I'd Rather be Cooking

Cooking with a Toddler...

2012-01-17T15:33:00.004-05:00

"Ooo, ooo, ooo, please give me another Candy Cane Joe-Joe*!"

"Oh, maybe if I smile while begging, I'll get another one."

"Let me think about this, does she even know that it is only 8 in the morning and she is feeding me cookies?"

"Hi Mommy! Thank you for the cookie and for letting me cook with you!!"

Okay, I admit. I love this child. And I'll also admit, because I am a push-over mommy, I did in fact let him eat a Candy Cane Joe-Joe before he had eaten breakfast...Well, what really happened was I put the Joe-Joe's in the food processor and he was on his stool and kept saying "watch, watch" so I showed the bowl of the processor to him and he immediately grabbed a cookie, seriously, the kid has cat-like reflexes. I was so impressed with his prowess, I decided to let him eat the cookie :)

We had a little office party for my co-workers, I mean Jeremy's co-workers. If I had an office party for my job it would be me and Owen and that would complete the guest list! So I made a variety of treats, my favorite and easiest treat were these delish Candy Cane Joe-Joe Balls!

Candy Cane Joe-Joe Balls

*Trader Joe's (better) version of the peppermint Oreo!
Makes: LOTS

Ingredients:
1 box of Candy Cane Joe-Joes, Peppermint Oreos, or just pain old Joe-Joe's or Oreos!
1 package of cream cheese
1 1/2 packages of Hersey's White Chocolate Chips
1 package Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Bits (I, of course, couldn't find them in the Little Apple, so I used the peppermint candies and crunched them up.)

Instructions:
Toss the Joe-Joe's and the softened cream cheese into your food processor. Process. Once all the cookies are broken up and mixed in well with the cream cheese, start making little balls. I advise placing them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.

After you are done making far too many balls, pop them in the freezer for about a half hour. When you are ready, melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Now, this is where it gets a bit messy. Use two spoons and plop the balls (I am using such amazing vocabulary right now) in the chocolate, making sure all sides are covered, then place back on the parchment lined cookie sheet. Before the chocolate hardens, drop a few Andes peppermint crunchies on top. Delish!

Super easy and yummy. I might make them for the Super Bowl and dip them in dark chocolate with some white stripes...We'll see!

Our one and only pic in front of our Christmas Tree - and we blocked it to boot!

I haven't been cooking

2012-01-11T21:35:00.001-05:00

Instead I've been knitting for the new babies in my life! My cousin Jamie had a little baby girl at the beginning of December and requested strawberries! So I figured out how to make a little ruffled edge on the booties and found some little white flower buttons. LOVE. And for the hat, I made a little crocheted flower and stitched it onto a barrette so she could also use it on a headband at some point. So sweet! Can't wait to post a picture of her wearing the little berry getup!

Jeremy's brother and his wife had there first baby on Christmas (previously mentioned!). When Mandy was still pregs she requested Robin's Egg Blue if she had a boy - and here they are! I LOVE them and can't wait to put them on his little feet in a week!! Again, will post when I have pictures!

I leave you with a picture of my favorite little stinker. He doesn't have much hair, but enough to have fun at bath time!

New Year's Resolution: Bake More

2012-01-01T21:25:00.000-05:00


Owen and Auntie Katie decorating the "Happy Birthday Jesus" cake - he loved it!

I'm not a big baker. In general, I usually fail miserably at it. For example, this morning I attempted to make crepes for the first time in a crepe pan my husband got me two Christmases ago. Yes, I've had it for two years and never busted it out of the box. Anyfood, I finally decided to try it out. After four failed attempts with each crepe sticking to my well buttered pan, I finally gave up. Now, I don't know if crepes count as baking, but they made me feel like a miserable failure in the kitchen.

Now arts and crafts, yes please. I love, love, love being crafty. I made these little tissue paper poofers for Jeremy's cousin's wife's shower (mouthful, jeez) while we were in Detroit. They take a little time, but how stinking cute?? I found the tutorial here if you want to make some of your own!

Here are the Stephens ladies! Alas, Amy, the most adorable prego lady ever, is in the middle, hiding her belly! Isn't her dress just the cutest?

The theme for her shower was Strawberry Shortcake (thus the hot pink, light pink, and red poofers!). So I made strawberry cupcakes that were TOO.DIE.FOR. Seriously, they were amazing!! I chalk it up to the fresh strawberries and cake flour. You MUST make these!!!

Strawberry Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 34 ~ adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cake flour, (not self-rising)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 1/4 cups sugar

3 large eggs

1 large egg white

1 cup whole milk

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups finely chopped strawberries, plus small strawberries for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.

2. Reduce speed to low. Mix any remaining wet ingredients in a bowl if needed. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with wet ingredients and ending with dry. Scrape sides of bowl. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.

3. Bake cupcakes until testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks. Cupcakes will keep, covered, for up to 3 days, unless otherwise noted.

Cream Cheese Frosting

(BTW the original recipe calls for strawberry buttercream frosting. I do not like buttercream frosting at all - I don't know what it is. maybe I have just been spoiled by cream cheese frosting?)

Instructions

3 3/4 cups powdered sugar

1 stick of butter, salted, softened (I made it with unsalted butter once and it just wasn't as good, so if you only have unsalted, add some kosher salt to compensate)

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened.

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Blend together in your mixer and DONE. Save extra for topping boring old graham crackers, or animal crackers that you have purchased for your toddler...also delish on nilla wafers!

Christmas Edition!

2011-12-31T21:53:00.000-05:00

My favorite Christmas present! (Don't judge with the "fof," as Owen calls it. It was late in the evening and it allowed us to stick around the party a little longer!)

Well, no Christmas recipes, just Christmas pictures! Although I have a yummy Peppermint Oreo Truffle recipe that I need to post. I just haven't taken the picture yet and I've been fighting off Jeremy as he wants to finish them. I finally had to hide them in the freezer in the garage!

Owen LOVED opening presents! LOVED. Look at his excitement! It was so cute! Please also note his Lions t-shirt - I think they made it to the playoffs because of how cute he looked :)

One of the best Christmas surprises we received this year was our new nephew Hudson! He was born on Christmas morning! Owen and Grandma had some bonding time over Skype!

So, besides loving to open presents, Owen went nuts for Christmas lights! And Grandpa was a sport and took him for several walks around the block to check out "Sansa" (O hasn't quite gotten the "t" into Santa, but any time you say Santa Owen responds with "ho, ho, ho") and the lights. It was a bit cold so we layered him up! But that didn't stop him from saying and signing, "mo, mo!" Seriously, I am obsessed with this kid!!

The cold weather (actually, today it was in the 60s, but let's pretend it is actually winter in Kansas) inspired some delish tomato soup! I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen - if you haven't checked out this website, why not?? She makes delightful food. This tomato soup recipe is like french onion in that you get a deliciously soggy bite of toast with sharp cheddar with every bite. Amazing!

Roasted Tomato Soup with Broiled Cheddar

Soup Ingredients

3 pounds plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise (I can never find plum tomatoes, so I normally use Roma)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large or 4 small cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon (or more to taste) dried crushed red pepper
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Cheddar Lid Ingredients
4 1-inch slices from a large loaf of rye bread, whole wheat sourdough or bread of your choice (or 16 1-inch slices from a baguette), toasted until hard and lightly buttered on one side
1 tablespoon grated raw onion
1 cup coarsely grated cheddar (or more to taste

Soup Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap garlic cloves in a tight foil packet. Place tomatoes, cut side up, on large baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper (SK used 1 full teaspoon of Kosher salt). Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil. Add foil packet of garlic to tray. Roast until tomatoes are brown and tender (garlic will be very tender), about 1 hour. Cool slightly.

Unwrap garlic packet and peel cloves. Transfer cloves, tomatoes and any accumulated juices to a blender or food processor and pulse machine on and off until tomatoes are a chunky puree. Transfer tomatoes to medium pot and add thyme, crushed red pepper and stock and bring to a boil Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and adjust seasonings to taste.

Cheddar Lid Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Arrange four ovenproof soup bowls, crocks or large mugs on a large, foil-lined baking sheet. (I have adorable soup bowls from Crate & Barrel - I just wish they were a teeny tiny bit bigger!) Stir grated onion into the warm soup. Float toast slice(s) in each bowl, buttered side up and divide grated cheese generously over top. (If you’re using a wide bowl, you might find that you want more cheese to create a thick, broiled lid.) Bake soups on tray for 15 to 20 minutes, until cheese on top is bubbling and brown at the edges. If you’d like it even more bronzed on top, preheat your broiler and finish soups for a minute or two under it. Serve immediately. (Be careful, the bowls are so hot and so is the soup! So maybe not *immediately*.)

We've hired someone to clear the driveway...

2011-12-20T21:41:00.000-05:00

He removed his mittens specifically to play with his new shovel.

So, do you think this violates any child labor laws in Kansas?? We had our first real snow this season and O took full advantage (and so did I) of being outside! Why is there such a difference playing in the frigid windy weather versus the snow?The picture above was taken when daddy got home and introduce O to his new snow shovel. It would be an understatement to say he loved it.

His first steps in the crunchy snow - he motored all over!

We played for quite a while in the backyard: we marched all around, played on the fort, made snow angels and snowballs, and finally he was worn out!

This was right before he headed down the snowy slide! He got stuck a few times, but enjoyed it none the less!

I love how bright blue his eyes are in his blue snow gear! He worked up quite the appetite after our little snow day and I made him this:

He goes back and forth with eating veggies. The only sure way to get him to eat them is to incorporate them into a dish. He not only gobbled this up, but stood on his stool, in between my arms, as I chopped the peppers and rosemary and kept stuffing chopped peppers in his mouth. I refuse to have a picky eater!!!

Orzo with Rainbow Veggies

Adapted from "Cooking for Baby"
Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

Salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 cup orzo
1 Tbsp EVOO
1tsp minced rosemary (yay, my rosemary plant is still thriving - in the basement no less!)
1/2 cup diced red and yellow bell peppers (I used orange instead of yellow, obvi)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 tsp fresh lemon juice (oh how I wish I lived in CA where I would have my very own lemon tree and wouldn't be forced to pay up to $.50 for a lemon.)

Instructions

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add a large pinch of salt and the orzo. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 10 minutes, or according to package directions. Drain.
In a frying pan, over medium heat, heat the EVOO. Add rosemary and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add bell peppers and peas and saute until tender, about 3 minutes.
Add orzo to the pan and toss with veggies. Sprinkle with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bon Appetite for your little ones!

Giving the Beef a Break

2011-12-08T16:43:00.001-05:00

Oh my, these boys melt my heart every time! Aren't they just the cutest? My mom bought them little knives at Sur la Table (don't worry, they are for kids and are more blunt than a spoon!) so they can help her cook! They had a ball chopping lettuce and mushrooms - and Owen also enjoyed snacking on the mushrooms. My little herbivore. Love that kid! Anyfood, the little men like helping in the kitchen. While adorable, it can take 5x longer to get a meal done!

My latest Weeknight Gourmet meal involved lamb. I am NOT a lamby fan. At all. J loves the little sheep. It tends to be too gamey for me, so I leave it to J to order it from a restaurant as I will not cook it. However, a friend of ours from DC raved about Ina's lamb kabobs. Like 3 years ago. And I finally looked it up - partly because I wanted to give it another shot, and partly because I'm beefed out. Holy cow (haha), have I been missing out!!!! This little lamby was DELISH!!! Maybe it was because I marinated it for 2 days, or maybe because it was cooked perfectly by the Jman. Either way, I am a convert.

Lamb Kabobs

Barefoot Contessa at Home - Serves 8-12 (I modified it for 2)

Ingredients

4 pounds top round lamb (I had some issues procuring some top round lamb. I ended up with lamb stew meat which was perfect as it was already cubed.)
2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 to 5 cloves)
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
4 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1/2 cup mild olive oil
1/2 cup dry red wine
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Kosher salt
4 small red onions
4 pints cherry tomatoes
Skewers

Directions

Cut the lamb in 1 1/2-inch cubes. You should have about 40 cubes. Combine the garlic, rosemary, thyme, olive oil, red wine, vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl. Add the lamb cubes, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight or for up to 2 days. Toss occasionally.

Heat a charcoal grill with coals. Spread the coals in 1 tight layer on the grill. (We followed our Weber gas grill directions for lamb and it was perfect!)

Cut the red onions in quarters and separate each quarter into 3 or 4 sections. Loosely thread 3 or 4 pieces of lamb alternately with sections of onion on skewers. Sprinkle both sides of the lamb with salt and pepper. Next place 4 or 5 cherry tomatoes on skewers, threading them through the stem of the tomato. Rub the tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

First, place the lamb skewers on the hot grill and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, turning 2 or 3 times, until the lamb is medium rare. Approximately 5 minutes before the lamb is done, place the tomato skewers on the grill, turning once, until seared on the outside but still firm inside.

We ate it with Zov's rice pilaf - TO DIE FOR. I will share this recipe later as I am currently sitting in my hotel bed in Denver and don't have my cookbook with me :)

Bon Appetit!

Thanksgiving AAR

2011-12-01T20:58:00.001-05:00

In the Army, when you host an event, field exercise, organization day, etc., you are required (or maybe it was just me?) to draft an AAR: After Action Report. I have found the AAR to be particularly useful in my everyday life as well. Specifically when it comes to cooking and trips home!

This Thanksgiving was quite possibly the best Thanksgiving yet! Not only did we spend it at my Aunt Wink and Uncle Mikey's house, but friends from Fort Lewis were able to join us! My dear friend Jenn and her family recently moved to California from Hawaii and didn't have Thanksgiving plans. My auntie immediately said to bring them! I haven't seen Jenn since Jeremy and I got married 3 1/2 years ago! Since then we've both moved twice and had babies! So fun to meet her little one Hannah!

It was so fun to see my aunties and cousins. My Auntie Val and Cousin Tori finally got to meet Owen who was quite the Turkey.

Every year, my sissy makes the very best apple pie I have EVER consumed. And this year was no different. Except for the fact that I helped peel the apples and then promptly clogged my parents' plumbing thus requiring a plumber on Thanksgiving Eve at 9 PM. SWEET. You MUST try this pie, it is AMAZING!!!!!!

Autumn Apple Pie

Ingredients

Pastry for single crust 9" pie

3/4 to 1 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp grated lemon rind (optional)

6 cups sliced, pared tart cooking apples, 1/4" thick (Em always uses Granny Smith)

Topping

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup grated Cheddar Cheese (The secret ingredient!! Amazing!!)

Instructions

1. Prepare pastry and line a heatproof pie dish.

2. Mix together sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and grated lemon rind. Add to prepared apples, tossing lightly to combine.

3. Fill pastry with apple pie filling.

4. Prepare topping by cutting butter into dry ingredients until crumbly. Stir in cheese. Sprinkle evenly over apple filling.

5. Bake at 425* for 50 to 55 minutes. Cover topping with aluminum foil during last 10 minutes of baking to prevent over browning.

Serve with real whipped cream - Bon Appetit!

Fall, FINALLY!

2011-10-30T21:34:00.002-04:00

I've been WAITING for yoga pants and sweatshirt weather and it is finally here! Oh wait, not it isn't. This finicky flip-flop weather is making KA-RAZY. Last week the high (according to my car) was 49*, the next day it was 70* and by Monday, 78* - WHAT? At least I've not put away my flips and shorts.

Anyhow, when it was actually fall-like last week, I made pumpkin scones - so delish! I added dark cherries (from TJ's) instead of white chocolate chips and pecans. I honestly believe they are magic scones as it turned Owen's frown upside down the morning I made them. He was being a bit of a pill and rejecting all food (except for bananas of course) until I offered a pumpkin scone. Maybe it was the sugar, but I am going to believe it was the pumpkin that soothed his little spirit!

Pumpkin Scones

From my dear friend Angela

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup solid packed pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla extract

Optional:
1/3 cup chopped white chocolate
1/4 cup chopped pecans
**I skipped these two and added 1/2 cup dried cherries. For some bizzaro reason I just don't like chocolate for breakfast. I know, crazy, right?

