Bobby Flay's Grilled Sweet Potato Salad

This month's celebrity cook along over at Happier Than A Pig in Mud features Bobby Flay. Are you a Bobby Flay fan? Is it me or has Bobby mellowed a bit the past couple of years? Maybe, like me, people were finding him a bit arrogant. Whether or not you like him, one thing is for sure, the man can grill!

When I was planning our meals for Fourth of July weekend, I found Bobby's recipe for Sweet Potato salad. Tim's not a traditional potato salad fan. Since potato salad is synonymous with 4th of July, this recipe was perfect. I'd been wanting to try sweet potato salad!

The flavors in this salad are delicious. The sharpness of the balsamic vinegar, the sweetness of the potatoes and the salty bacon all compliment each other. This salad gets better after it sits a day or two and the dressing has a chance to soak into the potatoes.





Grilled Sweet Potato Salad with Bacon & Herb Vinaigrette
Recipe Courtesy of Bobby Flay

3 large sweet potatoes
1 T. plus 1/4 cup olive oil
8 oz bacon, diced
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 t. fresh thyme, finely chopped
Salt and ground black pepper
1/4 cup canola oil

1. In a large pot of salted water, boil the potatoes until just cooked but not completely soft, 25 - 30 minutes, depending on the size. Test by piercing a potato with a thin bamboo skewer. (I used a fork) When the skewer meets some resistance but can slide all the way through, the potatoes are ready. Drain them immediately; set aside and let cool.

2. Heat grill to medium.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saute pan over high heat. Add the bacon; cook until golden brown and crispy. (I didn't add the olive oil) Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.

4. Return the pan to the heat, adding the shallots to the rendered fat, cook until golden brown and slightly caramelized, about 3 minutes. (I skimmed off most of the remaining bacon fat) Add the vinegar and cook for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in 1/4 cup olive oil, herbs and salt and pepper to taste.

5. Cut the potatoes into 1/4 inch slices; brush both sides of the potato slices with canola oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill until slightly charred on both sides and just cooked through, about 5 minutes total.

6. Place the potatoes in a bowl while they're still warm and gently toss with the dressing. Sprinkle with the crispy bacon. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Thanks to Lynn at Happier Than A Pig in Mud for another fun Celebrity Cook Along! In addition, I am linking to Foodie Friday and Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday!!

In My Garden

Santa Fe Noodle Bake

When Kraft first introduced Philadephia Cooking Cream, I received a coupon for a free tub. I knew I wanted to use it for some type of pasta dish. Inspired by some of the other noodle dishes I've made, I decided to make a noodle casserole. The cooking cream is a good substitute for sour cream or cottage cheese. If you have kids or are in the mood for comfort food, this dish is for you!!!



Santa Fe Noodle Bake

Ingredients

• 1 tub Philadelphia Santa Fe Blend Cooking Cream
  
• 1-¼ pound Ground Chuck
• 1 can 15-ounces Rotel Tomatoes
  
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 8 ounces, Egg Noodles
• 1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown ground chuck in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add tomato sauce. 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine Philadelphia Cooking Cream and meat mixture. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add to noodles and stir.

To assemble, add half of the noodle and meat mixture to a casserole. Top with half the cheese. Repeat with noodles and meat mixture and top with remaining cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted.

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

Meet Me On Monday

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! There's no official Meet Me on Monday over at Never Growing Old today. I decided to go back and answer the questions from one before I started participating.

1. What do you put on your hot dog?
Mustard! About the only time I eat a hot dog is at a summer baseball game!

2. Do you play Sudoku?
Nope! Words with Friends and Angry Birds for me!

3. What is your favorite vegetable?
This is a hard one. I love vegetables. There's hardly any I don't like. I guess it would be asparagus!

4. Do you color your hair?
Violet red. Think Sharon Osborne, only not as violet!

5. What is your favorite brand of clothing?
I am more of a bargain than brand shopper. My favorite brand is whatever pair of jeans fit me!

How about you, what's your favorite veggie?

Pink Saturday

Happy Pink Saturday!

Lemon, Rosemary and Balsamic Grilled Chicken

In the summer we grill at least two nights a week. There's always chicken in my fridge and I'm frequently looking for new ways to grill it. I love it when I find a recipe that uses ingredients I have in my kitchen. Even better when it uses one of the herbs from my herb garden. This recipe does both of those things and it's delicious.





Lemon, Rosemary and Balsamic Grilled Chicken
Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup rosemary leaves
3 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
8 chicken thighs (I used chicken breasts)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a medium bowl combine the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, rosemary, garlic, lemon zest and red pepper flakes. Whisk to combine and pour into a 1-gallon resealable food storage plastic bag. Put the chicken thighs in the bag and seal it. Turn to ensure that the chicken is evenly coated, then refrigerate, turning occasionally, for 2 to 4 hours.

Preheat a grill to medium-low and brush the grates lightly with an oil soaked cloth. Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry. Season the chicken well on all sides with salt and pepper, then place on the grill, skin side down. Cook the chicken about 8 to 10 minutes, turn and continue to cook an additional 8 to 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the heat and serve while hot.

I am linking this to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum and Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday!

