Redhead Recipes

New Years Resolution

2012-01-27T19:31:00.001-07:00

Although it is almost February, I thought I would document one of my new years resolutions: to "Say Yes!" In other words, when my husband, children, or friends ask me to do something (as long as it is do-able, safe, etc) the answer is Yes! I want to be more willing, more fun, get myself out doing more. Yes!

Also, if you are still reading my blog, then you have probably been with me long enough to know my sister, Hannah. She was the one who inspired me to keep a food blog, took me to blogging conferences with her, helped me get started, and most importantly - she gave me confidence that I really could cook well enough to have a food blog. Well, last June she stopped writing on her blog. She had a hard time with that decision, she had a large following, really enjoyed it, but she just knew it was the right thing to do. Because she is my best friend and we are very similar, she talked about it a few times with me before she made her final decision. As she explained that she wanted to spend more time with her family, living her life for her children/husband/self and not for the blog, it just made sense for me too. I shouldn't be thinking, "we can't eat that [a favorite recipe] tonight, I've already posted that recipe!"
Now I am not going to stop blogging, just cutting back. So what it comes down to is I am saying, "yes!" to my family and "yes" to making food for me, and not the blog. I will keep Redhead Recipes more as a place I post some great recipes, whenever they come. I am not going to pressure myself into 3 posts a week - just when they come, they come. I hope that as the posts numbers decrease, the quality will increase. Hannah said it best, "10 years from now, I will not wish that I had written one more post, but I WILL wish that I had read them one more book."

If you'd like, follow me on pinterest - I am always finding great inspiration there. Or add this blog to your reader and be pleasantly surprised when Redhead Recipes pops up occasionally.

Homemade Granola Bars

2011-11-18T09:50:00.001-07:00

I know I may be on the slow train, but I just recently tried out agave nectar (Xagave) for the first time. It is great. It has a very similar to honey in texture. But the flavor is not as floral. I love using it in drinks and sauces since I don't worry about it not dissolving completely and being grainy like sugar. But I thought I would try it in baking. So I tried them in my favorite Granola Bar recipe.

My sister flew in a couple months ago to help me drive my kiddos to Utah for a family reunion. And of course, our family needs delicious food on our drive. We were both trying to be healthy - our snacks consisted of apples, grapes, carrots, and celery. But we needed something sweet. These granola bars were perfect. They may not be the lowest in calories, but if I am going to have chocolate chips, it is nice to know they are surrounded by oats, wheat germ, seeds, and other delicious ingredients. But don't worry - these taste so much better than you would expect. Plus now the the added agave factor, the glycemic index is much lower!

This recipe is very versatile: add in dried fruit (I totally recommend this!), nuts, candy, other seeds, whatever you think! Also, if needed for allergies, you can omit the peanut butter. Here are two of my variations.

Granola Bars

from my friend, Jenny M.

1 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup agave (or 1/2 cup honey)

2 t. vanilla

2/3 c. peanut butter

1/2 cup melted butter

3 Cups oats

½ cup sunflower seeds

2 t. sesame seeds

½ cup coconut

1/3 cup wheat germ

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a mixing bowl combine brown sugar, agave, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Stir in remaining ingredients. Press into a greased cookie sheet and bake 20-23 minutes (depending on the chewiness you like). Let cool before cutting and serving.

My Favorite Granola Bars

(White Chocolate Cranberry Bars)

Prepare as above except omit chocolate chips and add in 2/3 c white chocolate chips, 2/3 cup dried cranberries, and 1/2 cup pecans.

Spaghetti Squash and Chili

2011-10-07T09:45:00.001-06:00

Did you think I died? Well, my husband started law school and I have been struggling to adjust to two kids and being a "law school widow." I have had some other major changes in my life and finally am feeling a little more normal.
With a little baby and a potty-training toddler, I don't have a lot of time in the kitchen unfortunately. I try to celebrate my husband being home on the weekends with a little more experimenting in the kitchen.

I saw this idea on Pinterest the other day. It is a super easy and inexpensive meal. You just put your favorite chili recipe on top of Spaghetti Squash. Use this method for easy cooking. My spaghetti squash was pretty big and my husband likes it a little softer, so we microwaved it for about 1 1/2 times what I did in that post.I tossed the Spaghetti squash in butter, salt, and pepper, and then topped with a simple "chili."

Super Simple Chili
1/2 lb ground beef, browned
1 can corn, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can beans (any kind, I used black)
cumin
garlic powder
onion powder
1 small pinch cayenne

Combine all ingredients in medium saucepan, season to taste. Heat until warm.

Grandma's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-08-22T20:38:00.001-06:00

We had some new neighbors move in - and what's a better way to welcome someone to the neighborhood than with the best cookies ever?! These are my favorite cookies of all time. Straight from my grandma's cookbook. This is the dirtiest page in the cookbook, that tells you how good they are.
I made a simple tag with this cute stamp. I am glad my sister talked me into buying it. It makes me want to make treats for more people.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
3/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
2 cup quick rolled oats
1 pkg chocolate chips

Cream together shortening and sugars. Add eggs. Add remaining ingredients in order and mix well. Bake at 350 degrees until done. (That's how my grandma wrote it - but for us it is about 12 minutes)

Tips:
Add 3/4 cup chopped nuts if you'd like (and I do!)
I like to go a little lighter on the chocolate chips - like 3/4 of the bag
Use a small spring-loaded ice cream scoop, like this one, to make uniform sized cookies.

Stuffed Zucchini

2011-08-19T08:13:00.001-06:00

Are you all loving Pinterest as much as I am? I love all the ideas I am finding. I have tried new recipes, made fun crafts, and had great ideas for parties (like a baby shower we threw yesterday). I also love the idea of finding things for my dream house, pinning it, and saving it so I don't forget.
I pinned this recipe for stuffed zucchini by Kayotic Kitchen a few months ago. I knew that zucchini would be plentiful and cheap soon. I took their idea, and made my own twist on it.

Stuffed Zucchini

2 zucchinis
4 slices of bacon, cooked till crispy
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp sour cream
1 tsp fresh thyme
2 green onions
salt and pepper to taste
4-6 leaves fresh basil, julienned
Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice zucchini length-wise. Scrape the insides of the zucchini, leaving about 1/4 inch shell all the way around. Chop zucchini into small pieces, place in bowl. Chop bacon, garlic, thyme and onions; stir into zucchini, add sour cream, salt and pepper, and basil. Add mixture into zucchini shells. Top with grated Parmesan. Bake 20 minutes, then turn on broiler until top is golden.

Enjoy!

What's in Season - August

2011-08-01T09:04:00.001-06:00

I can't believe it is already August! This summer has flown by and soon my husband will be back in school. Sad. We have loved all the extra time with him.
This summer we have enjoyed playing with our baby, having family visit, and hanging at our local farmers market. Not only do they have some great produce, but grass-fed beef, cage-free eggs, and, of course, cute crafts!

Here is a sampling of what's in season this month!

Photos via Google Images

What's in Season in August:
1. Shell Beans
2. Peaches
3. Wax Beans
4. Cantaloupe
5. Corn
6. Plums
7. Honeydew
8. Currants
9. Beets - try them Roasted!
10. Nectarines
11. Tomatoes
12. Summer Squash
13. Watermelon

Also in season:

Cucumber
Eggplant
Leeks
Okra
Snap peas
Blueberries
Figs
Mangoes
Canary melons
Crenshaw melon
Passion fruit

Teriyaki Burgers

2011-07-26T14:10:00.000-06:00

I am back! I know, I said that before. But I am really feeling into my groove now.
I was inspired by my sister, who stopped blogging to spend time with her family. I am not going to stop blogging, but I am going to stop living/cooking for my blog. I am going to make what I want to make, and when it seems blog worthy - you will get a post. I just didn't like the fact that I "couldn't" make a favorite dish because I had already posted the recipe. I still love to experiment and new foods - so there will always be something new - just maybe not as often as before.

Okay, now to the food. These burgers! Oh! These burgers are delicious, and they couldn't be easier!
Thanks to Marta's delicious salad recipe, I had some leftover Soy Vay. Hannah told me to just use it in burgers. They were moist, flavorful, and easy! Really. You don't need a recipe, but I'll give it to you anyway. They were so delicious I didn't need any ketchup, mustard or other sauce -- and that's saying a lot from a ketchup lover!

Teriyaki Burgers with Grilled Pineapple

1 lb lean ground beef
3-4 Tbsp Soy Vay, or other prepared teriyaki sauce

Combine ingredients and divide into four patties, shaping them so the center is a little thinner than the edges. (I learned this from Rachael Ray - this makes them cook evenly and so when they bulge, you have a flat rather than ball-shaped patty). Cook over medium-high heat for about 8 minutes, flipping once, or until desired done-ness.

We topped them with grilled pineapple, tomato, and lettuce. That's actually kind of a lie because we don't have a grill - I faux-grilled them. I sprinkled each pineapple ring with some brown sugar and then put them under the broiler until the sugar was dissolved and started to caramelize, maybe 3-5 minutes.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

2011-06-30T08:55:00.001-06:00

We were lucky enough to have a great sale on blueberries recently. I have been putting them in everything - smoothies, steel cut oats, and of course, for Sunday breakfast, I made blueberry muffins.
This was a great recipe I found online. They had a lot of blueberries in it, next time I will probably cut it down to a cup.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

from Food Network Kitchens
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for preparing the muffin tin
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
2/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for the top of the muffins
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly brush a 12-muffin tin with butter and set aside. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with an electric hand-held mixer in a large bowl, cream the butter, zest, and 2/3 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Remove the bowl from the mixer.
Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour in 3 parts into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk in 2 parts, until just combined. Fold in the blueberries. Take care not to over mix the batter. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin and sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool muffins in the pan on a rack. Serve warm.

Roasted Beet Salad

2011-06-28T09:15:00.000-06:00

This weekend we went to the local farmers market. I thought I would decide what we were having for dinner on Sunday depending on what looked good at the market. I bought some salad greens, kohlrabi, and beets. I am saving the kohlrabi for dinner tonight - but the salad greens and beets I used in the most delicious salad!
I am a little ashamed to say this was my first experience with fresh beets. My husband loves beets, and after Sunday, so do Lou and me! They were so sweet! It was perfect in the salad - a great balance of sweet, savory, bitter, sour, earthy. Yum!
The farmer I bought the beets from told me the beet greens were edible. I tossed them in with the salad greens. They have a thicker texture than a typical salad green and were slightly bitter. If you don't like this, just keep them out. I only put a few leaves in.

Roasted Beet Salad

Lemon Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
about 4 cups Spring Mix
about 1/2 cup Radish Greens
1 bunch Beets, roasted (recipe follows)
1 small onion, caramelized
shaved Parmessan
In the bottom of the salad bowl, mix the salad dressing. Top with salad greens, beets, onions, and Parmesan. Toss. Serve.

Roasted Beets:

1 bunch small beets
2 tsp olive oil
salt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel beets and cut in half. Place on sheet of foil, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, toss. Wrap the beets up tightly in foil. Bake in oven about 30-45 minutes, or until beets are tender. If you poke with a knife and it slips out, it is ready. Set aside to cool, about 10 minutes.

Lemon Vinaigrette:

Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
Combine all ingredients in the bottom of the salt bowl. Whisk to combine.

Bruschetta Burger

2011-06-21T14:29:00.001-06:00

Almost three weeks ago when I posted last, I assumed I would be back into the swing of things. Well, that obviously was not what happened. I haven't really had much to post because I haven't really made anything new. I have made easy, family favorites that I have already posted, or my mother-in-law made dinner for us. Oh it was so nice having my mom and then my mother-in-law here!
I am still having a little hard time adjusting to the life of a mother of two. I will confess that I have had a few hard days after my mother-in-law left trying to figure out how I would do it all - the housework, the cooking, taking care of a newborn, and entertaining a toddler without the television. I cried. I whined to my husband. I told myself "Enough!" I made some goals. I got organized (a bit). And I am feeling better about things. It is 3pm and I am still in my pajamas - but that's okay because today I have vacuumed, tidied up, done the dishes, made dinner, played Memory and playdough with my toddler. That may not seem like much, but for me, I think that isn't too bad!
Yesterday I was inspired when I saw a cooking show (what I watch when I am nursing sometimes) make bruschetta. My basil plant has been growing well and I thought that I would do something with it. So I decided to make an Italian Burger with a Bruschetta topping.
I am still trying to loose some "baby weight" (although these last few pounds are from the first baby, not the second). So I am trying to make things a little healthier now. I made these burgers with ground turkey and instead of fries, we had zucchini sticks and dipped them in marinara. I was pleasantly surprised with the whole meal!

Italian Turkey Burgers with Bruschetta Topping

For the Bruschetta (recipe from my friend Jenny):

4 Roma tomatoes, cubed
2 Tbsp fresh basil (I used about 10 leaves)
1/4 c grated Romano cheese
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
seasoning salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

In a medium bowl, mix tomatoes, dried basil, cheese, olive oil, garlic, vinegar, seasoned salt and ground black pepper.
Cover and chill in the refrigerator 8 hours, or overnight, before serving.

For the Burgers:

1 19oz package of ground turkey
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp fresh rosemary
1 tsp fresh thyme
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
pinch red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
Seasoning Salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients until well incorporated, but don't overmix. Test the seasoning by taking a teaspoon of the mixture and cook. (see here) Adjust seasoning as needed. Divide meat mixture into 4 equal portions. Shape into patties. Cook on grill or skillet (medium high heat) until done.
Top with bruschetta topping and a toasted bun. Serve with zucchini "fries" - cut zucchini into the french fry shape, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast under broiler until browned.

If you have leftovers:

Crumble meat over a bed of lettuce, top with bruschetta and use the bruschetta liquid as your salad dressing. Delicious! (that was my lunch today!)

What's in Season - June

2011-06-03T07:50:00.000-06:00

Time flies when you have a newborn. I can't believe it is June! Summer is here. Farmer's Markets are open, fresh fruits and vegetables are more available. I can't wait to see what Nebraska Farmer's Markets have to offer. Here is what is in season this month - either at your grocery store or your Farmer's Market.

What's in Season in June:

Green and wax beans
Beets
Cucumber
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Peas
Snap peas
New potatoes
Summer squash
Apricots
Raspberries
Strawberries
Cherry
Figs
Mango
Canary melon
Cantaloupe
Nectarines
Passion fruit
Peaches
Plums
Watermelon

Also, check out this link to see what is in season in your area.

Thanks to all those who have asked. I am slowly coming back. We are very grateful for all those who have brought meals and for my mom for stocking our freezer with ready made meals. I haven't made any new recipes lately - but when I do, I will let you know!

Panko-Crusted Salmon

2011-05-23T13:19:00.000-06:00

Are you all loving Pinterest as much as I am? I love finding new ideas, crafts, and especially - recipes! I found this recipe for Panko-Crusted Salmon from Annie's Eats there. It is delicious and easy. Plus, it is done in about 20 minutes! We have made it twice since my mom has been here. It is probably my favorite Salmon recipe I have made!

