Salmon Dip

My dad makes this AMAZING salmon dip, and I am going to share it with you.

Traditionally, it should be made with fresh home smoked red salmon,  but not many people have an uncle who used to fish commercially like me.  SO!  It's ok to use the canned stuff.  In fact, that is what this recipe will use.

Like many of my recipes, simplicity is key.  No need to muddle up a good tasting protein with a lot of fancy doodads.  Salmon is lovely just how it is.  So, to start, you are going to need a can of red salmon. The can I picked up had a lot of bones, so make sure you go through and pull all those bones out.  It's fine if you smush the meat, you're going to be doing that anyways.  Once you have all the bones out, go ahead and  smash the meat up with a fork until it's nice and crumbly.  Then, stir it with half a package of cream cheese until it makes a bit of a paste.  Then, my favorite park, jalapenos!!!

You can use fresh if you want, but I like the pickled kind.  Take about 10 slices of pickled jalapenos, diced, and mix that in as well.  You can use more or less, depending on how much heat you can stand.  And I like a lot of heat, so I tend to go a little heavy on the jalapenos.  Remember to leave the seeds out, those are the parts that burn the most.

And there you have it, a very tasty dip that's perfect on chips, crackers or baguettes.  Or just on a spoon (that's how I eat it, hehe.  One of the few things I can eat without blending because it's so creamy).  Try it at your next family get together or work party, it will be gone in minutes I promise.

Brie Stuffed French Toast

This is an idea that I had while rummaging around my fridge tonight, trying to think of something to make myself.  I love cheese, and the other day I bought myself a small package of spreadable Brie, because it is a cheese I can eat by itself.  Not to mention it has fantastic flavor, and can be used in so many preparations.

My idea was to use some of the slices of Cinnabon bread I had to make french toast, and make a creamy filling out of the Brie.  And it turned out even better than I had expected.  Way better than any stuffed french toast I've gotten at IHOP.

And it is very simple as well.  To start, mix 1 tbsp of spreadable Brie and 1 tbsp cream cheese until it's smooth.  Then add a drop of vanilla and stir it in.  Next, add powdered sugar, just enough to make the mixture nice a creamy.  You want it thick, but spreadable.  Set it aside.

Beat together 1 egg, drop of vanilla, and 1 tbsp half and half.  Set aside.  On a slice of Cinnabon cinnamon bread, spread the Brie filling evenly over one side.  Dip the other side until it is soaked in the egg mixture.  Place in a hot buttered pan.  Dip another slice of bread in  the egg mixture, only soaking one side, and place it dry side down on top of the slice already in the pan, creating a sandwich.  Brown and then flip.  When both sides are sufficiently browned, remove from the pan, butter, and then douse with syrup and powdered sugar.

And then if you are me, toss in the blender with some milk and puree away.

Of course this recipe is only for one serving, I can't get my husband to eat french toast to save his life.  But, obviously you can easily double or even quadruple to feed however many people you want!  It's a super tasty treat for any meal, enjoy!

Dutch Oven Tenderloin

We love pork tenderloin, it's a very succulent meat that can be very juicy if cooked right.  Very flavorful as well.  Like you know, I've never been a huge fan of pork, but I have to say, this cut is actually pretty ok, to me at least.  My husband and son gobble it right up.

And yes, for this dinner, I cheated a bit.  I used part of a premade spice pack.  The pork tenderloin spice pack by McCormick actually.  I usually buy it to make cream sauce for perogies, but I decided to try it for it's intended purpose.  I only used about half the pack, but it turned out lovely.

First, I made a broth using the spice pack, olive oil, water, garlic powder, onion powder, color peppercorns, fennel seeds, and chopped onion.  I didn't take exact measurements, sorry……..so use your creative liscence!  Obviously, more water than oil…..haha

In a dutch oven, I laid two whole tenderloins around the edges, leaving a hole in the middle.  Remember to remove that yucky silver skin before putting your loin in!  I then drizzled olive oil over the loins.  Then, I added the broth, enough to almost over the loins, but leaving the tops dry.  Next, I used a color peppercorn grinder, and ground the pepper over the meat.  Last, I added a couple handfuls of chopped white mushrooms.  And it was ready for the oven.

Preheated to 350, I let the loins cook for about an hour and a half, making sure the temp got to 165 before it was done.  This is important, once you take the meat out, do not immediately cut into it!  Put the loins on a plate to rest for about 10 minutes.  Using a flat strainer, remove all the onions, seeds and mushrooms from the reserved cooking liquid and spoon over the loin.  Then, whisk cornstarch into the left over cooking liquid to make a gravy.  I like mine pretty thick, so I used about 1 1/2 tbsp corn starch.

And for my side dish, golden mashed potatoes.  I always mash them with salt and onion powder, a whole stick of butter, and heavy whipping cream.  That's the only way to do it, I'm telling you!

Cut your loin into medallions to serve, and drizzle the gravy over top.  My husband said it was the best cut of pork he has ever tasted.  And I gotta tell you, it made an amazing blended soup as well.  And that gravy!  I was eating that for days after.

Dole Salad Contest

Watching the Food Network, I saw a commercial for Dole Salad with Clinton Kelly.  He said there was a contest where you could write in something about salad that inspires you and win a trip to California. I thought, hey what the heck, I can write something up!

So I went to the contest page and read through the rules.  You needed to write a 350 word entry about how salad inspires you.  So I wrote up this awesome thing, tried to paste it into the submission box, and it didn't work.  I read again, and it said 350 CHARACTERS.  Yikes!  How was I going to condense all that into a paragraph?  Ah, I thought, a poem.

I wrote up a little poem in the submission box to make sure I didn't  go over my character limit, read it over, and submitted it.  I let my husband read it and he said, wow, I didn't know you could write like that, I bet you are going to win.  I thought he was just being polite.

A week later I got a call.  I had been chosen as a finalist!  Voting would be on facebook, and six winners would be chosen by popular vote to go to California on a 3 day culinary adventure.  Oh my gosh!  

