Burnt Toast

Moving Time

2010-07-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

The new site is up and runnning. I will no longer be updating here. Please go to the new site for all future updates. And don't forget to change your bookmarks, google reader or blogroll to make sure you can find me. :)
http://burnttoast2010.wordpress.com/

Mommy Blog

2010-07-02T20:01:00.000-05:00

A quick update for any of you who read my mommy blog as well as this food blog. I moved "Becoming Mom" to a wordpress site. It is now a private blog because, frankly, I had some creepy followers and since that blog is about my kid it just weirded me out.

So, if you read that blog you can comment here with your email address and I'll send you the info on how to access the new site.

"Burnt Toast" will be moving to a wordpress site soon too. I discovered it is just too much work to update on 2 different hosts. You will still be able to follow the blog, you'll just have to update the web address. Or you can just use google reader which is what I'm doing now and it's so much easier.

There will be a new post soon. I'm making pickles. ;)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

2010-06-22T11:33:00.000-05:00

Looking for a super simple dessert? Like peanut butter and chocolate? Don't walk, run (well, "run" your fingers across the keyboard) and go here. Try this pie now!!

I just adore The Pioneer Woman and all her blogs, but her cooking blog is what initially drew me in. Last weekend I was in a need of a quick, easy dessert where I already had most of the ingredients on hand. This one fit the bill and was a hit with the fam. I didn't have a pie plate, so I just used a square dish and put the whole oreos in certain spots so people would know it had a chocolate crust. You know me, always thinking. (Actually it was just a good excuse for more chocolate)

You will notice it is a very small portion size. It is super rich, but so very worth it. And a tall glass of milk doesn't hurt either!

I won't bore you with re-typing it. I could never do it the justice PW does. Enjoy!

Summertime

2010-05-30T20:24:00.000-05:00

I guess it's technically not quite summertime yet, but it sure feels like it! And the fresh corn is everywhere in the local grocery stores. I love to grill fresh ears of corn!

I came up with this recipe as a quick side the other night. It was a big hit and I'll be making it again!

Grilled Corn & Potato Salad
Source: Me

1 small white onion sliced in 1/2" slices (if you pulled them apart it would be like onion rings)
3 ears fresh corn, shucked
3 medium red potatoes, sliced in 1/4" slices
3 tbsp butter, softened
5 fresh basil leaves, minced
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium saucepan, cover your potatoes with water and bring to a boil. Add some salt to flavor the potatoes. I'll leave how much up to your discretion. I like my potatoes salty.

Boil just until fork tender. Drain. Grill onions, corn and par boiled potatoes. Here's a hint: put the onion rings on a piece of foil on the grill to keep them from falling through when you turn them!) Remove from the grill and mince the onion (I used a mini chopper to make this job easier) and cut corn off the cob. Add to bowl with potatoes.

In a separate small bowl mix softened butter with basil and parmesan cheese. Add butter mixture to the potatoes, corn and onions. Toss until melted and covered with the yummy, cheesy, basily (and yes, I'm aware the last one's not a real word) butter.

I served it with some Italian dressing marinated chicken that I grilled along side the corn, potatoes and onions. This made for a pretty quick and fantastic summer dinner!

Easy Noodle Stir Fry

2010-04-26T12:11:00.004-05:00

Super fast. Super Easy. And decently healthy. What's not to love?

I came up with this recipe because I was craving those noodles you get at the Japanese hibachi grill places. I used whole wheat spaghetti because I'm trying to eat a little more healthy, and honestly this was so good I don't think I'd even want to use the regular stuff. I only made a one person serving for my lunch, but I'll definitely be making this again for the fam soon.

Easy Noodle Stir Fry
Source: Me

1 serving whole wheat pasta, cooked and drained
1/4 white onion, sliced very thin
2 large cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp spicy brown mustard
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
3/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add onions and cook until they start to get lightly brown and translucent. While the onions are cooking, whisk together the ginger, mustard, pepper flakes, sesame oil and soy sauce in a small bowl. Add the garlic to the pan with the onions and saute a few more minutes. Turn the heat up to medium high and add the noodles. Stir fry about 2 minutes, then add the soy sauce mixture. Toss and cook a few more minutes, then serve and eat!

Quick Product Rave

2010-04-08T11:51:00.003-05:00

There is no recipe in this post, but be sure there will be some to come using this awesome stuff! If you make a lot of rice, soup or anything where you need chicken stock and you love Thai inspired food, this is the chicken broth for you:

I wanted to use my new rice cooker and this new culinary broth I got on sale, so I put the two together with a little rice, bell pepper and baby vidalia onions and wow! So good! If you like the coconut soup served at Thai restaurants you will love this stuff. It smells just like it and leaves a hint of those flavors in your rice. I will be purchasing more. No contest!!

Happy Easter!!

2010-04-06T14:27:00.000-05:00

In an effort to avoid the "fun" of dying eggs with a toddler, we made jello eggs this year. I know, I'm no fun, but Logan is at the age where if he can't do things by himself he gets extremely agitated and I just didn't want to deal with the fall out. Plus, I can guarantee there would be some broken eggs. I promise, next year we will do it.

I got the exact recipe here.

These were really good and Logan liked eating them, well if I would cut them up for him. He couldn't seem to get the concept of biting all the way through them. We had Strawberry, Lime and Blackberry Fusion. Strawberry is still my favorite!

Not sure if these will become a yearly tradition or not. We had so many desserts that even with only 8 eggs they all didn't get eaten, but they were a big hit with the older folks. They just couldn't imagine jello as an Easter egg. ;)

Hot Cocoa Pudding

2010-02-16T12:41:00.000-06:00

1 toddler + 1 pre-schooler + snow in Alabama = lots of fun and a really tired mommy/aunt! My nephew came to spend the night and we got about 3 inches of snow. The boys had so much fun, but I am worn out! We even made snowcream for breakfast since snow is such a rarity here in the southeast. And after looking around a little online, I discovered that some people put hot cocoa mix in theirs to make it chocolate. We tried it and it was ok, but it just melted SO fast!

I left the hot cocoa mix on the counter and for some reason I got this wild idea to make chocolate pudding with it. I have no idea why. Sometimes I just get a wild hair and want try new things. And I never know how they are going to turn out. Sometimes they completely bomb. This time it was a major hit!!

Keep in mind I really have no idea how to make homemade pudding. I've only ever used the instant kind. And since 2 little boys running around means limited time on the computer, I didn't have time to research it. But I figured I know how to thicken milk with butter and flour, so that's what I did, using the instant hot cocoa mix as flavoring. The finished product:

Hot Cocoa Oreo Pudding
Source: Me

This is not really what I would call a recipe because I didn't measure anything. I made a basic roux (butter and flour), added milk. Let it thicken. Added a pack and a half of hot cocoa mix. Let it thicken some more. Put crushed oreos in the bottom of a glass dish, pour in mixture, top with more crushed oreos. Refrigerate until firm, cold and delightful!

Looking at this picture makes me want to make some more. But I will refrain. I don't even want to know how many calories were in the bowl, but I know it was WAY too many!

Lots of Updates

2010-02-08T17:00:00.005-06:00

I'm about to have a lot of updates coming your way! I've been cooking, but not blogging; mostly due to my crazy busy schedule lately. I've been taking pictures along the way though, so now I'm going to try and catch up in the next few posts. Make sure you check out the new posts below for some great new recipes!

This post will actually be about dinner tonight. It's hunting season and the hubby harvested 2 deer this year! So it doesn't take a crystal ball to see lots of venison in our future. And turkey season is up next, so hopefully we'll have some wild turkey in a few months!

Venison tenderloin is probably one of my favorite cuts of deer. I haven't always been a big fan of deer meat. It can be pretty gamey and definitely has a distinct smell and taste, but it is super lean and I've found that with the right marinades it is perfect! This year, T got smaller deer, so of course the tenderloin is smaller, but very tender and the perfect amount for our family of 3. I've gone Korean BBQ style and made deer poppers, so this time I decided on a Thai flair for the tenderloin. I was inspired by some fried shrimp with a Thai style sauce that we had over the weekend. It had a distinct peanut butter flavor, which I am not usually a fan of, but it really worked in that sauce. I've based my marinade around that sauce, but mine isn't quite as peanuty.

This time I went ahead and sliced the tenderloin into medallions prior to marinading and grilling the meat. I then marinaded the medallions for about 3 1/2 hours. I also reserved about a tablespoon of the marinade to top the cooked medallions. It was SO good! I will definitely do this again!

Thai Style Venison Medallions
Source: Me

1 venison tenderloin, slightly thawed from frozen and sliced into about 1/2" medallions
1 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1/2 c soy sauce
1 tsp honey
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp. sesame seeds
2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
3 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 tbsp fresh grated ginger

Melt the peanut butter slightly in the microwave, about 15 seconds on high. Then whisk in soy sauce. Add the rest of the ingredients except the venison and whisk together. Reserve about a tbsp, or more if you like, to pour over the finished dish. Add the medallions to the marinade and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but several hours would be better. Grill medallions (I used my cast iron grill pan) until medium doneness. Pour reserved marinade over grilled medallions.

We also had sauteed blue (or purple, whichever you prefer) potatoes with crispy shallots. I bought the blue potatoes just because I'd always wanted to try them and my local Publix had them on sale.

They are very interesting to work with. They basically taste the same, but they get blue everywhere!

For the record, the hubby says they do not taste the same as regular potatoes. He said they were good, but not the same. I think they have a slightly bitter after taste occasionally, but not every time. These were just plain awesome! You can do the same thing with baby red potatoes or fingerling potatoes also.

(Blue)Potatoes with Crispy Shallots
Source: Me

10 small blue potatoes, quartered
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 large shallot, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the oil over medium heat. Throw in the potatoes, toss to cover with oil, then put a lid on it. The steam will help cook the potatoes quicker. Stir occasionally. When the potatoes are slightly fork tender, but still too firm to eat, add the shallots and stir. After the shallots start to crisp up, add the garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until the garlic starts to brown slightly, but make sure it doesn't burn. Burnt garlic is really bitter!

Cheese & Green Onion Drop Biscuits

2010-02-08T13:15:00.001-06:00

These were inspired by the cheese biscuits a local restaurant has on their menu. I used the exact same garlic cheese bread recipe from a previous post, click here to get it. I just added green onions, dropped them biscuit style instead of making a loaf, and then topped each biscuit with melted garlic butter. They were a big hit!

Taco Soup

2010-02-08T13:14:00.004-06:00

Best comfort soup ever! Also one of the easiest. You could personalize this more with your own blend of taco spices and fresh chopped onions and garlic if you have the time and want to experiment. I went with the straight recipe for the first time. It was great! Of course mine was venison taco soup ;)

Taco Soup
Source: my mom

2 lbs ground chuck, drained (I used ground venison)
2 packets ranch dressing
2 packets taco seasoning
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can RoTel
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans white shoepeg corn
2 soup cans of water (You can use less depending on how thick you like your soup)

Mix all ingredients together. Bring to a boil. Simmer for about 20-30 minutes. I did all this in the crockpot. Even on high for 30 minutes it never boiled, but it still tasted awesome!

My bowl topped with chopped cilantro and cheese:

Green Rice

2010-02-08T13:00:00.000-06:00

I got this idea from Rachael Ray, but hers had a lot more green. This is a great side dish for any meal or even by itself if you are going meat-less. Forgive the picture, all I had at the moment was my iphone.

Green Rice
Source: Me, inspired by Racheal Ray

rice
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 cup of cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Prepare two servings of rice according to the package directions. I like to use jasmin rice, but you can use whatever you like. Set aside to cool. In a large skillet, heat olive and sesame oil over medium high. Add shallot, garlic and jalapeno. Sautee for a minute or so, then add the rice. Toss to coat the rice and let it sit for a few minutes before you toss it again. It should develop a little crunch. After about 10 minutes or less depending on how much rice you have, remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Serve immediately.

Happy 2010!!

2010-01-06T17:52:00.000-06:00

I can't believe another year is beginning. I guess the old adage is true; the older you get the quicker time passes! It seems like we were just celebrating the new 2009 new year. I am looking forward to a fantastic 2010 though!

This year, my hubby went hunting on New Year's Eve after work, so dinner was just me and the little man. L ended up taking a late nap, so I decided to make something I'd been craving for a while now: dumplings!

I'm not sure if this dish is really redneck or really lazy but I know it is really good! I absolutely love dumplings, but have never made them. I heard of people using canned biscuits to make quick and easy dumplings, but just wasn't sure how they would taste. Since I had some on hand, I decided to try it out. The only chicken I had was frozen and I was just too tired to defrost it and then worry about cooking it. Therefore, this is what I came up with and I will definitely make it again! Not sure if the hubby would like it though. It's not substantial enough for him. Maybe I'll use this recipe and add some chicken next time. I do love chicken and dumplings. :)

Dumpling Soup
Source: Me
Serves 1

1 1/2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Stock
2 canned biscuits
1 dash each of salt, freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, dried Italian herb blend

Combine stock and seasonings in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Pinch off pieces of the biscuits and drop into the stock. Move dumplings around as they cook to make sure they don't stick to the bottom of the pan.

You may not want all the broth as soup, but you need at least a cup and half to get the dumplings to move around while they cook. You can refrigerate the broth and use it again later though. Or just eat all of it. That's what I did. ;)

All in all, Pretty easy, right? No muss, no fuss. I was really surprised at how good this turned out and really enjoyed my dinner!

Baking Again

2009-12-28T07:30:00.000-06:00

I know it comes as a shock since I am always bemoaning how much time and measuring it takes to bake. And usually I am a huge failure in this arena. For some reason, most of my adventures in baking have ended badly. However, this December I am 2 for 2! My previous post about cookies was a hit and now I have made bread. This is the second time I have ever even attempted making bread in my entire life, and of course it is another quick bread. No time for yeast and rising and all that for this girl. When I want something, I don't want to wait forever!

This is another recipe I bookmarked a really long time ago and I recently came across it again when looking for a bread recipe to make for one of my family Christmas gatherings. The need was born of necessity since I forgot to get dinner rolls at the store. I am not even a big bread eater, but I do love any kind of garlic cheese bread.

This bread was dense, cheesy and garlicy with a nice crunchy outside. Yum! Everyone loved it and I will definitely make it again. This loaf served 9.

Find the original recipe here. The only changes I made were adding a tbsp of garlic powder and not using the dill. I think the dill would be awesome, but it called for fresh dill and I just didn't think the dried stuff would taste as good.

Best Christmas Cookies Ever!!

2009-12-16T09:37:00.005-06:00

I am a bit ridiculous when it comes to cookies. I don't like "brown" cookies. I like them white and soft. For this reason, I don't eat them very often. Which is not really such a bad thing. You know, when you consider the whole trying to lose weight thing.

But alas, it is Christmas time which definitely calls for cookie baking. I had bookmarked this cookie recipe ages ago and came across it again recently. These cookies looked so cute and fun. They would be great to do with kids, but not my kid. At only 18 months, he was a little less than enthused. When I told him we were going to make cookies, he did not understand why we could not eat them right then. There was a lot of waiting involved, which he is not so great at. I did give him some cookie dough while we waited for them to cook. Yes, I gave my child cookie dough with raw eggs in it. Trust me, I am sure it is not the worst thing he has eaten.

I am not even going to try and do this recipe justice. Click here to see the original post from Pioneer Woman. She is awesome. And so are these cookies!

A Healthy Twist

2009-12-14T12:25:00.004-06:00

I am mildly obsessed with The Biggest Loser tv show, and now I have the wii game which is one of the hardest work outs I've ever done! On the game, they even have a section of recipes and healthy living tips from the trainers and past contestants. One tip is to take a recipe you love and find a way to make it better for you. I recently did this with my hamburger hash. Click here to get the original version. In this twist, I used ground turkey instead of ground beef and substituted black beans for the potatoes. I would love to tell you that I calculated just how much fat and calories you saved, plus you added fiber by adding the beans, but I can't. I just didn't have time. I was too hungry. Ha!

