The Cutting Edge of Ordinary

Almond Sheet Cake

2012-01-27T07:05:00.001-05:00

So Valentines Day is fast approaching.

Would you be shocked to know that we really don't make a big deal out of it at our house?

I mean it's usually just a week or so after the Super Bowl, so it's a bit of a let down when you compare it to that. Football - wings - dips - brats - chili. Super Bowl Sunday is a good day at my house. Valentines Day, meh, not so much.

John and I don't get each other gifts, or cards even. Shocking I know.

I usually make something he loves for dinner so don't think I'm a total Valentine humbug. We might even say Happy Valentines Day to each other but that's as far as it goes. (I can hear you sucking your teeth at me!)

I'm lucky to be married to someone who treats me really well and shows me everyday how much he loves me. Heck I even get flowers for no reason at all, so take that Saint Valentine. February 14th is pretty much just another day, but for you love-birds out there, I give you cake, cause I'm pretty sure cupids got a sweet tooth.

If you want to make something sweet for your sweetheart this recipe hits the nail on the chubby guys little head.

Try and use real almond extract. It will make all the difference in the world.

Almond Sheet Cake
adapted from a recipe at Your Home Based Mom
For the cake:
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup water
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sour cream (at room temp)
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons real almond extract

For the Icing:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/4 cup milk
3 1/2 to 4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

Preheat the oven to 375.

In a small saucepan add the water and the butter. Bring to a boil and set aside. Place the sugar and the flour in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Pour the butter & water mixture in the dry ingredients and beat well. Add the baking soda, almond extract and sour cream. Add the eggs in last. Mix to combine.

Pour the batter into a greased jelly roll pan. (that's a quarter sheet pan with sides, 13"L x 9 1/2"W x 1"H ). Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the middle is set. Let cake cool completely before icing.

For the icing: Bring the butter and milk to a boil in a small pan. Put the powdered sugar into a large bowl. One the butter and milk come to boil pour it into powdered sugar. Stir until combined. Add in the almond extract. You may need to add more sugar or milk at this point. It's a touchy feely kinda icing. You want it to be thick but pourable. Like a thick pancake batter. Pour over the cake and gently spread to cover. The icing will set up. I placed the whole cake in the fridge so it would set up faster.

Wordless Wednesday~

2012-01-25T06:47:00.000-05:00

Health(ier) Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins

2012-01-20T08:17:00.000-05:00

Hey it's Friday and there is snow on the ground here in Rhode Island!

Snow makes me happy. Unlike most of the people who live in this state, I love the snow. A blanket of white covering the ground always makes me smile!

John loaded up the bird feeders so my feathery friends can get their fill of seed, the remote starters were engaged, the shovel came out (sorry hon, he's not too keen on the shoveling part) and these muffins were in the big glass jar in the kitchen.

I told ya I was on a breakfast kick didn't I?

I found this recipe on Cooking Light. It was super easy to throw together (no mixer involved) and they tasted great.

I substituted espresso powder for the instant coffee. The only instant coffee in the house is a giant jar of the really crappy, really nasty cheap stuff I use for crafting and I didn't want to throw that into a muffin batter.

We have more snow coming tomorrow and a big game on Sunday - GO PATS!!!! - so I'll be back in the kitchen tryin' out a few more breakfast recipe to share with you all!

One last thing! DON'T OVER MIX YOUR BATTER! This will make for a tough muffin which is nothing like a tough cookie. Totally different thing!

Have a great weekend!

Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins
recipe from Cooking Light
2/3 cup milk
5 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons instant coffee (I used 3 TEAspoons of espresso powder)
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
1 large egg
9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
2/3 cup sugar
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Oven to 400. Combine the first 5 ingredients. Lightly spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife. Combine the next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl and stir well with a whisk. Make a well in the center and pour in your milk mixture. Stir until just combined. DON’T OVER MIX! Stop when the mixture just comes together.

Spray a 12 cup muffin pan. Spoon batter into each cup (about 2/3 for each cup). Bake for 18 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and place on a wire rack to cool.

Three Cheese Breakfast Bake

2012-01-16T06:32:00.001-05:00

I've been on a breakfast kick lately.

I've been scouring through my magazines, cookbooks and the web looking for breakfast recipes.

Of course big breakfasts only happen on the weekends in this house, but that's ok cause I have Monday through Friday to find something I really want to make.

This recipe was handed to me, literally, someone gave me a piece of it and said "here, try this" and I did and it was delicious.

There is a breakfast club where I work, not a cool John Hughes kinda breakfast club, one where once a month they have a member bring in breakfast for all the other employees in the club. You think being a "foodie" that I would be a member of that club....well, you'd be wrong. It's usually donuts and bagels and pastries, not too many homemade items make it to that table, but at year end they have one last breakfast for the year and they all must bring in something homemade. That's how I ended up with a piece of this breakfast bake.

To me there is just something special about sitting around in your pj's with your favorite comfy socks on, the Sunday paper in hand, eating a delicious warm breakfast.

It's what Sunday's should be all about.

I served this to my friend Tati last Sunday. She stops by every other Sunday morning to have a cup of tea and share breakfast with us. This was so delicious that we each had 2 pieces of it served with fresh fruit.

The perfect way to start the day!

Another great thing about his recipe is that you can make it the night before and just pop it in the oven. I left mine out at room temp for about half hour, if you heat it straight from the fridge you will have to add some additional time.

Three Cheese Breakfast Bake
from Kraft Foods
1 - 8oz loaf French bread, cut into 1 inch cubes (about 5 cups)
1/2 of a medium onion, finely chopped
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
8 oz of shredded cheddar cheese (I just eyed this)
1 cups mozzarella cheese
1 cup cottage cheese
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper to taste

Oven to 350. On a lightly greased 9x13 inch pan, spread 1/2 of the bread cubes. Top with half of the onions, bacon, cheddar and mozzarella. Sprinkle the cottage cheese over the first layer. Just use your hands, it easier. Repeat the layers, set aside.

Meanwhile whisk the eggs, milk, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and salt & pepper until combined. Pour over the bread cubes, pressing lightly until mixture covers the bread cubes. Bake for 50 minutes or until center is set and top is lightly golden brown. If you are baking this right away, let it stand for 10 minutes or so. If not it can be stored in the fridge overnight. If you are baking it the next day, add 10 minutes more on to your baking time.

Chicken, Monterey Jack & Leek Stuffed Shells

2012-01-13T05:57:00.001-05:00

Hey fellow foodies? How's your new year so far?

I have no complaints. I'm happy to be feeling better and to be back in my kitchen cooking and baking. I have such a long list of things I want to make, sometimes I just don't know where to start. This pesky little thing called a job keep interrupting me and taking all my time away from cooking, so my weekend are usually spend whipping up as much as I can. There still is never enough time though.

So I pick through and I sort and I try to make the things I absolutely think we'll love and most time I hit the nail on the head. This recipe is no exception. I found it on a blog called Carrol Luna. Beautiful stuff. The picture of her Chicken Stuffed Shells made my mouth water. I had to make them.

A kinda wandered off the beaten path with the recipe. I added in some leeks and changed the spices up a bit, but I did keep the brown sugar in. I was hesitant at first, but it worked!

Here's what they looked like before they went into the oven:

And when they came out:

If you're the type of person that loves the crunchy pasta that sticks to the side of the pan...well, well my friend...this is the perfect dish for you. All the tops of the shells get just a wee bit crunchy. Lovely!

Chicken, Monterrey Jack & Leek Stuffed Shells
adapted from a recipe at carrolluna.com
1 box jumbo shells
2 pounds of ground chicken
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large leek, chopped (white and light green parts only)
2 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 cups tomato sauce
8oz shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
Butter to top the pasta (optional)

Oven to 375. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the chopped leeks and cook for 2 - 3 minutes. Just until they start to soften. Add in the ground chicken. You will have to break it up as it cooks. Meanwhile boil the pasta in salted water for about 6 minutes. You want it very al dente.

Add Italian seasoning and tomato paste to the chicken mixture. Turn off the heat and add in the brown sugar and cheese. Remove from heat and gently stir. Set aside.

Now this is where it gets interesting. Instead of baking these in the usual 9x13 inch pan, they are baked veritcally in a round baking dish. I used my Pampered chef round baking pan. A deep dish pie pan would work well too.

The original recipe also calls for topping each of the shells with a little butter. I skipped that step. Maybe I'll try it next time. I'm curious to see if it would make a big difference.

Cover with foil and bake for 35 - 40 minutes. Uncover the last 10 minutes or so and sprinkle on a bit more cheese if you'd like.

Where did you get that pan?

2012-01-12T12:17:00.000-05:00

I've had quite a few inquires about this pan.

It's not the kind of pan you see everyday now is it?

Looks like there are a few folks that want to make the Swedish Almond Cake.

I picked up my pan(s) at a local store called the Christmas Tree Shoppe.

They are mostly out east. If you have one near you, I'd check with them first. I bought them quite a few months ago.

I did find some online here.

I also found out that they are called Rehrucken Ribbed Loaf Pans so if you google that you will find some. Amazon even has them.

Prices are reasonable too.

I hope you pick one up cause that recipe is fantastic!

Wordless Wednesday~

2012-01-11T06:39:00.002-05:00

Random Thoughts & Observations

2012-01-09T06:24:00.000-05:00

I figured that rather than jumping on the bandwagon with everyone else who posted New Year's resolutions (I don't believe in 'em) or do a top ten (I wish I had the time to even gather the info to post that kind of stuff. I work 40+ hours outside my home so I rarely have that kind of time to devote to this blog. Sorry, just keepin' it real) or list all of the things I hope to accomplish in the year, I'll just throw out some thought and updates as to what's been happening in my little world.

As I said before...I was on vacation for over 10 days...I was miserably sick for 9 of those 10 days. Thank goodness I got a Kindle Fire for Christmas. Let me tell you, I have been a book reading fool. I read 2 books in 4 days and I have another started. It was a great to push a little button and read in between my frequent naps. *It will never replace real books for me though, but it really is a nice little device!

I drank a lot....no not booze...tea. Lots of tea with honey. We had the kettle on and off all day long for weeks.
I lost my voice completely for 2 days and have been hoarse ever since. Hoarse in a gravely, creeky way, not in a sexy Demi Moore way. The first morning I came out of the bedroom and couldn't talk John did a fist pump and said "thank you Jesus". Meany.

I realized how just how much of my Nana that Alzheimers has stolen. She spent Christmas day with us and it was heart-breaking. I took lots of pics of her.

I had some really intense dreams. I don't know if it was the head cold or not, but I would wake up shaking or crying on some nights. One night I dreamt about my friend Andy who passed away a short time ago. He was talking to me and we were forehead to forehead, something he did often and I remember saying "I miss you so much" and pulling back to see his smile. It made me happy and sad all at the same time. Tati says that was him visiting me. That made me feel so good.
I learned how much I love my "comfy cozy" blanket as I call it and how good it feels to have Moose curl up and keep my feet warm. Best lap dog ever.
Each gathering with my friends makes me realize just how much I love them. They are more than friends to me, they are part of my family, the part that makes me laugh till my sides ache.
My paperwhites bloomed. They look so pretty, but they stink so bad.

I got new pasta bowls from Pier 1. I love them. It's the little things.
I miss taking pictures outside. It happens every winter. I'm forced to take pics on the weekends. I go to work in the dark and come home in the dark, so no weekday pics are happening.
John took to me Providence (THE BIG CITY) and we went out to lunch together and then stopped at Crate & Barrel where I got some bargains. I love a good bargain.
I miss yard sales. I think 2012 will be the year I score something amazing. I just feel it in my bones.
I miss my friend Mitchell. It's the first time in a long time that he didn't spend Christmas with us.
I wish I lived closer to my blogging buddies. I hear about their meet-ups and I get jealous thinking about all the fun they are having without me. I still love them though.
I watched the Steven Tyler Oprah special like four times now. I just love that man.

I can't wait to cook and bake and take pictures and share them with all of you in 2012.
Thank you all for still coming and reading.

Pierogi Lasagna

2012-01-06T05:45:00.000-05:00

I love Pierogies. Those little bundles of dough filled with potato and onions and sometimes sauerkraut. Come to think of it, anything stuffed in dough is pretty delicious in my book.

Do I get to eat Pierogies often? No.

Does anyone in my house like them besides me? No.

Would I make a whole batch just for me? I'd like to but...again, no.

So when I found this recipe for Pierogi Lasagna just before the holidays I flipped. I knew I could make it when there were others besides my men in the house.

I made this for my New Years Eve party. It was a hit. A total hit. Yeah! People to share my pierogi love.

The original recipe came from Mr. Food. It did not include a sauce. After reading through the recipe, I thought it would have been just too dry without it. I whipped up a bechamel sauce and I'm so glad I did, cause it was just perfect.

Even my husband, whose not a big onion lover loved this. I plan on making it again and again.

Pierogi Lasagna
adapted from a recipe at Mr. Food.
12 lasagna noodles * see my note on prepping the noodles.
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 medium-sized onions, finely chopped (about 3 cups)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
6 cups warm seasoned mashed potatoes, store-bought or homemade

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

See my note below on cooking the lasagna noodles.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Saute onions 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add remaining onions, pepper, and cheese to mashed potatoes; mix well.

Place enough bechamel sauce to lightly cover the bottom of the pan. Place 3 noodles on bottom of prepared baking dish. Spread 1/3 of potato mixture and bechamel over noodles. Repeat layers until a total of 4 layers of noodles and 3 layers of potato mixture have been placed (with a layer of noodles on top).

Cover with aluminum foil and bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until heated through.

Bechamel Sauce. I use this recipe from Leite's Culinara. It's quick and delicious.

* This is how I prep my noodles for lasagna. Place the noodles in a 9x13 inch pan and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 15 - 20 minutes. This will soften the noodles but not make them mushy. Works every time.

Wordless Wednesday~ My Nana

2012-01-04T06:45:00.000-05:00

Sausage Rolls

2011-12-30T08:59:00.001-05:00

Guess what I got for Christmas?

A head cold. Way to go Santa.

I've been just miserably sick, but the show must go on right? So I managed to cook everything I had to for Christmas Eve. I actually had to stop and take a few breaks in between. I was that sick.

We had a perfectly nice little Christmas even though I slept through a lot of it.

Now we're on to New Years Eve. I'm starting to feel better, so by Saturday I hope to be happily cooking in the kitchen without taking too many breaks.

I made these Sausage Rolls for Christmas Eve. They were a big hit. I had looked up several recipes online and finally decided to just make up my own.

I baked these off the day before, refrigerated them, then sliced and re-heated for Christmas Eve. If your going to be serving them straight out of the oven, I would let them sit for 15 minutes before slicing.

Oh one more thing...HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We're hosting a house party (what a shock!) with a few close friends. Hopefully the bunch of us geezers can actually stay up till midnight!

Sausage Rolls
recipe from Lisa@The Cutting Edge or Ordinary
1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 pound pork sausage
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash or seasoning of your choice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 eggs, divided

Preheat the oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one sheet of the puff pastry. You just want it a bit bigger than it is when it comes out of the package, approximately 12 inches or so. Now fold the dough and cut it in half so you have two pieces. Do the same with the remaining sheet of pastry.

Combine the sausage, seasoning, mustard and 1 egg in a bowl. Mix together.

Mix the other egg in a small bowl with about a teaspoon of water. Brush all four edges of the puff pastry. Divide the sausage into four equal amounts. I just eyed it. Take one fourth and form a long sausage like shape down the middle of the dough, starting and ending a 1/2 inch from the ends. Fold one side, then the other up over the sausage. Pinch the edges to seal. Place on lined sheet and brush with egg wash. Repeat 3 more times with remaining pastry.

