onion and celery until tender. Add broccoli and broth, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Puree soup and return to heat. In small saucepan, over medium-heat melt 3 tablespoons butter, stir in flour and add milk. Stir until thick and bubbly, and add to soup. Season with pepper and serve.

You can add cheese to the milk mixture or even on top.

Munchin

2010-03-06T10:43:00.000-08:00

Want some really good cookies? Try either of these recipes, the peanut butter ones even freeze really well. They are both beautiful and taste fabulous. Especially the chocolate ones, oh my. The peanut butter ones are very chewy and have a store bought texture if you like that.

Brownie Cookies

6 oz bittersweet chocolate

6 oz semisweet chocolate

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 ounces (1 cup) milk chocolate

In the top of a double boiler set over very hot water, melt the bittersweet and semisweet chocolate and butter. Allow it to cool. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and vanilla in a mixing bowl until frothy. Slowly add the sugar and beat until the mixture ribbons off the beaters. Add the melted chocolate mixture. Stir to combine. Sift the dry ingredients together. Add to the chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Fold in the milk chocolate chips. The dough will seem more like cake batter than cookie dough. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the dough is well chilled (and more cookie-dough-like). Set the oven to 350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with baking parchment. Scoop up the chilled dough and roll with your hands into small balls the size of a whole walnut (in the shell). Place the cookies on the prepared pans, about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake about 10 minutes or a bit longer. The tops of the cookies should look dry and cracked. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then remove to cake racks for further cooling.

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

Adapted from Annie's Eats

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup vegetable shortening
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup honey
2 large eggs

Sugar, for rolling the cookies Directions:
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt; whisk together and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the shortening, butter, peanut butter and honey. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture and beat just until incorporated. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Roll the dough into 1½-inch balls, and roll each dough ball in sugar. Place the dough balls on an ungreased baking sheet, a couple inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until slightly puffed and golden. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough. Store in an airtight container.

*The cookies will be cracked on top and not look done in the middle, but they are. You just have to let them cool on the pan a few extra minutes.

Not For Long

2010-01-23T13:59:00.000-08:00

Pictures of our Thanksgiving feast(outdated, I know)
Roasting Chestnuts is a sinch, but with heavenly results.

The pie on the left is a my mom's thanksgiving specialty. Very kid friendly I have discovered.

AB's amazing turkey recipe. Strapped that baby in tight!

I'm back, but not for long. The next few months I am only going to post special requests. In short, baby number two joined my belly making me very sick. Then baby number two's heart stopped beating and was removed by a D&C. Now I am going to finish school in hopes to relieve myself of stress in hopes that baby number three (or new baby number two?) will grow much healthier.

In the mean time, mama B, I will get you that chili as soon as I get the chance(the recipe is in my sleeping little mans room.)

The turkey recipe I used was Alton's and it was truly a hit. Be sure your oven is clean before you roast that baby at five hundred unless you enjoy the pleasant sound of your fire alarm. Personally, mine is quite obnoctious.

Those lovely chestnuts were for this stuffing recipe.

The pumpkin pie was very rich and smooth.

Pumpkin Pie(found on recipezaar)

1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
½ tsp nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
4 well beaten eggs
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup heavy cream , sour cream or more evaporated milk
2 unbaked 9-inch pie shells
Meringue?

Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl, mixing well. Combine the evaporated milk and the heavy cream in a small saucepan. Heat the milks to the scalding point. Add scalded milks to the other ingredients, mixing well. Pour equally into the two UNBAKED pie shells. Bake 350 degrees for about 1 hour. Pie is done when a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Top with desired topping.

Ice Cream Peach Delight aka Peach Chiffon Pie (for you fancy namers)

3 ½ cups slices peaches, sweetened or 1 #2 ½ can of peaches
1 3 oz package peach jello
½ C cold water
1 pint vanilla ice cream
½ C whipping cream(whipped)

Add water to peach syrup to make 1 cup, heat to boiling. Add gelatin, stir until dissolved. Add cold water, cut the ice cream into pieces, add to hot liquid. Stir until melted. Chill till mixture mounds slightly when dropped from spoon. Fold in peaches. Pour onto pastry shell. Chill until firm. Top with whipped cream and decorate with peaches.

Still Pictureless

2009-12-13T07:09:00.000-08:00

I must apologize for a lack of camera cord, but soon it will be fixed, just give me one more week. This time I even market the day I need to get it on my calender.
So if you have actually read this far with seeing there is no picture you will be happy because I have an incredible weekend breakfast treat, english muffins. I tried these things for the first time and they are incredibly easy. Not to meantion insanely tasty. I will never go back to store bought, ever!

So the recipe I used is here. I did make alterations to make it multigrain.

-1 Tablespoon of honey(added after the egg whites)
-skip the four cups white flour and mix up your grains, I used the following
1 cup all purpose flour
2 cups white wheat flour
1/4 flax seeds
1/4 cup oat bran
1/4 cup wheat germ
I added the white and half the wheat flour first. Then the eggs(and honey) as directed. Next I added my grain mix and needed the dough in the remaining cup of wheat flour.

That may seem complicated, but I'm sure it would turn out with any grains you have, just make sure you get some white flour or gluten in there.

Coconut Rolls

2009-12-02T17:28:00.000-08:00

I found a recipe at my favorite bread site that sounded so good, I had to make it for no reason. (No reason, meaning a day full of carb loading on coconut rolls.) I have not yet found a recipe/class from the site I do not love. They give step by step classes with pictures even.
This bread is the best "hawaiin sweetbread" I have ever had. So fluffy and moist, yet so easy anyone could do it.

Coconut Bread
adapted from cookingbread.com

2/3 cup coconut milk
2/3 cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoons shortening ( melted )
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoon milk powder
4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg ( beaten )
2 tablespoon coconut( finely chopped )
4 cups bread flour, I used white wheat flour
1 T gluten

Put the wet ingredients in your bread machine. Then put the dry on top, then the yeast. Start the machine on the dough cycle. Once the cycle is done, roll the dough into tini balls, like big gumball size, and place three per muffin tin. (Makes about 18) Let the rolls rise for half hour to forty five minutes. Preheat oven to 350 and cook for ten to fifteen minutes depending on your oven. Immediately butter the tops when they come out of the oven.

Coconut Syrup

2009-12-02T17:23:00.000-08:00

Bare will me while I still have not found my camera case people. Guess it's time to go buy a new adaptor right? And I promise I will do just that, soon, I promise. Then I will share with you a very long post of pictures. Until then I have a solution of what to do with a half a can of coconut milk. You make coconut syrup. This stuff is so good. I want to put it on some pecan crusted fench toast..you with me on that one?

Coconut Syrup

1 13.5 ounce light coconut milk
2 T cornstarch
1/2 C sugar
2 C cornsyrup(you can just make a simple syrup if you don't have this on hand)
1/2 flaked coconut

Mix coconut milk and cornstarch until smooth. Add sugar cornsyrup and coconut. Mix and heat until it comes to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and serve cold. This is great for breakfast foods and desserts.

**Simple syrup=equal parts water and sugar boiled until sugar is dissolved.

Cake Contest

2009-11-22T12:30:00.000-08:00

A while back I entered a fundraising cake contest with a friend. We made a fabulous turtle cake and placed in the top five. We also made a second cake that didn't place but was instantly devoured at one dollar a slice, so it got its fundraising job done. The turtle cake was a fancy up-do to a cake mix and the other was a devils food recipe. Unfortunately, we did not have our camera at the contest, so I will have to upload a photo from my phone later.

Turtle Cake:

Cake

1 box devils food
4 eggs
1/2 C oil
1 lg instant chocolate pudding/3.4 oz

1 C sour cream

1/2 C warm water

Mix all ingredients and pour into two square or circle pans. Bake for 40 minutes at 350.

Carmel Cream Cheese Frosting

1/4 cup light brown sugar

10 tablespoon butter, divided

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dash of salt

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

Melt brown sugar and 4 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil over medium heat; remove from heat. Whisk in cream; blend well. Transfer to a heat-resistant bowl. Cool at room temperature, stirring occasionally.2. Place remaining 6 tablespoons butter and cream cheese in a large bowl; beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth. Beat in vanilla and salt. With mixer running, slowly pour in cooled brown sugar mixture; beat until smooth. Add powdered sugar gradually, beating well after each addition until completely smooth. Chill slightly for a firmer texture, stirring occasionally

Chocolate Frosting:

½ C semisweet chocolate chips
¾ C butter
1 tsp vanilla
¾ C cocoa
3-4 C powdered sugar
½ C milk or water

Blend melted chocolate with butter. Add cocoa, vanilla and half of sugar. Add remaining sugar. Whip in milk to get desired consistency.

For Assembly:

Dulce De leche
1 C crushed pecans

1/2 recipe carmel frosting

1 recipe chocolate frosting

2 square/circle cakes

First, wrap and freeze the cooled cake, so you can slice it in half easily. I like to use a bread knife. Between each layer slather some carmel frosting, dulce and then crushed pecan. Repeat, then, repeat again. Frost the outside with chocolate. Then top it with a pile of pecan halves and drizzle with your favorite carmel topping. (I also used homemade)

Peanut Butter Cake:

Unfortunately I probably shouldn't post this cake and peanut butter mousse recipe because they are another bloggers and she shut her blog down. Please email me if you would like me to send them to you though. tammylakey@hotmail.com. As for the chocolate frosting...click here. This is a seriously delicious, slightly tangy, slightly sweet frosting.

A Classic

2009-11-08T10:01:00.001-08:00

This is a copycat of my mom's recipe for chicken salad. I couldn't find hers the day I wanted to make it so I through this together and it is fabulous. Simple, but classic. If you want you use 3/4 C fat free yogurt and a few tablespoons of mayo. I'll post up a picture later.

