This past weekend was a busy one, so much so that I wasn't able to do my weekly grocery shopping (yes, I shop for the whole week in a day...). Yesterday I decided I just needed to figure out what to make and go to the store. This was going to be the week to start to eat healthy and I really wanted to try out some new recipes so I am upping things a notch by including things in my meals I don't normally.
So the story goes...
Yesterday I stopped by the market, not the quick small one but the one that was a little larger and I was hoping would have more selections, I was sadly disappointed. Not only did they have the same things the smaller one did, but I had to walk all over the market a few times just to find what I wanted, or find out they didn't have what I wanted. So you may ask what I was looking for? Well, I wanted more than just one variety of real Parmesan cheese, not the stuff from the container, and blue cheese. Picky I know, but it seems to me that if there isn't more than one option I am forced to buy the one brand they have and I have no choice in the matter. The one thing that threw me off was that they didn't have arborio rice for risotto. Since it isn't a rice at all there was lots of confusion on where it should be. I suppose I will need to start shopping at Henry's or Trader Joe's instead of the local market but those options are a bit farther for me.
To sum it up... As I was roaming the store from end to end multiple times I started to wonder, am I a foodie snob? Do I really need more than one option for blue cheese? Why can't I be ok with Butoni chunk Parmesan cheese? I guess I am but I figure that if I am going to eat something it had better taste good and I guess my palate is getting more refined so my cooking skills and market choice have better rise to the occasion.
After all the running around yesterday I had to go home and make dinner. JL was such a sweetie and he helped me with dinner and washed the dishes, I love him so. For dinner we had BBQ chicken drum sticks with salad. I enjoyed a strawberry blue cheese salad where JL is a traditionalist with his avocado & tomato ranch salad.
Not to go on a tangent but I have also noticed that I don't care for bottled salad dressing, SNOB I know!!! Last night I made this one and it was so yummy, I would suggest you try to whip it up if you can. It will keep for a 2-3 weeks.
Live, Laugh, Love & Enjoy!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Smore Smores'!!!
The idea of having a Smore is making my mouth water... Some fun alternatives to the tried and true traditional favorite can be fun and much less messy then the original.
Love this idea by SwEEts by e - Bite-Size Smores
Or the one done on Cupcake Wars with a graham cracker crust, chocolate cupcake filling and a whipped meringue. I'm sure you could also use a marshmallow cream whipped to add texture and a blow torch is always a fun aspect...
If you want something refreshing a Smores' Pie is always a good idea. Use a graham cracker crust, spread chocolate ice cream in the crust, freeze for a little bit to firm up the ice cream and top with either large marshmallows cut in half or the whipped marshmallow cream idea (or both...) and again, use a blow torch to give it the effect of a Smore. The only hard part for this one is that you would need to add the marshmallows at the end, before serving, otherwise they would get cold and the whole point of a Smore is the combination of textures and temperatures... Also you would need a torch but they can be found pretty inexpensively at a cooking store. You could also do it the way Amy does it by clicking here, it is an extreme version of my simplified one...
Live, Laugh, Love & Enjoy!!!
Love this idea by SwEEts by e - Bite-Size Smores
Or the one done on Cupcake Wars with a graham cracker crust, chocolate cupcake filling and a whipped meringue. I'm sure you could also use a marshmallow cream whipped to add texture and a blow torch is always a fun aspect...
If you want something refreshing a Smores' Pie is always a good idea. Use a graham cracker crust, spread chocolate ice cream in the crust, freeze for a little bit to firm up the ice cream and top with either large marshmallows cut in half or the whipped marshmallow cream idea (or both...) and again, use a blow torch to give it the effect of a Smore. The only hard part for this one is that you would need to add the marshmallows at the end, before serving, otherwise they would get cold and the whole point of a Smore is the combination of textures and temperatures... Also you would need a torch but they can be found pretty inexpensively at a cooking store. You could also do it the way Amy does it by clicking here, it is an extreme version of my simplified one...
Live, Laugh, Love & Enjoy!!!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Peach-Blueberry Cobbler
Sorry it has been a while since I have posted a recipe on the blog but here is a great one for a quick but delicious dessert. What wouldn't be delicious with a whole stick of butter in it?
