The Life & Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch

New Orleans BBQ Shrimp

noreply@blogger.com (Shelby Law Ruttan) — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:51:20 PDT

Sometimes a girl gets real lucky, like I did tonight! I had this jumbo shrimp that I needed to cook. I wanted something with a spicy kick to it, something that was quick and something that was easy. I wasn't sure what I would do but when I got home, I opened up Pinterest and what was the very first pin I saw? Yes, it was this New Orlean's BBQ Shrimp recipe. I clicked on the photo and it took me to Epicurious.

I went to my cupboard and made sure I had all the ingredients and got busy making my dinner! The only thing I didn't have was some crusty bread to go with, but that in all honesty wasn't a terrible thing for me since I don't need those carbs anyway!

This was certainly a yummy shrimp dish and I will definitely be making it again. It had the right amount of heat for me and was so easy to do! The only thing I did differently was use creole seasoning instead of cajun. I'm not sure how much different the two are but I've a feeling not that much! If you love a little spicy saucy heat with your shrimp, this is definitely a dish to try!

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New Orleans BBQ Shrimp

May-20-2013

Ingredients

1 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 Tbsp creole or cajun seasoning
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
4 ounces clam juice
4 ounces beer
1 lemon, juiced
1/8 cup hot sauce (I used Franks)
1/8 cup worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp whole peppercorns
1/4 cup cold butter, cubed

Instructions

Toss shrimp with creole seasoning.Heat the olive oil in a hot skillet. Add the garlic and cook and stir until golden, about 3 minutes.Add the shrimp and cook until they turn bright pink, about 1 minute. Remove from hot pan and set aside.Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about 15 minutes or until reduced by half. Stir in butter. Add shrimp and toss. Cooking about 2 minutes more.Serve with a crusty bread to sop up the yummy juices if desired!

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 25 mins Yield: 1 lb shrimp

Blueberry Almond Chai Pudding

noreply@blogger.com (Shelby Law Ruttan) — Tue, 14 May 2013 03:27:47 PDT

I wasn't planning to post this morning. I actually have another post almost done and ready to go, but then after trying this recipe, I decided that post had to take a back seat. Yes. I loved this that much.

I've been making a lot of dietary changes in the last few months. Concentrating on vitamin and protein packed food. While this could be a higher protein if made with skim milk, I didn't use it because I didn't have any on hand. Next time I will be sure to make this with cows milk to boost that protein factor.

I found the recipe for Mango Coconut Chia Pudding via Pinterest and it led me to Skinnytaste.com. Go figure. :) I love Skinnytaste.com. Its one of my favorite websites out there. The original recipe was for Mango Coconut. While I do plan to try Mango, I had blueberries on hand and well, as most of my regular readers know, blueberries are my very favorite fruit. I felt that almond would make a good compliment to the flavor and since I've yet to pick up any of the liquid stevia from Trader Joe's (high on my list of things to get this week now!), I used Splenda.

If you like tapioca, you will love this. Why? Because it involves no cooking and you put it in your fridge before you go to bed and wake up to this fabulous pudding for breakfast. Yes. I said pudding for breakfast. :) The chia is pretty controversial as to whether is good for weight loss or whether its really a super nutrient. So my choice to use it has nothing to do with the "facts" which no matter what search you use your going to find someone says its great for you and others who say it does nothing for you. So, that said, it doesn't matter much to me - if it has nutritional value (and it does) then I'll use it and add it to my diet. Not to mention, it made this pudding pretty darn yummy in my opinion.

On another note, Grumpy's opinion was to spit it out. ha ha. Mind you, Grumpy hates tapioca so I didn't quite expect him to like this. I give him props for trying it though!

What do you think about Chia Seeds?

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Blueberry Almond Chia Pudding

by May-14-2013

Ingredients

1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup lite coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2-3 packets splenda (or your choice of sweetener)
1 tablespoon sweetened flaked coconut
2 tablespoons chia seeds
3/4 cup blueberries

Instructions

In a large 4 cup measure, mix all ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Set time: 8 hour Total time: 8 hour 5 mins Yield: 2 servings

Browned Butter Banana Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Shelby Law Ruttan) — Sat, 11 May 2013 18:40:42 PDT

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there! I love you mom so much!

I also love my sons Justin & Christopher with all my heart and soul and am so happy that I have them both in my life and that we have the special relationships that we have!

Can you say Oh. My. Browned. Butter. Banana. Goodness! It has been a long, long time since I have made muffins. It has also been a long time since I've used browned butter for anything other than frying a little sage and hitting it with some raviolis. The nutty smell of the butter browning on the stove, muffins chock full of banana, some self rising flour, an egg and some rum extract. Simple. Easy. Delicious. Go make some now!

This is also sweetened with only maple syrup. The original recipe calls for agave or honey, but I always have an abundance of maple syrup in my pantry. I love how healthy this is as well as how easy it is to put together. Make some for your mom tomorrow, I'm sure she will love them!

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Browned Butter Banana Muffins

May-11-2013

A recipe found on The Food Network, slightly adapted to fit flavor favorites in our home!

Ingredients

4 ripe bananas
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon rum extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 large egg
1-3/4 cup self rising flour

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners.Peel bananas and place in large bowl with maple syrup and rum extract. Mash until bananas are liquidy but still slightly chunky.Place the butter in a heavy saucepan and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Pay close attention to the butter or it will easily burn on you.Add about 1 cup of the banana mixture to the browned butter. Simmer a another minute or so until a darker color is achieved. Be very careful when adding the banana mixture to the butter as it will bubble and spatter.Add butter/banana mixture to the remaining banana mixture in bowl. Whisk in egg. Fold in flour until just combined. Do not overmix.With a large ice cream scoop, evenly divide batter between 12 muffin cups. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into center of muffin.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 30 mins Yield: 12 muffins

Mango Blackberry Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (Shelby Law Ruttan) — Mon, 06 May 2013 03:30:32 PDT

The month of May snuck right up on me. As well as did the Secret Recipe Club reveal date. When I received my assignment I was quite excited. I was assigned Lesa from Edesia's Notebook. I've known Lesa for quite a while in the blog world now and I really enjoy her posts. She like a lot of things I like in food so I knew I would not have a hard time making something. What I had a hard time with was life. It was just so busy that time flew right by and before I knew it, I'm on the day of the reveal and still hadn't made anything. I went to my secret stash of recipes from her blog trying to figure out what I could make this morning that I had everything for. Then I saw her Peach Melba Smoothie. Bingo! There was my breakfast.

