Janis Cooks

Artisan Bread in the Deep Covered Baker

2012-01-22T14:50:00.000-08:00

This is a fantastic bread recipe and very easy. Prepare the dough in the evening and let it rise overnight. Need it and let it rest another 2 hours and bake.

I made this bread two days in a row it was so good!

YUM!

Artisan Bread in the Deep Covered Baker

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups tap water

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 ½ cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at room temperature.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Liberally flour a Pastry Mat using the Flour/Sugar Shaker, and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself 3 or 4 times. Fold the 2 sides of the Pastry Mat over the bread and let it stand on the counter for 2 hours to rise.

3. 1 ½ hours into the 2 hour rising time, preheat oven to 450 degrees and place the empty Covered Baker with lid on in oven for 30 minutes. You want the Covered Baker blazing hot. Dump the dough into the Covered Baker, put the lid on and put back in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes then take the lid off. Bake for few minutes until the bread is golden brown on top. Cool on a rack. OK, go ahead and eat it. We don’t have the patience to let it cool in our house either.

If you buy the 50 lb bag of bread flour and the yeast in bulk at Costco ( Keep most of the yeast frozen until needed), this bread costs about 30 cents a loaf and takes about 4 minutes of your actual time!

***When letting the bowl set, you can put it in the microwave so that it is kept away from a draft. I had mine on the counter and it didn’t fully rise until I put it in the microwave since it’s chilly out right now***

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

2012-01-22T14:17:00.000-08:00

My son Nicholas has been asking me to make cinnamon rolls since this summer! I am not a fan of cinnamon rolls. I'd rather have a bagel, scone, muffin, anything else really. I just have never been a fan. BUT I decided to go ahead and give the boy the gift of cinnamon rolls. He doesn't like to bake with me as much as he did when he was younger so I figured that it would be great for us to bake these.

Keep in mind that anytime you make bread, rolls, etc there is a LONG wait time for the dough to rise. I usually make dough the night before and let it rise over night when I am going to bake bread. For these rolls we got up early and didn't get to have breakfast till about 11:00am, which is extremely late in our household! Especially since my boys are up at 6-7:00am!

The boys were happy, and they were delicious, just be prepared for waiting!

They come out of the oven perfect! You just need to drizzle all of your icing over the top and serve!

You can find the recipe we used at King Arthur's Flour. Enjoy!

Hearty Turkey Chili

2012-01-11T09:11:00.000-08:00

This is the best chili ever and it is good for you! I love chili on a cold day. I know everyone has their special recipe, but I found this a couple years ago when I did weight watchers. For those of you watching your figure, this is a good one! If you are doing weight watchers, it is only 6 points for the meal.

I think everything is better with toppings, so I added grated cheddar cheese and sour cream. Always grate your own cheese! I know it comes in a bag, but many times people say that the cheese doesn't melt right. Well, that is because the cheese in the packages already grated have stabilizers added to keep the pieces from clumping together. It takes no time to grate the block cheese. Just do it! I also use fat free sour cream or plain greek yogurt to top it. The boys like corn chips added to it!

Take away or add what you like to it! Here is the recipe:

Hearty Turkey Chili

WEIGHT WATCHERS RECIPE

Ingredients

1 spray(s) cooking spray

1 tsp canola oil

1 large uncooked onion(s), chopped

2 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced

1 pound(s) uncooked 93% lean ground turkey

2 medium uncooked carrot(s), thinly sliced into rounds

2 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp paprika

1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp Durkee ground cumin, or other brand

2 medium fresh tomato(es), chopped

1 cup(s) canned tomato sauce

1 cup(s) canned chicken broth

1 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cup(s) cooked kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 medium green pepper(s), chopped

1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste

1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste

1/4 cup(s) uncooked scallion(s), chopped

Instructions

Coat a large pot with cooking spray; place over medium heat. Add oil and onion; sauté onion until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and carrots; cook until garlic is softened, about 1 minute. Add turkey; brown meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Stir to break up lumps.
Add chili powder, paprika, red pepper flakes, cumin, tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, vinegar, beans and green pepper; bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until meat and vegetables are tender, about 30 to 45 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper; garnish with scallions. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Hope this warms you up!

Pork Shoulder Roast with Tomatoes

2012-01-10T21:03:00.000-08:00

If you have time to cook this slow in the oven, you will not be disappointed. I'm usually making pork tenderloin. I've made it many ways, but I had yet to get a pork shoulder. I saw this recipe in the December 2011 Everyday Food magazine and flagged the page immediately. After we got back from our Christmas vacation it was on my shopping list!

You can follow the recipe by going to http://www.marthastewart.com/868641/pork-shoulder-roast-tomatoes. You will not be disappointed! The leftovers make fantastic sandwiches. We bought rolls and the kids loved making little mini pork sandwiches. I served it with baked potatoes, but you can serve it with whatever you like. I was just lazy and popped them in the microwave, so technically they aren't baked, but that's what that button is for on the microwave!

Here's my plate.

Enjoy!

Peppermint Marshmallows

2011-12-14T08:59:00.000-08:00

Those of you who know me know that I love a good marshmallow in the winter! Nothing beats a hot cocoa with marshmallows after a day of playing in the snow. It warms you up, tastes good, and hits the spot! Last year I made marshmallows with cocoa balls for the bunco girls. This year I made the same vanilla marshmallows AND made some peppermint ones! Um, YUM! They are soooo good that I wondered if I could put them in my coffee this morning. (No I didn't try it...but I probably will!)

Here is the link to last years recipe for the vanilla marshmallows: Homemade Marshmallows with Rich and Creamy Hot Chocolate, or you can just click on "marshmallow" over there to the left.

To make the peppermint marshmallows you simply substitute peppermint extract for the vanilla. Please use PURE extract. It just tastes better. Once you flip it out of the pan and remove the foil, you sprinkle the top with more powdered sugar, and cut it into pieces. I like little squares (plus it's easiest) so I slice it into strips and then cut into pieces.

Roll into more powdered sugar to keep them from sticking together and put it in a pan or container you will store them in. Or bag for gifts!

I made a tray of vanilla and a tray of peppermint. My kids LOVE these and look forward to them every year. They store well in an airtight container in the pantry. Give it a try and I promise you, you will not be disappointed!

Salmon with Quinoa and Kale, and a Roasted Shallot and Cherry Vinaigrette

2011-11-09T17:16:00.000-08:00

I was watching the food network the other day. I have been stuck in a rut...cooking the same recipes. They are all good, but I missed the the fun of cooking something new. Emeril's Table was on and I had never seen it. (Reminds me of Molto Mario...copy cat Emeril!) Anyway, he had a show that I really enjoyed. He had these nutritionists on and they were raving about quinoa and kale. Quinoa we make a lot...it's fantastic. I love it, the kids love it, and my hubby loves it too. I make mine with chicken broth to add flavor to it. This recipe used balsamic vinegar and dried cherries. Talk about flavor! If you are wondering what quinoa is...google it. Then go out and buy some and enjoy!

I got the quinoa started first. Simple: balsamic vinegar, dried cherries, then quinoa, chicken broth and a shallot I roasted in the oven. Simmered and fluffed with a fork when done.

Kale is another story...we've never had it. I went ahead and got it when I did my grocery shopping that same day. It looks like curly parsley gone wild. It tastes like a cross between spinach and broccoli, but it has it's own taste. Definitely give it a try!

Here I've sauted some onion and fresh thyme in a skillet and added the chopped kale. It's such a bright green! Later I added chicken broth and dried cranberries to it.

Another favorite at our house is salmon. I love it any way you want to cook it. Its great grilled, sauted, baked, steamed...oh I love salmon! This time I grilled it in a grill pan about 3 minutes on each side and only seasoned it with salt and pepper. It's so good on it's own it doesn't need anything really.

To plate the dish you put the quinoa mixture on the bottom, top with kale and then the grilled salmon.

It got a thumbs up from my 10 year old son, Nicholas.

Even Marcus was ready to dig in. (He's 7!)

I topped my plate with an amazing Roasted Shallot and Cherry Vinaigrette. Easy to make and really complimented the salmon. Enjoy! This is a delicious and healthy dish!

You can find the recipes at Emeril's Table:

http://www.emerils.com/recipe/8181/Salmon-with-Quinoa-and-a-Roasted-Shallot-and-Cherry-Vinaigrette

Apple Crostata

2011-10-07T19:50:00.000-07:00

The boys picked these apples at County Line Orchard and they couldn't wait to get home and have mom bake them up! I must say, if you want a lazy baking dish, this is it. It's really easy and super delicious!

The recipe came from one of my favorite cooks, Ina Garten. You can find the full recipe at this link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/apple-crostata-recipe/index.html

Don't forget to serve it with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream!!!

Oven-fried Zucchini Chips

2011-07-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

If you have a garden or a neighbor giving you zucchini, you probably are wondering what to do with all of it! You can make breads, zucchini cakes, throw them in omelets, grill them, stuff them and bake them. I ran across this recipe online the other day and thought. Why didn't I think of doing this?

It is so easy too! I found the idea here: Oven-fried Zucchini Chips. It is a new blog to me and I always love discovering a new blog! You can see I adapted to my own liking and did without the dipping sauce, only because I was soooo hungry. I plan to try the Basil Dipping Sauce next time! I am also going to try to skillet fry them next time with just a bit of olive oil and butter. I will let you know how they turn out.

I used a mandoline to cut these uniform.

I put salt and pepper on all of the slices, dipped them in milk, and then into the bread crumbs. You can make fresh breadcrumbs or use store bought. I used italian style store bought this time around.

Line them up and bake in a 425 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes. They come out super yummy and crispy. Her recipe has parmesan cheese & onion powder which sound amazing, but I was lazy, so this worked for me. Enjoy!!

Jumbo Cupcakes

2011-07-29T12:47:00.000-07:00

I absolutely LOVE a good cupcake. I had a rush order for JUMBO cupcakes yesterday. Can you believe I didn't have a jumbo cupcake pan? (I know, right?) ME...without the perfect pan? So I did what anyone would do in my situation. I ran to the store and bought two!

While at the store I found the cutest cupcake boxes ever! I grabbed enough for the order (plus a couple extra) and ran home to bake the cupcakes in my new jumbo pans! How much more cake is in a JUMBO cupcake you ask? A lot! I usually scoop 1 full large scoop into each cupcake liner for standard cupcakes. These took a generous three! I can't wait to make JUMBO muffins in these pans! And coffee cake....and stuffed cupcakes...and maybe zucchini breads?

I topped white cupcakes with chocolate butter cream frosting and white sugar pearls. I topped the chocolate cupcakes with white butter cream frosting and mini chocolate chips. Of course I set aside a couple for my family taste testers. Needless to say, there were no complaints.

Here is the link to the boxes that I bought at Michael's craft store by Duff: Treat boxes

Skirt Steak with Spicy Green Salsa and Sour Cream Potato Salad

2011-07-11T20:10:00.000-07:00

I'd never cooked skirt steak until this recipe. It is DELICIOUS! What took me so long? I am a huge fan of flank steak, but this is just YUM. I got this recipe from Everyday Food's Great Food Fast cookbook. One of my favorite fast go to cookbooks. The potato salad is really tasty!

You can find the recipe here: www.marthastewart.com/334703/chili-rubbed-skirt-steak

Make this! You will not be disappointed!!! I promise you!

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

2011-07-11T19:56:00.000-07:00

My son Marcus asks me to make macaroni and cheese almost daily. There is no way I will EVER make that neon boxed macaroni and cheese. So...many times I will boil noodles, drain them, add some butter, and grate fresh cheese over the top. I realize this isn't the macaroni and cheese he was hoping for, but it works for him and holds him over.

I decided it was time to give the boy what he was really wanting. I found this recipe that is super easy and delicious from Everyday Food's Great Food Fast cookbook. It is really a great cookbook with healthy, easy meals. I love it and go to it often.

