Foodie with Little Thyme!

Sausage with Cream Sauce

2011-01-07T15:27:00.000-08:00

Hot Italian Sausage
Salt/pepper
Fresh parsley
Heavy cream
Grated Parmesan cheese

Watch out RR, this was ready in 20!

New Start in 2011

2011-01-02T15:06:00.000-08:00

I've been M.I.A. for some time now, struggling with the direction that Foodie with Little Thyme should take. It's seems that somehow my blog became a recipe/cookbook review and that frustrated me. My life is about easy, quick, healthy, and homemade meals. My kitchen has always been a place for my children and friends to gather and I want to capture that and share it with you. I'm working on finding Foodie with Little Thyme. Please bear with me and join me for the ride.

Crescent rolls filled with chocolate chips.
Baked according to the package directions.
YUM!

Spiders!

2010-10-10T09:24:00.001-07:00

Cherries covered in chocolate.

Licorice legs, red gel eyes, all sitting on a Graham cracker.

Perfect snack!

Scary Pizza

2010-10-06T16:58:00.000-07:00

Ghost or maybe squid.

Pumpkin.

Pac-Man.

Recipe found here.

Halloween Fudge!

2010-10-04T06:00:00.001-07:00

Recipe from the Baker's chocolate squares box.

Cheers!

2010-10-03T15:01:00.000-07:00

Happy October!

Pepsi and Milk.
Kids love it!

The Perfect Mother's Day Gift

2010-05-09T06:16:00.000-07:00

From my kitchen to yours, Happy Mother's Day!

This morning I enjoyed the BEST gift a mother could EVER receive, my children spent the morning working together to give me a special surprise treat.

There was no fighting, no yelling, they all worked together and encouraged each other. Since the day my oldest son was born I have wanted to watch a 10 minute video clip of their lives as adults just to see how they "turned out" and where I should concentrate more effort. Today my wish was granted! Take a look!

Working as a team. And Look... no tears or yelling!

Reading the recipe all by himself!

The surprise....For the first time in nearly eight years breakfast was made for me!
And pancakes for Pancake Sunday too!

Fairy Fizz and Angel Food Cupcakes!

2010-03-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

Wednesday - leprechauns, Thursday - fairies... it’s been a busy week here at our house. My daughter has a fairy tea party book that she absolutely loves so, of course, she has to have her own fairy tea parties. In the book there is a pop out kitchen and in the kitchen is a recipe for the famous and very secret fairy Fizz. If you promise not to tell I’ll share the recipe with you... remember SHHH! Oh, and because it's so secret I can’t share a photo with you, or maybe I forgot to take one?? Hmmm??? One of those. Also because I love you all so much I’ll share a great LOW cal cupcake recipe with you.

Fairy Fizz

Ingredients:

Pineapple Juice (can’t remember what size the container is)
2 liter Cherry 7UP
Cherries

Directions:

Pour ½ a container of pineapple juice in a punch bowl.
Add the 7Up
Pour into a fun see through cup and drop in a cherry or two.

Angle Food Cupcakes

Recipe from”Betty Crocker’s Just Cupcakes” Cookbook.

Ingredients:

1 ½C powdered Sugar
1C Flour
12 Egg whites
1 ½ tsp Cream of Tartar
1C Sugar
1 ½ tsp vanilla
½ tsp Almond Extract
¼ tsp Salt

Directions:

Place the oven rack on its lowest setting and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Line cupcake tins with paper and set aside.
Combine the powder sugar and flour and set aside.
Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together until foamy.
Beat in the granulated sugar 2 tablespoons at a time.
Add the vanilla, almond extract and salt with the last sugar addition.
Beat until stir and glossy.
Fold the flour mixture in ½ a cup at a time until the flour disappears.
Divide evenly into the cupcake cups and bake for 15-20 mins or until the cupcakes feel dry and the cake springs back.

Note: I didn’t use the angle food cupcake recipe for our party. It just felt like too many eggs for a fairy party.

Fruit Smoothie!

2010-03-12T18:28:00.000-08:00

Anthony TV presents the Fruit Smoothie!

Ingredients:

1C Strawberries
1 Banana
1C Milk
1/2 C Plain Yogurt
1 TBSP Honey

Directions:

Throw all the ingredents into the blender and blend until smooth.
Serve!

Mushroom and Swiss Patty Melt with Peas

2010-03-08T11:44:00.000-08:00

Here's another faboulous recipe that I found in my low carb search. I found this on the Whole Foods app on my phone. My husband, who is not a ground turkey fan, asked if I would make this again soon. He loved the taste and the texture that the turkey had in this meal??? I served it with roasted asparagus and big salad.

Yum! Try it. I can’t wait to hear your reviews!

Ingredients

Adapted from whole foods.

1 pound ground turkey, formed into a patty
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 small onions, sliced
2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup frozen 365 Everyday Value Organic Green Peas ( I forgot to add these)
Swiss Cheese

Directions

Lightly season patty with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add patty and cook until golden brown on the first side, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip patty, move to one side of skillet. Add onions, mushrooms, salt and pepper to cleared side of skillet and cook until softened and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add peas and cook for 1 minute more, checking to ensure patty is cooked through. Sprinkle patty with cheese and transfer to a plate. Spoon hot mushroom mixture on top and serve.

Breakfast Muffins

2010-03-03T05:14:00.000-08:00

Here is a slightly healthy take on the breakfast Muffin. I love the cheery, wheat and pecan mix in these muffins.

Cherry Pecan Muffins

Recipe adapted from Stoneyfield Farms

Ingredients:

1 C flour
1 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 C frozen cherries, drained
2 eggs
1 C yogurt
1/4 C butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1 C Pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375℉.
In a medium bowl, combine the flours, sugar, and baking soda.
Stir in cherries and pecans, then set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, butter and vanilla.
Gradually stir dry ingredients into wet.
Divide batter evenly amongst a 12-cup muffin tin that has been greased or lined with papers.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.

Low Carb Zucchini Lasagna

2010-02-21T15:02:00.000-08:00

Hey Foodie friends,

I’ve been struggling a bit with which food direction I would like to go. I would like to lose a few extra pounds and achieve my long desired muscle definition goal. Most research says to dump the carbs and “beef” up proteins in order to kick your metabolism into gear. WELL…I grew up in an Italian family and asking me to give up carbs is like asking me to cut off a limb. So, in short I’m making a few tweeks to our diet. I hope you guys enjoy the ride with us and maybe get a bit closer to your fitness goals too.

Our favorite First Grade teacher shared a Low Carb lasagna recipe with us and to say I was excited to make it would be putting it mildly. I made a few changes to the recipe, actually only the sauce. I/we loved this recipe, even Kerri, our favorite seventh grade teacher, who is not a zucchini fan loved it. And I will have to admit, although don’t tell my mom, I didn’t miss the pasta.

Low Carb Zucchini Lasagna

Recipe adapted from: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Low-Carb Meals

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1 (15oz.) can tomato sauce (I made a marinara with turkey sausage and ground turkey which can be found HERE)
1 clove garlic, minced (I used Chimichurri instead and that can be found HERE)
1 tsp. basil
2 tsp. rosemary
1 ½ c ricotta cheese
½ c grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 ½ lb. zucchini, cut lengthwise into ¼ inch slices
4 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Brown ground beef in a large skillet and drain.
Stir in tomato sauce, garlic, basil and rosemary.
Heat to boiling.
Reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes.
Mix ricotta, ¼ c Parmesan and egg in small bowl.
In 9x13 inch greased baking pan, layer zucchini, cheese mixture, meat sauce, and mozzarella. Repeat. Sprinkle ¼ grated Parmesan on top.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Let stand 20 minutes before serving.
Slice into 8 servings.

Eclairs

2010-02-12T14:38:00.000-08:00

My son, the chocoholic, is on the couch recovering from his latest surgery. In addition to making sure he is taking his pain medication and that the other kids are letting him rest, I made him one of his favorite treats, Éclairs! Instead of filling them with custard these are filled with chocolate cream! YUM!

Pastry Ingredients:

1C Water

1/8 tsp Salt

½ C Butter

1C Flour

4 Eggs

Directions:

Bring to a boil the water, salt and butter.
Add the flour and stir until a ball forms. This happens very quickly.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Stir the eggs in one at a time until they are fully incorporated.
pipe onto a lined cookie sheet.
Bake at 400 until golden brown and puffy.

Chocolate Cream filling Ingredients:

Heavy Whipping Cream

Powdered Sugar

Cocoa Powder

Directions:

Add all ingredients and whip until firm peaks form.
pipe into pastry shells.

Chocolate glaze Ingredients:

½C Semi Sweet Chocolate chips

2 Tbls Butter

1C Powdered Sugar

2 Tbls Boiling Water

Directions:

Melt the butter and chocolate together over low heat.
Add the boiling water and sugar.
Stir until smooth.
Dip or drizzle over éclairs.

Coconut Cupcakes

2010-02-11T11:04:00.000-08:00

It’s Barefoot Bloggers time. Barefoot Bloggers are a community of bloggers that get together twice monthly to make, eat and post about Ina Garten’s recipes. Today’s recipe was chosen by Jamie of Jamie’s Green Kitchen. Jamie chose Coconut Cupcakes, which can be found in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook or on the food network site.

I make coconut cake often; in fact I’ll be making a bunny shaped coconut cake here in few weeks for Easter. Anyway, I make them often but never do I add the coconut into the batter so I was excited to give her recipe a try. I followed her recipe with the exception of the cream cheese icing, which I didn’t use due to the refrigeration requirements and the fact that I will be giving away most of the cupcakes. I was not overly impressed with these cupcakes. I found them to be a bit dry. They had a “commercial” taste to them. I don’t really know how to describe them except that I think many of the box cake mixes are better than this recipe. SO, there you have it, my review. Sorry it’s not more favorable.

Ina Garten’s recipe

Ingredients

nocoupons

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut

For the frosting:

nocoupons

1 pound cream cheese at room temperature
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.

Decadent Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cheesecake!

2010-02-09T04:30:00.000-08:00

Looking for a yummy and easy Valentine dessert? Well I have one! This Cheesecake is so simple to make and not all that time consuming. It turns out perfect each and every time too! Just remember to cut a small piece; you don’t want your Valentine to be passed out in a coma.

Ingredients

From” Better Homes and Gardens “

18 chocolate graham cracker squares, finely crushed (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate pieces
2 Tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Peanuts (optional)(I didn't add these)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degreesF. Combine crackers, melted butter, and 2 tablespoons sugar. Press into bottom and 1 inch up sides of a 9-inch springform pan; set aside. In bowl beat 1 package cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth. Beat in peanut butter and 1/4 cup sugar until combined. Fold in 1 lightly beaten egg; set aside.

2. In saucepan stir chocolate over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Cube remaining cream cheese; add to chocolate. Stir to combine. Stir in milk and vanilla until smooth. Fold in 2 lightly beaten eggs. Spread half the chocolate mixture into pan. Carefully spread all the peanut butter mixture over layer. Evenly spread remaining chocolate mixture.

