Italian Panini

After a wonderful day spent with John visiting some friends, grocery shopping together, and running errands, I decided that a quick, but hearty panini was in order for dinner. John loved this one and it was so simple to make. I love that I now can go straight into my backyard and pick fresh basil for this sandwich. Now if only my tomatoes would grow faster, so I could use those also!!! Sorry this picture is so awful, John was hungry and I took this shot before I put the sandwich back on the grill.

Ciabatta Bread
Genoa Salami
Hard Salami
Pepperoni
Cappicola Ham
Tomato slices
Fresh Basil
Mozzarella cheese
Olive oil

Layer meats, cheeses, basil and tomatoes on the bread. Drizzle olive oil on your panini press. ( If you don't have a panini press, you can use a griddle or skillet, but you will need to turn the sandwich over halfway through cooking.) Place the sandwich on the hot press and grill until cheese is melted and meat is heated through.

Anzac Biscuits

These really aren't a biscuit, they are more like a cookie, but whatever you want to call them, they are GREAT!! They have a chewy, yet crispy inside and the flavor  is just wonderful. Imagine an oatmeal tasting cookie with coconut and molasses, and you can just begin to imagine how yummy these are.

1 cup butter
1 tsp molasses
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp very hot water
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1 cup oatmeal ( I use the quick cooking variety)
3/4 cup flour

In a medium saucepan, place the butter, molasses, baking powder and sugar. Mix in the hot water. Bring it to a boil and remove from heat. Add the coconut, oatmeal and flour and mix well. Place large spoonfuls of the mixture onto a cookie sheet a few inches apart from each other. Bake at 275 for 25 minutes.

Coriander and Cilantro Flatbread

I was so excited today to pick the cilantro for this recipe, out of my very own backyard garden. This was the first time I have ever done that. You should have seen me....I was like a little kid out there snipping away at the plant and then carrying my cilantro bouquet right under my nose all the way into the house so I could enjoy the great smell of it before cutting it up to use in my bread.
This is one of my all time favorite breads to make. It tastes like a good Indian Naan, but it's just a little bit thicker. It is a healthy recipe, but boy oh boy, do I like to have mine topped with a good butter bath!  So I guess that negates the healthiness of it, but it sure makes it tastes even better than it already is without the butter.
This is the plate of it I served tonight, minus one or two of course, as my daughter and I just HAD to sample it first!!

*makes 8 pieces of bread

1 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup chopped, fresh cilantro
3/4 cup plain yogurt

Sift first 5 ingredients into a bowl. Stir in cilantro. Add yogurt and stir with a fork until small clumps form. Knead the mixture in the bowl until the dough holds together. (You can add more flour or yogurt here if you need to in order to achieve a soft, sticky dough) Turn dough onto floured surface and knead until smooth, about 1 minute. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each dough piece into a ball and use a rolling pin on a floured surface to flatten out each ball until it's fairly thin or approx 4 1/2 inches across. Brush a skillet generously with olive oil. Heat skillet to med/high heat. Working in batches, add 3 dough rounds to skillet, cook until golden brown and puffed. Turn over after one side is browned and drizzle more olive oil into skillet before browning the other side. Serve warm.

Heatlhy BBQ Chicken Sandwich

Today called for another simple meal at our household. This was so easy that it almost seems silly to post it on this blog. I'm sure everyone and their mother knows how to make a BBQ chicken sandwich, but here goes anyway......I promised friends I would keep up on this blog, so I guess that means posting even the super simple stuff I make sometimes!

Whole wheat sandwich buns
Chicken breasts (as many as you need or want)
1 bottle BBQ sauce
lettuce
tomato, sliced

Place the chicken breasts in the crockpot and put some of the BBQ sauce on them. I put just enough to cover them to start with. Let it cook until chicken is completely cooked through. Drain the liquid out of the crock pot and place the chicken in a skillet. Add as much extra BBQ sauce as you would like. Cook until the sauce is heated through. Place the chicken in a whole wheat sandwich bun and top with fresh lettuce and tomato slices.

Hummus and Vege Wrap

Who says healthy can't taste great? Not me!! These wraps were so easy to make and you only need to know how to slice and grill vegetables to pull this one off. I love to make my own hummus normally, but today called for playing with my beautiful grand daughter instead of taking time to make home made hummus. It was well worth the time invested in her little life, to just break down and buy store bought hummus. For those of you that do not like to cook and are looking for something simple, healthy and tasty....this one is it!! In this picture, I know you really can't see the inside of the wrap, but trust  me when I say it's stuffed with yummy goodness!

Wraps or Flat Bread
Hummus
Zuccchini
olive oil
salt
pepper
green, red or yellow bell peppers sliced thinly
baby spinach leaves
red onion, sliced thinly
toasted pine nuts

1) Slice the zucchini  into long thin slices. Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill over med heat until softened, but not mushy and slightly browned.
2) Spread hummus onto each wrap, as little or as much as you would like.
3) Layer veges onto the wrap. (zucchini, peppers, onion and spinach leaves)
4) Place a few toasted pine nuts onto each wrap. (To toast pine nuts, place them in a skillet for a couple of minutes and stir over med heat until the toast golden brown.
5) Roll up the wrap and enjoy!

Sugar and Spice Fruit Dip

I love the combination of sugar, spice and salt. When my girls were growing up, they always loved to put spicy chili powder on some of their fruits. Now we are all grown ups and it still tastes great. You can mix this combo of dipping sugar to suit your individual taste. Tonight I only had pineapple to serve it with, but next time you can be sure I will be cutting up some watermelon and mangoes to dip in it also.