Once you make the macaroni and cheese you can put it into a large casserole dish or into ramekins for individual servings.

Top with breadcrumb/cheese mixture and bake in the oven at 375. A casserole takes 30 minutes and my boys were hungry so I used ramekins and cut the time to 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy! This is a family favorite over here!

You can find the recipe at : Macaroni and Cheese

Father's Day Cookies

2011-06-19T18:33:00.000-07:00

What a great day to cook on the grill! I asked my husband what he wanted me to grill for Father's Day and he said, "hamburgers and hot dogs...REAL hamburgers." He said that because I always make turkey burgers. I was thinking he would say steaks or shish-kabobs, but nope, just REAL burgers. So, I got some ground sirloin and he got his wish. We had my mom and dad over too, to celebrate Father's Day. I made LOTS of food. I always overdo it. BUT, it was yummy and now I don't have to cook tomorrow.

Here are my naked ties. I ordered the tie cookie cutter, but it didn't come in time, so I just carved them out. Not difficult at all, especially since they are all straight lines!

Anyway, I made potato salad, two bean salad, deviled eggs, homemade salsa, lime cupcakes, cookies, and corn on the cob. Plus we had strawberries, watermelon and chips. Basically all your grilling necessities. Plus, I sauteed some mushrooms and onions to go on the burgers and served lettuce from the garden and sliced tomatoes too. Mmmm.....it was good. Hebrew National hot dogs are the only ones I buy. Guys said they were good, so I'll take their word for it.

These cookies were decorated for my hubby. He is a suit and tie guy. I love the old cliche that you buy your dad a tie on Father's Day. He would actually like a tie!

My dad, on the other hand, would NOT like a tie. I don't think I have seen him in one more than twice. So I made these cookies for him:

My dad taught me to build lots of things growing up. I can handle tools as well as a lot of guys and maybe better than a few! He also is a retired bricklayer (thus the bricks and mortar with the trowel). He gets a kick out of my cookies...but really likes eating them. I thought he would like his very own tool box of cookies, so went for it.

I think they all turned out cute. I wish I had gotten the cutters, but I think I did okay freehand. I wonder if they will last till tomorrow?

This is my husband Rafael with his tie cookie.

Happy Father's Day, Rafael. Your boys think the world of you! And so do I!

Prince Cookies

2011-06-13T12:27:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me, knows I am a HUGE Prince fan. I love any and all things Prince. So when my favorite local band (The Unit) was doing a Prince Tribute, I had to make these for the event AND the bassists birthday. :) I had a blast making these. There will be more purple to come too, I had lots of ideas as I made these!

People referred to Prince as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince when he changed his name to this symbol. It is known as the LOVE SYMBOL. Although he is back to his old name, I still think this looks awesome and had to make a cookie featuring it! lol

Free hand Love Symbol is not easy! Some looked better than others, but I think they turned out great anyway. Can't go wrong with Prince and Purple!!

The guitars were a must for me too! Initially I wanted to do the yellow cloud guitar...my favorite guitar (from the Get Off video), but then I came across this and went with it. To make this cookie, I printed out a picture of this guitar on card stock and used it as a template to make the guitar. I cut the dough with a pairing knife. (Yes, each one was cut out by hand. Yes, it was a bit of work. BUT, for any Prince fan....soooo worth it! lol)

I wanted to put strings on these, but the neck of the guitar was so thin, it just looked a mess when I tried it. So, I left them with naked frets!

Here's Jen and I in our PURPLE attire for the Prince Tribute.

Such a great hubby...he takes me all the way to Chicago!

Enjoying the band and people watching.

If you want to see all of the pictures go to: Chrome Kiss Photos. My friend Heidi is an awesome photographer and takes pictures at a lot of gigs.

Spring Rolls and California Rolls

2011-06-13T09:41:00.000-07:00

I LOVE sushi, spring rolls, all things a Japanese restaurant has to offer. What I could do without is the high price. Spring rolls and California Rolls are very easy to make if you have the tools. You can fill them with anything you like.

I found the spring roll wraps and the sushi wrap at Meijer in the international isle. I looked at a few recipes on line for both, but adapted to what I had in the house and what my kids would like.

I filled these with shredded carrots (used a julienne peeler), cucumbers (cut into thin strips or you could use your julienne peeler), baby spinach (cut into thin strips), shrimp (cooked for two minutes or less in boiling water and halved). rice noodles (about 1/4 cup per roll), and chopped scallions (white and green).

You get the paper wet and it softens. Add your filling and roll, fold in the sides, then continue to roll. Once you make one you will get the hang of it.

For the California Rolls you put the square of nori down and add about 1/4 cup of rice (I used brown rice, but use what you like). Fill with your choice of veggies and crab meat. I used imitation crab, cucumber, carrots, red pepper, and forgot the avocado!!! They were still good though. You just roll them up and cut them in pieces.

I served them with these dipping sauces: Teriyaki, Sweet and Sour, and Light Soy Sauce. I used the Pampered Chef Teriyaki and Sweet and Sour Sauces, but you can use whatever you like. I like these because there are no additives in them.

I also made a quick soup for my youngest. He loves rice noodles in soup. For a super fast soup warm vegetable or chicken broth. Add veggies, noodles and seasoning. I put what I had leftover from the rolls into the soup. He loved it.

Margarita Cupcakes

2011-05-28T17:46:00.000-07:00

So when I decided to make cupcakes for Bunco I found my self thinking back to the blueberry vodka and lemonade cupcakes I made for my friend Billie. They were my best cupcake EVER. So...with that in mind, I decided to use it to my advantage and make a lime cupcake, with lime curd and tequila frosting! Let's just say it worked. A few dared to say these were even better. I just know they were fantastic!

If you want to make these, go for it! Use the recipes from my Blueberry Vodka and Lemonade Cupcakes post and substitute lime for the lemon juice and zest. When you cut out the center, brush the inside and top of the cupcake with margarita or tequila, and fill with lime curd. Put the top back on, brush with more prepared margarita or tequila. Put as much as you like on it! Then, when you are making the buttercream frosting, omit the vanilla and heavy cream. Substitute more prepared margarita. I use as much as I can manage with the frosting still holding it's shape.

Here are the desserts I had out for Bunco. YUM!

Nutella Twix Bars

2011-05-28T17:04:00.000-07:00

These are addicting and you cannot eat just one. So if you plan to make it, plan to have company! I came across this idea on a food blog called Savory Sweet Life. I have been off the nutella for awhile. It is just too good and I find it calling to me late at night. I can eat it out of the jar without a second thought. For that reason, I stopped buying it. But this recipe tugged at my twix and nutella cravings!

I did notice she had many more recipes with Nutella featured. I had to turn away. I'm going to baby step it back into my life. I have no will power!

Here are the steps...they are really very easy to make!

Unwrap 24 caramel squares and cut them in half. Microwave them for about 20 seconds so that you can squish them together.

Place two honey-wheat pretzel sticks to the caramel. She recommended the Rold Gold and they are really yummy!

Put the Nutella in a ziplock bag and snip the end. Pipe a pea sized bead in between the pretzel sticks.

Melt dark chocolate and coat each bar evenly. Set on parchment paper and allow to harden in the fridge or freezer. (I put them in the freezer for 10 minutes).

Here is the finished product. You have no idea how delicious these are! Make them. You will not be sorry.

I think next time I will try a bead of peanut butter down the middle. Recees twix bar sounds good to me.

Chocolate Caramel Nutella Twix Bars

By Savory Sweet Life

Makes 12 bars

Ingredients

24 – square caramel candies, cut in half
24 – 4 inch honey-wheat pretzel sticks like Rold Gold or Trader Joes
1/3 cup Nutella
2/3 cup dark chocolate chips or your favorite type of chocolate
optional: sea salt

Instructions

Place caramel halves on a plate in a single layer. Microwave the caramels for 8 seconds, just until they are pliable but still firm. With two pretzels side by side in the palm on the hand, line four caramel halves along the pretzel from one end to another. Gently pushed the caramels down using a thumb and index finger to bind the caramel to the pretzels. Repeat this with all the pretzels and caramels.

Spoon the Nutella into a sandwich bag and cut the tip off. Pipe a pea sized bead of Nutella on the non caramel side of the pretzels. Carefully spread the Nutella across the top surface with the back side of a utensil handle.

Place chocolate chips in a microwave safe container and microwave for 1 minute and stir until smooth. If necessary, microwave for an additional 30 seconds to get the chocolate smooth. Place the pretzel (Nutella side up) on a fork and carefully dip the pretzels in the chocolate rocking the pretzels side to side to get the pretzel bars completely coated. Lift the bar from the chocolate and allow any excess chocolate to drip off. Place bars on a plate or board lined with parchment paper.

Place the board in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or the freezer for 10 minutes to help harden the chocolate coating.

Notes

If you prefer a more salted chocolate caramel candy bar, sprinkle a little bit of sea salt along the top of each chocolate bar after dipping them in chocolate and before placing them in the refrigerator to set.

Margarita Cookies for Bunco

2011-05-28T16:22:00.000-07:00

I hosted Bunco this month...or Drunko Bunco as many women call it today. It was a Mexican theme with taquitos, rice and beans, chicken fajitas, pork tacos, guacamole, fresh salsa, taco dip, fried plantains, veggies, margarita cupcakes, homemade twix & nutella bars and these super cute cookies. Okay, even as I type it I know I over did it! But I would do nothing less for the Bunco gals. I love hanging out and rolling dice...the drinking parts not so bad either! Margaritas, of course.

Anyway, I made some other cookies too.

It is Bunco after all, so dice are a must! Okay, for my over achieving mind it is a must. They were cute though and easy to make.

I especially like the limes on the rim of the glass.

And the "salt" on the rim. I know you are wondering, "how many pictures did she take?" Well, I can take lots of pictures of cookies. I have turned into a cookie monster of sorts. Obsessed with cookie cutters and thinking of the next cookie I can create. I know...it's a sickness. lol

One more for the road! :) You knew I would!

In case you are wondering, Jen Batey won Bunco. She basically kicked our asses! She won bunco and had most buncos too!

Congrats Jen! Have a Margarita on me! :)

Decorated Lingerie Cookies

2011-05-15T17:55:00.000-07:00

Um yes, I did it. I made lingerie cookies. These would be great for a bachelor or bachelorette party! My friend Jen emailed me some like this awhile ago and suggested I make them. Couldn't resist, so here they are.

Brasiers and thongs, what more do you need?

You know they are super cute!

Someone suggested the bra cookies with pink ribbons for breast cancer awareness. I think that is a GREAT idea. Now why didn't I think of that?

Croque Madame Sandwiches

2011-05-15T17:20:00.000-07:00

This recipe came from the Everyday Food Magazine. I love that little recipe book! I need to subscribe already! Anyway, It is delicious and easy. You have to try it! Here is where you find it: http://www.marthastewart.com/349728/croque-madame-sandwiches.

In the book he left the sandwich bread square, but I thought it would look a little nicer for the Mother's Day Breakfast table if I cut them into circles. So I used my large biscuit cutter to do just that.

I cut the ham in the same way.

Add some thinly sliced Gruyere cheese and we are in business! This is one of my most favorite cheeses!! Yummy on just about everything and melts heavenly.

You butter the outside of the breads like you do for a grilled cheese sandwich. I did these a day ahead since we were having them for breakfast the next day. Put them on a sheet pan, covered them with press n seal, and into the fridge.

It gets baked in a 350 degree oven for ten minutes. Flipped after five minutes and top it with a gooey fried egg.

Potato and Bacon Cake

2011-05-15T17:19:00.000-07:00

This picture does NOT do this justice. I must say this is an excellent side dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner! I had it at the breakfast table and cut it into pie slices. It's very YUMMY! Here is where to find it: http://www.marthastewart.com/349632/potato-and-bacon-cake.

First cook 3/4 of a pound of bacon into pieces. YES, I used real bacon...I know, don't faint.

