Knife, Fork, and Spoon With Me

Curry Chicken à la King and Biscuits

2012-08-29T18:54:00.000-07:00

It's so hard coming up with new ideas for dinner. Tonight though, I decided to take a classic and put a spicy spin on it. I have to admit...I wasn't too sure how it was going to turn out though. Surprisingly...it was really good!!! You could easily leave the curry and cilantro out and just use this recipe as a traditional Chicken à la King recipe....but this version adds a little spice to your life!!! So give it a whirl.

While I can take credit for the idea of this spicy spin on comfort food....I cannot take credit for the star of the show. Drumroll please.........The Easy 7up Biscuits My oh my!!! Thank the good Lord above and thank you Pinterest for sending these babies into my life. I did lighten them up a bit from their original (which you can find here) by using Heart Smart Bisquick, Light Sour Cream and Sprite Zero (my version 4 WWP+) and still OMGoodness......so so so soooooo delicious!!! Drizzle some warm honey over the warm biscuit and you may just hear angels sing. Seriously...you MUST make these. Like now!!! Really....get up....go into your kitchen and make these. You're welcome in advance...no need to track me down to thank me, hug me, kiss me...depending on how much you end up liking them!

So here was my comforting curry meal tonight.

Serves: 4 - 1 cup servings
Each Serving is 6 WWP+

INGREDIENTS

8 oz. raw chicken breast, cut into cubes
2 Tbl. butter
1 Tbl olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
4 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 servings of dry SOS Mix
2 1/2 cups of water
1 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 Tbl. curry powder
handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

In a large skillet over med-high heat melt butter and olive oil. Add chicken, onion, carrot, celery and mushrooms and season with a little salt and pepper. Cook until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender. Combine the dry SOS Mix, with the water and other dry seasonings then pour onto the chicken and veggies mixture. While continuing to stir, bring the mixture up to a boil and cook for approximately 5 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Stir in the chopped cilantro and serve over warm biscuits or cooked rice.

Breakfast Favorites

2012-08-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

What is your favorite breakfast? Are you a salty or a sweet??? Don't get me wrong....I love pancakes, waffles, cinnamon rolls or just plain ol' toast and jelly BUT my go to breakfasts are savory and stick to your ribs.

Even on weekday mornings before work...I'll make omelets, breakfast sandwiches, or sometimes just eggs and toast. If I eat cereal or oatmeal I'm hungry again by 10am, but a hearty breakfast can keep me satisfied until noon.

Here is my latest fav....BREAKFAST BURRITOS!!!

They are super easy and portable. Just warm your tortilla in the microwave for about 15 seconds so it rolls nicely. Fill it with your favorites. As seen above I like peppers, onions, egg whites, and a little cheese.

Try these other favorite combos: ~ egg whites, mushrooms & swiss cheese ~ egg whites, spinach & feta cheese ~ bacon, egg & cheddar cheese ~ turkey sausage, egg & pepperjack cheese

But what about the weekends when you have a little more time?

On the weekends.....it's game on!!!! Still simple, but just with a little more lovin.

Here I diced potatoes, onions, peppers and cooked until just tender. Then I made little wells in the cooked potatoes and cracked an egg in each pocket. As long as your skillet is oven safe pop it into the oven set to about 375 degree oven until the eggs are set to your liking.

Bacon: Team Skillet? or Team Oven?

Here I cooked it in the oven. I think both have their pros and cons, but the clean up of oven verses skillet is hard to beat, isn't it?

Now...if this doesn't stick to your ribs...I'm not sure what will?

Have a happy breakfast....sometimes even for dinner!!!

Buffalo Chicken Garbage Bread

2012-08-15T16:19:00.001-07:00

I just recently heard of "garbage bread". I suppose it's really just a way of wrapping your leftovers in some bread dough, baking it, and calling it dinner....sounds like a plan to me!!!

So that brings me to the need for quick weeknight meals. SUPER FAST meals are a MUST now that soccer season is upon us.

This recipe uses leftover chicken or if you don't have any leftovers, simply put raw chicken into the crockpot with 1/2 cup sauce in the morning. When you get home just use the amount needed for this recipe and make chicken salad with the rest. Perfect...two meals in one either way!!!

So here is a super easy dinner made in under 30 minutes!!!

INGREDIENTS

8 oz. cooked chicken breast

1/4 cup Syberg's Famous Wing Sauce (or your favorite wing sauce)

4 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese

1/4 cup light ranch

1 - Pillsbury Thin Pizza Crust (found near the refrigerated biscuits)

1/4 cup 2% shredded cheddar

In a food processor combine chicken, cream cheese and Syberg's Wing Sauce. Spread mixture onto the pizza crust. Drizzle with ranch dressing and roll up.

