Love At First Bite

Peanut Butter Cup Blondies

2011-08-26T16:39:00.000-04:00

I just came across this recipe for Peanut Butter Cup Blondies in this month's Cooking Light magazine. They had an entire section of brownies and they all looked SO good. I asked Dylan (my 3-year-old) which he wanted to make, and he picked these out. I think he was drawn to the peanut butter cups sprinkled on top. I can't blame him!

These were SUPER quick and easy to make - we had them ready to stick in the oven in about 15 minutes. And if you cut them up really tiny (NOT like the ones in my pictures) then you won't even eat too many calories. I didn't go that route...

Peanut Butter Cup Blondies
from Cooking Light

5.6 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 and 1/4 cups)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup creamy (I used crunchy) peanut butter
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 Tbsp 2% reduced fat milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
cooking spray
4 (.75-ounce) peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Weight or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients (through salt), stirring well with a whisk. Combine peanut butter and next 4 ingredients (through eggs), stirring well. Add peanut butter mixture to flour mixture; stir until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Scrape the batter into a 9-inch square metal baking pan lightly coated with cooking spray, and arrange the peanut butter cups over the batter. Bake at 350 for 19 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

Butterfinger Chocolate Trifle

2010-12-21T21:08:00.004-05:00

Well hallelujah, I'm alive and baking!

Sorry I've been MIA lately with this blog... I recently decided to pursue a part-time photography business. Between that and being a full-time Mom to two kids, well, my time for baking fun new things is gone! Boo!

Here are my photography links if you're interested in following me:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MelissaDeVoePhotography-stop by and like me!
Website: http://www.melissadevoephotography.com/
Blog: http://www.melissadevoephotos.blogspot.com
I will check in here from time to time if I make something irresistible... like this trifle.

That's right - I'm here to talk about the trifle! This is an amazing tasting dessert and amazingly easy to make! If I could have fit my head into that trifle bowl, I would have licked it clean. Seriously, people! I contemplated it, but I didn't want pudding in my hair.

Mine's a little messy looking, but that's what happens when a three-year-old helps. I always opt to make it with Butterfinger because it's my favorite, but really any candy bar would do.

Happy holidays to everyone!

Butterfinger Chocolate Trifle
1 box fudge brownie mix
1 large box instant chocolate pudding
2 regular or 1 large size container Cool Whip
6 Butterfinger bars

Bake mix as directed and allow to cool. Break brownies into large pieces. Use half for bottom layer. Mix pudding as directed on box, then spread half of pudding over cake layer. Break candy into small pieces. Sprinkle half of candy over pudding. Top with half of Cool Whip. Then repeat layers. Use your imagination for a topping - shaved chocolate, chocolate chips or a little more of the chopped candy bar.

{Not-That-Pretty} Mac Salad

2010-06-30T15:14:00.000-04:00

This is a FABULOUS Macaroni Salad recipe that I made last week and brought to a friend's. It made a huge amount - perfect for a picnic or potluck. The flavors were just awesome, and I think this will be "my" mac salad recipe from here on out.

It calls for a lot of veggies - celery, peppers and carrots (and you can throw in onion too if you like that). I threw them all in my food processor to save me the time chopping, and I ended up with little tiny specks of veggies and a few big chunks here and there... lesson learned. Next time I guess I'll chop, or try not to be so trigger happy on the food processor.

This Mac Salad would be a great 4th of July picnic recipe. If you're looking for some more recipes for your 4th of July parties, check out these:

Southwest Corn Dip
Grilled Burgers with Blue Cheese Mayo
Grilled Sausage and Vegetables
Grilled Pork Kabobs
Potato-Egg Salad
Mandarins and Ice Cream Cake

Macaroni Salad
(adapted from Allrecipes.com)

16 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
4 carrots, shredded
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup chopped celery
2 cups mayonnaise
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Rinse under cold water, and drain.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the carrots, green pepper, red pepper and celery. Mix in the mayonnaise, condensed milk, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the macaroni, toss gently, cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight. Stir occasionally to blend the flavors. The macaroni will absorb some of the liquid.

Makes 16 servings.

Spicy Chicken Fried Rice with Peanuts

2010-05-19T20:54:00.000-04:00

Here's a tasty, quick, and figure friendly dinner. This Chicken Fried Rice has a tad bit of a kick to it, but it really isn't that spicy. The spice factor can be adjusted by putting more or less of the red pepper into the dish.

I found the recipe in a Cooking Light article, but it was created by guest contributor Ellie Krieger. I've heard a ton of great things about Ellie Krieger's low-cal foods, but this is the first time I've made one of her recipes. The dish turned out really delicious and I'm so glad I tried it.

The recipe calls for red peppers and would probably make the dish look twice as nice. However, we had two green peppers from the farmers market that I needed to use up, so in they went! Tasted fantastic. We'll make this again and again!

Spicy Chicken Fried Rice with Peanuts
(by Ellie Krieger)

1/4 cup less-sodium soy suace
1 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
1 tsp. dark sesame oil
3/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 Tbsp. canola oil
2 cup diced red bell pepper (about 2)
1 cup diced onion
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 Tbsp. minced peeled fresh ginger
2 large garlic cloves, minced
5 cups cold cooked brown rice
2 cups diced cooked chicken (about 1 lb.)
1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1/3 cup chopped, unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts

1. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl, stir well with a whisk.

2. Heat canola oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, diced onion, and 2 Tbsp. green onions to pan; stir-fry for 3 minutes or until tender. Add ginger and garlic; stir-fry 1 minute. Add rice, chicken, and water chestnuts; stir-fry for 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring gently. Add soy sauce mixture; cook 2 minutes, tossing gently to coat. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons green onions and peanuts.

Makes 5 servings (each serving is about 1 and 3/4 cups rice mixture, 1 and 1/4 teaspoons green onions, and 1 Tbsp. peanuts).

Calories/serving: 482, Fat: 14.8g (sat 2.1g), Protein: 26.3g, Carbs: 61.8g, Fiber: 6.9g, Cholesterol: 48mg, Iron: 2.8mg, Sodium: 479mg, Calcium: 59mg

Cowboy Calzones

2010-05-15T17:17:00.001-04:00

I found this recipe in my fabulous The Pioneer Woman Cooks book, which Denny bought me back at Christmas. And is it just me, or is The Pioneer Woman taking over the world? I remember reading her blog back when no one really knew who she was, and now you can't turn on the TV without seeing her somewhere and everyone knows who she is... not to mention she's totally making lots of moolah. And man, can she cook!

I've made homemade calzones just once before trying this recipe. I'm not sure why I don't make them more often, because they're much easier than you'd think. I liked this recipe because it uses both ground beef and sausage (Denny's favorite) and lots of cheese. They're so yummy! And you can make the dough ahead of time and let it sit in the fridge for a day or two, so when it comes time for dinner, you don't have much to do. I'm pretty certain you'll like these! Very delicious!

Cowboy Calzones
(from The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond)

For the dough:
1 tsp. or 1/2 packet of active dry yeast
4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1. Pour 1 and 1/2 cups warm water in a bowl and sprinkle in yeast.

2. Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on low speed, drizzle in olive oil until just incorporated.

3. In a separate bowl, gently stir the yeast/water mixture. Drizzle it into the flour/oil mixture; mix until the dough forms a ball. (You can also mix by hand until the dough comes together.)

4. Drizzle a little olive oil into a clean bowl. Toss the ball of dough in the bowl and turn over to coat in oil. Cover the bowl with a moist kitchen towel and set in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours, or cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.

For the calzone:

1/2 pound hot breakfast sausage
1 pound ground beef
1/2 diced onion
8 oz. can tomatoes and chilies (such as Rotel)
8 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 egg, beaten
Salt and Pepper
Olive oil for brushing

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. In a large skillet combine the ground beef, sausage and onion. Brown over medium heat. Drain excess grease. Pour in the tomatoes and chilies. Stir to combine, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

2. In a bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and egg. Add a dash of salt and pepper.

3. Add the cooled meat mixture to the cheese mixture and stir gently to combine.

4. Divide the pizza dough into 8 equal-size balls. With a rolling pin on a floured surface, roll each ball into a 6-inch circle.

5. Place one-eighth of the meat/cheese mixture in the middle of each circle. Fold half of the circle over the other half, gently pressing to slightly spread and flatten the filling inside. Press a fork along the edge to seal closed, then transfer the calzone to a greased baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Brush the calzone with olive oil.

8. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer the calzone to a basket or wrap individually in foil.

Makes 8 calzones, calories too high to warrant counting.

TWD: Burnt Sugar Ice Cream

2010-05-11T09:55:00.000-04:00

So I'm a day late and a dollar short... or something like that. The Tuesdays with Dorie group made the Burnt Sugar Ice Cream last week. I had some technical difficulties with my ice cream maker so I didn't have it made in time to post last week. Turned out the freezer bowl to the ice cream maker wasn't cold enough to churn the batter into ice cream. So the batter sat in my fridge for a few days while I made the freezer colder and allowed the bowl a full two days to freeze. Then, it came out magnificently!

I continue to be surprised at the ease of Dorie's recipes. Besides my own issues with operating my ice cream maker that I've had for years and you'd think I'd know how to use correctly, I had no other problems! The ice cream tasted like caramel and was really very good!

I was, of course, impatient to eat it, so I didn't allow it to harden in the freezer very long after it churned. Therefore, my photo looks like ice cream mush. Tasty ice cream mush, though!

For the recipe, visit Becky at Project Domestication. She was kind enough to choose this recipe for us and has a gorgeous blog!

Salisbury Steak

2010-05-07T14:37:00.001-04:00

How come the thought of Salisbury Steak makes me think of the high school cafeteria? I guess it's probably the only time I've ever had salisbury steak... many, MANY years ago now. I wasn't even really sure what it was, or how to make it. But I saw a recipe at Mommy's Kitchen (have I stolen enough of her recipes, or what?) and I was interested.

They looked like little meatloafs, but with gravy. Since Denny really can't get enough of meatloaf (is this a guy thing? Or just a Denny thing?) I figured I should give it a try. And oh my, it's yummy! Very easy to make and really delicious. I used the recipe exactly except substituted bread crumbs for the cracker crumbs and left out the mushrooms (I've never been a mushroom fan). And we loved it with mashed potatoes. We'll make this again for sure!

Salisbury Steak
(adapted from Mommy's Kitchen)

2 pounds ground beef
1 package Lipton’s French Onion Soup Mix
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
2 packets (0.75 oz) brown gravy mix, prepared
1 cup sour cream
1 small can mushroom stems, optional

1. Make hamburger patties using ground beef, bread crumbs, egg and soup mix. Fry or grill until patties are browned on both sides.

2. While the hamburgers are cooking mix together the brown gravy and sour cream. Grease a 9 x 13 pan and lay cooked patties in the pan. Cover the patties with the sour cream and gravy mixture. Bake at 350 degrees covered for about 40 minutes, turning patties halfway through. Serve with egg noodles, rice or mashed potatoes.

Makes about 6 steaks, but don't be surprised if someone wants more than one!

TWD: Chockablock Cookies

2010-04-27T15:54:00.000-04:00

This week we are baking Chockablock Cookies for the Tuesdays with Dorie group. My first reaction was, "chocka-WHAT?" I was completely clueless what to expect as I was opening the cookbook to find the recipe.

And after I read the recipe... I was still completely clueless what to expect. Molasses? Coconut? Oatmeal? Raisins? Chocolate Chips? NUTS?!?! What is this world coming to?

So I only made a half batch. And the smell of the molasses kind of turned my stomach as I poured it in. Boy, I hope these are good.

I didn't end up having quite enough oatmeal left, and I omitted the nuts because all I had were walnuts which I don't really like (explains why they've been sitting in my house for so long).

They were super quick to make. I took them out of the oven and thought... hhhmmm... well they're not pretty! But they're actually quite good. I'm really wishing I'd had some nuts on hand because I think the only thing they're missing is a little crunch. I may have to try them again after a trip to the grocery store.

Mary of Popsicles and Sandy Feet is our host for today. You can head over to her site to find the recipe! Thanks Mary!

That Super Sausage Gravy You All Asked About

2010-04-21T08:11:00.000-04:00

Most everyone noticed the delicious looking sausage gravy that smothered my biscuits in the Tuesdays with Dorie recipe. And a ton of you mentioned that you'd like the recipe to make this sinfulness too. Thank you for that. You know how you make something so high in calories that it makes you feel fat immediately after eating it? Well, that's how this is... it feels wrong to tell the world how much I loved it. But you asked, so therefore I answer.

The recipe is actually from Bob Evans via Allrecipes.com. It has 5 stars and exactly 624 glowing reviews on the site. Uuummmm... do ya think it's good? Don't take my word for it - take the other 624 people who liked it!

I never knew sausage gravy was so easy to make. Which poses a dilemma... now that I know how easy it is, how do I NOT make it every Sunday morning? And how do I make my hips NOT grow? Anyone?

Super Sausage Gravy
(from Bob Evans)

1 pound mild or hot ground sausage
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Salt and black pepper to taste
8 prepared biscuits

1. Crumble and cook sausage in large skillet over medium heat until browned. Stir in flour until dissolved. Gradually stir in milk. Cook gravy until thick and bubbly. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot over biscuits. Refrigerate leftovers.

TWD: Sweet Cream Biscuits

2010-04-20T05:00:00.002-04:00

Guess what today is!! It's my turn to pick the recipe for Tuesdays with Dorie, the fabulous baking group that I joined nearly two years ago. 50 recipes later and the rotation finally got to me. I must say that I've come a long way since my very first recipe with the group - the summer fruit galette. Boy, that was good! I knew I was in for a lot of tasty treats and a few extra pounds after eating that galette. In two years, I've made my first pie dough from scratch, first cheesecake, first soufflé, first custard, first rice pudding, learned how to marble a cake, figured out what in the world rugelach is, acquired lots of new bakeware, and made the best darn ice cream I've ever had.

So the time has finally come for little old ME to pick a recipe for the entire group to make. And what did I pick? Well, I picked the Sweet Cream Biscuits. I compiled a bucket list about a year ago and put "make biscuits from scratch" on my list. They're something I've always wanted to make and never had. And since all of the best sounding desserts had already been chosen within the group, I decided that finally getting to try my hand at biscuits would be a fun task.

And boy, I never knew biscuits could be so difficult to make. It sounded like some other TWDer's were having problems as well. A few people complained their biscuits didn't rise much and were a little hard. Well, I baked my first batch... and had the same results. Just flat little round things that were too hard.

So I looked for some tips. It seems the most common thing I read about was handling the dough too much... which I figured was my problem. I tried a second batch and they came out better, but still not perfect. Here's how they looked... not bad, but not real good either.

So I researched a little more. And I shopped for new flour... and fortunately I found the crown jewel of biscuit making in the south - White Lily flour. So I used the new flour, barely handled the dough at all - to the point that I worried I hadn't mixed it enough, and tried another new technique I'd read about - not twisting the biscuit cutter as you press down on the dough to cut your biscuits.

And... it worked. Sort of. The biscuits were a lot lighter and they rose higher. For some reason there were a couple that came out sorta flat, but most of them were great. I guess biscuit making takes some practice!

At any rate, they were delicious. My husband insisted we have sausage gravy with them, so they were completely smothered in it. Soooo good and calorie laden. Totally sinful. Now that I know how to make biscuits and sausage gravy, I might be gaining a few pounds, because I know my husband will be asking for it frequently.

Thank you to all the TWD members for baking along with me this week! I hope everyone enjoyed the biscuits!

Here's the recipe for anyone who'd like to try it. And I'll be posting the sausage gravy recipe tomorrow, so check back!

Sweet Cream Biscuits
(from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours, page 23)
Makes about 12 biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour (or 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/3 cup cake flour)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 to 1 and 1/4 cups heavy cream

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Get out a sharp 2-inch-diameter biscuit cutter (I used a glass, and it was fine), and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.

Whisk the flour(s), baking powder, sugar and salt together in a bowl. Pour about 1 cup of the cream over the dry ingredients, grab a fork and start tossing the ingredients together. If necessary, add more cream, a spoonful at a time, until you’ve got a nice soft dough. Now reach into the bowl with your hands and give the dough a quick, gentle kneading – 3 or 4 turns should be just enough to bring everything together.

Lightly dust a work surface with flour and turn out the dough. Dust the top of the dough very lightly with flour and pat the dough out with your hands or roll it with a pin until it is about 1/2 inch high. Don’t worry if the dough isn’t completely even – a quick, light touch is more important than accuracy.

Use the biscuit cutter to cut out as many biscuits as you can. Try to cut the biscuits close to one another so you get the most you can out of this first round. By hand or with a small spatula, transfer the biscuits to the baking sheet. Gather together the scraps, working them as little as possible, pat out to a 1/2-inch thickness and cut as many additional biscuits as you can; transfer these to the sheet. (The biscuits can be made to this point and frozen on the baking sheet, then wrapped airtight and kept for up to 2 months. Bake without defrosting – just add a couple more minutes to the oven time.)

Bake the biscuits for 14 to 18 minutes, or until they are tall, puffed and golden brown. Transfer them to a serving basket.

Serving: Ideally these biscuits should go from oven to table and be served with cold sweet butter.

Storing: You can keep the biscuits in a plastic bag overnight and give them a quick warm-up in the oven the next day, but you won't recapture their freshly made flakiness.

Weekly Menu - 4/19/10

2010-04-19T13:48:00.002-04:00

I haven't posted a menu in a while just out of plain old busy-ness. But as I was just coming up with our menu for the week, I figured I'd take a minute and post it - in case it can give anyone any ideas for their week!

Monday - Swedish Meatballs with egg noodles
Tuesday - Ceasar Salad with Chicken
Wednesday - Chicken Tikka Masala (hubby's choice - I make him pick something every week) with storebought Naan
Thursday - Salisbury Steaks (recipe from Mommy's Kitchen - this will be my first time making it) with mashed potatoes and a veggie
Friday/Saturday - eat out/order in
Sunday - pizza

Sunken Burritos

2010-04-18T20:45:00.001-04:00

Well, if you know me at all, you know I love just about anything Mexican. So when I happened upon a recipe for burritos using some of my favorite ingredients - chicken, black beans, yellow rice, red peppers - I knew we were going to love it.

I've made these burritos twice now and they came out great both times. I think they're ranking up among one of our favorite meals. They're pretty easy to throw together, and I served up the extra yellow rice for a side. Probably the most important thing to be aware of is to not over-stuff the burritos or you'll have a mess. I'm including the original recipe below, but I cut the ingredients in half and ended up with 6 HUGE burritos. I also skipped grilling the chicken because I'm not the grillmaster of the family (that title is reserved for the hubby). Instead, I cooked the chicken in a skillet and then cut into strips. I also left out the ancho chile powder because I only had the chipotle on hand.

Tell me this doesn't look sinfully delicious!!

Sunken Burritos
(recipe from Good Things Catered)

Ingredients:
4 large chicken breasts
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. chipotle chile powder
1 Tbsp. ancho chile powder
1 Tbsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
10 extra large flour burrito tortillas
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, sliced into strips
1 green pepper, sliced into strips
1 red pepper, sliced into strips
1 can black beans, strained and 1/2 of liquid reserved
1 box Zataran's yellow rice
4 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 small can red enchilada sauce

1. Light grill on high and preheat oven to 350 degrees, preparing a 9x13 pan. Cook rice according to package directions.

2. In small bowl mix together spice mixture. Pound out chicken breast to equal thickness throughout. Coat chicken with spice mixture evenly on both sides. Turn grill down to medium low and place chicken on, breast side up. Cook, turning once, until cooked through, about 15 mins. depending on the size of the chicken. Remove from grill and set aside, letting cool slightly.

