tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48214204406125595122024-03-13T16:25:32.190-04:00Savory Sweet AdventuresAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4821420440612559512.post-53660705673662215362016-02-23T14:39:00.000-05:002016-02-23T14:39:43.315-05:00Making Something Simple, Pretty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">
I feel like I say this a lot, but it has been a while. I hope to one day get back on track with the whole blogging thing since it is an aspect of my life that I truly enjoy and gives me a few moments alone with myself...usually...where I talk about the things I'm passionate about. One day I will get back to doing it daily...or at least weekly. Maybe after my oldest starts kindergarten in the fall or when my youngest can entertain herself without needing mommy's attention every five minutes. Like I said...one day. And sadly, that one day will probably happen before I am ready for it to. So for know, dear readers, I hope that you can be satisfied with my scattered communications!</div>
<br />
Now for the juicy stuff...<br />
<br />
In the culinary world, chef's have an expression. "You eat with your eyes first." I'm not sure who the first person to coin this phrase was, but I do know there have been more than a few times I have looked at food (mine or someone else's) and thought, "I'm not eating that, it looks awful!" I grew up in the days of t.v. dinners, casseroles and good 'ole SPAM. How can you make some of those things "look" good even if some of the MAY taste good? <br />
<br />
As much as some of you may want me to, I'm not here to elevate the likes of the everyday casserole. It is a rich, creamy, gooy, wonderful in every way and meant to look like a lunch lady slapped it on your plate...except DELISIOUS!! I'm also not going anywhere close to SPAM. My mom used to try to elevate SPAM by scoring it like ham and sticking in little cloves for decoration, trust me, it doesn't work, it's gross. What I would like to put up for your consideration is a little elevation of the classic t.v. dinner that, while does take more than 4-5 minutes on high in your microwave, won't have you spending all night in the kitchen either.<br />
<br />
So what made up t.v. dinners anyway? There was always some sort of "main course," protein usually, a starch, a vegetable and (if you were lucky) a little sweet treat at the end. My sister and I would have these whenever my parents went out for the evening. I remember liking very few of them and trying on more than one occasion to throw them in the trash can. I wasn't very good at covering up the evidence though, so I got in trouble a lot for that particular hijinks. But I digress. At the heart of them, it really is what most families are looking for when looking for dinner. Protein, vegetable, starch...and if you eat good...dessert. And this week, I think I found the perfect alternative.<br />
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<br />
I give to you this weeks "t.v. dinner"! Chicken Thighs in Mushroom Cream Sauce with Mashed Potatoes at Green Beans. I'm going to go ahead and fess up to two secrets here. <br />
<br />
1 - I didn't make the mashed potatoes myself. I can, but that's a long process. I have fallen in love with <a href="http://www.simplypotatoes.com/" target="_blank">Simply Potatoes Garlic Mashed Potatoes</a>, so that's my go to when I know I don't have the time to make them from scratch. And let's be honest, who has time for that anyway?!?<br />
<br />
2 - Those ARE fresh green beans...BUT...I bought them in a nice little one pound bag already cleaned and prepped and ready to go. I could have even steamed them in the bag they came in, but since my microwave was taken up by heating the potatoes, I threw them in some salted boiling water and 7 minutes later, they were done! *Side note - Sometimes I like to throw a cube of chicken bouillon in with my green beans to give a little more flavor, this time I just forgot! *<br />
<br />
Side dishes down, I turned to the main course. I found this recipe on Pinterest, because where else does one find recipes nowadays. With a few minor tweaks, this recipe was golden. AND 30 minutes, start to eating. SCORE!! So next time your planning your dinner, just remember that you don't have to feel guilty when you can't produce a four course meal worthy of a fine dining restaurant for your family. Just make the simple stuff work for you!!<br />
<br />
<em><u>Chicken Thighs in Mushroom Cream Sauce</u> recipe adapted from <a href="http://www.bhg.com/recipe/three-herb-chicken-and-mushrooms/" target="_blank">Better Homes and Gardens</a></em><br />
<em>Makes 4 servings</em><br />
<br />
4 chicken thighs; skin on<br />
salt and pepper<br />
4 T fresh rosemary; chopped<br />
4 T fresh thyme; chopped<br />
1 T olive oil<br />
6 oz cremini mushrooms; sliced<br />
4 oz shiitake mushrooms; sliced<br />
1 T flour<br />
1 c chicken broth<br />
1/2 c white wine (or more chicken broth) *The alcohol does cook off*<br />
2 T grainy mustard<br />
<em></em><br />
1 - Preheat oven to 400 degrees.<br />
2 - Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Mix together rosemary and thyme. 1 T of mixture on the skin side of each chicken thigh.<br />
3 - Heat the olive oil in a skillet big enough to hold all thighs at once. Add chicken, skin side down, to the hot oil and cook 5-7 minutes until well browned. Transfer to a sheet tray and put in the oven. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.<br />
4 - Meanwhile, add mushrooms to the same skillet and cook until they begin to soften. Add flour and stir to coat the mushrooms. Add broth, wine, mustard and remaining herbs to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and bubbly. The beauty is this will happen about the same time your chicken is done. SCORE!<br />
5 - Serve your chicken covered in sauce accompanied by green beans and mashed potatoes (no shame if you don't make them yourself). Any extra sauce is lovely stirred into to those hot potatoes!<br />
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<em>ENJOY!</em><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4821420440612559512.post-40897401646507641582015-08-19T09:35:00.001-04:002015-08-19T09:35:40.372-04:00What the End of Summer Really Means...
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Yes, folks, it's that time of year again. The end of August
is fast approaching, and with it bringing the end of days in the sun,
fun at the pool, relaxation and the beginning of back to school,
sports and hectic schedules. But what does the end of summer
really mean...for teachers?<br />
<br />
Recently on social media I've seen several posts asking teachers
not to post things that make going back to school "sound like a
negative thing." People making comments about how teachers
posting things like "end of freedom" or "school's
starting again this week...can't believe it's time already" were
making them feel as if teachers were "dreading" this time
and didn't feel that was right. I thought for a while about
how...or if...I should reply to any of these comments and finally
decided I should write a little something about what the end of
summer really means, from a teacher's prospective.<br />
<br />
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<br />
For those of you who don't know, I was a teacher for 7 years of my
life before my first daughter was born. I left the profession
after she was born for a number of reasons. I would not have
traded those 7 years for another profession at all. I am proud
to say that I was a teacher and looked forward every year to a new
host of "kids" I would think of as my own. But I also
remember quite vividly what the end of August meant for me when I was
teaching. I'm hoping that this perspective may make people be a
little kinder to teachers around this time of year.<br />
<br />
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<br />
The end of summer meant that I went from spending 10-15 hours a
week planning and prepping for the school year to spending 30-40
hours a week (outside of the school day) planning and prepping for
the days ahead.
<br />
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The end of summer meant that $40 I used to pamper myself with a
mani/pedi went to buying school supplies that my "kids"
desperately needed.<br />
<br />
The end of summer meant saying goodbye to casually waking up,
enjoying a cup of coffee and my breakfast while watching the news and
saying hello to alarms going off before the sun comes up and hurrying
out of the door to make sure I had enough time to get everything
ready for the school day.<br />
<br />
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The end of summer meant going back to working two jobs...instead
of one. (That's right, teacher's don't have summer's "off").
Most work a second job all summer if not all throughout the year to
make ends meat...on top of the training and workshops they go to for
school.<br />
<br />
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The end of summer meant not being able to focus completely on my
family at night but share that time returning emails and grading
papers and worrying about children who are not my own...but feel like
they are.<br />
<br />
The end of summer meant the end of sunshine...since I went to and
from home work in the dark most days...instead getting my sunshine
from the sweet smiles of my "kids".<br />
<br />
You see, summer really isn't a traditional vacation for teachers.
But a time to try and rejuvenate and come up with new and fresh ideas
for the next year since your new group of "kids" may not
respond to things the same way your last group of "kids did.
Trust me, you won't find any teacher I've ever met chilling on the
beach from mid June through mid August...as much as we would want to!<br />
<br />
Think about it this way. How many working individuals out
there haven't at one time or another felt just a little bit of
disappointment when a vacation does end and you have to get back to
your regularly scheduled program. We all have. It doesn't
mean you don't love what you do. It doesn't mean you put any
less into your job. It doesn't make you any less of a
professional. It makes you human.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOe5JYbeqsAgukQk2d3FTuurgOMZbtoh9Ynh0bii-Oz6nLzH_1r3-BqtpEy40QfTYtj7qOyEHf7Eb3cpYGyDm_ldin5-NW0hyphenhyphenid2f-03kbc2N8eQQxescUcNqSv7eV5ZwglReESNasI_Tp/s1600/images1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOe5JYbeqsAgukQk2d3FTuurgOMZbtoh9Ynh0bii-Oz6nLzH_1r3-BqtpEy40QfTYtj7qOyEHf7Eb3cpYGyDm_ldin5-NW0hyphenhyphenid2f-03kbc2N8eQQxescUcNqSv7eV5ZwglReESNasI_Tp/s1600/images1.jpg" /></a></div>
Teachers everywhere are going back to school this week.
Teachers who care and love their jobs deeply are plunging head first
back into the classroom to make sure everything is perfect for our
children's school year ahead. They will spend countless hours
this week making sure everything in their classroom is perfect...or
at least making it look like it is! Trust me when I say, they
love their jobs. I haven't met a teacher that stays in the
profession unless they love and are fulfilled by their position.
The "true" job of a teacher wouldn't be worth it unless
that were the case. It is one of the most important and under
appreciated jobs that exist. They will get told multiple times this
year, if not each month, each week or each day what they can and
cannot say, what they can and cannot do, how they can and cannot
teach. They take it in stride, most of the time with a smile. Give
them this last bit of “freedom”.<br />
<br />
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So here is what I ask of you, dear readers. The next time
you see, hear or read something from a teacher about going back to
school that may have been said in a moment of frustration, sleep
deprivation or a good ole fashion need to vent, let it slide.
Don't take it personally. Don't take it as a sign that they
don't love their job. Don't take it that they aren't looking
forward to the new school year. And most importantly, don't
take it as they don't love your child. They do...even if they
haven't met them yet. Let it slide. Because one day soon
that same teacher will let something you say out of frustration,
sleep deprivation or a good ole fashion need to vent slide.
Remember as the summer comes to a close, there are a lot of emotions
in a teacher's life. Remember you are on the same team.
Remember you are in this together for the greater good of your
child. But most importantly, remember teacher's LOVE coffee and chocolate :)<br />
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<br />
So with that in mind, I give to you my (should be world famous) brownie recipe. I've been making these delicious squares of chocolate heaven since I was about 10 years old. It's one of the very few things I ever baked growing up. They take 30 minutes, start to finish, and can be easily hidden in your desk to munch on once the kids are gone for the day. Or just call me, and I'll bring them to you. I can even deliver them disguised as some healthy alternative if you don't want to share! Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<em><u>The Best Brownies EVER!</u> (adapted from Hershey's)</em><br />
<em>Makes 16 brownies</em><br />
<em></em><br />
1/2 c butter; melted<br />
1 c sugar<br />
1 T vanilla<br />
2 eggs<br />
1/2 c AP flour<br />
1/3 c cocoa powder<br />
1 T cinnamon<br />
1/4 tsp baking powder<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
<br />
1 - Cream together butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, incorporating each well. <br />
2 - Combine flour through salt. Gradually add to butter mixture, stirring until combined.<br />
3 - Spread batter out evenly on a well greased 9x9 glass baking dish. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4821420440612559512.post-51157790187144460832015-08-13T12:15:00.000-04:002015-08-13T12:15:08.112-04:00Welcome Back Solider!<span style="font-family: inherit;">Around the time we moved into our house last year, our neighbor's son joined the military. I am, as always, eternally grateful for those in the service. I know I don't have it in me to join so am thankfully for those that do! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For the better part of the year, my neighbor's son has been in training and then stationed out of state. She contacted me to let me know he was coming home and if I could make them a yummy dinner for the night. I was more than happy to help her out. After all, she needs to worry about spending time with her son and not slaving away in the kitchen! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">She chose for their dinner an extremely delicious and healthy Asian Chicken Salad. When I posted the pic on social media, everyone thought it look phenomenal and wanted the recipe. Mom and son both thought it was super yummy and spent the evening enjoying the good food while sharing some much needed quality time together. So throw together this quick and easy salad and share a healthy meal and some quality time with your loved ones!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<i><u>Asian
Chicken Salad</u></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
Makes
4 servings</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<multicol cols="2" dir="LTR" gutter="0" id="Section1"><span style="font-family: inherit;">¼
c soy sauce</span><br />
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
3 T
fresh ginger; peeled, minced</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
¼
c canola oil</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
3 T
hoisin sauce</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
1 T
sesame oil</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
1
tsp Sriracha</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
2
large chicken breast</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
¼
c rice wine vinegar</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
½
lb Napa cabbage; thinly sliced</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
½
lb radicchio; thinly sliced</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
2
carrots; grated</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
6
green onions; thinly sliced</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
1/3
c fresh cilantro; roughly chopped</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
½
c slivered almonds</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
1 T
sesame seeds</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
salt
and pepper as needed</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
1 T
sesame seeds; toasted</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></multicol><span style="font-family: inherit;">
1 – In a bowl, whisk
together soy sauce through Sriracha. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 – Season chicken breast
on both sides with salt and pepper. Place chicken in a ziplock bag
and pour 1/3 of the soy sauce mixture into the bag. Seal tightly and
marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
3 – Whisk in rice wine
vinegar to remaining soy mixture and reserve as dressing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
4 – Toss together Napa
cabbage though cilantro. Season salad with salt and pepper, toss
again and reserve.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
5 – Remove chicken from
the marinade and discard remaining marinade. Place chicken in a
baking dish and bake at 475 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove the
chicken from the oven and allow to rest on a cutting board for 10
minutes. Slice the chicken into thin strips.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
6 – Lay strips of chicken
over salad. Top with cilantro, almonds and sesame seeds. Serve with
reserved dressing.</span><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4821420440612559512.post-76883447844317526632015-07-13T12:09:00.000-04:002015-07-13T12:09:49.107-04:00Ready For a Little Healthy Competition?So things have been super crazy lately! I feel like I say that a lot...and as soon as summer is over and the oldest little one in back in preschool, I promise to set aside a day to blog and get back in the swing of things...promise!!<br />
<br />