Sorry about the image quality, iphone...
Cobbler (you can add the fruit you want to)
Derived from Pioneer Woman Berry Cobbler recipe
1 C flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 1/4 C sugar
1/2 C unslated butter (1 stick), melted
1 C milk (I used 1% and it worked well so any kind will be ok)
2 1/2 C fruit cubed (or whole berries)
Bit of sugar
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Combine dry ingredients and mix
- Add milk and combine
- Add in butter and mix
- Pour into greased dish, either 10" round or other type you have on hand
- Spread fruit over batter
- Sprinkle with sugar
- Bake for 60 to 75 minutes (depending on pan)
For the one I made I added a sprinkle of nutmeg to the batter and used brown sugar to top it instead of white. You can get creative and use apples (soften them first) and add cinnamon to batter and sprinkle with brown sugar or torbindo (sp?) sugar... Let your imagination flow, you can't mess this one up!
JL's Reaction: For not being a sweets guy he liked it, it isn't too sweet since the tartness of the fruit balances it out.
Live, Laugh, Love & Enjoy!
Sorry about the image quality, iphone...
Cobbler (you can add the fruit you want to)
Derived from Pioneer Woman Berry Cobbler recipe
1 C flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 1/4 C sugar
1/2 C unslated butter (1 stick), melted
1 C milk (I used 1% and it worked well so any kind will be ok)
2 1/2 C fruit cubed (or whole berries)
Bit of sugar
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Combine dry ingredients and mix
- Add milk and combine
- Add in butter and mix
- Pour into greased dish, either 10" round or other type you have on hand
- Spread fruit over batter
- Sprinkle with sugar
- Bake for 60 to 75 minutes (depending on pan)
For the one I made I added a sprinkle of nutmeg to the batter and used brown sugar to top it instead of white. You can get creative and use apples (soften them first) and add cinnamon to batter and sprinkle with brown sugar or torbindo (sp?) sugar... Let your imagination flow, you can't mess this one up!
JL's Reaction: For not being a sweets guy he liked it, it isn't too sweet since the tartness of the fruit balances it out.
Live, Laugh, Love & Enjoy!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
We have been busy!
So it has been almost three weeks since my last post and I feel like I have majorly been lagging on the posting... Since my last post I mentioned making a lot of baked goods and I have been continuing on that path since.
Things I have made lately include:
Strawberry Puff Cake
Apricot Jam
Lemon Poppyseed cake with Vanilla Buttercream
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Next on my list:
Chocoalate cake with a Cookies N Cream filling and with this one I am going to try my hand at fondont. I will be amking my own marshmallow fondont which I am told tastes much better than the traditional kind that most bakeries use, so wish me luck :)
Count down 'till the B-Day: 15 days
Live, Laugh, Love!
BTW if anyone wants a recipe for these things just post on the blog and I will add it for you! Sadly today I forgot my baking journal so all the recipes are at home :(
Things I have made lately include:
Strawberry Puff Cake
Apricot Jam
Lemon Poppyseed cake with Vanilla Buttercream
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Next on my list:
Chocoalate cake with a Cookies N Cream filling and with this one I am going to try my hand at fondont. I will be amking my own marshmallow fondont which I am told tastes much better than the traditional kind that most bakeries use, so wish me luck :)
Count down 'till the B-Day: 15 days
Live, Laugh, Love!
BTW if anyone wants a recipe for these things just post on the blog and I will add it for you! Sadly today I forgot my baking journal so all the recipes are at home :(
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Hello Lovely...
So, as you may know, I have gotten the bug for baking and the only way I will bake is when I can give it to other people so as not to make it possible for me to eat it all myself. JL isn't a big-on-sweets guy unless it is really good, but I can eat anything whether it is fantastic or just ok (I believe I get that from my Mother who would insist we save the crispy cookies for her).
After my early morning blog reads I realized something, how incredibly wonderful it would be to have a Kitchenaid Mixer! There are multiple recipes I have come across that refer to using one but alas I don't have one... I do, however, have a hand mixer that has done well for now so as you can see this is simply a want sort of thing not a need, as of yet.