3. In medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat, add oil and heat. Cook pepper and onion, salted and peppered to taste, until cooked to a tender crisp, about 10 minutes. In small saucepan add beans and reserved liquid, heat through over low heat. Slice chicken into strips 1/2 inch wide.

4. Assemble burritos: On large tortilla, add chicken, vegetables, rice, beans, top with cheese and roll, tucking in sides first. (Do NOT overload - this is a common problem). Place burrito in prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining burritos. Spoon enchilada sauce over burritos and tops with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, until cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.

Makes 10 servings.

TWD: Mocha-Walnut Marbled Bundt Cake

2010-04-06T10:39:00.000-04:00

It sure is a joy to make a recipe you typically wouldn't give a second glance to and have it be DELICIOUS.

The selection for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie is the Mocha-Walnut Marbled Bundt Cake. I followed the recipe to the "T" this week... with one big exception. As I was deep in the middle of baking, I opened my fridge to find *gasp* we didn't have enough butter! So, desperate times call for desperate measures... and in went some margarine. I used about a 1/2 cup of margarine instead of butter. I'm sure this is a huge no-no to real bakers. I'm sure those people are shaking their heads right now. But whatcha gonna do? It turned out fine. Nice and moist and delicious. And I gave myself a pat on the back for my nice marbling job.

And right after I took the picture on my really cute zebra plate which never gets used, my son attacked it. Hey there! I knew it was a bad idea to take pictures of cake while he was around. Lesson learned for next time.

Thanks to Erin of When In Doubt... Leave it at 350. She selected this delicious cake and has the recipe posted for everyone who wants to give it a try.

TWD: Coconut Tea Cake

2010-03-30T07:33:00.000-04:00

This week's Tuesdays With Dorie selection was the Coconut Tea Cake, a bundt cake made with coconut milk and shredded coconut.

The was such a cinch to make. I took it to my family's early Easter celebration and had been fretting about having enough time to make it. I contemplated skipping it and throwing together a quick batch of cookies. This cake, however, ended up faster and easier to make than any cookies would have been.

We thought this cake was so yummy. It tasted like a pound cake with coconut, and the coconut wasn't too overwhelming. It was so good with ice cream. Thanks to Carmen of Carmen Cooks for picking this week's recipe. She'll have the recipe posted if you'd like to make it yourself.

TWD: Thumbprints for Us Big Guys

2010-03-09T07:30:00.001-05:00

Dorie created this cookie as an adult verson of her smaller thumbprint cookies. The cookies are made with hazelnuts, butter, sugar, flour, vanilla extract and almond extract. I actually substituted almonds for the hazelnuts just to avoid having to peel the skins off of hazelnuts. They were delicious! They tasted like those danish butter cookies that come in the big blue tins. Yum!

And Dorie recommended raspberry jam for the centers of these thumbprints. But that just didn't sound fun enough for me. So I used Nutella. I stuck it in the microwave for about 15 seconds (even though it says on the jar not to microwave... so you probably don't want to put it in for very long). But it softened up just enough to pour right into the centers. And it tasted delicious! Mmmm... these are so good and so easy.

And even though they're supposed to be for the "big guys", my little guy liked them too.

The recipe was selected by Mike from Ugly Food for an Ugly Dude. Very catchy blog title, don't ya think? Go check out Mike's site for the recipe and to see why men can have fun baking too!

Tex-Mex Lasagna

2010-03-07T15:30:00.000-05:00

This Tex-Mex Lasagna is delicious! It's a meatless, southwestern version of lasagna. And my meat-loving husband actually raved about it. I tried to conceal the fact that it had no meat because I knew if I told him that beforehand, he wouldn't be very excited about dinner. But he DID notice right away, and said he didn't even miss the meat. Wow, he's coming around!

This is a really quick and easy meal that's perfect for a weeknight. Use the oven-ready lasagna noodles to save a lot of time. And a can of store-bought salsa and cumin give it that southwestern flair. I used a chunky mild salsa, but you can really use any type of salsa to experiment with the flavor.

Tex-Mex Lasagna
(adapted from Cooking Light)

3/4 cup bottled salsa
1 and 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
8-ounce can tomato sauce
Cooking spray
6 pre-cooked lasagna noodles
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups (8 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Combine first 4 ingredients; spread 2/3 cup sauce in bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; top with 1/2 cup corn and half of beans. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese; top with 2/3 cup sauce. Repeat layers once; top with remaining 2 noodles. Spread remaining sauce over noodles. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.

3. Cover and bake at 450° for 30 minutes or until noodles are tender and sauce is bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes. Sprinkle with onions.

Makes 4 servings.

TWD: Honey Wheat Cookies

2010-02-23T15:11:00.000-05:00

Honey Wheat Cookies were the pick for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie. They're a simple little cookie with unusual ingredients - wheat germ, lemon, and honey. Very easy to put together and quite good, too!

The only other time I've baked with wheat germ was for the Granola Grabber cookies I made for TWD a while back. I pulled out that jar of wheat germ, only to find that it expired. But I'm happy to share my newfound knowledge - wheat germ can be frozen. So my new jar will NOT be going to waste! I also found a recipe for adding in wheat germ to oatmeal, so I'm planning to use up my wheat germ for that.

We've been enjoying these cookies. I wouldn't rate them as the best cookies I've ever had, though. I typically prefer chocolate or peanut butter in my cookies. But these are a great option for a healthier cookie and I love the honey and lemon combo. My 2-year-old son has been really enjoying these, and I haven't had to feel guilty when he chows down a couple of cookies in one sitting. They're healthy!

Many thanks to Michelle at Flourchild for selecting this week's recipe. If you'd like to make these, head on over to her blog to find out how.

TWD: Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-02-16T07:32:00.002-05:00

This week we made Chocolate Chip Cookies for Tuesdays with Dorie. These are Dorie's tried and true chocolate chip cookies. And since I always love a good homemade cookie, I decided I had to try them. That, and I had some company coming that I wanted to have something sweet for (thank you Rachel and Katie for being my guinea pigs!).

I read the comments about this recipe before I started and everyone complained about the cookies spreading and being really flat. So I cut back on the butter by about a 1/4 stick. Mine still spread quite a bit, but they turned out pretty good! I baked mine for the minimum amount of time (10 mins.) and thought they probably only needed about 9, since my edges were just a tad darker than I'd have liked. They were crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Overall, a solid chocolate chip cookie! We all enjoyed them!

If you'd like to make Dorie's chocolate chip cookies yourself, the recipe can be found on Kait's Plate.

Ooey Gooey Bars

2010-02-12T11:51:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited to share this recipe. My Mom has been making these Ooey Gooey bars since I was little. She'd recruit me and my brothers and sister to help her unwrap all of the caramels. And we loved it, because it also meant we got to eat a few of the caramels. And of course we had to taste test the bars to make sure they tasted alright!

These are just too good for words. If you love chocolate and caramel, then this is the dessert for you. Ooey and Gooey just about sums these up. These will have you licking caramel from your fingers. They're easy to make and pretty easy to eat... way too many! They'll be gone before you know it, and then you'll be wanting to make another pan. I need to make these more often!

Ooey Gooey Bars

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
60 caramels (from two 14 oz. bags)
1 box of German Chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 plus 1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 cup pecan pieces (optional)

1. Melt 60 caramels with 1/2 cup evaporated milk in microwave (this takes about 5 minutes on 50% power - stirring often). Meanwhile, melt 3/4 cup butter or margarine and add to one box cake mix. Add 1/3 cup evaporated milk and mix well. Add pecan pieces if using.

2. Spread 1/2 to 3/4 of the mixture in a greased and floured 13 x 9-inch pan. Bake 8 minutes at 350°F. Cake will be puffy.

3. Take 1 cup chocolate chips and sprinkle them over cake. Pour caramel sauce over chocolate chips. Drop remaining cake mixture over top of caramel sauce by small spoonful. Bake 18-20 minutes. Cool at least 30 minutes before cutting.

Malaysian Chicken Pizza

2010-02-05T13:25:00.001-05:00

Here's another great "light" recipe that I found in Cooking Light. And oh my word, this pizza is GOOD. Like, gotta have it again next week, good.

Be warned - Malaysian Chicken Pizza doesn't really taste like you're eating pizza. My husband took his first bite and said, "This is chinese food." And I said, "well sorta... but on pizza." And that's just how it tastes. It's so amazingly good. Take my word for it.

We usually have pizza night on Sundays. I'm not even sure how it came about, but somehow it's become our little weekly tradition. But with my diet, I figured it would be rather hard to keep pizza night going. Amazingly, it's just the opposite. I've found a lot of great low-cal pizza recipes out there. So far, this is my favorite. This one has about 295 calories per slice (1/6th of the pizza). And not only that, it's really quick and simple. This is a must-try!

Malaysian Chicken Pizza
(adapted from Cooking Light)

3/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
Cooking spray
1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat, reduced-sodium Swiss cheese (such as Alpine Lace)
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 storebought thin pizza crust (such as Boboli)
1/4 cup chopped green onions

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Combine first 8 ingredients in a bowl; stir well with a whisk.

3. Heat a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add chicken, and sauté 2 minutes. Remove chicken from pan.

4. Pour rice vinegar mixture into pan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook mixture 6 minutes or until slightly thickened. Return chicken to pan; cook 1 minute or until chicken is done. (Mixture will be consistency of thick syrup.)

5. Sprinkle cheeses over prepared crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border, and top with chicken mixture. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes, checking often to make sure your crust isn't browning too much (crusts vary so read the instructions on the packaging). Sprinkle with green onions. Place pizza on a cutting board; let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 servings.

Healthy Green Chile-Chicken Casserole

2010-02-01T11:18:00.001-05:00

This is a really delicious, and HEALTHY casserole that the whole family will love. With chicken, tortillas, green chiles, and low-fat cream of chicken soup, it's creamy and has a lot of great flavors. I'm currently trying to lose all of that stubborn baby weight and have been trying out a lot of new low calorie dishes. But I hate the typical diet food that doesn't have any flavor. This one far exceeded my expectations and was great!

This dish makes 12 large servings, with only about 330 calories in each one. And it can be prepared ahead - just cover with cooking spray-coated tin foil and refrigerate until needed. If you go that route, you'll need to bake it covered for an hour, then uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes until bubbly. And it makes for great leftovers!

Green Chile-Chicken Casserole
(from Cooking Light magazine)

1 and 1/3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup canned chopped green chiles, drained
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup fat-free sour cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (10 1/2-ounce) cans condensed 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup, undiluted (such as Campbell's)
1 garlic clove, minced
Cooking spray
24 (6-inch) corn tortillas
4 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 1 pound)
2 cups (8 ounces) finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine the first 9 ingredients in a large saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

3. Spread 1 cup soup mixture in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 6 tortillas over the soup mixture, and top with 1 cup chicken and 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat layers, ending with the cheese. Spread remaining soup mixture over cheese. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

TWD: Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars

2010-01-19T08:43:00.001-05:00

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie pick was made by Lillian of Confectiona’s Realm. She picked the Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars - the bar cookies with a layer of oatmeal and chopped peanuts, topped with a layer of chocolate, and finished off with another oatmeal and peanut layer. The recipe called for raisins too, but I'm NOT a fan of raisins in my desserts.

These are really quite tasty! I was supposed to be on a diet and yet I think I had four of these.... hhmmm... funny how that happens. I made a half batch and baked it in my 8-inch square pan. They cooked for about 28 minutes and I'm pretty sure I overbaked them just a little. My edges were pretty hard... but I had a tough time telling when it was done, so I guess it's better to be TOO done than UNDERdone, right? I'd definitely make these again - they're something different and really good!

For the recipe, check out Lillian's blog!

Southwest Corn Dip

2010-01-06T20:57:00.000-05:00

I tried out this dip for New Year's Day. I happened to see it on the Pioneer Woman's blog - she recommended it, and you know she doesn't steer us wrong! I was intrigued because it seemed a little different than some of the dips I usually make.

Well, I thought it was really good. A warning, though - it makes a TON OF DIP. Like, enough to feed an army. So you may want to cut it in half if you don't have a big crowd to feed. We ate it with Fritos and when those ran out, we resorted to tortilla chips and it was good with both. I definitely recommend it for your next get-together!

Southwest Corn Dip
(from Karenpie at Tasty Kitchen)

•4 cans Corn (15 Oz.), Drained
•1 can Chopped Chilies (4 Oz), Drained
•1 can Chopped Jalapenos (4 Oz), Drained
•1 can Black Beans, Drained And Rinsed
•1 whole Red Bell Pepper (Chopped)
•1 bunch(es) Scallions, Chopped
•1 cup Sour Cream
•1 bag Finely Grated Mexican Cheese (8 Oz)
•½ bunch(es) Fresh Cilantro, Coarsely Chopped (or To Taste)

1. Drain corn, chilies and jalapenos. Put in a large bowl with the beans and tilt the bowl on its side while you chop the other veggies. Add the rest of the veggies and drain – there will be liquid accumulated in the bowl. Stir in the sour cream and grated cheese. Add the cilantro last.

2. Refrigerate before serving if you have time and the self-control to keep from eating it.

3. You must eat this dip with Fritos Scoops or lime Tostitos. It’s like the law or something.

TWD: Low and Lush Chocolate Cheesecake

2009-12-29T07:00:00.001-05:00

So after a long hiatus from baking, I decided I needed to make this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection - the Low and Lush Chocolate Cheesecake. I so love cheesecake, and the fact that it's chocolate only makes it sound better.

So a few weeks ago when we were having company, I finally got in the kitchen and baked! Since I had the baby our meals have consisted of putting together a sandwich or pulling something out of the freezer. So I thought a home baked dessert would be fabulous.

Unfortunately, we weren't thrilled with this cheesecake. The chocolate flavor wasn't pronounced enough - instead it tasted more like cream cheese. It was okay, just not as great as I was hoping and expecting. I probably wouldn't make it again. If I were to bake a cheesecake, it would be Dorie's Tall and Creamy Cheesecake - that one was a real home run!

If you'd like to get the recipe or see how someone else's turned out, visit Tea and Scones.

One Of The Two Best Things I've Ever Made

2009-12-16T15:44:00.004-05:00

My little sweet pea, Chase Alan, was born December 2, 2009 at 1:41 a.m. He weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces and is 21.25 inches long. I ended up being induced at 6 days past my due date. He sure kept his Mama waiting!

We are adjusting to life with two little boys and things are going really well so far. Chase is a great sleeper and has been sparing me the bags under the eyes that usually come hand in hand with newborns. We'll see how things go when his Daddy goes back to work next week!

Peanutty Buckeye Bars

2009-11-28T20:21:00.000-05:00

Let me just tell it to you straight. I'm 40 weeks and 2 days pregnant. Two days past my due date. My back aches, my feet hurt, I'm tired of trying to keep my house clean for when the baby (and therefore company) comes, and I'm frazzled. I thought I'd either be in the hospital right now or home with my new baby. But instead I'm sitting around the house trying to keep my mind occupied with something other than this baby not coming!

This is where the Peanutty Buckeye Bars come into play. I had the urge to bake. Just to get my mind off things. But I wanted something easy that wouldn't require me to be on my feet too long. And seeing as how I love chocolate and peanut butter together, these Buckeye Bars were just the thing I needed. Now I can calm my frazzled nerves with chocolate. And don't forget the scoop of ice cream on top. These are GOOD - chewy and fudgy and peanut butter-y!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to praying that I go into labor rightthisminute so the misery stops!

Peanutty Buckeye Bars
(adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)

19.5-ounce package brownie mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup peanut butter

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set aside. In a large bowl, combine brownie mix, eggs, and oil. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined (batter will be dry - you can add a Tbsp. or two of water if it's too dry). Stir in peanuts. Spread half of the brownie mixture evenly into prepared pan. Set the other half of mixture aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter until smooth. Spread evenly over brownie mixture in pan. Separate the remaining brownie mixture into pieces, flatten them with your fingers, and place them on top of the brownie mixture in pan.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until top is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes 32 bars.

To Store: Layer cookies between waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Apple Streusel Cheesecake Bars

2009-11-13T14:37:00.001-05:00

I'm now in my 38th week of pregnancy - which means I'm in the home stretch. It's that very exciting last couple of weeks where all you can think is, "when will I go into labor and have this baby?!?" But it's also the most uncomfortable time period - it's hard to be on your feet for long, your back hurts, and you just can't put much effort into anything. Which is why my baking and posting has been very few and far between. And I fear that it won't get much better once I have a newborn to handle and a 2-year-old running around the house.

BUT, the good news is that I always seem to get that itch for baking after it's been a while. So I'm sure the mood will continue to strike me after the baby's born (though my baking may be a bit on the healthy side, as I will surely have some weight to lose!).

Lately I've been dying for something homemade that would celebrate the season. I bookmarked this apple streusel cheesecake bar recipe quite a while back, and it was calling to me. It's really delicious, and was completely worth the time on my feet in the kitchen.

The bars start with a cookie mix and also use an apple pie filling, though no one would ever guess it was only semi-homemade. They came together easily and tasted great. I particularly enjoyed eating these with vanilla ice cream, though they were completely addictive all by themselves too!

Apple Streusel Cheesecake Bars
(adapted from Betty Crocker)

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® oatmeal cookie mix (I used oatmeal chocolate chip - the chocolate chips were a nice addition!)
½ cup firm butter or margarine
2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 can (21 oz) apple pie filling
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom and sides of 13×9-inch pan with cooking spray.

2. Place cookie mix in a large bowl. With a pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly and coarse. Reserve 1 ½ cups crumb mixture; press remaining crumbs in bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla and egg with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.

4. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over partially baked crust. In medium bowl, mix pie filling and cinnamon. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle reserved crumbs over top.

5. Bake 35 to 40 minutes longer or until light golden brown. Cool about 30 minutes. Refrigerate to chill, about 2 hours. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

Makes about 24 bars.

BLT Pasta

2009-11-01T20:02:00.000-05:00

I came across a great dinner recipe over at Alwayz Bakin' - this BLT Pasta. It's everything you love about a BLT sandwich, but with pasta instead of the bread. What a genius idea! We loved it!

The recipe made a ton - enough for dinner, and then heaping servings for lunch the next day for my hubby and I. It was easy to make and on the table in a jiffy. And my son even enjoyed it also. It's a really fantastic meal!

BLT Pasta
(adapted from Alwayz Bakin')

1 package (1 lb.) spiral pasta
1 package (1 lb.) bacon, cooked, drained and chopped
4 ripe plum tomatoes
3 cups sliced romaine lettuce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse, drain, and transfer to a large bowl. Add bacon, tomatoes, and lettuce.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Toss mayonnaise mixture with pasta and serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.

Train Birthday Cake

2009-10-28T13:03:00.001-04:00

Last week we held my son's second birthday party. He's completely fascinated with trains, so I went in search of some ideas for a train-themed cake. I came across instructions for one that was so incredibly creative. I was a little hesitant about taking on that much work for his party, but it was just too darn cute to pass up.

The instructions for this cake are unbelievably straightforward - anyone can do it. However, the cake is very time consuming to decorate and takes a lot of patience. My son absolutely loved it, though, so I was glad I took on the challenge.

If you're planning a little boy's birthday party and are looking for theme ideas, try the train theme and the train cake. It's just so cute!