Panko-Crusted Salmon

from Annie's Eats

2/3 cup panko
2 tbsp. finely minced fresh parsley
1 tsp. lemon zest
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
3-4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
4 (6-8 oz.) salmon fillets, skin on
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
Lemon wedges, for serving

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. In a small bowl, combine the panko, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and toss with a fork until the crumbs are evenly coated; set aside.
Place the salmon fillets skin side down on a work surface. Generously brush the top of each fillet with the mustard and then season with salt and pepper. Press the panko mixture thickly on top of the mustard on each fillet to help the panko adhere.
Heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch oven-safe skillet. When the oil is hot, add the salmon fillets, skin side down, and sear for 3-4 minutes without turning to brown the skin. (If you don’t want to eat the skin, this step also helps the skin stick to the pan so the fillets can be easily removed without the skin later on.)
Transfer the pan to the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes, until the salmon is almost cooked through and the panko is browned. Remove from the oven, cover with foil and let rest 5-10 minutes. Serve warm with fresh lemon wedges.

Maternity Leave

2011-05-18T15:59:00.000-06:00

I would say I am sorry for my lack of posts for the past few weeks -- but I can't. I have been having way too much fun playing with my mom and, as of Cinco de Mayo, with my new baby boy! He is adorable. We are totally in love. My husband finished his finals Wednesday and, for medical reasons, I was induced Thursday. Everything went very well and both of us are doing great!

This picture is from his first car ride - coming home!

And for those who like stats, yes, he is a big boy - 9 lbs 8 oz at birth, is now over 10 lbs! He is already really into eating! The cheeks are just getting cuter!

South of the Border Turkey Burger

2011-04-22T12:26:00.000-06:00

Last night was burger night. This is a treat at our house. We don't have burgers for dinner too often. My little girl was so excited! Mostly because she thought fries always accompany burgers... so I whipped up some quick fries to go along with the carrot sticks. It was a big hit. Lou ate almost her whole burger, and AC said it was his favorite burger I have ever made.
This is a really simple and delicious recipe. Plus it is ready to go in less than 30 minutes. And if you don't like spicy stuff - no worries, this isn't hot at all. Actually, I would have liked a little kick; next time I will probably put half a seeded, diced jalapeno in.

South of the Border Turkey Burger

1 1/4 lb ground turkey
1 small can diced green chiles
2 green onions, sliced thinly
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt
pepper

Preheat frying pan over medium high heat with a thin layer of olive oil. In a bowl, combine all ingredients until evenly distributed through meat but careful to not overmix. Divide into four patties. Cook until center of burger reaches about 170-175 degrees. Let rest about 5-10 minutes. Top with Cilantro Lime Mayo (see recipe below) and your favorite toppings. I think avocados are a must with these!

Cilantro Lime Mayo

1/4 cup mayo (I use fat free cause I can't tell a difference in taste)
2-4 Tbsp cilantro, chopped fine
1 green onion
pinch garlic powder
1 tsp lime juice (or more to taste)
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper

Stir ingredients together. Adjust seasoning to taste. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Tip:
To test the burgers for seasoning, take a small pinch of the meat and fry it up. It only takes a minute or two to cook and it well worth it to adjust salt, heat, etc.

Monday Menu

2011-04-18T15:38:00.000-06:00

This week seems busy for me, but really it is just the regular-old week. I have two work days so I have to do easy stuff and stuff that transports/reheats well. Saturday is our Easter Bunny day - we save Sunday for the True Meaning of Easter.
I am also trying to keep it semi-simple thanks to a 38 week growing fetus :), my mom coming next week, and two doctors appointments this week.
Here's what we are having (any recommendations for the soup or bunny-shaped meals?):

Monday - Spaghetti
Tuesday - Soup
Wednesday - Breakfast foods
Thursday - Turkey Burgers
Friday - Baked Pasta with veggies
Saturday - Something bunny shaped
Sunday - Leg of lamb, rolls, asparagus, scolloped potatoes

What are you having this week?

Artichokes

2011-04-14T14:27:00.000-06:00

This last week was killer with work. I worked four night shifts last week (I usually work 2). So I was either sleeping or working. So I didn't have time to post, let alone, cook. We ate leftovers and ate out more than one really should. I was pulling the Tired-Night-Shift and the Pregnancy cards all week. Yikes.

I recently got this comment on my blog from Christina, "Artichokes intimidate me - how do you prep and cook them?"

image via

I love Artichokes, one of my favorite veggies ever. I just like foods that are fun to eat. When we were younger, we were always so excited when my mom would come home with artichokes in hand. We would all have our own, and sit around the table talking and pulling leaves through our teeth for at least an hour. Not only was it tasty, but we were having quality time as a family.

Artichokes can be prepared in many ways - roasted, stuffed, but my favorite it just a simple steam.
Cut the thorns off the leaves (like the picture above), place upside down in two inches of salted, boiling water and cook about 20 minutes or until a knife is inserted near the stem and comes out easily. Add a bit of lemon to the water to keep the nice color. Serve with lemon butter (equal parts lemon juice and butter) or mayo, or your favorite dipping sauce.

What's in Season - April

2011-04-06T04:27:00.000-06:00

I love spring! The warm weather and trips to the park are going to make me and Lou very happy. Some of my favorite fruits and veggies are starting into their peak season. Just yesterday we had some delicious, huge strawberries. As Lou would say, "delicious!" Here are just a few of my favorites.

pictures via google images

What's in Season in April:
Artichokes - love them steamed with a little lemon butter to dip. So fun to eat!
Asparagus - try them roasted!
Endive
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Peas
New potatoes - perfect for Easter dinner
Radishes
Strawberries - delicious on steel cut oats, on pancakes (see page 50 of this magazine for a yummy breakfast!), and of course, dipped in chocolate
Cherries
Mangoes - my all time favorite fruit. You can't find them locally grown in Utah, but just know that the ones in the store are at their peak. Try this Mango Salsa!
Nectarines
Passion fruit
Rhubarb
Tangerines, tangelos, other mandarin oranges

Also, if you want to see what's locally in season, check out this easy to use map

Friday Favorites

2011-04-01T12:35:00.004-06:00

I feel like Maria when I say this but, These are a few of my favorite things:

Skype Group Video Calling: We were able to talk to everyone in my family (that has a web cam) on Sunday - it was totally fun! My sister told us to make a silly face as she took a screen shot.
Let me introduce you to the family (from left to right): Brother and Sister-in-law (They live in DC); yours truly, Husband, Daughter (in Nebraska); Dad, Mom (living in Hawaii); and tiny at the bottom - Sister, Brother-in-law, and Nephew (Utah). So nice to have the technology to "be together" even though we stretch from one side of the country to the other!

Pinterest: I know you have heard it from every other blogger, but it is so nice to organize the things I want to do/make/remember. You may notice, the majority of my pins are food... I must have a problem.

Free Sprint-to-Sprint phone calls: If not, my 4 hours of talking to the family in one day would have used the majority of my minutes!

Making Plans with Mom: My mom and I have been planning her trip out here for the baby. We are planning lots of chatting, relaxing, a zoo visit (really Omaha has an amazing zoo!), making healthy meals, workouts (I need to loose the baby weight fast!). Nothing too big - but Mom time is always the best!

Looking forward to General Conference: A time to relax, hear some great council, and eat cinnamon rolls. If you want to check it out you can watch it on TV, or online!

Stuffed Turkey Meatloaf

2011-03-30T12:47:00.002-06:00

We finally started a cooking club here in Lincoln. Really, it's just an excuse to eat delicious food and have the girls get together. We had a blast. I hosted the first month so I did a simple theme "Favorite Foods." The only problem is I don't really have a "favorite" main dish... so I called Hannah and she told me hers, I cheated and made her favorite dish. It was quite delicious. (And just between you and me, it is healthy!)

Stuffed Turkey Meatloaf

recipe from my sister, Hannah
1 1/2 tsp canola oil
6 slices white bread (crusts removed, torn small pieces)
1/2 c skim milk
2 lbs ground turkey
2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tsp italian seasoning
salt & pepper
1 egg white

For the stuffing:
2 lbs frozen spinach
1 tbsp olive oil
3 green onions (green tops only, chopped)
1 egg white pepper
1/3 c freshly grated Romano cheese
1/2 c toasted pine nuts

Line a cookie sheet with tin foil. (Make sure the foil hangs over the edge an inch or two...) Spray foil with cooking spray.
In a bowl, mash the bread with the milk until milk is fully absorbed. Squeeze bread to eliminate excess milk.
In another bowl, combine turkey, mustard, oregano, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Add the soaked bread and egg white and mix until creamy, 2-3 minutes. Spread in prepared pan to make an even later. Cover the pan with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 3 hours.
To make stuffing, cook the spinach according to the package and squeeze our excess moisture. Place spinach and green onion in frying pan and cook over medium-high heat until spinach is dry and fluffy. (About 5 minutes...) Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Add egg and season generously with pepper.
Spread spinach stuffing evenly over turkey, leaving a 1-inch border of the turkey. Add toasted pine nuts on top. Sprinkle cheese evenly over stuffing and pine nuts.
Lifting the foil along the long side facing you, roll up the meat and stuffing like a jelly roll, pushing it forward a bit at a time and lifting the foil away, until a long log has formed. Pat the log gently to compact it. Brush with the remaining 1 tsp canola oil and center it on the pan. Cook loaf for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Let rest for 15 minutes. Cut meat into 8-10 slices and serve over spicy tomato sauce.
*If you want to see step by step pictures see Hannah's post.

Spicy Tomato Sauce
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 c. finely chopped yellow onion
1 clove garlic, minced
28 oz. can whole tomatoes & juice
28 oz. can chopped tomatoes & juice
2 c tomato sauce
Stir together spices. Set aside. Warm olive oil in deep pan. Add onion and saute until they begin to soften. Stir in garlic. Add tomatoes. Break apart whole tomatoes. Stir in spice mixture. Raise heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer at least 20 minutes. Remove from heat and use immediately, or let cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 2 months.

Asian Glazed Drumsticks

2011-03-28T12:41:00.000-06:00

Last week was my husband's spring break. I took one too - we left for Kansas City, saw some fun sites and museums. I didn't do much cooking or cleaning. It was fabulous.
Are you guys watching March Madness? Our team was in through the sweet 16, unfortunately loosing last Thursday night by just a few points. It was sweet while it lasted.
Even though it was just my husband and I watching the game I thought we needed some party food - so I finally made these Asian Drumsticks from Gina's Skinny Recipes. These were delicious, and you would never guess they were low calorie. Mmm!

Asian Glazed Drumsticks

recipe via Gina's Skinny Recipes
8 medium chicken drumsticks, skin removed
Pam spray oil
1 cup water
1 Tbsp Sriracha hot sauce (more or less to taste)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 tsp agave nectar (or sugar)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp ginger, grated
2 Tbsp chives or scallions, chopped
1 tsp sesame seeds

In a heavy large saucepan, brown chicken on high for 3-4 minutes with a little spray oil. Add water, balsamic, soy sauce, agave, garlic, ginger, hot sauce and cook on high until liquid comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for about 20 minutes. Remove cover and bring heat to high, allowing sauce to reduce down, about 8-10 minutes, until it becomes a thick glaze, turning chicken occasionally. (Keep an eye on glaze, you don't want it to burn when it start becoming thick) Transfer chicken to a platter and pour glaze on top. Top with chives and sesame seeds and serve.

"Golden" Caramel Popcorn

2011-03-15T07:19:00.001-06:00

I have posted this recipe before, but it is so fun, I thought you might want a reminder.
A few years ago my sister and I started the St. Patrick's tradition of doing a gold hunt for our kids. They follow clues on rainbows to the next and finally end up at a pot of gold. When we took this picture, our pot broke, so we had a basket of gold. We used golden wrapped candies (Rolos, Twix, coins are all great) and I made Golden (caramel) Popcorn.

What are some of your St. Patrick's Day Traditions?

Caramel Popcorn

adapted from my Grandma Smith
6-8 c popped popcorn
1 1/2 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c white Karo Syrup
3/4 c water
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
4 Tbsp butter
1 tsp salt

Put popcorn in 9x13 pan and warm in 250 degree oven. Cook sugars, Karo, and water to 300 degrees. Add butter and salt. When melted, mix well. Remove from heat and add soda and vanilla. Stir well (and fast!). Pour over hot corn and stir and stir. Pour out on table and mold with hands.

These instructions are taken straight from my grandma's recipe card. I don't mold into balls with my hands, but be careful if you do - remember the sugar is super hot!

Tips:

Use a larger pot than what you think - when you add the soda and vanilla it will puff up a lot!
If you want to double the batch, make in two separate waves. The sugar cools too fast to do one big doubled-batch.
Be patient, it does take a little while to get to 300 degrees.
This is a crunchy caramel popcorn. The way to tell - soft caramel corn has sweetened condensed milk and crunchy has baking soda.

Monday Menu

2011-03-14T10:20:00.001-06:00

So I was pretty good about making my meals last week that I thought I should post our menu again this week to keep me motivated through the week.
This week we are getting ready for a very fun spring break vacation next week. So my goal this week is to eat up the leftovers and make things easier toward the end of the week so I can focus on getting packed, etc.
Because nothing goes perfectly as planned, we weren't able to do all our meals from last week. So I am going to try and get them in this week.

Thanks to my sis for this picture from our celebration last year. I am sad we won't get to do our tradition together.

Monday - Stuffed Shells
Tuesday - Leftovers
Wednesday - Cooking Club (we finally started one up here, so excited!)
Thursday Happy St. Patrick's Day! - Irish Stew and Soda Bread
Friday - Leftovers
Saturday - Chicken Bryan
Sunday - To be announced...

What are you making this week?

Ultimate Nachos

2011-03-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

A friend and I were headed to meet at a local museum for a play date. Lou and I got ready and headed out the door. I was slightly late, so I was carrying Lou to avoid having to count each step on the two flights of stairs (cute, but time consuming). When we got outside it was cold, and there was just a skim of snow on the ground. In seconds I found myself on the ground with Lou on her back. This wasn't a slip-slip-oh-no!-fall type fall. It was a how-did-I-get-on-the-ground-so-fast? type fall. I felt terrible that I wasn't able to brace Lou, let alone myself for the fall. She wasn't hurt, just scared. I landed on my hands and knees so I wasn't worried about the baby, just my foot hurt a little bit. As I drove away from the icy parking lot, my foot started hurting more and more. After walking around the museum I decided walking was not a good idea and I should stay off of it.
It was to be the night for the delicious looking shrimp soup. But I decided to do my Ultimate Nachos since they were faster and I wouldn't have to be on my foot as much.

I am sure you know how to make Nachos, so this is more just so you can see my ingredient ratio for our nachos. As you can see, I like a lot of "stuff" on my nachos - yes, I promise, there are chips under there.

Ultimate Nachos

1 chicken breast
1/3 bag of Tortilla chips
6 oz shredded cheese (I used Colby Jack because that's what we had)
1 can pinto bean
1/2 jalapeno, sliced (optional)
1/2 small red onion, diced
2 roma tomatoes, diced
3-4 large romaine leaves, shredded
1 avocados
cilantro, roughly chopped
sour cream
salsa

Preheat oven to 275. Season chicken breast with salt and pepper. Cook chicken breast in saute pan until cooked through, cut into small cubes. Line cookie sheet with a single layer of chips, then cheese, beans, chicken breast pieces, and jalapeno. Continue to layer until chips are gone or until you have enough. Place in oven for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Keep a close eye on them - it will go from perfect to burnt quickly.
Top with remaining ingredients and eat!

