Pie Birds, Buttons and Muddy Puddles

Italian Caprese Chicken Sandwiches with Garlic Aioli

2012-04-26T21:54:00.000-04:00

It has been a long time since I shared a tasty recipe with you readers. I needed a little break for school vacation week and the little break just didn't want to end. Until now. I decided it was long over due to share these Italian Caprese Chicken Sandwiches with you. Remember last year I made mini Italian sandwiches, full of great Italian deli meats and homemade olive muffaletta for our annual Ladies' Tea at church? This year I stayed true to those Italian flavors but created a new sandwich that everyone loved. I wanted to make a sandwich using the typical Caprese Salad as the starting point and decided to add thin chicken cutlets and a delicious garlic aioli to finish it off. TO. DIE. FOR. Well, maybe not DIE. How 'bout this - TO. SIGH. FOR. or TO. SING. FOR. Anyways, you get the point. They were delish.

Italian Caprese Chicken Sandwiches with Garlic Aioli
for the chicken cutlets:
boneless chicken breasts, sliced thin (see this post here on how to cut the chicken into thin slices)
2 eggs, mixed with 1/4 cup milk and S&P
2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
canola and olive oil, for frying
for the Caprese Salad:
fresh mozzarella
vine ripe tomatoes
fresh basil leaves
balsamic vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
for the aioli (recipe adapted from allrecipes.com):
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic, minced finely
juice of half a lemon
pinch of salt, pepper
rolls

Directions:
First, make the aioli by mixing together all the ingredients. Place in fridge until ready to use.

You may want to make this the day before to really give the flavors times to develop.
Next, make the chicken cutlets.

Slice your chicken into thin pieces (check out this post where I show how to cut the chicken into thin pieces). FYI, I made two dozen mini sandwiches so there is a lot of every ingredient going on here. You probably don't need to make as much if you are just making these for your family :)

Mix your eggs with the milk and salt and pepper.

Whisk together well.

Place your bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. I like to use metal cake pans to make cutlets.

Set up an assembly line with your chicken slices, egg/milk mixture and bread crumbs - ending by the stove.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add canola oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Swirl in a few tablespoons of olive oil. Remember, you aren't deep frying here, just shallow pan frying so you only need enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan and just barely come up the sides. You know your oil is hot enough when you place the end of a wooden spoon into the oil and it sizzles and bubbles around it.

Dip the chicken into the egg/milk mixture.

Next, coat the chicken in the bread crumbs, making sure to cover both sides well.

Place in the skillet and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, until nicely browned and cooked through. They are thin so they should cook fast.

Drain the cutlets on a brown paper bag. It will absorb any extra oil. Sprinkle a little salt right over the cutlets while they are hot. Continue with remaining cutlets, until they are all breaded and fried. Now set them aside until you are ready to assemble your sandwich.

Now we are going to assemble the Caprese Salad part of the sandwich. Basically you are just layering the ingredients into little stacks.

Slice the fresh mozzarella into thick rounds, and cut the bigger rounds into halves (if you are making full size sandwiches you may want to leave them big, but mine were for mini sandwiches so I cut the rounds in half). Do the same with the vine ripe tomatoes and stack the tomato slices on top of the mozzarella. Place a whole basil leave on top of the tomato. I love the smell of fresh basil.

Sprinkle a little salt over the stacks and drizzle lightly with olive oil and then with balsamic vinegar. Now you have Caprese Salad. This is an awesome summer salad to serve with dinner, but it also goes great in these little sandwiches.

We are ready to assemble!

Liberally spread the garlic aioli on the bottom of the inside of your roll.

Place a chicken cutlet right over the aioli.

Add a Caprese Salad stack right over the chicken and you got yourself a tasty little sandwich.

My friend Carole and my sister Liz came to my house before the Ladies Tea and I put them to work helping me assemble these sandwiches. They were awesome kitchen sous chefs :) And in exchange, I shared a couple little sandwiches with them. My sister is one of the pickiest eaters I know, so I was really excited she liked the sandwiches so much.

Whenever I bring food to an event I like to make little signs so people know what they taking.

Doesn't that look so yummy?

Enjoy!

Italian Stuffed Artichokes

2012-04-11T13:25:00.000-04:00

This recipe is a favorite originating from my Mother's large Italian family. It was her job growing up to clean, trim, and stuff the artichokes. I can't imagine making a dozen of these at a time. My Mom taught me to make these when I was young and now I make them for my family. My husband and my son Jack really enjoy eating stuffed artichokes. They are a "labor of love" to make because of the preparation, but very worth it. Most people are scared to cook or even eat whole artichokes, so hopefully this post will help educate and show you how easy it is.

Italian Stuffed Artichokes

Ingredients:

4 medium fresh artichokes

2 - 3 cups Italian style breadcrumbs

1/2 cup grated pecorino romano, or parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon garlic salt or 1 clove fresh minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/3 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Using a sharp knife, cut off the stem of the artichoke.

You will need it to sit upright in a pan so make the bottom level.

Next trim off about 1/2 inch of the very top of the artichoke.

It should now look like this.

Using a pair of kitchen shears and starting from the bottom, trim off the pointy top of each leaf. You are only cutting the tip, so maybe about 1/4 inch?

Continue all the way around the artichoke until you get to the top where the leaves are much tighter.

Don't worry if some of the leaves split a little in the middle when you are trimming them.

Continue with remaining artichokes.

Now you are ready to wash and stuff the artichokes.

Wash the artichokes and use your fingers to help loosen up the leaves by gently pulling them away from the center. This will make them easier to stuff. Turn the artichoke upside down and shake out any excess water.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Add the bread crumbs, grated cheese, parsley, garlic powder (or garlic) to a large mixing bowl. Mix together.

Add enough olive oil to make the mixture moist.

You want the mixture to be able to stick together when pressed against the side of the bowl with a fork.

Now stuff the artichoke leaves right over the bowl. Starting at the bottom again work your way up and around till you get to the top with the tighter leaves. Gently pull out each leaf and use your hand to scoop some of the mixture into the leaf. Don't worry if some falls out. Push the mixture down using your thumb.

Your choke should look big and fat now :)

Once you have stuffed most of the artichoke (don't do the leaves at the top) turn the artichoke upside down and shake out any excess bread crumb mixture.

Continue with remaining artichokes. Depending how heavy handed you are with the mixture, you might need to make more. I had just enough to stuff four artichokes.

These bad boys are ready for the oven now.

You can drizzle a little lemon juice over the top to prevent browning if you wish (I usually do not).

Place the artichokes in a large metal roasting pan.

Pour enough water into the pan to cover the base of the artichokes - about 1/2 inch of water. You need this water to help steam the chokes.

Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for 60-80 minutes. The cook time with depend on the size of your artichokes and how much you stuffed them.

After 60 minutes remove the pan from the oven to check for doneness. Carefully uncover the pan.

Use your fingers to pull out a leaf from one of the artichokes. If it comes out easily, they are done. If it gives you resistance, cover and cook for another 10 minutes or so and check again.

Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

To eat the artichoke, pull out a leaf with the bread crumb mixture...

Use your teeth to scrape off the bread crumb mixture into your mouth. You can also eat the very bottom part of the leaf (the tender lighter colored part), which is part of the heart.

