Girl + Food = Love

TWD: Savory Brioche Pockets

2013-05-21T21:10:00.000-06:00

After looking at the recipe, I felt like I should stuff some chicken and other things inside these 'pockets' but decided I better just stick to the recipe. And after making them and eating them, I'm thinking maybe I should have listened to my heart. Dramatic, I know. I forgot to add the chives to the potato and goat cheese mixture, oops. I ended up sprinkling them on top to try to make up for my misfortune but these just didn't wow me enough to make them again.

It was a 2 day process for the brioche and then several different pans are needed to 'steam' the potatoes and cook the asparagus and caramelize the onions. And honestly after all that time and all those dirty dishes, I was expecting to have my socks knocked off. Sadly, they weren't. My socks are still in tact.

I enjoyed mixing the dough, but we've made brioche before so I knew what to expect. And I have to admit, I think she's so pretty.

Calvin helped me fill up the pockets and I caught him eating asparagus! I just about died because he usually and forcefully refuses asparagus. So there's that.

The pockets before the rise.

After the rise and ready to bake.

Baked. The edges didn't really want to stay nicely pressed like they were in the book, but I figured the fillings were solid enough, I didn't worry too much about it.

I KNOW the brioche recipe is a winner because these Pecan Sticky Buns blew my mind and used the same brioche recipe. I think it's just a matter of what you shove inside these things and your preferences. If you'd like to try the recipe or a variation of it, you can visit the blog of our host for the week: Loaves and Stitches.

I'm sure the amazing TWD bakers have come up with some mouth-watering renditions. To see their links go HERE.

Table Talk: Breakfast Strata

2013-05-08T15:15:00.002-06:00

The book we are using { The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook} is all about making everyday meals healthier. I don't recall that I've ever eaten strata before, so I can't really compare it to the full-fat and calorie version but I thought this was pretty good.

My only complaint, again, is the amount of dishes this recipe created. If I made it again, I would definitely try to streamline that. I would also probably half the spinach and throw in some other vegetables. I did add some mushrooms, but not nearly enough. Also, I didn't have enough feta cheese so, after mixing the feta in with the strata, I just threw some monterey jack on top instead of more feta.

My pie weights came in handy to weigh the strata down for an hour before baking. Fine! I'm not fancy enough to have pie weights. They are just beans. Happy?!

After the weight was lifted.

After baking.

We had this for dinner but if I were going to make it for breakfast, I would put everything together the night before and refrigerate it over night. The recipe says you can refrigerate for up to 24 hrs.

If you'd like the recipe you can buy the bookor you can visit the blog of our hostess for the week, Janet.

TWD: Fresh Rhubarb Upside-Down Baby Cakes

2013-05-07T18:06:00.000-06:00

I don't have baby cake pans, baby. I told you that when we made Gingerbread Baby Cakes. Last time I used ramekins. This time I thought I'd use my jumbo muffin pan (the muffin holes are 3 inches across). It doesn't get used all that much and I think it feels left out most days.

We had maple flavored whipped cream to go on top and the whole thing was the kind of dessert that almost makes me forget who chocolate is. And my own name. I love being pleasantly surprised. But what's not to like about a cake with caramel, walnuts (I didn't have pecans) and rhubarb. Did I lose you there? At the rhubarb? Yeah, I didn't add very much but I wished I added more. It was delicious.

I halved the recipe and it was perfect for the muffin tin.

Look at her all happy and buttered and floured.

All good things start with caramel. (Remember, I forgot who chocolate was for today.) And this is where I should have been more bold with the rhubarb. Probably twice as much.

And then cake batter on top. I used my 1 oz scoop and put 2 oz in cake hole. Yes, we are making cake right now so they're cake holes.

Bake and dump out. I had to take a knife around the edge of each one before they really wanted to come out.

And then wonder if they are worth all the dirty dishes. But my little saucepan was also happy. He doesn't see much action either, normally.

And then (almost) accidentally beat your whipping cream until it turns to butter. Oops. I caught it just in time. It was probably about 1/2 cup whipping cream, 2 T sugar, 1/4 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp maple flavoring and I want to remember that for next time. I might have just eaten some whipped cream. Maybe.

