In My Garden

Despite the cold temperatures and lack of sunshine, things are starting to bloom in the Midwest.

Mrs. Flint's Banana Bread - Revisited

In honor of Mother's Day, I am featuring recipes from some of the mother's who have touched my life. Today's recipe is from my good friend Larry's mother. If you like banana bread, give this recipe a try! She always said it was the glaze and really ripe bananas that made this bread so delicious.



Mrs. Flint's Banana Bread

Cream together 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup butter. Add two eggs, 3 mashed RIPE bananas, pinch of sale, 1 teaspoon of soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1 3/4 cup flour.

Bake in greased and floured loaf pans at 350 for 45 - 60 minutes. Makes two medium size loaves.

Glaze while still warm with a glaze of powdered sugar, butter, vanilla and milk.

I am linking this to Tuesday's at the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday's and Tuesday Night Supper Club.

Meet Me On Monday

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend!

If you're interested in participating in Meet Me On Monday, you can find the questions and the link at Never Growing Old. Thanks, Jade for hosting such a fun Monday party!

1. What is your favorite kind of muffin?
Blueberry! Especially when they're made with freshly picked blueberries!

2. What was the first car you ever owned?
Not even sure what year it was but a Toyota. My father paid $50.00 for it. Yes, $50.00. Granted this was quite a few years ago. I think everything worked okay except the radio. I used to carry around my little transistor radio that looked like a ball.

3. Which TV Show were you sad to see end?
Ally McBeal! I love Calista Flockhart and was thrilled to see her show up again on Brother's and Sister's!

4. What is your lucky number?
I don't think I have one? 7's but only in Vegas!

5. Pretzels or Potato Chips?I don't eat either one of them very often. I try to choose pretzels but love potato chips, too!

How about you?

Chocolate Tiramisu - Chocolate With Francois

The past couple of CWF recipes have been "easy" in comparison with most of our CWF recipes. While I wouldn't say this month's recipe was particularly difficult, it did have the typical CWF characteristics. The recipe was made up of lots of steps and an equally large amount of bowls and utensils. I made it over two nights, not sure how long it took but let's just say this isn't a quick dessert to put together!

Tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts. It's one of the ways I judge an Italian restaurant, great Tiramisu is a sign of a good Italian restaurant. Now I am not sure I've ever had Chocolate Tiramisu, so I guess I would consider myself a Tiramisu purist. Traditional Tiramisu is made with lady fingers and doesn't have any chocolate. I was curious if chocolate could make one of my favorite desserts even better.

Knowing it was very rich and having read some of the other CWF baker's comments about how delicious it was, I made a fourth of the recipe. The cake requires both egg whites and egg yolks. My egg whites never quite reached the stiff peak stage. I even tossed in a pinch of cream of tartar but still no stiff peaks. I decided to go for it and luckily my cake turned out fine. The ganache called for chopped chocolate. I think it should have said finely chopped chocolate. My chocolate wasn't melting when I combined it with the cream. I put it in the microwave for about 20 seconds and the chocolate melted perfectly. Once you have the cake, ganache and marscapone mixtures made, it's a relatively easy dessert to assemble.



Payard says the dessert gets better after sitting overnight, which makes sense as this gives the flavors a chance to meld. I tried it the night I made it. I thought it was good, not great. Of course the ganache was amazing but isn't it always!!! Thanks to Sandy of Seattle Pastry Girl for choosing this month's recipe. You can find the recipe on her blog! You can check out the other CWF baker's Tiramisu here!!

Nana's Chocolate Cake - Revisited

As we approach Mother's Day, I am going to feature a couple of recipes from some of the great Mom's who have touched my life. Today's recipe, Nana's Chocolate Cake, is from my best friend's mother and my son's grandmother.

You can find the recipe and the original post here!

I am linking this to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.

Slow Cooker Apple Crisp

I use my slow cooker all the time for main dishes and every once in a while for side dishes but I've never made a dessert in it. Recently I've seen several recipes for cobblers or crisps made in the slow cooker. Curious, I decided to give it a try.

I cooked this on low for about four hours. I removed the lid and placed a towel underneath to help remove the moisture and increase the "crispness". The addition of the butterscotch pudding gives this a wonderful caramel flavor. While this doesn't have quite the same crunch and as one baked in the oven, it makes a delicious dessert and you can't beat the smell of the apples cooking in the kitchen.



Slow Cooker Apple Crisp
Recipe courtesy of CD Kitchen

5 large sliced peeled tart apples
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1 package (3-1/2-ounce size) cook-and-serve butterscotch pudding mix
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup cold butter or margarine
Vanilla ice cream or Whipping Cream -- optional


PREPARATION:

Place apples in a 3-qt. slow cooker.

In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, oats, pudding mix and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over the apples.

Cover and cook on low for 5 hours or until apples are tender. Serve with ice cream or whipping cream, if desired.

I am linking this to Tasty Tuesday, Tuesday's at the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and Tuesday Night Supper Club.

Versatile Blogger Award

Last week, Susan at Life, Kids and Genealogy awarded me the Versatile Blogger Award. Thanks, Susan!!