Discard the leaf and continue eating the remaining stuffed leaves. Once the outer leaves are gone, and you get to the center of the artichoke, use a spoon to scrape off the little white leaves and the fuzzy part covering the heart. The heart is on the bottom and very yummy.

From generation to generation, this recipe is a classic and continues to be a pleaser for all. Enjoy.

Leftover Potatoes? Make Potato Egg Salad

2012-04-09T12:43:00.000-04:00

Did anyone else end up with tons of leftover potatoes from Easter dinner? I made two bags and ended up with tons of leftover cooked potatoes. I decided to make my husband potato salad to go with his lunches this week and add hard boiled cooked eggs. Because I really love him. Those of you that know me will understand the love here (I do NOT eat eggs. Period. I do not like eggs. At all.) I decided to give Alton Brown's method of baking the eggs in the oven (instead of boiling them) a try, and it was really easy and they came out great (according to Adam, my husband "the egg eater.") I'll show you how I did it...

Potato Egg Salad

Ingredients:
1/4 cup good quality mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
4 cups cooked potatoes, diced
2-3 hard cooked eggs
salt, pepper
1/2 tsp dried parsley (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Place your eggs directly on the center rack in the oven. Place a baking sheet on the rack underneath (just in case an egg breaks).

Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

Carefully place cooked eggs in a large bowl of ice water. Let them cook for about 15 to 20 minutes before peeling.

Put the mayo, mustard, celery salt and onion powder in a mixing bowl.

Mix together well.

Dice your cooked potatoes.

Add to the bowl with the mayo mixture and carefully toss the potatoes to coat.

Cut your cooked eggs in half (I used three eggs).

Cut the egg halves into bite size pieces.

Add the egg to the mixing bowl and sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper. Carefully mix together.

Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle a little parsley (dried or fresh) over the top.

Serve and enjoy, unless you are a fellow non-egg eater like me. Then you can watch the people around you eat and enjoy. Adam said this was one of the best potato salads he has ever eaten. I hope he means it because there is a whole lot of it for him to eat this week :)

If you are looking for another way to use up leftover potatoes, or leftover ham, check out this post for Ham and Potato Soup, it's what's for dinner tomorrow night.

Bird's Nest Cookies

2012-04-05T19:58:00.000-04:00

How cute are these edible bird's nests for Easter? I am so pumped about these cute treats because they are super easy to make and my little guy Jack can eat them (no allergies - no nuts and no eggs!). I saw them at the Art of Dessert and knew they would be on the dessert menu this Easter. And the little eggs are Cadbury mini eggs, which are seriously the most addicting candy ever. I LOVE them. It is a problem, and I can't trust myself when they are in the house. ~~Psssst: This was the third bag I bought to make these cookies because we ate the first two bags before we got to cookie making time.~~

Bird's Nest Cookies
From the Art of Dessert

Ingredients:
12 oz bag chow mein noodles
12 oz bag butterscotch morsels
Cadbury mini eggs (or other little egg shaped candies)

Directions:

Melt the butterscotch morsels in a large microwave safe bowl, in 30 second increments, until the morsels are almost melted completely. Stir until all the little bits dissolve and the mixture is smooth. Be careful not to burn the morsels!

Add almost the whole bag of chow mein noddles and gently stir it together.

Scoop about 1/4 cup of the mixture and use your hands to shape into a little mound. Place on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet.

Now the best part...

Add three chocolate egg candies to the center of the mound. Continue with remaining ingredients. If the mixture gets too hard you can soften it in the microwave for about 10 seconds to make it more pliable.

Makes about two dozen cookies total. This recipe is easily halved too, if you don't need that many ~~(or if you ate too many Cadbury mini eggs and didn't have enough left for that many cookies).~~

Let the cookies harden on the baking sheet for about five minutes before you transfer them to a serving platter.

If the little eggs don't stay stuck to the bird's nest, you can dip the bottoms in a small amount of melted morsels to make "glue" to help them stay in place.

Aren't they cute? My boys loved them.

Happy Easter!

Oven Fries

2012-04-04T08:04:00.000-04:00

Potatoes are always a great accompaniment to dinner - beef, fish, chicken - they just go well with dinner, don't ya think? Oven fries are one of my favorite ways to prepare potatoes. They are easy to prepare and come out of the oven crispy from the olive oil and with a little kick from the grill seasoning. I think this is a Rachael Ray recipe that my my Mom has made for years and passed on to me.

Oven Fries

Ingredients:
2-3 large russet potatoes
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of grill seasoning (or your favorite spice blend)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Wash potatoes well - do not peel!

Cut each potato into thirds (or in halves if it is smaller).

Now cut each third into thin strips - about 1/4 inch thick.

Place potato slices on a baking sheet.

Drizzle with olive oil.

Sprinkle the grill seasoning over the entire pan. This particular grill seasoning already had salt in it, but if your seasoning blend does not contain salt, go ahead and add some! Use your hands to toss the potatoes so each pieces is coated with the oil and the seasoning.

Arrange in potatoes in a single layer and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, turning the potatoes over halfway through.

They should be nice and crispy but a little bit thicken than fast food fries. They are not quite as thick as steak fries though.

These are always gobbled up pretty quickly! See how yummy they look? And they are so much better for you than fried potatoes.

Serve with dinner or as an afternoon snack. Your kids will think you are the coolest if you give them oven fries after school.

Enjoy!

Quick & Easy Meal - Spicy Tilapia

2012-03-30T09:00:00.000-04:00

Here is another quick and easy meal idea for all you people out there who don't have much time to prepare dinner, and you people who are sick of chicken (me, me!!). This recipe was created by my friend Jen, and shared on her blog. I have been making this spicy tilapia since she posted it last year because we all love it. It is super easy to make, and cooks very quickly. Perfect for the days I work and come home exhausted to a hungry family. Tilapia is also a very versatile fish to work with because it has a mild flavor and doesn't fall apart as much as other white fleshed fish. Don't be scared of fish people! Remember, buy it fresh (the day you are making it) and ask to smell it at the fish counter. If it smells fishy - run! Well, maybe not run, but say no thank you and change your dinner plans. If it is fresh it should not smell fishy at all. Kapeesh?

Spicy Tilapia
Recipe from Miss Jen's Kitchen Adventures

Ingredients:
1 to 1 1/2 pounds tilapia fillets
juice of a lemon
Cajun spice seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

Rinse and pat dry your tilapia fillets.

Squeeze lemon juice over one side of the fillets.

Sprinkle with your choice of Cajun seasoning. Go lightly, especially if your seasoning has a high salt content. I have tried a few different brands and they all tend to be a bit salty so next time I am going to make my own Cajun seasoning blend and try it out. I'll keep ya posted on that.

Heat a large skillet (I like to use my cast iron skillet) over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and butter.

Once the butter is melted and hot, add your fillets - seasoned side DOWN in the pan. Now you can season the other side of the fish with the lemon juice and Cajun seasoning. Cook for about 5 minutes until you see the fish is starting to cook up the sides and the underside is browned. Flip it over carefully and cook on the other side for another 3-4 minutes, until the fish is opaque and flakes easily.