I've started to find that with my little peanut, the baby weight isn't falling off of me like it did before. I know with my oldest, I didn't really do anything any differently and the weight was pretty much gone by the time she was 2 months old. This time around...not so much. My little peanut is quickly approaching the 5 month mark (how is THAT even possible?!?) and my weight isn't much lower than it was when I brought her home from the hospital. Sigh. It was time for something to change. <br />
<br />
Enter the hubs.<br />
<br />
He suggested the only way either one of us was going to do anything about our weight and getting healthier was to have a contest. If you know me or my husband, you know how competitive we can be. If you've never met us before, let me make perfectly clear that neither one of us like to loose...at anything...ever. His plan was to set a start and end date, each of us track our own nutrition and workout plan, and when the time was up, whoever lost the biggest percent of their starting body weight wins. This all sounded way to familiar...and I was pretty skeptical that any of this would work...here's why.<br />
<br />
Years back when I was still teaching, the staff did a "Biggest Loser" style challenge. Each participant threw money into a pot, set their own personal weight loss goal and those who met their goal at the end of the challenge split the pot. The hubs decided that he wanted to get in on the action too. His "prize", he decided would be a new flat screen for the living room. A few weeks before the challenge was over, Best Buy had a huge sale on TVs. Assuring me that he was "so close" that he would definitely meet his goal and tempting me with the idea of saving a good chunk of change, I agreed to him buying the TV that he hadn't "officially" earned yet. Want to guess what happened next? Yep, he stopped keeping up with his plan and never met the target he had set for himself. No worries for him though. He was now enjoying watching football on his new TV. Cheater.<br />
<br />
To say the least, the thought of entering into another weight competition with him wasn't very appealing. He had decided that the prize this time would be $150 (the exact price of the new tennis racket that has been stuck on his Amazon wish list for months). Promising me that this time there would be no cheating or early prize receiving involved, I agreed. This time the hubs is going down!<br />
<br />
In order to insure success, I needed to find a way to have ultimate accountability. First enter <a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/" target="_blank">My Fitness Pal.</a> If you have never tried out this website/app before, you need to. It is AMAZING when you use it right. All in one place you can keep track of your food intake and exercises for the day. There is even an option to upload recipes from the web or scan barcodes to enter your food. And they have everything. I mean EVERYTHING! You take a few moments to enter your food, and it calculates your calories for you. And I will tell you one thing. When you look up how many calories are in that double cheeseburger you've been craving, you will think twice about eating it!<br />
<br />
Next, I needed a plan for food. I've always been a pretty healthy eater, but with a baby and a toddler in the house, I've been falling short on staying as healthy as I want, sometimes skipping meals completely. I wanted something that didn't have a lot of "don't eat this" guidelines since those programs will help you loose weight only as long as you stay on them. When you're done with the "plan" the weight tends to come back. <br />
<br />
I started by doing some research into the <a href="http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/all-fitness-programs/21-day-fix-simple-fitness-eating.do?e=433000&code=SEMB_MSN_21D" target="_blank">21 Day Fix</a>. I've known several people who have had success with this program which seems so easy on the surface. There is a simple equation to calculate how many calories you need a day and from there, there's a chart to show you how many of each colored (food group) containers you need. If you buy the program, it comes with one set of containers and workouts to go along with your 21 days. I didn't see the need to buy it myself since I have TONS of Tupperware and two other Beachbody workout products I need to dust off, so I set forth seeing if this was the program for me.<br />
<br />
Although I LOVE the ideas of the containers so there really is no thought into how much is a serving, they get tricky to use when you are trying to work through a recipe. Trying to work in all the servings of each container was also tricky, not going over or under. So I kept looking.<br />
<br />
Since the My Fitness Pal app was going to make inputting my food so easy, I decided that I would go for a diet based on clean eating...or as close to it as possible. After all, if I'm going to make it through this challenge without wanting to kill someone, I can't completely give up a nice glass of wine at the end of a long day. That seemed to be the best bet for my success.<br />
<br />
So in the spirit of accountability, my starting weight is 141.4 pounds with a body fat percentage of 26.3 %. Using the 21 Day Fix formula, I should be trying to stick close to 1200 calories. Since I'm still breastfeeding, I had to add an extra 300 calories to that to keep my milk up which make my target 1500. My goal is to be down 20 pounds in the 3 months that we have se for ourselves. It's a pretty ambitious goal. But, go big or go home, right?<br />
<br />
So far, I've been doing pretty good. Like I've said before, knowing that anything I put in my mouth I have to put down in the app really discourages snacking and poor food choices. Here's been my favorite dinner from the past week. <br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
<em><u>Triggerfish with Roasted Asparagus and Mushroom Quinoa</u> (Quinoa adapted from <a href="http://damndelicious.net/2014/05/02/garlic-mushroom-quinoa/" target="_blank">Damn Delicious</a>)</em><br />
<em>Serves 3</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>For the Fish:</em><br />
3 pieces of trigger fish (I got this beautiful fish at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/islandseafoodoib" target="_blank">Island Seafood</a> in Ocean Isle. If you are ever in Ocean Isle, get your fish from them. You will NOT be disappointed.)<br />
1 stick unsalted butter<br />
dried minced garlic<br />
dried dill<br />
sea salt<br />
black pepper<br />
<br />
1 - Season both sides of fish with garlic, dill, salt and pepper. In a saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter is completely melted and bubbly, add your fish. Cook for 3-4 mins per side, basting fish with butter occasionally.<br />
*Alternatively, you could saute the fish in 2 T olive oil and reduce the calories and fat that you take on during this cooking process. We happened to need the extra calories and fat today, so I buttered it up!<br />
<br />
<em>For the asparagus:</em><br />
1 bunch asparagus; ends trimmed<br />
1 T olive oil<br />
salt and pepper<br />
<br />
1 - Lay asparagus out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Pour olive oil over, season with salt and pepper and toss the asparagus to coat. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.<br />
<br />
<em>For the quinoa:</em><br />
1/2 c quinoa<br />
1 T olive oil<br />
8 oz cremini mushrooms; sliced<br />
1 T Italian seasoning<br />
2 T chicken broth<br />
salt and pepper<br />
<br />
1 - Cook quinoa according to package directions. Make sure to rinse your quinoa well before cooking. Once cooked, drain and reserve.<br />
2 - Heat olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add mushrooms and saute until slightly softened.<br />
3 - Stir in cooked quinoa, Italian seasoning and chicken broth. Cook, stirring often, until all liquid is absorbed.<br />
<br />
<em>Altogether this meal had 691 calories a serving and was loved by all members of the family. Not bad for a quick 30 minute meal!</em><br />
<br />
<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4821420440612559512.post-31464836546154741812015-05-19T09:43:00.000-04:002015-05-19T09:44:52.098-04:00Super Easy Weeknight Dinner Anyone?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If you are anything like me, you are always on the look out for a quick and easy "go to" meal for weeknight dinners. Since adding another wee baby to our clan, going out to dinner sometimes doesn't come with as much convince as it once did. That plus trying to get back in shape and eat healthier to loose said baby weight has put cooking dinner every night back up high on the priority list. </div>
<br />
Here's my problem. I have culinary ADD. I always want to try something new. Sure, I have a few go tos in my back pocket, but I find that I only go back to them when the hubs requests them. Why? I get bored easily. I've never been one of those people who can eat the same things over and over again...probably one of the reasons dieting and me don't exactly see eye to eye. I crave variety and love trying new things. Would it be too much to ask to find a simple recipe where the ingredients could be easily exchanged so was really never the same thing twice?<br />
<br />
For the longest time I thought this would be an impossible thing to find. In fact when I made dinner last night, I didn't even know I had stumbled upon such a unicorn of a recipe until the hubs said something brilliant in the middle of dinner. More on that in a minute. Here's what we started with...<br />
<br />
A few weeks back, I stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest. Dear God, what did we do before Pinterest!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://life-in-the-lofthouse.com/grilled-cheeseburger-wraps/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" class="aligncenter pinit-hover" data-jpibfi-indexer="0" height="320" scale="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOe-cwXBp4OUsWiySP35-hmUQ9pc_9fyk5FHmunRghbHJw3gVX25NYKRk2SQ68zFX3VVIwjAsgpGLMgk4-x2ySq0jxYgcpvybPZQK0ISBospmrjt0czVhl6jfqUYHiP_uoCN4OTKuPor2U/s320/cheeseburger+wrapsMAIN2.jpg" width="229" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From <a href="http://life-in-the-lofthouse.com/grilled-cheeseburger-wraps/" target="_blank">Life in the Lofthouse</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I fell in love with the idea behind these wraps. One of my favorite things in the world is a good burger. This seemed like a healthier spin on a burger without going to far away from the original. Quick and easy too...so I decided to make them for dinner last night.<br />
<br />
Something happened in our house around 4pm yesterday. Someone came in, took our two darling girls away and replaced them with a nagging 4 year old and a screaming baby. This ever happened to you? I was attempting to get some cupcakes and a cake done for an upcoming order when all hell broke loose. Combined with the fact that I had been up with the baby since 4:30 that morning, and the temptation to let Papa John rescue dinner was very real. But I was determined.<br />
<br />
The original recipe is super easy and, I'm sure, extremely delicious. However, in the midst of everything that was going on, I decided to take the idea and "wing" it. I knew if this dinner was going to happen, everything needed to happen at one time. So here's what I used.<br />
<br />
<em><u>Crazy Night Cheeseburger Wraps</u></em><br />
1 lb hamburger<br />
20ish grape tomatoes; quartered<br />
4ish sandwich dill pickle slices; diced<br />
2 T Worcestershire sauce<br />
2 T yellow mustard<br />
salt and pepper<br />
flour tortillas<br />
shredded cheese<br />
<br />
1 - Brown hamburger, drain and return to pan.<br />
2 - Add cut up tomatoes, pickles, Worcestershire, mustard, salt and pepper. Cook over heat until all the ingredients are heated through.<br />
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3 - Put about a half a cup of filling onto a flour tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese.<br />
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4 - Roll up into wrap form and grill. I did it on our George Forman, about 2-3 minutes until nice and browned. I'm sure this could be done on a real grill or even in a pan on the stove, but I needed something I could walk away from for a few minutes to chase around a cranky toddler.<br />
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5 - I served them with tater tots and for a few blissful moments, there was quiet in the house which is always a good sign that the food is good.<br />
<br />
In the midst of all of the chaos, I came up with the ingredients simply thinking what I like to what I like to eat on a cheeseburger and throwing that into the pan with the cooked hamburger meat. Here is where the genius to this recipe comes into play. Whatever you like on your burger...throw it in with cooked hamburger meat and you have a whole new meal. Brilliant! <br />
<br />
I fell more in love with this recipe when my husband broke the silence during dinner by saying, "You know this would be good with anything, chicken...steak...pork, I'd eat it every day." That's when it hit me. We always have meat...we always have fixins (other stuff) in the fridge...and (in our house at least) we always have tortillas. Praise heaven above I have found a go to recipe that really CAN be different every time I make it without much forethought or planning. Hallelujah! <br />
<br />
I thought my obsession with this recipe would stop at dinner...but I was wrong. In my scatterbrained fog, I put all the leftovers (tater tots and all) in the same container after dinner was over. This morning, after a better night of sleep, I had an epiphany. In one little Tupperware containers I have potatoes, meat and veggies. Sounds like all the makings of a good breakfast casserole. I started by putting some of the meat mixture and tater tots in a saute pan, breaking up the tater tots to be more "hashbrown" like.<br />
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After getting a little crisp on the potatoes, I cracked two eggs over the whole thing.<br />
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I seasoned this with a little salt and pepper and ended up with a quick, yummy breakfast scramble all in the span of time it took to brew my morning coffee.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSwX_nWDxQOfTOCr8Vc_mdbHxWQA9n_MvosDP2HQmDv8vVws7xupBToPe3SBgLvc2_UM2jsqP8QWiKgqaAGIdkAZfpbSt3C6RHnRc985NXGa9urRivyw9v0ovR7RJ_B5yO3QUnKETtDB4p/s1600/IMG_3752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSwX_nWDxQOfTOCr8Vc_mdbHxWQA9n_MvosDP2HQmDv8vVws7xupBToPe3SBgLvc2_UM2jsqP8QWiKgqaAGIdkAZfpbSt3C6RHnRc985NXGa9urRivyw9v0ovR7RJ_B5yO3QUnKETtDB4p/s320/IMG_3752.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Quick and healthy dinner with leftovers that make a quick and healthy breakfast. Holly from Life in the Lofthouse, I know we've never met, but I love you...and I love this recipe! Try it, you will love it too!!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4821420440612559512.post-11980391256402941722015-05-15T10:16:00.001-04:002015-05-15T10:16:41.081-04:00Thank You Teachers!!For seven years before I entered the culinary world, I was a teacher. Having lived the life of a teacher for that time, I can say there is no other job out there that is more important, more challenging and more under appreciated than that of a teacher. Not to say that other jobs aren't difficult, but at least the majority of jobs out there that are difficult are also very well respected. Overall, teachers are underpaid, over worked and not looked at with the regard in this country that they deserve. There is constant talk on the news about how teachers "have it made" since they get off at 3 and have the summers off. After all, all they do is "play with kids" all day. They may as well be considered "glorified babysitters". None of these misconceptions are true. Most teachers I know work at least 10-12 hours a day, making little more than minimum wage when you do the actual math, and spend countless dollars out of their own pockets to make sure their "kids" have everything they need. What other profession out there is "expected" to work like that? Ok...stepping off soap box.<br />
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Last week was "Teacher Appreciation Week". While one week is not nearly enough time to show appreciation for the selfless work teachers do on a daily basis, I'm glad to shower my daughter's teacher with lots of goodies! This time around, I was chosen to provide all the teacher's at my daughter's school with a wonderful lunch in their honor. <br />
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For starters, I made a lovely spinach salad. Since strawberries are at their peak right now, I added sliced of those along with some brie cheese, candied pecans, celery, red onion and cucumber. I cheated a little and served it with a slightly warmed <a href="http://www.kensfoods.com/proddetail.php?id=35" target="_blank">Ken's Light Poppy Seed</a> dressing. If you haven't had this salad dressing before, do yourself the favor! You could really tip and back and drink it...at least I could...and hey, if it ain't broke right?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0wuzuvNeUUxQDYLXxpDeVyDdhcs4cfWW8npY_7GV4U7AASptYK3XhstQpe8tRvhf1JmBMU3d019K-gYlX5w73Eb4L3_-zebEd4Hng-0FLQwdd-L7vzCwuHuGpsC4i49goKtXy3Cbbj4t/s1600/IMG_3717.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0wuzuvNeUUxQDYLXxpDeVyDdhcs4cfWW8npY_7GV4U7AASptYK3XhstQpe8tRvhf1JmBMU3d019K-gYlX5w73Eb4L3_-zebEd4Hng-0FLQwdd-L7vzCwuHuGpsC4i49goKtXy3Cbbj4t/s320/IMG_3717.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The colors were so beautiful, and everything was light and fresh. Just what I love in a good salad. Simple, beautiful ingredients.</div>
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For the main course, I made a Chicken Penne Pasta with Roasted Vegetables and Fresh Tomato Sauce. People get a little turned off by the thought of making their own tomato sauce, but in this case, it doesn't require any additional time that you wouldn't already be cooking, so why not?</div>