As a winner of this award you're to pass this award on to 15 bloggers. I'd like to award this to all of you!! You're all such fabulous bloggers and I so appreciate your comments on my blog. In addition, the winners of this award are to share 10 things about themselves. Since there's no Meet Me on Monday today, I thought this would be a great day for this post.

1. Until 5 years ago, I'd lived all of my life in Kansas City. On the Kansas side, primarily in Overland Park.
2. I am afraid of heights. Not sure where this fear came from. I am one of those annoying people who take a big pause before stepping on an escalator.
3. I love purses and shoes. Although, the older I get the more I am about comfort in stead of style in those shoes.
4. I'd like to own a Bed and Breakfast or a small cafe/bakery that only serves breakfast and lunch.
   
5. I DVR the fourth hour of The Today Show every day. I love the banter between Kathie Lee and Hoda.
6. I am a NASCAR fan. Jimmie Johnson is my guy! (And yes, I was a Jimmie fan before he won the chase five seasons in a row.)
7. My favorite cocktail is a glass of white wine.
8. I am hooked on Angry Birds and Words With Friends. Although I am much better at Angry Birds than Words With Friends, less thought required for Angry Birds!!!
9. Tops on my bucket list is a trip to Italy.
   
10. My natural hair color is a medium brown or at least it I think it was. My hair hasn't been it's natural color since I was a teenager. Unfortunately, now I think the natural color would be grey?
    

Anything you'd like to share about yourself?

Pink Saturday - Signs of Spring

I've been a little lax in posting Pink Saturday the past couple of weeks. Seems I haven't had much pink to share. I wish I could say these beautiful pink tulips were from my garden but I can't. They're from Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's always has the most beautiful flowers and the most reasonable prices.

Happy Easter and Pink Saturday everyone!!!

Nacho Cheese Chicken Chowder

If you read my blog, you know I use my slow cooker a lot. The slow cooker is perfect for soups! I am always looking for new soup recipes to try. I found this great soup recipe over at My Kind of Cooking. Linda has the best recipes!!

I only had one can of Rotel tomatoes on hand, so I used regular diced tomatoes for the second can. Am I glad I made this change! I can't handle really spicy recipes. If I had used two cans of Rotel, this would have been too spicy for me. The cheese thickens the soup and adds a delicious flavor dimension. This one's a keeper, we'll be having it again soon!

Nacho Cheese Chicken Chowder

Recipe Courtesy of Linda at My Kind of Cooking

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 (14.5 ounce) cans Mexican style tomatoes, undrained

1 (10 3/4 ounce) can nacho cheese soup

1 (10 ounce) package frozen whole kernel corn

Shredded Mexican style or cheddar cheese

In slow cooker, combine chicken, tomatoes, soup, and corn. Mix well. Cover. Cook on low 4 to 5 hours or high 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Sprinkle each serving with cheese. makes 6 servings.

I am linking this to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.

In My Garden

On Thursday's last summer, I attempted to feature something growing in my yard. As the snow started to fly and the wind started to blow, I changed my Thursday posts to From The Good Life. Although, we're not getting a lot of warmer Spring weather, signs of Spring are starting to appear.



Tim built a raised bed last year and for the first time I planted oregano and sage. After the first frost, we covered the sage and oregano with straw. Our winter this year was pretty darn cold and I was concerned, especially in a raised bed, my herbs wouldn't come back this Spring. Just a week or so ago, Tim uncovered them and said to take a look because they were starting to show signs of life. Excited they survived, I googled to see when or if I should cut them back. Yes, you should trim them but only after they start to show a lot of new growth. This past Sunday, I went out to trim them back and as it turns out there wasn't much old growth to get rid of. If you've ever wanted to grow sage or oregano and wondered if they would come back, give them a try. I bet they will come back for you!!

Root Beer Pulled Pork

Pulled pork is one of those dishes that is perfect for a slow cooker. I am always looking for new and different ways to prepare a pork loin. I've read about Coca Cola and Dr. Pepper pork loins but have never made one. I love Root Beer and just happened to have a couple of bottles in the fridge when I saw this recipe. Tiffanee of One Crazy Cookie has a fun blog and shares some great recipes.

This is a delicious recipe for pulled pork. The root beer adds a nice sweetness that blends well with any tangy BBQ sauce. Being from Kansas City, I'd like to think I know my BBQ sauces. My favorites are from two of Kansas City's best barbeque restaurant's, Jack's Stack and Gates. I used the Gates in this recipe, it's a little more tangy and a little less sweet than Jack's Stack. This makes a lot, perfect for a crowd or to freeze for a quick weeknight dinner.



Crock Pot Root Beer Pulled Pork
adapted from Gooseberry Patch
Courtesy of One Crazy Cookie

2 cups onions sliced and divided
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
4 pound pork roast (loin is best)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons liquid smoke (optional)
3 cups Root Beer divided
16 oz bottle BBQ sauce ( or two cups)

Place 1 cup onions and the garlic it the bottom of the crock pot. Sprinkle roast with salt and pepper, place in crock pot. Add 1 1/2 cups root beer and liquid smoke. Cover and cook on low setting for 8-10 hours or on high setting for 5 hours. Remove roast and set aside to cool. Discard onion and liquid in crock pot. In a saucepan, bring the BBQ sauce and 1 1/2 cups root beer to a boil and then simmer for 15-25 minutes. When roast is cool enough to handle, shred with a fork. Discard fat. Return shredded meat to the crock pot. Stir in sauce mixture and remaining onion. Cover and cook on high for 1-3 hours, until the onion is soft.

