Creme Puffs

2011. Those four numbers put together are very significant to me. In 2011, I will be married to my wonderful husband for 10 years. In 2011, our oldest child will start kindergarten. In 2011, I will turn 30 years old, and look back at my life so far with the utmost joy. In 2011, I will have the same best friend for the last 20 years. We have experienced first kisses, first broken hearts, college, weddings, breast cancer, and child birth together.

So many things about life have built me into the strong, smart, independent woman I am now. Every time I've been tripped up by life, I've had someone there that loves me to help me back up. Every struggle I've gone through I've had a best friend there to comfort me.

I didn't make any new years resolutions this year. Resolutions seem to be made to be broken. But I have so many dreams and wishes that I am going to watch come true this year instead. In 2011, I am going to not care about my scale, but instead my energy level and how my body feels. I am going to treat my body like I do my family...with love and respect. I will respect my body by feeding it healthy food, exercising regularly and sleeping plenty.

In 2011, I am going to do a better job at being a friend, a wife, and a mom. Somewhere along the line, the calendar started flipping my months instead of days. My children grew, my friends became busy with their children, my husbands business flourished. And now it feels like I'm missing chunks of time. So this year, I will stop for coffee with friends, I will bake cookies for no reason and drop them off at friends' houses, I will eat dinner by candle light with my husband, and I will waste entire Saturdays at the park with my kids. I will neglect nothing by my dirty laundry.

So here's to a great year ahead of us!

Pastry Puffs

1 Cup Water
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 - 2 cups flour
4 large eggs

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or a sil-pat.

In a saucepan, bring the water, butter and sugar to a boil over high heat. Immediately remove from heat once boiling starts and with a wood spoon stir in all-purpose flour. Continue to stir until the mixture begins to pull away from sides of pan (about 2 minutes), as pictured below.

Let mixture slightly cool (about 2 minutes) and add eggs, one at a time and stirring after each addition, until batter comes together.

Transfer batter into a piping bag or ziplock bag and cut off corner of bag about 1/2" up the side. Pipe into desired sized mounds (1" apart) onto lined baking sheets.

Bake 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake until your puffs are golden brown and feel light and hollow in the center...about 20 minutes.


I filled mine with whipped cream and dipped them in melted semi-sweet chocolate! Delicious!!
(To make whipped cream, combine 1 cup heavy whipping cream and 3 tablespoons sugar, then whip until light and fluffy).

Enjoy!

Beer Bread

I love this bread during the holidays. It is great for cutting up into cubes and used with your favorite dips as an appetizer. It is a pretty hardy bread and won't break apart when dip is smeared all over it! My favorite is to dip this bad boy into spinach dip and eat it accompanied by a nice cold beer. Remember...if you wouldn't drink it, then don't bake with it. So you'll have to actually sacrifice one can of your favorite beer for this recipe, but it is well worth it!

Beer Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 can (12 ounces) of your favorite beer
2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Grease an 8"x4" loaf pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, salt and beer. Mix well (it easier if you let the beer foam subside then stir). Pour into the loaf pan. Bake for 55 minutes. At the last 3 minutes of baking, brush melted butter over the top of loaf and continue baking for the final 3 minutes.

Sticky Buns

I love the holiday season simply because it gives me the excuse to bake everything that is not good for me. Especially sticky buns. I NEVER make sticky buns unless winter and Christmas is close. Then I have an excuse to wear a ridiculously large sweater to cover up the sticky buns that have...well...stuck themselves directly to MY buns.

Mmm...see all that gorgeous caramel in the bottom of the pan? During the months of November and December only it is fat free caramel. Just pretend and when you consume half the pan you won't feel so bad!

One other great thing about sticky buns is when its freezing cold outside you have an excuse to run your oven half the day and heat up your kitchen. Then you should probably go and run your butt off on the treadmill because you are definitely going to need it!

Sticky Buns
slightly adapted from Cheeky Kitchen

Basic Roll Dough
2 cups warm water (115 degrees)

3 3/8 teaspoons yeast

1/2 cup sugar

3/8 cup eggs, beaten (its 1 1/2 eggs)

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon salt

5-6 cups all purpose flour

Sweet Roll Filling

4 tablespoons cinnamon

1 cup soft butter

2 cups brown sugar

Sticky Caramel Topping
1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup dark karo syrup

1 tablespoon vanilla

In the bowl of your stand mixer, add warm water, yeast and sugar. Let set for 5-10 minutes until the yeast activates and forms a foam on top of the water. Add eggs, butter and salt and mix on low with the dough hook attachment about 2 minutes, until ingredients are combined. Add 5 cups of flour and mix on low about 5 minutes until dough becomes elastic and starts to clean away from side of the bowl. Add up to 1 additional cup of flour if needed. The dough is supposed to be light and slightly sticky. Oil a large glass bowl and place dough in bowl, turning so the greased side is up. Cover lightly with a layer of plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and place in a warm spot for 1 hour, until dough has doubled in size.

Stir ingredients for the filling together in a bowl until well combined. Roll dough out into a 9"x24" rectangle. It will end up roughly 3/4" thick. Using a rubber spatula, carefully spread filling over entire surface of dough and roll the long way into a log and pinch together the seam. Cut rolls 1" thick, so you get 24 rolls.

Now we need to prepare the sinfully delicious topping! In a sauce pan, melt butter over medium high heat until melted. Whisk in remaining ingredients and bring just to boiling. Remove from heat and pour into four 8" round cake pans.

Place 6 rolls into each pan on top of caramel sauce. Allow rolls to raise for about 30 minutes until they have not quite doubled in size. I usually raise them just until the rolls start to touch.

Bake in a 375 degree preheated oven for 15 to 17 minutes just until rolls start to turn brown on the edges.

When you remove rolls from the oven, if you are going to serve them right away, place a plate on top of pan and quickly invert rolls onto the plate. The caramel is HOT so be careful! If you'd like to freeze them for later, I simply cover cake pans with 2 layers of tight tinfoil and freeze. To reheat, place rolls still covered in tinfoil in a 300 degree oven for 15 minutes and invert onto a plate after removing from oven.

