emily's experiments

Goodbye for now

2009-02-20T09:55:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I had high hopes for a renovation of this blog, but I just don't think I have it in me right now to make it a priority. I'll leave the blog here with the recipes, should you so desire to use them, but I'm sorry to say that there won't be much, if anything, going on around here. Maybe one of these days my motivation will kick in, but not now. So, happy cooking to all you kitchen girls out there.

Hiatus, I guess

2009-01-09T13:05:00.000-08:00

So it's been some time since my last post. I don't know what's going on. Maybe I'm being less creative with my meals, or doing a lot of repeats from this blog, but I really don't find hardly any pictures to post when I plug in my camera, or at least any worth posting. When I started this blog I posted literally anything I made, no matter how simple it was, or even if it wasn't my own recipe (always giving proper credit), or even if the picture wasn't great or appetizing. So I guess, as time has progressed, I have become more picky about what I post. I almost want to make a revised version of this blog with only posts that are up to my current standards, which a lot of these posts aren't. I want to make it purely my unique recipes, or really good finds that I can't help but share. But that seems like a project, and though I have the time and the resources, it's hard sometimes for me to jump into things like that. I know once I get started, it will be fun and I'll be very motivated, so I'll have to find some way to make that jump. There are some incredible food blogs out there, and though I don't care about mine being super professional, as this is really just a resource for me, but I would like to make it a bit more refined.

I seriously used to have a list on my white board of recipes to post, but now that is non-existent. Maybe the busy holidays put me in a funk, and I'll get out of it soon, but I really don't know why I am slacking. I am kinda glad I have this blog staring at me (as guilty as it makes me feel) so I can kick myself back into gear to start making fun meals for my family again. I do have a few ideas lurking in my brain and some in my drafts.

So mainly this post was to ease the pressure I feel every time I look at this blog, so I can relax and let the creative juices flow. I'll be back, hopefully soon.

Chocolate Mousse Parfaits

2008-12-05T19:43:00.000-08:00

This was inspired by leftover chocolate mousse I had in the freezer. It was quite simple, and make a very decadent dessert for our guests. In fact, too rich. I could hardly eat half of mine. Next time I'll make them in smaller glasses.

You'll need:
Chocolate mousse (you can use a mix, or your favorite recipe)
freshly whipped cream (heavy cream beawt to medium stiff peaks with a little powdered sugar and vanilla.)
frozen berries
sugar
cinnamon
vanilla
nuts, toasted (You can toast your own by placing them on a baking sheet and baking at 350 degree for 10 minutes or so.)

Make a berry compote by placing frozen berries, and a sprinkling of sugar and cinnamon (to taste) in a sauce pan. Bring to simmer and let cook until slightly thickened and sugar is dissolved maybe about 10 minutes. Add vanilla and let cool completely. Let chill in the fridge. You can use this compote for so many things-pancakes, toast, scones, with cheesecake, etc. Layer fresh whipped cream, toasted nuts, chocolate mousse, and berries. It you want to make it pretty and clean, use a pastry bag filled with each component to layer them. Then they go right where you want them to, instead of getting all over the sides of the glasses. I also have these yummy caramel sprinkles from Pampered Chef that I added at the end. They added a nice touch.

Polish Stew

2008-11-23T06:31:00.000-08:00

This is such an easy soup that I have loved for as long as I can remember. Now KC loves it just as much as I do, and we love that it's cold so we can enjoy it more often. I don't know how authentic the name is, but that's what I've always called it.half a head of cabbage, cut into thick shreds
half of a kielbasa sausage, sliced, or cubed
1 c corn, frozen or canned (or you could use the whole can. whatever)
4-5 potatoes
half a medium onion
enough chicken broth to cover the cabbage, maybe 4-5 cups
Spicy brown mustard

In a large pot, saute in the sausage until starting to brown and renders a little fat. Add the potatoes and onion and let the potatoes start to brown a little. Add the shredded cabbage and corn, and cover with chicken broth. Simmer until the cabbage and potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Serve hot with mustard. It may sound weird, but the mustard is what makes it so good. Squeeze it right into the soup. Either stir it in, or enjoy it visibly on each bite. I like to add more as I go. I'm a little bit of a mustard fanatic. If you don't like mustard, it's good anyway. I hope you give this a try.

Ravioli Lasagna

2008-11-03T14:46:00.000-08:00

I know this is a trend going around lately, so I thought I'd take a whack at it. It really was so simple, and does accomplish the same thing. Of course, nothing can replace that lovely flavorful gooyness that regular lasagna has, but it's a nice replacement as a simple form of the comforting dish.

This ended up being vegetarian, but brown up some beef or turkey if you'd like.

Frozen cheese ravioli
frozen broccoli (it's what I had on hand, but you could, of course, use fresh)
one small onion
about 1 c sliced mushrooms
a sprinkle dried basil
s&p
a sprinkle paprika
3 cloves minced garlic
about 1/2 jar marinara sauce ( I added a little water to it so the ravioli would be nice and tender)
Italian blend cheese, or any cheese you want to sprinkle on.

Turn over onto 375. In a hot skillet saute the onion, broccoli, mushrooms, garlic, paprika, basil, and s&p with a little olive oil. Let cook until onions are translucent, and broccoli is becoming tender. Spread a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom of a greased 8x8 pan. Place a single layer of ravioli over that and sprinkle half of the vegetables over that. Add a thin layer of cheese, and repeat the process. Add one more layer of ravioli and top with the rest of the sauce, a little more cheese, and some Parmesan and basil to finish it off. Top with foil ( I like to spray my foil with cooking spray so the delicious cheese doesn't stick.) and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted. I like my cheese a little brown so I like to take of the foil stick it under the broiler for a minute or two after it's cooked. Try it out.

Spicy Potato soup

2008-10-18T15:05:00.000-07:00

We made a smaller batch than this, but here's the full recipe. I made a few changes that I'll note in the recipe. Both versions are delicious and perfect for the winter.

1 lb. ground beef (I used turkey)
one onion, chopped
4 c water
4 c potatoes, cubed
1 c frozen green beans cut in half (my addition for color)
3-8 oz. cans tomato sauce
2 t salt
1 1/2 t pepper
1/2 t hot sauce (I used a little of this, and a little cayenne)
a few shakes of paprika and dried basil (I added these)
plain yogurt ( I added this for garnish)

Brown the meat and the onion until there is no pink showing. If using beef, drain the fat. Add everything else (except yogurt) and let simmer for about an hour, or until the potatoes are tender. Serve with a nice dollop of yogurt to help mellow the heat. Add fresh herbs like basil or parsley is you have any.

Cheddar Fondue

2008-09-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

This is a very simple, and still delicious way I like to make fondue. I made this for a movie night with the girls, and KC and I enjoyed leftovers the next day. Fondue twice in a row. Not too good for the waistline.

1 c chicken broth
1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup
1/2 c sour cream
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T spicy brown mustard
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/4 t nutmeg salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. cheddar cheese

In a saucepan whisk together everything except the cheese. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and slowly stir in the cheese a little at a time waiting between installments making sure it melts before you add more. If it seems too thick when all the cheese is added, add more broth. Transfer to a fondue pot and dip whatever sounds good to you. We usually like lightly steamed broccoli or cauliflower, ham, or kielbasa, rustic bread (Here's a tip for the bread: cut it into cubes, and toast it in a deep skillet drizzled with a little olive oil, and s&p until the cubes are lightly browned. I'm TELLING you, when I ate it with the cheese, it's the best thing I'd had in a long time.), apples, etc. You can get gourmet with cut up, steamed asparagus, grilled chicken, cherry tomatoes, grilled zucchini, the options are endless. This Christmas Eve tradition in my family will continue on with me, that's for sure. I think I'll make it more often than that, though.

Three Cheese Fritata

2008-09-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

I made this a while ago and am finally posting it. It was delicious and easy.

half of a red and green pepper, diced
about 1 cup diced kielbasa (I used turkey kielbasa to cut back on the fat.)
6 eggs
1/2 c bread crumbs
Mrs. Dash
a couple shakes of dried basil
a couple shakes of onion powder
1/4 c half and half
feta cheese
salt and pepper to you liking
cheddar and Parmesan cheeses

In a non-stick skillet saute the kielbasa and peppers in a little olive oil until the peppers have softened a bit. Keep heat on med/low. Turn on broiler. In a bowl, whisk the the rest of the ingredients, except the cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. Pour egg mixture into the hot skillet. Stir vigorously a few times to make sure everything is distributed. Don't stir anymore. As soon as the eggs have firmed up on the edges, sprinkle on a little of the cheeses, and place under the broiler for a few minutes. Keep a close eye on it. It is done when you shakes the skillet and it appears to be firm. After a minute or two of cooling, loosen the fritata from the skillet, and slide onto a cutting board, or serving platter. Slice into wedges, and eat while it's still warm.

Mexican Pizza

2008-08-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

I'm a HUGE fan. I'm telling you. When is Mexican food NOT good? I have so many recipes I want to post from many meals ago, but this was last night, and I couldn't wait to post it.

