Holy Cannoli Recipes

Boundless Nutrition Review & Giveaway

2012-01-24T00:01:00.009-05:00

Boundless Nutrition is a family owned and operated business located in Austin, Texas. They manufacture natural and healthy snacks like the Wellness Bars that is high in protein, fiber and calcium while remaining low in the sugar department. They also make Perfect Fit Protein Cookies that are gluten free and packed with protein with only 150 calories.

Omega 3 Wellness Bars

100% whole grains
300 mg EPA & DHA Omega 3
14 g. hormone free whey protein
3 c. green tea
5 g. fiber
14 g. protein
190 calories
prebiotic inulin

100% whole grains
200 mg DHA & EPA Omega 3
10 g. hormore-free whey protein
10 g. protein
3 g. fiber
2 c. green tea
120 calories
prebiotic inulin

My thoughts:
All three of the bars look the same and have the same density. The only one that looked different was the Blueberry Pomegranate Crunch bar. One thing that I noticed about them besides their appearance and texture were their taste. You could not taste the fish oil in any of them. Now, considering that I am not a huge fish person and the smell of fish oil repulses me, this was huge. I thought for sure I would find a hint of fish in these bars but I found nothing. I would also like to add that they are quite filling. I found that half of a bar would curb a mid afternoon hunger and sustain me until my lunch break.

Dark Chocolate Peanut- This bar really threw the Mr. and I. We were expecting a very peanut taste and instead couldn't taste anything remotely like peanut. I could taste oats and a hint of mint but no peanut. Which was a let down for me since I could eat a jar of peanuts or take a spoon to a jar of peanut butter and be set for life.

Mocha- There should be a disclaimer here because I don't like mocha flavored things. Just like I don't like banana flavored anything, same goes for mocha. Unless of course you are handing me a cup of coffee. So I feel like my review on the taste of this bar is mute.

Dark Chocolate Mint- Okay close your eyes and think Thin Mints. That is exactly what this bar tastes like. If I didn't eat it so fast I would have thrown it in the freezer to see if it had the same effect as it does on the cookie. (I know I am not the only one that does this.)

Blueberry Pomegranate Crunch- This bar had a very powerful blueberry taste to it. It reminded me of the blueberry pomegranate juice that we drink but only in bar form.

Perfect Fit Cookies

150 calories
10 g. protein
4 g. fiber
3 c. green tea
gluten-free
low sodium
no soy wheat or egg
hormone free milk protein

My thoughts:
All three of these cookies were delicious! They did however have a grainy texture to them but the Mr. and I chalked it up to all the protein that is in them. Neither one of us were put off by it and if there was a Boundless Nutrition shop next to a Mrs. Fields, we would hands down get these Perfect Fit cookies.

From the pictures left to right.
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut- This cookie was probably my least favorite of the three. It had more of the chalky taste and gritty texture that you associate with the protein bars you get a health food store. However, the Mr. liked this one a lot and said that even though you could certainly tell that is wasn't homemade, he would gladly eat more of them.

Chocolate Chip- Can anything with the words "chocolate chip cookie" be gross? I am starting to believe that the answer is no. For me personally, this was my favorite out of everything that I tasted. Maybe I am just a sucker for chocolate chip cookies but I really liked this cookie. It was just like the cookies you get pre-wrapped in convenient stores except you felt good after eating it.

Peanut Butter- This didn't have a processed peanut butter taste to it at all. It was as if they ground the peanuts up themselves to make a paste and used that in their cookies. I even liked the extra touch of chopped peanuts in the cookie.

☆ I must thank Boundless Nutrition and Amy, who was nice enough to send me a box full of their tasty treats to try. They were even as kind as to offer my readers a box (12 bars or cookies) to one lucky winner! So swing by their webpage and leave a comment here letting me know which ones you would like to try.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tortellini and Bean Soup

2012-01-17T02:39:00.002-05:00

You know how you should never go to the grocery store when you are hungry because you will end up buying everything... well sometimes that isn't such a bad thing. This time it worked out well in my favor. I never buy tortellini and when I came home one day with two packages of the stuff, I started to look for dinners to incorporate them in. I wound up finding this recipe over at Betty Crocker and thought it sounded delicious.

The recipe is extremely easy to make and is easy on the clean up as well. Everything is made in the one pot, there is no slicing and dicing, it is literally a throw everything in the pot kind of recipe and I love it! The last thing I want to do when I get home from work is change out of my work clothes and slave away in the kitchen making dinner and this recipe takes all of the labor out of dinner for you. The only thing I did differently was that I used cooked dried beans instead of the canned beans.

3 1/2 c. vegetable broth
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes w/ basil, oregano and garlic, drained
1 c. frozen chopped spinach
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (9 oz) package cheese filled tortellini
basil, sliced thinly for garnish (optional)

In large saucepan, combine vegetable broth and tomatoes. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Add spinach, beans and tortellini; return to a boil. Reduce heat; boil gently 5 minutes or until tortellini is tender and soup is thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally.

This post is submitted in
Just Another Meatless Monday

Update

2012-01-09T11:25:00.007-05:00

BOOOO!

Yeah, I know, it has been a while. Trust me, there is a reason why I have been MIA for a while. If you follow me on Facebook than you know that the Mr. and I hitched a ride on a few planes from CA-NY to see family and friends for New Years. Have you ever tried to see everyone and do everything within 5 days when you have been gone for nearly 2 years? It isn't easy. When we were home we finally got a chance to go to a SU basketball game. For those who follow college basketball, you might know that we are currently #1 in the Big East. We have been following our hometown team and watching the games on TV but we hit the days just right to where we were able to go to one of the games. So we were both pretty excited to finally be in the Carrier Dome watching a game.

We also got a chance to see another local team, the Syracuse Crunch play as well. My mom was able to get us awesome seats and I was up close and personal to watch a bunch of grown men slam each other around and get physical on the ice.

We also got to do something we weren't able to attend last year... First Night. We have something called Lights on the Lake where during the holidays you drive through all of these light displays while listening to the programed music channel but on New Years Eve, they shut it down to cars and allow the public to walk through all the light displays instead... the whole 5 miles worth.

When we finally made it back home, I realized... I have no more stored up recipes! I thought I had more saved on our old computer but when I yanked the hard drive and had a looksy, I realized I needed to get my butt in the kitchen and start cracking. So I have been making up new dishes so that I can share them with you guys.

However, I was welcomed home by a box from Boundless Nutrition containing some of their wellness bars and protein cookies to review. They also offered to give one of my lucky readers a chance to try their products as well. So as soon as I can eat my way through their treats, I will post my review. Believe it or not, these little guys are quite filling and even with the Mr. and I splitting them in half, we can pretty much only make it through one a day.

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful new year so far.

Baked French Toast Casserole w/ Praline Topping

2011-12-20T03:14:00.004-05:00

Every year on Christmas Eve I would make this french toast casserole before heading out to my aunt's house for the annual family holiday get together. That way, the next morning when we all watch my niece open up her gifts from Santa, I can throw the casserole in the oven and by the time she's done, the casserole's done. It really does time out perfectly and I found that it is a lot more enjoyable to just relax Christmas morning with a hot cup of java, listening to Christmas music in the background while my niece tears into her gifts. However last year we were unable to make it home for the holidays but I still kept the tradition alive and made the casserole at home. I will have to do the same this year as well since we won't be home for the holidays again. Plus, I think I might be working on Christmas, so this might be more a dinner when I get home than a breakfast. Yeah, apparently National Parks don't close for Christmas and someone has to show up and talk to visitors. Oh well, I am not complaining, I would much rather work the holiday that have one of my co-workers who has a family at home waiting for them spending their Christmas day sitting in the visitor center.

This is a super simple casserole that you make the night before and let it sit and soak over night in the fridge. Then the next morning all you have to do is pretty much just throw it in the oven. I did alter the recipe quite a bit since it does come from Paula Dean and that woman likes her heavy creams and butter. I have also found that from previous years, if you cut the bread in cubes instead of slices, it soaks up the egg mixture better leaving you with perfect french toast texture throughout. As apposed to some parts being dried out and more toasted and others having a glob of egg on the side.

French Toast:

1 loaf of challah bread (any bread will work)
8 eggs
3 c. skim milk/soy milk
1 TBSP. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Slice bread into 1-inch thick cubes. Arrange bread onto buttered 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Combine all the ingredients above and whisk until blended. Pour egg mixture over the bread making sure all of the bread is evenly covered. Cover casserole with foil and store in the refrigerator over night.

Praline Topping:

1/2 c. butter/margarine
1 c. light brown sugar
1 c. pecans
2 Tbsp. lite calorie light corn syrup (not the dark stuff)
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. Store in container in the refrigerator over night.

Next Morning:

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Praline topping will have separated over night, stir until well blended.
Pour mixture evenly over bread.
Bake for 20 minutes with foil on. Remove foil and continue to bake an additional 20 until the bread is puffy and golden brown.

This post is submitted in
Make It Yours

Gingerbread Marshmallows

2011-12-15T21:42:00.009-05:00

I know everyone makes gingerbread cookies for the holidays. It seems like gingerbread and Christmas go hand in hand. So why not spruce up your typical holiday drink and add a little gingerbread flair to your hot cocoa? I came across this recipe last year and instantly fell in love. It isn't that hard to make but you do have to have patience to allow the marshmallows to fully set before you cut into them. But all good things come with time and this is no exception.

I would highly recommend that you use at least a hand held electric mixer for this recipe. You have to spend minutes whipping the mixture to get it light and fluffy and unless you are looking for one serious workout, a plain old whisk just isn't going to cut it. I however used my stand mixer and was able to walk away and start to clean up while the marshmallows were whipping away to fluffy goodness.

1 oz packet gelatin
1/2 c. cold water
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
1/4 c. water
2 TBSP molasses
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground clove
2 egg whites, room temperature

Put sugars in a saucepan. Add 1/4 cup water to make a mixture that looks and feels like wet sand. What is most important is that all sugar has the same amount of moisture. Add molasses, salt, ginger, cinnamon and clove, and place over low heat. Cook until it becomes a sugar syrup of 235-240 degrees. It should have the consistency of corn syrup.
Meanwhile, Place 1/2 cup water in a bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the water. Let bloom.
Once the sugar syrup is ready, turn off heat and let sit for a couple of minutes...not too long. Start your mixer on low and get the whites to foamy. Mix the gelatin into the sugar syrup and stir until melted completely. Place egg whites into a large bowl. Add the salt. Slowly pour the sugar syrup into the bowl, careful not to hit the whisk attachment and turn the mixer on high. Leave on high and mix until the mixture is warm, but full volume and comes to a peak. While it is still warm, pour into a lightly greased 13x9 pan. Sift powdered sugar on top. Allow marshmallows to sit at least 5 hours or over night to fully set up. Cut into squares and store in airtight container.

This post is submitted in
Just Another Meatless Monday
Make It Yours

Chickpea Pot Pie w/ Cornbread Crust

2011-12-07T14:47:00.008-05:00

With the temperatures finally getting below 60 here in the desert, I am making more winter friendly recipes. One of which was Joanne's amazing pot pie. The recipes she comes out with are amazing and I am pretty sure that unlike myself she has taken food photography classes because her pictures make you drool on your keyboard without even realizing it. So, no surprise here that when I saw this recipe, realized I had everything in the pantry to make it, I made it for dinner that night. The entire time I was thanking Joanne for posting it. I grew up on that frozen pot pie crap that you throw in the oven, yeah... you know what I'm talking about. I have since made my own pot pies but never made one with cornbread topping before! Why on earth did no one think of this before? I am pretty sure that as I mercilessly dug into my pot pie that night, I was saying all of this out loud to the Mr. Usually I ask him if he likes any of the new recipes I try but I am pretty sure I blurted out at the table "I hope you like this because I love it and plan on making this recipe a lot." I don't believe he complained but then again, I was too preoccupied devouring my dinner.

So aside from the fact that this is drool worthy another thing that I loved about this recipe... it was incredibly easy. You pretty much cook your filling in one pan, mix your cornbread topping in a bowl while everything is cooking and then you assemble and throw in the oven. I only made two ramekins for the Mr. and I and stored the filling and topping in two separate containers in the refrigerator for round two. I did change a couple of things. Instead of sugar I tried truvia sweetener (which you couldn't tell the difference) and because I am from Syracuse, I used Franks hot sauce. If you have a favorite hot sauce by all means use it.

2 c. chopped sweet potatoes
1/2 c. chopped carrots
1 TBSP olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 c. AP flour
2 c. vegetable broth
2 c. cooked chickpeas
1/2 c. frozen baby peas
1 tsp kosher salt
cracked pepper
dash of Franks hot sauce
3/4 c. cornmeal
3/4 c. AP flour
1 TBSP baking powder
1 1/2 TBSP sugar/sweetener
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c. almond milk or skim milk
2 TBSP olive oil
1 large egg yolk, slightly beaten

Boil the potatoes and carrots until tender but not soft and set aside.
Spray a 2-quart casserole with cooking spray (or ramekins!)
For the filling, heat a large saucepan until hot. Add the oil and onions. Saute onions until they are soft, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the 1/4 cup flour and mix. Slowly pour in the vegetable stock whisking well with a wire whisk. Still using the whisk, cook the mixture over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chickpeas, peas, cooked potatoes and carrots, salt, pepper to taste, and hot sauce. Cook on medium heat until the mixture is heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. turn into the prepared casserole dish, spreading evenly or divide evenly among ramekins.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
For the crust, in a bowl combine the cornmeal, 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In a small bowl, combine the milk, oil and egg yolk. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until uniform but a bit lumpy. Spoon the batter evenly over the filling.
Bake until the top is golden brown, about 22 to 25 minutes for the casserole and 10 to 12 minutes for the ramekins.

This post is submitted in
Just Another Meatless Monday

Cream of Spinach Soup

2011-11-28T11:26:00.007-05:00

I had this soup a couple of years ago while out with a bunch of friends for lunch. The soup of the day was cream of spinach and even know I am not a fan of "cream of anything" soup I decided to give it a shot. I ended up devouring mine in record timing and probably would have gone up for seconds if it wouldn't have made me look like a total pig. Now that it is finally cooling down here in the desert, I have started to make soups. When at the commissary I was looking at the frozen vegetable section and saw a bag of chopped spinach and immediately thought about the soup I had back in VA. The Mr. looked at me like I was crazy when I bought 2 bags of spinach and even questioned what I was doing. I will admit that when I told him my plans for dinner he wasn't overly thrilled. You see the Mr. and I share the same view on creamed soups. I went home found a recipes on All Recipes and got to work.

This soup is super simple to make and isn't loaded with heavy cream. You can add different spices to the batch to give it more flavor. I added chipotle for a little smoky kick. However, I thought the soup was fine all on its own and was sneaking "tastes' while I waited for the Mr. to get home from work.

1 1/2 c. vegetable stock
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach
3 TBSP butter/ margarine
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
3 c. skim milk
1 TBSP dried minced onion
pinch chipotle powder
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, combine stock and spinach. Bring to a boil, and cook until spinach is tender.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour, and cook for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk. Season with minced onion, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in spinach mixture.

This post is submitted in
My Meatless Mondays
Tuesdays at the Table
Hearth and Soul
Full Plate Thursday

Buffalo Chicken & Blue Cheese Meatloaf and Giveaway

2011-11-09T10:36:00.016-05:00

I received an email the other day from Chef Jeff who is the author of the cookbook DinneRevolution. The cookbook contains over 200 healthy recipes that have 10 ingredients or less. I like that it has a wide selection of poultry, beef, pork, seafood, vegetarian and side dish recipes. The ingredients are easy to find in your local grocery store and the directions are easy to follow. There is also the nutrient facts at the bottom of each recipe. So if you are counting calories or just watching what you eat in general, this cookbook won't leave you guessing. I have only made one thing from this cookbook so far and both the Mr. and I loved it.

I don't know what it is but lately I have been on a blue cheese and hot sauce kick. So the second I saw this recipe I called up the Mr. and told him to pick up a pound of ground poultry on his way home from work. It took no time to throw it together and the ending result was pretty tasty. We did add more hot sauce when we were eating it, so the next time I make it I think I will use more hot sauce but other than that, this recipe was delicious. One thing I should add is that pretty much every recipe in this cookbook uses the no salt seasoning. I just used one of my empty spice containers and put the seasoning in there. I didn't have any lemon peel on hand but I will go out and get it soon and add it in. It is a nice spice blend to have on hand.

All Purpose No Salt Seasoning

1 1/2 TBSP garlic powder
1 TBSP thyme leaves
1 TBSP onion powder
1 TBSP paprika
1/2 TBSP celery seed
1 TBSP white pepper
1 TBSP dry mustard
1 TBSP dried lemon peel
1 TBSP ground black pepper

Mix together and store in a tight fitting container

Buffalo Chicken and Blue Cheese Meatloaf
Serves 4
Cook time: 30 minutes

1 pound Ground Turkey/Chicken
1/2 c. Egg Substitute or 1 whole egg
1/4 c. Bread Crumbs
1/4 c. crumbled Blue Cheese
1/2 c. sliced Green Onion
1 TBSP All Purpose Seasoning, no salt
1 TBSP Hot Sauce
1/4 c. Dijon Mustard
1/4 c. Ketchup
1 TBSP Brown Sugar

Preheat oven to 375° F.
In large bowl mix together the ground turkey, egg, bread crumbs, blue cheese, green onion, and seasoning, pat mixture to a loaf and place on a baking sheet.
Mix the remaining ingredients together and pour over the meatloaf.
Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked through. Internal temperature should be 160 degrees.

per serving: 204 calories; 15 gram protein; 6.5 grams total fat; 0 gram fiber; 4.5 gram
saturated fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 33 mgs cholesterol; 949 mgs sodium

This post is submitted in
Real Food Wednesday

★ ☆Everyone wins! All you need to do it enter and leave your email address and I will email you the link to download your free cookbook. This giveaway is open internationally to all of my followers. ★ ☆

Mock Paneer Curry

2011-11-02T12:16:00.003-04:00

I am still new to Indian cuisine but I love changing up our menu every once in a while. I found this recipe over at Living Free and decided to give it a try. I am always looking for new vegetarian dishes to try and this one was definitely not anything I have had before. It's a mock paneer because the cheese is substituted with tofu. There are also different variety of vegetables in this recipe that you wouldn't necessarily find in a traditional curry.