Enjoy, Enjoy, and then run on your treadmill. Then congratulate yourself for working out with another sticky bun. Repeat process until they're gone.

Fish Cakes

Winter has taken over. The once green grass is covered in white snow. My once dry driveway is covered in ice. The once full green trees are now bare. The bird bath that once had doves bathing in it is now holding 6 inches of snow and there are no birds to be seen.

So, every once in a while when its especially chilly out (like the day after Thanksgiving when it was a whopping 12 degrees) I have to close my eyes and pretend I'm in tropical paradise. I make fish cakes and a pina colada with a little umbrella and imagine the sun beating down on my face. Then one of the kids scream and I'm home again in the cold snow. Nice try though, huh?

Fish Cakes

2 pounds Tilapia
2 cups panko bread crumbs
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 cups flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon dill (Fresh or dried)
1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Canola oil for frying

Chop fish fillets into about 1/4" to 1/2" chunks and place in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined.

In a 12" cast iron skillet, add enough oil to cover bottom of pan about 1/4" deep. Heat oil over medium high heat.

Form about 1/2 cup of fish mixture into a patty and cook on each side 3-5 minutes, until they are golden brown. It will probably take 2 batches to cook all the patties.

Place cakes on a paper towel to remove excess oil and serve with your favorite tarter sauce, pretend you are basking in the sun on a tropical island and enjoy!

Orange Rolls

I spent the entire day Saturday in the kitchen with my mom. The weather has officially switched to winter. Its cold...and snowing...and cold...did I mention that already? I can't think of a better way to waste a weekend then by spending it in the kitchen with the woman that taught me to cook. There was flour everywhere. There was sugar everywhere. There were dirty dishes everywhere...anyone what to come over and wash them for me? No? I don't blame you...I don't want to wash them either!

Brown sugar, butter and orange zest...the thoughts of cold and snow are melting from my brain. All I can think about now is the sweet filling in these rolls!

Orange Rolls:

For the Rolls
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (.25 oz package)
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

For the Filling:
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
zest of two oranges

For the Glaze:
3 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
juice of 1/2 orange
1/8 teaspoon salt

Heat milk and water in a sauce pan until mixture reaches 120 degrees. Pour milk and water into your stand mixer bowl with the dough hook attachment. Add sugar and yeast and put mixer on stir just so it make one loop around. Let mixture set about 5-8 minutes until it froths (yeast activating).
Add egg, butter, salt and flour and mix on low speed for roughly 5-8 minutes until dough becomes elastic and should start to pull away from side of the bowl. The dough will still be sticky.

Grease a large bowl. Add dough to bowl and turn dough over so the top is greased. Place dough in a warm draft free place to raise for roughly one hour until it has doubled in size. I like to turn the oven on 400 degrees for 2 minutes, turn oven off, then place bowl in the oven.

Meanwhile, make your filling by adding sugar, butter and zest into a small bowl and mashing together with a fork until mixture is well combined.

Punch down dough and place on your floured countertop. Roll dough into 24"x6" rectangle. Spread filling mix onto dough with a rubber spatula, making sure to cover the entire surface. Roll dough the long way into a log and pinch the seam together. Cut rolls 1" wide. Know what my mom just taught me? Slide a piece of dental floss under the dough, and cross over the top, pulling quickly. This will give you a nice clean cut without smooshing your rolls.

Place rolls on a baking sheet about 1/2" apart so they have room to raise. Cover with a dish towel and allow 45 minutes to raise. Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until rolls are lightly browned on top. Allow rolls to completely cool.

For glaze, whisk together butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, almond extract, orange juice and salt until icing is smooth and creamy. Top cooled rolls and ENJOY!

Fudge

What do you have better to do then make fudge when you wake up in the morning and find 2" of snow blanketed across your front yard? Well, make fudge and pumpkin chocolate chunk blondies and a LARGE cup of coffee. Make sure you get your chocolate fix so that when you come to the reality that for the next 4 months you'll have to get up 30 minutes earlier every morning so that you can wrap the kids in hats, scarfs, mittens, snow pants, jackets and boots you'll be able to handle it. It is very important to be properly caffinated and sugared when you come to such realizations.

Fudge (Recipe from My Baking Addiction)

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Line a 9" or 8" square pan with tin foil so you can easily lift the fudge out to cut it into chunks. Set aside.

In a sauce pan over low heat, add chocolate, sweetened condensed milk and salt and stir until all chips are melted. Remove from heat and stir in chopped nuts and vanilla extract. Spread evenly into foil covered pan and chill for 3 hours until fudge is firm. Remove from foil and place on a cutting board and cut into desired size squares.

Store covered in the refrigerator.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Blondies

Continuing with my pumpkin addiction, I found these over at My Baking Addiction. Oh, they smelt so so good baking in the oven I couldn't wait to taste them. I dug my fork into the corner of the pan straight from the oven and moaned when the first taste of pumpkin and chocolate melted on my tounge. Goodness I love pumpkin, and chocolate.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Blondies

Recipe from My Baking Addiction (Click here to see her post)

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup unsalted butter, room temp

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 15 ounce can pure pumpkin puree

2 cups dark chocolate chunks

3/4 cups roughly chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13" pan with cooking spray.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Set aside, please.

In your mixer bowl, add butter and sugars and beat with the paddle attachment until butter is light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Then add pumpkin puree and continue to beat until combined. The orignal blogger said the batter might curdle, but don't be frightened...Mine did and all turned out fine!

Turn mixer to low and add dry ingredients until combined. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans by hand. Spread batter into prepared pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan and ENJOY!

BBQ and Slaw Sandwiches

Thank you God for such beautiful warm fall days. For the unexpected sunshine. For recharging my batteries with the rays you send down from heaven. The crisp air that fills my lungs and makes any bad feelings I had wash away.

Thank You for cousins that know how to drive the John Deere, for one last romp around the yard to burn off excess energy the kids have already stored throughout the last few rainy days. For feeling youthful and for my families continued health. Thank You for that sunshine shining in my windows today to heat the house...since the furnace motor is still on back order.

...and thank you for bbq beef and coleslaw sandwiches...

