Chicken and Vegetable Saute

    This recipe is one I pulled from March's Better Homes and Gardens.  You could totally mix it up by throwing in different veggies or spices.

Chicken and Vegetable Saute

Ingredients
 4 cups broccoli
1 bunch of asparagus
1 tbsp olive oil
4 chicken breasts
1 medium onion
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 can of Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained

Method
1. Fill a medium saucepan 2/3 full with water.  Bring to a boil and add broccoli and asparagus.  Boil for 3 minutes and then drain.  Rinse with cold water and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to the skillet.  Cook until browned, turning occasionally-about 10-12 minutes. Once cooked all the way through, remove from skillet and set aside.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low.  Add onion seasoned with salt and pepper.  Stir frequently for about 2 minutes.  Add beans, broth, vegetables, and chicken.  Increase heat to medium-high.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes until heated through. 

Happy Birthday Ace!

     Last year I got one of the best belated birthday gifts, another nephew, Ace!  Yesterday Ace turned one so today we are celebrating with a small gathering of the people who love him most.  I am helping my sister out by bringing two dishes I made recently, White Bean Bruschetta and a Creamy Barley Salad with Apples.  I also volunteered to make the cake, which I have been excited (and slightly nervous) about all week.  My sister and I decided on a rocket ship cake that we saw on parenting.com.  Everyone in my family loves coconut, so I decided to make the cake coconut flavored.  This recipe from myrecipes.com was my inspiration.  I don't watch much tv, but I do find myself drawn to shows about making cake.  I love cake and you can do such creative things with them.  This was my first undertaking in making a creative cake.

Coconut Cake

I hope Ace likes his rocket cake!

I made 2 cakes, just in case.  Arnauld is visiting family on Long Island tonight so I am sending this cake to them.  For this one, I added flaked coconut to the frosting.

Ingredients
2 large eggs
1/3 cup of water
8 oz light sour cream
8 oz cream of coconut (found in the international aisle-it comes in a can)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 box of white cake mix
2 cups shredded coconut

Method
1. Beat eggs with mixer on high speed for about 2 minutes.
2. Add water, sour cream, cream of coconut, and vanilla.  Mix together.  Add cake mix and mix on low speed until combined.  Then mix for 2 more minutes on high.
3. Stir in coconut and pour batter into 9x13 pan that has been greased and coated with flour.
4. Bake on 325 for 40-45 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
8oz package of cream cheese
1/2 cup margarine
3 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
16 oz powdered sugar

Method
1. Beat cream cheese and margarine with a mixer on medium speed until creamy
2. Add milk and vanilla and then gradually add sugar beating until smooth. 

Jax surprised me with a giant frog balloon on my birthday.

Ace loves to eat.  Arnauld was working hard to catch all of his crumbs.

Jax was a big help in getting all the candles on my birthday cake.

He also helped blow out all of the candles after he sang "happy dirtday". 

Ace's favorite birthday gift was the wrapping paper.

Ace also enjoyed his ice cream cake!

 The rocket cake was a success!

Happy 1st Birthday Ace!!!

 

Another Lentil Soup

    A few weeks ago my friend Ali made a lentil soup that she shared with me.  It was great so this week I made a big pot for the week.  Ali's recipe was based on a Giada recipe, which I also used as a starting point.

Lentil Soup

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cut celery, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz)
8 cups chicken broth
1 cup red wine
4 cups baby spinach
thyme
salt and pepper

Method
1. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat.  Add onion, carrots, and celery and let cook for about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for about 5 more minutes.
2. Add can of tomatoes and simmer for about 8 minutes.
3. Add salt, pepper, and lentils.  Mix together.
4. Add broth, wine, spinach, and thyme.  Bring soup back to a boil and then cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes. 

This recipe made about 12 cups of soup.

Honey Mustard Chicken

     Since I am on vacation this week I wanted to find some new recipes that I could add to my "go to" pile for those nights when I need to pull something together quickly.  Usually I have a pile of recipes that I have ripped from magazines or bookmarked on the computer, but that has not been the case the past few weeks.  So I turned to the internet to find a slow cooker recipe since I haven't pulled the crock pot out in what seems like forever.   I really struggled on this one.  After hitting my favorite websites, nothing really hit me.  I finally settled on a recipe from simpledailyrecipes.com, simply because it was easy and I had all of the ingredients.  