It turned out awesome though! And, I didn't even miss the ground beef or potatoes. The ground turkey tasted almost the same. I just bumped up the seasonings a little more. And I love black beans, so that was an easy swap. Logan also loves beans or peas of any kind, so he was all over this dinner. Plus, this fed all 3 of us for dinner, plus it fed Logan and I for lunch for 2 or 3 more days!! It re-heats perfectly.

Ground Turkey Hash
Source: Me

1.25 lbs ground turkey (Make sure they didn't grind the skin up too. Jenni O makes a great one!)
1.5 tbsp chili powder
1.5 tbsp paprika
.5 tbsp cumin
1/2 onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can corn
1 can black beans
1 can stewed tomatoes

Brown turkey over medium high heat. Once almost cooked through, add spices and garlic/onion. Cook a few more minutes, then add corn, black beans and tomatoes. Stir and turn heat down to low. Let simmer about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up the tomatoes. The longer it simmers, the better it tastes!!

This Breakfast Should Be Illegal!

2009-11-05T16:04:00.004-06:00

I'm not really even sure it counts as a true breakfast item except for the fact that we ate it in the morning and used the word pancake. ;) I have mentioned before that I love the store Aldi. You can really get a lot for your money there without worrying about coupons or anything. Right now they have a seasonal item called Pumpkin Quick Bread or Muffin Mix. Props to my sister for turning me onto to this yumminess! In our house, we tend to use muffin mix to make pancakes because it is so much quicker. Breakfast time needs to be quick and easy when you have a toddler.

This is probably the best and easiest breakfast trick in my arsenal. Open a bag of any kind of muffin mix, add milk until it is a pancake batter consistency (usually about 1/2 a cup depending on the size of the package, but I honestly don't measure it.)

That is exactly what I did this morning, and then I made it even better. I made a cream cheese topping to play on the idea of adding syrup. It was just a basic cream cheese icing thinned out a little. Cream cheese, powdered sugar and milk. I am really not a measurer. I just go by consistency.

Fall is Calling My Name!

2009-10-22T07:54:00.005-05:00

Here in Alabama our seasons tend to turn on us quickly. We went from 80 degree weather to 50 degree weather last weekend. It was COLD! And it did NOT feel like fall. However, this week has been great fall weather, low 70's/high 60's. We have had a great time playing outside.

Last night, we finally carved our pumpkin. This year Taylor carved a pumpkin fit for our toddler...Tigger!

I saved the seeds and roasted them in the oven with a little olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and salt. What a great fall snack! So, if you haven't carved your pumpkin yet, save those seeds and roast away. :)

It's That Time of Year Again!

2009-10-22T07:30:00.000-05:00

And by that time, I mean hunting season. The husband is determined he will get a buck this year, so with a promise of more venison to fill my freezer I need to clean out what I have left. At the end of the season earlier in 2009, my father-in-law gave us a good bit of venison. We haven't eaten much, just every now and then, because it requires at least an couple of hours marinating to taste really good to me. And I don't always prep for dinner that early.

The good news is that venison is a very lean meat, and works great for my new weight loss plan! We had some tenderloin medallions and I decided to do them in a Korean BBQ style. They were SO good! Best way I've had venison yet!

I also tried a weight watchers recipe for mashed cauliflower and potatoes. These were pretty good, and a lot less points than traditional mashed potatoes. And Taylor even liked them. He ate seconds!!

Venison, Korean BBQ Style
Source: Me
Serves: 3-4 people
4 WW points per serving

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
3 green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
10-12, 1 oz. venison tenderloin medallions

Mix all ingredients except medallions. Reserve 1/2 cup marinade. Add medallions to the rest of the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Grill medalions until medium/medium-well. Pour reserved marinade over medallions once they are on the serving dish.

Mashed "Potatoes"
Source: Weight Watchers
Serves: 4
2 WW points per serving

8 oz. cauliflower florets
3 small yukon gold potatoes
2 medium garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp salt, divided
1/4 cup 1% milk (I used skim because that's what we have)
2 tsp butter
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp chives, freshly snipped (I omited because I didn't have)

Place cauliflower, potatoes, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a medium saucepan. Add enough water to cover ingredients and bring to a boil. Boil until vegetables are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes; drain and return to saucepan.Stir in milk, butter, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper; mash with a potato masher until smooth. Stir in chives and serve. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving.

This whole plate? 6 Points!!!

Skinny Chili

2009-10-14T15:56:00.006-05:00

Ok, so last week I started doing weight watchers points. I only have 24 daily points and by dinner those points are usually few and far between. I do have 35 extra weekly points I can use to splurge, but I really want to save those up for something good.

Thursday night I tried a weight watcher's recipe for chili. It is only 2 points per serving!!! Taylor and I both loved it. And one serving really filled me up. Taylor went back for seconds. ;) I added some fresh cayenne pepper to mine. I really like to use them when they are green because the skin hasn't gotten as tough and they are still pretty hot!

Skinny Chili (This is my name for the dish, not the original author's.)
Source: Judy Scuderi, find it here
Serves: 6

1 lb. lean ground beef (10% or less)

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes

1 can (15 oz.) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 sweet onion, chopped

1/4 cup canned diced chilies

2 tbsp. tomato paste

Instructions

1. In a large nonstick skillet brown beef and garlic over medium heat, stirring occasionally to break up meat. Drain excess fat. Add chili powder and cumin and stir to combine.

2. Combine tomatoes, beans, onion, chilies, and tomato paste in crockpot. Stir in beef mixture. Cover and cook on High until flavors are blended, 4 - 5 hours.

I added a little dried oregano and basil, salt and pepper to the crock pot for some extra seasoning.

Trying Something New

2009-10-14T08:30:00.000-05:00

I am on a mission to lose weight. I can't even really call it baby weight since about a week after Logan was born, I technically weighed the same as before I was pregnant. I even lost some weight after that and started to move in the right direction. Then all three of us got the flu, I quit exercising and things just went down hill from there. My goal is to lose 20 lbs.

I have started using the elliptical machine that has been just a room decoration up until now. And I am going to try the weight watchers point system to help me stay on track. I would really like to lose the weight by Christmas. We'll see how it goes.

I found this great food blog all about weight watchers. She has already figured out the points for each meal, making it really easy! I have added her to my blog list on the left. Here is the first recipe I tried: Asian Grilled Chicken.

Please forgive the picture. My camera battery was dead, so I had to use my cell phone. It was really good. Our whole family liked it, and one 3 oz. serving is only 3 points! Find the recipe here.

Comfort Food

2009-10-08T07:56:00.005-05:00

I have some friends who are all about crock pot cooking. I have a great crock pot that we received for our wedding and I've used it a few times, but I've never been overjoyed with the results. Don't get me wrong, the food was ok, just not my style. Taylor usually really likes it. I think the only thing I've actually ever made in it is pot roast, which isn't my favorite any way, so that might be why I haven't been pleased with the resulting flavors.

Well, today I have a new crock pot recipe for you, and it is really good! My mother-in-law recently asked me if I knew how to make chicken and dumplings. She said she's never mastered making good dumplings and I told her I would look into it. This Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings is SO good and super easy. I read a bunch of different crock pot recipes and most of them called for using canned biscuits for the dumplings. Usually I'm not above taking that short cut, but I really wanted to make my own dumplings this time. I did take the short cut of using baking mix instead of completely from scratch because I already had some on hand. I think next time I'll try canned biscuits. Haha! My baking mix dumplings were like drop biscuits on the top of my chicken and they just turned into huge 1/2 wet 1/2 dry dumplings. Don't get me wrong, they were good, but not really what I was looking for. The chicken turned out great! Great flavor and Logan loved it! He did not like the dumplings. Ha!

I really just came up with my own recipe and I'll definitely be doing this again. I did add some peas and carrots to Logan's bowl so he could get some extra veggies. He loves peas and carrots! I on the other hand, do not. Taylor had the choice to add some to his and he passed too. At least we try to make sure our son gets some healthy food. ;)

Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings
Source: Me

Add to the crock pot:
3 frozen chicken breasts
1 tbsp each: onion powder, garlic powder and dried basil
1 tsp each: salt and pepper
Chicken Stock, enough to completely cover the breasts. I used about half a box of stock.

Set crock pot on low for 5-6 hours. You can tell when they are ready because the chicken just falls apart when you try to pick it up.

Remove chicken breasts and shred the meat.

Dissolve 1 tbsp cornstarch into 1 tbsp cold water, then add to the stock in the crock pot. Mix well, then add back in the chicken. (This thickens the stock and makes it creamy. If you prefer a thinner stock, skip this step)

Turn crock pot to high.

In a mixing bowl combine 1 1/2 cups baking mix and 1/2 cup milk. Don't over mix, just stir until combined. Once the crock pot mixture is bubbling, drop in spoonfulls of the dumpling mixture.

Cover and cook on high until the dumplings are cooked through.

I chopped some fresh cilantro and sprinkled it over the top of my bowl. It added great flavor and some color to the dish! (We never have fresh parsley on hand but we do usually have fresh cilantro. It's our herb of choice around here.)

Sweet, Satisfying & Slimming!

2009-09-23T10:50:00.003-05:00

Those aren't 3 words I can usually use together. I have had a sweet tooth ever since my pregnancy and it just won't go away. I still love spicy, savory food, but I now feel like I have to end every meal with something sweet. This NEVER used to happen to me! This is probably why I can't seem to get rid of this extra weight that keeps hanging around.

This recipe gives me the sweetness I crave with hardly any calories compared to the regular dessert! And which dessert would this be, you ask? Banana Pudding! I love it. And I don't want the traditional kind with meringue. I want cool whip on top. Yum...ok enough of that. This is a great alternative to banana pudding. Banana Pudding has about 466 calories in 1/2 a cup. WOW! This Banana Pudding Smoothie has about 180 calories!!!

I got the idea from Rachael Ray. She gave a quick tip on her show about using frozen bananas and whole milk in the food processor to make a quick alternative to banana ice cream. I decided to take it a step further and made it a smoothie, banana pudding style. And let me tell you, it was awesome! Logan loved it too. We've been having these about once a day lately. :)

Banana Pudding Smoothie
Inspired by Racheal Ray

1 medium banana, sliced and frozen
1/4 cup whole milk
2 vanilla wafers

Throw the banana slices and milk in the blender. Crumble in the vanilla wafers. Pulse the blender until it is all nice and smooth. You can also top it with an extra vanilla wafer for a garnish. Just for fun. ;)

Mexican Chorizo Pasta

2009-09-03T06:54:00.006-05:00

Saving money is a big deal for our family right now. I guess it is for most people. I used to be obsessed with coupons and playing the grocery game, but found out I was spending more money getting the grocery game's list than I was saving if I didn't religiously get online Sunday nights and make my list for Monday. That worked fine for several months, but then sometimes Monday's just weren't the best for me to go to the store. And sometimes we forgot to stop and get a paper. Plus, her list isn't up until Sunday afternoon and you can only use that list for Monday and Tuesday. I also just don't have the stamina to go to 3 or 4 different stores to get the most savings with a one year old in tow. Don't get me wrong. Her list is awesome and I know it takes a lot of work. I just can't afford to pay for a list and pay for a paper to get coupons and then not have the time to use it effectively.

We still try to get a paper when we remember, and I go ahead and cut out the coupons we might possibly use and file them. I then use free websites to look up sales or I just look at the store circulars myself. I've also been going to Aldi a lot. I've really come to love it. If you can get over the fact that they rarely have anything name brand, unless it is a special buy for the week, you will love it too. Now, there are some things on which I will not compromise, chips for one. I only like Doritos; no off brands please! And my husband will only eat Blue Plate mayonnaise on his sandwiches. I can use an off brand mayo as an ingredient in a dish, but not just on a sandwich. Other than that, we can't tell a big enough difference in the off brand items.

Aldi also has fun and different things in their meat and cheese case. Last week I got some crumbled goat cheese with basil and onions and some crumbled feta that is awesome! I also got some Mexican chorizo which will show up into todays post. I realize you can pay a lot for specialty meats and cheeses, and I'm sure there is some truth in you get what you pay for. But if my option is to not have it at all or get it cheaper, I'll take cheaper.

I used this recipe for something new and different to do with chorizo. It turned out pretty good. I did use white beans instead of chick peas. And I loved the toasted garlic breadcrumbs on top!

Risotto Fake Out

2009-08-31T13:43:00.001-05:00

I love risotto! It is so creamy, so cheesy and so decadent. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. However, having a little monkey running around means I do not have 45 minutes to stand at the stove and stir rice. It's just not happening.

I have seen Rachael Ray make her broken spaghetti risotto a million times and thought about making it, but just never got around to it. I finally decided to try it for myself last week and it was a hit with the family. The husband and little monkey-boy loved it! And it is SO much faster than regular risotto.

You pretty much use the same method as the real thing, but you use broken spaghetti pieces instead of rice. This has become my go-to quick meal. You can add pretty much any meat to it and it's dinner!

We were in such a hurry to eat that I only took a picture of it in the pot. No time for plating and pictures this time. ;)

Click here for Rachael's recipe.

A Twist on the Originals

2009-08-28T09:23:00.007-05:00

I got this idea when reading about chicken parm burgers on A Taste of Home Cooking. They looked mouthwatering. But, I didn't have ground chicken. I did, however, have some more ground beef in the freezer. I got to thinking about other Italian specialties and I thought of meatballs. I love them, but the hubby can do without them. As I've mentioned before, he prefers meat sauce on his pasta instead of meatballs with sauce. But I really wanted to try making meatballs into a burger, topping with marinara sauce and cheese and see what he thought. If nothing else, it would be something completely different from the every day burger and fries.

It more than met my expectations! T even liked it and went back for seconds.

Meatball Burgers
Source: Me, but I used this recipe as a jumping off point

1 lb. ground beef
1 c. Italian style breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/2 c. asiago cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

Mix all ingredients and form into burgers. Place in the fridge for about 20 minutes to firm up. Grill until done to your preference. ;) Top with marinara sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. Toast some buns on the grill right before you take the burgers off and brush with garlic butter.

*Here's a tip about grilling the burgers: Don't flip them until they form a good crust. Otherwise they fall apart kind of easy.

Easiest Potatoes. Ever.

2009-08-27T20:09:00.000-05:00

No muss. No fuss. No real clean up!

Dice your potatoes. Dice some bell pepper. Sprinkle with grill seasoning. Dot with butter. Wrap in foil. Throw on the grill. 25 minutes later: perfect potatoes!!!

Everything on the foil, ready to go on the grill:

Off the grill. Look at all that steaming goodness!

These were honestly some of the best potatoes I've ever had! I will be doing this a lot from now on!

Our potatoes were served with a garlic and peppercorn pork tenderloin from Smithfield (I think) that I grilled along with the potato packet:

A Chili-Wannabe

2009-08-26T19:58:00.005-05:00

You know those nights you look in the freezer and pantry and try to come up with something new and different? This was one of those nights. :)

It's kind of a beef, bean & salsa casserole. T said this reminded him of chili. I guess it isn't that much different, just not the typical way I make it; you know tomato sauce and the like.

It turned out really well. I even ate the leftovers which is a big deal if you know me. I'm just not a fan of eating the same thing over and over. I also got the chance to use some of my yummy jalapeno peppers as a topping. I try not to mix the hot peppers into whatever we are eating since I'm afraid it might not sit well on a one year old's tummy. These look red and green because I left them on the vine a little long and they started turning red. They were plenty hot though!!

Salsa Chili Casserole
Source: Me

1 lb. ground beef
1 19 oz. can cannellini beans, drained
1 10 oz. box frozen corn in butter sauce
1 c. salsa (click here for my recipe)
1 c. shredded cheese blend
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tbsp. cumin
1/2 tbsp. ground mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef and drain. Add back to the pan and add beans, corn and spices. Make sure the spices are combined, then add salsa. Dump everything into a casserole dish and cover with cheese. Bake until cheese is melted; about 7 minutes.

Some Like It Hot!