I will admit that the pictures didn't turn out all that great but that's what happens when you are impatient to start eating. This recipe makes a lot and so I had it for leftovers for about a week and every time I warmed it up it just kept getting better. My tofu fell apart but I guess that is what happens when you man handle it. HaHa

1/2 c. white onion, sliced
1/4 c. button mushroom, sliced
1 c. broccoli florets
1 c. green beans
1 small romaine tomato, finely chopped
1 package extra firm tofu
3 c. lite coconut milk
1/4 c. finely ground brown rice flour
1 TBSP. cumin powder
2 tsp. coriander powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. ginger
Salt to taste, if needed

Start by cooking the 5 vegetables in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover it all. I recommend putting this on a back burner to cook while you work on the sauce.
Next, drain the tofu and place on a cutting board. I started by cutting the tofu length ways, so that there were two large yet thin rectangular pieces. It doesn’t really matter how you cut them really, as long as the pieces are about 1/2″ by 1/2″. Once the tofu is sliced, set it aside.
In a large saucepan, not yet on the stove or on heat, add 2 cups of coconut milk and the flour. Wisk together until there are no clunks of flour. Put the pan on to the stove on medium heat. Mix until the liquid starts to thicken, then add the 3rd cup of milk.
Add the tofu chunks and continue mixing for about ten minutes. The continual mixing ensures that things won’t stick to the bottom of the pan, especially as the liquid continues to thicken. Then mix in the cooked veggies and cook for an additional five to ten minutes. Add the spices, mix well.This is when you should test the flavor and add anything additional you think it needs.
Serve hot, although it’s good left over as well; unlike most Indian dishes where the ghee separates and it looses it’s texture – this keeps the same texture when re-heated!. This made enough to feed 6 to 8 people.

Apple Butter

2011-10-24T11:55:00.006-04:00

Last year a bunch of us loaded up and got out of the desert to go apple picking. I was pretty excited since back in NY there are orchard everywhere and the price to pick your own is pretty good. However, that wasn't the case with the place we went to. Not only were their apples expensive but the made your own cider station was ridiculous. So needless to say I only got to make one thing with my picked apples and I chose apple butter. I found the recipe over at All Recipes. The recipe was super easy since everything is done for you in the crock-pot and the only thing you really need for this recipe is patience because it takes a long time to cook down. I used smaller jars for storage and gave some away as Christmas gifts.

*Depending on the sweetness of your apples you may want to alter the sugar amount.

5 1/5 lbs. apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
4 c. sugar or sweetener
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt

Place the apples in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Pour the mixture over the apples in the slow cooker and mix well.
Cover and cook on high 1 hour.
Reduce heat to low and cook 9 to 11 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown.
Uncover and continue cooking on low 1 hour. Stir with a whisk, if desired, to increase smoothness.
Spoon the mixture into sterile containers, cover and refrigerate or freeze.

This post is submitted in
A Southern Fairytale
Let's Do Brunch

I need your help...

2011-10-12T11:57:00.006-04:00

What is a good but inexpensive juicer?

I know that this is a recipe blog but I have an appliance question for all of my foodies out there. I am in need of a juicer, a good but inexpensive one. I currently have my magic bullet that has a juicer attachment but it doesn't work well at all. I have to scoop out the pulp while juicing just one glass of juice, not to mention that the pulp I do throw out is still wet but my machine just won't extract anymore. It also makes a mess when I am adding ingredients into the top because it spits out the pulp from the top and ends up all over the cabinets and myself. If you know of a good one please leave me a comment letting me know your thoughts. I am hoping to pick one up really soon.

Many Thanks,

Spiced Quinoa

2011-10-06T03:27:00.002-04:00

Don't you love it when you find a recipe in passing and it turns out to be one of your staples? I came across this recipe about a year ago at All Recipes and since then I have made it at least a handful of times. I always have the ingredients to make this on hand so that I can make it whenever I get a craving for it. I even made it with white rice before when I ran out of quinoa. Now, although I highly recommend that you use the quinoa, if you cannot find it or it is too expensive in your area, rice will be an okay substitute.

Now you may notice that the pictures don't look the same. That is because they were taken at different times. One is made with golden raisins and the other is your every day raisin. Both of which work just fine. If you are a fan of Moroccan or even curried food then chances are that you will enjoy this. With the cinnamon and curry powder, it really takes your taste buds on a vacation. Which is probably why I love it so much.

1 Tbsp. oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 c. quinoa
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 c. vegetable stock
1 (14 oz) can garbanzo, drained and rinsed
1/2 c. toasted pine nuts
1/2 c. raisins

Stir together the olive oil, onion, and garlic in a saucepan over medium heat until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the quinoa, curry powder, salt, pepper, cumin, cinnamon, and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes until the quinoa is tender.
Once the quinoa has finished cooking, stir in the drained garbanzo beans, toasted pine nuts, and raisins. Serve warm or cold.

This post is submitted in
Motivate Me Monday
Just Another Meatless Monday
My Meatless Monday

Tiramisu Cheesecake Mini's

2011-09-26T01:13:00.003-04:00

So I just recently hit my two year mark with Holy Cannoli Recipes! I would like to thank everyone who has stuck by my side through my 2 years of blogging. I know that I have not been on a lot recently. I was on vacation for a little bit for my birthday and started working part time, so I have been a little stressed on time. However, I have stocked up quite a few recipes for posting and cannot wait to share them with you. But first I would like to revisit my first post on HCR which was the Tiramisu Cheesecake.

This year for my birthday, I asked for tiramisu cheesecake again but since the Mr. and I were going on vacation with my mother and best friend, the Mr. thought it would be best to make cupcake versions for easier storage in the cooler. We looked all over for the coffee flavored mascarpone cheese but they don't sell it out here so the Mr. made a very strong cup of coffee and added that to the cheese.

2 (12 ounce) package lady fingers
4 tablespoons butter, melted
4 tablespoons coffee flavored liqueur (used caramel Bailey’s)
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese (the cake above was 2 low fat and 1 fat free)
1 (8 ounce) container mascarpone cheese
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (3 ounce) bar of cappuccino chocolate, semisweet chocolate, or your favorite kind of chocolate (If you want a thicker layer of chocolate between the crust and cheese cake you will need more)
½ cup brewed coffee

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place a pan of water on the bottom of oven.
Line cupcake tin with liners
Crush a package of ladyfingers to fine crumbs (soft lady fingers need to be toasted 10-15 min, careful not to burn). Mix the melted butter into the crumbs. Moisten with 2 tablespoons of the coffee liqueur. Press 12 cupcake tin liners with mixture.
grate a chocolate bar into fine pieces and cover the crust in liners with chocolate.
In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, mascarpone, ½ cup of coffee and sugar until very smooth. Add 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur, and mix. Add the eggs and the flour; mix SLOWLY until just smooth. The consistency of the mascarpone can vary. If the cheesecake batter is too thick, add a little cream. Do not overmix at this point. Pour batter into cupcake tin.
Place pan on middle rack of oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until set. Open oven door, and turn off the heat. Leave cake to cool in oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and let it finish cooling. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight, before serving.
Before serving shave the remaining chocolate over the top until you are happy with the look. Chocolate covered coffee beans may be used as a garnish on top.

Makes about 30 cupcakes.

This post is submitted in
Just Another Meatless Monday
Homemaker Monday
Market Yourself Monday

Pepper Jack Chicken & Chipotle Potato Chips

2011-09-08T01:25:00.004-04:00

I was given Robin Takes 5 cookbook for review and let me tell you, so far the recipes have not disappointed. This was the first recipe from the cookbook that I have tried and it definitely started off on a good start. I love how not only do the recipes have 5 ingredients or less but they are 500 calories or less AND... all of the recipes are super quick and easy, making it perfect for the weekdays.

Now granted there is nothing "fancy" about this dinner. The simple fact alone that it was only 357 calories does it for me. I mean can it get any better than that? The chicken came out juicy and flavorful with the pepper jack cheese and I really liked the chipotle chips. Now I did change a couple of things from this recipe. I do not have garlic oil and I wasn't about to make my own garlic oil right before making dinner. So I just sprinkled a little bit of garlic powder into the oil. Also I lined a baking sheet with foil and put the chicken on that to bake instead. I don't know about you but I prefer an easy clean up.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 c. shredded pepper Jack cheese
2 baking potatoes, sliced into 1/8inch thick slices
1 Tbsp. garlic flavored olive oil
2 tsp. ground chipotle powder

Preheat oven to 400F. Coat a shallow roasting pan with cooking spray.
Arrange the chicken in the prepared pan and season the top with salt and pepper. Top the chicken with cheese.
Combine the potato slices, oil and chipotle powder in a large bowl and toss to coat the potatoes. Arrange the potatoes on a baking sheet and spread out to for an even layer. Season the top of the potatoes with salt. Bake the chicken and potatoes for 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are golden brown. Serve the Chicken with the potato chips on the side.

This recipe is submitted in
Foodie Friday
Strut Your Stuff

Write a Post, Help a Dog

2011-08-27T16:57:00.009-04:00

I am a HUGE animal person. I mean, how could I not be when I moved across the country 3 times with 3 cats, a tortoise and fish. Even though this is a recipe blog, I couldn't help but pass this along and help out dogs in need.

Write a Post, Help a Dog 2011

In honor of BlogPaws, the conference for Pet Bloggers, Pet Brands, and Pet Health Care Professionals, Pedigree has decided to launch a Write a Post, Help a Dog Campaign. For those of you who missed the event last year in September 391 bloggers wrote about the program and with each post, Pedigree donated 20 pounds of its Healthy Longevity dog food to shelter animals. In all, 7,820 pounds of food was donated to two shelters known across the country for their dedication to the care and re-homing of senior dogs: Muttville Senior Dog Rescue in San Francisco and Castaway Critters in Harrisburg, Pa.

How you can help in 2011

Simply spread the word about Write a Post, Help a Dog 2011 and once again Pedigree will donate 20 pounds of food for each blogger's post. Here's all you need to include in your post:

The Write a Post, Help a Dog program is aimed at raising awareness and food for the more than four million dogs that wind up in shelters and breed rescues each year.
For each blog post mentioning the Pedigree Foundation from now until midnight ET on September 3, Pedigree will donate 20 pounds of its new dry Pedigree recipe food for dogs -- its best recipe ever -- to a shelter, because every dog deserves leading nutrition.
The Pedigree Foundation -- a 501 (C)(3) nonprofit organization is committed to helping dogs by providing grants to shelters and rescues and encouraging dog adoption. This year the Foundation has already raised more than $376,570 against its goal of $1.5 million to carry out its work to fund grants that not only help shelters operate, but to further shelter innovations.

The Pedigree Foundation depends on charitable contributions from individuals to carry out its mission to help dogs find loving homes. In addition to writing a blog post, here's how you can help:

Donate online at http://pedigreefoundation.org/donate.aspx
Apply for a shelter grant from the Pedigree Foundation by completing a form at www.pedigreefoundation.org
Purchase Dogs Rule Gear at www.dogsrulegear.com where the proceeds go to the Pedigree Foundation to help loving dogs find a home. SPECIAL OFFER: Get 10 percent off Dogs Rule Gear by using the promo code BlogPaws10 from August 22 - September 30.

Link up to the blog hop below, hosted by the Pedigree BlogPaws bloggers to help spread the word about Write a Post, Help a Dog.

Black Bean and Corn Quinoa

2011-08-25T09:38:00.003-04:00

I came across this recipe while cruising the Allrecipes website. As you already know, I LOVE quinoa. It took a while for me to get my hands on it. Actually, it took more like a move across the country to get my hands on it but now, it is a full on love affair. I wouldn't be surprised if the Mr. is jealous over how much I love quinoa. I very well might just name our first born after it... kidding... kidding... if you know me, you know I am not a kid person. So I will settle for naming my next goldfish after quinoa.
Sir Quinoa Bubbles... it has a nice ring to it doesn't it? Okay okay, back to the food! I am apparently easily sidetracked today.

This was a very easy recipe to make. I already had everything on hand so all I really needed to do was throw it together. It had a sort of Mexican flair to it with the beans, corn and cilantro. I really did enjoy not only making this, since it was super simple and didn't make a mess in the kitchen but also devouring it as well. It is definitely a dish that I will keep in my back pocket. Now of course, I didn't use canned beans I soaked and cooked dried beans. I actually have been cooking beans in big batches lately and I will store them in my refrigerator in their liquids for up to two weeks. I don't know how much I can stress this but if you haven't cooked with dried beans yet, you need to get up off of that computer chair and go to the store and buy a bag. They are so cheap, easy to make (as long as you follow the directions on the bag) and you can monitor the sodium and flavorings that go into the beans. The reason why I mention following the directions on the bag is because a friend of mine called me up and asked why her beans were so hard after cooking them. I asked "did you soak them for at least 8 hours or overnight?" NOPE, she just threw them in the pot and boiled them for an hour. If you do that, you will have pelting beans, not eating beans. (~_^)

1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 c. quinoa
1 1/2 c. vegetable broth
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 c. frozen corn
2 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp. dried cilantro
salt & pepper

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
Mix quinoa into saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and cilantro. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Stir frozen corn into saucepan and continue to simmer for 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the beans and serve.

This post is submitted in
Just Another Meatless Monday
Cooking Thursday

Vegetable Stock

2011-08-15T11:05:00.003-04:00

I cook a lot with vegetable broth. Usually I used a concentrated buillon but for the past 4 months the stores out here haven't been carrying it. So I finally got fed up and made my own canned vegetable stock. I cannot believe how easy it is to make your own. Now that I know, I will never go back. I did this all by myself with no help at all from the Mr. So if I can do it without making a huge mess, than you can too. I saved all the strained out goodness and plan on adding it back into the stock when I make a soup. Why waste food, right? I think the next time I make this I will let mine sit on the stove a little longer to get a deeper flavor.

2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. salt (I used less in mine)
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 med. onions, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
5 springs parsley
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. peppercorns
5 qt. water

Melt butter over medium heat. Add ingredients except the water; cover and cook 10 minutes. Add water; boil for 45 minutes. Strain with wire strainer lined with cheesecloth and store in air tight container.

This post is submitted in
Just Another Meatless Monday

Summer Chicken Salad

2011-08-05T02:11:00.005-04:00

Are you looking for something easy to throw together that won't heat up your house? That seems to be my number one problem living here in the desert. With it being over 100°F here every day, I am in desperate need of meals that use little to no cooking on the the stove. So it goes without saying why I made this salad. The berries added a nice sweetness while the almonds added an extra crunch factor. This was a simple and easy salad to throw together and it was perfect for the intense hot summer days that we have been having here.

I grilled the chicken outside so I didn't heat up the house and while I was grilling the chicken I cut up the strawberries and almonds. Now slivered almonds would have worked much better with this recipe but I used that I had, which was whole almonds. Now the fun thing about this recipe, there really is no need to measure anything. All I am really giving you is just the ingredients that I used to make my salad. If you want more berries, throw them in! This is a salad, they are supposed to be simple not complicated. I used one chicken breast per person since salads really don't fill me up and I need a little extra oomph to keep me going.

green leaf lettuce
1/2 c. fresh strawberries
1/2 c. blueberries
1/4 c. almonds, if whole then chop them up
2 chicken breasts
lite raspberry vinaigrette

Marinade the chicken with enough vinaigrette to cover the chicken and set aside in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours. Cook the chicken over direct heat in your grill for 5-7 minutes flip and cook an additional 4 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove and allow the chicken to rest and cool to room temp.
Meanwhile, cut strawberries in half lengthwise and then slice. Now is also the time to chop your lettuce and almonds if need be. Assemble the berries and almonds on the lettuce in a large bowl.
Once chicken has cooled slice the chicken breast and arrange the slices on top of the salad. Drizzle with the raspberry vinaigrette.

This post is submitted in
Fresh Food Friday
Foodie Friday
Delicious Dishes

Buffalo Chickpea Burgers

2011-07-25T12:38:00.008-04:00

You know me, I LOVE Franks hot sauce. So when I find a recipe where Franks is the star, I quickly give it a try. It is no surprise that I really enjoyed this burger. It was easy and super fast to make and it was a nice alternative to ground beef. Now, if you are in the mood for meat then this isn't the burger for you, you won't be fooled into thinking this is a good old fashioned burger. However, if you are looking for a beefy alternative, then I recommend this.

I got this recipe from Debbie over at Debbie Does Dinner Healthy and Low Calorie. She served them up smaller for appetizers, with no bun and with dip. I obviously made mine bigger and served them with on my homemade buns and topped the burger with ranch dressing instead. Either way I think that these were delicious. I don't know if it is the heat but lately the taste of meat has been grossing me out. So of course, when I saw this recipe I made sure I had everything on hand so that I could make it. It definitely hit the spot too. I did change a couple of things that Debbie did. First was that she grated her onion into the burgers, for some reason my onion was just mushing all over the place and I was grating my fingers more so than the onion. So I opted to just finely dice the onion into the burger. The second thing was that she used egg whites, I don't have those cartons of just egg whites and I hate wasting food. So I just put the whole egg in. Both of my switches worked out fine and actually made the process a little easier for me.