3 pound chuck roast
about 2 cups water
1 1/2 cups to 2 cups bbq sauce
Garlic powder, Lawry's and freshly cracked pepper

Place roast in a glass 9x13" pan and add water to bottom of pan, about 1 1/2" deep. Season roast liberally. Cover pan tightly with tinfoil and place in a 250 degree oven for 5 - 7 hours depending on the thickness of your roast. When roast is done, you should easily be able to shred roast with two forks.

When your roast is done, shred with two forks and place meat back into pan with about 1 cup of juice. Add bbq sauce to pan with beef and juice and stir to combine. Turn oven down to 250 degrees and return pan to oven for 20 minutes to heat bbq sauce through. I like to have my bbq beef on the runny side because I end up with a lot of left overs and it ensures you have enough juice to keep your beef moist throughout the time it is in the refrigerator.

Coleslaw

1/3 head green cabbage, shredded
1/3 head purple cabbage, shredded
3/4 cup shredded carrots, shredded
1/2 red onion, shredded
1 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup powder sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

In a large bowl add green cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, and onion. Toss with hands to combine. In a small bowl, mix together mayo, powder sugar, celery seed, celery salt, and salt. Pour over cabbage and toss to thoroughly combine.

To assemble sandwich, start with the bun (for a great, soft homemade whole wheat bun click here). Put a big scoop of bbq beef on top of bun and follow with a big scoop of coleslaw! Dig In!!

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust

mmm...pumpkin. Double mmm...pumpkin cheesecake! Everything at my house lately has been about pumpkin. We've had pumpkin waffles, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread and now pumpkin cheesecake which is by far the family favorite of all the pumpkin recipes thus far. I have not make a classic pumpkin pie yet though, I usually save that for Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust

3 cups crushed gingersnap cookies
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted

3 packages cream cheese
1 15 ounce can pureed pumpkin
3 eggs plus 1 yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using a rolling pin and ziploc baggy if you need to get out some aggression or a food processor if you want to go the easy route, crush ginger snaps into a fine crumb until you get 3 cups. Make sure to buy a hard, dry cookie. Add melted butter into food processor and pulse to combine crumbs and butter. Press cookie crumbs onto the bottom and up the sides of a 10" spring form pan, using a flat measuring cup. Be sure to firmly press crumbs so they are compact enough to hold shape in the pan.

Add cream cheese to your mixer bowl and beat until smooth. Add pumpkin, eggs, sour cream, sugar and spices. Mix again until combined, then add flour and vanilla. Beat on medium high until the batter is smooth and silky. Pour mixture into crust.

Bake for 60 minutes until center or cream cheese is set. Remove from oven and let rest on counter for 20 minutes, then cover with plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours before enjoying!!

Chicken Wild Rice Soup with Portebella Mushrooms

Soup has become a thing at my house. Every Sunday I make atleast 2 large pots of soup and put them in the refrigerator so that I have fresh healthy lunches during the week or if I have a late night getting home from yoga or grocery shopping its nice to have something to warm up and eat without a lot of effort. Its amazing how fast an evening can disappear!

Chicken Wild Rice Soup with Portebella Mushrooms

3 cups celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped
2 cups portabella mushrooms, cubed
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup dry wine
1/4 cup flour
2 cups cooked wild rice
6 cups chicken stock
3 cups diced cooked chicken
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt, to taste
cracked black pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Add celery, onion, and carrots and saute for 10 minutes until onions are translucent, stirring in the mushrooms with 5 minutes cooking time remaining. Add garlic and stir into the other vegetables. Stir in white wine. If you don't want to add wine to your soup, simply replace with additional chicken stock. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and cook for 3 minutes. Then stir in wild rice and chicken stock. Cover pot and simmer over medium low heat until vegetables are tender. Then stir in chicken, milk and cream and season with salt and pepper to taste, continuing to simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve with fresh baked bread and Enjoy!!

Whole Wheat Honey Buns

Our furnace motor went out...its cold in our house...and a new motor is on back order! That means my oven has been working overtime the last few nights, trying to keep the upstairs warm for the kids. We've made buns, pot roasts, casseroles, cheesecakes, and cinnamon rolls. Being cold isn't fun, but the food we've been enjoying since the furnace went out has been!

Whole Wheat Honey Buns

4 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 cups warm water (105-115 degrees)
4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oatmeal

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water and set aside.

In your mixer bowl, mix honey, melted butter, salt and 2 1/2 cups warm water until combined. Beat in 3 cups of whole wheat flour with your electric mixer (speed 2 on your KitchenAid with the dough hook attachment), about 3 minutes, being sure to scrape the sides of your bowl often. Mix in remaining 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour and dissolved yeast until combined, about an additional 2 minutes. Add 3 cups of all-purpose flour and the oats and continue to mix until dough cleans away from side of bowl. If needed, add an additional 1/2 cup of flour.

Grease a large bowl and put dough into bowl, turning so that the top side of dough is greased to prevent drying. Over bowl with plastic wrap and a dish towl and place bowl in a dry, draft free and warm place for 45 to 60 minutes until size has doubled.

Lightly grease a large cookie sheet, and working with slightly floured hands, pull off a clump of dough a bit larger then a golf ball. Form a circle with your index finger and thumb and while using your opposite thumb, push dough through the circle. In essence pushing the dough into itself to form a solid ball. Place all buns on the greased cookie sheet about 1 1/2" apart. Again, cover buns with a dish towel and place in a warm place and allow to double in size, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk 1 egg and 1 tablespoon water and lightly brush the top of buns. Bake approximately 20 minutes until tops are browned and buns should sound slightly hollow when tapped.

Allow to cool and Enjoy!!

Chili and Corn Bread Casserole

This is one of the very few recipes I have that contain a lot of cans...but it is good and warm on a cold fall day and leaves you with very minimal clean up, which is my favorite kind of cooking! I've substituted some of the canned diced tomatoes with a freshly diced tomato just to make myself feel better about all the cans. Opt for low-sodium variations of beans to watch the sodium content.