So, I made the good old salsa, crock-pot shredded pork the same way that many of us have made it. I guess it might be more well know to be made with chicken. It's much like the bbq chicken below, but instead I made it with a pork loin and salsa verde. I made a lot so I had a lot to play around with for other meals. We had it as soft Tacos the first night. I was feeling Pizza since I usually do it when we make bbq pork/chicken. But since the pork had the lovely Mexican flavors from the salsa, I thought maybe a cornmeal crust would help with the all around Mexican flavor. Lo and behold, someone has thought of this before, as I found when googling around for a cornmeal pizza crust. Here's what I did.You'll need:
One recipe Cornmeal Pizza Dough(we only used half and froze the other half, and I went ahead and used some wheat flour , like the recipe said, but I think you'd be able to get the cornmeal flavor better with all while flour.)
Shredded salsa pork (pork loin and salsa verde in a crock pot for about 7 hours)
more salsa verde
tomatoes
red onions
cheese
black beans
corn (this and the beans were acutally left over from our tacos. I had cooked them with an onion and a sprinkling of the same spices as below.)
cilantro
lettuce
cumin
chili powder
garlic power
s&p
cilantro-lime dressing (Made famous by Cafe Rio. The recipe can be found many places, though I used the one found here. I used like 3 times the amount of lime juice the said, and next time I'll use half sour cream, half mayo, instead of all mayo like the recipe says. Still so good.)

Roll your dough on a pizza stone that has been sprayed and sprinkled with more cornmeal. Spread a little salsa on as a base. Add as much pork as you'd like. Follow with the corn/beans, red onions, tomatoes, more salsa if you'd like, the cheese and the spices. Bake in a 475 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is baked, and the ingredients are warmed through. Cut into slices and serve with lettuce, cilantro (or any garnishes/flavor additions) and a good drizzle of the dressing. Oh, I can't tell you how much I enjoyed each bite. And, you probably need to eat this pizza with a fork.
The best part is, we STILL have tons of pork left. I'm thinking Navajo tacos. Tonight.

BBQ chicken

2008-08-14T05:44:00.000-07:00

Here's an easy one for those busy weeknights. We've probably all made this easy crock-pot barbecue chicken. But I found these few more ingredients took it just past normal, to quite tasty.You'll need:
Chicken breasts-fresh or frozen (I used 3 so we would have plenty of leftovers. You'll want leftovers of this.)
barbecue sauce
liquid smoke
Worcestershire sauce
chili sauce
red onion-chopped roughly in large peices
garlic cloves-minced

Here's the fun part of crock-pot cooking. Just dump it all in. I didn't put any measurements because it all depends on how much chicken you use and how much you like each thing. I probably just put a whole bottle of bbq sauce couple shakes of each other sauce, 1/2 an onion, and a couple cloves of garlic. Liquid smoke really adds to the robust flavor.

Let is cook on high for 4-6 hours. Shred the chicken and it's ready to devour. We ate this as sandwiches, on a pizza, over rice, and there are probably a lot more ways than that to enjoy this. I've also made it with a pork loin for pulled pork sandwiches. Doesn't it just smell like summer now?

Turkey Fajita Burgers

2008-08-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

This burger came about because I wanted to have burgers one weekend, but didn't have the traditional fixings-lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles. But I did have some peppers, cilantro and salsa, so I thought, why not. The result was pretty rewarding. Two of the things I crave mixed into one.For the burgers: (This recipe makes 6-8 burgers depending on how big you like them. We grilled up two and froze the rest for later.)

20 oz. package of ground turkey
1 small onion, chopped finely
1/2 c bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 salsa
a handful of cilantro, chopped
a squeeze of lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t chili powder
1-2 cloves garlic, minced

Mix all of that together with your hands and form into patties of your desired size. Place on a hot grill or skillet until they are completely cooked through (no medium burgers with poultry, folks). I use a meat thermometer and when it reads 165, I know they are good and cooked.

Toast your buns if you'd like. For the toppings, just use whatever you'd put on a fajita. I sauteed some red and green peppers with some onion, a little salt and pepper, and a little cumin and chili powder. Then I spread some salsa, and sour cream (with taco seasoning mixed in for fun) onto the bun with some cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice. We had ours with some sweet potato fries (I know, not really with the Mexican theme, but I had to use them up) and there you have it. We have decided to make this often. It helps to satisfy my obsession of Mexican food with out eating nachos every time I crave it. We went out to get an avocado just for this meal that night, but were disappointed to find that none of them were even close to ripe. The next time we ate them we did have a ripe one, and it was great, of course. You could also sprinkle on a little cheese, though we didn't this time.

This burger could easily be made vegetarian by replacing the turkey meat with mashed up black beans and rice in the burger recipe. Not that I'm vegetarian or anything, but that sounds good to me, just because it would complete the fajita flavors. Try it out.

Banana Split Cake

2008-07-24T05:44:00.000-07:00

I made this for my brother-in-law, Jake's birthday and it really hit the spot. I was acutally pleasantly surprised. I mean, I thought it would taste pretty good, but I acutally like it better than I thought. Here's how to do it.First you have to bake one of my favorite chocolate cake recipes in an oven safe bowl. It's the recipe on the back of the Hershey's Cocoa. I first saw it made on Martha Stewart many years ago, and it's been a family favorite ever since. (Straight from the website.)

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" chocolate cake

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING(recipe follows)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.

VARIATIONS:
ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

I just added the frosting for your future benefit, because it's awesome. But I didn't use it in the cake.

So, like I said, I baked it in an oven-safe Pyrex mixing bowl that was greased and floured for about and hour. As soon as it cooled, invert it and let it fall out of the bowl. Slice it horizontally into 4 layers. Use the same bowl it was baked in, washed and lined with plastic wrap letting the excess plastic hang over the sides, and place the top layer of the cake back in the bowl, just like it fits. Then you will need some Neapolitan ice cream. Open the box completely and carefully cut the layers apart. (I could've just bought entire boxes of each of the flavors, but we would've have tons left over we were forced to eat. Not good. And this was easy enough.) Take one of the flavors and spread it on top of the layer of the cake you place in the bowl. Place another cake layer and press it on the ice cream. Add another flavor of ice cream and repeat with another layer of cake, and another ice cream flavor, finishing with the final layer of cake. Fold the excess plastic wraps over the top of the cake, and wrap again. Place in the freezer for at least 3 hours before eating. I like to make it the night before. When it's time to eat it, get together all the toppings for banana splits that you like. Unwrap the cake and invert it onto a serving plate. You have to warm the sides of the bowl to help it fall out. I used a blow dryer for a few seconds (because I didn't have my blow torch handy), and pulled a little on the excess plastic wrap, and it popped right out. Cover the entire dome with whipped cream, and just have fun putting on the toppings however you want. The cake will be so moist and the flavor will have developed really well. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.

Steak and Eggs

2008-07-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

Whoa. I didn't know I'd like this so much. I hear of people ordering it at local diners, or whatever, and it always seemed like the two just didn't go together for me. I was wrong. I bought some steaks for fun (not a very regular occurrence), and decided to make an easy and different meal with them than the regular old meat and potatoes. With breakfast food being one of my favorites, this really does it for me. (Adjust amounts to the number of people you are cooking for. This is for two.)

Cook 2 slices of bacon in a skillet. Remove bacon from pan and drain most of the drippings. With the skillet still hot with reserved dripping, cook 2-3 cubed potatoes, about 1/2 c sliced onion, and cook until the potatoes are tender and golden brown. Salt and pepper both sides of a 10-12 0z. steak. Place in another hot skillet until done to your liking, turning when necessary. (I would've liked ours a little more rare, but I got carried away with something. I think I went about 1 minute over time. It was still juicy and tender.) Remove from heat and let the steak rest, covered with foil until everything else is ready. Fry a couple eggs to desired stage (nice and soft for me) and now you are ready to assemble. Slice the steak in strips against the grain, and place on a plate. Pile on the potatoes/onions, egg, them crumble the bacon over the whole thing. When the steak rests, a lot of yummy juice will accumulate. Pour that all over the tower. I had some pesto sauce in the fridge, and I added a little of that on top for the nice herbs flavors. I hope, actually, I know you'll enjoy it as much as I did. KC said the leftovers for lunch the next day were something for his co-workers to be jealous of.

Mango Salsa

2008-07-10T04:47:00.000-07:00

I'm a HUGE fan of chips and salsa. I eat way more than I'm supposed to. I guess this salsa is a pretty good for you since it's purely fruits and vegetables so maybe I shouldn't feel so guilty that I ate a good portion of it. But then there are all the chips I ate it with. Oh well, it was worth it.

This is a pretty basic recipe and I'm sure there are an millions other like it out there. In case you wanted my version, here it is:

3 ripe mangoes
2 avocadoes
1/2 c red onion
1 small red pepper
handful cilantro roughly chopped
juice or 2-3 limes
salt and pepper
garlic

Dice everything to the size of your liking. I used my food chopper for everything except the avocados, cilantro, and garlic and it worked like a charm. Toss everything together and refrigerate until ready to use. It's good to give it at least 30 minutes to get all the flavors to blend. A couple of my mangoes weren't as ripe as I would've liked, but still good. These are the red white and blue chips we ate it with on the 4th of July. Those Garden Salsa Sun Chips on the right are awesome. Check them out sometime.