Chicken Salad

2 ½ C cooked chicken, cubed
1 C celery, chopped
1 C seedless grapes, sliced
½ C sliced almonds
Pinch of salt
¾ C mayo
¼ whipping cream, whipped

Texas

2009-10-26T08:49:00.000-07:00

Recently, me and the little guy were lucky enough to go visit my in laws in Texas while Ryan was busy doing an externship. I hate being alone. I get bored fast, my creative juices are stumped when I am always alone. So we woke up, got tickets and jumped in the car to head to the airport twenty minutes later!! Yes, I am a little nuts. When we left, it was eighty five and humid, so we packed shorts. We arrived, and well froze our hinies for a week. When we got home, we got very sick, we are finally going to the doctor now that we are better.
I share this not to sob(because we are so over that now) but because I have not been able to share any recipes. Sorry people. Well give me a week to get my rear in gear with school and we'll be back at it. Okay now that we have that covered here are a few favorites we threw together in the big lone-star-state.

Chocolate pie, that is to die for, literally!

Italian Wedding Soup, this stuff is amazing! I had to make it when I got home because it's Ryan's favorite.

We made cornbread, but it was a little bit disappointing. You see, I have this recipe I love and nothing has compared to it yet. We added cheese and diced green chilis. Yummy!

Moist cornbread:

1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk or buttermilk
1/4 cup oil
1 cup creamed corn
3 egg

Turn oven on to 300 degrees.
In large bowl mix together dry ingredients, first 5 ingredients.
In smaller bowl mix together wet ingredients, last 4 ingredients.
Add wet ingredients to larger bowl of dry ingredients.
Mix well.
Grease an 8-9 inch pan with pam.
Pour batter into pan and bake for 40 minutes or until tester comes out clean.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

2009-10-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

Roasted Red Pepper Soup:

adapted from Giada
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1 tsp dried
6 ½ cups chicken broth
2 (12-ounce) jars roasted red bell peppers preserved in water, drained
1 russet potato, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, cream cheese or heavy cream

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, garlic, and thyme and saute until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, bell peppers, potato, stock, and sugar. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium-low. Partially cover and simmer until the potatoes are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Cool the soup slightly. Using an immersion hand blender, puree the soup in the pot until it is smooth. Alternately, working in batches, puree the soup in a regular blender, taking care while blending warm liquids. Season the soup, to taste, with salt and pepper.

**For my roasted red peppers, I just made them by broiling them until black. Then immediately putting them in a tupperwear and once they cooled peeled off the steamed skins.

Olive Oil Cake

2009-10-07T16:55:00.000-07:00

Found this recipe in Bon Apetite and just couldn't help but make it. It was calling me for months. What's a girl to do? Sounds weird, but I loved it. It is very simple, easy and has a slight orange flavor. Give a try, you might be surprized. Click here for recipe

A Twist on The Classic

2009-10-04T07:09:00.005-07:00

Everybody has seen this recipe somewhere. Or if you're like me...everywhere. I made these the other night with a friend, but decided to take a daring plunge and throw in some butterscotch chips. Oh and it was a good plunge I tell you what. Give it a try, it just makes you love fall even more.

Pumpkin Cookies

one box spice cake mix
one 15 oz can pumpkin
1 cup chocolate chips, milk is my favorite
1 cup butterscotch chips, the "twist"

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix everything and blop scoops onto a pan. Cook for 12 minutes. DO NOT UNDER COOK.

Best Crumble I've EVER Had

2009-10-04T07:09:00.003-07:00

I can't find the picture for this, but I can tell we it is truly AMAZING. I used plums and raspberries. I believe I used black plumbs, I can't recall for sure though. If you need an easy recipe, please try this. You will not be sorry in slightest. Well unless you eat half of it like I did;)

Fruit Cumble adapted from Ina Garten

2 pounds red plums, cut in 1/2, pitted, and cut in 1-inch wedges or peaches
2/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 tablespoons whatever juice you have in your fridge
1/2 pint fresh raspberries or other berry
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds, plus extra for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the sliced plums, 1/3 cup of the granulated sugar, 1/4 cup of the flour, and the orange juice and toss well. Add the raspberries and toss lightly. Pour into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish.
For the topping, place the remaining 1 cup of flour, the remaining 1/3 cup of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, and the salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is the size of peas. Pour the mixture into a bowl, add the oats, and work it with your hands until it's in large crumbles. Add 1/2 cup of the almonds and mix well.
Spread the topping evenly over the plums, making sure the fruit is covered. Sprinkle with some extra almonds. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the fruit is tender and bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Potstickers

2009-10-04T07:08:00.004-07:00

Pork Potstickers

adapted from Alton Brown

1/2 pound ground pork, or canned, or just shredded
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
2 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper, or green or yellow
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons ketchup
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
35 to 40 small wonton wrappers
3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying
1 1/3 cups chicken stock, divided

Combine the first 10 ingredients in a medium-size mixing bowl . Set aside.
To form the dumplings, remove 1 wonton wrapper from the package, covering the others with a damp cloth. Brush 2 of the edges of the wrapper lightly with water. Place 1/2 rounded teaspoon of the pork mixture in the center of the wrapper. Fold over, seal edges, and shape as desired. Set on a sheet pan and cover with a damp cloth. Repeat procedure until all of the filling is gone.
Heat a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat. Brush with vegetable oil once hot. Add 8 to 10 potstickers at a time to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, without touching. Once the 2 minutes are up, gently add 1/3 cup chicken stock to the pan, turn the heat down to low, cover, and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove wontons to a heatproof platter and place in the warm oven. Clean the pan in between batches by pouring in water and allowing the pan to deglaze. Repeat until all the wontons are cooked. Serve immediately.

Challah Bread and Apple French Toast

2009-10-04T07:08:00.001-07:00

I am short on words, great day, but the bed is looking like my best friend. Bread is great, french toast even better. You could even make this baby with wheat flour. And well, yesterdays bread makes tomorrows french toast.
Oh and stay tuned because later this week my friend and I are going to make the most insane turtle cake ever, just you wait.

Click here for the Challah bread recipe I used. I must admit, it is not near as eggalicious when ya use wheat flour, but what can I say, I love me some fiber!

Apple French Toast Casserole

4 tablespoons butter

3 large apples, peeled and sliced thinly
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon cinnamon
8 slices bread, 1 inch thick
4 large eggs

1 1/4 cups milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

Melt the butter in a large skillet and add apples.Cook and stir for 5 minutes. Add brown sugar, water, and cinnamon and continue to cook and stir for 10 minutes until apples are tender. Spoon mixture into 13x9 baking dish.Cover apples with bread slices, making sure to cover the entire surface.Trim the bread to fit if you must. Beat eggs until foamy, then beat in milk and vanilla. Pour egg mixture over the bread slices .Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight .In the morning, remove the dish from the refrigerator and let it stand while oven is preheated to 375 F. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes, or until bread is golden and firm. Let sit 10 minutes before serving. To serve on a platter, run a knife around the edges of the casserole, place platter on top of casserole, and carefully flip. To serve individually, use a spatula to remove serving, place serving plate on top of serving and carefully flip so apple side is up.

Pumpkin Brioche Rolls

2009-09-28T07:55:00.000-07:00

I found these recipes from this website. This girl makes to die for dessert. Literally. I first found her blog because of these pumpkin brioche snails or cinnamon rolls. I didn't take pictures, but the final product was fabulous. I made them with nuts, butter and maple syrup. Then I made the other half with the plain jane cinnamon mixtures and they were both hits.

I didn't try it myself, but I would recommend making a loaf of bread with half the dough and turning it in to french toast. If you must know, if I were to make french toast out if it would go a little something like this. Mix eggs with milk, cinnamon and vanilla. Then crush some corn flakes, pecans and maybe a pinch of brown sugar. Dip the french toast in the egg, then the crunchy mixture then cook on a griddle with a little butter so your brown sugar carmelizes. Nuff said.

Asian Slaw

2009-09-27T10:45:00.001-07:00

I am not a coleslaw person. Maybe it's the cabbage, or the mayo..I don't know. I do however love asian slaw. I fell in love with this stuff when I had it at Rumbi's. However, not very many islanders where I live. I told Ryan we needed to draft some so we could get some good hawaiin style restaurants out here. So if your feelin some asian slaw, give this a try.
I forgot to take a photo, but here is a blurry snapshot of the leftovers.

Crunchy Asian Slaw:

1/3 c cider vinegar
¼ c sugar

2 T canola oil

2 T honey

2 T soy sauce

1 T olive oil, or sesame if you have it

¼ c slivered almonds

¼ c sunflower seeds

1 package ramen, crushed

8-10 c shredded napa cabbage

1 bag of shredded carrots,

3 scallions, sliced

Combine cider vinegar, sugar, oil, honey and soy sauce in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes and stir.
In a small sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add almonds, sunflower seeds, and noodles to toast, stirring constantly. Once you see the mixture turning golden, remove from heat.
In a very large bowl, add the cabbage, carrots and shallot. About 15-30 minutes before you are ready to serve the salad, toss the dressing and noodle/nut mixture with the cabbage.

Curried Chicken Salad

2009-09-27T10:44:00.004-07:00

I have never really tried to much curry until I married my husband. Now, I still have only tried it once or twice and it's never exactly my favorite dish. This recipe however is amazing. I mean this lady is amazing all together. She cooks the most healthy, simple and yet still delicious recipes.

We served ours with store bought naan. It was okay. Let me tell you a secret though, it is way, way better home made. I will share my secret recipe a later time.

Syrup

2009-09-27T10:44:00.003-07:00

If any of you have been to Magelby's Fresh in Utah you know this syrup. It is so so yummy. So easy to make as well. The second one is just a simple strawberry syrup. It's easy and quite tasty.

Buttermilk Syrup

1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk,

1/2 cup butter

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla

Place first five ingredients in large saucepan. bring to boil and cook for 7 minutes, or until it just starts to turn a carmel color. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Serve warm.

*Make sure you stir every few minutes to prevent scorching and use a BIG pan. The buttermilk is an acid and the baking soda is a base...you do the math. Sixth grade volcano science project is the outcome in a small pan. With a much bigger mess.

Strawberry Syrup:

2 C strawberries, puried and strained
1 C sugar(2 C if you like is sweet)
¼ C water
½ tsp lemon juice

Add everything to a pot. Boil for five minutes, stirring occassionally. Skim the top and serve over pancakes or waffles.