Instructions

Mix flour, sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Cut butter into small pieces and cut into flour. Mixture should look like course crumbs. In a separate bowl mix together the pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and mix until the dough comes together (don't over-mix). Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead gently 3-4 times (until it comes together), and then shape/pat dough into a circle about 1 1/2 inches thick. Slice in half and then cut each half into 3 equal pie-shaped wedges. Alternatively, roll out and cut with a biscuit cutter. Brush with egg glaze (1 egg beaten with 1 T mil), and sprinkle with sugar. Bake on cookie sheet at #75* for 20 minutes.

On top of the delish pumpkin scones, we went to the most ghetto pumpkin patch!

There was a crazy creepy petting zoo with piggies, chickens, turkeys, goats and calves. The piggies were certainly aggressive.

The turkeys were just about as big as O - I invited them to dinner but they declined...

Owen was not fooled by the saddle sitting on a bale of hay instead of a horse...

"I think I'll take this one. I can carry it all by myself!"

Jeremy was hesitant to put O on the tetanus tractor...

Little Man is about 2.5 feet!

Everybody Loves Meatballs!

2011-10-17T17:25:00.000-04:00

So I've been making my own baby food, which is easy peasy - and so much cheaper! But now that O has graduated to chunkier food, I sometimes struggle with what to feed him. And every day is a new adventure: what he loved on Monday, he most assuredly WILL NOT love on Tuesday. So making enough for several servings can totally backfire on me. Thus the black beans and chicken that I busted out on Friday have been languishing in my fridge and will most likely form the base of my salad for lunch!

I've discovered that O goes nuts, I mean, SERIOUSLY NUTS, for turkey meatballs. When he first started gobbling (haha) them down, he only had room in his cheeks, I mean stomach, for two. Now, he can pack in about five. I don't know where it fits as he is a skinny little man! There is one draw back to feeding O meatballs every day: he smells like my dad after eating raw onions. Seriously, little man had THE WORST breath - so we space it out a bit!


O is rocking a University of Michigan jersey - love it!

The best part about these meatballs are that they are pleasing to my pallet as well! And Jeremy declared me the "best wife" because I suggested we make meatball subs for the baseball game - who knew he was so easy to please???

Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients:
1 large egg
1/3 cup milk
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2/3 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 pound ground turkey (preferably 93% lean)

Instructions:
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, 1/ 1/4 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper with a fork. Stir int he onion, breadcrumbs, cheese and parsley. Add the turkey and mix until combined. Form the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls.

Bake at 400* for 20 minutes. This is variable depending on the size of the meatballs.

Say it's your birthday?

2011-10-12T22:02:00.000-04:00

It's my birthday too! Every birthday, my dad always, always, always says it's his birthday too. Always. If it is your birthday, it's Bill's birthday too! Poor Daddy, his birthday falls on December 28th, so his birthday often gets mixed in with Christmas.

Anyfood, for every birthday, celebration, and any occasion requiring a cake, I request or make for myself the Nutmeg Sherry Cake. And if you have ever been around for any of those occasions, you've tried the cake and you know the love! One year, I celebrated my birthday in Texas with Jeremy and my sister baked the Nutmeg Sherry and mailed it! And for my 21st birthday, my mom baked it and sent it up with my sister. Seriously, this is THE CAKE.

Celebrating my 28th birthday in Austin, TX - Hook 'em!

This year was extra special because my man baked the cake!! He did a PERFECT job, it was divine!! Thank you for making me feel so special my love!

Nutmeg Sherry Cake

Ingredients
1 package Yellow Cake mix without pudding (I prefer Duncan Hines)
1 (3.5 oz) package of vanilla instant pudding
1 teaspoon nutmeg
4 eggs
3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup sherry

Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons sherry

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350*. Mix all cake ingredients on medium for one minute. Then mix on high for five minutes. Pour batter into a creased 12 cup Bundt pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes - until a cake tester comes out clean.

For the icing: mix the powered sugar and sherry until you have a runny icing. I play with this, sometimes I add milk instead of an extra tablespoon of sherry.

It is delish for breakfast too :)

Thank for the best birthday yet my love!

Monday Night Football

2011-09-29T17:17:00.000-04:00

Just kidding. Do you really think I watch football?? I come from a city with no football team, have only a sister, only girl cousins, went to a Division 2 school where the football stadium (at the time) was smaller than my high school football stadium, and have a father whose fave sport is baseball. So no, I don't watch football. The same cannot be said for my significant other. Alas, he surrendered his rights to Monday Football and watched the season finale (from Netflix) of Dexter whilst feasting on Boeuf Bourguignon.

I could have spent hours upon hours making the "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" version, but that simply was not practical. I have a toddler and do not have hours and hours to spare. So I chose the Barefoot version which significantly reduces the time. Since I've not tasted Julia's, I can't say which is better, but Ina's was DELISH.

Boeuf Bourguignon
Barefoot in Paris ~ serves 6 (enormous servings)

Ingredients
1 tablespoon good olive oil
8 ounces dry cured center cut applewood smoked bacon, diced
2 1/2 pounds chuck beef cut into 1-inch cubes
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
2 yellow onions, sliced
2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)
1/2 cup Cognac
1 (750 ml.) bottle good dry red wine such as Cote du Rhone or Pinot Noir
1 can (2 cups) beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 pound frozen whole onions
1 pound fresh mushrooms stems discarded, caps thickly sliced

For Serving
Country bread or Sour Dough, toasted or grilled and rubbed with garlic clove
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, optional

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

2) Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate. (Refrain from sampling said bacon.)

3) Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. (We got stew meat beef from our 1/8 of beef so I did 't have to chop anything. However, I did pull some of the fat off - what a joke, this dish is LOADED with calories, a few more won't hurt! The meat cooked much quicker because they were smaller than 1" cubes.) Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside.

There was a ton of prep work - I made good use of Owen's nap :)

4) Toss the carrots, and onions, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper in the fat in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol. (I didn't stand back far enough and was quite startled by the flare up! Be careful!) Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices. Add the bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 1 1/4 hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.

5) Combine 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. (At my local grocery store, pearl onions only came in 12 oz. packages - so I had to buy two and measure out another 4 oz. I thought it was a bit heavy on the onion and could swear Jeremy and I both smelled like onion the next day...) Saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.

6) To serve, toast the bread in the toaster or oven. Rub each slice on 1 side with a cut clove of garlic. For each serving, spoon the stew over a slice of bread and sprinkle with parsley.

Amazing!! Bon Appetit!


Actually, this is how I was able to get my Boeuf Bourguignon done - Give him a Swiffer and a dog crate and he is fine.

1 Year Later

2011-09-25T10:34:00.002-04:00

Last year, over this very weekend, we took Owen on his first road trip! Owen was so little. He slept most of the day, made sweet sounds, didn't destroy my house every waking minute, didn't throw food, didn't freak out if I wouldn't let him run around in a crowd of hundreds...Ah, those were the days! Look how peacefully he slept in the Moby!

We visited some friends we knew in DC, who also had the fortune of moving to Kansas as well! We made our way down to the Plaza Art Fair in Kansas City - what a great street fair! Alas, we were not in the market for art, just the delish food (and margaritas!). We miss you Matt and Katie!!

Towards the end of the day, it started to rain. Can you see Owen's little outline under my coat? Maybe I should see if he still fits under there?

Fast forward one year: look at that mischievous little monster! He was plotting his escape. Right after this photo was taken, the little monkey put on quite the show because he wanted to investigate. Alas, we won. But did we really?? He cried and was a bear for the next hour and a half. BUT, he got to try his first Burnt Ends from Jack Stack and the ham out of some Bleu Balls!

Blue Balls are these tasty little fried treats - the "donut hole" version of Chicken Cordon Bleu. I DO NOT LIKE HAM, Sam I AM, but these were delish! What is not to like: fried goodness, ooey gooey swiss cheese, and some little hunks of meat. Needless to say, Owen enjoyed this detour from his normal fair of steamed veggies, grilled chicken, and quinoa :)

This year we met up with some friends from the other Washington! Unfortunately the inebriated fool we asked to take the picture missed the kids in the strollers...So excited the McKees are in town! Amy and I used to play on a soccer team at Fort Lewis - Will and Andy were our biggest fans! Welcome to Kansas!

Take a Hike

2011-09-22T21:35:00.000-04:00

So around Labor Day the weather FINALLY broke and we definitely have been taking advantage of it! We took Happy (isn't he so cute smiling up there with daddy??) for a hike on the Konza Prairie, just outside of town. He LOVED it up there! He spent most of the time kicking his little legs. And at one point he had a few rocks he was carrying with him in the pack - he is all about objects that fit perfectly in his little paws.

The trail is only about 2.7 miles and wanders through the Flint Hills - it was beautiful! We saw a herd (is that what you call a bunch of deer?) galloping through the meadow below. And some wild turkeys gobbling up on the hills. Can't wait for Thanksgiving!

There was a huge meadow of sunflowers! They were beautiful! The Wild Native Sunflower is the state flower of Kansas - instead of the more well-know sunflower with one giant head at the top of the stalk, this particular sunflower has TONS of flowers per stalk. Absolutely beautiful!

When I finally gave the little man a lift, he spent some quality time playing with my hair. It was kind of cute. I know we have some sass and tantrums in the future, but at this phase it is so hard to see him as only ever being super adorable!

About half way through we took a water break. Happy was all about daddy's water bottle - didn't drink a drop out of is own. What is it with kiddos and drinking out of a cup that will drench them?

The surrounding farm land is quite beautiful - and it demonstrates how absolutely different our lives are here in Manhattan compared to Arlington!

Manhappening in the distance - it was quite a beautiful hike. Can't wait to share it with our visitors! And yes, people actually come to visit us in Kansas :)

Dinner and Dexter

2011-09-21T15:40:00.000-04:00

Owen was pooped and didn't make it to Dinner with Dexter. Veerrrryyyyy Disappointing.

I am very confused by this whole new blogger. I was excited for the picture caption element, but it isn't quite what I thought it would be. I thought it would be set apart and framed - not so much. I am so impatient with learning new things on the computer so I usually just skip it and never figure it out...does this sound familiar to any other moms out there??

Anyfood, Jeremy and I have been having dinner dates with "Dexter" for the last three weeks and it is has been AWESOME. Have you ever seen it?!? It is SO GOOD. I think the first three seasons are streamed on Netflix, but the last two we've had to wait each week for our disk. When Friday rolls around we are so excited for Dinner and Dexter!

YUM. Amazing date night dinner! The three cheeses combined with the yummy dough and garlic oil was delish!

So for this week's dinner I made White Pizzas out of "Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics." Why have I waited so stinking long?! It was DELISH!!! I am not a big baker, so making my own pizza dough was a stretch for me. My sister and a girlfriend here in the Little Apple swear by the Pioneer Woman's pizza dough recipe - but I decided to go with Ina's recipe for the first go around. Next I'll try Ree's!

White Pizzas with Arugula

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups warm water (100 to 110 degrees)

2 packages dry yeast (I used one package of rapid rise and one of active dry because that is what I had...)

1 tablespoon honey

Good olive oil (I find this instruction from my dear friend Ina to be a bit snobby, how do you define "good" - is it by price or taste? One is objective one is subjective. Any ideas??)

4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading

Kosher salt

4 garlic cloves, sliced

5 sprigs fresh thyme

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Freshly ground black pepper

3 cups grated Italian Fontina Cheese (8 ounces)

1 1/2 cups grated fresh mozzarella (7 ounces) (I used buffalo mozzarella and just slices it and tore it)

11 ounces cream goat cheese such as Montrachet, crumbled

1/2 cup good olive oil

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

8 ounces baby arugula

Instructions

For the dough, combine the water, yeast, honey, and 3 tablespoons olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. (This was the first time I busted out my dough hook for my Kitchen Aid - which I've owned for about 5 years or so. If you've never used your dough hook, you are only supposed to use it at speed 2!) When the yeast is dissolved, add 3 cups of the flour, then 2 teaspoons salt and mix on medium-low speed. While mixing, add up to 1 more cup of flour or just enough to make a soft dough. (I never got "soft" dough - I may have added too much flour or maybe it was the mixed yeast?! Any bakers with any insight??) Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with the flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to the bowl. When the dough is ready, turn it out on floured board and knead it by hand a dozen times. It should be sooth and elastic. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes. (I checked with Pioneer Woman, and she lets it rise for much longer, in fact, she said the longer the better. After 30 minutes it appeared as if my dough hadn't risen. So I waited about an hour and it was much "higher.")

Meanwhile, make the garlic oil. Place 1/2 cup olive oil, the garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan and bring a simmer over low heat. Cook for 10 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn't burn. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. (Ina warns to make sure your oven is clean. Mine was not, nor has it been since we moved in. I need to get on it...so instead we grilled our pizzas: rub each side with olive oil. Grill on one side for 1-2 minutes. Place toppings on the previously grilled side. Grill for 7-8 minutes more - delish!)

Dump the dough onto a board and dived it into 6 each pieces. Place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and voer them with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours. (I froze my remaining dough - I will report back how the defrosted dough works!)

Press and stretch each ball into an 8-inch circle and place 2 circles on each parchment-lined sheet pan. (If you have chilled the dough, take it out of the fridge 30 minutes ahead to let it come to room temperature.) Brush the pizzas with the garlic oil, and sprinkle each one liberally with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the pizza evenly with Fontina, mozzarella, and goat cheese. Drizzle each pizza with 1 tablespoon more of the garlic oil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the crusts are crisp and the cheeses begin to brown.

Meanwhile, for the vinaigrette, whisk together 1/2 cup of the olive oil, the lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. When the pizzas are done, place the arugula in a large bowl and toss with just enough lemon vinaigrette to moisten. Place a large bunch of arugula on each pizza and serve immediately.

Bon Appetit!


We got a shipment of Flip Disposable Inserts (love!) and Owen spent some time in a Diaper Castle.

Mom Moment...

2011-09-09T00:17:00.005-04:00

The question is whether it is a good mom moment, or a bad mom moment...It turns out I have moved about 4500 miles (WA to VA to KS) with several tins full of wine corks. Wha? I just recently found them at the back bottom shelf of my pantry. Originally I was just getting the tins out in an effort to entertain O - otherwise, he was headed to the curb with a "free" sign hanging around his neck. Anyhow, I found corks and it turns out that O loves to sort them...is it bad that I'm allowing him to play with what quite possibly could be hundreds of corks?? What does this say about my relationship to the sweet nectar of the gods??

I leave you with this final thought: this morning he greeted me with a cork sticking out of his mouth like a pacifier. Sweet. Don't call CPS on me.

Where's the beef?

2011-09-03T21:54:00.008-04:00

Ha! So we bought 1/8 of a cow this summer. Actually, we just got it about a week ago, but we have already consumed 3 of our 81 pounds...I am positive that NO ONE in the Stephens abode is anemic at this point! I always wanted to buy a share of a cow, so when a friend of ours from small group mentioned that his parents were slaughtering a cow and wanted to sell it, we jumped on it! I think we are set with beef until the cows come home, bahahahahahahaahaha!

We got chuck, stew beef, tenderloin, cube steak, strip, etc., but as you can see from the first picture we got a ridiculous amount of ground beef. I busted out my America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook and started reviewing my ground beef options. Up until this point, I have been a ground turkey kind of girl, and all I've really made is one of the following: 1) tacos, 2) meatballs, or 3) hamburgers. So with about 40 pounds of ground beef it is time to mix it up!

First up: Tamale Pie! DELISH. Now, it sounds a bit comfort foodish, and it sort of is, but it was fairly healthy and we will be making it a bunch because it was SO GOOD.

Tamale Pie
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound (90% lean - although I have no idea what the percentage is on our beef) ground beef
1 onion, minced
1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded and minced (now, if you don't want your skin under your fingernails to burn, or your eyes (if you are like me and rub your eyes EVERY TIME you cut jalapenos), either wear gloves, or do what I did and use a vegetable bag as a glove as you cut, seed, etc.)
Salt
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, rinsed
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes (I used Rotel Original - nice and spicy!)
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
Pepper
2 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup coarse cornmeal
4 ounces (1 cup) Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (I used Pepper Jack - we like it hot in this house. Although I tried to feed O some of the cooked meat with the jalapeno and he was having NONE of it.)

* My mom said she grew up with Tamale Pie and my Gram always added olives - we love olives, so I think we'll throw a can in next time for a little saltiness.)