With a sharp knife slice several slits into the top of the pastry. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until puffy and golden brown. Allow to cool 15 minutes, then slice into pieces to serve.

Turtle Candies & a Christmas wish~

2011-12-22T06:38:00.000-05:00

Turtle Candy is John's favorite.

Maybe it's because he grew up in New Mexico and he misses the fresh pecans.

Maybe because there is caramel. I rest my case when it comes to caramel.

Then there's chocolate. My fave.

Top it all off with a sprinkle of course salt and you have perfection in a single bite.

The only bummer about this recipe.....pecans are very expensive in Rhode Island! In New Mexico they were dirt cheap. In Rhode Island they are not, but I made them anyway cause heck it's Christmas and what other time of year are ya gonna splurge on a nut right?

Turtle Candies
recipe from She Wears Many Hats
4 cups pecan pieces
14 oz caramels (I used the bag of bits, no unwrapping!)
10 oz. chocolate chips
coarse salt for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 250°F. Lightly salt pecans and toast on baking sheet for about 25-30 minutes.
While pecans are toasting, melt caramels according to package directions. I melted them in the microwave and it was just fine and dandy.

Mix toasted pecans into melted caramels. Slightly cool, so you can handle. Drop tablespoon size rounds onto buttered or lined baking sheet. If mixture begins to harden, reheat for a few seconds at a time in the microwave. Let cool.

Melt chocolate chips according to package directions. Again, the microwave worked like a charm. Top each caramel/pecan drop with about 1 tablespoon of chocolate, and sprinkle with a little bit of salt. Let cool.
Store in airtight container. Makes about 4 dozen.

___________________________________________________________________________

This will probably be my last post until after Christmas.

Like many of you, I have lots of work to do in the kitchen over the next few days. I'm looking forward to a house full of family and good food. Christmas just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside and I plan on making that feeling last as long as possible.

To all my faithful blog follows... I wish you a very Merry Christmas. I hope it's filled with everything you love!

Merry Christmas from us all,
John, Lisa, Jesse, Evan & Moose!

My Favorite Things

2011-12-21T06:32:00.002-05:00

I have to tell you all something. I did something a few weekends ago. Something that was very hard for me to do. I purged a lot of my Christmas decorations.

I promised myself last year that I was going to simplify my holidays and I did, but I fell short last year when it came to the decoration department.

I had 6 big Rubbermaid bins filled with decorations. That’s not including the stuff that didn’t fit into the bins. Yikes! It was outta control.

About 8 years ago I did a radical purge. 8 years later things started to accumulate again. Hence this purge. I remember putting at least 3 bins full of stuff I wasn’t going to use back up in the attic last year. Why was I holding on to stuff I didn’t even display in my house?

I started asking myself….do I really need all this stuff? Can I just hold on to the pieces I love? The ones that make smile when I uncover them each December. The ones that mean so much to me?

It was hard, but I did it and I really feel alot better about it.

Some of my favorite tree ornaments.

Little bits from around the house.

The little stockings I made last year.

One of my favorite Santa's given to me by my Uncle Al and Aunt Claire. I think of them every time I see him.

I hope your home is filled with the things and more importantly, the people you love this holiday season.

Baked Crab Rangoon

2011-12-19T06:32:00.000-05:00

Need a quick and easy appetizer for Christmas? Here it is.

Baked Crab Rangoons.

I love crab rangoon! Don't you?

Oh I forgot there are a few of you who don't like seafood, so this recipe probably doesn't do it for you. Sorry seafood haters (or those of you with an allergy). Lord, I couldn't imagine living in the ocean state with a seafood allergy. Must be horrible!

So for those of you who are with me let me say "I love seafood!" I don't think there is a seafood I don't like. Mussels, clams, shrimp, oysters, all the fishies (although blue fish can be a bit too fishy for me sometimes), I could just live on the stuff and luckily I live in a state where the fish is plentiful and reasonably priced. Even Christmas is all about the seafood here. I'm so lucky to be born into a Sicilian family, cause that means 7 fishes on Christmas Eve!

My oldest son isn't really a seafood lover. He picks at a few things. My youngest is about the same, but they will both eat Crab Rangoon. It's got to be one of the most popular dishes on the menu at your local Chinese place I would assume right?

Those little bundles of joy that you order from your local take-out...they got nuttin' on these babies. Crunchy on the outside and creamy crabby on the inside.

Baked Crab Rangoon
Adapted from a recipe at My Baking Addiction
1 can (6oz) white crabmeat, drained and chopped
4 oz cream cheese, softened (I used only 3 oz)
2 tablespoons mayo
½ teaspoon Sriracha (optional)
2 teaspoons finely chopped chives
Ground pepper to taste
12 wonton wrapper

Oven to 350. Spray a MINI muffin pan with nonstick spray.

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix until combined.

Place a wonton wrapper in the muffin cups. Push the wrapper down into the pan so it fits snugly in the bottom. Fill with about a teaspoon of the mixture.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until edges are golden and crisp and filling is heated through. Garnish with extra chives if you’d like.

Samoa Bark

2011-12-13T06:32:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't love at least one kind of Girl Scout cookie? I know everyone has their favorite, mine are the Samoa. I'm a caramel lover, so any time I see caramel in a recipe, I'm in.

I heard that the Girl Scouts changed the name to Caramel DeLites, but they will always be Samoas to me.

Since cookie time with the scouts only comes once I year, sometimes we have to make due and make a copycat recipe to hold us over through the rest of the year.

I found this recipe on Cookies & Cups. I pretty much followed it as written, except I used parchment on the bottom and I spread my chocolate base out just a smidge less.

I used Lorna Doone cookies. Man are they expensive! I couldn't believe they were almost $4 for a little box.

That particular cookie holds a special place in my heart. I always think of my Papa, my great-grandfather Bertie when I see Lorna Doones. He always had a package in the bottom drawer at his house. I remember lots of afternoons sitting and eating Lorna Doones with our afternoon tea.

You can use any kind of shortbread cookie you can find. I know Walker makes a great shortbread cookie too.

Samoa Bark
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (plus more for drizzle)
35- 40 shortbread cookies (I used Lorna Doone)
14oz bag of caramels (I used the bits, no unwrapping!)
3 ups sweetened flaked coconut
1 tablespoons water

Line a baking pan with foil (I used parchment). Set aside.

Melt 12 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate. You can use a double boiler or the microwave. Spread the melted chocolate on the foil or parchment. I didn't go to the edge of the pan. I wanted it a bit thicker. Top the warm chocolate with shortbread cookies. Place sheet in the freezer while you prep the next stages.

In a non-stick skillet on medium-low, toast your coconut, stirring occasionally. This will take about 10 minutes. DON'T WALK AWAY FROM THE STOVE. You need to watch the coconut. It can go from browned to burn in seconds. Set aside.

Place your caramel and the water in a pan and heat over medium-low heat. Stir continuously until the caramel has melted. Immediately fold in your toasted coconut. Remove your chocolate from the freezer and spread it evenly over the tops. Melt a bit more chocolate and drizzle over the top. Place in freezer or fridge to set. Cut into bars and enjoy!

2011-12-09T07:42:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday everyone.

Don't let the picture mislead you. It's not snowing here (although I wish it was). Just an older photo of one of my beloved birds from last year. I'm happy to see them all back at their feeders again.

No recipe today. Just checking in.

We have the day off today so we are off for a little shopping (no presents, we are so done Christmas shopping!).

I do have some great recipes coming up like:

Deep Dish Pizza Casserole
Baked Crab Rangoon
Samoa Bark - if you love the Girls Scout cookies you will flip over these!
Make-ahead Unstuffed Shells

I've made them....I photographed them.....we've eaten them....now I just have to find time to sit down and post them! They are on the way, I promise.

Enjoy your weekend!

Cinnamon Honey Butter

2011-12-05T06:18:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday all. Yes it's the start of another busy week.

My head is churning (ha a butter pun!) with menus and recipes and idea for Christmas Eve dinner. I've pretty much had my menu planned for awhile now, but I keep coming across great recipes in my cooking magazines and they some how get added to the menu so it's still somewhat of a work in progress. In the mean time life still goes on and I still have 3 hungry guys to feed each week and feeding them does include breakfast. No I'm not getting up and making bacon and eggs, but I do like them to start the day off with something in their bellies. For the kids that usually means cereal, bagels, waffles or toast. I love toast.

Are you a toast lover like me?

I'll eat just about any kind of bread toasted, although I'm not a huge fan of pumpernickel or rye. Just about all other kinds will do.

I love jam on toast, plain butter, jellies, and of course cinnamon sugar. Trader Joe's Fig Butter is one of my absolute my favorite things to slather on bread, but this comes in a close second.

Evan was cinnamon toast addicted as a toddler. I can't even estimate how many slices I made for him growing up. I'm sure I hit the thousands at least.

Why didn't I think to do this sooner?

I searched the web for cinnamon sugar butter recipes and I did find a few, but in the end, I experimented and mixed up a batch with the right balance for us. I used honey instead of sugar. I couldn't imagine the gritty sugar mixing in with the butter.

This was the perfect combination and just the right amount.

Cinnamon Honey Butter
1 cup butter
1/2 c honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon

You can keep this in the fridge but you'll need to take it out about a half our before you want to use it to make it spreadable.

Mini Cheesy Biscuits (No Knead!)

2011-12-02T05:45:00.002-05:00

Hello! How are things in your little world?

Have you got out your Christmas decorations yet? Put the tree up? Bought gifts? Crafted anything special?

I'm not trying to pressure you, just asking how things are going is all.

We are getting our tree this weekend. We get ours from a little family run tree farm right around the corner from us. Just about all my presents are bought...just need to get wrappin' now and I'm just about done with my crafting too. Working on finishing touches and such.

December is cooking and baking time in our house. I don't want the pressure of going to any stores or fighting traffic. I vowed last year to make all our Christmases from here on out more simple and homemade and I'm stickin' to my guns on that one.

One of the things I love most about this time of year is all the great things that come out of my oven. I found this recipe on Plain Chicken.com. Steph has a lot of really great recipes. This one caught my interest. This was titled Jim 'n Nicks Cheesy Biscuits. I have no idea who Jim or Nick are. Maybe it's a restaurant in another part of the US? Regardless...they make a delicious biscuit (vanilla excluded here though).

Little mini cheesy biscuits that are no knead! No knead! You can thank me later.

These took like 3 minutes to put together and 15 minutes to cook. My teenage boys were eating them faster than I could make them. So good!

The original recipe called for 1 teaspoon of vanilla. I omitted it and I cut down on the sugar a bit too.

They really came out great.

Cheesy Biscuits (No Knead!)
adapted from a recipe at plainchicken.com
1 ½ cups Bisquick
¾ cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 425. Stir together all the ingredients until just combined. Don’t over mix! Scoop into greased mini muffin pan. Bake at 425 for 12 – 15 minutes or until golden.

Special Sauce

2011-11-28T06:32:00.000-05:00

When I was a teenager, my friend Kathy and I would make this dip that we used to dunk our potato chips in. It was equal parts of ketchup and mayo mixed together. We thought we were culinary geniuses, really we did.

It was our special dip.

We also had another specialty....white rice and butter. Yea we were rebels in the kitchen I tell ya, but we were young and hungry so we did what we had to do. Most of the time we'd sleep over her Meme's house. While Meme was out line dancing with her friends, we'd call boys on the phone, write elaborate stories, listen to music and make white rice and dip.

Just a few months ago that dip popped into my head and I was telling my youngest son about it. He wanted to make it, so we did. It was a hit. He happily dipped chips into it and it really brought back a flood of memories for me. I told Kathy about it via Facebook and I think it brought back from memories for her too.

When I saw this recipe for Special Sauce, I just knew I had to make. My oldest son is a mayo and ketchup freak, so I knew this sauce would be something he would love.

I omitted the adobo sauce, cause as we all know, I am a wimp when it comes to heat. If you're not a wimp like me, please leave it in!

This is really like a thousand island dressing, but just a little better. We're already dunking everything in it.

Special Sauce
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon finely grated onion
1 tablespoon sweet or dill pickle relish
2 teaspoons adobo sauce from canned chipotle chilies in adobo
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt.

Combine all ingredients and serve on burgers or whatever you like!

2011-11-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, love and friends,
For Everything thy goodness sends.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Winners!

2011-11-22T06:46:00.000-05:00

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Here are the winners!

Angelica and Karie@The Hob!

Congrats ladies! Please use the contact me button off to the left to send me your address!

Swedish Almond Cake & a Giveaway or two!

2011-11-16T06:32:00.000-05:00

This recipe is from my friend Ken's Mom, Marion.

I first time I had this cake was probably more than 15 years ago.

You do need a special pan to bake it, which is why I had never blogged it before until now, but this cake is too good not to share. Marion is Swedish, so this is the real thing people. I just love it. It's one of my most favorite cakes. It's not fluffy or frosted, it doesn't have a page full of ingredients, it's just simple good cake with a fantastic almond flavor.

The pan I bake this in is called a Half Roll Bake pan. My friend Eva (Ken's wife) bought me ones ages ago. Mine is marked on the bottom "Made in West Germany". Huh? Doesn't sound too Swedish to me!

I had never seen another pan like it until last week so I picked up 2 to give away, cause I think a few more people should be able to experience this delicious cake.

Here's the recipe. Scroll down for the giveaway(s)

Swedish Almond Cake
recipe from Marion Bird
Spray a half roll pan with Bakers Joy or use cooking spray. I like Bakers Joy cause the cake never sticks.

In a large bowl beat:
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons PURE almond extract (Imitation just won't do in this recipe)
2/3 cup milk

Beat until combined. Then add in:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Again, beat until combined, scrapping up any flour that sticks to the side of the bowl.

Finally add in:
1 stick melted butter.

Mix again.

If you'd like the top to be almond covered (I think it looks pretty) then sprinkle some slivered almonds into the bottom of the pan. Pour in the batter and carefully smooth the top. Bake at 350 for 40 - 50 minutes of until the edges are nicely browned and the cake tests done. It will puff up over the top of the pan, don't worry.

Cool completely in the pan. If you don't, the cake will break while you are trying to get it out.

Invert onto a plate, sprinkle with powered sugar and serve!
_______________________________________________________________________________
The Giveaways!

So since the baking season is upon us, I put together 2 baking gifts for you to win. Both contain the same items, but one also includes a 9 cup brownie pan. You get 9 perfect little individual brownies from one pan. Pretty cool huh?
So what up for grabs?

The half roll bake pan
Wilton green & white sparkling sugar
Trader Joe's (Baker Joe's in this case) Cocoa Pearls
Cupcake Plunger - you can easily make filled cupcakes or muffins.

TO ENTER

What is your favorite holiday cookie?

Please, please, please, I can't stress this enough.....LEAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS if you don't have a blog. If you don't leave an address, then I 'll just pick another winner, so please don't forget!

2 winner will be drawn on Monday, November 21st! If you're a follower, let me know and I'll throw in another chance for you!

Good Luck!

How to roast garlic. Simple and easy.

2011-11-14T06:45:00.001-05:00

I grow my own garlic every year.

After is harvested in the fall, it hangs from one of the rafters in the garage.

I love that I can grab a pair of scissors and just snip away at whatever I need.

We are a garlic lovin' family. Some people might think I love it a little too much. I can go overboard with it at times.

I remember saying to John one day that I was so happy that he loved it to cause I honestly don't think I could have married anyone who didn't like it. I would have to compromise my cooking too much. I really can't live without it. No joke.

So we have a lot of garlic, and we use it all the time.

One of my favorite ways is to roast it. Roasting garlic makes it so creamy and nutty that you will be tempted to hold a whole head over your mouth and just squeeze out every clove directly into your pie hole (or garlic hole in this case). Wait, maybe that's just me?

