This Girl's Food

Saturday by h

2010-08-21T20:28:00.002-05:00

Black Beauty

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:S 95th Ave E,Tulsa,United States

Caleb mowing

2010-07-29T08:31:00.001-05:00

Caleb saw me vacuuming and decided to help by 'mowing'

Hello, my name is Hil and I'm addicted to iPhone apps

2010-07-23T09:31:00.000-05:00

When picking up my new iPhone 4 (squeeeeeeee!!!!), the uber helpful and friendly Apple Store Genius lady mentioned her favorite new camera app, Camera Plus. Since I am helpless in the face of my addiction, I downloaded it as soon as I skipped out of the store. Now bloggities, I love PSMobile for photo editing, but it pales in comparision to the rad effects available on Camera Plus. And I seriously love Hipstamatic for some cool cool lenses and film, but with the editing capabilities in Camera Plus, I can replicate those looks and it works twice as fast.

Last summer Brent planted some hibiscus plants in our backyard. He found them on clearance at Lowe's and planted them in the dog heat of summer. My hopes for their survival were low, but they not only pulled through but grew into GIANT plants with GIANT dinner plate sized blooms. Me and the plant had a photo session yesterday morning and I will use it for a brief demonstration of Camera Plus' awesome abilities.

Here's the original picture. Well, not the original, because I cropped and rotated the orientation 90 degrees to get it this way.

Next, I started playing with the effects. See 'vibrant':

How's that for color pop?

Now see 'so emo':

I can almost see Edward presenting dark and twisty bloom to Bella.

How about a little 'grunge':

I don't get as much Kurt Cobain out of this as I get Grandma's Attic. Still love it though, the scratches are awesome.

Now for some 'Ansel':

Perhaps not the best example of Ansel, but you get the idea.

Besides these effects, there's about fifteen or twenty more choices including 'faded', 'hipster' and 'antique'.

I haven't even gotten around to showing you the various borders including 'instant' (think polaroid), 'grit' and 'vignette'. Also, it has scenes which change the lighting tones. I'm in luuuuurvvveee!!!!!

I just realized this post came across as a sales pitch. I WISH they'd given it to me for free, but honestly, 2 smackers is worth it for the hours of play I've gotten out of it so far. My poor DSLR, in all of it's powerful, beautiful glory, actually has dust accumulating on it. I'm definitely hung up on the iPhone camera apps right now.

Mixed Berry Pretzel Ice Box Dessert

2010-07-13T21:18:00.000-05:00

We had a great fourth of July, especially since we got to enjoy it with a ton of Brent's extended family. It was a day full of swimming, a great pot luck meal, and fireworks.

Caleb got to swim in the pool with all the big boys;

And show off his high five skills;

And operate some heavy machinery;

And hang out with family, enjoying the nice weather and our holiday off work.

And I made a dessert which was devoured within a few minutes of being served. It's perfect for summer since it's cool, creamy, sweet, tart and crunchy all at once.

Mixed Berry Pretzel Ice Box Dessert

Source: Noble Pig

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 cups finely crushed pretzels
3 Tablespoons sugar
12 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
7 oz. plain Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 (3 oz) packages strawberry gelatin
1 (16 oz) package frozen sweetened sliced strawberries, thawed
2 cups fresh blueberries
Whipped cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit; mist a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray. Place pretzels in a bowl of a food processor and process until finely crushed. Add sugar and melted butter and pulse to combine. Press pretzel mixture into baking dish and bake for 8 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack until completely cooled.

Make filling using an electric mixer on medium speed, beating cream cheese with sugar until well blended. Fold in yogurt and vanilla. Spread over cooled pretzel crust, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2-3 hours.

In a large bowl, dissolve both packages of gelatin in 2 cups boiling water. Let cool until mixture begins to get syrupy, about 15 minutes. Stir in strawberries and blueberries and pour over cream cheese layer. Chill until firm, at least three hours or overnight.

Cut tart into squares and serve with whipped cream.

Baltimore Baked Beans

2010-07-07T08:43:00.000-05:00

First off, you should know that these beans have nothing to do with Baltimore. Nor are they baked. But the recipe is a family favorite dating back thirty years or so and the first place a member of my family ate it was in Baltimore, Maryland. So go figure.

As with a lot of old family staples, it didn't quite taste the same the first time I made it myself. My mom and Grandma must do something different than the written recipe calls for because I had to double the sauce to get it to taste as I remember. I think it's because I drained and rinsed the beans before adding them to the crock pot. I don't like bean juice at all, so I will probably continue doubling the sauce. Anyway, Brent likes the BBQ flavor, so the more sauce the merrier as far as he's concerned.

Baltimore Baked Beans
Source: Brunton family dinners and pot luck suppers

Ingredients:

1/2 pound bacon
2 pounds hamburger
1 chopped onion
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/3 c brown sugar
1/4 c ketchup
1/4 c bbq sauce
2 Tbsp molasses
2 Tbsp mustard
1 can each pork and beans, black beans, kidney beans and butter beans

Directions:

Fry the bacon until crispy. Drain on paper towels and when cool, chop or crumble. Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon grease and use it to saute the onion until translucent. Set aside. Wipe pan clean of grease and brown the hamburger, seasoning with salt and pepper, until cooked through.

In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients (except the beans) to create the sauce. Here's where you can double it if you're feeling kinda saucy.

Drain and rinse all the beans except the pork and beans, and pour into a crock pot, along with the bacon, onion, hamburger and sauce. Stir to combine and cook on low until warmed through and flavors have melded.

Still Afloat

2010-07-03T12:31:00.010-05:00

I can't believe that after six weeks this balloon is still floating high in my living room. I've decided not to take it down, I want to see how long it will survive.

•••••••••••••••••••••••

Happy 4th of July everyone, I hope you get to enjoy it with family and friends.

Caleb, I can't wait to play and enjoy the long weekend with you. As soon as you wake up from your nap, I mean.

And I really really REALLY hope that you aren't afraid of fireworks!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thai Cucumber Salad

2010-07-03T08:00:00.005-05:00

I follow a couple hundred blogs using Google Reader. Most of them are written by ladies and gentleman that are just like me, amateurs with an interest in making good food for their families and trying to take pretty pictures of said food. Some of the blogs, however, are really amazing. Beautiful photography, complicated recipes and writing styles that far surpass my own.

The moral of the story is with these fancy blogs, that I never attempt their delicious-looking recipes. Many times, the ingredients are too exotic and/or expensive to justify the purchase for (potentially) one dish. But mainly, I'm intimidated by the sheer awesomeness of these superior food bliggity bloggers.

Earlier this week, a recipe came around on the fantastic blog Use Real Butter that I could not only handle, but that I knew my family would like, hence this Thai Cucumber Salad was recreated in my own kitchen. So head on over to URB if you want to see some beautiful food styling and landscape photography, 'cause we all know you ain't gonna find that kinda quality picture takin' in this joint.

Thai Cucumber Salad

Source: Use Real Butter

Ingredients:

4 T sugar

2 T rice wine vinegar
½ t salt
4 T water
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 cups cucumbers, roughly peeled, gutted and sliced (1 english or 3 persian)
¼ red onion, sliced thin
¼ cup fresh mint, roughly chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Directions:

Combine the first five ingredients in a small sauce pan over high heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Let come to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and allow to simmer for one minute. Remove from heat and let cool. Place the cucumber, onion, mint and cilantro in a medium bowl and pour dressing over it, toss to coat.

June Travels

2010-07-01T08:00:00.001-05:00

The second week of June, we took a trip to central Arizona. Caleb yet again was a wonderful airplane passenger. When he wasn't playing or eating Cheerios, he was napping in my arms (and what mama doesn't love that?).

A scenic view south of Jerome, AZ

Playing in the hotel room

Caleb loved the swinging doors in The Palace restaurant on the Whiskey Row in Prescott, AZ

We also took him swimming for the first time! The water was a little chilly, and there were several other little kids playing in the water so he was really distracted watching them, but he seemed to like it. We've taken him several more times since then and each time he's had more and more fun.

We had a great time, I'm so blessed to have a wonderful family :)

Rich Banana Bread

2010-06-29T08:00:00.002-05:00

Banana bread is one of my favorite treats. My grandma makes it in a metal coffee can, so her banana bread always has circular ridges all the way around it, and the slices are round. I don't have any metal coffee cans so I had to make this recipe in a normal bread pan, boring, but probably a prettier picture.

Janet's Rich Banana Bread
Source: Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 medium bananas, sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, stir together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla, mixing well. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, then stir it into the butter mixture until smooth. Fold in the sour cream, walnuts and bananas. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake at 350 for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Onion Strings

2010-06-27T08:00:00.003-05:00

Brent's parents have the best outdoor kitchen area. There's a gas burner right beside the grill, and all this is set on a large bar/countertop with lots of area to spread out to visit, cook, etc. For Memorial Day we decided to fry some onion strings and with the outdoor burner, we didn't have to stinky up the inside of the house with the hot oil smell.

I wish I had a picture of the HUGE pile of onion strings I made, but I honestly believe I would have been physically injured if I had put blog pictures between the hungry masses and the hot fried onion goodness I was dishing up. Instead I had to settle for a picture of a handful I was able to grab and sneak off with.

PW isn't kidding, just when you think you've made enough of these, go ahead and double what you've already done. They are THAT good. I used a cast iron dutch oven and a fry thermometer to keep my oil temperature as constant as possible. Also, wear an apron if you are wearing a new shirt (this is probably obvious to most of you experienced friers out there).

The Pioneer Woman's Onion Strings

Ingredients:

1 whole Large Onion

2 cups Buttermilk
2 cups All-purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon (scant) Salt
¼ teaspoons (to 1/2 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
1 quart (to 2 Quarts) Canola Oil
Black Pepper To Taste

Directions:

Slice onion very thin. Place in a baking dish and cover with buttermilk. Soak for at least an hour.

Combine dry ingredients and set aside.

Heat oil to 375 degrees.

Grab a handful of onions, throw into the flour mixture, tap to shake off excess, and toss into the hot oil. Fry for a few minutes and remove as soon as golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and salt to taste.

Key Lime Cake

2010-06-25T12:14:00.000-05:00

Mom and I prepared all the food for Caleb's birthday party ourselves. Of course, Caleb had his own cake and we knew that once he was finished with it, nobody would want a piece for themselves, so we decided on a Key Lime Cake for the adults to enjoy. It was a small party with family and friends and everyone, especially Caleb, enjoyed themselves.

Caleb got some awesome toys

And chatted with some friends

It was kind of a big day, so after a bath to get all the cake and frosting out of his hair, he took a little nap.

And while he was napping, the adults had some Key Lime Cake.

Key Lime Cake

As seen on the Tulsa World website

From the book "Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood"

Serves 12

Key Lime Cake

Ingredients:

1 (3-ounce) package lime-flavored gelatin

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

2 cups sifted AP flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

5 large eggs, slightly beaten

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

3/4 cup orange juice

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup lime juice (from about 25 small Key limes or 4 large regular limes)

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the first six ingredients well. Add the eggs, oil, orange juice, lemon juice and vanilla.

Divide the batter evenly among the three pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Teast for doneness by lightly touching the tops of the layers or inserting a toothpick. Cool the layers in the pans for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto cooling racks to cool completely.

While the layers are still hot, mix the lime juice and confectioner's sugar and pour it over the layers on the racks. Pierce the layers with a fork to allow the glaze to better soak in. Allow the layers to cool completely as you prepare the icing.

Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature

1 (1 pound) box confectioners' sugar

Directions:

Cream the butter and cream cheese. Beat in the confectioners' sugar until the mixture is smooth and easy to spread. Spread the icing between the layers, on the top and sides of the cake.

Time Warp

2010-05-28T13:19:00.000-05:00

Yet again, another iPhone app knocks my socks off.

and makes my drain my battery three times a day

I love the groovy retro feel

and it comes with all sorts of awesome settings

Get it? Got it? Good.

Blessed week

2010-05-15T21:49:00.001-05:00

So I'm currently procrastinating on an important task. Instead of completing said important task, I'm cruising the Internet and watching old episodes of Grey's Anatomy. I had some wonderful friends in to visit this weekend and they snapped this picture of my beautiful son.

Caleb was glad to have guests around so he could show off how good he is getting at pulling up and standing. Every day his muscle control and balance improve, I love this new stage, but goodness do I feel a little sad thinking how quickly my baby is growing up.
Which brings me to my next point...Caleb turns one year old in four days. Many family members are coming in to celebrate with us. I am incredibly excited for Caleb and I've enjoyed remembering how amazing Caleb's arrival was for us.
I'm sure this is going to be an emotional week for me, but I'm going to keep that emotion to myself and just show Caleb my excitement, this is HIS day to shine!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

World Traveler

2010-04-30T16:29:00.000-05:00

Caleb loved our trip last weekend.

He liked making friends with our airplane neighbors, in fact, the shiny bald head of the man sitting in front of us on the flight home was (unknowingly) reeaaaaalllllyyyy interesting to him. We were laughing so hard at how hard Caleb was trying to reach out and grab that shiny thing.

He also really liked looking over the back of our seats at the people behind us. Thankfully everyone around us was really nice, even when he belched a LOUD belch right in their faces. One of the ladies even tried to give him a sucker (really lady??? sorry but he's only 11 months old, he can't have any candy).

We had lots of beautiful weather, and since Caleb loves being outside, he loved every minute of the festival. There was a big off road bicycle race going on also, it was cool seeing all the riders in their gear lounging around the square. There wasn't hardly any food though, or maybe we just never found it. Lots of neat local crafts though, I got a wooden kitchen spoon whittled out of a piece of local wood, I can't wait to use it.

For some reason, the three of us were never all able to look at the camera at the same time. We're going to have to practice, because this random picture is the best family picture we got the whole weekend.

And the cutest (to me) and most hilarious (to me) picture of the entire weekend:

Of course I laughed my arse off when I saw him like this, so he kept doing it :)

Weekend getaway in Arizona

2010-04-24T07:52:00.002-05:00

Since we had a good excuse, we decided to take a weekend trip to Prescott, Arizona. We had a fun day exploring the town and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. In fact, I was so worried about keeping Caleb's skin protected from the sun that I completely forgot to protect my own. I have a little sunburn on my shoulders to show for it but it was great walking around in the sun with no wind, or thunderstorms, or any of that typical Oklahoma spring weather to hamper our good time.

I'm trying to keep Caleb on Okie time since our trip is so brief, thank goodness for in-room coffee pots. This morning we were up WAY before the free continental breakfast bar was open.
Oh, and I have to brag on Little Man. I couldn't have asked for a better first flight from him. Other than tired arms from holding him for so long, our trip went fantastically! Here's to a return trip that's just as successful!

-- Post From My iPhone

The dogs are SO fired (and a thank you)

2010-04-22T08:23:00.001-05:00

Last night I discover that I had left an important item over at my in-law's house. Being the kind soul he is, my father in law offered to bring it over this morning and leave it in my garage so I'd have it tonight. Awesome, problem solved.

So this morning as I leave for work, I see said item already in the garage, evidently my father in law had gone to work early. And not only that but he'd brought in the empty trash can from the curb. Bonus! Thank you!

