Oreo Cream ice cream
Fresh cut strawberries
Dark Chocolate Syrup.
And a spoon that just beckons you to pick it up.
-Betsy
Showing posts with label What's for Dinner?. Show all posts
Showing posts with label What's for Dinner?. Show all posts
July 28, 2011
July 20, 2011
My Lunch :-D
Well, I've discovered one good thing about not being "allowed" to eat cold meat: hot sandwiches.
Like this "cheese steak" I made with a bit of leftover onion in the fridge (cooked up first - I attempted to caramelize them, but was too hungry to wait... so sauteed), scissor cut roast beef from the deli (added to onions till pipin' hot!) and some cheddar cheese (melted and mixed in with the hot beef and onions) served on a fancy roll from my deli that's just stinkin delicious (toasted up whole in the toaster oven while cooking filling) and topped with ketchup... cause... that's how I eat my cheese steaks.
So maybe this hot-cold-cut thing isn't all bad...
-Betsy
May 27, 2011
Food Friday - Mine, and where you SHOULD be looking.
Friday. I'm supposed to deliver some yummy-ness or something.
Except this week, I ate this (or tried to at least)
Pizza from the local shop, frozen, and reheated in the microwave with some cucumbers and dip as a "veggie". Bean likes pizza. Bean doesn't like dill dip apparently.
And the next night I ate popcorn and gingerale. Yes, I ate 2 bowls of stove-popped popcorn and 2 cans of gingerale as dinner. Dessert was 2 slices of American cheese.
Knowing this, I pass on Fidelio's recipe of the week, which she graciously posted on a Thursday, so I could schedule this post. ;) No-Bake Key Lime Cheesecake.
-Betsy
Except this week, I ate this (or tried to at least)
Pizza from the local shop, frozen, and reheated in the microwave with some cucumbers and dip as a "veggie". Bean likes pizza. Bean doesn't like dill dip apparently.
And the next night I ate popcorn and gingerale. Yes, I ate 2 bowls of stove-popped popcorn and 2 cans of gingerale as dinner. Dessert was 2 slices of American cheese.
Knowing this, I pass on Fidelio's recipe of the week, which she graciously posted on a Thursday, so I could schedule this post. ;) No-Bake Key Lime Cheesecake.
-Betsy
May 6, 2011
I missed Thing Thursday. Food Friday instead
Oops! I missed Thing Thursday!! I even had stuff I could have posted. My new, super comfy skirt... or the (not so exciting) black out curtains. Or the guest-room black out curtains that still haven't been hung... even though we have people sleeping in that room tomorrow.
I think I'll stick with having skipped Thing Thursday and instead do a really lame Food Friday. Because I discovered something recently...
Peanut Butter/Nutella Sandwiches? Are delicious. You should make one. And since Nutella is apparently just as healthy as peanut butter... it can TOTALLY be considered healthy. At least... that's what I'm going with.
-Betsy
I think I'll stick with having skipped Thing Thursday and instead do a really lame Food Friday. Because I discovered something recently...
Peanut Butter/Nutella Sandwiches? Are delicious. You should make one. And since Nutella is apparently just as healthy as peanut butter... it can TOTALLY be considered healthy. At least... that's what I'm going with.
(not my picture, click for source link)
-Betsy
April 15, 2011
Food Friday - Mac and Cheese?
I apologize. I tried out a new recipe this week, which was a big hit... and never took a picture of it. And I even had the opportunity, since there were leftovers! But looking back at the food photos I have of recipes I haven't posted... they're not that exciting. So I'm going to hammer on and post this Mac and Cheese recipe I found on the internets with this instead:
I quartered the original recipe for the two of us, but it would be MUCH easier to make only halved... so here's the halved recipe (with my tweaks). The reviews of the recipe had said to double the sauce... so this is the doubled sauce measurements:
Baked Mac and Cheese - serves 8-10
8 oz Elbow Macaroni (half a box generally)
1/2 cup evaporated milk (one tiny can will work)
2 eggs
8 oz sour cream (comes that way in the small container :-P)
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1.5 cup shredded cheddar (I used colby and it was still yummy)
1/4 cup parmesan
(1/2 tbsp butter, melted) - I didn't use butter and it was still delicious.
1. Cook pasta according to package - al dente. Strain pasta and cool off pot slightly with cold water.
2. Mix milk, eggs, sour cream, season salt & pepper in cooled pasta pot (saves dishes!)
3. return pasta to pot, and add (or grate in) cheese (not the parmesean). FOLD IN the cheese to the pasta and milk mixture. Try stirring with figure 8's and don't expect the cheese to melt. DO NOT ADD HEAT. Once the cheese and milk and pasta are all mixed together, put it in a small glass dish. I used our round, straight walled pyrex.
4. Sprinkle the top with the parmesan, and if you want... drizzle the melted butter on top (it might make the parmesan crispier?)
5. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes or until the milk mixture thickens.
We all know by now (and if you don't, you will) that I don't measure well, and by well, I mean at all :-P. So I didn't really measure the cheese... I grated about... 4-6 oz in though probably? And then sprinkled a... bunch? of parmesan on top.
This mac and cheese could totally suffice as a meal. I never understood Mac and Cheese as dinner before... but I'd always imagined Kraft. This stuff was delicious, and I totally didn't have room for all my chicken 0:-P
-Betsy
Baked Mac and Cheese - serves 8-10
8 oz Elbow Macaroni (half a box generally)
1/2 cup evaporated milk (one tiny can will work)
2 eggs
8 oz sour cream (comes that way in the small container :-P)
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1.5 cup shredded cheddar (I used colby and it was still yummy)
1/4 cup parmesan
(1/2 tbsp butter, melted) - I didn't use butter and it was still delicious.