Anyway roasting garlic is super easy and so delicious. If you've never done it....YOU NEED TO!

Here's how I do it.

Get one or two heads of garlic. Try and pick heads that are on the larger size. I always roast at least two at a time.

Pull away the outer papery layers. Don't peel them completely. You want the cloves inside to say together. Then chop off a quarter of a section with a sharp knife. You want to cut off just the tips of the cloves.

Then get a double layer of foil and place the garlic in the middle. You want enough foil to wrap it up tightly. Now drizzle each clove with olive oil.

Wrap the heads up and seal the foil tightly.

I use my toaster oven to roast my garlic. You certainly can use your oven. Heat to 400 and roast for 35 - 45 minutes. Times vary depending on how big your garlic is. Mine are very large.

Open the foil up carefully in case there is some steam trapped inside. Now poke it with a knife to see if the cloves are all mushy and creamy. If they are...CONGRATS...you just successfully roasted garlic, if they aren't stick them back in for a few more minutes.

Once you can handle the garlic, just squeeze out the cloves. You just spread it on bread, you can add it to soups, heck there really are endless uses for it.

One of our favorite ways to eat it is as a dipping sauce. We heat up some good olive oil on low in a sauce pan loaded with cloves. As soon as the oil is warm, we pour it into dipping bowls. Grab a hunk of bread and start dipping.

It's one of my favorite ways to eat it.

Now go make some roasted garlic!

Almond Joy Brownie Bites

2011-11-11T07:55:00.002-05:00

I know Halloween just past.

I know Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Yeah!

I realize that some of you may even have candy leftover! How'd you manage that? Oh the willpower you must have!

Well we are plumb outta candy at our house. With teenage boys, and teenage boys friends visiting our candy bowl is pretty near empty. Whoppers and black licorice seem to be the last to go.

In homage to my favorite candy bar the Almond Joy, I give you Almond Joy Brownie Bite.

Brownie base, crunchy coconut topping, melted chocolate and almonds.

These little suckers are filling and this recipe makes 24 of them. A recipe with lots to share. I like that.

Almond Joy Brownie Bites
Makes 24
Adapted from a recipe at Flour Me with Love
1 box (family size) chocolate fudge brownie mix, plus ingredients for making
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (14oz) bag coconut
¼ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips
¼ cup crushed almonds

Oven to 350.

Line a cupcake pan with paper liners. Don’t skip this step!

Prepare the brownies according to the package directions. Pour the batter ½ way up the cupcake liners. Bake for 12 minutes.

While the brownies are baking, mix the coconut, sweetened condensed milk, milk & vanilla extract together.

Remove the brownies from the oven and spoon on about a teaspoon full of the sweetened coconut. Return to the oven for an additional 14 – 16 minutes.

Remove and allow to cool completely. Melt the chocolate chips on low power in the microwave for 1 - 2 minutes. Stirring every 30 seconds. Drizzle on the chocolate and top with chopped almonds.

Wordless Wednesday~

2011-11-09T06:33:00.002-05:00

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

2011-11-04T06:05:00.000-04:00

Did you hear that there is supposed to be a pumpkin storage this year?

There was talk about it, but when I went to the store, I saw plenty of pumpkin on the shelves. I do a lot of my shopping at BJ’s Wholesale Club, and they sell pumpkin by the 3 pack. I bought two three packs. Then I went to the grocery store and I saw the 15oz size cans of pumpkin for under a dollar, so I bought 3 more. I’m so ready for all things pumpkin.

I found this cake on my beloved Pinterest. It’s also called a “dump cake” because basically you are throwing everything in the dish and baking it. I think crunch cake sounds nicer than dump cake don’t you?

If you like pumpkin pie with a crunchy topping, this is a dessert for you. The bottom layer is like creamy pumpkin pie, and the top layer is nutty and crunchy. I used spice cake for this recipe, but yellow, butter or even white would work too.

It literally took minutes to throw together.

Pumpkin Crunch Cake
15 oz can pumpkin; or 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree
1-12 oz can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 box cake mix (I used spice cake, but yellow, butter or white would work too)
1 cup melted butter (yup that’s 2 sticks)
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Mix the pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, eggs, and cinnamon.

Spread mixture evenly in a lightly greased 9 x 13 baking pan.

Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over pumpkin mixture. Sprinkle the nuts over the top of the cake mix. Pour the melted butter evenly over the top of everything. Do not stir.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes or until top is browned. Let cool before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

Wordless Wednesday~

2011-11-02T06:45:00.002-04:00

Cheddar Bacon Dip aka "Crack Dip"

2011-10-31T07:24:00.001-04:00

First of all let me preface this post by asking......do you Pinterest?

OMG. I am addicted. Addicted in the worse way I tell ya. Never heard of Pinterest. Don't feel bad, up until a few months ago I hadn't either, then I noticed I kept getting lots and lots of blog hits from it. So many that it made me look into it. I asked around, found out a lot of my blogging buddies were on it so I checked it out and that's when it happened.

I got addicted.

Think of a page when you can bookmark something every time you say "oh that looks good" or "man that looks delicious, I need to make that" or "what I great idea, how am I gonna remember that??"

It's a visual bookmarking page that you can share with your friends. You see what they like, they see what you like. It's like a happy little sharing space.

I have mentioned it before. My kids are really into dip. I think most kids are, but my youngest will sit with a bowl of dip and some crackers and put a hurtin' on it in one sitting.

I see several entries for this "crack dip" on Pinterest. Hmmm. Sounds interesting. The word crack implying that it's as addicting as....yeah we get it. I actually see that not only is one crack dip featured, but several, some a buffalo chicken crack dip, and even though buffalo "anything" is high on Evan's list of goodness, I decided to try the Cheddar Bacon Dip.

This needs to sit for 24 hrs so I made this Saturday afternoon as a "test dip". You certaintly can't serve a dip that you never made before right? So Sunday morning I go into the fridge and give it alittle mix and decided I should taste it.

It's 10am.

My son and nephew come down the stairs, just haven woken up, and they see dip. They see crackers. They dive in.

After 10 minutes of non-stop dipping, I assume the dip is a hit. My nephew declares it "awesome". He is the ranch dressing addicted child, so I knew this dip would be a hit with him.

Cheddar Bacon Dip (a.k.a Crack Dip)
16 oz sour cream
1 packet Ranch dressing mix
3 oz REAL bacon bits (in the bag not jar)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix together and refrigerate 24 hours. Serve with chips and/or veggies

Recipe from plainchicken.com

Snow in October

2011-10-30T14:50:00.000-04:00

I love snow.

I really do....but in October? Before Halloween?

It's just not right I tell ya.

We woke up to about 3 inches of heavy wet snow. So heavy that it destroyed our gazebo. The whole thing came crashing down. I can't even post a picture of it cause it's just too depressing for me.

We're off tomorrow so I guess we'll be spending most of our day doing demo. *sigh*

I do love the snow, but it could have waited a little longer to make an appearance.

Before & Afters - Part 2

2011-10-28T05:45:00.001-04:00

The breezeway is finally done! We actually finished it about 2 weeks ago.

My anxiety level is finally dropping.

I just can't take it when things are a mess or my routine is broken. I am a creature of habit in the worst way.

So my floor went in, my furniture is all refinished, and the walls are painted. All I had to do was decorate.

Thought you might like to see a picture of the ugly dry sink before.

Here it is with the top partially off.

Ugly right? It was a horrible 70's green. This piece belonged to my parents before I inherited it back in the 80's. It was green stain no less with a nice thick coat of polyurethane on it. What a joy to strip!

John spent hours sanding. That was not a fun day.

After a few coats of paint and some new hardware, my ugly old dry sink was barely recognizable!

Not bad hey?

The project haven't ended though, in fact they are just beginning. We have Christmas woodworking ahead of us. I'm really excited about this years project. I also picked up 4 step stools at yard sales. I've refinished 3 of the 4 so far. I don't know why but I have a thing for cute little step stools. Two of them are just the cutest little pieces made in Romania no less.

So we begin our busy season. Every year there's lots of crafting and canning going on. I have apple sauce and apple butter to can up over the next few weeks and I have to start working on this years Christmas ornament.

I love Fall.

Have I mentioned that????

Wordless Wednesday~

2011-10-26T06:18:00.000-04:00

Dutch Apple Pie & a personal loss.

2011-10-24T06:18:00.001-04:00

I have a heavy heart today. I lost an old friend this weekend.

Andy was 42 years old. He had two little boys who he affectionately called "the punks". He was the kind of friend that even if you hadn't seen him in years and years, you'd just pick up where you left off. He was always smiling. He was a drummer. He loved heavy metal. He gave great hugs. He loved life.

Two weeks ago he crashed the bus that he was driving into a tree. It took too long to get him out. He laid in a coma for weeks. Saturday he passed away. I read about it on Facebook. Sign of the times I guess.

This is the 2nd friend that I've lost in the past 2 years. Both too young to leave this earth. Both with children who won't grow up with a father in their life. It just tears me up inside.

I cooked a lot for Andy back in the day. He was a young kid living on his own for the first time in his life and I can't tell you how enthusiastic he was when I made him a meal. The joy on his face was just contagious.

I was cooking most of the day when I heard he was gone. Cooking for me is like cheap therapy. It's takes me to another zone.

While I was chopping and dicing he was in my head the whole time. I thought about whether or not I should even post about Andy here. I know most people want to come and see recipes and photos and hear about all the happy stuff, but life isn't always happy, and if I'm gonna keep it real as they say, I thought I should share this part of my life too. The not so happy part.

I'll miss him forever. We shared part of this life together and for that I am thankful.

So in honor of Andy I bring you PIE.

Sweet Dutch apple pie with a crunchy topping no less. This recipe was a snap to make...NO PIE CRUST involved.

I think Andy would have loved it.

After reading the reviews of this recipe, I decided to add in some cinnamon as suggested by many. Glad I did.

Dutch Apple Pie
recipe from Taste of Home
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup quick cooked oats (I didn't use quick cook, came out great)
3/4 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons of corn starch
1 1/4 cups cold water
3 cups diced, peeled apples (about 3 medium)
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the crust and topping:
In a large bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, oats and butter. Set aside 1 cup for the topping. Press the remaining mixture into an ungreased 9 inch pie plate. Make sure to push the mixture up the sides a bit too.

For the filling:
Combine the sugar cornstarch and water in a saucepan until smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla, cinnamon and apples.

Pour into pie crust, top with reserved topping mixture. Bake at 350 for 40 - 45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

2 Ingredient Appetizer!

2011-10-21T05:45:00.000-04:00

What could be easier?

Company is coming and you need a quick and delicious appetizer. You don't want to spend a whole lot of time in the kitchen. What to do? What to do?

Pick up a jar of Trader Joe's Honey Apple Butter (love, love, love, love, LOVE!) and a piece of brie or any other soft, melty cheese of your choice. Bake the cheese in the oven just until it's soft and gooey, then pour over some Honey Apple Butter, break out a few crackers and the appetizer is ready.

How easy is that?

No I didn't come up with this great idea on my own. This was demoed at my local Trader Joe's. They even took it a step further and added some finely diced sauteed spiced apples to the top. It was so good it made me walk right over and grab a piece of cheese so I could make my own.

Don't even get me started on the Honey Apple Butter. I love this stuff. Between this and the Fig butter, I am in heaven.

Wordless Wednesday~

2011-10-19T07:02:00.000-04:00

Curried Cauliflower Rice

2011-10-17T06:32:00.000-04:00

I love a lot of the vegetable that lots of people don't.

I love cabbage and Brussel sprouts and artichokes and broccoli and turnips and spinach and I love cauliflower.

I do draw the line at beets and lima beans. I just can't eat 'em, but cauliflower. I LOVE.

Maybe my Mom instilled my love for it when I was younger. She would bread it and fry it and it would get all golden and crispy around the edges and the flavor was nothing like the taste of raw cauliflower. I need to make her cauliflower and share it with you guys, but for now I bring you this Curried Cauliflower Rice.

This beautiful one pot meal that looks as lovely as it tastes.

My friend Krysta posted this a few weeks ago.

The minute I saw it I knew I had to make it for my Dad. He's a cauliflower lover like me.

I am a wimp when it comes to heat, so I reduced the curry to just 2 teaspoons. After tasting it, I think I really could have put in the 4 teaspoons. There really wasn't heat, just great flavor. I also skipped the cilantro cause I'm one of "those" people who thinks it tastes like soap.

I also substituted jasmine rice for the basmati cause when I went to look for my basmati I then realized...I was out! So jasmine it was. Worked perfectly too!

One Pot Curried Cauliflower Rice
from Everyday Food and Evil Chef Mom
4 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 large head cauliflower, cored and cut into 1 1/2 pieces
salt and pepper
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
2 cups of basmati rice
4 teaspoons curry powder
1 can (15.5 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 3/4 cups of low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
chopped cilantro

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a Dutch oven or other heavy pot, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium high. Add cauliflower and cook, stirring frequently, until browned in spots. This might need to be done in batches.

Transfer to a plate and season with salt and pepper. Add 2 teaspoons of oil and onions to pot; cook, stirring occasionally , until onion is translucent, 5 minutes. Add rice, curry powder, and chickpeas and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until rice is coated, about 2 minutes. Add broth and cream and bring to a boil. Scatter cauliflower over the top (do not stir to combine) Cover and bake until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, 15 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

Apple Molasses Cookies

2011-10-14T07:24:00.000-04:00

These used to be my favorite cookies. I first posted them way back when this blog was just taking it's baby steps. They are great cookies, and I make them faithfully every Christmas cause they are one of those cookies that have become part of a food tradition in this house. They used to be my favorite.

Used to be. I think I have a new favorite now.

Hello Apple Molasses Cookies.

Hello spicy, sweet, just the right amount of chewiness cookies with an added bonus of diced apple in every bite. I adore these!

I adapted this recipe from one I found online at Tasty Kitchen from Coupon Clipping Cook. I changed it up from her original recipe. I omitted the pumpkin pie spice. I just didn't think it was right for this cookie. I also increased the amount of apple from 2 tablespoons to 1 small apple diced. I didn't think that 2 tablespoons was really going to be enough apple. I'm glad I increased the apple, cause my apple to dough ration was spot on. Just make sure to use a small apple and dice it finely.

Apple Molasses Cookies
makes 32 cookies
3/4 cup butter, at room temp (1 1/2 sticks)
1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg, room temp
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 small apple, peeled and finely diced
granulated sugar for rolling

Oven to 375.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar. Add in the molasses and egg and mix until combined.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add to to mixing bowl in small batches, about 1/3 cup at a time. Stir in the diced apple. Dough will be soft. Chill for 20 - 30 minutes to make it easier to work with. Roll into 1 inch balls. I used my small cookie scoop. Place some granulated sugar in a bowl to roll the dough balls in. Place on a parchment lined pan and bake for 10 minutes. NO MORE, NO LESS! 10 minutes is the perfect amount of time for these cookies. Let them sit on the pan for 1 minute before removing them to a cooling rack.

Wordless Wednesday~

2011-10-12T07:24:00.002-04:00

Right Now

2011-10-10T07:54:00.000-04:00

Time: 7:41am

In my mug: honey and lemon tea.

In my ears: Colin Hay. Thanks to Jennifer for sharing him with me. (Yes that voice is familiar...think Men@Work. Who woulda thunk??? Love his voice.)

In my belly: just the tea. Waiting on John to get home from work so our vacation can begin.

On me: My "I'm in the Moooood for love" t-shirt. Picture two cows in love, in a row boat....hey it's a sleepin' shirt!

Last watched: Dexter. I am addicted.

By my bedside: Latest issues of Savuer & Bon Appetit.