Sushi

2009-09-27T10:44:00.001-07:00

The moment you have all been waiting for...when I would finally post a little bit of sushi stuff. Well you're going to have to wait my friends. My dear sweet has midterms the next two weeks. The sushi party for Ryan's class went awesome. He seriously had so much good help and fabulous hosts. They were so generous to open their home for this party. I must admit, from my perspective, the party went so smooth and was so much fun for Ryan.
Now, to the good stuff. It may be a week or so before we share some "how to's" but let me share some pictures for now...

Watermelon Limeaid

2009-09-21T10:54:00.003-07:00

I made some watermelon lemonade a while back and Ryguy loved the stuff. Being me I couldn't resist the steal when I saw watermelon for 2.50. Big, juicy, ripe, seedless goodness just chillen in my fridge. I threw this together intending for it to be limeade, I must admit it needed twice the limeade to how much watermelon I added, but I still loved it.

Lime Watermelonade:

8 cups cubed watermelon

1/2 cup lime juice(I would double this)

1/2 cup sugar(I would double this)

3 cups water(I would double this)

ice

Blend watermelon in a blender until there are no chunks. Run through a strainer to remove pulp. Add lime juice, sugar and water. Serve over lots of ice.

Tofu Lettuce Wraps

2009-09-21T10:53:00.004-07:00

Tofu is not loved by many people I know, but this is safe for even meat-lovers. Simple, healthy, cheap and very tasty. Feel free to try a different sauce, or eat it with rice. Maybe add some different veggies.

Marinated, Baked Tofu Wraps :

1 (16 ounce) package firm tofu
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger or 1 tsp dried ginger
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon oil

Drain tofu and cut into 1" cubes. Mix all other ingredients together except olive oil. Pour marinade over tofu and cover. Refrigerate overnight, or even a day or two. Lightly grease baking pan or sheet with olive oil. Arrange tofu in single layer on sheet, making sure not to forget the garlic and ginger from the marinade dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, flip tofu. Add carrots and cook another 20 minutes. Add sesame seeds and cook five more. Remove from oven and add green onions. Serve in a piece of lettuce topped with peanut sauce.

Peanut Sauce:

1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 squirt siracha, or other hot sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup water
1 tsp vinegar or hoisen sauce

In a small pot, stir together peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar, water, hot pepper sauce and garlic until well mixed. Cook over medium high until thick and creamy.

Muffins and Pancakes

2009-09-21T10:53:00.003-07:00

I like breakfast, no I love breakfast! But the hubs, he'll take some ovaltine and if you're lucky a banana. So I have to make stuff my little guy likes, and cottage pancakes are the answer. Easy nutritious and goble-able. He eats them four at a time. Pretty good for a light weight.

The blueberry cornmeal pancakes are one of Ryan's favorite. Must be because he's a country boy, and they love cornmeal anything. I substitute the white flour in these for white wheat or wheat pastry flour.

As for the muffins, I halved Dori's recipe for the breakfast cake and made them into 24 mini muffins. They only needed to be cooked for 10 minutes. The muffins are also healthy, delicious and in the eyes of my todler, goble-able.

Cottage Pancakes

1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 egg whites or 2 eggs
Blend all ingredients in blender. Spray skillet with cooking spray and cook just like"silver dollar" pancakes, a few small ones at a time. Top with your favorite pancake topping!

Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes

Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins

Blackbottom for Christina

2009-09-21T10:52:00.003-07:00

You can't go wrong with these cupcakes. Chocolate bottom, cheesecake top, or cheesey-cake if you ask my niece. I prefer the ones with the crumbly bottoms(I have a recipe for that, if anyone wants it), but my sister in law wanted this recipe. Sorry no pictures.

Black Bottom Cupcakes :

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup water plus
2 tablespoons water
1/3 cup oil, plus
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar

Sift dry ingredients together in large mixing bowl. Form well in center of dry ingredients and add water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Beat with mixer until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. In separate bowl, cream together cream cheese and powdered sugar. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Drop 1/2 tsp of cream cheese mixture on top. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes.

Best ever Buns

2009-09-21T10:52:00.001-07:00

I have made a wide variety of burger buns and not a single recipe came out as amazing as these. Did I mention they taste amazing. They are seriously to die for. Oh and totally healthy. In fact packed with goodness. To top it all off, they are super, duper easy. Did I really just say that? Ya, because they are just that easy and they are my FAVORITE buns EVER!!!!

Hamburger Buns

Taco and Potato Soup

2009-09-21T10:51:00.001-07:00

I must keep short on words this week because I have mass quantities of homework to catch up on. Why? Oh because I have spent all week grocery shopping, asian market, costco, walmart, and the list continues. Ryan has a sushi party, aka wife spends her life running erronds and doing chores, then at the end of the week stuffs her face with amazing food. Know what this means for you? Pictures, lots of them. Oh and how to's from my better, more entertaining half. So please forgive my lack of words this week. Much love.

The potato soup is light, but I promise no lack in flavor. I know many would think I am horrible for making potato soup without loads of cheese, butter and whole milk, but please forgive me my tummy hates that stuff. And we have not been on good terms lately, I have eatin way to much butter for it to like me.

Potato Soup

3 good sized potatoes
3 cups water or chicken broth
½ onion
1 clove garlic
2 Tbs butter

1 Tbs olive oil
3 tbs flour
¼ tsp thyme
¼ chives
¼ tsp parsley
¼ tsp oregano
Salt and pepper
1 ½ cups milk, yes I use fat free

Peel and chop potatoes and throw in water to boil. Cook onions and garlic in butter and oil until soft. Add flour and seasonings. Then add milk until thickens. Add milk mixture to potatoes. Simmer for like 20 minutes. Blend if desired and serve with parmesan.

This soup is easy and way better than beef taco soup to me. What can I say, it must be fall, I love soup and fall does too.

Taco Soup

Sausage Stirfry

2009-09-12T15:37:00.001-07:00

This dish is a recipe my sister in law gave me. I switched it up slightly, but it's quick and healthy, not to mention delicious. I like to chop all the veggies in the morning so my little stinker doesn't have to be patient with me being in the kitchen. He is getting to where he wants to help, or should I say play, with everything.

Sausage Stir Fry :

2 Turkey Sausage
1/2 medium onion
1 bag baby carrots or cut carrots
2 small squash
1 head broccoli
1-2 tomatoes
1-2 C shredded cheese

Chop sausage, onion and broccoli. Add chopped onion broccoli and sausage along with baby carrots to large skillet. Cook with a lid for 10 minutes. Add Squash and cook for 10 more minutes. Add tomatoes and cheese. Cover with lid until cheese is melted. Serve over rice or noodles. I like to add soy sauce to mine.

Cupcakes

2009-09-12T10:19:00.001-07:00

I got the opportunity to help host a shower for my friend who is having a baby girl. I love being able to do stuff like this. I am so blessed to have loads of people willing to babysit at the drop of a hat. I love returning the favor, especially if baking and pink are included. I'm not too much of a girly girl but man do I love a baby in pink polka dots.
I really wanted to try these recipes, but wasn't overly impressed. The frostings are both great and the cupcakes taste cook. They are just a little on the dry side. Especially the chocolate. I am very careful with baking, so they only thing I feel that would make these better is some sour cream or cooking them as little as possible.

Magnolia Chocolate Cupcakes:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

4 eggs, at room temperature

6 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted (see note)

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

Remove from the heat and let cool to lukewarm 5–10 minutes.Set oven to 350 degrees.Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers. Set aside. In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda. Set aside.In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the chocolate, mixing until well incorporated.Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 stick cream cheese, softened
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup), softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand-held electric mixer in a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and butter on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. (Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape the down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.)
Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the vanilla, raise the speed to high and mix briefly until fluffy (scrape down the bowl occasionally). Store in the refrigerator until somewhat stiff, before using. May be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Magnolia Vanilla Cupcakes:(slighty altered by me)

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line 2 (1/2 cup-12 capacity) muffin tins with cupcake papers.
In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.
In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
Cool the cupcakes in tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Vanilla Frosting:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/4-1/4 cup milk or cream(for a firmed shape)

2 tsp vanilla extract

Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes.Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar.If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Graham Crackers

2009-09-09T12:22:00.001-07:00

I have made home made graham crackers a few times, but this recipe seems to be my favorite. They are slightly sweet, crunchy and just plain delicious. I mad them a little thicker this time because it was hard to roll them in my hot kitchen. I also made them circles for fun.

I must admit having them slightly chewy and circle made my little man love them. He devoured these. They make a great on the go snack. They are also great for feeding ducks and turtles we discovered at play group.

I promise these are not too hard. They take no special ingredients. And they are a great snack. Give them a try if you just love it home made like me.

Graham Crackers :

adapted from here

1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons white flour
1 cup graham or just plain whole wheat flour
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed

1 t baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen

1/3 cup honey, such as clover

5 tablespoons milk, I used rice one time, but like it either way

2 tablespoons vanilla extract
Topping (optional)3 tablespoons granulated sugar1 teaspoonground cinnamon

Make the dough: Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pulse or mix on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off on and off, or mix on low, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal.
In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times or mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and dust it lightly with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and pat it into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Wrap it, then chill it until firm, about 2 hours or overnight. Meanwhile, prepare the topping, if using, by combining the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and setting aside.
Roll out the crackers:
Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be sticky, so flour as necessary. Trim the edges of the rectangle to 4 inches wide. Working with the shorter side of the rectangle parallel to the work surface, cut the strip every 4 1/2 inches to make 4 crackers.

Place the crackers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with the topping. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes in the fridge or 15 to 20 minutes in the freezer. Repeat with the second batch of dough. Finally, gather any scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and re-roll.
Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350°F.
Decorate the crackers: Mark a vertical line down the middle of each cracker, being careful not to cut through the dough. Using a toothpick or skewer, prick the dough to form two dotted rows about 1/2 inch for each side of the dividing line.Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the tough, rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking.

Breakfast Crepes My Way

2009-09-08T12:55:00.001-07:00

I love weekend breakfast, but I do not like to eat cinnamon rolls after my run. Ya feel me? So I made some wheat crepes with fruit and yogurt. If you are feeling a little more sinful use white flour and fill these babies with ice cream, fruit and chocolate syrup. I even like to do mine with ham, cheese and eggs sometimes.