So!  Here it is, the poem that won me a slot in the finals:

Were I Able

Taste is priceless, more lovely than words

Sensations to tickle the senses and more

Crisp are the leaves, so fresh and so light

That bring me to dine on a warm summer night

Wish that I could taste, not only to smell,

But health troubles forbade me, desires to quell

Oh lovely the sight of the dressing I see,

One day we shall dine, my salad and me.

And if you would like to vote for me, there is still time!  Go here .  Voting ends on 12/11.  Help send me on a culinary adventure!

Creative Coffee Cake

Who doesn't like coffee cake, am I right?  The richness of sour cream, the spice of cinnamon, the flaky, crumbly, streusel topping….mmmmmmm!

Well, I decided to get creative with a pretty simple recipe by merely adding a bit of coffee mate.  Yes, that's right, coffee mate into the coffee cake.  And what kind did I choose?  Pecan Praline.

Like, I said, all you have to do is add a little of the coffee mate, maybe a table spoon or two to your batter before you bake it.  I also added a little to the butter for my streusel, and instead of using pecans because Nick hates them, I picked a bunch of almonds out of a bag of trail mix I found in the cupboard and smashed them up with my rolling pin.

The result was a very moist cake with the essence of pecan, which made my house smell very festive.  Here is the recipe I used for the cake, but you can use any old recipe you favor.

Cake:
2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
ADD 2 tbsp Pecan Praline CoffeMate

Topping:
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsbp melted butter
1 tsp Pecan Praline CoffeeMate
1 tbsp cinnamon
ADD 1/2 cup crushed almonds

Cream the butter and sugar, mix in sour cream and eggs.  Add vanilla and CoffeeMate.  Mix in flour and powder.  Pour into a greased pie pan and set aside.

For the topping, mix together all the ingredients until a crumble is formed.  Add more sugar if needed to get the right texture.  Sprinkle all over the top of the cake batter.  Bake at 350 for about 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  It took me a little longer because I'm at such a high altitude, but just watch it close so it doesn't get burned.

And hey, if you can use the Pecan coffee mate, go ahead and try all the other seasonal and not so seasonal flavors out there!  I bet you can come up with some pretty tasty treats.

Cornish Game Hen

I like to try new things.  So when I was grocery shopping today and saw these cute little game hens for sale, I couldn't pass them up.  I put two in my cart.

Surprisingly, they aren't that hard to prepare.  If you get them already cleaned up.  I just followed the instructions on the packaging, of course, adding my own twist.

You put them breast down in a baking pan lined with aluminum foil.  Then, you brush the tops generously with melted butter.  I like to put some water in the bottom of the pan as well, to keep things moist.  One hen I coated with a mix of garlic, onion, sage and smoked paprika.  The other, I used onion, thyme and rosemary.  This was to give the skin a spicy, crispy texture.  The cooking time was 1 1/2 to 2 hours, I leaned towards 2.  Every half hour, I pulled the hens out and basted them with their own juices.  Half way through, I put half a stick of butter in the pan, let that melt, and then basted again.

Then end result was super amazing smelling, crispy hens.

For a side dish, I made a sweet potato and parsnip puree.  This one is really easy too.  I cubed and boiled two sweet potatoes, and one very large parsnip.  When they were fork tender, I strained them most of the way, reserving a little of the water.  Then I pureed them with the water and about 4-6 tbsp of butter.  They turned out nice and creamy.  They should be served with a little black pepper and brown sugar.

And I have got to tell you, that was probably one of the best dinners I have had in a while.  Even Tristan loved it, we couldn't feed him fast enough, he just inhaled one piece after the other!

Best Cookies to Date

I'm pretty proud of myself for this one.  Nick told me hands down,  they are the best cookies I have ever made.  I'm going to call them, White Chocolate Chip Spice Cookies.

I saw a recipe the other day and thought it looked fun.  But a little bland.  I decided to tweak it.  The idea was to have a ginger snap with cinnamon chips.  And while that sounded great, I don't much care for the taste of cinnamon chips.  I know, what?  Weird right?  Me, who adds cinnamon to everything!

Anyhoo, I decided to make it more like a molasses spice cookie with white chips.  That sounded more creative.

So, here it is.

1/2 cup melted shortening
1/4 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup molasses
2 tsp baking soda
cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves
2 1/2ish cups flour
1 half package white chocolate chips
extra sugar

Cream the butter, shortening and sugar.  Add the egg, mix well.  Mix in molasses, vanilla, soda and spices (I never measure spices, I just use however much smells good).  Beat in the chips and flour at the same time.  The dough is going to be a little sticky still, that's ok.  What you are going to want to do is take spoonfuls, and drop it into a bowl of sugar.  Roll it around until it's coated, then put it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake your cookies at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes, the tops should look cracked and the centers still a little gooey.  When you take them out, they will collapse, don't panic!  That's how it's supposed to be.

As soon as they are cool enough, eat up!  And make sure to store them right away as well so they stay nice and gooey and moist.  And trust me, they are simply amazing, I have been snacking on them all day!

Havarti Macaroni

About a week ago, we had my little brother and my dad over.  It was my brother's birthday, and we had a nice bacon cheese burger dinner with homemade potato chips and pumpkin cheese cake.  But, my dad brought me a gift.  When I was in college, he would always send me care packages from home, and one of his favorite things to include?  Havarti cheese.  He knew it was one of my favorites.  So that was my gift, a big package of cheese!

A few days later, my husband was rummaging around the cupboards trying to find something to eat.  I offered to make him baked mac'n'cheese, to which he agreed.  And I decided to make it with my havarti cheese, well, some of it.

I made a quick roue base with milk, butter and flour, browned some chopped onion, then added ripped up havarti cheese, mozerella, a little bit of Mexican blend, and then some cream cheese.  I always add onion powder, garlic powder and pepper as well.

I poured that over the cooked macaroni noodles before putting it in a greased pan.  For the topping, I used crushed up oyster crackers, because they aren't as sweet or salty as ritz.  And!  The best part, bacon.  I put bits of fresh cooked bacon all over the top.  Baked that for about 20 minutes, and let me tell you, it smelled great!