2009-08-24T12:24:00.002-05:00

I love hot peppers, but I don't discriminate. I also like mild ones like the good old bell's. Here are
some of the peppers my garden produced this year; cayenne, jalapeno and bell.

Quick Appetizer

2009-08-24T12:06:00.003-05:00

You know those nights when you get home from being gone all day and the last thing you want to do is fix dinner? Last night was one of those nights for me. I didn't even want to think about what we were going to have, much less fix a full on dinner. Thankfully, my husband doesn't mind eating light and since Logan still eats toddler pre-packaged foods sometimes, it's no big deal. So, last night we had a light dinner of these quick and easy appetizers. Logan actually LOVED them!

Parmesan Basil Pinwheels
Source: I've seen these numerous places, but can't remember a specific person to credit.

2 cans crescent rolls
1 8 oz. block cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, grated
1/2 tbsp. dried basil
pinch of salt

Unroll each can of crescent rolls and pinch the seams together. Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl. Spread mixture on crescent rolls and roll into a large log. Cut into 1 - 1 1/2 inch pieces. Bake according the crescent roll package.

Potato Shrimp Cakes with Spicy Sriracha Aioli

2009-08-20T14:25:00.005-05:00

Let me tell you, there isn't much on TV these days if you haven't noticed. Therefore, I watch a lot of the Food Network. Today I was watching "Guy's Big Bite" which is not one of my favorites, but like I said, there was nothing on TV. I only continued watching because he was making sweet potato shrimp cakes. I hate sweet potatoes, but I figured there was no reason I couldn't watch and then just use regular, yummy, white potatoes. I liked his recipe ok, but decided to search the web for bloggers who had posted about similar recipes and how they turned out. You really can't base a recipe on a food network chef. I mean, they cook for a living. I want to know how regular people's dishes turn out.
I found a great recipe to use as inspiration and then took one great idea from Guy: marinating the shrimp before adding them to the cake mixture. Below is my recipe:

Potato Shrimp Cakes
Source: Me, with inspiration from Heart and Hearth

2 cups shrimp, raw and chopped
3/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp. worchestire sauce
1/2 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
3 medium potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed
2 medium glaric cloves, pressed
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tbsp. jalepeno, seeded and finely diced
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tbsp. cilantro, minced

Mix soy sauce, worchestire, honey, sesame oil and shrimp. Let sit while you prep the rest of the ingredients.

After prepping all other ingredients, mix together. Drain shrimp from marinade and add the shrimp to the rest of the ingredients. Create flat patties and pan fry in vegetable oil.

Spicy Sriracha Aioli
Source: Me

1/4 cup mayonaise
1 tbsp sriracha hot chili sauce
1 tsp lime juice

Whisk together all ingredients.

If you aren't familiar with Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce this is what it looks like and it can be found even at your local Walmart. Even in Alabama. ;)

Oh My Neme Neme

2009-08-12T09:06:00.000-05:00

If you have a child, or maybe if you just like cartoons, you may have see Phineas and Ferb.

Here's a picture if you need a visual:

We love it at our house. Logan likes it and they make up the funniest songs. One of which is "My Neme, Neme," a song about the evil guy's nemesis. I wish I knew the name of the tune so you could sing it in your head like I am now. Oh well. If you are completely lost now, don't worry. I'm about to bring it all full circle. ;)

I started thinking of that song because I am posting about my recent nemesis in the kitchen: caramelized onions. I don't know why I am obsessed with making them, but I just can't seem to get it right. No matter how "low and slow" I cook them, they still get crispy!! And they are supposed to be soft, and brown and sweet.

Here is a breakdown of what happens when I attempt them:

Onions in the pan with olive oil over medium heat.

After 5 minutes, still looking good.

After 5 more minutes, starting to get brown. Turned the heat down to medium low.

After 20 minutes total they are brown and crispy, not brown and soft.

They still tasted good, but just not what I was going for. I would love any suggestions!

Dinner By Accident

2009-08-09T13:44:00.004-05:00

One of Logan's favorite past times these days is to open all the drawers in the kitchen and pull out all my recipes and cook books. While cleaning up his mess for the 3rd time yesterday, I came across a Rachael Ray cookbook with tabs for recipes I wanted to try. Of course I had never gotten around to any of them, so I decided I would make one for dinner. One look at the pasta carbonara and I was sold. I've made it once before using Tyler Florence's recipe and it was ok, but I wanted to try it again with a different recipe.

As for the protein part of the meal, chicken won the toss up and I decided to blacken it with a blackening recipe I recently saw on my friend Dela's website. She used it on fish, as was my initial plan, but I figured it would be good on chicken too. It was FANTASTIC! Thank you Dela! I will be using this any time blackening is required from now on. It was a little spicy for Logan, so he had some smoked sausage I threw on the grill with the chicken.

Blackened Chicken Carbonara:

Pasta Carbonara
Source: Rachael Ray, my changes/additions in italics

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound pasta, such as spaghetti or rigatoni
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat bottom of pan)
1/4 pound pancetta (Italian bacon), chopped (I used regular bacon)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
5 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped (I found I was out [gasp!] and so I minced some onion and used it instead)
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used water because I was even out of chicken stock which is my usual substitute for wine)
2 large egg yolks
Freshly grated Romano cheese
Handful of finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish (Omitted)

1. Put a large saucepot of water on to boil. Add a liberal amount of salt and the pasta. Cook to al dente, about 8 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and pancetta. Brown pancetta 2 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Add wine and stir up all the pan drippings.

3. In a separate bowl, beat yolks, then add 1 large ladleful (about 1/2 cup) of the pasta cooking water. This tempers the eggs and keeps them from scrambling when added to the pasta.

4. Drain pasta well and add it directly to the skillet with pancetta and oil. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta. Toss rapidly to coat the pasta without cooking the egg. Remove pan from heat and add a big handful of cheese, lots of pepper, and a little salt. Continue to toss and turn the pasta until it soaks up egg mixture and thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with parsley and extra grated Romano.

Blackening Recipe
Soure: Dela from Not Your Mama's Southern Cooking

2 teaspoons ground paprika
4 teaspoons dried leaf thyme (I used basil because I was out of thyme and I love basil!)
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to your taste
1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I omitted because I didn't have any)

I actually doubled this and had plenty left over to use later!

Blueberries Again!

2009-08-05T13:17:00.004-05:00

My little chef in training!

Here's some breaking news for most of you. This is actually the first internet announcement. You are getting the info before Facebook or my mommy blog. We are putting our house on the market in the next few weeks. I will probably go into more detail regarding the reasons on my other blog, but suffice it to say we have simply decided to downsize.
Therefore, I am cleaning out the freezer, slowly but surely; hence blueberries again. We only had a few left so I decided to use them up by making a blueberry cobbler. I used the same recipe as the southern apple cobbler I previously posted, but substituted blueberries and omitted the cinnamon and brown sugar. It was delicious! I love the thick crust on this cobbler! I encourage you to try this recipe with your favorite fruit!

Before:
After:

I Want To Stir!!!

2009-07-30T10:19:00.003-05:00

This is what I hear a lot when cooking with my nephew. He is almost 3 and a great helper in the kitchen. He loves to cook! He has been staying with me and Logan this week during the day while my sister works. Logan has loved having someone to play with and he crawls after Grayson like a little puppy dog!

Today, Grayson and I made blueberry muffins. I had some blueberries in the freezer and was just craving some homemade muffins, but realized I didn't have eggs. My heart was already set and since I had already told Grayson we would make them, there was no going back! Thankfully, I found this recipe for egg-less muffins!!

Honestly, they were not as good as the blueberry muffins I made in this post. These got a little too brown around the edge before the middle cooked and I just liked the flavor of the other better. Of course they called for a lot more ingredients that I don't usually keep on hand. However, Grayson said, "they are very good for my tummy!" So at least they were a hit for him.

Just Needed A Little Inspiration

2009-07-02T13:24:00.007-05:00

Hi! Remember me? It has been quite a while since I've made the time to sit down and blog. Even my mommy blog has been completely ignored for months. Of course I have been cooking, since my family has to eat, and I've even tried taking a few pictures, but over all nothing has really inspired me to blog.

Well that is no longer the case. I went out with the girl's last night and had some AWESOME coffee ice cream with oreo pieces mixed in from Coldstone! I have not quit thinking about how perfect it was. I even went on a quest today for a simple coffee ice cream recipe and came across this blog. It was like destiny because it only called for 3 ingredients and I had them all (pretty much).

Thankfully I have the wonderful Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker that is so simple I can do it while corraling a one year old. And Yes, my baby turned one last weekend. Another reason I've had no time to post. Baby plus building a business doesn't leave much time for blog writing or blog stalking. To those of you I used to regularly stalk...I've missed reading about your adventures!

And here is the awesome coffee icecream recipe with my additions in italics:

Homemade Coffee Ice Cream
Source: Eat At Home , Italic additions by me

1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups half and half (I only had whole milk for Logan, so I used whole milk)
4 tbsp brewed coffee, strong
1/3 package of oreo's crushed

Pour everything except the oreos in the ice cream maker and let it do it's thing until it is almost done. Add the oreo's at the last minute and let them combine. YUM!!!!

I'm a Featured Blogger!

2009-04-16T07:35:00.003-05:00

See my badge to the left! Sophia of The Back Burner, the companion blog to Key Ingredient, blogged about my shrimp skewers. Click here to read her post and here to read the original.

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted. I've actually made some great dishes recently, but time has gotten away from me. Some things have changed in my world and the time it takes to upload pictures and write a blog has been put on the back burner for a while. Hopefully I'll be back soon. It is spring after all and summer is on the way, which means my grill is primed and ready. You know how much I love to grill! Check back soon for a new recipe. In the meantime, check out The Back Burner. It's great!!

Go Fish!

2009-02-24T15:30:00.002-06:00

I love fish, and pretty much all seafood. But my husband is allergic to a lot of it, so we don't eat it very often. Other than shrimp and crab. He can eat shellfish...odd, I know. Anyway, since he has been working out of town this week, I've been eating a lot of fish. It is good for you and most importantly, it tastes great!

This was actually my first time to have grouper. My favorite fish is mahi mahi, but it is kind of expensive. I also like tilapia, but this time grouper was cheaper so I went for it. I LOVE it! I think it ranks above tilapia in my book.

Also, this recipe only has about 350 calories and it is VERY filling!

Italian Baked Grouper with Brown Rice
Source: Me

1 4 oz. grouper filet
cooking spray
2 tbsp Wishbone Light Italian Dressing
1 pepperoncini, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tsp grated parmesan cheese
1 cup cooked whole wheat brown rice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1/4 cup bell pepper, minced (mine was orange, but I don't think the color matters)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place grouper in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Pour dressing over the fish. Top with pepperoncini, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes until fish flakes easily with a fork.

While the fish is baking, heat a saute pan over medium heat and add the oil, garlic, shallots, and bell pepper. Saute until tender. Add rice and cook an additional 5 minutes or until heated through.

Plate rice and place fish on top.

Pop Goes The Weasel

2009-02-19T17:26:00.005-06:00

This song goes round and round in my head whenever the word pop (or the likenesses there of) is involved in any sentence. Maybe it is because I have a 7 month old. Maybe not. ;) Anyway, no weasels were harmed in the preparation of this recipe. Deer however, were not so lucky.

My freezer is full of venison again. Not because my husband went hunting, but because my father-in-law gave us some of his. I've put off cooking it because it isn't my favorite meat, but my husband really likes it. Therefore I went in search of something new and different. I found Deer Poppers! Everyone raved about them (except some guy who was offended that the marinade overshadowed the natural taste of the venison). I really liked them. I do tend to have problems with foods wrapped in bacon though. The bacon just never gets crispy enough for me. In my opinion, bacon should never be chewy. Other than that, they had great flavor and were nice little bites to "pop" in your mouth. The husband LOVED them, and so did his friends. (He took the leftovers with him when they went camping)

I followed the recipe exactly and it can be found here. I did not have toothpicks though, so I had a little trouble with some of them coming apart.

Mama Mia!

2009-01-22T09:00:00.000-06:00

I wish I knew some Italian because these little pizzas are amazing!! I love pizza, but don't have it near as often since I've had a baby. We don't like to spend the money on delivery, and even the frozen pizzas (the good ones) are expensive! Before Logan was born, we made homemade pizza a lot. It was easy, inexpensive, and most of all...good!

I was watching a recorded episode of Rachel Ray and she made mini deep dish pizzas. They looked so good and easy I decided I had to make them for dinner. I changed them up a little and made them cheeseburger pizzas. They were so good and the great thing is, you can eat three and it is only the equivalent of 1 biscuit! I do have some hints to make them easier for you, so before you make them be sure to read all the way to the end of the recipe.

Bacon Cheeseburger Mini Deep Dish Pizzas
Source: Inspired by Rachel Ray, my additions are in italics

1 can refrigerated biscuits
1/2 lb. ground beef
6 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 cup onion, minced
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
tomato sauce
parmesan cheese
mozzarella cheese

Cut each biscuit into thirds and press into rounds. Press each round into a cup of a muffin tin that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cook according to the package's directions. Brown ground beef, drain fat, add onion and cook until tender. Add garlic and worcestershire sauce and cook an additional few minutes. Put cooked meat into a medium bowl and toss with crumbled bacon. Fill each mini crust with tomato sauce, about a spoon full in each cup. Not enough to make the crust soggy. Top with parmesan cheese and then fill with the toppings and top with mozzarella cheese. Place back in the oven just to melt the cheese.

My tips: My crusts puffed up instead of spreading around the cup, so about 3/4 through the cooking time, I took them out and used a spoon to mash them back into cup form. Then placed them back in the oven to finish cooking. Also, be sure to spray your pan with cooking spray and use a large spoon to remove the mini pizzas. They come out great!

Getting Creative

2009-01-21T11:25:00.000-06:00

I picked up a snack while out shopping the other day called New York Style Focaccia Sticks. I thought they would be great, but they were a little hard and crunchy for my taste. I guess I'm just more of a chip person. I didn't want to just trash the bag, so I decided to smash them up and use them to bread chicken fingers. I am all about getting creative and turning something you don't like into something you do like. This way I wasn't wasting food or money. :) These sticks had a great flavor, after all, just not a good texture. I bought the Quattro Formaggio flavor, and turned them into Parmesan Chicken Tenders. And for those of you with weight loss New Year's aspirations, these are baked, not fried.

Parmesan Chicken Fingers
Source: Me

1 cup crushed New York Style Focaccia Sticks, Quattro Formaggio flavor
1/2 cup bred crumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 tbsp italian herb seasoning blend
1/2 cup parmesan salad dressing (you could also use ranch)
1 tbsp chili paste
6 chicken tenders

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a cooling rack on top of a rimmed cookie sheet. Mix the salad dressing and chili paste in a medium sized bowl. Mix the other remaining ingredients (other than chicken) in another medium bowl. Dip the chicken in the dressing mix and then in the breading mix. Place the chicken strips on the cooling rack/cookie sheet. Using the cooling rack keeps the underside of the chicken fingers from being mushy. Bake for about 40 minutes or until browned outside and all the pink is gone from the chicken.

Stepping Out of the Box

2009-01-21T11:20:00.000-06:00

Well, it is probably not out of the box for most people, but for me it definitely is. I saw a recipe in Rachel Ray's magazine and normally I would just keep going because it wasn't something I would normally make. But it looked good, and I've been trying to branch out and try new things. As you know, I don't really like vegetables. I am learning to like them in different dishes, as long as the pieces aren't big. ;) This dish required you to make a tomato bread salad. I'm not usually a big fan of tomatoes or bread salads. I am a big fan of steak though, which was the main ingredient. Plus RR's picture in the magazine made this dish look mouth watering. I'm not sure if my picture lives up to the original, but hopefully it gives you an idea of what my plate looked like. :) Overall, the consensus was that we liked the dish, but it doesn't rank on our favorites list.