Chili

1 pound ground turkey breast or lean beef
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 large tomato, diced
1 16 ounce jar salsa
1 15 ounce can reduced sodium black beans
1 15 ounce can reduced sodium kidney beans
1 15 ounce can reduced sodium pinto beans
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Using a 12 inch old beat up cast iron skillet or other skillet that can go straight from stove to oven, brown ground turkey or hamburger. Make sure not to chop your hamburger too finely, the men folk seem to like big chunks of meat, especially on deer hunting opener weekend! Once meat is browned, add canned diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, diced large tomato, salsa, beans (make sure to rinse them first) chili powder and cumin. Stir together to combine and simmer over low heat. Then prepare your corn bread topping.

Corn Bread Topping
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup corn meal
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup shredded cheese
1 4 ounce can green chilies, diced

In a large bowl combine your dry ingredients and whisk together. Then stir in milk, oil, beaten egg, cheese and chilies and stir until just combined. There will still be clumps and that is ok! Evenly spread corn bread over top of chili in the cast iron skillet, being careful not to mix the corn bread and the chili.

Bake for 30 minutes until your corn bread is firm to the touch and golden brown.

Enjoy!!

Maple Pecan Scones

In need of a quick pastry to impress some last minute drop-in visitors? These scones are delicious, elegant and easy to make. They come together in minutes but look like you've planned something special!

Maple Pecan Scones
(slightly adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks)

Scones
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
5 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter, chilled and cut into 1 tbls chunks
1/4 cup pecans, finely chopped, plus more for sprinkling
1 large egg
3/4 cup heavy cream

Icing
1 pound powder sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoon hot water
1 single serving packet of instant coffee granules
dash of salt
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, add your flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and whisk together. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or a fork until the mix resembles small crumbs. You still want chunks of butter visible to don't go overboard with the cutting! Add finely chopped pecans. I buy the whole pecans because they are cheaper and pulse them in the food processor just for a few seconds. In a separate small bowl, mix the cream and egg together and add to the flour/butter mixture. Stir together until just combined. The batter will still be quite crumbly. Dump mixture onto a cutting board and split into two. With your hands, press the mixture into two circles about 5 to 6 inches in diameter and 3/4 inch think then cut into 8 wedges. Move your wedges onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 20 to 23 minutes. You don't want your scones to brown on the edges.

For the icing, stir instant coffee into the hot water and then combine all ingredients into a bowl and whisk together until smooth.

When scones are done baking, remove from cookie sheet and place on a wire rack with a cookie sheet underneath. After they have completely cooled, drizzle plenty of icing over the top and sprinkle with chopped pecans!

Enjoy!!

Peanut Butter and M&M Granola Bars

I have picky eaters at home. If I try to set something infront of them they have not seen before I swear they look ready to break into tears because there is a foreign object on their plate that they have no intentions of putting into their mouths. Parmesan Baked Artichokes? Forget about it. Spaghetti Squash? No way Jose. Asparagus? This one I made the mistake of mentioning it to Walnut that it turns your pee green. He's been terrified of aspargus ever since.

Peanut Butter and M&M Granola Bars

3 cups oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup peanut butter
3 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup M&Ms

Add oats to a large skillet and toast until they start to brown. Set aside in a large bowl and add M&Ms to the oats. In the same skillet, add brown sugar, honey, peanut butter and butter. Stir together with a whisk and cook mover medium high heat until the mixuture starts to bubble. Pour mixture over the top of oats and stir together until all oats are coated. Being careful not to burn yourself (the wet mixture is very hot) press granola into a 9x13 pan, being careful not to smush the M&Ms. Let set for about 2 hours until granola hardens and cut into bars.



Enjoy!

Minestrone

Mmmm.....Soup good enough to warm your soul when the fall winds start whipping. This soup has everything good going on. Its hearty, healthy, filling and plain scrumptious! Make a big pot today and enjoy!

Minestrone
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 cups chopped celery
5 carrots, sliced
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
4 cups tomato sauce
1 cup canned kidney beans, drained
2 cups fresh green beans, sliced into 1" chunks
2 cups baby spinach, rinsed
3 zucchinis, quartered and sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup fun shaped pasta, cooked
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Heat a large stock pot over medium low heat. Add oil and saute garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add onion and continue to saute for an additional 3 minutes. Add celery, carrots and cook for another 2 minutes. Total saute time is about 8 minutes. Vegetables should still be somewhat crisp.
Add chicken broth, water and tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Then add kidney beans, green beans, spinach leaves, zucchini, oregano, basil and salt and pepper. Simmer for atleast 40 minutes until veggies are tender and all the nummy flavors have fused together.
Stir in cooked pasta.
Serve soup topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese and your favorite bread.

Borscht

Fall has settled into the air...the days have been cool and rainy. The air is crisp and feels great at 6 am while I'm out on an early morning run. Yesterday there was even scattered light patches of frost on the grass. You know what that means? I spent the entire day dicing vegetables for my favorite soups and kneaded bread dough the rest of the day for some homemade soup and bread. My house smelt devine all day today. Simmering vegetables and fresh baked bread is enough to make me float around my house all day wearing a smile. Not even the mountain of laundry is a match for the good mood that fresh soup and bread puts me in.

Borscht

8 cups beef broth*
1 pound slice of meaty bone-in beef (I used a serlion steak)
1 large onion, peeled, roughly chopped
4 large beets, peeled, diced into 1/2" cubes
4 carrots, peeled, chopped
2 large russet potato, peeled, diced into 1/2" cubes
2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
3/4 cup chopped fresh dill
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste

*Use gluten-free broth if you are cooking gluten-free

In your stock pot, add 4 cups beef broth and bring to a boil. Season steak with salt and pepper. Add onion and steak to the beef broth. Cover pot and boil until steak is tender, 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours.

When meat is cooked and tender, transfer to your cutting board and dice into desired size...bite size works best. Spoon any fat from broth that has floated to top and return meat to broth.

Add remaining 4 cups of broth, beets, carrots and potatoes. Bring to a boil,then reduce heat, cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender...about 30 minutes.

When vegetables are tender, add shredded cabbage and 1/2 cup of the dill. Continue to simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in vinegar.