Instructions
1) Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 375*. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up large clumps, until just beginning to brown, about 4 minutes.

2) Stir in the onion, jalapeno, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, oregano, and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the beans, the tomatoes and their juice, and corn and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then set aside.

3) Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and then slowly pour in the cornmeal while whisking vigorously to prevent clumping. Turn the heat to medium and cook, whisking constantly, until the cornmeal thickens, about 3 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons oil.

4) Stir the cheese into the beef mixture, then scrape into a deep-dish pie plate (or other 3-quart baking dish). Spread the cornmeal mixture over the top and seal against the edge of the dish. Cover with foil and bake until the crust has set and the pie is heated through, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Bon Appetite!

So Kansas is the Sunflower state if you weren't already aware of that fact. And that name is WELL deserved - at least in the Little Apple. We randomly have no less than four sunflower stalks that came up all on their own in our front yard, and they are COVERED in sunflowers! Alas, the heat of the summer was worth it :)

My Baby is ONE??!

2011-08-23T21:23:00.006-04:00

I cannot believe my little mister turned ONE this month!! Where did the time go?? One minute we were spending quality time gazing at our view of the K State football stadium from our hospital room, the next he is walking, talking and showing DEFINITE signs of toddler-hood!

Ah, the cake eating went well...here he is demanding more! My mom made a giant hummingbird cupcake - I will save that post for later. SO GOOD! It took O a while to figure out what he was supposed to do with the cake. But, of course, Jeremy had no problem diving in and showing him exactly what to do...

So much awesomeness. Unfortunately, Owen has the taste of cake in his mouth now and has been refusing foods he used to eat...like peas, carrots and corn. Neat! Unfortunately for the little man, sugar is off the menu for the better part of the next year or so!

For the little man's birthday party we made sizzling chicken fajitas - my super fave! If anyone asked what my last meal would be, I would request chicken fajitas, guacamole, and creme brulee. Seriously. I LOVE chicken fajitas. Well, I should preface, that I love my chicken fajitas :) My mom gave me this marinade and I ALWAYS get compliments on it! In fact, I may have blogged this recipe before...

Please note the sock monkey super hero guarding the chicken fajita fixings! He did a great job as we had left overs :)

Chicken Fajita Marinade

Ingredients
3 whole chicken breasts (i.e. 6 breasts), skinned, boned, cut into halves
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp tried oregano
1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp sugar

Instructions
Rinse chicken thoroughly and pat dry. Mix all ingredients together (except chicken) in a non-metal dish. Add chicken, turning to coat. My mom mixes the marinade in a measuring cup, then pours into a ziplock bag with the chick. Refrigerate 4 hours. When preparing the chicken, pound it out so that it is even in thickness so it grills evenly.

If you make these for guests, you will be known as a rock star cook - I PROMISE!!

Strong Man

2011-07-14T16:00:00.009-04:00

Jeremy and I are considering changing the little rascal's name to Magnus as he can push a full grown man on his "Tow Mater" push cart - sweet! Actually, that is not true and it might be considered a wee bit cruel as he was trying really hard to push it but it wouldn't budge.

Alas, I baked bread today for the very first time. Why have I waited so long?! It was incredibly easy and freaking AMAZING! While I was washing the dishes, O was apparently busy emptying my drawers of hot pads and towels and climbed right in! Well hello! Aren't you proud of yourself!

When I first moved to the Little Apple I was befriended by Julie. She introduced us to several people, helped me find an OB, and made us feel extremely welcome. One day she surprised me with spicy Thai noodles (with the hope of jump starting labor) and a loaf of fresh bread! IT WAS AMAZING. I think I ate all of the bread and shared NONE of it with Jeremy. He wasn't carrying a baby so I really didn't see the point.

Anyfood, Julie graciously shared the recipe with me and has agreed to allow me to share it with you! Right before we moved out to the Little Apple, J's cousin was about ready to throw out her bread maker because she never used it. I snatched it up, and FINALLY put it to good use today!

Julie's Bread
Makes One Loaf of Deliciousness

Ingredients
9 oz warm water
3 ¼ cups bread flour
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon yeast (I used rapid rise yeast because I had it and it was fine)
4 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions
Add ingredients in this order into your bread machine. Just use warm tap water (not hot, not cold), then add flour (Julie recommends King Arthur and declares that it seriously makes it so much better. I don't have King Arthur currently, I will be checking out the store shortly), sugar, and salt. Then make a little indentation on the top of the pile and add the yeast in the indentation. Pour the olive oil into the corners.

Turn your bread machine on the "dough setting." After about 10 minutes, take a rubber spatula and get the crumbs out of the corners and add them into the

dough. After the machine is done, place the dough in a regular bread pan, coated with Pam. Place a cloth napkin or thin dishtowel over the dough and let it rise while the oven heats up. Bake for about 28 minutes at 350*. Let it cool for a minute in the pan, the move it to a wire rack to cool.

Variations

You can substitute one cup of whole wheat flour for white flour or 1/4 cup graham flour for 1/4 cup white flour if you want to be healthier. (I opted for the whole wheat variation this time and it was SO GOOD.) Julie also uses the same recipe for dinner rolls and cinnamon buns: just roll out the dough and spread butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon on top. Roll it up, cut it and bake for 25 minutes. (I will be making these for my man this weekend!)

Cleansing...

2011-07-06T11:11:00.007-04:00

First, how cute is this family pic? It is so hard to find family pics where Owen is a) not sucking on a foffy, b) looking on the camera, and c) smiling! Since I can remember, my family has always worn the Old Navy 4th of July T-shirts, and this year was no different!

Second: we are starting a cleanse from the 4th of July through the 4th of August. I don't know why the 4th, but it seemed like a great place to start. And, no, we aren't doing the traditional cleanse of lemon juice, cayenne and maple syrup. We are just cutting out that which is superfluous: dessert (boooooo - we are actually just cutting back and only having it 3x/week!), fast food (we eat WAY too much fast food - it is kind of gross), and alcohol (I am going to miss my Skinny Girl Margaritas!). So basically we are just trying to eat whole foods for one month, and then be more intentional after this month about eating healthily.

So we started out our month of "cleanse" with this DELISH dish! I pulled this "Grilled Vegetable and Chickpeas with Couscous" out of the 2006 Cooking Light Annual Recipes. We are committed to have Meatless Mondays and this will definitely be in the rotation, along with the Quinoa Taco Salad!

Grilled Vegetables and Chickpeas with Couscous
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 large zucchini (about 8 ounces)
1 large yellow squash (about 6 ounces - I actually used eggplant)
1 small green bell pepper, quartered
1 small red bell pepper, quartered
1 small onion (I used red), cut into 1/4 inch thick slices (about 1/2 cup)
Cooking spray
1 cup water
3/4 cup uncooked couscous (I used Trader Joe's wheat couscous)
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce (I used Sriracha)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
Dash of ground cinnamon
3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (I used a whole tomato left over from burgers on the 4th!)
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp EVOO (I didn't add this and I didn't miss it either!)
1 (15 1/2 oz) can chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained
1/4 cup (1 oz) crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

1. Prepare grill. (I used my All Clad grill pan because it was WAY TO STINKING HOT to even consider lighting up the grill and standing outside.)

2. Cut zucchini and squash lengthwise into 1/4 inch thick slices. (I cut the eggplant in 1/4 inch rounds. I also splashed a little EVOO on the zuc and eggplant.) Place zucchini, squash, bell peppers and onion on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until well browned. Remove veggies to a cutting board; cool. Chop veggies into bite-sized pieces; place in a large bowl.

3. Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in couscous and next 5 ingredients. Cover, remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.

4. Add couscous, tomatoes, and next 4 ingredients to veggie mixture; toss well. Sprinkle each serving with cheese.

Yield: 4 servings (1 3/4 cups couscous and 1 tablespoon of feta).

*We topped ours off with extra Sriracha sauce!

Here's to a healthy and fresh July!

It's My Birthday Too!

2011-07-03T10:21:00.009-04:00

I CANNOT believe my little nephew is already ONE!! It seems like yesterday I was pacing at Panera waiting for the phone call that he had arrived! We had just moved to the Little Apple and I still didn't have internet access at home, thus I had to hang at Panera so I could send out the "He's Arrived" email to family and friends. My mom called from the delivery room and said, "can you hear your nephew crying?" - I am tearing up just thinking about it. Ah, he is such a HUGE blessing to our family!!

Happy First Birthday Favorite Nephew!! We traveled to California for his Cowboy birthday party - my sister did an amazing job! We had pulled pork sandwiches, baked beans, coleslaw, watermelon, s'more pops, and snickerdoodle cupcakes! (BTW: my brother-in-law gets father of the year award because he scoured the internet and found bales of hay to set the cowboy scene! While that might not be difficult where I live, it was no easy feat in California!)

Aren't the cupcake toppers adorable?? The snickerdoodle cupcakes were AMAZING. My mom made them out of the "Cake Mix Doctor" cookbook which I own and have never used. Those days are over - not only did they come together quickly, but they were TO DIE FOR! They were moist and light and had just the right amount of cinnamon. My sister topped them with cinnamon butter cream - SO GOOD. I will be making these for our care group!!

Will got his very own giant cupcake - he went nuts! There was a ton left over, so he got a part two of cake eating because Auntie Meg messed up and forgot to press "record" on the video camera...I felt terrible. We did re-record and he loved it. I think he is a frosting man like his mama!

Snickerdoodle Cake
Serves 16

Ingredients
Solid vegetable shortening for greasing the pans
Flour for dusting the pans
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain white cake mix
1 cup whole milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Cinnamon Buttercream Ingredients
(makes 3 1/2 cups - however, my mom's friend Mickey says she always needs more and therefore doubles the recipe)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
3 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar sifted
3 to 4 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350*. Generously grease two 9" round cake pans with solid vegetable shortening, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess four. Set the pans aside.

2. Place the cake mix, milk, melted butter, eggs, vanilla and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look well combined. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pans in the oven side by side.

3. Bake the cakes until they are golden brown and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 27 to 29 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each layer and invert each onto a rack, then invert them again onto another rack so that the cakes are right side up. Allow them to cool completely, 30 minutes more.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and add the confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, and vanilla. Blend with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 1 minute more. Bled in up to 1 tablespoon milk if the frosting seems too stiff.

5. Place one cake layer right side up, on a serving platter. Spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer, right side up, on top of the first layer and frost the top and sides of the cake with clean smooth strokes.
* Place the cake, uncovered in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, 20 minutes. Cover the cake with waxed paper and store in the fridge for up to 1 week. Or freeze it, wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cake overnight the fridge before serving.

Happy birthday sweet boy!

Let Freedom Ring!

2011-07-02T21:45:00.006-04:00

Little O is totally ready to celebrate our Nation's Independence! How cute are those little teethers?! He just got two more on top on either side, but they are slow to move into place. And today he bit my shoulder for the first time - SWEET. I yelped in pain and puffed out his bottom lip and started crying. Like he was the one that got bit with razor sharp baby teeth!! Anyhow, I love this little bug and hopefully he'll wear is USA headband for a few more pics :)

What could be more patriotic and evoke feelings of summertime than watermelon mojitos? (Okay, okay, I recognize that the "mojito" is a Cuban drink, but I like the American twist with some delicious summertime watermelon!) We had these tonight on our front porch listening to the fools in our neighborhood light their fireworks two days early. I remember last year going CRAZY listening to the fireworks. For whatever reason I am strictly opposed to lighting off personal fireworks unless it is the 4th of July. It's just wrong. Last year I just about lost my mind - I was also 36 weeks pregnant, super hot, and super irritable. Kansas heat and humidity is WAY more bearable when you AREN'T preggers!!

Watermelon Mojitos
Makes 6 drinks ~ "Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That?"

Ingredients
30 large fresh mint leaves, coarsely torn by hand
3 to 4 thick slices fresh watermelon (This instruction was hard to follow for me, so I just threw in 2 cups of already chopped up watermelon sans seeds and got a cup and a half of watermelon juice. The recipe calls for 2 cups of watermelon juice later in the instructions.)
12 ounces light rum, such as Bacardi
1/2 cup simple syrup (J Man makes it with one cup sugar, and one cup water. Heat over high heat until the sugar is dissolved.)
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes)
Sprigs of mint and spears of watermelon, for serving

Instructions
Use a mortar and pestle to mash the mint leaves. Remove and discard the rind and seeds of the watermelon. Put the fruit into a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree. Put the mashed mint into a large pitcher with 2 cups of pureed watermelon, the rum, simple syrup, and lime juice and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into a pitcher for serving.

Place ice cubs in 6 glasses and pour the mojito mixture into the glasses. Garnish with sprigs of fresh mint and spears of watermelon. Serve ice cold.

Happy 4th of July!

Going, going, back, back, to Cali, Cali...

2011-06-21T23:05:00.004-04:00

In anticipation of our impending trip to California for my nephew's 1st birthday, we signed Owen up for swim lessons! Now, let me be clear: these weren't really lessons, as much as familiarization with the water. We got to kind of motor the little man around the pool.

Um, he totally loved it and began swimming like a little froggy! I think he'll follow his mammy's footsteps and be on the swim team! Based on his "kicking," he'll be swimming the breast stroke!

Anyhow, my parents have a swimming pool and we fully intend to take the O man swimming. Our trip out there in March, he did NOT like the water. He kept tucking his legs up and eventually dissolved into tears. Hopefully the "swim" lessons will helps us in that department!

Summertime!

2011-06-08T11:07:00.007-04:00

Someone is FINALLY interested in a) standing on his own, and b) assisted walking! Yay! Up until now, anytime we held him up by the fingers he would bend his legs or fall to the floor. Alas, do I really want him walking already?!?! (Isn't this a great pic? I took it on my brother-in-law's camera with a fancy lens that blurs the background. I want one!!)

So, since it is finally summertime, complete with 99* weather in the Little Apple, I've been hitting up the local farmer's market. For the last couple of weeks there has been a TON of rhubarb. I've never, ever, cooked with rhubarb and I think I've only tasted it once in a pie. I would STRONGLY recommend NOT tasting it unless it has been cooked. It is SUPER tart!

Our small group does dessert every other Sunday before our study. Since I randomly bought rhubarb without a plan, I decided to make Ina's Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp - oh my heaven, DELISH! I don't know if I like the strawberry/rhubarb mixture or the topping the best. However, I am leaning heavily towards the topping, it was divine!! This was a fairly simple recipe and easy to whip up right before our small group!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Serves 6 (I don't know where she comes up with these numbers - it served 11 adults with two servings left over)

Ingredients
4 cups fresh rhubarb, 1 inch diced (4-5 stalks)
4 cups fresh strawberries, bulled and halved, if large
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1 table spoon cornstarch (Ina's note: The amount of cornstarch you add depends on the juiciness of the berries and the ripeness of the rhubarb. Green rhubarb has more pectin, so the juices will set better. This is delicious any way it comes out!)
1/2 cup freshly squeeze orange juice
1 cup all purpose four
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup quick-cooking (not instant) oatmeal
12 tablespoons (YES!) cold unsalted butter, diced (1 1/2 sticks)
Vanilla ice cream for serving

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350*.

For the fruit, toss the rhubarb, strawberries, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, and the orange zest together in a large bowl. In a measuring cup, dissolve the cornstarch in the orange juice and then mix it into the fruit. Pour the mixture into an 8 x 11 baking dish and place it ion a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

For the topping, int eh bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, salt, and oatmeal. With the mixer on low speed, add the butter and mix until the dry ingredients are moist and the mixture is in crumbles. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit, covering it completely and bake for 1 hour, until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is gold brown. Serve warm with ice cream.

Bon Appetit!

Party of One

2011-06-05T21:15:00.008-04:00

One year for my sister's birthday, she got a PA system - the most random gift ever. I really don't remember why she wanted it or what she planned on doing with it. What I very clearly remember is the constant tormenting from dear sissy and my dad. When I would be in the front yard either washing the car, weeding, planting flowers, etc., they would position the PA system in the upstairs bathroom window and would turn the volume all the way up and repeat the following over and over, "Megan, party of One. Your table is ready." I do not know why they thought this was so funny or why I found it so irritating, but alas, that is what they did. And to this day when I sit down to a meal by myself, I hear my dad saying, "Megan, party of One. Your table is ready." The End.