Remove from pan and squeeze a little more lemon juice over the cooked fish if desired.

Super easy and very tasty.

Serve with rice and veggies and now you have another quick and easy meal to add to the list.
Thanks Jen for an awesome recipe! Check out Jen's cooking blog here for more great dinner ideas and recipes.

Roasted Green Beans

2012-03-23T10:16:00.002-04:00

I love green beans: crunchy and raw for an afternoon snack, steamed and bright green to accompany any meal, and my latest favorite - roasted till lightly browned and caramelized. My friend Danielle found this recipe on Pinterest and raved about them so I gave them a try. This is a fun new way to prepare an old standby and is quickly becoming a favorite side dish at dinner time. My husband loved them roasted and I think I need to start making him his own pan because he eats so many of them prepared this way.

These are very simple to prepare and don't take too long at all too roast.

Roasted Green Beans
recipe from Skinny Taste

Ingredients:
1 lb green string beans
2 teaspoons olive oil
salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and trim the ends of the green beans.

Place the green beans on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil and add salt, pepper and garlic powder. Use you hands to toss everything together. Spread in a single layer on your baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes, shaking the pan after 10 minutes to turn them over.

Watch them carefully during the last couple minutes to make sure they don't get burned. This batch probably should have come out of the oven a minute or two earlier.

Yum. These green beans are really delicious.

Serve 'em while they're hot!

I mentioned these in my last post for Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Breast, because they were an excellent pairing. I think these roasted green beans are going on my menu for Easter dinner :)

Enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Breasts

2012-03-21T10:05:00.000-04:00

My mom has been making these bacon wrapped stuffed chicken breasts since I was a little girl. They are fancy and tasty, and the perfect thing to make for company or a special occasion. If you are looking for a great Easter dinner idea - this is it! My favorite thing about these stuffed chicken breasts is that you can prepare them earlier in the day (or even the day before) and store in the fridge until you are ready to cook them. I typically make enough for each person to have one, and a couple extras in case someone wants seconds. They are great leftovers too.

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Breasts
serves 4-6

Ingredients:
6 boneless chicken breast (about 2 pounds)
2 tablespoons softened butter
salt, pepper
good quality cheddar cheese - about 1/2 a block
2 cups prepared stuffing (I like Pepperidge Farm)
6 slices bacon

Directions:

Trim any visible fat from chicken breasts. Place one chicken breast in a large ziplock bag.

Use a mallet, or the back of a heavy spoon, to gently pound the chicken.

You want to tenderize the meat and make it thinner, but be careful not to rip or break the chicken, as you need it in one piece.

Place the pounded chicken breast aside on a large sheet of wax paper. You can use a large cutting board too but the wax paper is easy because you can just throw it out when you are done. Continue with remaining chicken breasts.

Slice the cheddar cheese into 1/2 inch slices - you need 6 slices total (or however many pieces of chicken you have.

Prepare the stuffing and let cool slightly.

Set up an assembly line with your cheddar cheese and bacon and stuffing.

It makes it easier to do each step with all the pieces in an assembly line.

Place little dots of butter on each slice of chicken (you can spread the butter it if yours is soft enough, mine wasn't). Generously salt and pepper each piece of chicken.

Place a slice of cheddar cheese in the center of each piece of chicken.

Now place a scant 1/4 cup of stuffing on each piece of chicken, right on top of the cheese.

You may not use all the stuffing, that's okay.

Pull up the sides of the chicken, toward the center, enclosing the stuffing completely.

This is hard to demonstrate in a picture, but basically you are making a little round bundle. Use your hands to mold the chicken into a round ball and keep working the chicken together to close it up. This takes practice, and it may not look as round as you would like at first.

Turn the chicken bundle over, so the seam is on the bottom now, and wrap a slice of bacon around the chicken to help keep it closed. Your bacon may go around more than once depending on the size of your bundle.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the chicken bundles on a baking sheet, and put in the fridge while the oven preheats. This helps them firm up and keep their shape better.

Cook for about 40 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and the bacon is cooked and crispy. You might need to turn on the broiler for the last couple minutes to really crisp up the bacon. The baking sheet might have some bacon grease, which you can carefully drain off the sheet while you let these cool slightly. Don't worry if you have some cheese that came out on the baking sheet.

Don't those look great?

They really are awesome.

The bacon really goes well with the flavors of the cheese and stuffing in the chicken.

Here is a look at the inside. Delicious. We enjoyed these stuffed chicken breasts with roasted green beans (another post coming soon), bread and salad. Fancy, huh? And now you have a great meal to make next time you have company. This was a special Bon Voyage dinner to our friend Travis who is in Germany for a month.
Enjoy!

Homemade Chinese - Baked Egg Rolls

2012-03-14T14:10:00.000-04:00

We love Chinese food at our house. Really, we do. It is a favorite of my husband and my son Jack, especially. I have experimented with several favorite Chinese dishes at home, and shared the tried and true recipes with you - Fried Rice, Lo Mein, Beef Teriyaki, Beef & Broccoli, Sesame Noodles and General Tso's Chicken. I am pretty pumped to add another to the list - Egg Rolls. These are awesome, because they are BAKED and not fried, but they still have the awesome crunchy fried taste. You can fill these with anything you like - I have made them with veggies only and also with shredded chicken. I was making them as the main course for dinner this time, so these egg rolls have chicken in them. Feel free to change it up with your favorites (shrimp would be great too). This was one of the very first recipes I pinned on Pinterest and comes from For the Love of Cooking.

Baked Egg Rolls
recipe from For the Love of Cooking

Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cups of savoy cabbage, chopped (I didn't use cabbage)
2 cups of shredded carrots
2 cups of bean sprouts
1 can of water chestnuts, chopped
2 tbsp green onions, sliced
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup water
12 to 14 egg roll wrappers (or 24 spring roll wrappers)
Sweet chili dipping sauce or sweet and sour sauce (for dipping)

Directions:

Prepare your ingredients (shred, grate, chop, etc.) and get them all ready. You can do this step earlier in the day if you have extra time.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.

Once hot add the sprouts, carrots, chestnuts and ginger to the pan and cook, stirring frequently for 4-5 minutes, until the vegetables just begin to wilt but still remain a little bit crisp.

Mix the corn starch with the water and mix thoroughly.

Add the corn starch mixture and soy sauce to the pan along with the green onions. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

Stir in the shredded chicken and remove from heat and let cool.

I used Spring Roll wrappers because they were out of egg roll wrappers at the store. Spring Roll wrappers are very fine, so use two of them. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Stack two spring roll wrappers on top of each other.

Add about 3 tablespoons of the mixture to the bottom center of your wrapper.

Roll up the bottom so it covers the mixture.

Fold over both the left and right sides.

Now roll the rest of the wrapper up all the way, like a burrito.

Place seam side down on a lined baking sheet (or spray a baking sheet with non stick spray).

Continue with remaining mixture and wrappers. Spray the tops and sides of the egg rolls with non stick spray pretty liberally. This helps give it the crispy finish.

Place in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes then turn them over. Bake for an additional 5-7 minutes or until crispy and golden brown. Serve with sweet chili sauce or sweet and sour sauce.

