Anna's Virtual Kitchen

My family blog

2011-12-21T09:35:00.001-08:00

if you would like to follow me and my family and still get good recipes email me at annasvirtualkitchen(at)gmail.com

A Thanksgiving Farewell

2011-11-28T11:33:00.000-08:00

I am officially retiring from the foodie blogger role in my life... and devoting more time and energy into my little boy! Now dont take that as me no longer cooking... (which my husband was scared of when i told him this). I am still going to be cooking as much as ever and trying new things all the time. I just will no longer be sharing it with the blogger world. SORRY....

So for my last post... THANKSGIVING!!!! I must say... I prepared a feast for the whole 3 people that ended up at Thanksgiving Dinner!

We had the following:
- Home-made Croissants
- Maple Brined Turkey
- Loaded Mashed Potatoes
- Green Bean Casserole
- Sausage Apple Stuffing
- Sweet Potatoes
- and also applesauce and cottage cheese

It was quite the feast! and our little Otto was so excited for it!

Cinnamon Pumpkin Bubble Buns

2011-10-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

Here is a fun twist on Cinnamon Rolls... Cinnamon Bubble Buns! This recipe has a subtle hint of Pumpkin in it which is of course fun for the season, and they are absolutely delicious! Found this fun recipe at Kirbie's Cravings

Ingredients:
Dough
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 3 tbls butter, melted
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 3 tbls sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 + Flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
Coating
- 6 tbls butter, melted
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 tsp cinnamon
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbls milk
- 1 tsp vanilla

Place water in bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle yeast over water. Let stand until bubbly, 5-10 minutes. While waiting, in separate bowl, melt butter and add sour cream, sugar, egg, pumpkin and vanilla. After yeast has bubbled add mixture to the stand mixer. Beat in 3 cups of flour, salt and baking soda until incorporated. Add remaining flour and continue to mix until a smooth soft dough forms. If dough does not come together slowly add more flour until it does. The dough should be sticky and wet, but you should be able to remove entire dough from mixing bowl. I used about 4 cups of flour.

Knead dough until smooth for about 2-3 minutes in mixer with dough hook. Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with a wet paper towel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

In a small bowl mix together cinnamon and sugar for coating. In another bowl, melt butter for coating. Grease two 12 cup muffin pans. Roll dough into a long cylinder and divide into 20 equal parts. Divide each of those 20 parts into 3 parts and roll into balls.

Roll each ball in melted butter and Cinnamon and Sugar mixture and place 3 balls in the bottom of each muffin cup. (The original recipe says to cut put 5 balls in there, but i couldn't fit 5 balls in my muffin cups).

Cover buns with a wet paper towel and let rise in a warm place until puffy and doubled in size, about 40 mins. Preheat oven to 350F and Bake buns for 20 mins or until golden brown. let cool in pan (this is very important because if you are impatient like me they fall apart as soon as you pull them out if they are too warm)

Place buns on wire rack with something underneath to catch drippings. In a small bowl, mix glaze ingredients and stir until smooth and drizzle over buns. (I had some extra cream cheese frosting so i just used that and it was perfect)

Spicy BBQ Ribs

2011-10-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

My grocery store had an AMAZING meat sale last week so I loaded up on some things that I usually don't go for to give it a try... since it was cheaper than normal. Pork Country Style Boneless Ribs was one of those things and may just become something i buy more often now. Found the idea here

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 to 2 lbs boneless country style ribs
- 3 tsp Blackened Cajun Seasoning
- 1/4 tsp garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 medium Onion
- BBQ Sauce

Wash ribs and Pat dry. Combine Cajun, Garlic and Onion Powders and rub mixture over the ribs. Line a shallow baking pan with foil and arrange ribs on pan. Top with sliced Onions and cover with foil. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours and then drizzle with BBQ sauce. Broil for 5 more minutes and Enjoy!

Milk & Honey White Bread

2011-10-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

Here is another bread made from my wonderful Kitchen-Aid. This was so so easy to make. I was so anxious to try it that I didn't even let it cool before I cut into it and made 2 scrumptious sandwiches for lunch out of it. I found this at Taste Of Home

Ingredients:
- 2 packages active dry yeast
- 2 1/2 cups warm milk (110-115 degrees)
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 2 tsp salt
- 8 to 8 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add honey, butter, salt and 5 cups of flour; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
Knead in your Kitchenaid with Dough Hook for 5 mins (or Turn onto a floured board; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes). Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down and shape into two loaves. Place in greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cover loosely with foil if top browns too quickly. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.
Yield: 2 loaves.

Cheesy Red Pepper Pizza

2011-10-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

My husband has a wonderful little garden on our balcony that he has struggled with all summer long. Growing things in Pots is a lot harder than growing them in the ground... especially when you live in such a dry climate. I was super excited to make my first Vegetable Pizza, and to be able to use so many fresh ingredients. I found the idea for this from Better Homes and Gardens.

Ingredients:
- Pizza Dough (I used an Auntie Ann's Pizza Dough... YUMMY!)
- Cornmeal (if using pizza stone)
- 1 tbls Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup chopped peppers
- 3-4 tomatoes (depending on size), thinly sliced
- 1/2 yellow squash thinly sliced
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 1 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- Ground Black Pepper
- Fresh Chopped Basil

Sprinkle Pizza Stone with cornmeal and place in Cold Oven. Preheat oven to 425°F and let Stone heat for 30 mins. Pull out stone and Press Pizza dough Onto stone, building up edges. Brush with olive oil. Bake in oven for 10 minutes.

Remove crust from oven. Arrange pepper, tomato slices, Onion, and squash on pizza crust. Sprinkle with cheese and black pepper.

Bake in the preheated oven for 5 to 10 minutes more or until cheese is bubbly. Sprinkle with basil.

Pecan Crusted Pork w/ Orange Maple Glaze

2011-09-30T06:44:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while I find a recipe that just knocks my socks off... and this is one of them. I ripped it out of a Better Homes and Gardens magazine at my OB-GYN's office (i had to wait for an hour because she was in delivery) and i am so glad i did. I had been avoiding recipes with Pork Tenderloin because it is so dang expensive, but i finally caved in and i don't regret it in the slightest. This is a winner!

Ingredients:
- 1 Pork Tenderloin (about 1 1/2 lbs)
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp ground Black Pepper
- 4 tbls Pure Maple Syrup
- 1 cup Pecan Pieces, finely chopped
- 2 tbls vegetable Oil
- 2 Oranges (1 Juiced, 1 Cut into Wedges)
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Trim pork, then cut into 1/2-inch slices. Flatten slices with palm of hand; season pork with salt and pepper.

Place 3 tablespoons of the syrup in a shallow dish; place pecans in a second shallow dish. In a 12-inch skillet heat oil over medium heat. Coat pork in syrup, then press in pecans. Place pork in skillet in single layer; top with remaining pecans and syrup from dish. Cook 3 to 4 minutes each side, just until pork is pink in center. Remove from skillet. With a slotted spoon, remove any pecan pieces in skillet; spoon over pork.

Stir orange juice, the remaining 1 tablespoon maple syrup, cumin, and cayenne into skillet. Cook, uncovered, for 1 to 2 minutes until slightly thickened. Pour over pork. Serve with orange wedges.

Bountiful Basket

2011-09-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Doesn't that all just look so yummy (well everything but the green bananas which need a couple more days). Saturday morning I woke up early and got my first Bountiful Basket! They have them in lots of different cities in lots of different states, we are lucky enough to have a pick up location one just a few minutes from our house. Pretty much, for $15 (which i paid the Monday before) I got all the stuff above: 5 Nectarines,10 Plums, 4 Pears, 6 Apples, 3 Red and 3 Green Peppers (which are shown chopped because i froze them), 4 Tomatoes, Lettuce, Grapes, 9 Bananas, and 5 Cucumbers. I'm not exactly sure how much that would cost at the grocery store, but i know its way more than $15... i just spent $5 on a bag of grapes earlier in the week! You should all check and see if there is one by you!

Blueberry Fruit Roll-Ups

2011-09-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

My husband and I are big fans of our local farmers market, and one of our favorite things to buy is the blueberries. I have never had such fresh juicy and flavorful blueberries before... but one can only eat so many blueberries before they go bad. So when i found this recipe at Our Best Bites i knew what to do with all my left over fruit!

Ingredients:
- 2 1/2- 3 cups of ripened fruit (or slightly overly ripened)
- honey or sugar to sweeten (i used honey)
- 2 tsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to lowest temperature. 140° or higher (mine went to 170). Puree all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. Pour onto a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap, or a silicone baking mat (don’t use foil, parchment, or waxed paper), and spread to 1/8″ thick. Place in oven and bake for 6-8 hours, until center is not tacky anymore. Remove from oven and peel off of baking sheet. Cut into strips and roll in parchment or plastic. Store in airtight container or freeze.

If using plastic wrap, it will shrink a little as the fruit dries, so do leave a little extra around the edges.

Herbed Roasted Potato Pack

2011-09-23T07:30:00.000-07:00

Me and my husband love to go to our local Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. We love the fresh berries, the salt and pepper corn on the cob and so many more things. One thing we found that i love is a huge sack of Red Potatoes! So you can only imagine that i have to find some fun things to do with all these potatoes since its just me and my husband! I found this recipe at "Never Enough Thyme" and tweaked it to my liking!

Ingredients:
- 2 Cups cubed potatoes (i used my red potatoes)
- 1 tbls fresh herbs (i used rosemary and thyme)
- 2 tbls olive oil
- 1 tbls garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 2 tbls grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Put all ingredients in a 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish. Mix together until everything is evenly distributed and potatoes are coated
Bake for 30 minutes, remove from oven and toss or stir. Return to oven and bake for 15 more minutes or until potatoes are desired crispiness.

Hamburger Buns

2011-09-21T07:22:00.000-07:00

I have started to make a lot more bread in our house. Ever since i got my Kitchen-Aid for my birthday I have wanted to make all of our bread because getting healthy bread without all the extras in it is really expensive. Plus with my Kitchen-Aid i dont have to knead by hand so its really easy! I found this recipe at Annie's Eats (if you can't tell... i really like her blog). These were so so yummy i would just eat them by themselves!

Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp. warm milk
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 tsp. instant yeast
- 2½ tbsp. sugar
- 1½ tsp. salt
- 1 large egg
- 3 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2½ tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
- Spray butter, or melted butter for topping

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the milk, water, yeast, sugar, salt and egg. Mix briefly to combine. Add the flours to the bowl, and mix until incorporated. Mix in the butter. Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed for about 6-8 minutes. The dough will be somewhat tacky, but you want to avoid adding too much extra flour which will create tough buns.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a damp paper towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1-2 hours.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper . Divide the dough into 8 equal parts. Gently roll each portion of dough into a ball and place on the baking sheet, 2-3 inches apart. Cover loosely with a damp paper towel and let rise again, 1-2 hours, until puffed up and nearly doubled.

Set a large metal pan of water on the lowest rack of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400˚ F with a rack in the center. Brush the tops of the buns lightly with the melted butter. Bake the buns about 15 minutes rotating halfway through baking, until the tops are golden brown. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Honey Lime Maple Chicken

2011-09-19T07:20:00.000-07:00

I actually made these twice in 1 week. My little brothers stopped by on there way to college so I made a HUGE batch and had them marinate for a day, well i didn't think about how i was going to cook that HUGE batch in the oven all at once, so i let some of them marinate for a few more days and me and my husband had it again a few days later. They are so much better if they marinate for at least 24 hours! Found this at the Peach Kitchen

Ingredients:
- Chicken Drumsticks (can handle about 10)
- 1 cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 4 tbsp lime juice
- sesame seeds for garnish

In a large bowl, combine soy sauce, honey, maple syrup and lime juice. Mix well. Add chicken pieces and make sure each chicken is coated with marinade. I marinated my chicken for a day in the refrigerator. The longer you marinate it, the tastier it would become.

Cook chicken in an oven set at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes or until cooked through all the way. As Chicken is cooking reduce the marinade in a medium sauce pan until about 1/2 the liquid is gone. Baste the chicken with the marinade every 10 minutes to create the nice dark glaze.

Sprinkle with Sesame Seeds when done

Banana Bread

2011-09-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

This is from my Grandma...my inspiration for cooking. She is the best cook ever and I love her!

Ingredients:
- 1 stick Butter
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbls Milk
- 3 very ripe bananas
- 2 cups Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- Nuts (Optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a Mixing Bowl beat together butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time then add milk and bananas. Mix until combined. Then sift into a bowl the flour, Baking Powder, Salt and Baking Soda. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Add Nuts and mix.

Spray 2 medium size bread pans (or 4 mini bread pans) with Cooking Spray and bake for 45 minutes or until cooked through

Nutella Cookies

2011-09-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love Nutella. And i love how they try to make it sound like its healthy.... ITS CHOCOLATE! and it really isn't healthy when you make it into a cookie, but they are worth it. Found this at Best Bites

Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
- 2/3 cup Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/3 cup Nutella
- 1/3 cup milk

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Set the mixture aside. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes or until smooth. Add the extract and beat for another 30 seconds or so. Add the Nutella and beat until smooth.

With the mixer running, add half of the flour mixture and mix until combined. Add the milk, mixing until combined completely, then add the remaining flour mixture and mix completely. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 15 minutes (and as long as 2-3 days).

When you’re ready to bake the cookies, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll tablespoons of dough into balls and place them on the lined cookie sheet, allowing about 2″ between the dough balls.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are crackly on top and soft, but starting to set. Remove from the oven and allow them to stand for about 5 minutes and then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Raspberry Crumb Bars

2011-09-12T08:28:00.000-07:00

Blogging with a Baby in your arms is a talent I really need to develop :) I am finally back to the bloggin world and here is something yummy. My mother-in-law bought us a bunch of raspberries so this is what had to be made. They are wondeful! Got it from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
- 1½ cups sugar, divided
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp. salt
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 16 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 large egg
- 4 cups fresh raspberries
- 4 tsp. cornstarch
- Juice of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease a 9 x 13″ pan; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup of the sugar, the baking powder and flour. Mix in the salt and the lemon zest, and stir together with a fork. Cut in the butter and egg with a pastry blender until the largest chunks are about pea-sized. The mixture should be crumbly without much loose flour. Spread about half of the dough mixture in an even layer over the bottom of the prepared pan and press down firmly to form the bottom crust.

In another bowl, stir together the remaining sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the raspberries with a rubber spatula until combined. Sprinkle the berry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble the remaining dough over the top of the berries.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is slightly golden brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares and serving.

Lime Cupcakes

2011-08-31T10:05:00.000-07:00

Sunday was my little boy's 1 Month! I decided to celebrate and make Lime Cupcakes with Strawberry/Raspberry toppings. But somehow i was out of butter.... so after much searching i found this recipe from Gayathri's Cook Spot, which did the trick.

For the lime Cupcakes, i just did the above recipe (but you can use a boxed cake or your own recipe) and added the zest from 2 limes and 1/2 lime juiced. The real find was the frosting. I had to figure out how to make the frosting firm (and again... no butter), and the trick is to use egg whites. You beat them until they peak and then add the vanilla and powdered sugar (2 egg whites, 4 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla). you can add milk if you need more moisture. The frosting hardened, just on the outside, pretty quick and allowed me to put the fruit in the middle.

My Little Boy...

2011-08-15T10:01:00.000-07:00

Here he is... My Little Otto

A Disappearing Act...

2011-07-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

If you've missed previous posts... or have been wondering why my posts are so un-regular... My hubby and I are expecting our first little boy (Otto) this week! We are so excited for him to join our little family, even if it is by C-Section (our stubborn little boy wont move out of his head up position... :)

For this reason i am going to disappear for about a month and take it easy letting everyone else cook for me (my mommy, my hubby, and the wonderful ladies at church). I will post a picture of our little Otto when I get a chance.

Ratatouille My Way

2011-07-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

My inspiration for this came from Sauce and Sensibility but I didn't just want to make a vegetable dish. I wanted a whole meal combined into 1 dish. So this is what I came up with

Ingredients:
- Zucchini
- Yellow Squash
- Tomato
- Potatoes
- Onion
- Italian Turkey Sausage
- Garlic
- Olive Oil
- Thyme
- Salt and Pepper
- Cheese (i used Mozzarella and Romano)

Notice i didn't put measurements on anything. That is so you can make as much, as little, more vegie, more meat, whatever your mouth wants at that moment.

In a medium skillet brown the meat, add the onion and cook until translucent. Stir in garlic and cook for about 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Set aside.

Dice up the potatoes into bite size pieces and stir into the meat mixture. Place this mixture in the bottom of your serving dish and sprinkle with a little bit of cheese.

Slice your squash, zucchini and tomato into thin slices and layer over your potato meat mixture as shown to left (i put my tomato under the squash and zucchini so i could get enough vegetables in my cute little dishes). Top with Salt, Pepper, Thyme and a drizzle of Olive Oil.

Cover with Aluminum Foil and bake in oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and top with more cheese and bake for 10 more minutes.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-07-19T10:47:00.001-07:00

Oh chocolate chip cookies! Everyone has there own version and everyone swears they have the best. Well you may notice that I already had a recipe for "the BEST chocolate chip cookies"... which i still think are really really good. But I have recently found this recipe... the search for it was brought about by a Bobby Flay Throwdown... and they are also the BEST chocolate chip cookies. The Oatmeal in them is what makes them so so yummy... and i think that because they are different, i can have 2 "BEST" chocolate chip cookie recipes. Found this recipe at Bake or Break.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 large eggs (or 1/2 cup egg beaters)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 cups uncooked regular oats
- Chocolate chips (i use milk chocolate)
- Pecans (optional of course)

Preheat oven to 375°.
Beat butter at medium speed in a heavy-duty mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugars and beat well. Add eggs and vanilla, beating well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, bakings soda, and salt. Gradually add to butter mixture and beat well.

Process oats in a food processor (or i just used my blender because i dont have one) until finely ground. Add to butter mixture and beat well. Stir in chocolates and pecans.

Drop cookies by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly on baking sheets. Then, remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Cajun Chicken Fingers

2011-07-18T11:39:00.001-07:00

I love love love chicken fingers. Whenever we go out to eat I always notice the chicken fingers and seriously debate getting them off the kids menu no matter where we are. I have finally found an easy easy way to make yummy chicken fingers.. .and they are super quick. I made these with my favorite Louisiana Mix Cajun Seasoning. You can add whatever seasoning you want to it to give it the flavor you like.

Ingredients:
- 2 Chicken Breasts (cut into strips/chunks)
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/4 cup King of the Cajun Louisiana Mix
- 3 eggs
- Salt/Pepper
- 1 1/2- 2 cups Kikkoman Panko Breadcrumbs (These are the best)
- Vegetable Oil

Set out 3 bowls. In Bowl #1 combine flour, Cajun mix, and a dash of Salt and Pepper. In Bowl #2 beat eggs. In Bowl #3 have Kikkoman Panko Breadcrumbs (sidenote--- these are the best Panko breadcrumbs i have found, they actually stick to food and don't flake off).

Dredge chicken in Flour/Cajun Mixture, shaking off any excess. Dip into Eggs and then coat all sides of chicken in Panko breadcrumbs. Set aside

In a heavy pot pour 2 inches of oil and let heat to 350 degrees. (if you don't have a thermometer you can test this with a piece of white bread. if the bread browns beautifully in about a minute you are at the right temp. If it gets soggy or burns, you need to adjust the temp.)

Working in batches (do not overload your oil or the temperature will drop) fry your chicken for about 2 minutes on both sides, or until Panko turns golden brown. Remove from oil and let set on paper towel lined plate to absorb extra oil.

Sloppy Joes

2011-07-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

This recipe is courtesy of my Aunt Sally-- and in my opinion there are no better sloppy joes (but i may be a little bias)

Ingredients:
- 2 lbs ground beef (or i've used ground turkey too)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 2 tbls vinegar
- 2 tbls brown sugar
- 1/2 cup catsup
- 3 tbls Worcestershire Sauce.

Brown beef or turkey in a large skillet with chopped onions. Drain grease and add tomato sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, catsup and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer over medium heat for 10-15 mins. I sometimes add a little more brown sugar if i want it sweeter :)

Nutella Cupcakes

2011-05-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

I dont think i need to say anything about this.... Its Nutella! found this recipe here

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

- 2 cups flour

- 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder

- 2 tsp baking soda

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 cup sugar

- 2 eggs

- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened

- 1/2 cup nutella

- 1/2 cup milk

For the frosting:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tbsp nutella

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin pan with cupcakes liners. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar for 3-5 minutes or until the mixture is pale and thick. Add in the butter and beat until combined. Then, add in the nutella. Add the flour mixture and milk half at a time until well-blended. Divide batter into the cupcake liners, filling 2/3 full. Bake about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

To make the frosting, beat the butter until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar gradually until all of it has been incorporated, and then beat in the nutella. Decorate the cupcakes as desired - once frosted, I sprinkled mine with chocolate shavings. Makes about a dozen and a half cupcakes.

Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

2011-05-18T05:41:00.000-07:00

When I was little a lady from my home town would make this bread that we called "Monkey Bread". It was so named because it looked like Monkey Brains. Really it was just Cinnamon Sugar bread that was rolled into dough balls and smashed together in a bundt pan and looked funny to us kids. So when i found this recipe for Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart bread (Thank you Annie's Eats) it brought back lots of good memories... without making me think i was eating Monkey Brains when it came out of the oven.

Ingredients:
For the dough:
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2¼ tsp. instant yeast
- ½ tsp. salt
- 4 tbls. unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs

For the filling:
- 4 tbls unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

To make the dough, combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Combine the butter and milk in a small saucepan and heat just until the butter is melted. Set aside and let cool briefly, until about 115-125˚ F. Add the milk mixture, water, vanilla and eggs to the mixer bowl. Mix on low speed until a cohesive dough forms. Continue to knead until smooth and elastic, adding additional flour as needed 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough clears the sides of the bowl and is tacky but not sticky. Knead about 3-5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat, and cover. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

While the dough rises, add the butter to a small saucepan and melt until browned. Set aside. Combine the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl and mix well.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and gently deflate. Roll into a ball, cover with a clean towel and let rest for 5 minutes. Roll the dough out into an approximately 12 x 20-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the browned butter. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the dough in an even layer. (Yes, really, use all of it.) Slice the dough vertically into 6 even strips. Stack the strips on top of each other and again cut again into 6 equal slices. Lightly grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Stack all the squares on top of each other and set into the prepared loaf pan. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place, 30-45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Transfer the loaf to the oven and bake 35-40 minutes, until the top is golden brown. (If the top seems to be browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil at the end of baking.) Remove from the oven and let rest in the pan 20-30 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen and carefully turn the loaf out, transferring to a serving plate. Serve warm.

Southwestern Steak Sandwiches

2011-05-17T05:28:00.000-07:00

There is probably nothing my husband loves more than steak sandwiches. And there is nothing I love to add to my sandwiches more than avocado... Luckily this calls for both! This is another Paula Deen recipe from her "Best Dishes" magazine.

Ingredients:
- 1 ripe avocado- mashed
- 1 tbls sour cream
- 1 tbls mayonaisse
- 1/4 tsp garlic salt
- 1 lb flank steak, sliced into thin pieces
- 1 tbls chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- olive oil
- bell peppers, sliced into thin strips
- onion, sliced into thin strips
- black pepper
- hoagie rolls
- Monterey Jack Cheese

Preheat Broiler to 500 degrees (or the high setting) with the rack on the 2nd to top shelf.

In a small bowl combine avocado, sour cream, mayo and garlic salt. Set aside.

Sprinkle flank steak evenly with 1/2 tsp salt and chili powder. In a large skillet heat 2 tbls olive oil over medium high heat. Add peppers, onion, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. Cook for 7-8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove vegetables from skillet and keep warm. Reduce heat to medium and add 2 tbls olive oil and steak. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until cooked through. Add cooked vegetables and toss together.

Spread inside of hoagie roll with avocado mixture, steak mixture and top with cheese. place on a baking sheet and broil just until the cheese melts (doesn't take long at all so dont go away).

Momma's Focaccia Bread

2011-05-15T17:23:00.000-07:00

Today was my new KitchenAid Mixer's Maiden Voyage! I decided to do a bread as its a lot easier when you don't have to actually do the work yourself (like i did for the bagels... and for the Cinnamon Rolls and any other bread I've made). Got this recipe from my Mother-in-Law... and its FABULOUS

Ingredients:
- 10 oz warm water
- 1 3/4 tsp yeast
- 3 tbls olive oil
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic (i use this kind that comes pre-minced and stays in the fridge)
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary leaves
- 3 c flour (might need a little more)
- Cheese

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Mix in rest of ingredients and use that wonderful kitchenaid to mix and knead for about 2-3 min. Let rise (about 1/2 hour). Pat into a flat loaf on a 9x13 greased pan (or i used parchment/wax paper to keep it from sticking). Rise 30 min. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle w/ cheddar cheese or any other kind of cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 min.

And then with that yummy bread I made these for dinner...

I just used the bread, put some cooked chicken breast (pounded thin) and mozzarella cheese in it and stuck it in my George Foreman to make a little Panini. Then I added the lettuce and Avocado/Ranch mixture after it cooked. So So good!

An EARLY birthday present

2011-05-14T13:55:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of Overstock.com? Well one of my husband's co-worker's wives works there and they got us into the overstock warehouse sale on "friends and family" day. We really weren't expecting to find anything but then i saw this......

I got a little excited when i saw it. This has been a dream product of mine and i never really thought i would actually get one--- a professional grade kitchen-aid! I was ready to keep walking when my husband informed me that he had planned on getting me a basic one for my birthday in 2 months... but at the warehouse sale this professional one was cheaper than some of the basic ones! SO HE BOUGHT IT FOR ME... and said Happy Early Birthday. i was in shock the entire way home... i was so excited. I haven't even had a hand mixer that works for months now and have been doing everything by hand. So to have this, and have it be such an AWESOME one at an INCREDIBLE price... Lets just say i need to go do some baking!

It is nice to have it a little early... especially since my birthday is only about 10 days before my due date...

Grilled Hoisin Pork (or Chicken)

2011-04-24T06:44:00.000-07:00

Samuel and I are always looking for REAL Asian food. After living in China its hard to find stuff that isn't totally Americanized and doesn't taste like it should. I got this cookbook from my sister in law for Christmas and this recipe out of it is definitely a keeper!

Ingredients:

- 3 tbls Hoisin Sauce

- 3 tbls Fresh Orange Juice

- 2 tbls Soy Sauce

- 2 tbls Rice Cooking Wine

- 1 tsp Brown Sugar

- 2 tsp Peanut Oil

- 1 tbls grated Ginger

- 3 cloves minced garlic

- 4 pork loin chops (or we used chicken once too)

- salt and pepper

- steamed rice

Prepare a girl on medium-high heat (i used our handy george foreman). in a small bowl combine the hoisin sauce, orange juice, soy sauce, wine and brown sugar. Stir to disolve the sugar.

In a small suacepan over medium heat, warm 1 tbls of oil. add the ginger and garlic and saute for about 5 seconds until fragrant. Add the hoisin sauce mixture and simmer for about 2 minutes. set aside half of the sauce as a glaze and heat just before serving.

season the pork chops (or chicken) with salt and pepper and oil the grill rack with remaining oil. place the chops on the grill and brush the sauce on chops. cook 4-5 minutes on both sides or until done. Serve over rice and with extra sauce.

Southwestern Meatball Subs

2011-04-23T06:46:00.000-07:00

You can always count on Paula Dean to come up with Yummy food... that is probably not all that healthy. But these were really good. They aren't your traditional meatballs so be expecting a surprise in your mouth when you eat it. I got this from my "Best Dishes 2009- Paula Deen" magazine

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 onion minced
- 1/2 red bell pepper minced
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 14.5 oz diced tomatoes w/ green chilies
- 2 tbls tomato paste
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- sub rolls
- Toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, lettuce, guacamole....

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a cooling rack over the pan, spray with non stick spray.

In a medium bowl, combine the beef, panko, onion, bell pepper and eggs. divide and roll into 32 balls and place on prepared rack. Bake for 20 minutes.

Ina large skillet combine all tomato ingredients, cumin, salt and pepper. cook over medium heat for 10 minute. add meatballs and simmer for 15 minutes. Spoon meatballs onto subs and add your toppings!

Homemade Bagels

2011-02-20T18:54:00.000-08:00

Finally...... i have been wanting to try making bagels for so so long, but have not had the guts to try them. I mean.... HELLO... BAGELS??? who makes bagels? getting the crunchy outside and the airy soft inside, i thought it was beyond me. But we got together with some friends over the weekend and what did we do... we cooked! and let me tell you, these were AMAZING!! they turned out so perfect and they were so easy to make. If 2 tired nauseated sick pregnant girls can do this... anyone can! got the recipe here (and i think ours looks better)

Ingredients:

- 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

- 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast

- 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

- 3 tablespoons white sugar

- 1 tablespoon salt

- 1 tablespoon white sugar

In large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour and yeast. Mix water, 3 tablespoons sugar and salt together, and add to the dry ingredients. Beat with a mixer for half a minute at a low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl clean. Beat at a higher speed for 3 minutes. Then, by hand, mix in enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Cover, let rest for 15 minutes.

Cut into 12 portions, shape into smooth balls. Poke a hole in the center with your finger, and gently enlarge the hole while working the bagel into a uniform shape. Cover, let rise 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, start a gallon of water boiling. Put 1 tablespoon of sugar in it, mix it around a bit. Reduce to simmering.

When the bagels are ready, put 4 or 5 bagels into the water, and cook 7 minutes, turning once. Drain them. (I think if you are going to put a topping on them, cinnamon/sugar, cheese, etc. this is when you would do it) Place on a greased baking sheet, and bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes or until brown. Remove from oven, eat hot or cold. We also found that it doesn't make a difference if the bagels sit for 7 minutes to go in the oven. We could only boil 5 at a time so we would do 2 boiling batches and then put them in the oven. They all turned out the same

Cinnamon Rolls

2011-02-13T10:30:00.000-08:00

After 3 months of cooking probably no more than 5 times i woke up this morning not only with a strong desire to eat cinnamon rolls... but to bake them too!!! I was at Deseret Book yesterday and saw the cook book for Our Best Bites and i knew they would be a good source for this craving/desire of mine. They never fail me.... these were definetly top of the line!

Ingredients:
DOUGH:

- 1 cup milk

- 4 Tbs butter, cut into chunks

- 3 1/4 - 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

- 1 (.25 ounce) package instant or 'rapid rise' yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp)

- 1/4 cup white sugar

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1 egg

FILLING:

- 1 cup brown sugar, packed

- 1 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

- 1/2 cup butter, softened

ICING:
- 1 1/2 C powdered sugar
- 2 T melted butter
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1-2 Tbs milk

DOUGH: Place 3/4 milk and 4 Tbs butter in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on high for 1 minute 30 seconds. Butter should be at least partially melted. Stir in 1/4 cup cold milk and set aside (this give you less wait time). In a large mixing bowl whisk together 2 C flour, yeast, white sugar, and salt. When milk mixture has cooled to warm (which is why we saved some of the cold milk) add it to the flour mixture along with the egg while, Beat until well combined, about 1 minute. Add remaining flour only until dough barely leaves the sides of the bowl. It should be very soft and slightly sticky. knead the dough for 5 minutes. Let dough rest for about 10 minutes while you make the filling.

