Simple Side bursting with color ~ 1.31.10

(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

it

up

recipe from Pgh Post Gazette sometime ago ;)

Basil Tomato Soup ~ 1.22.10

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

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

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

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
2 tsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp lemon juice or lime juice

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.

these are my faves, with salt:

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

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

(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!