3. Bake 45 minutes or until top is set when lightly shaken. Outer 2 inches of the top will be slightly puffed and dry-looking; center will look darker and wet. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Use a small sharp knife to loosen crust from sides; cool completely on rack. Cover; chill 4 hours. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with peanuts. Makes 16 servings.

Indonesian Ginger Chicken and Shrimp Bisque

2010-01-29T17:37:00.000-08:00

It’s Barefoot Blogger time. I missed the posting date for the first recipe of the month so I’ll give my review for both now. For the newcomers Barefoot Bloggers are a community of food bloggers that twice monthly make, sample and post a review of Ina Garten recipes. Both of the recipes this month PUSHED me right past my comfort zone. I was a good foodie, sucked it up and followed the recipes.

The first recipe for the month was chosen by Todd of A Cooking Dad and he chose Indonesian Ginger Chicken which can be found in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook on page 125 or on the food network site. This was a nice recipe and my family really enjoyed the chicken. I don’t eat chicken off of the bone so my boneless chicken breast was not so wonderful, very dry! I will make this chicken again for my kids and husband. This recipe makes nice wings too.

Ingredients

nocoupons

1 cup honey
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup minced garlic (8 to 12 cloves)
1/2 cup peeled and grated fresh ginger root
2 (3 1/2 pound) chickens, quartered, with backs removed

Directions

Cook the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger root in a small saucepan over low heat until the honey is melted. Arrange the chicken in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan, skin side down, and pour on the sauce. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan, turn the chicken skin side up, and raise the temperature to 375 degrees F. Continue baking for 30 minutes or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh and the sauce is a rich, dark brown.

Second Recipe of the month

Jennifer of Our Blessed Home chose the second recipe Shrimp Bisque which can be found in Barefoot Contessa at Home on pages 52-54 or again on the food network site.

To say I was not excited about this recipe would be an understatement. I grew up in South Florida and the idea of any seafood prepared with seafood purchased in the middle of Texas just grosses me out. But again, I was a big girl and made the bisque just as Ina would. I took a few pictures then sat down with my family to eat and IT WAS GOOD. Would I make it again??? Maybe when we are in Florida for the summer. My husband and seven year old had seconds. My five year old finished his original bowl and my three year old informed me that she does not like SHARK soup. Who knew?

Shrimp Bisque

Seafood Stock!

Ingredients

nocoupons

1 pound large shri mp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
4 cups seafood stock
3 tablespoons good olive oil
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (3 leeks)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic (3 cloves)
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 cup Cognac or brandy
1/4 cup dry sherry
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place the shrimp shells and seafood stock in a saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and reserve the stock. Add enough water to make 3 3/4 cups.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the leeks and cook them for 10 minutes over medium-low heat, or until the leeks are tender but not browned. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add the cayenne pepper and shrimp and cook over medium to low heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the Cognac and cook for 1 minute, then the sherry and cook for 3 minutes longer. Transfer the shrimp and leeks to a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until coarsely pureed.

In the same pot, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over medium-low heat for 1 minute, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the half-and-half and cook, stirring with a whisk, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the pureed shrimp, the stock, tomato paste, salt, and pepper and heat gently until hot but not boiling. Season, to taste, and serve hot.

Veggie Burger!

2010-01-24T11:17:00.000-08:00

This is a quick and straightforward recipe that can easily be modified to take on very different tastes. I will admit that I was more that a little skeptical that this would be any good. How can a burger taste good with no meat, I mean REALLY! My Friend Kerri loves them and I trust her taste buds so I gave it a try. My warning is this; when I was handling the burger mix, shaping them into patties, it just didn’t feel right. I did initially make them way too thick, just as I would a beef patty. Thank God Kerri was home with us and said “Uh, Cass those are just too thick.”. Anyway, if you get over the fact that you want these burgers to act, feel and taste like meat then they are wonderful! We topped ours with a salad (olive Oil dressing) and chimichurri salsa. My kids actually loved them with just mustard and ketchup. They all wanted them for lunch the next day and my first grader even took one in his lunch box to school. Give it a try! Change up your spices and have fun with them!

Veggie Burgers

Recipe from Kerri who got it from Teri who got it from a vegetarian cookbook!

Ingredients:

1 medium potato
1 small onion
½ cup walnuts or pecans (pecans)
4 T oil
1 cup cooked oatmeal
1 cup bread crumbs ( I used Italian bread crumbs)
1 t salt
½ t sage (I didn’t add this)
2 T soy sauce

Directions:

Grind or chop in blender: potato, onion, & nuts.
Sauté ground mixture in oil until soft. (Next time I will skip this step. My mix was very soft after going through my processor.)
Add remaining ingredients.
Mix thoroughly.
Form into burger patties and fry until brown on both sides or bake on oiled sheet at 350°F until brown.

Lentil Potpie

2010-01-20T06:03:00.000-08:00

This is an older recipe of mine that I use so often that I thought I would share another version of it. I usually make these with leftovers, like chili, but this time I made a quick lentil soup instead. You can use pie crust or puff pastry whichever you have on hand; they are both yummy and quick.

I used chimichurri salsa to season my soup, but you can use fresh parsley if you have it.

Lentil Soup

Ingredients

1 lb lentils
4 large carrots, chopped
4 celery ribs, chopped
1 large onion, diced
1 can diced toms
4 sliced of bacon, diced
Fresh parley or 1tbls chimichurri salsa
Fresh Sage leaves
Salt/pepper
½ cup White wine
32 ozs of stock, chicken or veggie
Puff pastry sheets

Directions:

Sauté in large pot the bacon, onion, carrots and celery until the the onions are translucent.
Add all the remaining ingredients and simmer until the lentils are tender and ½ or more of the liquid has reduced.
Cool, spoon into individual bowls and top with puff pastry dough.
Cut slits in the top to ventilate.
Bake at 375 until the dough is golden brown and the soup bubbling.

Sausage Bolognese with Penne

2010-01-16T11:30:00.000-08:00

After our holiday eating and recovering from some kind of stomach flu we have been working on eating healthier. I think for the most part we have a good diet but there is always room for improvement. I found this recipe in Family Circle and it seemed like the perfect meal to work into our weekly menu. Lots of veggies and still very taste too. The only MAJOR change I made was to use mini Penne instead of Linguine. I didn’t really use exact measurements but very close. Anyway, this is a great dish, easy to make, fast with a processor and low cal too. I included the nutritional facts just so you could see how low cal it truly is.

Adapted from Family Circle, Jan 2010

Ingredients

3 medium-size carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 package (20 ounces) sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes
3/4 cup milk
1 box (13.25 ounces) low-carb linguine (such as Dreamfields)
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

1. Pulse carrots, celery and onion in a food processor until finely chopped.

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetable mixture and cook, stirring, 6 minutes. Rinse food processor bowl; set aside. Crumble sausage into skillet and cook for 3 minutes.

3. Add wine to skillet; bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Drain tomatoes and save the liquid. Add tomatoes to food processor bowl; pulse until finely chopped. Add tomatoes and their liquid to skillet; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium; cook for 30 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in milk and cook another 8 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions in salted boiling water, about 12 minutes. Serve pasta with sauce, and Parmesan, if desired. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts

Servings Per Recipe 8 servings

Amount Per Serving
Calories 289
Total Fat (g) 6
Saturated Fat (g) 1
Cholesterol (mg) 38
Sodium (mg) 536
Carbohydrate (g) 39
Fiber (g) 3
Protein (g) 17

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

English Toffee Take 2

2010-01-13T13:54:00.000-08:00

Even though our first attempt to make toffee ended so terrible, we were not ready to throw in the towel. We received some insider tips from Mrs. Fowler and other tips from our loyal readers. What we walked away with is that our heat was too low and it should take less than 30 minutes to make. Oh, I almost forgot mention that we were able to sample Mrs. Fowler's toffee. You know how it is, you need a sample so you’ll have a benchmark. This toffee is SOOO O good. I actually had to hide it from myself so that I could save it for Anthony to enjoy! Anyway, armed with this information, we tried again. This time our results were MUCH better. We still need some practice. I think that I got scared and took it off the heat a touch too soon. It’s very yummy and has the right texture but Mrs. Fowler's was still a little more brittle than ours. We’ll try again soon but this batch will go into our bellies and not our trash can, so we’ll count it a success

Mrs. Fowler’s English Toffee.

Ingredients:

1lb Real Butter
1 T. Water
½ t. Vanilla
2 C Granulated Sugar
½ lb Slivered Almonds (we used Pecans)
Dash of Cinnamon

Directions:

Melt butter in heavy kettle.
Add sugar, stirring briskly with a large spoon.
Add water, cinnamon and almonds, stirring constantly.
Add Vanilla.
Mixture will thicken and fall way from the sides of the kettle when nearly done.
Cook until it turns a toffee tan.
Pour onto well-buttered tray and spread to a thin layer.
When cooled, break into pieces

Butter Homemade!

2010-01-10T16:46:00.000-08:00

My favorite friend came over yesterday, bringing with her a fun recipe for making homemade butter with the kids. The recipe is incredible easy and very, very fun. I’m not sure who had more fun, the kids or us. We used the buttermilk to make Buttermilk bread.
I hope you give it a try. It is so much fun. If you don’t want to use the jar method as we did with the kids, you can use your mixer instead. We used the mixer on the other half of our quart and it worked the same, although not as much fun.

Recipe from Emeril Lagasse

1 pint heavy cream, very cold
Pinch salt, optional

Directions

Find a large jar with a tight-fitting lid that will hold the cream about half full. Refrigerate the jar for at least 1 hour. Pour the cream into the cold jar. Tightly secure the lid and shake as hard as possible until chunks of butter start to form, 15 to 30 minutes. Pour into a strainer set over a bowl. The chunks in the strainer are butter, and the liquid in the bowl is buttermilk.

Pour the buttermilk into a clean container, cover, refrigerate, and reserve for another use. Turn the butter into a clean bowl and cover with very cold water. Pour into a strainer, discarding the liquid. Continue rinsing the butter with very cold water until the water runs clear. (The cloudy water is buttermilk which will make the butter turn sour.) When the butter is clean, work with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to press out any remaining liquid. Discard this liquid. If desired, add salt to the butter. (Salted butter will keep longer.)

Transfer the butter to a clean container for keeping, pressing with a wooden spoon or spatula to dispel any air bubbles. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Black-Eyed Pea Dip

2010-01-07T05:19:00.000-08:00

I’d love to call this hummus but really it's not. Whatever it is, it is truly very yummy and not so bad for you either. It would be great on a sandwich too.

Ingredients:

Fresh Black-eyed Peas
Garlic
Green Onion
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Dash of Cumin
Sprinkle of Paprika
1 tsp Red Pepper flakes
6 ozs of plain homemade Yogurt (can substitute with store bought if you must)

Directions:

Boil Peas until they are tender.
Combine all ingredients, except the yogurt, in a food process and blend until creamy.
Add more oil if you think it is still too thick.
When it's the consistency you like, add the yogurt and blend until fully combined.