Under my nails: Paint. Been doing a lot of that lately.

Looking forward to: VACATION! read on:

October is my favorite month.

Not only because of all the obvious reasons (the fall leaves, the fall foods, the fall clothes, my anniversary, pumpkins, warm socks, cozy blankets, etc. I really could go on and on here). It's also my favorite month cause I always take vacation time. I rarely take a full week, but October is an exception.

So we're on vacation this week. We will be off to Boston with friends, we will be taking care of odds n' ends around the house, we will be celebrating my baby turning 15 and I will be cooking and baking, not only for Evan's birthday party, but with all the apples we picked this past weekend.

Get ready for some apple recipes.

Millie's Quick Dessert Cake

2011-10-07T05:57:00.000-04:00

I have made this cake and posted it before. It was a long time ago.

This is my Gram’s cake. A cake she made all the time.

Its official title was Quick Dessert cake, but I changed that to Millie’s Quick Dessert cake.

My Gram is 87 years old. She has Alzheimer’s. She lives in an assisted living facility. She doesn’t know any of us anymore. Along with her mind, her body is growing weaker too. We recently had to get her a walker to keep her steady on her feet.

When I think of my Gram I remember her standing in her kitchen with her apron on, coffee pot brewing, and soup simmering on the stove. My Pa was always sitting at the head of the table, newspaper in hand. She’d bring over a plate or bowl of whatever she had cooking, and he would always say “thank you darlin’” and she would smile. She was always smiling, still is.

She offered everyone who came in the house a cup of coffee, even if you didn’t drink coffee. She must have asked me a hundred times if I wanted a cup. “No Gram, I don’t drink coffee” and she always seems puzzled by my answer and would say “oh no”?
She also liked to offer ham sandwiches, which she pronounced “ham sangwiches”.
She always pronounced the letter H… “haitsh”.
She ate salad sandwiches (or sangwhiches). She'd take a breadstick, slice it down the middle and put salad in it and eat it.
She loved Little Debbie snacks and hard candies.
She has naturally curly hair, just like me.

I know it almost sounds like she’s gone, and in a way she is. The Gram that I grew up with, who sewed almost all my clothes and even my wedding dress, just isn’t there anymore. The Gram who make ham and cheese pies and grapenut pudding doesn’t know who my mother is anymore, but if you bring her a piece of this cake she will still smile and when you tell her this was a cake she made all the time she’ll turn her head to the side and say “oh really, I did?” Yes you did.

So I know that when she’s gone I’ll still make this cake and think of her and all the little things that made her my Gram. Funny that some sugar, flour and butter can hold so many memories.

I love this cake not only for all the reasons listed above, but because it’s made with staples that you always have in the house and you can totally change it up by changing the fruit you add to it.

My favorite combination is this one of apples and blueberries. You can add any soft cooked or canned fruit that you like.

The fruit will sink into the cake like a cobbler as it bakes.

Millies Quick Dessert Cake
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temp
1 ½ cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon almond extract
Fresh berries (when fresh berries are not available, I use fruit pie filling and it works great. In the fall and winter I often use Comstocks country apple pie filling with some frozen blueberries. This combo is really wonderful).

Preheat the oven to 350.In large bowl cream together butter & sugar. Beat the eggs in one at a time then add almond extract.

In a separate bowl mix the flour & baking powder and then combine into the wet mixture. Mix until smooth. Grease 13 x 9 pan. Spread batter into pan.

If using fresh berries just sprinkle them all over the top of the batter. They will start to sink into the cake as it bakes.

If using pie filling: Take pie filling and randomly drop it all over the top of the batter. (I use a little over half a can) When using fresh or frozen berries along with the pie filling, I kind of tuck the berries in between the filling so everyone gets a bite of your filling and the fruit.

Bake for 40- 45 minutes until golden brown, or until tests done. Cool, dust with powered sugar. Cut into squares to serve.

Before & Afters

2011-10-03T06:32:00.001-04:00

I live in the oldest house on my street.

That was very apparent when I moved in almost 25 years ago. There were was a lot of updating going on back in the 80's.

Since then we've really almost transformed the house entirely.

Almost.

There was the breezeway* (see explanation here if you don't know what a breezeway is) that we never seemed to get to. It was always last on the list and seemed to get pushed back when another project came along.

Last month we finally decided to bite the bullet and re-model it. First we had to decide on a floor. It's a heavy traffic area that gets dirty and muddy and snowy, so we needed something that could stand up to the elements, yet be easy to clean. We chose tile.

I love the tile. It's easy to clean and looks so much better then my peel and stick tile that was peeling more than it was sticking lately.

So the floors in and now cause the floor looks so beautiful I need to re-vamp all the furniture in the room. Kinda like when you get new furniture then you look around the room and decide you need all new drapes or rugs. You know what I'm talkin' about ladies.

I had been searching out pieces at yard sales and estate store. I had an old deacons bench that I didn't want anymore. It held all my outdoor flags, no one really sat on it and I needed something smaller. I got lucky and found a sturdy wooden hamper at a Lion's Club Garage Sale for $5. This is what it looked like when I bought it:

This is what it looks like now:

Amazing what a little paint and a little distressing will do huh? This little beauty holds all my flags perfectly. Happy Mama.

Next up was the onion or vegetable bin. A piece I bought back in the early 80's. I really did use this for my onions and potatoes so I didn't want to replace it with something else, but it needed help.

We took off the doors and hinges. John sanded it. I painted it. I searched around for baskets to fit it and it went from this:

To this. A little bit of an improvement dontcha think?

So those are two of the pieces that we worked on. The big piece was the old nasty, green dry sink. It wasn't pretty but I saw potential in it. John and I totally transformed it into a piece I now love. That'll be coming up next!

Tomorrow the painting begins. I'm so very excited!

Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs

2011-09-29T06:32:00.000-04:00

I'm not a big red meat eater.

I think a lot of you know I was vegetarian for along time and then one day....at the luau at Disney.....well that's another story.

Like I said, I'm the kind of person who will choose fish, pork or chicken over red meat most times, but these short ribs! Lord have mercy, these ribs were so delectable, so flavorful, so unbelievably delicious that I would choose them over a piece of chicken any day of the week.

Don't let the amount of time this spends in the oven stop you from making these. This is the perfect dish to make on a chilly fall afternoon. Pop them in the oven for few hours, mash up some taters, grab that pot back outta the oven, dish out the ribs and veggies and slather those taters in the wine infused gravy and you have a complete meal.

There were a few changes that I made. The 2 packages of short ribs that I bought totalled almost 6 pounds. I just made them all. I decreased the onion to 2 (I know those of you who know how much of an onion freak I am just gasped, but 3 looked like just way too much). I did use the Cabernet Sauvignon. I believe it was a wine by Coppola in fact. Who knew Francis made wine? I also decreased the beef broth to 1 cup. I just couldn't fit 3 more cups in my dutch oven. Other than that, the recipe is the same.

Don't skip the herbs! I think they made a world of difference. The gravy this makes is so good! I had to stop my youngest from drinking it with a straw!!

If 5 pounds of short ribs is too much for your family, half the recipe, do whatever you have to do, but you must make these and then eat these and then call or write to thank me!

Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs
Recipe from Bon Appetite, October 2011

5 lbs bone in beef short ribs, cut crosswise into 2” pieces.
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 medium onions, chopped (I used 2)
3 medium carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 750ml bottle dry red wine (preferably Cabernet Sauvignon)
10 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
8 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
2 fresh or dried bay leaves
1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
4 cups low sodium beef stock (I only used 1 cup)

Oven to 350. Season the short ribs with salt & pepper. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, brown the short ribs on all sides (about 8 minutes per batch). Transfer to a plate. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the drippings from the pot.

Add the onions, carrots and celery to the pot and cook over medium high heat, stirring often until onions are browned (about 5 minutes). Add the flour and tomato paste, cook stirring constantly, until well combined and deep red (2 – 3 minutes) . Stir in the wine and then add the short ribs and any accumulated juices. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium and simmer until wine is reduced by half (about 25 minutes) Add all the herbs to the pot along with the garlic. Stir in the stock. Bring to a boil, cover and transfer to the oven.

Cook until the short ribs are tender 2 – 2 ½ hours (to test if the ribs are done, pull on a bone. It should slide out easily). Strain the sauce from the pot into a measuring cup. Spoon the fat from the surface and discard. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Serve in a shallow bowl over mashed potatoes with sauce spooned over.

Wordless Wednesday~

2011-09-28T06:32:00.000-04:00

Pasta E Fagioli

2011-09-19T06:32:00.001-04:00

I’m bacccckkk.

So since I disappeared for a bit I’ve….

Obviously got my computer back.

Had a new tile floor installed in my breezeway (for those of you who asked “what’s a breezeway?” It’s the room the room which we enter the house in, usually it’s between two rooms, mine is between the garage and the kitchen door). The house was a mess for about a week. We still need to paint and install new baseboards, and now I have to totally re-decorate so everything matches my beautiful new floor. I’m excited!

We’ve been sick. I can’t tell you the last time I had a head cold. It’s been years. 3 out of 4 of us had one. Evan was spared. I was pretty miserable for a few days.

I’m excited. So very excited about autumn. It’s my favorite season, not only for cooking and baking, but for everything else about it too. I love when the weather gets chilly! I can hardly wait to decorate for Halloween!

Since we’re talking cooler weather I thought I’d share this recipe for Pasta E Fagioli.
I think it started out as one of those copy-cat recipes for Olive Garden soup. It’s morphed into something different with me now.

I only changed things up a wee bit. I added in more V-8 and more hamburger, and threw in some frozen peas. I think that's about all I did really. This soup is perfect for chilly weather. Grab a slice of crusty bread to go along with it and you have a terrific meal.

Pasta E Fagioli
1 ½ pounds of ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 large carrot, julienned
3 stalks of celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 – 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 – 15 ounce can red kidney beans (with liquid)
1 – 15 ounce can great northern white beans (with liquid)
1 – 15 ounce can tomato sauce
1 – 48 ounce bottle V-8 juice (the whole big bottle)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
handful of frozen peas
½ pound ditalini pasta.

Brown the ground beef in a large sauce pan or pot over medium heat. Drain off most of the fat.

Add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic and sautee for 10 minutes.

Add all the remaining ingredients, except the pasta and simmer for 1 hour.

About 50 minutes into the simmering, cook the pasta until just al dente, drain and add to the post. Simmer 5 – 10 minutes more and serve.

Howdy~

2011-09-14T16:41:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone, just wanted to give you a little update.

1st - I'm sick. I'm stuffy and I have a runny, red nose and I'm pretty darned miserable.

I haven't been sick with a cold in years so this is really aggravating me.

I hate to bitch and complain, but I am bitching and complaining. I'm cranky, can you tell?

2nd - my computer should be back up and running before the weekend. I have a great recipe to post if I can ever get to it (I'm typing this at work - shhhhhh - I never take my breaks so I can blow 5 minutes once in awhile right?)

3rd - I'm excited about it being September and the chilly weather and getting to wear my sweaters and socks again. It's the little things that make me happy.

4th - I have pics that are stuck in camera that I can't download. I hate that.

5th - I hope you are all well. I miss you guys. I miss reading your posts and drooling over your recipes and being inspired by all the wonderful things you crazy bloggers do.

I'll be back soon!

Lime in the Coconut Frosted Cheesecake Bars

2011-09-09T07:26:00.000-04:00

First off my apologies if you have that dreadful song stuck in your head.

Every time I mentioned the name of this recipe my husband turned into Homer Simpson.

"DOH, now that song is stuck in my head again".

Baaaahhhahahahahhaha!

I really can't stand that song. It's right up there with "Midnight at the Oasis" and "Hey Mickey" on my list. Your list may vary.

So even if you have that awful song stuck in your head, and even though you might be singing it while you make this, and even while you serve it, and then you'll curse yourself for it, it's worth the torture.

If you like key lime pie, you will love these.

If you don't like key lime pie, I would shy away from this recipe.

For you key lime lovers let me tell you this....this is refreshing and tangy and the perfect ending to a warm summer night. (Yes, technically it's still summer folks).

Lime in the Coconut Frosted Cheesecake Bars
Cookie Base
1 pouch (1lb, 1.5oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 egg, slightly beaten

Filling
2 packages (8oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 can (16oz) cream of coconut (NOT COCONUT MILK!) After much searching, I found mine at the local liquor store
3 tablespoons lime juice, from about 3 medium limes (fresh please, you’ll thank me for making you not use the stuff in the bottle)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs

Topping
This is where I changed things up a bit. I’m not a fan of canned frosting (sorry Mrs. Crocker) so I chose to use this lower-fat version from Chocolate & Zucchini.

8 oz cream cheese at room temp
1 ¼ cups marshmallow crème (7oz) - just use the whole jar.
1 tablespoon lime zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 350. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9x13 in pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl stir the cookie base ingredients until a soft dough forms. Press evenly in the bottom of the pan. Bake 15. DON'T OVERBAKE. Take it out when it still looks under cooked. Cool 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the cream of coconut until well blended. Beat in the lime juice, vanilla and the eggs. Mix until smooth. Spread over cookie base. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until set and light golden brown on edges. Cool 30 minutes at room temp. Refrigerate 1 hour to cool completely.

For the Topping:
Combine all the ingredients in a medium size bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy. Spread on cooled bars.

Wordless Wednesday & a little crappy luck.

2011-09-07T07:46:00.000-04:00

Yes, this is a not so wordless Wednesday today. I have some 'splanin to do.

So the contents of my breezeway are now in my garage as it gets a brand spankin' new tile floor. I'm excited about it, but I hate the mess and disorganization it causes in my life. I know "Waaaah" right?

Anyway, on top of the mess I am without a computer.

My 16 year old son and his 17 year old friend decided to take apart my computer on Monday.

I had parts all over the floor.

"Mom we know what we're doing" I heard over and over again.

17 year old takes my computer home to install new parts. The mother board dies. He orders a new one. It will probably be a week before my computer is up and running. My only warning to the 17 year old computer wiz "You lose my pictures and you are gonna be in some kinda trouble young man". He assures me he won't.

Oh yeah, another little funny tid bit. Monday night I took Moose's meds instead of mine, by mistake of course. There was a call to poison control (I'd be fine) and many, many dog jokes. John told his Mom that I was fine but he couldn't understand why I kept sniffing his butt. Yes that is how my husband is. I know you are all laughing. It was funny.

I am limited to lunch time at work to try and post and catch up on blogs (like that's gonna happen in 1 hour). If anything good is happening, someone let me know on Facebook, lol.

Wordless Wednesday~

2011-08-31T07:07:00.000-04:00

Herbed Ranch Dressing

2011-08-29T09:15:00.000-04:00

First let me say thanks for all your well-wishes and prayers for the past weekend. Hurricane Irene wasn't as horrible here as we expected, but she did pack a wallop. We didn't get too much rain, but we got a lot of high winds. At one point I thought my river birch tree was going to come crashing through my front window.

We lost power for the whole day. It didn't come on until sometime early this morning. I panicked later on in the evening and had my hubby drive to my brothers house (he had power). I pulled all my blueberries, t-bones and bacon from the freezer in the garage and had him bring them to him. I got sick thinking about going through fall and winter without my berries. So they are safe and sound.

We didn't open the fridges but maybe twice during the whole storm, so I think I managed to save everything else. Irene caused a lot of downed trees and power lines. We took a quick drive later in the day and saw lots of damage. One house down the road lost 2 cars to a fallen tree.

The clean-up is going to be intense, but we all made it safe and sound through the storm. That's enough hurricane fun for this season, now we'll just wait for a big snow storm! On to the recipe!
_______________________________________________________________________________

I have two teenage boys.