From The Good Life - Tempo of Twilight

Omaha's botanical garden, Lauritzen Garden's has a concert series in the summer called Tempo of Twilight. Each concert features a different Omaha 70's or 80's cover band. On this particular night, we were treated to the tunes of The Fabulous Rogues. We enjoyed a bottle of wine and a picnic dinner in the beautiful setting of the garden's courtyard.




The garden is also featuring an exhibit of large scale ceramic sculptures by artist Jun Kaneko.

Graduation Candy Pops

A few weeks ago I was looking to make something fun for Mike's graduation party! I found this recipe for graduation pops on Bakerella's blog. When Mike saw them, he said "crafty"! We all laughed about the different meanings of "crafty". In this case, I am hoping he meant that in a good way.

You'll find the assembly instructions here! I used red hots for the tops and Ghirardelli chocolate squares for the mortarboards. These were easy to make. The most challenging part was finding all of the ingredients.



I am linking this to Tuesday's at the Table, Tasty Tuesday's and Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays!

NY Style Crumb Muffins & A New Baking Group

One of my favorite baking groups, Sweet Melissa Sunday's is coming to an end. We're baking two recipes for the next couple of months, with our last recipe in August. Besides Melissa's great recipes, the reason I've enjoyed this group so much is the other bakers. It's such a great group of women! I was thrilled when Karen from Karen's Cookies Cakes and More suggested we bake our way through Matt Lewis's Baked Explorations. I'd been wanting to buy this cookbook and now I have a really good reason to buy it! Not that I need another cookbook, I am not sure what the count is these days but I know it's way over 100.

When I read through the recipe for the NY Style Crumb Cake, I quickly realized this wasn't a low fat recipe. 2 1/2 sticks of butter? I knew this much butter would bring two things, a delicious cake and way too many calories! My solution, cut the recipe in half. When reading Karen's comments on the recipe, I noticed she'd had a failure with an 8" pan. Thinking maybe the pan was too small, I sent Karen an email and inquired about using a 9" pan. She quickly responded that the 8" pan was too big and I needed to use something smaller. I decided to use my large muffin tins.

Not being from New York, I was curious what a New York style Crumb Cake was. I think it's what we call a Coffee Cake in the Midwest. My crumb topping didn't seem to be sticking together enough to make these big crumbs. I didn't have the time or the patience to make a bunch of large crumbs, so I went with the topping as it was. There were some large crumbs, otherwise it was like a cake topping. My half recipe made 5 muffins. A couple were pretty large, so I think I could have made 6 muffins. I had quite a bit of topping leftover, which I saved for the next fruit crumble.

The recipe called for 60 minutes of baking time. I set the timer for 30 minutes and when I checked them, I was a little surprised to find they were done. I think they could have baked for 20 - 25 minutes. As the muffins rose, the topping spread out and in the end I didn't end up with as much crumb topping as I would have liked. That's probably why I have so much leftover!!!



OMG! These are so good. They have such a nice tender crumb and the flavor is delicious!
You can find the recipe here on Karen's blog and the links to the other Baked bakers's here!

I am linking this to Foodie Friday, Sweet Tooth Friday and Full Plate Thursday!

Crock Pot Chocolate Cake

If you follow my blog you know I use my Slow Cooker a lot. Nothing's better than coming home after work and having dinner ready to go. As you continue to use your slow cooker you learn some dishes are more suited to the slow cooker than others.

Until recently, I had never used my slow cooker for a dessert. A few weeks ago during one of our first camping trips, I tried this Apple Crisp. Wow, dessert does work in the slow cookert!! After my first success, I found this recipe for Crock Pot Chocolate Cake. I never would have thought a chocolate cake would bake in the slow cooker but it does. Don't expect the same texture as a cake baked in the oven. The texture of a slow cooker cake is more like a flourless chocolate or pudding cake. A trick I learned when I made the Apple Crisp is to take a towel or a few paper towels and put them under the lid. You'll find this absorbs the steam and moisture and helps the desserts to bake. If you're a camper, like I am or if you don't want to heat up your oven this summer, give this cake recipe a try!



Crockpot Chocolate Cake

• 1 pkg. two layer chocolate cake mix
• 3 oz. pkg. instant chocolate pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups sour cream
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Preparation:

Spray a 4 quart crockpot with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix and pudding mix. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the water, then add the sour cream and oil and beat until smooth. Add to the dry ingredients and beat well. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Pour into crockpot. Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours, until top springs back when touched very lightly with finger. 8-10 servings

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

Meet Me On Monday

Happy Monday! It's short work week for me. We're taking Friday as a vacation day to get a jump start on our 4th of July camping trip!!

If you want to join in the Meet Me On Monday fun, you can find the details at Never Growing Old!

1. What is your favorite food?
This is a tough one! Pizza, Pasta, Potatoes. You know all of those foods that aren't really good for you! Although I do love veggies, too!

2. What color scheme is your bedroom?
Lavender!

3. Do you carry a donor card?
Absolutely! If you don't, please think about getting one today!

4. In your opinion, is the glass half empty or half full?
Half full!!! I try to always remember how lucky I am!

5. Vanilla or Chocolate?
CHOCOLATE!!!!!! Actually, that's probably my favorite food. :)

What's your favorite food?