1. Cook pasta according to package - al dente. Strain pasta and cool off pot slightly with cold water.
2. Mix milk, eggs, sour cream, season salt & pepper in cooled pasta pot (saves dishes!)
3. return pasta to pot, and add (or grate in) cheese (not the parmesean). FOLD IN the cheese to the pasta and milk mixture. Try stirring with figure 8's and don't expect the cheese to melt. DO NOT ADD HEAT. Once the cheese and milk and pasta are all mixed together, put it in a small glass dish. I used our round, straight walled pyrex.
4. Sprinkle the top with the parmesan, and if you want... drizzle the melted butter on top (it might make the parmesan crispier?)
5. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes or until the milk mixture thickens.
We all know by now (and if you don't, you will) that I don't measure well, and by well, I mean at all :-P. So I didn't really measure the cheese... I grated about... 4-6 oz in though probably? And then sprinkled a... bunch? of parmesan on top.
This mac and cheese could totally suffice as a meal. I never understood Mac and Cheese as dinner before... but I'd always imagined Kraft. This stuff was delicious, and I totally didn't have room for all my chicken 0:-P
-Betsy
March 8, 2011
Grilled Mushrooms
The other day I decided we needed to eat the mushrooms in the fridge... and hubby LOVES them with red wine vinegar, sauteed... but I don't. I HATE Red Wine Vinegar. Every time I make him mushrooms and red wine vinegar, he's reminded a FEW times of how much this proves I love him. Even IF I'm making myself plain mushrooms as well, and this means that he has TWO pots to clean instead of just one. Don't be fooled hubby... it's still proof of love.
SO, I figured that instead of proving my love and dirtying two pots and having to smell that nasty vinegar (sorry to all those who love it, I SO don't), I'd make GRILLED mushrooms. Have people ever made grilled mushrooms before? Probably... but I'm going to pretend they haven't and I'm a major trend setter.
I washed them off, broke off the stems, doused them with a little bit of olive oil, sprinkled them with garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and a splash of balsamic vinegar (things I THOUGHT I'd remembered from an old stuffed mushrooms recipe... but in cabinet form, and the only vinegar I'll eat). Then off to the grill they went with the pork chops. They got put on the hot part of the grill, crown up, pork chops on the medium portion, 4 minutes later everything got flipped over (crown down so juices would collect inside), another 4 minutes and dinner was ready! (I had cooked rice already). I tossed them in a bowl again and all that veggie juice covered them, and it was DELICIOUS.
-Betsy
SO, I figured that instead of proving my love and dirtying two pots and having to smell that nasty vinegar (sorry to all those who love it, I SO don't), I'd make GRILLED mushrooms. Have people ever made grilled mushrooms before? Probably... but I'm going to pretend they haven't and I'm a major trend setter.
I washed them off, broke off the stems, doused them with a little bit of olive oil, sprinkled them with garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and a splash of balsamic vinegar (things I THOUGHT I'd remembered from an old stuffed mushrooms recipe... but in cabinet form, and the only vinegar I'll eat). Then off to the grill they went with the pork chops. They got put on the hot part of the grill, crown up, pork chops on the medium portion, 4 minutes later everything got flipped over (crown down so juices would collect inside), another 4 minutes and dinner was ready! (I had cooked rice already). I tossed them in a bowl again and all that veggie juice covered them, and it was DELICIOUS.
-Betsy
January 7, 2011
Banana Bread!
So I had a baking day today. It was fabulous. Cheesecake, Chocolate Pudding Pie, Refridgerator Bread (as I'm calling it at least) and Banana Bread. A lovely, double batch of banana bread.
This, banana bread.
With it's yummy crisp top and soft and moist center that I just KNOW is inside... waiting for breakfast tomorrow :)This, banana bread.
The Tricks:
1) freeze your banana's when they start to get too brown for you to eat. Not only does this keep you from throwing them away, but it lets you make banana bread when you want it... as opposed to when the bananas are ready. ALSO, the freezing makes them super mushy... so you don't end up having to "mash" them - one less thing to clean... two actually... no fork and no mashing bowl.
2) make sure you're ready to put the bread in the oven RIGHT after you mix it.
The Recipe is (slightly modified) from The Joy of Cooking, 75th Anniversary Edition. I know what page it's on from the wrinkled, egg-spattered-ness because I use this recipe more than any other in the book 0:-). No bookmark needed.
YOU WILL NEED (my version)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening (or margerine or butter - softened)
2/3 cup sugar
1 to 2 large eggs
2-3 frozen bananas (defrosted, in their skins)
a measuring cup, a wisk, a Big bowl, scissors, and a 8ishx4ish baking pan.
FIRST, mix the dry ingredients together while your wisk is still dry
SECOND, mash up the vegetable shortening- it says to beat until creamy... I've never seen shortening get creamy, i just break it up a bit with the wisk, and then add sugar, mixing them together till they get crumbly.
THIRD, add the eggs. Whether you use one or two kind of depends on the amount of banana. The more banana... the more eggs. If I use 2 bananas, I use one egg (the egg is a binder). It always comes out yummy no matter what though, so don't sweat it.
FOURTH, cut the top of your defrosted black squidgy bananas off, and squeeze them into the bowl... kinda like toothpaste. It's gross, yes, but oh so easy, so little cleanup and darn yummy. Mix it up with the wisk... you'll still have banana chunks. That's OK. I like it that way - try it once... if you don't like it... you can "fully mash" your bananas next time.