These healthy egg rolls are packed with flavor and crunch.

You can also freeze the leftover egg rolls (wrap individually in plastic wrap, and place in a ziplock bag in the freezer) and reheat in the toaster oven for a yummy lunch.
Enjoy!

Jalapeno Popper Dip

2012-03-12T21:19:00.001-04:00

Remember those yummy jalapeno poppers I showed you for Superbowl? They were delish. And a big hit in our house. This dip is similar in flavors, but much easier and faster to make. My sister in law Lacie had a jalapeno dip recently at a local restaurant, and couldn't stop talking about how good it was. Unfortunately, it was a special and not on their regular menu so I searched Pinterest for a similar recipe. I found one on Closet Cooking and decided to give it a try! I am SO glad I did. I made this for Lacie's birthday yesterday and she loved it. I loved it. My brother loved it. My dad loved it. And my husband loved it. It was so amazingly good.

Jalapeno Popper Dip
recipe from Closet Cooking

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1 (4 ounce) can sliced jalapenos (pickled)

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

I couldn't find a small 4 oz can of jalapenos, so I bought a large 12 oz jar and just used 1/3 of the jar.

Coarsely chop the jalapenos.

Mix the cream cheese, mayonnaise, cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese and jalapenos in a bowl.

Spray your baking dish (small shallow dish) with nonstick spray.

Pour the mixture into a baking dish.

In another small bowl, mix the panko bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.

Sprinkle over the dip.

Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the sides are bubbling and the cheese cheese has melted and turned golden brown on top, about 20 minutes.

Let cool slightly before serving. This dip really is amazing.

Serve with little crostini, tortilla chips, ritz crackers, or french bread.
Enjoy!

Spicy Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork

2012-03-09T11:00:00.000-05:00

Pioneer Woman never fails. Really. Every recipe I have made of hers comes out awesome. This Spicy Dr. Pepper pulled pork is no exception. Disclaimer: It is REALLY spicy. My husband and I love spice, and could handle it fine, but it was too much for my kiddos and our wimpy guest Travis. So cut back on the chipotle peppers and just use the adobo sauce from the can if you don't want a lot of heat. I really loved the sweetness from the Dr. Pepper and the brown sugar. This recipe cooks in the oven and although you can use a crockpot, it won't give you that nice caramelized crust on the meat.

Spicy Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork
recipe from Pioneer Woman
Ingredients:
1 whole Large Onion
1 whole Pork Shoulder ("pork Butt") - 5 To 7 Pounds
Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 can (11 Ounce) Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce
2 cans Dr. Pepper
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Peel the onion and cut it into wedges.

Lay them in the bottom of a large dutch oven.

Generously salt and pepper the pork roast, then set it on top of the onions in the pan.

Pour the can of chipotle peppers over the pork (include the sauce.) Remember, these are SPICY. So just use one, or just the sauce if want to cut back on the heat.

Add the brown sugar, on top of the chipotle peppers.

Pour in both cans of Dr Pepper.

Place lid tightly on pot, then set pot in the oven. Cook for at least six hours, turning roast two or three times during the cooking process.

Check meat after six hours; it should be absolutely falling apart (use two forks to test.) If it's not falling apart, return to the oven for another hour.

Remove meat from pot and place on a cutting board or other work surface.

Use two forks to shred meat, discarding large pieces of fat.

Strain as much of the fat off the top of the cooking liquid as you can and discard it. I also removed the onions.

Return the shredded meat to the cooking liquid, and keep warm until ready to serve.

Serve on tortillas, or on rolls, with coleslaw and baked oven fries.

See that lovely pulled pork? Delicious.

Enjoy!

The Easiest Hot Breakfast - Toad in the Hole

2012-03-05T20:57:00.000-05:00

Yup, I know. This is one of those easy things to make that really doesn't require my step by step pictures, but I am going to post it anyways for those of you that haven't been enlightened yet to "toad in the holes." My mom made these growing up for my Dad and my brother, and I although I don't personally eat eggs (I'm weird, I know) I loved watching her made them. My sister and I (the non-egg eaters in the family) ate the holes that got cut out of the bread. Basically, a toad in the hole is just an egg cooked in the middle of a piece of bread. My husband loves them so I make them for him, because that is true love.

Toad in the Holes

Ingredients:
butter
bread
eggs
(duh!)

Directions:

In a non-stick skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat.

Using a round biscuit cutter (or use a glass - that is what my mom always did), cut a circle out of the center of the bread.

Don't throw that circle out! They taste yummy toasted in a little butter too :)

Crack your egg in a small bowl, or a measuring cup.

Place your bread in the pan with the butter.

Pour your egg right in the center of the bread. Cook until the egg is completely set up on the bottom and up the sides. This will take about 2 minutes.

Now carefully flip your bread over with a spatula, and cook for just another 30 seconds to toast the other side of the bread and set up the white of the egg. You want the yoke to be runny, so don't over cook it!

Remove from heat and repeat as many times as you want. You can do two at a time if you are a skilled toad in the hole maker.

Ahh, what do you think? Pretty easy, huh.

The key really is in the runny yoke, which is how my husband enjoys these best.

Breakfast is served.

Oh, and don't forget about those centers you cut out. Fry them in the pan for fun little toasts.
Egg eaters enjoy!

Oatmeal Sandwich Bread and Avocado Toast

2012-02-27T09:15:00.000-05:00

Don't ya just love it when you find a good recipe on the side of a box or bag? This recipe for Oatmeal Sandwich Bread comes from the side of a bag of King Arthur Flour Bread Flour. I am a firm believer in using good quality ingredients when baking, and I only use King Arthur Flour. It is not much more expensive than Gold Medal or Pillsbury, but it is more consistent in results and recognizably higher quality. It goes on sale a few times a year at our local grocery store for $2.50 a bag and I stock up on the bread flour and white whole wheat. I buy the 10 pound bags of all purpose flour at BJ's, which is always a good price since you are purchasing in bulk.

Anyways, back to the recipe. This bread was easy to make, but it does have two rising periods, so plan accordingly. The oats give it a nice whole grain touch, and the honey adds a bit of sweetness.

It was a yummy afternoon snack that day, and an amazing lunch the next day with smeared avocado on it. Delicious. Let's get started!

Oatmeal Sandwich Bread

recipe from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

3 cups King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
1 cup rolled oats (old-fashioned oats)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons instant yeast OR 1 packet active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups lukewarm milk

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the lukewarm milk and yeast.

Hello Mr. Honey Bear...

Add the honey to the mixture and let it sit and bubble for a couple minutes to make sure your yeast is active and good.

Next add your old-fashioned rolled oats...

And the salt.

Next, add the butter. If it is not at room temperature, you might want to slightly soften it in the microwave.

Lastly, add the flour.

Mix the ingredients together to form a shaggy dough. Knead by hand for 10 minutes OR by mixer for 5 minutes until it is fairly smooth.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap.

Allow the dough to rise for 1 hour. It will become quite puffy, although it may not double in bulk.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled surface and roll into a long rectangle.

Start from the end closest to you and roll up, jelly roll style.

Keep rolling, pinching the seams tightly together in between each roll.

Pinch the final seam shut and roll on the counter until the seam disappears.