1 (15 oz) can chickpeas
1/2 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. Franks buffalo sauce
1 egg
1 small onion, finely diced
1 tsp. garlic powder
ranch dressing
4 hamburger buns

Mash chickpeas in a medium bowl with a potato masher or fork. Add the buffalo sauce.
Grind half of the oats in a food processor until it resembles flour, add to chickpeas. Add the rest of the oats, egg, onion, garlic powder, salt and pepper; mix until well combined.
Heat a griddle over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Take a quarter of the chickpea mixture, shape it and cook on the griddle for about 5-7 minutes, until lightly browned. Flip and continue cooking for another 5-7 minutes. Server on buns and top with ranch dressing.

This post is submitted in
Just Another Meatless Monday
My Meatless Monday
Midnight Maniac Meatless Mondays

Kung Pao Pork

2011-07-19T11:55:00.005-04:00

I love take-out food but I don't like the guilty feeling that comes with it. Not to mention that unless you are going to a fancy high class place... chances are the cut of meat that you get is going to be low grade and fatty. Which is why I love to make my favorite take-out dishes at home. Not only can I monitor the ingredients that go in but I can also use the best quality as well.

I saw this recipes over at Christina's blog, It's a Keeper. Now her recipe is for chicken but I had a huge pork tenderloin in the freezer that needed to be used. Obviously, you could make this recipe with any meat and it will work. Now, I didn't realize until I had to make the sauce that I was out of cornstarch. So instead I sprinkled a couple of tablespoons of flour onto the cooked meat, tossed the meat in the pan and let it cook for a minute to cook out some of the flour flavor. Once I added the sauce the flour started to thicken it up.

1 Tbsp. canola oil, divided
4 c. broccoli florets
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger, divided
2 Tbsp. water
1/2-1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 lb pork tenderloin, fat trimmed, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1/2 c. fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp. cornstarch
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped salted peanuts

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add broccoli and 2 teaspoons ginger to pan, sauté 1 minute. Add water. Cover, cook 2 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender. Remove broccoli from pan, keep warm.
Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in pan, add remaining 1 teaspoon ginger, crushed red pepper, and pork. Cook 4 minutes or until pork is lightly browned, stirring frequently.
Combine broth and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl, and stir with a whisk. Add broth mixture to pan, cook 1 minute or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Return broccoli mixture to pan; toss to coat. Sprinkle with peanuts. Serve with rice.

This post is submitted in
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
The Mommy Club

Potato Dumplings w/ Cabbage & Apples

2011-07-10T23:32:00.009-04:00

I don't know about you but I love perogies. I loved them as a kid and still do. Usually I eat them pan fried but when I saw this recipe in Good House Keeping Family Vegetarian Cooking cookbook, I decided to give this new twist a try.

Cutting the cabbage is pretty much the most time consuming part. So if you want to make this during the week when you might not have a lot of time between getting home and putting dinner on the table, you can always clean and cut the cabbage ahead of time and store in a plastic baggie until you need it. I not only found this recipe easy to make but it tasted good too (I ended up going for seconds). I loved the contrast to the cheesy potato dumplings to the sweet tart apples.

1 (16-19 oz) package onion and cheese perogies
1 Tbsp. butter/margarine
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 small (1 1/2 lb) head of green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 c. vegetable stock
1/2 tsp. salt
2 apples, 1/4" wedges
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. dill

In a large sauce pot, cook perogies according to directions on package.
Meanwhile in 12" skillet melt butter over med-low heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until tender and lightly browned.
Increase heat to medium and add cabbage, broth and salt and cook until cabbage is tender, about 10 minutes. While cabbage is cooking, core and cut apples into wedges.
Add apples and vinegar to skillet and cook until the apples soften, about 5 minutes.
Drain perogies, toss with cabbage mixture and dill.

This post is submitted in
Just Another Meatless Monday
My Meatless Monday's
Motivate Me Monday
Mouthwatering Monday

Black Beans & Chorizo

2011-07-02T20:22:00.010-04:00

One of the perks about being in the military is not only the fact that you get to see other places of the world that you might not have ever dreamed of ever going but the awesome people that you meet along the way. This recipe comes from one of my dear friends whom I met about five years ago. I am not really sure where she got the recipe from but I remember her making it one night when I was over her house passing the time while our husbands were deployed. I also remember pretty much polishing off the leftovers as the night wore on.

This can be served hot as a side dish with some shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream on top or with tortilla chips as a dip. Either way it is delicious. I like to put some on my burgers, nachos and even in my omeletts. It is super simple to make and takes no time at all.

1 (12 oz)package of chorizo (minced)
1 small yellow onion, sliced
3 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 tsp. dried cilantro

Pull chorizo out of casing and cook in a medium sauce pan over medium heat until browned.
Add cilantro and onions and cook until onions are tender. Add beans and cook until the beans are heated through. Smash some of the beans into the chorizo mixture but leave some beans intact. Serve hot

This post is submitted in
Look What I Made
Works For Me Wednesday
Somewhat Simple
Friday Food

Hambuger & Hot Dog Buns

2011-06-19T22:13:00.009-04:00

Usually we go to the grocery store and buy a package of hot dog and hamburger rolls. Actually, most of the time we just use a slice of bread. I know that some of you are horrified by this but hey, sometimes a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do. So I sort of surprised the Mr. when I decided that I wanted to try to make my own rolls. I don't know about you but I get a sense of extreme self accomplishment when I do something like this. I am still learning the ropes when it comes to yeast baking, so to be able to pull this recipe out of my bag of tricks made me one happy person. I thought that making your own rolls would be pretty difficult and would deter me from ever eying the yeast in my refrigerator again but actually, it made me want to go on a baking escapade.

I decided to split the dough in half and do half hot dog buns and half hamburger rolls. This does make quite a bit of rolls so I advise you to freeze whatever you won't be using. Don't do what I did and think that you are going to get through them all before they mold. These don't last as long as what you would buy in the store, mainly because it doesn't have all of those additives to keep it "fresher longer". I for one was very impressed with how they turned out. I have tried making pretzel rolls before and they always deflated on me and turned into more of a pretzel frisbee than a roll shape but I didn't find any problems with this recipe. So before you go to the grocery store to buy all of those rolls for your BBQ, give this recipe a try. It will cause more effort and time on your part but your guests will be impressed and you will be happy that you made them. There is just nothing better than a fresh baked bun to compliment that hamburger/ hot dog.

1 c. milk
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. butter
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. wheat flour
1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast
2 TBSP. white sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg

In a small saucepan, heat milk, water and butter until very warm, 120° F.
In a large bowl, mix together 1 cup of wheat flour, 3/4 cup of AP flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Mix milk mixture into flour mixture, and then mix in egg. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Shape into smooth balls, and place on a floured. Flatten slightly. Cover, and let rise for 30 to 35 minutes.
Bake at 400° F for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

For Hot Dog Buns: Shape each piece into a 6x4 inch rectangle. Starting with the longer side, roll up tightly, and pinch edges and ends to seal. Let rise about 20 to 25 minutes. Bake as above. These buns are pretty big. I usually make 16 instead of 12.
Store in an airtight container/bag.

This post is submitted in
Tasty Tuesday
Foodie Friday
Friday Food
Friday Favorite

Lentil Shepherds Pie

2011-06-13T10:51:00.009-04:00

I am a huge fan of shepherds pie. I never had it growing up and a few years ago I saw a shepherds pie recipe in my food magazine, made it and fell in love. Since then I have been trying different variations, like the corned beef and cabbage shepherds pie that I made for St. Patrick's day. I think I like it so much because everything in you need in a dinner is right there in one pan. You have your protein, veggies and dairy. I really like this lentils version because not only is it inexpensive to make but you don't even realize that there is no ground beef in it.

I found this recipe over at Kelleigh Ratzlaff Designs and quickly added it on my list of recipes to try. I always have every type of bagged bean on hand and a bag of frozen vegetables so I was pretty much set to go. Any mixed bag of vegetables will work with this recipe so grab whatever you like. My bag had corn, peas, carrots and green beans. I also don't peel my red potatoes but you can peel the skin off if you like, it just saves time and effort and I don't mind the skin.

1 c. Lentils
5 red potatoes
2 Tbs. butter
1/4 c. light sour cream
1 c. shredded cheddar
1/4 c. skim milk
1 tsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbs. ketchup
hot sauce to taste
1 c. frozen mixed veggies
salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste

In a medium pot, place lentils and cover with an inch of water. Add a bit of salt, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain.
In the meantime chop potatoes. Put them in a pot of water, add a pinch of salt and boil them until they are soft.
Drain and mash potatoes. Add milk, butter, sour cream, cheese (reserve a couple of sprinkles for the top) and a dash of garlic salt. Pepper to taste
Heat olive oil in a skillet and add onion, sauteing until soft. Add cumin, thyme, cooked lentils, vinegar, ketchup, hot sauce, 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper to taste. Stir together and add 1/2 Cup of water. Let the mixture simmer for about 5 more minutes, stirring often.
In a 9x9 baking pan, layer lentils, then frozen vegetables, then potatoes, smoothing as you go. Top with a sprinkle of cheese and bake in a 375° oven for 30 minutes.

This post is submitted in
Just Another Meatless Monday
My Meatless Monday
Meat Free Monday
Delicious Dishes
Tasty Tuesday

"Fried" (Baked) Eggplant

2011-06-01T00:33:00.010-04:00

Very rarely do I find nice looking produce out here. Usually I send the Mr. to scavage through the bell peppers to find one that isn't rotten while I go and see if I can salvage anything else. Maybe we have issues because we go shopping on the weekend or maybe because we live in a not so populated area? Either way I was pretty excited when I found eggplant that wasn't mushy and on it's way to the trash can. I have not had eggplant since moving out here and even though it might not be my favorite vegetable out there, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

I really wanted to find a recipe that made eggplant the star of the show. I found this recipe at All Recipes and added some Parmesan cheese to the mix. The Mr. felt like it needed something more and I thought about next time mixing some Italian dressing into the mayo to give the eggplant a little something special. I liked them just the way they were and between the two of us we polished off the entire thing.

Eggplant

1 large eggplant, sliced into 1/4" thick rounds
4 Tbsp. mayo (or as needed)
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Mix the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a shallow dish. Coat each slice of eggplant on both sides with mayonnaise. Press into the bread crumbs to coat. Place coated eggplant slices on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Flip slices over, and cook for an additional 20 to 25 minutes to brown the other side. Sprinkle with salt and serve.

Sauce

1 (14.5 oz) can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
salt
pepper

Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for a couple of minutes until fragrant, add crushed tomatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the vinegar and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This post is submitted in
Foodie Friday
My Meatless Monday
Just Another Meatless Monday

Buffalo Chicken & Potato Casserole

2011-05-23T11:29:00.010-04:00

Do you ever have those days where you really don't want to dirty a ton of dishes in the kitchen? I love cooking and eating but I hate the cleanup after wards. Now it wouldn't be so bad if the Mr. and I had the "I cook, therefor you clean" method to break up the responsibility but we don't. See the Mr. is deathly allergic to doing the dishes just like I can go into cardiac arrest if I get anywhere near the laundry basket. And since the Mr. is the breakfast/burger king and I prefer more of a variety when it comes to my dinner, I am the one cooking and cleaning up the mess. So it is a no brainer that I get giddy when I come across recipes that don't use all of my pots/pans and bowls just to make one measly little meal.

I got the recipe from the Betty Crocker website and switched some things. The original recipe had frozen hash browns which I substituted by grating potatoes with my box grater and using them instead. Why go out of my way to buy frozen hash browns when I can grate my own? However, if you have frozen hash browns then by all means, use those! I also swapped the cream of celery for the cream of chicken simply because the Mr. does not like celery. This is a pretty forgiving recipe and you can add more or less chicken, cheese, potatoes, hot sauce or dressing. The end product is a creamy, crunch, spicy chicken casserole that can be cooked and served in one dish.

Now if you are not a fan of buffalo wings dipped in ranch or blue cheese dressing (yes you can use blue cheese instead of ranch) then chances are that you are not going to like this one bit. You see I grew up on Franks hot sauce, as a baby, my mother would put Franks in my bottle and when I grew a little older I would put some on my chicken flavored baby food. Okay, Okay I jest. In all honesty I hated spicy foods as a kid. If my mom put Franks on something she would have to take out my portion before doing so because I was just that much of a pain in the rear as a child. Now that is no joke, just ask anyone in the family, I was a handful. However, something happened and slowly I built up a tolerance to spicy foods and now I pretty much put Franks on everything. If at any point in time I go in the cabinet and see that we are out of Franks, I sound the alarm and rush to the nearest store (in my case the only store out here) and stock up on Franks.

1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips
1/3 c. Franks buffalo sauce
5c. potatoes, grated w/ box grater (smaller grate)
1 c. light ranch dressing/ blue cheese
1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
(10 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. panko

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
In medium bowl, stir together chicken strips and buffalo sauce. Spoon into baking dish in a single layer.
In the same bowl, stir together potatoes, dressing, cheese and soup. Spread over chicken. Sprinkle panko evenly over the top.
Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes; uncover and bake 25 to 30 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender and juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut.

This post is submitted in
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Tuesdays at the Table
Delicious Dishes
Foodie Friday

Pizza Puffs

2011-05-16T20:44:00.007-04:00

What's not to love about pizza? Pizza is so versatile that the sky's the limit when it comes to the different kinds of pizza that is out there, not to mention all the possibilities for toppings. There are dessert pizzas, meat lovers pizzas, veggie pizzas, pinwheels, calzones, thin crust, deep dish... like I said the sky's the limit. So it is no surprise that I found pizza puffs while looking up recipes over at Kate's blog. After reading the recipe and drooling over the pictures I checked to make sure I had everything on hand to make it and got to work.

I thought that they were really good although I wouldn't make them for dinner. They remind me more of something you would snack on at a party or gathering than a sit down dinner. The one thing I love about this recipe is that you can switch it up. If you want to add chopped mushrooms or bell peppers, go for it! I used pepperoni bites and a can of chopped olives since I was trying to use up what I had on hand but be creative with it and have fun. After all pizza is not supposed to be taken seriously, isn't that why it is always the go to for parties... because it's fun? That's just my theory of course.

（＾∀＾）

3/4 c. flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. skim milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 c. mozarella cheese, shredded
1 (4.5 oz) can black olives, chopped (optional)
1 c. pepperoni bites (optional)
1/2 c. pizza sauce
1/2 Tbsp. fresh basil, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder, whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the cheese, pepperoni and olives. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Stir the batter and divide evenly among muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, about 20-25 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small pot over low-medium heat warm up pasta sauce. Add basil and cook an additional 2 minutes. Serve hot.

This post is submitted in
Market Yourself Monday
Made By You Monday
SYS Link Party
Recipe Swap Thursday
Foodie Friday
Bake with Bizzy

Pasta w/ Edamame & Basil "Cream" Sauce

2011-05-10T12:22:00.008-04:00

Alas, it is time that I return the cookbook back to the library. I didn't get to try out as many recipes as I wanted to but the few that I did try I really liked. This one I was surprised that it caught my eye, only because it has tofu in it. If the tofu part scares you away, don't let it! I myself am not a huge tofu fan. The only time I have ever eaten it and liked it is when it is in my miso soup, other than that, count me out. For some strange reason this recipe was screaming at me when I saw it. It just so happened that I had everything on hand as well. Don't ask why I had tofu in the pantry, I think I found it on sale... sales always seem to get me. Anyways, I was a little worried when I made this dish because of the tofu but if I had not made it myself I would have thought it was an alfredo sauce. Now not the typical thick and heavy alfredo sauces that you can buy in the store but a lighter version.

When I made this dish I didn't have soy milk on hand so I used skim milk and I don't think it changed the taste too much. I wouldn't recommend making this with dried basil though. I am one of those people who sees fresh herbs in a recipe and always uses my dried ones instead... don't do it. There is no comparison between fresh and dried basil and basil is the star ingredient. There really is no crazy flavors to this dish other than basil and the "cream" sauce. So if you have to, go to the store and buy basil. Trust me, you will thank me for it later.

6 c. uncooked farfalle pasta
1 1/2 c. frozen shelled edamame soybeans
1 c. original soy milk/ skim milk
1/4 c. fresh basil
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 (12 oz) package of soft silken tofu
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

Boil pasta in a 5 qt saucepan for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add soybeans; return to boiling. Cook uncovered about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally until pasta is tender. Drain and return to saucepan.
Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, place remaining ingredients except cheese. Cover and blend on high speed until smooth, stopping to scrape down that sides as needed.
Stir tofu mixture into pasta in sauce pan. Turn heat onto low and cook about 3 minutes, stirring constantly until warm. Just before serving sprinkle with the cheese and toss.

This post is submitted in
My Meatless Monday
Just Another Meatless Monday
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Ole Burger

2011-05-03T00:54:00.015-04:00

A couple of weeks ago the Mr. and I drove out to Vegas to meet up with one of my best friends, Marissa and her parents before their flight left for NY. While we were visiting them we got to walk the strip which in my opinion is pretty from afar but once you are down in the middle of all the chaos on the strip, it is just a mess. Regardless, I had a ton of fun seeing Marissa and her parents. One of my highlights of the trip was going to Madame Tussauds.

As you can see we had quite a bit of fun posing for pictures.

Wolfgang Puck, because after all this is a food blog (^_~)

After Madame Tussauds and a little bit of getting lost we wound up ending our trip at a quiet bar and grill to grab a bite to eat before saying goodbye and driving home. I instantly zoned in on a tasty burger called the Ole Burger. It had all the components that I love. It had, guacamole, salsa, black refried beans and chips... all on one burger. Normally when I go out to eat I choose something that I have never had before because if I eat it all the time and can make it at home, why on earth would I spend the extra money order it? I was a little nervous because even though I like all of the ingredients separately, I was not sure if I would like it all thrown on top of my burger but I decided to go for it and give it a try. I was happily surprised to find that they all tie in deliciously on a burger and quickly made a mental note to remake it at home. Honestly, I am pretty sure that I mentioned that at the table a few times while inspecting my burger to make sure that I had everything down.