Peel and cube potatoes and boil them. Then take them in batches and fry them in a skillet.

Layer first 1/3 of potato mixture in the bottom of a casserole dish and top with 1/3 of crumbled bacon.

Drizzle with some of the bacon fat.

Continue with all 3 layers. I put it in the fridge to bake the following morning for breakfast, but you could bake it at this point. Set oven at 450 and bake for one hour (covered). Then uncover and bake another 30 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins

2011-05-15T17:18:00.000-07:00

These are amazing! I love all things Ina Garten and she definitely didn't disappoint on this one! This recipe came from my Barfoot Contessa Family Style cookbook, but you can find it online by going to: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/blueberry-coffee-cake-muffins-recipe/index.html. Trust me, you will be glad that you did!

The boys made sure they were right next to them at the breakfast table! This is my son Nicholas.

ENJOY!!!!

Homemade Pita Chips and Hummus

2011-05-15T15:21:00.000-07:00

I love pita chips and hummus! When I buy pitas in a bag they are so salty and most of the time they are fried. This is a healthier and tastier version. You won't believe how easy it is to make your own. And you can store them in an air tight container!

I found whole wheat pitas at Stracks. They come 4 to a package for about $1.50. This will make 48 chips per pack. Cut them in half and then cut the halved pitas into thirds. Open the triangles and pull them apart into two pieces.

Line them on baking sheets with the inside facing up. Brush with garlic oil. I used pampered chef's garlic infused canola oil, but you can use olive oil and press fresh garlic into it to infuse your own. Then sprinkle with salt. I also used Greek Rub, but you can use any seasoning you like.

Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Check after 8 because you don't want them to burn!

Now for the hummus. Drain and rinse one can of chickpeas (no salt added is best). Reserve 1/4 cup of the chickpea liquid. Add chickpeas, 2 garlic cloves, juice of one lemon (1/4 cup), 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and three tablespoons of tahini to a food processor. Blend and then add the reserved 1/4 cup of liquid. Serve with a bit of olive oil drizzled on top.

I can never wait to plate it. I LOVE this!

Enjoy!

Strawberry Cupcakes

2011-05-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

On my last trip to Costco I got a huge container of strawberries. They looked delicious and I couldn't resist! I don't think I have ever made strawberry cupcakes, so I figured now is the perfect time to try.

I used my Martha Stewart Cupcakes cookbook for the recipe for the cupcakes, and for the frosting I used a quick vanilla buttercream frosting recipe that I printed out ages ago by Gale Gand. I just added strawberry preserves to it to make the frosting pink and taste like strawberries.

My favorite way to fill the cupcake liners is to use a large scoop. It scoops an even amount into each cup, allowing them to bake evenly. Cool them on a cooling rack.

For the complete recipe go to:
http://www.marthastewart.com/338183/strawberry-cupcakes-with-strawberry-butt

For my favorite frosting recipe go to:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gale-gand/quick-vanilla-buttercream-frosting-recipe/index.html
add strawberry preserves to it.

Enjoy!

All-American Barbecued Baby Back Ribs

2011-05-15T14:23:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe in my Curtis Stone cookbook (sigh). You all know what I think of Curtis (swoon). But his hotness aside...he is an amazing Chef! This recipe does take a long time, but it is so worth it. And making your own barbecue sauce is well worth the effort as well. Our family gobbled it right up!

You make the rub and let it set on the meat for an hour. Then you cook it for an hour.

Add the sauce and let it set another hour.

Cook it uncovered for 30 minutes. Yes, you will have to pick a day that you plan on being home awhile. It is so yummy!

Here is the recipe:

ALL-AMERICAN BARBECUED BABY BACK RIBS

from Curtis Stone's cookbook: Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone

Serves 4

DRY RUB AND RIBS
1 teaspoon Cajun or creole seasoning
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sweet or hot paprika
2 1/2 pounds meaty baby back pork ribs (about 2 large racks)

BARBECUE SAUCE
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions, chopped
1 small celery stalk, finely chopped
2 cups beef broth
2 cups ketchup
1 cup distilled white vinegar
3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons steak sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon hot sauce

1. Mix the Cajun seasoning, oregano, cumin, and paprika in a small bowl to blend, and rub the mixture all over the ribs. Wrap the ribs in heavy-duty foil, encasing them completely, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the wrapped ribs on a heavy baking sheet and bake in the foil for about an hour, or until the meat is very tend. Unwrap the ribs and let them cool.

3. Meanwhile make the barbecue sauce: Melt the butter in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and celery, and sauté for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Mix in the beef broth and all the remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil over high heat. Then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour, or until the sauce reduces and thickens slightly.

4. Coat the ribs with half of the sauce and marinate for at least 1 hour at room temperature or for up to 1 day in the refrigerator. Reserve the remaining barbecue sauce.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the ribs on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and roast, uncovered basting often with some of the remaining barbecue sauce, for about 25 minutes, or until the ribs are heated through. Rewarm the remaining sauce and serve it alongside the ribs.

NOTE: You'll want to begin preparing the ribs well in advance (even up to two days ahead) to make sure they have time to marinate.

Mother's Day Cookie Bouquet

2011-05-08T14:33:00.000-07:00

I made these for my mom and grandmother for Mother's Day, along with breakfast. I just had to share them with you.

Hope you are having a wonderful Mother's Day!!!

Apple Cookies for Teacher Appreciation Week

2011-05-01T11:59:00.000-07:00

This year I told the PTO I would make an apple cookie for all of the teachers at the school. I think they turned out super cute. I know teachers are sick of apples, but it's a cookie!!! So hopefully they won't mind. They will be put in the teachers mailboxes this week along with a thank you note. :)

Like I said, I think they turned out cute. HOWEVER, I will not be coloring anything red for awhile...what a pain! lol

Here is how I packaged them. Use a cellophane bag and then put a cute "thank you" on the back! Feel free to steal it!

Thank you to all of you who are teachers! We appreciate all that you do for our children. Keep in mind there are many parents more than willing to help, so when you need it, simply ask!

Marcus wanted me to make sure and take a picture of the apple for his kindergarten teacher, Miss Blimm. She has taken over for Mrs. Mulder since she left to have her baby girl. She is a great teacher and Marcus loves learning from her each day! THANK YOU, MISS BLIMM for everything you do!

Mr. Meyer is my son Nicholas' fourth grade teacher. I must say I think he is the best teacher Nicholas has ever had. Not only is he a great male role model for Nicholas, he takes the time to understand his students and work with them to help them lean in a fun way. Nicholas loves science and Mr. Meyer is always having them do experiments. (Although I could have done without the crayfish Nicholas got to take home when the class was done with them. lol) THANK YOU, MR. MEYER for being such a great teacher!

Tulip Bouquets

2011-05-01T09:52:00.000-07:00

Didn't these potted tulip cookies turn out cute? I made these for the office ladies at the school for Administrative Professionals Day. (Why can't we just call it Secretary's Day? I had to actually google it to remember what it's called! lol)

These would be great for Mother's Day! I plan to put some on our table! I'm actually toying with the idea of a cookie decorating business. So if you need some for an event. Let me know and I will see if I can help you out! :) Or you can make them yourself! Here's how you do it:

Use your tulip cutter to cut out the cookies. You will have to make sure the dough is thick enough to put the stick into it. Then bake your cookies as usual. Don't worry, it doesn't burn the sticks!

To decorate use a thicker icing to outline, then thin out the icing and fill in the center by flooding the cookie outline.

I got these cute pots at the dollar store. I also bought the foam to stick the lollipop sicks into so the flowers would stand up, and some grass from the Easter section. When I put the flowers into the foam, I was afraid that it would tip over so I hot glued the foam to the bottom of the pot (just enough to keep it from falling, so that the glue could easily be removed if they want to use the pots for something else). Oh, and make sure you get the LONG lollipop sticks or your tulips will barely reach the top of the pot!

I always use these recipes for my cookies and icing. The recipes come from Annie's Eats Food Blog. It is one of my favorite blogs!

Ella’s White Sugar Cookies...taken from Annie's Eats...not adapted as it is PERFECT as is!
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 ½ t. almond extract
1 t. vanilla
1 t. salt
2 ½ c. sifted flour
Directions:
Cream butter. Add powdered sugar. Blend in egg, almond extract, vanilla, salt and flour. Chill dough until firm. Roll to ¼” thickness on well-floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375° for 8-10 min. Cookies should not brown. Frost and decorate when cool. Yields ~40 cookies.

Royal Icing ...taken from Annie's Eats...not adapted as it is PERFECT as is!
Ingredients:
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp. meringue powder
5 tbsp. water
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the sheen has disappeared and the icing has a matte appearance (about 7-10 minutes). Transfer the contents of the mixing bowl to an air-tight container. This will be the stiffest consistency of the icing, and at this point it is still too stiff to use for decorating. Add water a very small amount at a time and stir by hand until fully incorporated. Continue until the icing has reached a consistency appropriate for piping. (Remember, if you are having any difficulty piping, it is still too thick. Add a little more liquid and try again.) Using a pastry bag, pipe around the edges of each cookie. Let stand so the icing will set. Make sure to keep the leftover icing covered at all times when not in use so that it does not begin to harden.
Once all the cookies have been edged, transfer some of the remaining icing to a separate air-tight container. Thin out by incorporating a small amount of water at a time, until the icing drips off the spoon easily when lifted and then smooths in with that still in the bowl. If you go too far and the icing is too thin, add more sifted powdered sugar to thicken it again. Once the icing has reached the desired consistency, transfer it to a squeeze bottle (or a plastic bag with a hole in one corner), and flood the area surrounded by the piping on each cookie. If it does not completely spread to the edges, use a toothpick to help it along. Allow to set.
Use the remaining thicker icing for piping decoration as desired. Gel icing color is best as it does not add a significant amount of liquid. Liquid food coloring can be used as well – add powdered sugar as needed to compensate for any thinning that occurs.

Cannelloni Crepes

2011-05-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

I was watching a new show called Mad Hungry the other day and she made these crepes. I have been thinking about savory crepes for awhile. I have been wanting to try something new and this got me right away. It is basically like lasagna, but using crepes instead of noodles. I think you need to eat it that night. Leftovers are a bit soggy, which I'm not a fan of, but my son loved this and gobbled it up for dinner and leftovers.

For those of you wondering what a crepe is, just think of it like a very thin pancake. You can stuff them with anything you want. Most people are familiar with the sweet ones. My family love them filled with fresh fruit and jam or even nutella. I also like them with scrambled eggs and veggies.

Place ingredients into the blender and puree until it is all mixed together.

Place about 1/4 cup of the crepe mixture into a hot skillet and roll around the pan. Heat about a minute and flip over. You will know it is ready to flip when the ends begin to curl up and brown. It doesn't take long. Once you do a couple, you will get the hang of it very quickly.

When you are finished with your crepes, get out a casserole dish and all of the other ingredients.

Put some of the sauce into a casserole dish and scoop some of the cheese mixture on top.

Roll them up and place them in a dish.

Add more sauce and cheese on top. Bake.

Here is the recipe that came from: http://www.marthastewart.com/344607/cannelloni-crepes

Cannelloni Crepes

Ingredients

1 pound ricotta cheese
1 pound mozzarella, cut fine or shredded
1 1/4 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for baking and serving
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 to 3 dashes of Tabasco sauce
2 cups tomato sauce...homemade or store bought
1 recipe of Man Crepes

Directions

In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, eggs, parsley, salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread some tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking dish. One at a time, lay the crepes flat on a work surface and spread 3 tablespoons of the cheese mixture down the middle. Roll each crepe around the filling and place side by side in the pan. Spoon more tomato sauce over the crepes. Top with grated Parmesan.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the crepes are heated through. Cool slightly and serve with additional warmed tomato sauce and grated Parmesan cheese on the side.

