LittleRails

Baked Hash Browns

2012-02-19T17:38:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe on foodnetwork.com. I was looking for a way to make hashbrowns that wouldn't take over my stove since I needed the burners for other things. These came out a little browner that I would have liked but I got distracted doing other breakfast items. It was still really good and had wonderful flavor. This is a great way to prepare hashbrowns when you've got other items on the stove that need tending too. Just don't forget about them like I did ;)

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
1 cup bacon lardoons
1 medium shallot, sliced
1 egg white
4 green onions, roughly chopped
2 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Peel potatoes and wash. Use a mandolin, or food processor with the grater attachment, to finely shred potatoes. Place in a kitchen towel and squeeze dry.

Take a 9-inch oven proof skillet and add bacon and sliced shallots. Set over medium heat and render fat, 4 to 5 minutes. Shallots will caramelize. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon and shallots and put in a large mixing bowl (reserve the bacon fat and pan) with potato slices, egg white, green onions, and thyme leaves and season well with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Spoon mixture into the hot pan with the bacon fat. Pack it in well pressing down with a large spoon to compress the mixture a little. Drizzle the top with some extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. When it starts to get golden brown and crispy around the edges flip the hash brown over and pop into the oven to bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before running a knife around the edges and then inverting the potato onto a cutting board. Slice into wedges, garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley and serve.

S'mores Bars

2012-02-13T17:04:00.000-08:00

This recipe is just a flat out share of one I saw on pinterest. S'mores are one of my all time favorites desserts. This recipe is so easy that I had to stop keeping the items to make it in my pantry.

The bottom and top layers are a soft shortbread made with crushed graham crackers. The middle is just 2 giant hershey bars and a jar of marshmallow fluff.

Incredibly easy and incredibly addictive.

The original post is on this Blog.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 king-sized milk chocolate bars (e.g. Hershey’s)
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.
Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles and laying them together).
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

2012-02-13T16:58:00.000-08:00

Another great pinterest find. The original blog post can be found HERE.

I made a slight modification though. The original recipe called for what I thought was more than enough swirl and icing. So instead I double the batter amount and kept the swirl and icing portions the same. I still ended up with alot of swirl left over. The following recipe is doubled batter, halved swirl and the same icing. It makes just about enough for my, hubby and my two sons (who each eat twice as much as I do!)

Ingredients

PANCAKES:
2 cup all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
2 Tablespoons canola oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

CINNAMON FILLING:
1/4 cup butter, melted
3/8 cup brown sugar, packed (half of 3/4)
1/2 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:
4 Tablespoons butter
2 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Directions:

1. Prepare pancake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in milk, oil and egg, just until batter is moistened (a few small lumps are fine).

2. In a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Scoop the filling into a small zip baggie and set aside. You don't want this to remain super-liquidy. It's best if it becomes a consistency similar to toothpaste.

3. In a medium, microwave-safe bowl- heat butter and cream cheese until melted. Whisk together until smooth; whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla extract; set aside.

4. Heat large skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with nonstick spray. Scoop about 3/4 cup batter onto the skillet. Snip the corner of your baggie of filling and squeeze a spiral of the filling onto the top of the pancake. When bubbles begin to appear on the surface, flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a baking sheet or platter and keep in a warm oven until ready to serve.

5. When ready to serve, spoon warmed glaze onto the top of each pancake.

Tips:

*Keep the heat low or your pancakes might cook up too quickly. Don't flip them until you see those bubbles starting to pop on top. Flip them with a wide spatula so you can grasp the whole thing without batter and filling dripping all over the place!
*It's best if you pour the batter onto your skillet, wait a minute or so and then swirl the cinnamon onto the batter. That'll give it a chance to set a little before you add the swirl.
*If your baggie of filling begins to get too thick, just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it up again. On that same note, it shouldn't be too runny. The consistency of soft toothpaste is perfect. If it's melty and runny, it will tend to run all over your pancakes. Once you micro it, let it sit on the counter at room temp for a while until it thickens slightly.

The ingredients and directions were copied from the original blog. This tends to make a big mess, so make sure you either use a good non stick griddle or put your pans and utensils in hot soapy water before washing for easier clean up.

Cream Cheese Won-ton Cups

2012-02-13T16:47:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite treats are cream cheese filled won-tons. But the classic version is alot of work and is best made in small batches. I wanted to convert so that I had a shorter prep time and I could make all of them at once.

Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese, softened
24 won ton small square papers
ginger to taste
1 chopped green onion

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix cream cheese and green onions. Grate ginger into the cream cheese mixture and continue tasting until you get the flavor that you like. I prefer having a bit stronger ginger flavor and I think I used about 1 tablespoon of grated ginger.

Transfer the cream cheese mixture to a piping bag or a ziploc bag.

Put one wonton paper in each cup of a mini muffin tray. I used a shot glass to push the papers down into the cups.

Squeeze about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese into each cup.

Bake for 8-10 minutes until the tips are golden brown. Serve warm, and try not to eat all of them yourself.

Rice Krispie Valentine Treats

2012-02-13T16:32:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Pinterest, I decided to make a homemade Valentine gift for Keegan's classmates. I knew there would be a few issues or problems with the idea in my head, but I knew I could make it work.

First off you need to make a batch of Rice Krispie Treats, according to the box directions.

Put the tray of treats in the fridge for an hour or so to really firm up.

Before taking the treats out of the fridge, chop and melt your chocolate.

I used half a big block of Almond Bark and make 17 heart treats. Worked out perfectly.

Next, cut out your rice krispie treats. I used a heart for Valentine's Day.

Now comes my first hurdle. The first time I dipped the treat in chocolate then tried to put the lollipop stick in. Big mess. So push the stick into the treat to create a hole, then remove it before dunking in chocolate. I was also worried that the treats would be too soft to hold up. So make sure you coat the entire back of the heart shape to give it some stability. Lay out on a sheet of wax paper. Sprinkle with candies shortly after dipping so the candy will stick to the chocolate.

I wrapped each treat and closed with a red bow.

I had my son pose for a picture with his fist up in the air. I used photoshop to add a heart, border and text. Then I had Walmart print 4x6 copies.

Make a small slit at the top and bottom of the hand with an xato knife.

Insert the lollipop stick into the holes so that it looks like they are holding the lollipop.

Activity Advent Calendar

2011-11-10T13:32:00.000-08:00

I saw a picture of an activity advent calendar on pinterest that I just fell in love with. Instead of eating stale candy from a cheap cardboard cutout every night, this advent calendar had a Christmas related activity to do every day. There two huge reasons why this would be perfect for us. You can reuse it every year and, the best part, you can cheat! We all know the holidays get crazy so planning activities 20 days in advance doesn't always work out, especially when it involved two little boys. So the way this calendar is set up, you can make sure the daily activities line up with your schedule. My plan is to check the calendar every night after the boys go to bed. I'll make sure I can do the next days activity, if not, I just switch the cards around.... genius!!

But there was one drawback to the calendar I saw in pinterest, the blog didn't have any instruction. So I made a plan, and even though it changed along the way, I am very happy with the results. So here is the step by step for you!

Here is the original picture (from HERE)

My shopping list:

Foam board (which I ended up not using)

Fabric for the backing (from a remnant bin)

A package of Christmas fabric quilting squares

Christmas ribbon

Package of Christmas scrapbook pictures

Fabric glue

Fabric Paint

Index Cards

Christmas shaped white cards

Christmas Sticker

My first step was to mark out the edge of the foam board on the backing fabric so I knew how to lay out the squares.

Using fabric pencil, I laid the foam board on top of the backing fabric, and being sure to keep the board still, I traced along the edges.

Next I took the package of quilting squares and laid them out on the backing fabric, making to that similar colors and prints were not close to each other.

This is where I ran into my first bit of trouble. There was no way to arrange the squares so that there was 24 inside the area of the foam board. So I could either cut every square to be smaller and cut every activity square smaller, or I could just find a bigger double thick cardboard to mount it to, instead of the foam board. Finding a bigger board seemed to be easier than all that cutting, so I pinned all of the squares to the backing. Make sure you put individual pins in all four corners, you'll be moving this around alot and don't want your squares sliding around. You can also choose to glue the squares down but it may require touchups with use.

I sewed the three sides of each square, leaving the top open.

Next was finding a new backing to attach to it. I asked hubby if he could find a section of cardboard big enough. But he had an even better genius idea (don't you hate it when that happens?). Instead of attaching the fabric to cardboard, why didn't I just sew pockets into the top and bottom and put dowels in it. That would also make it easier to store since it could be folded up. So with a heavy heart, I seceded that Chad's idea was better and headed out to buy the dowels. I also had to finish the edges of the side now since they wouldn't be hidden behind the foam board.

I chose to use a fancy dancy stitch on my sewing machine. Again, you could do this using fabric glue too.

Next I folded the top and bottom in and did an invisible stitch, creating a tube for the dowels.

Once the pockets were done, I inserted the dowels and put drops of glue just inside the pockets to keep the dowels in place.

Next, I turned my attention to the activity cards. I used red and green markers to write an activity on each cutout. Be sure to choose activities that can be repeated each year. It helps to keep them general or something that is already a family tradition. Instead of using "Make snowmen ornaments" just use "Make ornaments". That way you have a little wiggle room from year to year. For the cutout on the 24th, I used "Read Night Before Christmas, and leave out milk and cookies for Santa". I also added stickers to each cutout to make them more festive.

The last step was the really fun part. Decorating the pockets. I used cutouts from a Christmas themed scrapbook package. I laid them out before gluing any on to make sure I liked the way it looked. I inserted an index card into each pocket to prevent the glue from seeping through the fabric and gluing the pocket closed. I used Tacky Glue and attached the cutouts to each pocket. I also used glitter fabric paint to highlight some of the pattern in the fabric and to write the day (1-24).

You can see the index cards poking out the top of the pockets. I was going to remove the index cards once the glue was dried but they were pretty stuck. I could have easily peeled them off the back of the pockets, but I liked the stability they gave. So I just cut off the top sections so you couldn't see them, leaving the rest glued to the back of the pockets.

To finish it off, I tied a ribbon to the ends of the top dowel so it could be hung on a wall, and TADA, a new family tradition is born.

Homemade Pretzels

2011-09-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

Besides the obvious that they raised alot, these were really good. Not as good as the ones you get from Target or that nice little shop in the mall, but still good.

Ingredients

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110 degrees to 115 degrees)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon salt 1/2 egg 3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 egg yolk
1 tablespoon cold water
coarse salt

Directions

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, butter, salt, egg and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and refrigerate for 2-24 hours. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Cut each into 16 pieces. Roll each piece into a 20-in. rope. Shape into a pretzel. Place on greased baking sheets. Beat egg yolk and cold water; brush over pretzels. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 25 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Perfect Biscuits

2011-09-21T17:11:00.000-07:00

I have searched for a long time for that perfect biscuit recipe. You know the one. Wonderfully brown and crisp on the outside, and deliciously soft, flakey and moist on the inside. Of course you need to make these from scratch, I knew no box mix was going to cut it. But I tried several of different recipes and never really got the results I wanted. After watching an episode of Sandwich King on Food Network, I am happy to exlaim, "By Jove, I think I've got it!" Turns out the perfect biscuit isn't just about the recipe, but the technique. Two simple things make a world of difference.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder*
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar*
3/4 cup butter
1 1/4 cup buttermilk or 1 cup milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon melted butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place a cast iron skillet in the oven to preheat.

2.In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Place bowl in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.

3. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add COLD milk all at once. Using a fork, stir just until moistened.
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough by folding and gently pressing dough for four to six strokes or just until dough holds together. Pat or lightly roll dough until 3/4 inch thick. Cut dough with a floured 2-1/2-inch biscuit cutter, rerolling scraps as necessary. Handle the dough as little as possible.

5. Pull cast iron skillet from the oven and add enough vegetable oil just to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Place biscuits, sides touching, in hot cast iron skillet. Brush the top of the biscuits with melted butter. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until golden. Remove biscuits from oven and serve warm.

Two simple steps, baking in a hot cast iron skillet and refridgerating the ingredients after combining, made a WORLD of difference.

Creamy Chicken with Pot Pie Toppers

2011-08-31T12:22:00.000-07:00

Chicken Pot Pie. YUM. This is a great way to transfer the meal into a make ahead dish. I did make a few changes. First major change was the celery. And I do this for every dish the calls for celery. I don't care for the texture of cooked celery but it does add a nice flavor. So instead of chopping the celery up, I leave it whole and toss it in. Then fish it out before serving. You get the depth of flavor celery gives your meals but not the mush grey stuff. In the recipe it calls for mushrooms, but no one around these parts really cares for them, so I just omitted them and the steps. It also say to bake the puff pastry ahead of time also but this is such an easy step that I decided to wait and do it the night of instead of risking the baked puffed pastry crumbling in the mean time. The result was wonderful. I think I will even add more veggies next time.

Ingredients

3 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast

3 onions

2 fresh bay leaves

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced or quartered

4 baby potatoes, diced

2 parsnips, peeled and diced 1/2-inch thick

2 small ribs celery, chopped

A few sprigs fresh sage leaves, very thinly sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Splash white wine

1 rounded tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 sheet frozen puff pastry dough, defrosted

1 egg

Directions

Place the chicken breasts in a pot with 1 quartered onion and 1 bay leaf. Fill the pan with just enough water to come to the top of the chicken breasts. Bring the mixture to a low boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and poach the chicken 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the chicken and dice or shred with forks. Reserve the poaching liquid.

In the same pan, heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, a couple of turns of the pan over medium-high heat, add the mushrooms and lightly brown. When the mushrooms are just tender, add 2 chopped medium onions, potatoes, parsnips, celery, sage, salt, pepper and remaining bay leaf. Cover the pot and sweat the vegetables 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the bay leaf. Melt the butter in the pot, add the flour and stir to make a light roux. Deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine and add one to 2 cups of reserved poaching liquid. Whisk in the mustard and 2 cups chicken stock. Stir in the cream. Thicken to a light gravy consistency. Adjust the salt and pepper and add in the chicken.

Reduce the heat to low and bake off the pastry tops.

For make-ahead meal: Bake off the pastry tops; cool the filling and store. Reheat the filling, covered, over medium heat to a bubble, and then reduce the heat to a simmer.