Warm White Chocolate Ganache with Frozen Berries

2008-07-06T15:52:00.000-07:00

So simple, yet so divine. This was the desert course of Father's Day. I saw Ina Garten make this on Barefoot Contessa a long time ago and it just popped into my head. I wanted something summery and easy for me to prepare. I made a simple white chocolate ganache using 1 c half and half (cream will also do, this is just what I had) and a 12 oz. bag of white chocolate chips. Next time I'll probably only use 1/2 c of liquid making it thicker, but it worked fine. Place both ingredients over a double boiler whisking until it becomes smooth. Make sure the water is only at a simmer, not a rolling boil. White Chocolate is very sensitive. Once all the chocolate is melted, take off the heat and add a little vanilla if you'd like, though it doesn't need it. (This is also a good time to add a little of any good good liqueurs you have on hand- Grand Marnier, Rum, Triple Sec... sounds good to me.) Place frozen berries of your choice in your serving bowls. We used raspberries and blueberries. Drizzle the warm ganache over the berries and serve immediately. I wanted a little crunch so I sprinkled a little granola on top.

Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Mustard Barbeque Sauce

2008-07-01T09:51:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I just don't have it in me to think up something new and delicious, so I turn to my resources. Again it was Cooking Light with this pork recipe that was calling my name.
For the BBQ sauce:
Cook 2 slices of finely chopped bacon in a skillet until almost crisp. Add 1 c chopped onion and cook 4 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 c yellow mustard, 5 T honey, 3 T ketchup, 2 T cider vinegar, 1/4 t chili powder, and 1/4 t cumin. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until slightly thick, stirring occasionally.

For the Pork:
Combine 1 T light brown sugar, 1 T paprika, 2 t chili powder, 1 t garlic powder, 1 t cumin, 3/4 t salt, 1/2 t black pepper, and 1/8 t ground red pepper in a small bowl. Rub mixture evenly over two 1 lb. pork tenderloins (Costco sells them at a great price). Place the pork on a hot grill coated with cooking spray. Grill 2o minutes or until thermometer reaches 155 degrees turning once. Let is stand 10 minutes. Cut pork crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Serve with sauce. This serves 6-8. Enjoy.

Salad with Grilled Fruit , Bacon, and Feta

2008-06-22T15:51:00.001-07:00

I am getting so lazy about this blog. I have been cooking. Not as much as usual, but I have. I have a few recipes to catch up on, so hopefully any of you readers out there haven't given up on me yet.So for the Grilled Peach Salad. I am a huge fan of grilled peaches, starting this summer. I have always loved the idea of grilling fruit making the natural sugars of the fruit so delicious and caramelized, but I haven't really experimented much with peaches until now. I got the idea for this salad from Cooking Light Magazine. It was originally Grilled Peaches over Arugula with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto. Sounds so delicious, but the store where I was shopping didn't quite have all those things, so I improvised. I used romaine and spinach in place of the arugula, feta in place of the goat cheese, bacon instead of prosciutto, and added grilled pineapple to the mix. Very simple changes. Although, I'd love to try our the other version sometime. It seems weird to make a recipe for a salad, since they can be made so many different ways. Things can be added and omitted with out changing the overall purpose of the salad, so please, alter as you wish. Dressings are a fun way to experiment with salads. I did use the Magazines recipe for the dressing. It's so simple and seemed perfect since there were a lot of flavors already going on. Here's what I did:

Bring 1/4 c balsamic vinegar to boil over medium high heat. Simmer until reduced to two tablespoons. Remove from heat and stir in 2 T honey. Let cool to room temp.

Crisp up a few slices of bacon in a skillet. Drain and crumble.

Cut the peaches and pineapple in wedges (big enough to not slip through the cracks) and place them on a hot grill. Leave them on just until that have formed nice grill marks on each side. 30 seconds or a minute per side. You don't really want to cook them, but sear them. Set aside.

Combine 1 T Olive Oil and a dash of salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add your 10 cups of greens and toss to coat. Arrange the greens on individual plates or on a large platter. Top with grilled fruit, bacon, and feta cheese. Drizzle with the balsamic syrup and serve immediately.

You probably already know this, but this was our Father's Day dinner.

Orange Rolls

2008-06-14T06:59:00.000-07:00

I was looking through the recipes that I was given by people at one of my wedding showers. I totally forgot that people had given them to me. This one sounded great, and It was sitting on my counter staring at me for a week before I tried it. I'm telling you, they are delicious.

Orange Rolls
(From Aunt Ruth Earnest)

Dough:
3 pk. yeast dissolved in 1/2 c warm water
1 can evaporated milk plus enough water to make 2 cups
1/2 c sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 tsp
salt
6 cups flour

Filling:
1/2 c softened butter or margarine
1/2 c sugar
grated orange zest
1 t OJ concentrate

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
about 2 T OJ concentrate (enough to make it pourable)

Mix in order-cover, let rise about 2 hours. Dough should be sticky. Roll 1/2 of the dough in a WELL floured surface into a rectangle. Spread half the filling on the dough. Fold into thirds, like a letter, cut into strips with a pizza cutter, and twist each strip a couple times. Place on a foil lined, greased baking sheet a couple inches apart. Let rise about 20 minutes (or overnight in the fridge. I did that with the other half since I didn't need them that night), and bake for about 20-25 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Glaze immediately.
Not all of this is exactly what the recipe said, but I gave the directions how I made them. With the other half of the dough, I just did them cinnamon roll style, rolling the dough/filling up, and slicing it. You will love the results. You can also, of course make these into cinnamon rolls too.

Mint Oreo Tart

2008-06-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. I've been a slacker. The busy summer has begun, so I hope that excuses my short absence. But I am back and hoping the summer brings some new dishes to my brain. I always love a new season to make things fresh again. I've been pretty busy and it's extremely hot so we've been having a lot of sandwich/salad types of meals. Sometimes I even talk myself out of baking knowing that the oven will make the house slightly warmer. But I'll still be here, just probably not as often. Hopefully I'll pick back up soon and things will move along like they did before.

Anyway...

I made this awhile ago and thought it was a good time to finally post it. It is basically a giant mint Oreo. There is a homemade Oreo recipe I love from one of my favorite cookbooks, Retro Desserts. My dad gave it to me years ago, and I've actually seen the chef as a guest on some Food Network shows making recipes from this book. The Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with Vanilla-Cream Filling, as he calls them are a favorite of mine and usually others when they partake. Here's the recipe from the Food Networks Website. I just made a few changes by pressing the cookie dough into a tart shell, and then baking it. (Careful, it puffs up a lot. Try freezing it before you bake it and then put in on a baking sheet so it drips onto that if it overflows. It actually wasn't a very good idea since this dough isn't like tart dough, but it turned our in the end okay. I have a lot more trials to do it in this form before it's perfect and I don't see myself doing that soon, so this is what you get. This website is all about experimenting isn't it?) And then I added a little mint extract and a little green food coloring to the filling. When the shell is cool, spread the filling in it, and drizzle a little chocolate sauce, or ganache on top. I had Andes baking chips so I went ahead and put those around the edge for fun. I think we also ate it with mint chocolate chip ice cream. It was refreshing in a rich sort of way.

Berry Cheesecake Ice Cream Pie

2008-05-13T17:03:00.001-07:00

I was at the store wondering what to make for Mother's Day and all the components of this seemed to fit together so nicely. And I'm so glad it's the summer so I can make desserts like this. I love a new season so I can enjoy the familiar flavors and textures it brings with it.

a package crunchy oatmeal cookies
3 T butter, melted
2 qts vanilla ice cream
2-1 lb. bags frozen mixed berries
1/2 c cream cheese, softened
1/2 sour cream
1T vanilla
whipped cream

Take out the ice cream and one of the bags of berries from the freezer. While they are softening:

In a food processor, mix the cookies until very fine. Add the butter and pulse a few times to combine. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9" springform pan, and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, and vanilla together thoroughly. Add the berries and mix together. Carefully fold the soft ice cream into everything until it is distributed evenly. Spread into a cooled crust and freeze until ready to eat.

For the fruit sauce, take the other bag or frozen berries and place it in a sauce pan with sugar to taste. Cook until it is boiling, the sugar is dissolved, and it becomes slightly thicker. It will also thicken as it cools.

Garnish the pie with the fruit sauce-warm or cold-and whipped cream.

Turkey and Basil Stuffed Tomatoes

2008-04-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

I had recently seen someone make stuffed tomatoes on TV, so the huge tomatoes at the store were calling my name. I made my own rendition that tasted very fresh, healthy, and perfect for a spring meal. Easy too.