Pink Saturday

Happy Pink Saturday!

Cookie Carnival - Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

I enjoy baking but I can't remember the last time I made cookies! I seem to gravitate towards desserts instead of cookies. I decided to join Cookie Carnival, a baking group that features two cookie recipes each month. As a member of Cookie Carnival, you can bake one or both of the recipes and post them anytime during the month. Simple and fun!!

I am excited to share my first Cookie Carnival recipe, Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies. When I think of Peanut Butter Cookies, I think of those I learned to make as a kid. You know the ones where you criss cross the tines of a fork on the top of the cookie? I love the ingredients in this recipe! Besides the usual ingredients, there's oats and coconut! They add crunch and flavor to the cookies. I made jumbo cookies and they took every bit of 20 minutes to bake. At the end of 20 minutes, they still looked a little wet in the middle but as they were fine after the cooled. Even if you're not a coconut fan, give this recipe a try. You'll keep reaching in the cookie jar for more!!

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
Recipe Courtesy of Smucker's

•	1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
•	1/2 cup butter, softened
•	3/4 cup Creamy Natural Peanut Butter, stirred
•	2 large eggs
•	2 tablespoons milk
•	1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•	1 cup All Purpose Flour
•	1 teaspoon baking powder
•	1 teaspoon baking soda
•	1 1/2 cups quick rolled oats
•	1 cup flaked coconut

Directions:

1	HEAT oven to 350°F. Beat sugar, brown sugar, butter and peanut butter in large mixing bowl on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla. Mix well. Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda; stir in rolled oats and coconut. Add to peanut butter mixture and beat on low speed until well blended. Cover and chill 30 minutes.
2	Drop by heaping tablespoonful, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light brown around edges. Cool 2 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.
	VARIATION:
	JUMBO CHEWY PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES: Prepare dough as directed above. Drop by 1/4-cupfuls, 3 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 14 to 17 minutes or until light brown around edges. Makes 1 1/2 dozen.

I am linking this to Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday, Foodie Friday and Sweet Tooth Friday!!

In My Garden

Crockpot BBQ Chicken

I am envious of those of you who take beautiful photographs of the main dishes you've prepared. I struggle to get the shot set up and still eat before everything is cold. This is one of those photos! Photo aside this is a great chicken recipe. Chicken is a staple at our house and I am always looking for new recipes.

I found this one over at One Crazy Cookie. Tiffanee, thanks for a great addition to my chicken repertoire.




Crock Pot Barbeque Chicken
chicken pieces (I used 4 chicken thighs)
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette (I used balsamic vinegar)
1/2 cup pop (I used Root Beer. Tiffanee says Cherry Coke Zero is her favorite to add. )
1 Tablespoon minced onions
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
Place all ingredients in crock pot. Stir to combine and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Update: (Optional) About 30 minutes before you are going to eat mix up 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch in a little bit of water and mix it in the sauce. Replace the lid, keep it on low and cook about 30 minutes. Stirring occasionally. This will allow the sauce to thicken up a bit.

I am linking this to Tasty Tuesdays, Tuesday's at The Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and Your Recipe My Kitchen!

Meet Me On Monday

Did you have a nice weekend? Hot and humid here but a wonderful weekend just the same!

Monday means two things, back to work and Meet Me on Monday! If you'd like to join Meet Me on Monday, you can find the details here!

1. What feature of the opposite sex do you notice first?
Okay I know I am getting older, I don't even know!

2. Do you talk to yourself?
All the time! Sometimes, I even answer myself, too!

3. What is your current relationship status?
Very happily married to the love of my life! Maybe that's why don't have an answer for #1.

4. Do you have a garden?
Yes, herbs, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, brussels sprouts, peas and beans. Sounds MUCH bigger than it is. Most of those, it's just one plant!

5. What is your favorite licorice flavor?
I don't like licorice!

How about you, what's growing in your garden this summer?

Pink Saturday

I've been absent from Pink Saturday the past few weeks. We've been out of town, without internet access, so I've had no way to link to Pink Saturday. I am guessing there's a way from my phone but have yet to be successful.

Today I am sharing a couple of pink roses from my garden.

Happy Pink Saturday !!!!!

From The Good Life

Sadly enough today's From The Good Life doesn't reflect such a good life for many. Here in Omaha, as well as all around us we're experiencing terrible flooding. Having lived in the midwest all of my life, I've experienced flash flooding and some river flooding but never anything like this. Farmland and towns have become lakes, highways are closed and levee's are breaking. I was amazed on Sunday when I spoke with my son, who lives in Los Angeles, he hadn't heard anything on the news about what was going on here. Just this week, I've started to see a bit in the news about the devastation but certainly, or so it seems, not as much as when disaster occurs on the east or west coast.

Photograph courtesy of St. Joseph Post

The really sad part is this could go on for weeks or even months, as the release of water continues from Gavin's Point Dam in South Dakota. Please keep all of the people effected by this in your thoughts!

Father's Day Tee Time Cupcakes - Martha Stewart Cupcake Club

When Rachael asked me to host June's Martha Stewart Cupcake Club, I thumbed through the book trying to decide which recipe to choose. Father's Day Tee Time Cupcakes, the perfect choice for June.