Cauliflower Soup

2010-01-05T04:57:00.000-08:00

If you are having a day like this…

Then you need a warm and healthy soup like this!

Recipe adapted from Experience Life Magazine, Jan/Feb issue.

You can read their version here.

Ingredients:

1/4 tsp. olive oil
1 cup diced onion
3 or 4 strip of bacon
1/2 cup diced celery
1 tsp. minced fresh garlic
4 cups cauliflower florets and stems
2 cups diced Yukon Gold potatoes
Several leaves of fresh Sage
¼ bundle of fresh Parsley
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 quarts vegetable stock

Heat a large stockpot over high heat and add olive oil. Stir in the bacon, onions, celery, garlic and cauliflower. Sauté until the onions are translucent, about three to five minutes.

Stir in the potatoes, spices and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes and cauliflower are tender.

For a thicker soup you could blend or mash it but I loved all the pieces of potatoes and cauliflower.

HELP! English Toffee

2010-01-02T20:02:00.000-08:00

Hey all and Happy New Year!

I trust that everyone had as blessed a Christmas as we did. I thought I would share a few of our gifts with you today.

My Brother and Sister in Law gave us a Flip Video Recorder, which we are having loads of fun with. Also our friend, and favorite first grade teacher, gave us a copy of the elementary school’s cookbook, which by the way has her famous English Toffee recipe in it. I thought it would be fun to combine both gifts and to show off our young chef in his first cooking video.

Today we finally made the toffee that Anthony has been begging to make since Christmas morning.

Joy, All I can say is my hat is off to you. After more than an hour of stirring we gave up well… I gave up. Anthony wanted to keep going but my back and my arm gave a strong protest. So in the end we are less a pound of butter and still have not had a taste of the famous toffee.

Mrs. Fowler and all my blogger friends, PLEASE send your toffee hints and tips our way. Did I stir too long, not long enough?? Anthony’s ready to try again and I’ll pump some extra iron at the gym this week to get myself in shape for round two!

Mrs. Fowler’s English Toffee

Ingredients:

1lb Real Butter
1 T. Water
½ t. Vanilla
2 C Granulated Sugar
½ lb Slivered Almonds
Dash of Cinnamon

Directions:

Melt butter in heavy kettle.
Add sugar, stirring briskly with a large spoon.
Add water, cinnamon and almonds, stirring constantly.
Add Vanilla.
Mixture will thicken and fall way from the sides of the kettle when nearly done.
Cook until it turns a toffee tan.
Pour onto well-buttered tray and spread to a thin layer.
When cooled, break into pieces.

Stuffed Mushrooms

2009-12-29T05:41:00.000-08:00

It’s been quite a bit of time since I last posted for Barefoot Bloggers. Barefoot Bloggers are a community of bloggers that twice monthly make, taste, review and post about Ina Garten recipes. Michelle of Welcome to the Club selected this month’s recipe. Michelle picked Stuffed Mushrooms. I have been making stuffed mushroom for a long time so I decided to do my best to following Ina’s directions and break out of my comfort zone.
At first glace the recipe seems to have a lot of unnecessary fat added. I don’t “normally” add sausage or mascarpone cheese (Italian sour cream). I joined the Barefoot community to expand my cooking mind so… I basically stuck to the recipe.

My review? Well... I will go back to my regular recipe. I do think that Ina’s were delicious but I still think you can get the same flavor without all the extra calories. If you don’t mind the extra calories nor have a recipe you love, give these a try. They are Yummy!

Ina Garten recipe

Ingredients

Any changes I made will be in red.nocoupons

16 extra-large white mushrooms (I used smaller mushrooms so the kids eat them easier)
5 tablespoons good olive oil, divided
2 1/2 tablespoons Marsala wine or medium sherry(I used Vigne Nuove Italian wine)
3/4 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from the casings
6 scallions, white and green parts, minced
2 garlic cloves minced
2/3 cup panko crumbs
5 ounces mascarpone cheese, preferably from Italy
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop them finely. Set aside. Place the mushroom caps in a shallow bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and Marsala. Set aside.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, crumbling it with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook the sausage for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until it's completely browned. Add the chopped mushroom stems and cook for 3 more minutes. Stir in the scallions and garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the panko crumbs, stirring to combine evenly with all the other ingredients. Finally, swirl in the mascarpone and continue cooking until the mascarpone has melted and made the sausage mixture creamy. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan, parsley, and season with salt and pepper, to taste, Cool slightly.

Fill each mushroom generously with the sausage mixture. Arrange the mushrooms in a baking dish large enough to hold all the mushrooms in a snug single layer. Bake until the 50 minutes, until the stuffing is browned and crusty.

Snowball Cookies

2009-12-22T11:11:00.000-08:00

Getting my bake on!

This is one of my mom’s favorite cookies. I always think about her when I make them. Merry Christmas mom!

Snowball Cookies

Adapted from Fleishmann’s

Ingredients:

1 C Butter
1 C Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 ½ to 2 C Roughly Chopped Pecans
2 C All-purpose Flour
½ tsp Salt
Powder sugar for dusting

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and blend until creamy.
Shape into 1 inch ball and place on a ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 until they start to brown slightly.
Cool completely on wire rack.
Dust with powdered sugar.
Invite your mom over for cookies and milk!

Marzipan

2009-12-20T14:45:00.000-08:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Every year for our Christmas dinner I buy pastries from Maria's Pastry shop. One of the items I buy is Marzipan fruit. This year I decided to try my hand at it. Not as good as Maria's but a good start. What do you guys think?

Peanut Butter Blossoms

2009-12-18T06:36:00.000-08:00

Every magazine that I have opened in the last several months has had the same Hersery’s kisses ad and recipe. I clipped it out the first time I saw it and finally made them last night. They are very easy to make and not all that time consuming. Try them and give them to the peanut butter lovers you love.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Adapted from"the Hersery Company"

Ingredients:

48 Hershey kisses Milk Chocolates
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup Creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Granulated sugar

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 F.
Remove wrappers from chocolates.
Beat shortening and peanut butter in a large bowl.
Add 1/3 cup granulated and brown sugar; beat until fluffy.
Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into mixture.
Shape dough into 1 inch balls.
Roll in sugar; place on un-greased cookie sheet.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Immediately press a kiss into center of each cookie.
Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
Cool completely.

Flan

2009-12-15T04:51:00.000-08:00

I’m back! Did you miss me? Well, I missed you guys! We were displaced from our home while repairs were being made and without a computer. We survived and our house is ALMOST whole again. I’m back in my kitchen and my heart is filled with joy. We are finally getting our tree up and I made this SMIPLE treat as a welcome home for us.

If you have never made flan, do so. It really is very easy and takes little time to make. It’s one of those desserts that people think you spent your entire day working on. Truth be told, it is no harder than making rice crispy treats. I topped mine with Cranberry sauce to make them festive and because I was dying to use the fresh berries in my refrigerator.

Recipe from Better Homes and Garden Cookbook

Ingredients:

1/3 C Sugar
3 Eggs, beaten
1 ½ C Milk
1/3 C Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla

Directions:

Caramelize 1/3 cup sugar in a sauce pan over med heat.
Slide the sugar around by shaking the pan until the sugar starts to melt.
Once it starts to melt reduce the heat and stir with a wooden spoon until it is all melted.
Pure the melted sugar into individual custard cups, or one large tart pan and set aside.

**This is the hardest step. If the sugar gets over cooked it can taste bitter.

Combine eggs, milk, 1/3-cup sugar and vanilla.
Beat till well combined but not foamy.
Pour into the custard cups.
Place the cups into a large baking and dish and pour boiling water into the dish until the custard dishes are surround by about an inch of water.
Bake at 325 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until a butter knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from bath and cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Serve warm or refrigerate.

To plate:

Run a butter knife around the sides of the flan.
Place a plate on top of the dish and flip.
If the flan does not instantly fall onto the plate tap the dish with the knife.

It's snowing! WOW!

2009-12-02T06:02:00.000-08:00

It's SNOWING here in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area!

Carrot Prosciutto Wraps

2009-11-28T16:10:00.000-08:00

This is my husband’s favorite appetizer and I love to make them this time of year. The hardest step is standing in line at the deli counter in Central Market.

Ingredients:

Thinly Sliced Imported Prosciutto
Carrots
Balsamic Vinegar

Directions:

Shred carrots.
Mix carrots with vinegar until the carrots are well coated but not saturated.
Place a stack of shredded carrots on the end of a slice of prosciutto and roll it up.

Happy Thanksgving to all my Foodie Friends!

2009-11-26T05:28:00.000-08:00

Following in the footsteps of my son's first grade teacher --shout out Mrs. Fowler-- I'm going to list the first five blessing that come to my mind.

My healthy, happy and loving children.
My hardworking and supportive husband.
My parents and extended family.
My friends.
My little spot on the internet.

Anthony's list (7-year-old)

My house.
My mom.
My dad.
My sister.
My brother.

Bryson's list (5-year-old)

My house.
My brother.
My sister.
My mom.
My dad.

Frankie's List (3-year-old)

The dogs at the toys store.
Four Kitty cats in little purses.

I would love to see your list. Want to share?
Happy cooking and Happy Thanksgiving!

Pioneer Woman's Lasagna

2009-11-25T06:27:00.000-08:00

Our house is on the mend…I think. The concrete is cold and not very pretty to look at but with love from friends, family and each other we are winning the battle. I would say that our boys seem to like the adventure. Each step brings new equipment and people to explore.

Our kind and loving friends brought us lasagna for dinner one night while we were in the thick of it. Cindy, you will never know how much we appreciate your kindness. It was SO nice to have a homemade meal. And I didn’t have to jump over fans and woodpiles to prepare it.

Cindy shared that her recipe came from Pioneer Woman’s blog. If you have a friend in need or a hungry family, give it a try.

Pioneer Woman’s recipe

Ingredients

1-½ pound Ground Beef
1 pound Hot Breakfast Sausage
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 cans (14.5 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes
2 cans (6 Ounce) Tomato Paste
2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley
2 Tablespoons Dried Basil
1 teaspoon Salt
3 cups Lowfat Cottage Cheese
2 whole Beaten Eggs
½ cups Grated (not Shredded) Parmesan Cheese
2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley
1 teaspoon Salt
1 pound Sliced Mozzarella Cheese
1 package (10 Ounce) Lasagna Noodles
(add 1/2 Teaspoon Salt And 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil To Pasta Water)

Preparation Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or saucepan, combine ground beef, sausage, and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat until browned. Drain half the fat; less if you’re feeling naughty. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons parsley, basil and salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix cottage cheese, beaten eggs, grated Parmesan, 2 more tablespoons parsley, and 1 more teaspoon salt. Stir together well. Set aside. Cook lasagna until “al dente” (not overly cooked).

To assemble:
Arrange 4 cooked lasagna noodles in the bottom of a baking pan, overlapping if necessary. Spoon half the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles. Spread evenly. Cover cottage cheese with a layer of mozzarella cheese. Spoon a little less than half the meat mixture over the top.

