Karen B's Cooking Made Easy!

Tip Of The Day: Quick Cinnabon Frosting

2016-01-01T11:16:00.001-08:00

The next time. You feel the urge to make easy Cinnabons out if that tube of crescent rolls in the fridge use this easy frosting tip. I always keep a can of store ready frosting in the fridge. Warm the frosting in the micro for 30 seconds stir and drizzle over your pastry!

Enjoy ;)

Buttermilk Biscuit Egg Cups

2015-11-28T08:00:00.001-08:00

Make these delicious easy breakfast cups your family will love ❤️. You can make a large batch and if there's any left you can refrigerate or freeze and pop in the microwave.

Ingredients:

Frozen Biscuits

Eggs

Polish Sausage - cut into cubes pre-cook

Cheddar Cheese

Cooking Spray

Salt and Pepper

Chives

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray jumbo muffin tins with cooking spray.

Place one biscuit in each tin. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Top with one tablespoon cheese, the sausage then crack one egg on top. Season with salt and pepper.

Bake an additional 15 minutes or until the egg is cooked to your liking. run a knife around edges to remove from tin.

Serve with honey.

Enjoy 😀

Oven Roasted Tomatoes

2015-10-04T14:03:00.001-07:00

Guess what we're doing today! We took some cherry tomatoes fresh from harvesting in Fenton Michigan and started to oven roast them. They are so sweet by the time there done you will eat them the like candy.

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half, toss on

a oiled cookie or baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, toss and bake for 3 1/2 hours at 350. After they have cooled store in a jar in the fridge.

Use on salads, sauces and pastas. Trust me they won't last long and they taste so much better than sundried you get from the store.

Hearty Beef Barley Soup

2015-09-16T14:04:00.001-07:00

I thought about making soup for dinner. My Daughter was feeling under the weather and we always have chicken soup. Running ideas through my head I decided to make a beefy vegetable type soup. I knew What I wanted to make I just couldn't remember the name of the little pearly grain that was sitting right on the tip of my toungue!

Off to the store I went. Retrieving all the fresh vegetables I needed, still no name came to mind. So I headed towards the grain isle. New store, where's the grains? Two steps further down the cereal isle it comes to me "barley"!

A really healthy grain with a slight nutty flavor that stands up to a hearty soup.

I had the Butcher cut up a boneless chuck roast into 1 pound pieces. He wrapped them separate so I have the extras on the freezer. I wanted a nice and tender melt in your mouth cut when the soup is finished. Stew meat tends to get tough.

Ingredients:

6 cups beef stock

1/2 large yellow onion chopped

3 carrots diced

3 stalks celery diced

3 cloves garlic diced & smashed

1 cup barley

1 sprigs thyme stem stripped

1 sprig Rosemary stripped & chopped

1 handful fresh Italian parsley chopped

2 bay leaves

1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

Salt/pepper

1 Lb boneless chuck roast cut into cubes

Olive oil

Season your chuck roast pieces with salt and pepper.

In a large Dutch oven add 3 tablespoons olive oil and heat to medium high. Sear your chuck on all sides until it's nice and caramelised. Remove from pan.

Lower heat to medium. Add the onion and cook for 4 minutes, add carrots and celery. Season with a little salt and pepper. Cook an additional 10 minutes stirring often.

Add the chopped garlic stir for one minute. When you start to smell the garlic aroma add your crushed tomatoes.

Cook five minutes stiring careful not to burn the tomatoes. Add the beef stock to deglaze the pan.

Add the chuck roast and fresh herbs back into pan. Bring back to simmer cover and reduce heat to low.

I let it cook for one hour, stirring occasionally. Add the barley and cook another hour until barley and meat are tender. The soup will thicken once you add the barley.

Serve with crusty olive oil grilled bread.

Enjoy!

Bacon Egg N Cheese Pop Ups

2015-09-12T08:05:00.001-07:00

Making breakfast now that school is back in session can be a stressful thing. You want the kids to get a healthy start to their day with some protein not just sugar from cereal.