Train Birthday Cake
(from Parenting.com)

Ingredients:
•1 family-size frozen pound cake (16 oz), thawed
•2 cans (16 oz each) vanilla frosting
•Blue food coloring
•Yellow food coloring
•Red food coloring
•2 Fruit Loops Cereal Straws (I used Twizzlers)
•1 Kids mini–ice cream cone (I used a regular sized cone)
•2 tsp light corn syrup
•2 Tbsp yellow decorating sugar
•2 Tootsie Rolls
•4 Ring Dings
•1 cup dark-chocolate frosting
•12 mini-Oreos
•4 Oreos
•11 large chocolate nonpareils
•12 Sno-caps
•1 blue M&M
•2 Tbsp mini-marshmallows
•2 green Fruit Loops Cereal Straws (I used Twizzlers)
•1/3 cup Hershey's Kissables (I used Gummi Bears)
•5 Hershey's Sticks or Kit Kats for the track (optional)

What you'll need:
•A bread knife
•A serving platter
•A resealable sandwich-size plastic bag (Ziploc)

Trimming the cake:
1.Using a bread knife, trim a ¾-inch piece off both short ends of the pound cake to make the cake about 9 by 4 ½ inches.
2.Cut the pound cake as indicated on the diagram to make two 2 ½ by 4 ½-inch cars, one 4 by 3 ½-inch car, and one 1 by 4-inch slice. Reserve the 1 by 4-inch piece and set aside.

For the colored frosting:
1.Spoon the contents of 1 can of vanilla frosting into a bowl. Add a few drops of blue food coloring to tint it a light blue.
2.Divide the remaining can of vanilla frosting in half and spoon into separate bowls. Add yellow food coloring to one bowl of frosting to tint it yellow; add red food coloring to the other bowl of frosting to tint it red.

For the engine decorations:
1.Cut the red Froot Loops Cereal Straws in half.
2.Brush the outside of the Kids Cone with the corn syrup and sprinkle with the yellow decorating sugar.
3.Heat the Tootsie Rolls in the microwave for 2 to 3 seconds. Roll out each Tootsie Roll on wax paper and cut into two 1 by ½-inch rectangles for the train windows.

Frosting the cake:
1.Lay the trimmed 1 by 4-inch slice flat on a serving platter. Spread the top with some blue frosting.
2.Stack the 4 Ring Dings, spreading frosting in between each cake, and lay the stack on its side to make the cylindrical front engine.
3.Place the 4 by 3 ½-inch piece upright behind the stack of Ring Dings.
4.Spread the entire engine with blue frosting to cover and make smooth.

Assembling the engine:
1.Spoon the chocolate frosting into a resealable plastic bag. Snip a small corner from the bag and pipe a 1-inch-high layer of chocolate frosting at the base of the cake.
2.Add 2 mini- and 2 regular-size Oreos to either side for the engine's wheels. Pipe small dots of chocolate frosting on the cookies and add the large chocolate nonpareils to the Oreos and press the Sno-caps onto the mini-Oreos.
3.Press the Tootsie Roll windows into the sides of the upright cake.
4.Press a single large chocolate nonpareil into the nose of the engine. Pipe a small dot of chocolate frosting on the center of the nonpareil and add a blue M&M.
5.Gently press the Kids Cone and Froot Loops Cereal Straws into the top of the engine. Fill the cone with mini-marshmallows for the engine's steam.

Decorating the middle car:
1.Set one of the 2 ½ by 4 ½-inch pieces of pound cake behind the engine. Frost with the yellow frosting.
2.Trim the green Froot Loops Cereal Straws with a serrated knife to fit the length and width of the top edges of the cake.
3.Fill the top of the cake with the Hershey's Kissables.
4.Pipe a half-inch-wide band of chocolate frosting along the base of the cake. Attach the mini-Oreos. Pipe a dot of chocolate frosting onto each mini-Oreo and add the Sno-caps.

Decorating the caboose:
1.Set the remaining cake piece behind the middle car and cover completely with the red frosting.
2.Set the 2 remaining red Froot Loops Cereal Straw halves on top of the back of the cake.
3.Pipe a half-inch-wide band of chocolate frosting around the base of the cake. Press the remaining Oreo cookies in as wheels on either side of the caboose. Pipe a dot of chocolate frosting onto each mini-Oreo and press the Sno-caps on.

For the optional train tracks:
1.Cut 3 of the chocolate sticks in half.
2.Place the pairs of halved chocolate sticks in front and in back of the middle car and caboose. To complete, place the 2 long chocolate sticks in front of the engine cake.

Serves 8 to 10. For diagrams and more pictures, go to Parenting.com.

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

2009-10-26T16:41:00.006-04:00

Sometimes I feel like I'm in an appetizer rut. I have a few that I really like and I just keep making them over and over again for every party and get-together that I have. So I was trying to come up with ideas for something kid friendly for my son's birthday party and saw this recipe on another blog. I knew immediately that I had to try it, and I'm so glad that I did.

This cheese ball was fantastic! It was so easy to make and everyone loved it - kids AND adults. Everyone kept asking me what was in it and how to make it. And my sister took the recipe and made it for a gathering at her house the next weekend.

Make this - you won't be sorry!

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball
(from Mommy's Kitchen)

1 8oz. package cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1/4 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
For coating: 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans, crushed graham crackers, or 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
For dipping: Graham crackers, chocolate graham crackers, vanilla wafers, pretzel sticks, Teddy Grahams or animal crackers.

1. Beat softened cream cheese, butter, & vanilla until creamy. Slowly add sugars until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Place mixture in a Tupperware or plastic container. Refrigerate for 1 -2 hours.

2. Form into a ball and roll ball in pecans, graham cracker crumbs, or mini chocolate chips. Serve with graham crackers, vanilla wafers, Teddy Grahams, pretzels, or animal crackers.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

2009-10-20T21:02:00.000-04:00

These cupcakes are wonderful! I made them for my son's birthday party. We were decorating with red and blue, so I knew red velvet cupcakes would be perfect.

The recipe makes 12 cupcakes. I needed more, so I made a double batch and it doubled really easily. The cinnamon cream cheese frosting was one of the best parts. So easy to make and super delicious! The cinnamon adds a little extra flavor and I love the fun speckles throughout it.

The batter can also be made into cake, which I plan to try someday. But cupcakes are way more fun for a kid's birthday party! And eat them with some ice cream - totally to die for!

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
(from Joy the Baker and Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook)

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 and 1/2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
3 Tbsp. red food coloring
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Turn mixer to high and add the egg. Scrape down the bowl and beat until well incorporated.

2. In a separate bowl mix together cocoa, vanilla and red food coloring to make a thick paste. Add to the batter, mixing thoroughly until completely combined. You may need to stop the mixer to scrape the bottom of the bowl, making sure that all the batter gets color.

3. Turn mixer to low and slowly add half of the buttermilk. Add half of the flour and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl and repeat the process with the remaining milk and flour. Beat on high until smooth.

4. Turn mixer to low and add salt, baking soda and white vinegar. Turn to high and beat a few more minutes.

5. Spoon batter into a paper lined cupcake baking pan and bake at 325ºF for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center cupcake comes out clean.

6. Let rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then place them on a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

2 and 1/3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 Tbsp. butter, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, cold
scant 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Beat the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and butter together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-slow speed until it comes together and is well mixed.

2. Add the cream cheese all at once and beat on medium to medium-high until incorporated. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat for 5 minutes, or until the frosting becomes light and fluffy. Do not over-beat as the frosting can quickly become runny.

Makes one dozen cupcakes, double recipe to make two 9-inch layer cakes. Double frosting recipe to frost a two layer 9-inch cake.

Squash and Black Bean Chili

2009-10-11T15:18:00.003-04:00

Here's a great, easy dish to make you happy that fall is here! Once the weather starts getting cooler, I always end up making a lot of chili at my house, especially fun variations on the classic. I really like cooking with butternut squash and this is a perfect use for it.

This chili is super easy to make. If your grocery store sells pre-chopped butternut squash, it will save you the time and the muscle power that goes into chopping and peeling one yourself. I had this on the table in about 30 minutes, and served it with a simple cornbread mix as a side dish. My sister-in-law gave me a great cornbread tip - spread honey on the bottom of the pan before you pour in the cornbread batter. Bake it up as directed on the package, and you have a fabulous tasting cornbread. It's super simple and delicious (thanks Kristin!).

Squash and Black Bean Chili

1 Tbsp. olive oil or canola oil
1 medium bell pepper (I used a small green and a small red pepper)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium stalk celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cans (15 to 19 oz. each) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 and 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks
14.5 oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
14 oz. can vegetable broth

1. In 5-quart Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add pepper, onion, and celery, and cook 5 to 8 minutes or just until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic and chili powder and cook 30 seconds or until fragrant, stirring.

2. Meanwhile, in small bowl, coarsely mash 1/2 cup beans. Stir all beans, squash, tomatoes, salt and broth into mixture in Dutch oven; cover and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, 15 minutes or until squash is tender. Serve chili with shredded cheese, sour cream and lime wedges if desired.

Makes about 4 servings.

And here's my other favorite chili, which I've already made this fall because I love it so much. White Bean and Turkey Chili

TWD: Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tart

2009-09-29T08:00:00.001-04:00

Carla of Chocolate Moosey chose the Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tart for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie. It's gorgeous... and so delicious.

I wish someone had told me sooner how easy it was to make Dorie's tart dough! I believe I skipped a tart recipe a little while back because I didn't feel like messing with dough. But boy, it was easier and quicker than expected.

I baked this a few weeks ago for company and it turned out perfectly. Making the caramel ended up being fairly easy. And the layer of chocolate ganache set up beautifully. I couldn't get over how picture perfect it looked. This will definitely be a go-to recipe for company and special occasions.

Another Dorie success! Great choice, Carla!

Paula's Corn Chive Pudding

2009-09-21T09:00:00.001-04:00

The group My Girl, Paula baked Corn Chive Pudding this week. It's not exactly photogenic.

But at least it tasted good! I learned something valuable this week: read the recipe before you start. Baking this was one big snafu that consisted of "oh no, the bag of frozen corn needs to be thawed!" "Oh no, the butter needs to be melted and cooled!" "Oh no, I thought I had chives!" I was so close to throwing in the towel and calling it quits, but I sure hadn't gone through all that trouble to have nothing to show for it.

The corn pudding was really tasty, even though the term "corn pudding" really doesn't sound all that appetizing. I decided to try it because it sounded more like a corn casserole, which I love. I have another corn casserole recipe that I make a lot and can eat in large quantities. It's really quite scary. Unfortunately, though this corn pudding was good, I prefer my tried and true recipe to this one. But I'm glad I gave it a go!

Corn Chive Pudding
(by Paula Deen)

Two 10-ounce packages frozen corn, thawed
1/4 cup sugar
1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt
4 large eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled (1/2 stick)
1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch of grated nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter a 1 and 1/2-quart baking dish.

2. In a food processor, pulse 1 of the packages of corn until coarsely chopped, then transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the remaining package of corn and sprinkle with the sugar and salt; stir to combine.

3. Whisk together the eggs, milk, butter, chives, flour, and vanilla and combine with the corn. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake in the center of the oven until the center of the pudding is just set, about 45 minutes.

TWD: Chocolate Soufflé

2009-09-11T14:34:00.000-04:00

I'm a little late with posting this, so I guess we'll just call today Friday with Dorie. The pick this week was the chocolate soufflé, and I've really been wanting to try my hand at a soufflé, so I just had to give it a try.

It was much easier than I anticipated. I was frightened the whole way through, and was so sure I was going to ruin it. But it turned out beautifully. I halved Dorie's recipe and it was the perfect fit for my three small ramekins. I knew that soufflés fell quickly after you took them out of the oven, and boy is that right. I had maybe a minute to snap a couple pics before the tops fell down into the ramekins and they were no longer as pretty.

They tasted so good. They were chocolatey and delicious. I was really glad they tasted as great as they looked. I enjoyed them warm from the oven and oh man, that was good!

If you'd like to try your hand at this chocolate soufflé, you can find the recipe on Susan's blog, She's Becoming DoughMesstic.

Milky Way Cake

2009-09-07T14:22:00.006-04:00

Last week the group My Girl, Paula baked up this delicious Milky Way Cake. It looked fabulous and I had been dying to try it. But I decided I needed to wait until we had someone to share the cake with before I made it. The thought of having an entire cake in my house for me and my husband to eat alone didn't sound like the greatest idea.

So fortunately, I had the opportunity this weekend to make it and share it. The cake was really easy to make and included melted Milky Way bars in the batter - yum. The frosting was a bit more challenging, as it had to reach a specific temperature on the stovetop. It took boiling for a good 10 minutes or so before I got it there. I was a little impatient. And then it got a little hard to frost towards the end as the icing began to cool and harden.

But the finished cake was very moist and oh so rich. It's the type of cake that you'll need to slice very thin, as you'll love the first several bites, but the richness just kind of gives you a stomachache after eating an entire piece!

Everyone commented how great it tasted and how much it really tasted like a Milky Way bar. So if you're a fan of Milky Ways, you'll definitely want to give this a try. And be sure to go to the blogroll at My Girl, Paula to see what the other group members did with their cakes (I've seen delicious looking Milky Way cupcakes and bundt cakes!).

Milky Way Cake
(from Paula Deen)

For Cake:
confectioners' sugar, for dusting pans
8 (1 3/4 ounce) Milky Way bars
1 1/2 cups butter
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, well beaten
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Icing:
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup marshmallow cream
1/2 cup butter
6 ounces chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Grease three 9-inch cake pans and dust them with confectioner's sugar. To make the cake, melt the Milky Way bars with 1 stick of butter. Remove from heat and let cool.

2. Cream the remaining 2 sticks of butter with the granulated sugar. Add the beaten eggs and the cooled chocolate mixture. Sift the flour and the baking soda together. Alternately add the flour and buttermilk to the batter, blending well. Add the nuts and vanilla.

3. Divide the batter among the prepared pans and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the cake is firm to the touch. Cool for 5 minutes, remove from the pans and place on cooling racks.

4. While the cake cools prepare the icing. Combine the sugar and milk in a heavy saucepan. Cook to the soft-ball stage (234 degrees on a candy thermometer). Remove the pan from the heat and add the marshmallow cream, butter and chocolate chips, stirring until melted. Add the pecans. When the cake has cooled completely, frost each layer, sides and top of the Milky Way Cake.

16 - 20 servings.

One Year Ago I Was Baking: Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake

TWD: Cheesecake Brownies

2009-09-01T14:35:00.000-04:00

Mmmm... cheesecake brownies.

How could I pass up this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection? Melissa of Life In a Peanut Shell selected Dorie's Espresso Cheesecake Brownies for the group this week.

You know, I'm pregnant. And I've been using that excuse a lot lately as I'm baking extravagant, calorie-laden treats such as this. But I really need to stop. They say you only need an extra 300 calories a day for the baby. Call me crazy, but I'm pretty certain eating a couple of these cheesecake brownies in one day is waaaaay more than I need for the baby. I think I feel my hips getting larger with every bite. Please someone, remove the fork from my hand. Right. Now.

But please don't listen to me. Because, you, my dear readers, should really make these and enjoy them. They're perfect for a Labor Day picnic or an end of summer celebration. They're incredibly delicious. Don't take my word for it, just make them and eat them!

They were fairly easy to make. I followed all of Dorie's instructions, but left out the espresso. I thought my brownie layer was a very, tiny, small bit (maybe it was in my head?) dry. But the cheesecake is absolutely to die for, and I loved the sour cream/powdered sugar topping.

So do me a favor, go on over to Melissa's blog and get the recipe for yourself. Yum!

Steak Parmesan

2009-08-26T19:44:00.001-04:00

Let me tell you my new favorite place to find cookbooks. Thrift stores and yard sales.

I now immediately scan the book section for cookbooks anytime I'm at one of these places. Most of the time there's a lot of junk and reeeeeally old cookbooks that suggest using things like lard to cook your dinner in. But sometimes you find one or two things that are worth the fifty cent asking price. And heck, even if you only use a couple of recipes, how can you pass them up for under a dollar?

I found this recipe for Steak Parmesan in a rather old Southern Living collection of Quick and Easy Recipes. I'm all for quick and easy, so that book totally came home with me without a second thought.

We've all had chicken parm in our lives, I'm sure. It's the one thing I always find myself ordering at Italian restaurants even when I tell myself I'm going to try something new. It's just so good, I can never resist it.

But I had never, ever had steak parmesan. It looked pretty good in the picture in the cookbook (then again, when do those pictures not look good?). So I figured I'd give it a try. After all, it's quick and easy.

Fortunately, I wasn't disapointed. It was really very good and a cinch to throw together. I liked that it was something different. I made very quick mashed potatoes as a side dish and will include the recipe below. But it would also be very good with a pasta, just like at the Italian restaurants!

Steak Parmesan
(from Southern Living)

1/2 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp. water
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 cubed sirloin steaks (about 1 pound)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup pizza sauce

1. Combine breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Combine egg, water, and pepper. Dip steaks in egg mixture; then dredge steaks in breadcrumb mixture.

2. Brown steaks in hot oil in a large skillet over medium heat 3 minutes on each side. Arrange steaks in an 8-inch square baking dish; top with pizza sauce. Bake at 325ºF for 20 minutes or until done. Remove steaks from oven, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

Makes 4 servings.

Quick side dish:
Cream Cheese and Chive Mashed Potatoes

7 and 3/4-oz. package instant mashed potato flakes
8-oz. package cream cheese, cubed and softened
1/4 cup chopped chives
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

1. Prepare instant mashed potatoes according to package directions. Add cream cheese and remaining ingredients to the mixture, stirring until blended.

Makes 4 servings.

One Year Ago I Was Baking: Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Ranch Chicken Kebabs

2009-08-23T09:56:00.001-04:00

Am I the only one who is confused about the spelling of "kebab"? I typed the title as kebab, but then I doubted myself. Could it be kabob? I went to the source of this recipe and saw that they spelled it kabob. So now I really am doubting myself. Fortunately, you can find out anything on the internet, so I went to Merriam-Webster, which I have bookmarked for occasions like this. Turns out, it's kebab, but it also lists a variant - kabob. Okay, so much for that! I guess either way is right.

At any rate, let's talk about this Ranch Chicken! These are the best kebabs I've ever made. Hands down. You're going to love these, especially if you're a fan of ranch dressing, and who isn't? These kebabs are soooo moist and flavorful.

You'll find yourself with dinner on the table pretty quickly and easily when you make these. Simply throw all of the ingredients together in a bag and allow to marinate for 30 minutes. Then thread them on your skewers and cook on the grill. Make an easy side dish like rice or corn on the cob, and you've got dinner!

Ranch Chicken Kebabs
(adapted from Allrecipes.com)

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup ranch dressing
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon white sugar, or to taste (optional)
5 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
Assorted vegetables of your choice (I used peppers and onions)

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar, pepper, and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes. Place chicken and vegetables in the bowl, and stir to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken and vegetables onto skewers and discard marinade.

3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear.

Makes 6 servings.

TWD: Applesauce Spice Bars

2009-08-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

This week Karen of Something Sweet by Karen chose the Applesauce Spice Bars for Tuesdays with Dorie. I opened up the cookbook, browsed over the recipe, and decided I had to make it. The picture looked great, and even better still - easy!

I was excited about something different this week. These bars got me in the mood for fall to arrive. I don't know about everyone else living in the south, but I've been hating all the heat we've had. The big pregnant belly sure doesn't help that situation. I've wanted to hide indoors until the weather cools off. So this dessert really made me feel like fall actually is just around the corner, thank goodness!

These bars turned out to be really delicious. They were like an apple cake with a sweet glaze, and so moist and flavorful. And extremely easy to make! I left out the raisins per my husband's request, and also left out the optional alcohol. The rest of the recipe I followed precisely. Go on over to Karen's blog for the recipe, you won't be sorry!