 1/4 - 1/3 cup sugar
3/4 - 1 tsp salt
1- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
Fruit cut up

Mix the sugar, salt and chili powder in a bowl. Serve with cut up fruit to dip in it.

Peeps Sunflower Cake

My boss showed me this adorable cake that she found on the Internet yesterday and I decided to make it today to try it out. It was really easy and other than the fact that my sunflower "peep" edge doesn't look as round as the original, I'm happy with it overall.  I probably could have simplified it and used store bought cake and frosting, but that wouldn't have been as much fun!

1 store bought cake mix ( I used scratch, but you can use this to make it easier)
2 tubs chocolate frosting
chocolate chips
19-20 peeps

Bake cake according to pkg directions in two 9 inch round pans. Cool completely. Turn one of the cakes out onto a pretty platter. Put a thin layer of frosting on the top and place the other layer of cake on top of the frosting. Frost the entire two layers of cake with chocolate frosting. Place peeps ( I didn't pull my peeps apart, I just bent them a little bit to make them "rounder") around the edge of the cake to form the sunflower. Next place chocolate chips in circles around the middle to make the "seeds"

Patty Melt

This week has been a "time off" from my blog while I went back to re-prepare some of the meals I have made and loved. While I enjoyed doing that, I really missed cooking and trying new things. Tonight John wanted me to try something that he cooked. Not being a fan of ground beef, I went into tonight's dinner with trepidation. I have to say that for those of you that like ground beef, I'm sure you would enjoy this sandwich. Me? I love that my hubby prepared it and I love that he took the time to cook this for me, but I could only eat a couple bites of it. I just still have not learned to appreciate red meat. If it had any other meat in it, I probably would have loved it, but then it wouldn't have been a patty melt.

2 slices of rye bread
Butter
ground beef
salt/pepper to taste
diced green chilies
diced onions
pepper jack/ or american cheese

Shape ground beef into patties. Season with salt and pepper. In a skillet, saute onions with green chilies until partially caramelized. Cook ground beef until done. Place ground beef, onnion and chili mixture and cheese onto buttered slices of rye bread. Place buttered slices (butter side out) onto a hot griddle or skillet. Cook until cheese is melted and bread is grilled.

Almonds and Broccoli

I love when a simple side dish is a hit at my house. This is so easy to prepare and tastes great! Of course, I love broccoli and I love almonds, so it was kind of a "no brainer" that I would love it.

1 lb broccoli
1 cup water
1 tsp chicken bullion granules
2 1/2  tbsp butter
1/4- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
salt to taste

Cook broccoli in one cup water seasoned with one teaspoon of chicken bullion granules, just until it is crisp tender. Meanwhile in a skillet brown the almonds in 3 tbsp butter. Season with salt to taste. After broccoli is cooked, serve with almonds on the top.

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Baking. This is what an insomniac does when she wakes up at 4:00 AM. Since there seems to be nothing worthy of spending my time watching on the television that time of morning, I decided to bake. I wanted something different then I have baked in awhile, so I made gingerbread cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. They were really yummy and I'm sure nobody at work minded that I didn't sleep well last night haha! I think these cupcakes turned out pretty light and fluffy and what a great pairing of tastes with the cream cheese frosting.

Cupcakes:

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1 cup hot water

Cream butter and sugar together. Beat in egg and molasses. Add sifted, dry ingredients until smooth. Blend in hot water. Place batter into cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 14-16 minutes or until done.

Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 TBSP (1 stick) butter, softened
2 cups sifted, powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Mix cream cheese and butter together in mixer until thoroughly mixed together and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the sifted powdered sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix well to combine.

Hello Kitty Truffles

Today, my daughter and I helped a friend make hello kitty truffles for a bridal shower. I guess the bride to be really likes hello kitty. They were a ton of work, but worth the work in the long run. Besides, what can be better than spending the day with loved ones? These are just a basic oreo truffle that has been shaped into a hello kitty shape. We used white chocolate chips for the ears and glued them onto the truffle with white frosting. Then we dipped the truffles in melted white chocolate. Using red, black and yellow frosting we decorated the faces.

Delicious Fruit Dip

I have been re-making some of my dinners this week that are already posted on this blog. I seriously hardly ever make the same foods twice, but sometimes I just crave a food I've already made. So because of that, I've been lagging on the blog this week with  new foods. Today I made a fruit dip that I haven't made in years. It's so light and creamy and goes perfect with seasonal fruits. I suppose if it had been a hot summer day as opposed to a dreary, stormy day, it might have tasted better, but hey when you're craving something, weather truly doesn't matter ;)

1 (8 oz) block cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1-2 Tbsp maple syrup

Combine all dip ingredients with mixer until very smooth. Enjoy with fresh fruits.

Quinoa Stuffed Poblano Peppers

I have been wanting to try some more recipes with Quinoa for awhile now. I have used it many times, but usually in the same African soup recipe I make. Tonight I tried something really different with it and it turned out really great. Quinoa is such a healthy grain and is very versatile in recipes. You can definitely play around with the spices in the recipe and use whatever you like that you think would suit your tastes.

  

1 sweet potato diced into cubes

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

6 Poblano peppers, stems removed, seeds removed and cut int half lengthwise

1 cup Quinoa, rinsed and drained

6 oz chorizo

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

pepper jack cheese, grated

Heat oven to 400. Toss the sweet potato cubes with the 1 Tbsp of the oil, salt, pepper and cumin. Line a cookie sheet with foil and place the potato cubes onto the foil. Bake in 400 degree oven for approx. 15 minutes or until browned on the outside edges. Set aside.
Bring 1 1/4 cups water to a boil. Stir in the rinsed quinoa. Cover and cook on low for 15 minutes until water is all absorbed. Set aside.