These Bacon, Egg & Cheese Pop Ups are easy can be made ahead and warmed up in a snap.

You will need:

A muffin tin

Sliced bread

2 eggs per person

1/4 cup half & half per person

One tablespoon bacon bits per person

Cheddar cheese shredded

Chopped chives or scallions

Salt/pepper

Butter

Heat oven to 375.

Combined eggs and half and half in a bowl whisk, season with salt and pepper.

Spray muffin tin with non stick spray.

Butter one side of the sliced bread. Place in muffin tin buttered side down like you would a cupcake liner.

Sprinkle in your bacon bits, onion and cheddar cheese.

Fill cups with egg mixture. The bread will absorb some of the liquid.

Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes until eggs are puffed up and done.

To remove take a butter knife and run around sides to loosen from pan.

These can be made ahead, place in container cover and refrigerate. Pop in microwave to

warm.

You can also substitute half and half with whole milk. I used whole wheat bread in the photo.

Enjoy!

Pan Roasted Garlic

2015-04-27T12:49:00.001-07:00

Roasting garlic in the oven can take forever! Try this easy much quicker tip.

Pan roast it on the cooktop. I cut the bottom of the head so the garlic can easily break apart. Place in heated oiled pan (I like my cast iron) turning when the skin turns brown. When the garlic gets soft remove to cool on a cutting board.

Remove the skin or pinch at the tip and it should pop right out! It's sweet and has a roasted flavor!

Enjoy ;)

Dessert Apple Roses

2015-04-21T14:56:00.001-07:00

I just saw the most amazing dessert video just now! Of course I had to share! Apple roses. Click the link below to view the video by Cooking with Manuela. It's sooooo easy!!!! Enjoy.

https://www.facebook.com/easymealsforeveryone/videos/750650991723139/

Indoor Marshmallow S'mores

2015-03-10T11:25:00.001-07:00

Who says you can't bring the out doors inside? Here is an easy party fav for the indoors.

Marshmallow S'mores in the Winter or anytime.

Take marshmallows stick a tooth pick in the center and dip in melted chocolate and roll in crushed graham crackers.

Melt your chocolate in a double boiler, a bowl set on top of a sauce pan with water added. Or use the microwave (stir frequently).

Place Graham crackers in a plastic zip lock bag and roll with your rolling pin to crush or toss in your food processor, pulse until desired consistency.

You can ad some espresso powder to make more of an Adult treat!

Enjoy ;)

Tip Of The Day! Par Boil Sausage For Meat Sauce

2015-02-20T13:08:00.001-08:00

Here is a great healthy change for your meat sauces. I par boil my Italian sausage long enough to cook out the fat. I then strain, rinse off the fat and continue with my recipe as usual.

Whether it be mild or spicy sausage it still gives your recipes plenty of flavor without all the fat!

Enjoy ;)

Herbed Goat Cheese Appitizer

2015-02-11T10:24:00.001-08:00

I made these "amazing" Herbed Goat Cheese balls for a gals night out shopping party. They were a huge hit and didn't last long on the table.

You will need:

A log of goat cheese chilled well

Fresh chopped herbs (parsley, chives, thyme, basil, dill, mint)

Smoked paprika - (pour in a thin line on a board and roll the ball down the line)

1/2 cup olive oil

One teaspoon red hot pepper flakes

It's so easy. I cut my goat cheese log into one inch pieces.

Roll the cheese in your palms into a ball. Roll the balls into prepared chopped up "fresh herbs" place on a cookie sheet and chill until needed.

I slightly warmed 1/2 cup olive oil and added a heaping teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Let it sit for a couple hours. Stir every so often.

When your ready to serve pour the oil mixture onto the serving dish. Insert a tooth pick into the cheese ball and place in the oil like shown. The oil gives it a finished touch and will not disappoint!