The original burger was made with ground beef but I wanted to lighten it up and use ground turkey. I personally liked the turkey because the light flavor let the toppings really shine through. The Mr. likes his burgers big so I cut a pound of meat into thirds but this recipe isn't sensitive to change, so you can to make sliders or a huge burger if you wanted. I made my Garza's Guacamole and a refried beans recipe that I found on Epicuious. I made the guacamole and beans right before making the burger but you can always do it ahead of time just make sure that the beans are reheated and take the salsa and guacamole out of the refrigerator to take the chill off of them since you don't want them turning your burger cold before you can even bite into it.

Refried Black Beans

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 Tbsp. oil

1 (19-oz) can black beans, including liquid

1/2- 1 c. water

Cook garlic in oil in a skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add beans with their liquid and mash with a potato masher or the back of a large spoon to make a coarse puree.
Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is hot. Stir in enough of water to thin to a creamy consistency.

Ole Burger

1 lb ground turkey
1 Tbsp. oil
3 Tbsp. Guacamole
2 Tbsp. Black refried beans
3 Tbsp. salsa
9 Tortilla chips, broken up
3 buns

Split the ground poultry into thirds and form into patties. In a medium pan add oil over medium heat. Add turkey patties and cook 4 minutes per side until cooked.
Top burgers with chips, and a tablespoon each of salsa, beans and guacamole.

This recipe is submitted in
Tasty Tuesday
Delicious Dishes

Three-Alarm Spaghetti & Pinto Bean Chili

2011-04-19T10:49:00.018-04:00

I love to read books. I go to the library so often that I wouldn't be surprised if one day I walk in there and the librarian says "Hey Kristin, we got your books in the other day, let me grab them for ya." Usually I get your average run of the mill reading book but one day I thought "I wonder if they have cooking books too?" So I went to the library's website online and started searching their cooking section. What do you know, they have a ton of cookbooks at the library. The cookbook I chose was Betty Crocker Easy Everyday Vegetarian. I have tried a handful of recipes already and only one of them wasn't to the Mr. and my liking. This one was the first one we tried and I instantly knew that this book and I were going to be inseparable for the remaining 3 weeks that I have it checked out. If you are looking for a recipe that not only pleases the vegetarians but the meat eaters too, then this is the recipe to try. You don't even realize that there is no meat in there.

I did change the recipe a tiny bit because I didn't have what was on hand and I don't use canned beans. So I did alter the recipe below to what I did. If you don't already use dried beans and you prefer the canned beans then you can use a 14.5 oz can of beans (rinsed and drained) instead but I am telling you now that you are really missing out. This dish is a one pot wonder, which aside from the slow cooker method is one of my favorite ways to cook. I hate doing the dishes and so does the Mr, so the less dishes in the end, the better. Cooking the pasta in the chili thickens up the chili causing it to make a thick sauce for the pasta. I really enjoyed this dish a lot and found that towards the end I realized, "wait there was no meat in this dish!". It is so hearty and delicious that I had totally forgotten that this was a vegetarian recipe.

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
3 c. water
1/2 c. taco sauce
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 (14.5 oz) can of diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies
4 oz. whole wheat spaghetti, broken into thirds (1 1/2 c)
1/2 c. dried pinto beans
sour cream (if desired)
jalapenos (if desired)

Soak beans in water over night making sure to cover the beans in at least an inch of water.
Boil beans for one hour; drain set aside.
In a 4 quart sauce pan heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper, cook 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until crisp-tender.
Stir in remaining ingredients except spaghetti, beans, sour cream and jalapenos. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in uncooked spaghetti and beans. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium, cook uncovered 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender. Top individual servings with sour cream and jalapenos.

This post is submitted in
Just Another Meatless Monday
Take-A-Look Tuesday
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Make it Yours Day
Presto Pasta Nights hosted by Three Cooks
It's a Keeper

Tropical Pork Chops

2011-04-12T08:04:00.008-04:00

Pork is not a huge staple in our house. However, I am a sucker for stuff on sale and when I saw pork chops marked down to a couple of dollars I just couldn't reason myself on why not to get them. So when the time came to make something with the chops I started rummaging through my cookbooks for a fun new recipe to try. I think that it is safe to say that I hit the mark with this one.

A few years ago my aunt bought me The Red Hat Society Cookbook as a Christmas present. There are not a lot of people out there that don't know how much I love food. So when in doubt cookbooks or kitchen gadgets are always a sure win with me. I am ashamed to say that I finally made a recipe from the book after years of owning it. It usually turns out that I am missing ingredients needed for a recipe so I just make something else. However, I had everything on hand for this recipe and decided "Why not?!" I will admit that this recipe is a little bonkers but the taste is plate lickin' good!

When I first mentioned this recipe to the Mr. he swore up and down that I would not like it. He pretty much dared me to make it just so that he could prove himself right. So of course I stepped up to the challenge and made this recipe, totally unsure of how it was going to turn out. I will admit that the bananas confused me when I read the recipe but I figured that it was half the fun.

I cannot express how delicious these pork chops were. They were juicy and sweet and the added bonus of the banana on top really took my taste buds on a ride. I will never again underestimate the yellow fruit again. It is not only good for breakfast and dessert but apparently they are fantastic on pork chops! In case you are wondering on the jam that I used, I used a fig jam but was torn between that and an apricot pineapple jam. I wouldn't use grape or strawberry jam but raspberry and blackberry would work wonders in this recipe. Next time I make it I will try it with boysenberry jam, yup... there is going to be a next time.

1 firm banana
2 tsp. vegetable oil
2 lean pork chops 1/2" thick
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
2 Tbsp. fruit jam or honey
2 tsp. mustard
1/2 c. water

Cut the banana in half crosswise and then lengthwise into four pieces. Heat 1 tsp. of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the banana in the oil until browned, adding more oil if needed. Transfer bananas to warm plate.
Rub the pork chops with the garlic and ginger. Add the remaining 1 tsp of oil to the skillet. Brown the chops on both sides and transfer to a warm plate.
Melt the jam in the skillet, add the mustard and water. Stir to blend. Return the chops to the skillet; spoon the sauce over them. Cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Transfer the chops to dinner plates and top with bananas and the remaining sauce from the skillet.

* I know that I have not been around lately. Allergies, a cold and work have kept me more than busy. Work was chaotic last week with the whole government shutdown issue since National Parks would have been on the list for closing as well. I am hoping that this week goes more smoothly and that I will have more time to catch up with all of my blogging friends.

This post is submitted in
Tasty Tuesday
Make It Yours Day
Friday Favorites
Show and Tell Friday
Foodie Friday
Foodie Friday- Designs by Gollum
Tip Me Tuesday

Balsamic Chicken w/ Quinoa and Vegetables

2011-04-05T07:08:00.003-04:00

I finally got my hands on quinoa! It only took a year and a move across the country to do it but I am excited to announce that I am in love! I love the way it looks, I love how it holds it's shape and doesn't get mushy and most of all I love how it can adapt to pretty much any recipe. The Mr. is going to have to watch out, quinoa has rapidly stolen a place in my heart. ❤

I cannot express how happy I was when I found quinoa at the commissary. The strange thing though is that when I brought it home, it sat in the cabinet for a few months. I couldn't figure out what to make with it until one day Sabrina over at Sabby in Suburbia posted this recipe and then I just knew. Which was a little strange to me because I don't really like balsamic vinegar. Everyone keeps saying that it is so sweet and they pour it on their fruit which sounds gross to me because when I taste the vinegar it is very sour and tart. I have tried different brands but always have the same result, I am just not a fan, so needless to say I was shocked to find myself drooling over this recipe. The second I bit into this dish I started shoveling in as much food as fast as I could, I don't think that a meteor crashing into my front yard would have broken my speed.

My first impression of quinoa is that I love the way it looks. Don't ask why I thought this, I tend to think strange things sometimes, so in fact this statement is nothing knew to those who know me. I loved how it didn't really have a very distinctive flavor and didn't get soggy as I reheated the leftovers for the remaining days until there was no more left. The red peppers added a touch of sweetness that helped balance out the balsamic. Everything just tied together so beautifully that this was definitely one of those dishes where even though you were full, you still wanted more.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 can (about 2 cups) chicken broth
1 Tablespoon canola or olive oil
1 red bell pepper
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bag frozen broccoli florets, cooked for half the recommended cooking time in the microwave

In a small bowl, prepare marinade by mixing oil, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Marinate chicken for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator in a medium bowl or zipper bag.
In a small saucepan, mix quinoa and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until most of the broth has been soaked up by quinoa. Set aside.
Pour chicken, including the marinade, into a large skillet. Cook over medium high heat until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken and all of the liquid in the pan to a bowl and keep warm, Do not drain the the liquid!
Sauté onion, garlic and pepper in 1 Tablespoon of oil in the skillet for 5 minutes, then add partially cooked broccoli. Continue stir frying for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in chicken with reserved juices and quinoa and serve. If you feel that the mixture is a bit dry, try adding a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar to the pan.

This post is submitted in
A Southern Fairytale

My City Cuisine - A Wiki Project

2011-03-30T12:22:00.014-04:00

I stumbled across this website and thought that it was a wonderful idea and just had to share it with you guys. Have you ever been on vacation and looked at the menu and couldn't figure out what half the items were, so you just ended up getting a safe easy burger or worse you go to a fast food joint? Well this website helps you navigate dishes based on the cities and countries. Like for instance if I was in Tokyo and saw kakigōri on the menu I would overlook it because I would have no clue what it was. Little would I know that all it was was a snow cone!

Picture was taken from the Mycitycuisine.org website

They are currently looking for contributors from all over the world to help submit their local cuisine because right now they don't have a lot of links on there. You can submit photos or articles about a dish and rate dishes that are already on there. I encourage you all to go and check out the website and if you don't see a dish on there that needs to be shared with others, then take a few minutes of your time to add it to the website. Did I mention that this is all free? They are not charging people to either add nor utilize the website. So if you are getting ready for a spring break getaway or even summer vacation, make sure that you have this website in your back pocket.

It could just make the difference between this

or this

Tangy Bean Stoup

2011-03-28T09:13:00.012-04:00

If you are anything like me you have hundreds if not thousands of recipes tucked away that you cannot wait to try. I have cookbooks, magazines, newsletters from food websites and I bookmark recipes from other bloggers. So, when I received a Rachael Ray newsletter containing this recipe I quickly stored it away to try later. If you are unfamiliar with "stoup" it can only be described as being a cross between a soup and stew. It's too thick to be soup but too thin to be stew.

Now, the name doesn't do it justice and neither do the pictures but this stoup is down right delicious. If you don't used dried beans and would prefer to use canned one 15oz can of each will do the trick. I like using dried because not only do you get more for you buck but I like that in the cooking process you can add seasonings to the beans to give them more flavor. The tangy part of the stoup comes from pickle relish, which in my opinion is what makes the dish. I had this for lunch everyday after I made it and the leftovers were as good as the first night I made this. Add a crusty loaf of bread and you are set.

3 Tbsp. oil
1 lb red potatoes, cut into bite size cubes
4 ribs celery from the heart, chopped
5 carrots, shredded (2 cups)
1 large onions, chopped
1 bay leaf
4 c. vegetable broth
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 c. dried chickpeas
1/2 c. dried kidney beans
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup pickle relish or finely chopped pickle

Soak the beans in a bowl of water over night. Cook beans in a medium pot of water for one hour or until the beans are tender. Drain and set aside.
Add the oil to the pot over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes, celery, carrots, onions and bay leaf and cook until softened, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the broth, tomato sauce, chickpeas and kidney beans, cover and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (the stoup is thick—you can add a little water if you prefer it a little soupier.)
Stir in the relish and turn off the heat. Discard the bay leaf. Serve hot.

This post is submitted by
My Meatless Monday's
Tasty Tuesday
Works For Me Wednesday
Show Off Your Stuff
Hookin Up with HoH
Foodie Friday

Black Bean Burger

2011-03-22T23:24:00.007-04:00

My love for bean burgers all started out with Guy Fierei's Veggie Patty. I was never one for the veggie burgers and stayed away from anything that wasn't made with meat. So it was a shock to me when I made my first bean burger and fell in love.

I came across this recipe in my Perfect Vegetarian: A Collection of Over 100 Essential Recipes book. I absolutely love this book and have made quite a few recipes from it. This recipe has a lot less ingredients and steps than my other patty but it still tastes good. I did find that the burger fell apart quite easily but other than that had no problems with it at all.

1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp. ground corriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 c. mushrooms, finely chopped
1 (15 oz can) black beans
4 slices pepperjack cheese
salt and pepper

Heat oil in a non stick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook stirring frequently for 5 minutes or until softened. Add garlic, mushroom, coriander and cumin and cook stirring frequently for 5 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated. Transfer to a bowl.
Put the beans in a small bowl and mash with a fork. Stir into the mushroom mixture and season with salt and pepper.
Preheat the broiler to medium high. divide the mixture into 4 portions and shape into flat round patties. Brush with oil and cook under the broiler for 4-5 minutes on each side. Place slice of cheese on each patty, serve on hamburger bun.

This post is submitted in
Marvelously Messy Monday

Caramel Bailey-tini

2011-03-14T15:34:00.005-04:00

With the big green only a handful of days away I decided that now would be a good time to share with you one of my favorite drinks. Like I have stated before, I am not a huge drinker but for some reason I have a weak spot for Baileys Irish Cream. This recipe came about about a year ago when the Mr. and I were in NY visiting family for the holidays. The Mr. was making himself a dirty martini and my best friend had brought over these really cute martini glasses so that we could have a few drinks to toast to the new year. Well, not wanting to be left out of the fun I told the Mr. to make me a Bailey-tini, which of course got me a confused look of "what is in that?". So the three of us got to work playing with the ratio until we got it to where we liked it.

I am sure that you noticed that I added a backdrop for the picture. Now, I don't have a high tech camera nor do I had a master's degree in food photography so all of my pictures are normally taken at my kitchen table mere seconds before I dive into it. However, with St. Patrick's Day being one of my favorite holidays I decided to show this post a little TLC. This is one of my top favorite drinks so of course when you factor that in, how could I not make it special?

1 oz good quality Vodka
2 oz Caramel Bailey's Irish Cream
4 ice cubes
square of chocolate
shaker

With a pairing knife make a slit in the chocolate wide enough so that it will sit on the rim of your martini glass; set aside.
Pour the vodka, bailey's and ice cubes in the shaker and shake for about 5-10 seconds just to get the drink really cold. Strain into martini glass and garnish with chocolate.

This post is submitted in
Tasty Tuesday

Pot O' Gold Chex Mix

2011-03-08T16:08:00.024-05:00

♣St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner and I could not be happier. For me it is not about green beer and getting drunk but about being proud of my heritage. I won't lie, I do look forward to the Shamrock shake (who doesn't?) but what I really love is that everyone, Irish or not, sport green, which by the way is my favorite color. St. Patrick's to me is about as big as Thanksgiving. We always go all out and make the traditional Americanized St. Patrick's Day feast where the star of the show is... you guessed it, Corned Beef and Cabbage. However last year I came up with a recipe that turned the duo into a St. Patrick's Day Shepherd's Pie, which is our new tradition. We even had the cutest "Shamrock" Biscuits to go along with our dinner.

I get newsletters from Betty Crocker and when I got this recipe in my inbox, I grabbed the Mr. and car keys and ran to the grocery store so that I could make this. I was unsuccessful at finding green M&M's so I opted to go for Reece's pieces instead. I should also add that after the mix was cooled and ready to be stored away I fished around the cereal box and pulled out some more marshmallows pieces to add since they do melt in the microwave. I was not overly thrilled that the recipe was all cooked in the microwave and decided to try cooking it in the over, DON'T do it. I wound up burning my entire batch within a matter of a few minutes. One minute I popped it in the over, rubbing my hands together and licking my lips in anticipation of my new snack and before I could even register it, I smelled smoke and went running for the oven. So, I learned my lesson and stuck with the microwave the second time around. With it being made in the microwave not only is it easy but it is fast. So within a half hour (once it cools down and hardens) you have a festive lucky snack, perfect for snack bags to take to work/school. The only downside to making this, half of it made it's way to my stomach before it even fully cooled down. Oh yeah, it was magically delicious! <-- oh yes I did!

4 c. Lucky Charms cereal
2 c. corn Chex cereal
1 1/2 c. mini pretzels
1 c. dry roasted peanuts
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. margarine/butter
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/4 c. green candy coated chocolates (M&M's)

In large microwavable bowl, place cereals, pretzels and peanuts; set aside.
In 2 cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave brown sugar, butter and corn syrup uncovered on High about 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, until melted and smooth. Stir in baking soda until dissolved. Pour over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly coated.
Microwave uncovered on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring and scraping bowl every 30 seconds, just until cereal begins to brown. Cool 5 minutes; stir in candies. Spread on waxed paper to cool; break into bite-size pieces. Place in gold foil baking cups if desired. Store in airtight container.

This post is submitted in
Somewhat Simple
Show Off Your Stuff
Foodie Friday
Sweets For A Saturday

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Cappuccino Buttercream & Dark Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans

2011-02-28T04:00:00.007-05:00

So, the title is a mouthful but if you are like me, you stopped paying attention after dark chocolate. I love dark chocolate, it is my favorite of all the chocolates in the land. Not only does it taste better than the other kinds but it also offers some health benefits too. Lets take a second to list just a handful of reasons why dark chocolate is the king of awesomeness. 1) contains a large number of antioxidants, 2) Lowers blood pressure, 3) lowers cholesterol, 4) contains serotonin and 5) it stimulates endorphin production. Now when you factor in all of the benefits listed, how could this not be the perfect Valentine's Day cupcake? Slap on the coffee and you have the perfect make you feel good and forget your worries cupcake. Really, who could think of anything else when you are diving into one of these beauties?