Honey Mustard Chicken

Ingredients
3 Chicken Breast cut in half
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup Smart Balance (or butter), melted
1 tsp curry
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp Dijon Mustard


Method
1. Mix butter, honey, curry, salt, and mustard.  Pour over chicken in the crock pot.
2. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

 The Taste Test
     I ran out while this was cooking and came home to a sweet and delicious aroma.  It made me really excited to try this.  I used chicken breast for this recipe even though the original recipe called for a whole chicken cut into pieces.  I used what I had.  I took the chicken out of the crock pot after 6 hours, although I think I should have taken it out earlier.  The chicken was a little dry.  If using a whole chicken, I think it would need more time.  Because I took the chicken out early, I refrigerated it and then we used it over salad for dinner.  The flavor of the chicken was really tasty.  I think next time, I will try to time this a little better so we can eat this dish hot.   This recipe will definitely find it's way into my rotation since it was very easy and tasted great.

Spinach and Lentil Soup

    On Friday, my team surprised me with a delicious lunch in honor of my birthday over, which happens to fall over our winter break.  Since I bring soup most days for lunch, they cooked up a batch of delicious spinach and lentil soup.  Tonight I had invited my sister over for dinner and by the time the afternoon rolled around, my entire family was invited for dinner along with Arnauld's brother.  I had been planning to make Lemon Ginger Chicken but I was worried we might need something more.  Also, Arnauld's brother is a vegetarian so I didn't want him to only be able to eat rice and broccoli.  So I searched the internet for a recipe that seemed like it might replicate the soup my team had made.  Here is what I came up with:

Spinach and Lentil Soup

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot
2 celery stalks
2 carrots
2 medium red potatoes
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
1/s tsp pepper
3/4 cups lentils
6 cups spinach

Method
1. Put lentils in a saucepan and add water.  The water should be 2 inches higher than the lentils.  Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer.  Cover and cook for about 20 minutes.
2. While the lentils are cooking, heat oil in a large saucepan.  Add shallots and celery.  Cook until they begin to get soft.  Add potatoes and carrots and cook for 10 minutes.  Stir often.
3. Add broth and 1 cup of water.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer for 2o minutes.  Stir in spinach and add salt and pepper.
4. Use immersion blender to puree soup mixture.  Stir in lentils and return to low heat for about 5 minutes.

The Taste Test
     This soup came out really great.  It tasted very similar to the soup my friends at work made, however the texture was different.  Their soup had more texture, while mine was pretty smooth except for the lentils.  The potato in this soup made this a thicker soup, which I really liked.   It was also an exciting day because both my dad and Arnauld tried this soup.  Arnauld has never even tasted any of the soups I have made.  He is a meat guy.  He was pretty hungry tonight so he had a bowl and liked it.  Maybe this will open him up to some of my other creations in the future!

I also made "everything brownies,"  For this recipe I use a box of brownie mix and throw in whatever I can find in the cabinet.  For this batch I added sliced almonds, mini chocolate chips, and marshmallows.  Ace was a big fan.

Creamy Barley Salad with Apples

     Tonight Arnauld and I are going to have dinner with our pals Ali and Erik.  I volunteered to make a salad but wanted to try something new.  I found this recipe for Creamy Barley Salad with Apples on realsimple.com.

Creamy Barley Salad with Apples

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup pearl barley
salt and pepper
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 apple, sliced thinly
6 cups arugula

Method
1. Combine water, 1/2 tsp salt, and barley in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil and then cover.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes.  After cooking, drain the barley and spread on a cookie sheet to cool.
2. Combine yogurt, lemon juice, mustard, oil, celery, apples, 1/4 tsp pepper, and 1/2 tsp salt.  Add the cooled barley.  Serve over arugula. 

Book Club Appetizer

     Yesterday my book club group had our third meeting.  This time Ali hosted.  We read Sarah's Key.  Even though it was a bit predictable, it was a quick and enjoyable read.  It's always nice to have a chance to see the people you work with in a different setting and have time to talk, drink wine, and eat great snacks!
    I made a White Bean Bruschetta for the occasion.  When searching for a recipe I always go for things with few ingredients and that look simple.  This recipe fit the bill.