Grilled Garlic Skirt Steak with Bread Salad
Source: Rachel Ray, my additions/changes in italics

3 cloves garlic, smashed (I pressed the garlic to get more flavor out of it)
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and Black Pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3 large tomatoes, cored (I just used canned fire roasted tomatoes)
2 pounds skirt steak (I used some sandwich steak I got on sale at my local grocery)
2 kaiser rolls, split (I just used regular sandwich bread)
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, chopped (I used dried basil because I like basil better and I didn't have any fresh)

Preheat grill to medium high. In a small bowl, stir together garlic, olive oil, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. Brush tomatoes with some of the garlic oil. Grill, turning once, lightly charred, about 12 minutes, transfer to a plate. (I of course skipped this step because I used the canned tomatoes) Meanwhile brush the steak and bread with garlic oil. Grill the bread, turning occasionally. Grill the steak. Coarsely chop the rolls and tomatoes and toss in a medium bowl. Add the rosemary and season with salt and pepper. Slice the steak and top with bread salad.

Guess What I Tried??

2009-01-10T14:45:00.002-06:00

Nope, these are not anemic, pale carrots. They are parsnips! Yep, I really tried a new vegetable. I saw Rachael Ray use them in a recipe and she described them as slightly spicy and a good alternative to potatoes. Since I LOVE potatoes, I thought I'd give the parsnip a try. I couldn't abandon my potatoes completely, so I did a combination of 1/2 potatoes and 1/2 parsnips. I decided to roast them since that seems to be the most common way to eat them.

My take on the parsnip is that it wasn't spicy AT ALL. It was actually sweet. I liked it ok, but it will not make my top 10 food list. In the picture below, it is hard to tell the difference between the potatoes and the parsnips. They look almost identical, but the taste is definitely different. Anyway, here is how I prepared them:

Roasted Parsnips and Potatoes
Source: Me

2 parsnips, peeled and cubed
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
olive oil
grill seasoning

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place the parsnips and potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the grill seasoning. Roast for about 40 minutes.

Breakfast for Dinner, With a Twist!

2009-01-06T11:02:00.004-06:00

We used to have pizza night once a week, either ordered in or homemade. If you recall, we went through a grilled pizza kick. Man, those were good! Anyway, I decided to do a breakfast pizza. Taylor wasn't as enthused as I was with the prospect, but he did try it. He said he would rather stick to traditional pizza, but I thought it was a nice change of pace.

I also used one of my favorite seasonings EVER! Pilleterri's Bold & Spicy Seasoning. It is great on just about everything!!!

Breakfast Pizza
Source: Me

1 refrigerated pizza dough (we like pillsbury)
5 eggs, scrambled
5 sausage links, the heat and serve kind, defrosted and sliced into 1" pieces
cheddar cheese
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
milk
chicken stock
salt
pepper
Pilleterri's Bold & Spicy Seasoning

Roll out the pizza dough and bake for 1/2 the time indicated on the package. While it is baking, add the butter to a small sauce pan and let it melt over medium heat. Add the flour and cook a few minutes. Add milk until it creates a sauce. Yeah, I don't do measurements with the liquids. I just add until it looks right. Let it thicken over the heat and then use the chicken stock to thin it out a little. Add salt and pepper to taste.
When the half baked pizza crust comes out of the oven, use the gravy like pizza sauce and spread over the crust. Sprinkle with the pilleterri's seasoning. Add the eggs and sausage. Sprinkle with any cheese of your choosing, I used cheddar.

Apple Cobbler, Revisited

2009-01-04T14:25:00.001-06:00

I don't usually post about a recipe more than once, but since it was one of my first posts ever, it lacked appropriate photos. ;) You can see the original post here.

My grandmother got a fruit basket for Christmas and she insisted that my mother take most of it, who then insisted that my sister and I take most of what she had. We don't eat much fresh fruit around our house...yes, I know, shame on us. But when I saw all those apples sitting there, apple cobbler just popped into my head. It's one of those dishes where you have all the ingredients in your pantry other than apples: the main one. It just seemed like destiny!

This is really such a simple recipe and it always turns out perfect. I love all the thick crust filled with juicy, cinnamony, apple goodness!

This is what it looks like before you put it in the oven:

Here is the finished product:

And ready for a bite:

A Few Of My Favorite Things

2009-01-02T09:27:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year! I haven't had much chance to cook lately since we've been on the run with holiday madness, but I wanted to blog about some of my favorite Christmas gifts! Hopefully I'll be back soon with a new recipe.

My new digital camera! Taylor got me this Sony Cybershot T77 for Christmas. I am still learning all the cool features, but it does have a gourmet mode that I can't wait to try out. I guess I need to cook something worth blogging about! :)

An herb mincer. This was in my stocking and I haven't had a chance to use it yet, but I can't wait! I love the idea of quickly rolling over fresh herbs to mince them.

A Rachel Ray Moppine! I know some people can't stand RR, but I love her! This is such a great innovation; pot holders in the corners of the dish towel. Anyone who has ever picked up a large steaming pot of pasta to drain, knows those handles can get pretty hot! This was another stocking item. Santa was good to me this year!!!

Leftover Do-over

2008-12-22T19:00:00.001-06:00

I never know what to do with leftover roast beef. It is really all I can do to eat it the first time, but my husband really likes it. And he will eat some of the leftovers in sandwiches, but really, how many sandwiches can one man eat? Plus, I get tired of staring at it in my fridge.

I decided to have a do-over and make it into something I would really like. I love asian style food: chinese, japanese, thai, ect. So I present to you my leftover do-over: Asian Beef and Noodles

Asian Beef and Noodles

1-2 cup cold cooked beef, sliced thin
1 pack spaghetti noodles, cooked
1/2 cup onion, minced
1 clove garlic, grated or minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tbsp honey
1 serrano pepper, minced
1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
cilantro

Heat heavy frying pan. Add olive oil, meat and onions. Heat until hot and brown. Add garlic and cook until tender. Mix water and cornstarch; add. Add remaining ingredients except cilantro and cook slowly for 10-15 minutes. Top with cilantro.

Another Not So Salad, Salad Post

2008-12-20T07:00:00.002-06:00

Ok, if you've read this blog for long, you know my relationship with most salads. I don't do them. I don't like most vegetables which kind of creates a problem since most salads include them. I do like the "not so salad, salads" as I call them. You know, the ones that are called salads but don't include anything remotely like lettuce. Today I have one such recipe for you!

One great thing about this time of year at my old job was all the great food that was brought into the office. My new job (as a stay at home mom) doesn't quite afford the same advantages. ;) Of course there are many other perks! I do miss that yummy food though. One of my favorites was brought by one of my supervisors. It is the perfect combination of tart and sweet. I could easily eat the entire bowl! So, when I needed a dish to take to the in-law's for Christmas I turned to this quick and easy recipe.

Grape Salad
Source: A Former Co-Worker

2 lbs green grapes
2 lbs red grapes (I just used all green grapes because I like them better)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese
1 (8oz) sour cream
4 ozs chopped pecans (optional)
2 T brown sugar

Wash and dry grapes. In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Add grapes and mix gently with a spatula or large spoon. Sprinkle with brown sugar and pecans, mix again and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

Coffee. Not Just An Amazing Beverage!

2008-12-16T21:30:00.001-06:00

I love coffee, but I rarely brew it. I even have an awesome coffee maker. It's just that I am really the only one who drinks it. The hubs can be persuaded every now and again to have some, but usually it is just me. And I hate to brew just one or two cups at a time. So, my awesome coffee maker sits unused and my coffee sits in my cabinet.

Well, that coffee did not sit unused tonight! However, the poor coffee maker will have to wait a little longer. That is because this recipe uses coffee grounds, not the brewed concoction. On my quest to find a roast beef recipe I LOVE I made a coffee and cocoa crusted beef roast. I've heard of this combination used with beef before and finally found time to try it myself. I scoured the internet and read several recipes and decided I'd just use those as jumping off points. None of them actually called for roast beef. They were usually for a beef tenderloin or a ribeye steak.

So here is what I came up with:

Coffee and Cocoa Crusted Roast Beef

1 2lb. eye of round beef roast
1/4 cup coffee grounds, finely ground (I used a mortor and pestel to get mine more finely ground)
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tbsp ground ginger
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tbsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tbsp sea salt
1/2 tbsp ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat a sautee pan over high heat. Mix all ingredients except roast. Pat all sides of the roast with the mixture. Using tongs, sear each side of the meat in the hot pan. Then place roast in a roasting pan and cook covered for an hour and 20 minutes for medium well. Remove from oven and let rest of 10 minutes. Remove meat to a cutting board and slice. Pour pan juices over the sliced meat.

It had a nice flavor and we really enjoyed it. We had twice baked potatoes and biscuits to go with it. Now I plan to find something new to make with the leftover roast because the one thing I dislike more than plain roast, is leftover roast.

Run, Run As Fast As You Can...

2008-12-15T13:28:00.004-06:00

You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man! My nephew loves this line from one of his books, so when he and my sister came over one day we made gingerbread men. We took a quick time saver by using the Pillsbury slice and bake cookie dough. Instead of slicing and baking, we rolled it out and cut out the little men. We then iced them with a simple mixture of powdered sugar and milk. They were fantastic and so much easier than making them from scratch! I highly recommend the Pillsbury gingerbread dough, especially if you need to save time when baking with children. Do you know any two years olds who are good at waiting??

100!!!!

2008-11-30T16:27:00.005-06:00

I don't have a recipe for you, I just wanted to cheer about having 100 posts! (Does it count if the 100th post isn't even a real post??) I'm not sure when I'll be posting again with all the holiday craziness, so in advance: Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2008-11-27T14:25:00.000-06:00

I have a lot to be thankful for this year. I have a wonderful husband who got a new job that he loves. I have a beautiful, perfect, healthy baby boy. I have the best family a girl could ask for. And I am thankful that I managed to bake not one, but two items for thanksgiving without screwing them up!!!

For Thanksgiving with my family I made pumpkin cookies. I've been wanting to make these since I started my food blog and just never got around to it. My nephew, who is 2, was very excited because he loves pumpkins and he loves cookies. (I don't think he realized the cookies were made with pumpkin.) I tried to make them in the shape of a pumpkin to get even more smiles out of him, but it didn't work. These are strictly drop cookies, people. The directions say to drop them, and this is what you should do. Don't be like me and waste your time trying to press sticky cookie batter into a pumpkin cookie cutter. It just doesn't work. Other than my lack of a pumpkin shape, these turned out perfect!! I don't think I've ever said that in regard to baking before. This is a major milestone! The recipe can be found her e.

These cookies are soft and cake-like, not overly sweet, and have a wonderful cinnamon-spice taste. YUM!

For Thanksgiving with the in-laws I made a strawberry cake.

I took a little help from the store and used a box mix, but I made it my own by letting a strawberry puree soak into the cake and I made my own cream cheese icing. This was actually the first cake I have ever iced! I was pleased with myself. :) (I have to thank my sister for the tip about using a butter knife to make the design on the top.) This cake was pretty easy and tasted really good!!!

If At First You Don't Succeed, Try Try Again!

2008-11-24T14:44:00.008-06:00

I have yet to succeed in making a roast that I actually enjoy eating. Don't get me wrong, I'll eat it if it is my only meat choice. I've blogged about an attempt or two on here, and now I'm trying something different. I used McCormick Crusting Blends.
It was better than my previous attempts. The crusting on the ends was a little mushy, but overall, I liked it. I plan to try crusting something else soon.

I also made roasted potatoes with shallots and garlic to go along side the roast. I roasted the potatoes in a separate dish, but added them to the roast before serving.

French Onion, Pepper and Herb Crusted Roast

1 eye of round roast, 2 lb.
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup McCormick Crusting Blends, French Onion, Pepper and Herb flavor

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Marinade roast in worcestershire sauce for 30 minutes to an hour. Coat roast with the crusting blend. Bake in the oven for approximately 1 hour 20 minutes to be cooked medium.

Roasted Potatoes with Shallots and Garlic

6 medium sized potatoes, cubed
1 small shallot, minced
3 cloves garlic, each clove sliced about 3 times to create chunks of garlic
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Place cubed potatoes into a baking dish. Add the shallots, garlic and oil. Toss to coat everything evenly with the oil. Add salt and pepper and toss again. Bake in the same oven as the roast for approximatly 45 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender. (Normally I would bake these at 450 degrees for about 25 minutes, but I decided to just stick them in with the roast to save time.) Toss potatoes about half way through cooking. If you want them a little more brown, turn on the broiler at the end.

Long Time, No Blog

2008-11-21T13:49:00.004-06:00

Don't worry, I have been cooking...just not blogging. I've managed to cook a few blogworthy items and even managed to take pictures of them, I just couldn't find time to sit down and write about them. So here are some recent things I've made:

Super Easy Potatoes Au-Gratin

3 potatoes, sliced thin (I used my mandolin so the slices would be the same thickness)
1 1/2 cups Half and Half (You could also use cream, but I happened to have half and half in the fridge)
1 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Black Pepper, to taste

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. In a small sauce pan, bring the half and half to a boil. Stir often to keep it from burning. Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat. Add garlic powder, black pepper and parmesan cheese. Once the liquid has reduced and thickened, spoon a small amount into the bottom of a baking dish. Make a layer of potatoes and then spoon on more sauce. Continue to layer until you use up your potatoes. Top with the last of the sauce. Bake about 30 minutes. Once potatoes are fork tender, top with a little more parm and bake until top is golden brown.

Jaime's Shrimp Scampi

10 raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tbsp butter
2 cloves fresh garlic, grated
1/2 tbsp dried dill
1 tsp red pepper flakes
pinch of salt and pepper

Heat sautee pan over medium high heat. Add butter. When melted, add grated garlic, dill and red pepper flakes. Sautee about a minute and add shrimp. When shrimp is cooked through and pink add shrimp and butter sauce to a small dish. So quick and so good!!! (I also made some cheesy brown rice to go along with the shrimp.)

Pasta alla Carbonara

2008-09-28T16:11:00.004-05:00

Bacon? Yum! Garlic? Yum! Pasta? Yum! Yeah, that pretty much says it all. What more do you need? Click here for Tyler Florence's recipe I used. Fab-U-lous! I did use cilantro instead of parsley. I just like the flavor better.

Changing It Up

2008-09-26T12:55:00.001-05:00

I took 2 recipes I previously blogged about and changed them up slightly. I used the exact marinade I used for my shrimp skewers but sauteed the shrimp instead. Then I made mashed potatoes just like the stuffing of my twice baked potatoes. I think it turned out really nice.

Just Like the Real Thing

2008-09-24T16:00:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I've been trying to eat healthier (ok maybe not healthier but better so I can get rid of this baby weight) and this morning I decided to have an egg white omelet. It was perfect and thanks to Kate my omelet didn't fall apart like it usually does. I wish I had taken a picture.

Anyway, I searched for something to do with my leftover yolks and came across homemade mayonnaise. Perfect! I decided since I made my first near perfect omelet today, I would also try to make mayo for the first time. I don't use mayo much except for in recipes. However, Taylor LOVES mayonnaise, but he is very very picky about it. He said it tasted just like the "real thing," but was a tad too acidic for him. I thought it called for a lot of lemon juice, but I went straight by the recipe. Next time I'll probably only use 2 tbsp of lemon juice instead of 3.

Homemade Mayonnaise

Source: Cooking for Engineers

2 egg yolks

3 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

pinch of white pepper (I used black pepper since I didn't have white)

1 cup oil (I used vegetable oil)

Whisk everything but the oil together until it is combined and smooth. Then add the oil a drop at a time while whisking. Ok, I tried really hard to whisk this by hand. My arm about fell off!! I ended up throwing it in the blender, and presto! I had mayonnaise!

Homemade mayo will last in the fridge about a week. This was plenty for us, but if you use a lot of mayo in one week you may want to double the recipe.

I big puffy heart college football!

2008-09-20T10:45:00.000-05:00

I love college football! Especially Auburn football...and did you know (as of right now) there are 5 SEC teams in the top 10??? Southern boys know how to play ball! I'm slightly nervous

about the Auburn vs. LSU game later tonight, but until then, here is some pretty good football game day food. Nachos. Enjoy, and WAR EAGLE!!!!

