If Yours Doesn't Look Like This, You Did It Wrong

365 Recipes - #41 - Breakfast Potatoes

2010-08-01T15:50:00.001-04:00

POTATOES !!!

I love potatoes... they seem to go with everything, and honestly I can't pass them up in the store. I remember one time I was at my fav. little local Trader Joe's with a good friend of mine and she made the comment.... "you Irish, you never can pass up a potato". This made me laugh... cause in my case, it's so darn true!

Anyway, here is a simple way to make breakfast potatoes to go under your favorite type of eggs.

The Line Up:
Potatoes
Salt
Pepper
Butter

Now, the amount of potatoes you need will obviously depend on the amount of people coming to breakfast. I guess I used about one of these per person, this one is a bit small, but it works, because this is really just a side dish.

I hand shredded the potato, skin and all, I feel there is no need to waist the skin, just wash it really well and shred away.

In a buttered pan (preferably a non stick one) I started with a regular pan, but realized I was not having any luck with that so I changed over to my non stick pan.

Use enough to a lot of butter, it's one of those things where the butter just helps... flavors the potato and helps with the browning of the potatoes.

I salted the potatoes to my liking....

Then flipped them over (make sure you still have enough of that buttery goodness so the flip side gets a good fry as well.

This method helps... keeps everything from drying out... well at least for me it did. And the added control of the heat helps cook the potatoes all the way through.

When its all brown and crispy and yummy, transfer the potatoes to a plate, then top them with your favorite style eggs... Scrambled, sunny side up, have fun with it!

ENJOY !
Recipe #41, 324 more to go.

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365 Recipes - #40 - Mini English Muffin Pizza

2010-07-25T19:18:00.010-04:00

Mini Crispy Yummyness

Today was another hot one folks... but it did rain around 3pm and the temp came down a good 20 degrees... Ahhh to not be sweating just because your standing there... So since the temp came down I thought it would be OK to turn on the oven... for only a few minutes... I picked a few of my favorite topping to top off my mini pizzas, so you do the same, make them as wacky or as plain as you like !

The Line Up:
Original Sized English Muffins
(Pick Your Own Toppings Here is What I Used)
Pizza Sauce
Pesto Sauce
Black Olives (sliced)
Green Peppers (diced)
Tomatoes (diced)
Peperoni slices
Motz cheese (Shredded)
Fresh Basil
Diced Mushrooms

YUM !

Take a fork and separate the muffin in two.

Pop them in the toaster, or toaster oven... My campy toaster only toasts on one side, normally it's a pain in the butt, but for this recipe it's perfect. So toast them up on one side if you can, just enough to make the "Crannies" toasty.

Here is a shot of all the fixins' I used... yummy!

I found a miniature can of pre-sliced black olives, but you can slice your own, it's not to hard, oh and here's a trick... if you have a strong hard boiled egg slicer and your olives are ripe... you can slice the olives right in the egg slicer! Bam! Instant sliced olives :-)

I diced up about 3 baby bella mushrooms, you don't really need all that many mushrooms because the pizzas are well... mini.

I sliced up some tomatoes, I kept a few round slices and then diced up the rest.

I took one 3rd of a large green pepper and diced it up.

I put the muffins on a baking sheet, then sprinkled a little garlic powder on each one.

Then topped them off with different sauces... half with pizza sauce and the other half with basil pesto.

Then I topped each one a little different. Some were plain, some were veggie, some were "everything"... here is where you have fun and make what you like... Then pile as MUCH cheesy goodness on top ! ;-)

Mmmm Cheesy!

Then pop them in a pre-heated broiler on HIGH for about 3 minutes, or until the cheese gets all brown and crispy.

OK so I let mine cook a little beyond brown and crispy, but they were wonderful just the same! I enjoyed these little guys SO MUCH that I had 5, yes 5 my friends...

Have fun make them how ever you like !

ENJOY !

Recipe #40, 325 more to go.

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365 Recipes - #39 - Coffee liqueur Icecream Pie

2010-07-18T20:05:00.016-04:00

Ice Cream and 91 degrees....

On what seemed to be one of the hottest days this July I decided to make an ice cream pie. Why you ask? Maybe i was in the mood for a challenge? Maybe I was just way to hot to think of the issues that come with extreme heat and ice cream... Maybe I just wanted something cold darn it!

This fun summer time treat is super yummy and very easy to make!

OK folks, I have to say this right off the bat... PLEASE remember to remove your polarizing filter from your camera lens when photographing food. I had a devilish time trying to fix these in post, and they still came out a bit drab, and dark... I wondered why I had to use my tripod. Maybe it was the heat? Yeah I'm going to blame my forgetting the filter due to the heat... Lesson learned my friends check your filters!... OK on to the pie !

The Line Up:

1/2 Container of Coffee Ice Cream (about .75qts)
Whipped Topping
4tbs Coffee Liqueur
1/2 cup Caramel Drizzle topping
1 Shortbread pie crust

I used a pre-made shortbread pie crust, because it was in the 90's and I really did not feel like turning on my oven. You can make your own, they are very easy, I'll post a how to when it gets cooler in my part of the woods.

Pick up your favorite coffee ice cream and let it soften for a bit, you do not want it melted, just soft enough to mix smooth.

Plop that in to a bowl, and if you were smart and it is over 90 degrees outside you would remember to place this bowl in another bowl that has some ice water in it, to keep the mixing bowl cool enough to slow down the melting of the ice cream... but not me... no I love to live life on the edge, I didn't need no stinking ice water... I just needed to move at the speed of light ! ;-)

Then take 3tbs of your favorite coffee liqueur... (you can use 2 or 2.5, but I wouldn't go over 3, coffee ice cream has a strong flavor to begin with... 3 is the max)

and mix it in to the melted ice cream...

Before it melts too much, pour it in to the pie crust and even it out.

Hopefully you didn't throw out the "lid", the plastic cover that comes with the pre-made pie crusts... if you don't have one, because you were cool and made your own pie crust, then just cover with plastic wrap, or tinfoil to form a tent so the ice cream does not freeze to the foil.

After about 2 hours you can start mixing the topping. I grabbed some pre-made whipped topping for this, again, I was too hot to make anything from scratch. I used maybe half of one of those containers... I think I just eyeballed it, it was about 4 heaping scoops.

Then mix in one tablespoon of the coffee liqueur, keep it quick and keep the topping as fluffy as you can...

Grab the pie out of the freezer...

I left the photo step out, but drizzle some of the caramel around on top of the pie before you put on the whipped topping...

Gently spread the whipped topping all around, make it as pretty as you like.

Then grab some more caramel topping and drizzle it around on the top. Pop this wonderfully coffee flavored frozen treat back in to the freezer.

In just a few hours it will set hard enough for you to cut pieces and serve...

Mmmm SOOOO good with a little fun punch of coffee liqueur goodness ;-)

ENJOY !

Recipe #39, 326 more to go.

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Ice Pops !

2010-07-07T12:22:00.005-04:00

Ok so this is not how to make an ice pop.... but rather what one looks like as you eat it!

:-)

Stay cool folks !

365 Recipes - #38 - Sun Tea

2010-07-07T11:09:00.009-04:00

Grandma's Specality

Since it's over 100 degrees outside and the sun is scorching, I figured I would put all that heat and sunlight to good use. Here is a very simple cool and refreshing summertime drink I used to make with my Grandma years ago.

Sun Tea

The Line Up
Water
Tea Bags
Lemon
Sweetener
Glass Pitcher

Start with a glass pitcher with cold water. Here I used 10 cups of water.

Then I used 10 tea bags, here you can use any tea you like; tea bags, decaf, loose tea, herbal tea, the choices are endless.

Place the tea bags in the water, and then laugh at the fact that they don't sink in to the water right away because the water is cold, HA! But try to push them down a bit to get the process started.

Then cover the pitcher with either it's lid, or wax paper.

If it's a bright HOT day, the tea should be ready with in 45minutes, but you can let it sit up to an hour.

Here is a hot money saving tip. If you reuse the tea bags right away you can make another whole pitcher of tea! However I believe it will take a bit longer the second go around.

Give the tea a good mix, then add your favorite sweetener, I used a bit of agave here, but you can use white sugar or honey, or no sugar at all. I then added a teaspoon of lemon juice for some kick.

Then pour the tea over ice and enjoy !

Keep Cool!

Recipe #38, 327 more to go.

365 Recipes - #37 - Cheesy Broccoli

2010-03-22T20:09:00.008-04:00

So here I was in the mood for some healthy broccoli... but I was in a cheesy mood... DING DING DING.... CHEESY BROCCOLI! I... for once... actually had all the ingredient at home, so this was an easy dish.

The Line Up:
Broccoli (enough for 2)
2tbs of Butter
Salt
Pepper
1 cup of 3 Cheese Mix

I cut up enough broccoli in to small bite size pieces for two people.

Then I took the 2tbs of butter and melted it down in the microwave.

I had a bag of pre-shredded 3 cheese mix left over from another recipe, this mix is very versatile, it has a sharp Cheddar taste and very stringy motz, and I believe there is some creamy provolone.

Then I mixed in some salt and pepper to the melted butter.

Here is my new steamer... I love this little thing, it was only $8 at the local BBB and I've only used it twice since I bought it, but wow! I LOVE it! Who knew steaming broccoli was going to be so easy!

WOW look at that wonderful color! 3 minutes this is what the broccoli will look like... YUM!

I mixed in the melted butter and salt and pepper...

Then dumped the cheese on top.

Can you say YUM? I popped this in to the microwave for about 1 minute on high.

OK, now I know you can say Y U M ! MMmmmmm This was so simple and easy and CHEESY !

Enjoy!

Recipe #37, 328 more to go.

365 Recipes - #36 - Raspberry n' Sunflower Seed Goat Cheese w/ Blue Agave

2010-03-14T12:45:00.007-04:00

WOW LONG TITLE !

This fun party dish has it all... It's sweet, tangy, creamy, crunch, salty, and addicting. This year I have fallen in love with goat cheese... It's so creamy and yummy and you can do so much with it. I made this for a "Girls Night". There was only three of us so it's a small portion, but let me tell you, we could not gobble it up fast enough! (Sorry my lactose friend! I promise next time I will remember... I promise!)

The Line Up:
Goat Cheese
Fresh Raspberries
Blue Agvae Sweetener
Roasted n' Salted Sunflower Seeds

Not the best photo in the world, but those are the ingredients.

I started with a half of a log of Goat Cheese.

Then I rolled the cheese in a heaping amount of Roasted Salted Sunflower Seeds.

Then drown it all in Blue Agave Sweetener. This looks like honey, but it's not. I guess it's similar, but there are no little bees involved... only a cactus... a cactus that makes TEQUILA! Yes you read that right. The Blue Agave plant that produces Tequila also produces this very yummy very sweet "honey" like sweetener. I love it ! it's not as thick as honey, well at lease this brand is not, but it's very sweet... I've even use it in my coffee with wonderful results.... I'll have to do a full post on the stuff some time.

Then I sprinkled a handful of raspberries all around.

I forget what these crackers were... but they worked perfectly.... I'll have to ask and get back to you on that one.

A heaping amount of cheese and a raspberry rounds out this wonderful flavorful bite.

Mmmmmm blurry cheese! I highly suggest making this for your next party!

Enjoy!

Recipe #36, 329 more to go.

365 Recipes - #35 - Mini Chicken N' Sweet Sausage Quesadillas

2010-03-13T21:11:00.008-05:00

OK.... Yes Yes... This is not a full recipe post... BUT... it does follow my previous post... so... there :-P

Basically you make everything I made in my previous post "Mini Quesadillas"

BUT

1. Instead of heating them up on the griddle.... just pile everything in to the tortilla round and enjoy! The heat of the fillings will melt the cheese.

2. along with the chicken you'll need to add one sliced sweet Italian Sausage link.... Make sure the Chicken and the Sausage are cooked all the way through then add the Mushroom and onion mixture.

3. I chopped up some Cilantro... because... what is Mexican food w/o Cilantro?!?!?

Mmmmmmm

YUM !

(Or should I say OVER STUFFED Quesadillas!)_

Enjoy!

Recipe #35, 330 more to go.

365 Recipes - #34 - Mini Quesadillas

2010-03-13T20:39:00.008-05:00

I was in a SPICY mood.

There I was in the heart of the heavy hardy warm you up winter food months and all I wanted was a fresh Mexican Quesadilla. So... I made one :-)

The Line Up:
One Onion
A heaping handful of Mushrooms
Diced Chicken
Shredded 3 Cheese Mexican blend
Guacamole
Sour Cream
SM Tortilla Rounds
1 Plump Tomato
Taco Seasoning

I grabbed the only Onion I had, it was a little "aged" and "sad" but it was still good.

Ahhhh pre sliced Mushrooms!

I tossed a handful of the mushrooms and the diced onion in to a hot pan with a table spoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil.

Diced up a "blurry" tomato ;-) I put this to the side for later... oh and I also removed the "innards". What you don't see here is my shredded lettuce.

I found this pre cooked chicken breast meat at the local Trader Joe's... it was perfect....

This I found at Trader Joe's as well.

I didn't use the whole packet, maybe half?