FIFTH, add the dry ingredients in three portions, mixing until smooth after each addition
SIXTH, put all the mushy goodness into a greased baking pan, throw it in a preheated 350* oven for an hour (yes, it takes the whole hour, often a little longer for me) until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool it for a bit, then pop out of your pan and cool fully before slicing. Don't worry, a quick zap in the microwave, or a run in the toaster will warm it right up and make your butter melt all over it in deliciousness. Hubby likes it with cream cheese (hmmm... cream cheese... that ever-popular refrigerator inhabitant - by the way... for those who keep up with me, the sale was still going, so I bought another 8 bars this week. But it's 8 instead of 12, and there's no Christmas break inbetween, so I should be good. And if I'm not... I totally mastered the cheesecake. It really is just as simple as following directions, lol)
-Betsy
January 1, 2011
CREAM CHEESE!!
(Photo stolen out of laziness - thanks Google images)
So a while back, the store had Philadelphia Cream Cheese on sale for 99cents a bar. SUPER DEAL, so I bought a case. The best-by date was Jan 4, and I figured hubby eats cream cheese on a bagel every morning for breakfast, so a bar a week for that, a little extra for when I eat some too, and enough for a cheesecake for the new year. Well, I apparently didn't eat my share, and hubby didn't eat bagels for about 2 weeks, so I was suddenly left with 7 bars of cream cheese, with an impending due-date.
Things I've learned about cream cheese:
1) "Best By" is NOT "expires" and the cream cheese is still good to go for at LEAST a week or two.
2) Cream cheese does NOT freeze well - it still tastes kinda the same, but is NOT creamy upon defrosting... it's kinda grainy and definitely not my favorite.
3) Cheesecake apparently doesn't freeze top notch either, unless you "do it right" - and I'm not sure how that is, so we're not trying.
4) You get a lot of good ideas when you say something like "I have an overabundance of Cream Cheese. Other than Cheesecake... what can I do with it?!?!" on Facebook.
Other ways to use cream cheese (other than bagels and cheesecake, but no better for you really) are:
1) Put it in your mashed potatoes (thank you Gramma!) - we did this tonight, and it was DELICIOUS. Like, best mashed potatoes ever. Like, now a standard ingredient in mashed-potato-ness.
2) Make a cheese ball. From what I know, finely grated cheese, cream cheese, little seasoning, mix, roll in nuts - Gourmet! Or you can try an ACTUAL recipe like the one at my fav food blog. OR for a third option: cream cheese, splash of OJ, chopped dried cranberries and chopped pecans rolled into a ball (courtesy Aunt Liz)
3) Mix with milk until the consistency of sour cream, and make dip (like you'd do with sour cream)
4) Layered dip - my friend Anne-Marie suggested cream cheese, chili, cheddar, microwaved until the cheddar melted with fritos - sounded yummy! Or you can go with the 7 layer Mexican standby (and one of my fav's)
5) Mix with milk and use in Scalloped Potatoes (another Gramma suggestion, so I'm sure it's delish)
6) Cheese SPREAD (I think) - Mix cream cheese with spices and then cover with pesto and grated parmesan cheese. Eat it with crackers. Also good with sundried tomatoes in the layers - Courtesy of Mary-Ann :)
7) Breakfast pastry. Essentially, croissants laid out, with cream cheese icing and pie filling on it, and strips of croissant on top. Haven't made it in a LONG time, but it was DELICIOUS with Peach Pie filling when I did.
This week's cream cheese uses:
Stick 1: Added to Mashed Potatoes for dinner tonight (1/3 stick) and dip/cheeseball for visitors tomorrow (2/3 stick)
Sticks 2 and 3: Cheesecake for Sunday's Visitors. (leftovers will be sent home with them. I hope they like cheesecake)
Stick 4: Bagels for hubby to go to work with
Sticks 5 and 6: Cheesecake for visitors next Saturday
Stick 7: Breakfast Pastry for after Church next Sunday
On the shopping list this week... more cream cheese.
-Betsy
December 2, 2010
Interjection:
October 13, 2010
Spaghetti Sauce
So today, I am making spaghetti sauce. Last time, I made it from fresh tomatoes, and hubby and I decided it was missing just... more seasoning. This time, I got a HUGE can of whole, peeled tomatoes from Sam's Club, and read up on how to make spaghetti sauce. And what I learned: add olive oil and as much seasoning as you want. You almost can't go overboard. So a handful of dried basil, a big handful of oregano, a small handful of ground up rosemary, 2 small onions, diced, and 3+ tbsp of minced garlic, a bunch of salt (that one you probably CAN go overboard on, but tomatoes need a lot of salt, so don't worry too much).
Hardest part? Cook FOREVER. Without the lid on is probably better - tomatoes are really juicy, and sauce isn't supposed to be. Why is this hard? You PROBABLY shouldn't leave the house while you have an active stove going. But it's a great thing to do if you're going to be baking bread on laundry day. Yup... that's the hard part. And even the not flavorful enough sauce was delicious. Can't wait to try this batch :-D
-Betsy
Hardest part? Cook FOREVER. Without the lid on is probably better - tomatoes are really juicy, and sauce isn't supposed to be. Why is this hard? You PROBABLY shouldn't leave the house while you have an active stove going. But it's a great thing to do if you're going to be baking bread on laundry day. Yup... that's the hard part. And even the not flavorful enough sauce was delicious. Can't wait to try this batch :-D
-Betsy
October 1, 2010
Mmmmmmm... beer cupcakes with alcohol frosting....
So I'm made cupcakes today. I had to ask a GROOM for help with his fiance's Bridal Shower and Bachelorette... and he would only comply with the promise of "Car Bomb Cupcakes" being delivered. I needed the guest-list help that bad! I love them both, but haven't quite been part of the "local watering hole" for the past... 4 years, so I was stuck. Car Bomb Cupcake Bribe to the rescue!