Man Crepes
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Unsalted butter, for frying and spreading
- Sugar, for sprinkling
- Wedges of oranges or lemons for squeezing
Directions
1. Heat an ovenproof platter in a warm (200 degrees Fahrenheit) oven.
2. Place the flour, salt, baking powder, eggs, milk, water, and vanilla in a blender and blend until completely combined and the consistency of heavy cream. The batter can be refrigerated up to 1 day in advance.
3. Heat a well-seasoned 6-inch skillet or crepe pan until very hot to the touch but not smoking. Swirl around enough butter to coat the pan. Gently and slowly pour a 3- or 4-tablespoon portion of batter, immediately swirling to cover the entire bottom of the pan in as thin a layer as possible. When the edges begin to turn golden and pull away from the pan, use a spatula to lift and flip the crepe. Cook until it is just set, about 30 seconds. Repeat until the batter is finished, stacking the crepes on the platter in the oven as you go. Serve immediately with some butter, sugar, and a squeeze of citrus.

Blueberry Vodka and Lemonade Cupcakes

2011-04-25T10:29:00.000-07:00

These cupcakes are amazing! And LOADED with blueberry vodka. Each month that we have Bunco, I like to make a cake for whoever has a birthday that month. This month was my friend Billie's birthday and she is a huge fan of blueberry vodka and lemonade. So I thought it was fitting to figure out how to make a cupcake out of that drink.

I used a lemon cupcake and lemon curd recipe from my Martha Stewart's Cupcakes cookbook. You can find it on her website if you don't have the book by going to Martha's Lemon Meringue Cupcakes. I posted my adapted version at the end of this post.

You start by making the lemon curd (recipe follows), and put that into the fridge to chill for about an hour. Next prepare the batter. I always use a scoop to make sure the same amount goes into each cupcake. That way they cook evenly. I also turn the pan once while in the oven to help them cook evenly. Bake for 25 minutes.

While the cupcakes cool you can get your ingredients out to fill them. You will need Blueberry Vodka, Blueberries and Lemon Curd.

Use a small biscuit cutter to cut the middle out of the cupcake (make sure you don't push all the way through). Take the middle out and brush the inside with the Blueberry Vodka. Get one that tastes good. I used a French vodka called Pennacle. It has a great blueberry flavor to it. I also cut the piece that I removed (horizontally) so that I can replace it on top when done filling.

Fill the cupcake about half way with the lemon curd and then add four blueberries (or however many will fit.) Make sure to leave a little space to put the "top" back onto the cupcake.

Replace the top and brush the entire cupcake with more Blueberry Vodka. I used a silicone basting brush to brush the vodka onto the cupcakes.

Frost the cupcakes with Blueberry Vodka Buttercream frosting. I know you are wondering how much I added to the buttercream. Well, I added as much as I could that allowed the frosting to hold it's shape. Worth every drop. These cakes were Fantastic! I have the buttercream recipe that I use posted below, keep in mind I just kept the mixer on and added vodka...and more vodka...and more vodka. Use as little or as much as you like. You could also make these without the alcohol (why oh why?).

Top with a fresh blueberry and serve.

Blueberry Vodka and Lemonade Cupcakes

Adapted from Martha Stewart's Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

Makes 24

Lemon Curd

Ingredients

8 large egg yolks
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces

Directions

Combine yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar in a heavy-bottom saucepan; whisk to combine. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon (be sure to scrape the sides of the pan), until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 8 to 10 minutes, and registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
Remove saucepan from heat. Add salt and butter, one piece at a time, stirring until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve into a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and set, at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.

Cupcakes

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
Finely grated zest of 3 lemons (about 3 tablespoons), plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
Lemon Curd (recipe follows, or you can use store bought)
Blueberry Vodka Buttercream Frosting

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in zest and vanilla. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk and lemon juice, and beating until just combined after each.
Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
To finish, use a biscuit cutter to hollow out the cupcake. Brush with blueberry vodka, add lemon curd and blueberries, cut piece you hollowed out in half and replace on top of cupcake. Brush top with alcohol. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large open-star tip (Ateco #828 or Wilton #8B) with frosting. Pipe frosting onto each cupcake, swirling tip slightly and releasing as you pull up to form a peak. Hold a small kitchen torch 3 to 4 inches from surface of frosting, and wave it back and forth until frosting is lightly browned all over. Serve immediately.

Blueberry Vodka Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients
- 3 cups confectioner's sugar
- 1 cup room temperature butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Blueberry Vodka
Directions

Mix sugar and butter together in a standing mixer on low with paddle attachment until well blended. Increase the speed to medium for another 3 minutes.
Add vanilla and cream for another minute. Add blueberry vodka until you reach the consistency you like.

Chocolate Bunnies

2011-04-21T08:45:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to make the boys chocolate bunnies for Easter. Last year I waited to long and didn't get the molds. This year I ordered on time, but didn't read the fine print. They are much smaller than I thought they would be, but they are so darn cute I don't mind. This is actually two pieces put together and I added jelly beans to the little "basket" by the bunny. You could fill it with anything you like.

The kind of chocolate that you use to make the molds should be something you will enjoy eating. Once I made a chocolate sucker with semi-sweet chocolate and about gagged. TOO SWEET. I like to use Ghiradeli chocolate when I bake. The yellow bag is okay, but Ghiradeli has amazing flavor and melts so much better. So here I have melted Ghiradeli Milk Chocolate chips. If I made these for me I would use Bittersweet.

Here is the mold I ordered online. I used Amazon.

Once the chocolate is hardened, I melted a little bit of bittersweet chocolate and used it to "glue" the bunny to the base.

Add a little melted chocoalte and then hold the bunny in place till it stands on it's own.

Two cute bunnies! I hope the boys love them. I think they turned out adorable.

One more picture...without jelly beans. :)

And WITH jelly belly beans! My boys love Jelly Belly.

Birds Nests

2011-04-20T19:40:00.000-07:00

I saw these on a FB post from Ezra Pound Cake, which is a super cute blog I follow. I thought they were just adorable! And EASY. No baking involved! Well, you have to melt the chocolate, but even that can be done in the microwave. Now the recipe called for Lo Mein noodles and I don't usually buy them so I really had no idea what they would taste like. It suggested you could use pretzel sticks too, but I used what the author used. Next time I would use pretzels for sure....I LOVE pretzels.

All you do is melt the chocolate with the butter, and then stir in the noodles (or whatever you use).

Arrange your "nests' on parchment or wax paper, and add your "eggs."

Let them try completely.

Store in an airtight container until ready to eat!

For the complete recipe visit Ezra Pound Cake by clicking : Chocolate Easter Nests.

This is a great one for the kids! Enjoy!

Easter Cookies

2011-04-19T14:34:00.000-07:00

Well, I am a huge fan of decorated sugar cookies. I love eating them, and I love making them. I love finding new occasions to make them for. :) For some reason I find it relaxing and loved how these turned out! I tried a few techniques that I have seen on some of my favorite blogs, but I have come to love the sugar cookie recipe from Annie's Eats and I use it EVERY TIME.

I made eggs.

And butterflies!

And chicks!

Have fun decorating!

Homemade Peeps

2011-04-19T14:23:00.000-07:00

I had an idea about making peeps ever since I made homemade marshmallows this winter. I was thinking I would use a metal cookie cutter to cut out the marshmallows, but found a recipe that lets me pipe the marshmallow and make them another way. I gave it a try, but you have to be quick or the marshmallow starts to get hard.

I found the recipe at www.marthastewart.com and gave it a try.

Get all of the ingredients out and ready. You won't have time to do it once things get going. The first batch I left the remaining marshmallow in the bowl and it hardened before I could finish. The second time I filled three piping bags and it lasted a little longer.

Here is what it looks like piped in the sugar. I used a spoon to complete cover it with the rest of the sugar.

I set them on parchment paper and waited for them to set up a little before adding the eyes and nose. The recipe called for piping black royal icing, but I could only get it gray. So I decided to use the black circles from Halloween sprinkles.

I used a toothpick to poke where I wanted the eyes and nose and then put on the sprinkle. Poking them made the toothpick sticky too, so that is what I used to get pick them up and put them on the faces.

Then I made yellow ones and attempted a peep chick....obviously unsuccessful. lol

These are just so cute, I can't help but take a ton of pictures. Can't wait to gobble them up with the kiddos. Hope you enjoy your peeps! You can buy them or make them, but it's just not Easter without them!

Okay, last peep picture! I promise! To make your own go to: www.marthastewart.com Easter Peeps.

Spinach Saute with Crispy Prosciutto Poached Eggs

2011-04-10T13:43:00.000-07:00

I purchased Curtis Stone's latest cookbook from the Borders going out of business sale, which sounded like a good deal at the time. The recipes inside looked like food my family would eat and it had a few pics of the chef throughout the book...bonus. What was NOT a bonus, was that I purchased this book MINUS THE COVER. You know, that paper cover that has all the hot poses on it...ya, that one...I don't have it. So we get home and my husband looks the book up on amazon. I could have gotten a better deal...WITH the cover of course. DARN. I am actually tempted to sell the one I have and order another one just to have the outside smiles looking at me each time I decide to cook from that book. Do I sound crazy? Yes, but have you seen him? Come on!

Nothing sounds tastier than breakfast with Curtis Stone. Unfortunately I woke from that dream and decided the closest thing to it would be cooking something from his cookbook. On the weekends I like to try something new and make something special for my boys (tall one included). Luckily they are all great taste testers, so it works out for all of us. This recipe is really simple if you have all of the ingredients on hand...which I usually do.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin pan with prosciutto and bake as many cups as you need in the oven for about 18 minutes. Simmer water in a large skillet and poach as many eggs as you need. Before placing the eggs into the water, it is a good idea to add 1/4 cup of white wine vinegar. It helps the eggs stay in one piece. Saute spinach in a pan (I used a wok) with a little olive oil or butter. THAT IS IT! And it is very tasty.

My husband likes the eggs more cooked so I left it in a little longer so they wouldn't be gooey. But I like mine gooey, so I took them out sooner. When you take them out, just set them on a paper towel to get off the excess water. Tasty! I think you could sprinkle with your favorite cheese to add something to it!

Curtis has his recipe listed on his website. You can find it at Toasted Bagel with Crispy Prosciutto Poached Eggs

Homemade Corn Tortillas

2011-04-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

I know what you are thinking...tortilla shells are cheap, why should I make them? Well let me tell you why, BECAUSE THEY ARE AWESOME. I am not usually a fan of a corn tortilla. I usually go for the whole wheat ones. I have a hard time finding them too because most tortillas have LARD in them and that totally grosses me out. Take a look at the package next time...try finding one without lard. There is a limited selection.

After hearing how easy it is to make my own, I gave it a try. I bought some Maseca to make my own. It was in the Mexican food isle. I found it at Meijer, but I am sure most of the stores around here carry it.

Meijer also carries tortilla presses. But the ones they carry are aluminum and everything I read said that if you want the press to last you should get a cast iron press. So I searched and found one on amazon for a good price and couldn't wait for it to come to me so I could make my own tortillas.

So here is my press. Ready to make some delicious tortillas! Wait till you see how easy this is!

You combine the Maseca, water and salt in a bowl and divide it into portions. The recipe is right on the bag. This is the weird way I did it, but I'm sure any way you divide it will be fine. lol

Make sure while you are working with each portion you cover the rest with a damp paper towel or kitchen towel.

Cut three of the sides of a ziplock bag and open it to cover the press. This keeps it from becoming a giant mess!

Fold over the plastic and then close the press and push the bar down to flatten it out.

It is the perfect tortilla! Now it just has to be removed from the plastic and placed in a skillet to cook.

Cook on both side for about 50 seconds each.

Place in tortilla keeper to keep them nice and warm.

I also cut some of them up and sprayed them with canola oil and sprinkled with salt. They were VERY crunchy.

The boys loved these.

This tortilla was delicious! Soft and warm and perfect! Give it a try. I made turkey tacos, but you can make whatever your family's favorite is. These would also be great for fajitas, breakfast burritos, I could go on...they are just so good!