Nick said it was the best mac'n'cheese I have made yet.  I'm telling you, its the Havarti!

Plating

I just had to share this picture.  My husband did an excellent job plating this dinner.  It was grilled deboned chicken thighs, golden mashed potatoes and arugala salad.  Isn't it just pretty?  By the way, skin on deboned chicken thighs that have been grilled are probably the yummiest chicken ever!

Spices

We were watching a Chopped the other day.  You know, that show on the food network?  I know, I'm hooked.  But I had a thought.  There was a woman from India competing, and the judges kept praising her for her use of spice for flavor.

Another show I used to watch was Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition.  One thing the people always learned when they were learning how to cook better meals for themselves was how to flavor food without the aid of fat.  How to use spice instead.

Ah, yes.  Here in America we are so dependent on fat agents to flavor our food.  Burgers cooked in bacon grease, deep fried potatoes and chicken, crisco in just about everything.  But here's a little secret, that fat can't compare at all to a good spice.  Not in the least!

So I indulged myself today.  I have been wanting to do this for so long, and I finally did.  I raided the spice isle at my local grocery store.  I mean, I already have the standard oregano, garlic and dill.  But I wanted something more fun and exciting.  Coriander, fennel seed, rosemary, cardamom, sage, etc……..it was so wonderful!

The minute I got home, I opened every single one and just sniffed.  And they smelled amazing!  I started concocting different dinner ideas, having to restrain myself from pulling the veal out of the fridge and cooking right away.  My husband is out of town till tomorrow, so I wouldn't really have anyone to feed (Tristan has gotten picky again).  But I'm definitely going to be cooking something fabulous tomorrow night!

And there is my advice to you!  Instead of deep frying yourself a chicken wing for dinner, pick up some spices and get creative.  Just the smell is enough to inspire!

Black Bean Soup

I know, I know, I like to make soups.  But, can you blame me?  They blend the best.  not to mention it's fall, well, I say it's winter now that there is snow all over the place, and the best thing to eat in the winter is a bowl of hot soup.

It all started with a trip to Winco.  I decided it was time to pick out things that I could use to make meals, rather than just getting whatever sounded good.  So I grabbed a bunch of cans of different kinds of beans.  Then, pursuing allrecipes, I saw a recipe for black bean soup.  It looked yummy, but I decided it needed a little tweaking.  Beans in chicken broth isn't enough in my mind.

To start, fry 1/4 a package of hickory smoked bacon that has been chopped up into small pieces in a large sauce pan.  Don't crisp the bacon, just heat it through enough that it starts to shrink.  Then add 1/2 a chopped up sweet onion and i clove minced garlic, cooking the onion until it turns clear.  The moisture from the onions will prevent the bacon from crisping, so don't worry.

Next, add 2 cups chicken stock and 1 cup water. Add the following spices:  black pepper, salt, oregano, parsley, FRESH cilantro leaves, cumin, chili powder, and onion powder.  Then, a dash of lemon juice.  As it just barely begins to boil, add two cans of black beans and 1 cup frozen corn.  As it simmers and the liquid reduces down, smash up some of the beans, that will help to thicken the actual soup as well.  Cook on medium heat until the beans are tender and the corn is well done.

Then, serve it up with a dollop of sour cream and fresh cilantro on top.  It's a very rich and hearty soup guaranteed to clean you right out, hehehe, sorry.  But it tastes fabulous!

Thai Shrimp Soup

Last night we got a little creative.

Thai Shrimp Curry.  But I decided to make it into a soup, because it's a lot easier for me to blend later.  I like things with a lot of flavor.  Good thing about this soup is that you pour it over a bed of rice, so it's a perfect dinner for everyone.

First, start a batch of white rice in your rice cooker.  Then in a deep pot, bring 3 cups of chicken stock and 2 cups of water to a boil.
Add the following spices:

1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2  tsp basil leaves


Then add the following veggies:

1 chopped carrot
1 peeled, chopped Mexican squash
1 cup shitaki mushrooms
1/2 chopped sweet onion
1/2 can baby corn

Let that all simmer while you clean your shrimp.  We used half a frozen bag of unshelled and uncooked shrimp.  After they were cleaned, we added them to the soup.

Lastly, while everything was cooking, we added half a can of coconut milk and some fresh cilantro leaves.

Let the soup boil until the shrimp are fully cooked.  Then, pour over a bed of rice and enjoy!

Mmm Mmm Cornbread

I loooooove cornbread.  Especially with melted butter and honey.  It's also fabulous under a heaping pile of chili with sour cream and cheese.  This is a recipe I have perfected over the years, and it is wonderful.

1/2 cup room temp butter
2/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tbsp vinegar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup corn meal
1 1/4 cup flour
pinch of salt

First, combine the milk and vinegar, then set it aside.
Cream the butter and sugar.
Mix in the eggs.
Add the baking soda to the milk, and let froth.
Mix in the corn meal and 1/2 cup flour.
Mix in the milk.
Add the rest of the flour and salt, and beat well.

Pour into a greased 9x9 pan, and bake in a preheated 375 oven for about 30-40 or so minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Ahhhh, isn't it just delightful?  I made some this morning and my whole house smells warm and cozy.  Like an afternoon at grandma's or something.

Spinach Ravioli

Yeah, I think I have been watching the food network a little too much.  I thought it would be fun to try and make my own ravioli from scratch.

So, Nick and I took a stab at it.  We found a recipe for pasta dough, and then just fudged over a filling.

Pasta:

3+ cups flour
3 eggs
3/8 cup water
1/2 tsbp oil

Filling:
2 cups cooked spinach
1 tbsp butter
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
4 tbsp parmesan cheese
onion powder, parsley, cilantro, garlic powder

Whip the eggs, then add the oil and water.  Gradually add the flour and knead until elastic, adding flour as needed.  Then let it rest.

Mix the cooked spinach, cheeses, butter and spices together.  It will be nice and sticky, but form well.

