Having my cake and eating it too

Fourth of July Worthy Dessert Pizza

2012-07-01T14:49:00.003-04:00

There are a lot of patriotic themed desserts out there for you to bring to your BBQ. I have a simple solution that will be a show stopper as well. It is dessert pizza.
I love dessert pizza because it is easy and you can use whatever fruit you have on hand to make it.

Here is how to make your fourth of July themed dessert pizza.

The first thing you need to do is make a batch of your favorite sugar cookies or to save some time just use a sugar cookie mix. The sugar cookies mixes are one of those things that I have found turn out just as well as sugar cookies that were made from scratch.

Once the sugar cookie mixture is all mixed up; roll out the mixture out flat on a baking sheet or a pizza stone (if you want to continue the pizza theme). While the cookie is baking, take a 8oz. container of cream cheese and allow it to soften. If you want a lower calorie option just use the 1/3 less fat cream cheese-there does not seem to be a huge flavor difference.

Once the cookie has cooled and the cream cheese has softened, mix 1/3 of a cup of sugar into the cream cheese. Mix with an electric mixer until the cream cheese is completely mixed and slightly fluffy. Spread the cream cheese mixture across the cookie.

Now comes the fun part-decorating the pizza. To keep a patriotic theme, I would use blueberries, strawberries and raspberries. I placed the berries in a circular pattern but you could easily create the American flag with fruit-using the blueberries as the stars and either strawberries or raspberries as the red stripes.

Take this fun dessert pizza to the picnic to have after the hamburger and hotdogs this July 4th. This dessert is easy to make and will allow you to enjoy some sunshine and other festivities. Enjoy!

Lucy Lemon Squares

2012-05-09T08:37:00.001-04:00

If you want a perfect dessert for summer- lemon squares are the way to go. I love anything in a bar-who doesn't love desserts on the run. These bars are great to have around the house or they are awesome for something to bring to BBQ. Everyone will love them but they stand out from the brownies and chocolate chip cookies that everyone has had at a picnic before.
My family calls the lemon squares Lucy Lemon Squares because we used to have a Peanuts cookbook and the lemon squares were named after the Lucy character. My father loves lemon and I used to make the squares for him all of the time.
These bars just remind me of summer. If you like lemon-you will love these sweet and tart treat.
Here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup butter, melted

4 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
5/8 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon of lemon peel

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together 2 cups flour and confectioners' sugar. Blend in the melted butter. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light. Combine the sugar, baking powder and 1/4 cup of flour so there will be no flour lumps. Stir the sugar mixture into the eggs. Finally, stir in the lemon juice. Pour over the prepared crust and return to the oven.
4. Bake for an additional 30 minutes or until bars are set. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.

Side Notes: I love to top my lemon squares with powdered sugar for a nice touch.

These bars are super easy to make. I hope you enjoy them as much as me!

White Chicken Chili

2012-05-01T11:07:00.001-04:00

During this weird weather time we call Spring where it can be 85 degrees one minute and 32 degrees the next-I find it hard to make something that can works for both. So the other day when it was chilly but the sun was shining bright I decided to make White Chicken Chili. This is a great recipe because it is light but full of rich, hearty flavor. Naturally it is perfect for this crazy weather.

Another reason why this recipe is so nice is that it can be made for the amount of people that you have to feed from two to twenty. It can also have the heat level adjusted to your liking.

Here is the Recipe:

White Chicken Chili (This is enough for 2 to 4 people)

1 1/2 cups of shredded chicken
1 can of white beans (drained and rinsed)
1 onion chopped
4 cloves of garlic chopped
2 cups of chicken broth
1/2 of a beer (I used PBR)
1 can of chopped green chilies
1 tablespoon of hot sauce
1 teaspoon of adobo seasoning
1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium size pot or dutch oven cook the onion and garlic with some oil until the onion is translucent. Then add the green chilies and saute for about two more minutes.

Then add the shredded chicken, beans, and spices. Once you have mixed this mixture together you can add the chicken broth and beer.

Bring the chili to a boil then let the mixture simmer for ten to twenty minutes. The liquid will reduce some. You can use this time to adjust the seasoning to your preferred spice level.

The longer you simmer the chili, the better the flavor. While letting the chili simmer- I made tortilla bowls. To make the bowl just take oven-proof bowls and put place a medium size tortilla shell in the bowl and fold it so it fit in the bowl. Bake the bowls in the oven at 400 degrees for about ten minutes or until the bowl is crisp.

When the chili is done, serve in the tortilla bowls and top with shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

This recipe is so very yummy and very healthy for you. If you do not like spice cut back on the spices and green chilies. And if you want more spice just add another add another can of green chilies. It is just that simple.

Enjoy!

Rocky-Road Bars

2012-04-25T08:31:00.000-04:00

This week the weather was dark ad raining, so instantly I decided to make a nice comfort food. I decided to make Rocky-Road Bars. This recipe is so scrumptious and relatively easy to make.

Here is the recipe:
Rocky Road Bars
1 cup of butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
1 2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup of cocoa powder
3 cups of chocolate chips
1 cup roasted salted whole almonds-chopped
1 cup mini marshmallows

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 9x13-inch pan. Cream the butter with the sugars, baking powder, salt and vanilla. Then beat in the eggs. Lastly stir in the flour, cocoa, the almonds and two cups of chocolate chips.