Then, decide it was worth all the dirty dishes.

And then forget there are even dirty dishes.

These were so good I might have to throw the rest away so I don't eat them all.

If you'd like to try them yourself, you can buy the book or you can visit the blog of our hostess for the week at: When it Doubt....Leave it at 350

If you'd like to see what the other TWD bakers did, you can go HERE.

Homemade Graham Crackers and the best S'mores ever!

2013-04-29T12:51:00.000-06:00

Last week, I made two different graham cracker recipes. There are quite a few out there. I started with THIS one and it was good. Tyler really liked them plain, with milk or with frosting but when we paired them with marshmallows and chocolate there was something off. It was almost like the flavor wasn't subtle enough and it kind of got in the way of my s'more-but Tyler said I needed to keep the recipe because he loved it. If you are someone who likes just plain graham crackers or, like Tyler, likes them with milk, this first recipe might just be for you. But if you're like me and you feel like the only reason graham crackers exist is to make s'mores and graham cracker crusts then this next recipe is the ticket. It has the perfect subtle graham-cracker-flavor but the feeling of something a little better because it's homemade.

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Table Talk: Chickpea Cakes with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce

2013-04-24T00:59:00.000-06:00

Whaaat? Who would pick that for their recipe? Is this some kind of joke?

Um, no. Not a joke.

It was my week to host.

And I was trying to choose a recipe that was new and different.

I also noticed that we hadn't made anything from the vegetarian section of the book yet.

Have I told you that Tyler almost turned into a vegan a couple weeks ago?

Yeah, he eats humus now.

I'm not really sure how it all came about but it was about the same time he turned into a cowboy and started listening only to Country music. Well, and Classical music sometimes.

Basically, he wanted to be a vegan cowboy.

It's weird, but that about sums up Tyler. Weird. But also why I love him.

Never a dull moment and just the way I like it.

Anyway, I thought since he was a humus-eating-fool these days, it would be a good time to try and throw something like a chickpea cake on the table for dinner.

A couple months ago, he probably would have taken one look at this and walked out. Maybe for good, maybe just to head to McDonald's.

We'll never know.

I chickened out during the last couple days and decided I had to at least make these into a sandwich.

I mean, we've shown some progress in the eating healthy department lately, but just a chickpea cake might just be crossing a serious line. Just to be careful, I threw in some buns, made from this potato bread recipe (I made one regular loaf and then 10 rolls with 2-2.5 oz of dough/roll).

I'm pretty sure I would eat anything on that potato bread.

And then, like any other time I'm uncomfortable, I threw in some avocado and tomato.

I know what you're thinking. Why am I being a freak when I'm the one who picked the dang recipe. Because I'm a weirdo too. That's why Tyler loves me. ;)

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Kale, Strawberry and Avocado Salad with Light Poppy Seed Dressing

2013-04-18T01:24:00.001-06:00

I really liked this salad. Like, really liked it. Tyler, on the other hand, wasn't as in love as I was. He has a block when it comes to fruit in a savory (at all) salad or dish. The bacon and strawberries together totally threw him off. And he didn't think strawberries belonged in a salad with lettuce. I don't know, man. I"m slowly breaking him down but we're just not to the strawberry/bacon/lettuce point yet. He ate it though. I took his strawberries and he seemed to be content with the remainder of the ingredients together. I didn't complain. This salad had a bit of everything to tantalize taste buds and it was pretty healthy. I will make it again (because I loved it and every once in a while I make something I love and tell the rest of them to deal with it) and just leave the strawberries off his salad. This was a perfect light evening meal but I wouldn't say no to it at lunch. I can see us making many more salads like this for summer. And I'm hoping to have avocados coming out of my ears because we have a lot of trees in our yard. I'm getting excited!