Mmmm Look at those mushrooms! When they are ready and the chicken is browned a bit... toss them together.

I heated up my grill and laid out the tortilla rounds. When they were just about crispy, i loaded them up with some cheese and the chicken and mushroom mix. I folded them over and let the cheese melt for a bit.

Mmmmm I plated them with some shredded lettuce and the diced tomatoes and some guacamole and last but not least some sour cream (mmm I love that stuff... but that's for another day)

Enjoy!

Recipe #34, 331 more to go.

365 Recipes - #33 - Smoked Motz n' Spinach Chicken

2010-03-07T10:25:00.013-05:00

FINALLY!

Finally I have found some time to start editing my food.... I've been so busy these days with school and work and snow and the Olympics and Archery, OH MY ! But here I am back again...

This recipe was brought to me by my mother, it started a bit intense... and ended up very YUM!

The Line Up:
Frozen Spinach (thawed and drained)
Chicken with skin (any part will do pick your fav.!)
3tbs of Butter
1tbs Nutmeg
Shredded Smoked Moz.
Salt
Pepper

I found this very yummy Apple Smoked Mozzarella cheese. I grated it with the smaller holes on my gaiter. I don't want big lumpy amounts of the cheese because the smoked flavor is sooo strong that I rather it be blended all the way around to give the dish a hint of smoky flavor. When I was grating this.... WOW the smoky flavor was so strong SO STRONG I was afraid it was going to over power the chicken... but don't worry, some how it works out at the end.

I thawed my frozen spinach and drained it out then plopped it in to my mixing bowl. I used one full frozen packet.

Then I added a cup of shredded Motz.

Next up was a table spoon of Nutmeg.

Mix it all up. Now... my spinach was a little warm because of thawing it in my microwave, and this melted the cheese... if that happens... It's all good... It's going to melt in the oven later !

Gently lift up one side of the skin on each piece of chicken.

Then spoon in a HEAPING amount of spinach. (I made 4 pieces here, but this recipe could have filled 6.)

Then I pulled the skin over nice and tight, we want to make sure the filling doesn't come out while cooking.

Use 1tbs of butter to grease the baking dish, then top each piece of chicken with a 1/2tbs of butter. Then grind a nice amount of fresh salt and pepper over the top.

In to the oven at 350 for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink and the skin becomes nice and crisp.

YUM!

I served this with some basil pesto tortellini... YUM

Look at all that filling! Remember that over load of smokey flavor? Well.... it all melted and penetrated the entire piece of chicken and actually became a hint of flavor... perfect!

I hope you enjoy it if you try it!

Enjoy!

Recipe #33, 332 more to go.

SORRY !!!

2010-03-01T10:25:00.001-05:00

I'm sorry folks... I've just been really busy with work and school and the Olympics... yeah I was glued to my TV for the past few weeks... it was all so exciting.

Anyway... Very soon I'll post a whole bunch of recipes... Just give me a little bit...

THANK YOU !

365 Recipes - #32 - BarbaraQ Salmon Salad

2010-02-16T12:31:00.009-05:00

Every year... well due to financial difficulties... excluding this past summer... I have my annual BarbaraQ at my house. I love love love BBQs. The smell of the grill (charcoal of course!) The refreshing ice cold beers, overflow of guests bringing "home made" potato salads... fresh cut grass... the laughs coming from the volleyball court... Oh do I wish it was summer now.

Did you know it's snowing right now? It seems like it's never going to stop...

Oops... And there I go off on a ramble again. Well... Because it was snowing, and because I needed something fresh and light and NOT a winter fating comfort food... and because I was in the mood for BBQ... I decided to recreate the Hulahan's BBQ Salmon Salad.

I'm not really sure what they put in that salad, and it's been a few months since I had one... but this is close, with a twist.

Here is my "BarbaraQ Salmon Salad"

I started with a nice sized piece of Salmon, this piece was enough for 3 people.

I rubbed in some good extra virgin Olive Oil with fresh ground Sea Salt and Pepper.

Then... In the grand tradition of grilling in the winter... I forgoed the wonderful smelling charcoal Weber grill (which by the way currently had a 5" tall snow hat and is buried in up to a foot of snow...) for the George Forman Grill. I have a grill pan for the stove top... but I really wasn't in the mood to light the stove... you know how gas prices go and all... during the winter it is not my favorite bill to pay.

I left the salmon on the grill while I threw together the salad... my "Blood Orange & Granny Smith Apple Salad" is very similar to Hulahan's. It has the oranges, granted mine are "blood red" hehe, and it has nuts, and yes I used almonds in the place of pecans, it has coconut shavings and... well... I opted for thin sliced green apples to give it a crunch in the place of those crunchy chip strip things ( a healthy alternative I felt ) and then I drizzled some ranch all over the top) (Oh and tossed in some other things...)

When I was finished with the salad, the Salmon was ready... It really only takes a few minutes for the salmon to be perfect... and it was... it was nice and flaky and flavorful and... moist... Mmmm.

I placed a nice size strip of the Salmon on my plate with the salad and topped it off with a little bit of BBQ sauce. The BBQ sauce wasn't anything fancy, just "original" flavor I think... But it adds a sweet and tangy zing to the Salmon that I just can't get over.

This dish is light, and yummy, and pack full of flavor... AND it leaves you full but not "STUFFED". I highly recommend giving this a try.

Enjoy!

Recipe #32, 333 more to go.

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365 Recipes - #31 - Blood Orange and Granny Smith Apple Salad

2010-02-15T19:50:00.004-05:00

So I was slacking taking photos tonight... so there are only a few...

This is a very very yummy salad. It's fresh and light and sweet and savory and sour all at the same time!

I sliced up some blood oranges... I picked the blood oranges for color... I never had them before, man they pack some flavor punch ! I love them...

Then I sliced up some small Granny Smith Apples... these added a punch of sour and crunch...

Insert a whole bunch of photos of me chopping up some almonds and a avocado... slicing up some grape tomatoes and white button mushrooms... Then sprinkling coconut shavings all over the salad along with some fresh ranch dressing....

YUM !

LOOK at those colors !!!! This salad was sooo yummy and crunchy and sweet and sour and savory and light... all at once! I highly recommend it !

And a perfect drink... of course had to be a Sour Apple Smirnoff... you know to keep with the theme of the salad. :-D

The Line Up :
Lettuce
1 Blood Orange
1 Granny Smith Apple
Mushrooms
Grape Tomatoes
Chopped Almonds
1 Avocado
Coconut Shavings
Ranch Dressing

Recipe #31, 334 more to go.

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Here It Is!

2010-02-13T21:15:00.003-05:00

Here it is... my new pride and joy of my kitchen.....

TA DAAAAAA.....

Out of the box...

Oh my... my poor little kitchen counter...

I GOT ONE !

2010-02-13T18:44:00.001-05:00

Oh boy, Oh Boy, Oh BOY ! Just you wait and see... just you wait and see....

(obviously pics to come soon... I just have to get it out of the box!)

:-)

Conversion Charts Basics

2010-02-13T10:25:00.004-05:00

I'm posting this because I know you want to know, because I know I want to know, because somewhere out there someone never knew and now they know.... ok I'm in a crazy mood today, maybe because I might actually buy my very first food processor !!!!! Or maybe because I'm a little nutty... oooo nuts I'm buying nuts today too... Oops I almost went off on another tangent there...

Anyway... I found this information on "KitchenScrapbook" I can't take credit for any of it, because, well, I didn't know most of this information.... I knew the basics like 4quarts = 1gallon... but honestly that is all I remember from grade school home economics class.... :-D

So... Thank You ! Kay from "Kitchen Scrapbook" !

3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon
4 tablespoon = 1/4 cup
5 1/3 tablespoons = 1/3 cup
8 tablespoons = 1/2 cup
16 tablespoons = 1 cup
2 cups = 1 pint
4 cups = 1 quart
16 cups = 1 gallon
4 quarts = 1 gallon

Macaroni 1 cup (3 1/2 oz) uncooked = 2 1/2 cups cooked
Noodles, med 3 cups (4 oz) uncooked = 4 cups cooked
Speghetti 8 oz uncooked = 4 cups cooked
Popcorn 1/3 - 1/2 cup unpopped = 8 cups popped
Rice, long grain 1 cup uncooked = 3 cups cooked
Rice, minute 1 cup uncooked = 2 cups cooked

Bread 1 slice =3/4 cup soft crumbs
= 1/4 cup dry crumbs
Graham crackers 7 squares = 1/2 cup crushed
Ritz crackers 12 crackers = 1/2 cup crushed
Saltines 14 crackers = 1/2 cup crushed

Bananas 1 medium = 1/3 cup mashed
Lemons 1 medium = 3 Tbsp. juice
Limes 1 medium = 2 Tbsp. juice
Oranges 1 medium = 1/4 - 1/3 cup juice

Lettuce 1 head = 5 cups shredded
Carrots 1 pound = 3 cups shredded
Celery 1 rib = 1/2 cup chopped
Corn 1 ear = 2/3 cup kernels
Green pepper 1 large = 1 cup chopped
Mushrooms 1/2 pound = 3 cups sliced
Onions 1 medium = 1/2 cup chopped
Potatoes 3 medium = 2 cups cubed

Almonds 1 pound = 3 cups chopped
Pecan halves 1 pound = 4 1/2 cups chopped
Walnuts 1 pound = 3 3/4 cups chopped

365 Recipes - #30 - Fresh Motz Grilled Cheese

2010-02-11T14:10:00.006-05:00

Fresh Motz and Fresh Basil YUM

In keeping with my last post... here is another twist to an old favorite. The fresh motz. and fresh basil grilled cheese sandwich. I made this a few weeks back to go along with my "HOT" Tomato Soup

It is a great sandwich for dipping or just enjoying on its own.

The Line Up:
Sourdough Sliced Bread
Fresh Basil
Fresh Motz
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Take one slice of bread and cut it in half and lay down slices of the fresh motz...

On top of that lay down some fresh basil... Then place on the top slice of bread...

In a small bowl mix together some EVOO and a dash of pepper and a few good twists of a salt grinder...

Then brush that on to the top piece of bread. Here you can see my old brush... I have since replaced it with a shiny new black one...

Then take the sandwich and place it oil side down on to a grill... leave it there for about 2 minutes... you can then oil the top to prep it for flipping.

Then flip over the sandwich and leave it on the grill for 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve alone or with soup... it's yummy and gooey and it's good for you :-) is it ? probably not... but it will taste like it :-D

Enjoy.

Recipe #30, 335 more to go.

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365 Recipes - #29 - Pigs in Bacon in a Blanket

2010-02-11T13:30:00.009-05:00

Double Wrapped Pigs!

Here is a simple twist to the classic Pigs in a Blanket.... Try adding a layer of bacon! No...not the healthiest choice... not by any means... no not at all... but seriously folks... how many do you eat at a party? 1? 2? 10? HA!

Well, no matter how many you eat, you will FLIP over how these melt in your mouth. I'm not sure but it must have to do with the juices of the bacon... but the "blanket" will just melt in your mouth with every bite...

YUMMY !

Start with croissant roll dough. I used the kind that comes in a tube. What I did here, because the triangle shapes don't make good blankets... I cut the dough in to 8 strips and then cut each strip in half.

I took 8 strips of bacon and cut them in half.

Start with the mini dog...

Then wrap it with one 1/2 strip of bacon...

Then wrap once again with one 1/2 strip of dough...

Place them on a non stick baking sheet (us a cooking spray if you need to)

Bake them for... well... I forget ;-D... I just baked them until the dough was golden brown, and the bacon started to brown on the edges...

This only made 16, but you can easily make more just by doubling or tripling the ingredients... I suggest making a lot... they will go fast.

These are totally amazingly yummy, and totally amazingly not good for you, and totally will be spending a week on my hips along side of the Football Cake Bites I made for the Super Bowl Party last Sunday :-D

But they are perfect for parties... give them a try....

Recipe #29, 336 more to go.

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Natural Light

2010-02-10T18:10:00.000-05:00

Oh natural light how do I love theeeeee.... I would count the ways... if I only had more of you in my kitchen!

(This random thought was brought to you by the snow day...)

Some New Kitchen Tools

2010-02-10T13:39:00.001-05:00

I had mentioned the other day that I took a trip to Chef Central.... and here is what I bought... Nothing fancy, just some basic necessities for the kitchen.

Some TINI TINY Ramikins... mostly for photography needs rather then cooking needs :-)

Some random scrapers... these are great on stove top grills, panini makers, etc.

Pizza pan... But I'm sure I can find other uses for it...

I oped for one of these rather then the new fancy design with fewer thicker bristles... I like the old school brushes...

Cooling Racks ! The next rack I need to get is the one that fits in the cookie sheet for dripping icings and stuff.

Some cookie cutters... You can see here the football I used in one of my previous posts... I tried that football helmet shape... but the rice krispie treats looked more like Packman then football helmets :-D

Hehehe

How adorable ?! I needed a small hand whisk for eggs... and thought this guy was just perfect !

And the most expensive item of the night was this microplane zester. At a whopping $15 I think it was a good deal.

