My Sweet Life...

So simple...sooo good!

2010-01-17T11:45:00.004-05:00

Last night, Lani & Chad called and invited themselves over after dinner. :-) Since we both had plans of just staying home and relaxing, we decided why not do it all together. So, I said I needed to come up with a quick dessert we could have. Lani found this recipe and emailed it over to me...and surprisingly, I had all of the ingredients on hand. When they got here, she and I made it together and threw it in the oven. It turned out awesome. It was very easy to make and it was delicious. We had it with vanilla lowfat frozen yogurt. I will definitely make this again.

Mixed Berry Crisp

Source: Epicurious

2 - 12oz bags of frozen mixed berries, unthawed (I used one 16 oz bag)

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup flour

1 tbsp lemon juice (omitted because I didn't have)

3/4 cup old fashioned oats

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger (omitted)

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

7 tbsp chilled unsalted butter, diced (I used light)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine berries, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour and lemon juice in a large bowl; toss to blend well. Transfer berry mixture to 9" glass pie dish. Combine remaining 3/4 cup flour, oats, brown sugar, spices and salt in a medium bowl. Add butter; rub in with fingertips until topping holds together in small moist clumps. Sprinkle over berry mixture.

Bake until berry mixture bubbles thickly and topping is golden brown, about 1 hour (I baked for 45 minutes). Let stand for 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. **top with vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream!

Grilling - Steak & Potatoes

2010-01-17T11:20:00.004-05:00

In my Taste of Home magazine, I saw a recipe for marinated chuck steak. However, when I went to the grocery store, they had no chuck steak...so I bought a london broil hoping it would turn out ok. It actually turned out pretty good but I'd still like to try the recipe with chuck steak like it calls for. Mike grilled it for us along with some asparagus. I baked sweet potato fries too and they turned out awesome.

Marinated Chuck Steak

Source: Taste of Home

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp onion powder

2 lbs boneless chuck steak

In a large ziploc bag, combine the first seven ingredients. Add the beef; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Drain and discard marinade. Grill steak, covered, over medium heat for 8-10 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a meat thermometer should read 145 degrees; medium, 160 degress; well-done, 170 degress). Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Sweet Potato Fries

2 medium sweet potatoes

olive oil Pam

salt & pepper

cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degress. Wash and peel sweet potatoes. Cut into strips. Grease baking sheet with Pam; spread sweet potatoes out and spray with Pam; sprinkle with salt, pepper and a little cayenne pepper. Bake for 25-30 minutes, turning once.

Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

2010-01-17T10:18:00.002-05:00

This week's menu consisted of bbq chicken sandwiches, salad with crispy chicken tenders, and marinated london broil.

My cousin, Amber, suggested I try this recipe out. Although we thought it was good, it was more tomato-based than I had hoped. Next time, I will add more liquid smoke to make the bbq flavor stronger. I used whole wheat potato rolls for the sandwiches.

Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Source: Food Network

1 tbsp canola oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (14oz) low-sodium tomato sauce

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

5 tbsp molasses

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp liquid smoke

1 whole rotisserie chicken or 3 chicken breasts - meat shredded into thin strips

6 whole wheat hamburger rolls

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over a medium heat. Add the onions until they are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, vinegar, molasses, pepper, and liquid smoke and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add shredded chicken, return to a simmer and cook an additional 10 minutes.

Loaded Potatoes!

2010-01-11T20:35:00.004-05:00

Last night we headed over to our friends' house for dinner and to meet their new baby, Kaylee. I offered to bring a potato dish and decided on this loaded red potato casserole that I saw in my Taste of Home magazine. I knew there would be no way to go wrong with it. And, I was right! Absolutely delicious and very simple to make. Of course I got it all finished and then rushed out of the house so we would be on time...and I forgot to take a picture. So, this picture is from Taste of Home, but it pretty much looked the same (except their picture is way better than mine would have been).

Loaded Red Potato Casserole
Source: Taste of Home

16 small red potatoes (3lb bag of petite red potatoes)
1/2 cup milk (I used fat free)
1/4 cup butter, cubed (I used light)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups (6oz) shredded cheddar, divided (I used 2%)
1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon (I used 4 slices of turkey bacon)
1 cup (8oz) sour cream (I used fat free)
2 tbsp minced chives

Place potatoes in dutch oven (a.k.a. big pot) and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain.

Mash potatoes with the milk, butter, salt and pepper. Transfer to a greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese and the bacon.

Dollop with sour cream; sprinkle with chives and remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Yields 9 servings.

Sweet Mustard Chicken

2010-01-10T15:15:00.004-05:00

I have to admit this wasn't a completely NEW recipe, but I'd only made it once before and that time I made it according to the recipe, using pork. It was absolutely delicious and I decided to give it a try with chicken. The result was great. I do think, however, that the pork hold the marinade flavor better but I would still make it again with both pork and chicken. The marinade mix seemed very odd to me but it really turns out delicious. Mike also grilled zucchini and corn on the cob for a delicious and very healthy meal.

Sweet Mustard Chicken (or Chops)

Source: Taste of Home

3 or 4 chicken breasts or pork loin chops

1/2 cup mayo (I used light)

1/4 packed brown sugar

1/4 cup prepared mustard (I used spicy brown)

2 tsp seasoned salt (I just used kosher salt)

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

In a small bowl, mix mayo, brown sugar, mustard and salt. Whisk in vinegar. Pour into a large ziploc bag; add chicken or pork. Seal and refrigerate overnight.

Discard marinade. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 20-25 minutes or until a meat thermometer says 160 degree, turning occasionally.

Yields 4 servings.

Goal for the New Year!

2010-01-10T14:59:00.004-05:00

One of my goals for the New Year is to update my blog regularly. Going along with that is to plan a weekly menu of meals each week - and 2 meals should be new recipes that I've never tried before...since I have hundreds of recipes that I've pulled from my cooking magazines and printed from online sources. So, I did pretty well the first week of the new year.

My weekly plan was:

Monday - DYOD (do your own dinner) since we were both working later

Tuesday - Nut Crusted Tilapia, brown rice and roasted baby carrots - NEW

Wednesday - Tacos (with ground chicken)

Thursday - Sweet Mustard Chicken, zucchini and corn on the cob (all grilled) - NEW

Friday - out to dinner with friends

So, here are the recipes for the 2 new dishes. First up....

Nut-Crusted Tilapia

Source: Prevention Magazine

1 cup of finely chopped pecans

4 tilapia fillets (about 1 1/2 lbs)

milk (used fat free)

flour (used whole wheat)

salt and pepper

canola oil

Season both sides of fish fillets with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour first, then milk, then coat thoroughly with pecans. Heat a thin layer of canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook fish until just done, turning once (about 5 mins total).

Serves 4

Roasted Carrots

Source: Lani - Pleasure Cooker

Toss with olive oil until lightly coated. Add salt, pepper, and rosemary (or thyme). Spread out on baking sheet. Bake on 400 for 20-25 minutes or until desired tenderness.

Beef and Broccoli with Fried Rice

2009-12-06T21:17:00.005-05:00

Mike sampled this at our grocery store, Publix, and came home with the recipe card for me because he thought it was so good. So, I decided to give it a shot. It turned out really well and I will definitely be making this again soon.

Beef and Broccoli

12 oz fresh broccoli florets, rinsed

1 1/2 lb beef skirt steak

1 tbsp canola oil

3 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp ginger spice blend paste

1/2 cup oyster sauce

1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp lite soy sauce

2 tbsp dry sherry (I omitted)

1) Cut broccoli into bite-sized pieces; place in microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave on high for 4-5 minutes or until almost desired tenderness. Meanwhile, slice steak thinly.

2) Preheat large saute pan on medium-high for 2-3 minutes. Place oil in pan; stir to coat. Add steak, garlic and ginger paste; cook 3-4 minutes or until meat is lightly browned, stirring occasionally. While steak cooks, combine remaining ingredients (except broccoli) in a small bowl until well blended.

3) Stir broccoli and sauce mixture into beef. Bring to a boil; cook 2-3 minutes or until sauce thickens and broccoli is desired tenderness.

Fried Rice

1 3/4 cups of reduced-sodium chicken broth

3 tbsp lite soy sauce

1 tsp minced garlic

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

2 green onions, rinsed and sliced thinly

1 medium red bell pepper, rinsed and cut into 1/4" pieces

2 cups instant brown rice

1 cup of frozen green peas and carrots

1) Combine broth, soy sauce, garlic and red pepper flakes in a large saute pan. Bring to a boil.

2) Stir rice into boiling broth mixture and return to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook for 5 minutes.

3) Remove from heat; stir in onions, peppers, peas and carrots. Cover and let stand for 5-7 minutes or until water is absorbed. Fluff with fork and serve.

Source: Publix Apron's Simple Meals

Halloween Treats!

2009-12-06T20:45:00.004-05:00

Ok, it's been way too long since my last post but I really do want to get back in the habit of updating so I'll start with my 2 recent Halloween treats that I made to take over to a friend's house for a get together. I saw both of these in my Taste of Home magazine and couldn't resist.

Strawberry Ghosts

30 fresh strawberries, washed and dried
8 oz white baking chocolate, chopped
1 tsp shortening
1/8 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

1) Melt white chocolate and shortening; stir until smooth; stir in almond extract.
2) Dip strawberries in chocolate mixture; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheet, allowing excess chocolate to form ghosts' tails. Immediately press chocolate chips into coating for eyes. Freeze for 5 minutes.
3) Melt remaining chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Dip a toothpick into melted chocolate and draw a mouth on each face. Refrigerate until needed.

Source: Taste of Home

Next up, a Pumpkin Torte. This got rave reviews and is so easy to make. Delicious! I made it again for Thanksgiving because it is so good. The frosting part is my favorite because it is so light and fluffy.

Pumpkin Torte
1 box yellow cake mix
1 can (15 oz) solid-pack pumpkin, divided
1/2 cup milk
4 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, divided
1 80z package cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners sugar
16 oz frozen cool whip/whipped topping, thawed
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted (I omitted this time)

1) In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, 1 cup pumpkin, milk, eggs, oil and 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice; beat on low for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9" round baking pans.
2) Bake on 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
3) In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar, remaining pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice; beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping.
4) Cut each cake horizontally into two layers. Place bottom layer on a serving plate; spread with fourth of the filling. Repeat layers 3 times. Drizzle with caramel topping; sprinkle with pecans. Store in refrigerator.

Source: Taste of Home

Awesome pumpkin cookies

2008-12-16T10:32:00.003-05:00

So, I've already made these 3 times now. They are awesome and Mike loves them. Most recently, he entered us into his work's Christmas cookie bake-off and he wanted me to make these. I found the recipe on Picky Palate's blog. The first time I made them, I followed her recipe exactly but it made a ton of cookies so this time I basically halved the recipe. Here is what I did.

Pumpkin Cookies

Source: Picky Palate

1 box spice cake mix

1 15oz can pumpkin

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla (I added)

Preheat oven to 350. Place cake mix, pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla in a mixer and mix until well combined. With a cookie scoop, scoop onto a parchment or silpat lined cookie sheet. Bake @ 350 degrees F. for 11-13 minutes or until cooked through (9-11 mins works best for me). Let cool completely.

For the frosting, here is what I did:

1 jar of vanilla frosting

4 oz softened cream cheese (light)

1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon

Mix all together and spread on cookies. Yum!

My first pecan pie!

2008-12-16T10:14:00.005-05:00

Since we were hosting Thanksgiving, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try my hand at pecan pie. I had thought about using a Cooking Light recipe or some other 'light' recipe, but then I said what the heck and chose to just go all out. Afterall, I didn't want to ruin my first pecan pie...so I turned to someone who I knew would be spot on....the Pioneer Woman. Are you wondering how mine turned out? Ridiculously good!!! I got so many compliments on it...Mike's mom and grandma were really wowed that I made it from scratch. Go me! Do yourself a favor...make a real pecan pie one day. So. Worth. It.

Pioneer Woman's Pecan Pie

Source: Pioneer Woman Cooks
1 unbaked pie crust
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup melted butter (regular, salted)

3 eggs, beaten

1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 heaping cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Mix sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a bowl. Pour chopped pecans in the bottom of the pie shell. Pour syrup mixture over the top. Bake pie at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, being careful not to burn pecans and crust.
Allow to cool for several hours or overnight.

My new favorite dip!

2008-12-16T10:01:00.004-05:00

This dip is just too easy...and so delicious. Lani made it for a halloween party and made me try it, even though I was hesitant simply because of the word 'artichoke'. Well, silly me, because it was so good. I decided to make it for a Thanksgiving appetizer and I served it with crostini. So, let's just get right to it...shall we?

Lani's Artichoke Dip

1 can of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

8 oz of cream cheese (light)

1/2 cup of mayo (light)

1/4 cup of parmesan cheese

1 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350 or 375. Mix all ingredients. Spread into 8x8 dish and bake for 20-25 minutes until heated through and bubbling on top. Serve with crostini or crackers. Enjoy!

Meet our Pumpkin!

2008-11-12T10:53:00.005-05:00

We are not cat people...never have been and were sure we would never be. Things change, I guess. Last week, we happened upon a stray little kitty late one night on the road that runs behind our house. We brought her home and kept her through the night (we called her Pumpkin because she was white, orange and black). The next morning we called the local animal services about bringing her there since they have an adoption center on site. We knew that she had a cold (or Upper Respiratory Infection as they told us)... because of that they said she would be euthanized because they can't risk getting the rest of their population sick. Also, she had scratched us when playing and because she was a stray there was the risk of rabies. I was heartbroken and we didn't know what to do. We left her there thinking we were doing what was best for her and for us. By Sunday, 2 days later, we missed her and wished we would have made the decision to at least take her to a vet, get her well, and then give her up. We drove to animal services that night at 9 p.m. and left 2 notes on the various office doors saying that if they still had her, by chance, we would love to have her back and give her a good home. They called me Monday morning and apologized saying it was too late. Again, crushed! We thought long and hard and decided we would look into adopting a kitty.

So, here's how Pumpkin (v.2) came along. That same day, Monday, I started looking at adoption website and decided to look at Craigslist. I came across a tiny little orange and white kitten that someone else found as a stray and were giving away for free. I emailed and they wrote me back saying he was still available. So, last night, we went to see him and we left with our little Pumpkin. He's a doll...the sweetest little guy. However, he was infested with fleas...which we noticed when we got home. We had asked the lady and she said she hadn't seen any. Anyways, we spent 2-3 hours cleaning him and picking 80-100 fleas off the poor little guy. I took him to the vet first thing this morning and they said we did a great job as they didn't seen any fleas at all. They gave him a vaccination, a little amount of flea treatment just in case, a checkup, etc....we have a healthy little kitty...weighing in at a whopping 1 lb 4 oz!! We picked his birthday to be September 20th so he's 7 weeks old!

We can't wait to get home and play with him since we're pretty sure he thinks we were torturing him last night...he was drenched, freezing, being picked and pulled at... but it was all worth it and he loves us today!

**next to my foot (size 7) to show you how small he is!

1 Year of Wedded Bliss

2008-11-03T16:30:00.000-05:00

We recently returned from a 1 week roadtrip to celebrate our 1 year anniversary. What a great trip. On Friday, Oct 10th, we drove from Tampa to Atlanta where we would spend our first two nights at the downtown Atlanta Marriot Marquis in a room with a great view.

The first night we had an amazing dinner at Chin Chin - a chinese restaurant that I had found online and saw that it had good reviews. Well, it was absolutely delish. The location we went to was deceiving from the outside, but was a charming little modern place on the inside. And the food was to die for. Here's what we had: appetizer - crab angels (rangoon); dinner - Mike had Hunan Chicken - a light dish that was very hot but so good; I had the combo Tangerine shrimp/chicken which was served over roasted peppers and orange peels - unbelievable how good it was.

On Saturday, we drove to Stone Mountain Park and did a morning hike to the top. Great workout to start the day then walked around the little village. Cute place!