Heat last Tbsp of oil in a skillet. Cook chorizo and the onion for about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute or two. Stir in the quinoa and the sweet potato cubes.

Brush the poblano halves with oil, inside and out. Season with salt and pepper. Stuff the quinoa filling into each pepper half. Top with shredded cheese. Place the stuffed poblanos onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes.

Brown Butter Sauteed Tilapia with Pistachios

After being in the kitchen baking most of the afternoon, I was ready to make a quick but delicious meal for dinner. I had printed this one out awhile ago from the Food Network and I am so glad I did. It was really light and very good! The preparation and the cooking were both very simple.

Here is a link to the recipe....
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ask-aida/brown-butter-sauteed-tilapia-with-pistachios-recipe/index.html

Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache and Chocolate and Peanut Butter Frosting

When I was a little girl I used to love eating bananas with peanut butter on them and I would strategically place chocolate chips perfectly apart on the peanut butter to have a great trio of flavors. When my friend Natasha was talking about cupcakes today at work, I just had to come home and try this trio of flavors in a cupcake. I actually like the result. The banana cake is moist. The peanuts around the edge give it that little bit of crunch it needs. The chocolate ganache is heavenly, of course and the swirled frosting tastes great together. So off to work I go tomorrow with a dozen cupcakes and I'm sure nobody will mind ;)

*Yes the camera is STILL being repaired and that's why these pictures look like two different kinds of cupcake. Same cupcakes, different light in the lens I guess :)

*This last picture was halfway through the process when the cupcakes were just covered in ganache and had the crunchy peanuts around the edges.

Make banana cupcakes. Cool completely. Dip tops in chocolate ganache. Spoon more on if needed. Sprinkle peanuts around the outside edge only. Make the chocolate frosting and the peanut butter frosting and place in the same decorator bag. Swirl frosting into the center of each cupcake.

BANANA CUPCAKES
1/2 lb butter, (2 sticks), softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed ripe banana
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
5 Tbsp milk or cream
2 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350. In mixer, blend together butter and sugar until fluffy (3-4 minutes). Add eggs and beat well. Add bananas and mix well. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the already mixed ingredients and mix until thoroughly blended. Add the milk and the vanilla. Mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes. Fill cupcake  liners 3/4 full with batter. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake, comes out clean. Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream 

In a heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips with cream over low heat. Remove from the heat. Refrigerate, stirring occasionally. Cool completely or until thickened some.  Spread ganache with a spatula if necessary to evenly coat, working quickly before it thickens. Chill until ganache is set. 

PEANUTS 


Chop salted cocktail peanuts finely and sprinkle around edges of cupcake. 


PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar
half of 1/3 cup milk (sorry I wasn't sure on fractions how to half 1/3)

In a large bowl, beat butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Beat in slowly, half the powdered sugar.  Mix in half of the amount of milk. Beat in the rest of the powdered sugar and then slowly beat in the rest of  the milk and beat until frosting reaches desired consistency.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING

3 Tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3/8 cup cocoa powder (you can just measure this by using half of a 3/4 cup)
1/6 cup milk ( you can just measure this by using half of a 1/3 cup)

Cream butter and vanilla together with mixer. In a separate bowl, combine the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add the dry ingredients to the mixed butter mixture until thoroughly mixed. Slowly add the milk and mix until you have the desired consistency of your frosting. You might not use all the milk!

Orange Rosemary Chicken

I don't remember if I have ever cooked with rosemary prior to this recipe. If I have, it's been a long, long time. This recipe was great and I will definitely be making this one again. I love the smell of the rosemary as it was roasting with the chicken in the oven. It almost smells like you are cooking your Christmas tree haha! ;)
The earthy flavor of the rosemary combined with the smell of oranges just made the house smell fantastic!
I'm sorry the picture isn't so good again. Yep...the camera is still in the shop and I am being forced to use my phone. It's got a good camera, but for some reason they just don't turn out the same as using my little Nikon.

*This picture was taken about halfway through the baking process. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture when it was completely done.

Here is a link to the recipe from Food Network


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ask-aida/pan-roasted-chicken-with-oranges-and-rosemary-recipe/index.html

Snowball Cookies

I haven't baked in quite awhile and since I'm on Spring Break and John really likes these cookies, I decided to make some. This is the first time I have ever added chocolate chips to this recipe though. So I made half regular snowballs, and half snowballs with chocolate chips. I guess I'll have to sample both now ;)
I know the picture isn't great. My camera is still being repaired and in the meantime it's my phone camera. If you are a fan of super light, buttery cookies, then you will definitely like these!

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups sifted flour
2 cups finely chopped pecans
2 cups sifted powdered sugar

Mix butter and half a cup of sifted powdered sugar in mixer. Add vanilla. Add salt, flour and pecans. Blend well. Shape into small balls. Place on cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees for4 15 minutes. Remove from pan and roll hot cookies into 2 cups sifted powdered sugar. Cool cookies, then roll them again in the powdered sugar.