Pat the dough into the pan and bake for about 15 minutes or until the edges are set and center is still soft. Then add additional chips and the marshmallows to the top of the bars.

The recipe says to place back in the oven for three minutes to soften the marshmallows but I feel that it needs more like six minutes.

Side Notes: I would not go out and buy special mini marshmallows for this recipe. I used some leftover snowman marshmallows from this winter, just use what you have.

This recipe is a total crowd pleaser- I mean how could it not be! I mean I could not even get a picture of the bars before someone had to take some. Try these soon!

Black and Bleu Potato Salad

2012-04-10T09:10:00.000-04:00

Now that it is starting to get warm outside and the sun is out my longer I feel like making summer-time food. Which for me that is picnic and barbecue food.
So this past weekend I thought it would be good to make some potato salad. Now I am not the biggest fan of potato salad but my fiance is. Well let's be honest here, he is obsessed with anything from that realm from coleslaw to pasta salad to potato salad. He may just be obsessed with mayo.
But back to the potato salad. I feel like potato salad is one of those things that an exact recipe does not work. I mean everyone has their own idea of what is needed to go in to make the perfect salad but they vary so drastically and people seem to be very opinionated on the matter. Since I am not the biggest fan of potato salad I decided to mess with the original and make a Black & Bleu Potato Salad with bleu cheese and bacon. Go big or go home, right?

This recipe did not have exact measurements-I played it by pretty fast and loose.

Here is the general idea of what I did to make my salad-I started by I cubing up some Yukon gold potatoes (what I had leftover from St. Patrick's Day-lets say half of a bag) and boiled them until they were super soft. I chose to not peal them because I enjoy the taste and the look of the potato skins. You can peal them if that is what you prefer.

Once I had boiled my potatoes, I let them cool off in the sink while running cold water over them.

Once the potatoes had cooled, I added 3 to 4 large "glops" of Miracle Whip. Now I know the debate between mayo or miracle whip is very controversial-use what you like best. After all you will be the one eating it!

Then I added about a 1/2 cup of horseradish sauce, 1/2 cup of bleu cheese, and 1/2 cup of crumbled, crispy bacon.

Side Note: I cooked my bacon in the oven. This is a just an easy, mess free way to crisp up your bacon. I mean even Rachel Ray does this.

This recipe can easily be tweaked to just how you like your potato salad-that is the beauty of it.

I served my potato salad with London Broil because I love steak. So enjoy your potato salad and the warm weather. Keep an eye out for future summer-time recipes.

Happy Saturday with Almond Cheese Danishes

2012-03-24T15:14:00.000-04:00

Saying "Good Morning" can be a challenge sometimes. But when this cheese danish on your plate it will be a whole lot easier. This idea came about because I was going through cupboards and realized that had some leftover puff pastry and a can of almond paste. So I thought why not put them both to good use?

I kind of came up with this recipe on my own out of basic baking knowledge but I real think you could really play with this recipe to make what you would like. I choose almond because it it truly my favorite.

Here is the recipe:

Almond Cheese Danishes

1/2 can of almond paste

1 sheet of puff pastry

1 8 oz Cheese Cheese softened (or I use the 1/3 less fat stuff)

1 egg

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/3 cup of sugar

1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest

Take the sheet of puff pastry and cut into nine squares. The whip together the cream cheese, egg, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest. You can place a thin layer of almond paste on each of the squares of puff pastry and then spoon the cream cheese mixture over the almond paste. Once you have done this and fold two corners over lapping the cream cheese mixture. Then bake the danishes in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

This is what the danishes will look before you but then in the oven.

These danishes can really be made with anything. The almond paste can easily be replaced by lemon curd or raspberry jam or anything that floats your boat. You could also make a quick icing with some milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar to add something extra to these danishes and then sprinkle with slivered almonds. The wonderful thing about a danish is that there are so many possibilities.

This is what the danishes look like when they come out of the oven. These danishes are very delicious and helped to coax my fiance out of bed this morning. I would suggest making these for a special breakfast, a brunch or even as something quick to grab on the way out of the door to work. I hope you enjoy this recipe and let me know how your danishes worked out.

From Hangovers to Leftovers: Dealing with what St. Patty's leaves behind (Part Two)

2012-03-21T09:32:00.000-04:00

Now that it has been a few days since St. Patrick's day and for your sake I hope everyone is feeling back to normal. But you may still have some leftovers from the festivities. I have a ton of leftover Irish Soda Bread even though I have been grabbing a piece every time I go by the bag.

I decided since the bread is starting to get dry, the best solution is to whip up some bread pudding. I came up with this recipe on my own-it just spoke to me. The soda bread is perfect for bread pudding. It is a sturdy and will hold its shape in the custard but it has some nice flavor profiles that will shine through.

So here is my recipe for My Irish Soda Bread Pudding:

1/2 of a loaf of few day old Irish Soda Bread (cubed)- Here is the Irish Soda Bread Recipe I used
2 cups of buttermilk (which used up the leftover buttermilk from making the bread in the first place- this can easily be replaced with milk or cream)
3 eggs
3/4 cup of sugar
3 tablespoons of melted butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
a few dashes of nutmeg

Set the oven at 350 degrees. Place the cubed bread in a greased 8x8 baking dish. Whisk the remaining ingredients together and then pour evening over the bread. Then bake for 45 to 55 minutes; until the custard has settled and the top is golden brown.