Tips:
I used to put these under the broiler but I found a lower temperature oven gave me a better cheese consistency.

Banana Bread

2011-03-09T12:49:00.000-07:00

In college I had a roommate, Lisa. She was a great cook and we all loved her food. She didn't bake too often because she was working full-time and going to school full-time. She was friends with everyone on campus (no really!). She worked for the corporate side of Cold Stone. She brought home ice cream all the time. She hated it when we would take a taste -- at least without asking. Mostly because she was planning on giving it away to a friend. That's how she was able to keep her girlish figure, and be friends with the entire campus! Lucky girl!
One thing Lisa made well was banana bread. I have yet to find a more delicious recipe. Lisa's is sweet, flavorful, and moist. Lucky for you, I made it the other day which means - you get the recipe now too!

Banana Bread

recipe thanks to Roommate Lisa

2 cups sugar
2½ cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg
½ tsp baking powder
1 cup oil
3 eggs
2 cups mashed bananas
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix sugar, flour, salt, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder. Mix in remaining ingredients. Bake in 2 greased bread pans for 1 hour.

Tips:

Sometimes this bread can get a little dark. After about 30 minutes if the bread is looking dark, cover with foil while bread finishes baking.

Monday Menu

2011-03-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

I haven't been as good about planning a menu since I started back to work. Now is when I could really use it. I thought if I made a post out of my menu for the week - it would inspire me to 1- actually make a menu and 2 - follow through! You also get a look at my schedule because that affects what we will have. (ie - easy meal after a night shift, something that is easily reheated on night shift, etc) Here's what we are going to have for dinner this week:

image via

Monday (Family Home Evening) - Chicken, Mac & Cheese, Salad
Tuesday (Errands, Dr. appts, etc)- Coconut Curried Shrimp and Mango Stew
Wednesday (night shift) - Pasta (haven't decided what kind yet)
Thursday - Ultimate Nachos (easy, and perfect to eat while watching American Idol)
Friday (night shift) - Big Salad
Saturday (date night)- Try to recreate Chicken Bryan from Carrabba's
Sunday (church) - Stuffed Shells, bread, salad

What are you having for dinner this week? (I am looking for ideas for next week)

Out of Service

2011-03-04T12:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry for my lack of posts - our internet is down. I am currently borrowing someone else's to let you know that I will be back next week!

What's in Season - March

2011-02-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

I love spring. I not usually one of those people who wishes away winter - but after having a week of temperatures in the 60's and going to the park, I am ready to be done with snow, un-plowed roads, and putting on coats. Motherhood of a toddler makes you desire a little bit better weather. But soon spring will be here.
Luckily I can make it seem a little more spring-like with the foods I make.

image via

I am making it a goal to make something with fennel this month. I have not cooked with it much and want to. Any suggestions? Do you prefer it raw or cooked?

What's in Season in March:

Artichokes
Endive
Escarole
Fennel
Spinach
Rutabaga
Turnips
Apples
Grapefruit
Oranges
Passion fruit
Tangerines, tangelos, other mandarin oranges

Also, if you want to see what's locally in season, check out this easy to use map

Fish Tank Cake

2011-02-23T11:48:00.001-07:00

I was inspired by Parenting.com to make this cake for my daughter's "Under the Sea" themed birthday party. It looked fairly easy, and since I worked the night before the party, I needed a cake that was fairly simple. I made this Homemade Funfetti recipe - only I doubled it for a 9x13 cake pan and baked for about 35 minutes. Because nothing says kid's birthday like Funfetti!

The rest of the cake was done the day of the party - it took me less than an hour for sure.
I frosted it with my Buttercream Recipe. Once I was sure the cake was covered evenly, I kind of swirrled the frosting, to make it look like water.
Sand = Heath crumbs (you can find it near the chocolate chips in the baking aisle).
Castle = Graham Crackers, cut to whatever shape you want
Fish = Goldfish crackers and Swedish Fish. The bubbles are white frosting and the eyes are melted chocolate (although if I did this again, I would skip the eyes...).
Twisted seaweed = spearmint gum rolled on a sugared surface then twisted. (I actually misread the instructions, it called for actual spearmint leaves... oh well, the gum worked great too).
Spikey seaweed = Jolly Rancher Chews that you microwave for 3-4 seconds then roll out and cut to shape.

MadLibs Monday

2011-02-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

I love Madlibs growing up. When I saw Emily doing them on her blog I thought it was such a fun idea. Lucky for me, she asked me to be featured today. Check it out at her blog!

Happy Birthday Lou!

2011-02-17T12:51:00.000-07:00

Recipe she devoured for this picture can be found here -- we loved it as much as her

Yesterday was this cute girl's second birthday. Crazy how fast time flies... but at the same time it is hard to remember life without her. We love having this silly, spunky, snuggly, sweet, singing girl in our home. She keeps us laughing each day. Nothing has made me happier in my life than becoming a mother. In her honor, here are some of her favorite recipes:

Chicken Strips/Nuggets
Pasta with Marinara - this Zucchini Bolognese is a favorite here
Hawaiian Haystacks - last time we made this she out ate me!
Brown Sugar Carrots
This girl loves her veggies like Broccoli, Peas, and these Green Beans
Sweet Potato Fries
Dinner Rolls - who can resist these?
Brazilian Limeade, especially when made into popsicles
Pancakes of all kinds - Blueberry, German...
Barbecue Meatballs

There are many more - as you may notice from the picture above, this girl loves food!

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T12:58:00.000-07:00

I hope you are all having a lovely Valentine's Day and I hope you get to spend some time with the people you love.

Over 10 years ago I met my husband - he was a friend of my older sister's. He seemed nice, talented, silly. A couple years later, my sister graduated and I started hanging out with him more. He seemed ever nicer, more talented, and sillier. After graduating from high school, we went our separate ways - I went to college and he went to serve a mission for the LDS church. A few years later we went on our first date after his mission (a wedding of a mutual friend). We knew then that we wanted to keep dating. We were so happy.

I lived in Idaho at the time and he lived in Utah. We dated long distance until I graduated from college. I moved to Provo, UT to work and be closer to him. A few months later we were married. We were so happy, so in love.

Two and a half years later we welcomed our baby girl into the world. We were no longer a couple, we were a family. Ariel developed quickly into an amazing father. I was proud to call him my husband. We were so happy, so in love.

Now, we have two more years added to our happy married life. We have gone through hard times and great times - all have made us grow closer and more in love. AC is a great husband, a great father, and my very best friend. We are so happy, so in love, so excited for the future!

Happy Valentine's Day Ariel - you are the bacon to my eggs!

Yellow Thai Curry

2011-02-11T12:15:00.002-07:00

I just started working night shifts now for my job. It is so much nicer to only miss a few hours of Lou's day - rather than the whole thing. I think we will both do much better.
The only problem is the obvious one - I am tired. I have great friends who are helping me watch Lou for a few hours in the morning so I can sleep, plus I sleep during her nap. That gives me about 6 hours of sleep - which is much better than I expected. But, I am a 8-9 hour girl. I know there are few of us out there, but I really need that amount of sleep or I am cranky/weepy/impatient. The days after I work I am moving slow and don't get much done around the house. Then dinner rolls around - and I need something fast and easy. This Thai Curry recipe is just that - easy easy! Thank you Trader Joe's!

Yellow Thai Curry

2 chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small onion, cut in half then sliced
1 large bell pepper, sliced
1-2 tomatoes, sliced (I like to use a Roma or something with a lot of flesh and not a lot of juice)
Trader Joe's Yellow Thai Curry sauce (I use about half the jar)
Salt and Pepper

In a large frying pan or a wok, heat up a few tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken breast pieces with salt and pepper. Toss in wok, stirring occasionally, until almost cooked through. Add in onion, cook for an additional two minutes. Add in bell pepper, cook another 1 minute. Add sauce and tomatoes, cook until heated through. Serve over Jasmine Rice.

*If you don't want to do chicken - substitute any meat you like - pork, shrimp, beef, whatever you have in the freezer!

Creme Brulee

2011-02-09T10:50:00.000-07:00

I had a great birthday - nice and calm. I didn't get the creme brulee made until later in the week - but they were certainly worth the wait! Mmm. Lindsey raved about this recipe on her blog, so I decided it was the one I should try. I was not disappointed!

Crème Brûlée
by Dorie Greenspan
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
½ cup whole milk 3 large egg yolks
1 / 3 cup sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
About 6 tablespoons sugar or sifted light brown sugar, for topping

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 200ºF. Put the six baking dishes on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.
Bring the cream and milk just to a boil.
In a 1 or 2-quart glass measuring cup or in a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla together until well blended but not airy. Still whisking, drizzle in about one quarter of the hot liquid---this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won’t curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the cream and milk. Give the bowl a good rap against the counter to de-bubble the custard, then strain it into the baking dishes. Place dishes in a larger dish (i.e. 9x13 pan) and pour water into the larger pan until reaches half way up the custard dishes.
Bake the custards for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the centers are set---tap the sides of the dishes, and the custards should hold firm. Lift the dishes onto a cooling rack and let the custards cool until they reach room temperature.
Cover each custard with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably longer. (The custards can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.) For the sugar to be successfully caramelized, the custards need to be thoroughly chilled.
Makes 6 servings.

Tips from Dorie:

The most efficient way to caramelize the sugar topping is to use a blowtorch . If you don’t have a torch, you can chill the custards very, very well, then set them in an ice-cube-filled roasting pan and run them under the broiler. You won’t get as even a coating with the broiler as you would with the torch, but you’ll still get the flavor and the pleasure of a crackly sugar crust over cream custard.
The best baking dishes for crème brûlée are shallow, ideally just an inch high, about 4 inches in diameter and holding about ¾ cup of liquid. Porcelain, pottery or glass gratin or baking dishes are perfect, but if you don’t have them, you can use ramekins or even disposable aluminum foil pans, an unglamorous but effective solution.
Serve the crème brûlée when the crème is really cold and the brûlée is still warm. You can serve the whole dessert chilled, but the sugar topping won’t have its characteristic crackle. And while I think crème brûlée should be served with nothing more then a spoon, you could offer berries and cookies as accompaniments.
The custard for crème brûlée must be made ahead so it has plenty of time to chill, but once you’ve caramelized the sugar on top, your storage time is over if your want the sugar to have crunch.

What's in Season - February

2011-02-04T04:35:00.000-07:00

I hope you are all having a great February so far. It is so cold here I have even avoided the grocery store. But, if you are able to brave the weather and get out to the stores - here's what's is going to be the best!

Here's What's in Season for February:

From left to right (kind of):
Oranges
Cauliflower
Rutabaga (just learned the difference between rutabaga and a turnip is a rutabaga is a cross between a turnip and a cabbage)
Brussel Sprouts
Turnips
Broccoli
Apples
Tangerines (and all it's family members)
Endive
Grapefruit
Escarole
and Fennel

Enjoy the freshest produce!

Smoothies

2011-02-02T13:05:00.000-07:00

So today is my birthday and I am taking it easy - no work, no big events, just relaxing at home. I think I might whip up some creme brulee for tonight. We shall see how it goes.
For my birthday I decided to share with you one of my favorite breakfasts - smoothies! (I also have these for lunch, dinner, or a snack!) It is freezing here, so this helps me remember the warm days of summer.
This is more of a method than a recipe so pay attention to the tips at the bottom.

Smoothies

1 cup ice
2 cups frozen fruit (store bought or leftovers from the summer)
1 cup yogurt - any flavor
splash of lime/orange/lemon juice (optional)
2-4 cups fruit juice

Place ice, fruit, ice, lime juice, and enough fruit juice to come almost to top of fruit in the blender.

Blend until smooth, Add remaining fruit juice if needed to thin out the smoothie. Makes about 6 cups.
The smoothie I have pictured has peaches, strawberries, blueberries, strawberry yogurt, and grape juice.

Tips:

Put the food in the blender in the order I listed. It makes blending easier because the ice doesn't just float and avoid the blades.
I like my smoothies a little thicker - add more juice or even milk if you want to.
I like my smoothies to have something tart - so that's why I add lime juice - use your judgment.
Try many combinations:

Peaches, Mangoes, Strawberries with orange juice
Strawberries, peaches, with lemonade and limeade
Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries with your favorite juice
Pineapple, bananas, strawberries, with pineapple juice
Peaches, Strawberries, Bananas with peach juice

Taste before serving it up - depending on the ripeness of your fruit you may need to add sugar or something a little tart to cut the sweet.
Experiment!

New Job

2011-01-27T20:26:00.002-07:00

The first few months after moving to Nebraska was a little busy and stressful for me, to say the least. I just couldn't face adding training for a new job on top of my already overwhelming list:
- move
- adjust to husband in first semester of law school
- get settled/find friends
- finish up online classes (which were both more time consuming than expected)
- be a good mom

Lucky for me, I was able to interview for a nursing position on an L&D unit in a beautiful new hospital. They hired me, but were willing to let me start after things settled down a bit. AC and I thought after Christmas break things would be better. So, last week, I started at the new Medical Center just outside Omaha. I still have 2 1/2 weeks of training left - just enough time to get adjusted to the charting and how things are run. So far so good! The nurses I have met are all so friendly and in the words of Annie, "I think I'm gonna like it [t]here!"

Between my hour commute each way and my 12 hour shifts I don't get to see my daughter at all on the days that I work. It totally stinks. I cried on my way home Monday realizing that I wouldn't get to see her. (I blame the tears on pregnancy hormones.) Once I am off orientation I will work nights (7 pm to 7 am) and only two days a week. Then I will only miss a few hours of her awake time and she will barely know I am gone. I am excited for this new adventure and we will see how it goes! Wish me luck!

Spanish Tortilla

2011-01-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

So the other day, I was reading Vanessa's blog and thought that her Spanish Tortilla sounded yummy, easy, inexpensive, and I had all the ingredients. Perfect! Dinner was solved. So I took her recipe and made a few adjustments.
I will say, the flipping is a little tricky - but if you have a plate, it probably would have worked better than me trying to use the lid of my frying pan (not as balanced).

Spanish Tortilla

adapted from Vanessa
vegetable oil
3 potatoes
8 Eggs
1/3 cup of milk
1 cup shredded cheese
1/2 tsp garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 slices of thick ham, cubed
1/2 green bell pepper, cubed
cilantro, for garnish
1 tomato, diced, for garnish

Heat oil over medium-high heat. You want just enough to coat the pan and about half way up your potatoes. Cook until potatoes are almost fork-tender (about 8 minutes). Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, milk, garlic, salt, pepper, and cheese; set aside.
Once potatoes are browned and almost fork tender, drain oil. Reduce heat to medium or medium-low. Add in your egg mixture. Add ham and peppers. Gently stir the egg mixture for a few seconds. Cover pan with a lid. Once you feel like it is done on the sides and bottom, here comes the tricky part! Get a plate out and flip the pan over to the put the Spanish Tortilla on the plate. Then slide the Spanish tortilla off the plate and back into the pan so the other side can cook. (She made it sound so easy!) Once cooked through, remove from pan, garnish with cilantro and tomatoes.
Serve warm or room temperature. Serves 4-6 people.