Vegetable Lasagna

2011-04-06T13:37:00.000-07:00

In a quest to try something different, I found this vegetable lasagna recipe. It was in the latest Everyday Food cookbook, "Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast: 250 Easy, Delicious Recipes for Any Time of Day." The family loved it, so I decided to share it with you.

Mix cheese, spinach, egg, salt and pepper for the filling.

The recipe said to use store bought marinara, but those who know me know I NEVER buy marinara. I have a favorite recipe I like to use, but I used the Basic Tomato Sauce recipe in the back of the cookbook and it was perfect. VERY SIMPLE too. Here is the sauce recipe:

Basic Tomato Sauce
1 T olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (28 ounces each) whole peeled tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Course salt and freshly ground pepper

In a saucepan, heat oil over medium. Cook onion and garlic, stirring frequently, until translucent, 2-4 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juice and the oregano. Simmer, stirring occasionally and breaking up tomatoes with the spoon, until thickened, 20-30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Sauce can be refrigerated up to 4 days or frozen up to 3 months; let cool completely before storing in airtight containers.

Makes 6 cups.

Add a thin layer of the sauce to the bottom of the casserole dish. Arrange 4 of the noodles on top. Spread 1/3 of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles. Then add 1/3 of the tomato sauce and 1/3 of the fontina cheese. Continue layering.

Cover and bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove foil and cook another 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients

4 cups (32 ounces) whole-milk ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
Salt and fresh ground pepper
2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess moisture
6 cups store-bought or homemade tomato sauce (Basic Tomato Sauce listed above)
12 no-boil lasagna noodles (8 ounces)
1 pound fontina cheese (4 cups), shredded

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add spinach, and stir well to combine.
Spread a small bit of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish or dishes. Arrange a layer of lasagna noodles on top. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, followed by 1/3 of the remaining sauce; sprinkle with 1/3 of the grated cheese. Repeat to make two more layers, ending with cheese. If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Before baking, defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; continue baking until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Let cool slightly before serving.

Potato-Leek Soup

2011-03-23T11:42:00.000-07:00

I love potato-leek soup. I will almost always order it if it's on a menu. But this is my first time trying it out for myself. This was an extremely easy recipe! I got it out of my Great Food Fast Cookbook from Everyday Food. There are a lot of healthy, simple recipes in this book. I use it a lot. For me this isn't the "best" recipe, but it is really good. And with some tweeks it will be fantastic! I will definitely add another potato next time to thicken it a little bit.

For those of you confused on what a leek is...

...these are leeks. Leeks have a mild onion flavor and are in the same category as onions and garlic. They are good in everything. I think they add a certain yum that nobody can quite put their finger on when tasting. I've had a cold lingering for weeks and soups just make me feel better. This soup did not disappoint.

For this recipe, we are only using the white part of the onion. Just chop the tops off and remove the roots from the bottom.

Cut these in half and then slice them thin.

Put them in a bowl of water so that the dirt and sand can fall out. Bring leeks, water, broth, and salt to a boil, then simmer for 25 minutes.

Puree the soup in batches, then add the cream and fresh snipped chives.

Enjoy! Add an extra potato!

Here is the recipe I used:

POTATO-LEEK SOUP
Serves 4

6 medium leeks, whites only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise, cleaned
2 cans (14.5 oz each) reduced sodium chicken broth
1 baking potato (8 oz), peeled and diced
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup snipped fresh chives

1. In a large saucepan, combine the leeks, broth, potato, 2 cups water, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, 20-25 minutes.

2. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender, transferring to a clean bowl as you work. Stir the cream into the pureed soup and season with salt. Garnish with chives. Serve immediately.

3. If desired, chill the soup: Cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days. If necessary, thin with water and season with salt. Serve the soup in chilled glasses, garnish with chives.

Garlic Mojo (Rick Bayless Recipe)

2011-03-22T17:18:00.000-07:00

The hubby and I went to the International Housewares Show in Chicago a few weeks ago. It was amazing! I loved looking at all the latest and greatest things to come that will help out in the kitchen. I really loved seeing celebrity chefs do recipe demos. Rick Bayless made this garlic mojo and I got an opportunity to taste the recipe he used it for....OMG delish!

How did I get so lucky to see these amazing chefs? Chef Billie at The Tipsy Gourmet blog, who happens to be a great friend of mine, got tickets and couldn't go at the last minute. I was so sad! Having the name Billie did come in handy though, so my husband was "Billie" for the day! Thanks B, for being so generous! You are awesome and I look forward to going next year with YOU!

I will admit to you right now that I have said for the last ten or more years that I hate Mexican food. Growing up in Northwest Indiana, we had access to a lot of "Mexican food," but not GOOD Mexican food. At that time I wasn't really into cooking and would never attempt to make a Mexican dish on my own. So, Taco Bell...Pepe's...House of Gillardo...that was pretty much it for me. Then I moved to South Florida and found Argentine, Cuban, Dominican and many other latin flavors that I fell in love with and learned to cook. They put the Mexican dishes I had eaten to shame! So, I just never ate it again.

Well, that friend Billie I told you about; she LOVES Rick Bayless and Mexican food. I would continue to question her sanity, but she has since won me over...with the help of Chef Bayless! I watched his demo, listened to what he said, and tried the dish he made. I have been missing out. So I will be attempting to make some Mexican dishes with fresh, delicious ingredients in the months ahead. I can't miss with recipes from a man who has devoted his life to Mexican food!

Okay, so you are saying to yourself...is there a recipe somewhere here? And yes, there is. He made Mixiotes of Woodland Mushrooms with Mojo de Ajo. You can find the recipe by going to that link. THIS recipe listed is his as well. It is to make the Mojo that goes in the dish. The mojo can be used as a flavoring in many dishes, you can pour it on meats, you can use the infused oil when cooking to add flavor, you can even put it on popcorn!

So you start with four BULBS of garlic. I didn't say cloves! It is a lot of garlic. I smashed these with a knife and removed the peel, then put them in this 8 x 8 dish.

Next I added two cups of olive oil (not extra virgin) and salt. It gets roasted in a 325 degree oven for 45-55 minutes.

Add fresh lime juice, then cook another 20 minutes.

Mash up the garlic and put in a jar or container. It will last up to three months with the garlic submurged in the oil. View the full recipe at: Slow Roasted Garlic Mojo.

I can't wait to use this in EVERYTHING!

Marcus' Recipe: Peanut Butter and Chocolate Sandwich

2011-03-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

This is my 6 year old Marcus. He is in morning kindergarten, which ends at 11:30am, and when we get home he is ready for lunch. Every day after school Marcus gets out what he wants on his sandwich and sets it on the counter for me to prepare. Most days PB&J rules, but once in awhile he will switch it up. Today he came home and told me he had a recipe that he thought of and wanted to try it out. On the counter I found these ingredients:

I am a huge fan of Nutella (hazelnut spread with cocoa!). I can simply eat it out of the jar and do sometimes, but I've made cookies with it, crepes, spread it on toast...I could go on really. Never though, have I thought of it with peanut butter. Sounds like a recees cup for lunch, but healthy! :)

Here are the directions he gave me:

‎"So, first we need two pieces of bread. Get a knife and spread the chocolate onto one of the bread. Get a spoon out and stir up the peanut butter, then get your knife and spread it on the other piece of the bread. Next, you put the bread together. Then your done."

He was very happy with his recipe. I think will start a little section on my blog for his recipes as they come about. Should be interesting. :)

Enjoy Nutella! If you haven't tried it, you are missing out!

Irish Beef Stew with Guinness

2011-03-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

Each year I try a new dish to make for St. Patrick's Day. This year I chose Irish Beef Stew with Guinness. I was surprised there weren't potatoes in it! I think if I made it again I would definitely add them, but I was sticking to the recipe. It was still very good! I served it with Irish Soda Bread and Guinness of course!

The recipe came from The Guinness Recipe Sight. Click on the link to find a TON of recipes that include Guinness.

It's really simple, just takes quite a bit of time to cook. It cooks low in the oven for two hours! On the stove top you brown the meat, add the onions, seasoning and all the other ingredients. Put the lid on and cook in the oven.

Add salt and pepper at the end. I just realized I forgot to add them! It was still delicious!

We all had shamrock cookies with our names on them too! Here's my place at the table.

We demolished the soda bread!

Here is the link to the Irish Soda Bread:

http://janiscooks.blogspot.com/2011/03/irish-soda-bread.html

Here is the link for the shamrock cookies:

http://janiscooks.blogspot.com/2011/03/shamrock-cookies.html

Hope your St. Patrick's Day was fun and you tried something new!

Irish Beef Stew with Guinness

2 tbsp olive oil
3 bay leaves
2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1 1/2 inch to 2 inch cubes (with some fat)
1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tsp dried thyme, whole
1 tsp dried rosemary
2-3 tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 cup beef stock
1/2 cup Guinness
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 lb carrots, sliced
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat a 6-quart stove-top casserole and add the oil and the bay leaves. Cook the bay leaves for a moment and then add the meat.

Brown the meat on both sides on high heat. Add the sliced onion and cook for a few minutes until it is clear. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, thyme, rosemary and flour, and stir well until smooth.
Add the beef stock and stout; simmer, stirring, until the stew thickens a bit. Add the remaining ingredients and cover.

Place the pot in a 275 F oven for about 2 hours, stirring a couple of times. Check for salt and pepper before serving.

Serves 4-6

My Birthday Pint of Guinness!

2011-03-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

I had a plan to make a pint glass of Guinness cake for my birthday for quite awhile now. When I was looking up Guinness recipes for St. Patrick's Day I found a website that used a cone pan for pint glass cupcakes. Too cute! So, I ordered my pan and my birthday passed, and my pan was still in the mail. I'm glad it finally made it for St. Patrick's Day. I frosted the adult cakes with Baileys buttercream frosting and did the kids with regular buttercream.

The best recipe for the cupcakes I found was on Annie's Eats food blog. I made the Irish Car Bomb cupcakes last year, and they were fantastic! You can check my blog for the cupcake recipe (same one I used here).

Melt the butter.

Add Guinness and cocoa powder.

Heat and whisk until combined.

Whisk eggs and sour cream. Add cocoa mixture and this cream mixture to the mixer bowl filled with the dry ingredients.

Use parchment to get rid of the cone appearance on the mold, and add your batter. I used 3 large scoops to fill them evenly.

I can't wait to use this pan and make the cone cupcakes and put a scoop of ice cream on top of them for one of the kids birthdays!

Would you like a pint?

I made cupcakes for the boys too! You can't go wrong with Shamrock sprinkles. :) Hope you had a great St. Patty's Day!

Irish Soda Bread

2011-03-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

Last year was the first year I made Irish Soda Bread. It was a huge hit at our house. We love to play Irish pub music and have a traditional Irish dinner on St. Patrick's Day (no we are not Irish , it's just something fun we do). This recipe is a combination of recipes from Martha Stewart, Ina Garten and my friend Katie's Irish Grandmother. I took what I liked from all of them and made my own. The difference THIS year is that I actually wrote it down! It's so simple you will HAVE to try it!

Mix the dry ingredients in the mixer.

Whisk the buttermilk and eggs and then add to the dry mixture.

Add one cup of golden raisins and one cup of regular raisins.

Knead dough a few times on a floured surface, and then put onto a sheet pan covered with parchment paper. Use a serrated knife to put an X on the dough, and brush with egg/cream mixture. Bake at 375 for 50 minutes.

Use a tester to make sure the bread is completely cooked. YUM. Here is my recipe:

IRISH SODA BREAD

4 C Flour

1/4 C Sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

4 tbs (1/2 stick) cold butter, cubed

put all the above ingredients into a mixer bowl.

1 3/4 C buttermilk

1 egg

whisk the buttermilk and egg together and add to the dry mixture.