I decided to top the bread pudding with a little hair of the dog and added a rum glaze. To make the glaze melt 3 tablespoons of butter, a generous splash of spiced rum and about a cup of powdered sugar. Then apply glaze while the pudding is still warm.

This was a simple recipe and a wonderful way to use up left over Irish Soda Bread. I think this recipe is perfect as dessert or brunch. Hope you enjoy this recipe.

From Hangovers to Leftovers: Dealing with what St. Patty's leaves behind (Part One)

2012-03-20T09:12:00.000-04:00

Whether it is a pesky hangover and/or tons of leftover potatoes, corn beef and Irish soda bread. I will help by dealing with the leftovers may help nurse you back to health from your hangover.

Here is a recipe for Corn Beef Hash to have with eggs to drive your headache away and use up your abundance of potatoes and corn beef.

INGREDIENTS

2-3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2-3 cups finely chopped, cooked corned beef
2-3 cups chopped cooked potatoes, preferably Yukon gold
Salt and pepper
Chopped fresh parsley

METHOD

1 Heat butter in a large skillet (preferably cast iron) on medium heat. Add the onion and cook a few minutes, until translucent.

2 Mix in the chopped corned beef and potatoes. Spread out evenly over the pan. Increase the heat to high or medium high and press down on the mixture with a metal spatula.

3 Do not stir the potatoes and corned beef, but let them brown. If you hear them sizzling, this is good. Use a metal spatula to peak underneath and see if they are browning. If nicely browned, use the spatula to flip sections over in the pan so that they brown on the other side. Press down again with the spatula. If there is too much sticking, you can add a little more butter to the pan. Continue to cook in this manner until the potatoes and the corned beef are nicely browned.

4 Remove from heat, stir in chopped parsley. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper, and add salt to taste.

Serve with fried or poached eggs for breakfast.

Yield: Serves 4-6.

Side Notes: This seemed to go over very well with my fiance. I used the leftover roasted potatoes with my corn beef. I did cut back on the salt and pepper as my roasted potatoes were well seasoned. This is also a good recipe for any big breakfast.

I hope your hangovers are better and you have fewer leftover.

To follow soon: Part 2- Irish Soda Bread Pudding

I'll drink to that! My first Irish feast.

2012-03-19T09:06:00.000-04:00

I have always loved to participate in St. Patty's day festivities but the traditional food have never been on the menu. It has always been much more a liquid-based holiday f0r me. But as per the request from my Irish-blooded fiance I was willing to give it all a shot.

My family never cooked corn beef and cabbage. I actually have never had it before-I know, crazy! I mean I was not even sure what corn beef was-thank you google for clearing things up. So since this was going to be my first time making this traditional dish, I decided to take a side step away from the norm and do it Anna's way.

I started by cooked my corn beef in a crock pot. First I rubbed the corn beef in brown sugar and the spice packet that came with the beef on all sides and then poured in a beer (after all it is St. Patrick's Day). The recipe I saw called for Guinness, which would be good but I was not going out of my way to buy a Guinness, so I used a Narraganset. Now just let this cook for 5-6 hours on high or 10-12 on low and when it pulls apart it is ready to go.

Potatoes are traditional Irish fare but boiled is not my style. I roasted my yukon gold potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper and adobo seasoning. Then Iput them in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes and I flipped the potatoes. Then baked the potatoes for another 15 to 20 minutes until brown and crispy.

And of course I needed to bake some Irish soda bread to finish off this feast. I used Ina Garter's recipe from Food Network. For some reason I feel like I have heard that soda bread is hard to make. This could not be farther from the truth-it is a quick bread (super simple.)

Here is Ina's recipe:

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for currants
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk, shaken
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 cup dried currants

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is mixed into the flour.

With a fork, lightly beat the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest together in a measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Combine the currants with 1 tablespoon of flour and mix into the dough. It will be very wet.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf. Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan and lightly cut an X into the top of the bread with a serrated knife. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound.

Cool on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Side Notes: I swapped the currants for dried cranberries-I just think that the cranberries go wonderfully with the orange zest. I also did not have any parchment paper in the house, so I sprayed the baking sheet and covered with corn meal. This seemed to work very well and I enjoyed the corn meal on the bottom of the bread.

This feast went over very well with my red head who was craving a St. Patty's feast. I hope your St. Patrick's Day was wonderful!

Got old brown bananas? Anna Banana to the rescue!

2012-03-07T08:05:00.003-05:00

Everyone has been plagued with a plethora of bananas that have started to get brown age spots like your grandma. You buy a bunch of bananas at the store with the good intention of throwing one in your purse each day for a health snack. Either this simply just does not happen or you find a brown hot mess in the bottom of your purse a week later. So the real question is how do we fix this situation.

The most obvious solution is banana bread. I love banana bread-it is easy to make and it is a crowd pleaser. Here is my recipe:

Banana Bread

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed

1/3 cup melted butter

1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1cup chopped walnuts

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour and walnuts last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Side Notes: These could easily be made into muffins. I actually made mine in a bunt cake pan.

So yes banana bread is great but can get a bit mundane if you are making it every time your bananas get old. So I thought of a few ways to spice up.
The first is Banana Bread French Toast.
To make this treat- mix a few eggs and milk with about a tsp. of vanilla and a few dashes of cinnamon. Slice the bread to your desired thickness and dunk the slices in the egg mixture. Then cook in a frying pan as you would any french toast. This is a great way to shake up a breakfast favorite.