Broiled Grapefruit

2011-01-17T07:35:00.000-07:00

I love grapefruit and this time of year they are delicious. I was introduced to this way of eating grapefruit by one of my best friends when we were in high school. I didn't really like grapefruit at all, but this converted me. (I like it without sugar now too).
This is really simple to make too!

Broiled Grapefruit

serves 2
1 grapefruit (I prefer pink over yellow)
2 Tbsp brown sugar

1. Cut grapefruit in half, remove seeds if visible.
2. Sprinkle each half with 1 Tbsp (give or take depending on your preference)
3. Place under preheated broiler for 1-3 minutes or until sugar has dissolved and started to caramelize (I could have gone a little longer). Eat!

12 on the 12th - January 2011

2011-01-13T18:35:00.001-07:00

I have followed Miranda's blog for a while and love these posts she does every month. I have only done it once before, but I hope to be a little better about it this year.

1. Yikes. My poor husband had to walk to his first day of school in that!
2. Breakfast - broiled grapefruit (recipe to come)
3. Went to see what she was up to - "just weeding"
4. Spent part of Lou's nap ironing shirts for my husband (this is about half of what I did)
5. After she woke up, and while I finished the last couple shirts - she drank three of these spray bottles full of water.
6. My daughter likes a lot of "boy things" -- she was very excited to see the tractor shoveling our apt complex's parking lot (post nap hair is so awesome)
7. Dinner - my version of Vanessa's Spanish Tortilla - (recipe to come)
8. Hit my 24 week mark!
9. My treat when the husband went back to school to study
10. How I found my shoes that night when I was tidying up.
11. My intended way to spend the evening -- only I got distracted by my new work schedule and trying to find babysitters
12. It was a long day, I got a lot done around the house... but I was exhausted and pregnant = emotional. I needed a couple of these.

What's in Season - January

2011-01-12T06:04:00.002-07:00

So I am back. Thanks for all your wishes and help with this rough past month we had. Little Lou is doing great - crazier than ever. Her EEG came back normal. Just a febrile seizure. (Just - like it was nothing! ha. Little do they know her parents were slightly freaked.) We are healthy, happy, and have bigger appetites than before. We all must be going through a growth spurt.
Even though we are almost half way through January, (wow, seriously?!) I thought you still deserved to know What's in Season this month! I am so excited for all the citrus. Our local store was having a big sale this week. I am totally having a broiled grapefruit for breakfast tomorrow!

image via

What's in Season in January:
Broccoflower
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cardoon
Cauliflower
Chestnuts
Endive
Escarole
Fennel
Rutabaga
Winter squash
Sweet potatoes
Turnip
Oranges
Apples
Grapefruit
Tangerines, tangelos, other mandarin oranges

It's taken our home by storm...

2010-12-28T15:32:00.000-07:00

... the flu that is. That terrible bug has taken quite a toll on our family - all of us, even the extended family. Little Lou, I think, scared us the most. After a few days of fighting, she seemed to be turning the corner and feeling much better. Only to scare her dad, grandma and me with a seizure. We were taken to the ER and then had an EEG done the next day. I am very grateful for the training I received in nursing school, it helped me feel a bit more calm.
Lou is doing great now - we are recovering well. Lou has made a full recovery. We are thinking the seizure was just due to her fever - thank goodness. We will hear the full results from the EEG soon. We are not too worried though now - she is acting normal, playing normal, eating normal, and even went to a movie this morning.
But please be patient with me as I try to get my family over this bug (and myself for that matter) and recuperate from the big events of last week ... not to mention Christmas!

It's a boy!

2010-12-21T12:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, thanks to some old friends at the hospital I used to work at, we were able to take a quick peak at our little baby. After a bit of searching, we finally got a for-sure shot: We are having a little boy! We are so excited. My husband especially. I am excited to buy cute boy things, like that hat. I have a thing with little boys and dinosaurs - so he will probably have a few items with dinos on them. We will have to start doing some research on names and shopping for boy stuff. Luckily, I bought boy bedding last pregnancy - so we are set there.

Hope you all are having a Merry Christmas. As most people this week, I will be spending it with family and relaxing. I won't spend too much time in the kitchen since we are staying with the in-laws. The posts may be a bit sparse through the holidays - but I am sure you will be busy with your families and adventures. Happy Holidays!

Finals Time: Brain Foods!

2010-12-15T06:44:00.000-07:00

It's finals time. Some of you know someone who is taking finals, or are doing finals yourself. Good luck to all of you! I thought I might list some foods that help boost your brain power. (Disclaimer: I googled my information. I can not verify the accuracy of my information - but healthy foods can never hurt!) Whether you are finishing up finals, or just starting - I know we could all use a little more juice at this time!

Steel Cut Oats - a great medium for many brain foods!

Foods to Help Boost Brain Power:

Blueberries

Blueberry Pancakes
Top your favorite cereal

Eggs

Omelets - great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
German Pancakes
Simplified Eggs Benedict

Cranberries

Cranberry Salmon (this gets two brain foods in one!)
I love snacking on dried cranberries or topping my favorite cereal

Avocados

Top your Cuban Braised Beef - really simple, in the crockpot!
Snack on Guacamole and chips

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potato Fries
My sister's Candied Yams (Fabulous!)

Kidney Beans

Minestrone Soup

Nuts

Alone - a great snack
add to any baked good, trail mix, cereal...

Chocolate

Great snacking chocolate:

Chocolate Truffle Cake - this might be a celebratory cake come tonight when our finals are done!
Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

Salmon

Cranberry Salmon
Try this Balsamic Lime Glaze on your salmon!

Cranberry Orange Muffins

2010-12-13T07:06:00.004-07:00

This is a killer week for me. Let me explain. Today my husband has a final (aka won't see him all day), I need to pack for our trip. Tuesday I feed 75 hungry 20 year old men. Wednesday is my big comprehensive Pathophysiology final (yeah, just the name makes it sound hard!) as well as my husbands last final. Thursday morning we are finally done and fly out in the morning to relax and see our family. Yes, it is a big week - wish me luck!
For this big week ahead I am going to need something good to help me start the day. I made these muffins because they are a quick, easy, portable breakfast (or snack... or lunch...). They are delicious and the glaze takes them over the top.

Cranberry Orange Muffins

2 1/2 c flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c dried, sweetened cranberries
2 tsp orange zest
1/2 c butter, melted
1 c milk
1 egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin tin with papers or grease thoroughly.
In a bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cranberries, and orange zest; stir until well combined. Set aside.
In a small bowl combine butter, milk and egg. Whisk with fork. Add to flour mixture. Stir with wooden spoon until all combined. Batter will be lumpy. Do not overmix.
Evenly spoon batter into prepared muffin tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes. While still warm, top with orange glaze.

Orange Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar
orange juice

While baking prepare your glaze. In a small bowl mix powdered sugar with orange juice, a Tbsp at a time, until consistency is like honey. (Confession - I used clementines, and only needed about half of it). Drizzle the tops of your muffins with glaze or simply dunk the tops in the bowl.

Asian Chicken Salad

2010-12-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

My husband and I are taking our last finals for the semester, and for me they are my last ever! Hoorah!! But as exciting as that is, we are a little stressed in our house. I only have one more final left so I am a little more relaxed than my husband who has 3 Law finals left. I have been trying to have meals planned out and the shopping done in advance so dinner is not something I have to worry about. Last night we had an Asian Chicken Salad. Done in about 15 minutes - it is a healthy and fast meal for us.

Asian Chicken Salad

2 small chicken breasts
Red bell pepper
Green onion
Shredded carrots
Chow mein noodles
Rice Wine Viniagrette (recipe follows)

Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, garlic, and ginger. Saute over medium to medium high heat until center of thickest portion reaches 160 degrees. Let rest a few minutes before slicing. Toss ingredients remaining ingredients with dressing and top with chicken.

Rice Wine Vinaigrette
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp green onion, chopped fine
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp ground fresh ginger
pinch red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil

Blend first 6 ingredients together. While whisking, stream in oil until desired consistency.

Corn Chowder

2010-12-08T09:15:00.002-07:00

One great thing about cold weather is I have a good excuse to make soup. I love soup. I even make it in the summer. But it is a bit more comforting in the winter - but must be accompanied by big fuzzy socks.
This corn chowder is from my old roommate Monica. I love it because of the surprising flavors of rosemary and cayenne. Yum! And the original recipe calls for half and half - but I use milk to cut some calories. But really I can't taste much of a difference.

Corn Chowder
2 cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped carrots
½ cup chopped celery
3 Tbsp butter
7½ cup corn (divided)
2 tsp fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
¼ tsp cayenne
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup half and half
1 bell pepper, sauteed
salt and pepper

In a large pot sauté onion, carrots, and celery in butter until onions are translucent and veggies are starting to get soft. Add 5½ cups of the corn, rosemary, cayenne. Cook for 2 minutes.
Add chicken stock, bring to a boil, reduce and simmer for 30 minutes. In batches, puree in a blender. Return to pot. Add milk (or half and half for richer taste), remaining corn, and bell pepper. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Tips:

For the corn I think frozen is best. Fresh is great, but hard to find the majority of the year.

Pumpkin Pie

2010-12-06T12:16:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving, though over a week ago, was a blast. But I will say, I was slightly disappointed that there was no pie. In our family that's the best part! So for Sunday dinner, I made pumpkin pie. I had all the ingredients and thought why not! I have never made a pie before so I was slightly nervous. But I was really pleased with the outcome. I was planning on using half butter and half shortening, but my shortening was gone. I did straight butter and was surprised that it still came out very flaky and very tasty!
Thanks to my sister who suggested this pie crust recipe, I used the same ingredients - but the directions are my own, hence the silliness and possibly bad grammar.

Pumpkin Pie
adapted from here and here
Pie Crust
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, chilled and diced
1/2 cup ice water

Cut butter into small cubes (I do about 24 cubes per stick). Place in freezer while you prepare the rest of your ingredients (you don't want it frozen, just really cold when you are ready to use it). Next make a big bowl of ice water, set aside. Okay, now you are ready to go.
In your food processor, combine flour and salt, pulse a few times just to mix it up. Add butter, pulse until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. While pulsing, add water, a couple tablespoons at a time, until comes together. (Here's a trick: if you pinch the dough and it holds together - you are good. Too much water = soggy crust. Lean toward the dry side!) Cut in half and form lightly into balls. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Place back in fridge until ready to use, at least 30 minutes.

Tips:

Keep everything VERY cold! Have things ready and chilling until right before they go in the bowl! This is very important.
Remember - imperfect looking dough means a perfect tasting crust. If you mix it too much and it looks uniform, it isn't going to be flaky.
The less your hands touch it the better.

Pumpkin Pie Filling

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
4 large eggs
1 large can (30 oz.) Pumpkin Puree
24 oz Evaporated Milk

Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.
Separate evenly into two pie shells. Place on cookie sheet (just to be safe in case there is a spill, if you are more confident then me, go ahead and try without one).
Bake in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

Tips:

I actually didn't have evaporated milk at my house. I used whole milk. The result was just as delicious, but the texture was slightly softer than the typical result. My husband actually preferred it.

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

2010-12-03T08:20:00.002-07:00

I love the flavors of mint and chocolate together. Always a classic combo. But I especially love these flavors during the colder weather. These are a simple recipe. You will love this for your busy holiday season. Plus, the cookie bottom is a pleasant surprise!

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

1 devils food cake mix, prepared according to directions
24 chocolate mint cookies, like Thin Mints (if you are lucky enough to find some)
Buttercream Frosting (recipe to follow)
12 chocolate mint cookies, crushed

Line muffin tin with papers, place one cookie at the bottom of each cupcake tin. Divide batter evenly between the 24 cupcakes. Bake according to directions. Cool completely on cooling rack. Frost with buttercream frosting (I like to add a drop or two of green coloring so people know what to expect). Top with crushed remaining cookies.

Buttercream Frosting

2 sticks butter, room temperature
6 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1-5 Tbsp milk
few drops food coloring (optional)

Tips:

Make these at St. Patrick's Day too!

Honey Baked Ham... only homemade

2010-12-01T14:03:00.001-07:00

The credit for this ham should go to my husband. Because I ended up being in charge of the turkey and the ham, and I don't have two ovens (sniff. sniff.), my husband offered to go to a friend's house to baste the ham every 15 minutes. Bravo sweetie. It was delicious. The picture, of course, doesn't do it justice (Any tips on photographing meat? This is my hardest subject.)

Honey Glazed Ham

adapted from here
1 small, spiral cut, bone-in ham
2 Tbsp whole cloves
1 cup honey
2/3 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Score the ham on a diagonal, about every 3/4 inch, to make diamonds. Evenly space the cloves in some of the intersections. Set aside.
In a small saucepan combine honey, butter, and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer, let brown sugar dissolve, reduce to low.
Brush sauce liberally over ham (you won't use all of it, just some, you'll use the rest later). Place in oven. Baste every 15 minutes for 1 to 1 1/2 hours (depending on size of ham). Keep sauce warm on low. After ham is warmed through, turn on broiler until crust is crunchy and caramelized, about 3-4 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Thanksgiving Review

2010-11-29T07:23:00.000-07:00

This was our first Thanksgiving without family. It wasn't the same, but we had a lot of fun with some local friends. One friend who was planning on making a turkey decided that going into labor was more fun - so she enjoyed her new little baby boy and I made the turkey. I also made the ham, stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce.
The cranberry sauce I use is a recipe from one of my best friends in high school. Thanks Mel for sharing this recipe. Now, I will share it with all of you. Make this for your Christmas turkey or anytime you have poultry around.

Cranberry Sauce
1 pound (4 cups) fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup water
zest of 1 orange
fruit of 1 orange, peeled, chopped into small pieces
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Sprinkle ground cinnamon

Wash cranberries and set aside.
Bring sugar and water to a boil. Add cranberries, oranges, and cloves. Simmer over a high flame, stirring frequently, until berries pop open. (I like to mash it a little so the cranberry pieces are a little smaller). Stir in crushed pineapple, walnuts, and cinnamon. Cool and serve.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T08:49:00.000-07:00

I love that Thanksgiving is the first official holiday of the "Holidays." Isn't it appropriate that we are first grateful? Last year my grandma had us go around the table and say what we were thankful for. I know this is a tradition for most people, but it was new for me. It was an emotional moment. I hope to make it a tradition in our home.
Today I am thankful for:
Good food!
Family
New Friends that made the transition to Nebraska so easy
My religion
Being a Mom
And them:

AC and Lou having a picnic lunch on her favorite blankie. It was a lazy day - so we are still in our PJ's.

What are you thankful for?

Holiday Green Beans

2010-11-24T11:53:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't catch this post over at Whatever Dee-Dee Wants... I thought I would share it with you today. If you are someone like me who is still looking for recipes for the big day tomorrow.
Good luck with all your Thanksgiving cooking tomorrow (and today probably!). I hope it is tasty, relaxing, and filled with people you love!