FILLING: make sure butter is softened well. Mix with brown sugar and cinnamon.

ASSEMBLY: on a floured surface (or i just spray the table with PAM) Roll dough into a rectangle about 12 x 14 inches. Spread brown sugar mixture (it will be slightly thick, you might have to "crumble" it) over the surface and use your fingers or the back of a spoon to gently spread around. Roll up from the longer side of the rectangle and pinch edges closed. Score the roll into 12 equal pieces and then cut into rolls. Place in a 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cover pan with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. In the mean time, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

OK... i can't blame my kitchen anymore... but i can blame something else....

2011-01-16T19:22:00.000-08:00

So i know... its been MONTHS since i have posted anything new. But its not because i have given up on my blog, its because i have given up on cooking... for a couple more weeks anyway! I have been cursed (or blessed) with the 9 month flu.... which is only supposed to last for the first 3 months! Thats right... I am pregnant and have been so sick i cooked next to nothing in the past 2 months. my poor husband will vouch for me if you dont believe it.

I look forward to returning soon though.....

2010-11-22T09:17:00.001-08:00

I am in the process of moving... so if it takes me a couple weeks to get back on here and share some new food ideas.... forgive me, i dont have a working kitchen!

Italian Turkey Burger

2010-11-17T09:09:00.000-08:00

My husband absolutely loved these. He told me "Sometime you make food i like, and sometime you make food i love... I LOVE THIS!" The original recipe called for ground chicken, but when i went to the store they had just thrown out all their ground chicken and decided to stop carrying it the day before. STINK! but i decided to go with ground turkey... and it was on sale, 3lbs for $3.44. YAY! so i now have 6 lbs of this stuff i have never used, but it is healthier for you than ground beef i hear, so this is the 1st lb of that turkey! I found the idea at Paprika Red.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs (Kikkoman)
- 1 tbls Italian Seasoning
- 2 tbls grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 egg
- 1 tbls chopped basil
- 1 tbls olive pil
- Salt and Pepper
- Buns
- Tomato
- Sliced Mozarella Cheese
- Lettuce
- Avacado/Mayonaise

NOTE: I use Kikkoman Bread Crumbs. I have found that they dont fall apart as easy as some of the other brands.

First, make your seasoned breading. Mix the panko, dried seasoning, grated cheese, pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Set aside.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix the turkey, egg, pinch of salt salt, and basil. Add about 1/4 cup of the bread crumb mixture, mixing gently, and careful not to overwork. Patties should hold together at this point; if you need a little more panko for it to hold it together, add about 1 TB. Shape it into 4 patties and dredge it in the panko mixture, pressing the panko into the chicken patties. You may have some panko left over.

In a large, nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add the patties. Cook until medium golden brown on the bottom, and chicken appears cooked halfway up, about 4-5 minutes. Flip, and continue cooking until the other side is the same color, another 3 minutes or so more. (Now's a good time to put the buns in the toaster.) When bottoms are light golden brown, with about 1 minute to go, add a thin layer of cheese on the top, and let cheese melt.

Serve with Lettuce, Tomato and Avocado/Mayonnaise.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes (aka Flufferdoodles)

2010-11-15T07:37:00.000-08:00

These little guys are INTENSE! they are seriously a yummy fluffy snickerdoodle (hence the name Flufferdoodle). Only expect to eat 1 unless you have a major sweet tooth, the frosting in the recipe ends up slightly reminding you of marshmallow fluff, but sets really nice when you pipe it. The recipe makes 24 cupcakes easily! I got the cupcake recipe from Annie's Eats, the Frosting from CD Kitchen and the Snickerdoodles from my mom.

Ingredients:
Cupcakes-
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tbls baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbls ground cinnamon
- 1 cup butter (room temperature)
- 1 3/4 cup sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup milk

Frosting-
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbls cold water
- 2 tbls light corn syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract

Cupcakes-
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

Combine the flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl; whisk to combine. In another bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients and while mixing pour in milk. Beat until well mixed.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Allow to cool in the pans about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting- make this right before serving. It will make more than enough for the cupcakes.

Combine all ingredients, except vanilla, in the top of a double boiler or bowl. Bring water in the bottom of the double boiler or saucepan (if using a bowl) to a simmer. Place top of the double boiler or the bowl over the simmering water. Immediately begin whipping mixture three minutes with an electric mixer on medium speed. Increase speed to high and beat another three minutes. Remove top of double boiler. Add vanilla. Beat one minute on high speed until mixture holds stiff peaks and is satiny. Allow to cool (only takes a couple mins) and pipe onto cupcakes.

Garnishes- sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and top with a mini snickerdoodle

Snickerdoodles

2010-11-14T07:15:00.000-08:00

My husbands favorite cookies... or so i thought. I discovered after making these that his favorite thing about them is the dough... and sadly i had them all made by the time he got home. Whoops! These are the snickerdoodles i grew up making, the recipe is from my mommy.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup vegetable shortening
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 3/4 cup flour
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl mix together shortening, sugar and eggs with a blender until creamy (about 2-3 minutes). Add in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Stir until well mixed.

Shape dough into small balls and roll in a Cinnamon/Sugar mixture
- 2 tbls sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon

place on cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Rigatoni de Gregorio

2010-11-13T07:14:00.000-08:00

I only have 2 things to say about this pasta. 1- it was good. 2- it would have been better if i didn't use whole grain pasta. I really need to enjoy healthier options a little better, but with this one go with normal pasta. Found it Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
- 8 oz pasta (make it something that has ridges to hold the sauce)
- 1 tbls olive oil
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbls cooking white wine
- 1/4 cup cooking Marsala wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 tsp chopped basil
- 2 tsp chipped parsley
- 1 tbls butter
- 1-2 tbls grated Parmesan Cheese

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the pan and continue to cook until onions are softened, about 5 minutes more. Mix in the garlic and sauté just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and add the wines, scraping with a spoon to deglaze the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the chicken broth. Return, Bring to a simmer, lower the heat to medium and continue to simmer until the liquid is reduced by about half (about 10 min).

This is a good time to start he pasta. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well.

In skillet with mushrooms, wines, etc., after liquid is reduced, Stir in the cream and cook until heated through. Add in the herbs, Parmesan and butter; mix until well blended and the butter is completely melted.

Add the cooked rigatoni to the pan and toss with the sauce. Serve immediately with additional grated Parmesan as desired.

Spicy Buckwheat Noodles w/ Spinach

2010-11-12T09:30:00.000-08:00

I know what you are probably thinking... Buckwheat Noodles... WHAT THE HECK!!! well here is a picture of what the packaging looks like. you can get them at any grocery store. and they are surprisingly good! this recipe has a lot of kick and flavor to it. I love it. Its another one of my Mom's recipes from her PH balance cookbook. i simplified it since i am not vegan.... :) and in the cookbook it says you can add roasted pine nuts... well those are too expensive for me so i didn't. this thing is so quick, it takes under 10 min from start to finish.

Ingredients:
- 1 bunch of spinach
- 2 tbls vegetable oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup chicken broth
- 2 tbls soy sauce
- 1/2 a lemon, juiced
- 1 package Buckwheat Noodles cooked (takes about 5 min)
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 3/4 tsp salt

Start cooking Noodles in a medium saucepan (takes about 5 min)

Heat Oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Saute the garlic for a few minutes, then add spinach leaves and allow to cook down (only takes about 1 minute). Add chicken broth, soy sauce, and spices to pan and stir and heat through. Add lemon juice and mix. Add noodles, mix and serve.

Squash Soup

2010-11-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

So my parents have been vegans for almost a year now... and when i went home last week i was a little nervous about what i would be eating... but i found some pretty good recipes. This is one of them. Its from a book called The pH Mircale and was super yummy. We switched it up a little and used yellow squash instead of butternut squash

Ingredients:
- 4 large yellow squashes, pealed and chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 tbls olive oil
- 2-3 cups chicken broth
- Cinnamon/Nutmeg

heat oil in a large skillet. Add chopped squash, celery and onion and cook until soft (i added about 1 cup of the broth to help steam it a little). When soft, puree in blender and add Cinnamon and Nutmeg while blending (it will be hot so don't put the blender lid on tight). I added about 1 tbls cinnamon and maybe 1 tsp nutmeg... its really personal preference and you will just have to play with it. Warm in skillet and serve immediately.

Avocado Dip

2010-10-20T10:59:00.000-07:00

lately i have had an obsession with avocados. i hadn't had one for YEARS... but we went to a friends house for dinner and they served them with the meal and i fell in love. So thank you Tori! I found this Yummy Avocado Dip and had to make it. LOVED IT!

Ingredients
- 2 large ripe avocados
- 16oz sour cream
- chopped green onions
- 1 1/2 tbls lime juice

Super easy. Cut avocados into pieces, stir in bowl with sour cream, green onion, and lime juice. Cover and process until smooth. Chill thoroughly and serve avocado dip with crackers, crusty bread, or Chips.

Baked Ziti

2010-10-15T10:41:00.000-07:00

Give me pasta and cheese and I am in love! This recipe was so simple and made SO MUCH! found it here but I cut everything in half and still had tons of it. So unless you are feeding an army... do not make the whole thing from the website. Below is that recipe in half.

Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 can of Pasta Sauce
- 1 box ziti (or penne) - cooked
- 2 cups Mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Cook the beef and onion in a saucepot over medium high heat until the beef is well browned, stirring often to break up the meat. Pour off any fat.

Stir the sauce, ziti and 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese in the saucepot. Spoon the beef mixture into an 8x8 pan. Top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses and cover with foil

Bake at 350°F. for 30 minutes or until the beef mixture is hot and the cheese is melted.

Spaghetti with Braised Kale

2010-09-29T19:13:00.000-07:00

My mom emailed me a couple weeks ago pretty much telling all of her kids to eat healthy and eat Kale. I didn't even know what the heck kale was... but i found this at Bon Appetit and it was really good!