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I used one each of the following vegetables: zucchini, green pepper, red pepper, orange pepper, red onion and one large package of button tomatoes. I diced all the vegetables and threw them in a roasting pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, 6 cloves of garlic (sliced), a handful of fresh thyme sprigs, salt and pepper. On a separate roasting pan I placed 12 roma tomatoes (quartered), 6 cloves of garlic (crushed), a handful of fresh thyme sprigs, a handful of basil leaves, salt and pepper. I put both roasting pans in the oven at 350 degrees and roasted them for 25 minutes. Once done, remove the thyme sprigs from both pans and discard. Add the remaining contents of the tomato pan to a food processor and process until smooth. If needed, thin with a little bit of chicken stock. This will be your sauce.<br />
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Cook your penne pasta to al dente and saute chicken in a pan with olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Once the chicken and pasta are done, dice the chicken and throw everything (sauce too) in the roasting pan with the vegetables. Mix together well and put back in the oven at 350 for 10-15 minutes to make sure everything is nice and warm. Viola!<br />
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For dessert, I made a marble cheesecake. How did I choose this dessert? Well, my daughter's teacher said her favorite dessert was chocolate or cheesecake...so I mixed the two. I LOVE the way it came out! Absolutely gorgeous!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0IKVzoQ31oxvKvq10_lSEN7wCwBkvCxLEh6YH2ICCnMdDzFbpcI-skR2yHU8KA6G2S-BdRVkyoLyKoGrub-UT1JKdKtjSLsCnapHfIfCXAgAYEvbnwt3shSKuQhupg4I2HijffQuFOZRz/s1600/IMG_3714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0IKVzoQ31oxvKvq10_lSEN7wCwBkvCxLEh6YH2ICCnMdDzFbpcI-skR2yHU8KA6G2S-BdRVkyoLyKoGrub-UT1JKdKtjSLsCnapHfIfCXAgAYEvbnwt3shSKuQhupg4I2HijffQuFOZRz/s320/IMG_3714.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<em><u>Marble Cheesecake</u> (recipe adapted from <a href="http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/chocolate-swirl-cheesecake/" target="_blank">Gordon Ramsey</a>)</em><br />
<em></em><br />
2 c graham crackers<br />
6 T butter; melted<br />
4 1/2 oz dark chocolate; roughly chopped<br />
1 1/4 c sugar<br />
1 1/2 c sour cream; room temperature<br />
2 pounds cream cheese; room temperature<br />
3 eggs; room temperature<br />
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract<br />
<em></em><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients"><span class="ingredient">1 - Line a 12x8 inch pan with plastic wrap overlapping the plastic wrap so that it is at least halfway down the outside of the pan. Tuck under so it won't be touching the racks when placed inside the oven.</span></span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients"><span class="ingredient">2 - Crush graham crackers in food process. Add melted butter and pulse until the mixture holds it shape when you squeeze it in your hand. Add more butter if too dry or more cracker if too wet. Pour out mixture into prepared pan and flatten to form the crust. Bake at 325 degrees for 5-10 minutes, or just until you begin to smell the graham crackers cooking. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.</span></span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients"><span class="ingredient">3 - In the bowl of a mixer with paddle, beat together sugar, sour cream and cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, making sure each is incorporated before adding the next. Beat in vanilla extract. Pour batter over slightly cooled crust and tap lightly to remove air bubbles.</span></span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients"><span class="ingredient">4 - Melt the chocolate over a double boiler or carefully in the microwave. Swirl the chocolate over the cheesecake.</span></span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients"><span class="ingredient">5 - Cook the cheesecake in a water bath at 275 degrees for 40-50 minutes until it is just slightly wobbly in the center. Turn off your oven but keep your cheesecake in the oven (and water bath) for another 2 hours. Remove cheesecake from oven and out of water bath and allow to cool in the refrigerator overnight.</span></span><br />
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Along with the lunch, here are some other goodies I did for teacher's last week!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqCzMR69XfE2mcgmpPutTnak9BVxn33hwqroitxR0HgA78KpUDlA2fFQA0P0MZbtV7n0VkiYKB5Fp4ELr-RTu4qXAuj0kmgpCNCjK-Ri6JegOUJ6odBEP8nrXEysTICDQ6Mc2U2xQkbjzj/s1600/IMG_3709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqCzMR69XfE2mcgmpPutTnak9BVxn33hwqroitxR0HgA78KpUDlA2fFQA0P0MZbtV7n0VkiYKB5Fp4ELr-RTu4qXAuj0kmgpCNCjK-Ri6JegOUJ6odBEP8nrXEysTICDQ6Mc2U2xQkbjzj/s320/IMG_3709.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Red Wine Fudge Balls anyone?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPbSfmDpC-JkGh9EVjdRhC0Maiyib7LuULg5ul4LOFevMlqRPMTWSacN-hqEcA631QseHwIBytWZQfsqFKqcnSds5f2S6ahtHT0pZisT_BZBgBFVLwemXHFe3mD30bLKKIYz2F3Tfmju7/s1600/IMG_3710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPbSfmDpC-JkGh9EVjdRhC0Maiyib7LuULg5ul4LOFevMlqRPMTWSacN-hqEcA631QseHwIBytWZQfsqFKqcnSds5f2S6ahtHT0pZisT_BZBgBFVLwemXHFe3mD30bLKKIYz2F3Tfmju7/s320/IMG_3710.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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Teacher Appreciation basket full of all kinds of goodies!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj5K7uYTH5aYmo1BPpeCxYqwu_hkedWKNAr5rIVOHuSBQgWhSP7JsgbHn-HnpE06up3DKlBEhm345RlzTz1Y6DLF4TihyphenhyphenQSWHptpKIeNs0IszaabBFlcjSQ4JCyY86Xk4Q4WVaB9j_6YwC/s1600/IMG_3725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj5K7uYTH5aYmo1BPpeCxYqwu_hkedWKNAr5rIVOHuSBQgWhSP7JsgbHn-HnpE06up3DKlBEhm345RlzTz1Y6DLF4TihyphenhyphenQSWHptpKIeNs0IszaabBFlcjSQ4JCyY86Xk4Q4WVaB9j_6YwC/s320/IMG_3725.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Beach themed strawberry cupcakes since our teachers are "lifesavers"!</div>
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I've said it before and I'll say it again. One week is defiantly not enough time to show appreciation for our teachers, but it's a start. So THANK YOU teachers near and far for molding the minds of our young and treating them like one of your own. Special thanks to Mrs. Laura, my little one's teacher. You have been a wonderful blessing to her and our family this year. She has learned so much from you, and it has been amazing to watch her grow. You are kind, caring, patient yet firm, everything our little girl needs. We love you to pieces and hope you enjoyed your week!!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4821420440612559512.post-88979198884403090232015-05-07T06:37:00.002-04:002015-05-07T06:37:43.896-04:00Cinco de Mayo!Next to Thanksgiving, Cinco de Mayo is probably the hubs favorite day of the year. If he could, he would eat Mexican food everyday. I can't even begin to tell you how excited he was that Mexican food was my big craving when I was pregnant with our little peanut. It was like Christmas to him whenever I asked if it would be okay if we had Mexican...for the third time in a week. So when May 5 rolls around, he gets pretty excited at what I'm going to cook up for dinner.<br />
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We used to go out to eat on Cinco de Mayo...USED to. Now with two kids, standing in long lines and big crowds for tacos and tequila shots just isn't in the cards anymore. Fine by me. I would rather be able to stay in my yoga pants anyway.<br />
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This year the menu was set with a few ole favorites and a new little gem. Chicken carnitas tacos (or rice bowl in my case), Spanish rice, corn salsa and southwestern eggrolls with avocado cream dipping sauce. I was pretty stoked to get back in the kitchen and cook an entire dinner since most of my dinners since the peanut was born have consisted of reheating freezer meals and most of my time in the kitchen had been consumed in baking projects. Not that I'm complaining, but it's always nice to get to "just cook" once in a while! Of course, things didn't really do as planned.<br />
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Tuesday was pretty rough in our house. The little peanut had a rough night on Monday which typically translates to an easy day...not the case. When she wasn't attached to me, she was crying. It's pretty impossible to get anything done when your trying to calm a screaming baby, so I was pretty thankful that one of the items on the menu was done mostly in the crockpot...until I looked at the clock and saw it was almost 4 already and there was no longer time to slow cook my chicken for 6 hours in the crock pot. Ok...backup plan.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0M2mK60yY8VRMT0sCsszczvFteJwzL5aPSnJYWB_GhDY1fBw5tEhIbTAWzPbbphy3Vf0uuYnlTsIumlh06nR5KwZcWcyb_BVDajXERERD2E7XbNV0Kso-OkoyAI9VhqNMLaGUAnp7AkDr/s1600/IMG_3698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0M2mK60yY8VRMT0sCsszczvFteJwzL5aPSnJYWB_GhDY1fBw5tEhIbTAWzPbbphy3Vf0uuYnlTsIumlh06nR5KwZcWcyb_BVDajXERERD2E7XbNV0Kso-OkoyAI9VhqNMLaGUAnp7AkDr/s320/IMG_3698.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I took the same ingredients that were supposed to go into my crock pot and put everything in a pot on the stove, threw the cover on and put it over medium heat. Once things got going, I reduced the heat to low and let it cook for about 1 1/2 hours. Not quite the "low and slow" I was hoping for, but it worked in a pinch!<br />
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<em><u>Chicken Carnitas</u> (adapted from <a href="http://www.closetcooking.com/2014/04/slow-cooker-chicken-carnitas-tacos.html" target="_blank">Closet Cooking</a>)</em><br />
1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs<br />
3/4 c orange juice<br />
1/4 c lime juice<br />
6 garlic cloves; sliced<br />
1 T chili powder<br />
1 tsp cumin<br />
1 tsp oregano<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1/2 tsp pepper<br />
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1 - Place chicken in a crock pot. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine and cover chicken. Cover the crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.<em> (Or if you run short on time, cook like I did above)</em><br />
2 - Remove chicken from crock pot and shred. Put 1/2 cup juice from the crock pot onto a baking sheet, add chicken and toss to coat. Bake chicken at 425 for 7-8 mins until the edges are nice and crisp. Don't skip this step! It definitely adds another element to your chicken!!<br />
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I made some Spanish rice to go along with the chicken and had a nice little meal. The hubs made tacos out of the chicken and corn salsa, but I was just as happy making a little rice bowl with all the ingredients. Super yummy!<br />
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The next big menu item was Southwestern eggrolls. You want to know the way to my hubby's heart...it's eggrolls. Southwestern may be his favorite, due to his affection with all Mexican fare, but throw anything into an eggroll wrapper and he's a happy fellow.<br />
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Since I'm trying to be healthier these days in an effort to loose the baby weight, I decided to try a recipe that had the eggrolls being baked, not fried. That was a huge fail! After baking the eggrolls just as the recipe had stated, they were still limp and not crisping at all. Definitely NOT something you want in an eggroll. Thankfully, a quick pan fry saved the day and we ended up with these beauties.<br />
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Since every recipe I've ever found for any kind of eggroll provides you with more filling than you ever need, I put half the filling in the eggrolls and took the other half of the filling (sans cheese) to use as corn salsa. One recipe, two menu items! Done and done!<br />
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<em><u>Southwestern Eggrolls</u> (adapted from <a href="http://www.nutritiouseats.com/baked-southwestern-egg-rolls-meal-planning/" target="_blank">Nutritious Eats</a>)</em><br />
(This is the full recipe and will make about 20 eggrolls. If you don't need that many, either cut the recipe in half or save half of the filling for a yummy salsa.)<br />
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2 c frozen corn; thawed<br />
15 oz can blak beans; rinsed, drained<br />
1 c Mexican cheese blend; shredded<br />
1 can Rotel<br />
1 large green onion; chopped<br />
1/ c fresh cilantro; chopped<br />
1 tsp cumin<br />
1/2 tsp chili powder<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
1/2 tsp pepper<br />
egg roll wrappers<br />
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1 - Combine corn through pepper in a small bowl and mix well. Use about 1/4 c of filling per eggroll wrapper. Roll eggrolls as directed on the package, using a little water to insure you get a nice, tight seal.<br />
2 - Heat 1 inch oil in a pan to about 350. Pan fry eggrolls for 3-4 minutes per side until nice and golden brown.<br />
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<em><u>Avocado Dipping Sauce</u></em> <em>(adapted from <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-deen/avocado-cream-sauce-recipe.html" target="_blank">Bobby Dean</a>)</em><br />
1 avocado; ripe<br />
1/2 c sour cream<br />
1 lime; juiced<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
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1 - Place avocado, sour cream and lime juice in a food processor and process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.<br />
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Of course, we had a margarita...or two...to wash everything down and our Mexican fiesta was a success! <br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4821420440612559512.post-49119339790230017462015-05-06T09:50:00.002-04:002015-05-06T09:50:45.595-04:00Following a Four Year Old (My Little One's First Post)Recently, my oldest has been full of dessert ideas. Almost every day on the way home from school, she talks about something. Usually it's what kind of cake she wants for her birthday...in August. Guess she's going to be a planner just like me. She's also been throwing out cake ideas for other events she knows we have coming up. My grandfather is turning 85 in June, and we are all flying out for his birthday. If it were up to her, his cake would be a layer of cookies, a layer of chocolate, a layer of strawberry, sprinkles and more cookies. We'll see what we can do...<br />
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Yesterday, however, she got set on one idea that she wanted to make when we got home. This is 100% her idea, executed exactly the way she wanted...with a little guidance by me. It wasn't something I had ever heard of before, and I'm not sure where the idea came from, but since I'm always up to experiment...and I was super excited that she was being so creative...we came home and cooked...a Sweet Tea Pie.<br />
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What's a sweet tea pie you ask? A four year olds first creation. I have to admit that the idea sounded pretty good. After all, we do live in the south. Who doesn't love a good glass of sweet tea? For that matter, who doesn't like pie?!? Win, win. First we made the crust.<br />
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She insisted on doing everything herself. So here she is cutting the butter for the pie crust into cubes. I'm still working on getting her to hold the knife better...which is why I don't let her use a "real" one yet.<br />
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She even rolled the dough out herself. I loved seeing how focused she was. Definitely took her work seriously!<br />
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For the "sweet tea" part, I fell back on a trusty recipe I have for an earl gray custard. Since black tea would probably have been a little strong for her taste, I used plan ole Lipton instead. What better way to get sweet tea flavor than to use the tea you make sweet tea with! Here's that recipe:<br />
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<em><u>Lipton Tea Custard</u> - adapted from <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/316395/earl-grey-pots-de-creme" target="_blank">Martha Stewart</a></em><br />
1 c heavy cream<br />
1 c milk<br />
2 T Lipton tea (about 1 large tea bag)<br />
4 egg yolks<br />
1/2 c sugar<br />
pinch salt<br />
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1 - Heat cream and milk in a saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Add tea, stir and remove from heat. Cover and let steep for 30 mins. Remove tea bag, squeezing out the juices. Re-measure the remaining liquid and add more cream if needed so you have 2 cups. Return cream and milk to the saucepan and place back over medium heat.<br />
2 - In a small bowl, whisk together yolks, sugar and salt. Once milk is steaming, slowly whisk into egg mixture. Pour entire mixture back into saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Strain into a bowl and put into the refrigerator to chill.<br />
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Once the pie shell had been blind baked and cooled, she got to work on filling it.<br />
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All good pies need berries! She selected blueberries and strawberries for this creation. She filled her pie shell with custard and topped it with the berries she cut. There were also a few peanuts thrown in there since ever good pastry chef knows you need a little crunch. <br />
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I must say I was impressed with her skills right out of the gate. If she keeps up this way I may loose my job to her by the time she's five!<br />
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We put her pie in the refrigerator to finish setting up. She was super excited to enjoy it for dessert after dinner! The look on her face was priceless when she brought out her final project to show everyone. I wish I had a picture of it, but I had a baby attached to me at the time...and missed it...oh well, next time!<br />