Repeat, ending with meat mixture. Sprinkle top generously with extra Parmesan.

Either freeze, refrigerate for up to two days, or bake immediately: 350-degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until top is hot and bubbly.

Creative jucies not flowing!, Pumpkin Cupcakes and Turkeys

2009-11-17T15:32:00.000-08:00

My creative juices are not really flowing right now! You see we had a minor flood which has caused major damage to our home. I will do my best to cook, bake, post and to visit your sites, but as the jackhammers come in and the wood flooring and walls go out I'm not sure how consistent I'll be.

I did make some yummy mini cupcakes last week that I would like to share with you guys.

Pumpkin Cupcakes
adapted from Martha Stewart.
Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (added a bit extra)
1 teaspoon ground ginger (didn't use)
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (didn't use)
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.
Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Not wanting to worry about refrigerating the cupcakes I made the following icing for the cupcakes. It didn't have the same exact taste as cream cheese icing but it was close.

Ingredients

Powdered Sugar
3/4 of a can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 stick of Butter
1 tsp Vanilla extract

Directions
My measurements are not exact except for the butter. I really just dumped everything into my bowl and added ingredients until it was the taste and consistency I wanted.

Thanksgiving Turkeys

Here is how I used the left over Oreos and Halloween candy.
they are cute and easy to make.

Butternut Squash Ravioli

2009-11-12T17:44:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, I’m a bit of a ravioli nut. I love everything about ravioli. I love it so much that it’s the one and only food that I can eat and not think once about the number of calories in each bite. I love to see flour all over my kitchen, my 7-year-old turning the crank on the pasta press, the smell of the dough, the way they float to the top of my pot and the versatility of fillings. My blog dream is 30 days of ravioli. I could go on and on but I’ll spare you the bore and get to the recipe.

Pasta

1 ¼ C All purpose flour
¾ C Semolina
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Olive Oil
4 tbls Warm Water
2 Eggs

Directions:

I dump all the ingredients into my food processor equipped with the dough hook and let it do its thing.
Allow the dough to sit for 30 minutes before shaping.

Filling

1 peeled, diced and roasted Butternut squash
5 –6 Cloves Roasted Garlic
1C Ricotta Cheese
Fresh Sage (didn’t measure, just dumped)
Salt and pepper

Directions

Dump and mix.

I served the ravioli with a bacon béchamel sauce, Roasted Asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, spring salad and homemade wheat rolls. YUM! I love ravioli.

You guys thought I forgot didn't you?

Ingredients:

Marshmallows
Chocolate chips
Oreo Cookies
Icing pen

Directions:

Melt the chocolate.
Separate the Oreo. Don't toss the filling side, we'll make turkeys with those.
Hold the marshmallow with a toothpick, dip and cover it with chocolate.
Place the marshmallow on the cookie.
Cool in the freezer.
Draw the buckle on with the icing pen.

Rocky Road Shortbread Cookies

2009-11-07T06:56:00.000-08:00

My husband and our sons have been busy collecting pecans from a local park. We now have several pound in our freeze. While looking for new ways to use them I found this recipe in the latest issue of Family Circle. All I can say is YUM!This cookie will go on my favorite cookie list. The only change that I will make in the future is to omit the marshmallow. Oh, I almost forgot the original recipe calls for walnuts not pecans.

Recipe adapted from “Family Circle, November 2009 issue”

Ingredients:

1 ¼ C All-purpose Flour
½ C Pecans, finely chopped
¼ Salt
½ C Butter
1/3 C Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
¾ C Mini Marshmallows
½ C Coarsely chopped Pecans
½ C Semisweet Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a cookie sheet or use silt pads.
Blend all ingredients until well combined.
Roll by the tablespoon the dough into balls.
Gently flatten each ball to ½ - inch thickness and smooth edges.
Bake for 16 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.
Meanwhile melt the chocolate in the microwave for 1 minute, stirring halfway.
Remove cookies form the oven and spread the chocolate, then sprinkle with the marshmallows and pecans.
Return the cookies to the oven and bake for TWO minutes more or until the marshmallow become soft.

Cornucopias

2009-11-03T18:30:00.000-08:00

Easy to make, delicious and pretty on a plate, what more can you ask for?

Ingredients:

Puff Pastry Dough
Heavy Whipping Cream
Sugar
Cocoa

Directions:

Wrap thawed dough around aluminum foil in the shape of a cornucopia.
Bake according to pastry direction.
Allow the cornucopias to cool then carefully pull them away from the foil.
Meanwhile whip the cream, sugar and cocoa until it becomes very thick.
Pipe into the cornucopias and serve.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-30T07:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween from our kitchen to yours!

Harry Potter!

Batman!

Rose Princess!

Spooky Guacamole!
Use a small amount of lemon juice so that the avocados still turn black!
My kids loved dipping into this web!

Roasted Cauliflower with pasta and Witch Hats

2009-10-28T05:17:00.000-07:00

So simple, so beautiful and so tasty.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower
2 Ripe Roma tomatoes
3or 4 links of sweet Italian sausage
Fresh Parsley
Fresh grated cheese
1LB pasta

Directions:

Clean and remove the cauliflower florets from the stem, sprinkle with salt, pepper and olive oil.
Roast at 400 until tender but not mushy.
Sauté the sausage in a small fry pan while the pasta is cooking.
Add chopped tomatoes to the cooked sausage.
Add the roasted cauliflower to the sausage and tomato mixture.
Toss with the pasta.
Sprinkle with parsley and cheese then serve,

Witch Hats

Ingredients:

1 Package of croissant rolls
Cinnamon sugar

Directions:

Unroll rolls.
Roll wide end and shape the pointed end.
Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Bake according to package directions.

Cheese Soufflé and Vampire's Morning Cocktail

2009-10-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

It’s Barefoot Bloggers time. Barefoot Bloggers are a community of bloggers that get together twice monthly to make, eat and post about Ina Garten’s recipes. Today’s recipe was chosen by Summer of Sexy Apartment. She has Chosen Blue Cheese Soufflé, which can found in Barefoot in Paris. This was my first soufflé and it was not only easy but also beautiful and delicious. My only advice is to make sure you have ALL the ingredients before you get started. I was reading as I was going and half way in realized I was short one egg white. Thank you to our wonderful friends and neighbors for coming to the rescue.

Here is Ina’s recipe.
I did make a few changes, those will be in red.
Ingredients

· 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the dish
· 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling
· 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
· 1 cup scalded milk
· Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
· Pinch cayenne pepper Extra pinches
· Thyme
· Pinch nutmeg
· 4 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
· 3 ounces good Roquefort cheese, chopped 1C Bergenost
· 5 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
· 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Butter the inside of an 8-cup souffle dish (7 1/2 inches in diameter and 3 1/4 inches deep) and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the hot milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, the cayenne, and nutmeg. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, until smooth and thick.
Off the heat, while still hot, whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in the Roquefort and the 1/4 cup of Parmesan and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Put the egg whites, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, on medium speed for 1 minute, then finally on high speed until they form firm, glossy peaks.
Whisk 1/4 of the egg whites into the cheese sauce to lighten and then fold in the rest. Pour into the souffle dish, then smooth the top. Draw a large circle on top with the spatula to help the souffle rise evenly, and place in the middle of the oven. Turn the temperature down to 375 degrees F. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (don't peek!) until puffed and brown. Serve immediately.

Vampire’s Morning Cocktail

Ingredients:

Orange juice
Pineapple Juice
Cranberry juice (the straight stuff)
Ginger Ale

Directions:

Fill a highball glass half full with a 50/50 mix of orange juice and pineapple juice.
Top the glass off with ginger ale.
Drip the cranberry juice down into the glass. It’s good for it to drip a bit on the glass for a more bloody effect.

Pear Bread and Breakfast Mummies

2009-10-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

My good friend Kerri has been raving about this banana bread that her friend, Kay, has been making and sharing with her. Kay finally shared the recipe with her, either to quiet her or to keep from having to make bread for her weekly, who knows. Anyway, now that Kerri has the recipe and is making it, all I hear is “MMMM this is so good”. I started to feel left out then Kerri shared the recipe with me and now you guys have to hear “MMMM this is so good” from me. I didn’t have any bananas so, Kerri and Kay, I changed your recipe a bit and it is still very yummy!

Banana Bread Adapted from a recipe from Kay who thinks she got it from ALLRecipes. I'll make all my changes in red so that you guys will have both recipes.
Ingredients:
1. 2 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1 teaspoon baking soda
3. 1/4 teaspoon salt
4. 1/2 cup butter
5. 3/4 cup brown sugar
6. 2 eggs, beaten
7. 2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas Cooked Pears
8. 2 Tbsp Butter
9. 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
10. 1C Chopped Pecans
11. ½ Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. Peal, core and slice pears.
3. Boil pears in the butter until they are tender.
4. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. I throw everything in at the same time and mix. To the mix I add the pecans, cinnamon and chocolate chips.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Breakfast Mummies

Ingredients:
1 can of Crescent rolls
Fully Cooked Breakfast Sausage Links

Directions:

Open and separate rolls.
Cut the dough in half length wise.
Cut a small piece off to cover the head.
Wrap the dough around the majority of the sausage. Leave the top section unwrapped.
Wrap the small piece around the top of the sausage leaving a small gap where eyes or a face would be.
Bake according to the package directions.
Mustard can be use to make small eyes.

Both of our boys celebrated their birthdays this week. Since their birthdays are only 3 days apart they usually have a combined birthday party at the park. This year they wanted to take a trip to Arkansas to visit the caves instead. Here is a picture of how we spent our weekend.

Stuffed Eggplant and Spooky Pancakes

2009-10-15T16:10:00.000-07:00

Stuffed Eggplant

Mini Eggplant
Onion
Garlic
Oregano
Breadcrumbs
Mozzarella Cheese
Sour Cream
Salt and Pepper

Directions

Cut Eggplant in half, lengthwise.
Scoop out the meat of the eggplant.
Salt the inside of the eggplant boats and let them rest.
Sauté the meat, onion and garlic until tender.
Add salt, pepper, oregano, and breadcrumbs and stir until heated and fully combined.
Add the cheese and sour cream stir and remove from the heat.
Wipe the inside of the boats dry with a paper towel and fill them with the meat mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees until the skin is tender.

Sunday Pancakes Turned Spooky

As you guys already know, my children celebrate Pancake Sunday each and every Sunday. This past Sunday my soon to be 5-year-old ate 8 pancakes and still wanted more.
That same little boy will be celebrating his birthday on the 16th of October. When I asked him what he wanted for his special dinner he said “ how about pancakes!”. So in honor of his birthday I’m sharing our pancakes with you guys.

Ingredients

½ c Whole Wheat Flour
½ c All- Purpose Flour
1 tbsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Baking soda
¼ tsp Salt
3 tbsp Sugar
1 Egg
3 tbsp oil
½ C Buttermilk
½ 2% Milk

Directions

Mix all ingredients together, don't over mixPour onto a hot skillet.
Flip them when they start to bubble.
The second side cooks much faster than the first.