Slow Cooked Carnitas

What do you get when you cross a crock pot with a pork shoulder roast and some other great ingredients? You get a fabulous dinner. I forgot to lay out my roast yesterday, so this morning I tossed a completely frozen solid hunk of pork into my crock pot along with all the other ingredients, said a prayer and hoped that it would turn out good. Well...it really did!
My sister was here visiting from Oregon. My mom, daughter and grand daughter were here also. We did a few taste tests along the way, and I snuck in a few extra tastes when nobody was looking haha. I'm glad to report there was still some left to make dinner out of ;)

If you really like crock pot cooking (which I only attempt once or twice a year) this recipe is a winner!

I got this wonderful recipe from my taste of home magazine. This magazine always has great recipes in it.

1 boneless pork shoulder roast (3-4 lbs)
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 1/2 cups cilantro, chopped
1 cup salsa
1 cup chicken broth (or the recipe says you can use 1/2 chicken broth and half tequilla)
8 oz. chopped green chilies

Place the meat in the crock pot. Place all ingredients into the crock pot and cook until tender. 6-8 hours. Shred the meat and put it back in the crock pot to heat through again. Serve with flour tortillas and any extras you might want. We use avocados, tomatoes and red onion.

Chili Lemon Cauliflower

When you think of cauliflower, do you think YUCK? I used to. I'm not a big cauliflower fan. I have always thought it's just ok, but definitely not a favorite veggie of mine. Tonight I tried adding little "zip" to it and it was really good. I would definitely make this again! The lemon added some tartness and the chili added some much needed flavor and spice.

1 bunch cauliflower
1 lemon
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Steam the cauliflower in a vegetable steamer. Meanwhile zest the entire lemon. When cauliflower is done, sprinkle the lemon zest on top of it and squeeze the juice from half of the lemon over it. Sprinkle crushed red pepper on the top. Enjoy!

Dinner Rolls

Some days are just meant for the oven to be on! It's definitely one of those days. It's a cold, dreary day outside and yet I am warm and cozy with my oven on, cooking home made bread and my stove working diligently to cook a pot of home made soup. The smells of the food are beckoning me into the kitchen, but I have to wait for John to get home to enjoy the tastes. So for now I sit and type, while drooling over my keyboard at the thought of hot buttered bread and chicken with rice soup. Just like Hansel and Gretel lived in a gingerbread house, which I'm sure smelled good, I think I could live in a  hot buttered bread house ;)  I'm pretty sure there won't be enough left after dinner to start the building....so maybe another time!

1 pkg yeast
1/2 cup VERY hot water
1/4 cup melted butter (1/2 a stick of butter)
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 eggs ( see instructions below)
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/8 cups flour

*To use a half an egg, break open the egg and place half the egg white in a bowl. Use your fingers to break the yolk in half and use one half of the yolk

Heat oven to 375.
Combine water and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes. With a wooden spoon, stir in the butter, sugar, eggs and salt. Add flour one cup at a time. Mix thoroughly with your spoon after each additon. Cover and refrigerate for 1 1/2- 2 hours, or up to 3 days. Grease a round pie pan or a square baking dish. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Place in prepared pan. Cover and let rise for one hour or until the size of the rolls has doubled. Bake in 375 degree oven for 17 minutes or until golden brown.

Apricot Almond Bars

Yesterday my sweet neighbor gave me some baby things for my grand daughter. As a way to say "thank you" I decided to bake these Apricot Almond Bars for her family. She always loves when I bring my baked goods to their house and I'm sure she will love these too!
These are very sweet bars and actually need to be cut very small as the richness of them can do you in :) The mixture of the apricot, almond and coconut blends perfectly well together. I'm sure you could make these with any type of fruit preserves that you would like, but I think the citrus and tang of the apricot blends best with the other tastes involved.

Base:
1 pkg yellow cake mix
1/2 cut butter, melted
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
1 cup Apricot preserves

Filling:
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1/3 cup Apricot preserves
1/2 cup coconut

Heat oven to 350. Grease a baking dish. (You can use the 13 X 9 size if you want thinner bars, mine were made in a 9 X 7 for thicker bars). In a mixing bowl, combine the cake mix and melted butter on low- med speed. Mix in the almonds. Reserve 1 cup of that mixture and set aside. Put the remaining mixture into the bottom of the well greased pan. Press it down evenly on the bottom of the pan. Carefully spread 1 cup of the apricot preserves over the mixture pressed into pan. (You might want to heat your preserves just a bit to make them easier to spread). In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, salt, vanilla and egg until well blended. Mix in 1/3 cup preserves. Spread this mixture over the base in the prepared pan. Sprinkle 1 cup reserved base mixture over the top of the filling. Sprinkle coconut over the entire pan. Bake at 350 for 40 min. (longer if you are using a smaller pan for thicker bars. Just check with toothpick to make sure the inside is done)

White wine and Parmesan Risotto

If you love rice, you will definitely love risotto. It's a much creamier kind of rice. Yes it's a little more difficult to make, as it requires a lot of tender care while it's cooking, but it's well worth it. Last night I tried a new version of risotto. My husband and daughter really loved it. In the picture it may just look like a pot of rice, but this is a version with white wine and parmesan! So yummy!

1/2 cup white wine
6 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup sliced onions
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp butter
2 cups risotto rice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup grated, fresh parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp butter

Heat the wine and chicken stock over low heat until simmering. Set aside. Meanwhile in a large skillet, saute onions and garlic in the 2 Tbsp butter over med-high heat until soft, about 3 minutes. Add two cups of rice and salt and pepper. Stir constantly for 1-2 minutes without browning the rice. Using a ladle, pour hot chicken stock into the rice mixture a half a cup at a time, stirring constantly. Let just about all the liquid absorb before adding the next ladle full of stock into the rice. Continue to stir. Keep ladling the chicken stock in and continue to cook for approx. 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and 2 Tbsp butter. Serve immediately.