You'll need:
Big, not quite ripe tomatoes with pulp scooped out and reserved

ground turkey, browned with:

onion

garlic

s & p

Combined in a bowl with:

Mrs. Dash

tomato pulp strained and chopped

olive oil
cooked rice

fresh parsley, chopped
Fresh basil chopped, and while leaves

cheese, preferably mozzarella, parm, or an Italian blend
(Amounts of everything is determined by how many tomatoes you are filling. I'm sorry but I can't remember any amounts. Just experiment for yourself)

Heat oven to 375

Salt and pepper the inside of the tomatoes and set aside, upside down on a paper towel while you prepare the filling. Brown the meat with above said ingredients. Combine in a mixing bowl with remaining ingredients. Save the basil leaves, and cheese. Scoop the filling into the tomatoes, packing it slightly to fit as much as you can. Place them in a greased baking dish. Spoon any extra filling around the tomatoes. Place a whole basil leaf and a sprinkling of cheese, and top with the lid of the tomato. Bake for 20 minutes. Tomatoes should be juice and tender. Wait about 5 minutes and serve. This is the dinner I made for this occasion. I have made a different version of this. I'll post it soon.We really like this in our regular menu.

Homemade Basil Fettuccine

2008-04-21T11:49:00.000-07:00

This is the fettuccine I referred to in this post on my blog. The recipe for the pasta dough is there also. It was so delicious and tender. And once the pasta is made, it only take a couple minutes to boil to the perfect al dente. This dish was pretty simple.Start a big pot of water boiling. Saute some chopped onion in olive oil for about 5 minutes in a large skillet. Add a clove or two of garlic, sliced zucchini, and cherry tomatoes to the onions and saute until the veggies are cooked through. While they are cooking, add your pasta to the rapidly boiling water. It will only take 1 1/2 minutes to cook if it is fresh, and about 2 minutes if it's frozen. Add the pasta directly to the pan with the veggies, along with about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. I wanted a nice fresh tasting sauce, so I just added about 1/2 c sour cream, s&p to taste, and any other herbs or seasonings you like with your pasta. Add as much Parmesan as you like, and toss is all together, take it off the heat and add a couple big handfuls of fresh spinach. Top with more Parmesan. I also added veggie meatballs that I mentioned in the post I wrote about before. Again, it was vegetarian with out trying to be so. It was quite good.

Tangy Turkey meatloaf and roasted veggies

2008-04-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

For the meatloaf: combine 2 lbs ground turkey (we were feeding more than just the two of us)2 eggs, about 1/2 c chopped parsley, a meduim onion chopped, a couple cloves of minced garlic, s&p, mrs. dash, about 1/2-1 c of both bread crumbs and parmasean cheese, 1/4 c ketchup, about a T of worchestershire sauce, and a few dashes of liquid smoke to a bowl. Work it together with your hands and form into a loaf. I made mine in an electric skillet set at 375. Place it in the skillet while you prep the veggies since it will take a little longer to cook than they will.

Barbecue roasted veggies:

Chop any veggies you want into a large bowl. I did red/yellow onions, zucchini, potatoes, carrots, and green peppers. Add s&p. olive oil, bbq sauce (store bought, or recipe to follow), and parsley. Mix together and distribute around the meat loaf. Stir them around every now and them to prevent the ones on the bottom from getting too dark. The flavors of the meat go into the veggies and vice versa so make a very juicy and delicious combination. Or course this can be made in the oven at the exact temp in a deep baking dish, I just like the electric skillet to make it easier to periodically stir and baste.

I happed to to run out of bbq sauce which I like to baste the meatloaf with and slather it on when I eat it. So I just made a quick version.

1 c ketchup

2-3 t br sugar

worchestershire sauce

liquid smoke

Whisk together and bring to boil just to dissolve sugar. Done.

red wine carbonara

2008-03-29T14:55:00.000-07:00

Yet another carbonara. I wanted to have some girls over for lunch so I made this. I really like this version.

Start pasta cooking. Cut the turkey bacon into strips and brown in olive oil until crisp. Remove from pan, leaving the oil. Brown an onion in the skillet. When they are nice and cooked and becoming caramelized, add a couple cloves of mince garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add cooked, drained pasta (I used red wine fetuccine) to onion and garlic and stir to combine. Take off the heat and add 2 eggs (I had yolks leftover from baking so that's what I used. It was pretty rich.) Stir until the heat from the pan cooks the egg. Add parsley and parmesean. It was a little thick so I also added a little milk and put back on the heat for a minute or two just to let everything combine. Top with cooked bacon. Not the exact and proper way to make carbonara, but it worked and was delicious.

One of these days I want to start making my own pasta. I will someday get the attachment that goes with my KitchenAid, but I'm happy with good quality store bough brands until then.

Vegetable Pancakes with Pesto

2008-03-16T16:20:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of veggies to use up so this seemed like a fun thing to do with them. Here's how to do it:

I grated up potatoes,, carrots, a yellow squash, and about half of a red onion. This can of course be altered to whatever amount you are making. I added a couple eggs, flour, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and a little Worcestershire sauce. I combined everything formed it into little cakes and let them fry in a little olive oil on a medium skillet. They took a while for the vegetables to cook all the way and get nice and brown, but turned out alright. Next time I am going to fill the skillet with about 1 inch of of oil and a do more of a deep fried version for a more crispy treat. And a faster cooking time. I added a dollop of sour cream and a homemade pesto sauce for fun. Here is the recipe for my pesto. It's pretty basic.

1/2 c basil

1/2 c parsley

2 cloves garlic

2/3 T pine nuts

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 c Parmesan cheese

olive oil

Again, portions can be changed according to taste. Put everything except olive oil in a food processor. When everthing is minced, slowly pour in enough olive oil with the machine running to make a nice sauce. It really packs a punch, so a little goes a long way. It can be used to just toss with pasta, hot or cold, a bread dipping sauce or with any meat. It's great to have on hand and freezes well if you don't use it up in a couple weeks.

Chicken and Red Pepper Cream Sauce with Pasta

2008-03-16T14:09:00.000-07:00

On this day I was really aching to make something really comforting since for various reason I hadn't cooked a decent meal in about two weeks. This satisfied my need to cook, and our palates.

Place a deep skillet over high heat, add about 2-3 T of olive oil. Salt and pepper 2-4 chicken breasts and place them in the hot skillet to sear. Let cook for about 2 minutes per side just to caramelize. The don't need to be cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet and turn it to medium high. Roughly chop one red pepper, and a medium onion. Add those and 2 cloves of finely minced garlic to the skillet. Then add about 1/2 t of each paprika, curry power. mustard seeds, and dried basil. Saute for about 5 minutes until they are starting to brown and onions are becoming translucent. Add about 2 c of chicken broth and let simmer another 5-10 minutes until veggies are very soft.

Start cooking any kind of pasta using the manufacturers instructions. It's good to use one that can really hold the sauce like penne or rigatoni, but we used basil fettuccine since I was in the mood.

When the peppers and onions are soft, pour into a blender and add about 1/4-1/2 c of cream, or half and half, and blend until smooth. Milk works fine, it just won't be as thick and I happened to have cream when I made this. Or you can omit the cream/milk. Pour back in the skillet and let come back up to a simmer. Add the chicken and all the juices that have accumulated back into the pan and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked through, 170 degrees.

Slice the chicken, place over the pasta, and pour the sauce over it. Garnish with mustard seeds and crumbled bacon for a nice crunch. I would've loved to have some nice green herbs like parley or basil for garnish, but not having any on hand, dried had to do. We also put Parmesan, a must with most pasta dishes. Some crusty bread, or good quality croutons are good for soaking up the rest of the juices as well.

KC now asks for this all the time.

Mulitgrain Bread Pudding

2008-03-13T17:12:00.000-07:00

This is another odds and ends type recipe since it was purely to use some things taking up space in my fridge. I had milk that was toward the end of it's drinkable life, and yolks left over from my meringue adventures, so this seemed like the thing to make. I also had a loaf of multi-grain French bread that always seems a little dry if it's not eaten a few days after purchasing. So here's the procedure:

Cut one loaf of bread into cubes and place into an greased 9x9 baking dish. Whisk together about 10 yolks, or 4-5 eggs (I just happened to have a container full of yolks, but whole eggs will work fine. The yolks will just make it especially rich.) in a bowl. Whisk in about 3 1/2 cups of milk (about 1/2 cup of this was evaporated milk that I also was sick of looking at in the fridge, but again, regular milk is fine.) Add about 1 1/4 c of brown sugar, about 1/2 t of cinnamon, 1/4 t nutmeg, and any dried fruit or nuts you want to add. This one had walnuts and dates. Pour over the bread and then preheat the oven to 350. While the over in heating let the milk soak into the bread, pressing down to make sure all is soaked. Bake for about on hour. Check after 45 minutes and if the top is getting too dark, but the custard is not cooked, cover with foil and continue cooking until it is completely cooked through. You can tell by inserting a knife and prying the bread apart checking to see if there is any liquid. If there is, it is not done. It must be completely solid throughout. It will be puffed up and golden. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or a nice vanilla sauce. It's good at any temperature, but I like it right out of the oven. I served ours with a maple glaze.

Sweet Potato Pound Cake

2008-03-06T18:00:00.000-08:00

I made this on a whim to use up some sweet potatoes I had been looking at for weeks. I found this recipe and it turned out pretty well. Expect I omitted the pecans and added dried cranberries and chopped dates. And I made it in two loaf pans instead of a bundt, for no particular reason.

A tip: instead of peeling, boiling, then mashing the potatoes, just prick them and put them in the microwave. Cook until very soft, cut in half and scoop out perfect mashed sweet potatoes.