I made two dozen of these guys for Valentine's Day. My work was hosting a bake sale and I really wanted to contribute, so I took a dozen over to them in the morning and then the Mr. and I shamelessly polished off a dozen at home. I should have probably made more to give to the bake sale because when I showed up for work a couple of hours later my cupcakes were not only gone but they were the first ones that vanished. Everyone kept telling me how fast they went and how good they were. So I think that it is safe to say that they were a huge hit, I know that the Mr. and I loved them. I am so glad that I thought of making this recipe. However, even though I came up with the idea as a whole I have to give credit where credit is due because I did surf the internet for the frosting and cupcakes and found them over at Brown Eyed Baker. Now be advised that this recipe does have three components that you have to make since everything was made from scratch, the chocolate coffee beans, buttercream and the cupcakes. All it takes is a bit of planning ahead, you can do the the chocolate coffee beans one day, buttercream frosting the next and then bake the cupcakes when you are ready for them. So even though they are a little bit more lengthy than your average out of the box and container cupcakes, you can break it up into three small days of work and end up with a cupcake masterpiece.

*This recipe is for 1 dozen cupcakes

Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans

coffee beans
1/2 c. dark chocolate

Place the dark chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat in the microwave stirring every 30 seconds until chocolate is melted.
Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
Pour a handful of coffee beans in the chocolate and mix until they are covered. Using a fork lift up the coffee beans and place them one by one on the wax paper. Make sure they are not touching. Repeat until you have the desired amount of covered beans. Place baking sheet in the refrigerator until the chocolate sets.

Cappuccino Buttercream Frosting

1 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 Tbsp. instant cappuccino powder

Mix the cappuccino powder into the vanilla until dissolved; set aside.
Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping once to scrape the sides of the bowl. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the powdered sugar a little at a time, waiting until it is mostly incorporated before adding more. Once all of the powdered sugar has been added, scrape the sides of the bowl and increase the speed to medium-high and whip until fluffy, about a minute or two. Add the cappuccino and vanilla mixture and continue to mix at medium-high until it is completely incorporated, scraping the sides as necessary.
Place into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator until use.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

8 Tbsp. margarine or unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces
2 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 c. Dutch-processed cocoa powder
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. fat free sour cream

Preheat to 350 F. Line standard-size muffin pan with baking cup liners.
Combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa in medium microwave safe bowl and microwave the mixture at 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted. Set aside to cool until just warm to the touch.
Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder in small bowl to combine.
Whisk eggs in second medium bowl to combine; add sugar, vanilla, and salt until fully incorporated. Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Sift about one-third of flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined; whisk in sour cream until combined, then sift remaining flour mixture over and whisk until batter is homogeneous and thick.
Divide the batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Bake until skewer inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.
Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan and set on wire rack. Cool to room temperature before icing, about 30 minutes.

Assemble

Once cupcakes are cooled frost the cupcakes. I used a No. 12 round decorating tip but you can also put the frosting in a plastic bag, snip one of the corners of the bag and pipe the frosting on. After frosting place the chocolate covered coffee beans on top of the cupcake. Store the cupcakes in the refrigerator.

This post is submitted in
My Meatless Mondays

Market Yourself Monday
Tasty Tuesday
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Talent Tuesday

Creamy Beef and Noodle Casserole

2011-02-23T22:44:00.015-05:00

One of the good and bad things about the military is moving. It is good because about once every few years you downsize and get rid of all the junk that you have accumulated over the years. It's bad because when a friend moves, you are usually the one taking all of that stuff. Usually when we move I invite my friends over to go through and take any food and cleaning products that I cannot take on the move with me and that is usually what everyone does around here. So this past weekend when the Mr. and I went out help one of our good friends get their stuff into storage for a deployment, I was not surprised to find myself leaving their place with more stuff in the vehicle than what I showed up with. Not that I am complaining because I wound up saving a trip to the commissary that weekend. Not only did I walk away with food but I was also given recipe magazines as well. So the next day when I was home, I looked through the magazines and found this recipe in Kraft Foods Holiday 2010 Food & Family magazine.

Okay, so it may not be a beauty to look at but boy was it delicious and simple to make. All you have to do is brown the meat and then you just throw everything in a pan and let it bake. I really liked this recipe because not only was it easy to make but with the little help of my new food items that I got last weekend, I had everything in the house for this. Very rarely does that happen when I try a new recipe and not need to go shopping for it. One thing I liked about this was that you could use whatever vegetables you like or have on hand. You can also make this recipe ahead of time by cooking the noodles ahead of time, preparing the casserole as directed but using the cooked noodles and you can store it in the refrigerating it up to 24 hours. When you are ready to serve it just bake it for 45 minutes, or until heated through, uncovering after 35 minutes.

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
3 c. egg noodles, uncooked
2 c. frozen vegetables (green beans, corn, peas, carrots etc.)
1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 c. skim milk
1 c. water
1 1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Brown meat with onions in a skillet; drain. Spoon over noodles 13x9 inch baking dish; top with vegetables.
Whisk soup, milk and water together until well blended; pour over vegetables. Top with cheese; cover.
Bake 35 minutes or until heated through, uncovering after 25 minutes. Serve hot.

This post was submitted in
Recipe Swap Thursday
Presto Pasta Nights 4th Birthday Bash!
Penny Worthy Project

Pumpkin Polenta with Spinach and Black Beans

2011-02-21T07:30:00.005-05:00

I am new to this whole polenta thing. I have only had it once before when I made polenta lasagna and even then it was a prepared polenta in a tube. So when I decided to take on another polenta recipe I was excited to play with the flavors. Now this recipe is actually a mixture of two food network stars recipes. The idea is from Rachael Ray and the polenta recipe is from Giada De Laurentiis. The reason why this recipe stems from two recipes is because Rachael's is made with a quick cooking polenta and after searching the grocery stores out here I had to come up with a recipe from scratch, which is where Giada's recipe came in.

I will be honest that making the polenta from scratch is super simple. Honestly, I don't know if the quick cooking polenta is any easier or faster than from scratch. I also liked making it from scratch because I already had a huge bag of cornmeal in my pantry so I was good to go. So I saved money by making it myself and I really felt accomplished after I made it. I thought with all the fuss of pre cooked polenta and instant polenta out there on the shelves that it would be a ridiculous task to make it from scratch but really it was just stirring in ingredients.
*Make sure that you don't use the self rising cornmeal, you want just plain cornmeal to make polenta with.

Pumpkin Polenta

1 (14 oz) can pumpkin puree
5 c. vegetable stock
1 3/4 c. cornmeal
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter/margarine
1 c. Pecorino Romano

In a large sauce pan bring the vegetable stock and pumpkin puree up to a boil. Gradually whisk in cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the polenta thickens and is tender, about 15 minutes, stirring often. Turn off heat and add the butter and cheese and stir until combined.

Spinach Black Bean

2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (14 oz) can black beans, drained
2 (10 oz) boxes frozen chopped spinach, thawed
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Heat the oil in a medium pan and cook the onion and garlic over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the black beans and spinach and heat through. Season the beans and spinach with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Top the polenta with the spinach mixture and serve hot.

This post is submitted in
Meatless Monday's
Just Another Meatless Monday
Mouthwatering Monday
Tasty Tuesday
Delicious Dishes

Poached Eggs Over Home Fries w/ Smoky Swiss Sauce

2011-02-13T07:10:00.007-05:00

The one thing the Mr. and I do on weekends is breakfast. It is the only time where we are not eating cereal and rushing out the door. I try to change it up every once in a while and make something other than pancakes. The Mr. could eat pancakes everyday and probably not tire of them but I need to have some variety in my life. I have had this mock eggs benedict recipe sitting in my bookmarks folder for a very long time. I finally decided to give it a try and I was pleasantly surprised but this was nothing like eggs benedict. The sauce cannot fool you into thinking otherwise but it is still really good. I decided that since this wasn't really eggs benedict, I would skip the toast and go straight for the home fries, which are my favorite breakfast side dish. I thought that the potatoes went really well with everything and the end result was delicious, regardless that it didn't taste like the greasy spoon version you get at diners.

4 red potatoes, chopped into 1" chunks
4 eggs
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 Tbsp. butter/margarine
1 1/4 Tbsp. flour
1 c. skim milk
1 tsp. spicy brown mustard
3 Tbsp. of sauce from a can of chipotle in adobo sauce
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 c. frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2 Tbsp. swiss cheese
1 green onion, sliced

Boil potatoes until just barely fork tender about 10 minutes. Heat a large skillet with 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Drain potatoes and transfer to hot skillet. Cook until browned and crispy.
Poach eggs until yolk is slightly cooked, but still runny.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat melt butter and add flour, whisking to blend. Add 1/4 milk and whisk to blend., then add the remaining milk, mustard, adobo sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 3 – 5 minutes until bubbling and thickened. Add cheese and spinach. Cook another 3 – 5 minutes to make a nice thick sauce.
Top potatoes with egg and sauce. Sprinkle with onions.

This post is submitted in
My Meatless Monday's
Just Another Meatless Monday
Make It Yours Day
Let's Do Brunch
Fresh, Clean and Pure Friday

Nutty Sweet Potato Soup

2011-02-01T11:31:00.009-05:00

I love slow cooker recipes, not only are they easy to make but you don't have to be there when it's cooking. This recipes wasn't originally a slow cooker recipe. I got the recipe from Ellie Krieger, which was initially a one pot soup that took about 30 minutes of cooking time. However I needed a slow cooker recipe and wanted to come home to something comforting, so I just threw it all in the slow cooker and hoped for the best when I got home. I am glad to say that when I got home the soup was delicious and worked out perfectly in the slow cooker.

I just recently started volunteering at the Joshua Tree National Park and knew that when I got home from work, I was not going to have the energy to make dinner. So before I went in on my first day I decided I needed to make dinner in the slow cooker so that I didn't have to fuss with anything when I got home. The night before I prepared all of the vegetables and put them in a gallon size plastic bag so that the next morning I could just dump everything in the slow cooker and walk out the door. I am definitely glad that I thought ahead because with standing all day, I was down for the count before I made it home, even the Mr. beat me home. So it was nice to be able to come home, get out of my work clothes and just ladle up some soup for dinner and not have to worry about a thing.

The only time I have really had sweet potatoes before was when they were in the shape of fries or a pie. So this was a first for me and I was not overly sure how it was going to taste but I was hopeful that it would be okay. When the Mr. saw the peanut butter jar next to the crock-pot he was a little worried but like always decided that he would give it a try. Now I won't say this was my favorite soup, honestly it will probably always be the Thai Coconut Soup but this was definitely up there. I loved the nutty flavor from the peanut butter and you could definitely taste hints of everything else that was in the soup. This recipe does make a lot of soup but for me it is perfect because I can now take leftovers into work and not have to worry about what I am going to pack for lunch.

1 large onion, diced (about 2 c.)
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced (about 1 c.)
2 medium carrots, diced (about 1 c.)
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp peeled and grated fresh ginger
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed (about 2 c.)
6 c. vegetable broth
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
2/3 c. creamy natural peanut butter
2 tsp. honey
1/2 c. chopped scallions

Put everything in the slow cooker except for the peanut butter, honey and scallions. Set the slow cooker on low for 8 hours.
When ready to serve, puree soup with immersion blender. Add in the peanut butter and honey and stir until all of the peanut butter in melted. Serve hot and garnish with the scallions.

This post is submitted in
Crock Pot Wednesdays
Make It Yours Day

"Fried" Calamari

2011-01-25T07:00:00.006-05:00

I love fried calamari but I rarely ever order it because of how expensive it is at restaurants. I always sit there debating if I really want it bad enough to fork over the extra money for it. Usually my penny pinching ways win out and I go home wishing I had just sucked it up and ordered it. So when it came time to think about what to make for our anniversary dinner I immediately thought of calamari. I didn't care if we had chicken noodle soup for dinner, I was going to have fried calamari on the side regardless. My only problem with making fried calamari is that I don't have a deep fryer. So I started searching on the internet to see if baking calamari was even possible and I found out that it is. So we went to the commissary and I prayed that they carried calamari in the freezer section (they don't have fresh seafood here) and we found a 3 pound box for only $4. Granted it wasn't cleaned and cut all pretty but it was a steal to me and once the Mr. promised to clean the squid for me I was heading home with a huge smile on my face. Thank goodness the Mr. cleaned them for me otherwise I would have been giving them to the kitties, I don't think that I could have hacked away at something when its eyes are staring at me. Creepy.

Speaking of creepy, let me tell you about the first time I had fried calamari. I went home to visit my family just in time to catch my nieces once a year summer vacation road trip. That year my mom and sister took her to Massachusetts to go whale watching. I was lucky enough to jump off the plane, hop in the car and cruise on down to the Cape. Before our boat ride to see the whales we decided to stop at a local restaurant by the hotel and grab lunch. I am not sure who decided that trying calamari sounded like a good idea, I wouldn't be surprised if it was my sister or myself who wanted to try it. Anyways, it arrives in is crunchy golden fried glory and we just looked at each other wondering, "who's going to try it first?" All I remember was I bravely went for the tentacles and that was the hugest mistake I could have made. For some reason I didn't just immediately chew and swallow but instead I let it sit in my mouth while I tried to pick up flavors and that is when the coating came off and the suction cups were on my tongue. I quickly grabbed my napkin as fast as I could, spit it into the napkin. After that I stuck with the rings for a few years or I chewed and swallowed really fast.

Don't let this recipe scare you. It is super easy and tastes just like the restaurant version, just minus the oil. Making it yourself is well worth it. You save a ton of money and not to mention calories. I had the Mr. clean and cut all of the squid and then we put it in separate baggies to store in the freezer for later uses. There is a great video on how to clean squid Here. I took a video of the Mr. doing it but I am no whiz with editing video so I decided this video gives you all of the best angles of the process. Once you get that out of the way the time flies by when you make them. I absolutely loved these and I don't think that I will ever order them at a restaurant again. For the rest of the night I kept telling the Mr. how much I loved our dinner and the fact that for $4 I made calamari for the two of us and have more baggies in the freezer for later. You really just cannot beat that deal. I didn't measure out the dry ingredients, I just eyeballed how much calamari I had, then poured the dry ingredients into separate bowls. When you make them it will seem like you have a lot on the baking sheet but they do shrink a lot. I love to eat my calamari with marinara sauce or cocktail sauce but I have heard of people eating it with tartar sauce. So if you are not sure what you would like, just start with one of the three. If for some reason you cannot find panko, you can substistute with bread crumbs. The use of panko instead of breadcrumbs really adds an extra crunch factor, which I am all about.

cornmeal for dredging
1 egg
1/8 c. water
panko for dredging
salt
pepper
1 lb. calamari
cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk egg and water in a medium sized bowl. Place the cornmeal and panko in two separate bowls. Add salt and pepper to the cornmeal.
Toss the calamari in the cornmeal, transfer to the egg wash to coat and then toss them in the panko. Lay the calamari on the baking sheet and spray the calamari with cooking spray. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until they are golden brown. Serve hot.

This post is submitted in
Tasty Tuesday
Hearth and Soul
Show Off Your Stuff

Lentil, Pea and Potato Curry

2011-01-17T12:22:00.006-05:00

The Mr. isn't a huge fan of curry but every once in a while I like to sneak it in for a dinner. So far I have been lucky and he has liked the curry dishes that I have made recently. I found this recipes over at MediterrAsian.com but I did switch some ingredients around. I really wanted a warm and comforting vegetarian dish to have one on of the few cold days that we had here and this definitely fit the bill.

I skipped a step from the original recipe by using red potatoes and keeping the skins on. I always keep the skins on the potatoes if I can because not only does it save on time but the skins contain a lot of nutrients in them. As for the rice, I always use the 5 minute rice but whether you use the quick rice or not is up to you.

2 Tbsp. canola oil
2 yellow onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. garam masala
1/2 tsp. chili powder
3 medium red potatoes, cut into bite size cubes
1/2 c. dried lentils
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 c. coconut milk
1 c. vegetable stock
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. brown sugar
2 c. brown rice, cooked

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat and cook the onions for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin and chili powder and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the potato and lentils and stir to coat with spice mixture. Add tomatoes, coconut milk, stock, salt and sugar, bring to a boil and cover with a lid. Reduce the heat to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the curry simmers cook the rice.
Add the peas to the curry and simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve over a bed of rice.

This post is submitted in
My Meatless Monday
Just Another Meatless Monday
Delicious Dishes

Chicken Francese

2011-01-10T02:16:00.014-05:00

I wasn't always a marine wife but sometimes it is hard to remember life before the military. In the past six years that we have been married a lot has happened. We have moved across the country three times, lived in four different houses and the Mr. has gone on two deployments. We have been lucky enough to have been able to spend four of our anniversaries together out of the six years. So this year we decided to stay in and make our own fancy dinner. Not only is it cheaper and healthier than eating out but there really is no nice restaurant to eat out at where we currently live. Last year I made Seafood Alfredo but this year I wanted to make something different. So I went to the internet and started looking up recipes. I picked Tyler Florence's Chicken Francese because that was what was served at our wedding reception. I will be honest that I don't remember eating it but really, that night I had a lot more on my mind than worrying about what the food tasted like.

I am definitely glad that I made it as apposed to a random dish. I will be honest, I don't know how I didn't remember eating it because it was delicious. I was worried that the lemon or even the wine would over power the chicken but it really came out well. We could only eat half of our chicken breasts but later in the night I found myself picking at the leftovers in the fridge. I think that you could get away with half a chicken breast per person if you made it along with sides. I made "fried"[baked] calamari for an appetizer (recipe coming soon) and then rice and broccoli to go along with the chicken and that was more than enough.