Anyfood, J man was out of town for a week and so I had to motivate to cook for myself. When I was a "party of one" in Tacoma I often would have a glass (or two) of vino with Mission Tortilla Strips and Pace Picante Salsa - dinner of champions! Alas, as I am eating for two (no, not pregs, just breast feeding) I thought I'd step it up a notch and make something a wee bit healthier!

This fed me for several days, and then we used it as a side salad when my sissy and her fam came to visit us in the Little Apple! (Pictures to follow the recipe!)

Orzo and Roasted Vegetable Salad
Serves 6 (or a "party of one" several times) - Barefoot Contessa Parties!

Ingredients
1 small eggplant, peeled and 3/4-inch diced
1 red bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 yellow bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 red onion, peeled and 1-inch diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound orzo or rice-shaped pasta
* For the veggies I just threw in what I had - get creative! As for the Orzo - don't go crazy, that stuff multiplies like you've never seen!

For the dressing:

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To assemble:

4 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup pignolis (pine nuts), toasted
3/4 pound good feta, 1/2-inch diced (not crumbled)
15 fresh basil leaves, cut into julienne

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, onion, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large sheet pan. Roast for 40 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula.

Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7 to 9 minutes, until tender. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.

For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables. Let cool to room temperature, then add the scallions, pignolis, feta, and basil. Check the seasonings, and serve at room temperature.

~
For your viewing pleasure, some pics from my sister, brother-in-law, and favorite nephew's visit this past week!

Um, of course the boys are Angels fans! My sister and I grew up going to games with my dad. He had season tickets for years and years. My very favorite part of the game was getting ice cream sundaes in the little helmets. Or watching my mom cross-stitch...

How ferocious are O's swim trunks?! The Little Apple has a fabulous splash park. The boys were maybe a little too small for it, but they still had a great time playing in the water!

There was much time spent digging through cabinets we accidentally left open. I don't know why I still leave cabinets open when at the back of my mind, I know O will pull everything out. To me, it looks like Owen is saying to Will, "Can I get you anything else while I'm up here?"

And then Will had to go there with a ring in the face. Big bully. HOWEVER, I will concede that O has become a foffy (our family's term for pacifier) stealer, or, for that matter, a stealer of anything that Will had in his adorable little hands.

In the end, the boys had some good cousin time. I think O misses his big cousin; he has been a bit mopey in the morning. Sad for him. Maybe he needs a little brother or sister?! Or we need to move back to California!

Michigan Mother's Day!

2011-05-17T20:39:00.006-04:00

For Mother's Day, the J Man, O and I were in Michigan with the Stephens Clan. My sister-in-law started a tradition of taking her mom to tea at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham, Michigan. Lucky me, I was included this year along with Jeremy's Aunt Vicki and cousin Becky! This was the best Mother's Day treat! It brought back wonderful memories of Christmas Teas that my best girlfriend and I used to throw in high school and college. Di and I had so much fun devising a menu (um, always the same because we loved what we had!), cooking the day before together, and then decorating a fun table! Over the years Di and I collected quite a few fun tea cups.

This was the tea cup from the Townsend; alas, I have this very tea cup in my collection! Everyone at the table had a different tea cup and plate - it was so charming! I hope that someday, Di and I can have a tea again. Alas, maybe we'll do a bridal tea when Lucy B gets married :)

So the tea sandwiches really were the stars of our afternoon tea at the Townsend. Wait, the orange cranberry scones with mascarpone cheese and lemon curd were amazing too! The sandwiches included (from left to right): Roast beef with Horseradish Cream Sauce; Shrimp Canape; Smoked Salmon; Curry Chicken Tartlet; Pear, Walnut and Blue Cheese; and Cucumber Dill, (and not pictured: Hot Vegetarian Quiche and Hot Spinach and Feta wrapped in Phyllo (aka: spanikopita)).

It was a delightful 1st Mother's Day. My little Dapper Dan and I enjoyed time with family and friends while in Michigan!

Looking for a side dish?

2011-05-15T13:58:00.004-04:00

Obviously, I do not mean that Owen would make a great side dish. I just thought this was a cute pic of my little buddy. The J Man is out of town this week, so Owen and I are going to take the time to really get to know one another...as if that isn't a daily occurrence as a stay-at-home mommy! I will admit that I'm a little freaked out that I am "it" for the week - esp'lly because little man is a) teething, and b) has a terrible cold. The second point means no play dates or time with other adults :( Alas, I am sure we will triumph over what appears to be a daunting week!

Alrighty then, this is the side dish that takes the cake! We made it when my mom was in town a few weeks ago and it is DELISH. (I feel like my descriptions of food are getting a bit redundant as everything is "DELISH" - alas, I am in a funk as I've officially been a stay at home wife/mom for a year now and I lack the outside academic stimulation that was a constant for 5.5 years!) Anyfood, it is super easy and quick and was the star of the show. We served it beside some yummy pork tenderloins that the J man barbecued and dinner was done!

Garlic Roasted Cauliflower
From "Barefoot Contessa - How Easy is That?"
Serves 6

Ingredients
1 whole head of garlic, cloves separated but not peeled
1 large head of cauliflower, trimmed and cut into large florets
4 1/2 Tbsp good olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
3 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions
Preheat oven to 450*.

Bring a small pot of water to a boil and add the garlic cloves. Boil for 15 seconds. Drain, peel, and cut off any brown parts. Cut the largest cloves in half lengthwise.

On a sheet pan, toss the cauliflower with the garlic, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Spread the mixture out in a single layer and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, tossing twice, until the cauliflower is tender and the garlic slightly browned.

Scrape the cauliflower into a large bowl with the garlic and pan juices. Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, the parsley, pine nuts, and lemon juice. Sprinkle with another 1/2 teaspoon of salt, toss well, and serve hot or warm.

Bon Appetit!

A Taste of Home

2011-05-10T21:22:00.012-04:00

My very favorite place to eat when I go to my parents (other than the Northwood's Inn or Wahoo's Fish Tacos) is this little Mediterranean restaurant called Zov's Bistro. Not the restaurant though; I prefer the cafe side as it the food is more casual and I love the patio! I've celebrated several birthdays, passing the California Bar, my sister's impending nuptials, girlfriend get-togethers, and then my bridal luncheon (please disregard the blue tank and crappy capris - I was in a funk re: clothes as I was in the throws of military life and had/have no fashion sense) at Zov's and we have never been disappointed. One girlfriend weekend my friend Annabel indulged us with amazing pastries...YUM.

(Please pardon the crappy picture, this was pre fancy shmancy camera.) Anyfood, the point is, if you are in Tustin (why would you be there though, unless you live there?) you must, must, must make it a point of eating at Zov's!

For Christmas I got Zov's (that is the chef/owner's 1st name) most recent cookbook "Zov, Recipes and Memories from the Heart." The pictures and stories are amazing. But, even better, the recipes are DELISH and make me feel like we have a Zov's in the Little Apple! When my mom was in town this past week we made the Angel Hair Pasta with Tomatoes, Feta and Pine Nuts and my mom has declared it just as fabulous as when you order it at the cafe. I swear, if you try nothing from this blog, you need to reconsider just once and try this recipe. There is a bit of chopping involved, but other than that it is really simple and has a huge wow factor!!

Angel Hair Pasta with Tomatoes, Feta, and Pine Nuts
Serves 4 to 6 (My mom and I had it for left overs the next evening. I would say it only serves 6 if you aren't really hungry or your taste buds don't work.)

Ingredients
8 oz dried angel hair or capellini pasta
1 tbsp plus 1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
3 tbsps chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tbsps minced shallots
1 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes (I didn't buy enough plum tomatoes and ended up throwing in some yummy yellow grape tomatoes - it is not critical to the success of the dish to use plum toms. Go crazy!)
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup coarsely crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup shaved (with a veggie peeler) Parmesan cheese

Instructions
1) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Stir in the pasta and cook for just 1 minute - this is to soften the pasta slightly. (Okay, I cooked mine for 2 minutes and it was still a bit too al dente for me. Next time I will cook it just under the recommended time because I prefer mushy to crunchy pasta.) Drain the pasta in a colander reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the hot pasta in a large bowl with 1 tbsp of oil to prevent it from sticking together. Set the pasta and reserved cooking liquid aside.

2. (Okay, this step goes fast, so have everything chopped, shredded, shaved, and toasted ahead of time!) Heat the remaining 1/3 cup of oil in a deep large nonstick frying pan over high heat. Add the basil, parsley, garlic, and shallots. Stir just until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add the tomatoes and saute just until they are heated through, about 45 seconds. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the salt and black pepper. Stir in the feta cheese and the shredded Parmesan cheese. Add the pasta and toss gently to combine, adding some of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten, if necessary.

3. Mound the pasta on a large platter or atop individual plates. Sprinkle with pine nuts and shaved Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Oh wait, what's that you say? You are confused why the blades of my knives are white? Ah, I got some new FABULOUS knives that my mom brought from Sur la Table - they are ceramic! They are deceptively sharp and I love them! Alas, should I drop them in the sink or on the floor they might shatter. Thus the other cook in this house is not invited to use them as he is bit of a klutz...(He just informed me he will no longer be washing them as he is afraid he will drop them as well.)

Easter Pizza!

2011-05-04T21:20:00.007-04:00

For Owen's first Easter, we traveled to Raleigh to celebrate our Risen Lord with some dear friends from Fort Lewis. But before we left, Grandma Dar sent Owen his very first Easter basket - complete with bunny ears! Um, LOVE. He wore them for a bit, but the discovered how fun they were to chew!

I'm not big on ham, which tends to be a bit controversial with my family. Alas, I can't do it. I just don't want it. I will leave it for all you other ham-lovers out there. Now proscuitto or bacon, that I can do. But who eats a side of proscuitto or bacon for Easter? One year J and I even made Easter tacos :)

Anyfood, we decided on Easter Pizza, and it might be a new tradition! J and Nate were the chefs du jour and made us delicious pizza! King Arthur flour sells fabulous whole wheat pizza dough mixes which you can buy right here. So they mixed up some dough, chopped up tons of toppings and ta da! Yummy Easter Pizza (complete with deli ham and pineapple :)

Please note I ate my pizza with pink champagne :)

We miss you Huffs! Thanks for a wonderful weekend! We wish we lived closer and could have pizza every weekend with you!

Homemade Fancy Shmancy

2011-04-20T16:07:00.004-04:00

I know I've been posting a ton about our anniversary, but I have a lot to say :) Anyhow, for our actual day, we weren't able to go out to dinner because Little Man was fighting a very nasty cold. For that matter, fifteen days later, he still has said cold. Poor little guy. Thus, we made dinner and it was so much fun! My sister recommended a yummy strip steak with wine sauce and pink peppercorn butter from the February issue of Bon Appetit. It was delish and SO EASY. Along side it we had a parsnip and celery root puree - again, delish and easy! I love that we finally had a reason to bust our our china!

But the best part of the meal were the Choco Hoto Pots! My mom and sister make these babies all the time. I've never made them - what a mistake! I will be surprising the J Man with these more often! If you really want to impress someone, or want to say "I love you" in food, make these!! (I believe the original recipe comes from the ever-lovely Nigella Lawson.)

Choco Hoto Pots
Makes 4 (and I will include the measurements for 6 as well in parenthesis)

Ingredients
Butter for ramekins
3/4 cup (1 1/8 cup) semi sweet chocolate chips
1 stick (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 (3) large eggs
3/4 cup (1 1/8 cup) super fine sugar (I accidentally used your standard granulated sugar and couldn't tell a difference)
3 tablespoons (4 1/2 tablespoons) all purpose flour
1/2 cup (3/4 cup) semi sweet chocolate chips (I know this ingredient is in here twice, just keep reading)

Instructions

Place baking sheet in an oven preheated to 400*. Butter four 2/3 cup ramekins and set aside. Using the microwave or a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips and butter. Set aside to cool. In a separate bowl combine eggs, sugar and flour. Add cooled chocolate and mix until blended. Add the second serving of chocolate chips. Divide mixture evenly among ramekins and place on baking sheet. Bake until tops are shiny and cracked, about 20 minutes. (Make sure top cracks or it isn't done!) The chocolate beneath will be hot and gooey. Place ramekin on a small plate to serve. We like it with vanilla bean ice cream and sliced fresh strawberries!

Bon Appetit!

What a difference a year makes...

2011-04-20T15:17:00.008-04:00

For our third anniversary, we decided to go to Harry's in downtown Little Apple. We don't have a wide selection of fancy shmancy restaurants to choose from in the Little Apple like we did in DC. And we certainly weren't ready to commit to a KC trip sans Little Man, so we stuck with what we know. Harry's is kind of an institution here in Manhattan and is known for great steaks. However, a girlfriend recommended the Hot Lobster Cilantro Martini as an app - I don't think I ever would have selected this off the menu as I'm not a huge lobby lobster fan. Um, it was AMAZING. Seriously. The lobby lobster is lightly battered and quick fried and then dunked in a buttery rum cilantro sauce - delish! And the waitress brought us extra bread to sop up all the yummy sauce. I wonder why I'm hanging on to those five extra pounds of baby weight. Hmmm....

So, at this point in our evening I had consumed a delicious Sidecar and was enjoying a lovely glass of proseco. And since I am still breast feeding, it really doesn't take much to make me a bit loopy...Enter my OB, NEAT! I loudly whispered to Jeremy that I thought it was my doctor which then created a rather awkward interaction with my doctor discussing dates without children. All I could think about was all of my late term OB visits. Super!

Here is a pic from our 2nd anniversary. We celebrated in style at the Blue Duck Tavern in DC - OMG. If you still live in DC and haven't been here, make reservations RIGHT NOW. And be sure to get the hand cut triple fries (they are fried three times in duck fat and are TO.DIE.FOR). You can sort of see them in the center of the table, they are served in a silver cup. And for an entree you must order the braised beef rib which is to the right. Fall off the bone deliciousness. And to finish, the apple pie. YUM.

For our first anniversary we went to the West End Bistro in DC - one of Eric Ripert's restaurants. It is an elegant take on traditional mid-atlatic/southern food. I had the above delectible dish: shrimp and cheese grits - amazing.

Oh, on the plate were the delish crab cake sliders. Man, I miss crab cakes. DC does crab cakes like no other. Sigh, I miss DC!

I thought it would be fun to end this little jaunt down memory lane with a pic from our wedding dinner - I had the John Dorry but I don't think I ate much of it!

Peanut Butter Jelly Time

2011-04-17T10:47:00.004-04:00

So I'm not a huge "Family Guy" fan, but I will admit that I regularly sing the "Peanut Butter Jelly Time" song because a) I love peanut butter jelly time, and b) it is a catchy little tune...Anyfood, there is no better union than PB and J. While peanut butter is delicious on its own (do I use an apostrophy there? I never know), it is enhanced with the jelly (much like Jeremy being great on his own, but he is enhanced since he married me :) And, to take it a step further, while sandos are delish, adding sugar, butter, and eggs make it absolutely DIVINE. Peanut Butter Jelly Bars. 'Nough Said.

Peanut Butter Jelly Bars
from Barefoot Contessa at Home
Makes 24 bars

Ingredients
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups creamy peanut butter, such as Skippy (18 ounces) (okay, I've tried it with crunchy peanut butter and it does not work - the bars are WAY too dry and simply not enjoyable)
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups raspberry jam or other jam (18 ounces)
2/3 cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 x 2 inch baking pan.

2. In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, eggs and peanut butter and mix until well combined.

3. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined. (This is very important because if you over mix, it will cause the dough to be dry and dense.)

4. Spread two thirds of the dough in the prepared pan, using a knife to spread it evenly. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don't worry if all the jam isn't covered; the dough will spread when it bakes. (Actually, in my experience, it does not spread when it bakes, so I would recommend making sure the globs are v. small and cover most of the jam...) Sprinkle with the chopped peanuts and bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and cut into small squares.

Bon Appetit!

I made these delightful treats for a friend who just had a baby. In order to actually get them made, I had to keep my Little Monkey entertained. Apparently his own toys no longer do the trick, but open up the cabinets and voila! Hours of entertainment!