* I didn't add onions to the sauce. I added the sauce and cooked another hour. We were hungry!
* Be careful with the liquid smoke. Too much can be overpowering!!!

I am linking this to Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesday's at the Table and Tuesday Night Supper Club.

Meet Me On Monday

Happy Monday!! Is it Springtime where you are? It's chilly here and the forecast is for rain off and on all week.

Meet Me on Monday is a fun blog party hosted by Java at Never Growing Old. Since first participating a few weeks ago, I've met a lot of great new bloggers.

1. Caesar Salad or Garden Salad?
Hands down, Garden Salad.

2. Will you be watching the Royal Wedding on April 29th?
I would be but we'll be camping that weekend. Tim's hinting we need a TV. He just saw this question and said, "See if we had a TV, you could watch the wedding."

3. Last thing you spent lots of money on?
This is an interesting question....how are we defining lots of money? I think Tim would think lots of money is the last purse I bought. Assuming we're defining lots of money as a big purchase? It would be the camper we just bought. It's a used camper, so relatively speaking it's still not lots of money,as campers go!

4. Window seat or aisle seat?
Depends...if I am flying alone, it's an aisle seat. If I am flying with Tim, it's a window and hope no one takes the middle.

5. Do you know your blood type?
Yep, O+

I hope everyone has a great Monday and a wonderful week!

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam - Revisited - SMS

SMS is drawing to a close and we're only posting twice a month. I miss posting SMS weekly. It's been a great way to end or start the week. The SMS bakers are such a talented bunch. It's been fun getting to know them. This month's host, Tracey of Tracey's Culinary Advertures, is one of those talented members! You can find the recipe on her blog. If you want to check out the other SMS members thoughts on this jam, you can find the links to their blogs here!



I made this week's SMS recipe last Fall. I've given several jars to friends and everyone raves about it! Funny how I always thought jam was so hard to make. If you've never made jam, give this recipe a try. It's easy and the flavor is amazing!

Chai Tea Mini Cupcakes - Martha Stewart Cupcake Club

I have been such a slacker when it comes to participating in the Martha Stewart Cupcake Club. The last time I participated...September! I love cupcakes but it just seems like I never have enough time to participate in all of the baking groups or blog parties I'd like to. Do you like Chai Tea? I love it, almost more than coffee. When I saw this month's recipe was for Chai Tea Cupcakes, I couldn't wait to give them a try.



Unfortunately, I was disappointed. It will be interesting to see what everyone else thought. I cut the recipe in half and ended up with 24 mini's. I thought these were just BLAH! They only had a hint of Chai Tea flavor and the frosting wasn't very tasty. My other challenge with these, they were DRY. I feel like most of the Martha cupcakes I've made have been dry. If anyone has a secret for moist cupcakes, I hope you'll share.

I'd love to find a good Chai Tea cupcake recipe. If you have one, let me know. Thanks to Rachael of Simple Girl for hosting this month. You can find the recipe on her blog. If you're curious what the other MSC bakers thought, you can find those links here.

Next up for MSC...Tiramisu Cupcakes.

Chicken Spaghetti - Pioneer Woman

There's a great blog party over at Happier Than A Pig In Mud. The 15th of every month, you can link up a recipe from that month's celebrity chef.

This month's chef, The Pioneer Woman, is well known in the blogsphere. I have to be one of the only bloggers who, until just recently, had never made one of her recipes. When I first saw this recipe, over a year ago, on my friend Susan of Baking With Susan's blog, I bookmarked it. For a year, I've passed it over when searching for ideas for the weekly menu. After making it, I am so sorry I didn't try it sooner. It's delicious and the perfect comfort food. The pimentos and green pepper give this dish some zip. Try this one soon, you won't be sorry.

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients

• 2 cups Cooked Chicken (I used two boneless chicken breasts)
  
• 3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
• 2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup (I used 1 can mushroom and 1 can chicken)
  
• 2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• ¼ cups Finely Diced Green Pepper
• ¼ cups Finely Diced Onion
• 1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained
• 2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot (I used pasta water)
  
• 1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
• ⅛ teaspoons (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

From The Good Life - There's a Tornado Coming!

Last Fall I blogged about some of our camping adventures. Camping is great...except for one or two things. Sleeping on the ground, even if it is on an aero bed, it's still not like sleeping in a regular bed. It's really hard to get up off the ground in the mornings. Also, you can't regulate the temperature in a tent, unless the weather is just perfect, it's either hot or cold.

We've been keeping our eye out for a used camper! A few weeks ago on the way to the winery in St. Paul, Nebraska we passed a small used car and rv lot and decided to stop. We were greeted by an elderly gentleman named Joe. We told Joe we were looking for a used Class C camper. He said oh do I have a "beauty" for you. Tim and I both just looked at each other. The beauty he had for us really was a beauty. The camper is a mint condition 1982 Fleetwood Jamboree. It's almost like it's been frozen in time for the past 30 years. The interior colors are retro and I mean that in a good way. After doing some research, we decided this was a deal too good to pass up.