To prepare the pastry tops: Cut the pastry into shapes which reflect the shape and size of the dishes or bowls you wish to serve the soup in. Beat the egg with a splash of water and arrange the cut pastry on a nonstick baking sheet or on parchment-lined sheet pan. Brush the dough with the egg wash and bake to golden at 425 degrees F, 12 minutes.

Baked Taco Bowls

2011-08-28T13:57:00.000-07:00

We love tacos in our house. They are a great throw together meal. Especially when you have some leftover roast in the fridge. I made these shredded beef taco bowls with the leftover roast from the Braised Beef recipe (HERE) and some inspiration from pintrest. Instead of frying the taco shells, like we had always done in the past, I saw an article on pintrest on how to BAKE the taco shells. The results were delicious. With fried taco shells, they tend to start getting mushy unless you fry them so hard that they are pretty much crumbling when you start to build your taco. With these, they stay crisp and fresh and with the bowl shape, they are all ready for loading.

To make the bowls, preheat your oven to 350. Spray corn tortillas with non stick spray. Lay in an upside down cupcake pan so the shape resembles a bowl. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the shell is crisp and holds it shape.

Then load up with your favorite taco fixings. A quick scrumptious meal.

Lemon Cream Cheese Cupcakes

2011-08-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite cake flavors is lemon. The frosting in this recipe is a creamy and light and just perfect with the lemon altered white cake mix. Super easy and fantastic results.

Ingredients

1 package (2-layer size) white cake mix
1 (3.4 ounce) package JELL-O Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding
1 cup water 4 egg whites
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (16 ounce) package powdered sugar
1 (8 ounce) package PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice
yellow food coloring (optional)

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat cake mix, pudding mix, water, egg whites and oil in large bowl with mixer on low speed until moistened. (Batter will be thick.) Beat on medium speed 2 min. Spoon batter evenly into 24 paper-lined 2-1/2-inch muffin cups.

Bake 21 to 24 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, beat sugar, cream cheese, butter and juice with mixer on low speed until well blended. Add a few drops of food coloring until you reach desired color. Frost cupcakes.

Turkey Stuffing Meatloaf with Herbed Mashed Potatoes

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

This was YUM. It was like the perfect Thanksgiving bite. Mashed potatoes, turkey, stuffing and gravy. We just had this last week and it's already on the menu again for this week. Super fast and delicious. And what's almost as good as the dinner? The leftover turkey meatloaf sandwiches. The original recipe (as written here) calls for a oil based gravy, which I didn't like. I also just used butter in the mashed potatoes. From now on, I'll be making my roux based gravy, or you can just use a packet of quick made gravy.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter

2 McIntosh apples, cored and chopped

3 to 4 small ribs celery, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 bay leaf

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cup stuffing cubes (recommended: Pepperidge Farm) or stale cubed white bread

1 tablespoon poultry seasoning

4 cups chicken or turkey stock in a box

2 pounds ground turkey

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 large egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more for drizzling

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 pounds starchy potatoes, peeled

1 cup whole milk

1 (5-ounce) package soft herb cheese (recommended: Boursin)

1/4 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs (recommended: chives, dill, thyme)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the butter to melt in a medium skillet over medium heat. Saute the apples, celery, and onions seasoned with a bay leaf, salt, and pepper, until very tender, 10 minutes. Add the stuffing cubes and moisten with 1 to 1/1 2 cups of stock; season with poultry seasoning. Cool completely, then combine in a bowl with ground turkey, salt, pepper, half the parsley, and egg. Form 4 oval-shaped loaves a couple of inches thick. Arrange on a rack over baking sheet or parchment-lined baking sheet and coat with a little oil to glisten. Roast until brown and firm, 45 minutes, depending on thickness.

Reheat the meatloaves in medium hot oven to warm through. Place them in a shallow baking dish and cover with foil. Cook's Note: To keep the loaves from drying out - add a splash of stock, this will keep the loaves super moist.

In a saucepan, whisk the oil and 1/4 cup flour over medium heat 10 to 15 minutes, until the color of peanut-butter. Add lots of coarse pepper to the roux, then whisk in a couple of cups of stock and thicken, season with salt to taste. Cool completely and store in the refrigerator. Reheat the mixture in a saucepan over medium flame.
While the meatloaves bake, boil the potatoes in enough water to cover. Drain, then return the potatoes to the hot pot and mash with milk, herb cheese, mixed herbs, remaining parsley, salt and pepper. Cool completely and store in the refrigerator.

Reheat the potatoes in a saucepan over medium-low heat, adding a little more milk as the potatoes warm to loosen them up a bit.

Serve the meatloaves, whole or sliced, with mashed potatoes and gravy.

Spinach Stuffed Braciole with Pasta

2011-07-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

Make Ahead Meal. I made this recipe almost as written the first time around. I didn't use pine nuts because they were super expensive. However, it may have just been the brand of frozen spinach I used, but it was a little too "dirty" tasting for me. Next time I will start with fresh and see if that makes a difference. It was great dish, tons of leftoevers.

BRACIOLE:

1 (10-ounce) box chopped frozen organic spinach

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Freshly grated nutmeg

2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and finely chopped

2 tablespoons dried currants or chopped raisins

2 to 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 cup freshly shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

4 (8-ounce) pieces thin-cut top round veal or beef pounded very thin

Special equipment: Kitchen twine

SAUCE:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 large fresh bay leaf

A few sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped

A few sprigs fresh sage, thinly sliced

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 cup dry white wine

2 cups chicken stock-in-a-box

1(28-ounce) large can diced tomatoes
1 box of your favorite wide pasta

1 tablespoon butter

A generous handful fresh sweet basil leaves, torn or shredded

A small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Directions

For the braciole: Defrost, drain, and wring the frozen organic spinach dry in a clean kitchen towel and separate with your fingertips while adding to a mixing bowl. Season the spinach with salt, black pepper, and a little nutmeg. Add the chopped hard-boiled eggs, currants, pine nuts, finely chopped garlic, and cheese to the bowl and gently combine. Season the meat with salt and pepper and arrange each steak with one of the narrow ends near you. Divide the filling evenly among the meat slices. Scatter the filling over the meat leaving a 1/2-inch edge or border on the sides. Fold the edge over the filling and tuck in the edges as you roll each bundle to secure the filling. Wrap and roll the remaining bundles and secure with kitchen twine to cover the ends and middle, like wrapping a package.

Heat a large Dutch oven with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil a couple of turns of the pan over medium-high heat. Brown the meat bundles 6 to 8 minutes to evenly caramelize the meat all over.
For the sauce: Remove the bundles from the pan and add 1 tablespoon more olive oil, give a turn of the pan to coat. Add the chopped carrots, onions, sliced garlic, bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Let the vegetables cook 5 minutes to soften, then stir in the chopped rosemary and sage for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and stir to develop the fragrance, then add the white wine and scrape up the pan drippings. Stir in the chicken stock and tomatoes. Break up the tomatoes with a spoon or potato masher. Bring the sauce to a bubble, add the meat back to the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook 2 and a half hours more, stirring occasionally.

Bring a pot of water to a boil for pasta. Salt the water and cook the pasta to al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the water.

Remove the meat bundles to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm.
Drain the pasta and return to a hot pot. Add 1 tablespoon butter, cut into pieces, and half of the sauce, toss to combine, adding a little starchy cooking water to make it all come together for you.
Cut the string from the meat and serve the meat dotted with more sauce and sprinkled with fresh parsley on large dinner plates with hot pappardelle pasta topped with fresh basil and some shaved Parm alongside.

Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

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

These cupcakes came out beautifully. The original recipe (from Sprinkles) was a little too "pound cake" texture for me. So I will add some baking soda the next go round. But the fresh strawberry taste was incredible. I could eat the light fluffy frosting all day.

Ingredients

2/3 cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

2 large egg whites, room temperature

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.

Place strawberries in a small food processor; process until pureed. You should have about 1/3 cup of puree, add a few more strawberries if necessary or save any extra puree for frosting; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.

With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.

Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before icing.

Cream Cheese Filling

Ingredients:

1 pkg (8 ounces) cream cheese softened

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup milk

Makes:

About 1 1/2 cups.

Instructions:

In large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and milk. Beat with mixer until well blended. Refrigerate until ready to use.

I put the filling in a piping bag with a large round tip and just stabbed the end into each cupcake, squeeze a little, then release.

Fresh Strawberry Frosting

1/2 cup whole strawberries

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold

Pinch of coarse salt

3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Place strawberries in the bowl of a small food processor; process until pureed. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed and slowly add confectioners' sugar; beat until well combined. Add vanilla and 3 tablespoons strawberry puree (save any remaining strawberry puree for another use); mix until just blended. Do not overmix or frosting will incorporate too much air. Frosting consistency should be dense and creamy, like ice cream.

French Silk Chocolate Pie

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

This is a super easy pie, especially if you use a store bought pie crust. But I've always liked making my own, especially for the scraps ;) The original recipe for this pie called for granulated sugar, but I always had a hard time getting the result really smooth. So I switched to powdered sugar and have since gotten really smooth and silky results.

To make the chocolate curls, I left a large bar of Hershey's chocolate out on the counter on a warm day. Then I placed it on the edge of a tall cutting board and just used a potato peeler to get the curls. Worked beautifully.

And the pie does have raw eggs in it, so heads up for our preggo friends

Ingredients

1 cup butter
3 cup powdered sugar
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
Whipped Cream

Directions

Cream butter and sugar. Blend in cocoa and vanilla. Beating at high speed, add one egg and beat until thoroughly incorporated. Repeat with each remaining egg. Keep whipping until fluffy. Spread in cooked pie shell of choice and keep refrigerated. Add whipped cream to the top just before serving.

Corn Chowder

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

I've been making this recipe for quite awhile. It's become one of our favorite dinners. The great thing about it is you can alter the recipe to fit your tastes or what you have. Don't have ham? Use just bacon. Don't have red bell peppers? ehh green ones are fine. I've even forgot to add heavy cream or have just used milk... still YUM

Ingredients

6 slices bacon

1 hamsteak, cubed

1 onion, chopped

1 small green bell pepper, chopped

1 small red bell pepper, chopped

1/3 c. flour

1 quart chicken broth

1 c. water

2 can whole kernal corn, drained

1 large red potato, cubed

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 t. cayenne

1 c. Heavy Cream

Directions

Over medium high heat, saute chopped bacon until crispy. Remove from pan. Using bacon drippings, sear the outside of the hamsteak. Add onions add peppers and cook until tender.

Stir flour and stir to coat. Then add broth, water, corn and potato. Season with salt and pepper, and cayenne if desired.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are tender.

Stir in cream and heat through. Heat through then serve. Top with cripsy bacon.

Disneyland!!

2011-07-02T18:36:00.000-07:00

Finally the Disneyland pictures. We had so much fun. Not just fun ourselves, but even more fun sharing it with the boys. We even didn't mind going on It's a Small World four times. It would have been closer to 10 times if we went every time Keegan asked to. And their face while going through the ride was priceless..

The whole trip was totally worth just that one moment when Keegan first saw Mickey Mouse. He started jumping and just shaking with excitment. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse has since become his favorite show.

Gee you can't tell my boys are related at all can ya?

Sea World

2011-06-09T18:12:00.000-07:00

Alright, lets get back on track. I think there is some law that you can't come back from vacation without showing pictures, so like it or not here are some of my favorites. The trip was exhausting but so much fun.

Our first stop was my sisters house in Moorpark on the way to San Diego. The boys had a great time hanging out with their cousins. I wish we could do it more.

The next morning, we got up early and headed straight for Sea World. Keegan has recently become obsessed with the ocean and all the creatures in it. To help him get excited and show him where we were going, we showed him youtube videos of Shamu for a few weeks before we left. By the time we got there, all he wanted to do was bounce from sea creature to sea creature. Loudly announcing to whomever was listening that we were going to see SHAMU.

Keegan and Reece "hugging Shamu"

Next stop was three days at Disneyland. Stay tuned for more pics!

Reese's Cookies

2011-05-07T18:57:00.000-07:00

These cookies came out amazing!! Usually peanut butter cookies smack you upside your head with nuttyness. These were closer to chocolate chip cookies with a nice peanut butter taste. I used the peanut butter cookie recipe from Better Homes and Gardens and just added about a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips. A small change but a HUGE payout. I made the rest of the cookies exactly as the recipe specified, including rolling the balls of dough in granulated sugar right before baking. I will make these ALOT.

Ingredients

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl beat peanut butter and butter with electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Cover and refrigerate dough about 1 hour or until easy to handle.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Shape dough in 1-inch balls. Roll the dough in granulated sugar. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten the cookies by making crisscross marks with fork tines, (I just smashed them down with my fingers) flattening each cookie. Bake about 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer to wire racks. Cool. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Roasted Veggie Marinara

2011-05-07T18:52:00.000-07:00

This marinara was fun to make and so good to eat. The roasted veggies really gave the sauce another depth of flavor. The recipe calls for chunks of tomatoes but it still wasn't quite "tomatoey" enough. So I used an immersion blender to get a really smooth sauce. That solved the problem. We also couldn't find the long fusilli noodles the recipe called for. They looked really fun to eat. I will be on the hunt for those to try this recipe again. Not that the kind of noodle changes the way the marinara tastes. I just want it :D

Ingredients

2 large red bell peppers

1 large Fresno chile pepper or Holland chile pepper

1 large head garlic

Sprig fresh rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped

1 medium-large firm eggplant

Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing eggplant

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups chicken stock

1 (28-ounce) can Italian tomatoes

2 fresh basil leaves, torn

Sprig fresh oregano, leaves picked and finely chopped

1 pound long fusilli pasta

Grated Pecorino cheese

Fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped

Directions

Char the skins of sweet and hot peppers to black under a broiler with oven door slightly ajar, to prevent steam build up or place directly over stovetop flame. Cover the charred peppers and cool, peel, and seed. Reserve.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut head garlic to expose the cloves, dress in extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Press the garlic into the chopped rosemary and coat the cut cloves. Wrap the garlic up in foil and roast 40 to 45 minutes, until soft but still moist.

Halve the eggplant lengthwise and brush with extra-virgin olive oil. Season the eggplant with salt and pepper and place cut-side down on baking sheet and roast to very tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool the eggplant until easy to handle, then scoop the flesh away from skins and add to a food processor with roasted garlic and roasted sweet and hot peppers, then puree.

In saucepan, heat the stock and tomatoes. If the tomatoes are whole, break them up. Stir in the eggplant-pepper mixture and add basil and oregano, salt, and pepper, to taste.