Crepes:

1 cup all-purpose flour (I used wheat pastry flour)
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted

for sweet crepes add:
1 tsp vanilla and 2 ½ Tbs sugar

Throw everything in a blender and mix until smooth. Preheat pan for a few minutes. Pour 1/4-1/3 C batter on the pan and immediately spin pan to make a circle. Cook for about 1-2 minutes or until color slightly changes. Flip and cook for about 30 more seconds. Serve with fruit and cream or ham and cheese.

Brown Fried Rice

2009-09-08T09:47:00.001-07:00

This is my dish. The one I know isn't good for me but I just can't get enough. So I decided to give it a whirl at home. I must admit, it's not as easy as the guys at the hibachi grills make it seem. I got rice EVERYWHERE. I guess it would have helped if my grill was as big as my table!

This is a very simple recipe, add any vegetables you like. Add more soy sauce if you just can't get enough(like me), or ham, or even go vegetarian.

For the Rice:

2 C Brown Rice

3 C water

Place in rice cooker until done. Alternate method: bring water to a boil, add rice. Cover and simmer for half an hour or until rice is fluffy.

Fried Rice:

cooked brown rice

2 grilled chicken breast, cubed

1 T oil
2 T butter

1/4 C soy sauce

2 eggs

2 small zucchini squash, cubed

1 C peas

1 bell pepper diced

1 onion, diced

2 green onions, green and white parts

Heat butter and oil on a large griddle. I use the long kind you plug into a wall. Add onion, squash and pepper and cook until they are softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the rice and to the side of the pan the two eggs. Once the eggs have started to fry a little, throw everything together and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Throw in the soy sauce, peas and chicken. Let cook another minute or two. Garnish with green onions.

Bagel-isn't she perty

2009-09-08T09:46:00.001-07:00

What do you do for your friends when their sick? I wake up at a rediculous hour and bake my bagels, stop by the grocery store for cream cheese and share these with them. But only when I'm feeling way overly ambitious.

I saw this website and knew I had to try shaping my bagels like stars. Their recipes have the best instructions. Not to mention they taste fabulous. I cannot wait to make the english muffins.

Risotto

2009-09-08T09:45:00.007-07:00

We had some friends over this weekend and needed to throw some dinner together. My sushi husband always has loads of rice around, so we threw this wonderful risotto together. Ryan is the risotto man around here, and I like it that way because I get bored. Bored of standing over the steamy stove stirring.

So if you like to stir. Risotto is for you. It is so creamy and worth it every time though.

Risotto:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 - 15 oz can of artichoke hearts, chopped

2 cup short grain rice, arborio is best, we use sushi rice

8 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 cup frozen peas

In a large sauce pan over medium high heat, heat the olive oil and add the onion and artichoke hearts. Saute for 3-4 minutes or until the onions begin to become translucent. Add the arborio rice and stir well, to coat the rice well with the olive oil. Add one cup of the broth. Stir occasionally until the broth has been absorbed by the rice, which takes about 3-4 minutes. Keep adding broth in 1 cup increments until the rice is cooked (taste it if you are not sure!).When the rice is cooked, add the pepper, milk, cheese and peas. Stir well. Serve.

Fish Tacos

2009-09-08T09:45:00.005-07:00

I am not a big fish fan, but given it's nutritional content, I have learned ways to make it edible. At least according to my standards. My mom would just kill me if she knew how often we ate fish around here. I turned my nose so high up at the stuff I probably fell on my back as a kid. Then once, I met Ryan, me and fish were forced to be friends. What do you do with loads of free sushi and coconut halibut? You learn to love it baby. There is just no other way.

These were simple, what do I have in my fridge tacos, but they were simply delicious.

For the Fish:

4 tilapia filets
1 T honey
1 tsp chipotle powder
1 tsp olive oil

Put the oil in your pan and heat it up for a minute. Rub one side of the fish with chiptle and one with salt and pepper. Throw the salt and pepper side down and cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until browned. Flip the fish and rub honey on the top side of each fish. Let cook another 3-5 minutes. Slice into strips and serve in taco.

Salsa Verde:

adapted from Tyler Florence

1 pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1 jalapeno, with the stem cut off

1 small red onion, quartered
4 to 6 garlic cloves
1 tsp sea salt
1 bunch fresh cilantro, leaves coarsely chopped
2 lime, juiced

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the tomatillos, jalapeno, onion, garlic, and 1 tablespoon salt. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes until the tomatillos are soft but have not burst. Drain and reserve cooking liquid. Add the cooked vegetables to a blender with the cilantro leaves and lime juice. *Pour in 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid and process to a coarse puree - be careful when you process the hot liquid as it will expand - so make sure you hold the lid down firmly. Taste and adjust seasoning with more cilantro, lime juice, or salt according to preference.

***Ryan declaired this his new favorite salsa. However, one way it could be made better, roast the vegetables in the oven for 10 minutes instead of boiling it. Dare someone to try it, then you can tell me if it is worth turning my oven on in this year round heat.

White Rolls for Kaydee

2009-09-08T09:45:00.003-07:00

This is a really simple recipe that Stephanie gave me. These are simple and rise to be nice and fluffy. A no fail recipe. Thanks stephanie. Sorry no pictures:(

Easy White Rolls:

2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tbls gluten flour, optional
2 packages yeast
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar

Mix all the above. In a separate bowl mix and heat to luke warm:

1 cup milk
3/4c water
5 tbls butter
3 C flour

Mix wet and dry ingredients, stir for 5 minutes. Add 3 more cups of flour, if still way sticky add 1 more cup of flour. Let raise 30 minutes. After raising separate into 2 sections and roll out into a circle. Cut like a pie into 12 pieces. Stretch each piece a little until it is a good sized triangle. Roll starting with the widest end. Let raise 30 more minutes.
Bake at 375 for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Spinache Salad

2009-09-08T09:45:00.001-07:00

My sister sent me a recipe for spinache salad that had a long list of stuff to put in a spinache salad along with some dressing. We picked out favorites and I made a few alterations to the dressing and we don't have it in us to switch it up. You can put whatever you want, and it would be good...as long as you don't forget the bacon. Yup, you heard me, bacon is a MUST. Don't try to skip it or you'll be real sorry.

Spinache Salad:

1 bag spinache, rinsed and dried
1/2 craisens
2 green apples, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 lb bacon, diced
1 1/2 cup sweet and spicy pecans

Mix all ingredients and top with dressing.

Sweet and Spicy Pecans:

3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon generous fresh cracked pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 1/2 cups pecan halves

Preheat oven to 325°F Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray. Combine corn syrup and next 4 ingredients in large bowl. Stir to blend. Add pecans; stir gently to coat. Transfer to baking sheet. Place large piece of foil on work surface. Using fork, stir pecans to coat with melted spice mixture. Bake until pecans are golden and coating bubbles, about 10-15 minutes. Transfer to foil. Working quickly, separate nuts with fork. Cool. (Can be made 3 days ahead- store airtight at room temperature).

Art City Salad Dressing:

1/3 cup oil (vegetable or olive)
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. Raspberry jam (more to taste)
1 Tbsp. Poppy seeds

Blend ingredients in a blender
If you are sick of the same darn salad try mixen it up, here are some suggested courtesy of my sister:
Spinach, Baby Spinach, Green Leafy Lettuce or Greens Craisons
Grated Cheese-Swiss, Parmesan
Sunflower Seeds, Sesame seeds, Sliced Almonds, Cashews, pecans etc.
Mushrooms, avocado, grape tomatoes Mandarin Oranges, pears, strawberries, seedless grapes, mangos
Bacon Purple onion, green onion, minced sweet onion ChickenPick Ingredients, Chop, Mix, Serve

Applesauce

2009-09-05T18:27:00.000-07:00

I have never been so happy to round the corner into fall. Summer just flew by, but down here in the south, the heat gets old, fast. Plus, fall brings apples. Lots of them. Cheap ones. Yummy ones. Too bad I don't have any neighbors that I can steel an apple from every time I walk by their house. I must admit, I did this daily as a kid. What? I was skinny. I needed a snack on my walk home from school.
This stuff is so easy and everyone loves it. Yes, everyone. At least around this place. My hubby, my baby, my friends, and their babies too. (I bet the dog would, if I had one.
If you are one of those moms who does baby food homemade, give this a try, just skip the sugar. You can freeze it, or even can it if you are motivated like Cherish.

Easy Applesauce:

one bag of apples, size is not too important

one handful or two of brown sugar

1-2 cinnamon sticks

2-4 T water

1 T lemon juice

Peel, core and slice your apples. Immediately rub with the lemon juice. Throw them in the crock pot with the sugar, water and cinnamon sticks. After about three hours on high, they should be very fork tender. Remove cinnamon stick. Do not miss any. Throw them in the blender, but do not fill over half when hot. I like mine smooth but with a few little chunks, you can make yours smooth, just don't blend too long. It gets a weird texture.

Chocolate Raspberry Trifle

2009-09-03T18:29:00.003-07:00

I heard somewhere that trifles are great because you can make them with not so good cake and they still taste good. I decided to try it my own way and make one with some fluffy, moist angel food cake, and it didn't just taste good, it was fab-u-lous. mmmm. I could have ate that whole cake by myself. I even thought about staying home, just so I didn't have to share. So try the cake, or the pudding, or just go for the whole thing if you have the time! Because guess what the cake is good. Even when it is not covered in pudding, whipped cream and berries.

Oh and want to know a secret, angel food cake is fat free.

Chocolate Raspberry Trifle:

Here is the Chocolate Pudding Recipe

Here is the Angel Food Cake Recipe

1 C heavy cream

1 T confectioners sugar

2 C sliced berries

1 chocolate bar, for garnish

Make pudding and Angel food cake according to directions. Or buy them if you must. Beat heavy cream and confectioners sugar until stiff peaks. Be sure you reach stiff peaks.
Start by cubing the angel food cake.

Make one layer on the bottom of your glass dish. Now top that with half of the pudding. Then one cup of the berries. Repeat.

Top with cream and use a peeler to garnish the top with shavings of chocolate.
Serve immediately.