White Bean Bruschetta

Ingredients
1 can canellini beans
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp water
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp paprika6 plum tomatoes
1 loaf French bread

Method
1. Combine beans, lemon juice, garlic, water, and spices in food processor.  Pulse on the chop setting for just a few seconds, enough to mix all of the ingredients together and chop the beans a bit.
2. Coarsely chop tomatoes and stir into bean mixture.
3. Cut the bread into thin slices and toast lightly.  Serve bean and tomato mixture over bread.

 
The Taste Test
     I made this the night before which allowed the tomatoes to become nice and juicy.  I also added a lot more tomato than the recipe called for, so there was a lot more tomatoes than beans.  You can probably play around with this ratio depending on what you felt like.  It was a very simple snack that tasted nice and fresh!

Happy Valentine's Day!

     Tomorrow is Valentine's Day...and the 100th day of school!  To mark this double occasion I baked for school and also for a Valentine celebration this evening with my family.

Here are some Valentine's I made for Jax and Ace.  

     I have made chocolate dipped heart cookies before.  In the past I have used refrigerated sugar cookie dough.  This time I decided to use a Martha Stewart recipe for Shortbread Cookies.  There is a lot less sugar and I had all of the ingredients handy so it was easier than going out to buy dough.   This was a pretty straight forward recipe.  The dough was a bit crumbly after chilling.  I found that if I kneaded it together a bit it was easier to work with.  Martha said that the cookies come out "more beautiful" if you do not reroll the dough.  I would have only had about four cookies if I didn't reroll and I think my cookies are gorgeous!

Shortbread Cookies Dipped in Chocolate

Ingredients
2 sticks of unsalted butter
3/4 cup of powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups of flour
3 oz semisweet chocolate chips


Method
1. Soften butter and mix with powdered sugar and vanilla until creamy.
2. Add flour and salt.  Mix until well blended.
3. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
4. Roll out dough on a floured surface and use heart cookie cutters to make cookies.  Place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet and chill for 30 minutes.
5. Heat oven to 300 degree and bake cookies until golden, about 18 minutes.
6. When cookies have cooled completely, dip in melted  chocolate. (See suggested methods below)

*Chocolate can be melted in the microwave.  Heat for one minute and then take out and stir.  Then heat for an additional minute.  I melted my chocolate using a double boil method, which is super fancy.  I heated some water in a saucepan and put a metal mixing bowl over the hot water.  I've never tried this before but it worked really well.  A smaller bowl works best for melting because you can dip the cookies deeper into the chocolate. 

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Ingredients
Strawberries
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Method
1. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave.  One minute in, stir.  Repeat.
2. Dip washed and dried strawberries in chocolate.
3. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Put in refrigerator to harden.  
*I saw something online about dipping a fork into melted white chocolate and then drizzling the white chocolate over the dark chocolate.  I didn't have any white chocolate, but those berried looked really pretty.

Mini Chocolate Lava Cakes

Ingredients
8 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1 stick butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs
butter to coat muffin tin
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1 tsp espresso powder
1 muffin tin

Method
1. Preheat over to 375 degrees
2. Place a small metal bowl over a pot of simmering water.  Melt the chocolate and butter and then stir in the vanilla.
3. In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, and salt.  Sift these ingredients into the chocolate mixture and mix well.  Add the eggs, one at a time.    Make sure each egg is fully incorporated into the mixture before adding the next egg.  Beat on high until the batter is creamer and appears lighter in color.  This should take about 4 minutes.  Chill the mixture.
4. Coat the top and each cup of the muffin tin with butter.  Dust with cocoa powder and shake out excess.  Spoon the mixture into the pan.  Bake for 10-11 minutes.  The outsides should be cake like and the centers should be gooey.  
5.  While the cakes are in the oven, melt the ice cream in a small saucepan.  Stir in the espresso and spoon over cakes.

The Taste Test
    My friend Ali suggested this recipe.  It is from the Food Network.  I was so impressed with these little cakes!  They were so easy to make and tasted better than any lava cake I've ever had from a restaurant.  This recipe is perfect for a dinner party because you can make the batter ahead of time and leave it to chill in the fridge.  When you are ready for dessert, you can pop the muffin tin into the oven and 10 minutes later you have a delicious individual cakes.    I baked them for 10 minutes and they came out with a very gooey center.  They were a real hit!