Simmer sauce to combine flavors then cool and store for make-ahead meal.

Reheat over medium heat.

Boil long, curly pasta in salted water to al dente, toss the pasta with sauce and serve with cheese and a sprinkle fresh parsley.

Make Ahead Meal: Tamale Pie

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

This has been one of my favorite make ahead meals so far. Super easy and really really delicious. In the episode, she covered it with polenta but mentioned that you could also use corn bread. That's what I chose to do. The cornbread was just a tad too sweet, but that is an easy fix. I used a box, next time I will make my own and cut down on the sugar. I think I will also make the meat saucier. But the flavor was perfect. The recipe calls for ground pork, but I used sausage instead. I also sprinkled cheddar and mozarella cheese right out of the oven, then covered it until the cheese melted.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 pound ground pork

1 1/2 pound ground sirloin

1 onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons seeded chipotle in adobo sauce, finely chopped, plus couple spoonfuls sauce

1 tablespoon ground cumin (scant palmful)

1 tablespoon coriander (scant palmful)

2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 (12-ounce) bottle Mexican beer (recommended: Negra Modelo)

1 cup beef stock

1 1/2 cups chicken stock or water

1 1/2 cups milk

About 1 cup quick cooking polenta

2 tablespoons butter

1 generous tablespoon honey

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar or smoked Cheddar cheese

Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high heat, add pork and sirloin and brown. Add the onions, garlic, chipotle, adobo sauce, cumin, coriander, cocoa powder, cinnamon, salt, and pepper, cook 5 minutes to soften bits of onions. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute more. Add the beer and scrape up the drippings. Add 1 cup beef stock and heat through to combine the flavors then cool completely and store for make-ahead meal.

The night you would like to serve tamale pie, reheat in a skillet over medium heat while you make the quick-cooking polenta. Preheat broiler. Heat chicken stock and milk to a boil, then whisk in the polenta and cook until thick, 3 minutes. Cook's Note: Polenta needs to be very thick.

Stir in butter and honey and season with salt and coarse black pepper. Spread the thick polenta in an even layer over the tamale filling. Top the polenta with cheese and brown under broiler.

Make Ahead Meal: Chicken Caeser Mac

2011-05-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite salads is chicken Caesar. And I'm pretty particular about it too. I haven't found many restaurants that have a dressing I like. And even less that don't feel like the romaine should be swimming in dressing. Soggy lettuce. YUCK. This super easy macaroni recipe has all the wonderful flavors of a Caesar salad. I used leftover chicken that we had grilled. I would definitely recommend doing the chicken on the grill. Feel free to substitube the cheese for another one. I left out the anchovy paste but only because I couldn't find it. I want to make this again with it, though there are many alternatives if you just can't stomach it.

Ingredients

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast

Extra-virgin olive oil, for liberal drizzling

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound penne pasta or whole wheat penne

6 tablespoons butter

1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon anchovy paste

3 rounded tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 cups whole milk

1 1/2 cups freshly shredded Pecorino cheese

1 head escarole or romaine, shredded

1 lemon

Directions

Heat grill pan over high heat.

Coat the chicken in extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill about 12 minutes, turning occasionally, then set aside.

Bring water in saucepot to a boil for the pasta. Salt the water, add pasta and undercook by 1 minute.

While the pasta cooks, melt 6 tablespoons butter in a separate saucepot. Spoon out 1/2 and toss with the panko to moisten. Combine with 1/2 the grated Pecorino and reserve. To the remaining melted butter, add the garlic and anchovy paste, lots of coarse black pepper, stir 2 minutes then whisk in flour then stock, milk, and Worcestershire, thicken until it coats a spoon, then stir in the remaining half of the grated Pecorino.

Drain the pasta. Halve the chicken breasts lengthwise, then thinly slice and combine with the pasta and sauce, transfer to a casserole and top with the bread crumbs. Cool and store for make-ahead meal.

To reheat: Reheat, covered, in a hot 425 degree F oven to warm through, then uncover to brown.

Serve with shredded escarole or romaine and dress with lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil. Serve alongside Chicken Caesar Mac.

Make Ahead Meal: Texas Bacon Beans and Eggs

2011-05-05T14:40:00.000-07:00

This was a wonderful recipe. I didn't have avocado on had so didn't use it but would imagine it would make the dish even better. The spice was just a hair more than what I would have liked but that is easy to adjust. And putting a medium egg on top really helped. The yolk gave it a nice richness. And the tortillas were a great texture to add, I had only cut them in strips but did make it difficult to eat at times. So the next time I will cut them into squares.. We will be making this again.

Ingredients

12 corn or flour tortillas, cut into strips
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
8 slices smoky lean bacon, sliced across the strips 1/2-inch long
1 red onion, peeled, quartered and sliced
2 Fresno or jalapeno chiles, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (28-ounce) can black beans
1 tablespoon cumin (a scant palmful)
1 rounded tablespoon chile powder (a healthy palmful)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup beer (recommended: Negra Modelo)
1 (14-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
Small handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 1/2 to 2 cups shredded hot pepper sharp Cheddar cheese or Pepper Jack cheese
4 eggs, to prepare any style (1 per person)
Ripe avocado, halved, pitted and diced
Lime, cut into wedges

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut tortillas into strips and spray with cooking spray. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until crisp. Arrange in casserole dish.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Add bacon and brown then remove with a slotted spoon. To the skillet, add the onions, Fresno peppers, and garlic and saute a few minutes.

Add the beans and season with cumin, chile powder, salt, and pepper, stir in tomatoes, cilantro, and beer. Thicken 1 minute, then adjust seasoning and arrange on top of tortillas, and scatter in bacon bits and cheese.

Cool and store for make-ahead meal.

Bake in the hot oven until bubbly and hot, top with fried eggs (as soft or hard as you like), diced avocado and lime wedges.

Chocolate Bread Pudding

2011-04-29T14:37:00.000-07:00

So you didn't get a super pretty plated picture. That's what happens when I want to eat it so I just hurry up and snap a shot ;) Idler's in Paso has a cooking demonstration once a month. I learned this simple recipe there. I've never liked bread pudding before. It's always been more like soggy bread to me. But this is like a dense underdone brownie. So good. I added walnuts but feel free to omit them or change them to another nut. Experiment with it, that's what makes this such a great recipe.

Ingredients

1 One pound loaf of day old bread
1 cup sugar
3 cups milk
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups chocolate syrup
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup nuts

Directions

Cut the bread up into small cubes or use a food processor. In a seperate bowl, combine sugar, milk, eggs and syrup. Whisk until well combined. Add the bread "crumbs" and gently stir until well coated. Add nuts if you'd like, reserving about half for the top.

Pour into a greased 13x9 pan. Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips and remaining nuts. Push them down into the bread slightly with a flat palm. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees in a water bath (place the 13x9 pan in a larger dish or cookie sheet and fill with water until halfway up the 13x9 pan)

Cool slightly and serve with ice cream, whipped cream and more chocolate syrup.

Braised Beef

2011-04-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

This was one of my all time favorite braised beef recipes. It's simple and the meat turned out beautifully. So tender and moist. The potatoes were really good too. The entire meal, braised in one pot, for hours. Easy and so yummy.

Ingredients

Extra-virgin olive oil, for sauteing and drizzling
4 onions, very thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
3 pounds chuck, bottom round or top sirloin steak
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 to 5 starchy potatoes
1 (32-ounce) can Italian tomatoes, sliced or roughly crushed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
Parmigiano-Reggiano, for grating
A few fresh basil leaves, torn
1 loaf ciabatta, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat with a thin layer of extra-virgin olive oil. Add the onions, and garlic to the hot oil and sweat them until very soft and very light caramel in color, 20 to 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and reserve.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add a thin layer of oil to the pan. Pat the meat dry and season very liberally with salt and pepper. Brown the meat to a deep brown all over, 12 to 15 minutes.

Peel the potatoes and very thinly slice them lengthwise into planks. Slice the tomatoes working over a bowl to catch their juices.

Arrange 1/2 the onions over top of the meat, season with salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon thyme. Arrange 1/2 the potatoes over the onions and dress the potatoes with a liberal drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, about 1 tablespoon, salt, pepper, rosemary, and a handful freshly grated cheese. Top the potatoes with 1/2 the tomatoes and their juices, and season with salt and pepper. Scatter a few leaves of torn basil. Repeat the layers. Do not add basil to the top layer of tomatoes.
Cover the pan and roast the meat in the oven until very tender, 4 hours. Cool and store for make-ahead meal.

To reheat: Reheat, covered, in a preheated 325 degree F oven until warmed through, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Take off the lid of the pot, drizzle the top of the meat with oil, sprinkle with cheese, and broil to lightly crust the top. Cut down through the layers of the potatoes, tomatoes, and onions to portion the meat, serve in shallow bowls with crusty bread and pan juices.

All Day Pork Roast with Apple Chutney and Sweet Mashed Potatoes

2011-04-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

And yet another Rachael Ray 5 in 1 recipes. These are usually all the new recipes I try these days. But this is one of the reward meals. The pork roast bakes in the over for 6, that's right SIX, hours. So on your cook day, you season this one up first and toss it in the oven. Later in the day, you pull the rest of it together. The pork was so tender and juicy. The chutney was kinda meh, but as Chad put it, we're not "chutney" people. The sweet potatoes were really good, even without the orange zest it calls for. And the aspargaus is another simple saute with butter, salt and pepper. I wasn't brave enough to try the chard.

PORK ROAST:

1 (5-pound) bone-in pork shoulder
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
2 medium onions, sliced
1 head garlic, cloves peeled and sliced
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 ribs celery, sliced
5 to 6 fresh bay leaves
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup white wine

SPICY APPLE CHUTNEY:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 Fresno chile peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, grated or minced
6 medium Braeburn or Gala apples, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup dark amber maple syrup
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt
Freshly grated nutmeg

MASHED CITRUS SWEET POTATOES:
4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 cup chicken stock
Juice of 1 lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

CHARD:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 very large bunch red chard, stemmed and shredded
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

From 6 hour pork, cook your way through the day with slow-cooked, braised, and simmered comfort foods.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Score the top of the roast in a crosshatch pattern about 3/4-inch apart. Rub the salt, pepper, fennel, and thyme into the pork skin and set the pork into a roasting pan. Roast about 30 minutes, or until crispy on top. Cover the pork tightly with foil and reduce oven to 325 degrees F, and roast about 4 hours.

Remove the pork from the oven and set onto a cutting board. Spoon off most of the fat from the drippings and add the onions, garlic, carrots, celery, bay leaves, salt, and pepper to the pan, and stir to combine. Set the roast on top of the vegetables and cover again with foil, roasting for 1 to 1 1/2 hours more.

Meanwhile, start on the spicy apple chutney and side dishes.

For the spicy apple chutney: Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in a saucepot over medium to medium-high heat. Add the onions, chiles, and ginger to the pan and cook to soften, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the apples, dark brown sugar, thyme, maple syrup, cider vinegar, lemon juice, a little salt, and nutmeg. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes, until a thick sauce forms. Adjust the seasoning and transfer to a serving dish.

For the sweet potatoes: Cover the sweet potatoes with water in a pot over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, and cook until tender. Drain and return to the hot pot. Mash the sweet potatoes with orange zest, chicken stock, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.

For the chard: Heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and saute until just tender, about 5 minutes. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Remove the pork roast to a carving board and cover with the roasting foil to tent. Skim the fat again, and then place the roasting pan over medium-high heat on the stovetop. Deglaze the pan with stock, and wine, and stir for a few minutes with a wooden spoon to scrape up all drippings. Strain the sauce and pour it into a serving bowl or gravy boat. Serve the pork with the spicy apple chutney, mashed citrus sweet potatoes and sauteed chard.

Cook's Note: Use the leftovers to make pressed sandwiches on ciabatta bread with extra-sharp white Cheddar cheese and leftover spicy apple chutney.

Portuguese Fisherman's Shrimp and Chorizo

2011-04-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

The recipe says shrimp, but I say chicken. I can't eat seafood, so I easily altered this recipe, changing the shrimp to chicken. I was hesitant about the kale, but it was very good. It holds up well to long cooking and doesn't become really soggy like I imaged it would have. The recipe wants you to add the shrimp in the reheating process. This is because the shrimp is delicate and won't hold up to long heating without dreadfully overcooking. But since chicken does well simmering in liquid for long periods, I added it in the begining instead of when it was reheating. This is a very simple "chop and drop" recipe.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces chorizo, casing removed and chopped

1 starchy potato, peeled and chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped or thinly sliced

1 Fresno or Holland pepper, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1 small bunch flat-leaf kale, leaves stripped and chopped

Freshly grated nutmeg

1 (15-ounce) can chick peas, drained

1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes or diced tomatoes with chiles

3 cups chicken stock

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, deveined and stemmed

Juice of 1 lemon

Portuguese rolls, for serving

Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat, add the chorizo and render 2 minutes. Then add the potato, onion, carrot, garlic, chile pepper, thyme, and bay leaf, soften 5 to 6 minutes. Wilt in the kale and season with a little nutmeg. Stir in the chickpeas, tomatoes, and stock into the pot, bring to a low boil and season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Cool and store for make-ahead meal.

Heat the chorizo and vegetable sauce base to a low boil, when ready to serve. Add the shrimp and cook until pink and firm. Add the juice of 1 lemon and turn off the heat. Serve the shrimp and chorizo in shallow bowls garnished with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, and warm Portuguese rolls alongside.

Make Ahead Meal - Mexican Beef Stew

2011-04-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

This was a great stew. Served with charred tortillas and wedges of lime for squeezing on top. The color is beautiful. My favorite part, besides the bacon of course, is that it calls for large cubes of meat instead of the traditional hamburger.

Ingredients

STEW:

6 ancho chiles
2 cups beef stock
Vegetable or olive oil, for drizzling
4 ounces smoky good quality bacon, chopped
2 pounds beef top round, cut into bite-size chunks
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 medium onions, finely chopped
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
About 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa
About 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
About 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 (12-ounce) bottle Mexican-style lager beer (recommended: Negra Modelo)
1 (14-ounce) can whole, diced or crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
1 tablespoon honey
Juice of 1 lime

SERVING:

Sour cream

Fresh cilantro leaves

Warm or charred tortillas or rice

Black beans

Directions

This dish is a Chili con Carne made with stew meat rather than ground chuck. It is pretty enough to entertain with and made with top round rather than bottom, so it's lean enough to feel good about eating.