Grilled Pizza

2009-09-03T18:29:00.001-07:00

I love making pizza. It is so much better than anything you can buy at the grocery store. You can put anything you want on it and you know exactly what you are eating. Plus it is alot better for you the way I do it. The pizza dough I used for this recipe is my absolute favorite recipe I have found. It's super simple and always works.
This time we grilled our pizza, and it was really good! Most of the time, I do it in the oven. Let me tell you a little trick too, throw your stone in the oven while it is pre-heating. Prepare your pizza on a peel dusted with cornmeal. Once it's ready throw it on theat hot stone. You will have a nice crusty bottom. It's like magic, I promise. You will no long have the need for late night calls to Papa John's.

(Ryan will hopefully enlighten us with instructions on the sauce and toppings. It may be a while though, he has had his head in a book at nights lately.)

Sweet Pea Pizza Dough:

Click here for her original recipe

2 1/4 t dry yeast

1 c of hot water (105-115 degrees)

2 c white flour
1 c whole wheat flour

3 T brown sugar

1 t salt

1 T olive oil

Dissolve the yeast in the water and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Add the flour and sugar and give a quick mix, then add the salt and olive oil. Mix until it forms a ball. Feel the dough...if it is still sticky, add a tablespoon or two of flour, and repeat until the ball is moist, but not sticky.

Then mix or process for 1-2 extra minutes to knead the dough.

Shape the dough into a ball, coat with some olive oil, and place in a bowl and cover with a towel to rise. Be sure to let it rise somewhere not cool or drafty. Dough is ready when it doubles in size, about 1-2 hours. (I also like to let it sit in the fridge over night to develop flavor. Or even make the dough in the morning and let it sit in the fridge all day long. Make sure to bring it out to warm and rise for about 30 minutes if you do this.)

Once you are ready for pizza, preheat the oven to 450 degrees and place your pizza stone in the oven.( This is crucial if you want the bottom of your pizza crispy.) Divide the dough into 2 balls, rolling each ball into an 12 inch circle and let rise for about 10 minutes. Top and bake for about 10 minutes at 450 degrees.

**If you use a peel, make sure to use lots of cornmeal or semolina. Especially your first few tries. Otherwise you'll have what we had, two guys, huddled over an oven, trying to salvage a pizza so the hungry wives don't eat them!

Chicken and Ginger-Melon Salsa

2009-09-03T18:21:00.000-07:00

We saw a recipe for honeydew salsa the other week in a magazine and Ryan just had to have it and since honeydew is in season, I decided to throw my own version together. I used a white onion because it is what I had on hand, but a red would be better. I also used a little red pepper I found in my fridge.
This salsa is delicious on its own, so if you don't want chicken, just try it out with some chips.

Don't Know his name, but I
know he packs a mean
punch!

He was so sweet to help throw the peels away...then he realized it was funner to pile them on the floor.

Chicken and Ginger-Melon Salsa:

4 Chicken Breasts

1 1/2 C chopped honeydew melon

1 T lime juice

1/4 cilantro, roughly chopped
1 T ginger, zested

1/2 onion, chopped(red would be better than the white I used)

1 hot pepper like jalapeno, finely diced

Mix honeydew, lime juice, cilantro, ginger, onion and pepper. Salt to taste. Let the salsa sit in the fridge for a few hours for all the flavors to combine. Serve over chicken and eat the extra with chips.

Lightly brush the chicken with olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill until cooked. I like to use a thermometer so I don't overcook it.

Bagels and Cream Cheese

2009-09-02T17:51:00.001-07:00

Bagels seem to be so feared and thought of as so much work. I find making them fairly doable, highly rewarding and theraputic. I have tried many recipes, but this one with my alterations is my favorite. Our two favorite toppings are cinnamon raisen and Asiago. Be careful if you do asiage though. If you have kids around, they may have the urge to continually dip their hand in your cheese and consume large handfuls at a time....at least mine did. Please fogive half of my bagels for being short on cheese.

Hope the pictures help. Try these out at least twice, the first time is a little confusing.

Asiago Cheese Bagels

adapted from Peter Reinhart

1 teaspoon instant yeast

4 cups unbleached high-gluten flour

2 1/2 cups water, room temperature

1 teaspoon instant yeast

3 cups white wheat flour

3 T wheat gluten

2 3/4 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons malt powder or 1 tablespoon dark or light malt syrup, honey, or brown sugar 1tablespoon baking soda

(2 C. grated Asiago)
Cornmeal or semolina flour for dusting
Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, asiago cheese, cinnamon sugar, kosher salt, rehydrated dried minced garlic or onions, or chopped onions that have been tossed in oil (optional)

To make the sponge, stir the yeast into the flour in a 4-quart mixing bowl. Add the water, whisking or stirring only until it forms a smooth, sticky batter Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the mixture becomes very foamy and bubbly. It should swell to nearly double in size and collapse when the bowl is tapped on the countertop.
To make the dough, in the same mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer), add the additional yeast to the sponge and stir. Then add 2 cups of the flour, the gluten and all of the salt and malt. Stir (or mix on low speed with the dough hook) until the ingredients for a ball, slowly working in the remaining 1 cup flour and 1 C asiago cheese to stiffen the dough. Transfer the dough to the counter and knead for at least 10 minutes (or for 6 minutes by machine). The dough should be firm, stiffer than French bread dough, but still pliable and smooth. There should be no raw flour - all ingredients should be hydrated. The dough should pass the windowpane test and register 77 to 71 degrees F. If the dough seems to dry and rips, add a few drops of water and continue kneading. If the dough seems tacky or sticky, add more flour to achieve the stiffness required. The kneaded dough should feel satiny and pliable but not be tacky. Immediately divide the dough into 3-4 ounce pieces for standard bagels, or smaller if desired

Form the pieces into rolls. Cover the rolls with a damp towel and allow them to rest for approximately 20 minutes. Line 2 sheet pans with baking parchment and mist lightly with spray oil. Poke a hole in a ball of bagel dough and gently rotate your thumb around the inside of the hole to widen it to approximately 2 1/2 inches in diameter (half of this for a mini-bagel). The dough should be as evenly stretched as possible (try to avoid thick and thin spots.)
Place each of the shaped pieces 2 inches apart on the pan. Mist the bagels very lightly with the spray oil and slip each pan into a food-grade plastic bag, or cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the pans sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Check to see if the bagels are ready to be retarded in the refrigerator by using the “float test”. Fill a small bowl with cool or room-temperature water. The bagels are ready to be retarded when they float within 10 seconds of being dropped into the water. Take one bagel and test it. If it floats, immediately return the tester bagel to the pan, pat it dry, cover the pan, and place it in the refrigerator overnight (it can stay in the refrigerator for up to 2 days). If the bagel does not float. Return it to the pan and continue to proof the dough at room temperature, checking back every 10 to 20 minutes or so until a tester floats. The time needed to accomplish the float will vary, depending on the ambient temperature and the stiffness of the dough.
The following day, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F with the two racks set in the middle of the oven. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the baking soda Have a slotted spoon or skimmer nearby. Remove the bagels from the refrigerator and gently drop them into the water, boiling only as many as comfortably fit. After 1 minutes flip them over rand boil for another minute. If you like very chewy bagels, you can extend the boiling to 2 minutes per side .While the bagels are boiling, sprinkle the same parchment-lined sheet pans with cornmeal or semolina flour. If you want to top the bagels, do so as soon as they come out of the water. You can use any of the suggestions in the ingredients list or a combination. When all the bagels have been boiled, place the pans on the 2 middle shelves in the oven. Bake for approximately 5 minutes, then rotate the pans, switching shelves and giving the pans a 180-degree rotation. After the rotation, lower the oven setting to 450 degrees F and continue baking for about 5 minutes, or until the bagels turn light golden brown. You may bake them darker if you prefer. Remove the pans from the oven and let the bagels cool on a rack for 15 minutes or longer before serving.

Cinnamon Raisin Bagels: For cinnamon raisin bagels, increase the yeast in the final dough to 1 teaspoon, and add 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon and 5 tablespoons of granulated sugar(the same time I added the Asiago) to the final dough. Rinse 2 cups of loosely packed raisins with warm water to wash off surface sugar, acid, and natural wild yeast. Add the raisins during the final 2 minutes of mixing. Proceed as directed, but do not top the bagels with any garnishes. When they come out of the oven and are still hot, you can brush the tops with melted butter and dip them in cinnamon sugar to create a cinnamon-sugar crust, if desired.

Veggie Cream Cheese:

(This stuff is way better than the grocery store stuff.)
4 ounces light or whipped cream cheese
1 T carrots
1 T scallions
1 T bell pepper
Dice the heck out of the carrots, scallions and peppers. Mix with the cream cheese and serve with your bagel. Or sandwhich for that matter.

Snickerdoodles(and Sandies)

2009-09-02T17:45:00.001-07:00

(this is what I share

with my friends, way too

often)

Sandies

Um, these cookies are pretty much fantastic, please try them, now!

Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda1

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Enjoy!

Biscuits and Gravy

2009-09-02T10:38:00.001-07:00

Easy Biscuits:

2 C self rising flour(or 2 C flour, 2 ½ tsp baking powder, and ¼ tsp salt)
¼ C butter, chopped into little squares
½ C whole fat plain yogurt
¼ C skim milk

Preheat oven to 425

Chop butter into smaller squares. Chill in fridge. Mix together yogurt and milk in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a food processor or with a pastry blender cut butter into flour and make sure it is about the size of peas, but no bigger. Pour it into the milk mixtures and stir until mostly combined. Pour it onto a floured counter and finish mixing with your hands. Squish it out until it is about ¾ inch thick. . Cut biscuit rounds, brush with milk, yogurt or cream. (I did yogurt) and cook in for 10-12 minutes. (If you make thick biscuits they may need a few more minutes.)

Gravy to come...

BBQ Meatloaf

2009-09-02T10:37:00.001-07:00

I was longing for some comfort food tonight, but it had to be healthy-ish. So using my mom's basic meatloaf recipe, I threw this thing together. It was quite good, in fact, my salivary glands just went into over time. My own complaint is keeping the oven on for an hour, oh and meatloaf is just...ugly in its full form. My solution, make it in muffin tins. I saw this in a kids magazine but its brilliant. You only have to cook them for twenty minutes and you get more of that yummy crusty edge.