Two teenage boys eat...a lot.

Then they bring other teenage boys over to the house and soon you have not two, but maybe five or six boys in the house, boys who are always looking for food.

I have discovered that there is one dressing that almost all these teenage boys love. It's ranch. They slather it on all sorts of things. My nephew is so addicted to the stuff that I literally have to stop him from putting it on his pasta. It's a sickness I tell ya.

I try to get them to eat healthy snacks, and although I know ranch isn't the healthiest of dressing, knowing that it's homemade and filled with herby goodness makes me feel a little better about it.

It is a great way to get them to eat their veggies!

Herbed Ranch Dressing
makes about 2 cups
From the kitchn.com
3 scallions white and green parts chopped, about 1/4 cup
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon nice olive oil
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
1 scant teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup good mayonnaise
1 cup plain yogurt

If you're using a food processor, add the scallions, basil, lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper to the work bowl and pulse a few times to incorporate. You don't want to puree this, just blend it up a little. Add the mayonnaise and yogurt and pulse once or twice again to blend. Scrape into a jar and refrigerate.

Alternatively, you can just stir all the ingredients together in a bowl. Just be sure you've chopped the onion, basil and garlic fine enough.

I find that the flavors are best after a day's rest so if you can, make this a day ahead of serving. It lasts about a week in the refrigerator.

Notes:
If you are using this as a dip, you may want to use a thicker yogurt, such as Greek-style. If you are using this as a salad dressing and you think it's too thick, thin it with a splash of milk or buttermilk. A very forgiving recipe!

If you want to use the traditional buttermilk, substitute the plain yogurt with 1/2 cup Greek yogurt and 1/2 cup of buttermilk.

If you don't have green onions, you can substitute finely chopped shallots or sweet red onion to equal 1/4 cup.

Basil is my preferred herb here but you can replace it, all or in part, with parsley. A bit of fresh tarragon is nice, too, although I add about 1 tablespoon of finely chopped tarragon to the 1/2 cup of parsley instead of doing the full 1/2 cup substitute.

Variation: Sprinkle in a bit of powdered chipotle or smoked paprika for some smokey heat!

Spaghetti a la Philly

2011-08-26T07:13:00.000-04:00

I have lived in New England my whole life. I have lived in the same town my whole life.

I have experienced blizzards, snow storms, nor'easters, flooding and hurricanes.

Out of all of the above mentioned, I really don't like hurricanes and we have one headed right towards us.

Ugh.

The good thing is we have been through this before. We are prepared.

We know our garage will flood. We know that we will spend hours picking up anything that can become a projectile in the yard. I know I can kiss the last of my tomatoes good-bye *sniff*. We know that the power will go out.

We will make sure we all have a good book to read and something delicious to put in our bellies. We bought some extra lamp oil, we are stocked up on batteries, and we hit the packie (that's liquor store in Yankee talk) to pick up some beer & wine. I'm going to whip up some brownies and some bread. Make something delicious for supper and then we'll just hunker down.

This recipe is one that I could whip up even with a hurricane on the way! So easy, but ummm, not so pretty.

So not every recipe wins the beauty contest. This one is pretty ugly.

They are are not all equally photographable, but I won't let that stand in the way of sharing deliciousness with you.

This is an easy weeknight dinner. Just adding in a small amount of cream cheese transformed this from ordinary to ordinary but with a little "wow" added in.

The original recipe called for a 1/2 pound of pasta. That is called an appetizer for my teenage boys. I adjusted the ingredients to make a full pound.

Spaghetti a la Philly
Adapted from a recipe at Mommy's Kitchen
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1 tablespoon of Mrs. Dash (or any other seasoning of your choice)
3 cloves of crushed garlic
1 jar (24 – 26 ounces) spaghetti sauce (or use your own)
5 oz cream cheese
1 pound spaghetti, cooked and drained
Parmesan cheese

Cook the beef in a skillet over medium high heat until well browned. I added in some Mrs Dash and crushed garlic at this point too. Drain and return to the pan. Add in the sauce. Cut the cream cheese into chunks so they will melt easier. Add to the sauce. Reduce heat to low and cook for 3 minutes or until the cream cheese is melted.

Place spaghetti in a large bowl and add beef mixture. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.

I found this recipe on Mommy’s Kitchen. Tina has a lot of great recipes that are very family friendly. Thanks Tina!

Wordless Wednesday~

2011-08-24T06:36:00.001-04:00

Blueberry Vanilla Cream Cheese Pies

2011-08-22T06:26:00.001-04:00

Every year for the past oh, about 16 years now, I have picked blueberries at Macombers Blueberry Farm. It’s sort of become a family tradition to go take a ride out to Western Coventry and travel down Mr. Macomber’s dirt rode to pick some of the finest blueberries in Rhode Island.

This year I was late. I usually pick at the end of July, but this and that got in the way. You know how this and that can be. Luckily Mr. Macomber is technically savvy and he made a Macombers Facebook page so it was easy to see when the patch was open.

We finally made it late last Friday afternoon. It was a little harder to pick than usual but the berries were still plentiful, we just had to dig a little farther into the bush to get them.

We picked 8 pounds, most of which were frozen for use over the winter. I did reserve some to make these scrumptious Blueberry Vanilla Cream Cheese Pies.

Heaven I tell you. Flaky puff pastry stuffed with a creamy blueberry filling.

Jesse was eating them straight outta the oven.

Look for my notes to see how I adapted the recipe to make these mini pies.

Blueberry Vanilla Cream Cheese Pies
Adapted from Fine Cooking – Karen Baker
Two 17.3 oz packages puff pastry (I only used 1 box)
3 oz cream cheese, softened
7 tablespoons granulated sugar
Seeds scraped from ½ vanilla bean (or ½ teaspoon pure vanilla)
2 large egg yolks
1 cup blueberries
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons crème de cassis (I used Chambord)
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Confectioners’ sugar for finishing

Thaw 3 sheets of puff pastry overnight in the fridge. * see my notes

Position the racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and pre-heat to 375. In a medium bowl combine the cream cheese, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, the vanilla bean seeds (or extract) and 1 of the egg yolks. Mix with a wooden spoon until well combined.

Combine the blueberries, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, the cornstarch, crème de cassis (or Chambord in my case) and salt in another medium bowl and mix gently.

On a lightly floured surface, roll each pastry sheet into a 10 inch square……..arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet. . *See my notes - I did things a little differently.

In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg yolk with 1 teaspoon of water. Brush the outer edge of each pastry in the egg wash. Dollop ½ tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture in the center of each pastry. Top with 1 tablespoon of the blueberry mixture. Fold in half to seal, pinch edges. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon remaining sugar. With the tip of a paring knife, cut a steam vent in the center of each pie.

Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes, swapping and rotating the baking sheets positions about halfway through. Cool slightly on sheets then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

I made mini pies. Here’s what I did:

I rolled one piece of puff pastry out into a 10 inch square. I then cut it into 9 equal squares. I dolloped the cream cheese mixture and the berries in the center and then picked each one up (just like you were sealing a dumpling) and pressed the edges together. I then took a fork and crimped the edges. The berries are still going to seep out a little. There really is no avoiding that. I think it just adds to the rustic charm! So this recipe made 18 mini pies for me.

Winners!

2011-08-20T07:05:00.000-04:00

Ok folks....here are the three winners!

Ladies please use the contact me button to the right to send me your full name and addresses!

Congrats! I hope you sprinkle this sugar on something sweet & delicious!

Wordless Wednesday~

2011-08-17T06:46:00.002-04:00

Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta & a Giveaway

2011-08-15T06:42:00.001-04:00

I love Chicken Marsala.

There is just something about the taste of that Marsala wine and the tenderness of the mushrooms that makes my mouth tingle.

When I came across this recipe I beamed.

Chicken Marsala mixed with pasta? Be still my heart.

I found this recipe on What's Cookin Chicago. Joelen has lots of great recipes, but this one grabbed me and made me make it. Recipes do that you know?

I served this to friends last week and they LOVED it. It's a keeper!

I did change things up a bit, like I always do. Not too terribly much though.

Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta
adapted from a recipe at What’s Cookin Chicago
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces or strips
1- 10oz package of baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
¾ cup Marsala wine
½ cup chicken broth
¼ cup half & half (or heavy cream)
1 pound pasta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan + more for serving
Salt & pepper to taste
Fresh basil, finely chopped

Season the chicken with salt & pepper. Cook the chicken in a large skillet with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Transfer to plate when done.

Boil the water and cook pasta until al dente.

While the water is boiling add another 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan then add the garlic, mushrooms and onions. Cook for 10 – 15 minutes. Put the cooked chicken back into the skillet. Add the Marsala, chicken broth and half & half. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer. Cook until sauce has thickened. About 3 – 5 minutes.

Drain the pasta and reserve ½ cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the same skillet and add in ½ cup of Parmesan & the chopped basil. Cook until the pasta has absorbed some of the sauce (about 1 minute). Add in reserved cooking water if needed.

Season with salt, pepper and garnish with a sprinkling more of cheese.

THE GIVEAWAYS!
Last post I promised a giveaway of Trader Joe's Sugar Chocolate & Coffee Bean Grinder didn't I?

I know not everyone lives near a TJ's. We've only had ours about a year and I love it. So many different and interesting items there, two of my faves being the Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce and the Fig Butter. LOVE! But today we are talkin' about sugar that you grind, just like a salt grinder except delicious flakes of sugar goodness crackle down on your goodies.

I sprinkled some on my Stuffed Strawberries, but I can imagine this on cakes, cupcakes, in your coffee, on your toast...endless possibilities that I want you to experience...so I'm giving away THREE grinders to three lucky people.

To win leave a comment......WHAT WOULD YOU SPRINKLE THIS CHOCOLATE SUGAR ON?

I'll pick three winner on August 19th.

If you don't have a blog.....LEAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS so I can get in touch with you please.

If you blog or Facebook this giveaway let me know and I'll throw an extra chance in for ya.

GOOD LUCK!!

Peanut Butter Pie for Mikey

2011-08-13T18:37:00.000-04:00

I don't know Jennifer.

I didn't know Mikey.

I read her story.

My heart broke.

I saw this video Todd & Diane made and I wept.

I feel blessed and honored to be part of a community that is so beautiful, so caring, so compassionate.

Peanut Butter Pie for Mikey from Evolution Multimedia on Vimeo.

Wordless Wednesday~

2011-08-10T06:37:00.001-04:00

I'm Back! Stuffed Strawberries and the Fairy Hobmother Strikes again. It's time for you to make a wish!

2011-08-08T12:49:00.003-04:00

Hey I'm back. I told you I would be didn't I?

After a month of lots of cold suppers and lots of salads and some take out pizza and grinders, I am finally back in the kitchen. I can't say that I'm turning on the stove an awful lot, but I have been cooking and baking and even making some recipe that's don't involve heat at all. That's where the Stuffed Strawberries come in. Back to those in a minute.....

First I have to tell you all about my Fairy Hobmother and that she could be your Fairy Hobmother too.

My friend Amy from Very Culinary posted this awhile back. Go on and read it and you'll see that the Fairy Hobmother granted Amy her wish and she in turn got to help to grant a wish for one of her readers. Well I was one of those readers and I commented that I had recently burned my Lodge 6 quart Dutch Oven that I used for just about everything. I was really bummed about it and if I could have my wish I'd ask for a new Dutch oven. A few days later I get an email from the Fairy Hobmother telling me that she'd like to send me a new Dutch Oven. Are you kidding me? I really couldn't believe it but 2 days later this appeared at my door.

This gorgeous Lodge Dutch oven that was even better than the one I had! I was so tickled! All she asked me to do was to post about the gift and offer a chance for one of my reader to get their wish too! Ummm, yeah I think I can do that.

So, this is for reals. Leave a comment and tell us your wish! You could be the next lucky winner.

The Strawberries

This could be the easiest no bake dessert on the planet. Ripe delicious berries stuffed with creamy/almondy filling and topped with chocolate coffee bean sugar. Simple but elegant enough for your foo-foo friends. (Foo-foo, that's what my friends and I call high flautin' folks. No worries, I don't have any of those kind of friends, lol).

The Sugar Topping (no it's not pepper!)

I bet when you first looked at those pics you thought "has the girl been away from the ktichen so long that she's gone and sprinkled her berries with pepper?

Nah.. I found the chocolate coffee bean sugar grinder at Trader Joe's. See?

You just grind the sugar onto whatever you fancy. In fact, I fancy this sugar so much that I think I'm going to have a sugar giveaway this week. That'll be coming up too!

Ahhh, it feels good to be back.

Stuffed Strawberries
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temp
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
4 cups large strawberries

Combine the cream cheese, sugar and almond extract and mix well. Place mixture in a piping bag.

Make criss-cross cuts in the narrow end of the berry, cutting about 3/4 of the way down, then pipe in the cheese. I used a Wilton 6B tip, a really big and wide one, and pushed the tip way down to the bottom of the berry and worked my way up.

I left the stem on the berries cause I think it looks better and because it gives you something to grab onto when you are eating them.

Chill until ready to serve. You could make these a day in advance too.

Wordless Wednesday~

2011-08-03T06:44:00.001-04:00

Slump

2011-08-01T06:41:00.001-04:00

The green little corner of my yard.

I’m still slumpish.

Even when the heat and humidity let up for a few days I still found myself with no motivation.

As Steven says “my get up and go must have got up and went”.

Here’s what I’ve been spending lots of time doing.

• Reading magazines. Trying to get through a huge stack, clipping out what I love and passing the magazine on. I don't need the clutter.

• Bookmarking lots of recipes and saying “oh I need to make this”.

• Cutting mats out of Moose’s ears.

• Pulling my hair up.

• Trying to follow all the blogs I read. I can’t say that I’ve been keeping up with all of them, but I’m trying.

• Eating popsicles (the cotton candy flavored ones are my faves).

• Plotting out my Christmas craft for this year and buying supplies (don’t hate me cause I’m an early planner).

• Adjusting to the new meds, one perk to one of them…makes my skin super healthy and clear. One not so great perk, monthly blood work to make sure my potassium levels aren’t going up too much.

• Eating lots of cold suppers. I’m getting very creative with salad.

• Picking veggies from my garden. My basil has come back with a vengeance. It’s like 4 feet high and that’s with regular trimmings.

I had hoped to make a few recipes over the weekend but I had a wedding to attend in Connecticut on Saturday and a house to clean on Sunday. Oh yeah, I didn't feel like cleaning much during the heatwave either.

Shall I taunt you with all the delicious foods I will be posting shortly?? Ok then. Here's whats coming up....

Sicilian Steak

Lime in the Coconut Cheesecake bars

Crab Rangoon Eggrolls
Lasagna Cups
Mini Pizza Cups
My delicious herbed mayo
Pizza Black Bean Burgers from my friend Rebecca.
Blueberry Vanilla Cream Cheese Pies
Frozen Strawberry Squares
Pasta e Fagioli Soup

So that's what I have planned and of course that list is subject to change based on whatever other recipe I find that might entices me more, but most of the above mentioned should be appearing shortly. Honest...I will get back in the kitchen!

Wordless Wednesday~

2011-07-27T06:41:00.001-04:00

Bleh.

2011-07-22T21:39:00.005-04:00

Just so you know....it's hot here.

Like Matthew Broderick said in Biloxi Blues...."Man it's hot. It's Africa hot. Tarzan couldn't take this kind of hot".

I can't either. I hate it. Today the "feel's like" temp was 112. You hit the outdoors and the humidity smacks you in the face like a ton of bricks. I don't even want to think about turning my oven on. All I want to do is sit in front of the AC and eat popsicles for dinner.