TWD: Brownie Buttons

2009-08-11T14:47:00.000-04:00

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection was the Brownie Buttons. Jayma of Two Scientists Experimenting in the Kitchen chose the brownies for us this week.

I just looooove brownies, so I was excited to try these. I didn't mess with all the extras - didn't add the orange zest and didn't add any frosting. It was partially because I was lazy and wanting instant gratification, and also because I didn't want to spend the extra money at the grocery store.

The brownie buttons were delicious - very rich and tasty. But my goodness, they were SO small! I ate one in two bites and then needed another... and another. I loved, loved, LOVED the flavor, and making them in a mini muffin tin is a cute idea. But there just wasn't enough to them for my taste. I think I'll stick to pan brownies next time - maybe I'll make those Katherine Hepburn brownies again. Now, those were some mighty tasty brownies!

Black Bean Dip

2009-08-10T19:20:00.003-04:00

This week I made the Black Bean Dip for the group My Girl, Paula. This seemed a lot like other cheese dip recipes I've made in the past, but had the addition of beans, which sounded fantastic.

It didn't turn out to be the most fabulous looking dip, but it was really tasty and easy to whip up. I liked that it was a little "different" than my normal cheese dip. I'm glad that I tried this one, and I may make it again in the future if I want something different, but I think I'll stick with the other dip that is always a sure-fire hit and uses a few less ingredients!

Black Bean Dip
(from Paula Deen)

2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. chopped onions
1 (4 ounce) can green chilies, chopped
1 tomato, diced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
1 teaspoon Paula Deen's house seasoning
1 (15 ounce) can black beans with jalapenos
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 (4 ounce) package Velveeta Mexican cheese, diced
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, diced

1. Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the onions and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the green chilies, tomato, cilantro and House Seasoning and cook for 5 minutes longer. Add the beans and cheeses, and simmer until hot and bubbling. Serve hot with tortilla chips.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Hummingbird Cake

2009-08-03T14:44:00.002-04:00

This week we made Hummingbird Cake for the group My Girl, Paula. I've seen this cake made by other people but have never tried to make it myself. It has pineapple and banana in the batter, and since I love both, I was really excited to try it.

The cake was very quick and easy to put together. The worst part is dividing the batter between three pans, which I didn't have. I just had two pans, so I had to bake them in two batches. All of mine were done at the very minimum time - 23 minutes. And upon tasting, they seemed just a tiny bit on the dry side, as if they were overdone. So next time I'd check them a few minutes early.

The frosting is a typical cream cheese frosting, which reminded me of eating carrot cake. It was such delicious frosting and spread really easily. The cake was really good and totally gorgeous... and HUGE. Half of it is still sitting in my fridge and I'm not sure how it's going to get finished in the next few days. Guess I better get to work and have another piece, right? :-)

Hummingbird Cake
(from Paula Deen)

3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
3 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 3/4 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 to 4 bananas)
8 oz. can crushed pineapple, with juice
1 and 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pound confectioners’ sugar

Frosting:
8 oz. package cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.

2. Stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add the eggs and oil and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Do NOT beat. Stir in the banana, pineapple and its juice, pecans, and vanilla. Divide the batter among the prepared pans and bake for 23-28 minutes, or until tooth pick in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pan, then turn out onto racks to cool completely.

3. While the cake cools, blend together cream cheese and butter. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla. Stir in the pecans, or reserve them to sprinkle over the frosted cake. Fill and frost the cake.

TWD: Cookies 'N Cream Ice Cream

2009-07-29T15:02:00.001-04:00

Okay, so this week's Tuesdays with Dorie pick was actually vanilla ice cream, but I couldn't resist adding the cookies to create my very favorite ice cream - cookies 'n cream. The vanilla ice cream was selected this week by Lynne of Cafe Lynnylu. Click the link to get the recipe and see her fabulous pictures, which put the ones I took in under three minutes to shame!

This ice cream came together really easily and was surprisingly quick to make. I guess I'm getting good at this ice cream making thing. I followed the recipe exactly, and added about 10 crushed cookies during the last five minutes of its churning in the ice cream maker. My son actually helped me add the cookies (and ate a few) and loved watching the ice cream churning around. Look at him sitting there with his spoon, waiting to get a taste!

Overall, it tasted great and everyone enjoyed it. The recipe makes for a great base and just about anything can be added. Maybe next time I'll try cookie dough... yum!

Basil Grilled Chicken

2009-07-28T11:52:00.004-04:00

Basil Grilled Chicken was this week's selection for the group My Girl, Paula. This was a very simple one that I didn't even have to buy anything from the grocery store for. I already had chicken on hand, along with butter, and I love getting to use my basil from the garden. So this was cheap and easy!

We really enjoyed this. We cut it in half and only made two chicken breasts and half the amount of the seasoned butter for dipping (and we still had some of the butter leftover). But we thought it was really delicious! We put a dollop of the seasoned butter on top of the chicken and let it melt, and it made the chicken so moist and extremely flavorful. We'll definitely be making this recipe again - especially since I need to use up the basil in my garden, which this is great for!

Basil Grilled Chicken
(from Paula Deen)

3/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
4 skinned chicken breast halves
1/4 cup freshly chopped basil leaves, plus 2 tablespoons freshly minced basil leaves
1/3 cup (5 Tbsp.) butter, melted, plus 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Fresh basil springs, optional

1. Prepare charcoal grill (I used a gas grill).

2. Press the coarsely ground pepper into the meaty side of the chicken breast halves. Stir the chopped basil into the melted butter. Brush the chicken lightly with this mixture. In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, minced basil, Parmesan, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer until smoothly blended. Transfer to a small serving bowl; set aside.

3. Grill the chicken over medium coals for 8 to 10 minutes on each side, basting frequently with the remaining melted butter mixture.

4. Serve the grilled chicken with the basil-butter mixture. Garnish with fresh basil springs, if desired.

Makes 4 servings.

Gorilla Bread

2009-07-20T08:00:00.002-04:00

I'm assuming that most people have either had monkey bread, or have at least heard of it. If not, you're totally missing out. And here's your chance to try something like it, but even better. This Gorilla Bread is like a kicked-up version of monkey bread. Way more fattening. Way more filling. Way more tasty.

The bread was selected for this week's installment of the group My Girl, Paula. I'm happy... and slightly embarrassed... but mainly happy... to say that when we were asked for suggestions of what we should choose from Paula's book to make this month, it was ME who suggested this one. The most buttery, sugary, cream cheese-ey, heart attack inducing selection. Yep, that was me.

This Gorilla Bread was really outstanding. It totally puts monkey bread to shame. It's made very similarly, with the store-bought cans of rolls smothered in seasonings and baked up in a bundt pan. But with this one, you insert a square of cream cheese in the center of each roll before putting it into the pan to bake. And you pour a brown sugar/butter mixture over top of it. The recipe also calls for nuts, which I omitted, though they sure would have been pretty on top.

Here's a picture of it still in the pan, waiting to be taken out and completely devoured.

The bread is perfect for breakfast or dessert and is easily reheated the next day to enjoy leftovers. My hubby really liked it with his coffee in the mornings. And I liked it at pretty much any time of the day. Very delicious!

Gorilla Bread
(from Paula Deen)

1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
2 (12-ounce) cans refrigerated biscuits (10 count)
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon. In a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over low heat, stirring well; set aside.

3. Cut the cream cheese into 20 equal cubes. Press the biscuits out with your fingers and sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon sugar. Place a cube of cream cheese in the center of each biscuit, wrapping and sealing the dough around the cream cheese.

4. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the nuts into the bottom of the bundt pan. Place half of the prepared biscuits in the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, pour half of the melted butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle on 1/2 cup of nuts. Layer the remaining biscuits on top, sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar, pour the remaining butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of nuts.

5. Bake for 30 minutes (Mine needed a tad bit longer to cook all the way through). Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Place a plate on top and invert.

Makes 12 to 14 servings.

Creole Meatloaves and Mashed Sweet Potatoes

2009-07-15T20:26:00.000-04:00

This is an incredibly comforting and hearty meal. For whatever reason my hubby is a big fan of meatloaf. I think it's a guy thing because I've always just thought it was "okay." It doesn't do a whole lot for me. But since I'm such a nice wife (at least I think so), I try to make meatloaf for the hubby every now and then. I came across a Rachael Ray recipe for Creole Meatloaves with Trinity Gravy and thought it sounded like a fun twist on basic ol' meatloaf. So I gave it a shot. And we loved it!

The mashed sweet potatoes are a perfect compliment to the meal. The addition of buttermilk makes them so rich and creamy. And the Trinity Gravy tastes great poured over top of both. They're both rather easy recipes to make. I'm always a little intimidated by making gravy, but this one's a ton easier than your typical turkey gravy. And if you're not into the whole gravy thing, it would all taste fine and be even easier without it all!

Creole Meatloaves with Trinity Gravy
(from Rachael Ray)

2 pounds ground pork
2 medium onions, 1/2 of one grated, the rest finely chopped, divided
3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
Salt and black pepper
1/4 cup grainy mustard
1 egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling
2 tablespoons butter
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 to 3 tablespoons hot sauce, depending on how much spice you like
4 to 5 scallions, sliced on bias, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground pork, grated onion, garlic, paprika, thyme, salt, pepper, grainy mustard, egg and breadcrumbs. Divide the pork mixture into 4 equal portions and shape into 4 loaves, each about an inch thick. Drizzle them with EVOO, place them onto a baking sheet and bake 35 minutes.

3. While the meatloaves are cooking, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the remaining chopped onion, celery, bell pepper and cook until nice and soft.

4. Add the tomato paste and cook until golden brown and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, until it starts to smell nutty. Whisk in the stock and hot sauce, and cook until thickened. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve the meatloaves topped with the Trinity Gravy and garnished with the scallions.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes
(from Rachael Ray)

2 1/2 to 3 pounds sweet potatoes
1 cup buttermilk
Salt and ground black pepper

1. Wash and peel the sweet potatoes, then cut them into 1 1/2 to 2-inch chunks. Place them into a large pot and cover them with cold water (they should be covered by 4 or so inches of water so they cook evenly). Place the pot on the stove, add some salt and turn the heat on high to bring to a boil.

2. Once boiling, cook about 8 minutes, until they are tender but not falling apart. Drain thoroughly, then pop them back into the pot and place them over medium heat to dry them out a bit. Add the buttermilk, pepper and some salt to taste.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Taco Soup

2009-07-13T13:55:00.000-04:00

I made this Taco Soup as part of the group My Girl, Paula. Each week we cook from Paula Deen's cookbook The Lady and Sons, Too. It's been a really fun group so far. I'd had the cookbook sitting around for a while and really wanted to try cooking more from it. Mission accomplished! And I bet you would never guess that out of the five weeks I've been cooking along with the group, there's only been one recipe that's used butter! Seeing as how everyone thinks Paula cooks with butter so much, I was pleasantly surprised to keep the butter in the fridge 4 out of the 5 weeks so far.

This Taco Soup was really delicious. The ingredients include ground beef, beans, tomatoes, corn, green chilies and taco seasoning. It's all combined into a slow cooker and left to cook all day. I love slow cooker recipes - so easy and convenient. This soup sort of reminded me of chili. I served it with tortilla chips, cheddar cheese and sour cream and that made it sooo delish.

The recipe makes a ton, but since I wasn't feeding an army, I cut it in half and we STILL had leftovers. This is a recipe that we all liked and I'll definitely be making again!

Taco Soup
(from Paula Deen)

2 pounds ground beef
2 cups diced onions
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans pinto beans
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can pink kidney beans
1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes with chiles
2 (4 1/2-ounce) cans diced green chiles
1 (4.6-ounce) can black olives, drained and sliced, optional
1/2 cup green olives, sliced, optional
1 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix
Corn chips, for serving
Sour cream, for garnish
Grated cheese, for garnish
Chopped green onions, for garnish
Pickled jalapenos, for garnish

1. Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain the excess fat, then transfer the browned beef and onions to a large slow cooker or a stockpot.

2. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, black olives, green olives, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix, and cook in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour in a pot on the stove.

3. To serve, place a few corn chips in each bowl and ladle soup over them. Top with sour cream, cheese, green onions and jalapenos.

Makes 12 to 16 servings.

TWD: Tribute To Katherine Hepburn Brownies

2009-07-07T08:00:00.001-04:00

I've heard so much about and seen numerous versions of these brownies, so I was quite eager to try the famous Katherine Hepburn brownies for myself. They were chosen for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie by Lisa of Surviving Oz.

Dorie's version of the Katherine Hepburn brownies are a gooey chocolate-y masterpiece. I LOVED these brownies! They include coffee, and I was a little surprised at how pronounced the coffee flavor was. I'm not a coffee drinker, but it tasted delicious. And cinnamon, that was a little different, but added a great flavor. I think my favorite part was the gooey, fudginess of these brownies. Oh, and they were really easy to make. We finished off the pan in about 24 hours and then wished we had more.

Go get the recipe from Lisa. You won't be sorry!

Fruit Bowl

2009-07-06T10:10:00.000-04:00

I thought a nice refreshing fruit salad would be a perfect complement to our Fourth of July BBQ. So I was delighted that the Fruit Bowl was selected for this week's installment of the group My Girl, Paula.

I was surprised to see Tang listed as one of the ingredients in this fruit salad. I haven't had Tang in yeeeeeaarrrs! And frankly, wasn't really sure if I liked it or not. I guess I'd find out. It was so super easy to throw this together and I had very little clean-up - a big (no, HUGE) plus for me.

But the verdict? It was way too Tang-y and I guess I don't like Tang after all. It really wasn't bad, I've had several spoonfuls of it just because I don't want it to go to waste. And my husband did seem to enjoy it. I guess if you like the taste of Tang then this is the fruit salad for you. If not, you might want to cut down on the amount of Tang or try a different ingredient for your sauce altogether. I know Paula has a fruit salad recipe that uses a honey poppy seed dressing... maybe I'll try that one next time.

Fruit Bowl
(by Paula Deen)

3 Tbsp. orange Tang Breakfast Drink mix
15.5-oz. can pineapple chunks, drained, juice reserved
3.4-oz. box instant lemon pudding mix
16-oz. can chunky mixed fruit, drained
11-oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
6-oz. jar maraschino cherries
3 large bananas

1. Stir the Tang into the pineapple juice. Add the lemon pudding mix and stir well. Combine the pineapple, mixed fruit, oranges, and cherries, then mix the fruit and pudding mixtures together; toss well. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Just before serving, slice and add the bananas.

Makes 12-15 servings.

Seven-Layer Chinese Chicken Salad

2009-07-01T18:44:00.000-04:00

Usually I'm not a big fan of making salads. In fact, I have very rarely ever made anything besides the typical tossed salad. I think it's because I know my hubby and my son won't eat just salad for dinner. But this one just called to me and I knew it would make a fantastic main dish. The chicken, the fresh ingredients like lettuce, tomato, green onions, and, of course, the crunch. The crunch! Crushed ramen noodles and peanuts. This is a really awesome salad and so flavorful. I believe I've been convinced to make more main dish salad meals.

Even my son ate the corn, the peanuts, and the lettuce. He usually turns his nose up at everything I make, so I was impressed. We'll have to work on the tomatoes, the chicken, and everything else in it, but it's progress. And the dressing was fantastic. I was a little skeptical, as it's an odd black pepper-specked color. But I was more than pleasantly surprised. It's sweet and flavorful and a perfect complement to the salad ingredients.

So give this a try, it's very family friendly and would be great for company. It makes a huge salad and we were eating it for days. We never got tired of it though - delicious!

Seven-Layer Chinese Chicken Salad
(adapted from Betty Crocker)

Salad
5 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 package (3 oz) Oriental-flavor ramen noodle soup mix
2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken
1 can (11 oz) yellow corn, drained
1 large tomato, finely chopped
2 green onions, finely chopped (about 2 Tbsp.)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
Dressing
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 teaspoon grated gingerroot or 1/4 tsp. dried ginger
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons white vinegar

1. In the bottom of large clear glass serving bowl, arrange lettuce. Discard seasoning packet from soup mix; coarsely crush noodles. Layer noodles and remaining salad ingredients, in order listed, over lettuce.

2. In small jar with tight-fitting lid, shake dressing ingredients until well blended. Pour over salad. Serve immediately.

Orange Blossoms

2009-06-29T19:25:00.000-04:00

Aren't these just the cutest little cakes you've ever seen? They're Orange Blossoms, selected for this week's installment of the group My Girl, Paula!

These are really delicious and quite addictive. They're so little, you really need some willpower or you'll never stop popping them right in your mouth. They come together really quickly and easily. The only problem I had was dipping them into the glaze without them falling apart. I eventually found my rhythm and got it down pat.

Give these a try, everyone will love them!

Orange Blossoms
(from Paula Deen)

For cakes:
1 package yellow cake mix
3.4 oz. package instant lemon pudding mix
4 large eggs
3/4 cup cold water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
For glaze:
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
3 Tbsp. melted butter
3 Tbsp. water

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease one or two minature muffin pans. For the cakes, in a mixing bowl combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, and oil, and beat well. Fill the prepared muffin pans, using about 1 tablespoon of batter for each cake. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cakes spring back when touched.

2. For the glaze, mix the confectioners' sugar, orange juice, butter, and water until smooth; set aside.

3. Dip the blossoms in the glaze immediately after removing them from the oven. Drain on waxed paper.

Makes about 4 dozen cakes.

Grilled Sausage and Vegetable Packets

2009-06-26T14:12:00.001-04:00

My husband is usually in charge of the grill at our house, but I'm proud to say I made this without his help. It's really easy - even for those who are a little grill challenged like myself. I guess challenged might not be the right word... I think inexperienced might be more fitting. My hubby just takes the reigns on the grill, so I never end up having to use it much.

Thankfully these Grilled Sausage and Vegetable Packets are quick and easy and perfect for summer. They're full of fresh vegetables that are super moist and tasty. And it's as simple as chopping everything up, tossing it in a delicious sauce, throwing it on some aluminum foil, and wrapping the foil up tight. It cooks on the grill for about 25 minutes and you've got dinner - it's so easy! Serve it with rice or couscous, or whatever you'd like. You can also leave out the sausage and serve the veggies as a side dish. Or, substitute the sausage for chicken or another meat. Lots of possibilities!

Grilled Sausage and Vegetable Packets
(adapted from Taste of Home)

1/2 pound sausage, any flavor (I used a chicken sausage)
3 medium zucchini, sliced
3 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 medium bell pepper, julienned
1/4 cup melted butter
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Divide between two pieces of double-layered aluminum foil (you'll need about 12 to 14 inches). Fold foil around sausage mixture and seal tightly to prevent leaking.

2. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 25-30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Makes 4 servings.

Butter Dips

2009-06-24T14:19:00.001-04:00

Well, my husband has decided he's going on a diet and getting back in shape. Typically I'd be dieting with him, but that's pretty much out of the question with my little turkey in the oven. He requested a nice healthy salad for dinner the other night and of course I delivered with pleasure, because I do enjoy a fresh salad. But, what to make with it? Well I knew just what I wanted - butter dips.

This is a seriously delicious and unique bread recipe. Not at ALL healthy, but I didn't tell my hubby that! Hey, the pregnant girl needs to indulge just a little.

These are really quite easy to mix up and get on the table. They're called butter dips because they're little squares that are literally dipped in butter. The butter is melted in your 8x8 pan, and then you drop in the squares of dough, turning them over to coat them really well with the butter. It all gets sucked right in while baking and makes it so moist and flavorful.