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TWD: Madeleines

2013-04-16T23:16:00.000-06:00

I've never made madeleines before. The only reason I've even heard of them before is because of FRIENDS. Remember when Sandy made madeleines? And Ross was mad because they were 'lighter than air'? Yeah, that about sums up my knowledge on the subject. I can't really comment on how successful I thought the recipe was and if they turned out how they are supposed to or not because I really don't know. I wish Ross or Monica were here, they could tell you. For a couple hours today, I thought there would be a reunion season of FRIENDS. It was a blissful couple hours, but the dream has been crushed.

I will say that my kids ate all of these. I had one and couldn't quite figure out what the fuss was all about. I mean, where's the freaking chocolate? Maybe I can't wrap my head around it because I'm not a coffee or tea drinker? Maybe they go hand-in-hand.

I took the advice of a fellow baker and rather than greasing and flouring the pan, I brushed it with just butter. That seemed to be a great tip.

For some reason, when I took them out of the oven, they all looked like they had tumors or something growing out of them. Maybe they are supposed to look like that? I really don't know. The recipe just said to fill the molds with the batter, it didn't say how full. I filled 'er up (I used my 1 oz cookie scoop and it seemed to be perfect). Maybe I wasn't supposed to fill them all the way to the top though?

I'm not sure I would make this recipe again, but not because I don't think it's a good recipe. I might just not like madeleines enough. I guess I will have to try a couple other recipes to decide how I really feel about them.

If you like madeleines, you should give this recipe a try. You can buy the book or get it at our host blog for the week, Counter Dog

If you'd like to see how the other TWD bakers fared this week, you can go HERE to get their links.

White Chicken Enchiladas (Lightened-up) with Corn and Avocado Salsa

2013-04-11T12:51:00.000-06:00

The other day I got a hankerin' (have I told you that Tyler, my husband, wants to be a cowboy now? Just practicing.) for chicken enchiladas. Which is weird because I keep telling people (including myself) that I don't really like Mexican food. I could be in denial. I went looking for a recipe but it started to seem like a lot of work to try and find one that fit what I wanted. One of my stipulations was the it would be semi-healthy. We are trying to be good over here, ya know? After searching for a few minutes I decided I was bored with it. I would just throw a few things together and could make it how I wanted it. Guess what? This time, it worked out. These were delicious and only ended up being about 375 calories per serving (2 enchiladas). I was pretty pleased with them so I thought I'd share. If for no other reason than to have the recipe next time I want to make these.

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Table Talk: Creamy Chicken and Spinach Casserole

2013-04-10T10:00:00.000-06:00

I am a messy cook. I try not to be, but I just am. Hopefully it's something I will be able to remedy over time, but for now, when I am done cooking, the kitchen looks like a bomb went off in there. How hard is it to put things away while you go?! My pea-sized brain just can't handle it. What I like about recipes like this? While the casserole is in the oven I have 20-30 minutes to clean up before anyone can see the evidence. :)

The recipe starts with a creamy sauce made from parmesan, milk, onions and spices. Add some chicken, spinach and whole wheat penne and then top it off with mozzarella cheese. And then somehow call it healthy. My kids loved this (they did pick out the spinach) and Tyler and I loved it too. We divided it into 6 servings rather than 4. The 540 calories per serving was a bit much for us; 350 was more doable.

I also threw in some sun dried tomatoes because I had some, and because I love them and I thought it sounded good. I would do it again in a heartbeat. The only other thing I changed about the recipe was that I seared my chicken and then cut it (remember my aversion to cutting raw meat). And I would also do that again.

And you wanna know what else I'd do again? Make this. Our smaller servings were perfect with a salad (balsamic vinaigrette goes pretty well with this) and it was a crowd pleaser. There wasn't so much cheese that it was unpalatable, but it was cheesy enough that it didn't feel 'healthy'.

*One side note, the sauce doesn't really specify how much salt/pepper to add, it just says 'to taste'. I added 1/2-3/4 tsp salt and I could have even added a bit more.

If you'd like the recipe, you can get it at Jen O's blog. She was our hostess for the week and chose this fabulous recipe.

Want to know more about Table Talk? Click HERE.

Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs

2013-04-09T10:56:00.000-06:00

Growing up, I thought the yolks of hard-boiled eggs were supposed to be green. At least a little around the edges. I am not sure when I realized that green yolks meant they were over-cooked but once I realized that, I wanted to figure out how to make the perfect hard-boiled eggs. Why? Because I'm a weirdo and these are the kind of things I spend my time worrying about.