Another banana bread option is to make a bread pudding. Here is my Banana Bread Pudding recipe:

1 loaf of banana bread (cubed)

2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Break bread into small pieces into an 8 inch square baking pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture.
Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped.

So now there is no reason to throw away your old brown bananas. And if you do have time make these delicious recipes, you can always freeze the bananas for a later date. Let me know what you think and enjoy.

Drunkin' Beef Stew: Spicing up a classic with red wine

2012-02-28T11:36:00.000-05:00

People think soups, stews and chowders are very impressive feats but I love making them and taking credit when others are impressed. But to be perfectly honest they are really quite simple-for the most part you just throw a bunch of stuff in a pot and let it all do its thing. This winter my soon to be sister-in-law served us Beef stew with red wine-it was delish and was just so lovely on a cold night.

Here is the recipe:

1 1/4 beef check in 2-in cubes

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon oil

3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-in pieces

8 ounces frozen pearl onions (thawed)

2 garlic gloves chopped

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups red wine

1 cup beef stock

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 sprig rosemary

Start by seasoning the beef with salt and pepper, Turn the heat on a dutch oven on high.

Then brown beef on all sides 3-5 mins; reduce heat to med-high, Then add carrots, onions

and garlic, Cook for about 2 mins; stir in flour and cook 1 min; add wine and stock,

Then add tomato paste and rosemary and bring to a boil. Cover, place in 350 oven and braise

for 1.5 hours or until meat in knife tender and sauce thickens.

Side Notes: The red wine that you use should be dry (sweet would not be great).

Wish List: I cooked my stew in a plain old pot. So I would like to add a dutch oven to my wish list. A beautiful one that is enamel and in a funky bright color- perhaps lime green or orange.

Once this stew is all cooked, I would serve it with mashed potatoes. Enjoy this comfort food on a nice cold night and let me know what you think.

And thank you Heidi for this recipe!

Twice Baked Potatoes

2012-02-21T12:00:00.000-05:00

I love potatoes...personally I do not know how anyone could not. There are so many to prepare potatoes but one of my favorite ways is to make Twice Baked. I was introduced to this lovely potato variation from my best friend Shawna's mom. She makes amazing potatoes. The wonder of the twice baked potato is that it combines two potato classics: mashed and baked.

To make twice baked potatoes you need to bake four potatoes as you normally would for plain baked potatoes. You want the potato to be fully cooked, so the potato insides are easy to mash and work with. Once the potatoes are baked you need to cut the potatoes in half the long way. I do this while they are still hot, so if you hold the potato with an ovenmit and cut with the other hand this works well. After they are cut in half, spoon out the filling.
In a bowl combine the potato with sour cream, milk, salt, pepper and 1 1/2 cups of your desired shredded cheese. I am always a fan of extra sharp cheddar cheese. Use the same amount of these ingredients as you would to get your desired mashed potato consistency-if you like lumpy have it be lumpy or if yo like creamy and smooth make it smooth (your choice.)
These ingredients are the basics, you can add anything you want to spice up the from garlic to spinach (whatever floats your boat.) I like theses potatoes with steak, so I like to spice my potatoes up with horseradish sauce. Once you have mixed everything up, spoon the filling back into the potato skins. Lastly top your potatoes with shredded cheese. Place potatoes back in the oven at 350 and bake until the filling is hot and the cheese is lightly browned.
These are a crowd pleaser so enjoy!

My Valentine's Day Present

2012-02-18T14:19:00.000-05:00

I have so many things on my kitchen wishlist....some more practical than others. This Valentine's Day my fabulous fiance checked off one of the things on my list. I wanted these every since I saw Sandra Lee using them in one of her cocktails. For this Valentine's Day I got Ice Balls.

These are balls used to make solid ice balls. They are perfect for cocktails because they melt slower do to their surface size. You can also put fruit or juice or really anything you wanted. I am so excited to use it for my next speicalty cocktail. Thanks Kammy!

Chocolate Chip-Coffee Muffins

2012-02-01T11:15:00.000-05:00

I love love love muffins! But lets be honest, they are really just cupcakes that we have allowed ourselves eat for breakfast. Here is a wonderful recipe that I found in Cooking Light that any muffin lover will enjoy.

Ingredients

2/3 cup whole milk
5 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons instant coffee granules
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine first 5 ingredients.
3. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Make a well in center of flour mixture. Add milk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist.
4. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 18 minutes or until done. Remove muffins from pan immediately; place on a wire rack.
Side Notes: In this recipe I used skim milk instead of whole milk. If any of you out there are Weight Watcherers' this recipe is 6 points which is pretty good in the muffin realm. Once when I made this recipe with chocolate covered espresso beans that I ground up; it was a nice twist.
This muffin work well for a weekday quick breakfast or if you are having people over for a brunch. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

Blackened Tilaplia with Garlic & Lime Butter

2012-01-31T11:32:00.000-05:00

So I get recipes from all over the place but this one is from my fiance from his Men's Health. It is Blackened Tilapia with Garlic & Lime Butter. I love tilapia and we keep a huge bag of individually frozen pieces, so it makes it very easy for us to pull out what we need. This recipe is pretty simple and full of flavor. Here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

2 tbls. butter, softened at room temp.
2 tbls. chopped fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tsp. lime zest, plus juice of 1 lime
1 tbls. canola oil (I use grapeseed oil)
4 tilapia fillets (6 oz. each)
1 tbls. Blackening Spice

DIRECTIONS

Combine the butter, cilantro, garlic, lime zest, and lime juice in a small mixing bowl and stir to thoroughly blend. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet or saute pan over high heat. Rub the tilapia all over with the blackening spice. When the oil in the pan lightly smokes, add the fish and cook, undisturbed, for 3-4 minutes on the first side, until the spice rub becomes dark and crusty. Flip and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, until the fillets flake with gentle pressure from your finger.