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In the end, it was a pretty good little pie. With a few tweaks here and there, I think we may have stumbled onto the next great pie flavor. What do you think?<br />
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<em></em>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4821420440612559512.post-73425640665033006322015-05-05T10:09:00.000-04:002015-05-05T10:09:20.655-04:00Cooking for a CauseThis past Saturday I had the pleasure of being the pastry chef for a very special dinner. My good friend and fellow chef Paul Johnson is going on a mission trip with his family and church to Moldova this summer. To help raise money for the trip, he auctioned off his services in the form of a five course meal for six people. The auction ended at $600! The night turned out wonderful with great food and the chance to get in the kitchen cooking for such a wonderful cause! Check out the wonderful creations we made!<br />
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Chefs for the night: Me, Paul Johnson and Kristen Beasley<br />
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Sous chef Kristen plating the amuse bouche<br />
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Amuse Bouche: Gouda stone ground grits with rendered pork belly and bourbon glazed apples<br />
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First Course: Market salad with heirloom tomatoes and carrots, shaved golden and red beets, radishes, and blood orange vinaigrette<br />
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Second Course: Tuna and avacado tartare with soft-boiled quail eggs, wonton crisps, radish sprouts, and pickled ginger<br />
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Chef Paul plating the fish course<br />
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Third Course: Poached Chilean sea bass with roasted corn citrus salsa, charred leeks, and bouillabaise foam<br />
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Fourth Course: Reverse-seared North Carolina bison with black garlic risotta, asparagus puree, sauteed baby carrots, and Merlot wine reduction<br />
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That's me plating up dessert!<br />
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Dessert: Chocolate mousse and caramel jelly cake, almond financier, cherry-Port compote, Port reduction, and sour cream ice cream<br />
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Mignardise: Strawberries and cream with toasted hazelnuts<br />
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Our happy diners!<br />
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Hope you enjoyed the feast for your eyes! Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4821420440612559512.post-27397855463519612502015-04-30T13:20:00.000-04:002015-04-30T13:20:24.547-04:00Dessert TrialsThe past few weeks have been super busy!! The best part was trying out some brand new desserts! A good friend of mine is going on a mission trip this summer and decided to auction off his awesome chef skills to raise some money for the trip. Six course dinner for a good cause anyone?<br />
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Well, it's been a while since the two of us were in the kitchen together. So I couldn't resist offering up my services to throw down some yummy dessert. Four desserts went head to head to see which one would win out. Thanks to some lovely family and friends who were kind enough to lend me their taste buds, we narrowed it down to the chosen one! Here they are:<br />
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"Nutty Banana" - Brown butter cake, caramelized banana, rum ice cream and candied peanuts<br />
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"Samoa" - Chocolate cake, toasted marshmallow, chocolate tuile, caramel ice cream, toasted coconut </div>
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"Oh, Honey" - Cornmeal almond cake, almond bark, citrus lime crisp, honey ice cream, candied citrus zest<br />
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AND THE WINNER IS...</div>
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"Chocolate Covered Cherry" - Chocolate mousse and caramel jelly cake, cherry port compote, almond financier, sour cream ice cream, port reduction</div>
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Can't wait to see what the guests think of the dessert. I hope they have just as much fun eating it as I did making it!!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4821420440612559512.post-68088959970811807942015-04-22T08:47:00.000-04:002015-04-22T08:47:28.613-04:00Body After Baby...Step 2I must admit that I was pretty proud of myself last week. I set my breakfast, snack and lunch eating schedule and stuck to it...except for that one stop I made at Chick fil A yesterday but one cheat won't kill me...right?<br />
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With just the change in my diet, overall I feel better, have (a little) more energy than normal and have lost a pound. YEAH! So with Step 1 successfully underway, time to add on Step 2...exercise.<br />
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UGH! If you are anything like me, this is the part that trips you up. Someone once told me that all I have to do is find an exercise I like and the rest will fall into place naturally. Here's the thing...I actually like working out. I've found several different ways to get exercise that I enjoy, and every time I complete said task I feel great about myself. Except most of the things that I enjoy are a touch on the time consuming side. I've never found a class I don't like. Yoga, pilates, Zumba...all good! And I LOVE to swim! The thing is before I go into one of those workout sessions, after or even sometimes during, I start thinking of all the other things I could be doing with that hour or so. There's laundry that needs to be done, dishes that need to be washed, toys that need to be put away. Like so many other moms out there, I have a hard time putting the "necessary" things aside long enough to do something to make myself better and healthier. No one else puts that guilt on but me. And no one would mind if I took those hours to better myself. Still, I knew if I was going to get into a routine that would actually help me, I needed to find something that I could do at home, while with the baby if needed and would be over in less than 20 mins. <br />
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I went on a search for the perfect plan for me. I have several friends on Facebook who are Beachbody coaches, so I started there. I have the PiYo program already, which I like, but some of the workouts are a little long winded. I also wasn't a fan of having to pay for something...again...that I knew deep down I would only use intermittently. So onward I pressed.<br />
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I found a few free plans online that met my time restrictions, but you needed weights and ropes and stretchy pieces of material to stretch with. I knew I was being picky wanting something that only used what I already had laying around the house...but I KNEW something had to be out there. And that's when I found...<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/BikiniBodyMommy" target="_blank">Bikini Body Mommy</a>! The creator of this site is a woman named Briana Christine. She not only has a website where you can get 90 days worth of FREE workouts, but she has a great Facebook page and You Tube channel where she demonstrates the workouts for you. As of right now, she is up to 4 different 90 day challenges, I'm working through number 3. The daily workouts are quick, easy and (most importantly) kick your booty! Better yet...they are all FREE! She does have customizable dietary options that you have to pay for...but for the most part...everything is free. She also goes day by day through the workouts herself and posts to Facebook to help her followers hold themselves accountable. Her new group starts May 4, so if that's something you are interested in, head on over and check it out! Its pretty awesome.<br />
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NO GUILT. What a concept. One I know I need to work on, but one step at a time I'm getting there. So it's been two weeks since I started working on getting my body back and I've only worked out two days. This week I shoot for 3 or 4. Baby steps...little by little...I'm going to get there and be happier and healthier for it!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4821420440612559512.post-80259720520837876862015-04-21T09:41:00.001-04:002015-04-21T09:41:02.888-04:00Happy Birthday Momma!This past Wednesday was my mom's birthday. April 15th...tax day...Happy Birthday, right?<br />
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In order to soften the tax blow, I decided to make her a very special birthday treat this year. Her favorite dessert is Key Lime Pie. I had heard of Key Lime Cake before but never tried it out. Seemed like the perfect time to test out a new cake flavor!</div>
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Dinner was set with some family and close friends, one of which is gluten free so I decided to make the cake gluten free as well so she could have some. Can't leave people out on cake now can we?!?</div>
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I found a good looking recipe for the cake and decided to fill it with key lime curd to up the tart factor so that it would closely resemble the flavor of the pie. I then made a marshmallow meringue frosting to top it with. Although this type of frosting is pretty soft and wouldn't work well for any real type of fine piping work, it was AMAZING!! Way better than buttercream in my opinion. I plan on using it over and over again! I also coated the outside of the cake with gluten free graham cracker crumbs to add the last little element of a key lime pie. I must say that I was pretty dang pleased with the outcome!<br />
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To say the cake was a success would have been an understatement. The birthday girl was happy (most important) as was everyone else at the table...except the hubs...who doesn't like lime and isn't a big cake person either...can't win them all I guess! We even shared some with our two waitresses who "just happened" to bring over two more plates than we really needed. The little that was left at the end of the night went to work with my mom the next day where it was gobbled up by the lucky staff who were fast enough to get a piece. Everyone wanted to know the recipe...so...without further ado...ENJOY!<br />
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<em><u>Gluten Free Key Lime Cake with Marshmallow Frosting</u> (adapted from <a href="http://www.annies-eats.com/2012/03/23/key-lime-pie-cupcakes/" target="_blank">Annie Eats</a> and <a href="http://alwayswithbutter.blogspot.com/2011/04/pumpkin-cupcakes-with-cloud-frosting.html#more" target="_blank">Always with Butter</a>)</em><br />
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CAKE:<br />
3 c gluten free flour (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Namaste-Foods-Gluten-Perfect-48-Ounce/dp/B001SAXNE6/ref=sr_1_5?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1429622135&sr=1-5&keywords=namaste" target="_blank">THIS</a> is my favorite. You can swap it into any recipe 1:1 without adding anything!)<br />
1 T baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1 c butter; room temperature<br />
2 1/2 c sugar<br />
1 lime; zest only<br />
4 eggs; room temperature<br />
1 3/4 c buttermilk; room temperature<br />
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract<br />
2 1/2 tsp coconut extract<br />
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1 - In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. <br />
2 - In the bowl of a mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter until light ad fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the zest and blend. Add sugar 1/2 c at a time, mixing well with each addition. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well with each addition. Scrape down the bowl well.<br />
3 - Combine buttermilk and both extracts. Alternate adding flour mix and buttermilk mix to the mixer in three batches, beginning and ending with your flour mix. Scrape down the bowl well.<br />
4 - Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans and divide mixture evenly between them. Bake at 350 for 20-25 mins until cake tester comes out clean. Leave in pans for 10 mins before inverting onto a rack to cool completely.<br />
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KEY LIME CURD: (This gives you a little more than you need to fill the cake but extra is always good!)<br />
3 eggs<br />
3/4 c sugar<br />
1/4 c key lime juice<br />
4 T butter<br />
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1 - In a small saucepan, combine eggs and sugar. Whisk together well. Whisk in key lime juice. Place over low heat and cook, stirring constantly until mixture is warm. It is important to constantly whisk over low heat to avoid scrambling your eggs! <br />
2 - Once mixture is warm, whisk in butter one tablespoon at a time, allowing each to melt before adding the next. Once all the butter is added, continue to cook, whisking constantly until the mixture reaches 170 degrees. If you don't have a thermometer, cook until it leaves a thick coat on the back of a spoon.<br />
3 - If you think you might have lumps, strain your curd. Otherwise, cool completely over an ice bath, stirring occasionally.<br />
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MARSHMALLOW FROSTING:<br />
1 1/4 c sugar<br />
3 egg whites; room temperature<br />
1/4 c water<br />
1/4 tsp cream of tartar<br />
1 T vanilla<br />
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1 - In the bowl of a mixer, combine sugar, egg whites, water and cream of tartar. Whisk until very foamy.<br />
2 - Place the bowl over a pot of boiling water (creating a double boiler) and whisk until all the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is well warmed through. Add vanilla and put the mixing bowl back on te stand mixer. Whisk on high speed until mixture forms stiff peaks.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4821420440612559512.post-42675860319228445012015-04-14T07:55:00.001-04:002015-04-14T07:55:08.769-04:00Body After Baby...Step 1I have been blessed with two beautiful girls. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Photo Credit to <a href="http://www.portraitsbycrystal.com/" target="_blank">Portraits by Crystal</a> - She's AMAZING!!</em></td></tr>
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Although I love them more than words can express and wouldn't trade them for the world, don't so much love what pregnancy did to my body. While I was pregnant with my little peanut, we went through a good amount of change in our family. We moved, my oldest started a new school...and another new school and I started two new jobs, one as a personal chef and the other working a few days in a new bakery in Raleigh. To say I was busy and constantly tired was an understatement. I tried my best to eat well, but working out? That fell by the wayside real fast. In the end, I didn't gain as much weight this time around as I did the first time around, but I started at a slightly heavier weight so it feels like I have more to loose.<br />
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Yesterday was my official post partum checkup and doc cleared me to work out again. This, for me, is a blessing and a curse. In the past when I've wanted to "get back in shape" I put up these impossible goals for myself, basically setting myself up for failure. I pretend that I'm actually going to go from my day to day hecticness to being able to fit in a full workout everyday. And COMPLETELY change my diet to go along with it. I decided this time I would try VERY HARD not to put those expectations on myself. Which, if you met me, you know how almost impossible that is. Still, when I stand back and look at the big picture, I know that baby steps is the only way I'm going to get to where I want to go. So...<br />
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STEP 1 - Think about my diet.<br />
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Before my little peanut was born, I made a freezer full of food to get us through dinner time. After all, I knew from experience that I wasn't going to have the fore thought to think about dinner during the day. I've been increasingly thankful that we can still rely on these meals since she is an eating machine...especially at dinner time...which keeps me pretty preoccupied. Although I tried to keep things as healthy as possible, reheating frozen meals limits the amounts of fresh fruits and veggies you can get. So instead of trying to revamp my entire diet like I would have in the past, I decided to work with what I got...let myself off the hook for dinner...and focus on the rest of the day.<br />
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I had been noticing that I had not been eating the way I really should during the day. Between trying to catch a little extra sleep during peanut's morning nap, feeding on demand, being conscious to drink enough water and trying to accomplish anything else during the day, I was finding that I wasn't really eating. So I came up with a food calendar for breakfast, a snack and lunch. Then, I sat aside some time to pre make everything! There was the key. Even if a snack was super easy, like hummus and vegetables, I knew if I left cutting the actual vegetables to when I was ready to eat them...well...I may not eat them. Preparation really is key. <br />
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I printed off a calendar and keep it by the coffee pot with a highlight, because...who are we kidding...I NEVER forget my coffee. Every time I go to eat something, I highlight it. That way if I wake up in the morning and I'm not feeling my baked oatmeal like the calendar says I'm supposed to have, I can pick from another day I know is waiting in the refrigerator while still keeping track of what I have left. Here are my choices for this week:<br />