Saturday night was dinner at Legal Sea Foods. Another fabulous meal. Appetizer - Hot Crab Dip; dinner - Mike had the Grilled Swordfish with seaweed salad and broccoli with cheese; I had the Tortilla, Apple & Goat Cheese Salad with orange chipotle dressing (topped with grilled scallops). Dessert - personal pecan pie with vanilla bean ice cream, whipped cream and caramel bourbon sauce. Oh my...what a meal!

On Sunday morning, we got up and hit the Georgia Aquarium where we spent about 2 hours. Then, it was back in the car and on the road...next up, Charleston!

Anniversary Trip continued...

2008-11-03T11:13:00.024-05:00

Enjoying a really cute little Coke Zero bottle on the road...

Second stop - Charleston. We arrived on Sunday afternoon and spent 3 nights at the Mills House Hotel - charming, historic hotel that we enjoyed very much. Great location too! We did a little walking around just to loosen up our stiff legs. For dinner, we wanted something simple and easy so we went to Charleston Crab House. Appetizer - she crab soup - thick, creamy and very good. Mike had a crab cake sandwich - the crab cake was dwarfed by the bun so he just ate the crab cake. I had the bbq shrimp & grits because I had to try it. Not my favorite dish - good, but not something I can eat a whole bowl of.

The next day, we went on a carriage tour of the city and then had lunch at Sticky Fingers BBQ. Mike had the Ribs & Wings Combo and I had the Smoked Chicken Potato Skins with BBQ. Very good meal! Here's a great action shot of Mike enjoying his.

We may have taken a nap after this meal (I'm guessing we did) to get ready for the next meal, which was going to be our biggest anniversary dinner compliments of Mike's company, Deloitte...which was a pleasant surprise. We did our research to come up with the best place to dine at so we were very much looking forward to it.

We chose Oak Steakhouse, which is located in an old bank. We were given a very private table and immediately were given 2 glasses of pink champagne. Very nice, unexpected touch. We started out by ordering a bottle of Franciscan Magnificat, one that Mike has had before and said I really needed to try. I'm not a red wine drinker at all, but gave it a shot. Oh boy, now I'm a fan. That is a delicious wine!

Here is what we had: appetizer - Beef Tartare served with crunchy shoestring potatoes for Mike and a Roasted Beet & Boston Bibb salad for me. Yum! For dinner - 7 oz filet with gorgonzola cream sauce for me and a 16 oz new york strip for Mike. We ordered the Lobster & Shrimp mac & cheese to share as our side, and it seriously rocked our world! For dessert, Mike ordered 2 dessert wines for us to try and I ordered the Apple Torta with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (that had been mixed with honey). A meal we will not soon forget!

The next day it was off for some more sightseeing...this time, by bike. We rented two bikes and set out for an adventure....first we headed to this beautiful bridge, which kicked my butt and I could barely breathe by the time we got across it. Then on a water taxi back to downtown Charleston so we could explore the historical streets. Gotta love our helmets.

After a couple hours, we headed back to the hotel to re-group. I had the idea of grabbing our books/magazines, getting on the bikes and heading down to the Battery to hang in the park for awhile. That was nice, peaceful and relaxing and we're glad we did it.

Our last meal was at Jestine's Kitchen. We knew we needed to have some real southern comfort food and Mike had been wanting fried chicken. This place has a great reputation for simple southern food. We started with the cornbread which was served with butter that had been drizzled with honey. Yum! I prefer sweet cornbread and since it wasn't sweet, the butter with honey did the trick. Mike had the fried chicken basket with collard greens and fries. I had the pecan crusted fried chicken breast with mac & cheese. This chicken was awesome. Then for dessert, the coca cola cake with vanilla bean ice cream...very rich but so good!

The last morning, we spent a couple hours by the pool before packing up the car and heading out again...this time to Savannah, for our final stop. Isn't he handsome?

Last Stop...Savannah!

2008-11-03T11:00:00.000-05:00

Our third and final vacation spot was Savannah. I was most excited about where we would be staying...I talked Mike into trying a B&B for the first time...I couldn't wait. I did some research and settled on the Green Palm Inn. We arrived in Savannah on Wednesday afternoon, just in time for some snacks and wine that was provided by the inn. Diane is the innkeeper and Tammy is her assistant. They were awesome. The place is absolutely adorable, a touch of modern mixed in with traditional furnishings. There are only 4 guest rooms and ours was the Sago Palm Suite. It was perfect!

My favorite part of the house was the front porch. It was so beautiful with so many flowers and tons of greenery. I wish the front of my house looked like that.

On our first night, we went for a walk down to check out River St. and then to City Market. We stopped in a pub for dinner, the Moon River Brewing Company. An appetizer caught my eye so we just had to try it....Sweet Potato Crinkles. Let me just tell you....they were so yummy. They are basically crinkle french fries (but made with sweet potatoes, obviously) and they were served with 3 dipping sauces (raspberry vinaigrette, chipotle ranch and a cinnamon sugar glaze). I preferred the ranch but every now and then would dip into the cinnamon sugar glaze...it was more of a dessert that way. Mike ordered a Grilled Chicken Salad and I had the Chicken, Bacon and Swiss sandwich. Both were great. Oh, we also ordered a sampler of their beers that are brewed in-house...we got 7 of them which was very cool. A couple of them were very good and a couple were not so good. But here is Mike getting excited about trying them. After dinner it was off to City Market where I found Savannah's Candy Kitchen and had some delicious butter pecan ice cream.

I was very excited about our first breakfast at the Green Palm Inn. We awakened to an absolutely glorious smell coming from downstairs. When we sat down at the table, Diane served us each a plate filled with blueberry bread pudding, brown sugar baked bacon, and a side of pineapple, strawberries and papaya. Oh my goodness, what a good way to start the day. Then, we decided on a roadtrip out to Tybee Island where we would check out the beach and the lighthouse.

The view from the top...

It was such a beautiful day but there is not a lot to do on Tybee Island so we headed back in to do some shopping. Then, Diane made reservations for us at the Olde Pink House, where Lani said we must go while we are there. What a beautiful place. Lani had mentioned to me that she remembered the scallops being great so that's what I decided to have. They were served with mashed potatoes and a mix of green peas/beans (sugar snap peas, green beans and edamame). Mike had the special that was offered which was Red Fish over black eyed peas and red cabbage. Mike's dinner was very good but mine was fantastic. I savored every bite of those big, succulent scallops...my oh my. I did order the chocolate pecan pie with ice cream for dessert. It was good but the texture was almost all nuts. Good but different.

From there we headed to Molly MacPherson's pub for some drinks (Mike wanted to try a scotch or two since they supposedly have the largest selection in the east or something like that) and to watch the Rays playoff game. Cute little pub...good atmosphere!

On the second morning, we were once again greeted by a phenomenal breakfast. Diane had made scrambled eggs, chicken spinach asiago sausage, biscuits, hash browns and fruit salad. Delicious! For our last day, we decided to visit the actual mall as we were worn out from walking around outside. We did visit Bonaventure Cemetery though which is beautiful and full of history. I really enjoyed seeing that...Mike, not so much. Ha! That afternoon, we returned to the inn for snacks and wine. We opened a bottle that Mike had bought especially for our trip and had a glass. Then our pedicab arrived to take us to our final vacation dinner.

We had settled on a place called Noble Fare, a fairly new place but when we asked, Diane said we were doing ourselves a favor by going there. Mike had his heart set on trying veal sweetbreads (a young animal's pancreas or thymus gland or something crazy like that). In a google search, I came across this place and we decided to give it a shot. We carried our bottle of wine with us since they knew it was our anniversary and we just crossed our fingers that they would let us drink it. They did and didn't even charge a corkage fee. Awesome! We were given the special table by the first window...the only table in the place with red chairs. Nice touch for our anniversary! The place is small with only 10-12 tables but it has black walls with fuschia/red accents and damask accents as well.... very chic!

Mike, of course, ordered the Crispy Sweetbreads with a balsamic reduction for an appetizer. For dinner, he ordered the Elk Tenderloin served with carrot puree and potate pave and pinotage reduction spinach. I had the House Rules Salad which was bibb lettuce, goat cheese, dried cranberries, candied pecans and raspberry viniagrette. Another absolutely fabulous meal! Mike saw that they had an absinthe martini on the menu so he had to try it even though he has had absinthe several times and each time it's worse than the last...well, that doesn't stop him. And sure enough, it was not easy on the palate.

One last breakfast in Savannah and then it was back in the car and heading home to Tampa. For our last morning, Diane served a banana french toast casserole, chicken sausage and fruit. That french toast was amazing. The Green Palm Inn is amazing. Our vacation and anniversary was....yep, you got it, amazing!!

Creamsicle Cupcakes

2008-10-18T11:35:00.007-04:00

Recently my friend, Leah, invited me to share a 'booth' with her at a local arts & crafts fair. She would be making a lot of crafty items, which she is so great at and she asked if I would like to make some baked goods to sell. I was pretty excited about having my first bake sale, but was nervous as well. I decided to do a mix of made from scratch items and some box mixes since I was treading on new ground. One of the first items I made (and then froze) were these cupcakes that were started with a box mix. Well, I don't care at all at they were made from a box because these were the best cupcakes ever...maybe my new favorite...really, I'm not kidding. They are worth making...so go get a box of orange cake mix and a vanilla pudding mix and get to work. Enjoy!

Creamsicle Cupcakes

Source: 52 Cupcakes

1 box of Duncan Hines Orange Supreme Cake Mix

1 small box of vanilla pudding (not instant)

Follow directions on the box, adding in the vanilla pudding mix. Bake as directed on box.

I chose to use a pre-made frosting...I believe it was Betty Crocker Whipped Cream which was so perfect on these. When I did my taste-test (yes, of course, I had to), I just put a dollop of cool whip on top....and that was perfect also. I'm not sure you can go wrong. If you check out the blog 52 Cupcakes where I found this recipe, she has a recipe for a frosting using marshmallow fluff...I definitely want to try that out sometime too.

**here is my taste-tester cupcake, just in case you couldn't tell.

More to come: pumpkin cookies and pumpkin muffins. Also, tales from our 1 year anniversary trip to Atlanta, Charleston and Savannah. Did I mention I'm currently doing these updates from the car as we drive home to Tampa from Savannah? Our vacation is almost over...sad, sad!

Long Overdue...

2008-10-18T11:14:00.004-04:00

I have been a terrible slacker when it comes to this post...I'm going to try and say that I've been terribly busy but that probably doesn't cut it. Anyways, this was a dish I came across in the Kraft magazine. It was so incredibly easy to throw together and it turned out to be a great comfort food dish. The cheese, strangely, wasn't my favorite part. And I would like to try making it again leaving the cheese out...but instead making it more like chicken pot pie. I really think it would be a great alternative to making chicken pot pie...and very easy! The next post is also long overdue...but after that I'll be caught up. Try not to hold it against me, please.

Chicken & Biscuits

Source: Kraft

1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream, divided
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
3 Tbsp. milk (I used fat free)
1 cup all-purpose baking mix (I used bisquick)

Heat oven to 375ºF. Mix soup and 1/2 cup sour cream in 8-inch square baking dish. Stir in chicken, vegetables and cheese.

Stir milk and remaining sour cream into baking mix. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls into 6 mounds on top of chicken mixture.

Bake 35 min. or until biscuit topping is golden brown and chicken mixture is hot and bubbly.

Greetings from the road...

2008-10-14T17:46:00.002-04:00

It's been a year (well, this coming Monday...the 20th) since Mike and I were married. So, to celebrate, we decided on a weeklong roadtrip to explore a few cities of the southeast. I'm a southern girl so I was really looking forward to it... I really love the South. This past Friday morning, we set off for Atlanta where we would spend 2 nights in downtown. On Sunday afternoon, we headed to Charleston where I now sit by our hotel pool after an awesome day of bike riding around the city. Tomorrow we leave for Savannah where we will be for 3 nights before heading back home to Tampa. I love the South....did I mention that already?

I just wanted to let you all know that I'll be posting when we return with full details of where we have stayed, what we have done, and most importantly, what we have eaten. Yes, we have spoiled ourselves and I dread heading back to the kitchen. Tonight we are going for a truly southern meal at Jestine's Kitchen. I'll let you know how it is. Before I go, would you like a little sample of what we've had so far....

Pecan Pie, Lobster & Shrimp Mac & Cheese, Shrimp & Grits, She Crab Soup, Pumpkin Ice Cream.....and the list goes on.

Back to exploring the South...

An Award for Me?

2008-09-22T20:18:00.004-04:00

Whoa, this is very cool. When I got on here tonight to do a few updates, I saw a comment from Melissa over at Delicious Meliscious saying that she had given me an Excellent Blog award. Me...are you serious? Gosh, I really don't think I deserve it. My blog doesn't hold a candle to the many, including Melissa's that I drool over daily. With that said, I'm so grateful that people actually check out my blog and I'm so honored to think that Melissa thinks my blog is "excellent". That truly makes my day. Thank you so much, Melissa. And now, I do believe I am supposed to pass this award on to those blogs that I think are excellent.

Pleasure Cooker

Picky Palate

Sing for your Supper

Little Bit Funky

Rookie Cookie

A little FYI to the deserving recipients: this award comes with a few rules attached to it. Please find at least 10 more blogs, of any kind, which you deem to be excellent; you don't have to find 10 exactly. Quality over quantity folks! Post about the blogs you picked, linking back to me and to them. Once you’ve posted, return here to let me know your post is up, and of course let your 10 award winners know too.

Edit: When checking out a few other blogs, I realized that Kelly from Kelly Cooks...and Other Amazing Feats also passed this award on to me. Awesome! Thanks, Kelly. I really appreciate it.

Everyting Jamaican Mon!

2008-09-22T20:00:00.006-04:00

Terrible title for the post, I know. What really matters is the recipe so please try to ignore that title, ok? I had this meat dish recently at my friend Brooke's house. It was so different and I was excited to try it out. This was the last dinner I made for our guests and it really went over well...I love how the different flavors come together. I served it with crashed hot potatoes and broccoli with cheese. Delish!

Jamaican Steak

2 lbs beef flank steak

1/4 c packed brown sugar

3 tbsp orange juice

3 tbsp lime juice

1 piece (1 1/2" x 1") fresh ginger, minced (I used 1 tsp of ground ginger)

2 tsp grated orange peel (I omitted)

2 tsp grated lime peel (I omitted)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

Combine sugar, juices, garlic, ginger, peels, salt/pepper, cinnamon and cloves in baking dish. Add beef, turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate to marinate.

2 options for cooking (I chose to grill):

Grill for 6 mins on each side or

Bake on 375 for 40 mins then let sit for 10 mins

Crashed Hot Potatoes

Source: Pioneer Woman

small, round potatoes with skin left on (red potatoes or small Yukons work well)

olive oil

salt

pepper

Preheat oven to 450. Add the potatoes to a large pan of salted water. Bring to the boil. Simmer briskly for 15 minutes or until potatoes are almost cooked. Remove potatoes from the pan and place on a baking tray. Using a masher or the back of a big spoon, gently squish each potato until they are half intact, half broken up. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in a very hot (450) oven for 20 minutes. I added some shredded cheddar cheese about five minutes before they were done, and served with sour cream.

Big Brownie Cookies

2008-09-22T19:47:00.004-04:00

Enough said, really! Need I say more? I think we should just get to the recipe for these because really they are simple and they are ridiculously good. Do yourself a favor and try these...got it?

Big Brownie Cookies

Source: Just Baking

1 (19.5 to 21.5-ounce size) box fudge brownie mix (I used Ghiradelli...yum!)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup oil
3 tablespoons water
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir until all dry ingredients are incorporated, but do not overmix. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto the greased baking sheet. Leave at least 2 inches between cookies as these will spread. (I cooled the dough in the refrigerator before dropping on cookie sheet)

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes (mine were perfect in 9 mins), until cookies appear set and do not look “wet” in the middle. Let cookies sit on baking sheet for 3 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.