I'm including the original recipe below, but just a few things to note as you're baking: the recipe states to bake for 25 to 30 minutes, however I've found that when I let them go a full 25 minutes they're just a tad bit overdone. Start checking them a few minutes early - around minute 22 just to make sure they're not getting too brown. Sometimes I can't fit all of the squares into the pan if I've rolled them too thin. Don't be afraid to squish them all in together - they're still really easy to break apart after baking. They're really great when served with soups and salads.

Butter Dips
(from Chow Times)

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup butter

1. Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Stir in cheese and green onions. Add milk and stir slowly with a fork until dough clings together.

2. Turn the dough onto a floured board, coat the dough with flour and knead lightly about 10 times. Roll the dough out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 1-inch squares.

3. Melt butter in a 450°F degree oven in a 8×8 square baking pan. Coat all the sides of the squares in the melted butter. Bake in same pan for 25 to 30 minutes. After baking, flip the little buns over in the pan to coat the top with any remaining butter. Pull apart and serve with soup, chili, salad or a casserole dish.

Potato-Egg Salad

2009-06-17T18:04:00.001-04:00

There are a few foods that really signal the beginning of summer to me. Things like corn on the cob, burgers on the grill, fresh strawberries, lemonade, and really good potato salad. I've been making this potato salad for about 3 years and since I tried it, I haven't made another version since. I think I've made it four times in the last month. My husband just keeps begging me for more potato salad, so I have to come up with dinners that would be appropriate to have it with.

This potato salad is originally a Paula Deen recipe. Does anyone else think I've gone Paula Deen crazy this month? Okay, then it's not just me. And I don't really have a good explanation other than I must need new cookbooks!

It's really good potato salad, trust me! Perfect for summer bar-b-que's, potlucks, or even just casual dinners.

Potato-Egg Salad
(adapted from Paula Deen)

3 cups diced red potatoes
1/3 cup Italian dressing
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup celery, diced
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. horseradish
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives

1. Boil potatoes with skins on for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain.

2. Pour Italian dressing over warm potatoes. Chill for about 2 hours.

3. Mix remaining ingredients and fold into potato mixture. Garnish with chopped chives. Chill until ready to serve.

Makes 6-8 servings

TWD: Honey-Peach Ice Cream

2009-06-16T13:59:00.000-04:00

The selection this week for the Tuesdays with Dorie group was Honey-Peach Ice cream. Tommi at Brown Interior chose the ice cream for us this week, and it was the perfect summer selection.

The ice cream was really quite easy to make, though I do admit that I had a LOT of dirty dishes in my sink after I finished this. Between the pots, the food processor, the cutting board, and the ice cream maker, there was a lot of dish-washing to be done as a result. But thankfully the great taste made up for the work. I thought the ice cream was refreshing and very good. I'm usually the type who goes for chocolate in my ice cream, but I was surprisingly pleased at how great the honey and peaches tasted in this. Between this ice cream and the blueberry sour cream ice cream, Dorie sure knows how to throw together some good ice cream!

If you're interested in baking along with us, please join! The group is accepting new members. Check out the Tuesdays with Dorie site for details.

Strawberry Cream Shortcake

2009-06-15T12:48:00.000-04:00

This is my second week cooking with the group My Girl, Paula. We made the perfect summer treat - a creamy variation of strawberry shortcake. I really love strawberries and just about anything made with strawberries, so I was more than happy to try this recipe.

The shortcake was a cinch to put together - thanks to the storebought pound cake. And the rest was a breeze. It was really quite tasty too! I think it could have used a few more strawberries, though. Next time I'll pile them on, because they kind of got lost in all of the cream and cake layers. But otherwise it was fantastic!

Strawberry Cream Shortcake
(from Paula Deen)

1 large Sara Lee poundcake
1 (5 1/8 ounce) package vanilla instant pudding mix
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (12 ounce) container Cool Whip
2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced

1. Slice the cake very thin and lay half the slices in a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish.

2. In a bowl, combine the pudding mix, water, milk, and vanilla with an electric mixer. Fold in Cool Whip. Pour half of this over the cake and lay half of the strawberries on top.

3. Repeat to make second layer. Refrigerate until well chilled.

TWD: Parisian Apple Tartlet

2009-06-09T08:12:00.000-04:00

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie, the group is baking the Parisian Apple Tartlet, selected by Jessica of My Baking Heart.

When I heard we were making a Parisian Apple Tartlet, I thought about skipping this week. I kind of assumed the tartlet would involve making some sort of tart dough and an apple-pie type filling and I just didn't feel like exerting a whole lot of effort. Then I opened the cookbook and saw the picture and thought, this looks cool. Then my eyes landed on the recipe. Am I reading this right? FOUR ingredients and very few steps? Huh? You better believe I wasn't going to sit this one out!

So in a matter of fifteen minutes, I had my two little tartlets assembled. Many of the group were trying out pears and peaches and other fruits, but I decided to stick with the apple. And here's what it looked like before I popped it in the oven.

They smelled so great and I was still in shock over how little I had just done for these cute little tartlets. They lost some of their color and weren't all that impressive fresh out of the oven, but a drizzle of caramel syrup and some ice cream on top did the trick! They were delicious and I'll definitely make these again.

For the recipe, go check out My Baking Heart.

Paula's Cheddar Broccoli Casserole

2009-06-08T18:44:00.002-04:00

So... everyone knows I'm pregnant, right? Well, I happened to notice a new cooking group that was just assembled. This one is going to be cooking exclusively from Paula Deen's cookbook, The Lady and Sons, Too. I just so happen to own that cookbook and just so happen to be a Paula Deen fan. She has a reputation for making food that isn't exactly healthy. And since I'm not currently watching my calories due to the whole pregnancy thing, and I really do want to try out more recipes from that cookbook of hers... I decided, what the heck? I might as well join! If anyone's interested in feasting once a week with us, the link is here: My Girl, Paula!

The first week's selection is Paula's Swiss Broccoli Casserole. I'm really not a big fan of swiss, so I went the safe route with cheddar. In hindsight, there really wasn't a lot of cheese, so I may have been okay with using the swiss. The only thing I was a little unsure of as I was assembling the casserole was the layer of sliced hard-boiled eggs that went inside. Seemed a little out of the ordinary, but I went with it.

The casserole was really quite tasty and made a nice side dish to the steak my husband grilled. My husband did comment that the taste was a little "eggy", but I personally didn't find the egg taste overpowering at all. I thought the crunchy onions gave a great flavor, and it kind of reminded me of a green bean casserole, but with broccoli. We barely made it through half of the casserole, so we have a ton of leftovers.

And have I ever mentioned how it's impossible to take a decent picture of a casserole?

Swiss Broccoli Casserole

Two 10-oz packages frozen broccoli spears, cooked and drained
3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
2 cups french-fried onion rings
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese
10 and 3/4 oz. can cream of celery soup
2/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350° F. Arrange the broccoli in a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Layer the eggs, 1 cup of the onion rings, and then the cheese over the broccoli. Combine the soup and milk, mixing well. Pour this over the cheese and bake for 25 minutes. Top with the remaining onion rings and bake for 5 minutes longer.

Up next week: Strawberry Cream Shortcake

Samoa Bars

2009-06-05T10:12:00.001-04:00

It seems like everyone's favorite girl scout cookie is the Thin Mint. I know it's my husband's. For a few years in a row he'd order girl scout cookies from someone at work and come home with a couple of boxes of Thin Mints. Now, I do like Thin Mints, and never have a problem helping him eat them, but I had to tell him to cut it out and start ordering MY favorite! Samoas... yummmm. Chocolate, coconut, caramel. There's a lot to like in those cookies!

When I came across a homemade version of samoas, I bookmarked the recipe and kept occasionally going back and staring in amazement at it. And then I finally had a good occasion to make them - a family reunion. I know my Mom is a big coconut fan, so I figured she'd help me eat them. Turns out, she isn't the only one. I had a LOT of people helping me eating them. They were so delicious, and tasted almost exactly like the girl scout cookie.

I need to include a little disclaimer that these bars were gorgeous and perfect. I forgot to take pictures until after we traveled to the family reunion and the bars were packed and banged together and smushed. These were the only few that were left after we served them. So imagine them even better looking than you see above - without the chocolate topping cracking and falling apart! :-)

Now, I'm not going to lie and say they were totally simple to make, because they were a bit time consuming. However, they were totally worth it. The only problem I had was dipping them in the chocolate at the end. My bars kept falling apart, so I resorted to using a spoon to scoop up the chocolate and spread it over the bottoms. That worked like a charm. If you like samoas, these are worth the effort.

Homemade Samoa Bars
(from Baking Bites)

Cookie Base:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

First, make the crust.
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepapred pan and press into an even layer.

3. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

Topping:
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. milk
10 oz. dark or semi-sweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

1. Preheat oven to 300° F. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

2. Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.

3. Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.

4. When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping).

5. Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper.

6. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish. Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes 30 bar cookies.

TWD: Cinnamon Squares

2009-06-02T06:00:00.001-04:00

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection is the Cinnamon Squares. They were chosen by Tracey of Tracey's Culinary Adventures. She has the recipe on her site, so go get it!

This was a recipe I'd noticed in Dorie's book and had been looking forward to trying. The cinnamon squares were not at all what I expected, but totally delicious nonetheless. The recipe was very easy to follow and it turned out great. I expected to want this for dessert (which of course I did), but I also thought it would be great with brunch. The cinnamon flavor just reminded me of breakfast.

The squares were gorgeous iced and cut. The icing was thick and rich and very tasty. And I loved the cinnamon chocolate center. So pretty and so yummy! I think I'll make these for a brunch sometime in the future. Another great recipe by Dorie!

Pineapple-Cheddar Cornbread

2009-05-30T14:59:00.000-04:00

I always know summer is approaching when our calendar starts becoming packed with out-of-town trips. A trip up to New York to visit my husband's family, a Memorial Day trip to Virginia for a family reunion... and that was just May. But wanna know one of my favorite things about taking trips? I buy a ton of magazines to keep me occupied for the long drives. Cooking Light, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart, Good Housekeeping, Gourmet... just to name a few. And you better believe I have a huge pile of clippings by the time we get home.

Well, this recipe was like striking gold in the very, very back of a Better Homes and Gardens. Man, this is delicious cornbread! I don't think I can rave enough about it! Even my husband, who is so not a fan of cornbread, gobbled this right up. He usually complains that cornbread is too dry. But this bread? Just the opposite. It's moist and flavorful and... did I mention it's just delicious?

This bread is so easy to make and is a fantastic side dish to just about any meal. The cheese really gives it a great flavor while the pineapple makes it incredibly moist. This is not your run of the mill, ordinary cornbread. Make this with dinner tonight, you won't be sorry!

Pineapple-Cheddar Cornbread
(from Better Homes & Gardens)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 eggs, lightly beaten
14.75-oz. can cream-style corn
8-oz. can crushed pineapple (juice pack), drained
4 oz. cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1 cup)

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease and flour a 2-quart rectangular baking dish (I used an 8-inch square pan); set aside.

2. In medium bowl combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

3. In large mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed 30 seconds. Add eggs, one at a time; beat well after each addition. Beat in flour mixture on low speed just until combined. Stir in corn, drained pineapple, and cheese. Spoon batter into prepared dish.

4. Bake about 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cut in squares. Serve warm.

TWD: Fresh Mango Bread

2009-05-19T16:49:00.000-04:00

I have never in my life cooked with a mango. But I really love when the Tuesdays with Dorie selections are something other than pies and cookies. So I got really excited to give this a try. I had to go in search of mangoes, because my usual grocery store didn't carry them. I finally found them at the Fresh Market, where I can always count on finding any fruits and vegetables that aren't at the grocery store.

And wow, mango is surprisingly good! I ate several pieces of it as I was dicing it, and thought it was delicious. The bread came together very easily. My batter seemed a bit dry, even after stirring it for a while. But it tasted fantastic after it was baked. I love the flavors in it! I made a loaf for my neighbor who I owed a big thank you for watching over our house while we were on vacation, and I made a mini loaf for my hubby and I. It won't last long, I'm sure!

Thanks to Kelly of Baking with the Boys for the great selection this week. If you'd like to make this bread yourself, she'll have the recipe, so go check out her site!

Pasta Pie

2009-05-15T17:18:00.000-04:00

I didn't realize I had an obsession with baked pasta dishes until I just typed the name of this post. I do believe this is my third variation of pasta pie that I've posted. But each one is different enough to excite me and make me have to try it. I guess I like Italian!

This pasta pie really intrigued me because it's so different. And I LOVE its presentation. It has all of the usual characters - the pasta, the sauce, the cheese, and the ground beef. But it's baked in a springform pan so the sides can be removed and voilà - you have a gorgeous dish!

It's incredibly easy to make. But be warned, it requires getting your hands a little dirty. Your pasta has to be stood up in your pan - one piece at a time. A little time and patience is required, but it pays off in the end.

And then comes the part where you'll really get your hands dirty. Take your sauce and pour it over your pasta. Stick your (CLEAN!) fingers in and push the sauce and ground beef down into the holes of the noodles. Be sure to get the sauce into every single noodle or else you'll be able to tell after it cooks. Instead of a nice top to your pasta, you'll see empty holes. I had one or two that I accidentally missed. But I still thought it looked great.

The pie slices really well and is incredibly easy to serve. This is a very tasty dish that's easy enough for anyone to try making. So go ahead and try it, I guarantee you'll impress your guests and it's a great conversation piece!

Pasta Pie
From Noble Pig, who adapted the recipe from Martha Stewart

1 pound rigatoni
2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 pound ground beef
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 can (28 ounces) good quality crushed tomatoes
Butter, for pan
Salt
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces coarsely grated mozzarella

1. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until slightly underdone (I cooked mine for 12 minutes when the box indicated 14 minutes). One pound of pasta should be cooked in 6 quarts of water, make sure you are using a big enough pot so the pasta doesn't stick together. When done, rinse in cold water and drain again. Toss pasta with 1 Tablespoon olive oil to coat. Set aside.

2. Heat remaining 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef. Cook, stirring occasionally until browned. Add garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook 2 minutes more.

3. Add crushed tomatoes; simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes.

4. Toss pasta with Parmesan cheese. Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Tightly pack pasta into pan, standing each piece on end. Spread meat sauce on top of pasta.

5. Push the meat sauce into the pasta holes filling each one up. Stuffing the meat into the holes is a weirdly satisfying task. Enough said.

6. Place in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top and bake another 10-15 minutes until cheese is golden. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge to loosen and then unmold.

7. Cut into wedges and serve with any remaining meat sauce you might have.

Inside-Out BLT's

2009-05-11T11:05:00.000-04:00

I'm still here! Nearing the end of my first trimester and starting to get my energy and appetite back. Life is busy, though, and I know I just don't have the time to post to my cooking blog like I used to. But I promise to share anytime I find a great new recipe! I love to cook too much to stop!

I've made these Inside-Out BLT's a few times now and really enjoy them. I'd kind of gotten tired of the usual dips and meatballs that I usually turn to for appetizers, so I went searching for something new and found these. They're a unique appetizer that will go with just about any type of dinner you're serving. They're also quite easy to put together. Everyone who tries them always likes them. So whip these up for your next get-together!

Inside-Out BLT's
(from My Tasty Treasures)

3 slices of bacon
⅓ cup chopped Romaine lettuce
⅓ cup coarse soft bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 medium Roma tomatoes
Freshly ground black pepper
Mayonnaise

1. Preheat oven to 400° F. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels and chop into chunks.

2. In a medium bowl, combine bacon, lettuce, crumbs, cheese and olive oil. Mix well and set aside. Halve roma tomatoes lengthwise. Scoop out insides leaving a ¼ inch shell. Sprinkle black pepper on each tomato half. Brush with some of the mayonnaise. Mound the bacon mixture into tomatoes; transfer to baking pan.

3. Roast tomatoes, uncovered, for 10 to 12 minutes or until tomatoes start to wilt.

Makes 2 servings, but can be multiplied easily.

TWD: Chocolate Cream Tart

2009-04-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

I've finally mustered up some strength to participate again in a Tuesdays with Dorie selection. I've missed the last two weeks due to first trimester pregnancy "funk", which includes but is definitely not limited to: fatigue, nausea, headaches, heartburn, aversions to lots of smells and lots of foods, and just plain old laziness.

So I decided I needed to get my rear off the couch and bake something. And since Kim of Scrumptious Photography chose the Chocolate Cream Tart, which sounded fabulous, I decided to go for it! I didn't have a tart pan, however, so I opted to instead make a chocolate cream pie.

The pie came together fairly easily and my hubby and I both gave it a thumbs up. I handed the whisk that was covered in chocolate cream to my son and he really enjoyed it. Success!

Thanks to Kim for a great selection! Check out her site for the recipe and absolutely gorgeous photos that will make your mouth water!

Mac and Cheese and the Bun In the Oven!

2009-04-15T20:36:00.000-04:00

There's big news in our house! I'm expecting baby number two! The little one is due in November. Actually, Thanksgiving day, to be exact. I think that should make for a very interesting Thanksgiving! My hubby and I are very excited and our 18-month old, well, doesn't really understand yet. All in good time!

I'm going through that first trimester funk right now. I don't have much of an appetite for the things I normally like. And the smells of certain foods are real turn-offs. My poor husband has been cooking dinner practically every night. The energy to cook just doesn't really exist right now. Gosh, I can't wait for this to end!

I did make something recently that I really enjoyed, though. A low calorie Mac and Cheese that was surprisingly tasty! So tasty that I had to pull myself off the couch to tell you about it. I really can't believe it's light because it's so good and so easy.

Macaroni and Cheese
(from Southern Living)

4 cups hot cooked elbow macaroni (about 8 ozs. uncooked), cooked without salt or fat
2 cups (8 ozs.) shredded reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup 1% low-fat cottage cheese
3/4 cup fat-free sour cream
1/2 cup fat-free milk
2 Tbsp. grated fresh onion
1 and 1/2 tsps. reduced-calorie margarine, melted
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup fresh or dry breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp. reduced-calorie margarine, melted
1/4 tsp. paprika

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine first 10 ingredients; stir well. Spoon into a shallow 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray.

3. Combine breadcrumbs, 1 Tbsp. margarine, and paprika; stir well. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over casserole. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover casserole, bake an additional 5 minutes or until breadcrumbs are lightly browned.

Makes 6 servings.

TWD: Banana Cream Pie

2009-04-07T00:30:00.001-04:00

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection is Banana Cream Pie. I love banana cream pie, but I've never made it myself. What a great opportunity to try! Dorie's recipe is a little different from the ordinary. Hers includes a custard with brown sugar which was absolutely tasty. And it's topped off with a sweet whipped cream that includes a touch of sour cream. The recipe made so much whipped cream, I could barely fit it all on the pie. After taking a few slices, all of the excess started to slide off into the pan. It was delicious though!

It was quite easy to make too, though I am confessing that I didn't make the pie crust from scratch. I didn't have the energy to put in that much work (nor the energy to take any decent photos - like you couldn't tell), so I settled for store-bought crust, which actually tasted quite good.

My hubby loved the pie too. The next morning he had a slice for breakfast before I woke up. He didn't confess to it until later in the day, and I thought it was quite funny!

If you'd like to make this delicious pie yourself, you can check out Amy's blog, Sing For Your Supper. Thanks for the great choice, Amy!

Parmesan-Herb Biscuits

2009-04-03T11:06:00.000-04:00

Don't these biscuits look heavenly? I mentioned recently how I need to add more variety to my cooking and baking. My labels on the right hand side say 37 Main Dishes and 39 Desserts. Wow, you can really see what I like to make.