I love Thanksgiving. I love being with friends and family. I love listening to people express gratitude that may some other time be suppressed. And I, of course, love good food.
Last year we celebrated Thanksgiving with my in-laws. They make the traditional delicious food. Of course I was asked to make my Dinner Rolls I offered to make something as well (mostly because I was starting to think my in-laws only thought I could make rolls). I was assigned the green bean casserole. You know, the typical with the sauce and the fried onions. I love that dish, but decided to go a fresher route. Thanksgiving has so many rich dishes that I needed a veggie that kept its freshness. I was truly thankful last year for this recipe. It was the perfect balance of freshness but still felt like the holidays. I think my family enjoyed it too - I got more compliments on my beans than I did my rolls!
These have now become a favorite in our house. Not just for the holidays, but anytime I want something extra with my beans.

Holiday Green Beans

1 lb bag frozen green beans
1 small onion, chopped
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup apple juice or cider
salt and pepper
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Microwave your green beans, covered for about 5 minutes. Uncover and microwave for 3 to 7 more minutes until desired tenderness. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Meanwhile, in a small frying pan, saute onion in the olive oil until just caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add apple juice and increase heat to about medium high and simmer until reduced and syrupy.
Toss sauce over beans. Garnish with cranberries.

*I don't usually use the french cut green beans, but I accidentally bought them this time. It's still just as good.
*If you want an extra layer of crunch, add toasted almonds to the garnish.

Pho - Vietnamese Noodle Soup

2010-11-15T00:20:00.000-07:00

First - sorry for the lack of posts again. I vowed I would be better... but then my baby got sick, I was sleep deprived, and we were having a hard time. So... here is to hoping that she and I get feeling more normal this week!
So back to the food! I first tried Pho (pronounced "Fuh") on my birthday at a delicious noodle house in Provo, Utah. Well, Nebraska doesn't have to many asian restaurants other than Americanized chains.
But being in Hawaii there is always an opportunity to try delicious Asian cuisine (probably my favorite genre to eat). but this time my mom and I wanted to stay in. So we decided to try out this recipe from Steamy Kitchen. It was delicious. We didn't have hoisin, which I wish we had (though it is optional). We didn't char our ginger or onion - mostly because we were starving and didn't want to wait. We will try it that way next time to text the difference.
Check out this recipe. Don't be scared. It is delicious! (oh, and if you are wondering by my picture, we did pork not beef).

Aloha!

2010-11-08T15:10:00.000-07:00

image via

Well, we made it! After 11+ hours in the plane, Lou and I arrived in Hawaii yesterday. Her calm, sweet personality suffered a little due to the lack of sleep, but really she did wonderfully! (But hey, I wasn't the most pleasant at the end of the day either)
For those who don't know, my parents live here (yes, I know, they think it is rough too). We are here to relax, hit the beach, visit the temple open house, and eat delicious foods. It's funny, my sister, brother, and I were talking about our "must-do's" in Hawaii. All of us mentioned restaurants. Nothing more. I will let you in on some of my adventures here. Plus, my mom and I like to cook together in the kitchen so you won't be without a recipe or two. Just so you can enjoy my surroundings with me: It is 78 degrees, 75% humidity, there is a great breeze; I can hear the kids playing at the school next door, and if you listen - the ocean off in the distance. This place truly is paradise!

Butternut Squash Risotto with Bacon and Caramelized Onions

2010-11-05T11:56:00.000-06:00

I love this foods of this season. They are so warm and comforting. Butternut squash is one of my favorites. This dish is one of those comforting meals you can snuggle up on the couch and eat.

Butternut Squash Risotto with Bacon and Caramelized Onions

5 slices of bacon
1 large onion, sliced thin
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 Tbsp butter, divided
6 c chicken stock
2 c water
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 a medium sized butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 Tbsp dried thyme
2 c Arboio Rice
salt and pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan

Cook bacon until crispy, set aside on paper towels to drain.
In a pan, heat onions, 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter and a pinch of salt over medium low heat. Stir occasionally until onions are caramelized, and soft. (Don't cook too quickly - takes about 30 minutes). Bring stock and water to simmer in a pot then reduce heat to low.
Heat a medium skillet over medium to medium-high heat with extra-virgin olive oil. When oil ripples, add the squash and garlic and soften 2-3 minutes. Add thyme and rice and toast 2 to 3 minutes more. Add 2 cups of liquid and cook it out completely, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes. Continue ladling in about 2 ladles of liquid in at a time. Stirring often, allow liquids to evaporate each time.
Risotto will take about 20 minutes. Season salt and pepper, to taste. In the last minute of cooking time, stir in the butter in small pieces, Parmesan, cooked bacon, and caramelized onions. Garnish with a little more Parmesan and fresh parsley (if you have it... I was out).

Beef Goulash with Polenta

2010-11-03T13:44:00.000-06:00

I saw a goulash dish being made on the food network, and for the first time in the past 13 weeks, I have really wanted to make meat. My lucky husband. Now, my grocery store was out of caraway seeds so I just left them out. I don't know if that is allowed in goulash, but don't be mad.

Beef Goulash

2 pounds beef, cut into 1-2 inch cubes (the better the cut, the more tender your final product)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
4 carrots, peeled and diced
1 jalapeno, seeded, deviened and chopped finely
3 garlic cloves
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp whole caraway seeds, toasted and ground
2 Tbsp paprika (if you have sweet and hot in your house, do a little of each!)
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
2 tsp ground marjoram
1 tsp thyme
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 cups chicken stock, low-sodium
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Season the beef with the salt and pepper, to taste. In a large oven safe Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and heat until just smoking. Add the beef in batches, being careful not to crowd and be sure to brown the meat on all sides. (Make sure you have your fan going... or else your fire alarm might go off and scare your 20 month old). Remove the meat from the pan to a baking sheet, or something that can catch the juices.
Add the onions and carrots to the pan and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, the moisture from the onions will loosen the bits at the bottom, so stir often. Add the peppers and the garlic and cook until caramelized and all of the liquid is evaporated. Stir in the tomato paste and cook about 1 minute. Add in the caraway, sweet and hot paprika, the red chili flakes, the marjoram, and thyme.
Deglaze with the balsamic and let reduce for 2 minutes. Slowly add the stock, then add the beef and any juices collected from the meat. Add the bay leaves, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and stir gently to combine.
Cover and cook in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with fresh parsley (no, we were out, so I used cilantro - and it was just as tasty). Serve with creamy or polenta if desired.

**Yes, I know there is red pepper flakes and a jalapeno, but I promise it just gives a little spice - not really "heat." Don't be nervous.

What's in Season - November

2010-11-01T11:55:00.000-06:00

Yes, it is cooling off and it seems it is time to turn to the frozen section of the grocery store for produce. Well, there are a few produce items that are still at their peak. Here is a taste of what to check out at the grocery store (or farmer's market if you are lucky enough to still have one open).

Image via thatsfit.ca

Oh I can't wait for cranberries! I have a delicious Cranberry Cookie Recipe that my mom gave me a few years ago, plus my best friend from high school gave me the best cranberry sauce ever. Wait to see those!

Here are some other things in season in November:
Broccoflower
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cauliflower
Chestnuts
Endives
Tangerines
Escarole
Fennel
Potatoes
Rutabaga
Winter squash
Sweet Potatoes
Turnip
Apples
Cranberries
Figs
Kumquat
Pomegranates

Jalapeno Poppers

2010-10-13T12:59:00.000-06:00

So you wouldn't think that I would be eating these after being sick. Well... that's because my sickness is pregnancy and I don't eat normal people food. This is what we had for dinner last night with a baked potato. I know, it is odd. But it was delicious.
This pregnancy has really gotten in the way of my cooking. The thought of food makes me nauseated, which makes me sad. I don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen because the heat gets to me. It's a pain.
Anyway, back to deliciousness. Our local store had these enormous jalapenos on sale for sure cheap and looked so inviting. I knew we had to make these. My friend, Amy, introduced me to this recipe. It is delicious, simple, and fast. My favorite things about a recipe lately. Try them! They are perfect for a party!

Jalapeno Poppers

4 jalapenos
1/2 cup cream cheese
8 slices of bacon
Olive oil or cooking spray

Cut jalapenos in half, including stem, so each half has a little stem handle. Scoop out seeds and veins. the more vein you leave, the more spice you have.
Drizzle olive oil on pan and rub pepper halves in it - both sides. Or, I just spray w/ cooking spray.
Warm up cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds.
Load each half with a tablespoon or so of cream cheese. (My jalapenos were enormous so they took a little extra - I'm not complaining.)
Cook bacon until just before crisp, you can use a microwave tray nuke for about 4 minutes.
Immediately roll bacon around stuffed pepper, securing with a tooth pick if needed. Bake in hot oven (500 degrees or so) or on broil for a couple minutes until they're hot and the bacon is crispy.

If you prefer soft peppers, you can bake the longer or just broil the peppers to your desired softness for a few minutes before you stuff them then follow the above directions.

Sick...

2010-10-08T12:13:00.000-06:00

So I have been sick this last week so food has not sounded good. My poor husband was struggling for dinner every night. Plus, I haven't been to the grocery store in over a week. We don't even have bread.
But things are looking up - I did go to the store today. I promise a delicious recipe next week.

Apple Butter

2010-10-05T13:33:00.002-06:00

A woman in our ward has a small orchard but does not sell her apples or pears. She and her husband just let as many people that want to come roam their orchard and pick to their hearts content. Lou was in heaven eating the apple straight from the tree. I wish I would have brought my camera. Between that and the two cats, it was better than any park or playground she had ever been to.
I am not a big canning person and don't have the tools to make large amounts of applesauce or apple pie filling. So, I brought one bucket. Lydia ate her fair share - asking for an apple every day until I made this butter.
This apple butter is one of the easier recipes I found - no need for making applesauce before hand. Plus, your house will smell delicious for at least a day. If you are lucky like me, you will do it overnight and literally dream about it. This is a very adaptable recipe - use the spices you like or the ones in your house.
Oh, and happy Apple Month!

Apple Butter

1 crock pot almost full of peeled, cored, and chopped apples. (I have a 2.5 qt size)
3 cups sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup water

Place all items in crock pot, stir until combined. (If it is easier, use a large bowl to mix then dump in the crock pot... that's what I did.) Cover and cook overnight on low. If desired, blend until desired texture.

Tips:

1. Depending on the juiciness of your apples your butter may be more liquidy or a little dry. If you need to add liquid, add a touch of water or apple juice. If you need to remove some liquid, turn crock pot to high with the lid off until desired texture. (This was the case for me, I left my lid off for about 4 more hours... they were really juicy.)
2. Sorry - I was just peeling away at the apples and didn't really notice how many it took to fill the crock pot, my guess - about 10 to 12.
3. Use like you would use a jam - on toast, baked goods, as a filling, on a spoon...

What's in Season - October

2010-10-01T07:08:00.002-06:00

image via

It is no surprise that this delicious gord is in season. But now that our farmer's markets are closing - it is still nice to see what's at it's peak and what will be cheapest this month in our grocery stores.

Here's what's in season in October:
Beets
Brussel Sprouts
Eggplant
Cauliflower
Endive
Escarole
Fennel
Potatoes
Spinach
Winter Squash
Sweet Potatoes
Turnips
Apples
Raspberries
Cranberries
Figs
Pomegrantes

Fall Favorites

2010-09-30T13:09:00.000-06:00

The weather in Nebraska has been practically perfect lately. In the mid-seventies almost everyday. I don't know why, but the leaves don't turn as early as they do in Utah. I am seeing some of my Utah friends get excited with the laves changing and posting some delicious looking fall recipes. Without the chill or the changing colors, I forget that fall is here. Today I am going to buy some pumpkin and make something delicious with it. Maybe some pumpkin chocolate chip bread...
But this weekend is General Conference. The highlight of my life every six months. Not only is is spiritually uplifting - makes you feel just plain good, but it is a time when church consists of cinnamon rolls and pajamas. Can't get much better than that!

For those of you who already have fall fever - here are some of my favorite recipes for fall weather.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Anything with cranberries, cookies, poultry, sauces... here is my Cranberry Salmon

Soups, Soups, Soups!:
Barley Kale Soup - this one warms my heart too - reminds me of my sister and mom
Butternut Squash Soup - delicious, vegetarian, and figure friendly (tastes as creamy as those made with dairy)
Chicken Posole - a latin soup that is so simple

And who could forget the desserts?!
Apple Crisp - a fall staple. I have apple's picked from a local orchard just waiting to be smoothered with oatmeal topping
Ginger Cookies
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars - quite possibly my favorite dessert of all time. (pictured above)

Mustard Pork Chops

2010-09-27T14:01:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I haven't shared this recipe with you. I got it from my sister years ago and it is a staple in our house. I put this on our menu at least twice a month. Mustard and pork is one of my favorite combination.

Mustard Pork Chops

4 Pork Chops
1/2 cup evaporated fat free milk
2 Tbsp dijon mustard
2-3 green onions, sliced
salt and pepper, to taste

Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Heat a large skilled over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook on each side until browned and just cooked through. Remove pork from pan, set aside and cover with foil.
Reduce heat to low. Add evaporated milk; stir to loosen brown bits from bottom of the skillet. Stir in mustard and onions. Add salt and pepper to taste. Return pork to skillet. Cook until sauce is slightly thickened.

Tips:

Can use pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch thick slices then pound until about 1/4 inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper.

Football Themed Cake

2010-09-22T19:21:00.001-06:00

Thanks to Jen from My Kitchen Addiction, I was inspired to make this cake for our Nebraska football game party. I will say this is my first attempt at something even close to cake decorating. My usual is frost the top of a 9x13 cake and call it good. I think it was because my frosting was always too thin. Anyway - this was actually quite fun and not too difficult. My cookies aren't perfect - but that makes them look homemade right?
So I made our family's favorite sugar cookie recipe and then decorated them with royal frosting. Now, I will say something about royal frosting - it looks so cute, but it isn't like the best frosting ever. It is for looks, not taste. (It doesn't taste bad, I just like my frosting buttery and sugary and vanilla-y.) I found tutorials on University of Cookie and Bake at 350 that helped me a lot through the whole process. Remember this was all new to me?
So here was the centerpiece of our party table. After more people arrived it was surrounded by delicious appetizers. Mmm, thanks to all who brought something.

I made football helmets, N's, footballs, and stars to add another color. The cookies were a big hit - they were one of the first things to disappear.

Here is the recipe for our family's favorite sugar-cookie recipe:

Sugar Star Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vailla
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar together until light in color and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Add to wet ingredients. Roll into ball and refrigerate 2-3 hours. Roll out, about 1/8 inch thick (yes, really that thin) and cut into desired shapes. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes or until edges are golden.

Tips:

No, I didn't roll my cookies out that thin for the cake, but I wish I would have.
My favorite way to eat these is to sprinkle with some sugar just before baking and eat plain. Or with just a thin layer of buttercream frosting.

Macaroni Grill Winner

2010-09-18T17:18:00.000-06:00

Congrats to Giant Sis who said, "I think the Spicy Italian Sausage Pomodoro sounds delicious!" Email me your shipping information and we will get the item to you as soon as possible.

In the Works...