*If desired, you can stir in 1 cup of white chocolate, semisweet chocolate, or peanut butter chips; 1 cup of chopped almonds or pecans; or 1 cup of M&MS or Reese’s Pieces before scooping and dropping onto cookie sheet.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Crispy Chicken Salad

2008-09-22T19:36:00.004-04:00

On Saturday, we spent the day at the beach. I wanted something easy to do for dinner and something relatively healthy. I chose a salad which I would serve chicken over. For the chicken, I settled on some chicken tenders I had seen on Lani's blog. These were perfect over salad. I used romaine, a cucumber, a tomato, shredded cheddar, hardboiled eggs and crispy turkey bacon to round out the salad...oh and light ranch dressing. I served some good ol Jiffy cornbread with it and it was delicious, filling dinner.

Honey-Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders

salt

pepper

boneless, skinless chicken tenders

1/4 cup honey

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

3/4 tsp paprika

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1 1/4 cups finely crushed cornflakes

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400. Sprinkle salt and pepper over chicken. Combine honey, mustard, paprika and garlic in a small bowl. Combine cornflakes and pecans in a shallow dish (I crushed up the cornflakes and pecans together in my mini food processor). Brush both sides of chicken with honey mixture; dredge in cornflake mixture. Place chicken on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat the chicken with cooking spray. Cook at 400 for 15 minutes or until done.

Cooking for Company

2008-09-22T19:19:00.003-04:00

This past weekend we had 2 visitors from Virginia...my mom and my aunt Barb. Of course, this was a perfect opportunity to showcase some new recipes. Long before the day of their arrival, I was planning the perfect weekend menu. There just weren't enough days to try everything I wanted to. So, this post and the next couple will be the food that made the cut. The night they arrived, I made a dish that I've made several times...Penne a la Betsy. I knew that was sure to impress and it did.

The first morning they were with us, I whipped up this before we headed to the beach for the day. I can't even find words to describe how perfect this recipe is...easy, soft, melt in your mouth, divine...oh my goodness. Promise me you will make these...soon! Pinky promise. Ok, here goes. Thanks to Amy over at Sing for your Supper for a recipe that will never leave my side as long as I live. Yes, it's my new best friend.

Lindsay's Sweetly Simple Coffee Cake

(I may just call them Sweet Rolls from now on)

2 10-oz tubes refrigerated biscuits
1/4 c margarine, melted
1/3 c brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c chopped nuts (I omitted for the guests)

Arrange biscuits very close together in a 9" round cake pan (I used my springform which worked great). Mix together margarine, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts; spread over biscuits. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

The late pork...

2008-09-22T19:04:00.004-04:00

This recipe should have been posted last week sometime. Yea, you know how it is, time flies when you're having fun. Ha! Anyways, my favorite little caretaker, Lani, invited me over for dinner the week before last while Mike was working crazy hours and she knew I'd be all alone. Whoa is me! Anyways, she served this pork with some awesome crashed hot potatoes (yes, of course, the ones from Pioneer Woman) and veggies. It was delish! So, I decided to try to impress Mike with it. Seriously, easiest pork recipe ever and very impressive... good to serve for guests. You can see Lani's recipe here. I chose to make pork chops instead of her pick of pork loin...they were juicy, tender and so good! Go ahead, make these and impress someone in your life.

Apricot Glazed Pork

pork loin roast or pork tenderloin (I used 4 pork chops)

1/2 cup apricot preserves

1 package onion soup mix

2 tbsp. honey mustard

Preheat oven to 375 (oops, just realized I baked on 350 - no biggie). Mix preserves, soup mix and honey mustard in a small bowl. Line a baking dish with foil, leaving enough overhang to fold over the pork and make a packet. Place pork in dish and cover with preserve mixture. Seal foil around meat, and bake until pork is cooked through (the pork chops were perfect at around 50 mins) . Slice and serve with juices.

Apple Butter Bars

2008-09-14T10:29:00.004-04:00

Ok, this entry comes to you all because I had a jar of apple butter in the fridge, leftover from another recipe awhile back. So, I went to All Recipes and put in 'apple butter'. These bars came up and I decided to try them out. Well, they are delicious but I don't find them to be anything like a bar. In fact, it's really just a thin spice cake. Delicious nonetheless. Did I do something wrong...did I not bake them long enough to become bars? I have no idea, but this turned out moist and very good. I would use this as a go-to spice cake and it was so easy to make...it came together very quickly. I could eat it with or without the icing actually but it is crumbly like cake. Any thoughts?

Apple Butter Bars

Source: All Recipes

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 3/4 c a.p. flour and 3/4 c wheat flour)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup apple butter
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice (I used cinnamon)
1 cup raisins (I omitted)
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan.

Beat butter or margarine until creamy. Add half of the flour, the brown sugar, white sugar, egg, apple butter, baking soda and the apple pie spice. Beat together until well blended. Beat in remaining flour and stir in raisins. Spread in prepared baking pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or till toothpick in center comes out clean (mine were done after 17 mins). Cool in pan on wire rack. Drizzle with icing. Cut into bars.

To Make Icing: Mix 1 cup confectioners' sugar, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla and 1 - 2 tablespoons milk. Mix to drizzling consistency.

Orange Mandarin Chicken

2008-09-14T10:10:00.005-04:00

I knew I wanted to make 2 new meals this weekend because Mike has been working insane hours lately and because of that the company orders in lunch and dinner everyday. I knew he would be sick of eating out so I decided on 2 meals. I had found this recipe on Cooking Light's website and it looked easy enough. Better yet, I already had all of the ingredients on hand. I served this over brown rice. This turned out great! The key is to pour a lot of the sauce over the chicken and rice (noodles, etc...whatever you serve with it). The sauce is where all of the flavor is! I didn't have jalapeno peppers so I just sprinkled in some crushed red pepper. We loved how the sweetness of the mandarin oranges mixed with the 'kick' of the red pepper. This was a really good, light meal.

Orange Mandarin Chicken

Source: Cooking Light

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
4 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I used 3 chicken breasts)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges in light syrup, undrained (I used an 8 oz can)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper (sprinkled red pepper instead)
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic (I used 2 fresh garlic cloves)
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Preparation:
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned.

While chicken cooks, drain oranges in a colander over a bowl, reserving 2 tablespoons liquid. Add oranges, 2 tablespoons liquid, onions, jalapeño, and garlic to pan. Reduce heat; simmer 2 minutes.

Combine broth, soy sauce, and cornstarch; add to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until slightly thickened.

Do you know the Muffin Lady?

2008-09-11T11:02:00.006-04:00

Mike has been working insanely long hours at work for the past few weeks. There were a couple muffin recipes I was dying to try. Put the two together and everything works out perfectly. I went for 2 types so I would have plenty to send with him and a few to keep at the house. These turned out awesome and were the perfect breakfast treat. Both were delicious and I will definitely make them again.

Of course, there are those who came before me. No, I don't come up with my own recipes... don't be silly. So if you'd like to check out where they each came from, check out these blogs: What's Cooking in the Orange Kitchen and Kelly Cooks...and Other Amazing Feats.

I followed the recipes exactly with minor changes (see parenthesis).

Sugar & Spice Muffins
Source: What's Cooking in the Orange Kitchen

* 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 c a.p. flour and 3/4 c wheat flour)
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/3 cup vegetable oil
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 1 egg
* 3/4 cup milk
For Topping:
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 cup butter, melted (only about 4 tbsp is needed - 1/2 cup is way too much)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups or use liners.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, beat together oil, 3/4 cup sugar, egg and milk. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture, just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. (I found that they only needed about 18 mins, I baked for 20 and they were a bit dry)

While muffins are baking, mix together 3/4 cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. In a separate small bowl, melt butter.

While muffins are still hot, dip tops in melted butter and then in cinnamon sugar mixture.

Banana Coconut Muffins
Source: Kelly Cooks..and Other Amazing Feats

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used 3/4 c a.p. flour and 1/2 c wheat flour)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 very ripe bananas, mashed (3/4 cup)

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted

2/3 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Directions

- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line muffin cups with liners.

- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

- Whisk together bananas, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and 1/2 cup coconut in a large bowl until combined well, then fold in flour mixture until flour is just moistened.
- Divide batter among lined muffin cups and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup coconut.

- Bake until muffins are puffed and golden, about 25 minutes. (I baked for about 22 mins)

Zucchini Boats

2008-09-09T14:26:00.005-04:00

Let me start by saying that I love zucchini. But we typically grill it and that becomes boring. As soon as I saw this recipe, I promised myself I would make it sooner than later. I made these on Sunday night to go along with our grilled burgers and fresh corn on the cob. They were awesome! They were even good leftover, as I had one the next night alongside a salad. Really, delicious! Do yourself a favor and try these. Maybe you can get them to photograph better than I could. I have to admit we were starving and I really didn't feel like messing around with it much. I found this recipe on one of the blogs that I check out regularly, Big City Cooking. Oh, and I think these would be a nice appetizer for your next dinner party as well.

**I used 3 zucchinis so I just tripled everything except the chicken stock and the butter. I found that the amounts given below were plenty even for 3 zucchinis.

Zucchini Boats

originally adapted from Cooking for Fun

1 zucchini
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp chives
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup chicken stock/broth
salt & pepper
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp Ricotta cheese
2 tbsp marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out the insides, leaving about 1/4 inch as a shell. Sprinkle with olive oil and place in the oven for 15 minutes, or until done.

Chop pulp and garlic. In a skillet saute the zucchini and garlic in butter for 3-4 minutes until soft. Add broth and marinara sauce. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until liquid has evaporated. Season to taste.

Mix both cheese, chives and the zucchini mixture and stuff the zucchini shells. Then place under broiler for 5 minutes or unitl lightly browned.

A Whopper of a Cookie!

2008-09-09T13:56:00.006-04:00

This week's TWD was certainly different from any cookie I've made before. First, it used Whoppers...I hadn't had one of those in such a long time. For the most part, this recipe came together pretty easily. Chopping the whoppers was the most time-consuming part but it wasn't bad. I chopped mine in 1/2 and I think that worked well. Any smaller and you probably wouldn't have gotten the same crunch in the cookie. These were very good although they turned out a little flatter than I had hoped for. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of the bittersweet chocolate. I want to try one tonight with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yum!

This week's pick came from Rachel over at Confessions of a Tangerine Tart so make sure you go check out her blog. There you will find the recipe for these candy-licious cookies. And, as always, head over to Tuesdays With Dorie to see all of the other great entries.

Cookies & Cream

2008-09-06T12:18:00.007-04:00

I decided to fly to VA for the Labor Day weekend. That Saturday was my mom's birthday and Sunday was my stepdad's birthday. So, I thought it would be fun to surprise them. My aunts were in on it, of course. I told Aunt Barb that I would take care of making the cake/cupcakes. I knew right away that I wanted there to be oreos involved as those are my mom's favorite. If you are ever in need of a cupcake recipe, check out the How To Eat A Cupcake blog. She has everything you could imagine. She had made cookies & cream cupcakes both from scratch and from a box mix base. She said using the box mix turned out better so that's what I went for. They turned out great...you should definitely try them out. Since I would be at my aunt's house, I figured it would be easier to just buy icing and add crushed oreos to it, so that's what I did. I used Betty Crocker's Whipped Fluffy Vanilla... good stuff! Here is her recipe:

Cookies & Cream Cupcakes

Makes 22-24 cupcakes

30 Oreo cookies

1 box plain white cake mix

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

2. Count out 12 Oreos and separate the top and bottom wafers. Make sure each has some of the icing on it. Place one wafer, icing side up, in the bottom of each paper liner. Set them aside. Place the remaining 18 Oreos between sheets of waxed paper or in a large, closed zipper-lock bag and crush them by rolling over them with a rolling pin. Set these crumbs aside.

3. Place the cake mix, sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 1 1/2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of the crushed Oreos and fold these into the batter until well incorporated. Set aside the remaining crushed Oreos for the frosting. Spoon or scoop 1/3 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it three quarters of the way full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place the pans in the oven.

4. Bake the cupcakes until they are lightly golden and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting. (I left mine in the liners and served like normal)

For Icing, if using store bought, like I did: simply crush the oreos and mix into frosting. Note: if you plan to pipe the icing on you will need to make sure they are crushed very fine. They kept getting stuck in my tip and I finally got annoyed and gave up.

*Store these cupcakes, in a cake saver or under a glass dome, at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. If you plan to freeze them, don't add the cookie-crumb topping. Wrap them in aluminum foil or in a cake saver and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw the cupcakes overnight in the refrigerator and top with cookie crumbs before serving.

Happy Birthday, Mom & Johnny!!

The little man sure did enjoy it, well the icing at least. Dig in, Cole!

WC Summer Exchange Gift!

2008-08-28T18:38:00.006-04:00

This was the second exchange I've participated in with the What's Cooking board that I frequent. I think they are so much fun. I sent my gift off to Kelly (kellyandjustin) in Kentucky. I sent her 3 baking goodies and 3 grilling goodies which she said both her and her husband were excited about. I got my gift this past weekend from Robyn (googly). It was a huge box filled with a lot of nice gifts: a calphalon cookie sheet, a cookie scoop, flower cookie cutters, a 'kiss the cook' wooden frame, a decorative glass pear, a Ghiradelli chocolate/caramel bar (yum!), red/white sugar sprinkles, a package of buttermilk/maple pancake mix and a jar of apple cinnamon syrup. The very next day I whipped up some of the pancakes to have with the syrup. They were so delicious. I can't wait to make them again. Thanks again, Robyn, for the awesome gifts.

Mac&Cheese is good for you...

2008-08-28T18:24:00.005-04:00

Warning: This is not a healthy recipe. My aunt gave me this recipe awhile back but hers apparently used less cheese. When I wrote the recipe down, I somehow thought she said more cheese. Anyways, now Mike won't let me use less cheese because he said it's too good this way and we shouldn't sacrifice. haha. If you are feeling brave, go for it...you will enjoy!

Mac & Cheese

3/4 lb of noodles

1 small velveeta block (cut into small chunks)

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk

1/2 stick of butter (I did use light!) (cut into 4 pieces)

1 cup of shredded cheddar

salt & pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Cook noodles as directed on package. In a sauce pan, heat evaporated milk on medium. Add in butter to let melt. Slowly add in chunks of the velveeta, stir and let melt before adding more. Stir occasionally so the cheese does not burn onto the bottom of the pan. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Once noodles are drained, pour into 9x13 baking dish. Pour melted cheese mixture over top and stir throughout. Bake on 350 for 15 mins (until cheese is bubbling in pan). Top with shredded cheddar and return to oven. Bake until cheese on top is melted and browning...about 10 minutes. You don't want the cheese in the noodles to thicken too much so that it will still be creamy.

1-2-3-4 Cupcakes!

2008-08-19T19:29:00.006-04:00

I wonder where the name of this recipe came from. Kind of strange, don't you think? It's probably really obvious and I just am clueless. I saw this recipe on Lovestoeat's Weblog recently and knowing that my cousin Nikki would be in town visiting this past weekend, I decided to whip up a batch of mini cupcakes. On Saturday, we went to tailgate at the Rascall Flatts concert with Lani & Chad too...so really they were for Lani too. She and Nikki both prefer vanilla over chocolate so I thought these would be perfect to try. These turned out great...both taste and texture. This is definitely a great and easy go-to recipe for white/yellow cake. I went with rainbow chip frosting from the can because Nikki suggested it. And you can never go wrong with that one. They were scrumptious little minis.

1-2-3-4 Cake
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 cups cake flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

*** I halved this recipe and got 12 regular size cupcakes and 24 minis. So this is a big recipe!

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour three 9 inch cake pans (I used cupcake liners and cupcake pan). In a mixing bowl cream butter and gradually add sugar, creaming until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl sift flour with baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture alternately with milk and flavorings, beating after each addition until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 25-30 mins (I baked mini cupcakes for 10 minutes and regular cupcakes for 15 minutes). Cool in pans 10 mins and remove from pans to finish cooling.