They smell delicious coming from the oven with hints of Guinness. The delectable taste of bailey's in the buttercreme... I'd recommend halving the batch unless you have lots of people to share with, as these are RICH, but YUMMY. And definitely get the special icing tip for filling cupcakes... I can't imagine doing it any other way - just make sure that you stop if you start to "pop" the cupcake, lol. And make 1.5 times the icing recipe... maybe even double. Unless you want just a dollop on top, which might be a good idea when it's filled with ganache, but I went with "go big or go home" :-P
Photos first... then link to recipe.
The recipe is here: at Annie's Eats.
-Betsy
They smell delicious coming from the oven with hints of Guinness. The delectable taste of bailey's in the buttercreme... I'd recommend halving the batch unless you have lots of people to share with, as these are RICH, but YUMMY. And definitely get the special icing tip for filling cupcakes... I can't imagine doing it any other way - just make sure that you stop if you start to "pop" the cupcake, lol. And make 1.5 times the icing recipe... maybe even double. Unless you want just a dollop on top, which might be a good idea when it's filled with ganache, but I went with "go big or go home" :-P
Photos first... then link to recipe.
The recipe is here: at Annie's Eats.
-Betsy
September 13, 2010
For Hadley.
Who's Hadley? The cutest little girl of the Anderson Crew!
Why Hadley? Because the poor girl has exema and is allergic to EVERYTHING.
Her mom is super cool, and takes FAB pictures. And while I don't KNOW Hadley, I figured that if I enjoyed reading her mom's blog every day... I could post a few recipes from my box that she might be able to eat, without getting the itchies (and hopefully easy for mom)
SO: Massive Recipe Overload commencing.....
NOW!
Italian Chicken Parsels
Chicken, Mozzarella Slices, Zucchini, Onions , basil or oregano, pepper, rice
- Cut squares of foil and brush with oil.
- Slash chicken 3-4 times and tuck mozzarella in the slashes.
- Place zucchini and onions maybe on foil and season with pepper and herbs
- Place chicken on veggies and close the packets (fold up the foil)
- Place on cookie sheet and cook in a 400* oven for 30 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. The veggies will steam while the chicken cooks. (or you can do it on the grill - slightly lower temps though - due to direct heat)
- Serve with white rice
Chicken Nuggets!
Super simple. Chunk up chicken breast. Coat with (gluten free) flour, optionally seasoned with salt and pepper (nothing else needed) and pan fry in butter. It's a light coating, but delicious. I use this method in my Popcorn Chicken Salad.
Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce
1.5 cups mayo
1/4 cup Dijon-style mustard
1/2 cup honey. Mix well, chill for 2 hours and serve.
*side note: Lumpia Sauce is very similar to sweet and sour sauce - which generally uses corn starch and/or ketchup. Lumpia sauce uses BANANA Ketchup... which might be a good alternative to some other dipping sauces that use tomato.
Tuna Noodle
1 Can Tuna
1 Cup Gluten-Free Pasta
1 cubed apple
Mayonaise
Easiest summer food EVER. Cook Pasta, rinse with cold water (or you can make it hot and let it cool in the fridge... or eat it warm, but I don't like it warm). Drain tuna, cut apple, mix with as much mayo as you like. DONE.
Poppy Seed Chicken - This one's been blogged... so I won't repeat it
Mustard Baked Chicken
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp mild mustard
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp poppy seeds
salt and pepper to taste
Arrange chicken in an oven-proof dish. Combine butter, mustard, lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper.
Brush mixture on chicken (I generally use a small dish and practically sink the chicken in the sauce)
Cook in oven on 400* for 15 minutes, then turn chicken over.
Serve with gluten free pasta, egg-noodles are good (although may cause itchies... I dunno), and rice is yummy too!
Scalloped Potatoes
4 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
Salt and pepper
about 3 tbsp gluten free flour
about 4 tbsp butter
about 1.5 cups milk
Butter a 1.5 qt casserole dish. Cover bottom with a single layer of potatoes. Sprinkle generously with salt pepper and flour and add dots of butter. Repeat until all the potatoes are used. Pour milk over potatoes until almost covered. Dot top with additional butter. Bake 1 hr at 350* until potatoes are soft.
Hopefully, gluten free flour and the other alternate flours around can replace your regular flour for the wheat! I have a lot of friends with allergies - one has celiac's, and does all her own bread making with the gluten free flour and rice flours. Another is allergic to celery (talk about not eating out - EVERYTHING is cooked with celery salt!) and has started her own garden so that she can avoid all the STUFF she's allergic to. Sunflower seeds are a hit with her. And my cousin is allergic to fruit... and that's near impossible to avoid, so he takes a Zyrtec every day... and wishes he'd known years ago that would fix it. It's always best to avoid as many foods that cause you allergies as you can... but sometimes ya gotta go the medicinal route. Like me - I'm allergic to Virginia... but I'm stuck here for now... so Clariton and Nasonex are now part of my everyday routine :-P. Good luck! And enjoy the potatoes and water Hadley ;)
-Betsy
Why Hadley? Because the poor girl has exema and is allergic to EVERYTHING.
Her mom is super cool, and takes FAB pictures. And while I don't KNOW Hadley, I figured that if I enjoyed reading her mom's blog every day... I could post a few recipes from my box that she might be able to eat, without getting the itchies (and hopefully easy for mom)
SO: Massive Recipe Overload commencing.....
NOW!
Italian Chicken Parsels
Chicken, Mozzarella Slices, Zucchini, Onions , basil or oregano, pepper, rice
- Cut squares of foil and brush with oil.
- Slash chicken 3-4 times and tuck mozzarella in the slashes.