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Stem and seed the chiles and place in a pot with beef stock over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently to reconstitute. Cook's Note: Use a little water to supplement if stock alone will not cover peppers.

Heat a large Dutch oven with a drizzle of oil over medium-high heat, and add the bacon to the pan and stir until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon. Pat the meat dry, season with a little salt and lots of black pepper, then add to the bacon drippings and brown evenly to caramelize the meat. Brown the meat in 2 batches if necessary in order not to crowd the pan. Remove the meat and add another drizzle of oil, if necessary. Add the onions, and garlic and soften a few minutes. Stir in the cumin, coriander, cocoa, cinnamon, and cloves, and stir to toast the spices and combine. Deglaze the pan with beer and evaporate.

In a food processor, puree the softened peppers and stock with tomatoes. Pour into the pot, slide the browned meat and bacon back in, and drizzle in the honey. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven for 2 1/2 hours or until the meat falls apart with a fork. Cool and store for a make-ahead meal. Reheat over medium heat and add the lime juice just before serving.

Garnish with sour cream and fresh cilantro leaves, and serve with tortillas or rice and warm black beans

French Chicken in a pot with Druken Au Jus

2011-04-25T14:22:00.000-07:00

Are you ready? We're going on a recipe streak. I have several pictures of meals on my memory card. Because of our upcoming vacation, the card has gotta be emptied and I'd rather put the food pics straight to my blog. They're the biggest reason I take them in the first place! And Chad seems to like making fun of me ;)

So our first recipe is a French Chicken. Again this is from Rachael Ray's 5 in a day show. But instead of this being a make ahead meal, this is the reward for your day of cooking. The chicken was delish. I altered her potato recipe a little. I didn't use the cambert cheese, just butter and milk. I did use the turnip though. I gave the potatoes a nice flavor, but not too noticable. Also a great texture. The green beans I simply put in boiling water just short of being done, strained then sauteed with butter, salt and pepper very quickly.

Ingredients

1 (4-pound) whole chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 rib celery and green tops, chopped
1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
1 head garlic, cloves peeled and sliced
2 small sprigs fresh rosemary
1 large fresh bay leaf
2 pounds starchy potatoes, peeled and chunked
1 medium turnip, trimmed and chunked or 2 parsnips, peeled and sliced
1 cup milk or chicken stock, warmed
10 to 12 ounces ripe Camembert or 1 small individual wheel
Freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 bottle dry white wine (about 1 cup)
Juice of 1 lemon

Directions

Remove the giblets, then wash and dry the chicken. Tuck the wings back and underneath the backbone until they stay in place. Season liberally with kosher salt or sea salt and lots of black pepper.

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat.

Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil to the hot pot and brown the chicken breast-side down first, turn using a wooden spoon or closed tongs placed in cavity.

Once the bird has browned on both sides, remove the chicken to a plate and add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary, bay leaf, salt, and pepper, and cover the pan. Sweat the vegetables to make a little pan juice, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place the bird atop the vegetables and cover the pot. Transfer to the oven with the rack at the oven bottom, and roast about 1 1/2 hours, until a thermometer reads a minimum of 165 degrees F at the thickest part of the bird.

About 15 to 20 minutes before the chicken comes out of the oven, place the potatoes and turnips in a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, and cook to tender. Drain, and mash with milk, and ripe camembert cheese. Season the potatoes with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, to taste. Cover and turn off the heat to keep potatoes warm.

Place the chicken on a carving board and cover with foil.

In a large pot, bring a few inches of water to a boil for the green beans. Salt the water, and boil the beans 5 to 6 minutes for tender-crisp. Drain and dress with butter.

Pour the pan juices and scrape the solids through a strainer into a bowl and return the pan to stovetop over medium heat. Press down on straining solids to collect all of the pan juices. Add the wine to the hot pan, and scrape up the drippings. Pour in the juices and reduce over a rapid simmer for about 10 minutes to concentrate the flavors. Add the lemon juice and turn off the heat. Transfer to a gravy boat or serving dish.

Carve the chicken and serve with pan juices, potatoes, and beans.

Easter Egg Hunt Playgroup

2011-04-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a wonderful group of mommies, Keegan and Reece were able to practice their egg hunting skills last weekend. They had a great time. And Keegan is now obsessed with eggs. I can't wait to give them their Easter basket. And the hunt is going to be tons of fun!

Make Ahead Meal - Brisket with Sage Polenta

2011-04-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

Mmmmm Brisket. Brisket is a great meat for a Make Ahead Meal. This five pound brisket actually made several meals outside of the recipe. The leftovers were used to make shredded beef with mashed potatoes and gravy, and also shredded beef tacos. Chad even got some lunches out of it too. LOTS of meat. And if you get a good price on the brisket, you can't beat the deal.

Ingredients

1 (5 to 5 1/2 pounds) lean beef brisket
Sea or kosher salt and coarse black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 medium onions, halved and sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
4 fresh bay leaves
A couple pinches ground cloves or allspice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
2 cup chicken or beef stock
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
16 oz precooked Polenta tube
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large clove garlic, crushed
1 pound sliced mixed mushrooms
8 to 10 leaves fresh sage, very thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chicken stock plus 1 cup whole milk or 3 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter, optional
1 cup watercress or upland cress, arugula or fresh flat-leaf parsley tops, for garnish, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Season the meat liberally with salt and pepper. Add a couple of tablespoons olive oil to a large Dutch oven, a couple of turns of the pan, and heat over medium-high heat. Add the meat and brown all over, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the meat from the pan and drain off meat fat if any accumulates. Add another turn or 2 of the pan with extra-virgin olive oil. Add onions, garlic, bay and season with salt and pepper, cook to tender 8 to 10 minutes, add in a few pinches cloves and stir in the tomato paste 1 minute. Next stir in the wine and deglaze the pan, then add the stock and canned diced tomatoes and stir to combine. Settle the meat back into the pot and cover. Bake 1 1/2 hours, then uncover and bake 1 hour to reduce the liquids, then place the cover back on and cook until very tender, 1 1/2 hours more.

Remove the brisket to the carving board and cover with foil to keep warm.

Reduce the sauce a few minutes, simmering gently, uncovered to thicken a bit.

Heat 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat and add garlic and mushrooms, cooking until very tender, season with salt and pepper and stir in sage. Bring the stock-milk mixture to a boil in a saucepot and add the polenta. Whisk the polenta 2 to 3 minutes until it pulls away from the side of the pot. Add the butter, if using and fold in mushrooms.

Slice the brisket and serve with sauce over polenta with mushrooms. Cool half of the brisket and store for later in the week. Scatter a few bitter greens over the top for an optional garnish.

The backscratch

2011-04-14T18:07:00.000-07:00

Everyone loves a good back scratch. But more than likely no one loves it more than Reece. Whatever he is in the middle of the world stops for the back scratch. We have employed this tool to our advantage. Best way to get Reece to calm down when he's upset - Back Scratch. Best way to get Reece to fall asleep - Back Scratch. Any place, any time. Reece loves him some back scratch. One of these days his foot is gonna start bouncing.

Chicken Egg Noodle Casserole

2011-04-10T09:47:00.000-07:00

About three times a week, Chad has to work late. So I am in charge of trying to make dinner and keep two boys from killing themselves. Not the easiest task, especially when you're stuck in the kitchen for long periods of time. You're forced to choose between burning dinner and keeping peace. What ends up happening is screaming "LEAVE YOUR BROTHER ALONE" from the kitchen several times. Much to stressful.

Then last weekend, while sorting laundry, I had turned the Food Network on. Rachael Ray came on and I usually don't like watching her shows but this one had a good idea. Make dinner for five nights in one day of cooking. This was my AHA moment. I could spent half a day at the begining of the week making meals that essentially just had to be thrown in the oven or reheated. TAA DAA!!! Yummy dinners and less stressful evenings!!

Week one went wonderfully. This Make Ahead Meal (MAM) was Chicken Egg Noddle Casserole. I think when I make this again, I will add more salt and make more sauce. But the result was very yummy!

This made enough for all four of us to eat and some leftovers for lunch later.

Ingredients

1 small head broccoli, trimmed and cut into small, thin stalks and florets
Salt
2 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast, fat removed
1 medium onion
2 fresh bay leaves
1 pound extra-wide egg noodles
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons butter
2 rounded tablespoons flour
2 cups whole milk
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
A few sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed and chopped
2 egg yolks
1 cup white or whole wheat panko (Japanese) bread crumbs
1 cup shredded mozarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
A handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Directions

Place a large pot of water on to boil. Salt the water and cook the broccolini until tender. Remove to a plate. (do not discard water) When the broccoli is cool enough to handle chop it into bite-size pieces.

Place the chicken in a few inches of the water with a peeled quartered onion and a couple of bay leaves. Bring the water to a low boil then reduce the heat to a simmer and gently poach the chicken 10 to 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the extra-virgin olive oil in skillet over medium heat and saute the onions and garlic until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the broccoli to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat off pan.

While the onions cook, heat the butter in a medium saucepot over medium heat, whisk in flour 1 minute then whisk in the milk and season with salt, pepper, freshly grated nutmeg, and thyme. Thicken 5 minutes then whisk in a little of the sauce to the egg yolks to combine, then add the egg yolks back to the sauce and whisk to combine, turn heat down to the lowest setting.

Cook's Note: If sauce becomes too thick, add a splash of chicken poaching liquid and turn off the heat.

Shred the poached chicken with forks or dice poached chicken into small, bite-size pieces.

Preheat broiler.

To the large pot of boiling water, add the egg noodles. Cook the noodles according to package directions for al dente. Drain the noodles very well and add them back to the hot pot. Stir in the broccoli, chicken, and sauce, and then transfer to a casserole dish. Place the casserole in the middle of the oven and broil 3 to 5 minutes until bubbly and brown. Cool and store for make-ahead meal.

To serve the casserole, heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Mix together the panko, Gruyere, Parm, and parsley. Place the casserole on a baking sheet in upper half of the oven and bake 30 minutes, add the topping and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, or until brown and crispy on top.

The First Project

2011-04-09T12:34:00.000-07:00

Well he's got all the tools, so he's gotta use right. We found a kit at Lowe's to build a bird house. This should work out perfect. We have a great tree in the backyard that we can hang it from. Of course, Dad (and a little bit of Mom) had to help him along but Keegan really enjoyed building his bird house. We've got it all built, now we just need to paint it. That's a other project, and mess, for another day. It would also help if I could remember to buy birdseed one of these days :D

Better than Boxed BROWNIES

2011-04-05T08:44:00.000-07:00

I tried these brownies a few years ago and have been making them regularly ever since. It takes just a few extra minutes versus a boxed brownies but the results are fantastic. The recipe includes a frosting/glaze that you spread on while the brownies are still warm. The brownies become these ooey gooey mound of Delicious chocolate. Try it out and it will be your new favorite recipe!

Ingredients

Batter
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Frosting

3 tablespoons butter, softened
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.

In the microwave, melt 1/2 cup butter. Stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.

To Make Frosting: Combine 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Frost brownies while they are still warm.

The tool box

2011-04-04T11:26:00.000-07:00

Last week Chad and I took a trip to Lowe's searching for some small items for the house. While we were wandering up and down the aisles dreaming of what we would like in our house, we came across a small shelf that had projects for kids. I've been meaning to sign Keegan up for some of those project classes that Lowe's offers but I can never seem to remember to do it. We found a cute bird house project and thought it would be perfect. We also found a begininers tool set with an apron, a small hammer, and goggles. Chad was sold. As soon as we got home, Chad disappeared into the garage. About 20 minutes later, he came back into the house carrying a large tool box. He had put together Keegan's first tool box out of small tools and a large simple tool box. It was adorable. I had as much fun watching Chad present his gift to Keegan as I did watching Keegan go through it. The love of tools, regardless of how much they get used ;), had been passed down.

Parker House Rolls

2011-04-03T13:46:00.000-07:00

I love making bread. Mostly because I love eating bread, but that's only part of it. Way back in November, I was putting together my Thanksgiving Dinner menu. Because of my love of making bread, I knew I wanted to make the rolls for dinner but I had a problem. Family. My family is huge. If I was going to have the time to do any other part of the dinner, I wouldn't have the time to make individual rolls. But I still wanted that sweet warm bread that was not only easy to make for a large group, but easy to serve. I found my answer in the Food Network magazine. Parker House Rolls. And the way the recipe was set up was perfect (Thank you Alec!) The "rolls" were assembled as one large tear apart loaf. They came out amazing. The dough is sweet, but the kosher salt on top, along with a pat of soft salted butter, counteracts the sweetness nicely. I have made these rolls several times since Thanksgiving and they are always a hit.

Ingredients

1 1/4-ounce packet active dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
7 1/2 to 8 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus softened butter for brushing
2 cups whole milk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling

Directions

Bloom the yeast.

Measure out 1/2 cup warm water and check the temperature: It should be between 110 degrees F and 120 degrees F (comfortable bathwater temperature). Sprinkle the yeast into a large bowl, add the warm water and whisk in the sugar. Let sit 1 minute (it should bubble and froth slightly), then gently stir in 1 cup flour. Set aside near the stove while you prepare the dough.

Make the dough.

Mix the melted butter and milk in a mixer with the hook attachment on low speed. Add the eggs and mix until blended. Scrape in the yeast mixture and mix until incorporated. Add 6 1/2 cups flour and 1 tablespoon salt; mix until the dough forms a ball, 2 to 3 minutes, adding up to 1/2 cup more flour if the dough is too wet and sticky.

Let it rise.

Brush a large bowl with softened butter. Transfer the dough to the bowl, cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place, 2 hours to 2 hours, 30 minutes. The dough should double in volume.

Shape the dough.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dust a clean flat surface with flour and turn the dough out onto it. Flour your hands; gently press the dough into a 16-by-8-inch rectangle, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick (don't use a rolling pin).

Cut the dough.

With the short side in front of you, cut the dough in half lengthwise with a floured knife. Then slice crosswise into 12 strips.

Shape the dough.

One at a time, fold each strip of dough unevenly in half so the top part slightly overlaps the bottom half, then tuck the overhang underneath. Place the rolls seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet in 3 tightly packed rows. (If making in advance, wrap the baking sheet tightly in plastic wrap and freeze up to 3 weeks.)

Bake the rolls.

Bake until the rolls are bursting at the seams and golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. (If frozen, bake 25 minutes at 325 degrees F, then 10 minutes at 375 degrees F.) Remove from the oven and brush with softened butter. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.