Now trust me folks... I could have easily bought the Kitchen Aid Mixer, a professional grade food processor, $500 knife set, at $500 3" thick cutting board... but I restrained myself and my credit cards... for the time being ;-)

365 Recipes - #28 - Football Cake Bites

2010-02-08T05:00:00.000-05:00

Eatable Footballs.

Who doesn't want to eat a football right? OK maybe no one would... but I bet you'd change your mind when you have one of these little guys... I came up with these football cake bites as a treat for Superbowl Sunday. My friend Jen hosts this big SB party every year at her apartment. for fun I usually make a HUGE 3D theme cake... But this year I was not inspired by the teams, and to be honest I didn't even know who was playing! Sometimes you just gotta change up things once in a while to keep it interesting... and keep them guessing... :-)

I think they were a hit... Most all were gone by the end of the game.

The Line Up:
Box Cake Mix
1 Can of Butter Cream Icing
Melting Chocolate
Melting White Chocolate

I made the cake the night before so it would be completely cooled and less "moist" then a "fresh out of the oven" cake normally is.

Now Crumble up the cake.... yes we get to play with out food today weeeeeeeeeeeeeee...

Once the entire sheet cake is crumbled up....

Put it in a bowl if you have not done so already, ;-)

Then mix in the icing... You'll want to use your fingers here... or maybe a pastry blender... but I think i twill be easier to just dig in and use your hands...

Keeping it as fluffy as possible get it all mixed in well and good...

Then form the cake in to little footballs. Once they are all formed you'll want to chill them so they stiffen up a bit. A hint to remember here for size... is to think about eating it yourself... as one bite... you do not want them to be massive, but you definitely do not want to be standing there decorating hundreds of them if you make them too small... So keep them to one to 1.5 bites big. this will keep them coming back for more !

While they footballs are "stiffening up" I melted some chocolate chips in the microwave... BLASPHEMY! I'm sure some of you are thinking... why in the microwave?!??! Because I don't have a double boiler and I needed to melt them quick. If you do it this way you have to watch them or you will burn the chocolate really easily ! Trust me, I did.

I then coated each and every foot ball by hand...(I'm guessing there were a few dozen (give or take a dozen) I now melted the white chocolate and poured it in to a decorating tube. Do not put them in the fridge... I found that keeping the chocolate at "room" temp as apposed to fridge cold will allow the white chocolate to bond to the chocolate better with out popping right off when hardened.

Then the fun(?) part started... Do you know how strong you have to be to decorate almost 4 dozen miniature footballs??? VERY ! By the time I finished them I literally could not let go of the icing decorating tube. My fingers were locked around the tube for life HA !

After I peeled my fingers away from the tube I tossed the chocolates into the fridge to set.

Oh my Oh my... these little footballs are soooo divine... so rich... so melty in your mouth... so going to live on my hips and butt for the next week !

Recipe #28, 337 more to go.

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365 Recipes - #27 - Teriyaki Beef Skewers

2010-02-08T04:00:00.000-05:00

Leftovers On A Stick

Here is a great way to use up left over steak! I had a little bit a steak from the night before and a loan pepper from making morning omelets. I searched around to try to come up with a dish and then I found the Teriyaki marinade sauce. DING! I knew what I was going to make. Simple easy... go...

The Line Up:
Left over cooked steak
Cherry Tomatoes
Teriyaki Marinade
Green Bell Pepper
Olive oil

I poured a little of the marinade in to a bowl and then sliced up my steak in to bite size pieces.

And then tossed them in to the marinade. I put the lid on the bowl and shook it around for a bit and then put it off to the side.

I grabbed the pepper and sliced it up in to bite size squares.

And then grabbed the tomatoes and set out all my ingredients in to an assembly line.

I didn't soak my skewers because I was not cooking over an open flame, I wasn't really afraid of them catching on fire. But if you are... then go a head and soak the skewers before you start your food prep, and if you on BBQing over open flame I would soak them for at least a half hour.

Then I started with the pepper...

Next came the tomatoes...

Then a piece of steak...

Try to keep them all "flat" so both sizes get a chance at touching the grill.

I then sprayed the grill with some oil, and popped the skewers on the grill until there was grill marks on both sides....

And TaDaa! Teriyaki Beef "leftover" Skewers... Sooo yummy, I just love how the grill brings out the flavors of tomatoes don't you? But be careful they can burst real easy :-) I didn't use any salt or pepper because the Teriyaki sauce definitely had enough salt for me...

Recipe #27, 338 more to go.

365 Recipes - #26 - Foot Ball Krispies

2010-02-07T16:48:00.001-05:00

Since it's Superbowl Sunday, I thought I would make a few fun treats to bring to my friends Annual SB party. The first treat I made was Rice Krispie Footballs....

I used coco krispies, marshmallows, and peanut butter. I used peanut butter and the coco krispies because I wanted them to be dark like a foot ball, but also peanut butter for Jen, since she is a peanut butter aholic!

I used a football shaped cookie cutter to cut out a bunch of footballs.

I melted some chocolate chips. (I also melted up some white chocolate)

Then decorated the tops of the treats with football lines and laces.

They are very yummy and gooey

Recipe #26, 339 more to go.

Cake Pops

2010-02-07T16:39:00.000-05:00

My first attempt at cake pops! I think they came out very good... but... I learned a lot... like my cake was very moist, so when I mixed in the "glue" the butter cream the cake became very VERY moist... but they are holding their shape so that is good. AND I learned that you just can't put chocolate decoration on ice cold chocolate... it will just pop right off... anyway... I think it was a great first attempt...

YUM !

Chef Central

2010-02-07T06:59:00.000-05:00

A Foodies Heaven

Have you ever heard of Chef Central?
I happened upon this wonderfully enormous kitchen supply store while shopping for archery accessories at Ramsy Outdoor. Chef Central is located right next door to Ramsy OD, and I knew I just had to go in and check it out.

WOW
It's like as if you took BBB's kitchen section, and Pier 1's kitchen section and multiplied it by 20. Yeah it's that big. As I walked in the the door, the first department I found was the Italian/pizza section... Ironic since I just made pizza the other day. And it was huge, any thing you could possible want or need to make pizza and pasta was right there... What is rally amazing and convenient about this store is that they have small restaurant grade and home style. cooking appliance and utensils and gadgets and decorations....

Then I found a wall of dishes....

OK it was more then just dishes... but, WOW any size shape color you could possibly need or want was sitting there saying TAKE ME TAKE ME!

Next up was the the "tea pot" section... Well Hello! How sweet is this little set ! Ok it might not have been the "tea pot" section, but everything there was Asian inspired.

Now these just rocked my socks! Seriously they did they are small and elegant and they weigh a ton!

Then as I backed up to get a better shot...

This is what I almost fund myself under ! HA!
Now that would have been very bad, I have the worst luck and I'm super clumsy as is, and there I find myself almost under a ladder in a store with lots of glass and plates and... not good :-)

But I did make it out of the store w/o destroying anything... apart from the domino's effect I had in the cookie cutter section (Shhhhhh)

I love love love these ! I want them just so I can have sushi at home !

Now come on look at how small and cute these are! I wanted to take them home sooo bad! I did, I even walked around holding them for about 10 minutes, but they were about $20 and I just couldn't see myself spending $20 on mini utensils... maybe some day... I'm sure the red spoonula would be great for filling mini muffin cups.

I want one of these... I had one... the dog destroyed it when she was a puppy. The handle was wood and apparently it tasted good to her... booo it was my grandma's...

I found these wonderful spoons... and scoops... The first time I saw one of these was on "The Pioneer Woman's" website. I fell in love with them... and they are just as precious in real life.

THEN...

The wall of my dreams... Hello Lovelies, H E L L O ! Oh if I only had one of my very own... in classic red... Ahhhh to dream.

So if you ever have a chance to check out this store I highly suggest it. They even have a website! It took me about one and a half hours to walk most of the store, there were some sections in the middle of the store that I did not venture in to... maybe next time... But I'm just sayin' you can spend 2 hrs in this store EASY !

http://www.chefcentral.com/

365 Recipes - #25 - Garlic n' Bacon Mashed Potatoes

2010-02-06T20:09:00.001-05:00

Mashed Vs. Smashed

I don't know about you, but I grew up saying "mashed" potatoes... Now there is this whole new wave of cooks calling them "smashed"... and you know.... is slowing driving me crazy. OK so they are "smashed" but I've been "mashing" potatoes since I was a little girl... and I own a potato "masher" so there :-P

BACON! Who doesn't love bacon?

The Line Up :
6 Red Skin Potatoes
3 Tbs of minced garlic
6 Strips of Bacon
8 Laughing Cow Original Creamy Cheese
A Splash of Heavy Cream
2 Tbs of Butter
Salt
Pepper

Start with the potatoes.

I chopped them up, it really doesn't matter how, just as long as they are small pieces so they cook up quick.

Then I added the minced garlic.

I then poured in the water... Now I wondered why I put the garlic in during the boiling part... but I found later that this way the garlic flavor is there, but it does not take over the whole dish...

You ready to laugh???? I never even thought about cooking bacon on the George Forman until I saw the episode of "The Office" where Michael burned his foot on the grill in bed. Ok "ew" foot bacon? HA! Then not to long after that I was watching the Food Network's Alton Brown discussing the best way to cook bacon... and this is the BEST way to cook bacon. I didn't burn it, I didn't dry it out, and it wasn't saturated in oils...

Lay out the bacon on paper towel to absorb the extra oils and fatty juices.

I love these little cheeses... so rich and creamy ! Perfect for mashed potatoes.

I drained out all the water and left the garlic and potatoes in the pot.

I added all the cheese...

And then the butter...

Then I took my potato "masher" ;-) and mashed away...

Once you get the potatoes half mashed, pour in some cream... the amount I put in was done by eye... I just added a little bit at a time until it was creamy with out being liquidity.

Mmmm bacon ! I chopped up the bacon and then folded it in to the potatoes.

And sprinkled a bit on top. YUMMMY !

Enjoy !

Recipe #25, 340 more to go.

365 Recipes - #24 - Dill Red Skin Potato Salad

2010-02-06T19:43:00.000-05:00

Lots-O-Fresh Dill

I had a bunch of fresh dill slowly seeing it's last days... I needed to use it fast... a friend of mine sent me a bunch of red skin potato recipes and one had fresh dill. What a fresh alternative to the every day potato salad.

It looks creamy and decedent, but the only "bad" ingredient is butter...

The Line Up :
Red Skin Potatoes (I used 6 here)
1 Sm. pkt of Fresh Dill (about 3 to 4 tbs)
2 tbs of Parsley
2 Tbs of Butter
Salt
Pepper

First I filled up a pot with water and then brought it to a boil.

While the water was boiling, I sliced up the potatoes.

Then chopped up the dill (insert here chopping fresh parsley, which I did not have so I used the dry kind)

Dry Parsley

I put the potatoes in to the water and let them boil up for about 20 minutes.

When the potatoes were done I drained out all the water. Then I put the potatoes back in the pot so the heat of the potatoes and the pot will "dry" the extra water off the potatoes.

I then put in about 2 tbs of butter..

A few cranks of salt and pepper went in next... Then I mixed it up gently until all the butter was melted.

In a new bowl I mixed in the parsley and dill while the potatoes were still warm.

You will see the warmth from the potatoes will bring out the bright green of the herbs.

Give it a try at your next BBQ... I know BBQ season feels like a million years away... but you can always do a "mock" BBQ on an indoor grill pan !

Recipe #24, 341 more to go.

365 Recipes - #23 - Sauteed Mushrooms

2010-02-06T19:26:00.000-05:00

Steak Sauce on Mushrooms?

Here is a simple dish that goes great at a BBQ or over a steak. Sauteed Mushrooms... These little guys come packed with lots of flavor!

YUM!

The Line Up:
Sliced Mushrooms
Worcestershire Sauce
Garlic Powder
Butter
Lemon Juice
Salt
Pepper

I started with about 1.5 tablespoons of butter melting in a pan.

I then plopped in the mushrooms...

Then I poured in a decent amount of Worcestershire sauce, sorry boys and girls I was paying more attention to the camera ! But it's about 2 to 3 tbs.

Then I sprinkle in salt pepper and garlic powder to taste...

Honestly I had these at a friends house with a monster sized steak... and I was afraid the Worcestershire sauce would not work w/o the steak... but tonight I had them as a side with potato salad and a hot dog... and they were scrumptious!

Enjoy !

Recipe #23, 342 more to go.

365 Recipes - #22 - Asparagus with Almonds

2010-02-03T19:53:00.001-05:00

Nutty Decadence

Today's side dish is very simple. And I like it that way. Asparagus and Almonds... see wasn't that simple?

I had no idea how yummy this dish would be when I started. I know I love asparagus and almonds, so why not put them together. I found a recipe on line and thought to myself, well if someone else did it, and they posted it... then it must be good. I tell ya, I had no clue how decadent the first bit was going to be. I highly suggest eating this right away, don't let it sit too long cooling. The warmth brings a richness to the flavor of the almonds that knocked my socks off. Truly it did.

The Line Up :
Fresh Asparagus
Chopped Almonds
Butter
Salt
Pepper

Simple... easy...

First I melted a table spoon of butter in a pan...