Ingredients:
- 1 pound kale (about 2 bunches), large center ribs and stems removed, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
-1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 8 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1/2 pound spaghetti
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- Finely grated Parmesan cheese
Rinse kale. Drain; transfer to bowl with some water still clinging.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Add sliced garlic and sprinkle with salt; cook until onion is golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add kale and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss until wilted, about 3 minutes. Cover pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Continue cooking until kale is very tender, stirring occasionally and adding water by teaspoonfuls if dry (which mine never was), about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in medium pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Add cooked spaghetti to kale mixture in pot. Add lemon juice and 2 tablespoons reserved cooking liquid; toss to combine, adding more liquid by tablespoonfuls if dry (mine wasn't... so i didn't do this). Sprinkle spaghetti with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Creamed Chicken and Gnocchi

2010-09-27T08:52:00.000-07:00

I found this in the Rachel Ray Magazine and it turned out to be more like a soup, but was still very good. its one of those meals that you would want to eat when you have been snowed in and just want to warm up. YUMMY!

Ingredients:

- One 1-pound package potato gnocchi

- 4 tbls butter

- 1 onion, finely chopped

- 1 bell pepper, chopped

- 12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into thin strips

- Salt and pepper

- 2 tablespoons flour

- 1 cup half-and-half

- 1 cup chicken broth

- 2 scallions, chopped

Cook the gnocchi according to package directions; drain.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

In a small saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook until toasted, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the half-and-half and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until thickened. Whisk into the chicken mixture, then stir in the gnocchi. Bring to a simmer, then season with salt and pepper and top with the scallions.

Spicy Asian Stir-Fry

2010-09-25T08:44:00.000-07:00

I have always been a little nervous to cook Chinese food. My husband is very picky in his Chinese food and I have become that way too... but living in China will do that to ya. When I saw this though and that it uses Hoisin sauce I knew my husband would love it. I found it here.

Ingredients:
- 1 Tbs. peanut oil
- 8 oz. whole-wheat linguine noodles
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced (1 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
- 1 small head bok choy, chopped into 2-inch pieces (1½ cups)
- 1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
- 1/3 cup snow peas, halved
- 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced (1/2 cup)
- 2 Tbs. hoisin sauce
- 1 Tbs. garlic-chile sauce
- 1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking water, and set pasta aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and sauté 5 to 7 minutes, or until onion is golden.

Add bok choy, broccoli, snow peas, and bell pepper. Stir-fry 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water, cover, and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in hoisin and garlic-chili sauces. Stir in noodles. Add more water if mixture seems too dry. Garnish each serving with 1 Tbs. chopped peanuts.

Panko Chicken with a Mustard Maple Sauce

2010-09-21T07:31:00.000-07:00

I found this in a BonAppetit Magazine and I was a little nervous because I am not a mustard person and this not only uses a lot of mustard, but 2 kinds of mustard. Neither of which I am a huge fan of. But my husband and I ate every last bit of this and were craving more! luckily the pan sauce makes quite a bit so I saved that and am just going to make the chicken again. Seriously... one of the best things I have ever made!

Ingredients:
- 2 8-ounce skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut crosswise in half
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons coarse-grained mustard
- 1 tablespoon cold butter

Using meat mallet or rolling pin, pound chicken in resealable plastic bag to 1/3- to 1/2-inch thickness.

Whisk egg, parsley, and 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard in large bowl. Place chicken in egg mixture; turn to coat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Dip each chicken piece in panko; turn to coat. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook until brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plates.

Meanwhile, whisk broth, syrup, coarse-grained mustard, and remaining 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard in glass measuring cup

Add broth mixture to skillet; boil until reduced to 3/4 cup, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Add butter; whisk until melted. Spoon sauce alongside chicken.

French Bread

2010-09-10T10:09:00.000-07:00

My friend Tori made this, and I insisted on the recipe. She has also made cinnamon bread out of it too! both recipes are as follows and are found here.

Ingredients:
- 1 package yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbls sugar
- 2 cups warm water
- 5 cups flour
- melted butter
- cooking spray
- Cinnamon and Sugar (if you want Cinnamon bread) the perfect mixture is 1 tbls sugar to 1 tsp cinnamon

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast, salt, and sugar in the warm water. Gradually stir in the flour, adding only until the mixture refuses to absorb more. On a floured board, knead the dough for 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl and brush the top lightly with butter. Cover with a damp cloth. Set the dough aside in a warm place to rise for 1 1/2 hours, or until it is double in size.

Butter a baking sheet and sprinkle it with cornmeal, shaking off the excess. Punch down the dough. Transfer the dough to a floured board and divide it into thirds. Roll each portion into a 8" x 13" rectangle.

If you want Cinnamon bread do as follows (if not skip this paragraph). Brush melted butter onto each rectangle and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Roll each rectangle up from the long side, seal and shape ends. Place the loaves on the prepared baking sheet and with a sharp knife make several diagonal cuts across the tops. Brush lightly with melted butter. Let rise in a warm place - about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450 and place a pan of water in the bottom of the oven while preheating. Place the bread on the middle rack in the oven and bake at 450 for 5 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 F and continue baking for 20-25 minutes. Makes 3 loaves.

Peach Bars

2010-08-28T15:27:00.000-07:00

Oh i loved these so very very much! they had just the right amount of sweetness without being overpowering! and the peaches were just so fresh and yummy! I found these here

Ingredients:
- 1½ cups sugar, divided
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp. salt
- Lemon Zest (1/2 to whole of the lemon- personal preference)
- 2 sticks. cold, butter cut into small pieces
- 1 large egg
- 4-5 LARGE peaches pealed and chopped
- 5 tsp. cornstarch
- Juice from whole Lemon
- Pinch of nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease a 9 x 13″ pan; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup of the sugar, the baking powder and flour. Mix in the salt and the lemon zest, and stir together with a fork. Cut in the butter and egg with a fork (i eventually gave up and used my hands) until the largest chunks are about pea-sized. The mixture should be crumbly without a lot loose flour.

Spread about half of the dough mixture in an even layer over the bottom of the prepared pan and press down firmly to form the bottom crust.

In another bowl, stir together the remaining sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and nutmeg. Gently mix in the peaches with a rubber spatula until combined. Sprinkle the fruit mixture evenly over the crust. If you have really ripe peaches use a slotted spoon to transfer them so you don't get too many juices. Crumble the remaining dough over the top of the peaches.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the top is slightly golden brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares and serving.

Stuffed Zucchini

2010-08-20T15:21:00.000-07:00

These were yummy. But they are definitely not enough for a whole meal, as a side dish they are great though! or maybe just a lunch. Found them here

Ingredients:
- 1 zucchini, about 12 inches long (or 2 6-inch)
- 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
- ½ cup onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1-2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 2 1/2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
- 1 tsp. minced rosemary
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese (divided)
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out insides, leaving a shell about ¼-inch thick. Reserve about half of the insides.

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté the onion and garlic until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and reserved zucchini insides to the skillet and sauté another 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble in the ground turkey and cook until lightly browned on all sides, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cooked onion and mushroom mixture. Add the tomatoes, basil and rosemary. Cook for 1 more minute. Drain of any excess fat, remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Once the turkey mixture has cooled a bit, mix in the Parmesan, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, egg, salt and pepper. Fill the zucchini shells with the mixture and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese on top. Fill a baking dish with ¼-inch of water. Place the filled zucchini shells in the pan and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, until golden brown. Remove the zucchini from the pan and serve immediately.

A Better Burger...

2010-08-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to eat is Burgers. When we go out for a burger I am definitely a Red Robin or 5 Guys fan. But when I make them at home I only ever make them one way..... This is a McCormick Recipe.

Ingredients:
- 1 lb of ground beef
- 1 tsp Season-All Seasoned Salt
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/4 tsp Onion Powder
- Pepper

The most important step is to make sure your beef is not so cold that it wont cook through evenly. Let is set out for a couple mins to come closer to room temperature.

Mix all ingredients together and form into 4 patties. Cook on a grill, stove top, oven, however you want and eat like a burger! they are so easy!

Grilled Pork Sandwich

2010-08-07T19:36:00.000-07:00

Doesn't that look good.... well i promise it tastes 100 times better than that!! It was light and yummy and oh so so good and quick and easy to make! I found it from Giada and tweaked it!

Ingredients:
- Boneless Pork Chops
- Focaccia Bread
- 1/2 cup mayonaise
- 1 lemon zested
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- Romaine Lettuce
- Mozzarella Cheese (sliced)
- salt and pepper
- Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

You can cook the pork on a grill like Giada did, but i didn't have one so this is how i cooked it: Heat a medium skillet with some olive oil. Season both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper and place in hot skillet. Cook for 6-8 min on both sides. (its ok if the middle is still a little pink, it will keep cooking as it sets with this next step). Remove chops from pan and place on cutting board. Let cool for 5mins

Cut bread into sandwich size pieces and cut into top and bottom pieces. Place on baking sheet and put in oven for 5 min to heat up. Meanwhile in a small bowl add Mayo, Lemon Zest and juice and mix well. Cut pork chops into slices, and place on bottom slice of bread. Top with sliced Mozzarella cheese and put back in oven for 2 minutes to melt cheese. Top with lettuce and Lemon Mayonnaise and enjoy!

Donut Muffins

2010-08-06T06:44:00.000-07:00

I love how simple these were and that there is nothing complicated in them. All these ingredients are always in the pantry and that makes them awesome! Got it from a fellow blogger

Ingredients:

- 3/4 cup sugar

- 1 egg

- 1 1/2 cups flour

- 2 tsp baking powder

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

- 1/4 cup vegetable oil

- 3/4 cup milk

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F and grease a muffin pan.

In a large bowl, beat together sugar and egg until creamy. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients into the egg mixture and stir. Finally, pour in the vegetable oil, the milk and the vanilla extract. Pour the batter into the muffin cups and bake for 15-18 minutes.

While the muffins are baking, melt the butter and pour remaining sugar into a small bowl.

When muffins are done, lightly brush the top of each with some melted butter, remove from the pan and roll in sugar. Cool on a wire rack.

Korean Bulgogi

2010-08-04T17:44:00.000-07:00

My brother served his mission in Korea and since he got back and introduced me to Korean food that has always been my favorite. I found it at this website and it is amazing!

Ingredients:
- 2 lbs flank steak (sliced into thin strips)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbls sugar
- 1 tsp sesame seed oil
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp sesame seeds

Cut steak with sharp knife into paper thin strips. Add sugar and mix well by hand. Mix soy sauce and water and add garlic to this. Pour sauce mixture into meat and mix again by hand. Add sesame seed oil and sesame seeds and mix again by hand. This is better if it marinates for at least 12-24 hours and will keep in the refrigerator for three days.

After marinaded cook in a medium saucepan until cooked through and serve over rice.