Transfer the fish to 4 serving plates and immediately top each with a bit of the flavored butter.

Side Notes: When making the butter, I found it hard to completely mix in all of the lime juice. It is just not in the nature of butter to peacefully mix with lime juice. I just spooned the entire mixture (excess juice and all) onto the fish and it came out wonderfully. Personally I believe the mixture minus the butter would be just as good but you have to love butter!
Also Blackening spice is not something that is readily available and Men's Health did not include what goes into it; so here is a recipe for Blackening Spice:
2 tbls. paprika (smoked or sweet)
1 tbls. salt
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. cayenne
1 1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme or oregano leaves

This recipe can be tweaked to your own liking.

Also as this is a Men's Health recipe and is good for you I have included the nutritional facts:

4 Servings
Calories: 300
Carbs: 5.4g
Protein: 32g
Fat: 14g (6 Sat)
Sodium: 510mg

I hope you enjoy this recipe. It is not time intensive at all and can be made in about 15 minutes. I also suggest washing this down with a nice margarita!

Grapefruit Pound Cake

2012-01-17T09:18:00.001-05:00

During the winter there is a ton of really good citrus available. I love citrus and having some when it it freezing out is like being transported to summer. So the other day I was flipping through a Cooking Light and saw a recipe for Grapefruit Pound Cake and I had to try it. Plus my fiance was very insistent that I made it right away.

Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon baking powder
5/8 teaspoon salt, divided
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
6 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
2 large eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons grated grapefruit rind
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1/2 cup fresh grapefruit juice
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325°.

2. Coat a 10-inch tube pan with baking spray. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring well. Place granulated sugar, butter, and cream cheese in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time. Beat in oil, rind, and vanilla.

3. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to batter, beginning and ending with flour. Spoon batter into pan; bake at 325° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Invert cake. Cool on rack.

4. Place juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 3 tablespoons (about 4 minutes). Cool slightly. Stir in powdered sugar and remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt. Drizzle over cake.

Side Notes: Two tablespoons is a lot of grape fruits rind. I zested two large grapefruits and got about 1 tablespoon; so I added about a tablespoon of grapefruit juice in enhance the grapefruit flavor (because I was tried of zesting.) Also I used apple sauce in place of the oil and skim milk over the 2%. I made the Cooking Light recipe even lighter. These changes did not seem to change the cake but I found that it was done in a hour not a hour and 10 minutes. I am not sure if the changes I made were the cause of this or it just was how it worked out for me. Also I added a tablespoon of butter to the glaze to finish it off.

Wish List: As I was tirelessly trying to get 2 tablespoons of grapefruits zest on my four-sided grater, I decided I needed to make a wish list of culinary tools that I need in my life. The first item on this list is a microplane! This tool would make my zesting so much easier.

Hope you enjoy your cake!

Mexican Chocolate Pudding

2012-01-16T09:34:00.000-05:00

Cooking and baking lift my mood and give me peace. Baking my my yoga. My time in the kitchen makes me happy but when I really need something to make me feel better...I turn to pudding. When I am upset whipping-up a batch of chocolate pudding just changes my whole mind set. Personally I think the constant whisking is what helps me work out any Oscar the Grouch like feelings and of the course the added bonus of being able to eat a warm bowl of delicious chocolate pudding helps.
Now besides pudding helping to transform me from a villain to a Disney princess; homemade pudding tastes a thousand times better than box or store bought. There is no comparison-those who disagree are big fat liars and do deserve homemade pudding. Also it is a great way to use up some extra milk. These are great reasons
why to make pudding but I really hope that the fact that I said chocolate pudding is reason enough to be interested.
This last week I made some chocolate pudding more to have chocolate and use up milk than lift my mood. I put a little twist on my chocolate pudding and made it a Mexican Chocolate Pudding to spice it up.

Here is the recipe:
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 cups milk
1 egg beaten
4 oz semisweet chocolate (chopped)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
a dash of chili powder
1 tablespoon of butter

Whisk together sugar, cocoa powder, and corn starch in a sauce pan. Turn on to medium heat and slowly whisk in the milk, then add the chopped chocolate. Whisk this mixture almost constantly to prevent sticking. Let the pudding come to a boil and cook for two more minutes while whisking constantly. Remove from heat and take about one cup of the pudding to temper into the egg. Return egg mixture to the pudding and return to medium heat. Once the pudding bubbles again, let the mixture cook for two more minutes while stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and add vanilla, cinnamon, chili powder, and the butter.
Let the mixture cool. If you do not the pudding skin, place saran wrap on the top of the pudding.

Side Note: I use skim milk as I do in almost all of my recipes and so the fat content is very low in this pudding. And if you wanted to you could even leave out the sugar, as the semisweet chocolate is sweet.

Enjoy your pudding.

Goal: To have it all! Crock-pot to the rescue!