Joe, who reminded me of my own father, has had his dealer's license longer than anyone else in the country, 60 some years. He was a wonderful reminder of times gone by (yes, I am dating myself here). Joe is an honest, hard working gentleman, who as it turns out is 91 years old. He told us he's going to retire this year. I think it's about time!

Last weekend, we went on our first camping adventure. Our destination was Lewis and Clark State Park in Onawa, Iowa. The forecast was for a humid and warm Saturday. For those of you who aren't from the midwest, warm and humid spells the chance of tornadoes. Tim and I had just finished dinner when the wind started to pick up. The clouds were swirling. I could tell by the way Tim was watching the sky, he didn't think it looked good. Just to the west of us maybe a quarter of a mile, was the start of a tornado. So what do you do when you're camping and there's a tornado? Most of the buildings at Lewis and Clark were still closed. There was a restroom but it wasn't real close and I knew I couldn't run fast enough to get there. At this point, we were just hoping it would go the other way. Luckily for us, it did. We watched it travel down the side of the lake, over mainly open land. Once we realized we were going to be okay, we grabbed the camera and started shooting.

Check out the guy in the boat, seriously?

Certainly a camping experience, Tim and I won't soon forget. Let's hope the stories I share the rest of the summer don't include any tornadoes.

White meat or dark meat? For years I have been a white meat and only white meat eater. Lately, I've started eating chicken thighs, too. They're a lot more moist and you can't beat the price. I've watched a few episodes of Rachael Ray's new show, Week in A Day. This recipe caught my eye. I love the depth of flavor the beer brings to the chicken. This make a great weeknight meal. You can make the recipe ahead and just reheat for serving!!!.

Beer-Braised Chicken Thighs

TOTAL TIME:2 hr 5 min

Prep:20 min

Inactive Prep:1 hr 0 min

Cook:45 min

YIELD:4 servings

LEVEL:Easy

Ingredients

• 8 pieces bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 link andouille sausage, casing removed and chopped, or 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, chopped

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 rounded tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle lager beer
• 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with chiles or stewed tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• Scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced, for garnish
• Warm baguette, for mopping

Directions

Pat the chicken thighs dry, and season with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the chicken and brown on both sides in 2 batches.

Remove the chicken to a plate and spoon out 1/2 the drippings, and add the andouille sausage. Brown for 2 minutes and then add the onion, celery, pepper, garlic, and thyme, and cook to soften, for about 10 minutes over medium heat.

Add the flour, stir 1 to 2 minutes, and then pour in the beer and let the foam subside. Stir in the tomatoes, stock, and hot sauce. Let the sauce thicken a bit, and then slide the chicken into the pot and simmer to cook through. Serve with warm crusty bread, or cool and store for make-ahead meal.

I am linking this to Tasty Tuesday, Tuesday's at the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and Tuesday Night Supper Club.

Meet Me On Monday

Last week I posted my first Meet Me on Monday post! I found this great weekly party at Never Growing Old.


1. Who would be your dream celebrity date?
Seriously....not even a second thought on this one. George Clooney!

2. Do you have any food restrictions?
None!!! I need a self imposed restriction, not to eat so many sweets. A hazard of food blogging!

3. How much time do you take to get ready in the morning?
Depends on the day! I have great hair and don't have to wash it every day. On a no hair washing day, I can be ready in less than 30 minutes. A day I wash my hair takes more like 45 minutes.

4. Sausage or bacon?
Hands down, BACON!!!!!!!

5. Do you Google, Bing or Yahoo?
Google...all the time! How did I find the answers to questions before google!

Snicker Salad - Revisited

This week has been crazy busy and I haven't had time to write about the recipes I've made recently. I am reposting some of the recipes from my when I first began blogging. No one except my son and my husband were reading my blog, so I think it's okay to repost.

Today's recipe is Snicker Salad. If you were to attend a family gathering with my husband's family, you would find Snicker salad being served. Until I met my husband, I had never heard of this recipe. Everytime I make this, I question my husband on whether or not it really is a salad.



Snicker Salad
2 snickers candy bars
2 apples
8 ounces Cool Whip

Chop apples and snickers bars and put into serving bowl. Add cool whip. Stir.
This quantity serves 4. For family gatherings, the recipe can be doubled or tripled.

I am linking this to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.

From The Good Life

Last weekend on our trip to The Lake of the Ozarks, Spring was everywhere. Just five hours south of us and Spring is in full bloom.

Dr. Pepper Flank Steak

If you live in a cold area of the country, I bet you're as ready as we are for grilling season. Today I am sharing Dr. Pepper Flank Steak, a recipe I blogged about in my early days of blogging. No one was reading my blog in those days, so I am reposting some of my favorites! If you're looking for a delicious and easy grilling recipe, give this one a try!!!

I am linking this to Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesday's at the Table and Tuesday Night Supper Club.

Meet Me on Monday

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend! We joined our friends Karen and Larry at the Lake of the Ozarks and enjoyed a beautiful Spring weekend! Do you have a least favorite day of the week? For me, hands down, it's Monday. The weekend's never seem long enough and then it's time to go back to work. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my job but not quite as much as those cherished weekend's.