Place roll on a cookie sheet sprayed with olive oil and then spray the top of the roll with a little more olive oil and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until browned.

Let it cool a little and let the filling cool just a bit, then cut, and enjoy with a side salad!!!

You know what these really remind me of? Hot Pockets!!! So get creative...toss whatever "garbage" you've got hanging out in your fridge...just give it a quick sniff first though ;)

Enjoy!

Serves 6 (7WWP+ per serving)

PB2, Chocolate & Banana Shake

2012-02-12T10:15:00.001-08:00

So!!!! Why am I just now finding out about this genius product??? I mean REALLY...powdered peanut butter!!!! With 85% less fat and calories!!!

The good news is...we've been united and will remain friends for life...I'm sure of it!!!

I was really craving a Cold Stone Creamery PB&C Shake last weekend. Just the "Like It" size packs a severe punch to the ole' calorie bank.

See...

Sooo....while I may have not been on my best behavior, I was not about to travel down that road...thankyouverymuch!!!!

BUT, I still needed to crush the craving so I set out towards my kitchen instead.

Here is what I found...a frozen banana, a sugar free chocolate snack pack pudding, a packet of diet Swiss Miss hot cocoa, 1% milk, and my new best friend PB2.

The banana still had the skin on (something weird my husband did, I'm sure of it) so I placed it into a glass of hot water for about one minute until the skin slid right off. Then blended with 1 cup of milk, the pudding, the cocoa and 2T of PB2.

Craving CRUSHED!!!

Taco Shells

2012-01-14T14:56:00.001-08:00

Weighing in at only 80 calories, 1 gram of fat, 10 grams of sodium, and 2 grams of fiber....meet my new friends Mr. EXTRA THIN TORTILLAS!!!

Now...I'm a crunch factor kinda gal. So I set out to find a HEALTHY way to turn these into taco shells!!! I found THIS BLOG which is the main inspiration to making mine, but I am WAY to impatient to wait 1 hour to bake some shells so I went full force 350 degrees, baby!!! I still made the little tents out of an aluminum foil lasagna pan I had on hand.

Then warmed up my tortillas in the microwave to help them lay properly over the aluminum forms.

The oven was preheated and ready to go.....about 10 minutes later...they were ready! Be sure to let them cool and fully harden before handling. How freakin' GENIUS!!!

HERE IS A QUICK TIP FOR REMOVING THEM FROM THE OVEN AFTER THEY ARE DONE: I couldn't take a picture since this is a double handed duty, but I will try my best to describe. Using a flat wooden spoon or any sturdy utensil lift up the aluminum tent and taco shell from under the oven grate. Using your other hand slide a knife or thin utensil under the bend of tent above the grate, gently raise and place onto a surface to cool...as shown below. If you try to "pinch" them out chances are you will break some. I used this "lift and pull" method and didn't break one!!!

Enjoy with your favorite taco recipe!

Crab Rangoon Bites

2011-10-16T10:02:00.001-07:00

I was craving crab rangoon today...I had these ingredients in my fridge/pantry so this was my solution...and my lunch ;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Makes 16 appetizers
(55 calories each)

INGREDIENTS

16 wonton wrappers
4 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese
8 oz. pkg of flake style imitation crab meat
1 tsp. low sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1 TBL of sugar

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1) Place wonton wrappers into a non stick mini muffin tin.

2) Mix remaining ingredients together in a small bowl.

3) Scoop one heaping tablespoon into each wrapper and fold the edges up around the edges of the filling.

4) Bake for approximately 12-13 minutes watching so the edges don't get too brown.

ENJOY!!!

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Back on the wagon!!!

2011-10-16T05:45:00.001-07:00

In the groove and feeling good ;)

I just wanted to quickly share something for the tea lovers out there. This is by no way, shape, or form a replacement for chocolate....but it helped me get through the past few nights by not snacking in the evenings.

It's CHOCOLATE tea!!!

The brand is The Republic of Tea and while I bought it online I have also seen it sold at Whole Foods.

The taste is smooth and not bitter like some teas. Hot I like to add some splenda or sugar along with a tiny splash of non-fat creamer and that really helps curb a sweet craving.

Believe it or not, I also enjoy it cold. ;)

So...I would recommend The Republic of Tea to any tea lovers and/or dieters. If you order online they often send you samples of different flavors or new flavors. Which is really nice!!!

On a side note...I'm also living vicariously through baked good candle smells since I'm trying to stay away from actually baking them.

Check out at this absolutely adorable Paula Deen candle I came across at Wal-Mart:

This candle was fast burning so it didn't really last very long. The smell was fantastic, but it was pretty much centralized around the candle itself. While it didn't really fill the air with the smell of Apple Crumb Cake, it was super cute while trying!!! It would make a really great gift for the foodie in your life ;)

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Red Pepper BioFresh Test

2011-10-01T06:54:00.001-07:00

Nothing real scientific here...just using the bags and reporting the results.