Nachos

Feeds 2 (in other words, make more for a party!)

1/2 lb. ground chuck

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp garlic powder

1/4 tbsp cumin

1/2 tbsp paprika

1/2 can hot RoTel

1/2 can corn, drained

Tortilla Chips

Cheese, whichever kind you like best

Brown ground chuck and drain. Over medium heat add the ground chuck back to the pan and add the spices. Mix to combine. Then add RoTel and Corn. Let simmer 5-10 minutes.

Put your chips on a plate, add some cheese, top with meat mixture, and add some more cheese. Quick, easy and yummy!

Macaroni Grill Comes to You

2008-09-16T22:03:00.001-05:00

I saw this product on Dela's Blog and since I had a coupon, I decided to try it out. It's a box dinner, much like Hamburger Helper, where you just add the meat and things like butter and milk. It is slightly odd to me that a lot of restaurants are doing this now. You can get California Pizza Kitchen frozen pizzas, TGIFriday's appetizers, and now Macaroni Grill Entree's all in the convenience of your local grocery aisle. It tastes pretty darn close to the real thing, so why use the gas to make the round trip to your local eatery, wait for your food to arrive, and then leave a tip? Unless you just like being served, which sometimes I do. Sometimes you just need to go to a sit-down restaurant where you are the guest. But anyway, back to this particular clone of your dining out favorites.

Of course I made some changes and didn't do it exactly like the box asked. Where's the fun in that? I didn't go too crazy with my alterations though. Like Dela, I didn't use the sun dried tomatoes because I'm not really a fan. I also was out of milk, so I used half and half. Oh yeah, and I grilled the chicken instead of just sauteing it in the pan.

It was really good, but it had as many steps as making dinner that doesn't come out of a box so I probably won't buy it again since it is pretty expensive. Unless I have another coupon. ;)

Hash It Out!

2008-09-13T09:20:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure why I became obsessed with making hash, but I did. I've never even had hash of any kind. Basically I was just thinking about some ground chuck in the freezer that I needed to use and I was tired of making hamburgers. I think I heard something about hash on the food network and it just got stuck in my brain. The more recipes I read the more I wanted to make it. Of course the most common type is corned beef hash. I've never had corned beef, but my first instinct is I wouldn't like it. Plus I had ground beef.

I didn't really find a recipe that stuck out, so I came up with my own. Hash is basically just a combination of finely chopped ingredients. However, the common ingredients seem to be meat, potatoes and onions. This would make a great "leftovers meal." I'm not using leftovers, but you totally could.

This meal really turned out great. I honestly wasn't sure if I would like it or not, but I even ate the leftovers the next day. For those who know me, you know this is a big deal. I don't usually like most leftovers. You should definitely give this a try!

Jaime's Hamburger Hash

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1/2 lb. Ground Chuck

2 medium white potatoes, cubed

1/2 white onion, minced

1 clove garlic, grated

1 small can whole kernel corn, drained

1 can Hot RoTel (If you don't like it hot, you can sub any flavor of RoTel), drained of half the liquid

Heat a large pan over medium high heat. Add the ground chuck and use the back of a wooden spoon to break up the meat. Once the meat is browned, drain off the grease and remove from the pan. Add olive oil to the same pan over medium heat. Add butter. Once butter is completely melted, add the potatoes. Once potatoes have started to crisp up, add the corn and the onion. Saute until onions start to carmelize. Add the ground chuck back to the pan and grate the garlic over the mixture. Add the RoTel and stir to combine. Let simmer about 10 minutes letting the flavors combine.

Shameless Plug :)

2008-09-11T13:22:00.002-05:00

I've started a new blog. It's not a food blog, so if that's the only type of blog you enjoy, you can stop reading now. It is all about my life as a new mom. Those of you who've been visiting my blog for a while know that I recently had my first child. Becoming Mom is all about the wonderful and insane experiences I've had and will have. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Cilantro Pesto Chicken and Crash Potatoes

2008-09-10T16:45:00.001-05:00

Ok, it is fairly well known that I am a big fan of chicken and potatoes. We have this meal fairly often because I am all about quick and easy and these items usually lend themselves to this concept. Therefore I am always looking for new ways to do them. Monday Taylor was off work and hanging out at home helping me take care of Logan, so I had a little more time than normal. That is why I could try a little more involved marinade and potatoes that take a little longer than usual.

This chicken marinade comes from Weber's Real Grilling by Jamie Purviance. I usually don't like it when guys have the same name as me, but I'll give this guy a pass because his recipes are THAT good! ;)

This book is awesome! He has huge color photos for each recipe, which is a must in a cookbook in my opinion. If it doesn't have pictures, I probably won't spend much time looking at it. After all, we eat with our eyes first, right? The same is true for me when perusing recipes. What looks good usually gets my attention the quickest.

I've made pesto before and honestly it didn't turn out as good as the stuff you can buy in a jar. I was inspired to try this recipe because it was a cilantro pesto and cilantro has to be my favorite herb ever! I only had one addition to the marinade recipe and that was some vinegar because when I tasted it, it was a little bitter for my tastes. The vinegar solved that problem for me. This pesto didn't have any parmesan cheese in it, so I decided to make some parmesan crisps to go along with the chicken. They didn't really turn out like I wanted, so I crumbled them over the chicken and it tasted great. I really like the flavor of toasted parmesan cheese. In the words of Rachel Ray, YUMO!

The potatoes didn't really turn out like the Pioneer Woman's crash potatoes, but they were good. I used white potatoes, but I don't think I boiled them long enough. They were fork tender, but they didn't smash all that well. I also don't have a potato masher so I used the bottom of a heavy glass. So maybe those reasons were my downfall. They tasted good anyway. :)

Cilantro Pesto Chicken

Source: Weber's Real Grilling - Jamie Purviance

4 tbsp coarsely chopped walnuts

4 medium garlic cloves

3 cups loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems

1 cup loosely packed fresh Italian parsley leaves and tender stems

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

3 chicken breasts

Pulse walnuts and garlic cloves in the food processor until it makes a paste. Add the cilantro, parsley, salt and pepper until mixed. Then stream in oil with the motor running. Place the chicken in a resealable bag and marinade for 2 hours.

A New Look and A New Year

2008-09-08T09:27:00.001-05:00

I decided it was time for a new look for the Burnt Toast Blog. At the end of this month, I will have been blogging for a year. WOW! I have learned to branch out and try new things and I hope my food photography has gotten better in the last year. Of course I still have a ways to go compared to many of my other food blogging friends. (Check out some of the blogs listed on the left and you'll see what I mean!) Hopefully I will participate is some more blogging events soon now that I am getting the hang of being a stay at home mom. Happy Burnt Toast New Year!

Shrimp Skewers

2008-09-07T19:18:00.004-05:00

These are possibly the best grilled shrimp I've ever had! One great thing about shrimp is they only need to marinade a short time.

Grilled Shrimp Skewers

20 shrimp

2 tbsp pepper sauce

6 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp chili powder

1/4 tbsp cumin

1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tbsp onion powder

1/2 tbsp salt

1/2 tbsp black pepper

1/2 tbsp honey

cilantro, hand torn

4 wooden skewers, soaked in water

Mix all ingredients except cilantro and let sit 30 minutes. Place 5 shrimp per wooden skewer and grill. Garnish with cilantro.

Quick, Easy and Smoky :)

2008-09-02T12:58:00.007-05:00

I'm not sure when I started making these pork chops, but it has become my go-to recipe. It is quick and easy and this rub really enhances the flavor of the chops. These chops are perfect for a quick week night dinner because you don't have to remember to put them in a marinade for any length of time. You can prepare a good amount of the rub and keep it in the fridge, then it takes even less time.

Tonight I decided to add an extra zing and use a little of my pepper sauce as a pre-curser to the rub. I just added a little of the vinegar to the chop then patted it down with the rub. These chops turn out great every time and they didn't disappoint. The pepper sauce helped keep them nice and tender and added another layer of flavor.

Smoky Rubbed Pork Chops

2 parts chili powder

1 part cumin

1 part cayenne pepper

2 parts paprika

2 parts garlic powder

1 part sea salt

1 part sugar

Generously rub each side of the chops with spice mixture. Let sit at least 30 minutes, then grill. Does it get any easier than that??

Peppers, Southern Style

2008-08-30T18:21:00.004-05:00

There are many southern specialties that are well known across the nation: bbq, grits, and fried chicken just to name a few. One not so well known item is pepper sauce. I know this because I searched many popular recipe sites to find a way to turn my abundance of serrano peppers into this southern style seasoning and only found recipes for hot sauce. Pepper sauce is not hot sauce. Basically it is peppers that have marinated over time in vinegar and therefore the vinegar becomes hot like the peppers. You can eat the peppers, but the vinegar is most often used as a seasoning over bitter greens like collards or turnip greens. Making pepper sauce was the first suggestion my grandmother had when I told her I had more peppers than I knew what to do with. Of course, I don't eat any kind of greens, but I make a lot of marinades and I think the pepper infused vinegar would be a great addition. Not to mention it just looks pretty sitting on my kitchen counter!

I found recipes on www.southernkitchen.blogspot.com and www.thesoutherndish.com and merged them. Next I am going to use my extra peppers to infuse olive oil. :)

Southern Pepper Sauce

peppers, any kind you like or any combination thereof

white vinegar

glass bottle with cap

Measure how much vinegar you need for your bottle and remember the peppers will take up some room as well. Bring the vinegar to a boil and reduce to a simmer while you prepare the peppers. You don't really have to do anything other than wash the peppers, but I chose to prick each one several time with a straight pin so they would release their hotness quicker. Add the peppers to the bottle then pour in the vinegar. The longer it sits the better it will be! No refrigeration is necessary!

Blog Block

2008-08-21T12:58:00.002-05:00

I've been experiencing a little blogger's block lately. I guess one major contributing factor is lack of time. I used to spend a lot of time and energy thinking about what I was going to make for dinner and then writing about it here. Now, we usually look in the fridge and make a last minute decision. And if we are lucky Logan might sit in his swing long enough for Taylor and I to get to eat at the same time. So blogging has taken a back seat. I don't have time to take pictures of my food or even think about typing out a recipe while taking care of an 8 week old.

Maybe when he's older I'll have more time. In the meantime, I'm trying to make mor figure friendly meals to get off this baby weight since I am in a wedding in less than 2 months and I ordered my pre-pregnancy size. Yes, I am crazy! ;)

Even more than blogging, I've missed reading my favorite blogs and trying out all their recipes. Maybe one day I'll get a little more time for those things, but at the moment my life revolves around making bottles, washing clothes, and changing diapers. Maybe I'll write again when he's 5????

Peppers!

2008-08-08T16:50:00.003-05:00

My pepper plants have been on production overload! These are the serrano peppers, but the cayenne are coming in too. They taste great! I encourage everyone out there to try growing your own. If I can do it, anyone can! All I did was water them, and I didn't even do that every day. ;)

Comfort Food

2008-08-08T16:45:00.000-05:00

It seems I have found the time to cook, but finding the time to blog about it is a completely different story. I started this post several weeks ago, but between feeding Logan and trying to nap when he does, I just haven't found the time. So, here is my overdue post on comfort food. O and the recipe is kind of lacking, but cut me some slack. I barely had time to post this. ;)

My first venture back into the kitchen was all about comfort. A friend of my mother-in-law's makes these AWESOME blueberry fried pies. They have a soft, biscuit-like crust instead of the normal flaky, pie crust. I would be the size of a house if I had them very often.

I was craving them a few weeks ago and decided to try and duplicate them. I had some frozen blueberries and some canned biscuits. I searched the web for a recipe for blueberry pie filling and what resulted was pretty good; not as good as the original though. I think the biggest problem was that I only had Pilsbury Grand's biscuits and they puffed up too much. No matter how hard I tried to seal the edges, the filling would start running out before they could get cooked all the way. I ended up frying them on both sides then finishing them in the oven.

They might not have been perfect, but they hit the spot!

Blueberry Fried Pies

1 can refrigerated biscuits
butter for frying
blueberry filling (recipe found on google)

Heat butter in sautee pan over medium high heat. Roll out each individual biscuit and place a spoonfull of filling in the middle. Fold over and seal edges. Fry until brown on both sides and biscuit is cooked through.

I've been MIA, but I have a good excuse!!!

2008-07-07T16:30:00.003-05:00

I haven't been cooking because our little boy decided to FINALLY arrive June 27. So I haven't been cooking at all since then. Just trying to get the whole mommy thing down. He is adorable and perfect and we are completely in love with him. In a few weeks hopefully I'll have more of a routine and have something blogworthy to post.

Summertime and Strawberries

2008-06-25T16:57:00.004-05:00

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted. Things have been a little crazy while we await the arrival of our son. Which by the way, I thought would have already happened. My due date is actually today, but Logan shows no signs of gracing us with his presence.

Anyway, you would think I would cook more now that I'm no longer at work, but in fact, the opposite is true. Don't get me wrong, I cook, but not much has been blog worthy. Until today. The temperature gauge at my house registered 102 by noon and there was no way this 9 month pregnant girl was venturing outside other than to water my plants. I needed a way to cool off and my thoughts immediately turned to a recipe I'd been hanging on to for quite some time. Strawberry Pineapple Sorbet. Relatively healthy and icy cold! Perfect!

It turned out icy and refreshing, but I think next time I'll stick with just strawberries. I love pineapple, but I guess when it comes right down to it, I'm a strawberry purist. It definitely looks the part of the perfect summertime dessert. Summertime and strawberries, the perfect combination!

Strawberry Pineapple Sorbet

Source: Amber's Delectable Delights

1/3 cup granulated sugar

3 cups sliced strawberries

1 small can pineapple (drained of juices)

1 pinch salt

Put strawberries in a bowl with sugar. Cover and allow to sit for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Using blender, combine strawberries with their juices, pineapple and the pinch of salt. Puree. Refrigerate mixture for at least 1 hour until puree is chilled. Place in ice-cream maker and follow manufacturers instructions.

**I typed the recipe exactly as Amber posted it. I did things a little differently though. I used frozen strawberries because the price of fresh ones has skyrocketed around here. I let them thaw most of the way then just added them to the blender with the sugar and other ingredients. It didn't need to chill since the berries were partially frozen so I added it straight to the ice-cream maker. 25 minutes later, sorbet!

The Fridge is Full of Leftovers!

2008-06-17T07:20:00.000-05:00

I'm not a big fan of leftovers normally. I am getting better, but I'm just not a big fan of eating things twice in such a short span of time. I don't care how good it was the first time around, most things are not as delectable reheated.

Of course we keep all our leftovers and thankfully my husband is pretty good about eating them. I try to find ways to use them in new dishes so I can trick myself into thinking I'm eating something different.

Last week the fridge was starting to overflow with random leftovers. I had no idea what to do with them to make them more appealing so I could convince myself to eat them. Thankfully a fellow blogger came to rescue. I was browsing Delish and she had just posted about Crescent Chicken Pockets. They looked really good and I got to thinking about the crescent rolls I had in the fridge and maybe I could combine some of the leftovers to make my own crescent pockets.

Mine were nothing like hers because I let my fridge lead the way and most of my leftovers had a decidedly Mexican theme so I went with it. They turned out pretty good and I can see us employing this technique many times in the future. My husband said that if we had used Italian ingredients they would have been like homemade calzones.