Bacon Wrapped, Maple Glazed Salmon

2008-03-03T07:53:00.000-08:00

This was our Valentines dinner. It was very simple. I always feel like salmon is something that can be elegant no matter how simple the recipe is so this is what I decided to do with it on this occasion.

Marinate your salmon fillets in a mixture of about 1/2 c maple syrup, and a couple tablespoons of each soy sauce, and balsamic vinegar. Let marinate for at least an hour, up to overnight (reserve marinade). When it's close to time to serve, take a couple pieces of bacon and wrap them lengthwise across the salmon and fold them under. Place the bacon wrapped fillets top side down on a foil lined baking sheet and broil for about 4 minutes, or until the ends of the bacon look crisp, and then turn over cooking for the same amount of time. Pour the glaze into a sauce pan and simmer until thick, only a few minutes. Drizzle maple glaze onto warm salmon. Here it is served with wild rice with white cheddar shavings and steamed green beans, but many sides would go well with this. Roasted potatoes seem like a particularly yummy addition. Maybe next time.

Spicy Caluiflower Soup

2008-02-28T22:40:00.000-08:00

Any excuse to put sour cream and avocados on something, and I'm there. This was a nice change from regular chili or tortilla soup.

Saute a medium onion in olive oil. After 8-10 minutes, when they are translucent and starting to brown, add a clove or two of garlic, minced, a couple small bell peppers of your choice, 1-2 c of chopped cauliflower and a little, cumin, chili powder, curry powder, red pepper flakes, and a little cayenne if you really want heat. Cook for about 10 minutes to soften the veggies and add a can of diced tomatoes and about 1-1 1/2 c vegetable broth. Let simmer until everything is cooked and tender, then add a good amount of chopped cilantro. I had some half and half on hand so I added it at the end to subdue the heat a little, but you could certainly leave it out. Serve like chili with chips, cheese, sour cream and avocado. We just did a dollop of sour cream , avocados, homemade corn tortilla crisps and a fresh squeeze of lime juice.

Corn tortilla crisps:
Brush a few corn tortillas with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt. Broil until nice and golden, about 2 minutes checking constantly to make sure they don't get too dark. Slice into wedges and dip in soup.

Little variations: This would also work well as a blended soup. When the veggies are good and soft from all the simmering, blend or put in the food processor until smooth. You could even make it a day ahead, blended and all, and just heat before serving.

Chicken and chicken broth would also be a nice addition. I just wasn't in the mood the night I made this.

Chocolate Banana Bread

2008-02-27T07:47:00.000-08:00

I doubled this recipe and made it into a pound cake. It weighted a TON, and was so moist, dense, and delicious. If I was feeling extravagant that night, I'd have put a white chocolate ganache glaze, and served it with ice cream and fresh whipped cream, but for a stake function, they just got a powdered sugar dusting.

Tomato Basil Pizza

2008-02-22T08:40:00.000-08:00

Easy:
Basic dough rolled out (recipe below)
pizza sauce spread
fresh basil torn and distributed
cheese
tomatoes
parmesean
salt, pepper,

Like unto margarita pizza. I just didn't have fresh Mozzarella so this was my variation.

L'Academie de Cuisine's Pizza Dough

2 c water, luke warm

1 ½ t yeast

2 T olive oil

2 t salt

5-6 cups flour

1. Combine yeast and water in a mixing bowl. Stir to dissolve the yeast.

2. Add the olive oil and first two cups of flour. Add salt on top of flour as not to disturb the yeast. Stir together and add another 2 – 1 1/2 cups of flour making sure to reserve 1 cup for bench flour. Mix together well.

3. Pour out onto a flour surface and knead for 5 minutes adding flour ass needed.

4. Let the dough proof in a greased bowl until doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours.

5. Punch down and shape flatten out into any shape you want your pizza to be. I roll mine right onto my pizza stone with a little cornmeal sprinkled on it.

6. Bake at 500 degrees for about 10 minutes.

This makes two medium pizza crusts. I like to use half the day I make it and freeze the other half for another night. Just defrost completely and let it rise and then follow the recipe from step 5.

Orange Cranberry Scones

2008-02-19T17:15:00.000-08:00

This scone recipe has become a favorite of mine. I have tried many and this seems to be what I always go back to. I made these for a play group/any girls that are home during the day. A great brunch item. I've also made them with raisins and pistachios. There are many varieties you could make. Here is the recipe straight from Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
1/2 cup raisins (or dried currants)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg

DIRECTIONS

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in butter (mixture should resemble coarse meal), then stir in raisins.
In a small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until smooth.
Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. (The dough will be sticky in places, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.)
Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7- to 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp. of sugar. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on a cookie sheet (preferably lined with parchment paper), about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.

Cranberry-Orange Scones

Follow the recipe for Simple Scones, adding a generous teaspoon of finely grated orange rind (zest) to the dry ingredients and substituting dried cranberries for the raisins.

Lemon-Blueberry Scones

Follow the recipe for Simple Scones, adding a generous teaspoon of finely grated lemon rind (zest) to the dry ingredients and substituting dried blueberries for the raisins.

Cherry-Almond Scones

Follow the recipe for Simple Scones, adding 1/2 tsp. almond extract to the sour cream mixture and substituting dried cherries for the raisins.

Grilled Chicken and Spinach Lasagna Rolls

2008-02-17T15:32:00.000-08:00

When I feel like I have nothing to make dinner with, I am always surprised at what my fridge and cupboards hold. This is why I hold off grocery shopping for long periods of time. This time I decided to use my finding to make lasagna rolls

Here's the deal:
Start you water boiling to get your lasagna noodles softened up. Boil until they are al dente. Start your chicken grilling on the George Foreman, or however you want to grill it (this is where those pre-grilled strips from Costco come in handy). I put a little Italian dressing on it for fun.
Then I brown up a couple strips of bacon and drained them on a paper towel. In a bowl combine about 16 oz cottage or ricotta cheese, one egg, a couple cup of chopped fresh spinach (frozen also works great) chopped marinated red pepper(optional, I just happened to have an open jar in the fridge.), about 1/4 c chopped red onion, salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash and the chopped grilled chicken (I used Cami's advice to chop the chicken with my Pampered Chef chopper) and mix. Lay the cooked noodles flat promptly after straining. Divide the filling between 9-10 noodles. Spread on the entire noodle leaving about 1 inch on each end. Gently roll them up and lay them in an oiled 9x13 pan. This recipe can of course we altered to whatever amount you want. Top them with a little marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. I did an Italian blend of cheese so I didn't add extra Parmesan. Bake on 375 for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and turning golden. I'm realizing now that I should've added minced garlic to the filling, but it was still delicious.

Chocolate, Berry and Spinach smoothie

2008-02-14T07:06:00.000-08:00

This is kind of a joke but I thought I'd share anyway. I've heard of a few people adding spinach to their smoothies, so one Saturday Morning, I thought I'd give it a try. This smoothie consisted of:

a mix of frozen berries
vanilla frozen yogurt
chocolate soymilk
a couple good hands full of spinach

Blend until smooth and drink up.

Spinach and Bacon Fritata

2008-02-12T06:59:00.000-08:00

This is good cold, hot, or room temp, morning afternoon, or night. KC was even a little sneaky when he was taking some for breakfast the morning after we ate it for dinner. I don't know why he thought he had to sneak around. I'm not a food Nazi.

So I stated by browning the bacon and onions in a non stick 10 in skillet. When they were started to brown, I added diced potatoes and cooked until the potatoes until they were tender. Lastly I added fresh spinach and let it wilt for about a minute. I whisked together 6 eggs, and about 1/3 cup half and half ( I don't ever have this, but for come reason I did this time. Milk is fine.) and salt and pepper. With the skillet on medium, add the egg mixture and let a nice crust form on the bottom. When it is about half way cooked. Sprinkle on your favorite cheese, and place under the broiler until cheese is browned and eggs are cooked through. Let is cool a few minutes, and slide out of skilled onto a cutting board. Cut into wedges and enjoy.

Orange Ginger Chicken, with Maple Walnuts

2008-02-06T16:03:00.000-08:00

I started by marinating chicken breasts with orange juice, soy sauce, oyster sauce, ginger and salt/pepper for at least 3o minutes, up to overnight (reserve marinade). In a heated pan, drizzled with olive oil, brown the chicken on both sides and then take it out of the pan and cover with foil. Slice the mushrooms, broccoli and carrots and saute them with olive oil and salt/pepper for about 1o minutes. Mix a couple tablespoons of corn starch to the reserved marinade along with enough orange juice to make enough sauce for all the veggies. I also added sugar since I was using fresh squeezed oj. Put the chicken back in the pan with the sauce and let it simmer covered, stirring occasionally/turning the chicken occasionally until the chicken is fully cooked. While it's cooking place about 1/4 cup or chopped walnuts, and a couple tablespoons or maple syrup in a pan and cook for a few minutes until syrup is very thick and coating the nuts. Stir as they cool so they don't stick together. Serve chicken over rice, and sprinkle walnuts on top. I could snack on those nuts all day.