Last week, I ran across a fun blog party that celebrates Monday! You can find Meet Me On Monday here at Never Growing Old. Every week she posts five questions where we can all get to know each other better!

Questions:

1. If you had to eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Wow...this one is hard. As food blogger, it's no secret I love food!! If I had to pick just one, it would be chocolate!!

2. Do you write your blog posts in advance or the day you post them?
Most of the time, I write them in advance. I like to be organized and have several posts written and ready to go!!!

3. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance?
I don't think I have and I'd like to keep it that way !!!

4. What is your favorite candle scent?
Lavender! It's such a relaxing scent!!

5. Coffee or tea?
Until recently, I would have said coffee! Lately, I've gotten into Chai Tea. It's a toss up, I love them both!!!

Have a great Monday and thanks for stopping by!!!

Pink Saturday

Are you looking forward to Spring as much as I am? Winter just doesn't want to go away! We've had snow twice in the past week. No real accumulation, just annoying!

Happy Pink Saturday!!!

I am linking this to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound! Thanks to Beverly for hosting this fun party each week!!!

Charlie's Afternoon Pudding Cake - CWF

If you've read my CWF posts over the past year or so, you know they've contained more failures than successes. This month's recipe, however, was actually what I would call EASY! This cake didn't have any unusual ingredients, take forever to make or require several days to assemble. I read the recipe a couple of times to make sure I hadn't missed anything.

I cut the recipe in half and used an oval pan I had purchased when I took my cake decorating classes. It was the perfect size for a half recipe and the oval shape is great for the Easter season!!!




The next time you're looking for a chocolate cake recipe, give this one a try. It's so decadent and did I mention easy to make? The cake has a dense, fudgey texture and is very chocolately. I think I may have baked mine a little too long, although it doesn't taste overbaked. What a perfect dessert for entertaining!

You'll find the recipe on Peggy's blog, Pantry Revisited. Thanks, Peggy for choosing such a fabulous recipe. This could be my favorite CWF recipe so far!!! If you'd like to see what the other CWF baker's did with this recipe you can find the links to their blogs here!

Chicken Salad

I love good chicken salad. Ina's recipe is just that and more, it's a great chicken salad. This salad is delicious served over crispy lettuce leaves or on a delicious homemade bread! In my never ending effort to try and cut out bread whenever I can, I served this over lettuce leaves.


Ina Garten's Chicken Salad

• 2 chicken breasts (You can also use leftover rotisserie chicken)
• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• 1/2 cup walnut halves
• 1/2 cup good mayo (I used light)
• 1/2 cup sour cream (I used light)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves , divided (I used dried)
  
• 1 cup green grapes, cut in 1/2 (I used red grapes)
  
• lettuce leaves for serving
  

• Place the pecans and walnuts on a separate sheet pan and toast in the oven for 7 to 8 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool.
• For the dressing, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Fold in half the chopped tarragon leaves.
• Place the diced chicken in a bowl, add the pecans, walnuts and grapes. Pour the dressing over the chicken and toss well. Sprinkle the remaining chopped tarragon leaves on top, and serve on a bed of lettuce leaves.

I am linking this to Souper, Salad and Sammie Sunday's at Kahakai Kitchen, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday's, Tuesday's at the Table , Tuesday Night Supper Club and Eats and Treats Thursday at Bargain Hoot!

Pink Saturday

I am always looking for fun things for Pink Saturday! In a recent trip to Garden Ridge, I spotted this picture! It definitely brought a smile to my face.

Happy Pink Saturday!!!!!

Champagne Risotto with Leeks and Asparagus

We've been really busy these past couple of weeks. When I went to choose my recipe for today, I realized I had only one recipe in my drafts. Then I discovered I didn't have a picture! I decided to repost one of my favorites, Champagne Risotto with Leeks and Asparagus.

I posted this in my early blogging days when no one was reading my blog, so I don't even think it really counts as a repost. I love this recipe and it's one I've been making for years. Those of you who are leery of risotto, give this recipe a try! You won't be sorry, it's so delicious.


I am linking this to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum!

From The Good Life

You may remember that Tim's son Michael has been spending his senior year as a Rotary Youth Exchange Student in Japan. Fortunately Mike was several hundred miles south of the earthquake area. However with all of the uncertainty around the nuclear plants, we felt Mike needed to return home. Last Saturday night, after almost 24 hours of travel and security lines of five hours in Tokyo, Mike returned to Nebraska.




We're glad to have him home and look forward to hearing all (or at least most) of the stories from his seven months in Japan.

Cumin Seared Scallop Tacos

I love food tv. I remember years ago when the Food Network was first on the air. A friend of mine in Florida told me about the channel. I couldn't wait until we were able to get the channel in the midwest. Food Network was all about Emeril and Sarah Molten in those days. Now there's more chefs than you can count and there's a sister network, The Cooking Channel. While I don't watch The Cooking Channel as much as Food Network, I do watch some of the programs. One of my favorite shows is Kelsey's Essentials. Kelsey was one of my favorites from the 4th season of Next Food Network Star. Do you have a favorite food tv star?

I am always looking for new and different ways to serve scallops. When I saw the episode where Kelsey prepared these, I knew it was a recipe I wanted to try. I have to admit I didn't make the salsa. I used the salsa we purchased at Whole Foods to go on the Maui Maui we had a few days before. This makes a quick, easy and delicious weeknight dinner!