Enjoy 😄

New Twitter

2014-11-26T10:16:00.001-08:00

I've got a new Twitter! Follow @karenbscooking my other Twitter account is now my personal account, I wil still tweet from the account but not as frequently and as well put together as my new one! Happy Early Thanksgiving!

Halloween Devilled Eggs

2014-10-18T09:20:00.001-07:00

This is great! Cut a black olive in half for the body and strips for the spooky leggs! Piled the eggs on your platter so it looks like a nest of creepy spiders!

Happy Halloween :)

Tip Of The Day!

2014-10-15T06:04:00.001-07:00

I made the best pork chops last that I have ever made! After giving up and several attempts at perfecting the moist juicy chop ever I had quit.

Walking into the market passing the meat isle my eye caught a glimpse of the thick very yummy looking chops. I couldn't resist so I thought I'd try one last time.

I then grabbed a loaf of roasted garlic Italian artisan bread. After cooking the chops to perfection thanks to Alton Brown via Food Network, I tossed some olive oil and herbs on the sliced loaf and put in the oven. The smell was amazing. We sat down for dinner so excited to eat and Hubby says "do we need to turn off the oven?" And he did. We left the loaf in the oven to move on to the after life of burnt bread.

The next morning getting the kids ready for school for what ever reason I opened the oven. And there it was, a very pretty perfect loaf of garlic herb bread. Dried as hard as a rock. The bread actually wasn't hard as a rock unless it's burnt it's the perfect candidate for bread crumbs, croutons for salad, stuffing and home made bread puddings.

I nibbled on a piece and started to dunk in my coffee. It was very tasty like a herb biscotti. :)

Croutons from bread:

Cut bread slices up into 1 inch size pieces.

Place in large mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil to coat. Toss in your favorite herbs. Make sure you use Rosemary! That is the key! My forgotten garlic loaf already had garlic flavor and I had added Rosemary, salt and pepper.

Toss to mix ingredients well. Place on a large baking sheet and bake in 350 oven until light golden brown. Don't forget about them! You may not be so lucky!

Enjoy! :)

Cooking Tip Of The Day!

2014-04-24T06:00:00.001-07:00

Tip of the day, ad a dab of butter to maple syrup, put in a microwave proof pitcher or gravy boat. Heat for 30-40 seconds in the microwave before serving your French Toast or Pancakes!

You will never go back to using syrup out of the bottle! Adding the butter to the syrup makes it taste even better!

Enjoy ;)

Lemon Lime Soda Hangover Cure?

2014-03-21T08:07:00.001-07:00

Lemon Lime Soda has been found to break down symptoms of a hangover.

Herbal teas, caffeine drinks tend to make symptoms worse. Out of the 50 drinks tested Lemon Lime Soda improved symptoms. Bloody Marys have some competition!

Enjoy ;)

More After The Oscars Governors Ball & Wolfgang Pucks Dinner!

2014-03-18T15:00:00.000-07:00

The next yummy treat I want to share with you from my trip to the 2014 Oscars after party at the Governors Ball, catered by Wolfgang Puck, is this AMAZING dish! Ravioli's topped with cream, chives and real black truffles!

When this dish appeared before my eyes my eyeballs almost popped out of my head! The Server gave us the description and confirmed it was real black truffles. The smell of the cream, chives and truffles was so incredibly amazing I hesitated to eat it. I just wanted to take it all in.

A very kind sole sitting next to me asked "what is a truffle?" and I responded back "an earthy tasting amazing delicacy that is highly sought after". She asked "I heard it's a mushroom?". When I responded that its like a fungus spore type food found under ground mainly in France. They typically start at $100.00 an ounce. They are found underground near certain species of trees. The best part, dogs and or pigs rut them up. She at once slid her bowl over to her Husband who promptly devoured the bowl and said "that is the best thing I have ever eaten". We toasted to Puck and his black truffle topped ravioli.

My Husband Craig, the kind soles Husband and I then ordered another bowl as they came around to offer more!

Enjoy ;)

Karen B's Cooking Tip Of The Day - Cook Onions Before Making Meatballs!