2012-01-07T07:42:00.000-05:00

It was just the other day when my fiance was with me in the grocery store picking out several TV dinners and I was like "epic fail!" I love providing homemade meals-it is what I pride myself in (I obviously was not doing this)! I mean I want to have it all; I want a fulfilling career and to be able to cook delicious food for those that I love. And as a side product rid my freezer of TV dinners! But to be honest I have a million things to do!
Enter in the crock-pot!
I love my crock-pot! If you are a person with things to do, this is totally a worth while investment! I mean you can make so many things from soups to pulled pork to even desserts, plus you can just set it and forget it!
This week I decided that I would use my slow-cooker to make chili;the added factor of it being only 4 degrees out helped push me in the chili direction.
When it comes to my chili, I feel the simpler the better (I mean the whole point of this is to make life easier.) I feel like chefs on TV make chili seem like chili has to be labor and time when it is just throwing flavors you enjoy in a pot! Now that being said, I make my chili with some ingredients that may not be as accessible to everyone as they are to me. I grew-up raising sheep and that is the primary meat my family eats. Getting ground beef as a child was a treat not a staple!
So this is how I make my chili. In a large saute pan I brown up a pound of hot lamb sausage. I use lamb but you can use anything. However I would use some type of sausage. I feel like the sausage does most of the seasoning for you without any of the guess work. I always go hot (personally my favorite is our chorizo lamb sausage) but if hot is not your thing choose whatever flavor you want. Once the sausage is browned, I drain off the fat and add the meat to the crock-pot. Next I saute a medium onion until it is translucent and then add to the pot. With the meat and onions I then add a 28 oz. can of tomato sauce and 28 oz. can of crushed or diced tomatoes (which ever floats your boat), a can of black beans (drained), and a can of dark red kidney beans (drained).
This is the base for my chili and I think it is great as is but sometimes I like to add a few different things-sometimes I add a can of corn. You can add whatever vegetables you like-maybe some bell peppers or some chilies. This last time I added a nice porter to the chili. I added half of the bottle at the beginning of the cooking process and then added the other half, half way through the cooking process. I find that the chili usually needs some salt and pepper and maybe some garlic powder or adobo seasoning. You can add whatever you enjoy (that is the wonder of chili).
So once you have added all of the ingredients, just put the crock-pot on low and you can go to work and come home to have dinner all ready. If you want the chili done faster put the crock-pot on high.
Now if you want something different from the traditional cornbread side to compliment your chili, I suggest Rachel Ray's Sausage, Potato and Cheese waffles.

ingredients

1 link sweet Italian sausage (about 3 ounces), casing discarded
1 baking potato, grated and excess water squeezed out
4 tablespoons butter
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons pepper
2 cups milk
2 large eggs

In a medium skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 5 minutes. Add the potato and butter, lower the heat and simmer until the butter is melted, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool, about 10 minutes.In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir in the milk and eggs until smooth. Stir in the sausage-potato mixture.Using a waffle maker, cook the waffles according to the manufacturer’s directions

Enjoy your chili, let me know about your own versions!

Spiced cupcakes with praline and cream cheese frosting!

2012-01-03T12:01:00.000-05:00

This holiday weekend I was able to spend time ring in the New Year with my future in-laws. For Christmas my niece received a cupcake corer in her stocking and so we decided to make some filled cupcakes for our New Year's Eve party!
We used a spice-cake box mix...which when it comes to cakes there is no huge difference in the quality of the dessert when it is from the box. Mattison and I baked the cupcakes and waited from them to cool.
Once the cupcakes had cooled on a wire rack, we sued her cupcake cored to take the center out of the cupcakes. The corer worked surprisingly well; you did need to help the center out a bit. I thought it may crush the cupcake but it really did not; I would how ever recommend slowly twisting the corer in.

To fill the the cupcake we made a pecan praline.
Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
8 egg yolks
2 cups brown sugar firmly packed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon maple flavoring
2 cups pecans finely chopped

Makes:

About 2 2/3 cups filling.

Instructions:

step 1

In medium saucepan, combine butter, egg yolks, brown sugar and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in maple flavoring and pecans. Transfer to medium bowl; cover surface with plastic wrap to prevent skin from forming. Refrigerate 2 hours or until chilled. Stir before using; chill cupcakes. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Side Note: I cut this recipe in half. Half of this recipe was plenty to fill 24 normal sized cupcakes. If you are doing over-sized cupcakes, I would make the recipe as stated.

Once the praline was chilled, we spooned about a spoonful of the filling into each cupcake and place the cupcake core on top of the praline.

To top the these yummy cupcakes, we made Maple Cream Cheese Frosting. To make the frosting beat one 8 oz. package of softened cream cheese with a teaspoon of milk, maple syrup, and vanilla until the mixture is smooth. Then add four cups of powdered sugar; one cup at a time.

I placed the frosting in a sandwich bag and cup the tip of the corner to frost the cupcakes.

Side Note: I put the frosting on in a circular pattern and it cover the cupcake cap completely.

This was a perfect winter party treat. I would highly suggest filling your cupcakes in the future.

Having my cake and eating it too: One dough: Three totally different cookies!

2011-12-28T11:06:00.000-05:00

Having my cake and eating it too: One dough: Three totally different cookies!: The expression "brothers from another mother" comes to mind when I am making these cookies. I love these cookies because from one dough you...

One dough: Three totally different cookies!