Don't tell Martha but I cheated a bit on these. (Didn't she do that on something, too?) Anyway, with a lot going on preparing for Mike's graduation party in Minnesota, I used a boxed cake mix! Okay and canned frosting, too! At least I am honest and letting you all know, I could have passed them off as homemade and you'd you have never known.

These cupcakes were so fun to put together. After searching everywhere for something to use for the golf ball, I settled on a white gumball. Since the gumball was kind of large, I made giant cupcakes. The balance of the ingredients were easy to find! I used construction paper for the pin flags. If you're looking for something fun to make for Father's Day, give these a try.

Father's Day Tee Time Cupcakes

24 Cupcakes (Your choice of flavor)
White Icing of your choice
1 to 2 cups green sanding sugar
18 round white candies
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (3 -4 sheets finely ground in food processor)

1. Using an offset spatula, spread each cupcake with a smooth layer of icing. Pour green sanding sugar into a small bowl. Dip tops of frosted cupcakes in the sugar, then sprinkle more on top to coat completely.
2. To create putting greens, make flags (you will need 18). Cut out lengths (3 to 4 inches) from white grosgrain ribbon. Fold each length around one end of a wooden skewer, and adhere folded sides together with hot glue or double sided tape. Cut ribbon into a triangle shape and plant the skewer into a cupcake. Place a small white candy "ball" near the flag.
3. To create sand traps, spoon about 1 teaspoon graham cracker crumbs in the center of each of 6 cupcakes. With your thumb, make an indentation in the middle of each pile of crumbs, shifting to one side to form a steeper side or an irregularly shaped trap.

Refrigerate 30 minutes to allow frosting to set.




You can find the other MSC member's cupcakes here!

I am linking this to Sweet Tooth Friday and Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday !!

Quick Crescent Taco Pie

Have you participated in the Celebrity Cook Along over at Happier Than A Pig in Mud ? If not, you should check it out. Each month, she chooses a chef or in this month's case, a company. You pick a recipe and blog about it.

This month's Celebrity Cook Along is Pillsbury! To make it even better, Jo at LazyonLoblolly is giving away a Dough Boy and a cookbook! Gotta love that Dough Boy...and Pillsbury!

When I think of Pillsbury, I often think of desserts. Since I am always looking for new dinner ideas, I chose a main dish. If you like tacos, give this one a try! It was DELICIOUS, one I will be making again soon. It's quick and easy to put together and make's a great weeknight dinner.



Superspeedway Taco Pie
Recipe Courtesy of Pillsbury
Ingredients:

1 (1.25 oz) package taco seasoning

1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup water

1 (8 oz) package refrigerated crescent rolls

2 cups crushed tortilla chips

1 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

In a large pan brown your ground beef. Drain of the grease and stir in the seasoning mix and water. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Separate crescent dough into 8 triangles. Place the triangles in a ungreased 10 inch pie pan, pressing to form a crust. Sprinkle 1 cup tortilla chips over the bottom of the crust, Spoon meat mixture over crust and chips. Spread sour cream over meat mixture and cover with cheese. Sprinkle the remaining chips over the top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until crust is brown.

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

Secret Recipe Club

One of my favorite things about participating in a blog hop is the new friends you meet. Secret Recipe Club introduces you to new blogging friends and new recipes! Here's how it works, each month you're assigned another person's blog, you choose a recipe from their blog and post about! Can you keep a secret? If you're going to participate in Secret Recipe challenge, you have to! You can't reveal the blog or the recipe until the posting date! How fun is that!! Secret Recipe Club is the creation of Amanda at Amanda's Cooking!

This month I was assigned the blog, Haggis and the Herring! Haggis and the Herring is a husband and wife blog team who feature "tasty recipes tested in our kitchen – drawing from flavours around the world including our English, European, Mediterranean and South-Asian food experiences." There were so many recipes to choose from, it was hard to narrow it down to just one.

We love roasted potatoes, so after much deliberation, I chose Crunchy Roasted Potatoes and Carrots. In this recipe you boil the potatoes and carrots before roasting. I've seen lots of recipes where you boil potatoes before deep frying them. I cut my potatoes into large chunks instead of a dice. I used 1/2 regular paprika and 1/2 smoky paprika. Mine didn't get very crunchy but maybe that's because I made them on a silpat instead of parchment? We really enjoyed these, they were just a little spicy with a lot of flavor.




Crunchy Roasted Potatoes and Carrots
by Daniel Saraga November 3, 2010
Courtesy of The Haggis and The Herring

Serve it as a side or eat it alone for the pure comfort-food value.
Ingredients
5 or 6 potatoes, diced, (peeled, optional)
2 carrots, peeled and sliced into 3/4" rounds
3-4 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
to taste salt

Instructions
1. Boil potatoes and carrots in salted water until soft (15-20 minutes).2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.3. Drain and run potatoes and carrots under cold water for 2-4 minutes, drain again and let dry for 2-3 minutes.4. In a small bowl, mix oil, paprika, cayenne and a pinch of salt.5. Toss potatoes and carrots in oil mixture and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.6. Roast for 30-45 minutes, until outside is golden and crispy.
Details
Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 1 hour Total time: 1 hour 10 mins Yield: 6 servings

Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake

What if your favorite cookie could also be a cake? It can be if you love Snickerdoodles. I found this recipe over at Let's Dish. When I read Danelle say it was one of the best cakes she'd eaten recently, I was sold. I made this cake for a co-workers birthday and Danelle is right, this one is a keeper. It's so moist and tastes just like Snickerdoodles!



Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake
Ingredients
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup white sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream

Directions
In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon; mix well. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Generously spray a 9-inch Bundt pan with cooking spray, being careful to cover all the nooks and cranies, as well as the center tube. Gently dust the entire inside of the pan with about 1/3 cup of the cinnamon and sugar mixture, set the rest aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Beat just the butter on medium speed for one minute. Add the white sugar and mix for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and blade and add the brown sugar. Mix for 2 minutes until the mixture is light brown and uniform in color. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream; beat well. Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture Spread the rest of the batter into the pan and sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

I am linking this to Full Plate Thursday and Foodie Friday !!

From The Good Life

I am excited to have my first guest poster on Little Bit of Everything. He's my photographer, my taster, my supporter and my best friend. If you haven't already guessed, it's my husband Tim. Thanks for all you do for me!

Hi! I am Julie's husband, Tim aka "The Photographer". I seem to be on standby 24/7 as I never know when Julie is whipping up that next creation in the kitchen or I need to photograph something PINK! When Julie asked if I wanted to be her first guest blogger, I knew I had to tie something fun together, incorporating my pictures and of course food.

With summer temperatures rising this week it takes me back to our vacation this winter in Cabo San Lucas. Our friend Larry and I went fishing in the Pacific. We had the option to fish inland (small fish and lots of them) or head out in the ocean 40 miles and the chance for Yellow Fin Tuna. We went for fun and adventure and we found it. I never knew Tuna traveled with Dolphins. It was an amazing site to see hundreds of Dolphins and Tuna jumping at the same time next to the boat.

As a kid in Minnesota, I learned seeing a fish jump and catching a fish are two different things. We were lucky enough to catch a nice 15 pound Yellow Fin. After reeling him in, our deck hand filleted the fish out at 40 MPH on the back of the boat. If you have ever cleaned fish it’s hard enough doing this standing still. We ended up with 4 nice fillets that would sure taste good on the grill this summer.

This week, We fired up the grill to enjoy our catch. We lightly covered the 1 1/2 inch thick filets with olive oil and seasoning. Having never grilled this type of fish, our wisdom and Google said to cook 2 minutes each side. The joy of cooking is to experiment and learn. Looks like we needed to sear on one side and flip over after 1 minute, or less as they were a little bit over done. Still tasty, it brought back great memories of a great vacation.

Strawberry Rhubarb Dump Cake

One of my favorite signs of Springtime is rhubarb. Although rhubarb desserts aren't my first choice, I like them better than I did as a kid. There's so many great recipes using rhubarb. My favorite rhubarb recipes are those that combine rhubarb and another fruit. When I ran across this recipe over at Finding Joy in My Kitchen, I bookmarked it to try.

If you have rhubarb in your garden, give this recipe a try. This cake has great flavor and the coconut gives the topping a nice crunch.



Grandma's Strawberry Rhubarb Dump Cake
Recipe courtesy of Finding Joy in My Kitchen

4 C rhubarb
1 C sugar
3 T cornstarch
1 box (4 servings) Strawberry Jello
1 small can crushed pineapple
1 box dry yellow cake mix
1/2 C butter
1/2 C coconut

Combine rhubarb, sugar and cornstarch in a pan and heat until warm; stirring frequently as rhubarb cooks and becomes thick. When thicken, pour rhubarb into a 9x13 glass pan. Sprinkle with strawberry jello and 1 can of crushed pineapple (do not drain, use the juice!).

Meanwhile, mix together cake mix and butter until crumbly. Stir in coconut. Sprinkle over the rhubarb mixture.

Bake at 350 for 60-70 minutes.

*If you wish to make a bottom crust, place 1/2 of the cake mixture over the bottom of the cake pan and press to form. Bake crust for 10 minutes at 350. Then pour cooked rhubarb over the top and follow the directions above.

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

Meet Me On Monday

I hope everyone had a great weekend!!! It was so hot and humid here, more like July or August than June. What happened to Spring?

Meet Me on Monday is fun way to get to know more about your fellow bloggers. If you'd like to participate, you can find the details at Never Growing Old!!

1. What is was the last piece of candy that you ate?
A Reeses Peanut Butter Cup! I made Graduation Cap Candy Pops today! (Look for a post on those sometime in the next couple of weeks.)

2. Do you "read" in the bathroom?
NO!! Isn't that a guy thing?

3. I can't stand when someone _________?
Wow, this one was hard. Just ask my husband, I am sure he would tell you there's tons of things I can't stand but I had trouble coming up with one.

How about when someone brings their young child to a nice restaurant? To me there's nothing worse than sitting there trying to enjoy a nice dinner and at the next table is a two year old banging their spoon.