Roll out the pasta dough very thin, then cut with a pizza cutter into little rectangles.  Place a small amount of the spinach filling onto each piece, then fold the dough over onto itself, forming little pillows.  Seal the edges with a little water.

Cook raviolis in boiling oiled water for about 2-3 minutes.  Be careful not to over cook or they will  get rubbery.

Enjoy with some tomato or alfredo sauce!

Nick and I had a lot of fun making these, they are pretty easy and a good way to get the whole family involved in meal preparation.  Besides, it's satisfying to make things from scratch!

Tomato Man'n'cheese

I don't have a picture, because I doubt my husband would ever eat what I am about to blog.  It's mac'n'cheese…..with tomatoes.

Yeah, most people usually add chili or hotdogs to their cheesy pasta, right?  Well, one way my mom always used to make for me growing up was with Italian stewed tomatoes.  I know it sounds strange, but trust me when I tell you, it's really good.  When I was little, I never liked macaroni and cheese, even the character shaped ones.  One thing I did love was to eat tomatoes, right out of the can.  It was a favorite snack of mine.  It's ok, you can laugh, I was a weird kid.

Mom told me mac'n'cheese with tomatoes was an old New England comfort dish, but I secretly wonder if it was her way of getting me to eat it.  Haha, whatever the reason, it's super tasty and I highly recommend you try it.  And it's easy.

Prepare one box of macaroni and cheese (whatever brand is your favorite).  Then, add a can of Italian stewed tomatoes.

Or, if you want to get really fancy, try this out instead.

Boil elbow noodles till al dente.
Grate medium cheddar, monterey jack, mozzarella and American cheese.  You should end up with about 3 cups of cheese.
Melt with 4 tbsp butter and 4 tbsp cream.  (If you like it to have more flavor, you can add onion powder, garlic powder, or mustard powder.)  It should be nice and creamy thick.
Add 1 can of Italian stewed tomatoes and stir till well mixed.
In a greased pan, add the noodles, then pour the cheese sauce over evenly.
Top with more grated cheese, then bake in a preheated oven at 350 until the top looks golden and bubbly.  Slightly burnt is yummy too.
For an added crunch, you can garnish with seasoned or unseasoned bread crumbs.  Crackers tend to make it waaaaaay too salty.
Use salt and pepper to taste.

Go on, be adventurous!

Sausage Soup

At a family dinner we had a few weeks ago, my sister in law made a tortellini soup.  I didn't get to try any, but my son Tristan sure enjoyed it.  So I thought I would try and make my own version.  We went to the store to pick up the ingredients I wanted, but discovered the tortellinis were super expensive.  Eight bucks for a bag!  Sooooo,  I thought I would get creative.  I bought a box of whole grain pasta instead.

Here is what I ended up using.

1/3 box of spiral whole grain pasta
Half a pound of hot Italian sausage
1 can Italian stewed tomatoes
1 zucchini chopped
1/2 sweet onion chopped
1/2 cup button mushrooms
2 1/2 tbsp sugar
salt, garlic powder, oregano, parmesan cheese (to taste)
3-5 cups beef broth (depending on how soupy you want it)
2 tbsp olive oil

Fairly simple and straight forward right?

First, cook and drain the pasta. Set that aside
Brown the sausage until thoroughly cooked in a frying pan, then add the tomatoes, onion and zucchini, and mushrooms.  Add the sugar.  Cook until the vegetables are tender.  In a large pot, add the broth, oil, spices and pasta.  Then stir in the sausage and veggies.  Cook for about 15-20 minutes on medium heat, just enough for all the flavors to meld, but not too long that you turn your pasta into goop.
Garnish with parmesan cheese and serve with a side of garlic toast.

Wow, can I say that turned out fabulously?  It was so stinkin tasty I couldn't believe it.  Even after I blended it, it was still perfectly sweet and spicy.  Nick had a huge bowl for dinner, and then another for lunch the next day.  It's a great dish for a cold fall day, give it a try!  (Thanks Andrea for the inspiration!)

This one is pretty straight forward.  It's pork chops over a carrot pumpkin puree with brussels sprouts and nutmeg cream sauce.  Let's just say I have been watching a little too much chopped.

The pork chops I marinated in the maple glaze and then grilled.

Basically for the puree, just boil carrots and then blend together with a few table spoons of canned pumpkin.  Be sure to add lots of brown sugar and butter, as well as nutmeg and cinnamon to taste.

For the garlic sauce, saute butter until melted, then add flour to make a sauce base.  Once the flour is cooked, add heavy whipping cream and whisk well.  Add a little lemon juice, garlic, pepper, salt, nutmeg, whisking until nice and thick.  That goes over the boiled or steamed brussels sprouts.

It was so tasty, even Tristan enjoyed it all!  The best thing though, remember to experiment, that's more fun than just following a recipe; you may find a taste you like better!  For instance, I bet a sweet potato puree would be fabulous as well!

Molasses Cookies

Growing up, my favorite dessert my mom would make for us was molasses cookies.  But hers weren't like the normal kind you get in the store.  They were almost muffiny, like pumpkin cookies.  They were very soft and pillowy, but very very rich and flavorful.  I always loved when she pulled them out of the oven and they looked like little hills.  Sometimes she would ice them with cream cheese frosting, and that was divine.

It was because of her I developed a great fondess for molasses and have been searching to find a recipe that was just as good.

And here is what I have compiled over the years. I baked about 5 dozen for a family dinner party tonight, and they were all consumed.

Technically, they are ginger cookies, but I just don't add as much ginger and change up the spices I use to make it my own.  But they are super soft and moist and oh so delicious.

And the bests part, you roll them in sugar before you bake them, how can you beat that?

So, here is the recipe:

2 1/4 (+) cups flour
1 tsp soda
pinch of salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1 tsp cloves
3/4 cups butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
dash of vanilla
Sugar

Cream the butter and sugar, then beat in the egg.  Add the vanilla and molasses, mix well.  Sift together all the dry ingredients, and them mix into the wet.  The dough will be sticky, but should form into balls well enough.  Drop balls in sugar and roll till well coated.  Place on parchment paper lined baking tray and back for about 10 minutes, until the tops look cracked.