This was a fancier smoothie than what I regularly make. Most workday mornings I make smoothies right before I head out the door and drink it on my way into the office. I don't get too fancy with them, I normally don't have time. But when I saw this layered smoothie, I knew I had bought my mangos and blackberries yesterday for a reason :) I actually had time to make a little more effort (which in reality wasn't all that much more) and made the blackberry puree. At first I thought I wasn't going to strain the puree, I thought I could handle the seeds. Then after tasting the puree and having more seeds than I cared for hitting my tongue I decided to strain it. Really wasn't all that time consuming and I highly recommend if you use seeded berries that you strain the puree.

I decided that I still needed that slight yogurt tang to my smoothie and I had used up all my frozen mango from Trader Joes so I had to use fresh. I did have frozen bananas so I used some of them to help thicken up the smoothie and to accommodate for not having all frozen fruit, I added ice to my mixture to thicken it up more. Make sure to check out Lesa's post for her Peach Melba Smoothie recipe that I used as a starter for mine.

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Mango Blackberry Smoothie

by May-6-2013

Ingredients

1/2 cup mango, cubed
1/2 cup banana chunks, frozen
2 cups blackberries, pureed and strained
1/2 cup fat free vanilla yogurt
1 cup skim milk
1-2 splenda packets (or sugar) if desired
1/2 to 1 cup ice

Instructions

Puree blackberries in blender. Strain through sieve to remove seeds. You may need to press the juice through with the back of a spoon.Place yogurt, banana, mango, milk and splenda or sugar in blender. Blend together until smooth. If desired, add ice to blender and blend to thicken the smoothie more.Layer smoothie by placing 1/3 of the mango mixture in glass, then top with tablespoon or more of blackberry puree. Continue to layer until glass is full. Top with blackberries and garnish with mint sprig if desired.

Details

`Total time: 10 mins Yield: 2 large smoothies

Pallet Wine Rack

noreply@blogger.com (Shelby Law Ruttan) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 07:11:28 PDT

Pallet Wine Rack made by Phillip Ruttan, photographed by Shelby Law Ruttan

I decided that I had to give Grumpy some projects to keep him busy. We are country people. Country people living in a development with kids and dogs all around us. Now, don't get me wrong. We don't dislike kids or dogs. But we don't have the peace and quiet here we had in our country home. You can't sit in your backyard or front porch enjoying a glass of wine and a good book because there is just way too much distraction. We are getting older and kids in our lives are grown up. Its time for rest and relaxation. We are feverishly working to remedy our living situation, but we also are having a hard time finding what we are looking for and finding it affordably.

So, in order to help keep Grumpy's sanity, I decided to get him signed up to Pinterest. I would browse Pinterest whenever we would be riding somewhere and a lot of the time, I browse it when we are in stores Grumpy likes to visit that I have no interest in. It passes my time without me being bored :) It also gives me a lot of ideas!

Pallet Wine Rack made by Phillip Ruttan, photographed by Shelby Law Ruttan

One day when browsing, I came across this pallet wine rack and I immediately knew that I had to have one. Then I thought, hey, why don't I find some projects I would love to had made for me and get Grumpy to do it so he's occupied? Fortunately for me Grumpy didn't need instructions on how to build this for me. The pin I found didn't take me anywhere except to another photo of the pin. So, I'm sorry if you're looking for instructions here, there won't be any and I'm not sure where to tell you to find them. Grumpy just has the know how and was able to do it. So, I guess this is more of a show and tell post :)

I decided that Grumpy needed a Pinterest account of his own so he could keep looking for projects he would be interested in and so I can suggest ideas for him! I love it. Now Grumpy looks at Pinterest himself for ideas of things he can make. I'm more than happy to have him doing this. ha!

He's already working on other ideas. He has made a chalkboard but it's not quite finished yet. We are looking for the finishing touches for that. While my wine rack isn't full yet and I'm thinking I might put some greenery along the top, I couldn't wait to share it with you to show you what Grumpy did for me! I absolutely L.O.V.E. it! What do you think?

If you don't follow me already on Pinterest, you can do so by following the links below. You can even follow Grumpy as I will give you his account too! Happy Pinning everyone!

Grumpy's Pinterest Page
Grumpy's Honeybunch Pinterest Page

Edit! I'm already editing my post :) My friend Katrina mentioned she doesn't drink wine but this would be good to display olive oils. I agree! I also think it would be fun to make your own infused olive oil and vinegars to display in your own fancy bottles! Not sure you would need the glass rack below for displaying the olive oils/vinegars but Grumpy did say that was the hardest part of the project - the pallet wood is super hard.

Homemade - Neck Scarf and other news :)

noreply@blogger.com (Shelby Law Ruttan) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 07:23:53 PDT

These are not all the best quality photos I am sharing with you today. I used my phone to take some shots recently and this one of me it was easier to do with my phone because I can turn the camera to face me. I am sharing this with you because I wanted to show you my first crochet project - as it looks on a person as well as the photo I took below of it laid out.

I subscribe to Annie's Crochet Magazine and this scarf was one of the patterns in their spring magazine. I love this scarf. It is lightweight and soft and just right to cover that "bare" area. Its call Island Breeze Scarf. Perfect name for it! The magazine shows it in Island Multi Crochet Cotton (size 3) however I could not find that particular color. All of the crochet cotton I could find was a solid color. This one particular one though has a little sparkle to it, so since I love lavender and I love sparkle, I went with this color. Suits me fine if I can say so myself. :)

I am currently making another scarf that will definitely be for cooler weather wear. I'm almost done making it and when I am done I will share it with you. I'm loving that one too!

When I crochet, I am sitting in my loveseat with the foot rest up. Its still been chilly enough for me to need to be covered up with a blanket. Most of the time Rudy or Chubby want up on my lap when I'm doing this. I don't mind if they leave my yarn alone when I'm crocheting. One night recently when I was sitting with my feet up covered with a blanket, I could feel this "tapping" around under my seat. Rudy was under the footrest tapping to find a way up between the blanket and footrest to get to me. Once he got up through the gap, he laid his furry little behind down and put his paws on the seat part and just laid there. He is such a funny and cute little stinker. :) I love my little RRR!

Sauza Southwest Margarita

noreply@blogger.com (Shelby Law Ruttan) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:49:14 PDT

Blue is such a pretty color, don't you agree? This month as part of the AllStar Program with Allrecipes.com, we received from Sauza, a bottle of their Blue Silver 100% Blue Agave Tequila. I knew, when browsing the Sauza recipes on allrecipes website, that I would be making this Southwest Margarita. The original recipe calls for the Gold Tequila, but since what we had was the Blue Silver, I used that instead.