Chocolate cereal cups

2008-01-31T09:57:00.000-08:00

These were another babysitting project. We are all familiar with peanut butter cereal treats, but instead of spreading them into a pan and cutting them into bars, we pressed them into buttered muffins tins, and filled them with ganache. They are very rich, but very good. The youngster I was babysitting said "They make my teeth surprised". Ha ha!

Cereal part: (in case you haven't made them before)
3 c corn flakes
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c corn syrup
1/2 c peanut butter (I like crunchy, and we also used half almond butter and it was great.)
a little cinnamon and vanilla

In the microwave or over the stove, heat the sugar and corn syrup to boiling and boil about 10 seconds. Stir in the peanut butter, and then stir in to the cereal. Divide mixture between 12 muffins tin sections and press up the sides a little with your fingers, putting butter, oil , or water on your fingers periodically to keep them from sticking. Let them set up while you make ganache.

Ganache:
1/2 c heavy cream
3/4 c dark chocolate chips
pinch of salt
vanilla

Heat cream to simmering. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate, salt, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and shiny. Pour into cereal cup and let them set up in the fridge.

You'll probably have to pry the cups out with a knife or fork.

French Onion Soup

2008-01-25T09:21:00.000-08:00

This is so easy and so comforting. Saute three sliced onions in olive oil and salt/pepper for about 10 minutes until they are soft and starting to caramelize. Stir in about 1 tablespoon of flour and cook for about one minute. Add 2 cans of beef broth, a bay leaf, chopped rosemary and about 1/4 t dried thyme and cook about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place bread,( toasted or not if it's a nice hearty bread. We used garlic bread, but most rustic bread work fine) on top of the soup and sprinkle on any cheese. I used Cracked Pepper Gouda and Parmesan. Broil until brown, about 1 minutes, and serve immediately.

German Chocolate Trifle

2008-01-22T12:24:00.001-08:00

KC requested German Chocolate Cake for his birthday and I hadn't used my new trifle bowl yet, so I came up with this. The construction:

Chocolate covered cookies crumbled
fresh whipped cream
German chocolate coconut filling
German chocolate cake cubes
chocolate covered cookies
whipped cream
German chocolate coconut filling
German chocolate cake cubes
chocolate covered cookies
whipped cream
German chocolate coconut filling
German chocolate cake cubes
chocolate covered cookies
whipped cream

Everything is just repeated like 4 times. It turned out pretty well. I think it gets even better the next day. We decided now we will just put one candle for every decade.

Date Raisin Walnut Rice Pudding

2008-01-16T10:42:00.000-08:00

Melody were on the phone one morning as usual and somehow we got on the topic of rice pudding. It sounded like a good snack so I made some. My mom makes with with leftover rice, which I LOVE, but since my rice wasn't pre-cooked, I tried another way.

Place 1 1/2 c of rice in a large pot, along with 1 can of evaporated milk and about 3-4 c water. (I'm not completely sure on the water because I was adding it as I went along. I think the milk doesn't really absorb into the rice so you still need the full amount of water to cook the rice. You can add more water as you go if you find the rice is still a little crunchy.) I also whisked in about 1/2 t cinnamon, a pinch of salt, 2 eggs, and about 1 c sugar (or to your taste). Cook over medium heat stirring almost constantly. The bottom will burn if you are not careful. Cook until thick, bubbly, and the rice if fully cooked and soft. It will take about 15 minutes or something like that. I wans't timing, sorry. Add a little more cinnamon if desired and stir about 1 t vanilla and any dried fruits or nuts. I like to top mine with whipped cream if I have some on hand.

Tuna Casserole

2008-01-15T11:43:00.001-08:00

There is actually a funny story about this meal. We had just gotten home from our cruise and wanted something really simple and quick. We were so used to eating rich meals constantly on the cruise so we were pretty hungry. We had hardly anything in the fridge so I was lucky to have the ingredients for anything. I like to think that I could go into anyone's kitchen and no matter how few ingredients they have in the cupboards, I can make a decent meal. This is what I made in a pinch.

It is super simple so I understand if you are not impressed. Here is the recipe

2 cans White Albacore Tuna in water (I know it's more expensive, but it's worth it.)
About 1/2 c sour cream. I didn't really measure.
About 1/2 c low fat Mayo. Same as above. I just added until I liked the texture.
About 1/4 c bread crumbs.
Shredded cheese
Any kind of pasta, cooked. I used the colorful curly ones.
Salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash to taste
Marinated red peppers (optional)

Mix the Tuna, sour cream, cheese, bread crumbs, mayo, salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash, and pasta in a
bowl. Spread into a baking dish and top with marinated peppers, more bread crumbs, and more cheese. Bake at 375 until it is warmed through.

Of course you can really dress this meal up, but again, we didn't have ANY fresh groceries due to all the traveling, so that fact that we ate that night was pretty impressive. The leftovers we good too.

Strawberry Lime crepes

2008-01-02T11:36:00.001-08:00

So I was cleaing out my fridge and found many limes needing to be used right away. So I made lime curd which freezes very well if needed. But I decided to use it right away on these crepes we had for breakfast on New Years Day. I spread a thin about of lime curd over the whole crepe, put a little fresh whipped cream, and strawberries and folded them in fourths. A little lime zest always adds a nice elegance as well. Lime Curd is very easy to make and is one of the most decedent things. You should try it some time. Here's the goods:

La'Cademie de Cuisine's Lime Curd (this in only one rendition)
Zest and juice of 6-8 limes (about 1/2 cup juice)
8 oz. butter
4 eggs
12 oz. sugar
1. In a medium saucepan heat the butter and lime juice to a boil.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together.
3. When the lime juice come up to temperature, add a little to the eggs to temper them. Add a little at a time until all is mixed in.
4. Return to saucepan. Add zest and put over medium heat Whisking constantly.
5. When the mixture comes to a boil and becomes thick, strain, cover with plastic and chill until ready to use.

I like this as a fruit dip, with shortbread cookies, or as a tart filling. Soon there will be a picture, but it's in the freezer now and wouldn't look so appetizing.

I made a crepe cake by layering the same ingredients that I made the crepes out of and letting it chill before cutting to let it set up a little. It was delicious.

Chicken Cordon Bleu-wiches

2007-12-30T15:43:00.000-08:00

These were DELICIOUS. I used sour dough bread, rotissserie chicken, thin shaved ham, and aged white cheddar. That cheese is to die for. It is from Costco and I totally recommend it. I put the open face sandwiches under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. Man, I want one of those right now.

C-Soup

2007-12-11T21:28:00.001-08:00

I call this C-Soup because it is make with cauliflower, cider, and curry. It was based off a recipe I saw Rachel Ray make on her show. It looked so good and warm, so I made my rendition. I did mostly the same things she did, but I substituted some cider for stock, and added curry powder to the sauteed veggies. It was very good. But I didn't add heavy cream to ours, just a dollop of sour cream is usually a great compliment to blended soups. Although the cream would be a nice treat sometime.

Whole Wheat rolls

2007-12-08T06:32:00.001-08:00

I made these rolls for the barbecue pork sandwiches at my Pampered Chef party. Here is the recipe. They very hearty, sweet, and perfect for sandwiches.

Wassail Cake

2007-12-08T06:25:00.001-08:00

I LOVED this. Read all about it here.

Turkey and Dumplings

2007-12-02T20:24:00.000-08:00

I made a this a while ago with our turkey leftovers. It was so nice and comforting. I just did a basic creamy turkey soup, and used the biscuit recipe from here. For my soup, I started with olive oil and cooked an onion, a few carrots, a couple stocks of celery, some minced garlic, fresh thyme, sage, and salt and pepper until they were slightly cooked through. I added a little more olive oil and sprinkled some flour in. I cooked a stirred for a couple minutes and added a can of chicken broth, and some milk. I also added a little more chicken flavoring. You can adjust the liquids to your liking. I let it come back to a boil and simmer to cook the vegetables through, sirring occasionally. Sometimes, if it's not as thick as I like, I add a little cornstarch water mixture to it. I suppose I should actually measure one of these times to get the roux just right to make the soup as thick as I want. Anyway, I then added the leftover turkey and I continued with the dumplings just like above recipe says. I sprinkled a little cheese for fun and it was a very nice warm meal. I think this is the first time I have made a dumpling entree. I have made fruit and dumpling desserts before, but never for the main course. I think it will be on our winter list of menus.

2007-11-30T13:57:00.000-08:00

These are the gingersnaps I made for the crust of this pumpkin tart. I know I could've bought them very easily, and cheaply, but it sounded Christmasy and fun. And I don't think I have made them for years. If I have, I don't remember. I also don't remember and can't find the recipe I used. It was from some website. It might've been this. Sorry to be so vague. These are the types of cookies that can be made such a variety of ways anyway. There are probably millions of great recipes. They made a great crust though.

Eggplant Parmesan

2007-11-25T17:46:00.000-08:00

This was really simple. I breaded the eggplant (dry the eggplant on paper towels for a while, dip in flour, egg, then bread crumbs) broiled it until it was toasted on both sides, and layered it with marinara sauce, mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, herbs, and of course Parmesan. I baked it covered at 375 for about 20 minutes, or until it was bubbling, and then took of the foil for about 5 minutes. I served it over whole wheat thin spaghetti. The leftovers were just as good.

