Crafty's Cafe

Mary's Baked Fruit ~ 12.18.11

2011-12-18T12:30:00.000-08:00

Mary's Baked Fruit is one of my favorite recipes from home. We have this at many a holiday celebration and it always makes me think of Christmas (well, and Easter, too). It contains a very unique ingredient that doesn't quite taste the way you expect it to taste: curry! Whenever I tell someone it's in there the response is quite often, "I don't really like curry and stay away from anything with it in it!" And then they try this recipe and are sold.

In our family, the peaches and pineapples are the first to go. Poor pears! So, we usually increase the amounts of those in the recipe. I've even increased the fruit in this recipes WITHOUT increasing the "sauce" ingredients.

I will give you one caveat before you proceed, the sauce in this stains. It's ruined a few shirts, but again, it's well worth it and I just give lots of warnings about that fact. My kids LOVE this recipe and it will be around for many years to come. I'm including some photos of my fruit draining process. My mom always used paper towels, but I was trying to be a bit more "green" ;)

Mary's Baked Fruit

Best made the day before or several... the flavors marry together and it gets better!
Increase/decrease fruit amts. per preference

1 lg can cling peach halves (the pics show slices as that was what I had on hand at the time)
1 lg can pineapple slices
1 lg can pear halves
1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2-4 tsp. curry powder (we use 2)

1. Drain fruit and dry on paper towels- or use towels (see photos above). Absorb as much moisture as possible.
2. Arrange fruit in casserole dish.
3. Melt butter, then add brown sugar and curry. Spoon over the fruit.
4. Bake 1 hour in 325-350 degree oven.

Serves 4-6--- of course you can double/ triple the recipe! you can also freeze the leftovers.

Chocolate Blackout Cake ~ 11.15.11

2011-11-16T07:08:00.000-08:00

Right, so if you haven't figured this out yet, we LOVE chocolate around here. So, when "birthday season" rolls around, it is usually the most requested kind of cake.

Thankfully, there are so many different KINDS of chocolate cake one can make! I happened upon this lovely recipe last week and decided to try it for my 7 year old's birthday. It's not a quick cake and there are a few steps to get right and all, but it was worth it and birthdays only come once a year, so we should make them special!

The recipe comes from America's Best Lost Recipes, from the editors of Cook's Country Magazine. Chocolate Blackout Cake was a forerunner to Death by Chocolate confections and came from a bakery in Brooklyn, NY called Ebinger's. It has decadent layers of fudgy, chocolate cake held together by a rich, creamy pudding that couples as a frosting! Chocolate Blackout Cake was developed during World War II and is so named after the blackout drills performed by the Civilian Defense Corps.A Blackout was performed so ships when sailing off to battle could not be spotted by enemy planes. City lights were turned off and windows were covered with black material. They had drills like fire drills to practice for the real thing. The cake derived its name from it's intensely dark appearance and some say, the crumbled cake crumbs on top are reminiscent of aciety skyline.

Though Ebinger's never published their recipe, the bakers at Cook's Country tested and streamlined this version that I know you chocolate lovers out there will thoroughly enjoy!

Chocolate Blackout Cake
from America's Best Lost Recipes

Pudding
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup whole milk
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate , chopped
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cake
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), plus extra for greasing pans
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour , plus extra for dusting pans
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder (I used Hershey's)
1 cup strong black coffee, room temperature
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. For the Pudding: Whisk sugar, cornstarch, salt, half-and-half, and milk in large saucepan. Set pan over medium heat. Add chocolate and whisk constantly until chocolate melts and mixture begins to bubble, 2 to 4 minutes. (It should have a pudding consistency- mine took MUCH longer than 2-4 minutes and this step is crucial to your pudding being pudding, so make sure that milk is warm enough and you keep stirring until it thickens and the chocolate melts.) Stir in vanilla and transfer frosting to large bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours or up to 1 day.

2. For the cake layers: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in bowl, set aside. ( I realized I only had 9-inch cake pans and I used what I had, but 8-inch would be preferable here)

3. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in cocoa and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Off heat, whisk in coffee, buttermilk, and sugars until dissolved. Whisk in eggs and vanilla until combined, then slowly whisk in flour mixture.

4. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool layers in pans 15 minutes, then invert onto wire rack. Cool to room temperature, at least 1 hour.

5. To assemble the cake: Cut each cake in half horizontally. Pick the least ‘good-looking’ cake layer and crumble into medium crumbs and set aside. Place one cake layer on serving platter (I put down waxed paper first in strips so that my cake platter would be "clean" after the crumbles were added) or cardboard round. Spread 1 cup pudding over cake layer and top with another layer. Repeat with 1 cup pudding and the last cake layer. Spread remaining pudding evenly over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle cake crumbs evenly on the side of cake, pressing lightly to adhere crumbs. Serve. (Cake can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)

alternatively, you could just keep the crumbled cake part on the sides and leave the top a smooth pudding layer to write a message!

:source:

Chocolate Birthday Cake ~ 10.31.11

2011-10-31T18:41:00.000-07:00

This year, for my son's 9th Birthday, I decided to make LMLD's birthday cake for all occasions as I had happened upon it the day before I was ready to make his cake! It was a HIT! Rich and chocolately and made from scratch. I made this the day of the birthday party AND I had an open house that same day as well. SO- don't think scratch = extra time in the kitchen. It came together quickly and I just "built" the cake at my mom's house later in the day so I didn't have any "accidents" with this HIGH layer cake on the way there.

Auntie Leila gives such lovely descriptions of her cake on LMLD and I'm intrigued by the way she made her version with a ganache and layer of apricot preserves! She also gives lots of substitutions(like olive oil or coconut oil for the butter) for ingredients on her post about this cake- which can be very helpful!
Since I was not running to the store and had ALL of the ingredients for the original recipe, I made it just this way...

Easy Chocolate Buttermilk Cake
from Like Mother, Like Daughter

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), melted
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
optional: fresh whipped cream; strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Grease and flour a large bundt or 2- 9" layer pans. I also used parchment rounds on the bottom of my cake pans which I greased as well. Didn't want any mishaps!!
3. Mix the sugar and melted butter together in your mixing bowl. Add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk, vanilla and eggs. One bowl. That easy. Just don't overmix, just until it's incorporated and smooth.
4. Pour the batter into your pans (I use an ice cream scoop and do even amts in each pan until all the batter is used up!) and smooth the top with a spatula.
5. Bake about 30 minutes for layer cakes and 40 minutes for a Bundt. Test with a toothpick in the center to check for doneness.
6. Let cool for about 10 minutes in the pan before inverting. Then let cool completely before frosting your cake.

Easy fresh Whipped Cream
2 pints whipped cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

1. Using a large bowl, add your cream and begin to whisk briskly until it starts to froth and come together- soft peaks.
2. Sprinkle in powdered sugar and add vanilla.
3. Continue whisking until stiff peaks form (if you overmix you'll get butter, so stop before it's too late!).
4. Taste for sweetness.
5. Chill or spread on your favorite cake

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake ~ 10.30.11

2011-10-30T18:33:00.000-07:00

I can't help myself- when it comes to pumpkin flavored anything... I'm IN!

I really can't believe I'm about to admit this but it's October 29th as I type this and I have yet to make anything pumpkin-y. I'm not sure if it was my lack of time or my fear that there would be another pumpkin shortage this year or whatever, I just haven't made much in the muffin/cookie/cake/bread department involving my favorite flavor!

Ah, but thanks to my crazy pregnancy cravings- that was all put to rest tonight. I made a delectable Pumpkin Pie Milkshake patterned after one I saw over here.

Oh me.

Oh my.

I do SO love Pumpkin Pie flavored stuff- I have pumpkin spice Hershey kisses (which I ration out through the year) and found Pumpkin spiced candy corn at our Market District GE this year, too!

I can't say a word about those pumpkin lattes everyone is goo goo over, I'm not a coffee drinker at all. BUT I do have a box of decaf Pumpkin Spice tea made by stash that I love! ;)

So, pumpkin beverages are so fun to have this time of year and while I DO love a hot beverage, I'm a sucker for anything ice cream related. I adapted this recipe just a bit by adding gingersnap cookies to it. As I recall, a few years back a local burger place had gingersnap milkshakes that I could.not.get.enough.of- at the time. Maybe I was pregnant then, too. Wait... I was! with the twins! LOL Anyway, give this recipe a try anytime between now and Thanksgiving- after that, we'll all move onto PEPPERMINT flavored milkshakes, etc!!!

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake

adapted from Our Best Bites

To your blender, add:

1/4- 1/2 cup milk- start with 1/4 cup and then add more in the last step
1/3 cup pumpkin
heaping 1/4 tsp of pumpkin pie spice -easy to make your own
dash of vanilla extract
2 Tbs brown sugar

Blend together all of the above, THEN add:

2 cups of vanilla ice cream

Give it a whirl and if it's not whirling well, add 1/4 cup more milk.

Pour into a tall, frosty mug and sprinkle crushed gingersnap cookies on top!

sip slowly and enjoy every minute

Makes ONE generous milkshake!

Apple Spice Cake ~ 10.29.11

2011-10-29T09:05:00.000-07:00

This delightful apple cake is a snap to put together. Just mix in the ingredients and pour into your greased bundt pan. Bundt cakes (if you grease properly and flour properly) - always come out looking so beautiful and fancy. The aroma that will fill your home as this cake bakes will definitely warm up your taste buds.

Be sure to make some caramel sauce (or buy a jar in a pinch- I love Tastefully Simple Creamy Caramel Sauce). I just happened to have a jar of Aldi's brand in my pantry, so that's what worked out for me the day I made this for our church group.

Once you make this, you'll agree this cake is worthy of a celebration- which was why I originally tried it! For my son's 4th birthday party we made this to go along with other fall treats. But it's just as great for a Sunday brunch, too.

Enjoy!

Apple Spice Cake
originally posted at She's a Crafty Pumpkin, Oct. 28, 2006
courtesy Dorothy Mae Brown, via Martha Stewart dot com

1 1/3 c vegetable oil
3 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbs cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3-4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into half inch pieces (I've used MacIntosh, too)
1 cup assorted nuts (optional)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Caramel Sauce

--Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with cooking spray; set aside.
-- Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
--In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine vegetable oil, sugar, and eggs; mix on high speed until lemon yellow.
--With mixer on medium speed, gradually add in dry ingredients until just incorporated.
--Add apples and, if desired, nuts, to batter; mix to combine. Add vanilla, mixing until incorporated.
--Pour (it's rather thick, so use a spatula) batter into prepared pan, and bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 75 to 90 minutes.
--Remove from oven, and cool slightly on a wire rack.
--Invert cake onto rack; turn cake right-side up to cool completely on rack, and serve drizzled with caramel sauce.

Serves 10. (I've sliced into several more slices than that before, too)

Creamy Tomato Balsamic Soup~ 10. 24.11

2011-10-24T14:30:00.000-07:00

Continuing my trend this week of copying recipes from my other blog and posting them here. Before they're forgotten! Some of these haven't been made in ages.

I may have mentioned my love and affection for all things tomato- and this soup fits the bill. I may need to make it this week! heartburn schmartburn! (ah the joys of pregnancy)

I do use a foley food mill to make my soup. Ever see one of those before? One of my beloved kitchen tools. You can sometimes nab one at a garage sale or thrift store. Or raid your grandmother's cabinets and ask her for hers ;) Mine came from my grandfather and then I upgraded to a less rusty version when I saw one at a garage sale a few years back.

So handy and a kid can operate it!

that's Dom making applesauce!

Anyway, this soup does have a bit of wait time with those tomatoes roasting... but you'll be ever so thankful you did that step. House smelling all warm and lovely- tomatoes cooking in a beautiful marinade adding a wonderful depth of flavor to your tomato soup... yep, it's a good thing.

Creamy Tomato-Balsamic Soup

Cooking the vegetables at the high temperature of 500° caramelizes their natural sugars and deepens their flavor; the liquid poured over them ensures they won't burn. Prepare the soup up to two days ahead; reheat over medium heat before serving.

1 cup less-sodium beef broth, divided
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
5 garlic cloves
2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, drained
Cooking spray
3/4 cup half-and-half
Cracked black pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 500°.
Combine 1/2 cup of broth, sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce in a small bowl. Place onion, garlic, and tomatoes in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Pour broth mixture over tomato mixture. Bake at 500° for 50 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned.

Place tomato mixture in a blender. Add remaining 1/2 cup broth and half-and-half, and process until smooth. Strain mixture through a sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Garnish with cracked black pepper, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1/2 cup)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 120(35% from fat); FAT 4.7g (sat 3g,mono 1.5g,poly 0.1g); PROTEIN 3.8g; CHOLESTEROL 23mg; CALCIUM 120mg; SODIUM 452mg; FIBER 1.7g; IRON 1.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 14.9g

Julie Grimes
Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2005

Spaghetti Pie ~10.23.11

2011-10-23T19:36:00.000-07:00

I did a quick search on this blog the other day and was flabbergasted that I have never shared the following recipe with you here! Shame!
I make this a lot. It's hearty and creamy and delcious. My husband likes it, a lot. And depending on the day of the week, most of the kids like it, too. ;)

I find that you can use a bit more tomato sauce and usually make a little extra to have on the side. I also use light sour cream. Always have in this recipe. Don't usually use whole wheat pasta, but I bet that would be better for us, now wouldn't it?

And once upon a time I actually took pics of this at certain steps, but forgot the best part... the finished product! Guess I'll have to make it again soon and take a photo!

Spaghetti Pie
(Adapted from Cooking Light)

1 pound ground sirloin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 -15 ounce can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 cups chopped green onions
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 cups cooked whole wheat spaghetti
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
2 ounces fresh grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350

In large skillet over medium heat, cook sirloin until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain and return to pan. Stir in seasonings and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream, onions, and cream cheese.

Place spaghetti in a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish coated with cooking spray.

Spoon sour cream mixture over spaghetti and spread evenly. Place the ground sirlion mixture on top. Sprinkle with cheeses and bake, covered, for 25 minutes.

here it is sans cheese- I wish I had a pic of it in all its creamy glory on my plate!

Uncover and bake 5 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

** You can certainly freeze this for a new mom or yourself! Just wrap tightly with foil and date and put it in the freezer before you bake it!

Pumpkin Spice Granola ~ 10.13.11

2011-10-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

It always amuses me how I end up some places on the web. Just the other day I landed here and found a lovely recipe for Pumpkin Spice Granola. I was intrigued by it because it called for adding sweet potato puree and I just roasted some sweets the other day and had not eaten them yet. Coupled with the fact that I love making granola and haven't for some time- this recipe was sure to hit my oven in less than a day!

And it did! I love a quick recipe turnaround. Print one day and make it the next (or that night!). I did one better by reviewing it for you, on the blog. She has a lot of great recipes, so be sure to visit and try one of the many granola recipes she featured recently.

I was hoping that while it was cooking it would taste as amazing as my house smelled. The aroma was delightful and so comforting. And the taste- delicious. Not too sweet at all, in my opinion-- just right!

I appreciated the idea of letting your granola cool in the oven to let it crisp--- that didn't always happen in the past with other recipes I've tried. So, from now on... cooling in the oven after it bakes!

Pumpkin Spice Granola

adapted from Finding Joy in My Kitchen

4 1/2 cups oats (I used a combo of Steel Cut and Old Fashioned)
2 1/2 cups Rice Crispy type cereal
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice **(I made my own and recipe is at bottom)
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sweet potato puree
1/4 cup applesauce (just happened to have homemade!)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla

Mix the oats, cereal and wheat germ in a large bowl. Add in the spices and the salt.

In another bowl, mix the sugar, sweet potato, applesauce, syrup and vanilla.

Add the puree to the oat mixture and stir to coat.

Spread onto a large cookie sheet lined with a silpat or parchment paper (you could spray with cooking spray) or baking pan. Bake for 30 min at 325 degrees, stirring every 15 minutes.

Let cool in the oven and store in an airtight container or large ziplock bag. Granola will keep for several weeks -- if it lasts that long!

**Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice mixture
(found somewhere on the internet)

To a small glass jar add:
1/4 cup ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cardamom*

print out a little label with the date and contents and you have your own Pumpkin Pie Spice!
*I searched high and low in my pantry and somehow was out of cardamom, so, know that it will taste just fine without it in your spice mixture, too. ;)

Mexican Pizza ~ 10.1.11

2011-10-01T11:50:00.000-07:00

I've been declaring my love for *Pinterest* on my other blog, but really, it has provided the Crafty Cafe patrons a wonderful assortment of good eats over the past 2 months!

Lately, I've been craving Mexican-inspired foods. I haven't stepped foot in or driven through a Taco Bell drive thru in over 5 years and suddenly.... the bean burrito is my new best friend! LOL
So, when I saw this recipe for Mexican pizza using ingredients I almost ALWAYS have on hand... I was sold and knew it would make the list of recipes to try immediately!

But first, a good salsa is not a bad thing to have in your fridge and this homemade restaurant-style version from Ree is a winner! It's been on my to-try list for awhile, anyway, so Mexican pizza and the fact that I didn't have a jar of salsa on hand at all were the perfect reasons to give it a go!

It comes together super-duper fast, if you have a food processor. And Thankfully, I do! But if you don't, I bet a blender would do the trick.

PW's Restaurant Style Salsa

And that wonderful creation goes beautifully inside this next recipe for Mexican Pizza.

Here's the original post that I saw and my take on the recipe! I don't have exact amts b/c it all depends on how many you're making it for. I usually get all the ingredients ready so that throughout the week, I can have mexican pizza whenever I want it!

Mexican Pizza
my version

tortillas- I like whole wheat
1 can refried beans- I choose the one with least amt of sodium and opt for vegetarian - we are going to doctor these up!

couple green onions- chopped
salsa of your choice
couple tomatoes- chopped
shredded cheese- colby jack is good
optional: onion, jalapeno, sour cream, taco sauce

Preheat your oven and line a pan with foil.
Take 2 tortillas and brush them with a little canola oil.
Place in oven for about 10 min.
While the tortillas as warming/crisping-- heat your refried beans in a small saucepan. Add in a 1/4 cup water, couple Tbs chopped onion (no, thank you), 1 tsp taco seasoning (if none, use a little cumin and chili powder and garlic powder), I added some of my fave- Adobo seasoning and a couple turns of freshly gr black pepper.
Let the beans heat on the stovetop, on low, careful not to burn.
Chop your veggies and grate your cheese- some tomato, green onions and if you'd like more heat- jalapeno

Take the tortillas out and build your pizza!
1. spread a good amt of beans on one tortilla. Add a dollop of salsa- not too much.
2. top with second tortilla and spread a dollop of salsa on that and add some chopped veggies: tomato, green onion and jalapeno
3. Top it all with cheese and put it back in the oven for about 12 min.

Remove from oven, slice and serve! Ole!

Ultimate Double Chocolate Cookies ~ 8.6.11

2011-08-06T18:25:00.000-07:00

I have a birthday party to go to this weekend and when I found out that the birthday boy loves chocolate as much as I do.... I knew just what to gift to him. A box of homemade Ultimate Double Chocolate cookies. These are extremely fudgy chocolately. So, if you're a chocolate fan, I recommend you get yourself to the store and scoop up these ingredients in a jiffy! Luckily, I had them on hand and got right to work...

Ultimate Double Chocolate Cookies
adapted from Ghiradelli.com

1 bag (11.5 oz) Ghiradelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (12 oz)
optional: 1 cup (4oz) chopped walnuts

In a microwave save bowl, dump your bittersweet chips and butter. Microwave in 20 sec increments, stirring after each, until smooth and completely melted. Don't rush, or you'll burn your chips! Alternately, you can do this over a double boiler set up.

