Tricky Treats

Every self proclaimed (and professional) cook has a couple of random and unexpected frustrations in the kitchen. The chefs that I work with surprise me with their soft boiled egg or perfectly shaped cookie setbacks. Super simple dishes, right? And for professional chefs? What kind of restaurant does this girl run, anyway? If you're in the kitchen at all, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Don't fret, even the pro's experience these simple dish vexations. Oddly, candied nuts and home made hash browns have been my personal tricky treats. However, I am very proud to say that I may have mastered the trick to these treats!

For perfect hash browns:

1. Peel and grate desired amount of potatoes, I normally do about 4 for Jeremy and I  (brown, red, sweet all work)
2. Put grated potatoes into a bowl of cold water, wait until the water is very cloudy (approx 7 mins)
3. Strain grated potatoes, really well
4. Repeat 3 times, maybe more depending on how starchy your potatoes are, until the water is fairly clear with the grated potatoes in it
5. Strain potatoes extremely well (I normally let it sit in the strainer for 20 or so mins to drain as much water as possible)
6. Pour all of the grated potatoes on to a kitchen towel and pat dry, the dryer the better
7. Heat a large skillet with 1 tbsp of butter (for 4 potatoes), 1 tbsp of minced garlic and enough olive oil to lightly fill the bottom of the pan.
8. Once the butter is melted and you can smell the garlic, transfer the grated potatoes to the pan, sprinkle whatever seasoning you would like and leave until the pan side is browned, flip, done!

And for delish candied nuts:

1. Boil raw nuts until soft- 15/20 mins ish (pictured below: about 1 lb of whole/raw walnuts)

 2. Strain the nuts and immediately transfer to a boil of white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and I add a pinch of chili powder. Coat every nut completely by tossing them in the sugar mixture. (Tip: save the nut water to make a yummy gravy with to pour over chicken or any protein later on)

 3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Transfer coated nuts to a lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 or so minutes, you'll know when they're done when the sugar stops boiling and starts caramelizing; sticking to the nuts.

 4. Let the nuts sit for just a few minutes and transfer into a bowl. You don't want them to completely harden on the wax paper, unless you eat wax paper intentionally as a supplement for some sort of fiber deficiency...

And there you have it! Enjoy and good luck conquering  your personal tricky treats!

Stuffed Chicken

I created this recipe from a collaboration of a couple of recipes that have either been prepared for me or I've seen on the Food Network.

Ingredients:
5 Mushroom tops
2 large, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Sage
Basil
1/2 large white onion
2 tbsp garlic
White wine
Pasta
Sharp/smoked provolone cheese
8 or 9 slices of pancetta

Instructions:
1. Finely dice mushrooms, sage, basil, garlic, pancetta and onion and mix together in a seperate bowl (this is your chicken stuffing)
2. Cut chicken breasts into 2 halves long ways (think butterflying but all the way through)
3. Tenderize chicken until fairly thin
4. Slice each half in half again (you should have 8 pieces of thin chicken)
5. Scoop a tablespoon (give or take) of the stuffing on to the chicken and roll up, secure with a tooth pick
6. When all of the chicken is stuffed, place in to a med/low pan with olive oil cook until the chicken is a caramel color on all sides

7. When all of the chicken is browned place into a glass pyrex that has been sprayed with non stick spray
8. Preheat your oven to 350 and remove the toothpicks from the chicken
9. In the same pan that you cooked your chicken in, sautee the left over stuffing
10. Pour about a cup and a half-2 cups of white wine
11. Simmer for a couple of minutes
12. Pour the wine/stuffing mixture in to the pan with the chicken and pop in to the oven for about 20 minutes

13. While the chicken is baking cook your pasta and grate your cheese
14. After 20 minutes, turn all of the chicken rolls over and cook for about 7 minutes longer
15. Assemble the pasta first, grated cheese,sauce, chicken rolls

ENJOY!!

Cheese-less Pizza

I was craving pizza a couple of weeks ago and couldn't bring myself to get the dough whipped up until the other day. I used Giada De Laurentiis' recipe http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/pizza-dough-recipe/index.html. It's probably the easiest and yummiest dough recipe I've ever used.

Ok, dough done. Since I'm lactose intolerant, I prefer to whip a dairy free option together that can be happily and frequently eaten again and again. I had some pork roast sitting in my freezer that I defrosted over night and threw in the crock pot with a bottle of bbq sauce, onions, garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Once I got home from work I removed the meat from the crock pot and used the leftover sauce to sautee some slivered onions, cabbage and green bell pepper. After the meat was shredded and the veggies were sauteed, I rolled out the dough, slathered it with a little bit of bbq sauce, loaded it,and popped it in to the oven for about 20 mins at 425, topped with chopped cilantro and there you have it. My version of a cheese-less, flavor-full pizza.