Please the log in a lightly greased bread loaf pan.

Cover the pan lightly with greased plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until it is crested 1" over the rim of the pan.

Preheat over to 350 degrees and bake for 35 minutes. If the bread appears to be browning too quickly, tent with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.

Brush the top of the warm bread with butter and cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

Let the bread cool completely before slicing.

Now this bread is pretty good with some butter or honey drizzled over it, or sliced thinly for sandwiches...

but it is DIVINE with some creamy peppery avocado spread. I saw this post on literally, a spoonful and knew this bread was perfect. It is pretty simple to make - drizzle some olive oil on a piece of your oatmeal sandwich bread and toast it. Mash up an avocado with a little lemon juice, salt and pepper and spread on your toasted bread. Sprinkle with a little crushed red pepper flakes and you have re-created a Cafe Gitane delight.

Enjoy!

Baked Teriyaki Salmon

2012-02-21T13:43:00.001-05:00

Have we had the fish conversation before? I think so. I really love fish, but don't prepare it often at home, BUT I am getting over my fear of buying and making fish. Remember, fish should NOT smell fishy. If it does, it isn't fresh. I embarrass my husband when we go to the grocery store and I ask the fishmonger (you know, the guy who works behind the seafood counter) what is the freshest fish they have and if I can smell it. They always smile and let me take a sniff. If it smells strong or fishy, I don't buy it. Really. Usually it is fine, and I always buy it on the day I am making it so it is the freshest. It is a nice change from chicken, beef and pasta so I am trying new fish recipes this year.

This particular Baked Teriyaki Salmon from Tammy's Recipes was delicious. So delicious that I made it twice in one week. Everyone loved it and this will be my "go to" salmon recipe for the colder months when we don't grill (salmon on the grill is awesome, but not always feasible for us New Englanders, unless you are my father-in-law, but I digress).

Baked Teriyaki Salmon

recipe from Tammy's Recipes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds fresh or frozen salmon fillets
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce (recipe to make your own here)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 clove minced garlic (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion (or 1/2 teaspoon onion powder)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Dash of crushed red pepper flakes, optional
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 teaspoons brown sugar, divided

Directions:

In a large measuring cup combine the teriyaki sauce, oil, garlic, onion, pepper, red pepper (if using), one teaspoon of brown sugar, and sesame seeds.

I bought one big piece of salmon, so I needed to slice it into fillets. You can buy it already sliced, or ask the fishmonger to slice it for you. Place the salmon fillets in a gallon size ziplock bag, in a single layer.

Pour the marinade into the bag, over the salmon. Remove excess air from bag, seal, and make sure fillets are covered on both sides in the marinade. Put salmon in the fridge to marinate for a few hours.

When you're ready to cook the salmon, remove the fillets from the bag and place them in a shallow baking dish (I used a 9x13 pyrex glass dish) in a single layer (skin side down if the salmon has skin). Pour 1/4 cup of the marinade over the fillets, and sprinkle the other teaspoon of brown sugar over the tops.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until salmon flakes with a fork (145 degrees internal temperature). Don't bake too long, or salmon will be dry! I turned on the broiler for the last minute to get the brown sugar caramelized and the excess liquid absorbed.

Serve with rice and steamed vegetables. We love edamame in our house.

Doesn't that look tasty? It was full of flavor and cooked perfectly.

The salmon should flake easily with a fork, and be pale pink in color. My 6 year old loved this salmon and told me the brown sugar sprinkled on the top make it delicious.
Enjoy!

Make Your Own Fort Kit!

2012-02-16T13:00:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to share this Fort Kit post with you. Seriously. I think this is one of the best things I have ever made. It is an awesome gift for any kid - boy or girl and it was a blast to put together. I made this particular Fort Kit for a birthday gift for one of Jack's little buddies. I think I was just as excited to make this for him as he was to get it!! The idea, instructions and inspiration for this "make your own fort kit"come from two different sites - Saltwater Kids and Armommy. I put my own twist on this fort kit, and made my own tags (I'm sharing - here is the link to print your own tags!).

I made the tags in Microsoft Word using shapes and clip art. Print the tags on card stock paper on a good quality printer (you may want to pay to print this file at an office supply store if you don't have access to a good quality laser printer). It was fun to make these tags and really gives a professional look to your finished kit.

This fort kit includes: two flat sheets (with loop ties), rope, mini claps, clothespins, flashlight and a reusable drawstring bag to store it all.

The flashlight and clothespins came from the dollar store (I put my own batteries in the flashlight so it was ready to use). The mini clamps and rope came from Home Depot.

These mini claps are awesome for little hands, and a bit sturdier for keeping your fort in place.

I cut the rope into 18 inch pieces so it would be a good size for tying down the corners. Make sure you burn the edges of the rope to keep it from fraying.

Wooden clothespins make great reinforcements too.

Every little kid need a flashlight to use when hanging out in a fort.

These flat sheets have loops sewn on each corner and in the middle of the long edges, and the very center of the sheet to help make a peak.

I bought two inexpensive twin size flat sheets at Walmart for this kit. Since they were for a gift, I wanted to use new sheets. But I am working on another fort kit for my boys using old sheets we already had at home.

For the loops I used this heavy ribbon that I bought at Joanns. You need 7 ties for each sheet (14 total for both sheets). I cut my ribbon into 10 inch strips for the loops.

You should use fray check on both ends of each ribbon to prevent fraying.

Loop a ribbon like shown above and pin on the very edge of a corner on the back side of the sheet.

Sew the ribbon straight across and back about 3 or 4 times. Then sew an X under the line you just sewed to secure each side. I went back and forth over my stitches on each line at least 3 or 4 times to really secure it.

Can you see the line and the X right under?

Flip it over and you can see the sewn lines a little better. Hopefully this shows you what I mean. Continue with each corner of the sheet, and in the middle of of the long sides of the sheet. Now you should have 6 loops total sewn on.

Flip the sheet over to the front side and find the center. Make another loop and pin and sew in the very center of the sheet. This will give the kids a spot to make a "peak" for the fort when they are building it. This is the only loop that is sewn on the top of the sheet (the rest are sewn on the back side).

Here is a view of the entire sheet, with the six loops around the edges and the one loop in the very center. Complete the second flat sheet the same way as the first.

Fold your sheets so all the loops are on the corners.

Stack your fort building supplies on top of the folded sheets.

Place the sheets and supplies inside your bag to complete your kit.

I made a lined drawstring bag to store my kit. I used this tutorial here to make the bag, but had to adjust the size so it would fit everything. It took a little math to get it right but I am pretty happy with how it came out. I used the same rope from the kit for the drawstring on the bag to tie it all together.

I loved making and giving this Fort Kit. My boys were excited about each thing in this kit, begging me to make one for them, so I knew Jack's little buddy would like it too. Homemade gifts really are the best. It is fun to personalize a homemade gift using colors, fabrics or patterns that you know the receiver will like. I didn't get too detailed in the instructions, so please email me if you have any questions and need help!

Happy Fort Making (and building)!
Here is the link again for the tags - For personal use only. Thanks!