Ladle soup into bowls and serve with a scoop of sour cream and additional dill.

Enjoy!

Ciabatta Bread

You know those fall days that are cool enough to put you out of your comfort zone but not cold enough to force you to turn on the heat yet? We're smack dab in the middle of it and I have about 4 quilts on my bed. You know what else I do on days like these? Bake bread. Not only does your house smell delicious...but it gets nice and warm from the oven running too!

Ciabatta Bread
2 packages regular active dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)
1 1/2 cup very warm water (115 to 120 degrees)
3 to 3 1/4 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh Rosemary, chopped (if desired)

In a warmed mixer bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand 5 minutes until yeast forms a foam on top of the water. Add 3 cups flour, salt and sugar. Mix on low speed (speed 2 on your KitchenAid) until flour and water are just combined. Stir in oil and mix on low again for about 3-4 minutes until dough cleans away from side of bowl. If needed, add an additional 1/4 cup of flour. Dough should be slightly stick still but able to handle.
Form dough into a ball and place in greased bowl, turning dough so the topside is greased. Cover and let rise about 45 minutes until doubled in size. I usually heat my oven on 400 degrees for 2 minutes, then place dough inside oven and turn oven off.
Punch down dough and place on a floured surface. Divide dough in half and shape each have into a ball and let raise again until double.
Grease two cookie sheets with Pam. Stretch each ball of dough on individual cookie sheets into an 18 x 6 rectange by pulling edges away from each other. Dough should be roughly 1/2" thick. Using your fingers, make indents all over dough. Cover dough and again let rise about 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly brush dough with and egg wash (1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water wisked together.) Sprinkle chopped Rosemary over top (or desired herb). Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.

I always like bread when its fresh out of the oven with butter!

Enjoy!

Spiced Apple Cake

Goodness, summer has flown by. I can't believe September is next week already! In two short weeks my little Walnut will be getting on the big yellow school bus and going to preschool. When did he turn 5 years old? What happened to ages 3 and 4? I must have blinked at some moment and life fast forwarded on me by about 3 years.

The breeze has started to change already and the first indications of fall are already in the air. The humid depressive days of summer are turning into cool, refreshing breezes and chilly, serene mornings with beautiful sun rises.

I couldn't be more excited for fall to come this year. Walnut starting preschool, growing into a strong independant little man.

Apples are also one of the wonders of fall in Minnesota. One tradition we always have in our house is to go to the apple orchard and take the tractor ride though the hundreds of apple trees...enjoying the breeze and sunshine on our faces. Here is a favorite recipe of mine when I bring my bags full of fresh apples home.

Spiced Apple Cake

2 cups plus 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1-2 large apples, cored and sliced
1 teaspoon cinnamon and 2 tablespoons sugar mixed for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spay a 9×13 baking pan with an oil and flour baking spray.
In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk to combine well and set aside.

In bowl of stand mixer, combine sugars and butter and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well to combine. Add vanilla extract and beat to combine.

Turn mixer on slow and fold in flour mixture a little at a time until just combined.
Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan. Layer top with apple slices so they all face the same way, and sprinkle top generously with cinnamon and sugar.

Place in oven and bake until cooked through, when top slightly bounces back to the touch, about 40 minutes, you may need an extra 5 minutes if it looks too soft.

Remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from pan, cutting and serving. Serve while warm from the over with a scoop of ice cream!

Enjoy!

Apple Pie

There is no better smell coming out of a hot oven than apple pie...crisp granny smith apples, melted cinnamon and sugar, with a flaky crust wrapped around it. There's something so classy to me about serving just a basic apple pie. If your having a more formal type of dinner you can put a lattice crust on top and sprinkle it with raw sugar. I had my parents over for dinner lastnight and decided to dress it down a bit so I made a flat apple pie, simply by rolling out the crust on a cookie sheet, placing the apples in the middle and then folding up the sides.

Apple Pie

For the crust:
From Betty Crocker, 1969
*if making a top for your pie...double ingredients for 2 crusts

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Crisco
3 to 4 Tablespoons cold water

Add flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Cut in shortening with a pastry cutter or fork until there are no chunks left. Sprinkle in water, 1 tablespoon at a time until all flour is moistened and dough cleans from the sides of the bowl.

If your making a double crust, divide dough in half. On a floured surface, roll dough out somewhere between 1/4" and 1/8" so that it is 2" larger than your pie tin if your using one. Fold dough into quarters and transfer to pie tin or a cookie sheet for the flat apple pie.

Apple Filling:
adapted from Pioneer Woman

4-5 small peeled and sliced apples (Granny Smith work the best!)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
juice from 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 stick butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel skin from apples and punch out core with an apple corer. Cut apples in half from top to bottom and thinly slice apples, about 1/4". In a large bowl, stir together apples, flour, lemon juice, sugars, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour apples into pie tin and add the top layer of crust, being sure there is some type of vent for steam to escape. Alternatively, place apples in the middle of crust rolled out crust for the flat apple pie and fold over edges.

Dot top of pie with butter and bake for 40 minutes, or until the filling is golden and bubbles.

Enjoy!!

Spiced Brown Sugar Body Scrubs

The bride and I made these delicious body scrubs for her bridal party. The are easy to make and add a special personalized touch. And the scent is out of this world nummy! I placed them in 16 ounce canning jars and placed labels with directions and a short poem on top of the lid. For a final touch we glued ribbon on top to the lid with a bow.

These body scrubs would make perfect Christmas gifts for friends or coworkers. They are cheap to make but very impressive.

Spiced Brown Sugar Body Scrubs
Adapted from C&H Sugar.com

1 cup - C&H® Dark or Light Brown Sugar
1 cup - C&H® Pure Cane Sugar
¾ cup - safflower oil
2 tsp. - cinnamon, powdered
2 tsp. - ginger, powdered
2 tsp. - nutmeg, powdered
1 16 oz. - glass container with lid

In a medium-sized bowl, combine all ingredients until thoroughly blended. Be sure to break up any lumps from the brown sugar or from the spices. Spoon into the glass container and secure with lid.
Directions for use: Scoop a teaspoon or two of the scrub on your hands and gently massage in circular motions onto your skin. Leave on for 3 to 4 minutes before thoroughly rinsing. The scrub will tighten on your skin.