Eat them as soon as they are cool enough for you to stand!  They are fabulous, so so tender and sweet, I can't get over it.  I think I will go have one right now, actually!

Notice a theme?

Fall means pumpkin time.  How can I resist when I go to the store and see a lovely box full to the top with beautiful mini pumpkins?  When I brought it home, Nick thought I was going to be making a soup.  Nope, I decided I was going to try and make, for the very first time in my life, a pumpkin pie.

What, you ask?  How have I gone 25 years without having ever made a single pumpkin pie?  The answer is simple.  Costco.  And Sam's Club.  They make fabulous pies for super cheap.

But, now that I have my own family, and I am a compulsive baker, I just had to give it a try.

So going through a few recipes, I decided how best to make my own.  I wanted it to be creamy and light, so I thought I would use cream cheese.  But I also wanted it to be like an actual pie, so I bought a can of sweetened condensed milk.  It helps with the gelatinousness.  And here is what I ended up doing.

I seeded and baked a little sugar pumpkin (or pie pumpkin, whatever you call it) for an hour and a half. Then I mashed it and let it cool down.

While the guts were cooling, I started on the pie crust, it's one I've also perfected.

2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup ice water
2 tbsp sugar
Cut the butter into the flour and sugar.  Add ice water until a stiff dough forms, then put it back in the fridge.

Now, for the filling.

1 sugar pumpkin, cooked and mashed
1 can sweetened condensed milk (about 1 1/3 cups)
1 half brick of cream cheese
2 eggs
3 tbsp sugar
lots and lots of pumpkin pie spice (sorry, I never measure, I just add enough until it smells strong)

Beat the cream cheese until it is smooth, then add the eggs.  Add the mashed pumpkin and mix well.  Pour in the milk and sugar and spice, then mix for a few minutes until it is very smooth.  Set it aside.

Take your pie  crust out of fridge, flour it well, and roll it onto a floured surface.  Roll out until you are able to drape it into an oiled pie pan, and then cut off the excess.  Using your thumbs, pinch down the sides to give a rippled affect.  Then pour in your filling!

Bake at 325-350 for about 30-45 minutes.  At least I think……haha, sorry, my son was being a little crazy.  Just watch it well, and when it seems firm but jiggles a little like jello, it's ready to  be taken out. Let it cool down completely before you serve it so it has time to set.

When I was taking my picture, I asked Nick to come take a look.  He was like eww, so I told him to take a bite.  He did, then grabbed the whole piece off the plate and left.  A few minutes later, through a full mouth, he told me it was excellent.

Well, guess I did pretty good for my first try!

Sushi Secret

Ever wonder how they get the perfect tang and stickiness to the rice in Sushi rolls?  Vinegar!  Who knew right?

I'll tell you how to get it just right anyways.  In a perfect world, we would all steam our rice in giant wooden steamers.  For most of us though, little dinky rice cookers from Walmart have to do.  Once the rice has steamed, take it out and put it in a bowl.  Mix together rice vinegar, sugar and salt (we did 1/4 cup vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt) and then pour it over the rice.  Stir until it's all incorporated, and you will be amazed at how well it sticks together.  And the flavor is just like in a Japanese Sushi bar.

Our first few attempts at homemade Sushi did not turn out very well.  We used cocktail shrimp for one, and canned tuna for another.  I don't think either of us are brave enough to put raw fish on the rice, just because you know, if you don't prepare things that are raw just right they can get you pretty dang sick.  I mean, I'm just making that assumption.

Tonight worked out way better, the tip from Bobby Flay's throwdown challenge was a good one.  We ended up putting imitation crab and cream cheese on the perfect little rice balls.  (Don't worry, I didn't blend any, I'm not that disgusting).  But Nick said it tasted great.  He loved the rice best, and said it was perfectly prepared.  Dipped in a little soy and wasabi, it made a great little dinner.

I was so proud of myself for finally making the perfect Sushi rice, I thought I would share it!  So if you've got a Sushi making kit, go ahead and try it out!  (Or laugh at me and say, silly Sara, that's a well known fact of Sushi making!!!)

Maple Glaze

Darnit, I forgot to take a picture of my succulent pork dinner last night.  It just smelled way too good wait.  Sorry…..

But!  I bet you are dying to know how it seduced us so quickly?  I will tell you!

It is a well known fact that marinades are great to add flavor and juice to otherwise dry and tough meat. Pork can be yummy, I'm not a super huge fan, but my husband is.  To me, it always has that piggy barnyard taste.  Ham, not so much, but pork, yuck.  I'm always  trying to find ways to make it more palatable for myself.  I know, you probably are thinking I am insane right now.  But keep in mind, blending brings out all hidden flavors.  For example, I love homemade bread, but when I blend it, all I can taste is yeast.  Like I said, I have to be very creative to make food tasty for me and my family.

I like watching "Good Eats" with Alton Brown, he always has great tips and ideas.  I learned all about marinades from him, and so last night, I decided that would be the way to go.  I would be happy just being a vegetarian because it requires less prep and clean up than meat, but Nick would die I'm sure.

And yes, this is an original marinade!

You'll need two pork chops, cut is half so that you have 4 pieces the same size as the original chop.  Put them into a quart freezer bag.

Mix the following together in a bowl:
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup maple syrup (the real kind that comes from trees)
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 heaping tbsp brown sugar
1  tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp marjoram
salt and pepper
crushed red pepper flakes

Once it's all incorporated, pour the marinade into the freezer bag, place in a bowl, and let sit in the fridge for at least 4 hours, better overnight probably.

We have also discovered, the best way to retain a meat's juiciness is to grill it.  Sadly, we don't have a real grill.  But!  We do have a fake one (stovetop kind) and a bottle of liquid smoke.  Hey, it's all you need, I promise.  Once the grill is heated and oiled, place your pork chops on, dripping a few drops of liquid smoke on each piece.  Grill until you have nice dark grill marks on both sides and the meat is a flakey white.  No pink in pork, or you will be spending your evening in the bathroom.