Vegetarian Enchiladas (Spinach and Mushroom)

These are the kinds of meals that I think to myself, "I could become a vegetarian so easily if all the food tasted like this". My friend Natasha from work inspired me to make these. She had made these enchiladas awhile back and brought me one to taste. They were so yummy, so I just had to get the recipe from her. She is so sweet that she even brought me some of the dried chilies to make my own chili powder. I took the liberty of tweaking her recipe just a bit, although I must say her version is phenomenal, but I just love to mess with recipes ;)
***I will post her original recipe and then at the end of the recipe I will note the changes I made to it. 

 
Enchilada Sauce:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup New Mexico Chili Powder (Take stems off and process dry New Mexico chilies in food processor until powdered)
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion salt
salt to taste

Directions for sauce
Heat oil in skillet over med high heat. Stir in flour and chili powder. Reduce heat to medium and cook until lightly browned, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Gradually stir in tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic powder and onion salt until smooth and continue cooking over med heat approx. 10 min or until thickened slightly. Season with salt, to taste. Set aside.

For the enchilada filling:
1 container fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 bag of fresh spinach
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp cream cheese
cumin, coriander and salt to taste
Mexican blend shredded cheese
Corn tortillas


Directions for Enchiladas:
Saute the mushrooms in olive oil until softened partially. Add in the spinach and cilantro and cook until the spinach wilts down completely. Prepare your corn tortillas by cooking for 5 seconds on each side in hot oil. Dip them into the enchilada sauce and put on a plate to fill. Fill each enchilada with a little bit of the spinach filling and some of the shredded cheese. Roll up tightly. Place in baking dish. Once the baking dish is full of enchiladas, pour all the extra enchilada sauce on top and place the extra shredded cheese over the top. Bake at 375 for approx 30 minutes.

For the Garnish:   
Diced green onions,
Black Olives, chopped

*** for my version of the recipe sauce, I used half olive oil and half chipotle flavored oil and added 2 oz cream cheese
*** for my version of the recipe filling: I also added 3 Tbsp chopped parsley (added at the same time as the cilantro), 1 Tbsp chipotle flavored oil (added when sauteing the mushrooms), 1/3 cup sliced olives (added when the filling was done)
I also put more sliced olives and sliced green onions on the top before baking them

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Banana Cream Filling and Peanut Butter Frosting

Bananas and peanut butter go together like biscuits and gravy, salt and pepper, honey and tea......well more like John and I ♥
Throw in some chocolate and what a trio! If you like all these flavors, I think they combined well in this cupcake.
The banana filling oozes out of the center when you bite into it and the peanut butter frosting helps cut some of the sweetness of the cupcake.  I have to admit that I used a dark chocolate cake mix today. It's really hard to beat the cost of a one dollar cake mix, when the prices of ingredients are soaring these days. The filling and the frosting are both home made though...so I guess I get a little credit for this one ;)

 For the cake:
1 dark chocolate cake mix

*Bake according to package directions.

For the filling:
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1//8 tsp salt
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 large banana, mashed
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

In a pan, heat the milk until very warm, but not boiling. Set aside. In a bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir this mixture into the hot milk and stir continuously for 4 - 5 minutes while cooking over low heat. It will get very smooth and thick. Add the egg yolks and continue to cook for about 2 more minutes. Set aside to cool down. Mash the banana until it's very smooth. Add the lemon juice and mix together well. Stir into the cooled filling. After the filling is completely cooled down, fill the cupcakes. ( I use a special tool to remove a piece of the center of the cupcake for filling, but you can just use a knife to cut a small wedge out of the cupcake, but save that wedge to put back over the top of the filling.)

For the frosting:
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 Tbsp milk
2 cups Powdered sugar

Using a mixer, combine the butter and peanut butter together. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar. At this point it will be very dry and thick. Mix in the 3 Tbsp milk and continue to blend until it's all incorporated. Beat for a few minutes until it is light and fluffy. Frost the cupcakes!

Cinnamon Puffs

If you ever have a serious craving for a donut and  you can't quite make it to the donut shop, then this just might be the perfect recipe for you! It only requires 4 ingredients and it's super fast and super easy. Oh and I might add....quite YUMMY!! It's light, fluffy, sweet and buttery all at the same time.

1 can refrigerated biscuit dough
1 cube butter
sugar
cinnamon

Open biscuits and bake according to package directions. Meanwhile, melt one cube of butter and place onto a plate or into a bowl large enough to dip the biscuits in. Mix sugar and cinnamon together in whatever ratio suits your tastes. If you like more cinnamon, then add more....if not add less. Right when biscuits come out of the oven, roll them in the butter, covering the top, bottom and the sides. Roll the buttered biscuit into the sugar/cinnamon mixture covering the entire biscuit! These are best enjoyed while they are still hot, but they still taste great later too.

Manicotti

How do you even begin a food post on a day like today when Japan has suffered so much? It's amazing to me to see how Bible prophecy is all coming together.So before I post my food blog I wanted to share some of what I know to be true from the Bible and it pretty much sums up perfectly what is taking place in the world right now.

"God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah." -Psalm 46:1-3. 