2010-09-17T11:38:00.000-06:00

If you haven't heard yet, I live in Nebraska. My husband is attending UNL. Football is huge here. Not just in Lincoln, but the whole state. I mean, season tickets sell out the day that they go up for sale. (And the stadium is enormous!) So I thought we should get acclimated. My husband and I are having a football party. Partly to have people over and socialize, and partly so I can make a football themed cake. I was inspired by Jen's cake. So cute. Now, I have never done decorating like that so we shall see how it goes. Wish me luck. (All I have so far is cookie dough and some cute cutters - I better get to work!)

(No this isn't my work, it is Jen's -- I only hope mine are that cute.)

Taco Seasoning

2010-09-15T14:24:00.000-06:00

I usually don't buy spice mixes mostly because I like to control my flavors. Typically taco seasonings are a little too much for me - I feel like I taste the taco seasoning more than the meat. This is my mix that I have made in large batches and then use as much as I need.

Taco Seasoning

3 Tbsp Cumin
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Cayenne
1 Tbsp Salt
2 Tbsp Pepper

Mix and store in an air-tight container.

Tips:

I use about 3-4 Tbsp of this mix on each pound of meat. Adjust for your tastes.

Macaroni Grill Review and Giveaway

2010-09-13T12:58:00.002-06:00

When I was out of town for a couple weeks I bought my husband a bunch of frozen meals so that he would have to resort to eating out for two weeks straight. (Although he probably wouldn't mind as much as our wallets). I bought things like lasagnas, perogies, pizzas, stir fry mixes, etc. One delicious meal that we actually ate before I left was a meal provided by Macaroni Grill's new Frozen Entrees. First I have to say, I don't usually eat frozen meals for a few reasons: 1 - they always say they "serve two" but my husband and I go hungry. 2 - they don't contain as meany veggies as the packaging shows. 3 - they usually aren't that tasty.

But since we were able to try this one out - we would totally buy it again. We had plenty of food for the two of us and extra for Lou. Plus, it had plenty of veggies (if I was being even more lazy I probably wouldn't have made that salad). The meal was quite tasty. I was very impressed. It was their Basil Parmesan Chicken. Mmm.

Well, Lucky ducks - one of you gets to try one of their meals out too! They will send you a Macaroni Grill prize pack that includes one frozen sample of the Grilled Chicken Florentine variety, in addition to a serving bowl and pasta tongs (Which I happen to love - covered ends so they don't scratch your pans! Hallelujah!) Sorry young readers - you must be at least 18 or older (have your mom submit for you!)

Sorry, this giveaway is now closed. To see the winner, click here.
To win the prize pack: Leave a comment telling me what Entree you would want to try is before Friday, September 17th at midnight CT.
For extra entries (leave a comment for each extra entry):
1. Tweet, blog, and/or facebook about this giveaway
2. Add my button to your sidebar
~~3. Become a follower of Redhead Recipes or tell me you already are~~

What's in Season - September

2010-09-09T12:45:00.001-06:00

Well, I flew home yesterday. It is so nice to be home after almost 2 weeks of being gone. One really nice thing is I can now eat what I like to eat. After so many BBQs I am sick of hamburgers and hot dogs. I am ready to eat the delicious produce I bought today. Here’s what produce is in season in September… yes, I know, I am more than a week late.

Carrots
Beets
Eggplant
Potatoes
Peppers
Cabbage
Melons
Peaches
Tomatoes
Summer Squash
Swiss Chard

What else is in season?

Beets
Corn
Cucumber
Endive
Fennel
Okra
Spinach
Tomatoes
Blueberries
Raspberries
Cranberries
Figs
Nectarines
Plums
Pomegranates

Wheat Bread

2010-09-06T15:00:00.002-06:00

Sorry I have been so absent - my nephew was baptized just over a week ago and my brother was married on Saturday. We have been busy with wedding plans, shopping (ugh), sickness, and running around. Plus, I haven't been near a computer either. I am staying with my in-laws and they have to take their laptops to work. Guess I should have been one of those ahead-of-the-game-bloggers and done posts before I left. But alas, I did not.

So I am loving our new apartment - for the first time we live in a place where I can host a party. I love to have people over. I always have. When I was 12 I used to have monthly parties with the girls in my church class. I love being the host.
So last week I had some of our new Nebraska friends over for a playgroup. I told them I was going to make a treat. Well, I decided I wanted to make something I could eat (I am not having desserts) so I made bread. This is a recipe of my mom's. She used to make bread a few times a week. Can you believe it? What a woman!
This was actually my first bread success (I have lots better success with rolls). Try it out. It was easier than I thought it would be!

Mom's 50/50 Bread
2 c warm tap water
1/3 c sugar
2 Tbsp yeast2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1 egg
2 1/2 c wheat flour
2 1/2 c white flour

In a mixing bowl combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit until yeast has bloomed (looks bubbly and yeast has grown a little). Add in salt, butter, egg, and wheat flour. Knead with bread hook. Slowly add white flour (about 1/4 - 1/2 cup at a time) until dough has pulled away from sides of the bowl. Knead for 8 minutes (this is where you give your mixer a kiss). Let rise until doubled (about 1 hour). Punch down and form into two loaves. Let rise until doubled, again. Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes.

Tips:

Serve warm with butter and honey (or homemade freezer jam).
If you want more or less wheat, just use about 5 cups total flour, whether all wheat, or all white. (I actually did 3 c wheat and 2 c white).

Chex Winner

2010-09-06T14:27:00.001-06:00

Congratulations to Switlichick who said, "My favorite is the Chex® Caramel-Chocolate Drizzles" Sounds delicious to me!
Please email me your shipping information and we will get your prize to you soon!

Chex Giveaway

2010-08-31T06:12:00.001-06:00

About a year ago I was training a new nurse and I found out that she had Celiac Disease. Now, I love bread and knew that that disease would be so hard for me. But then I found out so many things contain gluten - it is everywhere (even soy sauce!). Then a friend of mine's 11 year old daughter was diagnosed. She was having a hard time because she felt she was restricted from so many things. One of her favorite dishes was cold cereal. Well, I found out Chex is gluten free (except the wheat of course)! Lucky for her, she can still have one of my favorite treats - Muddy Buddies! (They also have lots of other gluten free recipes)

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Muddy Buddies

recipe courtesy of chex.com
9 c Rice Chex®, Corn Chex® or Chocolate Chex® cereal (or combination)
1 c semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 c peanut butter
1/4 c butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c powdered sugar

In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.
Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Tip: Freeze your Muddy Buddies - you will never go back! The only downside is you do have to wait at least 15 more minutes to taste these frozen goodies.

You are in luck! Chex is giving away a this prize pack:

Want to win the prize? ~~Leave a comment telling me what your favorite Chex Treat is before Friday, September 4th at midnight MST.~~
~~For extra entries (leave a comment for each extra entry):~~
~~1. Tweet, blog, and/or facebook about this giveaway~~
~~2. Add my button to your sidebar~~

Sorry this giveaway is now closed. To see the winner click here.

Hiding Vegetables

2010-08-30T14:06:00.003-06:00

Can you tell we eat a lot of pasta in our house?
When my husband and I were first married, I told AC that I was too tired and was just going to make Spaghetti. In my house growing up that was my mom's easy meal - pasta, jarred sauce, and steam some veggies (or a salad). Well AC was so excited that I made spaghetti and just raved about. I never knew that it could have such praise. Silly really. (He is nicknamed the "Carb King.")
Well, I decided to try out this recipe mostly because I was too lazy to make a salad but thought we need a bit more veggies than just the sauce.

I have a confession, I am on vacation so these pictures are straight out of the camera without any editing... so... sorry.

Vegetable Marinara
1 large carrot
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp dried italian seasoning
pinch sugar
salt and pepper
2-15 oz cans of pettite diced tomatoes
2 cups spinach

Grate your carrot and onion (use the food processor to make it easier). Put in a large frying pan with a tablespoon of olive oil. Saute until almost soft, add garlic cloves. Add tomato paste, seasoning, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. When combined and fragrant add tomatoes and spinach. When spinach is wilted add to cooked spaghetti and top with parmessan cheese.

Tips:
If you are trying to hide the veggies for kids, chop the spinach up into smaller pieces (remember it will wilt a little so you don't have to be too tiny).

If you don't have a grater attachment on your food processor or dont' want to take the time, just buy preshredded (use about 1/4 - 1/2 cup).

Add any other veggies you want to hide. Some that might work:
- broccoli - put through your shredder and add with carrots
- peas - puree and add with tomatoes (might make a funky color)
- mushrooms - slice and add with garlic
- bell pepper - chop small and add with onions
- olives - add just before serving

The Anniversary Gift

2010-08-27T10:50:00.000-06:00

So last week I mentioned I had a great gift for my husband. Well, it has to do with the song I sang him for our wedding, "I Will" by the Beatles.
My friend Alma is an amazing graphic designer (not like the graphic designer where someone designs a blog and then calls themselves an graphic designer - she is a true artist!). She had this print I immediately knew I had to give to AC. It has the words from the song I sang to AC at our wedding luncheon. See how great it turned out! It is appropriately hanging above our loveseat. (I took a picture of it before I let AC see it - hence being on the floor). I have to say it was a huge hit - he loved it. In return I got an amazing gift. AC wrote and recorded a song for me. It is the best!

Check out Alma's website and her husband's to see what amazing artists they are!

Anniversary Dessert

2010-08-25T12:44:00.000-06:00

So I have been on a no-dessert diet for a few weeks now. I allow myself a little taste once a week. I knew I was going to want something decadent for our anniversary so I saved up for two weeks. My sister suggested I make Marta's "Melt in Your Mouth Mini's" They are really good. Although, I might double the chocolate next time to make it extra rich! (I have to splurge once in a while.) But as usual, Marta did not disappoint. Simple and a quick bake. Just how I like it.

Plus they are fun, these perfect innocent looking cakes then take a bite and it is chocolate lava heaven all over your plate. Just don't tell anyone I might have licked my plate.

Simplified Eggs Benedict

2010-08-23T12:51:00.000-06:00

I was going to make a delicious breakfast Saturday morning before we had our anniversary celebration. Well, it didn't happen. Our church had a softball tournament Saturday morning starting at 8:30, Lou didn't wake up until 7:45... so we had cereal. We'd save it for Sunday. Well, Sunday we were invited to breakfast with some friends and the breakfast was bumped again.

So this became the first-day-of-school meal. Yes, AC had his first day of Law School this morning. He needed some protein to get his mind going and off his stomach. (Eggs are brain food, did you know?) So I made my version of Eggs Benedict. The sauce is not that similar to a hollandaise sauce except for in texture, and slightly in color. But I don't use eggs and there is much less butter (So that makes it healthy right?). It is much easier to make. My roommate actually taught me how to make this sauce, she called it her egg gravy. By the way, she hates mustard but still uses it in this, so the taste is not strong at all for all you mustard-haters.

Simplified Eggs Benedict

egg gravy, see below
4 eggs
4 slices of Canadian bacon, heated up in small frying pan
2 English muffins, cut in half and toasted

Faux-Hollandaise aka Egg Gravy

2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp yellow mustard
1 1/2 c milk
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter over medium heat in saucepan. Add flour and stir with wooden spoon until slightly golden in color. Add mustard and a little salt and pepper. Slowly add the milk, a few tablespoons at a time until well incorporated. Once all milk is in, bring to a soft boil until the thickness is to your liking. If it gets too thick you can add more milk.
Poach eggs and toast just before ready to eat. To poach eggs bring water to a soft boil, turn heat to low. Drop eggs in gently and let simmer over low for about 4-6 minutes or until yolks are hard enough for you. To test, push gently on the yolk with the back of a spoon. Remove with slotted spoon and drain off water.
To assemble place English muffin, then Canadian bacon, then egg, then sauce. Serve immediately and eat up (cause nobody likes cold eggs).
Serves 2.

Tips:

Here is the timing I like to do (I like my eggs on the runny-side):

1. Put water on stove to boil
2. Start egg gravy
3. Once you added milk to the gravy - place eggs in the water, English muffins under the broiler (or in toaster if I am making this for one).
4. Once gravy is almost thick enough, warm up Canadian bacon.
5. Assemble with all ingredients ready at the same time (or almost).

I have heard lots of tricks of how to keep your egg whites together and have less of that web-y stuff in your water. But really, the only thing that really works for me is to have the freshest eggs possible. Look at the date on the box and make sure you are getting the newest eggs in the store.

Four Years Ago

2010-08-20T12:29:00.000-06:00

Almost four years ago I married the man of my dreams who started as a friend from high school. It was one of the happiest days of my life. We love each other more and we have had more fun than we could have ever thought.

Ariel starts law school on Monday so we are celebrating our Anniversary this weekend (even though it is next Tuesday). I am making a fancy breakfast and he is planning the activity. I am also going to make him a delicious decadent dessert. I have sworn off desserts but give myself one treat once a week - I thought that was reasonable. I have gone two weeks with nothing, saving up for a tasty treat tomorrow.
I have a fun gift in mind for my husband. It has something to do with this (I will tell you later, but sometimes he reads my blog):

This was the scariest gift I ever gave - I sang to my performer husband at our luncheon with all his pitch-perfect family members there. He sure was surprised (the second solo in my life - the first was a school assignment).
He then sang a song to me at our reception.

Guide to Cooking Terms

2010-08-18T14:21:00.000-06:00

Ever come across a cooking term and wonder, "what does that mean?" or "what is the real definition of al a Mode?" I thought I would share with you some of the things I have learned when coming across some cooking terms I didn't know, as some I found in my research. Now you can be like Giada and whip out words no one has any idea what they mean, but at least you sound fancy!

à la Mode - literally, “following the fashion”. In the United States, it is a food that is served with ice cream; in France it names braised meat smothered in sauce. (I thought this was so interesting - don't order in France thinking you are getting a dessert!)

al Dente - Italian for to the tooth; used to describe a food, usually pasta, that is cooked only until it gives a slight resistance when one bites into it; the food is neither soft nor overdone. (Don't over cook your pasta ever again!)

Antipasto - assorted hors d’oeuvres, Italian style. Often included are ripe black olives, green stuffed olives, garlic sausage slices, salted anchovy curled on a sliced tomato, cooked dried beans in a vinaigrette dressing, prosciutto (thinly sliced fat ham) with cantaloupe.

Bain Marie - Simply a water bath. It consists of placing a container of food in a large, shallow pan of warm water, which surrounds the food with gentle heat. The food may be cooked in this manner either in an oven or on top of a range. This technique is designed to cook delicate dishes such as custards, sauces and savory mousses without breaking or curdling them. It can also be used to keep foods warm. (I actually heard Ina Garten use this term and it inspired this post. It is a gentle cooking method and keeps the temperature stable and things cooking evenly)

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Bechamel sauce - This is a white sauce made with milk or cream and thickened with a roux. Bechamel sauce is generally used as a base for other more complex sauces, though it may be used alone for binding or moistening. (see definition of Roux below)

Blind Bake - To bake a pie crust without the filling. Metal weights or dried beans are usually used to keep the pastry from bubbling. (Mmm. Pie!)

Bouquet Garni - A bunch of herbs (traditionally parsley, thyme, and bay leaf) bundled up in a cheesecloth bag that usually dangles into a stockpot via a string. The herb bundle gives the stew, soup or stock an aromatic seasoning. The bouquet garni is removed before serving.