The JUMBO ball and a bonus picture

2011-02-24T09:37:00.000-08:00

While we were shopping around for Christmas presents in December, we came across these huge inflatable balls. They are big enough for the kids to ride in. They looked like so much fun! But we couldn't find one we liked at a price we liked. Then, thanks to a friend, I discovered they were at Costco for a great price! The boys have had a great time. The ball is definitely jumbo. We blew it up as soon as I got it home. We rolled the boys around the living room. But when it came time to move the ball outside, we had a dilema. It was too big to even go through our sliding glass door. Thankfully we have double front doors. So out the door, around the house, and over the fence it went. The boys are having a blast!

The only bad part it Reece is so small, he keeps getting "pooped" out the hole when we roll him around!

And here is your bonus picture!

Garlic Butter for your Steaks

2011-02-21T09:06:00.000-08:00

This was another portion of our fancy eat at home Valentine's Dinner. We found a great deal on NY Strip Steaks, and I wanted to grill them. But I also wanted to add something to them. My first idea was some kind of gravy but we weren't having potatoes and I was also worried the gravy might over power or mask the flavor of the nice steaks we bought. A quick search on allrecipes.com and I had a winner. Garlic butter. It seemed so simple. But the reviews were great and the pictures were even better. The original recipe called for sirloin steak. So how could it not be even better on a better cut of meat, right? RIGHT. It came out wonderfully. The garlic powder really thickened up the butter once you let it set as it says in the recipe. I probably had it on the stove, with the burner off, for a good 15-20 minutes before I put it on the steak. It was a great consistency so it stayed put on the steak instead of running off all over the plate. I will definitely use this again. This recipe makes more than enough for two nice sized steaks.

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoons garlic powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds beef top sirloin steaks
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat with garlic powder and minced garlic. Set aside.

Sprinkle both sides of each steak with salt and pepper.

Grill steaks 4 to 5 minutes per side, or to desired doneness. When done, transfer to warmed plates. Brush tops liberally with garlic butter, and allow to rest for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

Valentine's Day Cupcakes

2011-02-14T20:09:00.000-08:00

Love love love making dessert. Especially for special occasions. Tonight, instead of going out to dinner, I am making dinner at home. Artichokes for appetizer, grilled steak, bacon risotto (recipe In this blog post) roasted asparagus. And for dessert, my first thought was molten lava cake (also HERE). I've made it several times before and they always come out wonderfully but I was itching to try something new. Thanks to my friend Jodi, I found my dessert. Strawberry and Mascapone stuffed cupcakes. The original recipe is from Giada, but I wanted to make a few tweaks. Her recipe calls for just strawberries and mascapone, but I wanted to add a thicker texture and some tang so I also added cream cheese. Hers also had a glaze. How can you have a cupcake with no fluffy frosting? And what better frosting to go with strawberries than of course chocolate. The final result is completely divine. (I snuck a taste before dinner!)

Ingredients

1 box white cake mix

1/2 (8-ounce) container mascarpone cheese, room temp

4 oz cream cheese, room temp

3/4 cup fresh strawberries strawberries, chopped

1/4 cup sugar
Directions

Make the cupcakes according to package instructions.

In a food processor combine the mascarpone cheese, cream cheese, strawberries, and sugar. Process the mixture until smooth. Transfer the strawberry mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a medium tip. Push the tip gently halfway to the bottom of a cupcake and squeeze in the strawberry mixture until the cupcake plumps. Continue with the remaining cupcakes.

Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened

3/4 cup cocoa or three 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate squares, melted

1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract

4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)

3-4 tablespoons milk

Cream shortening and butter. Add cocoa/chocolate, sugar, vanilla. Whipe until combined. Add milk and whip until very light and fluffy.

I think it's easiest to frost cupcake with a pastry bag. Much quicker and much cleaner.

For the garnishes

I melted some chocolate chips in the microwave until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a piping bag with a small round tip and "write" several hearts fairly thick on wax paper.

For the strawberry, cut the top of and make several cuts from the tip (bottom) and stopping just short of the top so it is still connected. Fan out.

Hope you enjoy!

Valentine's Cookies!

2011-02-11T13:45:00.000-08:00

Today was Keegan's Valentine's party at school. My first thought was of course to just run to the store and buy a box of Wall-E Valentine's for him to pass out at school. But, after a little thought, and those of you that know me, know that I always have to go a little further. So my next idea was to make heart sugar cookies and frost them with glaze that hardens. Then I would have Keegan write his name on each cookie with edible ink markers. However, a quick trip to Michaels put a halt on that idea when I the price of the edible ink markers. I had also let it get kinda late in the day and wasn't sure the icing would harden enough to Keegan to sign them before he passed out in bed. So I settled on this idea. Heart sugar cookies with his class mates names on them.

Here is the recipes I used.

Sugar Cookie

(This recipe makes about 5 dozen. I halved it and had PLENTY to make 9 very large heart cookies and about a dozen smaller cookies)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Icing

(I doubled this recipe and had just enough ice the 9 large cookies and some swirls on about half of the smaller cookies)

Ingredients

1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
assorted food coloring

Directions

In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.

Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.

I used white icing and outlined the heart, then wrote the name in white. Next I filled it in with the red icing. This took some time and was a little frustrating. Next time I will either do the red first then write the name (but I wanted everything to be the same level and the name not raised but set into the red) or I will make the red alot runnier so it oozes into the nooks and crannies more.

All the cookies decorated

Wrapped in red celophane, tied with red and white ribbon and a paper heart that says From: Keegan

Random Musings

2011-02-08T15:10:00.000-08:00

Seems we've been pretty busy lately. No big outings or adventures. It is nice to relax after the busy holidays and the ending of the high school football season. We only get a few short 4 months off before it starts up again.

The boys are keeping us busy. And also keeping themselves busy, even if it is playing with the camera they're not supposed to have.

We also started geocaching with my new Christmas present (a GPS) We have found one, went looking for two more but didn't find them. It's high tech treasure hunting!

Do you see the small little round silver cylinder? That's the treasure! This one just had a small log book hidden in a film canister.

We signed the book and returned it to it's "hiding place". I look forward to doing alot more of these. They're alot of fun! If you're interested, there is a website http://www.geocaching.com/ that keeps track of all the geocaching treasures. We live in a small town and we have over 150 here!

Zucchini Lasagna

2011-01-25T09:17:00.000-08:00

We are trying to cut back on our carbs, but hopefully not some of our favorite meals. One of those happen to be lasagna. After skimming through some alternatives, I came across a recipe that used zucchini instead of noodles. I loved the idea but didn't care for the recipe, so I tweaked it a little bit. The end result was this.

It wasn't perfectly pretty, but I have a few changes the next time I make it. Instead of lasagna noodles soaking up the extra water in the sauce, the zucchini actually produced water. So while it was runnier than what we are used to, it was still completely delish. Next time I will make a thicker sauce with less water and I may even try to pull some of the moisture out of the zucchini with a salt bath.

Here is the recipe as I made it last night.

Ingredients

1 26.5 oz of your favorite spaghetti sauce or make your own (I made my own for this)

1 egg

1 16 oz ball of mozzarella, grated

2 Large Zucchini

1/2 lb sausage

1/2 lb ground beef

1/4 cup grated cheddar

salt and pepper

Brown sausage and ground beef. Salt and pepper to taste.

Add whisked egg to spaghetti sauce (this prevents the lasagna from collapsing when you pull a slice out.)

Slice zucchini on a mandolin, about 1/4 inch thick.

In a 9x9 pan add a few small spoons of sauce. Place a single of zucchini, cutting when necessary to lay flat. Add 1/3 of the meat, then a 1/3 of sauce, topping with 1/3 of mozzarella cheese. Repeat two more times. Then sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Cut a piece of foil big enough to totally cover your pan. Spray with nonstick spray and lay (spray side down) on top of lasagna, bending the edges over. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Remove foil then bake another 8-10 minutes until cheese is gold and bubbly. Remove from over and let it sit for 10 minutes to allow the sauce to set.

So delicious! You couldn't even tell there were no noddles. For as long as I baked it, the noodles were still a little crisp but not undone. It was a welcomed texture change. I will make this again.

Home Made Playdough

2011-01-23T13:15:00.000-08:00

This morning I wanted to do a fun project with Keegan. I thought it would be fun to make Keegan a batch of playdough. But with two active boys, it can be hard to stand at the stove waiting for it to cook. After a short search online, I found a great no cook recipe. It took less than 5 minutes to make the playdough and for it to cool enough to play with. I was done before Keegan finished his corn dog. I ended up cutting the recipe in half and still came up with a good chunk of playdough. And my stash of cookie cutters for cake decorating came in very hand too.

Ingredients:

3 cups boiling water
3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups salt
1 1/2 TBS vegetable oil
3 tsp cream of tartar

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except for the flour in a large bowl. Once well mixed, add flour. Stir continuously until the dough mix leaves the sides of the bowl. Once well blended, remove from bowl and knead on floured board. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate.

I put it together in my kitchenaid with the dough hook. Keegan was playing with it as soon as it hit the table. I gave him two cutting boards. One to work the dough on and the other to put his cut outs. He's still having a great time.

This half batch of dough just fits in a 3 cup container.

Our fun Saturday

2011-01-21T13:45:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, Chad had three days off in a row. YAY! So we decided to spend the day out with the kids. Our plans were to drive to Shell Beach, see the Monarch Butterflies, picnic on the beach, then back to Avila to see the aquarium. Wonderful day!

The Monarch Butterflies travel to Shell Beach every year. It's the largest area of California that they flock to. So beautiful.

After seeing the butterflies, there is a path down to the beach.

We had a picnic lunch, then packed up and walked the boys down to the beach.

The boys ended up completly soaked at the beach. Our intentions were to just let them walk in the sand. Yea right, try holding my little boys back from the water. Within 10 minutes they were both soaked and having a BLAST. Thank goodness I thought to bring a totally change of clothes for both boys. It was low tide so there was tons of beach with 1/2 an inch of water for the boys to splash around. We had so much fun playing with them.

After everyone was cleaned up and back in the car, we headed to Avila to see the aquarium. It's alot smaller than I thought it was but the boys still had fun looking at the fish.

Trying a garden again

2011-01-19T15:04:00.000-08:00

That time is rolling around where I am itching to clean out the flower bed of weeds and muck. Plant some beautiful vegggies and herbs and enjoy the "fruits" of my labors. There is only one problem. I suck at growing stuff. I've tried it before and always, ALWAYS end up killing them. So here I am ready to try again. I have to find a way to solve one problem before I get going though. The last time I planted something ate then. Leaves, veggies, even my cute little strawberries. How do I avoid this? Do I need to build a small enclosure? A small border fence didn't seem to help. I get frustrated enough when I kill everything myself but downright irritated when some critter does it for me.

The holiday season

2011-01-09T14:12:00.000-08:00

This year was the first year Keegan really understood what Christmas was about. Santa, fun family activities, presents, christmas trees and christmas movies.

Pole Train (AKA Polar Express) remains the favorite movie. He is always asking to watch it and knows most of the words to it.

Having a child who gets so excited about the holidays truly makes it even better for the parents. We had such a wonderful time watching Christmas through his prespective. I cannot wait until next year.

Helping Daddy cut down the tree

He wanted you to see how huge his tree was!

He even wrapped his present to Daddy all by himself. I swear all I did was hand him tape!

We made footsteps in baby powder from the fireplace to the mound of presents. The green ones are from Santa!

When Keegan woke up and saw the footprints he was speechless.

The boys opening their stockings

I didn't get to take many pictures of them opening presents. I was having way too much fun just watching them enjoy themselves.

One of my favorite Christmas decorations, our front door. I had already taken the wreath down by the time I remember to take pics of the outside though.

We had such a wonderful time from begining to end. How many days til Christmas '11?!?!

Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin

2010-12-22T10:40:00.000-08:00

The pork loin came out so juice and tender with this recipe I was really surprised. We didn't even need a knife. The herbs really complimented the meat and bacon without over powering it. And really, what doesn't taste better with bacon right?!

Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin

Ingredients

Pork Loin

Fresh garlic

Fresh Rosemary

Fresh Oregano

Fresh Sage

Kosher Salt

Olive Oil

Pepper

7-8 slices of bacon

Chop all herbs.
Put all herbs in a bowl and add about 1T of salt and 1T of pepper. Add enough olive oil to make a paste.

Slather the loin on all sides with paste.

Wrap slices of bacon around the outside of the loin, tucking edges underneath.

Cover with foil and bake at 300 degrees for an hour and a half. Remove foil and bake an additional half hour. I ended up putting the broiler on the last few minutes to really crisp up the bacon.

Catch up Time Again

2010-12-22T09:19:00.000-08:00

How does time get away from us so fast. The last time I posted I was getting ready for Keegan's 4th birthday party. He seemed to turn 4 so fast. And that last month and a half has gone by fast too. So I will do my best to try and catch you up. And we'll throw a few recipes in there too of course!

Let's start with Keegan's birthday party. He picked out the invitations all by himself, so essentially he picked the theme. One of his favorite things - trains. I had a great time making his cake.

But he might have had a better time eating his own personal cake.

And after his party we took him to visit the Weinermobile!

Tractor Playgroup

2010-11-07T08:19:00.000-08:00

Last week, a local John Deere company was kind enough to let our mommy group invade their store. They let the kids play on all the tractors, and even had balloons for all of them. The boys had a blast!

Pumpkin Waffles

2010-10-31T08:38:00.000-07:00

Perfect for a cool Halloween morning. They have the yummy creaminest of pumpkin bread, but nice and fluffy like a waffle should be. This recipe makes a TON of waffles. So if you're not having an army for breakfast, you could probably get away with halfing the recipe. You can also put your leftover canned pumpkin in a ziploc bag, flatten it, and freeze it for later use to avoid waste.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 cups milk
4 eggs, separated
1/4 cup butter, melted
Directions

Preheat a waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions.

Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, salt, and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together the pumpkin, milk, and egg yolks. Whip the egg whites in a clean dry bowl until soft peaks form.

Stir the flour mixture and 1/4 cup melted butter to the pumpkin mixture, stirring just to combine. Use a whisk or rubber spatula to fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter, stirring gently until incorporated. Fold in the remaining egg whites. Cook waffles according to manufacturer's instructions.