Banana Oreo Delight

So, I needed a dessert I could throw together at the office today during my lunch break for my boss's birthday. This is actually the same as an Oreo Dirt Cake but with Golden Oreos and pudding. And you know what? It tastes just like banana creme pie! So I suppose we could make this Cheater Banana Pie too! No baking required and obviously easy enough to assemble anywhere.

Banana Oreo Delight

1 Package Golden Oreos
1 Large package Instant Banana Pudding
1 - 8 ounce package Cream Cheese
2 - 8 ounce tubs Cool Whip
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

Place Oreos in a gallon baggie and crush with a rolling pin into fine bits. Put 1 cup aside. Mix remaining Oreos with 1/2 cup melted butter and press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. With a mixer, blend cream cheese until smooth. Add 1 1/2 tubs of Cool Whip and powdered sugar. Spread over Oreos. Make banana pudding according to package directions and spread pudding over top of cream cheese mix. Spread the rest of the Cool Whip on top of the pudding. Last, sprinkle the rest of the Oreos on top. Allow to refrigerate for an hour before serving.

Enjoy!!!

Crowd Pleasing Potato Salad

I've been making a lot of potato salad lately...primarily for graduations or groom's dinners...and this recipe was passed to me from a dear friend who is 75. It was her mother's recipe and it is definitely a crowd pleaser. Add your favorite vegetables or mustard for a personalized flavor. I make the recipe times 4 for the graduation party...which fed about 50 people! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Potato Salad

1 egg
1/3 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon corn starch
1/3 cup sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon mustard
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup heavy cream or half and half

5 medium potatoes, boiled and cut into bite size pieces
4 eggs, hard boiled
2 stalks celery
1/2 red onion
6 large radishes

Cut potatoes in half and place in a large pot with boiling water. Allow to boil about 20-30 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes until the potatoes are tender when poked with a fork. The fork should easily slide into the potato.

In another sauce pan, place 4 eggs and cover with water. Put on a medium high heat until water starts to boil. Turn off heat and let eggs sit in water for 20 minutes.

In a sauce pan, whisk 1 egg. Add vinegar, corn starch, sugar, salt and pepper, mustard and water. Whisk together and turn heat onto medium. Continue to stir for about 5-8 minutes until mixture starts to thicken. Take off heat and allow to cool. Once sauce is cool, whisk in cream or half and half and put in refrigerator to cool and set.

Chop potatoes into bit size pieces. Also chop onion, radishes, celery and eggs and add everything into a large bowl. Pour sauce mix over the top and stir until everything is well coated. Chill before serving.

Enjoy!

200 Cupcakes and a Gorgeous Wedding!

Guess what? I baked 200 cupcakes in two days...then I frosted and decorated 200 cupcakes in 4 hours and put them out on a table for 150 guests...and I lived to tell about it!


I never would have guessed how much work goes into planning a wedding and how much preparation goes into planning one's cupcake display.

I think I tested about 10 different cake batters to find one that would be just right...and I gained about 10 pounds doing it...oh the sacrifices a person makes for their profession!



I wanted to do a few different cupcakes to ensure there was something for everyone at the wedding...some people prefer chocolate...others vanilla...

I ended up making four different cakes: Lemon and Lemon Creme Frosting, Angel Food Cake with a pudding center and Blueberries, Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting and a Shortbread Cake with Crushed Nilla Wafer Crust, Raspberry Cream Filling and a Mascarpone Cream Cheese Filling.

My kitchen has a permanent layer of powdered sugar on it now. I think I will be scrubbing for days to get everything clean again.

On Thursday I did the shopping and baked the lemon, chocolate and shortbread cupcakes and ended up completely gutting my fridge to make room for them. On Friday I baked the angel food cakes, whipped up and bagged the frosting and fillings and decorated the cake stands.

Saturday I went to the reception hall and started decorating! I think I slept a total of 8 hours over 3 nights and the only thing that kept me away was adrenaline and Caribou Coffee!



I've already posted the Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese frosting...you can find that here. For the wedding I just sprinkled shaved chocolate on top of the frosting.

As for the rest of the recipes...I will get them into their individual posts tonight hopefully!

Have a happy day!!

Attempt #1: Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've been working hard to find delicious replacements for my daughter, who is allergic to dairy and eggs we've just found out. My current mission is to find a good cookie minus the butter and egg that still tastes good...and without using soy products. I bought some Earth's Balance Vegan Buttery Spread...but haven't been able to bring myself to use it...so I probably just wasted $5!

So this is cookie attempt #1...which is okay but not quite what I'm looking for. I attempted to replace the fat with mashed banana...but it seems to be giving the final cookie an altered after taste that is just not characteristic of a good chocolate chip cookie. So I'm going to try a few more adjustments and I'll keep you posted. The cookies were very good...the kids loved them...just not quite on the cookie-exchange level good.

Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 bananas, mashed

1 cup peanut butter

2 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons rice milk

2 1/2 cups oatmeal

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place bananas in a large bowl and mash into a soupy consistency. Add peanut butter, vanilla, and rice milk and stir until thoroughly combined. Add oatmeal, flour, sugars, baking soda and chocolate and stir again until combined.

Using a 1 tablespoon cookies scoop, place a scoop of cookie dough in palm of hand and roll into balls. Then roll in sugar and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Smash down slightly with a cup or make Criss-crosses with a fork.

Bake for 11-13 minutes until cookie is slightly brown on edges.

Enjoy!

Turtle Cupcakes

Warning: This cupcake may contain extreme amounts of all around goodness that will cause the corners of your mouth to point upward in a huge smile all day long! This cupcake is so stinkin' sweet it is hard not to love it...

Turtle Cupcakes

1 recipe chocolate cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese frosting
1 1/2 cup crushed pretzels
1/2 chopped pecans
11 tablespoons melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
Caramel Apple Dip


Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 30-36 cupcake tins with cupcake wrappers.