These are Jeremy's pieces, he topped them with ranch... Which has dairy in it...

Mine was delicious without dairy. I will absolutely be making this again!

Apple-Cinnamon Rolls

I was looking for an apple dessert, last night, that I could use my frozen apples in. I stumbled upon this one (thanks Google) and I'm definitely filing it under my happy hubby dessert recipes.

Ingredients:

6 apples
2 c. flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 c. shortening
1/2 c. milk (soy or coconut will work wonderfully)

Sauce:
2 c. water
2 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
1. Core/peel apples (frozen or fresh work great) and cut into small chunks
2. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together
3. Cut in shortening
4. Add milk, stir evenly until all of the ingredients are moistened
5. Roll dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness
6. Sprinkle apples onto dough with about a handful of sugar (raw sugar is great here) and cinnamon
7. Roll dough up like a cinnamon roll, wrap in foil and freeze for up to 2 weeks and a minimum of 3 hours

Sauce:
1. Dissolve water and sugar in a pot on medium heat
2. Add butter and boil for a few minutes
3. Add cinnamon and boil until slightly thicker

When ready to bake cut in 1/2 inch coins and place on a rimmed cookie sheet. Pour sauce over the top. Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes.
(I baked it with a larger pan under it to catch drippage)

Before you throw that away...

...make muffins with it!

I just created my very first baking recipe and I'm thrilled to say that the end result was de-lish!

These, are sort of the casserole equivalent to a muffin. You know what I mean, there are always those meals that you try to use as many fresh ingredients that are about to sache their way into the trash or compost until you snag them mid jive rapido and make something with them and call it a "casserole." How on earth can you do that with muffins? Well, since you asked...

1 cup milled flaxseed/soy (either/or will work too)
1 cup whole wheat flour (either flour will work)
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup raw sugar (any kind of sugar will work-minus brown-raw sugar is not as sweet and has much less calories than white, also I had a ton of it that I'm trying to use in as many recipes as possible)
-Here's the fun part-
(I used these ingredients, you can use whatever you want)
-about 2 medium carrots (grated)
1 small pear (peeled, cored and chopped)
1 small apple (peeled, cored and chopped)
1/2 c soy milk
1/4 c oil (whatever you have)
1 tsp hazelnut extract (or vanilla or whatever extract you have)
1/2 cup nuts (I used almonds, you can use whatever you want or don't use them at all!)

Throw all of the ingredients in the mixer, no need to do dry first then wet ingredients. Just mix them all at the same time.

400 degrees and 20 minutes later you wind up with a yummy smelling house and about 18 muffins. If it's still cold at your house like it is at ours, these muffins are sure to warm you up!

enjoy.

Recipes

I am anti-clutter...ish.... The "ish" is an addition to that

statement that I am recently grasping.
The "ish" is referring to the fact that I can tolerate it,
when there is no use in spending time to pick something up
or organizing it when it's going to be torn apart in the
near future anyway. This "ish" can be summed up into picking
your battles and using your time wisely.
For example, this is my junk drawer

This will always be my junk drawer so I am safe to keep it up every once in awhile.
(Although, honestly, it always looks like this so I don't really need to organize it)
But, this is what I mean. Even my junk drawer is organized, but our office...during tax season.. when you own a construction company... is cluttery.
There is no use (and would actually be extremely counter-productive)
in cleaning up all of the paper work after prepping for part of a day.

I do, however have some hidden exceptions around the house.
My recipe collection is one of those exceptions.
I used to just store the ones I found or created in a little recipe box and just
dug through them when I needed to. But lately it has been truly been on my
nerves that I don't have them organized.

So I started with this mess And eventually got everything organized into a recipe binder that was given to me as a gift for my bridal shower (3 years ago... I know... I know). I have the fondest memories with this particular gift, everyone who attended the shower put their favorite recipes into the book. It's fun to cook other peoples' recipes, especially if those people are family.

And here's what I ended up with.

The box is going to go into our baby closet.. Once we have kids we are going to compile our childrens' favorite recipes from their childhood to send with them once they are out of the house.. Did that just sound as crazy as I think it did??
How's that for over planning, eh?