A TWD Rewind

2008-08-12T20:53:00.005-04:00

I've been thinking about this week's pick for awhile now. Dolores over at Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity (very original name, don't you think?) picked Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream. As much as I love ice cream, that one just didn't 'scream' at me, if you know what I mean. I guess I could've tackled it by hand, but I'm not sure how well that would go over with my very first ice cream making experience. Sure, I watched my grandmother make it many times but it was always with her trusty little maker. And as much as I love me some ice cream, I surely didn't want to mess it up on my first try. What if that made me hold a grudge against all ice cream...forever? Yea, ok, that's going a bit overboard...never gonna happen. The leaders over at TWD gave us a chance to pick a past recipe if we didn't have an ice cream maker...yea, I went for that option. I remember seeing these brownies (French Chocolate Brownies, to be exact) on everyone else's blog so I thought I should go ahead and add them to my list of completed Dorie recipes.

These were very easy to whip up and they are very tasty. I left out the raisins and the rum (not to keen on raisins), and I also used semi-sweet chocolate chips in place of the bittersweet chocolate. I baked for exactly 50 minutes. Delish and perfectly moist!

I went back and checked out some of the blog entries when this was the pick of the week. Here are some eye-catching ones. Just click on any of the blogs listed and you can find the recipe (new rule: only the person who chooses the recipe can post the recipe).

Better yet, you can just go buy Dorie's book Baking: From My Home to Yours. If you want to check out the blogs to see the blueberry ice cream entries, just head on over the TWD website.

Spending Tuesday night with 2 of my favorite friends. I mean 2 of my favorite foods, of course! :-)

Proof is in the Oven!

2008-08-05T22:53:00.009-04:00

This Week's TWD: Black and White Banana Loaf (pg 232 of Dorie's Baking: From My Home to Yours) -- this pick belongs to Ashlee of A Year in the Kitchen so make sure you check out her blog, which includes the full recipe. You can also check out all of the other members' entries by visiting the TWD blog.

Nothing like procrastinating. I decided at the last minute that I was definitely participating in this week's TWD. Lucky for me, I had everything on hand...well, except the loaf pan, that is. Oh, you heard right, I didn't even own a loaf pan...take one guess if I had ever made a loaf before. Yep, you catch on quick. After work, I took a slight decour to Marshalls where I picked up a nice Wilton loaf pan for $5...sweet! Did I mention I first had to assemble 2 pans of lasagna..one for our dinner tomorrow night and one to drop off at our friends' house on Thursday (they just had an adorable baby boy last week)? Ok, back to the loaf. I got started on it a little after 9:00 p.m. but it came together very quickly. It's the baking that takes forever. Keep in mind when starting that it bakes for 1 hr and 20-30 minutes. Yea, that's why I'm sitting here posting this at 11:00 p.m.(hey, hey, better late than never... and it's still Tuesday so I made it). And it's not even ready yet. The above picture will get me through until tomorrow when I actually cut it and can take a nice picture of the finished product. So far, so good....even the marbling looks nice. Go me! On second thought, the top marbling could mean absolutely nothing when it comes to the middle. Let's hope for the best, shall we? You shall see the inside tomorrow morning when I'm sure to be enjoying a piece for breakfast with a cold glass of milk. And then tomorrow night for dessert, I will definitely be trying it with a nice scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt. Can't let this pretty loaf go to waste now, can we? Didn't think so. Enjoy.

Update: This turned out great. It's a really nice texture and it's the perfect amount of banana and chocolate...and not too sweet. I'm so glad I decided to make it. Thanks for the great pick, Ashlee!

P.S. I baked for exactly 1 hr and 20 minutes...not bad but maybe next time, I would cut the time down by about 5 minutes. Also, I omitted the rum and the lemon zest. Instead of 3 oz of bittersweet, I used what I had on hand which was quite a mix... 1/2 oz of unsweetened, 1/2 oz of milk chocolate and 2 oz of semi sweet. I though it turned out great.

GTGs and all that Jazz!

2008-07-29T14:15:00.007-04:00

This past weekend was full of friends and food. We invited 16 people over to our house on Saturday evening for food, drinks and games. It started as a small group of our knottie/nestie friends for another GTG, but then turned in to us inviting all of our friends. It was a really fun night. I love having people over. This is what I decided on for food: buffalo chicken dip, taco dip, fruit with fluff dip, bbq chicken sliders, crab wontons, and lunch lady bars (which turned out really dry, I'll have to try them again sometime) and mini chess pies for dessert. Everything turned out pretty good. You know me, it wouldn't be right if there weren't mishaps...I totally forgot to put tomatoes and/or salsa on my taco dip, the edges of the wontons were extra crispy and I was scared to death of how the mini chess pies would turn out. But there was nothing left at the end of the night and everything really was delicious. Anyways, on to the recipes:

Taco Dip

8 oz cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat)

1 packet of taco seasoning (I use Old El Paso lower sodium)

shredded cheese (mexican mix or cheddar)

shredded lettuce

tomatoes or salsa

Mix the cream cheese and taco seasoning. Spread into small dish (a pie pan works well), then layer with lettuce, cheese and tomatoes/salsa. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Goes really well with tostito scoops.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

16 oz cream cheese (I use 1 block of regular and 1 block of 1/3 less fat)

2 large cans of canned chicken (I use All Natural)

3/4 cup of hot sauce (I prefer Frank's)

1 cup of ranch (I use light)

2 cups of shredded cheddar

salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Over medium heat, add chicken to sauce pan, shredding with a fork. Add hot sauce, stir and let simmer for a few minutes. Add cream cheese and let it melt, then stir together. Stir in ranch dressing. Put 1/2 of shredded cheddar in, stir and let melt. Add a little salt & pepper. Pour mixture into 9x13 pan. Bake on 350 for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted on top. Serve with ritz crackers (wheat are the best!).

BBQ Chicken Sliders

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 bottle of bbq sauce

1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar

1/2 tbsp of brown sugar

24 mini Martin's potato rolls

Bake frozen chicken breasts on 350 for 45 mins to 1 hour. Once cooled, shred chicken (I find it's easiest with my hands and I usually cook the chicken the night before and after shredding, keep in the fridge.

Over medium heat, add chicken to sauce pan along with just enough bbq sauce to cover. Add in vinegar and brown sugar, stir well. Once it's warm, change heat to low, cover and simmer for as long as you can. I simmered mine for well over an hour.

Scoop a little chicken onto each roll. Enjoy!

Crab Wontons

Source: Sam the Cooking Guy

4 oz cream cheese, softened (I used 8 oz of 1/3 less fat)

3 green onions, finely chopped (I used about 6)

1 cup of crab meat (I used 1 8oz pack of 'special' crab meat - not imitation)

1 tbsp of hot sauce (Sriracha)

1 package of wonton wrappers (I used square wrappers)

Preheat oven to 400
Mix all ingredients well in bowl, except wrappers
Put about a teaspoon and a half of mixture in center of each wrapper
Dip finger tips in water and wet edges of wrapper lightly and fold in half (I folded them corner to corner to make triangles) - try to remove as much air as possible
Seal tightly and place won tons on baking sheet coated with cooking spray

Bake until they start to brown - should be about 15 to 20 minutes (my corners got very brown)

While they cook, make the dipping sauce:
3 tablespoons soy
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon green onion, finely chopped
Mix all ingredients and serve on the side

These things are delicious and so is the dipping sauce. Yum. I also added some extra srirachi hot sauce on the side, as Mike is a big fan of it!

Tuesday on Thursday!

2008-07-17T19:10:00.006-04:00

Well, this is my Tuesdays with Dorie post coming to you on none other than Thursday. I have a good reason. This morning I had my wisdom teeth taken out so I made the chocolate pudding last night (see post below for details and link to recipe). It turned out beautifully. I never would've thought about making homemade pudding but it sure is perfect timing considering today's events. I've only had a bite so far as I'm planning to have some after my dinner of mashed potatoes. :-) It seemed a little on the bitter side as opposed to sweet. I did halve the recipe as to not make as much. I've gone back over the recipe and I know I did everything just right. Like I said, I've only had a taste so I'll give it a shot tonight. The texture was perfect though. It was a very easy recipe so if you like pudding, give it a go.

**update: When I took this out of the fridge the evening after my surgery, it was really thick. I added a little fat free milk and stirred it up. Now, I can't get enough. It is so delicious and rich. I guess some of the bitterness subsided during the refrigeration stage. Yummy!

The Pudding is Coming...

2008-07-16T12:40:00.003-04:00

I promise I'm making this week's TWD recipe for chocolate pudding. However, I'm having my wisdom teeth removed tomorrow and I thought it would be better to make it tonight so I can enjoy it during my recovery. I didn't want it to sit in the fridge for longer than 2 days. So, I'll be posting tonight. Sorry for the tardiness.

Some details about this week's pick...Chocolate Pudding. This recipe was picked by Melissa from It's Melissa's Kitchen and can be found on page 383 of Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours cookbook. You can check out Melissa's blog for the full recipe...see the link above. You can also head over to the Tuesday's With Dorie blog for updates and reviews from all of the other bakers.

This pick was perfect this week since my wisdom teeth are getting pulled and pudding is one of the few things I'll be able to eat. I'm so looking forward to trying it out tonight. Look for the post tonight!

Cool, Creamy Chocolate

2008-07-16T12:28:00.005-04:00

I came across this recipe in my Cooking Light magazine. It was one of those 'let's try to cut some calories and fat out of this family favorite' recipes. I thought it looked like a fancier version of eclair cake, which I make pretty often. I made it on Saturday morning to take to a cookout later that afternoon down by the beach at Mike's boss' house. It was very light and perfectly chocolate. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures after it was sliced because it was too hard with everyone digging in. Click on the Cooking Light link below to see their 'perfect' picture.

Cool, Creamy Chocolate Dessert

source: Cooking Light

Ingredients
Crust:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup powdered sugar

6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted

Cooking spray

Filling:

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup (4 oz) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup (4 oz) fat-free cream cheese, softened

1 (8 oz) carton frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed and divided

3 cups 1% low-fat milk

2 (3.9-oz) packages chocolate instant pudding mix

Unsweetened cocoa (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. To prepare crust, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor; pulse 2 times or until combined. Add butter; pulse 10 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in pecans. Firmly press mixture into bottom of a 13 x 9–inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 325° for 20 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cool completely.
3. To prepare filling, place 1 cup sugar and cream cheeses in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Fold in half of whipped topping. Spread cream cheese mixture on cooled crust. Cover loosely; refrigerate 1 hour.
4. Combine milk and pudding mix in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or until pudding is set. Spread the pudding mixture over cream cheese layer. Spread remaining half of thawed whipped topping over pudding layer. Cover and chill for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cocoa, if desired. Cut into 15 pieces.

Happy Birthday, Kevo!

2008-07-16T12:04:00.004-04:00

Time for another birthday. Our friend, Kevin, would be celebrating his milestone 30th birthday with a pub crawl in the S. Tampa area known as Hyde Park. His girlfriend, Lisa, planned the whole thing and did a great job. She had 4 local bars on the list for us, had koozies made and provided appetizers at the first bar. When something fell through with the cake she was having made, I offered to help. I decided on Katie's chocolate fudge cake recipe which you can find here. For the cupcakes I just used a canned cream cheese frosting and for the cake, I used the Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate recipe which is below.

The cake had a great flavor, however, the bake time was listed as 25-30 minutes. I was skeptical about that and set my timer to 20 minutes. Even that was about 2 minutes too long. So, they weren't nearly as moist as I was hoping for. I had to put extra icing on in hopes of them not being too dry. Just something to keep an eye out for when using this recipe.

"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine

2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

** Kevin and Lisa at the birthday celebration

Oh My Snickers Pie!

2008-07-08T15:05:00.008-04:00

A big fat thank you to my girl, Lins, who introduced me to this recipe a few weeks ago when we were visiting her in Charlotte. This is seriously awesome! From the previous post, you know that we were at the beach this past weekend with some out-of-town guests. On Sunday, we made our way back to our house with our guests for the night. I knew I would be making my baked chicken pasta that night for dinner and thought this dessert would be perfect. I made it on Friday a.m., put it in the freezer and we had it on Sunday night. You really must make this...it's so easy and it's so delicious!

Weight Watchers Snickers Pie

1 pint of vanilla frozen yogurt (I use fat free or lowfat)

2 tbsp of chunky peanut butter (JIF Reduced Fat)

1/2 package of instant chocolate pudding mix

1/2 container (6 oz) of cool whip (ff, lite or regular, whichever you prefer)

Let frozen yogurt soften or put in microwave for 30-45 seconds. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into an 8" pie pan. Freeze until set. Top with a dollop of cool whip, and a drizzle of chocolate and caramel (you can use fat free for both, which is what I did) with a few peanuts.

July 4th Festivities!

2008-07-08T14:24:00.010-04:00

**how cute are these little kiddies?**

For the holiday weekend, my cousin, Amber, her husband, Don and their two little adorable kiddies, Conner and Addison, came down from VA to visit. We picked them up on Friday a.m. and they stayed through yesterday morning. We had a great weekend down at the beach...the weather was perfect! I made a few new things for the weekend... peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, chocolate covered peanut clusters, twice baked potatoes and snickers pie (a weight watchers recipe, which will be in a separate post). Although the potatoes were awesome, I did not get any pics so I'll post that recipe with pics another time. We'll just stick with all of the sweet stuff for now. First up, the peanut clusters as as a welcome gift for Amber & Don (they are her favorite!). And above you can see the beachy gifts I put together for the kids.

Chocolate Covered Peanut Clusters
milk chocolate chips

butterscotch chips

lightly salted peanuts

I didn't measure any of it. I used 1/2 the amount of butterscotch chips as chocolate chips because I knew the butterscotch flavor would be strong enough. I threw them in a bowl and popped them in the microwave for about 30 seconds on high. Then I stirred it up, dumped some peanuts in and a little more until the consistency seemed right. Using a spoon, I plopped little clusters down on wax paper. Let them cool for a few minutes and then put them in the refrigerator to harden. Easy peasy!

Cookie time...

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

source: BakingBlonde's Weblog

1 cup + 2 tbsp peanut butter

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

2 tbsp milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup Peanut Butter chips (I omitted)

1/2 cup Chocolate Chips (I used 1 cup since I didn't use pb chips above)

3/4 cup Sugar (for rolling dough balls, may need more or less)

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchement paper.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the peanut butter, butter. Once combined beat in the white sugar, and brown sugar until well blended. Beat in the egg, milk, and vanilla. In a large bowl wisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gently add to creamed mixture and mix until almost combined. Fold in chocolate and peanut butter chips.

Chill dough for at least 15 minutes. Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls. Genlty roll the dough balls into sugar and place dough balls on parchment lined baking sheets. Carefully press each ball with fork tines to create a criss-cross pattern.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for 5-10 minutes until sturdy enough to be transfered to a wire rack to cool completely.

Happy Birthday, Lani!

2008-07-08T13:55:00.006-04:00

This past week was rather busy for me in the kitchen. The first important thing to get ready for was Lani's birthday on July 3rd. We were going out to dinner to Bella's (yum... spaghetti and meatballs!) and then out for some drinks and fun. I offered to bring a surprise dessert for her. Her and I had talked about making them several times, so I knew I wanted to give it a whirl for her. I made Angie's Famous Strawberry Cupcakes from Katie's blog Good Things Catered. As in almost everything else I make, I was so nervous that they wouldn't be good but they got a great response so I was happy about that. On some of them, I used the strawberry cream cheese frosting that the recipe called for and on the other half, I used regular cream cheese frosting (which I preferred).

Angie's Famous Strawberry Cupcakes

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c. cake flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c. unsalted butter

1 1/2 c. sugar (or a little less)

2 eggs

1/3 c. buttermilk

1/4 c. oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 c. chopped strawberries

1/4 c. strawberries

1 Tbsp. strawberry liquor

1/2 tsp lemon juice

8 oz. cream cheese, room temp

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp

1 3/4 c. powdered sugar

1/2 Tbsp vanilla

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare 2 cupcake pans.

-Sift flour, salt, and baking soda in medium bowl.

-In bowl of mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.

-Add eggs one at a time until combined.

-Add buttermilk, oil and vanilla until combined.

-Add flour mixture and stir until just combined.

-Fold in berries.

-Fill cupcake pans 3/4 way.

-Bake for 20 minutes.

-For frosting, put berries, liquor, and juice in saucepan.