And when you hear of wars and insurrections (disturbances, disorder, and confusion), do not become alarmed and panic-stricken and terrified; for all this must take place first, but the end will not [come] immediately. Then He told them,... Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be mighty and violent earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences (plagues: malignant and contagious or infectious epidemic diseases which are deadly and devastating); and there will be sights of terror and great signs from heaven,

...And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth [there will be] distress (trouble and anguish) of nations in bewilderment and perplexity [without resources, left wanting, embarrassed, in doubt, not knowing which way to turn] at the roaring (the echo) of the tossing of the sea, Men swooning away or expiring with fear and dread and apprehension and expectation of the things that are coming on the world; for the [very] powers of the heavens will be shaken and caused to totter. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great (transcendent and overwhelming) power and [all His kingly] glory (majesty and splendor).Now when these things begin to occur, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption (deliverance) is drawing near." -Luke 21:7-11, 25-28, Amplified Bible.

Tonight I realized that I had not made manicotti in probably 10 years. It seemed like it would be a fairly quick and  easy meal to make and it sure was! I found the recipe from years ago, but I also knew that my cooking skills had improved since then and definitely my tastes  had changed, so I just started throwing it together with a completely different spin on the recipe and it was wonderful. 

3/4 lb ground beef  (or you can also use 1/2 lb ground beef and 1/4 lb italian sausage for some added flavor)

1 egg

1/4 lb grated mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup soft bread crumbs

1/4 cup milk

1 -2 Tbsp chopped, fresh parsley

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

Manicotti noodles

16 oz tomato sauce

1 cup water

Italian seasoning

Oregano

Fresh shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350.

Brown beef and drain. Let the beef cool for 5 minutes. Mix into the beef, the next 7 ingredients. Stir well to combine. 

Meanwhile, boil the manicotti noodles for 6 minutes and drain in colander. Rinse with cold water. 

Spray an 11X13 pan with Pam. Then pour 8 oz of the tomato sauce onto the bottom of the dish. 

Stuff each noodle with meat mixture. ( I find it easiest to hold the noodle like an ice cream cone, but leave one finger across the bottom so filling cannot fall out.)

Lay the noodles into the pan with the tomato sauce. 

Pour the leftover 8 oz of tomato sauce directly over the noodles and cover as best as you can. 

Pour 1 cup of water over the top of the tomato sauce covered noodles. 

Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. 

Remove from oven and uncover the manicotti. Lightly sprinkle oregano and italian seasoning over the entire pan.

Sprinkle the parmesan over all the noodles. 

Return to the oven, uncovered, for 10 more minutes.

 

Grilled Salmon with Citrus Salsa Verde

I guess it's been quite awhile since I posted anything on this blog. Life had a few bumps and bruises over the last week, but through the grace of God alone, I am feeling refreshed today and up to posting. I'm sure John will love this dinner tonight because I haven't fixed him salmon in a long while. For awhile the salmon I was buying at the market, got a little too fishy. Tonight's definitely wasn't! I haven't been to the grocery store in about a week and a half, and I had no idea what to make out of this salmon, so I sat down at the computer and started researching some new salmon recipes. I stumbled onto this one on the food network site and thought it sounded interesting. Thankfully I had all the ingredients on hand except the mint, so I just had to forgo that particular item when I made it. It still tasted great. This recipe has a very light citrusy taste to it and just a hint of sweet with the savory.

* I did not have mint for this recipe so this is made without it. Also I didn't have oranges, so I used tangerines.
Here is a link to the original recipe!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/grilled-salmon-with-citrus-salsa-verde-recipe/index.html

Chicken Chili Rolls and Cheddar Chive Biscuits

This may look hard to do, but it really isn't! In fact, you can whip this dinner up in no time at all. If you don't like spicy food, you could just leave out the green chili all together, but who doesn't like spice and who doesn't need to spice up their life a little? ;)

Chicken Chili Rolls:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 whole green chilis (these are sold in a can ready to go)
4 slices Monterey Jack Cheese
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup skim milk

Preheat oven to 400.
Place chicken breasts in a large baggie or between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound until they are thin. (You can use a hammer for this if you do not have a meat mallet).
In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs, chili powder, cumin, salt, and garlic powder. Set aside.
Lay out the thin chicken breasts and on top of each breast, place a slice of cheese and a whole green chili (slice the chili down the center to sort of open it up to a flatter chili). Roll each chicken breast up and very carefully dip each rolled breast into the milk and then into the bread crumb mixture. After you take them out of the bread crumb mixture, place them in a baking pan that has been sprayed with Pam.
Bake for 30 minutes.

Cheddar Chive Biscuits
3 Tbsp butter, melted
pinch of salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tube canned biscuits
Cheddar Cheese
Green onions
*You do not need to buy expensive biscuits for this recipe. I used the cheapo store brand and they came out great. I think there are enough cheese and onion flavors to make up for the cheap biscuits ;)

Mix 3 Tbsp melted butter with the pinch of salt and pinch of cayenne pepper. Lay out biscuits on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Brush the tops with the melted butter mixture. On each biscuit place a little bit of cheddar cheese and a few green onions. Fold the biscuits over to shape "half moons". Use a fork to seal the edges as best you can. Follow the directions on the biscuit label for how long to bake them and the correct temperature. ( all the biscuits have different instructions, that's why you have to use the directions on the brand you buy. After they are cooked, brush the tops with more butter.

Spaghetti and Meatball Cake

Is it live or is it Memorex? Is it a plate of spaghetti or a cake?
When you read the title you were probably thinking "that's disgusting" right? Well calm down sparky, it's just a cake! ;)
This was so much fun to make and I can't wait to take it to work tomorrow! It's super easy and anyone could make this. It just takes a little time and effort. Right now just looking at it is making me very hungry for dinner, so I have to type this quickly and go make something to eat. Maybe spaghetti? haha
If anyone reading this ever decides to make this cake.....please let me know how it turns out for you!