My BBQ Meatloaf:

1 pound lean ground turkey
4 slices turkey bacon, preferably browned and very finely chopped
1 egg
½ C wheat germ
1 T BBQ rub
½ C bbq sauce divided
1 small onion, finely chopped
½ green pepper, finely diced

Preheat oven to 350
Pour meat, most of bacon, wheat germ, bell pepper, 3 Tablespoons BBQ sauce, BBQ rub and half of onion in a bowl and mix together, with your hands. Wash those paws and now mix the BBQ sauce with the rest of the bacon and onion. Shape the meet into a loaf and make the top middle a little concave. Add the sauce on top and rub around. Make sure you get a little on the sides. Cook for 1 hr.

Fudge

2009-09-01T10:28:00.005-07:00

What do you do with your extra cookies and cake? I send them to school with my hubby. Please believe I am not the baker who doesn't eat their own goods. I do, a lot. I just make more than a lot. I have had a little stress lately so I made not just a lot, but an extra lot. In fact, one of Ryan's buddies made a request. So I willingly obliged and headed to the grocery store on Monday for the ingredients to this recipe. (It's not mine, nor did I alter it dramatically so you will have to click the link to get the recipe.) Thank you to my dear friends for helping. This recipe took a little attention, which is definitely not doable with my little rugrat.

I will tell you one thing, the fudge was awesome, I ate way too much of it. If your crazy like me and eat fudge in the summer. Give this a shot, you won't be sorry.

**few things I learned, since it was my first go at fudge:

-don't let sugar crystals form on the side of the pan.

-put parchment on your pan to make for easier flipping and cutting after it chills

-you don't need to stir while it is cooking

-be sure to have an accurate thermometer.

Simply Roasted

2009-09-01T10:28:00.003-07:00

So, let me tell you a secret. I am a vegetable freak. I love the things. They are yummy. Plus they are so darn good for me, I can't help but count to make sure I get at least my three every day. Yes, I really count, every day!

I must admit I get so sick of steamed vegetables though. (Jacob, thinks peas and corn are candy though so he doesn't mind.) So, I have to be selfish some days and heat the house up by roasting my 3 a day in the oven.

Today I had zuchini on hand, so here's what you do. (Oh I added some parmesan on these after I made them.)

Roasted:

1 lb veggies, sliced semi small

1 T olive oil

1/2 tsp salt and pepper

Prehead the oven to 450. Toss your cut vegetables in the oil, salt and pepper. Spread on the pan and bake for about 20 minutes. (Depending on the vegetable it may be longer or shorter.)

Pork Chops

2009-09-01T10:28:00.001-07:00

Pork chops were on sale this week, so I threw them on my menu. I couldn't find a recipe that I had ingredients for in my fridge, so I threw this little number together. Let me tell Ryan loved them! Seriously these are so so easy and so good. No fancy ingredients or grocery runs.

Cranberry-Pecan Chops :

4 pork chop (or six if they are small)
2 T flour
Salt and Pepper
¼ cup craisins
¼ C red onion, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
¼ cup pecans, toasted and chopped

Soak the craisins in the broth for half of an hour, set aside.
Salt and pepper both sides of each pork chop. Be careful not to do too much salt, we will add chicken stock later. Lightly dust the seasoned chops with flour and rub it on both sides. While you are doing this, have your pan pre-heating on medium high. Spray the pan with oil and add the pork chops. Do not flip until they have browned on the first side.
Flip the pork chops and brown the other side. Remove the prok chops from the pan. Add the onion to the pan and cook until tender. Now add the stock with the craisins.
Let the sauce thicken for a few moments and add the chops back in. Cook until warmed and chops are cooked through.
Remove from heat and let stand five minutes. Pour sauce on the pork chops and top with the toasted pecans.

Snackin'

2009-08-31T14:53:00.003-07:00

Man oh man are these babies good. Can you believe how expensive pita chips are? I must admit, I consume by the bag when I visit my mother in law, shh don't tell. However, my food budget, just doesn't have room for these chips with all the butter and chocolate I buy. (You can get pitas for just over a dollar at the grocery store and it makes more than double the ounces of a three dollar bag.)

My friend showed me the recipe for them she likes, so, I played with it and got this. These have a pretty good garlic herb flavor. Not too strong, just enough to compliment the white bean dip with red peppers I made.
If you like sweets, toss them with a little light olive oil and some cinnamon sugar. MMMM I'm wishing I had some pita bread right about now.

Pita Chips:

6 pita bread pockets, I use whole wheat
1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil, parsley and/or oregano

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Cut each pita bread into 8 triangles, then rip in half. Place triangles on lined cookie sheet.
In a small bowl, combine the oil, pepper, salt, basil and chervil. Toss chips in and toss it with your hand. The chips may brake up a little, but that is okay. Just be gentle.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, tossing once half way through.

By Request...The White Bean Dip:

I adapted this recipe from Giada

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans

2 tsp minced garlic

2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves, dry is okay
pepper
1 roasted red pepper diced into tini pieces

Place the beans, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and parsley in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add red pepper and mix. Transfer the bean puree to a small bowl.

Just For Kakes

2009-08-31T09:59:00.000-07:00

My sister in law wanted this recipe. I don't currently have any pictures of it...maybe another time. I found a few tomato soup recipes, but my friend Tasha told me about this website that has some great recipes. I have a sensitive stomache so I altered it a little to fit our needs. Enjoy

1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 stalk celery, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves or ½-1 tsp dried

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Strain the chopped canned tomatoes, reserving the juices, and spread onto a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, to taste, drizzle half of the olive oil and roast until caramelized, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat remaining olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the celery, carrot, onion and garlic, cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the roasted chopped canned tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, chicken broth, bay leaf and butter. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add basil. Puree with a hand held immersion blender until smooth.Rookie’s Notes: Immersion blender? It’s okay- I don’t have one either. But I do have a blender. Make sure you let the soup cool for about 5 minutes. Pour it in to the blender, put the lid on but not all the way. Leave it open just a little to allow steam to escape. Hold a towel over the top and pulse a few times. Then let ‘er rip and blend until smooth. You most likely will have a small spill, but that is what the towel is for.

She Bakes!

2009-08-30T18:50:00.000-07:00

So my wife has this unquenchable desire to bake!! It's kind of her outlet for all her emotions. If she has a tough day and needs to unwind... She bakes! If she did really well on a test and wants to celebrate.... She bakes! If she knows someone has had a bad day and she feels sad for them.... She bakes!!! Of course all this baking does come at a price. Usually all of this baking ends up as an endless supply of the most delicious pastries, cookies, cakes, muffins, cup cakes, etc, lying around the house!

To keep from doubling my waist line, I usually bring as much as I can to dental school with me and share it with my classmates. About once a week I'll get the comment, "This cookie is AMAZING!! How are you not the size of a walrus!!"

I'd been thinking about that lately and decided it's a really good thing I like to climb, bike, run, swim and workout as much as I do, other wise I probably would be the size of a hump back whale!

Thank goodness for exercise!!

"Retired" Sushi Chef

My love of cooking

2009-08-30T18:34:00.001-07:00

For those of you that know us, know that we LOVE to cook! For me I look back at my life and think it was just meant to be. The majority of jobs that I've had all have been with food. Working at the food court at the University of Oklahoma, working the grill and managing at Chill Out in Provo, UT, bussing tables and then becoming a sushi chef at the Happy Sumo and my small go at serving at J. Alexander's this last summer. At everyone of these jobs that I had the chance to cook, I'd just itch in anticipation for the next time I got to go home and visit my family. I'd tap out my parent's food budget for the week and go buy supplies. I'd make them everything I'd learn how to make at my new jobs. It was awesome!

Working at the Happy Sumo was by far the best opportunity food wise I'd ever gotten. I started off as a busser. Cleaned tables about 4 days a week and milked the 50% discount on the sushi every chance I got. The restaurant got busy and they started looking for new chefs and when I found this out I definitely let the manager know I wanted to learn. Even though I'm as white as they come I figured they'd be better off training me since they new me than taking their chances on someone new!

I guess all the begging paid off because after 9 months of bussing tables they finally let me get my hands "fishy"!!

After 2 years of making sushi at Happy Sumo and several 50+ catering jobs making sushi for friends, family and classmates, my love for the culinary arts is sealed!!

Since starting dental school down in the south my opportunities to put my passion to work have been few and far between but I love every chance I get!

I hope for my family and friends and anyone else that gets the chance to read this blog that you can share in me and my wife's passion for cooking!

"Retired" Sushi Chef

Black and White Sandwhich Cookies

2009-08-30T15:33:00.005-07:00

Yum, yum, yum! If you love the classic oreo recipe, these cookies are for you. I started with a box of yellow cake mix, but you can use any kind you like. The frosting is a rich, smooth chocolatey delight. Try it out if you want the most gooey yummy sandwhich cookies. Oh ya did I mention these things are so easy my one year old helped me make them. His favorite part was sticking his little finger in the frosting.Too lazy to make the frosting? Thats okay, these things are pretty enough to much all by themselves.

Easy Cookies:

one box yellow cake mix

2 eggs

1/3 C vegetable oil

Mix all of the ingredients until you can't see any more powder. Roll in balls and cook in a 350 oven for 8-10 minutes. Let them stand on the pan a few minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. They are gooey, in the best way possible.

Silky Chocolate Frosting:

adapted from recipezaar

½ C semisweet chocolate chips
¾ C butter
1 tsp vanilla
¾ C cocoa
3-4 C powdered sugar
½ C milk or water

Blend melted chocolate with butter until smooth. Add cocoa, vanilla and half of sugar. Add remaining sugar. Whip in milk to get desired consistency. If you want fluffy frosting, whip it until it starts to become lighter brown. You will only need half a batch to one box of cake mix.

Panzanella

2009-08-30T15:33:00.003-07:00

Until now, I had never even tried this dish, but I am not hooked. Panzanella is a a vegetable and bread salad. This particular one is made with leftover ciabata bread I had. I toasted it up and can now say I like crutons. Not the kind from the grocery store though, just the homemade ones.