Cumin Seared Scallop Tacos

Ingredients

* Tomatillo Guacamole, recipe follows
* Cilantro-Lime Rice, recipe follows
* Mango Salsa, recipe follows
* Cumin-Seared Scallop Tacos
* 1 1/4 pounds large sea scallops (about 8)

* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

* Tomatillo Guacamole
* 6 to 8 tomatillos, husked and coarsely chopped (about 8 ounces)
* 3/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
* 1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and diced
* 1/2 onion, coarsely chopped

* 1/2 jalapeno, coarsely chopped with seeds
* 2 cloves garlic, smashed and quartered
* Juice of 1 lime
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon salt

* Cilantro-Lime Rice
* 1/2 cup rice
* 5 sprigs fresh cilantro

* 1 cup chicken broth
* Juice of 1 lime

* Mango Salsa
* 1/2 cup diced mango
* 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
* 2 tablespoons minced onion

* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
* 2 teaspoons minced Serrano chile
* Zest and juice of 1 lime

Directions
First prepare the tomatillo guacamole, cilantro-lime rice, and mango salsa and set aside.

Remove the tough ligament from the side of each scallop and discard. Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Season both sides of each scallop with salt, and cumin.

In a large cast iron skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Allow the skillet to get as hot as possible without burning the butter.

Sear the scallops, turning once, until golden brown on each side, and just cooked through, about 3-5 minutes total. Transfer to a platter and quarter.

To assemble, toast corn tortillas, if desired, over an open flame just until slightly charred. Fill each tortilla with 2 tablespoons rice, 1 tablespoon guacamole, 1 seared and quartered scallop, and top with mango salsa. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
To make guacamole:
Combine the tomatillos, cilantro, avocado, onion, jalapeno, garlic, lime juice, cumin, and salt in a food processor or blender and pulse until combined.
To make the rice:
In a small saucepan, bring the rice, cilantro, broth, rice, and lime juice to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Remove the cilantro sprigs and serve.
To make the salsa:
Combine the mango, tomatoes, minced onion, cilantro, chile, lime zest, and lime juice in a small bowl. Allow the flavors to macerate. Serve as a garnish for the cumin seared scallop tacos.

I am linking this to Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesday's at The Table and Tuesday Night Supper Club.

Spiced Chipotle Honey Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

Today's recipe is courtesy of an amazing blogger, Joanne of Eats Well With Others. Joanne is in medical school, is a runner and still maintains one of the best blogs on the blogsphere. Her blog has amazing recipes and some of the funniest and best stories out there. If you haven't been to her blog, run on over there!!! You won't be sorry!!

If you're looking for a new chicken recipe, give this one a try. The flavors are delicious. I am not a huge fan or spicy dishes but I loved this one. The flavor of the sweet potatoes goes so well with the spice of the chile's. If you find it a little too spicy, you can cut back a little on the chile's or even scrape them off your piece before eating!


Spiced Chipotle Honey Chicken Breasts with Sweet Potatoes
Serves 4,
Courtesy of Eats Well With Others, adapted from Melissa Clark's
In The Kitchen with a Good Appetite

20 oz butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
20 oz sweet potato, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
4 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp cider vinegar
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry
chopped cilantro or basil for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Toss the sweet potatoes and butternut squash with 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Spray a roasting pan with cooking spray and then spread the sweet potatoes and squash over it. Roast for 15 minutes.

2. While the sweet potatoes and squash are cooking, in a small bowl, mix together the remaining tbsp of olive oil, chiles, garlic, honey, cider vinegar, salt, cumin, and cinnamon, until they form a paste. Rub the paste all over the chicken. Carefully place the chicken on top of the sweet potatoes and butternut squash. Put back in the oven and continue to roast until the chicken is just cooked through, about 25 minutes. Serve garnished with cilantro or basil.

I am linking this to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.

Irish Soda Bread & A Celebrity Cook-Along!!!

When I realized it was going to be my turn to pick the recipe for Sweet Melissa Sunday's in March, I immediately turned to Irish Soda Bread. A perfect March recipe and a bread we so enjoy. I made Irish Soda Bread for the first time last year. Melissa's recipe includes currants and raisins, while the recipe I made last year did not. Curious, I did some research on the history of Irish Soda Bread. I was interested to find out the ingredients in the traditional recipe. As it turns out, currants and raisins are a later addition to the traditional recipe.

The instructions in Melissa's recipe are to knead the dough lightly, adding a little more flour if necessary. I found this dough to be VERY sticky, so I chose to add a little more flour and use the dough hook on my Kitchen Aid. Much as I've tried, I've never mastered the art of kneading by hand. After kneading for a minute or two and adding a few tablespoons of flour, I still found the dough to be sticky. Rather than make this bread in round loaves on a cookie sheet, as Melissa suggests, I used a loaf pan. As I turned the dough into the pan, I was really hoping the bread was going to turn out. After all I was hosting and I didn't want to be posting about one of my flops!

I checked the bread after 30 minutes and it wasn't done. I continued baking in 5 minute increments until at 45 minutes the wooden skewer came out clean. After the bread cooled, I made a cup of Chai Tea and tried a slice. It's a delicious, hearty bread that would pair perfectly with soup, stew or even Corned Beef and Cabbage.