So when I came across these super simple parmesan-herb biscuits in Bon Appétit magazine, I figured I'd try them. The recipe originated from Taku Glacier Lodge in Juneau, Alaska. I loved the combination of herbs and cheese and thought they sounded delicious. And they are.

The dough comes together so easily. Dry ingredients are whisked together and then the butter and ice water are added. Flour up your hands really well and shape the dough into a big square.

Then pull out a knife or a pizza cutter (which worked perfectly), and cut the dough into nine squares.

Move the biscuits to a baking sheet with sides touching, and bake at 400° F for about 30 minutes.

They're super simple and beautiful. I love their golden brown appearance and their wonderful smell.

Let them cool for about 15 minutes and then go to town! They're wonderful. They pair perfectly with breakfast - try making an egg and bacon sandwich. Or add a little country ham for a nice southern ham biscuit. Or just eat them alone. It doesn't matter, they're good either way!

Parmesan-Herb Biscuits
(from Bon Appétit magazine)

2 cups all-purpose flour
6 Tbsp. nonfat dry milk powder
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried tarragon
1 tsp. dried basil
½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
¾ cup (or more) ice water

1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Whisk first 9 ingredients in large bowl to blend. Add butter and cut in with fingertips until very coarse meal forms. Gradually add ¾ cup ice water, tossing until moist clumps form and adding 1 or 2 tablespoons more water if needed to form a slightly sticky dough.

2. Gather dough into ball. Sprinkle work surface with flour. Using floured hands, press dough into 6-inch square. Cut dough into nine 2-inch square biscuits. Arrange biscuits with sides touching on ungreased baking sheets.

3. Bake biscuits until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Separate biscuits slightly and cool 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 9 biscuits.

Margarita Cheesecake

2009-03-31T06:00:00.002-04:00

Is this making anyone else hungry?

I really love cheesecake. Always have and always will, I'm sure of that. Any kind of cheesecake - it really doesn't matter what's in it. And I've had a lot of cheesecake in my life. But never margarita cheesecake. Until now. Why, oh why didn't anyone alert me of this sooner?

Please make this for your next get-together. Or for just your family. Or just yourself. And don't forget to come back later and thank me.

Happy Spring to everyone!

Margarita Cheesecake
(from Good Housekeeping magazine)

7 Tbsp. butter or margarine, cut up
5 limes
1 orange
8 ozs. (65 wafers) vanilla wafer cookies
4 packages (8 ozs. each) cream cheese, softened
1 and 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
4 large eggs
1 container (8 ozs.) sour cream
1/4 cup orange-flavor liqueur or orange juice
Orange and lime slices, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Wrap outside of 10" by 2 1/2" springform pan with foil to prevent leakage. While oven preheats, melt butter in springform pan in oven.

2. Meanwhile, from limes, grate 1 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. peel and squeeze 1/2 cup juice. From orange, grate 1/2 tsp. peel. In food processor with knife blade attached, pulse vanilla wafers and 2 tsp. lime peel to make fine crumbs (you should have about 2 and 1/2 cups crumbs). Stir crumbs into melted butter in springform pan, then press onto bottom and 2 inches up side of pan to form crust. Bake crust 15 minutes. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

3. In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Gradually beat in sugar and salt until blended. Reduce speed to low; beat in eggs, 1 at a time, sour cream, liqueur, orange peel, lime juice, and remaining 1 Tbsp. lime peel just until blended and smooth.

4. Pour cream-cheese mixture into crust, making sure to scrape any peel on beaters into batter. Bake cheesecake 45 minutes (cheesecake will still jiggle slightly in center). Turn oven off and leave cheesecake in oven 1 hour to cool slightly and set.

5. Remove cheesecake from oven and cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cover and refrigerate cheesecake at least 6 hours, until well chilled or up to 2 days.

6. To serve, carefully remove outside of springform pan. Let cheesecake stand at room temperature 30 minutes for better flavor. If you like, arrange orange and/or lime slices on top of cake for garnish.

Weekly Menu - 3/29/09

2009-03-29T14:22:00.000-04:00

Here's the menu!

Sunday - leftovers. We just have a TON, it's only right.

Monday - Phyllo Pie with Chicken.

Tuesday - Steak on the Grill and Zucchini Boats.

Wednesday - Baked Chicken and Rice with Black Beans.

Thursday - Pierogies (my husband is obsessed with these) sautéed on the stovetop, with a veggie on the side.

Friday/Saturday - Eat out or order in.

Zucchini Boats

2009-03-25T20:25:00.001-04:00

Something occurred to me recently. I don't make a whole lot of side dishes. I mean, I make side dishes, but they're usually of the boring, low-effort sort. On any given night, you can usually find us eating rice or zapping a Green Giant mixed veggie in the microwave. That's all well and good, but I decided I needed to give a little more love to my side dishes.

Which led me to this. Zucchini boats. I looove zucchini, and I thought these sounded delicious. And they are. And extremely easy. Sounds like a fabulous combination to me!

All you need is a few zucchini, ends trimmed, and boiled in water for about 8 minutes. Then split them in half horizontally, scoop out the insides, mix them with onion, cottage cheese, rice, egg, parsley, basil and salt. Put the mixture back into the zucchini and top it with a few strips of American cheese. Pop them in the oven and there you have it!

This recipe got all sorts of good attention from my hubby and a few friends who I mentioned it to. One suggested serving it with a little marina sauce. Genius... that sounds great! I even think adding a little chopped cooked bacon would add a nice flavor. It really pays off to give a little attention to your side dish! Note to self: do this more often.

Zucchini Boats
(adapted from For Goodness Taste cookbook)

2 medium zucchini
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
3/4 cup cream-style cottage cheese
2/3 cup cooked white rice
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1/8 tsp. crushed dried basil
Pinch of salt
2 ozs. sharp American cheese, cut into 16 strips

1. Trim ends of zucchini. Cook zucchini in small amount of boiling salted water for 8 minutes or until just tender.

2. Halve zucchini lengthwise. Scoop out pulp to form boats. Coarsely chop remaining pulp.

3. Cook onion in butter until tender.

4. In a large bowl, combine chopped zucchini with onion, cottage cheese, rice, egg, parsley, basil, and a pinch of salt. Divide mixture among zucchini boats.

5. Place zucchini in lightly greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Loosely cover and bake in a 350 degree F oven for 25 minutes. Top each boat with 4 cheese strips. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes more to melt cheese.

Makes 4 side dish servings.

TWD: Blueberry Muffins

2009-03-24T00:30:00.002-04:00

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection is Blueberry Crumb Cake, chosen by Sihan of Befuddlement. I bought the ingredients for this recipe early last week and was excited to make it. But somehow all of these other baked goods ended up in our house. Cheesecake, brownies, cookies... I don't know where they came from. Actually, that's a lie. I made them. The cheesecake was for a get-together that never actually ended up getting to the get together (long story). And the brownies were for another get-together in which we ended up with leftovers. So there are already way too many baked goods in our house.

I contemplated skipping... but then I remembered my husband's office. I hadn't sent anything to work with him in a while. And the ingredients were just sitting there. How could I not make it? So I decided to make Blueberry Crumb Muffins, instead of the cake. Easier to pass muffins around at work, is what I figured.

So the recipe came together really easily. I made 12 muffins and baked them for about 25 minutes. I had a ton of the crumb topping leftover and it's currently sitting in the fridge. I haven't really figured out what I'm going to do with it, but suggestions are welcome!

And then I started washing all of the dishes. And I'm now on incident number two that involves me bleeding as a result of a TWD recipe. I was very unsuspectingly washing the blade to my food processor when it slipped and sliced open my thumb. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. I could say ouch a few dozen more times, but I'll spare ya. I've led a fairly boring life when it comes to injuries. I've never broken a bone, never had stitches, and before I gave birth to my son, had never had an overnight stay at the hospital or even an IV. And I had two brothers... so I'm not sure how I managed that. But yesterday I reeeeally sliced myself like never before. I wrapped my thumb up in a towel and held it over my head to try to stop the bleeding. I frantically called my husband saying, what do I do? And then when he really didn't have a good answer, I called my sister who's a nurse and said, what do I do? I think I over-reacted a little. It finally stopped bleeding and I've been applying neosporin like it's going out of style. And I'm pretty sure we're about to run out of band-aids.

But I think I'm going to survive. It's a good thing or else I'd never have gotten to eat one of these DELICIOUS blueberry muffins. Gosh, they're good. Go visit Sihan's site for the recipe. Stat!

Phyllo Pie with Chicken (Kotopita)

2009-03-23T12:30:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I opened my big International Recipes cookbook to the Greek section and started perusing. I've never made Greek food, but have enjoyed it at restaurants quite a few times, so I knew this chapter would be fun to try out. I finally settled on a Phyllo Pie with Chicken. It looked easy enough to make and the ingredients sounded delicious.

For the pie, you'll need to focus on two things - the filling and the phyllo layers. Here's everything you'll need for the filling (plus ground chicken, that didn't make it in the picture). You'll notice that in my recent attempt to save money, I've been picking up Target brand spices. So far I haven't noticed a difference. Give them a try!

The ground chicken is cooked and broken into very small pieces, then mixed with the remaining ingredients to make the following.

As for the phyllo layers, you'll find the phyllo dough in your grocer's refrigerated section. I've consistently seen Athens Fillo rated very high, so that's what I go with.

The only tricky part with this recipe is working with the phyllo dough. I've done it before with no problems, but this time I forgot one crucial thing. It's really essential to keep your phyllo layers covered in order to prevent them from drying out. Use plastic wrap or a towel - whichever is handy. Pull out one layer at a time, and then immediately re-cover. The little suckers dry out so easily. And of course, I got lazy and forgot that this time. So by the time I got to my last, top layers of the pie, they were cracking and breaking. They still tasted great, but just weren't quite as pretty. At least I won't make that mistake again!

This dish is so tasty and was a big hit. The flavors were great - I looove feta cheese. It's one of the few things I missed eating while I was pregnant. I will definitely make this again. Serve it with a Greek salad and you've got yourself a complete meal. Now I can't wait to try out the rest of the recipes in this chapter!

Phyllo Pie with Chicken (Kotopita)
(from Cook's Illustrated's The Best International Recipe)

Filling
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 lbs. ground chicken
8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled into fine pieces (about 2 cups)
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 bunch scallions, sliced thin
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped (I omitted these - not a fan of olives!)
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves
3 Tbsp. juice from 1 lemon
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 tsp.)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Phyllo Layers
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 lb. (14 by 9-inch) phyllo, thawed
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)

1. For the filling: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the chicken and cook, breaking the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a strainer and let drain, about 5 minutes. Break apart any large clumps of meat with your fingers.

2. Meanwhile, mix the feta, eggs, scallions, olives, mint, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and cayenne together in a large bowl. Stir in the drained chicken until uniform. (The filling can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 24 hours.)

3. For the phyllo layers: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush a 13 by 9-inch baking dish liberally with oil. Lay one phyllo sheet in the bottom of the prepared dish and brush thoroughly with oil. Repeat with 7 more phyllo sheets, brushing each with oil. Spread half of the chicken mixture evenly into the dish. Cover with 4 more phyllo sheets, brushing each with oil.

4. Spread the remaining chicken mixture evenly into the dish. Cover with 7 more phyllo sheets, brushing each with oil and sprinkling with about 1 Tbsp. of Parmesan. Lay the final sheet of phyllo over the top and brush with oil (do not sprinkle the final layer with Parmesan).

5. Working from the center outward, use the palms of your hands to compress the layers and press out any air pockets. Using a sharp knife, lightly score the pie into serving squares but do not cut through more than the top 3 sheets of phyllo. Bake until the phyllo is golden and crisp, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes or up to 2 hours before serving. (The pie can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 4 days. Leftovers are best at room temperature or reheated in a 350-degree oven until crisp and heated through, about 25 minutes).

Makes about 6 to 8 servings.

Weekly Menu - 3/22/09

2009-03-22T11:08:00.000-04:00

Here is my family's weekly menu - with plenty of time to make your grocery list and hit the store this afternoon.

Sunday - Italian Meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

Monday - BBQ Chicken on the grill and roasted vegetables as a side.

Tuesday - Shredded Beef Sandwiches with Sweet Potato Fries.

Wednesday - Chicken Enchilada Casserole.

Thursday - Slow Cooker BBQ Spare Ribs.

Friday/Saturday - eat out/order in (my nights off!)

Have a great week everyone!

Chocolate Caramel Cookies

2009-03-20T20:56:00.002-04:00

Rolos. Is there really anything better? Delicious caramel wrapped up in chocolate. Two of my absolute favorite things. Put them in a chocolate cookie and you've totally made my day. Scratch that - my WEEK.

My husband went out of town last week on a ski trip. He left me home alone with our one-year old son. My son who I love so dearly, yet who really knows how to test my patience. If I don't constantly keep him busy, he's destroying something in our house. If I'm not giving him attention every second of every day, he's whining or throwing a minor fit. Have I mentioned how much I love him? I really, really do, but a mother needs a break... at least once a day. Not getting one for 4 days straight while hubby's out of town leads me to do crazy things. Like bake a batch of these cookies and eat them. All. By. Myself.

Chocolate really does cheer me up... especially when there's caramel (or ice cream) involved. These cookies did the trick. And they're really easy to whip up when you're having a freak-out moment like I was. The chocolate batter isn't overly chocolate. It's more like a sugar cookie with a hint of chocolate. But it's nice that it's not overpowering. The surprise rolo hidden in the center is really the best part. They're fun and something a little different - you've gotta try them!

Chocolate Caramel Cookies
(From Kristen Doyle)

2 and 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
30-36 chocolate-covered caramel candies (such as Rolos)
2 Tbsp. sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a large mixing bowl, add sugar, brown sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla. Mix together until well blended. Add flour, cocoa and baking soda and mix well.

3. Refrigerate and chill dough for 30 minutes.

4. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place 1 chocolate-covered caramel candy in the center of each dough ball. Form the dough ball around the majority of the chocolate-covered caramel candy. Roll each dough ball in sugar.

5. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes. Let cool on pan for 1 minute then take off and place on cookie cooling rack.

Makes about 35 cookies.

Join Tuesdays with Dorie!

2009-03-17T15:54:00.002-04:00

In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, the Tuesdays with Dorie group is accepting new members for TODAY only!! If you've been wanting to join, now is your chance. It may be a Loooooong time before the group opens back up to new members again.

If you'd like to join, email tuesdayswithdorie AT gmail.com with your name, and check out the Tuesdays with Dorie site for all of the rules, including the name of the cookbook you'll need to buy to bake along with us.

Join us, it's fun!

TWD: French Yogurt Cake with Marmalade Glaze

2009-03-17T00:30:00.001-04:00

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection was made by Liliana of My Cookbook Addiction. She chose the French Yogurt Cake with a Marmalade Glaze. According to Dorie, it's the go-to cake for just about every occasion in France. She tells us that most of the French don't bake, but everyone can bake up this cake because it's so foolproof.

Well, I wasn't raised in France. And I've never even been there. Which clearly must explain why I wasn't blown away with the cake. Really though, it's not the recipe's fault. I did a few things wrong. Number one: I used a glass pan, which meant I should have lowered the oven temp. Did I? Nope. And as a result, the edges were a bit overbrowned. Number two: I discovered that I need new baking powder. My cake barely rose at all. Number three: My buttering-the-pan skills leave a little to be desired. The cake stuck to the insides of the pan.

The cake itself was pretty tasty and the marmalade glaze really added a great flavor. But regardless, I just wasn't loving it. That happens sometimes. So I probably won't make it again. But I'm pretty sure Dorie will not disappoint in the upcoming week's selections... she's good like that.

Thanks to Liliana for choosing this. It's another one I never would have made on my own, and I'm glad I gave it a try!

Weekly Menu - 3/15/09

2009-03-14T13:00:00.001-04:00

I find it incredibly helpful to create a weekly menu for my family. I really try to make one trip to the grocery store each week to avoid spending too much money (I always seem to get things I don't need when I'm at the grocery store - the fewer times I go, the fewer extra stuff I get!) and because my time is simply too precious to me. The last thing I want is to visit my grocery store more frequently than I need to. I have enough things going on in my life, so knowing what I'll be cooking each night is really helpful.

So about a month back, I started creating weekly menus and posting them on the Facebook page I created for my site. I think a lot of people find this really helpful. You can just copy my menu if it sounds good to you, or use a previous week's, or just pluck one or two things for ideas on your own menu!

You'll notice most of the things on my menu are recipes that have already been posted on my site. And you'll notice I keep posting new recipes each week that aren't on my menu! That's because I'm actually showing you my previous week's menu to allow me time to post a recipe for your use.

I'd love to know what YOU'RE having each week. Feel free to share!

Weekly Menu - 3/15/09

Sunday - The weather's chilly again. I've gotta have Corn Chowder! You'll need about 45 minutes prep time to have it ready - definitely do-able on a Sunday. Serve some bread and/or a salad on the side.

Monday - Fajita night! Use chicken or steak, pick up tortillas, fajita seasoning, refried beans, shredded cheese, tomatoes, onions, and anything else you'd like.

Tuesday - Pizza Margherita. You can make the pizza dough ahead to save time. Then just roll out your dough and follow the recipe or add your own favorite toppings. The possibilities are endless.

Wednesday - Spaghetti Pie. Ooooooh yeah!

Thursday - Stovetop Sausage Mac and Cheese. Quick, easy and yummy!

Friday/Saturday - Order in/eat out or try making something fun and new!

Have a fabulous week!

Spaghetti Pie with a boost!

2009-03-12T14:34:00.000-04:00

Quite a while back I posted my go-to Spaghetti Pie recipe that I've been making for a while. And then I came across a new recipe that made my old one look a little bland and boring. This one is packed with veggies, meat, and yummy spices and it's oh-so-good! My husband is a big fan of anything pasta. And when it has beef in it, it's even better. I'm pretty sure he'll be requesting that I make this often. I guess I'll still occasionally make the old one when I'm in the mood for something quick and easy, but this one is a lot more fun!

You start with your ground beef - about 3/4 of a pound. Brown it up, drain off the fat, then throw in chopped onion, green pepper and garlic. Saute those for about 5 minutes, or until they begin to get soft.

In goes your tomato sauce and Italian seasoning. It simmers for about 20 minutes to let all of those great flavors blend.

Meanwhile, begin assembling your pie. You'll need about 8 ounces of cooked spaghetti mixed with butter, Parmesan and eggs. Use the largest pie pan you have - I could barely fit everything into my pan, and had a little leftover sauce. If you don't have a large pie pan, use a little less spaghetti to leave room for everything else. In the pan, press the spaghetti mixture along the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Top it with a layer of ricotta and mozzarella cheeses. This makes it so nice and cheesy!

Spread your meat sauce over the cheeses. You could even just make the meat sauce and serve it over your favorite pasta. It's really tasty!

Then top it with a whole cup of Parmesan cheese. Bake in 375° degree F oven for about 20 minutes.

The cheese melts so nicely and it's a wonderfully tasty meal. It's great with some crusty garlic bread on the side. Thanks to Reeni at Cinnamon, Spice and Everything Nice for the recipe!

Spaghetti Pie
(from Cinnamon, Spice and Everything Nice)

8 ounces spaghetti
¾ pound ground beef
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Small onion, diced
½ green pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups tomato sauce or diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
2 Tbsp. butter
1 and 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1 and ½ cup ricotta cheese

1. Cook spaghetti to al dente according to package directions. In a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat cook ground beef. Drain off the grease.

2. Push the meat to the sides of the pan leaving space in the center. Add the oil, onion, green pepper, and garlic. Cook for about five minutes then add in tomato sauce and Italian seasoning. Let simmer for about 20 minutes.