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Carrot Cake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

2013-04-08T10:48:00.002-06:00

This cake is haunting me. I didn't know what to do about this post. Do I update the cupcake post? Do I have a new post exclusively dedicated to the cake? After much pondering, I decided there was enough new information for a new post. The cake is the same recipe as the cupcakes, but since instructions are different and the frosting is different, I thought it would be easier to just do it this way. And also, this cake is so freaking good, I might just start posting about it daily. Two posts might not be enough. In the next few posts, I will talk about how good this cake is, even days after it's made. I love desserts like that!

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TWD: Rustic Potato Loaves

2013-04-02T21:25:00.000-06:00

I try not to get braggy about food. Just because I like something, doesn't mean everyone will. Just because I think something is 'the best...' or delicious, doesn't mean you will. Because of that, I normally try to reel in my sentiments. I don't want to over-sell anything. But seriously, this bread was bomb. Yeah, it made me feel cool enough to start talking like a 15 year old boy. And since we are already there, I will just tell you that it was also epic. Seriously.

When I took it out of the oven, I wasn't all that impressed. When bread doesn't go how I want, and comes out looking wonky, I label it 'rustic.' While this was supposed to be rustic, I wasn't in love with the look of it. Have you ever seen someone and you don't think they're much to look at, but then you get to know them and it turns out, they're flippin' beautiful? Or vice-versa: They're beautiful until you get to know them and then they quickly lose all appeal? Well, this bread was the former. I wasn't so impressed with the rustic look of it, but then I got to know it a little better and I can't figure out why I didn't love it from the get-go. I've made potato bread before, but never found a recipe that I wanted to commit to, until now. Mark my words, this bread and I are going to have a long lasting relationship. I am hopelessly in love with it.

I loath peeling potatoes but I was expecting to have to peel them for this bread. Um, nope. And I almost chickened out and peeled them anyway because I thought it was going to be super weird having potato peels in the bread. It wasn't super weird. Everything about this bread was super awesome. (to be read: ..super awesome period!)

I had to use a couple red potatoes because I didn't quite have enough russet. I didn't have enough all purpose flour. I subbed 2 cups of bread flour for the all-purpose so I left out 1/4 cup (I think I read/heard that bread flour soaks up more liquid than all purpose so I didn't want it to be too dry.) to make 4 1/2 cups of flour all together. The substitutions worked seamlessly. So not only is this bread delicious it's also forgiving!

It did give me a little bit of anxiety when I was mixing the dough but the book warned me it would look crumbly. I seriously wanted to add about 1/4 cup of water right here....

'Have faith and keep beating.' And so I did. And it paid off. The dough did come together how it was supposed to. Phew!

I didn't use my baking stone because it wasn't big enough for both loaves at the same time. I lined a baking sheet with parchment, brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with cornmeal.

I was a little worried about transferring the dough, but it wasn't so bad. The biggest hiccup was that one of the loaves was a bit crooked and it stayed that way. (below) Don't you think it's rustic and beautiful? Well, maybe taste it and get back to me.

If you don't love the outside, try not to love the inside. I dare you.

We had chicken salad sandwiches with the bread. I wasn't sure how to cut it because just slicing it would have made for weird shaped sandwiches so I cut the bread down the middle and acted like it was 4 loaves of bread.

I can imagine this bread would be great with anything on it or nothing at all. You really can't go wrong.

If you'd like the recipe, you can buy the book or visit the blog of our host for the week: Simply Sweet. Dawn also has some great step-by-step photos and a loaded baked potato version that I am sure is down-right delicious!

If you'd like to see how the other TWD bakers did you can go HERE.

Table Talk: Sauteed Pork Chops with Quick Apple-Ginger Chutney

2013-03-27T00:31:00.001-06:00

I knew I would like this week's recipe because I really like the combination of apples and pork chops. And this didn't disappoint.