This red pepper is from a produce delivery dated September 12th. Today is October 1st and this pepper is still crisp and no sign of wrinkling ;)

I actually had two peppers and the first one met it's destiny in some western hash browns with this morning's breakfast.

This remaining pepper will accompany some of her friends and family to a party inside Mr. Iceberg's house later this week. Others in attendance will be her younger brother Mr. Green Pepper, Mr. Water Chestnut, Mrs. Scallion and Mr. Carrot...the beautiful Miss Fresh Ginger who is bringing her new Baby Portabella for everyone to meet. The life of the party Mr. Ground Chicken will probably be the first one to jump in the pool. They will all lounge around in a hot tub filled with soy sauce, honey and red pepper flakes and then finally all meet up for dinner inside with Miss Riesling.

What a great party!!!

Until then....

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Day 7 ~ The Bionic Banana!!!

2011-09-20T06:22:00.001-07:00

So here it is Day 7! My unbagged banana was mysteriously gone, but that is fine because it was in it's last life as you saw in my last post.

The BioFresh banana on Day 7.

The outside is now yellow, no brown spots at all.

Completely ripe and ready to enjoy on the inside. One spot even a bit overripe, but that is PERFECT in my opinion AND the best news...it tastes like a banana!!!

Results: I would totally recommend these bags to everyone!!!

Here is where you can get them:

Keep Fresh, LLC
(760) 645-3687
www.keepfreshbags.com

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Day 5 ~ BioFresh

2011-09-16T05:49:00.001-07:00

Significant differences from yesterday. No need for closeups on the left, but there are STILL no brown spots on the banana in the BioFresh bag.

I'm really praying that no one in my family eats my testing materials...these are the last two bananas in my house ;)

Happy Friday!!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

BioFresh Banana Challenge ~ Day 4

2011-09-15T05:57:00.001-07:00

Well, there is a difference!!!

Let's take a closer look at Banana #1 that is NOT in the BioFresh Bag:

This banana does have some brown spots. It is starting to ripen.

Now let's look at Banana #2 that is inside of the BioFresh Bag:

It may be hard to tell, but so far there is no brown spotting. It has turned yellow so it too is ripening, but at a slower pace.

I think the real challenge here is actually going to be the taste. It is clear that the bags work. However, I've been told it may alter the taste??? We shall see! I will let it go a bit longer just to see the dramatic difference, but then I will try a blind taste test with both bananas! Stay tuned...

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Day 1 ~ BioFresh Bags

2011-09-12T17:51:00.001-07:00

The banana challenge! Day 1

On the left...the banana NOT stored in a BioFresh Bag.

On the right...the banana stored in a BioFresh Bag.

Let's watch and see the difference!

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Carrot Pumpkin Muffins

2011-09-11T08:37:00.001-07:00

Remember back in the day when the 2 pt. Weight Watchers Pumpkin Muffin recipe was the best thing on earth?

If I remember correctly it called for a spice cake mix, 1 cup of water and a 15 oz. can of 100% pure pumpkin. Well, that is kind of what I did here.

The texture of those muffins were more of a bread pudding rather than a muffin. So, my plan with these was to create a more muffin like texture and here is the ingredients that I used:

Spice Cake Mix
15 oz. Pumpkin
2 cups carrot, grated
4 egg whites

I stirred all the ingredients together until just combined. Then baked for 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

The verdict:

Same ol' WW muffin :-/

The texture is still more like a bread pudding and that isn't necessarily a bad thing...just not what I was hoping for. They still tasted great and are just a tad more firm than the original. My son can easily take them in his lunch.

Calories per muffin: 130

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Infused Sea Salts

2011-09-10T17:38:00.001-07:00

Today I was at Whole Foods (love that place!) and I came across a whole section of infused sea salts. Many different and interesting flavors such as cabernet, ginger, garlic, coconut-lime, and curry. At one point I even had the curry in my cart with the thought of using it on salmon. I decided to put it back though because $16.99/lb for salt is a little much.

When I got home I thought to myself... I can totally make that and off to the kitchen I went.

In about 1 minute I had infused sea salt for MUCH less. Here is how I did it.

First, make a paste with 2 tsp of curry powder (or your favorite ground dry spice) and 1 T of water.

Next mix together really well with 1/2 cup of salt.

Finally, spread out in a thin even layer to dry. I'm still waiting for mine to dry, but I imagine once the water has evaporated thoroughly you will need to store in a container with a tight fitting lid in a cool dry place.

I'm really looking forward to trying this with other flavors. It would also be great as a gift in a pretty glass jar decorated with a nice ribbon!!!

Enjoy!