Crescent Pockets

Source: Delish

refried beans

2 leftover grilled chicken strips

3 leftover fried potatoes, with one minced shallot

leftover corn, sauteed with minced garlic, cumin, lime juice and cilantro

wrapped in crescent rolls, sprayed with olive oil

topped with bread crumbs mixed with a little dry ranch dressing mix

Father's Day Dessert, the Semi-Homemade Way

2008-06-15T19:25:00.001-05:00

Let me begin by saying that I'm not a huge fan of Sandra Lee and her Semi-Homemade show. Not that she doesn't have lots of good ideas, but with her intricate tablescapes and cocktails galore it's a little too much for me sometimes. My sister and I like to call her show Semi-Sober since she is ALL about the alcohol. ;)

Anyway, I did take a page from her book for my father's day dessert. I volunteered to bring something sweet to my in-laws for their father's day celebration and I wanted to use ingredients I already had on hand since I have already done my grocery shopping for the week. I happened to have a Jello Oreo No Bake Dessert (yes, a dessert in a box) in my pantry. It's really quick, easy and best of all, good!

I wanted to jazz it up a little though, so I decided to make individual frozen oreo cheesecakes. The idea to put them in cupcake liners was on the back of the box, so I can't take credit for that. I liked the idea of smaller portions, especially since my father-in-law is diabetic and he can only eat sweets in small quantities. I also decided to add cream cheese to the filling to make it more of a cheesecake than just a cream. I only added 4 oz. of cream cheese because I honestly wasn't sure how it would turn out.

They were really good with a hint of the tangy cream cheese in the filling. Next time I'll probably add the full 8 oz. to make it more cheesecake-like. But hey, you live and learn. The small portions were a hit and made it an easy to eat dessert. Keeping them frozen also made them easier to eat. Once they start to thaw, you need a fork!

So for father's day I kept it simple and semi-homemade. ;)

Recreating a Masterpiece

2008-06-10T19:22:00.000-05:00

Ok, so maybe not a masterpiece but the Fried Macaroni and Cheese at The Cheesecake Factory is my all time favorite appetizer. Talk about the ultimate comfort food! I go there just to order that fried cheesy goodness.

I've had some leftover risotto in my fridge a little over a month now and I've been planning to make risotto cakes by frying the leftovers. Not that I've ever done it before, but that was the suggestion I got when I asked for my fellow bloggers input. I've been waiting for a night when I would be eating alone, since the husband would not be a fan, and when I would have the time and patience to experiment.

Now I realize risotto and macaroni and cheese are not the same thing. But, you've got a starch and lots of cheese so they are pretty close. The real recreation was the sauce. When you order Fried Macaroni and Cheese at The Cheesecake Factory, it comes plated on a tomato cream sauce that perfectly complements the heaviness of the fried pasta and cheese. I knew I wanted a similar sauce with my Fried Risotto.

The sauce came together pretty effortlessly and I must say it tasted pretty darn close to the original. I actually wish I had made more! The risotto cakes were a little harder. I let the risotto defrost most of the way and patted it into cakes. I then dipped each cake into flour, then egg, then seasoned bread crumbs. Easy, right? Wrong! The cakes began to fall apart when I put them in the egg mixture. I then had to re-make the cakes to add them to the bread crumbs but then they fell apart again! So, I ended up with everything kind of mixed together, pressed back into a cake and topped with more breadcrumbs.

They still turned out very tasty, but I'm sure it wasn't supposed to be that hard. So, anyone out there who has a suggestion as to how to keep my cakes together so that inside is just risotto and not a mixture of the breading as well please enlighten me.

All in all, I really enjoyed my recreation of the masterpiece. The sauce was perfect and the cakes weren't bad either. :)

Fried Risotto with Tomato Cream Sauce

Source: Me

Leftover Risotto formed into patties

1 dish of flour

1 dish with 1 large egg, beaten

1 dish with seasoned bread crumbs

olive oil for frying

2 tbsp marinara sauce

2 tbsp Alouette Herb & Cheese Spread

1 tbsp parmesan cheese

pinch of salt

Dip each patty into the flour, then the egg, then the bread crumbs. Add oil to a skillet over medium heat and fry until golden brown. Remove to a plate and prepare sauce.

Add marinara to a pan over medium heat and warm through. Add the Alouette and stir until combined. Add parmesan and pinch of salt.

Place the sauce in the center of a plate and top with risotto cakes. You can top with extra sauce if you have any and/or parmesan cheese.

Alabama is Hot Hot Hot!!!

2008-06-10T18:46:00.005-05:00

But my impatients are thriving! As long as they get their daily dose of water. Thank goodness this is the one the flowers I can keep alive. :)

Shrimp Biscuits

2008-06-06T17:45:00.001-05:00

I didn't want a real heavy dinner last night (and it was just me since the husband had to work late), so I decided to make little shrimp sandwhiches. I used some garlic crescent roll dough I had in the fridge, but instead of making crescents I put it in a bowl and added some parmesan cheese to it. I then rolled it out and cut it like biscuits. I left it pretty thick because I wanted it to rise enough to have bread and shrimp in every bite!

I made up a marinade for the shrimp and let it sit about 45 minutes. I just cooked mine in a skillet, but they would have been great grilled or broiled too! Unfortunatly I overcooked my shrimp a little, but these were still really good. And I ate the leftovers tonight!

Balsamic Basil Shrimp

1/2 lb. frozen large shrimp peeled, de-veined and thawed

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 tbsp cayenne pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp fresh basil, minced

1 tsp salt

Improv, It’s Not Just for Comics Anymore!

2008-06-06T17:40:00.002-05:00

Who said you have to be a comedian to be good at improvisation? Ok, so maybe no one has ever said that, but just go with me here. In the realm of cooking you need to be able to go with the flow and change plans midstream sometimes. This seems to happen to me most in the world of baking; even when the baking is easy and simple…or should be. This probably stems from my lack of education in this department and not always knowing if it is ok to sub some things for others.

A while ago I printed off The Pioneer Woman’s recipe for Apricot Bars. They looked incredible. Well, everything she cooks looks incredible. Her pictures make me want to eat things I don’t even like! For instance, I don’t like apricots. I knew it wouldn’t be hard to substitute strawberries though. I don’t think this is where it went wrong.

It also calls for brown sugar. Now I’m sure brown sugar complements the apricots rather well, like it would apples. But in my experience, I’m not a big fan of it combined with strawberries. So, I decided to use white granulated sugar instead. I don’t know if this caused the problem or not.

The problem is that my bars never really got brown and the didn’t really harden. It came out more like a crisp; tasted great by the way, but that wasn’t the point. I wanted the cute little bars PW came out with. Oh well, maybe I’ll try it again with apple and brown sugar. If anyone has any ideas as to why mine didn’t really work out, let me know. FYI, I followed all the other directions to a “T.” I promise!!

**Update! I revisited my bars the next day and they actually stayed together like bars!! I think I tried to cut and eat them before they had really cooled completely. (I'm not a very patient person...another problem with me and baking) Also, I did them in a 8" square pan like suggested, but next time I think I'll do them in something larger so the bars will be thinner. I think they will stay together better that way.**

Strawberry Bars turned Strawberry Crisp
Original Source: Apricot Bars from The Pioneer Woman

1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups oats
1 cup packed brown sugar (this would be where I used white granulated sugar)
1 ¾ sticks cold butter, cut into pieces
1 10-12 oz. jar apricot preserves (I used strawberry)

Mix all ingredients except the preserves. Press one half of the mixture into a buttered 8” square baking dish. Spread with the preserves. Sprinkle other half of mixture on top and pat lightly. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until light brown. Let cool completely, then cut into squares.

I'm it!! ;)

2008-06-05T08:55:00.004-05:00

I was tagged for a meme by Celeste at Sugar & Spice! These are always a lot of fun and you get to learn more about the people whose blogs you read regularly. If you haven't checked out Sugar & Spice, you need to do so, if only for her amazing photos of the food she has made. She is an awesome photographer!

The rules:Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1. What was I doing ten years ago?

10 years ago, I was 16 and it was the summer before my senior year in high school. WOW! I can't believe it is almost time for my 10 year reunion. Now I don't know if I like this meme. It makes me feel old! LOL! I think I was working at a daycare over the summer and probably just hanging out with friends. I'm sure I was very excited to start my last year of high school!

2. What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today?

Empty the dishwasher
Wash clothes
Figure out something for dinner tonight
Water the flowers...it's been 90 degrees or more this week in Alabama! Not fun at 8 months pregnant!!!
Oh yeah, and I'm supposed to be resting before the baby gets here. So I plan to lay down with a good book!

3. Five snacks I enjoy:

Doritos, especially the spicy varieties
Cornflake Clusters (get the recipe here)
Ice Cream Sandwiches
Strawberry smoothies
Cereal (these days the choice is Lucky Charms)

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

Finish my back yard: a pool, landscaping the whole deal!
Finish my basement and garage like we would really like
Buy a condo at the beach
Pave the roads of my subdivision!!
Pay off my house and the houses of family members

5. Places I've lived:

Grayson Valley (Birmingham), AL
Auburn, AL
Southside (downtown Birmingham), AL
Trussville, AL
Odenville, AL

6. Jobs I've had:

Daycare worker
Office Assistant at Land Title Company
March of Dimes - Public Relations Intern
Gymnastics Coach
Public Relations at Land Title Company
Post Closing Assistant at Land Title Company

Here we go! TAG, you're it...

Jen at Look Out Bobby Flay!

Erin at Mommy Meals

Dela at Not Your Mama's Southern Cooking

Patsy at Friends, Family and Food

Emiline at Sugar Plum

Bacon Cheeseburgers...Sort of

2008-06-03T16:36:00.005-05:00

My husband has been wanting "plain" burgers. That means just salt and pepper to flavor the meat. Of course I like a little more flavor action, but he had a rough week last week and I wanted him to have something he would really enjoy. He loves bacon cheeseburgers, so that was the plan...for him anyway. I even made sure we had lettuce and all his favorite condiments so it would be his perfect burger.

I wasn't about to eat a plain old burger when I was at my own house and had the option not to. I decided to make a cilantro chipotle mayonaise to add a little spice. I'm also not a big bread person (I'd rather just have the meat) so I did without a bun and crumbled my bacon on top of the mayonaise. I forgot to add cheese to mine in my hurry to eat, which is odd because usually the cheese is my favorite part. But as has been stated previously, there is not waiting when it comes to food these days. The hunger just takes over!

For the "fries" I did grilled potato wedges basted with garlic olive oil. They turned out really well and the garlic didn't overpower them. I can be a bit heavy handed with seasoning, so I'll have to remember this for when other people come over. I sometimes forget not everyone loves garlic as much as I do. ;) We also had baby dill pickles with our burgers and fries.

Please excuse the ghetto plastic plate. As you can tell it has been microwaved and used quite a bit and has a little wear and tear. It's about the food people. Ignore the plate.

Cilantro Chipotle Mayonaise

2 tbsp mayo

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 chipotle in adobo, minced

1 tsp lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp thai chili paste

Grilled Potato Wedges

4 Idaho potatoes, "baked" in the microwave until tender (about 7 minutes)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, pressed

sea salt

cracked black pepper

Cut the potatoes into wedges. Mix the other ingredients in a small bowl. Place on the grill and baste with the garlic olive oil. After about 5 minutes, turn to the other side. Baste again. After the potatoes are crispy and have slight grill marks, remove from grill and toss with remaining olive oil.

I love learning new tricks!

2008-06-02T06:56:00.006-05:00

Yesterday was our Sunday to bring breakfast or snacks to Sunday School. I have been craving blueberries, a fact which was spurred on by Kate and all her blueberry posts. I decided I would make blueberry muffins...from scratch! A first for me, and my first official act as a stay at home mom. ;)

I found this recipe on Patsy's blog: Family, Friends and Food. The title does not lie; Melt-in-Your-Mouth Blueberry Muffins. They are excellent and I had many compliments on them yesterday morning. They really aren't much more complicated than opening the bag of muffin mix that I normally use.

But here is where the title of this blog comes in. I learned a new trick! I love learning the basics of cooking and baking so I can improvise more easily, especially when I do not have the called for ingredients readily on hand and a mad dash to the store is just not happening. In these cases, google can be a girl's best friend.

This recipe called for sour cream. I know I read that originally, but it slipped my mind until I looked it over again Saturday night. I didn't have any sour cream! Google came to my rescue and I found that you can substitue 3/4 cup sour milk plus 1/3 cup butter when a BAKING recipe calls for sour cream. Great! But how do I get sour milk? (or you can use buttermilk but I don't have any of that either!) I just googled that also and found that if you add 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar to 1 cup of milk and let it sit for 10 minutes you have sour milk! So, I used this little trick instead of jumping in the car and going out to get sour cream.

Also, I only had 1 egg and the recipe calls for 2. I did originally have 2 eggs but broke one on accident...long story, not going there right now. ;) I decided to just add a little oil to the one egg and call it a day. Both my substitutions did not seem to harm the outcome of the recipe and I was proud of my ingenuity! I am learning something through all this cooking and food blogging!

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Blueberry Muffins

Source: Family, Friends and Food

Originally from: Summer Gatherings, Rick Rodgers

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1 cup full fat sour cream

5 tbsps unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 10 muffin tins with paper liners. I got 18 muffins out of this...well 12 full sized ones and 6 1/2 sized ones...I had too much batter for just 12 muffins. Also, I didn't use liners. I just sprayed the pan with cooking spray.

Sift dry ingredients into a medium bowl. Beat the eggs until combined in another medium bowl, then stir in sour cream and butter. Add to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Foldin blueberries. Spoon equal amounts into each muffin tin.

Bake until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Mine took exactly 21 minutes. :)

"I'm not eating that."

2008-06-01T17:30:00.000-05:00

That is what my husband said when I told him we were having roasted cauliflower with our steaks. He doesn't like cauliflower (in any way, shape or form according to him) and he just flat out wasn't eating it. I love raw cauliflower, but am usually not a fan of the cooked stuff. However, I've seen more than one blog post about how wonderful roasted cauliflower is and I am always looking for new side dishes that don't include corn or potatoes since those are my default sides. I begged him to just taste it and promised I would make him another option in case he was right and didn't like it.

Well, he didn't like it and I wasn't a huge fan either. I think I just don't like mushy cauliflower. When it is cooked, it loses it's bite and the crunch is the best part. I did however like it before I roasted it. Ha! I tasted a few pieces befor putting it in the oven and it was really good. I could have eaten the whole pan just like that as a snack. Maybe next time I'll just do that! It has a good flavor though, so if you liked cooked cauliflower, give it a try.

Oven-Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic, Olive Oil and Lemon Juice

Source: The Recipe Girl My additions/changes in italics

6 cups cauliflower florets (I just used a whole head)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp sliced garlic (I minced mine)

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp kosher salt (I used sea salt)

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 tbsp parmesan cheese

chopped chives, for garnish (I used some dill I had instead)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Place the cauliflower in a roasting pan (I used a rimmed baking sheet). Drizzle with olive oil and season with garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Toss to coat cauliflower. Place in oven and cook 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and garnish with chives. Serve while warm.

So hungry I forgot to make a side dish!

2008-05-30T08:00:00.001-05:00

Yes, it is true. When I got home from work last night I was so hungry I completely forgot to start the potatoes. Actually, I was on the phone with my husband when I walked in the door. Since he is working 2 jobs right now I hardly see him and sometimes talking on the phone is the only talking we do. So, I was a little distracted. But, let's just call this what it is...baby brains coupled with crazy pregnancy appetite!

I saw Paula Deen's recipe for Basil Grilled Chicken on the Food Network website yesterday afternoon and decided that would be dinner. Yes, I start thinking about dinner as soon as lunch is over. This baby must be going through a last minute growth spurt. ;) (Or at least that is what I tell myself) I knew I would just do something simple with potatoes to go with it, but they never crossed my mind again after I got started on the chicken. Usually I begin work on the side dish while the meat is marinating, but this recipe doesn't have a marinade time.

Since I didn't realize I didn't have anything to eat with the chicken until it came off the grill, I decided to eat in shifts. I told you I was starving, so I couldn't possibly wait until I got the potatoes fixed. Plus, the chicken smelled wonderful and I was so excited that I got to use the first basil from my Garden in a Bag project! I couldn't wait to taste it.

This is a great, quick grilled chicken dish. Like I said, no marinating required and it has tons of flavor. I will definitely make it again! I reduced some of the butter since I was using cutlets instead of whole breasts. Plus, we all know how much Paula Deen loves that stuff and it seemed a bit on the heavy side to me. You will notice from the pictures though, it is still a lot of butter!