Farmer's Market Envy

2011-04-07T10:04:00.007-04:00

Hmm...me thinks I will not be seeing artichokes at my local farmer's market come April 24. On my recent trip to Cali, my sister took us to her farmer's market in Huntington Beach and we saw glorious fruit (fresh strawberries, tangerines, blood oranges, grapefruit, avocados) and delectable veggies (artichokes, beets, brussel sprouts, onions, cucumbers) and I had definite farmer's market envy. Not only does my farmer's market not begin until the end of April, I'm positive I won't be seeing any chokes, strawberries, avos or citrus fruit. Boo. But I will have copious amounts of corn. Eat your heart out Huntington Beach.

Owen got a little tired of hanging in the stroller, so Grandpa Bill gave him a lift and he was as happy as a clam! And please note that he was representing The D with his little beanie :)

Okay, so the best part of the market was the pork and cheese papusas! I ate mine so fast I forgot to take a picture. I bought dinner for my mom, sister and me for a total of $9 - sweet! Delish and budget friendly :) Um, my brother-in-law and dad had sausages, and one of them was wrapped in bacon - neat!

I wish I could have captured the sunset and Catalina Island in the background but I'm not too savy on my fancy camera. The sky was gorgeous and it was so clear you could see Catalina (for those of you not familiar with So Cal smog, a Catalina sighting is not as frequent as it should be!).

Anyhow, it is recipe time. My parents celebrated their 36th anniversary so my sister and I made them a celebratory dinner. We decided to pick up veggies at the farmer's market. The red and gold beets were beautiful so we decided on a beet salad. There is just something so earthy about fresh beets that you either love or hate. My dad LOVES beets, so this was an easy choice! My mom has this wonderful cookbook put out by the Placer County Farmer's Market that organizes recipes by what is available in the market on that date. And what do you know? For March 30: Roasted Beet Salad! So here it is an adaptation:

Ingredients

2 bunches of beets, roasted (there are many ways to roast beets, we tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted at 350 for an hour - they were way greasy. Another way is to place them in about 1/4" water at 350 for an hour - the water leaches out some of the vitamins, but they aren't nearly as greasy. Wait for them to cool, then peel and chop)
4 oz goat cheese
1/4 cup toasted, chopped walnuts
4 cups greens
1 avocado (not in the original, we added because we had a ton!)

Dressing:
This dressing comes from my Bride and Groom cookbook and it is a fave in our house - we use it all the time!

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp grainy mustard
1 tsp finely minced garlic
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp kosher slat
Freshly ground pepper
1 1/4 cups olive oil

Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, garlic, sugar, kosher slat and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil, whisking to incorporate. Alternatively, combine all ingredients in a jar, cover tightly and shake until thoroughly blended. Adjust the seasoning to taste. the vinaigrette will keep, covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Toss it all together but don't use all the dressing!

3 Years, 2 moves and 1 baby

2011-04-04T13:54:00.012-04:00

Has it really already been three years (and a day)??? So are we really no longer newly weds? I guess that classification ended after the first year. Well, I for one still fell like a newly wed :) Maybe it is because the Army is kind enough to move us all over the place, thus every time we set up house I feel like we are newly married as I discover boxes of dishes I've not seen since the last move which kind of makes them feel like new. Anyhow, totally off topic.

I LOVE our wedding photos. I seriously never get tired of looking at them. I love how our photographers were able to take the simple surroundings and make amazing pics!

This is my favorite picture of Jeremy from our wedding day - he seems so calm and collected. He knows exactly what he is getting into and he is ready for it :) Were you J Man? Did you really know what you had bargained for??

This picture kind of cracks me up: we had already spent two hours before the wedding taking pictures, then we had the ceremony, and now the reception has started, and the crowd is waiting on us - but we are busy taking hot pictures. BTW: I was starving and was dying for a magnum of champagne...

So after moving from Tacoma to Washington, DC, a wedding, moving from Washington, DC to the Little Apple, we added this little precious gem to our family. Isn't he sweet?? Owen is the best thing Jeremy and I have ever done. This little man has rocked our world in an amazing way. Can't wait to see who he turns out to be!

The Avocado Incident

2011-04-03T17:38:00.006-04:00

My Auntie Jo brought us a ginormous bag of avocados and grapefruit off of her trees while I was in Cali with Owen. My mom, sister and I went out for a bit and while we were gone, the Lads located said ginormous bag and did a little taste test. Well, Owen did a taste test while Will provided the samples.

Clearly he is a California boy, he loves his avocados!

Alas, since Owen is sporting a solitary tooth, no harm was done to the avocado...

Will got bored of doing all the work and left Owen to continue his culinary adventure with the native fruits of his mama's home town!

Nap Time!

2011-03-29T11:06:00.004-04:00

I'm taking advantage of morning nap time (which began this morning at 7:45 since the little monkey is slightly jet lagged and was up at 5:45 with Grandma and Grandpa!) to bring you this little summertime treat. Growing up, we always celebrated birthdays at The North Woods Inn. For those of you who live in the Southern California area, it is the crazy looking restaurant in La Mirada off the 5 with snow on the roof. While it looks rather kitchy, the food is fantastic! The restaurant is decorated with tasteful taxidermy animals (gross), old hunting rifles, snow shoes, cabin-worthy paintings, etc. It is reminiscent of an old school winter retreat in the mountains. Anyfood, every meal begins with their signature salads: the red cabbage salad and the white lettuce salad and TO DIE FOR cheese bread. I sometimes wonder if we merely go for the starters and just stay for the entrees. BUT, the scallops are delish along with the bake potato with cheese butter. Yes, cheese butter. DELISH! So, the LA Times food section published one of the salad recipes and we've been devouring it ever since. It is a lovely take on slaw and perfect for a picnic, BBQ, or as a side to steak - yum!

Pretending to be North Woods Red Cabbage Salad
(I doubled this recipe for a party of 20 and had left overs)

Ingredients

1/2 head read cabbage
1/2 cup veggie oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp seasoned salt (like Lawry's)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder (I used about 1/4 of a small white onion chopped finely)

Instructions

Shred cabbage irregularly into bowl Add oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper and onion. Let stand several hours or overnight to allow flavors to blend. Adjust seasoning as necessary (I found that after sitting over night, it needed a little more salt). BE CAREFUL: the juice that results from letting it stand can be stain-alicious!

California vacation update: the Lads were sports fans last night :) We are having SO MUCH FUN with cousin time!! They are absolutely adorable together. There is a little grabbing and some tears on someone's part (hmm...who do you think?), but in general they follow each other around and trade toys. Next post I will share the avocado incident :)

Just your typical Thursday morning...

2011-03-24T10:09:00.008-04:00

Just kidding. I don't normally bake scones for breakfast on Thursday mornings. In fact, I don't normally bake at all. I tend to be totally impaired in the baking arena; I tend to forget an ingredient (crucial when baking) or I leave it in the oven not long enough or a tad too long. So I tend to avoid baking altogether and stick to the stuff you can't really mess up. Anyfood, I found this Cinnamon Scone recipe on Pioneer Woman and had to try it. I sent it to my sister (the consummate baker) and she made them over the weekend and raved. Thus, being a DONSA (Day of None Scheduled Activity - seriously, it is really called that) for Jeremy, I decided to bake, while he monitored Scooter.

"Can I get a little help here? I have no depth perception so I didn't know my noggin wouldn't fit through here..."

Sweet Cinnamon Scones
Makes 8 in the round

Ingredients
3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (I recommend Penzey's Cinnamon - so delightful!)
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 whole egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup cinnamon chips (Now, my mom and sister cannot get these little gems in their super market, but the Midwest is chocked full of them. If you need some, let me know and I'll send you some! My mother-in-law used to be my supplier, but now that I am *lucky* enough to live in the middle of nowhere, I can buy them myself!)

Topping
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1-1 1/2 tsp heavy cream (I didn't have any heavy cream left, so I used a chunk of melted butter)

I'd like to give a shout out to my Helpy McHelperton!

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and baking powder. Cut butter into pieces, then cut into dry ingredients with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cinnamon chips.

Mix together cream, egg, and vanilla extract. Pour into flour/butter mixture, stirring gently with a fork to combine.

Turn onto work surface (mixture will be very crumbly and falling apart.) Gently press together on the sides as you flatten (or roll, with a rolling pin) the top. Form either into a large circle or a large rectangle. Mix together topping ingredients, stirring with a fork. Sprinkle over the top of the dough, lightly pressing.

Cut into wedges (from a circle) or triangles (from a rectangle.) Transfer to a cookie sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely. Serve with coffee.

I was a little freaked out at how large these suckers turned out and Jeremy wisely pointed out that they are "cowboy" size - per the Pioneer Woman :) Next time I will be rolling them into a rectangle and making them MUCH smaller. Mine were a little *too* flaky - and since I am a novice baker, I will be perfecting my craft and figuring out why!

Bon Appetit!

Spring Fever

2011-03-23T10:29:00.004-04:00

We are warming up here in the Midwest and I wanted my table to reflect my Spring Fever! So I made this delightfully light and fresh dish sent to me by my dear friend Angela. Angela and I have known each other since the first grade - we are closing in on our 30th anniversary - crazy! For the past couple of years, we have sporadically mailed each other our favorite recipes, and I cannot believe I waited two years to make this one!

Jerked-Spiced Shrimp with Coconut Mango Rice
Serves 4

Shrimp Ingredients:
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)
1/4 tsp ground thyme
1/8 tsp ground allspice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp

Instructions
Combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl. Add oil and shrimp in large bowl; toss well to coat. Thread shrimp evenly onto 8 (8") skewers. Place skewers on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes or until no longer gray; turning once.

Coconut Mango Rice Ingredients
2 cups water
2/3 cup light coconut milk (I was shocked I was able to find this in my super market!)
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup uncooked long grain rice
3/4 cup shredded carrots
2 cups diced, peeled mango (about 2 mangoes, or one large; can substitute with peaches)
1 1/2 cups diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp fresh lime juice

Instructions:
Bring water, coconut milk and salt to a boil in a med saucepan; add rice. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Add carrots and next 6 ingredients. Toss gently to combine.

If you have left over mango like I did, Owen would be happy to take it off your hands :)

Good News! The Magnum is here!

2011-03-23T09:37:00.005-04:00

And I am not referring to the P.I. Although I wish I were :) If you ever traveled in Europe you may have uncovered the most amazingly delectable ice cream treat there ever was: The Double Magnum. I am pleased to report that the DM has made its way to the States!! The DM is this yummy deliciousness beginning with an ice cream base, covered in a layer of chocolate, next a layer of caramel, followed by a final layer of chocolate - A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. My dad called me from Truckee to report he had found them at his local Safeway; I found them yesterday at my friendly HyVee.

Jeremy and I feasted on one each last night - although it was hard to wait until we finished dinner! Alas, go get yourself a box and enjoy! (Disclaimer: only three come in a box, so you will have to buy two boxes if you wish to share :)

Confession: I struggle to blog because taking pictures of food and downloading them is time consuming and I have a little scooter on my hands - thus, time is not on my side. Unless, of course, he is snoozing. Alas, he has never been a good napper and it doesn't look like he ever will find his napping stride. Once in a while we get a solid 2 hour nap in there, but it is completely unreliable. This morning he was up at 3:15 and never went back down - super fun! So, I guess what I'm saying is that I'd like to blog more about food, but I just don't have time. Thus, I am going to mix it up with whatevs, hope that is okay with ya'll!

I am heading to California at the end of the week with Little Man - I cannot wait to see him play with his cousin Will! They are both mobile now and super chatty. The last time they were together, someone was a little grabby, and someone was a bit of a cry baby...

So here's hoping for some good cousin time! If the weather cooperates, Owen will get his first experience at the pool and beach! Yay for springtime in California! Those poor souls in New York who are getting snow today - I think I might lose it if I lived there.

Until next time!

Mojo

2011-03-09T11:13:00.000-05:00

Doesn't Owen look like he has a real life "flavor saver" or "soul patch??" I called him Pierre the rest of the evening. We are motoring along with real food. Prunes and Peas were NOT a hit. He cried a whole lot and at one point, Jeremy squeeze O's cheeks and he had been saving the peas like a little squirrel. Ah, the joins of big kid food!

Now then, for real life big kid food: "Grilled Mojo Chicken." TO.DIE.FOR. I pulled this little gem out of my Williams Sonoma Weeknight cookbook and we LOVED IT. It was even better on a salad the next day with some cilantro Caesar dressing with pepitas and tortilla chips. I LOVE FOOD.

Ingredients:
1 Orange
2 Limes
4 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, minced
1 tbsp fresh oregano, minced
1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup olive oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs or breast halves (I used my usual boneless, skinless breasts. I have a real life aversion to dark meat, bones, and skins.)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions:
1) Grate 2 teaspoons zest form the orange and squeeze 1/3 cup juice. Grate 1 teaspoon from the limes and squeeze 1/4 cup juice. In a shallow dish large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer, stir together the orange and lime zest and juices, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the oregano, thyme, garlic and cumin. Stir in the oil. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the marinate and turn to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 10minutes, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours. (We let it stand at room temp for 30 minutes before we had a chance to grill it.)

2. Meanwhile, prepare a gas or charcoal grill for direct heat grilling over medium-high heat and oil the grill rack. Or, preheat a broiler. When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the marinade discarding the marinade. Place the grill rack, or put on a baking sheet and place under the broiler. Cook, turning once, until opaque through, 10-14 minutes. Divide the chicken among 4 plates, sprinkle with the the remaining 2 tablespoons parsley and serve.

~Serves 4~

Bon Appetit!

Mi Amore

2011-02-11T13:57:00.004-05:00

Who wouldn't love this little stinker as their Valentine?! Man I love this little baby! He is so much fun right now! Especially because he is in hour 3 of his nap...which has only occurred because he got his 6 month shots today :( Seriously, though, he is rolling all over the place and reaching for just about everything. I can't wait until we can spend some quality time outside! Alas, spring is just around the corner according to Punxsutawney Phil (who apparently only has like a 30% accuracy rate at predicting the coming of Spring!).

Anyfood, for Valentine's Day last year my love took me to a fancy shmancy 6 course chocolate dinner at the Ritz in Georgetown - fabulous! And because the Ritz made a booking error with our room, they upgraded us to the penthouse suite which was bigger than our condo at the time!! We had a view of both the Potomac and M Street. The bathroom floors were heated, there was a HUGE bath tub complete with bubble bath, a kitchen, a living room, and an enormous dining room. Alas, this year we will be enjoying the day of love in Manhattan. Kansas.

At least I get to spend it with my boys!! And I will be making one of them the above toast and egg! How cute is that? And tasty! Our first Valentine's Day as man and wife I made cinnamon sticky buns...maybe I'll make those too!

What are you doing for V Day??

Get in my belly!

2011-02-08T14:27:00.007-05:00

Oh nelly, we've started feeding the little man something other than breast milk. I feel like we've been given some grief for waiting until 6 months, but this child has not suffered one bit! So far we have ended up with more rice cereal on the bib than in the belly. Alas, the spoon provides a good distraction as the little man likes to assist. We will attempt oatmeal this evening and see if we can swallow a wee bit more!

And for the big kids in our house, we have the perfect avocado. Which apparently is a great first food also - but Mr. O will need to learn to swallow first. I'm not wasting a perfectly good avocado on a bib...

Isn't that gorgeous? This is a PERFECT non-store-bought avocado off of my auntie's tree. I have repeatedly told the J Man that when we move to Cali (note "when" - hopeful, ever hopeful) I would like to plant the following trees: avocado (2 for cross pollination), lemon tree, lime tree and grapefruit tree. Until then I will be pacified by my auntie's fruit. Whenever we are in Cali I beg and plead for avos off her tree and we were not disappointed!

We have a slight addiction to guac in our household. And what goes better with guac than tacos? So we brought taco night back until the avocados ran out :( I am not a purist when it comes to my guac, and I've never had any complaints on how I make it. So here are the list of ingredients, add to taste!

2 avocados
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 lemon or whole lime (the juice to prevent the guac from turning brown and adds a tangy flave)
Lawry's season salt
Cumin
splash of Tobasco (I have eliminated this step lately as it can turn it a bit sour)
Pace Thick and Chunky - I know some people like to add fresh tomatoes or pico, but I like the additional flava flav that the Pace adds)
Sour cream (again, I don't add this all the time as it sometimes doesn't need it)
a handful of fresh cilantro
Mission Tortilla strips (I prefer Mission to any other tortilla chip - always have, always will!)