Shopping with GrocerySmarts

2010-08-03T14:22:00.000-07:00

About a month ago I went to coupon class. Now that may sound crazy to some, but i figured, the more I save the more cooking i get to do. So i went to the class and she taught us how to save 50%-100% on grocery items by using this website and the Sunday newspaper. I decided to try it out and i get 3 Sunday newspapers a week, giving me 3 copies of every coupon in each coupon book. Yesterday I tried it out for the first time using the website and my coupons I'd collected and bought all the items below:

4- Crest Toothpastes

3- Lady Speed Stick Deodorants

2- Herbal Essences Moose

4- Herbal Essences Shampoos/Conditioners

2- Right Guard Deodorants

2- Gillette Facial Scrubs

1- Gillette Facial Cream

3- Gillette Shaving Gels

4- Gillette Shower Wash

2- Band-aid Packages

Total Price without coupons or discounts was: $100.59

I saved this much using Discounts/Coupons (all of which are posted on that website every week): $72.77

This is the Price I Paid- $27.82 (which is about $1/item... and these are not cheap items)

Meaning I saved 72% on these items!!! Is that crazy or what? We needed to get 1 of each of these items, so we would have spent probably $25 just to get them, but this was i got enough for 4-6 months! We are so excited about this way of saving and using coupons since we are trying to work on our food storage!

Lemon Dream Cakes

2010-08-01T16:50:00.000-07:00

I made these for a dinner party and they were a huge hit! I found them in my Food and Family Magazine and with a little tweaking they were perfect!

Ingredients:
- 60 Nilla wafers (crushed)
- 1 stick butter (1/2 cup) melted
- 1/2 gallon frozen vanilla yogurt (softened)
- 1 pkg. (3 oz.) Jell-O Lemon Flavor Gelatin
- 2 cups thawed Cool Whip (i used a whole container)
- 2 cups frozen fruit (i used blackberries, blueberries and raspberries)

Line Cupcake pan with plastic wrap (just use 1-2 big sheets and press it down in each whole, its just to make it easier to remove them). Mix wafer crumbs and butter, press into cupcake pans with fingers (i covered the pan with more plastic wrap and used a 2nd cupcake pan to press them down). Freeze until ready to use.

Mix yogurt and dry gelatin mix in a large bowl. Add wool whip and stir through. Add frozen fruit and mix. Spoon into Cupcake pan over the Wafer crust and freeze for 3-4 hours. Let set out for 5-10 min (depending on how hot your house is) before serving.

BBQ Chicken w/ Ranch Spaghetti

2010-07-30T17:06:00.000-07:00

I got this one from a new favorite blog The Picky Palate. My husband loved it. I thought it was good but enjoyed the Ranch Spaghetti the best.

Ingredients:
- 1 lb thin spaghetti
- 4 Tbls Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 1 packet dry Ranch Dressing Mix
- 1 1/2 Cups Ketchup
- 3 Tbls Dijon Mustard
- 4 Tbls Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 Tbls Apple Cider Vinegar
- 4 Tbls Brown Sugar
- 1 1/2 Tbls Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp honey
- pinch of salt

Boil the chicken (about 20 min) until cooked through and shred. In a medium sauce pan add Ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, lemon juice, pepper, honey and salt. Cook over medium heat for 15 mins. Stir in chicken and let simmer.

Cook the Spaghetti as directed and drain. While cooking that add EVOO to a sauce pan and heat up. Add diced onions and cook through until golden brown and soft. Add onions and oil to the cooked spaghetti, mix and add dry ranch dressing and a pinch of salt and pepper. Place on plate and top with BBQ chicken

Pizza

2010-07-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

Side Dishes

2010-07-19T13:16:00.001-07:00

Breads

2010-07-19T13:16:00.000-07:00

Pork Dishes

2010-07-19T13:15:00.001-07:00

Other Dishes

2010-07-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

Seafood Dishes

2010-07-19T13:14:00.001-07:00

Ethnic Dishes

2010-07-19T13:14:00.000-07:00

Meatless Dishes

2010-07-19T13:13:00.001-07:00

Cookies

2010-07-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

Desserts

2010-07-19T13:12:00.001-07:00

Breakfast Dishes

2010-07-19T13:12:00.000-07:00

Soups

2010-07-19T13:11:00.001-07:00

Chicken Dishes

2010-07-19T13:11:00.000-07:00

Beef Dishes

2010-07-19T13:10:00.000-07:00

Pasta Dishes

2010-07-19T13:08:00.000-07:00

Caribbean Chicken Wings

2010-07-15T18:34:00.000-07:00

So we love Caribbean Jerk Chicken... Its our favorite way to marinade! but i have been wanting to find a homemade recipe for marinading. This t isn't a jerk marinade, but it is definitely Caribbean with a little sweet savory kick. Got it from Sunny Anderson from Food Network, but made my changes

Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon allspice (ground or whole, i only had whole and it worked)
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 cloves garlic (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder is what i did)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- juice from 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons Orange Juice
- Chicken Wings (8)

Combine the soy sauce, honey, both sugars, cayenne, allspice, thyme, ginger, and garlic and mix together (it will make something like a paste). Add the vinegar, lime juice and orange juice and mix until combined. Place the wings in a large resealable plastic bag and pour the marinade over them. Seal and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (or i did it in a pyrex with aluminum foil). Remove the wings from the bag, place on the lined sheets and bake 20 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the marinade to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until reduced by one-third, about 10 minutes.

Remove the wings from the oven and brush with the glaze. Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees F and continue to bake until the wings are cooked through, 20 more minutes.

Cheesy Garlic Rolls

2010-07-11T11:06:00.000-07:00

Found these babies at Our Best Bites, and i LOVE THEM! they were super easy to make and well worth the wait (which was only like 2 hours and for bread thats not a lot!!!)

Ingredients:
- 1 tbls Yeast
- 1 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 1/2 tbls sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 4-5 1/2 cup flour
- 3 tbls vegetable oil
- 1 egg YOLK
- 1 stick butter
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- 2 cup shredded mozarella cheese

Combine yeast, water, and sugar in large mixing bowl and allow to stand 10 minutes or until bubbly. Add salt, vegetable oil, egg yolk and combine. Add 3 c. flour and mix well until combined. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough that barely sticks to your finger. Knead) for another 2-3 minutes. Cover and allow to rise 1 hour.

Soften butter and add a dash of garlic and a small dash of onion powder and mix. you can smell the flavor really well so just add as much as you want. i probably did 1 tsp garlic powder and 1/3 tsp of onion powder... but i didn't measure it :)

After bread has risen, spray table with cooking spray along with your rolling pin and roll out the dough into a long rectangle (about 20 in x 6 in). smear garlic butter over bread and sprinkle cheese on top. Roll like a jelly roll at the long ends so you have a long jelly roll and cut into 12 equal pieces.

Place each roll into a greased cupcake tin and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Let dough rise in tin while preheating. Cook for about 10-12 minutes (or until cheese starts to brown) and cover with tin foil. It doesn't have to be tight, just lay it on top to stop the browning. Cook for an additional 8-10 mins and enjoy!!

Salmon & Ravioli

2010-07-10T20:19:00.000-07:00

I saw his in a Better Homes and Garden Magazine over my weekend trip to California and sure enough it was the first thing i made when i got home. It was so yummy!!!

Ingredients:
- frozen/refrigerated Cheese Ravioli
- Fresh Spinach
- Salmon
- Salt and Pepper
- 1/2 Lemon Juiced
- 3 cloves Garlic crushed and diced
- 2 tbls butter
- Olive Oil

Cook Ravioli according to package (hopefully i come up with my own ravioli recipe soon).

Pre-heat olive oil in a medium sized saute pan. Season both sides of salmon with Salt and Pepper and pan fry in Olive oil for about 3-5 mins per side or until flaky. Remove Salmon from pan and add spinach (remember... this cooks down A LOT... A LOT A LOT!! i put in almost 4 oz of fresh spinach (1/2 a bag) and barely had enough for 2). Cook until wilted and remove from pan. Add butter into pan and melt. Add garlic, lemon juice and cook through.

On a plate add cooked ravioli, spinach, salmon and sprinkle lemon/butter/garlic sauce over everything! YUMMY!

Strawberry Spinach Salad

2010-07-06T16:57:00.000-07:00

My sister in law made this salad over the weekend during our family reunion in California! I loved it so much i had to make it again as soon as i got home. Its from All Recipes but of course i tweaked it a little :)

Ingredients:
- 1 package Dole Spinach
- 1 Pint Strawberries, Sliced
- Crushed Walnuts
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 1/8 cup Distilled White Vinegar
- 1/8 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tbls minced onions

In a bowl, wisk together the Olive Oil, Vinegar, Sugar, Worcestershire sauce and Onions. Let sit in the fridge for 1 hour. In a salad bowl mix together the spinach, strawberries and walnuts. Mix Dressing with salad 5 minutes before serving and enjoy!

The Ultimate Grilled Cheese

2010-05-20T16:25:00.000-07:00

I was grocery shopping a couple weeks ago and saw the May 2010 Food Network Magazine and this was on the cover! Here is a link to the original recipe. Although i tweaked it (of course) and i think it turned out AMAZING!

Ingredients:
- 2 tbls butter
- 1 tbls olive oil
- 1/2 onion thinly sliced (or more if you want a lot of that taste)
- 8 slices of white bread
- thinly sliced deli ham (i used 4-5 slices for each sandwich)
- 8 slices of mozzarella cheese
- 1 green apple (thinly sliced)

Melt 1 tbls butter with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally until soft and caramelized (about 20 mins). Set aside

Butter 1 side of 4 slices of bread and place on skillet butter side down. Now layer the ingredients as follows: Mozzarella Cheese, ham, onions, thinly sliced apples, ham, and Mozzarella cheese. Place another buttered piece of bread (butter side up) on top and cook like a normal grilled cheese. AND ENJOY!!

Cajun Mac n'Cheese

2010-05-11T21:07:00.000-07:00

Doesn't that look so good! I have always been a fan of the Blue Kraft Macaroni and Cheese... but i guess its about time that i came up with something of my own! This is all me and my hubby; and we loved it!

Ingredients:
- 1 pint half and half
- 2 tbls butter
- 1 1/2 tbls flour
- 1 tbls "King of the Cajun" Cajun Seasoning
- 1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 3-4 oz of cream cheese (a little less than 1/2 of the package)
- 1/2 of a smoked sausage, chopped into bite size pieces
- 12 oz macaroni

In a pot boil water and cook macaroni according to package and drain. Also in a small pan cook smoke sausage until browned.