However, we have two big dogs. They like to bark at pedestrians. They like to bark at birds in the flower bed. But this morning? Yeah, no bark. No warning an intrudor had breached the perimeter. Just two dogs crashed out on MY bed, waiting on me to turn the light off so they can go back to sleep for seventeen more hours.

So dogs, here's your warning. Even though you are totally awesome with Caleb and let him pull your hair and take your toys, you are now on super double secret probation. You are DOGS! You are supposed to BARK when someone enters the house! Next time, you betta represent!

Hands

2010-04-21T18:11:00.001-05:00

Seriously, is there anything more precious than baby hands? I remember holding Caleb's hands in my own when he was a newborn. They were tiny, fragile, and absolutely perfectly minature recreations of adult hands. (I'm sure that some of you are reading that sentence thinking, "well, duh", but don't underestimate the wonder a new mother feels over learning her new baby).
Boy have those hands grown in the past eleven months! I can recognize family features in Caleb's hands. He has Brent's thumbnails and he has my dad's palms. It's so blaringly obvious to me that I actually get nostalgic for my dad about it if I think about it too much. I think God gave me a daily reminder of my dad when He made Caleb's hands, and I'm thankful for that.
Caleb can now use his hands for so much! He is able to fit blocks together and he is learning to put shapes into his shape-sorter box through the lid. He has been feeding himself for quite awhile now and loves almost any type of table food. And as always, he loves to place his pointer finger in his mouth. You can almost always catch him with it in there, not sucking on it, not really chewing. Just hanging out with his finger in there.
Caleb now has a new skill to share...he can pull up not only to his knees, but now to his feet! He used to only feel comfortable doing this while crawling on me, now he can do it on furniture. He's still a little wobbly so I haven't gotten a good picture yet (I'm busy watching like a hawk in case he slips), but I can't wait to photograph it!

Strawberry Cake

2010-04-18T09:45:00.004-05:00

This afternoon from 1:00 until 3:00 in downtown Medicine Lodge, Kansas, my mom's sorority, Beta Sigma Phi, is hosting a dessert tasting event in at The Leisure Time Center on North Main. Many of the sorority ladies are bringing their favorite homemade desserts to share over good coffee and good conversation.

Tickets to the event are $10 and proceeds benefit The Leisure Time Center and Horizons Mental Health Center Children's Services.

Also, cookbooks containing all of the contributed recipes are available for sale. I've been flipping through it for the past couple days and I can't wait to make several of them myself. Many of the recipes are for yummy sounding, summery desserts, and I can't wait to taste about fifty awesome sugary treats on this fine Sunday afternoon! If you are interested in purchasing a cookbook, please leave a contact and I will give you the information.

One of my mom's food contributions at the tasting is for this awesome strawberry cake. It's a staple dessert in her recipe armory, but this time she baked it in her ribbon shaped cake pan in honor of a dear friend of ours who is currently WINNING her fight against breast cancer! Congrats PS on your awesome test results!

Strawberry Cake

Ingredients

Cake:
1 box white cake mix
1 3 oz box strawberry flavored instant gelatin
10 oz package of frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed, 1/4 cup reserved
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1/4 cup water

Frosting:
1/4 cup butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 pureed strawberries
1/2 tsp strawberry extract
7 cups confectioners sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans. Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the wet ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour into cake pans and bake 20 minutes or until they test done. Cool in pans for 10-15 minutes then cool completely on a wire rack.
Mix the frosting ingredients until smooth and spread between the cake layers, on top and sides.

-- Post From My iPhone

There's an app for that

2010-04-14T15:41:00.002-05:00

Last night I tried out the Blogger feature that allows you to email a post from a phone. However, the picture didn't post correctly which sucked because it was really cute. So, I did a little research today and I discovered 'there's an app for that' so now we're cookin' with gas!

And here's a picture taken last week that I'm posting as a test to see if the BlogPress app really is worth the $2.99 I paid for it. (well, and I'm posting it because it's cute).

-- Post From My iPhone

Hello World!

2010-04-13T22:27:00.004-05:00

Caleb wants to say hello to all of you nice interwebzers who still read this sadly neglected little blog.

There is even less cooking going on in the house now than there was in my first trimester. Caleb eats regular baby food, yogurt, chicken nuggets, steamed veggies, Cheerios and bites of whatever else I toss together (which isn't much). But we are having FUN playing and growing and enjoying the spring weather. I apologize that cooking has currently, temporarily, taken a back seat to baby-time. Hopefully any of you still following me are as satisfied by cute baby pictures as you are by recipes!

Sent from my iPhone

Chicken Braciolettini with Mushroom and Wine Sauce

2010-01-28T08:57:00.000-06:00

Please forgive me for this sad little picture of a truly wonderful dish. I will make the lame excuse again that I only have time to cook at night and the bad lighting (and my hunger) usually don't allow me to get a good picture.

I served it over creamy polenta with goat cheese, but it would be just as wonderful over pasta, potatoes or even spinach leaves if you're looking for a healthier option.

The next time I make this I'm going to deviate from the original recipe and add chicken broth to the sauce, I like the flavor it adds.

Chicken Braciolettini with Mushroom and Wine Sauce
source: My Italian Grandmother

Ingredients:

6 large bonesless chicken breastss
1 tsp chopped garlic
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 pound fresh shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 bunch fresh parsley (can you believe my Super Target was OUT?)
6 thin slices Prosciutto
1 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup oil
1 cup Madeira or Marsala wine (I used a red table wine)
1/2 pound whole button mushrooms or thinly sliced large mushrooms

Directions:

Pound the chicken breasts to a uniform thickness. On each piece of chicken, evenly arrange the chopped garlic. Sprinkle with pepper, cheeses and parsley. Cover each breast with a slice of Prosciutto. Roll each breast, tucking in loose ends and secure with toothpicks.

Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown the chicken well all over. Remove to a baking pan and bake for 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven until the chicken is cooked thru but not dry (Instead I returned my chicken to the sauce and covered with a lid to finish cooking the chicken).

For the sauce, drain the fast from the skillet but don't wash the pan. Over medium heat, add the wine and deglaze the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the mushrooms and cook for a minute or two. You can add some flour at this time to thicken the sauce if desired.

Remember to remove the toothpicks from the chicken before serving!

Creamy Polenta with Goat Cheese

2010-01-28T08:32:00.001-06:00

I finally found a great substitute to potatoes and pasta. I don't know why I thought polenta would be difficult to make, but leave it to the Pioneer Woman to break it down into steps I understanz.

My awesome new Super Target let me down for the first time ever when I was shopping for this recipe. There was no plain goat cheese to be had, only herbed goat cheese, hence the dark flecks of color in my polenta. It tasted great, but wasn't as pretty as it could have been... : P

Creamy Polenta with Goat Cheese
source: The Pioneer Woman Cooks!

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
4 ounces goat cheese

Directions:

Bring 4 1/2 cups water to a boil. Pour the cornmeal into the water in a thin stream, whisking constsantly to avoid unsightly lumps. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Add water by the tablespoon if needed. Add salt.

When polenta is cooked, stir in the butter and goat cheese (interesting factoid, the goat cheese melted 3x faster than the butter). Taste and season appropriately. Serve with a meat course such as this, this or this.

Kahlua-Pecan-Brown Sugar Baked Brie

2010-01-24T09:16:00.000-06:00

A wonderful, fancy and super easy to prepare appetizer that'll definitely impress. Just don't do like me and injure yourself removing the rind top from the Brie.

Kahlua-Pecan-Brown Sugar Baked Brie
source: Noble Pig

Ingredients:

1 whole wheel of Brie
1 cup Kahlua
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup chopped pecans
Crackers for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the rind off the top of the Brie wheel, but leave the rind on top while in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes. When the Brie is done baking, remove the rind and discard, exposing the yummy cheese.

While the Brie is baking, use medium saucepan to bring the Kahlua and brown sugar to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until it reaches a syrupy consistency. Add the pecans to the pan for 2 minutes to warm them through and coat them with the sauce

Pour the Kahlua sauce over the Brie and serve with crackers.

Caleb's First Christmas

2010-01-01T19:54:00.000-06:00

We started Christmas morning by opening presents at home. Brent and I got some cool presents, but I know that you, dear Interwebz, are more interested in Caleb's fun gifts.

Aunt Colleen got him this rad Baby Einstein music player thing and it's a favorite.

Some Fisher Price Roll-Arounds from his stocking are another favorite, he bats them all around the room, I love watching him army crawl all over as he chases them. My favorite is the one with the blue octopus thing in it with all the mutli-colored little balls that jingle around. Very fun.

Gee Gee was awesome and wrapped Caleb's presents super loosely so he could unwrap them himself.

Caleb's big gift from Mommy and Daddy was a LeapFrog Learn and Groove Table that he lurves. We practice standing up with it and he loves all the buttons, sounds and lights. When his baby legs get tired, he sits on my knee so he can keep playing.

After getting cleaned up from our at-home Christmas morning, we headed over to Brent's parents for presents with Caleb's MeeMaw and Papa.

First up for Caleb was a bunch of fun clothes, including this cow patterned footed PJ number.

And even though he really appreciates all the clothes, he couldn't help but show his REAL opinion about all the new duds.

Overall, we received and gave some really cool gifts. Thank you so much, family, for making it a kick-butt first Christmas for Little Man. In fact, Caleb is spending the night with Brent's parents and we are getting ready to go spend the Christmas gift my grandparents gave us. Thanks for dinner Grandma and Grandpa Brunton!!!

Does anyone else think that Caleb really looks like Marlon Brando in this pic? It's the chin, I'm sure.

Sweet sweet baby skin

2009-12-27T12:00:00.001-06:00

I never realized how perfectly sweet my baby would be. I remember when I first smelled his little breath as I lay in the hospital bed the day he was born. I was in perfect wonder over the life in my arms, amazed that we had all made it safely through delivery, when I first caught a whiff. His breath was like nothing I'd ever smelled before. Perfect freshness.

And now the rain-fresh breath is no more, but he has this perfect, silky skin. It's darkish toned like his dad's, and soft and smooth and wonderful.

And he has these irresistable leg rolls, my mom calls them Dairy Queen wrinkles :) He loves it when I am the nom nom monster and nom on those little rolls! Baby laughs... but that's another post.

It's safe to say I'm intoxicated by my beautiful baby.

Caleb v puffs. Round 1

2009-12-26T16:00:00.003-06:00

Since he started eating purees, Caleb has tried all the Stage 1 fruits and vegetables. The only one that he didn't seem to care for was the bananas, and I think it's because of the texture. He seems to have a sensitive gag reflex (which has already given me a few near-heart attacks) and texture/dryness seems to really set it off.

We decided to try these little puff cereal things that dissolve really quickly.

They are a yummy strawberry flavor so we thought he'd enjoy them.

Well, so far the body language isn't giving us a lot of hope for the puffs...

What is this stuff you're feeding me...dirt??

Blech!!!

Sorry mom, I gave it my best shot! Maybe next time!

Fancy Macaroni

2009-12-26T11:21:00.002-06:00

For the past couple years, the women in my family have worked ourselves silly preparing and cleaning up after Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meals. This year we declared from the get-go that we weren't doing it this time, we wanted easy, good food, and we wanted to have time to sit, visit, and play with the baby.

For Christmas Eve, we decided to do a casserole and my mother in law put me in charge of finding a good recipe. You know I can always count on the Pioneer Woman to drop a recipe of such mouth-watering proportions that I have to make it right.now and this time she did not disappoint. As soon as I saw her post about Fancy Macaroni go up, I knew I'd found my Christmas Eve casserole.

It was so wonderfully good, the sauteed onions and all the yummy cheese, not to mention BACON, made this one spectacular dish. Below is the Ree's recipe exactly as she posted, with notes for my slight adjustments.

Fancy Macaroni
Source: The Pioneer Woman Cooks!

Ingredients:

4 cups Macaroni
8 Tablespoons Butter
2 whole Medium Onions, Cut In Half And Sliced Thin
10 slices Regular Bacon
1 Tablespoon Bacon Grease (reserved From Bacon Slices)
¼ cups All-purpose Flour
2 cups Whole Or 2% Milk
½ cups Half & Half
2 whole Egg Yolks, Beaten
Salt & Pepper (to Taste)
½ cups Grated Gruyere Cheese
½ cups Grated Fontina Cheese (I used Butterkase because I couldn't find any Fontina)
½ cups Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
4 ounces, weight Chevre (soft Goat Cheese)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook macaroni for half the time of the package instructions. Drain and set aside. (I also rinsed the noodles with cold water so they wouldn't stick together)

Fry bacon until slightly, but not overly, crispy. Drain on a paper towel. Reserve grease.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a skillet and saute onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown and soft. Set aside. (besides sauteeing the onions in the same skillet I'd cooked the bacon, I added the reserved bacon grease to the butter)

In a pot, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle in flour and whisk to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat for 1 minute. Pour in milk and half & half, then cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until thick. Reduce heat to low. Add salt & pepper to taste. (Do not undersalt!)

Beat egg yolks and drizzle 1/4 cup hot mixture into the yolks, stirring constantly. Stir to combine. Pour egg mixture into sauce and cook for another minute.

Add cheeses and stir until melted. Add onions and bacon and stir. Taste for seasonings and add more salt if needed. Add cooked macaroni and stir to coat.

Pour into a baking dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until sizzling and hot.

Caldo Soup

2009-12-22T08:10:00.000-06:00

Thank you mom for blogging this for me, and also, thank you for sharing this awesome soup! She brought it down for us to have over Thanksgiving. It froze and reheated really well, collard greens really hold their own.

***
Did you ever want to make something different, something you’ve never tried before? Last week I took out my Paula Deen’s ‘The Lady and Sons, Too’ and decided that whatever page it opened to I’d make something from that page. It didn’t make any difference if it was a dessert or a pot roast, anything.

It came as no surprise that it opened to a page with a recipe I have used many times, but on the opposite page was Susan’s Caldo Soup. I don’t know Susan, and I didn’t know what was Caldo was so I read through it and decided that Caldo must mean collard greens, one of the ingredients it called for. In doing a little more looking I found that Caldo is Portuguese for broth so I learned something new that day.

I also learned that day that my little home town grocery store did not have frozen chopped collard greens. So, I headed across the street to visit with my neighbor from Mississippi to see if she thought replacing collard greens with spinach would work. Well, that’s when I found out that they are not interchangeable. The next evening she came bringing me a bag of frozen chopped collard greens that she had picked up at a large supermarket when she had been out of town that day.

So, I was all set to make the soup, what follows is the exact recipe and then I will tell you what I changed. I thought it was really good, something very different from anything I had ever had, and I will definitely make it again, that is, when I can get the collard greens.

Susan's Caldo Soup
Source: The Lady and Sons, Too

Ingredients:
1/2# Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup diced onion
Three 14.5 oz. cans chicken broth
5 small new red potatoes, quartered
1 tsp. Lady’s House Seasoning
10 oz. frozen chopped collard greens

(I used the whole pound of sausage, doubled the butter, used all of one large onion and the can of chicken broth was 49.5 oz.)