Tomato and Cabbage Soup

    My sister got soup from her favorite lunch spot, Hannah's Kitchen, last week and told me about some soup she had.  She said it had tomato, cabbage, and rice.  It sounded good to me and different than anything I have tried before.  So I googled some recipes to get some ideas.  Here is what I came up with:

Tomato and Cabbage Soup

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cups green cabbage, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp salt
ground pepper
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 cup water
4 large tomatoes, peeled and pureed (see information below)
1 cup brown rice, cooked

Method
 1. Heat a large pot over medium heat.  Heat olive oil and add onion, garlic, and cabbage.  Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes.
2. Add a cup of water to the mix, cover and reduce heat to simmer.
3. Add tomatoes, rice, basil, and thyme.  Cover and continue to simmer for 10 minutes.

This recipe makes about 10 cups of soup

Preparing Tomatoes
    I read about several different methods for preparing tomatoes for a soup like this.  What I ended up doing was boiling water and then tossing the tomatoes in whole for about 2 minutes.  I then drained the water and replaced it with cold water.  I let the tomatoes sit for about 3 minutes.  I then used a peeler to peel the skin from the tomatoes.  Next I cut the tomatoes into quarters and pureed them in the food processor.  


The Taste Test
Coming soon...

Cranberry Nut Muffins

     Another baking experience brought on by boredom...

Cranberry Nut Muffins

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup pecans
1 tbsp lemon rind
1 egg
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 dried cranberries

Method
1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Mix in shortening until crumbly.
4. Beat the egg in a small bowl and mix in milk.  Add to flour mixture and stir.
5. Fold in the cranberries.
6. Place paper liners in muffin tin.  Fill each muffin liner 3/4 of the way.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.



The Taste Test
     These are going to be a gift so I couldn't try them because the numbers would be uneven!  They smelled really good though and they were simple to make.  This recipe made about 12 muffins although there was probably enough batter to make 14.  I only have one muffin tin so I ended up tossing the extra mix. 

Warning! This post has nothing to do with food...

    I love containers.  Ever since I was little, I have loved boxes, bins, bags,  and anything with compartments.  So far this year (in 2011), we have had five snow days.  Each snow day I have decided to dedicate to organizing a different area of our house.  So far I have tackled the basements, pantry, closets, and the desk in our library.  After cleaning the basement I was left with a heap in the corner of miscellaneous gift wrap items.  Just how do you store things like wrapping paper, ribbon, and gift bags? I've seen the crafty desk that Pottery Barn sells and have found myself drooling over the pictures, but realistically I don't have room in my house to dedicate to crafts and wrapping. Then I saw it!  Browsing through my February issue of Better Homes and Gardens, this picture caught my eye right away.

 

     I quickly put my savvy shopping skills to work because I knew that this was the answer to my heap in the corner of the basement.  I read the tiny print at the end of the magazine and discovered that the door rack is actually a pantry rack from Chefs Catalog and it only cost $29.99.   I of course ordered it right away and anxiously awaited the package.  Unfortunately it arrived the day after snow day number 4.  So finally today, on snow day number 5, I put the rack together on the back of one of the doors in our basement and I am in heaven.  I thought I would need a screwdriver or some tools to get this thing on the door, so I was a little nervous.  No tools required.  The hardest part for me was getting the bottom shelf attached to the rack but other than that it was smooth sailing.  I love that everything has it's own little place.  Now I can't wait to wrap something up, even though wrapping has never been one of my favorite tasks!

Here is the final result...

Another good use for the mason jars left over from my wedding.

Spicy Shrimp Dinner

    My mom made this recipe the other night using a recipe she found in Better Homes and Gardens...I think.  She said it was super easy and delicious.  I borrowed the rest of her olives and threw this dish together for something different tonight.


Spicy Shrimp Dinner

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup kalamata olives, halved
1 lb raw shrimp
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp dill
1 tbsp parsley
3 oz feta cheese

Method
1. Heat oil in skillet.  Then add the onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper.  Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, olives, shrimp, and dried oregano.  Cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Add the dill, parsley, and feta.  Stir and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
4. Season with black pepper to suit your taste and then serve over rice.

The Taste Test
     I am not a huge fan of spicy dishes but this dinner was very flavorful without being out of control.  It was really simple to pull together and it offers a nice change to our usual dinner routines.  I think this dish would be equally as good without the red pepper...just my opinion!