Baked Spaghetti, Witch Fingers and Monster Teeth

2009-10-12T19:07:00.000-07:00

3 recipes 1 post

It’s been raining and cold here and this baked spaghetti was a great meal to warm us all up. It’s the ultimate comfort food, fast, easy, yummy! We had ours with a nice spinach salad and warm fresh homemade bread. Life is good!

INGREDIENTS
Adapted from All-recipes
· 12 ounces spaghetti
· 1 cup chopped onions
· 1 cup chopped green bell peppers
· 1 pound lean ground beef
· 1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes
· 1 (4.5 ounce) can mushrooms, drained
· 1 teaspoon dried oregano
· 2 cups shredded mild Cheddar cheese
· 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
· 1/4 cup water
· 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain, and set aside.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the onions, green peppers and ground beef. Once beef is brown and onions and peppers softened, add the tomatoes, mushrooms and oregano. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Place half of the cooked spaghetti into the prepared dish. Top with half of the meat mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the mild Cheddar cheese. Repeat. In a medium bowl, mix together cream of mushroom soup and water until smooth; pour over casserole. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Monster Teeth
These are a fast and easy snack to prepare for all the little monsters in your life. They always get a big smile.

Ingredients

Red Apples, any variety will do in fact green would be fun too.
Mini Marshmallows
Peanut Butter or almond butter

Directions

Core and section your apples
Spread peanut butter on one side of all the slices.
Stick 5 to 6 mini marshmallows on half of the apple slices.
Top with the other apple slices and serve.

Witch Fingers

I was not going to post these as they can be found all over the Internet and blogosphere but I’ve had too many people ask for the recipe and this is an easy way to mass distribute it.
A fun variation is to add a drop or two of green food coloring to the dough to give it a more sickly hue.

Witch Finger Cookie Recipe
Yield: 5 dozen
· 1 cup powdered sugar
· 1 cup Butter, softened
· 1 Egg
· 1 tsp Almond extract(I stopped using this)
· 1 tsp Vanilla extract
· 2 2/3 cups Flour
· 1 tsp Salt

· 3/4 cup whole Almonds, blanched

· 1 tube red decorating gel

· green food coloring

In a mixing bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg, almond extract and vanilla; beat in the flour, and salt. Add a couple drops of green food coloring to dough, until it has a light green tint. Divide the dough into four equal parts, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 325F. Take one quarter of dough at a time from the refrigerator. Break off one heaping teaspoonful and roll it into a finger shape, then press an almond firmly into one end for a nail. Squeeze in around the middle of the finger to create a knuckle shape. Using a butter knife, make indents in several places to resemble a finger. Repeat with rest of dough. Place cookies on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool three minutes. Gently lift up the almond; squeeze red decorating gel onto the nailbed and press the almond back in place, so gel oozes out from underneath. Remove cookies from baking sheets and let them cool on wire racks.

Cheddar Corn Chowder and Bagel Eyeballs

2009-10-08T11:39:00.000-07:00

It’s Barefoot Bloggers day. Jill, of My Next Life, selected today’s recipe. This recipe was fabulous and really hits the spot on cold and rainy days. It’s hard for my children to manage keeping soup on their spoons all the way to their little mouths so I made some fried Chicken breast strips to go with our soup. I was thinking that the kids could use the chowder as a dip. They ended up eating all their chicken then all their chowder. The thick consistency made it much easier for them to manage. Luckily, this recipe makes enough to feed a small army so we have tons in our freezer. I did make a few changes after reading some of the recipe reviews. I used less stock, no butter, more bacon, mashed the potatoes, added nutmeg and thyme. I would make this again exactly the way I did this time. Enjoy.

Ina’s Recipe Cheddar Corn Chowder
Ingredients
· 8 ounces bacon, chopped
· 1/4 cup good olive oil
· 6 cups chopped yellow onions (4 large onions)
· 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
· 1/2 cup flour
· 2 teaspoons kosher salt
· 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
· 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
· 12 cups chicken stock
· 6 cups medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (2 pounds)
· 10 cups corn kernels, fresh (10 ears) or frozen (3 pounds)
· 2 cups half-and-half
· 8 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

Directions
In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the bacon and olive oil until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and butter to the fat, and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.
Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn you can skip this step.) Add the corn to the soup, then add the half-and-half and cheddar. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a garnish of bacon.

Bagel Eyes
My family enjoys waking up to these eyes staring at them from their plates.

Ingredents:

Bagels
Cream Cheese
Black Olives
Gel or icing pens

Directions:

Toast the bagel.
Spread the cream cheese on top of the bagel.
Place an olive in the bagel hole.
Decorate the eye, detail with the gel/icing pens.

Loaded Baked Potato Casserole and Ghost Pears

2009-10-05T19:01:00.000-07:00

Loaded Baked Potato Casserole

I received a cookbook in the mail from Carnation and thought I’d share one of the recipes with you all. My gang loved it. This casserole would be great to take to a football game or other fun gathering. And like all great casseroles, you can make it ahead and then even freeze it.

Recipe adapted from Carnation.

Ingredients:
8 Medium potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes. I used baby red potatoes so that I would not have to peel them.
1 C Evaporated Milk. We like our mashed potatoes creamy so I added more milk.
½ C Sour Cream
1 tsp Kosher Salt
½ tsp Black Pepper
2 C Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
6 Slices of Bacon
6 Green Onions, chopped

Directions:
Boil potatoes until tender.
Drain the water from the potatoes; add milk, sour cream, salt and pepper and mash.
Stir ½ the cheese, ½ the bacon and ½ the onions.
Spread into a greased casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees or until heated through.
Top with the remaining cheese, bacon and onions and bake a few minutes more or until the cheese is melted.

Sweet Ghosts For Your Sweets
These take just a few minutes but they are always a big hit.

Ingredients:
6 pears
Craft Sticks or wood skewers cut in half
10-12 oz Almond Bark
Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Push the sticks into the top of the pears.
Melt almond bark in a glass-measuring cup.
Hold the pears by the stick and roll them in the melted almond bark.
Let cool slightly and place the chocolate chips on the coated pear for eyes.
Place in the refrigerator for a few minutes to set.

Chimichurri Salsa and Witches Kiss

2009-10-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

Happy October!

This month I’m going to follow each of my regular posts with a Halloween treat. They are all very easy and fun to share. Please take a minute and tell me if you would like me to continue sharing our holiday treats as we head into November and December.

Chimichurri Salsa

I use this salsa on everything! It’s great on pizza, sandwiches, pasta, rice, chicken, steak, in meatballs, stuffed shells, chips or even right off the spoon. I’ve taken to making it weekly and if you can’t guess, I love it! It only takes about 5 minutes to make.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of parsley, stems and all
White Wine Vinegar
Garlic, about 5 or 6 cloves per parsley bunch
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Wash parsley and drop into the food processor.
Peel the garlic and drop into with the parsley. The garlic peeling is the hardest part of this process.
Add vinegar oil salt and pepper and process until the parsley is fully chopped.
I’ve tried to measure the oil and vinegar but it’s one of those taste and add kind of recipes. If I’m not wowed I add more vinegar salt and pepper and try again until I get it where I like it.

Witches Kiss

This is a recipe that was left for me by the witch. She left it on really fun crumpled up paper that was burned on the edges. She asked that I keep her recipe a secret BUT I don’t think you’ll tell her I shared it with you.

Ingredients:

Coke
Heavy Whipping Cream

Direction:

Pour the coke into a glass and top with the heavy cream.
Don’t stir!
Allow it to sit a few minutes and the cream with separate from the soda creating a spooky effect.

Baked Ricotta

2009-10-01T08:28:00.000-07:00

It time for me to post my blogger find of the month. This find is actually one that I came across a few months ago and LOVE. It’s so simple and so yummy! I found this recipe at Taste With The Eyes, home of amazing chief, photographer and blogger Lori Lynn. Please go visit her, you’ll instantly want to stay for dinner.

I’m going to post the link to Lori’s site and to the recipe so you all can go check them out. Mine was yummy but not as beautiful as hers.

Taste With The Eyes Super Summer Soiree

Sunday Suppers at Lucques By Suzanne Goin's. Recipe excerpt at Amazon.

Beatty's Chocolate Cake

2009-09-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

I’m finally back. Still nursing a slight headache but the Barefoot Bloggers recipe that I missed is helping me get back on track. You know chocolate therapy! This last recipe of the month was picked by Mary of Passionate Perseverance. Mary chose Beatty’s Chocolate Cake which can be found in Barefoot Contessa at Home or at the bottom of this post. This cake is out of this world. It will now be my go to chocolate cake recipe. My one and only complaint is that the espresso was a bit too much. I will reduce the amount next time but definitely keep it in. The comment to the side of the cookbook recipe states to make sure you use two 8 inch by 2 inch cake pans or the batter will run over. I used three 9 inch pans and I was very happy with the appearance of the cake and had no oven fires to put out. Yummy cake! Thank you Mary for choosing this recipe. Don’t know what Barefoot Bloggers are? Click here Barefoot Bloggers.

Ina’s Recipe:

Ingredients

Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Directions

Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Frosting:

6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut)

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

OOPS

2009-09-24T04:10:00.000-07:00

Hey All,
I'm missing the Barefoot Bloggers post today. I spent most of the evening in the ER(Ocular Migraine) and was left with no time or desire to bake. I'll post again Friday or Saturday.

Happy Cooking!

Zucchini Rice Casserole

2009-09-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid my mom made only one casserole, which I still remember. She continues to make it and so do I. It’s always a hit and always yummy. There is a bit of prep work but with our modern kitchen conveniences it makes short work of it. This casserole is my go to meal whenever I want to bring a meal to someone, as we did this week for our sweet neighbor who had her second baby a few weeks ago. I make this because I can leave it unbaked and then the family can either bake it then or freeze it to eat later. The recipe comes from my mom’s 1974 Southern living Casseroles Cookbook. I’ll give my adapted version that is 35 years in the making. OH, and by the way I remember her telling us she was making this for the first time. She had a small mutiny on her hands…until we all tasted it.

Zucchini Rice Casserole

Adapted from Southern Livings Casseroles Cookbook.

Circa 1974

Ingredients:

This will make two casseroles. So if you don’t want to give or freeze one then cut the recipe in half.

3 C cooked rice
2 Lbs. Ground beef, I’ve used ground turkey and it tastes the same.
1 onion
Lots of Oregano, I use fresh.
Salt/Pepper
6 large zucchini, sliced
2 large tubs or large curd cottage cheese
4 Cans of cream of mushroom soup
Breadcrumbs

Directions:

Cook rice. I actually cook mine in the microwave so that I can reduce my amount of prep time.
While the rice is cooking brown the beef with the onion and oregano and set-aside until the rice if done cooking.

Wash, cut and cook the zucchini. Leave it a bit al dente as it will bake again and you don’t want it mushy. Again, I use the microwave to do this step.
While the zucchini is cooking mix the beef and rice together. I just dump the rice into the cooling pan with the beef.