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Yucky Gnocchi

2011-09-02T16:47:00.001-07:00

I got this at World Market about a month ago. I thought it would go well tonight with our meal of Italian Beef...kind of in place of mashed potatoes.

I. Thought. Wrong.

Total yuck!!! Pass this up if you come across it and go for a baked potato instead.

I had high hopes, but was very disappointed ;(

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STRAWBERRIES!!!

2011-08-28T17:55:00.001-07:00

Well, this weekend can go down in the record books as the most strawberries used in my house...that is for sure ;)

Our coop got a GREAT deal on Strawberries...only $6.50 per flat.

They were absolutely gorgeous!!!

I also ended up with a bushel of green peppers so there was a lot happening in my kitchen over the weekend. Here are a few pictures of just a small portion of what all took place ;)

First up a double batch of reduced sugar Strawberry Freezer Jam. Getting ready to take out my aggression on some berries!!! Notice my PW Perfect Iced Coffee was ready and by my side!!!

My Pampered Chef Mix-n-Chop was the perfect tool to crush the berries.

Beautiful distractions made the process just a little bit longer. How could I not take a picture of that PERFECT strawberry!

Cut, chop, dump, cut, chop, dump....until I had 8 cups of crushed berries ;)

FINALLY 8 cups!!!

Here is Ethan helping me fill the jars. He was a bit too messy for my liking...

So easy and including distractions it only took about an hour ;)

Next, let's can some STRAWBERRY CHIPOTLE SAUCE!!! My new favorite!!! That same sweet and smokey flavor as the Raspberry Chipotle I've made in the past, but no annoying seeds!

BEAUTIFUL!!!

This may sound weird, but here is another sweet/savory jelly in the works. I was making pepper juice for GREEN PEPPER JELLY! It was pureed green bell peppers, chopped green chiles and garlic being strained through cheesecloth to make "juice".

The juice is then cooked with vinegar and sugar to make this absolutely amazing looking jelly. I did use a little food coloring for a brighter green color. This would be good over cream cheese with crackers. I think it would also make a great glaze over roasted chicken or pork.

How about we finish this blog with something even more sweet???

We had the best Sunday morning breakfast we've had in a long time. I used the New Hope Mills whole wheat pancake mix that I got from the coop. It is by far the best whole wheat pancake mix I've had. The texture was light and fluffy. The flavor was wonderful alongside those fresh berries and the whipped cream!

Is this breakfast or dessert? Who cares, let's eat!!!

Thank you COMMUNITY HELPINGS PRODUCE COOP for keeping me busy this weekend. Next weekend is Carrot Cake Jam weekend...stay tuned!!!

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Thank you PIONEER WOMAN!!!

2011-08-24T13:56:00.000-07:00

First, let me say that I'm super stoked for the premeire of The Pioneer Woman's new show on The Food Network this Saturday!!! I'm seriously considering adding a DVR option to our already overpriced satellite package or either skipping my son's first Saturday morning soccer game of the season in order to watch because I love her so much!!! Nahh...just kidding. I'm sure I can catch it on a rerun soon. Hopefully. Finger crossed.

Secondly, if you don't know who The Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond) is....have you been living under a rock? She is this georgous red head from Oklahoma with a slight southern twang. She is a author and blogger (that I bow down to) who writes about her life which includes topics such as cooking, photography, and homeschooling her children. She has this hilarious sense of humor and if you read her blogs you almost always Laugh. Out. Loud. She is an inspiration to many and just an overall amazing gal (Ha! I act like I personally know her or something) and I wish her well on The Food Network.

Okay....so onto THANKING her for recently changing my morning coffee routine and my afternoon coffee breaks!!!

So...here it is....the most recent highlight of my life......ICED COFFEE!!!

Whoopty doo??? Did you say WHOOPTY DOO!!! Watch it now!!!

This stuff is not just any iced coffee....it is according to Ree, THE PERFECT ICED COFFEE and I have to say that I fully 110% agree with her!!!

I won't bother you with listing all the ingredients or even attempting to recreate the wonderful pictures that Ree has posted on her site. (My IPhone did a fancy job at documenting my 3 o'clock coffee break, don'tcha think?)

Instead I will just direct you to her site and have you take it from there.

The Pioneer Woman's PERFECT ICED COFFEE!!!

AND....don't forget to catch her on Food Network starting this Saturday morning at 10:30 (CST).

Cheers!!!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

2011-08-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

I'm not a die hard low-carber, but I do like to limit my carbs and that is kind of hard to do when you are a pizza lover like I am. So, a while back I ran into a blog called Your Lighter Side (by the way, great blog!) and this Low Carb Pizza Dough has been on my mind ever since because it was made with CAULIFLOWER!!! Yes, you heard me right....cauliflower! So...it just so happens that we recevied cauliflower in our produce basket last week so I figured it was time to try it out.