I think we will have tacos once I find some decent avos - a challenge here in the dead of winter!

Weeknight Gourmet

2011-01-12T21:28:00.007-05:00

We had our first snow!! Well, first accumulation. Since there is no such thing as "local" news in the Little Apple, I have to rely on the ever fabulous Topeka news to determine now many inches we actually got - approximately 8". I wasn't able to measure it due to the fact that we have this lovely phenomena called "blowing snow" - super fun!

Alas, it was quite beautiful when the sun came out! But with the sun came an arctic blast - it was 5* (-10* with windchill) when J was shoveling the drive. Owen and I enjoyed watching from inside the warm house :)

Anyfood, we are on this "don't-eat-take-out" kick, or maybe you could call it a resolution to cook more at home and throw less away. I swear, I am the queen of buying a TON at the super market and then choosing to eat out every night. I have good intentions to make yummy wholesome meals all week long, but I have terrible follow through. So for the last two whole weeks, we've been making dinner :) And tonight was new-recipe-night - um, delish. I busted out my "Williams-Sonoma Weeknight" cookbook that we got for our wedding. I LOVE this book - super easy and quick! Generally I love really simple scallops, but these were fantastic with a little Chinese Five Spice - delish!

Five-Spice Scallops with Noodles
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 Oranges
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 lb fresh Chinese egg noodles (I used udon noodles because that was what I had in the pantry!)
1 1/4 lb large sea scallops (as opposed to bay scallops - although I bet they would be just as good)
2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder (if you have trouble find this spice, try www.penzeys.com - on a totally different note, I had the BEST Five-Spice Gimlet at Mei N Yu in Georgetown about a year and half ago - they made it with Chinese five-spice simple syrup - amazing!)
4 tbsp Peanut or Canola oil
1 tbsp fresh ginger, finally chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 lb sugar snap peas (we used snow peas because we have a huge bag from our monthly run to Costco!)
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp soy sauce
4 green onions, white and pale green parts chopped

Instructions:

1) Grate 1 teaspoon zest from the orange and squeeze 1/2 cup juice, and set both aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender, according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.

2) While the noodles are cooking, sprinkle the scallops on both sides with the five-spice powder and season lightly with slat and pepper. In a large frying pan over high heat, warm 3 tablespoons of the oil. Working in batches if necessary add the scallops in a single layer to the pan and cook until well browned on the bottom, about one minute. Turn the scallops and cook until well browned on the outside and just opaque in the center, 1-2 minutes. Transfer the scallops to a plate (and I would add that you should cover them - while perfectly cooked, they were a bit on the cold side when I plated).

3) Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil to the same frying pan over high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the sugar snap peas and stir fry just until tender-crisp, about 1 minute. Stir in the orange zest and juice, wine and soy sauce and cook until slightly reduced, 1-2 minutes. Add the cooked noodles and green onions and toss gently to combine. Divide the noodles and snap peas among 4 plates, top with the scallops and serve.

Bon Appetit!

I'm spoiled.

2011-01-10T09:05:00.004-05:00

First of all, check out those thighs!! I just want to eat them up! Every day we experience more and more baby chub and I LOVE IT!

Second of all, my dear sweet man loves to make me frittata - I don't know where this came from, but I'm not questioning it! He had been making one with potatoes and onions - but it gave me terrible indigestion, esp'lly while I was pregs. He found one on www.williams-sonoma.com and we are never turning back. It is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. It makes enough for breaky and then dinner the next day - yummo!

Grilled Asparagus Frittata
From the Williams Sonoma Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 lb. asparagus, tough ends trimmed
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 1⁄2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 leek, white and light green portions, halved,
thinly sliced and rinsed well
6 eggs
1⁄4 cup heavy cream
1⁄2 cup finely grated pecorino romano cheese
3 Tbs. finely chopped fresh chives
3 Tbs. minced fresh basil
Crumbled goat cheese (chèvre) for garnish
(optional)

Directions:

Using a vegetable peeler, peel the skin off the thick ends of the asparagus. In a bowl, toss the asparagus with the olive oil, salt and pepper.

Heat a grill pan over high heat. Place the asparagus on the pan and cook until tender and nicely grill-marked, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 2-inch pieces. Transfer to a plate.

In the deep half of a frittata pan over medium heat, melt 1 Tbs. of the butter. Add the leek and cook until soft and light golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the plate with the asparagus. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and cream until frothy. Stir in the asparagus, leek, pecorino romano cheese, chives and basil, and season with salt and pepper.

In the deep half of the frittata pan over medium heat, melt 1 Tbs. of the butter. Add the egg mixture and cook until set, 7 to 10 minutes, using a rubber spatula to gently lift the cooked edges and allow the uncooked eggs to flow underneath. After 3 minutes of cooking, in the shallow half of the frittata pan over medium heat, melt the remaining 1/2 Tbs. butter.

Place the shallow pan upside down on top of the deep pan, then flip the frittata into the shallow pan and cook, covered, for 3 minutes. Remove the deep pan and continue cooking until the eggs are completely set and cooked through, about 5 minutes more.

Gently shake the pan to loosen the frittata, then slide it onto a serving plate. Garnish with goat cheese. Serves 8 to 10.

Williams-Sonoma Kitchen

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T11:30:00.009-05:00

O had a long night celebrating his first of many New Years! He was so tired, he tipped over during his photo shoot...How cute is his little 2011 outfit?? Alternatively, he was up all night because he is beginning the teething process - not because he was drinking champagne and playing Wii with his parents...

The days of ringing in the New Year at a big bash are gone - actually, I don't think I've ever really gone to a big New Year's bash - overrated. I think in the six years the J man and I've been together, we've only had one fancy shmancy New Year's. One of his college friends got married on New Year's Eve and had a right fabulous party. The rest of our New Year's we've either been alseep before the ball dropped or in Tahoe with the fam. This year, we rang in the New Year with champagne and Wii :) As parents of a 4 1/2 month old, I cannot believe we made it to midnight. But we did, and then watched an episode of the "Office" - best New Year's yet.

So the real reason for this post is to discuss the amazing meal I made for my hubby. My happy little monkey was my kitchen helper as I prepared our best meal yet! Who says everything changes with a baby?? It may have taken 4x the amount of time to make, but we still ate like kings. Little man actually made it to bed early and we *almost* ate a meal uninterrupted. He, of course, woke up in the middle of our romantic meal. Sigh.

So my sweet sister-in-law called me this past month to rave about three recipes in "Back to Basics" that she made for her girlfriends. So I decided to be wholly unoriginal, and make the same menu for our New Year's feast. To start we had Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad, followed by Tagliarelle with Truffle Butter and Garlic Ciabatta Bread. All three are DELISH and super easy - it would have taken no time at all if it weren't for our little miracle of life :)

The first and most important ingredient you will need is White Truffle Butter. I live in the smaller, lesser known, Manhattan and thus truffle butter, white or otherwise, is virtually nonexistent. In fact, I couldn't even find it in Kansas City at the Whole Foods. I found it at the Whole Foods in Boulder - yes, I traveled 8 hours for white truffle butter. And to visit with long time friends and family :) You can also order it online.

Yummy. For the Caprese, you roast the toms for 2 hours at *275, SO DELISH. And the best part is that you can use crummy roma tomatoes that are about all you can get in the winter. The pan on the left is the deliciousness for the ciabatta - garlic, parsley, oregano and oil. Yummy!

Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad
Serves 6 ~ Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

12 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, seeds (not cores) removed (I used roma because we didn't have plum in the Little Apple)
1/4 cup good olive oil, plus more for the drizzling
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
16 ounces fresh salted mozzarella
12 fresh basil leaves julienned

Preheat oven to 275*.

Arrange tomatoes on a sheet pan, cut sides up, in a single layer. Drizzle with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with garlic, sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. (I just kind of dropped lumps of garlic onto the tomatoes - I highly recommend spreading it like butter instead...) Roast for 2 hours until the tomatoes are concentrated and begin to caramelize. Allow the tomatoes to cool to room temperature.

Cut the mozzarella into slices slightly less than 1/2 inch thick. (My little trick is to freeze the mozzarella for about 30 minutes before you are ready to cut it - makes it SO MUCH EASIER.) If the slices of mozzarella are larger than the tomatoes, cut the mozzarella slices in half. Layer the tomatoes alternately with the mozzarella on a platter and scatter the basil on top. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Serve at room temperature.

Tagliarelle with Truffle Butter
Serves 2-3 for dinner, 4-5 for a side dish or appetizer ~ Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

Kosher salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 ounces white truffle butter
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (8.82 ounce) package Cipriani tagliarelle dried pasta or other egg fettuccine (Um, none of the above exists in the Little Apple - we settled on egg noodles made by the Amish...)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
3 ounces Parmesan, shaved thin with a veggie peeler

1) Add 1 tablespoon salt to a large pot of water and bring to a boil.

2) Meanwhile, in a large (12 inch) saute pan, heat the cream over medium heat until it comes to a simmer. Add the truffle butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, lower the heat to very low, and swirl the butter until it melts. Keep warm over very low heat.

3) Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes, exactly. (If you're not using Cipriani pasta, follow the directions on the package.) When the pasta is cooked, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta. Add the drained pasta to the saute pan and toss with the truffle-cream mixture. As the pasta absorbs the sauce, add as much of the reserved cooking water as necessary to keep the pasta very creamy.

4) Serve the pasta in shallow bowls and garnish each serving with a generous sprinkling of chives and shaved Parmesan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve at once.

Not a bad start to the New Year - eh?

Bon Appetit!

The Monster Mash

2010-10-20T11:38:00.006-04:00

The boys will be celebrating their first Halloween this year and it was SO FUN to get them together for a photo shoot! And check out those beanies! Aren't they just the cutest?? And I promise this post relates to food eventually...the mash part of Monster Mash is a Mashed Butternut Squash recipe, stay tuned. I just had to show off the little men in my life!

Bat Boy! Owen is still a tinge nocturnal, thus for Halloween, we discussed it and he decided he'd like to be a bat. Obviously he won't be trick-or-treating (although Jeremy thought he'd take Owen out and get some candy for himself...), but he had to have a costume for his first Halloween!

Alright, now on to the food. Yes, I made the Arugula Salad with Fennel, Grapes and Gorgonzola - its hard to resist. I also made the most delectable Mashed Butternut Squash - seriously delish. And my dear friend Ina strips this squash of all of its nutritional value by adding copious amounts of butter, brown sugar and cream - oh my! SO GOOD.

Mashed Butternut Squash

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Family Style

Ingredients

2 medium butternut squash (4 to 5 lbs total) - I used 1 3 pounder and adjusted everything accordingly.

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/4 cup half and half - I used heavy cream because that is what I had in the fridge.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400*.
Cut off and discard the ends of the squash. Peel the squash, cut them in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into 3/4 inch cubes and place them on a baking sheet. Add the melted butter, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Toss all the ingredients together and spread in a single layer. Roast for 30 minutes, or until the squash is very tender. While roasting, turn the squash once to be sure that it cooks evenly. Do not let it brown.
Transfer the squash and the pan juices to a large mixing bowl, and mix with an electric mixer until smooth. It should have the consistency of mashed potatoes.
Season to taste and serve hot. If the squash is too thick, thin it with milk, orange juice or water.

Don't do what I did...

2010-10-18T12:19:00.007-04:00

If you look closely at the bottom of the cake, you'll notice that a good 1/2" of the cake is embedded on the cooling rack - nice going Meg! I should have used my cooling rack that has squares. At least I think it wouldn't have caused such a problem of removing the cake to a cake plate. But maybe I'm wrong. Anyhow, when making this DELISH cake, just don't press down like I did...and don't use a cooling rack that only has horizontal bars!

YUMMY! This cake is SO GOOD, especially if you don't mess it up like I did :) Jeremy's grandfather, aunt and uncle and sister drove all the way from Michigan to meet Owen. Uncle Darrell drove for 10 hours on his birthday for the visit, so I made him a birthday cake! He loves German Chocolate Cake, so my mom suggested this gem: Inside-Out German Chocolate Cake from the now defunct Gourmet magazine. Now, as a new mom, I didn't have time to make this baby from scratch - I used a German Chocolate cake mix, split b/w 3 9" round pans. However, I'll provide the whole recipe in case you have more time than me! The best part of this cake is the filling - coconut (my new obsession, besides Owen) and pecans, AMAZING.

Inside-Out German Chocolate Cake

Adapted from Epicurious.com

Ingredients:

For cake layers (or just use Betty Crocker German Chocolate Cake Mix)

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole milk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup boiling-hot water

For filling

7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
4 ounces coarsely chopped pecans (1 cup)
14-ounces can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon vanilla

For glaze

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
10 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate
3 tablespoons light corn syrup

Instructions:

Make cake layers: (again, if you are short on time, that cake mix is just as good!)
Preheat oven to 350°F and oil cake pans. Line bottoms of pans with rounds of parchment or wax paper. Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together whole milk, butter, whole egg, yolk, vanilla, and almond extract in another large bowl until just combined. Beat egg mixture into flour mixture with an electric mixer on low speed, then beat on high speed 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and beat in water until just combined (batter will be thin). Divide batter among cake pans (about 1 1/2 cups per pan) and bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of pans and rotating them 180 degrees halfway through baking, until a tester comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes total.

Cool layers in pans on racks 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove parchment or wax paper and cool layers completely.

Make filling:
Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Spread coconut in a large shallow baking pan and pecans in another. Bake pecans in upper third of oven and coconut in lower third, stirring occasionally, until golden, 12 to 18 minutes. Remove pans from oven.

Increase oven temperature to 425°F. Pour condensed milk into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate and cover tightly with foil. Bake milk in a water bath in middle of oven 45 minutes. Refill baking pan with water to reach halfway up pie plate and bake milk until thick and brown, about 45 minutes more. Remove pie plate from water bath.

Stir in coconut, pecans, and vanilla and keep warm, covered with foil.

Make glaze while milk is baking:
Melt butter in a 3-quart saucepan. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate and corn syrup, whisking until chocolate is melted. Transfer 1 cup glaze to a bowl, reserving remaining glaze at room temperature in pan. Chill glaze in bowl, stirring occasionally, until thickened and spreadable, about 1 hour.

Assemble cake:
Put 1 cake layer on a rack set over a baking pan (to catch excess glaze). Drop half of coconut filling by spoonfuls evenly over layer and gently spread with a wet spatula. Top with another cake layer and spread with remaining filling in same manner. Top with remaining cake layer and spread chilled glaze evenly over top and side of cake. Heat reserved glaze in pan over low heat, stirring, until glossy and pourable, about 1 minute. Pour glaze evenly over top of cake, making sure it coats sides. Shake rack gently to smooth glaze.

Chill cake until firm, about 1 hour. Transfer cake to a plate.

Cooks' notes: ·Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
·For easier handling when assembling cake, place bottom layer on a cardboard round or the removable bottom of a tart or cake pan. Hmm...if I had read this part, maybe I wouldn't have had such a problem...

The fam spending time with the newest "William!"

Owen in the Kitchen

2010-10-04T23:17:00.006-04:00

These days, if I want to cook, the little man wants to cook too...or maybe I am the type of mother who doesn't like to leave him alone for one minute because I'm addicted to him? Either way, I've been cooking with the little man either in the baby papasan or the Moby - as pictured above :) It is still fairly warm in Kansas, so the only way the Moby works in the kitch is if the little man is stripped down to his diaper, otherwise he sweats up a storm. And he LOVES his wubbanub! And so do I...it makes it way easy to find the foffy* when it inevitably drops in the Moby, or the infant car seat, or the swing, etc...and it is far less likely to fall out because the little puppy has beans in its paws, so it tends to stay put if he is reclined...

* "Foffy" is our family's name for pacifier. When I was young that is what I called it, and apparently all my cousins thereafter called it the foffy as well. Thus, the foffy is back.

Anyhow, during our little cooking school, I taught O how to make the above salad - Arugula Salad with Grapes, Fennel and Gorgonzola from Cooks Illustrated. I didn't make it exactly as it called for as I live in the Little Apple and I'm limited on ingredients...like arugula. And apricot jam. And celery root - but that is for a different recipe...