I took a handful of almond slivers and "chopped" them... Ok I crunched them up in the bag by hand, but if you want, chop them with a knife of in a food processor.

Once the butter was melted I tossed in the almonds...

After they browned for a bit...

I tossed in the asparagus... at this point you really can't walk away... you have to keep moving the asparagus around so they and the almonds don't burn. Add more butter if need be...

After 8 minutes in the pan on medium to low heat... I removed them to a plate...

Pretty plate !

Mmmm doesn't that look good... all buttery and nutty and decadent !

Here is a nice serving suggestion for parties... Pile the asparagus on a serving dish and sprinkle the almonds over the top.

Enjoy!

Recipe #22, 343 more to go.

365 Recipes - #21 - Basil Pesto Pizza

2010-02-02T12:17:00.000-05:00

Basil Breath and Teddy Bear Bread

(I was thinking the other day that my blog post titles were very bland now that I'm adding the recipe numbers... so... if I remember... I'll try to come up with a fun sub title.)

I know when I've had an over load of Basel Pesto Pizza when the next morning... yes excuse me ladies but it must be said.... the next morning you burp and you get a faint "reminder" of the amount of basil you consumed the night before... it was quite hysterical.

Innocently at work sitting at my desk...boom... there it was, an instant reminder of the yummy yummy pesto pizza from the night before. Tehehe

Basil Pesto Pizza is the BOMB... wait, should I be typing BOMB on here? Well it IS the BOMB. I absolutely love it. Trader Joe's (if you have not realized by now, is one of my most favorite food stores to shop in) has this yummy premade Basil Pesto Pizza... It's affordable and all, but I am on this crazy cooking adventure so I thought I could just make my own.

I shopped around the store and and found all the necessary ingredients. I grabbed some premade pizza dough (come on now... it was already 8pm and I was not in the mood to make it from scratch), and I found premade basil Pesto in a jar, some canned diced tomatoes.... and a log of fresh Motz. (I plan on learning how to make home made pesto as soon as I get a food processor... promise !)

Upon opening the premade pizza dough I was slammed with memories. The dough was so fresh and the yeast was just powerful enough to hit you in the face with a wonderful smell. It brought back so many memories. First big memory was of my Grandmother and back when I was a weee little girl with pigtails, one day we made teddy bear bread... Teddy Bear Bred is well... bred in the shape of a Teddy Bear... and baked in the oven. It was very cute, and it even had raisin buttons ! When I get a chance I'll sort through all my old photos... I know I have a photo of it some where... I think... and scan it in.... anyway it was cute, and yummy.

Second memory from the yeast came from my days at the bakery. Did I tell you I worked at a bakery for like 6 years of my life? And I wonder where my hips and butt come from ! Well there would be times in the back kitchen that would smell just like this pizza dough... ahh memories. I love how smells and aromas can bring back forgotten memories like that.

Well this yeast smell was sooo yummy, sooo fresh, and soooo begging for needing and rolling out in to a yummy pizza crust.

And that's what I did.

(and PLEASE PLEASE forgive my horrible photographs, has such a hard time white balancing... ugh... not my best work at all !)

First I grabbed the can of diced tomatoes, and I strained out all the extra juice so the pizza wouldn't be so... juicy... I would have diced my own tomatoes here, and I suggest it here... because it is just good... yeah... good.... but off I go with my canned diced tomatoes....

I let it sit and drain while I started to do other things....

Here is the dough I used... It was very fresh and yummy. Let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before taking it out of the bag and working with it.

I spread out a good amount of flower... obviously my camera saw bluish white flower... ugh...

Then I gently kneed out the dough and form it in to this....

Then I used my hands, and not a rolling pin, and I pushed the dough out in to a large circle... I tried the "spin the dough up in the air and catch it trick" ... and well lets just say... I almost had dish water pizza ! Reminder to self not to do that again... or at least not to do it over a dish full of water and dishes HA!

I got a decent shape out of the dough about a foot or bigger in diameter.

I oiled my pizza pan (or you can use your pizza stone to bake it on... up to you just make sure it's hot) Then I placed the dough in the center.

I spread out the tomatoes.

And then the pesto... looking aback I think I would have rather spread the pesto on first... then the tomatoes... that would have been better layering...

I shredded my own fresh motz and sprinkled it all over the top... YUM ( I even snuck some, because it's just that good.)

For some reason I needed more basil... and I did this... again... looking back I think I should have done that AFTER I baked the pizza... but hey... I'm learning here.

In the oven it went... I think it was set to 375. Now the directions said to cook it for 8 minutes... It actually took twice as long as that to cook... Maybe I should have gotten the pizza pan with the holes in it? Oh well, I'm learning...

Here it is... what a horrible photo LOL really I don't know what my camera was doing, or what I was doing wrong... bla

Well at least this photo came out looking yummy... and it was very yummy, and I definitely plan on making it again... and with different toppings.

Recipe #21, 344 more to go.

Decadent Snack?

2010-02-01T21:35:00.001-05:00

My version of a decadent snack.... ok so maybe it's not normal "decadence" to most... but to me it is... Because to me... anything that has fresh avocado chunks in it, is Decadent !

First you take a SUPER ripe avocado and dice it up.... then grab a "sweet corn" cob... and carve off all the yummy juicy sweet kernels... then grab a nice hand full, about 1 table spoon of chopped fresh cilantro.... and mix it all up in a bowl... let it sit for a few minutes to "marry" the flavors...(more on that discovery later) and then dive right in.... No, Sorry... I do not have a photo today.... why? well... to be honest... when I finished making it... I then... tasted it, and then tasted it, and then well... the next thing I knew it was all gone... See....

It was YUM
This is a mini version of my sweet corn and avocado salsa dip I made a few months ago, which included a jalapeno pepper, lime juice and tomatoes.... all of which I did not have on hand tonight... but you know... right now... at this moment... it doesn't matter, it was that good !

Archery Vs Bathroom Toilet

2010-02-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

What a day I had... I woke up on this beautiful Sunday morning with grand visions of things to be accomplished... Ok.. this does not sound like a Food Blog post, I mean really, toilets? HA! Anyway... I'll get there I just need to ramble on... :-)

The list of things planned to do on Sunday:

Learn how and make a Pizza
Upload at least 2 recipe posts that are pending publishing.
Go to the Archery Range for an hour for practice
Do Laundry
Do Homework
Go to Chef Central
Go to Wallmart

Fix the toilet??????

Yeah the list was long for a Sunday, but I was on a mission, I did not go out on Friday or Saturday... I was a lazy bum, so I had to make up for it.

I accomplished 1 recipe posting, not too bad, at least I got one up... Then I went in to take a shower before I started the laundry, because I like hot water more then my clothes do... but what was this I found in the bathroom?? water? on the floor?? where is that coming from??? Was the dog drinking from the toilet ?!?!? Oh Nooooooo the toilet!

With this toilet delema at hand I worried I would not make it to the Archery Range :-( Something I was really looking forward to today.

You see... I had installed that toilet only a few years ago during my upstairs bathroom make over, and I was very proud of myself for accomplishing it. (with the help of some wonderful friends of course). But there it was leaking water from under the bowl. I did a few inspections, and found no leaks. So that meant, the wax ring between the base of the bowl and the pipe in to the floor needed to be replaced. It happens... Good thing I had a spare wax ring... yes I did.. why you ask? I'm not really sure but there it was.

With the help of my mom we were able to remove the toilet, clean out the old wax ring, install new one and then put the toilet back. As much as there was cursing and yelling and smooching of fingers... there was hysterics... seriously folks... I am hysterical... perfect example of how hysterical I can be while installing a toilet..... I needed a flashlight.. do you think I have a working flashlight in my house when I need one? No, not this gal...

But I remembered... I installed the "flash light" app on my iPhone! Yeah, I really did. And you know what... it is a very handy app for such situations like this... So there I was holding up the toilet with one hand and trying to turn on the "flash light phone" with the other, and then prop it up so it wouldn't get all ... well nasty... it is a toilet and all... and Tadaa! There was light. HA I crack myself up. With the toilet finished I could move on to the next thing... Shower, then a load of laundry.

All cleaned up for the day I hoped in the car to go to Chef Central... all the way in Paramus... ALL THE WAY THERE... (ALL 50minutes drive there) just to find out.... the store was closed... why? Why would a huge kitchen supply store be closed? BLUE LAW !!!!! ugh... why do they bother me so? So nothing was open, not even Michael's craft stores... Fricken Blue Law Counties....

Anyway back in the car I went and headed home to the Wallmart in Morris Co., which I knew would be open because Morris Co. does not have such silly laws.... ;-)

I bought a few new kitchen utensils, (Photo to come soon...) and then headed to Trader Joes for a pizza... (which I will talk about in my next post.)

By now it was too late to go to the Archery Range (booooooo) , so I went home. With homework in mind I made a quick pizza dinner and hit the "books". By the time I finished it was 10pm... and the dog needed her last "outing" , out she went in to the cold did her business and back in the house in no time.

I had a very long day... and mostly accomplished what I headed out to do.... damn what a day!

365 Recipes - #20 - Baked Mac N Cheese

2010-01-31T10:54:00.001-05:00

Who doesn't love Mac and Cheese? Really? Come on now? Pasta and cheese... Y U M. I love the stuff... I was in the mood for the cheesy goodness the other day but I didn't want it to be ... bla... I wanted it to have some crunch... some bite.... some extra flavor.

I came up with my very own "Baked Mac N Cheese". And I only used what ingredients I had in the fridge and the kitchen cabinet that day. And yes... that meant using pre made frozen mac n cheese from the store. Ok, not "home made" but I did put my very own twist on it, and this is what i came up with....

YUMMY !

The Line Up :
Frozen Mac N' Cheese
Italian Bread Crumbs
Parmesan Cheese
Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
My "Baked Cherry Tomatoes"

Start with the family size frozen Mac N Cheese... Heat it up in the microwave for only HALF of the cooking time. This will allow for more baking later on. Take the bowl out of the microwave and mix it up.

Spread the Mac N Cheese in to a glass baking dish.. you'll see it's mostly cooked through already.

Take some shredded sharp cheddar cheese and sprinkle it ALL over the top... this will make it very cheese, because why not... right?

Grab your Italian bread crumbs and spread them all over the top of the cheese.

Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese all over as well...

(insert photo of olive oil) Right before you pop this in to the oven drizzle some extra virgin olive oil all over the top.

YUM! Now toss it in to the oven.. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.. or until the cheese starts bubbling up around the edges and the top is all golden and crispy.

There you go! wasn't that easy?

Scoop out a nice hot heaping amount in to a bowl and enjoy.

Look how yummy and cheesy that looks!

No really... LOOK :-D this was soooooo good.

Now for my twist. I made these Baked Cherry Tomatoes and decided to toss them in.... it was a GREAT decision ! The flavors of the tomatoes and the garlic and the fragrant olive oil just made this dish soo decadent and yummy and well just darn good !

I hope you enjoy!

Recipe #20, 345 more to go.

365 Recipes - #19 - Fruit Cereal

2010-01-27T22:48:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure if some of you are thinking "this really isn't a recipe... " But I thought I would post it anyway. You see... I had all this left over fruit from different desserts I tried out over the last few days... and.... I didn't want it to go to waste... so.... I grabbed a hand full of each and topped my cereal with them. How easy is that? Cereal topped with a bunch of different berries. Simple. I used Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries. And a nice heaping amount of them too... if you have any left over fruit... cereal is the way to go.... Now don't leave out the bananas or the mangoes... or any of your favorite fresh fruits, throw them right on top and I'm sure you'll like the change to the boring box cereal. Although come to think of it... melon may not taste good here... what do you think? :-)

Recipe #19, 346 more to go.

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365 Recipes - #18 - "Hot" Tomato Soup

2010-01-26T17:34:00.001-05:00

I'm not the first in line for tomato soup... it never sounded appetizing to me. I do like tomatoes, but as a soup? Eh...

The other day I was in the supermarket and I happened across these "Ugly Ripe Tomatoes" . Awwww they called them ugly! The tomatoes were not ugly to me... they actually looked like tomatoes I grow in my little make shift pot garden. Looking around I noticed that they were the only ripe tomatoes in the entire store. I grabbed 4 and decided to make tomato soup... but with a kick !

The Line Up:
4 large plump tomatoes
1 small habanero pepper
4 tbs Sour Cream
1 tsp Ground chicken bullion
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbs of Sherry Vinegar
1 small sweet onion
1 cup chicken broth (low sodium)
olive oil

Yummy !

The Kick !
Look at this innocent little guy... all pretty and orange and sitting there all innocent... but you better keep an eye on him... he packs a punch !

Here they are, the "ugly ripe tomatoes" They are not so ugly... just a bit lumpy... almost like those fancy heirloom tomatoes.

Roughly chop up the onion, size doesn't really matter too much here... they will be blended up later.

Quarter the tomatoes in to small chunks.

Pour a few tbs of olive oil in to a sauce pot, then add tomatoes....

And the onions...

Then pour in 1 cup of low sodium chicken broth....

add the minced garlic...

Now take that little "innocent" habanero pepper and slice it open and plop it right in to the pot.... you want to be able to fish this out later.. so don't chop it up no matter what you do.