Now, I've used cauliflower in place of rice and potatoes before....but pizza crust??? Hmmm...

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of cauliflower, cooked and riced
1 egg
1 cup of cheese
2 tsp of the seasoning of your choice
(see below for some suggestions)

DIRECTIONS:

First, let's make the riced cauliflower. You can use frozen and cook according to the package directions, but I think fresh is best. Cut the florets away from the stem and place them into boiling water for about 7-9 minutes until tender. Then I like to use the Pampered Chef Mix-N-Chop tool and just chop it all up until you have CAULIFLOWER RICE!!! One medium head of cauliflower should make about 3 cups of riced cauliflower and it should look like this...super easy, huh? Yes! Moving on.......

Next, PREHEAT your oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl mix together 1 cup of the riced cauliflower, 1 cup of cheese, 1 egg, and 2 tsp. of seasoning. Let your imagaination do the flavor work here. What sounds good? Mozzarella Cheese/Italian Seasoning? Cheddar Cheese/Mexican Seasoning? Just make sure that the cheese you are putting into this crust is NOT a soft cheese. It needs to be a cheese that when cooked gets that crispy goodness you will be looking for within the crust. So...best advice...stick with the cheddars, mozzarella (not fresh), parmesan, oooh...maybe pepperjack??? Okay...sorry...must focus!

Once you have mixed it all together, place onto a cookie sheet lightly sprayed with olive oil and bake for 15 minutes.

BEFORE

AFTER

When it comes out of the oven you want to let it sit a few minutes and cool down a bit. When it is straight out of the oven it is still just a tad bit mushy, but as it cools it tightens up very nicely and the edges have that cheesy crunchy goodness you expect from a good pizza crust.

When you are ready to eat, top the crust with your favorite pizza sauce, cooked meats, veggies, more cheese and then broil on high until the cheese is melted.

Last night I made a couple different versions and I also tested out doubling the recipe. If you double the recipe be sure to increase the cooking time approximately 5-7 minutes.

BEFORE - doubled recipe made in the
Medium Sized Pampered Chef Stone Bar Pan

AFTER baking....it looks good enough to eat just like this!!!

Here are a few photos of our finished Cauliflower Pizza Crust Pizzas!!! The kids (and Rich) didn't even know it was cauliflower!!! Shhhh.....

For the kids: Pepperoni and Cheddar

For us BIG kids: Portabella and Mozzarella
with fresh basil and thinly sliced fresh tomatoes!

Stay tuned for the following ideas and uses for this same recipe:
Mexican Pizza
Breakfast Pizza
Bite Sized Cupcake Pizzas
Breadsticks

(SPECIAL NOTE: This recipe is an adaptation to the original which can be found at Your Lighter Side.)

ENJOY!!!

FACELIFT!!!!

2011-08-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

Speaking of faces....how cute is this one eating some homegrown Missouri watermelon that we got last week from the produce coop. I know he is mine, but isn't he adorable?

Anyway....I also decided tonight that I really wanted to get back to this blogging thing. Last year I had branched out with my friend, Jessica Loftus, and have been co-blogging with her over at Cook. Eat. Drink. Repeat. The summer months kind of put me into a hiatus, but I'm eager to get back into the swing of things here at Knife, Fork and Spoon With Me.

I've also recently launched a new blog that will take you through my journey to losing 33 lbs in 33 weeks which just so happens to be when I will celebrate my 33rd birthday. If you would like to follow me and see my progress over there come check out: OPERATION 33

However, if you are simply interested in family friendly, healthy, and sometimes not so healthy FOOD...stick around here.

I recently became a group leader for a local produce group through a coop that I've bragged about on here several times. We get A LOT of produce every two weeks and I love figuring out new things to do with it. So....be prepared for several Community Helpings Coop plugs and lot's of recipes and fun ideas for how to use what I come home with. For even more great produce coop idea's check out the founder of the coop, Tracy's blog All This and Now What?

So, I'm back, with a bit of a facelift, I'm feeling refreshed and ready to blog! Welcome back readers...now let's eat!!!

NEW BLOG! ♥ NEW BLOG!

2011-03-02T06:13:00.000-08:00

For any followers who may be interested....a fellow foodie and friend of mine, Jess Loftus, have started a new blog. Me being "The Mom" and her being "The Single Girl" we each give our spin on what we have in common. Friends, Family, & Food

So, come check it out. We will also be doing reviews on local restaurants so if you have some place in mind that you want to try....let us know!!!