Directions:
Cut the sausage into ¼” slices. Melt the butter over medium heat, add the onion and sausage, sauté until the onion is transparent, about 10 minutes. Add the broth, potatoes, and House Seasoning. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the collard greens, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Before serving, using a fork, mash some of the potatoes to thicken the soup.

All I Want For Christmas...and a seven month update

2009-12-20T11:58:00.000-06:00

Is my two front teeth! At least that's what Caleb says. As you can see from some of these pictures, he already has one bottom tooth, it came in two weeks ago. Another one is coming through today and my poor baby is sure feeling it. I took these pictures last Friday afternoon, we all had fun playing since I got off early. And yes, he's still in his PJs, we don't always get in a big hurry to get dressed when we are playing at home on the floor, I think he's warmer in his PJs and we don't have to worry about him pulling off his socks. If you're reading this, Aunt Colleen, thank you so much for the fun presents! We put the others under the tree for Christmas day, but this fun bendy ball we opened right away and he loves it. Thank you!!!

(Please pay no attention to the man on the right...it's a good thing he never reads this blog, he'd probably be mad I took a picture of the top of his head, poor dude. I still think he's sexy though)

While Caleb, Brent, Sadi and I were all playing together on the floor, Too Cool for School Gracie posted up on the couch.

Also, Caleb turned seven months old yesterday! He has all kinds of neat tricks including scooching around the room Army-crawl style, holding his own bottle, and babbling like a champ. He also can eat an entire jar of stage one veggies twice a day, plus another half a jar of fruit at each meal too. He's a good eater and even likes squash and peas!

Holiday Bacon Appetizers

2009-12-18T21:12:00.000-06:00

This is one of the appetizer recipes I taste tested before deciding what to take to the office holiday pot luck lunch. This one was high on my list, but I really thought they tasted best within an hour out of the oven. Since I try to be at work by 7:30 every day, the two hour bake time definitely didn't fit my weekday morning schedule.

You can't go wrong with the sweet and salties, however, so believe me, this recipe will make another showing at least once this holiday season.

Pioneer Woman's Holiday Bacon Appetizers
Source: The Pioneer Woman Cooks!

Ingredients:

One package Club crackers
1 pound thin sliced bacon (might I suggest maple cured...the sweet and salty...YUM)
Grated Parmesan cheese (or brown sugar...I'm doing this next!)

Directions:

Place crackers face up on a cookie sheet.

Using a teaspoon, sprinkle grated Parmesan on each cracker. Cut bacon slices in half and carefully wrap each cracker in a slice of bacon, making sure to cover the entire cracker with the bacony yumness. Place on a cookie sheet fitted with a rack and bake at 250 degrees for around two hours. I checked mine and took them out after about an hour and forty five minutes and they were perfect.

Needing a sick day

2009-12-16T20:32:00.000-06:00

Last week Caleb was diagnosed with a little infection, nothing serious, all it took was a little antibiotic and some cuddles from his mama and daddy to make it all better.

Of course, there were definitely some sad faces...

And notice the little drool bead collecting on his chin? Besides being sick, he also cut his first tooth. All this happened in one weekend, mind you. Little Man had a reason to be unhappy.

We spent our time hanging out together, alternating between playing on the floor with his toys and taking breaks for cuddling and comforting. He can be very independent sometimes, so I have to admit I enjoyed that he wanted held for hours and hours.

He might not have felt well, but he still knew how to have fun! Check out that little goof face! I imagine he was talking to me when I took this photo, he can chatter up a storm!

Santa's making his list!

2009-12-15T12:17:00.006-06:00

Caleb met Santa today!

Santa scheduled a quick stop off at my office building today during lunch. Caleb made it a point to get dressed up in his Christmas sweater so he could sit on Santa's lap and ask for such things as, and I quote, a brand new "Ahbwabwabwa" and a really awesome "dadahbwa". Hopefully Santa has a better ear for Caleb's bourgeoning language skills than I.

Unfortunately Santa had set up shop in front of a huge bright lobby window, causing the faces to be a little underexposed, but this little grin lights up the shot for me :) And Santa, for some reason, you look suspiciously like the security guard who checks and rechecks my badge every.single.day before letting me in the door. Hmmm.

Jalapeno Popper Spread

2009-12-13T08:22:00.004-06:00

I've made this dip about four times since I first discovered the recipe and I have yet to get a good picture of it because it's always at night. It's been a hit at every gathering to which I've taken it and on the off chance there is some left over, it reheats wonderfully. One of the things I love about it is that the heat level can be adjusted so easily so you can cater to your friend's needs. Brent and I love spicy stuff, but his mother can't eat it without feeling badly, so I cut the jalapeno quantity in half when she's in the crowd.

Jalapeno Popper Spread
Source: allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise (I used light mayo and it still tasted great)
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
2 ounces canned diced jalapenos, drained
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Combine cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth. Add the chiles and jalapenos and stir until combined. Pour mixture into an ovenproof bowl, top with Parmesan cheese and bake at 350 degrees until bubbly.

It's best served with crusty bread because it truly is a spread, not a dip.

Paula Deen's Strawberry Cake - the cupcake version

2009-11-25T10:56:00.003-06:00

Back when I was pregnant I saw Paula Deen make this cake on one of her shows. Soon thereafter, I ran out and got the ingredients and made it for myself, it was my very first double layer cake. I obviously need more practice with layer cakes because though it tasted wonderful, it looked awful. One of the layers stuck in the cake pan and I had to puzzle piece it back together on the cake stand. When a piece was cut from the cake, it's structural integrity was pretty much nonexistent. At the time this was fine with me, my pregnant self just took a bite off the cake with a fork every time I walked through the kitchen.

The next incarnation of this recipe came at my birthday party when it was made into cupcakes. Much better for this inexperienced baker-gal! I'm including Paula's cake recipe, but the conversion into cupcakes was simple, just watch the baking time. The cupcakes can also be prepared ahead of time and frozen.

Paula Deen's Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake
Source: Food Network

Ingredients:

Cake:
1 box white cake mix
1 3 oz box strawberry flavored instant gelatin
1 15 oz package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
4 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water

Frosting:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 10 oz package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract
7 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cake:
Grease 2 9-inch round cake pans.
In a mixing bowl, combine cake mix and geletin, add strawberries, eggs, oil and water, beat on medium until smooth. Pour into prepared cake pans and bake for 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. Let cool for 10 minutes, remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Frosting:
In a mixing bowl, beat butter and cream cheese on medium until creamy. Beat in 1/4 cup of the strawberry puree and the vanilla extract. Gradually add confectioners' sugar and beat until smooth.

Frost cake and garnish with fresh strawberries.

Cookie baking equipment

2009-11-12T12:00:00.000-06:00

My mom was kind enough to put together a list of her favorite cookie equipment as a compliment to an earlier guest post she did about her cookie sheets here.

***

My interpretation of the word gadget is something you can get by without, whereas equipment is something you have to have to perform the task. I love both gadgets and equipment and feel that what is one man’s gadget is another man’s equipment and that you can never have enough of either.

My pride and joy is my Kitchen Aid mixer. When I got it I went all out and got the 6 qt. bowl lift model and I love it. The only thing that would make it better is to take it into an auto body shop and have flames painted down the sides like the one Alton Brown used to use on the Food Network show ‘Good Eats’. Don’t laugh, I’ve seriously considered it!

There are some things to consider if you are thinking about purchasing one of these behemoths. First thing is, do you have the counter space to leave it out? If not, keep in mind that it weighs over 25 pounds and it takes some muscle to lift it out of a cabinet. If you think you have enough counter space to leave it out, make sure you have enough clearance. The 6 qt. bowl lift model is almost 17” tall, I do not have the clearance under my cabinets to store it on my counter. So, I’ve gotten rid of my weight lifting equipment and use my mixer instead.

Another important item is see through canisters. Decorative ceramic canisters are not the place to store flours and sugars. My choice is see though square or rectangular Tupperware or Snapware. Both brands slide in side by side, taking up much less room than round containers, and stack well. Get containers large enough for entire bags of flour or sugar.

For cookie baking I love using serving scoops. I have two of them, a 1 tbsp. and a 2 tbsp. They make very uniform size and shaped cookies that cook consistently and are pretty. I have to admit, I shape every cookie I make after scooping it onto the sheet.

If you’re over the age of 30, you’ve probably used brown paper bags to cool cookies. A couple years ago I graduated to non-stick cooling racks with criss-cross wires and I love them! Anyone who bakes cookies should have two or three of them.

Pot holders, something everyone has, and never has enough of. The little crocheted and knitted ones that your grandmother made for you, or your daughter made for you in Girls Scouts, should be kept only as heirlooms. You will burn yourself for sure, pretty though they are. Last year I found some silicone potholders that I love! They are a little pricey but definitely worth the money.

Measuring equipment, not gadgets mind you, equipment. I cannot get by without two standard sets of measuring cups and measuring spoons. The orange are Tupperware circa 1973, the white ones are also Tupperware, but I’m pretty sure they are less than 15 years old. The white measuring spoons are the best as you can see that they have a flared end and will sit flat on your counter.

I also believe in two and four cup glass measuring cups and have several of the small glass ones for liquid measurement of teaspoons and tablespoons, those are very handy. My next purchase will be a plunge type measuring cup which will be great for peanut butter, shortening, etc.

Spatulas, spoonulas, whatever. You don’t have as many of them as you need. The three I use the most are the narrow one from Food Network, but I am not crazy about wooden handles on anything because gunk can get up in the joint and is hard to clean out; the large one from William’s Sonoma, but it also has a wooden handle and isn’t flexible at all. Ahh, the bright yellow one with no brand name that I bought at a hardware store! It is my go to for everything I do. It’s flexible, there are no crevices to gather goo, and it is absolutely perfect. The only problem is I’ve looked high and low to find more and haven’t had any luck. If I ever find them again I’ll buy one in each size they have and ditch all my others.

Banny's Southern Cream Cookies

2009-11-11T08:10:00.003-06:00

Work has picked up again, thankfully my mom has been cooking a lot and has graciously written a guest post for me. I ate like five of these awesome cookies in about two minutes, they are that good.

***

When I started my cookie making odyssey a month or so ago I made 18 different kinds, all but just a few were recipes that were new to me. Some weren’t so great (and you’ll never have to hear about those) but I received the most requests for this recipe. I got this recipe from allrecipes.com and absolutely loved it!!

Banny’s Southern Cream Cookies
Source: Allrecipes.com

1 c. shortening
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. sour cream
5 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1.5 c. chopped walnuts

3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350, lightly grease baking sheets.

Cream the shortening w/ 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy, beat in the eggs, vanilla and sour cream mixing well.

Stir in the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda to make a stiff dough. Add the walnuts.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto prepared sheet. Mix the 3 Tbsp. sugar with the 1 tsp. cinnamon. Grease the bottom of a small glass and dip it into the cinnamon and sugar and gently press the cookies to flatten the balls slightly.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until centers are done.

These are amazing, delicate, not overly sweet and very yummy. The recipe actually calls for black walnuts but I couldn’t find any so I just used regular chopped walnuts. Also, I did not grease my cookie sheets, I have good non-stick pans. These barely spread out so you can crowd the pan. I used my small scoop and baked them for 11 minutes.

Paula Deen's Chicken Bog

2009-10-26T08:16:00.014-05:00

I'm going to say it.

It's so much fun being a mom.

Tell me how you can look at a sweet baby face like that and your heart not melt.

Brent and I used to think having fun meant going out with friends, usually involved spending a lot of money and staying up way too late. Now, fun is getting a smile like this. We still enjoy seeing our friends, we went to a party Friday evening, but when it comes down to it, I'd rather play with Caleb. Because I need to get as much of this baby love in as I can before he grows up.

Since my weekends are filled more with things like playing with Caleb and *gasp* housework than they used to be, I don't have as much time to cook fancy meals. When I do cook, I try to find recipes that make a lot of food so we can have leftovers for a few days. My mom reminded me of this Paula Deen recipe that been a standby of hers for years and has always been a family favorite.

Chicken Bog
Source: Paula Deen

Ingredients:

3 pounds chicken thighs

1 pound smoked link sausage

1 cup chopped onion 1 stick butter

2 teaspoons Seasoned Salt

2 teaspoons Paula Deen's House Seasoning

1 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 bay leaves

8 cups water

3 cups raw white rice

Directions:

Slice the sausage into 1/2-inch pieces. In a stockpot, combine the chicken, sausage, onion, butter, seasonings and bay leaves. Add the water, bring to a boil, cover, and cook at a low boil for 40 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pot and let cool slightly. Pick the meat from the bones, discarding the bones and skin. Add the rice to the pot and bring to a boil, stirring well. Boil for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the rice is done. Remove the bay leaves, and return the chicken to the pot.

Shrimp Enchiladas

2009-10-19T20:45:00.002-05:00

To say that my husband likes enchiladas is an understatement. The last time I made these, he ate most of the batch, I'm talking eighteen enchiladas, in just over 36 hours. He also loves seafood of all kinds, so when I saw this recipe for shrimp enchiladas I knew I had to make it for him. He's been going through a hard time lately and I thought it would be nice to do something special just for him.

They were a huge hit! They weren't any more difficult to put together than the chicken enchiladas I like to make and they were MUCH better. I'm going to use the steps in this recipe to make my chicken enchiladas from now on. No more cream of chicken soup for us, we are movin' on up to the homemade cheese sauce.

I made several changes to the original, so make sure to click back to The Piggly-Wiggly blog for her take on the recipe.

Shrimp Enchiladas
Inspired By: The Piggly-Wiggly

1 sweet red pepper, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, minced
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp Paula Deen's House Seasoning
3/4 cup whipping cream
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
8 ounces shredded Monterey-Jack cheese, divided
8 ounces Pepper-Jack cheese, divided
1/2 cup sour cream (Used fat-free)
1 Tbsp butter
1-1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 can diced tomatoes, drained (next time I'll use fresh)
(9-inch) flour tortillas

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sauté peppers and onion in the butter until crisp-tender (approximately 3-4 minutes). Add oregano, house seasoning, cream and flour; blend well. Continue cooking for 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add half of the cheese mixture; stir until melted. Add sour cream, stir to blend. Set aside.

In another skillet, melt the 2 Tbsp butter. Sauté shrimp until pink. Remove and chop; return to butter. Add tomatoes and 1/2 of the cheese sauce. Spoon 1/3 cup shrimp mixture into each tortilla. Sprinkle cheese on top of shrimp mixture. Roll up tightly. Arrange seam side down in a 13x9 glass baking dish.

Spoon remaining cheese sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

2009-10-18T11:52:00.005-05:00

I don't bake very often, in fact, I found this bundt pan in the very back of my pan cabinet. It was a wedding present; given to us three and a half years ago, and it was still in its packaging. When I saw this chocolate cake recipe one one of the blogs I follow, What's Cooking in the Orange Kitchen, I decided to time had arrived to unwrap the fleur de lis bundt pan and bake a cake!