This drink was a little sweeter than I prefer for a boozy drink, but it still tasted great! I made my own margarita mix and maybe for this drink, I would make it more sour than I did. This is a fun drink, pretty color, and the tequila wasn't hard to drink. As I've gotten older, tequila just hasn't been my choice because I couldn't get past the smell, however this tequila was not like that at all and I had no problems drinking this beverage, as a matter of fact, I have a couple other recipes in my mind that I want to try out with this particular brand. That in itself is testimony to the fact that this tequila was not hard for me to drink at all! :)

If your looking for some fun and color to add to your Cinco de Mayo party this year, this is definitely one to try out on your friends. Not harsh, very smooth, salt compliments it completely :)

You can check out Sauza by visiting them at the following places:
Sauza Tequila Webpage
Sauza on Facebook
Sauza on Twitter
Sauza on Pinterest
Sauza on Instagram
Sauza on Allrecipes.com

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Sauza Southwest Margarita

April-24-2013

Ingredients

Sour Mix:
1 cup Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice, strained
1 cup Water
1/2 cup Sugar
Drink recipe:
17-1/2 ounces Sauza Silver
4-1/2 ounces DeKeyper Blue Curaco
18 ounces Sour Mix (see recipe above)
6 ounces orange juice
Lime slices for garnish

Instructions

To make sour mix: stir together water, lime juice, and sugar until sugar is dissolved. What you do not use in this recipe can be stored in your refrigerator.Fill shaker with ice, pour in tequila, blue curaco, sour mix, and orange juice. Shake well.Pour into a glass rimmed with sugar or salt (I prefer salt!). To make the sugar or salt stick, dip rim of glass in fresh squeezed lime juice first, then dip rim of glass in sugar or salt.Pour beverage from shaker into margarita glass. Garnish with lime slice.

Details

Yield: Serves 7

4 Bean Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

noreply@blogger.com (Shelby Law Ruttan) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 02:48:26 PDT

This would be a great side dish for your Cinco de Mayo celebration :) You can adjust the heat to anyway you like it from zero to spicy! This is my version of a bean salad recipe I found in the MyPlate section of allrecipes.com. Because I absolutely love cilantro and lime I knew I had to add them to the dressing. Then, because I knew the dressing was sweet, I had to add a little heat with the jalapeno. Yummy! I literally ate two servings of this for breakfast on Sunday morning.

This is so quick to mix together and while I used only green beans (I used home canned beans from my mom and dad!) you can use 1 can of yellow and 1 can of green if you prefer.

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4 Bean Salad with Lime Cilantro Dressing

April-22-2013

A sweet-heat mixture that makes you keep going back for more! Adjust the amount of heat by using more or less jalapeno pepper.

Ingredients

2-14.5 ounce cans cut green beans, drained
1-15.5 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained
1-14.5 ounce can kidney beans, drained
1-14.5 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped
1-2 jalapeno peppers, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup splenda or sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 large lime, juiced

Instructions

Mix drained beans, onion, peppers, celery, and cilantro in large mixing bowl.Mix together olive oil, splenda (or sugar), lime juice and vinegar until well blended and sugar is dissolved.Pour dressing over beans and toss lightly. Refrigerate before serving if desired.Note: The recipe on Allrecipes states to refridgerate at least 8 hour before serving however, I ate some right after I made it and enjoyed it then also! I would suggest you make it at least 4 hours before serving to give the flavors time to meld, but if you are in a hurry, like me, then it doesn't hurt to dig in before refrigerating :)

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Yield: 12 cups

Avocado Wontons with Tamarind Cashew Dipping Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Shelby Law Ruttan) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 04:50:30 PDT

Have you ever had the avocado egg rolls from Pizzeria Uno or Cheesecake Factory? I've had them at both places and really love them. My favorite one though is from Pizzeria Uno. Maybe because that is the first place I ever had one. I decided that I wanted to try them at home but because it would be just me eating them I wanted to do them as wontons. Grumpy absolutely will not eat an avocado. I think its the one food he has even refused to try since we have been together. I think he should have at least tried these because they were de-lish-ious! These would be great to pre-make and freeze for when you have a little party to share with all your other avocado loving friends. :)

I searched online for recipes that I thought looked like the best choice for the Tamarind Cashew sauce. I had tried to make it before and it didn't turn out anything like it was at Uno's. I decided this one on Blast Food was the one to go with. I made the dipping sauce first because if that didn't turn out, then there was no way I was making the wontons. For the sauce, the original recipe states to blend all the sauce ingredients together in the blender, including the cilantro. Well I did as it said, but my sauce didn't look anything like what I get at Unos. The cilantro turned the entire sauce green. However, it tasted absolutely awesome! Maybe next time I wouldn't whiz all the cilantro in the blender, just some, and then just stir in some more chopped cilantro once the sauce was blended. For the egg rolls, they called for sundried tomatoes packed in oil. Well, I only had sun dried tomatoes that were in a vacuum sealed package from Trader Joes. Since it needed a little "wetness" I stirred in about 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil to the mixture. Yummy, I could eat that filling all by itself! If you love the Uno's or Cheesecake Factory avocado egg rolls, you will definitely love this recipe. Try it out :)

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Avocado Wonton Bites

April-20-2013

Ingredients

Cashew Tamarind Sauce
1-1.2 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon balsalmic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon tamarind pulp
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup cashews
2/3 cup fresh cilantro
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
For the wonton bites
1 large avocado, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon red onion, minced
2 tablespoons sun dried tomato, choppes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon fresh cilantro
pinch of salt
wonton wrappers

Instructions

To make the sauce:
Stir together vinegars, honey, and tamarind pulp. Microwave for 1 minute.
Remove from microwave and stir until tamarind is dissolved.
In a blender, puree tamarind mixture, cashews, 2/3 cup cilantro, garlic, sugar, and black pepper.
Stir in olive oil

For the wontons:
Gently mix avocado, onion, cilantro, sundried tomato, and olive oil.
Distribute 1 tablespoon of filling in center of each wrapper. Brush corners and sides with water and seal. When you seal, bring two opposite corners up over filling and pinch together. Bring each side up and pinch together to form wonton and seal tightly.
Deep fry wrappers in oil (375 degrees) for 1-2 minutes or until browned, turning wontons in oil to evenly brown. Remove from hot oil and drain on paper towels. Serve with sauce.
Details
Total Time: 40 mins Yield: 1-1/2 dozen wonton bites

White Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Shelby Law Ruttan) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 04:47:17 PDT

First, I have to say Happy Birthday to my Momma!!! :) She is 70 years young today. I love you mom and you certainly don't look 70 years old to me!