Click here to come visit: Cook. Drink. Eat. Repeat.

xoxo,
Jessica

Pecan Pie

2010-12-05T13:49:00.000-08:00

I recently saw Aaron Sanchez on Food Network make a Pecan Pie with one of my most favorite ingredients...Agave Nectar! So, today seemed like a perfect day to try it out. Oh, and don't judge....because yes I've already had dessert and I haven't ate my dinner. :)

I should also note, that if you clicked on the link to Aaron's recipe you would see that he made his own pie crust and also used orange zest. I took the short cut with the crust (thanks Pillsbury!) and orange zest in pecan pie just sounds strange. I also only had dark brown sugar and realized after filling my pie that my pie plate is a deep dish and a little oversized for this particular recipe. So, I add more pecans and even decided to get a little rustic with the style of my edges. It didn't look the greatest, but it still tasted good! So...here is my adapted recipe.

PECAN PIE

Ingredients

1 9-inch refrigerated pie crust
3/4 stick unsalted butter (I used my homemade butter)
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup agave nectar
3 large eggs
2 cups pecan halves (1/2 pound)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with a baking sheet on the middle rack.

Prepare pie plate with the refrigerated pie crust by rolling it into a 9-inch pie plate and trim the edge, leaving 1/2-inch overhang. Fold the overhang under and lightly press against rim of pie plate, then crimp decoratively.

Lightly prick the bottom all over with a fork.

Chill until firm, at least 30 minutes (or freeze for 15 minutes).

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, whisking until smooth. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla, salt, and agave nectar. Lightly beat the eggs in a medium bowl, then whisk in the butter and brown sugar mixture.

Put the pecans into the pie shell and pour the butter and brown sugar mixture evenly over them.

Place on the hot baking sheet and bake until the filling is set, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Cool for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.

I didn't wait an hour and mine was still a little runny.....I have no patience when it comes to letting my food cool :)

Homemade Butter

2010-12-05T12:07:00.000-08:00

If someone asked me what I was doing between 11:35am and 11:50am on any random, dreary, and cold Sunday I would probably answer something like "ehh, making butter?" Wouldn't you? Wouldn't everyone? Isn't that what people do on their Sundays? Hmmm.....

Well, in case you haven't done this before and wanted to try it I listed some step-by-step directions below on how easy it is. All you need to know is how to shake and listen.

STEP 1: You will need one clean mason jar (any size will work) & Heavy Whipping Cream.

STEP 2: Pour whipping cream into jar about half full and attached lid tightly.
Note: If you want salted butter, just add a pinch of salt during this step.

STEP 3: Ready...SHAKE IT!!!!!!

STEP 4: Keep shaking and when you no longer hear anything sloshing around, you have just made whipped cream...but we want BUTTER so keep on shaking!

STEP 5: You are going to start to hear the liquid begin to start sloshing around again, but keep shaking. If you took the lid off, this is what you would see. The fat (aka: butter) starting to seperating from the buttermilk.

STEP 6: Once you hear that there is a significant amount of buttermilk that has seperated, drain off into a seperate dish. Do not throw this away! This is great for fresh buttermilk dressing or buttermilk pancakes!!!

Step 7: Repeat step 6 again a few more times until you no longer have much buttermilk seperating from the fat.

STEP 8: Sit back and enjoy the fact that you just made fresh BUTTER and BUTTERMILK in 15 minutes!!! How cool is that? Note: I used two different size bowls here, but your yield is going to be half butter and half buttermilk. Example: If you use 1 Cup of cream you will end up with 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of buttermilk.

STEP 9: Spread this creamy goodness on something and say to yourself "I'm never buying butter again!"

Happy Sunday!
Enjoy!

Fleur de sel Caramels (Salted Caramels)

2010-12-05T09:19:00.000-08:00

Some of you may be wondering what Fleur de sel is, right? It's salt. A fancy french finishing salt, but let me say that I just used Morton's Course Sea Salt found at my local super Wal-Mart and they tasted super fabulous.

I admit...I have never attempted to make any sort of candy before. The reason is simple. I'm not really all that great at baking because it is so darned precise. So, as you can imagine candy making is even more so! However, I really wanted to try these homemade caramels and I refuse to pay the outrageous prices people ask for them. I do have to say though after making these caramels I do now appreciate why homemae candy is more pricey even though the ingredients aren't that expensive. It is very time consuming and you really can't just step away for a minute without almost having a nervous breakdown.

I used the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten's recipe for my Fleur de sel Caramels. I saw her make these a few months ago so I looked up the recipe online. Mine didn't come out as dark as hers did, but I'm chalking that up to the fact that I'm a newbie candy maker and I was a tad bit chicken to take the sugar mixture as far as it probably should have gone. I didn't want it to burn. I also used a recipe that was posted on Food Network's website that was not exactly correct. AFTER reading the reviews I realized this, but still they came out fantastic. For the record...I'm posting the corrected recipe here. You're welcome. :)

If you like salty/sweet....this is the recipe for you!!!