Pumpkin Patch Trip

2010-10-26T09:56:00.000-07:00

Every year we go to River K Pumpkin Patch. The owners are friends of ours, and they always have a great setup for everyone to experience. They have a corn maze, hay rides, lots of things for the kids to see and play with, and of course a huge area filled with pumpkins to choose. The boys had a great time. They each picked their own pumpkin. And we're planning on carving on Thursday so they'll be fresh and spooky for Halloween.

White chicken Enchiladas

2010-10-19T08:37:00.000-07:00

I'm going to go ahead and blame football for getting so behind this time ;) Okay, well not just football, I've had alot of weddings going on lately and not alot of new recipes being made. It's alot easier to go back to the old mindless standby's when you're exhausted. Well this is one of them. But it's oh so good. I'm not really a fan of red enchiladas. I don't like the sauce. But these white ones are a whole different story. Cream cheese sauce and flour tortillas make a wonderful texture. Feel free to add more spices if you like more kick to your enchiladas. The green chilies in the recipes don't add much at all. They're so good, that I didn't get a chance to take a picture of them while they're warm and gooey, so you'll have to make due with a leftovers pictures

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 4-ounce can diced green chile peppers, drained

1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon milk

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

2 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey

12 7-inch flour tortillas or 6-inch corn tortillas

1 10.75-ounce can reduced-fat condensed cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup

1 8-ounce carton light dairy sour cream

1 cup milk

3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese (3 ounces)

2 tablespoons slivered almonds

Directions

1. In a medium skillet cook the 1/4 cup almonds and the onion in hot butter over medium heat until onion is tender and nuts are lightly toasted. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the canned green chile peppers; reserve remaining peppers for sauce.

2. In a medium bowl stir together cream cheese, the 1 tablespoon milk, and the cumin; add nut mixture and chicken. Stir until combined. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto each tortilla near an edge; roll up. Place filled tortillas, seam side down, in a greased 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Set aside.

3. For sauce, in a medium bowl combine the reserved chile peppers, the soup, sour cream, and the 1 cup milk. Pour evenly over the tortillas in the baking dish. Cover with foil. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven about 35 minutes or until heated through. Remove foil. Sprinkle enchiladas with cheese and the 2 tablespoons almonds. Return to oven; bake about 5 minutes more or until cheese melts. Makes 6 servings.

A day at the park

2010-09-23T17:20:00.000-07:00

Our original plan for this park outing was to get Keegan to ride his new bike. Along with my new bike, we also thought it was time to get one for Keegan too. We don't have a sidewalk on our street, and it's also a busy 4 lane thoroughfair so obviously the front yard wasn't going to work. We were going to have to take them somewhere.

But Keegan didn't want to ride it. He just wanted to push it around.

We also took a ride on toy for Reece to play with

But you've gotta play on the swings!!

Herb and Tomato Sourdough Bread with Garlic Basil Butter

2010-09-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

Herb and Tomato Sourdough Bread with Garlic Basil Butter

For this weeks Iron Chef Challenge, I wanted to try making something I haven't done before. So first time for sourdough starter from scratch, first time for homemade tomato juice and first time for basil butter :D

Sourdough Starter

I started this on Tuesday, did a feed 48 hours after, then used the starter (the bread recipe ended up using all of it) on Sunday. So 5 days.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

Directions

Mix together flour, warm water, and yeast in a large glass bowl. Let stand uncovered in a warm place over night or up to 48 hours. The longer the mixture stands, the stronger the ferment will be.

After fermenting, the starter is ready to use or to store covered in the refrigerator. Feed once or twice a week with 1 cup milk, 1 cup flour, and 1/4 cup sugar; allow the starter to rest at room temperature for several hours after feeding. (I halved the feeding because I was afraid I would end up with too much starter)

The bread recipe calls for tomato juice, but I wanted something earthier. So I made my own V8 juice with some herbs.

Juice

4 roma tomatoes
1 stalk of celery with leaves
1/3 red onion
1T parsley
2 dashes worcheshire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Simmer veggies on the stove with parsley until tender. About 45 minutes.

Run ingredients through a food mill.

Return sauce to pan and add seasonings. Let cool to warm.

Sourdough Bread

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sourdough starter
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm tomato juice
2 teaspoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
7 cups all-purpose flour(I used bread flour)

Directions

Dissolve yeast in 1 cup warm water, set aside.

In large bowl; mix starter and tomato juice. Add yeast mixture, salt, sugar and stir well.

Add 1 cup of flour at a time and beat well to develop the gluten. When a stiff dough forms, turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding the last 1 cup of flour as you go.

Turn into greased bowl and lightly grease top, cover with towel and place in draft free area for 2 hours. Will double in bulk.

Punch down and divide dough in two, form into rounds and place each on a baking sheet that has been sprinkled generously with cornmeal.

Let rise 1/2 hour, rub top lightly with flour and slash with sharp knife.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C ) for 45-60 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned when checked.

For a soft crust, cool under a clean dishtowel. For a harder European type crust, cool without.

Basil Butter

Ingredients

2 sticks butter, softened
2 sprigs fresh basil, chopped
2 gloves garlic, chopped
1/4 salt

Whip the butter until soft. Add basil. With the chopped garlic spread out on a cutting board, sprinkle with salt. Smash and drag with your knife until garlic begins to break down. Add to butter. Stir until mixed.

FINISH!

This tasted so good. You really get the earthy sweet taste of the tomatoes in the bread and the basil and garlic in the butter. Outstanding.

Beulah's Maiden Voyage

2010-09-15T16:48:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I bought myself a bike that I fell in love with. Sadly when it arrived, after quickly tearing into the box, I noticed some of the parts were bent beyond repair. My darling of a husband called the manufacturer and apparantly this was a big problem. My parts were back ordered and "would show up sometime in the next few months." About 2 weeks after I had forgotten about them, a mysterious box appeared on my door step. Upon one glance at the return address where the word HUFFY was written in small print, I realized that Beulah would finally be complete. :D

In the weeks between getting my bike and getting the parts to complete her, we gathered the other neccessities for our family bike outings.

A helmet for Keegan

And a helmet for Reece

And a trailer for them both to ride in

Our first ride was short. I guess it's not a great idea to go riding when it's 96 degrees outside and you have a cold. The sweats and the headache came on fairly quickly. But we had a great time. The boys had a great time, giggling all the way.

Buttery Caramel Apple Cake

2010-09-12T08:13:00.000-07:00

Fall is fast approaching. What better way to celebrate than to start enjoying fall flavors. This recipe was in the most recent Food Network Magazine. I always get such great ideas from there. I halved the recipe and it still made a pretty good sized cake. I think next time I will add some pecans for a great crunch.

Ingredients

For the Caramel and Apples:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
3 cups sugar
5 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
4 large Golden Delicious apples (1 3/4 to 2 pounds)

For the Batter:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs

Directions

Butter a 9-by-3-inch round cake pan. Make the caramel: Cook the sugar and corn syrup in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is dark amber, 7 to 10 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium. Carefully add the cream and 4 tablespoons butter (it will splatter) and cook, stirring, until combined, about 3 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the heat and let sit 1 minute. Pour 1 1/2 cups caramel into a glass measuring cup and set aside. Pour the remaining caramel into the prepared pan and set aside until set, about 30 minutes.

Cut 3 apples into quarters and cut out the cores with a paring knife. Arrange the pieces skin-side down in the pan (overlapping them slightly) to form a ring about 1/2 inch from the edge. Save any pieces that do not fit for later.

Halve the remaining whole apple crosswise. Scoop out the seeds with a melon baller or measuring spoon, leaving the stem on the top half. Chop the bottom and any of the leftover quartered apples into pieces; set aside.

Arrange the apple top, stem-side down, in the center of the pan. If the quartered apples shift, just push them back into place.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make the batter: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream, orange juice and vanilla.

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Crack the eggs into a small bowl. Slip them into the mixer bowl, one at a time, and beat until the mixture is pale and creamy, about 5 more minutes. Scrape down the bowl and beater with a rubber spatula.

With the mixer on low speed, add half of the sour cream mixture, then half of the flour mixture. Repeat. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula; finish combining the batter by hand.

Spread the batter over the apples in the pan. Top with the chopped apple. Bake on the middle oven rack until the cake is brown on top and springs back when pressed, 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes (don't worry if the top is dark). Cool in the pan on a rack.

Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a skillet wide enough to hold the cake pan. Carefully run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan several times, then rest the pan in the water to soften the caramel, about 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the water and dry.

Invert a plate on top of the cake, then flip over the cake and plate. Using pot holders or a towel, wriggle the pan off. Soften the reserved 1 1/2 cups caramel in the microwave, about 2 minutes. Drizzle the cake with some of the caramel. Slice and serve with the rest.

Do not leave a package of wipies around

2010-09-11T21:47:00.000-07:00

I repeat, do NOT, unless of course you'd want to spend 15 minutes trying to shove said wipies back into the small package, giving up, then dropping them into a ziploc bag. Reece had a ball though. Can't leave that kid alone for a second!!

Carrot Cupcakes

2010-09-10T14:23:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite cakes. Carrot with cream cheese frosting. I like to add pecans for some crunch, but you can also use walnuts or just omit the nuts all together.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cups finely shredded carrots

1 cup cooking oil

4 eggs

1/2 chopped pecans

1 recipe Cream Cheese Frosting (see recipe below)

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add carrots, oil, and eggs. Beat with an electric mixer till combined. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into the prepared pan(s).

2. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 30 to 35 minutes for round pans or 35 to 40 minutes for 13x9-inch pan or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool layer cakes on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool thoroughly on wire racks. Or, place 13x9-inch cake in pan on a wire rack; cool thoroughly. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting. Cover and store in refrigerator. Makes 12 to 16 servings.

Cream Cheese Frosting: 2 3-ounce packages cream cheese, softened; 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened; 2 teaspoons vanilla; and 4-1/2 to 4-3/4 cups sifted powdered sugar.

Beat together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. Gradually beat in enough of the remaining powdered sugar to reach spreading consistency.

Summer is Over

2010-09-08T17:05:00.000-07:00

Can't believe the summer has flew by so quickly. Time for Keegan to head back to preschool. He really does love it there, and lets face it. The naps he takes afterwards are always nice! We purposely waited until the day of to tell Keegan with was time for school again. Otherwise, we would have never heard the end of it. We also made the mistake of fixing his lunch 1/2 an hour before it was time to leave. As soon as he saw his lunchbox on the counter, he grabbed his shoes, his lunchpail, and his backpack and was headed out the door!

He also remembered everything he was supposed to do at school. He found his cubby, put away his lunchbox and backpack, and sat on his letter in the circle. So proud of him!

S'mores Cupcakes

2010-09-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

These were DIVINE! But the marshamallow is so gooey, it's best to eat with a fork. Totally worth it!

First layer - Graham crackers

1 package graham crackers
1/2 cup butter softened
2 T sugar

Blend in a food processor until smooth. Add about 1 T to the bottom of each cupcake paper and pack down. Bake at 350 for 5 minutes

Second layer - fill cups with your favorite chocolate cake box cake

Third layer - Once cupcakes have cooled, scoop a small amount out of the middle of the cupcake. Fill with hot fudge topping, replace top.

Fourth layer - Melt marshamllow fluff until smooth and creamy. Drop a small dab onto the top of each cupcake. THIS IS MESSY!! The fluff runs down the side of the cupcake and next time I would probably omit this step.

Fifth layer - Boiled fluffy icing

Ingredients
1 1/2 3 tablespoons Meringue Powder
1/4 cup cold water
1 cups granulated sugar
2 Tbs corn syrup
1/4 cup water

Makes: About 4 cups of icing.

Instructions

Beat meringue powder and 1/2 cup cold water until stiff, about 4 minutes. In microwave safe bowl combine sugar, corn syrup and 1/2 cup water. Heat on high bringing syrup mixture to a boil (approx. 5 minutes). Remove from microwave and let mixture cool slightly (1-2 minutes). Slowly add syrup to meringue mixture. Beat on HIGH for 4 minutes until stiff and glossy.

Pipe onto cupcakes and "toast" with a butane torch

Meatball Sub with Baked Potato Salad

2010-09-03T11:13:00.000-07:00

So we had to turn out computer in to get repaired. Of course, Best Buy had to send it out so we've been without it for a little bit. But now it's back and here is your reward!!

Meatball Sub on Homemade Bread with Baked Potato Salad

Chop up six slices of bacon and fry until crispy. Remove from pan, reserving drippings.

Peel and cube 6 potatoes, boil until tender. Strain and cool. In a large bowl mix 1/2 mayo, 1 T mustard, salt, pepper, shredded cheddar cheese and the bacon. Mix well, add potatoes and stir until coated. Chill.

Saute a 2 chopped green onions and 3 gloves of garlic in bacon drippings until soft. Drain, again reserving drippings, and add to bowl with 1 pound of ground beef. Add salt, pepper, and an egg. Mix well and form into meatballs. Cook in bacon dripping until cooked through, turning occasionally.

While the meatballs are cooking, in a large saucepan, heat 1/2 can stewed tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil, parsley, garlic, onion powder and garlic powder.

Once the meatballs are cooked, drain on paper towel. Add to marinara sauce then spoon over homemade roll. Top with shredded mozarella cheese.

Who is this kid's hairstylist?!

2010-08-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

You gotta love the bedhead. When I went in to get Reece from his morning nap, I was greeted with a laughing, giggling baby. As if he KNEW how ridiculous he looked. How can you not grab a camera in moments like these :D

Zucchini Fries

2010-08-13T16:35:00.000-07:00

Zucchini - Healthy. Zucchini fries - not so much. But they are oh so good. I like to dip mine in ranch, while Chad prefers a tempura sauce. Either way, zuchinni fries are a great way to totally ruin the healthy.

Ingredients

2 large zuchinnis
1/2 flour
1/2 panko, slightly crushed
2 eggs beaten
salt
pepper
oil for frying

Directions

Slice the zuchinni in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Cut the zuchinni in half again but the other direction. Then slice into strips resembeling fries. Place the strips in a bowl with 1/4 of the flour and salt and pepper to taste. Toss to completly coat. Shake off excess flour and transfer to the bowl with eggs. Toss again to coat. Add the zuchinni into a bowl with the remaining flour and the panko. Place the fries on a cooling rack and let sit for 15 minutes while the oil heats up. Once the oil reaches 350 degrees, fry the zuchinni until golden brown. Remove from oil and immeditaly sprinkle with salt. Serve hot.