- Place zucchini and onions maybe on foil and season with pepper and herbs
- Place chicken on veggies and close the packets (fold up the foil)
- Place on cookie sheet and cook in a 400* oven for 30 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. The veggies will steam while the chicken cooks. (or you can do it on the grill - slightly lower temps though - due to direct heat)
- Serve with white rice
Chicken Nuggets!
Super simple. Chunk up chicken breast. Coat with (gluten free) flour, optionally seasoned with salt and pepper (nothing else needed) and pan fry in butter. It's a light coating, but delicious. I use this method in my Popcorn Chicken Salad.
Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce
1.5 cups mayo
1/4 cup Dijon-style mustard
1/2 cup honey. Mix well, chill for 2 hours and serve.
*side note: Lumpia Sauce is very similar to sweet and sour sauce - which generally uses corn starch and/or ketchup. Lumpia sauce uses BANANA Ketchup... which might be a good alternative to some other dipping sauces that use tomato.
Tuna Noodle
1 Can Tuna
1 Cup Gluten-Free Pasta
1 cubed apple
Mayonaise
Easiest summer food EVER. Cook Pasta, rinse with cold water (or you can make it hot and let it cool in the fridge... or eat it warm, but I don't like it warm). Drain tuna, cut apple, mix with as much mayo as you like. DONE.
Poppy Seed Chicken - This one's been blogged... so I won't repeat it
Mustard Baked Chicken
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp mild mustard
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp poppy seeds
salt and pepper to taste
Arrange chicken in an oven-proof dish. Combine butter, mustard, lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper.
Brush mixture on chicken (I generally use a small dish and practically sink the chicken in the sauce)
Cook in oven on 400* for 15 minutes, then turn chicken over.
Serve with gluten free pasta, egg-noodles are good (although may cause itchies... I dunno), and rice is yummy too!
Scalloped Potatoes
4 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
Salt and pepper
about 3 tbsp gluten free flour
about 4 tbsp butter
about 1.5 cups milk
Butter a 1.5 qt casserole dish. Cover bottom with a single layer of potatoes. Sprinkle generously with salt pepper and flour and add dots of butter. Repeat until all the potatoes are used. Pour milk over potatoes until almost covered. Dot top with additional butter. Bake 1 hr at 350* until potatoes are soft.
Hopefully, gluten free flour and the other alternate flours around can replace your regular flour for the wheat! I have a lot of friends with allergies - one has celiac's, and does all her own bread making with the gluten free flour and rice flours. Another is allergic to celery (talk about not eating out - EVERYTHING is cooked with celery salt!) and has started her own garden so that she can avoid all the STUFF she's allergic to. Sunflower seeds are a hit with her. And my cousin is allergic to fruit... and that's near impossible to avoid, so he takes a Zyrtec every day... and wishes he'd known years ago that would fix it. It's always best to avoid as many foods that cause you allergies as you can... but sometimes ya gotta go the medicinal route. Like me - I'm allergic to Virginia... but I'm stuck here for now... so Clariton and Nasonex are now part of my everyday routine :-P. Good luck! And enjoy the potatoes and water Hadley ;)
-Betsy
August 26, 2010
Soulvaki... AKA, Chicken Gyros
I had 2 cucumbers from the garden that were almost at the "overripe" state... and we don't eat THAT many cucumbers (which is why I grew them... I hate buying them and throwing half away... growing them and throwing half away I'm much more comforable with) so I decided that I needed to make Tzatziki Sauce... which means gyros - but I didn't have any lamb around, so we had Soulvaki instead :)
Boy was this yummy - and way easier than I had expected. Lettuce, tomato, peppers, a little shallot, feta, grilled marinated chicken and Tzatziki on a pita. Heaven and even potentially a "quick meal" if you do a little prep ahead of time!
Boy was this yummy - and way easier than I had expected. Lettuce, tomato, peppers, a little shallot, feta, grilled marinated chicken and Tzatziki on a pita. Heaven and even potentially a "quick meal" if you do a little prep ahead of time!
Tzatziki:
1/2 cup grated cucumber (I food-processed mine to save my fingers and cause I'm lazy.)
1/2 cup strained greek yogurt (I just put mine in from the container that said "strained" but it ended up being soupy... don't know if that's right, the cucumbers, or if I was supposed to drain the yogurt again...)
1 garlic clove (I used a rasp to mush mine in)
1 tbsp Lemon Juice (mine was from a bottle)
1/4 tsp salt
**combine, eat. Keeps in fridge for a week
Soulvaki
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic (SOOO yummy!)
1.5 tsp fresh oregano or 1/2 tsp dried
1/2 tsp salt
**marinate chicken for 30 minutes, flipping once. I cubed the chicken and put it on skewers... you could use chicken fingers and just throw them on the grill, or use a grill pan too.
"Gyro" - Gyros are basically Lamb with Tzatziki on a pita. Anything else you add is considered a condiment. Soulvaki is the "chicken version" of a gyro.
-Betsy
August 17, 2010
Dinner Tonight
This is what happens when you suddenly realize you have a bajillion cherry tomatoes from your garden, a HUGE bush of basil and a nice little bit of fresh oregano!
And I ate it all forgetting the picture of the noodles tossed in. :-P mmmmmm... yummy!!
-Betsy
August 3, 2010
What's for dinner? Empanadas!
But I didn't like the dough recipe :( The filling was great though! 1/2 lb ground beef, cooked, 1/2 small onion, 1/2 tsp cumin and 1/2 can of beans, 4 oz shredded cheddar cheese. Easy to double ;)
Lame post today, I know. We haven't been eating that fabulously around here lately, lol.
Contest is still open! No entries yet - but we're halfway to the follower count (ish)!