In large bowl of electric mixer, cream eggs and sugar until thick; stir in the melted chocolate. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder; add to chocolate/egg mixture. Gently mix in semi-sweet chocolate chips (and walnuts, if using).

Using a large sheet of plastic wrap, pour dough (yes, it's very, very soft) in a log form about 8 inches by 2 inches (eyeball it, k?). Wrap plastic around dough to form a log and place in fridge for 1 hour. I made two logs with this dough.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Unwrap dough and slice into 3/4-1 inch slices- if you like BIG cookies, just place those slices on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Knowing these were rather rich and wanting MORE cookies, I sliced each 3/4 inch slice in half and had 2 smaller cookies.

Bake 12-14 minutes or until shiny crust forms on top but interior is still soft. Cool slightly on baking sheet, transfer to rack or my favorite, brown paper bags.

Enjoy with a tall glass of milk.

S'mores Bars ~ July 31, 2011

2011-07-31T11:27:00.000-07:00

S'mores. They just SCREAM summertime, don't cha think? I love 'em, all the messiness of them, too.

Whenever I see a recipe for something S'mores-y, I gravitate towards it like a bee to a flower. Funny that my only recipes for July are s'mores related!

I think I first saw this on Pinterest (my new love) and I knew I had all the ingredients to make it happen THAT night!

On with the recipe:

S'mores Bars
adapted from Betty Crocker
1 pouch of Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie dough mix ( 1lb. 1.5 oz)- I had two small batch sized bags that I used
1 cup graham cracker crumbs - I just had that EXACT amt (I was destined to eat these last night ;)
1 cup of butter, melted
3 cups chocolate chips (I may have used a tad mor)
4 1/2 cups mini marshmallows - I had stars leftover from July 4th
2-3 graham crackers- broken into bits

Mix together the sugar cookie mix and graham cracker crumbs.
Pour in the melted butter and mix it all together
Line a 9x13 pan with foil.
Dump in the mix and press to the edges and make it all even.
Bake at 375 for 18-20 min.
Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips on top and let them get melty (I ran and did some laundry and came back for the next step)
Smooth the chocolate all over the cookie crust
Set oven to broil and top the chocolate layer with marshmallows and then dot the in-betweens with broken up bits of graham crackers (my addition).
Broil in the oven for less than 2 minutes (otherwise you'll have what I had up there- burnt marshmallows! DON'T WALK AWAY, not even to the sink to do the dishes!!)

Let cool a bit and cut them into squares. I did the baking part prior to dinner and then as the table was cleared, popped the marshmallow topped bars under the broiler. Perfect timing.... except the part where I left them in too long.... heed my warning!

So delish with a tall glass of milk!

Summertime Frozen S'mores ~ 7.1.11

2011-07-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

One day last week or so, I was having a hard time figuring what else to schmear Nutella on when my Magic Pop (korean rice cakes) were all gone.

Thanks to facebook and my cousin, Linda (I have gads of smart cousins ;), help was on the way. She told me to put whipped cream and nutella on a graham cracker and then freeze them. BRILLIANT!

I had cool whip. So I went with that. Whipped cream is obviously not fake. So whatever floats your boat.

I set up my graham crackers assembly line-style and smeared on the Nutella, then the cool whip, topped it with another graham cracker and popped them in the freezer. (please note that I did eat several and licked my fingers many times during this process and I can say, they're GREAT frozen or not).

That's all that's to this.
graham crackers
cool whip
nutella

freezer.

enjoy our frozen s'mores!

Middle Eastern delights ~ 6.9.11

2011-06-09T06:03:00.000-07:00

{corn and black bean salsa (with edamame), falafel and hummus}

Would you take a look at that plate! I mean, wow! Doesn't it all look so delicious? Okay, I'm a total food freak, I know. Who else takes pictures of their lunch? Well, I know a few more.... but still, I had to take a picture so that I could share these fabulous foods with YOU!

The recipes I'm sharing today all hail from Lucinda Scala Quinn's show, Mad Hungry on The Hallmark Channel. I have a link to the blog over there on my sidebar, do take a look. I have another handful of recipes to share with you that I've made in the past few weeks and they are ALL from her SHOW! I made all of the recipes on her Israeli Cooking show: Hummus, Falafel and Israeli Salad. I'm sharing 2 out of 3 of those recipes with you today. That last recipe was eaten so fast I didn't have time to photograph it!

Both of these recipes today start with a bag of dried chickpeas. Sometimes they can be hard to find. I didn't find them with the other dried beans/legumes in the grocery store. Instead, they were in the International food aisle, in the Mexican section. They're my new pantry staple.

I know I've posted a great hummus recipe in the past, but this one takes the cake. The former is great if you're short on time, but if you prep your chickpeas in advance, go with this recipe made from dried chickpeas. WOW. The creamy texture was so amazing and the flavor is subtle perfection.

Mad Hungry Hummus

3 1/2 cups cooked dried chickpeas ** recipe to follow** or 2 15.5 oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, smashed
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbs tahini paste (I love Kyros)
1 tsp coarse salt
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup olive oil

In bowl of food processor, combine chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, tahini and salt. Pulse to a thick paste. With motor running, slowly add water, then oil in a steady stream. Taste and add more salt if needed (mine needed a tad bit more).

Serve with pita, chips, veggies or spread on a sandwich!

This next recipe was not a hit with the family, but I LOVED them!

Falafel
these are fried vegetarian patties. You can eat them alone or on a pita, served as a sandwich. Drizzle a little tahini over them if you'd like

1 3/4 cup cooked dried chickpeas, or 1 15.5 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 small yellow onion, minced
1/4 cup parsley
2 Tbs mint
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
juice of 1 lemon
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 Tbs sesame seeds, toasted (I left those out)
1/2 cup safflower or canola oil
For serving: pita, sliced tomatoes, red onion, lettuce, tahini

Place half of chickpeas in food processor and pulse a few times until chopped, transfer to large bowl.

Place remaining chickpeas in processor with garlic, onion, herbs, spices, baking soda, salt and lemon juice. Pulse to a thick, chunky paste, about 30 sec. Transfer to bowl with chopped chickpeas.

Add egg and sesame seeds to bowl and stir to combine. Cover and chill batter for 30 minutes. (I left mine in the fridge 2 days before frying)

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Form batter into 2 inch wide patties (I got about 10 patties in total). Place in hot oil and gently flatten. Cook, turning once, after the first side is a nice golden brown- about 4-5 minutes total. Transfer to paper towel (or bag) lined plate to drain.

Serve with pita bread, tomato slices, lettuce and red onion. Drizzle with tahini.

Cooked Dried Chickpeas
from Martha Stewart dot com

1 pound bag of chickpeas
water
1 Tbs baking soda

Soak the chickpeas in water with baking soda for 8 hours (aka overnight!). Drain and rinse. Place chickpeas in a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, simmer and cook until softened (about 2 hours). Rinse the chickpeas and use as desired.

One bag of chickpeas is enough for both of the above recipes!

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes ~ 6.3.11

2011-06-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago, I posted a recipe for Blueberry syrup. This little beaut would go perfectly dressed with that syrup. So fresh. So summer. So delish.

Enjoy. These are a perfect reason to use up that last little bit of ricotta in the container. Keep this in mind.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

(adapted from Everyday Food- originally Orange Ricotta...)

ingredients:

1 3/4 cup park skim ricotta cheese (15 oz)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp grated lemon zest

2/3 cup all purpose flour

canola oil

confectioner's sugar and/or Blueberry Syrup

directions:

-In a med bowl, whisk the ricotta, sugar, eggs and lemon zest together. Whisk in the flour until just combined.

--Heat oil in a nonstick skillet or spray a griddle pan over med-low heat.

--Working in batches, add batter, use about a 1/4 cup (or little less) for each pancake.

--Cook until browned, 4-5 min per side.

Transfer to plate lined with paper towels (esp if you used canola oil). Serve hot with confectioner's sugar or blueberry syrup

Crisp High Roast Chicken with Potatoes ~ 5.20.11

2011-05-31T08:48:00.000-07:00

Maybe you've figure this out about me, but maybe not. I love cooking shows. I'm a visual learner and when I see someone make something- it brings the recipe to life and gives me the confidence to approach the recipe! Maybe that's why Ree is so popular? She shows you step by step. Well, that and her amazing recipes.

I digress.

I've always been a fan of Cook's Illustrated and more specifically the PBS show America's Test Kitchen. I find it fascinating to hear all the trial and error they put into testing these recipes. Makes me really believe that this is the best way to cook/bake something.

I thought this recipe for cooking a whole chicken was brilliant and doable. And the first time I made this recipe was back in 2006, right before I left for a week's vacation in California! Why do I find it necessary to try new things 24 hours before a big event? I dunno. It was my VERY FIRST time cooking a whole chicken! seriously! And I'm glad I started with this recipe because it was amazingly moist and those potatoes- WOW!

This time around, I skipped the brining and just split my chicken according to my How to Cook Everything cookbook. Not too difficult, made easier with kitchen shears. As with most of their recipes, there are many steps, but the result is well worth it. Just a lot of explaining. I promise it's not that difficult to prepare. I made this on a soccer night!
Here's the recipe:

Crisp-Skin High Roast Chicken and Potatoes
from America's Test Kitchen

For the brine (optional- but give it a go sometime so you can say, (Oh, yeah, I've brined a chicken")
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 whole chicken, 3 1/2-4 lbs; giblets removed and reserved for another use, fat around cavity removed and discarded

Dissolve the salt in the sugar in 2 qts cold water in a large container. Immerse chicken and refrigerate until fully seasoned, about 1 hour.

2 1/2 lbs russet potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick (use a food processor or a nice, sharp knife)
1 1/2 Tbs olive oil
3/4 tsp salt

Compound butter- place in a bowl to schmear your chicken!-- OPTIONAL, but AMAZING addition
2 Tbs softened butter
1 med garlic clove, minced
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
1 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
black pepper

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees! HOT, HOT, HOT
Line the bottom of your broiler pan with heavy duty foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Remove chicken from brine (if you brined), and rinse thoroughly under cold running water (be sure to clean out your sink!). Butterfly chicken, flatten breastbone and apply the flavored butter (if using) under the skin of the chicken- all over! Thoroughly pat the chicken dry.
And place on the top part of your broiler pan.

Toss the potatoes with 1 Tbs oil, slat and pepper in a medium bowl. Spread the potatoes in an even layer on the foil lined broiler pan. Place the top of the broiler pan over the potatoes- See picture above. Rub the chicken with the remaining olive oil and season with S&P. Put into the oven.

Cook until the chicken is spotty brown, about 20 minutes. Rotate the pan and continue to roast until skin has crisped and turned a deep brown and an thermometer registers 160 degrees in the thickest part of the breast, 20-25 minutes longer.

Transfer chicken to a cutting board and with pot holders, remove top of broiler pan. Using paper towels, soak up the excess grease from potatoes. Remove foil liner with potatoes and invert foil and potatoes onto a cookie sheet. Peel back foil and scrape off remaining potatoes with a spatula. Pat off remaining grease with paper towels.
Cut chicken, arrange pieces on a serving platter and transfer potatoes right beside them. Voila- dinner is ready.
Serve with fresh steamed green beans or a crisp garden salad!

Lemon Spaghetti ~ 5.14.11

2011-05-27T07:06:00.000-07:00

I first made this recipe for spaghetti after watching Giada make it on her food network show. It sounded amazing to this lemon lover and what few ingredients! What a perfect springtime dinner. I made it in 2006 for Father's Day and everyone loved it.

Just this past week, I resurrected this lovely recipe to serve alongside Lucinda's chicken piccata. I had never made chicken piccata but after watching her make it on her show Mad Hungry, I knew it was doable and would compliment this spaghetti perfectly.
As a note, I only used 2 very large chicken breasts- butterflied them (split them open like a book) and then pounded them thin. It served everyone in my family! I simply cut the breasts into servable pieces before I dipped them in the flour and cooked them. Really great weeknight meal.

Giada DeLaurentiis' Lemon Spaghettti

I'm going to count this as a 5 ingredient recipe because S&P don't count and you use the lemon 2 ways!

1 pound spaghetti

2/3 cup olive oil

2/3 cup grated Parmesan- (use the good stuff, please, not a green shaker jar.... gasp)

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon lemon zest (have forgotten this and guess what, it's OK)

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (take it to the next level)

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, Parmesan, and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce, and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon zest and chopped basil.

**Eat leftovers mixed with a little premade pesto! Delicous!

Spinach Pie (Byrek Mi Spinaq) ~ 5.25.11

2011-05-25T06:12:00.000-07:00

{my first albanian spinach pie- the edges got a bit crispy, but not a problem, just cut them off!}

So, maybe I've talked about my love for a show on the Hallmark channel called Mad Hungry. Lucinda Scala Quinn, a dear friend of Martha's, hosts this amazing little show. that I DVR everyday. What is it about this show that I love? Maybe it's the presentation, the approachable recipes, the unique flavors she presents, the excitement of guests in the kitchen (love the Albanian recipes show!) or Calder, her son, joining her in the kitchen. Well, it's all of these. Lucinda presents recipes in a simple, straightforward manner. You feel like you're in the kitchen with her and you cannot wait to see what she's cooking on the next show.

Add to all of that, the fact that my 4 year olds LOVE the show-- especially, Zach. They say things like "mmmm, can you make that sometime?" and "can we watch "the" cooking show?" I know just the one that they're talking about.

Check this out- she has a cookbook (or two)- thanks Lucinda!

Yet, maybe the best part is that so many of these recipes are REAL, passed down from family and then shared with us. I think that's the part I can relate to the most (that and Lucinda's love for salty pork products ;)). I love hearing the stories behind recipes and seeing the family cooking together- loved when her brother came on and made deep dish pizza dough and light and fluffy meatballs. After that show aired, I knew exactly what I was making for dinner THAT weekend (look for those recipes to come Friday)!

On this particular episode, Lucinda invited her son's friend, Milot, to come into the kitchen and share his family's Albanian Spinach Pie (Byrek Mi Spinaq). I knew I had to make it asap. I even had all the ingredients in my fridge! I had just bought 3 bags of spinach on sale that week and just needed a little yogurt and whipped butter to make this recipe. I even had the phyllo dough in the freezer leftover from the last Spanokopita I had made. Perfect reason to make this recipe and they made it look doable on a weeknight!

Oh and if you're like me and are a bit fearful of working with filo I say, pshaaaw! DO NOT be afraid! It couldn't be simpler, as long as you watch to keep it covered so it doesn't dry out while you work! It's extremely forgiving: read- even if it does try out, just butter it up and piece the broken pieces together, it's all good in the end.

My kids LOVE this recipe, so there's a little butter involved, at least they're eating spinach!!

Now, onto the recipe:

Spinach Pie

(adapted from Mad Hungry, May 2011)

1 8 oz container of whipped butter

1/2 cup canola oil

3 bunches of spinach, stemmed and chopped (I used 3 bags)

1/2 small onion, chopped as fine as you like it

1 egg

1 cup sour cream

2 Tbs plain yogurt

1 tsp salt

2 Tbs of butter and oil mixture, as per directions

20 sheets of phyllo dough, thawed if frozen (I made it with 1/2 of a box of filo and it worked out just fine- that's what I had on hand!)

optional: a little feta- not true to the Albanian version, but I had a little to use up- so in it went!

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degreees

2. Combine butter and canola oil in a saucepan over low heat until butter is melted. Stir to combine. Reserve two tablespoons for the filling

3. For the filling: In a VERY large bowl (get out the biggest one you have), combine the spinach, onion, egg, sour cream, yogurt, salt and 2 Tbs of butter/oil mixture and mix it all well- use your hands if needed. Set aside

4. Using a large rimmed sheet pan, butter the bottom and sides of the baking sheet and lay down 2 sheets of phyllo so that the edges overlap in the middle. Brush with butter. Continue this process for 9 more sheets of phyllo making sure to butter each sheet and the parts that overlap- the butter helps everything to adhere and get flaky and delicious!

[ As a side note, the recipe says to use one sheet, but it barely covered the bottom of the baking sheet, so I adapted and laid the sheets side by side. Once you unroll your phyllo and size up your sheetpan, you'll have an idea of how you need to lay out the phyllo, too]

5. After your 10th sheet is laid down on the baking sheet, top the buttered phyllo with your spinach mixture. Even it out with a spatula. Repeat the phyllo layering process with 10 more sheets of phyllo- don't forget to butter every layer. Butter, butter, butter!

6. Turn up the edges to seal- folding them over towards the top is just fine. Nothing fancy. Think RUSTIC.

7. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, until top is golden brown. Use a knife to check the bottom to make sure it, too, is nice and crispy. Let cool for 15 minutes (if you can wait!). Slice however you like and serve.

The spinach filling really cooks down!

Blueberry Sauce ~ 5.18.11

2011-05-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

My family {loves} blueberries and this is a great sauce to make for pancakes, ice cream, coffee cake... whatever! You can use frozen or fresh and I think it would be a tremendous addition to the lemon ricotta pancakes I have lined up for this week!

Blueberry Syrup
from: The Way the Cookie Crumbles

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water + 2 Tbs
pinch of salt
1 Tbs cornstarch
1 cup blueberries
1/2 tsp lemon juice
butter

Bring the sugar, 1/2 cup of water and salt to a boil. Mix until dissolved. Add the Tbs of cornstarch and 2 Tbs of water. Blend.
Add the blueberries and stir. Boil until they POP and syrup turns purple (about 5-6 minutes)

Turn off the heat and add 1/2 tsp lemon juice and a pat of butter.

Serve warm over hot pancakes!

Cool 'n Creamy Chocolate Fondue ~ 5.12.11

2011-05-12T04:46:00.000-07:00

We love this dip. It is everything the name of the recipe says: Cool, Creamy and chocolatey. Perfect treat on a warm spring or summer day. Especially with fresh fruit!

Cool 'n Creamy Chocolate Fondue
recipe from Pampered Chef

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 container frozen whipped topping, thawed (8 oz)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp rum or vanilla extract- we use vanilla
Assorted dippers- fruit, pretzels, cinnamon pita chips (you can make these easily w/ flour tortillas), your fingers

Place choc. chips and half the whipped topping in bowl and microwave, uncovered, on HIGH, one minute, stirring every 20 secs until chocolate is melted.
Fold in remaining whipped topping, cinnamon and extract of choice, mixing till smooth.
Cover and chill for 30 minutes- it's hard to wait, but you can do it!

Serve with fruit dippers, etc.

yield: 2 cups (16 servings) 80 cal, 5 g fat, 7 g carb per 2 Tbs fondue

Polish Sugar Cookies ~ 5.5.11

2011-05-05T10:37:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday was a special day for me as our late Holy Father, Pope John Paul II was beautified in Rome! I wanted to make a special dessert but we had a very busy weekend and I knew that simple would be the only way to go. Friday morning, I whipped these cookies up in no time flat. They are really quick to come together and the only thing that takes a little extra time is the rolling them into balls and into the sugar.
Now, I was bringing these into Max's classroom for a snack after my lesson to the kids on Blessed JPII, so I used vanilla instead of lemon as the original recipe intended. I knew vanilla would be a hit but sometimes kids can be funny about lemon.
The kids loved the cookies and wanted seconds (and thirds)! When I told our boys that I could make them lemon the next time they encouraged me to definitely give that a try. When will I ever figure these boys out?
These are the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea!
Enjoy!