I can count on one hand how many item's I have baked since Christmas. Four items. 2 loaves of banana bread, 1 batch of chocolate quinoa cupcakes and this batch of cookies. When I first started writing this blog it seemed like all I did was bake. Muffins, cookies, cupcakes, bars. You name it, I had to make it. Of course, back then I had a bit more energy than I have now and what little bit of energy I do have has been put into the elliptical in the morning instead of baking muffins to take to work. The fact that I have not been baking is one of the reasons I decided to make these cookies for my Secret Recipe Club reveal this month. That, and I was craving a cookie. :)

The blog assigned to me to snoop around on and discover more about was My Hobbie Lobbie. Trisha, the author of this blog, seems to have a lot in common with me. She loves to cook, bake, craft (especially crochet which is my fav), and she is also married to the most wonderful man in the world. Oh, wait. Maybe that is where our similarities end...nah, I'm married to the most wonderful GRUMPY man in the world. ;) She has several great recipes on her blog but out of them all, I went with something very simple and basic. The cookie. She made a chocolate chip cookie, and while I would have loved to stayed with what she made, I couldn't. I did not have a single chocolate chip in my pantry. I had peanut butter chips and white chocolate chips. So I went with them. They were great warm from the oven and still good after they cooled, but unfortunately they got a little too crispy by the next day for Grumpy. He likes a chewy cookie. So, I took them where I knew people would appreciate them....to work! :) They were gone before noon there!

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White Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

April-8-2013

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees celcius.Cream together butter, shortening, sugars, eggs, and vanilla.Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Stif mixture into wet batter and mix well.Stir in white chocolate and peanut butter chips.Using a small cookie scoop, place cookie balls on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper about 2' apart. Flatten the cookies slightly with the palm of your hand or back of a spoon.Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are set and lightly browned.Transfer cookies from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Store in airtight container.......Note: cooking time shown is for 1 batch cookies. Plan on about 45-50 minutes total time. However, in about 22 minutes you can be enjoying a warm cookie while the next batch is in the oven! :)

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 12 mins Total time: 22 mins Yield: 4 to 4-1/2 dozen cookies

Waffles II

noreply@blogger.com (Shelby Law Ruttan) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 02:53:23 PDT

I know that it was only a week ago that I posted waffles. I literally have not put my waffle iron away since I last made that particular recipe. Its a whole lot easier to make waffles when I don't have to go digging the waffle iron out of the deep dark recesses of my downstairs closet!

First I was thinking I wanted to make a Belgin waffle, but then when reading the recipes I realized they called for yeast and rising time. I didn't want to wait. So I found this recipe on allrecipes.com that separated the eggs, then folded the whites in. I thought maye this would be a good recipe to try. It wasn't a Belgin waffle but Grumpy did say that this recipe had more flavor than the last one I made. Maybe next week I'll get to the Belgin waffles. Maybe....

I was hoping that because of the egg whites being folded into the batter that it would be a fluffier waffle but it really wasn't. The waffle wasn't any thicker than the ones I made last week and I'm really curious why Grumpy thought they tasted "better" because all in all the ingredients were basically the same thing, just made differently.

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Waffles II
April-7-2013

Ingredients

2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups almond milk (or your milk of choice)
6 tbsp vegetable oil
2 large eggs, separated

Instructions

Preheat waffle iron. In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in milk, oil and egg yolks until mixture is smooth. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into batter.Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden; serve hot.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 20 mins Yield: 4 servings

Easy Sausage Pizza (Johnsonville Sausages)

noreply@blogger.com (Shelby Law Ruttan) — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 15:44:42 PDT

For the month of March, the Allrecipe AllStars were making recipes with Johnsonville Sausages. At the beginning of the month, Johnsonville sent us a beautiful set of Sur La Table Covered Casserole dishes along with coupons to try out their sausages. I've had a rough month and while I started out with intentions of getting through the activities way before now, today I actually made my last recipe. I decided that instead of posting all the recipes I made here that I would link you up to the recipes I did make on allrecipies.com and post my favorite one here on my blog.

We enjoyed all of the recipes I did make, however, this pizza, the last one I made, was my personal favorite. It was easy, quick, and I loved the spicy sausage on the pizza. I would make this again for certain! I'm a big fan of pita bread pizzas so instead of the pizza crusts, I went ahead with the pita breads instead. This time I used Tofyan pitas. They are higher protein and a little thicker than your normal pita bread.

Here is the list of recipes I did make with the link to Allrecipes.com if your interested in trying them out also! I made two recipes with mild italian sausage and one with 3 cheese italian chicken sausage.

Johnsonville Three Cheese Chicken Sausage and Broccoli Rigatoni

Tre Formaggi Fritatta
this is one of the dishes I received for my activity this month!

Johnsonville One-Pan Italian

We were encouraged to make one of our favorite allrecipes.com beef recipes substituting Johnsonville Sausages. Unfortunately, events in our life didn't allow me to do this. However, our very favorite recipe on AR that is one I would probably attempt would be a chili recipe and I would probably go with the hot sausage. Grumpy loves the dill pickle meatloaf from AR but I'm not so certain how sausage would work in that recipe because of the fat. Maybe a mixture of the sausage with beef would be a better idea there. In any case, I totally enjoyed trying the sausages and I have to say my favorite recipe was this pizza with the 3 cheese italian chicken italian sausage one coming in a very close second. I will probably make that recipe again also!

I would like to take the time to thank Johnsonville for their generosity and delicious recipes they brought to our home this month. I also want to thank Allrecipes for bringing such great brand partners to our tables! I look forward to a long relationship with both!

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Easy Sausage Pita Piza

by March-31-2013

Ingredients

4 Tofuyan Pita Breads
1 cup pizza sauce
1 lb Johnsonville Hot Italian Sausage (ground)
2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions

Pre-cook sausage if desired. Drain and set aside until ready to top pizza. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place pita breads on large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread pizza sauce evenly over each pita bread. Top with mozzarella cheese. Top with sausage. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown slightly.
Details
Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 30 mins Yield: 4 Pita Pizzas

I am an Allrecipes Allstar Brand Ambassador (a voluntary position) and I’m not compensated for my work with Allrecipes.com. Products received from advertiser are only used for experienced-based reviews on The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch. The reviews, content and opinions expressed in this blog are purely the sole opinions of Grumpy's Honeybunch

Waffles with Cherry Berry Syrup

noreply@blogger.com (Shelby Law Ruttan) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 07:15:21 PDT

I know I've been MIA for quite some time. After over 5 years of blogging though, a person can get burn out. I have had so many different things going on with me that I have had no energy to think about food and recipe creating. I am still 1 recipe away from fulfilling my AllStar duties for Allrecipes this month. I have until tomorrow to finish up so I guess its a good thing I only have one more dish to make!