Lame post today, I know. We haven't been eating that fabulously around here lately, lol.
Contest is still open! No entries yet - but we're halfway to the follower count (ish)!
July 26, 2010
1-2-3-4 Cake!
My great grandma had a cake she used to make for people's birthday's. It was my dad's favorite, and he talks about it ALL the time. For a long time I thought it was a "secret" recipe, but after reading through it... it's the one on the back of the flour box. SO... I don't feel bad at all passing it on :-P It's a light and fluffy VERY sweet vanilla. I can understand why my dad loved it as a kid... and he still does!!
The "special" part about this cake appears to be the flour... the recipe my Great Aunt gave me has measurements for cake flour and regular flour, so you probably don't need it, but the "special" flour is Soft-As-Silk flour by General Mills. It's not ALWAYS on the back of the box, but apparently you can get the flour from their website. Fortunately for me, it's in my regular grocery store here! :-D
So here it is:
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
3 cups cake flour (or 2 3/4 cups regular flour)
3 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Mix softened butter and sugar well
Add eggs one at a time
Mix flour, baking powder and salt, then sift it.
Mix flour mixture and milk into batter alternately and in thirds.
Add vanilla
Grease the pan with crisco and dust with flour or spray with Pam with Flour (works wonders)
Pour batter in pan and bake for 45-55 minutes at 350* or until a toothpick comes out clean
**warning: I have a heart shaped bundt pan, and it OVERFLOWED out of the pan - enough to make, I dunno, a few cupcakes?
I'd either make a 3 layer cake from this recipe, or some cupcakes too! Don't overfill your pan like I did!
This would probably easily make a bundt cake and about 6 cupcakes, a 3 layer cake, or close to 18 cupcakes. So be ready for a party!
Great Grandam used the icing recipe from the BOX of confectionery (powdered) sugar, but if you buy the bag...
Mix
1/2 stick softened butter
2 tablespoons crisco
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
Milk and Sugar to desired spreading consistency - generally 4 cups of sugar and 1/4 cup milk.
I made a simple chocolate ganache... chocolate chips and some heavy cream heated up in the microwave SLOWLY and mixed together until it was smooth. I put the chips in a pyrex measuring cup, and then poured whipping cream in until it was halfway up the chips. Add more chocolate to make it thicker, more cream to make it thinner... and just drizzle it over the cake. DELISH.
Enjoy!!
The "special" part about this cake appears to be the flour... the recipe my Great Aunt gave me has measurements for cake flour and regular flour, so you probably don't need it, but the "special" flour is Soft-As-Silk flour by General Mills. It's not ALWAYS on the back of the box, but apparently you can get the flour from their website. Fortunately for me, it's in my regular grocery store here! :-D
So here it is:
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
3 cups cake flour (or 2 3/4 cups regular flour)
3 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Mix softened butter and sugar well
Add eggs one at a time
Mix flour, baking powder and salt, then sift it.
Mix flour mixture and milk into batter alternately and in thirds.
Add vanilla
Grease the pan with crisco and dust with flour or spray with Pam with Flour (works wonders)
Pour batter in pan and bake for 45-55 minutes at 350* or until a toothpick comes out clean
**warning: I have a heart shaped bundt pan, and it OVERFLOWED out of the pan - enough to make, I dunno, a few cupcakes?
I'd either make a 3 layer cake from this recipe, or some cupcakes too! Don't overfill your pan like I did!
This would probably easily make a bundt cake and about 6 cupcakes, a 3 layer cake, or close to 18 cupcakes. So be ready for a party!
Great Grandam used the icing recipe from the BOX of confectionery (powdered) sugar, but if you buy the bag...
Mix
1/2 stick softened butter
2 tablespoons crisco
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
Milk and Sugar to desired spreading consistency - generally 4 cups of sugar and 1/4 cup milk.
I made a simple chocolate ganache... chocolate chips and some heavy cream heated up in the microwave SLOWLY and mixed together until it was smooth. I put the chips in a pyrex measuring cup, and then poured whipping cream in until it was halfway up the chips. Add more chocolate to make it thicker, more cream to make it thinner... and just drizzle it over the cake. DELISH.
Enjoy!!
July 18, 2010
It's still July?
I'm just realizing that we're still only about 1/2 way through July... and SO much has happened in our house! We've had Marine Corps Ceremonies, gone home for a family party (Zimmer Day), visited with friends we haven't seen in TOO long, got an ice-cream maker, had family in to visit for a few days, and gone to a baseball game with my sister.
Still in store for this month is a visit from another friend, and two weekends of parents! (All fabulously wonderful, exciting, happy things, I'm just amazed it's all happening in JUST JULY)
No wonder why I'm so pooped this weekend (and blogging, because it involves lying on the couch with my laptop in the AC)! Also in the coming weeks is me *hopefully* getting "running" again, and getting some more photos uploaded to Etsy, as well as putting up some new items. I think I'm feeling a summer contest coming up too... so don't forget to follow me so you'll know RIGHT when I unveil it.
Time to start thinking about dinner... I think we'll revisit some favorites tonight - garlic marinated sirloin, some grilled veggies and baked potatoes...
Still in store for this month is a visit from another friend, and two weekends of parents! (All fabulously wonderful, exciting, happy things, I'm just amazed it's all happening in JUST JULY)
No wonder why I'm so pooped this weekend (and blogging, because it involves lying on the couch with my laptop in the AC)! Also in the coming weeks is me *hopefully* getting "running" again, and getting some more photos uploaded to Etsy, as well as putting up some new items. I think I'm feeling a summer contest coming up too... so don't forget to follow me so you'll know RIGHT when I unveil it.
Time to start thinking about dinner... I think we'll revisit some favorites tonight - garlic marinated sirloin, some grilled veggies and baked potatoes...