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Breakfast<br />
1 - Waffle with Peanut Butter and Smoothie<br />
2 - Egg Sandwich<br />
3 - Baked Oatmeal<br />
Snack<br />
1 - Hummus with Vegetables<br />
2 - Greek Yogurt and Cashews<br />
3 - Sliced Cheese and Fruit<br />
Lunch<br />
1 - Salmon with Quinoa<br />
2 -Pasta with Zucchini, Yellow Pepper and Kielbasa<br />
3 - Sandwich Wrap with Raw Vegetables<br />
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My personal favorite so far? The baked oatmeal, hands down! When I was pregnant, I mad oatmeal almost every morning. It really helped me get going in the morning. Still, it took time to make every morning...time I didn't have anymore with a baby attached to me in the morning. This was a perfect solution. Bake one day, portion, wrap individually in plastic wrap, 60 seconds in the microwave the next morning and it's ready to go. And still soft and wonderful! You must try!<br />
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<em><u>Strawberry Banana Baked Oatmeal</u> (adapted from <a href="http://fooddonelight.com/strawberry-banana-oatmeal/" target="_blank">Food Done Light</a>)</em><br />
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2 c quick cooking oats; uncooked<br />
1/4 c oat bran<br />
1/2 tsp baking powder<br />
1 c strawberries; quartered<br />
2 bananas; cut into small pieces<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1 tsp cinnamon<br />
1 1/2 c cashew milk<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
2 T butter; melted<br />
1 egg<br />
1/4 c agave<br />
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1 - In a large bowl, combine oats through cinnamon. <br />
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2 - In another bowl, combine remaining ingredients. <br />
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3 - Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until fully combined. <br />
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4 - Pour into a well greased 9x9 glass baking dish and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes until just set in the middle. This will leave the oatmeal still slightly wet so it keeps more of an oatmeal texture.<br />
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5 - Cool completely. Cut into 9 squares, wrap individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate.<br />
6 - Reheat in the microwave for 60 seconds.<br />
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I'm looking forward to trying this recipe with different berries or fruits. Stay tuned to see how I'm getting some exercise in!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4821420440612559512.post-54771869542272011002015-04-04T11:32:00.001-04:002015-04-04T11:32:06.591-04:00Flourless Chocolate Cookies...err Brownies....err CheesecakeMy family has a house at Ocean Isle Beach. If you've never been, do yourself a favor and put it on your list of places to visit. It's beautiful and oh so relaxing. We've been spending the past couple of days playing in the sand, chasing the waves and enjoying the cool ocean breeze. It's been wonderful!!<br />
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A friend who was down visiting with us gave my little one a mini baking kit. Of course, she wanted to make something right away and who am I to say no! I mean look at that face. Who could?<br />
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She wanted to make cookies, which was great, except there was no flour in the house. Instead of packing everyone in the car and heading to the grocery store, I decided this would be a perfect time to try out a recipe for flourless chocolate cookies that I had run across some time ago. After all, with the amount of people requesting gluten free options growing everyday, I need to find a "go to" gluten free cookie. Sadly I have yet to find it yet...<br />
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I started with a recipe I found on <a href="http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/2015/01/21/chocolate-insanity-cookies/" target="_blank">Living Well Spending Less</a>. We had everything we needed except the chocolate chips, which were optional anyway so no big deal. I did the recipe exactly as instructed since I am fairly new to completely flourless cooking. Here's what was needed.<br />
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2 1/2 c powdered sugar<br />
1 c unsweetened cocoa powder<br />
1 T cornstarch<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1 whole egg<br />
2 egg whites<br />
2 tsp vanilla<br />
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I combined all the dry ingredients in one bowl and whisked together the wet ingredients in another. I added the wet to the dry and stirred for what seem like forever. The batter just never came together. It was way too dry. No matter how much I stirred, there just wasn't enough wet to get everything to incorporate. <br />
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To try and correct this problem, I added about 1/2 c milk to the bowl. Now I ended up with the opposite problem. The batter was now too wet to form cookies. <br />
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I was afraid if I added more powdered sugar the batter would be WAY too sweet, so we scrapped the idea of doing cookies and decided they would be more like brownies. I sprayed down a square baking dish, added the batter and popped it in the oven at 350. Baking took about 35 minutes for a toothpick to come out clean in the middle. Now we just had to let them cool so we could taste our new creation.<br />
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Tasting reviews were mixed on the final product. Even though the batter was baked through, it still ended up pretty soft and chewy. Something that really needed to be eaten with a spoon as opposed to being able to cut and eat like a traditional brownie. My little one LOVED them. My mom thought they would be fine in small batches. Another thought it needed to be covered in vanilla ice cream. Ad for me, I thought it was WAY TOO SWEET. I'm not a huge chocolate person anyway and this was just a mouthful of super sweet gooey chocolate. I could barely get the small bite I took down. After seeing the sad dish sitting on the kitchen counter all day with no one touching it again, I decided I needed to find a way to use it so that it didn't go to waste. I wasn't letting this one go without a fight!<br />
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So I came up with the idea to use it as the base of a cheesecake. I scooped it out of the brownie dish onto a sheet tray and tried to get it to dry out in the oven so I could make it more of a crumb crust.<br />
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When that didn't work, I lined my pan with plastic wrap and smeared the chocolate creation on the bottom. This used most of it so I didn't feel as bad when I had to wash the remaining portion down the drain. Now to whip up the cheesecake.<br />
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My go to cheesecake recipe is adapted from <a href="http://foodforahungrysoul.blogspot.com/2010/12/new-york-cheesecake.html" target="_blank">Food for a Hungry Soul.</a> You need the following:<br />
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3 eggs, room temperature<br />
1 c sour cream; room temperature<br />
16 oz cream cheese; room temperature<br />
4 T butter; room temperature<br />
3/4 c sugar<br />
1 T cornstarch<br />
1 T vanilla<br />
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<em>Note: This will make a cheesecake that is about 1 inch tall. If you have a deep pan, double the recipe for a nice, tall cheesecake.</em><br />
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1 - In the bowl of a mixer with whisk attachment, combine eggs and sour cream until well blended. Add cream cheese and mix well. Add butter and allow to mix for 5-10 minutes until the mixer is very smooth and creamy. Scrape the bowl often to make sure you have no lumps.<br />
2 - Add remaining ingredients and mix until well combined.<br />
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From this point, I poured the batter over the chocolate bottom, put the pan inside a roasting pan in the oven, added enough water to the roasting pan to come halfway up the cheesecake pan and baked the cheesecake at 350 for about 1 1/2 hours.<br />
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The end result was a huge hit! The tartness of the cheesecake was the perfect compliment to the extreme sweetness of the chocolate. Although I doubt I will go through this entire process again just to make a "crust" for my cheesecake, it was the perfect example of making something out of a baking mishap. After all, things don't always turn out the way you want them to. The fun part becomes figuring out what you can do to create something you do like...and can even be proud of!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4821420440612559512.post-78122235330801142792015-04-02T11:32:00.001-04:002015-04-02T11:32:33.197-04:00Here Comes Peter Cotton Tail!I don't know about you but I am BEYOND ready for spring! Being a born and bred NC girl, I've always been wimpy about winters. Still, the last two winters have been no picnic. This year came filled with ice storms with my new little peanut arriving just in the middle of the worst two. My oldest little one told me on the way home from school the other day that she was over the cold and ready for summer. Me too, honey. Me too.<br />
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Thankfully the past few weeks have brought some welcome signs of spring. The warmer weather has done wonders for our winter cabin fever. The pollen hasn't done wonders for my allergies, but since I know it's a sign of nicer days ahead, I'll take it! <br />
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This week was my little one's Easter party at her preschool. Our little peanut is a month old now, so I thought it would be nice to get back in the kitchen and contribute some cupcakes to the party. The hubs suggested that I just go buy some...the nerve! I must admit it was challenging juggling a hungry baby and frosting cupcakes, but I was so happy with the outcome, I would do it again in a heartbeat!<br />
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The request was for chocolate cupcakes, so I took my no fail, ever popular chocolate cake recipe and made cupcakes instead. The recipe yielded about 20 cupcakes, though I could have gotten a few more out of the batter. I typically fill my cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full, but these rose so much, I could have filled them 1/2 way and been more than fine. Note taken and moving on. After all, no preschoolers I've ever met is going to complain about a little extra goodie on the sides of their cupcakes. <br />
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I also decided to try something a little different with my classic buttercream recipe this time. I use the recipe below when I need a quick buttercream that is very good for piping and doesn't need to be kept for a long time. Its not my favorite, taste wise, but serves a purpose when your short on time. I've always added a little heavy cream at the end to help smooth things out and wanted to know what would happen if you whipped the cream first. I whipped the cream to a nice soft peak thinking it would hold after adding the butter.<br />
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It doesn't. After you add the butter the cream goes right back to liquid form and makes a bit of a sloshy mess. However, after you add the powdered sugar and mix it well, it comes back together. Another lesson learned.<br />
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I had showed my little one some pictures of cupcakes to let her pick a design. She picked a cute little egg nest which gave me a use for some of the mini Cadbury chocolate eggs I had bought that wasn't eating them all in one sitting like has happened in the past...no judging! The end result is super cute and (best of all) really easy to do. I died most of the icing green for the grass and added a few tablespoons of coca powder to the rest to make it brown. <br />
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First I just put a smear of green down on the cupcakes to cover the top.<br />
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Then I took this three holed pointed tip and used zigzag motions around the edges to the center to make the grass.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAGN-4OOn1LQ1hdTrnpa4nY-cKgAYY-_jAMUD4AX5HO-jEfkDCyMbkiXojCD6hyZFt3zkkC11ClZ9iZ8IUU2F8nXje1-_dllHEeFRE1GNCruRgzjFDvknoHT3xLMTgkvgyUBnka4gCZ_Y2/s1600/IMG_3553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAGN-4OOn1LQ1hdTrnpa4nY-cKgAYY-_jAMUD4AX5HO-jEfkDCyMbkiXojCD6hyZFt3zkkC11ClZ9iZ8IUU2F8nXje1-_dllHEeFRE1GNCruRgzjFDvknoHT3xLMTgkvgyUBnka4gCZ_Y2/s1600/IMG_3553.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
I used a small star tip to make a circle in the middle with the chocolate frosting for the nest.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPw4ZiBNVYFr14bBdABJmCol_EImj0AJQOygARdVaHskReiNaNJaZnKfi_5YPcgqf8le7is1_2_20Y7DIK2ipgTL5s_me3-UZPx6WTzOrLql0nLdfEA4GrYqpl3kmh18trL0bi2hffOOtI/s1600/IMG_3560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPw4ZiBNVYFr14bBdABJmCol_EImj0AJQOygARdVaHskReiNaNJaZnKfi_5YPcgqf8le7is1_2_20Y7DIK2ipgTL5s_me3-UZPx6WTzOrLql0nLdfEA4GrYqpl3kmh18trL0bi2hffOOtI/s1600/IMG_3560.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
Lastly, I added two eggs to each nest to finish the look. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUGg3JZQXbGqmZbQCZp0KNhPhxiC-PNF-mxwwrDwe-5YWz0nkwyd9o69TSYfkNgLl6c9422etIyhjKgnmzwSXwHFoMcD9Ri540n-SEZAl56bzdt3rf-glWVeuja9HBh2cbH_6N7xNLMKQQ/s1600/IMG_3561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUGg3JZQXbGqmZbQCZp0KNhPhxiC-PNF-mxwwrDwe-5YWz0nkwyd9o69TSYfkNgLl6c9422etIyhjKgnmzwSXwHFoMcD9Ri540n-SEZAl56bzdt3rf-glWVeuja9HBh2cbH_6N7xNLMKQQ/s1600/IMG_3561.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
Adorable and delicious! Who can beat that!!<br />
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<em><u>No Fail Chocolate Cake</u> (adapted from <a href="http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/the-best-chocolate-cake-recipe/" target="_blank">My Baking Addiction</a>)</em><br />
<em>Note: If you are making this recipe for a cake, it makes enough for a two layer 9 inch cake</em><br />
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2 c sugar<br />
1 3/4 c AP flour<br />
1 c unsweetened cocoa powder<br />
2 tsp baking soda<br />
1 tsp baking powder<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
2 eggs<br />
1 c buttermilk (or 1 c milk with 2 T vinegar)<br />
1/2 c coffee; brewed and cooled<br />
1/2 c water<br />
1/2 c vegetable oil<br />
2 tsp vanilla <br />
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1 - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line or grease cupcake pans. I would guess that if you fill them halfway you should get around 24.<br />
2 - In the bowl of a mixer with whisk attachment, add sugar through salt. Mix to combine. <br />
3 - Add eggs through vanilla. Mix on low for 3-5 minutes until the batter is well incorporated, scrapping the bowl halfway through. The batter will be extremely loose, pourable even. This is perfectly fine!<br />
4 - Fill cupcake liners half full and bake for 20-25 minutes. I started checking mine at 15 minutes and they needed about 23 total. The cakes will go for more like 30-35 minutes.<br />
5 - Cool and frost as desired.<br />
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<em><u>Quick and Easy Buttercream</u> (adapted from <a href="http://www.theboldabode.com/2013/09/best-buttercream-icing-recipe-like-ever.html" target="_blank">The Bold Abode</a>)</em><br />
<em>This gave me enough buttercream to frost all the cupcakes, with a little over a cup left over. </em><br />
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2 sticks butter; room temperature<br />
8-10 c powdered sugar<br />
2 tsp vanilla<br />
1/2 c heavy cream<br />
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1 - In the bowl of a mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter until very soft and fluffy.<br />
2 - Add the powdered sugar a few cup fulls at a time until it reaches your desired stiffness.<br />
3 - Add in vanilla and heavy cream. Adjust consistency with additional powdered sugar (thicker) or cream (thinner) as needed.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4821420440612559512.post-33292845571738707882015-03-23T10:54:00.003-04:002015-03-23T10:54:54.709-04:00My Little Peanut and the BEST Cookies Ever!I knew it had been a while since I was on the blog, but I had no idea it had been as long as it has!! I have missed writing and need to get back in the swing of things soon! However, my absence hasn't been completely unwarranted. A month ago today my family grew by one amazing little peanut.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxLchyxoStljIkueQPPC4nAaJ-i4jrOSKWscX5wyVoyEDtTMTZni8lEjIZ15o7i7buw7YmAQjWFAsl6TuNE555VdMzli5UmIMYMkjgglNVpLP4YC3MLRrxXhrROpoId-4fbfNv5aH1-DV/s1600/Finley+-+Newborn_0020-(ZF-8550-37347-1-016).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxLchyxoStljIkueQPPC4nAaJ-i4jrOSKWscX5wyVoyEDtTMTZni8lEjIZ15o7i7buw7YmAQjWFAsl6TuNE555VdMzli5UmIMYMkjgglNVpLP4YC3MLRrxXhrROpoId-4fbfNv5aH1-DV/s1600/Finley+-+Newborn_0020-(ZF-8550-37347-1-016).jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
Isn't she beautiful!! I can take credit for the beautiful little girl, but I have to credit to <a href="http://www.portraitsbycrystal.com/" target="_blank">Portraits by Crystal</a> for the beautiful photo! Such a talented new mommy herself. In honor of our sweet little peanut making her entrance into this world, I decided to share with you the recipe for the BEST COOKIE EVER!<br />