Basil Grilled Chicken
Source: Paula Deen

3/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
4 skinned chicken breast halves (I used boneless, skinless chicken cutlets)
1/4 cup freshly chopped basil leaves, plus 2 tbsp freshly minced basil leaves
1/3 cup (5 tbsp) butter, melted plus 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temp. (I only used 4 tbsp melted and I used 5 tbsp at room temp.)
1 tbsp grated parmesan
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Fresh basil, for garnish

Press the coarsely ground pepper into the meaty side of the chicken breasts (I did both sides since mine were cutlets). Stir chopped basil into the melted butter and brush chicken lightly with this mixture.

In a small bowl combine softened butter, minced basil, parmesan, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer until smooth. (I just used a spoon to combine everything and it worked out fine). Transfer to a small serving bowl.

Grill the chicken , basting frequently with the remaining melted butter mixture.

Serve the chicken with the basil-butter mixture and garnish with fresh basil. (I just went ahead and spread the basil butter on the chicken as soon as it came off the grill)

*Also, I had a good bit of the basil butter mixture left over, so when I got around to making my potatoes, I just fried them in a mixture of olive oil and the remaining basil butter. They were great!

An Ending and A New Beginning

2008-05-29T20:00:00.006-05:00

Ok, I have a bit of an attention-whorish beginning to this post, but I am just so excited I can not contain myself any longer! Tomorrow is my last day at work!!! I feel like I've been waiting my whole life to be a stay at home mom and as of tomorrow at 4:30, the new adventure begins. Even though my little boy (hopefully) won't be making his appearance for another few weeks, I'm going to be using my work-free time to get the house in order and try to get some rest before the sleepless nights I'm sure to endure soon.

I'm also hoping I'll have some time to try out some new recipes I haven't been able to get to yet. I know there will be a lull in blogging once my little one arrives, so I plan to get a lot in before that happens. Mostly they are dessert recipes that involve baking, and knowing my track record in that department, I don't need to be trying out any of those as a new sleep-deprived mom.

Speaking of new recipes, I tried out a new pork chop recipe earlier this week. I saw it a while back on Celeste's Sugar & Spice. Honestly they were a bit too much work for a weeknight in my opinion, but of course they tasted great so my husband has requested to have them again. And we will, because they were really good and because did I mention I don't have to go back to work after tomorrow??? He says I should have the time now. ;)

The chops were perfectly crunchy and I loved baking them instead of frying them. Not only is it more healthy, but I just don't like to eat greasy meat. And putting them on a rack inside the rimmed baking sheet keeps the bottom from getting soggy. I also roasted some corn in the husks in the oven while the chops cooked. I then cut it off the cob and tossed the kernels with butter, cilantro, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Yum!

Ultra Crunchy Baked Pork Chops

Source: Sugar & Spice, recipe originally from Cooks Illustrated
(my additions/changes in italics)

4 boneless center-cut pork chops, 6 to 8 ounces each, 3/4 to 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat
4 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into 1 inch pieces
1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tbsp)
3 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tbsp)
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
Ground black pepper
2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. minced fresh thyme leaves (I didn't have any, so this got omitted)
2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup plus 6 tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
3 large egg whites
3 tbsp. Dijon mustard
Lemon wedges

Directions:

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.

Pulse bread in food processor until coarsely ground, about eight 1-second pulses (you should have 3 1/2 cups crumbs). (I didn't want to dirty up more dishes, so I did this by hand. It wasn't hard at all and made the crumbs more rustic. I really liked it this way)

Transfer crumbs to rimmed baking sheet and add shallot, garlic, oil, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Toss until crumbs are evenly coated with oil. Bake until deep golden brown and dry, about 15 minutes, stirring twice during baking time. (Do not turn off oven.) Cool to room temperature. Toss crumbs with Parmesan, thyme, and parsley.

Place 1/4 cup flour in pie plate. In second pie plate, whisk egg whites and mustard until combined; add remaining 6 tbsp. flour and whisk until almost smooth, with pea-sized lumps remaining.

Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Spray wire rack with nonstick cooking spray and place in rimmed baking sheet. Season chops with pepper. Dredge 1 pork chop in flour, shake off excess. Using tongs, coat with egg mixture; let excess drip off. Coat all sides of chop with bread crumb mixture, pressing gently so that thick layer of crumbs adheres to chop. Transfer breaded chop to wire rack. Repeat with remaining 3 chops.

Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted in center of chops registered 150 degrees, 17 to 25 minutes. Let rest on rack 5 minutes before serving with lemon wedges. (I just squeezed some lemon juice over my chop before eating and it was great!)

Zebra Brownies

2008-05-27T17:25:00.000-05:00

Whew! Memorial Day weekend was a busy one for me! We pretty much went non-stop, but I did manage to do a bit of baking. ;) Of course, as in all my baking ventures, something wasn't quite right. I did make sure and read the entire recipe before beginning this time, but the problem came in when I thought I had an entire 8 oz. block of cream cheese in the fridge only to discover it was only half a block. For the life of me I can't remember where I used the other 4 oz. So, I had to scale down the cream cheese part of the Zebra Brownies I was making. They still tasted great even if they weren't that pretty.

Let me begin by saying I am VERY picky about my brownies. I don't like the edge pieces because they tend to be crunchy and/or chewy. I like the middle ones best. I want a gooey, fudgy brownie. I would take an undercooked brownie over a hard one. This brownie batter was really thick, but the brownies came out wonderfully gooey and perfect! And if I had enough cream cheese they would have been even better.

Also, next time I will not do the part where it says to drop spoonfuls of batter over the top of the cream cheese mixture. This batter is way too thick for that and swirling just doesn't work out so well. I think it would be better to just put all the batter in the dish, then top with the cream cheese mixture and swirl.

ZEBRA BROWNIES
Source: http://www.recipelink.com/mf/14/22403 (my comments in italics)

FOR THE BROWNIES:
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups flour
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
3 eggs
6 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla

FOR THE FILLING:
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom only of 13x9 inch pan. (I sprayed the entire pan with cooking spray)

Combine all brownie ingredients and mix well (about 1 minute on high speed). Set aside.

In small bowl blend all filling ingredients together at medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute.

Spread 1/2 of brownie batter in prepared pan. Pour filling mixture over batter, spreading to cover. Place spoonfuls of remaining batter on top of filling. Marble by pulling knife through batter in wide curves, then turn pan and repeat. (This is where I would omit the spoonfuls of batter on top)

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes. (30 minutes was perfect for gooey brownies)

Cool. Then refrigerate at least 2 hours before cutting. Cover tightly and store in refrigerator.

Friday Night Dinner

2008-05-23T19:00:00.001-05:00

All day I thought about what I wanted for dinner tonight. I knew it would just be me since Taylor had to work late. I also knew it needed to be chicken because we already had some in the fridge defrosted. And can I just say I LOVE chicken cutlets? They are really the perfect size and cook up so quickly. If you can't get cutlets, or the regular breasts are on sale, you can slice them in half to make your own.

Chicken and potatoes seemed an easy choice. It turned out perfectly and really hit the spot. Actually I am sitting here considering going back for seconds, even thought I know I will be stuffed and miserable. It might just be worth it. ;)

Smoky Chipotle Grilled Chicken
Source: Me

4 chicken breast cutlets
2 chipotles in adobo, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice
1 drop liquid smoke
couple pinches sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a large ziploc bag and marinate for 45 minutes. Get the chicken on the grill and put the marinade in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and let boil about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and let simmer until the chicken comes off the grill. This doesn't really make a glaze. It turned out more like a sauce, and wasn't really pretty in the pan, but it tasted (and looked) great on the chicken! When chicken comes off the grill, top with a little of the sauce.

Fried Potatoes
Source: Any good southern girl knows how to make these :)

2 slightly under-baked potatoes (I use the Idaho variety and "bake" them in the microwave. It takes about1-2 minutes per potato depending on the size)
1 shallot, minced (traditionally you would use white or vidalia onion, but I've been in a shallot mood)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste

Add the oil and butter to a skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and let cook until translucent.

Cut the potatoes in half...

and then cut them into wedges.

Add them to the pan in a single layer and let them hang out. Don't stir them around, just let them crisp up.

Once they have browned on that side turn them over and let them brown on the other side. Add your salt and pepper to taste.

Ok, yeah, I'm going back for seconds...

Grilled Pizza???

2008-05-22T20:00:00.006-05:00

I've have been seeing this concept on many blogs over the past few weeks and keep meaning to give it a try, but things have been a little hectic lately. For one, I went into pre-term labor this past weekend and had to go to the hospital to get those contractions to stop so this baby will have a little more baking time. Contrary to what my husband believes, my tummy does not function like a turkey; just because my belly button has popped out doesn't mean the baby is done cooking!

I am now getting back into the swing of things and decided I would try out this concept of grilled pizza tonight. As you know, I am a big fan of grilling since it keeps the heat outside where it belongs and not inside my house where I am trying to keep it a decent temperature without breaking the bank. Yes, I am the air conditioning nazi. (Just for the record, I am the same way with the heat in the winter. I do not discriminate against seasons)

I made my stand-by no yeast pizza dough and got all my toppings ready to take out to the grill. For me, it was alfredo and pesto sauce with mozzarella, parmesan, pesto-jack, and smoked gouda. I just ran across the pesto-jack at a local grocery store and just HAD to try it out. It did not dissapoint!

I'm sure you don't have to think real hard to know what Taylor had on his pizza. :)

I am now one of grilled pizza's biggest fans. The crust was crispy on the outside and soft inside, with a slight smokiness from the grill. It is my new favorite way to have pizza. You do have to be pretty organized though.

I made the dough and got the crusts rolled out. I then sprayed the grill with olive oil and got it heating up. I gathered my toppings and headed out to the grill. Throw the pizza dough on the grill for about 5 minutes, until the side on the grill is firm and has nice grill marks.

Flip the pizza and add your toppings. Close the lid and let the pizza grill until the cheese is melted. This all happens really quickly so that is why you want to have your toppings out at the grill with you.

Shrimp on a Stick

2008-05-21T19:17:00.002-05:00

Today I read a post by Kate over at Paved with Good Intentions where she noted that a friend of hers says anything is better when served on a stick. She made lemon shrimp on bamboo skewers that made my mouth water! I was already thinking about shrimp for tonight, except mine would be BBQ shrimp because I am still trying to use up the rest of the BBQ sauce from the night we had ribs. So I decided to have BBQ shrimp on a stick! Also, shrimp cooks really quickly so it fit right into my plan to get home and eat as soon as possible.

I just marinated the shrimp in the BBQ sauce for about 45 minutes then put it on skewers and threw it on the grill, brushing it with more sauce as it grilled.

I also wanted something easy for the side so I took some help from the store and made Rice A Roni Nature's Way Parmesan and Romano flavor. It was really good! I highly recommend it for a week night when you need to get something on the table quick.

Love Makes the World Go 'Round

2008-05-19T08:00:00.001-05:00

The blogging world that is! :) I was given the "I Love You This Much" award from Dela at Not Your Mama's Southern Cookin g. She is so sweet and I used to see her every day at lunch (we work together) until she changed jobs and now I never see her. :( How sad!

Now I'm supposed to give this award to 10 other bloggers I love, but love is a strong word to me so I am just choosing the blogs I love to read the most. The blogs I check out regularly, pretty much on a daily basis and I don't have time to read 10 blogs regularly. So here you go:

First and foremost, I give this award to my sister, who has a new blog called Mommy Meals. She just got started so make sure you bookmark it and check back as she adds more recipes (and hopefully some pictures of my nephew because he is seriously the cutest thing EVER!) She is a great mom and a great cook!

I'm also giving this award back to Dela because I love reading her blog too! You probably aren't supposed to give it to people who've already received it, but I think that just shows them that a lot of people love them. And what is wrong with that? Plus, are the blogging police going to come get me for not following the rules???

I also check out Kate's Paved with Good Intentions and Nicole's Art and Aioli regularly. I guess I need to branch out and start reading more blogs. I'll work on that. ;)

Look What I Made!

2008-05-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

Nicole at Art & Aioli tagged me with the "Look What I Made" game! I love trying out recipes I find out in the blogging world, so this tag was perfect for me. Thanks Nicole! I am going to tag Dela, Kate and Amber with this game.

HERE ARE THE RULES to LOOK WHAT I MADE!

1. List the names of 2-5 recipes you tried from other blogs. Provide a direct link to the recipe. If not available, give the blog link and let the reader search for the recipe by name.

2. Shortly describe your experience with the recipe.

3. Tag 3-5 other bloggers or the authors of the recipes you listed to post the links to the recipes they have tried from other bloggers. Note: If you are new to the blogging world and haven’t had a chance to try any recipes from your fellow foodies, just pass the tag on to someone else.

4. Notify the tagged bloggers about the tag either by leaving a comment on their blogs or by emailing them.

Here are some recipes from other bloggers I’ve made since the inception of my blog 8 months ago (the links are to the original recipes, but you can search my blog for my versions):

1. Southern Apple Cobbler. The recipe was originally a peach cobbler from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody. I don’t like peaches though, so I made mine apple. It was the perfect cobbler and is now my go-to recipe.

2. Chocolate Chip Cooke Dough Dip. Lots of people have blogged about this recipe, but I got it from Michelle at Sugar & Spice. If you’ve somehow missed making this, you should try it. I’ve made it several times since and it is ALWAYS a hit!!

3. Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad. This recipe came from Amber’s Delectable Delights. I’ve been meaning to make it again because I really enjoyed it and it was inhaled at the party where it made its debut. I am making myself a note right now.

4. Spicy Thai Shrimp. Thanks goes to Kate at Paved with Good Intentions for this one. I love all things spicy and this recipe did not disappoint!

5. PW’s Perfect Risotto. The Pioneer Woman knows a thing or two about risotto. It truly was perfect and I didn’t even use the right kind of rice. (Read: I’m lazy and didn’t want to go to the store when I had another kind of rice already in my pantry)

How Does My Garden Grow?

2008-05-13T19:42:00.000-05:00

With the addition of peppers! (They are in the yellow pots on the sides) I have been talking about getting peppers to plant since my herbs are doing pretty well at this point. I love the idea of being able to walk outside and get ingredients rather than having to run to the grocery store. Also the fact that it saves money doesn't hurt my feelings any either. My sister and brother-in-law got me some pepper plants for my first mother's day, serrano peppers and cayenne peppers.

I can't wait until I can add these to some dishes and spice things up! :)

Garlic Cream Chicken and Rice

2008-05-13T19:40:00.003-05:00

Ok, finally another food post! I realize this is a food blog and my past two entries were about my anniversary/my life, but hey, it's my blog. I can post anything I want. I can even be a little attention-whorish sometimes. ;)

But now, I am back with food. Tonight we had Garlic Cream Chicken. I've had this recipe saved for a while, but for some reason I just haven't made it yet. I changed it a lot, but the biggest change was that the original recipe called for 3 heads of garlic (for 4 chicken breasts) and you were to leave the cloves whole through out the cooking process. Now we love garlic at our house, but have you ever heard the saying, "too much of a good thing?" I decided to cut down on the garlic a lot and to press it so that you wouldn't bite into a chunk while eating your chicken.

I served the chicken over rice to soak up the wonderful garlic sauce. It really is a great recipe!

Garlic Cream Chicken and Rice
Source: Adapted from Elizabeth's Cooking Experiments, which she adapted from www.adamandmonika.com

6 cloves garlic, pressed
4 chicken cutlets (or 2 full size breasts)
salt & freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1 1/2tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
flat leaf parsley, rough chopped, for garnish
cayenne pepper, sprinkled over the top

Season chicken liberally with salt & pepper. Heat the butter and oil n a large deep pan over medium heat. Sauté chicken until nicely browned (~5 min per side). Chicken does not have to be fully cooked at this point. Transfer chicken to a plate and get the rice cooking.