4. Do you do daily, weekly or monthly grocery shopping?
Weekly! I try to plan the week's menu, scour the grocery ads and then do my grocery shopping on Sundays.

Do you plan your menu's in advance or are you a spur of the moment cook?

Pink Saturday

Happy Pink Saturday!

Salt and Pepper Chicken

Isn't it great when you find a recipe you love? Even better when the recipe requires very little time and only has two ingredients? Yes, that's right, besides the chicken itself, just two ingredients. When I saw this recipe over at There's Always Time To Cook, I knew I'd be giving it a try. Carol said it was outstanding! Curious, I tried it that same weekend. She was right, it IS outstanding. In fact, we liked it so well, we had it again the following weekend while camping with friends. I am planning on adding rosemary next time.




Grilled Salt and Pepper Chicken
Source: original recipe can be found at Martha Stewart online
Courtesy of There's Always Thyme to Cook

1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 whole chicken (3 to 4 pounds), quartered, rinsed, and patted dry ( I used thighs, and removed the skin!)

Preheat grill to medium-high.

Combine salt and pepper. Rub chicken with mixture, covering all sides and shaking off excess. (You may not need all of the mixture.) Or put the mixture in a ziploc with the chicken and shake it all up. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

Place chicken on grill, skin side down. Close cover, and grill 8 minutes. Flip chicken, and close cover. Grill until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes more.

Transfer chicken to a plate, and let rest 15 minutes.

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

From The Good Life

Tim's son Michael graduated from high school! Congratulations, Mike! We're so proud of you!!!

Mike will be attending The University of Nebraska Omaha this Fall. We are looking forward to watching you grow in this next chapter in your life!!!

Yogurt Parfaits with Chocolate Granola - CWF

If you follow Chocolate With Francois, you know we all talk about the difficulty and complexity of many (most) of the recipes. As I was flipping through the book trying to decide what to choose for the May recipe, I knew it needed to be an easy one. The posting date would fall just after Michael's graduation and Memorial Day weekend. As a child I remember my mom saying "Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today". I really wanted to make this recipe before we left town for the long Memorial Day weekend. I bought the ingredients I didn't have, read the recipe, left the cookbook on the counter and still didn't get it done until we got home. I don't think I listened to her advice as a kid either!!!

Chocolate granola seems a bit counter intuitive since I think of granola as somewhat healthy. I see this recipe for dessert rather than breakfast. The granola is easy to put together, uses ingredients most of us have in our kitchens and is delicious!

To make the parfaits you layer brown sugar glazed bananas, yogurt with orange zest and the chocolate granola. I love brown sugar glazed bananas but didn't care for them in this recipe. As well, I thought the orange zest overpowered the simple flavor of the vanilla yogurt. I think this would be best served with just the vanilla yogurt and the chocolate granola. There's too many flavors going on to really enjoy the yummy chocolate granola.



If you're curious what the other CWF members thought of this recipe and I know I am, you can find the links to their blogs here!


Yogurt Parfaits with Chocolate Granola
Serves 8

Chocolate Granola
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa powder
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup raisins

Yogurt
One 32 ounce container vanilla yogurt
Grated zest of 1/2 orange


Bananas
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 ripe bananas, cut into 1/4 inch slices

Make the granola. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, walnuts, coconut, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa powder. Stir with your hands or a spatula to make sure everything is evenly distributed. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of the honey over the mixture, and mix with a silicone spatula until it is well incorporated. Spread the mixture in the prepared baking sheet, anthd bake for 15 minutes, without stirring. Remove from the oven and let cool.

In a large bowl, mix together the chocolate chips, raisins and the remaining tablespoon of honey. Add the cooled granola and toss the mixture together, slightly breaking up the granola. The granola can be stored in an airtight contained in a cool, dry environment for up to 1 week.

Make the yogurt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the orange zest and yogurt until combined. Keep the yogurt cold until ready to use, up to 2 days.

Make the bananas. Put the butter in a large saute pan over medium high heat, and let it melt until it just begins to brown. Add the brown sugar, and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until the sugar is melted. Add the bananas, and cook them until they pick up a little bit of color, about 1 minute.

Assemble the parfait. Place a spoonful of warm bananas (the equivalent of 1/2 banana per glass) at the bottom of a tall glass. Place 1/2 cup yogurt over the bananas, and top with the granola, just before serving. Repeat for the remaining 7 glasses.

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

Pink Saturday

Happy Birthday to Pink Saturday! Pink Saturday is celebrating 3 years today!!!
I love all things pink! A big THANK YOU to Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for hosting each week!!

It's a little hard to tell from this picture but everything about this house is pink. I found this house on our trip to Brownville, Nebraska a few weeks ago.

Rosemary Scones

What's your favorite herb? Mine is rosemary with basil running a very close second! I first posted this recipe in August 2009. The rosemary gives these a wonderful earthy flavor that blends well with the sweetness of the jam.




Rosemary Scones
Adapted from Giada De Laurentis

Scones:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup jam

Glaze:

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, from 1 large lemon
2 cups powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or silpat).