-Bring to a boil over medium heat and then reduce to a simmer for 5 mins.

-Let cool then blend until smooth.

-In bowl of mixer mix cream cheese and butter until creamy.

-Add sugar, then vanilla.

-Add berry puree until smooth.

-Frost cupcakes when they are completely cooled.

Another Tuesday Treat...

2008-07-01T09:44:00.007-04:00

mmm...tempting!

Finally, another Tuesdays with Dorie post. It's been awhile because I was away for a wedding, on a cruise, etc. This week's pick was from Karina of The Floured Apron (cute blog name, huh?)...drum roll please...Apple Cheddar Scones. You can check out the recipe over at her blog. The thought of making scones has always intimidated me, but these were really quite easy...that was a plus. I was expecting something a little sweeter with more flavor, but I felt these were more 'savory' than sweet and neither the apples or the cheddar were a strong flavor. They were good, don't get me wrong, but they were definitely something I might eat alongside dinner...not necessarily a stand-alone snack or breakfast. It's just my opinion...don't shoot me, ok? For some of the opinions and entries of other TWD bakers, just click here. I did give this a 'breakfast' label because Dorie does have this recipe under that heading in her cookbook....and afterall, people, she is the professional.

Thanks to you, Lins!

2008-06-29T11:40:00.003-04:00

We spent this past weekend in Charlotte for my friend, Ashley's, wedding. My best friend, Lindsay, opened her home to us and we spent 3 awesome nights there. On our first night, she prepared an easy but great meal for us. So, when we got home, we made it again ourselves. Using Ken's honey teryiaki marinade, we marinated 3 chicken breasts.... they marinated most of the day but she suggested doing it overnight and I agree, hers had more flavor than ours. We grilled those up along with some pineapple. And I roasted a vegetable/potato medley in the oven....using a Hidden Valley Ranch packet for seasoning. I chose red potatoes, a sweet potato and zucchini. Easy and delicious meal. Thanks, Lins, for the inspiration.

A Sweet Dip!

2008-06-16T10:55:00.005-04:00

I came across this recipe last week and thought it would be perfect to take to the beach with a bunch of fruit. It is really good and my favorite thing to dip in it was graham cracker sticks. Yum! The recipe came from the Delicious Meliscious blog. I didn't make it into the ball with pecans because of needing to keep it in the cooler at the beach. I figured just making it a dip would be best. I look forward to trying it as a ball as well.

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Directions:

In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in confectioners' sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Shape chilled cream cheese mixture into a ball. Wrap with plastic, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Roll the cheese ball in finely chopped pecans before serving.

What's Nutella?

2008-06-13T10:35:00.008-04:00

That is what my co-worker asked when I first mentioned nutella cupcakes, which I've seen a dozen times on the What's Cooking board. Holy moly, I couldn't believe she had never heard of it. She has no idea what she is missing. I first had Nutella in Paris back in the spring of 2000 on a college trip. I have probably only purchased it once since then, but Mike recently went to Mexico for a week for work and what did he bring back for me... yep, a jar of Nutella. Yes, he knows you can get it at the grocery store...but I was just happy to have it. Until last night, I had been putting a little on my frozen yogurt as my nighttime treat...yep, to die for. But, I knew I was going to make Nutella cupcakes, which I've seen on so many blogs lately...here are a couple of them - they have other great stuff in addition to nutella cupcakes so check them out:

Proceed with Caution

Carrie's Sweet Life

Anyways, our friend, Kevin is having his annual beach party this weekend and I know I want to have our cooler stocked with goodies. So, I decided on mini nutella cupcakes... you know, the more, the merrier. These weren't as good as expected, but I think I just needed more nutella. They just seemed to dry. I think I may top them with a little dollop of nutella or chocolate icing before serving (I'll keep you posted on what I decide to do). Here's what I did:

Yep, that was it....ate it just like that. Just kidding, of course. But I could have easily stopped here, swirled in some nutella and went to town on it. Ok, ok...back to the recipe.

Mini-Nutella Cupcakes

1 box of yellow cake mix

1/2 jar of Nutella

1. Mix cake batter as directed on box.

2. Fill muffin pan/tins 3/4 of the way full with batter.

3. Drop 1/4-1/2 tsp of nutella onto the top of each one. Swirl with a toothpick.

4. Bake on 350 for about 9 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

And because these little treats are so precious, I'd like you to have one... a gift from me to you!

If it's Lasagna, I'll take it.

2008-06-13T09:52:00.005-04:00

I've tried making lasagna once before in the crockpot. It was good, but I wasn't completely satisfied. For that particular recipe, you were supposed to break the noodles into small pieces and then you just stir everything together and let it cook. On this second attempt, I wanted to do something that would produce a layered lasagna so I gave it a shot. There is a lot of room in this recipe to add or change whatever you would like....veggies, sausage, etc. It's a basic recipe but it was delicious. I'm really not that picky when it comes to lasagna ...as long as there are noodles, meat and a lot of cheese. This recipe doesn't disappoint in those areas. It basically melted in my mouth...perfect!

Crockpot Lasagna

1 lb lean ground beef

1/2 large onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

8 oz package of no-bake lasagna noodles

1 jar of spaghetti sauce (I used a little more than 1 jar actually)

1/3 cup of milk (I used ff)

15 oz of ricotta cheese (I used part-skim)

1 egg

1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar

1 cup of 6 cheese italian (shredded)

1. Using a little olive oil, add onion and garlic to a saute pan. Then add beef. Over medium heat, cook until completely browned. Add sauce to meat and simmer for a few minutes.

2. Mix milk with ricotta cheese, add egg and mix completely. Add shredded cheeses and mix well.

3. Using cooking spray or crisco, cover sides and bottom of crockpot.

4. Pour 1/4 of meat mixture into crockpot, then a layer of noodles (you will probably need to break them in order to fit), followed by a layer of the 1/3 cheese mixture. Repeat 3 times. Then top with remaining meat mixture. Make sure all noodles around the edges are covered with sauce

5. Cook on low for 4-5 hours.

Mmmm...how I love salads!

2008-06-12T09:39:00.002-04:00

This salad was a last minute throw together on our 'fend for yourself' dinner night. It was so quick and easy and it was delicious. The only new addition to this from my other salads was crispy crumbled bacon, which I wasn't sure how it would go with the strawberries.... well, it was awesome. So, here is what I did.

Strawberry Salad

romaine or spring mix

crumbled goat cheese

pecans (broken into smaller pieces)

craisins

strawberries (I cut up about 3 large ones for my personal salad)

bacon (made 2 slices)

good seasons italian (or balsamic viniagrette)

Friends + Food = Fabulous!

2008-06-11T15:39:00.005-04:00

Our good friends, Lani and Chad, invited us over for dinner last night. We like eating at their house because Lani is a great cook...not to mention they are super fun to hang out with. I went over right after work because she lives like 1 minute from my office and we started on the wine and I got to help with the strawberry tart. We always get in a little girl time which is fun. Anyways, she made chicken marbella with homemade mashed potatoes for dinner. Dessert was La Palette's Strawberry Tart for this week's TWD entry. As soon as she popped that crust in the oven, I knew it was going to be great. The smell alone was to die for. I could have eaten the crust with whipped cream and been a perfectly happy camper, even without any topping or strawberries...although that tasted great too. Needless to say, we thoroughly enjoyed it...oh and the game of Apples to Apples we were playing at the time she served it to us. These are a few pictures that I took...too bad I didn't get one of the finished tart...but head on over to her blog, Pleasure Cooker, for the recipes, etc. Thanks again, Lani, for an awesome dinner!

Where the magic is supposed to happen...

2008-06-11T14:22:00.006-04:00

I figured since this blog is centered mostly around my newfound enjoyment of attempting to cook, then maybe I should show you where it all goes down. It's a good thing it's spacious because I'm all over the place when I'm trying to make something new. I love, love, love our kitchen....we had our house built so luckily we got to pick it all out....including those beautiful tile floors which are my favorite. :-) Anyways, welcome to the Becker kitchen... feel free to come on over anytime.

I've been Tagged!

2008-06-09T11:52:00.003-04:00

Is it crazy that I'm honored to have been tagged? It's a first for me, what can I say? So, a big thanks to Amy of Sing for Your Supper and nestie hornedfroggy of My Baking Heart for being interested in me! :-)

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

What was I doing ten years ago?
Ten years ago this month I had just finished my first year of college at the University of Virginia and headed back home for the summer. I think I was working at Ruby Tuesday.

What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today?
1. Stay awake!
2. Go to the gym...it's been like 2 weeks.
3. Hit the grocery store since we have been on vacation
4. Do laundry
5. Sit on the couch and watch tv

Five snacks I enjoy:
1. Baked lays
2. Apples with fluff
3. Granola Bars
4. Frozen yogurt
5. Cereal (Froot Loops or Honey Nut Cheerios)

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Help my family out
2. Donate to charities and other good causes
3. Buy a vacation home
4. Travel a lot
5. Buy a boat for my hubby

Places I've lived:
1. Chesapeake, VA
2. Charlottesville, VA
3. Suffolk, VA
4. Tampa, FL
5. Riverview, FL

Jobs I've had:
1. Waitress at Ruby Tuesday and Outback
2. I worked in the wire department for MetLife
3. Personal assistant to my current boss, but I now I manage all of the accounting for the company

Tag, you're it....

Lani of PleasureCooker
Bakingblonde
How to Eat a Cupcake
Deb of Smitten Kitchen
Cara of Cara's Cravings

WC Spring Gift Exchange!

2008-05-29T19:29:00.008-04:00

For those of you that don't know, I frequent a message board on The Nest called What's Cooking. A spring gift exchange was announced so I signed up....sounded like fun! Basically, everyone who signed up was put into a pool and then you were given a name of another girl. You would not know who had your name until you received your gift in the mail. The coordinator uses Elfster for the exchange which allows you to ask questions anonomously to the person you got. Very cool. I was very happy to be assigned a girl named Carrie and I started shopping right away. I got her a loaf pan, cookie scoop, Paula Deen DVD, cupcake baking cups, a cupcake mix...I think that's everything. Carrie, hope you liked it all and have lots of fun with it. :-)

Needless to say, I've been waiting very patiently for my gift. The mailing deadline was this past Friday so I knew it was coming...yippee. When I got home today, the package was here...woohoo! It had a sweet little note in it saying that she hopes I have a wonderful spring and summer. As you can see in the picture above, the gift is awesome. I was blown away and so excited about all of it. I'll list it all just for fun: a 9" springform pan (here I come, cheesecakes), 2 cookie scoops (small and medium), cupcake baking cups and cupcake sprinkles from Crate & Barrel (they are red, white and blue...so cute), the 500 Cupcakes book and a framed plumeria (my favorite flower) picture. Really great gift...the plumeria picture really topped it off...made it super special and I knew that she had done it just for me. So, thanks Stefany (TPOX) for the awesome, thoughtful gift. This made for a wonderful experience with my first WC gift exchange. I've already started looking through the book and I'm stoked to use the cookie scoops. I've decided I'll be baking cupcakes with my cousin and her son when they come down to visit for July 4th! Thanks again, this gift rocks! Click here to check out Stefany's blog, Proceed with Caution.

Salad + Scallops = Super!

2008-05-29T19:12:00.005-04:00

This is a quick, easy dinner. Mike talked me into a nap and out of the gym when I got home from work so it's a good thing that we had a nice light dinner.

Scallops Salad

Greens (I had romaine on hand)

Goat Cheese, crumbled

Craisins

Pecans, chopped

Scallops (pan seared for about 5 minutes in a little olive oil and white wine vinegar, with salt and pepper)

Dressing (we used the Good Seasons Italian)

** I would like to have added grape tomatoes, but we didn't have any! :-)

A Sticky Tuesday...

2008-05-27T10:44:00.009-04:00

I'm back for my second week of TWD. I was a bit intimidated by this week's recipe because of the yeast involved...yea, never worked with that stuff so I'm clueless. I waited until Monday to get started and realized it would have to sit and rise and chill and all of that good stuff. I didn't have time for all that...I was tired, my stomach hurt...and well, that scared me (you know, like Meredith on Grey's Anatomy...scared of life, scared of love, scared of failure....yea, I was scared of the sticky buns). Oh, and did I mention that the cookbook warned that if you don't have a stand mixer, you should use your own hands because the motor will probably blow if you use a hand mixer. HA! If the motor would give on my hand mixer, how in the heck were my poor little hands going to make it through it?Wimp, wuss, whatever... but I didn't want to give up entirely so I picked up a can of crescent roll dough and made my life easier. Hey, I didn't give up, that's good for something, right? Here is the recipe straight from the Dorie cookbook...and I'll throw the dough recipe in here too, just for sh*ts and giggles.

Pecan Honey Sticky Buns

For the Glaze:
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

1/4 cup honey

1 1/2 cups pecans (whole or pieces)

For the Filling:
1/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons (packed) light brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the Buns (assuming you want to take the easy way out - the all out way is below):

1 can of Pillsbury crescent rolls

Generously butter a 9-x-13-inch baking pan (a Pyrex pan is perfect for this).

To make the glaze: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the brown sugar, butter, and honey to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to dissovle the sugar. Pour the glaze into the buttered pan, evening it out asbest you can by tilting the pan or spreading the glaze with a heatproof spatula. Sprinkle the pecans over the glaze.

To make the filling: Mix the sugars and cinnamon together in a bowl. If necessary, in another bowl, work the butter with a spatula until it is soft, smooth and spreadable.

To shape the buns: On a flour-dusted work surface, roll the chilled dough into a 16-inch square. (If using the store bought dough, just roll it out and pinch the seams together. Using your fingers or a pastry brush (I used a spatula), spread the softened butter over the dough. Sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar, leaving a 1-inch strip bare on the side farthest from you. Starting with the side nearest you, roll the dough into a cylinder, keeping the roll as tight as you can. (At this point, you can wrap the dough airtight and freeze it for up to 2 months . . . . Or, if you want to make just part of the recipe now, you can use as much of the dough as you'd like and freeze the remainder. Reduce the glae recipe accordingly).

With a chef's knife, using a gentle sawing motion, trim just a tiny bit from the ends of the roll if they're very ragged or not well filled, then cut the log into 1-inch thick buns. (Because you trim the ragged ends of the dough, and you may have lost a little length in the rolling, you will get 15 buns, not 16 - using the store bought dough, it made exactly 12) Fit the buns into the pan cut side down, leaving some space between them.

(No need to do this step if you bought the dough) Lightly cover the pan with a piece of wax paper and set the pan in a warm place until the buns ahve doubled in volume, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. The buns are properly risen when they are puffy, soft, doubled and, in all likelihood, touching one another.

Getting ready to bake: If you used store bought dough, just pop them in and bake according to the package directions.

Using the brioche recipe - when the buns have almost fully risen , center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Remove the sheet of wax paper and put the pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. Bake the sticky buns for about 30 minutes, or until they are puffed and gorgeously golden; the glaze will be bubbling away merrily. Pull the pan from the oven.

**Just before being popped into the oven

The sticky buns must be unmolded minutes after they come out of the oven (I used a spoon to pick them up and flip them over, then I spooned excess glaze and pecans onto the top). If you do not have a rimmed platter large enough to hold them, use a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or buttered foil. Be careful - the glaze is super-hot and super-sticky.

**Right out of the oven

For the Buns (assuming you want to really go all out):

1/2 recipe dough for Golden Brioche loaves (see below), chilled and ready to shape (make the full recipe and cut the dough in half after refrigerating it overnight)

2 packets active dry yeast (each packet of yeast contains approx. 2 1/4 teaspoons)

1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch water

1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch whole milk

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature but still slightly firm

What You'll Need for the Glaze (you would brush this on brioche loaves, but not on the sticky buns):
1 large egg

1 tablespoon water

To Make The Brioche: Put the yeast, water and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and, using a wooden spoon, stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add the flour and salt, and fit into the mixer with the dough hook, if you have one. Toss a kitchen towel over the mixer, covering the bowl as completely as you can-- this will help keep you, the counter and your kitchen floor from being showered in flour. Turn the mixer on and off a few short pulses, just to dampen the flour (yes, you can peek to see how you're doing), then remove the towel, increase the mixer speed to medium-low and mix for a minute or two, just until the flour is moistened. At this point, you'll have a fairly dry, shaggy mess.

Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula, set the mixer to low and add the eggs, followed by the sugar. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes, until the dough forms a ball. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter in 2-tablespoon-size chunks, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding the next. You'll have a dough that is very soft, almost like batter. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a clean bowl (or wash out the mixer bowl and use it), cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 40 to 60 minutes, depending upon the warmth of your room.

Deflate the dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it fall with a slap to the bowl. Cover the bowl with the plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. Slap the dough down in the bowl every 30 minutes until it stops rising, about 2 hours, then leave the uncovered dough in the refrigerator to chill overnight. (After this, you can proceed with the recipe to make the brioche loaves, or make the sticky buns instead, or freeze all or part of the dough for later use.)
The next day, butter and flour two 8 1/2-x-4 1/2-inch pans.

Pull the dough from the fridge and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cut each piece of the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece into a log about 3 1/2 inches long. Arrange 4 logs crosswise in the bottom of each pan. Put the pans on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat, cover the pans lightly with wax paper and leave the loaves at room temperature until the dough almost fills the pans, 1 to 2 hours. (Again, rising time with depend on how warm the room is.)
Getting Ready To Bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
To Make the Glaze: Beat the egg with the water. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the tops of the loaves with the glaze.

Bake the loaves until they are well risen and deeply golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the pans to racks to cool for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the pans and turn the loaves out onto the racks. Invert again and cool for at least 1 hour.

**You will most likely have some of the glaze and pecans left over even after covering each bun generously, so just take a spoon and dig in! Don't forget this part, it's important, ok?

My Life as a Blondie...

2008-05-27T10:10:00.008-04:00

Just a few months ago, I changed my hair color for the first time. I have been a blonde all 28 years of my life and decided it was time for a change. I went darker, not too dark, but a nice caramel color. Most people said I was still blonde, although it didn't seem like it to me. Anyways, that's not the point. The point is that I love me some brownies, but it was time to test my hand at blondies...I mean, afterall, they do have more fun, right? I found this recipe at both Joelen's Culinary Adventures and Amber's Delectable Delights. They had different sources listed but the recipes were very similar. Check them out to see both of their recipes...one used caramel and one used white chocolate. Here is what I did:

Chocolate Butterscotch Blondies

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Then line the pan with parchment paper (one going long ways and the other laying perpendicular across the first one). This will help with the removal of the bars. Then spray the parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.

Whisk the melted butter and brown sugar together in a medium bowl until comined. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold the morsles (choc chip and butterscotch) and the nuts and turn the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula.

Bake until the top is shiny and cracked and feels firm to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Place the pan on a rack and cool completely.

**Highly recommend serving warm with some caramel swirl ice cream on the side

Good Ol Comfort Food

2008-05-27T09:36:00.004-04:00

So, I bought all of the ingredients for chicken pot pie over a week ago and never got around to making it before Mike left town for the week. His flight arrived at 5 p.m. on Saturday so I prepared the pot pie and stuck it in the fridge before leaving to pick him up. When we got home, I popped it in the oven. I can't ever remember how I make it from one time to the next so this time I found a basic recipe online and went from there. I had a few mishaps, like usual and thought that my pot pie was ruined. I must have let the pie crust get a little too comfortable at room temperature because when I went to remove the one to put on the top, it crumbled in my hands. I was devastated. I didn't give up and just pieced it together.. no need to make any slits in the top, there were already several. Not the prettiest thing I've ever seen but.... It was delicious and we love having the leftovers too. The recipe came from AllRecipes and you can find it here. The one below is exactly how I made it which differs slightly from the original.

Chicken Pot Pie

2 chicken breasts, cubed

2 cups frozen peas/carrots

2 cups potatoes (I used 4-5 red potatoes, peeled and cubed)

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup chopped onion (I used 1/2 large shallot which was exactly 1/3 cup)

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 3/4 cup chicken broth (I used low sodium)

2/3 cup milk (I used fat free)

2 9" unbaked pie crusts

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a saucepan, combine chicken, potatoes, peas and carrots. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.

In the saucepan over medium heat, cook the onions in the butter until soft and translucent. Slowly stir in flour, salt and pepper. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.

Place half of the chicken mixture in bottom of pie crust. Pour half of hot mixture over. Then repeat one more time. Cover with the top crust, seal the edges and cut away excess dough if necessary. Make several small slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.

Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until top is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.

Who would've thought...

2008-05-20T09:11:00.010-04:00

...that I would ever join a baking group? Let me tell you about Tuesdays with Dorie. It's an online group of people who have committed to baking once a week from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, Baking: From My Home to Yours. Each week a different member picks the recipe for the group to bake. Then, each of the members will post their finished product on their blog each Tuesday. I thought this would be a good way to start finding my way around the kitchen a little better, trying new things and also having something great for my blog each week. Well, today is my first day of posting my TWD entry. This week's pick was for Madeleines but it required a special pan so they said that if you didn't want to make that then you could just pick any recipe that has already been made this year that you missed. Well, this is my first week so I haven't made anything from the book yet. I picked the Peanut Butter Torte, which I saw a lot of blog entries about a few weeks back. I had offered to take a pie to Angel's shower (see posts below) and knew this was the perfect opportunity to make this beautiful thing. So, here is my first TWD entry. There will be a few pictures because I was very proud of this one. Enjoy!

A little bit about this torte: it's so creamy and the oreo crust is amazing. Warning: it's insanely rich. I could only take a bite or two at a time. There was no way I could get a whole piece down. You must love peanut butter for this one. And excuse the crust. I really thought I had been careful to make sure it was even all the way around. Guess not!

Peanut Butter Torte

1 ¼ c. finely chopped salted peanuts (for the filling, crunch and topping)

2 teaspoons sugar½ teaspoon instant espresso powder (or finely ground instant coffee)

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

½ c. mini chocolate chips (or finely chopped semi sweet chocolate)

24 Oreo cookies, finely crumbed or ground in a food processor or blender

½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Small pinch of salt

2 ½ c. heavy cream

1 ¼ c confectioners’ sugar, sifted

12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 ½ c salted peanut butter – crunchy or smooth (not natural)

2 tablespoons whole milk (I used fat free organic)

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped

Getting ready: center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch Springform pan and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.Toss ½ cup of the chopped peanuts, the sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and chocolate chops together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Put the Oreo crumbs, melted butter and salt in another small bowl and stir with a fork just until crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the spring form pan (they should go up about 2 inches on the sides). Freeze the crust for 10 minutes. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a rack and let it cool completely before filling.
Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, whip 2 cups of the cream until it holds medium peaks. Beat in ¼ cup of the confectioners’ sugar and whip until the cream holds medium-firm peaks. Scrape the cream into a bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Wipe out (no need to wash) the bowl, fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment if you have one, or continue with the hand mixer, and beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until the cream cheese is satiny smooth. Beat in the peanut butter, ¼ cup of the chopped peanuts and the milk.

Using a large rubber spatula, gently stir in about one quarter of the whipped cream, just to lighten the mousse. Still working with the spatula, stir in the crunchy peanut mixture, then gingerly fold in the remaining whipped cream. Scrape the mouse into the crust, mounding and smoothing the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight; cover with plastic wrap as soon as the mousse firms.

To Finish The Torte: put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave the bowl over the water just until the chocolate softens and starts to melt, about 3 minutes; remove the bowl from the saucepan. Bring the remaining ½ cup cream to a full boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and , working with a a rubber spatula, very gently stir together until the ganache is completely blended and glossy.

Pour the ganache over the torte (I let it cool for a few minutes before pouring it on), smoothing it with a metal icing spatula. Scatter the remaining ½ cup peanuts over the top and chill to set the topping, about 20 minutes. When the ganache is firm, remove the sides of the Springform pan; it’s easiest to warm the pan with a hairdryer (I did this and it worked great), and then remove the sides, but you can also wrap a kitchen towel damped with hot water around the pan and leave it there for 10 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

The love of my life...in pie form!

2008-05-19T11:51:00.006-04:00

Mmmm mmmm good...chocolate chess pie! Although this was made along with the other desserts for the baby shower, this deserves a post all of its own. Why? Because I said so, that's why! Just kidding. This is my favorite pie of all time. It's so simple but I just love it...to eat it, of course. I've never made it until now but my great-aunt Jeanne always hooks me up when I'm visiting the fam in VA. It's a southern pie...or at least that's what I like to think. Since I do enjoy it so much, why not try my hand at it...one call to her and I had the recipe. It was one of the easiest things I've ever made....but I was so nervous that it wouldn't turn out like hers...oh but it did and I was so happy about that. I had no idea that something so good would be so simple. What are the things I love most about it? The not too-sweetness, the ooey gooey chocolate texture, the way it melts in my mouth. I've never had it with ice cream on the side but I swear I'm going to try that one day soon. So, here goes...I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

How could you not want some of this??

Aunt Jeanne's Chocolate Chess Pie

1 9" single pie crust

3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1/2 stick of butter (I used light)
2 eggs
1 small can of evaporated milk (5-6 oz)
1 tsp of vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Mix cocoa with sugar; add melted (but cooled) butter and stir well. Mix in 2 eggs, then evaporated milk and vanilla. Beat for 5-6 minutes. Pour mixture into pie crust. Bake on 350 for 40 minutes or until set in middle. Let cool and chill until ready to serve. It's best served chilled.

It was all about Desserts!

2008-05-19T11:05:00.007-04:00

As I mentioned in the previous post, the baby shower was desserts only. You should have seen the spread...you could easily go into a sugar coma just looking at it all. I'll give you a quick rundown before I tell you what I made....fruit (ok, that's not so bad!), 3 or 4 types of cookies, brownies, candy, baklava, lemon squares, apple cake, chocolate fondue, cheesecake bites, cupcakes, strawberry cake, eclairs....have you had enough yet? I haven't even mentioned the desserts I made. I know, I know...overload!

Let's start with the Grape Salad (hey, it has fruit in it at least...yea, keep telling yourself that). This stuff is 100% deliciousness. No other way to describe it so let's get right to the recipe...you actually have to make it sometime. It's perfect for a brunch (I actually had it for the first time at my friend Ashley's bridal shower brunch)! I got the recipe from her sister but I found the exact one online, so you can go to Recipezaar to see it.

Grape Salad

2 lbs of green grapes
2 lbs of red grapes
8 oz of cream cheese, softened (I used light)

8 oz of sour cream (I used fat free)

1/2 cup of sugar

1 tsp of vanilla

for the topping:

1 cup of brown sugar, packed

1 cup of chopped pecans

Wash and stem grapes. Set aside.

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla by hand until well blended.

Stir grapes into mixture and pour into a large serving bowl (I used a trifle/parfait dish).

For topping: mix brown sugar with pecans. Sprinkle over grape mixture until covered. (I put 1/2 of the grape mixture, then 1/2 of the topping and then did another layer like that).

Chill overnight.

Next up is Quaker's Famous Oatmeal Cookies.

They were very easy to make and the dough was so yummy (yes, I tasted it...ok, a few times). The recipe on the oats container said to bake for 12-14 minutes. I baked for about 10-11. They were a little too crispy for my tastes as I prefer my cookies chewy. For 1/2 the batch, I added chocolate chips and those cookies turned out a little better. Overall though, tasty but not chewy and moist enough for me. Anyways, here's the recipe:

Quaker's Famous Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup of packed brown sugar

3/4 cup of vegetable shortening

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup of water

1 tsp of vanilla

3 cups of Quaker oats (I used Old Fashioned oats)

1 cup of all-purpose flour

1 tsp of salt (optional)

1/2 tsp of baking soda

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, beat brown sugar, shortening and sugar until creamy. Add egg, water and vanilla; beat well. Add combined oats, flour, salt and baking soda; mix well. (I split the batter in half and added 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to one half of the batter).

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 12-14 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove to wire rack to cool completely. Makes approx 5 dozen cookies.

More to come in another post....

Babies bring out the sweetness...

2008-05-19T10:51:00.003-04:00

This weekend was a busy one. I'll start by giving you the reason for it all....a little bun in the oven, whose name will be Hayden. His mommy and daddy (our good friends, Zach & Angel) came down from Tennessee for their baby shower here in Florida. It was going to be a coed shower (which Mike wasn't too thrilled about - after attending, he said 'those definitely aren't for guys'...haha) and they were expecting about 65 people. Wow! I offered to help and was recruited to help bring food....oh, did I mention it a was a desserts shower? Yea, I'll get to that in a following post. Back to the baby. I just wanted to show off the sweet little gift we got for them...really I'll just show you the great little box (which they can use in his room) and the cute teddy bear ribbon. Anyways, I filled it with small items from the registry...burp pads, onesies, socks, pacifiers, rattles, etc...and a bottle of wine for the new mommy and daddy to celebrate with after he is born.

Time for BBQ, baby!

2008-05-19T10:39:00.005-04:00

Mike had a flag football game tonight so I knew it would be a good day to throw some chicken in the crockpot. I started with some thighs that we had in the freezer (Mike would like those) and a big chicken breast for me. I dumped a bottle of Jack Daniels bbq sauce in there and added some water (enough to almost cover the chicken), set it on low for 8 hrs and off to work I went. For mine, I thought I would have a bbq sandwich so I shredded my chicken breast and put it on a delicious potato roll. The bbq taste wasn't distinct enough so I chose to add more to my sandwich. Mike preferred to just eat his right from the bone. I went simple with the sides since he wouldn't be home until 9:00. Corn....a favorite in our house..was the choice. I used frozen yellow corn. I always cook it the way my grandmother always did and it's always a hit. Simple!! In a saute pan, add some butter/ margarine of your choice (a tbsp or two, depending on the amt of corn)...then add the corn. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (use a generous amount of pepper)...once the corn starts to cook, add another tbsp of butter. Stir occasionally while cooking on medium for 10-12 mins then turn to very low until you are ready to serve. And dinner is served!

Crispy Fishies

2008-05-14T16:00:00.001-04:00

I won't go into a lot of detail here. This was a simple meal that I threw together in a matter of minutes. I had some fresh tilapia and shrimp and I didn't feel like finding a good recipe. So, here is what I did. For the tilapia, I sprinkled them with Emeril's Fish Rub and a little Old Bay, dipped them in an egg and rolled in crushed corn flakes then I baked them on 350 for about 15 minutes. For the shrimp, I put some butter (in my case, Smart Balance Light) in a pan on the stove and sprinkled with garlic powder and Old Bay...cooked until nice and pink. I steamed some frozen broccoli and made a batch of Jiffy corn bread (added just a bit of sugar to the mix). Easy and delicious meal!

Cinco de Bake-o!

2008-05-05T11:02:00.009-04:00

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

Once again, I was feeling overly ambitious in the kitchen this weekend. For Lani & Chad's Cinco de Drinko festivities on Saturday, I had decided to make cupcakes and brownies, both from scratch. I should probably stick to one thing at a time from now on. If it could go wrong, it probably did...but I did manage to come out with two edible desserts so I guess it could have been worse. Right?

I baked the cupcakes on Friday after work so they could cool and then I would ice them on Saturday morning. I found the recipe at Cooking Light.com, which was for a 9x13 cake. So, it said to bake for 45 minutes. Well, I cut that down to 20 minutes for the cupcakes. I probably should have cooked them for about 16-17 minutes though. Oh well, a little dry but totally edible. First up on Saturday was the brownies. Got them mixed up and in the oven ... no mishaps there. Baking time was for 35-45 minutes. I checked in on mine after about 25 mins and the toothpick came out clean so I took them out. Didn't want to burn them. After letting them cool and cutting them, I realized they could have baked a little longer. They weren't runny but they were definitely nice and soft inside. No one complained though! Ok, now comes the cream cheese frosting. Disaster! It was too bitter and too runny. I cut the bitterness down by adding more vanilla extract and more confectioner's sugar. I never did get the flavor or consistency I was after, but once I ran out of confectioner's sugar, I gave up. Because it was thin, I could only do a thin layer on the cupcakes because it was just run right off...needless to say, the piping I had intended on doing was definitely a no-go. Out of time and out of sanity, it was time to put these on pretty platters and at least pretend they were perfect. So, off we went...baking fiascos and all...I have to say that they were both good though.