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Bruschetta - Grilled slices of bread brushed with olive oil and fresh garlic. (I included this because I think so many people think Bruschetta is the tomato part - but it is really just a toast, you can put anything on it!)

Butterfly - To split a piece of food down the center, cutting almost through. The halves are fanned open and laid flat to cook or fry. The fan resembles a butterfly. ex - butterfly shrimp.

Chiffonade - French for 'made from rags.' In cooking it refers to a small chopped pile of thin strips of an ingredient. Usually it is raw, but sometimes sautéed. Mostly used to garnish. (I learned this is when you roll up herbs or leaves, like basil, and cut into strips...)

Cream - To beat butter, margarine, or other fat until it's creamy looking or with sugar until it's fluffy and light. THis technique beats in air, creating light textured baked goods. (Mmm. Cookies.)

Cut-In - To mix a solid fat such as butter or shortening into a dry ingredient such as flour, using a pastry blender, a fork or two knives. (This is usually for recipes like pie crust or biscuits - something you want to be flaky.)

Deglaze - A process of adding a liquid such as wine, vinegar or stock to a hot pan to collect the bits of food left on the pan during cooking. Deglazing is most common with sauteed and roasted foods.

Dredge - To lightly coat food with dry ingredients like flour, cornmeal, or bread crumbs...the usual preparation for frying.

Emulsify - The process of combining ingredients like water and oil with a binder. The blended product is an emulsion. These blended combinations can last from a few minutes to a few days depending on the ingredients. Mustard and egg yolks are two common emulsifiers. (Notice how I use mustard in a lot of my salad dressings? That's why!)

Fork Tender - A degree of doneness for cooked vegetables and meats .When the food is pierced with a fork, there is only a very slight resistance.

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Julienne - to cut food, especially vegetables into thin, uniform matchstick strips about 2 inches long.

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Pare - to cut away the skin or rind of a fruit or vegetable. (Get it? You usually use a Paring Knife? Oh they are clever.)

Proof - To dissolve yeast in a measured amount of warm water (105 to 115 degrees F), sometimes with a small amount of sugar, then to set it aside until foamy.

Roux - A mixture of flour and fat such as butter or margarine, used to thicken sauces, gravies, soups, and stews. Roux can also be made with bacon or meat drippings or poultry fat. After thickening, roux are cooked for a short time. In Creole cooking roux are cooked for a longer time, until they are a dark brown color. (Roux is the plural of Roux... it isn't a typo... though it is throwing me off too.)

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Scald - To heat milk almost to the boiling point just as tiny bubbles start forming on the inside edge of a pan.

Score - Making shallow cuts in meats before cooking, making the meat more tender.

Soft Peaks - When cream or egg whiles are beaten until the stand in peaks that bend over at the top.

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Stiff Peaks - When cream or egg whites are beaten until they stand in peaks and hold their shape.

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Temper - To slowly add a hot liquid to to an egg mixture or other food being prepared to raise the temperature without making them curdle or begin to cook. (Like in pudding or a custard... mmm. Flan.)

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Zest - The colored skin of citrus fruit - not including the white layer.

Meatloaf

2010-08-16T13:40:00.000-06:00

Okay, don't go to the next blog post just because this one says meatloaf. I am not the biggest meatloaf person, but really this was delicious. Not as bland as most are. My husband told me after this came out of the oven that he usually dosen't like meatloaf (I didn't know this!) but he really liked this one. Another bonus - I used half ground turkey so it's less fat than those 80/20 loafs out there. I did a little olive oil but that's a much better fat for you.
This was a perfect Sunday dinner for us. I served mine with green beans, mashed pototoes and a green salad. Serve on a silver platter and the everyday looks gourmet!

Meatloaf

5 oz bag of garlic croutons (thanks to Alton Brown for this idea)
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1 onion, cut in 6 pieces
1 carrot, peeled and cut in half
2 garlic cloves
2 celery sticks, cut in half
1 lb ground beef
1 pkg ground turkey (mine was 19 oz)
1 Tbsp salt
1 egg
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Glaze

1/2 cup catsup
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tsp Worcestershire
1 tsp hot pepper sauce
1 tablespoon honey

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a food processor bowl, combine croutons, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and thyme. Pulse until the mixture is of a fine texture. Place this mixture into a large bowl. Combine the onion, carrot, garlic, and red pepper in the food processor bowl. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped, but not pureed. Add to crouton mixture. Add in meats and salt. Mix in egg. Combine well by folding and stirring, don't "squish" it.
Pack this mixture into a 10-inch loaf pan to mold the shape of the meatloaf. Onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, turn the meatloaf out of the pan onto the center of the tray. Bake for about 10 minutes. While baking make your glaze.
Combine the catsup, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce and honey. After the meatloaf has been cooking for 10 minutes, brush the glaze on. Cook for about 40 more minutes or until internal temperature has reached 155 degrees.

Chicken Stir Fry with Green Beans

2010-08-13T12:49:00.001-06:00

Well, we have moved to Lincoln, Nebraska! The move went ridiculously smooth - and my baby did great for a 16 hour car ride - go Lou! It really was a blessing. Our kitchen is unpacked, and the rest of the house can wait. I finally started making some real food. I love eating out - but two weeks straight can really wear on you (and your waist line - yikes!). I did a couple grocery store trips and feel like our kitchen is almost stocked. The freezer is pretty bare, but it's getting there.
Yesterday was one of our first real meals. I had made dinner before but it was simple things like nachos, spaghetti, things like that. Nothing you don't know already how to make.
This stir fry was inspired by Jamie Oliver (if you haven't signed the petition yet, go sign it!). I love making stir fry it is kind of a clean-out-the-fridge meal. You can put whatever you want in it. And don't stress about having a big variety of vegetables, this only has two. I even love it with just one (remember Broccoli Beef? That's only one vegetable!) The thing with stir fry is you can't cook while you prep. Do all your prep work before hand. I love big cutting boards for this reason - cut and push aside, cut and push aside. No need for lots of bowls. Have everything close to the stove and you will have your stir fry cooked in about 6 minutes!

Chicken Stir Fry with Green Beans

1/2 bunch of cilantro
1 thumb-size peice of fresh ginger
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 to 1 serrano or red chile, seeds and veins removed
2 green onions
2 carrots
2 large handfuls of green beans, cleaned
2 chicken breasts
Peanut or vegetable oil
one lime
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 c soy sauce
1 tbsp corn starch
reserved cooking water
1 package chow mein noodles

First - fill a pot with water and set on high to get boiling while you prepare your ingredients.

To prepare the stir fry:

Remove leaves from cilantro, set aside. Chop cilantro, ginger, garlic, and chile into a very small dice. Set aside. Slice the green onions thinly. Cut and discard ends of green beans; cut into bite size pieces. Slice carrots thinly (I like to cut them into a long, thin julienne.) Slice chicken breasts thinly. It's easiest to slice the chicken if it is a little frozen.

To cook the stir fry:

Preheat your wok or large frying pan over high heat. Once it is very hot, add a "glug" of oil to pan, swirl around. Place chicken in and turn once slightly browned, a couple minutes. Add in cilantro stalks, ginger, garlic, and chile, and half the green onions. Stir fry for about 30 more seconds, keeping everything moving. Now add your noodles to your boiling water, cooking 2-3 minutes. Add cornstarch, sugar, and a 1/4 cup cooking water, keep it moving. Add vegetables. Cook for another 2 minutes, keeping everything moving to not to burn (have I said that enough?). Remove from heat. Add soy sauce and juice of half a lime, stir in well. Drain noodles, reserving a little liquid. Add noodles to pan, stir well. Add a little water if needed to loosen it up. Taste, add soy sauce if needed. Transfer to serving dish and garnish with remaining green onions and cilantro leaves. Serves 3-4.

Tips:

For fresh ginger, peel by scratching with a spoon then reserve the remainder in the freezer.
Careful with your chile pepper - the oils can stick on your skin for a while, wear gloves if needed. (My fingers were burning until I went to bed!... I wasn't being careful...

The Kitchen is Closed... Temporarily

2010-07-30T08:39:00.001-06:00

My family and I are moving tomorrow. Hard to believe it is finally here. I have been so comfortable in Utah - I have lived here since I was 7, only taking a 3 year break for college (and the summers living with my parents in Hawaii). It is what's comfortable, it is where my family is, it is easy. But here we go! On to a new adventure! We are moving to Lincoln Nebraska while my husband attends UNL's law school. It is exciting and scary to be going to a place that is different, uncomfortable, new! I hope we adjust quickly. I am a little shy and am planning on the first 6 months or so being really hard. Like my mom says, if you plan on it being really bad then you won't be disappointed; you may be pleasantly surprised.
So almost everything in our little apartment is boxed up. And of course, that includes my kitchen. We will be eating out for the next week or so - so be patient with me. I will be back soon with some new recipes - maybe even Nebraska-inspired recipes!

Apple Spinach Salad with Spiced Nuts

2010-07-28T07:06:00.001-06:00

For my first catering event (ha!) I made these panini and this salad. I was a big fan of this salad. It was delicious and refreshing. But I afterwards I thought how delicious this would be in all seasons - especially with the fall apple harvest.
This salad is really simple - make the nuts ahead and it will only take you a few minutes to do. The nuts are my favorite part, but don't get scared when you see the secret ingredient, you can barely notice it's there.

Apple Spinach Salad with Spiced Nuts

1 bag prewashed spinach
1-2 granny smith apples, cored and sliced thinly
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup spiced caramelized nuts (recipe below)

Place all ingredients in a bowl. (Now that's a difficult recipe!) And top with apple cider vinaigrette (see recipe below)

Spiced Caramelized Nuts

1/2 cup pecans (or favorite nut)
1 cup white sugar
1 small pinch of cayenne (don't get scared!)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Combine sugar, cayenne, cinnamon, and nutmeg thouroughly. Place in skillet over medium heat. When sugar starts to melt stir in nuts. Stir occasionally. Once all sugar has melted and nuts are coated, place nuts on parchment paper to cool. Eat plain, in a salad, or on top of ice cream.

Apple Cider Vinaigrette

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp dijion mustard
1/2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper

Place all ingredients in a curet and shake.

Rubio's Winner

2010-07-27T09:21:00.000-06:00

Congrats to Robyn who said, "Have been waiting to try this place!" Please email me within 48 hours with your mailing address and I will ship this free meal to you. Congrats!

Chicken Pesto Panini

2010-07-26T07:59:00.000-06:00

My husband has told his fellow co-workers about this blog and frequently talks about my cooking. After all that talking and bringing leftovers, they said I needed to feed them lunch. I fed his department - about 14 people. Not a huge undertaking. But seeing how we are moving this week, I didn't want to buy a lot of things or do a lot of cooking. (We are packing up the kitchen!) So I put together a simple lunch of panini and salad. These panini are so simple but were a big hit. I guess you could say I had my first catering event!
This is a great recipe because it is so simple to make for a few or multiple people. Because I made it simple I used a roatisserie chicken and prepared pesto. If you wanted to be really gourmet you could do these yourself, but I don't think you can really tell the difference. One of the women at his work is vegetarian, so she had one without meat - it was still delicious.

Chicken Pesto Panini

1 loaf Ciabatta bread, cut horizontally then in about 6 pieces
6 Tbsp prepared pesto
Mozzarella cheese
1 cup Baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup (ish) Sun-dried tomatoes
1-2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken meat

Prehead a panini press. To build the panini: Spread one tablespoon of the pesto on each piece of ciabatta bread (I like it split between both sides). Sprinkle shredded mozzarella on each side of the bread. Then layer a few spinach leaves, a few sun-dried tomato slices, and the chicken. Put your slices together and place onto hot panini press. Press sandwhiches until warmed through, cheese has melted, and the bread is crisp.

Tips:

No Panini Press? Not a problem - check out how to make a panini press from what you already have in your kitchen!
You can prepare these ahead (up to a few hours), wrap them up, and cook them when ready.
To make even more gourmet - use fresh mozzerella (I was going to, but that's so expensive for 14 people!)
Buy the sun-dried tomatoes in oil, the dry ones are not the best texture.
Have your local bakery slice your bread loaf for you to cut on time.

Rubio's - Not Just Fish Tacos

2010-07-22T09:44:00.002-06:00

My husband summed it up well when he tried my leftovers, "Oh, it isn't another Cafe Rio."
Last week Rubio's invited a few of us bloggers to try their delicious food. We were stuffed of delicious burritos, tacos, salads, and their variety of salsas. I knew about Rubio's long ago becuase my mom said they are her favorite fish tacos ever. (and she lives in Hawaii! She has had good fish.) But they have such a variety of flavors and dishes. My favorite dish was their roasted vegetable salad. With all this chicken, avocados, and a delicious dressing for 320 calories. I keep tellingi everyone that because I can't believe it. But it had so much flavor you didn't feel like you were eating 2000 calories less than some other fresh mex salads in town. They have other great options for the health conscious eater - grilled fish or chicken tacos, whole wheat tortillas, 4 different salads. They are great to substitue anything for anything if you want. I love that.

Everything I tasted was delicious, fresh, and full of flavor. They were nice enough to donate a free meal to one lucky winner.

Sorry, this giveaway is now closed to see the winner, click here.
To win, leave a comment on this post by midnight, Monday, July 26th to enter.
~~If you don't have an address linked to your profile, please leave it in the comment.~~
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~~3. Become a follower of Redhead Recipes.~~
~~4. Become a fan of Redhead Recipes (with name to verify)~~

Apricot Prosciutto Toasts

2010-07-20T07:32:00.000-06:00

About 3 1/2 years ago my sister started a cooking club with a bunch of her friends and invited me. I was newly married and really didn't have too many married friends. Every month we would get together with a theme (an ingredient, an idea, a dish) and everyone would bring a dish. It was so fun. Saturday was my last cooking club ever. I choose the theme - using an ingredient you have never used before. I have eaten plenty of prosciutto in my day, but never actually cooked with it. And I have never used mascarpone cheese. I saw this recipe on Food Blogga. It is so delicious. I think everyone needs to try it.
What I will give you is the process, but if you want the full recipe check out Susan's recipe over at Food Blogga.

Grilled Apricot Toasts with Prosciutto and Mascarpone Cheese

Crusty Bread
Olive Oil
Apricots
Mascarpone Cheese
Honey
Fresh Rosemary (my grocery store was out of Rosemary, so I used thyme. Still great)

Brush slices of crusty bread with olive oil, grill until golden brown, flip, repeat. Set aside. Cut apricots in half, brush with olive oil and place cut side down on the grill. Cook until grill marks appear, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook for a minute or two, just to help the fruit warm all the way through. When done, cut each half into four wedges.
Assembly: On each piece of toast spread a layer of mascarpone, then place a slice of prosciutto, (I put mine on the grill pan for a few seconds to bring it to room temperature.) drizzle with honey, and top with a little rosemary (or thyme in my case). These are great warm or room temperature.

Tip: Use a grill pan, these are fast, and then you don't have to heat up your grill.

Thank Susan for the recipe - what a great balance of flavors and textures!