2011-12-28T09:17:00.000-05:00

The expression "brothers from another mother" comes to mind when I am making these cookies. I love these cookies because from one dough you can get three totally different cookies! This is a recipe my mom uses for holiday cookies. I love it and I am going to start making it year round!
Here are the recipes:

TRIO COOKIE DOUGH

¾ cup butter, softened ¾ cup shortening

1-1/2 cups sugar ¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ cup salt 1 egg

1 egg yolk 3 tablespoons milk

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla 4-1/2 cups flour

1. In a large mixing bowl beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combines, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, milk and vanilla. Beat in as much of the flour as you can wit the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour.

2. Divide dough into three equal portions. Use it to make Santa’s whiskers, Chocolate Mint Thumbprints, and Lemon-Almond Tea Cookies

SANTA’S WHISKERS

¾ cup maraschino cherries, drained and finely chopped

1/3 recipe of Trio cookie dough

Few drops of red food coloring (optional)

½ cup coconut

- Pat cherries dry with paper towels. IN a medium mixing bowl combine the cherries, cookie dough and it desired, food coloring. Using a wooden spoon, mix until thoroughly combined.

- Shape dough into a 10-inch long roll. Roll dough in coconut until covered. Wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or until firm.

- Using a sharp knife, cut dough into ¼ inch thick slices. Place slices 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

- Bake in a 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are lightly browned.

- Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool.

- Makes about 36 cookies.

CHOCOLATE MINT THUMBPRINTS

1/3 recipe Trio Cookie Dough

2 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled

2 teaspoons milk

Peppermint Filling

¼ cup chopped candy canes or hard peppermint candies

- Combine cookie dough, chocolate, and 2 tablespoons milk. Mix until thoroughly combined.

- Shape dough into an 8-inch long roll. Wrap in plastic wrap or waxed paper. Chill at least 1 hour in refrigerator.

- Using a sharp knife, cur dough into ¾ inch slices. Cut each slice into quarters and roll each quarter into a ball. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press down in center of each ball with your thumb.

- Bake in a 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until tops look dry. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool.

- Spoon a scant teaspoon of Peppermint Filling into center of each cookie. Sprinkle cookies with the chopped candy. Makes 48 cookies.

- Peppermint Filling: Beat ¼ cup butter with an electric mixer on medium speed about 30 seconds or until softened. Gradually add 1 cup sifted powdered sugar, beating until combined. Beat in 2 tablespoons milk, ¼ teaspoons peppermint extract, and a few drops of red or green food coloring, if desired. Gradually beat in 1 cup sifted powdered sugar until smooth.

LEMON-ALMOND TEA COOKIES

1/3 cookie dough 2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel

1 teaspoon almond extract peel Lemon Frosting

½ cup sliced almonds, toasted

- Combine cookie dough, lemon peel, and almond extract. Using a wooden spoon, mix until thoroughly combined.

- Shape dough into an 8-inch long roll. Wrap in plastic wrap or waxed paper. Chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

- Using a sharp knife, cut dough into ¼ inch thick slices. Place slices 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

- Bake in a 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack; cool.

- Spread about 1 teaspoon of the frosting atop each cookie. Sprinkle wit sliced almonds.

- Makes 32 cookies.

- LEMON FROSTING: Beat ¼ cup butter, softened for about 30 seconds. Gradually add 1 cup sifted powdered sugar; beating until combined. Beat in 4 teaspoons milk, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon vanilla, and a few drops of almond extract. Gradually beat in 1 cup sifted powdered sugar until smooth.

Side Note:I am not the biggest fan of the the first dough (Santa's Whisker's) coconut is not may favorite but I love the lemon-almond and the chocolate-mint. Here is a trick that I like to use when making these cookies; I make the main dough and just make one type of cookie from the whole dough. So say I was going to make the chocolate-mint cookies-I would triple the chocolate and milk and add during the initial mixing. This helps out a lot because once the dough is formed it can be tricky to mix in the chocolate. Although when it comes to the frosting amount, I would say only a double batch is needed to frost a triple batch of cookies. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Bark, Bark, Bark!

2011-12-27T09:33:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Even though Christmas is over, gifts are still exchanged through the New Year! If you have just finished with dozens of cookies and a Christmas feast-you may be not very interested in making anything too complicated to bring as a hostess gift to your New Year's party!
I have a quick and delicious option...bark! It is my personal belief that nothing made from chocolate can be bad! I have made some delectable options and here they are:

Peanut Butter- Chocolate Bark

12 ounces of semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup of roasted peanuts
12 ounces of peanut butter chips

Melt semisweet chocolate in a double-boiler until completely melted. Spread the melted chocolate onto a wax-paper covered cookie sheet. Sprinkle the peanuts over the melted chocolate and then chill until hard.
In the mean time when the chocolate is hardening, melt the peanut butter chips in a double-boiler. Once melted spread over chocolate and let the entire mixture harden. Once hard-break into bit-size pieces.

White Peppermint Bark

12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
12 ounces white chocolate, chopped
3-4 crushed candy canes

Melt the semisweet chocolate in a double-boiler and spread onto a baking sheet-as you did with the previous recipe. Let the chocolate harden.
While hardening, melt the white chocolate. Spread this over the hard semisweet chocolate and then sprinkle with the crushed candy canes. You may want to place a piece of wax paper over the bark to press the candy cane into the white chocolate. Chill until hard and then break into pieces.