I haven't had a piece yet, I'm saving it for dinner tonight with my in-laws, but I did sample, okay more than sample, I ate most of it, the cake that I cut off the bottom to make it level on the plate. It was so moist and chocolatie, I can't wait to have a slice with ice cream tonight.

Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

Source: What's Cooking in the Orange Kitchen

Originally from: The back of the "Bakers & Chefs" brown sugar bag

Ingredients:

3 oz unsweetened baking chocolate

1/2 cup butter

1 cup boiling water

2 cups packed brown sugar

2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Combine the baking chocolate, butter and boiling water in a small bowl; stir until chocolate and butter are melted. In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients; blend well. Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla; beat one for one minute at medium speed. Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Invert the pan onto the cooling rack and let cool the rest of the way.

Bacon, Egg & Cheese Cups

2009-10-13T20:05:00.006-05:00

My mom came down for a long visit this past weekend, she didn't have to work Columbus Day so she was able to make it a three night weekend! We went to the Tulsa State Fair, shopped, relaxed and played with the baby. We had a long list of all kinds of stuff we wanted to do, including cooking a fun breakfast, but the real reason mom came down was so that Caleb could show her his newest discovery:
His feet!

Ever since he discovered them it's been impossible to keep socks on him. And when he does have socks on, they are usually soggy wet. I love watching him playing with his feet, the concentration on his face when he is doing it is priceless.

My mom had this idea for our fun breakfast creation, she said she used to make them all the time, but I have to tell you, I don't remember ever having them. Her and dad had all kinds of fun PK :-)

Bacon, Egg & Cheese Cups
Source: My mom

Ingredients:

Twelve slices of white bread, crusts removed
Melted butter
1/2 package maple bacon, cut into bite sized pieces
6 eggs
A splash of milk
Grated cheddar cheese, for sprinkling

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush both sides of the bread with a little melted butter. Lightly press into muffin tin cups, forming a little bread bowl. Bake until lightly browned and able to retain their shape. Remove from the oven and the muffin pan and allow to cool slightly on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, fry the bacon pieces until desired doneness. Combine the eggs and milk with a whisk and scramble. Mix together scrambled eggs and bacon, putting mixture into bread cups. Top with the shredded cheese.

Mushroom and Leek Frittata

2009-10-12T21:02:00.003-05:00

This recipe really fit the bill for our dinner the other night...it came together quickly and tasted great. However, I had no idea leeks were so expensive! Four dollars for two of those suckers. I think I'll reserve using leeks for special occasions and stick with plain ole onions. Also, the recipe called for basil which I'm sure would have been wonderful, but my basil plants have been gone for a month or so now, and yet again, store-bought basil is something I'll reserve for a special occasion. (Can you tell I'm grocery budgeting, is anyone else?) The directions call for using a couple pans and a bowl...I used one frying pan and everything turned out nicely.

Mushroom and Leek Frittata
Source: Elizabeth's Edible Experience
Originally from: Cooking Light

Ingredients:

Cooking spray (I used a little olive oil)
3 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
1 1/4 cups thinly sliced leek (about 2 large)
1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk
2 teaspoons butter, melted
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 large egg whites
3 large eggs
2 cups hot cooked linguine (about 4 ounces uncooked pasta)
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray or a tablespoon olive oil. Add mushrooms and leek; cook 6 minutes or until leek is tender, stirring frequently.
Combine milk and next 5 ingredients (milk through eggs) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add leek mixture, pasta, and basil; toss gently to combine.

Heat pan over medium-low heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add egg mixture; cook until edges begin to set (about 4 minutes). Gently lift edge of egg mixture, tilting pan to allow some uncooked egg mixture to come in contact with pan. Cook 5 minutes or until almost set. Sprinkle evenly with cheese; wrap handle of pan with foil. Bake 7 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into 8 wedges.

Penne alla Vodka

2009-10-07T11:00:00.003-05:00

Yes, this is another guest post, but this time from my friend and (soon to not be) neighbor, Leslie, a.k.a. West 95! Leslie is sporting the cutest baby bump you've ever seen, she makes me wish I were pregnant again...whoa, did I say that? No, not really. Leslie is blessed with an easy beautiful pregnancy. Soon she'll moving WAY west away from me, all the way across town, and across the river, and there will no longer be 42 paces between her refrigerator and mine (for a glass of chilled wine, ya'all). I will miss her much, but I can't wait to take my baby boy to go visit her baby boy and watch them play in the mud together and eat bugs. Life will be grand.

***

Enjoy your noms! :)

Penne alla Vodka

Source: The Nest.com

Ingredients:

4T EVOO

1 med red onion chopped

1/2 cup vodka

2 cups basic tomato sauce (marinara)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 lb penne (i used rigatoni)

1 cup grated parm

1. Bring about 6Q water to a boil and add about 2T salt

2. In large saute pan, heat oil over medium heat until just smoking. Add onions and cook until light golden brown, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add the vodka and cook until liquid reduced by half, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and cream and cook until the sauce has reduced by a third, about 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in the boiling water for 1 minute less than the package directions indicate. Drain the pasta and add it to the saucepan. Stir together over very high heat for 1 minute, until thoroughly coated. Remove pan from heat, add grated parm and toss to mix well. Divide the pasta among four bowls, grate fresh parm over each bowl and serve immediately.

Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini

2009-10-04T21:50:00.008-05:00

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com this morning. We wanted soup for dinner since today was so fall-like. The recipe turned out great and the broth was so incredibly flavorful, it was wonderful to eat it with a crusty piece of bread. Then it happened...as I was cleaning the kitchen, I looked once more at the recipe I'd printed out. I'd forgotten to include the tortellini in the soup! It was still sitting in it's package in the refrigerator and dinner was over and done with. Even though I have no idea how I managed to forget the title ingredient, it was still great. I'm sure the pasta and cheese would only make it better!

I made several adjustments to the recipe which I will note below. For the original recipe, tortellini and all, go to Allrecipes.com.

Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini
Adapted from: allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

3/4 pound hot Italian saugage
1/4 pound pork sausage
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups beef broth
1/2 cup water
1 cup red wine
2 16 oz. cans petit diced tomatoes
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
8 ounces tortellini pasta

Directions:

In a large stock pot, brown sausage. Remove and drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings.

Saute the onion until nearly translucent. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute. Stir in broth, water, wine, tomatoes, carrots, tomato sauce and sausage. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 50 minutes.

Skim fat from the soup, add the tortellini and simmer another ten minutes. Garnish with Parmesan before serving.

Booger Cookies

2009-09-24T08:06:00.006-05:00

Thank you again, Mom, for a cookie recipe contribution. My blog is now beginning to resemble a healthy wheel of life, all spokes in proper alignment, all portions harmonious with one another. Except I realize the 'baby' section is beginning to make my circle a little unbalanced, but welcome to my real life. Right now there are only two spokes on my wheel, Caleb and work, which makes my car of life ride a little bumpy. Sorry Brent, your turn will come back around soon enough.

***

I love all of the old standard cookie recipes, making a few twists and additions practically every time I make them. For one thing, I never use raisins, I don’t like raisins, and lots of other people don’t either. I use dried cranberries instead and keep them on hand at all times. I almost always use dark chocolate chips rather than semi-sweet and I like to use flaked coconut rather than shredded.

But sometimes you just want something totally different and one evening I was snooping around on betterrecipes.com and found these, the name intrigued me so I had to take a look.

You need to try these, they are very good!!

Booger Cookies

Source: Better Recipes.com

2 1/4 c flour
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 c butter
1 c coconut
1 c mini-chocolate chips
1 small box instant pistachio pudding

Melt butter and let it cool down then mix with both sugars until smooth. Mix in eggs, soda, vanilla and pudding mix. Slowly add the flour. Stir in coconut and chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoon onto baking sheet and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

I used my small one tablespoon scoop for one batch, they took about 9 minutes and yielded 4.5 dozen. When I used my large two tablespoon scoop it took about 14 minutes and I got two dozen.

See the batter? Now you know where the name comes from...I'm just sayin'.

Rice Cereal alla Formula

2009-09-21T20:49:00.007-05:00

At Caleb's four month check-up today, his pediatrian told us it's time to start him on solid rice cereal. At 26 1/4 inches long he's in the 90th percentile for length, but at 14 lbs. 14 oz., he's in the 50th percentile for his weight. In other words, we need to put some meat on this boy!

So tonight I prepared a batch of warm rice cereal, scented with a dash of formula (did that sound Top Chefy enough for ya?). Caleb dined in his bumbo chair on the coffee table with his father documenting the process for all eternity. I think this picture about sums up Caleb's opinion of my culinary skills:

And really, it just went downhill from there...

Before long, he started to look rather disenchanted with the entire situation...

(Look who was really interested in Caleb's meal. I'm sure this is just the beginning of Gracie's scouting for wonderful treats from Caleb's food).

As bad as the overall 'first solid food' experience went, there was at least one shining moment.

Sorry Caleb, mama will try to make a more tasty meal next time!

No Bake Cookies - Two Ways

2009-09-19T07:09:00.008-05:00

This week has been crazy for me. I am in the middle of busy time at work, plus my baby has been sick with a cough, requiring breathing treatments with a nebulizer. On top of all that, Brent's grandfather passed away and his funeral was two days ago. For obvious reasons, cooking and blogging has had to take a back seat and for that I apologize.

My mom is great, though, and volunteered to contribute another cookie post for me since I have no material of my own. Thank you mom!

***

For those of you who read my last cookie post which was meant to be an ‘America’s Test Kitchen’ type test between my new Baker’s Secret cookie sheet and my trusty AirBake cookie sheet, you know that didn’t turn out so well. You really have to pay attention to what temp you set your oven.

So, for this post I decided I’d be safe and do no-bake cookies. I was very surprised to learn the other day that a friend of mine who is 50+ years of age had never had no- bake cookies! I will cut her some slack, she was raised in Canada. :-P

My no-bake recipe is in my handwriting from when I was about ten, my family refers to them as ‘Thig-a-Ma-Jigs’. As a kid, the first time I heard someone refer to no-bake cookies I didn’t even know what they were talking about.

Thig-a-Ma-Jigs

2 c sugar
1 stick oleo
1/4 c Dutch Process Cocoa
1/2 c milk
1/2 c peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 c Quick Oats

Place sugar, oleo, cocoa and milk in a large sauce pan and bring to a good rolling boil and boil for one minute. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, peanut butter and oatmeal and drop on waxed paper.

How easy is that!?!

Those of you who are a little younger may not even recognize the word ‘oleo’, which is what we called margarine in the old days. I’ve made this recipe with butter and I do believe margarine works better, the cookies set up a little better and are a little firmer. The other thing I can’t emphasize enough is to use Dutch Process Cocoa, it is so much richer and darker and makes a much better cookie.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies

3 c sugar
3/4 c butter
3/4 c milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c peanut butter
4 1/2 c quick oats

Combine sugar, butter and milk in a saucepan. Bring to a rapid boil for one minute. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and peanut butter then mix in the oats, stirring until the mixture begins to cool. Drop on waxed paper to cool and set.

This is another recipe where I feel margarine is better than butter.

Sausage Cake

2009-09-10T08:00:00.003-05:00

One of the many blogs I follow, Elizabeth's Edible Experience, put up this recipe a few weeks ago. I saved it knowing Brent would love it. It was a great breakfast and a lot of the prepwork could be done the night before, making it easy to prepare for guests. Check out Elizabeth's blog sometime, I've saved several of her recipes, just waiting for a chance to make them!

Sausage Cake

Source: Elizabeth's Edible Experience
Adapted From: "Who's Your Mama, Are You Catholic, and Can You Make a Roux?" by Marcelle Bienvenu

Ingredients:

1 pound of hot bulk sausage
1/2 cup of chopped onions
1 cup of chopped red bell peppers
1 cup of chopped green bell peppers
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of grated pepper jack cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon of Tabasco
1 1/2 teaspoons of a combination of salt, black pepper and garlic powder
2 cups of biscuit mix
3/4 cup of milk
1/4 cup of sour cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Brown sausage and vegetables over medium heat. Drain off excess oil. Add the cheeses, egg, hot sauce and seasoning mix. Make a batter with the biscuit mix, milk and sour cream and fold it into the sausage mixture. Pour into a greased 9x9 inch dish and bake for about 45 minutes, until nicely brown.

Beef Short Ribs

2009-09-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have wanted to make these short ribs since the first time I saw Ina (yes, I watch her show so much we are on a first name basis) prepare them on the Food Network. They were a lot of work, but it was worth it. After about an hour in the oven the entire house smelled so decadent and rich it make my mouth water! I served it over mashed potatoes for a perfect cool weather dish.

Scott's Short Ribs

Source: Ina Garten

Ingredients:

6 beef short ribs, trimmed of fat
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion (2 onions)
4 cups large-diced celery (6 large stalks)
2 carrots, peeled and large-diced
1 small fennel, fronds, stems, and core removed, large-diced
1 leek, cleaned and large-diced, white part only
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 (750-ml) bottle burgundy or other dry red wine
Fresh rosemary sprigs
Fresh thyme sprigs
6 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the short ribs on a sheet pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven and add the onion, celery, carrots, fennel, and leek and cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Pour the wine over the vegetables, bring to a boil, and cook over high heat until the liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Tie the rosemary and thyme together with kitchen twine and add to the pot.
Place the roasted ribs on top of the vegetables in the Dutch oven and add the beef stock and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Cover the Dutch oven and bake for 2 hours or until the meat is very tender.

Carefully remove the short ribs from the pot and set aside. Discard the herbs and skim the excess fat. Cook the vegetables and sauce over medium heat for 20 minutes, until reduced. Put the ribs back into the pot and heat through. Serve with the vegetables and sauce.

Excited for football season!

2009-09-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

Was anyone else as excited as us for the start of college football season?

We also were excited to celebrate Brent's dad being released from the hospital...it's good to have you home, Papa!
We're on top of the world, daddy!

Aperture...wow, that's what the Av setting does?

2009-09-06T22:25:00.006-05:00

I am pretty dense when it comes to photography, even though I'm interested in the subject and I want more than anything to take beautiful interesting artsy pictures. For some reason my brain turns to mush whenever I try to figure it out. So, I was playing with the Av setting on my Canon this weekend. Whatever I was doing, I got some pretty neat shots!

See this sneaky little bumble bee that decided to buzz around while I was shooting in the flower bed? I took about seventy shots of him and got a few good ones.

Meringues Chantilly with Roasted Berries

2009-09-06T21:18:00.005-05:00

For our Labor Day weekend cooking marathon, my mother in law decided we should make these meringues. We had both seen the Barefoot Contessa episode where she makes these (or does one of her super gay-tastic friends buy them, I don't remember?). I have to admit, my mother in law did most of the work for the meringues...that's not really my cup of tea. But I did help with the clean up, and I prepared the berries all by myself :)
This was a super fancy pretty little dessert. The berries were a knockout. I think next time we make them we will allow the berries to macerate with the sugar for a while, we both agreed the roasted berries would have been even more fabulous if they had been juicier.