This is our SMS recipe for March 20th. Yes, I am posting a little early. You'll find the other SMS baker's results here on the 20th. I am also linking this to the St. Patrick's Day Blog crawl at Cuisine Kathleen's, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday's, Tuesday's at the Table.

Irish Soda Bread

From: The Sweet Melissa Baking Book
Yield: One 3-pound Loaf

Ingredients:

1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup black currants
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
2 tablespoons caraway seeds (optional)
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk

Directions:

Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

In a medium bowl, combine the raisins and currents. Pour boiling water over to cover and set aside to reconstitute. In a bowl of of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt and cloves. Add the cold butter pieces and mix on low speed until the butter is the size of small peas. Add the caraway seeds, if using, and mix to blend. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and buttermilk.

Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Be sure to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl to combine thoroughly. Do not over mix. Drain the raisins and currants thoroughly. Add them to the dough and mix on low speed for 20 seconds.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Kneed the dough gently, until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Using a little flour, if needed, form the dough into one large round - or divide it in half to form two small rounds.

Place the round (rounds) on the prepared baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, cut the traditional "X" cutting about 1 1/2 inches deep into the top. Bake for 20 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake for an additional 20 minutes for the large loaf, or 10 minutes for the smaller loaves. The loaves will be golden, and a wooden skewer inserted into the center wil come out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Irish soda bread is best eaten the day it is made, but it can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and kept at room temperature for two days. For longer storage, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to five days, or freeze well wrapped in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil for up to three weeks. Defrost still wrapped at room temperature.

Last by not least, I am joining Lynn at Happier Than A Pig in Mud for her Celebrity Cook-along. Her cook-along is featuring the recipes of Ina Garten. I enjoy Ina's recipes and had a hoped to find the time to make a new one for this event but out of town guests and daylight savings time got the best of me. I'm linking to an earlier recipe I made, Ina's Granola Bars. If you haven't made them, give them a try. They're delicious!

Pink Saturday

I am linking this to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound!!!

From The Good Life - Sandhill Cranes

Tim and I love to take day trips. March in Nebraska brings the Sandhill Cranes. We saw them from a distance a couple of years ago but have never been up close and personal with the cranes. Saturday morning we set out for Grand Island, about 2 hours west of Omaha. We made a quick stop for Starbucks in York. Tim noticed the sky off to the west was full of birds. Just down a gravel road to the west of Starbucks, remember this is Nebraska, we found the Snow Geese. Certainly the largest flock of geese I have ever seen.



Back on I-80, headed west to Grand Island, we decided to try and find one of the cranes viewing sites outlined on Outdoor Nebraska. Just off the interstate, we started to see cranes and more cranes. I heard on the news last week they estimate the numbers right now at about 500,000 thousand. At their peak, in a couple of weeks, the numbers will be close to a million. Besides their characteristic flight, one of the most interesting things about the cranes is their song. We drove a 2 - 3 mile radius of gravel roads and found many different flocks of birds. Some were just a few birds and some numbered in the hundreds.


Wherever we travel, we enjoy trying local wines. We headed north to St. Paul, Nebraksa and Miletta Vista Winery. The winery is a few miles outside of town and has the most beautiful view of the Loop River Valley. We tried a couple of whites and three reds. Our choice was the Work Horse Red. Heading back southeast, we visited Prairie Creek Vineyards. The view here, not quite the same. This vineyard sits on a corner of flat farmland. Here we tried three whites and two reds. This time we chose a white, Sweet Ass White! (Yes, that's the name of the wine).

We decided to continue on Highway 92 rather than take I-80 all the way back to Omaha. We were hoping to find a quaint local restaurant on our drive home. As we drove through the town of Seward, we saw the Cafe on the Square. The curb appeal was nice. I googled and they had a website. Good curb appeal and a website, okay I am game. It was in a building dating back to 1890. Tim chose a delicious mac 'n cheese. For me, it was a hearty meat loaf with mashed potatoes and gravy. Bird watching makes me hungry or was it the wine tasting?



What a fun, relaxing Saturday. I would encourage anyone who has the chance to see the Sandhill Cranes to do so!

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Soup

Do you use canned black beans or do you make your own? Since canned beans can be as much as 1.00 something a can, I decided to make my own. After doing some research, I settled on cooking them in the Slow Cooker. I soaked the beans for about 6 hours and cooked them for about 4 hours on high. The interesting thing was, my black beans became brown beans. It seemed most of the dark color was either in the water from soaking or in the water from cooking. Has anyone else experienced this?

I've seen quite a few recipes for soup with black beans and sweet potatoes or butternut squash. With these recipes as inspiration, I created my own recipe. This recipe makes a delicious but very spicy soup. I love the flavor from the addition of just a touch of cinnamon. You could easily add chicken or even some sausage to this soup.


Slow Cooker Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 T. olive oil
1 large sweet potato, diced
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups black beans
1 can Rotel peppers
1T. chili powder
2 t. cumin
1 t. smoked paprika
1/2 t. cinnamon

Chop garlic and onion. Heat olive oil in a skillet until sizzling, add garlic and onion. Saute until soft. Dice sweet potato. Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Cook on low 8 hours.