Guest Posting over at Delightful Country Cookin'

2012-02-15T16:46:00.000-05:00

I am pretty excited to be guest posting over at Delightful Country Cookin' today. Go on over for an amazingly impressive and tasty French Boule Roll recipe with garlic dipping oil. This is one of those really easy recipes you cannot mess up - no kneading and no mixer involved. Now go check it out :)

Pictures by Travis.

Felt Heart Garland

2012-02-11T10:57:00.000-05:00

There seems to be an overflow of heart garlands all over blogland this Valentine season, and I was especially in love with this particular one I pinned on Pinterest.

I decided after getting a beautiful bundle of felt in the mail from my mother-in-law to make my own, and it was definitely inspired by that heart garland on Etsy. I made mine a little different by sewing the hearts horizontally and closer together to make it more durable (especially with little grabbing hands around my house), and I added a ribbon to each end to make it possible to re-tie and re-use year after year, without ruining the thread. It was very easy to make, and you could make these in so many color combinations and shapes (I am already thinking of a gingerbread shape garland in Christmas colors for Christmas).

You will need:

heart shaped cookie cutter (or stencil - you can even print one off the computer and use that for a stencil - mine was 3 inches)

assorted felt

2 - 12 inch pieces of ribbon (for the ends)

sewing machine and thread (any color, I used white) or a sewing needle if you want to make this by hand (which you can do, it will just take a little longer)

Directions:

This will make one 76 inch heart garland (28 hearts) plus the length you add with your ribbon on the ends. You can make this longer or shorter, there is no wrong way to do this :)

Trace your heart on the felt with a pen or pencil. Continue until you have traced 28 hearts of various or the same colors (totally up to you).

Cut the hearts out. I find that felt is easiest to cut using kid's scissors. Not sure why, but it works best.

Lay out your colors, and then pick them up one by one to make a stack of the order you want them sewn together.

I made my stack randomly with no order or rhyme or reason. Cause I was putting my type A personality aside for just a bit. Crazy, I know.

Now before you start sewing these together, it is important to work out any frustration you might have with your sewing machine. Apparently, I was having a lot of frustration. I don't remember this, but Adam captured it on the camera so I can't deny it. For those that know me well, I tend to roll my eyes and make lots of different faces. My mother always told me not to make ugly faces because my face would freeze that way. I don't listen very well...

Okay, machine fixed and frustration gone...time to start sewing those hearts together! Line the first one up and sew across the upper middle (I think this was about an inch from the top), back stitching slightly at the beginning to hold those stitches in place.

Right before you get to the end of the first heart, slide another heart right under the sewing machine foot. I didn't leave any gap in between my hearts, but you can if you want.

Continue sewing across the hearts under you have sewn them all together in a single line. I back stitched slightly to hold my stitches at the end of the last heart.

Remember those two pieces of ribbon? These are going to come in handy for tying your garland where you want it go.

Line the first piece of ribbon up on the back of the very first heart, right over the stitch line, about halfway in.

Sew it in place, going right to the end of the heart. Now do the same thing with the very last heart in your garland.

Now you are done! Doesn't that look pretty?

I really love the assorted colors of felt.

Hang your garland up on a stairway...

Or over a doorway...

Or over window. This was so much fun, and really went very fast. I made a second one for my friend Danielle. I might even leave this up after Valentine's Day because it is so pretty and adds some fun color to my living room.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Chocolate Heart Rice Krispie Valentines

2012-02-06T19:02:00.000-05:00

How cute are these heart shaped rice krispie treats on lollipop sticks? My kids went nuts over them, and they were really fun to make. You can be creative and dip these in just about any color of chocolate melting wafers, or just stick to regular chocolate like I did here. Decorate the chocolate part with sprinkles, or leave plain. Wrap these in plastic clear bag, tie with a ribbon and you have a cute edible valentine!

You will need:
one batch of Rice Krispie treats (recipe below)
one bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips or one bag of melting wafers
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening (optional)
lollipop sticks
sprinkles, or other decorations
plastic sandwich bags (fold over kind)
assorted ribbon

Recipe for Rice Krispie Treats
from the back of the box
Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons butter or margarine
1 bag (10 oz) marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispie Cereal
Directions:
Line a 10 by 15 baking sheet with wax paper. Spray the wax paper lightly with non-stick spray. Set aside. Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove pan from heat, and add the rice krispie cereal. Stir until well coated (work quickly!) and then dump mixture on lined baking sheet. Using buttered hands (or spray hands with non-stick spray) press mixture evenly on baking sheet. Set aside and let cool.

Once the treats are completely cool, remove entire sheet of wax paper to a cutting board or counter.

Use a small heart shaped cookie cuter to cut out heart shaped treats.

Gently push a lollipop stick into the center of the bottom of the heart.

Continue with remaining hearts.

In a double boiler (or on very low heart in a microwave), melt the chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon of shortening. The shortening helps to thin out the chocolate slightly, making it a better consistency to work with.

Dip the hearts into the chocolate, letting any excess chocolate drip off, before setting on a clean piece of wax paper.

Decorate the hearts with sprinkles while the chocolate is still wet.

Continue with the remaining treats.

I did some completely dipped in chocolate, and some half dipped (which I think looked prettier, and they were a bit easier to dip). Let the chocolate completely harden (about 2-3 hours) before serving or packaging.

Wrap each heart shaped treat in a plastic bag and tie with a ribbon. I trimmed the excess plastic off once it was secured with the ribbon.

Don't those look pretty? They were pretty yummy too.

Idea from Pinterest, from Korean American Mommy.

Pictures by Travis.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Superbowl Pick - Steak Bomb Pizza

2012-02-02T08:55:00.000-05:00

How about a steak, mushroom, onion, pepper, and cheese pizza for Superbowl? It is like a steak and cheese sandwich, just on a pizza instead. When I found this shaved pub style steak at the grocery store, I bought it, intending to make steak and cheese sandwiches.

But then the wheels in my head started turning and I created this pizza instead. My husband LOVES steak and cheese sandwiches, so naturally I knew he would enjoy this pizza too. It was full of flavor and topped high. I apologize in advance for the pictures. There was no natural light left when I made this, but I wanted to share anyways.

Steak Bomb Pizza

Ingredients:

1 12 inch round pizza dough

1 pepper, sliced

1 small onion, sliced thin

1 cup sliced mushrooms

3/4 lb shaved lean steak

2 tablespoons softened butter mixed with 1 clove garlic, minced well
1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:
Roll out your pizza dough and use a fork to poke vent holes all over. Cook for 5 minutes at 450 degrees.

Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, lightly sautee your mushrooms, onions and peppers in 1 tablespoon olive oil (or nonstick spray) for just about 3 minutes, to soften them. You don't want to draw out all the moisture and cook them, just get the crisp off since they will continue to cook in the oven. Set them aside on a plate and wipe out your skillet.

Now crank the heat to high and add your shaved steak. Add about a teaspoon or two of Worcestershire sauce and use tongs to flip the meat to the other side.

Cook for just 1 minute, until you no longer see pink. Do not over cook the meat or it will get very chewy. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside. If your steak seems moist or the pan had liquid in it, use a couple paper towels to absorb some of the moisture.