4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 11/2 pounds)
All-purpose flour, for dredging
2 large eggs
1 1/2 Tbsp. water
1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 lemon, with rind, cut in thin rounds
1/2 c. dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
1 c. chicken broth
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter/ margarine
salt and pepper

Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them. Pound the chicken breasts with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Put some flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, beat the eggs with 3 tablespoons of water to make an egg wash. Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet.
Season teach side of the chicken breast with salt and pepper. Dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 2 minutes on each side until golden, turning once. Remove the chicken cutlets to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.
Toss the lemon slices into the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the wine, broth, and lemon juice, simmer for 5 minutes to reduce the sauce slightly. Roll the butter in some flour and add it to the skillet, this will thicken the >sauce. Stir to incorporate and dissolve the flour. Reduce the heat to medium-low and return the chicken to the pan; place the lemon slices on top of the cutlets. Simmer gently for 2 minutes to heat the chicken through. Remove chicken and serve hot.

This post is submitted in
Homemaker Monday
Mouthwatering Monday
Delicious Dishes
Fresh, Clean and Pure Friday

Italian Wedding Soup

2011-01-03T12:03:00.004-05:00

I made this a few years ago for a new military couple who were just moving in to the neighborhood. They had driven across the country and since the Mr. knew the marine, he told them to come over for dinner when they got into town. I had no problem with it except that I had no clue what to make. What do you make someone who has been on the road for a week? Clearly not burgers or pizza but what is something that most people don't eat when on the road. Then it hit me... soup! I had Giada's Italian wedding soup recipe that I had been wanting to try and figured I would make that. It turned out to be a huge hit and the wife, who is now my very good friend, loved it. I will be honest, I don't think it was my personality that won her over, it was the soup. For some reason I have only made this soup twice, once for the couple and just recently. I love the soup but rarely think of making it or any other soup. I really should get into the habit of making this more often because it is delicious. I love the mini meatballs that are just bursting with flavor and the fact that this soup is just so easy to make, makes it a winner in my book. The only thing that takes time is forming the meatballs but it is well worth it in the end I think. We always add half of a pound of mini pasta like ditalini into the soup mainly because the Mr. likes them in there but I like it either way. I also used fresh spinach instead of endive because I could not find any in the stores out here.

Meatballs

1 small onion, grated
1/3 c. chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 large egg
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. salt
1 slice fresh white bread, crust trimmed, bread torn into small pieces
1/2 c. grated Parmesan
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
Freshly ground black pepper

Soup

12 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound curly endive, coarsely chopped
2 large eggs
2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the meatballs: Stir the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese, beef and pork. Using 1 1/2 teaspoons for each, shape the meat mixture into 1-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a baking sheet.
To make the soup: Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and curly endive and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the curly endive is tender, about 8 minutes. Whisk the eggs and cheese in a medium bowl to blend. Stir the soup in a circular motion. Gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the moving broth, stirring gently with a fork to form thin stands of egg, about 1 minute. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.
Ladle the soup into bowls and serve. Finish soup with Parmesan cheese if desired.

This post is submitted in
I Heart Cooking Clubs

Firecracker Swordfish

2010-12-27T15:33:00.007-05:00

When you think of kids and food like how one day they love broccoli but the next day they swear up and down that it is poison, well that is exactly how I am with fish. For some reason I have been on the fence about fish since I was a kid. I would eat it when out shopping with my dad but when my parents would make fish at home the smell would make me so nauseous that I wouldn't be able to eat. For some reason though, I continue to give fish another shot and sometimes I love it and other times the Mr. ends up with extra fish on his plate. I made this fish not expecting it to change anything. I had a feeling that I wouldn't eat more than a few bites before pawning it off on my husband. We were both pleasantly surprised when I pretty much finished my plate. The marinade really gave the fish a lot of flavor and it complimented the fish very well. When I grilled the fish I did brush the grill with oil because fish always stick to the grill.

8 (4 oz) swordfish fillets
1/2 c. canola oil
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
4 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
3 tsp. brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. salt

Place swordfish in a medium nonporous glass dish. In a separate medium bowl , combine all the ingredients and mix until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the marinade over the fish, cover and refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
Preheat the grill and place the swordfish over medium heat on the grill. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. Once the swordfish begins to flake easily with a fork the fish is done.

This post is submitted in
Tasty Tuesday
Tuesday's at the Table
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Upside Down Cranberry Cake

2010-12-20T11:42:00.007-05:00

Not sure what to do with your left over cranberries from the holidays? Well this is the perfect recipe to use them up. I came across this recipe over at Lisa's blog and I knew that I had to give it a try. I had a bag of left over cranberries sitting around from Thanksgiving and they were still good. I checked to make sure that I had everything to make the cake and then after dinner that night got to work making dessert. Just a heads up, this cake will not last long. The first night the Mr. and I ate half the cake. There is just something about the sweet cake and the tart cranberries that make you go back for more.

This was easy and quick to throw together. Like I said, I made this after dinner for dessert. It says to let it cool completely but well it smelled too good to not have any that night so while it was still warm I slid it out of the pan and we dug in and let me tell you, it is insanely good warm. I had a 12 ounce bag and I really needed to use it up so I just used the whole bag in the recipe, I lined up the bottom of the pan and lined the cranberries up the sides. I had a little bit of a problem with spreading the caramel sauce on the pan, so I threw the pan with caramel sauce in the oven for a minute until it bubbled and evened itself out on the pan, than I laid the cranberries on top.

Topping:

Non-stick cooking spray
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. butter
8 oz. fresh or frozen, thawed, cranberries

Cake:

1 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. milk
2 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350°.
For topping, lightly spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray. Heat brown sugar and 2 tablespoons butter in a small pan over medium heat. Cook 2 minutes or until butter melts and sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Pour mixture into cake pan, tilting pan to coat bottom evenly. Arrange cranberries evenly over sugar mixture to cover entire bottom of the pan.
For the cake, mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Pour sugar and 1/2 cup butter in another bowl and mix until well blended and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. (Be sure to save the egg whites for later.) Add in vanilla. Fold flour mixture into sugar mixture alternately with milk.
Mix egg whites with a whisk. Add egg whites into the batter. Pour the batter over the cranberries, spreading evenly.
Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center of the cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan. When cake has cooled, use a thin spatula to loosen cake from the pan and then invert the cake into a large plate.

This post is submitted in
Homemaker Monday
Just Another Meatless Monday
My Meatless Monday

Caramel Apple Pie

2010-12-13T09:59:00.009-05:00

I have been making this pie for Thanksgiving the past couple of years and I am a huge fan. I found it on All Recipes and fell in love. It has become a staple every year on Turkey day as much so as the mashed potatoes and stuffing. However with Christmas fast approaching and a feast to be prepared, I am still wondering, "what am I going to make this year?" Usually the Mr. and I fly or drive home to family, depending on where we are living at the time. This year we were unable to fly home for the holidays both because of the cost of a plane ticket and because the Mr.'s schedule. Which is a real bummer because the biggest holiday of the year for me and my family is Christmas Eve. No that is not a typo, I really mean Christmas Eve. Ever since I was a kid, every year on Christmas Eve the entire family would get together at my Aunt and Uncle's house and there would be movies playing in the living room, family members sitting around a table eating snacks in the dining room, kids playing with their toys in the bedrooms, shots and homemade eggnog in the kitchen and pool and table tennis downstairs in the basement. Well this year, it is just the Mr. and I hanging out in the desert. No crazy family members to celebrate Santa's return to Central NY or even getting to watch my niece open up her gifts on Christmas morning. Instead, we will have a quiet holiday with just us and the 3 kitties.

Usually I make breakfast on Christmas morning (baked french toast) for my family and then the Mr. and I head on over to his family's house for dinner. This year however, I am going to have to make it all myself. I am still not 100% sure what I am going to make for dinner or even dessert but I am leaning towards making this caramel apple pie. It is easy to make, the only time consuming part is the lattice which I had never done before. You can always opt not to do it but I really wanted to give it a try. Of course, I had to look up how to do it on youtube, which was a great help. When it came time to pour the caramel over the pie I used a basting brush to coat the edges of the pie. I cheated by using premade pie crust but if you have your own recipe for pie crust just make sure you have enough for a 9 inch double crust pie.

1 box pre-made pie crusts
1/2 c. unsalted butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1/4 c. water
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
8 medium- large apples, peeled, cored and sliced

Preheat oven to 425°F. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.
Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.
Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350°F. Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.

This post is submitted in
Tasty Tuesday
Holly Bloggy Christmas
Making the World Cuter
A Southern Fairytale
What's on Your Plate

Hot Dog Sushi

2010-12-06T13:08:00.007-05:00

Don't let the name scare you, this is actually really good. It is a nice change from the every day sushi. I came up with making it when I was trying to figure out what to make the Mr. for that weeks lunch. He says that a turkey sandwich is fine but I would get bored with the same old sandwich every day of the week. So I am always wracking my brain trying to come up with some different kind of lunch I can send him off with for the day. Then it hit me, he likes hot dogs and he kind of likes sushi, so why not combine the two! I mean surely, what is not to love, right? I tried to think of everything that he puts on his hot dogs, pickles or relish, cheese and mustard and ketchup. That is where I back track, ketchup just didn't sound right in this so I stuck to mustard. Some would argue that you are not supposed to put ketchup on hot dogs but I guess you could say that we like to live on the wild side in this house. Go Ketchup!

I tried putting the mustard in the sushi but the flavor drowned out everything else so I opted to put it on top instead. Make sure that when you handle the rice you dip your hands in water otherwise the rice will end up sticking to you. Also, if when you are cutting the sushi and you are having problems with it tearing, dip your knife into water. It will help make for easing clean cuts. You don't have to boil the hot dogs like I did but for some reason it made me feel better cooking the hot dogs even though when he actually got to eat them the next day it would not have made a difference. I might just be me but something about this sushi just screams fun to me. It isn't the usual sophisticated kind with raw fish and caviar. I really wish that I could make this, wrap it up and ship the sushi to my niece for her to take to school for lunch. Personally, I think that I would have been the cool kid in school if I had this sitting in my lunch box.

3/4 c. sushi rice
1 c. water
1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 hot dog
pepper jack cheese, cut into long strips
pickle, cut into long strips
nori sheets

Bring the water and rice to a soft boil in a medium pan. Reduce the heat to low and simmer covered for 20 minutes or until moisture is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 10 minutes. Add the vinegar and sugar and mix. Let cool until you can handle the rice.
While the rice is cooling boil a small pan of water. Cut the hot dog lengthwise, then cut each half again to get 4 strips of hot dog. Add the hot dog to the boiling water and boil for 2 minutes until the hot dog begins to curl. Remove and drain.
Lay down the nori and pack some of the rice halfway up the nori sheet. Make sure to keep your hands moist to keep the rice from sticking. Lay down a slice of hot dog, cheese and pickle on the rice at the edge of the nori sheet. Roll up tightly starting from the rice end, make sure to tuck the roll under to make sure that the roll is tight enough. Lay the roll seam side down and continue making the other rolls. When you are finished making the rolls cut them with a very sharp knife, start with the first roll you made and work your way to the last. Dot each piece of sushi with mustard and serve.

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Make It Yours Day
Look What I made

Black Bean Chorizo Pizza

2010-11-29T11:44:00.005-05:00

I am sure that you think I might have gone a little nuts with this one. The Mr. definitely thought that when I told him what was for dinner. I cannot take all the credit on this one though. One of my good friend's who is also a marine wife makes this black bean dish with essentially the same ingredients but she mashes it up and adds the cheese on top. Every time she makes it I gobble it up and usually go back and clean out her leftovers. Hey, what are friends for anyways? I am just doing my friendly duties to make sure that she never runs out of room in her refrigerator.

I don't know what made me think to make her bean dish into a pizza but it worked out really well. I liked that the chorizo and garlic butter make the crust extra flavorful and crispy. Now I will admit that this isn't a very healthy recipe but look at it this way, the crust has wheat flour, there are beans for protein, cheese for calcium and you get your vegetables with the... ah... onions! Okay so I know that I am stretching it but hey, we all need to let loose every once in a while.

Pizza

12 oz chorizo
2 c. cheddar
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
4 T. margarine/butter
1 c. black beans, cooked

Pizza dough

1 1/4 c. warm water
2 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. wheat flour
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. cornmeal

Make the dough: Warm up your bowl by running it under hot water. Add 1/4 cup of warm water and yeast. Stir in sugar and let stand for 5 minutes. Add the remaining water, oil and salt. Stir in flour until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.
Turn dough onto lightly floured surface, 8-10 minutes. Coat bowl with cooking spray, turning dough in bowl to grease the top. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until almost double in size, about 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
In same pan over medium heat, break up and cook the chorizo sausage. Drain and set aside on a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess grease.
When dough is ready, preheat oven to 450°F. Punch down the dough. Cover the pizza pan with cooking spray; sprinkle with cornmeal. Roll out dough as thin as you can get it without tearing. Bake the crust for 10 minutes.
Remove crust and spread the garlic mixture over the crust. Top with the crumbled chorizo, black beans, onion and cheddar cheese.
Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

This post is submitted in
Letting the Creative Juices Flow
Tasty Tuesday

Apple, Pear and Orange Cranberry Sauce

2010-11-24T14:42:00.008-05:00

I am not a huge fan of the cranberry crap in a can, and yes that is exactly what I call it. I will eat a piece to be nice if you put it in front of me but something about the way it remains in the can shape with the ridges in it really just weird me out. With that being said, every year my husband insists that we have this molded jiggly red thing that resembles a can. Even though I try to mash it up so that I am not reminded of what it is, I still cannot eat more than a bite. So this year I decided that since we are going to a friend of ours who is also in the military, the cooking responsibility would be split and I could take the extra time needed to make cranberry sauce from scratch.

I really thought that it was going to be a long and hard process. I really had no idea what to expect. The closest I have come to cranberries are either cranberry juice or craisins. So like the fool that I am I decided to pop a cranberry in my mouth to see what they taste like. I mean, surely they cannot be that bad, right? WRONG! I high tailed it so fast to the trash can with a disgusted sour look on my face and spit that sucker out. Rule number one to anyone who has never had a fresh cranberry... don't do it! They are sour and bitter and unlike a sour patch kid it does not get sweet after it is sour, not even a little bit. Now don't get frighted, just because these little guys are gross raw doesn't mean that they are not delicious cooked. I found a recipe online and tweaked it to what I had on hand. With the added fruit and orange juice they not only lend extra flavor but their sweetness as well. It definitely balances out that raw sour flavor. I like it so much that I think that I will make a dip with the leftovers. Placing some softened low fat cream cheese in the bottom of a dish and spreading the cranberry on top. That just sounds really good. This is definitely replacing the cranberry crap in a can from not on. It only took about 45 minutes to make which included preparing the fruit. I made it a couple of days in advance so that there would be one less thing to fuss over on Thanksgiving day.

1 c. water
1 c. sugar
12 oz. fresh cranberries
1 pear, peeled, cored and diced
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 c. orange juice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. arrowroot

In a medium sauce pot, boil water and sugar over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to simmer and stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries burst. Remove from heat and let cool at room temperature. Serve hot or store in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

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My Meatless Monday

Szechuan Noodles With Spicy Beef Sauce

2010-11-15T11:48:00.005-05:00

This is probably one of my favorite pasta dishes. I came across this recipe over at Sherry's blog. I thought it would be something tasty and different but I had no idea just how delicious this was going to be. This is one of those dishes where you could literally eat the whole thing by yourself and still want more.

It was really easy to make and I found all the ingredients in my local grocery store, which is saying a lot. I am sure a few of you have figured out that the new base that we live at has very limited range of food. So I was pretty happy when I saw that the commissary actually sold hoisin sauce and vermicelli. However if you cannot find vermicelli you can use spaghetti instead. You might need to buy a few ingredients that you might not have on hand but it will be well worth it because you will be making this recipe again soon after. Oh yeah, it is that good.

1 lb ground beef
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 tsp. garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
1/2-1 1/2 tsp. dry crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
3/4 c. beef broth
1/3 c. hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
8 oz vermicelli
1/2 c. sliced green onion

Cook pasta according to package and set aside.
Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat, drain and set aside.
In the same pan pour in sesame oil and heat till hot. Add the onion , garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes and saute until tender until tender.
In a bowl combine cornstarch and beef broth, whisking until smooth.
Stir broth mixture, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce into onion mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; boil, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Stir in ground beef.
Add pasta to the pan and toss until covered in sauce, sprinkle with sliced green onions.

This post is submitted in
Presto Pasta Nights hosted by Debbi Does Dinner Healthy & Low Calorie
Cooking Thursday

Vegetarian Taco Soup

2010-11-08T07:49:00.005-05:00

Now the the weather is finally cooling down here I have been making more and more fall time dishes. I love making dishes in the slow cooker because of how easy it is. I don't have to keep an eye on it, stir it or fuss over it the entire time that it is in there. So needless to say, when I can make a dish in the slow cooker I usually try to do it.

This is originally a non vegetarian dish with ground beef but I decided that I was going to make dinner meat free that night. I also wanted tortilla chips to go with the soup but did not have any on hand so I made my own chips. You can top this soup with whatever you would normally top your tacos with.

Tortilla Chips

2 tortilla wraps
oil for brushing
salt

Preheat the oven to 350°F
Cut tortilla wraps into 8 triangles. Place on a baking sheet and brush both sides with the oil. Bake until lightly brown, about 5 minutes.

Taco Soup

1 yellow onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 c. dried pinto beans
1 1/2 c. frozen corn
1 packet of taco seasoning
2 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

Soak and cook beans according to package; drain.
Combine all the ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

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Tasty Tuesday

Show Us What You're Workin' With

Recipe Swap Thursday

Pennywise Platter Thursday

Beef Stroganoff

2010-11-01T11:39:00.006-04:00

When I usually have beef stroganoff it usually comes from the frozen section of the grocery store. I don't know why but I never thought to make it at home. Now, I don't know if I can ever go back to that frozen stuff again. This was super easy to make with barely any fuss in the kitchen and a very minimal clean up afterward. the meat comes out to be very tender and it holds all of the flavors of the sauce from cooking all day. The Worcestershire sauce and sour cream adds a slight tanginess to it but it is balanced out with the cream cheese. I found that if you cube the cream cheese before adding it to the slow cooker it will help it melt faster and there will be less of a chance of there being pockets of cream cheese in your sauce. If by chance you cannot find golden mushroom soup, cream of mushroom will work just as well.