Meringues Chantilly with Roasted Berries
Source: Ina Garten

Meringues:

4 extra - large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a small glass and a pencil, draw 4 (3 1/2-inch) circles on each piece of paper. Turn the paper face down on the baking sheets.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt on high speed until frothy. Add 2/3 cup of the sugar and continue beating on high speed until the egg whites form very stiff peaks. Whisk in the vanilla. Carefully fold the remaining 1/3 cup sugar into the meringue. With a large star - shaped pastry tip, pipe a disk of meringue inside each circle. Pipe another layer around the edge to form the sides of the shells.
Bake for 2 hours, or until the meringues are dry and crisp but not browned. Turn off the heat and allow the meringues to sit in the oven for 4 hours or overnight.
For serving, place each meringue on a separate plate and top the shell with berries.

Roasted Berries:

1 pint fresh strawberries
2 half-pints fresh raspberries
2 half-pints fresh blueberries
2 half-pints fresh blackberries
1/4 cup sugar
Vanilla bean, split and seeds removed

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Place the strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries on a sheet pan and toss with the sugar and vanilla bean seeds. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature before serving.

All kinds of Cookies

2009-09-04T12:00:00.002-05:00

A few years ago at my dad's urging, my mom treated herself to a professional Kitchen Aid stand mixer. Since then, she has used it to create about four billion batches of amazing cookies. I myself am not much of a cookie maker so I asked her to contribute some posts of her favorite cookie recipes. Thanks mom! This blog is top heavy on Mexican recipes and recipes containing cheese...it definitely needed some balancing out!

***

This morning I decided to make a batch of the best chocolate chip cookie’s ever. This is from allrecipes.albertsons.com, one of the sites I like to peruse whenever I have a chance.

Yesterday I bought a Baker’s Secret cookie sheet. I feel almost as if I’m betraying my 20+ year old air bake cookie sheets, but, hey, we don’t owe each other. My sous chef Cookie and I baked the first batch on my new Baker’s Secret sheet. I set the timer for 15 minutes and went on about with some other things I needed to do and before I knew it I could smell them burning, I couldn’t believe it, at ten minutes they were ruined!!!!

So, here I was, banging around and cussing the ten bucks I dropped on that new cookie sheet and am praising my antique air bake sheets, which I pull out for the next batch. I set them for 14 minutes, go about cleaning up the kitchen, and at about ten minutes I could smell them burning!!!

OMG! What is wrong in the universe today? Have I gone crazy? I’ve made these cookies dozens of times and they are always perfect!!! Finally, I figured out that I'd set the temp at 400 rather than 325!!! I can’t believe I did that, I cannot imagine what possessed me, and of all the stupid mistakes I’ve made that’s never been one of them, but, it won’t ever happen again.

I’ve made this recipe using dark chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate and Andes Crème De Menth chips, and they are all wonderful. I use my large scoop and get 20 to 22 cookies. Another reason I particularly love this recipe is you can bake them the minute you decide to without having to wait for the butter to soften to room temperature.

Best Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie

Source: Albertsons.com

Ingredients:

2 c all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.

Cream the melted butter and two sugars until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in chips with a spoon.

Tip: chilling the dough about a half hour before baking makes the cookies spread out nice and round with fewer jagged edges.

Drop by 1/4 cup about 3” apart and bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until edges are lightly toasted.

Chorizo Stuffed Bell Peppers

2009-09-03T20:31:00.005-05:00

I'm trying to explore new sections of the grocery store...I think they call it 'shopping around the edges'. The idea is to find new foods that you've never cooked with before. Our Wal-Mart has a nice sized Mexican food section in the refrigerator case where I found a bright red tube of chorizo sausage.
If, like me, you've never cooked with chorizo, don't be surprised if it looks like the least appetizing thing you've ever seen in a skillet (seriously, I almost threw it out, but it smelled good so I perservered). Just press the sausage down into a disk and be sure to take a second during cooking to drain the excess liquid (grease I guess)that comes out of the sausage. Flip the disk over and continue browning, then crumble when it's completely cooked. *confession, I had to Google how to cook chorizo, I had no idea*
I created this recipe using items I had on hand. It turned out really well and it came together quickly.

Chorizo Stuffed Bell Peppers

Source: A Hilary Original Recipe

Ingredients:

4 bell peppers
1 pound chorizo sausage
1 onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1.5 cups minute rice
1.5 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
Cheddar cheese to taste
Sour cream, olives, other garnishes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Cut the bell peppers in half, removing stem and seeds. Place on a baking sheet lined with tin foil and put in oven, roasting until slightly soft and liquid is starting to seep from the peppers.

Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium heat, saute the onion and sausage. Once the sausage is thoroughly cooked, add the tomatoes, rice and water. Allow to simmer until rice is cooked and the mixture has thickened. Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary.

Spoon the sausage mixture into the bell pepper shells. Top with chedder cheese and bake about ten minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Garnish as desired.

Tacos in Pasta Shells

2009-08-30T08:43:00.005-05:00

We love Mexican food at my house. Brent could easily eat tacos every day. So when I found this recipe, I instantly added it to my weekly menu plan. I made several changes to the original recipe, many of them came from the comments posted to the recipe. I love that aspect of All Recipes' website, reading people's feedback and suggestions is the best part of online recipe searching.
These tacos reheated great and tasted even better the next day!

Adapted from: All Recipes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
4 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
1 package taco seasoning
1 4 oz. can chopped green chiles
1 teaspoon salt
Chili powder to taste
30 jumbo pasta shells
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups taco sauce
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the onion until translucent, then brown beef until no longer pink; drain. Add cream cheese, taco seasoning, green chiles, salt and chili powder; mix and simmer for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Toss cooked shells in butter.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Fill shells with beef mixture and arrange in a 9x13 inch baking dish; pour taco sauce over shells. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Remove dish from oven and top with the cheese, return dish to oven to cook for 15 minutes more.
Garnish as desired.

Asian Marinated Flank Steak

2009-08-27T20:36:00.005-05:00

I just realized as I was typing in the label for this post that I have never posted a steak recipe on this blog. Shameful! The truth is, we don't eat a lot of steak. It's kind of expensive so I don't buy it that often, but I need to remember that flank steak is reasonably priced, plus it's so versatile. This Asian marinade was so wonderful and easy. I made the marinade Sunday afternoon when I got home from the grocery store and it was ready to eat Monday night. I had to make one major change from the original recipe since my favorite store in the world, Super Target, doesn't carry hoisin sauce. I don't really know what it tastes like, so I substituted a ginger teriyaki sauce hoping it wouldn't mess everything up and thankfully, it still tasted great. Next time I make it, I'll add more crushed red pepper to the marinade, Brent and I both thought a little more heat would make it even better.

Asian Marinated Flank Steak
Source: Taste and See
Originally from: Cooking Light

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce (I used ginger teriyaki sauce)
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil (I used regular sesame oil)
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed
Cooking spray (I used a little olive oil)

Preparation

Combine first 9 ingredients in a small bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup of the mixture and put the rest in a large Ziploc bag. Add steak to bag; seal and marinate in refrigerator 24 hours, turning bag occasionally. Remove steak from bag; discard marinade.

Prepare grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Place steak on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Serve with reserved 1/4 cup sauce.

Bumbos and Bubbles

2009-08-23T10:23:00.008-05:00

My mom came down to visit for a few days earlier this week. Actually, she came to help me with Caleb so I could help my husband and his parents with an important family matter and not worry about who would watch my son. She's awesome like that. Plus, she spent some quality fun time with my little Smiley McSmileson.

I call this his politician pose. He will use it when he addresses large crowds and demands fairness and equality for all. I hope one day my little boy can change the world, or at least make it a wonderful place for everyone he loves. Doesn't everyone wish that for their children?

My little boy is also very strong and tough, he insists on scratching his precious little face (see evidence above), even though I trim his fingernails as far back as I dare. He is now confined to wearing socks on his hands each night when he goes to bed. I can't wait to tell his girlfriends when he grows up. Also, I can't wait to show them what a champion bubble blower he was at three months old.

Ham & Shells Casserole

2009-08-20T19:11:00.007-05:00

My mom gave me a whole stack of back issues of Taste of Home a few weekends ago. I've had fun flipping through them, using post-its to mark recipes I want to try. With family coming to town this week, I prepared a casserole I'd marked, hoping it would reheat well, which it did. The base for this recipe, carmalized onions and wilted spinach, was awesome. It's something I'm going to remember so I can incorporate the idea into other dishes. The only change I really made was to use more salt and pepper than the original recipe called for. It would have been very bland without the salt, so taste and season accordingly.

I would also like to add that I hate blogger and the fact that for no reason whatsoever it is doublespacing my ingredient list. I apologize in advance for the awfulness. I hope it doesn't keep you from trying a yummy recipe. If any of you Blogger users out there know what I've done wrong, please leave me a comment and let me know.

Ham & Shells Casserole

Source: Taste of Home December & January 2009

Ingredients:

1 pkg (16 oz.) medium pasta shells

3 large onions

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 9 oz. package fresh spinach, torn

1 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed

1/4 cup butter, cubed

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Salt and pepper to taste

3-1/2 cups skim milk

1 cup park-skim ricotta cheese

1 cup (4 oz.) crumbled goat cheese

2 cups cubed fully cooked ham

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350°

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, saute onions in oil for 15-20 minutes or unitl golden brown. Add spinach and rosemary, cook for a few minutes until spinach is wilted.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour and pepper until smooth and cook for a few minutes. Gradually add milk, stirring to prevent lumps from forming. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in cheeses until blended.

Drain pasta, place in a large bowl. Add the ham, onion mixture and sauce and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes until bubbly.

Chocolate Biscotti

2009-08-15T13:41:00.005-05:00

I love having these with my morning coffee. They're dry, they're biscotti of course, but that makes them just perfect with a hot drink. I like to make them for holidays or weekends when I have fellow coffee drinkers visiting my house. My mom found this recipe years ago and has used the basic idea to make lots of other flavors of biscotti, like vanilla and almond.

1 Box Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Milk Chocolate Cake Mix
1 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Butter, Melted
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Almond Extract
1/2 Cup Chopped Almonds

Preheat to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine all ingredients but nuts and beat on low until well blended. Stir in almonds. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into 12"x2" long loaf. The loaf with expand slightly so be sure to leave room on the baking sheet for that.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on baking sheet 15 minutes. Cut into 1/2" slices. Arrange on baking sheets and back into the oven for another 10 minutes. Remove to racks to cool completely.

Sleeping babies...

2009-08-07T09:57:00.007-05:00

As Caleb gets older (he's nearly 12 weeks old now), his sleeping has gotten so much better (knock on wood, we'll probably have a terrible night tonight because I dared to put it in print, gah). Our nights are in a good pattern, go to sleep between 8:30 and 9:30, sleep five to six hours, up to eat, down for another three to four hours. This is a schedule that I can handle! AND, every week seems to be a little better than the week before. To celebrate, here are some cute naptime pictures of Caleb on a quilt my mom made.

As soon as I finish work today, C-Unit and I are heading to Kansas to visit my mom. Tonight is the Relay for Life event benefiting the American Cancer Society. Caleb, mom and I are going to walk a few laps to honor my dad. I'm sure it's going to be very emotional, but I'm really looking forward to spending this time with my mom and my baby. On a lighter note, after the sad stuff tonight, mom and I have lots of cooking plans so hopefully I'll come back with plenty of material for new posts.

Tricolored Rotini Pasta Salad

2009-08-04T08:00:00.004-05:00

My mom has made this salad since I was a kid. I love to make it in the summer to go along with sandwiches for lunch. Let it sit in the refrigerator a few days, it will taste even better! I've made it with regular noodles before, but I personally think it looks prettier and tastes much better with the tricolored noodles.

Tricolored Rotini Pasta Salad

1 12oz box tricolored rotini pasta

1/2 yellow onion, diced

Green olives, sliced in half, to taste

8 oz. mild cheddar, cut into small cubes

Italian dressing, to taste

Prepare the pasta as directed. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Once noodles are no longer hot, pour them along with the onions, olives and cheese into a bowl. Add Italian dressing to taste, I think I use a little over half a bottle. Stir to combine, store in the refrigerator until serving.

Pesto Tuna Salad with Sundried Tomatoes

2009-08-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

After making another batch of pesto last Sunday, I needed to find a recipe to use it in that wasn't pasta based. This tuna salad was nice, but if I make it again I will make a few adjustments. I'll note them here, if you want the original recipe click on the referencing link.

Pesto Tuna Salad with Sundried Tomatoes
Source: Allrecipes

1 (12 ounce) can canned tuna
1/2 cup prepared basil pesto sauce
12 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and diced
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Combine ingredients together in a bowl, season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve. This actually tasted better the next day.

Carrot Pineapple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

2009-07-28T18:58:00.007-05:00

We have been eating zucchini like crazy lately, a friend has a garden and she is so generous. Last Friday she brought in a mixed bag of produce from her garden to share and I grabbed a zucchini so I could make a zucchini cake. My grandma used to bake it all the time when I was a kid and I love how it's a green vegetable but it's also a yummy dessert! Anyway, to tattle on my dumb self, I grabbed a cucumber instead of a zucchini...so this cake morphed from a zucchini cake to a carrot cake. And now, as I'm reading through the recipe list again, I realize how many errors I made while baking it! So many that I'm amazed mine even turned out good, in fact. But it was. Brent and I have been eating bites out of the cake pan in the refrigerator for almost a week. Tonight what's remaining is going to have to go...I'm trying to loose this baby weight after all.

Carrot Pineapple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Source: Tasty Kitchen lindainmo

1 cup All-purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (can Use All White Flour If You Don't Have This)
1-¼ cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup Sweetened Flaked Coconut
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
Freshly Grated Nutmeg, To Taste (1/4 To 1/2 Tsp?), Optional
1 Pinch Ginger (about 1/16 Tsp Or So), Optional
3 tablespoons Canola Oil
2 whole Large Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
2 Cups Grated (unpeeled) Zucchini or carrots
1 (20 Oz.) Can Crushed Pineapple In Juice, Drained (reserve In Case You Need It For The Cake Batter Or The Frosting)

FROSTING

2 Tablespoons Butter, Softened
8 Ounces Low-fat Cream Cheese, Softened (can Use Full-fat Cream Cheese)
2 Cups Powdered Sugar, Approx.
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Splash Of Milk Or Pineapple Juice, If Necessary
Chopped Walnuts Or Pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cake:
Combine flour, sugar, coconut, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Combine oil, eggs, and vanilla; stir well. Stir egg mixture, grated carrots, and pineapple into flour mixture. Batter will be stiff , keep folding until it comestogether. Add a little splash of the pineapple juice if it needs any more liquid.
Pour batter into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for about 33-35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs and cake is pulling away from sides of pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. (Mine only took about 31 minutes, so keep an eye on it)
Frosting:
Combine butter and cream cheese in the bowl of your mixer. Beat at medium speed until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar and vanilla just until smooth. Add a splash of milk or pineapple juice if necessary. Spread frosting over top of cake. Garnish with chopped pecans or walnuts, if desired.