1 C golden raisins

1 C raisins

add the raisins to dough until incorporated. turn out onto floured surface and knead a few times. make an X on the top of the bread with a serrated knife and brush with 1 egg yolk and 1 tbs heavy cream. place onto a sheet pan with parchment paper and bake in a 375 degree oven for 55 minutes. (Cover it with foil if it starts to get too dark. If you do less than 55 you might have a doughy center even though the outside is done.)

Shamrock Cookies

2011-03-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

I have become a huge fan of the decorated cookie! I love them! They are cute and taste delicious. If you have a good recipe for a sugar cookie and icing...you are set! Thanks to a favorite blog of mine: Annie's Eats I have both! I used these same recipes for my Conversation Heat Cookies. Just different gel coloring. Click either link to check them out.

I made a couple different colors of shamrocks. Marcus chose the color for the shamrocks for his classmates for St. Patrick's Day:

I think they turned out super cute!

I also made extras for us to have on St. Patrick's Day at our Irish Dinner, and to put into Nicholas' lunchbox.

I preferred a darker green:

You have plenty of time to make your own. These are great because you can make them a day or two ahead and they will keep well in an airtight container.

Have a Happy St. Patrick's WEEK!

Nicholas' Skateboard Cake

2011-02-17T11:57:00.000-08:00

I think it is the goal of both of my children when their birthday comes around to try to pick a theme that is either super hard to make or is not in any store, so that I have to improvise. :) I can't tell them no, st being their birthday and all, so I figure out a way to make it happen. (See my many other cakes on this blog. lol) Luckily some other mom's had to do the same skateboard theme cake, so looking at other skateboard cakes on google made it much easier for me!

My oldest son, Nicholas, turned 10 this February. I have no idea how that happened! I was hoping for a bowling party, where I do little to nothing, but make a cake. That was not his plan. After getting the Tony Hawk Ride game for the PS3 for Christmas, he decided on a skateboard theme and to have it at home to play the game with his friends. Insert 14 kids to my house here.

First let me start with the cake. It really was simple. I baked a chocolate cake in a rectangle baking pan using my favorite "One Bowl Chocolate Cake" recipe from Martha Stewart. Then I made two 9" yellow cakes (for the ends and the wheels) from my Martha Stewart Homebaking Handbook.

Cut the rectangle to shape it into the skateboard middle. Then cut one of the yellow cakes in half to make the ends of the board. It doesn't have to be perfect...that is what frosting is for! :)

Speaking of frosting...did I mention my son's favorite color is orange? So yes, we had orange plates, tablecloths, candy, silverware, cups, and why not orange FROSTING? I made buttercream frosting and added a little orange gel until it got to the color that he wanted.

I made a separate white buttercream frosting to frost the wheels. I used a biscuit cuter to cut the wheels from the second 9" yellow cake. The rods in the middle are those Pepperidge Farm wafer stick/cookie things. I coated them in melted white chocolate, then pushed them into the "wheels."

I used the rest of the white icing and added some blue gel coloring to it. Then wrote on the cake and the foil. I think it turned out cute. He was happy with it and that is all that really matters, right?

Here is the whole family at his party. I know you are wondering what the heck I did with all those kids, right? Well, I made sk8er bingo cards, which we didn't use.

Of course they took turns playing the skateboard game.

Played some basketball and pool downstairs.

Painted fingerboards I bought online.

Hung out and had a good time. :) We had pizza and snacks too. I thought this wall mount was hilarious. The kids all put their heads in and I took a pic of each of them. Come to think of it...I need to get those developed and out to our guests. :)

Happy Birthday Nicholas! I cannot believe it has been TEN years since you were born. I love you so much and you make me so proud!

Conversation Heart Cookies for Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T11:26:00.000-08:00

Are these not the cutest Valentine's Day cookies ever? I saw a few versions online and decided on these for the boys' Valentine parties at school. I LOVE baking. I have wanted to decorate cookies forever, but was afraid it would be to difficult and they wouldn't turn out well. I proved myself wrong. The kids were so excited to take them and I think they turned out great. Not bad for a first try, if I don't say so myself. :)

I got the recipes for the sugar cookies and icing from a great blog called Annie's Eats. She has amazing goodies on there all the time. I used her recipes for: "Ella's White Sugar Cookies" and "Royal Icing." You can find the recipes on her website by following the link above.

Here is what I did:

Make the dough and shape into disks. Place in the refrigerator until firm. Roll out and cut out heat shapes. I used a scalloped cutter.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes. Do not brown them. Let cool on a baking sheet. Prepare the icing to outline the cookies.

Outline the cookies with the icing. I left room on the edges so you can see the scalloped edges.

Thin the icing and put into a small squeeze bottle to make it easier to flood the cookies.

Squeeze the thinned icing into the center of the outline. Use a toothpick or the bottle tip to move the icing around. You can also gently shake the cookie to make sure it is evenly coated.

Put them somewhere and let them dry completely. I used the cooling rack.

Here is another shot of the other colors that I did.

Be sure to let them dry completely before trying to write on them or you will have a mess. Luckily all my cookies turned out. NO ISSUES! That is a first! :)

Write the regular conversation hearts messages or make your own! :)

I tied to make them Kid appropriate since they were going to school. My husband and I questioned the KISS ME ones. But you can't have conversation hearts without a couple KISS MEs! :)

I sealed them individually and put a label on the back from the boys.

TOO CUTE!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Pot Roast with Herbed Flatbread and Green Beans

2011-02-10T07:55:00.000-08:00

My husband actually said, "this is the best roast you've ever made." I always love to hear that someone enjoyed my meal. We actually watched Giada De Laurentiis make this on her show Giada at Home. I immediately picked up my laptop and looked up the recipe. I printed it and put the ingredients on the grocery list. My oldest had two huge portions and asked to take the flatbread in his lunchbox the next day. Marcus, my youngest, usually never cares for steak or stew gobbled it up too without argument. We have a winner. I hope you and your family enjoy it as much as we did. The roast is amazing as a sandwich the next day too!!!

You start by browning the roast on all sides in 6 quart pan. The recipe called for a 5 lb roast, but Meijer had 2 1/2 lb roasts on sale; so I bought two and tied them together. It worked just fine. Once you brown all the sides, place it on a plate while you prepare the vegetables.

Add the vegetables and cook for about 8 minutes. The recipe called for fennel, but it was priced to high, so I skipped it. I was going to substitute onions, but thought it may be to much with the boiling onions and more onions, so I skipped it. I'll try fennel next time.

Add the roast back to the pot along with the beef broth and wine. The recipe called for sherry, but I had a bottle of red wine open, so used that. Bring this to a boil and then cover and cook in the oven for 4 hours.

This is so juicy and delicious. But we are not done yet. I usually would stop here when I make a roast. Giada has you remove the roast and use and emulsion blender to blend the veggies and broth to a thick broth/gravy to pour over the roast! It is a step worth taking. If you don't have an emulsion blender, just use your mixer in batches. Be careful, as it is very hot!

Okay, now here is the flatbread. So yummy and very easy to make!!! The fresh herbs make the bread so flavorful!!! Put the dry ingredients in the mixer and use the paddle attachment. Add the liquid and mix until it comes together. Kneed the dough and shape into four disks.

Roll out the four disks to a size that will fit into your grill pan.

Look how amazing it looks with all the fresh herbs in it. I can't wait to try parmesan cheese and other varieties!

Brush both sides with olive oil. Grill in your grill pan with the press on top for about 4 minutes on each side.

Yummy. Golden brown on both sides. I made these while the boys set the table. They are super fast to cook!

Here are the breads. You just break off pieces and dip in your roast juices. You want to see the roast, right?

You break it off into chunks and pour some of the sauce over the top. My mouth is watering while I type. I will be having the leftovers for lunch today!!!

Here is my plate from that night. OH YUM!

The recipes are posted below. They can also be found on the food network site under Giada at Home.

Cipollini Onion and Fennel Pot Roast

Ingredients

Herb rub:

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (5-pound) boneless beef chuck roast
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 pound (about 2 cups) cipollini, boiler, or pearl onions, peeled
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into 3/4-inch pieces
2 medium fennel bulbs, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup dry sherry
4 cups low-sodium beef broth, plus extra, as needed
2 dried bay leaves

Directions

For the rub: In a small bowl, mix together the rosemary, thyme, oil, salt, and pepper until smooth.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pat the beef dry with paper towels and rub on all sides with the herb rub. In a heavy 6-quart pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until browned on all sides, about 12 minutes. Remove the beef and set aside.

Add the remaining oil, onions, carrots, and fennel to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until aromatic. Add the sherry and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in the broth and bay leaves. Return the beef and any juices to the pot and bring the liquids to a boil. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook until the beef is fork-tender, about 4 hours, turning the beef over halfway through and adding extra broth, as needed, to keep the beef halfway covered in liquid.

Transfer the beef to a cutting board. Tent with foil and let stand for 15 minutes. Spoon any excess fat off the top of the pan juices. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Using an immersion blender, blend the vegetables and cooking juices together until smooth. (The vegetables can also be pureed in a blender). Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep warm over low heat.

Cut the beef into 1-inch pieces and place on a platter. Spoon some of the sauce over the meat and serve the remaining sauce on the side.

Herbed Flatbread

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, at room temperature
3/4 cup water, plus extra, as needed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, rosemary, and thyme in the bowl of an upright mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until incorporated, about 2 minutes. With the machine running, slowly add the water until the mixture forms a dough, adding more water, if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Form into disc shapes and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each piece of dough into an 8 to 10-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Brush each circle with olive oil and grill for 4 minutes each side. Remove the flatbread from the grill and cool slightly before serving.

Shrimp Rolls with Homemade Potato Chips

2011-02-07T14:29:00.000-08:00

These were so good. The recipe comes together quickly and you probably have the ingredients on hand. I am looking forward to making these in the summer! Very refreshing.

The recipe calls for a pound of cooked, shelled shrimp. I personally think the precooked shrimp tastes very bland. I always have a bag of uncooked, frozen shrimp in the freezer, so I pour half the 2 pound bag into a bowl of warm water while I am getting all the other ingredients out. Then I take off the tails and put them on a paper towel to get the water off of them. I find the best way to cook shrimp is to put them on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

These shrimp are good if you chill them and serve them with cocktail sauce too!! YUM.

Here are the ingredients that make the "shrimp salad." If you have never used Greek yogurt, you should. It is awesome and I can use it for lots of things. I substitute it for sour cream all the time. You can add fruit and granola to it for a quick and healthy breakfast. YUM. My son loves it with a scoop of strawberry jam as a snack.

These are all things you probably have on hand (minus the yogurt). I always have it on hand. They now sell Greek yogurt at costco, which makes me very happy! Oh did I mention it is good for you?

Once you mix all your ingredients with the cooled shrimp. You put a lid on it and place it in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

I can hear the Bunco girls teasing me now..."you know you can buy a bag of chips for a few bucks." :) Yes, I know this. I am not really a chip eater though. I love oven fries and potato wedges, but chips are not my favorite. I do find the kids get huge smiles when they think they are getting "junk" we don't usually buy.

Chips are very easy to make. Use a mandoline to slice the potatoes 1/8-in thick. Season with oil, salt and pepper (or whatever seasoning you like), and bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

Take some whole wheat hot dog buns and brush them with olive oil. Place them in a grill pan and toast them until grill marks appear. Fill with shrimp mixture.

Yum!

Serve with homemade chips. Yes, mine are slightly overcooked! lol I think next time I will slice them thicker! Or pay attention!!

Shrimp Roll

Ingredients

1/3 cup nonfat plain Greek-style yogurt
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped scallion green (about 1 scallion)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 pound cooked, shelled medium shrimp
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 whole-wheat hot dog buns
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

If using regular yogurt, place it in a strainer lined with paper towel and set the strainer over a bowl. Let the yogurt drain and thicken for 20 minutes.