So even if you have declared in the pasts to be a crouton hater like me, try this panzanella recipe I've thrown together, you just might change your mind.(served with an herbed chicken)

The red onion in this thing gives it a good spice, then the balsamic vinegar makes it sweet. The perfect combination in my opinion.( I chose to toast the bread crumbs over the stove, but it can also be done in the oven.)

(The salad before I added the bread.)

Panzanella:

2 tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
1 small cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 red or yellow bell pepper in one inch squares, optional
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, very finely minced
3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
½ tsp dried basil
salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6-8 slices thick country bread, torn into bite-size pieces

In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, onion, garlic and basil. Drizzle with the 3 Tablespoons olive oil and the 3 tblsps vinegar and basil, season with salt and pepper and toss well. Toss bread with 3 Tbs oil and salt and toast for about ten minutes until crunchy. Mix with vegetables and serve immediately.

Mix it up:

Try adding some fresh basil, or using whole wheat bread. If you love yellow tomatoes, add those, it would be pretty.

Moroccan Chicken

2009-08-30T15:33:00.001-07:00

I made this for my family and they loved it. The first time I made it the group of people attending dinner seemed to multiple so I tripled the chicken and the flavor was still great. The second time I only used 8 tenders, so it was slightly oily. My point, if you like it strong, do less chicken.

Don't be fooled, this recipe looks like it has lots of pricey herbs, but I got all of mine for under three bucks. (Cilantro, parsley and green onion are all very inexpensive.)

Moroccan Chicken:

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
4-12 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

Combine oil, scallions, parsley, cilantro, garlic, paprika, cumin, salt, turmeric and cayenne pepper in the container of a food processor. Process until smooth. Rub the mixture on both sides of the chicken breasts and let stand 30 minutes. Preheat the grill to medium hot. Grill chicken breasts 5-7 minutes on each side, or until done.

Breadmachine Ciabata

2009-08-30T15:32:00.000-07:00

I really wanted some bread to make a sandwhich, but I was craving ciabata. I'm picky like that some days. This is a recipe fit for the bread machine I found. I quickly learned that this dough is quite tough to work with. The bread was a little flat, but had great flavor. I am going to try again without using my bread machine, but if you just having a craving, try this.

Breadmachine Ciabatta:

I adapted the recipe from here.

1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 1/4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Place ingredients into the pan of the bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select the Dough cycle, and Start. Dough will be quite sticky and wet once cycle is completed, resist the temptation to add more flour. Place dough on a lightly floured board, cover with a large bowl, and let rest for 15 minutes. Lightly flour or use parchment lined baking sheets. Divide into 2 pieces, and form each into a 3x14 inch oval. Place loaves on prepared sheets, dimple surface, and lightly flour. Cover, and let rise in a draft free place for approximately 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 425°F. Dimple dough for a second time, and then place loaves in the oven, positioned on the middle rack. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. During baking, spritz loaves with water every 5 to 10 minutes for a crispier crust. When the bread comes out of the oven, lightly brush the top with olive oil then top with a little salt.

The crust is fabulous and the inside chewy, what have you to lose?

for a shaping video click on this link

http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2009/03/09/shaping-ciabatta-video/

Rise and Shine

2009-08-30T15:31:00.000-07:00

I must confess, I am a morning person. Why, I don't know, but I often see it as a curse when I go to bed at one and wake up at six. I am human though and have those can't roll out of bed mornings. In fact, I have had them pretty much every morning for a while now...

My solution for those late nights, throw something like this in your fridge. It is so easy to throw together, uses day old bread, it's healthy oh and it is delicious! For this recipe to live up to its full potential you must use fresh peaches.

Baked Peach French Toast

1 /2-1 loaf french bread, at least 2 days old

6 eggs

1 cup skim milk

splash of half and half, cream or whole milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 lb fresh sliced peaches

handful of blueberries or blackberries

handful of brown sugar mixed with some cinnamon

Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Cut the french bread into 1/2 inch slices or cubes and arrange in a single layer in the pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together whole eggs, , milk, half and half, and the vanilla. Pour the egg mixture over the bread in the pan. Layer the peach slices evenly over the bread. Sprinkle evenly with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Uncover and bake until it is slightly puffy, and the bread is golden brown, about 40 minutes.

Please, no judging

2009-08-30T15:20:00.000-07:00

I tell ya, the past few weeks have been nuts. What do I do to relieve some of this stress besides cooking? Run and bike and lift weights and do aerobics and pilates.....you name it, I likely do it.

But wait....that is not all I do, I stock my freezer with naughty things to.

For Decoation Purposes

2009-08-24T19:09:00.000-07:00

Look at this cake, isn't it cute. Would you believe Ryan decorated it. I attempted to cut my finger off with a serated knife while visiting my parents, so I wasn't up to the task. Yes, this is what my kitchen often looks like, please forgive me.

I like to decorate, I just don't have the time to practice, but if you have more time then me, give these recipes a try. They are easy and great for decorating. The taste of both is pretty good, but nothing to go nuts and brag about.

If you just want to touch up on your skills, save time and use these simple recipes to practice decorating. The frosting is also a perfect consistancy for easy decorating.
Easy white cake:

1 (18 1/4 ounce) package plain white cake mix
1 cup sour cream or yogurt

1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanill extract

Orange zest(optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Generously grease and flour a 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Place cake mix, sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla in mixing bowl. Blend with mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop machine, scrape down sides of bowl. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more. Scrape down sides again if needed. The batter should look well combined and thickened. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Place pan in oven. Bake the cake until it is light brown and springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, 35-40 minutes. Remove pan from oven and place on wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Run a dinner knife around edge of cake and invert it onto wire rack. Allow cake to cool completely, 30 minutes. Frost as desired.

Wilton Buttercream:

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened

1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
2 tablespoons milk

In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.
For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Re whip before using.

Lesson Learned

2009-08-24T19:08:00.002-07:00

Let me tell you a lesson I learned when I first start baking. It is definitely not cool to substitute margerine or shortening for butter. Why?

Butter has the best flavor of all! It definitely dominates the world of cooking fat. Butter also has a melting point that is between margerine and shortening. What does this mean? Butter leaves your cookies chewy but they still have a little puff in them. If you like your cookies pancake flat, try the cheaper option, margerine.

Margerine has a very low melting point, so when making cooking they will come out very flat and likely very chewy. For those of you who care, it may have less calories, but it has a high amount of trans fat. Personally, I have found margerine is good for creating a unique texture in a few things, like poundcake.

Shortening, or what I like to call the pretty white fat. I really like to use all vegetable shortening, and I only like to use the good stuff. I'm not always an ingredient snob, but I have to draw the line somewhere. Shortening has the highest melting point of the three fats. For this reason, your cooking will not flatten out much. They may even end up looking like the same ball you put in the oven. Shortening also gives cookies a crispy outsides and cakes a fluffy texture.

Shortening is great for pie crusts, it helps make them flaky. I also like to use shortening in snicker doodles to give them that crisp outer layer.

Shhh, don't tell I have also experimented with lard. I made a pie shell and it was delightful. So flakey and yet I still loved the flavor. Let's keep that a secret though cuz I usually like to keep things healthy-ish.

Sister-in-law

2009-08-24T18:49:00.000-07:00

Are you salivating yet?

I spent some time living with my sister in law when I was single and my brother was in Afghanistan. As you could imagine, living with a married woman, I didn't exactly have parties every night. We did however, enjoy some delicious food together.

She makes this beautiful cake that is a spin off of molten cake. You know the kind they serve at Chili's.

You start with a chocolate bundt cake, cut holes with a fork to fill it with hot fudge. Then, drizzle on some Carmel, then fill the hole with ice cream now top that with some chocolate shell, caramel and ice cream.

I switched it up a little by using a home made devils food cake recipe that is to die for on its own.

If you want to be really authentic like my sister-in-law put a sparkler or two in the middle and light it while you sing birthday wishes.(I warn you it will likely set off your smoke alarm, but you will be so happy, you just may not care!)

I also made my own fudge and Carmel sauce. The sauces were great on their own. The only complaint I had was that the carmel was ever-so-slightly gritty in texture. The taste was so phenomenal though I still loved it.

Molten Style Birthday Cake:

Assembly:

one recipe devils food, made in a bundt

1/2 recipe carmel
1/2 recipe hot fudge

1/2 bottle chocolate shell
1/2 gallon vanilla bean ice cream
some sparklers if your feeling crazy

Make the cake according to directions. While cake is hot, or rewarmed, poke holes with a fork and pour over half of the hot fudge. Now drizzle a little carmel all over the cake. Fill the hole in the middle with as much ice cream as you can. Now cover that ice cream with fudge shell. Top that off with a little more fudge and carmel and enjoy!

Devils Food Cake

adapted from here

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

3 eggs, room temperature
4 oz. (4 squares) unsweetened chocolate
4 Tbsp. cocoa powder 1 C hot water

1/3 cup sour cream

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cake flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift flours, soda and salt. Add hot water to coco and chocolate, mix until very smooth. Add the dry and the wet to the sugar mixture by starting with dry, wet, dry, wet, dry, Bake in pans greased and lined with parchment paper for 20-25 minutes at 350.

Hot Fudge Sauce:

adapted from recipezaar.com

1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
1 (12 ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place milk, chocolate chips and sugar in a medium saucepan. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla (sauce will thicken while it is cooling)

Carmel Sauce:
adapted from recipezaar.com

1 cup butter

1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
1 3/4 cups brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

Melt butter in heavy saucepan over low heat. Add milk and sugars. Bring to a rolling boil over medium heat stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute. Cool slightly.
Pour into blender, add vanilla, and cover and blend on medium until smooth.

Stuffed

2009-08-24T18:36:00.000-07:00

Stuffed peppers is always a fun dinner for company because it has such nice presentation. This recipe I adapted from recipes I've seen here and there is pretty good, it is just missing that kick. If I were to make it again I would have to use ground turkey sausage for the meet.

Stuffed Peppers:

6 large bell peppers

1 lb ground turkey, I would actually reccommend turkey sausage
1 small onion, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup long grain rice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire

1 cup shredded cheddar

Cut tops from peppers. Discard seeds and membranes. Chop enough of the tops to make 1/4 cup. Set aside. Cook the whole bell peppers in salted boiling water for 5 minutes. Invert and drain well. Sprinkle insides of peppers lightly with salt. In a skillet, cook the ground sausage, onion and the chopped bell peppers , celery and carrot until meat is browned and veggies are tender.