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A few months ago my little one wanted to make peanut butter cookies. I've tried several PB cookie recipes before and they were always just ok. So this time around, I went on the search for one that would be a keeper. Boy did I find the perfect recipe! These cookies are chewy, gooey and h so peanut buttery! They are the kind of cookie that make me cry for all those out there allergic to peanut butter since they will never know the yummy goodness that exists within them! Of course, having an adorable sous chef to help me bake up a batch was extra icing on the cake!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHdYzDIgfCMs5s4TRrtrUHcahDhWWKZ6NOR2_oaW6L7GgZyrMHX3n0fz11JbtFm8ZcdL4yVkzJ6QAyUBBdQ-u__7jFDP6AYmqw7DYCApYk3vCDuBL8JAKIITz-mGvQIGzXowQZKuXit0YA/s1600/IMG_3482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHdYzDIgfCMs5s4TRrtrUHcahDhWWKZ6NOR2_oaW6L7GgZyrMHX3n0fz11JbtFm8ZcdL4yVkzJ6QAyUBBdQ-u__7jFDP6AYmqw7DYCApYk3vCDuBL8JAKIITz-mGvQIGzXowQZKuXit0YA/s1600/IMG_3482.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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The only other thing you need to know about these cookies is they make BIG cookies. Do yourself a favor and keep them big! The size helps keep them moist and chewy on the inside while being slightly crunchy on the outside. So without further ado...here you go. Get the milk ready!</div>
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<em><u>The Perfect Peanut Butter Cookie</u> (recipe adapted from <a href="http://www.wallflourgirl.com/2014/02/22/my-favorite-puffy-chewy-peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies/" target="_blank">Wallflour Girl</a>)</em></div>
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1 egg, at room temperature</div>
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1 c light brown sugar, packed</div>
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1 c peanut butter (I'm a snob and only use JIF so I take no responsibility for the outcome if you use a slightly less appealing peanut butter..haha!)</div>
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1/2 c butter, melted</div>
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1 T vanilla extract</div>
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1 3/4 c AP flour</div>
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1/2 tsp baking soda</div>
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1/4 tsp salt</div>
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1 c chocolate chips</div>
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1 - In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream egg, brown sugar, peanut butter and vanilla for 5-6 minutes until very fluffy. *Side note...This can be done by hand if you don't have a mixer, just be prepared for an intensive arm workout...which probably isn't so bad before eating the cookies!</div>
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2 - Add flour, baking soda and salt and mix until incorporated.</div>
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3 - Toss your chocolate chips in about a tablespoon of flour and fold into your cookie batter. Doing this will help the chips hold their shape in the oven.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-P5_2CTsHDzheNQ2sLNvYWyH_HscEgDjEO3RLuknDS1EkYTF1j8XuLUdOVfhUjIqfUpELzHI9578H9Aw8zudhAZzgipcu2HZUAxbfcsVDg7-VfWNiYgUUboYm83oR9Q12QWjYp6h4IbJf/s1600/IMG_3479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-P5_2CTsHDzheNQ2sLNvYWyH_HscEgDjEO3RLuknDS1EkYTF1j8XuLUdOVfhUjIqfUpELzHI9578H9Aw8zudhAZzgipcu2HZUAxbfcsVDg7-VfWNiYgUUboYm83oR9Q12QWjYp6h4IbJf/s1600/IMG_3479.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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4 - Use an ice cream scoop to portion your cookies onto a greased cookie sheet. You really want the cookies to come out looking like little scoops of ice cream, taller than they are wider. Gently push down on each cookie to make the top flat but don't smoosh. Cover the sheet tightly with plastic warp and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or the freezer for 45 minutes. <em>The original recipe had you chilling the dough before portioning it, which make it pretty impossible to scoop after it's hard. Save yourself the headache and portion before but DON'T SKIMP on the chilling time! Trust me!</em></div>
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5 - Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Bake cookies for 8-12 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the centers are still nice and soft. Allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes before eating...if you can wait that long!</div>
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6 - Store any leftovers...weren't any in my house...in an airtight container.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-aW63it-shQx3ZpdvHy4tTToiA7HJtrOJ7BK2w7W39it_LXfgStRBzC0iPOgZBk_BAZ3kIwlGn9Ir_2IuabmCyEITEaJHJ5sHAHcgyqDBucGOlcvXTSUY5vy8Ydu6eY9quLh_vTbwoXta/s1600/IMG_3486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-aW63it-shQx3ZpdvHy4tTToiA7HJtrOJ7BK2w7W39it_LXfgStRBzC0iPOgZBk_BAZ3kIwlGn9Ir_2IuabmCyEITEaJHJ5sHAHcgyqDBucGOlcvXTSUY5vy8Ydu6eY9quLh_vTbwoXta/s1600/IMG_3486.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<em>ENJOY!!</em><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4821420440612559512.post-6262699368411285152014-10-27T18:59:00.001-04:002014-10-27T18:59:23.762-04:00This is Halloween!Those who know me know that I LOVE Halloween. It's hard to say it's my favorite holiday since I love Christmas too, but Halloween is right up there! There's nothing about this time of year that I do not adore. The weather is amazing, dressing up is always fun and I'm all in for anything spooky or scary! Last year, Halloween was the first holiday we missed out on being overseas. So this year, I made it my main goal to have the new house ready for visitors so we could have a Halloween party.<br />
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Thankfully, I got it all done and a blast was had by all who attended. As usual, I had a blast putting together all the theme food and finding the perfect outfit for the hubs and I to dress up as. There's too many recipes to list them all, so here are the pics...and perhaps a few recipes to come soon! Everyone have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!<br />
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Bloodshot Deviled Egg Eyeballs</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBng3ztiK4zoZKm0QuCZ3nSsBh0eiI13vLahcqIUybdPo6CTBferWloEl7Jya4aVwwiy-9FOUFVKRWwrwlkKduYa1_RmBOhVNS-7CUIkcJHWXseYAYiI0r6szvkxG7NH11LmhDQiMuB87l/s1600/IMG_3315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBng3ztiK4zoZKm0QuCZ3nSsBh0eiI13vLahcqIUybdPo6CTBferWloEl7Jya4aVwwiy-9FOUFVKRWwrwlkKduYa1_RmBOhVNS-7CUIkcJHWXseYAYiI0r6szvkxG7NH11LmhDQiMuB87l/s1600/IMG_3315.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Green Slime (Green Goddess) Dip with Vegetables</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwDVhwKv2aWT17pkka6vKXVR70t1l0jYCSc08xQ0-l9HFfaidCnz_koWw9LHkm47ho6JdLEAi3Wr7eVgHeWb3-tZs1IAlWR1yiLyXNLYEBDyeN6V0780NLwsWE6HDNK8teU110ZjqzVq_/s1600/IMG_3316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwDVhwKv2aWT17pkka6vKXVR70t1l0jYCSc08xQ0-l9HFfaidCnz_koWw9LHkm47ho6JdLEAi3Wr7eVgHeWb3-tZs1IAlWR1yiLyXNLYEBDyeN6V0780NLwsWE6HDNK8teU110ZjqzVq_/s1600/IMG_3316.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Crunchy Haystacks (Cookies)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOWDHkEk1DWUZpzrwFK1HFqV1AjUSxeMQ5sYTKXrPBrvvEyfbcs9d5jDFeVxvB6Rx4uUb-5bTYgfSxn5WBk1xuJpUofnYn7IrNZw2A9PG5La6LJUAqmq0KDr-lAe8HUyukzjdZIf_e-ThG/s1600/IMG_3319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOWDHkEk1DWUZpzrwFK1HFqV1AjUSxeMQ5sYTKXrPBrvvEyfbcs9d5jDFeVxvB6Rx4uUb-5bTYgfSxn5WBk1xuJpUofnYn7IrNZw2A9PG5La6LJUAqmq0KDr-lAe8HUyukzjdZIf_e-ThG/s1600/IMG_3319.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Red Velvet Brain Cupcakes...though they look a little more like skeletons</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUzPNzbLhwWPSKVd1r-GIhm32rhhBwgwb5CO01rLsEcB6k74QblREgKv2dIAKevh80Sf_9-Q664_gZyJCgs0PRzgf44q8y5Pstll6vA9RGU4-fV9c9lk4zS97TMX_PrA9IBucX3wRm1Sk/s1600/IMG_3320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUzPNzbLhwWPSKVd1r-GIhm32rhhBwgwb5CO01rLsEcB6k74QblREgKv2dIAKevh80Sf_9-Q664_gZyJCgs0PRzgf44q8y5Pstll6vA9RGU4-fV9c9lk4zS97TMX_PrA9IBucX3wRm1Sk/s1600/IMG_3320.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Spooky Smoked Gouda Pimento Cheese</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSqLzb9WROMYkMI6h7qGZh9aA4QoVORMUwoKDBZTMFJqk-CmLFnLaG4E6Rqpe8stAfx-9dUY8dnWhT-cQrkPhjauzVJ7IK-YbPABHw0eajivkHeSA2InrnWNFCuBGO7KoVfyvsBMvuUvm/s1600/IMG_3321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSqLzb9WROMYkMI6h7qGZh9aA4QoVORMUwoKDBZTMFJqk-CmLFnLaG4E6Rqpe8stAfx-9dUY8dnWhT-cQrkPhjauzVJ7IK-YbPABHw0eajivkHeSA2InrnWNFCuBGO7KoVfyvsBMvuUvm/s1600/IMG_3321.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Roasted Rack of Ribs</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf92fq1ZjQYrVY8N8bvhUZ7mFt0iTTVE24LjglD40V10ON4crk8UKVdRvCVJxGGCBHkJhh9zHO64lM4-8u_s0OIo1UxzOSvE0fdSi-yOeA2O0DnvXgfbjcNGVd7tZkzY0fabm8srNCwFTe/s1600/IMG_3323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf92fq1ZjQYrVY8N8bvhUZ7mFt0iTTVE24LjglD40V10ON4crk8UKVdRvCVJxGGCBHkJhh9zHO64lM4-8u_s0OIo1UxzOSvE0fdSi-yOeA2O0DnvXgfbjcNGVd7tZkzY0fabm8srNCwFTe/s1600/IMG_3323.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Bat (Chicken) Wings</div>
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The Robber and his Bag 'O Loot</div>
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Our sweet little Rapunzel</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4821420440612559512.post-88727916524471064612014-10-22T06:00:00.000-04:002014-10-22T06:00:02.289-04:00Fishing for a New FishNo, I'm not a big fisher but I do love to find new and interesting ingredients that I've never heard of before and play around with them. One of the things I love about the area we live in now is all the Farmer's Markets. Not that there weren't any in Charlotte, but there's something different about the ones here. They are smaller, quaint and everywhere!<br />
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We came across one a few weeks back and, of course, had to check it out. My poor hubs has been drug to markets all over the world and still, most of the time, puts on a good face knowing that something yummy is probably coming his way at dinner that night. Today was no exception.<br />
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One of the vendors at this particular market was a small, almost traveling grocery store. Aside from the fact that their trailer was set up on a hill making it impossible for me to stay inside for more than a few minutes without feeling sick, it was wonderful! Tons of fresh produce, meats, dairy and breads lined the small walls. I was intrigued looking at the multitude this little gem had to offer when the owner happened by telling us that all the frozen seafood they had was 40% off today in order to make room for new product. Sold! I was getting something for dinner. The only question was what to choose.<br />
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I ventured over to the cooler seeing things I had seen elsewhere, scallops...flounder...grouper. All good choices, but I really wanted something new. That's when I saw a single pack of Sheepshead. <br />
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Having never heard of it before, I asked what it was like. "Kind of buttery, almost along the lines of lobster" the lady told us. Sold again! Time to go home and play.<br />
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Of course, I had to google the fish as soon as I got home. I wanted to know more about it. When I looked up pictures of the fish in the wild, I was pretty shocked. Ever seen a fish with teeth before? Me neither!?!<br />
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I learned these are saltwater fish found in the Atlantic Ocean whose diet consists mostly of oysters, clams and other crustaceans. Their teeth help crush the shells of their prey, since they eat everything whole. It's commonly nicknamed the fish with the human teeth...and I can definitely see why!<br />
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For this preparation, I decided to keep things very simple. Having never had the fish before, I wanted the natural flavor to come through as much as possible without being over shadowed by a bunch of spices. I seasoned the fish with salt and pepper. I then threw a stick of butter in a pot with 1/4 c of white wine and some dry roasted garlic flakes. I let this cook down until the butter was slightly browned and reduced a bit and used is to baste the fish as I broiled it. I severed it up with a side of roasted asparagus. <br />
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The result? OMG...it was sooo good! The fish was buttery, rich and super moist. Even the little one gobbled it all up with out so much as a peep. I can only hope that I will be able to find this fish again since it has now become one of my favorites! Guess that's the only real danger in trying ingredients you don't come across very often. Oh well, this time I've come across a gem and you can bet that I won't pass it up if I see it again!<br />
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So what's your favorite thing to play around with in the kitchen?<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4821420440612559512.post-57886646784789197342014-10-21T10:03:00.000-04:002014-10-21T10:03:45.612-04:00Forging for Brownies?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So a good friend of mine is a blacksmith...or in contemporary day terms...a metal worker. Cool, huh? She's really talented, and I love seeing all her new projects! Currently, she is working on a really big project called <a href="http://www.shopspace.org/" target="_blank">ShopSpace</a> where she and some of her friends are striving to create a communal space for current metal workers as well as an area they can teach others the craft.<br />
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A few weeks back, they had an open house at the space. It's pretty amazing. I even had the opportunity to do a little forging myself.<br />
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I was pretty stoked to have the opportunity to make something and, I have to say, pleasantly surprised how well I did for the first time. More than that, I think I was surprised that more people didn't want to take a turn hammering away on red hot metal. I mean, who wouldn't right?<br />
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My contribution to this little event was some brownies, my go to quick and easy recipe that I have been making for people since I was about 10 years old. I even had a babysitter at the time who wanted me to make them for her ever time she watched us overnight. They are super quick, super yummy and always a hit. Nowadays I even have an adorable little helper to assist in all the mixing.<br />
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Isn't she the cutest?!? Of course her favorite part is licking the whisk after she's done! Try out these no fail treats. They are sure to put a big 'ole smile on your face!<br />
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<em><u>The Best Brownies EVER! - Makes about 16 (Adopted from the Hershey cookbook)</u></em><br />
4 oz butter; melted<br />
1 c sugar<br />
1 T vanilla extract<br />
2 eggs<br />
1/2 c all purpose flour<br />
1/3 c cocoa powder<br />
1/4 tsp baking powder<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
1 T cinnamon<br />
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1 - In a bowl, stir together butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well to incorporate before adding the next one. <br />
2 - In a separate bowl, combine flour, coca, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add to egg mixture in three different batches, incorporating each batch before adding more. Pour batter into well greased 9x9 pan.<br />
3 - Bake brownies at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes until they begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and the middle is almost completely set. Cool completely, cut into squares and ENJOY!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4821420440612559512.post-76577833626414823312014-09-28T19:42:00.000-04:002014-09-28T19:42:23.957-04:00Hot Soup on a Warm Night?I don't know what the weather has been like in your neck of the woods, but this past week it was rainy, cold and all around gloomy. I'm right up at the front of the line wanting fall to be here, but I hate the misty nasty rain that keeps you from being able to go out and enjoy the cooler weather. YUCK!<br />
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In preparing for the drop in temperature, I planned to try out some new soup recipes. I looked though my Pinterest page to see what popped out and found a little gem for Cheeseburger Soup. Sounded like a winner! I had best laid plans to do this early in the week...and then this week happened. I've been having some killer headaches with this little bun in the oven and this week they were in full swing. So, we lived off leftovers and pizza for the better part of the week, but by Friday I was ready to go! Of course, Friday was the first day the sun came out and the temperature went up. Oh well...soup I was craving and soup we would have!<br />
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Still, I wanted a little something more to go with the soup. And what goes better with soup than bread? The hubs LOVES bread and reminds me often that we don't have it at dinner enough. Since it had been quite some time since I made fresh bread, I was excited to try out a new recipe there as well. My biggest craving with this pregnancy, strangely enough, has been beer. So when I came across a recipe for Basil Beer Bread, I was sold!<br />
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Some tips for recreating this meal. The soup is meant to be made in the crock pot. I started the soup in the crock pot...and then ran out of time for not starting soon enough...and switched it to a pot on the stove. This wasn't the best idea. Unless you are going to stand over the stove and stir this soup constantly, make sure you leave yourself the extra time to let the crock pot do the work for you!<br />