Fleur de sel Caramels

INGREDIENTS

Vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons unsalted butter (I used my homemade butter)
1 teaspoon fine fleur de sel, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

PREP THE PAN: Line an 8-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing it to drape over 2 sides, then brush the paper lightly with oil.

BOIL THE SUGAR: In a deep saucepan (6 inches wide and 4 1/2 inches deep), combine 1/4 cup water, the sugar and corn syrup and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until the mixture is a warm golden brown. Don't stir -- just swirl the pan.

HEAT THE CREAM: In the meantime, in a small pot, bring the cream, butter and 1 teaspoon of fleur de sel to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat and set aside.

FINISH THE CARAMEL: When the sugar mixture is done, turn off the heat and slowly add the cream mixture to the sugar mixture. Be careful -- it will bubble up violently. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until the mixture reaches 248 degrees F (firm ball) on a candy thermometer.

FILL THE PAN: Very carefully (it's hot!) pour the caramel into the prepared pan and refrigerate for a few hours, until firm.

CUT THE CARAMEL: When the caramel is cold, pry the sheet from the pan onto a cutting board. Cut the square in half.

ROLL IT UP: Starting with a long side, roll the caramel up tightly into an 8-inch-long log.

CUT INTO PIECES: Sprinkle the log with fleur de sel, trim the ends and cut into 8 pieces. (Start by cutting the log in half, then continue cutting each piece in half until you have 8 equal pieces.) It's easier to cut the caramels if you brush the knife with a little oil.

WRAP THE CANDIES: Cut parchment paper into 4-by-5-inch pieces and wrap each caramel individually, twisting the ends. Store in the refrigerator and serve the caramels chilled.

Get out those slow cookers!!!

2010-11-08T13:27:00.000-08:00

You all (ughh humm...all 9 of you) may be wondering if I've been eating lately since I haven't blogged. The answer. Uhhh YES are you kidding me??? Probably a little too much to be honest. Of course, Halloween candy has consumed my daily work life AND a lot of the daily calories I'm trying to watch too. So, thank God it is almost gone. :) BUT there has been a few substantial meals as well. So, let's see.....where to start?

How about with Slow Cooker Red Beans & Brown Rice. Ya see, time to cook is not on my side lately because I've commited to a 7 week session of 3x per week at my local YMCA. Which I am loving, but on those days it is a bit hard to create a full family meal. So...one day last week I turned to my good ole' crock pot.

I saw a recipe for Red Beans & Rice on Food Network's TV Show, 5 Ingredient Fix, and wanted to try it. I've never had Red Beans & Rice and figured why not try this recipe - 5 ingredients and a crock pot - awesome!!! Well, first problem was I couldn't find Andouille sausage where I was shopping and didn't feel like driving anywhere else....ughh....I needed that sausage though because it was a major ingredient since that is where most of the flavor and spices came from for the entire dish. Hmmm??? How about lightening it up with Smoked Turkey Sausage and just adding some creole seasoning instead? Perfect. From there I also changed a few other things, and because you should always give credit where credit is due, my recipe was adapted from this one. Even with my few changes it didn't take many ingredients at all, it was cheap, could feed an army, was super easy and tasted great. :)

This southern classic can easily be turned into a Vegetarian meal by omitting the turkey sausage and using vegetable broth. You can also use water in place of the broth (like the original) to lower the sodium content. For you meat lovers, you can subsitute a different type of protein as you wish as well. Either way...enjoy!

SLOW COOKER ~ RED BEANS & BROWN RICE

Click Here for Nutrition Facts

SERVES 16 ~ 1/2 C of cooked rice topped with 1/2 C of beans

INGREDIENTS

16 oz. bag of dry small red beans
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1-14oz. pkg of turkey smoked sausage, chopped
2T of creole seasoning (Tony Chachere is good)
3 cups of chicken broth (or whichever flavor of broth you like best)
8 cups of brown rice, cooked

DIRECTIONS

Soak beans according to package directions overnight.

Drain beans and place in a stockpot covering the beans with 6-8 cups of water. Boil for 10 minutes. Drain. This step will save you from the possible "red bean poisoning" sometimes associated with cooking red beans (aka: kidney beans) in a slow cooker.

Place beans along with remaining ingredients into a crock-pot (slow cooker), stir to combine and cover. Set on HIGH for 4-6 hours or LOW for 6-8 hours.

NOTE: I personally like my beans WELL DONE so I set mine to HIGH for the whole 8 hours (while I'm at work). This is a personal preference. I also like take the back of a wooden spoon and smash through some of the beans. This will help thicken up the dish a bit too if the beans haven't absorbed most of the liquid. Again, a personal preference and you do not have to do this. If you would rather have a thinner consistency to your sauce you may even want to increase your broth to 4 cups.