You don't have to use a habanero pepper if you don't like heat... and if you don't like EXTREME heat then you can dump in some dried pepper flakes at this point instead.

Ahhhh lovely! bring the pot up to a boil and then back down to a simmer and let it simmer for ten minutes.

After the 10 minutes have passed remove the habanero pepper... Here is where my dish went down hill... I did not remove said pepper... i left it in there for the entire cooking time... OY It was very hot to say the least... Lets just say I was happy I had a lot of sour cream in the house that day !

At this point you can add the ground chicken bullion.

My very first bottle of sherry vinegar ! really it was !

Pour in 1 table spoon...

Give it a good stir and then let it simmer for another 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes remove the pan from the heat and let it cool down some. Once it's cooled a bit you can pour it right in to a blender...

Puree the soup until everything is creamy... (at this point you can freeze the soup if you like for future use or give canning a try !)

Pour the soup back in to the pot and heat it up for serving...

To add a creamy texture to your soup you can then top if off with 2tbs of sour cream per serving...

Did I tell you it was great for dipping grilled cheese sandwiches too??? Well it is.. and let me tell you... this was the best tomato soup I've ever tried!

Recipe #18, 347 more to go.

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365 Recipes - #17 - Layered Fruit with Mango Whip

2010-01-24T20:08:00.001-05:00

Now doesn't that just look yummy !

The Line Up :
Blueberries (with a splash of lemon juice and 2 tbs of powdered sugar)
Mangoes
Whipped Cream
Strawberries
Blackberries
Raspberries

Take about 2 handfuls of blueberries...

and drop them in to a small blender with the powder sugar and a splash of lemon juice.

Blend away until it's as smooth as you can get it.

Then take about a 1/4 cup of diced mangoes.

Put them in to a small blender with a cup of whipped cream.

Blend away until it's all smooth...

Then fold the mango mix in to another cup and and a half of whipped cream to keep it fluffy.

Fluffy!

I love fresh fruits... don't they look so good... even for the winter they look so yummy !

I used a wine glass for this dish... it will hold just the right portions for a refreshing dessert. Start with the strawberries on the bottom.

Then add a dollop of the cream.

Then add some blackberries.

Another dollop of cream.

Then some raspberries.

More cream !

Remember that blueberry mixture we made earlier... well by now it has jelled a bit.. and this is OK... just mix it up and put a nice little spoon full on the top.

YUM ! Enjoy!

Recipe #17, 348 more to go.

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365 Recipes - #16 - Wanna-be 10 Layer Nacho Dip

2010-01-23T15:32:00.000-05:00

I started off on a mission... and that was to make a 10 Layer Nacho Dip. All those fresh vegetables and spicy chili flavored beef was calling my name. Really who doesn't love fresh avocados? or fresh tomatoes? or spicy beef? Well I have 9 layers today... the 10th is still at the store... oops I forgot the black olives !

Ok off we go (and here I apologize for how many photos for this one... I guess I just wanted to show off every step)

The Line Up :
Ground Beef, 1lb
Spicy Re Fried Beans (low fat), 1 can
Sour cream (low fat) small container
Lettuce, half a head
Tomatoes, 3
Avocados, 2
Lime Juice, half a lime
Cheese (shredded M. Jack and Sharp Cheddar)
Jalapeno, 2
Cilantro, heaping amount chopped
(Black Olives.... more on this later.)

Start with a head of iceberg lettuce...

Slice it up thin so you don't have big overpowering pieces.

Grab 3 plump tomatoes...

Scoop out the innards...

Then chop them up to small corn kernel size pieces.

For the cheese... it's best to make this dish with at least 2 different types to bring in different flavors... I used M. Jack Cheese and a Sharp Cheddar.

I used 1 lb of ground beef. Why I have such a hard time photographing raw meat baffles me... some day I'll get it right.

Now for the kick. Chili powder ! This will be added when the beef is cooking.

Refried beans with a kick of spicy... and even better it's FAT FREE ! good stuff. I put this in a small pot over a very low heat, it really just needed to be warmed up. You do have to stir it from time to time so it does not burn.

Please I beg of you, when your adding chili powder to your beef please PLEASE pay more attention to the chili power then your camera ;-) I was trying to hard to get this in focus I didn't realize how much I put in... it's a good thing I like the spice!

Jalapeno! Yummy kick to any Spanish dish!

Chop this up really small... I could only find one in the store that I liked... so I was stuck with just one... but you can use up to 2, that is if you like the kick of the jalapeno!

When your ground beef is ready, remove it from the pan and place it on a paper towel to drain off the extra oils.

Take your avocados and slice them in half and pop out the pits. or is this a seed? I should look this stuff up some time....

For years I didn't know the right way to slice/chop an avocado... But thanks to my go to person in the kitchen... Cynthia... she showed me how to do it in side the skin. Just make slits going in both directions to make cube like shapes... just be careful your not slicing your hand on the other side !

Because avocados are so delicate and will brown rather fast, it's best to squeeze one half of a limes juice all over them... and this adds a bonus limey flavor (which by now if you have not noticed... i like... a lot :-) Save the other half of the lime for another time.

Now for the layering. Start with the beef on the bottom.

Spread the refried beans all around (this was 1 full can of beans)

Then spread sour cream around to form the 3 layer.

Next comes the lettuce...

And tomatoes...

Avocados... I love these... so I always make large chunks... but you can make them smaller if you like.

Then a layer of the two cheeses...

Sprinkle the jalapenos all over the top.

Then sprinkle the chopped cilantro all around the top to bring in that fresh flavor.

Now...
Insert photo of sliced black olives spread all over the top......Ta Daaaaa ! 10 layers ! Yeah I forgot the black olives... oh well... next time !

Doesn't that look so yummy?

Look at all those layers !

I highly recommend eating this dip with nacho chips, but if you can't wait go right a head and dive in with a fork, it's OK I'm not looking ;-)

Remember that half of lime you didn't use? Well now would be the perfect time to whip it back out and slice it up, and plop a nice little wedge in to an ice cold Corona, or Corona Light... trust me... Corona's are the perfect "wine" for this dish :-)

Recipe #16, 349 more to go.

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365 Recipes - #15 - Fancy Store Bought Pulled Pork

2010-01-23T09:47:00.000-05:00

The other day I was craving some pulled pork. I had it once... at a truck stop! I was out one day riding my motorcycle around the tri-state area and really started to get hungry. The only place in sight was a truck stop. So in I went. The pulled pork sounded yummy so I gave it a try. Man-o-man it was good. I looked in to recipes at home to make it myself and realized how much work actually goes in to the pork. I like to keep dishes simple and easy so I ran down to the local Trader Joe's in town and picked up some pre-made pull pork in sweet BBQ sauce. But it was boring... so I decided to vamp it up just a little bit.

The Line Up :
1 pkg store bought pulled pork in sweet BBQ sauce

1 ripe tomato

1 sweet onion
soft hamburger rolls

YUM ! OK here we go.

Not the best photo in the world, but here is the pre-made pulled pork in sweet BBQ sauce from the store. It's juicy and smells like summer time BBQs.

Grab one sweet onion and peal it and slice it in half.

Then chop chop chop away. Like I've said in the past, I don't like onions, so I only used half of the sweet onion, but you can use the whole onion, it will still be wonderful.

Plop the onions in a hot pan with 2tbs of olive oil.

Grab one plump ripe tomato.

I left all the seeds and "innards" in my tomato to give the dish some more juice since some will cook off on the stove.

Once the onions are browning and smelling yummy..... put the pulled pork right in (insert missing photo ;-)

Then add the tomatoes and give it a good mix. Put a lid on the pan for a few minutes to warm the mean through and through, but please mix it from time to time so you don't burn it.

While the meat is warming up you can toast the rolls...

Then put a heaping amount on each roll. YUM !

And serve with some tater tots, because who doesn't love tater tots?

The pulled pork was sooooo sweet, and so decadent you must give it a try !

Enjoy.

Recipe #15, 350 more to go.

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365 Recipes - #14 - Limey Rum & Cola

2010-01-21T09:33:00.000-05:00

I was working on a 7, maybe 8, could be 9 layer nacho dip... yeah it just kept growing I think it could have grown to a 10 layer dip if I didn't run out of room in the dish :) but that's a story for another day. The reason why I bring it up is because i had used a lime to protect the delicate avocados... I just love the smell of limes... they will always remind me of the week I spent on a little island off the coast of Cancun Mexico called Isla Mujeres. The weather was so nice and calm and warm and everything smelled of sun tan lotion and lime and cilantro... good times... And I rambled on again. ( really do that a lot, you'll get used to it... i hope ;-) So there I was squeezing a lime over my avocados and I thought to my self... self... you need to make a drink with this lime so it does not go to waist.

And that inspired me to make the "Limey Rum & Cola". It's super simple... really its... I'm all about super simple these days....

The line up :
1 half lime
1.5 shots of Rum
Cola
(See I told you it was super easy)

See that glass there... What's that called? I'll have to look it up, it's not driving me crazy, but I guess it would be good to know.

Now you can make this drink in a short glass like the one pictured here, or you can make this drink in a pint glass... but you'll want (well maybe you'll want) to add 2 shots of Rum instead of 1.5 shots.

Start by pouring 1.5 shots of rum in to your glass over ice.

Give a GOOD squeeze of half of a lime... you want it limey. (if you don't like the little bits then you can use a screen but I didn't mind them at all.

Then top it all off with cola.

Take the other half of lime (you know the one you didn't squeeze in to the drink) and slice a thin circle for the garnish. Then make a slit in to the center of the circle so the lime can hold on to the glass. A trick for more limy flavor... make sure you slice the lime right through the "fruit" this will release some of the juices, then slip the lime circle on to the the glass and run it all around the rim. Every sip will have a burst of lime !

For the "diet" version of this drink, I would suggest Coke Zero... do they still make that? I love it, Diet Coke is fine and all but it definitely has a different taste then original and zero.

I hope you enjoy !

Recipe #14, 351 more to go.

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Slacker

2010-01-20T22:54:00.000-05:00

Yes, I'm a slacker... I have about 4 gigs of recipes floating around my hard drive... yet none are finished for posting...

I promise they will be up soon... I have a few more drinks, some cheesy dishes and a fancy "up do" for some pre-made pulled pork... OK maybe it's not fancy, and maybe it does not have an "up do" but... it will at make your family THINK you slaved away for hours....

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365 Recipes - #13 - Fried Ravioli

2010-01-16T10:16:00.000-05:00

I was on a mission to make "baked ravioli" but not the kind that is submerged in sauce... you know, all soggy and stuff... I wanted the kind that were battered and crispy. After a few searches on line I found one recipe that looked interesting.

I was then convinced by a friend to not bake them but rather fry them... I hate frying food in my house. I was told to get some good Italian EVOO and fry them up. I gave in and decided to give it a try. I went to my favorite little shop in town (Trader Joe's) to get some good fresh ravioli and olive oil. The Italian olive oil was so fragrant and cheap ! Cheap is good, I like cheep. I grabbed some yummy spinach and cheese raviolis and a can of sauce... not any old sauce but Bruschetta. (Yes my Italian food name purists... you can call it gravy all you like, but in my house growing up; gravy is what we put over meats, and sauce was what we put on pasta, so :-P ) (don't get me started on Salsa and Pesto... they are universal in my little world)

ANYWAY....

I filled up the pan with oil, and my oh my, the Italian EVOO was so fragrant. Olives... I smelled OLIVES! But not in a nasty way, in a nice fragrant "wish my kitchen smelled like that every day" kind of way. On to the fire it went, and it didn't smoke and I was happy with that. But... little did I know how much smoke would produce later... Oy... never again. I didn't burn the dish, as you will see, but what was left in the oil tended to smoke and burn.... does anyone know how to avoid this? My house now smells like I fried something last night, which I did, but ew. Ugh...

I had left the exhaust fan on, thinking to myself, I'll just leave it on for an hr or so to suck out some smoke so the house and all the fabric covered things, like couches and carpets wouldn't be smelly... but alas my plans were nixed.... only a half hour later I ventured back to the kitchen.... no fan ! What? Am I going senile in my old age? Did I not leave it on? The house is so stinky now... I asked my mother if she turned it off.. she said yes 30 minutes ago !?!?!?!?!?!? ugh... I can't win.

But on a positive note, the raviolis did come out very good, the Bruschetta on top was perfect... and I even had a simple side salad to round it all off... yum yum yum

FRESH ! I love fresh pasta, these were very yummy!

What can I say... it's a very yummy thing. But you save this for the end, just pop it in a pan and warm it up.

Take some Italian bred crumbs and some Parmesan cheese and mix it up on a plate.

Pour a good amount of olive oil in to a pan and heat it up on high.

Crack open one egg and mix it up a bit in a bowl, this will be the glue.

Dip each Ravioli in to the egg wash...

Then cover them really well with the crumbs mixture.

And then plop them in the oil... OK don't PLOP them or you'll be hurting... and there will be lots to clean up later !

After a minute or so you can flip them over on to the other side (depending on how deep your oil is.) Then place them on some paper towels to drain off some of the oil, and then serve.