Officially a Toddler

2010-08-10T15:23:00.000-07:00

Another one of my favorite developments. When they start to consistently walk, instead of taking a few steps here and there. The wobbly frankenstein walk is so adorable. And they are so proud of themselves. And BONUS this is probably the last time you'll be able to still catch them when they take off.

The Sand Box

2010-08-07T16:47:00.000-07:00

The sand box. As much fun as it is to watch the boys play in it, has become another thing for me to clean up. Why sand is obviously so much more fun to play with OUTSIDE of the box, I'll never know. Sand all over the porch, sand all over the boys (including in Reece's diaper which has been fun!), sand all over my carpet. I live at the beach apparently. And Mr. Smarty Pants Keegan has figured out that sand is alot more fun when it's wet. Which of course causes a whole new level of mess. It's a good thing they're so cute ;)

Garlic Steak Marinade

2010-08-06T09:14:00.000-07:00

This recipe has become my go to marinade for all things steak. The vinegar really helps the flavors penetrate into the meat and the garlic flavor is wonderful. I've marinaded anywhere from an hour to overnight. I think you get the best flavor somewhere in the middle, around 3-4 hours. Only letting the steaks marinade for an hour doesn't seem to let enough of these wonderful flavors soak into the meat. And overnight just tends to overpower the entire thing. The recipe also calls for ribeye steaks, but it works well with almost any steak.

Ingredients

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 (1/2 pound) rib-eye steaks

Directions

In a medium bowl, mix the vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, honey, olive oil, ground black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, salt, liquid smoke, and cayenne pepper.

Place steaks in a shallow glass dish with the marinade, and turn to coat. For optimum flavor, rub the liquid into the meat. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 3-4 hourss.

Preheat grill for medium-high to high heat.

Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill steaks 7 minutes per side, or to desired doneness. Discard leftover marinade

Local Competition

2010-08-04T23:46:00.000-07:00

A local bakery is having a competition. Post pictures on their facebook page of you with one of the items they sell. Of course I thought this would be a great opportunity to take cute pictures (like I need more) of the boys. So for your entertainment, the pictures I submitted. Look for a post in the future about voting!

John Besh's Jumbalaya

2010-07-20T08:49:00.000-07:00

I have found a new show hosted by John Besh, one of my favorite chefs (hey that rhymes!). The show is called Inedible to Incredible. Basically friends and family nominate someone they think could be the worst cook in America. John Besh shows up, tastes their food (very brave move on his part) then remakes their "signature" dishes so they can actually be eaten. Some of the signature dish gems include: hamburgers with Special K and strawberries (yup strawberries IN the hamburgers), steak and fig newtons, puree'd veggies with frozen meatballs and sliced fake american cheese. YUM! While watching this show with Chad, John Besh makes a Jumbalaya recipe that had us drooling. The results were delicous! I'll admit, the andouille sausage was a little spicy for me. I think next time I'll put andouille in Chad's jumbalaya and a milder sausage in mine. I cut this recipe in half and we still had enough leftover for two lunch servings.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1 pound Andouille sausage, diced
2 Tbs canola oil
1 pound fresh pork sausage, removed from casings
4 skinless boneless chicken thighs, roughly cut into 1 inch cubes
salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 onions, diced
2 bell peppers, seeded and diced
5 stalks celery, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 1/2cups converted Louisiana white rice
1 Teaspoons dried thyme
1 dried bay leaves
1 1/2 Tablespoons pimenton de la Vera or smoked paprika
1/2 Teaspoon celery salt
3 cups canned crushed tomatoes
3 cups basic chicken stock
1 bunch green onions, trimmed and chopped

Preparation:

1.First, you’ll need to heat a very large pot over a high heat until it is hot, then reduce the heat to moderate.This will allow the heat to be uniform all over, preventing those little hot spots that are likely to burn.

2.Render the bacon with the sausages and the lard in the hot pot, stirring slowly with a long wooden spoon. While the pork is rendering, go ahead and season the chicken thighs with salt and black pepper.

3.Add the chicken to the pot, stirring and cook until the chicken becomes golden brown, about 5 minutes.

4.After the chicken has browned, add the onions to the pot and allow them to caramelize, about 15 minutes. Add the bell peppers, celery, and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes. Continue stirring from time to time so that everything in the pot cooks evenly.

5.Next add the rice, thyme, bay leaves, pimenton, cayenne, 2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon pepper, and celery salt to the pot and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes.

6.Increase the heat to high, and add the tomatoes and Basic Chicken Stock to the pot. Bring the stock to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

7.After the rice has simmered for 15 minutes, go ahead, remove the lid from the pot and fold in the green onions.

8.Turn off the heat and let everything continue to cook in the hot covered pot, for an additional 10 minutes. Remove the lid, fluff the Jambalaya, and serve!

Some random musings

2010-07-14T16:45:00.000-07:00

I am so much enjoying these boys. Just a smile, laugh or kiss brightens my day and makes me smile. So I thought I would share some of my favorite recent moments.

This chair was meant to be Keegan's. But his brother Reece seems to be getting more use out of it. Boy is he proud of himself when he gets in there all by himself.

Yet, another thing that is meant to be Keegan's but Reece gets into alot. And also just as proud of himself when he gets on it all by himself. He's even pushed himself around a little.

Does no one in this house use their own stuff?! ;) Keegan wearing Daddy's hat to work in the sandbox.

Can't find Reece anywhere?! Look in his favorite hiding spot. Because of how our living room is arranged, one of the couches is partly in front of a very large bookshelf. Creating the perfect getaway.

That there is a whoopie pie cookie stuck to my sons nose.

Finally! Someone is using something that belongs to them. Keegan's new bike helmet. His new bike is due to arrive tomorrow! I can't wait!!

Whoopie Pies

2010-07-09T06:03:00.000-07:00

These wonderful little treats have many different names, there's even a smaller version made by Oreo, but they are still a wonderful dessert or snack. They are one of my favorite things to pack in a picnic. Soft chewy chocolate cookies sandwich a light fluffy filling. Very easy to make.

Whoopie Pie

Ingredients

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup shortening
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets.

To Make Cookies: In a large bowl cream 1/2 cup of shortening , 1 cup sugar and 2 egg yolks. (Set egg whites aside for filling.) NOTE: If you don't want to use raw egg white in the filling, leave it out. Substitute 1 whole egg for the 2 egg yolks in the cookie recipe so you don't end up with leftover whites!!

In a separate bowl sift together 2 cups flour, 5 T cocoa, 1 t baking powder, 1/2 t salt, 1 t baking soda. Add to other mixture alternately with milk, beating well. Add vanilla at the end.

Drop by large spoonful on greased pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove to wire rack and cool completely.

To Make Filling: Beat together 3/4 cup shortening, 2 cups confectioners' sugar, 2 egg whites and dash of salt till light. Add 1 tsp. vanilla.

To assemble: Spread the flat side of one cookie circle with a spoonful of filling. Top with another.

Carne Asada

2010-06-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

This recipe is probably the best tasting carne asada I've ever made. Very flavorful and just enough of a little kick. I didn't follow the entire recipe (found HERE) because of time and a lack of ingredients, but the marinade I made came out wonderfully. I grilled the meat and heated up the tortillas on the BBQ. I don't like really spicy things but this was great. The chili pepper did get a little bit much after one taco but I think if I add guacamole or sour cream next time it will be perfect.

Carne Asada Marinade

Ingredients

3 pounds flank steak
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 limes, juiced
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika

Directions

Mix all ingredients, except steak, in a large bowl. Add meat and let marinate 1-3 hours. Grill until meat gets a nice brown carmalized char.

Lemon meringue pie

2010-06-23T20:16:00.000-07:00

Lemon Meringue Pie has got to be one of my favorite summertime desserts. Cool, refreshing, sweet and tangy. Think they're hard to make? Think again. They are really pretty simple. The best part is being able to adjust the lemon juice based on your tang preference. The recipe posted has a fairly average lemon tang, I usually add more than what it calls for. But that is totally up to you.

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water
2 lemons, juiced and zested
2 tablespoons butter
4 egg yolks, beaten
1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
4 egg whites
6 tablespoons white sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

To Make Lemon Filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.

To Make Meringue: In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add sugar gradually, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges at the crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown.

Father's Day

2010-06-22T15:13:00.000-07:00

Father's Day was full of surprised for Chad. As far as he knew, he was just going to a brunch at his Dad's house. Little did he know ;) About two hours into the brunch, my brother Isaiah - who has recently bought his own limo - arrived to chauffer the dads around for a wine and beer tasting. A great time was had by all! I'm so glad everyone had fun. We tried some great beers and well as a new fabulous winery. Thanks Per Cazo! After our wine tour, I whisked Chad and the boys off to Morro Bay to stay the night at a really cute Beach Bungalow. Then breakfast in the morning and an afternoon at the beach. Perfect weekend.

Green Stuff

2010-06-17T11:15:00.000-07:00

I am the maker of the Green Stuff. A few years ago, Chad described a cold summer salad that his Aunt always used to make. Green, nuts, pineapple, marshmallows..... I had never heard of such a thing, and wasn't sure I cared too. But thanks to allrecipes.com and their awesome ingredient search function, after some searching I had found it. It was really called Watergate Salad - not to be confused with Waldorf Salad. Now there is an unspoken rule that I bring the Green Stuff to all family functions. Seems I have assumed the duty that was once his Aunt's, and happy to. This salad is super easy to make, cool and refreshing. The ingredient list may sound like it won't go together, but trust me. It's yummy!

Ingredients

2 (3.4 ounce) package instant pistachio pudding mix

1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, with juice

2 cup miniature marshmallows

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together pudding mix, pineapple with juice. Stir in marshmallows, and nuts. Fold in whipped topping. Top with chopped nuts if desire. Cover with plastic wrap and chill.

Keegans first motorcycle ride

2010-06-15T12:21:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows Keegan, knows that he loves all modes of transportation. Especially anything that he gets to ride in/on that isn't his moms car. Cars, trucks, trains, planes, motorcycles, you name it. His Uncle Toby owns a motorcycle and was more than happy to give a squealing toddler his first motorcycle ride. It was just around the block but the smile on Keegan's face when he came back was bigger than the helmet on his head.

Backyard Camping

2010-06-09T21:05:00.000-07:00

To celebrate Memorial Weekend, we decided we wanted to go camping. However, we didn't want to deal with crowds and chasing two kids around in them. So we opted to campout in our backyard! Perfect solution, well was perfect until the over zealous golf course sprinklers came on. Good thing we put the rain cover on! So we pitched our huge tent in the backyard, inflated our air mattresses, the slip and slide and our pool. We set up the pack n play in the tent and a mini weber grill to be our bonfire pit. All the fun of camping plus all the comforts of home just a few steps away. The boys had a great time.

We let Reece loose on the Jell-O

Reece's first campfire. Notice our impressive use of our space saver high chair

Keegan roasting his first marshmallow

And trying to eat it all in one bite.

Kick off to Summer!!

2010-05-30T16:38:00.000-07:00

Let's get back into recipes! What better way to celebrate the Memorial Weekend than to share two of my favorite get together recipes. Whether it's for a cookout, BBQ, or grilling get together, whatever you call it, the season is upon us. Time for longer nights, warmer days, and bigger parties. Beside how wonderful these taste, I love them because they are great do ahead recipes. Perfect for allowing you to socialize, lounge around and drink with your guests.

First off is Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs. It's true what they say you know. Everything DOES taste better with bacon. Besides deviled eggs, you've got Bacon Risotto (you can find HERE), and how else do you get the hubby and kids to eat asparagus than to wrap it in bacon!

Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs

Ingredients

12 eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 slices bacon
2 tablespoons finely shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon mustard

Directions

Place eggs in a saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, and cool. To cool more quickly, rinse eggs under cold running water.

Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. You can also wrap bacon in paper towels and cook in the microwave for about 1 minute per slice. Crumble and set aside.

Peel the hard-cooked eggs, and cut in half lengthwise. Remove yolks to a small bowl. Mash egg yolks with mayonnaise, crumbled bacon and cheese. Stir in mustard. Fill egg white halves with the yolk mixture and refrigerate until serving. The easiest way to fill the eggs is to load up a ziploc bag with the mixture, cut the top off of one end, then pipe the filling into the eggs.

Next up with have Sweet Potato Salad. This salad has a great combination of regular russet potatoes and sweet potatoes. It's also a great base if you love lots of extras in your potato salad. I'm a plain jane kinda girl and just the potatoes, mayo, mustard, eggs, onion, salt and pepper are fine with me. But feel free to add whatever you love in yours: olives, celery, onions and yes even BACON ;)

Ingredients

2 potatoes, chopped
1 sweet potato, chopped
4 eggs
1/2 onion, chopped
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm. Since it usually takes longer for sweet potatoes to cook than russet, I boil in two sepearte pots. Drain and cool.
Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water; cool, peel and chop.

Combine the potatoes and eggs.

Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper. Add to potato mixture, toss well to coat. Refrigerate and serve chilled.

Enjoy your summer!!

Disneyland!

2010-05-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the Disney "Give a Day, Get a Day" promotion, for a few hours of our time, Chad and I were able to get free Disneyland tickets. Of course, we were so excited. Both of us haven't been in such a long time, and what better way to experience Disneyland than with your kids for the first time. Don't get me wrong, we had some reservations about taking a 1 year old and a 3 and a half year old on a day long treck through the happiest place on earth. We were worried about Reece getting too tired, Keegan now wanting to wait in lines, and being upset when we had to get off rides. But, we were very pleasantly surprised. Keegan and Reece both behaved wonderfully. Keegan walked the entire day. He got upset waiting in line once at the begining of the day but was a joy the rest of the time, even though he got no nap. One of the best days we've had as parents.

Reece all ready to go in his big boy car seat!

You have to get a picture in front of the castle!

Both boys really enjoyed the submarine ride

Autotopia!

Reece on the carousel

Keegan on the carousel

Surprisingly Keegan LOVED the teacups. Mommy on the other hand got a little sick to her stomach just trying to film them.

I did it again!!!

2010-05-20T15:38:00.000-07:00

I was doing SO WELL. I didn't think it had been almost a month since I last posted. Blarg!!!

We've had alot going on! Reece turned ONE! I cannot believe my little boy isn't a "baby" anymore! Great fun was had at his party.

We decided on a dinosaur theme, since his nickname is Chompers. He makes this great face and noise when he's crawling around the house.