And let me just say, there was not one piece left over!

The trouble with bread

How can you call yourself a true homemaker if you can't make bread?

.........

Uh......well......about that........

When I was growing up, my parents both did the cooking.  My mom loved to bake sweet breads, and my dad loved to make rice breads.  Like with actual cooked rice inside.  They both took turns making dinner; we'd have chicken and meatloaf with mom, and moose or stir-fry with dad.  But like I said, they both really enjoyed baking breads.

When mom finished her loaf, it was always perfectly risen, with a smooth golden top.  She would then run a stick of butter over it to make it flaky and crispy.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.  Dad, haha, he wasn't quite as delicate.  His breads were always hearty and overflowing the pan.  But super dang tasty.  A whole loaf of his bread would be gone in just a few hours.

Mom taught me that sweetbreads were very sticky, and too keep my hands floured.  Dad and I figured out together that if we put a loaf to rise in the dishwasher just after it finished its cycle, it would rise to gigantic proportions.  In college, my first order of business was always to go to Sam's Club and stock my pantry with a 50 lb sack of flour.  You see, I loved to bake for my roommates and their friends.  They could always find a fresh loaf of bread, a batch of cookies, or a pan of sticky buns on the counter in the morning.  What can I say? I was raised to be a compulsive baker.....

Then I got married, and my baking was stifled.  My husband, I'm sad to say, doesn't like sweets.  So I stopped baking as often.  I mean, I  make cookies every once in a while, but I don't have the scores of guests at my house every day clamoring for my food.  Bread is just easier to buy at the grocery store sadly.

After a few (maybe three or four) attempts at bread in our married life that he liked (he loved my challah), Nick came home raving about the bread his buddy's wife had made. He also told me she made all of their bread, and it was super tasty.  I felt a tad jealous after Nick said I should get the recipe from her, so the next day, I decided to have another go at it.  It wasn't the first time he had suggested I get one of her recipes.  However, I was going to do this all on my own, no recipe.  I knew how to make bread just fine!  The dough looked and felt right, so I left it to rise.

Our house was too cold.  It never rose.  I tried the dishwasher approach, but by then the damage was done.  I decided to just cook it and hope it would rise a little in the oven.  Well, it did, it rose to fill the pan, but never made it above the rim.  The result was a petite golden dense loaf.  Just my luck.  Trying to one up the other wife and look what happened!  But being the kind husband he is, he ate it.  Said it tasted very good, it was just very dense.

Well, after the shame wore off, I tried again.  This time I made sure to let the oven heat up a bit before I made my dough so there would be some heat for it to rise.  And I followed a recipe for butter bread that I found in college.  And, guess what?  IT ROSE!  Perfectly!  My parents would be so proud.  It had buttery flaky crust and made my house smell like a first class bakery.  Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating a bite, but it did smell wonderful.

So I guess I am the perfect homemaker now.  I made perfect bread, mwahahahahaha!

Butter Bread

4 tsp yeast

2 cups warm water

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

pinch of salt

1 cup warm milk

6-7+ cups bread flour

Dissolve yeast in water and then add the sugar.  As usual, let it froth up.  Mix the warm milk and butter until the butter is all melted, then add to the yeast mixture.  Beat the eggs before adding them to the yeast and milk.  Then, with your dough hooks, knead in the flour until the dough is well formed.  Knead on a floured surface for about 5 minutes to get the gluten all nice situated.  Oil, cover, and let rise for about an hour.  Punch the dough down slightly, cut in half and form into loaves to put in greased bread pans.  Let them rise again for about half an hour, or until the dough is coming over the rims of the pans.  Bake for 20 or so minutes at 350, until the tops are golden brown.  Butter the tops while still hot!  This will give you a nice flakey crust.  

And trust me, this recipe has never failed.  Works great as loaves, dinner rolls, even cinnamon rolls if you are so bold.  

Donut Rolls

The last few days have been very crazy for me.  My son just got botox injections in his neck, so he has been grumpy, and tipsy, and just very hard to handle.  I mean, I feel terrible for him, he can't keep his balance very well at all.  But with all the fussing and freaking out, I find myself just wanting to pig out on donuts.  Ever feel like that?

Luckily for me I have a swallowing problem, or I am convinced I would be a 600 lb whale.  I tend to lean towards junk food, sweet junk food, when I am stressed or upset.  Maybe not to eat it so much as to make it.  So I feel bad for everyone around me who has to resist the temptation to pig out on my bakery treats.

Like I said, I have been wanting donuts.  Nick offered to watch Tristan so I could go and get myself an apple fritter or something, but I hate going out alone, especially when it's dark.  I don't know, marriage turned me into a wuss.  I used to go out alone all the time.  Instead, I decided to make my own donuts.

One problem, I've never actually done it before.  So as I'm debating how I am going to deep fry them, I make the dough.  And this is the recipe:

1/4 cup warm water
3 tsp yeast
1 1/2 cup warm milk
1/4 cup margarine
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
5+ cups bread flour

Here's how I do it.  Mix the warm water and yeast, then add the sugar and let it froth up.  Warm the milk and the margarine together till it's all nice and melty.  Beat the eggs slightly with the vanilla.  Then add all the wet ingredients together and stir well.  Lastly, with the dough hook attachment, mix all the flour in, cup by cup, until the dough is well formed.  It's going to be pretty sticky, just oil it and put it in a warm covered place to rise for an hour or so.

Then, as I'm still wondering about frying, realizing the oil we have is pretty low quality, I am worried it will make them taste bad.  So, instead, I ravage the cupboards and fridge and discovered I had powdered sugar, brown sugar, and a whole box of cream cheese.  What to do?  Cinnamon rolls!!!

Here's another fun twist.  After you roll out the dough to spread with butter, mix up the brown sugar and cinnamon.  Also, melt the butter, and here's my secret: add a couple tsp of cheesecake flavored pudding mix to the butter before you spread it.  It makes for a nice, sweet, gooey filling.  Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over he dough, be VERY generous, we like gooey sugar filling, before you roll it up.  Then, my old trick, use dental floss to cut the dough into 12 even pieces.  Place them into a greased baking sheet, cover, and let rise for another half hour or so, until the sides of all the rolls are touching.

Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes, until they are golden brown.

For frosting, we love cream cheese frosting.  I use half a box of cream cheese, a dash of vanilla, a few more tsp of cheesecake pudding mix, a tbsp of milk, and 1 1/2 - 2 cups of powdered sugar.  You have to decide your own consistency, so use more or less as you like.  And while the rolls are still warm, I spread the frosting all over, so it's nice and melty when I serve them.  They have a perfect flakey bread, and a warm and gooey filling, combined to make an amazingly tasty treat.

And wow, can I say I had the best cinnamon roll shake for breakfast this morning?  Just add a scoop of ice cream and some milk, blend up, and you have a delicious shake!  My husband loves them too, he says they tasted like a real Cinnabon, or better!  Plus, it's a great way to make your house smell amazing and make your neighbors jealous! ;)

Pumpkin Soup

Nick and I love to make squash soups anytime we can.  Our son Tristan loves to eat them too, most of the time, when he's not teething.

This time of year, for your carving pleasure, they start selling pumpkins.  But here's an idea.  Instead of making a jack-o-lanturn, why not try brewing a stew?  Or just a velvety smooth tasty soup?

Nick got me a little sugar pumpkin, you know, the kind you use to make pies?  Well, I chopped it in half and baked it until it was nice and squashy (no pun intended).  Then I scraped out all the meat and mashed it up with a little butter until it was smooth.  I was tempted to make a pie, but my husband isn't really into sweets the way I am.  But like I said, we both love fall soups.  So instead, I added it to some boiling chicken stock.

When I say chicken stock, I mean Sara's version.  I use 4-5 bouillion cubes, chopped carrots, chopped celary, and chopped onion.  Then I add some spice: a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg, marjoram, garlic, cilantro, onion powder, parsley, and salt (we also like to add cumin).  I let it boil for a few minutes, just until everything was tender before I put it all in my blender.  Put it all back in the pot, add the mashed pumpkin and stir.  And then the best part, I added a little more than half a brick of cream cheese.  Another alternative, I've done before, is to use a cup or two of heavy whipping cream in place of the cream cheese.  This gives it a lighter but richer flavor.

If you want, you can strain the finished product so it really is velvety smooth, but either way, it tastes wonderful.  Just enough sweet and savory with a kick to please any picky eater!  Except my son, who is teething and refuses everything, even his bottle.  A little frustrating.  Anyhoo!  So pick yourself up a little sugar pumpkin, and give this soup a whirl!  It's definitely worth it!

Apple Fritter Bread

This has got to be one of the hardest recipes I have ever tried.  It's right up there with chocolate eclairs and hazelnut crepe cake (Both too hard to even bother with, trust me!  It always ends in a mess).

Anyhoo, it was about 8 o'clock at night, and my son and I were hanging out.  He took a late nap, and we were waiting for my husband to get home from his trip, so to kill time we went out to Target.  I couldn't decide what I wanted to make for dinner, and I was hoping something there would inspire me. Either that or I would me stopping at McDonald's on the way home.

And there in the bakery section I found my inspiration: Apple Fritter Bread.  Don't you just love seasonal items??

One problem, it was four bucks for the loaf.  So I thought to myself, hey I can make this.  All I need is a can of apple pie filling.  When I found it, I realized it was pretty much the same price as the loaf.  Well, that didn't make sense.  Still, I didn't want to waste that much on a little loaf.  So I ended up buying three red delicious apples, determined I was going to do everything myself.

Sadly, I didn't get to it that night.  But today I had some time.  And I seriously need to go to culinary school because it took me WAAAAY too long to chop those three apples.

I made the dough, and while it was rising, I made the apple filling.

Here's the funny thing.  I didn't see in the recipe that you need to let the filling cool all the way before you spread it over the dough.  It melted my dough and made a royal mess.  Which meant that instead of neatly cut little squares, I had a gelatinous pile of gooey dough and apples.  That's ok!  I rolled it all up and dropped it in my pan.  It would cook out evenly, right?

And to my great surprise, it in fact did!

So, if you are ambitious like me, check out the recipe here and give it a try!

http://thecreativeplace.blogspot.com/2012/04/food-apple-fritter-bread.html

Looks a little like brains, right?  Add a little pink food coloring to the dough and you've got a perfect Halloween centerpiece!  Bahahaha

Who loves peanut butter??

Another great semester: my husband has a ton of trips.  Trips away from home.  Leaving me alone.  With the dog.  And our son.  Alone.  Bored.

What do I do when I'm bored?  Well, I have a tendancy to cook……or bake.  More so bake.

Well, I restrained myself, and decided to do something easy.  I made peanut butter bars.  The melt in your mouth kind that I can enjoy, well, over the course of an hour (takes me a little while to eat them).

Nick found the recipe a few weeks ago.  Every day I check the allrecipes.com website for new ideas, so I guess he decided to as well.  And he found a video thingy that showed how to make the perfect peanut butter bars and said I should try them.  The first time, we only had cinnamon graham crackers, but even still it turned out superbly.

Today I decided to make them the right way.  And now as I type, I am munching away and I have to tell you, there can't be a better culinary combination that peanut butter and chocolate (well, except cinnamon and chocolate, but you all know I'm crazy for cinnamon….)

So, if you all want to try this amazing recipe yourselves, read on down and I will tell you how!



Melt a cup of butter and mix it into 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs.
Add two cups of powder sugar and one cup of peanut butter.  Mix it well with a hand mixer until its all crumbly.
Press it into a cake pan and set aside.
Melt 1 1/2 cup chocolate chips with 4 tbsp of peanut butter.
Pour over the peanut butter mix in the pan.
Let it set in the fridge for an hour, then cut up and serve!