I poured the warm sauce over the raviolis and made a simple side salad with some creamy Italian dressing... YUM YUM YUM

Recipe #13, 352 more to go.

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365 Recipes - #12 - Dirty Vodka Martini

2010-01-14T20:18:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't like a a good martini these days right? But there are so many varieties out there, where does one start? I say start with the classics... The basic Martini could do... but why not start with one that will put some hair on your chests... Ok I know us girls don't really want hairy chests... but you know what I mean ;-) This drink is not for the weak at heart drinker.... nah, you have to mean it when you drink this powerful little punch of olivey goodness.

The Dirty Vodka Martini

It's strong... and well... strong ! And I say if you like olives and vodka... then give it a try.

The trick to a good martini is the temperature, so chill your glass and your ingredients well before you start. ( A warm Dirty Martini may put hair on your back ! Ew!)

The line up:
3 oz vodka
1 oz dry vermouth
1/2 oz olive brine

Pour in the Vodka ( I must say, choose a good vodka here, not some cheap $15 a gallon bottom shelf vodka, you want smooth, you want flavor, you don't want "alcohol" if you know what I mean !)

The Dry Vermouth.

Then the Olive Brine

Shake the drink well (insert photo of me shaking the drink, but it's hard to shake a drink and snap a photo.... ) Slip a few olives on to a tooth pick, and pour the drink over them in to the glass.

Yum...

Recipe #12, 353 more to go.

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365 Recipes - #11 - Tomato Basil Cheese Skewers

2010-01-12T20:53:00.000-05:00

I had this wonderful little appetizer at my friends Christmas party. I don't remember the last time I had fresh basil, and honestly I only know what the dried basil smells like. This all changed when I had one of these tasty little bites. They are very fresh and light and flavorful. I am adding Basil to my Favorite Fresh Herb list !

Here is the line up:
Fresh Basil
Cherry Tomatoes
Fresh Mozzarella balls

This basil was so fragrant for a moment I forgot it was 19 degrees out side and felt like it was a warm summer day. I love garden fresh !

These mozzarella balls were a bit big for this recipe but they worked.

Grab a handful of cherry tomatoes, nice and ripe.

Here are my tiny tooth pics! HA, you can use these too, heck they work, but you can use slightly longer ones so your guests have something to actually hold on to. :-D

Skewer a tomato sideways.

Then grab a leaf of basil, you can use one large one, or two small ones for each skewer.

Roll up the basil in to a neat tight little roll.

Skewer that next.

Then last add a ball of mozzarella.

How adorable are these little guys !!!!!

Since my tomatoes were so small I decided to add a 2nd one on the end.

These are a nice light fresh flavorful alternative to the pigs in a blanket.

Enjoy !

Recipe #11, 354 more to go.

365 Recipes - #10 - Barbara's Orange Cool Down

2010-01-10T20:01:00.000-05:00

Here is one of my most favorite drinks of the summer. It is simple, refreshing, and sweet. Grab a pint glass and pour in 2 shots of vodka, then a splash of Grenadine syrup, then fill the glass up 3/4th of the way full with your favorite OJ (for me that's "no pulp low acid"), then finally top it off with cranberry juice.

Now... I "freeze" my vodka so it is always a cool drink, but you can pour this over some ice if you like.

Enjoy!

Recipe #10, 355 more to go.

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365 Recipes - #9 - Barbara's Meatballs

2010-01-09T22:01:00.000-05:00

Meatballs.... something I was always afraid to try. All my Italian friends mom's and grandma's can make the best meatballs... who am I to try to make one to compare? Well I had to try. And since I had some left over ground beef I thought I would.

I hate to say it, but alas I forgot to actually measure my ingredients ! Ugh. Bare with me, maybe some day I will redo these meatballs and actually take note... But I do have photos of each step... so you can kind of guess from there.

The line up :
Ground Beef
Italian Bread Crumbs
Grated Parm. Cheese
Salt
Pepper
Italian EVOO
Basil
Oregano
Minced Garlic
Dry Onion flakes
Your Favorite Tomato Sauce (I used Bruschetta because it was chunky, I like chunky)

I took my left over ground beef (although I don't remember it being so pinkish blue!)

For the salt, I had a salt grinder and made about 6 grinds.

For the pepper... about six grinds too

Since I was using only ingredients from the spice rack tonight... I used these dry onion flakes, maybe about 2 tables spoons.

You want to smell the best Organic Oregano ever? Then you have to talk to my friend Cynthia... She grew this oregano in her spice garden and was such a dear to dry some up and give me a sample.... I used about a table spoon here. I also added about a table spoon of Basil.

Then I put in a HEAPING teaspoon of minced garlic. I have this stuff that is pre-minced in a jar in the fridge... I love it!

For the olive Oil I used this Italian EVOO I bought from Trader Joe's... GREAT STUFF ! About 2 tables spoons. (if you mix becomes too dry later, you can always add more, but you shouldn't have to add too much more)

Then I poured a good amount of Italian bread crumbs in the bowl.

And a heaping pour of parm. cheese.

Then the most important step... remove rings... trust me, you don't want to pick raw meat out of your jewelry later ;-)

Mix it all up.

I really didn't have to add too much EVOO and see, it's still very moist.

Then roll up each ball, I think mine were about 1 tablespoon size.

Place them on a baking sheet, oil the sheet so they don't stick.

Then stick them in the broiler on "normal" for 5 minutes... and don't do what I did... don't go up to your computer and check out your favorite foodie blogs... because you may just burn the meatballs... 5 minutes isn't as long as you think ! :-D

Then place the meat balls in your favorite sauce and let them simmer warm until you need to serve them, or for at least 15 minutes.

YUM! I'm very proud of my first attempt at Italian (everything off the spice rack) Meatballs....
I hope you enjoy!

Recipe #9, 356 more to go.

365 Recipes - #8 - Baked Cherry Tomatoes

2010-01-08T21:49:00.000-05:00

On a whim, and because I didn't feel like attempting Italian Meatballs tonight, I thought I would try something vegetable in place of a meat. I grabbed the cutest little cherry tomatoes from my local store, and, well, that was all I needed, I had the rest at home. I thought to myself...self... what would go great with baked Mac n' Cheese? And my self said... Baked Cherry Tomatoes in olive oil with garlic!

The line up:
Cherry Tomatoes
Italian Pressed EVOO
Minced Garlic
Salt
Pepper

YUM! I love cherry tomatoes... they are actually the only vegetable I can grow !

What you want to do here is line the bottom of a glass backing dish with the cherry tomatoes. You can use one large dish if you like, I was experimenting here that is why I am using glass ramekins.

Then grab a nice fragrant Italian EVOO, and drizzle it all over the tomatoes

Then take one 1/2 teaspoon of garlic for each serving !

Top it off with some salt and pepper. Then mix it around a bit to coat the tomatoes evenly. Then pop the dish in to a 400degree oven for at least 45 minutes, checking from time to time to see if they need mixing so the tops don't dry out all together.

MMMMMMmmmmmmmm Right now my house smells like the BEST Italian eatery you can imagine... "baked" garlic with fragrant olive oil and tomatoes... OMG OMG OMG (that is exactly what I was saying when I opened the oven) ;-)

They are great as a side dish or as a topper for any pasta dish. They will bring a warm garlicky flavor to any dish... but be careful... they can be pretty hot inside!

This has to go to the top of my "BEST FLAVOR" list of any dish I have ever made.
Hope you enjoy !

Recipe #8, 357 more to go.

365 Recipes - #7 - Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich Cupcake

2010-01-07T15:25:00.000-05:00

Here is a fun cupcake topper idea for those who love the ice cream cookie sandwich. My Mom loves these... and I needed to make a fun and unique cupcake for her Birthday this year. Since her Birthday is so close to Christmas, it's always a struggle to make it stand out from all the Christmas and Holiday Hoop-La.

The line up.... Store bought cupcakes (Chocolate, Vanilla, what ever floats your boat.) Mini chocolate morsels, soft batch chocolate chip cookies, butter cream.

They are cute, but not what I'm looking for.... So lop off the tops... make a nice flat cut so you have a flat working surface.

Fill a Ziploc baggie with a big dollop of butter cream and then snip off the tip.

First put a small dot of butter cream in the center of the cupcakes. This will be the glue for the cupcake topper.

Place one cookie on the cupcake upside down.

Use your icing bag and put a decent amount of "filling" on top of the cookie.

Then place the 2nd cookie on top of the icing right side up. I would suggest chilling the cupcakes at this point so the icing sets up a little.

On a plate, pour out a handful of mini chocolate morsels.

Take each cupcake and gently roll the topper in the chips. You may need to help it along a bit by pressing the chips in to the icing so they grab on a little better.

Ta-Daa ! How sweet is this little guy !
Creativity in the kitchen is the icing on the cake... or the cupcake ;-)

Recipe #7, 358 more to go.

365 Recipes - #6 - Eggnog Coffee

2010-01-06T23:02:00.000-05:00

Eggnog coffee is super easy! All you need to do is brew your most favorite coffee, substitute milk with Eggnog, then top it off with some fresh ground Nutmeg. Ahhh I love Nutmeg. I actually use it in a lot of my recipes... I don't always note it, but what Nutmeg does... is as a "note" of flavor and fragrance that will bring warmth to most dishes.... Give it a try some time...

Recipe #6, 359 more to go.

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365 Recipes - #5 - Warm PB&J

2010-01-05T19:21:00.001-05:00

To be honest, I don't have a cute story today to go along with my PB&J. I could sit here and tell you how I LOVED this as a kid, ramble on about memories. But no... I just had an idea and went with it :-D

Here is a super simple warm PB&J "sandwich".

The line up :

Peanut Butter (Creamy or Chunky)
Strawberry Jam (nice and packed full of Strawberries)
Regular Crescent Rolls ( I used Pillsbury, the kind that comes in a tube you have to roll up and bake.)

The crescent dough comes cut in long triangles, but they were a little too long, so I cut off one tip, about 2 inches from one end.

Put a nice smear of peanut butter on the bottom layer.

Then put a dollop of Strawberry Jam on top of the peanut butter.

Take a 2nd crescent roll and lay that on top. You want to then pinch the edges together really well to form something like a odd shaped ravioli.

Place them on a cooking sheet.

Just for fun I took the tips that I cut off and formed mini crescent rolls... they were cute I must say.

Then place the tray in the oven and bake them according to the directions for the crescent rolls.

HOW CUTE DID THESE LITTLE GUYS COME OUT ! (Good Idea for future parties... mini mini crescent rolls! Maybe they make these already? Do they? Hmmmm...)

Ooops, this is what happens if you don't pinch the sides really well.. Tehehehe

Mmmm they are very yummy...Odd shaped... but yummy. Sprinkle some powdered sugar all over the top and enjoy !

Recipe #5, 360 more to go. (Did I say "Oy" already? OY!)

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365 Recipes - #4 - Tater-Tot Beef Casserole

2010-01-04T20:16:00.000-05:00

You'd be surprised at what you can make with totally random ingredients from the fridge. Like for example, Sunday I had ground beef, frozen veggies, and tater tots. Yeah, they can each make a meal all separate like... you know... tots to the left, veggies to the right... etc... but what about putting it all together?

Surprisingly to me, this is not a new crazy concept... in fact lots of people have used the little tots to make all sorts of casseroles.

The line up :
1/2 bag of Tater-Tots
Small Cream of Mushroom soup
1 lb Ground Beef
1/2 bag Frozen Veggies (yeah I'm sorry folks, I'm not all that good with remembering the exact "oz" of ingredients

First thing you need to do is fry up the ground beef. No need to cook it all the way through, just brown it a bit all around.

After you drain the beef from the grease in the pan, you can then line the bottom of a backing dish.

Use one small can of condensed cream of mushroom soup, along with a half of that same can filled of water. Spread it around the top of the beef to coat it evenly.

I cracked open the can and to what to my wondering nose should I smell???? but garlic! Oy, I really didn't want garlic flavor, but you know what??? it adds a nice richness to the whole dish !

Grab your frozen veggies, any of your favorite veggies will do... corn works well here too! Spread them around evenly.

Then top the whole thing with frozen Tater-tots.
Side note...
Most of the directions I found on line said to then bake the dish according to the directions on the bag of tots... well I tried that... (8min on one side then 8min on the other = 16 minutes) this was sadly a "fail" the tots were still very very cold and the veggies were cold too... Sooooooo.... I had to alter the cooking... I baked the dish at the 480degrees for another 15 minutes. (30 minutes total here)

I placed foil over the dish so the tots wouldn't burn.

I then removed the foil for another 5 minutes to brown the tots.

I shredded some fresh sharp cheddar cheese.

And sprinkled it all on top (then popped it back in the oven for a minute or so to melt the cheese. (Mmmmmmm Melty Cheeeeeeese)

Can we say HARDY... hmmm
So what's with me and making all these hardy fattening tummy giggling foods? Oh, maybe because this is the coldest winter in years here in Jersey and all I want to do is eat comfort foods? Yeah.....

Well I hope you enjoy this... and remember you can always mix up the veggies to your liking. I highly suggest serving it in a bowl... and dive right in... YUM!

Recipe #4, 361 more to go.