Then I came across this mixer, I have seen it in the stores and proceeded to pet it and just stare at it in amazement at how gorgeous it is. (I am not weird, just in love with cooking/baking appliances and utensils.) JL typically wanders off at that point or tells me I am being weird :)
Isn't she lovely???
Some day my lovely you will be mine!
Live, Laugh, Love
After my early morning blog reads I realized something, how incredibly wonderful it would be to have a Kitchenaid Mixer! There are multiple recipes I have come across that refer to using one but alas I don't have one... I do, however, have a hand mixer that has done well for now so as you can see this is simply a want sort of thing not a need, as of yet.
Then I came across this mixer, I have seen it in the stores and proceeded to pet it and just stare at it in amazement at how gorgeous it is. (I am not weird, just in love with cooking/baking appliances and utensils.) JL typically wanders off at that point or tells me I am being weird :)
Isn't she lovely???
Some day my lovely you will be mine!
Live, Laugh, Love
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Hot times call for cool salads!
Sorry it has been a while since I have posted on the blog...
New things going on with us? Not a lot... Jose is now only working one job, which is a good thing but will make money issues even more tight with us. So, sorry to our friends but we will be even more boring now than before :/
I am trying to start up a cake and dessert catering business... Well not really, just doing it for fun. I have a couple of great standby recipes and am attempting more. The only difficulty I run into is the fact that I cannot make cakes all the time because then who will eat them? Me! That would be bad so for now I am making cakes for friends and family for birthdays or celebrations so I can practice the recipes and fine tune them and I can give them a gift that I know they will like :) So far I have made a Strawberry and Cream Cake, Mocha Mousse Filled Vanilla Cake and next up is a Cookies N Cream Cake. As you can see the recipes I have perfected are slim but I'm getting there!
Other than that we have been enjoying our time and trying to stay cool. Last night I couldn't figure out what to make for a side dish that wasn't the same boring thing but then realized I had cucumbers and sweet onion so why not some kind of cucumber salad? I didn't think Jose would like it, he is incredibly picky, but he DID!
Cucumber Salad
1 Cucumber peeled, sliced and halved (to make half-moon shapes)
1/4 to 1/2 sweet onion, sliced and quartered
2-3 T White balsamic vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
1 t sugar
Cajun Seasoning (or dill and salt or dijon mustard)
1. Soak the cucumbers and onions in salt water for about 5 to 10 minutes. This softens the cucumber and onion slightly without having to cook it. Drain and rinse well.
2. Combine the sugar, vinegar and spices and add to veggies.
3. Let sit for a minute or two and serve. I added avocado at the end and it was delicious!
Live, Laugh, Love & Enjoy!
New things going on with us? Not a lot... Jose is now only working one job, which is a good thing but will make money issues even more tight with us. So, sorry to our friends but we will be even more boring now than before :/
I am trying to start up a cake and dessert catering business... Well not really, just doing it for fun. I have a couple of great standby recipes and am attempting more. The only difficulty I run into is the fact that I cannot make cakes all the time because then who will eat them? Me! That would be bad so for now I am making cakes for friends and family for birthdays or celebrations so I can practice the recipes and fine tune them and I can give them a gift that I know they will like :) So far I have made a Strawberry and Cream Cake, Mocha Mousse Filled Vanilla Cake and next up is a Cookies N Cream Cake. As you can see the recipes I have perfected are slim but I'm getting there!
Other than that we have been enjoying our time and trying to stay cool. Last night I couldn't figure out what to make for a side dish that wasn't the same boring thing but then realized I had cucumbers and sweet onion so why not some kind of cucumber salad? I didn't think Jose would like it, he is incredibly picky, but he DID!
Cucumber Salad
1 Cucumber peeled, sliced and halved (to make half-moon shapes)
1/4 to 1/2 sweet onion, sliced and quartered
2-3 T White balsamic vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
1 t sugar
Cajun Seasoning (or dill and salt or dijon mustard)
1. Soak the cucumbers and onions in salt water for about 5 to 10 minutes. This softens the cucumber and onion slightly without having to cook it. Drain and rinse well.