Meanwhile in small saucepan melt butter. When butter is melted add flour and cook for 3-5 mins. Add half and half and cajun seasoning and simmer for about 5-7 mins or until thickened. Add sauce to drained macaroni in large pan and add cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and smoked sausage. Stir until all cheese is melted. If desired add more Cajun seasoning.

If you want it creamier, add some more half and half. More cheddar taste, add more cheddar cheese. Tweak it until its perfect for you!

Amish Friendship Bread

2010-05-10T20:50:00.000-07:00

I always feel good when someone gives me something because I am there friend (especially when its actually called friendship bread... :) I dont know where the original recipe for this came... i just got the recipe with my starter so sorry..... its a secret i guess. When you get the starter it has to sit for 10 days while you have certain instructions for each day, but after all of that this is what you do.

Ingredients:
- Amish Bread Starter
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup oil
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 lg box vanilla instant pudding mix
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease 2 large loaf pans (or 4 small loaf pans).

In a separate bowl mix 1/2 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, dust greased pans with half of the mixture. set the rest aside for after bread is cooked.

Pour the Starter into a non metal bowl, add all the above ingredients (not including the mixed cinnamon and sugar) and mix well. Pour into pans and bake for about 1 hour. Cool for 5-10 mins and serve warm.

ITS YUMMY

Anna's Pizza Potato Pie

2010-05-07T19:35:00.000-07:00

Have you ever tried a Potato Pizza? My first experience was at the Pizza Pie Cafe, and i LOVED it! but sadly I couldn't find anything similar, so I decided to be brave and try it on my own, and I think it is even better! It's an Anna Original!

Ingredients:
- Pizza Crust (I used Boboli)
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1/4 cup Ranch Dressing
- 1 large Potato
- 3 slices bacon
- 1/3 medium onion (chopped)
- 1 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese
- Italian Seasoning

Start by preheating oven to temperature required for pizza dough.

Sliced potato into thin circle. preheat skillet with oil and cook potatoes over medium high heat. Do not layer the potatoes, only 1 layer so they cook evenly. Cook about 3-4 mins on each side. When cooked through set aside

In separate pan cook bacon until done and set aside. In bacon grease cook onion until tender and put onions in a bowl without remaining grease. When Bacon is cooled chop into small pieces and mix with Onion, Set aside.

When oven is preheated cook pizza crust as directed on package. When pizza has about 3 mins left in a medium sauce pan add cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook until melted. Pull out pizza crust when completed and start creating your pizza. Spread the Cream cheese mixture on crust, then layer cooked potatoes. Add a thin layer of about 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese and then the onion bacon mixture. Finally add the rest of the Mozzarella Cheese and sprinkle some Italian Seasoning on top.

Cook in Oven until cheese is melted. ENJOY!

Cheesy Ranch Fondue

2010-05-06T20:44:00.000-07:00

So trying to make something in a fondue pot look good is really hard! but this stuff taste SO SO Good! i am a big Hidden Valley Ranch fan and this came from their website, but of course i tweaked it a little :)

Ingredients:
- 2 tbls butter
- 2 tbls flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup hidden valley ranch dressing
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- paprika

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle flour in melted butter and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Whisk milk into flour mixture and constantly stir until mixture thickens and begins to boil. Lower heat to simmer; stir in dressing and cheese until smooth. Pour into a fondue pot (or i do the whole thing in a fondue pot) and sprinkle with paprika, if desired. Serve with bread, pretzels, etc.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-05-05T07:35:00.000-07:00

I think everyone goes on a long search to find the most perfect chocolate chip cookies, and while we all end up with different recipes, this one is my favorite! i made these guys a couple days ago and they are still soft! I found it on the back of the Western Family Chocolate Chip bag...

Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup margarine (softened- not melted)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg
- milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars together until fluffy. Add vanilla and egg. Beat Well. Mix in dry ingredients and stir. Add chocolate chips, mix well.

Cook on cookie sheet for 10-15 mins. (i usually do 11-12 min)

King of the Cajun

2010-05-02T20:10:00.000-07:00

I have to post about this product. When my hubby and I went to Portland to visit family last year we went to the Saturday market and bought a small pack of these spices. Now we can't seem to get enough of them and order them online so we are never without. King of the Cajun. I am not one to buy from small online stores, because i don't trust them usually, but you can use paypal with them online, and they ship them super fast.

So what have we done with them?

Their Cajun seasoning is the only thing we use for our Cajun Pasta.

We love the Cream Sauce- we love to make homemade hash-browns with this one (shredded potatoes, butter and cream sauce), and just yesterday discovered Cajun Mac N'Cheese (The blue kraft Mac n'Cheese, with some cream sauce added when you add the cheese. we also added some smoked sausage chunks that we pan fried... YUMMY... i could eat it all day).

Also this time we ordered their Louisiana Mix. Let me tell you.. it is the best rub for a steak. I have never had such good steak. I also want to try it with french fries, but so far i have only tried to steak. If i try other things i will let you know.

So my advice--- ORDER THIS STUFF NOW!!! It will change your life! As i cook with it more intensely i will add links here.

- Cajun Mac n'Cheese

POM Apple Chicken

2010-04-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite dishes i found in college was Maple baked apple chicken. I have yet to cook it for the blog, but when i got my POM juice i wanted to tweak it for this. It turned out REALLY good! the only thing i would have done different was to marinade the chicken in POM juice for a couple hours before.

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup POM Juice
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2-3 red cooking apples (i like more b/c the apples are my favorite)
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 3 pieces of chicken (or more)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray large ovenproof nonstick skillet with cooking spray (i used a cast iron skillet). Heat on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 min. on each side or until lightly browned on both sides. Remove from heat.

Place onions on top of chicken; surround with apple slices. Mix syrup and juice; pour over chicken. Bake 20 to 25 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165ºF). Spoon syrup mixture in skillet over chicken just before serving.

POM Lamb Kabobs

2010-04-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

Found this one on the POM website. it was really good and i think it would go well with the POM vinaigrette as like a Lamb Salad.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
- 1/4 cup salad oil ( i just used vegetable oil)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder or leg, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

In a large bowl, stir together POM Juice, oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and garlic. Add lamb and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours.

Lift meat from marinade and drain briefly (reserve marinade). Thread meat equally on about 6 sturdy metal skewers.Place skewers on a lightly greased grill 4-6 inches above a solid bed of medium coals.Cook, turning often and basting with marinade until meat is well browned outside, but pink in the center (cut test in 10-15 minutes).

Angel Lush Cake

2010-04-25T19:27:00.000-07:00

This was so refreshing! summer and fruit... i love it! i tweaked it of course but originally found it on Kraft

Ingredients:
- 1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple (undrained)
- Strawberries
- 1 cup Cool Whip
- Instant Vanilla Pudding mix (small box)
- 1 box vanilla cake (w/ needed ingredients to bake)

Make the cake as directed in a bundt pan. Let cool through, and cut in 1/2 horizontally.

Mix together the crushed pineapple, cool whip and pudding mix. layer the whipped mix and the cake and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Top with strawberries just before serving.

Lemon Blueberry Crumb Cake

2010-04-24T11:31:00.000-07:00

This is some of the best crumb cake ever!! i think the mixture of fresh blueberries with lemon and a little bit of sweetness just makes you feel so good! plus its spring so the fruit is here!!! I saw this on the Food Network on Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients:
Streusel:
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, melted
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Cake:
- 6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 lemon- zested (for a less intense lemon taste just use 1-2 tbls lemon juice)
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan (or i used parchment paper and some cooking spray)

For the Streusel:

Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.

For the Cake:

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl and mix on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. With your fingers,
crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and serve sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.

POM Vinaigrette

2010-04-23T19:42:00.000-07:00

This was a very springy dressing, which was good because its almost May and it has gotten so cold here. I tweaked it from a recipe i found from Oprah

Ingredients:
- 3 tbls POM juice
- 1 tbls apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbls honey
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil

In a bowl mix together the juice, vinegar, honey and S&P. When well mixed slowly add in olive oil while mixing. Serve over salad!

POM Smoothie

2010-04-12T20:54:00.000-07:00

This had to have been the BEST smoothie i have ever had. There really isn't much of a recipe for it. I just took my favorite fruit mix (strawberry, mango, pineapple) mixed it with some vanilla yogurt and added the POM Pomegranate Juice instead of milk. I am definitely making some more of this, i just need to go get some more fruit mix!

POM Pork Roast

2010-04-11T21:06:00.000-07:00

After making this I am definitely a POM fan! This was some of the best pork i have ever had! Found it on the POM website and adjusted it a little to me!

Ingredients:
Marinade:
- 1 cup POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
- 2/3 cup dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- 1 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary or thyme
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 bay leaves

Pork and Gravy:
- 1 4-pound boneless pork loin roast
- Salt and pepper
- 1 14-ounce can beef broth (1 2/3 cups)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Whisk together POM juice, wine, chives, rosemary, mustard and Worcestershire; add bay leaves. Reserve 1/3 cup marinade for sauce (cover and refrigerate until needed). Place roast in a large self-sealing bag ; pour marinade over meat. Turn meat in marinade to coat. Refrigerate 4 to 8 hours, turning meat occasionally in marinade.
Preheat oven to 350^oF.

Remove meat from marinade; discard marinade. Pat meat dry; place in a large shallow roasting pan, (i dont have one so i just used a glass dish). Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper. Roast, uncovered, for 1 hour. Add potatoes and onions to pan around meat, turning them in the pan juices. Cover meat with foil to prevent over browning.

Roast for 45 minutes to 1-1/4 hours more, until meat is very pale pink. (You cook it for about 20-30 mins for ever 1/2 lb-- I had a 2 lb and it took about 1 1/2 hours) Transfer meat to a warm platter; cover and let stand while preparing sauce.

In a 2-quart saucepan combine reserved marinade, beef broth and cornstarch. Bring mixture to a boil; boil 1 minute. Pour some on meat and place extra on side for gravy.

Unstuffed French Toast

2010-04-10T21:33:00.000-07:00

We went to Portland last weekend and my brother in law made us this with peaches. It was so yummy, but i was in a strawberry craze so I made it a little different! Still yummy!

Ingredients:
- Texas Toast
- Eggs
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla
- Strawberries
- Heavy Cream
- 8 oz Marscarpone Cheese
- 4 tbls Powdered Sugar
- Lemon Juice/Zest

In a medium bowl add the Marscarpone cheese, powdered sugar and lemon juice/zest (to taste) and blend well together.

In a flat bowl add 1 tsp of milk with some cinnamon to create a paste (this will help the cinnamon spread evenly and not clump). Then add egg, vanilla, more milk and mix. Next make your french toast (i dont think i need to explain this step!)