Polish Sugar Cookies

1 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar, plus extra for rolling
3 egg yolks
1/2 t. lemon extract (or 1 t. vanilla)
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream sugar and butter.
Add egg yolks and vanilla (or lemon extract).
Add flour, baking soda and cream of tartar.
Mix until well combined -- dough will be stiff.
Pinch off dough and roll into 1-inch balls.
Roll in granulated sugar.
Place on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake until set, not brown, for 10-12 minutes.

recipe from Catholic Cuisine

Zach with our cookies and "statues" of Blessed JPII!

Caramel Pull Apart Bread ~ 5.1.11

2011-05-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

How have I let this blog go this long without adding this easy and favorite recipe of ours? I even made it Easter morning after Mass!

If you could only smell how good this was...

Nothing beats waking up to a house full of some sort of delicousness in the oven, am I right? Well, maybe having all those necessary ingredients in your fridge is a close second. 'Cause without them, this wouldn't be sitting on the platter in all its glory.

And this little beauty couldn't be easier. 4 ingredients. four. that's all!

Pull-Apart Caramel Coffee Cake

2 tubes refrigerated flaky biscuits
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream (aka heavy cream)
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Open the biscuits, get out your kitchen shears (it's the easiest way to do this) and cut those biscuits into fourths. (first in half, then in half again)
Arrange in a 10in fluted tube pan coated with cooking spray.
Combine the brown sugar, cream and cinnamon; pour over the biscuits.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for minutes, unless you want to burn the top layer of skin off of your fingers or tongue (uh, trust me on this one). If the middle still looks undercooked, then pop it back in until they're puffed. I've had this take longer than 30 minutes before...
Eat and enjoy!

This little beaut' won $500 in a recipe contest. Found it in Taste of Home's Simple and Delicious magazine, Mar/April 2008.

first posted to She's A Crafty Pumpkin in May 2008

My Mom's Apple Crumb Pie~ 4.1.11

2011-04-01T06:23:00.000-07:00

I am a huge fan of all things pie- pizza pie, quiche, fruit pie, tarts, what else is there? hmmm.... you get my point.
Nothing, in my mind, compares to my mom's apple pie. I love the way the apples are not crunchy but are soft and almost melt in your mouth. I love the crumb topping that reminds me of a crisp, but yet it's not b/c it's a PIE! And the filling is never gooey, just slightly sweet and spicy from the cinnamon. It's perfect and reminds me of home and family and all that I love. I never order apple pie at a restaurant b/c chances are they've used granny smith or a similiar firm apple and that just will not do.

The only other pie that I've made was way back in 2008 (see here.)... and that actually turned out marvelous!

So why has it taken me this long to make it? Maybe it's the thought that no one besides my mom can make this pie? Well, silly me. It's so easy.... after you get all those apples peeled and sliced, that is. An apple peeler/corer is sounding like a good idea to me at this point!

You'll have to bear with me through the recipe. If you've ever asked for a recipe from your mum or grandmother, you'll know how difficult it can be to pin them down on specifics. AND sometimes, tips and secrets and ingredients don't come out in the initial "printing" of the recipe you requested. It was just that way with this... so be ready for lots of parentheses!

Mom's Apple Crumb Pie
adapted from the good 'ol Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

Ingredients:
3 lbs Macintosh apples (or more depending on size) You want the apples to really MOUND up in your pie shell as they will really cook down during the baking
lemon juice
pie crust- I used this one
cinnamon
sugar

1. Peel, core and slice apples, thinly. As you place them in a large bowl, every few apples you finish- toss them with the lemon juice to keep them from browning.
2. Mix sugar and cinnamon (1/4c sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon) and sprinkle on the apples. Toss. Taste and depending on how many apples you have and how tart they are, add a little more sugar and sprinkle a bit more cinnamon. (see what I mean? a true "mom's recipe" kinda thing)
3. Put apple mixture into an unbaked pie crust (Mom told me you can take some smidges of butter and tuck them in around your apples- not too much, maybe a Tbs or two- her mom used to do that) and pop it in the fridge while you make your crumb topping. I like my pie crust nice and cold before it hits the HOT oven.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Crumb topping:
1/3 c sugar
3/4 c flour
6 Tbs butter
Mix sugar and flour together. Cut in the butter with your fingers- feels so great to work with your hands! Until it's crumbly like this... and sprinkle it on top of the apples. All of it. Don't be shy.

before I bake it.... 400 degrees, about 35-50 minutes. You want it bubbly and browned nicely.

And after it comes out of the oven....

Now, Mom mentioned that sometimes, she puts this under the broiler to brown up just a bit more. I wasn't home when it came out of the oven, so it is the way it is here. I might do that next time. Mom also freezes these before they are baked. Wrapped well in foil and then sealed in a ziplock bag. Just bake extra long from the freezer.

Of course, you should serve it warmed up with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream! Perfection!

Southwestern Tomato & Pinto Bean Soup ~ 3.31.11

2011-03-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

[ in a perfect world this soup would be flipped counterclockwise to appear normal. but blogger doesn't like me and I want you to see the soup all pretty in the bowl. so just tilt your head for me, to the right. there.. doesn't that look delish?]

I'm pretty sure many of you know by now my love for all things tomato, especially tomato soup (see here and here)!

I've had this in my 'to try' file for far too long so it was time to give it a go. This year, during Lent, I'm working hard on planning my menu for the week and using recipes that are simple and as many meat free choices as I can. It's been a great experiment and I'm writing down what we're having on a calendar I received for free from half price books! I love sitting down and thinking through what we'll have for the week and looking back to see what we've already eaten!

So this recipe that I clipped 6 yrs ago from Eating Well magazine was right up my Lenten alley. It has just the right amt of kick in it if you used the fire roasted canned tomatoes. And I just loved the addition of the crispy tortillas that took just a few extra minutes of my time, but were well worth it in the end.

If you're looking for a little bit of a twist on traditional tomato soup and you love the flavors of the southwest, please do yourself a favor and make a batch of this very soon!

Southwestern Tomato and Pinto Bean Soup

ingredients:
2 corn tortillas
1 can diced green chiles or 1 poblano chile
1- 15 1/2 oz can pinto beans, rinsed
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced fine
1 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1- 14 1/2 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes, not drained!
1/2 tsp cumin
couple shakes red cap Goya Adobo seasoning (optional)
1/3 cup reduced fat sour cream, garnish
1 Tbs coarsely chopped cilantro- I think this made the soup stellar
1 lime, wedged, for garnish

instructions:
1. preheat oven to 425. stack tortillas and cut into strips, then in half again. you want smallish strips. scatter on baking pan or stone and toast about 10 minutes
2. Meanwhile, if using a fresh poblano ( I did not), roast it over a gas burner, turning often with tongs, until the skin is blackened, about 10 minutes. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let steam 5 min. to loosen skin. Scrape off skin, core and remove seeds and inner membranes and cut into 1/2 inch dice.
3. Mash 1/2 cup beans in a small bowl with a fork. Set mashed and whole beans aside.(Alternatively- you could save 1/2 a can of beans out of the soup and puree the whole pot with a stick blender or regular blender, then pour the soup back in the pot, add the whole beans and heat- I say this again, below)
4. Heat oil in soup pot over med heat, add onion and cook, until softened, 3-4 min. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 sec. Add broth, tomatoes, cumin, green chiles, beans (all), bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, 10 min. (I believe I left out the whole beans initially and pureed the soup a bit before adding in the pintos- I like my soup a little creamier and chunky, so go for what you like)
5. Ladle into bowls and garnish with sour cream, cilantro, tortilla strips and lime wedge. Enjoy!

{original recipe called for more beans and more broth, I cut it in about half and still had plenty of beans and soup!)

A Lentil soup twofer ~ 3.26.11

2011-03-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

I happened upon this next recipe way back in 2006 in the pages of Real Simple magazine. I thought it sounded so different with the combination of sweet potatoes and kale and lentils! I knew I had to give it a try.

Happy to report that I've been making this recipe regularly ever since. I don't often use kale because I seem to think of this recipe when I have leftover fresh spinach to use up from my fridge. I also decreased the amount of leeks as 4 seemed a bit much and 2 works out perfectly. I've taken some pictures of the process of adding the ingredients for you b/c all those veggies are just so beautiful as you add them to the soup and they were just begging for their photograph! ;)

The original recipe...

Winter Lentil Soup

2 leeks, white and green parts only (see recipe for how to wash leeks properly)
1 bag of spinach (or kale)
1 Tbs olive oil
1 28oz can whole tomatoes
6 cups water
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
1/2 cup brown lentils
1 Tbs fresh thyme
2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
12 fresh basil leaves (optional, but oh, do they add an amazing dimension)
1/4 cup grated parmesan (optional)

Instructions:
1. Begin by prepping all your veggies: slice your leeks, lengthwise, then slice each half into 1/4 inch half moons. Place in a large bowl filled with water and swish to remove grit. Lift leeks out and repeat. Drain them on a towel and pat dry (I use my Softworks salad spinner to dry them). Remove any thick stems from the spinach (or kale). Stack the leaves and slice them into strips (Actually, I don't even do THAT... I just throw them in the pot!). Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into chunks.

2.Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes with the juice (don't throw the can out yet!) and break up the tomatoes with the spoon or slice them with your kitchen shears in the pot. Cook about 5 minutes more.

3. Use your tomato can and add a whole can of water (about 2-2 1/2) cups. Then add 4 more cups of water and bring to a boil. Using the can helps to clean it out and you add any juices you left in there when you dumped in the tomatoes! Now recycle it or sit it by the pot and stick your wooden spoon in it, like I do.

4. Add your sweet potatoes...

your lentils and thyme

And your spinach, salt and pepper and the basil, if using (throw the stems your chopped off in there, too, you can fish them out later- add GREAT flavor!)

5. Simmer all of this until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. I leave the lid on and cracked just a bit to let some steam out, but check to make sure too much liquid doesn't evaporate!

6. Spoon into bowls and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

I highly recommend you have some crusty bread on hand to eat with your delicious soup!

Here's another favorite lentil soup for you to try from the pgs of Martha Stewart everyday food.

Lentil Soup

ingredients:
3 strips of bacon (or use reserved bacon grease from your fridge!)
1 lg onion, chopped
3 med carrots, peeled and cut into half moons
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs tomato paste (I use the squeeze tube, but whatever)
1 1/2 c lentils, picked over and rinsed
1/2 tsp dried thyme (or 1 tsp fresh chopped)
2 cans reduced sodium chicken broth (3 1/2 cups)
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
S & P

directions:
1. In a large pot, cook bacon over med/low heat until browned and crisp (8-10 min). Pour off all but 1 Tbs fat (if you have your bacon grease, obviously skip this step and proceed to #2)
2. Add onion and carrots and cook until softened, about 5 min. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 sec. Stir in tomato paste, cook 1 min.
3. Add lentils, thyme, broth AND 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Cover; cook until lentils are tender 30-45 minutes.
4. Stir in vinegar, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Taste and season again if needed. Serve immediately! Can freeze.

I like mine with a nice loaf of crusty bread and sprinkled with parmesan cheese on top! (hmmmm... that sounds familiar)

Super Sloppy Joe's ~ 3.22.11

2011-03-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

You'd think that everyone loves sloppy Joe's, huh? Not in this family. So, I don't make them all that often. But when I asked Gabriel what special dinner he'd like me to make on the day he received his first reconciliation and it just so happened to be the feast of St. Joseph, he said, "Sloppy Joe's"!
Funny thing is, when we get to the table, the kids were all over the place about eating them or even trying them. Ah, children. This is not the first time I've made these and depending on the day, somewhere between 1 and 4 of the kids will eat it all with no complaints!

Regardless, this is a great kid favorite and the grown ups in our house love it, too. I think using half ground turkey (93/7) and half ground chuck works best for us. I also sub out green pepper for red in my recipe. I love the color it adds and I just don't like green peppers all that much. Now, when it comes to that laundry list of seasonings, don't fret, if you don't have steak sauce, don't use it! But add that pinch of cloves, it's just a unique underlying flavor that makes you go hmmm.... Lastly, know that these are a bit more sweet than spicy. So, cut back on the ketchup if you don't like it so sweet or add some Frank's or whatever to add a little spice. The original recipe had brown sugar in it and I just omit that all together.

Super Sloppy Joe's

adapted from Taste of Home

2 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 celery ribs, minced fine
1/4 cup chopped red pepper
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1 Tbs vinegar
1 Tbs worchestershire sauce
1 Tbs Heinz steak sauce
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp ground mustard
pinch gr cloves

hamburger buns

1. Over medium heat, cook beef, onion, celery and red pepper until meat is no longer pink and veggies are tender. Drain off fat.
2. Add rest of the ingredients. Simmer uncovered, 25 minutes, stir occasionally.
3. Spoon onto buns.

4. Serve leftovers like this:

Sloppy Joe Pasta!

St. Pat's Day Sauce ~ 3.19.11

2011-03-19T21:07:00.000-07:00

Our St. Patrick's day feast will forever include this wonderful recipe shared with me by my friend, Jen in Ohio.
It's not pictured above and really, it's a bit shy and not as photogenic as my corned beef and cabbage, but trust me when I tell you to make it. Just make the SAUCE! I actually halved the recipe and used 1/3 of the bottle of my horse radish- you'll definitely want to taste after it sits about 30 minutes to make sure you added enough of the horseradish to it.

Rocky's Mom's Awesome St. Pat's Sauce
1/2C Sour Cream
3/4C Mayo
1/2 bottle horse radish (not prepared horseradish)
3-4tbsp cider vinegar
squirt/dollop french's mustard

Mix all together until well blended to consistency & flavor desired. Serve with your corned beef and cabbage. Dip everything into it. Then use it the next day for your corned beef sandwiches!

Fave Go-To super easy dinner #3 ~ 3.4.11

2011-03-04T07:48:00.000-08:00

I have been loving chicken lately. Especially with all the germs and colds and illnesses flying through our door, chicken soup has been in constant rotation. It's my "go-to" medicine next to chamomile tea with local honey. ;) And when you have chicken, you probably have some leftover chicken! Well, at least I always do, especially if I'm cooking one in a pot and roasting the other (that's a really good idea by the way), double duty meals, Roast chicken one night and chicken soup another night. And by all means, you should always save your bones to make stock! Let me know if you don't know how...

So this is a quick and easy recipe that my kids love and I know they'll eat it without any complaints! Gotta love meals like that.

I think I have each of the steps in pics for you and then I'll post the recipe at the end, got it?

Start by tearing your chicken apart and putting it in a bowl. Add enough BBQ sauce to make yourself happy. If it's not warmed already, warm it up for a couple of minutes.

While you've got the BBQ chicken warming up, heat up your griddle and throw your tortillas on to warm them through, making them pliable. As you warm/toast each one, slide it into a packet of foil (fold the foil in half to fit your tortillas and keep it closed so they don't dry out).

Get your cheese ready. I used smoked gouda b/c I had it and love it. You could sub out cheddar or Monterey Jack or colby jack or mozzarella if you have those.You will also need a little canola oil (not more than a Tbs), some salt, and a pastry brush.

see this night I only had so much gouda and I used some mozzarella!

Now, brush one side of your tortilla with a little oil, sprinkle it with some kosher salt and lay that side down on the griddle. Add a bit of cheese and some of the chicken mixture. Fold the top over and start another one right beside that. You could add a little more cheese on top of the chicken, too, if you really love cheese. It also helps it all stick together!

Now let these cook for a few - think of it as a variation on the grilled cheese. You just want your cheese to melt and your bottom of the tortilla to be a little browned before you flip it. Okay, looks like it's ready to flip!

Keep repeating until you're out of chicken and cheese (I know, so exact). and then cut them into wedges and serve! We like to eat these with fresh fruit and veggies.

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

cup to cup and a half of leftover roast chicken

fave BBQ sauce

6-8 oz of cheese of your choosing; smoked gouda is really good

8 tortillas

canola oil

kosher salt

1. warm tortillas on a griddle and keep warm

2. pull chicken off bones and add BBQ sauce to it. Warm up in microwave

3. Shred your cheese

4. Brush a little oil on one side of tortilla and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt. Lay the oiled side down on a hot griddle.

5. Lay cheese and some chicken mixture on the tortilla. Fold over the top. Cook a few minutes until bottom is golden. Flip and cook until top is golden and the cheese is melted.

6. Keep repeating until all the chicken and cheese has disappeared into a tortilla

7. Slice into wedges and serve with fresh fruit and veggies!

Asian Pork Wraps ~ 3.2.11

2011-03-02T19:31:00.000-08:00

I didn't cook at all in February.
Nah, just kidding. I just didn't have the time for blogging about any of it, I guess. I was kinda busy scrapping and cleaning up after sick children and doing LOTS of laundry. I wish we could skip that month sometimes, but then again, it's such a great month devoted to remembering to love those around us and share that love with others. So, I guess we'll keep it. I like having an even number of months in a year, too.

Oh right, this is a cooking blog or at least a blog where I share what I have cooked/baked/ate. So let's hop to that.

We're so lucky to have a fabulous blogger in the area who does all the dirty work of planning a week's worth of meals according to the certain Giant grocery store in our area. Last week, Kristin had a recipe for Asian Pork Wraps that I thought sounded interesting and worth a try. I also happened to have some pork in the freezer. I still had to buy hoisin and shitakes, but I was up for the adventure b/c it was a CROCKPOT kinda meal. I don't have many of those in rotation... should have more, I know. This was delicious according to 3 out of 6 of us. Oh my non-adventurous boys- just try it, you might like it!!

I think you'll love this recipe as it's easy to throw together and smells delish. It's also flexible- you could cook way more than the recipe says or in my case, way less. I used only a pound of a pork loin roast. It fed us for dinner (recall 3 barely ate any if at all) and I ate leftovers of it TWICE. Add a bag of frozen stir fry veggies, mandarin oranges or some shelled edamame to balance your meal!

And when I ate those leftovers, I threw the pork over some of my favorite ramen noodles.
I find these in my little foodtopia (GEMarket District) in the Asian aisle. less sodium. I like that.

Whenever I'm serving something Chinese or Asian, I always buy fortune cookies for the us to have after dinner. We may not eat Chinese take out that often and it's a fun way to make dinner a little special! (and bonus, Aldi had a box of individually wrapped fortune cookies this week!)

Asian Pork Wrap
from Menus that Save

1 – 2 or 3 lb. boneless pork roast, or use 8-10 boneless chops depending on their thickness– OR – use 2 pork tenderloins
½ cup of Hoisin sauce
2 T. grated ginger - I keep mine in the freezer to use whenever I need it. grate it with your microplane
2 T. sherry
1 clove of garlic, minced
6 shiitake mushrooms
12 flour tortillas
2 t. sesame oil
4 cups of shredded cabbage
1 bunch of green onions, sliced (I forgot these)

Place pork roast in crock-pot. Combine 3 T. of hoisin sauce, ginger, sherry and garlic. Pour over the roast. Discard stems from mushrooms, chop remaining part and then cover the roast. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Remove pork from crock-pot. Stir cabbage into broth in the crock-pot. Heat to high setting, cover and cook an additional 5 minutes or until wilted. Shred pork with two forks and return to crock-pot.
Heat oven to 300˚. Brush tortillas with sesame oil and stack on a sheet of foil. Wrap the tortillas and heat the packet for 10 minutes.
To serve, spread each tortilla with remaining hoisin sauce, top with shredded pork mixture and green onions.

I piled some Kyoto blend Market Day veggies into my wrap!