1 lb cubed beef stew meat
1 (10 oz) can low sodium condensed golden mushroom soup
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1/4 c. water
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
5 button mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz fat free cream cheese, cubed
2 Tbsp. dry white wine
1 Tbsp. fat free sour cream
1 lb whole wheat egg noodles
salt
pepper

In a slow cooker mix meat, soup, water, onion, garlic, mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce and wine. Cook on low for 6 hours.
Cook noodles according to package, drain and set aside.
Stir in cream cheese and sour cream just before serving. Salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the meat sauce over the noodles and serve hot.

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Made By You Monday
Whatever You Want Wednesday
Crock-pot Wednesday
Creative Share Blog Hop

Flaedlesuppe (Pancake Soup)

2010-10-28T11:45:00.010-04:00

This month for regional recipes was in honor of Oktoberfest. When I found out we were going to Germany I immediately asked my friend Simone, who is from Germany, for an authentic recipe. I asked her for a vegetarian recipe because I wanted something that she knew tasted good, you see because Simone is a vegetarian. She ended up sending me this recipe which I am in love with. It is a very simplistic recipe but it tastes so good. All it is is pancakes in a vegetable broth with chives. It is really easy but perfect on a weekday when you are pressed for time and just want something comforting but in record timing.

The Mr. was very skeptical when I told him we were having a German pancake soup for dinner. He questioned me about it and then finally realized to go with the flow or else he would have to make his own dinner. I will give him points though, I have tried many weird recipes and although I might get a look from him saying "are you nuts?", he is always there at the table trying it out with me and nine times out of ten he surprises himself by actually liking it.

This was one of those recipes. I have never made crepes before so I wasn't sure if I could pull it off. I thought for sure it would stick to the pan and I would end up spending hours in the kitchen scrubbing scramble burnt batter from my pan. I am glad to say that it was a success from start to finish. For not having a lot of ingredients in them, it took all of my willpower not to sit there and eat the pancakes as they came out of the pan. They were super easy to make and can be done in advanced and stored in the refrigerator until you need them. I threw my in the refrigerator just to get them cooler faster. Now you may be like me and look at the batter going, this is too thin, but it's not. As for the broth, I used my jar of vegetable stock bullion but if you make your own stock then that would be even better.

3/4 c. wheat flour
1 c. skim milk
pinch of salt
2 large eggs
4 c. vegetable stock
chives, sliced

Mix flour, eggs and salt in a large bowl and mix until combined. Slowly add the milk 1/4 cup at a time until smooth. This will keep lumps from forming. Heat a large pan or skillet over medium-low heat and spray with cooking spray to coat the pan.
Ladle some of the batter in the pan and rotate the pan until the batter is covering the bottom. Cook until browned on the bottom, about 2 minutes and flip the pancake and cook until golden brown. Repeat with the rest of the batter. Se aside and allow to cool completely. If they are hot when you add them to the soup they will fall apart.
Meanwhile heat up vegetable stock.
Once the pancakes are cooled cut them in half and then into thin strips. This will cut them down so they are not so long in the soup.
Lay the pancake strips in the hot broth and sprinkle the chives on top.

This post is submitted in
Regional Recipes
Friday Favorite
Friday Potluck
Fresh, Clean and Pure Friday

Cabot's Serious Snacking Cheese Review

2010-10-28T11:13:00.008-04:00

Many of you probably already know this but the Mr. and I are huge fans of Cabot cheese. We usually always had a brick in our refrigerator. I say had because at our new location they don't sell the cheese. Don't be sad though because when we moved here I received an email from John over at Cabot Creamery asking if I would be interested in trying their new Snacking Cheese line, which of course I said yes. I got to choose two flavors and so I went with the one cheese that we love, habanero cheddar and a cheese that was foreign to me, garlic and herb cheddar.

I have had garlic and herb in those soft cheeses before but never in a brick so I was interested to see what it would taste like. It is pretty darn good! You can taste the garlic and herbs but it isn't overpowering.

This one I can actually compare to the full fat version and I found that there is no difference in taste or texture. If you are unfamiliar with habanero cheese don't be afraid, it is not as spicy as it sounds. Think, pepper jack but maybe a little bit more spicy.

In the end I found that the cheese was rather filling. I only had the two pieces and it filled me up and that lasted for a while. I was really shocked to find that the low fat cheese didn't taste different or lack in flavor. I also love that they are individually wrapped so they keep you from accidentally overeating more than you should but they make perfect quick throw in's for a lunch box or when you are running out the door and need something quick. I really do like them and I am very glad that they thought of me when they were choosing people to try the new product before it hit shelves. I just wish they sold the cheese here, I don't think my two bags are going to last us another eight months until we move again.

*Cabot Creamery sent me the cheese but did not ask me to write a review, I chose to do so. I just couldn't help but share this delicious cheese with everyone.

Parmesan Pizza

2010-10-22T18:10:00.006-04:00

When I was a kid my grandmother would always pick me up from elementary school and watch me until my parents got off from work and picked me up. Every once in a while I would walk in the house and see pizza sitting in the kitchen waiting for me. Now when I say pizza it is not the DiGiorno or even regular homemade pizza, my grandmother had her own way of making pizza. She would roll the pizza dough out so thin you could almost see the pan through the dough, then she would add her homemade marinara sauce and instead of tons of toppings and mozzarella cheese she would top it with Parmesan. There was something about this very simple pizza that set it apart from all the others.

When I heard about Saving Second Base I knew I had to participate and one of the things I thought about making was my grandmother's pizza. Saving Second Base is a breast cancer e-cookbook project consisting of stories and recipes about loved ones who have fought against breast cancer. At the end of the month they will compile all of the stories and recipes into an e-cookbook and all of the proceeds from the sales will go to Susan G. Komen foundation. My family has always participated in the Susan G. Komen race for the cure back in my hometown so when I heard about this I knew that I had to participate.

My grandmother was one of those brave woman who endured breast cancer and she thankfully was one that kicked it in the butt. She fought against breast cancer before I was born but growing up I knew what had happened. My grandmother was a strong woman. She took care of my grandfather, always hosted a spaghetti supper on Thursday night's to bring the family together and was always in the kitchen, unless she was in the rocker doing word-find puzzles.

Now I do not have a recipe that was handed down to me from my grandmother. I asked my mom if she could remember what was in my grandmothers pizza and it was no surprise what she told me. According to her, my mom would ask my grandmother what was in her pizza and she would just shrug it off and say, Parmigiano-Reggiano. To her it was nothing special but it was definitely something that lit up my day when she made it. My mother knew that she made it thin crust and that she used her homemade sauce. So I tried to recreate it from memory from when I was a child. I was very pleased when it came out of the oven and I was immediately taken back in time with my grandparents.

pizza dough

1 1/4 c. warm water
2 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. cornmeal

Pizza sauce

1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 onion, diced
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 tsp. dried oregano
salt
pepper

Topping

2 c. freshly grated Parmesan

Make the dough: Warm up your bowl by running it under hot water. Add 1/4 cup of warm water and yeast. Stir in sugar and let stand for 5 minutes. Add the remaining water, oil and salt. Stir in flour until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.
Turn dough onto lightly floured surface, 8-10 minutes. Coat bowl with cooking spray, turning dough in bowl to grease the top. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until almost double in size, about 45 minutes.
Meanwhile start the pizza sauce by sauteing onions in the oil over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste and oregano. Crush the tomatoes with a masher until it is the consistency you like. Bring to a boil and let simmer over low heat until the dough is ready, stirring occasionally.Salt and pepper to taste.
When dough is ready, preheat oven to 450°F. Punch down the dough and divide the dough in half. Cover two pizza pans with cooking spray; sprinkle with cornmeal. Roll dough as thin as you can with a roller on a floured surface and then transfer to the pizza pan and let rest for 10 minutes. Continue to stretch dough until you can almost see the pan underneath the dough. Bake pizza crust for 10 minutes.
Remove crust from oven and spread with enough pizza sauce to cover the dough, about 1 cup. Top each pizza with 1 cup of Parmesan cheese to layer the sauce. Bake until cheese is melted 15-20 minutes.

♦Depending how much your stretch the dough and how thin you can get it, you might need more or less cheese and pizza sauce. Just alter the amount based on the size of crust you end up with.

This post is submitted in
Saving Second Base
My Meatless Monday

Chicken Yakisoba

2010-10-20T13:05:00.008-04:00

Most people think of sushi when they think of Japanese food however I tend to think outside the box when I think of going to a Japanese restaurant. Not that I don't think of sushi but the one dish I am always interested in is the yakisoba. When my husband was deployed to Okinawa for 6 months he was like any deployed marine out there, depressed and lonely and... yeah right, what am I saying? He was having a blast! He went snorkeling, to the aquarium he even went to this lady's house who sold yakisoba through her kitchen window. I remember him telling me about it and I just thought that was one of the neatest things. He loved the food there and when he came back home I got to work trying different yakisoba recipes. Now this is a little bit sweeter than traditional yakisoba but I love it. I am hoping to one day go to Okinawa and experience all that he had. I really am a little jealous... okay okay, very jealous.

If you have never had yakisoba before then think of chow mein but a lot better, in my opinion. It is not at all hard to make, I think the most tedious part is chopping all the vegetables. However the day that I made this, it was like thanksgiving in the kitchen. I must have been in there for a few hours putting together the yakisoba as well as onigiri and melonpan. This really is easy to make and really delicious.

1/4 c. low sodium soy sauce
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. sugar
3 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1-2 large carrots, julienned
1 medium onion, sliced
1 c. mushrooms, sliced
1/2 head nappa cabbage, chopped
2 (7 oz) packages of yakisoba noodles

Mix soy sauce, water, sugar, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, garlic and ginger. Use 4 tablespoons as a marinade for the chicken and reserve the rest. Marinate the chicken 24 hours.
Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and saute chicken breasts until cooked through. Cut into julienne.
Cook noodles according to package.
Heat remaining tablespoon of sesame oil, saute carrot, onion and cabbage over high heat. Cook until the vegetables are tender. Reduce heat to medium and add noodles. Stir fry 3-4 minutes or until noodles begin to stick to pan. Add soy sauce mixture and stir fry an additional 1-2 minutes, adding chicken to heat through.

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Make It Yours Day
What's On Your Plate?
Eat At Home
Show Us What You're Workin' With
Recipe Swap Thursday
Presto Pasta Nights hosted by Chez Cayenne

SOP

2010-10-14T08:37:00.003-04:00

I am sure you are wondering about the name and what exactly this is. Well it is supposed to be SOS but I was down to my last loaf of bread and didn't want to use it all in one sitting. So I looked around in my pantry and found pasta and since they resemble pebbles I renamed it.

I have never had this particular dish before so I was interested to see what it would taste like. Like always the things that don't look the most appetizing turn out tasting delicious. It was easy to make and throw together and was even better the following day when I warmed it up for lunch. I will be honest, I think I like it better on pebbles than I think I would have on shingles.

1 lb ditalini pasta
1 lb beef
1/4 c. flour
2 1/4 c. milk
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
red pepper flakes
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
salt
pepper

Cook pasta according to package.
Meanwhile, cook ground beef, onion and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until the ground beef is brown. Drain fat.
Sprinkle flour and red pepper flakes over beef, onion and garlic and saute until the flour is absorbed. Gradually stir in milk and Worcestershire sauce.
Bring to a simmer, stirring and continue cooking until thickened about 5-10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot over pasta.

This post is submitted in
Ultimate Recipe Swap
Make it Yours Day
Santa's Gift Shoppe Blog Hop

Slow Cooker Veggie Chili

2010-10-11T16:09:00.004-04:00

It finally got a little chilly here in the desert last week so I brought out some of my favorite fall recipes. I love chili and all the different ways you can make it. My recipe changes every time I make it depending on what I have on hand. This time I decided to make a vegetarian chili with the random vegetables I had in the refrigerator. I let my beans cook in the slow cooker along with the rest of the chili. It is less work for me to do and I think it makes the beans taste even more delicious since they cooked with all of the flavors of the chili and absorb their flavor. This is a simple recipe to make since you can just throw everything in the slow cooker and it will do all of the work for you.

1 c. dried black beans, soaked
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 carrots, sliced
1 jalapeno, diced
1 c. corn
1/2 c. water
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 c. frozen spinach
3 button mushrooms, sliced
1 chili seasoning packet

Put everything in the slow cooker, stir until everything is combined and cook on high for 6-8 hours. Top with your favorite chili toppings.

This post is submitted in
My Meatless Monday's
Mouthwatering Monday
Make It Yours Day

Gnocchi in a Spicy Pumpkin Sauce

2010-10-07T08:37:00.005-04:00

Fall has finally come back around but unfortunately for me, I don't get to experience it. I don't get to see the leaves change colors, mainly because there are no trees here. There are also no pumpkin patches or apple orchards nearby and their idea of apple cider is a jug of apple juice with "apple cider" written on the front. So needless to say when it comes to the feel of fall, this place is lacking.

I made homemade gnocchi for this but you can use the prepacked stuff. Something about the pumpkin and the potato just screams fall to me. I will be honest that I was a little nervous on a pumpkin pasta but this was so good that there were no leftovers by the end of the night.

1/2 lb gnocchi
2 c. pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp. margarine/butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. dried sage
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 c. vegetable stock
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 c. skim milk
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook gnocchi according to package, set aside.
Saute onion in medium sized pot over medium heat with butter for 3 minutes or until the onions turn translucent. Add garlic and cook an additional minute.
Add sage, vinegar, vegetable stock, red pepper flakes and pumpkin. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Add milk and Parmesan. Toss in the gnocchi until warmed through and covered in sauce.

This post is submitted in
Recipe Swap Thursday
Vegetarian Foodie Friday's
I'm Lovin' It
Fabulous Friday Finds

The Halfway Burger

2010-10-04T11:18:00.002-04:00

With a recent trip to the commissary to get groceries and almost $200 later I realized that we need to cut back on eating as much meat as we do. I don't plan on going vegetarian, the Mr. wouldn't be too thrilled with that, plus I love my hamburgers but I do want to try to incorporate more meatless dinners in our weekly line up. It might just help that small but expensive shopping trip we took, last just a little bit longer. Which is where I came up with this recipe. It isn't a vegetarian burger but it is a nifty way to stretch a pound of ground beef and make your dollar last a little bit longer. This is also a good burger to help you prepare for the world of vegetarianism if you are making the switch but are not willing to say goodbye to your burger. You can slowly over time add more beans while reducing the meat until it is just beans.

I had heard on the television about mixing black beans with ground beef and it sort of stuck with me. These are very deceiving burgers though because they look like a normal burger but they will fill you up before you know it. I really liked the mix of the beans with the meat because it makes the burgers really smooth almost like a buttery texture. To add to that the sweet chipotle mayo that adds a little bit of heat, the juicy sweet pineapple and the crunchy onion rings, I don't know if I will ever look at a burger the same way now. I used dried beans that I cooked myself. I actually make a batch of beans and then store them in the refrigerator for later dinners. I know that I have said this before but dried beans are the way to go. Not only are they cheap but you can control how much sodium is in there and you can flavor your beans to the dishes that you are making.

1 lb ground beef
4 pineapple rings
16 onion rings
1 c. black beans
1 c. mayo
1/2 c. pineapple
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

Mash beans and mix with ground beef until combined. Grill 3 minutes on eat side or to your liking.
Meanwhile, mix the chipotles, 1/2 c. pineapple and mayo into a food processor and blend until smooth. Also bake your onion rings until crispy.
Once burgers are done assemble with a pineapple ring, mayo and four onion rings.

This post is submitted in
Homemaker Monday
Motivate Me Monday
Just Something I Whipped Up Monday
Mad Skills Monday
Mouthwatering Monday

Halloween Onigiri

2010-10-01T09:15:00.007-04:00

It is finally October! I cannot tell you how antsy I have been to put up decorations and post my Halloween onigiri I made. I made them a week or two ago because I just could not wait any longer.

I do not have any of those fancy nori cutters or rice molds so I cut the nori with a sharp knife and molded the rice with cookie cutters or by hand. I came across the idea of using carrots in the rice to make it orange from Just Bento. I have yet to make the other colors because I was so excited about orange for Halloween but those are definitely on my to do list.

1 1/2 c. medium grade sushi rice
2 c. water
1 medium-large carrot, finely grated
nori (dried seaweed)
Halloween cookie cutters
salt

Combine rice, carrot and water in a medium pot. Bring to a soft boil, reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 20 minutes or until the moisture is absorbed and the rice is soft. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 10 minutes, fluff with fork and let cool.
When rice is cool enough to handle lay down a piece of plastic wrap with the cookie cutter on top and pack the rice into the cookie cutter. Make sure to dip your hands in water to keep the rice from sticking to you. Carefully push the rice out of the mold, sprinkle with salt and decorate with the nori. Wrap up in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator or freezer.

This post is submitted in
Favorite Things Friday
Vegetarian Foodie Fridays
Friday Favorites

Chile and Cheese Rice

2010-09-27T09:50:00.005-04:00

I was greeted by this recipe when we had our internet turned on in the new house. Kim from Stirring the Pot posted this recipe after making Marcela Valladolid's rice dish. I was immediately interested in making this dish but I had a couple of problems. First the refrigerator to our new house was broken so I couldn't buy any perishable foods, then the day that we got the new refrigerator, our oven broke. So it actually took a while before I was able to make this but it was well worth the wait.