I love the cool part of summer. The sunny days with a gentle breeze. The nights around the fire, the beach, the late evening weeding and waterings. This part of summer I can do without. I'm just bleh. I'm in a bleh kinda mood.

I've had a dry hacking cough for 5 days now. My voice is just about shot.

I started some new meds. That's never fun. The major side effect it frequent urination. Great. I just love peeing 15 times a day.

I have absolutely no ambition to do anything. Not to cook, not to bake, not to exert myself in any form or fashion whatsoever. I'm toast I tell ya.

I finally got in touch with the girl who designed my blog banner (which I love, but wanted to change out for the different seasons) and she told me she's too busy to work on my banner.

I've searched all over Etsy and the web for someone to design a new one for me and I can't seem to find anyone's work that really grabs me. It's really bumming me out.

If you know of anyone who does custom designed blog banners, please shoot me a comment or email.

I just thought I'd give a little update to tell you I'm just a big blob of bleh.

Think I'll go eat another popsicle.

Once the heatwave ends I'll be back with a great new recipe. Promise.

Wordless Wednesday~

2011-07-20T06:37:00.000-04:00

Easy Linguine & Clam Sauce

2011-07-14T06:49:00.001-04:00

Summer is in full swing in New England. We've had our toes in the sand, a few drinks in our hands, quite a few nights around the fire pit, and we have had the A/C's cranking! It's been a hot few weeks but I'm not complaining (well maybe I do complain just a wee little bit when my hair frizzes). The hot weather has been wonderful for our tomatoes. They are taller than I am now and we have little baby tomatoes sprouting up all over. My cukes and zukes are doing great too. I've already picked three zucchini and there's lots more on the way. My basil sprang back after the rabbit attack. Yeah!! Curse you wrascly wrabbits!

We're off this weekend for a fun-filled vacation to Jersey for a surprise party for John's Aunt. She has no idea that all her family is gathering to celebrate her 60th birthday. We can't wait! Excitment overload! We get to see my in-laws too! We really miss them being so far away so any opportunity to spend time with them is always wonderful. We'll also be checking out the Atlantic City Boardwalk. I can only imagine how many pictures I'll be taking.

Ok back to the food.....because of the heat and mostly the humidity, my stove gets a bit of a break during July and August. We tend to grill, grill and grill some more. There are times when I do use my stove when the temps are soaring, my oven....not so much. This is a stove top recipe that won't heat your kitchen up too, too much.

I told you that I was going to cook my way through Cristina Ferrare's cookbook and I am on my way.

This quick and easy linguine & clam sauce didn't take long at all to make, but the flavor was fantastic. Loads of garlic and olive oil, fresh herbs and salty clams make it the perfect summer pasta.

This is so easy to make, I promise you that you can serve it up on a week night in less than a half hour.

The flavor is just amazing. I love clams so this was a no brainer for me.

Easy Linguine & Clam Sauce
recipe from Cristina Ferrare's Big Bowl of Love
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup Italian parsley, loosely packed
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (I omitted)
2 - 6 1/2 ounces can of minced clams in clam juice * I used 3 cans of chopped, not minced clams. I drained one can and used the juice from the remaining two. I wanted bigger chunks of clams.
1 pound linguine
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
8 lemon wedges (optional)

While you prepare the clam sauce, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and boil until al dente.

Heat a large saucepan over medium high heat for 30 seconds. Add the olive oil and heat for 1 minute. Add the garlic, parsley and red pepper. Saute until the garlic just starts to turn brown. Don't burn it or the garlic will taste bitter. Add the clams with the juice from the cans. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off heat, cover and set aside.

Drain the pasta and give it two good shakes. It's not necessary to drain all of the pasta water completely. Place the pasta in the pan with the clam sauce. Add the lemon juice and toss to combine. Serve with lemon wedges if desired.

I steamed some fresh local steamers to top off my dish. Delicious and they look pretty too!

Wordless Wednesday~

2011-07-06T06:34:00.000-04:00

Happy 4th!

2011-07-02T06:04:00.000-04:00

I love the 4th of July.

It's all about the food and the people (and maybe a few firecrackers or two). It's also just one day after my husbands birthday, so we always have two things to celebrate.

This year it's going to be a low key 4th for us, not the usual big bash we host. Mama needs a little down time. There still will be delicious food and a night that ends up by the fire, so that's ok with us.

Hoping you will be spending this holiday with a happy belly and lots smiles.

Enjoy!

Strawberries & Cream Dessert Squares

2011-06-30T06:39:00.001-04:00

I adore strawberries. I think it's one of those fruits that's right on the top of most peoples "favorite fruit" lists.

Red and juicy, they just scream summer to me.

I can sit and eat a bowl full plain, just chopped up and naked.

I've been known to sprinkle a little confectioners sugar over them and throw them over ice cream.

I chop them up finely and add them into yogurt.

I've picked them by the bushel full and canned up jars of jam.

I just love them.

One of my most favorite ways to eat them is in a scrumptious dessert and this one certainly qualifies.

A shortbread cookie on the bottom.....a layer of cream cheese and white chocolate in the middle, topped with crushed and sliced strawberries in a sweet juicy jam sauce. It just doesn't get much better.

I served this for Father's Day. I had to hurry and cut out a slice to photograph before it was all gone.

Don't over bake your sugar cookie layer. Take it out just as it starts to turn slightly light golden brown or your cookie will be too hard to cut. I've learned this little trick from experience.

You could turn this into a red, white and blue dessert by adding in a few blueberries.

Strawberries & Cream Dessert Squares
recipe from Better Crocker
For the crust:
1 pouch (1lb, 1.5oz) Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix
½ cup butter, softened
1 egg

For the Filling:
1 cup white vanilla baking chips (6oz) - I could not find a package of chips that specified that they were vanilla. I used Ghiradelli white chips.
1 8oz package cream cheese softened

For the topping:
4 cups sliced fresh strawberries
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/3 cup water
10 to 12 drops of red food coloring (optional)

Oven to 350. Spray the bottom only of a 15x10x1 or a 13x9 inch pan with cooking spray. (I used a 9x13). In a large bowl stir together the cookie mix, butter and egg until a soft dough forms. Press evenly in the bottom of the pan. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely (about 30 mins)

In a small microwavable bowl, microwave the baking chips uncovered on high 45 to 60 seconds or until chips are melted and can be stirred smooth. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Stir in the melted chips and blend. Spread the mixture over the cooled crust. Refrigerate while making topping.

In a small bowl crush 1 cup of the strawberries. In a 2 quart saucepan, mix the sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the crushed strawberries and 1/3 cup of water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens. It should be like a really thick jam. Stir in food coloring if desired. I thought I would skip this step, but the color of the berries when they were cooked was a really pale pink, so I added in just a few drop of red to perk it up. Gently stir in the remaining 3 cups of strawberries. Spoon topping over filling. Refrigerate 1 hour or until set. Serve within 4 hours. I have no idea how they came up with the 4 hour time limit, but I suppose the berries would start to make the bottom a bit soggy. Store leftovers in fridge.

Wordless Wednesday~

2011-06-29T06:42:00.000-04:00

Grilled Artichokes with Garlic & Romano Cheese

2011-06-24T07:19:00.001-04:00

Have you ever eaten an artichoke?

I know to a lot of folks it’s one of those vegetable that they just have never been exposed to. It’s not a friendly looking vegetable. It’s spikey and picky and you have to clean it and trim it and that can take up some time, but I think it’s so worth it. There isn’t another vegetable that tastes like an artichoke.

I grew up eating them. Whether is was stuffed with cheese, garlic and breadcrumbs then boiled until tender and delicious, or chopped and fried in olive oil and made into one of my most favorite ways to eat them….an artichoke omelet. They have always been one of my favorite vegetables.

My Nonna and Nonno would come on Sundays from Framingham, MA, bags of goodies under their arms, and I would always look to see if artichokes were in the bags, cause that meant that my Nonna would be making an omelet.

Heaven.

My Nonna is no longer with us, and my Mom took over making the omelets. I think I need to make one and share it with you guys. Putting that on my “to-do” list right now.

In the meantime, I want to share this simple recipe for grilled artichokes.

Yes the prep takes a little bit of time, but it’s so worth every single bite.

Here is a diagram to show you all the different parts of an artichoke.

I based this recipe on one I saw on Proud Italian Cook’s site.

Grilled Artichokes with Garlic and Romano Cheese
4 large artichokes
3 cloves minced garlic
Romano cheese
Olive oil

Kosher Salt

Fresh lemon

To prep the artichoke:
With a vegetable peeler, trim off just a little of the outside stem. Now you need to trim the outer leaves. It’s easiest to do this with a pair of kitchen scissors. Just cut off a little over half the hard outer leaves with the stem on it, leaving just a little under half on the choke. Quarter the artichokes, leaving the stem intact. Place them in a large pot of boiling water. Don’t get a roaring boil going, just a gentle boil. Boil under tender. Don’t let them get really soft or they will fall apart on the grill, you just want them tender enough so a toothpick can be easily inserted. It took about 15 for mine to get tender. Drain in a colander and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking process. Once the artichokes are cool enough to handle, you need to clean out the choke.

To clean the artichoke:

With a small paring knife remove the fuzzy choke part and the some of the inner leaves. You will be able to feel the ones that need to come out. They are a little prickly. Now you are ready to put on the garlic and cheese and get them ready for the grill.

I took a big bowl and tossed all the artichokes in olive oil. You don't want to drench them, just give them a nice coating. Next I mixed the chopped garlic and Romano cheese together, then I just opened the leaves a little and sprinkled some in each one. Sprinkle some Kosher salt over each one then grill until the cheese gets crusty and brown. You will need to turn them a few times while they cook. Drizzle with lemon when they come off the grill.

Eating the artichoke:

To eat them I just pull off the outer leaves and scrape the bottoms with my teeth and then I eat the stem and heart (my absolute favorite part).

These are great served as an appetizer.

Wordless Wednesday~

2011-06-22T06:44:00.000-04:00

Homemade BBQ Sauce

2011-06-20T10:15:00.002-04:00

It's finally cookout and BBQ season here in New England. I couldn't think of a better way to kick off the season than by sharing a recipe for BBQ sauce.

Making homemade BBQ is pretty simple.

All you're really doing in taking a bunch of ingredients and slap 'em all in a heavy pot and cooking it for a few hours.

The result = thick and tangy BBQ sauce that will having you wondering why you didn't try making your own sooner.

This is another recipe that I have to thank my mother-in-law Carol for. She emailed it to me, but called me before to put in her disclaimer.

"Now I know you don't really like them, and I have NEVER made any of their recipes before, but the recipe I sent you is from....THE NEELYS and I hate to say it but, it's really good"

The Neelys. Ugh. What can I tell you. I just can't watch them. I've tried, twice, but both times I was forced to change channels before the show was half way through. They are just too lovey-dovey, and smoochy for me. Makes me wonder where their hands have been before they touch the food. Sorry, that's really what goes through my head.

So, yes, I can't stand the Neelys, but I'm happy that my mother-in-law could tolerate them long enough to try this recipe and pass it along to me.

I've made it two times already and plan on making a triple batch to get us through the cookout season.

I tweaked it a bit. Don't I always? If you like it with a little more kick, add in whatever will spice up your life.

Homemade BBQ Sauce
2 cups ketchup
1 cup water
6 teaspoons brown sugar
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons, fresh cracked black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons dry mustard
1 ½ teaspoons paprika
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon corn syrup

Combine all ingredients into a heavy bottomed pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 hours or until thick. Refrigerate leftovers.

Random Tidbits

2011-06-17T09:31:00.008-04:00

Just checking in.

Still crazy busy.

Kids are done with school on Monday so that will give me a few extra quiet moments every morning, plus I won’t have to say things like “do you have your backpack? gym clothes? ID badge? lunch? homework?” every single morning multiple times.

I also won’t have to wake two sleepy teenagers up every morning. Oh what will I do with all the time??

The cute little bunnies are wreaking havoc in my garden. They have eaten my basil and one cuke and have done a number on my daisies. Hell yeah they are adorable. Just look.

Even Moose was checking him out.

This little bugger was just sitting out in the back near my basil waiting to fill his belly up with what would eventually be my pesto for the year.

It’s time to get a rabbit proof fence.

I’m being stalked by a bird. I call him Mr. Edelweiss. If you have seen the movie Nanny McPhee Returns you will understand a bit more. More on Mr. Edelweiss in a later post.

Moose jumped up on the couch, unassisted for the first time in almost a year. It was a joyous occasion in our house. The old Moose is really coming back. *sniff*.

This is my friends dog Sasha. Beautiful girl. I wish I wasn’t allergic to her so she could come over and have sleepovers at my house with Moose.

I have a really good BBQ sauce recipe coming. I have to make a 2nd batch cause we ate the 1st one before I could photograph it. It’s so good you’ll want to eat it straight up with a spoon.

Enjoy your weekend and enjoy Father's Day. I'm cookin' up a bunch of Dad's favorites.

Wordless Wednesday~

2011-06-15T06:36:00.000-04:00

Double Chocolate Pound Cake

2011-06-13T06:40:00.000-04:00

When my friend Tati (short for Tatjana) comes over to eat at my house, I have to have something sweet for her to eat. She is one of those people who finishes her last bite of dinner and is immediately looking for something sweet. There is no breather, there is no period of digestion, she wants sugar and she wants it NOW!

We had Tati & family over for Memorial Day weekend. There were rib eyes, baked potatoes, grilled asparagus, and a nice light pasta salad, and of course, I had to make sure there was dessert!

Now the Sunday before Memorial Day was hot here in New England. It was turn on the A/C kinda hot, I don’t feel like turning on the oven kinda hot, but I did. Cause I knew if I didn’t have something sweet for Tati to eat, I would hear her groan and whine “whadda mean you don’t have something sweet? You always have something sweet. Oh mannnn” It’s the same line every time.

Tati laughing, what she does best.

Tati happened to call me when the cake had about 15 minutes left in the oven. I told her “I have a cake in the oven cause of you! I’m melting in my kitchen cause I don’t want to get yelled at for not having something sweet for you to eat”. “GOOD” she exclaimed, and she meant it. I told her better appreciate that I made a cake just for her dammit! (She did).

This was such a great pound cake. I mean I love pound cakes anyway, but this one was moist beyond belief and had really great chocolate flavor, so don't skimp on your chocolate selection. I picked up some great German chocolate at Aldi. That might have been the key to this cake coming out so delicious!

So Tati was VERY happy with this cake. She was so happy that she ate 2 big pieces and then came over the next morning and ate even more! It was that good. It's now my official "go to" pound cake. Trust me, make this!

Double Chocolate Pound Cake
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs (room temp)
2/3 cup chocolate syrup (I used Hersheys in the can)
2 ½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
½ teaspoon baking soda
7 ounces milk chocolate bars
1 teaspoon vanilla

Oven to 350. Grease and flour one 10 inch tube pan.

In a large bowl cream the butter and the sugar. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the chocolate syrup, flour and salt. In a small bowl combine the buttermilk and baking soda and add to the flour mixture. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate bars. Add the melted chocolate and the vanilla to the batter. Pour batter into pan and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes in pan and invert onto a cake plate.

What a week and a winner!!!

2011-06-10T06:51:00.003-04:00

Phew, what a week it’s been.

We’ve been dealing with illness. John has pneumonia and a bronchial infection. I have never seen him so sick. I’ve been taking on all my “regular” chores plus his and let me tell you, it’s a lot of work! I haven’t been able to rest my feet until after 9pm most nights and when I finally do sit down, I’m so tired that I just fall asleep.

Work has been just crazy. There was a point during the middle of the week that I just had to get up from my desk and walk away for a bit. Sometimes people are just nasty and crabby for no good reason and I want to slap them upside the head and tell them to be nice cause karma will only come back to kick your ass later on when you least expect it, but I’m in HR so that's out.