Chicken Tikka Masala

2009-07-28T18:23:00.007-05:00

Brent and I have talked about trying Indian food but had never gotten around to it. I've cooked with curry a few times and we both enjoyed it, so I know we are definitely open to the new flavor combinations Indian food has to offer. Last week I was scrolling through my saved recipe posts and saw Pastor Ryan's version of this dish, Chicken Tikki Masala. Instead of waiting to find an Indian restaurant to try, I'd try to make something exotically Indian at home! One quick trip to the store later and we were set! When I opened the bottle of Garam Masala spice I was instantly smitten. Interestingly enough, the only non perishable ingredients I had to buy were the Garam Masala and the ground coriander which shocked the h3ll out of me, I thought I was making an exotic dish, by gosh! But I already had nearly everything!
This dish was so amazingly flavorful, I know I'll broil chicken like this again soon, even if I don't go to the effort to make the sauce. I loved the cumin and coriander. Of course, the sauce was amazing, but what sauce that includes a cup and a half of heavy whipping cream isn't wonderful? This is a huge recipe, so if you're feeding more than two you might consider cutting it in half. I wasn't really impressed with the way it reheated, so don't count on leftovers. Of course, it might have been the fact that at 7:30 in the morning this country girl does not need to be eating Indian food, but whatev.

Chicken Tikki Masala
Source: The Pioneer Woman Cooks!

3-4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic
2 inch chunk fresh ginger
Cumin
Garam Masala
Ground coriander
Kosher salt
Sugar
2 cups Basmati rice (I used regular long grain rice)

Season the chicken with salt, then sprinkle both sides with coriander and cumin. Coat entirely with yogurt. Place on a metal cooling rack on a baking sheet lined with tin foil and broil, 10-12 inches below the coils, for 5-7 minutes per side. Do not overcook or it will be tough and dry.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat and add the diced onion. Saute until lightly browned. Meanwhile, mince the garlic and grate or mince the ginger. Add both to the onions along with a tablespoon salt.

Add about 3 tablespoons Garam Masala spice. For a spicier dish, you can add chili peppers at this time (Pastor Ryan suggests serranos). Add the tomatoes and deglaze the pan by scraping the pan bottom with your spatula. Add 1 tablespoon sugar and allow the sauce to simmer for about 5 minutes.

(Meanwhile, cook your rice as usual so that it is finished at the same time as the sauce. I added frozen peas to my rice (the heat from the finished rice cooks them perfectly) for a great color contrast.

Once the sauce has simmered, add the cream. Chop the chicken breasts into bite sized chunks and stir into the sauce. Serve over the rice along with naan. Enjoy!

A Caleb update

2009-07-25T08:43:00.006-05:00

Caleb and I have been living in the real world now for just shy of two weeks, meaning that I am back at work and he is at daycare. The daycare we found for him is wonderful. The owner is currently working on her master's degree in early childhood development and she is so knowledgeable about infants! Before Caleb was born I had zero interest in child development. Now, of course, that's all I think about. His babysitter gives me daily updates on what he's done that day, from playtime to naps to the quality of his poopy diapers (her and I are probably the only people in the world that care about his diaper contents, but after the difficult ten day adjustment period from breastmilk to formula, his happy digestion is a high priority for me).

Going back to work is easier than I imagined. Probably because both Caleb and I are happy with his daycare, it's easier for me to concentrate on work when I'm there. My coworkers were great while I was gone, leaving no giant timebombs on my desk. And it really does feel good to be back in the swing of things in my normal non-mom life from 8-5.

I realize, dear internets, that since I started a Facebook account to share pictures of Caleb with my friends and family (yes, even my mom was on Facebook before I was), I have been remiss in sharing Caleb pictures and information since many of you who read my blog have also friended me on FB. Caleb has been smiling for weeks now and nothing makes my day more than seeing those smiles. Having smile pictures for my background at work seems to just make me miss him more, instead of tiding me over until I pick him up at night.

Caprese Salad

2009-07-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

To accompany our Sunday evening dinner, I prepared a simple Caprese salad. Beautiful sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and plenty of basil from my herb garden dressed with extra virgin olive oil and balsalmic vinegar, salt and pepper. Magnifique!

Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

2009-07-19T18:52:00.003-05:00

For our Sunday dinner with my in-laws, I made PW's sundried tomato pasta salad. It was a snap to prepare. I actually put together the dressing the day before and let it yummy-inate in the refrigerator as PW herself suggests. I realize as I'm writing this post that I committed the ultimate sacrilage...I forgot the parmesan cheese. No one complained and it still got rave reviews, but tomorrow you can be sure I'll be putting some grated parm on my lunch leftovers.

Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad
Source: The Pioneer Woman Cooks!

1 7 oz. jar sundried tomatoes in oil, drained
4 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

16 oz. corkscrew pasta
1 jar Kalamata olives
1 pint ripe cherry tomatoes, halved (I omitted)
Several fresh basil leaves to taste, julienned
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

To prepare the dressing, put the garlic, tomatoes, vinegar, salt and pepper into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the tomatoes are chopped. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and blend until mixed.

Cook the pasta as directed, drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Pour 2/3 of the dressing over the pasta (I used it all), add the olive and toss to combine. Add the tomatoes, basil and cheese and toss. Add the more dressing to taste. Garnish with more parmesan cheese and basil.

The Pioneer Woman's Hot Olive and Artichoke Dip

2009-07-12T11:01:00.008-05:00

Our friends Amy and Shawn are very serious UFC fans. They've been to Vegas several times to attend fights and always get the PPV at their house when a fight is on. In fact, Shawn recently inquired into what it would take to become a judge for Mixed Martial Arts fighting, that's how into MMA he is! Brent was a wrestler in high school, so he loves watching UFC also and knows all the holds and strategies. Amy and Shawn invited us over to their house last night to watch the big UFC 100 with them and their daughter Lanie. Caleb came with us and he was so good! He showed off his new smiling skills and hung out in the pack 'n play with the safari mobile while we watched one man attempt to break every bone in another man's face. It was a fun night!

I was excited for the chance to make PW's Hot Olive and Artichoke Dip. It turned out wonderful, even though my picture is kinda sketchy (seriously, check out PW's photo of her dip, it's much more appetizing than mine looks). I was out of Worchestershire Sauce, so I just increased the amount of cayenne and black pepper I used to compensate. I can't wait to make it again with all the ingredients because it was good the way I made it, I'm sure it'll be great the way PW makes it.

The Pioneer Woman's Hot Olive and Artichoke Dip

Source: The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

1 14 oz can artichoke hearts

10 black olives (I used a small can of sliced black olives)

1 8 oz package cream cheese

1 cup real mayo

1 egg

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/4 cup grated parmesan

3 dashes Worchestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

cayenne to taste

Drain the olives and artichoke hearts (PW didn't say but I drained mine, it would have been way to liquidy if not). Add all the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 5-8 times until combined but not liquified. Pour into a medium sized casserole dish and bake in a 350 degree oven 20-25 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

Basil Pesto and Basil Pesto Chicken Rolls

2009-07-11T08:00:00.001-05:00

My basil plants are growing so well this summer, I've been waiting on them to get really thick and dense so I could harvest enough at once to make basil pesto. Of course, I love using my food processor, and I love pasta, chicken, etc. so making my own pesto is only logical :) Next year I hope to plant four times as many basil plants so I can make pesto whenever I want and hopefully have enough to freeze for later uses.

I started this recipe for chicken parmigiana rolls that I posted about last fall. Instead of marinara and basil leaves, I spread my homemade pesto over the inside of the flattened chicken breasts, then included a slice of fresh mozzarella. I rolled them up, secured them with toothpicks, then floured, egged, rolled in breadcrumbs and baked. This is a really great recipe for preparing chicken in a special way. Substituting different fillings makes it even more fun!

I found this pesto recipe on the internet and it turned out great. I had to half it because even with all my great basil production, I didn't have enough for a full batch.

Fresh Basil Pesto

Source: Simply Recipes

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Put the basil and the pine nuts into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times. Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.
Add the olive oil in a slow, constant stream while running the food processor. Stop periodically to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Makes 1 cup

Tomato Tart with Garlic Basil Crust

2009-07-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

When I'm looking at recipes that are being prepared by the food bloggers I follow, sometimes I see trends. It seems like a lot of them have been making tarts lately, and I've never even considered doing one of my own. I'd always thought they sounded hard to do, I guess. But thanks to my favorite kitchen appliance, the food processor, the dough is a cinch to make! So I went to the awesome restaurant supply store here in town, Smalley Equipment Company, and bought a 9.5 inch tart pan 'cause I knew I had to make this tomato and basil tart right away! It turned out so delicious, Brent declared it the best thing I've ever made! I can't wait for my basil plants to recover from the harvesting I did for this recipe and the fresh pesto I made so I can make it again (this time I can guarantee Brent and I won't be sharing it with anyone!).

Fresh Tomato Tart with Basil Garlic Crust
Source: Ezra Pound Cake

Ingredients:

1 recipe Basil Garlic Tart Dough (see below)
8 ounces fresh sliced mozzarella
2 large, ripe tomatoes, sliced thinly
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil for drizzling

Preheat oven to 375°

Prepare the dough, and press it into the bottom of a ten inch tart pan, trimming the edges to fit.

Line the bottom of the tart shell with the mozzarella slices. Arrange the tomato slices over the cheese. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until crust is golden brown and the cheese is beginning to brown. Allow to cool on a rack for at least five minutes before slicing. (I baked mine a little too long, I had a baby that needing caring for about the time the timer went off)

Basil Garlic Tart Dough

1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
1 medium garlic clove
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
8 T unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ten pieces
4-5 T ice water

Put the basil and garlic into the bowl of a food processor. Process, scraping down the sides if necessary, until finely chopped. Add the salt and flour, pulse to combine.

Add the butter pieces. Pulse about ten times, or until the mixture resembles pea-sized crumbs. (thank goodness I'd seen Ina Garten doing this on the Food Channel so I knew what they are talking about)

One tablespoon at a time, add the water, pulsing several times after each addition. After 4 tablespoons have been added, process the dough for several seconds to see if a ball forms. If not, add the last tablespoon of water. Process until a ball forms and remove the dough from the food processor.

Form the ball into a five inch disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least an hour.

Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12 inch circle. Lay the dough over the tart pan and press it into the bottom. Trim to fit edges.

As you can see below, the humans weren't the only ones intrigued by the delicious smelling tart. My sous chef Sadi thought it smelled pretty good too!

Fajita Seasoning

2009-07-09T08:00:00.003-05:00

The other day I found myself with extra red and green bell peppers, and I always have onions on hand. I rummaged around my refrigerator until I found a turkey link sausage and decided to make a fajita style dish. I didn't have any fajita seasoning packets so I had to make my own. I googled it and found several different recipes and put them all together to create one of my own using spices I had in my cabinet.

Fajita Seasoning

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder

Combine all in a small bowl. This was enough fajita mix for my batch of 2 bell peppers, 2 onions and 1 pound of turkey sausage.

The Fourth of July

2009-07-08T16:48:00.011-05:00

We traveled to Missouri over the fourth of July weekend to visit family, including my grandparents. The ride there was a little stressful since Caleb insisted on voicing his displeasure with the carseat laws, but he must have gotten over his issues with the U.S. Congress before the ride home, because he slept literally the entire four hour drive. I had to wake him up to change his diaper and feed him, and once back on the highway he fell back asleep. It was great!

Sacked out after the long drive thereAt the BBQ with his great grandparents, already in his PJs

Like Great Grandpa, like Great Grandson. Shoot, who doesn't enjoy an afternoon nap?

Laying on a blanket outside, enjoying the cooler (compared to Oklahoma) weather. He's been smiling so much lately, but I haven't been able to really catch it on film. I've gotten close though!

Caprese Puff Pastry

2009-07-08T14:26:00.003-05:00

I loved the balsalmic vinegar with the tomatoes, and the presentation was so pretty in the little puff pastry tart. I think puff pastry tart shells are a little expensive for what you get though, so when I make this again, I will probably serve it with toasted French bread. The flavors were so wonderful, I could even eat it alone as a salad.

Caprese Puff Pastry
Source: adapted from Joelen's Culinary Adventures

6 puff pastry tart shells
2 lovely medium-sized tomatoes, diced
1/2 lb fresh mozzarella, cut into dice (don't go cheap on this ingredient like I did, the good stuff makes such a difference)
Basil leaves to taste, chiffonaded
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Basil leaves, for garnish

Prepare the puff pastry tarts as directed; remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Mix the tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. Season with salt and pepper; toss with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Stuff this mixture inside the puff pastry tarts. Right before serving, garnish top with fresh basil. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Caleb's first bath

2009-06-12T11:48:00.006-05:00

Caleb's belly button finally healed (i.e. his umbilical cord stump fell off) on his three week birthday. I didn't see it fall off, we were at Brent's parents and Caleb's Meemaw went to change his diaper and it was missing. I was so excited to see it go, because that meant we could give him his first bath! I had some errands to run the next afternoon and while away from the house I get a call from Brent. Evidently, Caleb had a diaper blow out so epic it required a bath :( :( :( I missed it, I wasn't there for his first bath. *sob* So I decided to create his first 'official' bath later that afternoon. The diaper blow out cleanup was more of a rinse off than a bath anyway, and it didn't even include the special hooded baby bath towel I'd been saving, nor was any baby wash or lotion involved.

Brent and I gathered Caleb's bath supplies and gave him his first bath together. It was a ton of fun, Caleb seemed to really enjoy the feeling of the water. I'm excited to give him another one soon! And because I love my son and pictures on the internet could last forever, I won't be sharing any 'revealing' photos. However, these pictures of a clean happy baby are too cute not to share.

The Ultimate Caesar Salad Dressing

2009-06-09T08:00:00.001-05:00

A few years ago, my friend Leslie discovered an amazing Italian restaurant in a town about twenty minutes from us. Her parents were frequent diners also, and the three of them developed a close friendship with the proprietors. Unfortunately the restaurant didn't make it, my opinion is that it was too upscale, ingredient and menu wise, for the town it was located in.

Thanks to their friendship, Leslie was able to land the keys to their super great Caesar salad recipe. She serves it as an appetizer, on toated crostinis, with shaved parmesan cheese as a garnish, and it's a big hit at parties.

Caesar Salad Dressing
Source: Leslie, aka West 95

Ingredients:

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 cup canola oil
2 T, heaping, grated parmesan cheese
2 inches anchovy paste
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 1/2 T water
1 1/2 t worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 t red wine vinegar
1 t dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, rough chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a blender or a food processor, pulse the eggs a few times to beat them. With the blender on, slowly add the canola oil. Next, add the rest of the ingredients and blend for 30 seconds. Allow to rest in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes so it can thicken.

He's awake!

2009-06-08T13:37:00.017-05:00

The first two pictures were taken when Caleb was ten days old. The third I just took this morning and today he is 20 days old.

It seems like most of my pictures of Caleb are of him asleep. Probably because that's when I have a chance to grab the camera and snap a few shots. Also, when he's wide awake and making cute faces *at four a.m.* I'm not really in the mood to grab the camera and document my sleep deprivation in action.