You will fall in love with this easy recipe (it's great for kids to help with as well!  My son loves when we get to smash up graham crackers)

The Aroma of Fall

I have to tell you, Fall is my favorite time of year.  I love the smells and the colors, I love the change outside in the leaves, and I love that it is cooler!

Around this time of year, I find myself baking with cinnamon and cloves a lot more than usual ( and that is a lot for me! )  I am addicted to cinnamon.  I pretty much add it to everything I can because it is by far my favorite spice.

Today, I went a little nuts and made a pumpkin cream cheese loaf, as well as pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  A little insane?  Probably.

Add that to the apple pie and pumpkin pie lip gloss I bought myself at Bath & Body Works yesterday, and I'd say I'm ready for Fall!

It is a little silly?  One day I'm going to theme my house in reds and golds, and keep Indian corn in baskets on my end tables.  Another fun thing I do is pull out my two favorite Halloween movies and watch them until November: Casper and Hocus Pocus.  I used to watch those all the time as a kid; they always got me psyched up for trick-o-treating.  The funny thing is, because I'm from Alaska, trick-or-treating ended up happening in the dark with my costume covered up by boots, snow pants, and a parka.  Haha, here I always thinks its crazy when I see little kids going door to door in the daylight actually showing their costumes.

Anyhoo, if you want to brighten your day and make your house smell fabulous, check out JoyOfBaking.com and find yourself a nice pumpkin recipe!

Asian soup

One thing that is always tasty no matter what: Asian style soup.

They are already so flavorful, that when you blend it all up, they still taste amazing.

Usually, I'm pretty boring when it comes to these soups.  Some raman noodles, a spice pack, mushrooms, onions, carrots….etc.

Tonight, I wanted to try something a little more flavorful.  And here's what I ended up with.

3 cups of chicken broth (Water and chicken bouillon cubes if you are poor like me)
handful of green onions
handful of sweet onions
1 clove garlic minced
1 carrot shredded
2 handfuls of white mushrooms
6-8 baby brussel sprouts, cooked and chopped
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cilantro
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp szechwan powder
1 egg

(remember, when I give a measurement, I'm guessing!  I approximate everything, because I rarely use a recipe, so feel free to venture out and try your own ideas!)

Mix everything but the egg, bring to a boil, and then after about 5 minutes boiling, stir in the egg.

Let it cool off before you devour it, otherwise you will burn your tongue like I do all the time.  Haha, I can never wait.  And if you want to put my spin on your soup, dump it all in the blender and blend until smooth.  It tastes great either way!

And in the Morning, I'm Making Waffles

When we were first married, I had no idea my husband was a fishing addict.  I guess I should have seen the signs: he bought me an expensive fishing pole and reel to take me fishing randomly, he would always stop to show me ideal casting spots in rivers, lakes and ponds, and every time we stopped by a pet store, he would spend the majority of the time scrutinizing the fish tanks.  I guess I was blinded by love.

That first summer together, my husband had a job that took him away on long trips into rural country.  He'd be gone for a few days at a time, and I would sit at home and wallow in self pity, lamenting the fact that I was a lonely bride.  Of course I had my job, so that kept me busy during the day, but I would lounge on the couch at night with only my kitty Suki for company.  After the summer was over and he was back in school, he would go on little fishing trips.  Sometimes I went, and sometimes I didn't.  To tell the  truth, I do love fishing…..for two or three hours.  Nick loves it for six to eight.  Not my cup of tea.  Oh we'd have fun, going to reservoirs and fishing, catching 60 or more fish in a single trip.  But then there were times I didn't want to go, and I'd let him just take off.  Or the times I let him go fishing while I was at work, and would end up waiting an hour or more after clinic for him to remember he needed to pick me up.

New bride + husband gone fishing = worry and panic.

He told me he'd be home an hour ago, didn't he die?  Did he fall asleep at the wheel and drive off a cliff?  Did he get a fishing hook caught in his eye?  The what if's plagued my mind as I frantically texted him "are you coming home yet?".  No answer.  Worries confirmed.  Bah!  What do I do now?  He has the car!  I know, I'll call the bishop, he'll give me a ride and we can go find him.

Of course, a few hours later, he would stroll through the door, usually sopping wet and smelling of fish.  I would be soo happy he wasn't dead, thats it was all I could do to restrain myself from leaping into his arms just to prove a point.  So I would glare at him, telling him he was late getting home, he didn't answer my texts, and I was mad at him.  He would shrug, make up some silly excuse about being a man, and that would be the end of it.

A few months down the road, I learned how to deal with my fishing anxiety, and on the trips that I didn't go with him, I did something else.  One of our wedding gifts was a card to Bed Bath & Beyond, so I used it to buy a waffle iron.  And when Nick left me home,  I made waffles and watched 50 First Dates.  Yeah, I went through a lot of waffles.  And by the end of our first year, I could quote the entire movie word for word.  I have to say I became quite attached to Ula.  "You got a cat?  Cuz I feel something licking me".  Oh and Doug, "I love Spam and Reeces, can I have 'em?"

Moral of the story: waffles are the next best breakfast food, after pancakes and donuts.  And, they taste amazing any time of day.

And for your tasting pleasure, here is the recipe I have perfected after many trials!

Sara's Best Waffles

• 1 cup milk

• 1 tsp vinegar

• 2 cups flour

• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

• 4 eggs, separated

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1/2 cup oil

• 2 tbsp sugar (less if desired)

• Confectioners sugar (optional)

• 
  

• Preheat waffle iron (medium heat works best)

• Combine vinegar and milk. Allow to sit for at least 5 minutes.

• Mix flour, powder and cinnamon together.

• In a separate mixing bowl, combine egg yolks, sugar, vanilla and oil.

• Stir in milk/vinegar mixture.

• Whisk dry ingredients into wet ingredients.

• Beat egg whites until frothy, does not need to stand in complete peaks.

• Fold egg whites into batter.

• Cook in waffle iron using about 1/4-1/3 cup of batter at a time.

• Waffles should be slightly golden brown when finished.

• Serve with syrup, jam, or ice cream. Garnish with confectioners sugar if desired.