Chocolate Chipotle Brownies
Source: Emeril/Food Network

1 tsp plus 1 cup butter

1 tbsp plus 1 cup all-purpose flour

4 oz unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1 tsp of ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp ground chipotle chile pepper (I used about 1 1/2 tsp)

4 eggs

1 cup chopped Mexican chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate morsels (I used morsels)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Grease and flour an 11x7 inch baking pan or dish with 1 tsp of the butter and 1 tbsp of the flour. Heat the remaining butter and the unsweetened chocolate in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted. In a medium bowl, stir together remaining flour, sugar, cinnamon, and ground chipotle. Add sugar mixture to melted chocolate mixture, stirring to combine. Add eggs, mixing until smooth. Stir in chopped chocolate or chocolate morsels.

Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake until the center is set, 35-40 minutes (I only baked for 25 mins-should've done 30). Cool completely and then cut into small squares. I sprinkled with powdered sugar!

Next up.... Cinco de Mayo themed cupcakes

Applesauce Spice Cupcakes

Source: Cooking Light

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup chilled light butter

1 1/2 cups chunky applesauce (I used non-chunky)

1/4 cup apple butter

2 large egg whites

1 large egg

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup raisins (I omitted)

cream cheese icing (see below)

1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted (I omitted)

Preheat oven to 350. Beat sugar and butter at medium speed until well-blended (4-5 minutes). Add applesauce, apple butter, egg whites and egg; beat well. Add flour and next 4 ingredients (flour through salt); beat well. Stir in raisins, if using. Pour batter into muffin tins. Bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Frost and sprinkle with pecans, if using.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Source: Cooking Light

1 1/2 teaspoons chilled light butter

1/2 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat butter and cheese at high speed of a mixer until fluffy. Add sugar; beat at low speed until well-blended. Add vanilla; beat well. Yield: 1 cup (I doubled it and made enough for 2 cups)

Had to go shopping for this one....

2008-05-02T11:22:00.006-04:00

Is it a parfait or is it a trifle? I have no idea. Both sound good to me so call it whatever you'd like. In either case, I had to go buy a pretty little dish to serve my first one in. Thank goodness for Bed, Bath and Beyond. I had seen this simple little dish a hundred times and knew it was only $9.99. Not to mention, that 20% coupon that was burning a whole in my pocket. Fun times, I tell ya. Anyways, tonight we are invited over to a former knottie's home (Steph, are you a nestie yet??)...anyways, she just had a baby girl a few weeks back and she and Rob have invited a few friends over tonight. I decided to take a strawberry trifle...strawberry parfait...ok, whatever. You get the point. Before starting to make last night's dinner of scallops provencal, I took an ever-so-wonderful boxed cake mix and a can of sprite zero, mixed them up and threw it in the oven. By the time, I was finished with dinner, the cake had cooled so I broke it up into small pieces and started layering in my pretty new dish. Not much to say as these are pretty darn easy, but boy does it look good...just look past the ugly layers...it was getting late and I was getting tired! Can't wait to dig in tonight. I will comment on the choice of boxed cake mix. YUM! I chose Duncan Hines French Vanilla. It's light and airy like an angel food cake but has a bit more flavor...absolutely perfect for this kind of dessert.

Strawberry Trifle/Parfait

1 boxed cake mix (white or yellow)

1 can of diet sprite

1 large package of instant vanilla pudding

3 cups of ff milk (to make the pudding)

2 8oz tubs of ff cool whip

1 lb of fresh strawberries (They were big so I quartered them)

Mix cake mix and can of diet sprite. Bake according to directions. Let cool completely. Whip up the instant pudding according to directions using the milk. Crumble or cube into appox. 1 inch pieces. Layer 1/3 into bottom of dish, followed by 1/3 of the pudding, 1/3 of the cool whip, and a little less than 1/3 of the strawberries. Repeat 3 times...using the remainder of the strawberries on top. Yum, Yum, Yum!

Succulent Scallops...

2008-05-02T10:41:00.006-04:00

The motivation behind this dinner was a picture from another nestie's blog. Saw it, wanted it, made it last night! This was so easy to make and it had a really great flavor...a subtle sweetness almost (some of which came from my choice of wine to use in it, I'm sure). Really good, nonetheless. I planned to serve it with some orzo and a small salad but I got a bit of a late start and then realized I didn't have any orzo. So, I whipped up some pasta noodles...threw in some butter, garlic and parmesan and then topped with the scallops. To serve over pasta, you need a bit more of the sauce that the scallops are cooked in though and it didn't quite make enough for that. I think these would be great with wild rice (didn't want to wait 50 mins for the rice to cook). As you can tell, it wasn't the best planned meal ever. Oh well, Mike didn't get home to eat until10 p.m from his flag football game so I really wasn't worried about it because I knew he would be starving and would eat whatever there was. Enough rambling, here is the recipe with some of my changes (mainly due to only having certain things on hand). I got the original from the Sing for Your Supper blog.

Scallops Provencal

1 lb of fresh bay or sea scallops (I used a 1/2 lb of sea scallops)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

All-purpose flour, for dredging

4 tbsp of butter (I used Smart Balance Light)

1/2 cup of chopped shallots (2 large) (I used 1 large)

1 garlic clove, minced (I used 2)

1/4 cup of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (I used dried)

1/3 cup of dry white wine (I used 1/4 cup of Riesling and 1/8 cup of white wine vinegar)

1 lemon, cut in 1/2 (I omitted because I didn't have one)

Sprinkle scallops with salt and pepper, toss with flour, and shake off the excess.

In a very large saute pan, heat 2 tbsp of the butter over high heat until sizzling and add the scallops in one layer. Lower the heat to medium and allow the scallops to brown lightly on one side without moving them. Then turn and brown lightly on the other side. This should only take 3-4 minutes. Add the rest of the butter to the pan with the scallops, then add the shallots, garlic and parsley and saute for 2 more minutes, tossing the scallops with the seasoning. Add the white wine (and vinegar if you use it), cook for one minute. I let it simmer for just a bit longer, stirring slowly. If you have lemon, squeeze the lemon on the scallops and serve hot.

Ooey Gooey...Chicken Pasta

2008-05-01T10:01:00.000-04:00

This recipe comes all the way from my peeps up in VA. Actually, it comes directly from my 'uncle' Mark. He's a down home southern boy through and through and although his food isn't fancy, it sure is good! He told me about this easy baked pasta he made with baked chicken and now it's on heavy rotation at our house. Well, like twice a month....close enough. Anyways, this seems like a very plain baked ziti type dish but there is just something about it. I think the chicken really changes the flavor of it all together. And for all of you foodie goddesses out there, this can be a blank slate for you...although I would suggest you try it as is first. And I don't measure anything for this dish...sorry...but I'll give it my best guess. But, here is for a big lasagna pan, which I usually half this amount when it's just me and Mike.

Baked Chicken Pasta

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 large jar of spaghetti sauce (I used Newman's Own Tomato & Basil)

1 lb box of penne pasta

3/4 cup of ff ricotta cheese (sometimes I add cream cheese, cottage cheese or sour cream too)

1-2 cups of shredded cheese (I use a mix of ff cheddar with 6 cheese italian)

Bake chicken (covered) on 350 for one hour. I literally take it out of the package, plop it in a baking dish, cover with foil and throw it in the oven. Let chicken cool and then pull apart with fingers. I usually cook the chicken the night before, shred it and throw in the fridge. Cook pasta as directed. In a sauce pan, add shredded chicken and spaghetti sauce (I put enough to cover the chicken plus some) and whatever spices you like (I use garlic, onion and crushed red pepper). Simmer on low-med until warmed through. Drain and pour pasta into your baking dish. Add ricotta cheese and mix into hot noodles. Pour spaghetti sauce mixture over pasta and mix in. Top with shredded cheese. Bake on 350 for 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!

Good Times in Charlotte

2008-04-30T14:07:00.012-04:00

Enough said. End of post.

Just kidding! I spent this past weekend in Charlotte, NC for one of my best friend's bridal shower and bachelorette party. Ashley, the bride-to-be, is in the white dress. Obvious, I know! I stayed with my other best friend, Lindsay and her boyfriend, Andy. They just moved to Charlotte recently and bought a new home. It's so beautiful and I was very glad I got to stay there. On Friday night, Lins and Andy made dinner...which was delicious...and we sat outside, drank wine and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Then, Lins and I spent the rest of the evening getting Ash's shower gifts wrapped and ready as well as all of the bachelorette party goodies. Saturday was a long day. We had to be at the shower by 11 a.m. , which Ashley's sister, Meredith, threw at her beautiful home. She did such a great job on the shower. It was a bed and breakfast theme...so we had brunch and we were all treated to slippers at the front door. Very cute! Check out the fun cake and a pic of me, Lins and Ashley in our slippers...

Once that was over, we went back to Lindsay's to relax a little before packing up to head into Uptown to the hotel for the night. We got there around 4 and started decorating and getting ready for all the girls to arrive. Even though we thought we had plenty of time, we ended up being rushed and we were both terribly frustrated with our hair... blah blah blah. Back to the fun stuff. All the girls arrived around 7...we had some wine, watched Ashley open all of her goodies and then we went across the street for dinner at Cosmo's Cafe (delish!). Here was her basket of goodies that Lins and I put together for her:

We had some goodies for all the girls too. Shot glass necklaces (thanks to Mike for helping me make them) and these masks (see below)...I have a few words for you about them: pack of 6, Party City, $2.99. Get them for your next girls night out...they were a definite hit. Yes, we even wore them to dinner. I was tempted to wear mine on my flight back to Tampa... maybe that would have given people a glimpse into why I was so tired and looked like a bum... anyways, here are me and Lins modeling ours.

After dinner, we started at a place called Forum, then moved to Whisky River where we all decided to do a little bull riding (interesting? yes, to say the least!), then lastly we hit up Buckhead Saloon where only a few of us were left standing. The rest found their way outside where they removed their shoes and waited patiently for the last remaining dancing fools to be 'over it' and come outside so we could go to bed.....I don't think so!...so we could go to Fuel for pizza. Now, that's the way to end a good night out.

Alright, alright...back to the bull riding. I know that's what you really want to hear about. Well, that was chaos at its absolute finest. The bull handler (a.k.a. the guy that turns it on/off, makes it go faster, throws you off, etc) let 3 of us get on the bull at the same time. Meanwhile, he let all of our other girls get up and jump on the mats like it was a trampoline. Madness, I tell you. Then, he let each of take our turn, as many times as we wanted. We didn't mind but I think the other people in line probably did. Oh well...not our fault! Here is a tutorial in bull riding:

1. Let me show you how it's done. Hop on! By yourself or in a group... Yes, in your dresses ... just do it in a ladylike manner, ok?

2. Now hold on tight and throw one arm in the air like you know what you are doing.

3. Tell that bull handler to make it go faster...then try not to regret what you just said!

4. If you listened to me and made the move suggested in #3, then the next step is bound to be getting thrown off of the nice bull....at which point, you laugh hysterically as you fly off... followed by standing up gracefully and doing a superstar pose/dance to show that bull just who's the boss.
5. Walk away with some awesome memories!

Made with Love

2008-04-29T18:00:00.001-04:00

So, I mentioned in a previous post that I made a gift for my friend, Ashley, for her bridal shower. I'm very proud of it and now that her shower is over, I can post pictures. It's a shadow box with their wedding invitation inside. I thought it turned out great and she loved it so I was very happy about that. I'm glad I decided to give it a shot because I think it is a great gift for a wedding shower. Feel free to contact me if you need one made. :-)

Pictures from the shower and bachelorette party to come....

Fun in the Sun!

2008-04-20T19:00:00.003-04:00

Happy 27th Birthday, Mike!

Oh, how I love a day on the beach. We couldn't have asked for a better day to celebrate Mike's birthday. The weather was beautiful and we had a lot of friends there to share it with us. You should have seen our setup...a big tent, volleyball, coolers, food, cornhole, a flip cup table, paddle ball, and testicle toss (I believe blongo ball is the politically correct name for it). There were about 20 of us in all and it was a blast. Thanks to all of our great friends who came down to share it with us.

Do you have knottie/nestie friends? Well, I do. Take a look at the above pic. That's me in the blue hat in the center with my Mike to the left of me (the guy in the back). Ok, now see that girl to the right of me...well that is Lani (love2b_mrst) and her husband, Chad, is the guy in the front. Then the skinny mini prego girl in the pink bikini...that is Kristina (mrs.ragazza19) and her husband, Bobby, is the in the middle. The three of us met on the WCF (west coast Florida) message board on the Knot.com when we were all planning our weddings (like a year ago or so). From there, we met in person at a local GTG (get together)...gotta spell out the acronyms for our non-knottie/nesties. And it's all downhill from there. No really, they are awesome friends and it's pretty great to know we now have new friends for life. If you don't have some of these knottie/nestie friends, then I highly recommend you get some. :-)

After the beach, back to the condos, showers and off to dinner and then to a beach bar. This is where the night started to get a little loud and rowdy (keep in mind, we had been drinking since about 10 a.m. and it was now 8 p.m.). We made it through dinner with minimal infractions...good thing we sat outside on the deck. Off to Mickey Quinn's...

Irish car bombs, anyone? This picture just exudes trouble, now doesn't it?

And this is where Mike had to call it a night. His birthday was a success and he was done for. Somehow he managed to still look put together in the picture below, although it was merely minutes before we had to head back to the condo. So with that, we will say goodnight!

A very busy Friday

2008-04-18T18:00:00.009-04:00

Before heading down the beach for DH's birthday weekend, I had a few things to take care of in the kitchen... because I just had to have foods for all of our friends at the beach. I must have been feeling particularly 'inspired' because I had not one, not two, but three things on my list to make. We'll start with the banana chocolate chip cookies from the blog Annie's Eats. These turned out so great and were really yummy. I followed her recipe exactly because well, frankly, I'm not exactly good with tweaking just yet. These didn't need any changes so it worked out just fine. Here is her recipe:

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temp

1 cup sugar

1 egg, at room temp

1 cup of mashed bananas (about 2 1/2 large bananas) - (I used 2)

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups flour

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 cup chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer (I used a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and continue to beat until well incorporated.

In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda. Let sit for 2 minutes. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which will in turn give the cookies their lift and rise.

Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Mix together the flour, salt and spices and sift into the butter and banana mixture until just combined.

Fold chocolate chips into the batter. Drop into dollops on baking sheet lined with parchment paper (I just used cooking spray on a cookie sheet). Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Let cool on wire racks.

Source: Annie's Eats, originally from Simply Recipes

I just love the way the ooey gooey chocolate looks in this picture above

Next up was oatmeal fudge bars from Blonde Ambition in the Kitchen. I was the most excited about these. The picture on her blog made my mouth water. For the most part, they turned out great. In her blog, you will see that she used a 9x13 pan but the original recipe called for a 10x15 jelly roll pan. I used the jelly roll pan. I think I should have cut the baking time down by a couple mins and checked them. Also, I was a little confused by the 'dollups' on the top of the fudge mixture. I think I did them too big and too far apart. Either way, these tasted really good and I'll definitely make them again. Here is her recipe:

Oatmeal Fudge Bars

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 cups Quaker quick cooking oatmeal
2 cups Semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk (15 oz.)
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (optional, walnuts or pecans) (I did not use - I meant to actually but forgot)

Preheat oven to 325.
Grease and flour a 10x15 jelly roll pan.
In a large bowl sift together flour, soda and salt. Set aside.
In large mixing bowl, beat together softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time and beat until combined. Add vanilla and mix well.
Slowly add the sifted flour mixture and mix until combined. Stir in oatmeal.
Gently spread 2/3 crust into bottom of prepared pan. Reserve the rest for topping.
Make the filling:
Over Medium-Low heat, melt together chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, 2 tablespoons butter, and salt. Stir until smooth. Remove mixture from heat and stir in vanilla and nuts if using.
Evenly pour filling mixture of crust but keeping filling about a 1/4 inch away from side of pan so it does not stick to side while baking. Evenly dollup top of filling with remaining oat mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until topping is light brown and fudge layer set but not solid. Don't overbake these bars or they can become dry. Cool in pan on rack until set. Can chill to set faster. Keep stored in airtight container either room temp or in fridge.