I love our playtime, when his eyes are open and he is examining me, or the window, or the television. I have to admit, there's nothing more gratifying than seeing my baby turn his eyes to me when he hears my voice. He's always done it just for me (which I secretly love), but I noticed him turn towards his Daddy the other day which is okay too :)

Every once in awhile Caleb gets ahold of one of his fingers or his thumb with his mouth and tries to suck on it. Usually he finds a reason to move his hand away before he really gets down to business. That's his Papa holding him when he was ten days old.

To explain my absence...

2009-06-08T13:00:00.000-05:00

Baby Caleb made his arrival on May 19, 2009. Obviously, it's been a busy almost three weeks for me, I haven't cooked a single dish, let alone have time to blog about one. However, I did mean to be better about posting baby pictures!

Caleb was born at 2:20 in the afternoon. This photo was taken later that evening, after all our visitors had left. That was our first opportunity to really have a chance to play with him and get to know him.We took this picture the day we came home. I'm so glad my mom, Caleb's GG, was able to stay with us for several days, she was a wonderful help and I loved watching her hold my baby boy. Also, everyone please notice the perfect little hand that escaped the blanket. He likes to have one arm free of the swaddle.

Caleb with his Daddy, I believe this was taken the day after he was born. We were still in the hospital.I took this one of him in his yellow outfit when he was about a week old. Forgive the poor lighting around his face, technically he was supposed to be sleeping, but I thought he looked too cute to not take his picture.

Mini Mac and Cheese Bites

2009-05-24T08:00:00.002-05:00

I've made these awesome little bites about four times and this is the first time I've been able to get a decent picture before they were eaten. I served them last Sunday night with grilled hamburgers and fresh watermelon.

Mini Mac and Cheese Bites
Source: My Italian Grandmother

Ingredients:
1/2 lb elbow macaroni
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (1 packed cup)
4 ounces deli-sliced American cheese, chopped
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika (I used regular)
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°

In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the macaroni until al dente. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process and to keep the macaroni from sticking to itself.

Spray two 12 cup muffin tins with Pam and sprinkle half the Parmigiano cheese into the bottom of the cups. (Can also use mini muffin tins)

In a large saucepan, melt the butter, then over medium heat, whisk in the flour. Cook for two minutes until boiling. Whisk in the milk and continue whisking until boiling, about 5 minutes. It should be nice and thick. Stir in the American and cheddar cheeses until melted. Off the heat, stir in the egg yolk and paprika. Fold in the macaroni. This is also a good time to taste and season accordingly. I like to add salt and a lot of pepper during this step.

Spoon evenly into the muffin cups and sprinkle with remaining Parmigiano cheese. (I have decided to skip this step and put all the Parmigiano cheese into the bottom of the tins, I think it makes the bites a little too crunchy to have this extra cheese on top, but that's just our preference).

Bake in the upper part of the oven for about ten minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes so they don't fall apart. Use a spoon to remove them from the muffin tins.

Chicken Cordon Blue Casserole

2009-05-22T08:00:00.001-05:00

I purchased some photo editing software a month or so ago, but I never got around to learning how to use it. I made this casserole for our dinner the other night and when it was finally done, it was dark outside. The pictures I took all turned out dark and awful! I couldn't not (yes, I realize that's a double negative, I'm using it for effect) share the recipe, but I was embarrassed by my dark photography. Thank goodness for that software, I was able to enhance the light enough on this picture so ya'all bloggity readers can tell how yummy the recipe actually was.

Chicken Cordon Blue Casserole
From: Lauren's Kitchen

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped (next time I'll probably use two, we like onion)
1 bell pepper, diced (I left out, I don't like green bell peppers that much)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 lb diced ham
2 c cooks, shredded chicken breast (I used a pound package)
4 T butter
1/4 c flour
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
14 oz can chicken broth
3 cups cooked rice (I used cooked minute rice and it worked just fine)
1 c shredded cheddar
1 c shredded mozzarella or swiss

Preheat oven to 350°

I precooked the chicken by poaching it in a pot of water with chicken granules for about 25 minutes. Allow to cool and shred with your hands or a fork.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and saute the onion and peppers until tender.

Add garlic, chicken and ham and cook until heated through, another 5 minutes or so.

Add the butter and once melted, sift on the flour salt and pepper and stir. You're making a roux here so allow to cook for a few minutes while the mixture thickens.

Stir in the chicken broth and rice.

Pour the mixture into a 9x13 casserole and top with the cheese mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes until cheese is melty and yummy. You might need to cover with foil to keep from overbrowning the cheese while the casserole heats through.

Bruschetta Pasta

2009-05-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

My basil plants are starting to really produce, so the other night I went out and harvested up a batch of beautiful leaves and created this pasta out of things from my pantry. I wish I would have had some dethawed chicken breasts, this would have been perfect with grilled chicken.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. penne pasta
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
Red pepper flakes to taste
Basil leaves, chiffonaded (is this a word?) Let's just say, cut into ribbons.

Cook the pasta to al dente.

Meanwhile, heat enough oil to saute the garlic and once fragrant, add the diced tomatoes and red pepper flakes to taste. Allow to simmer until the pasta is finished. Mix in the drained pasta and basil. Finish with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Salami Pickle Rollups

2009-05-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

My mom had these at a cocktail party around Christmas time. Thankfully we had an event this spring to make them for ourselves and of course they were a hit! Assembly was fun too, just have your friends form an assembly line and let the fun begin! Of course, the amount of ingredients you buy depends on how many apps you're making.

Hard salami, sliced thin
Jalapeno cured pickles, sliced lengthwise
Cream Cheese

Assembly:

Smear each slice of salami with a little cream cheese. Place a pickle slice in the center of each slice and roll up! That's it, pretty easy and very yummy!

Frosted Marshmallow Brownies

2009-05-17T12:09:00.007-05:00

I first made these brownies two weekends ago. As soon as they were frosted, we were invited over to spend the evening with my in-laws. The brownies went with us and never made it back home for their photo session. I remade them again yesterday for another dinner gathering with my in-laws, but I made sure some of them made it back so I could share the recipe. And yes, I took this picture outside with the plate on top of my mailbox. It's a beautiful sunshiny day and I'm tired of bad indoor lighting. After I snapped the shots, I took the plate over to Jay and Leslie of West 95 so I could share some bakinglove with them!

The recipe is super easy and tastes awesome. The little surprise of marshmallow makes them a little more fun than regular brownies, IMHO.

Frosted Marshmallow Brownies

From: Lovestoeat's Weblog

Ingredients:

Brownies:

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 T baking cocoa

3-4 cups mini marshmallows

Frosting:

3/4 stick butter

6 T Milk

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup mini marshmallows or 4-6 large marshmallows

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°

Lightly grease a 9x13 pan

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilly and beat until fluffy.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa. Add to dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then spread into the 9x13 pan.

Bake for 17-20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with the mini marshmallows. Bake for another 2-3 minutes until the marshmallows are melty and spreadable. Using a butter knife dipped in water, spread the marshmallows over the brownies evenly.

For the frosting, combine the butter, milk and sugar in a small saucepan. Stir constantly until the mixture has boiled for one minute. Add the marshmallows and chocolate chips and stir until completely melted and combined. Remove from heat and allow to cool and thicken slightly. This is best done by running a sink of cold water and setting the saucepan into it while you continue stirring. I didn't do that the first time, but I did the second. The frosting definitely turned out smoother and shinier the second batch. Pour the frosting evenly over the bars. Allow to cool completely before cutting.

The Pioneer Woman's Chicken Scallopine

2009-05-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

This recipe tasted wonderful, but I messed up the sauce somehow. The cream seemed to separate on me and it never really thickened. Good thing Brent isn't picky about minutia like that, as long as he has a piece of crispy bread to soak up the sauce, he's happy.

Since I'm pregnant and don't really keep any wine around the house, I had to use chicken stock for the sauce. I know it would taste better than stock, I wish I had sent Brent to the package store for a bottle of chardonnay.

I loved her method for browning the chicken breasts. The olive oil/butter combination made them taste amazing, plus the house smelled great from the browning butter. Next time, I think I'll use baby portobella mushrooms, they have so much more flavor (I sound like Ina).

Chicken Scallopine
Source: The Pioneer Woman Cooks!

1 pound linguine
6 chicken breasts
Flour
Salt & Pepa
2 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp butter
12 ounces white mushrooms, sliced thin
1 cup dry white wine
1 lemon
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 heaping tbsp capers

Cook the pasta until al dente.

Flatten the chicken breasts using a meat mallet, or whatever kitchen utensil you use for this task (I use a rolling pin). Season both sides with salt and pepper, than coat with flour. Heat the butter and olive oil in a skillet, add the chicken and fry until golden brown (time depends on the thickness). Remove chicken from pan, set aside.

Add mushrooms to the skillet and stir to coat with the remaining oil. Deglaze the pan with the wine and the juice from the lemon (amount to taste). Cook for one minute, or until the sauce reduces.

Reduce heat to low (here's where I made my mistake, I think my sauce was still too hot when I added the cream). Add the cream, capers and parsley, stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and pasta and serve with crusty bread and parmesan cheese.

Cocktail Bacon Wrapped Weenies - in the Crockpot!

2009-05-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

These weenies are a favorite of mine from forever ago. My mom has played in a ten-point pitch club since I was a kid. When it was her turn to host, she'd always make these and my dad and I would sit in the basement watching television and sneaking these snacks out of the kitchen while the ladies were playing cards.

Now, I make them for parties and for football games, whenever the situation calls for sweet and salty meaty treats!

Ingredients:

2 packages cheap hot dogs
2 packages cheap bacon
toothpicks
brown sugar

Assembly:

Cut the hot dogs into quarters. Cut the bacon in half, short ways. Wrap a slice of bacon around each hot dog piece, securing with a toothpick. Place in a crockpot and cover with brown sugar. You'll have to eyeball the amount, I've never measured. Put on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3.

The fat from the bacon melts and combines with the brown sugar making a yummy salty/sweet coating for the snacks.

Penne Pizza Pasta Bake

2009-05-12T08:00:00.003-05:00

I saw this recipe pop up in my Google Reader and starred it immediately. In fact, I think I made it the next day for dinner. I love making casseroles that leave us lots of leftovers for the next day or two. The food to dirty dish ratio is important to me during the week :) You can also make this ahead and freeze for baking at another time, if that's your M.O. I personally don't have the freezer space for doing this, but it sure would be handy! I ended up cutting the recipe in half and making it in a 9x13 pan.

Penne Pizza Pasta Bake
Source: Crista's Kitchen Creations

2 lbs of ground sausage (I used 1 hot, & 1 pound of hamburger)
2 jars tomato spaghetti sauce
16 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz chopped fresh mushrooms
1 lg bell pepper, chopped (I left this out, I don't care for green bell peppers)
1 onion, chopped
1 pkg pepperoni slices, quartered
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 boxes penne pasta

Preheat oven to 350°

In a large skillet, brown the sausage and onions. Next add veggies, seasonings, and sauce, and allow to simmer while cooking pasta. Cook pasta as directed on box, drain, and add to the sauce mixture. In a large bowl, blend shredded cheeses.

Fill 3 8x8 pans half full with pasta mixture. Next top each pan with a cup of the shredded cheese mixture. Top of each pan evenly with the remaining pasta, and then the remaining cheese. cover and freeze 2 pans for later. Bake in oven until cheese melts.

When preparing frozen pans, allow to thaw overnight and then bake at 350 for about 45 min, or until warmed through.

April showers...May flowers

2009-05-10T09:00:00.001-05:00

On the north side of my house is a beautiful peony bush. It blooms a little later than other peony's around my neighborhood since it's not in direct sun. When Brent was working on the fence yesterday I snapped some pics of the buds, they are just about to burst. A couple days of sun and they should be all out!

Fence construction!

2009-05-09T12:51:00.004-05:00

The wooden privacy fence in our back yard has been deteriorating for awhile. A few weeks ago the weakest post finally gave into the elements and broke off at the ground. Brent worked out a sweet deal with the neighbor where he bought the material and Brent did the labor for a little bit of cash. He ended up replacing four sections of fence, of which two posts had to be removed and replaced. That meant we got to mix up some quick set concrete and put our initals in it!

Brent started the project yesterday and got up pretty early this morning to finish since there is again a chance of rain, imagine that. It's only been raining for 40 days and 40 nights. There have been a few breaks in the clouds and people's lawnmowers have been going like crazy. Thankfully Brent finished the fence project today before the rains returned.

Gracie really liked checking out the neighbor's yard. There used to be a knothole in the old fence and she'd look through it all day spying on them. She's a snoopy dog.

***In case any of you had noticed before and were wondering, Gracie's tail is docked. We didn't do it on purpose, we adopted her from the shelter and she was pretty sick and malnourished. When we got her her tail was unbelievably long and skinny and was really badly infected. We tried to doctor it under the vet's supervision, but the infection spread up her tail, making her sick. The vet decided to dock it when he spayed her. I'm glad it's gone, if you've ever had a dog with a long tail with an infection in the end, you know what I'm talking about. It took months to get all the walls clean. blech.

I was able to help Brent a little by holding the cross bars while he made measurements before cutting them to size. I also held them while he screwed them in. Oh, and I made sure the post was square while the concrete was poured and setting. I guess that's a pregnancy perk, I wasn't able to help with the really dirty and heavy stuff, like pulling the old posts with their concrete settings out of the ground. I actually stayed clean during this project :)

Since it's so cloudy, the airport must be having their planes come in low, we usually don't see or hear landing airplanes unless it's stormy.

Spicy Chicken Enchiladas

2009-05-09T11:28:00.012-05:00

Before now, enchiladas have intimidated me, but after preparing them using a recipe a couple of times I lost the fear and decided to experiment. I created this recipe using flavors we like, so feel free to substitute. Brent likes his Mexican food spicy and this recipe definitely fit the bill. The addition of the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce gave them a spicy/smoky flavor. The filing came out so colorful, I wish I had a picture of it before I rolled it into the tortillas.

I poached the chicken breasts a few days before I prepared this meal. In the past, I've severally overcooked chicken when poaching. This time I kept a closer eye on it because dry chicken sucks. In a large pot, three large chicken breasts (one pound) took about 22 minutes to cook through. I also added a tablespoon of chicken bouillon to the water which really amped the chicken flavor.

Ingredients:

1 red onion, diced

1 poblano pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, drained and chopped (reserve the liquid)

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 box cream cheese, softened

1 pound chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

cilantro (optional)

3 cans red enchilada sauce

3-4 cups cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350°

In a skillet, saute the onion, poblano, garlic and bell pepper until soft but still colorful, season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, combine the sauted veggies with the chipotle peppers, chicken, cream of chicken soup, cream cheese and cilantro (optional). Mix until combined. Separately, combine the three cans of enchilada sauce with the reserved adobo sauce (use discretion, that stuff is spicy!).

Lightly grease a large roasting pan, or two 9x13 pans. Pour a little of the red sauce into the bottom of the pan and tilt to coat. Using a portion scoop (or your fingers!) roll up a portion of the mixture into each tortilla and line the enchiladas up in the pan. Top with the red sauce and the cheese.

Bake until heated through and cheese is melty and yummy, at least half an hour. You might have to cover the pan with tin foil to allow the interior to heat up without overcooking the cheese.