I haven't made a "breakfast" in a while. Lately we've been living off of protien shakes, yogurt smoothies, mini bagels and hard boiled eggs in the morning. Take your pick, its all been at the ready for us. This morning however I was out of almond milk so there was no protien shake for Grumpy. I had some almond/coconut milk mixture, but he wasn't up to a shake that had coconut milk. He asked me how hard it was to make waffles and my response was "the hardest part is digging out the waffle maker". Literally. That can be a LOT of work! ha ha. So, this morning, I got a little exercise digging out the waffle maker and made us waffles. I served them up with some mixed cherries and berries and pure maple syrup.

When making the waffles, Grumpy came out and was intently watching me put the batter in the maker. After I closed the lid he walked away. Of course, I can't let his watching me go unnoticed, so when he walked away, I asked "so, I must have done it right since you didn't have anything to say". LOL Oh he cracked a grin and denied it up and down, but picky mr grump was watching me for that very reason and he can't fool me. Besides, he denied it way too intently. I also told him it was a good thing he didn't have anything to say about how I was cooking or he'd be cooking for himself.

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Classic Waffles

March-30-2013

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 large eggs
1-1/2 cups almond milk, warmed
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar; set aside. Preheat waffle iron to desired temperature.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the milk, butter and vanilla. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture; beat until blended.

Ladle the batter into a preheated waffle iron. Cook the waffles until golden and crisp.

While waffles are cooking, warm berries and maple syrup in microwave safe bowl for 40 seconds. Serve over top of waffles.
Details
Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 25 mins Yield: 6 large waffles

Spicy Baby Bok Choy and Tofu Stir-Fry

noreply@blogger.com (Shelby Law Ruttan) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 01:30:43 PST

This month, for The Secret Recipe Club, I was snooping around on Ilona's Kitchen and came away with a whole lot of links taking me to yummy recipes that I want to try! We seem to have a lot in common. Wife, Daughter, Mother of two. Not to mention our taste for spicy food. She has a lot of Indian and Crockpot Recipes that I have bookmarked for future reference. I have been on the search for crockpot recipes because I'm just too tired when I get home from work anymore. I don't have the same things that she has going on in her life anymore(I'm probably old enough to be her mom). I totally respect her as a housewife, mother, caretaker and she lives a busy life (and from her perspective most of it in her car!) My child rearing days are over now and its a full time job and old-er age making me tired at night. I used to be ready to put my kids to bed at 8 pm over 20 years ago. Now I look forward to putting myself to bed at that time! lol

She also cooks from websites that I frequent often, one of them being Allrecipes.com. As a matter of fact, that is where she found the recipe that was on her blog that I made for the Secret Recipe Club! It also ended up fitting perfectly with the MyPlate segment that AR is sponsoring on their site. However, instead of just being a side dish, I turned it into a main dish by adding tofu! I used vegetable broth in place of the water in the recipe and cut the oil in half. I also added about a teaspoon of cornstarch to the sauce before putting it in the pan and sauteed the garlic with the bok choy. Oh, and I added a little red bell pepper for a little contrasting color. My tofu, was pressed and dry fried to a crisp and added to the sauce then I tossed the bok choy with the sauced up tofu. Was a pretty yummy lunch and even Grumpy ate some of the tofu. :)

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Spicy Baby Bok Choy and Tofu Stir Fry

March-4-2013

Ingredients

1 lb extra firm tofu, pressed and cut into triangles
cooking spray
1 lb baby bok choy, chopped and white part separated from leafy part
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions

In a large skillet sprayed with cooking spray, fry tofu triangles until crispy over medium high heat, turning pieces onto all sides to crisp up. This might be a little time consuming, but very worth it! Remove tofu from pan and set aside.
While tofu is dry frying, chop baby bok choy into bite sized pieces, separating the white bottoms from the green tops. You will cook the white bottoms before cooking the leafy green.

Make sauce mixture by mixing vegetable broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, red pepper and cornstarch. Set aside.

Place sesame oil in hot skillet along with garlic. Sizzle about 30 seconds then place the white part of bok choy in pan with garlic. Stir fry about 2 minutes. Add the leafy part of bok choy to pan and stir fry another minute. Transfer bok choy to a bowl and set aside. Pout sauce mixture into hot skillet and bring to a simmer. Simmer sauce until it begins to thicken. Add crispy tofu to sauce in hot skillet and toss to coat. Return bok choy mixture to skillet and toss with tofu and sauce. Arrange stir-fried bok choy and tofu mixture on platter and squeeze juice of 1 lime over top of mixture before serving.
Details
Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 35 mins Yield: 4 servings

Chickpea and Spinach Curry

noreply@blogger.com (Shelby Law Ruttan) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 16:29:54 PST

This is some good stuff! Of course, I am eating this recipe on my own because Grumpy absolutely dislikes chickpeas. He did try it and said it was edible, but he wouldn't be eating it. No big deal. This is going to be my lunch this week for a couple of days and I'm happy with that.

I found this recipe on Cooking Light while searching for vegetarian dishes. It doesn't matter too much to me that Grumpy won't eat it because it doesn't make so much that 1 person couldn't eat it up in a few days. Grumpy should be willing to eat chickpeas though, I have read they are good for diabetics.

Healthy and tasty, I am loving the ginger/curry flavor to the dish. If you like chickpeas and don't mind curry flavor, then this is a definite dish to have on your regular meal rotation.

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Chickpea and Spinach Curry

February-18-2013

slightly adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoons refrigerated ginger paste
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 packets splenda
2 tablespoons red curry powder
1-19 ounce can chickpeas, drained (I do not rinse)
1-14 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
4 cups fresh spinach, washed and trimmed
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions
Heat oil in large non-stick skillet. Saute onion, ginger, curry powder, and splenda for about 3 minutes. Add chickpeas and tomatoes. Simmer 2 minutes. Stir in spinach, water, and salt. Cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts.
Details
Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 15 mins Yield: 3 servings (1-1/3 cups per serving)

The Pucker Factor - Dill Pickle Martini

noreply@blogger.com (Shelby Law Ruttan) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 03:39:33 PDT

I hope you weren't looking yesterday to see what special thing Grumpy did for me on Valentine's Day...because we didn't do anything for each other this year. Actually, just being together and being happy is really good enough for me any day of the week! We have things to look forward to this year however, so we are being frugal with our pennies.

Yesterday, if there were as many sweets in most of your lives as there were in mine at the office, you might feel like a little puckering today! The only thing I indulged in at work was a gorgeous heart shaped cookie from a local bakery. There was a chocolate fountain set up at the office also but I avoided that area. You could also use this as a way to get your sweetie to pucker up for you after sweetening him or her up. *wink*!

For this reason, today I am bringing to you what seems to be a bit of a controversial drink on my Facebook page. There were some definite "no" reactions when I posted the photo, but I say, don't knock it until you've tried it! If you like dill pickles, you should like this martini. I found the recipe on allrecipes.com and as part of my "faceless recipe" assignment I made this drink. My thoughts were, it can't really be that bad as its not much different from the dirty martini! I absolutely love this drink. I might even have one tonight! I think this drink needs to be given more of a chance so if you try it out, make sure you check out allrecipes.com and give it a rating!