Someone (and I’m not naming names) threw a new red towel in with the laundry again and turned everything pink for the 2nd time in a week!! Ugh!

It’s also been hot…Africa hot. That kind of hotness and I don’t mix well.

So that’s all the crappy stuff that’s been going on, but along with the crap, there is always goodness.

My sons really stepped up to the plate and helped me out while Papa was sick. Evan was my official plant waterer and weed puller. I didn’t have to ask either of them twice to pick up their room, set the table, load the dishwasher, take out the trash or clean up after dinner. I think they just knew Mama was at her wits end.

My oldest turned 16. Party planned are on hold till Papa recovers.

Moose is doing great.

The weekend is going to be much cooler.

I will make something delicious again in the kitchen….I promise.

Oh and here’s the winner of the Rick Bayless cookbook.

That’s what you were all waiting for wasn’t it??

SQUIRREL BREAD!

Congrats! Please contact me with your address so I can get this book out to you ASAP!

Thanks for all the entries folks. Coming back here and checking out all your comments brightened my bleak week!

Wordless Wednesday~ Lucky

2011-06-08T06:37:00.001-04:00

Rick Bayless Cookbook Giveaway!

2011-06-03T05:51:00.000-04:00

Cause I think Rick Bayless rocks.

Cause it's chock fulla recipes that you should make.

Cause I found this cookbook for a great bargain I bought two, one for you and one for me.

Cause it's almost the weekend and the terrible, horrible humidity has finally left so my hair can return to normal again.

Cause we're having absolutely beautiful weather here in New England for oh like 8 days in a row! I'm feeling hap, hap, happy.

Cause I know sometimes you just need to curl up with a good book (or cookbook) and chill.

Cause I love you all.

I'm giving away a copy of Rick Bayless' cookbook Rick & Lanie's Excellent Kitchen Adventures.

Chef-Dad - Teenage Daughter. Recipes from Mexico to Thailand, by way of Oklahoma, France and Morocco, with side trips to Spain, Japan and Hong Kong. Each chapter starts with some wonderful stories by Rick and Lanie. It's really like reading a little mini biography before you get to all the recipes!

Here's just a few to get you salivating: Huevos Rancheros; Bangkok-Style Chicken Satay; Moroccan Meatballs, Tartiflette (French potato and cheese supper), recipes from Hickory House (his parents' barbecue restaurant, so many great ones!) Pad Thai, Potato-Leek Soup with Bacon, Profiteroles, Chocolate Truffles, Crispy Meringue Shells with Ice Cream and Fruit Salsa,and Chinese Pot Sticker Dumplings. I could go on and on.

I love that each recipe includes an intro by Rick and then by Lanie. I love that there is a little box in each recipe that says "DO THIS FIRST", cause that's what I always say to myself when I'm getting ready to make something "ok what to do first?". Problem solved. Rick even gives you music recommendations to go with each chapter. How cool is that?

So whatcha gotta do to win a copy?

Just answer a silly little question.....

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE KIND OF PIE?

Leave it in the comment section. I don't Tweet, but if you Tweet it, I'll give you another entry, just let me know. If you share it on Facebook, I'll do the same.

I'll pick a winner on June 9th cause I like the number 9.

Super Duper Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-06-01T06:40:00.000-04:00

Who doesn't like cookies?

I was thinking about that the other day.

Have you met anyone who doesn't? Does such a person exist?

There is such a variety and so many endless combinations of what you can do with a cookie that I can't imagine there is a single person on earth you wouldn't not like them right? Sure maybe there's some tribe in the middle of a jungle off the coast of East Japeepee somewhere that's never tried a cookie, but I bet if given the opportunity to eat one, they'd pick it over their bat wing sandwich any day of the week.

This is yet another recipe from Cristina Ferrares Big Bowl of Love. I told you I wanted to make every recipe in that book. In fact this week I'm making her Linguine and Clam Sauce. Oh yeah, I wasn't kidding when I said I'm cookin' this book baby.

These are big monster cookies. I'm talking just one'll do ya. You could push for two, but one was really plenty. I froze half the batch so I can just grab them outta the freezer and pop them in the oven next time we have the hankering for a gigantic cookie.

I did make some adjustments to this recipe. I didn't add in 4 cups of chocolate chips that the recipe called for. After I started adding ingredients in and saw how the batter looked with 3 cups of chips, I was worried it would be all filling and no batter, so I scaled down the chips to 3 cups and instead of raisins, I added in a bag of the new Hershey Droplets (heaven!!!) Think big M&M's with no shell.

This dough is soft and gushy. Don't skip putting them in the fridge to firm up.

Best way to eat them if you don't scarf them down immediately out of the oven.....zap them in the microwave for 10 seconds.

Super-Duper Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
From Cristina Ferrare’s Big Bowl of Love
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, at room temperature
4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I only used 3 cups)
1 ½ cups chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup raisins (I omitted these and added in 1 bag of Hershey Drops)

Preheat the oven to 325. Line a cookie sheet with parchment.

In a medium bowl mix the flour, baking soda and salt.

With an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment beat the butter and sugars for 2 minutes until fluffy.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, add the vanilla and beat for 1 minute. Scrap the sides of the bowl again. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well incorporated. Scrap down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Slowly add the flour mixture and beat until blended. Add the chocolate chips, nuts and raisins and mix well.

Using a small ice cream scoop, place golf ball sized pieces of cookie dough on the cookie sheet. Don’t worry if you crowd them at this point, they need to be chilled first before they are baked. Chill for 1 hour in the fridge.

When read to bake, line another cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place the chilled cookie dough balls at least 3 ½ inches apart on the pan and bake in batches. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown on top. Keep your eye on them, check them after 15 minutes. Using a metal spatula, place the cookies on a rack to cool.

Listen....

2011-05-27T06:03:00.000-04:00

I heard this song at the end of United States of Tara (love that show) and I had to go find it.

I did.

Then I watched a bunch of his You Tube Videos and fell in love with every one.

Wanted to share this one will you all.

Happy Weekend.

Enjoy and laugh a lot!

Wordless Wednesday~

2011-05-25T10:49:00.000-04:00

Fall Off the Bone Roasted Chicken Thighs

2011-05-24T06:33:00.000-04:00

So I bought Cristina Fererre's new cookbook Big Bowl of Love last week.

All I have done for the past week and a half is read this book like a bible.

I want to make EVERYTHING in it. Ok, maybe not everything, but a good 98% of it, and I can't say that about many cookbooks.

I love this cookbook not only because the recipes are amazing but also because my friends Todd & Diane from White on Rice Couple took all the photographs...breathtakingly beautiful photographs that make you wish you could rip through the pages and tear the food out to eat it.

I used to watch Cristina on a show called Home & Family. She cooked on the show and the stuff she made looked damn good. I even ordered her first cookbook for my Mom, which she still has and I need to borrow.

I have like a good two months worth of recipes I need make from this coobook. So many wonderful ones to choose from. I started with these Fall off the Bone Chicken Thighs. I love chicken thighs. I'm a dark-meat kinda gal, so this recipe really enticed me.

I knew we would be out in the yard most of the day on Saturday so I prepped the sauce in the morning then just ran back in the house and threw them in the oven.

Let's talk about the sauce! Oh my. Oh my, my, my. Such deliciousness! Evan and I kept sticking our pinkies in the sauce and tasting it. So good. I knew if the sauce tasted this good in the bowl is was bound to be killer when it was cooked..and it was. These are some seriously delicious thighs.

I did omit the chicken stock in the recipe. When I checked at the 45 minute mark I really had plenty of sauce still in the pan so I didn't want to "drown" them in chicken stock. I basted and stuck them back in uncovered. The end result was perfect so I'm glad I skipped the chicken stock.

FALL OFF THE BONE ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS
Recipe from Cristina Ferrare’s Big Bowl of Love
3 cups chicken stock or chicken broth (I didn't need to add any)
12 chicken thighs, washed and dried
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons herbs, finely chopped (your choice, I used thyme, rosemary, parsley & oregano)
1 teaspoon fennel seeds (I omitted these)
Kosher salt
Cracked pepper

Preheat the oven to 350.

Place the chicken thighs in a baking dish.

Combine the mustard, lemon juice, soy sauce and olive oil. Pour over the chicken. Turn the thighs to coat evenly.

Sprinkle on the herbs and the fennel seeds, and then sprinkle on several pinches of kosher salt and plenty of cracked pepper.

Cover with aluminum foil and roast for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and baste. Add in 2 cups of the chicken stock and stir to turn up any of the bits that have formed on the bottom of the pan. Baste again with a bulb baster.

Continue to roast for 60 minutes more, basting every 15 minutes to keep the chicken supermoist. The thighs will turn a beautiful caramel color. If you find that the bottom of the pan is dry, add the rest of the chicken stock.

Etsy addicted.

2011-05-23T05:55:00.002-04:00

I admit it.

I'm addicted to Etsy.

It's my most favorite site on the entire world wide web.

Hours have been lost.

Inspiration taken.

Money given.

It's hopeless.

Do you think there's a 12 step program?

Here's what I'm loving right now:

How beautiful is this ring?

Just look at this ring holder. You know I have a thing for little birdies.

These garden markers gave me inspiration to make my own.

I've got the utensils and the stamps, now I just have to get pounding!

Look at this rabbit. Love it.

And these mugs...adorable.

This set of little stackable bowls is really calling my name.

I so want to buy a few of these.

Solar lids that fit mason jars. You can buy them here

I have lots of mason jars. I'm thinking lighting for the backyard.

Check out this hand carved sign. The name kinda got to me.

So you know I'm ring addicted....I'm also earring addicted. Especially when I see these:

or these....

or maybe this necklace...

and back to the rings...

Check this out....a necklace made out of your babies thumbprint.

or both of your babies thumbprints...

If you have more than 2 babies then I don't know what to tell ya....buy a few??

If you babies happen to have fur they have that covered too...nose prints.

Swedish Almond Jam Bars

2011-05-19T06:40:00.001-04:00

I don't know about you but I think when you throw in the name of another country on a recipe title it always seems to make that recipe a bit more appealing.

Is it just me or is that true? I'm sure Almond Jam Bars would have been perfectly acceptable, but these are Swedish Almond Jam Bars so now it's an international recipe, and who wouldn’t want to make jam bars from Sweden? This recipe is actually from someone’s Swedish neighbor, so technically they are truly Swedish. I’m down with Sweden, I mean they gave us those little meatballs and Ikea, lingonberry jam and Abba and let’s not forget lutfisk ….well then again; you might want to forget lutfisk (google it, you’ll see why).

I confessed in an earlier post that I haven’t been spending much time in the kitchen. All my time and energy has been consumed with the outdoors these past few weeks, but a big ole patch of rain damped my enthusiasm and made it pretty impossible for me to play in the dirt, so back to the kitchen it was for me.

Chilly rainy days make me reach for my cuppa tea and what goes better with a cuppa tea then an international jam bar?

I love the meringue-like topping. It gives these bars a slight bit of chewiness in all the right ways. Feel free to substitute with whatever jam you have on hand. These were originally Raspberry Almond Jam Bars, umm excuse me, Swedish Raspberry Almond Jam Bars, by my cupboard only contained strawberry jam. No matter what jam you choose or what you decide to call them, you’ll be pleased with the results.

Swedish Almond Jam Bars
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home
¾ cup butter (1 ½ sticks)
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup strawberry jam (or raspberry jam)
3 egg whites
6 tablespoons of granulated sugar
½ cup coconut flakes
1 cup sliced almonds, divided
Additional confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling.

In a large bowl cream together the butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add the flour and mix well. Press into the bottom of a greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 for 18 – 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Spread the jam over the crust.

In a large bowl beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually best in the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time on high until stiff peaks form. Fold in the coconut and ½ a cup of the almonds. Spread over the jam. Sprinkle with the remaining almonds. Bake at 350 for 18 – 22 minutes or until golden brown. Mine were in the oven for 26 minutes before they turned a nice golden color.

Wordless Wednesday~

2011-05-18T06:41:00.000-04:00

Brown Butter Cinnamon Cheerio Caramel Squares

2011-05-13T12:20:00.000-04:00

I feel my blog mojo is stalling a bit.

Every spring this seems to happen.

I'm outside every minute that I can be and cooking up something new and photographable just seems to fall to the wayside. Sorry blog followers.

Don't give up on me, just have a little patience and be happy in knowing that I'm outside digging and planting and getting my hands dirty, and if you know me at all, you'll know that's when I'm most happy.

Once my yard is the way I want it, and the garden is planted and growing I'll be back in the kitchen churing out a bunch of amazing recipes for you all. I'm not abondaning ship, but I just wanted you to know why things are a little slow that's all.

Anyway, this post was a long time coming.

I made these months ago. I confess.

I used a variation of a recipe I found online and couldn't find where I had put the recipe, nor did I have time or energy to look for it, so it took awhile.

I bought a lot of these Cinnamon Burst Cheerios. I bought 5 boxes of them.

Why 5 boxes you ask? Well I had a coupon you see and they were on sale so I ended up paying 50 cents a box. Now that is a deal I just couldn't pass up.

So after we ate 2 boxes and were getting a bit Cinnamon-cheerioed out I decided that I needed to make something else with these. Cue my freind Krysta.

Krysta made churrios. Genius huh? Churro like Cheerio treats. Inspiration is born.

Think churro flavored rice krispie treats.

Now drizzle them with some caramel.

Now shove at least two in your pie hole while you are think about a third.

Brown Butter Cinnamon Cheerio Caramel Squares
Adapted from a recipe at the pastryaffair.com
8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter
1 10.5 ounce bag marshmallows (mini marshmallows melt the best)
6 cups of Cinnamon Burst Cheerios
Caramel Sauce for drizzling (I used Trader Joes Fleur de Sel)

Grease and 8 inch square pan (loaf pan or bar pan).

In a large pot over medium high heat melt the butter. To brown it, keep the butter on the heat until it turns brown and smells nutty. The butter will foam and turn golden before it begins to brown. Stir frequently, scraping the bottom. Watch the butter closely; it will from brown to burnt in less than a minute.

Once the butter is browned, turn off the heat and stir in the marshmallows. Add the cereal once the marshmallows are smooth and stir until evenly coated.

Spread the cereal into the prepared pan. Press down with a silicone spatulas, or coat your hands with a bit of butter like I did and press. Let cool and cut into squares.

Wordless Wednesday~ Double Fantasy

2011-05-11T06:36:00.001-04:00

Blue Stilton & Pecan crackers

2011-05-05T06:35:00.000-04:00

This is the time of the year when I seem to spend every waking sun-filled hour outside.

I have a list of projects a half mile long (see honey I didn’t say a mile long, it’s getting shorter!).

I walk around the yard and my mind is constantly churning with ideas.

“Let’s pull this shrub out”

“Let’s rip this up and replace it with something else”

“I need to re-paint that”

“I need to find ____ for this space”

“What if I move that over there?”

And that’s just the stuff I say out loud.

I also keep a gardening journal. I am constantly writing notes in it. It’s my little reference guide.

In addition to the journal I have a running excel list which keeps me in check with all the things I have to do.

It’s a bit hectic in my head.....and on paper too. It's also the time of year when meals with meat, potato and veg kinda just go out the door. Some nights it's a big salad with walnuts and pears, other nights it's pita pizza's on the grill. I have to prioritize and when we're talkin' spring yard prep, full course meals get pushed to the way side a bit. Some night it's homemade crackers and fruit.

With that being said...let's move on to crackers! Yup homemade crackers. You can do it!