Here's a sexy nighttime picture of the enchiladas:

Evidently Sadi had a really good time helping me cook, check out this grin:

Spicy Party Nut Mix

2009-05-09T11:18:00.004-05:00

Source: Redbook

Ingredients:

4 tsp chili powder
4 tsp sugar
1.5 tsp dried thyme
12 oz. unsalted cashews
1.25 oz. pecan halves
4 tbsp melted butter
1.5 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350°

Combine the spices in a bowl. Melt the butter, then stir the spices into the butter. Pour the mixture onto the nuts, tossing to coat. Transfer to a jelly roll pan and bake, stirring occasionally until fragrant and crisp, about 15 to 18 minutes, careful not to burn.

Stuffed Poblano Peppers

2009-05-03T16:32:00.009-05:00

I made these the other night for my husband and father in law. Unfortunately the only picture I have is this sloppy picture of the stuffed peppers on a baking sheet. I'm kicking myself for not getting another picture once I had plated these babies, the plate was beautiful I tell ya, just beautiful. I served them with Mexican Sour Cream Rice, but I changed up the rice recipe by including cilantro and changing the cheese from Monterrey Jack to medium cheddar. Brent and I liked this version MUCH better, probably because it was more colorful!

I was initially inspired by this Black Bean and Rice Stuffed Poblano recipe on Food alla Puttanesca. I love black beans, but Brent isn't really a fan, plus, he prefers meals with meat. I created my recipe to fit his criteria :)

Ingredients:

8 poblanos, 6 sliced lengthwise, with seeds removed, 2 diced
1 pound hamburger
1 red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 12 oz. can diced tomatoes
1.5 cups chicken stock
1.5 cups quick cooking brown rice
3 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. chipotle chili powder
Dashes of hot sauce
Salt and pepper
2 cups cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400°

Place the 12 halved poblanos on a baking sheet (I like to line with aluminum foil).
In a skillet over medium heat, brown the hamburger and season with salt and pepper. Remove the hamburger and drain.
Next, in a little olive oil, saute the red onion, garlic, and diced poblano until soft. Add the tomatoes, stock and spices and bring to a boil. Add the rice, stir to combine and allow to simmer until the rice is cooked.
Now, take the poblanos out of the oven (they should be getting soft by now), spoon the hamburger mixture into the pepper halves, top with cheese and place back in the oven for another 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and yummy.

Pioneer Woman's Penne alla Betsy

2009-04-20T20:24:00.007-05:00

When I'm cooking, Sadi likes to post up between the stove and the refrigerator. She's not really there to catch falling food objects or to beg for bites. I think she just lays there to inject herself into the center of my activities. She doesn't care that I'm stepping over her or hitting her in the back with the refrigerator door. She just likes to be in the middle of things.

This picture is a good example of Sadi's new springtime 'do. Any of you guys out there with an indoor lab know of that which I speak...their massive shedding capabilities, especially in the spring when it's warming up. To combat the vacuum clogging amounts of Sadi-hair that cover our carpets in the spring, Brent gave Sadi a #6 all over. I'll admit, it's helped with the shedding (a LOT) but it's made my beautiful shiny black dog kinda flat and dull. I've requested that next time he trim her, he avoid anything above the collar line and that he leaves alone my favorite part ever...her Burt Reynolds-quality curly chest hair.

Onto the food:

My husband loves shrimp so he was especially excited when I told him about this recipe, the Pioneer Woman's Penne alla Betsy. I need some help though, interneters. My tomato cream sauce was not creamy. It was very thin. Where did I go wrong? I've seen beautiful pictures of this recipe as prepared by other bloggers (and the PW herself). So, calling all chefs. Tell me, what did I do wrong?

Pioneer Woman's Penne alla Betsy

Ingredients:

1 lb shrimp
3/4 lb penne pasta
Butter
Olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
fresh parsley
fresh basil
salt and pepper

Cook the pasta as directed, until al dente.

Peel, devein and rinse (under cool water) the shrimp. Or be like me and buy pre-cooked shrimp in the Archer Farms bag at Target.

Heat about 1 tbsp butter and olive oil in the skillet, cook the shrimp for a couple minutes until opaque (I went ahead and did this step, even though my shrimp were pre-cooked, in order to warm them up and to season them). Don't overcook. Remove to a plate and let cool for a few minutes.

In the same skillet, heat 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp olive oil. Saute the garlic and onion for a few minutes. While it's cooking, use this time to remove the tails from your shrimp (if they have them) and cut them into bite sized pieces. To the onions and garlic, add the wine (I didn't have any wine in the house so I had to use chicken stock). Allow to reduce for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

Now add the tomato sauce, stirring well to combine. Reduce the heat to low and add the cream, stirring all the while. Allow to simmer while you chop your herbs (I didn't have any because my basil plants are still babies, I definitely missed the green color and yummy flavor it would have added).

Add the shrimp back into the sauce, toss to coat. Add the drained penne to the skillet and stir it all up. Season to taste and enjoy with a crispy piece of bread! Yum!

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

2009-04-19T09:24:00.009-05:00

I saw this recipe on For the Love of Cooking a few days ago and knew I had to try it this weekend. I've never made homemade muffins before, I've always taken the easy way out and used a mix. This really wasn't that much more work, and the flavor was SO much better!! I don't think I'll buy another muffin mix now that I know how easy making them from scratch really is.

EDIT: I am submitting this recipe to Joelen's Culinary Adventure's April Tasty Tools event!

Lemon Blueberry Muffins
From For the Love of Cooking via Food and Wine

Makes approx 16 muffins

1 3/4 AP flour
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup frozen blueberries, plus a few more to top the muffins (I let mine thaw in the refrigerator overnight, I don't know if that's necessary or not)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Zest of 2 small lemons
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 packets raw cane sugar, for topping the muffins

Preheat oven to 357º

Coat a muffin tin in baking spray, or use paper muffin cups, set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients (flour though salt). Stir in the blueberries. In another bowl, mix the wet ingredients (milk through lemon juice). Being careful not to overmix, fold the wet ingredients into the dry.

Scoop the batter into the muffin trays, top with a few additional blueberries and sprinkle with the raw sugar.

Bake for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool in pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack.

Grilled Corn

2009-04-18T18:33:00.006-05:00

This is obviously a no brainer, but it's a good reminder of a great way to cook a veggie.

Clean several corns on the cob
Spread with little margarine
Season with salt and pepper
Individually wrap in aluminum foil and seal well

Place on a grill (or I guess you could do it in the oven) and cook until finished (sorry I'm no help here, I just kinda pull back the foil and see if it looks done).

Pioneer Woman's French Onion Soup

2009-04-18T18:03:00.009-05:00

My little brown dog Gracie likes to help out in the kitchen. Sometimes she gets in the way, or does something like express a little too much interest in the ingredients on the counter top. When this happens, along with about any other time she gets scolded, she pulls out the big guns. Brent and I call them her Sad Ears. She uses the Sad Ears when she's very sorry that she's done something to offend you, but wants you to know that she still loves you regardless of her poor behavior. This little picture on the left is a good example of her Sad Ears. She obviously knows how to work me, because the Sad Ears melt my heart every time.

My inlaws came over for dinner a few weeks ago. Soup is one of my father in law's favorite foods, so I decided to try my hand at PW's French onion soup. I had also watched America's Test Kitchen on our public access channel and they had gone over the perfect French onion soup recipe.
The picture is awful, but the soup was wonderful. It took awhile to make, but it was worth it. If you've never been the The Pioneer Woman's website, take a minute to venture over there, it's worth your time too.

French Onion Soup
From The Pioneer Woman Cooks!

1 stick butter
4 large yellow onions, halved top to bottom and sliced nice and thin
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups beef broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
Worcestershire sauce
Several thick slices of baguette
5 to 7 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In a Dutch oven, melt the butter then add the onions and cook, covered, for 20 minutes. Next, put the soup pot in the oven with the lid slightly ajar. You want the onions to get nice and brown.

Cook the onions in the oven for about an hour, stirring occasionally so they won't stick and burn. Remove the pot from the oven and put over medium heat. Deglaze the pot with the white wine, scraping up all the brown flavorful bits from the pot bottom and sides. (Here's a tip I learned from ATK: you can cook down the onions and deglaze with wine more than once, I think they did it three times. Each time adds a little more flavor. I was in a hurry so I only did it once). Cook the deglazed onions for another five minutes, allowing the wine to reduce.

Add both broths, garlic and a couple glugs of Worcestershire sauce and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Butter one side of the bread slices and broil over low heat until brown and crispy.

When the soup is ready (at this point I decided to add a lot of salt and pepper to my soup, so taste it and see if it needs seasoned), ladle into bowls, place a piece of the crispy bread on top, along with the grated cheese (I love my family but they got Asiago this time, Gruyere was out of my budget) and broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Mexican Sour Cream Rice

2009-04-18T17:49:00.010-05:00

I just found the pictures from this meal on my hard drive and was instantly reminded how much I enjoyed the rice. Unfortunately, I don't remember much about the pork chop, it must not have been anything special. The rice dish has made it into my side rotation several times since.

Mexican Sour Cream Rice
From: Lauren's Kitchen

1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1 (8.75 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (I think I left this out)
salt and ground black pepper to taste

In a large pot, bring the rice and chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. In the pot with the cooked rice, mix the sour cream, green chile peppers, 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, corn, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and top with remaining cheese.
Bake uncovered 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

Roasted banana brownie bites and a discussion on hard drives

2009-04-18T16:50:00.010-05:00

I've noticed over the past few months that my desktop computer was getting slow. Really slow. Like so slow Brent could barely use it without losing his temper. Turns out, between my music, pictures, and all the other random items I'd collected, my hard drive was over 90% full. I don't think I need to tell you what this does to your computer's performance.

So I welcomed a new addition to my house...an external hard drive! After an entire day of figuring out how to remap my iTunes music, I now have all my precious pictures and music on this sweet little beauty. And I can now actually do something on my computer in five minutes instead of 20...bonus!! I've always fretted about what I would take with me into our 'frady hole (a.k.a. my closet) if the house was hit by a tornado. I would grab my purse, my old childhood teddy bear, my photo albums, my dogs, and now, my external hard drive!

Now onto the food...I've made this recipe twice (blame it on the third trimester). The first time I followed the Picky Palate's recipe exactly. They were super yummy, but mine turned out a little dry. I decided to reintroduced the vegetable oil the brownie mix called for. It definitely helped with the texture, but took it down a few notches in terms of healthiness, I know, but whatev.

Roasted Banana Brownie Bites

From: The Picky Palate

3 bananas cut into 1/2 inch coins

3 tbsp cold butter cut into pieces

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 box brownie mix (I suggest the devil's food)

1/4 cup water

3 eggs

(my version: however much vegetable oil the brownie mix calls for)

1/2 cup chocolate chips

2-3 tbsp heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

On a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil, place the banana coins, each topped with a piece of cold butter, and sprinkle it all with the brown sugar. Roast for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for about ten minutes.

Reduce the oven temp to 350 degrees

In a large bowl, stir until just combined the brownie mix, bananas, water, and eggs (and oil if you so choose). Scoop into mini muffin tins about 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done. (keep an eye on them, mine cooked faster, but I think it's because my mini muffin tin is a little darker metal).

Using the microwave, melt the chocolate chips, stir until smooth, then add the heavy cream until glossy and smooth. Dip the brownie bites into the chocolate and enjoy!

(Confession, the second time I made these, I completely botched the frosting. I think my chocolate chips got too hot and started to separate. When I added the cream, the whole thing just turned to goo. I will not share any pictures of this mess with you).

I will share a picture of the yummy roasted bananas as they came out of the oven

Cookie

2009-04-16T21:27:00.011-05:00

No, I don't have a cookie recipe to share (not just yet anyway, we did make three different kinds of cookies for the birthday party a few weeks ago). The Cookie I am talking about today is my mom's puppy, Cookie the Black Pug! She was just shy of six months when I took these pictures.

Most of the time, Cookie is a crazy puppy who likes to eat things she shouldn't and makes a habit of constantly rearranging my mom's throw rugs. She likes to be the center of attention and isn't intimidated by anything. There was concern how my brown lab, Gracie, would take to Cookie. We were worried Gracie would get too crazy and try to play too rough for such a small puppy. However, just the opposite happened.Gracie was the one who was looking for time-outs and Cookie was the one who wanted to play, hard, nonstop, all weekend! My dogs literally collapsed from exhaustion Sunday when mom took Cookie back to Kansas.

When she wasn't antagonizing Gracie, or chewing on Sadi's delightfully long swishy tail, Cookie found time to terrorize Brent into submission.

Black Bean Hummus

2009-04-16T21:13:00.007-05:00

After making the Roasted Red Pepper Hummus from my last post, one of my guests thoughtfully handwashed the food processor so we could prepare our next hummus recipe, this one made with black beans. It also was from albertsons.com. My mom found both of these recipes, she uses that website a lot for her online recipe searches.

From Albertsons.com

1 clove garlic
1 (15 ounce) can black beans; drain and reserve liquid
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Mince the garlic in the food processor, then add add the rest of the ingredients along with 2 tbsp reserved bean juice, though the cayenne to the food processor bowl. Puree until smooth. (I just realized after reading the recipe that we added the paprika to the rest of the ingredients instead of using it as a garnish).We might have made a mistake by putting the paprika into the mix, but I don't care. It was SO good, all four of us cooks were eating it so quickly we realized we should have made a double batch so there would be enough left over for the party. Again, we served it with crackers and a veggie tray. This recipe will absolutely be made again in the near future.

Spiced Sweet Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

2009-04-16T20:45:00.009-05:00

I love using my food processor, I even go out of my way to find recipes that require a food processor so I can get it out and use it. This hummus was one of many dishes my mom, our friends Trish and Jan, and I prepared for my birthday party a few weeks ago. I didn't really get 'sweet' from it, but it was good nonetheless.

From albertsons.com

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 (4 ounce) jar roasted red peppers
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (I left out because I didn't have any)

Using a food processor, puree all the ingredients until smooth.

We served with pita chips and a stick salad (a.k.a. celery and carrots).

Recognize this tree?

2009-04-16T20:17:00.009-05:00

In my last post, I bragged about how beautifully our spring was starting out. Exactly eight days later, we received a huge snowfall, covering all the beautiful new vegetation in heavy wet snow. Oklahoma weather is so crazy though, that this heavy snow barely lasted 36 hours before it was almost completely melted.

We took some time to get out and play in the snow since we knew it (thankfully) wouldn't be around for long. I really don't like snow that much, but it's fun for awhile.

23 hours until Spring 2009...

2009-03-19T08:20:00.005-05:00

I am ready for winter to be over! We've had some interesting weather, of course, but the overall temperature seems to be on an upswing. It's almost time for the spring thunderstorms and rain which I love, but that also means potential tornado warnings and hailstones, which I could definitely do without. The good with the bad I guess is how it goes.

Looking out my kitchen window yesterday I noticed that the little tree to the north of our house has started blooming. I like taking pictures of flora since it doesn't try to move away or tell me to stop snapping pictures.