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Dill Pickle Martini

February-15-2013

not that far off from the dirty martini - and a great drink!

Ingredients

Ice
3 shot glasses vodka
1 shot glass dill pickle juice
dill pickle slices (to garinish)

Instructions

Fill shaker with ice. Pour vodka and pickle juice over ice and shake well. Pour into glasses and garnish with pickle slices. My measurements are to our tastes. Measurements on allrecipes are slightly different.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: Total time: 5 mins Yield: 4 mini martini's or 2 regular sized martini's

Skillet Cod with Cilantro Lime Butter

noreply@blogger.com (Shelby Law Ruttan) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 03:15:53 PST

I love it when I find a new recipe that is really super yummy and this cod dish is just that! Of course, for me, the fact the recipe had cilantro in it is what intrigued me to begin with. Grumpy, who thinks I am infatuated with cilantro (well, I am!) even liked the butter. This was quick, easy and a great weeknight dinner.

Grumpy's favorite fish is cod, so I used cod in this recipe although you could use any mild white fish such as flounder or tilapia. If you like the flavors of cumin, cilantro, and lime, you will love this recipe!

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Skillet Cod with Cilantro Lime Butter

February-13-2013

adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 (6 ounce) cod fillets
Cooking Spray
1 Lime, quartered
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Combine first 3 ingredients; sprinkle over both sides of fish. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Coat both sides of fish with cooking spray; place in pan. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.
While fish is cooking mix together softened butter, cilantro, lime rind, paprika and salt in a small bowl. Place fish on serving platter; squeeze lime quarters over fish and serve with cilantro lime butter

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 6 mins Total time: 16 mins Yield: 4 servings - 1 fillet with 2 teaspoons cilantro lime butter

Siri's Heart Sugar Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Shelby Law Ruttan) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 02:07:12 PST

I am so excited about this cookie. Its a recipe I have never made before and I found it on allrecipes.com. The title of this cookie is Siri's Heart Sugar Cookie and I "heart" these cookies! I love to make and decorate sugar cookies but I don't do it often because its time consuming and I can get real sick of decorating way before I am done. But this recipe made it so easy. Rolling and cutting these were not hard to do and the best part was I didn't have to chill the dough so that cut a lot of time off the recipe making.

I was intrigued by the recipe to start because it called for stirring some cream of tarter into the milk then adding to the dough. My experience with cream of tarter in recipes has always been successful so I had to try it. You add the flour to the recipe last. When I did this, I used my hand mixer(because I was too lazy to pull out my kitchen aid) and I was able to add almost all the flour before turning it out onto the floured board. I then kneaded in the about 1/2 of the last cup as the recipe states, using what was remaining pretty much for re-flouring the board and rolling out other batches of dough. The dough was so easy to handle that I had no problem at all rolling and cutting each batch.

So, all that said, if you think you don't have time to make cookies for Valentines day, guess what?! You do! With baking and decorating time, it took me about 2 hours total. You don't have to glaze them like I did, you could frost them with a buttercream and sprinkles which would save more time. I think it probably took more time to glaze then to mix and bake. If you do want to glaze like I did, I used my go recipe to at Our Best Bites.

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Siri's Heart Sugar Cookies

February-12-2013

Ingredients

2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1-1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until fluffy. Add 1 egg, allowing it to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next with the vanilla extract.

Dissolve cream of tartar in milk; beat into the butter mixture.

Add 4 cups flour (mix in 1 cup at a time) with baking powder and salt; beat until doughy.

Spread 1 cup flour onto a flat work surface. Roll the dough out on the prepared surface; cut out in desired shapes until all dough is used.

Bake on non-stick baking sheets in preheated oven until cookies are set in the middle, about 12 minute.

Details
Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 12 mins Total time: 32 mins Yield: 3 dozen assorted sized cookies

Blood Orange Cranberry Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Shelby Law Ruttan) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 06:19:35 PST

Its been a long time since I've made muffins for the blog. Back when I first started this blog, I made them all the time! As a matter of fact, that is what the kids at Clarkson used to look for in the office, was muffins! Well, in my search of recipes on allrecipes.com, I came across a new recipe called Cute Cranberry Tangerine Muffins. After reading the recipe, I decided it was one that I was willing to try. However, since I still had blood oranges I decided to use them since I didn't have tangerines. Then, at the last minute, right after I stirred in the cranberries, I decided to grab the bag of mini chocolate chips in the cupboard and put about 1/3 cup in the mix.

These muffins are tender on the inside with a crispy top - and I love them that way! I just have a few things I might do different next time. I'd probably reduce the heat to between 350 and 375. Original recipe calls for 375 and I felt that they were getting a little dark around the edges before the inside was completely cooked. I also think I would reduce the sugar to start - to at least 3/4 cup and if still too sweet for me, drop to 2/3 cup. I think they were sweet to me because of the chocolate chips, but even with out them I would probably cut the sugar just for my own taste. I also added a teaspoon of vanilla to the milk mixture. The recipe didn't call for a flavoring and maybe it didn't need it, but after tasting the batter, I figured it wouldn't hurt. All in all, this is a great keeper recipe!

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Blood Orange Cranberry Muffins

February-9-2013

Ingredients

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup blood orange juice
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
blood orange zest from 3 oranges (or 3 tbsp if you want to measure)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (if your worried about too dark muffins, reduce heat to no less than 350 degrees F). Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

Place dried cranberries and blood orange juice in a glass 1 cup measure then microwave for 90 seconds; remove from microwave, stir, and set aside to cool.
Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Using hand mixer, mix butter, blood orange zest, and sugar in a separate large bowl, until mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat eggs into butter mixture, one at a time, until thoroughly combined.
Gently fold flour mixture into the butter mixture, alternating with milk in two additions, until batter is just mixed. Fold cranberries and juice into batter. Fold in chocolate chips. Using large cookie scoop, scoop batter into prepared muffin cups.Bake in the preheated oven until muffins are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then remove and place on rack to finish cooling (if you can wait that long before eating one!)

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 40 mins Yield: 12 muffins

Blood Orange Martini and Happy Birthday Grumpy!

noreply@blogger.com (Shelby Law Ruttan) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 04:29:23 PST

Happy Birthday to my Grumpy Hubby. While he may be mellowing out more as he ages (he he) he still is his Grumpy self for the most part. Just not as strong. I thought to celebrate his venture into the land of no going back, I would share with you this formerly faceless recipe from allrecipes.com. For those of you who don't know what a faceless recipe is, it is a recipe that does not have a photo connected to it. Well, this yummy drink now has a photo attached and I guarantee that if you like this kind of beverage, you will like this particular one!