Arugula Salad with Grapes, Fennel and Gorgonzola

Adapted from Cooks Illustrated

Ingredients

4 teaspoons apricot jam (I used apricot preserves)

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons EVOO

1 small shallot, very finely minced, about 1 tablespoon (I used 1/2 of a large - O doesn't take kindly to onions and garlic so I've been trying to cut back!)

1/2 small bulb fennel, cored, trimmed of stalks, and sliced very thin, about 1 cup; fronds chopped coarse, about 1/4 cup (I forewent the fronds)

5 ounces lightly packed stemmed arugula, about 8 cups (I used mixed greens, and just enough for J and me for dinner and then me again for lunch today!)

6 oz red seedless grapes, halved (Again, I eyeball this, we love the grapes so I probs do more)

3 oz gorgonzola cheese crumbled, 3/4 cup (I forgot this last night, but I couldn't tell the diff)

1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Instructions:
Whisk jam, vinegar, oil, shallot, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in large bowl. Toss fennel with vinaigrette; let stand 15 minutes. Add arugula, fennel fronds, and grapes; toss and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Top with gorgonzola.

Bon Appetit!

Look what I baked!

2010-08-14T21:17:00.005-04:00

The Bun is Done! Little Owen surprised us with an early entry into the world - he was one week early! I am smitten. Look at that face! We fully expect him to be walking, reading and writing by month's end :) Love. Due to an emergency c-section, I have been camped out on my glider (the rule in our house is the one that breast feeds gets to sit in the glider :) while Grandma Di cooks (or bakes) up a storm!

She has made us about eight million meals which are all nicely stored in our garage freezer to be consumed in the months to come; she has made us lunch and dinner every night (and even cinnamon swirl french toast our first morning home - yum!!). And in her spare time she has done laundry, vacuumed, and dusted. How lucky are we?? I *might* have teared up when she scheduled her return flight home. Anyhow, as the perfect solution for some over ripe bananas, she baked these amazing Banana Crunch Muffins.

Banana Crunch Muffins

Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Makes 18 large or 24 regular muffins

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled (Grandma Di used salted butter)

2 extra large eggs

3/4 cup whole milk (Grandma Di used 1%)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 bananas)

1 cup medium-diced ripe bananas (1 banana)

1 cup small-diced walnuts (Grandma Di used about 3/4 cup)

1 cup granola

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Dried banana chips, granola or shredded coconut (optional)

** Per the new mama's request, Grandma Di added 1 cup of raisins - if you like raisins, I'd highly recommend this step!! **

Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Line 18 large (or 24 regular) muffin cups with paper liners. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the melted butter and blend. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas, and add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and blend well. Don't overmix.

3) Fold the diced bananas, walnuts, granola, and coconut into the batter. Spoon the batter in to the paper liners, filling each one to the top. Top each muffin with the dried banana chips, granola, or coconut, if desired. (Grandma Di used coconut and we didn't love it. We will try granola next time - and there will be a next time.) Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.

Thank you Grandma Di!

Prego Cravings

2010-08-02T16:45:00.011-04:00

Have you ever tried Chocolate Cheerios?? Seriously? I am positive I will crave these after the bambino is born...these are fabulous as a late night alternative. I think I'll stock them for when I start breast feeding as well!

No joke. Golden Delicious Apples top my list. I have eaten so many of these puppies - the best part is that I cannot recall EVER having eaten them before I was pregnant. Then one random Saturday we were at a friend's house and she busted these out with the caramel dipping sauce and I was hooked - strangely, not hooked on the caramel though...

This same friend stocked caffeine free Coca Cola Classic. I LOVE this stuff. LOVE IT. So does the bambino :) I am a die hard Diet Coke fan - grew up with it, loathe regular Coke as it is too sweet. So it came as a HUGE surprise that I liked this sugar packed alternative...or is it?

LIME BARS!! OMG, I have one a night pretty much. I love them. They fill my margarita tooth :) I've also tried the blueberry, pomegranate, and strawberry - also delish, but not a craving like the lime bars!

Okay, this is not a craving I have succumbed to - this is something to look forward too: a Kir Royale - thank you Ina. Champagne and a splash of Chambord with fresh raspberries. Cannot wait!

If you read my blog regularly, you already know this one: Lemon Bars. YUM. I only made them twice. May have to make them this week provided I don't go into labor. I thought there was a chance I would go into labor early, but the belly has settled down and we are just playing the waiting game now...

Be still my heart: Fried 3 Musketeer. Word to your mom. We went to the Riley County Fair on a whim; my back was hurting, the weather was nice, so we decided to walk over and see if they had anything fried...and they did. This might look like a corn dog with powered sugar. Trust me it is NOT. I want one right now. Too bad the fair was only in town for three days.

Okay, the only thing yummier than fried 3 Musketeers are fried OREOS!!! Holy COW! These suckers were SO GOOD. They dip them in funnel cake batter, fry them up, and then load on powdered sugar. YUM. And the Oreos are still a bit crispy underneath all that fried goodness. I should thank my lucky stars the fair left town when it did!

I moved from the ultimate in heart stopping deliciousness to this light weight treat: Angel Food Cake with fresh strawberries - yummy!! I use the box mix - so easy and quick and totally filled my desire for this craving!

I've told you my cravings, what were yours?

I'm melting...melting...melting...

2010-07-30T16:56:00.006-04:00

More perfect words were never uttered by the Wicked Witch of the West - who, by the way is memorialized in the Oz Museum about 12 miles from where we now live. (There is also an Oz Winery - I will be checking it out, if only to get a bottle of wine with some striped stockings and ruby red slippers on the label - I totally buy wine by label...)

Anyhow, I fully grasp what the wise witch really meant when she said "I'm melting...melting...melting..." Since she was "born" in NE Kansas, likely in the dead middle of summer, she was melting from the combination of ridiculously high temperatures and humidity. Today's heat index: 110* - NEAT. Could it BE any hotter in the Midwest in the summer?!? Seriously, I've become a shut-in, refusing to leave my house in the middle of the day. I only go out under the cover of night or early in the morning when it is only the humidity that attacks. I cannot take it for much longer. It probably doesn't help that I am 38 weeks prego, and therefore running on high heat anyhow.

Alas, the ultimate cure for this insipid heat is Fudge Sundae Pie. No joke. We are having dinner at a friend's house tonight and she asked that I bring dessert - what better than an ice cream pie laced with fudge and peanut butter with a yummy Rice Krispy crust?! I've only made it a few times, but I can't for the life of me remember why I've not made it every week of this pregnancy. You better believe I am going to fit a few more in before this bambino makes his or her grand entrance! Thank you mammers for this tasty delight!

Fudge Sundae Pie

Crust:

1/4 cup corn syrup

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. butter

3 cups Rice Krispies

Spray a 10 inch pie plate with Pam, or grease with butter. In a batter bowl, combine syrup, sugar and butter. Microwave until bubbly, about 2 minutes. Add Rice Krispies and mix to combine. Press mixture into a pie plate to form a crust.

Filling:

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup chocolate fudge topping

3 Tbsp. corn syrup

1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened (I've used peanut butter frozen yogurt and it is DELICIOUS!!)

Microwave peanut butter, chocolate fudge, and corn syrup until it can be mixed easily. Spread 1/2 of the chocolate/peanut butter mixture onto pie crust. Spread softened ice cream on top of chocolate/peanut butter layer. Top with remaining chocolate/peanut butter mixture. Freeze until firm. (You can also use a 9X13.)

Dairy Bar and Turkey Burgers

2010-07-22T20:55:00.007-04:00

As you all know, the J man and I have recently relocated to the dead center of America and now reside in the heartland. We are fortunate enough to live in a college town, and not just any college - an agricultural college. Now I hail from UC Davis, also an agricultural college complete with a dairy farm on campus. My roommate couldn't major in business, she had to major in agricultural economics. Go Ags! But we did not have a Dairy Bar...maybe it was for the best as I would have gained a freshman 50 instead of the freshman 15. But I would like to point out we had a wine cellar on campus and I learned to wine taste in my Intro to Viticulture and Enology class. Anyhow, Kansas State has this amazing little shop called the "Dairy Bar." We found it with the Astors a few weeks ago, and I took my parents back to get more ice cream.

We left with the above cornucopia of dairy related products: two pints of the most delectable ice cream I have EVER, I mean EVER eaten; two types of cheese (Colby and White Sharp Cheddar); a gall on of fresh milk; and 2 1/2 dozen eggs (for $2, what a steal!) But let's get back to the ice cream. For serious. If you ever decide to visit us in the middle of America (I'd recommend NOT the summer as it is 90* at 8 PM - and ridiculously humid), I will treat you to the BEST ICE CREAM EVER. My current faves are the toffee crunch and the cookie dough. And its the type of cookie dough like my mom used to make at work (she worked in a test kitchen) and bring home to make cookies. Unfortunately, she'd get home so late that she'd pop it in the freezer. Fortunately for my sister and I, that frozen cookie dough was the BEST little treat ever - esp'lly in the summer. We always ended up eating it before my mom could bake it :) Anyhow, the giant chunks of cookie dough in this ice cream remind me of my mom's cookie dough.

While my parents were in town, not only did they help us settle into our nest, but they got us a grill as an early birthday/Christmas present! Thank you mom and dad! My parents and I (while the J man was cooling his heals at work) spent three full hours putting this sucker together. It was stinking hot - but totally worth it! Our first meal was burgers! (Please note that the pic is a little blurry due to the humidity causing the lens to fog up!)

This is the "advisor" - my dad. He advised the J man on when the burgers were done, but focused mainly on staying cool (nearly impossible) and enjoying a cold one!

It was a joint effort getting these turkey burgers made - my mom used the most amazing recipe that a friend of hers developed.

The finished product, complete with pepper jack cheese on top from, you guessed it, the Dairy Bar! I know Turkey Burgers are not the most popular burger on the menu, but you HAVE to try these!!

Ingredients

1 1/4 lbs turkey (I prefer the 93% fat, otherwise the turkey is way too dry)

1 egg

1/3 c seasoned bread crumbs

1 6 oz package of dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix

Cheddar cheese (I'd recommend pepper jack from the Dairy Bar...)

Instructions

Mix it all together, save the cheese. Unless, of course, you want to put the cheese in the middle of the burgers, yummy. And then grill until desired doneness. J man cooked his 5 and 5 (he thinks).

Thanks mom and dad for a great visit! Can't wait for you to come back and meet your second grand baby in about one month's time!!

Poor Little Piggy

2010-07-12T18:48:00.007-04:00

No, not this lovely family! I'm referring to our amazing weekend of consuming copious amounts of pork product! This past weekend we had our first house guests! The Astor family took on heck of a road trip from California to Kansas with Manhattan (the Little Apple, not the Big Apple) being the Eastern most point of their adventure! We had so much fun spending time with life long friends and practicing parenthood with their 5, 3, and 1 year old! There were tons of hot dogs, cheerios, and mac'n'cheese consumed by the kidlets. For the adults, however, it was all about the poor little piggy. Every night. It was amazing.

Di got us matching Kansas shirts - NICE!

Di and I compared our piggy weekend it to the time my sister and I went to visit Di at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for Poly Royal (kind of like an open house for incoming students). Di and I called it the "Weekend of Meat" because we were able to eat as much meat as possible from tri-tip sandwiches to chorizo on a stick, it was a weekend to remember. My vegetarian sister stuck with corn on a cob - seriously. Em was super grossed out by our meat frenzy.

Any how, our first meal was Pasta Shells with Corn and Bacon that my cousin Jamie and I made way back when we were both living in San Francisco - I will save that recipe for later. My fave was the Herb Marinated Pork Tenderloins from, you guessed it, Ina! This recipe is in Back to Basics or on her Food Network website. I made the cookbook version and was disappointed - you grill it and it was SO DRY. But the web version directs you to brown it on the cooktop and throw it in the oven - AMAZING.

Ingredients

1 lemon, zest grated

3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 to 6 lemons)

Olive oil

2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)

1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Kosher salt

3 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each - I only used 2 loins)

Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard, and 2 teaspoons salt in a sturdy 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the pork tenderloins and turn to coat with the marinade. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight. I marinated it for about 6 hours and it was perfect. I also accidentally switched the amounts for rosemary and thyme - no noticeable difference.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove the tenderloins from the marinade and discard the marinade but leave the herbs that cling to the meat. Sprinkle the tenderloins generously with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large oven-proof saute pan over medium-high heat. Sear the pork tenderloins on all sides until golden brown. Place the saute pan in the oven and roast the tenderloins for 10 to 15 minutes or until the meat registers 137 degrees F at the thickest part. I would recommend flipping the meat halfway through - my thermometer did not read 137* on one side, but then I flipped it over and it read 140* on the other side. I used my dutch oven, so that might have had something to do with it.

Transfer the tenderloins to a platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Carve in 1/2-inch-thick diagonal slices. The thickest part of the tenderloin will be quite pink (it's just fine! - Ina's words, and I couldn't agree more!) and the thinnest part will be well done. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm, or at room temperature with the juices that collect in the platter.

Bon Appetit!

To wrap up the visit, we had EXCELLENT BBQ at Jack Stack in Kansas City (thank you for the recommendation David!). I had the burnt ends - simply divine. Jeremy had Beef and Pork ribs.

And Kevin had prime rib, pork rib and brisket. SO MUCH MEAT. Are you gagging Em? It was fabulousness! And the sides, oh the sides. The cheesy potatoes were A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. And don't forget the cheesy corn. OH MY. My parents are in town this weekend, we are SO going back.

Absent

2010-07-05T09:55:00.004-04:00

So...it has been ages. In the last few months I've quit my job, packed up, moved to Kansas, jetted to California to meet my perfect little peanut (my first nephew!!), didn't have internet for two whole weeks, and now I am in the middle of boxes. It is not that I haven't been cooking, because I have. Its more that I've not had time to post anything OR I can't find my camera amongst the boxes OR I didn't have the internet! I am so tired of not being unpacked, but I'm so tired (literally) trying to get organized. 6 weeks to go with the bun growing in my oven. I'm SO excited to meet this wee one - especially after meeting my nephew, can't wait! Alas, we have so much sorting and organizing (and mold removal) to take care of first. Here's hoping he or she takes his or her time!! I will be posting this week a few little treats along with a restaurant review of Cracker Barrel - a weekly fave of my Grandfather-in-law!Our new house :) It would be perfect if not for the mold...I am praying our landlord understands the seriousness of this sitch and gets it fixed right quick!

Delicious and Nutritious

2010-05-13T09:00:00.005-04:00

Seriously, this little salad is delish and nutrish!! I was just home for a week and collected quite a few recipes from my mammers - but this is the only one that didn't include several sticks of butter and or cream cheese...Don't worry, those will be posted soon as well! I made this Quinoa Taco Salad on a whim last night and CANNOT wait for lunch today!

My mom quilts with her friend Elaine quite regularly at Elaine's house (Elaine has all the fancy machines). And my mom has come home, not only with wonderful projects, but with a handsome collection of recipes from Elaine. This is one of the tasty little delights...she also has this amazing bread salad that I will have to add soon!

Quinoa Taco Salad

Elaine Miller and my mom ~ serves 4 to 6 depending on how hungry you are!

Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa (I buy my quinoa at Trader Joe's; I will have to find a new source when I move to Kansas...like the US Postal Service and my mom...I cooked 1/2 cup quinoa in 1 cup water and I had plenty. In fact, it made about 1 3/4 cup and I just added all of it)

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 red onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp chili powder

dash cayenne pepper

1/2 each red, yellow and green bell pepper (I just used one full yellow and 1/2 red. Obviously you can go crazy and add as much pepper as you want!)

1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

3/4 cup tomatoes, diced (I did about 1 package of cherry tomatoes)

2 limes (I ended up only using one)

Salt and pepper to taste

6-8 ounces baby spinach

1 bunch cilantro

1/3 cup cheddar or feta

1 avocado, diced

Instructions

Add seasoning to water when cooking quinoa. (I'm not sure what seasoning the recipe is referring to - I didn't add a thing and I didn't think anything was missing. If I had an open can/container of chicken broth, I would have cooked the quinoa in chicken broth.)

Heat evoo in saute pan over medium heat. Add onion, cook for 3-5 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne and peppers. Saute 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in the black beans, tomatoes and juice of 1 lime. Stir in quinoa. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill. (I didn't make it enough in advance, so ours was slightly warm and yummy!)