1 box chocolate cake mix
2 tubs vanilla frosting ( I make my own..it's much better and less sweet, if you want the recipe, let me know)
2-4 drops yellow food coloring
1/2 tsp cocoa powder
1 (16 oz) bag or tub of frozen strawberries, thawed
White chocolate, for grating ( I used white chocolate chips and just chopped them finely instead of grating)

1) Make the cake batter according to the package directions.
2) Pour the batter into two 8 inch round cake pans, that have been sprayed with Pam. ( I only had one round pan, so you can make one in a round pan and one in any other kind of pan you have available.)
3) After you bake them, let them cool completely. Put the first round cake onto a nice serving platter. Take the other cake and crumble it into a large bowl. Crumble it with your fingers until it is a very fine crumble.
4) Squeeze a handful of cake crumbs into a 2 inch ball. Roll until it looks like a meatball. Roll 3 of them. Set them aside.
5) To frost the cake. Spread about 1 1/2 cups frosting smoothly onto the cake. Use a spatula to make the sides smooth.
6) Arrange the "meatballs" on top of the cake.
7) Mix the remaining frosting with the yellow food coloring and the cocoa. Transfer to a pastry bag with a small round tip or if you don't have that you can put it into a baggie and cut a small corner off and squeeze it out of the sealed baggie.
8) Pipe the colored frosting onto the cake, around the meatballs, in figure 8 patterns to look like spaghetti.
9) Puree the strawberries in a blender or food processor until smooth with only a few chunks. Spoon between 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup of the strawberry puree onto the top of the meatballs and noodles to look like tomato sauce.
10) Grate white chocolate, or chop white chocolate chips and sprinkle over the cake to look like Parmesan cheese.

Chocolate Stuffed French Toast

Who's hungry for breakfast? I'm not much of a breakfast food lover, but wow I love this one!! Ok...so it wasn't the healthiest start to my day, but I guess I can substitute this for my bowl of oatmeal once in awhile huh? If you like french toast and you really like chocolate, then this is the best breakfast ever! It only takes a  few minutes to prepare it and only a few minutes to cook it also.

8 slices french bread
3 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla, divided (meaning you use one tsp early in the recipe and one tsp later in the recipe)
4 Tbsp chocolate chips
2 egs
1/4 cup milk
*Powdered sugar for dusting the top of the french toast

In a bowl, by  hand, mix together cream cheese, powdered sugar and 1 tsp vanilla. Mix until blended well. Spread the mixture evenly on all slices of bread, all the way to the edges. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp of chocolate chips onto 4 slices of bread, keeping the chips a bit away from the edges. Place the other slice of bread onto the top of the one with chocolate chips to make 4 french toast "sandwiches".
In a flat bottomed container, large enough to dip the individual french toasts, beat egg with milk and the remaining teaspoon of vanilla. Dip each french toast sandwich into the egg mixture to coat the outside. Place each french toast on a hot griddle and cook until browned on one side. Flip with a spatula to brown the other side evenly. Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!!

Creole Stuffed Flank Steak

This is a first for me making a stuffed flank steak. It actually was fairly easy and John really loved it. I took pictures as I went along making the meal, but totally forgot to take a picture of it once I sliced it up. Oh well...you can see the stuffing in some of the pictures! The stuffing is a creole hash brown stuffing that includes bacon, hash browns, red and yellow bell peppers, onion, garlic, cheese and spices. Sound good yet?                                
                                                         *This is as I stuffed it and right before
                                                                  I rolled it to go in the oven
                                            

                                          

                                             *Rolled and ready to go on the grill

 For the Marinade:

1/2 cup red wine (I have also used white wine and it's also very good)

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 Tbsp minced garlic

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 1/2 lb flank steak

For the Stuffing:

4 strips thick sliced bacon, cooked and diced

2 cups frozen hash browns

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup diced yellow bell pepper

1 Tbsp minced garlic

2 tsp Cajun seasoning (sold by the spices at the grocery store)

1 tsp paprika

1 cup diced pepper jack cheese

1 full bunch green onions, DO NOT CUT!!!!

For the marinade, combine all marinade ingredients (except steak) in a large plastic baggie. Seal and shake until the brown sugar dissolves. Cut the steak open like a book (do not cut all the way through....leave one side not cut through, see first picture above) and place the steak in the baggie with the marinade. Let it marinade for 30 minutes, turning the bag over frequently to marinade the steak evenly. 

For the stuffing, cook bacon in a skillet. Transer to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Dice the bacon up and set aside. In the same pan you cooked the bacon in (you can leave the extra bacon fat in this pan) add the potatoes in a single layer. Do NOT stir! Cook until they start to brown, about 10 min. Stir once and let cook for another 3 minutes. Add bell peppers and saute the mixture until the peppers begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic, cajun seasoning and paprika. Cook 2 minutes. Remove potato mixture from pan and cool to room temperature. Add cheese and diced bacon and stir to combine.

To stuff the steak, lay the marinaded steak out flat. Spread the stuffing evenly onto 2/3 of the cut side of the steak. Top with the grated cheese. Place the entire bunch of "uncut" green onions onto the cheese and stuffing. The green onions should pretty much run the entire length of the steak. Roll the steak around the stuffing so the ends overlap. Weave a metal skewer through the steak edges to "seal" the roll. 

Cook the steak on a grill, or under the broiler until the steak is cooked through.