Festive Chocolate Bark

1 cup shelled pistachio nuts (about ½ pound in shell)
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
8 ounces white chocolate, chopped
¾ dup dried, sweetened cranberries

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly toast the pistachio nuts on a baking sheet, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let the nuts cool.

Melt the semisweet chocolate in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Or Microwave it, in a dry microwave-safe bowl, uncovered, on medium power for 2-3 minutes stirring once. Remove the chocolate fro the microwave and stir until smooth. Melt the white chocolate separately, following the same directions.

In a small bowl, combine the nuts and cranberries, and then stir half of them into the semisweet chocolate. Using a spatula spread the mixture to about a ½ inch thickness on a large cookie sheet. Drop the white chocolate by tablespoonfuls over the dark. With the tip of a butter knife, swirl the chocolates together to create a marbled effect. Sprinkle on the rest of the berries and nuts.

Refrigerate the bark for about 1 hour or until firm, and then break into pieces. Store the bark in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month.
Makes about 1-3/4 pounds.

Side Note:This is my personal favorite. It seems a bit more sophisticated than the other barks but this also means it may not be everyone's favorite! I also think that chocolate quality is important. I like to use Ghirardelli-it can be a bit pricey but I found it at Price-Rite for a reasonable price. Also bark can be anything you want it to be-that is the beauty of it. If you want to use almonds, m&ms or even sea salt-go for it! Whatever floats your boat!

My fab foodie Christmas present!

2011-12-25T11:36:00.000-05:00

For my Christmas present my fabulous fiance got me tickets toThe Chew. I get to go spend the day in NYC and be part of the audience on Jaunary 12th. I could not think of a better present!

I am so very excited to see Clinton Kelly. This foodie is going to have to dress to impress! Every time I see Clinton on What Not to Wear or on The Chew-I have a dream that we are friends and go out for cocktails all the time! Plus I am super pumped to see the other four (love you guys too)!

There is also a chance that I am one of the audience members that gets to cook!

Hope everyone has joyous Christmas!

Maple-Nut Popcorn-need I say more?

2011-12-19T10:03:00.000-05:00

For some reason popcorn has been associated with Christmas-whether it comes in the ball variety (which is one of those things that just sound better than they really are) or a giant tin of caramel and cheese popcorn with a festive motif that was peddled by some boy scout. So needless to say I am not usually the biggest fan of this popcorn trend!

However during my Thanksgiving adventure I discovered a new variety of popcorn from my grandparents. My grandparents are dairy farmers but they also make maple syrup and delicious maple treats. For the recent "Buy Local" day they created Maple Caramel Popcorn & Nuts to sell at a local creperie and I instantly thought that this would make an excellent Christmas treat!

Maple Caramel Popcorn & Nuts

6 cups popped corn ( we use air popped corn)

1 cup roasted salted peanuts

1 cup maple syrup

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. white vinegar

2 tbsp. butter

Place popcorn in a large buttered pan. Add nuts and toss. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

In a heavy-bottom pan bring syrup, sugar and vinegar to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cook, without stirring, washing any crystals down sides of pan with a brush dipped in cold water until a bit of syrup dropped into cold water forms a long thread. (240^ on a candy thermometer) We found this to be a bit too high temperature to get caramel to mix and coat popcorn before it gets too hard . Stir in butter until melted.

Pour caramel mixture over popcorn and mix gently. Bake for 1 hour. Cool and break apart into chunks.

Side Note: I found that after I took the popcorn out of the oven a let it cool for a few minutes and I needed to stir up the popcorn to re-coat the popcorn because a lot of the maple had gone to the bottom of the pan. After that I let the popcorn cool completely.

I hope you guys enjoy this recipe- it is provided by my grandmother (Grace Hargrave). Thanks Grandma!

And if you are in St. Lawrence County, NY -go visit Brandy View Farm!

Christmas treats for the pooches in your life!

2011-12-16T10:24:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I started my holiday baking and the first thing that I made was dog biscuits. I am doing quite a bit of baking and I wanted to start with the things that would not go bad by the time I deliver my treats! I did not have a recipe for dog biscuits, so I just googled a recipe-there are plenty to choose from.

I loved working with this recipe-it is easy to mix up and it was so very easy to roll out. It was seriously one of the best dough's I have ever worked with. I cut the biscuits out in cute shapes; some bones, doggies, and cats, plus gingerbread men and and snowmen to keep with it festive.

Dog Biscuits

· 1 cup rolled oats

· 1/3 cup margarine

· 1 cup boiling water

· 3/4 cup cornmeal

· 2 teaspoons white sugar

· 2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules

· 1/2 cup milk

· 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

· 1 egg, beaten

· 3 cups whole wheat flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, margarine, and boiling water. Let stand 10 minutes. Grease cookie sheets.

2. Thoroughly stir in cornmeal, sugar, bouillon, milk, Cheddar cheese, and egg. Mix in flour, 1 cup at a time, until a stiff dough has formed.

3. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface, mixing in additional flour as necessary until dough is smooth and no longer sticky. Roll or pat out dough to 1/2" thickness. Cut with cookie cutter (I prefer bone shaped), and place 1 inch apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

4. Bake 35 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Cool before serving. Store in a loosely covered container.

If you have a fear of messing up on holiday treats-make these! They are so easy and if you do mess them up do not worry because the dogs will eat anything! Enjoy and do not forget about the dogs in your life this Christmas!