This is an Ina recipe. I love Ina. You all know that. I love that she takes simple everyday ingredients and turns them into something lovely. These crackers are the epitome of loveliness. The Stilton gives you a sharp bite but the butter mellows is all out. I ate slices these with a thin slice of Granny Smith apple. Devine.

Blue Stilton & Pecan Crackers
recipe from Ina Garten
1 stick of unsalted butter at room temp
8 ounces of Stilton at room temp, crumbled (or 12 ounces with the rind)
1 ½ all purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 extra large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water for egg wash
½ cup walnuts, finely chopped

In the bowl of and electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the Stilton together for about 1 minute or until smooth. With the mixer on low add the flour, salt & pepper and continue beating for 1 minute until the dough is in large crumbles. Add 1 tablespoon of cold water and mix until the dough comes together.

Dump the dough onto a floured board and roll it into a 12 inch long log. Brush the log completely with the egg wash. Spread the walnuts on a cutting board and roll the log back and forth in the walnuts, pressing lightly to distribute them evenly. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or for up to 4 days.

Preheat the oven to 350 and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Cut the log into 3/8 inch thick slices with a small sharp knife and arrange the crackers on the sheet pan. Bake for 22 minutes, until very lightly browned, rotating the pan once during baking. Cool on the pan and serve at room temp.

Wordless Wednesday~

2011-05-04T07:00:00.000-04:00

Giveaway Winner!

2011-05-04T06:35:00.004-04:00

The winner of the Reluctant Entertainer is....

Squirrelbread!

Love that name, lol.
She chose my favorite flower too! No, that's not how I chose a winner, although it would have been a good idea. The random # generator did it's work.

Congrats Heather!

Please email me your address (hit the contact me button off to the right there).

Thanks to all who entered and much thanks to Sandy for giving away a copy of her book~

Happy Friday...let's have a GIVEAWAY!

2011-04-29T05:57:00.000-04:00

Phew! I’m slowing catching up on all my blog reading this week. There are days that go by that are so filled with the “everyday” stuff that I just can’t find the time to sit and read (and sometimes drool) over all the fantastic blogs on my list.

If you peeked into my reader, you’d find blogs about decorating, crafting, entertaining, gardening, photography and of course lots and lots of food blogs.

Sandy’s blog The Reluctant Entertainer is a little of all the things I love about a blog rolled up into one. She’s a busy Mom of 3 teenagers (I can relate to that) who maintains a garden, entertains on a budget, makes delicious meals for her family and friends, teaches the power of gracious hospitality and shows you that entertaining doesn’t have to be stressful. You can be the hostess AND enjoy the party!

Sandy is also the author of The Reluctant Entertainer.

Sandy on her book:

In my NEW inspirational book, The Reluctant Entertainer, I relate to many
apprehensive hostesses in real ways with genuine encouragement and advice.
Emphasizing the forgotten goal of entertaining – connecting deeply with others –
I show how women can use who they are and what they have to create memorable experiences.

Plus it’s packed with over 40 of Sandy’s delicious recipes.

Sandy contacted me and offered one of my readers a copy of the book! Thanks so much Sandy! Since spring is finally here and Mother’s day is approaching fast, just answer this question for me:

What is your favorite flower?

If you’d like another chance to win, follow this blog (if you do already, let me know in the comments and I’ll add another chance in for ya).

Deadline for entries is Tuesday, May 3rd, so hurry!

Please include an email address if you do not have a blog.

Can't wait to win it?? Buy it now on Amazon!

Wordless Wednesday~

2011-04-27T06:41:00.000-04:00

Amaretto Almond Pound Cake

2011-04-26T06:42:00.001-04:00

There are times that the end of the day calls for a cuppa tea and some pound cake.

Days, for instance, when you plant over 150 bulbs, clean out your raised beds, weed the chives, pull out all of the dead leaves from the perennials, make two trips to Lowes, make a trip to the nursery (ok John did that without me), make a trip to your favorite local growers, transplant 6 pots of lambs ear for your co-workers, and get 4 spots in the yard ready for grass seed!

That was Friday for us. We were pooped!

When we take the day off, we mean business.

There's no loafing around or watching movies, no siree, we are going to cram as much into one sunny day as humanly possible....then we'll collapse on the couch.

Sometimes you want a non-fancified dessert. No-frills so to speak. This pound cake was the perfect ending to a very busy day.

Amaretto Almond Pound Cake
1 ¼ cups butter, softened (2 and ½ sticks)

2 1/2 cups sugar
3 oz cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoon almond liqueur
1 tablespoon of vanilla
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
6 large eggs
1/3 cup sliced almonds

Oven to 325.

Beat the butter and the cream cheese at medium speed with a heavy duty electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add the sugar beating a medium speed, until light and fluffy. Add the liqueur and vanilla, beating until just blended. Gradually add the flour to the butter mixture at low speed just until blended after each addition.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating at low speed just until blended after each addition. Sprinkle almonds over the bottom of a greased & floured 12 cup bundt pan, or 2 loaf pans.

Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Just a reminder....

2011-04-25T06:42:00.001-04:00

There is still good in the world and it’s growing bigger and

stronger and faster than ever. If you let it.

Thanks for that Ryan.

Cheddar Stuffed Mini Meatloaves

2011-04-22T06:41:00.000-04:00

What it is about mini foods that makes you smile?

I'm tellin' ya, I was actually grinning ear to ear when these came out of the oven. I cooed at them like they were little meatloaf babies.

I was smiling when I made them and shaped them into little loaves too.

They just look so darn cute.

I had stopped by Trader Joe's a few days ago and was walking the aisles looking for inspiration. Nothing really happened, although I did pick up a bunch of ranunculus, which is quickly becoming my favorite flower. So I grabbed a few pounds of their organic ground beef and decided I was just going to wing it.

Hmmm, now what could I make. I skimmed through one of my recipe folders and saw a few meatloaf recipes, but nothing really grabbed me so I decided I was just going to raid the fridge and look for inspiration there.

Parmesan cheese, a block of cheddar....I can make something with this.

The birth of the cheddar stuffed mini meatloaf.

It's cute.

It's little.

It's darn tasty.

Cheddar Stuffed Mini Meatloaves

recipe from Lisa@The Cutting Edge of Ordinary

½ cup panko breadcrumbs
1 medium onion, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup ketchup, plus more for topping
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon Mrs. Dash (or other seasoning of your choice)
2 pounds ground beef
2 large egg
4 ounces cheddar cheese, diced (1/2 of an 8oz block)

Oven to 400.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the olive oil and onions and cook until onions are tender. Add garlic in the last few minutes of cooking. Cool slightly and put in a large bowl.

Add in all of the other ingredients except the cheddar. Mix gently with your hands. Yes, go on in there and get messy. Fold in the diced cheddar.

Shape into 6 (4 x 2-inch) loaves. I tried to cover up the cheddar with the ground beef so it wouldn't burn in the oven. Line a sheet pan with parchment and place loaves on the pan. Spread about 2 teaspoons ketchup over each loaf. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until done.

Wordless Wednesday~ (ok so there's words!)

2011-04-20T06:41:00.000-04:00

Fudgy Cream Cheese Cake

2011-04-18T06:34:00.000-04:00

Oh my aching arms and back and legs!

I've been working people. Working hard.

As soon as the sun is up and the the weather is warm we hit the yard running. Almost literally.

Winters are hard here. They are long and cold and they linger. Sometimes they linger into April.

This past weekend was the first really nice weather that we've had in awhile. It was a little windy, but hey, you take what you can get this time of year in New England.

So we took advantage of our sunny Sunday by trimming up all the hedges in the front, and then raking up all the hedge clippings in the front (ehhh my aching hands) and then we decided, kinda spur of the moment that we were going to rip out a rhododendron that I've hated since the day I moved into the house over 24 years ago. Guess I wan't in a hurry huh?

So John and our neighbor Tom (who is the best neighbor on the planet) sorry other neighbors, he just is. The man owns an ice cream factory. Come on, you cannot compete. Anyhoo....Tom and John tie a big ole chain on the back of the pick up and after 6 or 7 tugs (and huge tire tracks in my lawn) that sucker is outta here.

Farewell ugly rhododendron! I can't say I'm sorry to see you go.

And now for something completely different - CAKE!

This cake has absolutely nothing to do with the story I just told. Sorry no witty segway into this recipe.

I made this a few weeks ago. It was really good. It was gone the very next day, that's how good it was. I don't even have to tell you how delicious this was. Just look at that layer of cream cheesy goodness, and the frosting. Oh my. No we didn't eat it all, we always share.

Fudge Lovers Cream Cheese Cake

For the cake
1 box devils food cake
1 box (4 serving size) chocolate instant pudding mix
1 cup hot water
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs

Filling
1 package (8oz) cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
1 egg
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup chopped nuts (optional)

Oven to 350.

For the cake: Spray the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan with baking spray with flour (ummm that would be Bakers Joy people). In a large bowl beat the cake ingredients with a mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into pan.

For the filling: In a large bowl beat the cream cheese, sugar and 1 egg on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spoon the filling by the tablespoon full evenly over the top of the batter. Using a table knife swirl the filling through the batter. Sprinkle with nuts if desired.

Bake 40 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.

Chocolate Buttercream
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Using the wire whisk attachment of your stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and add the vanilla, mixing until incorporated. Add the melted chocolate and whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed to incorporate all of the chocolate. Cover the cake with frosting. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Chicken, Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup

2011-04-15T05:55:00.000-04:00

It's spring right? I mean technically winter is over. I know that's what the calendar says but here in New England it's been a slow, slow process. We are preparing though. I've been clearing out the garden and flower beds, planning out the veggie garden, getting ready to purchase some new plants, and I'm ready to plant the ones we bought a few weeks back.

My chives are up, my garlic is sprouting and my tiger lilies and hostas are all peeking there noses out, so there are signs that spring is actually here. Now if the ground would just cooperate with me and let me dig dammit!

John built me a beautiful new fire pit. It's big and it's beautiful and I can't wait to spend my summer nights sitting around it. Makes me happy.

I know soup season is coming to a end. It kind of makes me a little sad.

I love a good soup. A hunk of bread and a bowl of steaming soup, and all is well in the world.

So even though most of us will be moving on to more springy/summery dishes, I couldn't pass this one up.

We all love rice in this house, and almost all of us (yeah I'm looking at you Evan) love mushrooms. Evan has learned to just pick the mushrooms outta things over the years.

I love that this was creamy, but still pretty light. It wasn't rich and heavy, but it still had a wonderful consistency.

I can see this being one recipe that is in heavy rotation during the cooler months.

We paired this with a nice spinach salad for dinner.

Chicken, Mushroom & Wild Rice Soup
2 – 6oz packages of long-grain and wild rice mix (hello Uncle Ben)
12 cups chicken broth, divided
4 tablespoons butter
1 – 8oz package of fresh mushrooms, sliced (I used baby bellas)
1 medium onion, chopped (I also threw a few shallots in)
3 stalks chopped celery
¼ cup butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup half & half
2 tablespoons dry white wine
2 cups cooked shredded chicken breasts
Garnish: fresh parsley, cracked pepper

Bring the 2 packages of rice, 4 cups of chicken broth and 1 seasoning packet from the rice mix to a boil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender (reserve remaining seasoning packet for another use.)

Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat add the mushroom, onions and celery. Cook 10 to 12 minutes or until tender, stirring often.

Melt ¼ cup of butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat, whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute or until thickened and bubbly. Gradually whisk in the remaining 8 cups of chicken broth and cook, stirring often, 8 to 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Whisk in the half & half and wine. Stir in the mushroom mixture, chicken and rice. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 10 minutes or until thoroughly heat. Garnish and enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday~

2011-04-13T06:45:00.000-04:00

Oreo Filled Brownie Bites

2011-04-11T06:26:00.000-04:00

Cake Pops.

Red Velvet everything.

Bacon in everything.

Mini everything.

Macaroons.

Is this Oreo filled everything next?

I know I'm not the first. I've seen variations of different treats stuffed with Oreos. My friend Amy just stuffed one into a chocolate chip cookie. Hi Amy! You are brilliant and you know I couldn't believe it when I saw that post cause I had this one churning in my head at the same time.

I thought why not jump on the trendy bandwagon and stuff an Oreo in a brownie. You know now that I think of it I should have added a Hershey kiss, or a few M&M's in the middle. I could have had the turducken of desserts. Doh!

I had just bought a gigantic box of Oreos at my local warehouse club and I thought, what can I stuff these babies in? How about brownies?

Yeah I could have made them from scratch, but why bother when Mr. Ghirardelli can save me all the time and energy, and I just so happened to have a box of his fine products in the cupboard.

Next time I whip up a batch of these I need to get a non-nut mix. Evan was really disappointed that there were walnuts in these. Bad Mommy.

It really couldn't have gotten any easier. Here's what I did:

Oreo Filled Brownie Bites
1 box of your favorite brownie mix (I used Ghirardelli's walnut mix)
1 package of Oreos, any kind you like
1 cupcake pan

Spray your cupcake pan with cooking spray. Put a good tablespoon of batter in the bottom of the cup, enough to fill the bottom. Place the Oreo in the middle of the batter and press down slightly. Cover with another tablespoon of batter.

Bake in a 350 oven for 25 - 35 minutes. Test with a toothpick for doneness. Let rest in pan for 5 minutes, remove to cooling rack to cool completely.

This made 11 brownie bites.

Creamy Asparagus Puffs

2011-04-07T06:41:00.000-04:00

Are you an asparagus lover?

I am.

I ask that question because I think asparagus is one of those foods like coconut, or Brussel sprouts, turnips, liver or even avocado. To me, those are foods that a lot of people dislike.

I can't even remember if I always loved it. I don't have any memories of eating it when I was younger. It was one vegetable that really wasn't served too much at my house. My Mom is not a big fan, so I'm sure that's why it didn't grace the table much.

I wait every spring for asparagus season to start and for the long thin spears to go on sale so I can buy pounds and pounds of it.

I swear I go through withdrawal every winter. That's when I have to resort to Trader Joe's frozen asparagus. It's really not too bad in a pinch, but nothing compares to the fresh stuff.

My favorite way to eat it is roasted in the oven with some lemon, spice and olive oil. I can eat a whole pound by myself. No word of a lie. Sometimes I grill it, I love it that way too. Sometimes I chop it up into a salad, or throw it in an omelet.

I love, love, love it. It may be my favorite veggie.

After these came out of the oven...I have to admit...I may have a new favorite way to eat it.

I adapted this recipe from one I saw in Taste of Home magazine. I was thrilled when I saw that it was combined with puff pastry. Genius! I made a few tweaks it to and I have to say...it is insanely delicious. I'm talking, run to the rooftops and shout it out loud delicious.

The center is creamy and tangy and the asparagus roasts up just perfect, just a wee bit of a crunch to it, and I love how the ends puff up, almost like a little boat. So cute.

I was testing this recipe out to be an Easter appetizer.

It passed - with flying colors!

Creamy Asparagus Puffs
adapted from a recipe in Taste of Home
1 package (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
2 sheets (1 package) frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed
olive oil for drizzling
shaved cheese for topping (I used pecorino and asiago)

Oven to 400.

In a small bowl combine the cream cheese, grated Parmesan, lemon juice, parsley & basil.

Line a baking sheet with parchment. Unfold the pastry and fold it in half. Cut the folded piece in half so you have 4 quartered rectangles. Place slightly apart on a baking sheet. Spread the cream cheese mixture to within a 1/2 inch of the edge. Trim the asparagus spears to 1 1/2 inches shorter than the pastry. Press the spears onto the pastry alternating directions. Drizzle with oil. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry.

Bake for 18 - 22 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with shaved cheese of your choice. Slice into thirds and serve warm.

Wordless Wednesday~ Dreaming of Spring

2011-04-06T08:56:00.000-04:00