The original recipe called for tangerines, but I had these gorgeous blood oranges that I just couldn't resist using for this martini. So raise your glass with me and wish Grumpy a happy one today!

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Blood Orange Martini

February-7-2013

adapted from allrecipes.com - Vicki's Tangerine Martini

Ingredients

4 ounces fresh squeezed blood orange juice
2 full shot glasses vanilla vodka
1 shot glass triple sec
ice

Instructions

Fill drink shaker with ice. Pour in vodka, triple sec and blood orange juice. Shake well, strain into martini glass and garnish with slices of blood oranges.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: Total time: 5 mins Yield: 2 regular sized martini or 4 mini martinis

Cider Bourbon Glazed Ham

noreply@blogger.com (Shelby Law Ruttan) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 09:00:03 PST

You don't find much in the way of ham recipes on my blog. Mainly because its not something I like to cook. I think in all the years Grumpy and I have been together, I've baked a ham a total of 3 times. Three times in 13 years.

Every once and a while though, I will hear in my head Grumpy reminiscing about boiled ham, cabbage, and potatoes with carrots that his mom used to make. So, I thought I might have that as another meal after we tried this ham recipe out. This recipe for Cider Bourbon Glazed Ham was found on Cooking in Stilettos - the blog that was my Secret Recipe Club assignment for the month of January. Aly, the author and cook of all things delicious on her blog is from Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love :) I wonder, do you know there is a Philadelphia NY too? :) There sure is. But its not the scene Aly sees every day. Its just a small little hokey town between Gouverneur (another small little hokey town) and the "City" of Watertown. :) Not that any of that means anything to many of you. Alas, I'm off topic.

I had some homemade cider that Dad had given me when I was home over Christmas and some Jim Beam in the liquor cabinet. That's all I needed (besides buying the ham) to make me decide I was going to try this recipe out. We had ham left over for scalloped potatoes, and I used the last of it up in homemade bean soup. Needless to say, we did not let this ham go to waste! I only made one change, and that was I went with maple syrup in place of brown sugar. Love how the flavors penetrated the ham!

If you haven't visited Aly's blog yet, make sure its a stop you make! She has a great variety of delicious recipes on her blog!

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Cider Bourbon Glazed Ham

February-4-2013

Ingredients

4-5 pound bone in ham
2 cups apple cider, divided
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup dijon mustard
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
1 cup bourbon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line your roasting pan with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Place the ham in the roasting pan, cut side down. Pour 1 cup of the apple cider over the ham and place in the oven.

Let the ham roast in the oven for 45 minutes while you prepare the glaze.

On a stove, in a heavy bottomed saucepan, add the remaining cider, maple syrup, mustard, garlic and stir to combine. Let it come to a boil and then turn off the heat. Add the bourbon. Return to the heat.
Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer until it is reduced by half. When it is reduced, set aside a small amount for serving.

After 45 minutes, remove the ham from the oven and flip the ham so it is resting on its side. Glaze the ham and return to the oven, continuing to baste about every 15 – 20 minutes until the ham is fully heated through and the glaze has formed a nice coating.

Remove from the oven, let rest for 10 minutes and carve.

Grands Mini Tomatillo Cilantro Chicken Pizza

noreply@blogger.com (Shelby Law Ruttan) — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 15:42:33 PST

I found another reason to buy Pillsbury Grands Biscuits to have on hand. These Grands Mini Pizzas are a great concept. I work hard all day and sometimes when I get home I don't feel like making a mess or making something that is going to take more time than I want to spend (which a lot of nights is about zero time) cooking then cleaning in my kitchen.

When the Allrecipes Allstars did their Pillsbury Recipes just a couple months ago, it was also at the same time that there were a LOT of commercials on TV showing recipes you could make with their products. One in particular that Grumpy wanted to try was the "Unsloppy Joes". We did try them and he really loved them.

This month, we are again using Pillsbury products and making their recipes they have on allrecipes.com. The Grands Mini Pizzas happen to be one of them. I love this concept. Not only was it quick and easy, but it was tasty. I personalized my own mini pizza with some Lizbeth Lane Tomatillo Cilantro Pizza Sauce. I've been wanting to try this sauce since they sent me 3 jars to try and this was my first chance. The sauce was a very tasty change from my usual tomato, buffalo, or BBQ pizza. If you haven't tried the Lizbeth Lane line, they you should check it out!

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Grands Mini Tomatillo Cilantro Chicken Pizza

January-19-2013

Ingredients

1 can (8 Biscuits) Pillsbury Grands Biscuits
8 Tablespoons Lizbeth Lane Tomatillo Cilantro Pizza Sauce
1 cup cooked chopped chicken pieces
2 cups mozzarella, provolone cheese blend
1/3 cup roasted red peppers, diced
fresh cilantro to garnish

Instructions

Press each biscuit into 6-inch round. Place on 2 large or 3 small greased cookie sheets. Top each round with pizza sauce, cheese, chicken and roasted red peppers.

Bake at 375 degrees F 10 to 15 minutes or until bottoms are deep golden brown and cheese is bubbly.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 25 mins Yield: 8 mini pizzas

Disclaimer

I am an Allrecipes Allstar Brand Ambassador (a voluntary position) and I’m not compensated for my work with Allrecipes.com.

Products received from advertiser are only used for experienced-based reviews on The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch. The reviews, content and opinions expressed in this blog are solely my own.

Will you be mine? Conversation Hearts

noreply@blogger.com (Shelby Law Ruttan) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 03:16:51 PST

In the new edition of Food Network Magazine there is a recipe for conversation hearts! As soon as I saw them I knew I had to make them, personalize them, and send them to my kiddies! I've never worked with fondant before but found out it wasn't hard to do at all. I think its a great recipe, but if I made them again I would definitely be out there looking for stronger flavors. I only had vanilla, almond, and rum flavoring in my cupboard so that was what I went with.

So to Justin (JJ) & Kristina and my grandpuppies Isabelle and Maggie....
To Christopher (Furr), my rock star who I want to keep dreaming big.....
To Grumpy, who my friend Karry said "wasn't so Grumpy after all".....
To my parents who started this whole thing going ;-)
and my Kitties....Miss Kitty, Rudy, and Chubby....
You all have my heart and I love you so much...that I had to put it on candy to tell you. (BIG SMILE)

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Conversation Hearts

January-18-2013

Why buy the candy might make your heart melt but then break your teeth? :) These are softer than the ones you can buy in the store, but are just as good and fun to boot!