Add garlic to the pan, lower heat to medium, and sauté until soft. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Add stock and bring to a boil. Return chicken to the pot. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove chicken to a platter and cover with foil.

Add cream and boil for about 3 minutes. Plate rice, sprinkle parmesan cheese over the rice. Add a little sauce then chicken and more sauce. Top with parsley and sprinkle with cayenne pepper.

12 months makes a big difference...

2008-05-12T08:01:00.001-05:00

I was looking through my wedding pics and this just happened to make me laugh. I thought I'd share...

Me on my wedding day, 12 months ago:

Me yesterday, a little over 7 months pregnant:

My how things change! LOL! I sure wish I had that tan right about now! I didn't realize how white I am until it was staring me in the face.

Happy Anniversary to me!!

2008-05-12T08:00:00.005-05:00

One year ago today I changed my last name and promised to put someone else above myself for the rest of my life. I can not believe it has already been a year! And if you will please do the math, our baby is not due until NEXT month...that's right, we were married a whole 4 months before getting pregnant! ;)

Anyway, we are going out to dinner tonight to celebrate. We aren't doing big gifts since the baby is coming soon and that is pretty much the biggest gift ever!

So, I leave you with some pics of that perfect day 12 months ago...

Mothers Day...

2008-05-10T20:00:00.006-05:00

I'm not technically a mom yet, but give me about 7 weeks and I will be. ;) My husband got me the PBK diaper bag I wanted for my first (almost) mother's day. Yes, I picked out my own gift. I personally see nothing wrong with that! It's a win-win situation for everyone.

For my mom, I wanted to make a dessert she would enjoy. We are all going to my grandmothers to hang out and have pizza so none of the mom's have to cook. I thought something sweet would be nice so I started thinking about some of my mom's favorite things. She loves chocolate turtles. You know, the chocolate, pecan and caramel candies? I found a recipe for a Chocolate Turtle Tart and knew I'd hit the jackpot. It sounds exactly like something she would like. This would also allow me to use my new cast iron pan I purchased several weeks ago if I made it into tartlettes. Of course you can only make 6 with that pan, so I also used a muffin tin.

The tartlettes in the muffin tins turned out better than the cast iron pan. I think it needs to be seasoned more thoroughly because they stuck and didn't come out near as pretty as I wanted.

I also had a hard time with the caramel. It was a lot harder to make than than I thought. Overall they came out ok though. Not as pretty as I'd envisioned, but Taylor ate 3 for dessert after dinner tonight and he said they were excellent! At least they tasted good even if they weren't as pretty as I would have liked.

This is what the cast iron pan produced. If you look closely on the left side you can see where I had to destroy it to get it out of the pan. I tried to camouflage it as best I could. :)

Chocolate Turtle Tart

Source: About.com

Serving Size: 16
Preparation Time: 4:00

For the crust:
3 2/3 cups pecans, halves or whole, to be processed in Cuisinart.
1 1/4 cups sugar
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling:
1 pound fine semi-sweet chocolate
2 cups heavy cream

For the Caramel Sauce:
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup crushed pecans (garnish)

Crust: In a food processor blend pecans and sugar together, add melted butter in a steady stream until combined well. Turn out mixture into a 12' tart shell pan with removable bottom. Press into 1/8" thickness on bottom and 3/8" for sides. Bake at 350 for approx. 20-25 min. or till toasted then cool.

Filling: Bring cream to a boil and pour over coarsely chopped chocolate. Mix until chocolate is melted and mixture is combined well. Pour onto cooled crust and refrigerate for 3 hours. May be stored over night.

Sauce: In a heavy sauce pan, heat and melt the butter, add the sugar and cook until medium brown not burnt. Remove from the heat and add the heavy whipping cream, be ready for it to boil up quickly and be ready with a utensil to stir it. Mix thoroughly until mixture turns a rich golden color, it will darkens lightly as it continues to cook with its own retained heat off of the burner. That is the reason you do not bring the butter-sugar mixture to the color you want to end up with but you stop short of that color since it will darken. If you bring the sugar-butter mixture to the color you want to finish with you will end up with a burnt caramel. This can happen, and you may find that you toss out the first attempt and the second try will be perfect. Straining the caramel through a small strainer will create a smoother texture of caramel but is not necessary.

To Serve: Drizzle warm, not hot, sauce over thin slices of tart, garnish optional with chocolate curl or pecan half.

Dinner in a bowl

2008-05-09T19:45:00.001-05:00

When I made the sauce for the ribs Wednesday night there was a ton leftover. That was fine because we both really liked it and I had already planned to make grilled chicken tonight, so it became BBQ grilled chicken. Yum! But what to go with it???

I have some fresh corn I stuck in the freezer and of course we always have potatoes, so my mind wandered to a dish I threw together right after Taylor and I got married. I had grilled some chicken and made sautéed potatoes for dinner, but Taylor had to work late. So, I just cubed the grilled chicken and threw it in a Tupperware dish with the potatoes for him to heat up when he got home. He loved it! He ate it right out of the container and said he liked having the chicken and potatoes all mixed together. He has asked for it several times since then. I really do have an easy to please husband.

Tonight I decided to do a similar dish and add some corn to the mix this time. This was super easy and quick and of course fabulous! I think this may be the best meal I've had/made in a long time. All the flavors went perfectly together! I ate so much I am now reclined back sighing and watching my belly jump as Logan enjoys it too. Ha!

Oh, and I got to use the first little sprigs of cilantro from my garden in a bag!! I was so excited!

Jaime’s BBQ Chicken, Potatoes and Corn Bowl

4 chicken cutlets (or 2 chicken breasts pounded thin)
1 cup Southwestern BBQ Sauce, plus more for basting
4 ears fresh corn
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp melted butter
4 medium red potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp onion powder
salt and black pepper, to taste
juice of 1/2 a lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Place the chicken in the BBQ sauce to marinate while you prepare the other items.

Wash the potatoes and prick them several times all over with a fork. Microwave for about 5 minutes or until tender. Let cool. When they are cool enough to handle, dice them. Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil just starts to smoke it means it is ready for you to add the potatoes. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp of the onion powder and let them sit and get crispy. When you see the edges browning up, toss them around, but be sure you get them back in one layer. Now add the other tbsp of onion powder. Once they are all crispy and brown, remove from the heat and let them hang out until you are ready for them.

Shuck the corn and add the paprika, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and salt to the melted butter.

Preheat your grill and add the chicken and the corn. I like to put a little olive oil on my grill before I preheat it so the chicken doesn’t stick. Baste the chicken with the BBQ sauce and the corn with the butter each time you turn it.

Once the chicken and corn are all grilled and yummy looking, take them inside. Cut the corn off the cob into a serving bowl. Add the potatoes and toss. Cube the chicken and add to the mix and squeeze the lime juice over it all Top with cilantro.

9.5 out of 10!

2008-05-07T20:58:00.000-05:00

Brace yourself, coming at you is another Emeril recipe. I don’t know why when I am searching through hundreds of recipes his always stick out for me. Maybe it is because a lot of his food is spicy and garlicky…my two favorite things! (I’m not even sure if garlicky is a word, but you get my point)

Tonight we had BBQ pork spare ribs, Emeril style. I’ve only made ribs one other time in my life and they were good, but I underestimated how much cooking time they would require. Tonight I went in with my eyes wide open. I knew I would not be eating until after 8:00 p.m. Don't worry, I had a snack. ;)

This was a true test of my BBQ skills. Ribs are Taylor’s favorite meal…ever. He is also a traditionalist, so I was worried he would think the ribs were not up to his standard since I am not known for going the traditional route; hence the Emeril recipe. He was pleasantly surprised. He gave these ribs and sauce a 9.5 out of 10!!! My cooking has never been so flattered. He even said the ribs were great even without the sauce but the sauce was the perfect complement. The sauce is spicy though! It starts out sweet and then gives you a good kick at the end.

The only thing I would do differently is not put the sauce on the ribs while they are on the grill or at least just put a very thin layer. The sugar in the sauce caused it to make a pretty thick crust that just made for messy ribs. If you don't mind messy ribs, go ahead and cake on that sauce!

Pork Spare Ribs with Southwestern Barbecue Sauce

Source: Emeril

2 slabs pork spare ribs, about 3 pounds each - I only used one as you can see
2 tablespoons liquid crab boil
2 teaspoons, plus 1 tablespoon salt
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne
Southwestern Barbecue Sauce, recipe follows

Place the ribs in a large Dutch oven or stockpot. Cover with water and add the crab boil, 2 teaspoons of the salt, and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain.

In a bowl, combine the sugar, paprika, chili powder, black pepper, remaining tablespoon of salt, and cayenne. Pat the ribs dry and rub well with the spice mixture.

Lightly oil the grill rack on a barbecue grill, and preheat to medium-low (about 250 to 275 degrees F). Arrange the ribs on the rack and cover (with foil or upside down hotel pan). Cook, turning every 20 minutes, until tender, about 2 hours, replenishing charcoal as needed. During the last 20 minutes of cooking time, baste the ribs with the sauce, turning twice. Remove the ribs from the grill and serve the ribs with remaining sauce and fried pork rinds.

If you want to make this dish in the oven: After rubbing ribs with spice mixture, place them in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes. Remove. Slather ribs with BBQ sauce, wrap in heavy-duty plastic wrap, then wrap in foil, and return to the oven to bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Southwestern Barbecue Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons chopped chipotle chiles in adobo, with adobo sauce
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup molasses
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until the onions are lightly caramelized, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and chiles, and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar and lime juice and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the adobo sauce, tomato sauce, molasses, mustard, bay leaves and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until thick, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain.
Yield: 4 cups

A First Time for Everything

2008-05-06T19:16:00.002-05:00

Tonight I prepared lamb for the first time. I've eaten it on several occasions and really enjoyed it, but to be honest it has always scared me a little when it comes to making it at home. I was never really sure what to do with it, plus it is usually pretty expensive. Well, one of my local grocery stores happened to put shoulder blade lamb chops on sale last weekend, so I went on a search for a recipe. I knew I wanted to grill the chops since it's summer and lets just be honest, I really love the grill.

I never found a recipe that struck my fancy, so I decided to just wing it. I ended up making my own Asian marinade and letting it soak all day while I was at work. I LOVED the marinade. It turned out perfectly. I also reduced it to make a glaze for the chops after they came in off the grill.

The only complaint I have is that I think I would have preferred the smaller chops you usually think of when you think lamb chops. These had a fair amount of fat on them and were marbled through out. I am repulsed by fat so it takes quite a while for me to cut the meat off the bone and inspect it for residual fat on the edges. That being said, the meat was fantastic and if they go on sale again it's fair to say I'll be purchasing them. Taylor has only had lamb one other time and he didn't really remember what it tasted like. I think he enjoyed it since I caught him gnawing on the bone when he thought I wasn't looking. Yes, people actually do that in the south. I, however, am not one of those people!

We had roasted potatoes tossed with toasted sesame oil and McCormick's Mediterranean Sea Salt Blend as our side. They went great with the lamb and are super easy. Wash and slice the potatoes, toss with oil and spices and stick in a 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Asian Style Lamb Chops
Source: Me

4 shoulder blade lamb chops
1 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp minced ginger
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp red pepper flakes
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp sugar
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all marinade ingredients in a freezer bag and add the chops. Marinade all day (mine were in the marinade about 10 hours) or a minimum of 2 hours. The longer they soak the more flavor they will absorb. Grill chops about 4-5 minutes (per side) on high heat depending on the thickness of your chops.

Put the marinade in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer until it thickens and makes a syrupy sauce (the glaze). When the chops come off the grill baste with glaze.

When in Rome...

2008-05-06T07:45:00.001-05:00

Ok, so we aren't really in Rome but since we had an Italian type meal last night with the fantastico shrimp pasta, I decided to make strawberry gelato for dessert. Taylor and I first had gelato on our honeymoon in Disney World. Our first dinner there was at a restaurant named Spoodles at the Boardwalk Resort. I have to say that it was the best meal we had the entire time! Our dessert that night was a first for us both, hazelnut gelato. It was SO good and creamy; more creamy and less icy than American ice cream. We both fell in love with gelato that night, and while we were in Italy at Epcot we had gelato again! You can find it in the grocery store, but only in about 3 flavors and it is ridiculously expensive.

I decided to make strawberry gelato mostly because there was a pound of strawberries in my fridge that were about to go bad. I really needed to use them up and I happened to find a recipe that called for exactly one pound of strawberries. I think it was fate! ;)

Let me just tell you, this gelato was extremely easy to make. I mixed the ingredients when I got home, stuck them in the fridge while I cooked dinner, and when dinner was done I poured it into my wonderful Cuisinart ice cream maker (this was my first time to use it and it is now one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. It was a wedding gift!). About 30 minutes later, we had gelato!

Strawberry Gelato
Click here for the original recipe

1 lb. fresh strawberries
12 oz. granulated sugar, about 1.5 cups
1.5 cup cold whipping cream
1.5 cup cold water
Dash of lemon juice (only if fruit isn’t “bright” enough)

Clean and cut washed berries into quarters, or just smaller pieces. Put berries, sugar and water into a blender or food processor and blend until liquid and smooth. (This is also where you’ll add lemon juice if necessary.) Whip the cream until slightly thickened - like the consistency of buttermilk. Combine the cream with the strawberry mixture and mix thoroughly until blended.

Freeze as indicated by the manufacturer of your ice cream maker.

Hola!

2008-05-05T19:54:00.005-05:00

Well it is Cinco de Mayo and I have no Mexican dish to present you. Sorry, but Mexican food just didn’t make the list this week. I did make that spicy black bean dip Saturday. Go have a look at that recipe if you feel cheated.

However, tonight we did have an awesome meal even if does fall more on the Italian side of the culinary spectrum. It comes from the Pioneer Woman and if you’ve never read her blog go there now. Stop reading and click the link. She is hilarious and her recipes are amazing. I’ve yet to try one I didn’t like.

What first drew me to this recipe was the picture on the left hand side of her page. She features different recipes there and if they strike my fancy, I usually check them out. This one happens to be for a shrimp pasta with a tomato cream sauce. I am beginning to love tomato cream sauces. They work great for my family because Taylor would rather have a tomato based sauce and I would rather have a cream based sauce. Now we have the best of both worlds!

Shrimp Farfalle in a Tomato Cream Sauce

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman’s Penne a la Betsy

3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp olive oil
1 lb. Shrimp, peeled and de-veined
3/4 lb. Farfalle pasta (otherwise known as bow tie pasta)
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken stock
8 oz. Tomato sauce
1 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp basil
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Put a pot of water on the stove to boil (for the pasta). Heat 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet. Add shrimp and cook until opaque. Remove to a plate. Add the pasta to the now boiling water. Add 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp olive oil to the skillet from earlier and add the shallot and garlic, stirring occasionally. Chop shrimp into bite size pieces (remember to remove the tails if yours still have them on). Add chicken stock, tomato sauce and cream to the pan with the onions and garlic, one at a time and stir to combine before adding the next liquid. Add shrimp to tomato cream sauce and salt and black pepper to taste. Add herbs and stir together. Drain pasta and add to sauce. Serve hot with fresh grated parmesan cheese on top!

Bragging Rights

2008-05-05T08:06:00.000-05:00

I usually use this term when talking about football. More specifically SEC football. And even more specifically Auburn vs. Alabama football. WAR EAGLE baby! Anyway, this post is not about tossing around the pigskin and who gets bragging rights for the year. It is about me bragging about my sister. My baby shower was this weekend and she did an amazing job of coordinating it. She made several of the hors devours and she made the cake. It was her first time, as far as I know, to make a cake for an event like this and I think she did a WONDERFUL job! You all know my experience with baking so there is no way I could have pulled this off. Plus she has my 20 month old nephew to chase around and another little boy she keeps during the week. Anyway, this is simply a post to brag on her and show off her cake. I forgot to use the flash on my camera so the picture is a little fuzzy. Sorry, I had a lot going on that day. ;)