3. In a large bowl mix spaghetti with butter, 1/3 cup Parmesan, and eggs. Put the spaghetti mixture in a greased pie dish. Push the spaghetti up the sides of the pan and evenly over the bottom ‘forming’ the crust. Spread ricotta over spaghetti crust and then sprinkle on the mozzarella. Top with meat mixture and the remaining cup of Parmesan. Bake in 375° oven for 20 minutes.

TWD: Lemon Cup Custard

2009-03-10T00:30:00.002-04:00

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection is the Lemon Cup Custard. I admit that I actually consider myself more of a cookies and cake type of girl. I've skipped the pudding recipes and the creme brulee selection just because they don't overly appeal to me. When I read through the P&Q section where all of the TWD members post their comments and questions, the tone was largely unenthusiastic for this recipe. So I teetered on the brink of not making it, but at the last minute (i.e. last night) decided to go for it. I joined the group to try new things, so why not?

The ingredient list was rather simple - milk, lemon zest, eggs, sugar and lemon extract. The ease of the ingredients is really what convinced me to go through with making this. And since I only wanted to sample it, I halved the recipe to make it just enough for my hubby and I to each have a serving.

To start, the lemon is zested. I opted to zest the entire lemon, which is what Dorie recommended for the full recipe. But even though I was halving the recipe, I still used the whole lemon in order to make the flavor more pronounced (based on people's feedback who had already tried the recipe). Oh, and I accidentally zested my thumb while I was at it. Ouch. The amount of injuries I sustain while baking is just unbelievable... you'd think it's a contact sport.

The lemon zest is combined with the milk and brought just to a boil. It sits for 30 minutes to allow the flavor to infuse. I let it sit for an hour. I was doing everything possible to bring out that lemon flavor.

The eggs and the sugar are whisked together. Pretty easy recipe so far!

Next, the milk is poured in through a strainer to catch the zest. It goes in nice and slowly to temper the eggs. Whisk constantly. Hard to do when you're holding a pan of milk in one hand, the strainer in the other hand, and your bowl is covered by the strainer. Thankfully, I made it work.

The lemon extract is now added to the mixture. I used extra. Again, going for that lemony flavor, all the while hoping I'm not going overboard.

Pour the custard into your dishes and place them in a pan on paper towels. Pour boiling water into the pan. It should go halfway up the custard cups. Bake in a 325 degree F oven.

I found that mine needed to bake way longer than Dorie suggested. I kept checking at every five minute interval and they were still jiggly. I lost track of how many times I did this, but eventually the tops started to brown ever so slightly, so I decided to just call it a day and take them out.

The verdict?

ICK!

I didn't like it and neither did my husband. I did have two bites... I really wanted to like it. But I felt like I was eating cold scrambled eggs... with a tiny hint of lemon. A lot of people complained of the eggy-ness of this and now I know what they mean.

My husband did finish an entire cup of it, though. He kept taking a bite and making a really horrible face. I yelled at him to stop putting himself through the torture - I wasn't going to have hurt feelings if he didn't eat it. But he insisted on eating it. And making funny faces. He exclaimed that he was eating it because it kind of tasted like some sort of weird health food. His exact statement was, "anything this bad must be good for me." Well, ladies and gentlemen, that pretty much sums it up. No offense to the wonderful Dorie (and she is beyond wonderful), but custard just isn't for me.

If you'd like to try the recipe yourself, it can be found on Bridget's blog The Way The Cookie Crumbles.

Sunday's Super Tip - Baker's Joy

2009-03-08T16:34:00.000-04:00

Several months back someone introduced me to Baker's Joy and I love it! I'm sure a lot of people use it already, but I knew I had to pass along the tip for those who don't use it or haven't heard of it. You'll thank me - I promise.

Well, you know how every time you bake a cake you have to first butter, and then flour, the inside of your pan? It's such a pain. Not only do I always end up with flour all over me (and the counters and the floor), but it's also time consuming! Baker's Joy replaces all of that. It's a butter/flour spray designed specifically for baking. Just spray the inside of your pan and in 2 seconds it's ready for your batter.

You can also spray your utensils in order to have your batter or food slide right off. It really doesn't stick. I swear by it. Go out and get some if you don't have it. You'll love it!

Baked Chicken and Rice with Black Beans

2009-03-05T11:52:00.000-05:00

Every once in a while, a meal comes along that really surprises you. Those types of meals are not typically casseroles, but today ladies and gentlemen, prepare to be surprised.

Baked Chicken and Rice with Black Beans is a fantastically easy and simple main dish. The ingredients are all easy to find and you get four of your food groups all in the same dish. You've got your rice, your meat/beans, cheese, and veggies.

But let's not make any mistakes here - this doesn't count as healthy food. Perhaps it would if we weren't using 2 whole cups of Monterey Jack cheese. I suppose you could cut back on the cheese, but I didn't go that route. I wanted all that flavor.

You begin by chopping up your green peppers, carrots and onions. Sauté them in oil for about 10 minutes.

Cook your yellow rice according to the package directions.

Mix all of the ingredients, pour into a casserole dish and top with cheese. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Uncover and cook for another 10 minutes to allow the cheese to melt. This is key - you want that gooey, melted goodness.

My husband took one bite and remarked, "Oh WOW." Let me just clarify that my husband is a fan of my cooking... but it's very rare that I get such an enthusiastic response to things. It was incredibly good. I'll be making this A LOT. Not only is it wonderfully good, but it's really easy too. I love that.

Baked Chicken and Rice with Black Beans
(from Southern Living)

10-oz. package yellow rice mix
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
10-oz. can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
2 cups (8 oz.) grated Monterey Jack cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare rice according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, sauté onion, bell pepper, and carrot in hot oil in a medium skillet over medium heat 10 minutes or until tender.

3. Combine hot cooked rice, onion mixture, chicken, beans, diced tomatoes and chiles, and 1 and 1/2 cups cheese in a large bowl. Spoon into a lightly greased 3-quart or 13x9-inch baking dish; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.

4. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

TWD: Chocolate Whiskey Cake

2009-03-03T01:02:00.000-05:00

Let's face it, I'm a fan of pretty much anything chocolate. So when I heard we were making a chocolate cake this week for Tuesdays with Dorie, I was pretty excited. Until I read over the ingredients and saw... alcohol. And prunes. Prunes? Really?

Well, who am I to argue with the great Dorie Greenspan's tastebuds? If she says prunes will be good in a chocolate cake, then I'll take her word for it. The picture in the cookbook sure looked great, and I couldn't spot a single prune in the cake in that picture. So I put my faith in Ms. Greenspan and went for it.

She instructed us to cut the prunes into "bits" so I chopped them up, a little unsure how big "bits" are. I think I left them too big, but more on that later. I heated them on the stove with water, then threw in some scotch whiskey (substituted for the Armagnac that she suggests), stood back, and set it ablaze. The flames weren't anything like what I expected. They lasted about 2 seconds - not even long enough to get a picture.

My husband later saw the bottle of scotch whiskey sitting out on the counter and said, "You used this stuff? This is the cheapest, nastiest whiskey ever and it's been in the cupboard for about 10 years." Information I could have used about 20 minutes earlier. Well, all I could hope for was that it got better with age.

Next came the ground nuts. The recipe calls for pecans, but allows for a walnut substitution, which I took. I discovered that I had an abundance of walnuts in the cupboard, and just had to grind them myself. It took me a while to get them perfect. Right about the time I finished, it occurred to me that it would have been faster and a heck of a lot easier to throw them into the food processor. Why does my brain work so slow?

Then I whisked the nuts together with flour and salt and set it aside.

Seven whole, wonderful ounces of bittersweet chocolate are coarsely chopped. Ghirardelli - the absolute best (it was on sale... ssshhhh...).

The chocolate is melted with butter. Have I ever mentioned my love for melted chocolate? I could eat it with a spoon.

I wasn't a big fan of the next step. Egg yolks and sugar were to be whisked together for about 2 minutes in order to make them thick and pale. This mixture was already thick to begin with, I didn't need to whisk them for 2 minutes to make it thick. And oh my goodness, my arm hurt after whisking for 2 minutes. It would be a stretch to imagine Miss Dorie Greenspan doing this step. I wonder if she has a whisk-er to do the hard work for her. Hmmm... is that a job I can post on Craigslist?

Then the prunes, the nut mixture, and the melted chocolate are mixed together. And you fold in the egg whites, and pour it all into your springform pan.

Bake for about 28 minutes or until the batter is still wet, but not too wet. Don't you love it when the directions are vague? Fortunately, I think I got it just right.

After it cools, you spread on the rich chocolate frosting made up of bittersweet chocolate, butter and confectioners' sugar. Dorie said it would be a self spreader, and would run down the sides. But mine was rather thick and I had to spread it myself. It was really delicious.

The end result was an absolutely gorgeous chocolate cake. And it was to die for. I couldn't taste the alcohol at all, which was great for me. I could, however, taste the prunes. I think if I had chopped them finer they would have blended a little better. But there was just something about those big chunks of prunes that was a turnoff. I ate a few and picked a few out. I think next time I'd figure out a way to make the cake without the prunes.

And it was sooooo good with ice cream. I literally ate over half of this cake. I made it on Friday and it got finished on Monday. It was just my husband and I eating it... and I'm sure I had more of it than he did. I reeeally don't want to step on a scale anytime soon.

Many thanks to Lyb of And Then I Do The Dishes for making this week's selection. Very fitting selection Lyb, considering the outrageous number of dishes I dirtied while making this cake.

I Joined Twitter!

2009-02-28T15:29:00.004-05:00

I'm crazy... huh? I keep hearing it's the up and coming networking site. And I also keep hearing about people who are completely addicted to it. So I figured, what the heck? Might as well try it and see if it's fun.

So check me out on Twitter and help me learn how to use it. Pretty please.

And of course don't forget about my facebook page, where I post weekly menus! All of this technology is making my head hurt... I think I need a nap. Do I need to "twitter" that? Or tweet that? Or whatever you call it?

Orange Chicken

2009-02-26T12:35:00.001-05:00

I think everyone will agree with me when I say easy and quick weeknight meals are the absolute best. So when I find one that also tastes really good, I hold onto it for dear life and make it until we're all sick of it. And that's what I plan to do with this (sorry honey).

This dish comes together really easily, and it's one of those recipes that you have to do very little prep-work for. Just toss the cubed chicken in a flour mixture, then transfer to the pan to brown them up a tad. Next you combine the sauce ingredients and pour them into the pan. Then walk away for 25 minutes and get something else done. I love that because, trust me, there's always a LOT to be done in my house.

One note on the optional mandarin oranges. I used them to give it an extra pretty touch. But I think going forward I'll leave them out. It gave an overpowering orange flavor to the dish. Once I picked them out, it was perfect. Though if you're an orange lover, leave them in! They make the dish very sophisticated looking.

Orange Chicken
(adapted from This Week For Dinner)

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. butter

For Sauce:
4 Tbsp. brown sugar
4 Tbsp. vinegar
2 cup orange juice
2 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. dried basil
1 small can mandarin oranges (optional)

1. Combine flour, salt and pepper in a plastic baggie. Shake chicken pieces well to coat. Lightly brown on both sides in butter in skillet over medium heat.

2. Combine sauce ingredients and add to skillet. Cover and simmer 25 minutes or until tender. Remove cover and allow to simmer for an additional 5 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken.

3. Stir in mandarin oranges, if using. Serve with rice.

TWD: Caramel Crunch Bars

2009-02-24T11:19:00.000-05:00

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection is the Caramel Crunch Bars, a fabulous layered bar cookie with lots of chocolate and a toffee topping. I read the recipe thinking, "this will be great! I love caramel!" But after eating it, I thought, "these are great! I love toffee!" I didn't really taste the caramel, just lots of toffee.

Mine were a bit crunchy, which had me questioning if I overcooked them a bit. But after I've read that other's were also crunchy, I happily determined that it wasn't my error - it's just how they are.

They came together quite nicely for me. The dough was yummy, of course, with the instant espresso powder and the chopped bittersweet chocolate mixed in.

Getting the dough to spread into the 13x9" pan was a little tricky. My fingers came in handy!

The bottom layer was baked until bubbly and golden. I kind of wanted to take a taste right then and there. But I refrained. I can occasionally be patient.

The bottom layer is then sprinkled with chocolate. I chose to use milk chocolate chips that were hiding out in my cupboard. Then it went back in the oven for just a couple of minutes to soften up the chocolate.

Then the chocolate is spread. There's nothing quite like melted chocolate. Yum.

The final step - sprinkling on bits of chopped toffee and pressing them down lightly into the chocolate. I used a little more toffee than called for. And a little more chocolate than called for in the step above this one. And then I wonder why my hips look the way they do.

The bars cut nicely for me and looked so perfect. I consumed several and then packed up the rest and sent them to work with my husband. They were a hit - big surprise.

The selection this week was made by Whitney of What's Left on the Table. Check out her blog for the recipe. And check back next week for a cake that involves setting something on fire. I'm putting the fire station on speed dial.

Sunday's Super Tip - Getting Your Dough to Rise

2009-02-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

I don't know about all of you, but I think working with yeast is tricky. It's something I'm still pretty new to, but I like to think I'm getting better at it.

Yeast recipes always state that the dough needs to sit in a nice, warm spot in order to rise. Well, that's often pretty hard to find in my house. We're one of those families who keep our house on the cool side. You're likely to find me walking around in pants and a sweatshirt... and still cold.

So here's someplace warm in your house that you've probably never thought of... your dishwasher! Sounds weird, huh? Well, it works! But please do me a favor and make sure it's clean (and empty) before you try this. Just turn your dishwasher to the heated dry cycle. Let it get nice and warm inside, then turn it completely off. Stick in your bowl of dough and let it rise. It'll work perfectly for you.

Naan

2009-02-20T11:23:00.001-05:00

Well, since you can't have any sort of Indian food without Naan (at least according to my husband), I found myself making it last week. I was thisclose to going to the store to look for it, but I had to do the pep talk again and convince myself to at least try it. Thankfully, that handy Best International Recipe cookbook I found at the library had a great section on Naan with detailed instructions.

Have you ever just wanted to keep something you checked out from the library and hope they don't notice? Well, that's how I feel about this cookbook. It's a huge, hardcover book that has $35 printed on the inside flap. A bit pricey for a cookbook, but maybe I could put it on a birthday list. Until then, I'll keep renewing it until I max out the limit. Hopefully no one else in my county wants this book. If so, too bad-so sad, it's gonna be at my house for a while.

But back to this fabulous Naan. If you haven't ever had the pleasure of trying it, think pita bread, only more yummy. Naan is soft, but chewy, and is great for tearing into small sections and dipping it into stews or using it to soak up sauces (like the masala sauce). Or, you can just eat it plain, because it's reeeally good.

You start with a great dough comprised of a combination of flours. The recipe says to use bread flour, though I substituted all-purpose and it was fine. To that, you add a bit of whole wheat flour to give it that slight wheaty flavor. And what's really unique about this is the addition of the plain yogurt. The ingredients are all mixed together in a stand mixer and the dough rises for about 45 minutes. After it's risen, it can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 2 days - a great make-ahead tip.

The dough is then cut into eight pieces and shaped into balls.

Then roll each piece into a small circle. This is the slightly hard part, unless you're really good with the rolling pin.

Here they are being cooked on the stovetop - incredibly easy. As you can see, mine weren't perfect circles. I was going for a rustic look.

Once cooked, transfer them to a wire rack to cool, brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with some salt. Wow. Yum.

Indian-Style Flatbread (Naan)
(from Cook's Illustrated's Best International Recipe)

2 and 1/2 cups (13 and 3/4 ozs.) bread flour, plus extra as needed
1/4 cup (1 and 3/8 ozs.) whole wheat flour, sifted before measuring to remove coarse flakes of bran
1 package (about 2 and 1/4 tsp.) instant or rapid rise yeast
2 tsp. sugar
Salt
1 cup water, at room temperature
1/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1 Tbsp. olive oil, plus extra for the bowl
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds (optional)
4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1. Combine the flours, yeast, sugar, and 1 and 1/2 tsp. salt in the bowl of a standing mixer and mix with the paddle attachment until blended, about 15 seconds. Add the water, yogurt, and olive oil and mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms, about 30 seconds.

2. Replace the paddle with the dough hook and knead the dough on medium speed until smooth and glossy, about 8 minutes, adding additional bread flour in 1 Tbsp. increments, allowing 20 seconds between each addition, as needed for the dough to clear the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a clean work surface and lightly knead by hand for 1 minute.

3. Shape the dough into a large ball, transfer to a large, lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in a draft-free spot until the dough has doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour. (At this point, the dough can be lightly punched down, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)

4. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface, cut into 8 equal portions, and roll each portion into a round ball. Set the balls aside on the counter (or a baking sheet), cover with greased plastic wrap, and let rest for 10 minutes.

5. Working with 1 ball of dough at a time, lay on a lightly floured work surface and roll into a 6-inch circle using a rolling pin (if the dough is sticky, sprinkle very lightly with flour). If using the sesame seeds, brush the tops of the dough rounds lightly with water, sprinkle each with 1 tsp. seeds, and gently roll over with a rolling pin once or twice so the seeds adhere to the dough. Set the rounds aside on the floured counter (or a floured baking sheet) and cover with greased plastic wrap.

6. Heat a heavy 12-inch skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat until hot, 5 minutes. (If using a lighter pan, heat for only 2 to 3 minutes.) Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, lift the dough and gently stretch about 1 inch larger, and lay it in the skillet. Cook until small bubbles appear on the surface of the dough, about 30 seconds. Flip the bread and continute to cook until the bottom is speckled and deep golden brown in spots, about 2 minutes. Flip the bread over again and cook until the bottom is speckled and deep golden brown in spots, 1 to 2 minutes longer.

7. Transfer the bread to a wire rack, brush lightly with butter, season with salt, and let cool for about 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough rounds. Wrap the breads loosely in a clean kitchen towel and serve immediately. (The bread can be wrapped in foil and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat in a 300-degree oven until warm, about 15 minutes.)

Makes 8 rounds.

Chicken Tikka Masala

2009-02-19T07:46:00.001-05:00

A few years ago if anyone said the words "Chicken Tikka Masala" to me, I'd have been clueless. But now I know it all too well. My husband somehow formed a slight obsession with this dish. He worked with a few guys who introduced him to Indian food by taking him to an authentic Indian restaurant frequently for lunch. To say he liked it is an understatement. We eventually moved away from that town, and my husband really misses that restaurant. I never did make it there to try it for myself, having assumed that I wouldn't like it.

Shortly after we moved to North Carolina, I got coerced into joining some friends out to dinner for my very first taste of Indian. They assured me that Chicken Tikka Masala was the tamest dish, and the perfect thing for a newbie to try. So try it, I did! And I can't deny, it was quite good.

My husband has been begging me to make this dish for him since that day. I've always just kind of looked at him like he was crazy. Me? Make Indian food? I wouldn't even know where to start. Luckily, I came across an International recipe book at our local library and figured I'd give it a try. It didn't sound too hard. And it really wasn't.

The cookbook gave an entire background on all of the testing they'd done on this recipe to get it just right. It won me over. It surely had to be good. And I can do it! I can do it. I can do it. I think I said it enough that I convinced myself. And I'll be darned, I actually did it, and it was surprisingly good!

The masala sauce is a rich, creamy tomato sauce. Garlic, onion, and chiles are sauteed and combined with crushed tomatoes. The mixture is simmered for 15 minutes before adding heavy cream and a bit of sugar. But often what is thought to "make" the sauce are the spices - particularly Garam Masala, a blend of pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, and coriander, found in a lot of Indian recipes. The spice can be found in most major grocery stores and is essential to the sauce, so don't skip it.