Ingredients

1-1/4 ounce packet unflavored gelatin powder
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 cups confectioner's sugar
assorted food coloring, for tinting
assorted extracts, for flavoring
cooking spray
food decorating pens, for writing

Instructions

Whisk the gelatin, corn syrup, vanilla, salt and 1/2 cup boiling water in a stand mixer bowl until the gelatin dissolves. Using the paddle attachment, beat in the confectioner's sugar on medium low speed, 1 cup at a time, to make a stiff, sticky dough.Transfer the dough to a clean surface and knead, adding more confectioner's sugar as needed (up to 1 cup), until the dough is smooth, pliable and slightly tacky, about 5 minutes.Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Flatten 1 piece into a disk. Cover the rest with plastic wrap. Add a few drops food coloring and extracts to the flattened disc. Fold in the sides and pinch closed, then knead until the color is distributed.Lightly coat a large piece of parchment paper with cooking spray. Roll out the colored dough on the parchment until 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into hearts using 1-inch cookie cutters. Transfer to parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough using different colors and extracts. Let the hearts sit at room temperature, uncovered, until dry and hard, about 24 hours, flipping them about halfway through. Write messages on the hearts using food decorating pens. Store in an air-tight container up to 1 week.

Details

Prep time: 1-2 hours Drying time: 24 hours

Note: this was more time consuming for me than the recipe stated. Cutting several tiny hearts is very tedious work. I think that is where the loves must come in ;) I had a hard time finding cookie cutters that were 1 inch hearts - but Wilton does make a linzer cookie cutter that worked perfectly for me!

Spicy Asian Chicken Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Shelby Law Ruttan) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 04:09:52 PST

I. Love. My. Nook. Tablet.

Yes. It is the best invention ever. Why? Well, because I now no longer have magazines strewn all over my house! With the exception of a few "specialty" magazines, my house is now clutter free from magazines and I will not buy the hard copies ever again!

My NOOK Tablet HD+ 16GB BNTV600 (Google Affiliate Ad) library allows me to subscribe to all my favorite magazines for a much less costly rate than buying the magazine itself - and if your one who likes to have the hard copy and you still have a nook, then I think that you can get the electronic version free for some magazines. I won't be bothering with the hard copy though. :) It also allows me to keep all my magazines neatly on my virtual bookshelf, has a bookmark page where I can quickly find recipes I bookmarked. Then I can set it up on the counter and just follow the recipe from there....oh yeah. I love it. :)

Which brings me back to this soup.....

There is this place I love to go to for lunch on Central Avenue in Albany called Pho Yum. They have the absolute best Pho soup I have ever had and I literally crave the stuff. In any case, the reason I am telling you about this is because I did a trial subscription to Rachel Ray Magazine on my nook tablet. I decided to continue getting the magazine and in the new year issue, this soup recipe grabbed my attention. Its not the Pho soup I get at Pho Yum, but it was a pretty decent rendition of an Asian soup. For my taste it wasn't spicy enough but for Grumpy it was perfect. To make it perfect for me, all I did was add a little sirachi and hoisin sauce. Grumpy loved it so much that he was not happy he forgot we had it when he went for lunch one day, and even after eating his can of yucky pork and beans, he filled up a bowl of the soup. After he finished his words were "That was the worst soup ever. You can never make it again." Oh Grumpy. Your such a smarty pants. ;)

I think you should go to your kitchen and make yourself some of this right now. :-)

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Spicy Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Jannuary-12-2013

adapted from Everyday with Rachel Ray Jan/Feb 2013 issue.

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons red curry paste
5 oz rice noodles, such as maifun
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
4 scallions, sliced
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 lime, cut into wedges for serving
to taste sirachi
to taste hoisin sauce

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken, chicken broth, and two cups of water to a simmer. Lower the heat, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through. Approximately 30 mimutes. Remove the chicken; let cool. Shred the meat.Strain the broth and bring back to a simmer over medium-high heat. Whisk the curry paste into the broth. Add the noodles and bell pepper and cook until the noodles are just tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the chicken.
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the scallions and cilantro leaves. Serve with lime wedges. Add sirachi and hoisin sauce to taste.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 50 mins Yield: Serves 4

Disclaimer - the thoughts and opinions on the Nook Tablet are purely my own. I did not receive any compensation in any way for writing this post. I just enjoy my Nook tremendously and wanted to share this with my readers.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

noreply@blogger.com (Shelby Law Ruttan) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 09:00:02 PST

I have had gnocchi one time in my life and I hated it. However, people kept going on and on about how good it was. I decided that maybe what I needed to do was make my own!

Well I was lucky that it was in the stars for me to make it recently....as when I was browsing the blog I had been assigned as my first blog of the year for the Secret Recipe Club, I came across a recipe for Sweet Potato Gnocchi! It was destiny. I was going to make it. The flavor sounded awesome and all I needed to buy was some sweet potatoes.

The wonderful blog that I stumbled upon this delicious recipe for is Culinary Adventures by Camilia. I had a little bit of trouble with the recipe. I needed way more flour than Camilia used in hers. I'm not sure why but all I can say is these little pillows of heaven turned out awesome and I will definitely not be able to say that I don't like gnocchi anymore! Thank you Camilia for inspiring me to make these soft, pillowy, bites of fall with the earthy sage browned butter sauce. They were awesome!

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Sweet Potato Gnocci

by January-7-2013

Gnocchi kicked up with a little cayenne and sage in the dough...then dressed up with browned butter and sage sauce. Delicious!

Ingredients

3 cups pureed sweet potato
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon rubbed dried sage
2-1/2 to 3 cups (use as needed) all purpose flour
1 large egg, well beaten
for the sauce:
2 tablespoons salted butter
8 large fresh sage leaves
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions

Mix the potato puree, butter, cayenne pepper and rubbed dried sage until well combined. Stir in the flour using enough flour until a soft dough forms that is easy to handle.

Using about 1/2 teaspoon of dough, with floured hands, roll the dough with the tines of a fork and a little extra flour as needed to prevent from sticking. Mark the dough with the tines to give a ridge effect to the gnocchi. Set aside until ready to cook.

When ready to cook gnocchi, heat 4 cups of vegetable broth on the stove until boiling. Add gnochhi and turn heat down to a simmer and simmer gnocchi until they float to the top (about 2-3 minutes). Remove from broth and place in a colander to drain more then transfer to a cookie sheet.

To serve gnocchi, make your sauce. Bring butter to a bubble and add fresh sage leaves. Watch carefully as your butter and sage can burn. Make sure your heat is not too high. Once butter and sage leaves are browned, remove sage and crumble back into the butter. Toss with gnocchi. Sprinkle with Feta, toss to coat. Serve!

Note, this can be time consuming if you have never made gnocchi! Time listed below is approximate.

Details

Prep time: 1 hour Cook time: 2 mins Total time: 1 hour 2 mins