In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, baking powder, rosemary, sea salt and butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer the mixture to a medium bow. Gradually stir in the cream until the mixture forms a dough. On a lightly floured work surface, rool out the dough into 1/2 inch thick, 10 inch circle. Using a heart shaped cookie cuter, cut out heart shaped pieces of dough and place on the cookie sheet. Gently knead together any leftover pieces of dough and cut into heart shapes and add to the baking sheet. Using a small round measuring spoon, make an indentation in the center of each pastry heart. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of ham into the indentation. Bake for 18 to 2o minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Transfer scones to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes.

To make the glaze, mix together lemon juice and powdered sugar until smooth. Gradually add the water until the mixture is thin enough to spread. Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the scones. Let the scones set for approximately 30 minutes. Can be stored in an airtight container for 2 days.

My notes on this recipe:

One of the keys a good dough is making sure the butter is very cold. In the summer I keep my flour in the refrigerator, to keep away those pesky summer bugs. If you keep your flour in the refrigerator, allow it to warm to room temperature before using (approximately an hour).

The glaze recipe made way too much glaze for the amount of scones, next time I will cut the recipe in half.

I followed Giada's recipe exactly with one exception. Her recipe called for Strawberry jam. I used my mother in law's homemade, Strawberry Rhubarb jam instead.

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

From The Good Life

I'd planned to post graduation pictures of Tim's son Michael's high school graduation today. I am putting those on hold until next week.

If you live in the midwest, you're "used" to tornadoes. I've lived in the midwest all of my life. I've seen my share of them and certainly spent many an hour huddled in the basement.

What we've all seen this week in Joplin, Missouri isn't one of those tornadoes those of us from the midwest are "used" to, it's an unbelievable scene of devastation. I've been mesmerized by the coverage, so much so I've forced myself to turn off the TV! Last night, as I walked in my house from work, the sun was shining, my house was comfortable and warm. I felt guilty and lucky all at the same time. I paused in my hallway for a moment to be so thankful to have a house and family. It's ironic the subtitle of my blog and the title of my Thursday posts is From The Good Life! So true, this is The Good Life!

Remember what's important! Tell your family how much you love and appreciate them!

Beer Marinated Pork Chops

I first posted this two years ago, thrilled to be grilling after a long winter. If you're like me and have childhood memories of shoe leather pork chops, give this recipe a try. This marinade produces a delicious, tender pork chop.


Pork Chops in Beer Teriyaki Marinade

2/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin (syrupy rice wine)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger root
2/3 cup of your favorite beer (no dark)
4 1" thick rib or loin pork chops

In a saucepan combine the soy sauce, mirin, vinegar, sugar, gingerroot and the beer. Simmer until the mixture is reduced to about 1 1/3 cups. Let the marinade cool until it is room temperature. In a shallow baking dish or plastic bag, cover the chops thoroughly with the marinade. Marinate overnight, turning them several times.

Pour the marinade in a saucepan and boil it for five minutes. Grill the pork chops on a oiled rack set about 4 inches over glowing coals, basting them with the marinade while cooking, Cook 8 - 10 minutes of each side.

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

Did your weekend go as fast as mine? I can't believe it's Monday already. I am really enjoying participating in Meet Me On Monday! It gives me something fun to look forward to on Monday's, my least favorite day of the week! If you want to participate in Meet Me On Monday, you can find the details here!

1. What is your favorite bagel flavor?
I don't eat bagels very often but when I do my choice would be Cinnamon Crunch at Panera!

2. If you had an extra $100 right now, what would you spend it on?
I would put it in the vacation fund! I love vacations!!!

3. What is the last thing that you felt guilt about doing?
I bought a mini bundt pan at Costco. It was so cute the molds were shaped like lady bug's, butterfly's and other insects. After I got it home I decided I would only use it once or twice, so I took it back. Not sure if this was really guilt or not. It's the only thing I can come up with!

4. Soft serve ice cream or hand dipped?
Either one. I love ice cream!!!

5. Are you allergic to anything?
Penicillin!!

Have a great day!!

Pink Saturday! - Zumba

Have you taken a Zumba class? Zumba is a fun way to exercise! The teacher handed out these bracelets in class a few weeks ago. Of course, I chose pink!

Happy Pink Saturday!!!

Butterfinger Cheescake

I always been known for my cheesecakes. For family gatherings or parties, people request my cheesecake. So why is it after two years of blogging I haven't posted a cheesecake recipe? I guess I've been too busy trying new recipes.

This recipe comes from a restaurant that used to be at Oak Park Mall in Kansas City, Paradise Diner. It's a rich and creamy cheesecake. Over the years, I've made lots of changes to this recipe. I've used an oreo cookie crust instead of the graham cracker crust, substituted a variety of candy bars, oreo cookies or thin mint cookies for the Butterfingers. The possibilities are endless!! To help a little with the tremendous number of calories and fat in this recipe, you can use the low fat sour cream and cream cheese. Do not use the no fat!!

If you like cheesecake, give this one a try! You won't be sorry!!!!



Butterfinger Cheesecake
- from the Paradise Diner

Crust
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
4 ounces butter, melted
Mix together. Pat into the bottom of a 10 inch springform pan.