Dip into this yummy sauce if you'd like (also great to serve this with pork lettuce wraps!)
Dipping Sauce – from PF Chang's

¼ cup of sugar
½ cup of water
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. rice wine vinegar
2 T. of ketchup
1/8 t. of sesame oil
1 T. of Hot mustard (optional – depending on your heat index)
1 – 2 t. of garlic and chili paste
Dissolve the sugar in the water by boiling the same. Set aside. Combine Soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup and sesame oil. Mix together the hot water and the hot mustard. Depending on your taste, you can add some of the mustard mixture with the soy mixture. You can also add the garlic and chili paste to the soy mixture. Keep adding various amounts to the soy sauce mixture until the taste suits you!

After I had put the kids to bed that night, I came downstairs to find a little note from one of my kids to me...

so fun!

Brunch staples ~ 1.10.11

2011-01-10T14:38:00.000-08:00

Southwest Sausage Bake
adapted from Taste of Home

6-10 flour tortillas, cut into 1/2 inch strips
4 cans chopped green chiles, drained
1 1/2 lbs bulk sausage, cooked and crumbled (I used a package of sweet turkey sausage that I squeeze out of the casing and then cook and crumble)
8 oz shredded jack cheese (I use some pepper jack, too)
10 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp each salt, garlic salt, onion salt, pepper, cumin, (Adobo seasoning, my addition)
paprika
4-5 Roma tomatoes, sliced
sour cream & salsa- to garnish

grease 9 x13 inch baking dish, layer half of the tortilla strips to cover the bottom of the dish.
Sprinkle sausage crumbles, chiles, cheese on the bottom layer. Repeat until you have three layers, you may need more tortillas, so adjust and go with the flow.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk and seasonings; pour over all the layers. Sprinkle with paprika, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove at least 30 minutes before baking (Sometimes I'll take it out before church and then bake it when I get home)
Bake, uncovered, 350 degrees for 50 minutes. While it bakes, slice your Roma tomatoes to place on top of the casserole. After 50 minutes, put the toms on top and bake an additional 10 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. 10 should do it.

Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

The recipe says 12 servings, but it's so filling, you could get 24 out of this 9x13 dish. I served 8 adults and 9 kids (granted not all the kids ate it, mine love it) and STILL had half of this leftover!

Shredded Potato Casserole

{this recipe was given to me by my good friend, Rachel. It's been a hit for years and I cannot have a brunch without it. I will get in BIG trouble if this casserole is not present! I have adapted the recipe to fit my tastes, but I'm writing the original here with my adaptations in parenthesis.}

1 bag shredded potatoes- thawed
1 cup cubed Velveeta (I use 8oz shredded cheddar)
1 onion, grated or minced really fine
1 container (small) french onion dip
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup of sour cream (light)

**the last time I made this I used Tastefully Simple's Onion Onion in place of the french onion dip AND the minced onion. It was lacking onion flavor, so if you're going to skimp on something, don't skimp on the fresh onion! I used a whole cup of sour cream and 2 Tbsp of Onion Onion in lieu of the french onion dip. See, versatile, use what you have or just stick to the original recipe. I thought it was still pretty good.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all the ingredients except the potatoes.
After all the ingredients are incorporated, add the potatoes and mix.
Put in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and dot with 4 Tbs butter (I've skipped that and no one was the wiser)
Cover and bake 30 minutes. THEN, uncover and bake 20 minutes more. Test to see that it's hot all the way through by inserting a knife and touching the blade to see if it's nice and hot.

Sharyn's Chocolate Chip Cookies ~ 12.21.10

2010-12-21T12:41:00.000-08:00

My friend Sharyn makes these delectable chocolate chip cookies and thankfully, she shared her secrets with me. And trust me, there are secrets to these turning out just right. You'll need to follow the directions for baking to a "T"! If you like your chocolate chippers soft, chewy and melt-in-your-mouth buttery, these cookies are right up your alley.

Sharyn's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup butter flavored Crisco
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
3 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt (I do a 1/2)
12 oz chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
Cream butters and sugars.
Add eggs and vanilla, mix.
Add flour, b. soda, and salt, mix.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Bake on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet for 7-9 minutes
Take the cookies out BEFORE they turn brown, they should be puffy, not greasy.
Remove cookie tray from the oven and allow the cookies to "bake" about 2 more minutes ON the baking sheet.
Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and let cool about 5 minutes (I depart here and cool them on brown paper bags to soak up a little grease). Place in a container (while they're still warm) and put the lid on immediately!

Makes about 3 dozen.

So there you have the secret to soft, chewy and delectable chocolate chippers. I like mine cold, room temp, frozen, straight from the oven.... I just love chocolate chip cookies! I think Santa will be quite pleased with these on Christmas Eve!

Cheesy Noodle Casserole (aka Mac n Cheese) ~ 12.17.10

2010-12-17T12:29:00.000-08:00

My family loves macaroni and cheese. The twins ask for it about 5 out of the 7 days in a week. And whenever we're out... they want to order it!
I'm all for quick and simple this time of year. I've barely enough time to rub two cents together let alone make dinner, but make dinner, I must! And I will.

I've had this Taste of Home recipe for sometime now and first made it way back when for a birthday party. It was easy to make and really quite cheesy and yummy. That said, it has one of my least favorite food stuffs in it: processed cheese. sigh. But it does taste really good in this and occasionally, I'll heat it up and add some salsa and make Mr. Crafty our favorite treat: queso with chips.

This recipe is flexible in the noodles you use, too. The original called for wide egg noodles, but I made it on Sunday and used elbows. Remember, use what you have! You don't always have to go and buy a new ingredient if you have something similiar in your pantry already.
Also, this makes enough for a BIG crowd, so adjust by halving the recipe and you'll have plenty. I used 8oz of elbows when I made it and wished I had used the whole box! My adaptations are in parenthesis.

Cheesy Noodle Casserole
adapted from Taste of Home Oct/Nov. 2003

2 1# pkgs wide egg noodles (elbows or shells are great!)
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp garlic salt
1tsp onion salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
5-6 cup milk (I used a can of evaporation milk and the rest 2% milk)
2 # processed cheese, cubed (like Velveeta or store brand easy melt cheese in the block)

Topping: 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs + 2 Tbs melted butter- mix together and sprinkle on top
or halve grape tomatoes and arrange around the casserole- my personal fave!

Cook noodles to package directions, drain.
In dutch oven (read: large pot with handles or whatever), melt butter.
Stir (whisk is better- it forms a bit of a paste or roux) in flour and salts and dry mustard
Gradually whisk in the milk until all incorporated.
Bring to a boil.
Cook & stir 2 min or until thick and bubbly.
Add cheese and stir until melted.
Stir in noodles and pour into 2 greased shallow 2 qt baking dishes
Add your topping of choice: bread crumbs mixed with butter or sliced tomatoes!
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden and bubbling around the edges.

Birthday Cake for Jesus~ 12.12.10

2010-12-12T12:51:00.000-08:00

When Max was in preschool, his teacher sent him home with directions for making a birthday cake for Jesus. It had been a longstanding tradition in her family and thankfully, she decided to share that with her students and their families! I loved the idea and quickly adopted it as well.

When I made it for our family, we made chocolate cupcakes using my favorite recipe: a doctored up box of cake mix!*** (see recipe below)

And then we simply followed the rules for decorating by placing the cupcakes on a large round platter.

1. Make it round: like the never ending circle, so is His love for all of us.
2. Make it chocolate- like the darkness our sins bring to us and others
3. Make it covered in white frosting- like his purity covering our weakness
4. Top it with a yellow star and put an angel---bearer of the first glad tidings. (we used the angel from our Fisher Price Nativity and a cut out star)
5. Put 12 red candles on top-- like the 12 months of the year that Christ is our light, add red for the blood He willingly shed for us.
6. Encircle this loving cake with evergreens-- the symbol of everlasting life.

Before enjoying your cake, you could sing Happy Birthday to Jesus or pray together as a family thanking God for the generous gift of His Son, Jesus and many gifts that He lavishes upon us.

****Super Moist Fudge Bundt Cake.
from Erin W. and Melanie C. & My Kitchen Cafe blog

1 devils food cake mix
1 4-serving instant chocolate pudding mix
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream (not low-fat or fat-free)
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Place all ingredients except chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl.
Blend with an electric mixer for 1 minute. Stir down sides.
Continue to mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Pour batter into prepared (i.e. greased and floured) bundt pan. (or cupcake liners or 2 9 in cake pans...)

Bake 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool 20 minutes.

Invert onto serving platter.

**if you're making this in 2 9-inch cake pans, you'll only bake it for somewhere between 22-28 minutes.keep checking with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean and be careful not to stick it into a gooey chocolate chip! Also, if you make this into cupcakes, you'll need to check them sooner, say 17-18 minutes in... check with a toothpick and make sure you're not hitting a chocolate chip! ;)

Merry Berry Salad ~ 12.1.10

2010-12-01T05:55:00.000-08:00

This was such a happy little find on my one of my daily haunts: Write.Click.Scrapbook

Emily Pitts posted this in January and I made it once or twice and the kids LOVED it! I'm looking forward to making it this holiday season as it is so very pretty but tastes even BETTER!

Merry Berry Salad

originally posted on WCS blog

Lettuce- depending on how many you are serving this can change- I like red and green leaf

1 medium red apple, sliced thin

1 medium green apple, sliced thin

1 cup-ish shredded parmesan cheese (I think feta tastes equally as delicious in this)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted (or not)

Combine in a large serving bowl.

DRESSING:

1 cup cranberries

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup apple juice concentrate (improvise- with apple juice)

1 tsp salt - I use kosher and 1/2 tsp, then taste

1 tsp ground mustard

1/4- 1/2 a small onion grated over the bowl (to catch the juice)

1 cup vegetable oil

Combine all (except the OIL) dressing ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. With blender running, slowly stream in the veg oil through the top until emulsified.

Drizzle over the salad right before serving. Refrigerate leftover dressing.

Butternut Squash Soup with Marsala & Thyme ~ 11.30.10

2010-11-30T13:33:00.000-08:00

There's just nothing like a hot bowl of soup and a sandwich. My favorite weekend meal and my favorite any day of the week meal. Yes, I do believe I could eat soup and a sandwich or salad everyday. There are endless possibilities.

The following recipe was clipped from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette sometime in the past few years, maybe more (note to self: start writing the date of the paper on the recipe!). I love butternut squash. So healthy and hearty and filling! And I can not resist that bright orange color when you cut into it- GORGEOUS!

This soup came together quickly with one of my pantry staples: bacon grease from the fridge! No need to defrost a whole pound of bacon or even run to the store. The grease is what was needed to build the flavors in this soup and get the onions tender. If you're vegetarian, you could by all means swap out your favorite sauteeing oil. I do think the fresh thyme was a bonus. I have had my thyme plant sitting outside for a few years now and it never lets me down. One of my all time favorite herbs and it's so hardy through the winter!

Enjoy this lovely soup.

Butternut Squash Soup with Marsala and Thyme

1 butternut squash, about 3 lbs (3 3/4 cup cooked), halved lengthwise, fibers and seeds removed
6 slices of bacon (alternatively, I used bacon grease that I just keep in a container in my fridge!)
2 large yellow onions, chopped
1 1/2Tbs chopped fresh thyme or 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
5 1/4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (I used a quart container I had in the freezer of homemade)
1/3 cup heavy cream or half and half
3 Tbs dry marsala or dry sherry (I used 1 Tbs sherry)
pinch of cayenne (forgot that part)
S & P
Fresh thyme leaves for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place squash cut sides down in a large baking dish. Add water to pan to a 1/4 inch depth and bake until tender. About 50 minutes
Remove from oven and let cool a bit. Scrape out the flesh.
In a large saucepan, over medium heat, cook bacon until the fat is rendered, about 3 minutes. Add the onions and thyme, saute until tender and remove from heat.

(here is where I deviated from original instructions. I have an immersion blender- best purchase I made this fall- and I just threw all the ingredients into the pot after I sauteed the onion and thyme and then gave it a nice whirr)

Transfer onion mixture to a food processor or blender- In 2 or more batches, add the squash and puree until smooth. Return the puree to the saucepan and over medium low heat- mix in the broth. Simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cream or half and half and the marsala or sherry. Add the cayenne and S&P. IF the soup is too thick, thin with additional stock to desired consistenc.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped fresh thyme leaves.

Serve hot. 8-10. (I got 2 full quart containers from my ONE butternut squash. It was a medium sized squash, too!)

Pumpkin & Pecan Pie ~ 11. 29.10

2010-11-29T17:35:00.000-08:00

(all the pies lined up and waiting for little fingers to poke them)

When my Aunt Lynn passed away a few years ago, I was dubbed the "Pie maker" at our Thanksgiving celebrations. A role I take quite seriously. I only make one version of pumpkin pie- Libby's recipe off the can! Are you surprised? Hope not,it is as easy as, well, pie to make! After the crust, it literally takes just minutes to throw a pumpkin pie together and the aroma that fills your house is well worth that time!

The last time I made pie crust, the recipe made 2 rounds, so I took one and formed it into my pie pan and threw it in a zippy bag and popped it in the freezer. That made my Thanksgiving morning pie prep super easy this year! It was an ALL butter crust! WHOA baby. I needed to try something a little different for my pecan pie.

I had clipped a pie crust recipe from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette a few months back and decided to give it a go. It was an all shortening pie crust and was so supposed to be very easy to make and didn't need to chill before being rolled out into crust. I was game for a simple recipe like that. I used the pie crust recipe for my pecan pie.

Speaking of pecan pie, how about another simple pie to make? I mean these two are really quite easy. Good pecans can be quite expensive but we are talking about the holidays and it's hard to have Thanksgiving or Christmas without pumpkin and pecan pie! Holidays are meant to be special and a bit indulgent anyway.

Enjoy our pie traditions!

(I love how pumpkin pie cracks in the middle after you knife test it- makes it feel all homemade)

Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
2 large eggs
15 oz 100% pure pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk
1 unbaked deep dish pie crust

Mix sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
Beat eggs in a large bowl.
Stir pumpkin and sugar and spice mixture.
Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

Pour into pie shell- always place your pie tin on a baking sheet just in case of overflow!

Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes.
Reduce temp to 350 degrees and bake 40-50 minutes or until knife comes out clean.
Cool 2 hours. serve immediately or refrigerate.

(My aunt advised not to freeze this pie as the crust and filling will separate.)

Miriam Parker's Pie Crust
clipped from the Pgh Post Gazette
makes a double crust pie 9-inch

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup shortening
7 Tbs cold water (I add ice)

I combined the first 3 ingredients right in my food processor. Pulsed to combine- until shortening was incorporated into crumbles. Then through the shoot, I added the water, one at a time until the dough came together nicely. Alternately, you can combine the first 3 ingredients in a large bowl using 2 knives to cut the shortening into the flour. Sprinkle 2 Tbs of water and toss with a fork until you've incorporated all 7 Tbs. Form into a ball.

Divide the dough in half- put some flour on your work surface and rolling pin- and roll out the dough from the center to the edge to create the crust. Repeat for the top crust.

No need to refrigerate this dough as it's so easy to roll out and very flaky once baked!**see note

Now that you have your pie dough all ready to go, make this delicious pecan pie!

(was trying to get a little artsy with my acorns made out of extra pie dough)

Aunt Lynnie's Pecan Pie

2/3 cup karo syrup
1 cup dark brown sugar (I use light cause that's what I always have on hand)
1/3 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla

Mix the above ingredients well, then add:

3 whole eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup peans- heaping cup - mix with above and pour into your pie crust

If you think it needs a few more pecans, go ahead and add them- I often do. You can leave them whole or chop them roughly. Your call!

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-55 minutes. It should be 200 degrees in the center of the pie. You'll know when it's done just by looking at it, right? I never take it's temperature, but it was part of the family recipe so I wrote it down!

**While Miriam's dough was tremendously easy, I was not loving how it didn't brown at all. I'm going to have to listen to my mum and just make her pie dough recipe. Why it's taken me sooooo long to listen, I don't know!

Frozen Pumpkin Dessert (with Gingersnap Crust)~ 11.20.10

2010-11-20T07:23:00.000-08:00

I have a tendency to buy cookbooks and then only make a few of the recipes contained within them. Anyone else do that? I bought a copy of Don't Panic- Dinner's in the Freezer a few years back and I have about a dozen or so of the pages dog-eared but I think I've only made one or two recipes! But in my defense, they were worth buying the book for because this dessert is a real winner and it makes a LOT! She tells you to make it in a 9x13 pan, but I chose to make mine into pies. She also uses a graham cracker crust in the original recipe, but I had gingersnaps and the swap out was AMAZING that I couldn't go back to graham crackers. ALL that said, I'm writing this as the original recipe states so that you can see that it's okay to use what you've got and to be creative with your ingredients!

Frozen Pumpkin Dessert
Don't Panic: Dinner's in the Freezer
Makes 24 servings

2 cups canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1 t salt
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg (I go easy on the nutmeg)
1 cup chopped pecans (I've skipped in the past)
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened

Graham Cracker Crust** (see note at bottom)
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (I used Gingersnap cookies)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar

Prepare graham cracker crust by mixing crust ingredients and patting into a 9x13 pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely. (chilling would not be a bad idea)

In large bowl, combine pumpkin, sguar, salt, spices, and nuts. Fold in ice cream. Pour pumpkin mixture into pan. Seal top of pan with plastic wrap and then foil. Freeze until firm.

Gingersnap crust-
I discovered a recipe in my Aunt's filebox for a PUmpkin Ice Cream Pie with Gingersnap Crust. Seems as though great minds think alike! Here is her recipe for making the gingersnap crust, you'll want to adjust the sugar and increase amounts to make it for a 9x13 pan. Her recipe made a crust for a 10 inch pie pan.
1 1/2 cups gingersnaps, crushed
1 Tbs sugar
1/4 cup butter melted

Mix together. Press into pie pan and bake at 300 degreese 12-15 minutes. Cool, then chill.

Must try these soon! ~ 11.19.10

2010-11-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

So I'm trying to go to bed but my tummy is being tempted by all the wonderful little goodies out there in the bloggity world! Too many yummy foods being made and so as to not annoy Mr. Crafty in the morning when he comes down to finalize his line-up for the day... I need to close out some windows. I thought I'd put all the foods I'm thinking of right here for YOU to salivate over all day.

I saved this recipe in my files last year and never got around to making it, but I think I really must make it for the teachers at school. I try and remember them often and thank them with little treats: Cinnamon Bun Caramel Corn

She had me at pumpkin- I think I'm adventurous enough to try this ingredient in just about anything, okay, maybe not, but Pumpkin Chili sounds delightful! I always use ground turkey anymore, but I have all of the ingredients on her list and they're just waiting to be put together in my slow cooker for a quick meal THIS week!

This is so fun and after the huge success of the mini-candy coated apples, I think this will knock the kid's socks right off! Apple "nachos" are simple enough for a fun after school celebratory snack!

I have a go-to Sloppy Joe recipe, but I'm reconsidering it (it's a bit on the sweet side and a bit time consuming) and think I'll give this one a whirl. Love the addition of cinnamon in it! Plus this blog looks so fun, I must browse around it sometime!

And none of the above would have happened if I hadn't been hunting down this recipe for Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad (actually, I just want the dressing recipe).

Now, off to bed with dreams of all things foodie!

BONUS: I just saw this one on my sidebar and after my encounter with the amazing Rice Pudding at the Greek Festival this summer, I think I really would like to try making Portuguese Rice Pudding. mmmm... I can almost taste it! Would have NEVER thought I'd like rice pudding until it was introduced to me with the flavor of cinnamon. HOOKED!