2. Combine the sugar, vinegar and spices and add to veggies.
3. Let sit for a minute or two and serve. I added avocado at the end and it was delicious!
Live, Laugh, Love & Enjoy!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Ready or Not!
The summer heat is here. Bringing to mind the delectable Italian pasta salad as a weekly option for dinner.
Italian Pasta Salad
1/2 box Plus Pasta cooked and cooled
1 carton cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
2 small cans of olives sliced, or you can use kalamata olives here
1 can marinated artichoke hearts cut in small pieces
1/2 small onion, diced
Mozzarella Cheese (to taste)cubed
Parmesan Cheese (to taste)
Italian Dressing (to taste)
Squeeze of lemon, for freshness
Combine all the ingredients and add as much of the cheese and Italian dressing as you would like.
I like to use Newton's Own Lite Italian dressing but if you prefer the full fat version, it is yummy too!
This is a recipe that can be adjusted and the measurements I gave were an estimate, typically I just go with the flow.
Additional ingredients can be broccoli, heirloom tomatoes, mushrooms, peppercinnis (sp?), and avocado.
Italian Pasta Salad
1/2 box Plus Pasta cooked and cooled
1 carton cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
2 small cans of olives sliced, or you can use kalamata olives here
1 can marinated artichoke hearts cut in small pieces
1/2 small onion, diced
Mozzarella Cheese (to taste)cubed
Parmesan Cheese (to taste)
Italian Dressing (to taste)
Squeeze of lemon, for freshness
Combine all the ingredients and add as much of the cheese and Italian dressing as you would like.
I like to use Newton's Own Lite Italian dressing but if you prefer the full fat version, it is yummy too!
This is a recipe that can be adjusted and the measurements I gave were an estimate, typically I just go with the flow.
Additional ingredients can be broccoli, heirloom tomatoes, mushrooms, peppercinnis (sp?), and avocado.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
My New Love: Cream Cheese Frosting
Hello all! You can probably tell by this post that I have been bad again, but I can't help myself sometimes...
I love making cupcakes and cakes and anything cake-like! I tend to use the box mix because, let's face it, it is so much easier. The flavors are great, the crumb is soft and moist and it is fool proof, you really can't go wrong. The one thing I like to do though is make my own frosting. I am not too much of a fan of the packaged kind, although I have been known to buy it from time to time because it is easier. The taste of real homemade frosting is delish and it makes it seem as though it was all homemade!
Cream Cheese Frosting
2 parts cream cheese
1 part butter, softened
4 parts powdered sugar (to 5 parts depending on taste preference)
Splash of milk
Splash of vanilla extract
Cream together cream cheese and butter and slowly add sugar until incorporated.
Add milk and vanilla.
Last night these are the measurements I used:
1/4 c butter
1/2 c cream cheese
1 c powdered sugar
1 T milk
I didn't have vanilla but it tasted good without too!
Live, Laugh, Love & Enjoy!
I love making cupcakes and cakes and anything cake-like! I tend to use the box mix because, let's face it, it is so much easier. The flavors are great, the crumb is soft and moist and it is fool proof, you really can't go wrong. The one thing I like to do though is make my own frosting. I am not too much of a fan of the packaged kind, although I have been known to buy it from time to time because it is easier. The taste of real homemade frosting is delish and it makes it seem as though it was all homemade!
Cream Cheese Frosting
2 parts cream cheese
1 part butter, softened
4 parts powdered sugar (to 5 parts depending on taste preference)
Splash of milk
Splash of vanilla extract
Cream together cream cheese and butter and slowly add sugar until incorporated.
Add milk and vanilla.
Last night these are the measurements I used:
1/4 c butter
1/2 c cream cheese
1 c powdered sugar
1 T milk
I didn't have vanilla but it tasted good without too!
Live, Laugh, Love & Enjoy!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Vintage Cake Plates
Recently I have found out that I am in love with vintage cake plates. I have a small collection of a few newer replicas but when at the swap meet I find myself taking a gander at the antique spots to see if they have any cake plates. Recently I came across a silver one that was nice but I am trying not to buy up all the cake plates of the world, JL would kill me and insist I find a place for them or he will :)
This is one I found on ebay that I LOVE...