In a bowl, stir together the thickened or Greek-style yogurt, mayonnaise, celery, scallion and lemon juice. Fold in the shrimp and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Chill until ready to use.

Just before serving, open the hot dog buns and brush the inside with olive oil. Heat a grill pan over moderately high heat and grill the bread, cut side down, until toasted, about 3 minutes. Fill each with 3/4 cup of the shrimp mixture and serve immediately.

Asian Noodle Bowl

2011-02-06T08:10:00.000-08:00

The Asian noodle bowl went over very well with the family. The boys only question was, why are my noodles so dark? I usually use whole wheat noodles, which are lighter than Soba noodles. I have always substituted whole wheat pasta for Soba in the past because I couldn't find them. I finally found them at Meijer, in the Asian isle. I wasn't looking for the right packaging! Now I know and will definitely use these again. They cook fast and really authenticate the dish!

As I stated in my post about the Tri-color pepper steak recipe. When cooking Asian food, have all your prep work done in advance. It makes the cooking process super quick and easy!

I'm putting this picture in here for those of you wondering what ginger root looks like. Fresh ginger is so fragrant. To peel the skin off (thin brown layer), you can use a spoon and just scrape it right off. It is very easy to do. Break off a piece of the ginger (however much you need for your recipe) and store the rest of the root in the fridge. As you see in the pic, the inside is yellow. I minced it for the recipe.

I have found with many of Ellie's recipes, it just doesn't have enough flavor. I used Asian Seasoning (Pampered Chef) and Sazon (Goya) on the chicken before cooking it. The meat was juicy and flavorful!

These are soba noodles. Of course, you take off the fancy paper that holds them together before cooking! :) These are great because they only take about 3-5 minutes to cook!

I love my wok, and use it whenever I can. If you don't have one, don't worry. You can use a large skillet and accomplish the same thing. Have all of your ingredients sliced and in prep bowls so that when it is time to add you can do it right away. With everything prepped, the dish takes no time to cook.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family. Have some fun and use chopsticks if you like!

ASIAN NOODLE BOWL
by Ellie Krieger from the So Easy cookbook

8 oz soba noodles or whole-wheat spaghetti
2 tsp canola oil
1 bunch scallions (white and green parts), sliced (save 1/4 C for garnish)
1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1 15-oz can baby corn, drained
1/2 lb broccoli florets (about 3 cups)
1/2 lb fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles or pasta and cook according to the directions on the package.

Heat the canola oil in a wok or very large skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant but not browned, about 30 seconds.

Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through, 4-5 minutes. Add the baby corn, broccoli, mushrooms, pepper slices, broth, and soy sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is bright green and crisp-tender and the peppers are crisp-tender, 5-6 minutes.

Add the noodles and sesame oil and toss to combine. Divide among bowls and garnish with the reserved 1/4 cup of scallions.

Makes 4 servings

Pasta e fagioli

2011-02-04T06:53:00.000-08:00

This has to be one of my most favorite soups. I have had a cold for this last few days and when I have a cold (which is rare!), I want soup! Chicken noodle, minestrone and pasta e fagioli are my favorites. Plus it is winter and we just had a blizzard! Definitely calls for soup, right?

I found this recipe in my Giada De Laurentiis Giada's Family Dinners cookbook. It does not disappoint and is very easy! Here are the steps:

Saute onion, garlic and pancetta. Now, I never have pancetta on hand always forget to get it at the grocery store. What I do always have on hand is Canadian bacon and prosciutto. I used Canadian bacon for this.

While that is sauteing, you need to make a sachet of herbs. Fancy talk for put some herbs in cheesecloth. I just realized I forgot to add the bay leaf, lol, but it all turned out fine. Cut the herbs small enough to fit in the cloth and then tie it with kitchen twine.

See, easy! If you don't have cheesecloth you can just tie the herbs together and put them in the soup.

Here I have added the chicken broth, red kidney beans (rinsed and drained) and the sachet of herbs. Cover this and bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.

Put about a cup of the bean mixture in a blender and puree until it is smooth. DO NOT USE A FOOD PROCESSOR. I thought I would save myself from bringing out the big old mixer by using my small food processor. All of the liquid came flying out and it was not pretty. So use the mixer. :)

Add it back to the soup and bring back to a boil. Then add your macaroni noodles and cook about 8 minutes. I used whole wheat pasta so I cooked it 10 minutes.

I grated fresh parmesan cheese and had it on the side to add to each serving. It definitely made the dish even better. Tried to send hubby to the store for crusty bread, but I got "the look" so it didn't happen. :) I think that would be a great addition to the soup!

Pasta e fagioli

Ingredients

4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 large sprig fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped onion
3 ounces panchetta, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
5 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 (14.5-ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup elbow macaroni
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Wrap the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf in a piece of cheesecloth and secure closed with kitchen twine. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, pancetta, and garlic and saute until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes. Add the broth, beans, and sachet of herbs. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then decrease the heat to medium and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes. Discard the sachet.

Puree 1 cup of the bean mixture in a blender until smooth. Before putting the puree back into the soup, add the macaroni and boil with the lid on until it is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Return the puree to the remaining soup in the saucepan and stir well. Season the soup with ground black pepper and red pepper flakes.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with some Parmesan and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil just before serving.

Tri-Color Pepper Steak

2011-02-03T10:15:00.000-08:00

This dish was chosen by my 9-year-old son, Nicholas. I like to try new recipes, and for me allowing the kids to choose makes it more likely they will eat it. I had the ingredients for 4 recipes I wanted to try and let him choose from them. He picked it, they ate it. Did I mention my kids don't usually like steak? They ate every bite.

The recipe came from Ellie Krieger's latest cookbook So Easy. I got it for Christmas and have been meaning to try out a few recipes I thought my family would enjoy. One thing I have found with Ellie's recipes...we need more flavor. I will definitely season the meat well the next time I cook this dish. As with any Asian cooking, have all your ingredients prepped and it will be ready fast and taste delicious!

I cut the peppers and onions first and then the meat. All are sliced in thin slices to cook quickly.

I used flank steak, but the recipe says you could use London broil as well. I always have flank steak on hand so it was a no brainer for me. It is a lean cut of meat too!

Once the meat is cooked through you set it aside (along with all the juices) to add back to the dish after the veggies are cooked.

While the veggies were cooking, I cooked brown rice to serve it over. Now those who know me know I want a rice cooker super bad because I am horrible about cooking my rice! My solution in the mean time is to get the microwavable bags of brown rice. They take about 3 minutes and are perfect. I made two bags since the recipe called for about 3 cups of brown rice.

You add the meat and juices back to the skillet, along with black pepper, and heat through.

The corn starch added to the skillet was supposed to thicken the "sauce," but it still looked pretty juicy to me...not sure why. It was still delicious and we poured it on our rice and veggies for extra flavor.

Quick and Easy! Yummy too!

Tri-Color Pepper Steak

4 teaspoons canola oil
1¼ pounds top round, London broil, or flank steak, thinly sliced
5 large assorted bell peppers (such as a mixture of red, yellow and green; about 2 pounds total)
1 large onion, sliced into half moons (about 3 cups)
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1½ cups low-sodium beef broth
¾ cup dry red wine
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in ¼ cup cold water
3 cups cooked brown rice

Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add the beef and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer the meat with its juices to a plate.

Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in the same skillet over medium/high heat. Add the peppers and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking until the peppers are softened and onions are translucent, about 5 minutes more.

Return the beef and juices to the skillet and add the broth, wine, soy sauce and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid. Serve over the rice.

Makes 4 servings

Clean Eating Magazine Appearance

2011-01-17T13:21:00.000-08:00

Okay, for those of you who said you didn't get to see it or couldn't find the magazine....I'm posting it. I am not afraid to toot my own horn. I love testing the recipes for Clean Eating Magazine. They are always healthy recipes that I don't mind "trying out" on my family. This was a favorite of my family's, so it is great that the magazine used my comments for this publication! (Although they did spell my first name wrong.) lol

Anyway, if you have never heard of this magazine, it is an excellent one to subscribe to. There are tons of healthy recipes and alternatives to family favorites that make them healthier. I recently found out that there is even a cookbook of their best recipes. I definitely need to add it to my collection.

I actually blogged this recipe when I made it. So if you want to try it out, you can look for it on this blog under Breakfast Casserole. It is really good and you can eat it any time of day.

Enjoy. :)

Easy Parmesan Risotto and Parmesan Chicken

2011-01-16T08:26:00.000-08:00

This is so much easier than it looks and sounds. I love risotto, but I don't love to make it. The constant adding liquid and whisking has kept it off my table for years. When I got Ina Garten's latest cookbook, How Easy Is That?, I stumbled upon an EASY recipe for risotto. You dump everything in the pot and let it do the work. I made it with Parmesan chicken.

Parmesan Chicken (also by Ina Garten) is a favorite at my house. It is also extremely easy. So if you want a dinner that looks and tastes delicious, but doesn't take all night, this is your winner. The chicken is super easy. All you do is take however many chicken breasts you need for your family and pound them to 1/4 inch thick. Be careful to do this evenly so that your chicken will cook evenly. You are going to dip them into a flour/salt&pepper/grated Parmesan mixture, then into egg wash, then into Italian bread crumbs. Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once it is melted, place the coated chicken breasts into the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Add more oil and butter and cook additional chicken breasts. That's it! (recipe at the end of this post)

I cooked the Risotto in my Deep Covered Baker. Use whatever casserole type dish that you have with a lid on it. IT HAS TO HAVE A LID.

Give these a try and let me know what you think.
Easy and delicious!!

Easy Parmesan "Risotto"
Ina Garten's "Barefoot Contessa: How Easy Is That?" cookbook

Ingredients
* 1.5 cups Arborio rice
* 5 cups simmering chicken stock, preferably homemade, divided
* 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
* 2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 cup frozen peas

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the rice and 4 cups of the chicken stock in a Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset. Cover and bake for 45 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente. Remove from the oven, add the remaining cup of chicken stock, the Parmesan, wine, butter, salt and pepper, and stir vigorously for two to three minutes, until the rice is thick and creamy. Add the peas and stir until heated through. Serve hot.

Parmesan Chicken

4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 extra-large eggs
1 tablespoon water
1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
Unsalted butter
Good olive oil

Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4-inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.
Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts

Mini Turkey Pot Pies

2011-01-10T13:56:00.000-08:00

My husband is addicted to these. I had left over "pie filling" and had to make more crust tonight to make the rest of these. I quote, "I could eat these every day. When are you making them again. Can I have these for lunch tomorrow?" I told him, the boys may want some...he looked at me with a blank stare. I guess he will be coming home for lunch tomorrow to have them. :)

This all started when I saw a food network program use leftover turkey and green bean casserole, stuff them into puff pastry in a muffin pan and bake them. I thought, I don't have the green beans but could easily find a recipe for a filling. I came across Simple Comfort Food and found my filling recipe.

You will not believe how easy the filling is to make!

I used my Martha Stewart Home Baking Handbook to get my recipe for the pie crust. It is super easy and only has 4 ingredients: flour, salt, butter and water.

I used biscuit cutters to cut the "bottom crust" (4 inch circle cutter) and "top crust" (2 inch circle cutter).

The Simple Comfort Food website uses ramekins for the pot pies, which I do have, but the muffin pan seemed so much easier. You just line the muffin pan with the larger circles, making sure they reach to the top.

Fill each pie crust with the prepared filling. I made the filling first because it allows it to set to cool a bit which made it easier to handle. I used a large scoop to get an even amount into each cup. Add the small circle cut outs to the top of each pie and make sure they seal to the bottom dough so the filling doesn't ooze out while baking.

Brush each mini pie with egg wash and cut two slits in the top to let the steam escape while it is baking in the oven. Bake 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.

Can you say yum? You will LOVE these! You could really use chicken or turkey. We just had a lot of leftover turkey. Enjoy! Let me know what you think.