How to Make a Panini Press

2010-07-16T08:19:00.000-06:00

So the other day the girls were up at our cabin. We had planned fabulous, delicious food. One of said meals was a panini and soup. The only problem is our cabin doesn't have a panini press (and on that note, neither do I). So we got creative.

Here's how to make a Panini Press:

Place said paninis on griddle. Find something flat (baking dish, roasting pan, skillet) and place on top. Then place on the flat item place something heavy - in my case, the heaviest cans we could find. When bottom side of your panini is flat and golden, flip and repeat!

We made my friend Alma's recipe - Brie, watercress, turkey (good stuff - no fake lunch meat stuff, this is fancy!), and green apples. It doesn't get much better than that!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

2010-07-15T12:47:00.000-06:00

If you didn't know, I am a foodie by day and a nurse by night. I work night shifts in Labor and Delivery (although I just worked my last shift before the move) which are 6 pm to 6 am. It is no surprise that I am pretty tired the next day because I am up at 8:30 with Lou. So yesterday, I was a little to tired to make anything elaborate. I had my husband pick up a rotisserie chicken and we had bread and these Roasted Brussels Sprouts with it. I have to say, it was way to easy to taste that good. But here's the simple recipe for these delicious greens.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

1 lb Brussels Sprouts
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese
balsamic vinegar

Cut the ends of the Brussels sprouts off. Peel away any yellow or brown leaves. Cut in half. Place in baking dish or cookie sheet and toss with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place in 400 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Top with grated Parmesan cheese or a light drizzle of balsamic vinegar (or both!).
Easy peasy!

Brussels sprout tips:

Purchase sprouts that are bright green and have tight outer leaves. Avoid sprouts with soft or black spots.

12 on 12 July

2010-07-13T12:45:00.001-06:00

I was inspired by Miranda to do this 12 on 12 project. I have wanted to do it in the past, I just didn't take the time to do it. July was my month - I was going to do it. Unfortunately, my 12th was pretty mundane. But it's fun to see what people's "everyday"s are like.

1. Prepare to get some cleaning done: give her two graham crackers and maybe I will have enough time to do some dishes.
2. Nope. She wanted to help unload the dishwasher.
3. Didn't get much done during Lou's awake time, but during her nap I was quite productive. I made some cards using some new stamps I got with my sister.
4. Finally! I clean sink. (I am embarrassed to say it had been a couple days.)
5. My simple lunch - "baked" (nuked) potato with fat-free sour cream and steamed broccoli.
6. Lou woke up, time for some errands. I have a secret love for office supply stores.
7. Deliver said cards and others to the post office - don't you love getting real mail? By the way, that's my husband's hairy arm.
8. Lou was so great to run so many errands with me. Yes, she is a finger sucker.
9. Meet Mr. Recipes. We picked him up from work. He always makes us laugh.
10. Dinner - a variation on this pasta
11. She does this every bath, lines up all the different ducks (Papa knows what his granddaughter loves)
12. Apple Crisp and a movie to finish up the day.

Work in Progress...

2010-07-12T15:14:00.000-06:00

My post for today won't be up until this evening because I am working on the 12 on 12 ... but I've only got about 6 so far.

The Ultimate Burger

2010-07-09T12:34:00.000-06:00

For the fourth of July, we got together with my sister's family and had some delicious food. We made salsa and burgers and had corn on the cob and watermelon. It was the perfect summer meal. I bought popsicles for dessert, but my brother-in-law doesn't believe something is dessert unless it has chocolate, so they bought a delicious Boston Cream Pie.

I made the burgers and brought lots of delicious toppings: bacon, provolone (no plastic "cheddar" allowed in this family), grilled pineapple, red onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and avocado. Of course I couldn't decide which to include, so I did them all!

Looks yum doesn't it? Although, it was hard to eat by the end -- I had to use a fork and knife. PS - this is how we like burgers in our family (at least the girls): a little meat with lots of toppings!

Burger Tips:

Don't use a low-fat burger meat - you need the fat to hold it together.
Add some flavor, just throw in some sauces, spices that you like. But I always recommend Worcestershire.
For these burgers I put tomato paste, BBQ seasoning, mustard, and Worcestershire.

What do you like in/on your burger?

Published!

2010-07-07T11:52:00.000-06:00

Check out the current issue of Utah Valley Magazine. I was so honored when they asked me to create a breakfast recipe for them. Had I known it was a before-school breakfast feature I might have done something a little quicker for those busy moms but -- this recipe can all be made in advance and you can just grill the pancakes before the kiddos go off to school. Check out UV Magazine on pg 50 to see this recipe.

Balsamic Lime Shrimp

2010-07-06T12:54:00.001-06:00

I hope you all had a fabulous holiday. I loved every minute of it. Great food, people, concerts, fireworks, and activities. We are so exhausted - we did way too many fun things!

A while ago my mom and sister were doing weight watchers and were trying to find as many zero-point foods as they could. They used to put balsamic vinegar and lime juice on their salads because there was no fat and barely any calories. At first I thought it was an odd combination - until I tried it. It was perfect together. I thought maybe I could carry that over into a marinade. I made this healthy marinade for shrimp skewers. no fat, and just a little calories really from the honey. Try this while your grill is still hot from the weekend!

Balsamic Lime Shrimp

1/4 inch fresh ginger - sliced thinly
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp lime juice
2 lg or 3 small garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 T honey
Shrimp - enough for two skewers per person

Place all ingredients, except shrimp, into a large ziplock bag. Squish the bag around until the honey has dissolved and all ingredients are combined. Add shrimp. Marinate for 20-30 minutes (no longer!). Place on skewers (soak your wooden skewers in warm water for about 30 minutes before you grill - they won't burn - see mine for proof!) and grill for about 2 minutes on each side or until flesh is pink and is no longer translucent. I don't have a grill, so I do this under my broiler for the same amount of time. Garnish with cilantro.
I served mine with a green salad and whole wheat couscous.

Cilantro Lime Couscous
boil 2 1/4 cups chicken stock and 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add couscous, stir, remove from heat, and cover for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork. Stir in a splash of lime juice and a handful of chopped cilantro!

Tips:

Use this marinade on any protein - chicken, beef, salmon, pork. Would work great.
Don't marinate your seafood for more than 30 minutes, the acids start to cook the fish (and not the way you want it to).
If you need to/want to stretch your marinade a little further, use a little (1/2 c) flavorless oil, like canola. Unless you live on the coast and know your shrimp is really fresh - buy it frozen! That way you know you are getting the freshest shrimp possible in your area. Plus, you get can it peeled and deveined already.
Fresh ginger can not be substituted - it's just too good. Plus it's cheap. Buy a piece, peel it, then freeze what you don't use.

4th of July Food

2010-07-02T12:36:00.000-06:00

I love Independence Day! Probably because I love the food that is associated with it. (Big surprise right?) I love all the fresh fruits and veggies but I also love barbecues and frozen desserts. The best part is - the whole family gets the holiday off and we get to spend it together. This year is fun becuase it's not just one day - we are celebrating Saturday, Sunday, and Monday!
With all this celebrating, we will be having lots of meals - I'm sure you will be too. If you need some ideas here are some festive ideas or summer favorites.

Breakfast:
Blueberry Pancakes with Strawberry topping - red, white and blue!
Steel Cut Oats - with strawberries and blueberries - again... red, white and blue!

Lunch/Dinner:
Barbecue Ribs - or anything barbecued... but this sauce is so good I am constantly licking my finger/spoon, etc
Chicken Sausage Sandwich - this is a quick easy lunch that is portable
Coleslaw - I have talked about this alot, but it's my favorite coleslaw recipe I have found
Arugula and Goat Cheese Salad - so good, it could be your whole meal
Baked Beans - no barbecue is complete without them. These are great, make ahead in your crockpot!
Burgers of all kinds, but try this Teriyaki Burger. If you are looking for other types of burgers - check out Rachel Ray's collection - she's the queen of burgers.

Dessert (or course!):
Pink Grapefruit Sorbet - so delicious and refreshing
Limeade Popsicles - I love all things frozen
Lemon Bars - I love citrusy things when it's hot; and this is a great balance of fresh and rich
Apple Crisp - nothing says America like apple pie or crisp!

Try something different:
Chocolate Fondue - take your foundue outside while you watch the fireworks
Grill pizza - place this pizza dough on the grill, then add your toppings, close the grill until dough is cooked and cheese is melted.
This cake (pictured above) is amazing! Such a fun twist on the typical american flag cake!

What's in Season - July

2010-07-01T08:19:00.000-06:00

It can't seriously be July already can it? It's hard to believe. July is a big month for us - lots of holiday celebrating, birthdays, finals, and moving! You can bet that to some of the parties I will be taking things using this great produce. I love the summer for the produce. (If it wasn't so hot it would be my favorite season.

Here's what's in Season in July:

images via

Summer Squash
Peaches
Figs
Corn
Melons - all! (Honeydew, Crenshaw, Watermelon, Canary, and Cantelope)
Cherries
Strawberries
Tomatoes
Cucumber

Eggplant

Raspberries

What else is in season in July?

Green and wax beans
Beets
Leeks
Okra
Snap peas
Apricots
Currants
Plums
Mangoes
Nectarines
Passion fruit

I try and do this monthly so you can see what's in season each month.

Limeade Popsicles

2010-06-29T06:36:00.000-06:00

Isn't she such a cutie?!

So I had a little leftover of our Brazilian Limeade. (Don't get me wrong, I could have drank the whole recipe alone) and had an awesome popsicle mold I got in the dollar section of Target -- don't you just love that place? So I decided to make these little popsicles. They are sophisticated enough for adults, but all kids love them too! My baby would fuss every time I took it out of her mouth so I could have a taste.

Brazilian Limeade Directions

Make this recipe
Freeze in popsicle molds overnight. Dip molds in hot water and popsicles will slide right out.

Tip: If you don't have popsicle molds, use ice cube trays, cover with foil, then stick toothpicks or cut straws, popsicle sticks, anything!

Can you tell she loves it?

Brazilian Limeade

2010-06-28T09:34:00.000-06:00

This weekend was so beautiful - sunny and blue skies here. I loved just being with my family. It's just what I needed. And I am still ahead in my schoolwork. Not too shabby. On Saturday, my husband and I took our baby to the park and let her swing, slide, and play with the ducks. She loved it. But we were sure hot when we got home.
For dinner, I had planned on Fajitas. But after getting home from the park I was so hot that I needed something really cold and refrehsing to cool me off. I had some limes and remembered the delicious Brazilian limeade my sister had made. She made it for a dinner party a few years ago and I have loved it ever since. I called her for the recipe but she couldn't find it. I searched online, found some similar, and made some adjustment. This is so easy. No real prepwork needed.

Brazilian Limeade
2 limes
3 Tbsp sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups water
1-2 trays of ice

Cut off the ends of your limes and then cut each into 6 pieces. Place limes, sweetened condensed milk, sugar, and waterin a blender. Blend for about 20 seconds. Place through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing down to get all the liquid out. Discard lime pulp. Return liquid to blender with ice. Blend desired consistency. Serve.
Makes 4 servings (or 2 of those glasses pictured plus a little leftover).

Tips:
When blending it with the ice, I like to do it in 2 batches, I have less overflowing (and therefore wasted) juice.
If you want a slushy type drink, or if you want to stretch your drink a little further - use 2 trays of ice. If you want a nice cold drink - just do one. (Pictured is one.)
If you want to make this ahead, prepare your juice and then blend with ice just before serving.

One of Those Days

2010-06-23T21:12:00.000-06:00

I am having one-of-those-days. I am sorry for my lack of real posts. I was going to do a real post earlier today. I really was. Sorry 'bout that. We are moving in less than a month and we don't have a place yet. I worked from 9-5 at a doctor's office then came home and had to work a night shift from 10 pm to 6 am. I was going to nap but my baby has been awake for 2 hours crying with teething. She's sad. I can't sleep. I should have done some homework if I was going to be awake. But no. I just layed awake in bed wishing I wasn't.

image via

I was asked to submit a recipe and picture to a magazine. Wow! That's so nice. Then I was invited to go to evo'10. I am hoping to find someone to babysit, but the last minute notice is killing me. I am a little overwhelmed. I will try to get everything back in order. I promise to have a real post soon.

Thanks for reading -- love you!

PS - my sister took a picture of me, so I finally have one on the blog!

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-19T22:27:00.002-06:00

Thanks to all those great Fathers out there. You make such a difference. To my dad - thank you for being the man you are to make me the woman I am.
To my husband - thank you for being the greatest father to my daughter. You strive so hard to be the best man you can. I love you. Thanks for the genes - they helped make such a cute girl!

For everyone else, enjoy this funny video. For more, you can go to the Fatherhood website. Check out the cheerleader that's my favorite... but I thought this one was perfect for a food blog.

Tom Yum Soup

2010-06-18T06:00:00.001-06:00

My family has always been adventurous eaters. We love trying new places, new foods, and are always willing to push the limits. I remember ordering a pizza with anchovies on it because none of us had ever tried it. I think the pizza parlor was so excited to get rid of it they covered every inch of that pizza in those little canned fishies. We do stuff like that. We love it.

About 15 years ago my mom told us some of her fellow employees introduced her to a restaurant that served delicious Thai food. At that time I don't know if I could have told you where Thailand was on a map. This was long before Thai restaurants became big and when people thought asian food consisted of Panda Express and egg rolls at TGI Fridays. I don't really remember what we ate, but I do remember my dad eating a soup that had octupus in it and he was sweating because it was so hot (oh, that's another thing with our family, we like it spicy!) Since then, we were hooked. When we were in the area we had to stop for a bite. We still try something new each time we go, but we almost always order Tom Yum Soup.

This is what Hannah and I request when we are sick, this is our comfort food, our Chicken Noodle Soup. And now, we know how to make it. It is delicious. It is simples, but does have some odd ingredients - but Asian markets are easier to find then they were 10 years ago. If you live in the Provo area, email me and I can tell you where I found my stuff.

Tom Yum Soup
8 cups chicken broth
2 stalks fresh lemongrass, sliced on a bias in 2-inch pieces
4 kaffir lime leaves
1-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced
2-3 tsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 (8-ounce) can straw mushrooms, rinse
1 pound shrimp, peeled with tails on
2 limes, juiced
3 green onions, sliced
1 large handful fresh cilantro, chopped

Bring the broth to the boil over medium heat in a stock pot. Add the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes to let the flavors meld.
Uncover and add the fish sauce (yes, it stinks bad, but it will make such a difference for good in the soup), sugar, and mushrooms. Simmer for 5 minutes. Toss in the shrimp and cook for about 8 minutes until they turn pink. Remove from the heat and add the lime juice, green onions, cilantro. Taste to make sure there is an even balance of salty, sweet, savory, and sour - the beauty of thai dishes. Serve with a lime wedge. There is a lot of flavor items in this that you shouldn't eat - the kaffir leaves and lemongrass especially. I don't eat the ginger and the shrimp tails either.
Serves about 6-8.

Tips:

Lemon grass, kaffir leaves, and ginger freeze very well - if you can only find more than you need, just save it for later. Trust me - you're going to want more!
To cut your lemon grass - cut off the drier tips and the root. Throw those away then slice the remaining.
If you have a question about how to use the products - most Asian market owners are so happy to answer questions (if they speak English).