I couldn't find boneless pork chops. I bought a roast and sliced it into chops. It would have been better with a tenderloin, but I couldn't find one of those either. And when your kids are relay racing through the store, sometimes you just have to grab something that says 'pork' and get the heck outta there.

I was a little nervous to brine my pork. The last time I soaked a turkey in brine it turned into a ham, no joke. (I was not happy. It was the worst day ever. I love turkey and tolerate ham. And it was Thanksgiving. The pilgrims didn't serve ham at Thanksgiving!) When I saw brine in the recipe I had flashbacks to that horrid day, but then I saw that it was only for 30 minutes to an hour and not 3 days. And also, it's already a pork product, right? Ham goes well with apples.

Guess what! They stayed pork chops. Weird, right?

I didn't feel like my chutney really 'thickened' but it got to the point I was worried that there wouldn't be any juice left if I didn't say enough was enough.

I would make this again for sure, I liked the ginger in there but I might add a little less next time and maybe try to puree the chutney. Can I call it a 'chutney' if I puree it? Tyler isn't a fan of cooked fruit with meat, but he really liked the sauce. Or I guess I could just double the sauce ingredients and not give him any 'chunks' on his plate. Or I could just tell him to eat it and quit being such a baby. And maybe I could stop rambling.

If you'd like to try this week's recipe, you can get it at Michelle's blog (or you can buy the book). She was our lovely hostess for the week and chose the recipe. Thanks for the great pick Michelle!

Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with Candied Walnuts (and how I lost my mind)

2013-03-22T12:57:00.002-06:00

When I was about 5 or so, my mom made me eat a beet. I had the kind of parents who made you clean your plate and we were having beets that night. I am pretty sure they were the canned variety and I sat there with a beet in my mouth, refusing to swallow it, for at least a half an hour. I thought they were so disgusting, I couldn't imagine letting it go down the hatch. If I would have been thinking less like a 5 year old, maybe I would've just hurried and swallowed it and not savored the horrible taste for quite as long. Instead, I turned it into a traumatic moment and have steered clear of beets, in any form, since that day.

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TWD: Mocha(less) Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2013-03-19T16:43:00.001-06:00

This week's TWD was fine by me. I love chocolate chip cookies. But I was a little confused when I looked at the P&Q page and saw that people were talking about apricots.?? I thought maybe I had no idea what we were really making this week. But guess what! There were apricots listing in the recipe ingredients. With the word (optional) next to it. Phew! I am not sure I'm cool enough to ruin my cookies with apricots at this point. (Maybe one day I will look back and laugh at this comment. I mean, I did eat a beet the other day and I've held out on those since I was about 5. It wasn't so bad. One day I might morph into a chocolate-chunk-and-apricot-cookie eating fool. Never say never.) I also left out the mocha since we aren't coffee drinkers. I didn't want to seem like a loser though so I threw some walnuts into a few of the cookies.

I used semi-sweet chocolate and instead of buying chunks I cut my own. About at this point (below) I was wondering why I didn't just buy those perfect chunks at the store. Nothing perfect about this mess. And the recipe said something about white chocolate so I threw some white chocolate chips in too.

I guess the overnight chill is supposed to develop flavors and stiffen the dough. Well, I skipped it. The recipe didn't specify to soften the butter, so I used mine cold and by the time I got the dough formed, it didn't seem to need fridge time to me. And let's face it, if a cookie recipe HAS to be put in the fridge overnight, I will find another recipe. I can't trust myself to have that kind of forethought.

To slightly make up for skipping the chill, after I scooped (I used my 1 oz scoop) the dough onto the cookie sheet, I put the second pan in the freezer for 15 minutes while the first pan baked.

The first, non cold batch seemed to do just fine. They were a little less cripsy around the edges when they came out of the oven. I think the colder ones get browner edges while waiting for the cold center to bake.

Either way, no complaints here! We all loved them! I made some for Tyler with just white chocolate chips and he said he wanted about a hundred of them. The rest of us all loved the chocolate chunks.

Next time I would probably skip the chill again and leave the cookies on the cookie sheet for a minute to cool before removing them to a rack. They wanted to fall apart a bit right out of the oven but after a minute or so, it was easy.