To make the Strawberry cream, Slice strawberries and put in small skillet with heavy cream and cook through. Simple and yummy!

When french toast has about 1 min to cook on 2nd side add a lump of the Cheese mixture on top of each piece to give it time to melt a little. When done plate and top with strawberry cream. (We also added our Strawberry Jam and that was yummy too!)

Strawberry Jam

2010-04-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

YAY for spring!! i have been looking around at blogs and seeing Jams, so I decided to try it for the first time with Yummy Strawberries (especially since they are so cheap right now!) Got the recipe from the Sure-Jell Pectin Box

Ingredients:
- 1 box Pectin
- 4 pints Strawberries
- 3 cups sugar
- Multiple Tupperware containers ( I used five 2 cup containers)

Prep the Strawberries- cutting of the stems and slicing into smaller chunks (just in 1/2 unless really big). Put strawberries in a big bowl and mash with a potato masher (i did this 1 box of strawberries at a time). Measure out 4 cups of mashed strawberries.

In a large pot, add exactly 3 cups and 1 box of pectin. Mix well and add 1 cup of water. Bring mixture to a boil (STIRRING CONSTANTLY). Boil and stir for 1 minute and remove from heat.

Immediately stir in the strawberries and pour into prepared containers (do not fill all the way in case in expands, leave about 1/2 inch). Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours to set and then refrigerate for 3 weeks for freeze for up to 1 year!

Lemon Orzo w/ Mushrooms

2010-04-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

This was so easy to make and it had such a nice spring flavor to it. I found it in a Rachel Ray Magazine.

Ingredients:
- 1 lb orzo pasta
- Salt
- 12 oz sliced mushrooms (more or less to taste)
- 2 lemons
- 3/4 cup toasted pine nuts
- olive oil

Cook the Orzo according to directions (usually takes 8-10 mins) in Salt water. Meanwhile heat pan with 1 tbls of olive oil and cook sliced mushrooms for about 7 mins or until desired tenderness.

While those are all going, zest 1 lemon and juice 2 lemons into a bowl. If you didn't buy toasted nuts, this is when you would want to toast them (in the oven is what i did). When pasta is done, drain and rinse with hot water. Return to pan and add pine nuts and lemon juice/zest. Mix well. Add cooked mushrooms and serve!

Spicy Honey Chicken

2010-03-30T19:30:00.000-07:00

This has got to be some of the best chicken i have ever had. I found it in a Cooking light Magazine and will definitely be making it again soon! this would be yummy for game day!

Ingredients:
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- chicken pieces (i used chicken thighs cut into slices.... yummy)
- 6 tbls honey
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Preheat Broiler

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken to bowl and toss to coat. Place chicken on an aluminum foil covered pan and broil chicken for 5 minutes on each side. (a lot of liquid come out, so a pan with sides is good or you will have to drain the juice so it doesn't cause problems in your oven)

Combine honey and vinegar in a small bowl. stir well. Remove chicken from oven and brush 1/2 of mixture on one side of chicken. Return to oven and broil for 1 minute. Remove chicken and flip over. brush the rest of the honey mixture over the chicken and broil for 1 minute.

Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. ENJOY!

POM Wonderful

2010-03-28T18:59:00.000-07:00

Be Excited... Be VERY Excited! I was honored to get a message from POM Wonderful a couple weeks ago asking for my address so they could send me some free POM Wonderful Juice to cook with. of course i said yes... so Thursday we will be starting POM MONTH! I will be making a hand-full of recipes and will link them all to this page so you all can track what i cook!

Here is the food i made:
POM Pork Roast------- SO SO SO GOOD!!
POM Smoothie---- the best smoothie EVER
POM Vinaigrette
POM Lamb Kabobs
POM Apple Chicken

Garlic Green Beans

2010-03-28T18:47:00.000-07:00

Ever since we went to Portland last year and i have fresh green beans from the families garden i have been craving them. So i finally bought us some and made a garlic onion concoction to go on top. Turned out WAY good!

Ingredients:
- 1 lb fresh green beans
- 2 tbls butter
- 1/5 medium onion- diced
- 2 cloves garlic- diced
- salt and pepper

Fill pot with water and salt and boil. Add Green Beans and boil for about 20 minutes, or until your desired tenderness. When beans have about 5 minutes left, melt butter in skillet and add chopped garlic, onion and sautee. When beans are done, add to skillet and stir together. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and enjoy!

Chicken Enchilada Rolls

2010-03-23T20:55:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for more appetizer type foods for a while now, and I was so excited when I found this from Lemons & Love. I tweaked it so it was little more simple for me... but it was amazing!

Ingredients:
- 2 - 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 1/3 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- cayenne pepper to taste
- 3 cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, shredded
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 14/.5 oz can of Tomatoes Diced w. Onion and Green Bell Pepper
- 1 package jalapeno cheddar tortillas

Mix all ingredients together except chicken and tortillas. Once mixed well add shredded chicken, mix, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Portion out mixture over 5-6 tortillas and spread out evenly. Roll and slice into pieces.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

2010-03-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

I think the title says it all... YUMMY!!! these turned out so good... i made 64 loaves of them. yes, i did say 64 loaves. They were small loaves, but they all turned out beautiful! Go it from Betty Crocker

Ingredients:
- 4 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup water
- 15 oz pumpkin puree (1/2 of a big can)
- 1 bag chocolate chips

I am not very good at following directions exactly (especially when it comes to separating the liquids and powders... so here is what i did and it worked! (I luckily had a Kitchen Aid this weekend i borrowed from a friend)

Pour softened butter and sugar into bowl and mix until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, into bowl and mix well. Add water and pumpkin puree and mix through. Then add cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and baking soda. (the real directions say to mix them separately with the flour before adding... i made like 8 batches of this so i was trying to save time and dishes). When mixed through add flour and then chocolate chips. (of course i just left the kitchen aid on through all of this and added everything while it mixed)

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 mins for large loaves. Or i made small loaves and they took 35-40 mins. It makes either 2 large loaves or 8 of the smaller loaves.

Monica's First Birthday Cake

2010-03-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

Isn't it PRETTY!!! My co-worker's little girls is having her 1st birthday party today, and the girl who was going to make the cake got sick.... so i volunteered! I figured someone paying for the supplies so I could learn was a good deal!

So how did I do it?
the cakes were the easy part. I used 3 round cake pans (with parchment paper on the bottom so they don't stick and cooked almost all of 2 boxes of cake mix with them. Once they cooled, i trimed them so they were flat and then wrapped them up in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and froze them over night.

Then I used the fun CupCake Cake Pan to make the top cake. it uses about 1 1/2 cake mixes to fill, and you cook cake in it at 325 degrees for about an 60-65 mins.When that was done i put it in the fridge to firm up (of course i covered it in Plastic Wrap.

Meanwhile--- FONDANT!
I found this really good marshmallow fondant recipe HERE . It really is a good fondant because its pretty tasteless. Luckily i was able to borrow a friend's kitchen-aid to make it. DO NOT MAKE FONDANT WITH A HAND MIXER!! i almost killed mine. The best way i found to color the fondant was to add food coloring before you add the powdered sugar. and to get the brown color i had to use a Wilton Food Coloring from Walmart. Used the Whole thing!

Next Morning...
Woke up and started with my filling. I decided to do a 3 layer cake so i could add more filling in the middle of the cake. I came up with this genius idea while at work the other day. I took my frosting from my Oreo Cupcakes recipe but instead of using Oreo Cookies, I used Grasshopper Cookies (they taste just like Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies). YUMMY!!! So after i made that I took my cakes out of the freezer and layered them with the filling.

Then I took 2 things of creamy Vanilla frosting (store bought... i couldn't get any of my frostings to be smooth enough, and store bought worked just fine) and frosted the cake. In the fridge it went for about 30 mins to firm up, and then i used my New Frosting Spatula to smooth it out.

Setting it up for the top...
I had learned from experience with wedding cakes that you have to make sure that the top of your cake doesn't smash the rest of the cake. So i cut dowel rods to the height of my cake and then used cardboard on top of that so cupcake on top was sitting on that and not resting just on the cake. I also cut the cardboard like a Donut so once i placed the cupcake on top i could place a longer dowel all through the cake so the cupcake was more secure.

Decorating the Cake..
So now that my fondant has sat air tight all night, I cut me off a piece of it and spread it out thin with a rolling pin and cut out strips and circles. and started to decorate. Then I placed the cupcake on top and frosted the top with frosting. I used a normal spatula to get the groves on the top, but yeah... thats It! It only took me a total of 20 hours + all my practice cakes. but i love it!

Thai Yellow Curry

2010-03-15T17:39:00.000-07:00

I LOVE CURRY!! We are lucky enough to have an Asian store just 4 blocks from our house (Chaos) and they carry the best ingredients ... and this is one thing that is a staple in our home

Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup Mae Ploy Curry Paste
- 2 cans (13.5 oz each) of Coconut Milk
- 1 cup Water
- 2 large potatoes (cubed)
- 1/2 large yellow onion

Stir Fry 1 can of Coconut Milk with 1/4 cup Curry Paste in Wok. Add 2nd can of Coconut Milk and cook until boiling. Add 1 cup of water, Potatoes and onions to curry. Cook until potatoes are soft. Serve Over Rice. This probably makes enough curry for 5-6 servings

Kashi Cereal

2010-03-14T17:42:00.000-07:00

Got this in the mail the other day with a coupon for a free box of it. After trying it I decided it was worth getting a free box :) Its actually pretty good. A little dense, not as airy (if that's even a word) as normal Cheerios, but definitely good!

Brownie Burgers

2010-03-12T18:34:00.000-08:00

It was Nate and Ron's birthday at work so Eva and I decided to make "Guy Food"... these turned out so awesome and tasted so good, the guys kept taking pictures of them and sending them to people and they thought they were real burgers! got the idea from Bakerella

Ingredients:
- sugar cookie mix
- brownie mix
- Cake mix
- 1 tub frosting
- Food Coloring
- Sesame Seeds

For the Burgers: Cook the brownies and cupcakes as directed on the packages. When both have cooled, cut the cupcakes in 1/2 and the brownies in circles. Color the frosting to make them lettuce, ketchup and cheese. Layer however you like your burgers. To get the sesame seeds to stick brush a little water on top of the cupcakes and sprinkle on the seeds.

For the Fries: Mix cookies as directed on package for "cutout cookies". Roll out the dough and cut into long strips. Cook for about 8 mins at 350 degrees. If cookies come out the thick slice them in 1/2.