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In the end, the soup was pretty thick. I didn't mind this since I like a heartier soup anyway, but if you wanted it a little thinner, I would suggest doubling the chicken stock. Between the cheese and the hash browns, a lot of liquid is soaked up!<br />
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The bread is probably one of the simplest you will make...EVER! The recipe wasn't really specific about the type of beer to use, so I picked out a nutty ale at the grocery store. Here's the one I used:<br />
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It was pretty perfect! If you can't find this exact beer, I would stick to something a little stronger and in the "nut ale" family. The flavor really comes through in the bread. Even the little one ate it all up so it must have been good!<br />
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The bread also called for fresh basil, which I thought I had, but turns out I was wrong. I substitutes about 2 T dried basil for the fresh and the flavor came though. I would love to experiment with this again to see if I can taste a difference by using fresh basil, but in a pinch dried will work beautifully!<br />
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<em><u>Cheeseburger Soup - Serves 8-10</u> (I wish I could credit the person who originally pinned this, but the link was broken. Thankfully the ingredients were in the description!)</em><br />
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1 pound ground beef; browned and drained<br />
2 pounds Velveeta; cut into cubes<br />
2 pounds shredded hash browns (I used 2 packs of Simply Potatoes Hash Browns, one original and one Southwest style for a little kick)<br />
1 pound bacon; cooked, drained and crumbled<br />
30 ounces chicken broth (more for a thinner soup)<br />
1 T each dried basil, garlic, pepper, salt, tarragon and thyme<br />
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1 - Make sure beef is browned ad drained and bacon is cooked, drained and crumbled. Throw all ingredients in a crock pot and cook over high for 2-4 hours or low for 4-6 hours, stirring every now and then to mix everything up. Easy as that!<br />
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<em><u>Basil Beer Bread - Makes 1 loaf, size of the average meatloaf pan </u>(Adapted from <a href="http://drizzleanddip.com/2013/07/10/easy-basil-beer-bread" target="_blank">Drizzle and Dip</a>)</em></div>
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3 cups AP flour<br />
1 bunch of fresh basil; chopped (or 2 T dried basil)<br />
4 tsp baking powder<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
1 T brown sugar<br />
330mL beer; room temperature<br />
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1 - Using a stand mixer with dough hook attachment, mix the dry ingredients together. Add beer and mix on low speed for 3-5 minutes until the dough bounces back when you press it.<br />
2 - Grease a meatloaf pan. Add the dough and press down so the dough covers the pan evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes until lightly browned. Allow to cool slightly before slicing and eating.<br />
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<em>On a side note, the wonderful hubs found my camera battery charger! No more phone pics for this girl!!</em><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4821420440612559512.post-20128143124272263712014-09-13T12:00:00.000-04:002014-09-13T12:00:24.537-04:00Can You Smell Fall Coming?It's been almost a month to the day since we moved into the new house in Clayton. Although we are still having some hot days, the cooler mornings and evenings are proof that fall really is on the way, and I couldn't be more excited. See this time last year we were packing up to leave the country for the rest of the year and basically missed fall. Sure it got cooler and cold in France, but the leaves didn't change, the holidays weren't celebrated the same and everything I love about this time of the year was gone. So this year I want to do everything I can to enjoy every minute!!<div>
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Moving is always stressful, so I was excited to meet our new neighbors almost as soon as we moved in. Everyone we have met is super friendly, more proof that we moved to the right place! This week I got invited to a ladies Bunco night in the neighborhood with the instructions to bring a bottle of wine or a snack. Since I can't drink with a little bambino growing in the tummy, I decided to use this opportunity to try out a new cupcake recipe. Trying out new sweet treats is a little more challenging now that we've moved since the hubs isn't a fan of desserts and I no longer have his employees I can send them too. I wanted something new, something that was a perfect fall welcome and something everyone could enjoy. That's when it hit me the one "fall thing" that has been trending on all the social media lately...Pumpkin Spice Lattes. That little Starbucks drink that people everywhere wait all year for. Pumpkin is pretty much the "end all be all" of fall flavors so why not turn the legendary drink into a cupcake?</div>
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So I turned to the place we all go for inspiration...Pinterest! Really, what did we do before this website existed? To my surprise, I found tons of recipes out there dedicated to turning the flavors of the beloved drink into all things edible. After weeding through several recipes that used a box cake mix as the base...which is a HUGE pet peeve of mine...I finally landed on one from <a href="http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/pumpkin-spice-latte-cupcakes/" target="_blank">Table for Two</a>. I made an adjustment here and there to make the recipe my own and the outcome was amazing! The little one ate hers up, hubs gave it his "other people will like this" stamp of approval and I left the party with a clean platter! Since my camera battery is still in a box somewhere and said camera is dead, I didn't get a good picture of my actual cupcakes. But here's one from the Table for Two blog to show off the yummy goodness!</div>
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<img height="320" src="http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/pumpkin-spice-latte-cupcakes-2.jpg" width="225" /></div>
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<br /></div>
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I only made a few small additions to the original recipe. Once I mixed the batter, it still tasted like it needed something so I added some vanilla, which did the trick. I also mixed up a quick cream cheese filling to go on the inside of the cupcakes which I felt added a nice little break up of flavor overall. The simple whipped frosting is the perfect finishing touch and definitely reminds me of the actually latte topping! Careful with it though, since it's just sweetened whipped cream, it will melt easily if put in the heat! </div>
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Getting back in the kitchen to do some baking really got me excited for the upcoming season and seeing how many more twists of classics I can come up with! Let the recipe testing begin!!</div>
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<i><u>Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes (adapted from </u></i><i><a href="http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/pumpkin-spice-latte-cupcakes/" target="_blank">Table for Two</a>)</i></div>
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<i>Makes 2 dozen cupcakes or one 2 layer 9 inch cake</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<i>Cupcakes:</i></div>
<div>
2 2/3 c all purpose flour</div>
<div>
3 T espresso powder</div>
<div>
2 tsp baking soda</div>
<div>
2 tsp baking powder</div>
<div>
1/2 T pumpkin pie spice</div>
<div>
15 oz can pumpkin puree</div>
<div>
1 c sugar</div>
<div>
1 c brown sugar</div>
<div>
1 c vegetable oil</div>
<div>
1 T vanilla extract</div>
<div>
4 eggs</div>
<div>
1/2 c coffee; brewed and slightly cooled for brushing</div>
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<i>Filling:</i></div>
<div>
1 c cream cheese</div>
<div>
4 T cinnamon</div>
<div>
2 T sugar</div>
<div>
1/2 T pumpkin pie spice</div>
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<i>Frosting:</i></div>
<div>
2 1/4 c whipping cream; chilled</div>
<div>
1/4 c powdered sugar</div>
<div>
<i>Topping:</i></div>
<div>
10 caramel candies (or make your own caramel if you're feeling ambitious!)</div>
<div>
2 T whipping cream</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>For cupcakes:</i></div>
<div>
1 - Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with cups or grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans.</div>
<div>
2 - In a bowl, whisk together flour, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder and pumpkin pie spice. </div>
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3 - In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle, combine pumpkin puree, sugar, brown sugar, oil and vanilla. Mix until well combined.</div>
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4 - Add eggs one at a time, incorporating each before adding the next one.</div>
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5 - Add the dry ingredients in three additions, mixing each just until the ingredients are incorporated.</div>
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6 - Divide batter evenly between muffin tins (using about 1/4 to 1/3 c for each tin) or between the two cake pans.</div>
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7 - Bake 15-20 minutes until tester comes out clean.</div>
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8 - Allow cupcakes to cool slightly. Brush the tops of the cupcakes or cakes with coffee. Apply three coats total, allowing the coffee to soak in between each coat. Remove cupcakes from tins or cakes from the pans and allow to cool completely on wire racks.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<i>For filling:</i></div>
<div>
1 - Put all ingredients in a stand mixer with whip and cream until smooth. </div>
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2 - Using a corer or small spoon, remove a small part from the center of each cupcake. Pipe the filling into the center of each cupcake. If making the cake, simply spread the filling on top of one cake layer before adding the second layer.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>For frosting:</i></div>
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1 - In stand mixer with whip, whip cream to soft peaks. Gradually add powdered sugar and whip to stiff peak. Pipe as desired onto cupcakes. <i>(Note: More frosting will probably be needed if frosting a 9 inch cake. I would start by upping the recipe by half and whipping more cream as needed.)</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>For topping:</i></div>
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1 - Combine the caramels and cream in a small sauce pot over low heat, stirring occasionally until the caramels are melted. Allow to cool completely before drizzling on cupcakes or cake.</div>
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Now you can drink your Starbucks and eat it too! ENJOY!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4821420440612559512.post-63186683602142547622014-08-01T07:00:00.000-04:002014-08-01T07:00:00.657-04:00A Ray of Sun on a Cloudy DayI can't believe how long it's been since I've been able to find time enough to myself to sit down and write! Things have been pretty hectic around our house lately with lots of transitions going on for our family. Still, through all the hubbub, I was able to help a very dear friend make a very special day a little more colorful.<br />
<br />
I was excited about the opportunity to make a cake for a beautiful little girls Baptism. I was even more excited when her mom sent me an idea for a cake I had never done before, a Rainbow Cake! Ever since spending time oversees, I've had a slight obsession with "surprise" inside desserts. So, needless to say, I was a bit giddy at getting to take on this new challenge. Fortunately, this turned out to be a lot easier than the checkerboard cake I made for my daughter's birthday last year! Pictures of that cake will not be posted...take my word...it was a disaster and left me wanting to pull my hair out! If you ever get the wild idea to try it, keep in mind, more time and lots of alcohol will be needed to keep you from loosing your mind!!<br />
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The Rainbow Cake, however was really very simple. Time consuming only in the fact that I had to bake twice since I only had three 9 inch cake pans. But that wasn't a problem for me since I had a cute little beauty to play with in between! I whipped up my favorite white cake recipe, making enough batter to essentially make two three layer 9 inch cakes. I then divided the batter into 6 equal portions and added food coloring to each portion to get all the colors of the rainbow. It was so easy, even my own little adorable helper was able to lend a hand!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2B5-n6lvbO9hRphPO970WBrGmoehfhcBithPK9RJkZYmFsGNkB6v6bpiJl86Xa1uaFiILF06jNvhpp_N7XkB0yNzm_EDewv_JdB1xnuIQRgQzS1QZAX9S9-nItLQRoRfm6d3iz25_OAnc/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2B5-n6lvbO9hRphPO970WBrGmoehfhcBithPK9RJkZYmFsGNkB6v6bpiJl86Xa1uaFiILF06jNvhpp_N7XkB0yNzm_EDewv_JdB1xnuIQRgQzS1QZAX9S9-nItLQRoRfm6d3iz25_OAnc/s1600/photo.JPG" /></a></div>
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After all the cakes were baked and cooled, I mixed a batch of my "no fail" buttercream, filled the inside with some white chocolate lavender ganache I had left over from a wedding and stacked the monster. It was tall! The tallest since tier cake I had ever done.<br />
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For the outside, I mixed together some blue and white buttercream to give the illusion of clouds and bordered the cake to look like crashing waves. Leaving the outside of the cake looking like this...<br />
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<img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" height="320" src="https://scontent-b-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/t1.0-9/10339953_538836572889368_514546666067102636_n.jpg" style="height: 524px; width: 393px;" width="240" /><br />
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And the inside looking like this...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7T9FTt5TCJpXPG_9KqZjHHtDeVBsGVQ3Q0HY4mA15EYg_qbKBSoHruHcCBKie4n9HYaublwWKMNucIYxzrtqKdbPq9GfPu34Cxcc9TlkbqcG6U5oLqUOt2fw7gCgu9sbRL2m4iJOcnnN/s1600/inside+rachel's+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7T9FTt5TCJpXPG_9KqZjHHtDeVBsGVQ3Q0HY4mA15EYg_qbKBSoHruHcCBKie4n9HYaublwWKMNucIYxzrtqKdbPq9GfPu34Cxcc9TlkbqcG6U5oLqUOt2fw7gCgu9sbRL2m4iJOcnnN/s1600/inside+rachel's+cake.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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I was in love with how vibrant the colors came out! Most importantly, mommy was happy with the outcome as well. This will definitely be one I keep in my bag of tricks to pull out again! After all, who could be glum on a rainy day when you have this to feast upon? Now for what you've been waiting for...the recipes for this masterpiece!<br />
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<u style="font-style: italic;">The LAST White Cake Recipe You Will EVER Need</u> (adapted from <a href="http://sweetapolita.com/2011/07/fluffy-vanilla-cake-with-whipped-vanilla-bean-frosting/" target="_blank">Sweetapolita</a>)<br />
<i>Makes 1, three layer, 9 inch cake</i><br />
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7 egg whites; room temperature<br />
2 whole eggs; room temperature<br />
1 1/2 c milk; room temperature<br />
4 tsp vanilla extract<br />
4 1/2 c cake flour; sifted<br />
3 c sugar<br />
3 T baking powder<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
18 T butter; cold, cut into 18 pieces<br />
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1 - Preheat over to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 9 inch cake pans. <br />
2 - In a bowl, combine egg whites, whole eggs, 1/2 c milk and vanilla. <br />
3 - In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle, combine dry ingredients until mixed.<br />
4 - Add butter to the dry ingredients, one piece at a time, until all butter is incorporated and mixture is crumbly.<br />
5 - Add remaining milk and mix until well incorporated. Scrape the bowl well. Add the egg mixture in three batches, making sure to incorporate each addition before adding more. Scrape the bowl between additions as well. <br />
6 - Bake the cakes for 20-40 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing and completely cooling on wire racks.<br />
<i>*If making the rainbow cake, add food coloring as needed to the cake batter. Make sure to make the batter slightly darker than you want the actual cake to be since the color will dull in the oven.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<u style="font-style: italic;">"No Fail" Buttercream</u> (adopted from<a href="http://savorysweetlife.com/2010/03/buttercream-frosting/" target="_blank"> Savory Sweet Life</a>)<br />
<i>Makes 5 cups</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
1 c unsalted butter; room temperature<br />
1 c shortening<br />
8 c powdered sugar; sifted<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
2 T vanilla extract<br />
4-8 T heavy cream<br />
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1 - In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream together the butter and shortening. <br />
2 - Gradually add the powdered sugar, about 2 c at a time, incorporating completely before adding more. <br />
3 - Once all sugar has been added, add the salt, vanilla and 4 T heavy cream. Whip the buttercream on medium high speed for 5-6 minutes.<br />