This was a great recipe and you can never have too many great cookie recipes! (In my opinion, anyway) You can buy the book, or get the recipe at our host blog for the week: Galettista

If you'd like to see what the other TWD bakers did you can go HERE.

Bowtie Pasta with Chicken, Asparagus, and Lemon

2013-03-13T00:36:00.000-06:00

Let me start by saying that I feel much more competent when it comes to baking than cooking. I am so glad we are doing dinners this year so I can get out of my comfort zone a little bit and cook some new things and maybe become a little bit better than before.

This recipe actually called for penne pasta but I figured it didn't matter all the much. Hadlee wanted bowtie, and I think when my kids have some kind of say in dinner, they are more likely to eat it. I am not sure if it's because I let her choose the shape of the pasta or not, but my kids seemed to like this quite a bit. I love all the components of this dish, especially the asparagus. It's something we don't have all that often, but when we do, it makes me happy. The fresh herbs and lemon make this really feel light, fresh, and delicious. The best news? According to the book a 1 2/3 cup serving is 380 calories. I'm sure that changes slightly depending on what pasta and other ingredient you use, but still, that's pretty good for a pasta dish.

I used chicken tenderloins, cooked them whole and sliced them after the first sear the recipe calls for. (I have a thing about cutting raw meat/chicken and try to avoid it when I can.) I also wondered if it would have been easier to keep the asparagus whole (after trimming the ends) until after it was cooked. It wasn't super easy to fish the 1 inch pieces out of my stock pot after boiling them. My sauce wasn't as thick as I thought it would be after the 15 minutes of simmering so I tossed the chicken with about another T of flour before adding it back to the sauce. It seemed to do the trick.

I have never used leeks before. (gasp) Well, not that I can remember anyway, and I really liked them. I am going to start using those things all over the place. I also didn't expect myself to really like the thyme flavor but I did. (I don't think I used the whole 2 tsp though, maybe 1 or 1 1/2 because I was scared.)

I felt like it was a bit too lemony but I tend to be that way when it comes to lemon. Hadlee added more lemon to hers, so there ya go. Next time, I might reduce the lemon a bit (and just let Hadlee add to hers) and either reduce the amount of pasta or double the amount of chicken and asparagus. We are trying to be a little better about what we eat lately and even though the pasta was whole grain, I felt like the ratio was a bit off; there was a lot of pasta compared to protein and veggies. All in all, this was a win for us and something we would make again, and soon!

If you'd like to try the recipe, you can get it at Valerie's blog (or you can buy the book). She was our hostess for the week and picked a great recipe.

Cinnamon Raisin Bagels

2013-03-12T07:00:00.000-06:00

We've made these a few times now (like 4 or 5) but I am just getting around to sharing the recipe. If I could remember and plan ahead everyday, we would have them everyday. My kids LOVE, LOVE them. They have almost replaced their favorite breakfast food and they might be my favorite breakfast food. I love bagels. And these bagels are so good it's ridiculous. My favorite bagel recipe so far, by far.

I adapted the recipe to use active dry yeast because that's what I always have on hand (I buy Red Star active dry yeast in bulk) and that's what I want my recipe to call for. I don't want to have to buy different kinds of yeast.

If you like cinnamon raisin bagels, these need to go on your to-make list. They take some planning and a little bit of time, but they are so, so worth it!

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TWD: Croissants

2013-03-05T01:25:00.004-07:00

I realized the other day that I have been a member of TWD for over a year now. I've been baking with the group since it started it's second run last February! And while I haven't missed a week of baking, I've yet to host. I've been feeling a bit guilty about it, really. It's all part of being in the group, right? When they ask for volunteers to host, eligible bakers should volunteer. I hadn't done that yet and I told myself that the next recipe I saw that I was excited about, I would stop being a pansy and say I would do it. So here I am. I realized when I went to make these that I maybe should have read through the recipe (or recipes) before blindly saying I would host. I mean, could I have picked a longer recipe to type up? It's really doubtful. I wasn't super worried about making croissants since I had done it before but now that my arms have gotten a workout with all the rolling, my fingers will now get their workout with some serious typing.