Kite Festival

2010-04-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

Keegan is obsessed with anything that flies. So what better way to spend a Saturday than at the Kite Festival at Barney Schwartz. And an added bonus - they had remote control airplanes and helicopters too!! Besides the constant Keegan chasing, we had a great time. We brought a picnic lunch and camped out under a shady tree. Too bad it wasn't windy enough for some of the really big kites to get up.

Reece was not too sure what to think of this grass stuff.

Cool breeze+soft blanket= afternoon nap

Apple Pie

2010-04-14T20:47:00.000-07:00

You'd be hard pressed NOT to find an apple pie recipe in any cookbook or recipe web page. Most of them are the same. Flaky crust, apples layered with butter, sugar, and spices, more flaky crust. We get it. But years ago, I stumbled upon an apple pie recipe that was a little different. Flaky crust - check, apples - check, layered with butter and sugar - NOPE! This pie you assemble differently. You fill the pie crust with just apples, nothing else. Then top with a lattice crust. And then comes the best part. You pour this melted sugary yumminess over the lattice crust. It coats the crust and oozes down into the apples. So good.

Ingredients

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.

Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work of crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.

Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.

Easter

2010-04-11T15:50:00.000-07:00

As you can tell, Reece wasn't such a huge fan of the tall grass. But the boys had fun just the same. We didn't hide any eggs for Reece, (can you imagine how long THAT hunt would take?! LOL) but Keegan got three! Chad and I hid a bunch outside for Keegan. Amanda and Veronica hid a bunch outside, and just yesterday we went to a belated Easter party at Ed and Bonnie's. Such fun. Reece did get a practice run of his first birthday festivities and ate an entire cupcake by himself!

We put together a sandbox for Keegan and Reece. They have been really enjoying it.

Not your average canned corn

2010-04-08T09:45:00.000-07:00

As a parent, sometimes you tend to get stuck on auto pilot. Especially when making dinner. It's much easier to just go with what you know while one kid is climbing into the kitchen cabinets and the other is making more noise with his pan and spoon than a hard rock concert. So we throw things in pots and eat what's easiest. While in the midst of the normal dinner making chaos, the can of corn began to stare me down. "You're not going to just serve me warm up right out the can are you?!?" Well, I guess not. So what could I do that was fast easy and really tasty? Let's go with my motto: Bacon makes everything better!

Ingredients

1 can of whole kernal corn, drained
4 strips of bacon, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1/4 onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Fry up bacon until almost cripsy. Add onion, bell pepper, and corn. Saute until the onion is soft. Season with salt and pepper.

See! Super easy AND super yummy!!!

Test drive

2010-04-05T10:02:00.000-07:00

As much as I would like to pretend that my baby isn't getting bigger, it will soon be time to put Reece in a new carseat. Sigh. Why does a year seem to fly by so fast? But, for all my complaining and sadness that Reece is turning into a toddler, how can you not enjoy watching this small baby become his own person. And it does seem to make it easier that he looks so stinking cute in his big boy carseat!

Chicken Fried Chicken with Country Gravy

2010-03-28T12:57:00.000-07:00

This might be one of my favorite comfort foods. I have tried several ways to try and achieve the crunchiest breading that doesn't fall off the chicken as soon as you cut into it. So far, I think this is the best. A combination of flour and crushed panko. The flour helps the mixture to adhere, and the panko gives excellent crunch. Paired with creamy country gravy for a delicous savory dish.

Chicken

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, pounded flat
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup panko
2 eggs, beaten.
salt and course pepper to taste
Oil for frying

Directions

Dry chicken with a paper towel. Add flour to a shallow dish, and add egg to a second shallow dish. Coat the chicken breast in flour, pressing the flour into the chicken. Submerge filets in eggs and let rest a minute. Add panko, salt and pepper to flour. Crush panko with your fingers to make smaller crumbs. Return chicken to flour/panko mixture, turning to coat. Again pressing the flour into the chicken. Place on a cooling rack to set.

In a shallow pan, heat 1/2 inch of oil until hot. Sprinkle some flour into the oil and if it makes bubbles, it's hot enough.

Fry chicken 4-5 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Gravy

Ingredients

2 T butter
1 chicken boullion
1/4 flour
1/2 cup to 1 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

In a small saucepan, melt butter and boullion. Add flour gradually, whisking to prevent clumps. Slowly add milk, a few tablespoons at a time, thourough whisking in between additions. Continue adding milk until the gravy is desired consistency. Add salt and pepper. Serve over chicken.

Firsts

2010-03-26T07:45:00.000-07:00

Firsts may be one of my all time favorite thing about having kids. First smile, first giggle, first step.... They warm my heart and make every tantrum worth it ;) One of the best firsts to me is ice cream. Watching their eyes light up. The look that seems to say "What is this glorious cool concoction you have placed in front of me?" And what could top the first taste of ice cream but the first my very own, gonna make a huge mess but don't care because it's so good, my very own ice cream cone! Yes it's is going to be a pain to clean up, yes he probably shouldn't have that much sugar. But sometimes the best moments come from the should not's.

Zucchini and Mozarella

2010-03-24T08:53:00.000-07:00

Does it still count as a veggie if it's loaded with cheese? These came about because I was feeling lazy. I wanted to use up the zucchini but didn't want to take the time to make zucchini fries. This might be our new favorite way to have it! It's super easy and really tasty. And probably at least a little more healthy than battered and dipped in ranch right?! All of the seasonings and cheese can be adjusted for your tastes. This is more of a give a couple shakes of this and a few shakes of that kind of recipe ;)

Ingredients

1 large zucchini
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 T butter
1/2 T olive oil
1/4 cup grated mozarella

Directions

Split the zucchini down the middle. Scrap out some of the seeds and discard. Cut into slices.

Put slices in a bowl and add salt, pepper, basil and olive oil. Turn to evenly coat.

Melt butter in small saucepan that can also be put in the oven.

Sautee zucchini until about half way cooked.

Remove from stove and sprinkle with cheese. Put in oven under the broiler until the cheese is gold and bubbly.

St. Patricks Day Festivities

2010-03-22T10:35:00.000-07:00

Introducing the next "Jonas Brothers" except our kids are much cuter and WAY less annoying ;) After dinner, a friend of my mother in laws boyfriend (did ya follow that) played the guitar. Keegan loved it. He was totally entranced. It was so much fun to see. And of course, Reece didn't want to miss out on all the fun so he grabbed the mic. AAaaaaaaaaaahh, sweet retirement ;)

Baileys Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

2010-03-20T08:08:00.000-07:00

Here they are. The cupcakes you've been drooling over. Don't let the fact that St. Patty's Day is over let you miss out on this wonderful things. I had a few of the cupcakes kinda collapse on me during the baking process, but they still tasted great. You can find the recipe here.

It's only fair

2010-03-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

Moms, and dads for that matter, should get a lifetime supply of energy pills upon the birth of a child. It's only fair. Kids have the uncanny ability to totally destroy a room in a mere fraction of the time it takes to clean it up. This morning while making my Baileys Irish Cream cupcakes, in no less than 10 minutes, this is what my living room looked liked when I returned.

The four pieces of furniture are the only things that have been moved or turned upside down. Whatever he could lift seems to have moved. My favorite touch? The roll of toilet paper strung out to be used as roads for his matchbox cars.

But how can you be mad at a face like this?!

Recipe Sneak Peek

2010-03-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Baileys Irish Cream cupcakes with chocolate frosting. Mmmmmm. I didn't think it would be very fair of me to post pics and recipes for these things after St. Patricks Day. I did alot of research and chose this recipe mostly because of the amount of Baileys in it. And what could go better with Baileys than creamy chocolate. So here it is. The recipe that I plan on using for St. Patrick's Day. I'll be sure to post pics and reviews once I've sobered up.

Recipe: Baileys Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients

Cupcakes (Makes approx. 30 cupcakes)

1 cup of butter, room temperature
2 cups of sugar
4 eggs, separated and at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup of Bailey's liqueur

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy (about 3 or 4 minutes). Add egg yolks one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Add vanilla and mix until combined.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture, alternating with Baileys and mixing well after each addition. Batter should be thick, but if it comes out dry, add a splash of milk.

In another bowl, beat egg whites with clean beaters until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into the cupcake batter until the colour of the batter is uniform.Fill lined cupcake cups half full. Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until they test done with a toothpick.

Frosting

Ingredients

1 stick of butter (1/2 cup) at room temperature
1/2 cup shortening
3 1/2 cups icing sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp vanilla
3-4 Tbsp milk

Cream together butter and shortening. Add vanilla and milk and mix well. Combine icing sugar and cocoa and gradually add to the creamed mixture. Add more milk if necessary.

As if he wasn't growing up fast enough

2010-03-15T18:14:00.000-07:00

Big brother gets to do ALL the fun stuff. And baby brother is stuck in the house looking out. Poor thing. We took Reece to the doctor today and he is a hearty 19 and a half pounds! So don't feel too bad for him, he'll outgrown "big" brother in no time. He's only 10 behind Keegan, who's only 29 pounds.

Bacon Risotto

2010-03-11T12:43:00.000-08:00

It is true what they say. Everything IS better with bacon. Based on this principal, I wanted to assemble a recipe that would make risotto better. I have been intimidated for awhile to try risotto. After all, it seems NO ONE can get it right for Gordon Ramsey so what chance did I have? So I finally decided to try it. For a year or so, it became one of our go to recipes for dinner. A nice change from regular rice. Then, for Chad's birthday last year I wanted to baconfy it. And a family favorite was born. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. I've also posted the recipe on allrecipes.com and it has gotten 9 reviews and FIVE stars!! (toot toot)

Ingredients

1/2 pound bacon, diced
5 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Cook and stir the diced bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon and reserve.

Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a saucepan over high heat; reduce heat to low to keep the chicken stock hot.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion begins to turn golden brown at the edges, about 2 minutes. Pour in the rice and stir until the rice is coated in butter and has started to toast, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; stir in one-third of the hot chicken stock and continue stirring until the rice has absorbed the liquid and turned creamy. Repeat this process twice more, stirring constantly. Stirring in the broth should take 15 to 20 minutes in all. When finished, the rice should be tender, yet slightly firm.

Remove the risotto from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, the Parmesan cheese, and the reserved bacon. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

Oh to sleep this good

2010-03-08T09:16:00.000-08:00

Wouldn't it be great if you could contort yourself into any position, legs sticking through slots, head pushed in a corner, no blankets, and arm twisted back, and STILL be able to sleep through a camera flash. Maybe I could actually catch up on sleep if I could sleep this deep. But alas, I believe it is a never ending battle and I will never be fully rested again.

Homemade Donuts!

2010-03-07T16:43:00.000-08:00

Now I realize why baker's get up at three in the morning to make donuts. They can take awhile! And although they might not of been as light and fluffy as professional donuts, they were fun to make and really yummy.

Ingredients

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/3 cup water
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons margarine, melted
3/4 cup white sugar
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 quarts vegetable oil for frying

Directions

Add yeast, milk and sugar in a bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and mix with dough hook until smooth. Let sit for 1 hours to rise.

Roll dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. With floured doughnut cutter, cut into 2 1/2 inch rounds.

Place doughnuts on an greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled in a warm place, about 45 minutes.

Heat oil in deep fryer to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Fry one layer of doughnuts at a time. Turn doughnuts as they rise to the surface until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from oil and drain onto paper towels.

I used the chocolate glaze recipe that I posted earlier on my too much chocolate cake. You can find the recipe here

I rolled the doughnut holes in powdered sugar.

They're ganging up on me!!

2010-03-06T10:38:00.000-08:00

Reece is really coming into his own as a trouble maker. I blame his older brother ;) He has taught him alot, and we expect that Keegan will teach him alot more things in the future. We don't seem to have the luxury with Reece as we did with Keegan. Keegan had to figure out how to be a pill all on his own, Reece loves copying his older brother and is learning fast!! This morning while I was cleaning up a mess Keegan made, Reece got away from me and this is where I found him.

Playing in the shower, happy as a clam. Of course, Chad had taken a shower just a few hours before he found his way in there, so he was soaking wet. He obviously didn't seem to mind though.

MMmmm Too Much Chocolate Cake

2010-03-04T16:23:00.000-08:00

Chad wanted a really rich chocolate cake for Valentine's Day. I searched allrecipes.com (I've mentioned before how much I love this site) and found a wonderful recipe. It came out rich and moist. And went perfect with vanilla ice cream. I poured the glaze recipe on top and added chopped pecans

CAKE

Ingredients

1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased 12 cup bundt pan.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour and a half before inverting onto a plate If desired, dust the cake with powdered sugar.

GLAZE

Ingredients

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

In a double boiler over hot, but not boiling water, combine chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup. Stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth, then add vanilla.

Spread warm glaze over top of cake, letting it drizzle down the sides.

Boys and Puddles

2010-03-01T08:33:00.000-08:00

What little boys don't love puddles? We get some pretty heavy rain Friday and Saturday, but it cleared up pretty nice Saturday afternoon. So after Keegan woke up from his nap, we decided we would take him out to the golf course right outside our backyard to play in the monsterous puddles. He was soaking wet and muddy by the time we were done, but he had a ton of fun!! It looks really dark in the pictures, but it's just before sunset.

(notice how muddy his butt is in this one)

Chicken in my pillows?

2010-02-27T11:44:00.000-08:00

Warm layered crescent roll doughs filled with a delicous cream cheese and chicken mix. A friend of mine has raved about her chicken pillows. But I had never tried to make them. Then, while browsing through my new Food Network Magazine, I saw a recipe for Chicken Pillows. I read the list of ingredients and tadah! I had them all. This is very easy to quick to make. I plan on having the items to make this on hand from now on for a last minute dinner. The crescent dough also now comes in sheets, so you don't have to worry about trying to pinch the seams of the triangles together.

Ingredients

1 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
3 tablespoons chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons butter melted
1 (10 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough

Directions

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, slowly cook and stir skinless, boneless chicken breast halves. Cook until mostly done. Add onions and garlic, cook until onions are tender and chicken is lightly browned.

Add cream cheese and stir until it is melted and creamy. You may need to add just a splash milk if it needs to be thinned out slightly.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Unroll croissants and divide in quarters to create 4 rectangles. You may need to pull the dough slightly to get them closer to a square shape. Place a quarter of the chicken mixture on each rectangle. Fold into balls.

Arrange balls on a large baking sheet. Brush with melted butter. Bake in the preheated oven 12 minutes, or until golden brown.