Place pecans in a food processor and pulse them for about 3 seconds just to get a rough chop started. Then add pretzels and continue to pulse. You want the pretzels to be a little chunky...definitely do not turn them into a powder!

Pour pretzel and pecans into a bowl. Add melted butter and sugar and stir until combined. Scoop a rounded tablespoon of mixture into each cupcake wrapper and lightly press to bottom to form the crust.

Prepare chocolate cake as directed. Scoop cake batter on top of pretzel crust so your cupcake liners are about 3/4 full. Bake cupcakes for 20-25 minutes...until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.

Completely cook cupcakes. Using a handheld apple corer, cut a hole in the middle of the cupcake. Place Caramel Apple Dip in a piping bag with a large round tip. Fill hole in the cupcake with caramel.

Prepare frosting as directed by recipe. Place in a piping bag with a 1M star tip and pipe frosting on cupcakes making sure to cover the caramel. Sprinkle with chopped pecans if desired.

ENJOY!!

Buttered Rosemary Dinner Rolls

This is me baking. Days I block off just to bake usually involve yoga pants, oversized t-shirts and make-shift aprons (dish towels tied around my waist of course.) My hair is usually tied up in some sorts of bun and I'm always covered in flour and sugar. I love full baking days and the kitchen is usually completely destroyed and it takes me half the next day to clean it. But when you pull those fresh fragrant buns out of the oven it is so worth the 1" of flour I have to sweep up off my floor!





Buttered Rosemary Rolls

1 1/2 cups water, between 105-115 degrees
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoon white sugar
2 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour

In a warmed glass bowl, add water, yeast and sugar. Let sit for 10 minutes until the foams forms a foam covering the water.

Add oil, salt and 2 cups of flour. Stir to combine and add rest of flour, 1/2 cup at a time and stir. When dough comes together, turn onto a floured surface an knead for 8 to 10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.

Place in a lightly greased bowl and turn dough so top side is greased. Cover and allow to raise in a warm, draft free place. I usually turn the oven on 400 degrees for two minutes, then turn oven off and place the bowl in the oven. When dough has doubled in sized, punch down and remove from bowl.

Divide dough into 20 balls. Form buns by shaping your index and thumb into a circle. Place dough ball in circle and push opposite thumb through dough and circle...folding the dough into itself several time until a tight ball is formed. Place 2" apart on a lightly greased baking sheet and allow to double in size, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil tops of buns and sprinkle chopped fresh rosemary (or your favorite herb) on top of each bun and bake for 12-15 minutes or until buns are golden brown. Immediately put a pat of butter on top of each roll and enjoy fresh out of the oven!!!

S'mores Bars

These things go like hot cakes! If you need to bring a bar to a pot luck or something this is your recipe. It comes together in a matter of minutes with no dishes besides the pan you bake it in and a plastic bag, what else could you ask for??

S'mores Bars

12 graham crackers, crushed
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
about 1 bag marshmallows
about 1 bag milk chocolate chips

Place graham crackers in a gallon size plastic bag and crush with a can or rolling pin until you have fine crumbs. Place in a 9x13 baking dish. Melt butter in microwave. Pour melted butter over graham cracker crumbs and add brown sugar and stir with a fork until the butter is combined with the crumbs. Then using your fingers or the bottom of a measuring cup, press firmly to the bottom of the pan. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes until the edges of the crust start to brown. Remove from oven. Turn off your oven and turn broiler on high. Pour marshmallows and chocolate chips on top of crust and place pan about 6" under your broiler. Leave the door open so you can watch your bars closely. It only takes about 1 1/2 minutes for your marshmallow to brown and get puffy. Remove from oven when marshmallows are nice and brown. Let bars cool completely before cutting and enjoy!

Herbed Potatoes on the Grill

I love summer simply because I can make an entire meal on the grill and not dirty a single pan! That is the best gift I can give myself.

Herbed Potatoes on the Grill

4-5 medium potatoes

1/2 large onion

handful of you favorite herbs (I used chives, parsley and dill)

2 tablespoons olive oil

kosher salt and cracked pepper, to flavor

Place two pieces of tinfoil on the counter on top of each other and spray the top sheet with Pam. Using a mandolin, slice potatoes 1/8" thick on top of tinfoil. Then grab the onion and slice 1/8" thick. Give your herbs a rough chop and toss on top of your stack of potatoes and onion. Drizzle the potatoes, onions and herbs with olive oil and season with the salt and pepper to taste. Give everything a quick toss with your hands to coat all the potatoes with the oil.

Place another two pieces of tinfoil on the counter and spray the top sheet with Pam. Place the oiled side down on top of the potatoes and fold all four edges together to make a tight packet around potatoes.

Place directly over coals on your grill and grill for about 30 minutes...flipping half way through.

Enjoy! If your household is not dairy free...go ahead and toss a handful of shredded cheddar cheese after you pull them off the grill just to kick it up another notch!

Vegan Blueberry Banana Pancakes

I just found out my Peanut is allergic to eggs AND dairy! I suspected eggs for a while because if she ate an over easy fried egg and got any on her skin she always got a red rash right where the egg was. But the dairy blew me out of the water! So, we've been going through a bit of an adjustment here. Rice milk and almond milk have taken over the refrigerator...cheesy corn puffs have been replaced with regular corn puffs. Ingredient labels have been scoured for even the smallest bit of egg or dairy.

Lucky for me there is a plethora of vegan recipes out there! A huge challenge I've come across though...is that I am not willing to serve my children soy products and the majority of "replacement" products are made of soy. I'm okay with it as an extremely minor ingredient...but butter made out of smashed soy beans is just not going to fly. So, we are experimenting with mashed bananas and peanut butter for baking with instead. I'll keep you posted on my progress to finding good recipes for those with allergies to dairy and eggs and please, if you have some tasty recipes please feel free to share in the comment section or post a link to your food blog!

Vegan Blueberry Banana Pancakes
makes 10-12 4" pancakes

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup rice milk
1 teaspoon Ener-G egg replacer
1 tablespoon hot water
1 tablespoon oil
1 small banana, mashed
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1-2 cups blueberries...depending on how many you like in your pancakes
raw sugar

In a large bowl, add all ingredients except blueberries and raw sugar. Whisk together until combined. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add about 2-3 tablespoon canola oil. When a drop of water added to the pan sizzles, the oil is ready for pancakes!