The chicken is so incredibly tender and moist. In an effort to keep this an all-season dish, it's broiled to perfection in a wonderful yogurt marinade. To say this chicken is flavorful wouldn't do it justice. It's out of this world.

The end result is a perfect Chicken Tikka Masala. I'm not sure I'm quite confident enough to serve this to my friends who are Indian and are total experts at cooking everything Indian, but I think that's just because I'm too hard on myself. If I did have the guts to cook it for them, I have a hunch they'd like it. I think it closely rivals what I had at the restaurant where I first tried it. Needless to say, now my hubby wants me to cook this again and again and again. Thankfully it's good!

Chicken Tikka Masala
(from Cook's Illustrated's Best International Recipe)

Chicken
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (5 to 6 ozs. each)
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. minced or grated fresh ginger
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 tsp.)

Masala Sauce
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, minced
Salt
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 tsp.)
2 tsp. minced or grated fresh ginger
1 serrano chile, ribs and seeds removed, chile minced
1 Tbsp. garam masala
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 tsp. sugar
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1. For the chicken: Combine the salt, cumin, coriander, and cayenne in a small bowl. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with the spice mixture, pressing gently so the mixture adheres. Place the chicken on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, oil, ginger, and garlic; set aside.

2. For the sauce: Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1/4 tsp. salt and cook until softened and light golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, chile, garam masala, and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the crushed tomatoes and sugar and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cream and return to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and cover to keep warm. (The sauce can be made ahead, refrigerated for up to 4 days in an airtight container, and gently reheated before adding the hot chicken.)

3. While the sauce simmers, adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position (about 6 inches from the heating element) and heat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan with aluminum foil and place a wire rack over the sheet. Using tongs, dip the chicken into the yogurt mixture (the chicken should be coated with a thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on the wire rack. Discard the excess yogurt mixture. Broil the chicken until the thickest parts register 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer and the exterior is lightly charred in spots, 10 to 18 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through cooking.

4. Let the chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into the warm sauce (do not simmer the chicken in the sauce). Stir in the cilantro, season with salt to taste, and serve with rice.

Serves 4 to 6.

Some of you observant folks may have spotted the Naan in the photos with the chicken tikka masala. The recipe for that will be posted next. Stay tuned!

TWD: Devil's Food White Out Cake

2009-02-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

At last, the cake that adorns the cover of Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, Baking: From My Home to Yours. This cake is absolutely gorgeous and I've been dying to make it. So you can imagine my excitement when Stephanie of Confessions of a City Eater chose the Devil's Food White Out Cake for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection. For those new to my blog, Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) is a baking group. Each week, someone picks a recipe from Dorie's cookbook and everyone bakes it. Then on Tuesdays, everyone posts pictures and descriptions of how the recipe turned out. If you'd like to try this cake yourself, the recipe is posted on Stephanie's blog.

Making this cake went pretty smoothly. I planned to follow the recipe precisely, but didn't have two 8-inch cake pans, so I decided to put all of the batter into the one cake pan that I did have. I left it in the oven a little longer and it worked nicely for me. My top did end up having a few cracks and a slight dome. But fortunately it sliced nicely and I used the top of the cake to crumble and decorate the outside with.

The frosting came together nicely for me. It's the hardest I've worked for frosting, but it was yummy. I loved the marshmallow-y taste it had. I assembled it into three layers and it looked pretty just like this.

Next the sides were frosted and the reserved top layer of the cake was crumbled. Doing this also allowed me to take a few bites of the cake and it was incredibly moist and chocolate-ey.

Sprinkling the crumbs onto the cake proved to be a bit more difficult than I anticipated. The top was easy, but the sides were tricky. When I pressed the crumbs into the sides of the cake, I kept getting frosting on my fingers and getting myself a mess. And let's face it, mine just wasn't looking as pretty as the one on the cover of the book. I had to remind myself that I'm not an expert and no one would care.

For those in the group (who have the cookbook), you can see that my layers of frosting are not as high and luxurious-looking as Dorie's. I mean, how did she do that? My cake just kind of smushed down the frosting, especially when it was sliced.

I brought the cake with me this weekend. I went out of town for a surprise birthday party and knew it would get eaten by everyone. Unfortunately, I made the cake on Friday and it didn't actually get enjoyed until Sunday. So it sat in the fridge for two days. I found it to be a little dry when I finally had a slice. But I'm pretty sure that's to be blamed on the 48 hours that it sat before it was eaten. It was a really great looking cake and I received a ton of compliments. When it was finally sliced into, it was gone within a few hours. So I think it was enjoyed!

Thanks Stephanie for a great pick!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

2009-02-12T16:12:00.001-05:00

Take a look at these beauties... and try not to drool on your keyboard. Don't they look heavenly?

Just reading their name alone made me want to try these cheesecake bars. They start with a graham cracker crust - with chocolate chips mixed in, of course. Would you expect anything else?

The crust is pressed firmly into a square 9-inch pan, and slightly up the sides.

Then you (happily) move onto the chocolate chip cookie dough. You know, you could just make this and sprinkle it over some ice cream. Or heck, just eat it right out of the bowl. You know you want to.

Then comes the luxurious cream cheese filling spread over the crust. Repeat what I said above. Eat this right out of the bowl.

Next, if you haven't eaten all of the cookie dough, drop it by rounded teasponfuls onto the cream cheese layer. Press it down gently.

Bake until set and golden brown.

And your stomach will be growling by now. Be sure to let it cool... I know it's tempting, but you'll burn your mouth.

This next part is totally ~~required~~ optional. Drizzle melted chocolate over the bars to finish them off. Mmmm... now go make these please. You'll thank me.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars
(recipe from The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook)

For the crust:
1 & 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Butter a 9″-square baking pan. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving enough to extend over the sides. Butter the parchment paper.

2. Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter until crumbs are moistened. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Press crust mixture into bottom of pan and 1 inch up sides. Bake for 6 minutes. Set pan on wire rack to cool.

For the cookie dough:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Using an electric mixer, mix butter, brown sugar, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract at medium speed until smooth. Decrease mixer speed to low and add flour. Mix just until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.

For the cheesecake filling:
10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar just until smooth. Add egg and vanilla extract, beating just until blended.

2. Pour batter into baked crust. Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls over the top of the filling.

3. Bake about 30 minutes, or until set. Transfer to wire rack.

For chocolate topping (optional):
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. butter

1. Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or in the microwave. Add about 1 tsp. of butter if necessary to make chocolate smooth. Drizzle over top of bars.

2. Cool bars in pan completely, about an hour.

3. Using the edges of the parchment paper, remove from pan. Cut into bars and serve.

On a totally unrelated note, Love At First Bite now has its own page on Facebook. I'm patting myself on the back for entering the 21st century! Please, please, please check it out and become a fan (who me? beg?). I'll be posting weekly menu plans to the page that will be super helpful in planning your dinners each week. So check me out and leave me some love!

Enchilada Dip

2009-02-09T21:01:00.002-05:00

I first made this enchilada dip several years back for a Superbowl party. And I believe the original recipe came from a TV show. It's quite an unusual dip, and one that I would have been a little leary of if it hadn't been for the persuasion of the people cooking it on TV. Sometimes I fall for their Mmmm...'s and Yuuummm's just too darn easily. And fortunately, every now and then, that quality of mine pays off.

This dip is really very good! The ingredients include crushed Doritos, enchilada sauce, onion, chili (yes - a can of chili), cheese, and tomato sauce. A little odd... but it all comes together nicely.

Once baked, it's taken out of the oven and spread with sour cream, sprinkled with more Dorito pieces, and topped off with freshly grated Cheddar cheese. Stick it back in the oven for five minutes to let it all melt.

It's great served with tortilla chips. Or, if you're a real big fan of Doritos and don't think there's enough in the dip, you can take that option as well. We promise not to judge you.

Enchilada Dip

1 large 13 oz. bag Doritos
2 Tbsp. onion, grated
10 oz. can chili with beans
10-15 oz. can enchilada sauce
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 and 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Topping ingredients:
2 cups Doritos, crushed
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 and 1/4 cups sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Crumble 6 cups Doritos into a large mixing bowl. Add the onion, the chili, the enchilada sauce, tomato sauce, and 1 and 1/2 cups of the Cheddar cheese to the crumbled Doritos. Stir with a rubber spatula to combine. Place mixture into an 8.5 x 11-inch oven proof casserole dish. Bake for 20 minutes.

3. Remove from the oven. Spread the sour cream over the top of the casserole with a large spoon or a rubber spatula. Top with remaining 2 cups Doritos. Then sprinkle with the 1/2 cup of the Cheddar cheese. Bake for another 5 minutes and serve warm.

Classic Beef Stew

2009-02-06T21:13:00.000-05:00

Spring will be here before we know it, but for now most of the nation is experiencing freezing temperatures (I said most. I'd rather not think about all the lucky people out in 80 degree California). Since I'm on the east coast, I'm still taking advantage of the cold weather and making plenty of soups for dinner. There are so many recipes out there for exotic, fancy foods. But sometimes you just want something familiar. Something classic.

Beef stew is a staple in a lot of homes, including mine. It's budget friendly and super easy to make. The recipe I use is cooked in the oven, but you can also use a crockpot. My nights tend to get hectic. I always have a big plan to make dinner and sometimes it just doesn't turn out that way. The baby's crying, the dog's eating something she shouldn't, the house is a mess, I'm tired, everyone's hungry, etc. What I'm trying to say is, I love my crock pot. Throw all of this into the crock pot in the morning, turn it on low, and fuhggedaboutit!

I've been making this recipe since I got my Betty Crocker cookbook when my hubby and I were married. I think it was only the second cookbook I had ever owned. I don't use it all that often, but when I'm looking for the basics, it's where I turn. Every time I need to hard boil eggs, I pull the book out to find out the cooking time. Every time I'm roasting meat, I pull it out to find out at what temperature the meat is done. Basics like that. Someday I'll commit all that to memory, but in the meantime, I count on Betty. She's reliable like that.

Beef Stew
(from the Betty Crocker Cookbook)

1 lb. beef stew meat, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, cut into eighths
1 package (8 ozs.) baby-cut carrots
1 can (14.5 ozs.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (10.5 ozs.) condensed beef broth
1 can (8 ozs.) tomato sauce
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. dried marjoram leaves
1/4 tsp. pepper
12 new potatoes (1.5 pounds), cut into fourths
2 cups sliced mushrooms (about 5 ozs.)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Mix all ingredients except potatoes and mushrooms in ovenproof 4-quart Dutch oven. Cover and bake 2 hours, stirring once.

3. Stir in potatoes and mushrooms. Cover and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes or until beef and vegetables are tender.

Slow cooker directions: Chop onion (1/2 cup). Omit tomato sauce. Increase flour to 1/2 cup. Mix all ingredients except beef in slow cooker. Add beef (do not stir). Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 9 hours or until vegetables are tender. Stir well.

Makes 8 servings.

TWD: World Peace Cookies

2009-02-03T11:22:00.002-05:00

Finally... the cookies that I've been hearing about and reading about everywhere since I joined the Tuesdays with Dorie group. World Peace Cookies!

But here's my little secret - I made these MONTHS ago because I just had to try them. I was even smart enough to take pictures, just in case I didn't want to make them again when the time came that they were chosen for this group.

Well, I absolutely loved these cookies - no surprise there. I didn't make them over again this week, though I would have if I'd had time. My hubby enjoyed these too, and we gave some away to friends who'd just had a baby. They raved about them as well. It's no wonder these cookies are famous!

They were much easier to make than I had anticipated. I really wish I had something insightful to say about them, but I'm having one of those days where I'm totally stressed. I'm lucky enough to actually get these posted today, instead of Wednesday! My son is currently sitting on the floor next to me ripping the newspaper into shreds. What possesses kids to do these things? And my couch cushions are soaked with milk from a leaky sippy cup. Can you guess what I'm about to go do? We should seriously own stock in Resolve. I can tell it's gonna be one of those days. I wish I had one of these to eat right now...

If you'd like to make these delicious cookies yourself, the recipe is on Jessica's blog over at Cookbookhabit. Thanks for finally choosing these, Jessica!!

Chili Con Queso - Revved Up!

2009-01-29T07:00:00.003-05:00

This recipe is for all the people who are sitting around trying to come up with something fun to make for their Superbowl party. This chili con queso is one of my all-time favorite dips, courtesy of the Pioneer Woman Cooks. I've made this the last couple of times we've had get togethers and it's always a big hit.

Not only is it sure to be a hit, but it's quick and easy to make. You can increase or decrease the spiciness depending on your taste preference. You'll notice the recipe calls for 1 to 3 jalapeno peppers. The real heat from the peppers comes from the inside membranes. I usually throw in two peppers but strip the membranes from one of them. This gives it a nice kick, but not so much that your mouth is on fire.

I've gotten into the habit of serving this up in our fondue pot, as it needs to stay warm. It makes a rather large batch, so serve it in something fairly big - a crock pot would work perfectly. And it is just perfect served with tortilla chips.

So stop racking your brain about your Superbowl menu. Buy some drinks, make a serving of Swedish meatballs, maybe some small sandwiches, and this dip. And enjoy the game!

p.s. I have no idea who I'm rooting for, as I'm not a football follower. Who should I root for?

Chili Con Queso - Revved Up!

2 lb package Velveeta Cheese
1 lb package Hot Breakfast Sausage (Jimmy Dean, Potter’s, etc.)
½ large onion
1 regular can Rotel (either Regular or Extra Hot, according to preference)
1 7-oz can diced green chilies
1 to 3 finely diced jalapeno peppers, according to preference

1. Chop the onion and brown with the breakfast sausage. Drain excess fat then return to pan. Cut Velveeta into cubes and add to warm skillet. Add Rotel and green chilies, and stir together over low heat until mixture is melted. Add finely diced jalapenos, stir together, and serve warm with tortilla chips.

Queso can be frozen flat in Ziploc bags and reheated.

TWD: The Dog Ate My Dorie Assignment

2009-01-27T06:30:00.002-05:00

If I were a teacher and ever had a kid tell me that his dog ate his homework, I'd surely think "whatever" and roll my eyes. But now I'm (very unfortunately) using the excuse.

You see, my 70-pound golden retriever has some real issues. She's very well known for eating things that she shouldn't. But the problem is that she tricks me. That's right, she tricks me, so it's not my fault. She goes through these spurts where she's really, really bad for about two weeks straight. We don't leave her alone in the house, we remove all items from the countertops and we keep a close eye on her at all times. And then she all of a sudden goes back to being a really good dog... for a good 6 months or so. Then we get really easy on her - leave her in the house to roam free while we're not around, no accidents, no problems, nothing. And she's a perfect little angel. For such a long time that we forget she ever had a problem. Until she suddenly strikes again.

I made this week's assignment, the Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread. I used an 8x8-inch pan and had leftover batter. I decided I'd make muffins with the leftover batter and threw in some cranberries for extra flavorful muffins. I fortunately even snapped a quick picture of them fresh out of the oven:

And then, since everyone said the gingerbread was better the second day, I wrapped them all up well and sat them waaaay in the back corner of my countertop to sit for a day. The next morning my family and I went out for several hours. Then, get this - my husband and I had the conversation on our way home about how great Sandy (our dog) has been lately.

When we arrived home, we very unsuspectingly walked into the house. And then Sandy ran under the coffee table and started wagging her tail in a very guilty manner. That's a sure sign she did something bad while we were gone. Except... I didn't see anything at first. But then I step into the kitchen and see this on the countertop and the floor:

CRUMBS!

And then it hits me... where's the gingerbread?!?! WHERE IS THE GINGERBREAD?!?!?

I know right where it is - in Sandy's stomach. Before you start to worry, she has eaten worse. Some of which include an entire package of chocolate fudge, a chocolate rum cake, and numerous tissues and paper products. She clearly must have a stomach of steel because she's always fine after eating such things. And to make the situation a tad bit better, my sister-in-law and a co-worker of hers who are both veterinarians, were staying at our house that weekend for a work conference they had to attend. So Sandy was in good hands following this debacle. Unfortunately, the veterinarians had no dessert while they stayed with us.

I think the worst part of this is that I reeeally wanted this gingerbread. I didn't even get a tiny, single, little bite. That darn dog.

Well, if anyone wants the recipe, you'll find it on Heather's site Sherry Trifle.

Better luck next week!

Broccoli-Cheddar Puff and an Award!

2009-01-23T18:48:00.002-05:00

Does anyone else have recipes in their recipe box/binder that they know they want to make someday but just never get around to actually doing it? Well, that sums up this recipe for me. I have a big binder that I keep all of the recipes I've found that I know I want to try someday. This recipe has been in my binder for years and years (it's so old, I have no idea where I got it). It just looks and sounds like something I'd love. But... I'd never gotten around to making it.

So I finally decided that I needed to make it already! I usually stick to easy side dishes that I can whip together in a hurry. I think that's why I kept passing over this one. It is rather time consuming and something you need to plan ahead for. But it's perfect for company and will certainly end up being the star of your meal. And I absolutely love the bright colors - the greens and yellows look so delicious.

So... bookmark this recipe and try it one of these days! Even if it takes you a year or two, it'll be worth it!

Broccoli-Cheddar Puff

5 Tbsp. butter or margarine
6 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper (cayenne)
2 and 1/4 cups whole milk
8 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)
2 boxes (10 oz. each) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and squeezed dry
7 large eggs, separated
1 and 1/2 cups coarse soft fresh bread crumbs (from 3 slices firm white bread)

1. In 4-quart saucepan, melt 4 Tbsp. butter over medium-low heat. Stir in flour, salt, and ground red pepper until blended; cook 1 minute, stirring. Gradually stir in milk; cook until mixture boils and thickens, stirring frequently. Stir in Cheddar; cook just until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in broccoli.

2. In small bowl, with fork, lightly beat egg yolks. Stir in about 1/2 cup cheese sauce. Gradually pour egg-yolk mixture into cheese sauce, stirring rapidly to prevent curdling. Cool slightly.

3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease shallow 3 and 1/2 quart ceramic casserole dish or 13x9-inch glass baking dish. In microwave-safe small bowl, heat remaining 1 Tbsp. butter in microwave oven on High 15 to 20 seconds or until melted, swirling bowl once. Add bread crumbs; stir until well combined.

4. In large bowl, with mixer at high speed, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form when beaters are lifted. With rubber spatula, gently fold one third of whites into cheese mixture. Fold cheese mixture gently back into remaining whites.

5. Pour mixture into prepared casserole. Sprinkle crumb mixture on top. Bake 40 minutes or until top is browned and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve immediately.

Now for the award! Allie over at Finding Inspiration in Food was kind enough to pass this award onto me. I'm honored, as I think her site is fantastic. I need to take some tips from her on her great food photography.

There are so many amazing blogs out there, but of course I have a few of my very favorites who I'd like to pass this award along to.

First, Cathy from The Tortefeasor. Her food always looks amazing and her commentary is top notch. I'd love to be able to tell a story even half as well as she does. Thanks for always keeping me laughing, Cathy!

Jaime from Good Eats 'N Sweet Treats deserves this so much! Her food creations are absolutely gorgeous - they look better than most I see in cookbooks and magazines. And she has great taste. I want to try everything she posts!

My dear friend Michelle from Sweet Sensations. She is a very old friend of mine and is one of the kindest, sweetest people I know. Her food creations are also very sweet. You'll be drooling all over your keyboard when you see some of the things she makes.

Thanks again Allie for this award!