2014-03-13T07:52:00.000-07:00

Tip of the day:

When making homemade meatballs and adding onions, never put it raw onions into your meatball mixture. This will cause your onions to cook out causing your meatballs to break apart!

So saute your onions in some olive oil, cooling prior to adding to your meatball mixture.

Try mixing up your flavors buy substituting onions for scallions or leeks into your meatballs for a great new burst of flavor!

Enjoy ;)

Kefi New York City My Favorite Restaurant!

2014-03-11T08:22:00.002-07:00

Kefi - New York City

My #1 favorite restaurant ever!

Favorite Menu Item:

Meatballs!

Michael Psilakis taught me how to make these in a cooking class. They are guaranteed to be the best you have ever tasted. If you go to NYC this is a must have stop!

Enjoy ;)

Wolfgang Puck's Oscar Governors Ball Party

2014-03-10T11:23:00.001-07:00

I had the opportunity to attend the 2014 Academy Awards as well as the Governors Ball following the show.

Wolfgang Puck prepares the food for this wonderful star filled event every year! I was so incredibly thrilled to have the opportunity to attend and even see him in action serving his guests like Bette Midler, Spike Lee and more.

The room was over the top. Colorful plants and flowers on the walls, candle lit tables with George Jones belting out songs on the grand piano.

The service was top notch! Cocktails and hourdouves' appeared as soon as we sat, and continued until we couldn't put another bite in our mouths.

The photo above a baked potato stuffed with caviar is one of the amazing treats we were able to enjoy. Hot buttery potato wrapped in gold foil fitting for the occasion.

Check back tomorrow for more pictures of Wolfgangs fabulous creations from the ball!

Enjoy ;)

Tip Of The Day: Fun Cinnamon Pie Crust

2014-03-04T12:38:00.000-08:00

To put a new fun twist on your plain old pie crust use canned cinnamon rolls! Slice the roll, lay out on a lightly floured cutting board and roll out with your (lightly floured) rolling pin. Place in pie pan. Bake your pie per package instructions. Prebake your crust at 400 for 9-11 minutes or until light golden brown for pudding pies.

Enjoy ;)

Totino's New Pizzeria Snacks

2013-05-20T10:00:00.001-07:00

Happy almost Summer readers!

When I find something that I love I make sure to share it with you!

Totino's has introduced three new flavors of pizza snacks from their new Pizzeria line. With Summer around the corner this will be a big hit with the kids.

Totino's three new flavors are Cheesy Garlic, Chicken Parmesan and Meatball Marinara.

I was honored to be able to try this new product out with my kids and they loved them!

It's "Cooking Made Easy with just 60 seconds ;)

Thank you Totino's for the opportunity to share this great new product!

Karen B's is sending out a gift pack from Totino's to one of my readers to sample and share!

Happy Summer ;)

"Disclosure: The prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills and Totino's through MyBlogSpark."

Matzo And The American Dream

2013-05-04T08:53:00.000-07:00

THE STORY

On Manhattan’s Lower East Side, in a series of four nondescript brick tenement buildings, sits the Streit’s Matzo factory. In 1925, when Aron Streit opened the factory’s doors, it sat at the heart of the nations largest Jewish immigrant community. Today, in its fifth generation of family ownership, in a rapidly gentrifying Lower East Side, it remains as the last family owned matzo factory in America.

This is place rooted in history and tradition, and not only in the sense that the recipe for their product is 3,000 years old. The machinery still used here to bake and pack 40% of the nation’s matzo is as old as the factory itself. The owners still sit at their great grandfathers desks, declining to clear the drawers of the contents left by their forbearers. They have, again and again, refused exorbitant sums offered by developers for their real estate, and resisted modernizing the facility, worried at the potential effects on their fiercely loyal workforce, made up of neighborhood residents and immigrants from around the world, many of whom have been working there for 30 years or more.

And yet, while in many ways Streit’s may seem a relic from another age, they continue to thrive, consistently receiving more orders than they can fill.