And I made a recipe of Pumpkin Nutella bread this weekend- it was yummy! Be on the lookout for that recipe soon!

Southwest Stuffed Peppers ~ 11.19.10

2010-11-19T07:23:00.000-08:00

This recipe hails from my cousin, Karen, who is a foodie like myself. In fact, she, too, has a wonderful food blog that I think you should check out: Farmhouse Foodie.

She made these stuffed peppers one summer and I was an instant fan. I make my own version of an enchilada sauce that I found via Creatively Domestic and combined it with my cousin's recipe. I really recommend you just make it yourself, it's so simple to throw together and it's definitely more economical. I swap out a few extra ingredients and use one jar of Tastefully Simple's Corn, Black Bean Salsa. You can adjust the heat on these according to your family. I've been making it with a bit more kick each time I throw it together!

Southwest Stuffed Peppers
from my cousin, Karen DiPasquale

6 large red peppers (I just buy the red/orange/yellow asst. at Sam's club)- you can cut these the way you like, I prefer cut crosswise and cored. I have steamed them to remove some liquid but it's not a necessary step
1 pkg sweet turkey sausage: browned and crumbled- you buy the links and squeeze out the sausage from the casing- flatten it and saute until browned and cooked through
8 oz pkg corn bread stuffing
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese (or Pepper Jack for more heat)
1/2 can chicken broth (the last time I made this I added beef broth by accident- it was FINE!)
1 jar Tastefully Simple Corn, Black Bean Salsa (or any store brand you like OR 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes; 1/2 can black beans;1 cup frozen corn)

Combine all in a large bowl. Scoop into peppers. Pour a little sauce on the bottom of 9x13 pan and then add filled peppers. Pour sauce over the top of peppers and bake covered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, Uncover and bake 30 minutes more. Can add additional sprinkling of cheese at the end.

Enchilada Sauce:
1 Tbs veg oil
1 onion, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 of a chili (from chiles in adobo sauce can)
2 tsp cumin
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp sugar
1 large can tomato sauce (you can add an additional small can and it will give you extra sauce to freeze or to have to reheat these)
1/2 cup water

Cook onion and garlic in veg oil. Add spices and stir and coat the onion- about 30 sec. Stir in tomato sauce and water. Simmer until warmed through and slightly thickened- about 5 minutes. Season with S &P.

These are great served with Lime Cilantro Rice and an ice cold beer!

Homemade Creamy Hummus ~ 11.17.10

2010-11-17T05:35:00.000-08:00

Making your own hummus is such a good trick to have in your back pocket. You only need to have a few pantry staples on hand to throw this together in minutes!

I found this recipe in an issue of Cook's Illustrated and took their recommendation on what brand of tahini to buy as well.

Most hummus recipes that I love have tahini as the star ingredient (next to the chickpeas, that is). Tahini looks like peanut butter but is ground sesame seed paste. CI recommended Joyva or Krinos brand tahinis. I found the Krinos at Market District Giant Eagle for about 6.99 a bottle. I'll probably get at least 4 hummus recipes out of that one bottle, so it's well worth buying your own and making it in the food processor.

They also gave recommendations on which brand of chick peas/garbanzo beans to buy. Pastene came highly recommended and in second place, Goya.

Restaurant Style Hummus

This recipe would be great with homemade Pita Chips!

3 Tbs juice from 1-2 lemons

1/4 cup water

6 tbs tahini, stirred well (that equals 1/2 cup, why they don't say that, I'm not sure)

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 (14oz) can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and picked through- I took out the "skins"

1 small garlic clove, minced (about 1/2 tsp)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cumin

pinch cayenne

1 Tbs minced fresh cilantro or parsley (optional)

paprika (optional)

1. Combine lemon juice and water in a small bowl. Whisk together the tahini and 2 Tbs oil in second bowl. Set aside 2 Tbs. chickpeas for garnish.

2. Process remaning chickpeas, garlic, salt, cumin, and cayenne in food processor until amost fully ground. Scrape down bowl with spatula. With machine running, add lemon juice/water mixture through feed tube. Scrape down bowl and continue to process for 1 minute. With machine running, add tahini mixture in steady stream through feed tube; continue to process until smooth and creamy, about 15 seconds.

3. Transfer hummus to serving bowl, sprinkle with chickpeas and cilantro, cover with plastic wrap and let flavors meld, at least 30 minutes. drizzle with olive oil and serve.

- if you're holding this over for awhile, reserve garnishes until ready to serve. I was transporting my hummus the day I took the pic and didn't want EVOO all over the place, so I just garnished with a little paprika and the chickpeas.

-keeps up to 5 days in fridge. If too thick, add a Tbs of warm water and mix well before serving.

Creamy mushroom toasts ~ 11.10.10

2010-11-10T11:46:00.000-08:00

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

oh good grief, can you tell I'm a mom of 4 boys?

Let me start over...

A long ways back, I happened upon this simple little recipe. It is just the perfect little treat for a late dinner or when you need a comforting happy belly sort of lunch.

It's quick to throw together and forgiving in that as long as you use the main ingredients of mushrooms, cream and toast... you're golden.

I'm eating it right now and had to pour myself a glass of wine (b/c I'm cooking something with it and well, Julia Child would do that, right?) to go along with it. It's a classy yet simple kind of meal.

Buon Appetit!

Creamy Mushroom Toasts
adapted from Angry Chicken
Like I said up above, this is forgiving, so if you don't have shallots, don't fret, I've made it without them. And if you don't have fresh herbs, use a little dried. Just stick to the main stuff: mushrooms, butter, cream, good crusty bread. You'll thank me.

8oz button mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp or so of butter
fresh herbs chopped: I like thyme and parsley
half a shallot, minced fine
S & P
heavy cream- couple Tbsp's
crusty bread
optional: Adobo seasoning (I just have to put it on everything!)

Heat a saute pan and get your butter in there and melted. (if you're using shallots, add them at this point and saute until translucent- I didn't have them today) Add the sliced mushrooms and don't crowd the pan or mess with them too much. You want them to get good and toasty on one side before you push them around. After about 5 minutes or so, stir the mushrooms around and season with S & P and some Adobo seasoning, if you'd like. S&P is just fine, too. Now, add some chopped herbs and a couple Tbs of cream. I do not measure this, just eyeball it a bit and add some till my mushrooms are swimming in a pool of cream and happy as can be. Happy mushrooms = Happy Crafty. Cream = Very happy Crafty!

Taste and adjust seasoning.

Slice your bread and toast to perfection.

Serve your creamy mushrooms alongside the toast and pour yourself a glass of wine. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins ~ 11.5.10

2010-11-05T13:25:00.000-07:00

I know I have mentioned before my love for the book, Cupcakes from the Doctor, but in case you missed out on that... hear me now... I LOVE THIS COOKBOOK. Go treat yourself and pick it up, will you? Because several of my favorite recipes are tucked inside it. I go to it all the time and I went to it yesterday to make a ~~simple~~ ridiculously simple pumpkin chocolate chip muffin recipe.

The secret ingredient is Chocolate Chip Muffin Mix. I happened upon a box of Martha White 17.9 (or so) oz. They were incredible! I have used other mixes before, but I'll be on the lookout for the blue box of Martha White Muffin mixes in the future!

This is so quick you'll have hot and delicious muffins ready to warm the bellies of all those you love in no time flat!

Pumpkin Muffins with chocolate chips

1 pkg chocolate chip muffin mix
1 cup canned PUMPKIN
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (if you don't have that- mix 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/8 tsp allspice or cloves and 1/8 tsp nutmeg and then use HALF of that in these muffins)
optional: extra chocolate chips

Prehat your oven to 400. Line your muffin tins with papers or spray them with veg oil spray.

Place the muffin mix in a large bowl and take a whisk to it a couple of turns. Sometimes there are large clumps in boxed mixes and I find this step helps with incorporating all the ingredients later.

Make a well in the dry mix and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix until combined- about 20 strokes. Don't go all crazy on your batter, you want it just mixed and you don't want to beat the heck out of it!

Using a measuring cup or a handy dandy ice cream scoop (my favorite tool!), fill your muffin cups three quarters of the way full. Add a few more chocolate chips on top of each- everyone loves a little extra chocolate on top, right?

Pop them in the oven and bake about 18-21 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. If it has chocolate on it, get another and test another spot!

Cool on wire racks and then eat them up or place in a ziplock bag in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge or pop your frozen muffin in the toaster oven to thaw!

MUFFIN TIP--- the last time I made these I got 14 muffins instead of 12. Do you know the trick to baking those 2 little extra muffins in that BIG 'OL 12 cup muffin tin? Just add your extra liners to the pan and then scoop in your batter. Then carefully add a little water to the remaining EMPTY muffin cups. This will prevent burning and allow for even cooking of the muffins throughout!

Sweet little Candy Coated Apples ~ 10.23.10

2010-10-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back our MOPS group made these cutest ever bite size candy coated apples- one for each member of our family!

We melon balled our granny smith apples and then stuck a pick in them (you could also use a lollipop stick).
We had our peanut butter chips and butterscotch chips already melted and ready to go. Swirled our little apples on a stick around in the melted chips and then dipped them in the toppings of our choice! I thought it was a wee bit easier to shake the toppings over the dipped apples- less of the coating came off in the toppings that way. Place them in a mini-foil cup to dry and there you have the cutest little fall treat you ever laid eyes upon!

For more detailed instructions, check out this article at Family Fun

**Few notes. I just scooped ten little apples out of ONE granny smith. So, I think you could get 8-10 bite size apples per apple. Also, I dipped mine in some of that Marzetti's caramel dip b/c a) I was in a hurry and b) I wanted to see how it would hold up. Enjoy!

UPDATE: the caramel in the little tub will not set up, so be forewarned. It also tastes kinda funny. Live and learn.

Halloween Fun Food ~ 10.22.10

2010-10-22T13:18:00.000-07:00

Here are a few recipes that are simple enough for the kids to make/help you out with next week!

Crescent Roll Mummies

package of crescent rolls - you'll make 8, so use more if you have more to feed

package of hot dogs

mustard and ketchup

Unroll crescent rolls and separate to form 4 rectangles- pinch together the perforations (You could also buy the new recipe creations crescent dough and work from there).

Using your kitchen shears, cut each rectangle lengthwise into 10 strips

Wrap 4 pieces of dough around each hot dog (you may use less)- you'll stretch the dough as you work around the hot dog. You could tuck a piece of cheese behind the hot dog before you wrap it up- but I opted out of that.

Separate the dough just a bit so that you can "make a face" after it's cooked.

Bake at 375 on an ungreased cookie sheet for 13-16 minutes- until golden brown. Make a face on your mummy dog with the mustard!

Mummy Pizzas

english muffins

pizza sauce

string cheese or shredded mozzarella

toppings- olives for eyeballs!

toast your english muffins under the broiler for a few minutes

top with some sauce and lay the cheese in a "mummy-esque" fashion across the muffin

place 2 olives on for eyes.

Remind the kids they can take the olives off and feed them to Daddy if they don't like them

Bake in the oven about 10 minutes or until warmed through.

Serve with "green fries" (aka green beans) and ketchup

Halloween marshmallows floating in a cup of hot cocoa! Mmmmm.... They were bats and ghosts but they melted a wee bit before I could take their photo!

Still to come... those bite size caramel apples... so adorable you'll cry!

Savory Sweet Potato Soup + Smoked Apple Panini~ 10.21.10

2010-10-21T13:33:00.000-07:00

Oh how I love this season and all the comforting soups that accompany it.

One of my favorites that I discovered last year is the Farm Chick's Savory Sweet Potato Soup. It is so incredibly easy to make and I've been eating it up ALL week.

What goes better with soup than a hot, pressed sandwich (aka PANINI)? We have a wonderful little deli near our home and they serve up a hot sandwich every day of the week. A few of my favorites are the Cuban and the Monte Cristo. A little variation on your traditional grilled cheese... these sandwiches have FLAIR and really FUN FLAVORS!
Today's advertised sandwich was the Smoked Apple Panini and they were starting to serve it at 11. Well, I was there at 10:15 and I wanted that sandwich. SO, I saved myself a couple bucks and bought up some deli meat and a loaf of bread and made it AT HOME. The flavors were so beautiful together. Black Forest Ham, Smoked Gouda and... APPLE BUTTER! Who knew putting apple butter on your sandwich could elevate that simple pairing of meat, cheese and bread to the level of PURE BLISS? Well, I am a fan and hope to eat that one again... and again... and again. AND did you know that you do not need a fancy schmancy panini press to make these? I don't have one. I used my tea kettle and a piece of foil to press my sandwich! Improvise!!

Here are the recipes!

Savory Sweet Potato Soup
makes 2 quarts

The original has a few extra steps and uses heavy cream, but I have adapted it a bit and find that it is just as creamy and delicious my way.

1/2 stick butter
2-3 onions, chopped
6 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled & cubed (small enough to fit on your spoon)
1 1/2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled & cubed
2 tsp ground cumin
1-2 tsp dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt butter in large pot and add onions. Sauted until softened & translucent- about 5 minutes.
2. Add the broth and sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes.
3. Add the russett potatoes. Cook for another 10 minutes- you want them tender. (sometimes I scoop out the sweets and add them back in after the russetts have cooked. Not quite sure why you don't add them ALL at the same time...)
4. At this point, I add the seasonings- cumin, parsely and S&P. Then I scoop out some of the potatoes and puree the rest. I don't like it ALL pureed. I like some potatoes in my soup. You could just leave it as is- no pureeing OR do as I do and puree some and leave some potatoes whole OR puree the whole pot of soup. Make it yours.
5. Cook over low heat until warmed through. Serve.

Here's a link to the original with a few extra recipes included.

Smoked Apple Panini
(instructions for one panini)

Couple slices Black Forest Ham
Slice or two of Smoked Gouda cheese
2 slices bread of your choice
butter
Apple (or in my case, Pear) Butter

Slather the outside of both slices of bread with butter and preheat your griddle.
Place one piece of bread, butter side down on griddle.
Lay your slice of gouda on that piece - I halve my cheese to make it fit the bread I had.
Lay your ham on top of the cheese.
Spread the inside of your other piece of bread with the apple/pear butter. Lay that on top of the ham, with the apple butter side touching the HAM.

Place a piece of foil over your sandwich and top it with something heavy.... like a filled tea kettle!
Cook for a few minutes and check to see how toasty the first side of bread is getting. If ready to flip... then flip and repeat.

Serve hot with a nice bowl of soup!

ps. Come back soon, b/c I have the CUTEST mini caramel apples to show you! You're gonna cry when you see how cute they are!!!!

Homemade Granola ~ 9.30.10

2010-09-30T06:45:00.000-07:00

Auntie Leila's Granola

Don’t be afraid to regard these amounts as approximate.

8 cups oats (fill extra large bowl 2/3 full of oats)
1 small package of sweetened flaked coconut, about 2 cups
2-4 cups chopped nuts – I like the larger amount
Mix together in bowl.

Mix together in saucepan, bring to boil, simmer for 5 minutes:
1 ½ cups brown sugar (this does seem like a lot, but this recipe makes many servings. You can start with a smaller amount at first if you like. You can also substitute honey, molasses, or maple syrup)
1 cup water
¾ cup oil
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp. salt – don’t omit! Salt is important to wake up the taste buds.
1 tsp. almond extract if using almonds

The object is to dissolve the sugar and slightly thicken the syrup.
Pour sugar mixture over ingredients in bowl, mixing well until all oats are coated.

Pour into shallow pan (a lasagna pan works well) and bake at 325* stirring every 10 minutes, until the mixture is evenly browned, about 30-35 minutes.

Remove from the oven.

Add in any combination to total 2 cups:
dried cranberries
chopped dates
raisins
Chopped apricots

Stir, cool completely, store in airtight containers (can be frozen).

Check out more of Leila's wonderful recipes for breakfast here
And yes, I've mentioned them before here.

Basil Tomato Soup & Killer Bread ~ 9.27.10

2010-09-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

Once September hits, I go into super powered soup making mode. I could eat it every day. Seriously love me some soup! And one of my big faves is Tomato. I was all set to post this recipe when I realized I already did. DARN! So excited to post a recipe and here I've already gone and posted the same one 9 months ago!

I did not post this bread recipe though. It's so delish with a bowl of soup, especially this soup (see that's the same soup in the photo above- filled with veggie goodness!). I'm including two variations to the orginal recipe because I don't always have fresh basil, especially in the winter and I love the green onions in this AND I think artichokes on it would be a wonderful decision!

Killer Bread (or Wicked Awesome Bread or Super Duper Delish Bread... get the picture?)
(can be doubled) Serves 6

1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
clove garlic- minced fine
basil- couple leaves finely chopped or 2 tsp dried, crumbled
bread- sourdough, baguette- I had some hoagie-style rolls lying around and used those
butter
optional: green onions, sliced fine or chopped artichokes

Preheat the broiler.
Mix mayo, parmesan and garlic in a bowl. (add green onions if you're going that option or artichokes or both!)
Slice bread horizontally (like you're making a sandwich) and butter it.
Broil until lightly toasted.
Spread parmesan mixture over cut sides of bread.
Broil until top is puffed and golden brown. Sprinkle with chopped basil.
Cut into wedges and serve with a delcious bowl of soup (or steak!).

Back to school BIG cookie ~ 9.4.10

2010-09-04T06:37:00.000-07:00

I happened upon this recipe the other day and I've always wanted to make a really BIG cookie. They're so pricy at the store and I don't like all the icing (I know I iced mine) or what they usually say. SO, I made one from scratch. Actually, I made three.... one for Gabriel's first day. One for Max's first day and one for my friend who just had a baby a few days before her kids went back to school. I made it for her dessert when I brought dinner over to her. The first one I made on a foil lined pizza pan and the other two I made on my pizza stone. All three turned out perfectly. BUT I will say this recipe makes more dough than necessary. I froze the extra in case I needed some cookies or wanted to make a smaller BIG cookie one day.

The icing... I had in the freezer leftover from the cakes I made this past year. It was the perfect amounts needed to pipe my little messages and a little border around the outside, too. So glad I don't throw stuff away... just popped them into baggies and defrosted them while the cookie cake baked. Snipped off a corner and voila! Instant piping bag!

Back to School Cookie Cake
(from here, with a different name)

Cream these in your mixer:
2 sticks of butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar

Add to creamed butter mixture:
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp water- just doing what I'm told...

Mix well, then add:
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups oatmeal- I used quick cooking
4 handfuls of chocolate chips- I'm really precise about this... kidding

Dump your mixture onto a pizza stone OR prepared pizza pan (I lined mine with foil and sprayed it well with cooking spray).
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes then check every 2-3 minutes until golden brown. (Mine took about 18 minutes)

Let cool then decorate!

The kids were really excited to have a cookie cake on their first day of school and this recipe was indeed stellar!

My idea of Summer Dinner ~ 7.27.10

2010-07-27T12:42:00.000-07:00

Ah Summer is nearly over already and I've been thoroughly enjoying my "summer break" in the kitchen.

I try to cook less and eat whatever I can find in and around the house. HA!

This is one of our favorite "oops-it's-already-5:30-and-we-need-to-eat-dinner" dinners. I call Snackie Dinner.

The general rule of thumb is that you pull out some veggies, fruits, cheese and all the dippers you've got stowed away in your pantry... and some DIPS: hummus, eggplant dip, salsa, brushetta... Set it all out on fun plates on the deck, pour yourself a glass of wine and fill the sippies with juice and get snacking! We usually pop in a movie and have popcorn for dessert on these Snackie Dinner nights.