In a small bowl, combine the softened butter with the minced garlic. I find it is easiest to do this with a fork. Once combined, spread evenly over the pizza dough that you cooked for 5 minutes. The butter may start to melt since the crust is hot.

Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese all over.

Now add the mushrooms, peppers and onions.

Spread your shaved steak over the veggies, breaking up any large pieces.

Top with the cheddar cheese and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Bake for about 8 minutes at 450 degrees, until the steak and cheese start to brown.

Doesn't that look amazing? It was really, really good. It was "da bomb," ha ha.

Let cool for about 5 minutes before you slice into it. Enjoy!

Superbowl Pick - Jalapeno Poppers

2012-01-31T13:48:00.001-05:00

The Superbowl is coming up and I wanted to share a super yummy crowd pleasing recipe to make this year. My friend Danielle makes these poppers all the time and her family and friends rave about them. She sent me the recipe and I gave it a try. Wow, were they good. My husband ate them and made the following comments: "like wicked good (we are from New England), top notch and awesome, and you gotta make these again soon."

Jalapeno Poppers

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese, softened at room temp

1 cup (4 oz.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack or Colby Jack

6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 pound fresh jalapenos (12-14), halved lengthwise and seeded

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs (regular, seasoned, panko - whatever you have)

sour cream or ranch dressing to dip

Directions:

In a bowl, mix together all cheeses, bacon, and seasonings.

Wash you jalapenos and place on a cutting board.

Before you cut them, you might want to put on rubber gloves (if you have them). I use a plastic sandwich baggie :)

Slice the jalapenos in half.

Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and white pith inside the jalapeno.

This is where most of the heat is, so scrape it out good.

Spoon about 2 Tbsp. into each pepper.

Roll the top side with the cheese filling in the bread crumbs.

Place on a greased baking sheet and bake, uncovered @ 300 for 20 minutes for spicy flavor, 30 minutes for medium, and 40 minutes for mild.

Let them cool for about 3 or 4 minutes when they come out of the oven.

Don't those look good?

Some of the filling might spill over the sides during the cooking time but don't worry, it will still taste delicious.

Serve with sour cream or ranch dressing or your condiment of choice.

These have loads of flavor and really not too much heat, so it is easy to eat several.

See? "Like Wicked Good."
Happy Superbowl!

Valentine's Day Craft - Felt Fortune Cookies

2012-01-26T20:12:00.000-05:00

Here is a cute and fun valentine idea from Martha - Felt Fortune Cookies. We love Chinese food in our house, so I knew these would be a hit with the kids. They are pretty easy to make, but you do need a few supplies and tools:

assorted felt
floral wire, wire cutters
fortunes (I made mine in Word and printed and cut)
hot glue gun

Find a bowl or something with a 4 1/2 inch diameter. I used a Gerber kid's plastic bowl - perfect size. Trace the bowl onto your felt. I bought felt sheets at Joann's on sale for $0.25. You should be able to fit 4 circles on each felt sheet.

Cut out your circles. I think kid's scissors are the best tool for cutting out felt.

Trim your floral wire into 4 1/4 inch pieces. Plug in your hot glue gun too, if you haven't already.

Cut a small strip of felt slightly wider and longer than the wire.

Fold your felt circle in half and then unfold.

This just helps to give you a "center" line to use.

Use your hot glue to glue the center line of your felt circle.

Immediately place your wire over the hot glue (be careful not to burn yourself!).

Place the felt strip right over the wire and press down into the glue. Continue with all the circles.

Make your fortunes and cut into strips slightly longer than your fortune.

Place a fortune in the inside of each felt circle, and fold in half.

Bring both sides down towards each other, to make the fortune cookie shape. Open the felt flap and push the inside out to give it a fuller look. Continue with remaining circles.

And there you have it...Felt Fortune Cookies!

Aren't they cute? They are fun to make and your kids can definitely help with the tracing and cutting steps. Shout out to Travis for taking the step by step pics.
More fun Valentine posts coming up!

Spinach & Mushroom Quesadillas

2012-01-24T20:52:00.001-05:00

Here is a quick and easy lunch or dinner that is packed with lots of yummy goodness - balsamic and garlic seasoned mushrooms, fresh spinach and mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Portabella mushrooms are "mature" mushrooms with a great flavor. Baby bellas are a great variety and nice change from your regular white mushrooms, and you can find them at your regular grocery store. I used mozzarella and Parmesan cheese here, but I am betting some fontina cheese would also be a great option here. These quesadillas are soooo good and very easy to make. Let's go!

Spinach & Mushroom Quesadillas
mades 4

Ingredients:

8 oz baby portabella mushrooms - called baby bellas

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

8 oz fresh spinach

4 medium to large flour tortillas

about 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

salt, pepper

Directions:

Using a damp kitchen towel, or paper towel, brush off any visible dirt from mushrooms.

Slice mushrooms.

Place sliced mushrooms in a bowl with balsamic vinegar and season lightly with salt and pepper.

Add one minced clove of garlic to mushrooms and set aside to allow the flavors to marinate for a couple minutes.

Heat a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add the mushrooms and saute until browned.

Chop the spinach and add to the pan with the mushrooms. Turn off the burner.

The spinach will start to wilt immediately, and you don't want it to become soggy or overcooked, so stir it with the mushrooms and immediately remove the entire mixture from the pan (I put back into the mushroom bowl). Wipe out the skillet and place back on the burner to cook the quesadillas.

Grate your Parmesan cheese and place right next to the pan, along with your mozzarella cheese.

Spray the pan with a non-stick spray and heat over medium heat. Add a tortilla and after one minute, flip it over.

Add a small amount of the cheeses (about 2 to 3 tablespoons total) to one side of the tortilla.

Place about 1/2 cup of the spinach and mushroom mixture over the cheese.

Flip the empty half of the tortilla over the fillings and cook for about one more minute. Flip over and cook for another 30 seconds or so on the other side. Place on cutting board to cool and continue with remaining ingredients.

Cut into wedges and serve.

See all that yummy goodness? I just can't think of another way to describe it. It is good tasting food that is good for you. The flavor of the mushrooms with the balsamic vinegar and minced garlic is intense. The freshness of the spinach is a good pair to the mushrooms, and of course, the cheese is just the finishing touch. Delicious.

Enjoy!

Lighten Up - Chocolate Cherry Heart Smart Cookies

2012-01-19T08:56:00.002-05:00

Our next installment in the "Lighten Up" series is a sweet treat - Chocolate Cherry Cookies. These cookies are made with dried cherries and bittersweet chocolate, and packed full of whole grain oats. They tastes amazing AND they are good for you! Bittersweet chocolate is actually quite good for you because it contains antioxidants that lower blood pressure and help protect your heart. Cherries help prevent heart disease and certain types of cancer and protect against age-related diseases. They are also known to relieve joint pain and pain from rheumatoid arthritis. So you can eat these cookies and feel great about all the benefits of the bittersweet chocolate and dried cherries. A friend from college turned me on to these cookies and they are my new favorite.

Chocolate Cherry Heart Smart Cookies

recipe from Cooking Light

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/3 cup)
1 1/2 ounces whole-wheat flour (about 1/3 cup)
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 scant cup dried cherries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours and next 3 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat.