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Mustard

2010-01-04T11:15:00.000-05:00

I didn't start today out on a mission to learn about mustard... it just happened... Just a random happenstances. You see I was looking up some more recipes to do for this blog and I found that a lot of the "simpler" recipes call for Dijon Mustard. Ugh! I thought to myself. I absolutely dislike mustard. There is something about it, the spice or the fact that if you get even a single drop on you, you've stained your clothes.

After a tall pile of discarded recipes, do to the inclusion of Dijon Mustard, I decided to do a little research on the stuff. (insert here the "Dijon Mustard" photo I thought I would find off of say... the www.dijonmustard.com website. But do you know there is no such thing?) After a quick google search I came upon "Wikipedia" and there was all the information I needed to know. Including the fact that Dijon is not a brand. (HA go figure) but rather a type.

After reading the first few sections I have actually changed my feelings on mustard. It really shouldn't get the bad rap I always throw at it. Maybe I will try some on my next hot dog... maybe....

But for now I will venture to the store and buy a bottle, I don't want to limit myself to some yummy recipes just because I boycott the stuff....

Oh yeah, here is a little odd fact... Did you know that mustard can last FOREVER in the fridge. OK maybe not forever but definitely for a long long time. (Insert "I'm SORRY MOM for tossing out the 2 bottles of mustard because I thought 6 months was WAY to long to keep it") Here is a little history lesson on Dijon Mustard (starting with the fun shelf life facts I wish I knew about a few weeks ago!)

Please note, I do not take credit for the information below it can all be found at www.wikipedia.com

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Mustard Storage and shelf life

Because of its antibacterial properties, mustard does not require refrigeration; it will not grow mold, mildew or harmful bacteria. Unrefrigerated mustard will lose pungency more quickly, and should be stored in a tightly sealed, sterilized container in a cool, dark place. Mustard can last indefinitely, though it may dry out, lose flavor, or brown from oxidation. Mixing in a small amount of wine or vinegar will often revitalize dried out mustard. Some types of prepared mustard stored for a long time may separate, causing mustard water, which can be corrected by stirring or shaking. If stored for a long time, unrefrigerated mustard can acquire a bitter taste.

CHECK OUT the HISTORY section at the above link as well... lots of fun mustard facts... well that is if you are interested :-D

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Here are a few other random pages.

Like... did you know there was a Mustard Museum ?

Random Mustard Fun Facts

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365 Recipes - #3 - Banana Pancakes

2010-01-03T14:41:00.000-05:00

I had a craving for pancakes this morning... So I thought this cold January morning would be a great day to dig in to a tall stack of warm and sweet pancakes. I found some bananas and a box of pancake mix, 2 eggs and some milk. I'm not a pancake purist, so I don't mind using the box stuff to save some time. You can make them from scratch if you like, that's up to you.

The line up :
Box of Pancake Mix (including that box's required ingredients)
Bananas
Non-Stick Spray

Mix the pancake ingredients in a large bowl, you can use an electric hand mixer if you like, or just a few minutes with a wire whisk.

In order to not make too much of a mess when pouring the pancakes, I like to use a measuring cup that has a pour spout.

Grab a banana and make small slices, ummm I really didn't measure them, they were thinner then the average thickness of a pancake... about a 1/8th of an inch?

Pour your pancake mix (with out bananas) on to a preheated griddle with some non-stick spray. I usually count "3 Mississippi" to get a nice size pancake.

Once the pancake as cooked for a minute or so you'll see it start to set.

Then place a few, three or four banana slices on each pancake. Give a little push down so they settle in to the pancake.

When the pancake is ready to flip, lift each pancake off the griddle and grab your non stick spray. The sugars in the bananas will burn right to the griddle and we don't want this, so make sure you give a nice little spray before you flip.

After about 30 seconds or so the pancake can be "scooted".

By accident I discovered the "scoot" technique. This helps greatly in preventing the fruit from burning to the griddle.

Just give the pancake a "scoot" back and forth a few times with your spatula. The extra cooking spray will allow the pancake to move easy. After a few "scoots" left, right, left, right, you'll be able to let it sit to cook the rest of the way.

Flip over the pancake and you can see the golden brown cake with the slightly golden bananas. YUM

Stack them up on a plate and pour your favorite syrup all over. YUM YUM YUM

Recipe #3, 362 more to go.

365 Recipes - #2 - Chocolate Pretzel Buttons

2010-01-02T13:13:00.000-05:00

Here is a quick and super easy treat. I found this recipe on line and thought they would be perfect for parties.

You start with pretzel rounds. These little buggers are hard to find. I hear that the "round" pretzels are only available during the holiday season.. but I still could not find any "rings" so I found these little waffle like pretzel rounds. as long as they are sitting flat, any small pretzel shape will do. Remember the key here is "bite size" they are a snack, not a meal....

Place as many pretzels you can fit on a flat cookie sheet. You can use parchment paper here if you like for easy removal.

Grab some of your favorite "kisses" I wanted a verity so I grabbed some Hershey's Hugs and Dark Chocolate Kisses. The dark chocolate are my favorite, but the "Hugs" have fun stripes.

Now place the Kisses on the center of each pretzel round. As close to the center as you can.

Set the oven to 270 degrees. Place the cookie sheet in the center of the oven and let it "heat" for 3 minutes. Remove promptly and place on a cooling rack.

I found that white chocolate melts a lot faster then dark chocolate. Fore more even results, bake the white chocolate for 2 minutes, and the dark chocolate for 4 minutes.

Grab some M&M's. From here you will be placing one M&M on each "Kiss" pushing the point down. The chocolate will be very very soft, you can let it sit for a minute or two to let it set a bit so your not working with super runny chocolate.

Here they are, aren't they adorable ! Chocolate and pretzels and M&M's. What more do you want in a snack? I suggest making 2 full cookie trays because they go really quick. The next thing you know... they are all gone and you didn't have one. Believe me I know, I was there...

You can also mix them up a bit with different types of toppers (nuts, candies, M&Ms, etc). There is a wide verity of Kisses out there to choose from too.

I hope you enjoy !

Recipe #2, 363 more to go.

365 Recipes - #1 - Beer Cheese

2010-01-01T12:01:00.000-05:00

Since last night was New Years Eve, and today is well... New Years Day... I say let the celebration continue all day. For the first, of many to come recipes, I give you "Beer Cheese" This is one of the yummiest cheese dips I've ever had the pleasure of eating. I received this recipe from my supervisor at work, it was a family recipe and he has passed it on to me... I am now passing it on to you. It is perfect at parties, or as an appetizer for a dinner party.

I love this cheese dip because it's zingy. I'm not sure if that's the right word to describe it, but it feels right. The dip is creamy and rich and has this ZING.

The line up :
Cream Cheese
Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Garlic Powder
Beer

Yummy! Mine came out a little bit "thicker" then it should be, this is due to my lack of a food processor. Hand mixing... it's a workout !

Grab your favorite sharp cheddar cheese. 12oz is good. Chop it up a bit so it will be easier to blend in later.

Next comes the cream cheese, you can use a low fat cream cheese if you like, but I used regular good old fating cream cheese, about 12oz.

Toss it all in to your mixing bowl, and mix away.

BEER ! I picked this Yuengling Lager. The flavor was soooo yummy and added just the right zing.

Bubbly !
I'm not a fan of garlic, at all, but it's slowly working it's way on to my good side. About a table spoon will do, but add 2tbs if you like for an added kick of flavor.

As my supervisor told me "mix the bejeezus out of it in a food processor." Until it's smooth and creamy. Yeah... try that by hand (I lack a food processor)... so for me it's called "Mix the bejeezus out of your arm and shoulder."

This goes great with Pumpernickel bread. I found these handy little pumpernickel mini slices to use for dipping. Take a big dollop and enjoy... For a different presentation, take a large 2lb round loaf of Pumpernickel bread, hollow it out, and use it as an eatable bowl. One less dish to clean up!

Mine was a little thicker then expected, so if this happens just add more beer until you get your desired thickness.

Recipe #1, 364 more to go. (OY!)

HAPPY NEW YEAR !

2010-01-01T03:13:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone, I hope you all had a Happy and Save New Year Celebration!

I am very excited about my up coming project... I have a minor set back with the removal of the "Food Network" from my cable... I hope they get everything settled soon. But I'm looking forward to my first of many recipe posts...

Have a good night.

Prep...

2009-12-30T09:56:00.001-05:00

I know there will be lots of "Prep" to do for all the dishes I will be making this new year. But first there were a few other places in the house that needed prep too. First I had to "prep" the kitchen, and I did, 2 days worth of cleaning and organizing... SO much better... Now today I am going through my PC and cleaning out all the old junk files... DAYM there is a lot of junk files to clean out. Ironically in the background I am watching "Clean House" I love that lady Niecy Nash. She is so much fun. Where does she come up with all those quick witted comments. Anyway... it's another cold 20something degree day. I know I have to get all the Recycles out, and then prep the motorcycle for the winter. Anyone want to help me move a 423lb motorcycle ? I have to figure out how to "push" it over as far as I can, in hopes of parking a car in the garage too this winter. OY !

Here is a little photo of my beautiful bike...

Organization

2009-12-29T12:21:00.001-05:00

Organization is the key to a well "oiled" kitchen. So since I am on Holiday Vacation from work this week, I felt I should tackle the kitchen and get it ready for the new year. I decided to move the flatware from where it was in the cabinet to where we were keeping the food, and vise-versa. I found a few boxes of dry goods that expired, dare I say, 3 years ago ! Oy! But all the expired stuff is now gone.

Here is what all my hard work looked like. Sorry I don't have a before and after... but here is the after.

Next project... the FREEZER (and I'm doing this on a day that is 19 degrees out side ! I am crazy :-)

A Few New Kitchen Utensils

2009-12-28T16:37:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I headed over to my friend Timarra's house to check out her new Wii. Needless to say we could not get it to work, turns out that a bunch of Wii's were sent out with bad game CD's. So the only thing we could do was go to the store and find a different game to play. We headed to Wallmart first for a quick cheap shopping spree of some home goods. I wandered over to the kitchen section and said "I am just looking for a lemon zester I'll only be a minute."

About 10 minutes later I was still there looking at all the fun utensils. I even had two lemon zesters in my hand... wondering... do I get the $2 zester or the $6 zester? We decided there is a reason why the one was only $2, and that reason may cause me to slice open my fingers... so I got the $6 one.

This is a zester, cheese shredder and carrot slicer all in one... It was just what I wanted.

Then I found a stack of wooden spoons for like $1 !

You can never have to many wooden spoons.

Timarra then points to a wine bottle opener and says "I know what that does, the rest I haven't a clue" Hehehe. Hey, I give her credit for even entertaining my obsession of the kitchen department in every store we go to. I even dragged her to look at the refrigerators when we went to Best Buy later that night ;-)

I fond some mini cutting boards too...

Yippee no more washing the cutting board between meats and veggies while preparing a dish. I was a happy camper and we went on our way.

Then later after playing Timarra's new Wii game, she gave me my Christmas gift... MORE KITCHEN UTENSILS ! SCORE ! I got a cake lifter, a cake slicer, and a pastry cutter. Today was a good day.

Keurig Christmas Coffee

2009-12-26T07:36:00.000-05:00

This Christmas I gave my mom a new Red Keurig single cup coffee maker . I have a jumbo sized one at work and it always makes great coffee, but it's way to big our loud for the home, so when I found this little guy I was super excited. Off to BBB I went with one of my many (Thank you BBB for sending them out all the time) 20% off coupons to find a Keurig in red. I have to have red, all my kitchen utensils and soon to be all my appliances will be red, oh yes they will... and I went off rambling again... Anyway, there they were, little Keurig coffee makers all line up in a row. I grabbed the first red one I could find and hit the register. But not before drooling over the Kitchen Aid mixers and food processors....

Well Christmas morning came, and what do you think was the first gift that needed to be opened? You know it, my new, errrr Mom's new coffee maker ;-). It comes with a few sample flavors, and that's a good thing considering the fact that I forgot to buy some :-D.

While we were opening other gifts the little coffee pot was hard at work brewing coffee... YUM YUM YUM the Timothy's Italian blend is the bomb... I hope mom likes it too, because that's what I'll be buying.

Wow I didn't realize I could ramble on about a coffee pot, maybe it's all the coffee I've been drinking? Anyway, here it is, and look how tiny it is... perfect size for not taking up valuable kitchen counter top space.

OH my one public service announcement about this brand of coffee pots, just because I use one at work... if you do get one, run water w/o a K-Cup through at lease once a week to keep the needles clean, or it will clog and no coffee will come out.

And for you environmental protection folks... Keurig offers a "My K-Cup" filter where you use your own coffee grinds, no plastic K-Cup to toss in to the trash!

SpongeBob BandAid Days

2009-12-25T17:45:00.000-05:00

It would not be a complete baking day for me if I didn't burn myself on the pan or oven rack. Oy... I got myself good today. Right on the top of my right hand ring finger.... :-(

But I have Sponge Bob to save the day !

(testing out some YUMMY brownies for the new year's 365 project !)

365 Teaser Photos

2009-12-24T09:50:00.003-05:00

Here's a few teaser photos to help get you through the new year when the recipes start coming !