After the zucchini is cooked it's time to start layering the casserole.

Here is the order:

½ of the zucchini
Rice/beef mixture
Cottage cheese
Zucchini
Cream of mushroom soup
Breadcrumbs

Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes.

Time to eat! YUM!

Eggplant Dip

2009-09-17T05:16:00.000-07:00

Here is a recipe for a fast, easy and basically healthy dip. Well that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I love to have this dip on my sandwiches, pizza, veggies and of course with chips.

Ingredients:

Eggplant

Onion

Garlic

Olive Oil

Paprika

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

Slice eggplant into rounds salt one side and let it rest for 10 minute.

Flip the rounds onto a paper towel and repeat the salting process on this side.

Flip and pat the eggplant dry.

Sauté the eggplant until just barely tender.

Sauté the onion until caramelized.

Add the garlic and cook it with the onion for the last few minutes.

Put everything into your food processor and pulse until it reaches a smooth, even, almost creamy consistency.

Add salt pepper and paprika to taste and pulse to combine.

Marshmallow Muffins

2009-09-14T15:46:00.000-07:00

Today a friend of ours is celebrating the birthday of her son, James, who died at birth. James touched the lives of his family very deeply and they are forever changed. James taught his family to remember how precious life is and enjoy each and every moment of it. James has also touched me. I can’t stop thinking about him and how wonderful it is that he is giving the gift of inspiration and endless love to so many. Many people live for decades and never touch anyone the way James has. I am inspired by him and by the strength and grace of his family.

As I spend my day thinking about them. I wonder what balloons his brothers and sister will pick to give to him today and I wish that I could find some small way to let his mom know that I’m thinking about them. The only thing that I could come up with is to bake a small treat for them. I will see his mom at the gym in the morning and I don’t want to burden her with refrigeration or a big messy cake so I’m going with Marshmallow Muffins. They can be packaged neatly and transported without a mess.

With that I leave you with this recipe and a BIG Happy Birthday James!

Marshmallow Muffins

From “Chocolate” cookbook

Ingredients:

5 tbsp Butter
2 Cups All-purpose Flour
6 tbsp unsweetened Cocoa
3 tsp Baking Powder
6 tbsp Sugar
1/ C Milk Chocolate Chips
¼ C mini Marshmallows
1 egg, Beaten
1 ¼ c Milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line a 12-cup muffin pan with papers.
Melt Butter in a saucepan, I use the microwave.
Sift flour, cocoa, and baking powder together in a large bowl.
Stir in sugar, chocolate chips and marshmallows until thoroughly mixed.
Whisk the egg; milk and melted butter together in a separate bowl then gently stir into the flour to form a stiff batter.
Divide the batter evenly among the lined muffin tin.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until well risen.
Cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan then allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.

Birthday Cake Ina Style

2009-09-10T03:55:00.000-07:00

It’s Barefoot Bloggers time. Barefoot Bloggers are a community of bloggers that get together twice monthly to make, eat and post about Ina Graten’s recipes. Today’s recipe was chosen by Susy of Everyday Gourmet. Susy chose Birthday Sheet Cake. Happy Birthday to Susy, who will be celebrating a birthday this month.

I followed the recipe to the letter with the exception of halving it. We will be celebrating my husband’s birthday on Sunday and frankly it’s just too much cake for me. Can you hear the sound of the button on my pants popping? If not, have no fear you’ll get to hear yours after you eat this cake. Holy Smokey's the calories in this cake are outrageous. It is yummy and chocolaty so if you put in an extra day at the gym treat yourself to this cake.

Oh and it’s messy!

Here is Ina’s recipe.

Ingredients

For the cake:nocoupons

18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
8 ounces (about 1 cup) sour cream, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 lemon, zested
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

For the frosting:nocoupons

24 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Chocolate candies for decorating (recommended: M&M's)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 12 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.

To make the cake, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then the sour cream, vanilla, and lemon zest, scraping

down the bowl as needed. Mix well. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir just until smooth. Finish mixing by hand to be sure the batter is well mixed. Pour evenly into the pan, smooth the top with a spatula, and bake in the center of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan to room temperature.

For the frosting, place the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chips are completely melted. Off the heat, add the corn syrup and vanilla and allow the chocolate mixture to cool to room temperature. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the chocolate mixture and softened butter on medium speed for a few minutes, until it's thickened.

Spread the frosting evenly on the cake. Have the children decorate the cake with chocolate candies.

Leftovers Lasagna?

2009-09-08T13:26:00.000-07:00

After a small impromptu BBQ this weekend we found ourselves with too many leftovers. With some of the leftover corn on the cob we made delicious lasagna. It took almost no time to cook and was such a great way to change up the leftovers.

Ingredients:

Grilled Corn on the Cob, removed from cob

Ricotta cheese

Mozzarella Cheese

Onion

Spinach

Lasagna noodles, cooked until slightly tender

Sweet Italian Sausage

Salt/pepper

1 egg

1 can of chopped tomatoes

Fresh Parsley

Directions:

Combine Corn, onion and salt and pepper and allow to sit for at least an hour in the refrigerator.

Sauté onions and sausage until the sausage is no longer pink. Add the tomatoes and parsley, simmer until the pasta is ready.

Mix ricotta, egg, mozzarella, salt and pepper until combined.

Layer in casserole dish as follows. Pasta, corn mix, cheese mix then another layer of pasta. Repeat this process until the cheese and corn are all in the dish. Then layer spinach and mozzarella cheese topping with the sausage tomato mix.

Bake at 350 for about 45 mins.

Let it rest for about 10 mins then serve.

Awards and Curly Ribbon

2009-09-06T19:22:00.000-07:00

I’m working on some house cleaning today. It’s a busy, long weekend for us. I know this is a lengthy post but I’ll do my best to be as brief as possible. There is also a silly recipe at the end of the awards. I’ll be back Tuesday with a regular food post.

Let me start by telling all of you thank you. Blogging has been fun for me and I have learned a lot from all of you. I check all the blogs on my blog list on a regular basis and I have fed many of your dishes to my family and friends. Please check out all of the blogs listed today. I know you will find something you like and want to make.

The MEME award below comes from Sweet and Savory Says it All. This award requires that you list seven personality traits about yourself then pass it on to seven bloggers.

1) Athletic- I like to stay active and I participate in many different types of sports. Athletics also keeps me from gaining too much weigh after eating all of your wonderful dishes.

2) Over committed- I have a tendency to sign up to do way too many activities. This month I joined the PTA, became room mom for two of my three children and signed up to plan and organize the Christmas play for my son and daughter. Remember, that is just this month.

3) Organized-When you are over committed you have to have a plan. If you visit my kitchen you will find that I keep three calendars up so that I can quickly see events that have already been scheduled.

4) Fair- My dad always told me as a kid “life is not fair” I’m still working to prove him wrong.

5) Sunny- I love warm, sunny weather, being on or in the ocean and my favorite color is yellow.

6) Adventurous- There are many things that I’ve never done before or eaten before but I’m always willing to try at least once.

7) Thinker- I have a tendency to over think and over analyze life.

Bloggers

1)Adventures with the Woods.

2)Plum Bush Cottage

3)Happy Tummy

4)Life's Ambrosia

5)Cooking, Dunkin Style

6)Surfing the World Cuisine

7)Reservations Not Required

The Kreative Blogger award is from Journey of an Italian Cook. This award asks that I list seven random things about myself and then pass it on to seven bloggers.

1) I live in Texas.

2) I grew up in Florida.

3) I have duel citizenship.

4) I once ate a whole large pizza and an entire batch of uncooked cookie dough in the same day.

5) Clutter makes me crazy.

6) I love to bleach the bathrooms.

7) I eat chocolate everyday.

Bloggers

1)Ruby Mountain Beads

2)Small kitchen Big Ideas

3)Rubber Slippers In Italy

4)Tide and Thyme (dot) com

5) Munch + Nibble

6)A Southern Grace

7)Italialicious

The next award, One Lovely Blog award, comes from Latest Addictions and Simple Recipes. For this one I must pass it on to 15 other bloggers that I have recently discovered.

1)Zoe

2)Slim Shoppin

3)Chaya's Comfy Cook Blog

4)Chow and Chatter

5)Tomatoes on the Vine

7)Nourish

11)A Nyonya's Kitchen...for all seasons

12)Food Gourmand

13)Chocorang

14)The Food Addicts

15)Are You Hungry? Mom's cooking...come n' eat

Thank you to the four of you that passed these awards onto me. It’s always nice to be recognized by other bloggers.

Now for a silly recipe:

Curly Ribbon Hair Barrettes (not to be eaten)

This recipe comes from my good friend over at Ruby Mountain Beads. Go check her out. You’ll like what you find. I know I did!

Ingredients:

Grosgrain ribbon
¼ dowel rod
paper clip or clothes pins. Just something that won’t burn and will hold the ribbon in place.
Spray starch
Barrettes
Hot Glue Gun and Glue.
One little girl that likes to accessorize.

Directions:

Wrap the ribbon around the dowel rod. Careful not to overlap it.
Secure with clothes pins or paper clips.
Saturate with spray starch.
Bake at 275 for 25 mins.
Cool and remove the ribbon from the rods.
Cut to desired length.
Tie and glue to barrette.

Meatballs, Green Beans and Mushroom with Spaghetti

2009-09-04T10:03:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had one of those nights where cooking was more of a chore than a joy. Well Last night started that way for me. My husband was working late (again), the kids were well GRUMPY and the grocery fairy was a no show (again).

I had a pound of ground beef thawed out, no plan and no real desire for anything. My first thought was to go with my dad’s old stand by recipe, gruel. Gruel is ground beef mixed with cream of mushroom soup served over mashed potatoes or rice. Gruel was a favorite of mine as a kid and my kids like it but it seems so heavy and it’s 100 degrees here in Texas. So here is what we ended up having.

Ingredients:

1lb Ground beef
Basil Pesto
Salt/pepper
Garlic
½ a Red Onion, chopped
Fresh Green Beans
Fresh Baby Bellas, sliced
Edam Cheese for topping
1 lb Whole wheat spaghetti

Directions:

Boil salted for the pasta. Add Pasta when the water boils.
Mix the beef and pesto in a bowl and roll into mini meatball. I ended up with about 20 meatballs.
Brown the meatballs in a splash of olive oil.
Add the onion, green beans and mushrooms then simmer over low heat, cover until the pasta is al dente.
Drain the pasta and mix with the meatball veggie mixture.
Grate the cheese on top and serve.

My 6-year-old had three helpings and I had very little clean up. A 20-minute meal and one happy family.