While butter is melting, measure your chocolate and cherries and set aside.

Remove from heat; add brown sugar, stirring until smooth.

Add sugar mixture to flour mixture; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended.

Add vanilla, and egg; beat until combined.

Add cherries and mix till combined.

Fold in chocolate.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 350° for 12 minutes. Cool on pans 3 minutes or until almost firm. Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks.

Store in an airtight container. These chewy cookies are seriously bursting with flavor.

Enjoy!

Lighten Up - Eggplant Parmesan

2012-01-10T18:54:00.000-05:00

Eggplant Parmesan is my favorite Italian dish. I never really liked eggplant very much until I had it parmesan style. It is traditionally fried in oil and loaded with cheese, and, well, not very good for you. BUT it is your lucky day because my mom makes the BEST eggplant parm, and she doesn't fry her eggplant or load it with cheese. So I knew this would be a great post to share in our lighten up series as this eggplant is lightly breaded and baked, and you can control the amount of cheese you use. Seriously, even if you don't like eggplant, give this a try. It is delicious. And my mom taught me how to make it just like she does. Today, I'm sharing the recipe with you, along with step by step pictures so you know exactly how to do it.

Eggplant Parmesan
recipe from Michele Scearbo

Ingredients:
2 medium or 1 large eggplant (firm to the touch)
olive oil (about 4 tablespoons)
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
salt, pepper
about 2 cups Italian style bread crumbs
1 jar tomato sauce, your favorite brand or homemade
mixture of Italian cheese (can by bag of preshreded mixed Italian, or grate your own) - mozzarella, Parmesan or pecorino romano and a little bit of grated cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Wash the eggplant.

Stripe the sides of the eggplant with a vegetable peeler.

Slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch thick rounds, discarding the ends of the eggplant where there are very little seeds. I have quite a few rounds here because I made a double batch.

Brush a large baking sheet with olive oil.

In a shallow bowl mix the eggs and milk together. Season with salt and pepper. In another shallow bowl add the bread crumbs.

Dip an eggplant round into the egg/milk mixture and coat on both sides. Lightly let the excess mixture drip off and then place in the bread crumbs.

Coat both sides of the eggplant round well in the bread crumbs.

Place the breaded eggplant rounds on the prepared baking sheet. Continue until all the rounds have been dipped and coated. Drizzle the tops with more olive oil.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 6 to 8 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. You want the outside to be lightly browned but be careful not to overcook or they will start to shrink up in size and lose their good flavor.

Let the eggplant rounds cool for a couple minutes and then pair them up in stacks of two, finding equally sized rounds.

Heat your tomato sauce up on the stove.

Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of your pan.

Place one of the eggplant rounds from each paired stack in the pan. Make sure you remember which round goes with the other as you do this step. See how I have the matching rounds on the baking sheet to the right? You need to keep track of which rounds go to together.

Grate your cheeses if you are using fresh. I know cheddar cheese might sound odd in an Italian dish, but it is just perfect. My mom knows what she's doing. I think cheddar is her secret weapon that adds that kick of flavor.

Add a small amount of sauce to the top of each eggplant round.

Add about a tablespoon of the mixed cheeses on top of the sauce.

Now place the matching eggplant round right on top of the other one.

Repeat the same steps as before - add a small amount of sauce on the top of the eggplant round. Be a little more generous with the sauce so the stacks don't dry out when you are baking them and spoon enough sauce to lightly coat the sides of the stacks. I also like to add a spoonful of extra sauce in each corner of the pan.

This time add a little more cheese to the tops of the stacks, about two tablespoons on each one. At this point you can cook this uncovered at 375 for about 25 minutes. Or....

You can cover well and refrigerate until you are ready to bake (for up to two days); or freeze. Or do what I did and give this yummy meal to friend who just had a baby. Don't worry, I made sure they liked eggplant parmesan first.

Serve with pasta, Italian bread and salad.

Delicious. And so much healthier than traditional fried eggplant parmesan.

Doesn't that look amazing? It is. Trust me. I thank my mother every time we eat this for creating such an awesome dish. It will make you an eggplant eater. Give it a try and let me how much you love it! If you have leftovers, this makes a mean sandwich the next day.

Lighten Up - Tortilla Chips & Chili's Copycat Salsa

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't love tortilla chips and salsa, especially Chili's restaurant style salsa? We eat lots of tortilla chips in our house so I thought I would cut out some extra calories and fat by baking my own tortilla chips, instead of buying the prepackage chips that are usually fried. Homemade tortillas chips are incredibly easy to make and can be flavored with just about any type of seasoning, or simply with salt. This is a great way to lighten up this popular snack chip. Homemade salsa is another easy thing to make at home, and when I saw this Chili's copycat recipe on Pinterest I couldn't wait to give it a try. Homemade tortilla chips and salsa are the perfect appetizer, snack, or even a hostess gift to bring next time you are invited to dinner at a friend's house. Making your own is very cost effective too. I was able to make two jars of salsa and bag of tortilla chips for under $4!

Homemade Tortilla Chips & Chili's Copycat Salsa
recipe adapted from Six Sisters' Stuff

Ingredients:
1 package flour tortillas (any size)
about 2-3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
2 cans (14.5 oz each) peeled whole tomatoes, drained (or one 28 oz can)
1 small (4 oz) can diced green chilies
1 fresh jalapeno (you can remove the seeds if you don't want too much heat)
1/2 yellow onion, chunked
1 clove fresh garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon sugar
juice of half a lime

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using a pastry brush, grease a baking sheet with canola (or vegetable) oil. Set aside.

Lightly brush one side of a tortilla with the oil (using the pastry brush you used for the baking sheet).

Stack another tortilla directly on top of the first one, and brush with oil.

Continue with one or two more tortillas, till you have 4 in a stack.

Using a sharp knife, cut the stack into quarters.

Cut the quarters in halves, to make eighths.

Spread the cut tortillas, greased side up, on the prepared baking sheet. You might need to use a second baking sheet to fit them all. Sprinkle the tops with salt or your favorite seasoning.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, until the edges start to lightly brown. Watch them carefully because they can go from lightly browned to burnt very quickly! Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 1 minute.

To make the salsa you will need a food processor or blender.

Add the onion, garlic and fresh jalapeno (if using) to the food processor and pulse until minced.

Add the tomatoes, green chilies, cumin, salt, sugar, and lime juice.

Pulse just until the tomatoes are no longer chunky. Be careful not to "over" process this as it will be come very runny if you go too long. Give it a taste to see if it needs more salt or more kick. Add salt or more jalapeno if needed and pulse one more time quickly. And there ya have it!

Serve the salsa with your homemade tortilla chips and try, just try, not to eat them all yourself. It's hard. This salsa does taste just like the salsa from Chili's, which is one of our favorites! I am so pumped that I can recreate it at home.

The salsa tastes so fresh, and the tortilla chips are light and crunchy and so amazing that you will want to make this all the time. The chips are very flavorful, even without being fried.

This also makes a great snack to bring to a party, dinner, or to give a gift. Keep the salsa refrigerated until serving. It will stay good in the fridge for about 3 weeks, but I doubt it will last that long if you have little snackers in your house like me.
Enjoy!