Shepherds Pie

2007-11-19T16:17:00.000-08:00

This and all Turkey meat Shepherds Pie. It pretty much followed this recipe, except I used about half sweet potatoes and half regular potatoes for the topping. It is a great winter meal and we'll probably be making it with our Thanksgiving leftovers as well.

Spinach etc. pizza

2007-11-18T15:36:00.001-08:00

It was Friday night, and not wanting to go out, but wanting something easy and comforting, I decided on Pizza. This one went as follows: Your favorite crust, risen, punched, and stretched to fit your stone. A little olive oil straight on the dough. Then your sauce of choice topped with a lot of fresh spinach. Then mozzarella, pepperoni, smoked ham, and red onions, lots of Parmesan along with any spices and herbs you want to include. Bake at 475 for about 10-15 minutes or until cheese gets a little brown and crispy. KC got sidetracked from our conversation with each bite.

Salmon en croute with caramelizd shallots.

2007-11-08T19:45:00.001-08:00

I have to admit, it wasn't my favorite. Probably because I'm not a salmon lover. KC liked it though. I place the raw salmon, along with a spinach, mushroom, onion mixture, I sauteed and mixed with cream cheese on raw pie crust an made a little pocket. Egg wash, poke a vent hole, and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes or something. I can't remember. I just made sure it was nice and golden. I also made a dill, lemon sauce for the top. I thought it needed something. The shallots were making our eyes water all night. Who knew. A little olive oil, salt and pepper and they are perfect. Saute a little on the stove and them put in the oven for a few minutes while the salmon is finishing up. I put a little red wine, but would omit it next time. I like the natural flavor of the caramelization.

Black Bean Soup with Mojo

2007-11-05T09:55:00.001-08:00

This was an especially good fall soup. I got the recipe from the Food Network website. I didn't have any dried black beans at the time, so I made a quickie version using canned. I'm sure it is better the slow cooked way, but it made it in about and hour, and KC seemed happy with it. I did mostly what the recipe said except cut up the pork and sauteed it with the onions, head of garlic, and spices/herbs. Then, since the beans were already hydrated, I only added about 2 cups of broth with the drained beans, and then about a handful of fresh cilantro, the bay leaf and crushed red pepper. Them let it simmer for about 15 minutes, food processed about half of it and let it simmer a few minutes longer.

With the mojo, I did everything the same, except I blended it in the food processor. Serve with sour cream, chips, ans cheese. That's how I like it. Next time I'll try it slow cooked.

Pumpkin cake

2007-11-03T05:05:00.001-07:00

It's so appropriate that a pumpkin cake is made in a bundt pan. It has the pumpkin shape. Here is the recipe I used, and them I smothered it with cream cheese icing. I think everyone likes pumpkin cake. I haven't met someone than doesn't. We took this to our friend's Halloween party.

Goat brie platter

2007-11-01T07:48:00.001-07:00

I highly reccomend goat brie. It was so delicious. Especially with prosciutto, cinnamon bagels and sesame crackers. We had this with our carrot soup and it went perfectly.

Red Wine Stew

2007-10-27T08:11:00.001-07:00

I call this red wine, rosemary, Stew. I chopped up and onion, carrots, and celery and put them in a crock pot with some stew meat. I put a whole sprig of fresh rosemary, a roast beef seasoning packet ( I know it's a short cut, but you could also use beef broth and a few more herbs like a bay leaf and thyme, and salt and pepper instead. I just happened to have it on hand.), canned chopped tomatoes, about 1/2 cup of red wine and 1 cup or more of water, depending on how much stew you are making. I let it cook for 6 hours and it was perfect. I recommend a crusty bread with it.

Corn Chowder

2007-10-23T11:45:00.001-07:00

This is Corn Chowder. Sadly, no recipe. Just a little of this and a little of that. And yes, those are crackers in my soup. That's how I like it.

Pear Crostata

2007-10-17T15:39:00.000-07:00

This is a pear crostata, or free form tart. I needed a quick dessert, so I pulled some shortbread dough from the freezer and rolled it out into a rectangle. I mixed some cream cheese with maple syrup and spread it everywhere except 1-2 inches from the edges. I spread a little cherry preserves on that and them layered on the pears. I think I drizzled a little maple syrup on the pears too. Then I folded the sides over the pears. I sprinkled a little granola on top and rock sugar on the edges and baked at 375 or so until it was golden brown. I'm loving the fall foods. This has been the picture for this month on my calendar so mine was patterned after it.

Curried Carrot Soup

2007-10-16T04:32:00.000-07:00

This is delicious and can very easily be made a day ahead of when you are eating it. The recipe is here. I usually add a dollop of sour cream on top. It is very good for you and full of flavor.

You asked for a recipe...

2007-10-10T03:53:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the despicable photo.

I have a hard time when people ask me for recipes because I rarely know what I put in something unless I write it down as I go along. Therefore, You could probably make everything on this blog yourselves just like I do. Just add things you are inspired to add.

This is a stuffed red pepper with a Latin flair. It started as a regular stuffed pepper and I decided along to way to change it. I tried to write down everything I put in it so here goes:

3 red or green peppers
Filling:
One quater of an onion, chopped finely
1/2 c chopped celery
1/2 c olives (I used green spanish olives that I happened to have, but black would do)
about 3-4 oz. chorizo sausage, cubed
1-2 t cumin powder
1 t chili powder
A handful of fresh, chopped, cilantro
1/2 c cottage cheese
1/4 c bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 c salsa, plus a little more.
a couple big pinches of salt
a few grinds or pepper
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 small can of green chilies. I didin't have fresh on hand but it helped with the spice.
I think 1/2 lb Ground beef (I'm not sure how much I used, but it just depends of how many peppers you want to make. In this recipe it's just a filler so you can add up to 1 1/2 lbs. if you want.n The flavors go a long way.)
A little cheese of your choice

Preheat oven to 350. Mash it all together with your hand only until everything looks combined. Cut off the tops of the pepper and take out the ribs. Stuff the peppers with the filling pressing down slightly. Put in a grease pan small enough that they can help each other stand up. Bake for about one hour, or until the meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. Let them rest, covered with foil about 10 minutes before eating.

2007-09-26T12:24:00.001-07:00

Another pot pie, yet again. I like to make this when I make dinner for people. This one is made with puff pastry instead of pie crust. KC kindly said he likes pie crust better. The lattice one was for them, and the other was for us.

2007-09-24T13:17:00.001-07:00

Spanish tortilla: This is similar to a fritata, but this is what they call a tortilla in Spain. I saw a chorizo sausage at the store and decided to make this, as it is commonly used in this, and completely forgot to put it in. It had red potatoes, onions, turkey bacon, and red peppers. A pretty hearty dinner. We'll have to make it again with the sausage.

Whew!

2007-09-23T13:08:00.001-07:00

I think I've finally caught up. From now on it will be one food at a time. Maybe I can give more details or recipes from here on out.

Everything else

2007-09-23T12:49:00.000-07:00

I have gotten tired of trying to put everything in a category so these are all the rest that didn't fit in on of the posts before.

Stuffed peppers: These are so easy and so good. We make these a lot. Always a little different than the last time.
Stuffed spaghetti squash: I put so many things in this I can't even remember. It was all about using things up in the fridge.

Honey mustard salmon: KC still remembers this one. He loved it. I will definitely make it again. KC's mom has made it too. She seems to like it. Biscuits and gravy: One of my favorite breakfasts.
Spinach, sweet potato fritata: It was an interesting combination, but good all the same.
Grilled chicken, spinach, mozzarella omelet: We like our breakfast for dinner.
Pork roulade: Both of the next pictures are a blue cheese pork roulade I saw on Good Eats. It wasn't my favorite, I'll admit, but I like to try a lot of different meats and ways of preparing them. This pic is before it is cut, and the bottom one is how it was served.

Chicken Pot pies

2007-09-23T12:06:00.000-07:00

Yep, these are a category all by themselves. I love playing with pie dough and doing different things with it. I have also made this with my puff pastry dough.

Hors D'oeuvres

2007-09-23T11:47:00.000-07:00

I love making bite sized treats but I don't make them very often. Here are a few that I have made.

Brie platter: This went with our carbonara meal. I love brie. Especially with fruit.
Turkey bacon wrapped chicken with a sweet and spicy glaze: These are pretty healthy with the turkey bacon. They do however have a brown sugar/chili powder glaze on them. Oh well.
Salmon salad in phyllo cups: I can't quite remember what I put in the salad, but the phyllo made a nice crunch.
Spinach artichoke tartlets: These are always a favorite. I also made this with the filling wrapped in puff pastry. That is always well received.

Ethnic foods (mostly mexican)

2007-09-22T06:23:00.000-07:00

I like to try ethnic food every now and then. Not just easy Mexican or Italian things, but really ethnic things. I haven't done that well with my experimenting yet, but I stick to the things we like. I'll start it up some day.

Salsa chicken: The famous crock pot salsa chicken. Sometimes I make tortilla bowls to put this in. Anything is good with sour cream, salsa, and cheese all over it.