It is creamy, cheesy, tangy, spicy and sweet all wrapped into one. It was the perfect balance of flavors. This is something that I plan to make a lot of and I think this might even be my new party dish. It makes a lot and you can easy triple the recipe with no problem.

We are new to the whole brown rice thing and the Mr. isn't overly sold on it but he liked this dish. You really couldn't tell that it was brown rice. I really did love this dish, so much that I had it again the following morning for breakfast. It was just that good.

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 large white onion, minced
1 c. brown rice
2 c. water
2 c. frozen corn
1 tsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 poblano chiles, charred, peeled, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1/4 c. sour cream
1/2 c. grated Monterey Jack

Char the chiles by putting the chiles over a gas flame or underneath the broiler and cook until they are blackened on all sides. Enclose them in a plastic bag and let stand for 10 minutes to steam, which will make them easier to peel. Peel, stem, seed and chop the chiles.
Heat the oil in a medium-size heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, and saute for until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook about 10 minutes. Stir in the water and the corn kernels, then season the water with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, about for 15 minutes.
Preheat a broiler. Using a fork, fluff the rice and stir in the chopped poblanos. Transfer the rice to a 7 by 10-inch baking dish. Drizzle with the creama or sour cream and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Broil until the top is browned in spots and the cheese has melted, about 5 to 8 minutes.

This post is submitted in
My Meatless Mondays
Just Something I Whipped Up
Just Another Meatless Monday
Motivate Me Monday
Mouthwatering Monday
Tasty Tuesday

Moroccan Chicken, Chickpea and Apricot Tagine

2010-09-23T00:26:00.009-04:00

This month I decided to sign up for taste & create's monthly partnering event. Once a month they pair you up with another blogger where you then choose a dish to make from their blog and post your results on the main page. I thought that it would be a fun way to try something new and boy was I right.

I was paired with Heather from Vrybzy Baking and More. When I went through her recipes I was torn between a coconut cupcake made with malibu rum or this. Obviously we know which one won and I am actually really glad I decided on dinner instead of dessert. I have never had anything like this before and was unsure what exactly to expect. However, when it started cooking in the slow cooker my mouth started watering and my stomach started to growl with impatience.

I scaled down the recipe since her recipe was for six people and well it is only the hubby and myself and there would be no way we could possibly eat that much. Even so, the amount it made would still be enough for four people. I used more chicken stock than the recipe called for on accident but it came out perfect and I think it had just enough sauce to cover the couscous. I will say that I was a little set back by the saffron. I have never had it before but here it is really expensive and for what you get it is just not worth it. I think that when my saffron packet is all gone I will make this with turmeric. Yup that is right, I plan on filing this recipe away to use again. Both hubby and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I served it over a bed of couscous but you could use rice too.

2 boneless skinless chicken breast, bite size cubes
1 Tbsp. flour
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. ground ginger or 1/2" fresh ginger root, finely chopped
3 oz. dried apricots
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 oz) can chickpeas
1 1/2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 c. chicken stock
1 pinch saffron or 1 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Heat up oil in large pan and saute onion and garlic for 5 minutes.
Add chicken stock and gradually mix in the flour until it is not lumpy. Add honey and tomato paste and mix well.
Add herbs, spices, ginger and diced tomatoes and mix well.
Pour into crock-pot. Add chicken, chickpeas and apricot, mix well making sure the apricots are covered in the sauce.
Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Serve over couscous

This post is submitted in
Taste & Create
It's Party Time Thursday
Somewhat Simple
Friday Favorites
Foodie Friday

Easy Peasy Chicken Dinner & Review

2010-09-19T14:19:00.014-04:00

The name says it all. It is easy, it has peas and it is a chicken dinner. HaHa. Now what makes it easy and quick is the fact that I used Tyson grilled & ready cooked chicken breasts. The chicken is already fully cooked and even has a glaze on it which adds extra flavor. It definitely made my job in the kitchen a little easier not having to play the "is it done?" game.

I am a huge fan of this stuff because with hubby currently at school he gets home really late, like 8:30 pm late and trying to make a dinner at that time leaves us eating dinner at almost 10. So I am really excited that a representative from Tyson contacted me before our move and wanted to send me a coupon for a free bag of their grilled and ready chicken breast. I held onto it until we moved and that was one of the first things we bought. We usually always get Tyson chicken nuggets and hubby loves their buffalo strips but I had never bought the grilled chicken before. It is great because it already comes glazed with flavor so you can eat it as is right out of the bag, okay well first you would need to heat it up but that takes no time at all. Unlike chicken nuggets it doesn't resembled ground up meal when you cut into it, it is like an actual chicken breast except you cooked in in a fraction of the time. It is great as just a chicken sandwich but I wanted to try mixing it into dishes where I would otherwise have to cook the chicken on top of cooking the dish. Which is where I came up with this one.

I got the idea for this recipe from Kraft foods but tweaked it quite a bit to make this dish. I nuked the chicken while I got the noodles cooking which saved a lot of time but you can also bake the chicken too. I think from start to finish this dish took me about 30 minutes to make.

4 Tyson grilled & ready chicken breasts
2 low sodium chicken ramen soup package
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 c. frozen spinach
1 Tbsp. oil
1 1/2 c. frozen peas
1 c. water
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 c. low fat mozarella cheese, shredded

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium add garlic and onion and cook until tender about 5 minutes. Stir in water, seasoning packets, tomatoes, peas and spinach and heat to a boil.
Throw Tyson chicken in microwave for 5 minutes. Take out and allow to cool to touch and slice.
Crush up the ramen noodles and add to the skillet, reduce heat and simmer covered for 5 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom.
Toss in chicken and cheese and serve.

This post is submitted in
Sunday Showcase Party
Motivate Me Monday
Mad Skills Monday
Simply Hot Recipes
Tasty Tuesday
Letting the Creative Juices Flow
Presto Pasta Nights hosted by More Than Burnt Toast

Melonpan

2010-09-16T09:48:00.004-04:00

Just in case you are wondering, it is called melonpan (melon bread) not because it tastes like melon but because it resembles a melon. I did not score my bread to make the melon design, I was a little rushed at the time making other Japanese delights. However, you can add melon paste or melon extract to the dough if you wanted to but traditionally Japanese melonpan it is not flavored.

Okay so this is my second time making this but every time I fall more and more in love with it. I made it once before when I first started blogging but have not made it since. I came across melonpan while watching Shakugan No Shana who's character is always eating melonpan. At the time I had no idea what it was but after looking it up online I knew that I had to make it. Looking at it you think that it is just a normal loaf of bread, that is, until you bite into it. The crust isn't that of normal bread but a crunchy cookie exterior that is wrapped around a light fluffy bread inside. I really cannot put into words how delicious this is. I am sure that you have never had anything like this before. There is quite a bit of time put into making this but it is well worth it. I made mine half plain and half with a chocolate chip exterior. If you would like to make yours with chocolate chips just add a handful or two of chocolate chips to the outer layer dough.

I really wish that local bakeries made this so that I didn't have to spend my day baking. Like I said before this is well worth the time you put into it. I usually make a big batch for me and the hubs and then just reheat them up in the oven or toaster oven. Otherwise it loses it's crunchy exterior. I love to eat mine as is but hubby is an ice cream fanatic so I should not have been shocked when I walked out to the kitchen and saw him making this.

For the dough center:

½ cup milk
1 small egg
1 3/4 c flour
1 tsp dry yeast
1/8 c sugar
a pinch of salt
1 1/3 Tbs butter

For the outer layer:

3 1/3 Tbs butter; room temp (margarine works also)
1/4 c sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp milk
1 c flour
1/2tsp baking powder

Bread directions:

Heat the milk to lukewarm and beat the egg, and then combine the two.
Combine everything but the butter, and then add the butter when the dough is smooth. (butter should be lukewarm)
Kneed for 10~15 minutes.
Stretch out, keeping the surface smooth.
Lightly grease the bowl and put the dough in, then spray with water and cover with saran wrap. Place in warm place to rise for 40~60 minutes.

Topping directions:

Beat the butter until it turns creamy and add the sugar in 3 different sections. Stir until the mixture is whitish.
Combine the egg yolk and milk in a bowl and beat well. Add slowly to the butter mixture, and then cut the dry ingredients in slowly.
Shape the topping dough into a rod and wrap in saran wrap. Let chill in the refrigerator.

The other directions:

When the dough has risen to twice its size, poke it with your finger. If it does not return, it is done.
Punch the dough and kneed lightly.
Split the dough into 6 parts and make them round. Cover so they do not dry out and let stand 10 minutes.
Reshape the dough and place them on an over paper-covered baking sheet. Cover with a damp cloth. Let dough rise to two times its original size
Divide the topping into 6 parts and roll between two pieces of saran wrap.
Remove from wrap and place over the bread, stretching and tucking the sides to the bottom. Try not to move the dough too much because it might deflate. So be careful!! Sprinkle granulated sugar over the top and cut lines lightly into the top with a knife.
Bake at 335° F for 20 minutes. It's done when the edges turn slightly browned.

This post is submitted in
Regional Recipes goes to Japan this month
It's Party Time Thursday
Show Off Your Stuff
Strut Your Stuff
My Meatless Mondays

Baileys Cheesecake

2010-09-13T09:48:00.008-04:00

Holy Cannoli Recipes hit 1 years old on the 6th. I have been so busy lately that I totally forgot the day. I cannot believe that in one year the site has gained so many followers. Not to mention the fact that I have done over 100 posts as well, that is a lot of recipes. I started this blog to write down the recipes I had tried so that I could share them with friends and family. Then slowly I got sucked into the blogging world and here I am. I enjoy sharing recipes with you guys and I also love reading your recipes as well.

My first Holy Cannoli Recipes post was tiramisu cheesecake. I will admit that it wasn't the best picture in the world but I have since bought a better light bulb and have practiced taking pictures of food. So this year for my birthday I had a Baileys caramel Irish cream cheesecake. I asked for tiramisu but hubby couldn't find all the ingredients out here in the desert for it so he wound up making this which was equally delicious. You know this place isn't so bad but food wise, it is a nightmare.

You can taste the Baileys in this so if you do not like Baileys than I would suggest making this with another liqueur of your choosing. I however love Baileys so I really liked this cheesecake, which is good since it was my birthday cake. There has been so much to celebrate lately. I am really glad that I started blogging, it has definitely been fun.

2 (12 ounce) package lady fingers
4 tablespoons butter/margarine, melted
4 tablespoons Baileys Irish cream
3 (8 ounce) packages 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 (8 ounce) container mascarpone cheese
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (3 ounce) bar semisweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place a pan of water on the bottom of oven.
Crush a package of ladyfingers to fine crumbs. Mix the melted butter into the crumbs. Moisten with 2 tablespoons of the Baileys. Press into an 8 or 9 inch springform pan.
Chop a chocolate bar into small pieces and cover the crust with chocolate.
Cut lady fingers into small medallions and place up against the side of the springform pan. (look at picture above)
In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, mascarpone, and sugar until very smooth. Add 2 tablespoons Baileys, and mix. Add the eggs and the flour; mix SLOWLY until just smooth. The consistency of the mascarpone can vary. If the cheesecake batter is too thick, add a little cream. Do not over mix at this point. Pour batter into crust.
Place pan on middle rack of oven. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until just set. Open oven door, and turn off the heat. Leave cake to cool in oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and let it finish cooling. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight, before serving.

This post is submitted in
Just Another Meatless Monday
Homemaker Monday
Motivate Me Monday
Made by You Monday
Letting the Creative Juices Flow

Cheesy Chorizo Hash

2010-09-07T08:30:00.006-04:00

This past weekend I celebrated my 24th birthday. It was a special occasion because my friend from NY flew out on my birthday to spend a few days in the desert with us. One of the days she was out here we woke up early and headed out for a hike through the mountains. It sounded like a fun idea at the time but the temperature was getting hotter and the sun was rising as we worked our way through the mountains.

The only thing that kept me going as we walked was the fact that I promised that I would make a hearty breakfast when we got back.

This is a simple one skillet dish which I sort of just threw things in as I cooked. It is a nice hearty dish for breakfast. The eggs act as a binder to help hold the hash together. My friend doesn't like spicy stuff so I didn't add any other spices since chorizo can be spicy but jalapenos would be delicious in this.

1 russet potato, grated
1 lb chorizo
1 Tbsp oil
3 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 c. cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Add oil to large skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper and onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add chorizo and grated potato and cook and additional 15 minutes stirring occasionally to keep the potatoes from sticking to the bottom.
Beat eggs and milk until combined. Add to the skillet and mix until incorporated. Sprinkle cheese on top and place in oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

This post is submitted in
Tasty Tuesday
Toot Your Horn Tuesday
Tasty Tuesdays
Tuesday's at the Table
Real Food Wednesday
What's For Dinner
Tuesday Night Supper

Wilton Course Three Class Four (Final Cake)

2010-09-03T05:25:00.001-04:00

For the final class of Fondant and Gum Paste we got to make whatever kind of cake we wanted. At that point it was only me and one other student so we got to get crazy with our cakes. We each brought in 2 two layered cakes so that we could make a two tiered cake. Since the class was four days before the fourth of July I baked the cake the day of class to ensure that it was as fresh as possible.

Well actually hubby helped me by baking the red layers the night before while I was off seeing the new Eclipse movie.

I ran into some problems before class. I was supposed to have my cakes covered in fondant before class and show up and hour early so that I could start cutting out my stars for my inlays. Although I did end up showing up to class and hour early, I didn't have my cake covered in fondant. I thought that it would be smart to make my own fondant made from marshmallows since store bought fondant smells a lot like play dough to me. The fondant was probably about the easiest thing that day for me. If you plan on making fondant skip the store and make your own.

My problems were that the icing was pulling my cake apart, the filling was gushing out of the sides and the fondant wouldn't stop sticking to the counter top. So I left the house and got to class so that I could work on it there with crisco. It worked and I got the fondant on the cake with no problem. Then we made the platform for our second tier and assembled it so that the top tier wouldn't squish the bottom tier. Once that was done it was time to start making my stars and then finished the cake off with my border. The border didn't turn out the way I imagined it but in the end it worked out. I even added my own border to it. I was trying to make this one border with icing but started making a waved border instead.

The best part about making this cake was not only was I finally done with the madness of taking all three courses of cake decorating in one month but I got to share this cake with my family! My mother, sister, niece and cousins were here to help dig into this beauty. I even brought the top tier over to my neighbor. Her mother (who is visiting) thanked me for it later and told me that I should make cakes for a living! :o) Now I would gladly pay triple for this cake. It certainly surpassed the $10 limit.

In case you wanted the fondant recipe that I used...

8 ounces miniature marshmallows (4 cups not packed, or half of a 16-ounce bag)
1 pound powdered sugar (4 cups), plus extra for dusting
2 tbsp water
Food coloring or flavored extracts, optional

Dust your counter or a large cutting board with powdered sugar. Place the marshmallows and the water in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute, until the marshmallows are puffy and expanded.
Stir the marshmallows with a rubber spatula until they are melted and smooth. If some unmelted marshmallow pieces remain, return to the microwave for 30-45 seconds, until the marshmallow mixture is entirely smooth and free of lumps. If you want colored or flavored fondant, you can add several drops of food coloring or extracts at this point and stir until incorporated. If you want to create multiple colors or flavors from one batch of fondant, do not add the colors or flavors now. Instead, refer to step 6 below for instructions.
Add the powdered sugar and begin to stir with the spatula. Stir until the sugar begins to incorporate and it becomes impossible to stir anymore.
Scrape the marshmallow-sugar mixture out onto the prepared work surface. It will be sticky and lumpy, with lots of sugar that has not been incorporated yet--this is normal. Dust your hands with powdered sugar, and begin to knead the fondant mixture like bread dough, working the sugar into the marshmallow with your hands.
Continue to knead the fondant until it smooths out and loses its stickiness. Add more sugar if necessary, but stop adding sugar once it is smooth--too much sugar will make it stiff and difficult to work with. Once the fondant is a smooth ball, it is ready to be used. You can now roll it out, shape it, or wrap it in cling wrap to use later. Well-wrapped fondant can be stored in a cool room or in the refrigerator, and needs to be kneaded until supple before later use.
If you want to add coloring or flavoring to your fondant, flatten it into a round disc. You might want to wear gloves to avoid getting food coloring on your hands during this step. Add your desired amount of coloring or flavoring to the center of the disc, and fold the disc over on itself so that the color or flavor is enclosed in the center of the fondant ball.
Begin to knead the ball of fondant just like you did before. As you work it, you will begin to see streaks of color coming through from the center. Continue to knead until the streaks are gone and the fondant is a uniform color. Your fondant is now ready to be used or stored as outlined above.

Piña Colada Sorbet

2010-08-31T05:35:00.007-04:00

When you think of the desert you think of intense heat and tons of sand... and you would be correct. So needless to say ice cream and all things icy cold are a big part of my diet right now. When I saw that this month was Puerto Rico at regional recipes I immediately thought of pina colada and came across this recipe for pina colada sorbet from all recipes.

This is easy to make and a nice twist to ice cream which is a nightly staple in this house. I love making homemade ice cream. It is still new to me but I just love watching it take form in the ice cream maker. This is the first sorbet I have made in my machine so I was really looking forward to digging in when it was finished. Now I am not a huge sorbet person but the coconut milk add a little bit of a creaminess to it which I like. I will definitely be keeping this recipe on hand to help beat this 106° heat.

1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. water
1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (13.5 oz) can lite coconut milk
1/4 c. lime juice about 2 limes

Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small pot over high heat, stir and boil until the liquid becomes clear, about one minute. Set aside to cool.
Blend the drained pineapple in a blender or food processor until smooth and frothy.
In a large bowl whisk together the syrup, pineapple puree, coconut milk, and lime juice. Refrigerate until chilled.
Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions.

This post is submitted in
Regional Recipes
Tasty Tuesday
Tuesday Tastes