Pizza

2009-09-02T16:29:00.000-07:00

I’m finally posting my Barefoot Bloggers recipe from last week. I love, love, love the recipe that was chosen for last weeks challenge. I know your saying to yourself “ if she loves it so much then why didn’t she post on time?” well, good question. We make this recipe at least once a week and sometimes the kids want it so much that we’ll have it more than once. The recipe is for Pizza. That’s right. How simple? Pizza. This recipe was picked by Andrea of Nummy Kitchen. The recipe is White Pizza with Arugula and it can be found in Back to Basics on page 82. For those of you who have not seen the posts “around town” Barefoot Bloggers are a community of bloggers that make and post reviews of Ina Garten recipes twice monthly. Now back to the pizza.

What I love about this recipe is the dough. Each and every time I make this recipe the dough turns out perfect. I have made the dough with all-purpose flour, Whole-wheat flour and ½ all-purpose ½ whole-wheat. No matter what you choose this is a very good and very easy dough recipe. Ina suggests to make a garlic/pepper infused oil to spread on the dough. I agree the oil makes the difference between a good pizza and a great pizza. Again, we play with different flavors for the oil. Sometime rosemary/garlic, sometime pepper/garlic and other times just garlic. Have fun with the flavors of the dough and the oil. The only other change we made to her recipe is to grill it. If you have never grilled a pizza, DO!

There is nothing better than grilled pizza. OH and I almost forgot. This pizza dough is a great way to use up leftovers or things that need to be used in your refrigerator. Again, HAVE FUN!

Finally, unfortunately I don’t have a picture of our arugula pizza but the lemon with the Fontina cheese is so very summery and refreshing.

Ina’s recipe:

Ingredients

For the dough:nocoupons

1 1/4 cups warm (100 to 110) water
2 packages dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey
Good olive oil
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
Kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, sliced
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

For the topping:nocoupons

3 cups grated Italian fontina cheese (8 ounces)
1 1/2 cups grated fresh mozzarella cheese (7 ounces)
11 ounces creamy goat cheese, such as montrachet, crumbled

For the vinaigrette:nocoupons

1/2 cup good olive oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces baby arugula
1 lemon, sliced

Directions

Mix the dough.

Combine the water, yeast, honey and 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. When the yeast is dissolved, add 3 cups of flour, then 2 teaspoons salt, and mix on medium-low speed. While mixing, add up to 1 more cup of flour, or just enough to make a soft dough. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with the flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to the bowl.

Knead by hand.

When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead it by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic.

Let it rise.

Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Make garlic oil.

Place 1/2 cup of olive oil, the garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook for 10 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn't burn. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. (Be sure your oven is clean!)

Portion the dough.

Dump the dough onto a board and divide it into 6 equal pieces. Place the dough on sheet pans lined with parchment paper and cover them with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

Stretch the dough.

Press and stretch each ball into an 8-inch circle and place 2 circles on each sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (If you've chilled the dough, take it out of the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes ahead to let it come to room temperature.)

Top the dough.

Brush the pizzas with the garlic oil, and sprinkle each one liberally with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the pizzas evenly with fontina, mozzarella and goat cheese. Drizzle each pizza with 1 tablespoon more of the garlic oil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the crusts are crisp and the cheeses begin to brown.

Make the vinaigrette.

Meanwhile, whisk together 1/2 cup of olive oil, the lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Add the greens.

When the pizzas are done, place the arugula in a large bowl and toss with just enough lemon vinaigrette to moisten. Place a large bunch of arugula on each pizza and a slice of lemon and serve immediately.

TIP: Make sure the bowl is warm before you put the water and yeast in; the water must be warm for the yeast to develop.

TIP: Salt inhibits the growth of yeast; add half the flour, then the salt, and then the rest of the flour.

TIP: To make sure yeast is still "alive," or active, put it in water and allow it to sit for a few minutes. If it becomes creamy or foamy, it's active.

Blogger Finds: S'mores Cookies and Chocolate Chiffon Cupcakes

2009-08-31T13:10:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Chiffon Mini Cupcakes

S'mores Cookies

Are you guys like me, wondering where the month went? Before I know it I’ll be making stews, Halloween treats, cooking a turkey and planning for Christmas dinner. I also forgot to post the Barefoot Bloggers recipe last Thursday so this Thursday I’ll play catch up and post

my version of Ina’s pizza. I also have 4 awards/tags that I need to address so I’ll do that on Sunday. Right now I want to take time to pay tribute to other food bloggers out there that are working, creating and sharing their wonderful recipes for the rest of us to try. I am always so amazed and humbled by all the recipes that you guys create.

The first recipe comes from Baked Perfection. She has an amazing blog that is always fun to look at and inspiring. The recipe is for S’mores Cookies. She baked these cookies way back in May and since then I have seen them pop up everywhere. After seeing them again two weeks in a row I finally broke down and made them. I have been reluctant because I’m not much of a S’mores fan. I like my chocolate straight up. Anyway, the cookies are so beautiful that I just couldn’t hold out any longer. Well, I will say that they were not as easy to make as she made them look. She is a gifted baker. I found that there was a learning curve to baking these cookies. It could be me or it could be the Texas heat, who knows. I found if I placed the chocolate and marshmallows on after baking instead of during then they looked very pretty. When I was finished and tasted them I thought, “OH NO, they taste like a S’mores”. Very sweet and too much mixed with my chocolate but I think that’s the idea of these cookies. When my 4-year-old tasted the cookies all we could hear were the groans of satisfaction. I think that these are a bit more work than the average cookie but I WILL be making them again for my sweet little guy.

Oh and check out the picture below to see what my daughter was doing to these cookies.

As seen at Baked Perfection

S'mores Cookies
adapted from Make and Bake

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 dash of cinnamon

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups miniature chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
2 Hershey bars, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, salt, and dash of cinnamon. In a second larger bowl beat together the butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Slowl

y beat in the flour mixture until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 8 minutes, and remove from the oven. Push 3 to 4 marshmallows and a few pieces of Hershey bar into each cookies. Return to the oven and bake an additional 3-4 minutes until fully cooked. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies.

The second recipe comes from my new friend at Simple Recipes.

She has such a great blog. Her step-by-step pictures are so incredibly helpful. She needs to collaborate with some of the cookbook publishers and show them how it’s done. I’m not sure my cupcakes would have been so yummy without all her helpful pictures. OK, so her recipe is for Chocolate Chiffon mini cupcakes. I make mini cupcakes almost weekly and was very excited to make her cute, little, chocolate cupcakes. The first day of first grade was a great opportunity to make them and to celebrate the accomplishment of my son. I topped them just as she did with Marshmallow and I’m so glad I did. The cupcakes themselves are so light that the marshmallow added that little bit of sweet that makes them a special treat. I only iced half of them thinking that it would be too much and now I wish I had iced them all. Make them! They are cute, simple and yummy!

Oh and wouldn’t they be great for a shower or party?

As seem at Simple Recipes

CHOCOLATE CHIFFON MINI CUPCAKES

Ingredients:
4 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 tablespoon chocolate powder
6 tablespoon sugar, divided into half
¼ teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tablespoon water
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 325F, Sift flour, chocolate powder, baking powder and salt into a small bowl. Separate the eggs carefully. Add the cream of tart to the egg whites and mix using a clean and dry beater until stiff, add the other half sugar and continue to beat until flip upside down it does not fall.
Add the oil to the egg yolk and beat until the color is a pale yellow, add the other half sugar and continue to beat. Add the water and the vanilla extract, beat until well mixed. Add the dry ingredients and beat for more approximately 2 minutes.
Gently fold the egg whites to the batter using a spatula, make sure that you mix very gently. Pour the batter to the cupcake forms and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
Frost the mini cupcakes with ready made marshmallow and garnish with cherry.
Makes 24 mini cupcakes.

Oatmeal Cookies PINK??

2009-08-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

Calling all foodies.

Today after school the kids and I took to inventing a PINK version of oatmeal cookies. We start with the basic oatmeal cookie recipe, one that I have used plenty of times, then change it up a bit. We used whole-wheat flour, added strawberry jam and raisins to the cookie dough. The dough looked perfect and our sample of the uncooked dough was yummy, though the kids are sure they’ll get worms if they eat uncooked dough again.

I was very excited about putting them in the oven. The 11 minutes of baking time seemed like 10 years to the four of us. Finally, the timer went off. Kids were jumping, yelling and dancing.

When I opened the oven door the cookies were NOT done and not even close. They did finally finish and they are yummy. So, why should you care?? Well I need your help. WHY ARE MY COOKIES SO DARN FLAT? Is it the flour, the jam or both? Do you know? All of my ingredients were fresh. Help?

Ingredients

2 ½ C Oats
1 ½ C Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Salt
1 C Butter
2/3 C Packed Light Brown Sugar
2/3 C Packed Dark Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
½ C Strawberry Jam

Mixed then baked at 325 degrees for 15 minutes or so.

Pasta salad with Fava Beans

2009-08-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

I love to cook and I love to have my children in the kitchen with me. Having time and something entertaining enough to keep the kids from making me crazy can be a challenge. The other day my son and I made a pasta salad with Fava beans, which worked out well for a rushed weeknight meal. I love the cumin/mint combination. After the pasta had marinated overnight, my 4 year old and I made chicken nuggets while my 6 and 2 year old worked on a salad. My 4 year old was so impressed that his mom could teach him how to make chicken nuggets. I hope I’m his hero for the rest of his life or at least the rest of the week. Having the yummy pasta ready gave me time to invest in my children.

Pasta salad with Fava Beans

Ingredients:

1 lb Acini Di Pepe Pasta
Fava Beans (hulled, boil and skins peeled)
Cumin
Fresh Mint (chopped)
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil
Sherry Vinegar

Directions:

Cook the pasta, combine all the ingredients and chill in the refrigerator overnight.

OH! My Best Friend stop over today.

She gave us this special treat to make our weekly celebration of Pancake Sunday a bit easier and funner!

Thank you and you know we love you! Remember that always(especially as you see this and your picture)!

Spaghetti with Two Tomatoes and Shrimp

2009-08-16T09:47:00.000-07:00

Here is a fast, easy and low-heat meal that is quick enough to be a weeknight meal and pretty enough to be a Sunday dinner.

The pesto can be frozen and used again with just about any pastas, meat or bread. I love this tossed with shrimp but it’s also good alone. Perfect for summer nights when you don’t want to heat up the kitchen.

Recipe adapted from “La Cucina Italiana”

Ingredients

1 C Sun-dried tomatoes, drained
½ C Olive oil
1 tsp Capers, rinsed, soaked and rinsed again
2 C Cherry tomatoes
3 Tbls grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 Tbls chives, chopped
1 lb shrimp
1lb Spaghetti

Directions for Pesto

Puree sun-dried tomatoes, oil and capers until well combined.
Add cherry tomatoes and puree again until smooth.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of water if necessary.
Transfer pesto to a large serving bowl; stir in cheese and chives

Directions for Shrimp

Peel and devein.
Grill for a few minutes until pink.

Directions for Spaghetti

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil.
Add pasta and cook until al dente.
Drain and toss with pesto and grilled shrimp.
Garnish with chives and Parmigiano cheese.