Drain off any fat. Add undrained tomatoes, uncooked rice, chicken stock, salt, Worcestershire and a dash of pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 to 18 minutes or until rice is tender. Stuff peppers with the meat mixture and top with cheese. Place in a baking dish. Spoon any remaining meat around and in between the peppers. Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.

Strawberry Cake (from scratch)

2009-08-24T18:22:00.002-07:00

I have this thing about things being from scratch. I just love them so much more. Why? maybe the freshness of them. Or the limitless possibly for alteration. Or maybe it's the lack of ingredients I can't pronounce. I can't help myself I just love them. So I went on a loooooong hunt for a totally from scratch Strawberry cake and thanks to this cook who sent me a recipe. I slightly altered it and got this. If you want a brighter color of cake, you can add red food coloring. I just like the natural color the berries added.

This cake is dense, moist, and has a good strawberry flavor. Everyone loved it, hope you do too.

Strawberry Cake

3 cups self-rising flour(you can sub this for 1 C flour, 1 1/4 tsp baking powder and 1/8 tsp salt)
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup pureed strawberries
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
4 large eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray and flour three 8-by-2-inch round cake pans, tapping out excess flour; set aside.Prepare the cake batter; in a large bowl, stir to combine self-rising flour, sugar, oil, pureed strawberries, vanilla, lemon zest, and eggs. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smoothing with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until the tops spring back when gently pressed with your fingertips, 26 to 28 minutes.Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto wire rack. Re-invert cakes and let them cool completely, top sides up. Prepare the cream cheese frosting (recipe below); frost as desired and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick of butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups of powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese and butter until no bumps remain. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until fluffy. Makes enough to cover the cake.

Hawaiin Sweet Bread

2009-08-24T18:14:00.000-07:00

This beauty is made in a bread machine and besides the shape, you'd never know. This bread is oh so fabulous. (Seriously though, I could eat a whole loaf.) It comes out of the bread machine like five feet tall and soft as a feather. My husband said he could sleep on it.

I must admit I love hand made bread more than anything, but I promise this recipe will not disappoint you.

Hawaiin Sweet Bread:

3/4 cup pineapple juice
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 1/2 tablespoons egg
3/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups bread flour, I use half white wheat and half bread flour
2 tablespoons dry milk, I often skip this and it turns out great
2 teaspoons yeast

Place ingredients in bread machine container in order directed by manufacturer. Cycle: normal, and light.

A few pointers:

I am no bread expert but I have learned a few things. One, don't skip your salt, it counteracts your yeast. Two, don't oversalt, you won't get bread fluffy enough to sleep on. Three the more wheat flour, the denser the loaf. Add wheat gluten if you add wheat flour. This will help the bread compensate for the structure that is broken the pieces of the outer layer of the wheat berry.

Healthier Coffee Cake

2009-08-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

This is a fun breakfast that I adapted from Ellie Kreiger. I love cake for breakfast, especially if I can convince myself it's healthy.

Wheat pastry flour is hard to find, so sub in for white or wheat depending on your tastes. Another fun thing to do with this recipe is make it into muffins.

Healthier Coffee Cake:

2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour or regular white whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans
½ cup rolled oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons canola oil, I sometimes sub applesauce here
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup blueberries or blackberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray bundtpan with cooking spray(or try muffin tins).
Whisk together the flour, the baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar, cinnamon, oats and pecans. In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar, butter and oil until fluffy. If necessary, use the back of a spoon to press out any lumps in the brown sugar. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until fully combined. Beat in the vanilla and yogurt.
Add the flour mixture in 2 batches, stirring until just combined.
Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half of the nut mixture over the batter and top with the blueberries, gently pressing them into the batter. Spoon the rest of the batter into the pan, smoothing the top. Sprinkle the remaining nut mixture over the cake, pressing gently. Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool slightly and then unmold and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack. Cut the cake into 2-inch squares.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

2009-08-24T18:00:00.000-07:00

This recipe is authentically me. I made it up one day with no guidence. It is nothing unique in the world of pancakes but it is delicious, easy and nutritious. If you want a fluffier pancakes, beat the egg whites until stiff and fold in at the end. If you want, add a little vanilla to the batter to mix it up. My personal favorite is blueberries or chocolate chips.

Tammy’s Whole Wheat Pancakes:

2 C Wheat Flour
¼ C sugar
½ tsp salt
1 T baking powder
2 C milk
2 eggs
1/3 C oil

Mix milk, eggs and oil. In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix just until combined. Cook on gridle until bubby, then flip.

Pavlova with Berries and Yogurt Cream

2009-08-23T19:56:00.000-07:00

These babies were introduced to me and Ry a few years ago by our Bishop. They are an Australian dessert and they are sweet, crispy, light and to die for. I believe Pavlova is traditionally made as one really big one, but we made mini ones and topped them with fresh strawberries and a yogurt cream.

Pavlova:

Adapted from Martha Stewart

8 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 cups sugar plus 2 teaspoons
8 teaspoons cornstarch, sifted

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line two baking pans with parchment paper. Set aside. In the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites until frothy. Add cream of tartar on medium-high speed until medium peaks form. Slowly add sugar; continue beating until firm peaks form. Whisk in vanilla and salt. Fold in cornstarch.(The best way to fold is to use a rubber spatula and rotate it in circles while slowly spinning the bowl.)

Transfer mixture to a large pastry bag, or even a Ziploc baggy. Use scissors to cut 3 inches off of the tip. Pipe mixture into eight large mounds onto prepared baking pans. Bake until meringues are crisp on the outside but their consistency resembles marshmallow on the inside, about 1 hour.

Yogurt Cream:

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup yogurt, I believe I used vanilla

1 tablespoon sugar

In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine cream, yogurt, and sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff.

La la lasagna

2009-08-23T19:34:00.000-07:00

Man have I grown to love this stuff. It's so versatile. Red sauce, white sauce, spicy, meaty an most importantly cheesy.

This particular recipe is made with a white sauce, pesto and some vegetables. It is very simple and the Parmesan gives it crispy brown crust. Nothing could be better than crispy brown cheese, it looks good and tastes even better.

I adapted this recipe from here.

Mario Batali's Besciamella:

click here for recipe

Basil Pesto:

1 clove of garlic
2 cups fresh basil, be creative and try using parsley and sage, or any herbs you like
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts, I love walnuts because I usually have them on hand
Salt and Pepper
1/2-3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Add garlic, basil, 1/4 cup nuts and salt and pepper to food processor. Process until basil is minced. While machine is running, slowly add olive oil until desired consistency.

Lasagna:

Lasagna pasta sheets, or you can use the kind you have to boil and make according to package
Mozzarella
16 oz ricotta or cottage cheese
1/2 C Parmesan, grated
Broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, zucchini, squash or carrots, sliced very thinly
Besciamella
Basil Pesto

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Prep your vegetables, slicing them thinly and equally to ensure even cooking. Thinly slice the mozzarella and parmigiana reggiano. Spread a thin layer of besciamella sauce on the bottom of the glass baking pan. Layer the pasta sheets, then a layer of vegetables. Add the three cheeses, distributing them evenly on the vegetables. Drizzle with besciamella sauce and dollop the pesto throughout. Lay down another layer of pasta sheets, and repeat the process described above. After two layers of vegetables, add the top layer of pasta sheets and spread the besciamella sauce to cover them completely, add the remaining parmigiana reggiano. Cook for 20-45 minutes, or until the top layer is browning and bubbly.

I guess you can call this a recipe, but be creative, break the rules, make it your own. You will find it makes cooking so much less expensive and yet, just as delicious. Heck, maybe even more.

Rosemary Bread

2009-08-23T19:04:00.000-07:00

Man do I love Macaroni Grill. You should too! They feed you fabulous bread until you can't even open your mouth for another bite. And the food, well its just dandy too, but I can't help but fill up on their fabulous bread before I even see my salad! With the forecast being no eating out for us any time soon, I put together this rosemary bread and man is it good.

Rosemary Bread:

1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons rosemary

Place yeast, sugar and warm water in large bowl or Mixer and allow mixture to become bubbly. (By warm I mean hotter than look warm, but the kind a kid could touch, with no pain that is.)
Mix in 1 T butter,(make sure its soft) salt, and 2 cups of flour. (If like me you like to make everything "healthy" and think you can skip the salt, DON'T. Salt is important to help counteract the rising of the yeast. Also don't over add it. Or, do what you want, but don't say you weren't warned.) Add one tablespoon of the fresh chopped rosemary, you can use a teaspoon of dry if you don't have fresh. Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or in a mixer about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add more flour if necessary.
Oil a bowl, put dough in it and cover with a towel. Let dough rise in a warm place for one hour until doubled.

Punch down dough and divide in half.
Let dough rest about 5 minutes.
Spray baking pan or cookie sheet with cooking spray.
Shape the dough into 2 small rounded oval loaves.
Sprinkle remaining 1 Tablespoon of rosemary over the loaves and press lightly into the surface.
Let loaves rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375° F.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned.
Carefully remove from oven, brush with remaining butter and cool on a rack.Health note: If you like to amp it up a little try adding a little wheat flour and some wheat gluten to help it rise, about a Tablespoon per cup. (Wheat gluten is flour that helps hold the structure and is definitely needed for rising, I'll tell ya more of what I know later.) Also, you can try white wheat. We love it, not quite as nutritious but makes for a light, yet wheaty bread?

Hey Good Lookin' What Ya Got Cookin'

2009-08-23T18:38:00.000-07:00

A couple cooks, what? I know cheesy right? We just love it though. The both of us. Ry guy loves to throw down some sushi, and people love Ry when he throws down sushi. As for me, I just love the kitchen.
I love to cook all meals and of course, most importantly, dessert. We live deep down in the south and can never share our love for cooking with our friends and family, but thank you Internet for creating this opportunity for us.
I'm not promising any expert photos, and I'm no writer, but we will share with you lots of food. So put on your eatin pants.