Sesame chicken, pot stickers and stir fry: Okay, I didn't make the pot stickers, but I had to spruce up our Costco purchases with something.
Steak nachos: Oooooo, those were good.

Humongous quesadilla: I found these huge tortillas at the store and had to make this. You can read more about it here.
Shredded Chicken nachos: I LOVE nachos! I can't even say how much I love them. I order them every time we go get Mexican, and make them even more often than that. They have to have everything on them too. Loaded!

Thai noodles with peanut sauce: This and the two after it were part of our weekend of Asian food. You can read more about it here.
Oriental cabbage salad: Same old, same old. KC put his picture in the picture because he said he was tired of my pictures not having people in them.
Egg drop soup and egg roll: I loved those egg rolls. I think I'll make them again, very soon.

Salads and soups

2007-09-22T05:48:00.001-07:00

We love hearty salads for dinner. I rarely have it as a side. A salad deserves all the credit in the meal.

Potato bacon salad: A take on Mom's potato lovers salad. I usually make this with a mixture of sweet and red potatoes.Split pea soup: This is even better the next day.
Steak salad: The next two salads are different versions of a steak salad. Not quite sure what's in both of them.

Irish Stew: This is now a St. Patricks day tradition.
Cobb salad with tortilla crisps: We have this whenever I want a quick dinner.
Another Cobb salad: This one had muenster cheese, red peppers, and delicious mini crunchy cucumbers.
Roasted vegetable salad: Cauliflower, sweet potatoes, red peppers roasted under the broiler. I love warm salads sometimes.

Sandwiches

2007-09-21T21:32:00.001-07:00

Sandwiches are so good an often times under rated. The possibilities are endless. I love a good juicy sandwich.

Turkey cherry sandwich: I had this for lunch everyday for a week, I liked it so much. It was cream cheese, spicy brown mustard, cherry preserves, turkey, spinach and cheese, on an onion bagel, broiled until the cheese was melted. I only had it this way this one time. The other times, I had it cold without the cheese on top. Delicious both ways. Whew, long explanation.

BLT: I think I used pepper jack in this one which added a whole new element to this classic.
Egg salad: Ah.... I love a good egg salad. Curly fries make it even more delicious. Except, I usually would choose salt and vinegar chips as my side dish.
Turkey Burgers with baked sweet and russet potatoes: I researched on how to make these potatoes just like The Outback. They were nice a crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.
Turkey mushroom burger: Similar to the above but tons of mushrooms in these bad boys. KC loooooooooooooves mushrooms.
Bagel breakfast sandwich and roasted potatoes: This was our humble "first Valentines day together" meal. Great memory. I wrote about it here.
Bagel and eggs: I suppose this is a sandwich. An open faced one. It looks like spinach and turkey eggs on a toasted and buttered bagel. We love breakfast for dinner.

Pizza

2007-09-21T14:16:00.001-07:00

I wrote a post about Pizza here, and here. We obviously really like it.

Cauliflower pizza: I'm pretty sure there is chicken in there somewhere too.

French bread pizza: The fresh rosemary and parsley made this extra good.Cheese steak pizza: Love those pre-cooked Costco steak strips.
Whole grain tortilla pizza: they have zucchini under all that cheese, I promise.
Grilled chicken, goat cheese, spinach pizza: I love goat cheese on pizza. I usually go wheat crust but I splurged on this and made white.
Veggie pizza: I love roasted veggies on pizza.

Pasta, and things like it.

2007-09-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately there are few recipes to give here since I can hardly recall what I put in myself.

Whole wheat mac and cheese: This is Alton's recipe. I think I added ham and broccoli to mine.
Lasagna: I love lasagna. I never make it with out spinach.
Creamy veggie pasta: Looks like another spinach and pepper concoction. Quick and easy.
Spinach Gnocchi: I guess this goes with the pastas.
Vegetarian Carbonara: Loaded with peppers, yellow and green squash, and of course garlic and onions. I made this when our landlord came over for dinner.
Whole wheat linguine: Spinach, turkey bacon, chicken and fresh tomatoes. Maybe goat cheese in there somewhere?
Beef Stroganoff: This might not be considered a pasta, but where else would it go?
Carbonara: This had ham, red peppers, onion, parsley and garlic.
Whole wheat pasta with Chicken and creamy marinara: I can't quite remember what when into this one. Looks like there's broccoli in there somewhere.

Past desserts/sweets of any kind.

2007-09-20T09:58:00.001-07:00

These are not in any particular order. I was just getting everything on.

Strawberry moussed filled coconut bundt cake: This was Jefferson and Jackson's combined birthday cake. I still get requests.

Stuffed french toast and smoothies: I made this for Melody for breakfast when I surprise her in Utah.

Chocolate Lava cake: Don't be confused by what the dish says. It was a gooey on the inside type of cake.

Mixed fruit biscotti: I was trying to use up a bag of dried fruit from Costco so I wouldn't keep eating it. This was a great use for it.
Cinnamon rolls: We had these on conference weekend. I think it is a tradition now.

Scone assortment: I had some friends come over for a scone night and I made a plate with all the toppings we had.
The next seven things were made for a party I catered. You can read about it here.
Lemon curd and fruit platter.
Caramel cheese cake with an almond crust: I deleted my only good picture of this so here you go.
Raspberry almond shortbread bars
Chocolate dipped coconut macaroons
Fresh mango frangipane tart

Chocolate raspberry truffle cake
Coconut bundt with roasted pineapple

Heart attack Cake: Another one of Jake's birthday Cakes. You can read more about it here.

Fruit Cheesecake with almond crust: I made this for a friend picnic when I was still single. A boy, not KC, proposed when he saw it. Sorry Joe.

Chocolate mint Cheesecake: Very rich. This was Cortnie's birthday cake. I should make it again sometime.
Pina coladas: We made these many times in the course of a week. After this batch we make them with strawberry sherbet. Much better.
Pineapple Cheesecake: This was for Ethan's birthday and he didn't really eat it. I remember it not turning out as well as I had hoped. There's always next time.
Lime pound cake: I made this on Memorial Day. We had friends over and I made it to go with pina colada strawberry ice cream that KC made.
Orange bundt with vanilla bean peaches: This was Cami's birthday/Easter cake. It could've used more orange flavor, but it was cake right.
Creamy banana cake: This was a hit at a ward function. Can you tell I'm a fan of using the bundt pan.
Mini strawberry mandarin cheesecakes: I made these from the left over batter of the one below. They were too easy to pull out of the freezer and pop in my mouth.
Berry shortcake: I made this for Mother's day. It's the kind that tastes even better the next day.
Homemade oreos: These are one of my faves.
Strawberry pie cookies: I had extra pie dough left so I made these for fun. They turned out pretty good.
Fruit platter: I do enjoy the healthy natural sweets as well. A friend invited us for dinner and we brought this.

Chocolate mouse and peanut butter cup filled chocolate bundt cake: What a mouth full. Jake was a happy 29 year old.
Key lime pie: I have made this many times this summer. Always seems to be a crowd pleaser.
Strawberry mandarin cheesecake tart: Given as a gift to some friends who were moving.
Strawberries and cream: The whipped cream is also sugar free. Just happened to have it on hand. The go lean crunch was great on top and it was paired perfectly with chocolate soy milk.

Caramel popcorn: This was an adventure. I didn't have the ingredients for the caramel corn I wanted to make so I made it up. And I jazzed it up with quite a few things-honey bunches of oats, pistachios, raisins, and toasted coconut, and chocolate chips. The caramel sauce have coconut milk in it so it was pretty rich.
Cinnamon spice cheesecakes bites: We dipped these in chocolate fondue for a baby shower.
Coconut truffles: I saw them on a Brazilian recipe website and made them for a friend going on a mission to Brazil.

Sugar free flourless chocolate cake: I made this for a friend who couldn't eat a lot of sugar at the time. I made it later so I could try it and I have to say it turned out pretty well for a sugarless dessert.
Tea Party: This was a spread a friend and I put together to pracitce for a business we were going to start. That is kind of put on hold. But we had fun making bluberry scones with lime curd, cucumber and salmon tea sandwiches, shortbread cookies, and peanut butter and lime meringue tartlets.

Avocado Shake: This rasied many questions. It wwas pretty good and isn't as unusual as you think. It's the kind of thing people will feel cool telling you about because you've never heard of such a thing.

Playing catch up!

2007-09-20T09:52:00.001-07:00

Of course I can't remember specific occasions and even ingredients for each dish, but I'm going to post all the past items in categories just to get started. I'll try to recall what was in each dish as I go, but there are no guarentees as I often try to make something out of whatever needs to be used up in the fridge. This is mostly a photo journal of things I've made.

Past breads

2007-09-20T06:39:00.000-07:00

These are rolls I made for easter with my cinnamon rolls recipe.

Irish soda bread: We had this on St. Patrick's Day with out Irish stew.

Bran muffins: I love these in the morning. I wish I would have the freshly baked every day.

Banana bread: I believe this was given to friend who'd just had her baby. I like to glaze things a lot.

My Cuisine

2007-09-20T05:09:00.001-07:00

The posts in this blog will be a record of my sidebar, "Something we've eaten lately". I want the record mostly for myself to remember what we have liked in the past. Bon appetit!