Kid recipe: Cookies and {chocolate} Milk ~ 6.10.10

2010-06-10T12:53:00.000-07:00

I nabbed this recipe on a discussion board of a class I'm taking online--we have a whole thread specifically devoted to cookie recipes. The class is a scrapbooking class. Now that is my kind of people! Anywho, it drew me in b/c I thought it would be a perfect summer recipe that the kids could make. I did a trial run the other night and it's a winner. So easy to make and I love the variety of flavors that you could make these cookies. Check it out.

Cake Mix Cookies

Ingredients:
a box of cake mix- I went with devil's food
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
2 cups of a mix in (chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, m&m, marshmallows, anything!)

1/2 cup chopped nuts (totally optional)

Stir it all together and drop onto an ungreased cookie sheet in rounded teaspoons. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. And once you remove them from the oven let them sit on the sheet for two minutes before moving.

They were especially good while they were warm! Enjoy!

BLT Pasta or How Crafty Makes a Mess in the Kitchen ~ 6.7.10

2010-06-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

Last week I watched a DVR'ed episode of the RR show. I was salivating at 11:00 at night over her Bacon, Leek and Tomato Pasta but was not about to do anything about it then.

Fast forward to the next day when I was wondering what to make for dinner and thought about the bacon in my fridge and the spaghetti in my pantry. A quick trip to the store for a can of San Marzano Tomatoes and a leek and I was ready to make this dish!

Here's a link to Rachael's recipe: Bacon, Leek and Tomato Pasta

One thing to note about this pasta- if you're a saucy kinda pasta lovin' person, you're not going to love this. It's a more chunky not too much sauce kind of sauce. You may want to double it or serve some other marinara sauce (and yes, I did that) on the side to satiate those saucier sauce lovin' peeps, K?

I was going on sheer memory but thought to google the recipe just to be sure once I started frying up the bacon. I wasn't using the recommended center cut bacon and needed to get rid of about a 1/3 cup of grease.

Oh glory! The scent of bacon in the house is just so lovely (I just wish is wouldn't linger so long)!

I added the chopped up leek and garlic. Do you know how to clean a leek? You do so AFTER you cut it b/c of all the grit and dirt that gets trapped between the layers. Cut your leek into half moon shapes and then put them all in a big bowl filled with water (I use my colander/salad spinner). Now, pretend you are a washing machine and swish your hand around and around. The dirt will fall to the bottom! Dry off those squeaky clean leeks and get them in the frying pan.... FAST!

Next, add the tomatoes with the juice. Why did I choose the pricey San Marzanos? This recipe has so few ingredients that I wanted the best tomatoes in here. San Marzanos are "up there" on the wonderful tasting tomato ladder.

I smooshed mine up with a potato masher and ... LOOK WHAT HAPPENED!

I give you exhibit A and B:

A.B.

tomato juice everywhere! oops.

ps. that's what a can of imported San Marzanos looks like (see Exhibit A)

All cleaned up and my pasta water was ready to get its healthy dose of SALT!

That is about the most UNFLATTERING photo of my hand, evah. It looks so fat! Moving on...

I added my half a box of regular Barilla thin spaghetti and my half a box of wheat spaghetti- which took the same amount of time to cook. Six minutes on the timer and I went back to stir my sauce.

Add some pepper and taste for seasoning.

IMPORTANT TIP: Scoop out a measuring cup of that pasta water before you drain it! IMPORTANT TIP! It will extend your sauce and make it all work together nicely.

Pasta is done, adding sauce to my drained pasta to incorporate it all together and MARRY the flavors. ( I love Marrying flavors here)

Plating it up! With a sprinkling of Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese!

Now for the real test. Did my boys eat it. YES! YES! they did! After a good crying fit and a trip to his room, Zachary realized the error of his ways and said this about it, " It is good, Mama! I like it!" A few others picked out the chunky tomatoe parts, but I'm pretty sure the bacon saved the day in this dish!

whew. thank you, Lord.

Serve it up with some fresh lettuce a neighbor picked from their garden and crispy breadsticks and you'll have a winner of a dinner!

mmm delectable!

Last Summer's faves ~6.5.10

2010-06-05T18:50:00.000-07:00

a few recipes that are worth revisiting and trying this month!

1. Creamy Latin Pasta Salad - hoping to make this soon for picnics! delish and different from your typical pasta salad

2. Baked French Toast - throw it together before church on Sunday and then bake for brunch!

3. Cool and Crisp Cucumber Salad- a summer side staple!

Crispy Zucchini Coins & Baked Corn Casserole~ 5.29.10

2010-05-29T14:01:00.000-07:00

This weekend marks the beginning of the SUMMER! I've been a bit heavy on desserts over here, lately, so I thought I'd share one of my favorite little HEALTHY zucchini recipes. It's light and healthy and very yummy!

And if you're headed to a picnic anytime soon, you may very well like the second recipe for Baked Corn Casserole. Another easy peasy one that my children love and works great as a side dish for all things grilled. We especially like it with hot dogs and hamburgers. Last week, I served it alongside tacos! Give it a try and let me know what YOU think!

Crispy Zucchini Coins

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs- I have used homemade crumbs that I keep in the freezer and added italian seasoning to that and a pinch or so of salt
3 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp pepper
3 c thinly sliced zucchini- honestly, I NEVER measure this. I buy a couple and use 'em. One zucchini goes a LONG way when you're thinly slicing it.
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
cooking spray

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.COmbine first 3 ingredients; stir well.
Dip sliced zucchini in egg whites and dredge in bread crumb mixture.
Place in single layer on baking sheet coated with cooking spray (last time I made these on a pizza stone- PERFECTION!)
Bake at 450 for 15 minutes on one side and additional 15 minutes on the other. You want them crispy and browned.

This is a Costain classic and I believe I got it from Cooking Light years ago- not sure who to give credit to!

Next up, we have baked corn casserole. I'm sure everyone has seen/eaten some version of this over the years. This is my favorite!

Baked Corn Casserole
serves 4-6;
takes about 1 hour 15 min with prep and cooking
(I always forget that part, so I'm writing it in here so I will remember!!!)

1 8 1/2 oz pkg corn muffin mix
1 can- whole kernel corn; drained- I've never done this, always just used frozen, about 1/2-3/4 of a cup (acutally, I use the can from the creamed corn to scoop it and measure it- I'm so EXACT- LOL)
1 can cream style corn
1 cup sour cream- I chooes light
1/4 cup butter, softened- I melt it.
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients- mix well and pour into a greased 8x8 or 9x9 (2 qt) casserole dish.
COVER and bake 30 minutes.
UNCOVER and bake 30 minutes or until set and golden

this came to be by way of my "imaginary friends"- started making it on Labor Day 2002!

Multi-grain Waffles ~ 5.11.10

2010-05-11T14:24:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad I discovered this recipe. It is in regular rotation here at our house and not just at breakfast-time. In fact, this often makes a BRINNER appearance. Waffles for dinner- who wouldn't love that? Round the meal out with some turkey bacon and yogurt parfaits or smoothies, you've got yourself a WINNER for DINNER! I gave this mix to the teachers last year for Christmas and one of them used the mix to make pancakes since she didn't have a waffle maker. If you decide to go the pancake route, just thin the batter out a bit.

One last tip, I measure out two batches at a time. One to make today and one to make later and I store it in the fridge for another day.

Multi Grain Waffles from eating well magazine

2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2/3 cup whole-wheat flour
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ or cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Mix buttermilk and oats in a medium bowl; let stand for 15 minutes.

2. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, wheat germ (or cornmeal), baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.

3. Stir eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla into the oat mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; mix with a rubber spatula just until moistened.

4. Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray and preheat. Spoon in enough batter to cover three-fourths of the surface (about 2/3 cup for an 8-by-8-inch waffle iron). Cook until waffles are crisp and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 188 calories; 4 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 55 mg cholesterol; 30 g carbohydrate; 8 g protein; 3 g fiber; 328 mg sodium. Nutrition bonus: 144 mg calcium (14% dv).
2 Carbohydrate Servings

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Wrap any leftovers individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month. Reheat in a toaster or toaster oven.

originally posted August, 2007

The Essential Summertime (Anytime) Salsa ~ 5.9.10

2010-05-09T11:41:00.000-07:00

Time to depart from all the desserts and make something fresh and delicious.

I originally posted this recipe way back in 2006 on She's a Crafty Pumpkin. It has become my "go-to" recipe for family gatherings- it's a cinch to make and EVERYONE seems to love it! The original recipe hails from here and I'm forever indebted to her for posting that- hope you're as happy with it, too!

If you don't have cilantro, but say, have basil- try that instead. I did that once and was not at all disappointed! WOW! Flavor punch and a party in my mouth! You'll see in the ingredients that I often will leave out certain "unessential" ingredients- feel free to try that for yourself. A recipe is only a guideline, you decide what goes in or doesn't- make it yours!

I love to serve this with Target's Archer Farms Organic Blue Corn Tortilla Chips- say that five times fast!

Black Bean Salsa

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 ears corn, either boiled or roasted (I use frozen, too- toast it in a dry pan on the stovetop)
2 large or 3 medium tomatoes, cut into small chunks and drained- Romas are great
2 firm-ripe avocados, cut into medium chunks
1 red onion, diced small - I often leave this out
3 garlic cloves, minced - I've left this out before, too
2-3 limes
1 bunch of cilantro
Olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Place the black beans into a large serving bowl. After the corn has cooled, cut the kernels off the cob and add to the black beans, along with the tomatoes, red onion, and garlic. Toss to combine.

Drizzle the mixture with olive oil and about 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, or to taste. Squeeze the limes over the mixture, and season with salt and pepper. Let the mixture sit for about fifteen minutes before tasting for seasonings again.

You can wait until just before serving to add the avocado chunks and chopped cilantro, but we add it all at once - after awhile the avocado will start to break down, but it usually last a full day or two before that happens.

Brownies in a Snap ~ 5.7.10

2010-05-07T05:21:00.000-07:00

Brownies from scratch? No thank you. These are my favorite and they are as easy as opening a box and gussying it up just a wee little bit. Hat tip to the Cupcake Doctor Cookbook for introducing me to my FAVORITE Brownies!

Just a few extra ingredients will send that boxed brownie mix to a whole new level...

My Favorite Brownies

1 20 oz pkg of brownie mix-- test your fave and see how it goes but I only buy Ghiradelli

1/3 cup water

5 Tbsp butter, melted

1 lg egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chocolate chips, regular or mini

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into a greased pan- 9x9 works for me. Bake at 350 per pkg instructions. (about 40 minutes) Try your best not to lick that bowl.

Cool completely and cut with a plastic knife (it cuts brownies THE best!)

ps. that cookbook I mentioned up above is one of my most USED and favorite cookbooks. The twin's cinnamon toast firetruck cake recipe came from it... well, the firetruck assembly directions were from Betty Crocker, but the cake mix idea, that was all Cupcake Doctor. Yes, you can use her recipes from that book to make regular sized cakes, too!

Peanut Butter Pie, Oh How I've missed you ~ 4.29.10

2010-04-28T21:09:00.000-07:00

Thankfully, once upon a time, I gave birth to twins. And something delightful happened to me after that oh so joyous occasion--- I was fed by my newest and lovliest friends at MOPS!

My friend, Michelle, brought this little gem to me and I am forever grateful to her for that meal, her friendship and THIS PIE! It's simple and with friends like Marie Callendar and the folks at Pillsbury, it can be even simpler for all of us! wink, wink

I added a little tweak right before I added the ingredients to the pie crust... you'll probably guess it has something to do with chocolate.

Peanut Butter Pie with a Twist

1 cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup peanut butter
some Nutella, if you dare
1 package vanilla pudding, prepared
whipped topping
pie crust
chocolate bar
1. Bake pie crust according to directions. Cool.

2. Mix peanut butter and powdered sugar in a bowl. It will resemble bread crumbs!!! Reserve some of this to sprinkle on top (I didn't do that- I use shaved chocolate instead)

3. Spread bottom of cooled pie crust with Nutella-- if you so choose, and you should so choose!

4. Sprinkle the nutella with the peanut butter mixture.
4b. Then add your prepared pudding on top of the PB mixture.

5. Top with whipped topping and either pb mixture or some grated chocolate!

6. Eat and Enjoy!!!

oh one more thing to note. I do believe you should refrigerate this pie overnight b/c something happens to that bread crumby pb layer when it's under the pudding. It needs an overnight to do this.

I'm in love with this salad! ~ 4.21.10

2010-04-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

21 days since I last posted a recipe? What is wrong with me? iphone. That's what. I find that I get down to the computer a lot less and opt for just checking my email or FB from my phone. Or I make dinner Or I'm taking a nap Or busy at life with kids. Something like that.

But I MUST share this recipe with you because it is simple, simple. I know I've said that before, but really this is so simple and it's 5 ingredients (not counting S&P)!

Avocado and Strawberry Salad with Honey Vinaigrette is a marriage made in food heaven. I mean it. I thought I have a food infatuation with avocadoes before, and now they're pairing up with one of my favorite fruits! Oh my stars!

Avocado and Strawberry Salad with Honey Vinaigrette
as written should serve 6

Mix up your vinaigrette- I just measure and dump the ingredients into a jar that I've saved. That way I can pop the lid on and shake it all into a lovely emulsified vinaigrette in no time flat. Plus, if there's any left over, it goes right into the fridge and I don't have to clean another bowl/measuring cup!

2 1/2 Tbs lemon juice - one lemon did this for me
3 Tbs honey- try to use local, if you can
3 Tbs olive oil -
(you can add 1/8 tsp Salt and an 1/8 tsp ground pepper at this point, but I prefer to sprinkle them on my salad and then add the dressing- I recommend doing it that way)

put a lid on it and SHAKE!

2 avocados
8 oz strawberries

In a bowl, add 2 peeled, pitted and cubed avocados and 8 oz of sliced strawberries. Season with S & P. Pour just enough dressing to coat. Mix gently and serve immediately!

As another option, if you're serving this salad with a nice dinner or if you'd like to impress your friends, slice the avocado into wedges and the strawberries into halves or quarters. Then drizzle your dressing over it.

Give this a whirl. I even got my non-avocado eating 7 year old to eat this b/c of the strawberries. The avocadoes were like butter, so creamy and smooth next to the sweetness of the ripe strawberries. Max was the only one who opted out, the twins and I devoured it! And it's really simple to mix it up really quick, just cube your avocado, add sliced strawberries and drizzle with the dressing and some S & P.

Highly recommend you get your hands on these ~3.31.10

2010-03-31T07:33:00.000-07:00

I've been busy in the kitchen cooking little gems from these two publications. Cook's Country March 2010 is chock full of some amazingly delish recipes! I am hoping to make the majority of them and post about them, too! Hurry out and grab that Cook's Country, if you can! There are easily at least 10 recipes I've got on my "MAKE THIS" list! In fact, I could put together my whole Easter menu from that one issue. Fabulous!

We all know and love Ree, right? Her cookbook does not dissapoint. I received her it as a Christmas gift this past year. I have been enjoying her simple way of telling a recipe as well as the amazing photography and her gift of storytelling throughout the pages. I highly recommend you grab a copy for yourself- even though the recipes are on her site, this book is a great one to have on your shelf and on your kitchen counter!

Just this week I made the ham salad recipe from Cook's Country. Do yourself a favor if you're having ham for Easter-- save some for this recipe and add these things to your grocery list now: whole grain mustard, sweet pickle relish, mayo. All I needed was the mustard- a small jar of whole grain is all you'll need. Five ingredients total (I left out the pepper) and you're on your way to a simple, delicious lunch.

Last weekend, Miss Happy Heart and kids stopped over to play and eat! We made Ree's Pico de Gallo (I had never made this! gasp! what was I waiting for?) and Guacamole. My avocados were at perfect "guac stage" and we had ourselves a FEAST complete with diet cokes infused with lime. Perfection!

Guacamole is a simple simple treat to make. Everyone should eat avocadoes because they're good for you with heart healthy fats and that beautiful creamy green fruit. Oh Joy! I need more avocadoes in my kitchen! I've been buying them at Sam's lately at 3.98 for a bag of 5- what a steal!

Okay, so here's that ham salad recipe that won't disappoint.

You'll need some leftover ham- say about a cup and a half or so.

1/4 cup mayo

1 Tbs whole grain mustard

3 Tbs sweet pickle relish

1/2 tsp or several cranks of fresh ground pepper

1. Pulse your ham in the food processor about 10 times. Don't turn it into pate, just small shreds

2. In a separate bowl, mix together the "dressing" ingedients.

3. Add ham to mayo mixture and combine

4. Serve on whole grain bread or what we had: Club Crackers.

simple

A sweet treat for your weekend ~ 3.19.20

2010-03-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe from The New Holly Clegg Trim and Terrific cookbook. She says that it's her daughter's most requested recipe and it certainly is a sweet treat!

I love how it transforms in the oven... coming out looking like this!

Seriously, if you could smell that... you would swoon and quite possibly get a sugar high from the scent alone!

So it is obviously, very sweet, with a total of 3 cups (16 oz) of powdered sugar in the top layer! But don't be discouraged. Desserts are meant to be a bit indulgent, right? And this is a fun and quick recipe to make with simple ingredients that you probably have on hand in the fridge and pantry. And it's rather low in fat- depending on how many squares you cut your pan into- Holly says the recipe yields 48 squares. Those are rather tiny little treats, but oftentimes, it's all you need, right?

Enough rambling, here's the recipe!

Ooey Gooey Squares

1 box of yellow cake mix

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 egg

1 Tbs water

1 pkg reduced fat cream cheese

16 oz (3 cups) powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 large egg whites

1 cup chocolate chips (or try a combo- butterscotch + chocolate chip- mmm....)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare a 9x13 inch pan by spraying it with non-stick spray.

Mix together the cake mix, melted butter, egg, and water until combined. Dump into your prepared pan and pat into the bottom until evenly distributed.

Swipe out your mixing bowl and put the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, egg whites in there. Mix until smooth and creamy. Stir in most of the chocolate chips. Pour mixture on top of your first layer. Scatter remaining chocolate chips on top and pop the pan into the oven for 40-50 minutes. You'll know it's done when it's nicely browned all over and the edges pull away from the sides. Let cool. For best results, cut with a plastic knife- it's a little kitchen trick that plastic knives cut brownies and these gooey squares the best!

Spring in a pan ~ 3.5.10

2010-03-10T05:34:00.000-08:00

Spring is certainly not far off when asparagus starts to show up on sale!

Pan Roasted Asparagus

1 lb of asparagus, ends trimmed
olive oil
kosher salt
pepper

Heat oil- a few turns of the pan is all you need (about 2 Tbs)- on high for a few minutes.
Add asparagus and give it a shake to coat the asparagus with the oil. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt.
Saute on high to med. high, shaking the pan frequently until the asparagus is cooked and carmelized.

Pierce an end (or pop one in your mouth) to check for tenderness. We like ours with not a lot of bite, really tender. You may like yours more crisp-tender. It's all in what you like! My kids eat this like candy!

Hearty Mixed Grain Medley ~ 3.8.10

2010-03-08T05:35:00.000-08:00

I happened upon this recipe over at Stacy J's place and thought it would be a perfect Lenten meal. I wasn't all that concerned about feeding it to the family as I didn't really care what they thought- I knew I'd love it! Am I the only one who does that?

It was simple to throw together and I've been eating it for meals, snacks and today.... breakfast! So filling and I feel like it's really good for me as it fills me up and looks amazing in a bowl. And when food looks pretty, that just makes me happier to eat it all up! Plus, there's simply no butter or oil used in it, so that has to be a check in the "better for you" column, right?