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Table Talk: Homemade Turkey Breakfast Sausage

2013-02-27T10:36:00.000-07:00

Uh, is that breakfast sausage or a steaming pile of......?

Isn't it supposed to be in link form?

Can you even call it breakfast sausage at this point?

All good questions.

To which I will say:

1) It's supposed to be breakfast sausage but I can see where you'd be confused,

2) Yes

and

3) I have no idea.

I am not sure where I went wrong with the link situation but I have a few ideas. I bought the tube of frozen ground turkey (What? It was cheaper, so kill me!) and it seemed to have quite a bit of liquid in it. Maybe I should have drained it first or something? When you buy it from the meat counter, there's usually a pad at the bottom that soaks up all the extra juice and maybe that's a necessity here? I also used dried buttermilk powder and water as a sub for the buttermilk.

When it was time to form the links, it seemed way to wet so I added some dried bread crumbs. It was barely firm enough to form but I was afraid of adding too much bread and just turning them into fried breadsticks with some meat. Even though I barely got them formed into links, I kept going, thinking that maybe once I started cooking them, they would magically hold together. Not so much. They held together well enough until I flipped them. I was ever-so-careful and the first flip was okay but it seemed the more I cooked them, the less they held together. I finally gave up and just made a steaming pile of sausage. Yes, that's the official name I am going with.

For my family's sake I tried to pretend I meant to make some kind of breakfast hash with it. :)

It's supposed to look like that, see? (I'm not sure they believed me either. Maybe it was because I was laughing maniacally while I was smashing it up.)

I really liked the flavor of the sausage which surprised me, I was afraid I wouldn't like the spices involved but I did. I want to try again, but next time, I think I will try the ground turkey from the meat counter and some real buttermilk and hope it goes more smoothly.

Don't let my idiocy deter you from trying the recipe, you might be a sausage-making-whiz! You can get it at Talesha's blog. She was our host for the week. Even though this wasn't a shining moment for me in the kitchen, I liked trying a new recipe and of course I learned some new things. Like with all of my failures. :)

TWD: Boca Negra (Chocolate Cake)

2013-02-19T17:16:00.001-07:00

Apparently Boca Negra means "black mouth." Um, that doesn't really sound appetizing. But then if you read on, you find out you aren't really eating mouth, but that the cake is so chocolatey, it will turn your mouth black. And believe me, I can work with that.

Is anyone surprised I halved this recipe? I did. And then I decided I would bake it in ramekins and make 4 small cakes. It worked well. Which was surprising since I didn't use the bourbon, I used water with some caramel flavoring. I made the white chocolate cream (also subbed water with caramel flavoring for the bourbon) but it wasn't set up enough to take the picture, so ice cream stepped up to the plate. And I'm not sold on the cream but it was pretty delicious with ice cream.

I don't really know what this cake is supposed to be like. Since I changed the recipe, I'm not sure it turned out how it should, but it was delicious still. It was gooey and delicious in the middle and super chocolatey. It was almost more brownie-like than cake-like. I think this recipe would be super easy to make gluten free since the full recipe only has 1.5 T of flour.

I used the food processor method so it came together so quickly and easily it was almost ridiculous. Next time you are in the mood for something with chocolate, you should give it a try. You can get the recipe at A Frederick Food Garden (our host for the week).

And if you'd like to see what the other TWD bakers did this week, you can go HERE.

Table Talk: Pan Seared Shrimp Tartines

2013-02-13T12:37:00.000-07:00

I am usually not this fancy. I mean, what in the world is a tartine? Well, it's a long story. Actually it's really not a long story but I will tell you one anyway. I went to this restaurant in Beverly Hills last month. No, this is not something I normally do so I was excited when I learned something new and saw Tracey Ulman. The something new I learned is that a fancy, French, opened-faced sandwich is called a tartine. And I knew I was filing that little tidbit away for later.