Minestrone Soup

Home made soup tastes so good on these cold winter days, but this particular soup tasted amazing on this cold day. It's a particularly healthy soup and fairly easy to prepare. If you can chop vegetables and open cans, you will do fine with this recipe.

Here is a link to the recipe on the Food Network Site
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/minestrone-soup-recipe/index.html

Cannoli Bruschetta

Tonight we had some family and friends over. We wanted something sweet, and the girls were hungry for rum balls, but we didn't have the ingredients on hand to make those....so we settled on cannoli bruschetta. So the rum balls will have to wait for another day. The cannoli bruschetta was actually very good. It's not too sweet and the flavors all blend together well. We had Italian Minestrone Soup for dinner, so this was a good way to end the night with an Italian dessert. My Food Network Magazine had the recipes for dinner and dessert. I love that magazine. I think it's quickly become one of my favorite food magazines!

For the Bruschetta:
1 small french baquette loaf
butter
granulated sugar
cinnamon

Slice bread into even slices. Spread a small amount of butter on each slice. Sprinkle granulated sugar and a little bit of cinnamon onto each slice. Broil until slightly crispy.


For the toppings:
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup powdered sugar
dash of vanilla

Mix these together in blender until well mixed. Spoon a small amount onto the top of each broiled bruschetta slice.

*Top with either shaved chocolate or chocolate chips and pistachios

Ginger Cookies

The aroma of ginger cookies baking is a smell that brings a smile to my face. If you close your eyes, you can almost imagine that it's Christmas and the family will be over in just a short while. But....I open my eyes and it's a work day and it's definitely NOT Christmas. Oh well....a girl can dream can't she?
A few years back a friend gave me this recipe for ginger cookies. They are really great, as they are  not too sweet and have the perfect blend of ginger/cinnamon and molasses.


*This recipe makes about 6 dozen cookies!!
1 1/2 cups Crisco Shortening
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
6 Tbsp molasses
4 cups flour
3 tsp baking soda
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Mix shortening, sugar, eggs and molasses together in mixer. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger and cinnamon to the mixer. Mix until thoroughly combined. Roll dough into golf ball size balls and roll each ball in granulated sugar. Place each cookie ball on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 9-10 minutes.

Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Sour Cream Filling and Cream Cheese Frosting

So I have to start this post and say that I "cheated" and used a boxed cake mix. I love to make homeade red velvet cupcakes but I just didn't have time today. I am taking these to work tomorrow and tonight is church, so a boxed cake mix worked perfect. I didn't want to just make ordinary cupcakes, so I filled these with a sour cream fillling. I know that might sound strange with red velvet, but it's a very light filling that helps to cut some of the sweetness of the cupcake. I made a standard cream cheese frosting and I even colored my own sugar!! Coloring your own sugar is so easy and way cheaper than buying it already colored at the grocery store.

For the cake: Bake a red velvet cake mix according to package directions. Add as many chocolate chips as you like. ( Shake the chips in flour first, it keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the cupcake)

For the filling:
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp sugar  *(I added a little bit of sugar to mine until I felt it was sweet enough)
dash salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla

In the top of a double boiler, stir flour with the sugar and salt. Mix in beaten egg and stir. Mix in sour cream and stir until smooth. Cook over hot water for approx 8 min or until thickened. Let cool before filling cupcakes.


For the frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

Blend the cream cheese and butter together in mixer. Add vanilla and mix again. With mixer on low speed, add powdered sugar gradually and mix until light and fluffy.

For the colored sugar:

Mix 1/4 cup granulated sugar with 1/4 tsp red food coloring in a sealed baggie. Knead the sugar until the color is evenly dispersed. Pour out the sugar onto a cookie sheet or plate. Let it dry for 30 minutes. Break up any "clumps" that are left and sift onto the top of your cupcakes.

Macadamia and Coconut Crusted Tilapia and Spicy Pineapple Glazed Tilapia

2 dinners in one? Yes and it was great! I started out just making the macadamia and coconut crusted tilapia and decided to make some extra (and different) fish to pack for John's lunch tomorrow at work. Good thing he loved it ♥
For Valentines Day, John took me to Red Lobster for a nice meal. Earlier that day I had gone online to look at the menu and decide ahead of time what I wanted to order. I stumbled onto free recipes they have on their web site and this is where these recipes came from. They were really good and I can't wait to try more of them. Their original recipes called for Salmon, but I only happened to have Tilapia in the freezer, so I just used that fish, but you can use any of your favorite fish for this recipe and I'm sure it would still taste great!

                                                 Macadamia and Coconut Crusted Tilapia

Crust Ingredients:

• 1/3 Cup Macadamia Nuts, chopped
• 1/3 Cup Sweetened Coconut Flakes
• 1/3 Cup Panko Breadcrumbs
• 2 Tbsp Light Brown Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Butter, melted

Fish Ingredients:

• 4 each 5-6 oz Tilapia fillets
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Nonstick Cooking Spray

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the Salmon fillets in a 9X13 baking dish sprayed with Nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, combine all of the crust ingredients until well mixed.
3. Season the Salmon with salt and pepper and top each piece of fish with an even coating of the Macadamia and Coconut Crust and bake on the middle oven rack for 15-20 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

                                                   Spicy Pineapple Glazed Tilapia

Spicy Pineapple Glaze Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Sweet Chili Sauce
• 1 ea 8 oz can Crushed Pineapple in Pineapple Juice
• 1/2-1 Tsp Cajun Seasoning

Mix all ingredients together and place on top of fish. Bake in 400 degree oven for approx 15 minutes or until done. Top with macadamia/coconut topping from previous recipe for an added touch!