When you make this recipe, feel free to throw in things that you have... the original recipe calls for things I didn't have in my fridge/pantry that day and that's okay. When you're looking at a recipe, think about what you like about it and what sounds good. Feel free to ad-lib a little with ingredients that are similiar to the ones listed and you may find that you're making dishes "your own" a lot more. That's only really happened for me in the past couple of years. I've been getting braver with experimentation and have liked most of the results!

I did think ahead and buy pearl barley, but that was about the only thing I bought for the recipe. Everything else was a pantry staple for me!

Hearty Mixed Grain Medley
adapted from Stacy Julian's mixed grain casserole

3 medium carrots, chopped (I love carrots and will add one more next time)
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 cup fresh mushrooms, quartered (didn't have these this time, but will add them next time)
1 can black beans, drained + rinsed
1 can corn (or 1 cup frozen)
1 cup broth (I used chicken)
½ cup pearl barley
½ cup fresh parsley
¼ cup bulgar - (no bulgar this time)
¼ onion chopped
¼ tsp garlic salt

Combine all ingredients
Bake covered 350 degrees for 60 minutes
Stir once at 30 minutes

I added a sprinkle of Goya adobo seasoning on mine at the end, but it tastes just perfect without it, too.
You can also add a bit of cheese (cheddar would be good) on your bowl and pop it in the microwave to melt just before serving.

Good Morning Sunshine coffee cake ~ 3.2.10

2010-03-03T11:34:00.000-08:00

This is a simple little recipe that is great to have in your "back pocket" for those times when you need to whip something up quick. It will fill the house with the warm, comforting scents of citrus and cinnamon - waking up your senses so that you exclaim, "It is a GOOD MORNING!"

I believe I saw Paula make this recipe this past summer and have been meaning to post it here for awhile. Today's fellowship day at our Scripture study afforded me the chance to bake it and take photos!

I've adapted it a bit, but the recipe credit still goes out to Ms. Paula Deen.

Good Morning Sunshine Coffee Cake

Ingredients:
2 Tbs butter, melted, plus more for pan
1 (16.3 oz) can refrigerated biscuits (she recs Pillsury Grands flaky layers)
1/4 cup minced walnuts
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsps orange zest (I'd guess I used about half an orange's zest)

Glaze: 2 options:

1/2 cup powdered sugar + 2 oz cream cheese + 2 Tbs orange juice - whisk it up until thin enough to drizzle. Add more juice to thin, if necessary.

OR

1/2 cup powdered sugar + 2 Tbs orange juice- whisk and add more OJ, as needed, to thin. then drizzle over warm cake.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter ( I sprayed with non-stick spray) a 9-in round cake pan.

Separate the biscuit dough and place one whole biscuit in the center of your pan. Cut the remaining biscuits in half, forming 14 half circles around the center biscuit. Brush with melted butter over the tops. It should look like this:

In a small bowl, combine the walnuts, granulated sugar, cinnamon and orange zest. Mix well and sprinkle liberally over the biscuits. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, mix up your glaze (whichever you prefer- I've made both like the simpler glaze better) and drizzle it over the warm coffee cake. Serve with fresh fruit and a cup of Joe!

Recipe Review: Cinnamon Streusel Layer Cake ~ 3.1.10

2010-03-01T12:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we celebrated the 11th birthday of one sweet little niece of ours, Caterina!

Being Caterina's Godmother puts me in a wonderful predicament each and every year.... making a cake! A responsibility that I have deemed upon myself, mind you. I have grown quite fond of cakes over the past several years and was excited that C was up to trying something a little bit different for her birthday this year.

I clipped this recipe a few months back because I do love what Ms. Byrn's does with a cake mix! Many of my favorite cake/cupcake recipes have emerged from her book Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor and this one is entering the recipe box files of my "tried and true" recipes! My favorite part was the slightly crunchy streusel layer in between the creamy layer of frosting right smack dab in the middle of the cake! YUM!

Next time I'll.... add toasted chopped pecans in between the cakes. I may try our favorite buttercream frosting, too. I love a good cream cheese frosting (and this one is good), but I like it better with carrot cake.

Giving this recipe: 4 thumbs up!

See, you can make a yummy cake from a box!

Cinnamon Streusel Layer Cake

•Vegetable oil spray, for misting the pans
•3/4 cup packed dark or light brown sugar plus 3 tablespoons for the topping
•8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
•2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
•1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
•1 cup sour cream (regular or reduced-fat)
•1/3 cup vegetable oil
•1/4 cup water
•3 large eggs
•Cream Cheese Frosting (see recipe at bottom)

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly mist 2 9-inch round cake pans with vegetable oil spray. Using a pencil, trace the bottom of 1 of the cake pans onto 2 pieces of parchment paper. Cut out the round pieces of paper and place them in the bottom of the 2 prepared cake pans.

Place 3/4 cup of the brown sugar, the butter, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a small mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until creamy and smooth, 1 minute. Put half of the streusel mixture in each prepared cake pan. Using a rubber spatula, spread the streusel out to within 2 inches of the edge of the pans. Set the pans aside.

Place the cake mix, sour cream, oil, water and eggs in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are just incorporated, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until smooth, about 11/2 minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed. Transfer 1 cup of the batter to a smaller bowl and set aside. Divide the remaining cake batter evenly between the 2 cake pans, spreading the batter over the streusel.

Stir the remaining 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and the remaining teaspoon of cinnamon into the reserved batter until well blended and smooth, about 1 minute. Drop the cinnamon-flavored batter by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the batter in the pans and swirl it to the edge of the pan, being sure not to disturb the streusel layer. Place the pans in the oven side by side.

Bake the cake layers until the tops spring back when lightly pressed with a finger, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the cake pans to wire racks and let the cake layers cool for 5 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of each cake layer and give the pans a good shake to loosen the cakes. Invert each layer onto a wire rack to cool completely, streusel side up, about 20 minutes longer. Peel off and discard the parchment paper circles.

While the cakes cool, make the Cream Cheese Frosting.

To assemble the cake, transfer 1 layer, streusel side up, to a serving platter. Spread the top with about 1 cup of the frosting. Place the second cake layer, streusel side down, on top of the first layer and frost the top and sides with the remaining frosting. Place the cake, uncovered, in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, 15 minutes, then slice and serve.

Cream Cheese Frosting
I used 1/3 less fat and it was just fine. I also tinted about a cup of the frosting and used it to pipe a message on her cake.

•8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
•4 tablespoons ( 1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
•3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
•2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Place the cream cheese and butter in a medium-size bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add the confectioners' sugar a bit at a time, beating with the mixer on low speed until the confectioners' sugar is well incorporated, 1 minute. Add the vanilla, then increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the frosting until fluffy, 1 minute longer. Use the frosting at once.

see here and here for some past cake creations

Chocolate Truffles ~ 2.23.10

2010-02-23T04:34:00.000-08:00

I know it's Lent and all, but well, Valentine's Day slipped by the wayside with all the snow we were pummelled with and this is such an easy and sweet recipe... I just had to share it with you today

In fact, we'll be sharing it with all our moms at MOPS today as this is our special craft for the month of February-- truffles!

I've tried a few truffle recipes this month and this is still, by far, my favorite. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough truffles are a close second. My least favorite were the truffles made with chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk- blah. Not good.

This recipe was shared with me by a friend whom I've never had the chance to meet quite yet. We became friends via an online message board over 7 years ago! You can visit her blog and see her amazing photog skills. She's taking a photo a day throughout the year.

Chocolate Truffles

1 box Devil's Food cake mix (not pudding in the mix)
Ingredients called for on cake mix box

Bake the cake in a 9x13 pan and cool. Crumble in into smithereens in a large bowl. This is VERY cathartic.

Melt in a saucepan,
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup apricot preserves**

Mix those in the saucepan until glossy and then pour over your crumbled cake mixture. Mix until gooey. Form into 1- 1 1/2 inch balls and refrigerate for at least 4-5 hours.

If you haven't eaten them all, dip them in melted almond bark (or buy the confectionary wafers) and place on waxed paper. Chill and store in closed container.

In the photo above, I drizzled mine with a Chambord glaze that comes from another favorite cookie recipe: Chambord Fudge Cups. They were the hit of our wedding years ago!

I haven't tried this yet, but I'd be interested to see how these taste with other preserves mixed in them.

**You do not taste the apricot at all. You'd have no idea that was in there at all! Do note that when you're forming the cake balls, sometimes you'll come across a big clump of preserves... I just pull that out and add a little more cake mixture.

Welcome Lent ~ Homemade Macaroni and Cheese ~ 2.17.10

2010-02-17T15:33:00.000-08:00

Another family favorite!

Today being Ash Wednesday, we are abstaining from meat. I think most of us who remember the lents of our childhood will recall that there was certainly a lot of Macaroni and Cheese, Pizza and Fish Sticks consumed. We try to mix it up a bit over at the Costain house with our Sweet Potato Burritos, pasta dishes and few other faves but macaroni and cheese will always find its way on our lenten menu.

While I do like the convenience of a boxed mac 'n cheese for those emergency situations (by the way, we prefer Annie's), there's just nothing like homemade.

Tonight I did a hybrid of Pioneer Woman's mac 'n cheese (from her new cookbook) and my old faithful America's Test Kitchen recipe (which follows). I think I'll stick to old faithful though. While her sauce sure was cheesy deliciousness, I like the fact that I don't need to whisk too much and I can just throw it all in the pot and voila... mac 'n cheese. I still used evaporated milk even though her recipe calles for whole milk and I added a little onion powder to the pot as well.

This recipe is quick and convenient and worth the few extra minutes it takes to make. I serve mine up with peas- gosh I love the little burst of green sweetness with each cheesy pasta bite. I hope you enjoy this, too.

Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

A heavy-bottomed pot that distributes heat evenly is essential here. If you're in a hurry or prefer to sprinkle the dish with crumbled common crackers (saltines aren't bad either), you can skip the bread crumbs.

Serves four as a main course or six to eight as a side dish

Toasted Bread Crumbs

1 cup fresh bread crumbs from French or Italian bread

Pinch of salt

1-1/2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

2 large eggs
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard, dissolved in 1 teaspoon water
1/2 pound elbow macaroni (I always use a pound- way too cheesy for me)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces sharp Wisconsin cheddar, American, or Monterey
Jack cheese, grated (about 3 cups) ( I like a combo- depends on what I have on hands, too)

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix bread crumb ingredients (crumbs, salt, and melted butter) well in small baking pan. Bake until golden brown and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes; set aside.

2. Meanwhile, mix eggs, 1 cup evaporated milk, pepper sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, pepper, and mustard mixture in small bowl; set aside.

3. Meanwhile, heat 2 quarts water to boil in large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven. Add remaining 1-1/2 teaspoons salt and macaroni; cook until almost tender but still a little firm to the bite. Drain and return to pan over low heat. Add butter; toss to melt.

4. Pour egg mixture over buttered macaroni along with three-quarters of the cheese; stir until thoroughly combined and cheese starts to melt. Gradually add remaining evaporated milk and cheese, stirring constantly, until mixture is hot and creamy,

Happy Love Day~ 2.14.10

2010-02-14T00:30:00.000-08:00

The secret of a happy marriage is finding the right person. You know they're right if you love to be with them all of the time.

- Julia Child

incidentally, this photo was taken at a wonderful pizzeria that served true Neopolitan style pizza. The owner moved to Jersey, I believe, and it is no more. I have wonderful memories of that pizza place... mmm...and those days of living in Bellevue, PA.

Dinner and Dessert ~ 2.12.10

2010-02-12T00:30:00.000-08:00

Two foods that spell love in my book are steak and ice cream. For some reason, they just resonate with Valentine's Day for me and this is the perfect time of year to share them with you!

As I was looking back through my archives at She's a Crafty Pumpkin, I came across these two recipes. They're too good not to share. The first is from Eating Well magazine (fabulous publication, BTW) and the second for sweet Elise at Simply Recipes. These were originally posted way back here at my "other place".

Beef Stroganoff with Portobello Mushrooms

Meaty portobello mushrooms add to the richness of this meal without adding a lot of fat and calories. Ensure the tenderness of the flank steak by slicing it against the grain.

Makes 4 servings, 1 1/2 cups each
ACTIVE TIME: 40 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 40 minutes
EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
1 pound flank steak, trimmed

4 large portobello mushrooms, stemmed, halved and thinly sliced
1 large onion, sliced
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium beef broth
2 tablespoons cognac or brandy- I used cognac- the little bottles you buy at the liquor store were a perfect size
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
4 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or parsley, divided

1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add steak and cook until browned on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. (The meat will be rare, but will continue to cook as it rests.) Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut lengthwise into 2 long pieces then crosswise, across the grain, into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

2. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion, thyme, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are very tender and lightly browned, 8 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables; stir to coat. Stir in broth, cognac (or brandy) and vinegar and bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to a simmer, and continue cooking, stirring often, until the mixture is thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in sour cream, chives (or parsley), the sliced steak and any accumulated juices. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes more.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 329 calories; 16 g fat (5 g sat, 7 g mono); 56 mg cholesterol; 14 g carbohydrate; 26 g protein; 2 g fiber; 383 mg sodium. Nutrition bonus: Selenium (42% daily value), Zinc (31% dv), Potassium (18% dv), Iron (15% dv).

And the next recipe was supposed to be a nice treat for my family (mom, dad, sister, niece) on Sunday night, but someone (who shall remain nameless) forgot to freeze the ice cream container. So it was a no go.

However, it was AWESOME the next night and we still have some left!!! If you'd like, click on the recipe title and it will take you straight to the recipe. Elise always posts pictures of the process (love that). And although it was a bit labor intensive, it was worth it. And honestly, I'm not going to have much time for fun in the kitchen sooner than later- I need to get these recipes out of my system before the boys arrive! (remember, it's a repost... from right before I had the twins!)

Butter Pecan Ice Cream- via Elise at Simply Recipes

Ingredients:
6 large egg yolks
6 Tbsp butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pecans

Special equipment needed- ice cream maker

Method:
1 In a medium sized heat-safe bowl (metal, ceramic, or glass), whisk together the egg yolks until well blended. Set aside.
2 Pour the cream into a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and set a medium-mesh sieve on top. Set aside.
3 In a medium thick-bottomed saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter cook it, stirring constantly, until it just begins to brown. Add the brown sugar and salt. Stir until the sugar completely melts.
4 Slowly add the milk, stirring to incorporate. It will foam up initially, so make sure you are using a pan with high enough sides. Heat until all of the sugar is completely dissolved. Do not let boil or the mixture may curdle.
5 Whisk in hand, slowly pour half of the milk and sugar mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly to incorporate. Then add the warmed egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk sugar mixture.
6 Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a wooden or heatproof rubber spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula, about 5-7 minutes.
7 Pour the custard through the sieve and stir it into the cream. Add vanilla and stir until cool over the ice bath. Chill mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.
8 While the mixture is chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F. Lay out the pecans on a roasting pan in a single layer. Bake for 6 minutes, until lightly toasted. Let cool. Once cool, roughly chop the pecans and set aside. Note, if you want an extra punch to this ice cream, brush the pecans with melted butter and sprinkle with salt before roasting.
9 Once the ice cream mixture is thoroughly chilled, freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
10 Once the ice cream has been formed in the ice cream maker, it will be fairly soft. Fold in the chopped pecans. Put in an airtight plastic container and place in the freezer for at least an hour, preferably several hours. If it has been frozen for more than a day, you may need to let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften it before serving.

Makes 1 1/2 quarts.

So go and cook up something delightful this weekend, your family will thank you for it.

3 Dressings for you ~ 2.10.10

2010-02-10T08:09:00.000-08:00

A repost from She's A Crafty Pumpkin... adding my recipes over here, gradually.

I love salad and making your own dressing is as easy as can be! The first one has no recipe card... read on:

On a day to day basis we make the same salad dressing for our salad. It's what I grew up eating and couldn't be simpler- no blender necessary. It's a taste thing- you taste as you go.... add a little extra pepper here. No lemon that day- no problem, leave it out. There are four constants in it though: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Vinegar (balsamic or red wine), Salt and Pepper. couldn't be simpler!
It's a combination of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar (or Red Wine, aka every day vinegar), salt, pepper and a dash or two of lemon juice (depending on whether or not I have lemons in the fridge). There are no measurements it's purely a taste thing. I start with the EVOO, then I season, mix, then add the vinegar, taste, usually add more salt and serve. You won't believe the difference that lemon juice makes. All the flavors just perk up and it's soooooo good. Try it!

Growing up we NEVER had an assortment of salad dressings. Occasionally I buy that Raspberry Pecan dressing for a little mix up or a poppyseed for those nights I don't feel like making the poppy seed dressing. Otherwise, we stick to our basic oil and vinegar dressing.

When Vinny isn't around, I make this next dressing. It's on the sweet side- which I love and it's all emulsified in the blender- so simple.

Balsamic Vinegar Dressing

1/4 c honey
3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tbs minced red onion
1/2 Tbs Dijon mustard
S & P to taste
Olive Oil- I prefer Extra Virgin and it's @ 2 Tbs.

Place first 7 ingredients in the blender and blend w/ the oil till emulsified. Serve! Store remainder in fridge.

Now, this other one is from allrecipes.com. I love to make an Asian Inspired salad every now and then and I always have these ingredients in my pantry.

Asian Dressing

2 Tbs brown sugar
2 tsp soy sauce (I use low sodium)
1 Tbs sesame oil
1/4 c vegetable oil
3 Tbs. rice vinegar (seasoned is fine)

Combine and chill for 30 minutes.

Pour dressing over iceberg lettuce, chicken, green onions, peas, peanuts, mandarin oranges- your choice! Can add fried Chinese rice noodles (to prepare, heat a skillet w/ a few Tbs of oil, break off a bit of the noodles and add to the skillet and fry them. They'll puff up in the skillet so add a few at a time. Drain on paper towels and add to dressed salad at the last minute).

So there, you have a few new dressings to add to your repertoire.

I love Basil ~ 2.3.10

2010-02-03T18:57:00.000-08:00

My favorite scent, flavor and herb is BASIL! And seeing this photo reminds me that spring is not too far away and that in the not so distant future, I'll have pots of beautiful basil blooming all around my deck!

Here's a tried and true recipe from my files that uses basil in a muffin! I'm including a lightened up version that I've yet to try- so if you do, before me, post a comment with your review. These muffins are great made MINI- perfect for afternoon tea.

Zucchini and Basil Muffins

Makes about 22 muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup veg. oil
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. freshly gr. pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup grated unpeeled zucchini
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 tsp grated lemon rind

Preheat oven to 350. Grease muffin pans lightly.

Combine oil and sugar in a mixing bowl; beat well. Add the eggs 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Sift flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and nutmeg together. Add to the sugar mixture; stir just until moistened.

Fold in zucchini, basil and lemon rind.

Spoon into muffin tins, filling each cup 2/3 full.

Bake at 350 for 25 to 35 min. or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 min.; remove the muffins to wire racks to cool completely.

-Recipe from Art in the Kitchen;Westmoreland museum of Art; submitted by Carol Vallozzi

However, if you're trying to watch your waistline and using a FULL CUP OF OIL is making your eyes cross a bit, here's a lightened version from a friend on the cooking light bulletin board. you can check out here reviews of the lightened version by clicking on the link.

Modified Zucchini and Basil Muffins

Makes about 12 large muffins

1 cup plain non-fat yogurt
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. freshly gr. pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 small grated unpeeled zucchini (about 1 1/2 - 2 cups)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
grated rind of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 350. Grease muffin pans lightly.