Roughly cut baby spinach into strips. (Okay, I thought this step wasn't necessary, until I tried to eat the quinoa mixture - it was a pain with the larger leaves. I'd recommend NOT skipping this step!) Remove about 1 cup of cilantro leaves, wash, dry and toss with spinach. (I chopped mine and just sprinkled it on top of the feta.) Divide mixture among 4 salad plates. Top with scoop of quinao salad. Top with cheese and diced avocado. Garnish with lime.

Bon Appetit!

Easy Peasy

2010-04-26T08:05:00.005-04:00

Eating while pregnant has brought out some interesting choices for dinners - my fave for a while (to include this past Saturday night) has been peanut butter on a tortilla. Seriously, I sometimes crave it. Last night was different, I craved this fabulous Roasted Shrimp & Orzo Salad - SO good. It is light and fresh and just perfect for a Sunday supper!

Roasted Shrimp & Orzo

Serves 8 ~ Barefoot Contessa at Home

Ingredients

Kosher salt

Good olive oil

3/4 pound orzo (rice-shaped pasta)

1/2 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons - I cheated and used the bottled stuff. Seriously, if I were to squeeze all the lemons that Ina called for in her wonderful recipes, I'd need my own lemon tree! Of course, if I still lived in the Golden State, this would not be a problem. Alas, metro DC does not provide the environment for the proper growth of a lemon tree!)

2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined (16-18 count)

1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (about one bunch)

1 cup chopped fresh dill (forgot to get this at the store and supplemented with dry - I probs used about 1/4 cup - for some reason we have two large bottles of dill in our pantry so I'm trying to get rid of some of it before we move!)

1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium diced (I didn't seed it - and I used an English cucumber b/c that was what I had!)

1/2 cup small-diced red onion (about 1/2 of a medium sized onion)

3/4 pound good feta cheese, large diced

Instructions

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2) Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon salt and a splash of oil (I skimped on the salt and totally skipped the oil), and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9-11 minutes (or just follow the instructions on the box), stirring occasionally, until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.

3) Meanwhile, place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 5-6 minutes, until the shrimp or cooked through (mine were done in 4 minutes). Don't overcook!

4) Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving. (I chilled mine and served cold - I prefer it that way!)

Bon Appetit!

I'm Back!

2010-04-25T20:27:00.005-04:00

So, it has been a while, hasn't it? I've been a little busy being prego, entertaining out-of-town guests, retiring from the military, beginning my career as a stay at home wife, and house hunting in Kansas! We have been eating fairly poorly the last few months, but I'm happy to say, we are back on track. Well, not really - this post is about lemon bars...the only redeeming quality would maybe be the lemon zest. At least they are homemade right? :) Up until now I've been subsisting on the lemon bars from Corner Bakery - which are amazing - but this version from my girl in the Hamptons is to die for!!

Lemon Bars

(As a side note: I crave anything citrus, thus this creation was driven by the bebe!)

Makes 20 squares or 40 triangles ~ Barefoot Contessa Parties!

Ingredients

FOR THE CRUST

1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

FOR THE FILLING

6 extra-large eggs at room temperature

3 cups granulated sugar

2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (Ina says 4-6 lemons, I used 2 and had plenty)

1 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice (I used the 2 lemons I zested and then supplemented with "Real Lemon Juice" from a bottle...)

1 cup all-purpose flour

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 350*.

2) For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt, and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press into a 9x13x2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.

3) Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave oven on.

4) For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into squares or triangles and dust with confectioners sugar.

Bon Appetit!

PS: I think they have better flavor if you chill the lemon bars - they are more tart that way!

Choppin' Broccoli

2010-02-07T18:36:00.011-05:00

Do you guys remember that Dana Carvy "Choppin'Broccoli" skit? I've linked it if not; basically Dana sings about choppin' broccoli, and that is exactly what I was doing when I was making Broccoli Soup! Seriously, so easy and delish. And if you live in DC, you can store the leftovers on your balcony during Snowmageddon 2010...

This recipe is inexact, but I will give the list of ingredients anyhow. It comes down to taste really. We ate it with a loverly butternut squash sally - I will give the ingredients for the salad dressing as well!

Broccoli Soup

Serves a ton - from My Mom's Kitch (who I think got it from my Aunt Wink)

Ingredients: (Note, I always, always, always, double this recipe)

1 lb. broccoli or 2 10 oz. packages frozen broccoli (I've also used the precut bags from Trader Joe's - just be sure to cut off the bad bits)

3 cups chicken broth (2 cans) (Again, inexact, I basically poor in enough broth so that just the top layer is not submerged - then I cover and the steam will reduce the bulk of the broccoli. You can always add more broth later if you like a soupier soup!)

1/8 tsp pepper (I used freshly ground from my new mortar and pestle!)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp lemon bits or rind, or 1 tsp fresh lemon zest

1/4 tsp Tabasco

Olive oil (for those who need an amount, I usually eye ball it, its for sauteing the onion...I'd do no more than a tablespoon)

1 onion, finely chopped

Milk (optional - I never add it) until creamy consistency

Yay, how fun is my new mortar and pestle?? I laaauuuuuvvvveeee it!

Instructions:

Saute onion with some olive oil (again, inexact). Add broccoli and broth (like I said earlier, add enough to leave the top layer of broccoli un-submerged - the picture above is after it has been cooking with the lid on and the broccoli and cooked down a bit.) Simmer until broccoli is soft. Add remainder of ingredients. Process with a hand held blender to desired consistency. Serve immediately because it is so good!!

Do you have a hand held blender? I also love this little kitchen gadget. Very handy for soups!

YUMMMMMMMMM!

Dinner is served! The salad is a butternut squash salad that I copied from my cousin Jamie - who adapted it from our girl Ina (Back to Basics)...It is a bed of arugula, bacon, roasted butternut squash, toasted pecans, and a dab of goat cheese! The dressing ingredients and instructions are as follows:

3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice (I actually used white grape juice and couldn't even tell...)

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons minced shallots (I just used onion because that was all I had)

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Combine juice, vinegar and shallots in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until cider is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Off the heat, whisk in the mustard, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Bon Appetit!

Flava Fave of 2010...

2010-01-10T21:10:00.004-05:00

It has been quite some time...it was a very busy season! I have so much to post, but it is January 10, 2010 and my apartment is still littered with random Christmas decorations. It's positively shameful. Alas, my goal is tomorrow night!

Back to the food at hand. The above picture truly does not give this dish justice. First of all, we were so excited to try these Enchiladas with Pumpkin sauce that we just dug in. Second, our fancy camera was out of batteries so my slick doctoring of the picture was just not an option.

J Man agreed to make dinner if I agreed to put Christmas away. Someone followed through with his end of the bargain, and someone did not...J Man made the BEST enchiladas; I'm hoping for many repeats! What's not to like: pumpkin (one of my absolute fave ingredients) and cheese!!

Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce

Serves 4 - from Great Food Fast

Ingredients

1/2 rotisserie chicken, skin removed, meat shredded (J man is forever in charge of dismembering a chicken carcass - those bones were picked dry! And let me just tell you, a rotisserie chick is going to save you a TON of time!)

6 scallions, thinly sliced

Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper

1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

4 garlic cloves, peeled

1 jalapeno chile, quartered (remove ribs and seeds for less heat, if desired)

1 tsp chili powder

8 corn tortillas (6-inch)

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) grated sharp white Cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425*. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken and scallions. Season generously with salt and pepper; set aside.

2. In a blender, puree the pumpkin, garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, 2 1/2 cups water, 2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper until smooth (hold the top firmly as the blender will be quite full). Pour 1 cup of the sauce in the bottom of an 8-inch square (or other shallow 2-quarter) baking dish.

3. Lay the tortillas on a work surface; mound the chicken mixture on half of each tortilla, dividing evenly. Roll up each tortilla into a tight log; place seam side down over the sauce int eh baking dish.

4. Pour the remaining sauce on top; sprinkle (generously, goes without saying, right?) with the cheese. Place the dish on baking sheet; bake until the cheese is golden and the sauce is bubbling, 25-30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Bon Appetit!

Noodle Soup Who?

2009-12-04T12:09:00.004-05:00

As a kid, whenever we were sick, my mammy made Chicken Soup with Rice. Sometimes I would feel sorry for myself that we never got chicken noodle soup like all the other kids. But then I'd take one bite of this succulent, flavorful deliciousness and I felt sorry for the other kids! And now, I make it during the winter just because - no need to be sick to make this delectable heart-warming treat!

This recipe is adapted from "Thermador's Convection Micro-Thermal Cooking Guide" - not that I'm lucky enough to have a Thermador oven! My mom assisted in writing the recipes for this one. Someday I hope to be creative enough to write recipes too!!

Chicken Soup with Rice

Makes 4-6 servings (I always double it)

**This is one of those recipes where you can add more or less of anything. I will give you the measurements from the recipe, but I actually do a heaping cup of each veggie and about one extra cup of chicken broth - the rice sucks it up, and if you don't add more broth, your left overs will look more like a stew.**

Ingredients

6 cups chicken broth (I boil the chicken breasts in a pot of water (just enough water to cover the breasts with about 1 extra inch of water) with the tops of celery, chunked up onions, salt, pepper, and sometimes fresh parsley. After the chicken is cooked, I strain the stock and use the left over liquid as part of the 6 cups of chicken broth directed above.)

2 cups diced, cooked chicken (about 3 breasts - see above for instructions on how to cook)

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1/3 cup diced carrots

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup long grain rice

2 tablespoons finely chopped green pepper (I use any color - whatever I have, and I always use a whole pepper)

2 sprigs parsley, minced

1 teaspoon salt (I recommend you use Kosher salt if you use your left-over stock which is already fairly salty)

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

1 bay leaf

2-3 whole cloves

Instructions:

Throw it all together and cook until the rice is done. Usually about 20-25 minutes. Serve it up with some yummy crusty bread and enjoy! A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

Happy Appies

2009-11-18T18:08:00.003-05:00

I am toying with the idea of having a Christmas Cocktail Party - the longer I "toy" the more likely it won't happen. At least until after the new year. I've always wanted to have a Christmas party, but we never seem to plan enough in advance and all the weekends are booked. How about you guys? Alas, we will have an Epiphany Party! Yessssss....and I will be making these: Bruschetta with Peppers and Gorgonzola. Can you guess where I got it? Yep, my girl Ina - Back to Basics.

The best part about this recipe is that you can do everything in advance, then throw it together to heat it up. I am always trying to figure out a way to actually enjoy little parties that I throw. I haven't done such a fab job, as I seem to always been in the kitch instead of mingling. This is the perfect answer to my desire to mingle!

Bruschetta with Peppers & Gorgonzola

Makes 32-36 appetizers - Back to Basics

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for brushing bread

2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into thin strips

2 yellow bell peppers, seeded and cut into thin strips

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons drained capers

1/4 cup julienned fresh basil leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

32 to 36 (1/4" to 1/2" thick)baguette slices

4 to 5 ounces creamy Gorgonzola, at room temperature (I used blue cheese because that is what we had on hand!)

Instructions

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

2) Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large (12-inch) skillet. Add all the peppers and saute for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until tender. Sprinkle with the sugar and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the capers and basil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside.

3) Arrange the bread slices in rows on sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Brush each slice lightly with olive oil and toast for 7 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned.

4) To each toast with a spoonful of the pepper mixture. Dot each one with Gorgonzola. Sprinkle with salt and serve warm.

* To make ahead, make pepper mixture, and toast the bread. When you are read to serve, start from number 4.

2009-11-16T22:37:00.005-05:00

Marshmallow Madness

My friend Betsy and I spend lots of time looking through cookbooks, cooking magazines, talking about food, and...eating lots of food. She spotted this recipe in dear Ina's Family Style (I've always flipped right past it) and made them just the other day.

From Betsy:
I picked this recipe for two reasons. 1. My mom had a recipe for homemade marshmallows sitting out all summer, which I waited and waited to taste, but she never made them! 2. It has a toasted coconut option and I am currently obsessed with all things coconut.

Homemade Marshmallows from Barefoot Contessa Family Style
Makes 20-40 marshmallows
Warning: need to plan ahead, this needs to sit overnight or at least all day.

Ingredients:
SUGAR
haha, just kidding...but not really.

3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 T pure vanilla extract
Confectioners sugar and or toasted coconut (definitely recommended) for dusting. (Note: I used unsweetened coconut, which I think you need to do and it can be hard to find. Try Whole Foods)

Instructions:
1. Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of cold water in the bowl of electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and allow to sit while you make the syrup.

2. Meanwhile, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and another 1/2 cup water in a small sauce pan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and cook until the syrup reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer (mine got to 230 and that worked). Remove from heat.

3. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the dissolved gelatin. (the gelatin didn't really look dissolved, but more like creepy jello, fyi, and beware of the steam from mixing the hot sugar syrup. We don't want any ER visits....Jamie. Side story: when Betsy lived in Hong Kong one summer with Jamie, Jamie managed to melt off quite a bit of skin on her finger with hot molten marshmallow making rice crispy treats. Beware, the power of hot sugar). Put the mixer on high speed and whip until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.

4. Generously dust an 8x12" non metal baking dish with either toasted coconut (see below) or confectioners sugar through a sieve. (I had either a 7x11 or 9x14 and opted for smaller, which made for too-tall marshmallows (jamie: I loved them) so I'd go for larger dish next time). Pour the marshmallow mixture into the pan, smooth the top, and dust with more coconut or confectioners sugar.

5. Allow to stand uncovered overnight, until it dries out.

6. Turn the marshmallows onto a board, cut into squares, and dust with MORE topping.

7. Serve on super tasty hot chocolate, or shove in your face. OR Martha-fy and put in little cellophane bags, with adorable ribbon, and give as gifts (if they make it that far).

Toasted Coconut:
If interested in the toasted coconut, Ina happens to have a recipe for that in the Back to Basics book (that goes with roasted butternut squash soup and curry condiments, which I have also made...because it had coconut).

Toast coconut in a single layer on a sheet pan at 350 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes. But really it is just 5 minutes.

Meat and Potatoes

2009-11-12T20:10:00.002-05:00

Okay, so this picture was taken last summer on the old camera - so it isn't really capturing how freaking amazing this meal was!! On a whim, I treated my new groom to Filet of Beef au Poivre with Matchstick Potatoes...it was wonderful! Although, we totally set the smoke alarm off multiple times whilst frying the taters...I cannot wait until we own our own place and can disable the smoke alarm. Just kidding! Maybe.

Filet of Beef au Poivre

Serves 6 - Barefoot in Paris

6 filets mignon, cut 1 1/4 inches thick

Kosher salt

2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper

3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided (take the "unsalted" seriously - I erroneously used salted when it called for unsalted and it was a disastrous mistake!!)

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 cup chopped shallots (3 to 4 shallots)

1 cup canned beef broth

1/2 cup good Cognac or brandy

Place the filets on a board and pat them dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the filets with salt and then press the black pepper evenly on both sides. Allow to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter and the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until the butter almost smokes. Place the steaks in the pan and lower the heat to medium. Saute the steaks for 4 minutes on one side then for 3 minutes on the other side for medium rare. (I cooked my filets 5 on one side and 4 on the other = v.v. medium rare...) Remove the steaks to a serving platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil.
Meanwhile, pour all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the saute pan. Add the shallots and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the beef broth and cook over high heat for 4-6 minutes, until reduced by half, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the Cognac and cook for 2 more minutes. Off the heat, swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Serve the steaks hot with the sauce poured on top.

Matchstick Potatoes

Serves 4 - Barefoot in Paris

Peanut or canola oil

2 large oval Idaho potatoes, peeled

Sea salt or kosher salt

Minced fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour at least 1 inch of oil into a deep pot and heat it to 350 degrees.
Slice the potatoes into thin matchsticks (1/8 inch thick) with a vegetable slice or mandoline, dropping them into a bowl of cold water as you cut. Drain the potatoes and dry them thoroughly with paper towels. Drop the potatoes in batches into the hot oil and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the pot with a wire basket skimmer or slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Place on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, and keep warm in the oven while you cook the rest of the potatoes.
Sprinkle the potatoes with parsley, if desired, and serve hot.