In a neighborhood where the Jewish immigrants have long ago moved on, in a nation where progress and profits trump all else, where manufacturing has left the cities if not the country, where family businesses are bought out by giant corporations and workers move from job to low paying job, Streit’s remains a Lower East Side institution, and a glimmer of hope for the American Dream.

THE FILM

This film, a feature-length documentary, will tell the story of Streit’s - of the factory, of the family, of its workers, of its place in the rich history of the Lower East Side and in America. It is a story of tradition, of resilience and resistance, of the perseverance of the Jewish people, and of immigrants of all faiths, so many of whom have found home in the Lower East Side, behind the doors of Streit’s, or in the matzo they bake.

The film is being directed by Lower East Side-based documentary filmmaker Michael Levine, and produced by Michael Green (see the FAQ for more about the production team).

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

By joining in our Kickstarter campaign, you can help us get this film made!

As you can see from the teaser, we’ve begun production, and the experience has been amazing! The owners of Streit’s and everyone who works at the factory are extremely excited about the project, and helping out every way they can to help us capture their story.

But to this point, the production has been self-financed, and that can only take us so far. A feature length documentary is a major undertaking, and we need to raise money to complete the film (see the FAQ below to learn more about where the funding will go).

With your support on Kickstarter, and by spreading the word about the project, we will be able to finish the film and get the Streit’s story out into the world.

BE REWARDED FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!!

2012-11-25T13:33:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to say a hello and take a moment to wish every single one of you a very safe, wonderful Christmas and Happy Holidays!

This blog started as a hobby brought on from dear Friends asking for me to share my cooking ideas and recipes. After some time I thought about not doing it anymore because it was deemed as a quarter of a million dollar a year enterprise (lol!) I have decided to continue to share as I used to do before.

deem (dm)

v. deemed, deem·ing, deems

v.tr.

1. To have as an opinion

An apology is in order to my loyal readers. I won't leave you hanging on old posts again!

So hang on and enjoy the ride ~ and Happy Winter ;)

Christmas Cookie Gifts

2012-11-25T13:07:00.002-08:00

Hello Loyal Cookie Customers!

As the Christmas holiday draws near, we at BBMC want to thank you for your past business and let you know about our gift box options for 2012. Our cookies make the perfect treats for gatherings, and even better gifts for those on your shopping list.

So please take a look at the attached photo of our holiday packaging, and keep us in mind if you need a gift sent out of state or delivered locally. Our dozens ($18) and half-dozens ($11) are stuff of local legend - at least in our minds. Also, our gift boxes can be shipped anywhere in the U.S. for an additional $11.50. If you need lots of cookies for a family or work function, we can do that too!

Contact us at 248.625.6737 for more info, or email at bbmcookies@yahoo.com. You can also view more photos and "like" us on our Facebook page.

Again, we thank you for your business and wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Rick Jr. (Britt's Brother)

Amaretto Peach Cobbler

2012-11-12T15:02:00.002-08:00

I know I have been a way for a while. After taking a break to take care of Family I am now starting to ease back into cooking and sharing new and exciting recipes with you!

Lucky Leaf has sent us a wonderful package of goodies and recipes to test and share with you. Today we are going to make Amaretto Peach Cobbler.

Amaretto Peach Cobbler

Ingredients you will need:

2 - 21 ounce cans Lucky Leaf Pie Fillings Premium Peach filling.

1/2 cup Amaretto

1 17.5 ounce package sugar cookie mix

1 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup butter, cubed

Preheat your oven to 350.

Spread pie filling onto an un-greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Drizzle with Amaretto.

Sprinkle cookie mix and almonds over top and dot with butter cubes.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden brown.

Serve warm topped with whip cream or vanilla ice cream.

Serves 15.

We made this for Sunday dinner and everyone loved it. I had to put it in the kids lunch box on Monday! Big hit at our house. Thank you to Lucky Leaf Pie Fillings!

Happy Fall ;)