July 16, 2010
Two day week. What's for Dinner 2!
I've been distracted this week... and part of me wants to just post another recipe... so I think I will. :-P
This recipe is thanks to my "Cousin" (AKA, best neighbor EVER - MISS YOU!!) and I finally made it the other day for my picky little God Daughter eater - and it was DELICIOUS. Just don't think about how much fatty goodness you're putting in the pan, and you'll be FINE.
Poppy Seed Chicken Bake
Ingredients:
Chicken Breasts (I'd recommend at least 6 medium - you're going to chop it up though, so a giant can of chicken or any other shape chicken is fine too)
8 oz Sour Cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
seasoned salt
garlic powder
onion powder
2 tbsp poppy seeds
2 rolls ritz crackers
1.5 Sticks of butter, melted (I broke down at the end and only used 1... we were only feeding 4 for goodness sake!)
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 350* because this takes no time to prepare - or prepare your pan ahead and just wait till you're ready for dinner to preheat the oven.
- Boil chicken to cook, and chop into chunks
- In pan (I used a large rectangular pyrex) combine sour cream, chicken soup, seasoned salt, garlic powder and onion powder (add to taste - or a generous "sprinkle" across the entire pan of each)
- Break up the ritz crackers - a fairly easy and less messy method is to crunch them IN their sleeves, and pour out when ready. Also helps since you can crush them ahead of time)
- In a large bowl, mix the crackers, poppy seeds and butter. (I melted the butter in a microwave safe bowl, and added the crackers and poppy seeds in and just made sure to stir well - less to clean later!)
- Pour the cracker mix on top of the chicken mix and place in oven for 30 minutes
Serve over rice (and with some kind of veggie - we at the famous Peas, because God Daughter actually LOVES them)
Out comes a crunchy, oh so delicious meal that requires no knives. :-P Just scoop and eat. SO glad I snagged this recipe from you Cousin! It was a HIT with Hubby AND picky God Daughter!
(Leftovers - forgot to snap a shot first!)
This recipe is thanks to my "Cousin" (AKA, best neighbor EVER - MISS YOU!!) and I finally made it the other day for my picky little God Daughter eater - and it was DELICIOUS. Just don't think about how much fatty goodness you're putting in the pan, and you'll be FINE.
Poppy Seed Chicken Bake
Ingredients:
Chicken Breasts (I'd recommend at least 6 medium - you're going to chop it up though, so a giant can of chicken or any other shape chicken is fine too)
8 oz Sour Cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
seasoned salt
garlic powder
onion powder
2 tbsp poppy seeds
2 rolls ritz crackers
1.5 Sticks of butter, melted (I broke down at the end and only used 1... we were only feeding 4 for goodness sake!)
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 350* because this takes no time to prepare - or prepare your pan ahead and just wait till you're ready for dinner to preheat the oven.
- Boil chicken to cook, and chop into chunks
- In pan (I used a large rectangular pyrex) combine sour cream, chicken soup, seasoned salt, garlic powder and onion powder (add to taste - or a generous "sprinkle" across the entire pan of each)
- Break up the ritz crackers - a fairly easy and less messy method is to crunch them IN their sleeves, and pour out when ready. Also helps since you can crush them ahead of time)
- In a large bowl, mix the crackers, poppy seeds and butter. (I melted the butter in a microwave safe bowl, and added the crackers and poppy seeds in and just made sure to stir well - less to clean later!)
- Pour the cracker mix on top of the chicken mix and place in oven for 30 minutes
Serve over rice (and with some kind of veggie - we at the famous Peas, because God Daughter actually LOVES them)
Out comes a crunchy, oh so delicious meal that requires no knives. :-P Just scoop and eat. SO glad I snagged this recipe from you Cousin! It was a HIT with Hubby AND picky God Daughter!
July 13, 2010
What's for Dinner? Cheatin' Alfredo and Peas
So hubby and I don't typically eat peas. I keep them in the fridge for soup, because for some reason, I like sweet petite peas in my soups with corn and carrots and potatoes and all those other veggies. BUT, at the store this week, thinking I grabbed a bag of frozen green beans (a HUGE staple in our diet), I grabbed peas. SO, since it was a huge bag, and not petite peas, I'm going to have to make an effort to use them... which means we may end up with another option for veggies at dinner... cause dinner the other night was DE-lish!
So this is the easiest, most "looks like you spent time" meal I've made in a while.
I grilled our chicken (which was in tenderloin form) but I've made this dish with broccoli (our typical method) just in 1 pan... so you can salt and pepper the chicken, (I always add a little garlic to EVERYTHING) and throw it on the grill before cutting it into cubes, or you can cut it into cubes and cook it up in a pan... either way works.
Basically, find a pasta you like - Bowties would be perfect for this - I didn't have any in my cabinet. and cook it to your desired consistancy. Check.
Open jar of alfredo sauce. I personally love Classico's 4 cheese alfredo, and usually have 1 or two jars on hand all the time - for nights I need a quick "no think" meal like this one.
Pour alfredo sauce into pan (possibly with cooked chicken) and heat
Add peas (or broccoli) until heated through.
Add cooked pasta and toss to coat.
Serve.
That's it. you've got all 4 food groups (I know... it's a pyramid, whatever) in 1 pan and 1 pot with 1 spoon (and a cutting board). Talk about easy dishes, and in however long it takes to cook the pasta/chicken (which you do at the same time) you've got this fancy schmancy dinner, right out of your cabinet. I love meals like this. And it was super yummy too!! And we really liked it with the peas! Time to go buy me some more Alfredo...