Isn't it incredibly beautiful???
Another fetish I have is for milk glass, so the two combined is almost overwhelming. I find that I am not too much of a fan of the colored ones but I saw a mustard one that I liked and imagined a lemon cream cake perched on top :)
This one is pretty too but might be difficult to slice a cake on it... So pretty :)
For now I am stuck with the two I own but it doesn't hurt to dream right?
Live, Laugh, Love!
This is one I found on ebay that I LOVE...
Isn't it incredibly beautiful???
Another fetish I have is for milk glass, so the two combined is almost overwhelming. I find that I am not too much of a fan of the colored ones but I saw a mustard one that I liked and imagined a lemon cream cake perched on top :)
This one is pretty too but might be difficult to slice a cake on it... So pretty :)
For now I am stuck with the two I own but it doesn't hurt to dream right?
Live, Laugh, Love!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Simple BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
This is a dish I kinda stumbled upon. A few months ago I was typing up some of my family's old recipes and I noticed how back in the day people tended to use bacon fat to cook things instead of olive oil or vegetable oil. This got me to thinking, were they on to something? Has the fear of saturated fats gotten in the way of incredibly delicious foods? I think so in this case :)
This dish I make about every other week because it is so incredibly simple and we always have bacon and BBQ sauce on hand. This can be made in a slow cooker if that is easier for you but the other day I just precooked the chicken in the morning while is was getting ready for work and it was ready for me to use when I got home, making this dish one of the fastest meals I have in my repertoire.
Simple BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
2 chicken breasts precooked (or cut into pieces to add to a slow cooker)
4 strips of bacon
1 small sweet onion diced
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 c BBQ Sauce of choice
Buns or rolls
Cheese of your choice, we like cheddar or American
1. Cook bacon in a skillet on the stove until crispy and remove from grease.
2. Add onion to bacon grease and saute until starting to brown. If your bacon lets off a lot of grease you can drain some of it out but the brown bits are what really give it extra flavor.
3. Add shredded chicken to onion and cook until heated up. I have, when in a pinch, added diced uncooked chicken at this point and it turned out well too. You really can't go wrong with this one.
4. Dice bacon and once chicken is heated through, or cooked, add the bacon.
5. Add the BBQ Sauce and stir. Allow for the mixture to simmer for a minute or two to let off some of the moisture.
6. Scoop onto warmed or toasted buns and top with shredded cheese.
*If you do decide to use a slow cooker, about 4 hours on high and you should have a gloppy mess of deliciousness.
I serve these with the traditional tater tots and I try to add some veggies in there like a salad... Not that JL even gets to that :)
Live, Laugh, Love & Enjoy!
This dish I make about every other week because it is so incredibly simple and we always have bacon and BBQ sauce on hand. This can be made in a slow cooker if that is easier for you but the other day I just precooked the chicken in the morning while is was getting ready for work and it was ready for me to use when I got home, making this dish one of the fastest meals I have in my repertoire.
Simple BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
2 chicken breasts precooked (or cut into pieces to add to a slow cooker)
4 strips of bacon
1 small sweet onion diced
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 c BBQ Sauce of choice
Buns or rolls
Cheese of your choice, we like cheddar or American
1. Cook bacon in a skillet on the stove until crispy and remove from grease.
2. Add onion to bacon grease and saute until starting to brown. If your bacon lets off a lot of grease you can drain some of it out but the brown bits are what really give it extra flavor.
3. Add shredded chicken to onion and cook until heated up. I have, when in a pinch, added diced uncooked chicken at this point and it turned out well too. You really can't go wrong with this one.
4. Dice bacon and once chicken is heated through, or cooked, add the bacon.
5. Add the BBQ Sauce and stir. Allow for the mixture to simmer for a minute or two to let off some of the moisture.
6. Scoop onto warmed or toasted buns and top with shredded cheese.
*If you do decide to use a slow cooker, about 4 hours on high and you should have a gloppy mess of deliciousness.
I serve these with the traditional tater tots and I try to add some veggies in there like a salad... Not that JL even gets to that :)
Live, Laugh, Love & Enjoy!
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