Drop about 1/4 cup batter onto pan and sprinkle tops with desired amounts of blueberries and then about a teaspoon of raw sugar to add a nice crunch to your pancakes. When bubbles appear on tops of cakes, flip with a spatula and continue to cook until pancake feels firm.

Enjoy!! Please note these pancakes take a bit longer to cook I think because of the mashed banana, so make sure the check pancakes before you pull them off the heat.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Mascarpone Whipped Frosting

I have a question...what is so darn scary about a big pink frilly dress? It is the essence of being a girl...to love all things pink...and all things frilly right? Is there something about this particular dress that screams "I'M GOING TO EAT YOU!" Because when I put this dress on my daughter for an afternoon of fun and pretend at home...this is what happened...


She wanted it off...now. There was no negotiation. The dress was coming off or she would pass out from screaming. I made beautiful girly cupcakes inspired by her dress and we were going to have a tea party in our dresses. Instead we are wearing pajamas...but it is just as fun!

Vanilla Cupcakes with Mascarpone Whipped Frosting

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temp

1 1/2 cup granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Over a piece of wax paper, sift together flour and salt and set aside.

In your electric mixer bowl, beat butter until soft and light in color (1-2 minutes). Add sugar and beat til fluffy (3 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time scraping down bowl after each addition. Add vanilla extract and continue to beat until combined.

With your mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour and buttermilk in three additions, starting and ending with the flour.

In a small cup, combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mix to fizz and then quickly fold into the batter using a spatula.

Working quickly using an ice cream scoop, fill muffin tins half full of batter and bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, rotating pans 3/4 way through baking. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Mascarpone Whipped Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese

4 ounces mascarpone cheese

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

In your electric mixing bowl, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Transfer to another bowl carefully.

Then add cream cheese and mascarpone cheese and beat until smoother. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

With a large spatula, gently but quickly fold a bit of the whipped cream into the cheese mix to lighten it. Then fold in the remaining whipped cream in two stages. If it is not thick enough right away for piping (which it should be, I've never had a problem) refrigerate for one hour. Use a 1M star tip in a pastry bag to frost cup cakes and top with sprinkles!

Enjoy!

Orange Chicken and Rice

Look at this little man. He rides his bike without training wheels. He sleeps all night in his own bed. He gets himself dressed in the morning. He is going to be starting preschool in two months and riding the school bus.

How does five years go by so fast? Its like I blinked and all the sudden he was a toddler. Then I turned around and hes now a full grown boy! Can someone please teach me how to freeze time? Please? Otherwise if I blink again my Peanut will be 5...then Walnut will be 8! Lord help me!





Orange Chicken and Rice

1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups cooked brown rice
3 green onions, diced

Sauce:
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup honey
zest from 1 orange
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon corn starch, mixed with 3 tablespoons water

Heat canola oil in a skillet over medium high. If tenders are too thick, slice in the middle lengthwise. Brown chicken in skillet until cooked through all the way and nice brown coloring on each side. Dice chicken into bite size chunks.

In a medium sauce pan, combine all the sauce ingredients and cook over medium-high heat until sauce thickens...about 10 minutes. Be sure to stir often.

To serve, spoon a large scoop of rice onto a plate and top with chicken and sauce and chopped green onions. Add sliced almonds if desired.

Enjoy!

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

Two weeks before my best friends 25th birthday, she found a lump in her breast. She went to the doctor and they said it was just a cyst, and not to worry but keep up with her self exams. One week before her 25th birthday, she found another lump...and immediately called the doctor. She was diagnosed with Stage 3 Grade C breast cancer two days before turning 25. My best friend since we were 10 years old. The girl I shared secrets with, crushes with, stories about boyfriends. I shared my first under age alcoholic drink with her, my first under age cigarette. We worked together...we dated best friends together...we went to school together...we played basketball together...

And suddenly she was in a battle for her life. She is the strongest woman I think I've ever met. While raising a 3 and 1 year old, she underwent a double mastectomy and endured 8 horrifying rounds of chemo. She shaved her head and wore it proudly.

Every since then, we run the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure in Brainerd, MN to raise money to help find a cure. A cure in our life time...or my daughters life time...to this devastating disease that affects so many women (and men).

So, as a reminder...it is the 1st of the month and please don't forget to do your self breast exam.

Last Saturday we ran the 5k. I did my best time yet at 27 minutes 12 seconds. My best friend did it in 29 minutes and 8 seconds...and she has only been running for 4 months. That is one strong lady!

I made this salad and brought it up to the cabin with me for lunch after the big race. I hope you enjoy!

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

12 ounces small pasta (I use bowties)
1 1/2 cup mayo or miracle whip
2 tablespoon Ranch Dressing Powder (such as Hidden Valley)
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
10 strips bacon

Boil noodles until al dente (cook 1-2 minutes short of package directions). Rinse noodles in cold water when done.

Cut bacon into 1/2" pieces and fry until brown and crisp. Remove from grease and place on a paper towel to drain grease.

In a large bowl, add mayo and ranch powder and stir to combine. Then add cold noodles, carrots, onion, peas, cheddar cheese and bacon and stir to combine. Refrigerate one hour before serving.

Coconut Chicken Strips with Honey Citrus Dip

Coconut Chicken Strips with Honey Citrus Dip

2 pounds chicken tenders
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 egg
1/2 can of condensed milk
1/2 cup of orange juice
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix orange juice, condensed milk, and a beaten egg until your wet mixture is well combined. In another bowl, mix coconut and panko crumbs.

Dip and fully coat each tender in the egg mixture first and then the panko/coconut mix. Place coated tenders on a baking sheet sprayed heavily with Pam.

Bake chicken 35-40 minutes, turning half way through so that chicken browns nicely on both sides. Serve with Honey Citrus dipping sauce.

Honey Citrus Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup orange marmalade
In a small bowl, mix the honey and marmalade. Heat in microwave for one minute.