Combine yogurt and sugar in a mixing bowl; beat well. Add the eggs 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Sift flours, baking powder, salt, pepper, and nutmeg together. Add to the sugar mixture; stir just until moistened.

Fold in zucchini, basil and lemon rind.

Spoon into muffin tins, filling each cup 2/3 full.

Bake at 350 for 25 to 35 min. or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 min.; remove the muffins to wire racks to cool completely.

originally appeared on She's a Crafty Pumpkin, 7.6.06

Simple Side bursting with color ~ 1.31.10

2010-01-31T03:18:00.000-08:00

(I'll be adding in my food recipes from She's a Crafty Pumpkin throughout the month of February- it's about time I got them over here!)

this was outrageously delicious.

You will need 3 main ingredients:
corn (I had frozen),
grape tomatoes (sliced in half),
baby spinach (as much as your little heart desires).

heat up some extra virgin olive oil, throw in the corn, then the spinach, toss it all around as the spinach wilts, maybe some more spinach. sprinkle some kosher salt on top of that happy little frying pan. add in the toms and a twist of freshly ground pepper and....

eat

recipe from Pgh Post Gazette sometime ago ;)

Basil Tomato Soup ~ 1.22.10

2010-01-22T13:43:00.000-08:00

I am a tomato lover- come summertime, you rarely find this house without tomatoes lined up along the counter waiting to be sliced for sandwiches, stacked with buffalo mozzarella and drizzled with olive oil and vinegar or added to salad. I heart tomatoes.

And in the winter, I love a bowl of homemade tomato soup. It's been a few years now that I stopped buying the high fructose corn syrup laden red and white can of Campbell's. I just cannot stomach that stuff. Sorry if you like it- not my cup of soup, so to speak.

So I've been on a quest of sorts to find a soup that:
a) I love and
b) the rest of the family loves, too.

I think I found it.

I've been making this one for quite some time, but I just couldn't stop thinking about how much it tasted like something I should be eating on pasta. I wanted more from my tomato soup. I'm always wanting more in life.

Well, I had this little number sitting in my "files" waiting for the perfect moment to give it a whirl. I think I didn't try it earlier b/c it involved a few more ingredients- ones that I didn't often buy: half and half and green bell peppers. I am NOT a big green pepper fan, but this soup has changed my feelings about that vegetable. I'll definitely be making this one all year long.

I love that it's chock full of veggies - the intense basil flavor helps, too. I'm a professed basil-lover as well.

Basil Tomato Soup

about 8 servings

One tip to making this in a jiffy- save your bacon grease. I keep mine in a little heat proof container, stored in the fridge. Bacon grease is our friend....it adds flavor to so many foods that you're preparing and just trust me, you'll thank me that you saved it.

(my notes in italics)

onto the soup...

Ingredients:
5 strips of bacon- just used bacon grease from the fridge
1 rib celery, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 small carrot, peeled and diced
1 red pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 green pepper, cored, seeded and diced
6 fresh basil leaves-chopped, divided- since it's winter, I used cubes of Trader Joe's frozen basil and added it in with the tomatoes
1 tsp minced garlic
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes
1 Tbs chicken base or 2 cubes chicken bouillon - -1 cup half and half - heavy cream works GREAT, too. I bet this would be just fine without either though
3 jumbo pitted ripe olives, sliced - I omitted this entirely

Cook bacon in stockpot- or if you've got it, just use a Tbs of bacon grease. Drain all but 1-2 Tbs of drippings. Add celery, onion and carrot and cook 2 minutes or until carrot is softened up. Add peppers, half of the basil, and garlic. Cook 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and simmer over medium heat, breaking them up as they cook, about 5 minutes. Add chicken base and stir to dissolve. I also added a bit of water to my pot to increase the volume of soup, it did not affect the flavor at all, still very tomatoey and intense! Transfer to a blender and puree in batches (always be very CAREFUL when pureeing HOT foods in a blender- fill less than half full and whiz). Return to stockpot. Add half and half, olives and remaining basil. Simmer over medium heat, 45 minutes.

Auntie Leila's Better Buttermilk Baking Mix ~ 1.7.10

2010-01-07T07:47:00.000-08:00

For a Christmas gift for Max's Godparents, we presented them with a big Breakfast basket- because who doesn't love breakfast?!? It was filled with 3 homemade goodies, a bottle of real maple syrup, a pancake pen and a cookbook.

Too bad I didn't take a photo of it, b/c it was lovely all wrapped up with a big bow! I love making baskets- it's something I certainly have a knack for and it may very well be genetic- my mother is an amazing basket builder and my Godmother had an incredible gift for filling a basket with all sorts of fun and useful trinkets.

The homemade gifts were easy and fun to whip up. I gave a jar of our favorite Best Ever Hot Cocoa Mix, a batch of Auntie Leila's Granola- which I've named Toasted Almond Granola (since that is how I flavored it), and a bag of Auntie Leila's Better Buttermilk Baking Mix (which I have printed out and the ingredients to make for way too long).

(by the way, Auntie Leila is not my aunt, but I wish she were- she has a lovely blog called Like Mother, Like Daughter. You'll glean so much from reading it)

The best part of making the better baking mix was that it makes a TON of MIX! Some to keep and some to give! Those are the best kind of recipes, you know.

Once you've mixed up your batch of Better Buttermilk Baking mix, you can make a whole host of delicious things to eat: Waffles, Scones, Biscuits, Pancakes... just to name the ones on the list!

I think to really appreciate this recipe, you should first go hear and read for yourself why making this will change your life. Okay, maybe that is a bit too dramatic, but it will help you save a step at breakfast time which in turn, will make you happier and less stressful and therefore, would change your life, right?

After you've read that post and you're convinced, gather your ingredients and maybe some friends and mix this up and have a pancake party! But don't forget the real maple syrup- you'll thank me for that. Yes, it's pricier but it's better, it's natural and it's oh so good. You can even buy it at Target! See how easy they make it for you?

Here are the ingredients you'll need:

10 cups unbleached flour (may use up to 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour)

1 cup white whole wheat flour (or just add another cup of white flour, making 11 cups)
1 cup oat flour (whiz regular oatmeal in food processor) or ½ cup oat bran
½ cup bran
¼ cup wheat germ (I've found this cheapest at Walmart or Target- it's almost $1.50 more at my grocery store!)
½ cup flax meal
1 1/2 tablespoons salt (that is not a TYPO)
1 tablespoon sugar (this helps with browning, but you can leave it out)
2 tablespoons baking soda
6 tablespoons baking powder
3 sticks (12 oz) butter - I recommend unsalted

(my notes are italicized)
but you'll need to go to the link for the Better Buttermilk Baking Mix to see what to do with it all and for the whole sheet of goodies that you can make with it, PLUS the granola recipe... PLUS so much more! You will not be disappointed. Leila does NOT disappoint! And don't be sad that I'm not posting it all here, Auntie Leila has done all the hard work already, so you should visit her google doc to get it for yourself.

You'll never buy that Bisquick again. I haven't for years...

Reindeer Noses (repost) ~ 12.8.09

2009-12-08T14:22:00.000-08:00

These are one of the biggest "hits" on my other blog- so I thought I'd post them here as they're also a very easy peasy holiday treat to make, especially with kids!

I was inspired by a recipe on Family Fun dot com and by a recipe my mom makes that is similiar except that she uses a pecan on top.

Instead of calling these holiday pretzel treats, I thought Reindeer noses was much more... well, creative, and fun!

REINDEER NOSES

Ingredients:

little pretzels- this year I'll be using up all those little bags of pretzels we got at Halloween!
Rolos
M&M's- preferrably red and brown - Red for Rudolph and brown for all the other Reindeer

Here's what the kids can do after they've washed their hands:

1. line up all the pretzels on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet

2. Unwrap your candies- eat a couple

3. Place Rolos on top of the pretzels

4. Have Mom or Dad place the Rolo topped pretzels in a preheated 200 degree oven for about 5-7 minutes. You want the Rolos to be soft and malleable, but not melted into a pile of goo.

5. Remove the cookie sheet and somewhat quickly and carefully (pan will be warm, it was in the oven) smoosh (very technical word here) the M&M's on top of the Rolos.

6. Place finished Reindeer noses onto a plate and pop them into the fridge to set. Then you can place them in a airtight container for as long as you can keep little hands from eating them! They freeze well.

For more Tempt my Tummy Tuesday recipes, head on over HERE!

Fresh Cranberry Salsa ~ 11.28.09

2009-11-28T12:49:00.000-08:00

Not too long ago, a friend of mine made this little number and the rest is history.

I have a funny relationship with cranberries. I love the sweetened Ocean Spray variety. I will drink a blend of cranberry and whatever fruit they pair with it in a juice. I make Cranberry Jello Salad every holiday and thensome. Yet, I do not buy or bake with fresh cranberries all that often.

This Thanksgiving though, that all changed. I started buying them and throwing the bags in the freezer b/c I knew that I could certainly bake with them throughout the year and that this was the best time to buy them at $2 a bag. I have a ton of recipes that call for cranberries and I would like to give a fresh cranberry sauce a go at some point, just so I can see if I like it or not. The color of the cranberries is enough to make me want to eat them!

Enter onto the scene this beaut of a recipe. Fresh Cranberry Salsa. It sounded like a winner when she told me about it and I demanded, politely, that she make it for our next MOPS meeting. And it was a winner. And....

I

COULD

NOT

STOP

EATING

IT!

Something about the sweet and the tart and the kick of the jalapenos just beckoned me to keep eating!

Without further ado.... I give you Sharon's Fresh Cranberry Salsa:

1 bag fresh cranberries (haven't given this a go with frozen yet... but I will)
2-3 chopped green onions
1 jalapeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed, then chopped (I used half, but may add the whole thing next time)
1/4 cup sugar (okay, I added WAY more, I had to balance out the tartness of my cranberries with the sugar- you'll definitely need to play with the amounts, the cranberries are still going to be the main ingredient and quite tart, so keep tasting)
2 tsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp lemon juice
Splash of olive oil to help it all hold together - my addition
Oh and I also threw in a sprinkling of kosher salt to bring out the flavors of everything

Chop the cranberries in a food processor.
Add all the other ingredients and let them marry together in the fridge for awhile- at least 2 hours. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

**see note in comments section- the second and third time I made this, I only used 1/4 cup of sugar.

these are my faves, with salt:

It's the most delish feast of the year! ~ 11.25.09

2009-11-25T08:58:00.000-08:00

Oh boy, am I excited for tomorrow. Currently I'm praying earnestly for a miraculous opening of my nasal passages so that I may SMELL Thanksgiving just as much as taste it!

I had to post these so as not to forget them for the future. What a fun and simple idea. I know I'll have some leftover pie dough scraps tonight and can make these leafy treats via Family Fun!

I imagine mine will be filled with cinnamon chips or Nutella- Yum yum!

My mom will be cooking all the main dishes (turkey, mashed taters, stuffing) and her apple pie. My Thanksgiving Day responsibilites are:

Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Ice Cream pie with Gingersnap crust - made and in the freezer already!
Biscotti - done
Old-fashioned Pumpkin cookies - done!
Cranberry Salsa - awaiting the recipe from a friend, but this is DE-LISH-US
Roasted Carrots and Parsnips (if there are leftovers they'll be turned into Roasted Carrot and PUmpkin soup- it is soooooo good)
Cranberry Jello Salad

WoW, when I write it all out- it sure does sound like a lot. But really, half is already made. The veggies are a no-brainer, the cranberry salsa and jello salad and pumpkin pie will be made tonight and I'll be done.

What are you making for Thanksgiving?

I'll also be printing out these for the kids to do when they get a little out of control....
Thanksgiving printables

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas ~ 11.9.09

2009-11-09T20:00:00.000-08:00

(Enchiladas just do not photograph well... I tried this in a few different places and this will have to suffice.)

This recipe was posted over at The Sister's Cafe and I've made it twice now. The kids wouldn't touch it the first time and the second time... they gobbled it UP! Love the sweet and spicy combination of these and that they do not contain any condensed soups. So many enchilada recipes are just heavy and laden with those soups (sorry if you like that type). These are more my style. I added cilantro to my chicken mixture because it just works well with all the flavors and because I had some in the fridge that I needed to use up.

Honey Lime Enchiladas
via The Sisters Cafe with my creative license added

about 2 cups of cooked chicken - pulled/shredded (or pork)

Marinade:
Mix together:
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup lime juice
1 Tbs chili powder ( may need to use less for my weaklings next time)
1 tsp garlic powder

2 cans green enchilada sauce or 1 can and some green salsa (it worked and I had some salsa to use up)
1/2 cup heavy cream

shredded monterey jack- some for inside and lots of ON TOP!
(the Sisters use a combo of mozzarella and cheddar)

flour tortillas - I like the wheat ones

Directions:
Mix together your sauce ingredients and add them to the chicken (or pork). Let marinate for about 30 minutes. I've let mine sit overnight.

Lightly spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Pour in some enchilada sauce- just enough to coat the bottom of the pan.
Fill the tortillas with an ice cream scoop of filling and cheese (oh, I mixed in the cheese with my marinated chicken mixture right before I filled the tortillas). Roll them up and line them up in your pan. I had to squeeze one along the side, but I believe I wedged 10-12 of them in there. You can always carry over to another pan if you need to do so.

Mix remainder of the green enchilada sauce with 1/2 cup whipping cream. Pour over the enchiladas and top, generously, with more cheese! I also sprinkled some chopped cilantro on top.
Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes. Turn on the broiler and let the cheese get all brown and crispy on top- just a few minutes should do the trick!

Serve with a side of Lime Cilantro Rice with pineapple!

another not so photogenic shot of these delicious little treats!

Frightening Food! ~ 10.25.09

2009-10-25T17:43:00.000-07:00

It's really hard for me to fathom that October is nearly over- which means Halloween is nearly here! EEKS!

I think we have all our costumes.... but Commander Fox and Chewbacca may need a little tweaking. In fact we will, as I'm typing this I'm awaiting the lady on craigslist to tell me if a Darth Vader costume is available. The seven year old has changed his mind... again. lovely.

But these precious little mummy dogs make me smile. Here's how you can make them- visit here!

Last year, we made mummy pizzas. English Muffins with sauce and mozzarella cheese. My kids do not like olives, but my husband does, so it was okay to open a jar just for decorational purposes. I've been using this simple pizza sauce recipe lately and really love it! So EASY to make!

When you serve your kids food like this... they may just make super scary faces at you while you take their picture.... oooooo..... very scary!

So this is usually what they eat for Halloween... simple food that is fast and KID-Friendly.

To find out what I will be eating for All Hallow's Eve... you'll need to check back later this week!

Kitchen Tip: Chopping Herbs ~ 10.15.09

2009-10-15T19:35:00.000-07:00

Learned this at a pampered chef party way back when and thought it was brilliant!

Put your herbs in a cup.

Insert kitchen shears (an indispensible kitchen tool I might add) and start snipping, snipping, snipping...

Voila! Dump into the dish you are preparing!

Need a tip? Have a tip? Let me know in the comments!

Review: Walking Tacos ~ 10.12.09

2009-10-12T17:08:00.000-07:00

Today's meal is brought to you by Corona and Doritos.

Kidding. But they go great together and are somehow involved in this meal I'm about to share.
I was reminded it of it last weekend while I was at Applefest up in Franklin, Pa. Tons and tons of food vendors and I saw a sign for walking tacos! You're going to love this recipe. I discovered it over at Mennonite Girls can Cook and/or Bless Us O Lord- maybe both.

A walking taco (they're a.k.a. campfire tacos) is: all your essential taco ingredients contained in a very convenient little bag of doritos! Brilliant!

I love them that way b/c :
a) my kids can eat them without tears (they get SOOOO very frustrated when their taco shell breaks and all the stuff pours out of them) and
b) they're so darn fun!

You can make whatever taco meat recipe your little heart pleases, I prefer the America's Test Kitchen one which I'll post down below. You get all your taco ingredients together in little bowls and you buy a bunch of little bags of doritos (Target has them and Walmart, too)- you can buy JUST snack size doritos, as I discovered when I went to make these the first time around.

Here we have taco meat, shredded lettuce, taco sauce, tomatoes, avocados, monterey jack cheese and queso.

Open up your dorito bag and fold the top over just a little. Scoop in your taco fillings, mix it up and bit and eat it with a fork or spoon. Grown ups, add corona with lime. YUM!

If you have leftovers, you can scoop all the ingredients onto broken up pieces of taco shells or tortilla chips.... fun and yummy snack! Little open-faced tacos. Taco bruschetta. Whatever, it's good.

My favorite taco meat recipe:

Beef Tacos - serves 4; (can double, but you'll want to cook the meat in batches)

2 tsp veg oil

1 small onion, chopped small

3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed

2 Tbs chili powder

1 tsp gr cumin

1 tsp gr coriander (I don't have this)

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

salt

1 pound 90% lean ground beef

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 tsp brown sugar

2 tsps vinegar, preferrably cider vinegar

black pepper

Heat oil to medium and saute onion until softened, about 4 minutes.
Add the garlic and spices and 1/2 tsp salt; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute
Add ground beef and cook, breaking up with spoon and scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent scorching, until the beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomato sauce, broth, brown sugar and vinegar; bring to a simmer.
Reduce heat to med-low and simmer uncovered, stirring frequently and breaking the meat up so that no chunks remain, until the liquid has reduced and thickened (the mixture should not be completely dry), about 1o minutes.
Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper to taste.

Best Ever Hot Cocoa Mix ~ 10.7.09

2009-10-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

Gray, ominous, chilly days like this call for a hot steamy cup of the most delicious hot cocoa.

We tried this recipe last year (or the year before) and it is now a family staple! It is creamy, thick and best with your favorite topping: whipped cream or marshmallows. In the pic above we added some Ghostmallows, could you tell.

3 cups nonfat dry milk

2 cups confectioner's sugar

1 1/2 cups Dutch-processed cocoa powder (I uesd Hershey's as Dutch processed is hard to find)

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 Tbs cinnamon (optional)

Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Working in batches, pulse ingredients in food processor until chocolate is finely ground.
To make hot cocoa, stir 1/3 cup (I think a 1/4 is fine) of mix into 1 cup hot milk. Top with marshmallows and cozy up with someone you love.

Makes 20 servings

Can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 months (or in my case, a lot longer- just found some in my pantry and drank it tonight. it was from our last batch... last fall)

(inspired by America's Test Kitchen)

Cranberry Jello Salad- a family fave

2009-10-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

My Godmother, Deanna, made this recipe for years and its been a longstanding family tradition to have it at the Thanksgiving and Christmas tables. My kids love it and I've taken to making it throughout the year for picnics or as a fun side dish alongside pork or chicken. In fact, I'm so fond of making it that I always have the ingredients for this on hand for when I need a quick side dish- I keep them all together on the pantry shelf so that I know if I'm missing one of them or need to restock on whole cranberry sauce! Good tip.

I often leave out the walnuts when I bring it to a large group event as I'm fearful of nut allergies- so know that it tastes just as good without them as it does with them included.

Cranberry Jello Salad

1 large cherry jello (big package- or two small)
1 can Ocean Spray whole cranberry sauce
1 can crushed pineapple, drained, but not all the way
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1/2- 1 cup walnut pieces

Boil 1/2 cup of water; Dissolve jello with water in large bowl.

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Let sit overnight in fridge.

As I was typing this up, I noticed I taped an alternate version of this recipe to the back of my recipe card. I'm thinking I cut it out of a magazine or the coupon section of the paper. I'll post that here as it does sound interesting and the kids might really enjoy it! Let me know if you try it.