Fast-forward to our cooking group this week when I was trying to decide how I wanted to serve our pan seared shrimp with lemon and garlic and it just seemed like the two went together. Shrimp is pretty fancy. And tartines are supposed to be fancy. So, there ya go. I almost blew my own mind and made this aioli (which I have never made before) but then I decided the juices from the shrimp would be enough that the tartines wouldn't be too dry.

I made this french bread recipe and toasted one side of the bread with the broiler. If I were toasting the bread again, I might make the aioli because there weren't as many juices as I was expecting but I think it would be perfect with just un-toasted bread and the juices from the shrimp. I diced some tomatoes and slices some avocados and it was finished. I used cilantro instead of parsley because I had it on hand. And I would do it all over again in a heart beat.

This shrimp recipe is super fast and super delicious. With the fresh sliced garlic and fresh lemon, how can you really go wrong? We also had this a couple weeks ago and just made a salad with the shrimp, lettuce, avocado and tomato, and that was also delicious. If you want to try the recipe you can get it HERE. Janet was our host for the week and chose the recipe. {Thanks for picking a fast and delicious recipe this week, Janet!}

TWD: Focaccia

2013-02-05T15:50:00.001-07:00

I've been wanting to make focaccia for a while now. My mother-in-law sent me a recipe (forever ago) and I have been meaning to make it; I just haven't gotten around to it. So of course I was excited to see that's that we were making for TWD this week. I do wish I had noticed earlier than 11:00 pm yesterday that this dough needed a 24 hour rest in the refrigerator. Oops. Needless to say, it didn't get that. I didn't even refrigerate it. I just let it raise and extra time, and then followed the directions in the book as though I did exactly what I was supposed to.

We all really loved this. I think my kids are going to eat all of it by themselves. It was a tad too salty for me with the salt in the dough and then the coarse salt on top. But that's an easy fix for next time. I halved the recipe and just baked one focaccia and topped it with chopped chives and salt.

It would be fun to try all different variations of this. The book suggests using it to make a sandwich and I think it would be delicious used that way. Hadlee dunked hers in balsamic vinegar, I guess it reminded her of french bread. :)

I'm not sure what I was missing by not refrigerating the dough for 24 hours and I am not sure it's worth finding out. I can't see myself thinking that far ahead for this kind of thing but maybe one of these days I will surprise myself and have it all together.

If you'd like the recipe, you can get it at the blog of our host for the week: Wandering Through.

If you'd like to see what the other TWD bakers did this week, (and you should, there are some mouth watering combinations out there) you can go HERE.

Table Talk: Stir-Fried Beef and Broccoli

2013-01-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

I am in love with stir frying lately. What's not to love? Usually stir fry is quick, easy and healthy. So, of course, when I was looking for recipes for the week, this one caught my eye. Who doesn't love some good broccoli-beef?

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TWD: French Apple Tart

2013-01-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

I wish I could tell you how this tastes, but I have no idea. We are really trying to watch our calories around here so we dropped this off to some friends. I hate that you can't taste this kind of thing before you give it to someone. I did try all the components by themselves when I was making it and they were all pretty good. I imagine this would be delicious with a scoop of ice cream and maybe some caramel sauce.....I just decided that I shouldn't have given it away..... :)

I just used the pie crust recipe that I normally use. I was ready to use the recipe in the book, but I didn't have pastry flour, so I just stuck with what I knew.

It wasn't super hard. Maybe a little harder than a regular apple pie but it looks so pretty. If you'd like to try the recipe you can get it at Law's of the Kitchen, our host blog for the week.

And if you'd liked to see how the other TWD bakers fared this week, you can go HERE.

Pico Sliders

2013-01-14T19:17:00.002-07:00

I don't know about you, but when I am trying to eat healthier, I am sometimes have to trick myself. Like eating 2 sliders makes me think I am eating more than 1 hamburger. I know, I am an idiot. At least the part of me that believes it's different is an idiot anyway. I guess if it results in eating cute food like this, then idiot it is. I don't care. These are pretty healthy. We used 95% lean beef, reduced fat provolone cheese and the pico de gallo with avocado. Not to mention the quick wheat slider buns. They taste delicious and make you feel good about eating a burger. And Tyler was happy because he is always complaining that we don't eat enough red meat. :)

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