Here are the ingredients for the filling:

4 cups of cooked turkey breast, cut into cubes
2 sheets of pie crust (I used Martha's recipe from The Homebaking Handbook)
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 celery stalks, cleaned, and thinly diced (I skipped the celery)
2 carrots, cleaned, skinned, and thinly diced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup of chicken stock
1 tsp of dried thyme (I used fresh)
1/4 cup dry sherry (I used extra chicken stock)
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg, beaten, for brushing on top of the pie crust
Ramekins (I used a 12 cup muffin pan)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large pot slowly melt the butter. Next, add in your onions, celery, and carrot and cook for about 10 minutes, stir occasionally. Add the flour, and stir, cooking for another couple of minutes. Whisk in the milk and continue to whisk until smooth. Stir in the chicken stock, and sherry (if using, or extra stock). Bring the heat to low, and cook for another 10 minutes. The sauce will thicken. Stir in the thyme, parsley, peas, turkey, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spray the muffin tin with Pam. Line each muffin cup with the larger dough cut out. I actually rolled them out a little larger to make sure they reached the top of the sides of the cups all around. Fill each cup with a large scoop of the filling. Top each pie with the small cut out and crimp them together. It is fine to have the cup "overfilled" a bit. Brush with egg wash and cut a couple of slits in the dough for steam.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, or until they are a nice golden brown. Allow to cool on a cooking rack for 10 minutes before removing. Use a butter knife to cut around the edges to get them out.

Christmas Dinner

2010-12-28T18:15:00.000-08:00

I love roasted turkey. Why do I wait till Thanksgiving and Christmas to have turkey? Maybe that should be on my list for 2011...more turkey! For Christmas Dinner I roasted a turkey, brussel sprouts, made a new stuffing, smashed potatoes, rolls with cranberry butter, and homemade eggnog. What a great dinner to share with my boys!

Look at this bird! I used my roasting pan, brushed it with vegetable oil and added salt, pepper and Italian seasoning mix. That is it. Roasted for 3 1/2 hours (16 pounds!). Once it starts browning you just tent some foil on it. I did not baste it either. Didn't need it. Let it rest for a good 20 minutes before carving.

Brussel sprouts are EASY to make. I just cut off a bit of the bottom, slice them in half, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt & pepper.

I really wanted to take a shortcut on the dressing. I was sooo close to doing just that (thanks Tammy!). I was on the phone with my friend Tammy, telling her I was gonna buy stove top or something so I didn't have to make it. She was like, "really? Are you serious? Really?" So of course, I made my own. Geeze, try to take one shortcut and they think you're crazy! :) It was worth it though. This stuffing had onion, celery, bread, parsley, rosemary, dried cherries and pecans. YUM!

So my intentions were to make homemade rolls, but while I was talking to my husband (and not paying attention), I added to much liquid and ruined them. So I just ran and got some dinner rolls. But I did use the Honey Cranberry butter that I made. It is amazing! TRY IT. You can also see my son's homemade eggnog in the background. YUM. He, however, was not a fan. Ha! More for me and my Captain. Those are Yukon smashed potatoes. I used Fage yogurt in them, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and butter with some seasonings. Fage is a Greek yogurt. You can sub it for sour cream anytime.

Here is the bird on the table. Yes, it tasted as good as it looks!

Here are the brussel sprouts and dressing on the table. WAY to much dressing, but yum.

Have you ever seen a bigger turkey leg for such small kids? This cracked me up. And believe it or not, they ate the entire leg! BOTH OF THEM. I must have done something right for Christmas dinner. :) The gravy was my youngest son's favorite with the turkey.

Hope you had a very Merry Christmas!

Easy Homemade Eggnog

2010-12-27T07:09:00.000-08:00

Eggnog is one of those things that you either love or you hate. I LOVE it! I usually don't buy it though because I could easily drink it all on my own. My husband on the other hand, is not a fan of eggnog. Of course living in my house he has the privilege or punishment (depending on the outcome, I guess) of taste testing all my trials. He really liked it. Although, he prefers it warm to chilled. (He is strange I know.) I loved it and loved it more with some Captain Morgan's in it!

I found the recipe looking at my blogger dashboard at all the sites I follow. I could easily spend a day looking at people's creations and deciding if I should give it a try or pass. Of course then I make a recipe and have to blog my own, and before you know it a couple hours are gone for good.

Here is a simple way to make your own eggnog that even those who turn their noses up at "the nog" will enjoy. I did a double batch (two separate batches so that I didn't mess up the recipe) to fill my pitcher.

The recipe says to whisk the eggs and sugar in a separate bowl. Those who know me know I hate dishes...even if I have a dishwasher. I mixed it in the stock pot I was using to heat the mixture and it was fine.

Make sure you do check the temperature or you will end up with scrambled eggs. I don't know about you, but I don't need any floaties in my drink. I used a candy thermometer, but it got broken, so I checked it with a digital thermometer to make sure it didn't get past 160 degrees.

Why are we straining? You want to make sure you didn't accidentally scramble and you want to make sure the nutmeg or any larger pieces do not end up in your drink. I used fresh nutmeg and grated it myself. This is a larger texture than the bottled kind you buy and you definitely need to strain out the larger particles.

Two batches and I have my pitcher filled with the yummiest eggnog I've ever consumed! I kept the alcohol on the sides so those who wanted to add it could, and those who didn't want any didn't have to have it. I wish I could credit the person I got this recipe from. I looked at so many websites over the holidays I honestly don't know. But I did copy and paste the recipe to word before exiting the site....so here it is for you to try:

Easy Homemade Eggnog

4 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste*
4 cups low fat milk
2 oz. brandy or bourbon, for serving (optional)

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until all of the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Whisk in vanilla, nutmeg and milk.

Pour mixture into a large saucepan and turn heat to medium. Bring eggnog just to a simmer (160F). Hold at that temperature for 1 minute, then remove from heat. Strain into a pitcher or serving dish and chill for at least 4 hours, or until ready to serve.

Pour into glasses, add brandy if desired, and sprinkle with additional nutmeg for serving.

Serves 8

*Note: If not using freshly grated nutmeg, you may want to use more nutmeg.

Christmas Breakfast

2010-12-26T08:31:00.000-08:00

Well, this year I decided not to over do breakfast and dinner. :) I made the casserole ahead of time the night before and only had to put it into the oven. The potatoes take no time to cut up and cook in the skillet. And the biscotti I made a few days ahead (cranberry chip and pistachio cranberry). Mimosas on the table, coffee in hand, we were good to go. The casserole did take an hour and a half, so it is best to put it in the oven right when you wake. (or wake before the kiddos)

Dipped in your coffee...these are just plain delicious.

The recipe for this casserole is on my blog. It is made of english muffins, canadian bacon, eggs, cheese and milk. Super easy!

Cut up the potatoes and throw them in the large skillet. :)

I also put Cinnamon Plus in the coffee grounds when I brew them. YUM. Plain cinnamon is just as good. Hope you had a great Christmas breakfast to start your day too!

Cranberry Butter

2010-12-26T08:11:00.000-08:00

I finished making cookies, bread, got breakfast and dinner preparations done for Christmas day and sat down to check my email and look at the blog posts. I came across this EASY recipe that added something extra from things I already had on hand. It takes no time to put together, so it was a "must make." The recipe came from Tasty Kitchen's website. Click here to be directed to the site.

Here is what you need: 1 lb of butter, the zest from one orange (I only had clementines on hand), 1/2 cup of honey and 1/2 cup of fresh cranberries. That's it. I'm telling you, this is delicious!

Great for gifts too! :) I think I may do small jelly jars of this next year. YUMMY!

Cranberry Butter

Prep Time 5 Minutes
Cook Time

Servings 20

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

1 pound Butter, Softened To Room Temperature
½ cups Chopped Fresh Cranberries
½ cups Honey
1 whole Orange (just The Zest)

Preparation Instructions

Such an easy recipe, it’s easy to adjust the ingredients to your personal taste. Want more orange flavor? Zest another orange! Want it less sweet? Reduce the amount of honey. Make it your own!

Combine softened butter, chopped fresh cranberries, honey to taste (about 1/2 cup) and the ZEST ONLY of one orange. Mix until well blended.

You’ll need to store this in the refrigerator.

White Russian Cake

2010-12-23T06:49:00.000-08:00

I thought the perfect birthday cake for George would be a White Russian cake. There is always Kahula at my parents house and ever since I can remember my step dad, George, has made White Russians. YUMMY ones!

Here is what I did:

Bake your favorite white or yellow cake. I chose white since the title says it all "WHITE Russian." Instead of using vanilla, you can use kahula or vodka.

I love homemade butter cream frosting. You can add whatever flavor to it and it will taste delicious.

I added both vodka and Kahlua!

I also brushed the cakes with both vodka and kahula before putting on the layers.

You can add as much alcohol as you like. It keeps the cake moist and adds a little more YUM.

I know what you are thinking: "you gave alcohol to your kids?" No, they got their own cakes. Any alcohol you put into the batter burns off in the oven. When I cut the tops of the layers off of the cakes to make them level, I used biscuit cutters to make small layer cakes for the kids. I also made frosting WITHOUT alcohol to frost them. So no worries people.

I even frosted theirs cute and put them on little appetizer plates. Cute, huh?

They enjoyed them, and we enjoyed the White Russian Cake. YUM!

Janis Cooks

Artisan Bread in the Deep Covered Baker

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Hearty Turkey Chili

Hearty Turkey Chili

WEIGHT WATCHERS RECIPE

Ingredients

Instructions

Pork Shoulder Roast with Tomatoes

Peppermint Marshmallows

Salmon with Quinoa and Kale, and a Roasted Shallot and Cherry Vinaigrette

Apple Crostata

Oven-fried Zucchini Chips

Jumbo Cupcakes

Skirt Steak with Spicy Green Salsa and Sour Cream Potato Salad

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

Father's Day Cookies

Prince Cookies

Spring Rolls and California Rolls

Margarita Cupcakes

Nutella Twix Bars

Margarita Cookies for Bunco

Decorated Lingerie Cookies

Croque Madame Sandwiches

Potato and Bacon Cake

Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins

Homemade Pita Chips and Hummus

Strawberry Cupcakes

All-American Barbecued Baby Back Ribs

ALL-AMERICAN BARBECUED BABY BACK RIBS

from Curtis Stone's cookbook: Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone

Mother's Day Cookie Bouquet

Apple Cookies for Teacher Appreciation Week

Tulip Bouquets

Cannelloni Crepes

Cannelloni Crepes

Ingredients

Directions

Man Crepes

Ingredients

Directions

Blueberry Vodka and Lemonade Cupcakes

Blueberry Vodka and Lemonade Cupcakes

Adapted from Martha Stewart's Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

Makes 24

Ingredients

Directions

Cupcakes

Ingredients

Directions

Chocolate Bunnies

Birds Nests

Easter Cookies

Homemade Peeps

Spinach Saute with Crispy Prosciutto Poached Eggs

Homemade Corn Tortillas

Vegetable Lasagna

Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients

Directions

Potato-Leek Soup

Garlic Mojo (Rick Bayless Recipe)

Marcus' Recipe: Peanut Butter and Chocolate Sandwich

Irish Beef Stew with Guinness

The recipe came from The Guinness Recipe Sight. Click on the link to find a TON of recipes that include Guinness.

It's really simple, just takes quite a bit of time to cook. It cooks low in the oven for two hours! On the stove top you brown the meat, add the onions, seasoning and all the other ingredients. Put the lid on and cook in the oven.

Add salt and pepper at the end. I just realized I forgot to add them! It was still delicious!

My Birthday Pint of Guinness!

Irish Soda Bread

Shamrock Cookies

Nicholas' Skateboard Cake

Conversation Heart Cookies for Valentine's Day

Pot Roast with Herbed Flatbread and Green Beans

Cipollini Onion and Fennel Pot Roast

Ingredients

Herb rub:

Directions

Herbed Flatbread

Ingredients

Directions