I am linking this to Tasty Tuesday's, Tuesday's at the Table, Souper Sunday at Kahakai Kitchen and Tuesday Night Supper Club.

Chocolate Pudding - Sweet Melissa Sunday's

Does chocolate pudding remind you of your childhood? It's one of my earliest kitchen memories. My mom would make Jello Chocolate Pudding for dessert. I remember when I was maybe seven? she let help me stir the pudding on the stove. I don't remember it seeming to take as long to cook as it does today!

I love dessert! It's my favorite food group! I make a lot of desserts from scratch. Pudding, however, I don't think I have ever made from scratch. When I saw this weeks SMS recipe was Chocolate Pudding, I knew I wanted to participate. I also realized pudding is on my Top 50 list, so apparently this isn't the first time it occurred to me I'd never made pudding from scratch.

I made 1/4 recipe and ended up with 2 five ounce ramekins. The recipe called for checking pudding after 45 minutes. To be safe, I checked after 40. Was it done? It didn't appear soupy but didn't really look done. Melissa suggests using an instant read thermometer and if it reads between 150 - 155, it's done. Okay, 152! Interesting though the top of my pudding doesn't appear smooth like I would expect it to look. I wonder if I cooked it too long.

The pudding is denser and thicker than I expect a pudding to be. The flavor is nice, with just the right amount of chocolate. I liked it but I didn't love it!



Thanks to Leslie of Lethally Delicious for choosing this week's recipe. You can find the recipe on her blog. If you want to see the other SMS baker's pudding, you can find the links to their blogs here!

I'm hosting SMS in two weeks, Irish Soda Bread!!

Pink Saturday

Since it's still cold in the midwest, I wanted to share some beautiful reminders of Spring.

I am linking this to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound!!

Worlds Best French Toast

When we were in Cabo a few weeks ago, we had breakfast at a great little restaurant, Mama's. Mama's boasts they have the "Worlds Best French Toast". It's their version of Stuffed French Toast.

I wanted to recreate this dish! After reading the recipe, I realized I don't really have a flambe pan. Probably not a good idea to flambe in non stick! The only french bread in the freezer was baguettes. Not a good size for french toast. With stuffed french toast as my inspiration, this is my version of the "Worlds Best French Toast". Maybe not the world's best but we thought it was pretty darn good.


Stuffed French Toast w/Banana Syrup

French Toast
1 serving
2 slices White Bread (I used sourdough)
Strawberry Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1 Egg
2 T. Milk
1 t. vanilla
1 T. Butter

Spread cream cheese on one side of slices the bread. Make a sandwich out of the bread.
Whisk egg, milk and vanilla.Dip the bread in the egg mixture, making sure it is is coated well.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Once the butter is hot, add the bread and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side.

Syrup

1 banana, sliced in 1/2 inch slices
2 T. Honey
1/2 t. cinnamon
2 T. Pecans, roughly chopped

Melt butter in a skillet over medium high heat, stir in honey. Once combined, add cinnamon and pecans. Once the sauce is bubbling, add the banana and cook an additional minute or two. Don't overcook or the banana will get too soft.

Pour over French Toast. Garnish with powdered sugar, if desired.

I am linking this to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum and Fat Camp Friday at Mangoes and Chutney.

From The Good Life - Trek Up The Tower

I am so proud of my husband! This past Saturday he completed Trek Up The Tower. 40 floors, 870 stairs! Trek Up The Tower is held in The First National Bank Building in Omaha. Which by the way, is the tallest building between Denver and Chicago.

Cracaos - Chocolate with Francois

One of the things I like about Chocolate With Francois is it challenging my baking abilities! Boy does it challenge my baking abilities! If I look back over the past months of Chocolate With Francois, I've had more failures than successes. However, those successes are fantastic. what keeps me coming back is hoping that month's recipe will be another success. Unfortunately, this month's wasn't that next success.

Payard's explains Cracaos are a traditional European cookies. There isn't a picture of these cookies in the book. Being a visual person, I searched for Cracaos. Nothing, except a reference to the recipe in this book. Interesting! I am not sure I have ever baked anything that you can't find on the internet.

The recipe goes together easily. The challenging part for me began with the shaping of the cookies. Francois instructs the baker to roll the dough to 6 x 5 1/2 x 1 1/2, chill and then cut into 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 x 1/4 strips. I realized you have to cut the dough in half to get to 1/4. I decided to cut mine into stars. The dough was hard to work with and tricky to cut into shapes. I halved the recipe and ended up with 12 stars. The recipe calls for a baking time of 10 - 12 minutes. I think because of the larger shape of mine, they required a little longer baking time. After about 17 minutes, I opened the door to pull them out and check on them. I touched my forearm on the oven door. Hot oven and my reflexes made me jump. All but three cookies were either in the oven or on the floor in pieces.

I picked up the pieces, salvaged the good ones and placed them on a rack to cool. Once they'd cooled, I tried a couple of the pieces. I thought they were blah! Not at all what I expected. Since these cookies have toasted pistachios and walnuts, I thought they would be packed with flavor.



I am looking forward to seeing what this month's host, Astheroshe and my fellow CWF bakers thought of these and how their Cracaos turned out.