P.S. One little jar of Alfredo can go a long way. If you need to stretch it... add some milk when heating it up - it will be a little thinner and cover more noodles. This pan here used 2 cups dry noodles, 10 little chicken tenders and 1 jar alfredo - peas till it looked green enough :-P. It should have fed at least 4 - I still have at least a serving and a half in the fridge (mmmm... lunch today...). So if you need to serve a few more mouths than 4, just add more noodles (or chicken) whatever your family likes. It's easily made for 1 or two as well if you only use part of the jar :-P I was lazy and dumped the whole darned thing in.
So this is the easiest, most "looks like you spent time" meal I've made in a while.
I grilled our chicken (which was in tenderloin form) but I've made this dish with broccoli (our typical method) just in 1 pan... so you can salt and pepper the chicken, (I always add a little garlic to EVERYTHING) and throw it on the grill before cutting it into cubes, or you can cut it into cubes and cook it up in a pan... either way works.
Basically, find a pasta you like - Bowties would be perfect for this - I didn't have any in my cabinet. and cook it to your desired consistancy. Check.
Open jar of alfredo sauce. I personally love Classico's 4 cheese alfredo, and usually have 1 or two jars on hand all the time - for nights I need a quick "no think" meal like this one.
Pour alfredo sauce into pan (possibly with cooked chicken) and heat
Add peas (or broccoli) until heated through.
Add cooked pasta and toss to coat.
Serve.
That's it. you've got all 4 food groups (I know... it's a pyramid, whatever) in 1 pan and 1 pot with 1 spoon (and a cutting board). Talk about easy dishes, and in however long it takes to cook the pasta/chicken (which you do at the same time) you've got this fancy schmancy dinner, right out of your cabinet. I love meals like this. And it was super yummy too!! And we really liked it with the peas! Time to go buy me some more Alfredo...
P.S. One little jar of Alfredo can go a long way. If you need to stretch it... add some milk when heating it up - it will be a little thinner and cover more noodles. This pan here used 2 cups dry noodles, 10 little chicken tenders and 1 jar alfredo - peas till it looked green enough :-P. It should have fed at least 4 - I still have at least a serving and a half in the fridge (mmmm... lunch today...). So if you need to serve a few more mouths than 4, just add more noodles (or chicken) whatever your family likes. It's easily made for 1 or two as well if you only use part of the jar :-P I was lazy and dumped the whole darned thing in.
July 2, 2010
What's for Dinner? ICE CREAM!!
We got an ice cream maker :-D I'm excited. I better start running ALL the time now, but this home-made ice cream thing is pretty fabulous.
We got a Cuisinart ICE-21 (aka, 1.5 Quart version) and tonight I made my first batch. The following is the recipe I actually followed, but it's SUPER rich, so I'll probably tone it down next time. Hubby however, was pretty stoked about it.
3/4 Cup of Dutch Processed Cocoa - sifted
1/2 Cup of granulated sugar
1/3 cup of light brown sugar (recipe called for dark, I didn't have it)
Pinch of salt
** Mix together with a wisk or a hand beater - you'll use it again in a second
1 Cup whole milk
** Add milk to dry ingredients and mix well until all the sugar and cocoa is dissolved
2 Cups Heavy (whipping) cream
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp mint extract
** Add Cream and extracts and mix well. Place in fridge for 2+ hours to chill fully (makes the ice cream making go faster)
When your ice cream maker is ready, and your mix is nice and cold, follow your ice cream maker's instructions to deliciously rich chocolate mint ice cream. You can add mix-ins if you want, but really don't need to!
Next time, I'm going to use fresh mint and less chocolate, but I was able to throw this together in about 10 minutes. The fresh mint version will take a bit longer, and when I feel I've PERFECTED the chocolate-mint ice cream (Mint with a light chocolate flavor) I will SURELY post it :) I also plan on figuring out frozen yogurt at some point... :)
The ice cream I made came out the "perfect eating consistency" but melts REALLY fast. If you like your ice cream harder, then you can throw it in the freezer for a few hours. We ate some right away, and put the rest (1.5 Quarts is a lot for 2 people to eat in one sitting!) in the freezer for later, and we'll get to see how yummy it is firmer!
We got a Cuisinart ICE-21 (aka, 1.5 Quart version) and tonight I made my first batch. The following is the recipe I actually followed, but it's SUPER rich, so I'll probably tone it down next time. Hubby however, was pretty stoked about it.
3/4 Cup of Dutch Processed Cocoa - sifted
1/2 Cup of granulated sugar
1/3 cup of light brown sugar (recipe called for dark, I didn't have it)
Pinch of salt
** Mix together with a wisk or a hand beater - you'll use it again in a second
1 Cup whole milk
** Add milk to dry ingredients and mix well until all the sugar and cocoa is dissolved
2 Cups Heavy (whipping) cream
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp mint extract
** Add Cream and extracts and mix well. Place in fridge for 2+ hours to chill fully (makes the ice cream making go faster)
When your ice cream maker is ready, and your mix is nice and cold, follow your ice cream maker's instructions to deliciously rich chocolate mint ice cream. You can add mix-ins if you want, but really don't need to!
Next time, I'm going to use fresh mint and less chocolate, but I was able to throw this together in about 10 minutes. The fresh mint version will take a bit longer, and when I feel I've PERFECTED the chocolate-mint ice cream (Mint with a light chocolate flavor) I will SURELY post it :) I also plan on figuring out frozen yogurt at some point... :)
The ice cream I made came out the "perfect eating consistency" but melts REALLY fast. If you like your ice cream harder, then you can throw it in the freezer for a few hours. We ate some right away, and put the rest (1.5 Quarts is a lot for 2 people to eat in one sitting!) in the freezer for later, and we'll get to see how yummy it is firmer!
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