Mango Banana Daiquiris

2009-08-13T06:12:00.000-07:00

Today is Barefoot Blogger day. Barefoot Bloggers are a community of bloggers that twice-monthly make, taste and post Ina Garten recipes. Veronica of Supermarket Serenade selected the first recipe of the month, mango banana daiquiris. I was very excited when I saw this month’s selection and could not wait to make these. Being born and raised in Florida, mangos are a favorite fruit of mine. Not only do they taste super great right out of the yard but they also combine with just about any other food AND they are a great way to entertain bored children. I would love to explain how they would keep us entertained but my mom might read this. Anyway, I’m going on record saying that these were a bit too much for my taste. I love the taste of the fruit combination and I agree with Ina that the lime really kicks up the fruit taste but I think that these would be better as a smoothie or even ice cream combination. They are just to heavy to be a refreshing cocktail that I would long to have while lying by the pool or on the beach. These were fun to try and my husband enjoyed them and I’m inspired to make this into ice cream.

Mango Banana Daiquiris

From Barefoot Contessa’s “Back to Basics” cookbook

Ingredients:

2 Ripe Mangos, chopped
1 Ripe Banana, chopped
½ C freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ C Sugar Syrup
1 ¼ C Dark Rum
2 C Ice

Direction:

Place the mango, banana, lime juice, sugar syrup and rum in a blender and process until smooth. Add 2 Cups of ice and process again until smooth and thick. Serve ice-cold in highball glasses with mango slices.

Tip: Some people are allergic to mango. I have found that if you peal the mango under running water you will not get a rash running up your forearms.

Farro and Herb Pilaf with Sausage, Mushrooms and Spinach

2009-08-11T07:03:00.000-07:00

Swimming this summer also gave me a kick-start to my health program. I was one of those people who said that I eat healthy and exercise but still can’t drop the extra 10 pounds. With the idea of hundreds of people seeing me weekly in my bathing suit, and my iPhone “Lose it” application, came the awareness that I could eat better. I could get more nutrients for the same or fewer calories. Farro wheat is one that I have added to my regular meal rotation. It has a great earthy taste and is packed with nutrients. Farro is just as easy to prepare as rice or pasta and can be added to many different meals just as with rice or pasta. If you have not cooked with Farro, please give it a try. Try this meal. It’s fast, easy, yummy and packed with great stuff for your body.

Recipe adapted from Whole Foods Markets.

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups farro
3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 links sweet Italian pork sausage, removed from casings

1 cup chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 cups baby bella mushrooms, halved
2 cups packed baby spinach
Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped oregano

Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add farro and cook, stirring often, until fragrant and toasted, 4 to 5 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed and farro is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking it up into small chunks with a spatula, until almost cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, toss well and cook, stirring occasionally, until just softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove skillet from the heat and stir in spinach until wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir parsley, oregano, salt and pepper into pot with farro. Spoon onto plates. Top with sausage-mushroom mixture and serve.

Whole-Wheat Pasta with Fava Beans and Tomatoes and some Root Beer!

2009-08-07T06:14:00.000-07:00

What to do when you spend three and half hours of your afternoon at the dentist with three hungry and grumpy children? Macaroni and cheese, pizza, a drive through or sacrifice the Fava beans you have been saving for a special and yummy meal? Now, I love my children but I spent too much money and time on my Fava beans to just waste them on grumpy kids. Oh how I wish I took my mom’s advice and ate them one by one when everyone was sleeping. I know the cost and labor that went into each and every bean. I could appreciate and savor every bit. BUT, like all good and lazy moms I made a quick dinner and shared them with my family. Dinner was very good although not the dinner I had planned in my head.

Whole-wheat pasta with Fava Beans and Tomatoes.

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat pasta
Fresh Fava Beans
Tomatoes, chopped (canned or fresh)
Basil Pesto
Paprika
Cumin

Directions:

Cook pasta until al dente.
Simmer bean, tomatoes and spices together.
Combine pasta and bean mix.
Sprinkle with fresh grated cheese.

Yesterday was also National Root Beer Day so, following the lead of Tina from Mommy’s Kitchen, I made homemade root beer. We have made root beer many times but never as easy as Tina described. As soon as I read her recipe I made a batch of my own. I have to tell you I was a bit concerned that the root beer didn’t need to ferment in the closet for 3-5 days as I’m accustomed to. After dinner I pulled my root beer mix out of the refrigerator, added the water AND the taste test results…YUM. I will replace our recipe with hers and enjoy root beer more often. Thanks Tina and Happy belated Root Beer Day to everyone!

As Seen at Mommy’s Kitchen.

Homemade Root Beer

1 1/2 - cups water

3/4 - cup sugar
1 1/2 - teaspoons root beer concentrate
1 - bottle (1 liter size) cold soda water, seltzer or club soda

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in sugar until dissolved. Add concentrate; stir until well mixed. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Slowly pour soda into root beer mixture until well blended. I used seltzer. Makes 6 cups.

No Bake Chocolate Raspberry Cream Pie!

2009-08-04T06:34:00.000-07:00

While going through my growing stack of cooking magazine I found this recipe. I love this recipe because it is fast, easy and no heating up the kitchen. This pie turns out beautiful and tastes great. I don’t think anyone would ever know that you spent lest than 15 minutes making this. It would be super cute to serve on or around Valentines Day.

No-Bake Chocolate Raspberry Cream Pie

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit.

Ingredients:

7 oz Chocolate Wafer Cookies
½ C Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
6 Tbls Butter
¼ C Sugar
14 oz Sweetened Condensed Milk
¼ C Crème Fraiche
¼ C Fresh Lemon Juice
1 tsp Lemon Zest
2 ½ (2 6oz) Fresh Raspberries

Directions:

Place cookies in processor and grind into fine crumbs.
Melt, in microwave, chocolate chips and butter.
Add butter chocolate melt to cookie crumbs and blend.
Press (not to firm) the cookie mix into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan.
Whisk milk, crème fraiche, lemon juice and lemon peel in mixer.
Add in ½ the raspberries and mix until slightly pink and raspberries begin to fall apart.
Transfer filling to crust.
Chill until set, about 2 hours.

Fun Fact:

The lemon juice reacts with the other ingredients causing the pie to thicken.

Easy Wine Coolers!

2009-08-01T18:29:00.000-07:00

Looking for a nice way to enjoy a glass of red wine on a hot summer day? Try a wine cooler. I know what you are thinking, and no, there is no Boone’s farm in these.

Ingredients:

Bottle of nice red wine (I like Italian or Spanish)
Sparkling water (I use Pellegrino)
Simple syrup (equal parts of sugar and water boiled until the sugar dissolves)
Ice

Directions:

Invite your Favorite friend over for dinner or just to chat.
Pour chilled simple syrup into the bottom of your wine glasses
Pour the sparking water into the wine glass until it’s about half full.
Fill the rest of the glass with wine
Add a few cubes of ice and enjoy.
Finish your glass and repeat.

Blogger Finds: Fudgy Brownie Cookies

2009-07-30T16:20:00.000-07:00

Blogger Finds is back. When I started my blog I would end each month paying tribute to other bloggers and their recipes. Now that I’m back on track I’m back with my Blogger Finds. I found this recipe a few months ago but without a camera I could not do these cookies justice. For chocolate lovers like me this recipe is a keeper. It does use a box brownie mix and that can be a pain since I don’t normally have one on hand.
Anyway, these cookies were found at Life's Ambrosia. Des has a wonderful blog, great pictures and she up-dates often. Check her out.

Here is the copy of the recipe as seen on Life's Ambrosia. The only change that I make is to use whole-wheat flour. The chocolate in these is so worth all the extra calories.
Join me and go out and get a box of brownie mix and get baking!

Even Stretch can't keep away from these cookies!

Fudgy Brownie Cookies
Makes 20-30 cookies

You will need:
· 1 package fudge brownie mix (I used Duncan Hines)
· 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
· 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
· 2 eggs
· 1 stick butter, melted, cooled
· 2-3 tablespoons cold water
· 1 cup dark chocolate chunks (I found of bag of dark chocolate chunks but if you can’t just chop a dark chocolate bar into chunks)

1. Whisk together flour, brownie mix and brown sugar.
2. Using a heavy spoon, stir in eggs one at a time. Followed by butter and 2 tablespoons water. If the batter appears like there is too much flour add 1 more tablespoon of water. Batter will be very thick.
3. Fold in chocolate chunks
4. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Grease a cookie sheet.
7. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough on the cookie sheet, you want pretty thick cookies here to get the brownie feel, about 3 inches apart. Press down slightly. Don’t flatten completely. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
8. Remove from oven; allow to cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

Better late than never Peach and Blueberry Crumbles

2009-07-27T20:04:00.000-07:00

We spent the last week in Florida and therefore missed making and posting the Barefoot Bloggers recipe. This recipe was chosen by Aggie of Aggie’s Kitchen.

Seeing and reading all the wonderful posts was bitter sweet. It made me long for some of my own to eat but I also learned to made extra crumble. So, we arrived back home last night and I made the crumbles today and I DID DOUBLE the crumble. It all worked out so perfect. It was rainy and not over 100 degrees out. My 4 year-old is still on a peach high after eating a few pieces of peach pie that my cousin made us for dinner Saturday night.

Anyway, the crumbles are very very good. They are also easy and quick to make. While it’s still peach and blueberry season make these. Oh! For those who don’t know, Barefoot Bloggers are a community of bloggers that twice monthly make and post about two of Ina Garten recipes.

Peach & Blueberry Crumbles

Which can be found in Barefoot Contessa at Home on pages 197-198

This recipe is not available on the FoodNetwork website:

For the fruit

2 lbs firm, ripe peaches (6-8 peaches)
2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (I used a lot more lemon)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (whole wheat flour)
1 cup fresh blueberries (1/2 pint) (doubled this)

For the Crumble (I doubled this)

1 cup all-purpose flour (Whole wheat flour)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 lb (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Immerse the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until their skins peel off easily. Place them immediately in cold water. Peel the peaches, slice them into thick wedges, and place them in a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and flour. Toss well. Gently mix in the blueberries. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Spoon the mixture into ramekins or custard cups.
For the topping, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until it’s in big crumbles, then sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Place the ramekins on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and back for 40 to 45 minutes, until the tops are browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature. If you want to make these early, store the unbaked crumbles in the refrigerator and bake before dinner. Serves 5 to 6.

A few pictures from our vacation in FL.

The kids, Aunt Marianne and me at LSU visiting Mike the tiger.

The kids on the beach in FL.

The bridge I spent a few miles a day running up.

Sour Cream Mini- Chip Cookies

2009-07-22T17:35:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to share these for sometime but was not able to because our computer crashed and took all my pictures with it. Last month I was able to get all my files off and now I can share.

Enjoy!

Sour Cream Mini Chip Cookies
Recipe Adapted from "A Baker's Field Guide To Chocolate Cookies"

Ingredients:

2 C All-purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 C Butter
1 C Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Large Eggs
1/2 C Sour Cream
2/3 C Mini Semisweet Chocolate Morsels

Directions:
Combine all ingredients drop onto lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 until they begin to turn light golden brown.