4 - If your frosting needs to be thinned, add more cream 1 T at a time and mixing for 2-3 minutes before adding more. If your frosting needs to be stiffened, add more sifted powdered sugar. Color, if desired, and use as soon as possible for best results. Enjoy!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4821420440612559512.post-68447662223667370652014-07-31T18:35:00.001-04:002014-07-31T18:37:17.232-04:00Remember Me?It's been quite a while since my last post. I know...I'm sorry. A lot has been happening in the household. I started a new job...and left said job. The hubs is in the process of making some changes to his business. My little one will be 4, yes FOUR next week...no idea how that happened. Oh, and we're moving! Just a few little life changes around here doesn't leave time for much else. But I missed my little blog getaway, so I'm coming back!!<br />
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In all the crazy that's been invading our lives recently, it's been more important than ever to simplify as many things as possible. Of course, this translates immediately into food. We've been bad about eating out lately, I'll be the first to admit. However, we're justifying it in that we want to hit up all our favorite places before we go. That makes it ok...right? Still, even I can't stomach eating out everyday (and neither can our bank account), so I recently turned to my best friend Pinterest for some wonderfully quick and healthy ideas.<br />
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I stumbled over a wonderful little blog called <a href="http://damndelicious.net/2014/06/13/one-pot-zucchini-mushroom-pasta/" target="_blank">Damn Delicious</a>. Don't you just fall in love with that name? Or is it just me who loves to add expletives whenever little ears aren't close by...or slip when sometimes they are? The link above will take you to the original recipe, which sounds damn delicious (just as the name implies). Usually I like to try any recipe I come across "as is" before putting my own twist on it, but since I needed this for dinner and didn't have time to run to the store, I improvised. I was just so in love and curious about the idea of cooking a pasta dish all IN ONE POT, I couldn't not try it! I fully intend on trying the original version soon, but here's the ingredients I had in my pantry and fridge to use.<br />
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<span id="goog_738214360"></span><span id="goog_738214361">Odd as it seems, I really did have this "veggie" pasta in my pantry. It was on sale at the grocery store a while back, and I couldn't resist. I will admit that I had shied away from using it since it was new and (most likely) tasted funny, but now was as good a time as ever. I would be pleasantly surprised that it didn't taste much different from regular pasta, even when I tasted it on it's own. By itself, I could tell a slight "veggie" difference, but all mixed into one, no difference at all. I even had to tell the hubs it was different so he could give his opinion. Extra serving of vegetables with no extra work coming up!!</span><br />
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Now comes the best part about this recipe...throw everything into the pot. Yep, everything, all at one time. Just like this...<br />
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This was the only part of this recipe that I was a little hesitant about. I figured if the pasta was cooked, everything else would be mush. If the other ingredients were cooked well, the pasta would be crunchy. So with Pap John's on backup speed dial, I set the pot on the stove, brought it to a boil and left it alone for 10 minutes. Everything came out wonderful! The pasta, in fact, could have cook a minute or two less for my taste...something that is easily fixable. I was amazed, and I am rarely amazed by a recipe. Impressed, yes...amazed, no. The final product came out as a true one pot tasty wonder that led the whole family to go back for seconds!<br />
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Can you say simple, quick, no fuss and damn delicious?!?! This will definitely be a go to for those busy nights when you forget to thaw anything...or prep...for dinner. Have fun trying out my version, the original masterpiece (I'm sure!) or invent your own. I would love to hear what yummy goodness you add to your pot. And the simplicity of it actually allows you a good 10 minutes to sit and have a glass of wine while your dinner cooks itself. What could be better than that? No one needs to know ;)<br />
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<u style="font-style: italic;">One Pot Wonder Spaghetti</u> (adopted from Mushroom and Zucchini Spaghetti by <a href="http://damndelicious.net/2014/06/13/one-pot-zucchini-mushroom-pasta/" target="_blank">Damn Delicious</a>)<br />
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1 box "Veggie" spaghetti noodles (or other pasta)<br />
1 package cremini mushrooms; sliced<br />
2 T olive oil<br />
14 1/2 oz can fire roasted tomatoes; undrained<br />
14 1/2 oz mushroom broth (or other broth); use tomato can for measuring<br />
3-4 garlic cloves; sliced<br />
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes; or more if you like some spice<br />
1 T dried oregano flakes<br />
1 T dried basil flakes<br />
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1 - Put everything in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat slightly and cook 7-10 minutes until pasta is cooked to your liking. Remove from heat, cover and allow to sit for 2-3 minutes so pasta can soak up all the yummy juices. Enjoy!<br />
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<span id="goog_181095461"></span><span id="goog_181095462"></span><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4821420440612559512.post-58238890374117933332014-03-18T21:08:00.001-04:002014-03-18T21:08:39.498-04:00Wellness Wednesday - The Clean Eating CrazeMy quest to feel better about myself in 2014 has led to friends and family asking me advice on how they can do the same. While I love to help a few people here and there while I can, I thought a good thing to help more people...and continue to hold myself accountable...would be to start a "Wellness Wednesday" on the blog. My goal is to post a new blog every Wednesday that has something to do with health concerns and general healthy living. So if you have a topic you want to hear about, let me know. First up...clean eating!<br />
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I'm not going to claim to be a genius on the whole clean eating movement. It's become increasingly popular over the last few years, as has the Paleo diet. I've talked in several blogs before about the Paleo diet and the Whole30 food challenge which both did AMAZING things for my level of energy and general "feel goodness". If you are looking at clean eating as a means to help you loose weight, I suggest you head over to the website <a href="http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/what-is-clean-eating/" target="_blank">The Gracious Pantry</a>. She breaks it down so much more than I ever could.<br />
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That being said, here's my two sense. Eating clean is exactly that, clean...no chemicals, artificial additives, nothing that can't be found naturally in nature. The best way I've learned to think about this is to imagine your grocery store. Now pretend the only place you can shop is around the outer edges of the store and not the isles. This will hit your produce, fresh seafood, fresh meat, dairy and frozen foods. Now, we all know that wonders of Ben and Jerry's that hide in the frozen food sections, but this does give you a starting point for figuring everything out. You could also imagine that you are back in the pre-grocery days where everything you put in your body was either grown or made naturally and that is clean eating. The truth behind the phrase, you are what you eat is ever present, and when you put crap in...well...you can figure the rest of that.<br />
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A lot of people look at this lifestyle change and think they can't afford to eat clean. My opinion on this one is that they are confusing eating clean with eating organic. So, ok, soapbox moment. Most people who are full force on the organic train do so because they are under the understanding...or misunderstanding...that their organic food is grown COMPLETELY natural without the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. The truth is, organic farmers are only limited to the fertilizers and pesticides they can use, not completely banned to do so. And when farmers have rough seasons, most will turn to some type of help to keep putting food on their families tables. So when you're buying that organically grown lettuce that you're going to go home and wash before you're eating anyway, you kind of washing that money down the sink. Buying fresh produce is enough. If you want the added benefits of an organic product, do so in your protein (meat, eggs and the like). Rules are stricter and you will taste and feel the benefits. *Soapbox moment over*<br />
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Time is also a big issue I hear people talk about when wanting to make a change in what they eat. For that I say, I hear ya! My life is just as crazy as the rest of yours, and while I would love to spend my days testing healthy recipes for my family (and readers), it's not practical to everyday life. So, that's why at the end of every Wednesday blog, I'm going to give you a recipe that is healthy, family friendly, tasty...and most importantly...quick and cheap! Sound good? Here you go...<br />
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<em><u>Edamame Hummus (adapted from <a href="http://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-better-than-trader-joes-edamame-hummus/" target="_blank">Oh My Veggies</a>)</u></em><br />
<em><u><br /></u></em>
Quick note here: I am a hummus fanatic! I would buy Trader Joe's out of every single flavor every single day if I could. But it's so easy and I know I could get more bang for my buck if I made it. So I ran on to this gem one night...which I immediately cheered about since Trader Joe's doesn't sell Edamame Hummus anymore. With a few tweeks, I had a fabulous hummus I would put up against them any day!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2C0lpsslua7asTP3Iy9CegWcRKakAsnrzPPYa6JWy2ykOZP4jrqm5Wqiqk_omyjAaZc8m3gp3GMtUvKZoNIP4RM4O7a0EqTOE3VjaDiNv_lox9r5QIIYkqz6lOUyGZjkakOMOJOEbEQa/s1600/IMG_2709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2C0lpsslua7asTP3Iy9CegWcRKakAsnrzPPYa6JWy2ykOZP4jrqm5Wqiqk_omyjAaZc8m3gp3GMtUvKZoNIP4RM4O7a0EqTOE3VjaDiNv_lox9r5QIIYkqz6lOUyGZjkakOMOJOEbEQa/s1600/IMG_2709.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<i>Ingredients</i><br />
1 16 oz bag frozen edamame; thawed (not cooked-it gets really mushy if you do!)<br />
3 T lemon juice<br />
4 cloves garlic; peeled<br />
1/2 c cilantro; leaves picked and stems discarded<br />
1/2 c tahini (sesame seed paste)<br />
4-6 T olive oil<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
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1 - Get out your handy dandy food processor and get ready to be amazed at how easy this is! The original recipe called to rough chop the garlic and cilantro (or herb of your choice). No need! Let the processor do the work for you. And don't be scared about adding the thawed edamame without "cooking" them first. I ate a handful just to be safe and I'm still here :)<br />
2 - Add everything to your food processor except the olive oil.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXuE00nJUSChLS9S7Ttkvwi57dm_Zg6cfsMF8MrCeKJPVP-2yIPOFh5ii6W2Ot06-Bs43cHLQlscM9DFkiYb5C2Uq_dGlqIx3-fYD-YBSmA8dX_vWBGZKodk54DbLC3qknfiO_2CusgCA/s1600/IMG_2711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXuE00nJUSChLS9S7Ttkvwi57dm_Zg6cfsMF8MrCeKJPVP-2yIPOFh5ii6W2Ot06-Bs43cHLQlscM9DFkiYb5C2Uq_dGlqIx3-fYD-YBSmA8dX_vWBGZKodk54DbLC3qknfiO_2CusgCA/s1600/IMG_2711.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
3 - After a few seconds, slowly drizzle in your olive oil while the processor is running. Stop halfway through, scrape down the sides, and continue adding the rest of your olive oil.<br />
4 - Taste, season as you would like with salt and pepper and mix again. Done!<br />
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My little one was even chomping at the bit to get a hold of this one! Best yet, along with being "clean eating" approved, it's vegan, dairy free and gluten free! Yeah for quick, easy and healthy!<br />
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<i>Stay tuned next week for a few snacks for the little ones in your lives...</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4821420440612559512.post-30423049874722017012014-02-25T16:36:00.001-05:002014-02-25T16:36:36.614-05:00A New Kind of New Year's ResolutionOn Saturday, it will be March. By that time, most of the people that made New Year's resolutions have long broken and abandoned them. The odds are against any one who makes them anyway since change is hard and takes a while for a new behavior to become a habit. Life gets in the way and sooner or later, most people fall back in the same routine, more than likely feeling like a failure that they couldn't do the one thing different they wanted to do this year.<br />
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Sound familiar? This happens to me almost every year. In reflecting why my New Year's resolutions don't stick, it's more than like because my list of things I want to do differently usually looks something like this...<br />
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No mom, I didn't start smoking and you and I both know I call you...but you get the point. Our resolutions turn into more of a shopping list than one or two attainable goals. No wonder we give up. We set ourselves up to fail.<br />
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Now, ideally, I would like my attitude about resolutions to look something like this...<br />
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Unfortunately, I've never had that good of an opinion about myself. That's when it hit me. My resolution for this year...<br />
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<b><i>"Do something about it or stop bitching about it."</i></b><br />
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This can go for anything in my life that I don't like. Too often I find that instead of taking an active role in fixing the things I'm unhappy with, may they be physical or otherwise, I complain more that I try and change them. And that's what I want to change this year.<br />
<b><i> </i></b><br />
I'll be honest, it hasn't been the easiest journey so far. I brought back more than a few extra pounds from France...thanks to all that wine, cheese and yummy bread...so I knew I wanted to get my diet back in shape and loose some weight. I thought what better way to jump start this than to complete another Whole30? I'd done it before, so what would be so hard about doing it again? Until the hubs and I had our first date night in months and I wanted a drink...or two...and my dad turned 60 and I wanted to eat the cake I made him. Call it lack of will power, but life events combined with the fact that I just started a new job as an Assistant Pastry Chef...and the Whole30 just wasn't going to work for me right now.<br />
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THIS time, instead of getting discouraged and completely throwing in the towel, I decided to take a step back and reevaluated how I was going to approach the "diet" aspect of loosing some weight. I'm starting small this time and working up from there, beginning with making Paleo dinners for the whole family. Last night I made this yummy recipe for roasted chicken:<br />
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This was everything I love in a recipe...one pan, quick prep, healthy and oh so yummy! It's Whole30 compliant and flexible to change up to use what you have on hand. Give it a try, I know it will be a hit!<br />
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<u><i>Crispy Roast Chicken and Vegetables adapted from <a href="http://blog.stuffimakemyhusband.com/2011/04/crispy-roast-chicken-with-artichokes.html" target="_blank">Stuff I Make My Husband</a></i></u> <br />
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1 whole chicken (cut into 8 or 10 pieces...if you feel like it, throw some water over the bones, add a little salt and pepper, put it on low heat for 10-12 hours and you have homemade stock!)<br />
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil<br />
2 T dried rosemary<br />
2 T dried oregano<br />
2 T dried thyme<br />
1 bunch asparagus; trimmed to 2 inch lengths<br />
10 oz box frozen artichoke hearts; thawed<br />
1 red bell pepper; cut into chunks<br />
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<i>*Recipe note: If you look at the recipe, you see some of the veggies I used are different. Here's where this recipe is great. You can put any vegetable in you have on hand...which could help lower the monthly grocery bill (Yep...another goal...)</i><br />
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1 - Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.<br />
2 - In a bowl, combine olive oil and herbs.<br />
3 - Toss the veggies in the olive mixture. Remove from the oil and line the bottom of a roasting pan with them. I had a disposable one on hand which made clean up even easier!<br />
4 - Arrange the chicken pieces, skin side up, on top of the veggies. Pour the olive oil mixture over the chicken. Cover with alluminum foil and cook for 45 minutes.<br />
5 - Remove the foil and cook for an additional 15 minute. Turn oven up to broil for the last 2-3 minutes to really get the skin crispy. <br />
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So here's my new start for my New Year's resolution. Along with starting my new job, I've also agreed to supply healthy treats for the hubs to take to doctor's offices to help drum up some business for the pharmacy. We've also talked about me doing a blog once a week focusing on a dietary concern or healthy meal to post on the pharmacy Facebook page. Lots of new things coming up!<br />
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<i>What are your major health or dietary concerns?</i><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01452952216809856525noreply@blogger.com0