Lastly, I made a very simple Pasta Salad from my friend, Lani's, blog. The recipe is here. The only thing I left out was the artichoke hearts and I added diced celery. It was a perfect, cool snack for the beach.

Ready for a Beachin' Birthday? haha

2008-04-18T13:59:00.003-04:00

Cake pic found here.

Isn't that cake so cute? Yea, well...I didn't make it. But it's the thought that counts right? My hubby, Mike, turns 27 tomorrow. So, tonight we are leaving for the beach (about 40 mins from our house) to spend the weekend. We have about 15 friends joining us tomorrow for a day at the beach followed by dinner and some fun at the local beach bars. I am so looking forward to it.

I will not be making a cake (he's not big on sweets anyways) but I will be doing some baking today when I get home from work...snacks to take with us for our day on the beach. I'm trying my hand at banana chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal fudge bars, and pasta salad. Of course, I won't be posting any of it until Monday so just hold your horses.

To give you an idea of the kind of weekend I'm expecting to have, please see the photo below. That's a little fancier than I imagine this weekend jaunt will be... I'm expecting to have lots of coolers, a beer in hand, some definite tan lines... and a whole lot of loud roudiness. Hope you have as much fun as we're going to have. Now, if I could only get out of work to get that baking started, pack the car, and be on our way to the beach....see ya!

Penne a la Delicious..I mean, Betsy!

2008-04-14T13:53:00.010-04:00

One look at this deliciousness on Pioneer Woman's blog and I knew it was going to be heavenly...and in our tummies real soon. I love me some shrimp, that's for sure. I had been planning to make this for the last two weekends in a row and finally got around to it last night (I'm not sure what took me so long...I don't have kids, I don't work 2 jobs ...ok, whatever). I tend to get a little intimidated by recipes and I admit I was nervous about this one too. Boy was I surprised when I realized how easy and relatively quick it was to make. This dish has a lot of flavor and a lot of shrimp, but it is so light and oh so good. I really felt like it came right out of a restaurant...it did, Kelly's Deli...hehe. You must try this one out. It is so worth it. This is one of those meals to make for guests...I definitely think they would be impressed. Here is the original recipe with some of my changes too:

Penne a la Betsy

Ingredients:

¾ lb. penne pasta

3 tbsp. butter, divided (I used smart balance light)

3 tbsp. olive oil, divided

1 lb. large shrimp (I used 1 lb of medium white shrimp) - I also added 1/4 lb of bay scallops...yum!

1 small white onion, finely chopped (I used a shallot)

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup white wine (or chicken broth) (I used Riesling)

1 (8 oz.) can plain tomato sauce

1 cup heavy cream (I substituted with 3/4 of ff milk and 1/3 cup of melted butter)

1 tbsp. fresh parsley

chopped basil leaves, to taste (use a bunch!)

Directions:

Boil water and cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, while water heats and pasta cooks, make the sauce. Melt 1 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a few minutes, until opaque. Remove to a plate to let cool. Heat 2 tbsp. butter and 2 tbsp. olive oil in the skillet. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally. While the onion and garlic are cooking, chop the shrimp into small, bite-sized pieces. Add the wine (or chicken broth) to the pan and allow to reduce for a few minutes. Chiffonade the basil leaves and set aside. Stir in tomato sauce. Add the heavy cream and stir well to combine. Add shrimp back to the skillet and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the parsley and basil and mix well.

Drain pasta and return to pot. Add the sauce to the pot and stir well to combine. Serve.

Thanks to Annie's Eats for the nice typed up version of the recipe that you see above!

Weekend Goodies

2008-04-13T15:27:00.006-04:00

This weekend was packed full of all kinds of goodness. Goodie #1 = kiddies. Last night, we got to babysit 2 of my favorite little ones...5 year old Brianna and 8 month old Andrew. I decided to invite our neighbors' little girl (also 5), Elise, over to play with Brianna. Our friends, Tania and Dave, were nice enough to come hang out with us while we were babysitting. The plan for the night was to order pizza, play and make cupcakes.

We'll start with the cupcakes (goodie #2). I was thinking of testing a 'made from scratch' icing but decided that with two little girls, easier would be better. But, I did want to try making the cake mix with diet soda...something I've read lots about but haven't never done. So, here were our ingredients: one box of yellow cake mix, 12 oz of sprite zero and one can of whipped cream frosting...oh, and some pink sprinkles and a little red food coloring just for fun. Somehow, the pink sprinkles did not make it on the lone cupcake above...poor thing. These were delish and only about 140 calories in each one...not bad, huh?

For goodie(s) #3, we have some craft projects. One is for my friend, Ashley's, shower gift which is on the 26th so I will not be posting that until after the shower (you never know who might see and then the surprise would be ruined). It turned out beautifully and I can't wait to show you. It was my first attempt at this particular project and I was so happy with how it came out. The next is for a baby shower. My cousin and his wife are expecting baby #3 (their second little boy) in June and one of my aunts is throwing a shower for her. She told me that the theme is construction (a.k.a. Tonka) trucks and I found lots of cute stuff online. One trip to Party City and I had everything that I had wanted to order online...well, except for the really cute cupcake picks. So, one pack of stickers later, I was making my own. I just put the stickers on thin pieces of cardboard and cut into small squares and then taped to flat toothpicks...voila!...cupcake picks. I think they turned out so cute and so worth it for 5 minutes of work. The shower is in VA (where all of my family lives) and I won't be able to make it from FL (I will be in Charlotte, NC for my friend Ashley's shower and bachelorette party...woohoo!) so these as well as the other decorations will be my contribution. I hope that she enjoys it!

Too bad I didn't think about sticking one of these cuties into the cupcakes I made on Saturday night...duh! Oh well, you get the idea.

And for weekend goodie #4, see the post above...that was a darn good way to top off a very good weekend.

That's a negative on the red peppers...

2008-04-10T10:07:00.008-04:00

As soon as I saw the recipe for this Chicken Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese in my new issue of Cooking Light, I knew it was going on the 'to make' list. Because it was my first time making it, I stuck to the recipe pretty closely. I was really excited to get home from the gym and make this meal. We thought it was pretty good, but not a favorite. I definitely think I will make it again but I will probably change a few things...like not using red pepper or onion. Although I really like the taste of red peppers, they just don't sit well on my tummy. So, they will be nixed next time for sure. I sauteed the red pepper and onion because I felt the raw ones would be too harsh for my sensitive self. :-) I think I would add a little something to the dressing too. I saw where Lani added dijon mustard to the dressing mix..so that's a thought. Last night, I also thought it would be good to add a little brown sugar to the dressing. I think this dish could use a little more texture so adding some nuts also sounds like a good idea.

We gave it a 6 out of 10...but I think adding/changing some things could definitely make it an 8. Different strokes for different folks...give it a try, you might love it. And it sure made for some yummy looking pictures. Here's the recipe with the few changes I made: (source: Cooking Light)

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
3 cups chopped grilled chicken breast strips (such as Tyson) (I sauteed 3 chicken breast cutlets) 1 1/2 cups trimmed arugula (used spring mix)
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup prechopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
6 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese

Preparation:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well.
2. Combine pasta, chicken, and the next 6 ingredients (through oregano) in a large bowl; toss well.
3. Combine vinegar, oil, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle vinegar mixture over pasta mixture; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.

Yield:
Cooking Light says 6 servings but I say 4!

Nutritional Information:
CALORIES 295(23% from fat); FAT 7.7g (sat 2.9g,mono 2.8g,poly 1.1g); PROTEIN 24.4g; CHOLESTEROL 55mg; CALCIUM 40mg; SODIUM 788mg; FIBER 2g; IRON 2.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 32.1g

My Magazine Debut...

2008-04-09T13:35:00.008-04:00

You might be saying, 'where is she? she's not in this picture'. Oh yes, I am. See the bride and groom, now look to the left, you will see the Maid of Honor, then the flower girl, then me...yea, yea...it's just my head and my body is covered by the bride's dad, who is standing. But whatever, I'm in the picture, ok? This is at one of my best friend's wedding in Dallas, TX and it was featured in this month's InStyle Weddings (see below). This is just a scanned copy that I found online...but, I've seen the actual picture and my face is much more obvious when looking at the magazine (don't believe me, check it out next time you are standing in the grocery line...oh yea, that's what I did). As one family member, so perfectly put it... I'm the centerfold (literally)...hahahaha! Here's the cover to look out for...

a little zoom action...see my face...I'm looking right at the happy newlyweds.

proof that we were in fact there...see my dress matches the one seen on the Maid of Honor above (hehe)

Simple Shrimp

2008-04-08T14:46:00.003-04:00

I was feeling very fickle when I got home from work yesterday. There was fresh shrimp and salmon in our fridge and I knew it had to be made, but I wasn't in the mood. By the way, me not being in the mood for shrimp is a very, and I mean very, rare occurrence. Because I couldn't figure out what else I wanted, I went ahead and made it...dear hubby made his own salmon. In addition to my fickleness (is that a word?), I was also feeling lazy so my gourmet shrimp recipe consisted of some smart balance light butter, garlic powder and Emeril's Essence seasoning. It was difficult, let me tell you. Melt 1-2 tablespoons over medium heat, add shrimp, sprinkle seasonings on shrimp...turn when bottoms are pink and sprinkle again. All done! I threw some sugar snap peas in boiling water for a few seconds and sprinkled them with a little salt & pepper. Mike likes them crunchy so I didn't even bother sauteeing them after boiling them (did I mention I was feeling especially lazy?. I then whipped up some butter & herb fettucine noodles (ha! from a Lipton Pasta Sides bag). They were delish but with the amount of sodium in it, I will surely make my own from now on. For being quick and last minute (and with yummy noodles full of sodium), it was a pretty quick dinner. We didn't complain.

Baked Pita Bread

2008-04-07T16:02:00.006-04:00

Yesterday was a rough day for me. I had worked a wedding (as day of coordinator) for 15 hours on Saturday so yesterday was my recoup day. I was absolutely beat. It was midday and I had just woken up from a nap...did I mention I was starving? I remembered seeing these baked pita chips on a blog before and decided that would be the perfect afternoon snack before hitting the grocery store and then picking up dinner. I took two small pieces of pita bread and decided to try two different combinations. One being mozzarella with basil and one with six-cheese italian and garlic powder. These were adapted from the original ones I had seen on the Sugar & Spice blog. The second one was my favorite and I think these would be so good dipped in marinara sauce or my garlic one dipped in ranch...yum!. I topped them with the cheese and the respective spices and tossed them in the oven on 350 for about 10 minutes and voila...I had myself a little snack. You should try it sometime... the topping options are endless...whatever suits your tastes. Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Homemade....well, not exactly!

2008-04-03T14:34:00.004-04:00

Holy Moly! Have you ever had one of these bad boys? No! Then, do yourself a favor and go buy some. They are 150 calories of gooey goodness. Now, I have to admit that one of these isn't very big...portion control, portion control is what I tell myself. If you have a sweet tooth and you need to make it even better (who could I be referring to? hmm), then do what I did and add a small scoop of fat free or lowfat ice cream (in my case, it was cookies & cream ff frozen yogurt). This was a nighttime treat that I really enjoyed. Seriously! It actually made me happy eating it. Come on, you know you want to...

Source: Miss Betty Crocker

Cran-Mandarin Salad....with Chicken

2008-04-01T11:55:00.015-04:00

Dig In!

All of the pretty ingredients before tossing it al together.

I first had this salad at our recent Tampa Cooking Club night about a week ago. Amber hosted and she served this salad alongside Tuna topped with Mango Salsa and orzo. I was hooked! So, I made it 2 days later for dinner at a friend's house. And now another 2 days later, I made it again. Yea, it's that good! Tonight it was just me eating, so I just made a small amount. It seems to be even better when you make it as a big salad and toss it all together. Here is what I used for the big salad and then I just scaled it down for a personal sized one. Oh, I also cooked up some chicken breast cutlets in a saute pan with garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika to throw in there. The salad is just as delicious withuot the chicken. The pictures do this salad no justice because you can't see all the yumminess that is tossed around in it. And I think it turns out prettier when you actually chop up the lettuce, but I was too lazy this time.

Romaine or bibb lettuce, chopped
Green onion, finely chopped (I used 3/4 of a bundle)
Celery, finely chopped (I used 4-5 full stalks)
Crumbled goat cheese
Craisins
Grape tomatoes, quartered

Candied Pecans, finely chopped

1 can of mandarin oranges

For the dressing:
1/8 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/8 cup of balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp of brown sugar
A few drops of hot sauce (we like a few more!)

Candied Pecans:
In a sauce pan, melt 2 tbsp of butter/margarine over low to med heat; add 1/2 cup of chopped pecans and 2 tbsp of brown sugar; stir for a few minutes until well coated; remove and cool completely. Yum!

Food Bloggin'

2008-03-31T09:36:00.009-04:00

Ok, here goes...my first food post. While searching all of the WC nestie's blogs, I came across these Crunchy Little Devils on Amber's blog, Amber's Delectable Delights, and I knew right away that I was going to try them. I also immediately knew how I would serve them... over a salad! Always a fan of fried chicken salads, this was going to be my new, healthier version. I made them last night and they were delcious....Mike and I really enjoyed it. I threw them on a bed of romaine with hardboiled eggs, cheddar cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes and some light ranch dressing. As a side note, I did use quite a bit of the hot sauce mixture because that's how we like 'em. And I made some Pillsbury Honey Butter biscuits too...Mike is not a big bread person but he does love these. Yum! Please excuse the pictures...I obviously have some practicing to do in that area.

Introducing Myself...

2008-03-31T08:33:00.013-04:00

Hi, here's a live shot from this a.m.

I have to admit, I never thought I would have a blog. I just don't think I'm that interesting. I read other blogs and while some are very simple and straightforward(probably what some will think mine is), others are so humorous. I sure know how to have fun and I do laugh a lot so I'm hoping some of that will spill over into this blog.

You may wonder how I got here? Well, my friend, Lani, started a food blog (http://lani-pleasurecooker.blogspot.com/) and from there I looked at some of her favorite food blogs, which then led me to The Nest's What's Cooking board where I was then introduced to an assortment of nestie blogs. Now I'm addicted to food blogs. While I have been trying new recipes and really trying to be a better cook, I don't think my blog will strictly be about food...I'm not that good...yet! So, I believe it will encompass every aspect of my life. I hope you enjoy it.

Let me give you a quick rundown about me. I was married on October 20, 2007 in Tampa, Florida to my favorite guy, Mike. That day marked our 4 year anniversary together, as well as the 2 year anniv to the day we closed on our first home together. Now, that day will always be super special. I work for an investment fund and have for the past 5 years. Mike is a CPA and works in audit for a big 4 accounting firm. Not to brag, but he is just so smart! We have no pets but we do have 6 stuffed animals that we love dearly...no kids yet but definitely in the next couple of years. I'm thinking 2 or 3 is a good number. What else? I enjoy days at the beach, I enjoy the weekends with my hubby, I love spending time with our friends, playing board games, dancing, watching movies (I'm a sucker for Lifetime too), going to the gym (well, I try to enjoy it)... oh and we love to travel.

That's about it for now...here are a couple pictures so you can put a face with a name. Thanks for checking me out! :-)

Me and my handsome hubby, Mike

Our happy home!

For the Love of Weddings...

2008-03-03T10:42:00.006-05:00

I spent yesterday at the Davis Islands Garden Club here in Tampa. This is the place where Mike and I got married back in October. I just adore this place and it brings back such wonderful memories everytime I go back. Today they held their first ever bridal show and they asked me to be a part of it. Mike's mom and I setup the beautiful, white shantung cushions around the patio...the ones that she made especially for our wedding. We are now renting them out to other brides at the DIGC. Here are a few pictures from our wedding at this wonderful little gem of a place.