Filling
2 pounds cream cheese
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
4 Butterfinger candy bars, chopped

Cream together cream cheese and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Scrape bowl after each addition. Mix until smooth. Fold in candy, reserving some for the top of the cheesecake. Pour into crust and bake at 300 degrees 45 minutes to one hour. To test for doneness, shake pan lightly. Cheesecake is done when filling is firm.

Topping

1 1/2 cups sour cream
2 tablespoons sugar

Spread on hot cheesecake. Chill overnight. Garnish with remaining chopped Butterfingers.

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

In My Garden

Hamburger Casserole - Revisited

Do you cook as much in the summertime? Although it's not summertime here yet, we've been so busy. Between enjoying the new camper, working in the yard and graduation, there's just not enough hours in the day. Not a lot of recipes to blog about. There's been a lot of pasta, burgers or brats on the grill, leftovers and pizza. The end result? Not many recipes in my drafts folder. Therefore, I am going to share another recipe from my early days of blogging.

My Dad is very much a meat and potatoes man and those two better not be mixed together. Except for this dish! This is the only casserole I can ever remember my Dad eating.



Hamburger Casserole
Into a well buttered casserole dish, place layers in order . Season each layer with salt and pepper.
2 -3 medium potatoes, sliced
2 -3 carrots, sliced
Can of peas (drained, saving liquid)
1 onion, sliced
1 stalk of celery, sliced
Over top of vegetables, placed 1 pound of ground beef, browned and drained.
Combine liquid from peas with can of tomato soup and pour over the top of ground beef.
Cover. Bake at 325 for 2 hours.

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

Meet Me On Monday!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! It's Monday and that means Meet Me On Monday! If you're interested in participating in this fun party, you can find the details over at Never Growing Old! Here's this week's questions and answers!

1. Crunchy or smooth peanut butter?
Smooth all the way!!!

2. What is your favorite color Rose?
All of them! I just love roses!!

3. Do you remove your shoes when you walk into your home?
I try but sometimes I forget!

4. What is your favorite season?
For me it has to be seasons, I love Spring and Fall. In the midwest we can have some really cold winters and terribly hot summers. We're always ready for warmer weather and the blooming flowers of Spring and cooler weather and the changing leaves of Fall!

5. Approximately how many hours a day do you spend blogging?
Depends...what are we calling "blogging"? If we're including time spent reading blogs, I spend 2 - 4 hours a day. If I don't have something going on, my evening is spent in my favorite chair with my laptop reading all of your wonderful blog posts! If we're just taking into consideration the time actually putting together a blog post, an hour is more like it.

How about you? How many hours do you spend blogging?

Caramel Glazed Scallops - Celebrity Cook Along

Did anyone else feel at a loss when you couldn't get into Blogger on Thursday and Friday? I almost always post Foodie Friday's. This week when I couldn't get into blogger, I had to pass on Foodie Friday. Also, we were camping in the lovely 40 - 50 degree weather this weekend, so no Pink Saturday either!! Then I come home and my Thursday post of From The Good Life is noo where to be found!!! I don't save my posts anywhere else, so it is gone! I've tried before to recreate a post I've lost and just come up with the words.

It's good to be back and I am thrilled to join this month's celebrity cook along over at Happier Than A Pig in Mud features Paula Deen's recipes. I love Paula, she's so entertaining to watch. I've made quite a few of Paula's recipes. My intent was to try a new recipe for this month's event but time just wasn't on my side.




I've made Paula's recipe for Caramel Glazed Sea Scallops several times. I love the way the scallops caramelize with this recipe. This easy preparation makes a beautiful presentation. You can find the original post here!

CrockPot - Breakfast Casserole

If you read my blog you know I use my crock pot frequently for dinner. Breakfast? I've never cooked breakfast in it. Maybe because I thought we'd be too hungry before it would be done? A few weeks ago when Tim and I went camping, I thought this recipe would be fun to try.

This recipe is easy, versatile and delicious. Since this only takes a couple of hours, we were able to enjoy a late Saturday morning breakfast.



Crockpot Breakfast Casserole - Adapted from Finding Joy in My Kitchen

1-2 thick slices of "older" bread
1 C fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 C fresh green veggies (I used banana peppers)
1 C diced ham, sliced kielbasa sausage (I used Canadian Bacon)
4 eggs
1/4-1/2 C milk
1/2 C colby jack cheese, shredded
salt and pepper, as needed

Begin by spraying the crockpot with olive oil or a cooking spray.

Then, break apart the bread into small chunks. Sprinkle these in the bottom of the crockpot.
Over the top, layer the mushrooms, green veggies and meat. Lightly beat the eggs and milk together, then pour this mixture over the top! Sprinkle with cheese, salt and pepper, as desired.
Cover and cook on high for 1 1/2 -2 hours.

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

Happy Pink Saturday and Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Pink Saturday! Hope all of you have a wonderful Mother's Day!!

Rhubarb Dessert - Revisited

The past couple of weeks I have featured recipes from some of the "Mom's" who have touched my life. There was Nana's Chocolate Cake and Mrs. Flint's Banana Bread. Today, I am featuring my Mother In Law, Bernie's Rhubarb Dessert.

You can find the original post and recipe here!

I am linking this to Foodie Friday!