New Cooking Tool

2009-12-23T09:21:00.000-05:00

So I went to my all time favorite home shopping store.... Bed Bath and Beyond... I LOVE the kitchen section, I could live in there with all the fun gadgets.... Then I take a few minutes to drool over all the pretty KitchenAid Mixers all lined up... Some day, some day I will have one of my own. Anyway, I headed over to the pots and pans area and found the thing I was looking for. A double sided grill for the stove top. One sides is a griddle for things like pancakes, and the other side is ribbed like a grill... AND I had one of those 20% off coupons burning a hole in my pocket. Needless to say I scooped it up and ran to the registers... $7 off the original price... not too bad... Once I got home I just had to use it... so I grilled up some YUMMY Swiss Cheese and Mushroom Burgers (Recipe to come soon).

But here it is, and it fits perfectly over my center "long" burner on the stove.

Fun Fact About Me

2009-12-22T13:53:00.000-05:00

Here is a little fun fact about me... The only 2 cookbooks I have ever purchased in my lifetime were not even for myself... they were gifts for other people... I personally do not own a cook book !

365 Recipes Adventure : Thoughts #3

2009-12-22T07:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my Office Christmas party. Lysa, one of the wonderful ladies in the office went all out this year. We moved the party from the large conference room in to the hallway of our department... A move we all thought was a little crazy at first, but in the end, it really did feel cozy and we all talked and laughed, it was a good time.

Why this relates to my 365 recipe mission? Well there were at least 5 different things that people brought in that I can not wait to try... chocolate and pretzels, Beer Cheese!, bacon dogs, etc.... The holiday time is the best time to stock up on new recipes... and these days people are trying new and crazy flavors and ingredients.... This year will be very interesting.... I can't wait!

I hope I don't lose you in the waiting time, maybe I can post some teaser photos to get me through the next week......

365 Recipes Adventure : Thoughts #2

2009-12-21T19:42:00.000-05:00

Well you all know I said I was just going to make one big list and go from there... yeah that is really stupid, i mean really, how did I expect to filter through a huge list like that... So I have broken the list down to 6 sections. Main Dishes, Breakfast, Apps/Sides, Desserts, and Drinks. I decided that drinks can be recipes only after one person voted "YES" I figure if I'm not the only one who thinks so, then it's good enough for me to consider a mixed drink as a recipe :-).

Well I have been slacking, not good when my project only starts about 12 days from now. I am up to 54 recipes on my list. I think I'm being picky, I only put things on there I know will be yummy. But that's not the main point of my project, I need to learn new things. And if I make all the dishes I know I like in the first month, well.. the rest of the year is going to be tough.

I tested a few recipes over the last week, and I'm very happy with them, they are definitely comfort foods... (Stews :-) ) I used a slow cooker for the first time... but I don't want to give anything else away.

Wow I really need to start posting some photos here or even I'll get bored of my own blog.

365 Recipes Adventure : Thoughts #1

2009-12-17T11:18:00.000-05:00

So here I am, one day after my announcement, wondering and thinking, what could I possibly make, and why did I do this to myself knowing I only have $50 a week to spend on myself !?!?! This is going to be tough... (EAP!) But I'm sure I can do it, yes I am sure I can. Whenever I fell like I can't I know I have wonderful friends who can help me along the way and my mom will always help in a pinch when she can. I know she's just happy I'm finally going to be cooking more... Wait... Maybe I should have told her my idea before I committed to using her kitchen without her knowing ! ;-) Oh well I'm sure she'll understand.

So here I sit at work, yeah I know bad, but technically I at "lunch", since my lunch is from 11 - 12, I just didn't leave my desk today... ANYWAY....

Here I sit at my desk, wondering what I could possibly make... I thought well lets see how many dishes I can come up with off the top of my head... WOW depressing.... I have 26... I have no creativity on the spot, recipes just don't jump in to my head that quick. Ugh I think today after work I will spend some time walking around the local Stop & Shop to get ideas. I LOVE the fruit and Veggie area, everything smell so yummy and fresh and you always know when the strawberries are in season because you can smell them all over. Hmmm do you think chocolate dipped strawberries is to simple of a recipe to do? I think not, heck you need at minimum 2 items and you have to put them together... that to me is a recipe... hehe. Ok it's added to the list... under my desserts section... no I don't have a desserts section, I'm not that organized, if I did, it would be overly organized and it would be so confusing, even I'd get lost, so it's just a list. I put it right there under "the Pioneer Women's Orange marmalade rolls".... I can't wait to try those ... but the recipe makes like 70 rolls!!!!

Anyway I started rambling, again.... I do that a lot... I apologize in advance for this...

So now there are 27 recipes on my list, YIPPEE it's growing.

I wonder if my first recipe of the new year will be a "getting over a hangover drink"? Hmm can drinks be recipes too????? I will have to put up a poll on that... is there an option on here to add a poll? Well.. if there is... look for a poll in the near future.

Well off I go searching for more recipes, I have about 30 minutes left to my lunch. Wish me luck!

365 Recipe Adventure

2009-12-16T10:48:00.000-05:00

Hello everybody out there in blogger world... As you all know, well those who actually read my little blog, I love photography and have photographed a few recipes... Well this is all going to change come the new year.

You see the other day I watched the movie "Julie/Julia" and fell in love with cooking all over again. And it was just the inspiration I needed to get me out of my little photography rut. For some time now I knew I needed a project and I knew it had to involve photography, but that was all I was working on. That's not much for this girl who has a hard time making up her mind. But I do love to cook and bake, so here it is...

I will attempted my very own spin on the Julie/Julia project. I will Cook or Bake 1 recipe for every day of the year. That will be 365 recipes. My mission is to learn how to cook/bake new dishes I've never tried before. They can be recipes for Breakfast or Lunch or Dinner or Desserts or Snacks or Appetisers. Some of the recipes I make may be ones I have made in the past, but most recipes will be ones I've never tried w/o the help of others.

The only thing I ask of you guys is your support, your comments, and maybe even some suggestions on new recipes. You see I will not be following one book, rather I will be following my cravings and your wonderful suggestions.

I think this will be a fun learning experience for me and I hope it will accomplish two things... 1st (and most important) it will further expand my knowledge of photography, and 2nd it will help me become a more rounded cook in the kitchen.

Here are my only rules....

1st. Because I am limited to "how" I can cook a meal, all recipes must be able to be cooked/baked in/on : (Gas)Oven, (Gas)Stove,CrockPot, Pressure Cooker, (Charcoal Webber) Grill, and the dreaded Microwave, and heck if it is a dish that only needs to "set" I have a fridge and a freezer !

2nd. I do not have a fancy KitchenAid Mixer, nor do I have a food processor that can chop up more then one "vegetable" at a time, I'm terrified of those large deep firers burning down the house, and sadly I just got ride of my rusted old Wok....

3rd. I may buy a new kitchen "tool" here or there IF my budget allows, but it will have to be simple.

4th. I will try ALMOST anything

5th. I will post 365 recipes, they may, however, not always be posted every day, I will allow myself to skip days if need be, or if I am out of town/not feeling well. All I need to do is hit 365 different recipes by the end of the year.

6th. The dates for my 365 Recipe Adventure will be from January 1, 2010 until December 31, 2010.

So there it is... I've made my decision... no backing out now.... I'm actually very excited, and I can not wait to see and taste all the new dishes! Oh yeah... All recipes will be photographed and posted here on this blog.

I hope to hear from you soon.... :-)

P.S. There might be some "give aways" or "surprises" along the way !

Chocolate Truffles

2009-10-24T18:33:00.000-04:00

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Chocolate. One of my most favorite food groups. So the other day, browsing though my favorite blog, I found this amazing recipe for chocolate truffles. Hers had salt... yes... sea salt as the topper. I for one do not like salt on my truffles, but I did like her recipe. So I decided that a dark rainy day was a perfect time to attempt to make some chocolate truffles, since it was... well... a dark and rainy day, I figured it would be perfect.

Here they are... Mmmm I'm in heaven!

You will need one bar of 70% Bittersweet Chocolate... Now I like my dark chocolate, well... dark... but for most, 60% bittersweet will work just fine.

Break it up in to pieces.

Then grab a bar of Semi-Sweet chocolate. It really doesn't matter which bran of chocolate you use... as long as you like it!

Start up your double boiler. What? Haven't you seen the latest trend in double boilers? HA, Ok it's not the latest trend in double boilers but it works just fine. What you need is 2 pots, different sizes, and water... and tada!

Now there is one rule about this method of double boiling. And that is to make sure the "inner" pot is considerably smaller then the outer pot. Or you will have a very hard time trying to pull them apart. You see metal expands a bit when heated. And well, as you can see here, my grandmother didn't have much luck one day when attempting the "two pot" double boiler trick. I'm not really sure what she used to get the two pots apart, but as you can see... it wasn't pretty !

Take the chocolate pieces and drop them in to the pot.

See how easy that is... it's melting the chocolate w/o burning it.

Toss in all the chocolate.

But watch what you are doing.. or this will happen... oy. This is what happens when I'm paying more attention to my camera, rather then the where the chocolate is actually dropping. Try not to get any water in your chocolate as well.

Grab your sweetened condensed milk.

And pour one can in to the pot along with the chocolate.

Keep an eye on the chocolate and mix it from time to time making sure it is evenly mixed and melted.

Because vanilla is yummy... pour in a tablespoon. It will warm up the harsh chocolate taste... well it does in my book. ( Here you can actually add any flavor that fits your fancy! Mint? Orange? Banana? )

Don't worry, the chocolate will look kind of weird. This is ok. After the chocolate looks a bit like this, and is all melted, pour it in to a bowl to cool. Should only take about 2 hours. You can pop it in the fridge over night, but I warn you... you will have to slightly heat the chocolate to make it soft again in order to be able to mold it. And this will... well cause issues.

Here is my cooled chocolate. And yes I made the filling the night before, so I had to heat my filling so it would be moldable. This caused a bit of the chocolate oils to come out... but it still worked just fine.

Roll up all the filling in to balls. Think bite sized.

I absolutely love orange in my dark chocolate so half of my batch got a slice of a "candy orange slice" nestled in the middle. Mmmm

Take a bag of milk chocolate chips and pop them in the microwave for a few minutes, checking on them from time to time.

Tricky little buggers they are... they look solid, but if you touch them, they will moosh in to chocolate soup.

Take a ball of filling, place it on a fork and pour the melted milk chocolate all over it.

Tap the fork a few times on the side of the bowl to knock off the extra chocolate.

Then place the chocolate on a clean cookie sheet, or wax paper, or in to truffle paper cups (mini mini cupcake cups)

If you'd like to get a little fancy you can melt up some white chocolate too.

Put it in a sandwich bag and snip off the tip.

Then decorate the truffles any way you like. Pop them in the fridge to set the chocolate shell... And there you go... Enjoy !

Pineapple-Mango Salsa

2009-10-09T13:17:00.001-04:00

If you like Mangoes and Pineapples... you will LOVE this Pineapple-Mango Salsa. It is so fresh and full of WOW flavors. And it's another wonderful recipe stolen... errr borrowed from my good friend Cynthia.

The line up :
1 Tomato
1 Shallot
1 c mango
1 c pineapple
1/4 c cilantro finely
1/4 c roasted red peppers
1 lime

Grab your mango, pick a good one, ripe and juicy !

Remove the fruit from the skin as best as you can, you want to try to keep all the "meat" of the fruit, no wasting in my kitchen.

Then chop the mango up in to small pieces.

For this recipe I used store bought pre peeled, cored and sliced pineapple. Trust me, when your making multiple parts of the meal from scratch it's nice to have some of the grunt work done for you.

Then chop up the pineapple in to small chunks about the same size as the mango. As for size.. think... well... salsa chunk size :-)

Grab a decent Shallot and remove the outer few layers.

Then dice it up good and small. Now remember I dislike onions so for this salsa I only used half the shallot, you go and use the whole thing if you like... that's up to you.

Grab a medium tomato and slice it in half,

remove the seeds,

then chop away.

Mmmmm Roasted Peppers. Again here I did not make the roasted peppers from scratch, I went the easy rout and bought them in a can... These worked out really well.

Grab a bunch and chop them up to make about a 1/4 cup.

Now toss every thing in to a big bowl.

Mmmmmmmmmmm cilantro my new favorite herb. Grab a nice handful

And chop chop chop away till it's nice and small and all aromay... aromay really is not a word, but it works here.

Toss the cilantro in to the bowl too.

Mmmm limey !

Grab your zester... my friend Cynthia has the best kitchen tools... I absolutely love love love this zester. Zest all the green off of one lime.

Look at all that limey goodness.

Ha, a bald lime.

Squeeze out the lime juice in to the bowl over the ingredients... if you have one of these fancy tools, that works too.

Mix up all the ingredients together. Cover and place in fridge for about an hour to marry the flavors.

Mmmmm every time I look at this photo all the flavors come rushing back... what a great salsa ! The Pineapple has this ZING flavor, the mango has this mellow flavor, the tomatoes bring in a rich flavor, the lime gives it a little kick, and the cilantro... Mmmmm the cilantro brings it all together....

This salsa is great over fish, like Mahi Mahi...