A Butternut Squash Extravaganza.......

2010-09-29T18:51:00.000-07:00

First, let me apologize for my infatuation with soups & muffins lately.....this cooler weather has me so excited I just can't help myself.

Part 1 of my Butternut Squash Extravaganza..... and it was so super simple! I pulled out a hidden ziploc freezer bag from my freezer this morning filled with the golden goodness. I had totally forgot about it and it was such a nice surprise to not have to make dinner tonight. That should tell you that the following soup recipe freezes very well...I made it about 3 months ago. :)

This creamy butternut squash soup recipe is adapted from my Grandpa Ray's recipe. Well....he doesn't really have recipes, but it is his "estimation" of what goes in it. However, I've of course lightened it up a bit by decreasing the whole stick of regular full fat yummy butter down to a half stick of light butter. As well as, using fat free half-n-half instead of cream. Feel free to reverse this because as some of you may know, my Grandpa Ray is the best damn cook in the entire world. He puts the Bobby Flay and Emeril to shame. So...his version this soup is out of this world. However, my version won't give us a heart attack....so I think that's pretty damn good too. :)

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

SERVES 4 - Approximately 1&1/2 cups per person (4WW points)

I tried to get all girly swirly with a little extra half-n-half on top, but it didn't work so well :(

INGREDIENTS
10 oz. butternut squash, peeled & cubed
32 oz. chicken broth
8 oz. white wine
2 T fresh ginger root, sliced
1 medium vidalia onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 large celery stalks, chopped
1/4 cup light butter (or even just 1T of olive oil is good too)
1 cup fat free half-n-half
2 tsp. Wyler's instant chicken bouillon granules (I season a lot of soups with this/found in the soup aisle)
1 tsp. black pepper

DIRECTIONS
In a stockpot bring squash and chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat to med-high and cook approximately 9-10 minutes or until squash is fork tender. While squash is cooking steep ginger root with white wine in a small saucepan over low-med heat. In a seperate small skillet saute onion, celery, and garlic with 2T of the butter until vegetables are soft. When squash is tender; drain ginger slices from wine. Combine wine and onion mixture into the pot of squash. Puree soup in a blender (or a stick blender works well too) and return to pot. Add half-n-half and remaining butter. Stir until half-n-half heated through and butter has melte. If needed season with chicken bouillon and black pepper.

Part 2 of my Butternut Squash Extraveganza was dessert tonight, snacks and possibly breakfast tomorrow and of course Ethan's lunch box treats for the rest of this week. I found this recipe on the WW website. They are 3 points each. You may remember a while back I mentioned how sad I was about the pumpkin shortage and that I was going to use butternut squash in place of it for a pumpkin muffin recipe I had. Well, I bought a butternut squash....and then found this recipe which actually called for it...so I decided to make it instead. :)

They turned out really moist and yummy. Great fall spice flavor...it warms your heart. As usual, I substituted half of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour and I didn't have ground ginger so I used 2T of grated fresh ginger instead. (BTW, fresh ginger is one of my favorite ingredients). I imagine this recipe would work well for a spice cake and would be absolutely AMAZING with a schmear of cream cheese frosting too! So here is is folks........

GINGER-SPICE MUFFINS

Makes 12 muffins - 1 Muffin per serving = 3WW points

Served with a piping hot after dinner cup of coffee...Mmmm! (I promise I really am only 31 years old)

INGREDIENTS

Cooking spray

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 cup pureed cooked butternut squash

3T canola oil

1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt

3T molasses

1 large egg

DIRECTIONS

Prehat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 12 muffin tin with cooking spray or use cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, whish together flour, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, baking soda, and salt.

In another bowl, combine sugar, squash puree, oil yogurt, molasses, and egg. With an electric mixer on medium speed, mix for 1 to 2 minutes. (I used my magic bullet, but you can also do this by hand)

Make a well (a scooped out indention) into the center of the dry ingredients; pour in liquid mixture and gently fold to combine (batter may be lumpy).

Evenly pour batter (approx 1/4 cup) into prepared muffin tins. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 - 25 minutes.

Note: The best way to make squash puree from whole squash is to peel and cube the squash. Place into a microwave safe dish with 1/4 cup of water. Cover with plastic wrap and cook for approximately 8 minutes or until tender.

Just in case you needed to know.....this is a butternut squash. They can be substituted for any pumpkin recipe....so instead of buying some overpriced pie pumpkin...just get one of these instead. :) Enjoy!

OH......and one more thing.....if you happen to have a six year old little boy running around in your house....hide your muffins or this may happen. :)

Ehhh...nothing a dollop of cool whip can't fix, right?

As you can also see he doesn't know how throw away his stolen cupcake paper either...typical male...gets caught every time...geesh!!!