Blessed to Bake

I proposed the idea several weeks ago to the leadership at my church to start a baking group with the ladies who serve in the nursery at my church with me. With 200+ childcare volunteers it is hard to get to know everyone just by going to the gatherings. Last night was the very first baking evening. Only 2 ladies were able to make it, but it was so fun getting to know them! Jeremy and I have been getting to know a lot of people in our church by going to classes or multiple gatherings a week and by serving wherever the church needs us and I love this body that God has placed us in. It's not a country club of believers, it's not a religious meeting-doing our weekly religious duty-, everyone we've met is so real and open about their testimony which encourages us to do the same. It's truly changed our lives.

(I like much more crisp, than apple in my apple crisp)

The ladies and I baked apple crisp last night and it was YUMMY! I thought I would start off simple and would definitely take advantage of the apples on our tree that are about to be composted if we didn't use them for something. I had planned to also make some apple tartlets with the ladies but, I didn't thaw the puff pastry in time. Which actually worked perfectly because I was using a recipe that I'd never tried before (a brave move with guests, I know) so I gave the tartlets a try after the ladies left. They are so easy and sooooo delicious!After watching a youtube video on how to make tarts and studying the recipe I totally winged what I ended up baking and they ended up tasting wonderful!

The way I did these are terrible for you. Probably 500 or so calories per tartlet. I've given up sugar/sweets for a month or so and since then have had sugar head ache withdrawals and now am at a point, apparently, where if I have sweets it gives me a head ache. So, the leftovers are going to be a frequent visitor in Jeremy's lunch box.

For the Tartlets:

~Spray a muffin pan with non stick spray
~Cut Puff Pastry to fit each hole with a little over hang
~Cut about 5 medium apples into tiny pieces and reduce with a little water and mix in some cinnamon, a small handful of dark brown sugar and a pinch of flour
~After the apples are soft and the mixture has thickened, spoon into each puff pastry and fold the excess puff pastry over on each side
~Bake on 375 for 35-40 mins

To Top:
~Reduce any jam you'd think will taste good (apricot, plum, strawberry, etc)
~Brush onto baked tartlet
~In a double boiler cream together butterscotch and whipping cream to drizzle over top of cooled tartlet

Viola!!

I had half of one last night and they were sooo yummy. I haven't weighed myself this morning, but something tells me that numbers have increased for sure!

I can't wait to continue this idea and get to know more of the ladies!

Addiction. A scary word. Often a word that gets thrown around flagrantly with light hearted undertones. Whatever your experiences are with addictions, you know that once you've kicked an addiction the withdrawals and fiending are not far behind. Lurking in the shadows, serving as a punishment for your strong will to quit.

Ok... Enough, drama queen.



I am on a sugar and dairy strike. I was addicted! What?! I really was.

The dairy thing, bad news because I'm allergic, but would pop a lactaid and down a glass of milk coupled with a grilled cheese sandwich... No bueno. Sugar, on the other hand, and I have had a wonderful relationship throughout my 23 years on this earth. I have been a faithful and loyal consumer of all things that included sugar as an ingredient. In fact, as a child my parents would find me in the middle of the night with a face covered in sugar due to robbing the sugar bowl. My love for sweets started at a very young age. Ok, so every kid loves sweets. No need to alert the media. But into my adulthood, consuming entire boxes of donuts as a meal in the middle of the day and no where near "my time of the month" was not uncommon. I created a habit of "rewarding" myself upon completion of each meal with a cookie or brownie. Nightly I rewarded myself with the completion of the day with a bowl of ice cream (a double whamie-no-no, sweets and lactose). I classically conditioned myself to complete something (I'm being vague with the word "something" because I would literally wake up in the morning and think to reward myself with something sweet) and it would be followed by a sweet snack/meal. NOT OK. This probably sounds like I was depressed, I wasn't. I just have no self control. Not when it comes to sweet ingestables. And especially not if my metabolism is so darn fast that I didn't visually reap the consequences of my lack of self control.


SO, I've been without both dairy and sugar since Saturday. The headaches are enough to resort back to my unhealthy but delicious ways. But I won't! I want to create a healthy lifestyle for myself and my home and my future family.

I made some power muffins the other day and they sure are powerful! After tweeking the recipe several times, I think I've got it down.

Ingredients
1 ripened banana
2 tsp olive oil
1 organic brown egg
1/4 cup non-packed brown sugar
1/2 cup freshly ground flax seed
1/4 whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats (the whole grain kind, looks like horse food)
1/2 tsp baking soda

This recipe is the base, from here you can add whatever you want. I added in some dried cranberries and some dried apricots. Nuts, dark chocolate chips, any dried fruit all would be great. They are a great way to start out your day!I'm crossing my fingers that I can keep this up!